NASCAR Cup SeriesPhoenix Raceway Straight Talk Wireless 500 Team Chevy Post-Race ReportMarch 8, 2026

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·        Reigning NASCAR Cup Series champion, Kyle Larson, turned a challenging day in the desert into an impressive rebound – driving his No. 5 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet to a third-place finish in the Straight Talk Wireless 500 at Phoenix Raceway. The finish – his 12th top-five in NASCAR’s top division at the Arizona oval – marks the Elk Grove, California, native’s best finish of the season with four races complete.  ·        Team Chevy wrapped up the ‘Desert Double’ weekend at Phoenix Raceway with a hard-fought three top-10 finishes with Kyle Larson leading his Hendrick Motorsports teammate, William Byron, in seventh, and Michael McDowell and the No. 71 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet team with back-to-back top-10s with a ninth-place result.  Race Recap:  Stage One: ·        Back at the site that made him a two-time NASCAR Cup Series champion, Kyle Larson drove to a front-row qualifying effort to lead Team Chevy to the green flag at Phoenix Raceway. Despite fighting loose conditions behind the wheel of his No. 5 Chevrolet, Larson held onto a top-10 running position throughout the first-half of Stage One. With the translation of the increased horsepower and tire falloff unknown, a short opening stage saw the opportunity for teams to go pit stop-free. After an alternator issue forced the No. 77 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet to the rear of the field for the start, Carson Hocevar wasted no time to start his charge through the field – working his way up into the top-25 in the opening 30 laps. After a strong Saturday performance, Daniel Suarez remained a consistent contender in the top-10 to ultimately lead Team Chevy to the first green-white checkered flag from the seventh position. Stage Two: ·        On the horizon of his first trip to pit road of the day, Suarez reported that he fired-off free and progressively lost grip throughout the first 60-lap run. Also earning top-10 stage points, the No. 24 Hendrick Motorsports pit crew boosted William Byron up two positions in the race off pit road to earn the seventh spot to start Stage Two. Settling into position during the next green flag run, Byron made an early report that the adjusts made during the stage break helped the handling of his No. 24 Chevrolet. Quickly approaching a green flag pit cycle, a pair of Team Chevy drivers, Kyle Busch and Shane van Gisbergen, suffered flat right-front tires to bring out the first natural caution of the day. While the majority of the leaders made a trip to pit road, Byron’s crew earned the driver yet another position on pit road. Electing the inside lane of row three, the field took the green flag with 84 laps left in Stage Two. But the run was short-lived with the second caution of the day falling just two laps later. After a 13-position gain in Stage One, the speed in the No. 77 Chevrolet continued to prevail with Hocevar already making an appearance in the top-10 early in Stage Two. With tire troubles looming, a late-stage caution triggered a mixed bag of pit strategy. Under the leadership of crew chief Luke Lambert, a call for tires kept Hocevar in position to take the second green-white checkered flag in the seventh position. Final Stage: ·        Reporting that he was happy with the handling of his Chevrolet-powered machine, Hocevar’s trip down pit road under the stage break consisted of a fresh set of Goodyear tires, fuel and a tear off. With another position gained on pit road, Hocevar inherited the sixth position to take the green flag for the final 116-lap run to the finish. Under caution at the 100-lap marker, varying pit strategies saw the No. 9 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet team make a gamble for track position – bypassing pit road to line up on the front row for the restart. But tires continued to pay dividends among the leaders. With a progressive climb back up through the field after a challenging start to the race, it was the reigning champion, Larson, that found himself back up into the top-five as the event reached 50 laps to go. With resilience behind the wheel and atop the pit box, Larson and the Cliff Daniels-led team earned their spot in the late-race fight for the win – ultimately coming home with a season-best third-place finish to lead Team Chevy to the checkered flag to culminate the ‘Desert Double’ weekend.

Team Chevy Unofficial Top-10 ResultsPos.     Driver 3rd – Kyle Larson7th – William Byron9th – Michael McDowell Chevrolet’s season statistics with four NASCAR Cup Series races complete: Wins: 0Poles: 1Top-Fives: 8Top 10s: 14Stage Wins: 1

The 2026 NASCAR Cup Series season continues at Las Vegas Motor Speedway with the Pennzoil 400 presented by Jiffy Lube on Sunday, March 15, at 4 P.M. ET. Live coverage can be found on FS1, PRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90.

NASCAR Cup SeriesPhoenix RacewayStraight Talk Wireless 500Team Chevy Post-Race ReportMarch 8, 2026

Kyle Larson Drives to Season-Best Finish at Phoenix Raceway

MEDIA RESOURCES: Photo Gallery | Race AdvancesChevrolet Newsroom

·        Reigning NASCAR Cup Series champion, Kyle Larson, turned a challenging day in the desert into an impressive rebound – driving his No. 5 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet to a third-place finish in the Straight Talk Wireless 500 at Phoenix Raceway. The finish – his 12th top-five in NASCAR’s top division at the Arizona oval – marks the Elk Grove, California, native’s best finish of the season with four races complete.  ·        Team Chevy wrapped up the ‘Desert Double’ weekend at Phoenix Raceway with a hard-fought three top-10 finishes with Kyle Larson leading his Hendrick Motorsports teammate, William Byron, in seventh, and Michael McDowell and the No. 71 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet team with back-to-back top-10s with a ninth-place result.  Race Recap:  Stage One: ·        Back at the site that made him a two-time NASCAR Cup Series champion, Kyle Larson drove to a front-row qualifying effort to lead Team Chevy to the green flag at Phoenix Raceway. Despite fighting loose conditions behind the wheel of his No. 5 Chevrolet, Larson held onto a top-10 running position throughout the first-half of Stage One. With the translation of the increased horsepower and tire falloff unknown, a short opening stage saw the opportunity for teams to go pit stop-free. After an alternator issue forced the No. 77 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet to the rear of the field for the start, Carson Hocevar wasted no time to start his charge through the field – working his way up into the top-25 in the opening 30 laps. After a strong Saturday performance, Daniel Suarez remained a consistent contender in the top-10 to ultimately lead Team Chevy to the first green-white checkered flag from the seventh position. Stage Two: ·        On the horizon of his first trip to pit road of the day, Suarez reported that he fired-off free and progressively lost grip throughout the first 60-lap run. Also earning top-10 stage points, the No. 24 Hendrick Motorsports pit crew boosted William Byron up two positions in the race off pit road to earn the seventh spot to start Stage Two. Settling into position during the next green flag run, Byron made an early report that the adjusts made during the stage break helped the handling of his No. 24 Chevrolet. Quickly approaching a green flag pit cycle, a pair of Team Chevy drivers, Kyle Busch and Shane van Gisbergen, suffered flat right-front tires to bring out the first natural caution of the day. While the majority of the leaders made a trip to pit road, Byron’s crew earned the driver yet another position on pit road. Electing the inside lane of row three, the field took the green flag with 84 laps left in Stage Two. But the run was short-lived with the second caution of the day falling just two laps later. After a 13-position gain in Stage One, the speed in the No. 77 Chevrolet continued to prevail with Hocevar already making an appearance in the top-10 early in Stage Two. With tire troubles looming, a late-stage caution triggered a mixed bag of pit strategy. Under the leadership of crew chief Luke Lambert, a call for tires kept Hocevar in position to take the second green-white checkered flag in the seventh position. Final Stage: ·        Reporting that he was happy with the handling of his Chevrolet-powered machine, Hocevar’s trip down pit road under the stage break consisted of a fresh set of Goodyear tires, fuel and a tear off. With another position gained on pit road, Hocevar inherited the sixth position to take the green flag for the final 116-lap run to the finish. Under caution at the 100-lap marker, varying pit strategies saw the No. 9 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet team make a gamble for track position – bypassing pit road to line up on the front row for the restart. But tires continued to pay dividends among the leaders. With a progressive climb back up through the field after a challenging start to the race, it was the reigning champion, Larson, that found himself back up into the top-five as the event reached 50 laps to go. With resilience behind the wheel and atop the pit box, Larson and the Cliff Daniels-led team earned their spot in the late-race fight for the win – ultimately coming home with a season-best third-place finish to lead Team Chevy to the checkered flag to culminate the ‘Desert Double’ weekend.

Team Chevy Unofficial Top-10 ResultsPos.     Driver 3rd – Kyle Larson7th – William Byron9th – Michael McDowell Chevrolet’s season statistics with four NASCAR Cup Series races complete: Wins: 0Poles: 1Top-Fives: 8Top 10s: 14Stage Wins: 1

The 2026 NASCAR Cup Series season continues at Las Vegas Motor Speedway with the Pennzoil 400 presented by Jiffy Lube on Sunday, March 15, at 4 P.M. ET. Live coverage can be found on FS1, PRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90.

Post-Race Driver Quotes:  Austin Dillon, No. 3 Richard Childress Racing ChevroletFinished: 16th “It’s unbelievable. I can’t believe our luck to start the season. We had a fast Bass Pro Shops/Winchester Chevrolet. Handling was good all day, and I think our Chevy could have been even better if we could have figured out braking. We were in position an eighth-place finish, and who knows, maybe even better if we would have gotten some cautions and restarts to fall our way, when we ended up with a flat tire with less than 25 laps to go. Regardless, this has been a much improved weekend in Phoenix for us. Everyone should be very proud of the effort we brought.” Kyle Larson, No. 5 Hendrick Motorsports ChevroletFinished: 3rdWhat was the last run like and what more did you need at the end? “It was an awesome finish for how much we struggled today. All day, I felt like we might not even be a top-15 car. This No. 5 HendrickCars.com Chevrolet team just kept fighting. We gained some track position and made our Chevy better throughout the race. We had some good restarts. It just worked out for us there in the final stage. Just proud of this No. 5 team. We just need to be a lot better. Aside from strategy and pit road, we never really have a shot here at Phoenix (Raceway). We’ll just keep working hard on hitting the set-up to feel like we can be a contender here from start to finish.” Kyle Busch, No. 8 Richard Childress Racing ChevroletFinished: 17th “The No. 8 zone Jalapeno Lime Chevrolet team battled adversity all day. After we didn’t have the qualifying effort we wanted, the guys got to work on the car to make the needed adjustments but a cut tire put us down two laps early. We never quit and were able to race our way back onto the lead lap and into the Top 20. We’ll leave Arizona with a few learning lessons and be ready to contend again next weekend in Las Vegas.” AJ Allmendinger, No. 16 Kaulig Racing ChevroletFinished: 19th “It was just a hard fight with a disappointing ending. I thought we did everything we could with where we were at. We struggled a little bit on long-run speed, but overall, I thought we executed pretty good. We got some track position, but unfortunately, we didn’t have new tires there at the end. We had scuffs and that ultimately put us in trouble there against the guys we were racing against. We just didn’t have enough speed to overcome a minor deficit like that. But we finished on the lead lap, so it was an OK day for this No. 16 Campers Inn RV Chevrolet team. We were close to having a really good day here at Phoenix (Raceway), so that’s just what’s disappointing.” Austin Hill, No. 33 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet Finished: 21st“Our United Rentals team had to grind that one out. Our Chevrolet fired off on the free side but then it quickly turned tight. It took us a while to get on the other side of it, but we got ourselves inside the top-20 when we cut down a tire under green. No one gave up and we kept pushing forward to end up with a 21st-place finish. The more I drive these Cup cars, the more I learn of how loose the car needs to be to make speed. I came into the weekend saying that a top-20 would be a good day for the No. 33 team. We came up just short, but can build on today. We’ll try again in a few weeks.” Michael McDowell, No. 71 Spire Motorsports ChevroletFinished: 9th“It was a good rally for this No. 71 Delaware Life Chevrolet team. We had that right-front tire go down when we were running eighth or ninth just before the end of Stage Two. That just put us in the back, and once we were in the back, we just really struggled. But Travis Peterson (crew chief) and everyone on this No. 71 team made some big adjustments, which helped us get through traffic. That last restart didn’t go great. The No. 5 (Kyle Larson) kind of got loose and slid up into my lane, and unfortunately, we lost a few spots there. But overall, we rallied back to a top-10. It was a solid day. We’ll keep building momentum. I thought we were going to have a shot at the top-five there for a few laps, but it just kind of slipped away there at the end.” Connor Zilisch, No. 88 Trackhouse Racing ChevroletFinished: 29th “It was just a tough day overall. We didn’t really have the speed we needed in our No. 88 Wendy’s Chevrolet. We fell behind early, but had strategy to get us back on the lead lap. We just tried really hard all day. This whole team worked really hard to get the car where we needed it, but we were just never really able to get it quite good enough to start getting momentum and make moves towards the front. We’ll go onto Las Vegas (Motor Speedway) and try again there.” Shane van Gisbergen, No. 97 Trackhouse Racing ChevroletFinished: 11th“Excellent result for the crazy day we had. My SafetyCulture Chevy had a lot of speed, but just had those two spins that reset our progress each time. Passed a lot of cars and had a good points day. Headed to Vegas next weekend with a lot of momentum.”

GAINESVILLE, FLA. (March 8, 2026) — Making his debut as both a driver and Funny Car team owner, Buddy Hull and the newly formed Hull Racing team showed resilience and determination during the season-opening AMALIE Motor Oil NHRA Gatornationals at Gainesville Raceway.
 
Competing in a stacked 19-car Funny Car field, Hull qualified in the No. 17 position, placing him ahead of both Todd Lesenko and reigning world champion Austin Prock. For Hull, the weekend marked the culmination of months of preparation and the beginning of a new chapter as the owner of his own nitro Funny Car operation.
 
“We’re building this thing from the ground up,” said Hull. “To come out here with a brand-new team, make multiple passes and come very close to qualifying in a field like this says a lot about the guys around me. I’ve already learned a ton this weekend. It’s only going to make us stronger.”
 
Hull’s race week began early as he joined fans at the Burnyzz FanFest on Wednesday evening to kick off the Gatornationals festivities. On Friday, he also appeared on the NHRA Stage alongside host Hannah Rickards before heading to the staging lanes for qualifying.

 Buddy Hull gained a ton of experience at the 2026 NHRA Gatornationals, photo credit Krista Zivcic Photography

HULL GAINS VALUABLE EXPERIENCE AT FIRST RACE OF 2026 SEASON

GAINESVILLE, FLA. (March 8, 2026) — Making his debut as both a driver and Funny Car team owner, Buddy Hull and the newly formed Hull Racing team showed resilience and determination during the season-opening AMALIE Motor Oil NHRA Gatornationals at Gainesville Raceway.
 
Competing in a stacked 19-car Funny Car field, Hull qualified in the No. 17 position, placing him ahead of both Todd Lesenko and reigning world champion Austin Prock. For Hull, the weekend marked the culmination of months of preparation and the beginning of a new chapter as the owner of his own nitro Funny Car operation.
 
“We’re building this thing from the ground up,” said Hull. “To come out here with a brand-new team, make multiple passes and come very close to qualifying in a field like this says a lot about the guys around me. I’ve already learned a ton this weekend. It’s only going to make us stronger.”
 
Hull’s race week began early as he joined fans at the Burnyzz FanFest on Wednesday evening to kick off the Gatornationals festivities. On Friday, he also appeared on the NHRA Stage alongside host Hannah Rickards before heading to the staging lanes for qualifying.

 Buddy Hull gained a ton of experience at the 2026 NHRA Gatornationals, photo credit Krista Zivcic Photography

“The pre-race events are so much fun and give us a chance to meet with fans,” said Hull. “I love interacting with the kids from the NHRA stage. On Friday I was offering them permission slips for their schools. It was cool to see so many young fans at the Gatornationals all weekend. That shows me that the NHRA has a great future.”
 
With limited preparation time, Hull Racing entered the weekend with just one test pass completed before the event. Hull made his first qualifying attempt on Friday, while his second scheduled pass was shut off at the starting line before the run began. The team continued to make progress on Saturday, improving during the third qualifying session before posting their strongest numbers in the final round of qualifying.
 
Hull’s best run of the weekend came during that final qualifying attempt, when the Funny Car posted a 4.213 second pass at 267.22 mph. About 600 feet down track, however, the engine exploded in a dramatic fireball. Hull wrestled with the car and safely guided it to a stop before climbing out under his own power.
 
“First and foremost, I’m thankful to be okay,” said Hull. “When something like that happens at speed, your first job is to keep get the car stopped safely. As a husband, a dad, a business owner and now a team owner, my No. 1 priority is making sure I’m safe and that I don’t put my opponent in danger.”
 
Hull sustained minor burns to his right hand, and credited his safety equipment for helping protect the rest of his body.
 
“I can’t say enough about the gear from Impact,” said Hull. “That equipment did exactly what it’s designed to do. Situations like that remind you how important it is to have the best safety gear possible.”
 
Following the run, Hull was already working with his crew chiefs and team to diagnose the cause of the engine failure and prevent a repeat moving forward.
 
“That’s nitro racing,” said Hull. “We’re already digging into the data and figuring out exactly what happened. The good thing is we learned a lot this weekend. Every pass gives us more information, and with a brand-new team that’s huge.”
 
Hull said the experience of the weekend reinforced his confidence in the group he has assembled around him.
 
“I’ve got a great group of guys surrounding me who believe in what we’re building,” said Hull. “Being a team owner means I’m in control of my own destiny. We’re going to take what we learned here, fix what we need to fix and keep moving forward as a team.”
 
Hull Racing’s Funny Car carried primary sponsorship from FS Performance and Sam Pack Ford during the Gatornationals weekend.
 
“This was our first race as Hull Racing, and there’s a lot to be proud of,” said Hull. “We held our own in a tough field, we gathered valuable data and we proved we belong out here. Now it’s about continuing to improve and building this team one race at a time.”
 
The next race on the schedule is the FMP NHRA Arizona Nationals presented by NGK Spark Plugs on March 20-22 at Firebird Motorsports Park. There will be two qualifying sessions on Friday, March 20 and two qualifying sessions on Saturday, March 21. For tickets or more information on the NHRA Arizona Nationals visit nhra.com.
 
Qualifying Results
Q1: 6.482 sec, 100.61 mph; Qual. 15
Q2: No Run; Qual. 17
Q3: 5.887 sec, 126.82 mph; Qual. 17
Q4: 4.213 sec, 267.22 mph; Qual. 17
Bonus Points: 0

Moran Wins Wild Wieland Winter Nationals Finale at Golden Isles

WAYNESVILLE, GA (March 7, 2026) – Defending Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series presented FloRacing National Champion Devin Moran came from the 22nd starting position to win a wild Wieland Winter Nationals feature on Saturday night at Golden Isles Speedway. Moran, who was the fifth different leader of the 50-lap main event, led the final four laps to pick up the $25,000 victory and close out the Georgia-Florida Speedweeks for 2026. Max Blair, who at one point came from the 25th and last starting position to lead laps 43 through 46, finished second, followed by Garrett Alberson, Clay Harris, and Brandon Overton. Mark Whitener grabbed the lead at the start of the race and led the first 14 laps. The car on the move was 17-year-old Trey Mills, who started seventh and quickly made his way to the front. Mills moved into second by lap five and challenged Whitener before taking the top spot on lap 15. Mills, who was looking for the biggest win of his young career, was holding off 19th-place starter Hudson O’Neal and Brandon Overton until he made contact with the turn-two wall. The impact launched him over the wall and collected second-place-running O’Neal, ending both drivers’ nights on lap 42. Blair then picked up the lead and held it until Moran wrestled it away on lap 47. Moran led the rest of the way, winning by 0.826 seconds. In Lucas Oil Victory Lane for the third time this year and the 27th time in his career, the Dresden, Ohio native picked up his second career win at Golden Isles Speedway. “I don’t know what just happened. It’s unbelievable and definitely not what we expected after the week we’ve been having. Honestly, until Trey (Mills) and Huddy got into it, I was thinking maybe we could get a top three. I felt like I was better than Max. I never really saw those guys up front because they were slicing and dicing. Then when they started sliding each other, I knew if I put myself in the right position we could do it. Once they took themselves out, I knew I just needed to get a run.” “When Max used the very top to the bottom, I used him up a little bit getting into three, but you can’t use the whole race track. You’ve got to pass one way or the other. I think we are all in shock. Like I said, we have been struggling. We were decent the first night and did okay the second night. Last night we were horrible. We just went back to the basics. We weren’t good early, but my car really came to life there in the feature. We found a good line I could run and we just made speed.” Blair, who had to use an emergency provisional, nearly pulled off a stunning victory, charging from the 25th and final starting position to lead late in the race before Moran passed him. “He (Moran) is one of the good guys. It’s hard to be mad. It just sucks. I think we had a shot at that one. I would have liked to have seen him try to keep it off me like I did him once on that next restart. I didn’t do anything stupid. I went in there and raced him through the corner. But he is one of the best there is, so congrats to those guys. He did what he had to do to win and there are absolutely no hard feelings. Hopefully we can keep racing with him and maybe we can beat him every now and then.” Alberson had his best finish of Speedweeks as he rounded out the Big River Steel Podium in third after pitting during the race for a shredded right-rear tire. “This is huge for our team right here for Speedweeks. This has been one of my toughest tracks historically, and this is by far our best night. Man, what a crazy race, but hats off to Devin and Max. He’s been fast all week here. That was the best I have ever been here. These were unique conditions for Golden Isles. It was kind of more like an Illinois track right there. We actually had traction and could move around. That was a crazy race. I am just happy to be here.” The winner’s Double Down Motorsports, Longhorn Chassis is powered by a Cornett Racing Engine and sponsored by Big River Steel, Millwood Plumbing, C&W Trucking, Bomag, CarSourceAuto.com, Anthony’s Pizza, Phillips CPA, Hazen Services, McHugh Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram, Elliott Farms, Haulin’ Haskell’s, and Pee Wee’s Wrecker Service. Completing the top ten were Ricky Thornton Jr., Cody Overton, Brandon Sheppard, Dennis Erb Jr., and Mark Whitener. In the 604 Late Model feature, Ross Bailes of Clover, South Carolina won for the second night in a row, leading all 20 laps in the Farmer’s Service Center, JP Environmental, Pursley Grading, GTS by Danny, Clover Racing Transmissions, and A-10 Construction Kenny Lamb Racing Engines-powered Longhorn Chassis. Colton Troullie finished second after starting ninth. Griffin Smith was third, followed by Bubba Whitener and Austin Yarbrough. The 602 Late Model feature went to Griffin Smith of Eatonton, Georgia for the second time this week in the Atlanta Paving and Concrete, The World-Famous Cadillac Ranch, Terminal Maintenance and Construction, Senior Life Insurance, DJ’s Performance Engines Rocket Chassis. Smith led all the way to win the 20-lap feature over Cass Fowler, Brayden Johnson, Wyatt Coffey, and John Marshall Pursley. Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series Race Summary Wieland Winter NationalsSaturday, March 7, 2026Golden Isles Speedway | Waynesville, GA Allstar Performance Time TrialsFast Time Group A: Michael Leach | 15.140 seconds (Overall)Fast Time Group B:Kyle Bronson | 15.257 seconds Penske Shocks Heat Race #1 Finish (8 Laps, Top 4 Transfer): 1. 76-Brandon Overton[2]; 2. 20RT-Ricky Thornton Jr[1]; 3. 74X-Ethan Dotson[4]; 4. 09-Michael Leach[3]; 5. 6-Clay Harris[6]; 6. 71-Hudson O’Neal[5]; 7. 10-Garrett Smith[7]; 8. 8-Dillon McCowan[9]; 9. 93L-Cory Lawler[10]; 10. 388-Jackson Hise[8]; 11. 16B-Ross Bailes[11] Summit Racing Products Heat Race #2 Finish (8 Laps, Top 4 Transfer): 1. 76N-Blair Nothdurft[2]; 2. 14-Trey Mills[1]; 3. 16-Cody Overton[5]; 4. 93-Carson Ferguson[3]; 5. 40B-Kyle Bronson[6]; 6. 19M-Brenden Smith[4]; 7. 7-Ross Robinson[7]; 8. 24D-Michael Brown[8]; 9. 55-Benji Hicks[9]; 10. 555-Brock Pinkerous[10]; 11. 77-Preston Luckman[11] Cool-It Thermo-Tec Heat Race #3 Finish (8 Laps, Top 4 Transfer): 1. 5-Mark Whitener[1]; 2. 1-Brandon Sheppard[2]; 3. 49-Jonathan Davenport[5]; 4. 16S-Sam Seawright[3]; 5. 99-Devin Moran[6]; 6. 28-Dennis Erb Jr[9]; 7. 111-Max Blair[7]; 8. 13-Dallon Murty[4]; 9. 11-Josh Rice[8]; 10. 35-Christian Augspurger[10]; 11. 51-Chad Tuten[11] Simpson Race Products Heat Race #4 Finish (8 Laps, Top 4 Transfer): 1. 1T-Tyler Erb[2]; 2. 58-Garrett Alberson[1]; 3. 81F-Jadon Frame[5]; 4. 3S-Brian Shirley[8]; 5. 60-Dan Ebert[3]; 6. 22-Daniel Hilsabeck[10]; 7. 4G-Tripp Gerrald[6]; 8. C4-Freddie Carpenter[9]; 9. 93J-Donovan Jackson[7]; 10. 88-Trent Ivey[4]; 11. (DNS) 79-Donald McIntosh Fast Shafts B-Main Race #1 Finish (10 Laps, Top 3 Transfer): 1. 40B-Kyle Bronson[2]; 2. 71-Hudson O’Neal[3]; 3. 10-Garrett Smith[5]; 4. 6-Clay Harris[1]; 5. 8-Dillon McCowan[7]; 6. 55-Benji Hicks[10]; 7. 93L-Cory Lawler[9]; 8. 19M-Brenden Smith[4]; 9. 16B-Ross Bailes[13]; 10. 555-Brock Pinkerous[12]; 11. 7-Ross Robinson[6]; 12. 24D-Michael Brown[8]; 13. 77-Preston Luckman[14]; 14. (DNS) 388-Jackson Hise UNOH B-Main Race #2 Finish (10 Laps, Top 3 Transfer): 1. 60-Dan Ebert[2]; 2. 28-Dennis Erb Jr[3]; 3. 99-Devin Moran[1]; 4. 111-Max Blair[5]; 5. 22-Daniel Hilsabeck[4]; 6. 13-Dallon Murty[7]; 7. 88-Trent Ivey[12]; 8. 11-Josh Rice[9]; 9. 93J-Donovan Jackson[10]; 10. 35-Christian Augspurger[11]; 11. 51-Chad Tuten[13]; 12. 4G-Tripp Gerrald[6]; 13. C4-Freddie Carpenter[8]; 14. (DNS) 79-Donald McIntosh Wieland Winter Nationals Feature Finish (50 Laps):Pos – Start – Car # – Competitor – Hometown – Earnings1 – 22 – 99 – Devin Moran – Dresden, OH – $26,1002 – 25 – 111 – Max Blair – Centerville, PA – $8,6003 – 8 – 58 – Garrett Alberson – Las Cruces, NM – $6,7004 – 24 – 6 – Clay Harris – Jupiter, FL – $4,7005 – 1 – 76 – Brandon Overton – Evans, GA – $4,2006 – 5 – 20RT – Ricky Thornton Jr – Chandler, AZ – $3,8007 – 11 – 16 – Cody Overton – Thomson, GA – $2,5008 – 6 – 1 – Brandon Sheppard – New Berlin, IL – $3,0009 – 20 – 28 – Dennis Erb Jr – Carpentersville, IL – $2,20010 – 2 – 5 – Mark Whitener – Middleburg, FL – $2,10011 – 18 – 60 – Dan Ebert – Lake Shore, MN – $2,70012 – 15 – 93 – Carson Ferguson – Lincolnton, NC – $2,60013 – 9 – 74X – Ethan Dotson – Bakersfield, CA – $1,80014 – 17 – 40B – Kyle Bronson – Brandon, FL – $1,70015 – 7 – 14 – Trey Mills – St. Augustine, FL – $1,70016 – 19 – 71 – Hudson O’Neal – Martinsville, IN – $2,70017 – 14 – 16S – Sam Seawright – Fort Payne, AL – $1,50018 – 12 – 81F – Jadon Frame – Winchester, TN – $1,50019 – 10 – 49 – Jonathan Davenport – Blairsville, GA – $1,50020 – 21 – 10 – Garrett Smith – Madison, GA – $1,50021 – 23 – 22 – Daniel Hilsabeck – Earlham, IA – $2,20022 – 16 – 3S – Brian Shirley – Chatham, IL – $1,50023 – 13 – 9 – Michael Leach – Sun River, MT – $1,50024 – 4 – 1T – Tyler Erb – New Waverly, TX – $1,50025 – 3 – 76N – Blair Nothdurft – Renner, SD – $1,500 Race Statistics  Entrants: 44Bilstein Shocks Pole Sitter: Brandon OvertonMD3 Lap Leaders: Trey Mills (Laps 1-14); Trey Mills (Laps 15-39); Hudson O’Neal (Lap 41); Trey Mills (Laps 41-42); Max Blair (Laps 43-46); Devin Moran (Laps 47-50)Hellraizer Jacks Halfway Leader: Trey MillsWieland Feature Winner: Devin MoranMargin of Victory: 0.826 secondsHellraizer Jacks Cautions: Blair Nothdurft (Lap 1); Daniel Hilsabeck (Lap 24); Garrett Alberson (Lap 26); Clay Harris (Lap 28); Dennis Erb, Jr. (Lap 38); Trey Mills (Lap 42); Ethan Dotson (Lap 48)MyRacePass Series Provisionals: Daniel Hilsabeck, Clay HarrisFast Time Provisional: n/aEmergency Provisionals: Max BlairTrack Provisional: n/aBig River Steel Podium Top 3: Devin Moran, Max Blair, Garrett AlbersonPenske Shocks Top 5: Devin Moran, Max Blair, Garrett Alberson, Clay Harris, Brandon OvertonBehrent’s One-Lap-to-Go Top 3: Devin Moran, Max Blair, Garrett AlbersonPEM 4th Place Feature: Clay HarrisDiversified Machine 5th Place Feature: Brandon OvertonWilwood Brakes 7th Place Feature: Cody OvertonWehrs Machine 11th Place Feature: Dan EbertVelocity Manufacturing 13th Place Feature: Ethan DotsonXS Power Batteries 15th Place Feature: Trey MillsHoker Trucking Hard Charger of the Race: Max Blair (Advanced 23 positions)MD3 Most Laps Led: Trey Mills (27 Laps)Sunoco Race Fuels Race for Gas Highest Finisher: Garrett AlbersonMidwest Sheet Metal Spoiler Challenge Point Leader: Hudson O’NealO’Reilly Auto Parts Rookie of the Race: n/aPro Fabrication Headers Fastest Lap of the Race: Trey Mills | Lap 6 | 15.360 secondsFK Rod Ends Hard Luck Award: Trey MillsVictory Fuel Power Move of the Race: Trey MillsOuterwears Crew Chief of the Race: Chuck KimbleARP Engine Builder of the Race: Cornett Race EnginesMiller Welders Chassis Builder of the Race: Longhorn ChassisDirt Draft Fastest in Hot Laps: Mark Whitener | 15.4932 secondsTime of Race: 42 minutes 43 seconds Big River Steel Championship Standings Presented by ARP:Pos – Car # – Competitor – Hometown – Points – Earnings1 – 71 – Hudson O’Neal – Martinsville, IN – 1210 – $77,4002 – 99 – Devin Moran – Dresden, OH – 1190 – $77,6003 – 76 – Brandon Overton – Evans, GA – 1115 – $31,4504 – 6 – Clay Harris – Jupiter, FL – 1050 – $29,9005 – 20RT – Ricky Thornton Jr – Chandler, AZ – 1045 – $22,7506 – 111 – Max Blair – Centerville, PA – 1025 – $24,0007 – 1 – Brandon Sheppard – New Berlin, IL – 995 – $36,5008 – 40B – Kyle Bronson – Brandon, FL – 975 – $15,3759 – 58 – Garrett Alberson – Las Cruces, NM – 965 – $23,50010 – 93 – Carson Ferguson – Lincolnton, NC – 940 – $17,95011 – 3s – Brian Shirley – Chatham, IL – 880 – $15,50012 – 60 – Dan Ebert – Lake Shore, MN – 880 – $16,57513 – 11 – Josh Rice – Crittenden, KY – 840 – $11,42516 – 8 – Dillon McCowan – Urbana, MO – 785 – $7,07518 – 19M – Brenden Smith – Dade City, FL – 745 – $9,80019 – 22 – Daniel Hilsabeck – Earlham, IA – 740 – $11,62520 – 7 – Ross Robinson – Georgetown, DE – 690 – $4,92522 – 93L – Cory Lawler – Hanover, PA – 640 – $7,72523 – C4 – Freddie Carpenter – Parkersburg, WV – 575 – $1,100

