NASCAR qualifying results: Starting lineup set for Las Vegas race. Michael McDowell? Yep
Qualifying has come and gone at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, which now slips into race mode as NASCAR's Xfinity Series prepares for its 300-mile race Saturday afternoon, shortly after 4:30 Eastern.
Michael McDowell, who's become accustomed to winning poles on plate-race tracks, won one for a non-plate race. His average speed of 186.961 mph was a tick faster than Joey Logano. How close was it? McDowell's trip around the 1.5-mile oval took 28.883 seconds, a hundredth of a second better than Logano.
McDowell is in his first season driving the No. 71 Chevy for Spire Motorsports.
"I'm so proud of all the men and women at Spire motorsports," McDowell said. "Really proud of everybody."
Does the winning pole effort bode well? It's always nice to be fast, but in terms of riding that speed all the way to Victory Lane in Vegas, consider this: The pole winner's most recent Las Vegas win came in 2009, when Kyle Busch won the pole at nearly 186 mph and, the next day, beat Clint Bowyer to the checkers by just under a half-second.
CURB NASCAR SCHEMING Backstreet Boys, Hulk Hogan visit NASCAR. Here's why it's a paint scheme problem
For the first time through five weeks of the 2025 season, the bare minimum of 36 cars are entered for Vegas — all of the chartered teams and no "open," unchartered entries. Last season, eight of the 36 races featured the minimum 36 cars, while six started the maximum of 40.
Lineup for NASCAR's Pennzoil 400 in Las Vegas
- Michael McDowell, No. 71
- Joey Logano, No. 22
- Austin Cindric, No. 71
- Kyle Busch, No. 8
- Erik Jones, No. 43
- Alex Bowman, No. 48
- Josh Berry, No. 21
- William Byron, No. 24
- Zane Smith, No. 38
- Kyle Larson, No. 5
- Chris Buescher, No. 17
- Ryan Preece, No. 60
- Christopher Bell, No. 20
- Tyler Reddick, No. 45
- Denny Hamlin, No. 11
- Chase Elliott, No. 9
- Ty Dillon, No. 10
- AJ Allmendinger, No. 16
- Ross Chastain, No. 1
- Bubba Wallace, No. 23
- Noah Gragson, No. 4
- Austin Dillon, No. 3
- Daniel Suarez, No. 99
- Chase Briscoe, No. 19
- Carson Hocevar, No. 77
- Cole Custer, No. 41
- Brad Keselowski, No. 6
- Shane van Gisbergen, No. 88
- Ty Gibbs, No. 54
- John Hunter Nemechek, No. 42
- Ricky Stenhouse Jr., No. 47
- Todd Gilliland, No. 34
- Justin Haley, No. 7
- Riley Herbst, No. 35
- Cody Ware, No. 51
- Ryan Blaney, No. 12 (did not attempt qualifying lap)
He got the top spot in #BuschLightPole qualifying!@Mc_Driver will lead the field to green at Las Vegas. pic.twitter.com/OT4H9kNcD7
— NASCAR (@NASCAR) March 15, 2025
NASCAR TV listings from Vegas for Saturday, Sunday
Saturday: Xfinity Series race, 4:30 p.m. (CW).
Sunday: Cup Series race, 3:30 p.m (Fox Sports 1).
