2021 Pennzoil 400
# 2021 Pennzoil 400

The 2021 Pennzoil 400 presented by Jiffy Lube was a NASCAR Cup Series race held on March 7, 2021 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway in Las Vegas. Contested over 267 laps on the 1.5 mi (2.4 km) asphalt intermediate speedway, it was the fourth race of the 2021 NASCAR Cup Series season.

## Report

### Background

Las Vegas Motor Speedway, located in Clark County, Nevada outside the Las Vegas city limits and about 15 miles northeast of the Las Vegas Strip, is a 1,200-acre (490 ha) complex of multiple tracks for motorsports racing. The complex is owned by Speedway Motorsports, Inc., which is headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina.

**Entry list**

* (R) denotes rookie driver.
* (i) denotes driver who are ineligible for series driver points.

| No. | Driver | Team | Manufacturer |
| - | - | - | - |
| 00 | Quin Houff | StarCom Racing | Chevrolet |
| 1 | Kurt Busch | Chip Ganassi Racing | Chevrolet |
| 2 | Brad Keselowski | Team Penske | Ford |
| 3 | Austin Dillon | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet |
| 4 | Kevin Harvick | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford |
| 5 | Kyle Larson | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet |
| 6 | Ryan Newman | Roush Fenway Racing | Ford |
| 7 | Corey LaJoie | Spire Motorsports | Chevrolet |
| 8 | Tyler Reddick | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet |
| 9 | Chase Elliott | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet |
| 10 | Aric Almirola | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford |
| 11 | Denny Hamlin | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota |
| 12 | Ryan Blaney | Team Penske | Ford |
| 14 | Chase Briscoe (R) | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford |
| 15 | Joey Gase | Rick Ware Racing | Chevrolet |
| 17 | Chris Buescher | Roush Fenway Racing | Ford |
| 18 | Kyle Busch | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota |
| 19 | Martin Truex Jr. | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota |
| 20 | Christopher Bell | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota |
| 21 | Matt DiBenedetto | Wood Brothers Racing | Ford |
| 22 | Joey Logano | Team Penske | Ford |
| 23 | Bubba Wallace | 23XI Racing | Toyota |
| 24 | William Byron | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet |
| 34 | Michael McDowell | Front Row Motorsports | Ford |
| 37 | Ryan Preece | JTG Daugherty Racing | Chevrolet |
| 38 | Anthony Alfredo (R) | Front Row Motorsports | Ford |
| 41 | Cole Custer | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford |
| 42 | Ross Chastain | Chip Ganassi Racing | Chevrolet |
| 43 | Erik Jones | Richard Petty Motorsports | Chevrolet |
| 47 | Ricky Stenhouse Jr. | JTG Daugherty Racing | Chevrolet |
| 48 | Alex Bowman | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet |
| 51 | Cody Ware (i) | Petty Ware Racing | Chevrolet |
| 52 | Josh Bilicki | Rick Ware Racing | Ford |
| 53 | Garrett Smithley (i) | Rick Ware Racing | Chevrolet |
| 66 | Timmy Hill (i) | MBM Motorsports | Toyota |
| 77 | Justin Haley (i) | Spire Motorsports | Chevrolet |
| 78 | B. J. McLeod (i) | Live Fast Motorsports | Ford |
| 99 | Daniel Suárez | Trackhouse Racing Team | Chevrolet |
| Official entry list ||||

## Qualifying

Kevin Harvick was awarded the pole for the race as determined by competition-based formula.

