On a very windy afternoon, the Cup Series drivers take to the track for a 30 minute practice session before making a qualifying run to set the field.
Six minutes into practice, home town driver Kyle Busch slammed the wall hard with a flat tire, causing significant damage to his number 18 car and will have to move to a backup car. Joe Gibbs Racing brought a single “backup car” for the west coast swing – a car they intended to use as a parts car for the four JGR teams. The car will require a great deal of work in order to make it ready for the race.
The pre-qualifying/race inspection process continues to cause some major issues for the teams. A total of five teams had issues with the process in preparation for Sunday’s Penzoil 400.
The Stewart-Haas Racing number four car driven by Kevin Harvick, the Hendrick Motorsports number nine car driven by Chase Elliott, the Wood Brothers number 21 car driven by Harrison Burton, the Front Row Motorsports number 38 car driven by Todd Gilliland, and the Spire Motorsports number 77 car driven by Josh Bilicki all failed inspection at least once and will lose crew members as a result.
Group A driver Christopher Bell is the first driver on the track to make a qualifying run and clocked a time of 29.75 seconds around the mile and a half track.
Christopher Bell, Tyler Reddick, Chase Elliott, Ricky Stenhouse Jr, and Austin Dillon are the top five drivers in Group A that will make a run for the pole.
Greg Biffle is the first driver from Group B to make a qualifying lap with a time of 30.467 seconds.
Chase Briscoe, Austin Cindric, Denny Hamlin,Kyle Larson, and Joey Logano will join the Group A drivers to qualify for the pole.
Ricky Stenhouse Jr is the first of the top 10 drivers to make a run for the pole and clocked a time of 30.04 seconds.
Next up is Austin Dillon who ran a time of 30.046.
Chase Elliott ran a time of 29.716 seconds.
Tyler Reddick ran a tie of 29.801 seconds.
Christopher Bell had a time of 29,561 seconds. The fastest time of any driver so far in qualifying.
Joey Logano had a time of 29.777 seconds.
Austin Cindric ran a time of 29.704 seconds.
Denny Hamlin runs a time of 29.802
Chase Briscoe had a time of 29. 714 seconds.
The final car on the track is Kyle Larson who ran a time of 29.668 seconds.
Christopher Bell earns his first Cup Series pole with Kyle Larson alongside on the front row.
The winds have died down and the skies are sunny as the Cup Series drivers prepare to run 400 miles around the Las Vegas Motor Speedway.
The starting lineup for the Penzoil 400:
Christopher Bell
Kyle Larson
Austin Cindric
Chase Briscoe
Chase Elliott
Joey Logano
Tyler Reddick – moved to the back of the field
Denny Hamlin
Ricky Stenhouse Jr
Austin Dillon
Ryan Blaney
Martin Truex Jr
Alex Bowman
William Byron
Brad Keselowski
Daniel Hemric – moved to the back of the field
Bubba Wallace
Ross Chastain
Harrison Burton
Aric Almirola
Daniel Suarez
Michael McDowell
Erik Jones
Cole Custer – moved to the back of the field
Kevin Harvick
Greg Biffle
Chris Buescher
Justin Haley
Corey LaJoie
Todd Gilliland
Kurt Busch
Ty Dillon
Cody Ware
Josh Bilicki
BJ McLeod
Garrett Smithley
Kyle Busch
Tyler Reddick, Daniel Hemric, and Cole Custer have been moved to the back of the field after their crews made unapproved adjustments to the cars. Kyle Busch wrecked during practice and did not qualify for the race. He starts the race from the back of the field in a backup car.
Danica Patrick joins Mike Joy and Clint Bowyer in the FOX broadcast booth this week.
Stages one fthe race is 80 laps, stage two is 85 laps, with stage three lasting 102 laps for a total of 267 laps around the mile and a half track.
Chris Meyers revealed that no driver that led the first lap at LVMS has gone on to win the race in a Cup Series race.
NASCAR has called for a competition caution on lap 30 in order for teams to check tire wear.
Hendrick Motorsports has donated $200,000 to the humanitarian efforts in the Ukraine; additionally, HMS has pledged to donate $2,000 for each lap an HMS driver leads.
Christopher Bell brings the field down for the green flag start of the race from the inside lane and edges out in front for the lead with the help of a push from Austin Cindric.
Christopher Bell leads laps one.
Lap two, the top five are Christopher Bell, Kyle Larson, Austin Cindric, Chase Briscoe, and Chase Elliott.
