The Cup Series takes on another mile and a half track at Las Vegas Motor Speedway with the South Point 400.

This marks the halfway mark in The Chase with Kyle Larson 25 points in front of Denny Hamlin.

Thirty-six teams brought cars for 40 starting spots.

Drivers will get a full practice session of 50 minutes before making a qualifying run for Sunday’s race on a very hot Saturday afternoon.  Temperatures are in the mid to upper 90’s. Temperatures for the race will approach 100 degrees.

After the announcement earlier this week that Brad Keselowski will be leaving RFK Racing at the end of the season; Chris Buescher is the only driver in the top 10, Ryan Preece and Keselowski are back in the field below the top 20.

The caution flag comes out when Tyler Reddick is stopped on the track with a flat tire.  Reddick is sporting a “Space Jam” theme on his car to celebrate the 30th anniversary of the film’s release.

He caution flag comes out after Josh Berry has a hard hit in the wall.

Ty Gibbs comes down pit road after smoking and reports that he has a flat tire.

Tire wear is an issue at Las Vegas, but there appears to be a number of flat tires during practice.

The caution flag comes out for home town driver Noah Gragson for a flat tire and has some significant damage to the front end of his car after getting into the wall.

William Byron tops the leaderboard at the end of practice with eight of The Chase drivers in the top 10 when practice ended.

The first driver to make a qualifying run is Cody Ware who posted a time of 30.259 seconds around the 1.5 mile track.

After on track incidents during practice, Josh Berry and Noah Gragson will not be making a qualifying run.

Ty Gibbs is the first driver to break the 29 second mark with a time of 28.927 seconds.

With a time of 28.910 seconds, Denny Hamlin puts his number eleven car on the pole for his fifth pole of the season with teammate Ty Gibbs alongside on the front row.  The Joe Gibbs Racing cars have the first four spots in the lineup for the first time ever.

The starting lineup for the South Point 400:
Denny Hamlin
Ty Gibbs
Christopher Bell
Chase Briscoe
Tyler Reddick
Kyle Larson
Austin Cindric
William Byron
Bubba Wallace
Carson Hocevar
Daniel Suarez
Ryan Preece
Chase Elliott
Chris Buescher
Alex Bowman
Brad Keselowski
Ross Chastain
Michael McDowell
AJ Allmendinger
Ryan Blaney
Erik Jones
Riley Herbst
Joey Logano
Cole Custer
Shane van Gisbergen
Ricky Stenhouse Jr
Todd Gilliland
Austin Dillon
Ty Dillon
Zane Smith
Connor Zilisch
John Hunter Nemechek
Austin Hill
Cody Ware
Josh Berry
Noah Gragson

Stage one is 80 laps, stage two is 85 laps, and stage three is 102 laps for a total of 267 laps around the 1.5 mile track.

A native of Las Vegas, the track is filled with memories of Kyle Busch.  Kyle Larson’s car is a tribute to the other Kyle…Kyle Busch.

Kurt Busch is driving the pace car for today’s race.

Even before the green flag drops some drivers are reporting heat issues.

Denny Hamlin brings the field down for the green flag start of the race on a near 100 degree Sunday afternoon with teammate Ty Gibbs alongside.  Cody Ware got sideways on race start but the track stays green.  Denny Hamlin takes the lead with teammates Chase Briscoe, Ty Gibbs, and Christopher Bell right behind.

Lap three, Ty Gibbs passes Chase Briscoe for second.

Lap four, the top five are Denny Hamlin, Ty Gibbs, Chse Briscoe, Christopher Bell, and Tyler Reddick.

Lap six, Kyle Larson passes Tyler Reddick for fifth.

Bubba Wallace passes teammate Tyler Reddick for sixth.

Lap seven, Denny Hamlin has a half second lead on Ty Gibbs; Chase Briscoe, Christopher Bell, and Kyle Larson round out the top five.

Lap 10, Denny Hamlin has a lead of over half a second on Ty Gibbs.

Lap 13, Ty Gibbs has closed the gap on leader Denny Hamlin to under a third of a second; Chase Briscoe, Christopher Bell, and Bubba Wallace round out the top five.

