NASCAR warned teams about spraying pit stalls at Las Vegas Motor Speedway because a traction substance resulted in a discoloration of the concrete.
During the latest episode of the “Hauler Talk” podcast, Mike Forde, vice president of racing communications, said teams are allowed to use clear substances to help improve traction in the pits for cars and pit crews. But at Las Vegas, a white substance appeared in some stalls and could have impacted officiating to determine whether a car is positioned correctly in its box.
“If it’s a white substance that extends past the lines or especially that outward line, that is going to affect our equipment,” Forde said. “So you don’t want to interfere with the technology that we use to call penalties.”
Amanda Ellis, senior director of racing communications, noted that NASCAR Cup Series teams have been requesting approval to clean off compounds in their pit stalls before races dating to last year because of discoloration.
There’s a lengthy history of substances being used in the pits by teams, including pouring carbonated beverages in pit stalls for better traction.
Forde said NASCAR was exploring if the nearly 100-degree temperature in Las Vegas affected the substances in the pit stalls this weekend.
“We don’t have a list of chemicals or products that you’re allowed to use, but this one was something that has been used before, and why it turned the color it did is still being looked at,” Forde said.
Other topics covered during the 72nd episode of “Hauler Talk,” which explores competition issues in NASCAR:
— The disqualification of Brandon Jones’ No. 20 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota for missing lug nuts after a crash in the NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series race.
— What happened to the restart order when Hamlin’s car lost fuel pressure while lining up.
— NASCAR’s return to the Charlotte Motor Speedway oval in the Chase presented by Mobil 1.
Click on the embed below to listen or search for “Hauler Talk” wherever you download podcasts to hear it on your phone, tablet or mobile device.
Nate Ryan has written about NASCAR since 1996 while working at the San Bernardino Sun, Richmond Times-Dispatch, USA Today Co. and for the past 10 years at NBC Sports Digital. He is a contributor to the “Hauler Talk” show on the NASCAR Podcast Network. He has also covered various other motorsports, including the IndyCar and IMSA series.
The NASCAR Cup Series fall race at Charlotte Motor Speedway returns to the 1.5-mile oval for the first time since 2017.
Along with the pivot from the road-course/oval combination of the Roval comes a familiar, proven tire compound from Goodyear Racing on the intermediate oval.
Sunday’s Bank of America 400 (3 p.m. ET, USA Network, HBO Max, PRN Radio, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio) will feature the same Goodyear Racing Eagle rubber that has been used in each of the last two races, at Kansas Speedway and Las Vegas Motor Speedway, respectively, as the Cup Series charges into the second half of The Chase presented by Mobil 1. This tire setup was also featured in the Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte in May.
“After two weeks of running these tires at similar intermediate tracks, Cup Series teams come to Charlotte on a very familiar Goodyear Racing Eagle package,” Rick Heinrich, Goodyear NASCAR product manager, said in a release. “We now enter the final stretch of the season, with all three national series racing every weekend. With everything on the line in the run up to the Championship Weekend, our job is to give teams tire setups that deliver the performance and reliability they need while contributing to exciting racing.”
The NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series and the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series also return to action this weekend, with trucks slated for a Friday feature (5 p.m. ET, FOX, FOX One, NASCAR Racing Network Radio, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio) and O’Reilly cars hitting the track Saturday (4 p.m. ET, The CW, ESPN Unlimited, PRN Radio, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio). Both series will utilize the same tire setups used in their Memorial Day Weekend events as well.
Tire allotments for each team competing this weekend:
Cup Series: 11 total sets — 8 new sets for the race, 1 for qualifying, which transfers to the race and 2 for practice.
O’Reilly Auto Parts Series: 6 total sets — 4 new sets for the race, 1 for qualifying, which transfers to the race and 1 for practice.
Craftsman Truck Series: 5 total sets — 3 new sets for the race, 1 for qualifying, which transfers to the race and 1 for practice.
CONOVER, N.C. — Paityn Mary Jane can identify the exact moment she decided she wanted to become a race-car driver.
The date was Feb. 17, 2019. The location was Daytona International Speedway, where she was attending the Daytona 500 for the first time.
