Starting Lineup: 2025 NCS South Point 400 at Las Vegas

The eight drivers that remain in the NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs have risen to the occasion this weekend at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, as a victory in Sunday’s South Point 400 means an automatic berth into the Championship Race at Phoenix Raceway on November 2.

Still in search of that maiden championship that has eluded him throughout his two-decade career in the NASCAR Cup Series, Denny Hamlin will lead the field to the green flag in his No. 11 ampm Toyota Camry XSE for Joe Gibbs Racing.

Hamlin executed his one qualifying lap flawlessly during Saturday’s single-vehicle qualifying session from the mile-and-a-half Las Vegas Motor Speedway, laying down a lap time of 29.213 seconds, equivalent to 184.849mph.

The pole position marked the fourth of the 2025 campaign for Hamlin, and allowed the Chesterfield, Virginia-native to lead a sweep of the top-three starting spots for Joe Gibbs Racing, with Chase Briscoe in second and Christopher Bell in third.

PRACTICE RESULTS: 2025 NASCAR Cup Series South Point 400 at Las Vegas

Hendrick Motorsports teammates Chase Elliott, William Byron, and Kyle Larson managed to qualify in close proximity to each other, occupying the fourth, fifth, and sixth starting positions for Sunday’s 400-mile contest in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Bubba Wallace and Tyler Reddick — who were eliminated last weekend following the Bank of America ROVAL 400 at the Charlotte Motor Speedway ROVAL — put together an impressive qualifying run, ending up seventh and eighth.

Defending NASCAR Cup Series champion Joey Logano qualified ninth, recovering from a disastrous practice run that had the No. 22 Shell-Pennzoil Ford Mustang Dark Horse outside the top-25 on the speed charts. Ty Gibbs rounded out the top-10.

The only NASCAR Cup Series playoff-eligible driver that didn’t qualify inside the top nine for Sunday’s event is Ryan Blaney, who placed his No. 12 Menards Ford Mustang Dark Horse a disappointing 14th in qualifying. None of the Team Penske (or Penske-aligned) drivers showed significant speed on Saturday, with Josh Berry qualifying 29th and Austin Cindric 31st.

Shane Van Gisbergen, who was eliminated after the first round of the post-season at Bristol, qualified an impressive 13th.

The South Point 400 will take place Sunday, October 12 at 5:30 PM on USA Network, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90, and Performance Racing Network. The event marks the first in the three-race semi-final round of the NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs.

Starting Lineup: