Good morning, and welcome back to Monday Morning Pit Box following the running of the Pennzoil 400 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. In MMPB, we break down the previous NASCAR Cup Series race from the perspective of the crew chief, analyzing race-changing pit calls, pit stops, and pit road penalties.
Kyle Larson left little doubt about the outcome, leading 181 of 267 laps and holding off a late charge from Tyler Reddick to collect his 24th career Cup Series win and his third checkered flag at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.
Despite the lack of parity up front, there were plenty of comers and goers throughout the rest of the field, and pit strategy and maladies played a part. Here is the breakdown of the winners and losers on pit road in Sin City.
Ross Chastain Nearly Hits the Jackpot with 2-Tire Call
Ross Chastain’s Sunday got off to a rocky start when his Trackhouse Racing team had to replace part of the wrap on the hood of his No. 1 Chevrolet. This put Chastain in the unenviable position of starting from the rear, needing to gamble to gain track position.
Chastain made progress through stage one, rallying all the way up to eighth to gain a handful of stage points. However, Chastain’s drive to the front got derailed on lap 120 when he got busted for going too fast entering pit road on a green flag pit stop, which led to a pass-through penalty under green.
Chastain needed a late race roll of the dice to get back to the front, and he got his chance with the sixth and final caution of the race on lap 235 for a Corey Lajoie spin. On the ensuing round of pit stops, the No. 1 pit crew put on two right-side tires while everyone else took four.
That call put Chastain in second for what turned out to be the final restart with 27 laps left. The Melon Man fought valiantly for the win, driving side-by-side with Larson for the first few laps of the final run. While it did not work out for the win, Chastain maintained for a fourth-place finish, a top five that likely does not happen without a bold call by crew chief Phil Surgen.
Many Pit Crews Not in Midseason…
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