TEAM CHEVY ADVANCE
Las Vegas Motor Speedway
March 14-15, 2026

For the first time this season, NASCAR will face a traditional intermediate oval with the Cup and O’Reilly Auto Parts Series wrapping up its two-race west coast swing at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.

Situated just outside the famed Las Vegas Strip, the 1.5-mile oval will host two events for both divisions this season, with the pair heading back to the venue in October to mark the halfway point of the Chase. With an undefeated season to its name, Chevrolet will look to match its record season-opening win streak with five-straight trips to victory lane in Saturday’s ‘The LiUNA!’. The weekend will culminate on Sunday with NASCAR’s premier series in the Pennzoil 400 presented by Jiffy Lube.

 Chevrolet in the NASCAR Cup Series at Las Vegas:

Itching for its first win in NASCAR’s top division this season, Chevrolet’s numbers in the Next Gen era at Las Vegas Motor Speedway prove the manufacturer will be ones to watch this weekend. Among Chevrolet’s 13 trips to victory lane at the 1.5-mile Nevada oval, four have come in the series’ Next Gen era to lead its manufacturer competitors. Most recently, it was reigning champion, Kyle Larson, that added to Chevrolet’s triumphant tally at the track during the 2024 spring date. With his three wins, Larson lands second on the series’ all-time wins list for active drivers at the track.

LARSON WITH A STEADY CLIMB

Despite a tumultuous start to his championship-defending campaign, Kyle Larson and the No. 5 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet team are back to proving that they’re a consistent threat. The 33-year-old Elk Grove, California, native put together a season-best qualifying effort and finishing result at Phoenix Raceway last weekend – starting second en route to a third-place finish. With back-to-back top-six results, Larson has entered the top-10 of the points standings for the first time this season as the Team Chevy driver heads to a track where he exudes confidence. In 10 Cup Series starts at Las Vegas Motor Speedway with Hendrick Motorsports, Larson has made three trips to victory lane, with arguably his most notable win coming in March 2021 to mark his first triumph with the organization. In the Next Gen era, Larson has produced a staggering eight top-nine results at the Nevada venue, including two additional victories and three runner-up finishes.

EARLY SEASON CONSISTENCY FOR THE NO. 71 TEAM

A strong Saturday turned into yet another valiant effort by Michael McDowell and the No. 71 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet team at Phoenix Raceway last weekend. Despite being plagued with a tire issue near the halfway point of the race, the Travis Peterson-led team rebounded to take home a ninth-place finish to mark back-to-back top-10 results. The performance was enough for McDowell to make yet another move up the points rankings, with the Glendale, Arizona, native heading to Las Vegas Motor Speedway sitting eighth in the standings. McDowell has just two starts at the 1.5-mile Nevada oval under the Spire Motorsports banner – earning 16th-place results in each appearance to mark his career best finish at the track. While their Saturday speed has been prevalent this season, expect that to be no different this weekend with the No. 71 team returning to the track as the event’s defending pole winner.

 ON THE HORIZON OF A RECORD-SETTING OPENING TO THE NOAPS SEASON

It’s been a commanding performance by the Chevrolet camp to start the 2026 NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series season. Team Chevy veteran, Justin Allgaier, made his first trip to victory lane this season at Phoenix Raceway to extend the manufacturer’s season-opening win streak to four-straight heading into the Las Vegas race weekend. A win in Saturday’s 300-mile event would match Chevrolet’s best season-opening win streak in the series of five-straight – a feat earned during the 1994 season. Allgaier is the fourth different Chevrolet driver to earn an early trip to victory lane this season. His triumph was celebrated by a Team Chevy sweep of the top-14 finishing positions. This marks the second time this season that the Bowtie brigade stormed the top of the leaderboard, with the manufacturer also taking the top-20 results in the series’ season-opener at Daytona International Speedway.

PAGING A NEW LEADER

With a race-high 69-point day and a trip to victory lane, JR Motorsports’ Justin Allgaier was able to make a jump up two positions to take over the points lead heading into the Las Vegas race weekend. The 39-year-old Riverton, Illinois, native returns to the Nevada venue as the defending winner of the track’s spring event, making him a shoo-in to become the series’ first two-time winner of the season. But it’s his career stats at Las Vegas Motor Speedway that sets him apart from much of the field. In 23 career NOAPS starts at the track, Allgaier has racked up 20 top-10 finishes, including a streak of nine-straight.

