CONCORD, NC (March 31, 2026) — Seven races into the American Sprint Car Series’ (ASCS) 35th consecutive season of racing and it’s off to the Series’ homeland of Oklahoma to begin the spring racing lineup.

The national 360 Sprint Car circuit has been quiet since opening the season with three races at Volusia Speedway Park in January and the Series’ debut at Central Arizona Raceway for the inaugural Sonoran Clash in February. But the break is nearly over, and drivers ready to resume competition in the “Sooner State” in less than two weeks’ time.

Here’s a look at what’s coming up:

Salina Highbanks Speedway | Salina, OK | April 11 — After opening the season in Florida and Arizona, the Series looks forward to the first stop of the season in its home state of Oklahoma with a visit to Salina Highbanks on Saturday, April 11.

This 3/8-mile, high-banked oval presents drivers with some of the highest speeds they’ll encounter all season. Sam Hafertepe Jr. conquered the track in 2025, leading every lap over Seth Bergman and Sean McClelland en route to his second career Series victory at the track. The ASCS Sooner Region will co-sanction the event, bringing a host of local and regional talent into the event to challenge the nationally touring regulars for the $4,000 grand prize.

The Series has graced the Eastern Oklahoma-venue 14 times in its history. Texas native Paul White won the Series debut on May 9, 1998. Wayne Johnson, the 2000 Series champion, has won the most of any driver, garnering three total Feature wins — sweeping both visits in 2001 before winning the Series’ first time back after 11 years in 2012.

Other Feature winners include three-time Series champion Tim Crawley (May 1999), four-time Series champion Gary Wright (July 1999, 2000), five-time Series champion Jason Johnson (June 2012, August 2012), Jeff Swindell (2013), and fellow Series champions Blake Hahn (2015) and Jason Martin (2023).

The local B-Mod, Factory Stock, Pure Stock, and RWD/FWD Trophy Car classes will also be in action to support. Tickets and pit passes will be sold at the track on race day. For all other event information, including important times, click here.

How can you watch the American Sprint Car Series all season? Live on DIRTVision.

APRIL RACES: American Sprint Car Series Visits Salina Highbanks in Spring Kickoff

CONCORD, NC (March 31, 2026) — Seven races into the American Sprint Car Series’ (ASCS) 35th consecutive season of racing and it’s off to the Series’ homeland of Oklahoma to begin the spring racing lineup.

The national 360 Sprint Car circuit has been quiet since opening the season with three races at Volusia Speedway Park in January and the Series’ debut at Central Arizona Raceway for the inaugural Sonoran Clash in February. But the break is nearly over, and drivers ready to resume competition in the “Sooner State” in less than two weeks’ time.

Here’s a look at what’s coming up:

Salina Highbanks Speedway | Salina, OK | April 11 — After opening the season in Florida and Arizona, the Series looks forward to the first stop of the season in its home state of Oklahoma with a visit to Salina Highbanks on Saturday, April 11.

This 3/8-mile, high-banked oval presents drivers with some of the highest speeds they’ll encounter all season. Sam Hafertepe Jr. conquered the track in 2025, leading every lap over Seth Bergman and Sean McClelland en route to his second career Series victory at the track. The ASCS Sooner Region will co-sanction the event, bringing a host of local and regional talent into the event to challenge the nationally touring regulars for the $4,000 grand prize.

The Series has graced the Eastern Oklahoma-venue 14 times in its history. Texas native Paul White won the Series debut on May 9, 1998. Wayne Johnson, the 2000 Series champion, has won the most of any driver, garnering three total Feature wins — sweeping both visits in 2001 before winning the Series’ first time back after 11 years in 2012.

Other Feature winners include three-time Series champion Tim Crawley (May 1999), four-time Series champion Gary Wright (July 1999, 2000), five-time Series champion Jason Johnson (June 2012, August 2012), Jeff Swindell (2013), and fellow Series champions Blake Hahn (2015) and Jason Martin (2023).

The local B-Mod, Factory Stock, Pure Stock, and RWD/FWD Trophy Car classes will also be in action to support. Tickets and pit passes will be sold at the track on race day. For all other event information, including important times, click here.

How can you watch the American Sprint Car Series all season? Live on DIRTVision.

ARTICLE: https://ascsracing.com/news/april-races-american-sprint-car-series-visits-salina-highbanks-in-spring-kickoff/

Dan Bromley (No. 62) interviewed after winning the Mission Challenge during the Memphis Shades Ventura Short Track in 2025. [Photo: Tim Lester for AMA Pro Racing]Download high-resolution photo from AMA Pro’s Digital Asset Management system

Memphis Shades Named Entitlement Sponsor of Ventura Short Track and Presenting Sponsor of Nashville Short Track in 2026

Dan Bromley (No. 62) interviewed after winning the Mission Challenge during the Memphis Shades Ventura Short Track in 2025. [Photo: Tim Lester for AMA Pro Racing]Download high-resolution photo from AMA Pro’s Digital Asset Management system

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (March 31, 2026) — Progressive American Flat Track, sanctioned by AMA Pro Racing, today announced Memphis Shades as the entitlement sponsor of the Ventura Short Track on April 25 and the presenting sponsor of Nashville Short Track on June 6. The Memphis Shades Ventura Short Track brings flat track to Ventura Raceway on April 25, delivering the world’s best motorcycle riders to the ocean front property. The Nashville Short Track presented by Memphis Shades will take the series to Sons of Speed Nashville Short Track on June 6, bringing bar-to-bar racing to one of the series’ most vibrant markets. “Memphis Shades is excited to be part of American Flat Track. From supporting riders to being trackside, we believe in the impact racing has on the motorcycle community,” said Hillary Combest, Director of Sales and Marketing. “We’re proud to return as a sponsor of the Ventura Short Track and to be part of the Nashville Short Track in our home state of Tennessee this summer. We’re looking forward to both events and continuing to support the sport and its riders.” Memphis Shades is known for its American-made motorcycle windshields and fairings, with a reputation built on quality craftsmanship and rider-focused design. Its continued investment in ProgressiveAmerican Flat Track reflects a shared commitment to performance and the motorcycling community. For more information about Memphis Shades, visit https://memphisshades.com/aft. Next Up The 2026 Progressive American Flat Track season continues with the Memphis Shades Ventura Short Track at Ventura Raceway on April 25. For tickets to Memphis Shades Ventura Short Track, visit https://www.tixr.com/groups/americanflattrack/events/2026-ventura-short-track-168769.

Ricky Thornton Jr. Scores First Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series Win of 2026

ALMA, OH (March 29, 2026) – Ricky Thornton Jr. took the lead with five laps remaining, passing Brandon Sheppard and holding him off by just 0.167 seconds at the finish line to capture his first Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series victory of the season Sunday night at Atomic Speedway. Thornton, who also won last year’s Buckeye Spring Classic at Atomic, earned $15,000 for his 57th career Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series victory. Sheppard, who led the opening 45 laps, finished second. Brandon Overton reclaimed third from Josh Rice on the final lap to round out the Big River Steel podium. Rice and Max Blair completed the top five.Starting fourth, Thornton charged to his second overall win of 2026 and his first since the opening round of the Wild West Shootout in January. “I felt like Tyler (Erb) was really good early, and then I was racing Brandon (Overton), and I’m not sure what happened to him,” said the Chandler, Arizona native. “He got back around me off turn two and then slowed down – didn’t look like anything broke. On the restart, I debated whether to go top or bottom. I felt like the top would be better, but if the bottom got a run, they’d slide you. So I chose the top and drove as hard as I could into turn one to make sure Overton couldn’t slide me.” “I didn’t feel like I was any better than Shep, but once we got to lapped traffic, I thought those guys were racing hard and might hold me up. One of the lapped cars made a small mistake entering turn three, which slowed Shep just enough for me to get underneath him. From there, I just focused on not making a mistake. I wasn’t sure if we needed to go back to the bottom in turns one and two, but I tried it because Overton had almost passed me there earlier. It really picked up my pace. The track was different than usual, but it raced really well.” Sheppard, who led a combined 59 laps between Brownstown on Saturday and Atomic on Sunday, came within half a car length of Thornton at the finish. “We had a really good car – definitely capable of winning,” Sheppard said. “I got to the 19M and the 6, and they were running side-by-side and entering a little low. I couldn’t get enough of a run to make a move and got stuck there for too long. I knew someone had to be right behind me. Congrats to Ricky—he capitalized on my mistake. I’m disappointed in myself because my crew works their tails off and gives me a great race car every night. Still, this is the best we’ve been in the slick here in a long time, so we’re happy with the car.” Overton held off Rice after briefly losing third place late in the race. “I was catching the leaders by running a different lane,” Overton said. “I started ripping around the top and getting a good run. Josh slid me, so I knew I had to go. It was a heck of a race, and thanks to Josh for racing me clean. The track was awesome again – I’ve never been here when it wasn’t good.” Thornton’s Koehler Motorsports, Longhorn Chassis is powered by a Clements Racing Engine and backed by Knight’s Companies, Hoker Trucking, Capital Waste, Certified Inspection Services, Strange Oval, SI Towing and Recovery, Coltman Farms Racing, and Sunoco Race Fuels. Completing the top ten were Hudson O’Neal, Garrett Alberson, Drake Troutman, Devin Moran, and Brian Shirley. Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series Race Summary Buckeye Spring 50Sunday, March 29, 2026Atomic Speedway | Waverly, OH Allstar Performance Time TrialsFast Time Group A: Drake Troutman | 13.217 seconds (Overall)Fast Time Group B: Garrett Alberson | 13.223 seconds Penske Shocks Heat Race #1 Finish (8 Laps, Top 4 Transfer): 1. 1-Brandon Sheppard[2]; 2. 22*-Drake Troutman[1]; 3. 3S-Brian Shirley[4]; 4. 93-Carson Ferguson[3]; 5. 8-Dillon McCowan[6]; 6. 71C-RJ Conley[5]; 7. B1-Josh Bocook[8]; 8. S21-Seth Daniels[7] Summit Racing Products Heat Race #2 Finish (8 Laps, Top 4 Transfer): 1. 76-Brandon Overton[1]; 2. 71-Hudson O’Neal[2]; 3. 13-Dallon Murty[3]; 4. 28-Tyler Carpenter[6]; 5. 20TC-Tristan Chamberlain[8]; 6. C4-Freddie Carpenter[4]; 7. 19M-Brenden Smith[5]; 8. 6-Clay Harris[7] Cool-It Thermo-Tec Heat Race #3 Finish (8 Laps, Top 4 Transfer): 1. 1T-Tyler Erb[2]; 2. 58-Garrett Alberson[1]; 3. 11-Josh Rice[3]; 4. 99-Devin Moran[4]; 5. 12J-Jason Jameson[5]; 6. 71R-Rod Conley[6]; 7. 00-Justin Cooper[7]; 8. 12L-Dave Loudin[8] Simpson Race Products Heat Race #4 Finish (8 Laps, Top 4 Transfer): 1. 20RT-Ricky Thornton Jr[2]; 2. 111-Max Blair[1]; 3. 60-Dan Ebert[3]; 4. 40B-Kyle Bronson[4]; 5. 22-Daniel Hilsabeck[5]; 6. 93L-Cory Lawler[7]; 7. (DNS) 1*-Kyle Moore Fast Shafts B-Main Race #1 Finish (10 Laps, Top 6 Transfer): 1. 12J-Jason Jameson[2]; 2. 20TC-Tristan Chamberlain[3]; 3. 22-Daniel Hilsabeck[4]; 4. 71C-RJ Conley[5]; 5. C4-Freddie Carpenter[7]; 6. 8-Dillon McCowan[1]; 7. 71R-Rod Conley[6]; 8. 93L-Cory Lawler[8]; 9. B1-Josh Bocook[9]; 10. 19M-Brenden Smith[11]; 11. 6-Clay Harris[15]; 12. S21-Seth Daniels[13]; 13. 00-Justin Cooper[10]; 14. 12L-Dave Loudin[14]; 15. (DNS) 1*-Kyle Moore Buckeye Spring 50 Feature Finish (50 Laps):Pos – Start – Car # – Competitor – Hometown – Earnings1 – 4 – 20RT – Ricky Thornton Jr – Chandler, AZ – $16,3002 – 1 – 1 – Brandon Sheppard – New Berlin, IL – $7,9003 – 3 – 76 – Brandon Overton – Evans, GA – $5,9004 – 10 – 11 – Josh Rice – Crittenden, KY – $4,9005 – 8 – 111 – Max Blair – Centerville, PA – $3,9716 – 7 – 71 – Hudson O’Neal – Martinsville, IN – $3,8007 – 6 – 58 – Garrett Alberson – Las Cruces, NM – $3,3008 – 5 – 22* – Drake Troutman – Hyndman, PA – $2,3009 – 14 – 99 – Devin Moran – Dresden, OH – $3,60010 – 9 – 3S – Brian Shirley – Chatham, IL – $3,07111 – 12 – 60 – Dan Ebert – Lake Shore, MN – $2,90012 – 11 – 13 – Dallon Murty – Chelsea, IA – $1,80013 – 20 – 71C – RJ Conley – Wheelersburg, OH – $1,60014 – 23 – 6 – Clay Harris – Jupiter, FL – $2,40015 – 17 – 12J – Jason Jameson – Lawrenceburg, IN – $1,40016 – 16 – 40B – Kyle Bronson – Brandon, FL – $2,20017 – 24 – 19M – Brenden Smith – Dade City, FL – $2,10018 – 19 – 22 – Daniel Hilsabeck – Earlham, IA – $1,10019 – 13 – 93 – Carson Ferguson – Lincolnton, NC – $1,90020 – 22 – 8 – Dillon McCowan – Urbana, MO – $1,90021 – 21 – C4 – Freddie Carpenter – Parkersburg, WV – $1,00022 – 18 – 20TC – Tristan Chamberlain – Richmond, IN – $1,00023 – 2 – 1T – Tyler Erb – New Waverly, TX – $1,10024 – 15 – 28 – Tyler Carpenter – Parkersburg, WV – $1,000 Race Statistics  Entrants: 31Bilstein Shocks Pole Sitter: Brandon SheppardMD3 Lap Leaders: Brandon Sheppard (Laps 1-45); Ricky Thornton, Jr. (Laps 46-50)Hellraizer Jacks Halfway Leader: Brandon SheppardWieland Feature Winner: Ricky Thornton, Jr.Margin of Victory: 0.167 secondsHellraizer Jacks Cautions: Tyler Carpenter (Lap 12); Tyler Erb (Lap 12 restart)MyRacePass Series Provisional: Clay Harris, Brenden SmithFast Time Provisional: Emergency Provisionals: n/aTrack Provisional: n/aBig River Steel Podium Top 3: Ricky Thornton, Jr., Brandon Sheppard, Brandon OvertonPenske Shocks Top 5: Ricky Thornton, Jr., Brandon Sheppard, Brandon Overton, Josh Rice, Max BlairBehrent’s One-Lap-to-Go Top 3: Ricky Thornton, Jr., Brandon Sheppard, Brandon OvertonPEM 4th Place Feature: Josh RiceDiversified Machine 5th Place Feature: Max BlairWilwood Brakes 7th Place Feature: Garrett AlbersonWehrs Machine 11th Place Feature: Dan EbertVelocity Manufacturing 13th Place Feature: RJ ConleyXS Power Batteries 15th Place Feature: Jason JamesonHoker Trucking Hard Charger of the Race: Clay Harris (Advanced 6 positions)MD3 Most Laps Led: Brandon Sheppard (45 Laps)Sunoco Race Fuels Race for Gas Highest Finisher: Ricky Thornton, Jr.Midwest Sheet Metal Spoiler Challenge Point Leader: Devin MoranO’Reilly Auto Parts Rookie of the Race: n/aPro Fabrication Headers Fastest Lap of the Race: Brandon Sheppard | Lap 4 | 14.482 secondsFK Rod Ends Hard Luck Award: Tyler ErbVictory Fuel Power Move of the Race: Ricky Thornton, Jr.Outerwears Crew Chief of the Race: Anthony BurroughsARP Engine Builder of the Race: Clements Race EnginesMiller Welders Chassis Builder of the Race: Longhorn ChassisDirt Draft Fastest in Hot Laps: Brandon Sheppard | 13.0675 secondsTime of Race: 19 minutes 03 seconds Big River Steel Championship Standings Presented by ARP:Pos – Car # – Competitor – Hometown – Points – Earnings1 – 99 – Devin Moran – Dresden, OH – 1625 – $107,5002 – 71 – Hudson O’Neal – Martinsville, IN – 1610 – $85,3003 – 76 – Brandon Overton – Evans, GA – 1530 – $40,7504 – 20RT – Ricky Thornton Jr – Chandler, AZ – 1525 – $50,3505 – 111 – Max Blair – Centerville, PA – 1450 – $34,8716 – 1 – Brandon Sheppard – New Berlin, IL – 1440 – $48,8007 – 6 – Clay Harris – Jupiter, FL – 1375 – $35,1008 – 58 – Garrett Alberson – Las Cruces, NM – 1350 – $29,8009 – 40B – Kyle Bronson – Brandon, FL – 1295 – $20,37510 – 11 – Josh Rice – Crittenden, KY – 1260 – $21,22511 – 3s – Brian Shirley – Chatham, IL – 1245 – $21,67112 – 93 – Carson Ferguson – Lincolnton, NC – 1235 – $22,45013 – 60 – Dan Ebert – Lake Shore, MN – 1205 – $21,87514 – 19M – Brenden Smith – Dade City, FL – 1080 – $15,10015 – 8 – Dillon McCowan – Urbana, MO – 1045 – $11,37516 – 22 – Daniel Hilsabeck – Earlham, IA – 1005 – $14,22517 – 13 – Dallon Murty – Chelsea, IA – 985 – $9,75018 – 93L – Cory Lawler – Hanover, PA – 890 – $9,32519 – C4 – Freddie Carpenter – Parkersburg, WV – 850 – $3,600

Event: Cook Out 400Location: Martinsville Speedway, Ridgeway, VirginiaDate: Sunday, March 29, 2026Start: 3rdFinish: 10thJosh Berry and the No. 21 DEX team continued to build momentum Sunday at Martinsville Speedway, delivering a 10th-place finish in the Cook Out 400 to back up last week’s encouraging run at Darlington Raceway.Berry also collected nine stage points, bringing his total to 36 for the day and vaulting him seven positions in the standings to 25th.After a strong showing in practice and qualifying on Saturday, Berry rolled off third and maintained that position throughout the opening 80-lap stage to earn eight stage points.In the second stage, Berry slipped back slightly but remained inside the top 10, finishing 10th to add another point to his total.The final stage tested both driver and team, but Berry navigated it cleanly. Early in the run, he avoided a potential incident during a tight three-wide battle, keeping the No. 21 DEX Mustang Dark Horse pointed in the right direction and settling into 13th.Crew chief Miles Stanley and the DEX team opted for a long-run strategy during green-flag pit stops, allowing Berry to cycle to the lead on Lap 292 and pace the field for two laps before making his stop.Back on track in 13th, Berry worked his way forward over the closing laps, gaining three positions in the final 70 circuits to secure his second top-10 finish of the season, joining a ninth-place result in the season-opening DAYTONA 500.Following the off-weekend for Easter, Berry and the No. 21 team return to action at Bristol Motor Speedway for the Food City 500 on April 12.

NASCAR Cup Series Martinsville Speedway Cook Out 400 Team Chevy Post-Race Report March 29, 2026

MEDIA RESOURCES: Photo Gallery | Race AdvancesChevrolet Newsroom

·        Chase Elliott took Chevrolet on its first trip to victory lane in the NASCAR Cup Series this season – claiming the checkered flag in the Cook Out 400 at Martinsville Speedway. It also marks the first triumph for the new Camaro ZL1 racecar, which made its point-paying competition debut last month at Daytona International Speedway. ·        Taking the green flag from the 10th starting position, it was a call from atop the No. 9 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet pit box in the final stage that put the team in contention. Opting to short-pit the final green flag pit cycle, crew chief Alan Gustafson brought the Dawsonville, Georgia, native to pit road on Lap 261. Maintaining position near the front of the field, Elliott earned a spot on the front-row for the restart with 67 laps to go – ultimately taking the lead and never looking back en route to his 22nd career win at NASCAR’s highest level.  ·        Elliott’s victory – Chevrolet’s 882nd all-time in NASCAR’s premier series – extends the manufacturer’s series-leading record to 63 all-time wins in the division at Martinsville Speedway, keeping the .526-mile Virginia venue the Bowtie brand’s most successful track on the NASCAR circuit.  ·        Chevrolet is the first manufacturer to drive to a weekend sweep this season, with JR Motorsports’ Justin Allgaier taking the win in yesterday’s NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series race to keep the Bowtie brand undefeated in the division with seven-straight victories.  RACE RECAP:  Stage One: Defending Martinsville winner, William Byron, flexed the speed of his No. 24 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet during Saturday’s qualifying session – securing a front-row starting spot for the Cook Out 400. Taking the green flag for the opening 80-lap stage, the leaders quickly settled into a single-file formation as Byron found his spot in the runner-up position. It was just shy of the halfway point of Stage One that the leaders approached lap traffic, allowing Byron to quickly close the gap to then race leader, Denny Hamlin, and successfully make the pass for the top position on Lap 40 to lead his first laps of the race. A title battle between the pair saw Byron lead Team Chevy to the first green-white checkered flag with second-place stage points.   Stage Two: With most of the opening stage going caution-free, the stage break presented the first opportunity for teams to hit pit road. A quiet driver behind the wheel for the first run, Byron reported that he had a similar feeling in handling from yesterday’s practice session, with his 5/8-mark being where he was struggling the most. With a call for four tires, fuel and an air pressure adjustment, the No. 24 pit crew kept the team’s track position to line up on the front-row for the start of Stage Two. Electing the top lane proved to challenge for Byron, ultimately falling to the fifth position when he found a gap to fill on the bottom lane. But the run was short-lived as the first natural caution of the day flew at Lap 105. With a mix of pit strategy mid-pack, Kyle Larson was among the group of drivers to make their second trip to pit road. Lining up in the 16th position, fresh tires paid dividends for the No. 5 team with Larson quickly climbing up the leaderboard to make his first appearance in the top-10 on Lap 129. The reigning champion went on to drive to the ninth position to take the second green-white checkered flag, joining fellow Team Chevy drivers, Byron and Shane van Gisbergen, who were among the group of drivers to earn points in both stages.  Final Stage: Progressively seeing gains in the handling of his No. 5 Chevrolet, crew chief Cliff Daniels called his driver to pit road under the stage break for four tires, fuel and an air pressure adjustment. A monstrous stop by the pit crew saw Larson make the biggest gain in the race off pit road among the top-10 drivers to line up in the sixth position to take the green flag for the final stage. Enduring a long green flag run to start the stage, Larson, Byron and Van Gisbergen sat strong in top-10 running positions as the field approached the first green flag pit cycle of the race. The lead pack were among teams to stretch the run the furthest, with Larson giving up the seventh position to make his way to pit road with 118 laps to go. With the cycle complete 10 laps later, it was Chase Elliott that capitalized on a short-pit strategy to make his way into the top position to lead the team’s first laps of the day. While on an alternate strategy, Elliott was still able to maintain the second position as the race fell under caution flag conditions at Lap 312 for debris. While much of the field opted for a trip to pit road, a gamble from atop the No. 1 Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet team’s pit box saw Ross Chastain inherit the top position to lead the field to the restart. Despite having 30-lap older tires, Chastain was able to muscle his Chevrolet to the lead before a stack-up mid-pack led to another caution the following lap. With a pair of Chevrolet’s sitting on the front row for the restart, it was Elliott’s fresher tires that helped propel the No. 9 Chevrolet back to the lead as the race closed in on 60 laps to go. Elliott pulled away to a nearly one-second lead over the next 25-lap run as lap traffic was on the horizon. Elliott was able to masterfully maneuver through traffic to hold onto the top position and take his first checkered flag of the 2026 NASCAR Cup Series season.

Team Chevy Unofficial Top-10 ResultsPos.     Driver 1st – Chase Elliott5th – William Byron9th – Kyle Larson Chevrolet’s season statistics with seven NASCAR Cup Series races complete: Wins: 1Poles: 1Top-Fives: 13Top 10s: 23Stage Wins: 2

The 2026 NASCAR Cup Series season continues in two weeks at Bristol Motor Speedway with the Food City 500 on Sunday, April 12, at 3 P.M. ET. Live coverage can be found on FS1, PRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90.

Post-Race Driver Quotes: Ross Chastain, No. 1 Trackhouse Racing ChevroletFinished: 16th “It was hard to pass today so track position was extremely important, obviously. We made a couple of calls to gain track position in our SafetyCulture Chevrolet which helped. There were a few different strategies in play today but overall, I feel like our car got better it was just so hard to pass. I’m looking forward to the off weekend and getting back in the car at Bristol.”   Austin Dillon, No. 3 Richard Childress Racing ChevroletFinished: 25th“We had a really fast Dow Coatings/Behr Chevrolet by the end of the race, so it’s unfortunate that our day played out the way it did. It’s taken us a lot of laps to get our car dialed in here, and we’re not sure if that’s because of the way the rubber lays down or what, but we will reset and figure it out. We opted to stay out instead of pit during a caution in Stage 1 and all of the cars behind us pitted, which ultimately caused us to lose track position and put us behind the rest of the race. This team is gritty and we won’t give up.”   Kyle Busch, No. 8 Richard Childress Racing ChevroletFinished: 24th“This wasn’t the weekend for the No. 8 FICO Chevrolet here at Martinsville Speedway. From practice to qualifying to the race this afternoon we battled a loose car. The team never quit and now we’ll take what we’ve learned through the initial weeks of the season back to Welcome, NC, regroup and look to rebound after the week off.”   Chase Elliott, No. 9 Hendrick Motorsports ChevroletFinished: 1stAlan Gustafson (crew chief) made a great pit call to get you the track position. How did you find a way to hold off Denny Hamlin?“It was definitely a team effort. That was awesome. We’ve never had a win this early in the season. Just a really great team effort. So proud of Alan (Gustafson, crew chief) and the whole No. 9 UniFirst Chevrolet team. They did a great job all day.  We took a gamble. We were going to two-stop that last stage. I honestly think it was going to work out good for us either way. Just so proud of this team. Man, they put up with a lot (smiling). They have to put up with me all the time, and I just appreciate them for sticking with me. It’s lot of fun when days like this work out. Thank you to everybody at Hendrick Motorsports, Mr. Hendrick, Chevrolet and all of our partners for the support.”  When the caution came out, what went through your mind?“Yeah, I mean, this whole deal is really weird the way it all works. I told them there around half or three-quarters of the way through that I really didn’t dislike my balance, I just wish I could control my runs a little better. Fortunately, we got to lead on that last restart and fell into a really good pace. I think we probably needed a little bit more to be just the absolute best outright. We were really close. We were able to manage and save enough to get through traffic there at the end. It’s really cool when this stuff works out. To win these races is so tough. Just really grateful for the opportunity, as always. I never take it for granted. Trust me, this is a dream come true for me.”   William Byron, No. 24 Hendrick Motorsports ChevroletFinished: 5th “We restarted ninth there and had to methodically work our way forward. I thought our No. 24 Cincinnati Chevy was pretty good that last run. The last two runs were probably our best runs of the day, so it was just about trying to manage that. I just tried to get as many spots as I could. Overall, I thought it was a good day. We had a mishap on pit road, and then those guys got the caution there with the two-stop and it kind of changed a lot of things.”    Austin Hill, No. 33 Richard Childress Racing ChevroletFinished: 33rd“Overall not a great day for our United Rentals team. Going out first in qualifying hurt us with our starting position and when you start deep in the field here at Martinsville, it’s a battle to not go down a lap early. Our Chevrolet initially fired off on the loose side and we made changes to tighten the car up. After the second stop, the balance swung the other way with being too tight and we couldn’t get it back to a neutral spot. Stage 3 was just eventful with a loose wheel under our green flag stop and then being involved in an accident. Hate it for our team, everyone at RCR, and our partners but we’ll work hard to be better next time.”    Michael McDowell, No. 71 Spire Motorsports ChevroletFinished: 18th “It was just an average day for this No. 71 Delaware Life Chevrolet team. We had good execution, but we just didn’t have enough speed. I just felt like we ran 20th all day long. We were 28th in practice, qualified 20th and finished 18th. We just didn’t have it this weekend, speed-wise. I felt like we executed well and did everything we needed to on pit road, but it just didn’t work out. Thank you to Spire Motorsports, Delaware Life and Chevrolet for the support. We’ll regroup over the off weekend and get ready for Bristol in a few weeks.”    Shane van Gisbergen, No. 97 Trackhouse Racing ChevroletFinished: 11th “Ran in the top 10 all day but lacked overall grip and wasn’t able to hold position on the restarts. The 97 team brought a fast SuperFile Chevrolet, just wish we could’ve gotten a top 10 result. Collected some stage points and had a lot of fun! Great progress heading into the off weekend.”

NASCAR Cup SeriesMartinsville SpeedwayCook Out 400Team Chevy Post-Race ReportMarch 29, 2026

Chase Elliott Drives Chevrolet to First Win of the 2026 NASCAR Cup Series Season at Martinsville Speedway

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·        Chase Elliott took Chevrolet on its first trip to victory lane in the NASCAR Cup Series this season – claiming the checkered flag in the Cook Out 400 at Martinsville Speedway. It also marks the first triumph for the new Camaro ZL1 racecar, which made its point-paying competition debut last month at Daytona International Speedway. ·        Taking the green flag from the 10th starting position, it was a call from atop the No. 9 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet pit box in the final stage that put the team in contention. Opting to short-pit the final green flag pit cycle, crew chief Alan Gustafson brought the Dawsonville, Georgia, native to pit road on Lap 261. Maintaining position near the front of the field, Elliott earned a spot on the front-row for the restart with 67 laps to go – ultimately taking the lead and never looking back en route to his 22nd career win at NASCAR’s highest level.  ·        Elliott’s victory – Chevrolet’s 882nd all-time in NASCAR’s premier series – extends the manufacturer’s series-leading record to 63 all-time wins in the division at Martinsville Speedway, keeping the .526-mile Virginia venue the Bowtie brand’s most successful track on the NASCAR circuit.  ·        Chevrolet is the first manufacturer to drive to a weekend sweep this season, with JR Motorsports’ Justin Allgaier taking the win in yesterday’s NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series race to keep the Bowtie brand undefeated in the division with seven-straight victories.  RACE RECAP:  Stage One: Defending Martinsville winner, William Byron, flexed the speed of his No. 24 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet during Saturday’s qualifying session – securing a front-row starting spot for the Cook Out 400. Taking the green flag for the opening 80-lap stage, the leaders quickly settled into a single-file formation as Byron found his spot in the runner-up position. It was just shy of the halfway point of Stage One that the leaders approached lap traffic, allowing Byron to quickly close the gap to then race leader, Denny Hamlin, and successfully make the pass for the top position on Lap 40 to lead his first laps of the race. A title battle between the pair saw Byron lead Team Chevy to the first green-white checkered flag with second-place stage points.   Stage Two: With most of the opening stage going caution-free, the stage break presented the first opportunity for teams to hit pit road. A quiet driver behind the wheel for the first run, Byron reported that he had a similar feeling in handling from yesterday’s practice session, with his 5/8-mark being where he was struggling the most. With a call for four tires, fuel and an air pressure adjustment, the No. 24 pit crew kept the team’s track position to line up on the front-row for the start of Stage Two. Electing the top lane proved to challenge for Byron, ultimately falling to the fifth position when he found a gap to fill on the bottom lane. But the run was short-lived as the first natural caution of the day flew at Lap 105. With a mix of pit strategy mid-pack, Kyle Larson was among the group of drivers to make their second trip to pit road. Lining up in the 16th position, fresh tires paid dividends for the No. 5 team with Larson quickly climbing up the leaderboard to make his first appearance in the top-10 on Lap 129. The reigning champion went on to drive to the ninth position to take the second green-white checkered flag, joining fellow Team Chevy drivers, Byron and Shane van Gisbergen, who were among the group of drivers to earn points in both stages.  Final Stage: Progressively seeing gains in the handling of his No. 5 Chevrolet, crew chief Cliff Daniels called his driver to pit road under the stage break for four tires, fuel and an air pressure adjustment. A monstrous stop by the pit crew saw Larson make the biggest gain in the race off pit road among the top-10 drivers to line up in the sixth position to take the green flag for the final stage. Enduring a long green flag run to start the stage, Larson, Byron and Van Gisbergen sat strong in top-10 running positions as the field approached the first green flag pit cycle of the race. The lead pack were among teams to stretch the run the furthest, with Larson giving up the seventh position to make his way to pit road with 118 laps to go. With the cycle complete 10 laps later, it was Chase Elliott that capitalized on a short-pit strategy to make his way into the top position to lead the team’s first laps of the day. While on an alternate strategy, Elliott was still able to maintain the second position as the race fell under caution flag conditions at Lap 312 for debris. While much of the field opted for a trip to pit road, a gamble from atop the No. 1 Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet team’s pit box saw Ross Chastain inherit the top position to lead the field to the restart. Despite having 30-lap older tires, Chastain was able to muscle his Chevrolet to the lead before a stack-up mid-pack led to another caution the following lap. With a pair of Chevrolet’s sitting on the front row for the restart, it was Elliott’s fresher tires that helped propel the No. 9 Chevrolet back to the lead as the race closed in on 60 laps to go. Elliott pulled away to a nearly one-second lead over the next 25-lap run as lap traffic was on the horizon. Elliott was able to masterfully maneuver through traffic to hold onto the top position and take his first checkered flag of the 2026 NASCAR Cup Series season.

Team Chevy Unofficial Top-10 ResultsPos.     Driver 1st – Chase Elliott5th – William Byron9th – Kyle Larson Chevrolet’s season statistics with seven NASCAR Cup Series races complete: Wins: 1Poles: 1Top-Fives: 13Top 10s: 23Stage Wins: 2

The 2026 NASCAR Cup Series season continues in two weeks at Bristol Motor Speedway with the Food City 500 on Sunday, April 12, at 3 P.M. ET. Live coverage can be found on FS1, PRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90.

