A litany of pit-road penalties, passes and late-race pushes resulted in Josh Berry prevailing over Daniel Suárez to capture the NASCAR Cup Series victory at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, the first intermediate track on the 2025 schedule.
RELATED: Race results | At-track photos
Several drivers put together a momentum-shifting showing, while others took a turn for the worse at the Nevada track ahead of next Sunday’s Cup Series contest at Homestead-Miami Speedway (3 p.m. ET, FS1, MRN Radio, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).
THREE UP ⬆️
1. Ryan Preece, No. 60 RFK Racing Ford
Started: 12th
Finished: 3rd
What happened: Solid starting position to begin Sunday’s Las Vegas race didn’t immediately bear fruit on the points front, with Preece finishing 19th and 11th in Stages 1 and 2, respectively … not to mention a speeding penalty on pit road on Lap 33. A gradual grind through the final stage, in addition to a late-race battle between Ross Chastain and William Byron on Lap 254, allowed Preece to clinch the top-five result, tying his career-best Cup finish (Talladega spring, 2019). The finish also acted as Preece’s first top-five on a 1.5-mile track.
What’s next: Homestead-Miami is next on deck for Preece, where the 34-year-old Connecticut native has one career top 10, which came during the 2024 running at the track (10th).
2. AJ Allmendinger, No. 16 Kaulig Racing Chevrolet
Started: 18th
Finished: 8th
What happened: Something about 1.5-mile tracks has suited Allmendinger of late, with the 43-year-old pilot seizing his third consecutive top-10 finish on such a circuit, the best streak of his career. Solid positioning and speed did the trick, and while Allmendinger was unable to capitalize with enough speed during the waning laps to perhaps sneak into Victory Lane, the No. 16 pilot did collect stage points following a sixth-place result during the opening stage. A win might not have been in the cards, but the Kaulig crew will certainly take the points at this juncture of the season.
What’s next: Momentum could very well translate from one side of the country to the other for Allmendinger and the No. 16 crew. In 13 career Cup starts at Homestead-Miami, Allmendinger has tallied three top fives and six top 10s, including three consecutive top-eight results dating back to the 2022 season.
3. Alex Bowman, No. 48 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet
Started: 6th
Finished: 7th
What happened: Through the early going, it looked as if Bowman was going to contend for the race win. After all, the No. 48 challenged Austin Cindric for the race lead on Lap 68 and eventually finished Stage 1 in second. Trouble began on Lap 90 for Bowman and Co. as the driver was forced to the pits on Lap 90 due to a vibration issue and additionally penalized for a pit-road speeding penalty on Lap 115. Late-race action, though, opened a window of opportunity for Bowman to work his way back to the front, and that he did.
What’s next: Homestead-Miami has been a roller coaster of sorts for the 31-year-old Arizona native. Dating back to 2019, Bowman has alternated a top-10 result with a non-top 10, with his seventh-place finish in October of 2024 being his best finish in nine career Cup tries. Trends dictate he’s bound to finish outside the top 10 this time around, but after a Las Vegas in-race rebound, don’t discount him from breaking the mold.
THREE DOWN ⬇️
1. Kyle Busch, No. 8 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet
Started: 4th
Finished: 33rd
What happened: A trendy pick to win at his hometown Las Vegas, Busch unfortunately was mired with one troubling issue after another. A lost right-rear tire — and subsequent skid into the backstretch wall on Lap 113 — began such conundrums. A two-lap penalty and garage time to fix the damage was next, and when the No. 8 returned to the track, Busch was penalized for entering too fast on pit road. The last salt to enter the wound came on Lap 242, where Busch bounced off the wall in Turn 2. A possible venue for a long-awaited race victory was not in the cards.
What’s next: There’s potentially good news for Busch and the No. 8 camp entering Homestead-Miami, where the two-time Cup Series champion has two victories, five top fives, 11 top 10s and 470 laps led in 20 career Cup starts. The bulk of this production came before the introduction of the Next Gen car, but experience matters, and Busch certainly has enough of it in his back pocket.
2. Denny Hamlin, No. 11 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota
Started: 15th
Finished: 25th
What happened: Luck seemed to be on Hamlin’s side entering Sunday’s Vegas Cup race, and that was without even mentioning a slew of slot successes at the local casinos. A 15th-place starting position wasn’t anything superb, but for a talented driver like Hamlin — with 14 career Las Vegas top 10s — it seemed more than manageable. And while Hamlin rebounded from an early pit-road penalty to contend inside the top 10, the No. 11 was unable to make it stick, with the Toyota pilot pitting from fourth on Lap 232 and unable to make up the ground thereafter.
What’s next: Homestead-Miami has been collectively kind to Hamlin over the years, with the Florida native amassing three wins, six top fives, 13 top 10s, 449 laps led and six career pole positions at the track. Outside of a 30th-place finish there in 2023, Hamlin has finished 12th or better in 11 consecutive Miami Cup races. That’ll play.
3. Erik Jones, No. 43 Legacy Motor Club Toyota
Started: 5th
Finished: 27th
What happened: A fifth-place starting position was a swell start for the No. 43, and while Jones contended three-wide for the lead halfway through the race, the driver couldn’t make the speed stick. The culprit came on Lap 158 when the No. 43 got loose and dropped to ninth, with another spin during a Lap 195 incident putting a final damper on Jones’ day.
What’s next: Homestead-Miami has been a tricky track for Jones as the 28-year-old Michigan native has only one career top 10 at the facility in eight career Cup tries. Jones has finished 21st or worse in four of the last five Homestead-Miami contests dating back to 2020.
