Drivers to watch for Sunday’s NASCAR Cup Series race at Las Vegas

By Chris EstradaMar 3, 2022, 1:00 PM EST

For now, things are wide-open in the NASCAR Cup Series as everyone continues to unlock the secrets of the new Next Gen car.

Nineteen different drivers have posted a top-10 finish over the first two races of the season.

Next up is Las Vegas Motor Speedway, which has seen several drivers become familiar faces at the front. But with the new car comes the potential for newcomers to join them.

Our list of drivers to watch for Las Vegas includes perennial Vegas favorites and others who haven’t had much luck there, but do have momentum going into Sunday.

FRONT RUNNERS

Brad Keselowski

Points position: 10th
Finishes in first two races: Ninth – Daytona 500; 27th – Auto Club Speedway
Recent at Las Vegas: 12 finishes of seventh or better in last 13 Las Vegas races, including three wins (2014, 2016, Sept. 2018)

Multiple spins prevented Keselowski from getting a solid result last week, but the new driver/co-owner at RFK Racing has run well to start the year. That gives him confidence in maintaining his successful record in Las Vegas, which he achieved as a member of Team Penske.

“I know we didn’t have the finishing position to show for it in Fontana, but I felt good about where we unloaded in terms of speed,” Keselowski said this week. “We definitely have something to build from coming out of there, and Vegas for me is a place I feel confident at, and one I’ve had some great success at over the years.

“As I have said all along, this will be a slow grind to get to where we want to be, and this weekend is yet another opportunity to continue that.”

Kyle Larson

Points position: Eighth
Finishes in first two races: 32nd (DNF) – Daytona 500; WIN – Auto Club Speedway
Recent at Las Vegas: Seven top-10 finishes in last eight Las Vegas races (missed Sept. 2020 race – indefinite suspension), including March 2021 win

Coming off victory at Auto Club, Larson visits the track where he earned his first win with Hendrick Motorsports — an early but important piece of his epic 2021 season.

Larson has now claimed five of the last seven points-paying Cup races. He stands a good chance to make it six for eight at Las Vegas, which has been solid for him throughout much of his Cup career. His average finish there of 9.8 (11 starts) is eclipsed only by Joey Logano‘s 8.6 (17 starts) and Ryan Blaney‘s 8.8 (11 starts).

And lest we forget, 1.5-mile tracks like Las Vegas were Larson’s bread and butter in his 2021 title run. Over nine races last season on 1.5-mile tracks, Larson won four of them and led 1,317 laps (most all-time on that track type).

Martin Truex Jr.

Points position: Third
Finishes in first two races: 13th – Daytona 500 and Auto Club Speedway
Recent at Las Vegas: Eight straight finishes of eighth or better in last nine Las Vegas races, including two wins (March 2017, Sept. 2019)

Among drivers without a top-10 finish so far in 2022, Truex is highest in the standings. That’s largely because of his overall performance at Daytona, which included 25 stage points (20 from his two Daytona 500 stage wins, five from his Duel qualifier).

Looking ahead to Las Vegas, Truex has been one of the most consistent drivers there. But the new Next Gen car presents a wild card.

“There’s usually not a ton that you can take from Fontana to Vegas because of the difference in the track surface and the banking,” Truex said this week. “Overall, we were pretty happy with our car to start the race last week and we were moving up through there until I got into the wall.

“After that, it wasn’t very good, but I was excited about the way we started and the moves I was able to make, so that gives me confidence going into this weekend.”

QUESTIONS TO ANSWER

Aric Almirola

Points position: Seventh
Finishes in first two races: Fifth – Daytona 500; Sixth – Auto Club Speedway
Recent at Las Vegas: Five straight finishes of 13th or worse … Career-best finish of sixth, Sept. 2018

A classic case of “something has to give.” Almirola has started his final full-time season as the lone driver to post top-10 finishes in both races, but now comes to one of his worst tracks.

He’s only had three top-10 finishes in 17 Cup starts at Las Vegas, the most recent top 10 coming in March 2019 (seventh). Maybe his luck will change with the new Next Gen car?

