Written by Gabriel Tsui & Ashleigh McGregor
Credit: Jonathan Bachman / Getty Images for NASCAR
For the last traditional 1.5-mile (2.4-kilometre) track of the season, the Cup and Xfinity Series head West to Las Vegas for the Round of 8 opener.
Las Vegas is a D-shaped intermediate with nine degrees of banking in the straightaways and 20 degrees in the corners.
Below are the start times for each race plus lap count:
Xfinity: Saturday, 11 October, 16:30 local (00:30 UK) – 201 laps
Cup: Sunday, 12 October, 14:30 local (22:30 UK) – 267 laps
Below are the defending winners of each race:
Cup Series: South Point 400 Preview
Credit: Chris Graythen / Getty Images for NASCAR
Following one of the more bizarre finishes in the 2025 season in an elimination race at Roval, NASCAR heads to Las Vegas for the Round of 8 opener. With playoff points reset, the gap between the top drivers of the field has closed back together once again. Can we see more exciting racing with the occasional controversial moments in Las Vegas, as we have seen in the past years?
The drivers will be heading west to the Nevada heat to drive 267 laps around the Las Vegas Motor Speedway, with 80 laps each in the initial two stages and 107 laps to complete the weekend, totalling a distance run of 400.5 miles (644.5 kilometres) around the track.
The weather report indicates it will be sunny skies, but the temperatures will be a comfortable 24 degrees Celsius (76 degrees Fahrenheit). The race will commence on the Sunday of October 12th, at 17:30 Eastern (14:30 Pacific, 22:30 British).
Race Predictions
As mentioned previously, with playoff points reset, the playoff field has bunched up once again, but with Joey Logano as the one glaring exception at the bottom of the standings. He sits 24 points away from the cut-line, occupied by William Byron of Chevrolet and Hendrick Motorsports.
By all means, if Logano puts in consistent top-five to top-ten results in the next three races, he will get his shot at his fourth championship. However, a win at Las Vegas, will also achieve similar results for Logano. Logano’s past results at Las Vegas are impeccable, with three wins and many more top-five and top-ten finishes. In fact, he has more top-ten finishes at Las Vegas than he has outside of it.
Another fun fact, when Logano wins playoff Las Vegas, he goes on to win in Phoenix while taking home the championship trophy. With how we have been propping up Logano, you probably know who our pick for the race is.
Outside of actual racing statistics, showing up in last place heading into the weekend and first at the end of the weekend would be the most Logano thing to do. It is tough to find a better candidate than Logano to win a chaotic round of eight opener, and it would take a mountain of good karma for other drivers to win this Sunday.
Credit: Meg Oliphant / Getty Images for NASCAR
Three things to look out for
This is definitely an unintentional pun, but I digress: the last corner divebomb from JGR’s Denny Hamlin presents yet another questionable moment for the veteran. After a last-lap mishap from Hamlin in Kansas, which sent 23XI driver Bubba Wallace sliding up and therefore missing out on a win, the No. 11 struck again in Roval, leading to Chastain being knocked out of the playoffs.
For the second season in a row, Logano has now reached the Round of 8 on a lucky break. Last year, Logano reached the Round of 12 after Alex Bowman of the No. 48 failed a post-race inspection, and Logano went on to win in Las Vegas, and later on in Phoenix to complete one of the most improbable championship runs.
This year, despite being an odd year figuratively and literally, Logano has another chance at repeating, and the chances are becoming very real.
Who would’ve guessed? SVG became tied-first in wins alongside Denny Hamlin for the 2025 season, as he put on yet another masterful road course performance. Although he has been eliminated from the playoffs, it is evident the No. 88 team is still committed to fighting for position and wins week in week out.
Alongside his top-ten finish in Kansas, SVG has risen to twelfth place in the championship standings. If he keeps up the good performance in Las Vegas, Talladega, Martinsville, then Phoenix, he has a real chance to complete the season within the top-ten.
Xfinity Series: Focused Health 302 Preview
Written by Ashleigh McGregor
Credit: Sean Gardner / Getty Images for NASCAR
Connor Zilisch returned to the top step in the playoffs. He closed off the Round of 12 with a victory at Charlotte – his tenth of the season. This weekend kicks off the Round of 8 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.Â
Zilisch leads the playoffs championship by 57 points and has made history by doing so. Heading into the Round of 8, this is the largest championship lead in history. Another record breaking stat for Zilisch is winning eight of the last 11 races this season. The star rookie driver will undoubtedly continue to push the history books before the playoffs end.
Both Austin Hill and Taylor Gray were eliminated in the final Round of 12, the former having been eliminated by 21 points. In an ironic fashion, he had lost 21 points during the regular season from his suspension for intentionally crashing Aric Almirola. Some would say a lesson has been learned there.
Vegas champion
While Zilisch has dominated this season and outscored Allgaier, his luck will need to be on his side for this track. His debut at this track earlier this year left him with a ninth-placed finish while Allgaier was on the top step in victory lane. These two will likely make it to the Championship 4, and a swing of points in Allgaier’s favor could prove to be crucial. He enters this weekend with the upper hand, but can he hold onto it?
Round of 8
Brandon Jones is right behind Allgaier in the standings. With Sam Mayer just holding onto the fourth spot. Mayer has been a steady driver each weekend regardless of his lack of victories.
Trying to take that spot away from Mayer is Zilisch’s best friend, Jesse Love. He currently sits outside the bubble by just two points. Making up the remaining three drivers in the Round of 8 are Sammy Smith, Carson Kvapil and Sheldon Creed.
Race Weekend Guide
It all goes down in Sin City on Saturday October 11th! Practice is at 13:00 EST (18:00 UK) and is immediately followed by qualifying. Race start is at 19:30 EST (00:30 UK).
Drivers are racing 201 laps which will equal 301.5 miles. Stages one and two are 45 laps each. The final stage will be 110 laps.