NASCAR is making its way to Las Vegas for the first time this season.
The Pennzoil 400 is set for 2:30 p.m. CT on Sunday, March 16 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway in Las Vegas, Nevada. This is the first of two races at the track this season.
NASCAR has been running at Las Vegas Motor Speedway since 1998 with some big names winning the Pennzoil 400 across its history, even though it’s had different titles throughout the years. Some of those big names include dominant figures at the track, including Jimmie Johnson, Matt Kenseth, Kevin Harvick and Joey Logano.
Here is a history of every Pennzoil 400 NASCAR Las Vegas race.
1998: Mark Martin claims win in first Las Vegas 400
Mark Martin won the NASCAR race at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, leading 82 of the 267 laps to score the victory. Jeff Burton had a pit road penalty and battled back to finish second in the race.
1999: Jeff Burton wins second Las Vegas 400
After finishing second last season after a pit road penalty, Jeff Burton dominated the NASCAR Cup Series’ second trip to Las Vegas. His brother, Ward Burton, finished second after leading 71 laps.
2000: Jeff Burton earns rain-shortened win at Las Vegas again
Jeff Burton had plenty of strong years at Las Vegas and earned his second win at the track after passing Roush Racing teammate, Mark Martin, and led the last 13 laps before the race was shortened from 267 laps to 148 due to rain.
2001: Jeff Gordon wins UAW-DaimlerChrysler 400
Jeff Gordon ran toward the front throughout the entire race and found a way to get past Dale Jarrett and Sterling Marlin to score the 53rd win of his NASCAR Cup Series career. Gordon led 33 laps and went on to win the championship that season.
2002: Sterling Marlin at Las Vegas
After finishing third the previous season, Sterling Marlin broke through and score his ninth career NASCAR Cup Series win. Marlin had to fight through a penalty and hold off a hard-charging field with Jeremy Mayfield and Mark Martin finishing second and third, respectively.
2003: Matt Kenseth wins only race of championship season
Matt Kenseth’s 2003 NASCAR Cup Series championship had some controversy, seeing as he only won one race but was a consistently high finisher throughout the season. That one win was in the 2003 UAW-DiamlerChrysler 400 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. Kenseth led 88 laps, beating Dale Earnhardt Jr. to the checkered flag.
The “Kenseth Rule” was introduced in 2004, which created The Chase and the NASCAR Playoffs system.
2004: Matt Kenseth wins again
As the defending race winner and Cup Series champion, Kenseth dominated the race by leading 123 laps of the 267 and won the race from his 25th starting position. Kenseth beat rookie Kasey Kahne and Tony Stewart to the checkered flag.
2005: Jimmie Johnson starts strong run in Las Vegas
Jimmie Johnson took the lead for the first time in race at lap 147 but was passed by Ryan Newman 28 laps later. However, Johnson passed back by Newman took the lead back with around 70 laps to go and was able to hold on after a battle with Newman, Jeff Gordon and the Las Vegas native Busch brothers, Kurt and Kyle.
2006: Jimmie Johnson repeats
Jimmie Johnson got past Matt Kenseth on the final corner of a green-white-checkered finish to score his 20th win of the season, his second of the season, his second consecutive win at Las Vegas and the start of his impressive run of five consecutive NASCAR Cup Series championships.
2007: Jimmie Johnson wins at Las Vegas again
Jimmie Johnson earned yet another win at Las Vegas, his third in a row, after getting past his Hendrick Motorsports teammate, Jeff Gordon, to get to the end of the race. Gordon led a race-best 111 laps, Johnson led 89.
2008: Carl Edwards wins UAW-Dodge 400
In the first Las Vegas race with the Gen 5 car, otherwise known of the Car of Tomorrow, Carl Edwards took the lead on lap 195 and held off a strong field with Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Greg Biffle to score the victory.
2009: Kyle Busch scores win in Shelby 427
Carroll Shelby International’s base is in Las Vegas. In a one-off celebration of the Shelby Cobra 427, the race title was changed to the Shelby 427. Las Vegas native Kyle Busch led 51 laps and held off Clint Bower to win from the pole for his only win at Las Vegas, so far. This was the longest race at Las Vegas Motor Speedway to date.
