Pennzoil 400 Preview: West Coast Swing Concludes

With Phoenix Raceway now in our rearview mirror, we conclude our travel out west this week in Nevada. The NASCAR Cup Series will make their early-season visit to Sin City this weekend for the race at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. The intermediate oval in the Nevada desert hosts the Pennzoil 400 this Sunday afternoon. With this being the second race on an intermediate oval for the campaign, we need to get our notebooks handy. This race will be a good example of what we can expect going forward for many of the drivers on similar style ovals. Those who perform well at Las Vegas are set up to run well at upcoming facilities like Charlotte, Texas and Kansas. This style of track makes up a vast percentage (48%) of the ovals that the Cup Series races on, so this 400-mile event will be an early season barometer for what's to come. The drivers that succeed this week will be ones to watch in the coming weeks.

LVMS is like many intermediate ovals on the Cup Series schedule. While the banking and configuration varies a bit from the other cookie cutter tracks, Las Vegas should be a good indicator of what to expect for most of the drivers early in 2026 on these style ovals. Since historical data is so valuable in developing our weekly driver list, we'll take a quick look at these track specific statistics. The loop stats in the table below span the last 21 years of competition at this 1.5-mile oval. Let's take a look at the loop stats for the last 29 races at Las Vegas Motor Speedway for some background on the drivers.

Las Vegas Motor Speedway has been a track of parity for several years. However, we've seen the advantage shift somewhat to Ford teams in the last few seasons. Ford drivers have won two of the last four events at the Las Vegas oval. Still, all three manufacturers have put a driver in victory lane at LVMS since 2024, so parity still exists. In this event one year ago the Cup Series returned to the Nevada desert and Josh Berry rolled into victory lane in a big upset win at the 1.5-mile oval. With Berry picking up that surprising victory for the blue oval brand, we saw a Toyota driver upset the bowtie party in the fall installment at the track last October. Denny Hamlin rose late to deny dominant Chevrolet driver, Kyle Larson, and captured an important playoff win for the Toyota brand in his march into the championship round of the playoffs. Christopher Bell would come on strong over the final laps and grab an impressive third-place in that event. That is a good shot of confidence for both the Chevrolet and Toyota brand of drivers heading into Sunday's Pennzoil 400. 

However, before we cede the trophy to a Chevrolet or Toyota camp, we need to realize that contenders will also come from the Ford stable this weekend. Penske Racing star Joey Logano was the highest finishing Ford driver last fall (sixth) and has won at Vegas as recently as 2024. Let's not forget defending event champion Berry who has shown a real affinity for this oval. Brad Keselowski is a three-time Las Vegas winner and can never be discounted here. When we look at the way these recent races at the Vegas oval have played out, anyone can surge at the end of these events with the right pit and race strategy and pull off the upset. Late cautions and overtime finishes open the door to this type of anarchy. The following drivers are our picks for fantasy racing success at Las Vegas Motor Speedway this weekend.  

The Contenders – Drivers in the Hunt for the Win

Odds via DraftKings Sportsbook as of 2:30 PM ET Wednesday

Kyle Larson (+500) – The three-time Las Vegas winner comes to Nevada this week in need of a strong performance after a couple tough outings in the early season. The Hendrick Motorsports star owns three victories and five runner-up finishes at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, so he always seems to be in the running for the win here. Larson cracks the Top-5 at an impressive 47-percent rate and the Top-10 at a 74-percent rate at this facility. With well over 800 laps led for his career at this track, it's clear that Larson has this place zeroed-in. The driver of the No. 5 Chevrolet dominated here last October in the South Point 400. Larson would lead 129 laps that day and finish second-place to Denny Hamlin. If Chevrolet hopes to resume their winning ways in Sin City, those hopes will largely ride with Larson and the No. 5 team this Sunday afternoon.

Christopher Bell (+700) – Bell was one of the stronger Toyota drivers down the stretch run of last season on the mid-sized ovals. The Joe Gibbs Racing youngster grabbed a pair of third-place finishes in the Kansas and Las Vegas events during last season's playoffs. He'll carry that momentum into Sunday's Pennzoil 400. Bell has won three of the last eight pole positions at Las Vegas Motor Speedway so qualifying has been superb for the No. 20 Toyota team. Finishing has been equally strong for this driver and team as Bell has nabbed two runner-up finishes and four Top-5 finishes in his last six Las Vegas starts. The wins have not come yet, but they are drawing nearer with each start in the Nevada desert. Bell's 5.7 average finish in the last three Las Vegas races underscore his excellence at this track.

