The Round of Eight in the 2022 NASCAR Playoffs begins this weekend with the South Point 400 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.
The eight drivers that remain championship contenders will likely be going all in for the win in Vegas. Getting that win would lock that driver in the Championship Four with the opportunity to race for the 2022 Cup Series Championship in the final, winner-takes-all race of the year at Phoenix Raceway November 6th. Following the Round of Twelve elimination race last weekend the points were re-set and Playoff Points added to rank the Round of Twelve drivers as listed below.
| Rank | Driver | Points | Race Wins | Stage Wins | Playoff Pts | +/- Cutoff |
| 1 | Chase Elliott | 4,046 | 5 | 6 | 46 | 31 |
| 2 | Joey Logano | 4,026 | 2 | 6 | 26 | 11 |
| 3 | Ross Chastain | 4,021 | 2 | 6 | 21 | 6 |
| 4 | Christopher Bell | 4,018 | 2 | 4 | 18 | 3 |
| 5 | Ryan Blaney | 4,015 | 0 | 7 | 15 | -3 |
| 6 | William Byron | 4,015 | 2 | 4 | 15 | -3 |
| 7 | Denny Hamlin | 4,013 | 2 | 3 | 13 | -5 |
| 8 | Chase Briscoe | 4,009 | 1 | 4 | 9 | -9 |
These drivers will be racing each other and all the rest of the drivers not in championship contention. It is unique to this sport that non-playoff teams still compete each week. Below is a look at what all teams will face equally this weekend.
Las Vegas Motor Speedway Data:
Track Size: 1.5-miles
Banking/Turns 1 & 2: 20 degrees
Banking/Turns 3 & 4: 20 degrees
Banking/Frontstretch & Backstretch: 9 degrees
Frontstretch Length: 2,275 feet
Backstretch Length: 1,572 feet
South Point 400 Data:
Season Race #: 33 of 36 (10-16-22)
Playoff Race #: 7 of 10
Race Length: 267 laps (400.5 miles)
Stage 1 & 2 Length: 80 laps (each)
Final Stage Length: 107 laps
This how the remaining eight NASCAR Playoff drivers stack up at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.
| Driver | Races | Poles | Wins | Top Fives | Top 10s | DNFs | Average Finish | Driver Rating | ||
| 1 | Chase Elliott | 11 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 5 | 3 | 17.8 | 99.8 | |
| 2 | Joey Logano | 18 | 1 | 2 | 6 | 11 | 0 | 8.9 | 101.7 | |
| 3 | Ross Chastain | 8 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 23.6 | 58.7 | |
| 4 | Christopher Bell | 5 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 19.6 | 73.1 | |
| 5 | Ryan Blaney | 12 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 8 | 1 | 11.1 | 97.1 | |
| 6 | William Byron | 9 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 18.3 | 87.2 | |
| 7 | Denny Hamlin | 21 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 10 | 2 | 13.2 | 89.9 | |
| 8 | Chase Briscoe | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 23.3 | 60.0 |
The first four winners in the 2022 NASCAR Playoffs were non-playoff drivers. The last two winners have been Playoff drivers.
Which driver would you put your money on to win the South Point 400 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway? We will find out if that would be a good bet starting at 1:30 p.m. central time (2:30 p.m. eastern time) this Sunday, October 16th.
By: Buck Stevens