By the time the day was over, Mary Jane’s life and future had been changed.
“My dad always loved NASCAR. He grew up watching it,” she explained. “We went to the Daytona 500 in Florida in 2019, and I fell in love with it. I loved it … There were cars crashing (and) on fire, the adrenaline rush I got from watching the race, I was all about it.
“I came to my parents and I was like, ‘I want to be a NASCAR driver.’”
Fast-forward to 2026, and the 18-year-old from Johnstown, Colorado is well on her way to achieving her goal.
After spending several seasons racing karts and later Legend cars, Mary Jane made the jump to late models this season with MKM Racing Development. Competing at Hickory Motor Speedway in the limited late model class, she made history by becoming the first female competitor to win a track championship at the historic 0.363-mile asphalt oval.
“Honestly, it felt super surreal and a little bit unreal when I won it,” Mary Jane said. “It felt amazing, I feel like is the best way to put it. It’s such a big thing, and I still think I’m learning how to understand how big of a thing it is.
“It just shows anything is possible when you put the work into it, and it shows that females can do it, too. It’s an honor to be the first female to win the championship at Hickory.”
Mary Jane didn’t stop there. She also captured the championship in Hickory’s Paramount Kia Big 10 Limited Late Model Series, a 10-race miniseries featuring the 50-lap limited late model events on the track’s schedule.
Mary Jane also collected two additional accolades from NASCAR by earning the NASCAR Local Racing Series Powered by O’Reilly Auto Parts Southeast Division I Rookie of the Year Award as well as the North Carolina State Rookie of the Year Award.
Paityn Mary Jane (88) competed primarily at Hickory Motor Speedway this year, and she won the track’s limited late model championship. (Photo: Garnder Street Photography/Hickory Motor Speedway)
She did all that while also competing in the Toyota GR Cup Series, where she gained experience on road courses.
“When I first started karting, I never would have thought this would be my reality. I’m so blessed and so grateful that it can be my reality and that it is,” said Mary Jane, who drove a late model for the first time a few weeks before the Hickory Motor Speedway season opener in March. “It’s definitely a shock, every change, even getting into late models. Once we finished the Hickory (season), every single time it’s a shock of where I’m at and that this is my reality. I’m so grateful to be able to pursue what I love and actually chase after those dreams and make them my reality.”
The success Mary Jane enjoyed in her first full season of late model racing reflects the detail of her craft.
She’s made racing her life, so much so that, with the support of her family, she moved to North Carolina from Colorado by herself at 16.
“I moved across the country to chase these dreams,” Mary Jane said. “It was a hard change to move (away) from my family and my friends and what I would say was my regular and kind of starting over somewhere new.”
A major key to her success this season is MKM Racing Development and team owner Michael Klein, who has more than 20 years of experience at the top levels of NASCAR.
A former jackman in the NASCAR Cup Series who was part of Martin Truex Jr.’s NASCAR Cup Series championship team in 2017, Klein has put extra emphasis on making sure Mary Jane has all the tools she needs to be successful long term.
“I was under a driver development program, and they put me with all the teams,” Mary Jane said. “They connected me with Michael, and I’m so grateful for that. Working with Michael is great. He’s very patient, and he takes a really good approach to everything.
“He’ll teach me lessons on track and outside of the track. He teaches me how I should represent myself and everything like that. They are very hands on, too. I like to learn about the car, so they’ll spend the time in the shop with me working on how I can learn about the car. They’ll talk me through the changes and everything.
“They take the time to not just make sure I have a fast race car and teach me how to be faster on track. They’ll teach me about the race car, which I really appreciate.”
Klein’s goal isn’t to rush Mary Jane into the ARCA Menards Series or NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series. Instead, the goal is for a slow, methodical approach that will allow her to gain ample seat time and teach her the fundamentals she’ll need when the right time for the next step arrives.
“The development plan for her is to be able to understand cars and have all the experience to have been there and seen it, so when she gets to those top levels, she can immediately perform so she’s not out there spending multiple years just trying to get her feet under her,” Klein said. “If she keeps with the same work ethic the way she is doing and keeps learning and gaining experience and putting the time in, she’s going to be just fine.”