LOVE STACKING STATS

Jesse Love and the No. 2 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet team logged their season-best performance at Phoenix Raceway – tallying top-two points in both stages, a race-high 114 laps led en route to a strong runner-up finish. The effort was enough to keep the reigning champion second in the series’ points standings and just three-points behind the points leader and fellow Team Chevy driver, Justin Allgaier. His championship-defending season has been strong right out of the gate with Love still boasting as the only driver to finish in the top-10 in each event this season. The Menlo Park, California, native has a short but stout resume at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. In his past three appearances at the track, Love has recorded top-six results and points in each stage.

 BOWTIE BULLETS:

· Active Chevrolet drivers with a NASCAR Cup Series win at Las Vegas Motor Speedway:

Kyle Larson – three wins (Mar. 2021, Oct. 2023, Mar. 2024)
William Byron – one win (Mar. 2023)
Alex Bowman – one win (Mar. 2022)
Kyle Busch – one win (Mar. 2009)

· In 36 NASCAR Cup Series races held at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, Chevrolet has recorded 13 victories – four of which have come in the Next Gen era.

· Chevrolet enters the Las Vegas Motor Speedway race weekend undefeated in the NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series with four-straight victories. A win in Saturday’s event would tie the manufacturer’s record of five-straight season-opening victories earned during the 1994 season.

· In 148 points-paying races in the NASCAR Cup Series Next Gen era, Chevrolet leads all manufacturers with 67 victories – a winning percentage of 45.3%.

· Chevrolet is coming off its 29th all-time sweep of the NASCAR Cup Series championship titles – capturing its 34th driver championship and 44th, and fifth consecutive, manufacturer championship in 2025.

· With its 44 NASCAR Cup Series manufacturer championships, 34 NASCAR Cup Series driver championships, and 881 all-time NASCAR Cup Series wins, Chevrolet continues to hold the title as the winningest brand in NASCAR Cup Series history.

 
TUNE-IN:

NASCAR Cup Series

Pennzoil 400 presented by Jiffy Lube

Sunday, Mar. 15, at 4 p.m. ET

FS1, PRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90

NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series

The LiUNA!

Saturday, Mar. 14, at 5:30 p.m. ET

CW, PRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90

 
QUOTABLE QUOTES:

Austin Dillon, No. 3 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet

What are your thoughts on Las Vegas Motor Speedway?

“Las Vegas Motor Speedway is a great mile-and-a-half. The track is rough through Turns 1 and 2, and you have to be able to cut through the bumps. Restarts are wild, too. Vegas is an awesome place to go.”

What makes Las Vegas Motor Speedway a race every fan should experience in person?

“Obviously, the atmosphere at Las Vegas Motor Speedway is pretty cool. You get the nightlife and the fun that goes on in the city, and it just naturally translates over to the track. I feel like the racing is really good. The groove has spread out over the years. The track has a lot of character. It’s a cool track.”

What’s the biggest win you’ve had on or off the track at Las Vegas Motor Speedway? 

“It’s hard to choose between my NASCAR Truck Series win and my NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series win there. I loved my NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series win in the No. 33 racing Ryan Blaney in the Penske car at the end of the race in 2015. Nick Harrison was the crew chief, and he decided to keep me out. We dominated the entire race, and when the caution came out, we stayed out but Blaney came to pit road to get tires. Nick lied to me and told me that no one got tires. All of the sudden, I’m having to race Blaney with what I’ve got. I blocked him all the way to the grass in that race and was able to win it on older tires. After the race, Nick just said, ‘I told you we’d be all right,’ and I was like, ‘what do you mean?’, and he told me Blaney had tires behind me. I was glad he didn’t say anything during the race. I knew as dominant as we had been all day, that when Blaney caught me as fast as he did, that I was in a situation and there was no way we were on even tires. It was just a ‘it is what it is’ situation, and I hoped that his stuff fell off.”

Daniel Suarez, No. 7 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet

What makes Las Vegas so exciting and challenging?

