Time for some racing in the desert as the Cup Series travels to Las Vegas for the South Point 400 to begin the round of eight.
Thirty-seven teams brought cars to Las Vegas for the race including seven time champion and Legacy Motor Club co-owner Jimmie Johnson.
On a windy Saturday afternoon, the drivers hit the track for practice and qualifying. The drivers have been divided into two groups for a 20 practice session each. Each group includes four playoff drivers.
Martin Truex Jr topped the leaderboard after Group A practice.
Ryan Blaney crashes in practice; he spins out and gets into the wall with a flat tire. Blaney will have to move to a backup car after the car is towed to the garage and will not get the opportunity to make a qualifying run. He reports that he had no warning prior to the wreck. Blaney has had seven DNF’s (did not finish) this season – many as the result of a crash.
Kyle Larson leads the point standings by 20 points, but his teammate William Byron has outscored everyone in stage points on mile and a half tracks like Las Vegas.
23XI led practice in Group B with Bubba Wallace leading early before Tyler Reddick took over the leaderboard. And Reddick leads tops the leaderboard for both groups. Reddick and Kyle Larson are the only playoff drivers in the top 10 in practice.
Goodyear reports that Ryan Blaney had a tire puncture in his car that started the crash.
And now the crews turn heir attention to qualifying…
The two groups will make separate qualifying runs with the top five from each group moving on to round two of qualifying to set the pole.
The first driver on the track to make a qualifying run is John Hunter Nemechek who posted a time of 29.623 seconds.
Denny Hamlin, Joey Logano, Ty Gibbs, Carson Hocevar, and Christopher Bell will move on to round two of qualifying from Group A.
The first driver on the track from Group B is Jimmie Johnson and posted a time of 29.446 seconds.
Tyler Reddic laid down the fastest time of the day with a time of 29.097 seconds.
Tyler Reddick, Ross Chastain, William Byron, Alex Bowman, and Kyle Larson will be moving on to round two of qualifying from Group B.
Chase Elliott and Ryan Blaney are the only playoff drivers not to make it to round two of qualifying.
First up in the top 10 is Carson Hocevar with a a time of 29.254 seconds.
With a time of 29.135 seconds, Christopher Bell put his number 20 car on the pole with Tyler Reddick starting alongside on the front row.
The starting lineup for the South Point 400:
Christopher Bell
Tyler Reddick
Alex bowman
Denny Hamlin
Kyle Larson
Carson Hocevar
Ross Chastain
Ty Gibbs
William Byron
Joey Logano
Austin Cindric
Martin Truex Jr
Austin Dillon
Zane Smith
Michael McDowell
Justin Haley
Brad Keselowski
Chase Elliott
Bubba Wallace
Kyle Busch
Noah Gragson
Chris Buescher
Daniel Suarez
Chase Briscoe
Ricky Stenhouse Jr
John Hunter Nemechek
Erik Jones
Josh Berry
Jimmie Johnson
Todd Gilliland
Harrison Burton
Ryan Preece
Daniel Hemric
Shane van Gisbergen
Corey LaJoie
Cody Ware
Ryan Blaney
Stage one is 80 laps, stage two is 85 laps, and stage three lasts 102 laps for a total of 267 laps around the mile and a half track.
Christopher Bell brings the field down for the green flag start of the race from the inside lane with Tyler Reddick alongside. Bell jumps out in front for the lead. The drivers are already spreading out three and four wide.
Lap two Christopher Bell leads the race with Tyler Reddick in second; Alex Bowman, Ross Chastain, and Denny Hamlin round out the top five.
Lap four, Christopher Bell has a tenth of a second lead on Tyler Reddick; Alex Bowman, Ross Chastain, and Denny Hamlin hold on to the top five. Ryan Blaney has moved up to 30th.
Lap seven, six of the eight playoff drivers are in the top 10.
Lap nine, Christopher Bell has pulled out to a near one second lead on Tyler Reddick. Chase Elliott is just outside the top 10 in eleventh and Ryan Blaney is up to 27th.
Lap eleven, Christopher Bell has increased his lead to over a second on Tyler Reddick; Alex Bowman, Ross Chastain, and Denny Hamlin round out the top five.
Lap 20, Christopher Bell has pulled out to a two second lead on Tyler Reddick; Alex Bowman, Kyle Larson, and Ross Chastain round out the top five. Chase Elliott has entered the top 10 to put seven of the eight playoff drivers in the top 10. Ryan Blaney has moved up to 23rd.