Michael Klein (left) has been a driving force in Paityn Mary Jane’s development this season. (Photo: Gardner Street Photography/Hickory Motor Speedway)
When Mary Jane joined MKM Racing Development this year, the team laid out a four-year plan. With Year 1 now effectively behind them, Klein said Year 2 will look similar … but also very different.
The tentative plan in 2027 is for Mary Jane to compete in at least 50 late model stock and limited late model races across the Southeast at a variety of tracks, where she’ll be forced to adapt and adjust her driving style. Such a skill is pivotal.
“We still need to learn a lot of race craft and get some of that race-craft experience,” Klein said. “When I say race craft, I’m talking about seeing multiple different tracks, getting in a lot of different super tight positions. Primarily the car count at Hickory is 12 to 15 cars usually in a race, so we’re going to get her to some of the bigger tracks with some of the bigger events and stiffen up some of the competition, as well.
“I think the eyesight of seeing a lot of different things and running not only limited late models, but late model stocks, and we’re going to get some CARS Tour races in there, but being able to do that with multiple different vehicles racing around a lot of different talented people at different tracks is going to gain her a lot of experience to be able to learn that race craft.”
Mary Jane and Klein consider the 2026 season a success, but also just one step. Next season, Mary Jane wants to continue learning and proving she belongs.
“We don’t want to get her ready to be in an ARCA car to go out and run 10th,” Klein said. “We want to do all the development and the training down here and have been there, seen it and know it.
“We want her to be able to know exactly what each adjustment is going to feel like to where she can start asking for adjustments, as well. What that is going to translate to, when she goes to ARCA or Trucks, is she’ll be able to contend for podiums right out of the gate in her first couple races.”
For now, Mary Jane will soak in the fact that, in her first season racing late models, she made history at one of NASCAR’s oldest sanctioned tracks.
She’ll enjoy knowing her name will forever be linked to legendary drivers like fellow Hickory Motor Speedway champions Ned Jarrett, Ralph Earnhardt, Junior Johnson, Harry Gant and Jack Ingram.
She earned her place in history, but she’s far from finished.
“I think everybody has a different path, and we all have the same end goal,” Mary Jane said. “It gives me so much confidence that I really can do this, and I can make it. It just makes me so driven to make that my reality.”
Analysis: Larson somehow made a second-place run feel like yet another flex. An extended green-flag stop for major adjustments dropped the No. 5 a lap down early at Las Vegas, yet he took the wave-around, steadily worked his way back through the field and was, naturally, right on Briscoe’s bumper with the race on the line by the final lap. Larson bounced off the Turn 4 wall trying to get there, took contact from Reddick and still crossed the line second. That makes five straight top-five finishes to open The Chase with an average finish of 2.2, the best five-race postseason start on record, and his championship lead is now a healthy 40 points. Charlotte produced a Stage 1 win and fifth-place finish in May, so good luck cooling him off. At this point, even Larson’s problem days are becoming everyone else’s headache.
Analysis: After all the pre-race hype, Las Vegas finally found a way to make Hamlin look mortal on a 1.5-mile track. He led from the pole early and spun by himself from fourth late in Stage 1, but rallied toward the front before encountering a fuel-pressure issue that sent him to the rear before eventually finishing 16th. It ended a remarkable run of eight consecutive top-five finishes on intermediates, but Hamlin still finished on the lead lap for the 30th consecutive race, extending his Cup record. More importantly, one messy afternoon isn’t enough to undo the larger body of work that still has him second here and second in The Chase, 40 points behind Larson. He finished third at Charlotte in May and won Stage 2, and while the hunter lost some ground in Vegas, the hunt itself remains very much alive.
Analysis: Turns out Kansas wasn’t the one that got away so much as a warning shot. One week after leading Larson late before fading to fourth, Briscoe went to Las Vegas, swept both stages, led 175 laps and finished the job with a 75-point performance. He controlled the final 40 laps, survived late charges from Bubba Wallace and Larson and emphatically backed up what the No. 19 showed at Kansas. Even Charlotte offers more encouragement than Briscoe’s spring result suggests: he ran second, third and fourth in the three stages of the Coca-Cola 600 before a late crash left him saddled 34th. The standings still say he’s 84 points behind Larson, which feels steep. The last two races suggest Briscoe might be one of the few cars capable of doing something about it, and it’s perhaps a much, much closer race than the numbers suggest.
