March 17, 2025
In a race where all the Team Penske drivers and their Wood Brothers satellite entry for Josh Berry seemed quite fast, Austin Cindric outdueled Alex Bowman to win Stage 1 at Sunday's Las Vegas race -- his first stage win on a non-drafting oval since Gateway in 2022. He still continuously ran in the top 10 until he had to pit a second time during the caution for Shane van Gisbergen's crash for a loose wheel, but he eventually worked his way up to sixth. If all the cars that stayed out of the pits on the eighth caution had ended up running out of fuel, which seemed very possible at one point, Cindric might've been in the hunt for the win since there were times he was ahead of William Byron and Kyle Larson -- the latter of whom he out-finished. Perhaps this suggests he has more staying power after strong qualifying sessions than he did in previous years.
--Sean Wrona - RotoBallerSource: Racing Reference
March 17, 2025
William Byron entered Sunday's NASCAR Cup Series race at Las Vegas as the points leader and expanded his lead over Christopher Bell to 29 points after a fourth-place finish. Byron entered the race as one of the pre-race favorites and did briefly lead twice for 10 laps after passing Bubba Wallace then Michael McDowell for the lead before his teammate Kyle Larson passed him both times. Larson looked faster than Byron for most of the race, but Byron was rarely far behind and ended up passing all the drivers on the main pit strategy by race's end. However, the usual contenders out-thought themselves in choosing to pit during the eighth caution and many others didn't, which (along with contact from Ross Chastain) prevented them from catching the unusual podium finishers of Josh Berry, Daniel Suárez, and Ryan Preece on the other strategy.
--Sean Wrona - RotoBallerSource: Racing Reference
March 17, 2025
One week after leading at Phoenix due to his alternative-tire strategy, Ryan Preece surprisingly delivered the best finish of his career on a non-drafting oval in Sunday's Pennzoil 400 at Las Vegas, finishing third in a race where his two RFK Racing teammates Chris Buescher and Brad Keselowski did not run very well. Although Preece qualified 12th, he fell through the field during Stage 1 before he made a furious charge from 20th to 11th at the end of Stage 2. The team made a visionary move to stay out of the pits on the caution for the multi-car crash that took out Ryan Blaney, then managed to catch a caution before they needed to pit again. This propelled Preece to third on the final restart. Although he dropped to fifth after being passed by William Byron and Ross Chastain, when they made contact he regained third as the repercussions from the contact broke the momentum of all the drivers chasing him.
--Sean Wrona - RotoBallerSource: Racing Reference
March 16, 2025
Christopher Bell is on a roll to start the 2025 NASCAR Cup Series season. In addition to winning at Atlanta a few weeks ago, Bell ended up in victory lane at both COTA and Phoenix over the last two weeks, giving the Joe Gibbs Racing driver three wins in just four races this year. Can he add a fourth at Las Vegas this weekend? Bell's No. 20 Toyota was definitely the car to beat the last time we were here (last October), but he's going to have his work cut out for him if he's going to compete for the win on Sunday. After qualifying 13th for this weekend's Pennzoil 400, Bell's No. 20 team changed the throttle body, which will require NASCAR's most recent winner to drop to the rear of the field at the start on Sunday. Despite this setback, though, Bell should still contend in the race. He has three top-five results in his last four starts at this track.
--Jordan McAbeeSource: Bob Pockrass / FOX Sports
March 16, 2025
Kyle Larson should be in contention for his first win of the 2025 Cup Series season this Sunday at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. This is one of Larson's best tracks on the schedule, and he has won two of the last three here--including a dominating effort in this race one year ago, where the No. 5 Chevrolet was out front for 181 laps en route to victory lane. Additionally, in five of the last eight races at Las Vegas, Larson has finished first or second. Also worth noting is the fact that Larson has led for over 20% of all of the laps on 1.5-mile tracks in the Next Gen era. This weekend, the No. 5 Chevrolet looked stout in practice, ranking fourth-fastest with the fifth-best 20-lap average. "Yung Money" qualified 10th for this weekend's Pennzoil 400, so he has some Place Differential upside in DFS contests as well.