Lap 27, Christopher Bell continues to increase his lead and is now over two and a half seconds out in front of Tyler Reddick. Ryan Blaney has entered the top 20.
Lap 33, drivers have begun making green flag pit stops with Brad Keselowski leading the way.
Lap 36, Christopher Bell and Tyler Reddick make their green flag pit stops. Ryan Blaney is the new leader but has yet to make his pit stop.
Lap 40, Ryan Blaney makes his green flag pit stop. And Christopher Bell retakes the lead with Tyler Reddick in second; Alex Bowman, Kyle Larson, and Joey Logano rounding out the top five.
Lap 44, Christopher Bell has a lead of over two seconds on Tyler Reddick. There are 29 cars on the lead lap.
Lap 53, Christopher Bell has a two second lead on Tyler Reddick; Alex bowman, Kyle Larson, and Chase Elliott round out the top five. Five of the eight playoff drivers are in the top 10.
Lap 57, in 20th place, Ryan Blaney is a straightaway in front of leader Chrisotpher Bell.
Lap 58, there are 22 cars on the lead lap.
Lap 60, Christopher Bell now has a lead of over three and a half seconds on Tyler Reddick; Alex Bowman, Kyle Larson, and Chase Elliott round out the top five.
William Byron reports his tires are “gone”. Byron is just outside the top 10 in eleventh.
Austin Dillon brings out the first caution flag of the race on lap 64 when he gets into the wall hard after contact from Daniel Hemric. Dillon is out of the car and out of the race.
Pit road is open and many of the drivers come down pit road for fresh tires. Martin Truex Jr wins the race off of pit road after taking just two tires. Several of the drivers took only two tires.
Erik Jones had to make an unscheduled trip down pit road for losing the right front tire.
Martin Truex Jr brings the field down for the green flag restart on lap 72 and takes the lead. Drivers get three and four wide in the field as they battle for position.
The top five are Martin Truex Jr, William Byron, Brad Keselowski, Tyler Reddick, and Christopher Bell.
Six to go in stage one and Tyler Reddick takes the lead. Christopher Bell is up to third.
Three laps remain in stage one, Tyler Reddick leads the race after taking four tires; Martin Truex Jr, Christopher Bell, William Byron, and Brad Keselowski round out the top five.
Christopher Bell passes Martin Truex Jr for second.
Tyler Reddick wins stage one.
The top 10 at the end of stage one:
Tyler Reddick
Christopher Bell
Martin Truex Jr
William Byron
Brad Keselowski
Ty Gibbs
Chris Buescher
Joey Logano
Austin Cindric
Kyle Larson
Many of the drivers were recently on pit road, but the field comes down for service with Ty Gibbs winning the race off of pit road after taking only two tires. Christopher Bell and Tyler Reddick are the first drivers off of pit road on four fresh tires. Denny Hamlin stayed out on the track.
Shane van Gisbergen was charged with driving through too many pit boxes.
Daniel Suarez was charged with equipment interference.
Michael McDowell was charged with having too many crew members over the wall.
Bubba Wallace had to make a second trip down pit road with a possible loose wheel.
Kyle Larson had to make an unscheduled trip down pit road with a piece of aluminum in the nose.
Denny Hamlin brings the field down for the green flag start of stage two with Ty Gibbs alongside on lap 88. Ty Gibbs gets out in front with Chase Elliott and Joey Logano in a battle for second. Denny Hamlin is falling through the field on old tires.
Lap 90, the caution flag comes out for a big crash that sent Tyler Reddick flipping and Chase Elliott spinning. Tyler Reddick, Martin Truex Jr, and Chase Elliott were three wide to start the wreck. Brad Keselowski, Ryan Blaney, and Austin Cindric were also involved in the crash.
Tyler Reddick is out of the race.
Ryan Blaney is on pit road to replace the tow link that was broken after contact with the wall.
Some drivers come down pit road for service.
Ryan Blaney is back on pit road for more repairs.
Ty Gibbs brings the field down for the green flag restart on lap 97 with Joey Logano alongside. Gibbs takes the lead with Christopher Bell taking second; Joey Logano, Alex Bowman, and Martin Truex Jr round out the top five.
Brad Keselowski is out of the race.
