NASCAR Penzoil 400 predictions: Projecting order of finish for entire field in Las Vegas

William Byron leads the pack in NASCAR’s championship odds at the moment, and Racing Insights has him leaving Las Vegas victorious. The winner of the Daytona 500 was the winner in the Sin City spring race last season, so he’ll be looking to get his second win of the season at a track he knows well.

After making it to the Championship 4 last season, Byron is looking to take the next step in his career. Another win on the season would make sure he’s mentioned among the best of the best throughout 2024.

2) Kyle Larson

For Kyle Larson, Las Vegas will represent the first non-super-speedway race of the season, which is music to his ears. Larson actually secured his spot in the Championship 4 with a victory in Sin City last fall. 

We’ll see if the Hendrick wheelman can get the job done in his return to the track, after some solid showing at Daytona and Atlanta over the last two weekends. He’s the odds-on favorite, but these projections have him finishing P2.

3) Denny Hamlin

Denny Hamlin is usually a super-speedway savant, but he was caught up in a couple of accidents over the last two weeks. Now, he’ll be looking for a better result as the first speedway race of the season takes place at Las Vegas.

A victory would put Hamlin in prime position for an opportunity at his long-awaited first championship, the one accolade that’s eluded him throughout his career. Better luck is certainly on the way for Hamlin as the season continues.

4) Ryan Blaney

Ryan Blaney has ascended to the top of the Cup Series, as the defending champion of the sport. He came close to capturing his first win of 2024 in Atlanta, just getting edged out by Daniel Suárez.

Regardless, Blaney has proven he’s among the series’ strongest talent, and he’s far from a fluke. With Las Vegas and a return to Phoenix in the next two weeks, the Team Penske wheelman will be hoping to get to Victory Lane.

5) Alex Bowman

Many have spoke about Hendrick’s Chase Elliott’s motivations for a bounce-back season, but Alex Bowman shares that thought process. He’s seemed like the odd-man-out at Hendrick over the last couple of seasons, but he’s proven thus far in 2024 why the team believes in him.

A top-five would be fantastic for Bowman at Las Vegas, but a win would really put a stamp on his standing in NASCAR. After seeing Suarez accomplish that in his own way last weekend, maybe Bowman can get to Victory Lane this weekend.

6) Christopher Bell

After making the Championship 4 over the last two seasons, you would expect Christopher Bell’s name to be mentioned among the top drivers in the sport. Unfortunately, that hasn’t been the Joe Gibbs Racing wheelman’s reality. 

Still, he’s looked strong in 2024, as he tries to break on through and win his first Cup Series title this season. He got caught up in a wreck at Atlanta, but Bell almost bested Larson at Las Vegas last fall, so expect him to be among the top choices for a win this weekend.

7) Ross Chastain

Ross Chastain watched his Trackhouse Racing teammate get to Victory Lane last weekend, but he’s off to his own blazing start to the season. He came close to winning the Daytona 500, and had an awesome run at Atlanta last weekend.

Now, he’ll be looking to get back to Victory Lane for the first time since Phoenix last November. We’ll see if Chastain can do it, but he’ll take a P7 finish if it comes down to it.

8) Tyler Reddick

Tyler Reddick made it all the way to the Round of 8 last season, showing off his immense skill behind the wheel. He’s been tremendous since moving to 23XI Racing, and he’s hoping to get to the next level in 2024, but he’s not off to the best start.

Through two races, he’s been out-performed by his teammate in Bubba Wallace, who’s the current points leader after back-to-back top five finishes. With tracks that are more Reddick’s style coming up, he’s bound to perform better over the next month and change.

NASCAR Penzoil 400 predictions continued:

9) Martin Truex Jr.
10) Bubba Wallace
11) Kyle Busch 
12) Brad Keselowski 
13) Joey Logano
14) Chris Buescher
15) Ty Gibbs
16) Austin Dillon
17) Chase Elliott
18) Ricky Stenhouse Jr.
19) Daniel Suarez
20) Harrison Burton
21) Erik Jones
22) Justin Haley
23) Ryan Preece
24) Chase Briscoe
25) Michael McDowell
26) Austin Cindric
27) Corey LaJoie
28) Josh Berry
29) Noah Gragson
30) Todd Gilliland
31) Carson Hocevar
32) John Hunter Nemechek
33) Zane Smith
34) Daniel Hemric
35) Kaz Grala
36) Derek Kraus

As you can tell, there’s a bevy of racers who may come out victorious at Las Vegas, but only one will be the last man standing in Sin City. It’s bound to be an awesome show, and we’ll see how close these projections end up being when it’s all said and done for the NASCAR Cup Series this weekend.