SATURDAY RECAP – GAINESVILLE Race 1 of 20

Photography: John Force Racing / Auto Imagery / Gary Nastase

HART EARNS FIRST NO. 1 QUALIFIER IN JFR DEBUTVandergriff and Beckman to face each other in Rd. 1, DeJoria 11th on Funny Car ladder

SATURDAY RECAP – GAINESVILLERace 1 of 20

Photography: John Force Racing / Auto Imagery / Gary Nastase

HART EARNS FIRST NO. 1 QUALIFIER IN JFR DEBUTVandergriff and Beckman to face each other in Rd. 1, DeJoria 11th on Funny Car ladder

GAINESVILLE, Fla. (March 7, 2025) – Josh Hart has wanted to earn a yellow NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing ballcap for being the top qualifier since he debuted in the Top Fuel ranks in 2021 and, in his first race driving for John Force Racing, he did just that for Sunday’s AMALIE Motor Oil NHRA Gatornationals at his adopted home track of Gainesville Raceway. Hart drove the Burnyzz Speed Shops / Speedmaster Top Fuel Dragster to a lap of 3.658 seconds at 340.30 mph Friday night under the lights and much cooler conditions than the hot and sticky conditions the competitors dealt with Saturday. Hart and his Dave Grubnic / John Collins led team will face No. 16 qualifier Dan Mercier (3.885 seconds at 266.32 mph) in Sunday’s first round of eliminations. Jordan Vandergriff, making his Funny Car debut with John Force Racing, qualified the Cornwell Tools Chevrolet SS eighth from his Q2 run Friday night of 3.990 seconds at 318.47 mph and will face teammate and 2012 NHRA Funny Car World Champion Jack Beckman in the first round of eliminations. Beckman had been bumped from the field of 16 by the time he rolled to the starting line for his final qualifying attempt but the PEAK SQUAD came through when it counted, making Beckman the ninth seed with a run of 4.029 seconds at 324.83 mph in the heat of the day. Alexis DeJoria, also making her John Force Racing debut at the 2026 season-opening Gatornationals, used her Q3 run early Saturday afternoon to earn the 11thspot in the qualifying order for the Bandero Premium Tequila Chevrolet SS Funny Car program. The six-time NHRA event winner will square up in Round 1 of eliminations against No.6 qualifier Cruz Pedregon, whose best last of the four event’s four qualifying sessions was 3.948 seconds at 329.91 mph. Final eliminations are scheduled on Sunday, March 8, at 10 a.m. ET. Quote from Josh Hart, Burnyzz Speed Shop / Speedmaster Top Fuel Dragster: “The fans are awesome. The energy is always good here. My wife always attends this race, so maybe it’s just a level of comfort. It’s the first place that I ever went down a drag strip. If I could figure out how to get that comfortable at all the other race tracks, maybe we could really chase a championship. We’ve literally broke every single one of my career bests already this weekend. So I have all the confidence in the world. (Crew chief David Grubnic) is like the Babe Ruth of drag racing. He can almost call a shot. We’ll be ready for race day and I believe him.” Quote from Jack Beckman, PEAK Chevrolet SS Funny Car: “The same PEAK Chevy that had a great test session two weeks ago here and great test runs earlier this week showed up for the Gatornationals but it’s not the same racetrack that it was four days ago. We just had to keep listening to the race track. By the time we rolled up for the last qualifying session, not only had we been bumped out of the show, there was also a two-car incident on the race track and a long delay. The track prep was coming to question there. There was so much drama and, as a driver, your job is to try to stay calm. But I’m also telling myself, ‘Be ready to pedal the car. If this thing does anything stupid, get off the throttle as quick as you can to minimize the tire spin, and roll into it because it’s a hot, nasty race track.’ But the PEAK Squad made the perfect call for those conditions, slid it right on through and qualified ninth. You can win from any qualifying position. Quote from Jordan Vandergriff, Cornwell Tools Chevrolet SS Funny Car: “It feels great to have the Cornwell Tools Chevy qualified but I’m still wondering if it qualifies me as a real Funny Car driver yet. But it really is just an honor to be qualified in this Funny Car Class in my very first race. And, to do it for John Force Racing means the world to me. To do it with John and have him believe in me just means the world to me. It shows that this car and team are good and we are gonna pick up where it left off. We have Chris Cunningham and Jason Bunker as a crew team duo and they’re gonna take this thing all the way to the winner’s circle. Quote from Alexis DeJoria, Bandero Premium Chevrolet SS: “It’s been a tricky weekend so far for the Bandero Chevrolet SS team but we’re in the show and ready to race Sunday. Not a lot of cars made it down, and the cars that did were not running the record numbers. We made it down the track twice, and we are ready for tomorrow. We are safely in the show and I can’t wait.

March 7, 2026 — PHOENIX, AZ

• Andretti Global’s Kyle Kirkwood drove his #27 Honda Indy car from 11th to second at Phoenix Raceway
• Marcus Armstong gives Meyer Shank Racing a top five finish in the Good Ranchers 250
• Four of five Honda-powered teams finish in the top 10

Kyle Kirkwood led the way for Honda in the NTT INDYCAR SERIES’ return to Phoenix Raceway—scoring a second-place finish aboard his #27 Andretti Global machine.

Kirkwood started 11th and worked his way to the front of the field via an alternate pit strategy, leading 47 laps in the later stages of the Good Ranchers 250. It was only the gamble to take fresh tires on the final yellow flag for eventual race winner Josef Newgarden that allowed him to move forward and drop Kirkwood back to second place with a mere 8 laps to the finish.

The podium finish moved Kirkwood into second in the NTT INDYCAR SERIES championship standings, just five points behind the leader.

Meyer Shank Racing’s Marcus Armstrong finished fifth in a strong showing after starting 13th on the grid.

Chip Ganassi Racing’s Scott Dixon, a previous winner in Phoenix, finished seventh, while Rahal Letterman Lanigan’s Graham Rahal finished ninth—making it four Honda-powered teams in the top 10.

Two strong Honda contenders for the win had their days cut short by contact. Alex Palou drove from 10th into the top five before contact with Rinus VeeKay ended his day on lap 22. The incident ends Palou’s championship leading streak which began in July of 2024.

Will Power started at the very rear of the grid following a crash in qualifying and powered himself to the front of the field—leading 10 laps in his second start for Andretti Global before contact with the #21 dropped him down to 16th at the flag.

Good Ranchers 250 Honda Race Results

2nd Kyle Kirkwood	Andretti Global Honda
5th Marcus Armstrong	Meyer Shank Racing Honda
7th Scott Dixon	Chip Ganassi Racing Honda
9th Graham Rahal	Rahal Letterman Lanigan Honda
10th Kyffin Simpson	Chip Ganassi Racing Honda
12th Felix Rosenqvist	Meyer Shank Racing Honda
15th Dennis Hauger – R	Dale Coyne Racing Honda
16th Will Power	Andretti Global Honda
17th Marcus Ericsson	Andretti Global Honda
18th Mick Schumacher	Rahal Letterman Lanigan Honda
23rd Louis Foster	Rahal Letterman Lanigan Honda – Not running, contact
24th Alex Palou	Chip Ganassi Racing Honda – Not running, contact
25th Romain Grosjean Dale	Coyne Racing Honda – Not running, mechanical

R – Rookie

Quotes

Kyle Kirkwood (#27 Andretti Global Honda) finished second: “I’m really happy with our JM Bullion Honda and our result today. We had a really good shot to win there up until the final handful of laps, that’s just what 20-lap fresher tires can do. And today we scored a huge second place for our #27 team. We typically haven’t been that good on short ovals and hopefully this is a turning point for all of us at Andretti Global to really bring the fight on these types of tracks. Shout out to Honda—our fuel economy and overall power were incredible all race long. Just a good day for our JM Bullion Honda team.”

Marcus Armstrong (#66 Meyer Shank Racing Honda) finished fifth: “I’m happy to see the end of that one really. It was a tricky day because I was basically just sliding the whole day. I was really happy to see the checkered flag. I honestly had such a great time battling it out with Scott (Dixon). He’s someone that I grew up watching on TV being a fellow Kiwi and I really looked up to him. So, to be able to be racing right next to him on track was something really fun and special. Phoenix Raceway is honestly such a fun track and I’m hoping that this is a regular on the INDYCAR schedule.”

Kelvin Fu (Vice President, Honda Racing Corporation USA): “It’s good to be back at Phoenix. There was a great crowd out there today and I’m glad IndyCar could put on a show for them. Huge congrats to Kyle Kirkwood ending up second place. It’s always a good day when you stand on the podium. We had four of our five Honda-powered teams finish in the top 10, and the Rahal Letterman Lanigan team had an incredible qualifying performance. We’ve made a step, but it’s clear that we have more work to do before our next short oval at WWTR in June. Huge thank you to everyone at HRC US for their continued hard work!”

Kyle Kirkwood podiums in IndyCar return to Phoenix

• Release
• Photos

March 7, 2026 — PHOENIX, AZ

• Andretti Global’s Kyle Kirkwood drove his #27 Honda Indy car from 11th to second at Phoenix Raceway
• Marcus Armstong gives Meyer Shank Racing a top five finish in the Good Ranchers 250
• Four of five Honda-powered teams finish in the top 10

Kyle Kirkwood led the way for Honda in the NTT INDYCAR SERIES’ return to Phoenix Raceway—scoring a second-place finish aboard his #27 Andretti Global machine.

Kirkwood started 11th and worked his way to the front of the field via an alternate pit strategy, leading 47 laps in the later stages of the Good Ranchers 250. It was only the gamble to take fresh tires on the final yellow flag for eventual race winner Josef Newgarden that allowed him to move forward and drop Kirkwood back to second place with a mere 8 laps to the finish.

The podium finish moved Kirkwood into second in the NTT INDYCAR SERIES championship standings, just five points behind the leader.

Meyer Shank Racing’s Marcus Armstrong finished fifth in a strong showing after starting 13th on the grid.

Chip Ganassi Racing’s Scott Dixon, a previous winner in Phoenix, finished seventh, while Rahal Letterman Lanigan’s Graham Rahal finished ninth—making it four Honda-powered teams in the top 10.

Two strong Honda contenders for the win had their days cut short by contact. Alex Palou drove from 10th into the top five before contact with Rinus VeeKay ended his day on lap 22. The incident ends Palou’s championship leading streak which began in July of 2024.

Will Power started at the very rear of the grid following a crash in qualifying and powered himself to the front of the field—leading 10 laps in his second start for Andretti Global before contact with the #21 dropped him down to 16th at the flag.

Good Ranchers 250 Honda Race Results

2nd Kyle Kirkwood	Andretti Global Honda
5th Marcus Armstrong	Meyer Shank Racing Honda
7th Scott Dixon	Chip Ganassi Racing Honda
9th Graham Rahal	Rahal Letterman Lanigan Honda
10th Kyffin Simpson	Chip Ganassi Racing Honda
12th Felix Rosenqvist	Meyer Shank Racing Honda
15th Dennis Hauger – R	Dale Coyne Racing Honda
16th Will Power	Andretti Global Honda
17th Marcus Ericsson	Andretti Global Honda
18th Mick Schumacher	Rahal Letterman Lanigan Honda
23rd Louis Foster	Rahal Letterman Lanigan Honda – Not running, contact
24th Alex Palou	Chip Ganassi Racing Honda – Not running, contact
25th Romain Grosjean Dale	Coyne Racing Honda – Not running, mechanical

R – Rookie

Quotes

Kyle Kirkwood (#27 Andretti Global Honda) finished second: “I’m really happy with our JM Bullion Honda and our result today. We had a really good shot to win there up until the final handful of laps, that’s just what 20-lap fresher tires can do. And today we scored a huge second place for our #27 team. We typically haven’t been that good on short ovals and hopefully this is a turning point for all of us at Andretti Global to really bring the fight on these types of tracks. Shout out to Honda—our fuel economy and overall power were incredible all race long. Just a good day for our JM Bullion Honda team.”

Marcus Armstrong (#66 Meyer Shank Racing Honda) finished fifth: “I’m happy to see the end of that one really. It was a tricky day because I was basically just sliding the whole day. I was really happy to see the checkered flag. I honestly had such a great time battling it out with Scott (Dixon). He’s someone that I grew up watching on TV being a fellow Kiwi and I really looked up to him. So, to be able to be racing right next to him on track was something really fun and special. Phoenix Raceway is honestly such a fun track and I’m hoping that this is a regular on the INDYCAR schedule.”

Kelvin Fu (Vice President, Honda Racing Corporation USA): “It’s good to be back at Phoenix. There was a great crowd out there today and I’m glad IndyCar could put on a show for them. Huge congrats to Kyle Kirkwood ending up second place. It’s always a good day when you stand on the podium. We had four of our five Honda-powered teams finish in the top 10, and the Rahal Letterman Lanigan team had an incredible qualifying performance. We’ve made a step, but it’s clear that we have more work to do before our next short oval at WWTR in June. Huge thank you to everyone at HRC US for their continued hard work!”

Next
The NTT INDYCAR SERIES next travels to Arlington, Texas for the third back-to-back-to-back race weekend to open the season—the inaugural Java House Grand Prix of Arlington Sunday March 15th at 12:30 PM ET on FOX.

CHEVROLET IN THE NTT INDYCAR SERIESGood Ranchers 2501-mile, Phoenix Raceway short ovalAvondale, Arizona Saturday Race ReportMarch 7, 2026 AVONDALE, Arizona (March 7, 2026) For the 33rd time in his NTT INDYCAR SERIES career, Josef Newgarden, the pilot of the No. 2 XPEL Team Penske Chevrolet, won a race with Chevrolet power, the most of any driver. In a race that featured a Phoenix Raceway record 565 on-track passes and 18 lead changes among 11 drivers, Newgarden took the lead with six laps remaining, winning his second race at the historic one-mile oval in the “Valley Of The Sun.’ His Team Penske teammate and pole-winner David Malukas stood on the third step of the podium after leading 73 laps, the most of any driver today. The double podium means that nine of the dozen drivers who have stood on the Phoenix Raceway podium since the introduction of the 2.2L Twin-Turbo V6 in 2012 have been wearing Bowties.  Completing Team Chevy’s strong day were Pato O’Ward in the No. 5 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet, his second straight top five to start the 2026 season. Alexander Rossi brought the No. 20 ECR Java House Chevrolet home sixth, making it four of the top six finishing positions for Chevrolet-powered cars.  Rossi’s ECR teammate, Christian Rasmussen, in the No. 21 ECR Splenda Stevia Chevrolet, put on a show all day, twice moving through the field to lead 69 laps.  After his 23rd to seventh-place drive in the season opener, Newgarden now leads the NTT INDYCAR SERIES championship point standings.  Chevrolet by the numbers: Newgarden’s win is the 237th for Chevrolet all-time Newgarden’s win is the 128th for Chevrolet since the introduction of 2.2L Twin-Turbo V6 in 2012 Today’s win is Newgarden’s 33rd with Chevrolet, tops all-time for Team Chevy and since the introduction of 2.2L Twin-Turbo V6 in 2012Today’s win is 125th with Chevrolet, tops all-time for Team Chevy and since the introduction of 2.2L Twin-Turbo V6 in 2012Newgarden and Malukas first and third place finishes are the 679th and 680th podiums all-time for ChevroletNewgarden and Malukas first and third place finishes are the 365th and 366th podiums all-time for Chevrolet since the introduction of 2.2L Twin-Turbo V6 in 2012Newgarden’s podium is his 60th with Chevrolet power, he’s in second all-time and since the introduction of 2.2L Twin-Turbo V6 in 2012Malukas’ podium is his 2nd with Chevrolet power, moving him into a tie for 41st all-time, and 21st since the introduction of 2.2L Twin-Turbo V6 in 2012Newgarden and Malukas’ podiums are the 326th and 327th all-time and 223rd and 224th since the introduction of 2.2L Twin-Turbo V6 in 2012

Good Ranchers 250 race results:

Up next A three-race in three-week stretch to start the 2026 NTT INDYCAR SERIES concludes with a visit to a new event in and around the Arlington Entertainment District, including AT&T Stadium, Globe Life Field, and Choctaw Stadium. The 2.73-mile, 14-turn Arlington Street Circuit will play host to the Java House Grand Prix of Arlington, with the race airing on FOX at 1 pm (Eastern).

What They’re Saying – Good Ranchers 250 Josef Newgarden, No. 2 XPEL Team Penske Chevrolet won:“I’m just very surprised. I mean, look, we, it’s only been a race since we haven’t won, so it’s not like it’s been a while, but I just, in the middle of the race, I don’t know that I was fully believing that we had the capability to win. and we just we kept working through it and I’m like, look, if we get another opportunity, we’re going be on the aggressive side, we’re going to be on the offense. “We took tires, and the thing was like a rocket ship when it needed to be, was right at the end of the race. So, hats off to the whole crew. XPEL back in Victory Lane. We had them in 2021. “Team Chevy!! So, I’m pumped. I love to be here in Phoenix. “I’m so happy we are here. This is you know, this is an INDYCAR track I think people that know the history of the sport know this is an INDYCAR track. So, to be here with NASCAR is fantastic. but we gotta be here as well and, I love being here with this group.  “It’s early going, but you’re in the championship lead again. What does momentum mean?”  “Do we really have the lead? “I mean, it’s 2 races in, so I don’t want to read too much into it, but look, momentum’s a big deal. You know, I don’t know. it’s very difficult to understand how things work.” David Malukas, No. 12 Verizon Team Penske Chevrolet finished 3rd:“Man. That’s wow. I mean, the whole day we were fighting that car. It didn’t play out for us in the end. But I want to say congrats to Josef. They were there with the new tires there at the end. That last set was, we were burning it. I mean, drifting sideways, but I think that’s actually where we excelled. It seemed like on new tires; I couldn’t really do much. And when the tires degged, I think it showed there. “We were reeling in Kirkwood. We got round Rasmussen Good job from all everybody in team Penske, Verizon, Chevrolet, everybody. It was, it was a good race. Scott. Big weekend with the pole and the podium.” Pato O’Ward, No. 5 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet finished 4th:“It was a really nice experience. I really enjoyed driving around this place. The team did a great strategy call there in the end, which ended up being the winning strategy. But sadly, we ran out of tools in the inside of the car to get the balance back in the window. We started the race really loose, and, then we really struggled at the end of the race with front and rear. So, I’m definitely bummed because, you know, after our first stop, it looked like we were in great in great shape, but then, you know, we just kinda fell out of our hands and not a lot we could have done balance wise.” Alexander Rossi, No. 20 ECR Java House Chevrolet finished 6th: “A day of many emotions. At the beginning, we thought we were in a really good spot. Then we had some things in the middle of the race that got away from us and we went to the back. We ended up sixth and that kind of up and down was really the story of the whole weekend. The ECR team did a good job of hanging in there and making the most of what we good. We’ll take some good points and go again next week. Looking forward to getting to Texas and the first Java House Grand Prix of Arlington!” Scott McLaughlin, No. 3 Gallagher Insurance Team Penske Chevrolet finished 8th:“Battled all day in the Gallagher Chevy. I wasn’t entirely happy with the balance and it wasn’t really that comfortable. We have to do a little bit of studying. Overall, it’s a great day. The team won. That’s a good thing. Congrats to the No. 2 team. We’ll rebuild and go to a great race in Arlington.” Santino Ferrucci, No. 14 HOMES FOR OUR TROOPS Chevrolet finished 11th: “Just honestly unbelievable how we overcame the car issues today. We started not in a great spot [dropped back to last]. Just took multiple pit stops, and we got it right, got into the top 10. The last minute call not to pit was a collective group decision. You know, in our position [were sixth at the time] it’s really hard to make that call. And, we wish we did, but that’s racing sometimes. So we did the best we could, with what we had. Took some points and it was a good finish for the Homes For Our Troops Chevy.”  Christian Lundgaard, No. 7 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet finished 13th:  “It was a long race. I felt the pace was decent. We were pretty good around the pit sequences which is where it really matters. Obviously we were unlucky with that yellow flag that shuffled us from a top three at that point down to the high teens. It was very unfortunate; it undid the good job that the 7 VELO crew had done up until then. They were awesome on strategy, so it’s a bummer. I thought we had a much better race going for us. I’m proud of what we did. We made some good changes and had some good progression on the 7 Chevy on the ovals, so I’m pretty excited for Indy and also the rest of the short ovals. But first, Arlington.” Christian Rasmussen, No. 21 ECR Splenda Stevia Chevrolet finished 14th:“I think it is very clear what happened. We were the class of the field today. The best car out there.I was so happy with the car…you can’t just run people into the wall which was what happened today.  He ran me straight into the wall, and I had damage. I think lower wishbone front, upper/lower wishbone on the rear and the toe-link which obviously some of that might have been from after, but the car was impossible to drive after that.  I did what I could to salvage the day and not crash the car…but…just frustrating.  Man so frustrating. We should have won the race today.  We obviously didn’t.” Caio Collet, No. 4 COMBITRANS AMAZONIA Chevrolet finished 19th:“I think the start and the first stint was quite good. We were able to be up there. Just after that, I just lost a bit of pace and was lacking a bit of confidence on the rear again. Think when the pace started to go quicker, I just was a little bit stuck and but, happy to finish the race. Obviously, there’s a lot of things to improve for myself and just trying to understand a little bit better what I need from the Combitrans car to be able to be quick. A little bit of a tough weekend to be honest, and glad we finished the race and we will move on to the next one.” Nolan Siegel, No. 6 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet finished 20th: “It was a long race today. There was an issue with the car I fought in Practice 2 that continued in the race. It’s disappointing because I really wanted to make the most of our Qualifying position, but we’re all eager to get and stay up front. Im confident in our group, and we’re looking forward to Arlington.” Sting Ray Robb, No. 77 Juncos Hollinger – Goodheart Chevrolet finished 21st:  Really, really tough day today. I’ve had a lot of tough short oval races, but that’s the worst one to date. Our best qualifying to date and we squandered it. Really frustrating. Every stint, we struggled a lot and some confusion at the end put us some laps down, with lapped cars. Really, really unfortunate day for the whole JHR team. We deserved a lot more than this and their is definately a lot to learn. There is a long ways to go up and remember our qualifying, and move forward. Huge thank you to Goodheart, Service dogs of America and everybody else involved for supporting us. Good job for the team for being consistent on the pit stops. We’ll look forward to Arlington and put this one behind us.” Rinus VeeKay, No. 76 Juncos Hollinger Chevrolet finished 22nd: “Not the day we were looking for. Started eighth, a great staring position. Moved up to fifth and there on the restart and had a run on Palou. I took the outside and had two or three feet alongside him on the outside and I got ran up into the wall. It’s really unfortunate there. I got some damage and lost four laps and was on the back foot the rest of the race.  A bit of an unlucky one, unfortunately. Even after the contact the car felt great. I think we could have had a good run at a top five this weekend. So, a tough one to swallow. The good thing is that we’re racing again in a few days. Thank you to ARCO for coming on board. I’m excited to get to Arlington for the first visit there. Great job by the guys to scramble all race and get everything done.”

