Three Up, Three Down: Drivers in focus leaving Bristol

Posted on April 13, 2026 by Zack Albert

Bristol Motor Speedway added another chapter and another first-time winner to its history books Sunday, with Ty Gibbs making a long-awaited NASCAR Cup Series breakthrough into the track’s Victory Lane. The 23-year-old driver held off a pair of Cup Series champs — runner-up Ryan Blaney and third-place Kyle Larson — to scratch the win column in his 131st career start.

Behind that lead trio, several other performances stand out — for reasons good and not-so-good. With the Food City 500 in the rearview mirror, here are three drivers with momentum on their side, plus three more in need of a rebound Sunday at Kansas Speedway (2 p.m. ET, FOX, HBO Max, MRN Radio, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).

RELATED: Race results | At-track photos: Bristol

THREE UP ⬆️

1. Todd Gilliland, No. 34 Front Row Motorsports Ford

Started: 35th

Finished: 6th

What happened: Sunday marked a remarkable comeback for Gilliland, who slotted his No. 34 Mustang in the field’s last full row in qualifying. His odds of a strong finish were further complicated by his involvement in a four-car crash on Lap 160. Gilliland continued on and said later that his car came alive once the top groove was rubbered in. The result was Gilliland’s first top-10 finish of the season.

What’s next: Gilliland enjoyed a two-spot jump up in the Cup Series standings. He enters Kansas seeking his first top-10 finish there, although his recent results in the Sunflower State have shown improvement. Gilliland was 12th in both Kansas events last season.

Jonathan Bachman | Getty Images

2. Chase Briscoe, No. 19 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota

Started: 3rd

Finished: 5th

What happened: Briscoe didn’t lead a lap Sunday — something Blaney and Larson saw to, combining to lead 474 of the 505 circuits — but his consistency near the front was measurable. Briscoe ranked third in average running position at 5.68, just behind the similarly stellar numbers posted by Larson (1.72) and Blaney (2.55). That netted out to his second top-five outcome of the year, his first since a runner-up day at EchoPark Speedway.

What’s next: Briscoe’s ragged start to the season has leveled off a bit, and Sunday’s effort bumped him up four positions to 17th in the Cup Series standings — just outside The Chase’s provisional field. Kansas bodes well for Briscoe, who has won there in NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series competition and captured one of his Cup Series-best seven pole positions last year at the 1.5-mile track.

Ethan Smith | For NASCAR Digital Media

3. Joey Logano, No. 22 Team Penske Ford

Started: 20th

Finished: 7th

What happened: Logano made steady gains from a near-midpack starting spot, jumping up to grab three stage points with an eighth-place result at the halfway point that ended Stage 2. He was lined up 11th on the next-to-last restart and picked up three more spots before another late caution forced overtime. Once there, Logano was in the middle of a three-wide sandwich for most of the two-lap dash, but fended off Carson Hocevar for one more spot to take seventh.

What’s next: The season has been an up-and-down one for Logano, but the last two races — third at Martinsville Speedway, seventh at Bristol — have provided a boost. Logano stayed put at 12th in the Cup standings heading to Kansas, where he’s a three-time winner.

Ethan Smith | For NASCAR Digital Media

THREE DOWN ⬇️

1. Christopher Bell, No. 20 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota

Started: 14th

Finished: 27th

What happened: Last fall at Bristol, Bell left with the gladiator sword reserved for race winners. He was expected to be among the contenders again Sunday, and a second-place finish in Stage 1 bolstered his case, but a speeding penalty during the intermission knocked him to 27th in the order. Things turned worse for Bell after a wall scrape and spin prompted a Lap 144 caution period. He ended up four laps off the pace at the checkered flag.

What’s next: Bell dipped two spots to ninth in the Cup Series points, but Kansas looms as a possible rebound track. The JGR star was on the podium in both races there last year, and he’s a four-time pole winner at the 1.5-mile venue.

Ethan Smith | For NASCAR Digital Media

2. William Byron, No. 24 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet

Started: 34th

Finished: 30th

What happened: Byron last scored a top-five finish at Bristol in 2022, and getting there again was a distant hope from the start. After an uncharacteristic subpar qualifying effort, Bryon dropped to the rear of the field after adjustments to the steering system. By Lap 37, he went a lap down. By the finish, he was five laps back and saddled with his worst result of the season so far.

