Live Race Updates: NASCAR Cup Series South Point 400 at Las Vegas
Sunday's South Point 400 at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway (scheduled to take place at 5:30 PM ET on USA Network) marks the opening race of three in the NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs Round of 8.
While the eight drivers still fighting for a chance at the Bill France Cup will have a lot of anxiety over the next three weeks, as they attempt to secure their place in the Championship 4 field, Sunday's race provides the first opportunity for one of the eight to automatically secure their place in the championship fight.
RELATED: Previewing the NASCAR Cup Series South Point 400
Welcome to the Racing America On SI live-race updates page for the South Point 400. This page will serve as your guide leading up to and throughout Sunday's NASCAR Cup Series Playoff event. This page will be updated with key pre-race updates, in-race updates such as lead changes, and video highlights of crashes or incidents. Also included will be stage and race results, and much more. Continue checking back for additional updates.
- Final Stage Updates
- Stage 2 Updates
- Stage 1 Updates
- Pre-Race Updates
- Starting Lineup
- Playoff Picture (Heading Into Las Vegas)
Final Stage Updates
Lap 267: Denny Hamlin Wins, Advances to Championship 4!
Denny Hamlin was able to hold serve and took his 60th career NASCAR Cup Series win over Kyle Larson. Hamlin won the race by a margin of 1.533 seconds. The milestone win will officially move Hamlin into the Championship 4 at Phoenix Raceway, where he'll try to capture his first career NASCAR Cup Series championship.
South Point 400 Race Results:
Fin | Car | Driver | Laps | Diff |
|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 11 | Denny Hamlin (P) | 267 | -- |
2 | 5 | Kyle Larson (P) | 267 | 1.533 |
3 | 20 | Christopher Bell (P) | 267 | 2.294 |
4 | 19 | Chase Briscoe (P) | 267 | 2.381 |
5 | 45 | Tyler Reddick | 267 | 2.846 |
6 | 22 | Joey Logano (P) | 267 | 4.258 |
7 | 48 | Alex Bowman | 267 | 4.456 |
8 | 8 | Kyle Busch | 267 | 5.032 |
9 | 60 | Ryan Preece | 267 | 5.085 |
10 | 6 | Brad Keselowski | 267 | 5.571 |
Lap 264: Lead Change!
Denny Hamlin easily moves around Chase Briscoe for the race lead, and Hamlin appears to be cruising to a Championship 4 berth-clinching win at Las Vegas! Kyle Larson has gotten around Briscoe for the runner-up spot, and Christopher Bell is fourth.
Lap 263: Hamlin Prevails Over Larson, and Fighting Briscoe for Win
Denny Hamlin, using the high lane, has worked around Kyle Larson in a hard-fought battle, and now he is closing in fast on race leader Chase Briscoe!
Lap 261: Larson and Hamlin Neck and Neck for P2
Kyle Larson and Denny Hamlin are fighting hard side-by-side for the runner-up spot, which is music to Chase Briscoe's ears as he continues to lead this race.
Lap 256: Briscoe Leads, Larson Up to 2nd
Chase Briscoe continues to lead the race on two-tires, but Kyle Larson and Denny Hamlin are flying through the field and now run second and third. Joey Logano has fallen to third, and he's now being passed by Tyler Reddick and is down to fifth.
Lap 253: Back to Green!
Chase Briscoe and Joey Logano bring the field back to green again with 14 laps remaining in the South Point 400. Can they hang on with their two-tire pit calls? Or will the four tire guys work around them?
Lap 244: Back to Green and back to Caution!
Chase Briscoe leads the field back to green with Joey Logano alongside him. Logano gets a great restart, and Ty Gibbs goes spinning behind them into Turn 1. Several cars pile into it, including Shane van Gisbergen. We're back under caution.
Here is the latest bit of chaos, where Ty Gibbs was sent spinning in Turn 1 on the restart. Christopher Bell got some of the incident, several got impacted hard back in the field. pic.twitter.com/6cEGCZhR40
— Toby Christie (@Toby_Christie) October 13, 2025
Lap 240: Briscoe Wins Race Off Pit Road
Chase Briscoe will take over the lead of this race with under 30 laps remaining as he won the race off pit road under this caution with a two-tire stop. Joey Logano, and Brad Keselowski also took two tires and ended up second and third off pit road. Kyle Larson, the leader going into pit road, came off fourth with a four-tire pit stop.
