RACE RECAP – PHOENIX Race 2 of 20 |
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| Photography: John Force Racing / Auto Imagery / Gary Nastase |
| NO DESERT MAGIC FOR JFR AT FIREBIRDHart, Vandergriff bow out in Rd. 2 while Beckman and DeJoria’s days end after first |
| CHANDLER, Ariz. (March 22, 2026) – Firebird Motorsports Park proved to be an unfortunate Achilles’ heel for John Force Racing as none of its four teams advanced further than the second round of eliminations Sunday in the FMP NHRA Arizona Nationals. The Burnyzz Speed Shop / Speedmaster Top Fuel team with Josh Hart and the Cornwell Tools Chevrolet SS Funny Car team with Jordan Vandergriff were eliminated in the second round of competition while the PEAK Chevrolet SS Funny Car of Jack Beckman and the Bandero Premium Tequila Chevrolet SS Funny Car of Alexis DeJoria bowed out in Round 1. Hart defeated Justin Ashley in Round 1 (4.000 seconds to 4.115) to set up the second-round matchup with Leah Pruett. Hart got the holeshot (.075 to .098) but hazed the tires midway through the run, slowing to 4.081 seconds at 275.62 mph to Pruett’s 4.887 at 319.52. “The Burnyzz Speed Shop / Speedmaster dragster struggled big time in the heat, but the bottom line for me is I’m getting better at the lights and racing is fun again. “I’m super proud to be a very small part of such an awesome team, so proud of John Force Racing and the entirety of this group. We’re off to California.” Vandergriff got the automatic win in Rd. 1 when DeJoria red-lit and then went on to run the second-quickest pass of the session (3.984 seconds at 318.62 mph), giving him lane choice for Rd. 2 against Matt Hagan. Hagan took the holeshot by one-hundredth-of-a-second and they were even halfway through the run when both cars smoked the tires. Both drivers tried to pedal but their engines had clicked off so they coasted across the finish line, Hagan taking the win at 4.621 seconds at 189.71 mph to Vandergriff’s 4.650 at 181.86. “We were having a good side-by-side run until we both smoked the tires at half-track,” said Vandergriff. “It felt clean early, and then I felt it start to pull the tires loose. I lifted and tried to give it a stab again but there was nothing there. I think if I had more runs, I might have caught it quicker. But you know what? I’m just a few runs into this career here and I think I’m doing okay so far.” As was the case at Gainesville two weeks prior when Vandergriff and Beckman faced each other in the first round, the all-John Force Racing first-round matchup at Firebird meant that one car would not advance to the second round of eliminations. This time it was DeJoria and the Bandero Premium Tequila Chevrolet SS Funny Car team. “It was a tricky weekend for the Bandero Chevy team,” said DeJoria. “We weren’t able to make any full pulls down the racetrack and we were lucky to get in on our first run Friday, going 4.08, smoking the tires and having to drive a bit at the top end. This morning, we had to race, one of our teammates, Jordan Vandergriff so we knew at least one of us is going to the 2nd round, but it always sucks when you have to go up against a teammate. It’s been ridiculously hot out here. I feel really bad for the guys. They’ve been working so hard, and there’s 106 degree weather, just so I could go out there and not do my job on the starting line.” Beckman had lane choice as the No. 2 Qualifier, left the starting line just six-thousandths-of-a-second (.085 to .091) after Wilkerson. The Peak SQUAD Chevy SS was driving away past half-track but slowed nearing the finish line, which allowed Wilkerson to sneak past at the lights. Beckman ran 4.021 seconds at 273.88 mph to Wilkerson’s 4.001 seconds at 322.06 mph. “We heard a piston and it could have happened as early as the burnout,” said Beckman. “These things are very finicky on the burnout. We’re going to address that moving forward to Pomona. The car was on low ET of the meet, and I know everybody says that, but if you look at our numbers, we are 200ths quicker than every single car out there to 660 foot. And then what happens is, as the pistons stops sealing, the combustion gases get down into the oil pan. NHRA mandates a pan pressure switch so when it gets to a certain level, it disconnects the throttle. That is in place to prevent all that pressure from pushing the oil and gaskets out onto the racetrack. I get it. It bit us on that run. We needed 30 more feet of acceleration and we would have got it done but it’s something we can address. We’ve gotten beaten up, two races this year. I don’t think we’re gonna get beaten up next race.” The 2026 NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series Top Fuel point standings after two races are: 1. Doug Kalitta, 176; 2. Josh Hart, 174; 3. Shawn