2010: Jimmie Johnson wins (again) Shelby American
In a continued celebration of Shelby International, the race name was changed to the Shelby American. Jimmie Johnson scored his record fourth win at Las Vegas Motor Speedway after taking the lead away from Hendrick Motorsports teammate Jeff Gordon.
2011: Another name change, a familiar winner
In the first iteration of the Kobalt Tools 400, Carl Edwards worked through his third starting position and passed Tony Stewart in the final pit stop to run away and score his only win of the season.
2012: Tony Stewart finally breaks through
After being so close to winning at Las Vegas the previous season, Stewart dominated the race and won running away after leading 127 laps with Jimmie Johnson, Greg Biffle, Ryan Newman and Carl Edwards rounding out the top 5.
2013: Matt Kenseth scores third Las Vegas win
Nine years after winning at Las Vegas, Kenseth scored his first win with Joe Gibbs Racing to earn his third and final NASCAR Cup Series win at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. Kenseth held off Kasey Kahne and polesitter Brad Keselowski to earn the checkered flag.
2014: Brad Keselowski wins Kobalt Tools 400
Starting on the outside of the front row, Brad Keselowski found a way to stay toward the front for most of the race with some battles with Kyle Busch and Matt Kenseth. On the final lap of the race, Dale Earnhardt Jr. ran out of gas on the exiting turn 2. Keselowski sped by and scored the win.
2015: Kevin Harvick scores Las Vegas win
Kevin Harvick took the lead after cycling through pit stops with 17 laps to go and closed his 29th career victory in the NASCAR Cup Series, his first at Las Vegas.
2016: Brad Keselowski wins at Las Vegas again
Kyle Busch started to pull away late in the race but had tire troubles with 12 laps to go. Brad Keselowski steadily closed in on Busch’s car and passed him with five laps to go to steal the win from the hometown driver.
2017: Martin Truex Jr. wins final Kobalt Tools 400; Joey Logano, Kyle Busch fight
Martin Truex Jr. swept the stages and won for the first time at Las Vegas on his way to his lone NASCAR Cup Series championship. However, the drama came after the race after a late-race incident between Kyle Busch and Joey Logano ended with Busch charging toward Logano and throwing a punch.
2018: Kevin Harvick wins first Pennzoil 400
Kevin Harvick led most of the race, the first with the Pennzoil 400 title, and swept both stages. Harvick dominated the race and navigated his way to his second win at Las Vegas.
2019: Joey Logano scores first Las Vegas win
Driving the Pennzoil Ford Fusion, Joey Logano won the second stage after Kevin Harvick won the first, and led 86 laps on his way to his first victory at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.
2020: Joey Logano wins Pennzoil 400 again
Chase Elliott won the first two stages of the race and led 70 laps but ran into trouble and finished 26th. Joey Logano led 54 laps and rolled the Pennzoil Ford into victory lane for the second time in a row at the Pennzoil 400.
2021: Kyle Larson wins on his way to championship
Kyle Larson scored a win in the second stage in the 2021 Pennzoil 400 and earned his first win for Hendrick Motorsports on his way to his NASCAR Cup Series championship.
2022: Alex Bowman steals win in Pennzoil 400
Alex Bowman earned his first stage win and found a way to earn his first win at Las Vegas Motor Speedway leading just 16 laps and holding off Kyle Larson and Ross Chastain to secure the win.
2023: William Byron continues Hendrick Motorsports dominance
William Byron led 176 of the 271 laps, won both stages and earned his first victory at Las Vegas in NASCAR overtime as his Hendrick Motorsports teammates, Kyle Larson and Alex Bowman, gave the team a 1-2-3 finish.
2024: Kyle Larson wins second Pennzoil 400
Kyle Larson could not be stopped in the 2024 race, leading 181 laps in one of the more dominant performances in the history of the Pennzoil 400.
Follow sports writer Austin Chastain on X, formerly known as Twitter, at @ChastainAJ or reach him via email at achastain@gannett.com.
This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: NASCAR Las Vegas race history: 27 years of Pennzoil 400 winners