Shane van Gisbergen, in fifth, was the final two-tire guy. Alex Bowman, Christopher Bell, Ty Gibbs, Tyler Reddic,k and Denny Hamlin followed SVG off pit road.
Lap 236: Caution!
William Byron, who narrowly saved his car from crashing on Lap 232, has been swept up in a hard crash on Lap 236. While running second, Byron came up on Ty Dillon, who was heading to pit road, and Byron had no idea Dillon was pitting and he ran him over. Massive, massive impact.
Here is the terrifying onboard camera of William Byron, who had no idea that Ty Dillon ahead of him was coming to pit road. Massive impact. pic.twitter.com/aaOFieGHQS
— Toby Christie (@Toby_Christie) October 13, 2025
Lap 232: Byron Nearly Crashes, Larson Retakes Lead
William Byron nearly crashed on Lap 232, and in doing so, he and Kyle Larson have flipped positions. Larson now leads Byron by roughly the same margin -- 0.800 seconds -- that Byron had previously on Larson. That was almost disaster for Byron.
A big moment for the No. 24! @KyleLarsonRacin regains the lead! pic.twitter.com/vyM7aFWxku
— NASCAR (@NASCAR) October 12, 2025
Lap 222: Byron to the Lead
The green flag pit sequence has cycled out, and William Byron has taken over the lead. With 45 laps to go, can Byron hang on to win and secure his place in the Championship 4? He has a 0.805-second lead over Kyle Larson.
Lap 219: Hamlin Pits
Denny Hamlin has pitted from the lead. Staying out longer should lose him some time on track initially, but he'll have fresher tires for the remainder of the run.
Lap 216: Byron Cycles Ahead of Larson
William Byron, who trailed Kyle Larson by two seconds before the green flag pit sequence has cycled out ahead of his teammate on Lap 216. Denny Hamlin, who has yet to pit, is the leader over Carson Hocevar and Brad Keselowski. When they all pit, Byron should inherit the lead.
Lap 210: Playoff Contenders Run 1-4, But Bowman Starting to Move Forward
Kyle Larson, William Byron, Denny Hamlin and Christopher Bell are the top-four in the race on Lap 210, but Alex Bowman is starting to assert himself as potentially the non-Playoff contender with the best car at this point of the race.
Chase Briscoe kicks off green flag pit stops on Lap 211, and on Lap 212, Alex Bowman comes to pit road, but runs into Ty Gibbs on pit entry. We'll have to see how that impacts Bowman's newfound speed.
Lap 187: Briscoe Believes Toe Knocked Out on No. 19 Car
Chase Briscoe, who clipped the outside wall on the most recent restart, has radioed to his crew chief James Small that he felt his car has had the toe knocked out of it due to the contact with the wall. Briscoe runs sixth, currently.
Lap 174: Hamlin Leads at the Stripe, But Larson Prevails
Denny Hamlin led Lap 173 at the line, but Kyle Larson regained the lead and is being pressured for the lead by Tyler Reddick. Christopher Bell has climbed into third, while Hamlin has fallen to fourth.
Lap 173: Back to Green!
Kyle Larson leads the field back to green, and he has Denny Hamlin shoving him past Tyler Reddick into the lead by himself.
Stage 2 Updates
Lap 165: Kyle Larson Takes the Stage 2 Win
Kyle Larson cruised to the Stage 2 win by a sizable margin over Tyler Reddick. Stage 1 winner William Byron finished third in Stage 2.
Chase Elliott, running 25th, will get the free pass and will return to the lead lap to begin Stage 3.