Post-Race Driver Quotes: Ross Chastain, No. 1 Trackhouse Racing ChevroletFinished: 16th “It was hard to pass today so track position was extremely important, obviously. We made a couple of calls to gain track position in our SafetyCulture Chevrolet which helped. There were a few different strategies in play today but overall, I feel like our car got better it was just so hard to pass. I’m looking forward to the off weekend and getting back in the car at Bristol.”   Austin Dillon, No. 3 Richard Childress Racing ChevroletFinished: 25th“We had a really fast Dow Coatings/Behr Chevrolet by the end of the race, so it’s unfortunate that our day played out the way it did. It’s taken us a lot of laps to get our car dialed in here, and we’re not sure if that’s because of the way the rubber lays down or what, but we will reset and figure it out. We opted to stay out instead of pit during a caution in Stage 1 and all of the cars behind us pitted, which ultimately caused us to lose track position and put us behind the rest of the race. This team is gritty and we won’t give up.”   Kyle Busch, No. 8 Richard Childress Racing ChevroletFinished: 24th“This wasn’t the weekend for the No. 8 FICO Chevrolet here at Martinsville Speedway. From practice to qualifying to the race this afternoon we battled a loose car. The team never quit and now we’ll take what we’ve learned through the initial weeks of the season back to Welcome, NC, regroup and look to rebound after the week off.”   Chase Elliott, No. 9 Hendrick Motorsports ChevroletFinished: 1stAlan Gustafson (crew chief) made a great pit call to get you the track position. How did you find a way to hold off Denny Hamlin?“It was definitely a team effort. That was awesome. We’ve never had a win this early in the season. Just a really great team effort. So proud of Alan (Gustafson, crew chief) and the whole No. 9 UniFirst Chevrolet team. They did a great job all day.  We took a gamble. We were going to two-stop that last stage. I honestly think it was going to work out good for us either way. Just so proud of this team. Man, they put up with a lot (smiling). They have to put up with me all the time, and I just appreciate them for sticking with me. It’s lot of fun when days like this work out. Thank you to everybody at Hendrick Motorsports, Mr. Hendrick, Chevrolet and all of our partners for the support.”  When the caution came out, what went through your mind?“Yeah, I mean, this whole deal is really weird the way it all works. I told them there around half or three-quarters of the way through that I really didn’t dislike my balance, I just wish I could control my runs a little better. Fortunately, we got to lead on that last restart and fell into a really good pace. I think we probably needed a little bit more to be just the absolute best outright. We were really close. We were able to manage and save enough to get through traffic there at the end. It’s really cool when this stuff works out. To win these races is so tough. Just really grateful for the opportunity, as always. I never take it for granted. Trust me, this is a dream come true for me.”   William Byron, No. 24 Hendrick Motorsports ChevroletFinished: 5th “We restarted ninth there and had to methodically work our way forward. I thought our No. 24 Cincinnati Chevy was pretty good that last run. The last two runs were probably our best runs of the day, so it was just about trying to manage that. I just tried to get as many spots as I could. Overall, I thought it was a good day. We had a mishap on pit road, and then those guys got the caution there with the two-stop and it kind of changed a lot of things.”    Austin Hill, No. 33 Richard Childress Racing ChevroletFinished: 33rd“Overall not a great day for our United Rentals team. Going out first in qualifying hurt us with our starting position and when you start deep in the field here at Martinsville, it’s a battle to not go down a lap early. Our Chevrolet initially fired off on the loose side and we made changes to tighten the car up. After the second stop, the balance swung the other way with being too tight and we couldn’t get it back to a neutral spot. Stage 3 was just eventful with a loose wheel under our green flag stop and then being involved in an accident. Hate it for our team, everyone at RCR, and our partners but we’ll work hard to be better next time.”    Michael McDowell, No. 71 Spire Motorsports ChevroletFinished: 18th “It was just an average day for this No. 71 Delaware Life Chevrolet team. We had good execution, but we just didn’t have enough speed. I just felt like we ran 20th all day long. We were 28th in practice, qualified 20th and finished 18th. We just didn’t have it this weekend, speed-wise. I felt like we executed well and did everything we needed to on pit road, but it just didn’t work out. Thank you to Spire Motorsports, Delaware Life and Chevrolet for the support. We’ll regroup over the off weekend and get ready for Bristol in a few weeks.”    Shane van Gisbergen, No. 97 Trackhouse Racing ChevroletFinished: 11th “Ran in the top 10 all day but lacked overall grip and wasn’t able to hold position on the restarts. The 97 team brought a fast SuperFile Chevrolet, just wish we could’ve gotten a top 10 result. Collected some stage points and had a lot of fun! Great progress heading into the off weekend.”

CHEVROLET IN THE NTT INDYCAR SERIES Children’s of Alabama Indy Grand Prix2.3-mile, 17-turn Barber Motorsports Park natural terrain road courseBirmingham, AlabamaSunday Race ReportMarch 29, 2026 BIRMINGHAM, Alabama (March 29, 2026) – For the second time in the first four races to start the 2026 NTT INDYCAR SERIES, Christian Lundgaard, in the No. 7 VELO Arrow McLaren Chevrolet, was the highest finishing Team Chevy driver, going from his 10th starting spot to the second step on the podium. The Danish driver was joined in the top ten by fellow Chevrolet-powered drivers David Malukas in the No. 12 Verizon Team Penske Chevrolet, Santino Ferrucci in the No. 14 Homes For Our Troops Chevrolet and Josef Newgarden in the No. 2 PPG Team Penske Chevrolet.  Barber Motorsports Park by the numbers for Team Chevy:  Lundgaard’s second-place finish is the 681st Chevrolet-powered podium all-time and the 367th since the introduction of the 2.2L Twin-Turbo V6 in 2012. The second-place finish is Christian Lundgaard’s 2nd podium of the season and his 8th with Chevrolet power and Arrow McLaren over the last two seasons.Arrow McLaren now has 46 podiums since joining Team Chevy in 2020, tying them with Newman-Haas Racing for third all-time and increasing their hold on second place since the introduction of the 2.2L Twin-Turbo V6 in 2012.  Lundgaard moves to third place in the points standings, leading Chevrolet-powered drivers Malukas in fourth, Newgarden in fifth, Pato O’Ward (Arrow McLaren) in sixth, and Scott McLaughlin (Team Penske) in 7th.

Children’s of Alabama Indy Grand Prix Race Results

Up NextUp next for the NTT INDYCAR SERIES is a trip west to California and the iconic Grand Prix of Long Beach. The 2026 event marks the 42nd time that the NTT INDYCAR SERIES will visit the 1.968-mile, 11-turn, Long Beach street circuit. In 1987, Mario Andretti became the first driver to win with factory-backed Chevrolet power with Newman-Haas Racing.

What they’re saying – Children’s of Alabama Indy Grand Prix Christian Lundgaard, No. 7 VELO Arrow McLaren Chevrolet finished 2nd:  Do you wonder what might have been if there was not a bobble in the pit stop? Did you have something for Palou?  “I think so. You know the pace that we had and just how we were catching him I think so. It’s unfortunate. You know, I think there was a there was a bobble on the pit stop. I don’t know if it was my fault, or if the car went down too fast. But, at the end of the day, I wanted to go out there and repass Graham to make up for that and put make a statement, and, we got it. It’s unfortunate, the guys have done an amazing job and I don’t think that’s really ever happened. One in almost 100 starts, I think it’s okay.  And you’re moving forward up to third in the championship now.  It’s still early. The No. 10 car is still ahead of us, so… Yeah, I think we had a chance to make a difference there today and it’s unfortunate, but I don’t think we can be unhappy with a 10th to 2nd.” David Malukas, No. 12 Verizon Team Penske Chevrolet finished 4th:“It all comes down to the beginning, of choosing a start of the race that was not the right strategy. I think the best we could have had was P3, I think if we could have set up Graham a little bit better at the end, then maybe could have had a podium. Overall, it’s really a good points day for us and Team Penske. We learned a lot., yeah, now we know, we got to stay ahead of the game when it comes to choosing these tires. If we started primaries, who knows, we would have been right up there and it would have been a different battle. But either way, thank you to Team Penske, Verizon and Chevrolet.”

Santino Ferrucci, No. 14 Homes For Our Troops Chevrolet finished 8th:“A really solid result for the team. It was great to have our three Veterans here with us from Homes For Our Troops today and overall, just really happy. I think we executed this weekend to best of our ability. There’s obviously little things here and there that you can nit-pick, but as a whole, getting a top-ten in qualifying and a top-ten in the race really kicks off the momentum for the season, especially considering we haven’t had the best of starts. I’m really proud of our Homes For Our Troops Chevrolet team. The guys have put in a lot of work and it’s great to get a solid result.”Josef Newgarden, No. 2 PPG Team Penske Chevrolet finished 10th:“Tough day for the team. First of all, they did a great job. Good pit stops, good strategy. Stuck with it all day. We were scrapping out there to finish 10th. It was hard for us today. I wasn’t sure we were going to make it to then end. But we did what we could. We just have to analyze everything. Totally different from what I predicted going in-what everyone predicted. The PPG Chevy felt like it had longevity. The tires acted the opposite way it had in the past. So we have to figure out why. We had a fast car. We are all motivated. We have a long way to go so we gave to stay focused.” Alexander Rossi, No. 20 ECR Java House Chevrolet finished 11th:“Well, it was a pretty boring day. We finished where we started. It was a primary tire race for us, so we lost a little bit on the start compared to the guys on alternates. The Java House boys and girls had really good pit stops as well. Our pace was kind of 11th-place-ish, so we received to there. Eleventh is just two ones next to each other, instead of one one. We will try to get one one soon.” Rinus VeeKay, No. 76 Juncos Hollinger Chevrolet finished 14th:“It was a decent race today. We did what we could on strategy to move forward. No yellows and high downforce at a high speed track, it’s really hard to make moves and to get close enough to pass cars. Unfortunately, I had a spin around Lap 35. I was really trying to get that spot to get clear air from there, but I got a little bit too close. I lost a few positions there, but had a good recovery after that. Not the result we were looking for but I think it comes back to qualifying. That’s where we need to find more pace on the Alternates. The Juncos Hollinger Racing Chevy felt great in the race and we did a great job. I’m excited for Long Beach to see if we can get another top ten there.” Scott McLaughlin, No. 3 Odyssey Battery Team Penske Chevrolet finished 16th:“Tough day for us in the Odyssey Battery Chevy. We didn’t quite have the pace on the blacks. It was a little bit better on the red tire, but ultimately just didn’t have the pace in general. Just frustrating because there was a lot of promise. I felt like we were pretty good as the tracks sort of came up, it was it got hotter and hotter. So, we’ve got a little bit of work to do to figure out what went on this weekend. Obviously, my crash didn’t help. But, you know, just gonna move on. We’ve got a lot of work to do on my end.” Pato O’Ward, No. 5 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet finished 17th:“It was a really difficult day for us here at Barber. I don’t have an answer right now as to why we struggled. I’m happy to see the 7 with Christian get a podium; I know they were fighting there for the win. There are things we need to work on as a team, but I’m glad one of the cars from the team was strong. We need to see where we went wrong, but we weren’t all that different than their car, so it was a very confusing day and one of those weekends where I felt helpless inside of the race car. The good thing about getting beat like this is you kick it into a different gear. We’ll be pushing hard to make sure we don’t let something like this happen again.” Nolan Siegel, No. 6 SmartStop Arrow McLaren Chevrolet finished 18th:“Pretty disappointing. We had a really fast car today. The pace was super strong; we were able to pass people. Unfortunately, we had an issue where we couldn’t get all the fuel in the car, so I ended up in big fuel saves and wasn’t able to use that pace. But, positive that the pace was there.” Christian Rasmussen, No. 21 ECR Splenda Chevrolet finished 19th:“It was a tough weekend all around. We just struggled for pace all weekend long. The team worked super hard to turn it around, but we ultimately we couldn’t really find anything that worked well for us. A shoutout to the Splenda pit crew, they did a great job on pit lane today as well as last race weekend, I really appreciate their hard work! We are looking forward to a better weekend in Long Beach. It’s been a pretty tough start to the year for us this time around so we are looking to get that turned around.” Caio Collet, No. 4 Combitrans Amazonia Chevrolet finished 21st:“Honestly, I expected to be a bit quicker. I was struggling — more than what I anticipated — with the balance.  I think overall, it’s a really hard track here to overtake. We had one slow stop that hurt us, and put us on the wrong foot for the rest of the race. But some positives to take away are that we were definitely quite competitive yesterday morning, and also in qualifying, except the mistake that I did yesterday, starting at the back, was not easy. Today, I just need to figure out a little bit more the balance for the race, but we’ll keep pushing.” Sting Ray Robb, No. 77 Juncos Hollinger – Goodheart Chevrolet finished 22nd:“It was an OK day today, I think when it’s an all green race like this it’s difficult to move forward. There is not a lot of opportunity without restarts and yellows. We moved up a few spots and it was just tough for everyone. It was a physical race. Everyone was running as fast as they could the whole time, so it was just a matter of what kind of pace you had and how you could pass. I’m hoping at Long Beach we can repeat what we did last year. Roll off strong and be able to move back up in the points.”

NTT INDYCAR SERIES News ConferenceSunday, March 29, 2026Christian LundgaardPress Conference THE MODERATOR: Christian Lundgaard, as quick as he’s been all weekend. Christian, who led 10 laps today, best finish of the season. Second podium of 2026. 11th career podium. Christian also with a race-high 11 on-track passes today. I know you were hoping for a little bit more, but give us your thoughts on the day. CHRISTIAN LUNDGAARD: Yeah, I mean, everything you just said sounds great except the P2 part. I think we had a race-winning car today. Obviously it’s frustrating, the past many few races, we’ve produced such great race cars on Sunday. We’ve been lacking on Saturday. It’s just frustrating. Obviously you win races on Sunday, so that’s when you need to have a good car. I think we need to put ourselves in better positions. I think even with the pace and how the race panned out today, we had the car to win the race, we had the pace, we had the track position at the time. I’m not really sure what happened in the pit stop. I’m not sure I can really comment too much on it. Again, it’s unfortunate. Obviously came out behind Graham there on the last stint and just wanted to really get that second place for the team, as well. It wasn’t just for me. This is where we were. At least with a bubble on pit road, let’s get the same result, not worse. We had the pace. Got by Graham. That was nice. THE MODERATOR: We’ll open it up for questions. Q.  Going into the pit stop, you were obviously in the lead. Going into that, were you in a position where you felt like you were going to win the race?CHRISTIAN LUNDGAARD: Absolutely. Well, yes and no I guess. I don’t necessarily know what the gaps were. I was just told on the way here we would have cleared him. Then obviously you have to have the track position on the first couple of laps. It’s unknown. From what I’ve been told, we would have cleared him. Q.  How were you able to get back to P2?CHRISTIAN LUNDGAARD: I was very frustrated. It’s fair to be frustrated. It’s a tough position to be in because it’s like one of those unlucky yellows that hurt your entire race progress, right? We had done so good up until then. Again, we finished P2, we shouldn’t be that frustrated. But when you are up against a car that’s been the most competitive and best car in INDYCAR for the past many years, to have a chance to beat him fair and square, that hurts. It’s the position that we’ve tried to be in the past three years. I think we got there today. Really just to miss out on it for something like that is unfortunate. I think there’s a lot of learnings to take from it. Q.  When it comes to your starting position in these races, what has been the issue?CHRISTIAN LUNDGAARD: There’s so many things. Just not getting it right really for many different reasons. It’s just frustrating. We put in so much work. I think the team’s done a phenomenal job in the off-season obviously producing such great race cars. To not get there in qualifying when it really counts. I think this weekend was a big surprise for us. Obviously we were competitive here last year. Just not really getting it in qualifying is frustrating. Obviously we had four qualifying sessions that obviously haven’t been on an oval so far where we’re not transferring in the Firestone Fast Six when I think we should have. You look at the results, we’re right there. Finished third in St. Pete, finished seventh in Arlington even though we got spun on the first lap. We have the race pace. We just need to start further up. Q.  Can you use the frustration of the pit stop to feel your aggressiveness to get some of it back because it really looked like that’s what you did, especially when you were able to track down Graham?CHRISTIAN LUNDGAARD: Yeah, I mean, I’m sure he can answer that question as well. Sometimes I don’t think I need more aggression. I think it’s just naturally there. But it is frustrating. I think for me it was more I just wanted that position just to prove to the team that this is where we belong. It was really more for them than it was for me. That was my mindset: Okay, let’s go get Graham here, and not really focus so much on Malukas behind and the pit stop in general. Let’s go out, reset, focus on getting this position. At the end of the day that was the best result possible for us at the moment. At that time in the race, P2 was the best we could do. Alex was gone. It was just getting that position and get the best result. Q.  It’s still appears this year could still be more wide open than last year when Alex dominated. Do you think you still have that mindset that your team’s better, other guys throughout the field are better, it’s not going to be a walkover like last year?CHRISTIAN LUNDGAARD: Just looking at how the season’s gone so far, Alex is the same Alex as last year. I just do think there are cars and drivers that are showing up more this year than last year. Q.  I think did Louis come over and say something to you. The contact with him early in the race…CHRISTIAN LUNDGAARD: No. I haven’t seen him. I know he congratulated Graham. I was aware that he was going to hold me up as much as he could, yeah. Q.  Before your last pit stop, your team was telling you the options on the tires. Probably put on the primaries to play it safe. Is there any part of you that’s like, Let’s not play it safe, we need to do things that aren’t safe to get this win?CHRISTIAN LUNDGAARD: I think it’s easy to be smart in hindsight. At the end of the day we didn’t do it, so I don’t think we know what the outcome would have been.I can sit here and say now I would have preferred the alternates just to at least have the same balance as I’d had the past two stints. I think the primary tires were way more physical than the alternates were. For that reason, I just wanted the used alts. The two other cars were on the same tires. We’d seen how the used alts had done in the beginning of the race. It didn’t really seem like it was preferred for anyone. I’m not quite sure how many laps we had to do on the last stint. It’s really an if, but or maybe. Q.  You said you were going to try to catch Alex. Had a 13-second lead. Did you think you had a way to catch him?CHRISTIAN LUNDGAARD: He pitted before we did on that third stint. I basically pulled in around four and a half seconds on him on the stints. On my way up here, I was told that the traffic that he had as he came out for the last stint, we would have cleared him on a normal pit stop. Obviously the pace was there to win the race. I think it would have been a fair and square fight on the last stint if that would have been the case. We sit here now and it wasn’t the case, so… I mean, there’s not really much to say to it. I think overall we had a race-winning car today. If we would have started three positions further up, I think our race would have been very different. We need to be better on Saturdays. THE MODERATOR: Congratulations on the podium. CHRISTIAN LUNDGAARD: Thank you. THE MODERATOR: See you in Long Beach. CHRISTIAN LUNDGAARD: Let’s see if we can do that better, too (smiling). Two better.

Chevrolet History at Barber Motorsports Park Chevrolet Wins – 9 2024 – Scott McLaughlin – Team Penske2023 – Scott McLaughlin – Team Penske2022 – Pato O’Ward – Arrow McLaren2018 – Josef Newgarden – Team Penske2017 – Josef Newgarden – Team Penske2016 – Simon Pagenaud – Team Penske2015 – Josef Newgarden – ECR2013 – Ryan Hunter-Reay – Andretti Global2012 – Will Power – Team Penske Chevrolet Poles – 10 2024 – Scott McLaughlin – Team Penske2022 – Rinus VeeKay – ECR2021 – Pato O’Ward – Arrow McLaren2018 – Josef Newgarden – Team Penske2017 – Will Power – Team Penske2016 – Simon Pagenaud – Team Penske2015 – Helio Castroneves – Team Penske2014 – Will Power – Team Penske2013 – Ryan Hunter-Reay – Andretti Global2012 – Helio Castroneves – Team Penske Chevrolet Podiums: 21 Driver Podiums: Josef Newgarden (4), Will Power (4), Scott McLaughlin (3), Scott Dixon (2), Helio Castroneves (2), Christian Lundgaard (2), Simon Pagenaud (2), Ryan Hunter-Reay (1), Pato O’Ward (1), Rinus VeeKay (1) Team Podiums: Team Penske (13), Arrow McLaren (3), ECR (3), Chip Ganassi Racing (2), Andretti Global (1) Chevrolet Laps Led: 709 Driver Laps Led: Josef Newgarden (141), Will Power (114), Simon Pagenaud (87), Helio Castroneves (73), Rinus VeeKay (58), Pato O’Ward (52), Santino Ferrucci (14), Sebastian Saavedra (11), Christian Lundgaard (10), Sebastien Bourdais (6), Scott Dixon (3), James Hinchcliffe (1) Team Laps Led: Team Penske (455), ECR (104), Arrow McLaren (62), Andretti Global (54), KV Racing Technology (13), A.J. Foyt Racing (18), Chip Ganassi Racing (3),  Manufacturer History at Phoenix International Raceway Wins (with competition)  9 – Chevrolet (2024, 2023, 2022, 2018, 2017, 2016, 2015, 2013, 2012)5 – Honda (2026, 2025, 2021, 2019, 2014) Poles (with competition)  10 – Chevrolet (2024, 2022, 2021, 2018, 2017, 2016, 2015, 2014, 2013, 2012)3 – Honda (2025, 2023, 2019) Historical Chevrolet in the INDYCAR SERIES information• INDYCAR SERIES Manufacturer Championships (since 1979)• Chevrolet-Powered Wins in the Twin-Turbo 2.2L V6 Era (2012-present)• Chevrolet-Powered Wins – All-Time

CHEVROLET IN THE NTT INDYCAR SERIESChildren’s of Alabama Indy Grand Prix2.3-mile, 17-turn Barber Motorsports Park natural terrain road courseBirmingham, AlabamaSunday Race ReportMarch 29, 2026 BIRMINGHAM, Alabama (March 29, 2026) – For the second time in the first four races to start the 2026 NTT INDYCAR SERIES, Christian Lundgaard, in the No. 7 VELO Arrow McLaren Chevrolet, was the highest finishing Team Chevy driver, going from his 10th starting spot to the second step on the podium. The Danish driver was joined in the top ten by fellow Chevrolet-powered drivers David Malukas in the No. 12 Verizon Team Penske Chevrolet, Santino Ferrucci in the No. 14 Homes For Our Troops Chevrolet and Josef Newgarden in the No. 2 PPG Team Penske Chevrolet.  Barber Motorsports Park by the numbers for Team Chevy:  Lundgaard’s second-place finish is the 681st Chevrolet-powered podium all-time and the 367th since the introduction of the 2.2L Twin-Turbo V6 in 2012. The second-place finish is Christian Lundgaard’s 2nd podium of the season and his 8th with Chevrolet power and Arrow McLaren over the last two seasons.Arrow McLaren now has 46 podiums since joining Team Chevy in 2020, tying them with Newman-Haas Racing for third all-time and increasing their hold on second place since the introduction of the 2.2L Twin-Turbo V6 in 2012.  Lundgaard moves to third place in the points standings, leading Chevrolet-powered drivers Malukas in fourth, Newgarden in fifth, Pato O’Ward (Arrow McLaren) in sixth, and Scott McLaughlin (Team Penske) in 7th.

Children’s of Alabama Indy Grand Prix Race Results

Up NextUp next for the NTT INDYCAR SERIES is a trip west to California and the iconic Grand Prix of Long Beach. The 2026 event marks the 42nd time that the NTT INDYCAR SERIES will visit the 1.968-mile, 11-turn, Long Beach street circuit. In 1987, Mario Andretti became the first driver to win with factory-backed Chevrolet power with Newman-Haas Racing.

What they’re saying – Children’s of Alabama Indy Grand Prix Christian Lundgaard, No. 7 VELO Arrow McLaren Chevrolet finished 2nd:  Do you wonder what might have been if there was not a bobble in the pit stop? Did you have something for Palou?  “I think so. You know the pace that we had and just how we were catching him I think so. It’s unfortunate. You know, I think there was a there was a bobble on the pit stop. I don’t know if it was my fault, or if the car went down too fast. But, at the end of the day, I wanted to go out there and repass Graham to make up for that and put make a statement, and, we got it. It’s unfortunate, the guys have done an amazing job and I don’t think that’s really ever happened. One in almost 100 starts, I think it’s okay.  And you’re moving forward up to third in the championship now.  It’s still early. The No. 10 car is still ahead of us, so… Yeah, I think we had a chance to make a difference there today and it’s unfortunate, but I don’t think we can be unhappy with a 10th to 2nd.” David Malukas, No. 12 Verizon Team Penske Chevrolet finished 4th:“It all comes down to the beginning, of choosing a start of the race that was not the right strategy. I think the best we could have had was P3, I think if we could have set up Graham a little bit better at the end, then maybe could have had a podium. Overall, it’s really a good points day for us and Team Penske. We learned a lot., yeah, now we know, we got to stay ahead of the game when it comes to choosing these tires. If we started primaries, who knows, we would have been right up there and it would have been a different battle. But either way, thank you to Team Penske, Verizon and Chevrolet.”

Santino Ferrucci, No. 14 Homes For Our Troops Chevrolet finished 8th:“A really solid result for the team. It was great to have our three Veterans here with us from Homes For Our Troops today and overall, just really happy. I think we executed this weekend to best of our ability. There’s obviously little things here and there that you can nit-pick, but as a whole, getting a top-ten in qualifying and a top-ten in the race really kicks off the momentum for the season, especially considering we haven’t had the best of starts. I’m really proud of our Homes For Our Troops Chevrolet team. The guys have put in a lot of work and it’s great to get a solid result.”Josef Newgarden, No. 2 PPG Team Penske Chevrolet finished 10th:“Tough day for the team. First of all, they did a great job. Good pit stops, good strategy. Stuck with it all day. We were scrapping out there to finish 10th. It was hard for us today. I wasn’t sure we were going to make it to then end. But we did what we could. We just have to analyze everything. Totally different from what I predicted going in-what everyone predicted. The PPG Chevy felt like it had longevity. The tires acted the opposite way it had in the past. So we have to figure out why. We had a fast car. We are all motivated. We have a long way to go so we gave to stay focused.” Alexander Rossi, No. 20 ECR Java House Chevrolet finished 11th:“Well, it was a pretty boring day. We finished where we started. It was a primary tire race for us, so we lost a little bit on the start compared to the guys on alternates. The Java House boys and girls had really good pit stops as well. Our pace was kind of 11th-place-ish, so we received to there. Eleventh is just two ones next to each other, instead of one one. We will try to get one one soon.” Rinus VeeKay, No. 76 Juncos Hollinger Chevrolet finished 14th:“It was a decent race today. We did what we could on strategy to move forward. No yellows and high downforce at a high speed track, it’s really hard to make moves and to get close enough to pass cars. Unfortunately, I had a spin around Lap 35. I was really trying to get that spot to get clear air from there, but I got a little bit too close. I lost a few positions there, but had a good recovery after that. Not the result we were looking for but I think it comes back to qualifying. That’s where we need to find more pace on the Alternates. The Juncos Hollinger Racing Chevy felt great in the race and we did a great job. I’m excited for Long Beach to see if we can get another top ten there.” Scott McLaughlin, No. 3 Odyssey Battery Team Penske Chevrolet finished 16th:“Tough day for us in the Odyssey Battery Chevy. We didn’t quite have the pace on the blacks. It was a little bit better on the red tire, but ultimately just didn’t have the pace in general. Just frustrating because there was a lot of promise. I felt like we were pretty good as the tracks sort of came up, it was it got hotter and hotter. So, we’ve got a little bit of work to do to figure out what went on this weekend. Obviously, my crash didn’t help. But, you know, just gonna move on. We’ve got a lot of work to do on my end.” Pato O’Ward, No. 5 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet finished 17th:“It was a really difficult day for us here at Barber. I don’t have an answer right now as to why we struggled. I’m happy to see the 7 with Christian get a podium; I know they were fighting there for the win. There are things we need to work on as a team, but I’m glad one of the cars from the team was strong. We need to see where we went wrong, but we weren’t all that different than their car, so it was a very confusing day and one of those weekends where I felt helpless inside of the race car. The good thing about getting beat like this is you kick it into a different gear. We’ll be pushing hard to make sure we don’t let something like this happen again.” Nolan Siegel, No. 6 SmartStop Arrow McLaren Chevrolet finished 18th:“Pretty disappointing. We had a really fast car today. The pace was super strong; we were able to pass people. Unfortunately, we had an issue where we couldn’t get all the fuel in the car, so I ended up in big fuel saves and wasn’t able to use that pace. But, positive that the pace was there.” Christian Rasmussen, No. 21 ECR Splenda Chevrolet finished 19th:“It was a tough weekend all around. We just struggled for pace all weekend long. The team worked super hard to turn it around, but we ultimately we couldn’t really find anything that worked well for us. A shoutout to the Splenda pit crew, they did a great job on pit lane today as well as last race weekend, I really appreciate their hard work! We are looking forward to a better weekend in Long Beach. It’s been a pretty tough start to the year for us this time around so we are looking to get that turned around.” Caio Collet, No. 4 Combitrans Amazonia Chevrolet finished 21st:“Honestly, I expected to be a bit quicker. I was struggling — more than what I anticipated — with the balance.  I think overall, it’s a really hard track here to overtake. We had one slow stop that hurt us, and put us on the wrong foot for the rest of the race. But some positives to take away are that we were definitely quite competitive yesterday morning, and also in qualifying, except the mistake that I did yesterday, starting at the back, was not easy. Today, I just need to figure out a little bit more the balance for the race, but we’ll keep pushing.” Sting Ray Robb, No. 77 Juncos Hollinger – Goodheart Chevrolet finished 22nd:“It was an OK day today, I think when it’s an all green race like this it’s difficult to move forward. There is not a lot of opportunity without restarts and yellows. We moved up a few spots and it was just tough for everyone. It was a physical race. Everyone was running as fast as they could the whole time, so it was just a matter of what kind of pace you had and how you could pass. I’m hoping at Long Beach we can repeat what we did last year. Roll off strong and be able to move back up in the points.”

NTT INDYCAR SERIES News ConferenceSunday, March 29, 2026Christian LundgaardPress Conference THE MODERATOR: Christian Lundgaard, as quick as he’s been all weekend. Christian, who led 10 laps today, best finish of the season. Second podium of 2026. 11th career podium. Christian also with a race-high 11 on-track passes today. I know you were hoping for a little bit more, but give us your thoughts on the day. CHRISTIAN LUNDGAARD: Yeah, I mean, everything you just said sounds great except the P2 part. I think we had a race-winning car today. Obviously it’s frustrating, the past many few races, we’ve produced such great race cars on Sunday. We’ve been lacking on Saturday. It’s just frustrating. Obviously you win races on Sunday, so that’s when you need to have a good car. I think we need to put ourselves in better positions. I think even with the pace and how the race panned out today, we had the car to win the race, we had the pace, we had the track position at the time. I’m not really sure what happened in the pit stop. I’m not sure I can really comment too much on it. Again, it’s unfortunate. Obviously came out behind Graham there on the last stint and just wanted to really get that second place for the team, as well. It wasn’t just for me. This is where we were. At least with a bubble on pit road, let’s get the same result, not worse. We had the pace. Got by Graham. That was nice. THE MODERATOR: We’ll open it up for questions. Q.  Going into the pit stop, you were obviously in the lead. Going into that, were you in a position where you felt like you were going to win the race?CHRISTIAN LUNDGAARD: Absolutely. Well, yes and no I guess. I don’t necessarily know what the gaps were. I was just told on the way here we would have cleared him. Then obviously you have to have the track position on the first couple of laps. It’s unknown. From what I’ve been told, we would have cleared him. Q.  How were you able to get back to P2?CHRISTIAN LUNDGAARD: I was very frustrated. It’s fair to be frustrated. It’s a tough position to be in because it’s like one of those unlucky yellows that hurt your entire race progress, right? We had done so good up until then. Again, we finished P2, we shouldn’t be that frustrated. But when you are up against a car that’s been the most competitive and best car in INDYCAR for the past many years, to have a chance to beat him fair and square, that hurts. It’s the position that we’ve tried to be in the past three years. I think we got there today. Really just to miss out on it for something like that is unfortunate. I think there’s a lot of learnings to take from it. Q.  When it comes to your starting position in these races, what has been the issue?CHRISTIAN LUNDGAARD: There’s so many things. Just not getting it right really for many different reasons. It’s just frustrating. We put in so much work. I think the team’s done a phenomenal job in the off-season obviously producing such great race cars. To not get there in qualifying when it really counts. I think this weekend was a big surprise for us. Obviously we were competitive here last year. Just not really getting it in qualifying is frustrating. Obviously we had four qualifying sessions that obviously haven’t been on an oval so far where we’re not transferring in the Firestone Fast Six when I think we should have. You look at the results, we’re right there. Finished third in St. Pete, finished seventh in Arlington even though we got spun on the first lap. We have the race pace. We just need to start further up. Q.  Can you use the frustration of the pit stop to feel your aggressiveness to get some of it back because it really looked like that’s what you did, especially when you were able to track down Graham?CHRISTIAN LUNDGAARD: Yeah, I mean, I’m sure he can answer that question as well. Sometimes I don’t think I need more aggression. I think it’s just naturally there. But it is frustrating. I think for me it was more I just wanted that position just to prove to the team that this is where we belong. It was really more for them than it was for me. That was my mindset: Okay, let’s go get Graham here, and not really focus so much on Malukas behind and the pit stop in general. Let’s go out, reset, focus on getting this position. At the end of the day that was the best result possible for us at the moment. At that time in the race, P2 was the best we could do. Alex was gone. It was just getting that position and get the best result. Q.  It’s still appears this year could still be more wide open than last year when Alex dominated. Do you think you still have that mindset that your team’s better, other guys throughout the field are better, it’s not going to be a walkover like last year?CHRISTIAN LUNDGAARD: Just looking at how the season’s gone so far, Alex is the same Alex as last year. I just do think there are cars and drivers that are showing up more this year than last year. Q.  I think did Louis come over and say something to you. The contact with him early in the race…CHRISTIAN LUNDGAARD: No. I haven’t seen him. I know he congratulated Graham. I was aware that he was going to hold me up as much as he could, yeah. Q.  Before your last pit stop, your team was telling you the options on the tires. Probably put on the primaries to play it safe. Is there any part of you that’s like, Let’s not play it safe, we need to do things that aren’t safe to get this win?CHRISTIAN LUNDGAARD: I think it’s easy to be smart in hindsight. At the end of the day we didn’t do it, so I don’t think we know what the outcome would have been.I can sit here and say now I would have preferred the alternates just to at least have the same balance as I’d had the past two stints. I think the primary tires were way more physical than the alternates were. For that reason, I just wanted the used alts. The two other cars were on the same tires. We’d seen how the used alts had done in the beginning of the race. It didn’t really seem like it was preferred for anyone. I’m not quite sure how many laps we had to do on the last stint. It’s really an if, but or maybe. Q.  You said you were going to try to catch Alex. Had a 13-second lead. Did you think you had a way to catch him?CHRISTIAN LUNDGAARD: He pitted before we did on that third stint. I basically pulled in around four and a half seconds on him on the stints. On my way up here, I was told that the traffic that he had as he came out for the last stint, we would have cleared him on a normal pit stop. Obviously the pace was there to win the race. I think it would have been a fair and square fight on the last stint if that would have been the case. We sit here now and it wasn’t the case, so… I mean, there’s not really much to say to it. I think overall we had a race-winning car today. If we would have started three positions further up, I think our race would have been very different. We need to be better on Saturdays. THE MODERATOR: Congratulations on the podium. CHRISTIAN LUNDGAARD: Thank you. THE MODERATOR: See you in Long Beach. CHRISTIAN LUNDGAARD: Let’s see if we can do that better, too (smiling). Two better.