NTT INDYCAR SERIES News Conference David MalukasPress Conference THE MODERATOR: Currently joined bycthird-place finisher David Malukas with his first podium of the season, first with Team Penske as well. THE MODERATOR: David, starting from pole today, coming home with a podium finish. Your thoughts on a third-place finish here today. DAVID MALUKAS: I mean, I was really happy. That race, like Kyle said, it was awesome. There were so many different strategies, so much going on. In the middle of that race, I thought, All right, here we go, hopefully we can stay in the top 10. Things really played out. Another yellow came out. We still had an opportunity at the end. Big congrats to Josef for getting the win there. New tires, hard work to get through everybody. Last stint, I don’t know what Kyle thought, but that’s the hardest I pushed a tire before. That was drifting. I never drifted in an INDYCAR that much before. Through one and two, the first turn is actually left, then when you’re in the corner, the rest of it you’re turning right. Some big moments. I’m very excited to go back and clip all the videos of almost spinning out in one and two. THE MODERATOR: Open it up for questions. Q. Every time INDYCAR comes to a new oval, especially with the hybrid, everybody says it’s going to be single file, and it’s not. DAVID MALUKAS: I just started thinking about the race, what could have been different. I was focused on Kyle. What was the question (laughter)? Why wasn’t it single file? That’s kind of been the case with a lot of these races, these new ovals that we’ve been going to. I think on top of what Kyle said, I think it also adds to the drivers now, we’re trying that second lane more. I just feel like first few years in INDYCAR when I came, people didn’t really go up there. Now I feel like there’s more people trying and keeping it clean throughout the race as it goes by. Makes for better racing. I think that also adds to it. Q. Were you aware of Rasmussen having a really great drive until the very end, just how aggressive he was. What was it that you saw at the end when the car just started to fade? DAVID MALUKAS: Yeah, he’s just all attack. Even when he was behind me for a few laps, I mean, I don’t know, I was defending. I came to the point that I’m going to stop defending this because I feel like we’re going to crash. He is all or nothing. He is all or nothing. It’s into the wall or I’m making that move. Obviously that strategy works very well. Fair play to him, that tire deg doesn’t seem to affect him. He can still keep attacking and keep making passes. I think it caught up to him a little bit at the end there. I think he hit the wall multiple times. He was pushing very hard. Q. David, did you feel in the car just the cinema that was going on? Awesome race, the stands were full. Could you feel how entertaining that race was? DAVID MALUKAS: I mean, yeah, dude. For my brain-rotted TikTok brain, I was so focused. I didn’t have a second to think about anything else. We were full drift the whole time. It was an awesome race. I had a really good time from start to finish. Like I said, that second lane, it worked really well. We were making moves. That race felt like an instant to me. 30 minutes and we were done. It was awesome. Q. First podium with Penske. Are you a little disappointed with the third or are you going to take this and keep the momentum rolling? DAVID MALUKAS: No, I mean, I’m so happy. I haven’t touched a trophy I feel like in a long time. It’s been a very long time. No, I’m very happy. Everything at Team Penske, St. Pete leading up to Phoenix here, we’ve had a fantastic start. It just seems that we’re still getting better and building that momentum. It’s still a new team, new guys and everything. We’re already starting off on very high standard, so very happy. Q. David, with Team Penske as a whole, for Scott to podium last week, Josef winning today, what does it mean for this team as it’s trying to bounce back from last year? DAVID MALUKAS: I think it means very much. I think it goes to show the resilience of Team Penske, right? They had some mad moments last year. Now they come back. We’re hitting it off on a very high note. Even from the NASCAR side, Joey got pole as well. Team Penske right now has been fantastic. Me being a part of it, obviously for me it’s new, but just being in that environment, I can see why the 60 years of victories and podiums and all this stuff is the way they run things very well. Q. With the history here at Phoenix Raceway, the crowd that showed up today, how important is it that you remain established in the Phoenix market? DAVID MALUKAS: Yeah, I mean, I thought it was really important. It was a fantastic race. Everything you said. On top of it, we get to go back to back to back. Now we’re going to Arlington next week. It’s good from a viewing standpoint, coming from St. Pete we got a lot of new viewers. Let me tune in again. Phoenix, that was a fantastic race to watch, incredible. I think we need to keep this momentum going and we’ll see what comes for next year. Q. For a lot of people in the grandstands that came here that are NASCAR fans, they’ve never seen an INDYCAR SERIES race before. What do you think their reactions are? Are you confident that you guys won a few fans today? DAVID MALUKAS: I mean, yeah, I think that they would enjoy it. I mean, I had a fantastic time. I think everybody here thought it was a good race. I would assume from their perspective they’re going to say, Hell, yeah, INDYCAR is awesome (smiling). Q. I know you got to stick around for tomorrow? DAVID MALUKAS: Oh, got to go to Miami. Q. You have some meet-and-greets to do in the morning. DAVID MALUKAS: I’m going to be shadowing Austin tomorrow. This is awesome. I get to see it from the NASCAR world how things are run. I’m new. I’m actually super pumped. I’m going to be bugging Austin all the time. It’s going to be awesome. Q. David, you and Newgarden raced pretty tight. Did you have a little bit of contact once? DAVID MALUKAS: Really, really early on. We were just bobbing and weaving a little bit. It wasn’t intentional. Q. When you’re racing side by side with him, are you wondering what can you do with a teammate, what can I not do? Are you still learning that? DAVID MALUKAS: No. We try to help each other in every single way, work as a team to get the car better and each other better. When it comes to racing, we’re racing side by side the same way we would with anybody else out there. It’s nothing different just because we’re teammates. We race to race. I think we had good racing. We were pretty much together the whole time until the very end when they made the strategy to new tires. I raced him hard every chance I got, and he did the same. THE MODERATOR: Congratulations. We’ll see you in a couple days on the streets of Arlington. Josef NewgardenJonathan DiuguidPress Conference THE MODERATOR: Welcoming the winning driver today in the NTT INDYCAR SERIES, as well as team president from Team Penske in Jonathan Diuguid. Josef Newgarden led eight of the 250 laps, including the last six. His first win of the season, 33rd of his career. 10th on the NTT INDYCAR SERIES all-time list. 19th win on an oval. The last 10 wins for Josef have come on ovals. Has now won a race in his 12th consecutive season in the NTT INDYCAR SERIES. For Team Penske it’s win 247 all told for Jonathan and company. Josef, for you, how proud are you to get a win early here in 2026? JOSEF NEWGARDEN: Yeah, what a day. I didn’t know how today was going to go. I don’t think any of us did. We were trying to make our best guess as how do we build a new car, approach this. I think we came in with a good mentality. At the end of the day I think the team just executed. They executed at a super high level. That is what it takes to win these races. I am not going to sit here and say we were the best today. I don’t think we were. We have work to do leaving here. We’re never shy to admit that when we’re somewhere. I think we try and be realistic about where we’re at. We executed at a super high level. Everyone was on it. The timing stand did a great job, made the right calls, great pit stops. When we needed to be fast, we were fast. Really proud of the execution. Just like St. Petersburg, we had a really tough start there. We executed on race day. We’ve been talking about this, this is what we need to do, we need to be better every time we show up, do our jobs to the best of our ability, I think the pieces will fall into place. So far it’s definitely been a decent start. We got to keep it up. Last thing I’ll say is it was a good race. I didn’t know what we were going to get. That second lane really started to open up. People were exploring. There were some really good cars out there. Guys were doing some amazing things in the middle of the race, even the beginning. It just turned it into certainly a show, something you could pick apart. You could choose your battle at the end, what you want to do. It was fun to be a part of that. THE MODERATOR: Jonathan, obviously the tire change helped out perhaps at the end for Josef. This is a big weekend for Team Penske. JONATHAN DIUGUID: Yeah, absolutely. I think Josef mentioned it, getting a win this early on in the season is fantastic. I think he mentioned St. Petersburg there. I would say we were conservative, kind of had a boring strategy today. Today before the race started, we decided we were going to be aggressive. The opportunity came with 40 laps to go, that caution came out. Decided to give up the track position we had, take tires, put it in Josef’s hands. He did an amazing job. 10 laps from the end, I was like, Okay, I don’t know if we’re going to do this. Then we started moving forward pretty quickly. It was amazing to watch. Really happy for the group. THE MODERATOR: We’ll start with questions. Q. This really stands out like last weekend at St. Pete where Josef charged through the field, great result. Team went through a huge evolution during the off-season. It feels like we’re seeing the effects of that. What do you say after two races? JONATHAN DIUGUID: I think it’s just starting. What Josef said there is we pretty much talk about everything, whether it was finishing second in qualifying yesterday. We could have gone around and gave each other high fives. We were talking about why we weren’t on the pole. We qualified poorly in St. Petersburg. We talked about how we could be better. I think that’s the biggest thing that’s going to keep moving us forward is being open about the good parts and the bad parts. I would say that’s what got us the win today, was we had a plan. We stuck to it. We were pretty open. I think if you listened to the radio, you could have probably figured out what we were going to do. We weren’t talking any codes or anything. We wanted to be exactly clear and make no mistakes. Like Josef said, it was execution that mattered. Q. With David as a teammate, you had some fun on track, but also demonstrated what you are capable of. Thoughts about the two of you working together. JOSEF NEWGARDEN: I got asked about this at the beginning of the year on Content Day. I think David is doing excellent. I’m not going to be surprised to see him win sooner than later. I just won’t. I think he’s done a good job. He’s a little different. I don’t mean that good or bad. He’s younger. He’s like from a different generation. He acts differently to me and Scott. He’s very complementary in some ways. It’s always nice to see something new. He’s got that youthfulness to him. You can tell he’s eager to perform. I think he does a good job. He performed excellently in St. Pete. He had a little bit of a mishap with the braking, but he was fast all weekend. His feedback is good. It’s concise and consistent. Same thing here. When he says something, you can kind of trust what he’s saying. That helps propel the team forward. That’s all we really need for him. I think he’s a great addition. I got nothing but good things to say about him. I think he’s going to win a race at some point here soon. I’ll echo J.D. We’re on a good start. Pretty open and honest in trying to move the ship forward. So far so good. I think we just got to keep our feet on the ground. It’s very early days. You can’t get too excited after two races. We’re working on things. We still got some things we got to work on. We got to be better leaving here. We’re going to talk about that. There’s a lot of other places we got to be better that we are working on. We just got to stay on it together as a group all year. Q. Is it too early to anoint you a championship contender? JONATHAN DIUGUID: At least a championship leader. JOSEF NEWGARDEN: That is a factual statement. We are leading the championship. Palou had his mishap early. Two races, it’s a very small sample size. Not surprised to see that everything got shuffled up there. Look, I don’t recall a time being at Team Penske where I didn’t believe we could achieve any goals we marked out. If you go, Hey, look, for us winning the Indy 500 is most important, then how do we excel at every other track and win the championship. I’ve never come into a year with this team and thought I don’t know that we can excel this year, I just don’t know that we can get there. I never believed that. I’ve always seen the potential with this team. It looks a little different now. But that potential was always there in the past and we could deliver on it. I think we can deliver on it this year. It’s an everyday process. We’re going to take it one step at a time. Doesn’t mean there’s not going to be some turbulence. I think if we do our jobs and control what’s in our control, I don’t see why we can’t be in the fight. Q. You come to a track that nobody has been to since 2018 and you win. JOSEF NEWGARDEN: I think we just had a great day. Typically when you see me in Victory Lane, it’s probably ’cause I had the best car on the day. I got to say I was not a believer midway through the race. But when I needed that car to be good, it was really good. I mean, it’s not like I was doing something magical. It was right where I needed it to be. That was just down to working on it, kind of going the wrong way, then coming back the right way and having the right calls, having the right support. That’s what should happen. When you show up, you’re prepared, you do your job, put yourself in position and you execute. You should be able to win races. I think we did that today. Q. Talk about the competition level out there. You were battling McLaughlin. Talk about midway through how competitive this was. Also talk about the last pit stop to take tires. JOSEF NEWGARDEN: I mean, it was a tough day. There’s a lot of good cars I saw today. I think you got to have tremendous respect for the competition in this series. There’s not just one guy I look at. There were a few cars that looked really competitive at different times. I think Christian looked phenomenal. He was just driving a great race. Then Kirkwood looked really good at certain points. Certainly at the end. There was many others. I could sit here and talk about it all day. I think there were a lot of people that had great potential in this race. It’s tough competition. You have to have respect for that. I was happy to see that the race turned into a good battle is the way I would put it. The second lane did open. It got better towards the end of the race. I thought the track was in the best position at the end. That would make sense. Even the lane condition was the best at the end. I was able to go where I needed to. I could find grip when the car was starting to lose grip in certain areas. It was really cool. INDYCARs have not always been that way. I don’t remember 10 years ago where I could start searching for lines to find a better compliance or better grip level for my car. I was doing that at the end there. It was really fun to race. I hope the show was as good as it felt from inside the car. Q. Pit stop… JOSEF NEWGARDEN: The pit stop? I mean, Jonathan already touched on this. We just stuck to our plan. We knew what we were going to do as far as our process going into the race. I think we stayed true to that. We made the right calls, right stops, we executed at the end. Q. Josef, to the pit stop point, were you surprised that more people didn’t gamble on tires? JOSEF NEWGARDEN: Actually no. I think because of the prior situation. The restart prior, we were talking about this on the radio. JONATHAN DIUGUID: 26 and 27 were able to stay out front. JOSEF NEWGARDEN: I was really shocked when they did that. It kind of coincided us with de-tuning our car. We didn’t have a good stint on that restart. I was really surprised how competitive the people that stayed out on the prior yellow were. I think they maintained their position, from what I saw. Q. Lost the lead to Rasmussen. JOSEF NEWGARDEN: So they were pretty good. I think you sort of pick your poison at that point. Gamble to some degree. If I’m gambling, I want to be on the offense. I would rather be on the offense and lose the race. We did that today. Ended up working out. Q. Similar to the way you won the 2018 race. Describe the similarities or not the similarities. JOSEF NEWGARDEN: Yeah, different day. I mean, very different race. We weren’t doing this. I mean, I thought guys were about to run the fence in one and two. It was wild looking on some of this. It was cool. It was not like that in 2018. 2018 was a little bit more simplistic. Same sort of deal where I thought we were stronger on an attack position on a restart, so I won that then there. I felt that today, too. I could make more happen in an offensive position at the end. That rung true. Yeah, it was a very different race. We were all over the place today in a good way. Q. J.D., the boys early in the race were all together and banging wheels. What were your thoughts about that? JONATHAN DIUGUID: ‘The boys’ meaning teammates? Q. Yes. JONATHAN DIUGUID: I thought it was close racing. Like Josef said, there’s a pretty high level of respect. When you’re racing your teammate for the top five, that means your teammate is doing a good job. They understand that as well. They’re not going to put us in a situation where we have to talk about something different. Like Josef said, the group did a good job today, covered the strategies there with the 12 staying out. The 2 took tires and the 2 took the day. I think they all respected each other and raced quite well. Q. Before you came here, maybe you had proven this during the test at the short oval, how is the traffic situation? Is this a risky factor for the race? JOSEF NEWGARDEN: Was it tough when you get in traffic? Q. Yes. JOSEF NEWGARDEN: I think that was a big component of this race, which is pretty typical nowadays for a short oval. If you want to excel in this type of race, you’ve got to be excellent in traffic. I mean, there’s just no getting around it. That’s what happens on a short oval situation, is the circulation is so high that you can’t just kind of sit there and control the lead. You’ve got to be able to go. People are going to press you. I think people pressed hard today, really hard. There were points where they were pressing us and they were winning. We had to kind of raise our level at the end there. It all worked out. But yeah, traffic is critical at a race like this. Q. It is shaping up to be a Penske weekend sweep. Malukas had the pole, you win the race, Joey Logano has the pole. How important is that to get a sweep? There aren’t many opportunities where that can happen with him winning both series at the same venue. JOSEF NEWGARDEN: I think it’s incredibly important. It will be so disappointing if the Cup guys do not deliver tomorrow (smiling). JONATHAN DIUGUID: Horribly disappointing. JOSEF NEWGARDEN: Great point, Bruce (laughter). It’s always fun. We got to go first. It worked out. Now you got to put the pressure on him. Look, it was very hard. I didn’t think we were going to win today, to be honest with you. It’s fun. I wish we had more weekends like this to be honest with you. It’s fun going on an oval together. Has it ever happened? THE MODERATOR: First time on an oval. JOSEF NEWGARDEN: It’s so cool. I think we could get a couple more like this. Q. There were fans in the grandstands that have probably never seen an INDYCAR race in person. What do you think they’re going to walk away with? JOSEF NEWGARDEN: I’m excited to watch it back personally. It was pretty thrilling to be in it. I hoped it would turn into what it did. The first stint, from my vantage point, didn’t feel that exciting. I thought it was going to be a little processional. That does happen sometimes. Look, we can’t make every race the most incredible racing show out there. I think today turned into a good INDYCAR product. This is what we expect now when we put an INDYCAR race on a short oval. This is the type of racing we want to produce. There’s not an exact science to that. I think this sort of tire compound mixture versus the downforce level and track condition, there’s all a little unique, they need fine-tuning. When we get it right, this is the type of show we want to produce. I was happy we were able to have that in front of this crowd today. Q. What do you think it is that made this race so good compared with your win in Phoenix in 2018? Is it the tires? The reconfigured track? The fact it was held in sunlight? JOSEF NEWGARDEN: There’s multiple factors. I’m telling you the number one factor is that we have sort of taught this field a lot of things. The tires are different. For whatever reason, they seemed to produce a little less dust and marbling, kind of both those things. It does happen. I’m telling you the number one factor is that more people explore the track now. It is not possible to keep all the lanes open unless people utilize them. You have more individuals now in this series that are open to kind of driving the car all over the place. The car is capable of doing that as well. You can run the second lane because of the grip and downforce level and not be super slow. This all kind of feeds on itself. I do think the difference we have now is you’ve got guys that are constantly trying to find that second lane, and they keep in it during the race. That’s why I ask my spotter who is using it, where they were at. I could hear people were using it. I was using it. I was trying to keep it clean just so we could have a good show. If they don’t do that, 50, 60 laps, it will close off. You have to wait for a caution to get a new opportunity to open that back up. But I think that is the biggest difference. Q. Josef, can you help with a compare and contrast from 2018? I swear we had more fans here today, more energy than maybe for all three of the last races here. Speak about that. This feels like something really powerful might have been started. JOSEF NEWGARDEN: I just think a great opportunity to have the type of race we had today. I really was hoping we’d have a good show. I think we produced what we expect from the INDYCAR SERIES. I hope there was a lot of people that have maybe not seen an INDYCAR race in a while that are going to leave here and go, Hey, I should give that another look. Both should complement each other. If you’re a motorsport fan, you’re just getting way more value for your weekend to have the top two motorsport championships together on the same weekend. I don’t see why we can’t do a little more of this. I think it’s good for everybody. Very fun to see the crowd. Everyone seemed open and welcoming in a good way. I saw motorsports fans here this weekend that seemed excited to watch racing. We put on a good show. I hope the Cup guys put on a good show tomorrow. Let’s see if we can do more of it in the future. THE MODERATOR: Congratulations on the win.

Chevrolet history at Phoenix Raceway General Motors Wins – 16 Chevrolet Wins – 11 2026 – Josef Newgarden – Team Penske2018 – Josef Newgarden – Team Penske2017 – Simon Pagenaud – Team Penske2016 – Scott Dixon – Chip Ganassi Racing2002 – Helio Castroneves – Team Penske1992 – Bob Rahal – Rahal Hogan Racing1991 – Arie Luyendyk – Doug Shierson Racing1990 – Rick Mears – Team Penske1989 – Rick Mears – Team Penske1988 – Mario Andretti – Newman Haas Racing1969 – George Follmer – George Follmer Oldsmobile Wins – 5 2001 – Sam Hornish – Panther Racing2000 – Buddy Lazier – Hemelgarn Racing1999 – Scott Goodyear – Panther Racing1998 – Scott Sharp – Kelley Racing1997 – Jim Guthrie – Blueprint Racing

General Motors Poles – 14 Chevrolet Poles – 9 2026 – David Malukas – Team Penske2017 – Helio Castroneves – Team Penske2016 – Helio Castroneves – Team Penske2002 – Helio Castroneves – Team Penske1991 – Rick Mears – Team Penske1990 – Rick Mears – Team Penske1989 – Rick Mears – Team Penske1988 – Rick Mears – Team Penske1987 – Mario Andretti – Newman Haas Racing Oldsmobile Poles – 5 2001 – Greg Ray – Team Menard2000 – Greg Ray – Team Menard1999 – Greg Ray – Team Menard1998 – Jeff Ward – ISM Racing1997 – Tony Stewart – Team MenardGeneral Motors Podiums – 41 Chevrolet Podiums: 27 Driver Podiums:  Bob Rahal (3), Emerson Fittipaldi (2), Rick Mears (2), Josef Newgarden (2), Simon Pagenaud (2), Will Power (2), Al Unser Jr. (2), Mario Andretti (1), Helio Castroneves (1), Gil de Ferran (1), George Follmer (1), Scott Dixon (1), Roberto Guerrero (1), JR Hildebrand (1), Sam Hornish (1), Arie Luyendyk (1), David Malukas (1), Danny Sullivan (1), Jimmy Vasser (1) Team Podiums: Team Penske (14), Galles Racing (4), Chip Ganassi Racing (1), Doug Shierson Racing (1), ECR (1), George Follmer (1), Granatelli Racing (1), Hayhoe Racing (1), Newman Haas Racing (1), Panther Racing (1), Rahal Hogan Racing (1) Oldsmobile Podiums: 14  Driver Podiums: Scott Goodyear (2), Buddy Lazier (2), Tony Stewart (2), Billy Boat (1), Jim Guthrie (1), Davey Hamilton (1), Donnie Beechler (1), Sam Hornish (1), Eliseo Salazar (1), Scott Sharp (1) Jeff Ward (1) Team Podiums: A.J. Foyt Racing (3), Panther Racing (3), Hemelgarn Racing (2), Team Menard (2), Blueprint Racing (1), Cahill Racing (1), Kelley Racing (1), Pagan Racing (1) General Motors Laps Led: 3145 Chevrolet Laps Led: 2158 Driver Laps Led: Rick Mears (247), Bob Rahal (242), Mario Andretti (198), Helio Castroneves (174), Scott Dixon (155), Paul Tracy (151), Will Power (139), Arie Luyendyk (129), Simon Pagenaud (119), Michael Andretti (88), David Malukas (74), Christian Rasmussen (69), Sam Hornish (67), Al Unser Jr. (65), Juan Montoya (56), Danny Sullivan (53), Josef Newgarden (40), George Follmer (29), Gil de Ferran (15), Kevin Cogan (13), Emerson Fittipaldi (10), Pato O’Ward (10), Christian Lundgaard (8), Eliseo Salazar (7), Tomas Scheckter (1) Team Laps Led: Team Penske (1077), Newman Haas Racing (286), Rahal Hogan Racing (200), Chip Ganassi Racing (155), Doug Shierson Racing (129), ECR (69), Panther Racing(68), Galles Racing (68), Kelley Racing (39), George Follmer (29), Arrow McLaren (18), Patrick Racing (13),  A.J. Foyt Racing (7) Oldsmobile Laps Led: 987 Driver Laps Led: Tony Stewart (212), Sam Hornish (140), Scott Goodyear (134), Scott Sharp (94), Jim Guthrie (74), Greg Ray (61), Buddy Lazier (45), Billy Boat (41), Stephan Gregoire (36), Eddie Cheever (28), Jeff Ward (25), Kenny Brack (24), Al Unser Jr. (22), Mark Dismore (14), Affonso Giaffone (13), Robbie McGehee (11),  Robbie Buhl (5), Helio Castroneves (4), Gil de Ferran (3), Donnie Beechler (1) Team Laps Led: Panther Racing (274), Team Menard (273), Kelley Racing (104), Blueprint Racing (74), Galles Racing (46), A.J. Foyt Racing (45), Hemelgarn Racing (45),  Dick Simon Racing (36), Team Cheever (28), ISM Racing (25), Chitwood Motorsports (13), Treadway Racing (11), Team Penske (7), Dreyer & Reinbold Racing (5), Cahil Racing (1)

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CHEVROLET IN THE NTT INDYCAR SERIESGood Ranchers 2501-mile, Phoenix Raceway short ovalAvondale, Arizona Saturday Race ReportMarch 7, 2026 AVONDALE, Arizona (March 7, 2026) For the 33rd time in his NTT INDYCAR SERIES career, Josef Newgarden, the pilot of the No. 2 XPEL Team Penske Chevrolet, won a race with Chevrolet power, the most of any driver. In a race that featured a Phoenix Raceway record 565 on-track passes and 18 lead changes among 11 drivers, Newgarden took the lead with six laps remaining, winning his second race at the historic one-mile oval in the “Valley Of The Sun.’ His Team Penske teammate and pole-winner David Malukas stood on the third step of the podium after leading 73 laps, the most of any driver today. The double podium means that nine of the dozen drivers who have stood on the Phoenix Raceway podium since the introduction of the 2.2L Twin-Turbo V6 in 2012 have been wearing Bowties.  Completing Team Chevy’s strong day were Pato O’Ward in the No. 5 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet, his second straight top five to start the 2026 season. Alexander Rossi brought the No. 20 ECR Java House Chevrolet home sixth, making it four of the top six finishing positions for Chevrolet-powered cars.  Rossi’s ECR teammate, Christian Rasmussen, in the No. 21 ECR Splenda Stevia Chevrolet, put on a show all day, twice moving through the field to lead 69 laps.  After his 23rd to seventh-place drive in the season opener, Newgarden now leads the NTT INDYCAR SERIES championship point standings.  Chevrolet by the numbers: Newgarden’s win is the 237th for Chevrolet all-time Newgarden’s win is the 128th for Chevrolet since the introduction of 2.2L Twin-Turbo V6 in 2012 Today’s win is Newgarden’s 33rd with Chevrolet, tops all-time for Team Chevy and since the introduction of 2.2L Twin-Turbo V6 in 2012Today’s win is 125th with Chevrolet, tops all-time for Team Chevy and since the introduction of 2.2L Twin-Turbo V6 in 2012Newgarden and Malukas first and third place finishes are the 679th and 680th podiums all-time for ChevroletNewgarden and Malukas first and third place finishes are the 365th and 366th podiums all-time for Chevrolet since the introduction of 2.2L Twin-Turbo V6 in 2012Newgarden’s podium is his 60th with Chevrolet power, he’s in second all-time and since the introduction of 2.2L Twin-Turbo V6 in 2012Malukas’ podium is his 2nd with Chevrolet power, moving him into a tie for 41st all-time, and 21st since the introduction of 2.2L Twin-Turbo V6 in 2012Newgarden and Malukas’ podiums are the 326th and 327th all-time and 223rd and 224th since the introduction of 2.2L Twin-Turbo V6 in 2012

Good Ranchers 250 race results:

Up next A three-race in three-week stretch to start the 2026 NTT INDYCAR SERIES concludes with a visit to a new event in and around the Arlington Entertainment District, including AT&T Stadium, Globe Life Field, and Choctaw Stadium. The 2.73-mile, 14-turn Arlington Street Circuit will play host to the Java House Grand Prix of Arlington, with the race airing on FOX at 1 pm (Eastern).

What They’re Saying – Good Ranchers 250 Josef Newgarden, No. 2 XPEL Team Penske Chevrolet won:“I’m just very surprised. I mean, look, we, it’s only been a race since we haven’t won, so it’s not like it’s been a while, but I just, in the middle of the race, I don’t know that I was fully believing that we had the capability to win. and we just we kept working through it and I’m like, look, if we get another opportunity, we’re going be on the aggressive side, we’re going to be on the offense. “We took tires, and the thing was like a rocket ship when it needed to be, was right at the end of the race. So, hats off to the whole crew. XPEL back in Victory Lane. We had them in 2021. “Team Chevy!! So, I’m pumped. I love to be here in Phoenix. “I’m so happy we are here. This is you know, this is an INDYCAR track I think people that know the history of the sport know this is an INDYCAR track. So, to be here with NASCAR is fantastic. but we gotta be here as well and, I love being here with this group.  “It’s early going, but you’re in the championship lead again. What does momentum mean?”  “Do we really have the lead? “I mean, it’s 2 races in, so I don’t want to read too much into it, but look, momentum’s a big deal. You know, I don’t know. it’s very difficult to understand how things work.” David Malukas, No. 12 Verizon Team Penske Chevrolet finished 3rd:“Man. That’s wow. I mean, the whole day we were fighting that car. It didn’t play out for us in the end. But I want to say congrats to Josef. They were there with the new tires there at the end. That last set was, we were burning it. I mean, drifting sideways, but I think that’s actually where we excelled. It seemed like on new tires; I couldn’t really do much. And when the tires degged, I think it showed there. “We were reeling in Kirkwood. We got round Rasmussen Good job from all everybody in team Penske, Verizon, Chevrolet, everybody. It was, it was a good race. Scott. Big weekend with the pole and the podium.” Pato O’Ward, No. 5 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet finished 4th:“It was a really nice experience. I really enjoyed driving around this place. The team did a great strategy call there in the end, which ended up being the winning strategy. But sadly, we ran out of tools in the inside of the car to get the balance back in the window. We started the race really loose, and, then we really struggled at the end of the race with front and rear. So, I’m definitely bummed because, you know, after our first stop, it looked like we were in great in great shape, but then, you know, we just kinda fell out of our hands and not a lot we could have done balance wise.” Alexander Rossi, No. 20 ECR Java House Chevrolet finished 6th: “A day of many emotions. At the beginning, we thought we were in a really good spot. Then we had some things in the middle of the race that got away from us and we went to the back. We ended up sixth and that kind of up and down was really the story of the whole weekend. The ECR team did a good job of hanging in there and making the most of what we good. We’ll take some good points and go again next week. Looking forward to getting to Texas and the first Java House Grand Prix of Arlington!” Scott McLaughlin, No. 3 Gallagher Insurance Team Penske Chevrolet finished 8th:“Battled all day in the Gallagher Chevy. I wasn’t entirely happy with the balance and it wasn’t really that comfortable. We have to do a little bit of studying. Overall, it’s a great day. The team won. That’s a good thing. Congrats to the No. 2 team. We’ll rebuild and go to a great race in Arlington.” Santino Ferrucci, No. 14 HOMES FOR OUR TROOPS Chevrolet finished 11th: “Just honestly unbelievable how we overcame the car issues today. We started not in a great spot [dropped back to last]. Just took multiple pit stops, and we got it right, got into the top 10. The last minute call not to pit was a collective group decision. You know, in our position [were sixth at the time] it’s really hard to make that call. And, we wish we did, but that’s racing sometimes. So we did the best we could, with what we had. Took some points and it was a good finish for the Homes For Our Troops Chevy.”  Christian Lundgaard, No. 7 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet finished 13th:  “It was a long race. I felt the pace was decent. We were pretty good around the pit sequences which is where it really matters. Obviously we were unlucky with that yellow flag that shuffled us from a top three at that point down to the high teens. It was very unfortunate; it undid the good job that the 7 VELO crew had done up until then. They were awesome on strategy, so it’s a bummer. I thought we had a much better race going for us. I’m proud of what we did. We made some good changes and had some good progression on the 7 Chevy on the ovals, so I’m pretty excited for Indy and also the rest of the short ovals. But first, Arlington.” Christian Rasmussen, No. 21 ECR Splenda Stevia Chevrolet finished 14th:“I think it is very clear what happened. We were the class of the field today. The best car out there.I was so happy with the car…you can’t just run people into the wall which was what happened today.  He ran me straight into the wall, and I had damage. I think lower wishbone front, upper/lower wishbone on the rear and the toe-link which obviously some of that might have been from after, but the car was impossible to drive after that.  I did what I could to salvage the day and not crash the car…but…just frustrating.  Man so frustrating. We should have won the race today.  We obviously didn’t.” Caio Collet, No. 4 COMBITRANS AMAZONIA Chevrolet finished 19th:“I think the start and the first stint was quite good. We were able to be up there. Just after that, I just lost a bit of pace and was lacking a bit of confidence on the rear again. Think when the pace started to go quicker, I just was a little bit stuck and but, happy to finish the race. Obviously, there’s a lot of things to improve for myself and just trying to understand a little bit better what I need from the Combitrans car to be able to be quick. A little bit of a tough weekend to be honest, and glad we finished the race and we will move on to the next one.” Nolan Siegel, No. 6 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet finished 20th: “It was a long race today. There was an issue with the car I fought in Practice 2 that continued in the race. It’s disappointing because I really wanted to make the most of our Qualifying position, but we’re all eager to get and stay up front. Im confident in our group, and we’re looking forward to Arlington.” Sting Ray Robb, No. 77 Juncos Hollinger – Goodheart Chevrolet finished 21st:  Really, really tough day today. I’ve had a lot of tough short oval races, but that’s the worst one to date. Our best qualifying to date and we squandered it. Really frustrating. Every stint, we struggled a lot and some confusion at the end put us some laps down, with lapped cars. Really, really unfortunate day for the whole JHR team. We deserved a lot more than this and their is definately a lot to learn. There is a long ways to go up and remember our qualifying, and move forward. Huge thank you to Goodheart, Service dogs of America and everybody else involved for supporting us. Good job for the team for being consistent on the pit stops. We’ll look forward to Arlington and put this one behind us.” Rinus VeeKay, No. 76 Juncos Hollinger Chevrolet finished 22nd: “Not the day we were looking for. Started eighth, a great staring position. Moved up to fifth and there on the restart and had a run on Palou. I took the outside and had two or three feet alongside him on the outside and I got ran up into the wall. It’s really unfortunate there. I got some damage and lost four laps and was on the back foot the rest of the race.  A bit of an unlucky one, unfortunately. Even after the contact the car felt great. I think we could have had a good run at a top five this weekend. So, a tough one to swallow. The good thing is that we’re racing again in a few days. Thank you to ARCO for coming on board. I’m excited to get to Arlington for the first visit there. Great job by the guys to scramble all race and get everything done.”

