Fantasy Fastlane: NASCAR’s elite shine at Phoenix

Posted on March 6, 2026March 7, 2026 by Dustin Albino

Editor’s Note: Keep tabs on this page for lineup advice following qualifying, including changes you should consider.

Fantasy Update: New Cup Series season, same Team Penske speed at a flat, 1-mile oval. All three of its Fords slotted into the top five in qualifying, with Joey Logano winning the Busch Light Pole Award. Meanwhile, Austin Cindric and Ryan Blaney gapped the field over the long haul in practice. The lone switch in my lineup is bumping Cindric in over William Byron, knowing the No. 24 car has stage points in 21 consecutive Phoenix stages. I also flipped Logano ahead of Hamlin in the head-to-head battle.

My lineup: Ryan Blaney, Joey Logano, Christopher Bell, Kyle Larson, Austin Cindric.
Garage: Denny Hamlin.

After an eventful first three races to begin the 2026 Cup Series season in which Tyler Reddick went perfect, the rest of the field is in catch-up mode. Up next is Phoenix Raceway, where the series’ best tend to shine. Team Penske and Joe Gibbs Racing win frequently in the desert, but there are a trio of Hendrick Motorsports teammates that are formidable here. You also can’t count out the scorching hot 23XI Racing, which continues to be the disruptor of the “big three.”

Returning to Fastlane this year is my weekly NASCAR 36 for 36 pick, where you can come play along. It’s a season-long points battle introduced in 2024 where strategy is the primary emphasis. With 36 chartered cars and 36 races on the 2026 schedule, players can choose each car once for the duration of the season.

RELATED: NASCAR Fantasy Live hub | Play 36 for 36

MUST START

Driver: Ryan Blaney, No. 12 Team Penske Ford
Selections remaining: 8
Comment: After being the model of consistency at Phoenix, Blaney finally broke through to Victory Lane in the series’ most recent trip to the desert. The 2023 Cup champion has 14 top-10 finishes in 20 Phoenix starts, including eight top-five efforts in the last nine races. Five of those have been finishes of second or better.

Driver: Christopher Bell, No. 20 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota
Selections remaining: 9
Comment: Bell has won the spring race at Phoenix two years in a row in dominant fashion. Phoenix is only one of two tracks on the circuit where Bell has multiple victories, and he has cracked the top five in three of the last four visits.

Driver: William Byron, No. 24 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet
Selections remaining: 10
Comment: While Byron has come up short in recent championship quests at Phoenix, he runs up front like clockwork. In the eight Next Gen races at the 1-mile oval, he has an average running position of 4.9 and has won a stage in five races. Dating back to 2020, he has earned stage points in 21 consecutive stages at Phoenix, the longest streak at a track in history.

Meg Oliphant | Getty Images

DRIVERS TO AVOID

Driver: Chase Briscoe, No. 19 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota
Selections remaining: 10
Comment: The No. 19 team is off to a sluggish start through three races in 2026, and that trend could continue at Phoenix. Briscoe had multiple tire failures here in the fall – Goodyear is bringing the same tire – and only has one top 10 in the previous five Phoenix races.

Driver: Bubba Wallace, No. 23 23XI Racing Toyota
Selections remaining: 9
Comment: Momentum is at an all-time high at 23XI Racing with Tyler Reddick winning the first three races of 2026. Phoenix has been a weak spot for Wallace, though, with only three top-10 finishes in 16 starts.

Logan Riely | Getty Images

SLEEPERS OF THE WEEK

Driver: Chris Buescher, No. 17 RFK Racing Ford
Selections remaining: 10
Comment: It wasn’t long ago when Phoenix was considered one of Buescher’s worst venues on the schedule. The Texas native has turned that around over the last three seasons, with four top-10 finishes in the last five Phoenix races, including a trio of top fives.

Driver: Josh Berry, No. 21 Wood Brothers Racing Ford
Selections remaining: 10
Comment: For years, Team Penske has had a knack for flat ovals, and Phoenix fits into that criteria. Through an affiliation with Penske, expect Berry to be in the mix on Sunday, just as he was in this race last year with a fourth-place effort. Phoenix is the only track that he has at least three top-10 finishes at, coming in just five attempts.

James Gilbert | Getty Images

FEATURED MATCHUPS

Tyler Reddick vs. Kyle Larson
Pick: Larson
Comment: With the amount of success Larson has had at Phoenix, including winning a pair of championships, it could be argued that he should be listed as a must-start. His 11 top-five efforts and 15 top-10 finishes are his most at a singular track. As Denny Hamlin pointed out post-race at Circuit of The Americas, Reddick’s numbers aren’t the best at Phoenix, with a pair of top fives in 12 starts.

Ryan Blaney vs. Christopher Bell
Pick: Blaney
Comment: As noted earlier, both drivers excel at Phoenix, combining to win three of the last four races. Both organizations are elite at flat race tracks, though the upperhand should go to Penske. Blaney is always in contention for the win at the end of Phoenix races.

