Las Vegas Motor Speedway – Page 2

UPDATE: Tasca DQ’d, Koretsky, Salinas and Hight lead into Vegas NHRA finals

Top Fuel’s Mike Salinas powered to the No. 1 qualifying position on Saturday at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, taking the top spot on the final run of the session at the 23rd annual NHRA Nevada Nationals. After a post-qualifying penalty was …

After a post-qualifying penalty was applied, Robert Hight (Funny Car), Kyle Koretsky (Pro Stock) and Gaige Herrera (Pro Stock Motorcycle) also qualified No. 1 for the fifth of six races in the Countdown to the Championship playoffs.

Salinas entered the final qualifying session in the No. 1 spot, dropped to third and then rocketed back to the top with a standout pass of 3.680 at 331.77 in hisValley Services/Scrappers Racing dragster. It gave the veteran his fourth No. 1 qualifier this season and the 15th in his career. Steve Torrence and Doug Kalitta both dipped into the 3.60s during the previous pair, bumping Salinas to third momentarily. But as part of a thrilling side-by-side run with Austin Prock, Salinas jumped back into the lead heading into eliminations, where he’ll open raceday against Rob Passey.

“We were trying to run a 3.67 but Rob [Flynn, crew chief] backed down it a little bit because he saw something that wasn’t right, so he did a great job,” Salinas said. “Don’t underestimate anybody in this class. Everybody is good and you have to be on your ‘A’ game. Our car has been there recently, but I’ve been distracted as a driver. This weekend, I fixed that. We have a lot on our plate, and we took care of it, just compartmentalizing everything and with the right people around us, we’ll be just fine.”

Torrence ended up in second with his 3.683 at 331.69 and Prock qualified third thanks to a 3.696 at 328.66. Heading into eliminations, Leah Pruett leads Doug Kalitta by just one points and Steve Torrence by only six points.

In Funny Car, Robert Hight’s run of 3.851 at 327.51 from Friday in his Cornwell Tools Chevrolet Camaro SS held up, after the fourth round qualifying runs from Funny Car drivers Bob Tasca III, J.R. Todd and Jeff Diehl on Saturday in Las Vegas were disqualified when their cars failed a post-run inspection. That bumped Hight back into the No. 1 spot, with Tasca now moving to second with his 3.853 at 335.73 from Friday. The revised results gave the multi-time world champ his sixth No. 1 qualifier this season and 83rd in his career.

Points leader Matt Hagan took the third spot with a 3.871 at 322.58. Hagan has won the last two playoff races.

Pro Stock’s Kyle Koretsky had enjoyed strong qualifying runs this weekend, but made a major move in the final session, running 6.589 at 205.66 in his Lucas Oil Chevrolet Camaro to earn his first No. 1 qualifier of the season. Running next to points leader Erica Enders, who was the provisional No. 1 qualifier, Koretsky jumped into the 6.50s and into the top position with a standout run, claiming his fourth career No. 1 spot. After a frustrating season – including three straight first-round losses in the Countdown to the Championship – late-season success would be a massive boost for Koretsky and his team. He’ll open eliminations against Jerry Tucker, looking for his first win of the season.

“We didn’t give up after making a good run Q1, they kept digging and trying to get better and better every round, and that just shows the dedication of KB Titan,” Koretsky said. “The last few races, we’ve been behind – but they keep pushing, keep pushing me, and keep trying to make me better. We just keep on going.

“They believe in me, and that gives you a lot of confidence as a driver. That’s real important. The last few races I’ve been down and out, but we didn’t give up. A win tomorrow would do a lot for me personally. I think we have a shot, I really do. I never enter the property thinking we don’t have a shot. I think I need this. I really do. I know everyone wants to win out here, but I think this weekend’s mine. Vegas has been somewhat good to me in the past, so I’m going to try to get the win.”

Enders, who is also the defending event winner and world champion, qualified second, going 6.592 at 208.07. Cristian Cuadra also made a big jump in the final session, taking third with a 6.604 at 206.80.

In Pro Stock Motorcycle, points leader Gaige Herrera capped off a dominant two days of qualifying in Las Vegas, making the quickest run in all four sessions on his Mission Foods/Vance & Hines Suzuki. He went a terrific 6.767 to close out qualifying, with Friday’s track-record run of 6.760 at 199.82 giving him the top qualifying spot for a class-record 12th time this season. He was the only rider to reach the 6.70s in qualifying and Herrera did it three times, including during both sessions on Saturday. Herrera stretched his lead to 161 points over teammate Eddie Krawiec entering raceday, meaning he’ll need to finish two rounds ahead of him to clinch the world championship on Sunday in Las Vegas.

