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The Friday 5: Pennzoil 400

In the inaugural issue of the Friday 5, Dirt takes a look at five drivers he will be looking to run well as the NASCAR Cup Series races in Las Vegas this week.

Mr. Smith

Welcome to the Friday 5 where I talk about which drivers I like on Friday to do well on Sunday.

This week’s race takes place in the desert outskirts overlooking Sin City. Last year’s victor Alex Bowman will look to repeat his late-race heroics to bring home another trophy.

The most recent event at the track hosted the opening race for the 2022 Round of 8, and after a tense battle with Ross Chastain, Joey Logano took the Yellow Submarine to victory lane en route to his second championship at Phoenix three weeks later.

Now that the stage is set, here are the five drivers to watch come Sunday afternoon.

1. Kyle Busch

This may seem like an easy choice for this weekend based on his win at Fontana last week, and yeah, you’d be right!

However there are deeper reasons than that. Let’s explore them.

Vegas was a very good track last year for RCR, with Tyler Reddick and Austin Dillon scoring top-10s in both races at the track.

Though Reddick got the pole for the fall event, neither RCR driver had the same level of success as Rowdy.

Despite spinning at last year’s Pennzoil 400, the Las Vegas native bounced back to put himself in a position to win the spring race with less than three laps to go, but much like this year’s Daytona 500, a late caution put Kyle behind the 8 ball, only able to get back to 4th as Bowman and Larson dueled for the win.

Though not as strong as in the spring, Kyle rebounded from yet another spin to take home the bronze, again playing spectator to the two leaders fighting ahead of him.

Now equipped with a committed race team behind him, Kyle has gone from behind the 8 ball to being the 8 ball. His statement win last week in Fontana was simply capitalizing on a good run as the team showed race-winning speed at Daytona and at the Coliseum.

Like I tweeted earlier this week, Kyle Busch locked into the Playoffs this early is very, very dangerous for the rest of the field. Homecooking might be on the menu for Rowdy as he rolls the dice in Vegas.

2. Bubba Wallace

Bubba Wallace waits to jump into his car before a Cup Series race.

The senior driver at 23XI Racing pushed himself into the conversation last fall, winning stage one before a push from Kyle Larson led to Wallace scraping the wall.

The ensuing melee saw Wallace hook Larson’s right rear and send both drivers into the wall, collecting playoff driver Christopher Bell. Wallace emerged from his crumpled Camry, walking over to Larson’s car to continue their discussion.

We all know the rest.

That incident aside, Bubba showed speed there in the spring as well, scoring stage points and running in the top-10 before being hit by Erik Jones’ car (must’ve forgot about his brakes after hitting the wall.)

The 23XI bunch brought a hot rod to Fontana for Bubba, and it looked like he might write a Hollywood ending to the 2mi oval. The event soon turned to tragedy as his engine went sour in the third stage, knocking the Leidos Camry out of the race.

I have no doubt Bubba will field questions about the Vegas incident this weekend, and I have no doubt he will answer them with concision, candor, and class. Having the right mindset coming into this weekend mentally will prove pivotal in the race, and I count on Bubba to succeed.

3. Ty Gibbs

Ty Gibbs stands on the side of his car after winning the 2022 Alsco 300, his first career race at the track in the Xfinity Series.

Look, I’m not happy about it either, but I am mature enough to recognize that Ty Gibbs is an immense natural talent.

The kid is fast.

He proved this by winning in all three Xfinity races I personally attended last year, including the spring Vegas race.*

In his first event at the track, Gibbs won at the aged, multigroove intermediate, and he was fast again in his second trip, winning a stage and finishing 4th.

Toyota’s prowess on the intermediates was plainly evident in 2022, and given Gibbs’ natural talent, I think he can grab some stage points.

Consider bidding for 54 Black on Sunday.

*Editor’s note: May as well called it the winter Vegas race because the Xfinity race was inexplicably stopped due to snow flurries. In Las Vegas, Nevada. Then again, it is by the mountains. And early March is still technically winter, I suppose. Ah well, nevertheless!

4. Kevin Harvick

Kevin Harvick burns it down after winning in the 2018 spring race at Vegas. This was also the race where Harvick’s rear window flexed.

A pair of 12th-place runs last year will not immediately pop off the page as a contender, but Kevin Harvick and Rodney Childers know how to get it done in Vegas.

They’ve only genuinely lacked pace in the spring 2021 event where they ran 20th all race and finished there. Outside of that, last year’s two 12th-place runs were his only finishes outside the top-10 at the track.*

He still got stage points in those races, so he clearly showed some speed. The #4 team just failed to close the deal.

I don’t expect that to be the case for Harvick and Childers this year.

On the third stop of the No Fucks Given Tour, Happy will be thirsty for victory, and they’ll be a force to be reckoned with as the race approaches champagne hours.

*Editor’s note: Why yes, I do know that Harvick has four finishes outside the top-30 at Vegas, but we’re talking pace. He was running well before he lost tires in all of those races, and they always bounced back with speed on their next visit.

5. Brad Keselowski

Brad Keselowski soaks in his 2018 victory at Vegas in one of the hottest races in recent memory.

RFK Racing faced another treacherous battle in the Coliseum where it saw its two warriors defeated. Down but not out, they rolled into Daytona with two of the fastest cars in Florida.

Keselowski and Buescher put themselves in a position to win at Daytona, but circumstances got in their way as the laps disappeared and patience thinned.

Still, a strong showing after two separate trips to the infield couldn’t deter Bad Brad in the Golden State, gaining ground on every car ahead of him in the final run to end the day with an impressive 7th.

I get the sense people must’ve forgotten that Brad went 10 straight races at Vegas where he finished no lower than 7th, tacking on two wins in that stretch.

I haven’t forgotten though.

Brad will find a way to get a top-10. He will be fighting to score as many points as possible this year now that he’s firmly tested the limits of the NextGen car at several points last year.

RFK has more reliable speed to start 2023, and with Brad’s sterling track record in the Sin City, I’d expect Brad to contend for a stage win and a top-5.

Dirt’s Favorite: Joey Logano

Joey Logano pumps his fist after winning the 2022 fall race at Vegas that locked him into the Championship Race where he won his 2nd title.

He’s won here three times over the past four seasons, and he’s gotten a good start to 2023. Look for him to capitalize on his championship momentum to solidify his ability to properly defend his title.

Risky Business: Ryan Blaney

Big fan of YRB, but like many tracks on the circuit, he knows how to run well here. He just doesn’t know how to finish. Similar to a popular TV trope, it’s always the Will They?/Won’t They? charade with Blaney and Vegas. Will Blaney finally put it together? Sadly, I wouldn’t bet on it.

Dark Horse: Daniel Suarez

A good run in the spring was foiled by Chase Briscoe and Erik Jones, and tight racing with Tyler Reddick got in the way of a good run in the fall. With more confidence this season, I don’t think the lights will be too bright for Daniel this weekend.

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