Lap five, Christopher Bell has pulled out to a lead of over a second on Kyle Larson; Chase Briscoe, Joey Logano, and Denny Hamlin round out the top five. Kyle Busch has moved up six spots to 31st place.
Lap eight, Christopher Bell has increased his lead to over a second and a half on Kyle Larson. Chase Elliott has dropped out of the top 10.
Lap 10, Christopher Bell now has a lead of two seconds on Kyle Larson; Joey Logano, Denny Hamlin, and Ryan Blaney round out the top five.
Denny Hamlin reported some electrical issues before the race start and is monitoring the alternator readings.
Lap 16, Christopher Bell holds on to a two second lead with Joey Logano in second; Kyle Larson, Kenny Hamlin and Ryan Blaney round out the top five.
Lap 20, Christopher Bell has led every laps so far and now has a lead of over two and a half seconds on Denny Hamlin; Joey Logano, Ryan Blaney, and Kyle Larson round out the top five.
Lap 22, Kyle Larson is just outside the top 20 in 21st place.
With 21 green flag laps, the drivers have made a green flag run longer than any green flag runs at Auto Club Speedway last week.
Lap 24, Christopher Bell holds a two second lead on Denny Hamlin; Ryan Blaney, Alex Bowman and Kyle Larson round out the top five.
Kevin Harvick has moved up ninie spots since the start of the race and is now in 14th place.
Kyle Busch has entered the top 20. The crew spent over eight hours getting the car ready for today’s race after Busch crashed into the wall with a flat tire during practice.
When the caution flag comes out at the end of lap 30 for the competition caution, Christopher Bell has a two and a half second lead on Ryan Blaney.
Drivers come down pit road for service and adjustments. Ryan Blaney wins the race off of pit road. Leader Christopher Bell came out third. Tyler Reddick had a slow stop after having to back into his pit stall.
Ryan Blaney brings the field down for the green flag restart from the inside lane on lap 36 and jumps out in front for the lead. After a transmission issue, Kyle Busch restarts the race in 28th place.
Daniel Suarez was caught speeding on pit road and had to restart the race from the back of the field.
The top five are Ryan Blaney, Alex Bowman, Denny Hamlin, Martin Truex Jr, and Christopher Bell.
Lap 38, Cole Custer spins out in a single car incident to bring out the caution flag.
Ryan Blaney brings the field down for the green flag restart from the inside lane on lap 43 and goes nose to nose with Alex Bowman.
The caution flag comes out on lap 43 for contact between Austin Dillon and Justin Haley. Kyle Busch and Daniel Hemric were also involved.
Daniel Hemric is on pit road with the hood up.
Alex Bowman was scored the leader at the time of the caution flag.
Alex Bowman brings the field down for the green flag restart with 33 laps remaining in stage one. Bowman edges out for the lead from the inside lane.
Lap 48, the top five are Alex Bowman, Ryan Blaney, Denny Hamlin, Martin Truex Jr, and Ross Chastain. There are 35 cars on the lead lap.
Lap 50, in a three way battle for the lead, Denny Hamlin is the new leader with Ryan Blaney in second and Alex Bowman in third; William Byron, and Ross Chastain round out the top five.
All 37 cars are still on the track.
Lap 54, Denny Hamlin has a lead of over half a second on Ryan Blaney; Alex Bowman, William Byron, and Martin Truex Jr round out the top five.
Lap 61, Denny Hamlin has a lead of over a second on Ryan Blney; Martin Truex Jr, Alex Bowman, and William Byron round out the top five. Pole sitter Christopher Bell is in sixth place. Kyle Busch is in 21st place.
Tyler Reddick spins out and brings out the caution flag on lap 63; making a run through the grass in a single car incident.
Drivers come down pit road for fresh tires and adjustments. Taking only two tires, Aric Almirola wins the race off of pit road.
Martin Truex Jr was charged with equipment interference and will have to restart the race from the back of the field. A wheel rolled into Chris Buescher’s pit stall.
After staying out on the track, Kurt Busch brings the field dow nfor the green flag start of the race on lap 69. Drivers get three and four wide behind him.
Kurt Busch leads the race with William Byron in second; Aric Almirola, Alex Bowman, and Chase Elliott round out the top five.
Aric Almirola takes the lead.
Lap 71, William Byron is the new leader with team mates Alex Bowman in second and Chase Elliott in third; Ross Chastain and Aric Almirola round out the top five.
Lap 73, Kurt Busch has fallen out of the top 10.
Denny Hamlin reports power steering issues.
Lap 74, William Byron holds on to the lead with Alex Bowma in second; Chase Elliott, Ross Chastain, and Denny Hamlin round out the top five.
