YellaWood 500

Kyle Larson won in dramatic fashion at Talladega Superspeedway in the YellaWood 500 for his first ever victory at a superspeedway and his third win of the year.  Larson came in with a slim points lead in the Chase but left with a 73-point lead after winning the most points of any driver today. Hendrick Motorsports teammate William Byron finished second with Ricky Stenhouse Jr. in third. Ross Chastain and Cole Custer finished fourth and fifth respectively, completing an all-Chevrolet top five sweep. 

Chase Briscoe started on the pole with Austin Hill beside him. Hill was able to take the lead on lap one. Ryan Preece would assume the lead on lap seven and would only stay there a lap until Josh Berry passed him. Berry remained out front until lap 14 when Brad Keselowski took the lead. The lead would go back and forth with Ryan Preece and Cody Ware also leading the pack. Gray Gaulding would make his way to the lead for several laps in the first third of the stage. Toward the middle of the stage, Preece led a Ford breakaway with teammates Keselowski and Chris Buescher in tow. The green flag pit stops began on lap 52 with many Chevy teams pitting, and the next lap the lead trio pitted. Christopher Bell would lead the pack for six laps and when he went to pit with the majority of the Toyotas, he spun out and sustained damage to his car. The three-car Ford pack was back in front and in good shape for the completion of the first stage. Buescher won the stage for his first stage win of the season, followed by his two teammates. Kyle Larson was the top finishing Playoff driver in fourth place.

Riley Herbst was in the lead for the start of stage two, but it did not take long for Joey Logano to pass him for the top spot. Logano and Keselowski would swap the lead for the majority of the second stage. With twelve to go in the stage, several cars were involved in a wreck that took out several Playoff drivers. Bubba Wallace hit Ryan Blaney in the rear when Blaney had to lift off the gas, causing Blaney to spin in front of most of the field. Kyle Larson had worked his way to the lead when the caution flag fell. Logano edged out Larson for the stage win by a slim margin.

The final stage started with Buescher in the lead. He and Erik Jones battled for the lead until Jones was able to clear him. Larson would work his way back up front with 34 laps to go with his teammate William Byron pushing him. Ricky Stenhouse Jr. would join Larson up front as Larson took the inside and Stenhouse Jr. the top lane. Larson slid back and with ten laps to go, it was Stenhouse Jr, and Logano side by side for the lead. Another big wreck came with five laps left as Logano flipped his car and landed on his roof. The red flag came out and the race was haulted for them to turn him back over. A total of 15 cars were involved in the incident, with six of them being Chase drivers. They would finish the race in overtime with Todd Gilliland in the lead and Larson in second. Larson would take the lead coming to the white flag and would drop back to eleventh place on the backstretch but would manage to pull back up to the front for the win.

Tyler Reddick won for the sixth time this year at Phoenix Raceway in the Freeway Insurance 500.  Reddick took his 23XI Racing Toyota back to victory lane after a six-month hiatus.  Ryan Blaney finished second in his Penske Racing Ford while Chase Elliott was the top finishing Chevrolet in the third position. Christopher Bell finished fourth and Corey Heim fifth. 

Ryan Blaney picked up his fifth pole position for the season with his Penske teammate Joey Logano beside him. Blaney stayed out front of Logano to pace the field early. The first caution flag fell on lap 44 when Riley Herbst turned Michael McDowell around in turn three, causing both to sustain significant damage. After the pit stops, Denny Hamlin and William Byron came out in first and second place after only changing two tires. Hamlin led at the restart and stayed there until eight laps to go in the stage as Logano passed him. Logano held on to the lead to win stage one. 

Christopher Bell was out front for the start of stage two, with stage one winner, Logano in second. Bell gave up the lead on lap 123 to make a green flag pit stop, handing the lead over to Logano. Logano made his stop four laps later and Josh Berry assumed the lead for a lap until he pitted, cycling the lead back to Bell. The next caution flag came out on lap 157 when Austin Dillon hit the wall in turn four when his right rear tire failed. After the pit stops, Logano’s team got him out front with a fast stop. He would clear Bell for the lead and stay out front to sweep both stages for the day. It has been over six years since he swept both stages of a race. 

