Hollywood superstar Glen Powell steps in as Grand Marshal for Las Vegas playoff race 

Hollywood actor Glen Powell is set to serve as Grand Marshal for this week's NASCAR Cup Series race at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.

After last week's elimination race at Charlotte Roval, the 1.5-mile oval in Vegas will host the first race of the Round of 8. Las Vegas is one of the few remaining mile-and-a-half tracks in the western US.

Powell, who notably appeared in the hit movie Top Gun: Maverick, will promote his latest film, The Running Man, in Vegas this weekend. The Austin, Texas native has also starred in Twisters and Hit Man in recent years.

"It was an absolute yes when I was asked to serve as grand marshal for the South Point 400. I've grown up around a love of speed and competition, and NASCAR racing embodies that passion like no other," Glen Powell said in a statement (via Jayski).

The 33rd race of the NASCAR Cup season, the South Point 400, is scheduled to start at 5:30 p.m. ET on Sunday, October 12. Denny Hamlin currently leads the playoff standings, followed by Ryan Blaney, Kyle Larson, and William Byron. Christopher Bell, Chase Elliott, Chase Briscoe, and Joey Logano will enter the next round below the cutline.

Logano, who is 24 points below the current elimination line, leads all playoff drivers in wins at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, with four victories. The defending Cup champion won the playoff race last season and got an early entry into the Championship 4. Logano and the No. 22 team preserved enough fuel to hold off competitors and beat Christopher Bell, who led the most of the 267 laps, in the final laps.

The NASCAR Xfinity Series will also begin the Round of 8 this week at Las Vegas. JR Motorsports' Connor Zilisch and Justin Allgaier lead the playoff standings ahead of the race.

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Katherine Legge returns to NASCAR Cup Series at Las Vegas

Live Fast Motorsports announced earlier this week that British racer Katherine Legge will make her seventh Cup Series start of the season at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.

The No. 78 Chevrolet driver made her Cup Series debut earlier this year at Phoenix Raceway and made five other starts, with her best result being a 17th-place finish at the Brickyard 400. She also competed in five Xfinity races this season for Jordan Anderson Racing but failed to crack the top-25.

Legge is the first woman to compete in the Cup Series since Danica Patrick's final race at the 2018 Daytona 500. Her last Cup start was at Watkins Glen International road course in August.

JJ Yeley will also compete at the NASCAR Cup race in Vegas in the No. 44 NY Racing Team Chevrolet.