Carson Hocevar reports that his cooling system is blowing hot air.  He does have a cool suit but the head cooler is turned off.  The temps are nearly 100 outside of the cars and well over 100 inside the cars.

Lap 22, Denny Hamlin has a one second lead on Ty Gibbs; Chase Briscoe, Christopher Bell, and Bubba Wallace.  Kyle Larson has fallen out of the top 10 and dropping.  He reports that the car is very “edgy”.

Lap 25, Denny Hamlin continues to extend his lead on Ty Gibbs and is now over one second out in front.

Tyler Reddick passes Bubba Wallace for fifth.

The top six cars are Toyotas.

Lap 27, Cody Ware is the only car not on the lead lap.

Christopher Bell reports that he is “super cozy going over the bumps”.

Lap 32, there are 32 cars on the lead lap as leaders are passing slower traffic.

Lap 34, Kyle Larson is the first driver to come down pit road to begin the cycle of green flag pit stops.

Lap 35, leader Denny Hamlin comes down pit road for service and gives the lead over to Tyler Reddick.

Lap 37 Tyler Reddick comes down pit road and gives the lead over to Bubba Wallace.

Joey Logano reports that he is a seven and a half out of 10 loose.

Lap 38, bubba Wallace makes his pit stop and gives the lead over to Ryan Blaney.

Ty Gibbs was caught speeding on pit road and will have to serve a passthrough penalty.

On pit road for 26 seconds, Kyle Larson is now one lap down. 

Lap 41, Ryan Blaney makes his pit stop and gives the lead back to Denny Hamlin who is nearly four seconds out in front of Chase Briscoe.

Zane Smith brings out the first caution flag of the race on lap 45 when he spins out and gets into the wall with a flat tire.

Some of the drivers come down pit road despite having just been on pit road.

Chase Briscoe brings the field down for the green flag restart with Christopher Bell alongside on lap 50.  Briscoe takes the lead.

The top five are Chase Briscoe, Christopher Bell, Ryan Blaney, Chase Elliott, and Daniel Suarez.

There are 30 cars pm the lead lap.

Tyler Reddick reports that he has an alternator issue.

Lap 53, Daniel Suarez passes Chase Elliott for fourth.

Lap 55, Tyler Reddick passes Chase Elliott for fifth.

Lap 57, Chase Briscoe has pulled out to a lead of over a second on Christopher Bell; Ryan Blaney, Daniel Suarez, and Tyler Reddick round out the top five.

Lap 67, Denny Hamlin has re-entered the top five and is quickly working his way back to the top.  He is currently in fourth place.

Daniel Suarez and Tyler Reddick have been in a multiple lap battle for fifth.  With nine laps to go in stage one, Reddick finally takes fifth.

With eight laps to go in stage one, Chase Briscoe has a second and a half lead on Christopher Bell; Ryan Blaney, Denny Hamlin, and Tyler Reddick round out the top five.

Four laps remain in stage one, Christopher Bell has closed the gap on leader Chase Briscoe to under a second with Ryan Blaney and Denny Hamlin on his bumper.

 Denny Hamlin brings out the caution flag when he spins out; the track stays green has he gets going again.

Chase Briscoe wins stage one.

The top 10 at the end of stage one:
Chase Briscoe
Christopher Bell
Ryan Blaney
Tyler Reddick
Austin Cindric
Daniel Suarez
Bubba Wallace
Carson Hocevar
Alex Bowman
Michael McDowell

Drivers come down pit road for service with Chase Briscoe winning the race off of pit road.

The jackman fell on Austin Cindric’s crew causing a slow pit stop.

Tyler Reddick made multiple trips down pit road to address the alternator issue and changing the battery.

Bubba Wallace was charged with an equipment penalty when a tire rolled to another pit stall.  Wallace will restart the race from the back of the field.

Chase Briscoe brings the field down for the green flag start of stage two with Daniel Suarez alongside on lap 88.  Briscoe takes the lead.  Drivers are three and four wide going into turn three.

Lap 89, the top five are Chase Briscoe, Daniel Suarez, Alex Bowman, Joey Logano, and Ryan Blaney.

