Three big questions ahead of the Pennzoil 400 at Las Vegas

NASCAR will conclude its west coast swing with Sunday's Pennzoil 400 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, the first 1.5-mile race of the season.

Here are three big questions ahead of the fifth race of the 2026 Cup Series campaign.

Who can join short list of winners this season?

Until Ryan Blaney's heroic drive to win Sunday's race at Phoenix, Tyler Reddick was the only driver to visit Victory Lane through the first three races of the season, a feat that had never been accomplished in the sport.

After a pair of drafting-style tracks, a road course and a one-mile oval to begin the season, the 1.5-mile track in Sin City awaits drivers on Sunday, presenting the first intermediate test of the season.

While Reddick and Blaney have been competitive there, expect a third 2026 winner to potentially emerge on Sunday. Still searching for their first wins of the season, Kyle Larson (three) and William Byron (one) have combined for four wins at Las Vegas, while Joey Logano is a four-time winner and Denny Hamlin is the most recent victor in the fall 2025 race.

Another win from Reddick or Blaney would be no surprise to anyone, but don't count on it with so many past Las Vegas winners hungry for their first win of the season.

Can Chase Briscoe turn things around?

Aside from a runner-up finish at EchoPark Speedway, it has been a brutal start to the season for Briscoe, who has three finishes of 36th or worse. 

After retiring from the race at Circuit of The Americas with a transaxle issue, Briscoe was one of several drivers to experience tire issues in Sunday's race at Phoenix. Unlike the majority of the field, Briscoe's impact was too severe to continue, and he finished 37th despite running toward the front for much of the race.

It has not been for a lack of speed, but those results have put Briscoe in an early points hole. After dropping six spots to 33rd, he now finds himself 53 points outside the provisional Chase field. However, if the speed remains and Briscoe backs up his fourth-place finish from the fall Las Vegas race, the points should start to take care of themselves.

Will the standings continue to be shuffled?

Through four races, it is no surprise to see Reddick and Blaney at the top of the standings. However, Shane van Gisbergen (fifth), Michael McDowell (eighth), AJ Allmendinger (13th) and Daniel Suarez (17th) either find themselves among the top 16 or just on the outside looking in.

Known primarily for their road course pedigree, van Gisbergen (second), McDowell (fifth) and Allmendinger (ninth) each finished inside the top 10 at COTA, but have backed that up with enough points and solid finishes to be early-season surprises. Suarez does not have the finishes to show for the speed he has had, but he has been a bright spot so far as well.

With more traditional tracks coming up, though, expect drivers like Larson, Byron, Hamlin and Briscoe to be among those who start to gain some ground and overcome their slow starts.

While that will likely be the case as the season goes on, you cannot deny the success that some of the other drivers have had in their place. Despite that, expect the points to constantly keep changing as the top teams start putting more consistent results together.