Front-runners Denny Hamlin and Kyle Larson encountered early issues in Sunday’s NASCAR Cup Series race, virtually shutting both out of crucial stage points at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.
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Hamlin’s No. 11 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota spun in the high line of Turn 4 in the 78th of a scheduled 267 laps in Sunday’s South Point 400 (live on USA Network, HBO Max, PRN Radio, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio), the fifth of 10 races in The Chase presented by Mobil 1. Hamlin’s car did not make contact, and he resumed the race, which continued without a caution flag.
Hamlin, who started from the pole position at the front of the 36-car field, was running fourth when trouble hit but ended the first stage in 28th. Hamlin entered the race ranked second out of the 16 championship-eligible drivers in The Chase standings.
Larson’s trouble, while less dramatic, also left him outside of the points-paying positions at the end of Stage 1. Larson, who started the race as the Cup Series points leader, faded from the sixth starting spot with an ill-handling No. 5 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet. His green-flag stop in the middle of the opening stage was an extended one as crew chief Cliff Daniels made wholesale adjustments to help his driver gain grip, and Larson lost a lap in the process.
Larson was scored 23rd on the lead lap at the Stage 1 intermission.
Both drivers made mild recoveries in Stage 2. Larson finished 10th at the green-checkered flag to snare a single point at the break. Hamlin placed 14th, netting zero stage points Sunday.
Chase Briscoe, a teammate to Hamlin at Joe Gibbs Racing, added 20 points to his Chase tally with a sweep of the opening two stages.
This story will be updated.