Lap 91, Ryan Blaney and Carson Hocevar are in a battle for sixth.

The caution flag comes out on lap 93 for debris on the track.

Leigh Diffey pays tribute to the fans for watching the race on the hottest day of the racing season.

With near 100 degree air temperatures, the temps inside the cars are 130 degrees.

Some of the drivers come down pit road for fresh tires.  They are on the edge of making it to the end of the stage one fuel.

Chase Briscoe brings the field down for the green flag restart with Joey Logano alongside on lap 99.  Getting a push from teammate Christopher Bell, Chase Briscoe takes the lead.  Drivers are getting three wide on the track.

Lap 100, the top five are Chase Briscoe, Joey Logano, Ryan Blaney, Christopher Bell, and Shane van Gisbergen.

Lap 108, all 36 cars are still on the track with 32 cars on the lead lap.

Denny Hamlin reports a very tight condition, saying the car is “plowing”.

Lap 110, Chase Briscoe has pulled out to a two second lead on Christopher Bell; Joey Logano, Ryan Blaney, and Shane van Gisbergen round out the top five.

Lap 113, Chase Briscoe has led 66 laps so far.

Lap 120, Chase Briscoe continues to extend his lead and is now nearly two and a half seconds in front of Christopher Bell; Ryan Blaney, Joey Logano, and Chris Buescher round out the top five.

William Byron brushes the wall but the track stays green.

Brad Keselowski gets loose but saves the car.  Lap 124, he comes down pit road after saying that he is starting to lose grip.

Lap 127, Joey Logano makes his pit stop as green flag pit stops begin.

Lap 129, leader Chase Briscoe makes his pit stop and gives the lead over to Christopher Bell.

Lap 132, Christopher Bell makes his pit stop and gives the lead over to Austin Cindric.

Christopher Bell reports that he is losing power steering.

The drivers can run 60 to 70 laps on a single load of fuel.

The top 12 cars did not make a pit stop.

Lap 140, after saying that his is good on fuel to the end of stage two, Carson Hocevar comes down pit road for service with a tire issue.

Lap 144, Ross Chastain has a tire issue and immediately comes down pit road.

Lap 147, Austin Cindric leads the race with a three second lead over Chase Elliott in second; William Byron, Kyle Larson, and Chase Briscoe round out the top five.

Christopher Bell has  reported that the power steering is gone.

With just eight laps remaining in stage two, Austin Cindric has a lead of four and a half seconds on Chase Briscoe; Chase Elliott, William Byron, and Christopher Bell round out the top five.

Chase Briscoe and Chase Elliott are reporting possible tire issues.

Four laps to go in stage two, Chase Briscoe has closed the gap on leader Austin Cindric to just a quarter of a second.

Chase Briscoe passes Austin Cindric for the lead.

Chase Briscoe wins stage two for the stage sweep.

The top 10 at the end of stage two:
Chase Briscoe
Austin Cindric
Christopher Bell
Ryan Blaney
Bubba Wallace
Joey Logano
Chase Elliott
William Byron
Chris Buescher
Kyle Larson

Drivers come down pit road for service with Chase Briscoe winning the race off of pit road.

Denny Hamlin is reporting fuel pressure issues.

Chase Briscoe brings the field down for the green flag start of stage three with Ryan Blaney alongside on lap 172.  Drivers spread out three wide with Briscoe edging out for the lead.

The top five are Chase Briscoe, Ryan Blaney, Bubba Wallace, Austin Cindric, and Chase Elliott.

Lap 176, Chase Briscoe has a one second lead on Ryan Blaney; Chase Elliott, Bubba Wallace, and Austin Cindric round out the top five with 27 cars on the lead lap.

Lap 181, Chase Briscoe has a lead of nearly two seconds on Ryan Blaney; Chase Elliott, Bubba Wallace, and Austin Cindric round out the top five.

Christopher Bell’s crew chief reported that the power steering system is broken and has water in it; adding that there is nothing they can do about it.

Lap 192, Chase Briscoe has pulled out to a near four second lead on Ryan Blaney; Bubba Wallace, Austin Cindric, and Tyler Reddick round out the top five.

