Fantasy Update: Will it be Hendrick Motorsports vs. Toyota at Las Vegas?

All season long, it‘s been a battle between Hendrick Motorsports and Toyota for who is the best at intermediate tracks. It feels like we‘ve got another case of that on our hands this weekend at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, though a couple of other teams could sprinkle in their speed. For the fourth time in seven playoff races this season, Christopher Bell will lead the field to the green flag and is a worthy addition to your fantasy lineup.

MORE: Bell captures Vegas pole | Starting lineup | Vegas schedule

Dustin Albino‘s race-day lineup:

Starter 1: William Byron

Starter 2: Kyle Larson

Starter 3: Tyler Reddick

Starter 4: Christopher Bell

Starter 5: Martin Truex Jr.

Garage pick: Bubba Wallace

NEXT IN LINE: Denny Hamlin, Chris Buescher, Joey Logano, Ross Chastain

RISING: I‘ve learned my lesson from earlier in the playoffs: Larson is needed for your lineup this weekend, no matter how many uses you have left with him. I‘m not making the same mistake that I did at Bristol, where I opted not to use the No. 5 car, and he went out and scored the third most points in the race. Larson was quickest on 10-lap averages and looked to have among the best cars on the short run as well.

If the second half of the season has taught us anything about Buescher, it‘s to leave any of his past trends in the rearview. Once again, he looked to have the best Ford in the field and will start fifth. Of the two Ford teams remaining in championship contention, this is the manufacturer‘s best shot. Buescher ranked fourth on 10-lap averages.

FALLING: Sin City continues to plague Chase Elliott. His trajectory was moving in the right direction in the opening minutes of practice, ranking fourth on overall speed. But the No. 9 car cut a right-rear tire after running 15 laps — in which Elliott had the best 15-lap average in the field — and backed into the Turn 3 wall. With no laps in his backup car, you would be hard-pressed to use Elliott this weekend. However, there is only one direction to go from his 35th-place starting position.

With how consistent the No. 11 team has been over the last handful of months, it‘s a weird site to see Hamlin struggle in practice and qualifying. Remember, though, earlier this week in Fastlane, I noted that Hamlin stated it takes him time to get the correct feel for his car at Las Vegas. That was likely the case on Saturday, but Hamlin was 30th on the speed chart and 18th for 10-lap averages.

FEATURED MATCHUPS:

Tyler Reddick vs. Ryan Blaney

Since the latter part of the 2022 season, Toyota has found a knack for finding maximum speed on intermediate tracks. That is where the manufacturer stands out, with five of its six drivers making the final round of qualifying on Saturday. Blaney looked decent, but I pulled him from my lineup because the No. 12 car doesn‘t have the pace of Toyotas or Hendrick Motorsports. Meanwhile, Reddick might win the race outright.

Christopher Bell vs. Chris Buescher

This one has gotten a lot tougher from earlier this week because Buescher unloaded off the hauler fast. Bell was just a touch better, winning his sixth pole of the season. It wouldn‘t be surprising if Buescher is a top-five threat, but Bell‘s past success at the track makes me lean in his direction.

Kyle Larson vs. Denny Hamlin

This matchup has flipped, however. Two of the best crew chiefs in the garage work on the Nos. 5 and 11 teams. It‘s safe to assume that Chris Gabehart will dial in on Hamlin‘s car overnight and make the necessary adjustments to contend for the win. That‘s what the No. 11 team does better than most teams. But this seems to be the perfect weekend for Larson to lock himself into the championship race in Phoenix via a victory. At least, that‘s where I stand.

Martin Truex Jr. vs. William Byron

Here‘s the battle of the second row. Byron bettered Truex by one position in qualifying and was two spots better on single-lap speed in practice. The No. 24 Chevrolet stood out on the long run, trailing only Larson. Clearly, I‘m high on Toyotas at 1.5-mile tracks, but this could be setting up for a duplicate race that we saw from the spring with Byron and Larson dominating. With this matchup, I‘m also leaning in Hendrick Motorsports‘ direction.