The NASCAR Cup Series continues today with the 2021 Pennzoil 400 presented by Jiffy Lube at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. Read on below to see my prediction for who will win the race, as well as my top 10, dark horse, and driver to fade predictions.
Winner: Martin Truex Jr.- Martin Truex Jr. was the king of the mile and a half tracks during his championship run in 2017 and has continued to those strong performances since then, with this track being no exception. Truex has 2 wins at Las Vegas Motor Speedway to go along with 5 top 5 results in his last 7 starts here. Truex also led 37 laps at Homestead Miami Speedway, another mile and a half track, last week en route to a 3rd place finish. Today, I believe Truex brings home the W.
Top 10: Kevin Harvick- Harvick has raced well at Las Vegas Motor Speedway of late, leading 455 laps and finishing in the top 10 in 5 of his last 6 races here, including 1 victory. Harvick has spent a lot of time up front here, but can’t seem to punch home the win as much as the stats suggest he should. I predict another top 10 finish for Harvick today, but don’t be surprised if he’s in contention for the victory at race end.
Dark horse: Chris Buescher- Las Vegas Motor Speedway is Buescher’s strongest track on the schedule that isn’t a road course or superspeedway, having finished 9th here in his most recent start and finishing in the top 20 in each of his last 6 starts. Buescher showed some speed at Homestead Miami Speedway last week and led 57 laps before fading late in the going. I believe Buescher can capitalize on that momentum and bring home a top 15 finish today.
Driver to fade: Aric Almirola- Almirola has not had much success at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, earning only 3 top 10’s in 15 career starts. Almirola will also be starting deep in the field, further hurting his chances of a good run. I predict Almirola to finish 15th at best, but wouldn’t be surprised if he finishes outside the top 20.