Stage 2 Results:
Fin | Car | Driver | Stage Points | Playoff Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 5 | Kyle Larson (P) | 10 | 1 |
2 | 45 | Tyler Reddick | 9 | -- |
3 | 24 | William Byron (P) | 8 | -- |
4 | 11 | Denny Hamlin (P) | 7 | -- |
5 | 19 | Chase Briscoe (P) | 6 | -- |
6 | 20 | Christopher Bell (P) | 5 | -- |
7 | 54 | Ty Gibbs | 4 | -- |
8 | 48 | Alex Bowman | 3 | -- |
9 | 22 | Joey Logano (P) | 2 | -- |
10 | 77 | Carson Hocevar | 1 | -- |
Lap 158: Chase Elliott in Position for Free Pass
Chase Elliott has knifed around Todd Gilliland and Austin Cindric, and now runs 25th, the first car a lap down. If he can remain in this position over the final few laps of Stage 2, he will receive the free pass to get back on the lead lap at the Stage break caution.
Lap 126: Larson Cycles Out to Lead
Kyle Larson has returned to the lead of the race following the green flag pit sequence cycling out. Tyler Reddick, William Byron, Denny Hamlin, and Ty Gibbs are the rest of the top-five, currently.
Chase Elliott now runs 31st, one lap down, after serving the uncontrolled tire violation penalty. Bubba Wallace has also been flagged for a pit road speeding penalty.
Lap 122: Chase Elliott Serves Penalty
Chase Elliott's No. 9 pit crew had an uncontrolled tire roll away from their pit stall during their green flag pit stop, which has led to a penalty. That is a costly penalty on what had been a decent day so far for the Playoff contender.
Lap 116: Bell Kicks Off Green Flag Pit Stops
Christopher Bell, who had dropped to the 11th position, is the first driver to come to pit road to kick off a round of green flag pit stops on Lap 116.
Lap 113: Reddick Coming to Life
Tyler Reddick made a big-time pass on Chase Briscoe and moved into the third spot on Lap 113. Reddick is now setting his sail on William Byron for the runner-up spot. Kyle Larson continues to lead as we approach another round of green flag pit stops.
Lap 93: Byron Takes P2 Back
William Byron has rallied back after the incident on the restart and he has passed Chase Briscoe for the runner-up spot on Lap 92. Denny Hamlin is now pressuring Briscoe for the third spot.
Lap 87: Back to Green!
William Byron leads the field back to the green flag, and Stage 2 of the South Point 400 is underway. Wow, Byron is nearly turned from the race lead. He survives clipping the infield grass. Kyle Larson moves to the lead, while Briscoe is now attempting to chase him down.
RESTARTS ARE GETTING HEATED 👀
— NASCAR on NBC (@NASCARonNBC) October 12, 2025
The #NASCARPlayoffs pressure turns up the heat on these restarts for the front runners. pic.twitter.com/9CLwQyKJpc
Byron is now back to fourth.
Stage 1 Updates
Lap 80: William Byron Takes Stage 1 Win
As one Playoff contender, Ryan Blaney, found massive trouble in Stage 1, another, William Byron, scored a massive Stage Win in Stage 1 of the South Point 400 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. Byron held off Kyle Larson, his Hendrick Motorsports teammate, for the Stage Win, and in doing so, the regular-season champion bolstered his championship hopes with 10 important Stage Points.
Stage 1 Results:
Fin | Car | Driver | Stage Points | Playoff Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 24 | William Byron (P) | 10 | 1 |
2 | 5 | Kyle Larson (P) | 9 | -- |
3 | 19 | Chase Briscoe (P) | 8 | -- |
4 | 11 | Denny Hamlin (P) | 7 | -- |
5 | 9 | Chase Elliott (P) | 6 | -- |
6 | 23 | Bubba Wallace | 5 | -- |
7 | 20 | Christopher Bell (P) | 4 | -- |
8 | 45 | Tyler Reddick | 3 | -- |
9 | 54 | Ty Gibbs | 2 | -- |
10 | 22 | Joey Logano (P) | 1 | -- |
Lap 72: Caution!
Ryan Blaney suffered a cut left front tire, and collided with the outside wall on Lap 72. He suffered what looks to be catastrophic damage to his car, and his race could be over. Disaster for one of the eight Playoff contenders, who will likely finish dead-last today.
Huge playoff implications on Lap 72! @Blaney has trouble and gets into the wall. pic.twitter.com/MoCg5bEGHx
— NASCAR (@NASCAR) October 12, 2025
Lap 58: Chase Elliott Up to Fourth
Chase Elliott is starting to heat up as he has gotten past Denny Hamlin and Chase Briscoe over the last couple of laps. The most recent pass of Briscoe put Elliott into the fourth position.
