Four races into the Cup Series season, the NASCAR clan now heads to the 1.5-mile Las Vegas Motor Speedway in Sin City for the Pennzoil 400. The opening stretch of races has already produced its share of headlines.
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23XI Racing opened the year with three wins from Tyler Reddick, while Ryan Blaney of Team Penske broke through in the fourth event last weekend at Phoenix. Before the schedule takes drivers and teams back to South Carolina, one last stop on the west coast swing will see the purse money rise in Vegas, as the drivers’ standings develop further heading into this year’s revised Chase format.
The 267-lap-long event, scheduled for 4 p.m. ET on FS1, PRN, and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio, carries a payout of $11,233,037. The figure is an increase from last year’s $11,055,250 and covers payouts for all finishing positions, along with contingency awards and contributions to the points fund.
Saturday’s NASCAR Tier 2 race in the O’Reilly Series carries a purse of $1,653,590, a slight rise from the previous year’s $1,651,939. Meanwhile, the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series will stay idle for another week after last week’s gap and return on March 20 at Darlington Raceway for the Buckle Up South Carolina 200.
Purses for Vegas weekend, including all payouts, all positions; all charter payouts, contingency awards, etc.:
Cup: $11,233,037
O’Reilly: $1,653,590
— Bob Pockrass (@bobpockrass) March 11, 2026
NASACR Drivers to watch on Sunday
Despite the early surge from Reddick and the breakthrough win by Blaney, the limelight for the Las Vegas race is falling on Kyle Larson of Hendrick Motorsports. That’s because the 2021 Cup champion has built a strong record at the Nevada track. Across 19 starts, Larson holds an average finish of 9.0 with three wins, nine top-five results, and 13 finishes inside the top 10.’
When the series last raced in Las Vegas during October 2025, Larson led 129 laps before settling for second place behind Denny Hamlin. Through the first four races of the current season, Larson has led 55 laps but has yet to reach victory lane. He has recorded two top-10 finishes, including one run inside the top five.
Joey Logano will also enter the weekend with strong numbers at the track. In 25 starts at LVMS, the Team Penske driver holds an average finish of 9.6. Among active drivers, Logano shares the record for wins at the track with Jimmie Johnson, as both have visited victory lane there four times.
Denny Hamlin remains another driver to watch. The veteran claimed the fall race at Las Vegas in 2025 after starting from the pole. Through the first four races of 2026, he has posted two top-10 finishes, including one inside the top five. Now all that remains is to see who starts where and can hit the jackpot when the checkered flag drops.
