The first intermediate track race of the NASCAR Cup Series season at Las Vegas Motor Speedway provided a clear picture of which teams have adjusted best to the new Camaro ZL1 and which are still searching for speed. Denny Hamlin won Sunday’s Pennzoil 400, but the storylines ran much deeper.
Chase Elliott’s Strong Rebound
After a disappointing 23rd-place finish at Phoenix, Chase Elliott bounced back with a runner-up result. Starting 15th, he closed to within .504 seconds of Hamlin at the checkered flag. “From where we’ve been to how we ran today, not really comparable,” Elliott said. “As bummed as I am, I have to kind of check myself back to reality to understand how big of an improvement that was.” He felt his car was stronger on long runs, noting, “I thought Denny was starting to fall off.” Teammates William Byron finished third and Kyle Larson led 62 laps en route to seventh.
Shane van Gisbergen’s Rough Day
Shane van Gisbergen’s race nearly ended on the opening laps when he got loose off Turn 4, grazing Chase Briscoe’s car. He saved the slide but suffered front splitter damage, dropping 17 spots from his 16th starting position. He finished last (36th) and fell from fifth to 16th in the driver standings. Under the new playoff format—which eliminates the win-and-in rule—van Gisbergen’s road course prowess won’t guarantee a playoff spot.
RFK Racing Shines for Ford
RFK Racing was the top Ford team, with Chris Buescher sixth, Brad Keselowski 10th (after starting 28th), and Ryan Preece 11th. “The team went to work,” Buescher said. “We went for it all day long. Good pit stops. Good restarts. Our car handled well. A solid first true mile-and-a-half of the year to give us a good read going forward.” Keselowski rose to 12th in points, Preece to 13th.
Josh Berry’s Title Defense Falters
Last year’s winner Josh Berry couldn’t replicate his magic. He qualified 32nd and finished 31st, three laps down. A speeding penalty during green-flag pit stops on lap 122 forced a pass-through penalty, and he never recovered, dropping to 32nd in points.
Ty Gibbs Overcomes Penalty
Ty Gibbs earned his third consecutive top-five finish despite a speeding penalty on lap 83. After finishing fourth in Stage 1, he was penalized during the caution, but fought back to fifth. “I wasn’t as fast as Denny was to get through the field. … I had a great time. Just, unfortunately, I sped and just stubbed myself there, but we fought back,” Gibbs said. He moved up five spots to 10th in the standings.
Local Drivers Struggle
Las Vegas natives had a tough day. Riley Herbst was the best finisher at 23rd, one lap down. Kyle Busch finished 28th (two laps down), extending his winless streak to 98 races; his last Cup win was June 4, 2023. Noah Gragson was 30th, also two laps down. All three started 20th or worse and were outside the top 20 after Stage 1.
