NASCAR Cup Series Playoff Race At Las Vegas Start Time & How To Watch

The 2025 NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs have entered the Round of Eight, and the pressure increases dramatically. With eight drivers fighting for the final four positions in the November 2 NASCAR Championship Race at Phoenix International Raceway, the first step is Sunday’s South Point 400 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.

NBC Sports will present live coverage of the NASCAR Cup Series’ opening Round of Eight playoff race with the South Point 400 from Las Vegas Motor Speedway in Las Vegas, Sunday, October 12 at 5:30 p.m. ET on USA Network. Live pre-race coverage on USA Network begins at 5 p.m. ET with Countdown to Green. After this race, the final three races of the Cup Series Playoffs will be on NBC and Peacock.

Can History Repeat In NASCAR Playoffs?

Team Penske driver Joey Logano is hoping history repeats itself from 2024.

One year ago, Logano thought he was the last driver to miss the cut after the BankofAmerica ROVAL 400 at Charlotte Motor Speedway. But a few hours later, he was dealt a winning hand when he was informed that Alex Bowman’s No. 48 Chevrolet had failed post-race technical inspection for being under weight and was out of the NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs.

Logano was back in.

He made the most out of that second chance one week later by winning at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, which guaranteed him a position in the Final Four at Phoenix.

Logano would ultimately hit the jackpot by winning that race and claiming his third NASCAR Cup Series Championship.

“I don’t ever feel like anything is owed to me,” Logano said. “You just roll with whatever comes your way and it shows how unpredictable life is and sometimes you don’t need to be going up and down with every wave.

“I remember the emotions leaving the track. I was bummed. I was like, ‘Well, on one hand we did really good here last year,’ so I was proud of the effort that we gave. I was bummed that we were just a little short, but it is what it is. That’s how I am at the end of the race. It is what it is. I can’t change it now and you just have to keep looking out the windshield and we went home.

“We went home and had a fairly normal evening, and then I got a call, and it was like, ‘Hey, honey, you ain’t going to believe it. We’re back in.’”

Logano had his reprieve and was determined to make the most out of it.

“Obviously, the next seven days after that changed everything because we went from out to in to winning Vegas and in the Championship 4 and winning our third title, so just a quick turn of events, but that’s NASCAR racing for you,” Logano said. “It’s unpredictable. Things can change really, really fast. You just have to keep rolling with it.”

Drama In Previous Round of NASCAR Playoffs

During the October 5 BankofAmerica ROVAL 400 at Charlotte Motor Speedway, Logano was once again fighting off elimination. It came down to an in-race battle between Logano’s No. 22 Shell/Pennzoil Ford and Ross Chastain’s No. 1 Busch Light Chevrolet

When Denny Hamlin’s No. 11 Progressive Toyota passed Chastain’s on the final lap of the race, it moved Logano into the final transfer position. But Chastain tried to knock Hamlin’s car off the track going through the final chicane in Turn 17 heading to the checkered flag and both cars spun backwards. Chastain threw his car into reverse to cross the finish line, but Logano’s No. 22 beat him, and Logano was moving onto the next round of the Playoffs.

“We’re still alive, baby,” Logano said after climbing out of his car to some loud boos from the fans at Charlotte Motor Speedway. “We’re still going. I’m so excited.

“Such a close finish there. I knew it was within a point there. I knew we were going to be tied there at the end, and Ross was going to do whatever he had to do to make it happen. Geesh, just wasn’t quite fast enough today with our car.

“It’s the drama of the playoffs. If you want drama, the playoffs bring it every time. What an entertaining finish there to come down to, like I said, a tie there basically at the end before the wreck.”

NASCAR Playoffs Include Plenty Of Gambling

Although Las Vegas is where the world comes to gamble, Logano’s crew chief Paul Wolfe made a bold gamble late in the Charlotte race to sacrifice track position for fuel and a fresh set of tires when he ordered a late-race pit stop. That moved Logano way back in the field, but the fresh rubber and more fuel allowed the driver to stand on the throttle and make up the positions on the track.