Chevrolet History at Barber Motorsports Park Chevrolet Wins – 9 2024 – Scott McLaughlin – Team Penske2023 – Scott McLaughlin – Team Penske2022 – Pato O’Ward – Arrow McLaren2018 – Josef Newgarden – Team Penske2017 – Josef Newgarden – Team Penske2016 – Simon Pagenaud – Team Penske2015 – Josef Newgarden – ECR2013 – Ryan Hunter-Reay – Andretti Global2012 – Will Power – Team Penske Chevrolet Poles – 10 2024 – Scott McLaughlin – Team Penske2022 – Rinus VeeKay – ECR2021 – Pato O’Ward – Arrow McLaren2018 – Josef Newgarden – Team Penske2017 – Will Power – Team Penske2016 – Simon Pagenaud – Team Penske2015 – Helio Castroneves – Team Penske2014 – Will Power – Team Penske2013 – Ryan Hunter-Reay – Andretti Global2012 – Helio Castroneves – Team Penske Chevrolet Podiums: 21 Driver Podiums: Josef Newgarden (4), Will Power (4), Scott McLaughlin (3), Scott Dixon (2), Helio Castroneves (2), Christian Lundgaard (2), Simon Pagenaud (2), Ryan Hunter-Reay (1), Pato O’Ward (1), Rinus VeeKay (1) Team Podiums: Team Penske (13), Arrow McLaren (3), ECR (3), Chip Ganassi Racing (2), Andretti Global (1) Chevrolet Laps Led: 709 Driver Laps Led: Josef Newgarden (141), Will Power (114), Simon Pagenaud (87), Helio Castroneves (73), Rinus VeeKay (58), Pato O’Ward (52), Santino Ferrucci (14), Sebastian Saavedra (11), Christian Lundgaard (10), Sebastien Bourdais (6), Scott Dixon (3), James Hinchcliffe (1) Team Laps Led: Team Penske (455), ECR (104), Arrow McLaren (62), Andretti Global (54), KV Racing Technology (13), A.J. Foyt Racing (18), Chip Ganassi Racing (3),  Manufacturer History at Phoenix International Raceway Wins (with competition)  9 – Chevrolet (2024, 2023, 2022, 2018, 2017, 2016, 2015, 2013, 2012)5 – Honda (2026, 2025, 2021, 2019, 2014) Poles (with competition)  10 – Chevrolet (2024, 2022, 2021, 2018, 2017, 2016, 2015, 2014, 2013, 2012)3 – Honda (2025, 2023, 2019) Historical Chevrolet in the INDYCAR SERIES information• INDYCAR SERIES Manufacturer Championships (since 1979)• Chevrolet-Powered Wins in the Twin-Turbo 2.2L V6 Era (2012-present)• Chevrolet-Powered Wins – All-Time

SENOIA, GA (March 28, 2026) – For the second time in as many nights, there’s a new man atop the points table in the World of Outlaws Late Model Series presented by DIRTVision.

Friday night at East Alabama Motor Speedway, Nick Hoffman took the checkers to lead Bobby Pierce by three points. Pierce rolled into Saturday’s stop at Senoia Raceway with the goal of striking back, and he did exactly that with his fourth win of the year in the Billy Clanton Classic.

With 15 laps remaining, the low lane had become the dominant groove, but Pierce went against the grain to the top of Turns 1 and 2 to build some momentum on Hoffman in the lead. Pierce made contact with third-running Ashton Winger as the two met in the middle down the backstretch, but both drivers kept it straight and Pierce remained in second.

Moments later, Hoffman missed the bottom going into Turn 3, leaving a lane open for Pierce to slip by on the bottom and for Winger to follow him through. The battle for the win became Pierce vs. Winger in the closing laps, and Pierce was able to hold off the winner of the last two World of Outlaws races at Senoia for his first win at the Georgia oval.

“When we had that caution, it’s like the rubber went away for a second, at least a couple laps off of [Turn] 2,” Pierce said. “That’s what allowed me to get the run to get to second. Once we caught the lap cars, it was like, ‘Man, it’s either risk it for the biscuit or settle in for second.’ I noticed how bad [Hoffman] was bunched up there behind the lappers.

“Sent it in there, and by that time, my tires were kind of shot and I just drifted for a second and that let Winger in the door. I’ve really got to apologize to him, I chopped his nose off. Plain and simple, I chopped it off. But that’s what it took to get the win, it was either that or finish third or fourth.”

The win was the 46th of Pierce’s career with the World of Outlaws, moving him within two of Shane Clanton in fourth on the all-time wins list. It also has his points lead over Hoffman at three markers going into one of his home tracks at Farmer City Raceway in two weeks.

Behind Pierce, Winger and Hoffman, Chris Madden and Ryan Gustin made up the rest of the top five.

UP NEXT: The World of Outlaws Late Model Series presented by DIRTVision travels to the Midwest for the first time in 2026 for the Illini 100 at Farmer City Raceway, Friday-Saturday, April 10-11. Get your tickets in advance by clicking here.

Want to watch the World of Outlaws? Stream every race live on DIRTVision.

RACE NOTES:

Ashton Winger set the Dirt King Simulators Fastest Hot Lap.

Bobby Pierce won the Simpson Quick Time Award.

Bobby Pierce won Heat 1.

Ashton Winger won STAKT Products Heat 2.

Nick Hoffman won Keyser Manufacturing Heat 3.

Ryan Gustin won Jarrett Rifles Heat 4.

Michael Page and Shane Clanton won the Last Chanec Showdowns.

Ashton Winger won the Bilstein Pole Award.

Ethan Dotson won the FOX Factory Hard Charger Award.

Trey Mills won the MD3 Rookie of the Race Award.

Ashton Winger was the WELD Racing Second-Place Finisher.

Nick Hoffman was the WIX Filters Third-Place Finisher.

Chris Madden was the ARP Fourth-Place Finisher.

Ryan Gustin was the MSD Fifth-Place Finisher.

Tim McCreadie was the Swift Springs Sixth-Place Finisher.

Dustin Sorensen was the Penske Racing Shocks Seventh-Place Finisher.

Trey Mills was VP Racing Fuels Eighth-Place Finisher.

Tristan Chamberlain was the Lifeline Ninth-Place Finisher.

Ethan Dotson was the COMP Cams 10th-Place Finisher.

Luke Morey was the Quarter Master 11th-Place Finisher.

Shane Clanton was the Cometic Gaskets 12th-Place Finisher.

Logan Zarin was the Quarter Master 13th-Place Finisher.

Tyler Erb was the ARP 14th-Place Finisher.

Daulton Wilson was the Arizona Sport Shirts 18th-Place Finisher.

Feature (50 Laps): 1. 32-Bobby Pierce[3]; 2. 12-Ashton Winger[1]; 3. 9-Nick Hoffman[2]; 4. 44-Chris Madden[6]; 5. 19R-Ryan Gustin[4]; 6. 9M-Tim McCreadie[5]; 7. 19-Dustin Sorensen[11]; 8. 14-Trey Mills[14]; 9. 20TC-Tristan Chamberlain[12]; 10. 74X-Ethan Dotson[23]; 11. 49M-Luke Morey[7]; 12. 25-Shane Clanton[18]; 13. 1Z-Logan Zarin[13]; 14. 1-Tyler Erb[9]; 15. 28-Dennis Erb Jr[24]; 16. 16-Sam Seawright[10]; 17. 22*-Drake Troutman[19]; 18. 58V-Daulton Wilson[15]; 19. B1-Brent Larson[21]; 20. T1-Todd Morrow[25]; 21. 21-Mario Gresham[16]; 22. 55E-Eli Johnson[26]; 23. 11-Austin Smith[22]; 24. 22-Chris Ferguson[20]; 25. 49-Jonathan Davenport[8]; 26. 18X-Michael Page[17]

Pierce Reclaims Points Lead with Billy Clanton Classic Victory at Senoia

SENOIA, GA (March 28, 2026) – For the second time in as many nights, there’s a new man atop the points table in the World of Outlaws Late Model Series presented by DIRTVision.

Friday night at East Alabama Motor Speedway, Nick Hoffman took the checkers to lead Bobby Pierce by three points. Pierce rolled into Saturday’s stop at Senoia Raceway with the goal of striking back, and he did exactly that with his fourth win of the year in the Billy Clanton Classic.

With 15 laps remaining, the low lane had become the dominant groove, but Pierce went against the grain to the top of Turns 1 and 2 to build some momentum on Hoffman in the lead. Pierce made contact with third-running Ashton Winger as the two met in the middle down the backstretch, but both drivers kept it straight and Pierce remained in second.

Moments later, Hoffman missed the bottom going into Turn 3, leaving a lane open for Pierce to slip by on the bottom and for Winger to follow him through. The battle for the win became Pierce vs. Winger in the closing laps, and Pierce was able to hold off the winner of the last two World of Outlaws races at Senoia for his first win at the Georgia oval.

“When we had that caution, it’s like the rubber went away for a second, at least a couple laps off of [Turn] 2,” Pierce said. “That’s what allowed me to get the run to get to second. Once we caught the lap cars, it was like, ‘Man, it’s either risk it for the biscuit or settle in for second.’ I noticed how bad [Hoffman] was bunched up there behind the lappers.

“Sent it in there, and by that time, my tires were kind of shot and I just drifted for a second and that let Winger in the door. I’ve really got to apologize to him, I chopped his nose off. Plain and simple, I chopped it off. But that’s what it took to get the win, it was either that or finish third or fourth.”

The win was the 46th of Pierce’s career with the World of Outlaws, moving him within two of Shane Clanton in fourth on the all-time wins list. It also has his points lead over Hoffman at three markers going into one of his home tracks at Farmer City Raceway in two weeks.

Behind Pierce, Winger and Hoffman, Chris Madden and Ryan Gustin made up the rest of the top five.

UP NEXT: The World of Outlaws Late Model Series presented by DIRTVision travels to the Midwest for the first time in 2026 for the Illini 100 at Farmer City Raceway, Friday-Saturday, April 10-11. Get your tickets in advance by clicking here.

Want to watch the World of Outlaws? Stream every race live on DIRTVision.

RACE NOTES:

Ashton Winger set the Dirt King Simulators Fastest Hot Lap.

Bobby Pierce won the Simpson Quick Time Award.

Bobby Pierce won Heat 1.

Ashton Winger won STAKT Products Heat 2.

Nick Hoffman won Keyser Manufacturing Heat 3.

Ryan Gustin won Jarrett Rifles Heat 4.

Michael Page and Shane Clanton won the Last Chanec Showdowns.

Ashton Winger won the Bilstein Pole Award.

Ethan Dotson won the FOX Factory Hard Charger Award.

Trey Mills won the MD3 Rookie of the Race Award.

Ashton Winger was the WELD Racing Second-Place Finisher.

Nick Hoffman was the WIX Filters Third-Place Finisher.

Chris Madden was the ARP Fourth-Place Finisher.

Ryan Gustin was the MSD Fifth-Place Finisher.

Tim McCreadie was the Swift Springs Sixth-Place Finisher.

Dustin Sorensen was the Penske Racing Shocks Seventh-Place Finisher.

Trey Mills was VP Racing Fuels Eighth-Place Finisher.

Tristan Chamberlain was the Lifeline Ninth-Place Finisher.

Ethan Dotson was the COMP Cams 10th-Place Finisher.

Luke Morey was the Quarter Master 11th-Place Finisher.

Shane Clanton was the Cometic Gaskets 12th-Place Finisher.

Logan Zarin was the Quarter Master 13th-Place Finisher.

Tyler Erb was the ARP 14th-Place Finisher.

Daulton Wilson was the Arizona Sport Shirts 18th-Place Finisher.

Feature (50 Laps): 1. 32-Bobby Pierce[3]; 2. 12-Ashton Winger[1]; 3. 9-Nick Hoffman[2]; 4. 44-Chris Madden[6]; 5. 19R-Ryan Gustin[4]; 6. 9M-Tim McCreadie[5]; 7. 19-Dustin Sorensen[11]; 8. 14-Trey Mills[14]; 9. 20TC-Tristan Chamberlain[12]; 10. 74X-Ethan Dotson[23]; 11. 49M-Luke Morey[7]; 12. 25-Shane Clanton[18]; 13. 1Z-Logan Zarin[13]; 14. 1-Tyler Erb[9]; 15. 28-Dennis Erb Jr[24]; 16. 16-Sam Seawright[10]; 17. 22*-Drake Troutman[19]; 18. 58V-Daulton Wilson[15]; 19. B1-Brent Larson[21]; 20. T1-Todd Morrow[25]; 21. 21-Mario Gresham[16]; 22. 55E-Eli Johnson[26]; 23. 11-Austin Smith[22]; 24. 22-Chris Ferguson[20]; 25. 49-Jonathan Davenport[8]; 26. 18X-Michael Page[17]

ARTICLE: https://worldofoutlaws.com/latemodels/pierce-reclaims-points-lead-with-billy-clanton-classic-victory-at-senoia/

The Californian hunts down Timms in traffic and throws a huge last corner slide job to snatch the victoryPARK CITY, KS (March 28, 2026) – Michael “Buddy” Kofoid reminded everyone of one of life’s most valuable lessons on Saturday night: never give up.The World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car main event at Park City, KS’ 81 Speedway looked like it was over at the halfway point. On the 15th lap of 30, Ryan Timms had extended his lead over Kofoid to just north of four seconds. Timms masterfully worked through traffic aboard the Liebig Motorsports No. 10 that looked similar to his dominant Knoxville Nationals title of 2025.But then Kofoid chipped a bit away, and then a little more, and then a little more. Suddenly, the distance between the two had been more than cut in half by Lap 21. It continued to shrink as the final circuits clicked off. When the white flag flew, Kofoid had moved the Roth Motorsports No. 83 within striking distance.The duo motored out of Turn 2 for the last time, and Kofoid built up a run but still faced a deficit of a handful of car lengths. But that didn’t stop the Penngrove, CA native from setting up for a major slide job in the final set of corners that easily cleared. Timms turned off the cushion in an effort to cross him over but couldn’t find the momentum he needed as Kofoid took the checkered flag in one of the wildest finishes we’ll see all year.“When I was that close and then I saw him go to the top, I knew instantly there was a chance,” Kofoid said. “It was just a matter of getting across in time and then blocking him down the straightaway so he couldn’t get under me. When he slid me after the restart and got into the side of me, it actually bent the nerf bar into the pitman arm, so I didn’t even have full steering like the whole race. I thought something in the right front broke because I just could not turn at all, and that’s why he got so far ahead. I think the pitman arm eventually bent the bumper back out of the way to where I could get mostly full range of motion again.”Kofoid became the third multi-time winner of the season, joining David Gravel and Anthony Macri. He’s the ninth different driver to top a race with The Greatest Show on Dirt at 81 Speedway. Kofoid equaled Ron Shuman for 28th on the all-time World of Outlaws win list with his 24th career triumph. The 24-year-old also continued to claw his way back up the standings. After falling as far as sixth in recent weeks, Kofoid moved ahead of Donny Schatz to take the fourth spot.Timms came up a corner short of his second career World of Outlaws checkered flag, but it was a drive that reminded everyone he’s one of the sport’s top young talents that’s going to be around for years to come.Cole Macedo rounded out the podium to cap a strong weekend for he and the TwoC Racing team.Carson Macedo (from 22nd) and Donny Schatz completed the top five.NIGHTLY NOTESDavid Gravel clocked the Race//Ready Hottest Lap of the Night.Gravel also collected his fifth Simpson Quick Time of the year, breaking the 81 Speedway track record with a 12.877 in Honest Abe Roofing Qualifying.Heat Races belonged to Donny Schatz (NOS Energy Drink Heat One), Bill Balog (DIRTVision Heat Two), David Gravel (WIX Filters Heat Three), and Cole Macedo (TheGreatestStoreonDirt.com Heat Four).The SPA Technique #1 Redraw went to Buddy Kofoid.Kofoid also topped the Toyota Dash.Blake Hahn won the Micro-Lite Last Chance Showdown.Carson Macedo took the Jason Johnson Racing No. 41 from 22nd to fourth to earn KSE Racing Products Hard Charger honors.Kasey Jedrzejek was the Five Star Bodies Rookies of the Race.Ryan Timms set the ACME Trading Company Fast Lap.Garet Williamson was the Tub O’ Towels Seventh Place Finisher.The Smith Titanium Brake Systems Break of the Race went to Spencer Bayston.UP NEXT: The World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Series takes Easter weekend off before getting back to work on April 10-11 at Pevely, MO’s I-55 Federated Auto Parts Raceway Park for the Federated Auto Parts Spring Classic. For tickets, CLICK HERE.Where can you 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 (30 Laps): 1. 83-Michael Kofoid[1]; 2. 10-Ryan Timms[2]; 3. 2C-Cole Macedo[7]; 4. 41-Carson Macedo[22]; 5. 15-Donny Schatz[3]; 6. 2-David Gravel[5]; 7. 23-Garet Williamson[10]; 8. 1S-Logan Schuchart[11]; 9. 19-Brent Marks[13]; 10. 18-Sheldon Haudenschild[8]; 11. 17B-Bill Balog[6]; 12. 55-Kerry Madsen[4]; 13. 9-Daison Pursley[12]; 14. 45X-Rees Moran[9]; 15. 7S-Chris Windom[15]; 16. 6-Kasey Jedrzejek[27]; 17. 51-Scott Bogucki[19]; 18. 17-Spencer Bayston[25]; 19. 1A-Ashton Torgerson[20]; 20. 32-Bryce Lucius[18]; 21. (DNF) 27-Emerson Axsom[26]; 22. (DNF) 52-Blake Hahn[21]; 23. (DNF) 12X-Landon Crawley[23]; 24. (DNF) 21-Brian Brown[17]; 25. (DNF) 88R-Ryder Laplante[16]; 26. (DNF) 88-Austin McCarl[14]; 27. (DNS) 95-Matt CovingtonFor complete results, CLICK HERE.ARTICLE: https://worldofoutlaws.com/sprintcars/never-give-up-kofoid-overcomes-huge-gap-to-steal-81-speedway-win-from-timms/EVENT INFO: https://worldofoutlaws.com/sprintcars/results/?event=602844&series=sprintcars TRACK INFO: https://worldofoutlaws.com/sprintcars/tracks/?track=81%2BSpeedwayFAN 101: https://about.worldofoutlaws.com/

The World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink® Sprint Car Series is brought to fans across the country by many important sponsors and partners. Official partners include, NOS Energy Drink (Official Energy Product), DIRTVision (Official Live Broadcast Partner), Federated Auto Parts, Hoosier Racing Tire (Official Tire), iRacing (Official Online Racing Game), Milton Hershey School (Official Education Partner), Racing Electronics (Official Radio Supplier), Simpson Performance Products (Preferred Safety Gear Partner), SIS Insurance (Official Insurance Provider), Toyota (Official Vehicle), and VP Racing (Official Racing Fuel).  Also supported by : ACME Trading Company, AMKUS, ARP (Automotive Racing Products), Cometic Gasket, COMP Cams, Evolve Transporters, FIREBULL, Five Star Bodies, Honest Abe Roofing, Intercomp, J&J Auto Racing, KSE Racing Products (Hard Charger Award), Lifeline USA, Micro-Lite LLC, MSD, Race//Ready, Smith Titanium Brake Systems, SPA Technique, Tub O’ Towels, WELD Racing, and WIX Filters.

BROWNSTOWN, IN (March 28, 2026) – Devin Moran captured his third consecutive Indiana Icebreaker on Saturday night at Brownstown Speedway. The defending Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series National Champion earned $25,000 for his fourth series victory of the season. With the win, Moran now holds the series points lead heading into Sunday night’s race at Atomic Speedway. Ricky Thornton Jr., the defending Jackson 100 champion at Brownstown, passed Max Blair late in the race to finish second. Blair rounded out the Big River Steel Podium in third after starting eighth. Josh Rice, in his first full season with the series, charged from 17th to finish fourth, while Brandon Sheppard completed the top five. Sheppard, a two-time Indiana Icebreaker winner, jumped to the lead at the start of the 50-lap feature and led the opening 14 laps. Moran, who started outside the front row, moved into second on lap six and stayed within striking distance. Following a caution on lap 12, Moran closed in and overtook Sheppard three laps later, then led the remainder of the race. Moran, now a 28-time winner in Lucas Oil Victory Lane, drove from the fourth starting position to secure the victory. “You never really know where to be on the track sometimes,” Moran said. “I felt like I had a really good car on that first run and was closing in on Sheppard, but we never got to lapped traffic. On restarts, he was kind of gapping me, so I knew I needed to make a move there. Once I had open air, I felt like we were going to be fine. I could see Ricky looking underneath me on restarts, but that’s about it.” “In turns three and four, the top was completely gone – it was up over the edge. In turns one and two, there was still a lot left if you entered just right. It was a little choppy, so if you hit it correctly, it might have been faster, but it was also very treacherous. Once I built a gap, there was no reason to take that risk.”Thornton, who won in his last appearance at Brownstown last September, slipped past Blair in the closing laps to secure the runner-up finish. “He (Moran) was really good – he could go wherever he needed to,” Thornton said. “I felt like I needed clean air and had to try something different. It seems like he has a lot more side bite than we do. Their program has been really strong the last couple of years, and now they’re clicking off wins. Hopefully we can improve tomorrow at Atomic.” Blair, who held second from lap 33 until Thornton’s late pass, now has finishes of second and third in his last two Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series races. “I felt like I had a good car today—one we could have won with,” Blair said. “I got to Devin and then just started making mistakes. I think I got out-experienced a little bit. We’ve got a strong race car, so hopefully we can keep the momentum going. I really think I had something for him. He made a great move in lapped traffic, splitting a couple of cars, and I felt like that was the turning point. I probably should have settled back in, but I kept pushing. It seems like Ricky has passed me late for a podium spot a few times this year.” The winning Double Down Motorsports-owned Longhorn Chassis is powered by a Cornett Racing Engine and sponsored by Big River Steel, Millwood Plumbing, C&W Trucking, Phillips CPA, Bomag, Haulin’, Haskell’s, CarSourceAuto.com, Hazen Services, Anthony’s Pizza, Advantage Lawn Care, Red Oak Pub, McHugh Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram, Elliott Farms, and Pee Wee’s Wrecker Service. Completing the top ten were Brandon Sheppard, Hudson O’Neal, Brandon Overton, Brenden Smith, Brian Shirley, and Garrett Alberson. Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series Race Summary 29th Annual Indiana IcebreakerSaturday, March 28, 2026Brownstown Speedway | Brownstown, IN Allstar Performance Time TrialsFast Time Group A: Dan Ebert | 12.773 secondsFast Time Group B: Brandon Sheppard | 12.638 seconds (Overall) Penske Shocks Heat Race #1 Finish (8 Laps, Top 4 Transfer): 1. 20RT-Ricky Thornton Jr[2]; 2. 60-Dan Ebert[1]; 3. 93L-Cory Lawler[3]; 4. 22-Daniel Hilsabeck[5]; 5. 11-Josh Rice[4]; 6. 38JU-Jake Little[7]; 7. 1C-Chad Stapleton[6] Summit Racing Products Heat Race #2 Finish (8 Laps, Top 4 Transfer): 1. 6-Clay Harris[2]; 2. 58-Garrett Alberson[3]; 3. 71-Hudson O’Neal[4]; 4. 4G-Tripp Gerrald[1]; 5. 89-Mike Spatola[5]; 6. (DNS) 48J-Jug Wethington; 7. (DNS) 40B-Kyle Bronson Cool-It Thermo-Tec Heat Race #3 Finish (8 Laps, Top 4 Transfer): 1. 1-Brandon Sheppard[1]; 2. 76-Brandon Overton[3]; 3. 13-Dallon Murty[2]; 4. C4-Freddie Carpenter[6]; 5. 1G-Devin Gilpin[5]; 6. 11C-Tyler Collins[7]; 7. 19M-Brenden Smith[4] Simpson Race Products Heat Race #4 Finish (8 Laps, Top 4 Transfer): 1. 99-Devin Moran[2]; 2. 111-Max Blair[3]; 3. 8-Dillon McCowan[6]; 4. 3S-Brian Shirley[5]; 5. 93-Carson Ferguson[4]; 6. 14M-Willie Madison[7]; 7. 12J-Jason Jameson[1] Fast Shafts B-Main Race #1 Finish (10 Laps, Top 6 Transfer): 1. 11-Josh Rice[1]; 2. 93-Carson Ferguson[4]; 3. 1G-Devin Gilpin[2]; 4. 89-Mike Spatola[3]; 5. 11C-Tyler Collins[6]; 6. 40B-Kyle Bronson[11]; 7. 1C-Chad Stapleton[9]; 8. 48J-Jug Wethington[7]; 9. 38JU-Jake Little[5]; 10. 19M-Brenden Smith[10]; 11. 14M-Willie Madison[8]; 12. 12J-Jason Jameson[12] 29th Annual Indiana Icebreaker Feature Finish (50 Laps):Pos – Start – Car # – Competitor – Hometown – Earnings1 – 4 – 99 – Devin Moran – Dresden, OH – $26,3002 – 1 – 20RT – Ricky Thornton Jr – Chandler, AZ – $11,3003 – 8 – 111 – Max Blair – Centerville, PA – $6,9004 – 17 – 11 – Josh Rice – Crittenden, KY – $4,9005 – 2 – 1 – Brandon Sheppard – New Berlin, IL – $4,4006 – 11 – 71 – Hudson O’Neal – Martinsville, IN – $4,1007 – 6 – 76 – Brandon Overton – Evans, GA – $3,4008 – 23 – 19M – Brenden Smith – Dade City, FL – $3,2009 – 16 – 3S – Brian Shirley – Chatham, IL – $3,10010 – 7 – 58 – Garrett Alberson – Las Cruces, NM – $3,00011 – 20 – 89 – Mike Spatola – Manhattan, IL – $2,00012 – 22 – 40B – Kyle Bronson – Brandon, FL – $2,80013 – 3 – 6 – Clay Harris – Jupiter, FL – $2,70014 – 18 – 93 – Carson Ferguson – Lincolnton, NC – $2,60015 – 24 – 12J – Jason Jameson – Lawrenceburg, IN – $1,60016 – 14 – C4 – Freddie Carpenter – Parkersburg, WV – $1,50017 – 10 – 13 – Dallon Murty – Chelsea, IA – $1,50018 – 5 – 60 – Dan Ebert – Lake Shore, MN – $2,40019 – 9 – 93L – Cory Lawler – Hanover, PA – $1,50020 – 12 – 8 – Dillon McCowan – Urbana, MO – $2,40021 – 13 – 22 – Daniel Hilsabeck – Earlham, IA – $1,50022 – 19 – 1G – Devin Gilpin – Columbus, IN – $1,50023 – 21 – 11C – Tyler Collins – North Vernon, IN – $1,50024 – 15 – 4G – Tripp Gerrald – Versailles, KY – $1,500 Race Statistics  Entrants: 28Bilstein Shocks Pole Sitter: Ricky Thornton, Jr.MD3 Lap Leaders: Brandon Sheppard (Laps 1-14); Devin Moran (Laps 15-50)Hellraizer Jacks Halfway Leader: Devin MoranWieland Feature Winner: Devin MoranMargin of Victory: 1.633 secondsHellraizer Jacks Cautions: Tyler Collins (Initial Start); Tripp Gerrald, Tyler Collins (Lap 7); Cory Lawler, Brian Shirley, Tyler Collins, Freddie Carpenter (Lap 8); Tripp Gerrald, Tyler Collins, Kyle Bronson, Daniel Hilsabeck (Lap 9); Dillon McCowan (Lap 12); Cory Lawler (Lap 17); Dan Ebert, Dillon McCowan, Daniel Hilsabeck (Lap 31)MyRacePass Series Provisional: Brenden SmithFast Time Provisional: Jason JamesonEmergency Provisionals: n/aTrack Provisional: n/aBig River Steel Podium Top 3: Devin Moran, Ricky Thornton, Jr., Max BlairPenske Shocks Top 5: Devin Moran, Ricky Thornton, Jr., Max Blair, Josh Rice, Brandon SheppardBehrent’s One-Lap-to-Go Top 3: Devin Moran, Ricky Thornton, Jr., Max BlairPEM 4th Place Feature: Josh RiceDiversified Machine 5th Place Feature: Brandon SheppardWilwood Brakes 7th Place Feature: Brandon OvertonWehrs Machine 11th Place Feature: Mike SpatolaVelocity Manufacturing 13th Place Feature: Clay HarrisXS Power Batteries 15th Place Feature: Jason JamesonHoker Trucking Hard Charger of the Race: Brenden Smith (Advanced 15 positions)MD3 Most Laps Led: Devin Moran (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: Brandon Sheppard | Lap 1 | 14.858 secondsFK Rod Ends Hard Luck Award: Clay HarrisVictory Fuel Power Move of the Race: Devin MoranOuterwears 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: Brandon Sheppard | 12.782 secondsTime of Race: 38 minutes 36 seconds Big River Steel Championship Standings Presented by ARP:Pos – Car # – Competitor – Hometown – Points – Earnings1 – 99 – Devin Moran – Dresden, OH – 1440 – $103,9002 – 71 – Hudson O’Neal – Martinsville, IN – 1410 – $81,5003 – 76 – Brandon Overton – Evans, GA – 1310 – $34,8504 – 20RT – Ricky Thornton Jr – Chandler, AZ – 1275 – $34,0505 – 111 – Max Blair – Centerville, PA – 1245 – $30,9006 – 6 – Clay Harris – Jupiter, FL – 1215 – $32,6007 – 1 – Brandon Sheppard – New Berlin, IL – 1210 – $40,9008 – 58 – Garrett Alberson – Las Cruces, NM – 1145 – $26,5009 – 40B – Kyle Bronson – Brandon, FL – 1145 – $18,17510 – 93 – Carson Ferguson – Lincolnton, NC – 1100 – $20,55011 – 3s – Brian Shirley – Chatham, IL – 1065 – $18,60012 – 11 – Josh Rice – Crittenden, KY – 1050 – $16,32513 – 60 – Dan Ebert – Lake Shore, MN – 1030 – $18,97514 – 19M – Brenden Smith – Dade City, FL – 935 – $13,00015 – 8 – Dillon McCowan – Urbana, MO – 915 – $9,47516 – 22 – Daniel Hilsabeck – Earlham, IA – 865 – $13,12517 – 13 – Dallon Murty – Chelsea, IA – 815 – $7,95018 – 93L – Cory Lawler – Hanover, PA – 775 – $9,22519 – C4 – Freddie Carpenter – Parkersburg, WV – 725 – $2,600

