There are four races to go until the 2025 NASCAR Cup Series champion is crowned, and one of the four drivers competing for the championship at Phoenix Raceway three weekends from now might well be determined this weekend at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.
The four-turn, 1.5-mile (2.414-kilometer) Las Vegas, Nevada oval is set to get the round of 8 underway this Sunday with the 267-lap South Point 400. The 2024 race was won by eventual champion Joey Logano of Team Penske.
The qualifying format for Sunday's race is the standard qualifying format for races on intermediate tracks. It's quite simple: each driver is set to make a single-lap qualifying attempt.
There are no more official qualifying groups or row-by-row lane designations, nor is there a second round shootout for the pole position like we've seen in years past.
The qualifying order was determined by the same two-variable formula (explained in detail here) that has been used since the start of the 2025 season. The only difference is that the eight remaining championship contenders were not factored into the metric until the other 30 were slotted in, guaranteeing them spots 31 through 38 in the order.
Of the 30 non-playoff drivers, two are part-time drivers who did not compete at the Charlotte Motor Speedway Roval this past Sunday. The one part-time driver who did compete at the Roval is not competing this weekend.
Here is the full qualifying order for the South Point 400 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.
NASCAR Cup Series playoff qualifying order at Las Vegas
1 - J.J. Yeley, No. 44 NY Racing Team Chevrolet
2 - Katherine Legge, No. 78 Live Fast Motorsports Chevrolet
3 - Riley Herbst, No. 35 23XI Racing Toyota
4 - Cody Ware, No. 51 Rick Ware Racing Ford
5 - Brad Keselowski, No. 6 RFK Racing Ford
6 - Kyle Busch, No. 8 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet
7 - Noah Gragson, No. 4 Front Row Motorsports Ford
8 - Austin Cindric, No. 2 Team Penske Ford
9 - Ty Dillon, No. 10 Kaulig Racing Chevrolet
10 - Erik Jones, No. 43 Legacy Motor Club Toyota
11 - Carson Hocevar, No. 77 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet
12 - Justin Haley, No. 7 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet
13 - Austin Dillon, No. 3 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet
14 - John Hunter Nemechek, No. 42 Legacy Motor Club Toyota
15 - Cole Custer, No. 41 Haas Factory Team Ford
16 - Zane Smith, No. 38 Front Row Motorsports Ford
17 - Ricky Stenhouse Jr., No. 47 Hyak Motorsports Chevrolet
18 - Todd Gilliland, No. 34 Front Row Motorsports Ford
19 - Ross Chastain, No. 1 Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet
20 - Alex Bowman, No. 48 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet
21 - Josh Berry, No. 21 Wood Brothers Racing Ford
22 - Ty Gibbs, No. 54 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota
23 - A.J. Allmendinger, No. 16 Kaulig Racing Chevrolet
24 - Bubba Wallace, No. 23 23XI Racing Toyota
25 - Daniel Suarez, No. 99 Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet
26 - Michael McDowell, No. 71 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet
27 - Tyler Reddick, No. 45 23XI Racing Toyota
28 - Ryan Preece, No. 60 RFK Racing Ford
29 - Chris Buescher, No. 17 RFK Racing Ford
30 - Shane van Gisbergen, No. 88 Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet
31 - Joey Logano, No. 22 Team Penske Ford
32 - Denny Hamlin, No. 11 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota
33 - Chase Briscoe, No. 19 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota
34 - Ryan Blaney, No. 12 Team Penske Ford
35 - William Byron, No. 24 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet
36 - Chase Elliott, No. 9 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet
37 - Christopher Bell, No. 20 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota
38 - Kyle Larson, No. 5 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet
USA Network's live coverage of the South Point 400 is scheduled to begin at 5:30 p.m. ET on Sunday, October 12. Start a free trial of FuboTV now and don't miss any of the action from Las Vegas Motor Speedway!