NTT INDYCAR SERIES News Conference David MalukasPress Conference THE MODERATOR: Currently joined bycthird-place finisher David Malukas with his first podium of the season, first with Team Penske as well. THE MODERATOR: David, starting from pole today, coming home with a podium finish. Your thoughts on a third-place finish here today. DAVID MALUKAS: I mean, I was really happy. That race, like Kyle said, it was awesome. There were so many different strategies, so much going on. In the middle of that race, I thought, All right, here we go, hopefully we can stay in the top 10. Things really played out. Another yellow came out. We still had an opportunity at the end. Big congrats to Josef for getting the win there. New tires, hard work to get through everybody. Last stint, I don’t know what Kyle thought, but that’s the hardest I pushed a tire before. That was drifting. I never drifted in an INDYCAR that much before. Through one and two, the first turn is actually left, then when you’re in the corner, the rest of it you’re turning right. Some big moments. I’m very excited to go back and clip all the videos of almost spinning out in one and two. THE MODERATOR: Open it up for questions. Q. Every time INDYCAR comes to a new oval, especially with the hybrid, everybody says it’s going to be single file, and it’s not. DAVID MALUKAS: I just started thinking about the race, what could have been different. I was focused on Kyle. What was the question (laughter)? Why wasn’t it single file? That’s kind of been the case with a lot of these races, these new ovals that we’ve been going to. I think on top of what Kyle said, I think it also adds to the drivers now, we’re trying that second lane more. I just feel like first few years in INDYCAR when I came, people didn’t really go up there. Now I feel like there’s more people trying and keeping it clean throughout the race as it goes by. Makes for better racing. I think that also adds to it. Q. Were you aware of Rasmussen having a really great drive until the very end, just how aggressive he was. What was it that you saw at the end when the car just started to fade? DAVID MALUKAS: Yeah, he’s just all attack. Even when he was behind me for a few laps, I mean, I don’t know, I was defending. I came to the point that I’m going to stop defending this because I feel like we’re going to crash. He is all or nothing. He is all or nothing. It’s into the wall or I’m making that move. Obviously that strategy works very well. Fair play to him, that tire deg doesn’t seem to affect him. He can still keep attacking and keep making passes. I think it caught up to him a little bit at the end there. I think he hit the wall multiple times. He was pushing very hard. Q. David, did you feel in the car just the cinema that was going on? Awesome race, the stands were full. Could you feel how entertaining that race was? DAVID MALUKAS: I mean, yeah, dude. For my brain-rotted TikTok brain, I was so focused. I didn’t have a second to think about anything else. We were full drift the whole time. It was an awesome race. I had a really good time from start to finish. Like I said, that second lane, it worked really well. We were making moves. That race felt like an instant to me. 30 minutes and we were done. It was awesome. Q. First podium with Penske. Are you a little disappointed with the third or are you going to take this and keep the momentum rolling? DAVID MALUKAS: No, I mean, I’m so happy. I haven’t touched a trophy I feel like in a long time. It’s been a very long time. No, I’m very happy. Everything at Team Penske, St. Pete leading up to Phoenix here, we’ve had a fantastic start. It just seems that we’re still getting better and building that momentum. It’s still a new team, new guys and everything. We’re already starting off on very high standard, so very happy. Q. David, with Team Penske as a whole, for Scott to podium last week, Josef winning today, what does it mean for this team as it’s trying to bounce back from last year? DAVID MALUKAS: I think it means very much. I think it goes to show the resilience of Team Penske, right? They had some mad moments last year. Now they come back. We’re hitting it off on a very high note. Even from the NASCAR side, Joey got pole as well. Team Penske right now has been fantastic. Me being a part of it, obviously for me it’s new, but just being in that environment, I can see why the 60 years of victories and podiums and all this stuff is the way they run things very well. Q. With the history here at Phoenix Raceway, the crowd that showed up today, how important is it that you remain established in the Phoenix market? DAVID MALUKAS: Yeah, I mean, I thought it was really important. It was a fantastic race. Everything you said. On top of it, we get to go back to back to back. Now we’re going to Arlington next week. It’s good from a viewing standpoint, coming from St. Pete we got a lot of new viewers. Let me tune in again. Phoenix, that was a fantastic race to watch, incredible. I think we need to keep this momentum going and we’ll see what comes for next year. Q. For a lot of people in the grandstands that came here that are NASCAR fans, they’ve never seen an INDYCAR SERIES race before. What do you think their reactions are? Are you confident that you guys won a few fans today? DAVID MALUKAS: I mean, yeah, I think that they would enjoy it. I mean, I had a fantastic time. I think everybody here thought it was a good race. I would assume from their perspective they’re going to say, Hell, yeah, INDYCAR is awesome (smiling). Q. I know you got to stick around for tomorrow? DAVID MALUKAS: Oh, got to go to Miami. Q. You have some meet-and-greets to do in the morning. DAVID MALUKAS: I’m going to be shadowing Austin tomorrow. This is awesome. I get to see it from the NASCAR world how things are run. I’m new. I’m actually super pumped. I’m going to be bugging Austin all the time. It’s going to be awesome. Q. David, you and Newgarden raced pretty tight. Did you have a little bit of contact once? DAVID MALUKAS: Really, really early on. We were just bobbing and weaving a little bit. It wasn’t intentional. Q. When you’re racing side by side with him, are you wondering what can you do with a teammate, what can I not do? Are you still learning that? DAVID MALUKAS: No. We try to help each other in every single way, work as a team to get the car better and each other better. When it comes to racing, we’re racing side by side the same way we would with anybody else out there. It’s nothing different just because we’re teammates. We race to race. I think we had good racing. We were pretty much together the whole time until the very end when they made the strategy to new tires. I raced him hard every chance I got, and he did the same. THE MODERATOR: Congratulations. We’ll see you in a couple days on the streets of Arlington. Josef NewgardenJonathan DiuguidPress Conference THE MODERATOR: Welcoming the winning driver today in the NTT INDYCAR SERIES, as well as team president from Team Penske in Jonathan Diuguid. Josef Newgarden led eight of the 250 laps, including the last six. His first win of the season, 33rd of his career. 10th on the NTT INDYCAR SERIES all-time list. 19th win on an oval. The last 10 wins for Josef have come on ovals. Has now won a race in his 12th consecutive season in the NTT INDYCAR SERIES. For Team Penske it’s win 247 all told for Jonathan and company. Josef, for you, how proud are you to get a win early here in 2026? JOSEF NEWGARDEN: Yeah, what a day. I didn’t know how today was going to go. I don’t think any of us did. We were trying to make our best guess as how do we build a new car, approach this. I think we came in with a good mentality. At the end of the day I think the team just executed. They executed at a super high level. That is what it takes to win these races. I am not going to sit here and say we were the best today. I don’t think we were. We have work to do leaving here. We’re never shy to admit that when we’re somewhere. I think we try and be realistic about where we’re at. We executed at a super high level. Everyone was on it. The timing stand did a great job, made the right calls, great pit stops. When we needed to be fast, we were fast. Really proud of the execution. Just like St. Petersburg, we had a really tough start there. We executed on race day. We’ve been talking about this, this is what we need to do, we need to be better every time we show up, do our jobs to the best of our ability, I think the pieces will fall into place. So far it’s definitely been a decent start. We got to keep it up. Last thing I’ll say is it was a good race. I didn’t know what we were going to get. That second lane really started to open up. People were exploring. There were some really good cars out there. Guys were doing some amazing things in the middle of the race, even the beginning. It just turned it into certainly a show, something you could pick apart. You could choose your battle at the end, what you want to do. It was fun to be a part of that. THE MODERATOR: Jonathan, obviously the tire change helped out perhaps at the end for Josef. This is a big weekend for Team Penske. JONATHAN DIUGUID: Yeah, absolutely. I think Josef mentioned it, getting a win this early on in the season is fantastic. I think he mentioned St. Petersburg there. I would say we were conservative, kind of had a boring strategy today. Today before the race started, we decided we were going to be aggressive. The opportunity came with 40 laps to go, that caution came out. Decided to give up the track position we had, take tires, put it in Josef’s hands. He did an amazing job. 10 laps from the end, I was like, Okay, I don’t know if we’re going to do this. Then we started moving forward pretty quickly. It was amazing to watch. Really happy for the group. THE MODERATOR: We’ll start with questions. Q. This really stands out like last weekend at St. Pete where Josef charged through the field, great result. Team went through a huge evolution during the off-season. It feels like we’re seeing the effects of that. What do you say after two races? JONATHAN DIUGUID: I think it’s just starting. What Josef said there is we pretty much talk about everything, whether it was finishing second in qualifying yesterday. We could have gone around and gave each other high fives. We were talking about why we weren’t on the pole. We qualified poorly in St. Petersburg. We talked about how we could be better. I think that’s the biggest thing that’s going to keep moving us forward is being open about the good parts and the bad parts. I would say that’s what got us the win today, was we had a plan. We stuck to it. We were pretty open. I think if you listened to the radio, you could have probably figured out what we were going to do. We weren’t talking any codes or anything. We wanted to be exactly clear and make no mistakes. Like Josef said, it was execution that mattered. Q. With David as a teammate, you had some fun on track, but also demonstrated what you are capable of. Thoughts about the two of you working together. JOSEF NEWGARDEN: I got asked about this at the beginning of the year on Content Day. I think David is doing excellent. I’m not going to be surprised to see him win sooner than later. I just won’t. I think he’s done a good job. He’s a little different. I don’t mean that good or bad. He’s younger. He’s like from a different generation. He acts differently to me and Scott. He’s very complementary in some ways. It’s always nice to see something new. He’s got that youthfulness to him. You can tell he’s eager to perform. I think he does a good job. He performed excellently in St. Pete. He had a little bit of a mishap with the braking, but he was fast all weekend. His feedback is good. It’s concise and consistent. Same thing here. When he says something, you can kind of trust what he’s saying. That helps propel the team forward. That’s all we really need for him. I think he’s a great addition. I got nothing but good things to say about him. I think he’s going to win a race at some point here soon. I’ll echo J.D. We’re on a good start. Pretty open and honest in trying to move the ship forward. So far so good. I think we just got to keep our feet on the ground. It’s very early days. You can’t get too excited after two races. We’re working on things. We still got some things we got to work on. We got to be better leaving here. We’re going to talk about that. There’s a lot of other places we got to be better that we are working on. We just got to stay on it together as a group all year. Q. Is it too early to anoint you a championship contender? JONATHAN DIUGUID: At least a championship leader. JOSEF NEWGARDEN: That is a factual statement. We are leading the championship. Palou had his mishap early. Two races, it’s a very small sample size. Not surprised to see that everything got shuffled up there. Look, I don’t recall a time being at Team Penske where I didn’t believe we could achieve any goals we marked out. If you go, Hey, look, for us winning the Indy 500 is most important, then how do we excel at every other track and win the championship. I’ve never come into a year with this team and thought I don’t know that we can excel this year, I just don’t know that we can get there. I never believed that. I’ve always seen the potential with this team. It looks a little different now. But that potential was always there in the past and we could deliver on it. I think we can deliver on it this year. It’s an everyday process. We’re going to take it one step at a time. Doesn’t mean there’s not going to be some turbulence. I think if we do our jobs and control what’s in our control, I don’t see why we can’t be in the fight. Q. You come to a track that nobody has been to since 2018 and you win. JOSEF NEWGARDEN: I think we just had a great day. Typically when you see me in Victory Lane, it’s probably ’cause I had the best car on the day. I got to say I was not a believer midway through the race. But when I needed that car to be good, it was really good. I mean, it’s not like I was doing something magical. It was right where I needed it to be. That was just down to working on it, kind of going the wrong way, then coming back the right way and having the right calls, having the right support. That’s what should happen. When you show up, you’re prepared, you do your job, put yourself in position and you execute. You should be able to win races. I think we did that today. Q. Talk about the competition level out there. You were battling McLaughlin. Talk about midway through how competitive this was. Also talk about the last pit stop to take tires. JOSEF NEWGARDEN: I mean, it was a tough day. There’s a lot of good cars I saw today. I think you got to have tremendous respect for the competition in this series. There’s not just one guy I look at. There were a few cars that looked really competitive at different times. I think Christian looked phenomenal. He was just driving a great race. Then Kirkwood looked really good at certain points. Certainly at the end. There was many others. I could sit here and talk about it all day. I think there were a lot of people that had great potential in this race. It’s tough competition. You have to have respect for that. I was happy to see that the race turned into a good battle is the way I would put it. The second lane did open. It got better towards the end of the race. I thought the track was in the best position at the end. That would make sense. Even the lane condition was the best at the end. I was able to go where I needed to. I could find grip when the car was starting to lose grip in certain areas. It was really cool. INDYCARs have not always been that way. I don’t remember 10 years ago where I could start searching for lines to find a better compliance or better grip level for my car. I was doing that at the end there. It was really fun to race. I hope the show was as good as it felt from inside the car. Q. Pit stop… JOSEF NEWGARDEN: The pit stop? I mean, Jonathan already touched on this. We just stuck to our plan. We knew what we were going to do as far as our process going into the race. I think we stayed true to that. We made the right calls, right stops, we executed at the end. Q. Josef, to the pit stop point, were you surprised that more people didn’t gamble on tires? JOSEF NEWGARDEN: Actually no. I think because of the prior situation. The restart prior, we were talking about this on the radio. JONATHAN DIUGUID: 26 and 27 were able to stay out front. JOSEF NEWGARDEN: I was really shocked when they did that. It kind of coincided us with de-tuning our car. We didn’t have a good stint on that restart. I was really surprised how competitive the people that stayed out on the prior yellow were. I think they maintained their position, from what I saw. Q. Lost the lead to Rasmussen. JOSEF NEWGARDEN: So they were pretty good. I think you sort of pick your poison at that point. Gamble to some degree. If I’m gambling, I want to be on the offense. I would rather be on the offense and lose the race. We did that today. Ended up working out. Q. Similar to the way you won the 2018 race. Describe the similarities or not the similarities. JOSEF NEWGARDEN: Yeah, different day. I mean, very different race. We weren’t doing this. I mean, I thought guys were about to run the fence in one and two. It was wild looking on some of this. It was cool. It was not like that in 2018. 2018 was a little bit more simplistic. Same sort of deal where I thought we were stronger on an attack position on a restart, so I won that then there. I felt that today, too. I could make more happen in an offensive position at the end. That rung true. Yeah, it was a very different race. We were all over the place today in a good way. Q. J.D., the boys early in the race were all together and banging wheels. What were your thoughts about that? JONATHAN DIUGUID: ‘The boys’ meaning teammates? Q. Yes. JONATHAN DIUGUID: I thought it was close racing. Like Josef said, there’s a pretty high level of respect. When you’re racing your teammate for the top five, that means your teammate is doing a good job. They understand that as well. They’re not going to put us in a situation where we have to talk about something different. Like Josef said, the group did a good job today, covered the strategies there with the 12 staying out. The 2 took tires and the 2 took the day. I think they all respected each other and raced quite well. Q. Before you came here, maybe you had proven this during the test at the short oval, how is the traffic situation? Is this a risky factor for the race? JOSEF NEWGARDEN: Was it tough when you get in traffic? Q. Yes. JOSEF NEWGARDEN: I think that was a big component of this race, which is pretty typical nowadays for a short oval. If you want to excel in this type of race, you’ve got to be excellent in traffic. I mean, there’s just no getting around it. That’s what happens on a short oval situation, is the circulation is so high that you can’t just kind of sit there and control the lead. You’ve got to be able to go. People are going to press you. I think people pressed hard today, really hard. There were points where they were pressing us and they were winning. We had to kind of raise our level at the end there. It all worked out. But yeah, traffic is critical at a race like this. Q. It is shaping up to be a Penske weekend sweep. Malukas had the pole, you win the race, Joey Logano has the pole. How important is that to get a sweep? There aren’t many opportunities where that can happen with him winning both series at the same venue. JOSEF NEWGARDEN: I think it’s incredibly important. It will be so disappointing if the Cup guys do not deliver tomorrow (smiling). JONATHAN DIUGUID: Horribly disappointing. JOSEF NEWGARDEN: Great point, Bruce (laughter). It’s always fun. We got to go first. It worked out. Now you got to put the pressure on him. Look, it was very hard. I didn’t think we were going to win today, to be honest with you. It’s fun. I wish we had more weekends like this to be honest with you. It’s fun going on an oval together. Has it ever happened? THE MODERATOR: First time on an oval. JOSEF NEWGARDEN: It’s so cool. I think we could get a couple more like this. Q. There were fans in the grandstands that have probably never seen an INDYCAR race in person. What do you think they’re going to walk away with? JOSEF NEWGARDEN: I’m excited to watch it back personally. It was pretty thrilling to be in it. I hoped it would turn into what it did. The first stint, from my vantage point, didn’t feel that exciting. I thought it was going to be a little processional. That does happen sometimes. Look, we can’t make every race the most incredible racing show out there. I think today turned into a good INDYCAR product. This is what we expect now when we put an INDYCAR race on a short oval. This is the type of racing we want to produce. There’s not an exact science to that. I think this sort of tire compound mixture versus the downforce level and track condition, there’s all a little unique, they need fine-tuning. When we get it right, this is the type of show we want to produce. I was happy we were able to have that in front of this crowd today. Q. What do you think it is that made this race so good compared with your win in Phoenix in 2018? Is it the tires? The reconfigured track? The fact it was held in sunlight? JOSEF NEWGARDEN: There’s multiple factors. I’m telling you the number one factor is that we have sort of taught this field a lot of things. The tires are different. For whatever reason, they seemed to produce a little less dust and marbling, kind of both those things. It does happen. I’m telling you the number one factor is that more people explore the track now. It is not possible to keep all the lanes open unless people utilize them. You have more individuals now in this series that are open to kind of driving the car all over the place. The car is capable of doing that as well. You can run the second lane because of the grip and downforce level and not be super slow. This all kind of feeds on itself. I do think the difference we have now is you’ve got guys that are constantly trying to find that second lane, and they keep in it during the race. That’s why I ask my spotter who is using it, where they were at. I could hear people were using it. I was using it. I was trying to keep it clean just so we could have a good show. If they don’t do that, 50, 60 laps, it will close off. You have to wait for a caution to get a new opportunity to open that back up. But I think that is the biggest difference. Q. Josef, can you help with a compare and contrast from 2018? I swear we had more fans here today, more energy than maybe for all three of the last races here. Speak about that. This feels like something really powerful might have been started. JOSEF NEWGARDEN: I just think a great opportunity to have the type of race we had today. I really was hoping we’d have a good show. I think we produced what we expect from the INDYCAR SERIES. I hope there was a lot of people that have maybe not seen an INDYCAR race in a while that are going to leave here and go, Hey, I should give that another look. Both should complement each other. If you’re a motorsport fan, you’re just getting way more value for your weekend to have the top two motorsport championships together on the same weekend. I don’t see why we can’t do a little more of this. I think it’s good for everybody. Very fun to see the crowd. Everyone seemed open and welcoming in a good way. I saw motorsports fans here this weekend that seemed excited to watch racing. We put on a good show. I hope the Cup guys put on a good show tomorrow. Let’s see if we can do more of it in the future. THE MODERATOR: Congratulations on the win.

Chevrolet history at Phoenix Raceway General Motors Wins – 16 Chevrolet Wins – 11 2026 – Josef Newgarden – Team Penske2018 – Josef Newgarden – Team Penske2017 – Simon Pagenaud – Team Penske2016 – Scott Dixon – Chip Ganassi Racing2002 – Helio Castroneves – Team Penske1992 – Bob Rahal – Rahal Hogan Racing1991 – Arie Luyendyk – Doug Shierson Racing1990 – Rick Mears – Team Penske1989 – Rick Mears – Team Penske1988 – Mario Andretti – Newman Haas Racing1969 – George Follmer – George Follmer Oldsmobile Wins – 5 2001 – Sam Hornish – Panther Racing2000 – Buddy Lazier – Hemelgarn Racing1999 – Scott Goodyear – Panther Racing1998 – Scott Sharp – Kelley Racing1997 – Jim Guthrie – Blueprint Racing

General Motors Poles – 14 Chevrolet Poles – 9 2026 – David Malukas – Team Penske2017 – Helio Castroneves – Team Penske2016 – Helio Castroneves – Team Penske2002 – Helio Castroneves – Team Penske1991 – Rick Mears – Team Penske1990 – Rick Mears – Team Penske1989 – Rick Mears – Team Penske1988 – Rick Mears – Team Penske1987 – Mario Andretti – Newman Haas Racing Oldsmobile Poles – 5 2001 – Greg Ray – Team Menard2000 – Greg Ray – Team Menard1999 – Greg Ray – Team Menard1998 – Jeff Ward – ISM Racing1997 – Tony Stewart – Team MenardGeneral Motors Podiums – 41 Chevrolet Podiums: 27 Driver Podiums:  Bob Rahal (3), Emerson Fittipaldi (2), Rick Mears (2), Josef Newgarden (2), Simon Pagenaud (2), Will Power (2), Al Unser Jr. (2), Mario Andretti (1), Helio Castroneves (1), Gil de Ferran (1), George Follmer (1), Scott Dixon (1), Roberto Guerrero (1), JR Hildebrand (1), Sam Hornish (1), Arie Luyendyk (1), David Malukas (1), Danny Sullivan (1), Jimmy Vasser (1) Team Podiums: Team Penske (14), Galles Racing (4), Chip Ganassi Racing (1), Doug Shierson Racing (1), ECR (1), George Follmer (1), Granatelli Racing (1), Hayhoe Racing (1), Newman Haas Racing (1), Panther Racing (1), Rahal Hogan Racing (1) Oldsmobile Podiums: 14  Driver Podiums: Scott Goodyear (2), Buddy Lazier (2), Tony Stewart (2), Billy Boat (1), Jim Guthrie (1), Davey Hamilton (1), Donnie Beechler (1), Sam Hornish (1), Eliseo Salazar (1), Scott Sharp (1) Jeff Ward (1) Team Podiums: A.J. Foyt Racing (3), Panther Racing (3), Hemelgarn Racing (2), Team Menard (2), Blueprint Racing (1), Cahill Racing (1), Kelley Racing (1), Pagan Racing (1) General Motors Laps Led: 3145 Chevrolet Laps Led: 2158 Driver Laps Led: Rick Mears (247), Bob Rahal (242), Mario Andretti (198), Helio Castroneves (174), Scott Dixon (155), Paul Tracy (151), Will Power (139), Arie Luyendyk (129), Simon Pagenaud (119), Michael Andretti (88), David Malukas (74), Christian Rasmussen (69), Sam Hornish (67), Al Unser Jr. (65), Juan Montoya (56), Danny Sullivan (53), Josef Newgarden (40), George Follmer (29), Gil de Ferran (15), Kevin Cogan (13), Emerson Fittipaldi (10), Pato O’Ward (10), Christian Lundgaard (8), Eliseo Salazar (7), Tomas Scheckter (1) Team Laps Led: Team Penske (1077), Newman Haas Racing (286), Rahal Hogan Racing (200), Chip Ganassi Racing (155), Doug Shierson Racing (129), ECR (69), Panther Racing(68), Galles Racing (68), Kelley Racing (39), George Follmer (29), Arrow McLaren (18), Patrick Racing (13),  A.J. Foyt Racing (7) Oldsmobile Laps Led: 987 Driver Laps Led: Tony Stewart (212), Sam Hornish (140), Scott Goodyear (134), Scott Sharp (94), Jim Guthrie (74), Greg Ray (61), Buddy Lazier (45), Billy Boat (41), Stephan Gregoire (36), Eddie Cheever (28), Jeff Ward (25), Kenny Brack (24), Al Unser Jr. (22), Mark Dismore (14), Affonso Giaffone (13), Robbie McGehee (11),  Robbie Buhl (5), Helio Castroneves (4), Gil de Ferran (3), Donnie Beechler (1) Team Laps Led: Panther Racing (274), Team Menard (273), Kelley Racing (104), Blueprint Racing (74), Galles Racing (46), A.J. Foyt Racing (45), Hemelgarn Racing (45),  Dick Simon Racing (36), Team Cheever (28), ISM Racing (25), Chitwood Motorsports (13), Treadway Racing (11), Team Penske (7), Dreyer & Reinbold Racing (5), Cahil Racing (1)

Manufacturer History at Phoenix International Raceway Wins 17 – Cosworth (1987, 1986 #2, 1986 #2, 1985, 1984 #2, 1984 #1, 1983, 1982 #2, 1982 #1, 1981 #2, 1981 #1, 1980, 1979 #2, 1979 #1, 1978 #2, 1977 #1, 1976 #2)16 – General Motors (Chevrolet & Oldsmobile)13 – Offenhauser – (1976 #1, 1975 #1, 1974 #2, 1974 #1, 1973, 1972 #2, 1972 #1, 1968 #2, 1968 #1, 1967#1, 1965 #1, 1964 #2, 1964 #1)12 – Ford (1996, 1995, 1993, 1971 #2, 1971 #1, 1970 #2, 1970 #1, 1969 #2, 1967 #2, 1966 #2, 1966 #1, 1965 #2)11- Chevrolet (2026, 2018, 2017, 2016, 2002, 1992, 1991, 1990, 1989, 1988, 1969 #1)5 – Oldsmobile (2001, 2000, 1999, 1998, 1997)2- DGS (1978 #1, 1977 #2)2 – Honda (2004, 2003)1 – Toyota (2005)1 – Ilmor (1994)1- Foyt (1975 #2) Poles 18 – Cosworth (1986 #2, 1986 #1, 1985, 1984 #2, 1984 #1, 1983, 1982 #2, 1982 #1, 1981 #2, 1981#1, 1980, 1979 #2, 1979 #1, 1978 #2, 1978 #1, 1977 #2, 1977 #1, 1976 #1)14 – General Motors (Chevrolet and Oldsmobile)14 – Offenhauser (1976 #2, 1975 #1, 1974 #2, 1974 #1, 1973, 1972 #2, 1972 #1, 1971 #2, 1971 #1, 1968 #2, 1968 #2, 1967 #1, 1965 #2, 1964 #1)13 – Ford (1996, 1995, 1993, 1992, 1970 #2, 1970 #1, 1969 #2, 1969 #1, 1967 #2, 1966 #2, 1966 #1, 1965 #1, 1964 #2)9 – Chevrolet (2025, 2017, 2016, 2002, 1991, 1990, 1989, 1988, 1987)5 – Oldsmobile (2001, 2000, 1999, 1998, 1997)4 – Honda (2018, 2005, 2004, 2003)1 – DGS (1975 #2)1 – Ilmor (1994)

GAINESVILLE, FL (March 7, 2026) — Through three rounds of qualifying at the season opening Amalie Oil NHRA Gatornationals, Jonathan Allegrucci powered his Ford Mustang Cobra Jet to the No. 1 qualifier position heading into race day with a category quickest elapsed time of 7.714 seconds at 178.26 mph. Allegrucci and his Ford lead two Camaros driven by Richard Hord and Alex Anderson in the top three spots in the 16-car qualified field of the Flexjet Factory Stock Showdown Series. The driver from Scott Township, Pa. will be looking for his second career win when he takes on reigning world champion Mark Pawuk in the first round.
 
“I hate being number one for obvious reasons,” said Allegrucci, with a smile. “You either win it, which is expected, or you get upset. The tune up we have coming off the starting line is good, so we feel confident. The track out there is tricky and it is going to change, but we’re working on it. We have good notes and we’re going to do our best.”

 Jonathan Allegrucci powered his Mustang Cobra Jet to the No. 1 qualifier position at the NHRA Gatornationals today at Gainesville Raceway, photo credit Auto Imagery

JONATHAN ALLEGRUCCI RUNS TO
GATORNATIONALS NO. 1 QUALIFIER

GAINESVILLE, FL (March 7, 2026) — Through three rounds of qualifying at the season opening Amalie Oil NHRA Gatornationals, Jonathan Allegrucci powered his Ford Mustang Cobra Jet to the No. 1 qualifier position heading into race day with a category quickest elapsed time of 7.714 seconds at 178.26 mph. Allegrucci and his Ford lead two Camaros driven by Richard Hord and Alex Anderson in the top three spots in the 16-car qualified field of the Flexjet Factory Stock Showdown Series. The driver from Scott Township, Pa. will be looking for his second career win when he takes on reigning world champion Mark Pawuk in the first round.
 
“I hate being number one for obvious reasons,” said Allegrucci, with a smile. “You either win it, which is expected, or you get upset. The tune up we have coming off the starting line is good, so we feel confident. The track out there is tricky and it is going to change, but we’re working on it. We have good notes and we’re going to do our best.”

 Jonathan Allegrucci powered his Mustang Cobra Jet to the No. 1 qualifier position at the NHRA Gatornationals today at Gainesville Raceway, photo credit Auto Imagery

The Gatornationals is the first of nine national events for the Flexjet Factory Stock Showdown Series. The NHRA is celebrating its 75^th anniversary season in 2026 and the Flexjet Factory Stock program is a featured class that Allegrucci, who races a beautiful Ford Mustang Cobra Jet, is proud to represent.
 
“It’s [the Gatornationals in Gainesville, Fla.] the hardest one to get to, but the best one to get to, for sure,” said Allegrucci, who drove down with his wife, who is expecting their third child. “We have good teammates. There is nothing better than racing this Mustang.”
 
The three qualifying sessions were full of surprises as Allegrucci ran to No. 1 in the first session with a strong 7.797-second pass. The second session was contested under the lights at Gainesville Raceway with much cooler conditions. Allegrucci was pushed off the No. 1 spot but charged back to the top with his 7.714 second pass that held up through a third round that was much warmer.
 
Reigning world champion Pawuk surprisingly struggled with a new race car and enters race day as the No. 16 qualifier. Pawuk will be looking for his second Gatornationals title and a strong start to his campaign to win a third world championship with his Hemi-powered 2026 Dodge Charger Empaco Hustle Stuff Drag Pak by Direct Connection. Pawuk will also have the Flexjet $1,000 bounty on his head going into the first round.
While Pawuk will be looking to improve, he will be joined in eliminations with his son Kyle who is making his debut in the class as the No. 15 qualifier. Championship contending driver Lee Hartman will also be joined on race day by his son Matt Hartman. The Hartmans are qualified No. 4 and No. 10, respectively. The duo could meet in an all-Hartman final round if they win the first three rounds of racing.
 
