The Cup Series gets their first chance at a practice session on a cloudy and very windy day at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.  Drivers are seeing speed differences of about 12mph between the head wind and the tail wind.

The drivers have been divided into two groups for a 20 minute practice session for each before making a qualifying run.

NASCAR has used a metric that includes finishing position at Atlanta, fastest lap, and points to determine what group the drivers will be in for practice and qualifying.

With the high wind conditions, many of the FOX Sports camera operators are not allowed access to their camera for safety reasons.

Just four laps into his practice session, Ryan Preece gets loose and backs into the wall.  Preece walked away from his car.

After the closest three way battle win (003 seconds) in NASCAR history last week at Atlanta, co-owner Pitbull called Daniel Suarez up on stage during his concert in Atlanta on Wednesday.

Denny Hamlin gets very lose but saves the car.

Kyle Busch, Noah Gragson, and Riley Herbst are all Las Vegas natives who are returning home to race this weekend.

At the end of Group A practice “Melon Man” Ross Chastain is at the top of the leaderboard.

Todd Gilliland gets Group B practice started off by scraping the wall.

Last year it was determined that the drivers in Group A were at a disadvantage after the top 10 was determined.  This year the Group A drivers outside of the top five will determine the lineup for the outside lane and the Group B drivers outside the top five will set the inside lane for race start.

Bubba Wallace is the only driver in the Cup Series who has finished both races in the top five.

JJ Yeley’s car failed the inspection process twice.  According to the rules, a crew member is ejected for the race and the team loses their opportunity to select a pit stall.  When NASCAR went to eject the car chief they discovered there was no car chief and instead has ejected the crew chief.

Chase Briscoe wins practice in Group B.

Qualifying was delayed for a short period after a sand storm moved through the track.

The first driver on the track to make a qualifying run is Group A driver Noah Gragson who posts a time of 29.795 seconds around the mile and a half track.

Chris Buescher, Ty Gibbs, Christopher Bell, Bubba Wallace, and Martin Truex Jr will all move on from Group A for round two of qualifying.

The first driver on the track from Group B to make a qualifying run is Derek Kraus who posted a time of 30.173 seconds.

JJ Yeley and Justin Haley will not make a qualifying run.

Todd Gilliland leads the Cup Series in laps led with 74.

William Byron, Kyle Larson, Chase Briscoe, Austin Cindric, and Joey Logano will move on to round two of qualifying from Group B.

The first driver on the track for round two of qualifying is Martin Truex Jr with a time of 29.481 seconds.

With a time of 29.291 seconds Joey Logano put his number 22 car on the pole with Kyle Larson starting alongside on the front row.  He is the first driver in 24 years to start the first three races on the front row.

The starting lineup for the Penzoil 400:
Joey Logano
Kyle Larson
Austin Cindric
William Byron
Bubba Wallace
Chase Briscoe
Martin Truex Jr
Ty Gibbs
Chris Buescher
Christopher Bell
Chase Elliott
Michael McDowell
Ricky Stenhouse Jr
Carson Hocevar
Ryan Blaney
Daniel Suarez
Corey LaJoie
Tyler Reddick
Austin Dillon
Ross Chastain
Kyle Busch
Erik Jones
Alex Bowman
Zane Smith
Brad Keselowski
Josh Berry
John Hunter Nemechek
Denny Hamlin
Harrison Burton
Noah Gragson
Todd Gilliland
Kaz Grala
Derek Kraus
Daniel Hemric
Justin Haley
Ryan Preece
JJ Yeley

For the third week in a row Joey Logano starts the race from the front row, but he failed to earn any stage points in the first two races.

Las Vegas Raider A.J. Cole gave an awesome command to star the engines that should get everyone excited to get the race going.

Ryan Preece will start the race from the back of the field in a backup car after crashing during practice.

Still windy, the winds are not as bad as it has been the past couple of days.

Ross Chastain and Justin Haley will also have to start the race from the back of the field after crews made changes to the cars.

Stage one is 80 laps, stage two is 85 laps, and stage three is 102 laps for a total of 267 laps around the mile and a half track.  Drivers can run around 60 laps on a single load of fuel.

Joey Logano brings the field down for the green flag start of the race from the inside lane with Kyle Larson alongside.  Logano gets out in front right away as the field spreads out including going on the apron which is allowed this week.  Drivers are already four wide.

Lap three, Joey Logano and Kyle Larson battle for the lead with Larson getting out in front.

Lap four, Zane Smith is slowed on the track with some kind of issue but the track stays green.

Lap four Kyle Larson leads the race with William Byron in second; Joey Logano, Austin Cindric, and Martin Truex Jr round out the top five.

Lap seven, Zane Smith is on pit road but the rest of the field are on the lead lap.

Kyle Larson has pulled out to a half second lead on teammate William Byron; Joey Logano, Austin Cindric, and Martin Truex Jr round out the top five.