Analysis: The 23rd-place finish is nearly useless for describing Bell’s Vegas race because it hardly tells the story. He finished second in Stage 1, third in Stage 2 and spent much of the afternoon among the handful of cars capable of challenging his teammate Briscoe before reporting a power-steering problem. An unscheduled stop under the Stage 2 caution to address it effectively ended any hope of the finish matching the performance. So yes, he slips a spot here, but not because the No. 20 suddenly lost its speed. Bell remains third in The Chase, only 55 points behind Larson, and Charlotte was similarly strong in May when he finished second despite two pit-road penalties. Eventually, these almost-days need to become something more. The car keeps giving him the opportunity, but time is running dry.
Analysis: For the first time all year, Blaney has consecutive top-five finishes — which is shocking — but it’s notable they came during this intermediate stretch, which Team Penske has really elevated its collective game for. He started 20th at Vegas, steadily marched forward, scored points in both stages and finished fifth after again showing particularly strong long-run speed. Kansas suggested Team Penske had found something; Vegas, where all three Penske cars finished in the top 10, made the argument considerably stronger. Blaney is now fifth in The Chase, 80 points behind Larson, after spending several weeks running much better than his results suggested. Charlotte brought a P7 in May despite a bad early pit stop, and now that the results sheet is finally starting to tell the same story as the race car, a clean closeout over the next five races could result in title No. 2.
Analysis: Logano’s Vegas afternoon wasn’t spectacular, but it was useful — and Team Penske will happily take that combination on an intermediate. The three-time champ started 23rd, worked his way forward, briefly surged from eighth to fourth on one restart, scored Stage 2 points and finished 10th as all three Penske cars landed inside the top 10. The No. 22 Ford still lacked the complete short-run/long-run balance Logano would ideally love to have, but the organization’s intermediate program looks considerably healthier than it did a few weeks ago. He remains fourth in The Chase, 71 points back, despite sitting sixth here. Nobody needs reminding what happens when Logano stays within striking distance long enough.
Analysis: There he is. Reddick’s third-place finish at Las Vegas, while still frustrating, was easily his most encouraging afternoon in weeks, and naturally it still required surviving an alternator concern, an unscheduled battery change and contact with Larson coming off the final corner. The No. 45 worked all the way back into the fight anyway, briefly looked capable of stealing second and finally resembled the driver who spent much of 2026 setting the pace for everybody else. Reddick himself wasn’t especially impressed — “Whoop-de-doo,” was his assessment of gaining five points — because at 106 tallies behind Larson, podium finishes aren’t really the currency he needs anymore. Vegas was progress, but Charlotte needs to be something closer to a statement.
Analysis: Two races ago, Cindric had never finished in the top five on a 1.5-mile track. He’s now done it twice in eight days. The Kansas runner-up was followed by fourth at Las Vegas, despite a 22.7-second Stage 1 pit stop after the jackman fell over the front-tire changer, forcing Cindric to drive back through the field. He did exactly that, finished second in Stage 2 and spent the closing portion of the race firmly among the contenders. It’s also the first time in his Cup career he has posted back-to-back top-five finishes … anywhere. Charlotte went very differently in May, when an early spin and subsequent contact left him 38th, but the intermediate version of Cindric showing up now looks like an entirely different driver.
Analysis: At some point, the results have to cost him something here as Gibbs continues to slip after starting the postseason looking like a possible title contender. No. 54 had speed again at Las Vegas — he started on the front row and ran second during the opening green-flag cycle — but a pit-road speeding penalty knocked the No. 54 backward, and he never completely recovered, finishing 17th for the second consecutive week. Kansas was largely circumstance; Vegas included considerably more self-inflicted damage. None of that erases a season in which NASCAR Insights has consistently rated Gibbs among the strongest passers and defenders in the field, and Charlotte produced a sixth-place finish in May. He’ll need to capitalize on that in a hurry; The Chase is halfway over now, Gibbs is 110 points behind Larson and more experienced drivers around him are converting their speed into finishes.
