NASCAR at Las Vegas results: Denny Hamlin clinches spot in Round of 8 with South Point 400 win

Twelve drivers remain in pursuit of a NASCAR Cup Series championship.

The first of three races in the playoffs Round of 12 kicks off Sunday night at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. Polesitter Kyle Larson (3,059 points) enters the race with a 30-point lead in the playoff standings over Martin Truex Jr. (3,029).

LAS VEGAS LINEUP: Starting order, pole for race without qualifying

Larson is the most recent winner in Vegas, having won the Pennzoil 400 in March, but Joey Logano should also be coming into the race with confidence. He won the race in 2019 and 2020.

A win by a playoff driver in this race will guarantee him a spot in the Round of 8, but placing highly in this race will be critical to the playoff hopes of all 12 drivers with a challenging race at Talladega Superspeedway next week.

Sporting News is tracking live updates and lap-by-lap highlights from NASCAR's race at Las Vegas on Sunday night. Follow below for complete results from the South Point 400.

MORE: Watch today's NASCAR race live with fuboTV (7-day free trial)

NASCAR at Las Vegas live updates, highlights from South Point 400

6:30 p.m.: A couple of milestones for the Busch brothers. Kurt Busch is starting race No. 750 of his NASCAR Cup Series career and Kyle Busch racing in No. 600.

Congratulations are in order for the Busch brothers!

Tonight, @KurtBusch will make his 750th NASCAR Cup Series start while @KyleBusch will make the 600th start of his career! pic.twitter.com/7ibB9Elgrx

— NASCAR (@NASCAR) September 26, 2021

NASCAR start time today

• Time: 7 p.m. ET (TV time)
• TV channel: NBCSN (TSN in Canada)
• Live stream: NBCSports.com | NBC Sports App | fuboTV (7-day free trial)

The green flag for Sunday's NASCAR Cup Series playoff race on Las Vegas Motor Speedway's 1.5-mile oval is scheduled to drop at 7:19 p.m. ET.

Desert heat will be the biggest weather concern for drivers and teams on Sunday. The National Weather Service's Sunday forecast for Las Vegas is for sunny skies and a high temperature in the low 90s. Skies will remain clear Sunday night with a low in the high 60s. The race is scheduled to begin in the late afternoon and end after sunset Pacific time.

NASCAR Cup playoff standings

Kyle Larson leads the playoff points standings as the Round of 12 begins. He's 30 points clear of second-place driver Martin Truex Jr. Tied for third are Denny Hamlin and Ryan Blaney, another five points back.

On the other end are the drivers below the Round of 8 cut line: Joey Logano, Brad Keselowski, Christopher Bell and Kevin Harvick. Logano is just one point behind eighth-place driver William Byron, however.

A playoff driver who wins a race in the Round of 12 automatically advances to the Round of 8. 

NASCAR starting lineup at Las Vegas

Here is the complete NASCAR starting lineup for Sunday's playoff race at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, the South Point 400.