Front Row Motorsports: Las Vegas Motor Speedway Race Report - Noah Gragson, Todd Gilliland, Zane Smith

Noah Gragson | Todd Gilliland | Zane Smith

Las Vegas Motor Speedway Race Report

Pennzoil 400

Date:  March 16th, 2025

Event: Race 6 of 38

Series: NASCAR Cup Series

Location: Las Vegas Motor Speedway (1.5-mile)

Length of Race: 267 Laps over three hours, 13 minutes, and 13 seconds.

FRM Finish:       

● Zane Smith (Started 9th, Finished 23rd / Running, completed 267 of 267 laps)

● Todd Gilliland (Started 32nd, Finished 29th / Running, completed 265 of 267 laps)

● Noah Gragson (Started 21st, Finished 31st / DNF, completed 241 of 267 laps)

FRM Points Standings:    

• Todd Gilliland (24th)
• Zane Smith (29th)
• Noah Gragson (33rd)

Zane Smith Key Takeaways

• Stage One: 26th / Stage Two: 25th / Race Result: 23rd

• Zane Smith posted his second top-10 qualifying result of the season at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway this past Sunday for the venue's 267-lap event. Smith stayed within the top-10 before his pit cycle started. Smith's pit cycle was interrupted by a caution, giving the field a chance to pit with Smith and shuffling him to the back of the pack. Smith finished Stage One in the 26th position. Smith's struggles continued in Stage Two, not breaking the top-20 and finishing the stage in 25th. Smith and the No. 38 team spent the final stage chasing the handling of the No. 38 Ford Mustang Dark Horse, eventually crossing the start / finish line in the 23rd position.

• “Just a tough day overall," said Smith. "Bad break with the first caution on a pit cycle, then from there we just chased handling and couldn't really get it where we wanted. Rough one but you’ll have those, and we’ll bounce back next weekend.”

Todd Gilliland Key Takeaways

• Stage One: 18th / Stage Two: 30th / Race Result: 29th

• Todd Gilliland made his seventh Las Vegas Motor Speedway NASCAR Cup Series start this past Sunday. Gilliland qualified 32nd for the 267-lap race. Gilliland made decent gains in Stage One, breaking into the top-20 but battled the handling of his Ford Mustang Dark Horse. Gilliland finished Stage One in the 18th position. On lap 147, Gilliland ran out of track and hit the wall, taking significant damage to his Ford. The No. 34 team was not only able to make repairs but was able to keep Gilliland on the lead lap. Gilliland went on to finish the stage in 30th. In the final stage, Gilliland was able to keep it on the track to finish the race in 29th.

• "Not a great run for us at all," said Gilliland. "It was just one of those weekends where we struggled all around and couldn't make significant gains to get to the front. That on top of the damage just made for a bad race for us. It's ok, though. There is still a lot of fight left in this 34 group and we'll bounce back at Homestead-Miami."

Noah Gragson Key Takeaways

• Stage One: 16th / Stage Two: 12th / Race Result: 31st

• Noah Gragson made his homecoming this past weekend at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway. The Las Vegas, Nevada native qualified 21st for the 267-lap race, but easily picked up spots after the drop of the green flag. As the pit cycle started, Gragson continued to fight in the top-20. A caution for a loose tire gave the No. 4 team a chance to pit and restart 11th. Gragson shuffled back to the top-20, where he finished Stage One in the 11th position. Gragson found himself within the top-10 in Stage Two, pushing hard to maintain his position and staying out of the chaos. Gragson would finish Stage Two in the 12th position. Starting the final stage in the ninth position, Gragson suffered minor damage during a multi-car incident after the restart. The final stage continued to be a struggle for Gragson, battling the handling of the No. 4 Ford Mustang Dark Horse and dropping back to the mid-20's. With just 20 laps remaining, Gragson collided with the outside wall, sustaining unrepairable damage, resulting in Gragson retiring from the race.

• "We were running really well, and the team was crushing it on pit stops to get me in and out fast", said Gragson. "Unfortunately, we blew a right front tire, and that ended our day. Proud of the team for how we're progressing and looking forward to better results in Miami."