NASCAR playoff races at Las Vegas: How to watch Cup, Xfinity and Trucks this weekend

Twelve NASCAR Cup playoff teams have hurdled their way through the series’ Round of 16 at Darlington followed by the short tracks of Richmond and Bristol to advance to the anticipated “wild-card” round, which starts Sunday at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.

The South Point 400 race begins at 7 p.m. on NBCSN with points leader Kevin Harvick on the pole. After that, the grid heads to Talladega Superspeedway, followed by Charlotte’s Road Course to cap the Round of 12.

Although No. 2 Ford driver Brad Kesleowski is ranked third in points, he called Vegas “the second most-important race to win” after the championship race at Phoenix given the schedule.

“Because these next two weeks are very difficult to prepare for,” Keselowski said of the superspeedway race and the Roval 400.

While the stakes are heightened for playoff drivers this weekend, Las Vegas is still a track teams are familiar with, especially after February’s race, the Pennzoil 400 at Vegas, won by Joey Logano.

No. 1 Chevrolet driver Kurt Busch said the 1.5-mile intermediate track could be looked at as having a “standard type of flow” with the timing of pit stops on similar tracks, but the race could see different strategies at play. For example, Busch noted Austin Dillon’s success with a two-tire pit call late at Texas, which is the same length as Vegas, as well as the recent speed of non-playoff drivers, who could stand in the way of necessary points for teams still in the postseason. Busch is ranked 12th (in the final playoff position) with 3,001 points.

“There are two Hendrick cars now not in the playoffs (Jimmie Johnson and William Byron), but they’re fast,” Busch said. “Same thing with Gibbs. You’ve got one car, the 20, Erik Jones, not in the playoffs, but he’s fast. Those are points that those guys could take away from the contenders that are still left in the situation.”

No. 9 Chevrolet driver Chase Elliott, who’s fifth in points (3,021), said stage finishes continue to be a priority to gain points, so there will likely be more aggressive driving between those playoff drivers to close the stages. The 400-mile race will have stage breaks on laps 80, 160 and 267.

“I think everybody knows how important the stages are and what they can mean, especially stage wins,” Elliott said. “Getting that extra bonus point is a huge think, too, so I think everybody knows that and that’s certainly a game that’s been played.”

The drivers left looking to punch their tickets to Phoenix (in points order) are Harvick, Denny Hamlin, Brad Keselowski, Logano, Elliott, Martin Truex Jr., Alex Bowman, Austin Dillon, Aric Almirola, Kyle Busch, Clint Bowyer and Kurt Busch.

PREDICTIONS FOR NASCAR AT LAS VEGAS

Harvick has +500 odds, according to FanDuel.com, but Vegas isn’t necessarily his best track. Harvick’s only won twice in 22 starts at the speedway, where his average finish is 13.9. He’s been on a roll recently, but the West has been better for the Penske teams of Logano and Keselowski recently. Keselowski has +600 odds (average finish is 11.3 at Vegas), while Logano has +650 odds (average finish is 8), according to FanDuel.com. Keselowski is starting 12th and Logano is starting fifth. Kyle Busch (+1200) is starting in the front row in second.

Underdog prediction: Dillon. He had a strong Round of 16 and finished fourth at Las Vegas in February. As Kurt Busch said, Las Vegas is similar to Texas, and Dillon won at Texas. He’s starting seventh.

WEATHER FOR NASCAR AT LAS VEGAS

There probably won’t be any rain, but there will be heat. The forecast is sunny with a high near 98 degrees on Sunday, according to the National Weather Service. The temperature should cool for the night race, with a low of 72 degrees expected.

HOW TO WATCH NASCAR RACES AT LAS VEGAS

• Cup race: South Point 400

• Distance: 400 miles, 267 laps (stages end on lap 80, 160, 267). The track is 1.5 miles.

• When: Sunday 7 p.m.

• TV: NBCSN (broadcast starts at 6:30 p.m.)

• Radio: PRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio

• Xfinity race (Round of 12): Saturday 7:30 p.m. on NBCSN (broadcast starts at 7 p.m.)

• Trucks race (Round of 10): Friday 9 p.m. on FS1 (broadcast starts at 8 p.m.)

NASCAR CUP RACE AT LAS VEGAS STARTING LINEUP

*Playoff driver