LASTCAR TRACKSIDE COVERAGE

Continuing with my return to trackside coverage in 2021, I will be covering the action in Las Vegas for the first time. Be sure to stay tuned to this website and my Twitter feed @LASTCARonBROCK for updates throughout the weekend.

Friday, September 24, 2021 (9:00 P.M. ET, FS1)

TRUCKS Race 19 of 22

Round of 8 – Race 1 of 3

Victoria’ Voice Foundation 200 at Las Vegas

2020 Last-Place Finisher: Natalie Decker

ENTRY LIST

There are 38 drivers entered for 40 spots in Friday’s race, meaning all will start the event.

TEAM UPDATE: #3-Jordan Anderson Racing

Howie DiSavino III will be racing with a heavy heart this Friday after his mother Dawn DiSavino died last Saturday following a five-year battle with cancer. According to the team’s press release, her last words were to “pass them all” in Friday’s race. DiSavino’s fifth series start, following a 28th-place finish in Bristol, will be his first at the track. Dawn’s name will be on the passenger-side roof rail.

MISSING: #6-Norm Benning Racing

Norm Benning is not entered after he missed the cut under metric qualifying in Bristol.

DRIVER SWAP: #9-CR7 Motorsports

DRIVER CHANGE: #98-ThorSport Racing

Following another strong runner-up finish in Bristol, Grant Enfinger is back out of the #98 and into Codie Rohrbaugh’s #9, replacing Colby Howard who ran 15th, and carrying sponsorship from Blaster. Christian Eckes will again drive the #98 for his ninth start of 2021 and first since Gateway, where he finished 31st.

DRIVER CHANGE: #11-Spencer Davis Motorsports

Clay Greenfield is back out of the field after his collaboration with Spencer Davis yielded a 23rd-place showing in Bristol. Davis himself will run the #11 this week with Inox Supreme Lubricants again as sponsor. This will be Davis’ seventh Truck start of the season and first since Darlington earlier this month, where he ran 22nd.

MISSING: #17-David Gilliland Racing

Taylor Gray is not entered along with David Gilliland’s #17 entry following a 29th-place run in Bristol.

DRIVER CHANGE: #24-GMS Racing

Doug Coby III impressed with a strong 12th-place finish in his Truck Series debut. The modified star hands the wheel back to Jack Wood this week with Martin Auto Color as sponsor on his Chevrolet. This will be Wood’s first start at Las Vegas.

DRIVER CHANGE: #25-Rackley-W.A.R.

For the first time since he took over for Timothy Peters at Texas, Josh Berry will not be running the Rackley-W.A.R. entry this week, just days after an 11th-place showing in Bristol. Instead, the driver will be Brett Moffitt, who will make his first Truck start since Knoxville, where he steered AM Racing’s second entry to a 38th-place finish.

DRIVER CHANGE: #32-Bret Holmes Racing

Last week in Bristol, Sam Mayer managed to pull out a 22nd-place finish despite damage suffered in the early laps. This week, Bret Holmes will drive his own entry for the fifth time this season and first since Charlotte. Holmes, who failed to qualify his most recent attempt at Nashville, ran 37th at this Vegas track in the spring, site of his series debut.

DRIVER CHANGE: #34-Reaume Brothers Racing

Dylan Lupton is back at the track and will pull double-duty with the XFINITY Series (see below). On the Truck side, he takes the place of Josh Reaume, who finished last with this #34 entry after he was collected in Mayer’s wreck. This will be only the second Truck Series start for Lupton in 2021 and first since September in Darlington, where he ran 31st for KBM.

WITHDREW: #41-Cram Racing Enterprises

Dawson Cram's entered #41 was not among those at the track on Friday.

DRIVER CHANGE: #45-Niece Motorsports

Chris Hacker will make his second career Truck Series start and first since Gateway, where he finished 27th despite early mechanical trouble on Reaume’s #34. This time, he runs Al Niece’s #45 in place of Lawless Alan, who earned 18th in Bristol. Charred Flags, which produces woodworking art, is the sponsor of his Chevrolet.

DRIVER CHANGE: #49-CMI Motorsports

Keith McGee may be the true “high roller” in Thursday’s field after he teamed up with professional gambler Mikki Mase to take home $81,000 in casino winnings – enough for McGee to run in the race. McGee will drive the only truck that was still available – the #49 originally entered by owner-driver Ray Ciccarelli, who competed just 15 laps in Bristol. It will be his fourth start of the year and first since Texas, when he ran 29th. Several Las Vegas-based businesses will adorn the truck, including Boyd Gaming, Banger Buddy, and Hey Big Mike. For more on this story, be sure to check out Joseph Srigley’s article at this link.

DRIVER CHANGE: #56-Hill Motorsports

After Timmy Hill climbed from 32nd on the grid to finish 17th, brother Tyler Hill will make his sixth start of 2021 and first since Darlington and will roll off 24th. Tyler’s season-worst finish of 35th came at this track in the spring, where he was involved in a late-race accident. Timmy will not run any of NASCAR’s top three series this weekend as his XFINITY entry is again on the wrong side of the cut line (see below).

MISSING: #75-Henderson Motorsports

Parker Kligerman is not entered following a 21st-place showing for Charlie Henderson in Bristol.

CUP INVADERS: None

Saturday, September 25, 2021 (7:30 P.M. ET, NBCSN)

XFINITY Race 27 of 33

Round of 12 – Race 1 of 3

Alsco Uniforms 302 at Las Vegas

2020 Last-Place Finisher: Kyle Weatherman

ENTRY LIST

The XFINITY Series Playoffs kick-off with 41 drivers entered for 40 spots, which once again leaves MBM’s #13 team out of the lineup (see below).