Denny Hamlin vs. Joey Logano
Pick: Hamlin
Comment: This matchup should go to Toyota. In November, Hamlin had his heart broken at Phoenix, leading 208 laps but losing the championship battle when a caution flew with just three laps remaining in regulation. Logano has a series-high four victories here and leads all drivers with laps led in the Next Gen car at Phoenix (379).

Ross Chastain vs. Chris Buescher
Pick: Buescher
Comment: Of this pairing, Chastain is the driver who has visited Victory Lane, but Buescher has been more consistent in the Next Gen car. The No. 1 team has four top-10 finishes in the eight Next Gen races, while Buescher has the same number of top 10s in the last five races alone.

MY LINEUP

Starting five: Ryan Blaney, Christopher Bell, William Byron, Denny Hamlin, Kyle Larson.
Garage pick: Joey Logano

36 FOR 36

Pick: Ryan Blaney, No. 12 Team Penske Ford.
Comment: Having two drafting-style races and a road course make up the first three races of the season can make Phoenix a tricky place to pick. No team will have shown their true potential at a standard oval until this weekend. Naturally, Penske is strong at Phoenix and tracks alike, so Blaney will be my starting point entering the week, though it could be altered after practice.

Posted on March 5, 2026March 5, 2026 by Holly Cain

Certainly, Richard Childress Racing’s Jesse Love is among the NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series competitors most looking forward to a return to Phoenix Raceway for Saturday evening’s GOVX 200 (7:30 p.m. ET, The CW, MRN Radio, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).

The 21-year-old reigning series champion earned his first major NASCAR title at the track last November and has turned in an impressive start in 2026 to back up that work.

Love is the only driver to earn top-10 finishes in all three races this season, and as the driver of the No. 2 RCR Chevrolet, he also boasts the longest top-10 streak (four) at the Phoenix one-miler among this week’s starting lineup. His average finish in four starts is 4.5, including that career-changing victory in the 2025 championship finale.

Love’s RCR teammate Austin Hill, who won the Daytona season-opener, boasts the top average finish on the year (5.0) and leads his teammate Love by 28 points atop the championship standings.

JR Motorsports’ Justin Allgaier, the 2024 series champion, is third in points, 39 off Hill’s pace and brings his own impressive resume to the track, where he is the only multiple-time winner (two) on Saturday’s grid. His 13 career top-five finishes and 21 top-10 finishes are the most in those categories. He comes into the race having earned the most stage points (47) on the year.

Joe Gibbs Racing, however, has won at least one of the two Phoenix races for the past eight years, and its 18 wins total here is more than double that of any other organization.

A remarkable nine drivers have already earned career-best finishes in the opening three races. Hendrick Motorsports rookie Corey Day has a pair of top-five finishes in the opening three races.

Ten different drivers have won the last 10 Phoenix races, an indication of how competitive this track has proven to be.

Of note, former Phoenix winner (2017) Hendrick Motorsports’ William Byron will drive the JR Motorsports No. 88 Chevrolet Saturday, while NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series regular Chandler Smith will drive the No. 5 Ford. Additionally, Ryan Sieg is slated to make his 400th consecutive series start, joining Jeremy Clements as the only two series drivers to reach that impressive milestone.

Practice followed by Kennametal Pole Qualifying begins Friday at 7 p.m. ET (The CW App). NASCAR Cup Series regular and Arizona native Alex Bowman claimed pole position for this race last year, while Aric Almirola drove the No. 19 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota to the win.

Posted on March 5, 2026March 7, 2026 by Staff Report

Alex Bowman, who exited Sunday’s NASCAR Cup Series race because of illness, will not compete in this weekend’s event at Phoenix Raceway.

Bowman’s Hendrick Motorsports team said in a statement Thursday that Bowman was diagnosed with vertigo this week. He began experiencing symptoms during Sunday’s race at Circuit of The Americas before exiting his No. 48 Chevrolet early. A native of Tucson, Arizona, Bowman underwent two days of medical evaluation this week and drove laps Thursday in a street car at the Ten Tenths Motor Club road course in Concord, North Carolina, Hendrick Motorsports said.

MORE: COTA results | Cup standings

Anthony Alfredo will drive the No. 48 entry in place of Bowman at Phoenix Raceway on Sunday (3:30 p.m. ET, FS1, HBO Max, MRN Radio, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).

“Alex has worked very hard over the last several days,” Jeff Andrews, president of Hendrick Motorsports, said in a statement. “We’re encouraged by the progress he’s making, but we have to prioritize his health above all else. It’s obviously frustrating for him because he’s a competitor and wants to be in the race car, especially at his home track. We’ll continue to support Alex and look forward to his return as soon as he’s medically cleared.”

Bowman indicated earlier in Sunday’s DuraMax Texas Grand Prix Presented by RelaDyne that he was ailing, telling his No. 48 Chevrolet crew during the Stage 2 break: “I’ve got an issue in here that we’re not going to fix, but I’m going to need some help post-race probably.” The 32-year-old drove to the garage in the 71st of 95 laps, and he was replaced by relief driver Myatt Snider — a FOX Sports production assistant who has most recently competed on a part-time basis in the O’Reilly Auto Parts Series.

