Posted on by Pat DeCola

Race No. 3 of the 2022 NASCAR Cup Series season is here, and it’s time to set those Fantasy Live lineups for Sunday at Las Vegas Motor Speedway (3:30 p.m. ET on FOX, PRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio). What six drivers should comprise your lineup? Does Kyle Busch’s practice wreck change things if you were thinking about using the hometown hero? Let’s answer that and offer up my race-day lineup and bonus picks below.

RELATED: Las Vegas lineup | Fantasy preview coming into Las Vegas | How to play Fantasy Live

Pat DeCola’s race-day lineup for Las Vegas:
1 — Kyle Larson
2 — William Byron
3 — Christopher Bell
4 — Tyler Reddick
5 – Ryan Blaney
Garage: Joey Logano

Next in line: Chase Briscoe, Alex Bowman, Austin Cindric and Daniel Hemric.

MORE: Full Vegas guide | Latest odds

Analysis: Saturday’s on-track action for the Cup Series was fast and furious, slotting back-to-back practice and qualifying on the schedule with just a handful of minutes between the sessions.

The most notable development came in the form of Busch’s aforementioned spin, early on in practice. Given the extent of the damage his No. 18 Toyota incurred, Joe Gibbs Racing elected to bring out an unmarked, non-team-specific backup for the two-time champ to race in for Sunday’s event. Busch’s crew went to work quickly to transform it into a No. 18 machine, catered to Busch’s preferences, but it’s a tall order. Busch is arguably the most talented driver in NASCAR, so if anybody can take a previously untrimmed backup with no practice time from the back of the pack — he skipped qualifying to the team could wrench away — to Victory Lane, it’s him. But he’s an easy avoid for fantasy purposes this week, despite racing in his native Vegas.

Now that we’ve ruled out Rowdy, who should be in your lineup? 

Heading into the weekend, in-house fantasy expert RJ Kraft had a tentative lineup of Kyle Larson, Ryan Blaney, Joey Logano, Martin Truex Jr. and William Byron, with Brad Keselowski in his garage.

I’m largely going to stick with that based on what we saw in practice, but we did see a bit of a surprise with Sunday’s pole winner — Christopher Bell, currently 36th in points with just … 10 of them.

Bell, understandably, had a “stay away from” designation in RJ’s Fantasy Faslane analysis, but he merits consideration now. In three of his previous four Vegas starts Bell finished 24th or worse, but that was pre-Next Gen.

His car this weekend, however, looks like a bullet after he posted the second-fastest speed in practice before setting the qualifying pace, as well as turning in top-five speed on the lap averages chart.

You’ll notice those Hendrick Chevrolets continue to show elite-level speed, and there’s next to no reason to not toss Larson — the defending race winner as well as last week’s victor — out there. Look for William Byron to make his first imprint on the 2022 season this weekend as well, with a stout ride under him.

Beyond that, Vegas marks a good spot for Reddick to potentially cross over into Cup Series winner’s territory. In addition, all three Team Penske boys deserve a look. You honestly can’t go wrong with any of them, but Logano and Blaney have proven to be exceptionally strong at Vegas over the years. Cindric, however, is the current points leader and should be a contender most weekends — including this one.

Featured Matchup bonus picks
Chase Elliott vs. Kyle Larson: All eyes will be on these two teammates as they overcome last week’s run-in. Wouldn’t be surprised to see them finish 1-2. My pick: Larson

Kyle Busch vs. Joey Logano: Easy one here, unless Logano runs into trouble. Busch needs a huge race to overcome Logano in this matchup. My pick: Logano

William Byron vs. Tyler Reddick: Hardest matchup, by far. Both are near-locks for the top 10, but I think Byron breaks out big this week. Reddick could win, though. My pick: Byron

Kurt Busch vs. Austin Dillon: The Toyotas, on the whole, seem to be playing a bit of catchup early on. RCR, however, is punching above its recent-years weight class. Go with the hot hand. My pick: Dillon

Posted on by Staff Report

Ty Gibbs’ march to victory Saturday at Las Vegas Motor Speedway had quite the early detour.