“Vegas is exciting because it has a lot of character. It’s a mile-and-a-half racetrack with lots of options. You can run the middle, the bottom, or the top. It sits out in the middle of the desert, so it can get pretty windy. The car is very sensitive to the wind, and those conditions can change quite a bit, which makes it a challenge. The wind and weather in Las Vegas is also pretty unpredictable, so you just have to be able to feel the car and figure things out as the race goes on.”

You finished second at Las Vegas last Spring. What’s the biggest win you’ve gotten in Vegas, whether that be a personal victory at the casino or a good run at the racetrack?

“I’m not a gambler. The only place I gamble is at the racetrack. Finishing second last year was very painful. Sometimes it’s almost better to finish fifth than second because second is just so close – especially the way I finished. I feel like there were a couple of things we could have done differently, but that’s racing. You live and learn. Vegas has been a good place for me in the past, and I’m looking forward to going back.”

Kyle Busch, No. 8 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet

What makes this track unique to its other 1.5-mile brethren? 

“I would say what’s cool about Vegas and makes it a little bit different from the other mile and a half racetracks out there is the banking. It’s probably banked more than some of the others and it lends itself to some really good racing. A lot of the other mile and a half racetracks have sort of been repaved over the years with progressive banking, but this one still has standard banking, but it races really well. You can run bottom, middle, top, it kind of depends where your car works well.”

How does having multiple grooves play into the driver’s hands having a choice at a track like this to find clean air and keep momentum?

“Anytime you go to any of these racetracks you’re always fighting clean air. The leader always has the advantage, but if you’re in traffic you want to be able to find a groove that works for you outside of their wake. So being able to run bottom, or being able to run top and having that maneuverability within your racecar, but also you to kind of change your lines is really important to put on a good race.”

What is the vibe of the Las Vegas racetrack and how do you experience that as a driver there?

“I think it’s a really cool vibe at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway. Not only do you get some of the nightlife there, but you get the racetrack as well, the neon garage with all of its access, the fan area as well with everything going on out there, driver appearances, stage appearances, cool celebrities coming out to that race sometimes. So, it’s a really neat race to be apart of, and you should come check it out.”

AJ Allmendinger, No. 16 Kaulig Racing Chevrolet

“I think Las Vegas Motor Speedway has probably always been our best mile-and-a-half racetrack, along with Homestead-Miami Speedway. It’s a really fast track. In Turns 1 and 2, you’ve got to get through the bumps, and in Turns 3 and 4, depending on how warm it is, it can get really slick. It’s a track where we have good notes and a setup we can rely on from the past. Hopefully, we can go there and, as always, unload super quick, only have to make small adjustments, and put together another solid race.”

Cole Custer, No. 41 Haas Factory Team Chevrolet

“Las Vegas is the first intermediate track of the year, so everybody is excited, seeing this package for the first time of the year and seeing what we can do out there with our HaasTooling.com Chevrolet Camaro. Also, with it being as hot as it is going to be in Vegas this time, the track surface is going to be hot and slick, with people sliding around, so it’s going to be interesting to see who handles that the best.”

Ricky Stenhouse Jr., No. 47 Hyak Motorsports Chevrolet

“Vegas is always a fun track, and it’s great to have NOS Energy on the car for the first time this season. Our team has been working hard to bring a fast car, and hopefully we can kick things off with a strong run this weekend.”

Cody Ware, No. 51 Rick Ware Racing Chevrolet

“Vegas is one of my favorite tracks to go to on the schedule. It’s one of the few 1.5-mile tracks that we go to that I feel has remained mostly unchanged in the last 10 years. It’s got a lot of character. Being out in the desert, it can be a little bit dusty, and you have some pretty significant bumps, especially over in the corners. You have to be very cognizant of your corner entry and the line you’re taking because if you hit those bumps in turns one and two just the wrong way, it could end your day pretty quickly. And with the different lines you can run, you can find ways to make the car work for you even if your car isn’t exactly where you want it. If you don’t have a good handle on your car, there’s about a lane-and-a-half you can use in turns one and two. But if your car is handling well, you can take those bumps aggressively. That opens up a lot of racing opportunities from the bottom of the racetrack all the way to the wall.”

Michael McDowell, No. 71 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet

You’ve earned back-to-back top-10 finishes over the last two weeks. What are you expecting to see at the first 1.5-mile track this season?