The final stage started with Logano out front again with Chase Briscoe beside him. Logano would slide back up front with Briscoe close behind. Cody Ware blew a right rear tire on lap 223, bringing out the next caution.  After the yellow flag pit stops, Bubba Wallace came out first and Briscoe beside him. Wallace secured the lead and remained there until his green flag pit stop with 44 laps remaining, turning the lead over to Briscoe. Briscoe remained out for four more laps before he gave the lead to Ty Gibbs who led for two laps then he made his stop, cycling Wallace back to the lead. The sixth caution came out with 30 laps remaining as Kyle Larson hit the outside wall when his tire failed, drastically changing the playoff picture. Briscoe chose not to pit and took the lead with Chase Elliott in second. The green flag fell with 19 laps remaining and Briscoe held the lead two laps before Tyler Reddick passed him for the lead. Reddick would hold on for the win. 

Chase Briscoe held off Joe Gibbs Racing teammate Christopher Bell in the closest finish for this Cup season in 2026 at Charlotte Motor Speedway in the Bank of America 400. It is Briscoe’s third win of the year in the NASCAR Cup series. Ryan Blaney finished third in his Penske Racing Ford while another Ford driver, Josh Berry, finished fourth for Wood Brothers Racing. Denny Hamlin finished fifth to give JGR three cars in the top five. Points leader Kyle Larson finished in the sixth position and heads into the next race 49 points ahead of Hamlin. 

For the sixth time in the last eight races, qualifying was rained out so the starting lineup was set with Kyle Larson in first place with Chase Briscoe second. Larson jumped to the lead to start the race and stayed there until the competition caution came out on lap 35. When they went back to green flag racing, Ty Gibbs broke a tow link and brought out the second caution on lap 42. At the restart, Bubba Wallace got by Larson to lead the race for eleven laps before Larson was able to get back by him for the lead. With just four laps left in the stage, Wallace and Alex Bowman got together as they were battling for the fourth-place position when Bowman lost control coming out of turn two. Willian Byron also sustained damage in the incident. With the caution out, that ended the stage with Larson in the lead for the stage one win. 

Stage two started with Larson in the lead and stayed there until lap 108 when Christopher Bell passed him. Bell was leading on lap 117 when the caution came back out as John Hunter Nemechek spun out coming to the finish line. On the restart, Bell jumped back to the lead and stayed there to dominate the stage and take the stage two win. 

The final stage started with Ryan Blaney leading the pack to the green flag, but Bell jumped to the inside of Blaney and took the lead. Bell would lead until lap 205 when Gray Gaulding hit the wall, bringing out the next caution. Chase Briscoe came out in the lead for the restart and was able to jump out to a strong lead. Briscoe would hold the lead for the rest of the race but on the last lap had to hold off his teammate for the second closest Cup finish at Charlotte. 

Kyle Larson continued his hot streak in the Chase with another dominating performance, this time in the Hollywood Casino 400 at Kansas Speedway. Larson maximized his points by winning both stages and having the fastest lap in his Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet. He increased his points lead to 26 over third place finisher Denny Hamlin. Austin Cindric would finish in the runner-up position. Chase Briscoe and Ryan Blaney would round out the top five in fourth and fifth place respectively. 

Just like last week, qualifying was rained out and just like last week, Joey Logano started on the pole with Kyle Larson beside him. Larson took the lead on the opening lap and led until the competition caution on lap 35. At the restart, Denny Hamlin battled Larson hard and led one lap, but Larson moved back to the lead and stayed there until the end of stage one. 

Larson led the field to the green flag for the start of stage two. The first caution for cause came out on lap 113 when Noah Gragson lost an engine. When the green flag came back out, there was a wreck involving several cars when Brad Keselowski hit Carson Hocevar from behind, sending him into Ty Gibbs who in turn hit Bubba Wallace in the rear. Other drivers involved in the incident were Josh Berry, Erik Jones, and Zane Smith. All the cars were able to continue, although Josh Berry lost two laps. Larson continued his dominance and won the second stage, maximizing his points for the two stages.

The final stage began with Larson in the lead and stayed there until his green flag pit stop on lap 217, handing the lead to Austin Cindric. Cindric led a lap before he pitted and put Hamlin out front for one lap, then Hamlin came in and Ryan Blaney took the lead. Blaney led a few laps before pitting, cycling the lead back to Larson. Chase Briscoe passed Larson with 30 laps remaining to pace the field. Larson was able to get back by Briscoe on the backstretch with seven laps remaining and led the last six laps for the win.