Moran Wins Third Straight Indiana Icebreaker at Brownstown

BROWNSTOWN, IN (March 28, 2026) – Devin Moran captured his third consecutive Indiana Icebreaker on Saturday night at Brownstown Speedway. The defending Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series National Champion earned $25,000 for his fourth series victory of the season. With the win, Moran now holds the series points lead heading into Sunday night’s race at Atomic Speedway. Ricky Thornton Jr., the defending Jackson 100 champion at Brownstown, passed Max Blair late in the race to finish second. Blair rounded out the Big River Steel Podium in third after starting eighth. Josh Rice, in his first full season with the series, charged from 17th to finish fourth, while Brandon Sheppard completed the top five. Sheppard, a two-time Indiana Icebreaker winner, jumped to the lead at the start of the 50-lap feature and led the opening 14 laps. Moran, who started outside the front row, moved into second on lap six and stayed within striking distance. Following a caution on lap 12, Moran closed in and overtook Sheppard three laps later, then led the remainder of the race. Moran, now a 28-time winner in Lucas Oil Victory Lane, drove from the fourth starting position to secure the victory. “You never really know where to be on the track sometimes,” Moran said. “I felt like I had a really good car on that first run and was closing in on Sheppard, but we never got to lapped traffic. On restarts, he was kind of gapping me, so I knew I needed to make a move there. Once I had open air, I felt like we were going to be fine. I could see Ricky looking underneath me on restarts, but that’s about it.” “In turns three and four, the top was completely gone – it was up over the edge. In turns one and two, there was still a lot left if you entered just right. It was a little choppy, so if you hit it correctly, it might have been faster, but it was also very treacherous. Once I built a gap, there was no reason to take that risk.”Thornton, who won in his last appearance at Brownstown last September, slipped past Blair in the closing laps to secure the runner-up finish. “He (Moran) was really good – he could go wherever he needed to,” Thornton said. “I felt like I needed clean air and had to try something different. It seems like he has a lot more side bite than we do. Their program has been really strong the last couple of years, and now they’re clicking off wins. Hopefully we can improve tomorrow at Atomic.” Blair, who held second from lap 33 until Thornton’s late pass, now has finishes of second and third in his last two Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series races. “I felt like I had a good car today—one we could have won with,” Blair said. “I got to Devin and then just started making mistakes. I think I got out-experienced a little bit. We’ve got a strong race car, so hopefully we can keep the momentum going. I really think I had something for him. He made a great move in lapped traffic, splitting a couple of cars, and I felt like that was the turning point. I probably should have settled back in, but I kept pushing. It seems like Ricky has passed me late for a podium spot a few times this year.” The winning Double Down Motorsports-owned Longhorn Chassis is powered by a Cornett Racing Engine and sponsored by Big River Steel, Millwood Plumbing, C&W Trucking, Phillips CPA, Bomag, Haulin’, Haskell’s, CarSourceAuto.com, Hazen Services, Anthony’s Pizza, Advantage Lawn Care, Red Oak Pub, McHugh Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram, Elliott Farms, and Pee Wee’s Wrecker Service. Completing the top ten were Brandon Sheppard, Hudson O’Neal, Brandon Overton, Brenden Smith, Brian Shirley, and Garrett Alberson. Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series Race Summary 29th Annual Indiana IcebreakerSaturday, March 28, 2026Brownstown Speedway | Brownstown, IN Allstar Performance Time TrialsFast Time Group A: Dan Ebert | 12.773 secondsFast Time Group B: Brandon Sheppard | 12.638 seconds (Overall) Penske Shocks Heat Race #1 Finish (8 Laps, Top 4 Transfer): 1. 20RT-Ricky Thornton Jr[2]; 2. 60-Dan Ebert[1]; 3. 93L-Cory Lawler[3]; 4. 22-Daniel Hilsabeck[5]; 5. 11-Josh Rice[4]; 6. 38JU-Jake Little[7]; 7. 1C-Chad Stapleton[6] Summit Racing Products Heat Race #2 Finish (8 Laps, Top 4 Transfer): 1. 6-Clay Harris[2]; 2. 58-Garrett Alberson[3]; 3. 71-Hudson O’Neal[4]; 4. 4G-Tripp Gerrald[1]; 5. 89-Mike Spatola[5]; 6. (DNS) 48J-Jug Wethington; 7. (DNS) 40B-Kyle Bronson Cool-It Thermo-Tec Heat Race #3 Finish (8 Laps, Top 4 Transfer): 1. 1-Brandon Sheppard[1]; 2. 76-Brandon Overton[3]; 3. 13-Dallon Murty[2]; 4. C4-Freddie Carpenter[6]; 5. 1G-Devin Gilpin[5]; 6. 11C-Tyler Collins[7]; 7. 19M-Brenden Smith[4] Simpson Race Products Heat Race #4 Finish (8 Laps, Top 4 Transfer): 1. 99-Devin Moran[2]; 2. 111-Max Blair[3]; 3. 8-Dillon McCowan[6]; 4. 3S-Brian Shirley[5]; 5. 93-Carson Ferguson[4]; 6. 14M-Willie Madison[7]; 7. 12J-Jason Jameson[1] Fast Shafts B-Main Race #1 Finish (10 Laps, Top 6 Transfer): 1. 11-Josh Rice[1]; 2. 93-Carson Ferguson[4]; 3. 1G-Devin Gilpin[2]; 4. 89-Mike Spatola[3]; 5. 11C-Tyler Collins[6]; 6. 40B-Kyle Bronson[11]; 7. 1C-Chad Stapleton[9]; 8. 48J-Jug Wethington[7]; 9. 38JU-Jake Little[5]; 10. 19M-Brenden Smith[10]; 11. 14M-Willie Madison[8]; 12. 12J-Jason Jameson[12] 29th Annual Indiana Icebreaker Feature Finish (50 Laps):Pos – Start – Car # – Competitor – Hometown – Earnings1 – 4 – 99 – Devin Moran – Dresden, OH – $26,3002 – 1 – 20RT – Ricky Thornton Jr – Chandler, AZ – $11,3003 – 8 – 111 – Max Blair – Centerville, PA – $6,9004 – 17 – 11 – Josh Rice – Crittenden, KY – $4,9005 – 2 – 1 – Brandon Sheppard – New Berlin, IL – $4,4006 – 11 – 71 – Hudson O’Neal – Martinsville, IN – $4,1007 – 6 – 76 – Brandon Overton – Evans, GA – $3,4008 – 23 – 19M – Brenden Smith – Dade City, FL – $3,2009 – 16 – 3S – Brian Shirley – Chatham, IL – $3,10010 – 7 – 58 – Garrett Alberson – Las Cruces, NM – $3,00011 – 20 – 89 – Mike Spatola – Manhattan, IL – $2,00012 – 22 – 40B – Kyle Bronson – Brandon, FL – $2,80013 – 3 – 6 – Clay Harris – Jupiter, FL – $2,70014 – 18 – 93 – Carson Ferguson – Lincolnton, NC – $2,60015 – 24 – 12J – Jason Jameson – Lawrenceburg, IN – $1,60016 – 14 – C4 – Freddie Carpenter – Parkersburg, WV – $1,50017 – 10 – 13 – Dallon Murty – Chelsea, IA – $1,50018 – 5 – 60 – Dan Ebert – Lake Shore, MN – $2,40019 – 9 – 93L – Cory Lawler – Hanover, PA – $1,50020 – 12 – 8 – Dillon McCowan – Urbana, MO – $2,40021 – 13 – 22 – Daniel Hilsabeck – Earlham, IA – $1,50022 – 19 – 1G – Devin Gilpin – Columbus, IN – $1,50023 – 21 – 11C – Tyler Collins – North Vernon, IN – $1,50024 – 15 – 4G – Tripp Gerrald – Versailles, KY – $1,500 Race Statistics  Entrants: 28Bilstein Shocks Pole Sitter: Ricky Thornton, Jr.MD3 Lap Leaders: Brandon Sheppard (Laps 1-14); Devin Moran (Laps 15-50)Hellraizer Jacks Halfway Leader: Devin MoranWieland Feature Winner: Devin MoranMargin of Victory: 1.633 secondsHellraizer Jacks Cautions: Tyler Collins (Initial Start); Tripp Gerrald, Tyler Collins (Lap 7); Cory Lawler, Brian Shirley, Tyler Collins, Freddie Carpenter (Lap 8); Tripp Gerrald, Tyler Collins, Kyle Bronson, Daniel Hilsabeck (Lap 9); Dillon McCowan (Lap 12); Cory Lawler (Lap 17); Dan Ebert, Dillon McCowan, Daniel Hilsabeck (Lap 31)MyRacePass Series Provisional: Brenden SmithFast Time Provisional: Jason JamesonEmergency Provisionals: n/aTrack Provisional: n/aBig River Steel Podium Top 3: Devin Moran, Ricky Thornton, Jr., Max BlairPenske Shocks Top 5: Devin Moran, Ricky Thornton, Jr., Max Blair, Josh Rice, Brandon SheppardBehrent’s One-Lap-to-Go Top 3: Devin Moran, Ricky Thornton, Jr., Max BlairPEM 4th Place Feature: Josh RiceDiversified Machine 5th Place Feature: Brandon SheppardWilwood Brakes 7th Place Feature: Brandon OvertonWehrs Machine 11th Place Feature: Mike SpatolaVelocity Manufacturing 13th Place Feature: Clay HarrisXS Power Batteries 15th Place Feature: Jason JamesonHoker Trucking Hard Charger of the Race: Brenden Smith (Advanced 15 positions)MD3 Most Laps Led: Devin Moran (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: Brandon Sheppard | Lap 1 | 14.858 secondsFK Rod Ends Hard Luck Award: Clay HarrisVictory Fuel Power Move of the Race: Devin MoranOuterwears 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: Brandon Sheppard | 12.782 secondsTime of Race: 38 minutes 36 seconds Big River Steel Championship Standings Presented by ARP:Pos – Car # – Competitor – Hometown – Points – Earnings1 – 99 – Devin Moran – Dresden, OH – 1440 – $103,9002 – 71 – Hudson O’Neal – Martinsville, IN – 1410 – $81,5003 – 76 – Brandon Overton – Evans, GA – 1310 – $34,8504 – 20RT – Ricky Thornton Jr – Chandler, AZ – 1275 – $34,0505 – 111 – Max Blair – Centerville, PA – 1245 – $30,9006 – 6 – Clay Harris – Jupiter, FL – 1215 – $32,6007 – 1 – Brandon Sheppard – New Berlin, IL – 1210 – $40,9008 – 58 – Garrett Alberson – Las Cruces, NM – 1145 – $26,5009 – 40B – Kyle Bronson – Brandon, FL – 1145 – $18,17510 – 93 – Carson Ferguson – Lincolnton, NC – 1100 – $20,55011 – 3s – Brian Shirley – Chatham, IL – 1065 – $18,60012 – 11 – Josh Rice – Crittenden, KY – 1050 – $16,32513 – 60 – Dan Ebert – Lake Shore, MN – 1030 – $18,97514 – 19M – Brenden Smith – Dade City, FL – 935 – $13,00015 – 8 – Dillon McCowan – Urbana, MO – 915 – $9,47516 – 22 – Daniel Hilsabeck – Earlham, IA – 865 – $13,12517 – 13 – Dallon Murty – Chelsea, IA – 815 – $7,95018 – 93L – Cory Lawler – Hanover, PA – 775 – $9,22519 – C4 – Freddie Carpenter – Parkersburg, WV – 725 – $2,600

CHEVROLET IN THE NTT INDYCAR SERIES Children’s of Alabama Indy Grand Prix2.3-mile, 17-turn Barber Motorsports Park natural terrain road courseBirmingham, AlabamaSaturday Qualifying ReportMarch 28, 2026 BIRMINGHAM, Alabama (March 28, 2026) – David Malukas will start the Children’s of Alabama Indy Grand Prix on the outside of the front row in the No. 12 Verizon Team Penske Chevrolet, improving his average starting position on the season to 4.3, tied for the series lead with today’s pole winner Álex Palou.  Santino Ferrucci in the No. 14 Homes For Our Troops Chevrolet, Josef Newgarden in the No. 2 PPG Team Penske Chevrolet, and Christian Lundgaard in the No. 7 VELO Arrow McLaren Chevrolet were the other Chevrolet-powered drivers to qualify in the top ten.  Children’s of Alabama Indy Grand Prix Qualifying Results:A crazy few hours for McLaughlin and Team Penske McLaughlin, the driver of the No. 3 Odyssey Battery Team Penske Chevrolet dropped the right rear in Turn 1 at Barber Motorsports Park, spinning 180 degrees and impacting the tire and foam barrier and ending up halfway through the catch fence. McLaughlin was seen and released by INDYCAR Medical. He told the INDYCAR Radio Network:  “I just dropped the right rear, unfortunately. It’s a testament to the safety of the INDYCAR and what Barbers has done here. Honestly, I think the crash looked a lot worse than it felt. I hope we can get this thing fixed and go out and ship it again in qualifying. I knew the impact was coming, so I tried to brace myself, and then I ended up halfway through the fence, so it was pretty exciting. I’m sad for my guys. I’ve got the best crew on pit land, and they’ll fix it as fast as they can. It’s a shame.” The team made a quick decision to go to the backup car, swapping the undamaged Chevy Indy V6, and replacing the damaged parts, getting the car already wrapped for the Streets of Long Beach, prepared in plenty of time for qualifying.  “We’re race drivers,” said McLaughlin to Harvey before qualifying. “You’re paid to push the limits. It’s what you have to do. I have full confidence in the car. I felt really good on that run, it was just a small error with big consequence. It looked pretty crazy, right. For me, it’s just business as usual. Just get in this Odyssey Battery Chevy, feel it for the first lap and send it.” McLaughlin, in the second group, barely missed out on advancing to the Fast 12, with a lap that was only one-hundredth of a second behind O’Ward, saying after qualifying:  “First off, massive thanks to the Odyssey Battery Chevy team. I put us behind with the big shunt in practice and these guys just always answer the bell. Can’t thank them enough for their hard work. It was great just to be able to get out for qualifying and if we are in the first group I think we sail through. Really proud of the effort.”What they’re saying – qualifying: David Malukas, No. 12 Verizon Team Penske Chevrolet qualified:“I’m satisfied for sure, but I think it still hurts because we could have gone for the pole. It was so close between me, Palou and Kirkwood, especially in that Fast 12; I couldn’t believe how tight it was. Overall, we did well. I made a call there in the Fast Six, and we definitely overstepped it on the car. I thought in my head, this is going to be perfect. I went a few corners and said man, I overdid it, so that’s on me. I wanted to be aggressive on the set-up. Overall, this Verizon Team Penske Chevrolet has been awesome. From Practice One, we’ve been on such a good streak and really happy that we can start on that front row and keep this consistency we’ve had in 2026 going.” Santino Ferrucci, No. 14 Homes For Our Troops Chevrolet qualified 7th:“Honestly, one of our new things this year is try and start with the car we rolled out with and just build on it. We had it, we’ve been missing time in Turn 12 & 13, and it’s been on me to fix that. And, I just kind of sent it through (Turn) 13 and I think I sent it too far because I passed the line off the track. It sucks, because that what cost us sixth. I can’t thank everybody at A.J. Foyt Racing, HFOT.org and Chevy. We’ve come a long way in the last few years. We’re trying to make this the new normal. We made the Fast 12 in Arlington and almost in the Fast Six this weekend. We’ve had great race cars, but I just want to pass less cars. I like being the pass master, but it feels good to start up front.” Josef Newgarden, No. 2 PPG Team Penske Chevrolet qualified 9th: Christian Lundgaard, No. 7 VELO Arrow McLaren Chevrolet qualified 10th:“Qualifying was disappointing. We had a lot more going into it than where we ended up. Overall, pace in Q1 was good; pace in Q2 was not quite there. We have some things we need to figure out. Balance wasn’t really the issue, I don’t think. We just lacked a bit of grip in Q2, and it felt weird, so we’ve got some things to figure out in our debrief and address for the race tomorrow.” Alexander Rossi, No. 20 ECR Java House Chevrolet qualified 11th:“Pretty anti-climatic result, but a good improvement from yesterday. I am glad we were able to get the No. 20 Java House Chevrolet out of our group and into the second round of qualifying. We have some good ideas for tomorrow!” Pato O’Ward, No. 5 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet qualified 12th: “It was a very frustrating day. No explanation to what happened in Qualifying. We had the exact same reads for what happened to the 5 and the 7 car, which obviously, we need to get to the bottom of it because these days can’t be happening when we feel like we have a chance for pole and are then eight tenths behind.” Scott McLaughlin, No. 3 Odyssey Battery Team Penske Chevrolet qualified 14th: “First off, massive thanks to the Odyssey Battery Chevy team. I put us behind with the big shunt in practice and these guys just always answer the bell. Can’t thank them enough for their hard work. It was great just to be able to get out for qualifying and if we are in the first group I think we sail through. Really proud of the effort.” Nolan Siegel, No. 6 SmartStop Arrow McLaren Chevrolet qualified 15th: “A little bit of a confusing Qualifying. I think all of us are expecting a lot more pace. The car felt really good and the session was executed quite well, and the lap time didn’t match the feeling. So, (I’m) confused, and I think that’s consistent across the camp. We have some things to look into, but I’m happy with the execution of Qualifying and we’ll just find some speed.” Rinus VeeKay, No. 76 Juncos Hollinger Chevrolet qualified 16th:“Tough qualifying to say the least. To start, we’ve had really great pace all weekend, especially on the Blacks. We showed some promising pace in practice #1 on the Reds. In qualifying, we started on Blacks. We were P2, really quick and happy with the car. Then on the Reds, unfortunately, once again could not find the grip on that tire and didn’t get the jump in lap time that we were looking for like almost everybody else did. Just a bummer. We have a lot more pace than where we qualified. We need to figure this out coming into the rest of the season to see where we can find that grip on the Red tire. We’re making it a bit harder on ourselves for the race. We’ve got it all to play for. We’ve got good minds on strategy and good pace to make strategy happen, so all eyes forward.” Christian Rasmussen, No. 21 ECR Splenda Chevrolet qualified 17th:“We just missed it. We’ve been struggling to find the balance the whole weekend. We’ve thrown some big changes at the Splenda Chevrolet over the course of the weekend but obviously haven’t quite found a solution yet. We’ll keep working.” Caio Collet, No. 4 Combitrans Amazonia Chevrolet qualified 21st:“I think the car felt very good, both on black and red tires. On red tires, we only had one lap, and unfortunately, I made a big mistake out of turn nine, so that was it. I mean, after that, I lost a little bit of the peak of the tire, and qualifying was over. Not much to say, except that I have a good race car for tomorrow.” Sting Ray Robb, No. 77 Juncos Hollinger – Goodheart Chevrolet qualified 25th:“Today was very interesting. Barber is always a challenging track. A lot of interesting dynamics to think about. But, very temperature sensitive and we felt that today. We made a great step overnight to get a good car for practice 2 this morning and really felt like we were in a good spot going into qualifying. But, when we put the Red tires on in qualifying we weren’t able to get the pace out of them that we expected. Both cars struggled with similar things. Rinus and I are both wanting the same thing from the car, which is nice so that we can change the set up together for tomorrow. I think warm up will be good, but the high temps in the middle of the day will be challenging for us. We’ll make some good adjustments overnight and hopefully be able to race forward.” NTT INDYCAR SERIES News ConferenceSaturday, March 28, 2026David MalukasPress Conference THE MODERATOR: David Malukas with his best starting position in his fourth start, second front-row start in 2026. Happy to be starting front row tomorrow?DAVID MALUKAS: Yeah, very happy. Super happy. Obviously we had the opportunity to go for pole. It was actually my call to make a big setup swing change going into the Fast Six. Overdid it. It was a bit on me. Very happy with everything. Yeah, front row for tomorrow is fantastic. THE MODERATOR: How is the car for tomorrow? DAVID MALUKAS: I think it’s very good. From practice one, practice two, our pace, on primary tires, but on reruns, we seem to have pace. Lap time was there. I think we’re in for a good race tomorrow. THE MODERATOR: Let’s open it up for questions. Q.  David, obviously starting on the front row, super important. Alex started on pole last year, ran away from the field. How important is that first lap, first corner, to get ahead? How aggressive are you planning on driving?DAVID MALUKAS: We’ll see how the race plays out. I mean, this track, it’s tough to pass. There’s only a few spots. We’ll see how the first lap plays out. If the opportunity is there, we’ll go for it. If not, we need to kind of settle in.It’s a bit of a game. You don’t want to be pushing so hard, kill your tires, ruin your race for one position. Q.  A couple drivers starting behind you on presumably new reds. How important is that going to be to your race?DAVID MALUKAS: Yeah, I mean, if Palou is going to do the same thing like last year and pull away, hopefully we can pull away with him and creat a gap before those guys get the new set of reds. It is going to be a big change for them, but hopefully track rebuilds up and toward the end there is not going to be a big difference when they have that new tire difference. I think it will be good either way. The car is quick. Q.  David, earlier today your teammate, Scott McLaughlin, had a very wild ride. What was your reaction when you saw that?DAVID MALUKAS: Yeah pretty much that. It was crazy. The car was almost skidding. Like you throw a rock in the water, in a pond, it was skidding. You couldn’t slow it down. Looked like a big hit. Team Penske guys built it so quick, got it done. Very impressive. Q.  You were able to save the day by getting into the Fast Six, the only Chevy or Penske in the Fast Six. How does that help the Chevy side? DAVID MALUKAS: I think it’s very big, very strong. I think for us, from day one yesterday, it seemed that pace was very good for all of us, for more Chevys. It’s been interesting how things came out, even through practice two. It’s interesting. We’ll look at everything and see why things changed for qualifying. Q.  On the tire strategy, was there ever a question for you guys if you were going to use new or old alternates for that final six laps or you wanted to try to get the pole and be on those new tires for the Fast Six?DAVID MALUKAS: Normally when we make one of those decisions we make it early on and commit to it no matter what’s going on around us. We did the same thing in St. Pete. We committed to doing used. Coming into Barber, we committed to going to the new tires for the Fast Six. Q.  Did you notice any difference with the cars based on the temperature compared to yesterday?DAVID MALUKAS: I mean, for sure from my side, yeah, it was a big difference. I think the difference was more in practice two. I think quallie the temp went up a bit, kind of closed in a little bit more to how practice one reds were. We got the setup accorded to what the temperature was. But yeah, a little different. Tune-In Guide SundayNTT INDYCAR SERIES Warm Up – 10am (ET)/9am (CT)/8am (MT)/7am (PT) –FS1/ INDYCAR Radio Network/SIRIUSXM 218Children’s of Alabama Indy Grand Prix (90 laps) – 1pm (ET)/noon (CT)/11am (MT)/10am (PT) – FOX/INDYCAR Radio Network/SIRIUSXM 218

CHEVROLET IN THE NTT INDYCAR SERIESChildren’s of Alabama Indy Grand Prix2.3-mile, 17-turn Barber Motorsports Park natural terrain road courseBirmingham, AlabamaSaturday Qualifying ReportMarch 28, 2026 BIRMINGHAM, Alabama (March 28, 2026) – David Malukas will start the Children’s of Alabama Indy Grand Prix on the outside of the front row in the No. 12 Verizon Team Penske Chevrolet, improving his average starting position on the season to 4.3, tied for the series lead with today’s pole winner Álex Palou.  Santino Ferrucci in the No. 14 Homes For Our Troops Chevrolet, Josef Newgarden in the No. 2 PPG Team Penske Chevrolet, and Christian Lundgaard in the No. 7 VELO Arrow McLaren Chevrolet were the other Chevrolet-powered drivers to qualify in the top ten.  Children’s of Alabama Indy Grand Prix Qualifying Results:A crazy few hours for McLaughlin and Team Penske McLaughlin, the driver of the No. 3 Odyssey Battery Team Penske Chevrolet dropped the right rear in Turn 1 at Barber Motorsports Park, spinning 180 degrees and impacting the tire and foam barrier and ending up halfway through the catch fence. McLaughlin was seen and released by INDYCAR Medical. He told the INDYCAR Radio Network:  “I just dropped the right rear, unfortunately. It’s a testament to the safety of the INDYCAR and what Barbers has done here. Honestly, I think the crash looked a lot worse than it felt. I hope we can get this thing fixed and go out and ship it again in qualifying. I knew the impact was coming, so I tried to brace myself, and then I ended up halfway through the fence, so it was pretty exciting. I’m sad for my guys. I’ve got the best crew on pit land, and they’ll fix it as fast as they can. It’s a shame.” The team made a quick decision to go to the backup car, swapping the undamaged Chevy Indy V6, and replacing the damaged parts, getting the car already wrapped for the Streets of Long Beach, prepared in plenty of time for qualifying.  “We’re race drivers,” said McLaughlin to Harvey before qualifying. “You’re paid to push the limits. It’s what you have to do. I have full confidence in the car. I felt really good on that run, it was just a small error with big consequence. It looked pretty crazy, right. For me, it’s just business as usual. Just get in this Odyssey Battery Chevy, feel it for the first lap and send it.” McLaughlin, in the second group, barely missed out on advancing to the Fast 12, with a lap that was only one-hundredth of a second behind O’Ward, saying after qualifying:  “First off, massive thanks to the Odyssey Battery Chevy team. I put us behind with the big shunt in practice and these guys just always answer the bell. Can’t thank them enough for their hard work. It was great just to be able to get out for qualifying and if we are in the first group I think we sail through. Really proud of the effort.”What they’re saying – qualifying: David Malukas, No. 12 Verizon Team Penske Chevrolet qualified:“I’m satisfied for sure, but I think it still hurts because we could have gone for the pole. It was so close between me, Palou and Kirkwood, especially in that Fast 12; I couldn’t believe how tight it was. Overall, we did well. I made a call there in the Fast Six, and we definitely overstepped it on the car. I thought in my head, this is going to be perfect. I went a few corners and said man, I overdid it, so that’s on me. I wanted to be aggressive on the set-up. Overall, this Verizon Team Penske Chevrolet has been awesome. From Practice One, we’ve been on such a good streak and really happy that we can start on that front row and keep this consistency we’ve had in 2026 going.” Santino Ferrucci, No. 14 Homes For Our Troops Chevrolet qualified 7th:“Honestly, one of our new things this year is try and start with the car we rolled out with and just build on it. We had it, we’ve been missing time in Turn 12 & 13, and it’s been on me to fix that. And, I just kind of sent it through (Turn) 13 and I think I sent it too far because I passed the line off the track. It sucks, because that what cost us sixth. I can’t thank everybody at A.J. Foyt Racing, HFOT.org and Chevy. We’ve come a long way in the last few years. We’re trying to make this the new normal. We made the Fast 12 in Arlington and almost in the Fast Six this weekend. We’ve had great race cars, but I just want to pass less cars. I like being the pass master, but it feels good to start up front.” Josef Newgarden, No. 2 PPG Team Penske Chevrolet qualified 9th: Christian Lundgaard, No. 7 VELO Arrow McLaren Chevrolet qualified 10th:“Qualifying was disappointing. We had a lot more going into it than where we ended up. Overall, pace in Q1 was good; pace in Q2 was not quite there. We have some things we need to figure out. Balance wasn’t really the issue, I don’t think. We just lacked a bit of grip in Q2, and it felt weird, so we’ve got some things to figure out in our debrief and address for the race tomorrow.” Alexander Rossi, No. 20 ECR Java House Chevrolet qualified 11th:“Pretty anti-climatic result, but a good improvement from yesterday. I am glad we were able to get the No. 20 Java House Chevrolet out of our group and into the second round of qualifying. We have some good ideas for tomorrow!” Pato O’Ward, No. 5 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet qualified 12th: “It was a very frustrating day. No explanation to what happened in Qualifying. We had the exact same reads for what happened to the 5 and the 7 car, which obviously, we need to get to the bottom of it because these days can’t be happening when we feel like we have a chance for pole and are then eight tenths behind.” Scott McLaughlin, No. 3 Odyssey Battery Team Penske Chevrolet qualified 14th: “First off, massive thanks to the Odyssey Battery Chevy team. I put us behind with the big shunt in practice and these guys just always answer the bell. Can’t thank them enough for their hard work. It was great just to be able to get out for qualifying and if we are in the first group I think we sail through. Really proud of the effort.” Nolan Siegel, No. 6 SmartStop Arrow McLaren Chevrolet qualified 15th: “A little bit of a confusing Qualifying. I think all of us are expecting a lot more pace. The car felt really good and the session was executed quite well, and the lap time didn’t match the feeling. So, (I’m) confused, and I think that’s consistent across the camp. We have some things to look into, but I’m happy with the execution of Qualifying and we’ll just find some speed.” Rinus VeeKay, No. 76 Juncos Hollinger Chevrolet qualified 16th:“Tough qualifying to say the least. To start, we’ve had really great pace all weekend, especially on the Blacks. We showed some promising pace in practice #1 on the Reds. In qualifying, we started on Blacks. We were P2, really quick and happy with the car. Then on the Reds, unfortunately, once again could not find the grip on that tire and didn’t get the jump in lap time that we were looking for like almost everybody else did. Just a bummer. We have a lot more pace than where we qualified. We need to figure this out coming into the rest of the season to see where we can find that grip on the Red tire. We’re making it a bit harder on ourselves for the race. We’ve got it all to play for. We’ve got good minds on strategy and good pace to make strategy happen, so all eyes forward.” Christian Rasmussen, No. 21 ECR Splenda Chevrolet qualified 17th:“We just missed it. We’ve been struggling to find the balance the whole weekend. We’ve thrown some big changes at the Splenda Chevrolet over the course of the weekend but obviously haven’t quite found a solution yet. We’ll keep working.” Caio Collet, No. 4 Combitrans Amazonia Chevrolet qualified 21st:“I think the car felt very good, both on black and red tires. On red tires, we only had one lap, and unfortunately, I made a big mistake out of turn nine, so that was it. I mean, after that, I lost a little bit of the peak of the tire, and qualifying was over. Not much to say, except that I have a good race car for tomorrow.” Sting Ray Robb, No. 77 Juncos Hollinger – Goodheart Chevrolet qualified 25th:“Today was very interesting. Barber is always a challenging track. A lot of interesting dynamics to think about. But, very temperature sensitive and we felt that today. We made a great step overnight to get a good car for practice 2 this morning and really felt like we were in a good spot going into qualifying. But, when we put the Red tires on in qualifying we weren’t able to get the pace out of them that we expected. Both cars struggled with similar things. Rinus and I are both wanting the same thing from the car, which is nice so that we can change the set up together for tomorrow. I think warm up will be good, but the high temps in the middle of the day will be challenging for us. We’ll make some good adjustments overnight and hopefully be able to race forward.” NTT INDYCAR SERIES News ConferenceSaturday, March 28, 2026David MalukasPress Conference THE MODERATOR: David Malukas with his best starting position in his fourth start, second front-row start in 2026. Happy to be starting front row tomorrow?DAVID MALUKAS: Yeah, very happy. Super happy. Obviously we had the opportunity to go for pole. It was actually my call to make a big setup swing change going into the Fast Six. Overdid it. It was a bit on me. Very happy with everything. Yeah, front row for tomorrow is fantastic. THE MODERATOR: How is the car for tomorrow? DAVID MALUKAS: I think it’s very good. From practice one, practice two, our pace, on primary tires, but on reruns, we seem to have pace. Lap time was there. I think we’re in for a good race tomorrow. THE MODERATOR: Let’s open it up for questions. Q.  David, obviously starting on the front row, super important. Alex started on pole last year, ran away from the field. How important is that first lap, first corner, to get ahead? How aggressive are you planning on driving?DAVID MALUKAS: We’ll see how the race plays out. I mean, this track, it’s tough to pass. There’s only a few spots. We’ll see how the first lap plays out. If the opportunity is there, we’ll go for it. If not, we need to kind of settle in.It’s a bit of a game. You don’t want to be pushing so hard, kill your tires, ruin your race for one position. Q.  A couple drivers starting behind you on presumably new reds. How important is that going to be to your race?DAVID MALUKAS: Yeah, I mean, if Palou is going to do the same thing like last year and pull away, hopefully we can pull away with him and creat a gap before those guys get the new set of reds. It is going to be a big change for them, but hopefully track rebuilds up and toward the end there is not going to be a big difference when they have that new tire difference. I think it will be good either way. The car is quick. Q.  David, earlier today your teammate, Scott McLaughlin, had a very wild ride. What was your reaction when you saw that?DAVID MALUKAS: Yeah pretty much that. It was crazy. The car was almost skidding. Like you throw a rock in the water, in a pond, it was skidding. You couldn’t slow it down. Looked like a big hit. Team Penske guys built it so quick, got it done. Very impressive. Q.  You were able to save the day by getting into the Fast Six, the only Chevy or Penske in the Fast Six. How does that help the Chevy side? DAVID MALUKAS: I think it’s very big, very strong. I think for us, from day one yesterday, it seemed that pace was very good for all of us, for more Chevys. It’s been interesting how things came out, even through practice two. It’s interesting. We’ll look at everything and see why things changed for qualifying. Q.  On the tire strategy, was there ever a question for you guys if you were going to use new or old alternates for that final six laps or you wanted to try to get the pole and be on those new tires for the Fast Six?DAVID MALUKAS: Normally when we make one of those decisions we make it early on and commit to it no matter what’s going on around us. We did the same thing in St. Pete. We committed to doing used. Coming into Barber, we committed to going to the new tires for the Fast Six. Q.  Did you notice any difference with the cars based on the temperature compared to yesterday?DAVID MALUKAS: I mean, for sure from my side, yeah, it was a big difference. I think the difference was more in practice two. I think quallie the temp went up a bit, kind of closed in a little bit more to how practice one reds were. We got the setup accorded to what the temperature was. But yeah, a little different. Tune-In Guide SundayNTT INDYCAR SERIES Warm Up – 10am (ET)/9am (CT)/8am (MT)/7am (PT) –FS1/ INDYCAR Radio Network/SIRIUSXM 218Children’s of Alabama Indy Grand Prix (90 laps) – 1pm (ET)/noon (CT)/11am (MT)/10am (PT) – FOX/INDYCAR Radio Network/SIRIUSXM 218

Chevrolet History at Barber Motorsports ParkChevrolet Wins – 9 2024 – Scott McLaughlin – Team Penske2023 – Scott McLaughlin – Team Penske2022 – Pato O’Ward – Arrow McLaren2018 – Josef Newgarden – Team Penske2017 – Josef Newgarden – Team Penske2016 – Simon Pagenaud – Team Penske2015 – Josef Newgarden – ECR2013 – Ryan Hunter-Reay – Andretti Global2012 – Will Power – Team Penske Chevrolet Poles – 10 2024 – Scott McLaughlin – Team Penske2022 – Rinus VeeKay – ECR2021 – Pato O’Ward – Arrow McLaren2018 – Josef Newgarden – Team Penske2017 – Will Power – Team Penske2016 – Simon Pagenaud – Team Penske2015 – Helio Castroneves – Team Penske2014 – Will Power – Team Penske2013 – Ryan Hunter-Reay – Andretti Global2012 – Helio Castroneves – Team Penske Chevrolet Podiums: 21 Driver Podiums: Josef Newgarden (4), Will Power (4), Scott McLaughlin (3), Scott Dixon (2), Helio Castroneves (2), Simon Pagenaud (2), Ryan Hunter-Reay (1), Christian Lundgaard (1), Pato O’Ward (1), Rinus VeeKay (1) Team Podiums: Team Penske (13), ECR (3), Arrow McLaren (2), Chip Ganassi Racing (2), Andretti Global (1) Chevrolet Laps Led: 699 Driver Laps Led: Josef Newgarden (141), Will Power (114), Simon Pagenaud (87), Helio Castroneves (73), Rinus VeeKay (58), Pato O’Ward (52), Santino Ferrucci (14), Sebastian Saavedra (11), Sebastien Bourdais (6), Scott Dixon (3), James Hinchcliffe (1) Team Laps Led: Team Penske (455), ECR (104), Andretti Global (54), Arrow McLaren (52), KV Racing Technology (13), A.J. Foyt Racing (18), Chip Ganassi Racing (3),  Manufacturer History at Phoenix International Raceway Wins (with competition)  9 – Chevrolet (2024, 2023, 2022, 2018, 2017, 2016, 2015, 2013, 2012)4 – Honda (2025, 2021, 2019, 2014) Poles (with competition)  10 – Chevrolet (2024, 2022, 2021, 2018, 2017, 2016, 2015, 2014, 2013, 2012)4 – Honda (2026, 2025, 2023, 2019) Historical Chevrolet in the INDYCAR SERIES information• INDYCAR SERIES Manufacturer Championships (since 1979)• Chevrolet-Powered Wins in the Twin-Turbo 2.2L V6 Era (2012-present)• Chevrolet-Powered Wins – All-Time

NASCAR CUP SERIES MARTINSVILLE SPEEDWAY TEAM CHEVY DRIVER QUOTES MARCH 28, 2026

William Byron, driver of the No. 24 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet, met with the media in advance of the NASCAR Cup Series practice and qualifying session at Martinsville Speedway. The Charlotte, North Carolina, native is a three-time Martinsville winner in NASCAR’s top division, including the series’ most recent appearance at the track in October 2025.