While Rick Hendrick is raising money via his drivers leading laps; fellow car owner Richard Childress has pledged to send one million rounds of ammunition to the Ukraine.
Lap 78, Alex Bowman takes the lead to continue the Hendrick Motorsports efforts.
Lap 79, Kyle Busch has entered the top 10!
Alex Bowman wins stage one for his fifth career stage win.
The top 10 at the end of stage one:
Alex Bowman
William Byron
Ross Chastain
Denny Hamlin
Chase Elliott
Kyle Larson
Ryan Blaney
Chase Briscoe
Kyle Busch
Christopher Bell
Drivers come down pit road for service and adjustments with Brad Keselowski winning the race off of pit road after taking only two tires.
After staying out on the track, Michel McDowell brings the field down for the green flag start of stage two on lap 87 with Brad Keselowski alongside.
Brad Keselowski takes the lead with Michael McDowell continuing to battle for the spot.
Lap 89, Brad Keselowski leads the race with Denny Hamlin in second; Ross Chastain, Alex Bowman, and Chase Elliott round out the top five.
Lap 92, Denny Hamlin takes the lead with Alex Bowman in second; Brad Keselowski, Ross Chastain, and William Byron round out the top five.
Daniel Suarez gets into the wall on lap 93 and brings out the caution flag after Chase Briscoe and Michael McDowell make contact.
A few drivers come down pit road for service, but most stay out on the track.
Denny Hamlin brings the field down for the green flag restart on lap 98 and holds on to the lead with Ross Chastain in second as the drivers get four and five wide across the track.
Lap 98, Denny Hamlin leads the race with Ross Chastain in second; William Byron, Alex Bowman, and Kyle Busch rounding out the top five.
Daniel Suarez is out of his car, has been checked at the infield care center, and is fine.
Lap 102, Denny Hamlin has a half second lead on Ross Chastain; William Byron, Kyle Busch, and Alex Bowman round out the top five.
Brad Keselowski brings out the seventh caution flag of the race on lap 103 when he gets loose and spins out. Ryan Blaney hits Keselowski in the door with no place to go. Keselowski takes his car to pit road but Ryan Blaney takes his car to the garage.
All of the drivers still on the track are on the lead lap.
Drivers come down pit road for service. Taking fuel only, Chase Briscoe wins the race off of pit road. Aric Almirola also took fuel only.
Michael McDowell was caught speeding on pit road and will have to restart the race from the back of the field.
After staying out on the track, Kyle Busch brings the field down for the green flag restart on lap 110 and takes the lead from the inside lane.
Lap 110, the top five are Kyle Busch, Aric Almirola, Ross Chastain, Denny Hamlin, and Kyle Larson.
Lap 112, it’s the Kyle and Kyle battle with Ross Chastain joining in a battle for the lead.
Lap 113, Ros Chastain passes Kyle Busch for the lead with Kyle Larson taking second; Kyle Larson, Denny Hamlin and Chase Elliott round out the top five.
Ryan Blaney is out of the care center and is a bit angry, but fine.
Lap 116, Ross Chastain leads the rac with Denny Hamlin in second; Kyle Busch, Alex Bowman, and William Byron round out the top five.
Lap 119, “watermelon man” Ross Chastain has a lead of over half a second on Denny Hamlin; Alex Bowman, Kyle Larson, ad Kyle Busch round out the top five.
Brad Keselowski is the only driver on the track not on the lead lap. Daniel Suarez and Ryan Blaney are out of the race.
Lap 126, Ross Chastain holds on to the lead with Denny Hamlin in second; Alex Bowman, Kyle Larson, and Christopher Bell round out the top five.
Lap 130, Ross Chastain has a half second lead on Denny Hamlin; Kyle Larson, Alex Bowman, and Christopher Bell round out the top five.
Eight of the top 10 cars belong to Hendric Motorsports and Joe Gibbs Racing.
Rookie driver Austin Cindric spins out, bringing out the caution flag on lap 135. Aric Almirola makes contact with Cindric prior to Cindric’s spin. Harrison Burton gets caught up in the melee.
Chase Briscoe alsp spins out and gets into the wall in a separated incident.
Drivers come down pit road en masse. Kyle Busch’s team reported that he was nine laps short of making the end of the stage after he stayed out in the last caution. Kyle Larson wins the race off of pit road. Denny Hamlin’s team had an air hose issue when he ran over the hose.
Alex Bowman was charged with an equipment interference penalty and will have to restart the race from the back of the field.