Analysis: Byron officially has one of the more intriguing stories to follow in The Chase. No. 24 finished sixth at Las Vegas for his fourth consecutive top 10 since the Darlington disaster, and he remains the only driver in the field to finish inside the top 10 in every 1.5-mile race this season. That’s a particularly useful distinction with another one immediately ahead and the final race of the season, when a champion will likely be decided, being one as well. The 160-point deficit means the championship comeback remains a very different conversation from the Power Rankings comeback, but there’s enough happening here that the door feels open again. It’ll be interesting to see where this team winds up in the standings.
Analysis: Wallace’s Chase has quietly become pretty respectable again, despite the minor rankings dip. Seventh at Bristol, ninth at Kansas and now eighth at Las Vegas gives the No. 23 three consecutive top 10s, with Sunday’s result coming despite an equipment-interference penalty at the first stage break. He was legitimately in the mix, too, running second late before Larson and Reddick eventually worked past him. The problem is that “pretty respectable” only goes so far when Larson is 137 points up the road and still gaining ground. Charlotte wasn’t especially kind in May, when Wallace finished 22nd, but the team’s current version looks considerably steadier. So, the floor is back, but The Chase requires Wallace to find the ceiling now if a title is in the mix.
Analysis: Elliott is at least beginning to put something together. Eighth at Kansas followed by seventh at Las Vegas gives him consecutive top 10s for the first time in this Chase, and the No. 9 scored Stage 2 points Sunday while spending much of the middle portion of the race around the front half of the top 10. It’s hardly enough to erase a 163-point deficit, but after the way the postseason began, competent Sundays count as progress. Charlotte offers a less pleasant recent memory: Elliott spun and hit the inside wall in May, finishing 37th, and it may be a slight downgrade for him that the fall race is no longer on the Roval layout. Hendrick currently has Larson controlling the championship and Byron steadily climbing these rankings; Elliott’s next task is making sure the organization’s resurgence includes him, too.
Analysis: Another week, another result that undersells at least part of Hocevar’s race. He scored Stage 1 points at Las Vegas and was running second during the second green-flag cycle before a corded tire forced an unscheduled stop and dropped him from the fight. He eventually recovered to 12th — a considerable improvement over the Kansas wreck — but not enough to stop another small slide here. There’s a frustrating theme developing for No. 77: The speed keeps appearing, and something keeps preventing the finish from fully matching it. Charlotte was similar in May, when another tire issue interrupted his afternoon on the way to 23rd. The No. 77 remains capable of showing up near the front almost anywhere. Staying there has become the more important skill and one he’ll look to work on in 2027.
Analysis: Suárez has become weirdly, almost impressively consistent: 14th at Bristol, 14th at Kansas, 14th at Las Vegas. That’s not exactly the kind of streak that changes a championship, especially with the No. 7 now 195 points behind Larson, but it has at least stopped the bleeding after The Chase began much rougher. Now comes Charlotte, where Suárez authored one of the strangest and best evenings of his season in May. He spent 182 laps one lap down, needed two separate free passes, jumped from 14th to the lead on a two-tire call and held it through multiple weather interruptions to win the crown-jewel Coca-Cola 600. The circumstances … probably aren’t repeatable, but the reminder that this team can still produce something completely unexpected certainly is, and that’s what they’ll need.
Analysis: Better than Kansas, but the bar wasn’t especially high. Buescher spent more of Las Vegas around the edge of the top 10, scored Stage 2 points and finished 13th, a respectable enough rebound from 23rd the week before. “Respectable” is also becoming the problem, though. He’s now 196 points behind Larson with five races remaining, and the No. 17 has spent too much of the season looking capable of more than the results ultimately show. Charlotte didn’t provide much relief in May, either, when late contact and a spin helped send him to 30th.
Analysis: The hanging-around act finally took a pretty substantial hit. After three top 10s in the first four Chase races, Preece struggled throughout Las Vegas, failed to score stage points and finished 28th after reporting a possible right-front tire issue late in Stage 2. That dropped him to 200 points behind Larson and last among the 16 Chase drivers. Charlotte isn’t an obvious reset button, either; Preece finished 33rd there in May. His Chase had been considerably better than the standings suggested for several weeks, but Vegas looked much more like a reflection of the standings. With five races left, he’ll need another one of those results nobody sees coming. At least one, really.