Lap 101, Ty Gibbs has a half second lead on Chriostopher Bell; Joey Logano, Martin Truex Jr, and Ross Chastain round out the top five.
Lap 105, Ty Gibbs has increased his lead to nearly a second on Christopher Bell; Joey Logano, Martin Truex Jr, and Ross Chastain round out the top five.
Austin Cindric is out of the race.
No longer on the “crash clock”, Chase Elliott takes his car to the garage so the crew can make repairs.
Lap 110, Christopher Bell has cut the gap to leader Ty Gibbs to just a tenth of a second.
Lap 111, Christopher Bell passes Ty Gibbs for the lead.
Denny Hamlin has fallen to 26th place after not making a pit stop at the end of stage one.
Lap 118, Denny Hamlin comes down pit road for service.
Lap 119, Christopher Bell has pulled out to a lead of over three seconds on Joey Logano; Martin Truex Jr, Ty Gibbs, and Ross Chastain round out the top five.
Lap 121, Alex Bowman comes down pit road for service.
Lap 121, Christopher Bell has a three and a half second lead.
More drivers come down pit road for green flag pit stops.
Lap 124, with a lead of over seven seconds, Christopher Bell makes his green flag pit stop.
Ross Chastain and Ty Gibbs were caught speeding on pit road and will have to serve a pass through penalty.
Kyle Larson has a slow stop with tire issues. Larson has to make a second trip down pit road.
Lap 129, the top seven drivers have yet to make a pit stop with Daniel Suarez leading the race. Christopher Bell is in eighth place.
There are 18 cars on the lead lap.
Chase Elliott is out of the garage and heading back to the race 26 laps down.
Lap 139, Daniel Suarez leads the race with Michael McDowell in second; Corey Lajoie, Christopher Bell and Martin Truex Jr round out the top five.
William Byron reports that his car is now “awesome” after numerous issues in stage one.
Lap 144, Christoopher Bell is now up to second; six seconds behind leader Daniel Suarez.
Lap 146, Denny Hamlin passes Daniel Suarez to unlap himself. Christopher Bell is now less than five seconds behind Suarez.
Lap 148, Christopher Bell has closed the gap on leader Daniel Suarez to under three seconds.
Lap 149, Christopher Bell continues to close the gap on leader Daniel Suarez; Bell is now under two seconds back.
Lap 150, Christopher Bell is just one second behind Daniel Suarez.
Lap 151, just a half a second separates leader Daniel Suarez and Christopher Bell.
Lap 152, Christopher Bell passes Daniel Suarez for the lead; Martin Truex Jr takes second with Daniel Suarez in third.
Just nine laps remain in stage two with Christopher Bell out in front a near half second ahead of Martin Truex Jr; William Byron, Chris Buescher, and Joey Logano round out the top five.
Since unlapping himself, Denny Hamlin is just outside the top 20 in 21st.
Todd Gilliland takes a smoking car down pit road.
Christopher Bell wins stage two.
The top 10 at the end of stage two:
Christopher Bell
Martin Truex Jr
Willaim Byron
Chris Buescher
Joey Logano
Alex Bowman
Justin Haley
Daniel Suarez
Bubba Wallace
Ryan Preece
Christopher Bell has led 90 laps of the race so far.
Drivers come down pit road for service with Christopher Bell winning the race off of pit road.
Denny Hamlin left pit road before all the tires were tight and had to back up to get the lug nuts tight.
Only four of the playoff drivers have earned points in the first two stages.
Christopher Bell brings the field down for the green flag start of stage three on lap 112 with Martin Truex Jr alongside. Drivers get three and four wide in the field. Bell holds on to the lead.
There are 23 cars on the lead lap.
Denny Hamlin reports he has a vibration.
Lap 177, Christopher Bell has a lead of over half a second on Martin Truex Jr; Chris Buescher, William Byron, and Bubba Wallace round out the top five.
Lap 180, Christopher Bell continues to expand his lead and is now nearly a second out in front.
Lap 185, Christopher Bell now has a lead of a second and a half on Martin Truex Jr.
Lap 187, Ty Gibbs and Kyle Larson are in a battle for the first spot one lap down (the “lucky dog” spot). The two drivers keep swapping the spot back and forth.
Lap 189, Christopher Bell now has a two second lead on Martin Truex Jr; Chris Buescher, William Byron, and Alex Bowman round out the top five with 23 cars on the lead lap.