Kyle Larson brings the field down for the gren flag restart on lap 140 and takes the lead with Ross Chastain in second; Christopher Bell, Chase Elliott, and Kyle Busch round out the top five.
Chase Briscoe has taken his car to the garage and is out of the race.
Christopher Bell gets loose and spins out bringing out the caution flag on lap 142, Harrison Burton also spun out but both were single car incidents. Christopher Bell’s car is bouncing badly withflat tires..
Pit road is still closed but Christopher Bell and Erik Jones are on pit road. With flat tires, the crew cannot get the jack under the car and are having to try and lift the car. NASCAR Cup Series cars weight 3,400 pounds each. Erik Jones had the hood up with a brake issue.
Kyle Larson brings the field down for the green flag restart on lap 148 with Chase Elliott alongside. Kyle Larson leads the race with Elliott in second; Ross Chastain, Kyle Busch, and William Byron round out the top five.
Lap 150, Kyle Larson has a lead of almost half a second on Ross Chastain; Chase Elliott, William Byron, and Kyle Busch round out the top five.
Kyle Busch and William Byron battle for fourth.
Greg Biffle takes his car to the garage with 30 cars on the lead lap.
Aric Almirola is reporting that his car is vibrating so bad that his legs are numb.
Lap 159, Ross Chastain has caught up to leader Kyle Larson and is challenging for the lead. Ross Chastain takes the lead on alp 160.
Kyle Busch slaps the wall but the track stays green. He is reporting some handling issues with his car.
Lap 162, Ross Chastain has a lead of over half a second over Chase Elliott; Kyle Larson, William Byron, and Martin Truex Jr round out the top five. Kyle Busch is in sixth place after hitting the wall.
Ross Chastain wins stage two for his first and the first stage win ever for Trackhouse Racing.
The top 10 at the end of stage two:
Ross Chastain
Chase Elliott
Kyle Larson
William Byron
Kyle Busch
Martin Truex Jr
Joeyu Logano
Kevin Harvick
Denny Hamlin
Bubba Wallace
Seven of the nine drivers who have won stage two have gone on to win the race.
Drivers come down pit road for service with Ross Chastain winning the race off of pit road and Kyle Busch right behind him.
Cole Custer is stopped on the track with blue smoke coming from the car.
Ross Chastain brings the field down for the green flag start of stage three from the inside lane with Kyle Busch on the outside lane on lap 175. There are 30 cars on the lead lap. Cole Custer has been pushed to the garage. Ross Chastain edges out for the lead but Busch comes back up on the outside to battle for the lead.
Kyle Busch takes the lead but Ross Chastain comes right back to continue the battle.
Lap 177, Ross Chastain takes the lead with Kyle Busch in second; Chase Elliott, Kyle Larson, and Joey Logano round out the top five.
Lap 181, Ross Chastain has pulled out to a lead of nearly half a second on Kyle Busch; Chase Elliott, Kyle Larson, and William Byron round out the top five.
With 80 laps remaining in the race, Ross Chastain continues to lead the race with Kyle Busch in second; Chase Elliott, Kyle Larson, and Martin Truex Jr round out the top five.
There are 74 laps remaining in the race and Ross Chastain has a lead of over half a second on Kyle Busch; Martin Truex Jr, Kyle Larson, and Alex Bowman round out the top five.
Leader Ross Chastain’s team have been making pit stops of less than 12 seconds. Pit stop times have dropped over two seconds this year from last year’s car.
Lap 200, Ross Chastain leads the race by over half a second on Kyle Busch; Martin Truex Jr, Alex Bowman, and Kyle Larson rounds out the top five.
Kyle Busch is slowly eating into Ross Chastain’s lead. Chastain is just half a second in front.
William Byron hits the wall but the track stays green. He is reporting some handling issues with the car now.
Lap 207, Ross Chastain has pulled out to a one second lead on Kyle Busch; Martin Truex Jr, Alex Bowman, and Kyle Larson round out the top five.
Lap 211, there are 56 laps remaining in the race; Austin Dillon is the first driver to come down pit road for his green flag pit stop to begin the cycle.
Ross Chastain now has a lead of over a second on Kyle Busch.
So far, Hendrick Motorsports has raised $86,000 for Ukrainian relief with their four drivers leading laps.
More drivers are making their green flag pit stops.
Fifty to go, leader Ross Chastain comes down pit road for his green flag stop and gives the lead over to Kyle Larson.
Leading 77 laps so far, Ross Chastain has led more laps then his previous 117 career laps.
Denny Hamlin is slowing on the track but the track stays green.