Home, sweet home! All three NASCAR national series are slated to compete at nearby Charlotte Motor Speedway this weekend as The Chase presented by Mobil 1 continues. To celebrate, many race teams are holding fan days leading into the race weekend, which starts with the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series race on Friday, followed by the NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series race on Saturday and capped with the NASCAR Cup Series on Sunday.
See which teams are welcoming visitors for autograph sessions, live radio shows, sponsor activations and more. If you are coming to the Charlotte area, save this page for your race-weekend planning!
NOTE: Bookmark the websites below for the latest team news, highlights, interviews, features from NASCAR.com writers and more exclusive content.
RFK Racing: Blue Buffalo Day
When: Oct. 7 from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. ET Where: 4202 Roush Place, Concord, N.C., 28027 Participating: Ryan Preece (and his dog) More information:Click here.
Legacy Motor Club
When: Oct. 8 from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. ET
Where: 310 W. Aviation Dr., Statesville, N.C., 28677
Participating: Erik Jones, Jimmie Johnson, Matt Kenseth, Richard Petty (plus other appearances)
More information: Click here.
Niece Motorsports When: Oct. 8 from noon to 4 p.m. ET
Where: 3310 S. Main St., Salisbury, N.C., 28147
Participating: Ross Chastain, Ricky Stenhouse Jr., Landen Lewis, Ron Hornaday, Andrés Pérez, Tyler Reif, Parker Eatmon, Connor Jones, Connor Hall, Donovan Strauss, Ben Maier, Matt Mills
More information: Click here.
Richard Childress Racing
When: Oct. 9 from 8 a.m. ET to 3 p.m. ET Where: 236 Industrial Dr., Lexington, N.C., 27295 Participating: TBD More information:Click here.
Joe Gibbs Racing
When: Oct. 9 from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. ET
Where: 13415 Reese Blvd. W., Huntersville, N.C., 28078
Participating: Cup Series, O’Reilly Auto Parts Series and ARCA Menards Series drivers
More information: Click here.
Hendrick Motorsports
When: Oct. 9 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. ET
Where: 4400 Papa Joe Hendrick Blvd., Charlotte, N.C., 28262
Participating: Kyle Larson, William Byron, Chase Elliott, Alex Bowman, Corey Day (plus other appearances)
More information:Click here.
Spire Motorsports When: Oct. 9 from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. ET (team store opens at 8:30 a.m. ET)
Where: 351 Mazeppa Rd., Mooresville, N.C., 28115 Participating: Daniel Suárez, Carson Hocevar, Michael McDowell More information: Click here.
Team Penske: Open House
When: Oct. 9 from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. ET
Where: 200 Penske Way, Mooresville, N.C., 28115
Participating: TBD
More information: Click here.
JR Motorsports When: Oct. 9 starting at 10 a.m. ET
Where: 349 Cayuga Drive, Mooresville, N.C., 28117
Participating: Carson Kvapil, Justin Allgaier, Sammy Smith, Rajah Caruth, Jake Finch
After a week off, the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series heads to Charlotte Motor Speedway on Friday for the third race in The Chase presented by Mobil 1 (5 p.m. ET, FOX, FOX One, NASCAR Racing Network Radio, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).
The event is the 21st points-paying race of the 2026 campaign.
Front Row Motorsports’ Layne Riggs will look to bounce back after a disappointing 19th-place finish at Kansas Speedway and hunt down championship leader Kaden Honeycutt, who leads the No. 34 Ford driver by 37 points entering Charlotte.
O’Reilly Auto Parts Series regular Brent Crews will get behind the wheel of the No. 1 Tricon Garage Toyota. After a runner-up finish a couple of races ago at Bristol, Bayley Currey returns to the No. 5 Tricon Toyota.
Full-time O’Reilly Series driver Rajah Caruth is set to drive the No. 77 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet, while Regan Smith gets a second race in the No. 25 Kaulig Racing Ram after driving for the team at Bristol.