DRIVER SWAP: #5-B.J. McLeod Motorsports

DRIVER SWAP: #15-JD Motorsports

DRIVER CHANGE: #74-Mike Harmon Racing

DRIVER SWAP: #99-B.J. McLeod Motorsports

C.J. McLaughlin will run double-duty with the Truck Series, remaining in Reaume’s #33 entry on Friday while returning to Mike Harmon Racing’s #74 on Saturday for the first time since his last-place run in Richmond. McLaughlin’s return moves Bayley Currey back to the #15 in place of B.J. McLeod, who moves back to his own #99 in place of Matt Mills. Mills will thus return to his familiar #5, taking the place of Stefan Parsons. While Parsons will not race this week, on Tuesday came news that he has locked-up a full-season ride with B.J. McLeod Motorsports for 2022. 

DID NOT QUALIFY: #13-Motorsports Business Management

Timmy Hill will not qualify as the #13 is ranked too low in Owner Points under metric qualifying.

DRIVER CHANGE: #17-Rick Ware Racing / SS-Green Light Racing

DRIVER SWAP: #52-Jimmy Means Racing

J.J. Yeley rejoins the Ware / Dotter effort on the #17 team for the first time since Richmond in what will be the veteran’s 11th series start of 2021, and a double-duty weekend with Cup (see below). On the XFINITY side, Yeley debuts new sponsorship from social media platform Parler. Yeley takes the place of Carson Ware, who moves to Jimmy Means Racing in place of Gray Gaulding, who turned in a much-needed 18th-place finish in Bristol. Ware carries sponsorship from KeepItSecure.net.

DRIVER CHANGE: #23-Our Motorsports

DRIVER SWAP: #31-Jordan Anderson Racing

Blaine Perkins is back in Chris Our’s #23 for the first time since last month’s night race at Daytona, where he ran a season-best 23rd. Perkins takes the place of Ty Dillon, who this week moves to Jordan Anderson’s #31 and carries local sponsorship from South Point Hotel & Casino. Dillon takes the place of IndyCar’s Sage Karam, who survived his first Bristol start to take home 16th, just one spot behind Dillon.

DRIVER CHANGE: #26-Sam Hunt Racing

The second part of Dylan Lupton’s double-duty weekend will come with Sam Hunt Racing, taking the place of 21st-place Bristol finisher Brandon Gdovic. This will be Lupton’s first XFINITY Series start since June 2, 2018, when he finished 23rd for the now defunct JGL Racing. 

Marques General Engineering will sponsor the Lupton effort.

DRIVER SWAP: #61-Motorsports Business Management

DRIVER CHANGE: #66-Motorsports Business Management

Matt Jaskol returns to the #66 for his sixth career XFINITY start and first since Texas in June, bringing with him sponsorship from Auto Parts 4 Less. This will also be Jaskol’s first start at Las Vegas, his home track. Jaskol takes the place of David Starr, who moves to the #61 in place of Chad Finchum, who isn’t entered. Starr, who ran three spots ahead of Finchum at Bristol in 30th, carries sponsorship from Angry Crab Shack.

DRIVER CHANGE: #78-B.J. McLeod Motorsports

Las Vegas will mark the 10th start of the season for Mason Massey, who we last saw at Richmond driving this same #78 entry to a 17th-place finish, his best of the year. Massey and his Gerber Collision & Glass sponsorship take the place of Jesse Little, who ran 28th in Bristol. Massey finished 29th in his only previous Las Vegas start here in the spring of 2020.

CUP INVADERS: None

Sunday, September 26, 2021 (7:00 P.M. ET, NBCSN)

CUP Race 30 of 36

Round of 12 – Race 1 of 3

South Point 400 at Las Vegas

2020 Last-Place Finisher: Chad Finchum

ENTRY LIST

There are 38 drivers entered for 40 spots, marking the 23rd short field in 30 races this season. Since the field was cut off at 40 cars in 2016, a Cup race in Vegas has seen 40 cars on the grid only once – the inaugural fall race on September 16, 2018.

DRIVER CHANGE: #15-Rick Ware Racing

Joey Gase is back in the RWR #15 with NV Donate Life as the listed sponsor. Gase takes the place of James Davison, who at Bristol struggled from the start with an ill-handling car and finished 33rd.

DRIVER CHANGE: #51-Rick Ware Racing

RETURNING / DRIVER SWAP: #66-Motorsports Business Management

Welcome back Cody Ware, who returns to the Cup Series for the first time since he suffered carbon monoxide poisoning midway through the Southern 500 earlier this month. Ware takes the place of J.J. Yeley, who ran 27th in Bristol. Yeley will instead drive the returning MBM #66, which was added as a late entry as of Monday. Fat Boy Ice Cream, which has sponsored several of Yeley’s runs this past year, will sponsor the #66 Toyota. 

TODAY IN LASTCAR HISTORY (September 23, 2006): Chris Wimmer picked up the 1st last-place finish of his NASCAR Nationwide Series career in the Dover 200 at Dover when his #79 Speedco Chevrolet lost the brakes after 3 laps. This was Wimmer’s fourth and final series start, his only race for a team other than Keith Coleman’s, and his only start where he didn’t drop out because of an accident. His best finish was just 37th at Phoenix on November 12, 2005.