GFT Facts and Stats Friday: NASCAR Cup Series South Point 400 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway
18 October 2024
By Bob Francis, Managing Editor
Go Full Throttle Racing News
LAS VEGAS, NV — Go Full Throttle Racing News will be reporting LIVE from Las Vegas Motor Speedway all weekend! Be sure to follow our X (formerly Twitter) for the most up-to-date information from the track. The top story line we are following as the series arrives in Nevada is Hendrick Motorsports driver Kyle Larson after he dominated the NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs’ Round of 12 elimination race at the Charlotte Motor Speedway Road Course. Larson has won the last two races here in Las Vegas. Four more drivers have been eliminated from the postseason — Alex Bowman, Austin Cindric, Daniel Suarez and Chase Biscoe. Now, the remaining eight postseason contenders must adjust their focus as the Playoff spotlight turns to the 1.5-mile Las Vegas Motor Speedway for this Sunday’s South Point 400 on NBC, PRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio (Channel 90), the seventh race of the Playoffs and the first race of the Round of 8.
This season’s Round of 8 contenders include four former NASCAR Cup Series Champions (Kyle Larson, Ryan Blaney, Chase Elliott and Joey Logano), and all eight drivers have previously competed in the Round of 8 in their careers. Interestingly, seven of the eight have previously earned a spot in the Championship 4 Round in their careers, the lone exception looking to make the Championship Four for the first time, is 23XI Racing’s Tyler Reddick.
NASCAR Cup Series South Point 400
Las Vegas Motor Speedway
Sunday, October 20
2:30 p.m. ET
The Purse: $8,157,812
TV: NBC, 2 p.m. ET
Radio: PRN, SiriusXM NASCAR (Channel 90)
Distance: 400.5 miles (267 Laps)
- Stage 1 (Ends on Lap 80)
- Stage 2 (Ends on Lap 165)
- Final Stage (Ends on Lap 267)
Track Facts
Track Length: 1.5 Miles
Race Length: 400 Miles (267 Laps)
Grandstand Seating Capacity: 106,000
Banking in Corners: 20 degrees
Banking on Frontstretch: 9 degrees
Banking on Backstretch: 9 degrees
Frontstretch: 2,275 feet
Backstretch: 1,572 feet
Qualifying & Race Records
Qualifying: Kurt Busch, Chevrolet, 196.328 mph (27.505 sec.); March 4, 2016
Race: Brad Keselowski, Ford, 154.633 mph, (02:35:24); March 9, 2014
Track Records
Most Wins: 4 — Jimmie Johnson
Most Poles: 3 — Kasey Kahne
Most Top Fives: 12 — Kyle Busch
Most Top 10s: 15 — Kyle Busch
NASCAR Cup Series 2024 Top 8 in the Driver Standings at Las Vegas
Driver Ratings
LAS VEGAS MOTOR SPEEDWAY-SPECIFIC STATISTICS
(Driver stats below are from 2005 — Present)
1 — Kyle Larson (№5 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet)
· Season-to-Date Driver Rating: 101.1
2024 Rundown
· Six wins, 13 top fives, 16 top 10s, five poles
· Led 1,614 laps
· Average Finish of 13.6
Las Vegas Motor Speedway Outlook:
· Three wins, eight top fives, 12 top 10s
· Average Finish of 9.313, series-best
· Average Running Position of 10.016, series-best
· Driver Rating of 105.4, series-best
· 3,310 Laps in the Top 15 (77.2%), fourth-most
2 — Christopher Bell (№20 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota)
· Season-to-Date Driver Rating: 93.8
2024 Rundown
· Three wins, 12 top fives, 20 top 10s, two poles
· Led 844 laps
· Average Finish of 13.4
Las Vegas Motor Speedway Outlook:
· Two top fives, four top 10s, two poles
· Average Finish of 19.111, 17th-best
· Average Running Position of 16.416, 13th-best
· Driver Rating of 80.3, 13th-best
· 1,281 Laps in the Top 15 (53.0%), 13th-most
3 — Tyler Reddick (№45 23XI Racing Toyota)
· Season-to-Date Driver Rating: 90.6
2024 Rundown
· Two wins, 11 top fives, 19 top 10s, two poles
· Led 491 laps
· Average Finish of 12.5
Las Vegas Motor Speedway Outlook:
· One top five, five top 10s, one pole
· Average Finish of 13.556, ninth-best
· Average Running Position of 13.807, 11th-best
· Driver Rating of 84.2, 11th-best
· 1,579 Laps in the Top 15 (65.4%), 10th-most
4 — William Byron (№24 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet)
· Season-to-Date Driver Rating: 89.7
2024 Rundown
· Three wins, 11 top fives, 17 top 10s, one pole
· Led 286 laps
· Average Finish of 14
Las Vegas Motor Speedway Outlook:
· One win, two top fives, six top 10s
· Average Finish of 15.077, 10th-best
· Average Running Position of 11.692, eighth-best
· Driver Rating of 93.7, seventh-best
· 2,514 Laps in the Top 15 (72.1%), seventh-most
5 — Ryan Blaney (№12 Team Penske Ford)
· Season-to-Date Driver Rating: 88.6
2024 Rundown
· Two wins, nine top fives, 15 top 10s, one pole
· Led 472 laps
· Average Finish of 16
Las Vegas Motor Speedway Outlook:
· Six top fives, 10 top 10s, one pole
· Average Finish of 11.438, fifth-best
· Average Running Position of 10.600, fifth-best
· Driver Rating of 97.8, sixth-best
· 3,315 Laps in the Top 15 (77.3%), third-most
6 — Denny Hamlin (№11 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota)
· Season-to-Date Driver Rating: 91.6
2024 Rundown
· Three wins, 10 top fives, 15 top 10s, four poles
· Led 918 laps
· Average Finish of 14.8
Las Vegas Motor Speedway Outlook:
· One win, six top fives, 13 top 10s
· Average Finish of 12.480, eighth-best