The first round of eliminations at the Gatornationals will begin later today at 5:45 p.m. The second round will be contested at 6:45 p.m. And the semi-finals and final round will be tomorrow at 11:50 a.m. and 2:10 p.m., respectively.
 
First Round Match-ups
 
No. 1 Jonathan Allegrucci vs. No. 16 Mark Pawuk
No. 2 Richard Hord vs. No. 15 Kyle Pawuk
No. 3 Alex Anderson vs. No. 14 Richard Bierie
No. 4 Lee Hartman vs. No. 13 Kim Shirley
No. 5 Raymond Nash vs. No. 12 Scott Libersher
No. 6 David Davies II vs. No. 11 Rouven Dawson
No. 7 Doug Duell vs. No. 10 Matt Hartman
No. 8 David Janac vs. No. 9 Conner Statler
 
2026 Flexjet Factory Stock Showdown Schedule
 
April 24-26: 16th annual NHRA 4-Wide Nationals, Charlotte
 
May 14-17: 26th annual Gerber Collision & Glass Route 66 NHRA Nationals, Chicago
 
June 12-14: 25th annual Super Grip NHRA Thunder Valley Nationals, Bristol, Tenn.
 
June 25-28: 20th annual Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Nationals, Norwalk, Ohio
 
Sept. 2-7: 72nd annual Cornwell Quality Tools NHRA U.S. Nationals, Indianapolis
 
Sept. 17-20: 41st annual NHRA Reading Nationals, Reading, Pa.
 
Oct. 2-4: 15th annual NAPA Auto Parts NHRA Midwest Nationals, St. Louis
 
Oct. 14-18: 41st annual Texas NHRA Fall Nationals, Dallas
 
 

Davenport Makes History with 95th Career Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series Victory

WAYNESVILLE, GA (March 6, 2026) – Jonathan Davenport made Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series presented by FloRacing history on Friday night, scoring the 95th win of his career by capturing the 50-lap, $12,000-to-win Wieland Winter Nationals feature at Golden Isles Speedway. With the victory, Davenport becomes the all-time winningest driver in series history, breaking a tie with the late Scott Bloomquist. Tyler Erb rallied from the outside of the seventh row to finish second, followed by Ricky Thornton Jr., Max Blair, and Ethan Dotson rounding out the top five. Blair earned the Hoker Trucking Hard Charger of the Race award after passing 22 cars en route to his fourth-place finish. Brandon Overton raced to the early lead, pulling away with Brian Shirley and Davenport in the opening 10 laps until the first caution flew with 11 laps complete. Overton led the first 14 laps before Davenport cleared him for the top spot on lap 15. Current Midwest Sheet Metal points leader Hudson O’Neal was on the move during the first half of the race, advancing from his 17th starting position to take second on lap 33. A pair of caution flags kept the field tightly bunched, and Erb capitalized by slipping past O’Neal on the bottom groove on lap 41. The final caution waved with 41 of the 50 laps complete, setting up a dash to the finish. With Davenport committed to the high side of the racetrack, Erb searched for speed on the bottom in turns three and four, briefly closing the gap. However, Davenport maintained control to secure his third straight win of the week at Golden Isles and his series-record 95th career victory. Davenport will now attempt a weekend sweep on Saturday night in the $25,000-to-win Wieland Winter Nationals finale. “It was fun for sure tonight. There were a couple of times I had to hit the brake pedal,” Davenport said. “I saw him (Brandon Overton) coming, and I got turned back under him. We were just sliding back and forth, and that was definitely a lot of fun. Turns three and four were just a little bit different tonight. I felt like the shelf was more aggressive, and it was starting to rubber right against it. There were a couple of times when I hit it just right that I could roll around there pretty good without being all the way up on it.” “One time I went through there really fast and about knocked the wall down. I thought I had a flat because it started vibrating, but I think my stuff was just worn out. Tyler (Erb) must have been really good to get up there. I could see him down there, but after running the top so many laps and hitting my marks, I didn’t think he could get a run to the flag stand coming to the white or the checkered and try to slide me.” Erb, who started 14th and worked primarily the bottom groove, finished just 0.992 seconds behind Davenport. “I didn’t think I was going to catch him following him through three and four, and I felt like one and two were faster around the top,” Erb said. “I just committed to running that line. I really didn’t want that last caution. I got ahead of Hudson but just didn’t have quite enough. Starting 14th and finishing second is pretty good. We’ll try again tomorrow. It was a good race.” Thornton, who started eighth, rounded out the Big River Steel Podium in third. “With 15 to go, I thought if I just finish here it’s going to be a good night, and it turned out to be a good night for us,” said the 2024 series champion. “I qualified well again. I was really good in the heat race, and overall we just put ourselves in a solid position.” Davenport’s Double L Motorsports, Longhorn Chassis is powered by a Cornett Racing Engine and sponsored by Ace Doran Hauling and Rigging, Nutrien Ag Solutions, ASC Warranty, Mark Martin Automotive, and Mega Plumbing of the Carolinas. Completing the top 10 were Hudson O’Neal, Garrett Alberson, Kyle Bronson, Dillon McCowan, and Garrett Smith. The 15-lap 604 Late Model feature went to veteran racer Ross Bailes of Clover, South Carolina, who drove the Pursley Racing entry to the $1,500 victory. Bailes led all but the opening lap. Griffin Smith, winner of Thursday night’s 602 Late Model feature, finished second, followed by Adam Yarbrough, Michael Brown, and Trent Ivey. The $2,000-to-win Crown Vic feature concluded with Hunter Thigpen of Lyons, Georgia, in Victory Lane after Daniel Starner made contact with race leader Johnny Collins on the final lap, sending Collins spinning. Starner was disqualified from the event. Brody Collins was credited with second, followed by Tony Bromley, Adam Chambers, and Daniel Baldwin. Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series Race Summary Wieland Winter NationalsFriday, March 6, 2026Golden Isles Speedway | Waynesville, GA Allstar Performance Time TrialsFast Time Group A: Michael Leach | 15.140 seconds (Overall)Fast Time Group B:Kyle Bronson | 15.257 seconds Penske Shocks Heat Race #1 Finish (8 Laps, Top 4 Transfer): 1. 3S-Brian Shirley[3]; 2. 09-Michael Leach[1]; 3. 93-Carson Ferguson[4]; 4. 14-Trey Mills[2]; 5. 88-Trent Ivey[5]; 6. 99-Devin Moran[6]; 7. 28-Dennis Erb Jr[8]; 8. 76N-Blair Nothdurft[11]; 9. 388-Jackson Hise[7]; 10. 79-Donald McIntosh[9]; 11. 93L-Cory Lawler[10] Summit Racing Products Heat Race #2 Finish (8 Laps, Top 4 Transfer): 1. 49-Jonathan Davenport[1]; 2. 58-Garrett Alberson[2]; 3. 74X-Ethan Dotson[7]; 4. 10-Garrett Smith[4]; 5. 71-Hudson O’Neal[6]; 6. 111-Max Blair[10]; 7. 60-Dan Ebert[11]; 8. C4-Freddie Carpenter[5]; 9. 8-Dillon McCowan[8]; 10. 555-Brock Pinkerous[9]; 11. 81F-Jadon Frame[3] Cool-It Thermo-Tec Heat Race #3 Finish (8 Laps, Top 4 Transfer): 1. 76-Brandon Overton[2]; 2. 16-Cody Overton[3]; 3. 40B-Kyle Bronson[1]; 4. 1T-Tyler Erb[4]; 5. 13-Dallon Murty[8]; 6. 19M-Brenden Smith[5]; 7. 16S-Sam Seawright[9]; 8. 15K-Cory Hedgecock[6]; 9. 16B-Ross Bailes[10]; 10. 4G-Tripp Gerrald[7]; 11. (DNS) 35-Christian Augspurger Simpson Race Products Heat Race #4 Finish (8 Laps, Top 4 Transfer): 1. 5-Mark Whitener[2]; 2. 20RT-Ricky Thornton Jr[1]; 3. 1-Brandon Sheppard[5]; 4. 6-Clay Harris[6]; 5. 22-Daniel Hilsabeck[7]; 6. 7-Ross Robinson[3]; 7. 55-Benji Hicks[8]; 8. 93J-Donovan Jackson[10]; 9. 77-Preston Luckman[9]; 10. 11-Josh Rice[4] Fast Shafts B-Main Race #1 Finish (10 Laps, Top 3 Transfer): 1. 71-Hudson O’Neal[2]; 2. 28-Dennis Erb Jr[5]; 3. 88-Trent Ivey[1]; 4. 111-Max Blair[4]; 5. 99-Devin Moran[3]; 6. 60-Dan Ebert[6]; 7. 8-Dillon McCowan[10]; 8. 76N-Blair Nothdurft[7]; 9. 555-Brock Pinkerous[12]; 10. C4-Freddie Carpenter[8]; 11. 93L-Cory Lawler[13]; 12. 79-Donald McIntosh[11]; 13. 388-Jackson Hise[9]; 14. (DNS) 81F-Jadon Frame UNOH B-Main Race #2 Finish (10 Laps, Top 3 Transfer): 1. 13-Dallon Murty[1]; 2. 22-Daniel Hilsabeck[2]; 3. 16S-Sam Seawright[5]; 4. 19M-Brenden Smith[3]; 5. 7-Ross Robinson[4]; 6. 15K-Cory Hedgecock[7]; 7. 93J-Donovan Jackson[8]; 8. 16B-Ross Bailes[9]; 9. 55-Benji Hicks[6]; 10. 11-Josh Rice[12]; 11. 4G-Tripp Gerrald[11]; 12. 77-Preston Luckman[10]; 13. 35-Christian Augspurger[13] Wieland Winter Nationals Feature Finish (50 Laps):Pos – Start – Car # – Competitor – Hometown – Earnings1 – 3 – 49 – Jonathan Davenport – Blairsville, GA – $12,0002 – 14 – 1T – Tyler Erb – New Waverly, TX – $6,0003 – 8 – 20RT – Ricky Thornton Jr – Chandler, AZ – $3,5004 – 26 – 111 – Max Blair – Centerville, PA – $1,9005 – 11 – 74X – Ethan Dotson – Bakersfield, CA – $2,5006 – 17 – 71 – Hudson O’Neal – Martinsville, IN – $2,4007 – 7 – 58 – Garrett Alberson – Las Cruces, NM – $2,2008 – 10 – 40B – Kyle Bronson – Brandon, FL – $2,1009 – 27 – 8 – Dillon McCowan – Urbana, MO – $1,15010 – 15 – 10 – Garrett Smith – Madison, GA – $2,00011 – 16 – 6 – Clay Harris – Jupiter, FL – $1,60012 – 1 – 3S – Brian Shirley – Chatham, IL – $1,40013 – 2 – 76 – Brandon Overton – Evans, GA – $1,20014 – 23 – 99 – Devin Moran – Dresden, OH – $1,10015 – 20 – 22 – Daniel Hilsabeck – Earlham, IA – $1,05016 – 24 – 60 – Dan Ebert – Lake Shore, MN – $1,00017 – 12 – 1 – Brandon Sheppard – New Berlin, IL – $1,00018 – 18 – 13 – Dallon Murty – Chelsea, IA – $1,00019 – 25 – 93L – Cory Lawler – Hanover, PA – $10020 – 9 – 93 – Carson Ferguson – Lincolnton, NC – $1,00021 – 19 – 28 – Dennis Erb Jr – Carpentersville, IL – $1,00022 – 13 – 14 – Trey Mills – St. Augustine, FL – $1,00023 – 22 – 16S – Sam Seawright – Fort Payne, AL – $1,00024 – 28 – C4 – Freddie Carpenter – Parkersburg, WV – $10025 – 4 – 5 – Mark Whitener – Middleburg, FL – $1,00026 – 21 – 88 – Trent Ivey – Union, SC – $1,00027 – 6 – 16 – Cody Overton – Thomson, GA – $1,00028 – 5 – 9 – Michael Leach – Sun River, MT – $1,000 Race Statistics  Entrants: 43Bilstein Shocks Pole Sitter: Brian ShirleyMD3 Lap Leaders: Brandon Overton (Laps 1-12); Jonathan Davenport (Lap 13); Brandon Overton (Lap 14); Jonathan Davenport (Laps 15-50)Hellraizer Jacks Halfway Leader: Jonathan DavenportWieland Feature Winner: Jonathan DavenportMargin of Victory: 0.992 secondsHellraizer Jacks Cautions: Michael Leach (Lap 11); Cody Overton, Freddie Carpenter (Lap 11 restart); Freddie Carpenter (Lap 29); Sam Seawright (Lap 37); Brandon Sheppard (Lap 41); Trey Mills (Lap 41 restart)MyRacePass Series Provisionals: Devin Moran; Dan EbertFast Time Provisional: n/aEmergency Provisionals: Cory Lawler; Max Blair; Dillon McCowan; Freddie CarpenterTrack Provisional: n/aBig River Steel Podium Top 3: Jonathan Davenport, Tyler Erb, Ricky Thornton, Jr.Penske Shocks Top 5: Jonathan Davenport, Tyler Erb, Ricky Thornton, Jr., Max Blair, Ethan DotsonBehrent’s One-Lap-to-Go Top 3: Jonathan Davenport, Tyler Erb, Ricky Thornton, Jr.PEM 4th Place Feature: Max BlairDiversified Machine 5th Place Feature: Ethan DotsonWilwood Brakes 7th Place Feature: Garrett AlbersonWehrs Machine 11th Place Feature: Clay HarrisVelocity Manufacturing 13th Place Feature: Brandon OvertonXS Power Batteries 15th Place Feature: Daniel HilsabeckHoker Trucking Hard Charger of the Race: Max Blair (Advanced 22 positions)MD3 Most Laps Led: Jonathan Davenport (36 Laps)Sunoco Race Fuels Race for Gas Highest Finisher: Ricky Thornton, Jr.Midwest Sheet Metal Spoiler Challenge Point Leader: Hudson O’NealO’Reilly Auto Parts Rookie of the Race: n/aPro Fabrication Headers Fastest Lap of the Race: Jonathan Davenport | Lap 40 | 15.736 secondsFK Rod Ends Hard Luck Award: Cody OvertonVictory Fuel Power Move of the Race: Ricky Thornton Jr.Outerwears Crew Chief of the Race: Cory FostvedtARP Engine Builder of the Race: Cornett Race EnginesMiller Welders Chassis Builder of the Race: Longhorn ChassisDirt Draft Fastest in Hot Laps: Mark Whitener | 15.4932 secondsTime of Race: 34 minutes 39 seconds Big River Steel Championship Standings Presented by ARP:Pos – Car # – Competitor – Hometown – Points – Earnings1 – 71 – Hudson O’Neal – Martinsville, IN – 1210 – $74,7002 – 99 – Devin Moran – Dresden, OH – 1135 – $51,5003 – 76 – Brandon Overton – Evans, GA – 1110 – $27,2504 – 20RT – Ricky Thornton Jr – Chandler, AZ – 1020 – $18,9505 – 6 – Clay Harris – Jupiter, FL – 1015 – $25,2006 – 40B – Kyle Bronson – Brandon, FL – 975 – $13,6757 – 111 – Max Blair – Centerville, PA – 970 – $15,4008 – 1 – Brandon Sheppard – New Berlin, IL – 955 – $33,5009 – 93 – Carson Ferguson – Lincolnton, NC – 905 – $15,35010 – 58 – Garrett Alberson – Las Cruces, NM – 905 – $16,80011 – 3s – Brian Shirley – Chatham, IL – 880 – $14,00012 – 60 – Dan Ebert – Lake Shore, MN – 865 – $13,87513 – 11 – Josh Rice – Crittenden, KY – 840 – $10,62514 – 79 – Cory Hedgecock – Loudon, TN – 795 – $8,90015 – 8 – Dillon McCowan – Urbana, MO – 785 – $6,97516 – 19M – Brenden Smith – Dade City, FL – 745 – $9,00017 – 22 – Daniel Hilsabeck – Earlham, IA – 740 – $9,42518 – 7 – Ross Robinson – Georgetown, DE – 690 – $4,82519 – 76N – Blair Nothdurft – Renner, SD – 670 – $5,55020 – 9 – Michael Leach – Sun River, MT – 670 – $4,70021 – 13 – Dallon Murty – Chelsea, IA – 665 – $6,35022 – 93L – Cory Lawler – Hanover, PA – 640 – $6,92523 – 77 – Preston Luckman – Coos Bay, OR – 610 – $3,22524 – C4 – Freddie Carpenter – Parkersburg, WV – 575 – $1,000

NASCAR CUP SERIES PHOENIX RACE WAY TEAM CHEVY DRIVER QUOTES MARCH 7, 2026

Connor Zilisch, driver of the No. 88 Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet, met with the media in advance of the NASCAR Cup Series practice and qualifying session at Phoenix Raceway.

MEDIA RESOURCES: Photo Gallery | Race AdvancesChevrolet Newsroom

NASCAR CUP SERIESPHOENIX RACEWAYTEAM CHEVY DRIVER QUOTESMARCH 7, 2026

Connor Zilisch, driver of the No. 88 Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet, met with the media in advance of the NASCAR Cup Series practice and qualifying session at Phoenix Raceway.

MEDIA RESOURCES: Photo Gallery | Race AdvancesChevrolet Newsroom

Media Availability Quotes:   You’ve raced a lot of other stuff outside of NASCAR. Is there any realistic possibility or chance we see you one day racing in endurance in Europe?“Not anytime soon. No, I’m pretty committed to NASCAR and what I’ve got going here. I’ve always dreamed of racing at Le Mans and stuff like that. But yeah, it’s going to have to wait.”   Did you enjoy participating in the latest edition of Full Speed? What was the most satisfying aspect of that for you?“Yeah, I really enjoyed it. I’m very new to NASCAR, obviously, and although I feel like I’ve made it to the Cup Series quickly, not a lot of people really know me, how I got here or much about me at all. So yeah, it’s cool to share my story a little bit through that docuseries. I haven’t watched it yet, but I saw clips from it before they posted. I thought they did a really good job piecing everything together. I was going to watch it on the flight here, but I ended up playing Mario Kart the whole flight. But I’ll end up watching it sometime here in the next few days.”   With some of the drivers having issues with cool shirts last week, do you relook at what you do, or do you just have confidence in what your team’s doing with it?“Yeah, I mean, it’s always a risk when you wear that thing is that it could always fail. But you know, you have t to have airflow to it. That’s a big part of it. If you cut off the airflow to the cool shirt box, it gets hot and fails. I’ve always made sure to tell my team that I’ll give up a count or two of downforce to make sure that I’m not going to burn up inside the race car, and if that means flowing a little extra air to it, then so be it.  But you know, I’ve never had one of those fail… knock on wood. But yeah, surely last week if mine failed, it would have been a really tough day. It was already hot and when those things fail, it gets hotter than just being in the car without anything.  Yeah, it’s always a risk. But thankfully, I haven’t had one fail on me yet.”   I don’t know how many times you’ve run for points, but is it startling to see yourself 32nd?“It’s not what we want, obviously. Although it’s early, you still think about it. But it’s a very long season. We’re three races into 36, so although I’d rather be sitting inside the top-10 and say ‘yeah, it’s good’, a lot of it’s out of our control. I feel like we’ve ran better than 32nd in points so far this year, and the results just haven’t really shown it. So yeah, we just got to keep doing our thing and it’ll turn around.”   I’m curious if you’ve found that people are willing to run with you because you bring such a strong resume into the series? Have you not had that kind of a problem in terms of getting people to run with you? What would you say has been the biggest lesson that you’ve learned as a full-time Cup Series driver?  “Yes and no. I mean, I think if Joey Logano’s lined up behind me and he has the option to push Brad Keselowksi who’s got 25 years of experience, or me, he’s probably going to push Brad. But I think it definitely helps not having a bad reputation, so I think there’s a lot of guys that are willing to work with me. But, you know, not a lot of people have seen me on track to trust me or whatever it is. But yeah, it’s definitely something that you build over time and it’ll continue to grow.I would say after each race, you can’t let it get to you. Obviously I’ve had a couple rough weeks so far, but you just have to keep doing the same thing and know that it’s going to turn back your way eventually and that things are going to start to go well. After the first two weeks, I was sitting dead last in points. I went to COTA last week and felt like I had a chance to win the race and finish 14th. It sucks, but you got to know that there’s a lot left in front of you and you can’t stress on the things that are out of your control.”   You said you played a little bit of Mario Kart on the flight down here. Who’s your main character and what’s your favorite track?“Yeah, a couple of my crew guys on my team, we all have Nintendo Switches and we hop on Mario Kart on the fligh

Davenport Makes History with 95th Career Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series Victory

WAYNESVILLE, GA (March 6, 2026) – Jonathan Davenport made Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series presented by FloRacing history on Friday night, scoring the 95th win of his career by capturing the 50-lap, $12,000-to-win Wieland Winter Nationals feature at Golden Isles Speedway. With the victory, Davenport becomes the all-time winningest driver in series history, breaking a tie with the late Scott Bloomquist. Tyler Erb rallied from the outside of the seventh row to finish second, followed by Ricky Thornton Jr., Max Blair, and Ethan Dotson rounding out the top five. Blair earned the Hoker Trucking Hard Charger of the Race award after passing 22 cars en route to his fourth-place finish. Brandon Overton raced to the early lead, pulling away with Brian Shirley and Davenport in the opening 10 laps until the first caution flew with 11 laps complete. Overton led the first 14 laps before Davenport cleared him for the top spot on lap 15. Current Midwest Sheet Metal points leader Hudson O’Neal was on the move during the first half of the race, advancing from his 17th starting position to take second on lap 33. A pair of caution flags kept the field tightly bunched, and Erb capitalized by slipping past O’Neal on the bottom groove on lap 41. The final caution waved with 41 of the 50 laps complete, setting up a dash to the finish. With Davenport committed to the high side of the racetrack, Erb searched for speed on the bottom in turns three and four, briefly closing the gap. However, Davenport maintained control to secure his third straight win of the week at Golden Isles and his series-record 95th career victory. Davenport will now attempt a weekend sweep on Saturday night in the $25,000-to-win Wieland Winter Nationals finale. “It was fun for sure tonight. There were a couple of times I had to hit the brake pedal,” Davenport said. “I saw him (Brandon Overton) coming, and I got turned back under him. We were just sliding back and forth, and that was definitely a lot of fun. Turns three and four were just a little bit different tonight. I felt like the shelf was more aggressive, and it was starting to rubber right against it. There were a couple of times when I hit it just right that I could roll around there pretty good without being all the way up on it.” “One time I went through there really fast and about knocked the wall down. I thought I had a flat because it started vibrating, but I think my stuff was just worn out. Tyler (Erb) must have been really good to get up there. I could see him down there, but after running the top so many laps and hitting my marks, I didn’t think he could get a run to the flag stand coming to the white or the checkered and try to slide me.” Erb, who started 14th and worked primarily the bottom groove, finished just 0.992 seconds behind Davenport. “I didn’t think I was going to catch him following him through three and four, and I felt like one and two were faster around the top,” Erb said. “I just committed to running that line. I really didn’t want that last caution. I got ahead of Hudson but just didn’t have quite enough. Starting 14th and finishing second is pretty good. We’ll try again tomorrow. It was a good race.” Thornton, who started eighth, rounded out the Big River Steel Podium in third. “With 15 to go, I thought if I just finish here it’s going to be a good night, and it turned out to be a good night for us,” said the 2024 series champion. “I qualified well again. I was really good in the heat race, and overall we just put ourselves in a solid position.” Davenport’s Double L Motorsports, Longhorn Chassis is powered by a Cornett Racing Engine and sponsored by Ace Doran Hauling and Rigging, Nutrien Ag Solutions, ASC Warranty, Mark Martin Automotive, and Mega Plumbing of the Carolinas. Completing the top 10 were Hudson O’Neal, Garrett Alberson, Kyle Bronson, Dillon McCowan, and Garrett Smith. The 15-lap 604 Late Model feature went to veteran racer Ross Bailes of Clover, South Carolina, who drove the Pursley Racing entry to the $1,500 victory. Bailes led all but the opening lap. Griffin Smith, winner of Thursday night’s 602 Late Model feature, finished second, followed by Adam Yarbrough, Michael Brown, and Trent Ivey. The $2,000-to-win Crown Vic feature concluded with Hunter Thigpen of Lyons, Georgia, in Victory Lane after Daniel Starner made contact with race leader Johnny Collins on the final lap, sending Collins spinning. Starner was disqualified from the event. Brody Collins was credited with second, followed by Tony Bromley, Adam Chambers, and Daniel Baldwin. Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series Race Summary Wieland Winter NationalsFriday, March 6, 2026Golden Isles Speedway | Waynesville, GA Allstar Performance Time TrialsFast Time Group A: Michael Leach | 15.140 seconds (Overall)Fast Time Group B:Kyle Bronson | 15.257 seconds Penske Shocks Heat Race #1 Finish (8 Laps, Top 4 Transfer): 1. 3S-Brian Shirley[3]; 2. 09-Michael Leach[1]; 3. 93-Carson Ferguson[4]; 4. 14-Trey Mills[2]; 5. 88-Trent Ivey[5]; 6. 99-Devin Moran[6]; 7. 28-Dennis Erb Jr[8]; 8. 76N-Blair Nothdurft[11]; 9. 388-Jackson Hise[7]; 10. 79-Donald McIntosh[9]; 11. 93L-Cory Lawler[10] Summit Racing Products Heat Race #2 Finish (8 Laps, Top 4 Transfer): 1. 49-Jonathan Davenport[1]; 2. 58-Garrett Alberson[2]; 3. 74X-Ethan Dotson[7]; 4. 10-Garrett Smith[4]; 5. 71-Hudson O’Neal[6]; 6. 111-Max Blair[10]; 7. 60-Dan Ebert[11]; 8. C4-Freddie Carpenter[5]; 9. 8-Dillon McCowan[8]; 10. 555-Brock Pinkerous[9]; 11. 81F-Jadon Frame[3] Cool-It Thermo-Tec Heat Race #3 Finish (8 Laps, Top 4 Transfer): 1. 76-Brandon Overton[2]; 2. 16-Cody Overton[3]; 3. 40B-Kyle Bronson[1]; 4. 1T-Tyler Erb[4]; 5. 13-Dallon Murty[8]; 6. 19M-Brenden Smith[5]; 7. 16S-Sam Seawright[9]; 8. 15K-Cory Hedgecock[6]; 9. 16B-Ross Bailes[10]; 10. 4G-Tripp Gerrald[7]; 11. (DNS) 35-Christian Augspurger Simpson Race Products Heat Race #4 Finish (8 Laps, Top 4 Transfer): 1. 5-Mark Whitener[2]; 2. 20RT-Ricky Thornton Jr[1]; 3. 1-Brandon Sheppard[5]; 4. 6-Clay Harris[6]; 5. 22-Daniel Hilsabeck[7]; 6. 7-Ross Robinson[3]; 7. 55-Benji Hicks[8]; 8. 93J-Donovan Jackson[10]; 9. 77-Preston Luckman[9]; 10. 11-Josh Rice[4] Fast Shafts B-Main Race #1 Finish (10 Laps, Top 3 Transfer): 1. 71-Hudson O’Neal[2]; 2. 28-Dennis Erb Jr[5]; 3. 88-Trent Ivey[1]; 4. 111-Max Blair[4]; 5. 99-Devin Moran[3]; 6. 60-Dan Ebert[6]; 7. 8-Dillon McCowan[10]; 8. 76N-Blair Nothdurft[7]; 9. 555-Brock Pinkerous[12]; 10. C4-Freddie Carpenter[8]; 11. 93L-Cory Lawler[13]; 12. 79-Donald McIntosh[11]; 13. 388-Jackson Hise[9]; 14. (DNS) 81F-Jadon Frame UNOH B-Main Race #2 Finish (10 Laps, Top 3 Transfer): 1. 13-Dallon Murty[1]; 2. 22-Daniel Hilsabeck[2]; 3. 16S-Sam Seawright[5]; 4. 19M-Brenden Smith[3]; 5. 7-Ross Robinson[4]; 6. 15K-Cory Hedgecock[7]; 7. 93J-Donovan Jackson[8]; 8. 16B-Ross Bailes[9]; 9. 55-Benji Hicks[6]; 10. 11-Josh Rice[12]; 11. 4G-Tripp Gerrald[11]; 12. 77-Preston Luckman[10]; 13. 35-Christian Augspurger[13] Wieland Winter Nationals Feature Finish (50 Laps):Pos – Start – Car # – Competitor – Hometown – Earnings1 – 3 – 49 – Jonathan Davenport – Blairsville, GA – $12,0002 – 14 – 1T – Tyler Erb – New Waverly, TX – $6,0003 – 8 – 20RT – Ricky Thornton Jr – Chandler, AZ – $3,5004 – 26 – 111 – Max Blair – Centerville, PA – $1,9005 – 11 – 74X – Ethan Dotson – Bakersfield, CA – $2,5006 – 17 – 71 – Hudson O’Neal – Martinsville, IN – $2,4007 – 7 – 58 – Garrett Alberson – Las Cruces, NM – $2,2008 – 10 – 40B – Kyle Bronson – Brandon, FL – $2,1009 – 27 – 8 – Dillon McCowan – Urbana, MO – $1,15010 – 15 – 10 – Garrett Smith – Madison, GA – $2,00011 – 16 – 6 – Clay Harris – Jupiter, FL – $1,60012 – 1 – 3S – Brian Shirley – Chatham, IL – $1,40013 – 2 – 76 – Brandon Overton – Evans, GA – $1,20014 – 23 – 99 – Devin Moran – Dresden, OH – $1,10015 – 20 – 22 – Daniel Hilsabeck – Earlham, IA – $1,05016 – 24 – 60 – Dan Ebert – Lake Shore, MN – $1,00017 – 12 – 1 – Brandon Sheppard – New Berlin, IL – $1,00018 – 18 – 13 – Dallon Murty – Chelsea, IA – $1,00019 – 25 – 93L – Cory Lawler – Hanover, PA – $10020 – 9 – 93 – Carson Ferguson – Lincolnton, NC – $1,00021 – 19 – 28 – Dennis Erb Jr – Carpentersville, IL – $1,00022 – 13 – 14 – Trey Mills – St. Augustine, FL – $1,00023 – 22 – 16S – Sam Seawright – Fort Payne, AL – $1,00024 – 28 – C4 – Freddie Carpenter – Parkersburg, WV – $10025 – 4 – 5 – Mark Whitener – Middleburg, FL – $1,00026 – 21 – 88 – Trent Ivey – Union, SC – $1,00027 – 6 – 16 – Cody Overton – Thomson, GA – $1,00028 – 5 – 9 – Michael Leach – Sun River, MT – $1,000 Race Statistics  Entrants: 43Bilstein Shocks Pole Sitter: Brian ShirleyMD3 Lap Leaders: Brandon Overton (Laps 1-12); Jonathan Davenport (Lap 13); Brandon Overton (Lap 14); Jonathan Davenport (Laps 15-50)Hellraizer Jacks Halfway Leader: Jonathan DavenportWieland Feature Winner: Jonathan DavenportMargin of Victory: 0.992 secondsHellraizer Jacks Cautions: Michael Leach (Lap 11); Cody Overton, Freddie Carpenter (Lap 11 restart); Freddie Carpenter (Lap 29); Sam Seawright (Lap 37); Brandon Sheppard (Lap 41); Trey Mills (Lap 41 restart)MyRacePass Series Provisionals: Devin Moran; Dan EbertFast Time Provisional: n/aEmergency Provisionals: Cory Lawler; Max Blair; Dillon McCowan; Freddie CarpenterTrack Provisional: n/aBig River Steel Podium Top 3: Jonathan Davenport, Tyler Erb, Ricky Thornton, Jr.Penske Shocks Top 5: Jonathan Davenport, Tyler Erb, Ricky Thornton, Jr., Max Blair, Ethan DotsonBehrent’s One-Lap-to-Go Top 3: Jonathan Davenport, Tyler Erb, Ricky Thornton, Jr.PEM 4th Place Feature: Max BlairDiversified Machine 5th Place Feature: Ethan DotsonWilwood Brakes 7th Place Feature: Garrett AlbersonWehrs Machine 11th Place Feature: Clay HarrisVelocity Manufacturing 13th Place Feature: Brandon OvertonXS Power Batteries 15th Place Feature: Daniel HilsabeckHoker Trucking Hard Charger of the Race: Max Blair (Advanced 22 positions)MD3 Most Laps Led: Jonathan Davenport (36 Laps)Sunoco Race Fuels Race for Gas Highest Finisher: Ricky Thornton, Jr.Midwest Sheet Metal Spoiler Challenge Point Leader: Hudson O’NealO’Reilly Auto Parts Rookie of the Race: n/aPro Fabrication Headers Fastest Lap of the Race: Jonathan Davenport | Lap 40 | 15.736 secondsFK Rod Ends Hard Luck Award: Cody OvertonVictory Fuel Power Move of the Race: Ricky Thornton Jr.Outerwears Crew Chief of the Race: Cory FostvedtARP Engine Builder of the Race: Cornett Race EnginesMiller Welders Chassis Builder of the Race: Longhorn ChassisDirt Draft Fastest in Hot Laps: Mark Whitener | 15.4932 secondsTime of Race: 34 minutes 39 seconds Big River Steel Championship Standings Presented by ARP:Pos – Car # – Competitor – Hometown – Points – Earnings1 – 71 – Hudson O’Neal – Martinsville, IN – 1210 – $74,7002 – 99 – Devin Moran – Dresden, OH – 1135 – $51,5003 – 76 – Brandon Overton – Evans, GA – 1110 – $27,2504 – 20RT – Ricky Thornton Jr – Chandler, AZ – 1020 – $18,9505 – 6 – Clay Harris – Jupiter, FL – 1015 – $25,2006 – 40B – Kyle Bronson – Brandon, FL – 975 – $13,6757 – 111 – Max Blair – Centerville, PA – 970 – $15,4008 – 1 – Brandon Sheppard – New Berlin, IL – 955 – $33,5009 – 93 – Carson Ferguson – Lincolnton, NC – 905 – $15,35010 – 58 – Garrett Alberson – Las Cruces, NM – 905 – $16,80011 – 3s – Brian Shirley – Chatham, IL – 880 – $14,00012 – 60 – Dan Ebert – Lake Shore, MN – 865 – $13,87513 – 11 – Josh Rice – Crittenden, KY – 840 – $10,62514 – 79 – Cory Hedgecock – Loudon, TN – 795 – $8,90015 – 8 – Dillon McCowan – Urbana, MO – 785 – $6,97516 – 19M – Brenden Smith – Dade City, FL – 745 – $9,00017 – 22 – Daniel Hilsabeck – Earlham, IA – 740 – $9,42518 – 7 – Ross Robinson – Georgetown, DE – 690 – $4,82519 – 76N – Blair Nothdurft – Renner, SD – 670 – $5,55020 – 9 – Michael Leach – Sun River, MT – 670 – $4,70021 – 13 – Dallon Murty – Chelsea, IA – 665 – $6,35022 – 93L – Cory Lawler – Hanover, PA – 640 – $6,92523 – 77 – Preston Luckman – Coos Bay, OR – 610 – $3,22524 – C4 – Freddie Carpenter – Parkersburg, WV – 575 – $1,000

