And then there were eight.
Four drivers were eliminated from the NASCAR playoffs last week, as the third round is set to get underway Sunday at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.
The stakes have never been higher in Vegas, with a victory by one of the eight title contenders automatically moving them into the Championship 4.
So, who is racing in Las Vegas? What’s the schedule for TV and streaming? And what drivers could contend for the win? Here’s everything you need to know for 2024 South Point 400:
Get top local stories in San Diego delivered to you every morning. Sign up for NBC San Diego's News Headlines newsletter.
When is the NASCAR race in Las Vegas?
The South Point 400 is set for Sunday, Oct. 20, at 2:30 p.m. ET on NBC.
Before the race, there will be practice and qualifying sessions on Saturday. The 37 drivers will be split into two groups (found here) with each group getting 20 minutes of free practice and then competing in two-round qualifying. Here’s how it works:
- Each driver will make one lap in the first round, with the five fastest drivers in each group advancing.
- In the final round, the remaining drivers each get one lap to set the top 10 starting order. The fastest driver overall will start on the pole, the fastest driver in the other group will start second.
- Positions 3 through 10 are set on final round times – Group A filling the even-numbered positions (4th, 6th, 8th, 10th), Group B filling the odd-numbered positions (3rd, 5th, 7th, 9th).
- Positions 11 through 37 are set based on first round times – Group A filling the even-numbered positions, Group B filling the odd-numbered positions.
What is the NASCAR TV schedule this weekend?
Leigh Diffey (play-by-play), Jeff Burton (analyst) and Steve Letarte (analyst) will be on the call for NBC with Marty Snider, Kim Coon, and Dillon Welch serving as pit reporters. Here’s the full TV and streaming schedule:
Saturday, Oct. 19 (USA Network and streaming)
- Practice: 4:35 p.m. ET, USA Network NBC Sports app
- Qualifying: 5:20 p.m. ET, USA Network, NBC Sports app
Sunday, Oct. 20 (NBC and streaming)
- Countdown to Green: 2 p.m. ET, NBC, NBC Sports app
- South Point 400: 2:30 p.m. ET, NBC, NBC Sports app
NASCAR Las Vegas entry list, drivers
Thirty-seven drivers will race at Las Vegas – the 34 full-timers, plus three others.
The headliner is seven-time champion Jimmie Johnson, who will drive the No. 84 for his eighth of nine starts this season. Then there’s Shane van Gisbergen and Cody Ware, who will continue their part-time schedules for Kaulig Racing and Rick Ware Racing, respectively.
Here’s the full entry list for Las Vegas:
| Car number | Driver | Team | Sponsor |
| 1 | Ross Chastain | Trackhouse Racing | Worldwide Express |
| 2 | Austin Cindric | Team Penske | Autotrader |
| 3 | Austin Dillon | Richard Childress Racing | Boot Barn |
| 4 | Josh Berry | Stewart-Haas Racing | Mobil 1 |
| 5 | Kyle Larson | Hendrick Motorsports | HendrickCars.com |
| 6 | Brad Keselowski | RFK Racing | King's Hawaiian |
| 7 | Justin Haley | Spire Motorsports | Gainbridge |
| 8 | Kyle Busch | Richard Childress Racing | FICO |
| 9 | Chase Elliott | Hendrick Motorsports | NAPA Auto Parts |
| 10 | Noah Gragson | Stewart-Haas Racing | Fanttik |
| 11 | Denny Hamlin | Joe Gibbs Racing | Yahoo! |
| 12 | Ryan Blaney | Team Penske | Menards |
| 14 | Chase Briscoe | Stewart-Haas Racing | Texas A&M |
| 15 | Cody Ware | Rick Ware Racing | Parts Plus/Pronto |
| 16 | Shane van Gisbergen | Kaulig Racing | Wendy's |
| 17 | Chris Buescher | RFK Racing | Castrol |
| 19 | Martin Truex Jr. | Joe Gibbs Racing | Bass Pro Shops |
| 20 | Christopher Bell | Joe Gibbs Racing | Rheem |