### Starting Lineup

| Pos | No. | Driver | Team | Manufacturer |
| - | - | - | - | - |
| 1 | 4 | Kevin Harvick | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford |
| 2 | 24 | William Byron | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet |
| 3 | 5 | Kyle Larson | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet |
| 4 | 19 | Martin Truex Jr. | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota |
| 5 | 34 | Michael McDowell | Front Row Motorsports | Ford |
| 6 | 11 | Denny Hamlin | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota |
| 7 | 1 | Kurt Busch | Chip Ganassi Racing | Chevrolet |
| 8 | 9 | Chase Elliott | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet |
| 9 | 48 | Alex Bowman | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet |
| 10 | 2 | Brad Keselowski | Team Penske | Ford |
| 11 | 8 | Tyler Reddick | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet |
| 12 | 3 | Austin Dillon | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet |
| 13 | 6 | Ryan Newman | Roush Fenway Racing | Ford |
| 14 | 18 | Kyle Busch | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota |
| 15 | 22 | Joey Logano | Team Penske | Ford |
| 16 | 20 | Christopher Bell | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota |
| 17 | 47 | Ricky Stenhouse Jr. | JTG Daugherty Racing | Chevrolet |
| 18 | 17 | Chris Buescher | Roush Fenway Racing | Ford |
| 19 | 37 | Ryan Preece | JTG Daugherty Racing | Chevrolet |
| 20 | 41 | Cole Custer | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford |
| 21 | 42 | Ross Chastain | Chip Ganassi Racing | Chevrolet |
| 22 | 99 | Daniel Suárez | Trackhouse Racing Team | Chevrolet |
| 23 | 23 | Bubba Wallace | 23XI Racing | Toyota |
| 24 | 14 | Chase Briscoe (R) | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford |
| 25 | 77 | Justin Haley (i) | Spire Motorsports | Chevrolet |
| 26 | 12 | Ryan Blaney | Team Penske | Ford |
| 27 | 38 | Anthony Alfredo (R) | Front Row Motorsports | Ford |
| 28 | 10 | Aric Almirola | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford |
| 29 | 43 | Erik Jones | Richard Petty Motorsports | Chevrolet |
| 30 | 21 | Matt DiBenedetto | Wood Brothers Racing | Ford |
| 31 | 53 | Garrett Smithley (i) | Rick Ware Racing | Chevrolet |
| 32 | 51 | Cody Ware (i) | Petty Ware Racing | Chevrolet |
| 33 | 7 | Corey LaJoie | Spire Motorsports | Chevrolet |
| 34 | 78 | B. J. McLeod (i) | Live Fast Motorsports | Ford |
| 35 | 52 | Josh Bilicki | Rick Ware Racing | Ford |
| 36 | 00 | Quin Houff | StarCom Racing | Chevrolet |
| 37 | 15 | Joey Gase | Rick Ware Racing | Chevrolet |
| 38 | 66 | Timmy Hill (i) | MBM Motorsports | Toyota |
| Official starting lineup |||||

## Race

Kyle Larson won the race for Hendrick Motorsports, driving the #5 HendrickCars.com Chevrolet. It was his first win since he was sacked by Chip Ganassi Racing in 2020 after he said a racial slur. He also won stage two. Brad Keselowski finished second after winning stage one. Kyle Busch finished third after he passed Denny Hamlin, who was followed by Ryan Blaney.

### Stage Results

Stage One Laps: 80

| Pos | No | Driver | Team | Manufacturer | Points |
| - | - | - | - | - | - |
| 1 | 2 | Brad Keselowski | Team Penske | Ford | 10 |
| 2 | 9 | Chase Elliott | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 9 |
| 3 | 12 | Ryan Blaney | Team Penske | Ford | 8 |
| 4 | 11 | Denny Hamlin | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 7 |
| 5 | 48 | Alex Bowman | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 6 |
| 6 | 20 | Christopher Bell | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 5 |
| 7 | 24 | William Byron | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 4 |
| 8 | 21 | Matt DiBenedetto | Wood Brothers Racing | Ford | 3 |
| 9 | 22 | Joey Logano | Team Penske | Ford | 2 |
| 10 | 19 | Martin Truex Jr. | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 1 |
| Official stage one results ||||||

