What to Keep an Eye on in the NASCAR O’Reilly Race at Las Vegas

What’s Happening?

The annual NASCAR West Coast Swing continues this weekend. Up first: The NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series. It has been a hot start to the year for Chevrolet and for JR Motorsports in particular. They went back-to-back with wins at COTA (SVG) and Phoenix (Justin Allgaier). Today, they’re going for three in a row. Will they do it or will one of the other manufacturers rise to the occasion? Here’s what you need to keep a close eye on in the LiUNA! at Las Vegas.

Pre-Race Notes

• Starting from the pole today is Sam Mayer. Mayer also scored the pole last week at Phoenix and was looking pretty sporty in practice. Can he bounce back today with a win in his Haas Chevrolet?
• Kyle Larson might have something to say about that. Larson is back this weekend in the NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series driving the HendrickCars.com No. 88 for JR Motorsports. The last time Larson drove the car (driving at Texas in 2025, filling in for an injured Connor Zilisch), he went to victory lane. Can he do it again? He’s off to a hot start, rolling off in 2nd.
• As for Larson’s protege, Corey Day has had a controversial start to the 2026 season. While he’s had good finishes and is currently in 8th in the standings, it hasn’t come free of incidents. He’s been criticized a lot lately by veteran drivers for his impatience and deficits in pavement racing. He needs to clean it up some today if he wants to get on their good side.
• It has been a rough number of weeks for Joe Gibbs Racing, particularly in the O’Reilly Auto Parts Series. Though they’ve shown speed, they’ve also been prone to incidents during the race. They’ll need to clean that up this weekend if they want to make a run at the Chase. Bandon Jones and Taylor Gray start 5th and 6th, respectively.

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