MEDIA RESOURCES: Photo Gallery | Race AdvancesChevrolet Newsroom

Media Availability Quotes:  William, you’ve won three times here at Martinsville, including a clean sweep last October. How are you feeling going in tomorrow?“Yeah, I feel good. I feel like not a lot has changed, so you know for us, it’s just really trying to build on what we did here last fall and what we did at Bowman Gray. The tire is the same, but the horsepower is different, so just try to understand that in practice of how much that’s going to feel different. But yeah, I love coming here. It’s always a battle with these two tracks back-to-back, Darlington and Martinsville, I was thinking on the way up here. Just tough places, so just got to be ready and do a good job.”   How do you evaluate where the team is so far overall? Obviously, for you guys on the 24 team, you have three-straight top 10s and you guys have shown speed, but team still being winless so far this season. Where do you feel like the 24 team and Hendrick Motorsports stand? “Yeah, I think we’re executing well on race days. I feel like our pit stops have been pretty solid, but could be quicker on pit road. I feel like our starting balance on Saturday’s has been off and I think that’s been throwing us for a curveball, particularly at Phoenix and Darlington, with the short-track package. So I feel like that was an adjustment. I feel like Las Vegas went pretty much according to plan and we had a lot of strength there. You saw three of our cars be in the top-five for most of the race and we had a shot to win that race. Still just a touch off of the 11 car (Denny Hamjlin) there. But then, you have the superspeedway’s. The road course was kind of similar to Phoenix in that sense, that we were a little bit off on balance. So I think we need to do a better job on balance on Saturday’s so that we’re not guessing so much for Sunday’s. Some of that could be obviously the new body, but also just tire changes and things of that nature. We need to do a better job of utilizing our tools and getting closer to unload so that we’re not guessing so much. Yeah, that’s kind of how I see it. You know, if we have smoother Saturday’s, we qualify better and we don’t have so many question marks going in Sunday, we’ll probably have a better weekend.”   You have been good both here in the spring and the fall, but there is some kind of a difference between two races, in terms of who is strong and who is good. Why the difference?“Yeah, I mean it’s similar at every racetrack really, but I feel like it’s probably noticeable here with the short-track and just tire wear. But I feel like the balance of the track is different, and because of that, you have some tendencies in your driving style that are unique. I think this place probably changes the least, but it just seems like the amount of time that goes by between this race and the fall race is just so big that there’s probably a lot of time for development and that’s probably why you see different guys be good by the fall. You know, sometimes if you’re good here in the spring, you kind of rest on that and try to bring it back, but you’re not as good. We’ve lived that. I feel like it’s better to live the song and dance of like – hey, you’re pretty good in the spring and then you come back here in the fall and you put it all together.”   Do you have to change your driving style for the two races? Some tracks, you don’t have to, but here, do you have to modify?“There are some little differences. I feel like the fall race, the fall-off is typically a little higher, so there’s a little bit more tire wear. So there’s some little differences, but I feel most of it is in car setup and just kind of what your approach is. So yeah, for some reason the track is just a little bit different here in the spring versus the fall.”   Earlier this week, NASCAR said they’re kind of looking at considering using the 750-horsepower package at intermediate tracks possibly next year. I’m just curious, what do you think the overall effect on the racing would be if they went in that direction?  “I don’t know. I think our intermediate package is pretty good right now. I feel like it puts on a pretty good race. I mean, at Las Vegas, I just think about how we were three-wide for the lead for multiple laps and that’s hard to recreate. So I feel like the intermediate package is good the way it is. I’ll be honest, I thought last week had less grip. I thought it was a good thing in that sense of tire fall off, but it was not easier to pass. If anything, the wake behind other cars was worse. I think there’s still work to do on that, so with that being said, I don’t think the power is a bad thing, but I don’t necessarily think the wake behind the cars last week with the short-track aero was any better.”    I know obviously it’s early in the season, but we’re six going on seven races in. Do you notice people racing any differently because of the change in the championship format? “Yeah, that’s a great question. I think I do. I notice guys are just a little more protective of their finish, which I feel like in the past, you have maybe some more issues in stage three where guys have issues and they don’t finish as well. So I think there’s more emphasis on finishing well, but goes with that is stage points because like you know last year, we had a really good start to the season. We scored a lot of stage points. This year, we’re not scoring as many stage points and we’re not as high up in the points. So I think there’s more of an emphasis on finishing the race strong, but I still think with stage points, you can’t overcome not having a good couple stages, and so the guys scoring a lot of points might still not finish as well, but they’re just scoring throughout the weekend on the stages.” What are your thoughts about racing at Bristol and what stands out about racing at Bristol?“It’s not really been my favorite place. I feel like it just hasn’t been great, result-wise. I think it’s just really fast paced. The way you kind of load up into the banking with the concrete is very unique and just really hurts the tires if you’re a little bit off. So I think just finding a good rhythm there, where you can make speed but not damage your tires. It really depends on the weather on how much tire wear we’re going to have. So if it’s 70 degrees and sunny, it’s no big deal…  you’re going to be able to run the top of the racetrack. If it’s 60 degrees or below and cloudy, it’s probably going to be a high tire wear race.”   How much stock should we put into what we see tomorrow, as far as trying to see who has what on the on a short-track considering that there is the higher horsepower in play?“Yeah, I would say a lot of stock. I mean, if you’re good here tomorrow, you’re probably going to be good at the other short-tracks. Bristol is different, so I don’t think it really is an indicator for there. But the other places — North Wilkesboro and Richmond comes to mind. If you’re good here, you’ll probably be pretty good at those other places. I’d say the majority of our tracks are going to be the mile-and-a-halves, so you need to be good here because it’s an important time of the year, but there’s really not many of these until you know middle of the summer to late fall.”   What do you remember from your first trip here 10 years ago? I think it was your first track you’d ever gone to as a NASCAR fan…“Yeah, it was actually like 22 years ago… I’m getting old (laughs). I’m 28 now, but I think I came here when I was six. But yeah, I just remember playing with the slot cars out in the parking lot. Where they have the parking lot now, it used to be the fan zone. But I just remember playing with the slot cars and just getting in the stands. We were probably about 20 rows up. I just remember the engines firing up and just as soon as that happened, I just had this energy and I was like – man, I love this. I’d already watched a lot of races on TV, so I kind of knew what I was looking for. But for some reason, I just remember the launch off turn two. You could see — I think it was Tony Stewart and Jamie (McMurray) were running well that day and Tony ended up winning the race. But the way they got off turn two was just really important, at least for my seat, so just remember that. I came back for many races. I remember Dale Jr. and Kevin Harvick going at it the one year. I thought Dale had been on kind of a winless streak and so the fans were really pulling for him, and then Kevin passed him with like six laps to go and that was not a super popular win.  But yeah, I remember those two races. And then, I came here with Stefan Parsons, my good buddy, and sat on the pit box with him and Phil and watched their car go around here. And then, I think that was the year that Jeff Gordon won, not his last race, but like the 2013 race, I think it was. The cars had a lot of power back then, so you could see him kind of light up the tires on exit of the corner. So yeah, a lot of cool races here. It’s close to home, so here and Darlington, they’re kind of my favorite tracks.”    Do you have anything planned for the off-weekend? “No, not yet. I’m not a planner, so I need to figure that out. My friends have been bugging me about it and trying to figure something out, but I just need to get through the weekend and see where I’m at.”   You mentioned pit stop performance… is that something you’re reviewing on a regular basis? Are you contributing or are you asking for changes? How does that work… is that just a coach’s thing? “No, I think we have a really we have a really strong team, so I think it’s just looking at some of your stats and looking at just the general performance; how it can get in the pit stall, how it can be more effective on our rolling time. It’s a whole equation; it’s not just the pit stop. I think it’s pit stall selection. We haven’t qualified as well, so we haven’t had the best like top-five or six pit stalls, so we need to do better there to have cleaner ins and outs. But you know, try to just continue to get a couple tenths here and there on the pit stop itself. I think trying to be as quick as we can be, especially when we have track position, we have an opportunity to capitalize and gain a spot inside the top-five because I feel like those spots are a lot harder to come by on-track, as well.”

NASCAR CUP SERIESMARTINSVILLE SPEEDWAYTEAM CHEVY DRIVER QUOTESMARCH 28, 2026

William Byron, driver of the No. 24 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet, met with the media in advance of the NASCAR Cup Series practice and qualifying session at Martinsville Speedway. The Charlotte, North Carolina, native is a three-time Martinsville winner in NASCAR’s top division, including the series’ most recent appearance at the track in October 2025.

MEDIA RESOURCES: Photo Gallery | Race AdvancesChevrolet Newsroom

Media Availability Quotes:  William, you’ve won three times here at Martinsville, including a clean sweep last October. How are you feeling going in tomorrow?“Yeah, I feel good. I feel like not a lot has changed, so you know for us, it’s just really trying to build on what we did here last fall and what we did at Bowman Gray. The tire is the same, but the horsepower is different, so just try to understand that in practice of how much that’s going to feel different. But yeah, I love coming here. It’s always a battle with these two tracks back-to-back, Darlington and Martinsville, I was thinking on the way up here. Just tough places, so just got to be ready and do a good job.”   How do you evaluate where the team is so far overall? Obviously, for you guys on the 24 team, you have three-straight top 10s and you guys have shown speed, but team still being winless so far this season. Where do you feel like the 24 team and Hendrick Motorsports stand? “Yeah, I think we’re executing well on race days. I feel like our pit stops have been pretty solid, but could be quicker on pit road. I feel like our starting balance on Saturday’s has been off and I think that’s been throwing us for a curveball, particularly at Phoenix and Darlington, with the short-track package. So I feel like that was an adjustment. I feel like Las Vegas went pretty much according to plan and we had a lot of strength there. You saw three of our cars be in the top-five for most of the race and we had a shot to win that race. Still just a touch off of the 11 car (Denny Hamjlin) there. But then, you have the superspeedway’s. The road course was kind of similar to Phoenix in that sense, that we were a little bit off on balance. So I think we need to do a better job on balance on Saturday’s so that we’re not guessing so much for Sunday’s. Some of that could be obviously the new body, but also just tire changes and things of that nature. We need to do a better job of utilizing our tools and getting closer to unload so that we’re not guessing so much. Yeah, that’s kind of how I see it. You know, if we have smoother Saturday’s, we qualify better and we don’t have so many question marks going in Sunday, we’ll probably have a better weekend.”   You have been good both here in the spring and the fall, but there is some kind of a difference between two races, in terms of who is strong and who is good. Why the difference?“Yeah, I mean it’s similar at every racetrack really, but I feel like it’s probably noticeable here with the short-track and just tire wear. But I feel like the balance of the track is different, and because of that, you have some tendencies in your driving style that are unique. I think this place probably changes the least, but it just seems like the amount of time that goes by between this race and the fall race is just so big that there’s probably a lot of time for development and that’s probably why you see different guys be good by the fall. You know, sometimes if you’re good here in the spring, you kind of rest on that and try to bring it back, but you’re not as good. We’ve lived that. I feel like it’s better to live the song and dance of like – hey, you’re pretty good in the spring and then you come back here in the fall and you put it all together.”   Do you have to change your driving style for the two races? Some tracks, you don’t have to, but here, do you have to modify?“There are some little differences. I feel like the fall race, the fall-off is typically a little higher, so there’s a little bit more tire wear. So there’s some little differences, but I feel most of it is in car setup and just kind of what your approach is. So yeah, for some reason the track is just a little bit different here in the spring versus the fall.”   Earlier this week, NASCAR said they’re kind of looking at considering using the 750-horsepower package at intermediate tracks possibly next year. I’m just curious, what do you think the overall effect on the racing would be if they went in that direction?  “I don’t know. I think our intermediate package is pretty good right now. I feel like it puts on a pretty good race. I mean, at Las Vegas, I just think about how we were three-wide for the lead for multiple laps and that’s hard to recreate. So I feel like the intermediate package is good the way it is. I’ll be honest, I thought last week had less grip. I thought it was a good thing in that sense of tire fall off, but it was not easier to pass. If anything, the wake behind other cars was worse. I think there’s still work to do on that, so with that being said, I don’t think the power is a bad thing, but I don’t necessarily think the wake behind the cars last week with the short-track aero was any better.”    I know obviously it’s early in the season, but we’re six going on seven races in. Do you notice people racing any differently because of the change in the championship format? “Yeah, that’s a great question. I think I do. I notice guys are just a little more protective of their finish, which I feel like in the past, you have maybe some more issues in stage three where guys have issues and they don’t finish as well. So I think there’s more emphasis on finishing well, but goes with that is stage points because like you know last year, we had a really good start to the season. We scored a lot of stage points. This year, we’re not scoring as many stage points and we’re not as high up in the points. So I think there’s more of an emphasis on finishing the race strong, but I still think with stage points, you can’t overcome not having a good couple stages, and so the guys scoring a lot of points might still not finish as well, but they’re just scoring throughout the weekend on the stages.” What are your thoughts about racing at Bristol and what stands out about racing at Bristol?“It’s not really been my favorite place. I feel like it just hasn’t been great, result-wise. I think it’s just really fast paced. The way you kind of load up into the banking with the concrete is very unique and just really hurts the tires if you’re a little bit off. So I think just finding a good rhythm there, where you can make speed but not damage your tires. It really depends on the weather on how much tire wear we’re going to have. So if it’s 70 degrees and sunny, it’s no big deal…  you’re going to be able to run the top of the racetrack. If it’s 60 degrees or below and cloudy, it’s probably going to be a high tire wear race.”   How much stock should we put into what we see tomorrow, as far as trying to see who has what on the on a short-track considering that there is the higher horsepower in play?“Yeah, I would say a lot of stock. I mean, if you’re good here tomorrow, you’re probably going to be good at the other short-tracks. Bristol is different, so I don’t think it really is an indicator for there. But the other places — North Wilkesboro and Richmond comes to mind. If you’re good here, you’ll probably be pretty good at those other places. I’d say the majority of our tracks are going to be the mile-and-a-halves, so you need to be good here because it’s an important time of the year, but there’s really not many of these until you know middle of the summer to late fall.”   What do you remember from your first trip here 10 years ago? I think it was your first track you’d ever gone to as a NASCAR fan…“Yeah, it was actually like 22 years ago… I’m getting old (laughs). I’m 28 now, but I think I came here when I was six. But yeah, I just remember playing with the slot cars out in the parking lot. Where they have the parking lot now, it used to be the fan zone. But I just remember playing with the slot cars and just getting in the stands. We were probably about 20 rows up. I just remember the engines firing up and just as soon as that happened, I just had this energy and I was like – man, I love this. I’d already watched a lot of races on TV, so I kind of knew what I was looking for. But for some reason, I just remember the launch off turn two. You could see — I think it was Tony Stewart and Jamie (McMurray) were running well that day and Tony ended up winning the race. But the way they got off turn two was just really important, at least for my seat, so just remember that. I came back for many races. I remember Dale Jr. and Kevin Harvick going at it the one year. I thought Dale had been on kind of a winless streak and so the fans were really pulling for him, and then Kevin passed him with like six laps to go and that was not a super popular win.  But yeah, I remember those two races. And then, I came here with Stefan Parsons, my good buddy, and sat on the pit box with him and Phil and watched their car go around here. And then, I think that was the year that Jeff Gordon won, not his last race, but like the 2013 race, I think it was. The cars had a lot of power back then, so you could see him kind of light up the tires on exit of the corner. So yeah, a lot of cool races here. It’s close to home, so here and Darlington, they’re kind of my favorite tracks.”    Do you have anything planned for the off-weekend? “No, not yet. I’m not a planner, so I need to figure that out. My friends have been bugging me about it and trying to figure something out, but I just need to get through the weekend and see where I’m at.”   You mentioned pit stop performance… is that something you’re reviewing on a regular basis? Are you contributing or are you asking for changes? How does that work… is that just a coach’s thing? “No, I think we have a really we have a really strong team, so I think it’s just looking at some of your stats and looking at just the general performance; how it can get in the pit stall, how it can be more effective on our rolling time. It’s a whole equation; it’s not just the pit stop. I think it’s pit stall selection. We haven’t qualified as well, so we haven’t had the best like top-five or six pit stalls, so we need to do better there to have cleaner ins and outs. But you know, try to just continue to get a couple tenths here and there on the pit stop itself. I think trying to be as quick as we can be, especially when we have track position, we have an opportunity to capitalize and gain a spot inside the top-five because I feel like those spots are a lot harder to come by on-track, as well.”

The return to US 36 doesn’t disappoint as a pair of Californians battle it out in traffic to the checkered

OSBORN, MO (March 28, 2026) – Midwestern race fans rejoiced when US 36 Raceway returned to the World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car calendar, and Friday night showed why.

The Osborn, MO oval earned a reputation for offering some of the most thrilling Sprint Car racing you can find. A high banked bullring that puts leaders in traffic in just a few laps. It doesn’t get much better than that.

US 36 didn’t let us down as The Greatest Show on Dirt made its way to the “Show-Me State” for Friday’s KC Classic. After a year away, the country’s best Sprint Car drivers made their way back to the Missouri track.

A Macedo brothers front row set the stage for a wild opening segment as Cole and Carson fought it out like siblings. Carson stalked his younger brother early and even made contact with his right-rear tire in a moment that surely had their parents holding their breath. Both maintained control, and Carson slid ahead a couple circuits later to take command.

But the race was far from over as a late caution set up a thrilling duel to the checkered between Carson Macedo and Michael “Buddy” Kofoid. The two stayed close together as Macedo neared traffic, and Kofoid narrowed the gap as lapped cars got thicker. With only two laps remaining, Kofoid pulled next to Macedo, and the two raced wheel-to-wheel for an entire rotation. Macedo managed to muscle the Jason Johnson Racing No. 41 ahead as the white flag waved, and that was the space he needed. He paced the final circuit to score his first win of the year even while being down on power.

“I was in big trouble there,” Macedo admitted. “I looked over with about five to go, and I was down a cylinder. It sounded like a tractor. I was like, ‘Man, I don’t know what we’re going to do.’ I felt really down on power with the way the track was. That was not in my favor at all. I could see Buddy, and I was getting worse and worse. I was just trying to block all I could.”

The first triumph of 2026 was the 59th of Macedo’s career, elevating the Lemoore, CA native above Jason Meyers to take sole possession of 16h all-time. It gave Jason Johnson Racing a home state win as the Missouri-based operation secured its 83rd overall World of Outlaws checkered flag. Macedo also trimmed a little out of David Gravel’s championship lead as the distance between the two now sits at 52 markers.

Kofoid held on for second aboard the Roth Motorsports No. 83 for his second straight runner-up result and moved ahead of Logan Schuchart for fifth in points.

David Gravel rounded out the top three, notching his eighth podium in 10 races this season with the Big Game Motorsports crew.

Sheldon Haudenschild and Emerson Axsom completed the top five.

NIGHTLY NOTES

Buddy Kofoid clocked his second Race//Ready Hottest Lap of the Night in 2026.

David Gravel claimed his fourth Simpson Performance Products Quick Time of the season in Honest Abe Roofing Qualifying.

Heat Races belonged to David Gravel (NOS Energy Drink Heat One), Buddy Kofoid (DIRTVision Heat Two), and Cole Macedo (WIX Filters Heat Three).

The SPA Technique #1 Redraw went to Carson Macedo.

Cole Macedo topped the Toyota Dash.

Bill Balog won the Micro-Lite Last Chance Showdown.

Spencer Bayston took the Stenhouse Jr./Marshall Racing No. 17 from 25th to 13th to earn the KSE Racing Products Hard Charger.

Emerson Axsom’s fifth-place finish gave him the Five Star Bodies Rookie of the Race.

Cole Macedo put down the ACME Trading Company Fast Lap with an 11.635.

Donny Schatz was the Tub O’ Towels Seventh Place Finisher.

The Smith Titanium Brake Systems Break of the Race went to Scotty Thiel.

UP NEXT: The World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Series finalizes the weekend at Park City KS’ 81 Speedway on Saturday, March 28. For tickets, CLICK HERE.

Where can you 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 (30 Laps): 1. 41-Carson Macedo[2]; 2. 83-Michael Kofoid[3]; 3. 2-David Gravel[5]; 4. 18-Sheldon Haudenschild[4]; 5. 27-Emerson Axsom[6]; 6. 2C-Cole Macedo[1]; 7. 15-Donny Schatz[9]; 8. 51-Scott Bogucki[7]; 9. 1S-Logan Schuchart[10]; 10. 45X-Rees Moran[12]; 11. 1A-Ashton Torgerson[14]; 12. 23-Garet Williamson[8]; 13. 17-Spencer Bayston[25]; 14. 7S-Chris Windom[13]; 15. 17B-Bill Balog[19]; 16. 6-Kasey Jedrzejek[16]; 17. 74-Xavier Doney[15]; 18. 85J-Logan Julien[17]; 19. 12X-Landon Crawley[18]; 20. 10-Ryan Timms[20]; 21. 95-Matt Covington[21]; 22. 31-Koby Werkmeister[24]; 23. (DNF) 28M-Conner Morrell[11]; 24. (DNF) 32-Bryce Lucius[22]; 25. (DNF) 16C-Scotty Thiel[23]

For complete results, CLICK HERE.

SHOW-ME STATE SHOWDOWN: Macedo Survives Kofoid’s Late Charge for First Win of 2026

The return to US 36 doesn’t disappoint as a pair of Californians battle it out in traffic to the checkered

OSBORN, MO (March 28, 2026) – Midwestern race fans rejoiced when US 36 Raceway returned to the World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car calendar, and Friday night showed why.

The Osborn, MO oval earned a reputation for offering some of the most thrilling Sprint Car racing you can find. A high banked bullring that puts leaders in traffic in just a few laps. It doesn’t get much better than that.

US 36 didn’t let us down as The Greatest Show on Dirt made its way to the “Show-Me State” for Friday’s KC Classic. After a year away, the country’s best Sprint Car drivers made their way back to the Missouri track.

A Macedo brothers front row set the stage for a wild opening segment as Cole and Carson fought it out like siblings. Carson stalked his younger brother early and even made contact with his right-rear tire in a moment that surely had their parents holding their breath. Both maintained control, and Carson slid ahead a couple circuits later to take command.

But the race was far from over as a late caution set up a thrilling duel to the checkered between Carson Macedo and Michael “Buddy” Kofoid. The two stayed close together as Macedo neared traffic, and Kofoid narrowed the gap as lapped cars got thicker. With only two laps remaining, Kofoid pulled next to Macedo, and the two raced wheel-to-wheel for an entire rotation. Macedo managed to muscle the Jason Johnson Racing No. 41 ahead as the white flag waved, and that was the space he needed. He paced the final circuit to score his first win of the year even while being down on power.

“I was in big trouble there,” Macedo admitted. “I looked over with about five to go, and I was down a cylinder. It sounded like a tractor. I was like, ‘Man, I don’t know what we’re going to do.’ I felt really down on power with the way the track was. That was not in my favor at all. I could see Buddy, and I was getting worse and worse. I was just trying to block all I could.”

The first triumph of 2026 was the 59th of Macedo’s career, elevating the Lemoore, CA native above Jason Meyers to take sole possession of 16h all-time. It gave Jason Johnson Racing a home state win as the Missouri-based operation secured its 83rd overall World of Outlaws checkered flag. Macedo also trimmed a little out of David Gravel’s championship lead as the distance between the two now sits at 52 markers.

Kofoid held on for second aboard the Roth Motorsports No. 83 for his second straight runner-up result and moved ahead of Logan Schuchart for fifth in points.

David Gravel rounded out the top three, notching his eighth podium in 10 races this season with the Big Game Motorsports crew.

Sheldon Haudenschild and Emerson Axsom completed the top five.

NIGHTLY NOTES

Buddy Kofoid clocked his second Race//Ready Hottest Lap of the Night in 2026.

David Gravel claimed his fourth Simpson Performance Products Quick Time of the season in Honest Abe Roofing Qualifying.

Heat Races belonged to David Gravel (NOS Energy Drink Heat One), Buddy Kofoid (DIRTVision Heat Two), and Cole Macedo (WIX Filters Heat Three).

The SPA Technique #1 Redraw went to Carson Macedo.

Cole Macedo topped the Toyota Dash.

Bill Balog won the Micro-Lite Last Chance Showdown.

Spencer Bayston took the Stenhouse Jr./Marshall Racing No. 17 from 25th to 13th to earn the KSE Racing Products Hard Charger.

Emerson Axsom’s fifth-place finish gave him the Five Star Bodies Rookie of the Race.

Cole Macedo put down the ACME Trading Company Fast Lap with an 11.635.

Donny Schatz was the Tub O’ Towels Seventh Place Finisher.

The Smith Titanium Brake Systems Break of the Race went to Scotty Thiel.

UP NEXT: The World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Series finalizes the weekend at Park City KS’ 81 Speedway on Saturday, March 28. For tickets, CLICK HERE.

Where can you 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 (30 Laps): 1. 41-Carson Macedo[2]; 2. 83-Michael Kofoid[3]; 3. 2-David Gravel[5]; 4. 18-Sheldon Haudenschild[4]; 5. 27-Emerson Axsom[6]; 6. 2C-Cole Macedo[1]; 7. 15-Donny Schatz[9]; 8. 51-Scott Bogucki[7]; 9. 1S-Logan Schuchart[10]; 10. 45X-Rees Moran[12]; 11. 1A-Ashton Torgerson[14]; 12. 23-Garet Williamson[8]; 13. 17-Spencer Bayston[25]; 14. 7S-Chris Windom[13]; 15. 17B-Bill Balog[19]; 16. 6-Kasey Jedrzejek[16]; 17. 74-Xavier Doney[15]; 18. 85J-Logan Julien[17]; 19. 12X-Landon Crawley[18]; 20. 10-Ryan Timms[20]; 21. 95-Matt Covington[21]; 22. 31-Koby Werkmeister[24]; 23. (DNF) 28M-Conner Morrell[11]; 24. (DNF) 32-Bryce Lucius[22]; 25. (DNF) 16C-Scotty Thiel[23]

For complete results, CLICK HERE.

ARTICLE: https://worldofoutlaws.com/sprintcars/show-me-state-showdown-macedo-survives-kofoids-late-charge-for-first-win-of-2026/

PHENIX CITY, AL (March 27, 2026) – In his first visit to East Alabama Motor Speedway, Nick Hoffman wasted no time making Phenix City, AL feel like home.

With Friday’s Chattahoochee Clash being the track’s first World of Outlaws Late Model Series presented by DIRTVision race in 20 years, Hoffman was one of several drivers turning their first laps around the “Playground of Power.” But the Mooresville, NC driver looked like anything but an East Alabama rookie as he wrestled the lead away from Daulton Wilson with three laps remaining to win his fourth World of Outlaws race of 2026.

“For me, I’ve raced at so many new racetracks across the country, I don’t know what to expect as far as perfect,” Hoffman said. “Here, you just kind of go back to your notebook, look at places that are similar and try and circle those. They did a great job, can’t believe I’ve never been here before. It’s only five and a half hours from the house for me, just never been here.”

For most of the 40-lap contest, it looked like Wilson was on his way to the first World of Outlaws win of his career and his first triumph behind the wheel of the Big Frog/Viper Motorsports No. 58V. Hoffman challenged him down low going into Turn 1 lap after lap, but Wilson held strong on the top each time. Between lap traffic, restarts, and anything else East Alabama threw at him, it appeared nothing could keep Wilson out of the lead.

But Hoffman’s presence behind him never wavered, and that meant he was ready to pounce when the opportunity came. Coming to the two-to-go signal, Wilson jumped the cushion in Turns 3 and 4, leaving enough room for Hoffman to slip by on the bottom. Wilson got back in his rhythm in the final two laps, but it was too late, as he could only watch Hoffman drive home to the 15th World of Outlaws win of his career.

“There late in the race, after that last restart, I got him to where he committed to that top,” Hoffman said. “I just kept bombing it in there just to show him my nose in [Turns] 1 and 2 thinking maybe he would peel off that top a little bit in [Turns] 3 and 4 and he never did. I just pressured him enough to have him make a mistake there. I knew he would be pretty good here, this track is pretty similar to Fayetteville [Motor Speedway], which is what he grew up on.”

Wilson knew he had one hand around the trophy in the closing laps until ultimately falling short. However, his second-place finish continued his recent hot streak that now stands at five-straight top 10s, and Wilson remains confident that the his first Series win is on the way.

“I was leading going down the back straightaway and all my warning lights came on,” Wilson said. “I just lifted and went down there and missed the racetrack. We’ve got to figure out what’s going on there, that kind of sucks.”

Friday’s race signaled a big step in the right direction for Tim McCreadie, who finished third for his first podium since the first World of Outlaws night of Federated Auto Parts DIRTcar Nationals. Behind him, Jonathan Davenport and Chris Madden completed the top five.

UP NEXT: The World of Outlaws Late Model Series presented by DIRTVision heads to Georgia for the Billy Clanton Classic at Senoia Raceway on Saturday, March 28. Tickets will be available at the gate.

Want to watch the World of Outlaws? Stream every race live on DIRTVision.

RACE NOTES:

Sam Seawright set the Dirt King Simulators Fastest Hot Lap.

Jonathan Davenport won the Simpson Quick Time Award.

Jonathan Davenport won Heat 1.

Nick Hoffman won STAKT Products Heat 2.

Daulton Wilson won Keyser Manufacturing Heat 3.

Tim McCreadie won Jarrett Rifles Heat 4.

Dalton Cook won the Last Chance Showdown.

Daulton Wilson won the Bilstein Pole Award.

Bobby Pierce won the FOX Factory Hard Charger Award.

Daulton Wilson won the MD3 Rookie of the Race Award.

Daulton Wilson was the WELD Racing Second-Place Finisher.

Tim McCreadie was the WIX Filters Third-Place Finisher.

Jonathan Davenport was the ARP Fourth-Place Finisher.

Chris Madden was the MSD Fifth-Place Finisher.

Drake Troutman was the Swift Springs Sixth-Place Finisher.

Ashton Winger was the Penske Racing Shocks Seventh-Place Finisher.

Bobby Pierce was VP Racing Fuels Eighth-Place Finisher.

Sam Seawright was the Lifeline Ninth-Place Finisher.

Ethan Dotson was the COMP Cams 10th-Place Finisher.

Ryan Gustin was the Quarter Master 11th-Place Finisher.

Trey Mills was the Cometic Gaskets 12th-Place Finisher.

Tyler Erb was the Quarter Master 13th-Place Finisher.

Luke Morey was the ARP 14th-Place Finisher.

Dustin Sorensen was the Arizona Sport Shirts 18th-Place Finisher.

Feature (40 Laps): 1. 9-Nick Hoffman[3]; 2. 58V-Daulton Wilson[1]; 3. 9M-Tim McCreadie[2]; 4. 49-Jonathan Davenport[4]; 5. 44-Chris Madden[5]; 6. 22*-Drake Troutman[9]; 7. 12-Ashton Winger[6]; 8. 32-Bobby Pierce[13]; 9. 16-Sam Seawright[8]; 10. 74X-Ethan Dotson[12]; 11. 19R-Ryan Gustin[20]; 12. 14-Trey Mills[7]; 13. 1-Tyler Erb[18]; 14. 49M-Luke Morey[19]; 15. 28-Dennis Erb Jr[16]; 16. 20TC-Tristan Chamberlain[15]; 17. 1Z-Logan Zarin[11]; 18. 19-Dustin Sorensen[14]; 19. T1-Todd Morrow[21]; 20. B1-Brent Larson[23]; 21. 7-Tyler Thomason[22]; 22. 55E-Eli Johnson[24]; 23. 44D-Dalton Cook[17]; 24. 22-Chris Ferguson[10]

Hoffman Denies Wilson to Win World of Outlaws Return to East Alabama

PHENIX CITY, AL (March 27, 2026) – In his first visit to East Alabama Motor Speedway, Nick Hoffman wasted no time making Phenix City, AL feel like home.

With Friday’s Chattahoochee Clash being the track’s first World of Outlaws Late Model Series presented by DIRTVision race in 20 years, Hoffman was one of several drivers turning their first laps around the “Playground of Power.” But the Mooresville, NC driver looked like anything but an East Alabama rookie as he wrestled the lead away from Daulton Wilson with three laps remaining to win his fourth World of Outlaws race of 2026.

“For me, I’ve raced at so many new racetracks across the country, I don’t know what to expect as far as perfect,” Hoffman said. “Here, you just kind of go back to your notebook, look at places that are similar and try and circle those. They did a great job, can’t believe I’ve never been here before. It’s only five and a half hours from the house for me, just never been here.”

For most of the 40-lap contest, it looked like Wilson was on his way to the first World of Outlaws win of his career and his first triumph behind the wheel of the Big Frog/Viper Motorsports No. 58V. Hoffman challenged him down low going into Turn 1 lap after lap, but Wilson held strong on the top each time. Between lap traffic, restarts, and anything else East Alabama threw at him, it appeared nothing could keep Wilson out of the lead.

But Hoffman’s presence behind him never wavered, and that meant he was ready to pounce when the opportunity came. Coming to the two-to-go signal, Wilson jumped the cushion in Turns 3 and 4, leaving enough room for Hoffman to slip by on the bottom. Wilson got back in his rhythm in the final two laps, but it was too late, as he could only watch Hoffman drive home to the 15th World of Outlaws win of his career.

“There late in the race, after that last restart, I got him to where he committed to that top,” Hoffman said. “I just kept bombing it in there just to show him my nose in [Turns] 1 and 2 thinking maybe he would peel off that top a little bit in [Turns] 3 and 4 and he never did. I just pressured him enough to have him make a mistake there. I knew he would be pretty good here, this track is pretty similar to Fayetteville [Motor Speedway], which is what he grew up on.”

