2024 NASCAR Pennzoil 400: Winners & Losers from Sin City

The 2024 NASCAR Cup Series season kicked off its swing of races on the country's West Coast with the Pennzoil 400 last Sunday at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. The 400-mile-long event in Sin City saw Hendrick Motorsports' Kyle Larson rise to the top of the field with a dominant victory on the 1.5-mile-long track.

The weekend kicked off with Team Penske's Joey Logano claiming the Busch Light Pole Award on Saturday during qualifying. However, the #22 Ford Mustang Dark Horse driver failed to convert the pole into a win on Sunday.

Cup Series drivers seemed to welcome the intermediate nature of Sin City's 1.5-mile-long track after two consecutive races at superspeedway-style drafting tracks, with several hoping to find out how they stack in terms of performance as compared to their rivals.

With the circus headed to Phoenix Raceway next weekend, here is a look back at who played their cards right and wrong in Sin City:

Winners & losers at 2024 NASCAR Pennzoil 400 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway

Winner: Kyle Larson

Hendrick Motorsports driver and former NASCAR Cup Series champion Kyle Larson managed to dominate on Sunday by sweeping the stages during the 400-mile-long event, as well as leading 181 laps during the Pennzoil 400. The #5 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 driver moved into P1 on the driver's standings table after his victory and was seen celebrating with his son Owen Larson.

Loser: Bubba Wallace

23XI Racing's Bubba Wallace was subject to bad luck on pit road as the #23 Toyota Camry XSE driver suffered from his team trying to get the front left tire's lug nut off. While the crew battled to unscrew the stuck single-lug nut, Wallace fell multiple laps behind the leaders, ultimately relegating him to a P35 finish.

Winner: Noah Gragson

Hometown hero Noah Gragson managed to turn his fortunes around after a dismal qualifying effort on Saturday to a P6 finish during his home race on Sunday. The Stewart-Haas Racing driver ticked off his second top-10 finish during the 2024 Cup Series season, the prior during the NASCAR season opener at Daytona.

Loser: Tyler Reddick

Despite giving Hendrick Motorsports' Kyle Larson a run for his money during the final laps of the Pennzoil 400, Tyler Reddick was seen frustrated with himself and his mistakes on the track. The 23XI Racing driver might have finished P2, but his reaction outside the car saw the #45 Toyota Camry XSE driver not one bit pleased with his effort.

Winner: Ryan Blaney

Defending NASCAR Cup Series champion Ryan Blaney managed to drive his Ford Mustang to a P3 finish during the 2024 Pennzoil 400 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, marking his second finish in the top 3 in the last two races.

Loser: Christopher Bell

Joe Gibbs Racing's Christopher Bell was seen continuing on his run of bad luck with a P34 finish in Sin City, right after finishing P33 at Atlanta last weekend. The #20 Toyota Camry XSE driver was relegated to the back due to a flat tire.