Gibbs had an exchange of words with new rival Ryan Sieg that boiled over into retaliation after an early run-in during Saturday’s NASCAR Xfinity Series race. Sieg got the worst end of it, retiring after completing just 25 laps, while Gibbs drove away to his first win of the 2022 season.

Sieg’s No. 39 RSS Racing Ford sustained significant right-rear damage after close racing with Gibbs’ No. 54 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota on the third of 200 laps in Saturday’s Alsco Uniforms 300. Sieg’s car clapped the outside wall in Turn 4, and he limped back to pit road for repairs.

RELATED: Unofficial results | Weekend schedule

Both drivers continued, but the race was stopped with just 19 laps complete by rain and a wintry mix at the 1.5-mile track. During the delay, Sieg discussed the incident with Gibbs on pit road, and both drivers later shared their sides of the story with FOX Sports.

“So he’s got the best car out here, way out from everybody. Just not smart on his part,” said Sieg, who eventually wound up 36th in the 38-car field. “I mean, we’re trying to just survive and make it through these two (races), and just riding along and then all of a sudden get packed with air and you’re already free. But just sucks for our CMR guys. I mean, all of our guys work hard.”

Reminded of Gibbs’ limited experience at age 19 and in his first full Xfinity Series season, Sieg said, “No, he’s definitely, probably gonna learn his lesson, if you know what I mean,” adding that he did not consider the matter to be settled.

Gibbs offered his account: “I mean, I got into him and it was totally, it was my fault, but we were all packed up underneath each other there and once he started to get a little bit aero-free, once it happens, it’s so quick when they come to you. And I just didn’t have enough time to get out of it, and we’ve seen it before. So I made my mistake on that part. And I told him, like I said, if my goal is to wreck you or to ruin your day, you wouldn’t have made it around another lap, and it was my fault.”

Once the race resumed after a nearly 42-minute delay, Sieg delivered on his lightly veiled “learn his lesson” threat, squeezing Gibbs high in the groove on the 29th lap to express his frustration. Sieg then lost control, his spinning No. 39 collecting the cars of Sheldon Creed and Brett Moffitt exiting Turn 4 in his wake.

“Wow, that was really smart there,” reported the No. 54 radio. “Maybe he can go punch a bag at home or something.”

Gibbs rallied late, getting by Noah Gragson in the final restart to lead the last six laps.

Posted on by Bozi Tatarevic

Editor’s note: Bozi Tatarevic is a professional racing mechanic and pit crew member. He will provide technical analysis for NASCAR.com throughout the 2022 season.

Saturday marked the debut of a new practice format as teams shifted to a longer, 35-minute practice session to allow more time to make adjustments, and it was definitely beneficial.

Teams were given the option to purchase an additional set of tires for a total of two sets for this practice session. Many took advantage of having an extra set to attempt various types of runs and adjustments and used the second set to attempt a qualifying simulation lap toward the end of the session.

RELATED: Bell tops qualifying | Practice results

While teams had an opportunity to make some longer runs, it’s probably wise to focus on short-run speed based on how much tougher these cars are to drive and how much fall-off this tire is showing. As we noted last week, the aerodynamic and suspension configuration of the Next Gen car makes it prone to lift-off oversteer, which makes these cars a handful to drive and can result in them snapping loose quickly once they reach that edge of the handling. So the optimal strategy play is to look at short-run speed because we’re likely to see breaks in the race from the occasional spin as drivers try to control these cars with worn tires.

Car control will continue to be a big theme and those that can find that cliff of where this shorter sidewall tire hits peak handling without going over the edge will continue to find success. Dirt-racing and sports-car racing experience are beneficial with the Next Gen car and that is exemplified by the front row, which is occupied by dirt aces Christopher Bell and Kyle Larson.

