NASCAR Cup Series: 2018 South Point 400 entry list
By Asher Fair
The 2018 NASCAR Cup Series playoffs are set to get underway this Sunday with the South Point 400 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. Here is the entry list for that race.
The opening race of the 10-race 2018 NASCAR Cup Series playoffs and the three-race round of 16 is scheduled to take place this Sunday at Las Vegas Motor Speedway following an exciting 26-race regular season that resulted in 10 drivers qualifying for the playoffs by winning at least one race and six more drivers qualify for the playoffs based on their point totals.
The opening race of the playoffs, the South Point 400, is set to be a 267-lap, 400-mile race around the four-turn, 1.5-mile (2.414-kilometer) Las Vegas Motor Speedway oval in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Las Vegas Motor Speedway also hosted the third race of the season back in March. Stewart-Haas Racing’s Kevin Harvick won this race, which was also a 267-lap, 400-mile race, in dominant fashion.
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A total of 40 drivers are on the entry list for this Sunday’s race, meaning that 24 non-playoff drivers are set to compete in it alongside the 16 drivers who have aspirations to secure the 2018 Cup Series championship.
Just one of the first nine, two of the first 12, three of the first 17, four of the first 20 and five of the first 22 races of the season featured 40 drivers. However, each of the final four races of the regular season featured 40 drivers, and this momentum is set to carry over into the playoffs given the fact that 40 drivers are on the entry list for the fifth consecutive race.
Of the 40 drivers on the entry list for this Sunday’s race, 29 of them are the 29 drivers who competed in each and every one of the 26 regular season races. All 16 of the playoff drivers are among these 29 drivers.
In addition to these 29 full-time drivers, a total of 11 part-time drivers, of whom all 11 have competed in at least one Cup Series race this year, are set to compete in this weekend’s race.
Here is a list of the 11 part-time drivers who are set to compete in the South Point 400 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway this Sunday, September 16.
| Rank | Driver | Car, Team, Manufacturer |
| 1 | Landon Cassill | #00, StarCom Racing, Chevrolet |
| 2 | Trevor Bayne | #6, Roush Fenway Racing, Ford |
| 3 | Reed Sorenson | #7, Premium Motorsports, Chevrolet |
| 4 | Ross Chastain | #15, Premium Motorsports, Chevrolet |
| 5 | J.J. Yeley | #23, BK Racing, Toyota |
| 6 | B.J. McLeod | #51, Rick Ware Racing, Chevrolet |
| 7 | Timmy Hill | #66, MBM Motorsports, Toyota |
| 8 | Corey Lajoie | #72, TriStar Motorsports, Chevrolet |
| 9 | Regan Smith | #95, Leavine Family Racing, Chevrolet |
| 10 | Jeffrey Earnhardt | #96, Gaunt Brothers Racing, Toyota |
| 11 | Kyle Weatherman | #99, StarCom Racing, Chevrolet |
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The South Point 400 is set to be broadcast live on NBC Sports Network beginning at 3:00 p.m. ET this Sunday, September 16. Be sure not to miss it, especially since it is the first race of the 2018 NASCAR Cup Series playoffs and an automatic berth in the round of 12 is on the line in it.