Las Vegas South Point 400 Fantasy NASCAR Front Runner Rankings

Carson Hocevar
Las Vegas Fantasy Outlook – Carson Hocevar’s track record is quite bad at Las Vegas which will scare many away, but he could have dark horse upside. He looked teens good this spring and then in 2025, he was top ten good in both races but had a pair of 30’s to show for it. This year at high-speed 1.5’s, Hocevar’s shown potential, but he’s only finished in the top ten once (Texas) and has a 20.0 average finish for the season. In terms of 2026 Track Type Total Speed Rankings, Hocevar ranks 14th.
Las Vegas History – Carson Hocevar has an ugly resume at Las Vegas but don’t overlook him since he’s shown potential. In the Next Gen, Hocevar has a 26.3 average finish (29th best) but take note he ranks 16th for Speed, so he’s run better than the results column. This spring, Hocevar finished 22nd but “Performance Wise” he was a teens performer. In the race, Hocevar finished 13th in Stage #1, was in 15th on lap 150 but then on lap 162 while running in the mid-teens, he had a flat tire and made an unexpected pit stop, dropping him off the lead lap into the 20’s. When the checkered flag waved, Hocevar finished 22nd, had a 17.6 average running position and ranked 18th for Total Speed Rankings. Over the segments I’ll note he ranked 13th, 14th, 17th and then 29th for Speed. Last fall, Hocevar started 22nd, finished 10th in Stage #2, had a 13.7 average running position, was in 10th on lap 230 but then shortly after that, he was collected in the “Ty Gibbs Restart Carnage” wreck, leading to his 32nd. In terms of Total Speed Rankings, Hocevar ranked 14th with his speed over the segments being 16th, 16th, 7th and then 10th. Last spring, Hocevar was a top five contender but finished a misleading 30th. In the race, Hocevar started 25th, finished 9th in Stage #1, finished 5th in Stage #2 but then during the Stage #2 caution, he got blocked in his pit stall which dropped him from 5th to 23rd. Then in the last Stage around lap 188 while running around 11th, he had contact with Gibbs on pit road which damaged the #77. Shortly after that around lap 208, Hocevar made an unexpected pit stop which dropped him two laps down, dooming him to his 30th. In terms of Total Speed Rankings, Hocevar ranked 14th but take note that his speed over the segments were 16th, 8th, 7th and then 32nd.

Ryan Preece
Las Vegas Fantasy Outlook – Ryan Preece is a mid-tier driver who should be high on your radar at Las Vegas. Preece’s overall Next Gen track record isn’t great but over the last three he’s come home with results of 11th, 9th and 3rd. This year at high-speed 1.5’s, Preece is 4 for 6 at finishing between 10th to 14th, is fresh off a 10th at Kansas and has a 12.2 average Speed Ranking minus Chicagoland. On Sunday, I would view Preece as a low double-digit to mid-teens driver who might just sneak in a top ten.
Las Vegas History – In the #60 at Las Vegas, Ryan Preece has run quite well and over the last three races his average finish is 7.7. This spring, Preece had a strong showing. In the race, Preece had a 9.6 average running position, ranked 9th for Total Speed Rankings and then finished 11th overall. Last fall, Preece didn’t look great for much of the race with a 21.6 average running position, but when the checkered flag waved, he finished 9th. I’ll note on lap 230 before late wildness ensued, he was actually back in 25th. That said, he legit rallied to the front over the closing laps and was in 19th with 15 laps to go, and there were no more cautions after that. In terms of Total Speed Rankings, Preece ranked 11th. Last spring, Preece finished 3rd, ranked 14th in terms of Total Speed Rankings and had a 15.3 average running position. The #60 team did benefit from how pit strategy played out at the end, but he was solid.

Chris Buescher
Las Vegas Fantasy Outlook – Look for Chris Buescher to run well at Las Vegas and potentially flirt with a top ten. Buescher’s been solid at high-speed 1.5’s this year and at Las Vegas in 5 of the last 6 races, he’s finished in the top 13 with his lone outlier being a race where he pounded the wall while running in the top ten. This year at high-speed 1.5’s, Buescher has a 15.5 average finish and ranks 7th for Speed.
Las Vegas History – Chris Buescher has been a solid performer at Las Vegas and over the last four races, he’s finished in the top 13 every race and has a 10.3 average finish. Overall in the Next Gen, Buescher ranks 11th for average finish (15.9), 12th for Speed and then 14th for Driver Rating. This spring, Buescher had his best Next Gen result and finished 6th. Additionally, Buescher had an 8.6 average running position and ranked 6th for Speed. Last fall, Buescher was a solid low double-digit performer. In the race, Buescher finished 12th, had a 12.4 average running position and ranked 13th in terms of Total Speed Rankings. Last spring, Buescher finished 13th, ranked 18th in terms of Total Speed Rankings and had a 19.3 average running position. In fall 2024, Buescher was a top five contender, but he finished a misleading 10th via pit strategy/fuel saving from others who beat him. In terms of Total Speed Rankings, Buescher ranked 7th. In spring 2024, Buescher looked good, but he also had a short race and finished 37th after losing a wheel and pounding the wall while running in 7th on lap 27, leading to his 37th. In fall 2023, Buescher finished 11th.

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