Denny Hamlin (+700) – Hamlin has led over 400-career laps and was crowed a two-time Vegas winner in his last visit to the track last October. His career numbers at LVMS have improved dramatically over the past few seasons. His average finish has lowered to a respectable 12.4 and his 15 Top-10 finishes check in now at a strong 54-percent rate. Hamlin has been pretty spotless at this oval since the 2020 season in which time he's grabbed two victories and eight Top-10 finishes. The Joe Gibbs Racing star ended last season well on these mid-sized ovals with his Las Vegas win and runner-up finish at Kansas all happening during the playoffs. That's a good last look heading into the Pennzoil 400 this weekend.

Joey Logano (+1100) – Logano is a four-time Las Vegas winner (2019, 2020, 2022 and 2024) and he always seems to have a strong race car when the Cup Series visits the Nevada race track. With over 580 laps led at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, the Penske Racing star has had more than his fair share of racing up front here. The veteran driver cracks the Top 5 at this facility at a strong 32-percent rate and Top 10 at an equally strong 60-percent. It's been a mixed bag to open the season for Logano and the No. 22 Ford team. They haven't started the season well with tough luck in some of his opening four races, so a very driven, motivated and purposeful driver will be focused on Las Vegas this Sunday. Among the many intermediate ovals on the NASCAR Cup Series circuit, Las Vegas is one of Logano's best.

Solid Plays – Near Locks for a Top 10 with an Outside Shot to Win

Tyler Reddick (+900) – The 23XI Racing star has started the season extremely well and currently sits first-place in the driver points as we come to Las Vegas. Reddick will look to stay hot in the Pennzoil 400 this Sunday afternoon. The thing most will observe about Reddick this week is that he's a 50-percent career Top-10 finisher at LVMS. That's a very steady level of performance. In his start here last October, Reddick drove his No. 45 Toyota to a strong fifth-place finish in the South Point 400. That lowered his career average finish at this facility to a fantasy worthy 15.5. He's cracked the Top 10 in three of his last five starts at this facility and that's a clip well above his career 50-percent Top-10 rate. No driver in the series has been more consistent and productive on the cookie cutter ovals in the last five events.  

William Byron (+850) – Byron won this event three years ago for his first-career victory at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. He led 176 laps that afternoon and dominated his way to the easy win. Byron has posted great qualifying efforts at this intermediate oval dating back to 2021. He has Top-5 starting spots in seven of his last 10 starts in the Nevada desert. That strong qualifying and good starting track position are leading to challenges for the win and Top-10 finishes. The driver of the No. 24 Chevrolet now has 16-career Cup starts at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, so the experience is starting to stack up. While his stats aren't eye-popping, his eight Top-10 finishes are good enough for a steady 50-percent Top-10 rate here.

Ross Chastain (+1600) – Prior to the move to Trackhouse Racing, Chastain really had an unremarkable record at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. He was 0-for-7 in starts vs Top 10's at the intermediate Nevada oval. That all changed when Chastain moved to Trackhouse Racing in 2022. In the eight starts at Vegas since, he's led 167 total laps and grabbed five Top-5 finishes in those eight efforts. The 7.6 average finish across the span is very eye opening and impressive. Chastain and the No. 1 Chevrolet team raced to a strong fifth-place finish at Vegas in this event one year ago. That's a good measure of potential for this Pennzoil 400.

Chase Briscoe (+1100) – It's not Briscoe's career-long accomplishments at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, in fact, his career numbers here aren't very impressive. However, it's what the Joe Gibbs Racing driver accomplished here last October that sticks with us and leaves a big impression. Briscoe qualified on the outside pole and led 57 laps in last season's South Point 400 before finishing a strong fourth-place that October afternoon. It was his career-best performance in Vegas and likely a very good barometer going forward for this driver and team at this track. Briscoe was a recent runner-up finisher at the similar sized Atlanta oval and that's a good look heading into Sunday's Pennzoil 400.     

Sleepers – Drivers with Good History at Las Vegas & Solid Upside

Ryan Preece (+5500) – The move from Stewart Haas Racing to Roush Fenway Keselowski Racing paid big dividends to this journeyman driver. Preece has seen his performance at a number of tracks improve since moving into the No. 60 Ford. Las Vegas Motor Speedway is no exception. Preece labored here most of his Cup Series career to little effect, but he turned in a big reversal last season. He grabbed third- and ninth-place finishes at the Nevada oval in 2025 and completely blew away his career 21.4 average finish at this facility. Those were Preece's first Top 10's at the track in 12-career starts but surely not his last. This driver and team return to build on those efforts and they have some pretty good car setup notes from last season.       

Josh Berry (+4000) – Last season's surprise winner of this event gets some fantasy consideration this weekend. While we don't expect Berry to successfully defend his race crown of one year ago, he should present some value for a few reasons. It's been a mixed bag for Berry to this point in the season, but returning to the scene of his victory one year ago should be a big psychological boost. The driver of the No. 21 Ford qualified well in this race last season and was able to maintain that good track position throughout in order to engineer a rare win. Berry's other four Cup Series starts at Las Vegas Motor Speedway have been unremarkable. However, the good setup and good racing that led to the win last year could help this driver to craft a Top-10 finish this weekend.