Las Vegas natives Kyle Busch is in 17th and Noah Gragson is 20th.

The first caution flag of the race comes out on lap 10 for a flat tire on Christopher Bell’s car.  The top five drivers took only two tires.

The field comes down pit road for service with Chris Buescher winning the race off of pit road.  Crew Chief and FOX broadcaster Larry McReynolds reports that the drivers cannot make it to the end of the stage from this point.

Chris Buescher brings the field down for the green flag restart on lap 16 and goes side by side with Chase Briscoe.

William Byron battles Chase Criscoe for the lead with Corey LaJoie in third; Kyle Larson and Daniel Suarez round out the top five.  William Byron was seventh when the green flag dropped.

Lap 19 William Byron leas the race with Chase Briscoe in second; Kyle Larson, Corey LaJoie, and Bubba Wallace wound out the top five.

Todd Gilliland had to restart the race from the back of the field after the crew came over the wall too soon.

Lap 21, Kyle Larson passes Chase Briscoe for second.

The teams have only nine sets of tires for today’s race and one of those were used for qualifying on Saturday.

Lap 26, William Byron has pulled out to a one second lead over teammate Kyle Larson.

The second caution flag of the race comes out on lap 28 when the right wheel comes off of Chris Buescher’s car.  The pit crew noted that they just didn’t get it tight enough.

Many of the drivers come down pit road for service on lap 32 with Martin Truex Jr winning the race off of pit rod after  two tires.

Track crews have to make repairs to the wall after Chris Buescher hit the wall when the tire came off.

NASCAR has displayed the red flag in order to get the wall repaired.

After staying out on the track, Daniel Suarez leads the race.

The top five are Daniel Suarez, Michael McDowell, John Hunter Nemechek, Martin Truex Jr, and Kyle Busch.

After a 10 plus minute red flag condition to repair the wall, NASCAR displays the caution flag and the cars get moving again.

Daniel Suarez brings the field down for the green flag restart on lap 36 and holds off Michael McDowell for the lead.  Drivers spread out four wide across the track.

Chris Buescher is out of the race. Zane Smith is four laps down.

Lap 39, Daniel Suarez has a half second lead on Kyle Busch; Martin Truex Jr, Kyle Larson, and Michael McDowell round out the top five.

Lap 40, Kyle Busch moves up to challenge leader Daniel Suarez for the lead.

Lap 43, Kyle Busch and Daniel Suarez battle for the lead; Kyle Larson, Martin Truex Jr, and Michael McDowell round out the top five.

Lap 44, Kyle Busch takes the lead with Kyle Larson in second.

Lap 47, William Byron reports that he is overheating.  There is some debris on his grille.

Lap 48, William Byron had to come down pit road to get the debris – a giant garbage bag – removed from the car.

Lap 49, Kyle Busch holds on to the lead but Kyle Larson is looking to take the spot.

Lap 56, Kyle Busch holds on to the lead with Kyle Larson on his bumper; Tyler Reddick, Martin Truex Jr, and Denny Hamlin round out the top five.

Lap 60, Kyle Busch and Kyle Larson battle for the lead.

Lap 62, Kyle Larson finally gets around Kyle Busch for the lead.

The top five are Kyle Larson, Kyle Busch, Tyler Reddick, Martin Truex Jr, and Denny Hamlin.

Fifteen laps remain in stage one with Kyle Larson leading the way; Kyle Busch, Tyler Reddick, Martin Truex Jr, and Denny Hamlin round out the top five.

Lap 70, after starting the race from the back of the field, Ross Chastain has entered the top 10.

Lap 71,Kyle Larson has a half second lead on Kyle Busch.

Joey Logano is reporting a vibration in his car.

There are 33 cars on the lead lap.  William Byron is the first car one lap down with seven laps remaining in the stage.

With five laps remaining in stage one, Kyle Larson has pulled out to a lead of over a second on Kyle Busch.

Tyler Reddick has passed Kyle Busch for second.

Two laps remain in stage one, Martin Truex Jr has passed Kyle Busch for third.

Kyle Larson wins stage one.

The top 10 at the end of stage one:
Kyle Larson
Tyler Reddick
Martin Truex Jr
Kyle Busch
Denny Hamlin
Ty Gibbs
Corey LaJoie
Ross Chastain
Austin Cindric
Christopher Bell

Drivers come down pit road for service with Martin Truex Jr to win the race off of pit road.

Tyler Reddick had a slow stop after stoppingtoo close to the wall.

Martin Truex Jr brings the field down for the green flag start of stage two on lap 89 with Denny Hamlin alongside.  Drivers quickly spread out three and four wide across the track with Denny Hamlin leading the race.

The top five are Denny Hamlin, Corey LaJoie, Martin Truex Jr, Kyle Larson, and Ty Gibbs.