Snider drove the rest of the way, and Bowman was credited with a 36th-place finish, six laps off the pace. The event marked the 31-year-old Snider’s first competition experience in a Cup Series event.

Bowman, in his ninth season with the Rick Hendrick-owned team, sits 36th in the Cup Series standings after three consecutive finishes outside the top 20 to open the 2026 season.

Alfredo, 26, serves as a simulator driver for Hendrick Motorsports, testing setups in simulation to help each of Hendrick’s teams create setups for their on-track racers. Alfredo has made 210 starts across NASCAR’s three national series, including 43 starts in the Cup Series.

“First and foremost, I hate it for Alex,” Alfredo said in a release. “No race car driver wants to be in the position where they have to give up their seat for a weekend to someone else. His health is definitely the most important thing, and I hope he gets back to the track soon. I’m fortunate to have the opportunity to work with Blake (Harris, crew chief) and the No. 48 team for this race. It’s a group I’m already familiar with due to my relationship with Hendrick Motorsports and Chevrolet. The goal is to have a solid weekend at Phoenix and help get the team some good notes for future races.”

In a statement, Hendrick Motorsports said the team will request a medical waiver to allow Bowman to remain eligible for the 2026 NASCAR Cup Series championship.

Posted on March 5, 2026March 5, 2026 by Staff Report

‘Full Speed: The Daytona 500’ | Now streaming on Prime Video

A feature-length documentary capturing the chaos, pressure and legacy of the “Great American Race”

After two seasons focused on the NASCAR Cup Series championship fight, “Full Speed” turns its 2026 attention to a single event – the Daytona 500.

“Full Speed: The Daytona 500” premieres Thursday exclusively on Prime Video, following the 2026 running of the sport’s crown jewel, from the buildup of Speedweeks through the chaotic final lap that decided it.

The Daytona 500 is the perfect microcosm of NASCAR to explore – the “Great American Race” rarely unfolds the way anyone expects, but always results in a career-defining day for a driver. Races that seem calm often unravel in an instant. Alliances form and disappear. Track position can vanish in seconds, before a winner emerges through the smoke, ready to soak in the champagne.

That was, of course, the case again this year.

When the race reached its closing moments, Tyler Reddick found himself in position for eternal glory, leading only the final lap to secure his first Daytona 500 victory and delivering the first Harley J. Earl Trophy for 23XI Racing and team co-owner and NBA legend Michael Jordan.

Watch the official trailer above and check back for additional clips and coverage tied to the film’s release.

MORE: 2026 Cup Series schedule | How to watch NASCAR on Prime

Inside the 2026 Daytona 500

For drivers, the Daytona 500 carries a different weight. It opens the season, but it can also define one.

The film follows the grind of Speedweeks for four drivers in particular – from qualifying to drafting arrangements and long debriefs — and then shifts to race day, when patience gives way to urgency. Superspeedway racing leaves little room for error, where a missed push or a late block can change everything, and always does.

The documentary walks through the closing stretch of the race, the wrecks that reshaped the field and the decisions that determined who left with the Harley J. Earl Trophy. And a place in the history books.

RELATED: 2026 Daytona 500 recap

Featured drivers

The film centers on four drivers entering the Daytona 500 from very different points in their careers:

Kyle Busch
A veteran still chasing the moments that matter most, Busch arrived at Daytona yearning for arguably the only remaining prize missing from his resume. A two-time Cup Series champion and NASCAR’s most prolific victor across its three national series, he’s won almost everywhere – but the 500 stands apart. Entering the season looking to steady momentum after a handful of off years, he approached the race knowing how quickly control can vanish in the draft and how rare these opportunities become over time. And how few of them he has left.

Connor Zilisch
For Zilisch, the 500 was less about legacy and more about proving he belongs in the room – mostly to himself. Early in his NASCAR path but with a ceiling higher than arguably any prospect in history, he’s still building experience, and the film captures what the 19-year-old talent is processing as he takes on his first start in NASCAR’s biggest race. Daytona doesn’t ease anyone in, phenom or not.

Brad Keselowski
As both co-owner and driver, Keselowski carries pressure from two directions. The film includes moments from his recovery work leading into the season after an injury during a ski trip – rehab sessions, training, the physical side of racing that often goes unseen – layered against the reality that Daytona remains one of the few races he still wants badly. Balancing leadership inside the organization with putting himself in position late adds another layer to it all, and it’s a fascinating look at aspects we don’t often get to see, from a unique driver/owner perspective.

Noah Gragson
Gragson’s portion of the film leans more directly into the personal side. He speaks about his incarcerated father and the complicated weight that history carries with him, particularly during big moments. Then it shifts back to the routine of race week with meetings, debriefs and preparation, and the mental pivot required before climbing into the car. At Daytona, once the belts are tight, there’s no room for anything else. | MORE: Gragson opens up on family, on-track issues

Where to watch

“Full Speed: The Daytona 500” premieres Thursday, exclusively on Prime Video in more than 240 countries and territories worldwide.