What’s next: A two-position drop nudged Byron to seventh in the Cup Series standings. He’s winless in 16 career Cup starts at Kansas, which was the site of his first NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series victory way back in 2016.

Ethan Smith | For NASCAR Digital Media

3. Shane van Gisbergen, No. 97 Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet

Started: 33rd

Finished: 34th

What happened: SVG had drummed up some short-track goodwill after an 11th-place finish at Martinsville just before the Easter weekend break. A Lap 160 spin at Bristol, however, gathered up three more cars in its wake and damaged his No. 97 Chevy. Van Gisbergen was running at the finish, but 170 laps down after his crew’s repairs.

What’s next: Van Gisbergen’s development on oval tracks has been a much-ballyhooed topic as he transitions from road racing to NASCAR’s bread and butter. Kansas last fall marked a breakthrough with a 10th-place finish — his first top 10 on an oval. Another strong finish would provide a lift after a two-place drop to 16th in the Cup Series points.

Ethan Smith | For NASCAR Digital Media

Posted on April 13, 2026 by Staff Report

NASCAR officials have adjusted the stage lengths for the 2026 Cup Series spring race at Talladega Superspeedway, the sanctioning body announced on Monday afternoon.

The Jack Link’s 500, scheduled for April 26 at the 2.66-mile Alabama track (3 p.m. ET, FOX, HBO Max, MRN Radio, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio), will have changes across all three stages. Stage 1 will now end on Lap 98 (98 laps), with Stage 2 set to end on Lap 143 (45 laps). The final stage will conclude 45 laps later on Lap 188, the end of regulation for the 10th points-paying race of the 2026 Cup campaign. Original stage-length specifications were set at 60-120-188.

John Probst, NASCAR’s executive vice president and chief racing development officer, discussed the change during the latest episode of the “Hauler Talk” podcast last week, detailing that these modified stage lengths will help address fuel-saving concerns, where drivers would run at less than full throttle at the longest tracks on the circuit.

These changes, to Probst, should create newer, more unique strategies as the race unfolds.

“If you look at generally how a lot of our speedways were laid out, it was a short stage, a short stage and then a long stage to the end,” Probst said. “Going into Talladega, we’re going to flip that and adjust the lengths of the final two stages such that we’re confident that the last two stages are short enough to be made without a fuel stop.

“It could be interesting, as well, in that first stage, the length of it, if there’s some that try to do it on one stop versus some that try to do it on two. We think that if there are some that try to do it on two, they may drag the group that tried to do it on one along with them to where they won’t be able to do it in one, so it’s got the potential there for some pretty interesting strategies.”

Per the NASCAR Rule Book, the race is considered official at the end of Stage 2 or at the halfway point. With these new stage lengths, the halfway point will now be following Lap 94.

Austin Cindric is the defending Talladega spring winner. The Cup Series will battle at the Alabama track another time this season, doing so on Oct. 25, the eighth of 10 races making up The Chase (2 p.m. ET, NBC, HBO Max, MRN Radio, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).

Posted on April 13, 2026April 13, 2026 by Staff Report

The NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series next travels to Kansas Speedway for a contest at the 1.5-mile intermediate venue on Saturday (7 p.m. ET, The CW, MRN Radio, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).

Brandon Jones is the defending race winner, and while the No. 20 Joe Gibbs Racing pilot will look to go back-to-back in the winning department there, four other drivers — Brent Crews, Justin Allgaier, Carson Kvapil and Sheldon Creed — will contend for the win and also do battle for $100,000 in the second of four Dash 4 Cash races this season.

ENTRY LISTS: Cup Series | O’Reilly Auto Parts Series

Luke Baldwin will make his second career O’Reilly Series start this weekend as driver of the No. 5 Hettinger Racing Ford. Baldwin finished 38th at Martinsville Speedway in March. Two NASCAR Cup Series regulars will additionally drive this weekend, with Cole Custer wheeling the No. 0 SS GreenLight Racing Chevrolet and William Byron piloting the No. 88 JR Motorsports Chevrolet.

Thirty-seven cars are entered into this weekend’s event.

MORE: Weekend schedule | How to watch NASCAR on The CW

View the full entry list here:

Posted on April 13, 2026April 13, 2026 by Staff Report

The NASCAR Cup Series treks from half-mile Bristol Motor Speedway to the intermediate Kansas Speedway on Sunday (2 p.m. ET, FOX, HBO Max, MRN Radio, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).