| 21 | Harrison Burton | Wood Brothers Racing | DEX Imaging |
| 22 | Joey Logano | Team Penske | Pennzoil |
| 23 | Bubba Wallace | 23XI Racing | Leidos/U.S. Air Force |
| 24 | William Byron | Hendrick Motorsports | RaptorTough.com |
| 31 | Daniel Hemric | Kaulig Racing | Cirkul |
| 34 | Michael McDowell | Front Row Motorsports | Love's Travel Stops |
| 38 | Todd Gilliland | Front Row Motorsports | gener8tor |
| 41 | Ryan Preece | Stewart-Haas Racing | Bonanza Cabernet |
| 42 | John Hunter Nemechek | Legacy Motor Club | Pye-Barker Fire & Safety |
| 43 | Erik Jones | Legacy Motor Club | Massey Motor Freight |
| 45 | Tyler Reddick | 23XI Racing | Jordan Brand |
| 47 | Ricky Stenhouse Jr. | JTG Daugherty Racing | Scott Brand |
| 48 | Alex Bowman | Hendrick Motorsports | Ally |
| 51 | Corey LaJoie | Rick Ware Racing | Mighty Fire Breaker |
| 54 | Ty Gibbs | Joe Gibbs Racing | Monster Energy |
| 71 | Zane Smith | Spire Motorsports | Focused Health |
| 77 | Carson Hocevar | Spire Motorsports | Delaware Life |
| 84 | Jimmie Johnson | Legacy Motor Club | Dollar Tree/Family Dollar |
| 99 | Daniel Suarez | Trackhouse Racing | Tootsies Orchid Lounge |
NASCAR Las Vegas predictions, picks, favorites
One organization has ruled this track in recent years: Hendrick Motorsports.
Since 2021 at Las Vegas (seven races), Hendrick’s four drivers have combined for five wins, 10 top-fives, 15 top-10s and 878 laps led. Larson has three wins over that time, including the last two races. Byron and Bowman have one win each, while Elliott has a best finish of second.
Beyond the Hendrick quartet, many of the other playoff drivers are set up for success at Las Vegas. Logano has a 9.9 average finish in 22 starts, with top-15 finishes in 17 of his last 18 races. There’s also Hamlin, who has led laps in eight straight Vegas races.
Bell and Blaney, despite never winning in Vegas, could challenge for their first victories in Sin City. Bell finished second in this race to Larson last fall and dominated at Kansas (a similar track) a few weeks ago, while Blaney has six top-fives in his last 13 Vegas starts.
Looking beyond the playoff field, Busch, Truex and Chastain stand out. Busch, who grew up in Las Vegas, has 12 top-fives in 26 starts at his home track. Truex, making his final Vegas start before retirement, has a 9.8 average finish in 25 starts. Chastain, meanwhile, won at Kansas last month and has four top-fives in his last five Vegas starts.
NASCAR Las Vegas winners list, race history
Nine of the 37 drivers in the field are past winners at Las Vegas, including five with multiple victories.
Johnson leads all drivers with four Las Vegas wins, followed by Larson, Logano and Keselowski with three apiece. Truex has two wins, and the one-time winners are Busch (2009), Hamlin (2021), Bowman (2022) and Byron (2023).
NASCAR playoff standings entering Las Vegas
The standings are reset for the Round of 8, with each driver getting 4,000 points plus their playoff points earned in the first 32 races – and Larson leads the way. Blaney, Hamlin, Elliott and Logano are below the cut line, but they have three races to either win or put themselves into the top four.
You can find a full explanation of NASCAR’s playoff format right here.
Here’s the playoff standings entering Las Vegas:
| Rank | Driver | Points |
| 1. | Kyle Larson | 4,052 (+33 above the cut) |
| 2. | Christopher Bell | 4,032 (+13 above the cut) |
| 3. | Tyler Reddick | 4,029 (+10 above the cut) |
| 4. | William Byron | 4,023 (+4 above the cut) |
| 5. | Ryan Blaney | 4,019 (-4 below the cut) |
| 6. | Denny Hamlin | 4,015 (-8 below the cut) |
| 7. | Chase Elliott | 4,014 (-9 below the cut) |
| 8. | Joey Logano | 4,012 (-11 below the cut) |
