The NASCAR Cup Series heads to Las Vegas Motor Speedway this weekend for the fifth points race of the season. After an exciting race at Phoenix, expectations are relatively high for what the Pennzoil 400 might yield on Sunday afternoon.
Let's take a look at our NASCAR predictions for the Pennzoil 400 on Sunday.
William Byron is pole winner in Las Vegas
Hendrick Motorsports comes to Las Vegas hoping to change things. In 2026, the team does not have a single stage win or pole to its name. Things need to change this weekend, and we believe that will happen starting on Saturday thanks to William Byron and the No. 24 team. Byron has the second-best average starting position (5.2) in Las Vegas since the 2023 season, with some of his best starts coming in the spring races. Hendrick would lead the driver grid for the Pennzoil 400, with Byron and Kyle Larson qualifying first and second respectively.
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Ross Chastain is Stage 1 winner in Las Vegas
Unfortunately for Ross Chastain and the No. 1 team, they are now in a slightly more dire spot on points. A crash at Phoenix last weekend and a blown tire at COTA resulted in only 23 combined points in the last two races, dropping him to 23rd in the standings. Luckily, Chastain has a great history at this track, as evidenced by her 9.3 average finishing position since 2023, which ranks second among active drivers. He has also performed particularly well in the spring, with a Stage 1 win in 2022 and at least a top-3 stage result in 2025 and twice in 2023. Chastain would get 10 points heading into Sunday with a Stage 1 win.
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Christopher Bell wins Stage 2
Christopher Bell is having his best performance of the season, which is saying something, as he finished third at COTA. The No. 20 was the fastest car on the track last Sunday and while the conditions are different at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, this is a track where Bell has an average finishing position of 9.5 (third in the Cup Series), with four top-5 finishes and a remarkable average starting position of 6.3 since 2023. He won Stage 2 in October 2024 and finished in the top-five of both stages during the spring race in 2023. We are predicting a Stage 2 win for the No. 20 team on Sunday.
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Daniel Suarez made it to the top-10
In a year of make or break for Daniel Suarez, he is making the most of his opportunities behind the wheel of the No. 7 car for Spire Motorsports. He finished 13th at Daytona and then fifth at Atlanta, and two weeks later he qualified fourth at Phoenix. While he had finished 30th the previous Sunday, this result came as he was racing at the front of the field when his car crashed. Suarez now heads to Las Vegas, a track where he has recorded three top-10 finishes in his last six starts, and he finished second in the spring race last season. We're calling for a top 10 finish for Suarez at the Pennzoil 400.
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Kyle Larson wins the Pennzoil 400
It's time for Hendrick Motorsports to get to victory lane for the first time this season. It would be fitting for Kyle Larson to do so at a track where he has won three times, including consecutive races at Las Vegas Motor Speedway (October 2023 and March 2024). It's also worth noting that with 568 laps led, Larson has led more than twice as many laps since the spring race in 2023 as the next closest driver, William Byron (258). Larson is coming off Sunday's Pennzoil 400 win at Las Vegas, giving Hendrick his first win of 2026.
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