Prime members in the U.S. can stream the film across compatible devices via the Prime Video app.

Posted on March 5, 2026March 6, 2026 by Pat DeCola

For much of his racing career, Noah Gragson has worn a certain reputation.

He’s loud. Outgoing. Wears his emotion on the sleeve of his fire suit. The kind of driver who celebrates with fans, playfully ribs his competitors and never seems afraid to show personality in a sport that can sometimes reward restraint.

But as Gragson acknowledges in “Full Speed: The Daytona 500,” now streaming on Prime Video, that public image has often come with some, perhaps inaccurate, assumptions.

MORE: Watch ‘Full Speed’ now!

“Everyone thinks I’m a dip (expletive),” Gragson said early in the film.

The feature-length documentary, debuting Thursday on Prime Video, offers a different look at the Las Vegas native; one that pulls back from the race car and digs into the life experiences, both good and bad, that helped shape him. Gragson traces his earliest racing roots back to a moment with his father at an indoor go-kart track when he was a kid.

“I was a (expletive) head kid,” he said with a laugh. “So my dad took me into this indoor go-kart track. He was like, ‘You want to give it a shot?’ ”

The answer, of course, was yes. He’s never looked back.

From there came Bandolero cars, a boatload of early wins and a competitive spark that quickly took over. In the film, Gragson remembers finishing third in his first race and realizing just how addictive the pursuit of victory could be.

Courtesy of Prime Video

“That was kind of my first taste,” said the No. 4 Front Row Motorsports driver. “And I thought ‘this is the coolest (expletive) I’ve ever done in my entire life.’ ”

The climb through NASCAR’s ranks came quickly from there.

Winning followed him through the lower levels of the sport — he had premier rides in both the Craftsman Truck and O’Reilly Auto Parts series, pouring on a whopping eight NOAPS wins during his final full-time season there in 2022 — and expectations rose just as fast.

But the Cup Series has been a whole different beast of a challenge.

“How has your Cup career been so far?” a producer asks him in the film.

“Horrible,” Gragson answers bluntly.

After years of racing near the front and collecting trophies, the adjustment to NASCAR’s top level has been difficult. Wins haven’t come easily. Some days, simply completing the race feels like the goal.

“You’re used to winning your whole life,” said Gragson. “You go from being at the top, winning every weekend, to just trying to finish the race. And it really (expletive) sucks.”

As difficult as his past few years on track have been, they’ve been arguably more challenging off of it.

The documentary also explores the deeper chapters of Gragson’s journey, including the personal reality he has been navigating away from the race track. In 2019, his father, Scott Gragson, was involved in a fatal DUI crash and later sentenced to prison.

“My situation is different,” said Gragson, holding back tears. “Back in 2019, my dad was involved with a fatal DUI. It’s changed my life. It’s changed my family’s life. It’s changed other families’ lives.”

His father is now serving a prison sentence, and their contact is limited.

“I maybe get to talk to him once a week. You can visit on Sundays. I race every Sunday, so it makes it really tough.”

There’s no attempt to frame the situation neatly.

“You know, he’s my dad,” Gragson continued. “I love him. But I’ve still got my life that I’ve got to live. I just try to take the positive from it because it (expletive) sucks. That’s the hand that you’re dealt. You’re grateful for what you got, people you got around you. There’s more to life than bad finishes in racing.

” … There’s not many people who can put themselves in my shoes, but one thing I know, is that everybody’s going through something.”

Moments like those give “Full Speed: The Daytona 500” a deeper emotional layer than fans might expect from a racing documentary.

While Gragson navigates through his challenges, he remains a prospect with a high ceiling, and at just 27, could still have plenty of career prosperity ahead of him. Though he’s been held out of the top 10 in three races, he’s scored 65 points thus far and sits just outside the provisional Chase field.

In one scene, Gragson stands inside his trophy room, looking over the hardware from earlier stages of his career.

“I’ll come in here and look around and think hopefully you can add to the collection,” he says. “But tomorrow’s not really guaranteed.”

Despite everything — the setbacks, the scrutiny and the personal weight he carries — Gragson’s approach and laid-back nature to life haven’t changed all that much.

“Just try to have as much (expletive) fun as you can.”

Gragson’s story is only one thread in “Full Speed: The Daytona 500,” which also follows Kyle Busch, Connor Zilisch and Brad Keselowski as they prepare for NASCAR’s biggest race, all battling unique circumstances.

Fans can see more of Gragson — and the other drivers navigating the pressure and chaos of the Daytona 500 – with “Full Speed: The Daytona 500,” now streaming on Prime Video.

Posted on March 5, 2026 by Press Release

SALISBURY, N.C. — Niece Motorsports is proud to welcome renowned short-track talent Connor Hall to its NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series (NCTS) driver lineup.