“I’m thrilled with how we ran all weekend,” Herrera said. “I’m glad to get our 13th No. 1 qualifier so far this season out of 14 races. That right there is just a big accomplishment for Andrew [Hines, crew chief], all the guys back at the shop, and me just being consistent on the motorcycle. From Friday to today, my bike is basically a bracket bike. It’s consistent and fast, and that’s what we want. I’m excited for tomorrow. As long as we go A to B I think we’ll continue gaining little points over my teammate and getting closer.

“We’re making changes in between each round chasing the weather trying to keep the bike running the same no matter the conditions. That’s helping us out a lot as far as our tuning window – and as far as me riding it. The bike always feels like the same bike no matter the conditions. I think it helps me and Andrew out a lot as far as him tuning, me riding, and it’s paying off.”

Herrera’s teammate, Krawiec, qualified second with a 6.830 at 198.85 and defending world champion Matt Smith is a spot behind after going 6.842 at 196.53.

Eliminations for the NHRA Nevada Nationals begin at 11 a.m. PT on Sunday at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.

Hight still title hunting with Friday No. 1 at NHRA Vegas Nationals

Looking to stay in the Funny Car championship hunt, Robert Hight claimed the provisional No. 1 position at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, making the quickest run in both qualifying sessions on Friday at the 23rd annual NHRA Nevada Nationals. …

Mike Salinas (Top Fuel), Erica Enders (Pro Stock) and Gaige Herrera (Pro Stock Motorcycle) are also the provisional No. 1 qualifiers at the 20th of 21 races during the 2023 NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series season, and the fifth of six races in the Countdown to the Championship playoffs.

Hight powered to a run of 3.851s at 327.51mph in his Cornwell Tools Chevrolet Camaro SS to take the top spot. If it holds, the multi-time world champion would earn his sixth No. 1 qualifier this season and 83rd in his career. He entered the weekend 69 points out of first and called this weekend a must-win situation with only two races remaining in the Countdown to the Championship.

“After Dallas, we kind of knew what we were up against,” Hight said. “You dig yourself a big hole and you have to get out of it. The only way to do that is race aggressively, try to get as many points as you can get, and it’s a must-win here and Pomona. But the way those other cars are running that we’re fighting against, you’re going to have to be a win and a semifinal to even have a chance, and we might even have to win both of them – and that still might not be enough. That’s how close this is and the caliber of cars.

“Vegas is kind of like Denver, you have to make big moves to run quicker and faster. It’s kind of an equalizer racing here. I’m proud of the guys – we did exactly what we had to do today, but I predict that if we don’t step up tomorrow, we won’t be here tomorrow night. It’s going to take more.”

Bob Tasca III, who entered the weekend second in points, went 3.853s at 335.73mph to go to second, while points leader Matt Hagan is right behind after a 3.871s at 322.58mph. Hagan has won the last two playoff races.

In Top Fuel, Mike Salinas rocketed to the top thanks to his run of 3.699s at 332.75mph in his Valley Services/Scrappers Racing dragster. He’s seeking his fourth No. 1 spot this season and the 15th in his career and is also after a strong finish to his season. Salinas, who started the weekend sixth in points and 131 points out of first, started the year with a victory in Gainesville and would love a second victory in 2023. He was also the only driver to make a run in the 3.60s on Friday.

Austin Prock went to second with his run of 3.701s at 329.99mph and points leader Leah Pruett is right behind thanks to her run of 3.707s at 331.53mph. She entered the weekend four points ahead of Doug Kalitta.

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Nobody has more wins at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway than defending Pro Stock world champion Erica Enders and her success continued on Friday, securing the No. 1 spot in her Johnson’s Horsepowered Garage/Melling Performance Chevrolet Camaro with a 6.595s at 207.66mph during opening session. Her second qualifying run on Friday was disallowed due to a technical violation.

She’s looking for her 10th career win in Las Vegas and enjoyed a great start, making the only run in the 6.50s. It puts the points leader on track for her sixth No. 1 spot this season and 35th her career. Entering the weekend with an 85-point lead over Greg Anderson, Enders hopes to build on that this weekend at her most successful track.