Joey Logano won for the third time this year in his Penske Racing Ford in the Bass Pro Shops Night Race at Bristol Motor Speedway. Logano led early in the race and would not do so again until the end when he slipped by Carson Hocevar and Ty Gibbs as they battled for the lead. Kyle Larson had a strong night and finished second, which puts him in the lead for the Playoffs by one point over Denny Hamlin. Hocevar would finish third after leading late in the event while Christopher Bell came home fourth in the top finishing Toyota. Gibbs was fifth in his M&M’s sponsored tribute paint scheme honoring the life of Kyle Busch. The battling did not stop at the finish line as Ryan Blaney confronted Hocevar to express his displeasure with how Hocevar raced him, resulting in shoves and punches, much to the fans delight. 

After qualifying for the race was rained out, the provisional pole went to Kyle Larson with Joey Logano beside him. Larson got the jump on Logano and led until the competition caution on lap 40. At the restart, Logano was back up front and held the lead until lap 95 when Erik Jones spun out coming out of turn 4, bringing out the second caution. Logano did not pit and remained in the lead until the end of stage one, winning the stage with Larson finishing second.

Stage two started with Ryan Blaney in the lead and remained there until Cody Ware spun out, bringing out the next caution with only three laps remaining in the stage. The stage would end under caution with Blaney winning stage two. 

Blaney would lead the field to the green flag to start the final stage. He would stay there until Ty Gibbs used traffic to pass Blaney on lap 326. Gibbs would make his green flag pit stop, handing the lead back to Blaney. The caution flag came out on lap 397 when Riley Herbst contacted Zane Smith, spinning Herbst out and damaging his front end. After the pit stops and a penalty for Blaney, Carson Hocevar led the field to the restart. Hocevar led until he got caught up in traffic and Gibbs passed him with 70 laps remaining. As soon as Gibbs took the lead, he was involved in an incident with Alex Bowman, spinning Bowman out and putting out another caution flag. Gibbs was out front for the restart with 59 laps to go. They only made two laps before William Byron spun on the backstretch, causing another caution.  When the green flag came back out, Gibbs led the field at the closing stage of the race. With 43 laps remaining, Blaney and Hocevar made contact each other, sending Blaney into the wall, ending his day after leading the most laps in the race. Gibbs once again led the field to the green flag. Once again, the caution came out, this time with 24 laps remaining as Chase Elliott spun out. The green flag came back out with 17 laps remaining and Gibbs leading. Two laps later, AJ Allmendinger brought out the last caution when he spun out in turn four. They restarted with 9 laps to go and Hocevar was able to get around Gibbs, but as the two battled for the lead, Logano snuck by both of them and held on for the win.

Kyle Larson broke his 51-race winless streak at World Wide Technology Raceway in the Enjoy Illinois 300. Larson held on for the win in a crash-filled race that saw a record-high 18 caution flags. Teammate Alex Bowman, who pushed Larson to the lead on a late race restart, finished second. Joey Logano, who led a race high 96 laps, finished third after taking two tires on his last pit stop for track position while Larson took four. The Hendrick Motorsports car of William Byron came home fourth, giving the team three of the top four spots. Ross Chastain in his Trackhouse Racing chevy finished fifth. 

Joey Logano started on the pole with Kyle Larson beside him. Logano jumped to the lead at the drop of the green flag. It did not take long before the first caution came out as Riley Herbst hit the inside wall on the frontstretch on lap 6. The green flag came back out on lap 11 with Logano retaining the lead. Just 4 laps later, Ricky Stenhouse spun out coming out of turn two. Logano once again jumped out front, but they could not complete a lap before another accident occurred when several cars got together coming out of turn two. Noah Gragson ran out of room and contacted Michael McDowell and Shane Van Gisbergen. Daniel Suarez also sustained damage in the incident. Logano managed to keep the lead again on the restart. The fourth caution came out on lap 28 when Van Gisbergen spun out. Logano kept the lead at the restart and stayed there until the end of stage one, winning the caution-filled stage.

Brad Keselowski started the second stage in the lead. On lap 56, Ty Gibbs spun out Erik Jones going into turn one bringing out another caution. On the restart, Keselowski held on to the lead. Herbst spun out on the backstretch and collected AJ Allmendinger, putting out the next caution flag. Pit stops mixed the field up and put Ross Chastain in the lead. Chastain would stay out front until lap 81 when Larson would get around him to take the lead for the first time in the race.  Zane Smith spun out in turn one when his brake rotor failed on lap 131, ending the stage and giving the stage two win to Larson.

