This article is part of our NASCAR Barometer series.
Kyle Larson dominated Sunday's Pennzoil 400 Presented by Jiffy Lube at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. The former champion qualified on the front row and went on to hold off a closing Tyler Reddick in the first and second stages and then again for the race win. Larson and his Hendrick Motorsports team made no mistakes on the afternoon, which made the difference at the end. Several challengers were fast enough to get close, and even lead, but with mistakes on pit road, it was Larson that seemed to gain positive track position all afternoon en route to his first victory of 2024, joining teammate William Byron in the win column. The race saw relatively few cautions, and Larson led a final run of 27 laps from the final restart to the finish to capture the checkered flag just ahead of Reddick. The day was all about track position and drivers out front had the clear advantage, disrupting challenges from behind through defensive car placement in the turns.
With three different winners from three races so far, the series turns its attention to Phoenix Raceway for the second of two west coast races before returning back east. Ross Chastain won last season's finale at the circuit, but it was Byron who won the spring race. The unique 1.0-mile oval will be the perfect opportunity for teams to hone their setups in preparation for what they hope will be a championship winning opportunity for them in the fall return. Three drivers are
Kyle Larson dominated Sunday's Pennzoil 400 Presented by Jiffy Lube at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. The former champion qualified on the front row and went on to hold off a closing Tyler Reddick in the first and second stages and then again for the race win. Larson and his Hendrick Motorsports team made no mistakes on the afternoon, which made the difference at the end. Several challengers were fast enough to get close, and even lead, but with mistakes on pit road, it was Larson that seemed to gain positive track position all afternoon en route to his first victory of 2024, joining teammate William Byron in the win column. The race saw relatively few cautions, and Larson led a final run of 27 laps from the final restart to the finish to capture the checkered flag just ahead of Reddick. The day was all about track position and drivers out front had the clear advantage, disrupting challenges from behind through defensive car placement in the turns.
With three different winners from three races so far, the series turns its attention to Phoenix Raceway for the second of two west coast races before returning back east. Ross Chastain won last season's finale at the circuit, but it was Byron who won the spring race. The unique 1.0-mile oval will be the perfect opportunity for teams to hone their setups in preparation for what they hope will be a championship winning opportunity for them in the fall return. Three drivers are already focusing on that effort, while the rest of garage will aim to come out on top to book their spot in the championship playoffs with a victory at the championship venue.
UPGRADE
Kyle Larson - Larson braved the wind to qualify on the front row Saturday and then used that positive track position to drive to the stage win to get Sunday's Las Vegas race started. A fast car in the second stage enabled him to drive to the lead and command the race to the front for a second stage win, too. That dominance continued into the final stage as he positioned his car perfectly to disrupt Tyler Reddick's challenges in the final laps, enabling Larson to stay out front to collect the checkered flag by less than half a second and 181 total laps led. It was another impressive Hendrick day at Las Vegas. Looking ahead, Larson won at Phoenix to claim his series championship in 2021 and went on to add three top-10 finishes from the next four starts there. In fact, he dominated the spring race last season with 201 laps led and a stage win before finishing fourth.
Tyler Reddick - Despite a runner-up finish Sunday, Reddick was not happy with his result. The No. 45 clearly had the speed to catch Larson in the lead, but Reddick couldn't find a way to make the final pass and finished second in both stages as well as the race. Following the race, Reddick lamented mistakes on pit road that kept him from gaining the track position that may have provided the edge he needed for the victory. Sunday's finish ended the team's skid of finishes outside of the top 20 to start the year, though. Reddick and the No. 45 have the speed to win races early, and their frustration at Las Vegas shows that they know it, too. While Phoenix hasn't been the best venue for them in the past, Reddick does have a pair of third-place finishes from the last four visits. The frustration from Sunday should add fuel for a top performance in the coming week.
Ty Gibbs - Gibbs grabbed his first top-five and second top-10 of the season Sunday at Las Vegas. The top finish was not without a fair amount of adversity, though. During the race, Gibbs lost first gear, which meant he was hindered getting back up to speed in every subsequent pit stop and restart. He lost several positions as a result, but had the pace under green to claw his way back through the field to finish fifth for the afternoon. Sunday's perseverance was difference-maker for him and the team, and it shows that they will do everything within their grasp to salvage points on off days, which can make a difference in making the playoffs or not. Gibbs won at Phoenix in the Xfinity Series, but he hasn't really gotten up to speed there in Cup. Of the two races there last season, his best finish was 21st. Fantasy players should expect improvement on that this week, though.
