And then there were eight. Eight drivers head to Las Vegas for the South Point 400 with a chance to stay alive in the NASCAR Cup Series championship playoffs. Last week’s race in Charlotte thinned the herd from 12 down to eight, as we now only have four races left for the season.

The Championship Race at Phoenix on November 2 will mark the end of the 2025 campaign and you have to wonder what changes will be in store for next season. This season brought us the inaugural in-season challenge, but the sport is constantly looking to evolve and maintain a high level of fan interest.

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How to Watch The South Point 400

When: Sunday, October 12, 2025

Where: Las Vegas Motor Speedway in Las Vegas, NV

Time: 5:30 p.m. ET

Channel: USA

2025 NASCAR Cup Series Standings

The race winners so far are William Byron (2), Kyle Larson (3), Christopher Bell (4), Denny Hamlin (5), Shane van Gisbergen (5), Ryan Blaney (3), Ross Chastain, Joey Logano, Austin Cindric, Josh Berry, Chase Briscoe (2), Chase Elliott (2), Bubba Wallace, and Austin Dillon through 30 points races.

van Gisbergen won the Roval race, a combination of part-road course, part-oval. He doesn’t have any other top-five finishes to go with his five wins, which have come in Mexico City, the Chicago Street Course, Watkins Glen, Sonoma, and the Roval in Charlotte. He only has two other top-10 finishes and only one came on an oval track.

All remaining playoff drivers had their point totals set to 4000 and then bonus points accumulated during the season were then added. The bottom four in points of the playoff drivers will be cut from contention after each round of three races.

After last week’s Bank of America Roval 400, here are the playoff standings.

  • Denny Hamlin 4036
  • Ryan Blaney 4034
  • Kyle Larson 4032
  • William Byron 4032
  • Christopher Bell 4028
  • Chase Elliott 4018
  • Chase Briscoe 4018
  • Joey Logano 4008

Chastain, Wallace, Reddick, and Cindric were all eliminated after the Roval race. Tyler Reddick had a chance as the pole sitter and he also had the fastest lap, but he ultimately finished 10th. Wallace was the next highest finisher in 15th. You could make a very strong case that the playoffs have worked out as designed, as these are probably the eight best that the Cup Series has to offer right now.

2025 NASCAR Cup Championship Playoffs Schedule

Round of 16

  • Cook Out Southern 500 (Darlington) – August 31, 6 p.m. ET
  • Enjoy Illinois 300 (World Wide Technology Raceway, Madison) – September 7, 3 p.m. ET
  • Bass Pro Shops Night Race (Bristol) – September 13, 7:30 p.m. ET

Round of 12

  • Mobil 1 301 (New Hampshire) – September 21, 2 p.m. ET
  • Hollywood Casino 400 (Kansas) – September 28, 3 p.m. ET
  • Bank of America Roval 400 (Charlotte) – October 5, 3 p.m. ET

Round of 8

  • South Point 400 (Las Vegas) – October 12, 5:30 p.m. ET
  • YellaWood 500 (Talladega) – October 19, 2 p.m. ET
  • Xfinity 500 (Martinsville) – October 26, 2 p.m. ET

Championship Race

  • NASCAR Cup Championship Race (Phoenix) – November 2, 3 p.m. ET

South Point 400 Winners

Las Vegas Motor Speedway is about 25 minutes north of the famed Las Vegas Strip and is a stop twice on the NASCAR calendar. It is a traditional 1.5-mile asphalt oval owned by Speedway Motorsports.

The South Point 400 was added to the schedule in 2018. The South Point Hotel, Casino, & Spa is owned by Michael Gaughan, whose son Brendan Gaughan made 67 Cup Series starts, 219 Xfinity Series, and 217 Truck Series starts in his career.

Logano is the only repeat winner of the South Point 400, winning in 2022 and 2024. Brad Keselowski won the first one in 2018, and the other active drivers with wins are Larson and Hamlin. For the Pennzoil 400, which is the spring race, Berry won that one earlier this year. Logano and Larson have two wins apiece and Byron and Bowman have victories.

Steve Makinen’s South Point 400 Predictions

For the latest odds and VSiN’s NASCAR Best Bets, head to our NASCAR Hub to see Steve Makinen’s final simulation results and more stats on the drivers.

Steve Makinen’s Simulation Results

Simulation was so-so at Charlotte this past Sunday, certainly less than my personal predictions which scored a trifecta. The Roval has been far from predictable lately, so I’m quite pleased to get the perfect 1-2-3 finish. We move on to a track that has typically been much more predictable in Las Vegas and gets a handicap-ability grade of B.

That said, we did see a big upset winner at LVMS in March when Josh Berry scored his first career Cup Series win. He’ll be among the top underdogs to consider for this week. Kyle Larson is a heavy favorite though, as the initial projections have him with an average simulation finish of 4.4. No one else is better than 7.5. The list of other contenders at this point would include William Byron, Christopher Bell, Tyler Reddick, and Ross Chastain. 

This is the first race of the third round of the playoffs, meaning the winner advances to the final four for the championship race at Phoenix in a few weeks.

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