“I’m proud of Paul Wolfe. He made some really hard calls today. The stop at the end there, it was kind of an audible there at the end because our fall-off was a little too much. Making that call there at the end was ultimately what kept us there in the game with just a few left.

“It was a championship performance from the team. I wish I was a little faster, but overall, I couldn’t be more proud of the team. We still got a shot.”

As the last one into the Round of Eight for the second year in a row, can Logano and Team Penske duplicate that success with another win at Las Vegas?

“It’s one step at a time,” Logano said. “We’ve got to get through this week first. This week right now is the most important race of the season for us. We’ve got to get through this one. Hopefully, we can continue to be in the championship race after this and at that point we’ll look at Vegas.”

By now, Logano has looked long at hard at Las Vegas and the pressure that comes with it.

“It’s way more stressful,” he said. “It’s the playoffs. There is more on the line. You’re getting close, so for the eight that are still in it, absolutely there’s more pressure.”

How To Watch NASCAR Playoffs Round Of Eight At Las Vegas

A win in Las Vegas this weekend guarantees a spot in the Championship Four at the final race in Phoenix on Nov. 2. Shane van Gisbergen won last week’s cutoff race in Charlotte, with defending Cup Series champion Joey Logano passing Ross Chastain after a collision on the last lap to solidify his advancement to the Round of 8 and the chance to defend his title. Denny Hamlin, Ryan Blaney, Kyle Larson, and William Byron make up the current top four. Logano, who currently finds himself below the cutline, is the defending South Point 400 champion, winning two of the last three editions of this race.

NBC Sports’ broadcast team of veteran motorsports play-by-play commentator Leigh Diffey, 21-time Cup Series race winner and “The Mayor” of NASCAR Jeff Burton, and Daytona 500-winning crew chief Steve Letarte will call the action. Marty Snider, Kim Coon, and Dillon Welch will serve as pit reporters.

Marty Snider will host post-race coverage alongside NASCAR Hall of Famer Dale Jarrett and Hyak Motorsports co-owner Brad Daugherty, with Burton joining for pre-race coverage.

Jeff Burton won the Pennzoil 400 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway in back-to-back years in 1999 and 2000.

NASCAR Cup Series Round Of Eight Standings

Position, Driver, Points

1. Denny Hamlin +8

2. Ryan Blaney +6

3. Kyle Larson +4

4. William Byron +4

ON THE BUBBLE

5. Christopher Bell -4

6. Chase Elliott -14

7. Chase Briscoe -14

8. Joey Logano -24

NASCAR Playoff Viewing Information

This week’s opening tease will be voiced by NASCAR Hall of Famer and Las Vegas native Kurt Busch, who won the championship in the inaugural Cup Series “Chase for the Cup” points format in 2004. Busch also won the South Point 400 in 2020 amidst the COVID-19 pandemic. Movie star Glen Powell, who has been featured in films such as Top Gun: Maverick, Twisters, and Anyone but You, will give the command.

The official home of the NASCAR Championship and Playoffs, NBC Sports will present the final 14 NASCAR Cup Series races in 2025 across NBC, USA Network, and Peacock, culminating with the Championship at Phoenix Raceway on Nov. 2. Live coverage of practice and qualifying will be presented on truTV Saturday starting at 4:30 p.m. ET.

The Voices

• Play-by-Play: Leigh Diffey
• Analysts: Jeff Burton, Steve Letarte
• Pit Reporters: Marty Snider, Kim Coon, Dillon Welch
• Host: Marty Snider
• Studio Analysts: Dale Jarrett, Brad Daugherty, Jeff Burton
• TV – USA Network
• Streaming – NBCSports.com, NBC Sports app

Date, Coverage, Platform, Time (ET)

Saturday October 11

Practice and Qualifying, truTV, 4:30 p.m.

Sunday, October. 12

Countdown to Green, USA Network, 5 p.m.

NASCAR Cup Series South Point 400, USA Network, 5:30 p.m.

NASCAR Cup Series Post-Race, USA Network, 8:30 p.m.