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The NASCAR Cup playoff Round of 8 begins this weekend as the series shifts to Las Vegas Motor Speedway.
William Byron, Martin Truex Jr., Denny Hamlin and Kyle Larson enter on the positive side of the cut line, while Chris Buescher, Christopher Bell, Tyler Reddick and Ryan Blaney are on the outside of the final four looking in.
If a playoff driver wins Sunday, he will have the inside track to the title as they will have a two-week head start to plan for the Phoenix finale. Joey Logano used his win in last year’s event to springboard to his second series championship.
Here’s what else you need to know ahead of the South Point 400:
South Point 400 TV/streaming schedule
All times Eastern
Saturday
12:35-1:20 p.m.: Practice (USA, NBC Sports app)
1:20-2:30 p.m.: Qualifying (USA, NBC Sports app)
Sunday
2-2:30 p.m.: Pre-race show (NBC, NBC Sports app)
2:30-6 p.m.: South Point 400 (NBC, NBC Sports app)
South Point 400 details
Track: Las Vegas Motor Speedway (1.5-mile tri-oval) in unincorporated Clark County, Nevada
Banking: Turns – 20 degrees | Front and backstretches – 9-12 degrees
Length: 267 laps for 400.5 miles
Stage lengths: Stage 1 – 80 laps | Stage 2 – 85 laps | Stage 3 – 102 laps
2022 winner: Joey Logano (22), Team Penske
Top drivers and best bets for the South Point 400
After A.J. Allmendinger became the first non-playoff driver to win in the 2023 postseason, the top five favorites to win this week, according to BetMGM, are in the Round of 8 field. William Byron has won the most races of any Cup driver in 2023 (six), including the spring race at Las Vegas on March 5, but his Hendrick Motorsports teammate Kyle Larson is the overall favorite.
Best odds to win
• Kyle Larson +400
• William Byron +600
• Denny Hamlin +600
• Martin Truex Jr. +800
• Tyler Reddick +900
Yahoo Sports’ Nick Bromberg wrote earlier in the week on the odds and, outside of the favorites, recommends looking at Chris Buescher (+1400) and Chase Elliott (+1600) for mid-tier plays. If you fancy a long shot, Bromberg likes the retiring Kevin Harvick at 40-to-1 as the veteran has finished in the top 10 in half of his starts at Las Vegas.
NASCAR Cup Series playoff standings
1. William Byron – 4,041* (+20)
2. Martin Truex Jr. – 4036 (+15)
3. Denny Hamlin – 4032 (+11)
4. Kyle Larson – 4024 (+3)
_________________________________ Cut line
5. Chris Buescher – 4,021 (-3)
6. Christopher Bell – 4,016 (-8)
7. Tyler Reddick – 4,016 (-8)
8. Ryan Blaney – 4,014* (-10)
South Point 400 entry list
Ross Chastain (1), Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet
Austin Cindric (2), Team Penske Ford
Austin Dillon (3), Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet
Kevin Harvick (4), Stewart-Haas Racing Ford
Kyle Larson (5), Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet
Brad Keselowski (6), RFK Racing Ford
Corey LaJoie (7), Spire Motorsports Chevrolet
Kyle Busch (8), Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet
Chase Elliott (9), Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet
Aric Almirola (10), Stewart-Haas Racing Ford
Denny Hamlin (11), Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota
Ryan Blaney (12), Team Penske Ford
Chase Briscoe (14), Stewart-Haas Racing Ford
Brennan Poole (15), Rick Ware Racing Ford
A.J. Allmendinger (16), Kaulig Racing Chevrolet
Chris Buescher (17), RFK Racing Ford
Martin Truex Jr. (19), Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota
Christopher Bell (20), Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota
Harrison Burton (21), Wood Brothers Racing Ford
Joey Logano (22), Team Penske Ford
Bubba Wallace (23), 23XI Racing Toyota
William Byron (24), Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet
Justin Haley (31), Kaulig Racing Chevrolet
Michael McDowell (34), Front Row Motorsports Ford
Todd Gilliland (38), Front Row Motorsports Ford
Ryan Preece (41), Stewart-Haas Racing Ford
Carson Hocevar (42), Legacy Motor Club Chevrolet
Erik Jones (43), Legacy Motor Club Chevrolet
Tyler Reddick (45), 23XI Racing Toyota
Ricky Stenhouse Jr. (47), JTG Daugherty Racing Chevrolet
Alex Bowman (48), Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet
J.J. Yeley (51), Rick Ware Racing Ford
Ty Gibbs (54), Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota
Ty Dillon (77), Spire Motorsports Chevrolet
B.J. McLeod (78), Live Fast Motorsports Ford
Daniel Suárez (99), Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet
South Point 400 weather
The forecast calls for sunny conditions with high temperatures in the mid-to-upper 80s. The lack of cloud cover will elevate the track temperature, which should shorten pit windows as tires will wear more quickly. Don’t be surprised if the eventual winner comes from deep in the field as the Xfinity Series rejoins as a support series this weekend — that should mean greater track evolution throughout the weekend as more rubber is laid down.