Overview
- Denny Hamlin earned pole with a 29.213-second lap (184.849 mph) as Joe Gibbs Racing locked out the top three with Chase Briscoe second and Christopher Bell third.
- Playoff drivers filled the top six starting spots, with Hendrick’s Chase Elliott, William Byron and Kyle Larson in positions 4-6; 23XI’s Bubba Wallace and Tyler Reddick start seventh and eighth, Joey Logano ninth, and Ryan Blaney 14th.
- Sunday’s South Point 400 begins at 5:30 p.m. ET on USA Network, and any win by a Round of 8 driver at Las Vegas, Talladega or Martinsville guarantees a Championship 4 berth at Phoenix.
- NASCAR officials said they will act on any explicit radio instructions to manipulate positions after reviewing late-race communications from Charlotte; Hamlin and other drivers questioned where the line is on providing points information.
- In Saturday’s Xfinity race, part-time JGR driver Aric Almirola swept all stages to win at Las Vegas, preventing playoff contenders from clinching a Championship 4 spot, as NASCAR also outlined a 2026 plan to raise Cup horsepower to 750 at road courses and ovals under 1.5 miles.