Lap 196, Chase Briscoe has the rocket ship this week with a lead of over four seconds on Ryan Blaney; Bubba Wallace, Austin Cindric, and Tyler Reddick round out the top five.

Ty Gibbs reports that he is “plowing”.

Denny Hamlin reports that he is very tight and tough to handle.

Lap 205, Chase Briscoe has a three and a half second lead on Bubba Wallace; Ryan Blaney, Austin Cindric, and Tyler Reddick round out the top five.

Austin Cindric passes Ryan Blaney for third.

Lap 211, Bubba Wallace is slowly closing the gap on leader Chase Briscoe who is now less than three seconds out in front; Austin Cindric, Ryan Blaney, and Tyler Reddick rounding out the top five.

Lap 213, Ty Gibbs begins the cycle of green flag pit stops; reporting an ill handling car.

Lap 216, Chase Briscoe is just one second out in front of Bubba Wallace.

Lap 217, leader Chase Briscoe and Bubba Wallace make their green flag pit stops and give the lead over to Ryan Blaney.

Lap 221, Ryan Blaney makes his pit stop; giving the lead over to Michael McDowell.

Only McDowell and Christopher Bell have yet to make a pit stop.

With 41 laps remaining in the race, Christopher Bell has yet to make his pit stop.

The top five are Christopher Bell, Chase Briscoe, Bubba Wallace, Kyle Larson, and Tyler Reddick.

With 39 laps to go Chase Briscoe takes the lead with Bubba Wallace less than half a second behind.

Kyle Larson passes Christopher Bell for third.

Thirty-six to go, Bubba Wallace is just a quarter of a second behind leader Chase Briscoe.

Just 34 laps to go, Bubba Wallace has caught leader Chase Briscoe.  Christopher Bell finally makes his pit stop.

With 33 laps to go, the top five are Chase Brisco, Bubba Wallace, Kyle Larson, Tyler Reddick, and Austin Cindric.

Approaching slower traffic, Chase Briscoe is less than half a second in front of Bubba Wallace.

The lowering sun is becoming an issue for the drivers.

Cody Ware is driving an Evil Kinevil car and will be donating his fire suit to the museum after the race.

Just 23 laps to go, Chase Briscoe has pulled out to nearly a one second lead on Bubba Wallace; Kyle Larson, Tyler Reddick, and Austin Cindric round out the top five with 23 cars on the lead lap.

Just 19 laps to go, leader Chase Briscoe is mired in traffic with Bubba Wallace and Kyle Larson closing in.

Sixteen to go, with Chase Briscoe being mired in traffic, it is allowing cars to close in on him.

Thirteen to go, Bubba Wallace has caught Chase Briscoe and the battle is about to begin…

Twelve to go, Kyle Larson passes Bubba Wallace for second; less than half a second behind leader Chase Briscoe.

Ten to go, Kyle Larson is just a third of a second behind leader Chase Briscoe; Bubba Wallace, Tyler Reddick, and Austin Cindric round out the top five.

Bubba Wallace and Tyler Reddick battle for third.

Five to go, Chase Briscoe holds on to the lead with Kyle Larson less than half a second behind.  Tyler Reddick has caught Kyle Larson.

Chase Briscoe takes the white flag.

Tyler Reddick hits Kyle Larson and gets into the grass to finish third!

Chase Briscoe wins the race in a sweep of all three stages.

The unofficial results of the South Point 400:
Chase Briscoe
Kyle Larson
Tyler Reddick
Austin Cindric
Ryan Blaney
William Byron
Chase Elliott
Bubba Wallace
Shane van Gisbergen
Joey Logano
Alex Bowman
Carson Hocevar
Chris Buescher
Daniel Suarez
AJ Allmendinger
Denny Hamlin
Ty Gibbs
Riley Herbst
Austin Dillon
Noah Gragson
Michael McDowell
Austin Hill
Christopher Bell
Brad Keselowski
Erik Jones
Josh Berry
Cole Custer
Ryan Preece
John Hunter Nemechek
Ross Chastain
Ty Dillon
Ricky Stenhouse Jr
Todd Gilliland
Cody Ware
Connor Zilisch
Zane Smith