“[Even with] how well we’ve done here in the past and the success that we’ve had here in Las Vegas, we sucked so bad earlier this year that we couldn’t even win here in the spring,” Enders said. “It’s been an uphill battle, but with the way the Countdown is structured, we finally got ourselves out of the ditch that we were in – and just in the nick of time. We never doubted it, we just had to identify our problem and work through it. That’s something my guys are great at; when their backs are against the wall, they perform flawlessly and they never give up. They’re very tenacious, so I’m proud of them. Having the provisional No. 1 here is very meaningful.

“We tested and I’ve said this before, you win races before you leave the shop. You’re as prepared as possible, and we want to come out here and get every single point we can. Having said that, I know all the other competitors feel the same way, but good start, I’ll take it. The six points are very meaningful.”

Kyle Koretsky’s 6.603s at 206.07mph put him in the second spot and Matt Hartford took third after his run of 6.608s at 206.26mph.

On a weekend where he has a chance to clinch his first NHRA world championship, Pro Stock Motorcycle’s Gaige Herrera got off to a flying start on his Mission Foods/Vance & Hines Suzuki, shattering the track record with a run of 6.760s at 199.82mph. The points leader entered the weekend with a 156-point lead over teammate Eddie Krawiec and he opened the event by making the quickest run in each of the first two sessions. It puts Herrera on track for his 13th No. 1 qualifier – a race after he set the class record for No. 1 qualifiers in a single season – and plenty of momentum heading into the rest of the weekend.

“For the whole Vance & Hines Mission Suzuki team, we were very happy with that,” said Herrera. “With the cooler conditions in Q2, we were expecting a 6.77s, but that pass was so smooth and straight as an arrow that it felt slow. I knew it was on a good pass, but I didn’t expect it to go 6.76s and get the new track record. That’s a big deal to me and the whole team.

“I’m going into this race knowing in the back of my head that I can possibly lock it up this weekend, but it depends on how Ed does, and the rest of the guys as well. Everything I’ve accomplished this year has really been starting to set in, going to the last two races here and Pomona, just sitting back and thinking about everything, it’s hard to believe what’s been accomplished and what we continue to accomplish.”

Krawiec is currently second 6.830s at 198.85mph and defending world champion Matt Smith is a spot behind after going 6.842s at 196.53mph.

Qualifying continues at 12:00 p.m. PT on Saturday at the NHRA Nevada Nationals at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.

Reddick eager to learn from frustrating Vegas run

Tyler Reddick looks at Sunday’s run at Las Vegas Motor Speedway as an outlier for his 23XI Racing team and one they are eager to learn from immediately. “How we performed at Vegas is not ourselves,” Reddick said. Reddick finished eighth in the South …

Tyler Reddick looks at Sunday’s run at Las Vegas Motor Speedway as an outlier for his 23XI Racing team and one they are eager to learn from immediately.

“How we performed at Vegas is not ourselves,” Reddick said.

Reddick finished eighth in the South Point 400, but it was the overall performance through the 400-mile event that brought frustration. In the opening race of the third round of the postseason, Reddick didn’t lead a lap and earned just nine stage points. It was an empty result after entering the weekend optimistic about being able to capitalize on the first intermediate track in the round.

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“We’re definitely further behind than we wanted to be coming out of Vegas,” Reddick said of being 16 points below the playoff grid cutline. “You guys know the stats better than me, but I swear I’ve heard it — we’ve led at like every mile-and-a-half track going into Vegas and then we didn’t lead a single one while we were there. That’s frustrating for sure because the car showed it had good speed; our handling was not what we’re kind of used to, and we really thought we were going to have a handle on it, literally, going into the race on Sunday, and we did not. Pretty much from the beginning of that race, it was a handful all day.

“The car had speed, it’s just the handling wasn’t there. It’s very unlike us. In practice, the car was fast, it was just very difficult to hang on and manage it over the course of a run, manage it in traffic, and it just built for a tough day for us. That was definitely disappointing but at the same time, we can learn from our mistakes and certain things we didn’t really like that our car did at Vegas as we approach Homestead. It was a tough day, for sure. Hopefully, on the other side of it, when we get to Homestead, we’ll be better.”

