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NASCAR Playoffs Las Vegas starting grid, lineup: Erik Jones leads crowd of playoff drivers

By Nick Tylwalk

LAS VEGAS, NV - SEPTEMBER 14: Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series South Point 400 pole winner Erik Jones (20) Joe Gibbs Racing (JGR) Toyota Camry makes his qualifying run Friday September 14, 2018, in Las Vegas, NV. (Photo by Will Lester/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
LAS VEGAS, NV - SEPTEMBER 14: Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series South Point 400 pole winner Erik Jones (20) Joe Gibbs Racing (JGR) Toyota Camry makes his qualifying run Friday September 14, 2018, in Las Vegas, NV. (Photo by Will Lester/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) /
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The playoff drivers will have to outrace each other right from the start of the inaugural South Point 400.

Viva Las Vegas? We’re not sure if every Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series driver will be singing that tune come Monday, but one still in the hunt for the championship just might be. The NASCAR Playoffs get under way at the brand spanking new South Point 400, which could lock someone into the next round of the NASCAR Playoffs.

That will only happen if the winner is one of the 16 playoff drivers, but that seems likely for two reasons: No other driver has won a Cup Series race in 2018, and they all did good to great in qualifying. Erik Jones won the pole by the narrowest of margins over Joey Logano, and the first 11 starting spots are held by championship contenders. In fact, only Jamie McMurray (12th) and Ricky Stenhouse Jr. (14th) break up the playoff field, all of whom will start Sunday’s race at Las Vegas Motor Speedway 18th or better.

Still, a statement could be made if one of the drivers who made the postseason on points to automatically advance to the Round of 12. Though the reset points standings are pretty tight at the bottom of the playoff grid, bottom four seeds Denny Hamlin, Aric Almirola, Jimmie Johnson and Alex Bowman all figure to be the drivers who would benefit most from a win. It’s just that getting it won’t be easy with all their rivals also looking like they have plenty of speed.

Coverage of the South Point 400 is scheduled to begin at 3:00 p.m. ET on NBCSN, with the green flag scheduled to wave at 3:16 p.m. We’ll have full coverage of the first of 10 races to decide the 2018 NASCAR Cup Series champion before, during and after the action in Las Vegas right here on FanSided.com.

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2018 South Point 400 starting grid for Las Vegas Motor Speedway

(Playoff race 1 of 10, ‘p’ indicates driver still alive in NASCAR Playoffs)

  1. Erik Jones (p) – No. 20 DeWalt Toyota
  2. Joey Logano (p) – No. 22 Pennzoil Ford
  3. Denny Hamlin (p)  – No. 11 FedEx Ground Toyota
  4. Kyle Busch (p) – No. 18 M&M’S Toyota
  5. Kevin Harvick (p) – No. 4 Mobil 1 Ford
  6. Ryan Blaney (p) – No. 12 PPG Ford
  7. Chase Elliott (p)  – No. 9 NAPA Auto Parts Chevrolet
  8. Kurt Busch (p) – No. 41 Haas Automation Ford
  9. Alex Bowman (p) – No. 88 Valvoline Chevrolet
  10. Martin Truex Jr. (p) – No. 78 5-hour Energy Toyota
  11. Kyle Larson (p) – No. 42 DC Solar Vegas Strong Chevrolet
  12. Jamie McMurray – No. 1 Gearwrench Chevrolet
  13. Brad Keselowski (p) – No. 2 Autotrader Ford
  14. Ricky Stenhouse Jr. – No. 17 SunnyD Ford
  15. Clint Bowyer (p) – No. 14 One Cure Ford
  16. Aric Almirola (p) – No. 10 Smithfield Ford
  17. Jimmie Johnson (p) – No. 48 Lowe’s for Pros Chevrolet
  18. Austin Dillon (p) – No. 3 Dowfrost Chevrolet
  19. Daniel Suarez – No. 19 ARRIS Toyota
  20. Paul Menard – No. 21 Menards/Aquafina Ford
  21. William Byron – No. 24 AXALTA Chevrolet
  22. Ryan Nemwan – No. 31 Liberty National Chevrolet
  23. Trevor Bayne – No. 6 AdvoCare Rehydrate Ford
  24. Michael McDowell – No. 34 Speedco/Rotella Ford
  25. Regan Smith – No. 95 WRL General Contractors Chevrolet
  26. Matt DiBenedetto – No. 32 Can-Am/Wholey Ford
  27. David Ragan – No. 38 MDS Transport Ford
  28. Chris Buescher – No. 37 Natural Light Race Day Resume Chevrolet
  29. AJ Allmendinger – No. 47 Kroger Click List Chevrolet
  30. Ty Dillon – No. 13 GEICO Chevrolet
  31. Bubba Wallace – No. 43 World Wide Technology Chevrolet
  32. Corey LaJoie – No. 72 Dragonchain Chevrolet
  33. Kyle Weatherman – No. 99 StarCom Fiber Chevrolet
  34. Ross Chastain – No. 15 Xchange of America Chevrolet
  35. Jeffrey Earnhardt – No. 96 American Soldier Network/Xtreme Concepts Toyota
  36. JJ Yeley – No. 23 Steakhouse Elite Toyota
  37. Landon Cassill – No. 00 StarCom Fiber Chevrolet
  38. BJ McLeod – No. 51 Jacob Companies Ford
  39. Timmy Hill – No. 66 Rewards.com Toyota
  40. Reed Sorensen – No. 7 TBA Chevrolet
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