The 10-time champion slices through traffic to end long winless drought

EASTABOGA, AL (March 6, 2026) – Make no mistake about it, Donny Schatz is back.

Last year served up perhaps the most trying time of his career. After battling struggles through the first half of 2025, Schatz and Tony Stewart/Curb-Agajanian Racing parted ways in August. Schatz patched together plans to finish his 29th consecutive World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Series season, driving for four different teams over the last few months. He went winless for the first time since his rookie year in 1997.

But throughout it all, Schatz made one thing clear: he’s not done. The 10-time champion linked up with CJB Motorsports for his 30th season with The Greatest Show on Dirt. They unloaded with speed at Volusia Speedway Park to open the campaign, but gremlins continued to cause them to start toward the tail of the field.

Then on Friday the scene shifted to Eastaboga, AL’s Talladega Short Track, and Schatz and the CJB crew put together a nearly perfect night. They timed in second quickest in Honest Abe Roofing Qualifying. Schatz won his Heat Race and followed that by topping the Toyota Dash. That lined him up on the pole for the 35-lap Feature, and Schatz was just about perfect.

He faced early pressure from Bryce Lucius and Sheldon Haudenschild, but once the leaders got to traffic, the Fargo, ND driver took them to school. Schatz moved all over the track as he put cars between himself and Haudenschild and drove away to one of the most popular wins we’ll see all year.

“I just can’t remember the last one,” Schatz admitted. “It was a long time ago. What can you say? These guys. Chad (Clemens) built this team from the ground up. We didn’t want to do anything to cripple Brenham (Crouch) in any way. These guys worked their tails off this winter. When we went to Volusia, I said, ‘I think if we’re alright, we can win a race there.’ I felt like we were good enough to. We just didn’t get things to go the right way. But, man, Talladega. We just had a solid all night performance. To get back to Victory Lane feels really good. It’s like getting a monkey off your back.”

The triumph was Schatz’s first trip to World of Outlaws Victory Lane in 510 days dating back to Oct. 12, 2024 at Lincoln Speedway. He’d never won at Talladega before, making it the 90th different track that his now 317 career checkered flags are spread across. For CJB, Schatz becomes the sixth different driver to top a World of Outlaws race with the Chad Clemens-owned team, joining David Gravel, Paul McMahan, Spencer Bayston, Fred Rahmer, and Shane Stewart.

Sheldon Haudenschild’s punctuated a strong week for himself and KCP Racing with a runner-up result.

Michael “Buddy” Kofoid bounced back from Monday’s mechanical misfortune with a third place effort.

Bryce Lucius and Garet Williamson completed the top five.

With Carson Macedo finishing seventh and David Gravel in 11th, the two are now knotted atop the standings.

NIGHTLY NOTES:

Cole Macedo clocked the Race//Ready Hottest Lap of the Night.

Sheldon Haudenschild recorded his second straight Simpson Quick Time in Honest Abe Roofing Qualifying.

Heat Races belonged to Bill Balog (NOS Energy Drink Heat One), Donny Schatz (DIRTVision Heat Two), and Buddy Kofoid (WIX Filters Heat Three).

The SPA Technique #1 Redraw went to Bryce Lucius.

Donny Schatz topped the Toyota Dash.

Giovanni Scelzi debuted the Spire Motorsports No. 77 Sprint Car and wheeled it from 22nd to 14th to earn the KSE Racing Products Hard Charger.

Carson Macedo was the Tub O’ Towels Seventh Place Finisher.

Ashton Torgerson finished 12th to notch his third consecutive Five Star Bodies Rookie of the Race.

Buddy Kofoid’s 12.933 was enough to grab the ACME Trading Company Fast Lap.

The Smith Titanium Brake Systems Break of the Race went to Cole Macedo.

UP NEXT: The World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Cars head to Texas for a weekend at Kennedale Speedway Park on March 13-14. For tickets, CLICK HERE.

Where can you get tickets to see the World of Outlaws in 2026? Click to see the full schedule.

Where can you watch every World of Outlaws race? Live on DIRTVision.

FEATURE RESULTS:

NOS Energy Drink Feature (35 Laps): 1. 15-Donny Schatz[1]; 2. 18-Sheldon Haudenschild[4]; 3. 83-Michael Kofoid[3]; 4. 32-Bryce Lucius[2]; 5. 23-Garet Williamson[8]; 6. 17B-Bill Balog[5]; 7. 41-Carson Macedo[13]; 8. 1S-Logan Schuchart[7]; 9. 9-Daison Pursley[9]; 10. 17-Spencer Bayston[6]; 11. 2-David Gravel[17]; 12. 1A-Ashton Torgerson[12]; 13. 7S-Chris Windom[14]; 14. 77-Giovanni Scelzi[22]; 15. 19-Brent Marks[18]; 16. 27-Emerson Axsom[11]; 17. 9R-Chase Randall[10]; 18. 6-Kasey Jedrzejek[20]; 19. 15K-Creed Kemenah[19]; 20. 40-Howard Moore[15]; 21. 16C-Scotty Thiel[21]; 22. 98-Ricky Peterson[25]; 23. 28M-Conner Morrell[23]; 24. 51-Scott Bogucki[24]; 25. 2C-Cole Macedo[16]

For complete results, CLICK HERE.

ARTICLE: https://worldofoutlaws.com/sprintcars/hes-back-donny-schatz-delivers-talladega-masterclass-for-first-win-with-cjb/

EVENT INFO: https://worldofoutlaws.com/sprintcars/schedule/event-info/?event=4549528
TRACK INFO: https://worldofoutlaws.com/sprintcars/tracks/?track=Talladega%2BShort%2BTrack

HE’S BACK: Donny Schatz Delivers Talladega Masterclass for First Win with CJB

The 10-time champion slices through traffic to end long winless drought

EASTABOGA, AL (March 6, 2026) – Make no mistake about it, Donny Schatz is back.

Last year served up perhaps the most trying time of his career. After battling struggles through the first half of 2025, Schatz and Tony Stewart/Curb-Agajanian Racing parted ways in August. Schatz patched together plans to finish his 29th consecutive World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Series season, driving for four different teams over the last few months. He went winless for the first time since his rookie year in 1997.

But throughout it all, Schatz made one thing clear: he’s not done. The 10-time champion linked up with CJB Motorsports for his 30th season with The Greatest Show on Dirt. They unloaded with speed at Volusia Speedway Park to open the campaign, but gremlins continued to cause them to start toward the tail of the field.

Then on Friday the scene shifted to Eastaboga, AL’s Talladega Short Track, and Schatz and the CJB crew put together a nearly perfect night. They timed in second quickest in Honest Abe Roofing Qualifying. Schatz won his Heat Race and followed that by topping the Toyota Dash. That lined him up on the pole for the 35-lap Feature, and Schatz was just about perfect.

He faced early pressure from Bryce Lucius and Sheldon Haudenschild, but once the leaders got to traffic, the Fargo, ND driver took them to school. Schatz moved all over the track as he put cars between himself and Haudenschild and drove away to one of the most popular wins we’ll see all year.

“I just can’t remember the last one,” Schatz admitted. “It was a long time ago. What can you say? These guys. Chad (Clemens) built this team from the ground up. We didn’t want to do anything to cripple Brenham (Crouch) in any way. These guys worked their tails off this winter. When we went to Volusia, I said, ‘I think if we’re alright, we can win a race there.’ I felt like we were good enough to. We just didn’t get things to go the right way. But, man, Talladega. We just had a solid all night performance. To get back to Victory Lane feels really good. It’s like getting a monkey off your back.”

The triumph was Schatz’s first trip to World of Outlaws Victory Lane in 510 days dating back to Oct. 12, 2024 at Lincoln Speedway. He’d never won at Talladega before, making it the 90th different track that his now 317 career checkered flags are spread across. For CJB, Schatz becomes the sixth different driver to top a World of Outlaws race with the Chad Clemens-owned team, joining David Gravel, Paul McMahan, Spencer Bayston, Fred Rahmer, and Shane Stewart.

Sheldon Haudenschild’s punctuated a strong week for himself and KCP Racing with a runner-up result.

Michael “Buddy” Kofoid bounced back from Monday’s mechanical misfortune with a third place effort.

Bryce Lucius and Garet Williamson completed the top five.

With Carson Macedo finishing seventh and David Gravel in 11th, the two are now knotted atop the standings.

NIGHTLY NOTES:

Cole Macedo clocked the Race//Ready Hottest Lap of the Night.

Sheldon Haudenschild recorded his second straight Simpson Quick Time in Honest Abe Roofing Qualifying.

Heat Races belonged to Bill Balog (NOS Energy Drink Heat One), Donny Schatz (DIRTVision Heat Two), and Buddy Kofoid (WIX Filters Heat Three).

The SPA Technique #1 Redraw went to Bryce Lucius.

Donny Schatz topped the Toyota Dash.

Giovanni Scelzi debuted the Spire Motorsports No. 77 Sprint Car and wheeled it from 22nd to 14th to earn the KSE Racing Products Hard Charger.

Carson Macedo was the Tub O’ Towels Seventh Place Finisher.

Ashton Torgerson finished 12th to notch his third consecutive Five Star Bodies Rookie of the Race.

Buddy Kofoid’s 12.933 was enough to grab the ACME Trading Company Fast Lap.

The Smith Titanium Brake Systems Break of the Race went to Cole Macedo.

UP NEXT: The World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Cars head to Texas for a weekend at Kennedale Speedway Park on March 13-14. For tickets, CLICK HERE.

Where can you get tickets to see the World of Outlaws in 2026? Click to see the full schedule.

Where can you watch every World of Outlaws race? Live on DIRTVision.

FEATURE RESULTS:

NOS Energy Drink Feature (35 Laps): 1. 15-Donny Schatz[1]; 2. 18-Sheldon Haudenschild[4]; 3. 83-Michael Kofoid[3]; 4. 32-Bryce Lucius[2]; 5. 23-Garet Williamson[8]; 6. 17B-Bill Balog[5]; 7. 41-Carson Macedo[13]; 8. 1S-Logan Schuchart[7]; 9. 9-Daison Pursley[9]; 10. 17-Spencer Bayston[6]; 11. 2-David Gravel[17]; 12. 1A-Ashton Torgerson[12]; 13. 7S-Chris Windom[14]; 14. 77-Giovanni Scelzi[22]; 15. 19-Brent Marks[18]; 16. 27-Emerson Axsom[11]; 17. 9R-Chase Randall[10]; 18. 6-Kasey Jedrzejek[20]; 19. 15K-Creed Kemenah[19]; 20. 40-Howard Moore[15]; 21. 16C-Scotty Thiel[21]; 22. 98-Ricky Peterson[25]; 23. 28M-Conner Morrell[23]; 24. 51-Scott Bogucki[24]; 25. 2C-Cole Macedo[16]

For complete results, CLICK HERE.

ARTICLE: https://worldofoutlaws.com/sprintcars/hes-back-donny-schatz-delivers-talladega-masterclass-for-first-win-with-cjb/

EVENT INFO: https://worldofoutlaws.com/sprintcars/schedule/event-info/?event=4549528
TRACK INFO: https://worldofoutlaws.com/sprintcars/tracks/?track=Talladega%2BShort%2BTrack

FAN 101: https://about.worldofoutlaws.com/

Kody Kopp (No. 12) sweeps the opening rounds of the 2026 Progressive American Flat Track season at the Daytona Flat Track. [Photo: Tim Lester for AMA Pro Racing]Download high-resolution photo from AMA Pro’s Digital Asset Management system

Unstoppable Kopp Uncorks DAYTONA Double

Kody Kopp (No. 12) sweeps the opening rounds of the 2026 Progressive American Flat Track season at the Daytona Flat Track. [Photo: Tim Lester for AMA Pro Racing]Download high-resolution photo from AMA Pro’s Digital Asset Management system

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (March 6, 2026) – One night after his history-making Mission AFT SuperTwins debut, Kody Kopp (No. 12 Latus Motors Racing Harley-Davidson XG750R) raised the bar that much higher with an even more convincing repeat performance in the Royal Enfield Short Track at DAYTONA II. Kopp’s remarkable DAYTONA Flat Track double victory adds fuel to an already scorching hot Grand National Championship landscape, laying the early groundwork for what should prove to be a scintillating 2026 Progressive American Flat Track season, sanctioned by AMA Pro Racing. Main Event 1 The series brought back the high-stakes, high-intensity Mission Triple Challenge format first introduced in ‘25 for the second night of the DAYTONA doubleheader. Under those rules, three successive Main Events – a 10-lap sprint, a 15-lapper that pays double points, and a final 20-lap Main which concludes the night with triple the points – combined to determine the evening’s overall winner. And with lap times in the 17-second range, that first 10-lap battle immediately threw the contenders into the fire. Reigning Grand National Champion Dallas Daniels (No. 1 Estenson Racing Yamaha MT-07) lunged ahead of surprise polesitter Aidan RoosEvans (No. 26 FRA Trust Advisors Harley-Davidson XG750R) off the line, but both riders were immediately overtaken by Davis Fisher (No. 67 Rackley Racing/Bob Lanphere’s BMC Racing KTM 790 Duke). After a bit of back-and-forth, Daniels settled in on Fisher’s tail, while RoosEvans turned his attention to fending off Briar Bauman (No. 3 RWR/Jacob Construction/Parts Plus Harley-Davidson XG750R). Everything was reset on lap 6 of 10, however, when LCQ winner Logan Mcgrane (No. 14 Schaffers MotorSports/Ryan Varnes Racing KTM 790 Duke) crashed, bringing out a red flag. Fisher resumed his advantage off the staggered restart and successfully held Daniels at bay to the checkered flag. RoosEvans retained his position in third as well, leaving the major happenings behind the top three.  Brandon Robinson (No. 44 Mission Roof Systems Harley-Davidson XG750R) got a flier of a restart, storming around the outside of Bauman for fourth. While Bauman fought back through, Thursday winner Kopp powered forward, pushing his way past Sammy Halbert (No. 69 Martin Trucking/OnlyFans/Castrol Yamaha MT-07) and then closing in on Robinson for fifth. Kopp made good on that threat, overtaking Robinson on the final lap to claim a spot inside the top five. Meanwhile, Trent Lowe (No. 48 American Honda/Mission Foods Honda CB750 Hornet), who was forced to burn his provisional start just to make the Main, fought his way up to eighth to secure himself a better starting position and brighter prospects for the subsequent Mains. Main Event 2 Momentum from Main Event 1 carried over for the aforementioned pair of rising stars. Starting on the inside of Row 2, Kopp continued his aggressive push up the order, first forcing his way under Daniels and then doing the same to Bauman to climb into second on the race’s opening lap. One lap later, the Latus Motors Racing ace slipped past Main Event 1 winner Fisher to take the lead and promptly escape at the front. Lowe, too, picked up where he left off. Starting from the outside of Row 2, Lowe followed Kopp through the field, moving into second on lap 3. From there, the American Honda-backed Lowe was the only rider who could even keep Kopp honest – finishing just under a second back – while a field packed with proven premier-class heroes was left to tangle for third. Daniels and Bauman crossed each other up for position on more than one occasion before the Estenson Racing star got a firm hold on fourth. Once there, he reeled in third-placed Fisher. But yet again, he was unable to find a way through at the stripe. Bauman held on for fifth, followed by Robinson, Henry Wiles (No. 911 J&M Logging/Ray C’s Harley-Davidson Kawasaki Ninja 650), and Halbert. Main Event 3 Kopp hustled his Harley-Davidson XG750R into the lead at the start of the third and decisive Main with Lowe and Fisher in close contention.  While those three streaked away at the front, Daniels was shuffled down to eighth, trailing Brandon Price (No. 92 Memphis Shades/Vinson Construction Yamaha MT-07), Halbert, Robinson, and Bauman, in addition to the leading trio. For a moment, Kopp actually looked vulnerable. He was displaced by both Fisher and Lowe in quick succession with 16 of 20 laps remaining. However, rather than get discouraged, the heralded premier-class rookie regrouped, adjusted, and retaliated. He reclaimed his position out front with 11 laps to go and continued to build upon his advantage, taking the checkered flag with a healthy 1.195-second margin in the end. That distance was actually Daniels, who made a characteristic charge late. This time, he finally found a way past Fisher, slipping through on the final lap of the final Main. That move also saw him edge ahead of Fisher in the combined results with Kopp (5-1-1) finishing first, followed by Daniels (2-4-2) and Fisher (1-3-3). While Robinson passed Lowe late in Main Event 3, Lowe (8-2-5) wound up fourth in the combined order, followed closely by Robinson (6-6-4). Title hopeful Bauman (4-5-7) was credited with sixth overall. As a result, Kopp leads the championship chase following the opening two rounds with a perfect 46 points. Defending champ Daniels ranks second at 38, followed by Fisher with 29. Kopp said, “I knew what I had to do, and I know what I’m capable of – that’s all I’ve got to say. I work my butt off for this, and this is what I want to do for my life. To have this opportunity with George Latus, Bob Lanphere, Dave Zanotti, Michelle Disalvo… this whole team has been unreal to work with.” KICKER AFT Singles The KICKER AFT Singles class delivered an absolute stunner for an encore to Thursday’s opener.  Friday’s wild Main Event saw the emergence of a maiden winner in Bradon Pfanders (No. 83 Memphis Shades/Corbin Seats Yamaha YZ450F). However, deep into the contest it appeared that distinction would actually go to rookie Jordan Beaulac (No. 156 Picotte Motosport/Dofralex GASGAS MC 450F). The race-shattering moments came early and often with Tom Drane (No. 1 Estenson Racing Yamaha YZ450F) and Chase Saathoff (No. 88 1st Impressions Race Team Husqvarna FC450) adding yet another chapter to their rivalry in the race’s opening stages. While actively disputing the lead, Drane ran up the inside of Saathoff and the two made contact, leaving Saathoff on the ground in a reversal of their clash here in ‘24. Saathoff picked up his bike and continued on at the back of the pack, while Beaulac picked up the pieces of the incident to steal away the lead in the melee. From there the young Canadian ripped open a gap of more than a second, with Logan Eisenhard (No. 66 Eisenhard Racing/Pags Powersports KTM 450 SX-F) in second and Drane in third. The race took another massive turn with just under two minutes to go when Saathoff suffered his second fall of the Main, this one bringing out the red flag. Once back underway, Beaulac and Eisenhard jumped back into first and second off the line but made simultaneous mistakes while working the opening lap of the restart, stalling their bikes and splitting the field. Original polesitter Tarren Santero (No. 75 Roof Systems/Vinson Construction Honda CRF450R) came out of the chaos with lead, followed closely by Pfanders. Meanwhile, Drane found himself in fifth, trailing Justin Jones (No. 91 Fairway Ford Chevy GMC Yamaha YZ450F 450) and Trevor Brunner (No. 21 KMA Racing/March Equipment Yamaha YZ450F). A five-way fight for first played out for several laps with Pfanders at last securing the lead with just two to go. An undeniable Drane then forced his way up to second, creating an opportunity for Kage Tadman (No. 28 American Honda/Mission Foods CRF450R) to grab the final spot on the box while following in the Aussie’s wake. Santero came home fourth, with 2015 DAYTONA winner Jones fifth. Saathoff somehow made his way up to sixth, while the unfortunate duo of Eisenhard and Beaulac could do no better than 12th and 14th, respectively, after earlier looking like a strong bet to land the top two spots on the box. The win is the first of Pfanders’ KICKER AFT Singles career after previously demonstrating front-running on multiple occasions since making his Progressive AFT debut in 2024. “This is unreal,” Pfanders said. “I never had a real, legitimate podium, and to do it with a win is insane. My whole family is here. I got to give (my) little sister a victory lap that’s been promised for three years. I can’t thank everybody behind me enough. I’m glad I can repay their faith in me.” As a result of his opening week 1-2, reigning champ Drane holds an early advantage in the ‘26 title fight with 42 points. Pfanders is second at 33, followed by Saathoff with 31. AFT AdventureTrackers™ The 2026 AFT AdventureTrackers opener was a test of patience, determination and toughness. The contenders were clearly caught off guard by the changing track conditions at the start of the Main Event, with William Harris (No. 45 OTB Racing/Memphis Shades BMW F 900 GS), Austin Luczak(No. 97 Memphis Shades/Corbin/Sody Concrete BMW F 900 GS), and class champion Dan Bromley (No. 1 Big Momma and Daddy Deep Pockets Suzuki V-Strom 1050) all crashed while still on the race’s opening lap. Bromley’s fall was particularly brutal and prevented him from re-entering the fray in the restart. Incredibly, with all the riders tiptoeing their way around as they searched for grip, the two who pushed the hardest were remounted crashers Harris and Luczak.  Harris worked into to the lead early and held it until nearly the very end, with Luczak fighting his way through with just seconds to go on the clock. While Luczak and Harris completed the BMW 1-2, Matt Beland (No. 278 Memphis Shades/Corbin/Sody Concrete Honda Africa Twin) made a late pass on Michael Hill (No. 47 Weirbach Racing/Berry Bros Triumph Tiger 1200) to complete the podium.  Royal Enfield Build. Train. Race. (BTR) Emma Gottsch (No. 5 Royal Enfield/Parts Unlimited/Arai/Alpinestars) finished off her DAYTONA double in Friday’s Royal Enfield Build. Train. Race. (BTR) Main Event. Gottsch was again the class of the field, breaking away to secure her third career win at the venue after going 1-2 in last year’s opener. She was followed to the flag by Julia Hess (No. 13 Royal Enfield/Parts Unlimited/Arai/Alpinestars) and Madicela Rodriguez (No. 113 Royal Enfield/Parts Unlimited/Arai/Alpinestars) to complete a repeat of last night’s podium.  Next Up America’s Original Extreme Sport will head north for the Yamaha Atlanta Short Track at Senoia Raceway in Senoia, Georgia, on Saturday, March 21.

FRIDAY RECAP – GAINESVILLE Race 1 of 20

Photography: John Force Racing / Auto Imagery / Gary Nastase

HART GRABS GATORS PROVISIONAL NO. 1 QUALIFIERVandergriff has Funny Car baptism, Beckman and DeJoria look forward to better performance Saturday

FRIDAY RECAP – GAINESVILLERace 1 of 20

Photography: John Force Racing / Auto Imagery / Gary Nastase

HART GRABS GATORS PROVISIONAL NO. 1 QUALIFIERVandergriff has Funny Car baptism, Beckman and DeJoria look forward to better performance Saturday

GAINESVILLE, Fla. (March 6, 2025) – Josh Hart and John Force Racing’s Burnyzz Speed Shop / Speedmaster Top Fuel team continued their strong performance in testing two weeks ago at Gainesville Raceway by taking the provisional top spot for the AMALIE Motor Oil NHRA Gatornationals with a run of 3.658 seconds at a track record 340.30 mph Friday night under the lights. The record-setting run was the Florida transplant’s first official 340-mph pass after multiple similar runs in testing two weeks ago and two days earlier this week. It also backed up their day’s first run of 3.751 seconds at 335.40 mph. Jordan Vandergriff made his first official passes in the Cornwell Tools Chevrolet SS, smoking the tires early in the first session but rebounding in the second session with a lap of 3.990 seconds at 318.47. That run was good enough for the eighth qualifying spot but his Funny Car baptism has just begun. Smoke began billowing from the car as it left a streak of oil on the racing surface but the third-generation driver kept his cool, quickly brought the car to a halt and climbed out without incident. Jack Beckman and Alexis DeJoria lost traction early in each of their runs and were unable to make full qualifying attempts. Beckman and the PEAK Chevrolet SS team used their first session run of 5.644 seconds at 130.49 mph for the 14th spot. DeJoria and the Bandero Premium Tequila Chevrolet SS team sit 15th from their first-session run of 6.045 seconds at 112.65 mph. Quote from Josh Hart, Burnyzz Speed Shop / Speedmaster Top Fuel Dragster:“I’m really not used to this gig, so you have to bear with me. I’m super blessed. John Force and the entire team have welcomed me like a member of the family. There is no better way to do this than at your home track with everyone here. I can’t really put it into words. When I got in this Burnyzz Speed Shop / Speedmaster car and we went 340 in testing right off the trailer, all I can say is it was so smooth. You know, my guys have it figured out. It’s a well-oiled machine. (Crew chief) David Grubnic is a former driver, so just talking to him is like a sounding board. I can ask him questions, and he’ll give me a straight answer, which I love.” Quotes from Jack Beckman, PEAK Chevrolet SS Funny Car:“The PEAK SQUAD was a little too aggressive in Q1. Another way to put that is the track temperature was not a full indication of the track grip. We had great data from testing. It’s never the same prep in testing and, even if it’s the same prep, the number of cars, and the preponderance of Goodyear-only cars during the test kind of skews the results. We missed it. We were just a little more aggressive than the racetrack was ready for. So, we came out for Q2 for the hero session. We didn’t want to back it off too much. If you look at our data graph, that is one of those runs that you’re looking at. It’s like, ‘why didn’t it make it?’ There are some runs where you say, ‘where did we miss it?’ It was a coin toss run there. If it lands on heads, that car goes down the racetrack. It landed on tails and winds up knocking the tires loose. So, we got great data and I think we get to run a little bit later for Q4 so we still have another shot in potentially good conditions. But right now, we just need to back the car down the racetrack for Q3, get a run to the finish line, take that data, take that clutch wear info and plug it in for Q4.” Quote from Alexis DeJoria, Bandero Premium Tequila Chevrolet SS:“The first day of qualifying at the season-opening Gatornationals is in the books. The Bandero Premium Tequila made two runs but didn’t get down the track. The first run earlier in the day was pretty good but just barely whisped the tires and had to clickh er off. In the second run, we went a little further before losing traction but, I can honestly tell you, not a ton of cars made it down the track. Some did and ran good numbers, but the first round of qualifying, nobody really made it down. So, in the second round, we were trying to go after it but it just went out there and did a fast shake. But we have two more shots tomorrow. We tested a bunch so we’ll figure it out. I have a lot of faith in this Bandero team.” Quote from Jordan Vandergriff, Cornwell Tools Chevrolet SS Funny Car:“Welcome to Funny Car, huh? That’s what everybody’s been saying. It’s definitely an experience but I’ll tell you what, driving that Cornwell Tools Funny Car is fun. They keep you on your toes, you know. Things like that are going to happen but t’s fun to experience it. It’s not exactly what we wanted but still a quick run that will get us into the field pretty solid. We obviously want to improve but I’m happy to have that first experience of getting smoke in my face. I wouldn’t want it any other way.” Track & TV ScheduleThe final rounds of qualifying are Saturday, March. 7 at 12:35 and 3 p.m. ET. The Right Trailers All-Star Top Fuel Callout rounds are at 12:15 p.m., 2:15 p.m. and 3:30 p.m. Final eliminations are scheduled on Sunday, March 8, at 10 a.m. ET. Television coverage of the Top Fuel All-Star Callout is Saturday, March 7, from 4-6 p.m. ET on FS1. FS1 coverage Sunday, March 8, includes qualifying action from 10 a.m.- 12 p.m. ET and then eliminations from 12-3 p.m. ET.