MORE: Vegas weekend schedule

The only car that did not get a chance to join that qualifying session was the No. 18 of Kyle Busch as it sustained damage after a spin in practice caused by a left-rear flat. It is unclear what caused the flat tire but the car spun as soon as that tire went down, and the car ended up spinning and hitting the wall with its left-rear corner. The resulting damage to components such as the underwing and rear chassis pieces necessitated going to a backup car, which the No. 18 crew will likely be working during all of their allotted time Saturday as that backup car was prepared more as a parts car than a backup car. The team will have to transfer a variety of components from one to the other.

All of these events are likely to combine for an action-packed race with Bell and Larson battling it out in the front and Kyle Busch trying to make it through the field with one of the fastest pit crews behind him.

Posted on by Zack Albert

2022 Pennzoil 400 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway
(⏰ 3:30 p.m. ET | 📺 FOX | 📻 PRN, SiriusXM)

Everything you need to know for Sunday’s visit to Las Vegas, the third regular-season NASCAR Cup Series race of the 2022 campaign. 

Race-day info

Where: Las Vegas Motor Speedway, a 1.5-mile D-shaped oval
Green flag: 3:49 p.m. ET
Grand Marshal: Pro football legend Marcus Allen
Flyover: Heritage Flight: (1) F-16, (1) F-35, (1) F-22, (1) F-15
TV/Radio: FOX, PRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio
Forecast: Sunny, with a high near 62 degrees, according to the National Weather Service
Race purse: $8,483,997
Race distance: 267 laps | 400.5 miles
Stages: 80 | 165 | 267
Pit-road speed: 45 mph
Caution car speed: 55 mph
Las Vegas 101: Get the full lowdown
Entry list: See every driver and team
Lineup: Starting lineup for Sunday
Practice happenings: Practice results | Heavy hit for Kyle Busch
Prepping for pit road: Pit-stall assignments | Which box is best at Las Vegas?

Five things to watch

1. The first two races of the NASCAR Cup Series season have produced a variety pack of top-10 finishers, with 19 different drivers occupying those spots after the year-opening Daytona 500 and last weekend’s event at Auto Club Speedway. The question that’s begged for this weekend’s 400-miler at Las Vegas Motor Speedway is if the trend can keep going. Only Aric Almirola — fifth at Daytona, sixth at Auto Club — is a repeat visitor to the top 10, a stroke of consistency that has him seventh in the Cup Series standings early on. Among those who have yet to scratch the top-10 column are some familiar names: Denny Hamlin, Martin Truex Jr., William Byron, Christopher Bell, Tyler Reddick and Alex Bowman — all of whom qualified for the Cup Series playoffs last year. | Parity party, for openers | Weekend schedule

2. Kyle Larson heads to the third race of 2022 with his first win of the season already in pocket. The defending Cup Series champion is also the defending race winner at Las Vegas, and his victory here in 2021 touched off what would become a 10-win campaign that resulted in his first series title. The No. 5 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet driver ruffled some in-house feathers on the way to his Auto Club victory last week, brushing by teammate Chase Elliott in the closing laps. Larson still has the hot hand, with five wins in the last seven Cup Series races stretching back to last season. Unsurprisingly, he’s the 5-1 favorite in the latest Vegas odds, and he’ll start from the second position Sunday. | Preview show: All bets off | Debate: Larson vs. Elliott? | Latest odds

3. The new method for Cup Series practice and qualifying underwent a tweak for this weekend, with NASCAR competition officials switching from two separately grouped 15-minute sessions to a single 35-minute stint for all cars. The move was made to allow teams more track time with the new Next Gen car model, which makes its first stop of the season at a 1.5-mile track. Last weekend’s practice at Auto Club was interrupted by multiple crashes. Saturday in Vegas, Kyle Busch absorbed the only major incident with a heavily damaged No. 18 Toyota after his spin into the Turn 3 wall. He did not participate in qualifying and will start from the rear of the field in Sunday’s 400. | Bell snags Busch Light Pole; practice recap | Analysis: Teams make most of practice