“I think this new car offers that opportunity,” Almirola said this week. “I’ve always struggled a bit at Vegas and moving around on the racetrack. It’s a very unique track so, for me, going there with new everything gives us plenty of opportunities to perform at a high level and keep this momentum going.

“We also have to be patient and understand that these cars are going to behave differently and we have to take every single data point we have to make it better and be there at the end.”

Tyler Reddick

Points position: 21st
Finishes in first two races: 35th (DNF) – Daytona 500; 24th – Auto Club Speedway
Recent at Las Vegas: Earned career-best finish at Las Vegas last September, finishing sixth … Had finished 18th or worse in his three prior Cup starts there

Reddick was hard done last week at Auto Club, leading a race-high 90 laps before a flat tire and run-in with William Byron ended his chances of winning. If he and the No. 8 Richard Childress Racing team carry over their performance on the track and pit road, could they threaten again?

For his part, Reddick believes Las Vegas is positioned to race much like Auto Club did.

“Same type of situation, I think,” Reddick said this week on SiriusXM NASCAR Radio. “Barely on in runs, you’re gonna see cars able to run all three lanes fairly early on and be able to make lanes work for their cars. You’re gonna have to be able to run all three lanes in a lot of different points in the run — early run, middle of the run, at the end of the run. I think it’ll be a lot like Fontana.”

Denny Hamlin

Points position: 30th
Finishes in first two races: 37th (DNF) – Daytona 500; 15th – Auto Club Speedway
Recent at Las Vegas: Three straight top-five finishes (including his Sept. 2021 win) and 305 laps led (38% of the total laps run) during that span

Hamlin should be a frontrunner considering his recent work in Las Vegas, and as the winner last time out at Las Vegas, he was always going to be one to watch.

But he returns in a big points hole after he was collected in a crash at the season-opening Daytona 500. Last week at Auto Club, overheating issues, a late-race speeding penalty and a final-lap brush of the wall marred his race.

Can he avoid a third straight subpar finish to open 2022?

“We definitely have room for improvement,” Hamlin said this week. “I felt like our (car) was good and the pit crew was incredible last weekend (at Auto Club), but we need to be better to get over that hump to run in the top five.

“It seemed like we could get up to around sixth and we kind of stalled out there. Overall, I think there were some positives that we can build on, and as a group, I feel like we learned a lot that will help us moving forward.”

Truck starting lineup at WWT Raceway: Ty Majeski wins pole

By Dustin LongJun 2, 2023, 7:45 PM EDT

Ty Majeski will lead the Craftsman Truck starting lineup to the green flag Saturday at World Wide Technology Raceway after winning the pole Friday night.

Majeski claimed his fourth career series pole and first of the season with a lap of 138.168 mph around the 1.25-mile speedway.

MORE: Truck starting lineup at WWT Raceway

Ben Rhodes, who won last week at Charlotte, qualified second with a lap of 137.771 mph. He was followed by Christian Eckes (137.716 mph), Carson Hocevar (137.057) and Stewart Friesen (137.007).

The series races at 1:30 p.m. ET Saturday on FS1.

Saturday Portland Xfinity race: Start time, TV info, weather

By Dustin LongJun 2, 2023, 1:00 PM EDT

There have been different winners in each of the last nine Xfinity Series races this season. Will the streak continue Saturday at Portland International Raceway?

Those nine different winners have been: Sammy Smith (Phoenix), Austin Hill (Atlanta), AJ Allmendinger (Circuit of the Americas), Chandler Smith (Richmond), John Hunter Nemechek (Martinsville), Jeb Burton (Talladega), Ryan Truex (Dover), Kyle Larson (Darlington) and Justin Allgaier (Charlotte).

Details for Saturday’s Xfinity race at Portland International Raceway

(All times Eastern)

START: The command to start engines will be given at 4:38 p.m. … The green flag is scheduled to wave at 4:46 p.m.

PRERACE: Xfinity garage opens at 10 a.m. … Practice begins at 11:30 a.m. … Qualifying begins at 12 p.m. … Driver introductions begin at 4:15 p.m. … The invocation will be given by Donnie Floyd of Motor Racing Outreach at 4:30 p.m. … The national anthem will be performed at 4:31 p.m.