Kyle Larson is the defending spring winner. Meanwhile, Ty Gibbs, who is coming off his first career Cup Series win thanks to his Bristol triumph, is currently on a stretch of six consecutive 2026 finishes of sixth or better.

ENTRY LISTS: Cup Series | O’Reilly Auto Parts Series

Corey Heim will make his second Cup Series start of 2026 this weekend as pilot of the No. 67 23XI Racing Toyota. Heim finished 28th in the Daytona 500.

Thirty-seven cars are entered into this weekend’s event.

MORE: Weekend schedule | How to watch NASCAR on FOX

View the full entry list:

Posted on April 13, 2026April 13, 2026 by Staff Report

Kyle Busch’s frustration at Bristol Motor Speedway manifested itself in multiple ways Sunday, with a trade-off of in-race bumping incidents with Riley Herbst but also with some over-the-air tension on the No. 8 Richard Childress Racing team’s radio.

Busch, an eight-time NASCAR Cup Series winner at the 0.533-mile Tennessee oval, finished two laps down in 25th place in Sunday’s Food City 500. He triggered the last of nine yellow flags on the 498th of 505 laps after making sustained contact with Herbst, Busch’s foil in an earlier incident that sent his No. 8 RCR Chevrolet spinning.

RELATED: Race results | At-track photos: Bristol

During the caution period for the first Busch-Herbst incident, the No. 8 team communications became animated as Busch toiled in 26th place. Radio frustrations had mounted through the race’s first half, with Busch, first-year crew chief Jim Pohlman and spotter Derek Kneeland all striving to solve the No. 8 Chevrolet’s handling problems — with Busch specifically asking for help with rear grip.

Earlier in the race, Pohlman had called for adjustments to tighten the car up, but Busch struggled to make forward progress. On Lap 277, Pohlman asked for feedback from Kneeland: “What is the freakin’ problem now? Is the thing sideways or is it plowing? What the (expletive) does it look like?”

After getting a response of “still not getting into the corner,” Pohlman pressed: “Why? I don’t get it. We tightened it up and why can’t it get in the [expletive] corner?” Kneeland replied: “I don’t know. I’ve got a headset on, not a helmet. I don’t know.”

Busch spun after a Herbst run-in on Lap 313, but continued after slight contact with the trailing car of Erik Jones. During that yellow, Kneeland radioed in: “Listen, I know you’re frustrated. I don’t like running 30th either, but us yelling at each other during the race isn’t going to help [expletive]. Like we’ve gotta keep the glue molded together here. We’re all still in it together and it’s not over. We’re only barely halfway through this thing. … You copy?”

“Yeah, copy,” Pohlman replied. “Just same [expletive] every week.”

Busch’s radio was relatively quiet after the second incident with Herbst’s No. 35 23XI Racing Toyota. There was resignation over the No. 35 team radio after that contact: “Well, third time’s the charm.”

Busch ranks 24th in Cup Series standings, mired in one of the slowest starts of his career. Since winning the pole position for the season-opening Daytona 500, Busch has managed a best 2026 finish of 12th place at the Circuit of The Americas road course. Sunday’s result at Bristol was his fourth consecutive finish outside the top 20.

“Not the finish any of us wanted for the No. 8 Bank OZK Chevrolet here this afternoon at Bristol Motor Speedway,” Busch said post-race. “We battled the rear of the car the entire race, and despite the best efforts of the team, we got a lap down in the third stage and were never able to get back that track position. We’re going to keep putting in the work, and hopefully that begins to translate next weekend in Kansas.”

Posted on April 13, 2026April 13, 2026 by Staff Report

Now is your opportunity to support your favorite driver for a chance to compete in the 2026 NASCAR All-Star Race at Dover Motor Speedway. The NASCAR All-Star Race Fan Vote is officially open, giving fans the power to place one driver into the All-Star Race lineup.

Fans can cast votes for any NASCAR Cup Series driver not already eligible for the All-Star Race, helping determine who advances through fan support.

The voting period opened Monday at noon ET and will close Sunday, May 17, at 9 a.m. ET. The fan vote winner will be revealed on Sunday, May 17, before engines fire for the main event at 1 p.m. ET (FS1, HBO Max, MRN Radio, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).

RELATED: Vote now! | Buy All-Star Race tickets

Fans can vote up to five times per day per unique email address throughout the voting window. Fans who vote through the Fan Rewards Dashboard will receive a one-time bonus of 25 Fan Rewards points for their first vote during the promotion period.

