After the Atlanta thriller that saw an all-timer of a finish, it’s time to buckle up, put your money where your mouth is, and head west to Las Vegas.
Victoria’s Voice Foundation 200
Friday, March 5 @ 9:00PM EST
Las Vegas, Nevada
134 Laps/200 Miles
After a surprisingly calm race, by Truck Series standards, at Atlanta that saw Kyle Busch grab the win, the Craftsman Truck Series rolls on to Las Vegas. Busch will be racing again this weekend, and he also happens to be the defending winner of this race.
Most Recent Winner At Las Vegas
As mentioned above, Kyle Busch won last March at his home track of Las Vegas Motor Speedway in what would, for the time being, be his penultimate win with Kyle Busch Motorsports. Busch looks to go back-to-back for Spire Motorsports in the #7.
Names To Watch
Kyle Busch: Once again, I bring up Kyle Busch. He is the greatest to ever do it in a Truck. There is not a whole lot else to say. It’s Kyle Busch.
Christopher Bell: C Bell will be getting back behind the wheel of a Truck this weekend for Tricon Garage in the #1. The former Series Champ may be the favorite to take the challenge to Busch. Bell is a 7-time winner in the series, he will look to add an 8th on Friday Night.
Zane Smith: The 2022 Series Champion returns to drive the #91 for McAnally Hilgemann Racing. One year ago, Smith came one spot short of winning, only to be beaten out by Kyle Busch. Smith will be looking for his 10th career win this weekend.
My Pick To Win: Kyle Busch
The LiUNA!
Saturday, March 2 @ 5:00PM EST
Las Vegas, Nevada
200 Laps/300 MIles
The Xfinity Series heads west off the back of an uneventful race that became a bit more enthralling as fuel mileage came into question in the final stage. Many drivers ran out of fuel as the laps wound down, and then came a late caution that pushed the race into overtime. On the ensuing restart, leader Jesse Love ran out of fuel, as did many others, leaving the race up for grabs. Austin Hill would be the beneficiary yet again and start the season with back-to-back wins.
Most Recent Winner At Las Vegas
Riley Herbst got his first career win the last time the Xfinity Series was in Vegas and in dominating fashion, no less. Herbst led over half of the race distance, leading 103 laps.
Names To Watch
Aric Almirola: Almirola makes his first start of the year for Joe Gibbs Racing this weekend. The last time he was in the series, he took home the trophy at Sonoma Raceway. Almirola retired from full-time racing after last season but signed on to join JGR’s Xfinity program on a part-time basis in 2024.
Riley Herbst: Herbst has had a strong start to the year, as he currently sits 3rd in the points standings. He got his first career win last Fall in Las Vegas. Herbst will look to make a statement early on and go back-to-back on his home turf.
Shane van Gisbergen: I know this is the third week in a row that SVG has been here, but I can’t help it. He is one to watch every week. It also doesn’t help that he has had a great start to the season, putting forth a 12th-place finish in his first attempt at Daytona and surviving a wildly uncertain ending in Atlanta to snag a very impressive 3rd-place finish.
My Pick To Win: Riley Herbst
Pennzoil 400
Sunday, March 3 @ 3:30PM EST
Las Vegas, Nevada
267 Laps/400 Miles
Daniel Suarez won in an instant classic at Atlanta that saw the third-closest finish in Cup Series history at 0.003 seconds, barely beating out Ryan Blaney and Kyle Busch in a 3-wide photo finish. The top 3 were separated by a whopping 0.007 seconds at the line. The finish has since gone viral, NASCAR’s post on X/Twitter has collected over 17 Million Views, the finish was also Number 10 on ESPN’s Sportscenter Top 10 on Sunday Night.
Most Recent Winner At Las Vegas
The last time the Cup Series made a stop in Sin City, Kyle Larson held off Christopher Bell in a thrilling finish.
Names To Watch
Kyle Busch: Busch came approximately 21 inches from winning in Atlanta. He will look to capitalize on a strong start to the year and grab his first win at his home track since 2009.
Ryan Blaney: Blaney bested Kyle Busch on Sunday by literal inches but still came up approximately 9 inches short of Daniel Suarez. Blaney has never won at Las Vegas, but the defending Series Champion will surely be motivated to avenge his loss in Atlanta.
Daniel Suarez: Mi Amigo Daniel Suarez may have saved his job on Sunday when he beat out the aforementioned Busch and Blaney at the line to win his first Cup race on an oval. Suarez will certainly be looking to take advantage of this incredible momentum he has created for himself and try to go back-to-back by winning in Vegas.
My Pick To Win: Christopher Bell
Betting Odds (via Draft Kings)
Favorites
Kyle Larson +400
Denny Hamlin +850
William Byron +850
Christopher Bell +900
Ryan Blaney +900
Longshots
Erik Jones +4500
Daniel Suarez +6500
Todd Gilliland +25000