Whatever 23XI Racing threw at the Jordan Brand Camry at Las Vegas, it didn’t create the balance Reddick expected. Nigel Kinrade/Motorsport Images

Homestead-Miami Speedway has been kind to Reddick in the past, and it’s a track he’s always glad to see on the schedule. It’s the perfect place to move on to after a tough weekend, and Reddick said he can’t wait to get back on track.

In four Xfinity Series starts at Homestead-Miami, Reddick won twice, which also claimed him the series championship. Of his three Cup Series starts at the track, Reddick has two top-five finishes.

This is the furthest Reddick has ever been in the Cup Series postseason in three appearances. Until this year, he’d never made it out of the first round.

“I think coming into this year, it was just about getting both cars in the playoffs and just seeing where we’re at right now,” Reddick said. “When we look at the speed we’ve had this year, we’ve led a few laps at a number of different places; we’ve had good speed. So, I guess when the year started, we didn’t really know where our ceiling was going to be, but when we look at the speed we’ve had this year, I think being in the Round of 8 was very possible for us.

“When you look at how the years transpire, we’re about where we should be. I would like to take it a step further by all means, but I think for us, it’s been a good year. We just want to keep going. I don’t think anyone on this team or in this organization will ever settle for good enough. We’re just going to keep pushing.”

Blaney DQed at Las Vegas for shock infringement, credited last

Ryan Blaney and the No. 12 Menards Team Penske team have been disqualified from Sunday’s race at Las Vegas Motor Speedway for a left-front shock infraction. NASCAR cited section 14.11.3.5 in the Rule Book. In post-race inspection after the South …

Ryan Blaney and the No. 12 Menards Team Penske team have been disqualified from Sunday’s race at Las Vegas Motor Speedway for a left-front shock infraction.

NASCAR cited section 14.11.3.5 in the Rule Book. In post-race inspection after the South Point 400, it was found that the left-front shock on Blaney’s Ford Mustang did not meet the overall specified length (22.55 inches).

The disqualification moves Blaney to last in the finishing order, 36th, with one point from the event.

The No. 12 crossed the finish line sixth, which would have made him the third-highest-finishing Cup Series playoff driver. He had scored 39 points through his race result, plus a sixth-place finish in the first stage (worth five points) and an eighth-place finish in the second stage (worth three points).

“It was a pretty decent day,” Blaney said before inspection. “We ran in the top five to eight all day. We had a great long-run car, but it took us a lot to get going. Overall, not a bad day. We executed really well, just not quite enough. We have to keep trying to have days like that and find ourselves toward the front and then hopefully contend for wins.”

There were no other issues in inspection.

Truex tried to ‘minimize the damage’ in Vegas rollercoaster

The box score of Martin Truex Jr.’s day at Las Vegas Motor Speedway shows plenty of ups and downs, so the Joe Gibbs Racing driver will take his ninth-place finish and move on. He started fourth, finished ninth, led nine laps, averaged a 10th-place …

The box score of Martin Truex Jr.’s day at Las Vegas Motor Speedway shows plenty of ups and downs, so the Joe Gibbs Racing driver will take his ninth-place finish and move on.

He started fourth, finished ninth, led nine laps, averaged a 10th-place running position, fell as far back as 22nd, and battled track position and his car. It was also a battle on restarts not to give up too much to the competition, and being the only driver to stay out at the end of the first stage didn’t help, either.

“It was just trying to figure out how to minimize the damage and hope that we could get a longer run, which we did at the end, which was really helpful,” Truex said of the final stint. “I don’t know what we had going on, but restarting up front, we were pretty good, and then on the long runs, really good – I thought – probably a third-place car, but once we got back there – 16th, 18th, whatever it was – it was just really bad on the restart. I would lose three, four, five spots every time, and then once we got strung out and got going, I would pick them off and work our way forward, but then we would get another caution, and I would lose a couple more.

“It was an uphill battle, but luckily at the end we were able to have a couple of better restarts and at least maintain, and then work our way forward from there. All-in-all, it was OK. The pit call obviously killed us in Stage 2.”

By staying out at the end of the first stage, which ended on lap 80, Truex inherited the race lead. It was short-lived on older tires as the race restarted on lap 87, and teammate Denny Hamlin took the position on lap 92. Truex had fallen to 20th when the caution flew on lap 112.