This article originally appeared on The Daytona Beach News-Journal: NASCAR lineup: Qualifying results shocker, starting grid for Las Vegas
-
NASCAR Cup Series at Las Vegas: Starting lineup, TV schedule for Sunday's race
The 2025 NASCAR Cup Series season continues with the Pennzoil 400 at Las Vegas on Sunday. See the starting lineup here.Yahoo Sports - 1d -
2025 NASCAR at Las Vegas Fantasy rankings, lineups, start-sit advice, top racing picks for Pennzoil 400
SportsLine's Mike McClure gives his top NASCAR Fantasy picks for this week's 2025 Pennzoil 400 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway on SundayCBS Sports - 20h -
What channel is the NASCAR Las Vegas race on today? Time, TV schedule for Pennzoil 400
The Pennzoil 400 NASCAR Cup Series race takes place on Sunday at Las Vegas.Yahoo Sports - 1d -
NASCAR Las Vegas predictions 2025: Expert picks for Cup Series race
Our NASCAR predictions are in for Sunday's Cup Series race at Las Vegas. Here's who our experts are picking to win the 2025 Pennzoil 400.Yahoo Sports - 2d -
NASCAR Xfinity Series at Las Vegas: Starting lineup, TV schedule for Saturday's race
The NASCAR Xfinity Series season continues with The LiUNA! at Las Vegas. See Saturday's starting lineup here.Yahoo Sports - 2d -
Josh Berry triumphs at Las Vegas for first career NASCAR Cup Series win
Josh Berry, in his first season with legendary Wood Brothers Racing, scored his first NASCAR Cup Series win in Sunday's Pennzoil 400 at Las Vegas.Yahoo Sports - 13h -
What channel is NASCAR Las Vegas qualifying on today? Time, TV schedule, streaming info
The NASCAR Cup Series season continues to Las Vegas Motor Speedway with the Pennzoil 400. How to watch qualifying, including time, TV schedule, streaming info.Yahoo Sports - 2d -
NASCAR DFS: 2025 Pennzoil 400 lineups, daily fantasy racing picks this week, strategy on FanDuel, DraftKings
SportsLine's Mike McClure, a DFS pro with over $2 million in winnings, gives his top daily Fantasy NASCAR picks for the Pennzoil 400 2025 at Las Vegas Motor SpeedwayCBS Sports - 20h -
NASCAR Saturday schedule at Las Vegas Motor Speedway
The Cup Series will practice and qualifying ahead of the Xfinity race.Yahoo Sports - 2d
More from Yahoo Sports
-
USC NCAA Tournament opener will be on Saturday, March 22 at Galen Center
The Trojans will open the tournament against UNC Greensboro on Saturday at high noon in Los AngelesYahoo Sports - 13m -
PSG win over Marseille marred by homophobic, racist chants. It's an ongoing problem in French soccer
A French campaign group has called on the country's authorities to punish homophobic and racist chanting after the biggest match in the league between Paris Saint-Germain and Marseille was marred ...Yahoo Sports - 15m -
Can Oregon basketball reach Final Four in March Madness bracket? Our prediction
Can Oregon basketball reach NCAA bracket’s Final Four? Our 2025 March Madness predictions show how Ducks can make run in tournament.Yahoo Sports - 15m -
Broncos have 35 players set to become free agents in 2026
The Broncos have 35 players scheduled to become free agents in 2026.Yahoo Sports - 15m -
NFL analyst says Rams overpaid for this free agent
The Rams have spent a lot of money this offseason, but did they overpay?Yahoo Sports - 15m
More in Sports
-
March Madness 2025: Duke's Cooper Flagg, Texas' Tre Johnson headline list of top freshmen in the tournament
Flagg, the projected No. 1 pick in the 2025 NBA Draft, headlines a star-studded group of freshmen in the NCAA TournamentCBS Sports - 9m -
NCAA Tournament fields set; TPC playoff underway; Bengals extend star wide receivers
Auburn has the top overall seed in the men's field, while UCLA leads the women's drawCBS Sports - 9m -
2025 MLB Opening Day starter tracker: Paul Skenes gets call for Pirates, Astros go with Framber Valdez again
The regular season is almost upon us and managers are getting their ducks (and rotations) in a rowCBS Sports - 11m -
USC NCAA Tournament opener will be on Saturday, March 22 at Galen Center
The Trojans will open the tournament against UNC Greensboro on Saturday at high noon in Los AngelesYahoo Sports - 13m -
PSG win over Marseille marred by homophobic, racist chants. It's an ongoing problem in French soccer
A French campaign group has called on the country's authorities to punish homophobic and racist chanting after the biggest match in the league between Paris Saint-Germain and Marseille was marred ...Yahoo Sports - 15m