NASCAR at Las Vegas: Entry list, watch info, TV schedule, favorites

It’s crunch time in the 2023 NASCAR playoffs.

The Round of 8 begins this weekend at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, with the first spot in the Championship 4 up for grabs. If any of the eight playoff contenders win Sunday, they automatically advance to the title race.

The eventual champion has won the first race in the Round of 8 in each of the last two years – Kyle Larson in 2021 and Joey Logano in 2022. Winning this week gives the team extra time to prepare their best possible car for the Championship 4 race, which makes it arguably the most important race outside of the finale.

Here’s everything you need to know for the all-important South Point 400 at Las Vegas:

What is the NASCAR at Las Vegas entry list?

Thirty-six drivers will race at Las Vegas. The 32 full-timers will all compete, plus four others.

Two of those four are veterans who race part-time – J.J. Yeley and B.J. McLeod. Additionally, Truck Series regular Carson Hocevar and Xfinity Series regular Brennan Poole will enter in the race.

Here’s the full entry list for Las Vegas (car numbers, driver names, team names and sponsors):

• No. 1, Ross Chastain, Trackhouse Racing, Worldwide Express
• No. 2, Austin Cindric, Team Penske, Autotrader
• No. 3, Austin Dillon, Richard Childress Racing, BetMGM
• No. 4, Kevin Harvick, Stewart-Haas Racing, Mobil 1
• No. 5, Kyle Larson, Hendrick Motorsports, HendrickCars.com
• No. 6, Brad Keselowski, RFK Racing, BuildSubmarines.com
• No. 7, Corey LaJoie, Spire Motorsports, NEGU
• No. 8, Kyle Busch, Richard Childress Racing, Morgan & Morgan
• No. 9, Chase Elliott, Hendrick Motorsports, Llumar
• No. 10, Aric Almirola, Stewart-Haas Racing, IHOP
• No. 11, Denny Hamlin, Joe Gibbs Racing, Mavis Tires & Brakes
• No. 12, Ryan Blaney, Team Penske, Menards
• No. 14, Chase Briscoe, Stewart-Haas Racing, Code 3 Associates
• No. 15, Brennan Poole, Rick Ware Racing, MACC Door Systems
• No. 16, A.J. Allmendinger, Kaulig Racing, Nutrien Ag Solutions
• No. 17, Chris Buescher, RFK Racing, Travel Centers of America
• No. 19, Martin Truex Jr., Joe Gibbs Racing, Bass Pro Shops
• No. 20, Christopher Bell, Joe Gibbs Racing, Rheem
• No. 21, Harrison Burton, Wood Brothers Racing, DEX Imaging
• No. 22, Joey Logano, Team Penske, Pennzoil
• No. 23, Bubba Wallace, 23XI Racing, DoorDash/Roku
• No. 24, William Byron, Hendrick Motorsports, Relay Payments
• No. 31, Justin Haley, Kaulig Racing, LeafFilter Gutter Protection
• No. 34, Michael McDowell, Front Row Motorsports, Love's Travel Stops
• No. 38, Todd Gilliland, Front Row Motorsports, Frontline Enterprises
• No. 41, Ryan Preece, Stewart-Haas Racing, Haas Tooling
• No. 42, Carson Hocevar, Legacy Motor Club, Sunseeker Resort
• No. 43, Erik Jones, Legacy Motor Club, Allegiant
• No. 45, Tyler Reddick, 23XI Racing, Jordan Brand
• No. 47, Ricky Stenhouse Jr., JTG Daugherty Racing, Kroger
• No. 48, Alex Bowman, Hendrick Motorsports, Ally Financial
• No. 51, J.J. Yeley, Rick Ware Racing, ConnectUS
• No. 54, Ty Gibbs, Joe Gibbs Racing, Monster Energy
• No. 77, Ty Dillon, Spire Motorsports, Gainbridge
• No. 78, B.J. McLeod, Live Fast Motorsports, BretBaier.com
• No. 99, Daniel Suarez, Trackhouse Racing, Tootsie’s Orchid Lounge

When is the NASCAR race this weekend at Las Vegas?