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“He (crew chief James Small) told me that pretty late around the corner in (Turns) 3 and 4 and my gut reaction was, ‘Don’t do it; don’t stay out,’” Truex said. “I like to listen to my crew chief and do whatever they say no matter what because they know more about what’s going on than you do and usually, the driver’s 90 percent of the time wrong if they make their own decision or go against the crew chief.

“I went with it, but I didn’t feel good about it and then 10, nine laps or whatever here, is a lot on tires. If we would have got a quick caution, it would have worked out great because we had the lead for a few laps. But once I got back to third or fourth, it just dropped like a rock.”

Truex described his car as “terrible” in dirty air and the No. 19 team fought the balance much of the afternoon — issues that Truex felt Saturday, but after being top 10 on the board in practice and putting in a strong qualifying effort, he felt confident he had what he needed for the race.

“We had similar feel issues yesterday, and I was a little bit concerned about it, but we had such good speed I was like, ‘Yeah, whatever,’” he said. “And then, as it always does, those things that you feel in practice that make you nervous show up in the race when the track gets slick and the pace slows down, and your car just feels out of the racetrack, and that’s just what we fought today.

“Not sure what we were missing or what we did different from the last time here because I don’t remember feeling that way the last time, but we’ll look at it all and be better for next time.”

Truex is now two points above the Cup Series playoff grid cutline going into Homestead-Miami Speedway.

Dominant Larson outruns charging Bell to win in Las Vegas

Kyle Larson earned this trophy the old-fashioned way. The driver of the No. 5 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet led the most laps and swept both stage wins but still had to hold off a hard-charging, equally motivated Christopher Bell at the finish line to claim a dramatic victory in Sunday’s South Point 400 NASCAR Cup Series Playoff race at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.

The 31-year-old Larson blocked the final charge by fellow Playoff driver Bell’s No. 20 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota as the two cars approached the checkered flag. Larson ultimately positioned his Chevy in front to claim a 0.082s win and, most importantly, secure the first of four available positions in the NASCAR Cup Series Championship 4 race at Phoenix in three weeks.

Bell’s late rally isn’t enough! @KyleLarsonRacin wins at @LVMotorSpeedway! #NASCARPlayoffs pic.twitter.com/nLiBHGxrdk

— NASCAR (@NASCAR) October 15, 2023

It was a compelling afternoon ushering in this final three-race, eight-driver round of Playoff competition to set up the four-driver title chase. There were seven race leaders and 20 lead changes. Larson held off the field on a restart with 45 laps to go and never relinquished it despite quality challenges from Bell to close out the race and earlier, Roush Fenway Keselowski owner-driver Brad Keselowski, who led 38 laps himself.

Larson led seven times and accumulated the most laps led – 133 of 267 – on the afternoon to top the 1,000-laps led mark on the season – his 1,031 total laps out front in 2023, most in the series.

Not only did he have to hold off Bell, who made up half a second in the closing five laps to get to Larson’s bumper, the 2021 series champ survived a close call mid-race, his Chevy getting loose and out of control. But the veteran dirt race champion dramatically corrected and calmly carried on.

“Thankfully Christopher [Bell] always races extremely clean. It could have gotten crazier than it did coming to the start-finish line so thank you to him for racing with respect there,’’ Larson said. “What a job done by my team. Just a great race car.

“I almost gave it away there in Turns 1 and 2. Got sideways and hit the wall and had to fight back from there. I was happy to pull away as much as we did and was hoping that would be enough to maintain, which it was. I didn’t think they’d be able to get as close as they did at the end, so nerve-wracking.

“This is really cool to get to race for the championship in a few weeks and really glad I don’t have to stress these next two races,’’ Larson continued.

Despite the impressive afternoon, Bell, who started from pole position and led 61 laps, now finds himself ranked fifth – two points below the four-driver cutoff line heading into next week’s Playoff race at Homestead-Miami Speedway.

“I don’t know what else I could have done,’’ Bell said. “I feel like that was my moment. That was my moment to make the final four and didn’t quite capture it. Coming to the checkers there, I knew he was going to be blocking so I’m like, I’ll try to go high, and he went high. I don’t even know if I had a run to get by him coming to the line. Just wasn’t enough, but a great day. Great day for sure to get those stage points and a second place finish out of it. Puts us behind by two [points] so we’re not out of it by any means, but would have been nice to lock in.’’