Lap 42: Byron Takes Lead
As Gilliland peeled off the track for pit road, William Byron assumed the lead, although it wasn't stress-free as Gilliland nearly contacted Byron on his path to pit road.
Tyler Reddick is second, followed by Kyle Larson, Chase Briscoe and Denny Hamlin after the first round of pit stops.
Lap 41: Hocevar, McDowell Pit
Todd Gilliland has taken over the lead of this race as Carson Hocevar and Michael McDowell have gone to pit road. Gilliland nearly collides with William Byron trying to go from the top lane of the track to pit road. Yikes.
Lap 36: Chase Briscoe Has Pit Road Hiccup
A slow pit stop for Chase Briscoe on Lap 36 during the green flag pit sequence will cost him the lead when the pit stops cycle out. Carson Hocevar, who has yet to pit, currently leads. William Byron should inherit the lead when the first few cars in the running order finally hit pit road.
Lap 32: Reddick Pits to Kick Off Green Flag Pit Sequence
Green flag pit stops have begun as Tyler Reddick hit pit road on Lap 32. A lap later, several others including Kyle Larson, Joey Logano and others make it to pit road as well.
Lap 28: William Byron to P2
Denny Hamlin, one of the best at conserving tires, usually, in the NASCAR Cup Series, just lost second spot from William Byron on Lap 28 as tires are beginning to fade on this opening-race run. Likewise, Hamlin's JGR teammate Christopher Bell has dropped to seventh as Kyle Larson passed him moments before Hamlin lost the runner-up spot.
Chase Briscoe continues to lead.
Lap 17: Briscoe Continues to Lead, Gragson Moving On Up
Chase Briscoe continues to lead over Denny Hamlin, and he holds roughly a half-second advantage over his teammate on Lap 17. Meanwhile, Noah Gragson has moved up to the 19th position after starting in the 28th position. That's a nine-position improvement in the early laps for the hometown guy.
Lap 5: Hamlin Reports Shifting Issue at Start Led to Loss of Lead
Denny Hamlin is trying to track his teammate Chase Briscoe back down for the race lead, but he radioed to his team and explained that giving up the lead was not by design. Hamlin said he lost the lead after having issues getting his sequential shifter to go into fifth gear.
Green Flag!
Denny Hamlin leads the field to green, and he gets a great initial start. He's out front by himself ahead of teammates Chase Briscoe and Christopher Bell, but he will not lead Lap 1, as Briscoe goes to the inside of Hamlin in Turns 3 and 4 and takes the lead! We have our first official lead change of the race on Lap 1.
Pre-Race Updates
5:24 PM ET: Engines Fired!
After a command from actor Glen Powell, who stars in the film The Running Man, the engines under the hoods of the 38 cars in the field for Sunday's South Point 400 came to life. Pace laps will begin shortly at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.
At the end of the evening, there's a chance that one of the eight drivers remaining in the 2025 NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs will have their slot in the Championship 4 wrapped up. We'll have to wait and see how it all turns out.
Ross Chastain to the Rear Before Green Flag
Ross Chastain, who was set to take the green flag from the 15th starting position in Sunday's South Point 400 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, will now only be symbolically credited with the starting spot. Due to unapproved adjustments to his No. 1 Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet after Saturday's practice and qualifying sessions, Chastain will have to drop to the rear of the field before the green flag is displayed in Sunday's race.
As of now, Chastain is the only driver in the field designated to drop to the rear.
South Point 400 Pre-Race Festivities/Green Flag Schedule
- Driver's Meeting: 4:25:00 PM ET
- Red Carpet Walk: 4:40:00 PM ET
- Driver Introductions: 4:50:00 PM ET
- Invocation: 5:16:20 PM ET
- National Anthem: 2:17:00 PM ET
- Command to Start Engines: 2:24:00 PM ET
- Green Flag: 2:35:00 PM ET
South Point 400 Pre-Race Information
The South Point 400 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway will be televised on USA Network and can be streamed on the HBO Max streaming platform, as well as the NBC Sports App. The race broadcast will begin at 5:30 PM ET on Sunday, October 12.