NASCAR CUP SERIES PHOENIX RACEWAY TEAM CHEVY DRIVER QUOTES MARCH 6, 2026

William Byron, driver of the No. 24 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet and the No. 88 JR Motorsports Chevrolet, met with the media in advance of running double-duty in the NASCAR Cup and O’Reilly Auto Parts Series at Phoenix Raceway.

NASCAR CUP SERIESPHOENIX RACEWAYTEAM CHEVY DRIVER QUOTESMARCH 6, 2026

William Byron, driver of the No. 24 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet and the No. 88 JR Motorsports Chevrolet, met with the media in advance of running double-duty in the NASCAR Cup and O’Reilly Auto Parts Series at Phoenix Raceway.

MEDIA RESOURCES: Photo Gallery | Race AdvancesChevrolet Newsroom

Media Availability Quotes:  A lot of talk about cool shirts and everything. I’m curious, how many issues, if any, have you had? And is it time for drivers to ask NASCAR to step in, or do you feel like the teams can figure out what to do?“Yeah, I’ve definitely had my share of races that it doesn’t work. And, you know, it’s an interesting phenomenon because really thinking about my career, I’ve been wearing that thing since I’ve been Cup racing. It really was coming on board in 2017. Jimmie (Johnson) and Dale (Earnhardt Jr.), I think, were really adamant that it was a good thing. Definitely when it works, it’s great. But I feel like there’s definitely a handful, if not more times, that it doesn’t work. That shirt is very insulated. I was at a Martinsville test one time and was wearing it and didn’t turn it on for most of the day and just started to feel sick because just the way it insulates your body and kind of has the opposite effect when it’s not on. So, yeah, I think I’m open to other options. We used to just have blowers in the car that would just blow air on your back. So finitely, we’ve talked about looking at other options and seeing what’s out there. It’s effective, but at the same time, if it doesn’t work or it doesn’t work as well, like I said, it’s pretty insulated. It’s like wearing a coat. The Nomex that Alpine Stars gives us is pretty effective when you start to sweat, you know, the technology in it. So we’ll see. We’ll see where it goes.”   With the increased horsepower package this year, are you guys coming with similar setups that we have in the past, say for the fall championship race with the same tire that we’re coming with this week, or are you guys maybe getting a little bit aggressive with the setup for practice to kind of see how the car is going to react?“Yeah, I don’t think there’s anything we can do until we know how it’s going to react on track. I mean, in the sim, you can simulate going faster down the straightaway, a little bit more tire wear, but you just don’t know how it’s going to really act and react. We’ve been down that road before when you get a new aero package; you try to guess, and a lot of times, you guess wrong. So it’s really just about trying to figure out how different it is with tire wear and all those things.  But I really think the biggest place you’ll notice it is Darlington coming up, especially with the aero change there. Going to the short track package at Darlington I think is going to be a big difference, so that’ll be probably the first race we run that’s like kind of that shock moment of what is the car going to feel like and what do we have to do to adjust.”  We all know about your time on iRacing and coming up with eSports and all that. I know you’re a stock car guy, but as a kid, did you ever fool around with any of the INDYCAR races and what’s it like here to share a weekend with INDYCAR? They might be names that you’ve seen on TV or only heard about, but what’s it like to actually be out there? “Yeah, they’re very quiet going around the racetrack, which is pretty nice. So maybe something to be learned for that (laughs).  But yeah, I mean, I haven’t been to an INDYCAR race, so this is probably the first time. I think maybe early in my career, they raced to Texas with us in the Trucks. But I have quite a few friends over there in that garage, so it’s just cool to have that crossover and be able to be in the same space as them this weekend. Very excited to watch the race. You know, I think it’s going to be really exciting to see how they navigate this place. It looks like they put some hash marks down in the corner, so I’m interested to see how that kind of plays into our grip and package. But yeah, I think it’ll be interesting to see how they navigate this place and what kind of lines they run. It looks like they kind of are stuck to running just above the yellow line, so they can’t really use the apron like we do. But we’ll see, and we’ll see kind of how the rubber plays out, too.”  Did you have any favorite drivers coming up that you’d watch in the Indianapolis 500 or anything? What do you think of the difference in speed?“I would say from 12-13 years old, I would watch the Indianapolis 500 and, of course, watch the Coca-Cola 600, as well. I remember Dan Wheldon winning. I remember J.R. Hildebrand running well for a few years. I don’t know, that kind of time period, the National Guard car. I guess that’s what I remember. Like I said, the cars are really quiet, so I’m curious to kind of see the speed difference. I haven’t really seen him go around the racetrack yet, so I’m curious how that’s going to look.”   How much are you looking at points after three races? I mean, obviously, we don’t really know what the meat of the season is going to look like yet, but you’re 13th. You’re probably trying to get a top-three seed, at least, based on what everybody’s talking about. So is that a concern for you? Do you feel okay about where you are?“Yeah, it’s funny. (Christopher) Bell and I were talking about this at driver intros last week. It just feels like the longer we do this, the more it takes a few races to kind of get into the meat of the season and what really makes up our season and the tracks. So, for me, it’s felt super long this year just kind of getting into the rhythm of the season. I don’t want to classify it as a ‘real racetrack’, but these places that really make up the finesse and the speed that it takes to win a championship. So, yeah, I think I’m just kind of eager to get out there this weekend. We’ve done a lot of prep for Phoenix. To answer your question on where we stand, I think what’s frustrating for us is feeling like we’ve given up a few points the last couple weeks. You know, I crashed the week before at Atlanta. We had some damage, and then I crashed, and so that gave away a handful. And then last week, I felt like we gave away a handful at the end there in the last run. I just feel like those sting a little more than they used to probably, but we’ve – like (Kyle) Larson said this week, we’ve always points raced as a top team. Our goal last year was to win the regular season championship, and we got off to a good start and made that a little bit easier. But, yeah, we’ve just been kind of middle of the road right now. We’ve scored 25-26 points on average. We’d like to score, you know, 35 to 40 on average. So definitely below average right now, but I think we’re going to see what we have this weekend, that’s for sure.”  Is it something that you’re concerned with that the two 23XI drivers are so far out there, or do you feel like really you guys need to go to kind of a good sampling of all the different kinds of tracks before you size up?“Yeah, I mean look — they’ve hit a home run on two drafting tracks. To score the points that they did is phenomenal. If you start the year and you say, man, if we could score 40 to 50 points on drafting tracks, that’s going to be a huge advantage. So they’ve accumulated a big advantage in those drafting tracks. And then COTA, I don’t think was any surprise to me that Tyler (Reddick) ran so well. But they executed really well, and that momentum was big. So I think for us on the 24 team, it’s not really about looking at anyone else. It’s looking at ourselves. If we get to race 26 and that gap is still there, then shoot, you know, wish we could have had a couple things back. But there’s so much circumstance in those first couple weeks that you’ve got 26 weeks to figure it out. I think there’s going to be plenty of ebb and flow in the next, I don’t know, 20-22 weeks.”  Is this a place that you wanted to compete in the NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series? Did specifically you picked it?“Yeah, I think I’ve done this in the past and kind of ran the road courses because you think that that’s going to help you and all of that. Sometimes a Cup car and an O’Reilly car are very different. So now, I feel like the O’Reilly car is fun at certain places. This was a place that before the schedule got changed up, I thought, okay, this is an important place with the championship. And it still is because it’s still in the Chase, so I think that factored into it. But it’s just about having fun and trying to go win. You know, I like to be competitive and I like to win. I’ll try to challenge myself this weekend; pressure on myself to win and hopefully we can do that.”   Anthony Alfredo is getting the opportunity to fill in for Alex Bowman. He’s been an instrumental part of the team on the sim aspect. How much input and significance has he been for you during the time when it used to be the finale here at Phoenix and now getting that opportunity under, obviously, odd circumstances with Alex?“Yeah, I’m happy for Anthony (Alfredo). I feel like he’s worked hard and grinded in the sim. He hasn’t had that many opportunities in NASCAR that are, you know, quality opportunities. I feel like he’s had a lot of races, which is good, but not something in a top car. So I’m looking forward to seeing how he does.  And, yeah, I mean, that work is really tedious on the sim. Those guys go in there at 7 a.m. and they work on tires and they’re staring at a screen for five, six hours at a time. It’s definitely an admirable job that he’s doing there and feel like, even through the iRacing stuff — like he actually helped install my sim at my house a couple years ago (laughs). So, yeah, it’s just fun to see him out here and I hope he does well. I saw him at the shop on Wednesday and he was trying to absorb a lot. He was quizzing me with all types of questions on aero and how these cars handle. So, yeah, I’m looking forward to seeing how he does.”   Given the right opportunity and the right circumstances, would you try racing in INDYCAR one day? “Yeah, I don’t know. I mean, the Indy 500 obviously is always exciting to watch. I just feel like I need to win a NASCAR championship first. That’s first and foremost on my goals, and then I’ll kind of look outside, maybe.  But, yeah, I’ve always been probably a person that could have run a lot of other stuff. Given my background, I could have diversified a lot more. It just didn’t work out that way. So with kind of the nature of my career, I feel like I just stick to what I’m doing and what I’m good at. But at the same time, it’d be cool to expand outside. I just feel like I’ve got to get comfortable and accomplish what I want to here and then maybe look at that.”  You mentioned earlier about Anthony (Alfredo) working on the tires and with the softer tire and the 750 horsepower, how much have you really had to pay attention to the tire degradation and just getting a balance so you don’t use your equipment up until the time is right?“Yeah, I mean, I feel like the tire saving part of things is a little overblown because it really still comes down to setup. There is management in that, but it still comes down to kind of the balance of the two. But, yeah, I think it’s going to play a role, this softer tire. We talked about it this week, hopefully it’s a little bit more durable. The teams have gone to work on camber, air pressure, to figure out that equation for what makes the tire wear out or blow. But, yeah, hopefully it’s a little more predictable this week and we can just try to manage it the best we can.”   Not to compare yourself to Corey Day, but to get into a situation where he’s coming into the second hardest stock car series and acclimating to it, how difficult is that for people on the outside looking in? I mean, how would you explain it to them kind of what he’s experiencing?“Yeah, I mean, he’s done a lot of racing with a car that’s kind of half the size. I feel like probably the dimensions of the car are the toughest part for him. He didn’t do late model racing. Like when (Christopher) Bell came up, he raced against me in late models, so he got the chance to kind of understand where the wall is and where other cars are. I feel like that is probably the toughest part. The speed aspect, I feel like he has a pretty good handle on. But, yeah, just the race craft is probably difficult. I don’t know how much iRacing he’s done or sim stuff he’s done to kind of bridge that gap. So, yeah, I can’t imagine. I don’t come from that background, so I don’t know exactly what the factors are there, but probably the dimensions are difficult.”

Fairfield, Ohio (March 9th, 2026) – Automotive Racing Products (ARP), “The World Leader in High-Performance Automotive Fasteners,” marks its fifteenth season with the IHRA Pro Pulling Series with an expanded partnership in 2026.

“ARP’s enduring commitment to the IHRA Pro Pulling Series and our pullers over the last two decades is a testament to the partnership we’ve mutually cultivated,” Johnathan Mears of the IHRA Pro Pulling League. “They have expanded their presence for 2026, becoming the title sponsor of the Super Stock Diesel Truck class on the Fendt High Stakes Series in addition to continuing title sponsorship of not only the Super Stock Diesel Trucks on the Champions Tour, but also the Lightweight Super Stock Tractor division.”

ARP’s Art Venegas remarked, “We are excited for the 2026 pulling season with the IHRA Pro Pulling Series…being able to be a part of the groundbreaking Fendt High Stakes Series is a tremendous opportunity to connect with our customers and motorsports fans. We’ve also launched a whole new array of specialty fasteners and washers for 2026 to compliment our extensive catalog of fasteners and fastener kits, so that we can better meet the needs of our customers, no matter the application.”

Fairfield, Ohio (March 9th, 2026) – Automotive Racing Products (ARP), “The World Leader in High-Performance Automotive Fasteners,” marks its fifteenth season with the IHRA Pro Pulling Series with an expanded partnership in 2026.

“ARP’s enduring commitment to the IHRA Pro Pulling Series and our pullers over the last two decades is a testament to the partnership we’ve mutually cultivated,” Johnathan Mears of the IHRA Pro Pulling League. “They have expanded their presence for 2026, becoming the title sponsor of the Super Stock Diesel Truck class on the Fendt High Stakes Series in addition to continuing title sponsorship of not only the Super Stock Diesel Trucks on the Champions Tour, but also the Lightweight Super Stock Tractor division.”

ARP’s Art Venegas remarked, “We are excited for the 2026 pulling season with the IHRA Pro Pulling Series…being able to be a part of the groundbreaking Fendt High Stakes Series is a tremendous opportunity to connect with our customers and motorsports fans. We’ve also launched a whole new array of specialty fasteners and washers for 2026 to compliment our extensive catalog of fasteners and fastener kits, so that we can better meet the needs of our customers, no matter the application.”

About ARP:
Automotive Racing Products offers over 5000 fastener kits manufactured to exactingly high standards at facilities across Southern California. Their website, www.ARP-Bolts.com, provides volumes of product and technical information while their catalog is available in print or digital form at www.ARPCatalog.com.

CONCORD, NC (March 6, 2026) — A new face to the American Sprint Car Series has entered the chase for BRODIX Rookie of the Year honors.

Cole Schroeder has made his commitment to following the entire national 360 Sprint Car schedule in 2026 behind the wheel of the Rocking R Bar, Moyle Racing Engines-powered Maxim Chassis No. 3. The 20-year-old native of Bozeman, MT, made his debut with the Series at Volusia Speedway Park in January and is ready to take on the full slate of events with his family-owned operation.

“It’s good competition to get the laps with, experience, and time back on the road,” Schroeder said. “It’s a great series and great people to follow.”

Originally from “Big Sky Country,” Schroeder moved to Arizona in 2018 and began his racing career in the asphalt karting ranks before jumping into Micro Sprints in 2021. It wasn’t long before he became a certified dealer of Hyper Racing chassis in the fall of 2024, assembling the Micro Sprint machines for buyers around the region.

Among his most notable Feature wins in the Micro Sprint ranks came in the 2023 Deuces Wild Shootout at U.S. 24 Speedway, where Schroeder topped a field of 98 Winged A-Class entrants and led every lap of the main event enroute to collect the $12,222.22 grand prize.

During the 2025 season, Schroeder moved to his current home in Fresno, CA, and became a regular of the 360 Sprint Car scene on the West Coast, recording multiple starts at tracks including Watsonville Speedway, Placerville Speedway, Silver Dollar Speedway and Thunderbowl Raceway.

“I like the smaller tracks; I feel like it kinda brings a little more driver into it,” Schroeder said. “They’re a little more evil, and it’s a lot closer racing.”

For 2026, Schroeder will take on a national Sprint Car series schedule for the first time in his career — a venture he knows will be challenging at first but a necessary one in his efforts to make a climb up the open-wheel racing ladder.

“For now, it’s just to run everything we can,” Schroeder said. “Obviously, our 360 program is pretty built up, so we’ll run that. Then, next year, we’ll hopefully move up to 410s and start getting more experience in those.”

The American Sprint Car Series returns to action on Saturday, April 11, at Salina Highbanks Speedway in a clash with the ASCS Sooner Region. Tickets for the event can be purchased at the track on race day.

Cole Schroeder Commits to Rookie Campaign with American Sprint Car Series

CONCORD, NC (March 6, 2026) — A new face to the American Sprint Car Series has entered the chase for BRODIX Rookie of the Year honors.

Cole Schroeder has made his commitment to following the entire national 360 Sprint Car schedule in 2026 behind the wheel of the Rocking R Bar, Moyle Racing Engines-powered Maxim Chassis No. 3. The 20-year-old native of Bozeman, MT, made his debut with the Series at Volusia Speedway Park in January and is ready to take on the full slate of events with his family-owned operation.

“It’s good competition to get the laps with, experience, and time back on the road,” Schroeder said. “It’s a great series and great people to follow.”

Originally from “Big Sky Country,” Schroeder moved to Arizona in 2018 and began his racing career in the asphalt karting ranks before jumping into Micro Sprints in 2021. It wasn’t long before he became a certified dealer of Hyper Racing chassis in the fall of 2024, assembling the Micro Sprint machines for buyers around the region.

Among his most notable Feature wins in the Micro Sprint ranks came in the 2023 Deuces Wild Shootout at U.S. 24 Speedway, where Schroeder topped a field of 98 Winged A-Class entrants and led every lap of the main event enroute to collect the $12,222.22 grand prize.

During the 2025 season, Schroeder moved to his current home in Fresno, CA, and became a regular of the 360 Sprint Car scene on the West Coast, recording multiple starts at tracks including Watsonville Speedway, Placerville Speedway, Silver Dollar Speedway and Thunderbowl Raceway.

“I like the smaller tracks; I feel like it kinda brings a little more driver into it,” Schroeder said. “They’re a little more evil, and it’s a lot closer racing.”

For 2026, Schroeder will take on a national Sprint Car series schedule for the first time in his career — a venture he knows will be challenging at first but a necessary one in his efforts to make a climb up the open-wheel racing ladder.

“For now, it’s just to run everything we can,” Schroeder said. “Obviously, our 360 program is pretty built up, so we’ll run that. Then, next year, we’ll hopefully move up to 410s and start getting more experience in those.”

The American Sprint Car Series returns to action on Saturday, April 11, at Salina Highbanks Speedway in a clash with the ASCS Sooner Region. Tickets for the event can be purchased at the track on race day.

If you can’t be at the track, how can you watch the American Sprint Car Series in 2026? Every event is broadcast live on DIRTVision.

CONCORD, NC (March 6, 2026) – Ryan Unzicker enjoys racing as a family sport, not as a full-time living.

While he works 10 hours a day, five days a week, as the owner of RJR Transportation, Unzicker spends his weekends behind the wheel of his No. 24 Super Late Model while helping his son, Brody, set the foundation for a future career in the sport.

The double life between work and racing is all he has known throughout his 25-year racing career, but he does not want it any other way.

“That’s all I’ve ever done for the last 20 years,” Unzicker said. “I have a lot of friends and family say all the time to me, ‘I couldn’t juggle it all, I have to have me some downtime.’ We’re just grinding, and I feel blessed to be able to do it. I’m approaching 45 pretty quickly this summer, and I didn’t think I would race this long, but we’re still winning races. My wife and son didn’t want me to quit, so I got to keep going.”

Unzicker began racing Street Stocks in 2001, then moved up to dirt Late Models by the 2005 season. Growing up, there was one tour he desired to attempt: the DIRTcar Summer Nationals.

“Growing up, Summer Nationals was what I knew prior to even racing,” Unzicker said. “I was like, ‘How do these guys do it?’ and how they raced 30 nights and 30 days. Then the racer side of me came to play, and it’s like, ‘I got to do that. I want to do that, that sounds fun.’ I think it’s more of a challenge than anything.

“The very first week was extremely hard for me. Because my normal sleep schedule was getting up at 6:30 AM, go to work, work all day, then go to the race shop at night. Well, that changed because you’re pretty much up all night, then sleep through the morning. You get in a rhythm through the weeks, then come the last week, and it was back to hell because you’re tired.”

Unzicker raced in scattered “Hell Tour” events from 2005-2008, then tackled his first full campaign in 2009 for a 12th-place result in the standings. One year later, “The Gremlin” collected his first career tour victory at Spoon River Speedway en route to his first top-five points finish.

In full-time competition from 2010 to 2017, Unzicker collected nine Feature wins and never finished outside of the top five at the end of each season. Despite missing out on winning a Summer Nationals crown, he remembers the hard work that he endured each night.

“It was hard, really,” Unzicker said. “What you thought was gonna happen, nine times out of 10, was not gonna happen like you expect to. When we got done, it was either thinking about the drive to the next track, wake up, and get to work. 

“Well, that always changed because if we got into a wreck, we’d have to fix it that night while people were still around, and things changed so much. I feel like I’ve grown as a team over the last 10 years, I wish I could do Summer Nationals again.”

Unzicker’s most cherished memory in his career came in 2013 with the “Hell Tour” at Fairbury Speedway. With less than $60 in his bank account upon arrival at the track, he drove around Brian Birkhofer and Kevin Weaver to leave the Saturday night Feature with a payday worth $10,000.

“We were penny pinching just to get going,” Unzicker recalled. “Hell, I remember in 2013, my wife and I went to Fairbury with our newborn son, and we literally had $27 or $57 in our checkbook. We couldn’t even write this check to Fairbury for $100 pit passes, and we can’t cash that check until we got some money from tonight. Then, we were gonna have to head home because we couldn’t go any longer, but we ended up winning $10,000.”

Since 2020, Unzicker has been an active racer on the Midwest Auto Racing Series (MARS) Late Model Championship trail. He finished third in points from 2020-2021, then captured his first title in 2022. 

In the last three seasons since clinching the title, Unzicker has played second fiddle to Jason Feger. Though he’s seeking to one-up the “High Side Hustler” in 2026, Unzicker credits the regional Series as one of the reasons why he continues to strap on a helmet.

“I feel blessed to be able to say that I’ve come close to getting Jason for that championship,” Unzicker said. “We were pretty well down to the wire. So, I’m fortunate to be able to do that with my small team. MARS is very close to my back door, and I’ve told many people that if it wasn’t for MARS and a little bit of the winnings and the merchandise sales, I would have quit a long time ago.”

Beyond his Late Model efforts, Unzicker and his wife, Michelle, have been setting the groundwork for Brody Unzicker to race on dirt. After former “Land of Lincoln” racer Nick Lyons offered a seat for the 13-year-old to climb aboard one of his Kid Modifieds at Tri-City Speedway in 2023, the family prepared for Brody to compete in the division for the following season.

“I always said that he wasn’t going to race because I was going to make him do better than that,” Unzicker said. “He had never drove anything. He didn’t even own a helmet, gloves, firesuit, or anything. So we were making some phone calls, and by the time we got to the racetrack, he had everything. I haven’t bought him the best of cars, but I was just trying to get him on the track. It wasn’t about winning to me, it was letting him go have fun and learning the car.”

In 2025, the Unzickers shared an unforgettable night at Peoria Speedway when Brody earned his first career Feature win, and Ryan went on to take the checkered flag in the MARS Late Models.

“This has been a family affair for my wife and I since day one,” Unzicker said. “I think she’s missed maybe four races in my whole racing career. Then Brody, he might have missed two or three races. Wherever I go, they go. Having that family connection is one of the reasons why I still race. But that Peoria moment will outgrow my gravesite on that one.”

Ryan Unzicker Balances Work Life with Late Models, Laying Foundation for Son’s Racing Future

CONCORD, NC (March 6, 2026) – Ryan Unzicker enjoys racing as a family sport, not as a full-time living.

While he works 10 hours a day, five days a week, as the owner of RJR Transportation, Unzicker spends his weekends behind the wheel of his No. 24 Super Late Model while helping his son, Brody, set the foundation for a future career in the sport.

The double life between work and racing is all he has known throughout his 25-year racing career, but he does not want it any other way.

“That’s all I’ve ever done for the last 20 years,” Unzicker said. “I have a lot of friends and family say all the time to me, ‘I couldn’t juggle it all, I have to have me some downtime.’ We’re just grinding, and I feel blessed to be able to do it. I’m approaching 45 pretty quickly this summer, and I didn’t think I would race this long, but we’re still winning races. My wife and son didn’t want me to quit, so I got to keep going.”

Unzicker began racing Street Stocks in 2001, then moved up to dirt Late Models by the 2005 season. Growing up, there was one tour he desired to attempt: the DIRTcar Summer Nationals.

“Growing up, Summer Nationals was what I knew prior to even racing,” Unzicker said. “I was like, ‘How do these guys do it?’ and how they raced 30 nights and 30 days. Then the racer side of me came to play, and it’s like, ‘I got to do that. I want to do that, that sounds fun.’ I think it’s more of a challenge than anything.

“The very first week was extremely hard for me. Because my normal sleep schedule was getting up at 6:30 AM, go to work, work all day, then go to the race shop at night. Well, that changed because you’re pretty much up all night, then sleep through the morning. You get in a rhythm through the weeks, then come the last week, and it was back to hell because you’re tired.”

Unzicker raced in scattered “Hell Tour” events from 2005-2008, then tackled his first full campaign in 2009 for a 12th-place result in the standings. One year later, “The Gremlin” collected his first career tour victory at Spoon River Speedway en route to his first top-five points finish.

In full-time competition from 2010 to 2017, Unzicker collected nine Feature wins and never finished outside of the top five at the end of each season. Despite missing out on winning a Summer Nationals crown, he remembers the hard work that he endured each night.

“It was hard, really,” Unzicker said. “What you thought was gonna happen, nine times out of 10, was not gonna happen like you expect to. When we got done, it was either thinking about the drive to the next track, wake up, and get to work. 

“Well, that always changed because if we got into a wreck, we’d have to fix it that night while people were still around, and things changed so much. I feel like I’ve grown as a team over the last 10 years, I wish I could do Summer Nationals again.”

Unzicker’s most cherished memory in his career came in 2013 with the “Hell Tour” at Fairbury Speedway. With less than $60 in his bank account upon arrival at the track, he drove around Brian Birkhofer and Kevin Weaver to leave the Saturday night Feature with a payday worth $10,000.

“We were penny pinching just to get going,” Unzicker recalled. “Hell, I remember in 2013, my wife and I went to Fairbury with our newborn son, and we literally had $27 or $57 in our checkbook. We couldn’t even write this check to Fairbury for $100 pit passes, and we can’t cash that check until we got some money from tonight. Then, we were gonna have to head home because we couldn’t go any longer, but we ended up winning $10,000.”

Since 2020, Unzicker has been an active racer on the Midwest Auto Racing Series (MARS) Late Model Championship trail. He finished third in points from 2020-2021, then captured his first title in 2022. 

In the last three seasons since clinching the title, Unzicker has played second fiddle to Jason Feger. Though he’s seeking to one-up the “High Side Hustler” in 2026, Unzicker credits the regional Series as one of the reasons why he continues to strap on a helmet.

“I feel blessed to be able to say that I’ve come close to getting Jason for that championship,” Unzicker said. “We were pretty well down to the wire. So, I’m fortunate to be able to do that with my small team. MARS is very close to my back door, and I’ve told many people that if it wasn’t for MARS and a little bit of the winnings and the merchandise sales, I would have quit a long time ago.”

Beyond his Late Model efforts, Unzicker and his wife, Michelle, have been setting the groundwork for Brody Unzicker to race on dirt. After former “Land of Lincoln” racer Nick Lyons offered a seat for the 13-year-old to climb aboard one of his Kid Modifieds at Tri-City Speedway in 2023, the family prepared for Brody to compete in the division for the following season.

“I always said that he wasn’t going to race because I was going to make him do better than that,” Unzicker said. “He had never drove anything. He didn’t even own a helmet, gloves, firesuit, or anything. So we were making some phone calls, and by the time we got to the racetrack, he had everything. I haven’t bought him the best of cars, but I was just trying to get him on the track. It wasn’t about winning to me, it was letting him go have fun and learning the car.”

In 2025, the Unzickers shared an unforgettable night at Peoria Speedway when Brody earned his first career Feature win, and Ryan went on to take the checkered flag in the MARS Late Models.

“This has been a family affair for my wife and I since day one,” Unzicker said. “I think she’s missed maybe four races in my whole racing career. Then Brody, he might have missed two or three races. Wherever I go, they go. Having that family connection is one of the reasons why I still race. But that Peoria moment will outgrow my gravesite on that one.”

