Storylines to know before NASCAR Cup Series’ Round of 8 opener at Las Vegas

On Sunday, the 33rd race of the 2024 NASCAR Cup Series will take place at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. Sunday’s South Point 400 is the opening race of the Round of 8 in the NASCAR Playoffs, and a spot in the Championship Four has the potential to be claimed. Here’s what you need to know before the green flag waves. 

A pair of playoff drivers adorn the front row

Pole-sitter Christopher Bell and second-place starter Tyler Reddick will have the best view when the green flag flies on Sunday. Bell and Reddick enter Sunday’s race on drastically different paths, as Reddick’s recent dip in performance sits in stark contrast to Bell’s incredible postseason run. With the points reset, however, previous performances don’t matter. It’s up to the playoff field to forge their own destiny in the Round of 8, beginning with Sunday’s tussle in Las Vegas. 

Defending champ Blaney has quite the hill to climb

A crash in practice will relegate defending Cup Series champion Ryan Blaney to a 37th-place starting spot on Sunday. Blaney finished sixth at Las Vegas last fall and will need to mount a strong charge on Sunday in order to stay close to the cut line. If the No. 12 team wants to defend its title, figuring out how they can carve through the field early is imperative. Blaney faces a difficult challenge to begin the penultimate round of the postseason. 

Title favorites, Larson, Hamlin start up front

Denny Hamlin (fourth) and Kyle Larson (fifth) both put forth stellar qualifying efforts on Saturday and are considered favorites to win both Sunday’s race and the Cup Series championship. Larson won his sixth race of the season on Oct. 13 at the Charlotte Roval, while Hamlin has had a tumultuous path to the Round of 8. These two championship contenders will be the ones to watch on Sunday. 

Bowman, Hocevar headline non-playoff hopefuls

Alex Bowman’s disqualification last Sunday resulted in the Tucson, Arizona, native being eliminated from the playoffs, but that didn’t deter his efforts on Saturday. Bowman qualified third for Sunday’s race and won at Las Vegas in 2022. He can’t be counted out as a possible contender for the win. 

Nor can rookie sensation Carson Hocevar, who has all but clinched the Rookie of The Year award. Hocevar qualified sixth on Saturday, and nearly spoiled the playoff party with a career-best third-place finish at Watkins Glen on Sept. 15. Don’t be surprised if Hocevar puts together a top-10 run on Sunday. 

Hometown driver Kyle Busch looks to extend record win streak

Kyle Busch has never had a winless season of NASCAR Cup Series competition, but his record of 19 consecutive seasons with a victory is in danger of coming to an end. Busch only has four more opportunities to extend the streak, but a win at his home track of Las Vegas would be a poetic way for it to continue. The longest Busch has ever gone in a season without a win is 34, a mark set in 2020 when Busch finally won at Texas in October. Busch will roll off the grid from 20th on Sunday.