4. One team searching for a rebound in the early going is the No. 12 Team Penske bunch of Ryan Blaney. After contending for the victory in the season-opening Daytona 500, Blaney endured an eventful race at Auto Club, with an apparent setup issue that made pit stops difficult and resulted in a daylong net loss of positions on pit road. He drove his way back into the hunt multiple times, but a near-spin on the final lap left him 18th. Blaney finished fifth in each of the Cup Series’ visits to Las Vegas last year, and the Vegas sportsbooks are optimistic about his prospects, slotting him at 10-1 odds near the top of the board.

5. The Cup Series heads to its first 1.5-mile track on the schedule, but the rules configuration will remain the same as last weekend’s package for the 2-mile Auto Club layout. The baseline of 670 target horsepower with a 4-inch tall rear spoiler will be in effect at Las Vegas, as it will at the majority of tracks on the 2022 slate. The event is also the middle event in the schedule’s three-race western sweep — a span that includes Auto Club, Vegas and next weekend’s trip to Phoenix Raceway. | Base rules configurations set | Configurations by track for 2022

2022 March5 Las Vegas W2w2 Main Image
Cup Series haulers with the Las Vegas Motor Speedway main grandstand as a backdrop | Jennifer Fisher | NASCAR Digital Media

Race-day staples

Our biggest pieces of the week — get covered for race day from all angles.

• Power Rankings: RCR’s Austin Dillon making some headway in early going | Latest rankings
• Paint Scheme Preview: New Next Gen looks making their Las Vegas debut | See the schemes
• Preview Show: Similar action set for Sin City? | Watch the show
• Fantasy Fastlane: Putting Penske’s pace to the test at Vegas | Top plays, sleepers

Catch the pack

Abbie Parr | Getty Images
Abbie Parr | Getty Images

Read up on the top headlines from the week leading up to Sunday’s race.

• Spreading the wealth: Fresh faces landing top-10 finishes | Full analysis
• Testy teammates?: Kyle Larson says team conference ‘a good meeting to have’ | Read more
• Tech corner: Next Gen offers strong data on repairs, adjustments | Read more
• Penalties: No. 38 crew docked for lost-wheel violation; team appeals | Penalty report
• Under review: NASCAR officials working to alleviate beached cars | Hear more
• One fan’s journey: Chip Swanson doesn’t let Parkinson’s slow his Daytona experience | Read more
• Fantasy picks: Erik Jones’ hopes riding high for Vegas | See more
• Early insights: Cole Custer: ‘It’s anybody’s game right now’ | Watch more

Get in on the action

NASCAR Fantasy Live
NASCAR Creative Design

Think you know NASCAR? Put your mettle to the test with gaming, fantasy.

• Play it LIVE: Full guide to 2022 NASCAR Fantasy Live game | Get the FAQ
• Early surprises: Teams with surpassed expectations so far | Watch more
• What are the odds?: Betting odds for Las Vegas | See the favorites
• Late fantasy feedback: Rowdy’s wreck throws a curve | Get updates
• BetMGM: Reason for Tyler Reddick optimism in Vegas | Expert tips
• The Action Network: Why William Byron is a bet to make right now for Vegas | Find out why
• Backseat Bettors: Inside the head-to-head battles for Vegas | Which bets are best?
• Prop picks: Try your hand at matchups for Las Vegas | Featured picks
• Going all the way: Updated 2022 Cup Series championship odds | See them here

Arriving at Las Vegas

The Las Vegas track has had its share of memorable moments — take a look back at the venue’s history and features.

