A look at the weekly NASCAR Cup Series stock watch after the race at Las Vegas, including Denny Hamlin.
Sunday’s Pennzoil 400 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway marked the NASCAR Cup Series’ first race of the 2026 season on a 1.5-mile oval. The results that emerged carry added significance, as intermediate tracks make up a large portion of the schedule.
Denny Hamlin once again proved to be the master of the Sin City track, backing up his win here last fall with another victory on Sunday. Beyond the race winner, however, several notable trends and performances began to take shape.
With that in mind, here are three drivers or teams trending up and three trending down after Las Vegas.
NASCAR Cup Series Stock Watch After Las Vegas
📈 Stock Up
Viva La Hamlin
When it comes to Las Vegas Motor Speedway, Denny Hamlin continues to show he’s one of the drivers to beat. Sunday’s win marked his third victory at the track in his last 10 starts, with six finishes of eighth or better over that span.
As the surface has aged, Las Vegas has become a track that rewards tire management and in-race adjustments. Hamlin thrives in that environment, and the No. 11 car showed strong speed from the start, qualifying on the front row.
The win, however, was far from straightforward. A pit road speeding penalty at the end of Stage 1 sent Hamlin to the rear, but he methodically worked his way back through the field to finish fifth in Stage 2 before ultimately taking the victory.
With the win, Hamlin passed Kevin Harvick for 10th on the all-time NASCAR Cup Series wins list with 61, another milestone for one of the sport’s most consistent performers.
Joe Gibbs Racing Flexes in the Desert
The story for Joe Gibbs Racing in Las Vegas went far beyond Denny Hamlin’s victory. While a few other teams showed flashes of speed, the weekend largely belonged to Toyota’s flagship organization.
JGR set the tone in qualifying by locking out the top three spots on the starting grid, and that speed carried into Sunday’s race.
Hamlin wasn’t the only driver to overcome adversity. Ty Gibbs rebounded from a pit road penalty to finish fifth, while Chase Briscoe recovered from his own penalty that left him a lap down for much of the race to secure an eighth-place result. Christopher Bell, meanwhile, finished fourth and scored the second-most points of any driver.
In terms of pure speed, Hamlin, Gibbs and Bell ranked 1-2-3 in fastest laps, further reinforcing JGR’s dominance.
If this performance is any indication, Joe Gibbs Racing could be a major force on intermediate tracks throughout the season.
RFK Racing Carries Ford in Vegas
It was largely a difficult weekend for Ford teams, but RFK Racing stood out as a clear exception.
Chris Buescher led the way with a sixth-place finish, his best result at Las Vegas in the last six races. Brad Keselowski rebounded from a poor qualifying effort to finish 10th, while Ryan Preece spent much of the race inside the top 10 before coming home 11th.
What makes the performance even more notable is the context. With Team Penske struggling and no other Ford driver finishing better than 14th, RFK Racing effectively carried the manufacturer.
It’s a trend worth monitoring moving forward, especially since RFK showed similar strength at Las Vegas a year ago. That makes the organization particularly intriguing for NASCAR fantasy and betting purposes when the series returns later this season.
📉 Stock Down
Chevrolet Concerns Continue
While Hendrick Motorsports appears to be finding its footing with the new Chevrolet body, the rest of the manufacturer’s teams are still searching for answers.
Chevrolet placed three cars inside the top seven thanks to Chase Elliott, William Byron and Kyle Larson. Beyond that trio, however, the drop-off was steep. Outside of Austin Dillon in 12th, no other Chevrolet driver finished better than 17th in the Pennzoil 400.
In fact, much of the field outside the top 20 was filled with Bowties. Trackhouse Racing, expected to contend with Ross Chastain based on his Las Vegas track record, instead struggled to maintain lead-lap pace throughout the day.
Spire Motorsports, Kaulig Racing and portions of the Richard Childress Racing camp, including Kyle Busch, were also largely non-factors.
Growing pains were expected with this being the debut of the new body on an intermediate oval. However, the gap between Hendrick and the rest of the Chevrolet teams was alarming.
Adding to the concern, Chevrolet is now winless through the first five races of the season for just the third time since 2004.
Hometown Heroes Come Up Short
Las Vegas Motor Speedway is home turf for three NASCAR Cup Series drivers, but the Pennzoil 400 turned into a forgettable weekend for all of them.
Kyle Busch, the biggest name of the trio, saw his early-season struggles continue. He qualified 24th, finished 28th and spent much of the race one or more laps down. It was a puzzling showing for the No. 8 team, especially with Richard Childress Racing teammate Austin Dillon finishing 12th.
Riley Herbst also failed to capitalize on the home track narrative, slipping three spots from his starting position to finish 23rd. He was the lowest-finishing Toyota driver and continues to search for consistency in his second full-time NASCAR Cup Series season.
Noah Gragson at least moved forward from his starting position, but only marginally, climbing from 34th to 30th. He now sits 28th in the points standings, a disappointing start for a driver who entered the season with high hopes.
Hometown races are typically an opportunity for drivers to shine. For Busch, Herbst and Gragson, however, Las Vegas was a weekend to forget.
Josh Berry Falls Flat
It may be too early to draw sweeping conclusions, but Josh Berry’s 2025 win at Las Vegas is beginning to look more like an outlier than a trend.
Sunday’s performance offered little encouragement. Berry qualified 32nd and finished 31st, and with no DNF to blame, the result reflects a lack of pace throughout the race.
While this was only his third start at Las Vegas with Wood Brothers Racing, the broader track record is concerning. Berry has now finished 20th or worse in five of his six NASCAR Cup Series starts at the track.
Ford struggled across the board, but Berry was among the least competitive of the bunch. After another difficult outing, the No. 21 team now sits 32nd in the points standings heading into Darlington.
