NASCAR race today at Las Vegas: Start time, TV, streaming, lineup for South Point 400

When the checkered flag drops on the evening of Sunday, Oct. 2 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, the postseason Chase for the NASCAR Cup Series championship will be halfway over. Heading into the South Point 400, Kyle Larson is the leader at the top of the standings with a 26-point edge over regular seas

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What is the story about?

When the checkered flag drops on the evening of Sunday, Oct. 2 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, the postseason Chase for the NASCAR Cup Series championship will be halfway over.

Heading into the South Point 400, Kyle Larson is the leader at the top of the standings with a 26-point edge over regular season champion Denny Hamlin, but Hamlin is the pole-sitter for Sunday’s race and will aim to win a third consecutive race at Las Vegas.

And for all the talk after Larson’s win at Kansas about the dominance of Toyota fading on mile-and-a-half tracks, Hamlin will lead a fleet of them at the front of the pack to start the race. The top four spots in qualifying all went to Toyota drivers for Joe Gibbs Racing, with Ty Gibbs, Chase Briscoe and Christopher Bell

filling in behind Hamlin. It’s the first time ever that all four JGR cars have swept the top spots in qualifying.

The fifth spot went to a Toyota too, with Tyler Reddick’s No. 45 earning that placement for 23XI Racing — the team Hamlin co-owns.

Larson will start sixth in his No. 5 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet.

“The races that we've really succeeded well here, we've started up front. Today was executed by the team perfectly, how we approached the week, and the adjustments we made to the car for temperature seemed to be really good changes,” Hamlin said after winning the pole. “I like my car today, and hopefully, I'll like it (Sunday), but obviously, the track position certainly matters, and we got to keep it.”

Chase drivers make up the top 14 spots in the starting lineup for Sunday’s race. The two outliers, Team Penske drivers Ryan Blaney and Joey Logano, will start 20th and 23rd, respectively. To remain in the hunt for the championship, it would go a long way for both drivers to climb to the front of the pack, rack up stage points and salvage solid finishes. The third Penske driver in the Chase, Austin Cindric, will start seventh in his No. 2 Ford.

If the Penske Fords can tread water this week and next — another mile-and-a-half at Charlotte — they’ll get three historically strong tracks for them in a row at Phoenix, Talladega and Martinsville.

“It can change just as quick if someone else gets hot at the right time. We’ve seen it. We’ve lived it,” Logano said this week. “I’ve got a race ahead of me that I’m fully focused on. (It's) hard to be someone that looks more than one week ahead. I’ve got to get through this race at Vegas first.”

The non-Chase driver that a lot of folks will have their eyes on this weekend is Brad Keselowski, following the news this week that he will be leaving the team he co-owns — RFK Racing — at the end of the season. Keselowski, a Cup Series champion in 2012, remained mostly tight-lipped as to why the relationship between him and others in ownership fizzled.

“There’s a lot I can’t talk about at this time. It’s got to play out, but it’s been a hell of a ride. I’ve enjoyed everything I’ve gotten to do with RFK and my career is not over by any means,” Keselowski said Saturday. “I’ve had a pretty good idea that this was in the works for the last few months. I’ve had a few people reach out before then and I’m just kind of gathering all the opportunities to see what makes sense and then we’ll make a decision in the next couple of months or so.”

Here’s everything you need to know about the South Point 400 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway:

What time does the NASCAR race at Las Vegas start?

The South Point 400 is scheduled to start at 5:30 p.m. ET on Sunday, Oct. 4, at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.

What TV channel is the NASCAR race at Las Vegas on?

The South Point 400 will be broadcast on USA Network. Pre-race coverage will start at 5 p.m. ET.

Leigh Diffey will have the call alongside analysts Jeff Burton and Steve Letarte, while Dale Jarrett will offer additional analysis from the pit box. Burton and Letarte will join host Marty Snider and former Coca-Cola 600 winner Kyle Petty on pre- and post-race shows. Former Daytona 500 winner Trevor Bayne will be the pace-car analyst.

Will there be a live stream of the NASCAR race at Las Vegas?

Subscribers to YouTube TV, Hulu + Live TV and Sling TV can watch the South Point 400 through those services.

HBO Max will continue to provide live streams of in-car cameras, while PRN will carry the live radio broadcast.

Kyle Busch tributes planned for NASCAR race at Las Vegas

The late Kyle Busch, a two-time champion of NASCAR's top-level Cup Series who suddenly died on May 21 at the age of 41, was a native of Las Vegas. Kyle and his brother Kurt, the 2004 champion and Hall of Famer, grew up racing in the area, learning racecraft from their father Tom, who was a local mechanic and short-track racer.

Las Vegas Motor Speedway has renamed two roads near the track — Rowdy Road and Busch Brothers Drive — in honor of Kyle and his family. Kurt Busch will be the pace car driver for Sunday’s South Point 400.

Additionally, Kyle Larson — who Kyle Busch playfully called “Tiny Kyle” — will drive his No. 5 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet with a throwback scheme that draws inspiration from the Kellogg’s-sponsored car Busch ran when he first broke into the Cup Series with Hendrick.

The Kyle Larson Kyle Busch throwback unloads at Las Vegas pic.twitter.com/RVwiZI2bpC
— Matt Weaver (@MattWeaverRA) October 3, 2026

“He got a few wins in that paint scheme,” Larson said. “Thankfully, everybody at HendrickCars.com and Hendrick Motorsports were all on board. It’s a beautiful paint scheme, and definitely I think for everybody, it brings back some cool memories. Excited to get it on track at his home track and hopefully have a good weekend.”

Las Vegas Motor Speedway will have a “Moment of Rowdy” during lap 8 of the race, where Busch highlights will be shown on the videoboard. A billboard that says “Rowdy Forever” will overlook turn 4.

How many laps is the NASCAR race at Las Vegas?

The South Point 400 is 267 laps around the 1.5-mile asphalt oval for a total of 400.5 miles. The race will have three segments (laps per stage) — Stage 1: 80 laps; Stage 2: 85 laps; Stage 3: 102 laps.

Who won the last NASCAR race at Las Vegas?

Denny Hamlin has won the last two races at Las Vegas, winning there earlier this season in March and taking the checkered flag last fall. Meanwhile, points leader Kyle Larson has three victories at the track and Joey Logano is the active leader for wins at Las Vegas with four.