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Christopher Bell
Las Vegas Fantasy Outlook – Look for Christopher Bell to be a factor at Las Vegas. In fall Las Vegas Next Gen races, Bell seems to show up with a little extra speed and currently has back-to-back runner-up’s and over all three fall races, he’s ranked #1 in terms of Total Speed Rankings. Overall in the Next Gen at Vegas, Bell ranks 5th in terms of Next Gen Speed Rankings and his average finish minus misleading results in spring 2024 and fall 2022 is 6.2. This year at high-speed 1.5’s, Bell has the best average finish (6.8) and the 2nd best Track Type Total Speed Ranking.
Las Vegas History – Christopher Bell has performed at an elite level at Las Vegas and as you read above, he’s been especially strong in the fall. This spring, Bell was a top five contender but finished an asterisk mark 12th. In the race, Bell started in the back, finished 10th in Stage #1, was up to 4th on lap 100 but then during a caution shortly after that, Bell had major problems during his pit stop to the variety where he had to park in the #19 pit stall to get a Lugnut tightened. That dropped Bell back and he just was never able to fully rebound, leading to his 12th. In terms of Total Speed Rankings, Bell ranked 16th. Last fall, Bell was the class of the field, but Logano’s fuel strategy took home the trophy. In the race, Bell finished 2nd in Stage #1, won Stage #2, led 155 laps, had a 2.5 average running position, earned the best Driver Rating and then finished 2nd. In terms of speed stats, Bell had the best Total Speed Ranking and ranked 3rd for Speed Late In A Run. Last spring, Bell likely had one of the best cars, but multiple problems derailed his afternoon and led to his 33rd. In the race, Bell started 10th, but then problems started right off the bat for him basically and on lap 10, Bell had fallen back to 18th with a shredded tire which damaged the #20. Bell somehow rebounded from that and finished 10th in Stage #1. Then in Stage #2, while he was running around 14th, he spun on lap 156 and brought out another caution which doomed him to his 33rd. In 2023, Bell swept the top five. In fall 2023, Bell won the pole, led 61 laps, had a 2.6 average running position and finished 2nd when the checkered flag waved. If the race were a few laps longer, he probably would’ve won. In terms of speed stats, Bell had the best Speed Ranking and ranked #1 for Speed Late In A Run.

Kyle Larson
Las Vegas Fantasy Outlook – Kyle Larson is a super-elite performer at Las Vegas who’ll be tough to beat. In the Next Gen, Larson’s won twice, he’s 4 for 7 at finishing in the top 2, has the best Next Gen Speed Ranking and his average finish minus fall 2022 is 4.3. Going back to 2017 minus fall 2022 (crashed), Larson has a 5.2 average finish. This year at high-speed 1.5’s, Larson’s been elite, having a Kansas #1 win, the best Track Type Total Speed Ranking and a 5th place average finish minus Charlotte.
Las Vegas History – Kyle Larson’s a 3-time Las Vegas winner and in the Next Gen, Larson has the best Total Speed Ranking and a 4.3 average finish minus fall 2022. This spring, Larson may have very well had the best car, but he finished an asterisk mark 9th after some final Stage pit strategy shuffled him from the lead back to the mid-teens. In the race, Larson won Stage #2, led the most laps (61), had the 2nd best average running position (7.6) and earned the 2nd best Driver Rating. In terms of speed stats, Larson ranked #1 for Total Speed Rankings and Speed Late In A Run. Last fall, Larson looked pretty good, but his afternoon was anything but incident free and he finished an asterisk mark 11th. In the race, Larson started 5th, damaged his nose at some point in Stage #1, finished 10th in Stage #1, pitted twice during the Stage #1 caution, then in Stage #2 under green, Larson made a lengthy pit stop and then the following lap, he pitted again, which now had him two laps down, which makes his 11th pretty remarkable. In terms of speed, Larson didn’t lack and ranked #1 for Speed Late In A Run and ranked 6th for Total Speed Rankings. Last spring, Larson had the field covered and put on a display of domination. In the race, Larson won Stage #1, won Stage #2, led 181 laps, earned a near perfect driver rating, had a 1.7 average running position and of course finished 1st. In terms of Total Speed Rankings, Larson ranked #1. In fall 2023, Larson once again smoked the field and raced his way to victory lane. In the race, Larson won Stage #1, won Stage #2, won the race, led 133 laps and earned a near perfect Driver Rating. In terms of speed stats, Larson had the best Green Flag Speed, the 2nd best Total Speed Ranking and ranked 4th for Speed Late In A Run. In spring 2023, Larson should’ve won but a late caution denied him certain victory. In the race, Larson finished 2nd in the two opening Stages, led 63 laps, had a 2.2 average running position and ranked 2nd for Total Speed Rankings.

Denny Hamlin
Las Vegas Fantasy Outlook – Denny Hamlin ranks among the premiere performers at high-speed 1.5-mile tracks and at Las Vegas, look for Hamlin to be a top five contender who’ll be a factor to win. This year at high-speed 1.5’s, Hamlin’s had quite a few problems, but he hasn’t lacked when it comes to “Performance” and over the last three races, Hamlin’s Track Type Total Speed Ranking is 2.3, highlighted by a 2nd at Kansas a few weeks ago where he had the best Total Speed Ranking, a 1.9 average running position and led 159 laps despite having power steering problems. At Las Vegas, Hamlin’s a former winner (2021) and since 2021 minus spring 2022 and this spring, Hamlin has a 6.7 average finish.
Las Vegas History – Denny Hamlin has been one of the best at Las Vegas and in the Next Gen, Hamlin has the 7th best Next Gen Speed Ranking and his average finish minus 2022 #1 and this spring is 6.7. This spring, Hamlin looked off early and also got a speeding penalty in the first Stage, but he rebounded in the second half and logged some laps in the top five in the last Stage. Then in the last Stage, Hamlin pitted early during a round of green flag pit stops and was then also burned by a caution during the pit cycle which all but doomed him to his 25th. In terms of Total Speed Rankings, Hamlin ranked 20th but take note his speed over the segments were 28th, 29th, 15th and then 8th. Last fall, Hamlin started 4th, was in 5th on lap 30, had a slow pit stop during the opening round of green flag pit stops that dropped him back 8 spots, was the only driver who didn’t pit during the Stage #1 caution which dropped him back like a rock into the 20’s but he eventually rebounded en route to an 8th. In terms of Total Speed Rankings, Hamlin ranked 16th. Last spring, Hamlin finished 5th in Stage #1, finished 3rd in Stage #2 and then finished 8th overall. Additionally, Hamlin earned the 6th best Driver Rating, had a 7.1 average running position and earned the 7th best Total speed Ranking. In fall 2023, Hamlin led 23 laps, earned the 10th best Driver Rating and then finished 10th overall. In terms of Total Speed Rankings, Hamlin ranked 6th. In spring 2023, Hamlin was top 3 good but finished an asterisk mark 11th. In the race, Hamlin finished 5th in Stage #1, finished 8th in Stage #2, had the 6th best Total Speed Ranking and had a 6.2 average running position. There was a late caution which hurt Hamlin and with 4 laps prior to it coming out, Hamlin was running in 3rd.

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