Skip to content

4 drivers to watch at Las Vegas Motor Speedway

Logan Riely / Getty Images Sport / Getty

NASCAR reaches the midway point of its west coast swing Sunday as the Cup Series heads to Las Vegas Motor Speedway.

Alex Bowman captured his lone win of 2022 in last year's spring race, while Joey Logano picked up a vital victory in the fall en route to an eventual championship.

Here are four drivers to watch this Sunday at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.

Kyle Busch

Meg Oliphant / Getty Images Sport / Getty

Busch doesn't look like a man on a mission anymore, he is a man on a mission.

Many expected Busch to find his rhythm with Richard Childress Racing and become a threat in 2023. Few anticipated it would happen so quickly. The 37-year-old wasted no time finding victory lane with his new team, pulling away from the field in the final quarter of the race at Auto Club Speedway to take his first checkered flag in the No. 8 car.

That momentum bodes well heading to his home race in Las Vegas. Busch has consistently been in the mix at the speedway in recent years, finishing in the top 10 in eight of his past 10 races and the top five in his last four.

Busch's speed in Fontana is a wake-up call to anyone who thought he might struggle out of the gate with his new team. Rowdy's back, and in a big way.

The No. 8 Chevrolet had race-winning speed in 2022 at Auto Club Speedway, which translated to this year's race. While RCR wasn't nearly as dominant as it was in Fontana, Tyler Reddick finished top 10 in both races at Las Vegas Motor Speedway last season.

Busch is also returning to his old ways as he participates in the Xfinity Series and Craftsman Truck Series races this weekend.

He's a legitimate threat to go back-to-back in this Cup Series.

Ross Chastain

James Gilbert / Getty Images Sport / Getty

If you had concerns over Trackhouse's breakout success carrying over to 2023, they dissipated at Auto Club Speedway on Sunday.

Chastain captured two stages and led the most laps, while Daniel Suarez ran in the top five seemingly all day. Trackhouse's contention in 2022 was no fluke, and the team proved it this past weekend.

That could very well make Chastain the favorite heading into Las Vegas. The 30-year-old was superb at the venue last year, leading the most laps in both races. He didn't manage to convert either performance into a victory but still managed to finish third in the spring and second in the fall.

The one knock against Trackhouse in its breakout campaign was the lack of a victory at a non-drafting oval. As impressive as its wins were at the road courses of Circuit of the Americas and Sonoma, as well as the superspeedway of Talladega, Trackhouse needs to tick off the mile-and-a-half box to truly become one of the elite teams in NASCAR.

Chastain has often been close at these intermediate tracks. He was yet again in Fontana. After top-three runs at Las Vegas Motor Speedway in 2022, Chastain has to feel good about his chances Sunday.

Martin Truex Jr.

James Gilbert / Getty Images Sport / Getty

It may come as a surprise to learn the No. 19 Toyota was the field's fastest car in last year's spring race in Las Vegas despite leading just one lap and finishing eighth.

Although Truex had speed and consistent results in the 2022 regular season, the lack of a win and subsequent failure to make the playoffs made for an incredibly disappointing year.

Truex didn't have a particularly notable run in Fontana - he finished 11th with no laps led - but he's found too much success at Las Vegas Motor Speedway to be overlooked. The 42-year-old has finished top 10 at the venue in 10 of his past 11 races dating back to 2017.

Included in that run are five straight races inside the top 10, which ties him with Busch for the longest active streak.

Considering crew chief James Small set up the statistically fastest car a year ago, we could see Truex in the hunt for his first points-paying win since September 2021.

William Byron

Chris Graythen / Getty Images Sport / Getty

Byron was red-hot in the playoffs, leading the Cup Series in median lap rank over the final 10 races of 2022. It's been a slower start to 2023 than the No. 24 team would've hoped for, with two finishes outside of the top 20 due to crashes.

Things shape up well for Byron to right the ship this weekend. The 25-year-old has consecutive top-10 finishes in the spring race in Las Vegas, leading 25 laps in 2022 and coming across the finish line in fifth a year ago.

Hendrick Motorsports showed promising speed with Chase Elliott's second-place run Sunday. Bowman led 17 laps and finished top 10 as well. Though we didn't get to see Byron and Kyle Larson in the mix due to their respective issues, it's reasonable to assume they would've been top-10 contenders too.

This Sunday is an excellent opportunity for Byron to have a quality run and begin to gain momentum early in the campaign.

Daily Newsletter

Get the latest trending sports news daily in your inbox