“We have some good momentum going into this weekend but Las Vegas is one of those tracks that really shows where you’re at as a team. These 1.5-mile tracks will tell a lot about our cars and our program. This West Coast swing is the perfect chance to see how far we’ve come and show the time we put in during the offseason. I’m proud of the effort from everyone at Spire Motorsports. All three cars are in a competitive points position, and I’m ready to see our 1.5-mile package. We have had decent speed there in the last few years and sat on the pole last March. Now, with more experience and a bigger book of notes, we’re ready to build on this momentum going into Vegas.”

Carson Hocevar, No. 77 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet

What are you most looking forward to heading to Las Vegas?

“I am excited to get to Las Vegas this weekend. While I think we show speed and can compete up front anywhere, we proved last year we really excel at the intermediates, including the mile-and-a-halves. We won the pole at Texas, started on the front row at Charlotte, and had good speed at Vegas last year. They are my favorite tracks and I am expecting to be really competitive come Sunday.”

Connor Zilisch, No. 88 Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet

You will be driving a special paint scheme at Las Vegas to celebrate the Jockey 150th Anniversary…

“We’ve got a cool looking old car this weekend to celebrate Jockey’s 150th Anniversary. this weekend at Las Vegas. The gold paint scheme really stands out. Jockey has built a strong partnership with Trackhouse Racing over the years, and I’m grateful for the opportunity to represent them on the No. 88 this weekend. Hopefully we can make the most of it and kind of turn our year around.”

What is the key to running well at Las Vegas?

“Las Vegas is fast. We’re going to be pretty much wide-open in qualifying, and I think managing the air is going to be a huge thing. You’ve got to find ways to get yourself in clean air and give your car the best chance you can and also manage the track. The groove moves around a lot throughout the run and where you’re running on the racetrack. Staying on top of that and being versatile is important.”

Does that track at Las Vegas change over the course of a race?

“It’s definitely something that you have to look out for. Vegas is different every time we go there. The wind is a big factor. It can really affect the car and the way it drives. It’s hard going to Vegas because you never know what it’s going to be like because it’s different every time. The weather is a huge factor, and it varies a lot every time we go there. I feel like every time I’ve been there it’s either 40 degrees and freezing or it’s 90 degrees and hot. This weekend is going to be a hotter one but I’m excited for that and looking forward to seeing how it changes and just the differential in what the track is going to be like.”

Phoenix began a stretch of seven races at tracks that are also going to be in the Chase later this season. How important is it to run well over the next several weeks?

“It’s important because you’re going to be coming back to these races in the fall, at least a lot of them, so it’s important to get a good baseline on what you need when you come back. For me especially going to a lot of these places for the first time in the Cup car the notes we’re building are crucial. Although you might not have great days, you’ve got to be sure to make the most of it and learn. A lot of what you feel and talk about it going to be important when you come back later in the fall.”

You are racing for JR Motorsports on Saturday at Las Vegas. How do you balance the differences between the O’Reilly Series and Cup cars because they are so different?

“I feel like I’ve always done that in my career, racing multiple different cars and having to adapt and figure things out on the fly and be able to maximize whatever car you’re given. I enjoy being on the racetrack more, getting more laps and getting more seat time. I always like racing different cars. Racing the O’Reilly race with JRM is obviously a great opportunity to go win some races and that’s going to start this weekend in Vegas.”

Shane van Gisbergen, No. 97 Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet

How encouraging is it to be high up in points after racing completely different tracks to start the season? Do you feel like you are off to the start you were hoping to have?

“Yeah, at this time last season, we were at a completely different end of the garage, so the guys enjoy it much more being early in tech. It would be amazing to stay up here, but there is a long way to go. We really need to keep having good runs and results, be consistent with scoring points. But it’s certainly very encouraging and a cool spot to be in.”

You’ve talked about wanting to improve your oval game a lot, do you feel like you are accomplishing that?

“I think so. It’s been an awesome progression, and I feel like we are getting better and learning a lot. It’s good going through two races of data from the same track now and coming up with a trend and set up we need, that’s been awesome. Hopefully we keep showing that progress.”

Who has been the person that has helped you the most with learning about the ovals?

