Pennzoil 400 qualifying results: Christopher Bell wins pole, lineup set for NASCAR Cup Series race at Las Vegas

More on the Pennzoil 400, NASCAR Cup Series at Las Vegas

Moreover, Momentum entering Las Vegas belongs to Ryan Blaney, who captured the win at Phoenix last weekend. The victory pushed Blaney into second place in the Cup Series standings and positioned him as one of the drivers to watch this weekend. Despite struggling at Las Vegas in recent races, Blaney’s recent form suggests he could once again contend near the front of the field.

The current points leader remains Tyler Reddick, who opened the season with an impressive three-race winning streak before adding a solid eighth-place finish at Phoenix. Reddick has yet to win at Las Vegas, but he has shown consistent speed at the track, including a fifth-place finish in the most recent race there.

Among the top betting favorites is Kyle Larson, who enters the weekend at +450 odds via BetMGM. Larson has historically performed well at Las Vegas, winning three times in his career and recording five top-10 finishes in the last six races at the track. He also enters the race in strong form after finishing sixth at COTA and third at Phoenix.

Denny Hamlin is another major contender. After a disappointing 31st-place finish in the Daytona 500, Hamlin has steadily improved each week and is coming off a fifth-place result at Phoenix. The veteran driver has two wins at Las Vegas, including a key victory there last October that helped him reach the Championship 4.

Other drivers to watch include Christopher Bell, William Byron, Chase Elliott, Joey Logano, Ross Chastain and Chase Briscoe, all of whom have shown flashes of speed early in the season. With several contenders entering the weekend with momentum, the Pennzoil 400 could play a key role in shaping the early Cup Series standings.

— On3’s Brian Jones contributed to this article.