Notable past winners of the NASCAR All-Star Fan Vote include familiar names on the list, such as inaugural winner Ken Schrader (2004), Dale Earnhardt Jr. (2011), Danica Patrick (2013, ’15) and Chase Elliott (2016-18). Noah Gragson captured the honor most recently, earning the nod in each of the past three seasons.

MORE: How All-Star Race format works

Only one driver in the history of the fan vote has gone on to win the All-Star Race on the same day: Kasey Kahne, who accomplished the feat in 2008 after starting 24th.

Stay tuned to NASCAR.com for updates on the progress of the fan vote as the All-Star Race weekend at Dover Motor Speedway approaches.

Posted on April 12, 2026 by Brandon White

THOMPSON, Conn. – The hottest driver on the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour to open 2026 is unquestionably Stephen Kopcik.

After earning his first series victory at Martinsville Speedway in his 23^rd career start, Kopcik collected another checkered flag on Sunday at Thompson Speedway Motorsports Park. Kopcik earned that victory thanks to a late-race pit stop that catapulted him to the race lead.

Track position proved pivotal during the Icebreaker 150 and Kopcik knew his best chance at usurping McKennedy would likely come on pit road. Kopcik credited his Wanick Motorsports crew not only for their efficiency at Thompson, but for the hard work they’ve shown through the first three events.

“That pit stop was crucial,” Kopcik said. “They killed it once again. By coming out first, that gives you lane choice and that means a lot here with 40 to go. It’s unbelievable because yesterday I was wondering if I knew how to drive this place. To come here and win on the Whelen Modified Tour is unbelievable.”

KOPCIK HAS BROKEN THE ICE 🧊

Stephen Kopcik wins at Thompson to earn his second consecutive #NWMT victory! pic.twitter.com/S4pxFs51mU

— NASCAR Regional (@NASCARRegional) April 12, 2026

Kopcik now joins a small, but elite group of drivers who have won a Thomposn NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour event. That includes the all-time series wins leader Mike Stefanik, along with Justin Bonsignore, Ted Christopher, Jeff Fuller, Richie Evans and many others.

The speed Kopcik possessed at Martinsville carried over into a cold day around Thompson’s fast, banked layout. He qualified three one-thousandths of a second behind front row starters Jon McKennedy and Matt Hirschman, neither of whom have won a NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour event at Thompson.

It didn’t take long for Kopcik to find his way around Hirschman, but passing McKennedy proved to be a more arduous task. With McKennedy receiving the benefit of clean air, Kopcik was forced to follow him for most of the Icebreaker 150’s middle portion, all while he patiently waited for an opportunity to materialize.

Ronnie Williams’ crash inside of 45 laps remaining was the break Kopcik and Wanick Motorsports needed. Kopcik’s crew did their job with an efficient stop that got their driver the lead, meaning Kopick just had to figure out how to maintain the top spot with McKennedy applying pressure behind him.

Every attempt McKennedy made at Kopcik proved fruitless, which eventually led him to lose the second position to two-time series champion Ron Silk. Although he gradually erased Kopcik’s advantage, Silk didn’t have enough laps at his disposal to earn his first victory of the 2026 season.

Had Silk chased down and overtaken Kopick, he would have become the fifth driver to amass double digit NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour wins at Thompson alongside Stefanik, Bonsignore, Christopher and Fuller. Instead, Silk was left disappointed with a runner-up finish.

“[It all comes down] to track position,” Silk said. “We’re all running the same speed. In that last run, there was a part at the beginning of it where Jon [McKennedy] was the best, there was a part where Stephen [Kopcik] was the best and a part where my car drove great too. It’s very tough to pass, but it was a good race with everybody and congrats to Stephen and his team.”

Stephen Kopcik now has victories at Martinsville Speedway and Thompson Speedway Motorsports Park to open the 2026 NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour season. (Photo: Rachel O’Driscoll/NASCAR)

Kopcik is one of many drivers Silk will need to deal with to obtain a third title, especially since the former has now won two of the first three races to open the season. The wins have helped Kopcik overcome a minor points deficit that stemmed from a 13^th in the season-opener at New Smyrna Speedway to now lead the standings for the first time in his career.

“We’re going to keep working hard and try to show up with fast cars we can build on,” Kopcik said. “Momentum is huge, but nothing is going to beat hard work. You’ve got to keep working hard and keep making sure our cars are ready and prepared to the best that we can prepare them. We’ll see what happens.”