Langdon, 170; 4. Leah Pruett, 158; 5. Maddi Gordon, 152; 6. Tony Stewart, 108; 7. Antron Brown, 107; 8. Tony Schumacher, 101; 9. Billy Torrence, 78; 10. (tie) Justin Ashley, 65 and Shawn Reed, 65. The 2026 NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series Funny Car point standings after two races are: 1. Chad Green, 174; 2. Spencer Hyde, 156; 3. Ron Capps, 151; 4. J.R. Todd, 140; 5. Matt Hagan, 135; 6. Alexis DeJoria, 126; 7. Jordan Vandergriff, 125; 8. Paul Lee, 111; 9. Daniel Wilkerson, 107; 10. Jack Beckman, 64. Next EventThe third of 20 events on the 2026 NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series is the April 10-12 Lucas Oil NHRA Winternationals at In-N-Out Burger Pomona Dragstrip in Pomona, Calif. |
| Race Recap: Stage One: A pair of Hendrick Motorsports teammates, Kyle Larson and Chase Elliott, led the Bowtie brigade in Saturday’s qualifying session – sweeping the second row of the starting lineup for the Goodyear 400 at Darlington Raceway. With the opening stage turning into a long green flag run, the field quickly approached its first trip to pit road as the stage closed in on the halfway mark. Larson, who maintained a top-four running position throughout the run, was called to pit road on Lap 39 for a fresh set of four tires and fuel. The green flag pit sequence expanded over the next 10 laps, with the No. 5 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet team making their way back up into the fourth position. Among those who made a gain in position during the green flag pit cycle included Team Chevy’s William Byron, who jumped five spots to make his first appearance in the top-10 of the race. Despite struggling with the handling of his No. 5 Chevrolet, Larson held onto a strong points run in the opening stage – taking the first green-white checkered flag in the fifth position. Stage Two: With track position at a premium, the No. 5 pit crew delivered – earning the reigning champion three positions to win the race off pit road and a position on the front row to start Stage Two. Electing the outside lane, a masterful restart and clean air was enough for Larson to take over the top position and lead his first laps of the race. Settled into the lead, the first natural caution of the day flew. With the lead pack hitting pit road, the No. 5 pit crew led the way once again. Losing the battle on the restart, Larson overcame similar handling issues to maintain a top-three running position en route to the second green-white checkered flag – leading fellow Team Chevy drivers, Byron and Daniel Suarez, with back-to-back top-10 stage points. Final Stage: Under the stage break, the Cliff Daniels-led team continued to go to work on their Chevrolet-powered machine with the pit crew continuing to give Larson valuable track position during their visit to pit road. But a caution near the 200-lap marker saw a shakeup in pit strategy. With the leaders opting to make another stop, a handful of cars chose track position, including Suarez – a decision that ultimately led the No. 7 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet team to their highest running position of the race. Holding strong among those with fresher tires, Suarez settled into the sixth position as the field approached what ended up being the final green flag pit cycle of the race. As the lap countdown hit 54 to go, the field began to hit pit road, with Byron and Larson among the first group of cars to make their stop. With the cycle deemed complete just after 10 laps around the ‘Lady in Black’, the Hendrick Motorsports duo re-entered the top-10. But it was Spire Motorsports’ Carson Hocevar that was making a monstrous charge in the closing laps. With seven-lap fresher tires, the Portage, Michigan, native was clicking off the fastest laps among the leaders – climbing up to the fourth position to earn his career-best Darlington finish. |
| Team Chevy Unofficial Top-10 ResultsPos. Driver 4th – Carson Hocevar7th – Daniel Suarez8th – William Byron  Chevrolet’s season statistics with six NASCAR Cup Series races complete:Wins: 0Poles: 1Top-Fives: 11Top 10s: 20Stage Wins: 2 |
| The 2026 NASCAR Cup Series season continues at Martinsville Speedway with the Cook Out 400 on Sunday, March 29, at 3:30 P.M. ET. Live coverage can be found on FS1, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90. |
