The second round of the NASCAR Cup Series playoffs - the Round of 12 - begins Sunday night at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.
Regular season champion Kyle Larson, who won in March at Las Vegas, starts the Round of 12 atop the leaderboard with a 46-point cushion above the cutline. He also has 59 playoff points, most among the remaining playoff drivers.
Larson won last week’s Round of 16 finale at Bristol Motor Speedway. He will start from the ole position Sunday. Ryan Blaney starts next to him on the front row.
Details for Sunday’s Las Vegas Cup race:
(All times are Eastern)
START: The command to start engines will be given by Ultimate Fighting Championship president Dana White at 7:08 p.m. … The green flag is scheduled to wave at 7:19 p.m.
PRERACE: Cup garage opens at Noon … Drivers report to pre-race at 6:25 p.m. … Driver introductions are at 6:30 p.m. … The invocation will be given by Billy Mauldin of Motor Racing Outreach at 7 p.m. … The national anthem will be performed by country music singer Matt Stell at 7:01 p.m.
DISTANCE: The race is 267 laps (400.5 miles) on the 1.5-mile speedway.
STAGES: Stage 1 ends at Lap 80. Stage 2 ends at Lap 160.
TV/RADIO: NBCSN coverage begins with Countdown to Green at 6 p.m., leading into race coverage … The NASCAR America Post-Race Show follows the race … Performance Racing Network’s radio coverage begins at 6 p.m. and also will stream at GoPRN.com; SiriusXM NASCAR Radio will carry the broadcast.
STREAMING: NBCSN
FORECAST: Weather Underground’s forecast calls for sunny skies, a high of 92 degrees, and dry conditions around the start of the race.
STARTING LINEUP: Las Vegas Cup starting lineup
TO THE REAR: William Byron, Martin Truex Jr., Aric Almirola, J.J. Yeley (failed pre-race inspection at least twice; Yeley failed three times, leading to the ejection of his car chief and a pass-through penalty to be served after the start of the race)
LAST YEAR: In last year’s Cup playoff race at Las Vegas, Kurt Busch earned his first win of the season and first career win at his home track. The victory sent him to the Round of 8.
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