Driverless Champions Seek Lucky Charm for Las Vegas Grand Prix Victory

The NASCAR Cup Series stays out West this weekend for Sunday's Pennzoil 400 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, and if last year's spring race was an indication, perhaps a first-time winner is in order at the 1. 5-mile desert track. After Tyler Reddick swept the season's first three races, Ryan Blaney was a first-time winner of sorts last weekend.

He became the initial driver to keep the surging 23XI Racing star out of Victory Lane in 2026 and shifted the headlines to another organization for a change. So what's in store for the campaign's fifth race? Maybe a genuine first-timer like a year ago.

Last March, driving one of the sport's true legendary cars, Josh Berry surprised the stock-car racing world by scoring his inaugural Cup victory and handing the Wood Brothers a second straight season with a win, following former driver Harrison Burton outdueling future Hall of Famer Kyle Busch in Daytona's 2024 summer race. A native of Hendersonville, Tenn. , Berry played the part one season ago that Blaney reprised in Phoenix, using the No.

21 Ford to snap Christopher Bell's hot start that also produced three straight wins – at Atlanta, COTA and Phoenix. Oddly, the last five drivers to win in the No. 21 scored their first career victories: Elliott Sadler (2001, Bristol), Trevor Bayne (2011, Daytona 500), Blaney (2017, Pocono), Burton and Berry.