On Sunday, NASCAR will be racing at Las Vegas for the South Point 400 to begin the Playoff Round of #8. With Talladega and Martinsville being the other two races in this round, look for all the Playoff teams to bring their-A game to try to punch an early ticket to the Phoenix finale. Las Vegas is a high-speed 1.5-mile track with variable banking and moderate tire wear. Here’s a look at who’s been showing up with speed at these venues in 2025 (High-Speed 1.5-Mile Track Total Speed Rankings).

On Saturday, practice was held for Las Vegas. Teams had 25 minutes, and keep in mind teams have different agendas. Make sure you check out our Las Vegas Practice Notes, Las Vegas Group Speed Rankings, Las Vegas Practice Speeds and 10-Lap Averages and Las Vegas 10,15,20,25 and 30 Lap Average Speed Cheat Sheet.

Here’s Las Vegas Qualifying Results/ Starting Lineup.

Las Vegas Full Field Fantasy Rankings

1) Christopher Bell
Start 3rd / Projected Finish Range 1-6 / Dominator Potential – Medium-High
Las Vegas Outlook – Christopher Bell is a super elite performer at Las Vegas and in the South Point 400, look for Bell to be a factor to win. In fall Las Vegas Next Gen races, Bell has back-to-back runner-up’s and over all three fall races, he’s ranked #1 in terms of Total Speed Rankings. Overall in the Next Gen at Vegas, Bell ranks 5th in terms of Next Gen Speed Rankings and his average finish minus misleading results in spring 2024 and fall 2022 is 6.2. This spring, Bell was a top five contender but finished an asterisk mark 12th. In the race, Bell started in the back, finished 10th in Stage #1, was up to 4th on lap 100 but then during a caution shortly after that, Bell had major problems during his pit stop and had to park in the #19 stall to get a lugnut tightened. That dropped Bell deep in the field and he just was never able to fully rebound. Last fall, Bell was the class of the field but was beat by a fuel saving Logano. In the race, Bell finished 2nd in Stage #1, won Stage #2, led 155 laps, had a 2.5 average running position, earned the best Driver Rating and then finished 2nd. In terms of speed stats, Bell had the best Total Speed Ranking and ranked 3rd for Speed Late In A Run. Last spring, Bell likely had one of the best cars, but multiple problems led to his 33rd. In fall 2023, Bell won the pole, led 61 laps, had a 2.6 average running position and finished 2nd overall. If the race were a few laps longer, Bell probably would’ve won. In terms of speed stats, Bell had the best Speed Ranking and ranked #1 for Speed Late In A Run. In spring 2023, Bell finished 5th. This year at high-speed 1.5’s, Bell has the best average finish (6.8) and the 2nd best Track Type Total Speed Ranking. In practice, Bell was fast over the course of a run and had the 2nd best 30-lap average.
DraftKings $11,200/ FanDuel $13,500

Further Recommended Reading = Las Vegas Finish Projections, DraftKings Las Vegas Scoring Projections, FanDuel Las Vegas Scoring Projections, Las Vegas Quick Rankings

2) William Byron
Start 5th / Projected Finish Range 1-6 / Dominator Potential – Medium-High
Las Vegas Outlook – Look for William Byron to be a top five contender who’ll be a factor to win. At Las Vegas in the Next Gen, Byron ranks 2nd for Next Gen average finishes (6.3), 2nd for Next Gen Speed Rankings and 2nd for Driver Rating. This spring, Byron had one of the best cars. In the race, Byron finished 2nd in Stage #2, had the best average running position (7.5), earned the 2nd best driver rating and then finished 4th overall. Pit strategy hurt Byron in the last Stage and dropped him outside the top ten, so he had to rally hard to finish 4th. In terms of Total Speed Rankings, Byron ranked 2nd. Last fall, Byron was strong. In the race, Byron finished 4th in Stage #1, finished 3rd in Stage #2, earned the 2nd best Driver Rating, had the 2nd best Average Running Position (6.6) and then finished 4th overall. I’ll note, if fuel saving wasn’t a thing, he likely would’ve finished 2nd. In terms of speed analytics, Byron ranked 3rd for Total Speed Rankings and 4th for Speed Late In A Run. Last spring, Byron finished 10th but he likely had one of the best cars. In the race, Byron led 15 laps but then just after the midpoint in Stage #1, Byron had a trash bag on his grille which led to an unexpected pit stop which put him behind for pretty much so the rest of the afternoon. In terms of speed stats, Byron ranked 3rd for Speed Late In A Run and had the 8th best Total Speed Ranking. In 2023, Byron finished 7th in the fall and then won in the spring. This year at high-speed 1.5’s, Byron ranks 4th in terms of Track Type Total Speed Rankings and for the season minus Kansas #1 (flat tire) his average finish is 7th. In practice, William Byron was a stopwatch standout and had the best 10,15,20,25 and 30-lap averages.
DraftKings $10,000/ FanDuel $12,000

3) Denny Hamlin
Start 1st / Projected Finish Range 1-6 / Dominator Potential – Medium-High
Las Vegas Outlook – At Las Vegas, look for Denny Hamlin to be a top five contender who’ll be a factor to win. This year at high-speed 1.5’s, Hamlin’s had quite a few problems but over the last three races his Track Type Total Speed Ranking is 2.3, and that’s highlighted by a 2nd at Kansas where he had the best Total Speed Ranking, a 1.9 average running position and led 159 laps. At Las Vegas, Hamlin’s a former winner (2021) and since 2021 minus spring 2022 and this spring, Hamlin has a 6.7 average finish. This spring, Hamlin looked off early and also got a speeding penalty in the first Stage, but he rebounded in the second half and logged some laps in the top five. Then in the last Stage, Hamlin pitted early during a round of green flag pit stops and was then also burned by a caution during the pit cycle which all but doomed him to his 25th. In terms of Total Speed Rankings, Hamlin ranked 20th but take note his speed over the segments were 28th, 29th, 15th and then 8th. Last fall, Hamlin started 4th, was in 5th on lap 30, had a slow pit stop during the opening round of green flag pit stops that dropped him back 8 spots, was the only driver who didn’t pit during the Stage #1 caution which dropped him back like a rock into the 20’s but he eventually rebounded en route to an 8th. Last spring, Hamlin finished 5th in Stage #1, finished 3rd in Stage #2 and then finished 8th overall. Additionally, Hamlin earned the 6th best Driver Rating, had a 7.1 average running position and earned the 7th best Total speed Ranking.
DraftKings $11,000/ FanDuel $13,000