Ricky Stenhouse Jr leads the race.
The caution falg comes out with 47 laps to go with Denny Hamlin stopped on the track after spinning out. Hamlin said that he “broke something”. Drivers are finding it difficult to ajust to the new shifter which runs up and down instead of the old H pattern. Hamlin reports he cannot shift the car.
Kyle Larson was charged with speeding on pit road. He will have to start the race from the back of the field.
Denny Hamlin is out of his car…and out of the race. He reports that the transaxle is broken.
Kyle Busch is listed as the leader of the race. There are 24 cars on the lead lap; not counting the wave arounds.
Kyle Busch brings the field down for the green flag restart with 41 laps remaining in the race with Ross Chastain alongside. The battle for the lead continues with Chastain and Busch swapping back and forth befoe Kyle Busch gets out in front for the lead.
Forty to go, the top five are Kyle Busch, Ross Chastain, Alex Bowman, Martin Truex Jr, and Ty Dillon.
Twenty-four hours ago the car in the lead had no engine, seat, or paint scheme. The Joe Gibbs Racing number 18 team spent eight hours putting the car together. Busch started the race dead last and is now leading the race. The car was meant as a JGR parts car, not a backup for a driver.
Lap 231, Kyle Busch has a third of a second lead on Ross Chastain; Martin Truex Jr, Alex Bowman, and William Byron round out the top five.
Martin Truex Jr and Ross Chastain battle for second with Kyle Busch leading the race.
Temperatures are dropping – they have dropped eight degrees since race start – and is bringing some cars to life.
With 30 laps to go, Kyle Busch ahs a one second lead on Martin Truex Jr; Ross Chastain, Alex Bowman, and William Byron round out the top five.
Twenty-five to go, Kyle Busch has a lead of over a second on Martin Truex Jr; Ross Chastain, Alex Bowman, and William Byron round out the top five.
Twenty-two to go, Martin Truex Jr is eating into Kyle Busch’s lead; he is now only half a second in front with 23 cars on the lead lap and six cars out of the race.
Twenty to go, Martin Truex Jr has caught leader and team mate Kyle Busch. The previous two races have had issues involving team mates at the end of the race.
Kyle Busch has not won at his home track since 2009; he has won 47 races since his last Las Vegas win.
Fifteen to go, the battle begins between leader Kyle Busch and Martin Truex Jr.
Martin Truex Jr takes the lead with 13 laps remaining in the race but Kyle Busch comes back to retake the lead. But the battle continues as they encounter slower traffic.
Ten to go, Kyle Busch leads the race with Martin Truex Jr in second; Ross Chastain, Alex Bowman, and William Byron round out the top five.
Seven to go, the battle continues as Martin Truex Jr looks for a lane to get around Kyle Busch for the lead.
Five to go, Kyle Busch has held on to lead the race as Martin Truex Jr continues to battle for the positon.
Erik Jones brings out the caution flag with just two laps remaining in the race when he gets loose and gets into the wall. He collects Bubba Wallace and sends him into the wall. Jones had no control of the steering wheel.
The race goes into overtime.
Drivers come down pit road for tires. Most all of the teams have no more sticker tires and are putting scuffs on the car. Kyle Larson wins the race off of pit road; Kyle Busch comes out fourth the first car to take four tires.
Ricky Stenhouse Jr was caught speeding on pit road.
Kyle Larson brings the field down for the two lap overtime shootout from the outside lane with team mate Alex Bowman alongside. Alex Bowman and Kyle Larson battle for the lead, swapping the lead back and forth.
Alex Bowman takes the white flag.
Alex Bowman wins the race! This is the 282nd win for car owner Rick Hendrick.
The unofficial results of the Penzoil 400:
Alex Bowman
Kyle Larson
Ross Chastain
Kyle Busch
William Byron
Aric Almirola
Tyler Reddick
Martin Truex Jr
Chase Elliott
Christopher Bell
Austin Dillon
Kevin Harvick
Kurt Busch
Joey Logano
Corey LaJoie
Harrison Burton
Justin Haley
Chris Buescher
Austin Cindric
Ty Dillon
Ricky Stenhouse Jr
Daneil Hemric
Todd Gillialnd
Brad Keselowski
Bubba Wallace
Cody Ware
Michael McDowell
BJ McLeod
Josh Bilicki
Garrett Smithley
Erik Jones
Denny Hamlin
Cole Custer
Greg Biffle
Chase Brisco
Ryan Blaney
Daniel Suarez
feature photo credit: NASCAR Facebook page