2021 Las Vegas Motor Speedway, South Point 400

The round of sixteen is in the books and the twelve who advance have been determined. The biggest upset in my eyes was that Kurt Busch didn’t have a very good car at Bristol last Saturday night and never got it dialed in. Because of that he has been eliminated and Chip Ganassi has lost his last chance to win a Cup Championship.

SOUTH POINT 400

This week the series heads west to the Las Vegas Motor Speedway for the running of the South Point 400. This is an intermediate track and most of the drivers will really want this one because the next two races are a restrictor plate race and a road course. This is the one they will feel most comfortable at because no one knows what will happen in the next two races after this.

Kyle Larson: You have to stick with the hot hand and that has been Kyle for most of the season. He won the spring race at this track and has finished in the top three in four of his last seven starts at Las Vegas. I don’t see much changing for this team for the rest of the season and it is going to take an awful lot of bad luck to eliminate them from the playoffs.

Martin Truex Jr.: With two wins and five top five finishes in his last eight starts here, Martin is someone you can use in the A group. The Gibbs teams have shown a bit more speed the second half of the season and are getting close to being as good as the Hendrick teams every week.

Joey Logano: Joey has won two of the last five races he has run at this track and has finished in the top ten in nine of his last eleven starts here. The Penske teams haven’t shown a lot of consistency, but Ryan Blaney did win back to back races very recently, so they should still be able to run well this weekend.

Ryan Blaney: This is another Penske driver who has been very good at this track. He has finished in the top seven in seven of his last nine starts here. It’s only a matter of time before he picks up his first win at this track and now would be the perfect time to do it.

Kevin Harvick: Kevin has two wins at this track with the most recent one coming during the 2018 season. I still don’t think this team has much figured out yet. Especially at these intermediate tracks. He could surprise, but I don’t want to take a chance on him here. Maybe on a shorter track or a road course.

Brad Keselowski: Brad has eight top five finishes in his last twelve starts at Las Vegas to go with three wins during that stretch. He hasn’t run particularly well lately, but this is one of those tracks where he is very good. If he has a car that is handling well early on in the race they might be able to keep up with changing track conditions and pull off a win to help them advance.

Kyle Busch: Kyle hasn’t won a race here since the 2009 season. He has looked better than last season, but they still have some issues to work out. I think I’ll save any starts I have left for him for another day, He just isn’t consistent enough here for me to take a chance on him this week.

Denny Hamlin: Denny is still looking for his first win at this track and like Kyle he isn’t all that consistent here. Although, he has finished in the top five in each of his last two starts. Once again I think there are better tracks to use him at over the stretch run.

Chase Elliott: Chase hasn’t been all that consistent at this track either, but the Hendrick teams have shown the most speed all year and that means he should be a contender once again this weekend. Hopefully he and Kevin Harvick have their differences worked out and won’t let that spill over onto the track

DRIVER GROUP GAME FANTASY NASCAR PICKS FOR LAS VEGAS MOTOR SPEEDWAY

Driver Group Game Group A

• Joey Logano

Driver Group Game Group B

• Aric Almirola
• Tyler Reddick

Driver Group Game Group C

• Chase Briscoe

MY TOP-5 OVERALL AT LAS VEGAS MOTOR SPEEDWAY

1. Kyle Larson
2. Joey Logano
3. Martin Truex Jr.
4. Ryan Blaney
5. Brad Keselowski

Dark Horse: Alex Bowman

Stay Away From: Kurt Busch

Big 18: Brad Keselowski