DISTANCE: The race is 75 laps (147.75 miles) on the 1.97-mile road course.

STAGES: Stage 1 ends at Lap 25. Stage 2 ends at Lap 50.

STARTING LINEUP: Qualifying begins at 12 p.m. Saturday

TV/RADIO: FS1 will broadcast the race at 4:30 p.m. ... Coverage begins at 4 p.m. … Motor Racing Network coverage begins at 4 p.m. and can be heard on mrn.com. … SiriusXN NASCAR Radio will carry the MRN broadcast.

FORECAST: Weather Underground — Sunny with a high of 73 degrees and a zero percent chance of rain at the start of the race.

LAST TIME: AJ Allmendinger won last year’s inaugural Xfinity race at Portland by 2.8 seconds. Myatt Snider finished second. Austin Hill placed third.

NASCAR Friday schedule at WWT Raceway, Portland

By Dustin LongJun 2, 2023, 7:00 AM EDT

Craftsman Truck Series teams will be on track Friday at World Wide Technology Raceway to prepare for Saturday’s race. Cup teams will go through inspection before getting on track Saturday.

Xfinity Series teams will go through inspection Friday in preparation for their race Saturday at Portland International Raceway.

Here is Friday’s schedule:

World Wide Technology Raceway at Gateway (Cup and Trucks)

Weather

Friday: Partly cloudy with a high in the low 90s.

Friday, June 2

(All times Eastern)

Garage open

1 – 8 p.m. — Craftsman Truck Series
4 – 9 p.m. — Cup Series

Track activity

6 – 6:30 p.m. — Truck practice (FS1)
6:30 – 7:30 p.m. — Truck qualifying (FS1)

Portland International Raceway (Xfinity Series)

Weekend weather

Friday: Mostly sunny with a high of 77 degrees.

Friday, June 2

(All times Eastern)

Garage open

6-11 p.m. — Xfinity Series (no track activity on Friday)

Friday 5: NASCAR’s $1 million question is can the culture change?

By Dustin LongJun 2, 2023, 6:00 AM EDT

NASCAR Cup teams have paid nearly $1 million in fines this season, more than triple what they paid last season for inspection-related infractions.

The money — $975,000 after just 14 of 36 points races — goes to the NASCAR Foundation. While the fines help a good cause, it is a troubling number, a point that a senior NASCAR official made clear this week.

Stewart-Haas Racing was the latest Cup team to be penalized. NASCAR issued a $250,000 fine, among other penalties, for a counterfeit part found on Chase Briscoe’s car following Monday’s Coca-Cola 600. The team cited a “quality control lapse” for a part that “never should’ve been on a car going to the racetrack.”

Elton Sawyer, NASCAR senior vice president of competition, said this week that if violations continue, the sanctioning body will respond. NASCAR discovered the infraction with Briscoe’s car at the R&D Center. Series officials also discovered a violation with Austin Dillon’s car at the R&D Center after the Martinsville race in April.

“If we need to bring more cars (to the R&D Center), we’ll do that,” he said. “Our part of this as the sanctioning body is to keep a level playing field for all the competitors, and that’s what they expect us to do and that’s what we’ll continue to do. … Whatever we need to do, we will do that.”

Sawyer also noted that the “culture” of race teams needs to change with the Next Gen car.

“From a business model and to be equitable and sustainable going forward, this was the car that we needed,” Sawyer said. “To go with that, we needed a deterrent model that would support that.

“We’ve been very clear. We’ve been very consistent with this … and we will continue to do that. The culture that was in our garage and in the race team shops on the Gen-6 car was more of a manufacturing facility. The Next Gen car, that’s not the business model.

“The race teams, they’re doing a better job. We still have a lot of work to do, but they have to change that culture within the walls of the race shop.”

While NASCAR has made it clear that single-source vendor parts are not to be modified, teams will look for ways to find an advantage. With the competition tight — there have been 22 different winners in the first 50 races of the Next Gen car era — any advantage could be significant.

