Denny Hamlin spins out, Kyle Larson fades as Chase contenders miss out on Stage 1 points in Vegas

Front-runners Denny Hamlin and Kyle Larson encountered early issues in Sunday's NASCAR Cup Series race, shutting both out of crucial stage points at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. RELATED: Live leaderboard | At-track photos: Las Vegas 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. This story will be updated.