NASCAR Cup Series

Playoff Field Set… The 2018 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series (MENCS) Playoff field is set and first up on the postseason schedule is Las Vegas Motor Speedway. Camry drivers Kyle Busch, Martin Truex Jr., Erik Jones and Denny Hamlin will each contend for the title as they look to capture Toyota’s third-consecutive Cup Series manufacturer’s championship. Busch cemented his place in the title hunt when he locked up the regular-season championship earlier this week at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

To celebrate the 2018 NASCAR Playoffs™, NASCAR®, Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series™ race teams in collaboration with the Race Team Alliance and Twitter have unveiled customized hashtags and emojis for all 16 drivers competing for the 2018 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Championship™.

Las Vegas may not be the best place if you’re looking to change bad luck. But there could be an exception for Furniture Row Racing driver Martin Truex Jr., who will be among the 16 drivers competing in NASCAR’s opening playoff race Sunday at the 1.5-mile Las Vegas Motor Speedway (LVMS).

Las Vegas Preview: The Series heads West to Las Vegas for the first of 10 races in this year’s NASCAR playoffs. Hamlin looks to start the Playoffs on a high note, not only improving from his 17th place finish at Vegas in March, and aiming for a repeat of his first round victory at Chicago in 2015. Of his 13 races at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, Denny has finished in the top-five twice and has six top-10 finishes.

Harvick finished fourth at Indianapolis and is seeded second for the start of the playoffs, which begin at Las Vegas.

Kasey Kahne will continue to sit out from Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series competition this coming weekend in Las Vegas, as well as the upcoming series events at Richmond International Raceway and Charlotte Motor Speedway. This week the series travels west to Las Vegas Motor Speedway where temperatures for the weekend are projected to be around 100 degrees. The driver of the No. 95 Chevrolet with Leavine Family Racing continues to work with his physicians on a plan for his health.

Roush Fenway heads to one of its most storied tracks on the circuit this weekend at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, a place where Jack Roush has seen 16 victories. In Xfinity and Cup action alone, RFR has 40 top-five and 76 top-10 finishes at the 1.5-mile oval.

Bayne will make his ninth career Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series (MENCS) start at Las Vegas this weekend. In eight previous races, Bayne has an average finish of 18.8 with one top-10.

Stenhouse has six-career Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series (MENCS) starts at Las Vegas with an average starting position of 16.0 and average finishing position of 22.2.

AJ ALLMENDINGER, NO. 47 KROGER CLICKLIST CAMARO ZL1 LAS VEGAS MOTOR SPEEDWAY TRACK CONDITIONS FROM SPRING TO SUMMER: "Heading to Las Vegas Motor Speedway this weekend, we already know it's going to be really hot there," Allmendinger said.