The South Point 400 at Las Vegas is set for Sunday, Oct. 15, at 11:30 a.m. PT.

Before the race, there will be practice and qualifying sessions. The 36-car field will be split into two groups (found here), with each group practicing for 20 minutes on Saturday at 12:35 p.m. ET.

Qualifying will start immediately after practice, around 1:20 p.m. ET. Each car from the two practice groups will make a lap in the first round, with the five fastest cars in each group advancing to the final round. In the final round, the remaining drivers each get a lap to set the top 10 starting order, while positions 11 through 36 are set based on first round times.

NASCAR TV schedule this weekend at Las Vegas

Saturday, Oct. 14 (USA Network and streaming online)

• Practice: 12:30 p.m. ET, USA Network, NBCSports.com
• Qualifying: 1:20 p.m. ET, USA Network, NBCSports.com

Sunday, Oct. 15 (NBC, Peacock and streaming online)

• NASCAR Countdown to Green: 2 p.m. ET, NBC, NBCSports.com
• South Point 400: 2:30 p.m. ET, NBC, NBCSports.com
• NASCAR Post Show: 5:45 p.m. ET, Peacock

NASCAR playoff standings entering Las Vegas

The standings were reset for the Round of 8 after Kyle Busch, Brad Keselowski, Bubba Wallace and Ross Chastain were eliminated from the playoffs last Sunday.

Now, the remaining eight title contenders each have 4,000 points plus their playoff points earned throughout the year (based on race wins, stage wins and regular season standings). Over the next three races (Las Vegas, Homestead-Miami, Martinsville), drivers can clinch a spot in the Championship 4 by either winning a race or earning enough points to stay out of the bottom four.

Here are the reset playoff standings entering Las Vegas, with four drivers below the cut line already facing pressure:

1. William Byron – 4,041 points

2. Martin Truex Jr. – 4,036 points

3. Denny Hamlin – 4,032 points

4. Kyle Larson – 4,024 points

———

5. Chris Buescher – 4,021 points

6. Christopher Bell – 4,016 points

7. Tyler Reddick – 4,016 points

8. Ryan Blaney – 4,014 points

You can find a full explanation of NASCAR’s playoff format right here.

NASCAR Las Vegas past winners, race history

Nine of the 36 drivers competing this weekend have won at Las Vegas, with four collecting multiple victories: Logano (2019, 2020, 2022), Keselowski (2014, 2016, 2018), Harvick (2015, 2018) and Truex (2017, 2019).

Five others have one win at Las Vegas: Busch (2009), Larson (2021), Hamlin (2021), Bowman (2022) and Byron (2023), who won the race back in March.

NASCAR at Las Vegas favorites, drivers to watch

After several weeks of wild-card tracks, order should be restored at Las Vegas.

The 1.5-mile tri-oval speedway typically produces traditional winners. Every driver who has ever won a Cup race at Las Vegas has at least 10 career wins, with Bowman (seven wins) as the only exception. Since a playoff race was granted to the track in 2018, a championship-eligible driver has won each year.

Even though it’s usually the favorites who win, that doesn’t mean that some drivers and manufacturers aren’t better than others. Ford teams historically stood out at the track, winning 13 of the first 25 Las Vegas races. But over the last six races dating back to 2020, Chevrolet has won four times.

Logano – the defending South Points 400 winner – leads all drivers with a 9.9 average finish, three wins and a 101.4 driver rating in his 20 career starts. The only problem? Logano was eliminated from title contention in the Round of 16, so a win this weekend would be unprecedented.

The playoff drivers with the best history at Las Vegas include Truex (10.0 average finish in 23 starts), Larson (10.5 in 14 starts), Blaney (12.4 in 14 starts) and Hamlin (12.8 in 14 starts). Bell, with a 19.6 average finish in seven starts, could be a playoff driver who struggles.

What is the weather for Las Vegas this weekend?

NBC Los Angeles is predicting hot and sunny days this weekend in Las Vegas, Nevada. There’s no chance of rain on Saturday or Sunday, with sunny skies and light winds on both days. Temperatures could reach 84 degrees on Saturday and 87 degrees on Sunday Keep up to date with the latest forecast right here.