NASCAR returns to action after an opening weekend that saw Denny Hamlin win his second straight Daytona 500 and Ryan Newman get in a scary crash that sent him to the hospital. Newman was released from Halifax Medical Center fewer than 48 hours after he was admitted, but won’t race this weekend. Ross Chastain will race in the No. 6 Ford this weekend as the NASCAR Cup Series heads to Las Vegas for the Pennzoil 400.
The qualifying session for the race at Las Vegas Motor Speedway was canceled on Saturday due to rain, meaning the starting field has been set according to the order of the final 2019 owner points. That will give Las Vegas native Kyle Busch the pole position, though he won’t be there for long: Busch, Hamlin (starting in fourth) and Christopher Bell (22nd) will all be required to drop to the rear of the pack after failing pre-qualifying inspection. The three drivers received L1 penalties for attempting to manipulate the noses of the cars, resulting in the loss of 10 owner and driver points each.
The race will get started with the 1980 U.S. Men’s Olympic “Miracle on Ice” hockey team giving the command to start engines, one day after the 40th anniversary of taking home the gold medal. The green flag will be waved at 3:46 p.m. ET. The race is 267 laps around a 1.5-mile track with Stage 1 ending after Lap 80 and Stage 2 ending after Lap 160.
The forecast calls for sunshine, a high of 68-degrees and a 0 percent chance of rain — a welcome change of pace after weather forced the qualifying session to be canceled and the Daytona 500 to be delayed a day.
Sporting News is tracking live lap-by-lap updates and highlights from the Pennzoil 400. Follow below for complete results from NASCAR’s race in Las Vegas.
NASCAR at Las Vegas live updates, highlights from Pennzoil 400
4:20 p.m. ET — Chase Elliot is into third behind Truex Jr and Harvick (in first) heading into Lap 50.
4:04 p.m. ET — The second caution flag of the day is out. Competition caution comes out after Lap 25. Current positioning: 1. Harvick 2. Truex Jr. 3. Logano 4. Elliott 5. Blaney.
4:00 p.m. ET — Kevin Harvick just barely bumped into Joey Logano at the front of the pack. Both stayed steady. Harvick in the lead at Lap 23 with Logano right behind.
3:54 p.m. ET — The caution is off and we’re on to Lap 9. Suarez is back out there two laps behind.
3:49 p.m. ET — We are already under caution just a minute into the race. Daniel Suarez stalled and he has gone to pit stall. His team will try to assess the problem.
3:48 p.m. ET — The green flag has been waved and we are underway. Kyle Busch and Denny Hamlin are starting first and fourth, respectively, but will fall to the rear to start the race due to L1 violations.
What time does the NASCAR race start today?
The Pennzoil 400 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway will start at 3:30 p.m. ET on Sunday, Feb. 23, with a green flag scheduled for 3:46 p.m. ET. It is the second race of the season to be shown on Fox, which also will be the TV channel for the next four races on the NASCAR Cup Series schedule.
NASCAR at Las Vegas lineup
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