PREVIEW: Return of Legge and Bayne among the entry list storylines for Las Vegas
by Brock Beard / LASTCAR.info Editor-in-Chief
PHOTO: Sam Hunt Racing, @Team_SHR26
Saturday, October 11, 2025 (Green Flag 7:45 P.M. ET, CW)
XFINITY Race 30 of 33
Round of 8: Race 1 of 3
Focused Health 302 at Las Vegas
2024 Last-Place Finisher: Shane Van Gisbergen
ENTRY LIST
There are 38 drivers entered for as many spots in Saturday’s field, so all will qualify.
DRIVER CHANGE: #24-Sam Hunt Racing
It’s a throwback two times over at the Sam Hunt team as 2011 Daytona 500 champion Trevor Bayne makes his 165th career XFINITY Series start, his first since a 33rd-place finish at Texas on September 23, 2023. Bayne’s car will be the latest to feature cartoon characters from SpongeBob SquarePants, following several one-off schemes for Hendrick Motorsports and even the title sponsorship for the May 2015 race in Kansas. This time around, the cartoon is promoting both its newest movie and a special flavor of Olipop soda. Bayne takes the place of Kaz Grala, who earned a strong 4th-place finish last Saturday on the Charlotte “Roval.”
DRIVER SWAP: #32-Jordan Anderson Racing
MISSING: #87-Jordan Anderson Racing
Speaking of strong performers at the “Roval,” Austin Green challenged race winner Connor Zilisch for the victory, continuing his streak of impressive road course performances with a new career-best 2nd-place finish. Green will also be running this week, but back in the #32 in place of JAR crew member Andrew Patterson, who was among the DNQs at Charlotte. The #87 that Green drove last week also isn’t among this week’s entrants.
DRIVER CHANGE: #35-Joey Gase Motorsports with Scott Osteen
Taking the place of Austin J. Hill, who likewise failed to qualify at the Charlotte “Roval,” is a returning Mason Maggio, marking his 10th series start of the season and first since a season-best 15th under the lights at Daytona in August. This will be Maggio’s first NASCAR start at Las Vegas – he’s not competed there in his previous XFINITY and Truck Series starts.
DRIVER CHANGE: #45-Alpha Prime Racing
DRIVER SWAP: #91-DGM Racing x JIM
The other Mason is on the entry list as Mason Massey returns to the #45, marking his 13th start of the season and first since Kansas, two races ago, where he finished 31st with this same Alpha Prime effort. Massey also ran the spring race at Las Vegas earlier this year, where he finished 37th after suspension issues. Massey takes the place of Josh Williams, whose fuel pump issues left him next-to-last on the “Roval.” Williams will move to Mario Gosselin’s #91 in place of Josh Bilicki, whose successful triple-header last week included a 21st-place showing with that team. Optum is Williams’ sponsor this week.
MISSING: #50-Pardus Racing
Preston Pardus and his family team aren’t among this week’s entrants after early transmission woes put them behind the wall on the “Roval.” The team has not yet decided whether they will compete at Martinsville in two weeks, where the road racer Pardus has two previous starts.
DRIVER CHANGE: #53-Joey Gase Motorsports with Scott Osteen
Team co-owner Joey Gase climbs back behind the wheel this week, taking the place of IndyCar racer Sage Karam, who finished 25th after a late-race flat tire on the Charlotte “Roval.” Gase’s 15th series start of the year and first since a 33rd-place showing in Kansas sees him continue his push for organ donor awareness as the Nevada Donor Network joins as sponsor. Gase finished 33rd in the spring Vegas race this year.
TEAM UPDATE: #70-Cope Family Racing
MISSING: #92-DGM Racing x JIM
Mario Gosselin’s team will not field the part-time #92 entry with which Leland Honeyman, Jr. earned a 26th-place finish last week in Charlotte. Honeyman will also not run for Cope Family Racing this week as Thomas Annunziata remains in the #70 following his DNQ last week.
DRIVER CHANGE: #07-SS-Green Light Racing
Nick Leitz runs the Frontline Optics colors on Bobby Dotter’s #07 this week as he takes the place of road race ace Alex Labbe, whose Top 15 streak in all seven of the previous “Roval” races ended on the final lap following a nose-to-nose tangle exiting Turn 7 that left him 30th. Leitz’ most recent start was also at Kansas, where he finished last after he returned to the track following early mechanical issues.
CUP INVADERS: None
Sunday, October 12, 2025 (Green Flag 5:35 P.M. ET, USA)
CUP Race 33 of 36
Round of 8: Race 1 of 3
South Point 400 at Las Vegas
2024 Last-Place Finisher: Austin Dillon
ENTRY LIST
There are 38 drivers entered for 40 spots, marking the 28th short field in 33 races this season.
RETURNING: #44-NY Racing Team
As news broke this week that J.J. Yeley will drive Spire Motorsports’ high-powered #7 Chevrolet in next week’s Truck Series race at Talladega, he will also return to action on the Cup side with Epoxy Depot as sponsor of John Cohen’s #44 Chevrolet. This marks Yeley’s 17th career Cup start on the Las Vegas track and his fifth in a row, not to mention his 395th career Cup start and first since a crash in Kansas left him 34th.
MISSING: #66-Garage 66
Not making the trip is team owner Carl Long, who closed out Josh Bilicki’s triple-header on the “Roval” with a clean car and a 32nd-place finish. Long’s Truck Series team will return next week in Talladega, where Tyler Tomassi will compete with fan-supported sponsorship from YouTuber Elly Productions.
RETURNING: #78-Live Fast Motorsports
The gradual ascent of Katherine Legge has been one of this season’s pleasant surprises – a difficult Phoenix debut followed by a 19th on the Chicago Street Course, then a career-best 17th in the Brickyard 400. She’s now set to make her seventh career Cup start and first since a 36th-place finish in Watkins Glen, again driving for B.J. McLeod’s Live Fast Motorsports effort, and her first oval start in Cup since Indy.
Friday, October 17, 2025
TRUCKS Race 23 of 25
Round of 8: Race 2 of 3
Love’s RV Stop 225 at Talladega
2024 Last-Place Finisher: Bayley Currey
The Truck Series returns next week in Talladega
TODAY IN LASTCAR HISTORY (October 10, 1993): Todd Bodine picked up the 1st last-place finish of his NASCAR Winston Cup Series career in the Mello Yello 500 at the Charlotte Motor Speedway when his #75 Factory Stores Ford crashed after 140 laps. Bodine’s crash was one of only two cautions in a race that saw Ernie Irvan lead 328 of 334 laps for a dominant victory.