The final stage began with first and second in the same order as they started, Logano first and Larson second. They could not complete a lap before another accident occurred in turn two as Bubba Wallace spun out, taking Chase Briscoe and William Byron with him. Logano kept the lead at the drop of the green flag. Ryan Blaney had a brake failure on lap 154 at the finish line, ending his day. Everyone on the lead lap but Larson and Josh Berry pitted, putting Larson in first and Berry second. Berry was able to take the lead, but Keselowski passed Berry. The two would swap the lead back and forth for the next several laps, until Keselowski finally cleared him. Chastain spun out on lap 170 when Cole Custer slowed down in front of him. Keselowski kept the lead at the restart. Riley Herbst brought out the caution again as he spun out in turn one. Keselowski would give up the lead to Logano on the restart. With 42 laps remaining, the caution came out again for a brake failure, this time it was Gragson. Most of the teams pitted during the caution, but Keselowski and four others on the lead lap stayed out. Keselowski led when they went back to green flag racing with 35 laps left. Chase Elliott was the next to experience a brake failure and he took out Briscoe in the aftermath, bringing out yet another caution. Logano would have a great restart and passed Keselowski for the lead. With 18 laps left, there was another big wreck involving Christopher Bell, Berry, Wallace and Tyler Reddick. On the restart, Larson passed Logano for the lead and then another big pile up happened behind them, Gibbs, Suarez, Allmendinger and Ty Dillon were all involved in the incident, bringing out the red flag. Larson kept the lead on the restart with four fresh tires compared to two on Logano’s car. Chris Buescher brought out the caution as he experienced a brake failure, sending the race into overtime. The red flag would be displayed for the second time in the race to clean up the debris from the accident. When they went back to green flag racing, Van Gisbergen spun in the first turn for the final caution period. On the overtime restart Larson held on to the lead for the win.  

Christopher Bell picked up his first win of the season after finishing second seven times this year. Bell held off his Joe Gibbs Racing teammate Ty Gibbs who finished second in the Cook Out Southern 500 at Darlington Raceway. Fellow Toyota driver Tyler Reddick would finish third for 23XI Racing while Ryan Blaney would be the top finishing Ford in fourth for Penske Racing. Kyle Larson, who dominated the final stage, would come home fifth in his Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet. 

Qualifying was rained out so the starting positions were set by NASCAR and that put Tyler Reddick on the pole with Daniel Suarez second. Suarez jumped out front at the start for the first three laps before Denny Hamlin passed him to lead on lap four. Hamlin would keep the lead until lap 30 when Reddick passed him to go back up front. The competition caution came out on lap 36 and after the pit stops, Reddick was still in the lead. Hamlin would pass Reddick for the lead on lap 45. Hamlin came in for a green flag pit stop on lap 73, turning the lead over to Bubba Wallace. Wallace led for five laps before his stop, handing the lead over to Chase Elliott. Elliott only led a lap before he pitted, putting Carson Hocevar in the lead. Once again, Hocevar led for one lap and pitted, cycling the lead back to Hamlin. Reddick got back by Hamlin on lap 94 to take the top spot again. Brad Keselowski was spun out by Hocevar with less than ten laps remaining in the stage, so the new rule came into effect ending the stage with Reddick taking the stage one win. 

Stage two started with Reddick out front and would keep the lead until his green flag pit stop on lap 151, giving the lead to Blaney. Blaney led a lap and pitted, moving Larson to the lead. Larson led for three laps before pitting, completing the green flag cycle. This time Wallace would be in the lead over Reddick. Wallace would lead until the next set of green flag pit stops and when they cycled through, Briscoe would assume the lead after a quick pit stop. Reddick had a slow stop as his team had trouble with the right front tire, sending him back to the ninth position. With 15 laps remaining in the stage, Christopher Bell passed his teammate, Briscoe, for the lead. Bell would hold on for the stage two win. 

Larson started the final stage in the lead and remained out front until the green flag pit stops, but before they cycled through, the caution came out as Zane Smith spun out with his teammate Todd Gilliland leading. At the restart, Larson led the pack to the green flag and would pull out to a comfortable lead. On lap 316, William Byron spun out bring out the caution flag. After the pit stops, Bell was back in the lead for the restart. Bell lead a couple of laps before Briscoe passed his teammate for the lead. The caution came out again for rain with 33 laps remaining. Several teams pitted under caution, but Larson chose to stay out and took the lead. The teams that pitted to get new tires came through the field quickly and in five laps, Bell, Gibbs and Brisco were working on passing Larson. Bell was able to accomplish the pass on Larson with 12 laps remaining. Bell would hold off teammate Gibbs for the first win in the Chase.