• Sin City conquerors: All-time wins at Las Vegas | All the winners
• Pace out front: Top 10 lap leaders at Las Vegas | See the list
• Cherish the times: Memorable moments from Las Vegas | Remember when
• How wide?: Strategies abound for Las Vegas pit road | Watch breakdown
• Take me back: Recap of Kyle Larson’s 2021 victory | Read more
• Press rewind: All of the best 2021 race highlights | Watch them here

Fast facts

Hard-hitting, race-relevant statistics, brought to you by the experts at Racing Insights.

• Just one driver has prevailed at Las Vegas after winning the pole position — Kyle Busch, in 2009.
• Stewart-Haas Racing has the most top-10 finishes this year with four.
• Kyle Larson earned the most points (440) on 1.5-mile tracks last season.
• Cup Series champions have won 13 of the last 14 races at Las Vegas.
• Brad Keselowski has placed seventh or better in 12 of the last 13 events at Vegas.

Say what?

Notable quotes from the stars of the sport heading into Sunday’s race.

Meg Oliphant | Getty Images
Meg Oliphant | Getty Images

• “I think no one has an advantage anymore. Nobody knows to a lot of these points we were just talking about and having a lack of practice. Nobody really knows if they’re gonna be good or not. I think it’s funny when I get that question: How are you gonna run this weekend? No clue. I used to have an idea, to your point, as we go to Vegas. ‘Yeah, that’s one of my best tracks. I should be really good.’ I’ve got no clue how we’re gonna run. The good thing is though that it’s still a race car. It’s still got four tires. It still goes fast. It’s still Vegas and a lot of the things I’ve done in the past are probably gonna work with this car as a driver, but with setup and all that’s gonna be completely different.” — Joey Logano, driver of the No. 22 Team Penske Ford, on adjustment to the Next Gen car early in the 2022 season

• “I think what NASCAR did with this Next Gen car is something that, on my opinion, we’re already seeing the results. We are going to look back in a few years from now, five years from now and we are going to be very, very thankful we did this thing called the Next Gen car. It just brought opportunity for new players in the game. I don’t think that if it wasn’t for the Next Gen car, I don’t think that Trackhouse would be here, I don’t think 23XI (Racing) would be here. I’m sure that there’s more team owners that are maybe thinking about it now that there is a Next Gen car. So yeah, answering that question, I definitely think that the competition and the way that we are competing with this Next Gen car is way more level than before.” — Daniel Suarez, driver of the No. 99 Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet, on the benefits of the Next Gen car

Posted on by Holly Cain

LAS VEGAS — Joe Gibbs Racing driver Christopher Bell won his first career NASCAR Cup Series pole position on Saturday and will lead the field in Sunday’s Pennzoil 400 presented by Jiffy Lube (3 p.m. ET, FOX, PRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio). The driver of the No. 20 JGR Toyota bested the 10 cars that advanced to second-round qualifying at the 1.5-mile Las Vegas Motor Speedway with a lap of 182.673 mph.

Defending race winner Kyle Larson put his No. 5 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet on the outside of the front row after topping the speed chart in practice earlier Saturday morning. He was only .289 seconds off Bell’s pace – and the only other driver to top the 182-mph mark in the session.

RELATED: Starting lineup | Weekend schedule

“That’s pretty cool,’’ said Bell, who is the second driver (joining Austin Cindric at Auto Club Speedway) to score his first career pole position in 2022. “I feel really good about our DeWalt Camry. I knew our first run out (in practice) we were going to be pretty competitive.’’

Asked if the pole-win surprised him, Bell said, “Not really. All season our Camrys have had speed.’’

Now the talented 27-year-old Oklahoman is hoping that speed translates into a better finish. He’s had tough luck in the season’s opening two races. He crashed out in the Daytona 500 to finish 24th, and last weekend at California’s Auto Club Speedway, he had engine problems and finished 36th.

“You never know and nothing’s guaranteed,’’ Bell said. “But we’ve had a lot of speed and we’ve had promise and hopefully we start putting it together.”