Wilson knew he had one hand around the trophy in the closing laps until ultimately falling short. However, his second-place finish continued his recent hot streak that now stands at five-straight top 10s, and Wilson remains confident that the his first Series win is on the way.

“I was leading going down the back straightaway and all my warning lights came on,” Wilson said. “I just lifted and went down there and missed the racetrack. We’ve got to figure out what’s going on there, that kind of sucks.”

Friday’s race signaled a big step in the right direction for Tim McCreadie, who finished third for his first podium since the first World of Outlaws night of Federated Auto Parts DIRTcar Nationals. Behind him, Jonathan Davenport and Chris Madden completed the top five.

UP NEXT: The World of Outlaws Late Model Series presented by DIRTVision heads to Georgia for the Billy Clanton Classic at Senoia Raceway on Saturday, March 28. Tickets will be available at the gate.

Want to watch the World of Outlaws? Stream every race live on DIRTVision.

RACE NOTES:

Sam Seawright set the Dirt King Simulators Fastest Hot Lap.

Jonathan Davenport won the Simpson Quick Time Award.

Jonathan Davenport won Heat 1.

Nick Hoffman won STAKT Products Heat 2.

Daulton Wilson won Keyser Manufacturing Heat 3.

Tim McCreadie won Jarrett Rifles Heat 4.

Dalton Cook won the Last Chance Showdown.

Daulton Wilson won the Bilstein Pole Award.

Bobby Pierce won the FOX Factory Hard Charger Award.

Daulton Wilson won the MD3 Rookie of the Race Award.

Daulton Wilson was the WELD Racing Second-Place Finisher.

Tim McCreadie was the WIX Filters Third-Place Finisher.

Jonathan Davenport was the ARP Fourth-Place Finisher.

Chris Madden was the MSD Fifth-Place Finisher.

Drake Troutman was the Swift Springs Sixth-Place Finisher.

Ashton Winger was the Penske Racing Shocks Seventh-Place Finisher.

Bobby Pierce was VP Racing Fuels Eighth-Place Finisher.

Sam Seawright was the Lifeline Ninth-Place Finisher.

Ethan Dotson was the COMP Cams 10th-Place Finisher.

Ryan Gustin was the Quarter Master 11th-Place Finisher.

Trey Mills was the Cometic Gaskets 12th-Place Finisher.

Tyler Erb was the Quarter Master 13th-Place Finisher.

Luke Morey was the ARP 14th-Place Finisher.

Dustin Sorensen was the Arizona Sport Shirts 18th-Place Finisher.

Feature (40 Laps): 1. 9-Nick Hoffman[3]; 2. 58V-Daulton Wilson[1]; 3. 9M-Tim McCreadie[2]; 4. 49-Jonathan Davenport[4]; 5. 44-Chris Madden[5]; 6. 22*-Drake Troutman[9]; 7. 12-Ashton Winger[6]; 8. 32-Bobby Pierce[13]; 9. 16-Sam Seawright[8]; 10. 74X-Ethan Dotson[12]; 11. 19R-Ryan Gustin[20]; 12. 14-Trey Mills[7]; 13. 1-Tyler Erb[18]; 14. 49M-Luke Morey[19]; 15. 28-Dennis Erb Jr[16]; 16. 20TC-Tristan Chamberlain[15]; 17. 1Z-Logan Zarin[11]; 18. 19-Dustin Sorensen[14]; 19. T1-Todd Morrow[21]; 20. B1-Brent Larson[23]; 21. 7-Tyler Thomason[22]; 22. 55E-Eli Johnson[24]; 23. 44D-Dalton Cook[17]; 24. 22-Chris Ferguson[10]

ARTICLE: https://worldofoutlaws.com/latemodels/hoffman-denies-wilson-to-win-world-of-outlaws-return-to-east-alabama/

CHEVROLET IN THE NTT INDYCAR SERIESChildren’s of Alabama Indy Grand Prix2.3-mile, 17-turn Barber Motorsports Park natural terrain road courseBirmingham, AlabamaFriday Practice ReportMarch 27, 2026 BIRMINGHAM, Alabama (March 27, 2026) – Scott McLaughlin, this weekend in the No. 3 Odyssey Battery Team Penske Chevrolet, led the third straight opening practice on a road or street course to start the 2026 NTT INDYCAR SERIES. The Kiwi’s best lap of 67.3840 seconds (122.878 mph) on the Alternate Firestone Firehawk racing tires (Red) was the quickest of six Team Chevy drivers among the eight quickest drivers. Pato O’Ward in the No. 5 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet, Christian Lundgaard in the No. 7 VELO Arrow McLaren Chevrolet, David Malukas in the No. 12 Verizon Team Penske Chevrolet, Josef Newgarden in the No. 2 PPG Team Penske Chevrolet and Rinus VeeKay in the No. 76 Juncos Hollinger Chevrolet. joined McLaughin.  “Pretty good start for us on the Odyssey Battery Chevy,” said McLaughlin after practice. “We were all strong, which is a good sign for the team. We’ve done a lot of hard work in the off-season to figure out where we can be better. We’ve still got a lot to learn and be better at and stronger. Overall a pretty good start for us. Bring on tomorrow.” McLaughlin, a two-time winner on the 2.3-mile, 17-turn natural terrain road course in 2023 and 2024, was also the quickest at 68.0903 seconds (121.603mph) on the Primary Firstone Firehawk racing tires (Black) during the first 40 minutes of the first practice, with all 25 drivers on track. Malukas, O’Ward, Newgarden and Lundgaard were the Chevrolet-powered drivers on the Blacks.  Lundgaard, with a lap of Barber Motorsports Park at 67.4379 seconds (122.780mph), led the first 12-minute session on the Reds, with Malukas the second quickest. “I’ve always liked this place since the first time I came here in (20)22. Technically in (20)21 this is the place I did my first INDYCAR test. I’ve always liked the place. I felt like that wasn’t in the bag today. On the primaries, we didn’t really have pace. I think the track is very different to what it was last year. With the new alternates, we’re trying to figure it out, and we got it right. Which is nice from here. Hopefully we can get the No. 7 VELO Arrow McLaren Chevrolet in victory lane on Sunday.” Children’s of Alabama Indy Grand Prix Friday Practice Results:NTT INDYCAR SERIES News ConferenceFriday, March 27, 2026Christian LundgaardPress Conference THE MODERATOR: Good afternoon. Wrapping up practice ahead of Sunday’s race, Christian Lundgaard finished second here last year. P1 in Group A today.Something about this track you like, Christian? CHRISTIAN LUNDGAARD: I mean, I’ve always loved this place. This was my first-ever INDYCAR test back in ’21. I’ve had some good results. Also had some less good ones.I think it’s trending in the right direction looking at the last couple years. It’s nice to obviously start the weekend kind of good off the trucks. I didn’t really think that pace was in the car throughout our entire primary run. Pretty positively surprised, I would say. THE MODERATOR: Looked like Pato was pretty good out there. Maybe the start of a good weekend for Arrow McLaren? CHRISTIAN LUNDGAARD: Yeah, we were pretty competitive last year. The 10 car had some race pace on the field. The 3 car has always been strong here in the past. He was dominating in I guess that was ’23 or ’24. Obviously that’s the pace that we’re trying to find. Again, I didn’t really think we had it in the beginning of practice. It looks like the alternates are a little stronger than I anticipated those being.THE MODERATOR: Open it up for questions. Q.  To go a little bit more into the fact you were surprised, why did you not think you had the pace? Was there a sector that you expected to be better in?CHRISTIAN LUNDGAARD: I mean, we were only fast on the alternates. We weren’t fast on the primaries. Obviously Pato was a lot faster than we were. That’s really where the surprise was, the shift from alternates to primaries on the 7 car. Every time I’d come into the box, I’d be like I don’t know where I’m going to find half a second. Put on the alternates and there it was. Q.  Obviously the team is falling upon something that works pretty good. What do you do to nail it down tomorrow in qualifications?CHRISTIAN LUNDGAARD: Yeah, I mean, I think the one focus on the 7 car for this weekend is just execution. I don’t think we need to try to find a lot of pace. I think we just need to go out there and execute. Qualifying has been a struggle for us this year. We’ve been good on Sundays. I think for us it’s see if we can get into the Firestone Fast Six. We weren’t last year. Nolan was in last year. I think that’s really where we need to gain some ground to be able to fight for the win. Q.  You said you were good on the alternates. Last year it seemed like it was an alternate race. Do you anticipate the same? Shouldn’t you be fine if you’re good on the alternates?CHRISTIAN LUNDGAARD: Yeah, we still have to do a stint on the primes. That’s where the 10 car has always been strong. I think we’ve seen multiple occasions where the 10 car chooses primes over alternates. I think that was more in reference to today. I didn’t feel good on the primes. Balance was decent. Definitely some stuff to work on. I didn’t really see where I was going to find half a second or 7/10ths that we were missing at the time. I think we nailed balance for the alternates. Obviously we’re in Group 1. Group 2 went a little faster. On outright pace we’re right there on the alternates. I think that’s definitely a positive. I think we need to find a little bit for the race. Q.  It will be cooler for the race. Do you have to be cautious about how you analyze today?CHRISTIAN LUNDGAARD: Yes and no. I think you always have to take it with a grain of salt. I think that’s what’s tough, but also why I enjoy INDYCAR in general, is the different conditions you have throughout a weekend from practice one to warm-up to the race. Warm-up is never the same as the race. You always have to adapt on the fly.I think that’s just a great challenge for all of us. More often I think we’ve hit it right. There’s definitely also cases where we haven’t hit it. I think it’s because it changes throughout the weekend where you have at least some references. Q.  We’ve heard Pato a couple times this year talk about holding that consistency, not have almost a disastrous race. Even though he hasn’t won or been on the podium, he’s consistently been fourth or fifth. Do you take that similar mindset, someone who doesn’t want to be near the bottom half of the field, to give yourself a chance long-term in the championship race?CHRISTIAN LUNDGAARD: Yeah, I can promise you right now we’re not aiming at finishing fourth or fifth, right? Those are good points, but we’re trying to win every single race. Q.  Can you explain the impact and the influence that Ryan Hunter-Reay has had?CHRISTIAN LUNDGAARD: I mean, having him around, obviously he comes with a lot of credibility coming into the team. Obviously for him I think it’s more learn how we operate versus bring some stuff to the table. Of course, he has for the ovals. I think we’re all excited for the open test to see how he’s going to get on and what we can learn from him.Yes, I mean, it’s great. He’s a great guy. Q.  Second last year. Did well in practice today. How different is your setup this year?CHRISTIAN LUNDGAARD: Pretty much the exact same (smiling). I mean, obviously we’re trying things in session. There’s things that we’re adapting on the fly. I mean, us on the 7, we strongly believe don’t change what’s working. Again, we do know we need to find some time to the 10 car, at least from last year. I do feel like it’s nice to see he wasn’t as competitive as he has been in the past right out the gate. I think this race last year was one of his absolute strongest weekends. I’m not going to sit here and say he’s on the back foot. At least seeing the result of P1, it gives us a little bit of hope, I think. Q.  With three races back to back to back, week off, this race, is it difficult to compartmentalize each race so you’re not doing multiple things at the same time?CHRISTIAN LUNDGAARD: Absolutely. But I think that’s life, really. You always get stuff thrown at you. I think we’ve done well in some areas trying to figure those things out.But it’s also difficult to really focus. If you’re really good in the race, what do you really need to focus on throughout a weekend. We’ve struggled in qualifying, so that’s where we’ve been putting our focus on. It’s easy to lose track of some of the other areas, which is nice to have a weekend off, obviously regroup, refresh. Obviously come back to Barber where we’ve been strong in the past. Q.  You spoke that there are some things that you have going right, such as the balance. With the speed that McLaren also showed in practice, how confident are you feeling that by Saturday and qualifying you can get everything sorted out to maximize what you can do this weekend?CHRISTIAN LUNDGAARD: I mean, just judging how we executed the alternate run in practice, I think we’re right about there. Obviously we’re still going to improve. But so is every other car on the grid. Some cars are going to hit it. Some cars are going to miss it. I think that’s just the nature of the game. As a team, I think we have three good foundations on all three cars. We’re going to take the best of ’em and put ’em on for qualifying for all three of us. THE MODERATOR: Christian, thanks for coming up. Good start to the weekend.CHRISTIAN LUNDGAARD: Thank you.Tune-In Guide SaturdayNTT INDYCAR SERIES Practice #2 – 11am (ET)/10am (CT)/9am (MT)/8am (PT) –FS1/ INDYCAR Radio Network/SIRIUSXM 218NTT INDYCAR SERIES Qualifying – 2:30pm (ET)/1:30pm (CT)/12:30pm (MT)/11:30am (PT) – FS1/ INDYCAR Radio Network/SIRIUSXM 218 SundayNTT INDYCAR SERIES Warm Up – 10am (ET)/9am (CT)/8am (MT)/7am (PT) –FS1/ INDYCAR Radio Network/SIRIUSXM 218Children’s of Alabama Indy Grand Prix (90 laps) – 1pm (ET)/noon (CT)/11am (MT)/10am (PT) – FOX/INDYCAR Radio Network/SIRIUSXM 218

CHEVROLET IN THE NTT INDYCAR SERIESChildren’s of Alabama Indy Grand Prix2.3-mile, 17-turn Barber Motorsports Park natural terrain road courseBirmingham, AlabamaFriday Practice ReportMarch 27, 2026 BIRMINGHAM, Alabama (March 27, 2026) – Scott McLaughlin, this weekend in the No. 3 Odyssey Battery Team Penske Chevrolet, led the third straight opening practice on a road or street course to start the 2026 NTT INDYCAR SERIES. The Kiwi’s best lap of 67.3840 seconds (122.878 mph) on the Alternate Firestone Firehawk racing tires (Red) was the quickest of six Team Chevy drivers among the eight quickest drivers. Pato O’Ward in the No. 5 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet, Christian Lundgaard in the No. 7 VELO Arrow McLaren Chevrolet, David Malukas in the No. 12 Verizon Team Penske Chevrolet, Josef Newgarden in the No. 2 PPG Team Penske Chevrolet and Rinus VeeKay in the No. 76 Juncos Hollinger Chevrolet. joined McLaughin.  “Pretty good start for us on the Odyssey Battery Chevy,” said McLaughlin after practice. “We were all strong, which is a good sign for the team. We’ve done a lot of hard work in the off-season to figure out where we can be better. We’ve still got a lot to learn and be better at and stronger. Overall a pretty good start for us. Bring on tomorrow.” McLaughlin, a two-time winner on the 2.3-mile, 17-turn natural terrain road course in 2023 and 2024, was also the quickest at 68.0903 seconds (121.603mph) on the Primary Firstone Firehawk racing tires (Black) during the first 40 minutes of the first practice, with all 25 drivers on track. Malukas, O’Ward, Newgarden and Lundgaard were the Chevrolet-powered drivers on the Blacks.  Lundgaard, with a lap of Barber Motorsports Park at 67.4379 seconds (122.780mph), led the first 12-minute session on the Reds, with Malukas the second quickest. “I’ve always liked this place since the first time I came here in (20)22. Technically in (20)21 this is the place I did my first INDYCAR test. I’ve always liked the place. I felt like that wasn’t in the bag today. On the primaries, we didn’t really have pace. I think the track is very different to what it was last year. With the new alternates, we’re trying to figure it out, and we got it right. Which is nice from here. Hopefully we can get the No. 7 VELO Arrow McLaren Chevrolet in victory lane on Sunday.” Children’s of Alabama Indy Grand Prix Friday Practice Results:NTT INDYCAR SERIES News ConferenceFriday, March 27, 2026Christian LundgaardPress Conference THE MODERATOR: Good afternoon. Wrapping up practice ahead of Sunday’s race, Christian Lundgaard finished second here last year. P1 in Group A today.Something about this track you like, Christian? CHRISTIAN LUNDGAARD: I mean, I’ve always loved this place. This was my first-ever INDYCAR test back in ’21. I’ve had some good results. Also had some less good ones.I think it’s trending in the right direction looking at the last couple years. It’s nice to obviously start the weekend kind of good off the trucks. I didn’t really think that pace was in the car throughout our entire primary run. Pretty positively surprised, I would say. THE MODERATOR: Looked like Pato was pretty good out there. Maybe the start of a good weekend for Arrow McLaren? CHRISTIAN LUNDGAARD: Yeah, we were pretty competitive last year. The 10 car had some race pace on the field. The 3 car has always been strong here in the past. He was dominating in I guess that was ’23 or ’24. Obviously that’s the pace that we’re trying to find. Again, I didn’t really think we had it in the beginning of practice. It looks like the alternates are a little stronger than I anticipated those being.THE MODERATOR: Open it up for questions. Q.  To go a little bit more into the fact you were surprised, why did you not think you had the pace? Was there a sector that you expected to be better in?CHRISTIAN LUNDGAARD: I mean, we were only fast on the alternates. We weren’t fast on the primaries. Obviously Pato was a lot faster than we were. That’s really where the surprise was, the shift from alternates to primaries on the 7 car. Every time I’d come into the box, I’d be like I don’t know where I’m going to find half a second. Put on the alternates and there it was. Q.  Obviously the team is falling upon something that works pretty good. What do you do to nail it down tomorrow in qualifications?CHRISTIAN LUNDGAARD: Yeah, I mean, I think the one focus on the 7 car for this weekend is just execution. I don’t think we need to try to find a lot of pace. I think we just need to go out there and execute. Qualifying has been a struggle for us this year. We’ve been good on Sundays. I think for us it’s see if we can get into the Firestone Fast Six. We weren’t last year. Nolan was in last year. I think that’s really where we need to gain some ground to be able to fight for the win. Q.  You said you were good on the alternates. Last year it seemed like it was an alternate race. Do you anticipate the same? Shouldn’t you be fine if you’re good on the alternates?CHRISTIAN LUNDGAARD: Yeah, we still have to do a stint on the primes. That’s where the 10 car has always been strong. I think we’ve seen multiple occasions where the 10 car chooses primes over alternates. I think that was more in reference to today. I didn’t feel good on the primes. Balance was decent. Definitely some stuff to work on. I didn’t really see where I was going to find half a second or 7/10ths that we were missing at the time. I think we nailed balance for the alternates. Obviously we’re in Group 1. Group 2 went a little faster. On outright pace we’re right there on the alternates. I think that’s definitely a positive. I think we need to find a little bit for the race. Q.  It will be cooler for the race. Do you have to be cautious about how you analyze today?CHRISTIAN LUNDGAARD: Yes and no. I think you always have to take it with a grain of salt. I think that’s what’s tough, but also why I enjoy INDYCAR in general, is the different conditions you have throughout a weekend from practice one to warm-up to the race. Warm-up is never the same as the race. You always have to adapt on the fly.I think that’s just a great challenge for all of us. More often I think we’ve hit it right. There’s definitely also cases where we haven’t hit it. I think it’s because it changes throughout the weekend where you have at least some references. Q.  We’ve heard Pato a couple times this year talk about holding that consistency, not have almost a disastrous race. Even though he hasn’t won or been on the podium, he’s consistently been fourth or fifth. Do you take that similar mindset, someone who doesn’t want to be near the bottom half of the field, to give yourself a chance long-term in the championship race?CHRISTIAN LUNDGAARD: Yeah, I can promise you right now we’re not aiming at finishing fourth or fifth, right? Those are good points, but we’re trying to win every single race. Q.  Can you explain the impact and the influence that Ryan Hunter-Reay has had?CHRISTIAN LUNDGAARD: I mean, having him around, obviously he comes with a lot of credibility coming into the team. Obviously for him I think it’s more learn how we operate versus bring some stuff to the table. Of course, he has for the ovals. I think we’re all excited for the open test to see how he’s going to get on and what we can learn from him.Yes, I mean, it’s great. He’s a great guy. Q.  Second last year. Did well in practice today. How different is your setup this year?CHRISTIAN LUNDGAARD: Pretty much the exact same (smiling). I mean, obviously we’re trying things in session. There’s things that we’re adapting on the fly. I mean, us on the 7, we strongly believe don’t change what’s working. Again, we do know we need to find some time to the 10 car, at least from last year. I do feel like it’s nice to see he wasn’t as competitive as he has been in the past right out the gate. I think this race last year was one of his absolute strongest weekends. I’m not going to sit here and say he’s on the back foot. At least seeing the result of P1, it gives us a little bit of hope, I think. Q.  With three races back to back to back, week off, this race, is it difficult to compartmentalize each race so you’re not doing multiple things at the same time?CHRISTIAN LUNDGAARD: Absolutely. But I think that’s life, really. You always get stuff thrown at you. I think we’ve done well in some areas trying to figure those things out.But it’s also difficult to really focus. If you’re really good in the race, what do you really need to focus on throughout a weekend. We’ve struggled in qualifying, so that’s where we’ve been putting our focus on. It’s easy to lose track of some of the other areas, which is nice to have a weekend off, obviously regroup, refresh. Obviously come back to Barber where we’ve been strong in the past. Q.  You spoke that there are some things that you have going right, such as the balance. With the speed that McLaren also showed in practice, how confident are you feeling that by Saturday and qualifying you can get everything sorted out to maximize what you can do this weekend?CHRISTIAN LUNDGAARD: I mean, just judging how we executed the alternate run in practice, I think we’re right about there. Obviously we’re still going to improve. But so is every other car on the grid. Some cars are going to hit it. Some cars are going to miss it. I think that’s just the nature of the game. As a team, I think we have three good foundations on all three cars. We’re going to take the best of ’em and put ’em on for qualifying for all three of us. THE MODERATOR: Christian, thanks for coming up. Good start to the weekend.CHRISTIAN LUNDGAARD: Thank you.Tune-In Guide SaturdayNTT INDYCAR SERIES Practice #2 – 11am (ET)/10am (CT)/9am (MT)/8am (PT) –FS1/ INDYCAR Radio Network/SIRIUSXM 218NTT INDYCAR SERIES Qualifying – 2:30pm (ET)/1:30pm (CT)/12:30pm (MT)/11:30am (PT) – FS1/ INDYCAR Radio Network/SIRIUSXM 218 SundayNTT INDYCAR SERIES Warm Up – 10am (ET)/9am (CT)/8am (MT)/7am (PT) –FS1/ INDYCAR Radio Network/SIRIUSXM 218Children’s of Alabama Indy Grand Prix (90 laps) – 1pm (ET)/noon (CT)/11am (MT)/10am (PT) – FOX/INDYCAR Radio Network/SIRIUSXM 218

Chevrolet History at Barber Motorsports ParkChevrolet Wins – 9 2024 – Scott McLaughlin – Team Penske2023 – Scott McLaughlin – Team Penske2022 – Pato O’Ward – Arrow McLaren2018 – Josef Newgarden – Team Penske2017 – Josef Newgarden – Team Penske2016 – Simon Pagenaud – Team Penske2015 – Josef Newgarden – ECR2013 – Ryan Hunter-Reay – Andretti Global2012 – Will Power – Team Penske Chevrolet Poles – 10 2024 – Scott McLaughlin – Team Penske2022 – Rinus VeeKay – ECR2021 – Pato O’Ward – Arrow McLaren2018 – Josef Newgarden – Team Penske2017 – Will Power – Team Penske2016 – Simon Pagenaud – Team Penske2015 – Helio Castroneves – Team Penske2014 – Will Power – Team Penske2013 – Ryan Hunter-Reay – Andretti Global2012 – Helio Castroneves – Team Penske Chevrolet Podiums: 21 Driver Podiums: Josef Newgarden (4), Will Power (4), Scott McLaughlin (3), Scott Dixon (2), Helio Castroneves (2), Simon Pagenaud (2), Ryan Hunter-Reay (1), Christian Lundgaard (1), Pato O’Ward (1), Rinus VeeKay (1) Team Podiums: Team Penske (13), ECR (3), Arrow McLaren (2), Chip Ganassi Racing (2), Andretti Global (1) Chevrolet Laps Led: 699 Driver Laps Led: Josef Newgarden (141), Will Power (114), Simon Pagenaud (87), Helio Castroneves (73), Rinus VeeKay (58), Pato O’Ward (52), Santino Ferrucci (14), Sebastian Saavedra (11), Sebastien Bourdais (6), Scott Dixon (3), James Hinchcliffe (1) Team Laps Led: Team Penske (455), ECR (104), Andretti Global (54), Arrow McLaren (52), KV Racing Technology (13), A.J. Foyt Racing (18), Chip Ganassi Racing (3),  Manufacturer History at Phoenix International Raceway Wins (with competition)  9 – Chevrolet (2024, 2023, 2022, 2018, 2017, 2016, 2015, 2013, 2012)4 – Honda (2025, 2021, 2019, 2014) Poles (with competition)  10 – Chevrolet (2024, 2022, 2021, 2018, 2017, 2016, 2015, 2014, 2013, 2012)3 – Honda (2025, 2023, 2019) Historical Chevrolet in the INDYCAR SERIES information• INDYCAR SERIES Manufacturer Championships (since 1979)• Chevrolet-Powered Wins in the Twin-Turbo 2.2L V6 Era (2012-present)• Chevrolet-Powered Wins – All-Time

CONCORD, NC (March 27, 2026) — This year marks Whit Gastineau’s 26th season in dirt track racing. And it might just be the best he’s ever felt behind the wheel.

At 41 years of age, the Oklahoma native has forged a reputation for being one of the state’s best local/regional pick-and-choose racers, making only occasional long-distance trips and seldom racing for points championships. But only seven races into the 2026 American Sprint Car Series season, he’s sitting sixth in the points standings with four top-10 finishes against some of the best 360 Sprint Car drivers in the nation.

“The past year is probably the best we’ve ever ran; it’s just figuring out the car and being consistent,” Gastineau said. “We’ve always had the right components; it’s just that sometimes the motor wasn’t there or the driver wasn’t there. Sometimes, the car wasn’t there. That setup can make you look really good or really bad.”

However, his recent strong runs only tell part of the story. Six months ago, Gastineau finally broke through to Victory Lane on the national circuit in back-to-back fashion, sweeping a doubleheader weekend at Salt City Speedway in Hutchinson, KS. In 40 laps of Feature competition, the Statewide Service Center, Shark Racing Engines-powered Maxim Chassis No. 2 led 31 of them.

Never before had his veteran talents taken him higher than a third-place finish against the national-touring stars. But for two consecutive nights, he paraded the field around the flat, 1/2-mile Kansas oval and banked two of the biggest wins of his career.

“It was good to finally do it,” Gastineau said. “I’ve raced as long or longer than all of the guys with ASCS. This is my 26th year, so I’ve been racing; I just haven’t had a whole lot of opportunities. I’ve got Jim Ellison, the car owner, of Statewide Service Center. I’ve never really had the opportunity to do it on the big scale.

“We’re good around here, we’re fast, but it’s good to have somebody that’s willing to help out and give us the opportunity to go out there and run at the top about every night.”

He recalls the cool October weekend well, turning the fastest lap in Qualifying before a flag-to-flag win in the main event on Friday. He was forced to pass for the lead halfway through Saturday’s Feature but again drove away from the field in another display of high-speed prowess en route to a weekend sweep worth $10,000.

“We started out pretty dang close, and every time we hit the track, we just got a little bit better,” Gastineau said. “We made small adjustments throughout the night, and that really helped to be close every time.”

After a career-highlight weekend, Gastineau returned home to the town of Moore, OK, and the company of his wife and two children. On Monday, it was back to work for the family business — Gastineau Lawns.

As it is for many others in the 360 Sprint Car world, both work and family take a massive priority before racing. But still, the most dedicated racers will find time to get to the racetrack.

“We have around 140–150 yards a week; I’m keeping the guys going and out helping them,” Gastineau said. “My brother (Beau), he’s the head crew guy, he has a full-time job, and Jimmy (Ellis) has to be at work also.”

As one of the most competitive talents in 360 Sprint Car racing from Oklahoma, Gastineau has garnered a considerable fanbase around his native territory. Though fonder of the bigger, high-speed ovals on the circuit, he knows he’s capable of strong results anywhere with his dedicated team.

“Around here, we’re as good as anybody, and I think everybody knows that,” Gastineau said. “We haven’t ever had the opportunity to do it full-time on the national tour, but I really feel like we could compete. I feel like we should be top five every night. The wins will come. Sometimes you’ll be there and sometimes you won’t, but I feel like we can run top five every night.”

Will fans ever see Gastineau’s black-and-gold colors on the track in pursuit of an American Sprint Car Series national championship? He’s not ruled out the possibility. But for right now, it’s all about the next race, the next track, and the next opportunity to show his sharpened skills again.

“We take it a day at a time and a year at a time and go from there,” Gastineau said. “I feel pretty good right now, and within the last year, between all the classes, this is the best we’ve ever been. We’ve got the family, and we’ll race when we can.”

The American Sprint Car Series returns to action at Salina Highbanks Speedway on Saturday, April 11. Tickets for the event will be sold 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 race is broadcast live on DIRTVision.

Whit Gastineau Calls Recent Strong ASCS Results ‘The Best We’ve Ever Ran’

CONCORD, NC (March 27, 2026) — This year marks Whit Gastineau’s 26th season in dirt track racing. And it might just be the best he’s ever felt behind the wheel.

At 41 years of age, the Oklahoma native has forged a reputation for being one of the state’s best local/regional pick-and-choose racers, making only occasional long-distance trips and seldom racing for points championships. But only seven races into the 2026 American Sprint Car Series season, he’s sitting sixth in the points standings with four top-10 finishes against some of the best 360 Sprint Car drivers in the nation.

“The past year is probably the best we’ve ever ran; it’s just figuring out the car and being consistent,” Gastineau said. “We’ve always had the right components; it’s just that sometimes the motor wasn’t there or the driver wasn’t there. Sometimes, the car wasn’t there. That setup can make you look really good or really bad.”

However, his recent strong runs only tell part of the story. Six months ago, Gastineau finally broke through to Victory Lane on the national circuit in back-to-back fashion, sweeping a doubleheader weekend at Salt City Speedway in Hutchinson, KS. In 40 laps of Feature competition, the Statewide Service Center, Shark Racing Engines-powered Maxim Chassis No. 2 led 31 of them.

Never before had his veteran talents taken him higher than a third-place finish against the national-touring stars. But for two consecutive nights, he paraded the field around the flat, 1/2-mile Kansas oval and banked two of the biggest wins of his career.

“It was good to finally do it,” Gastineau said. “I’ve raced as long or longer than all of the guys with ASCS. This is my 26th year, so I’ve been racing; I just haven’t had a whole lot of opportunities. I’ve got Jim Ellison, the car owner, of Statewide Service Center. I’ve never really had the opportunity to do it on the big scale.

“We’re good around here, we’re fast, but it’s good to have somebody that’s willing to help out and give us the opportunity to go out there and run at the top about every night.”

He recalls the cool October weekend well, turning the fastest lap in Qualifying before a flag-to-flag win in the main event on Friday. He was forced to pass for the lead halfway through Saturday’s Feature but again drove away from the field in another display of high-speed prowess en route to a weekend sweep worth $10,000.

“We started out pretty dang close, and every time we hit the track, we just got a little bit better,” Gastineau said. “We made small adjustments throughout the night, and that really helped to be close every time.”

After a career-highlight weekend, Gastineau returned home to the town of Moore, OK, and the company of his wife and two children. On Monday, it was back to work for the family business — Gastineau Lawns.

As it is for many others in the 360 Sprint Car world, both work and family take a massive priority before racing. But still, the most dedicated racers will find time to get to the racetrack.

“We have around 140–150 yards a week; I’m keeping the guys going and out helping them,” Gastineau said. “My brother (Beau), he’s the head crew guy, he has a full-time job, and Jimmy (Ellis) has to be at work also.”

As one of the most competitive talents in 360 Sprint Car racing from Oklahoma, Gastineau has garnered a considerable fanbase around his native territory. Though fonder of the bigger, high-speed ovals on the circuit, he knows he’s capable of strong results anywhere with his dedicated team.

“Around here, we’re as good as anybody, and I think everybody knows that,” Gastineau said. “We haven’t ever had the opportunity to do it full-time on the national tour, but I really feel like we could compete. I feel like we should be top five every night. The wins will come. Sometimes you’ll be there and sometimes you won’t, but I feel like we can run top five every night.”

Will fans ever see Gastineau’s black-and-gold colors on the track in pursuit of an American Sprint Car Series national championship? He’s not ruled out the possibility. But for right now, it’s all about the next race, the next track, and the next opportunity to show his sharpened skills again.

“We take it a day at a time and a year at a time and go from there,” Gastineau said. “I feel pretty good right now, and within the last year, between all the classes, this is the best we’ve ever been. We’ve got the family, and we’ll race when we can.”

The American Sprint Car Series returns to action at Salina Highbanks Speedway on Saturday, April 11. Tickets for the event will be sold 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 race is broadcast live on DIRTVision.

ARTICLE: https://ascsracing.com/news/whit-gastineau-calls-recent-strong-ascs-results-the-best-weve-ever-ran/

OSBORN, MO (March 26, 2026) – There was no threat of rain at all Friday night at Lawton Speedway, but Scott Bogucki still wound up soaked from head to toe.

The World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Series rookie had just wheeled the Three Stooges Racing No. 51 to his first career podium. Bogucki came home second, trailing only two-time and defending champion, David Gravel.

So, why did the McLaren Vale, SA, Australia native end up with water dripping from his fire suit in the pits? Well, he made a friendly wager with a track worker equipped with a good memory.

“So, the last couple years I’ve actually been really good at Qualifying,” Bogucki explained. “I’ve been getting really frustrated that I haven’t been Qualifying good. After Qualifying, I was annoyed, and we were parked next to the water barrel, and the track guy is like, ‘You’ll be fine. You’ll be fine.’ And, typical race car driver, I was like, ‘Man, if we’re so good and if I run top 10, I’m going to let you pour that water on me,’ because I’m a shit talker. Well, he didn’t forget that. So, he came up at the end of the night, and a deal’s a deal. So, I had to man up and get the stinky water dumped on me. Thankfully, we have a shower in the trailer.”