| Post-Race Driver Quotes: Ross Chastain, No. 1 Trackhouse Racing ChevroletFinished: 16th “An up and down day for our No. 1 Moose Chevrolet team. We had a loose handling car, but were pretty good on the long runs. The guys had a few good pit stops and gained some track position to race around the top-10. We had a couple mishaps that set us back with an issue on the right side during a stop, and around halfway through race, I got a speeding penalty on pit road. The guys worked hard to give us a lead lap finish, but we just didn’t have enough in the end to contend for more. I felt that we had a top-10 car today, just not the result to show.” Austin Dillon, No. 3 Richard Childress Racing ChevroletFinished: 25th “Our No. 3 team had another solid start to the weekend with qualifying inside the top-10, which puts us in a better spot to start the race and have a better pit stall selection. Once the race started, we just went to battle with our Bass Pro Shops/Winchester Long Beard XR Chevrolet. Tires are key at this place with the fall off and we tried to play strategy in Stage 3, hoping for a quick caution. Unfortunately that didn’t fall our way but we netted out where we were before, maybe a few positions lower. The balance was extremely tight at the end so we powered through to the checkered.” Daniel Suarez, No. 7 Spire Motorsports ChevroletFinished: 7thThis was your career-best Cup Series finish here at Darlington Raceway. How important are these strong runs early in your tenure with Spire Motorsports? “Listen, from the outside, I was looking at Spire Motorsports, and in my mind, they were the fastest-growing team. I was always curious — what are they doing to grow that quick? But as the year went along and we put a deal together, I started to understand more and more. The culture of the team is pretty incredible. There are great people here; the structure’s solid, and I’m just really happy and proud to be a part of this organization. And the best part is that they just continue to grow. We’re not even close to our full potential, so we just have to keep doing our thing; keep building, and get better and better.” That last run, you were in the top-10, then dropped back a little, but climbed up to seventh. What was that final run like?“Really, that was about all that we had. Maybe we could have found it a little sooner, but we got a bit too tight at the end. Just so proud of this No. 7 NationsGuard Chevrolet team. They did an incredible job all day long. I feel like every single week, if we look at our numbers and we can get a little bit better, that’s all I can ask for. We’re not trying to hit home runs right now, we’re just putting one step in front of the other, and that’s how progress happens.” Kyle Busch, No. 8 Richard Childress Racing ChevroletFinished: 21st“Today wasn’t our day. We had a good practice and qualifying session with the No. 8 BetMGM Chevrolet, but that didn’t convert once we got out on Darlington Raceway this afternoon. With that said, the team never quit and we made some adjustments that at times let us race inside the top-15. It’s time now to focus on Martinsville and continuing to make strides with the No. 8 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet.” William Byron, No. 24 Hendrick Motorsports ChevroletFinished: 8th“Man, I was working hard in there. That was tough. We’re still trying to figure things out with this body, but we definitely are making baby steps. This is just a tough race in general, though, but this No. 24 Raptor Chevy team fought hard.” Carson Hocevar, No. 77 Spire Motorsports ChevroletFinished: 4thYou captured your career-best Darlington result with a fourth-place finish. Do you walk away today satisfied with what you and your team did? “Super proud of this No. 77 Chili’s Marg Machine Chevrolet team. It hasn’t been a lack of effort, but just a lack of luck that takes us out of finishes, so it’s nice to take one today. Chili’s put a lot of effort into this throwback scheme, so it’s great to give it a good run.” There were a lot of unknowns about the package and the tire going into this race. What do you make of it? “I had fun. Our Chevy was good. It didn’t feel crazy different, but it seemed like it was way different for everyone else and we were able to pass a lot of cars. That was beneficial for us, for sure.” Connor Zilisch, No. 88 Trackhouse Racing ChevroletFinished: 18th “It was a solid day in Darlington for this No. 88 Red Bull Chevrolet team. We got a lap down early, but we were able to get the wave around and get our lap back. We stayed on the lead lap for the rest of the day, so that was a positive way to end the day. It’s definitely a little unfortunate that we weren’t able to make up as much ground as we would have liked there at the end, but a top-20 is a solid day. It’s good to at least get the ball rolling in the right direction after a few bad weekends.” Shane van Gisbergen, No. 97 Trackhouse Racing ChevroletFinished: 14th“Decent result! We didn’t qualify very well but the guys did an awesome job tuning up my WeatherTech Chevrolet and as the race went on, it got better and better. Good day, onto Martinsville next weekend.” |