--Jordan McAbeeSource: Speedway Media
March 16, 2025
Once again, Ryan Blaney is the chalk DFS pick at Las Vegas. After blowing a right rear tire during practice on Saturday afternoon, Blaney backed his No. 12 Ford into the fence, damaging the back end and forcing his Team Penske crew to repair the car. Luckily, the team didn't have to pull out the backup car, and Blaney will be able to start the race in the vehicle he planned to this weekend. Blaney ended up 28th-fastest in practice but seemed to have a better car than that, especially on the long run, as his 15-lap average during practice was ninth-quickest on the board. Here in Sin City, Blaney has finished seventh or better in 10 of his 17 career Cup Series starts. In DFS contest this weekend, you have to play him at $9,300--especially in cash games--simply for the massive Place Differential upside.
--Jordan McAbeeSource: NASCAR X Account
March 16, 2025
Ross Chastain fired out of the gates fast at Las Vegas Motor Speedway this weekend, as the No. 1 Chevrolet was the fastest car in practice on Saturday afternoon. Chastain's lap (187.846 mph) was faster by over two-tenths of a second than the second-fastest driver, Bubba Wallace. And really, it shouldn't be that surprising. Statistically, Chastain has been one of the best at Las Vegas in the Next Gen era, with an average finish of 5.5 over the last six races. Over that span, the Melon Man has just one result worse than seventh at Las Vegas, and that was a 12th-place effort in 2023. There's no doubt that the No. 1 Chevrolet is fast this weekend, and Chastain makes a good DFS pick because of that. He also has Place Differential upside, as he qualified back in 19th for Sunday's race. At a palatable $8,300 on DraftKings, Chastain is a solid DFS pick this weekend with high upside.
--Jordan McAbeeSource: Driver Averages
March
16,
2025
Chris
Buescher
has
never
finished
better
than
ninth
at
Las
Vegas
Motor
Speedway
in
16
career
Cup
Series
starts,
but
that
doesn't
mean
that
there
isn't
upside
for
the
Roush-Fenway
Keselowski
Racing
driver
in
the
Pennzoil
400
this
weekend.
The
No.
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March 16, 2025
Chase Elliott of Hendrick Motorsports obtained a starting position of 16th after qualifying for this week's Pennzoil 400 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. This is the lowest starting position of all four Hendrick entries for Sunday's race at the Nevada track. In 15 starts at Las Vegas in the Cup Series, Elliott has five top-10 finishes, with his last being collected in 2022. Through four races so far this season, Elliott has three top-15 finishes, including two top-10s in the last two weeks. In practice, Elliott ranked 16th in overall lap averages while ranking close to or inside the top 10 in all other categories. Considering his salary for this week's race ($9,000 on DraftKings), his salary, and recent 2025 seasonwide performance, Elliott is worth consideration for all DFS formats as one of the sneakier options available.
--Sean Engel - RotoBallerSource: DriverAverages.com
March 16, 2025
Hendrick Motorsports driver William Byron will start eighth for this week's Cup race at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, the Pennzoil 400. It will be the sixth consecutive race at Las Vegas where Byron will start inside the top 10. In 14 races at Vegas in his Cup career, Byron has seven top-10 finishes, including each of the last four races at the site, and one win. The No. 24 Chevrolet driver currently leads the regular season standings with one win and three top-10 finishes after four races this year. In practice, Byron ranked first in overall lap averages while ranking among the top three fastest in all other categories. Byron is one of the top favorites to compete for the win this week and should be heavily considered for all formats by DFS players.
