Editor’s Note: Check back after qualifying for updated lineup advice and changes to consider.
It was Kyle Larson versus the field at Kansas Speedway, and the two-time Cup Series champion won for the second time in three weeks. Next up is Las Vegas Motor Speedway amid a crucial three-race stretch featuring three intermediate tracks. Expect the same cast of characters to be in the mix in the Mojave Desert, as Larson, Denny Hamlin and Joey Logano have combined to win 10 of the last 17 races here.
Returning to Fastlane this year is my weekly NASCAR 36 for 36 pick, where you can come play along. It’s a season-long points battle introduced in 2024 where strategy is the primary emphasis. With 36 chartered cars and 36 races on the 2026 schedule, players can choose each car once for the duration of the season.
RELATED: NASCAR Fantasy Live hub | Play 36 for 36
MUST START
Driver: Kyle Larson, Hendrick Motorsports, No. 5 Chevrolet
Selections remaining: 2
Comment: Vintage Larson from 2021 was on display at Kansas, crushing the field for 235 of 267 laps. Now The Chase presented by Mobil 1 heads to another notable track for the two-time champion, placing inside the top 10 in 75% of his starts (15 out of 20) at Las Vegas. He has finished first or second in five of the nine Next Gen races here.
Driver: Denny Hamlin, Joe Gibbs Racing, No. 11 Toyota
Selections remaining: 2
Comment: Compared to Larson, Hamlin had a quiet third-place run at Kansas, losing 25 points to the points leader. Hamlin will aim to become just the second driver, joining Jimmie Johnson, to hit the jackpot in three consecutive visits to Sin City. He has eight straight finishes of fourth or better at 1.5-mile venues.
Driver: William Byron, Hendrick Motorsports, No. 24 Chevrolet
Selections remaining: 4
Comment: Hendrick Motorsports spends a lot of time out front in Vegas, winning 16 stages, the most by any team at a single track. Byron makes his way to the front here, leading laps in 11 of the last 12 events. The No. 24 team has six top-10 finishes in the last seven visits, including a dominant victory in 2023.
DRIVERS TO AVOID
Driver: Carson Hocevar, Spire Motorsports, No. 77 Chevrolet
Selections remaining: 5
Comment: Hocevar displayed plenty of speed at Kansas before a restart ruckus tumbled his day to a 33rd-place finish. His Las Vegas numbers aren’t ideal, with a best finish of 15th in six starts, posting an average finish of 26.3, nearly five positions worse than the next-closest Chase drivers, Bubba Wallace and Ty Gibbs (21.8).
Driver: Chase Elliott, Hendrick Motorsports, No. 9 Chevrolet
Selections remaining: 5
Comment: Despite Hendrick Motorsports having a handle outside the Neon Garage, the results have been abysmal for Elliott in recent years. Sure, the No. 9 team had a strong runner-up result in March, but that finish is the outlier. In eight Next Gen starts, he has four finishes of 18th or worse.
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SLEEPERS OF THE WEEK
Driver: Austin Cindric, Team Penske, No. 2 Ford
Selections remaining: 4
Comment: Cindric arguably had the drive of his Cup career at Kansas, ending with a 3.39 average running position, his best in 181 Cup starts. His Las Vegas numbers don’t exactly light up the page with a pair of top 10s in nine starts, but they are drastically better than his Kansas record.
Driver: Daniel Suárez, Spire Motorsports, No. 7 Chevrolet
Selections remaining: 5
Comment: With podium finishes in two of the last four Vegas races, Suárez is an interesting choice this weekend. His 168 laps led in Sin City are his most at any Cup track. He also has a pair of top-10 finishes in the last four races at mile-and-a-halves, including a crown jewel victory in the Coca-Cola 600.
FEATURED MATCHUPS
Ty Gibbs vs. Carson Hocevar
Pick: Gibbs
Comment: Both drivers might have better luck on the Vegas strip than they have had at the 1.5-mile layout. Until Kansas, Toyota had been the dominant manufacturer at intermediates this season, so Gibbs is the play, as he rounded out the top five in the spring.
William Byron vs. Chase Elliott
Pick: Byron
Comment: With three consecutive top 10s, the No. 24 team has shown glimpses of its normal self. Byron has banked top 10s in all six 1.5-mile races in 2026.
Kyle Larson vs. Denny Hamlin
Pick: Hamlin
Comment: This might be the matchup of the year. Larson is white-hot at the right time, averaging 59.3 points per race and a 2.25 average finish through the first four Chase races. Las Vegas is among Larson’s best tracks, and the same is true for Hamlin. Pressure is mounting on the No. 11 team to keep up with Larson, so look for Hamlin to have a clutch performance.
Chase Briscoe vs. Austin Cindric
Pick: Briscoe
Comment: Don’t overlook Cindric this weekend, as the No. 2 team has steadily improved at intermediate tracks. But Briscoe is in borderline must-start territory this weekend, collecting eight top-five finishes in the last 12 races at 1.5-mile tracks, including a checkered flag in the Windy City.
MY LINEUP
Starting five: Denny Hamlin, Kyle Larson, William Byron, Chase Briscoe, Christopher Bell.
Garage: Tyler Reddick.
36 FOR 36
Pick: William Byron, Hendrick Motorsports, No. 24 Chevrolet
Comment: Byron has finished inside the top 10 in all six attempts in 2026 and leads the Cup Series with a 9.2 average finish at 1.5-mile tracks since the introduction of the Next Gen car in 2022. Had he not rammed into the rear of a pitting Ty Dillon in the closing laps last year, he would enter this weekend with seven consecutive top-10 finishes at Las Vegas, and likely four straight top-five finishes.