· Average Running Position of 12.189, ninth-best
· Driver Rating of 91.8, eighth-best
· 4,459 Laps in the Top 15 (66.4%), ninth-most
7 — Chase Elliott (№9 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet)
· Season-to-Date Driver Rating: 91.7
2024 Rundown
· One win, nine top fives, 16 top 10s
· Led 214 laps
· Average Finish of 11.7
Las Vegas Motor Speedway Outlook:
· Three top fives, five top 10s
· Average Finish of 18.643, 16th-best
· Average Running Position of 11.559, seventh-best
· Driver Rating of 91.2, ninth-best
· 2,828 Laps in the Top 15 (75.4%), sixth-most
8 — Joey Logano (№22 Team Penske Ford)
· Season-to-Date Driver Rating: 84.2
2024 Rundown
· Two wins, five top fives, ten top 10s, three poles
· Led 301 laps
· Average Finish of 18.0
Las Vegas Motor Speedway Outlook:
· Three wins, seven top fives, 13 top 10s, three poles
· Average Finish of 9.909, third-best
· Average Running Position of 10.073, second-best
· Driver Rating of 100.0, fourth-best
· 4,779 Laps in the Top 15 (80.9%), series-most
NASCAR Cup Series Playoff Fast Facts: Las Vegas
· This season will be the seventh-time Las Vegas Motor Speedway has hosted a NASCAR Cup Series Playoff race (2018–2024).
· The 2024 season marks the third-time the NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs Round of 8 has opened at Las Vegas Motor Speedway (Race №33 of the season and seventh of the postseason).
· In total Las Vegas Motor Speedway has occupied three different spots on the NASCAR Cup Series Playoff schedule — from 2018 to 2019 Las Vegas hosted the first race of the Playoffs, then from 2020 to 2021 the 1.5-mile track hosted the fourth race of the Playoffs, since 2022 Las Vegas has hosted the seventh race in the Playoffs (2022–2024).
· Las Vegas Motor Speedway is the sixth different track to host the seventh race in the NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs (2022–2024); joining Atlanta Motor Speedway (2004–2008), Talladega Superspeedway (2009–2010), Martinsville Speedway (2011–2019), Kansas Speedway (2020) and Texas Motor Speedway (2021).
· A total of six different drivers have won the six previous NASCAR Cup Series Playoff races at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.
· Of the six different Las Vegas Playoff race winners, three are currently in the Cup Series Playoffs this weekend — Denny Hamlin (2021 winner), Joey Logano (2022 winner) and Kyle Larson (2023 winner).
Heading into this weekend at Las Vegas, Hendrick Motorsport’s driver Kyle Larson sits atop the Playoff standings, up +33 points on the Championship 4 Round cutoff. In Larson’s rearview mirror are Joe Gibbs Racing’s Christopher Bell in second, up +13 points on the next round’s cut line, 23XI Racing’s Tyler Reddick in third, up +10 on the cutline and Larson’s Hendrick Motorsports teammate William Byron is fourth, up four points on the cutoff.
The four drivers within striking distance below the Championship 4 Round cut line in the Playoff standings are Team Penske’s Ryan Blaney in fourth, back four points from the cutoff, Joe Gibbs Racing’s Denny Hamlin is ranked sixth, eight points behind the Championship 4 cutoff, Hendrick Motorsport’s driver Chase Elliott is seventh, nine points back from the cutline and Team Penske’s Joey Logano is in the eighth and final spot, just 11 points behind Byron in the final transfer spot to the Championship 4 Round.
Of the eight drivers vying for the Championship 4 Round this season, Team Penske’s Joey Logano in the eighth spot in the current standings, has the most experience in the final round. He is tied with Martin Truex Jr. Kyle Busch and Kevin Harvick for the series-most Championship 4 Round appearances with five each.
Las Vegas Clinch Scenarios: First chance to earn a spot in the Championship Four
With the conclusion of the Round of 12 in the NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs, the postseason drivers get their points reseeded once again and are now confronted with trying to earn their spot in the final round.
This weekend’s South Point 400 (Oct. 20 at 2:30 p.m. ET on NBC, PRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio) at Las Vegas Motor Speedway will jump start the Round of 8; the first of three races (Las Vegas, Homestead-Miami and Martinsville) the contenders will have to navigate through for a spot in the Championship 4 Round.
Already Clinched
No drivers have clinched a spot in the 4-driver field of the next round.
Can Clinch Via Win
The following drivers would clinch on their win alone: Kyle Larson, Christopher Bell, Tyler Reddick, William Byron, Ryan Blaney, Denny Hamlin, Chase Elliott, Joey Logano
GFT NASCAR CUP SERIES DRIVER RANKINGS
After the Charlotte ROVAL …
GFT NASCAR CUP SERIES BOX SCORES
DRIVER: Kyle Larson leads with 6 wins so far in 2024
MANUFACTURER: Chevrolet with 15 wins so far in 2024
TEAM: Hendrick Motorsports with 11 wins
GFT AI Race Prediction Model Picks for Las Vegas
(Will be updated after Practice and Qualifying)
**NOTE** Be sure to follow us on X (aka Twitter) to see the updated GFT NASCAR Fantasy Live picks AFTER our AI models ingest the Practice and Qualifying data. For a Sunday race, this usually happens overnight Saturday and is published Sunday morning at least 2 hours before the green flag.
