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AVONDALE, ARIZONA – MARCH 08: Riley Herbst, driver of the #35 Monster Energy Toyota, Chris Buescher, driver of the #17 Fry’s/Artesano/Kraft Ford, Connor Zilisch, driver of the #88 Wendy’s Chevrolet, and AJ Allmendinger, driver of the #16 Campers Inn RV Chevrolet, race during the NASCAR Cup Series Straight Talk Wireless 500 at Phoenix Raceway on March 08, 2026 in Avondale, Arizona. (Photo by Sean Gardner/Getty Images)
The NASCAR Cup Series and NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series travel to Las Vegas Motor Speedway this weekend as the 2026 season continues. Teams now know when they will hit the track after NASCAR released the official qualifying orders for both series on March 11.
FOX Sports reporter Bob Pockrass shared the lists ahead of the race weekend.
Qualifying order (and practice groups for Cup) for Vegas weekend: pic.twitter.com/RNkFfKNLXP
— Bob Pockrass (@bobpockrass) March 11, 2026
The order determines when drivers will participate in practice and qualifying sessions.
NASCAR uses its metric formula based on finishing position, fastest lap, and owner points from the previous race. Drivers are divided into two practice groups before single-car qualifying sets the starting lineup.
NASCAR Qualifying Orders: Cup Series Group 1 at Las Vegas
Group 1 includes the drivers with the highest metric scores entering the weekend. Chase Briscoe leads the order in the No. 19 car with a score of 35.800. Cole Custer follows in the No. 41 with 35.000, while Justin Allgaier sits third in the No. 48 with 33.900.
Austin Cindric appears next in the No. 2 with 32.800, followed by Noah Gragson in the No. 4 with 32.700. Josh Berry holds sixth in the No. 21 with 31.700.
Ross Chastain in the No. 1 records 26.500, just ahead of Cody Ware in the No. 51 with 26.400. Daniel Suarez in the No. 99 posts 24.500. Zane Smith in the No. 38 follows with 24.600.
Ty Dillon in the No. 10 sits at 24.500. John Hunter Nemechek in No. 42 and Joey Logano posted 23.800 in the No. 22 cars.
Austin Dillon in the No. 3 enters with 19.900. Riley Herbst in the No. 35 has 19.800. Carson Hocevar in the No. 77 closes Group 1 with a score of 18.200.
NASCAR Qualifying Orders: Cup Series Group 2
Group 2 begins with Kyle Busch in the No. 8 with a metric score of 17.900. Chase Elliott follows closely in the No. 9 with 17.300, while AJ Allmendinger in the No. 16 sits at 17.200.
Todd Gilliland records 16.200 in the No. 34. Erik Jones follows with 15.400 in the No. 43. Brad Keselowski posts 15.300 in the No. 6.
Ryan Preece enters the weekend with 14.500 in the No. 60. Chris Buescher records 12.500 in the No. 17.
Shane van Gisbergen sits at 9.200. Michael McDowell posts 8.700 in the No. 71, while William Byron records 8.200 in the No. 24.
Ty Gibbs enters with 7.300 in the No. 54. Denny Hamlin follows with 7.100 in the No. 11. Tyler Reddick records 5.900 in the No. 45.
Kyle Larson and Bubba Wallace both sit at 5.100 in the No. 5 and No. 23. Christopher Bell records 3.200 in the No. 20. Ryan Blaney closes the order in the No. 12 with a score of 1.300.
NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series Qualifying order for The LiUNA! Race
The O’Reilly Auto Parts Series will also split drivers into two groups before qualifying.
The No. 35 started group one entry with a metric score of 41.600. Josh Williams in the No. 92 follows with 41.000. Dawson Cram in the No. 174 is third with 36.900, while Ryan Ellis in the No. 02 records 35.300. Myatt Snider in the No. 30 posts 35.200, and Carson Kvapil in the No. 9 has 35.000.
Group 2 begins with Brennan Poole in the No. 44 at 23.400. Austin Green, Chase Briscoe, and Ryan Sieg follow. The order closes with Sammy Smith, Sheldon Creed, Connor Zilisch, Jesse Love, and Justin Allgaier.
Dogli Wilberforce is a sports writer who covers NASCAR, Formula 1 and IndyCar Series for Heavy Sports. With bylines at Total Apex Sports and Last Word on Sports, Wilberforce has built a reputation for delivering timely, engaging coverage that blends sharp analysis with accessible storytelling. Wilberforce has covered everything from major football transfers to fight-night drama, bringing readers the insight and context behind the headlines. More about Dogli Wilberforce
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