The runner-up effort was a result of Bogucki and the Three Stooges crew unloading fast out of the box. With being a newer team and Bogucki and crew chief Noah West not having an extensive notebook for many of the early tracks they’ve faced, finding the right baseline has been a challenge. But they discovered speed at Lawton right out of the gate.

“Honestly, we just really hit on our balance that night,” Bogucki said. “We’ve been getting closer each night. It’s just hard. We get to the track, and we don’t really know where to start, so we kind of have to guess from the start and work from there. By the end of the night, we get to where we probably should’ve started. So, you know, it’s just going to be testing like that.”

Lawton also gave Bogucki and the entire team a much-needed confidence boost. They struggled at Volusia Speedway Park to open the season. The World of Outlaws tour is a grind that takes competitors all over the country nearly every weekend from February through November. It’s easy for any rookie to get beaten down and burnt out. But for Bogucki, this is his dream coming true, and he’s going to make the most of it. Don’t expect Lawton to be the last time the No. 51 finds its way to the front in 2026.

“It was good for not only my own confidence but also Noah and then my car owners, Jeff and Laura,” Bogucki said. “What they’ve done is a huge thing, sending us out here. They’ve got a lot invested in it, so it was good for them too. We’ve got all the equipment to do it, and it’s just slowly putting all the pieces of the puzzle together.”

Bogucki and Three Stooges Racing continue the 2026 World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car campaign this weekend at Osborn, MO’s US 36 Raceway on Friday, March 27 and Park City, KS’ 81 Speedway on Saturday, March 28. For tickets, CLICK HERE.

Where can you 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.

Bogucki Talks First World of Outlaws Podium, Unique Celebration

OSBORN, MO (March 26, 2026) – There was no threat of rain at all Friday night at Lawton Speedway, but Scott Bogucki still wound up soaked from head to toe.

The World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Series rookie had just wheeled the Three Stooges Racing No. 51 to his first career podium. Bogucki came home second, trailing only two-time and defending champion, David Gravel.

So, why did the McLaren Vale, SA, Australia native end up with water dripping from his fire suit in the pits? Well, he made a friendly wager with a track worker equipped with a good memory.

“So, the last couple years I’ve actually been really good at Qualifying,” Bogucki explained. “I’ve been getting really frustrated that I haven’t been Qualifying good. After Qualifying, I was annoyed, and we were parked next to the water barrel, and the track guy is like, ‘You’ll be fine. You’ll be fine.’ And, typical race car driver, I was like, ‘Man, if we’re so good and if I run top 10, I’m going to let you pour that water on me,’ because I’m a shit talker. Well, he didn’t forget that. So, he came up at the end of the night, and a deal’s a deal. So, I had to man up and get the stinky water dumped on me. Thankfully, we have a shower in the trailer.”

The runner-up effort was a result of Bogucki and the Three Stooges crew unloading fast out of the box. With being a newer team and Bogucki and crew chief Noah West not having an extensive notebook for many of the early tracks they’ve faced, finding the right baseline has been a challenge. But they discovered speed at Lawton right out of the gate.

“Honestly, we just really hit on our balance that night,” Bogucki said. “We’ve been getting closer each night. It’s just hard. We get to the track, and we don’t really know where to start, so we kind of have to guess from the start and work from there. By the end of the night, we get to where we probably should’ve started. So, you know, it’s just going to be testing like that.”

Lawton also gave Bogucki and the entire team a much-needed confidence boost. They struggled at Volusia Speedway Park to open the season. The World of Outlaws tour is a grind that takes competitors all over the country nearly every weekend from February through November. It’s easy for any rookie to get beaten down and burnt out. But for Bogucki, this is his dream coming true, and he’s going to make the most of it. Don’t expect Lawton to be the last time the No. 51 finds its way to the front in 2026.

“It was good for not only my own confidence but also Noah and then my car owners, Jeff and Laura,” Bogucki said. “What they’ve done is a huge thing, sending us out here. They’ve got a lot invested in it, so it was good for them too. We’ve got all the equipment to do it, and it’s just slowly putting all the pieces of the puzzle together.”

Bogucki and Three Stooges Racing continue the 2026 World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car campaign this weekend at Osborn, MO’s US 36 Raceway on Friday, March 27 and Park City, KS’ 81 Speedway on Saturday, March 28. For tickets, CLICK HERE.

Where can you 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.

ARTICLE: https://worldofoutlaws.com/sprintcars/bogucki-talks-first-world-of-outlaws-podium-unique-celebration/

CHEVROLET IN THE NTT INDYCAR SERIES Children’s of Alabama Indy Grand Prix2.3-mile, 17-turn Barber Motorsports Park natural terrain road courseBirmingham, AlabamaRace AdvanceMarch 27-29, 2026 DETROIT (March 25, 2026) – This year’s edition of the Children’s of Alabama Indy Grand Prix at Barber Motorsports Park in Birmingham, Alabama, is the fourth round of the 2026 NTT INDYCAR SERIES season. The teams and drivers have travelled from Florida to Arizona, through Texas and ending up in Alabama for a fourth race in March; the first time in over 50 years. A trio of drivers representing three teams has visited victory lane to start the season, leaving the top eight drivers within 50 points of the championship lead, including Team Chevy drivers Josef Newgarden (Team Penske), Pato O’Ward (Arrow McLaren), Scott McLaughlin (Team Penske), David Malukas (Team Penske) and Christian Lundgaard (Arrow McLaren).  Chevrolet at Barber Motorsports ParkChevrolet-powered drivers have won nine of the 13 NTT INDYCAR SERIES races held on the 2.3-mile, 17-turn natural terrain road course since the introduction of the 2.2L Twin-Turbo V6 in 2012, with Josef Newgarden (three) and Scott McLaughlin (two) having multiple wins. Six drivers representing four teams have won on the county club-style track, with Team Penske’s six wins leading the way.Eight drivers have won 10 poles at Barber Motorsports Park, with Helio Castroneves and Will Power leading the way with two each. Team Penske (7), Andretti Global (1), Arrow McLaren (1), and ECR (1) are the teams with pole wins at Barber Motorsports Park. Newgarden and Power each have four podiums, leading Team Chevy’s 10 drivers, who have combined for 21 of the 39 podiums (since the introduction of the 2.2L Twin-Turbo V6 in 2012) by drivers wearing a Bow Tie.Chevrolet-powered drivers have led 699 of 1141 possible laps since the introduction of the 2.2L Twin-Turbo V6 in 2012, with Newgarden’s 141 laps and Team Penske’s 455 laps leading the way. O’Ward, in the No. 5 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet, has the quickest qualifying and race laps set in 2021.Qualifying Lap – 65.5019 seconds (126.409mph)Race Lap – 66.8162 seconds (123.918mph) Notable Numbers 3 – the number of new street circuits the NTT INDYCAR SERIES will visit this year, the first of which is the 2.73-mile, 14-turn Arlington street circuit5.0 – the average starting position of David Malukas (Team Penske), the best of the entire field across three races6 – the number of different countries represented by Team Chevy drivers – United States (6) – Denmark (2) – Brazil (1) – Mexico (1) – Netherlands (1) – New Zealand (1)9 – the number of wins by current Team Chevy teams, Arrow McLaren and ECR12 – the number of drivers representing Team Chevy at the Children’s of Alabama Indy Grand Prix 13 – the number of driver championships won by Chevrolet all-time33 – the number of wins by Josef Newgarden, the winningest Team Chevy driver all-time40 – the number of different drivers that have won INDYCAR races while powered by Chevrolet42 – the number of different tracks that Chevrolet-powered cars have won42 – the number of drivers that have an earned pole for Team Chevy, after David Malukas added his name to the list at Phoenix Raceway61.3% – the percentage of laps led by Team Chevy drivers at Barber Motorsports Park since the introduction of the 2.2L Twin-Turbo V6 in 201269.2% – the percentage of wins by Team Chevy drivers at Barber Motorsports Park since the introduction of the 2.2L Twin-Turbo V6 in 201276.9% – the percentage of earned poles by Team Chevy drivers at Barber Motorsports Park since the introduction of the 2.2L Twin-Turbo V6125 – the number of Bowtie-backed wins by Team Penske since their first at Pocono Raceway by Rick Mears in 1987128 – the number of wins by Chevrolet since the introduction of the 2.2L Twin-Turbo V6 in 2012143 – the number of earned poles by Chevrolet-powered teams since the introduction of the 2.2L Twin-Turbo V6 in 2012238 – the number of wins by Chevrolet-powered cars in INDYCAR all-time247 – the number of earned poles by Chevrolet-powered cars in INDYCAR all-time364 – the number of podiums by Chevrolet-powered teams since the introduction of the 2.2L Twin-Turbo V6 in 2012680 – the number of podiums by Chevrolet-powered cars in INDYCAR all-time880 – the number of acres making up the multiple-purpose Barber Motorsports Park 230,000 – the number of square feet in the Barber Vintage Motorsports Museum1,328,000 – the average number of viewers across the first three races of the 2026 NTT INDYCAR SERIES, the most during the first three races since 2008  What They’re Saying: A.J. Foyt Racing Caio Collet, No. 4 Combitrans Amazonia Chevrolet: This race will be your first INDYCAR race on a permanent road course. Your thoughts on that?“I’m really looking forward to it. Permanent road courses are where I’ve spent most of my career, so it feels a bit more natural for me. INDYCAR is obviously a different challenge with but I’m excited to apply the experience that I’m gaining and keep building race by race.” What do you like about Barber Motorsports Park?“Barber is an amazing track. It’s very technical, super smooth, and has a great flow to it. The elevation changes make it even more challenging, and it really rewards precision. It’s one of those tracks where you need to be hooked up every lap.” Santino Ferrucci, No. 14 Homes For Our Troops Chevrolet: Do you like the Barber Motorsports Park?“I think it’s a really fun track, very historic, quite entertaining. Personally, I prefer the fact that it’s got a lot of high risk, high reward corners. It’s a proper race track, long undulations, all types of corners, so that just makes it more interesting for a driver and it makes it more fun.” There’s always talk about the G-forces at the track. How do you deal with them there?“To be honest with you, it’s not as bad as some other tracks. So, it’s probably mid-range as far as physicality goes.” Arrow McLaren Pato O’Ward, No. 5 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet:“Barber is a favorite on the calendar, and it’s a circuit I really enjoy because of how rewarding it is. Overall, we’re off to a solid start with three top-fives, but obviously, I want to take that next step and fight for a win.” Nolan Siegel, No. 6 SmartStop Arrow McLaren Chevrolet:“I’m excited to get back to Barber. We had a really good weekend here last year with strong qualifying and race results, so I want to build on that. The team has been putting a lot of work based on what we’ve learned through three races, and I’m feeling confident we can make progress this weekend.” Christian Lundgaard, No. 7 VELO Arrow McLaren Chevrolet:“It’s been a decent start to the year, but we’re certainly not satisfied. I want to keep pushing forward, and Barber’s a great place to do so. I like Barber a lot, and we were able work our way up to P2 there last year. The goal this weekend is to get off to a good start, qualify well and then race at the front.” Tune-In Guide FridayNTT INDYCAR SERIES Practice #1 – 3:30pm (ET)/2:30pm (CT)/1:30pm (MT)/12:30pm (PT) – FS2/ INDYCAR Radio Network/SIRIUSXM 218 SaturdayNTT INDYCAR SERIES Practice #2 – 11am (ET)/10am (CT)/9am (MT)/8am (PT) –FS1/ INDYCAR Radio Network/SIRIUSXM 218NTT INDYCAR SERIES Qualifying – 2:30pm (ET)/1:30pm (CT)/12:30pm (MT)/11:30am (PT) – FS1/ INDYCAR Radio Network/SIRIUSXM 218 SundayNTT INDYCAR SERIES Warm Up – 10am (ET)/9am (CT)/8am (MT)/7am (PT) –FS1/ INDYCAR Radio Network/SIRIUSXM 218Children’s of Alabama Indy Grand Prix (90 laps) – 1pm (ET)/noon (CT)/11am (MT)/10am (PT) – FOX/INDYCAR Radio Network/SIRIUSXM 218

CHEVROLET IN THE NTT INDYCAR SERIESChildren’s of Alabama Indy Grand Prix2.3-mile, 17-turn Barber Motorsports Park natural terrain road courseBirmingham, AlabamaRace AdvanceMarch 27-29, 2026 DETROIT (March 25, 2026) – This year’s edition of the Children’s of Alabama Indy Grand Prix at Barber Motorsports Park in Birmingham, Alabama, is the fourth round of the 2026 NTT INDYCAR SERIES season. The teams and drivers have travelled from Florida to Arizona, through Texas and ending up in Alabama for a fourth race in March; the first time in over 50 years. A trio of drivers representing three teams has visited victory lane to start the season, leaving the top eight drivers within 50 points of the championship lead, including Team Chevy drivers Josef Newgarden (Team Penske), Pato O’Ward (Arrow McLaren), Scott McLaughlin (Team Penske), David Malukas (Team Penske) and Christian Lundgaard (Arrow McLaren).  Chevrolet at Barber Motorsports ParkChevrolet-powered drivers have won nine of the 13 NTT INDYCAR SERIES races held on the 2.3-mile, 17-turn natural terrain road course since the introduction of the 2.2L Twin-Turbo V6 in 2012, with Josef Newgarden (three) and Scott McLaughlin (two) having multiple wins. Six drivers representing four teams have won on the county club-style track, with Team Penske’s six wins leading the way.Eight drivers have won 10 poles at Barber Motorsports Park, with Helio Castroneves and Will Power leading the way with two each. Team Penske (7), Andretti Global (1), Arrow McLaren (1), and ECR (1) are the teams with pole wins at Barber Motorsports Park. Newgarden and Power each have four podiums, leading Team Chevy’s 10 drivers, who have combined for 21 of the 39 podiums (since the introduction of the 2.2L Twin-Turbo V6 in 2012) by drivers wearing a Bow Tie.Chevrolet-powered drivers have led 699 of 1141 possible laps since the introduction of the 2.2L Twin-Turbo V6 in 2012, with Newgarden’s 141 laps and Team Penske’s 455 laps leading the way. O’Ward, in the No. 5 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet, has the quickest qualifying and race laps set in 2021.Qualifying Lap – 65.5019 seconds (126.409mph)Race Lap – 66.8162 seconds (123.918mph) Notable Numbers 3 – the number of new street circuits the NTT INDYCAR SERIES will visit this year, the first of which is the 2.73-mile, 14-turn Arlington street circuit5.0 – the average starting position of David Malukas (Team Penske), the best of the entire field across three races6 – the number of different countries represented by Team Chevy drivers – United States (6) – Denmark (2) – Brazil (1) – Mexico (1) – Netherlands (1) – New Zealand (1)9 – the number of wins by current Team Chevy teams, Arrow McLaren and ECR12 – the number of drivers representing Team Chevy at the Children’s of Alabama Indy Grand Prix 13 – the number of driver championships won by Chevrolet all-time33 – the number of wins by Josef Newgarden, the winningest Team Chevy driver all-time40 – the number of different drivers that have won INDYCAR races while powered by Chevrolet42 – the number of different tracks that Chevrolet-powered cars have won42 – the number of drivers that have an earned pole for Team Chevy, after David Malukas added his name to the list at Phoenix Raceway61.3% – the percentage of laps led by Team Chevy drivers at Barber Motorsports Park since the introduction of the 2.2L Twin-Turbo V6 in 201269.2% – the percentage of wins by Team Chevy drivers at Barber Motorsports Park since the introduction of the 2.2L Twin-Turbo V6 in 201276.9% – the percentage of earned poles by Team Chevy drivers at Barber Motorsports Park since the introduction of the 2.2L Twin-Turbo V6125 – the number of Bowtie-backed wins by Team Penske since their first at Pocono Raceway by Rick Mears in 1987128 – the number of wins by Chevrolet since the introduction of the 2.2L Twin-Turbo V6 in 2012143 – the number of earned poles by Chevrolet-powered teams since the introduction of the 2.2L Twin-Turbo V6 in 2012238 – the number of wins by Chevrolet-powered cars in INDYCAR all-time247 – the number of earned poles by Chevrolet-powered cars in INDYCAR all-time364 – the number of podiums by Chevrolet-powered teams since the introduction of the 2.2L Twin-Turbo V6 in 2012680 – the number of podiums by Chevrolet-powered cars in INDYCAR all-time880 – the number of acres making up the multiple-purpose Barber Motorsports Park 230,000 – the number of square feet in the Barber Vintage Motorsports Museum1,328,000 – the average number of viewers across the first three races of the 2026 NTT INDYCAR SERIES, the most during the first three races since 2008  What They’re Saying: A.J. Foyt Racing Caio Collet, No. 4 Combitrans Amazonia Chevrolet: This race will be your first INDYCAR race on a permanent road course. Your thoughts on that?“I’m really looking forward to it. Permanent road courses are where I’ve spent most of my career, so it feels a bit more natural for me. INDYCAR is obviously a different challenge with but I’m excited to apply the experience that I’m gaining and keep building race by race.” What do you like about Barber Motorsports Park?“Barber is an amazing track. It’s very technical, super smooth, and has a great flow to it. The elevation changes make it even more challenging, and it really rewards precision. It’s one of those tracks where you need to be hooked up every lap.” Santino Ferrucci, No. 14 Homes For Our Troops Chevrolet: Do you like the Barber Motorsports Park?“I think it’s a really fun track, very historic, quite entertaining. Personally, I prefer the fact that it’s got a lot of high risk, high reward corners. It’s a proper race track, long undulations, all types of corners, so that just makes it more interesting for a driver and it makes it more fun.” There’s always talk about the G-forces at the track. How do you deal with them there?“To be honest with you, it’s not as bad as some other tracks. So, it’s probably mid-range as far as physicality goes.” Arrow McLaren Pato O’Ward, No. 5 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet:“Barber is a favorite on the calendar, and it’s a circuit I really enjoy because of how rewarding it is. Overall, we’re off to a solid start with three top-fives, but obviously, I want to take that next step and fight for a win.” Nolan Siegel, No. 6 SmartStop Arrow McLaren Chevrolet:“I’m excited to get back to Barber. We had a really good weekend here last year with strong qualifying and race results, so I want to build on that. The team has been putting a lot of work based on what we’ve learned through three races, and I’m feeling confident we can make progress this weekend.” Christian Lundgaard, No. 7 VELO Arrow McLaren Chevrolet:“It’s been a decent start to the year, but we’re certainly not satisfied. I want to keep pushing forward, and Barber’s a great place to do so. I like Barber a lot, and we were able work our way up to P2 there last year. The goal this weekend is to get off to a good start, qualify well and then race at the front.” Tune-In Guide FridayNTT INDYCAR SERIES Practice #1 – 3:30pm (ET)/2:30pm (CT)/1:30pm (MT)/12:30pm (PT) – FS2/ INDYCAR Radio Network/SIRIUSXM 218 SaturdayNTT INDYCAR SERIES Practice #2 – 11am (ET)/10am (CT)/9am (MT)/8am (PT) –FS1/ INDYCAR Radio Network/SIRIUSXM 218NTT INDYCAR SERIES Qualifying – 2:30pm (ET)/1:30pm (CT)/12:30pm (MT)/11:30am (PT) – FS1/ INDYCAR Radio Network/SIRIUSXM 218 SundayNTT INDYCAR SERIES Warm Up – 10am (ET)/9am (CT)/8am (MT)/7am (PT) –FS1/ INDYCAR Radio Network/SIRIUSXM 218Children’s of Alabama Indy Grand Prix (90 laps) – 1pm (ET)/noon (CT)/11am (MT)/10am (PT) – FOX/INDYCAR Radio Network/SIRIUSXM 218

Chevrolet History at Barber Motorsports ParkChevrolet Wins – 9 2024 – Scott McLaughlin – Team Penske2023 – Scott McLaughlin – Team Penske2022 – Pato O’Ward – Arrow McLaren2018 – Josef Newgarden – Team Penske2017 – Josef Newgarden – Team Penske2016 – Simon Pagenaud – Team Penske2015 – Josef Newgarden – ECR2013 – Ryan Hunter-Reay – Andretti Global2012 – Will Power – Team Penske Chevrolet Poles – 10 2024 – Scott McLaughlin – Team Penske2022 – Rinus VeeKay – ECR2021 – Pato O’Ward – Arrow McLaren2018 – Josef Newgarden – Team Penske2017 – Will Power – Team Penske2016 – Simon Pagenaud – Team Penske2015 – Helio Castroneves – Team Penske2014 – Will Power – Team Penske2013 – Ryan Hunter-Reay – Andretti Global2012 – Helio Castroneves – Team Penske Chevrolet Podiums: 21 Driver Podiums: Josef Newgarden (4), Will Power (4), Scott McLaughlin (3), Scott Dixon (2), Helio Castroneves (2), Simon Pagenaud (2), Ryan Hunter-Reay (1), Christian Lundgaard (1), Pato O’Ward (1), Rinus VeeKay (1) Team Podiums: Team Penske (13), ECR (3), Arrow McLaren (2), Chip Ganassi Racing (2), Andretti Global (1) Chevrolet Laps Led: 699 Driver Laps Led: Josef Newgarden (141), Will Power (114), Simon Pagenaud (87), Helio Castroneves (73), Rinus VeeKay (58), Pato O’Ward (52), Santino Ferrucci (14), Sebastian Saavedra (11), Sebastien Bourdais (6), Scott Dixon (3), James Hinchcliffe (1) Team Laps Led: Team Penske (455), ECR (104), Andretti Global (54), Arrow McLaren (52), KV Racing Technology (13), A.J. Foyt Racing (18), Chip Ganassi Racing (3),  Manufacturer History at Phoenix International Raceway Wins (with competition)  9 – Chevrolet (2024, 2023, 2022, 2018, 2017, 2016, 2015, 2013, 2012)4 – Honda (2025, 2021, 2019, 2014) Poles (with competition)  10 – Chevrolet (2024, 2022, 2021, 2018, 2017, 2016, 2015, 2014, 2013, 2012)3 – Honda (2025, 2023, 2019) Historical Chevrolet in the INDYCAR SERIES information• INDYCAR SERIES Manufacturer Championships (since 1979)• Chevrolet-Powered Wins in the Twin-Turbo 2.2L V6 Era (2012-present)• Chevrolet-Powered Wins – All-Time

CONCORD, NC (March 25, 2026) – The World Short Track Championship enters a new era for its 11th running in 2026 with a rotation to the lineup of divisions set to compete at The Dirt Track at Charlotte, Oct. 29-31.

The premier three-day event for short track racers will welcome 525 Late Models and the Northeast’s popular 358 Modifieds for the first time, pairing them with the DIRTcar UMP Modifieds, Crate Modifieds, 604 Late Models, 602 Late Models, Mini Stocks, Street Stocks, Thunder Bombers, and Hornets.

The DIRTcar Northeast’s 358 Modified division rotates in for the Sportsman and Pro Stocks, which will not be part of the event this year. The 358 Modified division has seen significant growth in the last couple of years, with more than 230 drivers having competed in a Series event last season. The division is a step below the Big Block Modifieds and gets its name from housing a 358 c.i. engine between its frame rails.

Most notably, the 358 Modifieds are one of the premier divisions at Super DIRT Week – the Northeast’s most historic dirt track event – competing in the 150-lap Salute to the Troops 150 at Oswego Speedway.

525 Late Models are a staple of the South, racing within the Carolinas and surrounding states. They use a Chevrolet Performance CT525 engine, which is based on the all-aluminum Chevrolet Corvette LS3 engine. Their addition creates a “Late Model Palooza,” giving fans three chances to see Late Models compete around the 4/10-mile dirt track.

In addition to the division shakeup, there will be a change to Thursday’s Championship Features. There will be two Championship Features this year, and the divisions competing in each will be drawn during Thursday’s drivers meeting.

More than $200,000 in prizes will be available for the 10 divisions between payouts and contingency awards. Saturday will again host Feature action for all 10 divisions, turning local heroes into champions of the World Short Track Championship.

Saturday Payouts/Purses
604 Late Models: $8,000 to win/$25,650 Purse
525 Late Models: $8,000 to win/$25,650 Purse
DIRTcar UMP Modifieds: $8,000 to win/$25,650 Purse
DIRTcar 358 Modifieds: $5,000 to win/$24,300 Purse
602 Late Models: $3,000 to win/$11,025 Purse
Hornets: $2,500 to win/$12,450 Purse
Crate Modifieds: $2,000 to win/$8,550 Purse
Street Stock: $2,000 to win/$8,550 Purse
Thunder Bomber: $2,000 to win/$8,550 Purse
Mini Stock: $2,000 to win/$8,550 Purse

The full event schedule, competitor notes, and details will be announced in the coming months. Stay tuned to the DIRTcar website and social channels for further updates. 

11th World Short Track Championship Introducing 358 Modifieds, 525 Late Models to Division Lineup

CONCORD, NC (March 25, 2026) – The World Short Track Championship enters a new era for its 11th running in 2026 with a rotation to the lineup of divisions set to compete at The Dirt Track at Charlotte, Oct. 29-31.

The premier three-day event for short track racers will welcome 525 Late Models and the Northeast’s popular 358 Modifieds for the first time, pairing them with the DIRTcar UMP Modifieds, Crate Modifieds, 604 Late Models, 602 Late Models, Mini Stocks, Street Stocks, Thunder Bombers, and Hornets.

The DIRTcar Northeast’s 358 Modified division rotates in for the Sportsman and Pro Stocks, which will not be part of the event this year. The 358 Modified division has seen significant growth in the last couple of years, with more than 230 drivers having competed in a Series event last season. The division is a step below the Big Block Modifieds and gets its name from housing a 358 c.i. engine between its frame rails.

Most notably, the 358 Modifieds are one of the premier divisions at Super DIRT Week – the Northeast’s most historic dirt track event – competing in the 150-lap Salute to the Troops 150 at Oswego Speedway.

525 Late Models are a staple of the South, racing within the Carolinas and surrounding states. They use a Chevrolet Performance CT525 engine, which is based on the all-aluminum Chevrolet Corvette LS3 engine. Their addition creates a “Late Model Palooza,” giving fans three chances to see Late Models compete around the 4/10-mile dirt track.

In addition to the division shakeup, there will be a change to Thursday’s Championship Features. There will be two Championship Features this year, and the divisions competing in each will be drawn during Thursday’s drivers meeting.

More than $200,000 in prizes will be available for the 10 divisions between payouts and contingency awards. Saturday will again host Feature action for all 10 divisions, turning local heroes into champions of the World Short Track Championship.

Saturday Payouts/Purses
604 Late Models: $8,000 to win/$25,650 Purse
525 Late Models: $8,000 to win/$25,650 Purse
DIRTcar UMP Modifieds: $8,000 to win/$25,650 Purse
DIRTcar 358 Modifieds: $5,000 to win/$24,300 Purse
602 Late Models: $3,000 to win/$11,025 Purse
Hornets: $2,500 to win/$12,450 Purse
Crate Modifieds: $2,000 to win/$8,550 Purse
Street Stock: $2,000 to win/$8,550 Purse
Thunder Bomber: $2,000 to win/$8,550 Purse
Mini Stock: $2,000 to win/$8,550 Purse

The full event schedule, competitor notes, and details will be announced in the coming months. Stay tuned to the DIRTcar website and social channels for further updates. 

ARTICLE: https://dirtcar.com/news/11th-world-short-track-championship-introducing-358-modifieds-525-late-models-to-division-lineup/

Mar 23, 2026 | Featured, Race Results, Rachel Meyer

Rachel Meyer-Curl made a strong statement in her return to full-time competition this weekend, driving the Hedinger’s Equipment / NGK Spark Plugs & Ignition Coils Top Alcohol Dragster as the IHRA Outlaw Nitro Series kicks off its 2026 season at Darana Motorsports Park in Benson, NC.

With 13 competitive dragsters on the property battling for just eight qualifying spots, Meyer and the Randy Meyer Racing team delivered when it counted. After a clean and consistent qualifying effort, Meyer secured the No. 5 position with a smooth 3.53-second pass at 223 mph in the eighth mile during the second qualifying session.

Rolling into eliminations, Meyer faced Tom Fox Jr. in the opening round. In a side-by-side matchup, Meyer got the win with a strong 3.50-second run, edging out Fox’s 3.53 to advance to the semifinals.

In the second round, Meyer continued to show consistency behind the wheel, running a 3.52 at 228 mph. Despite the solid performance, she came up just short in a close race against Jamie Noonan, who posted a 3.49 in a tight, side-by-side finish.

The semifinal result marks an impressive return for Meyer in her first race back to a full-time schedule in IHRA competition, showing both speed and consistency against a competitive field.

“With 13 cars on the property, I’m proud of our team for making it down to the final four,” said Meyer. “We stuck the tire second round and it slowed us down, but the next race is only a few weekends away and hopefully we can come away with a win. I can’t thank my family, crew, sponsors, and IHRA enough for the opportunity.”

Rachel Meyer Returns to Full-Time Competition with Semifinal Finish at 2026 IHRA Season Opener

Mar 23, 2026 | Featured, Race Results, Rachel Meyer

Rachel Meyer-Curl made a strong statement in her return to full-time competition this weekend, driving the Hedinger’s Equipment / NGK Spark Plugs & Ignition Coils Top Alcohol Dragster as the IHRA Outlaw Nitro Series kicks off its 2026 season at Darana Motorsports Park in Benson, NC.

With 13 competitive dragsters on the property battling for just eight qualifying spots, Meyer and the Randy Meyer Racing team delivered when it counted. After a clean and consistent qualifying effort, Meyer secured the No. 5 position with a smooth 3.53-second pass at 223 mph in the eighth mile during the second qualifying session.

Rolling into eliminations, Meyer faced Tom Fox Jr. in the opening round. In a side-by-side matchup, Meyer got the win with a strong 3.50-second run, edging out Fox’s 3.53 to advance to the semifinals.

In the second round, Meyer continued to show consistency behind the wheel, running a 3.52 at 228 mph. Despite the solid performance, she came up just short in a close race against Jamie Noonan, who posted a 3.49 in a tight, side-by-side finish.

The semifinal result marks an impressive return for Meyer in her first race back to a full-time schedule in IHRA competition, showing both speed and consistency against a competitive field.

“With 13 cars on the property, I’m proud of our team for making it down to the final four,” said Meyer. “We stuck the tire second round and it slowed us down, but the next race is only a few weekends away and hopefully we can come away with a win. I can’t thank my family, crew, sponsors, and IHRA enough for the opportunity.”

The team will look to build on this momentum as they head to the next IHRA event in Richmond, continuing Meyer’s pursuit of success in her return season.

TEAM CHEVY ADVANCE Martinsville SpeedwayMarch 28-29, 2026

The first half-mile track of the season is on the horizon for the NASCAR Cup and O’Reilly Auto Parts Series as the pair will venture to Virginia to take on Martinsville Speedway this weekend.

MEDIA RESOURCES: Photo Gallery | Race AdvancesChevrolet Newsroom

This will mark the sport’s first of two appearances at the infamous Virginia short-track this season, with all three national touring series returning to the venue in October for the penultimate race of the Chase.  Martinsville Speedway’s history in NASCAR is unmatched – standing tall as the only track that’s hosted a Cup Series race since the division’s inception in 1949. For Chevrolet, the .526-mile Virginia venue is statistically the manufacturer’s most successful track on the NASCAR circuit with a series-leading 62 victories and 57 poles at the sport’s highest level. William Byron was the most recent driver to add to those tallies when the Charlotte, North Carolina, native drove his No. 24 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet to both the pole and the race win in the series’ most recent visit to the track (Oct. 2025). It was an effort that carried the Team Chevy driver to his third-straight Championship Four appearance.

“The Paperclip” also holds a special place in the legacy of two of Chevrolet’s longest-standing team partners. For Hendrick Motorsports, Martinsville Speedway is the site that delivered the organization its first-ever Cup Series victory (Geoff Bodine; Apr. 1984) – beginning its journey towards becoming the winningest organization in series’ history. Richard Childress Racing also added to its already storied history book one year ago when Austin Hill drove the organization to its milestone 100th all-time win in NASCAR’s second-level series during the series’ spring visit to the track.

William ByronNo. 24 Hendrick Motorsports ChevroletNASCAR Cup Series Win Martinsville Speedway – Oct. 26, 2025Austin Hill No. 21 Richard Childress Racing ChevroletNASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series Win Martinsville Speedway – Mar. 29, 2025

BYRON BACK TO DEFENDWilliam Byron and the No. 24 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet team are quickly finding early-season consistency. With a third-straight top-eight finish, the Charlotte, North Carolina, native left the “Lady in Black” with a two-position gain in the NASCAR Cup Series points standings to now sit sixth in the rankings. With momentum on his side, what better place to knock-out the team’s first win of the season than at the track where his last visit turned into a near dominate weekend – sweeping the pole, both stages and the race win to earn a spot in the Championship Four for the third consecutive season. Byron has made 16 career Martinsville starts under the Hendrick Motorsports banner – tallying nine top-eight results, including three trips to victory lane.

SPIRE SHOWING SPEEDSpire Motorsports put on a statement performance once again last weekend at Darlington Raceway – netting two top-10 finishes to further prove the organization is a force to be reckoned with each week. Among those results included a monstrous charge by Carson Hocevar and the No. 77 Chevrolet team. Despite being forced to start at the rear of the field for an unapproved adjustment, the Portage, Michigan, native turned the uphill battle into his career-best finish at the “Track Too Tough To Tame”. After a progressive move through the field during the first two stages, the No. 77 Chevrolet made its presence known during the final stage. With pristine pit strategy by the Luke Lambert-led team, a culmination of their speed and a fresher set of tires on the final run put Hocevar in position to make a quick climb up the leaderboard – ultimately leading the Bowtie brigade with a fourth-place finish. Hocevar and his Spire Motorsports teammate, Daniel Suarez, who also earned a top-10 finish, were among the short list of drivers that made a move up the points standings with the pair heading into the Martinsville race weekend ranked 13th and 14th, respectively.

MAKING HISTORY Team Chevy veteran driver, Justin Allgaier, capitalized on a late-race restart to take the checkered flag at Darlington Raceway last weekend – keeping the Bowtie brand undefeated for the 2026 NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series season. The victory was the sixth-straight for Chevrolet to set the record for the longest season-opening streak by a single manufacturer in the division. The accolade was earned by five drivers from three different Chevrolet organizations, with the 2024 champion becoming the series’ first repeat winner of the season. But the manufacturer’s early-season success doesn’t stop there. In six races, Chevrolet has sat on the pole in all but one event and has earned every stage win thus far.