“It was Kevin Harvick for the last couple of years, which has been awesome. But now, really, it’s just working within my own team. Josh Williams, my spotter, is an amazing coach and my crew chief, Stephen (Doran), we’ve been working hard. They come up with a list of things to work on or improve every week. It’s been really cool.”

 
Chevrolet NASCAR Cup Series Statistics

Manufacturer Championships:

Total (1949-2025): 44

First title for Chevrolet: 1958

Highest number of consecutive titles: 13 (2003-15)

Most recent: 2025

Years Won: 1958, 1959, 1960, 1961, 1972, 1973, 1974, 1976, 1977, 1978, 1979, 1980, 1983, 1984, 1985, 1986, 1987, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1991, 1993, 1995, 1996, 1998, 2001, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024, 2025

Driver Championships:

Total (1949-2025): 34

First Chevrolet champion: Buck Baker (1957)

Highest number of consecutive titles: 7 (2005-11)

Most recent: Kyle Larson (2025)

Driver and Manufacturer Championship Sweeps: 29

Years Won: 1957, 1960, 1961, 1973, 1976, 1977, 1979, 1980, 1984, 1985, 1986, 1987, 1990, 1991, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 2001, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2013, 2014, 2016, 2020, 2021, 2025

Event Victories:

Record for total race wins in single season: 26 (2007)

2026 STATISTICS:

Wins: 0

Poles: 1

Laps Led: 143

Top-Fives: 8

Top-10s: 14

Stage Wins: 1

CHEVROLET IN NASCAR CUMULATIVE STATISTICS:

Total Chevrolet race wins: 881 (1949 to date)

Poles won to date: 767

Laps led to date: 256,877

Top-fives to date: 4,444

Top-10s to date: 9,165

Total NASCAR Cup Wins by Corporation, 1949 to Date:

       General Motors: 1,215

       Chevrolet: 881

       Pontiac: 154

       Oldsmobile: 115

       Buick: 65



       Ford: 848                                                                               

       Ford: 748

       Mercury: 96

       Lincoln: 4



       Fiat Chrysler Automobiles: 467

       Dodge: 217

       Plymouth: 191

       Chrysler: 59



       Toyota: 206

 

About General Motors

General Motors (NYSE:GM) is driving the future of transportation, leveraging advanced technology to build safer, smarter, and lower emission cars, trucks, and SUVs. GM’s Buick, Cadillac, Chevrolet, and GMC brands offer a broad portfolio of innovative gasoline-powered vehicles and the industry’s widest range of EVs, as we move to an all-electric future.

GM Motorsports, including the Cadillac Formula 1® Team develops and proves advanced technologies in the most demanding environments, accelerating innovation in performance, safety, efficiency, and electrification for its production vehicles. Cadillac Racing is one of the leading manufacturers in the IMSA and FIA World Endurance Championships (WEC). Chevrolet competes in single seaters in the US IndyCar series, and in NASCAR with multiple team partners and drivers. Corvette customer teams compete in GT series across the globe including IMSA and WEC. Learn more at GM.com.

This Week in Motorsports: March 9-15, 2026

NCS/NOAPS: Las Vegas Motor Speedway – March 14-15

PLANO, Texas (March 11, 2026) – NASCAR’s Cup and O’Reilly Auto Parts Series stay out west and head to ‘Sin City’ and Las Vegas Motor Speedway for the first mile-and-a-half race of the 2026 season.

NASCAR National Series – NCS/NOAPS

Toyota continues strong start to 2026 … Team Toyota continued its strong start to the 2026 Cup Series with six drivers finishing inside the top-10 last Sunday at Phoenix Raceway. Christopher Bell, who led 176 laps and won Stage 2, finished runner-up in his best finish of the season to-date, jumping him to sixth in the series point standings. Following Bell was Ty Gibbs in fourth, Denny Hamlin in fifth, Bubba Wallace in sixth, Tyler Reddick in eighth and Erik Jones rounded out the top-10. Additionally, after the first four races of the 2026 season, Toyota has led 495 of the 878 total laps run in the Cup Series. Reddick continues to lead the Cup Series point standings by 60 points over second position, with Wallace in third, Bell in sixth, Hamlin in 12th and Gibbs in 15th.