Ty Gibbs brings out the caution flag on lap 194. Kyle Larson is the “lucky dog”! Gibbs spun out in a single car incident spewing lots of smoke after some contact with the wall
With 73 laps remaining in the race, the drivers come down pit road for service but are just outside their fuel window of 68 to 70 laps. . Christopher Bell wins the race off of pit road.
Christopher Bell brings the field down for the green flag restart with 69 laps remaining in the race. Getting a push from William Byron, Bell gets out in front for the lead with Byron and Martin Truex Jr in a battle for second.
The top five are Chrisotpher Bell, William Byron, Martin Truex Jr, Alex Bowman, and Justin Haley.
Back on the lead lap, Kyle Larson is working his way through the field. He is currently in 18th place.
With 62 laps to go, William Byron is keeping close to leader Christopher Bell; just a third of a second back.
Kyle Larson passes Denny Hamlin for 16th.
Lap 210, William Byron begins to challenge leader Christopher Bell for the lead.
Just 50 laps to go, Christopher Bell has a lead of nearly a second over William Byron; Alex Bowman, Martin Truex Jr, and Chris Buescher round out the top five.
With 46 laps to go, Christopher Bell is once again increasing his lead and is now over a second out in front of William Byron.
With 42 laps to go, Christopher Bell has a near second and a half lead on Alex Bowman; William Byron, Martin Truex Jr, and Ross Chastain round out the top five.
Chris Buescher comes down pit road for service. He is the first driver to make a green flag pit stop and more drivers follow him.
Lap 231, leader Christopher Bell gives up a near two second lead to make a green flag pit stop. William Byron is the new leader.
William Byron makes his pit stop and gives the lead over to Daniel Suarez.
Ryan Preece scrapes the wall but he saves the car and the track stays green.
There are just 12 cars on the lead lap.
With 32 laps remaining in the race, Daniel Suarez has a two and a half second lead on Joey Logano; Denny Hamlin, John Hunter Nemechek, and Corey LaJoie round out the top five.
After making his pit stop, Christopher Bell in in ninth – 23 seconds behind the leader.
There are 26 laps to go, Christopher Bell is in eighth place – 20 seconds behind leader Daniel Suarez.
Twenty-one laps to go, just outside the top five in sixth place, Christopher Bell is 16 seconds behind the leader.
With 19 laps to go, the gap between leader Daniel Suarez and Christopher Bell is down to 14 seconds.
With 16 laps to go, Christopher Bell has entered the top five – eleven seconds back.
Fourteen to go and the gap between Daniel Suarez and Christopher Bell is down to under 10 seconds.
Christopher Bell passes John Hunter Nemechek for fourth.
Ten to go! The gap between Daniel Suarez and Christopher Bell is under seven seconds as Bell passes Denny Hamlin for third.
Seven to go, Daniel Suarez has a half second lead on Joey Logano; Christophr Bell is in third less than five seconds behind the leader.
Joey Logano passes Daniel Suarez for the lead with five laps remaining in the race. Christopher Bell is less than three seconds behind in third.
Three to go, Joey Logano has a near one second lead on Daniel Suarez; Christopher Bell is less than two seconds back in third with William Byron and Alex Bowman rounding out the top five.
Joey Logano takes the white flag. Christopher Bell pass es Daniel Suarez for second.
Joey Logano wins the race and is the first driver guaranteed a spot in the final four!
The unofficial results of the Sout Point 400:
Joey Logano
Christopher Bell
Daniel Suarez
William Byron
Alex Bowman
Martin Truex Jr
Ross Chastain
Denny Hamlin
John Hunter Nemechek
Chris Buescher
Kyle Larson
Bubba Wallace
Kyle Busch
Corey LaJoie
Harrison Burton
Zane Smith
Justin Haley
Noah Gragson
Daniel Hemric
Michael McDowell
Cody Ware
Ryan Preece
Carson Hocevar
Josh Berry
Erik Jones
Chase Briscoe
Ricky Stenhouse Jr
Jimmie Johnson
Shane van Gisbergen
Ty Gibbs
Todd Gilliland
Ryan Blaney
Chase Elliott
Austin Cindric
Brad Keselowski
Tyler Reddick
Austin Dillon
Point Standings:
Joey Logano – in final four
Christopher Bell
Kyle Larson
William Byron
Denny Hamlin
Tyler Reddick
Ryan Blaney
Chase Elliott