Daytona 500 winner Cindric, Stewart-Haas Racing’s Chase Briscoe and Larson’s Hendrick Motorsports teammate Chase Elliott rounded out the top five in qualifying. Cindric’s Team Penske teammate Joey Logano, Chevy driver Tyler Reddick, Bell’s teammate Denny Hamlin, Ricky Stenhouse Jr. and Richard Childress Racing’s Austin Dillon completed the Top 10 on Sunday’s grid.

It was another early go-round for the 2022 qualifying format, with the 37-car field initially split into two groups for single-car runs. The five fastest from each early session formed a 10-car final group that battled it out for the pole position.

Bell was the top qualifier (181.482 mph) in Group A, and Larson led the speed charts with a 182.352-mph lap in Group B.

Larson stays fast, tops practice; Kyle Busch crashes

Defending race winner Kyle Larson led the way in Cup Series practice, setting the pace with a 181.184-mph lap in the 35-minute session. Larson’s No. 5 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet was also fastest in the consecutive 10-lap average category.

Christopher Bell took the second spot on the practice chart, with Ryan Blaney, William Byron and Joey Logano completing the top five in order.

MORE: Practice results | Video: Busch wrecks early | Practice analysis

A crash by Kyle Busch forced the only caution period, six minutes into the session. The Las Vegas native lost control when a tire deflated on his No. 18 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota, forcing the car into the outside retaining wall in Turn 3. His JGR crew indicated the team would prepare a reserve car for Sunday’s 400-miler.

NASCAR officials tweaked the practice structure for Saturday’s session. Competition officials switched from dividing the field into two groups for separate 15-minute sessions, opting for a single 35-minute practice for all entries.

Contributing: Staff reports

Posted on by Terrin Waack

Kyle Larson is well aware of the anger he sparked in Chase Elliott last weekend at Auto Club Speedway after his No. 5 Chevrolet fenced his teammate’s No. 9 car. Larson has seen FOX’s “Radioactive” video from the race coverage and heard the series of cuss words Elliott released in response. Larson confirmed as much Saturday at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, as he called it “another good episode.”

Larson, who ultimately won at Auto Club while Elliott finished 26th, addressed the fallout in the days after the incident, including Hendrick Motorsports weekly competition meeting, which was virtual this week due to West Coast swing travel.

“Well, from my spot, it’s always going to be awkward,” Larson said. “But no, it was a good meeting to have. Rick (Hendrick, owner) called a meeting with all four teams and just kind of reiterated his expectations with us drivers. So, it’s good to get those reminders every now and then and continue to race good in the future with each other. I’ll catch up more with Chase here in a little bit, and we’ll be good.”

LAS VEGAS: Weekend schedule | Paint schemes | Betting odds

Elliott was not made available to the media prior to any Cup Series on-track action at Las Vegas’ 1.5-mile track. Practice is slated for 1:30 p.m. ET (FS2) with qualifying to follow at 2:15 p.m. ET (FS1).

Both Larson and Elliott are champions within their shared organization. Larson won his title last year, Elliott claimed his the year before. They’re entering only their second season as teammates, though. Larson moved to Hendrick Motorsports in 2021. Elliott has been there since his full-time gig began in 2016.

RELATED: What happened between Larson and Elliott at Auto Club

“As far as I can remember that’s the only meeting since I’ve been there that Rick’s been a part of in that sense,” Larson said. “He’s been to competition meetings and stuff like that. And we’ve had multiple meetings about different things. But as far as the racing and stuff, that’s the first one I can remember him getting involved in. I think we all know his expectations and after the incident last week, it was good for him to get involved again and tell us what the expectations are.”

Sunday’s Pennzoil 400 presented by Jiffy Lube is set for 3:30 p.m. ET (FOX, MRN and SiriusXM). In 11 career starts at Las Vegas, Larson has one win (this race last year), four top fives and eight top 10s. Elliott owns three top-five and four top-10 finishes in 10 career desert starts.