The 29-year-old Hampton, Virginia native will drive the No. 4 Chevrolet Silverado RST for a select schedule beginning at Rockingham Speedway on April 3. He has made one prior start in the series, finishing 10th in his debut at Richmond Raceway in 2024.

Hall joined Niece Motorsports over the offseason to oversee the team’s newly formed Late Model Stock Car (LMSC) program, which will be primarily used as a means for driver development. He will also assume the role of crew chief in a handful of LMSC races throughout the year, leading the program in its infancy.

Comprehensive Logistics (CLI) will serve as Hall’s primary sponsor in his first start at Rockingham. For over 30 years, the company has been a leader in integrated inbound-to-manufacturing (I2M) logistics.

As a multi-time winner in the zMAX CARS Tour Late Model Stock Series, Hall has developed a reputation as one of the fiercest competitors in the short-track scene. He has gained recognition from car owners, media and fans for his hardworking spirit.

“I’m super thankful to be a part of Niece Motorsports and can’t wait to get on track with them in the Truck Series race at Rockingham,” said Hall. “It’s been a fun challenge getting their Late Model Stock program up and running, and I am looking forward to working with the team in a different capacity than what I’m used to. We had a fast truck at the test back in January, and I’m looking forward to running it in the race. Huge thanks to Comprehensive Logistics, J.F. Electric, DQS Solutions & Staffing, Precision Vehicle Logistics, Cody Efaw, and everyone at Niece Motorsports for this opportunity.”

Hall comes to the organization from fellow Chevrolet-affiliated team JR Motorsports, where he finished runner-up in last year’s CARS Tour championship points standings – just behind his new teammate, Landen Lewis.

Connor Hall celebrates winning the 2025 Virginia Triple Crown. (Photo: Ted Malinowski/NASCAR)

In 2025, Hall won the prestigious Virginia Triple Crown title, a LMSC tour spanning three marquee races with outstanding car counts. He has claimed two of the three races throughout his career – the Hampton Heat 200 at Larry King Law’s Langley Speedway and the Thunder Road 200 at South Boston Speedway.

Before that, Hall gained notoriety by winning back-to-back national championships in the NASCAR Local Racing Series Powered by O’Reilly Auto Parts from 2023-2024. During the two-year span, he won 39 weekly races in the southeast region – the most of anyone in the country.

Cody Efaw, Niece Motorsports CEO, has kept a keen eye on Hall’s Saturday night prowess over the last few years.

“Connor Hall is one of those drivers who can really shine for our program,” said Efaw. “He has a ton of talent on the short tracks, and I think that will translate well into the Truck Series. We knew he would be a good fit for our organization and I’m confident that he is the perfect leader for our Late Model team. Rockingham is a great track for Connor to run his first race with us. We took him to the test in January and he picked right up on it, so he should know what to expect on race day.”

The NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series returns to Rockingham Speedway on Friday, April 3 for the running of the Black’s Tire 200. Live coverage of the 200-lap event will air on FS1, the NASCAR Racing Network, and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.

Posted on March 5, 2026 by Neil Paine

With each passing win to begin the 2026 NASCAR Cup Series season, Tyler Reddick’s run is starting to sound more and more like a tall tale.

Much like John Henry out-hammering the steam engine or Paul Bunyan carving out the Great Lakes, Reddick has authored his own mythological feats so far this year: Back-to-back victories on drafting tracks –Daytona and Atlanta – to open up the schedule, then 20 closing laps at Circuit of The Americas spent successfully fending off arguably the greatest road-course racer in Cup history, Shane van Gisbergen, to become the first driver ever to sweep the first three races of a season.

If Reddick’s legend grows any more, he might have to trade his fire suit for a flannel shirt and paint a big blue ox on the side of his No. 45 Toyota.

But even folk heroes have their limits, and Reddick will be testing his this weekend at Phoenix Raceway. Not only is he fighting against history – only eight drivers in NASCAR’s modern era (since 1972) have ever won four straight races, period, much less to begin a season – but Reddick will also be fighting against a track that has been a bit of a nemesis for him at times over the years.

It was on this very Arizona asphalt, for instance, that Reddick’s lone trip to the Championship 4 came in 2024. He arrived in Phoenix having won his way into the final round two weeks earlier at Homestead-Miami Speedway, thanks to a daring last-lap pass of both Denny Hamlin and Ryan Blaney. Despite a brake issue at Martinsville in the penultimate race of the season, Reddick went into the finale with the best statistical record on ovals of any Champ 4 driver that year, tying Joey Logano for the most wins (two) on that track type and easily leading Blaney, Logano and William Byron in every other key category – including average finish, Adjusted Points+ index and Driver Rating:

If this were a standard oval like Kansas or Las Vegas, Reddick would have been in excellent shape to win his first career Cup Series title.

