The entry list has changed after each NASCAR Cup Series race that has been contested so far this season, and that is the case once again following this past weekend's race at Phoenix Raceway.
This coming Sunday's Pennzoil 400 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway is the first race of the 2026 season for which no non-chartered (open) cars are entered.
That was the case on four occasions in 2025, including in March for the first of two races at Las Vegas. Believe it or not, that race was the first race in Cup Series history to feature zero part-time drivers.
Two lineup changes confirmed for Las Vegas NASCAR Cup race
At Phoenix, Richard Childress Racing were the only team to field an open car, just as they were for the previous weekend's race at Circuit of the Americas (COTA). After Jesse Love drove the No. 33 Chevrolet at COTA, O'Reilly Auto Parts Series teammate Austin Hill drove it at Phoenix. They plan to enter the No. 33 car on select occasions as the season progresses, but not this weekend.
In addition, Hendrick Motorsports have announced that JR Motorsports O'Reilly Auto Parts Series driver Justin Allgaier is set to fill in for Alex Bowman behind the wheel of the No. 48 Chevrolet. Bowman is continuing to deal with vertigo, with which he was diagnosed after removing himself from the race at COTA during the third and final stage.
Allgaier's confirmation comes despite the fact that Bowman was initially included on the entry list for Sunday's 267-lap race around the four-turn, 1.5-mile (2.414-kilometer) Las Vegas, Nevada oval, just as he was initially at Phoenix.
Myatt Snider filled in for him during the closing laps at COTA, and Anthony Alfredo filled in for him at Phoenix. There is still no timetable on a potential return. After Sunday, Bowman will have missed multiple races in three of the past five seasons.
Allgaier has made two appearances for Hendrick Motorsports over the years, one in 2020 for Jimmie Johnson at Indianapolis Motor Speedway and another in 2024 for Kyle Larson at Charlotte Motor Speedway. He also ran the season-opening Daytona 500 at Daytona International Speedway for JR Motorsports in both 2025 and 2026.
Tune in to Fox Sports 1 at 4:00 p.m. ET this Sunday, March 15 for the live broadcast of the Pennzoil 400 from Las Vegas Motor Speedway. If you have yet to begin a free trial of FuboTV, do so now and catch all of the action!