Hamlin looks for back-to-back in Las Vegas … Last October, Hamlin captured his 60th career Cup Series win atLas Vegas Motor Speedway to punch his ticket to the Championship 4. This weekend, the Joe Gibbs Racing (JGR) driver is back and looking for a second consecutive victory at the mile-and-a-half track and his first visit to victory lane this season. Hamlin has typically run well at Las Vegas, with a top-10-or-better finish in eight of the last 11 races at the track, dating back to the Fall 2020 race.

Briscoe returns to O’Reilly Series … For the first time since Charlotte Motor Speedway last May, Chase Briscoewill pilot a Toyota GR Supra in the NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series this weekend in Las Vegas. With Brent Crews still under the age of 18, Briscoe will race the No. 19 for JGR at Las Vegas Motor Speedway where he’s a two-time winner in the series, when he swept both races in 2020. Briscoe also looks to give the No. 19 team a second straight victory at the track after Aric Almirola won there last fall.

Jones, Burton look to continue Las Vegas success … Las Vegas Motor Speedway has been a strong track for Brandon Jones and Harrison Burton in the O’Reilly Series. For Jones, he’s earned a top-10 finish in 12 of his 18 career starts at the track, which includes nine such finishes in the last 13 races. Burton has finished inside the top-10 in five of his six career starts at the oval entering this weekend.

About Toyota

Toyota (NYSE:TM) has been a part of the cultural fabric in the U.S. for nearly 70 years, and is committed to advancing sustainable, next-generation mobility through our Toyota and Lexus brands, plus our nearly 1,500 dealerships.

Toyota directly employs nearly 48,000 people in the U.S. who have contributed to the design, engineering, and assembly of more than 35 million cars and trucks at our 11 manufacturing plants. In 2025, Toyota’s plant in North Carolina began to assemble automotive batteries for electrified vehicles.

For more information about Toyota, visit www.ToyotaNewsroom.com.

Interstate Batteries Driver Climbs to Sixth in Championship Standings After Strong Second-Place Drive Last Sunday at Phoenix

HUNTERSVILLE, N.C. (March 11, 2026) – The adage that you can’t keep a good man down is playing out in real time in the NASCAR Cup Series.

The man is Christopher Bell, driver of the No. 20 Interstate Batteries Toyota Camry XSE for Joe Gibbs Racing.

Bell started the year a dismal 35th in points after a crash took him out of the season-opening Daytona 500. But in the three races since, the 31-year-old racer from Norman, Oklahoma, has leapfrogged nearly the entire field to sit sixth in the championship standings heading into the Pennzoil 400 Sunday at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.

A strong runner-up result last Sunday at Phoenix Raceway was the catalyst of Bell’s rise, as he jumped 18 spots. The effort that propelled him in the standings portends to help him again this weekend at Las Vegas.

“Typically, your front-runners at Phoenix are your front-runners at Las Vegas,” Bell said. “The races at Daytona and Atlanta are drafting tracks, and COTA is a road course. Phoenix was our first true oval that kind of showed where everyone stood.”

Bell’s recent pick up is impressive, but not surprising. Like the tagline of the Interstate Batteries logo adorning his No. 20 machine, Bell is outrageously dependable, particularly at Phoenix and Las Vegas.

After his first Cup Series start at Phoenix in March 2020 resulted in a 24th-place finish, Bell has since become a master of its flat and fast layout, winning twice and leading 474 laps. His second-place performance last Sunday served as his fourth top-five in the last five races at the desert mile.

Las Vegas might be an even better track for Bell, but with the glaring omission of a victory. He has three poles and has finished among the top-three three times in the last five races at the 1.5-mile oval, all while leading 216 laps.

“Vegas is probably my best track on the schedule that I haven’t won at,” Bell said. “Between the Truck Series and the O’Reilly Series, I’ve led a ton of laps there. Even in the Cup Series I’ve led a lot of laps there, yet still haven’t won. So we’re looking for that first Vegas win, and my first with Interstate Batteries as my primary partner. They’ve been with Joe Gibbs Racing since the beginning, and there’s a lot of pride that comes with carrying their colors. Some great names have won in Interstate Batteries green, and I’d like to add my name to the list. Vegas is a really good racetrack for me, and I know it could come at any time.”

Las Vegas’ importance also looms large on the entirety of the Cup Series schedule. It’s considered an intermediate-style oval, the kind that serves as the bread-and-butter of the calendar, where ovals from 1.3 miles to 2 miles comprise 30 percent of the races.