DEBATE: Should Elliott be frustrated with Larson?

Posted on by Staff Report

The No. 38 Front Row Motorsports Ford of Zane Smith has been disqualified following post-race inspection in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series garage at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.

Zane Smith’s No. 38 truck was found to not conform to NASCAR rule book specifications per the following rules: 14.16.1 – 1-4 Lug Nuts. He had unofficially finished the race in second place prior to inspection.

RELATED: Chandler Smith wins at Las Vegas

Post-race inspection did confirm Chandler Smith as the race winner. Zane Smith’s DQ drops him to a last-place finish and as a result he will be scored in 36th for the second race of the season. Kyle Busch is now scored as the runner-up finisher, followed by Stewart Friesen in third, Ryan Preece in fourth and Tanner Gray in fifth.

Posted on by Staff Report

Spencer Boyd was transported to an area medical facility for further evaluation following a last-lap wreck at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, according to a NASCAR spokesperson.

Boyd was involved in a last-lap wreck that also ensnared Jordan Anderson, John Hunter Nemechek and Grant Enfinger in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Victoria’s Voice Foundation 200.

The driver of the No. 12 Young’s Motorsports Chevrolet told FOX Sports’ Bob Pockrass that he dislocated his shoulder from the wreck but that he should be OK to run at Atlanta Motor Speedway in two weeks.

Boyd finished the Las Vegas race in 28th place. He scored an 11th-place result to open the season last month at Daytona International Speedway.

Posted on by Staff Report

The teams of Chase Elliott and Kevin Harvick were among five teams that had a crew member ejected and lost pit selection for failing pre-qualifying inspection multiple times ahead of Sunday’s NASCAR Cup Series Pennzoil 400 presented by Jiffy Lube (3:30 p.m. ET on FOX, PRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio) at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.

RELATED: Las Vegas weekend schedule | Qualifying order for Las Vegas | This week’s paint schemes

The No. 4 Stewart-Haas Racing Ford of Harvick, No. 9 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet of Elliott, the No. 21 Wood Brothers Racing Ford of Harrison Burton, the No. 38 Front Row Motorsports Ford of Todd Gilliland and the No. 77 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet of Josh Bilicki were the five teams with inspection infractions.

Car chiefs Robert Smith (No. 4 Stewart-Haas Racing Ford), Matt Barndt (No. 9 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet), Cody Sauls (No. 21 Wood Brothers Racing Ford), Tony Manzer (No. 38 Front Row Motorsports Ford) and engineer Nicholas Sowa (No. 77 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet) were the crew members ejected.

Cup cars will be on track for practice at 1:30 p.m. ET on Saturday at the 1.5-mile track ahead of group qualifying at 2:15 p.m. ET.

Posted on by Holly Cain

LAS VEGAS – Nineteen-year-old Chandler Smith took the lead with two laps remaining and held off 2021 championship contender Zane Smith and the winningest driver in NASCAR national series history, his team owner Kyle Busch, to win the Victoria’s Voice 200 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.

It was a deservedly dramatic ending for a hugely competitive race at the 1.5-mile Las Vegas track — marking the ninth consecutive Truck Series race won by a driver 23 years of age or younger. Smith’s 0.289-second win over Zane Smith was his first of the season and third of his career and good enough to propel him to the championship points lead.

Zane Smith, however, was later disqualified for violating section 14.16.1-1-4 in the NASCAR rule book by using lug nuts that did not conform to NASCAR’s specifications. Despite crossing the line second, the No. 38 truck was relegated to a 36th-place finish and collected one point from the event.

After snatching second on the final restart with three laps to go, Chandler Smith powered past Zane Smith with a fierce crossover on the final trip down the backstretch to win on Friday night.

RELATED: Race results at Las Vegas | Watch Chandler Smith’s victory burnout

The move for the win came after a restart with three laps remaining. Chandler Smith, of Talking Rock, Georgia, got around his team owner Busch, then pulled alongside Zane Smith at the finish line with one lap to go and finally drove out front for the final of the 134 laps to take the win.

