The 2025 NASCAR Cup Series playoffs have entered their most electrifying phase, with the Round of 8 set to ignite at Las Vegas Motor Speedway this weekend. The stakes? Nothing less than a coveted ticket to the Championship 4 at Phoenix and a shot at hoisting the Bill France Cup. Only the elite remain—eight drivers, all hailing from powerhouse organizations: Hendrick Motorsports, Joe Gibbs Racing, and Team Penske. The field is stacked with proven champions, hungry hopefuls, and a few wild cards who could upset the balance in Sin City.
Chevrolet’s presence is impossible to ignore. The Bowtie brand boasts three Hendrick Motorsports drivers—Kyle Larson, Chase Elliott, and William Byron—still in the hunt. These drivers are no strangers to the bright lights of Las Vegas, with each having tasted victory at this very track. Larson, in particular, has made Las Vegas his personal playground, notching three wins and two runner-up finishes over just nine races. According to Chevrolet’s own statistics, "Las Vegas Motor Speedway will forever hold a special place in Larson’s Cup Series career – being the site of his first win with Hendrick Motorsports (March 2021)." Since then, the No. 5 team has been a force to reckon with at the 1.5-mile Nevada oval.
Yet, Larson’s journey this season hasn’t been all smooth sailing. He started the playoffs with a shaky opening round but rebounded spectacularly in the Round of 12, stringing together top-seven finishes and entering Las Vegas fourth in the playoff rankings, just four points above the cut line. His series-best average finish of 9.389 at Las Vegas makes him a clear favorite, but as any NASCAR fan knows, nothing is guaranteed under the neon lights.
Chase Elliott, the 2020 champion, is riding a wave of momentum after a dramatic win at Kansas Speedway just two weeks ago. He’s proven at tracks like Martinsville and Phoenix, both of which feature prominently in the playoff schedule. Still, Elliott faces an uphill battle, starting the Round of 8 in a 14-point deficit due to a lack of playoff points. His team has struggled to find raw speed, meaning Elliott may have to rely on gutsy late-race moves if he wants to keep his title hopes alive.
William Byron, meanwhile, has been the picture of consistency throughout the regular season, leading the full-season points standings. His resume includes wins at Las Vegas, Martinsville, and Phoenix, all critical venues in this playoff stretch. However, Byron’s recent form has raised eyebrows—he’s led just 146 laps over the past 16 races, with 141 of those coming in a single race at Iowa. If he’s to advance, he may need to rely on points rather than outright race wins, and even then, he’d be an underdog against the likes of Penske and Gibbs.
On the Joe Gibbs Racing side, Christopher Bell enters as perhaps the steadiest hand in the series. Bell won at Phoenix in the spring, leads the series in average finish, and has racked up four wins this season. He’s currently riding a streak of five consecutive top-10s, making him a strong bet to return to the Championship 4 after missing out in controversial fashion last year. Yet, Bell starts the round just four points below the cut line, and his 282 laps led this season pale in comparison to some of his rivals. Teammates Denny Hamlin and Chase Briscoe have often shown more race-dominating pace.
Denny Hamlin, a perennial contender, enters the Round of 8 with the best points position after a clutch win at Martinsville earlier in the year. He came up just half a car length short of beating Bell at Phoenix back in March, underscoring his championship credentials. However, Hamlin’s recent missteps—and the distraction of his 23XI Racing team’s ongoing lawsuit against NASCAR—could threaten his bid for a long-awaited first title. As one analyst quipped, "Hamlin has been his own worst enemy over the past three weeks."
Chase Briscoe, also of Joe Gibbs Racing, is flying under the radar but shouldn’t be overlooked. The Indiana native owns a Phoenix victory from 2022 and has been on a tear since midseason. Still, Briscoe has never made a Championship 4 appearance, and with a 14-point deficit to start, his margin for error is razor-thin. The question remains: is he truly ready for the spotlight?
Team Penske’s duo rounds out the field. Ryan Blaney, despite suffering seven DNFs this season—many due to sheer bad luck—has been among the best drivers all year and is favored at each of the last three tracks. Penske’s playoff pedigree is undeniable, but Blaney’s path is fraught with potential pitfalls. "Random strokes of bad luck happen, and no one would know that better than Blaney," one commentator noted. If he stumbles at Las Vegas or gets caught up in the chaos at Talladega, his hopes could evaporate quickly.
Joey Logano, the master of playoff magic, finds himself 24 points below the cut line entering Las Vegas. He advanced to the Round of 8 on the last lap at the Charlotte ROVAL, and his history at both Talladega and Phoenix is formidable. But Logano has had the weakest season of any remaining playoff driver, and he may need to win outright to advance. As the saying goes, "It’s an odd-numbered year, so the streak must continue someway and somehow." Can Logano defy the odds once again?
The unpredictability of Las Vegas can’t be overstated. Tire wear, strategy gambles, and multi-groove racing promise a wild ride. Non-playoff drivers like Ross Chastain, Bubba Wallace, and Shane van Gisbergen could play spoiler, potentially altering the playoff picture. Chastain, who missed the Round of 8 by a hair, said, "We still get to compete for wins and our cars are getting better so even though we aren’t fighting for a championship, we are still competing for wins."
Chevrolet’s dominance extends beyond the Cup Series. In the Xfinity Series, five Chevy drivers remain in the title hunt, with Connor Zilisch holding a record 57-point lead over the playoff cut line. As both the Cup and Xfinity Series descend on Las Vegas, the manufacturer’s historical strength at this track—13 Cup wins, including three straight in the Next Gen era—looms large.
With the first ticket to the Championship 4 on the line, all eyes will be on Las Vegas Motor Speedway this weekend. Will a favorite punch their ticket, or will the unpredictable Nevada night deal a surprise? One thing’s for sure: the drama is just getting started.