Unfortunately for Reddick, though, Phoenix isn’t your ordinary track. At exactly 1 mile long, it is neither a classic short track nor is it a typical oval – especially with its flat banking, asymmetrical layout and pronounced dogleg down the frontstretch. In truth, it doesn’t really resemble much else on the Cup schedule, save for maybe Gateway and Loudon (two other longer, flatter tracks).

Because of all this, it has been difficult for Reddick to apply his usual oval-racing skills to Phoenix. In that 2024 championship race, he ended up leading zero laps, and he had the fastest lap in the field just 2.2% of the time, his third-smallest share at any oval that season. While he spent every lap running in the top 15, Reddick was ultimately not much of a threat to win the title, finishing a distant fourth among Champ 4 drivers in the season finale.

That disappointment has been a recurring theme in the desert. Among all ovals Reddick has raced at in the Cup Series, Phoenix ranks ninth-worst by average Driver Rating, fourth-worst by average Adjusted Points+ index and tied for third-worst – ahead of only Michigan and Fontana – by average finish:

Even at Michigan – a much longer, faster and more horsepower-driven track compared to Phoenix – Reddick has a win, scored in August 2024, though that was his only top 10 ever at the venue. In 12 starts at Phoenix, Reddick has a pair of third-place finishes – none more recent than three years ago, early in his 23XI Racing tenure – and a pair of top 10s (10th in the spring, sixth in the fall) in 2024. The rest of his starts here have seen him place 19th or worse, including 20th in the spring a year ago and 26th in the 2025 season finale.

Given that track record, it’s not going to be easy for Reddick to extend his historic season-opening win streak to four in a row this weekend. But if he does, he would become the first driver to win four straight at any point on the schedule since Jimmie Johnson in his 2007 championship season, in addition to joining Christopher Bell last year (plus David Pearson and Mark Martin) as the fourth modern-era driver to win consecutive races at three different track types – in this case, a superspeedway, a road course and an oval. Heck, he would also be able to say he gave Michael Jordan the first “four-peat” of his sporting career.

And why not? In a season that has already defied belief several times over, the next epic trial waits in the Arizona desert. And if Reddick can finally conquer Phoenix, his story only grows taller.

Posted on March 4, 2026March 5, 2026 by Nathan Solomon

RFK Racing co-owner and driver Brad Keselowski is in the early stages of what could wind up being his toughest NASCAR Cup Series season yet. But it hasn’t been for a lack of on-track performance.

Keselowski continues to deal with the lingering effects of a broken femur, suffered in a freak accident during a December ski trip with his family. He’s spent hours rehabbing the injury daily, but despite a cane in hand and a noticeable limp, the 41-year-old has turned every lap over the first three points-paying races of the 2026 campaign. His status for last week’s road-course race at Circuit of The Americas was admittedly in jeopardy, but the 2012 titleholder elected to tough it out rather than turn his No. 6 Ford over to stand-by driver Joey Hand. The Michigander finished 20th, salvaging 17 points out of the series’ annual trip to Austin, Texas.

In his fifth year owning the Jack Roush-formed company, Keselowski led by example. Ryan Preece certainly noticed.

“I’ve lived it,” said the driver of RFK’s No. 60 Ford, competing in his second season with the organization.

Preece has battled plenty of adversity throughout his Cup career, both on and off the track. He raced in an unchartered No. 37 Chevrolet for JTG-Daugherty Racing Chevrolet for the entire 2021 season, needing to qualify on speed for each of the 36 races on the schedule. A year later, Preece went without a full-time ride in any of NASCAR’s three national series, acknowledging after his win in this February’s Cook Out Clash that, at times, he was close to moving back to Connecticut and giving up on his dream.

The now 35-year-old landed with Stewart-Haas Racing for two seasons before the organization shut its doors. In 2023, his first season driving the team’s No. 41 Ford, Preece went for a terrifying ride during the summer race at Daytona, barrel rolling over a dozen times down the backstretch before finally landing on all fours. He exited under his own power and was transported to a local hospital for further evaluation.

Preece went home the next day. A week later, with bloodied eyes nearly swollen shut, he returned to his car at Darlington Raceway.

Alejandro Alvarez | NASCAR Digital Media

“I can appreciate it because the things that I’m going to put myself through to race, so is Brad,” Precce said during a Wednesday media teleconference. “I’ve learned pretty quickly that he and I are very similar in the aspects of what we’re going to put ourselves through to compete and show others that we will do whatever it takes to race, to competitively attempt to win and put our teams in position.

“I know there was a lot of conversation last week at COTA around, man, is Brad going to race? But as a race car driver, what I see him doing every day, and then as a race car driver, like, you weren’t taking him out of that race car because you wouldn’t take me out of that race car. So I think, you know, as a racer and the family that he came from and the family that I come from, we’re taught at a very young age – that’s what makes us different. We’re willing to do whatever it takes to compete.”

To a different degree, Preece battled his own adversity last Sunday. He was among a group of drivers, including AJ Allmendinger, who suffered cool suit failures over 95 laps in the scorching Texas heat. Preece finished 18th, marking his best finish at the 17-turn road course in his last four trips.