“When you guys tune into me halfway through the race, ‘how did he get up there?”’ Chandler Smith said motioning toward the sky. “It’s the good Lord man, he performs miracles all day. He’s given me this talent, this opportunity to drive this truck for Kyle Busch Motorsports and for (sponsor) Safelite.

“I’m just beyond thankful for this whole opportunity. All the glory goes to Him, my guys, my wife, all the guys part of this deal. I’m just super thankful right now.”

There were five different leaders in the final furious 11 laps that included a caution for Christian Eckes, who was tagged from behind by Busch while leading the race with eight laps remaining. The final restart produced a wild — sometimes three-wide — contest to the checkered.

RELATED: Christian Eckes’ block gone wrong

Behind Smith, who led a race-best 32 laps, Busch, Stewart Friesen, Ryan Preece and Tanner Gray officially rounded out the top five. Preece, making only his third Truck Series start, was leading when the final caution flag came out but was penalized five positions for not maintaining speed behind the pace car. 

Matt DiBenedetto, Matt Crafton, Bret Holmes, Austin Wayne Self and Ty Majeski rounded out the top 10.

The final restart wasn’t without late dramatics. With two laps to go, Derek Kraus made contact with John Hunter Nemechek and Grant Enfinger, sending Kraus’ No. 19 truck sliding toward the inside wall. Kraus steered out of it with a save, but the chaos didn’t end there.

Behind the leaders on the final lap, Enfinger cut a right-front tire and went into the outside wall before his truck briefly caught fire. Not far behind was Nemechek, who spun entering Turn 3 because of a flat left-rear tire and was hit hard in the front end by Jordan Anderson, who had nowhere to go. Also involved was Spencer Boyd, whose truck was unable to cross the start/finish line. Boyd was transported to a local hospital after reportedly dislocating his shoulder.

RELATED: Hard hit for Ben Rhodes after teammate contact | Last-lap wreck for Enfinger, Nemechek

Defending series champion Ben Rhodes won Stage 1 and Stage 2 and led nine laps on the night, but a collision with his ThorSport Racing teammate Majeski with 30 laps remaining badly damaged his No. 99 ThorSport Toyota, eliminating him from competition. Instead of contending for the win, the race favorite took his first DNF since the 2020 Daytona season-opener.

“I can’t speak to what happened with my teammate there, I’m just going to try to stay positive,’’ said Rhodes, who was credited with a 31st-place finish. “Can’t imagine my teammate trying to wreck me.”

“Just a bummer,’’ he added.

Sentimental favorite, Todd Bodine, a two-time series champion who last raced in 2013, finished 21st in the first of his six scheduled starts for 2022 in an effort to reach 800 NASCAR national series starts.

Bodine had an eventful night in the No. 62 Toyota, including two pit-road speeding penalties, a penalty to his crew for being over the wall too soon and even surviving a pair of on-track incidents to finish on the lead lap.

RELATED: Todd Bodine gets loose, spins | Matt Crafton makes 500th start

Making his 500th career start Friday was Crafton, who was involved in a multi-truck crash near the end of Stage 1. Following the first restart of the night, Colby Howard was clipped in the left rear by Zane Smith, sending Howard’s No. 91 truck into Crafton’s door. Despite the damage, Crafton was able to rebound for an seventh-place finish.

The Camping World Truck Series returns to action March 19 in the Fr8Auctions 200 (2:30 p.m. ET, FS1, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio) at Atlanta Motor Speedway.

Note: Post-race inspection confirmed Chandler Smith’s No. 18 Kyle Busch Motorsports Toyota as the winner. Zane Smith’s No. 38 Front Row Motorsports Ford was disqualified after it was found to have lug nuts that did not conform to NASCAR rule specifications.

Contributing: Staff reports