Lap 91, in a three wide battle for second; Kyle Larson gets in front of Martin Truex Jr and Corey LaJoie.

Ryan Blaney takes fifth briefly before Kyle Busch takes the spot.

Lap 95, Denny Hamlin leads the race withKyle Larson in second; Martin Truex Jr, Kyle Busch, and Corey LaJoie round out the top five.

Lap 100,Denny Hamlin has a half second lead on Kyle Larson; Martin Truex Jr, Kyle Busch, and Corey LaJoie round out the top five.  Kyle Busch passes Truex for third.

Lap 105, Kyle Larson passes Kenny Hamlin for the lead; Kyle Busch, Corey LaJoie, and Martin Truex Jr round out the top five.

Lap 110, Kyle Busch passes Denny Hamlin for second.

Lap 112, Kyle Larson leads the race with Kyle Busch in second; Denny Hamlin, Martin Truex Jr, and Ryan Blaney round out the top five.

Lap 118, there are 34 cars on the lead lap with Kyle Larson leading the race.  Drivers are beginning to come down pit road for green flag pit stops.

Lap 120, leader Kyle Larson makes his green flag pit stop and gives the lead over to Ross Chastain.

Lap 121, Ross Chastain comes down pit road and gives the lead over to Tyler Reddick.

Austin Cindric was caught speeding on pit road and will have to serve a pass through penalty.

Daniel Hemric and Ross Chastain were also caught speeding on pit road.

Lap 122, Kyle Larson retakes the lead with Denny Hamlin in second; Ryan Blaney, Kyle Busch, and Ty Gibbs round out the top five.

Lap 133, halfway, Kyle Larson has a lead of over two seconds on Denny Hamlin; Kyle Busch, Ryan Blaney, and Ty Gibbs round out the top five with 29 cars on the lead lap.

Lap 138, Kyle Busch has passed Denny Hamlin for second place.

Lap 141, Kyle Larson has pulled out to a lead of three and a half seconds on Kyle Busch; Denny Hamlin, Ryan Blaney, and Ty Gibbs round out the top five.

There are only 29 cars on the lead lap; many of the cars a lap down are due to penalties or pit road issues.

Twenty laps remain in stage two, Kyle Larson has a big lead on Kyle Busch with Denny Hamlin, Ryan Blaney, and Ty Gibbs rounding out the top five.

With 16 laps remaining in stage two, Kyle Larson has a lead of over four seconds on Kyle Busch.  Busch is reporting a loose condition in his car.

The wind is picking up.

Carson Hocevar had to make an unscheduled trip down pit road with a flat tire.

Leader Kyle Larson continues to lap cars; there are 26 cars on the lead lap.

Twelve laps remain in stage two, Kyle Larson leads the race with Kyle Busch in second; Denny Hamlin, Tyler Reddick, and Ryan Blaney round out the top five.

Christopher Bell brings out the caution flag with just nine laps remaining in stage two.  Bell was in 14th place when he gets loose and spins out with lots of smoke but keeps it off the wall.

With just eight laps remaining in stage two, the drivers come down pit road to short pit the end of the stage.  Alex Bowman wins the race off of pit road after taking only two tires.  Some of the teams are having issues on pit road leading to slow stops for the drivers.

Ty Gibbs was charged with having an uncontrolled tire.  Gibbs reports that he is having transmission issues and has no first gear.

Seven drivers stayed out on the track and took the wave around.

Kyle Busch had a slow stop after the crew had to come back around the car to secure a tire.

There are now 33 cars on the lead lap with Chris Buescher the only driver out of the race.

Drivers get four and five wide in a battle for position as Alex Bowman gets out in front briefly before Kyle Larson retakes the lead.

Kyle Larson wins stage two for the stage sweep.

The top 10 at the end of stage two:
Kyle Larson
Tyler Reddick
Denny Hamlin
Ryan Blaney
Martin Truex Jr
Chase Elliott
Austin Dillon
Alex Bowman
Joey Logano
Erik Jones

Some of the drivers come down pit road for service but most of the field stays out on the track.

Bubba Wallace is having an extended stop on pit road due to a stuck lug nut.

Kyle Larson brings the field down for the green flag start of stage three with 95 laps remaining in the race.  Drivers are three wide in a battle for position with Kyle Larson out in front.

The top five are Kyle Larson Tyler Reddick, Denny Hamlin, Martin Truex Jr, and Ryan Blaney.

NASCAR has stated that the restart is under review.

The restart is good, no penalties.

Lap 175, Kyle Larson has already pulled out to a lead of over a second on Tyler Reddick; Denny Hamlin, Martin Truex Jr, and Chase Briscoe round out the top five.