Twelve races remain, including Sunday’s race at World Wide Technology Raceway, before the playoffs begin. The pressure is building on teams.

“Some race teams, at this stage in the game, their performance is not where they would like for it to be and they’re going to be working hard,” Sawyer said. “If they feel like they need to step out of bounds and do things and just take the risk, then they may do that. That’s not uncommon. We’ve seen that over the years.

“The one thing that we have to keep in mind is we’ve raced the Next Gen car for a full season. We’re in year two, just say 18 months into it. So last year, they were just getting the parts and pieces, getting ready, getting cars prepared and getting to the racetrack.

“Now they’ve had them for a year. They’ve had them for an offseason. It’s given their engineers and the people back in the shop a lot more time to think, ‘Maybe we could do this, maybe we could do that.’

“By bringing these cars back (to the R&D Center) and taking them down to basically the nuts and bolts and a thorough inspection — and we will continue to do that — I believe we will get our message across. We’ll have to continue to do this for some period in time, but I have great faith that we will get there.”

A similar message was delivered by Sawyer to drivers this week when NASCAR suspended Chase Elliott one race for wrecking Denny Hamlin in retaliation for being forced into the wall.

Sawyer told SiriusXM NASCAR Radio that “in the heat of the battle things happen, but (drivers) have to learn to react in a different way.”

Sawyer also noted that the message on how to race wasn’t just for those in Cup.

“We have to get that across not only to our veterans, guys that are superstars like Denny, like Bubba (Wallace) and like Chase and all our of national series Cup drivers, but also our young drivers that are coming up through the ranks that are racing in the Northeast in modifieds and in short tracks across the country,” he said. “That’s just not an acceptable behavior in how you would race your other competitors.

“There are a lot of things you can do to show your displeasure. That’s just not going to be one of them that we’re going to tolerate.”

2. Special ride

Corey LaJoie gets to drive a Hendrick Motorsports car this weekend due to Chase Elliott’s one-race suspension.

“It’s a far cry difference from when I started my Cup career six years ago,” LaJoie said on his “Stacking Pennies” podcast this week. “There was a Twitter page “Did Corey crash?” … Going from that guy just trying to swim and stay above water and trying to learn the ropes to filling in for a champion like Chase Elliott for Hendrick Motorsports, it feels surreal.”

It was a little more than three years ago that LaJoie gave car owner Rick Hendrick a handwritten note to be considered to replace Jimmie Johnson in the No. 48 car after the 2020 season.

“This was the first time I’ve gotten a letter from the heart,” Hendrick told NBC Sports in February 2020 of LaJoie’s letter. “I’ve gotten letters and phones calls, usually from agents. It was really a heartfelt letter and it was really personal.

“I was impressed with him before and am more impressed after.”

LaJoie admitted on his podcast this week that he wouldn’t have been ready to drive the No. 48 car then.

“I wouldn’t have been ready, whether it be in my maturation, my game, my knowledge of the race cars,” he said. “The person that I was wasn’t ready for the opportunity like that.”

Now he gets the chance. He enters this weekend 19th in the season standings, 38 points behind Alex Bowman for what would be the final playoff spot at this time.

“It’s an opportunity to hopefully show myself, as well as other people, what I’ve been thinking (of) my potential as a race car driver,” LaJoie said on his podcast. “But I also think you have to just settle in and be appreciative of the opportunity.”

3. Special phone call

With Corey LaJoie moving into Chase Elliott’s car for Sunday’s Cup race, LaJoie’s car needed a driver. Craftsman Truck Series driver Carson Hocevar will make his Cup debut in LaJoie’s No. 7 car for Spire Motorsports.

Once details were finalized this week, the 20-year-old Hocevar called his dad.

“I don’t know if he really believed it,” Hocevar said.

He told his dad: “Hey, this is actually happening.”

His father owns a coin and jewelry shop and is looking to close the store Sunday and have someone watch his two puppies so he can attend the race.

For Hocevar, it’s quite a turnaround for a driver who has been at the center of controversy at times.

