We like one of these 2 NASCAR drivers to win the Las Vegas Pennzoil 400
Somehow, miraculously, Ryan Newman survived a fiery crash in the last lap of the Daytona 500 on Monday evening, then walked out of the hospital less than 48 hours later. Still, don’t expect to see Newman behind the wheel at this weekend’s Pennzoil 400 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.
Newman’s Roush Fenway Racing team has instead tapped Ross Chastain to drive the No. 6 Ford. Chastain joins a list of 38 total entrants for the Cup Series race scheduled for 3:30 p.m. EST on Sunday.
“No one could ever take the place of Ryan Newman on the track, and I can’t wait to have him back,” Chastain wrote in a tweet on Wednesday. “As we continue to pray for a full and speedy recovery, I’ll do my best to make him and everyone at Roush Fenway Racing proud. #RocketMan.”
Chastain, who drives full-time for Kaulig Racing in the Xfinity Series, is entered in all three races this weekend: Cup, Xfinity and Truck. He has made a name for himself as both “The Melon Man” (he is an eighth-generation watermelon farmer), as well as an underdog on all three circuits.
Most recently, he finished 25th at the Daytona 500 after crashing out in lap 200. He was battling for fourth place with Ryan Preece and the two cars collided entering the first turn, causing a nine-car pile up.
Eighty percent of the field was involved in a crash at this year’s Daytona 500, according to NASCAR’s race report. The smaller entry list and shorter track should help reduce accidents this weekend, but it’s worth watching how drivers who sparked major wrecks earlier this week compete on Sunday. In particular, Chastain, Joey Logano (who caused a 19-car crash in the third stage) and Ryan Blaney (whose tap of Newman caused him to spin out on the final straightaway) will be drivers worth watching.
Here are two other drivers to follow since they could see victory lane:
NO. 19 MARTIN TRUEX JR.
Only six drivers in Sunday’s Pennzoil 400 have won a race at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. Jimmie Johnson has the most all-time wins at the event with four victories, while Truex Jr. is the only driver to earn points in every stage since stage racing was implemented three years ago.
Truex Jr. also won at Las Vegas last September, and he won twice on a 1.5-mile track last year. A win for Truex Jr. would put his Joe Gibbs Racing team well above the rest of the field on points early, since his JGR teammate Denny Hamlin won this year’s Daytona 500.
NO. 4 KEVIN HARVICK
Harvick competed well in last year’s race, winning the pole and leading a race-high 88 laps for a fourth place finish. He is a two-time Pennzoil 400 winner, in 2015 and 2018, along with Brad Keselowski (2014 and 2016).
Harvick is also a moneyline favorite at +450 and is coming off a strong showing in Daytona Beach. Although he did not lead any laps in the Daytona 500, he drove a consistent race to finish in 5th place for Stewart-Haas Racing.
LAST YEAR’S PENNZOIL 400…
was a battle between Joey Logano and Brad Keseleowski, with Logano driving on to victory lane. He notched his first win at LVMS by leading 86 laps and nudging past Keselowski at the finish. The competition between the two Team Penske drivers continues this year, as the teammates were involved in the “The Big One” sparked by Logano on Monday.
THIS WEEK’S NASCAR RACE IN LAS VEGAS: WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW
Race: Pennzoil 400 presented by Jiffy Lube
Distance: 267 laps, or 400.5 miles
Where: Las Vegas Motor Speedway
When: Sunday at 3:30 p.m.
TV: FOX
Radio: PRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio
Last year’s winner: Joey Logano (Team Penske)
Also this week: Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series Strat 200 (Friday at 9 p.m. on FS1), Xfinity Series Boyd Gaming 300 (Saturday at 4 p.m. on FS1)
Worth mentioning: Las Vegas Motor Speedway is home to the Busch brothers. Kyle Busch has won all three NASCAR series at his hometown track and made his return to Victory Lane at The Bullring on Thursday night. He won the Star Nursery 100 Super Late Model race, passing Christian McGhee (second place) and Derek Thorn (third place).
“It’s been a long time since I won here – a really long time,” Busch said after the race. “The fans here have always supported me – in the beginning from The Bullring days when I was a kid.”
Both Kurt and Kyle Busch are entered in Sunday’s Pennzoil 400.
This story was originally published February 21, 2020 at 8:18 PM.