Ross Chastain - Sunday's race was threatened before it even started for Chastain and team. The car's wrap started coming undone and had to be replaced. That was an unapproved adjustment and Chastain had to start at the back of the field as a result. The No. 1 machine had enough speed to claw its way into the stage points in the first segment, though. The team then used a two-tire stop under caution on the final stop of the day to gain 13 positions and restart on the front row with a chance to race for the win. Chastain held tough for the first few laps, challenging Larson for the lead, before slipping backward and finishing fourth in an impressive come-from-behind effort from him and the team. Chastain now heads to Phoenix with two consecutive top-10 finishes at his back. They could be in store for more success this week as they head to the track they won at to finish the season last year.
William Byron - The No. 24 team was another that overcame adversity to salvage a top finish Sunday. In the first stage, Byron's car picked up a large piece of plastic that forced him into an late unscheduled stop to remove it. The car returned to the track one lap down in 35th position, and then fought for the lucky dog position to get back onto the lead lap. Once back on the lead lap, Byron set off to climb his way through the cars in his way. It was a long haul, but he was able to get back to the top 10 by the finish. That was an important effort as it gave Byron his second top-10 of the season, regaining some momentum, after finishing 17th at Atlanta the week before. The coming race could be a good opportunity for him as well. Byron was in good form at Phoenix last season. He started third and won in the spring with 64 laps led, then started on pole in the season finale, leading 94 laps before finishing fourth.
DOWNGRADE
Christopher Bell - The poor start to the 2024 season continued for Bell Sunday at Las Vegas when he became the first casualty of the day with a rear-tire failure. While he was able to avoid major damage after the failure, the loss of track position made for a difficult day working back through traffic. That slog was turning positive before trouble struck again. After fighting his way back inside the top 15, he lost control and spun to bring out another caution. It was a frustrating day for Bell, who clearly has the speed to compete at the front, as he ended the day 33rd and two laps behind the leaders after all the problems. Sunday's finish makes it two races in a row where he finished outside of the top 30, which will have to be turned around this week at Phoenix. Bell has four top-10s from eight starts there. He finished sixth and 36th last season's two visits.
Chris Buescher - Not long after the first caution, Buescher's right-front wheel fell off, sending the car into the outside wall. The lug nut wasn't tightened enough, which machined the wheel apart on track, causing the failure. The initial penalty of crashing out of the race will be made worse when the crew is penalized for the incident, too. With the issue, Buescher was the first driver to officially exit the race, which was his worst finish of the early season to date. Buescher entered the weekend in the playoff positions and on the heels of a top-10 finish at Atlanta, but he now heads to Phoenix anxious to put his Las Vegas blip behind him. His best Phoenix results have come recently, though. He finished fifth and led 18 laps in the season finale last year, which was his first top-five at the track. He also finished 10th in the spring race of 2022.
Kyle Busch - Busch's No. 8 machine was capable of snagging a top-10 finish Sunday at his home track, but a pit issue dropped him out of contention. After scoring stage points in the first segment, Busch was looking to land a second top-10 from the first three races of the season. However, the former champion slid through his pit box and the crew went to work without repositioning the car first. That mistake meant the team was penalized for servicing the car outside of the box. The penalty left Busch struggling deep in the running order for the rest of the afternoon. At the finish, their potential top-10 result ended with a 26th-place finish, despite 18 laps led. Pit problems have held this team back from achieving their best on track, and work needs to be done to resolve their errors. Busch is a three-time Phoenix winner with four top-10s from the last five races, but he won't extend that good run of form with more mistakes like last week's.
Bubba Wallace - Heading into the Las Vegas race weekend, Wallace was the only driver to have a pair of top-10 finishes in the first two races. Unfortunately, that streak ended at Las Vegas. In the final stage, the crew had to cut off a lug in order to change tires, and Wallace tumbled down the order going multiple laps down to the leaders. With his race ruined, Wallace then turned his attention to making laps and helping his teammate where possible. Wallace did his best to slow down the leader and push Reddick closer to the front. It was great teamwork, but Wallace would have preferred to be racing for himself. The car has been fast so far, and things could take a positive turn again quickly, though. Wallace has two top-10 finishes from 12 career starts at Phoenix. His first was back in 2018, but the second came last fall. He finished 14th there in the spring race.
BIGGEST SURPRISE
Noah Gragson - A hometown race turned out to be a tonic for Gragson as he gets comfortable being back full-time in the Cup Series after being dropped by Legacy Motor Club last season. He wasn't able to score stage points, but he did gain track position with a quick stop under the race's final caution. That enabled him to run in the top 10 in the final 30 laps, and he did even more to climb to sixth for the finish. The result was his second top-10 finish so far despite starting 30th or lower in each of those efforts. While the No. 10 still languishes outside of the top 30 in points, two top-10s from three races shows potential. With better qualifying, and better track position early in the races, Gragson may start picking up stage points to add to his total. The team has focus on what to work on, and decent race finishes will give them the momentum to push ahead.