| NASCAR Cup SeriesDarlington RacewayGoodyear 400Team Chevy Post-Race ReportMarch 22, 2026 |
Carson Hocevar Makes Late-Race Charge to Earn Career-Best Finish at Darlington Raceway |
| Spire Motorsports’ Carson Hocevar made an impressive late-race charge to take home his career-best NASCAR Cup Series finish at Darlington Raceway – driving his No. 77 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet to a fourth-place finish in the Goodyear 400. The Portage, Michigan, native led the Bowtie brigade to three top-10 results at the ‘Track Too Tough To Tame’. Spire Motorsports’ Daniel Suarez and Hendrick Motorsports’ William Byron each drove their Chevrolet’s to points in each stage en route to a seventh- and eighth-place finish, respectively. | MEDIA RESOURCES: Photo Gallery | Race AdvancesChevrolet Newsroom |
| Race Recap: Stage One: A pair of Hendrick Motorsports teammates, Kyle Larson and Chase Elliott, led the Bowtie brigade in Saturday’s qualifying session – sweeping the second row of the starting lineup for the Goodyear 400 at Darlington Raceway. With the opening stage turning into a long green flag run, the field quickly approached its first trip to pit road as the stage closed in on the halfway mark. Larson, who maintained a top-four running position throughout the run, was called to pit road on Lap 39 for a fresh set of four tires and fuel. The green flag pit sequence expanded over the next 10 laps, with the No. 5 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet team making their way back up into the fourth position. Among those who made a gain in position during the green flag pit cycle included Team Chevy’s William Byron, who jumped five spots to make his first appearance in the top-10 of the race. Despite struggling with the handling of his No. 5 Chevrolet, Larson held onto a strong points run in the opening stage – taking the first green-white checkered flag in the fifth position. Stage Two: With track position at a premium, the No. 5 pit crew delivered – earning the reigning champion three positions to win the race off pit road and a position on the front row to start Stage Two. Electing the outside lane, a masterful restart and clean air was enough for Larson to take over the top position and lead his first laps of the race. Settled into the lead, the first natural caution of the day flew. With the lead pack hitting pit road, the No. 5 pit crew led the way once again. Losing the battle on the restart, Larson overcame similar handling issues to maintain a top-three running position en route to the second green-white checkered flag – leading fellow Team Chevy drivers, Byron and Daniel Suarez, with back-to-back top-10 stage points. Final Stage: Under the stage break, the Cliff Daniels-led team continued to go to work on their Chevrolet-powered machine with the pit crew continuing to give Larson valuable track position during their visit to pit road. But a caution near the 200-lap marker saw a shakeup in pit strategy. With the leaders opting to make another stop, a handful of cars chose track position, including Suarez – a decision that ultimately led the No. 7 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet team to their highest running position of the race. Holding strong among those with fresher tires, Suarez settled into the sixth position as the field approached what ended up being the final green flag pit cycle of the race. As the lap countdown hit 54 to go, the field began to hit pit road, with Byron and Larson among the first group of cars to make their stop. With the cycle deemed complete just after 10 laps around the ‘Lady in Black’, the Hendrick Motorsports duo re-entered the top-10. But it was Spire Motorsports’ Carson Hocevar that was making a monstrous charge in the closing laps. With seven-lap fresher tires, the Portage, Michigan, native was clicking off the fastest laps among the leaders – climbing up to the fourth position to earn his career-best Darlington finish. |
| Team Chevy Unofficial Top-10 ResultsPos. Driver 4th – Carson Hocevar7th – Daniel Suarez8th – William Byron Chevrolet’s season statistics with six NASCAR Cup Series races complete:Wins: 0Poles: 1Top-Fives: 11Top 10s: 20Stage Wins: 2 |
| The 2026 NASCAR Cup Series season continues at Martinsville Speedway with the Cook Out 400 on Sunday, March 29, at 3:30 P.M. ET. Live coverage can be found on FS1, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90. |