Ty Gibbs (+3000) – After consecutive fourth-place finishes at COTA and Phoenix, we have to really start paying attention to the driver of the No. 54 Toyota. This driver and team have been inconsistent performers to this point, but signs are looking like a breakout is underway. Gibbs didn't have good career stats at Phoenix so that performance last Sunday really stands out. His stats at Las Vegas are just as spotty with just one Top-10 in seven starts (24.1 career average finish) but we believe he'll buck that trend again this Sunday. Gibbs pedaled his Toyota to a fifth-place finish at Las Vegas Motor Speedway in this event in 2024, so he's very capable of turning in a great finish.

Daniel Suarez (+7500) – The Spire Motorsports veteran is off to good start to the season and has some momentum coming to Las Vegas. The speed of the No. 7 Chevrolet team has been good. This should be the weekend where Suarez continues to build on his success with his new race team. Las Vegas Motor Speedway has been a good track for Suarez in recent visits. He's earned two Top-5, three Top-10 and five Top-15 finishes in his last six starts in Sin City. In this event one year ago, the veteran driver raced to a Las Vegas career-best second-place. Suarez has led a combined 84 laps in just his last four starts at LVMS alone and that is roughly half his career laps led at the facility. We like Suarez to impress this Sunday afternoon.              

Bubba Wallace (+2200) – Wallace picked up his third Top 10 in the first four events of the season with his sixth-place finish at Phoenix Raceway this past weekend. 23XI teams are on fire to start this new season and Wallace is benefiting right now. He's not a big performer at Las Vegas Motor Speedway with just a 13-percent Top-10 rate and career average finish of 22.6. Wallace claimed 28th- and 22nd-place finishes in the two Vegas events last year. But we're convinced the No. 23 Toyota team will be fast this weekend. This is a case of where hot streak trumps career performance at a given track. Wallace earned a strong fourth-place finish at Las Vegas Motor Speedway as recently as 2023, so he's capable of a big performance in the Pennzoil 400.

Shane van Gisbergen (+10000) – The Trackhouse Racing driver is off to a great start to the season and enters Vegas weekend a lofty fifth-place in the driver standings. His sixth-place Atlanta finish and 11th-place Phoenix finish show that the Kiwi is starting to get the hang of oval racing. Van Gisbergen has three-career Cup Series starts at this track over the past two seasons. The results are not good with just a top finish of 29th-place. However, we believe experience is starting to stack up for van Gisbergen and the No. 97 Chevrolet team. They aren't just a threat to win on road circuits now, but they are also a threat to challenge the Top 10 at various oval tracks. This fantasy racing endorsement is a bit of a leap of faith, but we believe it will pay off this weekend and on future ovals.   

Slow Down – Drivers to Avoid this Week 

Todd Gilliland (+25000) – Currently sitting 26th-place in the driver point standings, Gilliland is in need of a good performance this Sunday at Las Vegas. However, his recent finishes there have not measured up for the No. 34 Ford team. In eight-career starts at the Nevada oval he's never cracked the Top 20 and he carries an inflated 26.4 average finish into this weekend's action. Last season alone he struggled to 29th- and 21st-place finishes in his two starts at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. Despite coming off an encouraging 12th-place finish at Phoenix this past Sunday, we're recommending the fantasy bench for Gilliland and his Front Row Motorsports team in the Pennzoil 400.

Chase Elliott (+1100) – Among the top tier drivers Elliott is the one to fade this weekend. Despite good numbers on these cookie cutter ovals last season, Las Vegas has been an outlier to his success. In 17-career starts he's only earned six Top-10 finishes at this track (35-percent) and his average finish of 18.9 is much higher than we like to see in an elite tier driver. Elliott's struggles at LVMS have been recent as well. He's only cracked the Top 10 once in his six visits to Nevada with an average finish of 21.0 across the span. Elliott ran into trouble and finished a subpar 18th-place in last October's South Point 400, and that's not a confidence builder ahead of Sunday's Pennzoil 400. 

Ryan Blaney (+900) – Another elite driver to fade this weekend is Blaney and his No. 12 Ford team. After a strong start to the season and victory at Phoenix this past weekend, we're recommending the bench this round in Vegas. He'll look to stay on a roll in the Pennzoil 400, but It could be an uphill battle for this driver and team though. Despite some modest success at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, Blaney has ran into some trouble here in last three starts. Finishes of 32nd-, 35th- and 38th-place have been his last three Vegas results. Blaney crashed out of both Las Vegas events last season. That has pulled his Top-10 rate down here to 53-percent and inflated his average finish to 15.2. There are better options among the "A" tier drivers this week.