“I was plenty beat up or feeling it a bit, but I was plenty fine to drive that race car to its ability,” Preece explained, reflecting on the weekend. “Those are the races that define you and your race team. Yeah, 18th was the end result, but between yesterday and today, I’ve been thinking about, been going back and watching some on-car (cameras) from other cars around us, and probably some things that I could’ve done better to get us to a 16th or 15th, maybe. But that’s the name of the game. You’re going to have days where you wish you would’ve done things a little different or reacted to situations a little different, but the deal is you got to move forward to the next week.

“The clock resets at midnight, and you move on. That’s what our focus is: moving onto Phoenix.”

Through three races, all three RFK teams sit inside the top 16 of points, headlined by Chris Buescher in 11th. Keselowski is 12th after nearly pulling off a Daytona 500 victory, with Preece in 16th. Spire Motorsports is the only other organization with all of its cars inside the provisional cutoff for The Chase.

Posted on March 4, 2026 by Staff Report

The NASCAR Cup Series and O’Reilly Auto Parts Series head to the desert for the first time this season, contesting races at the 1-mile Phoenix Raceway. Below are the qualifying orders for both series:

MORE: Weekend schedule | How to watch NASCAR on TV

Cup Series
Single-car qualifying will take place at 1:10 p.m. ET on Saturday, with practice earlier in the day at noon ET (Prime Video).

POSITION	NUMBER	DRIVER	METRIC	GROUP
1	48	Alex Bowman	36.0	1
2	43	Erik Jones	34.3	1
3	19	Chase Briscoe	34.0	1
4	2	Austin Cindric	31.7	1
5	51	Cody Ware	30.9	1
6	1	Ross Chastain	30.5	1
7	33	* Austin Hill(i)	30.3	1
8	41	Cole Custer	29.0	1
9	47	Ricky Stenhouse Jr.	27.4	1
10	38	Zane Smith	27.3	1
11	21	Josh Berry	26.6	1
12	77	Carson Hocevar	24.7	1
13	34	Todd Gilliland	23.7	1
14	35	Riley Herbst	23.6	1
15	3	Austin Dillon	23.5	1
16	4	Noah Gragson	20.8	1
17	17	Chris Buescher	20.1	1
18	7	Daniel Suarez	19.6	1
19	88	Connor Zilisch #	19.4	1
20	42	John Hunter Nemechek	18.2	2
21	6	Brad Keselowski	17.6	2
22	60	Ryan Preece	17.4	2
23	10	Ty Dillon	16.9	2
24	8	Kyle Busch	15.0	2
25	11	Denny Hamlin	13.9	2
26	24	William Byron	13.0	2
27	22	Joey Logano	12.3	2
28	20	Christopher Bell	9.3	2
29	5	Kyle Larson	8.7	2
30	16	AJ Allmendinger	8.7	2
31	23	Bubba Wallace	8.3	2
32	54	Ty Gibbs	7.9	2
33	12	Ryan Blaney	6.8	2
34	71	Michael McDowell	6.2	2
35	9	Chase Elliott	5.8	2
36	97	Shane van Gisbergen	2.9	2
37	45	Tyler Reddick	1.0	2

O’Reilly Auto Parts Series
Single-car qualifying will take place at 8:05 p.m. ET on Friday, with practice earlier in the day at 7 p.m. ET (The CW App).

POSITION	NUMBER	DRIVER	METRIC	GROUP
1	92	Josh Williams	41.0	1
2	52	Daniel Dye	40.7	1
3	35	Blake Lothian	39.5	1
4	74	Dawson Cram	38.6	1
5	5	Chandler Smith(i)	38.3	1
6	30	Austin J. Hill	36.4	1
7	55	Joey Gase	35.9	1
8	07	Josh Bilicki	33.3	1
9	51	Jeremy Clements	33.2	1
10	87	Austin Green	32.1	1
11	24	Harrison Burton	32.0	1
12	02	Ryan Ellis	30.4	1
13	42	Nathan Byrd	27.4	1
14	26	Dean Thompson	26.9	1
15	96	Anthony Alfredo	26.3	1
16	28	Kyle Sieg	26.1	1
17	25	Nick Sanchez	23.8	1
18	99	Parker Retzlaff	23.7	1
19	88	William Byron(i)	23.5	1
20	45	Lavar Scott #	22.9	1
21	91	Mason Maggio	21.7	2
22	48	Patrick Staropoli#	19.1	2
23	27	Jeb Burton	18.6	2
24	1	Carson Kvapil	17.7	2
25	31	Blaine Perkins	17.6	2
26	39	Ryan Sieg	16.6	2
27	0	Garrett Smithley	16.0	2
28	20	Brandon Jones	14.1	2
29	41	Sam Mayer	13.1	2
30	54	Taylor Gray	12.6	2
31	19	Brent Crews	11.4	2
32	44	Brennan Poole	10.9	2
33	18	William Sawalich	9.4	2
34	00	Sheldon Creed	8.9	2
35	32	Rajah Caruth	7.8	2
36	7	Justin Allgaier	6.5	2
37	17	Corey Day	5.9	2
38	8	Sammy Smith	4.2	2
39	2	Jesse Love	3.4	2
40	21	Austin Hill	1.7	2

* Required to qualify on time
# denotes series rookie
(i) denotes ineligible for driver points

Posted on March 4, 2026 by Dustin Albino

Rajah Caruth thought he was ready to make the leap to the NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series on a full-time basis last year. Though it’s one-year delayed, no time has ever been better.