Ryan Preece was critical of Hocevar’s racing late in the Charlotte Truck event in May 2022. Preece said to FS1: “All you kids watching right now wanting to get to this level, don’t do that. Race with respect. Don’t wreck the guy on the outside of you trying to win your first race. It doesn’t get you anywhere.”

NASCAR penalized Hocevar two laps for hooking Taylor Gray in the right rear during the Truck race at Martinsville in April.

Hocevar acknowledged he has had to change how he drives.

“Last year was really, really tough for me and that’s no excuse,” Hocevar said this week. “I just was mentally wrong on a lot of things, had the wrong mindset. I wanted to win so badly that I thought I could outwork stuff and it kind of turned some people away. … I wasn’t enjoying the time there. I was letting the results dictate that.

“I was taking results too personal. If we were going to be running seventh, I took it as I was a seventh-place driver and I wasn’t good enough. So I started making desperate moves. I did desperate things at times, even last year, that I’ve been able to calm down and look myself in the mirror and had a lot of heart-to-heart conversations.”

He called the Martinsville race “a turning point” for him and knew he needed to change how he drove. He enters this weekend’s Truck race with three consecutive top-five finishes.

4. Moving forward

In a way, Zane Smith can relate to what Carson Hocevar will experience this weekend. Smith, competing in the Truck Series, made his Cup debut last year at World Wide Technology Raceway. Smith filled in for RFK Racing’s Chris Buescher, who missed the race because of COVID-19 symptoms. Smith finished 17th.

“That one that I got for RFK Racing was a huge opportunity,” Smith said of helping him get some Cup rides this season. “I was super thankful for that. I think that run we had got my stock up and then, honestly, getting the Truck championship helped that rise as well.

“I think just time in the Cup car is so important, and I think once that new Cup car came out, people realized that you don’t have to do the route of Truck, Xfinity, Cup. The Cup car is so far apart from anything, though it does kind of race like a truck, so I don’t think you need to go that round of Truck, Xfinity, Cup. I think a lot of people would agree with me on that.

“I’m happy for these Cup starts that I’m getting. I’m happy for that one that I got last year at a place like Gateway. I think every time that you’re in one you learn a lot.”

Smith has made five Cup starts this season, finishing a career-best 10th in last week’s Coca-Cola 600 for Front Row Motorsports. The former Truck champion has two Truck series wins this year and is third in the season standings.

5. Notable numbers

A look at some of notable numbers heading into this weekend’s Cup race at World Wide Technology Raceway in Madison, Illinois:

5 — Most points wins in the Next Gen car (William Byron, Kyle Larson, Joey Logano, Chase Elliott)

7 — Different winners in the last seven points races: Christopher Bell (Bristol Dirt), Kyle Larson (Martinsville), Kyle Busch (Talladega), Martin Truex Jr. (Dover), Denny Hamlin (Kansas), William Byron (Darlington), Ryan Blaney (Coca-Cola 600).

17 — Points between first (Ross Chastain) and sixth (Christopher Bell) in the Cup standings

88 — Degrees at Kansas, the hottest temperature for a Cup race this season (the forecast for Sunday’s race calls for a high in the low 90s)

100 — Consecutive start for Austin Dillon this weekend

500 — Cup start for Brad Keselowski this weekend

687 — Laps led by William Byron, most by any Cup driver this season

805 — Cup start for Kevin Harvick this weekend, tying him with Jeff Gordon for ninth on the all-time list.

FRONT RUNNERS

QUESTIONS TO ANSWER

Read More About NASCAR

MORE: Truck starting lineup at WWT Raceway

Read more about NASCAR

Details for Saturday’s Xfinity race at Portland International Raceway

(All times Eastern)

Read more about NASCAR

World Wide Technology Raceway at Gateway (Cup and Trucks)

Weather

Friday, June 2

(All times Eastern)

Portland International Raceway (Xfinity Series)

Weekend weather

Friday, June 2

(All times Eastern)

Read more about NASCAR

2. Special ride

3. Special phone call

4. Moving forward

5. Notable numbers

Read more about NASCAR