Thirty-six trucks are entered into Friday’s Queen City contest.
The NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series returns to action on Saturday to battle at the 1.5-mile Charlotte Motor Speedway (4 p.m. ET, The CW, ESPN Unlimited, PRN Radio, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).
The Blue Cross NC 300 will be the fifth of nine races that make up The Chase presented by Mobil 1, with the 300-mile showdown also serving as the 29th points-paying event overall.
Haas Factory Team driver Sheldon Creed continues to lead The Chase standings, holding a 19-point advantage over JR Motorsports’ Carson Kvapil entering the Queen City.
Carson Brown is set to make his second career O’Reilly Auto Parts Series start in the No. 32 Jordan Anderson Racing Chevrolet after finishing 15th at Iowa Speedway earlier this year in his debut. Austin Green will make his return to the O’Reilly Series for the first time since Sonoma Raceway in late June, driving the No. 87 Peterson Racing Chevrolet.
Thirty-eight cars are entered into this weekend’s Charlotte event.
The NASCAR Cup Series heads home to North Carolina for its third consecutive race on an intermediate track at Charlotte Motor Speedway on Sunday (3 p.m. ET, USA Network, HBO Max, PRN Radio, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).
The Bank of America 400 will be the sixth of 10 races in The Chase presented by Mobil 1 and the 32nd points-paying event overall in 2026. This will be the first fall race on the 1.5-mile Charlotte oval since October 2017, after using the Roval configuration from 2018 through 2025.
After Hendrick Motorsports driver Kyle Larson gutted out a runner-up finish at Las Vegas, he extended his championship lead at the halfway mark of The Chase to 40 points over Joe Gibbs Racing’s Denny Hamlin entering Charlotte.
Three non-chartered entries will compete in the Charlotte fall race — Corey Heim in the No. 67 23XI Racing Toyota, Gray Gaulding in the No. 66 Garage 66 Ford and NY Racing Team’s No. 44 Chevrolet.
Thirty-nine cars are entered into this weekend’s Chase race.
LAS VEGAS — If there’s one thing the NASCAR Cup Series garage unequivocally agreed on Sunday at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, it’s that Kyle Larson is the standard right now.
Through five races of The Chase presented by Mobil 1, Larson has yet to finish outside the top five, with a mind-melting 2.2 average finish and 54.6 points per race.
Sunday was Larson’s grittiest performance yet for the No. 5 Hendrick Motorsports team. With crew chief Cliff Daniels leading the rally, Larson charged back from a 26-second pit stop, falling off the lead lap and wading through abysmal early handling to contend for the win before finishing second.
Just when it seemed like Larson was due for his first day of postseason trouble, he, Daniels and Co. found a way back toward the top of the mountain all over again — spelling further trouble for his fellow Chase contenders behind him.
“We’vedoneitbefore,soit’snotlikeasurprise,” Larson said of his rally. “Becauseofthat,Iwasconfidentthatwecoulddigourselvesoutofitandpotentiallygetawinoutoftheday,andwealmostdidthat. Soyeah.Iwishourbalancehadbeenclosertofireoff justbecauseweleftsomanystagepointsoutthere.We’replus-40,anditcouldeasilybeplus-50.Soalittlebitofamissedopportunity,butdefinitelyagreatrebound,soyeah,happywiththefight.”
Another man satisfied with Larson’s resilience was Jeff Gordon, Hendrick Motorsports’ vice chairman, legendary four-time Cup champion and NASCAR Hall of Famer.
“Justsoproudofyouguys,man,” Gordon told Larson on pit road. “Thatwasahellofabattle.Iknowthatwasn’t funatthebeginning, but …”
“Itwasnot,” Larson said, “butitwas fun at the end.”
“That’schampionship-caliber effort right there, man,” Gordon said.
Gordon knows exactly what that looks like.
The NASCAR Hall of Famer exuded it for a decade before his own protégé, Jimmie Johnson, joined Hendrick Motorsports with crew chief Chad Knaus in 2002 and began rewriting NASCAR history. During Johnson’s unprecedented stretch of five consecutive Cup Series championships from 2006 through 2010, his best five-race start in The Chase was a 3.2 average finish in 2009. But something about how Johnson’s No. 48 team operated always stood out: even in the throes of adversity, Johnson and Knaus could overcome anything.