The Performance Racing Network (PRN) and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90 will provide the radio broadcast of Sunday's event. For subscribers of the HBO Max streaming service, NASCAR Driver Cam, which streams live in-car camera footage from every car in the field, will be available for today's race.
The overall race purse, which teams will fight for their portion of in Sunday's event in Sin City, amounts to a total of $9,797,935.
The race distance is a total of 267 laps around the 1.5-mile intermediate oval, which equates to a race distance of 400.5 miles. The South Point 400 will be broken up into three stages. Stage 1 will end at Lap 80, Stage 2 will end at Lap 165, and the final stage of the race will conclude at the end of Lap 267, barring an overtime finish.
Sunday's event is the opening race of the three-race Round of 8 in the NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs. Should a playoff-eligible driver win the race, they will be automatically locked into the Championship 4 and will compete for the Bill France Cup at Phoenix Raceway next month.
Joey Logano is the defending winner of the NASCAR Cup Series South Point 400. The win in this race a year ago allowed him to join the Championship 4 field at Phoenix, where he ultimately capped off his third career NASCAR Cup Series championship. Logano is in the NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs, and a win on Sunday would allow Logano to head to Phoenix with a championship once again on his mind.
Starting Lineup
Hamlin Grabs Pole in Round of 8 Opener at Las Vegas
Denny Hamlin, who enters Sunday's NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs Round of 8-opening race as the No. 1 seed, will start the 400-mile contest from the pole position. Hamlin, 44, cranked out an impressive 29.213-second (184.849 mph) lap time in Saturday's qualifying session to take the pole.
Hamlin, who admits his team has always struggled to get off on the right foot in qualifying at Las Vegas, is extremely encouraged by the effort leading into Sunday's race.
"I felt good about it, truthfully," Hamlin said of his qualifying lap. "There wasn't a whole lot left out there for it, but great job with this ampm team to get my car good. It was good in the short run in practice, as well. Gotta work on it on the long run for tomorrow. But Saturday has really been our Achilles heel at this racetrack. That's a great way to turn that around."
It was a clean sweep of the top-three starting spots for Joe Gibbs Racing, as Hamlin's fellow Playoff-contending teammates Chase Briscoe and Christopher Bell will start Sunday's race from second and third. The top-six qualifiers were all Playoff contenders, and just one Playoff contender, Ryan Blaney (14th), will start outside the top-10 on Sunday.
South Point 400 Starting Lineup
Pos | Car | Driver |
|---|---|---|
1 | 11 | Denny Hamlin (P) |
2 | 19 | Chase Briscoe (P) |
3 | 20 | Christopher Bell (P) |
4 | 9 | Chase Elliott (P) |
5 | 24 | William Byron (P) |
6 | 5 | Kyle Larson (P) |
7 | 23 | Bubba Wallace |
8 | 45 | Tyler Reddick |
9 | 22 | Joey Logano (P) |
10 | 54 | Ty Gibbs |
Click here for the full official South Point 400 starting lineup
Playoff Picture (Heading Into Las Vegas)
Heading into the Round of 8 of the Playoffs, which kick off with Sunday's race at Las Vegas, none of the eight drivers in the Playoff field have a point cushion that would be considered 'comfortable'.
Denny Hamlin, the No. 1 seed coming into the day, holds just an eight-point advantage over Christopher Bell, the first driver on the outside looking in of the Playoff cutline. Bell (-4 points), Chase Elliott (-14), Chase Briscoe (-14), and Joey Logano (-24) are the four drivers sitting below the cutline heading into the opening race of the round.
Rank | Car | Driver | Cutline |
|---|---|---|---|
1 | 11 | Denny Hamlin | +8 |
2 | 12 | Ryan Blaney | +6 |
3 | 5 | Kyle Larson | +4 |
4 | 24 | William Byron | +4 |
CUTLINE | |||
5 | 20 | Christopher Bell | -4 |
6 | 9 | Chase Elliott | -14 |
7 | 19 | Chase Briscoe | -14 |
8 | 22 | Joey Logano | -24 |
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Toby Christie is the Editor-in-Chief of Racing America. He has 15 years of experience as a motorsports journalist and has been with Racing America since 2023.
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