Stage Two Laps: 80

| Pos | No | Driver | Team | Manufacturer | Points |
| - | - | - | - | - | - |
| 1 | 5 | Kyle Larson | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 10 |
| 2 | 2 | Brad Keselowski | Team Penske | Ford | 9 |
| 3 | 11 | Denny Hamlin | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 8 |
| 4 | 24 | William Byron | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 7 |
| 5 | 12 | Ryan Blaney | Team Penske | Ford | 6 |
| 6 | 48 | Alex Bowman | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 5 |
| 7 | 20 | Christopher Bell | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 4 |
| 8 | 19 | Martin Truex Jr. | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 3 |
| 9 | 18 | Kyle Busch | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 2 |
| 10 | 9 | Chase Elliott | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 1 |
| Official stage two results ||||||

### Final Stage Results

Stage Three Laps: 107

| Pos | Grid | No | Driver | Team | Manufacturer | Laps | Points |
| - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| 1 | 3 | 5 | Kyle Larson | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 267 | 50 |
| 2 | 10 | 2 | Brad Keselowski | Team Penske | Ford | 267 | 54 |
| 3 | 14 | 18 | Kyle Busch | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 267 | 36 |
| 4 | 6 | 11 | Denny Hamlin | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 267 | 48 |
| 5 | 26 | 12 | Ryan Blaney | Team Penske | Ford | 267 | 46 |
| 6 | 4 | 19 | Martin Truex Jr. | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 267 | 35 |
| 7 | 16 | 20 | Christopher Bell | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 267 | 39 |
| 8 | 2 | 24 | William Byron | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 267 | 40 |
| 9 | 15 | 22 | Joey Logano | Team Penske | Ford | 267 | 30 |
| 10 | 29 | 43 | Erik Jones | Richard Petty Motorsports | Chevrolet | 267 | 27 |
| 11 | 17 | 47 | Ricky Stenhouse Jr. | JTG Daugherty Racing | Chevrolet | 267 | 26 |
| 12 | 12 | 3 | Austin Dillon | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 267 | 25 |
| 13 | 8 | 9 | Chase Elliott | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 267 | 34 |
| 14 | 18 | 17 | Chris Buescher | Roush Fenway Racing | Ford | 267 | 23 |
| 15 | 19 | 37 | Ryan Preece | JTG Daugherty Racing | Chevrolet | 266 | 22 |
| 16 | 30 | 21 | Matt DiBenedetto | Wood Brothers Racing | Ford | 266 | 24 |
| 17 | 5 | 34 | Michael McDowell | Front Row Motorsports | Ford | 266 | 20 |
| 18 | 13 | 6 | Ryan Newman | Roush Fenway Racing | Ford | 266 | 19 |
| 19 | 7 | 1 | Kurt Busch | Chip Ganassi Racing | Chevrolet | 266 | 18 |
| 20 | 1 | 4 | Kevin Harvick | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 266 | 17 |
| 21 | 24 | 14 | Chase Briscoe (R) | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 266 | 16 |
| 22 | 11 | 8 | Tyler Reddick | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 266 | 15 |
| 23 | 21 | 42 | Ross Chastain | Chip Ganassi Racing | Chevrolet | 266 | 14 |
| 24 | 27 | 38 | Anthony Alfredo (R) | Front Row Motorsports | Ford | 266 | 13 |
| 25 | 20 | 41 | Cole Custer | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 266 | 12 |
| 26 | 22 | 99 | Daniel Suárez | Trackhouse Racing Team | Chevrolet | 265 | 11 |
| 27 | 9 | 48 | Alex Bowman | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 265 | 21 |
| 28 | 23 | 23 | Bubba Wallace | 23XI Racing | Toyota | 262 | 9 |
| 29 | 25 | 77 | Justin Haley (i) | Spire Motorsports | Chevrolet | 262 | 0 |
| 30 | 34 | 78 | B. J. McLeod (i) | Live Fast Motorsports | Ford | 260 | 0 |
| 31 | 31 | 53 | Garrett Smithley (i) | Rick Ware Racing | Chevrolet | 259 | 0 |
| 32 | 32 | 51 | Cody Ware (i) | Petty Ware Racing | Chevrolet | 259 | 0 |
| 33 | 36 | 00 | Quin Houff | StarCom Racing | Chevrolet | 256 | 4 |
| 34 | 37 | 15 | Joey Gase | Rick Ware Racing | Chevrolet | 255 | 3 |
| 35 | 35 | 52 | Josh Bilicki | Rick Ware Racing | Ford | 252 | 2 |
| 36 | 38 | 66 | Timmy Hill (i) | MBM Motorsports | Toyota | 246 | 0 |
| 37 | 33 | 7 | Corey LaJoie | Spire Motorsports | Chevrolet | 188 | 1 |
| 38 | 28 | 10 | Aric Almirola | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 178 | 1 |
| Official race results ||||||||