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Seven of the eight remaining Playoff-eligible drivers finished among the Top 10. Playoff driver Ryan Blaney finished 36th. His No. 12 Ford was disqualified following post-race technical inspection when the left front damper didn’t meet the specified length. He now sits 56 points below the cutoff line for the Championship 4 and essentially must win one of the next two races – at Homestead-Miami Speedway or Martinsville Speedway – to advance.

The non-Playoff cars of Richard Childress Racing’s Kyle Busch, RFK’s Keselowski and Trackhouse Racing’s Ross Chastain rounded out the top five behind Larson and Bell.

Playoff drivers William Byron, Tyler Reddick, Martin Truex Jr., Denny Hamlin and Chris Buescher finished sixth through 10th respectively.

The race shook up the Playoff points. Beyond Larson’s automatic bid, Byron still holds the championship lead in what is now more tightly-bunched standings. Byron is 11 points above the cutoff line, and is followed for the final championship spots by Hamlin (+4) and Truex (+3).

Bell sits three points below Truex on the cutoff line, followed by Reddick (-15), Buescher (-23) and Blaney (-56).

Hendrick Motorsports executive – and NASCAR Hall of Famer driver Jeff Gordon – smiled when asked about Larson’s day.

“I don’t know where to begin,’’ Gordon said. “It certainly looked like they were the class or the field at one point, then Bell did, then Keselowski did. Great race, really.”

Asked if Larson was potentially as “good” as the 93-race winner Gordon had been when competing, the former four-time series champion said, “You take a guy like Kyle and his capabilities and his talent and he’s impressed me with his work ethic too. I wasn’t sure how he approached the Cup Series and [crew chief] Cliff [Daniels] and all the data that Cliff gives him in the meetings they have. …It’s a lot of information you have to absorb.

“He’s stepped up to the plate and done absolutely everything the organization has asked of him and then some. It’s been a great relationship and this year has been all about getting the car and team to align.

“Seems like in the Playoffs they’ve been bringing fast race cars and stepping up to the plate.”

The next race of this final three-race Playoff round to set the championship field is next Sunday’s 4EVER400 Presented by Mobil 1 at the 1.5-mile Homestead-Miami Speedway (2:30 p.m. ET, NBC, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio). Larson is the defending race winner.

RESULTS

Slick Vegas pits cost Buescher valuable points as finale nears

Chris Buescher could have had a worse day at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, but in the midst of fighting to advance in the NASCAR Cup Series playoffs, it needed to be better than an 11th-place finish. “We had good speed there at the beginning and [were] …

Chris Buescher could have had a worse day at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, but in the midst of fighting to advance in the NASCAR Cup Series playoffs, it needed to be better than an 11th-place finish.

“We had good speed there at the beginning and [were] able to hang right around the top five, I guess. I don’t know exactly where,” Buescher said. “It really just fell apart on pit road for the most part and that’s my fault. It’s not our crew’s fault; they were good. I just couldn’t get in and out of our box and just continuously bled spots. I’ve got to figure out what I could do different, what we can do to try and get some of the rubber out of it, I guess.

“I just really struggled there and didn’t ever find a solution. Outside of that, we had good long-run speed and fire-off speed was decent. We kind of bounced back and forth on balance, but I felt like we had a really strong car. I’m proud of everybody.

“It’s not a bad day at all. I know we’re upset, but it’s not a bad day. It’s just that everybody we need to outrun, we didn’t.”

Las Vegas pit road can be a variable. Christopher Bell, for instance, struggled to launch out of his pit stall, which was the first one at pit exit after winning the pole. The grip in the pit stall is also what hindered Buescher, who felt he could not get stopped well, or launch out of it well.

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“I feel like it was stall and grip,” he said. “You definitely see certain boxes are way more rubbered up after the Xfinity (Series) race. I don’t have the answer, but it sure felt like the box. I think this place always has a little bit of slick pit stalls, but nothing like that in the past.”

Buescher was the lowest-finishing playoff driver — behind Ryan Blaney, William Byron, Tyler Reddick, Martin Truex Jr., and Denny Hamlin who all finished sixth through 10th.

The No. 17 RFK Racing team didn’t lead a lap Sunday and failed to score any stage points, finishing where their average running position was through the 400-mile event. Buescher is last on the playoff grid by 23 points after the opening race in the round.

