NASCAR viewer’s guide: Las Vegas Motor Speedway

NASCAR Cup Series teams have an idea of what to expect this week at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. But with a new car, whatever idea they have is still only a guess.

The premier series hits Sin City for the first of two races this season at the 1.5-mile, D-shaped oval (3:30 p.m. ET Sunday on Fox). Following a tumultuous 2020, Kyle Larson began his remarkable return to glory with a win in this race a year ago, marking the first of a 10-win championship season. In the playoffs, Denny Hamlin was the one celebrating in victory lane for the second and final time in 2021.

Of course, that was with an old car — the Gen 6 — and if last week’s race at Auto Club Speedway taught us anything, it’s to expect the unexpected. The Next Gen car makes its mile-and-a-half debut at Las Vegas, three months after organizational tests at Charlotte, another 1.5-miler.

The pavement in Vegas isn’t nearly as worn out and abrasive as the one competitors tackled last week in Fontana. Still, the tighter confines and limited knowledge might make for unpredictable racing — and unpredictable frontrunners.

One of the major themes echoing throughout the NASCAR garage entering 2022 was that the Next Gen car would bring more parity throughout the field.

Two races make for a small sample size, but the results so far prove that to be true. Following events at Daytona and Auto Club, 19 different drivers have top-10 finishes. The only driver with two top 10s is Aric Almirola, who currently sits sixth in points.

Underscoring the point – nine teams made up the top 10 of last week’s finishing order and 17 different drivers have led at least one lap already.

Whether that trend continues remains to be seen. However, even recent events at Las Vegas have offered their share