“Vegas is a true barometer of the intermediates,” Bell said. “It’s kind of like the last style of track that we haven’t been to yet this season, so it’s super important to take the data from Vegas and understand what it takes to be better for the rest of the season. Intermediate stuff is a big part of our schedule, so you need to make the most of it.”

Making the most of the Las Vegas weekend also means taking in the sprint car action Thursday-Saturday night at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway Dirt Track where Interstate Batteries High Limit Racing kicks off its season.

Bell’s racing roots are in dirt, further amplifying the Interstate Batteries connection. Bell came to NASCAR via the rough-and-tumble world of winged sprint cars and USAC Midgets. He was the 2013 USAC National Midget champion and owns 29 USAC victories, along with six World of Outlaws Sprint Car Series wins. When the opportunity comes to revisit the sprint car ranks, Bell doesn’t hesitate.

“I’m not going to be a participant. I’ll be a spectator this time,” clarified Bell, who has sometimes run a mid-week sprint car race ahead of a NASCAR weekend.

“It’s great to see Interstate Batteries get involved with High Limit Racing. They have such a rich history in racing, and that brings a new level of professionalism to grassroots racing. I know they’re going to do a good job with it.”

Bell will drop in on the FloRacing booth during Saturday night’s broadcast. His insights during the race come from real-world experience.

“Sprint car racing is just so real and raw and true. You can’t fake it,” Bell said. “You’ve got to qualify well and you’ve got to race well. There are no pit stops. It’s just the driver and the car once it’s on the track. You still have a team. You have a crew chief and mechanics who work on the car, but it’s all really in your hands, and you can’t fake your way around a sprint car, that’s for sure.”

Before Bell jaunts over to the Dirt Track, he will climb behind the wheel of his No. 20 Interstate Batteries Toyota on Saturday and take to the big paved oval at 11:30 a.m. PDT/2:30 p.m. EDT for a one-hour practice before qualifying at 12:40 p.m. PDT/3:40 p.m. EDT. Prime Video and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio will provide live coverage of both. Sunday’s Pennzoil 400 goes green at 1 p.m. PDT/4 p.m. EDT with live, flag-to-flag coverage delivered by FS1 and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.

About Joe Gibbs Racing:

Joe Gibbs Racing (JGR) is one of the premier organizations in NASCAR with four NASCAR Cup Series teams, four NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series teams, an ARCA Menards Series team, and a driver development program. JGR is based in Huntersville, North Carolina, and owned by 2020 NASCAR Hall of Fame inductee Joe Gibbs, who also earned his place in the Pro Football Hall of Fame and was named as one of the NFL’s top-10 coaches of all-time with a winning career that included three Super Bowl Championships as head coach of the Washington franchise. JGR has competed in NASCAR since 1992, capturing more than 400 wins over that span. No team has more combined wins across the sport’s three national series in the history of NASCAR. In addition, JGR has won five Cup Series championships along with four O’Reilly Auto Parts Series driver championships and seven O’Reilly Auto Parts Series owners’ championships. The organization also has captured four Daytona 500 titles, considered to be NASCAR’s premier event.

About Interstate Batteries:

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CONCORD, N.C. (March 11, 2026) – Alex Bowman, driver of the No. 48 Ally Chevrolet for Hendrick Motorsports, will not compete in the March 15 NASCAR Cup Series event at Las Vegas Motor Speedway as he continues to recover from vertigo.

Bowman, 32, began experiencing symptoms during the March 1 race at Circuit of The Americas before exiting the car at lap 71. The Tucson, Arizona, native also missed Sunday’s event at his home track of Phoenix Raceway.

“Alex continues to work closely with doctors toward being medically cleared, but he’s still experiencing some lingering symptoms,” said Jeff Andrews, president and general manager of Hendrick Motorsports. “He’s put a lot into the recovery process, and we will continue to support him every step of the way. Our priority remains making sure Alex is fully ready before returning to the race car.”

Justin Allgaier, 39, will fill in for Bowman this weekend at Las Vegas. The 2024 NASCAR O’Reilly Series champion earned a win at the track last March driving for Hendrick Motorsports affiliate JR Motorsports.