Here are the best NASCAR finishes at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway!
#5 Kyle Busch gets wrecked coming to the line / 2007 Sam’s Town 300
Some things make a NASCAR race more interesting and rooting on the hometown favorite is one of them. This played out in the 2007 Sam’s Town 300 in Las Vegas when Jeff Burton ran down Kyle Busch in the final laps to force a drag race.
Burton was coming in hot on the outside while Busch clung to the bottom like his life depended on it. The two got door-to-door, but it was Burton who eventually got the edge to take the win. Busch on the other hand got tagged by Burton and crashed hard into the wall. The Las Vegas native was all smiles afterward after Burton came to apologize before going to Victory Lane.
#4 Dale Jr. runs out of fuel on the last lap / 2014 NASCAR Sprint Cup
Dale Jr. and Brad Keselowski have a long history with each other, which is why they are great rivals. The relationship started when Keselowski joined JR Motorsports in the Truck series and eventually in the Xfinity Series. It was a mutually beneficial partnership that one day landed Keselowski with Penske Racing at the Cup level.
Fast forward to the 2014 Cup series race at Las Vegas and Keselowski is trailing his mentor by only half a second with only a lap to go. Unfortunately for Dale Jr, he was three-quarters short on fuel, allowing Keselowski to zoom past him in the final corner and ruin JR Nation’s party at Las Vegas. Keselowski celebrated by taking the American flag and doing burnouts in a very patriotic tribute.
#3 Alex Bowman outraces his teammate in overtime / 2022 NASCAR Cup Series Pennzoil 400
Winning a Cup race at Las Vegas Motor Speedway is one thing. Winning at Las Vegas in overtime, however, is completely different. For example, Kyle Larson and Alex Bowman were forced to battle it out in overtime for the win in the 2022 Pennzoil 400. The two Hendrick Motorsports teammates were nose to nose on the restart and it was going to be close.
Bowman slid ahead with a slight edge on the bottom. Larson then gained momentum on the turns exit to draw even again. This forced them to settle it on the last lap, where they put on a master class of clean hard racing. Both drivers edged ahead at different points, creating a lot of tension in that final corner.
This is where Bowman got a monster run on the bottom and cleared Larson at the line. Larson and Bowman are teammates, but Bowman sometimes gets lost in the shuffle. For him to rally against the defending champion and win in this fashion says a lot about his abilities.
#2 Jimmie Johnson beats Matt Kenseth to the line / 2006 Daimler-Chrysler 400
Jimmie Johnson versus Matt Kenseth at Las Vegas Motor Speedway is probably one of the best finishes in NASCAR history. Everything came down to the final three laps of the race, where Johnson continued to chip away at Kenseth’s lead.
Kenseth tried to block the bottom on the closing lap, but Johnson just rocketed to the outside coming to the checkered flag. Johnson somehow used this move to create enough momentum and clear Kenseth by half a car length at the line. It was just one of those moments where you had to be there.
#1 Martin Truex Jr wins while Kyle Busch and Joey Logano fight / 2017 Kobalt 400
Some races just have everything. A perfect example is the 2017 Las Vegas Motor Speedway spring race, where things descended into chaos in the final laps. It all started with Martin Truex Jr. trying to run down Brad Keselowski to regain the lead and win the race.
Keselowski tried to hold him off, but an electrical failure prevented him from defending his position. Martin Truex Jr. stole the bottom with two to go and got alongside Keselowski heading into the next turn. However, Keselwoski’s engine sputtered, allowing Truex Jr to shoot past him. One lap later he was the winner and Keselowski was forced to settle for coasting home in the top ten.
One would think this is where the story ends. Instead, Las Vegas got a fight on pit road that shocked everyone. In one corner was Kyle Busch, who overcame a pit road penalty to get back on the lead lap and charge towards the front. Unfortunately, he ran into Joey Logano during his charge and the contact sent Buch spinning.
In the other corner is Joey Logano. A man who gets a little too aggressive and is known to be difficult to pass. This pushed Busch to his limit as he marched down pit road seething. He eventually found Logano and instead of saying anything, just decked him. The two fought it out until NASCAR officials got involved.