### Race statistics

* Lead changes: 27 among 12 different drivers
* Cautions/Laps: 6 for 30
* Red flags: 0
* Time of race: 2 hours, 52 minutes and 7 seconds
* Average speed: 139.615 miles per hour (224.689 km/h)

## Media

### Television

Fox Sports covered their 21st race at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway. Mike Joy, 2001 race winner Jeff Gordon and Clint Bowyer called the race from the broadcast booth. Jamie Little and Regan Smith handled pit road for the television side. Larry McReynolds provided insight from the Fox Sports studio in Charlotte.

Fox :

| Booth announcers | Pit reporters | In-race analyst |
| - | - | - |
| Lap-by-lap: Mike Joy Color-commentator: Jeff Gordon Color-commentator: Clint Bowyer | Jamie Little Regan Smith | Larry McReynolds |

### Radio

PRN covered the radio call for the race which was also simulcasted on Sirius XM NASCAR Radio. Doug Rice and Mark Garrow called the race in the booth where the field raced through the tri-oval. Rob Albright called the race from a billboard in turn 2 where the field raced through turns 1 and 2. Pat Patterson called the race from a billboard outside of turn 3 where the field raced through turns 3 and 4. Brad Gillie, Brett McMillan and Wendy Venturini worked pit road for the radio side.

PRN :

| Booth announcers | Turn announcers | Pit reporters |
| - | - | - |
| Lead announcer: Doug Rice Announcer: Mark Garrow | Turns 1 & 2: Rob Albright Turns 3 & 4: Pat Patterson | Brad Gillie Brett McMillan Wendy Venturini |

## Standings after the race

| | Pos | Driver | Points |
| - | - | - | - |
| | 1 | Denny Hamlin | 187 |
| 8 | 2 | Brad Keselowski | 149 (–38) |
| 5 | 3 | Kyle Larson | 147 (–40) |
| 1 | 4 | Chase Elliott | 139 (–48) |
| 2 | 5 | Christopher Bell | 138 (–49) |
| 3 | 6 | Joey Logano | 138 (–49) |
| 5 | 7 | Kevin Harvick | 136 (–51) |
| 1 | 8 | Martin Truex Jr. | 131 (–56) |
| 5 | 9 | Michael McDowell | 126 (–61) |
| 4 | 10 | Kurt Busch | 122 (–65) |
| 2 | 11 | William Byron | 116 (–71) |
| 1 | 12 | Austin Dillon | 115 (–72) |
| 1 | 13 | Ryan Preece | 112 (–75) |
| 4 | 14 | Kyle Busch | 98 (–89) |
| 9 | 15 | Ryan Blaney | 91 (–96) |
| 1 | 16 | Chris Buescher | 90 (–97) |
| Official driver's standings ||||
| Pos | Manufacturer | Points |
| 1 | Chevrolet | 148 |
| 2 | Ford | 142 (–6) |
| 3 | Toyota | 140 (–8) |
