Previewing the NASCAR Cup Series South Point 400 at Las Vegas
The NASCAR Cup Series rolls into Las Vegas Motor Speedway for the South Point 400 on Sunday. The race is the first of three races in the Round of 8, with the potential to determine a driver in the Championship 4.
Fast Facts: South Point 400
Date: October 12
Track: Las Vegas Motor Speedway (Las Vegas, Nevada)
Time: 5:30 p.m. ET
TV: USA Network
Stages: 80/165/267
Defending Winner: Joey Logano
Entry List: 37 cars for 40 spots
South Point 400 Schedule
Date | Time | Session | TV |
|---|---|---|---|
Sat., Oct. 11 | 4:30 p.m. ET | Practice | truTV |
Sat., Oct. 11 | 5:40 p.m. ET | Qualifying | truTV |
Sun., Oct. 12 | 5:30 p.m. ET | South Point 400 | USA Network |
VIEWING GUIDE: How to Watch the South Point 400
Is Another Logano Las Vegas Win in the Cards?
With his win in last year's South Point 400, Joey Logano tied Jimmie Johnson with four career Cup Series wins at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. If Logano can break that tie this weekend, it will also give him a chance to compete for his fourth NASCAR Cup Series championship. He starts 24 points below the cutline for the Championship 4, but all it takes is one win to put him in the title fight.
In both 2022 and 2024, Logano won at Las Vegas to start the Round of 8, and he went on to win the championship both of those years. Last year, Logano's mere presence in the Round of 8 at Las Vegas came as the result of a disqualification for Alex Bowman following post-race technical inspection at the Charlotte Motor Speedway Roval.
Logano was once again on the bubble at the Roval one week ago, advancing after a last-lap incident involving Ross Chastain. Will this pave the way for another Logano championship? A win on Sunday would make that a very realistic possibility.
Logano Not the Only Champion Below the Cutline
Like Joey Logano, 2020 NASCAR Cup Series champion Chase Elliott will need to make up some ground if he hopes to battle for another title.
Elliott is 14 points below the cutline to start the Round of 8, a line that will likely move as drivers pick up wins over the three races at Las Vegas, Talladega Superspeedway, and Martinsville Speedway. He and Logano join Christopher Bell and Chase Briscoe as drivers on the outside looking in to start the round.
While Elliott doesn't have Logano's Las Vegas track record, he does have three top-fives and six top-10s at the 1.5-mile oval. Recent years haven't been as kind to Elliott in Vegas, with a best finish of ninth in six Next Gen races at the track.
Another Upset Winner Possible?
In the spring race at Las Vegas, Josh Berry scored his stunning first career NASCAR Cup Series victory. While his playoff run has ended, he'll certainly be looking for another victory at a track that has been one of his best throughout his NASCAR career.
Other past winners at Las Vegas outside of the Round of 8 include Alex Bowman, Kyle Busch and Brad Keselowski. While Ross Chastain hasn't won at Vegas, he has top-five finishes in three of the last four NASCAR Cup Series events there.
Of course, it was Chastain's Trackhouse Racing teammate, Daniel Suarez, that battled with Berry for that win earlier this year. While the 2025 season has been an almighty struggle for Suarez, a late-season win would be huge before embarking on the next chapter of his NASCAR career.
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Zach Evans is the Managing Editor of RacingAmerica.com, with nearly a decade of experience in motorsports. He has been with Racing America since 2017.
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