Lap 178, Kyle Larson continues to increase his lead and is now nearly two seconds in front of Tyler Reddick

Lap 182, Kyle Larson’s lead is now over two seconds on Tyler Reddick; Denny Hamlin, Martin Truex Jr, and Chase Briscoe round out the top five.  After a bad pit stop, Kyle Busch is in ninth place.

The fastest car on the track, Kyle Larson continues to extend his lead with 82 laps to go; he is now over two seconds out in front

With 79 laps to go, Tyler Reddick has closed the gap on leader Kyle Larson to under two seconds.

Just 72 laps to go, Kyle Larson’s lead is down to just one second on Tyler Reddick; Martin Truex Jr, Denny Hamlin, and Ryan Blaney roud out the top five.

The wind has picked up and drivers are seeing six second differences between turns one and two and three and four.

Bubba Wallace finally makes it back on the track after lug nut issues but is 13 laps down.

With 66 laps to go, Kyle Larson’s lead is now just over half a second on Tyler Reddick; but the drivers must make one more pit stop for fuel.

Pole sitter Joey Logano reports that he, ”is plowing like a dump truck.”

With 62 laps to go, Chase Briscoe is the first driver to come down pit road for green flag pit stops.

With 57 laps to go, pit road is beginning to get a bit busier as drivers come in for service including leader Kyle Larson; William Byron is the new leader.

With 56 to go William Byron comes down pit road; followed by Carson Hocevar.  Daniel Suarez is the new leader.

Kyle Busch was charged with pitting outside of his pit box and will have to serve a pass through penalty.

With 52 laps to go, Daniel Saurez comes down pit road and gives the lead over to Michael McDowell.

Michael McDowell and Derek Kraus are the only drivers who have not made a pit stop.

With 48 to go, Michael McDowell comes down pit road for service; leading Derek Kraus the only driver yet to make a pit stop.  This is his first Cup Series race and he led a lap before Kyle Larson passed him to take the lead.

There are just 44 laps to go and all of the drivers have made their pit stops.

The top five are Kyle Larson, Tyler Reddick, Ryan Blaney, Martin Truex Jr, and Ty Gibbs.

Just 38 laps remain in the race with Kyle Larson nearly two seconds out in front of Tyler Reddick; Ryan Blaney, Martin Truex Jr, and Ty Gibbs round out the top five.

The caution flag comes out with 33 laps to go when Corey LaJoie gets loose and into the wall.

There ae just 23 cars on the lead lap.

Drivers come down pit road for one last pit stop with Kyle Larson winning the race off of pit road.  Ross Chastain comes out second after taking just two tires.

Ten drivers take the wave around; putting 31 cars back on the lead lap.

Kyle Larson brings the field down for the green flag restart with 27 laps remaining in the race.  Larson edges out for the lead but Ross Chastain moves up to challenge.  Drivers are three wide through the field.

Kyle Larson gets out in front with Ross Chastain in second; Denny Hamlin, Tyler Reddick, and Ryan Blaney round out the top five.

Late in the afternoon, the sun has become an issue for the drivers.

Ryan Blaney passes Denny Hamlin for fourth.

Twenty to go!  Kyle Larson has a one second lead on Tyler Reddick; Ross Chastain, Ryan Blaney, and Noah Gragson round out the top five.

Just 17 laps to go, Kyle Larson’s lead is down to under a second with Tyler Reddick in second; Ryan Blaney, Ross Chastain, and Noah Gragson round out the top five.

With 13 laps to go, Ross Chastain is slowly beginning to fall in the field after taking only two tires

Twelve to go, Kyle Larson’s lead is down to half a second on Tyler Reddick.

Eleven to go, Tyler Reddick is running laps faster than the leader Kyle Larson.

Ten to go, Kyel Larson’s lead is now under half a second.

Seven to go, Kyle Larson has a half second lead on Tyler Reddick.

Five to go, Kyle Lason holds on to the lead with Tyler Reddick less than half a second back.

Three to go, Tyler Reddick has closed to just a quarter of a second behind leader Kyle Larson.

Kyle Larson takes the white flag!

Kyle Larson pulls out to win the race by half a second over Tyler Reddick.

The unofficial results of the Penzoil 400:
Kyle Larson
Tyler Reddick
Ryan Blaney
Ross Chastain
Ty Gibbs
Noah Gragson
Martin Truex Jr
Denny Hamlin
Joey Logano
William Byron
Daniel Suarez
Chase Ellott
Brad Keselowski
Erik Jones
Carson Hocevar
Austin Dilon
Ricky Stenhouse Jr
Alex Bowman
Daniel Hemric
Josh Berry
Chase Briscoe
John Hunter Nemechek
Ryan Preece
Todd Gilliland
Michael McDowell
Kyle Busch
Justin Haley
Derek Kraus
Austin Cindric
Harrison Burton
Kaz Grala
Corey LaJoie
Christopher Bell
JJ Yeley
Bubba Wallace
Zane Smith
Chris Buescher