“I thought we had a chance to win a race today and just lost some track position,” Buescher said. “As I said, I just struggled in the box and bled a handful of spots here and there, and by the time I looked up, we were deep in the teens and struggling in dirty air.

“It was really, really hard to pass, especially when everybody is on newer tires, and it was a little more equal. Once it got strung out, we were pretty decent, but just a bummer it didn’t play out the way we needed it to today.”

Bell falls short at Vegas hunting for Championship 4 advance

Christopher Bell felt he left all he had on the racetrack Sunday afternoon, but after coming up short to Kyle Larson by less than a car length, he couldn’t help but think of where the difference could have been found. “The one thing I look back at – …

“The one thing I look back at — I think it was the No. 15 and the No. 51 — they were running together and then they separated for one corner and I ended up following one of them on the bottom,” Bell said. “That probably cost me 0.1-0.2s, and I got beat by less than 0.1s. I wish I had that corner to go to a different lane and try to keep my momentum up better, but it’s easy to find a 0.1s over 30 laps.”

Bell charged to Larson’s back bumper over the final stint, erasing a 1.6s deficit. On the final lap, Bell stayed committed to the high lane until off the final corner and tried to get to the inside of Larson when the Hendrick Motorsports driver pulled up to block Bell’s charge.

“I knew I wasn’t going to make a move following him,” Bell said. “So I figured I was going to have to do something different, and that’s why I moved up.”

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The margin of victory between Larson and Bell was 0.082s. Larson clinched a spot competing for the championship in the season finale, and Bell leaves the weekend two points below the cutline with two races left in the round. Bell made the Championship 4 a season ago with a walk-off win in the elimination race at Martinsville Speedway.

“I don’t know what else I could have done,” Bell said. “I feel like that was my moment. That was my moment to make the final four. Didn’t quite capture it. I don’t know. Coming to the checkered there, I knew that he was going to be blocking, so I’m like, I’m going to try to go high. He went high. I don’t even know if I had a run to get by him there coming to the line. Just wasn’t enough.

“A great day, great day for sure to get the stage points [and] get a second-place finish out of it. I think I saw we’re minus two, so we’re not out of it by any means. It would have been nice to lock it in.”

Bell led 61 laps Sunday after starting from the pole and earned 17 points through the stages. Homestead-Miami Speedway, where the series visits next, has been hot and cold for Bell with one top-10 finish in three starts and four laps led.

“I wish we would have won (today) that’s for sure,” he said.

Herbst finally gets emotional first Xfinity win at home in Las Vegas

It was a fitting venue and a perfect scenario for Riley Herbst to earn his first career NASCAR Xfinity Series race – a dominating 14.9s victory in the Alsco Uniforms 302 at his home track, Las Vegas Motor Speedway. Herbst’s No. 98 Stewart-Haas …

Herbst’s No. 98 Stewart-Haas Racing Ford led 103 of the 201 laps of the Playoff race leaving no room for error in this career-making day for the 24-year old Las Vegas native. It was the largest margin of victory in the series this season and nearly 7s better than the previous best margin of victory for an Xfinity Series race at this track – 8.4s set back in 2002.

More than 60 of Herbst’s close friends and family members were trackside for this standout showing and Herbst was understandably emotional as he climbed out of his Ford – earning his first trophy in his 139th series start.

“Oh my goodness, I love this town and I love this team,’’ Herbst said, effusively thanking the people – family, team owners and corporate sponsors — who had stuck by him as he made his way up the ranks.

“You don’t know what this means, what this takes off my chest. I can’t believe it. I love you Las Vegas. Let’s go.

“I’ve been working on myself and everything I can control and all I can do is all I can do,’’ he added. “If there was a caution, there was a caution and we would race them straight up.’’

He’s looking for his first career win. 👀@rileyherbst retakes the lead! #Alsco302 pic.twitter.com/iZgucS4ElU

— NASCAR Xfinity (@NASCAR_Xfinity) October 14, 2023

He didn’t need to – leading the last 57 laps of the race and extending his lead with each circuit around the 1.5-mile Vegas high banks. Although he did not qualify for the 2023 Playoffs, he led six of those championship challengers across the finish line.