ARTICLE: https://dirtcar.com/news/ryan-unzicker-balances-work-life-with-late-models-laying-foundation-for-sons-racing-future/

As we mentioned in our posted video posted earlier this week on social media, FB & IG, if you purchased tickets in 2025 you are automatically entered with double entries.This is passion project for the event, we want to do some good when we have good, passionate people together.$20.00 = 1 Ticket.$100.00 = 6 Tickets.www.matslv.com for tickets, rules & descriptions. CLICK HERE FOR TICKETS *Winner need not be present to win the March 29, 2026 Drawing.WELCOME PARTY SPECIAL EVENT T-SHIRT DESIGNWELCOME VEGAS DRIFTMORE INFO @VEGASDRIFT2026 Guests of HonorAutomotive experts and friendly fun talent something for everyoneSPECIAL GUESTJOE ZOLPER Multi talented builder from Garage Squad TV Show. Joe is both an accomplished Builder, Fabricator, Mechanic and Automotive Painter as well as the turner, driver and owner of a Blown 69 Dodge Daytona Bodied HEMI Drag Car. SPECIAL GUESTJOE (DOMINATOR) WOODS One of the favorite builder/fabricators and drivers from the Hit Discovery Tv Show Street Outlaws. SPECIAL GUEST – LOU SANTIAGO TV Host and Automotive Enthusiast Extraordinaire SPECIAL GUEST – PETER BROCK Legendary automotive designer Peter Brock, under the direction of GM Styling Director Bill Mitchell, drew the sketch that became the original 1963 Chevrolet Corvette Split Window Coupe. Attention Drag RacersImmediately following MuscleCars At The Strip is the Spring Fling Bracket Race. Stating March 31-April 4th. Also held at the Strip at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway.  A Racecation for Drag Racers BOUNTY OFFERED!If you win 1st place at MuscleCars At The Strip in Pro or Super Pro on Sunday March 29th, tell us in the winner circle and at our pay out window you are competing in the Spring Fling Friday Big Money Race. If you Win the Big Money Race on Fridays Million, we will double your payout you won at MuscleCars At The Strip in Pro or Super Pro class.   https://www.bracketraces Note, this is for seasoned Bracket Racers!Yes it runs all week long. So if this is your type of action, get signed up for the Spring Fling after you make your reservations at http://www.matslv.com for MuscleCars At The Strip.  AutoCross daily and under the lights both Friday & Saturday Nights under the direction of Racing Byrds. REGISTER HERE Experienced, Knowledgeable, Car Show Judges needed in Las Vegas at the MuscleCars At The Strip Car Show.Looking for Ford, GM-Chevrolet, Pontiac, Oldsmobile, Buick and Mopar in both Modern & Vintage Categories.This is your chance to contribute to the automotive culture and have a great time experiencing great vehicle and owners.Send your request to Steve_Hinckley @ yahoo.com or @shinckley6*Survival Guide* Restaurant Recommendations from our staff:Chicago Joe’s – downtown 4th st Reservations-702-382-5637 – Phil PainterPizza Rock – 201 N 3rd St. pizzarocklasvegas.com Jill PainterSoul Belly BBQ on Main St. in the Arts District – Jill PainterHiroba Sushi – Carl & Mary – recommendationPollos Culiacan – Jeri TrelenbergPetrol Head – Dustie McPherson Paymon’s Mediterranean Fresh Kitchen on W. Sahara – Sally MartiniHerbs and Rye & 888 Japanese BBQ – Andrew AdamsGordon Ramsey Pub in Caesars – Will & Nikki GoodeTexas Roadhouse Grill – Heather Smith HOTELS WE RECOMMENDED: Room Rate:(Sun-Thursday) $63.00 plus fees.Friday & Saturday: $119.00 plus fees. Mention MuscleCars At The Strip Group code: MATSLVGroup name: MUSCLE AT THE STRIP LV  Reservation Phone  # 702-507-5700.If you booked prior to this announcement and want the posted event rate. If you used a 3rd party booking site, you have to cancel that reservation, then rebook using the phone number above. This special rate expires 3-17-26 so BOOK NOW. The Cannery Resort is located  minutes from LVMS. SPECIAL NOTE: For those who have already booked, they can call the front desk directly at 702-507-5700, and we can add the group rate on to their reservation. However, if they booked with a third party, we will not be able to adjust those rates. They can contact the third party to cancel and rebook under the group if they want.  South Point Hotel & CasinoWeek Day Rate: $79Weekend Rate: $125Resort Fee: $22Group Code: MUS0327 (must give group code to get rate)Phone: 702-797-7111 The South Point is located in the southern part of Las Vegas, approximately 25 miles from LVMS. Here is why it is worth the drive. 1. A local’s favorite, if the locals like it, you will too.2. Consistent World Class Hospitality that made Las Vegas Famous.3. Full of entertainment options. Restaurants, Bowling Alley, Movie Theatre, Live Gaming.4. Friday Night, all you can eat Seafood Buffet.5. One of a few Buffets in operation.6. Free self-parking.7. Clean 8. Privately owned.9. Huge supporters of all forms of racing.10. Original Old School Management Style, Friendly professional staff that want you to have a great time as their guest.WPlaza Hotel & CasinoWeek Day Rate: $75Weekend Rate: $125NO RESORT FEEGroup Code: SMUSCAR (must give group code to get rate)Phone: 1-800-634-6575Reservation Link-Click Here Centrally located in Historic Fremont Street District. 1. Updated Rooms, Optional suites with direct patio access.2. Privately owned.3. Oscars Steak House. (Must Experience)4. HASH HOUSE “Twisted Farm Food”5. PINK BOX Donuts.6. Hogs & Heifers Outpost Saloon.7. Full Food Court8. Clean 9. Guest Free self-parking.10. NEW roof top Pickleball Courts & So Much More.Y

Davenport Wins Second Straight Wieland Winter Nationals Race at Golden Isles

WAYNESVILLE, GA (March 5, 2026) – Jonathan Davenport captured Thursday night’s Wieland Winter Nationals feature for the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series at Golden Isles Speedway, earning his second consecutive victory at the event. With the win – the 94th of his career – Davenport ties Hall of Famer Scott Bloomquist for the most victories in series history. Hudson O’Neal, the current Midwest Sheet Metal Points Leader, finished second to Davenport for the second straight night. Brandon Overton made a last lap pass on Clay Harris to round out the Big River Steel Podium in third. Harris, who started 13th, finished fourth, while Max Blair advanced from 11th to complete the top five. Davenport, a three-time Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series champion like Bloomquist, led all 40 laps en route to the $10,000 victory. In Lucas Oil Victory Lane, he reflected on tying the late Mooresburg, Tennessee driver for the all-time wins record. “I wish he was here so we could talk about it,” Davenport said. “He taught me a lot. Scott did – and believe it or not, we talked. Not all the time, but we were acquaintances. At one point, we were more than just rivals. I had a tremendous amount of respect for him, and I think I gained his respect over the years.”The Blairsville, Georgia native also reflected on his early success in the series. “I remember my first two Lucas Oil wins with Barry Wright. We went to a new place we had never been before – I think it was Winchester, Virginia – and then the next night I outran Scott at Virginia Motor Speedway for back-to-back wins. It’s just awesome, really. I never would have thought I’d get more than those two wins, but to get 90-some is just crazy.” Davenport had to fend off mid-race challenges from O’Neal, who never officially led a lap but kept the pressure on throughout the event. “I didn’t know where to go on the restarts,” Davenport said. “I thought the top was a little better taking off because it gives you more momentum. This place is so wide – if you give up the bottom, you’re giving up a lot of real estate. I tried a couple of different things. Hudson got to me in lapped traffic and we slid each other two or three times. He gave me plenty of room. One time I pushed off turn two and almost got into him, but I was trying my best not to. I knew he was going to be one of the cars to beat.” O’Neal, who rallied from eighth to finish second on Wednesday night, started fourth and moved into second by lap nine. “There was no way I was going to pass him unless he hit the wall or caught lapped traffic in a bad spot,” O’Neal said. “It was very top-dominant, and it was hard to set up a slide job because there was such a strong run off the corner. We’re back on the podium again, so we can’t complain. We’re putting ourselves in good positions if something happens, and we were able to capitalize earlier in the week.” Overton’s last-lap pass of Harris capped off a hard-fought battle in the closing circuits. “I think our race car is fine – JD’s just out front doing his thing, and we’re all trying to match his time,” Overton said. “You know how this place is – you need some tires at the end of the race. Everybody’s driving as hard as they can. Every time I tried to get into a rhythm, somebody would slide me and bottle things up. I spent half the race battling back around cars in turns one and two. It was a frustrating race for me. Congrats to JD and Hudson.” The winning Double L Motorsports, Longhorn Chassis is powered by a Cornett Racing Engine and sponsored by Ace Doran Hauling and Rigging, Nutrien Ag Solutions, ASC Warranty, Mark Martin Automotive, and Mega Plumbing of the Carolinas. Completing the top ten were Ricky Thornton Jr., Dennis Erb Jr., Devin Moran, Dillon McCowan, and Mark Whitener. In the 602 Late Model feature, Griffin Smith of Eatonton, Georgia led all 20 laps to secure the victory. Wyatt Coffey challenged Smith multiple times but settled for second. Phil Pittman finished third, followed by Caleb Gay and Ben Lanford. The Crown Vics once again delivered an exciting feature, with the Collins family dominating the top three positions. Jax Raceways Hall of Famer Johnny Collins led his sons, Chase and Brody, for four laps before Chase took over the lead in traffic. Chase Collins went on to capture his second Crown Vic feature win of 2026, finishing ahead of Johnny Collins, Brody Collins, Tommy Roach Sr., and Kevin Hildebrand. Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series Race Summary Wieland Winter NationalsThursday, March 5, 2026Golden Isles Speedway | Waynesville, GA Allstar Performance Time TrialsFast Time Group A: Ricky Thornton, Jr. | 14.931 seconds (Overall)Fast Time Group B: Carson Ferguson | 15.294 seconds Penske Shocks Heat Race #1 Finish (8 Laps, Top 4 Transfer): 1. 49-Jonathan Davenport[3]; 2. 20RT-Ricky Thornton Jr[1]; 3. 88-Trent Ivey[2]; 4. 6-Clay Harris[8]; 5. 16B-Ross Bailes[6]; 6. 1-Brandon Sheppard[4]; 7. 10-Garrett Smith[7]; 8. 22-Daniel Hilsabeck[5]; 9. 11-Josh Rice[9]; 10. 15K-Cory Hedgecock[10] Summit Racing Products Heat Race #2 Finish (8 Laps, Top 4 Transfer): 1. 76-Brandon Overton[1]; 2. 5-Mark Whitener[2]; 3. 111-Max Blair[6]; 4. 16-Cody Overton[5]; 5. 09-Michael Leach[3]; 6. 74X-Ethan Dotson[9]; 7. 19M-Brenden Smith[4]; 8. 7-Ross Robinson[8]; 9. 13-Dallon Murty[7]; 10. 555-Brock Pinkerous[10] Cool-It Thermo-Tec Heat Race #3 Finish (8 Laps, Top 4 Transfer): 1. 1T-Tyler Erb[2]; 2. 93-Carson Ferguson[1]; 3. 60-Dan Ebert[5]; 4. 58-Garrett Alberson[4]; 5. 99-Devin Moran[3]; 6. 81F-Jadon Frame[6]; 7. 28-Dennis Erb Jr[10]; 8. 55-Benji Hicks[9]; 9. 76N-Blair Nothdurft[8]; 10. 79-Donald McIntosh[7] Simpson Race Products Heat Race #4 Finish (8 Laps, Top 4 Transfer): 1. 71-Hudson O’Neal[2]; 2. 14-Trey Mills[1]; 3. 8-Dillon McCowan[3]; 4. 3S-Brian Shirley[4]; 5. 388-Jackson Hise[6]; 6. 40B-Kyle Bronson[5]; 7. 93L-Cory Lawler[9]; 8. 77-Preston Luckman[8]; 9. 4G-Tripp Gerrald[10]; 10. C4-Freddie Carpenter[7] Fast Shafts B-Main Race #1 Finish (10 Laps, Top 3 Transfer): 1. 1-Brandon Sheppard[3]; 2. 16B-Ross Bailes[1]; 3. 10-Garrett Smith[5]; 4. 09-Michael Leach[2]; 5. 74X-Ethan Dotson[4]; 6. 19M-Brenden Smith[6]; 7. 13-Dallon Murty[10]; 8. 7-Ross Robinson[8]; 9. 22-Daniel Hilsabeck[7]; 10. 555-Brock Pinkerous[12]; 11. 11-Josh Rice[9]; 12. (DNS) 15K-Cory Hedgecock UNOH B-Main Race #2 Finish (10 Laps, Top 3 Transfer): 1. 99-Devin Moran[1]; 2. 40B-Kyle Bronson[4]; 3. 28-Dennis Erb Jr[5]; 4. 388-Jackson Hise[2]; 5. 55-Benji Hicks[7]; 6. 81F-Jadon Frame[3]; 7. 93L-Cory Lawler[6]; 8. 4G-Tripp Gerrald[10]; 9. 76N-Blair Nothdurft[9]; 10. 79-Donald McIntosh[11]; 11. 77-Preston Luckman[8]; 12. C4-Freddie Carpenter[12] Wieland Winter Nationals Feature Finish (40 Laps):Pos – Start – Car # – Competitor – Hometown – Earnings1 – 1 – 49 – Jonathan Davenport – Blairsville, GA – $10,0002 – 4 – 71 – Hudson O’Neal – Martinsville, IN – $5,6003 – 3 – 76 – Brandon Overton – Evans, GA – $3,5004 – 13 – 6 – Clay Harris – Jupiter, FL – $2,7005 – 11 – 111 – Max Blair – Centerville, PA – $2,5006 – 5 – 20RT – Ricky Thornton Jr – Chandler, AZ – $2,3007 – 22 – 28 – Dennis Erb Jr – Carpentersville, IL – $2,2008 – 18 – 99 – Devin Moran – Dresden, OH – $2,1009 – 12 – 8 – Dillon McCowan – Urbana, MO – $2,05010 – 7 – 5 – Mark Whitener – Middleburg, FL – $2,00011 – 14 – 58 – Garrett Alberson – Las Cruces, NM – $1,60012 – 28 – 7 – Ross Robinson – Georgetown, DE – $70013 – 2 – 1T – Tyler Erb – New Waverly, TX – $1,20014 – 8 – 14 – Trey Mills – St. Augustine, FL – $1,00015 – 10 – 60 – Dan Ebert – Lake Shore, MN – $95016 – 17 – 1 – Brandon Sheppard – New Berlin, IL – $92517 – 27 – 19M – Brenden Smith – Dade City, FL – $20018 – 20 – 40B – Kyle Bronson – Brandon, FL – $87519 – 21 – 10 – Garrett Smith – Madison, GA – $85020 – 24 – 93L – Cory Lawler – Hanover, PA – $82521 – 23 – 22 – Daniel Hilsabeck – Earlham, IA – $80022 – 6 – 93 – Carson Ferguson – Lincolnton, NC – $80023 – 15 – 16 – Cody Overton – Thomson, GA – $80024 – 19 – 16B – Ross Bailes – Clover, SC – $80025 – 25 – 11 – Josh Rice – Crittenden, KY – $10026 – 9 – 88 – Trent Ivey – Union, SC – $80027 – 16 – 3S – Brian Shirley – Chatham, IL – $90028 – 26 – 79 – Donald McIntosh – Dawsonville, GA – $100 Race Statistics  Entrants: 40Bilstein Shocks Pole Sitter: Jonathan DavenportMD3 Lap Leaders: Jonathan Davenport (Laps 1-40)Hellraizer Jacks Halfway Leader: Jonathan DavenportWieland Feature Winner: Jonathan DavenportMargin of Victory: 1.321 secondsHellraizer Jacks Cautions: Brian Shirley (Lap 7); Tyler Erb (Lap 7 Restart); Kyle Bronson (Lap 22); Josh Rice, Daniel Hilsabeck (Lap 29), Cody Overton, Ross Bailes (Lap 31)MyRacePass Series Provisionals: Daniel Hilsabeck; Cory LawlerFast Time Provisional: n/aEmergency Provisionals: Josh Rice, Donald McIntosh, Brenden Smith, Ross RobinsonTrack Provisional: n/aBig River Steel Podium Top 3: Jonathan Davenport, Hudson O’Neal, Brandon OvertonPenske Shocks Top 5: Jonathan Davenport, Hudson O’Neal, Brandon Overton, Clay Harris, Max BlairBehrent’s One-Lap-to-Go Top 3: Jonathan Davenport, Hudson O’Neal, Clay HarrisPEM 4th Place Feature: Clay HarrisDiversified Machine 5th Place Feature: Max BlairWilwood Brakes 7th Place Feature: Dennis Erb, Jr.Wehrs Machine 11th Place Feature: Garrett AlbersonVelocity Manufacturing 13th Place Feature: Tyler ErbXS Power Batteries 15th Place Feature: Dan EbertHoker Trucking Hard Charger of the Race: Ross Robinson (Advanced 16 positions)MD3 Most Laps Led: Jonathan Davenport (40 Laps)Sunoco Race Fuels Race for Gas Highest Finisher: Hudson O’NealMidwest Sheet Metal Spoiler Challenge Point Leader: Hudson O’NealO’Reilly Auto Parts Rookie of the Race: n/aPro Fabrication Headers Fastest Lap of the Race: Hudson O’Neal | Lap 11 | 15.452 secondsFK Rod Ends Hard Luck Award: Brian ShirleyVictory Fuel Power Move of the Race: Brandon OvertonOuterwears Crew Chief of the Race: Cory FostvedtARP Engine Builder of the Race: Clements Race EnginesMiller Welders Chassis Builder of the Race: Longhorn ChassisDirt Draft Fastest in Hot Laps: Hudson O’Neal | 15.5343 secondsTime of Race: 30 minutes 12 seconds Big River Steel Championship Standings Presented by ARP:Pos – Car # – Competitor – Hometown – Points – Earnings1 – 71 – Hudson O’Neal – Martinsville, IN – 1210 – $72,3002 – 99 – Devin Moran – Dresden, OH – 1135 – $50,4003 – 76 – Brandon Overton – Evans, GA – 1110 – $26,0504 – 6 – Clay Harris – Jupiter, FL – 1005 – $23,6005 – 20RT – Ricky Thornton Jr – Chandler, AZ – 960 – $15,4506 – 1 – Brandon Sheppard – New Berlin, IL – 955 – $32,5007 – 111 – Max Blair – Centerville, PA – 920 – $13,5008 – 40B – Kyle Bronson – Brandon, FL – 920 – $11,5759 – 93 – Carson Ferguson – Lincolnton, NC – 905 – $14,35010 – 60 – Dan Ebert – Lake Shore, MN – 865 – $12,87511 – 3s – Brian Shirley – Chatham, IL – 855 – $12,60012 – 11 – Josh Rice – Crittenden, KY – 840 – $10,52513 – 58 – Garrett Alberson – Las Cruces, NM – 835 – $14,60014 – 79 – Cory Hedgecock – Loudon, TN – 795 – $8,80015 – 19M – Brenden Smith – Dade City, FL – 745 – $8,90016 – 22 – Daniel Hilsabeck – Earlham, IA – 715 – $8,37517 – 8 – Dillon McCowan – Urbana, MO – 710 – $5,82518 – 7 – Ross Robinson – Georgetown, DE – 685 – $4,72519 – 76N – Blair Nothdurft – Renner, SD – 655 – $5,45020 – 9 – Michael Leach – Sun River, MT – 650 – $3,70021 – 13 – Dallon Murty – Chelsea, IA – 640 – $5,35022 – 93L – Cory Lawler – Hanover, PA – 630 – $6,82523 – 77 – Preston Luckman – Coos Bay, OR – 610 – $3,12524 – C4 – Freddie Carpenter – Parkersburg, WV – 540 – $900

Kody Kopp (No. 12) battles Dallas Daniels (No. 1) into turn one of the Royal Enfield Short Track at DAYTONA I. [Photo: Tim Lester for AMA Pro Racing]Download high-resolution photo from AMA Pro’s Digital Asset Management system

History Maker: Kopp Wins DAYTONA in Premier-Class Debut

Kody Kopp (No. 12) battles Dallas Daniels (No. 1) into turn one of the Royal Enfield Short Track at DAYTONA I. [Photo: Tim Lester for AMA Pro Racing]Download high-resolution photo from AMA Pro’s Digital Asset Management system

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (March 5, 2026) – The 2026 Progressive American Flat Track season, sanctioned by AMA Pro Racing, kicked off in truly unforgettable fashion in Thursday night’s season-opening Royal Enfield Short Track at DAYTONA I as Kody Kopp (No. 12 Latus Motors Racing Harley-Davidson XG750R) became the only rider in Mission AFT SuperTwins history to claim victory in their very first attempt.  While widely expected to contend as a rookie, Kopp’s unprecedented achievement at the DAYTONA Flat Track still served to put the established powers of the Grand National Championship on notice. Perhaps most impressively, Kopp’s triumph didn’t even come as an upset by the time the Main Event rolled around, as the triple KICKER AFT Singles king was in in dominant form much of the night; Kopp posted the fastest time in qualifying, won his heat with relative ease, and then took the checkered flag in the Mission #2Fast2Tasty Challenge.  Despite that stirring lead-up performance, however, the Main Event itself proved a brutally tense affair.  Reigning class champion Dallas Daniels (No. 1 Estenson Racing Yamaha MT-07) entered the opener as the pre-event favorite, having won five of the last six races in Daytona Beach (incidentally, a record mirrored by Kopp in 450cc action). But the Estenson Racing superstar found himself nearly two seconds adrift of Kopp less than halfway into the Main after getting caught up between Trent Lowe (No. 48 American Honda/Mission Foods Honda CB750 Hornet) and Sammy Halbert (No. 69 Martin Trucking/OnlyFans/Castrol Yamaha MT-07) as the race took its shape.  Daniels certainly fought back like a champion, however, slowly chipping away at that deficit once he established himself in second. He slashed the gap to 0.500 with a minute-and-a-half to go and then closed right on the Latus Motors Racing pilot’s rear wheel as they stormed past the two-laps-to-go flags while negotiating lapped traffic. Despite coming under immense pressure, Kopp appeared set to hold strong when he took the white flag. Moments later, however, the race was stopped after third-place runner Lowe crashed, and his bike went up in flames. By rule, the race was called complete at that point, locking up Kopp’s place in the record books. Daniels was awarded second, officially 0.150 seconds back, while Henry Wiles (No. 911 J&M Logging/Ray C’s Harley-Davidson Kawasaki Ninja 650) – who finished third in this same race a year ago – was elevated to the final spot on the podium due to Lowe’s misfortune. Wiles put himself in a position to earn that distinction after passing fellow series part-timer and ST ace Sammy Halbert (No. 69 Martin Trucking/OnlyFans/Castrol Yamaha MT-07) with less than a minute on the clock. Afterward, Kopp said, “I’ve dreamed of this since I was five years old, ever since I knew what flat track racing really was and understood it. By no means is this how I wanted to win my first national though – I want to come back tomorrow night and prove it with an actual checkered flag. Dallas kept me honest. It’s no joke racing against him – I haven’t raced against him really since my rookie year. I know the task at hand – or at least, I’m starting to learn it – because he’s a real challenge out there, for sure.” While Kopp gave the Harley-Davidson XG750R its tenth-ever premier-class victory, the bike’s usual standard-bearers endured significantly more difficult outings.  Two-time Grand National Champion Briar Bauman (No. 3 RWR/Jacob Construction/Parts Plus Harley-Davidson XG750R) crashed after being run up into the wall moments after the original start, forcing an immediate stoppage. Despite then restarting from the back of the pack, Bauman snaked his way forward to an eventual seventh.  That was one position behind Brandon Robinson (No. 44 Mission Roof Systems Harley-Davidson XG750R), who had to work his way into the Main via the LCQ after encountering mechanical issues in his heat. Like Bauman, Robinson charged up through the field but fell 0.150 seconds short of a top-five result, ending his race just behind fifth-place finisher Davis Fisher (No. 67 Rackley Racing/Bob Lanphere’s BMC Racing KTM 790 Duke). Dan Bromley (No. 62 Memphis Shades/Lisa Niner Racing Suzuki GSX-8S) came home eighth, while Ben Lowe (No. 25 Rackley Racing/Roof Systems KTM 790 Duke) and Dalton Gauthier (No. 79 Parts Bros/D&D Cycles/Fairway Ford Aprilia Tuareg 660) rounded out the top ten. Kopp won’t just have a chance to get that Main Event checkered flag tomorrow – he’ll have three as Friday’s Royal Enfield Short Track at DAYTONA II Mission AFT SuperTwins rematch will be waged under the Mission Triple Challenge format.  KICKER AFT Singles Tom Drane (No. 1 Estenson Racing Yamaha YZ450F) opened his 2026 KICKER AFT Singles title defense in the same victorious fashion by which he closed out the 2025 season to secure his shiny new #1 plate.  The Australian picked up right where he left off, carrying over his season-ending four-race win streak and upping it to five – but the fifth did not come easily.  A chaotic opening several laps saw Drane, archrival Chase Saathoff (No. 88 1st Impressions Race Team Husqvarna FC450), an on-form Logan Eisenhard (No. 66 Eisenhard Racing/Pags Powersports KTM 450 SX-F), and ‘15 DAYTONA winner Justin Jones (No. 91 Fairway Ford Chevy GMC Yamaha YZ450F) swap positions relentlessly as they jockeyed for position.  And when Drane finally settled into the lead and stretched out nearly a second at the front, all that effort was erased as due to a red flag that flew in response to an incident involving Tarren Santero (No. 75 Roof Systems/Vinson Construction Honda CRF450R) and Kage Tadman (No. 28 American Honda/Mission Foods CRF450R). Saathoff made the most of the do-over, immediately jumping on Drane and snatching away the lead with just over two minutes and two laps remaining to determine the winner.  The Aussie then sought long and hard for a way to claw back past and at last found it with only a half-minute to go. “I wasn’t sure what was going to happen with the restart,” Drane admitted. “I got a decent start, but Chase put up a helluva battle. It’s great to get the win. This is a great way to start the season, and I couldn’t have done it without my whole Estenson Racing Monster Energy Yamaha team. They put in an awesome effort in the offseason, and we’re here to do the job.” The ever-present Trevor Brunner (No. 21 KMA Racing/March Equipment Yamaha YZ450F) made his way up the order to grab the final spot on the box. Behind the usual suspects came rookie Jack Brucks(No. 113 1st Impressions Race Team Husqvarna FC450), who made a head-turning class debut in fourth. Eisenhard worked back past Jones with just over one lap remaining to earn the final spot in the top five. Canadian Jordan Beaulac (No. 156 Picotte Motosport/Dofralex GASGAS MC 450F) finished seventh, followed by Bradon Pfanders (No. 83 Memphis Shades/Corbin Seats Yamaha YZ450F), Tadman, and Ryder Reese (No. 41 Fairway Ford/JMC/Roof Systems KTM 450 SX-F). AFT ProSport 450 Sam Drane (No. 7 Estenson Racing Yamaha YZ450F) joined his older brother in taking a win on the night by claiming the first victory of the AFT ProSport 450 era. Drane overhauled Ryder Bitz-Hay (No. 14 Bitz-Hay Racing KTM 450 SX-F) to earn the Road to AFT Amateur Invitational victory after finishing second to him in Wednesday’s 450 Road to AFT Main at the Mission Foods CTR Showcase Event, a contest which earned the riders their place on Thursday’s entry list. Jed Fyffe (No. 23 Thriller Motorsports/Yamaha Australia YZ450F) and Jett Katarzy (No. 17 1st Impressions Husqvarna FC450) finished just behind Bitz-Hay in third and fourth, respectively, while Brody Hanson (No. 99 Hanson Racing KTM 450 SX-F) completed the top five. Drane said, “I had to work hard for that one. Ryder didn’t make a mistake the whole time until that one time, and I got through. It was a great race and very good fun.” Royal Enfield Build. Train. Race. (BTR) Emma Gottsch (No. 5 Royal Enfield/Parts Unlimited/Arai/Alpinestars) repeated her season-opening feat of a year ago, once again securing the first win of the Royal Enfield Build. Train. Race. (BTR) season. Goottsch leapt out into the lead from the start and put her head down en route to a lopsided win. She was followed to the checkered flag by BTR rookie Julia Heess (No. 13 Royal Enfield/Parts Unlimited/Arai/Alpinestars), who just managed to keep second-year rider Madicela Rodriguez (No. 113 Royal Enfield/Parts Unlimited/Arai/Alpinestars) at bay. The class, which is showcasing the efforts of women in racing for a seventh season in 2026, will be back in action tomorrow night. Next Up The world’s premier dirt track motorcycle racing series will be back in action tomorrow night for the second half of the season-opening Royal Enfield Short Track at DAYTONA doubleheader. Visit https://www.tixr.com/groups/americanflattrack/events/2026-daytona-short-track-ii-150638 to secure your tickets today. How to Watch FloRacing For those that can’t catch the live action at the track, FloRacing is the live streaming home of Progressive American Flat Track. Motorsports fans can subscribe to FloRacing to enjoy over 1,000 live motorsports events in 2026. FloSports is available by visiting https://flosports.link/AFT2026 or by downloading the FloSports app on iOS, Android, Apple TV, Roku, Amazon Fire and Chromecast. FS1 FOX Sports coverage of the Royal Enfield Short Track at DAYTONA I, featuring in-depth features and thrilling onboard cameras, will premiere on FS1 on Saturday, March 14, at 8:30 a.m. ET (5:30 a.m. PT), with the Royal Enfield Short Track at DAYTONA II set to air on Saturday, March 21, at 12:00 p.m. ET (9:00 a.m. PT). The full listing of American Flat Track’s television premieres can be found at https://www.americanflattrack.com/events-foxsports.