What to know ahead of Saturday's NASCAR Xfinity Series race at Las Vegas

On Saturday, Las Vegas Motor Speedway will play host to the fifth race of the 2025 NASCAR Xfinity Series season. Here are the storylines you should be aware of before the Xfinity Series field tries their luck at LVMS. 

JR Motorsports locks out the podium on the starting grid 

It's not a risky bet to say that JR Motorsports will be fast on Saturday. After Connor Zilisch paced the field in practice, Sammy Smith won the pole for Saturday's race, with Carson Kvapil joining him on the front row. Zilisch will start third, with Justin Allgaier rolling off from the sixth position. JRM has an excellent shot to bring home the trophy on Saturday, and the battle for the win may come down to two of Dale Earnhardt Jr.'s drivers duking it out in Sin City. 

Sheldon Creed has work to do in order to earn first career win 

Sheldon Creed was fast in practice, and ended Friday's session second on the speed chart. Unfortunately, his qualifying lap wasn't quite as good. Creed will start 23rd on Sunday, and while his No. 00 Ford should have enough speed for him to make his way through the pack, a poor qualifying effort will make his path to victory lane much more narrow. 

Taylor Gray continues to lead the rookie charge 

Taylor Gray wasn't the odds-on favorite to be the Xfinity Series Rookie of the Year, but the 19-year-old has been consistently impressive through the first four races of his rookie campaign. Gray sits seventh in the standings with three top-10 finishes so far in 2025, and put together a great day of on-track activity on Friday. Gray was fourth-fastest in practice and qualified fourth, giving him an excellent shot to earn his second top-five effort of 2025 — or maybe, his first career win.