Caruth will compete in 23 races for JR Motorsports and complete the remainder of the full 33-race season with Jordan Anderson Racing’s No. 32 Chevrolet entry. After the opening three contests with JRM, he slots in sixth in the regular-season standings, with a pair of top-10 finishes in the first two races.

“From my aspect, I’m going to get the most out of the car, whichever one I’m driving,” Caruth told NASCAR.com on running for multiple organizations while chasing a driver’s championship. “[With JRM], we expect to win and run up front. There is no reason why I can’t go and be competitive in the 32 car as well.

“I’m going to be working, putting my all in. There is no doubt in my mind that whatever car I’m in, I’m going to get the most out of it.”

Caruth’s first taste of making the in-season swap will come Saturday at Phoenix Raceway (7:30 p.m. ET, The CW, MRN Radio, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio). He will pilot the No. 32 for the next three races – Phoenix, Las Vegas Motor Speedway and Darlington Raceway – before returning to JRM at Martinsville Speedway to conclude March. When Caruth isn’t piloting the No. 88 JRM Chevrolet, all four of Hendrick Motorsports’ Cup Series drivers will make appearances in the machine, with William Byron being the first this upcoming weekend. Kyle Larson will wheel the car for the first time at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, with Alex Bowman having his turn the following week at Darlington Raceway. Chase Elliott’s first 2026 O’Reilly start won’t come until NASCAR’s return to Chicagoland Speedway in early July.

Logistically, Caruth will always travel to the track with JR Motorsports. While preparing, the 23-year-old will bounce between the two organizations to attend pre- and post-race debriefs.

Caruth will also have five full-time teammates, spread across the two organizations. He has leaned on series veteran Justin Allgaier the most thus far, but knows it ultimately boils down to what he does on and off the track.

“In years past, I would probably be looking at a lot of my veteran teammates for a lot of advice,” Caruth said, “but I would say I’m a little less on that train and more on attacking the opportunity and trusting the foundation that I built with the team and doing those things versus asking too many questions.

“I’m still always a sponge, but I’m not going to ask somebody how to do some things. I’ve got my own experience to a certain extent. I can still listen and learn, but I’m not a puppy dog looking for the road map. I’ve got some good foundations now.”

Over the past few years, Caruth believes he has been elevated the most by the Wise Optimization program, spearheaded by former NASCAR competitors Josh Wise and Scott Speed. He went to work after losing confidence amid an inconsistent 2025 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series season, which saw similar statistics to the previous season, despite a glaring three-spot drop in average finishing position.

Caruth is poised for a rebound in 2026, having regained confidence over the winter.

“Just trusting in myself and the work that I’ve put in,” Caruth said. “Showing up and spending time with the team, working hard in the simulator, that’s how I gain it back. Not comparing myself to other people because I guarantee you if anybody else was in the same situation as myself or had the same cards they were dealt last year or years before in their career, they wouldn’t have gotten to where I’m at — respectfully.”

Sean Gardner | Getty Images

Since being paired with Mardy Lindley, crew chief of the No. 88 car, he has seen rapid growth in Caruth. The duo has spent ample time in the Chevrolet simulator, basing it on Connor Zilisch’s 2025 data, specifically at road courses.

“He is committed to what he does,” Lindley said of his early impressions of Caruth. “He tries hard and is dedicated to getting better. Once we get into all these normal race tracks, I’ll be curious to see how it plays out.”

When the duo first started working together, one of the first things Lindley told Caruth was to forget what the No. 88 team, which is made up of the same core members as last year, did in 2025. The No. 88 team won 11 races last season, with 10 of them coming from the phenom Zilisch. Approaching the new campaign with that mindset allowed Caruth to compete freely.

MORE: O’Reilly Auto Parts Series standings | O’Reilly Auto Parts Series schedule

“I felt like he could be under tremendous pressure, and I don’t want him to feel like that,” Lindley said. “This is his car; Mr. H (Rick Hendrick, owner) has put him in it for the races. We’re going to do the best we can with him. I just wanted him to feel comfortable and not feel overwhelmed, especially with Cup drivers driving it.”

Caruth will run the final 13 races of the 2026 season with JR Motorsports, including the full nine-race Chase. Admittedly, Caruth hasn’t set expectations for 2026, but believes he should be in the mix during the postseason.

“There’s no reason why I can’t go and compete for the championship,” Caruth said. “I’m confident in myself and the team. There is no reason why that can’t be us.”