ALLGAIR MOVES UP THE ALL-TIME WINS LISTTo no surprise, JR Motorsports’ Justin Allgaier has already proven to be an early frontrunner as a true championship contender. The Riverton, Illinois, native’s triumph at the “Track Too Tough To Tame” marked his 30th all-time NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series win – enough to move him up the series’ all-time wins list to seventh, tying Joey Logano. The series’ only two-time winner of the season, Allgaier also paces his competitors in a variety of statistical categories including the most top-fives (four) and stage points earned (94) – an effort that has increased his points lead to now 52-points over the series’ reigning champion and fellow Team Chevy driver, Jesse Love. With the series’ trip to Martinsville Speedway on deck, the 2024 champion has a prime opportunity to build that cushion even further. In his 11 career starts at the Virginia venue, Allgaier as collected nine top-nine finishes, including one trip to victory lane (2023) and three podium results.

KVAPIL CLIMBING THE STANDINGSAmong an elite list of standout rising stars in the NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series includes Team Chevy’s Carson Kvapil. The 22-year-old Mooresville, North Carolina, native is coming off a strong points day and his second top-five finish of the season at Darlington Raceway. Behind the wheel of the No. 1 JR Motorsports Chevrolet, Kvapil turned a third-place qualifying effort into top-three finishes in each stage en route to a fifth-place result. Culminating a 49-point day, the third-best among the field, Kvapil was able to make a jump up two positions in the points standings to sit third heading into the Martinsville race weekend. With short-track racing at his roots, this weekend provides the perfect opportunity for the Team Chevy driver to keep his momentum going. “The Paperclip” was the very site that Kvapil got his first opportunity to wheel a JR Motorsports-prepared Chevrolet in the division (Apr. 2024) – a debut that ended with an impressive fourth-place finish.

BOWTIE BULLETS:·        Active Chevrolet drivers with a NASCAR Cup Series win at Martinsville Speedway:  William Byron – three wins (2022, ‘24, ‘25)Kyle Busch – two wins (2016 & ‘17)Kyle Larson – one win (2023)Alex Bowman – one win (2021) Chase Elliott – one win (2020) ·        In 154 NASCAR Cup Series races at Martinsville Speedway, Chevrolet has recorded 62 victories and 57 pole wins – both of which are series-leading records. Among those victories includes wins in four of the eight races contested in the Next Gen era at the track, including William Byron’s three career victories at the track and Kyle Larson’s triumph in the spring 2023 event.  ·        With Justin Allgaier and JR Motorsports win in the NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series race at Darlington Raceway, Chevrolet remains undefeated this season with six-straight wins – setting the record for the longest season-opening streak by a single manufacturer in the division’s history.  ·        In 150 points-paying races in the NASCAR Cup Series Next Gen era, Chevrolet leads all manufacturers with 67 victories – a winning percentage of 44.67%.  ·        Chevrolet is coming off its 29th all-time sweep of the NASCAR Cup Series championship titles – capturing its 34th driver championship and 44th, and fifth consecutive, manufacturer championship in 2025. ·        With its 44 NASCAR Cup Series manufacturer championships, 34 NASCAR Cup Series driver championships, and 881 all-time NASCAR Cup Series wins, Chevrolet continues to hold the title as the winningest brand in NASCAR Cup Series history.

TUNE-IN:NASCAR Cup Series Cook Out 400Sunday, Mar. 29, at 3:30 p.m. ETFS1, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90 NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts SeriesNFPA 250Saturday, Mar. 28, at 3:30 p.m. ETCW, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90

QUOTABLE QUOTES:Ross Chastain, No. 1 Trackhouse Racing ChevroletWhat comes to mind when you think about Martinsville?“Brandon McSwain (crew chief) has won there before with the 24 team. I hope I have the next two decades to keep trying to win it. I want to be better there. I’ve been working on things in the simulator to try and be better there and help my driving. No matter how the car is, it could be tight or loose, or whatever it wants to be, there’s things that I inherently do that just aren’t great there with the wheel and pedal. I’m working to be better.” How cool is it to have a unique trophy like the grandfather clock at Martinsville?“I’ve been fortunate enough to get to know Clay Campbell (Martinsville Speedway President) up there a little bit and go to breakfast with him. Hearing him tell stories of his family’s history in and around Martinsville and the legacy he wants to continue on is really cool. That grandfather clock is a real thing you can take home when you win which is so cool. Everything in that track is built on the foundation around NASCAR and what the France family and the Campbell family have done together. The grandfather clock is something that I want. I want it really bad, and I’ll work a really long time to try to take one home.”   Austin Dillon, No. 3 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet“I’m looking forward to Martinsville Speedway. I think we made some ground there at the end of the race last time we were there. I felt like our car was pretty good, so we can build off of that. Martinsville’s a fun track. I can’t wait to get there and try to chase after the grandfather clock.”    Daniel Suarez, No. 7 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet Coming off your second top-10 of the season, how are you feeling heading into Martinsville?“I am so proud of this No. 7 Spire Motorsports team. We are bringing really fast cars to the track, and I am super excited to keep the momentum going and to keep building off what we have done in the past six weeks. Martinsville is a place that I love, but in the past few years, it’s been very bad for me. I’m looking forward to working with my group of guys and hopefully, I can turn my numbers around there.”   Kyle Busch, No. 8 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet At Martinsville, how do you balance aggressiveness?  “Martinsville is a tricky track. It has concrete surface in the corners, so it changes a lot during the race. When you have these long runs, and you get these rubber build ups, especially when it’s over 70 degrees outside, you get the clumping of the rubber on the racetrack, so you have to start searching around and trying to find a groove that your car will really work in. Obviously, the shortest way around is always the fastest way around, because there’s not really much momentum that you can build up on the outside at Martinsville. It’s a paper clip and its very stop and go. But then when you have cautions, all that rubber gets cleaned off and you’ve got to start all over again. So, a lot of changes happening there at Martinsville.”  What makes Martinsville great? “There’s always action at Martinsville. It’s a great racetrack with close quarters action. Fans are right on top of the speedway seeing the cars up close and personal. It’s always great going back to a short track atmosphere that we all grew up racing somewhere. I grew up in late models at the local short tracks that were half mile or smaller like Martinsville so it’s fun going there.”    Ty Dillon, No. 10 Kaulig Racing ChevroletHow important is Martinsville to you?“Martinsville is a great racetrack. I’ve always performed well there. I feel like last year was one of our best racetracks for our team, speed-wise, and I think this year with the new package, it’s going to be even more exciting. I can’t wait to get out there and see how this car performs with more horsepower than Martinsville has had before.”   AJ Allmendinger, No. 16 Kaulig Racing Chevrolet What do you think about Martinsville Speedway?“I think it’ll be interesting to see if it’s different with the more horsepower now. As they soften the tire, tire wear has become an issue there, so it would be curious with more horsepower if it kind of goes back somewhat like the old cars. It’s always a tough racetrack to figure out with these cars, in the sense of all the shifting you do and that fine line of getting the thing to turn but still being able to drive off. But it’s a fun race, especially when you’re good and have a car to win with—it’s a really fun racetrack.” What type of mindset do you have heading into this historic short track?“Your mindset is that it’s going to be a battle. You’re always going to be surrounded by cars. It’s important to have patience, try to stay calm, and not get yourself in trouble there. At the end of the day, hopefully we go out there, have a good practice, and qualify well. Track position is so important there. Short tracks have probably been our toughest with this car, trying to figure it out. Hopefully we can go there and have a solid day. I feel like the last couple of years we’ve at least made gains to be more competitive, and I like that. Hopefully we keep doing that.”   Austin Hill, No. 33 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet What is the key to having a successful day on Sunday? What’s the biggest difference from the O’Reilly Series race?  “Getting into the corner hard is going to be important. Your entry speed needs to be fast to not give up under braking, but you also need to be able to put throttle down on exit. When I look at data, the guys who win the race have top entry speed and top exit speed, but their center speed isn’t great. Not worrying as much about the center has also made us pretty good on the O’Reilly side, so maybe that transfers over. Shifting will be the biggest difference because we won’t do that on Saturday. That will be a learning experience for everyone with the new 750hp package though.”    Cole Custer, No. 41 Haas Factory Team Chevrolet “I think we are all looking forward to Martinsville this weekend. Last year it was a pretty strong track for us, qualified sixth there in the fall and had a solid run throughout the day. So hopefully we can build off that and get a solid run under our belt to start the season for the HaasTooling.com Chevrolet Camaro.”   Ricky Stenhouse Jr., No. 47 Hyak Motorsports Chevrolet“Martinsville can be a long day, but our guys have been working hard in the shop to get the No. 47 ready. It’s great having Jack Link’s back with the new paint scheme and we’re looking forward to getting on track.”   Cody Ware, No. 51 Rick Ware Racing Chevrolet“There’s a lot of strength needed for driving a racecar, especially when it comes to braking. It takes a lot of brake pressure to extract 700-800 pounds of braking force into the corner. And at Martinsville, we’re doing that 800 times over the course of 400 laps. It’s about being on your game from start to finish, where you’re as good on lap 400 as you were on lap one. The biggest thing is going to be qualifying and track position. Tires equalize pretty quickly at Martinsville, and 40-50 laps into a run, everyone’s pretty much running the same time, whether it’s first or 36th. Whatever you can do to start strong and either maintain track position or improve on restarts, that’s where most of your progress is going to be made throughout the day.”   Michael McDowell, No. 71 Spire Motorsports ChevroletWhat makes Martinsville so special, and what have you learned since your first start there?“Martinsville is one of those tracks where I feel like if I can win there, I’ve truly arrived as a Cup Series driver. It’s such a unique and technical place, and short-track racing isn’t something I grew up doing like a lot of these guys. You’re beating and banging all race long, and you have to keep your guard up the whole race. It’s also a track with a lot of history for me since that’s where I made my first Cup Series start. It’s a tough place to get around with how high the intensity is. You don’t get much time to catch your breath and reset. We’ve been able to find a good groove in practice and qualifying, but the smallest mistake can ruin your day. Hopefully, we can continue to build on that speed and put together a complete weekend at Martinsville.”   Carson Hocevar, No. 77 Spire Motorsports ChevroletHow does a day like you had at Darlington boost your confidence heading into Martinsville?“I’m just glad we positioned ourselves for a good qualifying metric for Martinsville. We normally really struggle at Martinsville, but I think we can take good advantage of the good qualifying draw and set ourselves up for a good day. We need to continue to stack these kinds of finishes. It will be very important as we head down the stretch of the schedule into the summer.” We are coming into the third short-track race of the year with the higher horsepower and lower downforce package. Do you believe it has been playing to your advantage?“We were super-fast at Bowman Gray, and had a good speed at Phoenix, but we just haven’t gotten a hold on Martinsville. The guys have been working hard at it, and our cars are getting better. I think you will see comers and goers like we did last week at Darlington, and think if things play out right, we can roll late in the final run.”   Connor Zilisch, No. 88 Trackhouse Racing ChevroletWhat is it like to race at Martinsville?“I enjoy Martinsville. It hasn’t treated me the best in the past. I feel like we’ve been really, really fast there. I’m looking forward to it. I think it’s going to be a different style race in the Cup car. The race is a lot longer so trying to stay alive and stay on the lead lap I think people race a little differently in Cup than they do in the O’Reilly Series so I’m looking forward to seeing what that’s like. That race is always a crazy one. A track that short creates chaos but it’s a lot of fun. I’m excited to go there. We have Choice Privileges on our No. 88 Chevrolet and it’s going to be fun to have them at the track this weekend. I’m just going to take it all in and hopefully qualify well and put ourselves in position to have a good day on Sunday.” How do you think the racing will be at Martinsville this weekend since the cars will have more horsepower like Darlington?“I’m not sure. A lot of guys say they feel a huge difference but at the end of the day it’s only 80 horsepower. It’s enough to make a difference but not enough to be a complete game changer. I’m curious to see if it puts things in the driver’s hands.” How do you keep your emotions in check with the tight racing at Martinsville? “You definitely have to manage your emotions at Martinsville. Tempers can flare and it’s easy to get frustrated. Sometimes you’ve just got to let things go. If somebody moves you up the track you’ve got to let them go and get them back the next lap and not go into the next corner and completely wreck them. It’s tough at times when you’re getting your back bumper beat off to just let it happen but at the end of the day there’s not a lot you can do.” How tricky is it to navigate pit road at Martinsville?“It’s really tough in Cup. I felt like I was used to having easier pit stalls in the O’Reilly series. When you go to Sundays, it’s a little tougher to manage that. I don’t always get the best pit stalls, and it’s changed the complexion of pit road and how difficult it is to manage that each and every week.”     Shane van Gisbergen, No. 97 Trackhouse Racing ChevroletUsually, drivers that excel on road courses, pick up Martinsville (Speedway) pretty quickly because it’s a technical track. How do you feel your progression has been at Martinsville?“It’s one of my better tracks for sure. It’s a little difficult having the left foot braking and down shifting, that is not something I’m used to. I feel like Martinsville is one of my stronger one. I really look forward to going there. The racing gets a bit crazy, but in general it’s one of my favorite tracks.” What have you learned about restarts in the Cup Series?“There is a lot more take than there is give, so certainly I’ve gotten a lot better at putting myself in a better spot, try not to get taken advantage of. Last year I was really conservative for the first half of the year. This year and even the end of last year, I got a lot better at putting myself in good places and not getting swallowed up.”

Chevrolet NASCAR Cup Series StatisticsManufacturer Championships:Total (1949-2025): 44First title for Chevrolet: 1958Highest number of consecutive titles: 13 (2003-15)Most recent: 2025 Years Won: 1958, 1959, 1960, 1961, 1972, 1973, 1974, 1976, 1977, 1978, 1979, 1980, 1983, 1984, 1985, 1986, 1987, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1991, 1993, 1995, 1996, 1998, 2001, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024, 2025 Driver Championships:Total (1949-2025): 34First Chevrolet champion: Buck Baker (1957)Highest number of consecutive titles: 7 (2005-11)Most recent: Kyle Larson (2025)Driver and Manufacturer Championship Sweeps: 29 Years Won: 1957, 1960, 1961, 1973, 1976, 1977, 1979, 1980, 1984, 1985, 1986, 1987, 1990, 1991, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 2001, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2013, 2014, 2016, 2020, 2021, 2025 Event Victories:Record for total race wins in single season: 26 (2007)                2026 STATISTICS:                                                                                                    Wins: 0Poles: 1Laps Led: 261Top-Fives: 11Top-10s: 20Stage Wins: 2 CHEVROLET IN NASCAR CUMULATIVE STATISTICS:Total Chevrolet race wins: 881 (1949 to date)Poles won to date: 767Laps led to date: 256,995Top-fives to date: 4,447Top-10s to date: 9,171                                                                                                          Total NASCAR Cup Wins by Corporation, 1949 to Date:                    General Motors: 1,215           Chevrolet: 881           Pontiac: 154           Oldsmobile: 115           Buick: 65            Ford: 848                                                                                          Ford: 748           Mercury: 96           Lincoln: 4            Fiat Chrysler Automobiles: 467           Dodge: 217           Plymouth: 191           Chrysler: 59            Toyota: 208

TEAM CHEVY ADVANCEMartinsville SpeedwayMarch 28-29, 2026

The first half-mile track of the season is on the horizon for the NASCAR Cup and O’Reilly Auto Parts Series as the pair will venture to Virginia to take on Martinsville Speedway this weekend.

MEDIA RESOURCES: Photo Gallery | Race AdvancesChevrolet Newsroom

This will mark the sport’s first of two appearances at the infamous Virginia short-track this season, with all three national touring series returning to the venue in October for the penultimate race of the Chase.  Martinsville Speedway’s history in NASCAR is unmatched – standing tall as the only track that’s hosted a Cup Series race since the division’s inception in 1949. For Chevrolet, the .526-mile Virginia venue is statistically the manufacturer’s most successful track on the NASCAR circuit with a series-leading 62 victories and 57 poles at the sport’s highest level. William Byron was the most recent driver to add to those tallies when the Charlotte, North Carolina, native drove his No. 24 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet to both the pole and the race win in the series’ most recent visit to the track (Oct. 2025). It was an effort that carried the Team Chevy driver to his third-straight Championship Four appearance.

“The Paperclip” also holds a special place in the legacy of two of Chevrolet’s longest-standing team partners. For Hendrick Motorsports, Martinsville Speedway is the site that delivered the organization its first-ever Cup Series victory (Geoff Bodine; Apr. 1984) – beginning its journey towards becoming the winningest organization in series’ history. Richard Childress Racing also added to its already storied history book one year ago when Austin Hill drove the organization to its milestone 100th all-time win in NASCAR’s second-level series during the series’ spring visit to the track.

William ByronNo. 24 Hendrick Motorsports ChevroletNASCAR Cup Series Win Martinsville Speedway – Oct. 26, 2025Austin Hill No. 21 Richard Childress Racing ChevroletNASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series Win Martinsville Speedway – Mar. 29, 2025

BYRON BACK TO DEFENDWilliam Byron and the No. 24 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet team are quickly finding early-season consistency. With a third-straight top-eight finish, the Charlotte, North Carolina, native left the “Lady in Black” with a two-position gain in the NASCAR Cup Series points standings to now sit sixth in the rankings. With momentum on his side, what better place to knock-out the team’s first win of the season than at the track where his last visit turned into a near dominate weekend – sweeping the pole, both stages and the race win to earn a spot in the Championship Four for the third consecutive season. Byron has made 16 career Martinsville starts under the Hendrick Motorsports banner – tallying nine top-eight results, including three trips to victory lane.

SPIRE SHOWING SPEEDSpire Motorsports put on a statement performance once again last weekend at Darlington Raceway – netting two top-10 finishes to further prove the organization is a force to be reckoned with each week. Among those results included a monstrous charge by Carson Hocevar and the No. 77 Chevrolet team. Despite being forced to start at the rear of the field for an unapproved adjustment, the Portage, Michigan, native turned the uphill battle into his career-best finish at the “Track Too Tough To Tame”. After a progressive move through the field during the first two stages, the No. 77 Chevrolet made its presence known during the final stage. With pristine pit strategy by the Luke Lambert-led team, a culmination of their speed and a fresher set of tires on the final run put Hocevar in position to make a quick climb up the leaderboard – ultimately leading the Bowtie brigade with a fourth-place finish. Hocevar and his Spire Motorsports teammate, Daniel Suarez, who also earned a top-10 finish, were among the short list of drivers that made a move up the points standings with the pair heading into the Martinsville race weekend ranked 13th and 14th, respectively.

MAKING HISTORY Team Chevy veteran driver, Justin Allgaier, capitalized on a late-race restart to take the checkered flag at Darlington Raceway last weekend – keeping the Bowtie brand undefeated for the 2026 NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series season. The victory was the sixth-straight for Chevrolet to set the record for the longest season-opening streak by a single manufacturer in the division. The accolade was earned by five drivers from three different Chevrolet organizations, with the 2024 champion becoming the series’ first repeat winner of the season. But the manufacturer’s early-season success doesn’t stop there. In six races, Chevrolet has sat on the pole in all but one event and has earned every stage win thus far.

ALLGAIR MOVES UP THE ALL-TIME WINS LISTTo no surprise, JR Motorsports’ Justin Allgaier has already proven to be an early frontrunner as a true championship contender. The Riverton, Illinois, native’s triumph at the “Track Too Tough To Tame” marked his 30th all-time NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series win – enough to move him up the series’ all-time wins list to seventh, tying Joey Logano. The series’ only two-time winner of the season, Allgaier also paces his competitors in a variety of statistical categories including the most top-fives (four) and stage points earned (94) – an effort that has increased his points lead to now 52-points over the series’ reigning champion and fellow Team Chevy driver, Jesse Love. With the series’ trip to Martinsville Speedway on deck, the 2024 champion has a prime opportunity to build that cushion even further. In his 11 career starts at the Virginia venue, Allgaier as collected nine top-nine finishes, including one trip to victory lane (2023) and three podium results.

KVAPIL CLIMBING THE STANDINGSAmong an elite list of standout rising stars in the NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series includes Team Chevy’s Carson Kvapil. The 22-year-old Mooresville, North Carolina, native is coming off a strong points day and his second top-five finish of the season at Darlington Raceway. Behind the wheel of the No. 1 JR Motorsports Chevrolet, Kvapil turned a third-place qualifying effort into top-three finishes in each stage en route to a fifth-place result. Culminating a 49-point day, the third-best among the field, Kvapil was able to make a jump up two positions in the points standings to sit third heading into the Martinsville race weekend. With short-track racing at his roots, this weekend provides the perfect opportunity for the Team Chevy driver to keep his momentum going. “The Paperclip” was the very site that Kvapil got his first opportunity to wheel a JR Motorsports-prepared Chevrolet in the division (Apr. 2024) – a debut that ended with an impressive fourth-place finish.

BOWTIE BULLETS:·        Active Chevrolet drivers with a NASCAR Cup Series win at Martinsville Speedway:  William Byron – three wins (2022, ‘24, ‘25)Kyle Busch – two wins (2016 & ‘17)Kyle Larson – one win (2023)Alex Bowman – one win (2021) Chase Elliott – one win (2020) ·        In 154 NASCAR Cup Series races at Martinsville Speedway, Chevrolet has recorded 62 victories and 57 pole wins – both of which are series-leading records. Among those victories includes wins in four of the eight races contested in the Next Gen era at the track, including William Byron’s three career victories at the track and Kyle Larson’s triumph in the spring 2023 event.  ·        With Justin Allgaier and JR Motorsports win in the NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series race at Darlington Raceway, Chevrolet remains undefeated this season with six-straight wins – setting the record for the longest season-opening streak by a single manufacturer in the division’s history.  ·        In 150 points-paying races in the NASCAR Cup Series Next Gen era, Chevrolet leads all manufacturers with 67 victories – a winning percentage of 44.67%.  ·        Chevrolet is coming off its 29th all-time sweep of the NASCAR Cup Series championship titles – capturing its 34th driver championship and 44th, and fifth consecutive, manufacturer championship in 2025. ·        With its 44 NASCAR Cup Series manufacturer championships, 34 NASCAR Cup Series driver championships, and 881 all-time NASCAR Cup Series wins, Chevrolet continues to hold the title as the winningest brand in NASCAR Cup Series history.

TUNE-IN:NASCAR Cup Series Cook Out 400Sunday, Mar. 29, at 3:30 p.m. ETFS1, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90 NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts SeriesNFPA 250Saturday, Mar. 28, at 3:30 p.m. ETCW, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90

QUOTABLE QUOTES:Ross Chastain, No. 1 Trackhouse Racing ChevroletWhat comes to mind when you think about Martinsville?“Brandon McSwain (crew chief) has won there before with the 24 team. I hope I have the next two decades to keep trying to win it. I want to be better there. I’ve been working on things in the simulator to try and be better there and help my driving. No matter how the car is, it could be tight or loose, or whatever it wants to be, there’s things that I inherently do that just aren’t great there with the wheel and pedal. I’m working to be better.” How cool is it to have a unique trophy like the grandfather clock at Martinsville?“I’ve been fortunate enough to get to know Clay Campbell (Martinsville Speedway President) up there a little bit and go to breakfast with him. Hearing him tell stories of his family’s history in and around Martinsville and the legacy he wants to continue on is really cool. That grandfather clock is a real thing you can take home when you win which is so cool. Everything in that track is built on the foundation around NASCAR and what the France family and the Campbell family have done together. The grandfather clock is something that I want. I want it really bad, and I’ll work a really long time to try to take one home.”   Austin Dillon, No. 3 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet“I’m looking forward to Martinsville Speedway. I think we made some ground there at the end of the race last time we were there. I felt like our car was pretty good, so we can build off of that. Martinsville’s a fun track. I can’t wait to get there and try to chase after the grandfather clock.”    Daniel Suarez, No. 7 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet Coming off your second top-10 of the season, how are you feeling heading into Martinsville?“I am so proud of this No. 7 Spire Motorsports team. We are bringing really fast cars to the track, and I am super excited to keep the momentum going and to keep building off what we have done in the past six weeks. Martinsville is a place that I love, but in the past few years, it’s been very bad for me. I’m looking forward to working with my group of guys and hopefully, I can turn my numbers around there.”   Kyle Busch, No. 8 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet At Martinsville, how do you balance aggressiveness?  “Martinsville is a tricky track. It has concrete surface in the corners, so it changes a lot during the race. When you have these long runs, and you get these rubber build ups, especially when it’s over 70 degrees outside, you get the clumping of the rubber on the racetrack, so you have to start searching around and trying to find a groove that your car will really work in. Obviously, the shortest way around is always the fastest way around, because there’s not really much momentum that you can build up on the outside at Martinsville. It’s a paper clip and its very stop and go. But then when you have cautions, all that rubber gets cleaned off and you’ve got to start all over again. So, a lot of changes happening there at Martinsville.”  What makes Martinsville great? “There’s always action at Martinsville. It’s a great racetrack with close quarters action. Fans are right on top of the speedway seeing the cars up close and personal. It’s always great going back to a short track atmosphere that we all grew up racing somewhere. I grew up in late models at the local short tracks that were half mile or smaller like Martinsville so it’s fun going there.”    Ty Dillon, No. 10 Kaulig Racing ChevroletHow important is Martinsville to you?“Martinsville is a great racetrack. I’ve always performed well there. I feel like last year was one of our best racetracks for our team, speed-wise, and I think this year with the new package, it’s going to be even more exciting. I can’t wait to get out there and see how this car performs with more horsepower than Martinsville has had before.”   AJ Allmendinger, No. 16 Kaulig Racing Chevrolet What do you think about Martinsville Speedway?“I think it’ll be interesting to see if it’s different with the more horsepower now. As they soften the tire, tire wear has become an issue there, so it would be curious with more horsepower if it kind of goes back somewhat like the old cars. It’s always a tough racetrack to figure out with these cars, in the sense of all the shifting you do and that fine line of getting the thing to turn but still being able to drive off. But it’s a fun race, especially when you’re good and have a car to win with—it’s a really fun racetrack.” What type of mindset do you have heading into this historic short track?“Your mindset is that it’s going to be a battle. You’re always going to be surrounded by cars. It’s important to have patience, try to stay calm, and not get yourself in trouble there. At the end of the day, hopefully we go out there, have a good practice, and qualify well. Track position is so important there. Short tracks have probably been our toughest with this car, trying to figure it out. Hopefully we can go there and have a solid day. I feel like the last couple of years we’ve at least made gains to be more competitive, and I like that. Hopefully we keep doing that.”   Austin Hill, No. 33 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet What is the key to having a successful day on Sunday? What’s the biggest difference from the O’Reilly Series race?  “Getting into the corner hard is going to be important. Your entry speed needs to be fast to not give up under braking, but you also need to be able to put throttle down on exit. When I look at data, the guys who win the race have top entry speed and top exit speed, but their center speed isn’t great. Not worrying as much about the center has also made us pretty good on the O’Reilly side, so maybe that transfers over. Shifting will be the biggest difference because we won’t do that on Saturday. That will be a learning experience for everyone with the new 750hp package though.”    Cole Custer, No. 41 Haas Factory Team Chevrolet “I think we are all looking forward to Martinsville this weekend. Last year it was a pretty strong track for us, qualified sixth there in the fall and had a solid run throughout the day. So hopefully we can build off that and get a solid run under our belt to start the season for the HaasTooling.com Chevrolet Camaro.”   Ricky Stenhouse Jr., No. 47 Hyak Motorsports Chevrolet“Martinsville can be a long day, but our guys have been working hard in the shop to get the No. 47 ready. It’s great having Jack Link’s back with the new paint scheme and we’re looking forward to getting on track.”   Cody Ware, No. 51 Rick Ware Racing Chevrolet“There’s a lot of strength needed for driving a racecar, especially when it comes to braking. It takes a lot of brake pressure to extract 700-800 pounds of braking force into the corner. And at Martinsville, we’re doing that 800 times over the course of 400 laps. It’s about being on your game from start to finish, where you’re as good on lap 400 as you were on lap one. The biggest thing is going to be qualifying and track position. Tires equalize pretty quickly at Martinsville, and 40-50 laps into a run, everyone’s pretty much running the same time, whether it’s first or 36th. Whatever you can do to start strong and either maintain track position or improve on restarts, that’s where most of your progress is going to be made throughout the day.”   Michael McDowell, No. 71 Spire Motorsports ChevroletWhat makes Martinsville so special, and what have you learned since your first start there?“Martinsville is one of those tracks where I feel like if I can win there, I’ve truly arrived as a Cup Series driver. It’s such a unique and technical place, and short-track racing isn’t something I grew up doing like a lot of these guys. You’re beating and banging all race long, and you have to keep your guard up the whole race. It’s also a track with a lot of history for me since that’s where I made my first Cup Series start. It’s a tough place to get around with how high the intensity is. You don’t get much time to catch your breath and reset. We’ve been able to find a good groove in practice and qualifying, but the smallest mistake can ruin your day. Hopefully, we can continue to build on that speed and put together a complete weekend at Martinsville.”   Carson Hocevar, No. 77 Spire Motorsports ChevroletHow does a day like you had at Darlington boost your confidence heading into Martinsville?“I’m just glad we positioned ourselves for a good qualifying metric for Martinsville. We normally really struggle at Martinsville, but I think we can take good advantage of the good qualifying draw and set ourselves up for a good day. We need to continue to stack these kinds of finishes. It will be very important as we head down the stretch of the schedule into the summer.” We are coming into the third short-track race of the year with the higher horsepower and lower downforce package. Do you believe it has been playing to your advantage?“We were super-fast at Bowman Gray, and had a good speed at Phoenix, but we just haven’t gotten a hold on Martinsville. The guys have been working hard at it, and our cars are getting better. I think you will see comers and goers like we did last week at Darlington, and think if things play out right, we can roll late in the final run.”   Connor Zilisch, No. 88 Trackhouse Racing ChevroletWhat is it like to race at Martinsville?“I enjoy Martinsville. It hasn’t treated me the best in the past. I feel like we’ve been really, really fast there. I’m looking forward to it. I think it’s going to be a different style race in the Cup car. The race is a lot longer so trying to stay alive and stay on the lead lap I think people race a little differently in Cup than they do in the O’Reilly Series so I’m looking forward to seeing what that’s like. That race is always a crazy one. A track that short creates chaos but it’s a lot of fun. I’m excited to go there. We have Choice Privileges on our No. 88 Chevrolet and it’s going to be fun to have them at the track this weekend. I’m just going to take it all in and hopefully qualify well and put ourselves in position to have a good day on Sunday.” How do you think the racing will be at Martinsville this weekend since the cars will have more horsepower like Darlington?“I’m not sure. A lot of guys say they feel a huge difference but at the end of the day it’s only 80 horsepower. It’s enough to make a difference but not enough to be a complete game changer. I’m curious to see if it puts things in the driver’s hands.” How do you keep your emotions in check with the tight racing at Martinsville? “You definitely have to manage your emotions at Martinsville. Tempers can flare and it’s easy to get frustrated. Sometimes you’ve just got to let things go. If somebody moves you up the track you’ve got to let them go and get them back the next lap and not go into the next corner and completely wreck them. It’s tough at times when you’re getting your back bumper beat off to just let it happen but at the end of the day there’s not a lot you can do.” How tricky is it to navigate pit road at Martinsville?“It’s really tough in Cup. I felt like I was used to having easier pit stalls in the O’Reilly series. When you go to Sundays, it’s a little tougher to manage that. I don’t always get the best pit stalls, and it’s changed the complexion of pit road and how difficult it is to manage that each and every week.”     Shane van Gisbergen, No. 97 Trackhouse Racing ChevroletUsually, drivers that excel on road courses, pick up Martinsville (Speedway) pretty quickly because it’s a technical track. How do you feel your progression has been at Martinsville?“It’s one of my better tracks for sure. It’s a little difficult having the left foot braking and down shifting, that is not something I’m used to. I feel like Martinsville is one of my stronger one. I really look forward to going there. The racing gets a bit crazy, but in general it’s one of my favorite tracks.” What have you learned about restarts in the Cup Series?“There is a lot more take than there is give, so certainly I’ve gotten a lot better at putting myself in a better spot, try not to get taken advantage of. Last year I was really conservative for the first half of the year. This year and even the end of last year, I got a lot better at putting myself in good places and not getting swallowed up.”

Chevrolet NASCAR Cup Series StatisticsManufacturer Championships:Total (1949-2025): 44First title for Chevrolet: 1958Highest number of consecutive titles: 13 (2003-15)Most recent: 2025 Years Won: 1958, 1959, 1960, 1961, 1972, 1973, 1974, 1976, 1977, 1978, 1979, 1980, 1983, 1984, 1985, 1986, 1987, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1991, 1993, 1995, 1996, 1998, 2001, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024, 2025 Driver Championships:Total (1949-2025): 34First Chevrolet champion: Buck Baker (1957)Highest number of consecutive titles: 7 (2005-11)Most recent: Kyle Larson (2025)Driver and Manufacturer Championship Sweeps: 29 Years Won: 1957, 1960, 1961, 1973, 1976, 1977, 1979, 1980, 1984, 1985, 1986, 1987, 1990, 1991, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 2001, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2013, 2014, 2016, 2020, 2021, 2025 Event Victories:Record for total race wins in single season: 26 (2007)                2026 STATISTICS:                                                                                                    Wins: 0Poles: 1Laps Led: 261Top-Fives: 11Top-10s: 20Stage Wins: 2 CHEVROLET IN NASCAR CUMULATIVE STATISTICS:Total Chevrolet race wins: 881 (1949 to date)Poles won to date: 767Laps led to date: 256,995Top-fives to date: 4,447Top-10s to date: 9,171                                                                                                          Total NASCAR Cup Wins by Corporation, 1949 to Date:                    General Motors: 1,215           Chevrolet: 881           Pontiac: 154           Oldsmobile: 115           Buick: 65            Ford: 848                                                                                          Ford: 748           Mercury: 96           Lincoln: 4            Fiat Chrysler Automobiles: 467           Dodge: 217           Plymouth: 191           Chrysler: 59            Toyota: 208