--Sean Engel - RotoBallerSource: DriverAverages.com
March 16, 2025
23XI Racing's Tyler Reddick will start 14th for the Pennzoil 400 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. This is Reddick's highest starting position in a March race at Las Vegas since he joined 23XI for the 2023 Cup Series season. In 10 races at Vegas in his Cup career, Reddick has five top-10 finishes, including a best finish of second in last year's March race at the site. With four races completed so far this season, Reddick has four top-20 finishes, including two inside the top five. In practice, Reddick was fifth in overall lap averages, best of the Toyota drivers, and displayed top-5 speeds in all other categories. Based on his practice speeds and recent Vegas history, Reddick will be one of the best DFS picks of the week, especially with solid upside coming from his starting position.
--Sean Engel - RotoBallerSource: DriverAverages.com
March 16, 2025
Joe Gibbs Racing's Denny Hamlin will start 15th for Sunday's race at Las Vegas, the Pennzoil 400. Hamlin's starting position for this week's race matches his starting position from the October 2023 Cup event at the Nevada track. In 26 races at Las Vegas, Hamlin has one win and 14 top-10 finishes, including each of the last three Cup events at the site. Through four races this season, Hamlin has two top-10 finishes, highlighted by a runner-up finish during last week's race at Phoenix to his teammate, Christopher Bell. In practice for this week's race, Hamlin was 24th in overall lap averages but only displayed speed on the longer runs as he ranked 12th in 25 consecutive lap averages and fifth in 30 consecutive lap averages. Although Hamlin's practice speeds may not be the best compared to other top-priced DFS options, he is still worth consideration as an alternative pivot play due to his favorable Las Vegas history and his equipment, which will compete for a top-10 finish.
--Sean Engel - RotoBallerSource: DriverAverages.com
March 16, 2025
23XI Racing's Bubba Wallace will start 20th for the Pennzoil 400 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. Wallace continues his streak of starting races inside the top 20 at Las Vegas since 2022 with his qualifying result this week. In 14 previous races at Vegas, Wallace has five top-20 finishes, including three finishes of 13th or better in the last four Cup events at the Nevada track. After four races this season, Wallace has two DNFs but also two top-20 finishes while sitting 12th in regular season points. In practice, Wallace ranked 11th in overall lap averages and showcased top-10 speeds in all other categories. Expect Wallace to compete for a top-10 finish this week, indicating that he is worth rostering in all DFS formats.
--Sean Engel - RotoBallerSource: DriverAverages.com
March 16, 2025
RFK Racing's Brad Keselowski will start 27th for the Pennzoil 400 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. Keselowski was the worst qualifier of the three RFK entries for this week's race. In 23 starts at Las Vegas, Keselowski has three wins and 17 top-20 finishes, including four since joining RFK for the 2022 Cup Series season. With four races completed so far in the 2025 season, Keselowski has one top-20 finish and two DNFs. In practice for this week's race at Vegas, Keselowski ranked 10th in overall lap averages but displayed speeds outside of the top 20 in all other categories. Keselowski's track history at Vegas makes him worth consideration for cash game lineups, especially with a high DFS ceiling, but his practice speeds and 2025 performance to date make him difficult to recommend for tournaments.
--Sean Engel - RotoBallerSource: DriverAverages.com
March 16, 2025
Erik Jones of Legacy Motor Club acquired a starting position of fifth for this week's Cup race at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, the Pennzoil 400. This is the first time that Jones will start inside the top 10 at Las Vegas since he earned his last pole at the site in 2018. In 15 races at Vegas, Jones has four top-10 finishes, with only one of them being scored since 2022. After four races so far this year, Jones has two top-20 finishes and a best finish of 12th at Daytona. In practice, Jones ranked 13th in overall lap averages and displayed top-10 speeds in the 10, 15, and 20 consecutive lap average categories. Although Jones has a cheap salary ($6,300 on DraftKings) and relatively solid practice speeds, his Vegas track history and low upside make him difficult to recommend for DFS outside of the occasional tournament lineup.
--Sean Engel - RotoBallerSource: DriverAverages.com
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