NASCAR returns to Las Vegas Motor Speedway for this week’s South Point 400, the first race in the Round of 8 playoffs. The field was in Vegas in March for the Pennzoil 400 where Josh Berry won his first NCS race. A three-time winner on this track since 2021, Kyle Larson opened as the NASCAR betting odds favorite in what odds suggest should be a close race. The green flag drops at 5:30 p.m. ET on Sunday, October 12 from the LVMS in Las Vegas, NV. The race will air on USA Network.
NASCAR South Point 400 Preview
Last week we saw Shane van Gisbergen continue his dominance on road courses taking the checkered flag in Charlotte. Back to the intermediate oval and the usual suspects rise to the top of the odds board. Larson went back to back in Vegas winning this race in 2023 and the Pennzoil 400 in March 2024. His three career wins are one shy of defending champion Joey Logano, who has the most titles among active drivers.
- Kyle Larson +503
- Christopher Bell +553
- Denny Hamlin +704
- Ryan Blaney +754
- William Byron +854
- Chase Elliott +1149
- Joey Logano +1206
- Tyler Reddick +1207
- Chase Briscoe +1207
- Ross Chastain +1609
- Bubba Wallace +2815
- Kyle Busch +2999
- Chris Buescher +3016
- Alex Bowman +3116
- Josh Berry +3820
- Carson Hocevar +4323
- Austin Cindric +4720
- Brad Keselowski +4725
- All other drivers listed higher than +5000
NASCAR South Point 400 Top Contenders
Kyle Larson +503
- Has three career wins at LVMS with two coming in the last four races.
- Larson has finished among the top 10 eight times in 18 career starts at LVMS and has the best average finish among active drivers.
- His 7 wins on intermediate tracks since the start of the 2022 season are the most of any driver.
- Was runner-up last week in Charlotte and has placed among the top 7 in three straight races.
Christopher Bell +553
- Won the pole and finished runner-up in his last two starts in this race. He led 155 laps and won Stage 2 a year ago.
- Bell placed among the top 5 in three of his last five starts overall at LVMS.
- He’s on a heater finishing his last five races among the top 7 with a win in Bristol last month.
Chase Elliott +1149
- Elliott has never won in Vegas, but he does have six top 10s on his resume.
- He has had success on intermediate tracks this season with wins in Atlanta and Kansas among his four top 10s.
- An 8th place finish in Charlotte last week was Elliott’s worst in his last four completed races. He placed inside the top 5 in his three previous starts.
Joey Logano +1206
- Logano has the most wins of any full-time driver at LVMS with four and is the defending champ in this race.
- He’s been one of the most consistent drivers on this track with a 9.8 average finish and 550 laps led in his last 19 starts.
- He has five wins with 15 top 10s during his career on intermediate tracks.
NASCAR South Point 400 Predictions
Given his recent body of work in Vegas it’s hard not to like Larson’s chances. Several other past winners on this course stand out like Denny Hamlin, Logano and William Byron. But there’s always the chance somebody sneaks in the way Josh Berry did winning at LVMS in March. I don’t think that happens this week and will instead back the favorite Larson with a top 3 wager on Logano.