A prime example came during the 2008 edition of The Chase. On a day when Johnson was penalized and lapped early, Carl Edwards led 98 laps and stormed to the win at Atlanta Motor Speedway (now EchoPark Speedway), putting his elation on display in Victory Lane as he looked to chip into Johnson’s point lead. But mid-interview, Edwards learned Johnson had rallied all the way back to second place — and the dejection that crossed Edwards’ face summed up the No. 48 team’s peak.
The same sentiment was shared nearly 18 years later by Sunday’s race winner, Chase Briscoe. Briscoe swept both stages en route to the win, collecting 75 points and slicing 39 points from his deficit to Larson. He leaves Las Vegas 84 points behind the championship leader. But there in his shadow was the No. 5 car anyway — a team that has direct roots to the old No. 48 team, on which Daniels served as a race engineer from 2015 through 2018.
“Icouldseelikeaglimmeroflikeneonyellow (in the rearview mirror),andIcouldn’ttellifitwasBlaneyorLarson,” Briscoe recalled. “Ikeptthinking, ‘man,ifthat’sLarson,he’sgottobereally,reallygoodtobeabletogofromtheback,driveallthewaybacktothefield.’ Andyeah,obviouslyIsawkindofapeekofhimatlike10togo.I’mlike, ‘yep,that’sthe5.’ Andyeah,Imeanthey’reachampionship-caliberteam.Imean,theywonthechampionshiplastyear.They’ve wonthem inthepast,andthat’swhatultimatelychampionshipteamsdo.Theycanrallyfromstufflikethat.”
This time, the comeback began with a Stage 1 setback. Larson qualified sixth but quickly dropped to 14th in the first 33 laps. Daniels, in his ever-diligent, never-panic demeanor, crafted a plan for significant adjustments under green-flag conditions that ultimately led to a 26-second pit stop as the team adjusted the front ride heights and crossweight of the vehicle.
Larson admitted he didn’t think the stop or fix would take that long and worried the team had found something broken during the stop. Instead, while he did lose a lap in the process, he was able to take the wave around when the caution flag waved at Lap 45 for a crash by Zane Smith. Larson got back onto the lead lap, stayed there through another pit stop and eventually had a car capable of competing for the win.
“It took so long that, yeah, we came out behind the leaders, and I was like, ‘Damn, this is not good,’ ” Larson said. “But that caution coming out with minimal laps on our tires to do the wave really kind of saved our day.”
And in the process, Larson and Co. delivered dejection to the rest of his competitors.
Tyler Reddick, a five-time winner this season, has battled plenty of issues with his 23XI Racing team through the second half of the season. That continued Sunday at Las Vegas as the No. 45 Toyota dealt with voltage gremlins and the team had to swap out its battery during the Stage 1 break. This time, though, Reddick was able to storm back to a third-place finish — even after Larson bounced off the wall and contact between the two sent Reddick spinning coming to the checkered flag.
Christopher Bell ran the final half of the race without power steering. Crew chief Adam Stevens speculated that the power-steering cooler was cracked, allowing water into the system and boiling the power-steering fluid out of the car.
“Neverfunrunningwithoutpowersteering,” Bell said. “ButIdon’tknow,IgotintoaprettygoodrhythmwhereIcouldjustkindofrollaround,andmycarwashandlinggoodenoughthatIcouldjustrollaroundanddoOK.Justdisappointingtohaveagreatopportunityinfrontofusandnotcome awaywithit.”
Sitting third in points, Bell is still very much in contention for the championship, trailing Larson by 55 points. But a 19th-place finish at Gateway and a 23rd-place finish Sunday hinder those title hopes.
Briscoe has climbed to sixth and whittled his margin to 84 points, but he sees time running out.
Larson, meanwhile, has no intention of letting off the gas, seeking to continue his historic start to The Chase. He has gained 95 points on Hamlin through five races, transforming a 55-point deficit as the No. 7 seed into a 40-point championship lead.