| Post-Race Driver Quotes: Ross Chastain, No. 1 Trackhouse Racing ChevroletFinished: 16th “An up and down day for our No. 1 Moose Chevrolet team. We had a loose handling car, but were pretty good on the long runs. The guys had a few good pit stops and gained some track position to race around the top-10. We had a couple mishaps that set us back with an issue on the right side during a stop, and around halfway through race, I got a speeding penalty on pit road. The guys worked hard to give us a lead lap finish, but we just didn’t have enough in the end to contend for more. I felt that we had a top-10 car today, just not the result to show.” Austin Dillon, No. 3 Richard Childress Racing ChevroletFinished: 25th “Our No. 3 team had another solid start to the weekend with qualifying inside the top-10, which puts us in a better spot to start the race and have a better pit stall selection. Once the race started, we just went to battle with our Bass Pro Shops/Winchester Long Beard XR Chevrolet. Tires are key at this place with the fall off and we tried to play strategy in Stage 3, hoping for a quick caution. Unfortunately that didn’t fall our way but we netted out where we were before, maybe a few positions lower. The balance was extremely tight at the end so we powered through to the checkered.” Daniel Suarez, No. 7 Spire Motorsports ChevroletFinished: 7thThis was your career-best Cup Series finish here at Darlington Raceway. How important are these strong runs early in your tenure with Spire Motorsports? “Listen, from the outside, I was looking at Spire Motorsports, and in my mind, they were the fastest-growing team. I was always curious — what are they doing to grow that quick? But as the year went along and we put a deal together, I started to understand more and more. The culture of the team is pretty incredible. There are great people here; the structure’s solid, and I’m just really happy and proud to be a part of this organization. And the best part is that they just continue to grow. We’re not even close to our full potential, so we just have to keep doing our thing; keep building, and get better and better.” That last run, you were in the top-10, then dropped back a little, but climbed up to seventh. What was that final run like?“Really, that was about all that we had. Maybe we could have found it a little sooner, but we got a bit too tight at the end. Just so proud of this No. 7 NationsGuard Chevrolet team. They did an incredible job all day long. I feel like every single week, if we look at our numbers and we can get a little bit better, that’s all I can ask for. We’re not trying to hit home runs right now, we’re just putting one step in front of the other, and that’s how progress happens.” Kyle Busch, No. 8 Richard Childress Racing ChevroletFinished: 21st“Today wasn’t our day. We had a good practice and qualifying session with the No. 8 BetMGM Chevrolet, but that didn’t convert once we got out on Darlington Raceway this afternoon. With that said, the team never quit and we made some adjustments that at times let us race inside the top-15. It’s time now to focus on Martinsville and continuing to make strides with the No. 8 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet.” William Byron, No. 24 Hendrick Motorsports ChevroletFinished: 8th“Man, I was working hard in there. That was tough. We’re still trying to figure things out with this body, but we definitely are making baby steps. This is just a tough race in general, though, but this No. 24 Raptor Chevy team fought hard.” Carson Hocevar, No. 77 Spire Motorsports ChevroletFinished: 4thYou captured your career-best Darlington result with a fourth-place finish. Do you walk away today satisfied with what you and your team did? “Super proud of this No. 77 Chili’s Marg Machine Chevrolet team. It hasn’t been a lack of effort, but just a lack of luck that takes us out of finishes, so it’s nice to take one today. Chili’s put a lot of effort into this throwback scheme, so it’s great to give it a good run.” There were a lot of unknowns about the package and the tire going into this race. What do you make of it? “I had fun. Our Chevy was good. It didn’t feel crazy different, but it seemed like it was way different for everyone else and we were able to pass a lot of cars. That was beneficial for us, for sure.” Connor Zilisch, No. 88 Trackhouse Racing ChevroletFinished: 18th “It was a solid day in Darlington for this No. 88 Red Bull Chevrolet team. We got a lap down early, but we were able to get the wave around and get our lap back. We stayed on the lead lap for the rest of the day, so that was a positive way to end the day. It’s definitely a little unfortunate that we weren’t able to make up as much ground as we would have liked there at the end, but a top-20 is a solid day. It’s good to at least get the ball rolling in the right direction after a few bad weekends.” Shane van Gisbergen, No. 97 Trackhouse Racing ChevroletFinished: 14th“Decent result! We didn’t qualify very well but the guys did an awesome job tuning up my WeatherTech Chevrolet and as the race went on, it got better and better. Good day, onto Martinsville next weekend.” |