The championship points leader, Joe Gibbs Racing’s John Hunter Nemechek, finished a distant runner-up to Herbst, followed by Herbst’s SHR teammate Cole Custer. Kaulig Racing’s Chandler Smith and JR Motorsports Sam Mayer rounded out the top five. Mayer’s teammate Justin Allgaier was sixth followed by Richard Childress Racing’s Austin Hill rounding out that top-finishing Playoff group.

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JR Motorsports Brandon Jones, Kaulig teammates Daniel Hemric and Layne Riggs completed the top 10. It was an especially impressive day for the 21-year-old Riggs who was making just his second career Xfinity Series start.

Only two of the eight Playoff drivers finished outside the top 10. RCR’s Sheldon Creed was 15th and JGR’s Sammy Smith was 17th, rallying from mid-race pit road issues.

“I’m really disappointed,’’ Allgaier said. “Obviously a great points day and the guys did a great job. We got behind at the beginning and hard to get it back. … Proud of the effort all day. Hats off to Riley; that was a demonstration right there.’’

The runner-up showing was Nemechek’s fifth top-three finish in the last six races. The series-leading seven-time race winner now holds a 47-point lead atop the Playoff standings with two races – at Homestead-Miami and Martinsville, Va. – remaining to set the Championship 4 field for the Nov. 4 season finale in Phoenix.

“Congrats to Riley. I know he’s been trying to win one of these things for a long time,’’ Nemechek said, adding, “We got stage points. …Solid points day. Just have to keep on with it.’’

The sixth-place finishing Allgaier is second to Nemechek in the Playoff standings, up 21 points on the cutoff line. Hill is ranked third, 19 points up, and Custer’s third place effort (and stage win) was enough to move him into the top four. He holds a 15-point advantage over Chandler Smith for that final position.

Mayer is 16 points back, followed by Sammy Smith (-35) and Creed (-41).

The series moves to the 1.5-mile Homestead-Miami Speedway for next Saturday’s Contender Boats 300 (3 p.m. ET, USA Network, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).

RESULTS

Truex turning things around for the Round of 8 in Las Vegas

Martin Truex Jr. is focused forward after surviving the first two rounds of the NASCAR Cup Series playoffs and is confident all it’ll take is a good day to get things clicking again for his Joe Gibbs Racing team. Las Vegas Motor Speedway could be …

Las Vegas Motor Speedway could be the place where it happens. Truex was seventh fastest in Saturday’s lone practice session and then qualified fourth for the opening race of the postseason’s third round. It is the first race since Bristol that Truex is starting inside the top five and just the third (of seven) playoff races he’s doing so.

“We’re in a good spot to start this round,” Truex said about whether he needed to see that pace. “All that, the last six races are done and over with and we’ve turned the page. We started this weekend off good. We had a great day today in practice and qualifying, and that’s all you need to get things going.”

Truex’s average finish through the first two rounds was 21.3 without a top-10 finish. The best result for the No. 19 team in the first six races was 17th at Texas Motor Speedway, but through the bonus points of winning the regular season championship, Truex advanced into the Round of 8.

Not all of the struggles were a surprise. They knew there would be challenges at certain racetracks, and Truex is much more confident and eager about how the third round of the postseason stacks up. The intermediates of Las Vegas and Homestead-Miami Speedway give him a great chance to clinch a spot in the championship round early.

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Truex has two victories at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. In the last two races at the track, he’s finished seventh.

“I felt like the guys did a great job having a good car to unload with and felt really good throughout practice,” Truex said. “In the first round of qualifying, thought maybe we could get a little bit better, and I did a little better. They made the car a little better, and we came real close there. I just had to crack the throttle a little bit in (Turns) 3 and 4. I got a little tight, but aside from that, it was a really good lap, and … it should be a good starting spot. Excited for tomorrow.”

Sunday’s race will have much different track and air temperatures. Cup Series teams practiced early Saturday morning under very cool conditions (and an eclipse). It is forecast to be in the upper 80-degree range for the 400-mile race, and Truex isn’t concerned about losing the performance in his Toyota through the change in conditions.

“We kind of planned for all that, I think, and knowing the conditions would be different,” he said. “I think they have a good idea of where we need to go with the car direction-wise, and it’s just really all about hitting the pace. How much is the track going to be slower tomorrow? That kind of dictates what they change on the car, and as always, they’ll run 8 million laps on the computer tonight and hopefully nail it for tomorrow.

“It had really good stability and really good speed, and that’s something you can always work with to start the weekend.”