NASCAR South Point 400 takeaways: Chase Briscoe fends off Kyle Larson, Tyler Reddick in thrilling Las Vegas finish

Briscoe led a race-high 175 of the 267 laps to pick up his second win of the season (Chicagoland), his first at Las Vegas and the seventh of his Cup Series career. By virtue of the win and the 75-point day, Briscoe is now 84 points back of Larson in sixth and certainly in position to make one last title push if he continues to have strong runs.

Massive rallies for Kyle Larson, Tyler Reddick

Both drivers found themselves in contention for the race win, but it was a trying day from the drop of the green flag. For Larson, who was driving a tribute scheme to the late Kyle Busch, an ill-handling car put him a lap down in the early going and led to a lengthy stop, only for Denny Hamlin to give up the lead during the race's first caution and allow him to get his lap back.

Reddick, meanwhile, had alternator issues and made a stop while pit road was closed to change the battery during the Stage 1 break. While it looked like it could be a repeat of recent weeks when Reddick has constantly played from behind the 8-ball, he, too, overcame the issues to salvage a decent finish.

Larson remains atop the standings by 40 points over Hamlin after a day that could have gone much worse. Although Reddick did not change his Chase outlook as he trails Larson by 106 points in seventh, he was at least in position to win the race, which is more than he has been able to say lately.

Denny Hamlin lets a massive opportunity slip away

Following Kyle Larson's dominant win at Kansas, Hamlin entered Sunday's race at Las Vegas facing a 26-point deficit for the championship lead. As the winner of the two most recent "Sin City" showdowns and the pole winner, this seemed like a perfect opportunity for Hamlin to respond.

Hamlin started strong, but as the opening stage came to a close, he lost control and spun in Turn 4 while running fourth on Lap 78. NASCAR surprisingly elected not to throw the caution as Hamlin ended up giving away valuable points.

The decision to pit under the first caution and give Larson the ability to get his lap back proved costly in the end, as did the self-inflicted spin and fuel pressure issues at the beginning of the final stage. Still, Hamlin is just 40 points back and one strong race away from regaining the points lead that once seemed his to lose.

Power steering issues derail Christopher Bell's race

Bell was second in Stage 1, third in Stage 2 and appeared to be a race-winning contender, only for power steering issues to begin rearing their head midway through the race. Bell eventually faded to 23rd and left Las Vegas third in points (-55), leaving him wondering what could have been.