This weekend, the NASCAR Cup Series makes their first of two visits to Las Vegas Motor Speedway. Coverage of the Pennzoil 400 presented by Jiffy Lube will start with NASCAR RaceDay at 2:30 p.m. ET on FOX Sports 1. Race coverage will start at 3:30 p.m. ET, while the green flag is scheduled to fly around 3:45 p.m. ET. The event can also be heard on your local PRN affiliate or SiriusXM NASCAR Radio on Channel 90. Drivers will compete for 267 laps (400.5 miles) en route to the checkered flag.

Records and Facts
 

Last year's Pennzoil 400 presented by Jiffy Lube was a very competitive affair. Daniel Suarez ended up taking the lead after Noah Gragson brought out the caution.

However, Josh Berry was able to run him down and make the pass for the lead with 16 laps to go. From there, Berry opened up a decent advantage and held on to take his first (and to this point, only) NASCAR Cup Series victory.

Berry won by 1.358 seconds over Suarez. Ryan Preece was third, then William Byron and Ross Chastain.

Joey Logano and Jimmie Johnson (not entered this weekend) have the most victories all-time at Las Vegas Motor Speedway with four each. Kyle Larson, Brad Keselowski and Matt Kenseth have three victories. Jeff Burton, Carl Edwards, Denny Hamlin, Kevin Harvick and Martin Truex Jr. each have two.

Track Facts
Track / Race Length: 1.5-mile tri-oval, 267 laps (400.5 miles)
Banking: 24 degrees
Frontstretch: 2,275 ft, banked 9 degrees
Backstretch: 1,572 ft., banked 5 degrees
Grandstand Seating: 80,000
Pit Road Speed: 45 mph
Pace Car Speed: 55 mph
Opened: 1996, first Cup race in 1998
 

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Pre-Race Schedule:

Practice: Saturday, March 15, 2:35 - 3:25 p.m. ET on Prime Video

Qualifying: Saturday, March 15, 3:40 p.m. ET on Prime Video

Say What?

"Vegas is exciting because it has a lot of character. It’s a mile-and-a-half racetrack with lots of options. You can run the middle, the bottom, or the top. It sits out in the middle of the desert, so it can get pretty windy. The car is very sensitive to the wind, and those conditions can change quite a bit, which makes it a challenge. The wind and weather in Las Vegas is also pretty unpredictable, so you just have to be able to feel the car and figure things out as the race goes on." - Daniel Suarez

"Vegas has just been a good one. I think our Ford Mustangs have always been fairly strong there and it’s a track that seems like it kind of fits my style. We’ve been able to figure out how to move around that racetrack fairly well from top to bottom and we think that’s opened up our options. We’ve won there in completely different ways almost every time, whether it’s speed, strategy, tires at the end, staying out at the end, fuel mileage. It seems like we’ve gotten to the end of that one just about every way you can, but it’s been a good place." - Joey Logano

"Las Vegas is fast. We’re going to be pretty much wide-open in qualifying, and I think managing the air is going to be a huge thing. You’ve got to find ways to get yourself in clean air and give your car the best chance you can and also manage the track. The groove moves around a lot throughout the run and where you’re running on the racetrack. Staying on top of that and being versatile is important." - Connor Zilisch

Phil Allaway is the Frontstretch newsletter manager. He can be reached at phil.allaway@frontstretch.com. Photo is courtesy of Nigel Kinrade Photography.