Mike Christopher Jr.’s solid day at Thompson ended with a third-place finish. McKennedy settled for fourth after a strong start to his day, with Hirschman completing the top five.

Reigning series champion Austin Beers, Justin Bonsignore, Craig Lutz, Chase Dowling and Tyler Rypkema were sixth through 10th, respectively.

Up next for the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour will be the series’ long awaited return to Oxford Plains Speedway on May 2. The green flag will wave at 6:15 p.m. ET that evening, with FloRacing providing live coverage of all the on-track action.

Posted on April 12, 2026April 13, 2026 by Cameron Richardson

BRISTOL, Tenn. — A tale of two races unfolded for Ryan Blaney on Sunday at Bristol Motor Speedway.

The No. 12 Team Penske Ford was the quickest on track in the 505-lap barnburner around the Tennessee short track, but Blaney continued an intramural battle within the confines of his pit box and after a call to pit in the closing laps, Blaney crossed the finish line sliding into the runner-up slot next to first-time winner Ty Gibbs.

RELATED: Race results | At-track photos

“I thought I got a really good restart,” Blaney said about overtime. “It’s really hard to hit [the bottom] right. I got a decent first lap. I didn’t get a great [Turns] 1 and 2 the last lap, and it didn’t let me be even with Ty, and I got a really good [Turns] 3 and 4 the last lap. It just wasn’t quite enough, and I’m not gonna throttle up and just destroy somebody.”

Blaney and Kyle Larson were the class of the field Sunday afternoon. The pair led a whopping 474 combined laps and swapped the lead between each other nine times.

The concrete track evolved with big swings throughout the day as Goodyear brought a new tire for the Cup cars to complement the 750-horsepower package.

Blaney said he liked the challenge that the tire and the track provided in the race, especially with Bristol turning to multi-groove action earlier than expected.

“I thought it laid a lot of rubber down, which was good,” Blaney said. “It was better than what we thought after practice, for sure. I thought it was gonna clump the bottom like crazy. The top came in. Like I thought it was a pretty good tire. It’s weird. I didn’t think it fell off a ton, but it like clunked, put a lot of rubber down. I don’t know what to think about that, but it was fun working through the rubber progression through the day.”

What wasn’t fun for Blaney was working through more pit-road woes as the No. 12 pit crew continues to statistically be one of the slowest in the Cup Series.

According to NASCAR Insights, the No. 12 crew was 32nd-fastest of the 37 teams on track Sunday, and in total, lost 11 spots on pit road Sunday along with the decision to pit in the final 20 laps.

“We gotta get it better,” Blaney said bluntly. “If we’re going to keep competing and get cars that can win the races, we’ve got to clean that up.”

No. 12 crew chief Jonathan Hassler remained bullish on his crew fighting through early mistakes in the race.

“I think they did a great job,” Hassler told NASCAR.com. “We had a couple mistakes again, but they stuck with it. All of those guys are capable and we’ve stuck with them, and when everything was on the line the most, they followed through.

“The guys have a lot of potential. They have the ability. We’ve had some bumps in the road, some of which isn’t necessarily those guys or any one person; just kind of getting the whole group and the car and the team kind of in sync.”

While another strong Bristol run for Blaney still didn’t bear his first victory at “The Last Great Colosseum,” Gibbs’ win did conjure up memories of when Blaney scored his first Cup Series triumph.

In 2017, Blaney fended off Cup Series champs Kevin Harvick and Kyle Busch at Pocono Raceway in the Wood Brothers No. 21 Ford for his big breakthrough, and Gibbs mirrored that Sunday, holding off titleholders Larson and Blaney at Bristol to get that elusive win in his 131st start.

Blaney had high praise for Gibbs after falling by just 0.055 seconds to the 23-year-old.

“You never forget your first one, that’s for sure,” Blaney said. “Even though I’m bummed we didn’t win the race, I’m happy that Ty was able to get his first win because I remember what that was like, and I remember the elation and the joy, especially when you’ve come close a handful of times, which he has.

“Ty’s dealt with a lot of criticism, I feel like, from the outside. I feel like he’s handled it pretty well and it’s good to see that he’s been able to prove himself on the race track.”

Posted on April 12, 2026 by Staff Report

Icebreaker 150

Thompson Speedway Motorsports Park

Race results

Pos	No.	Name	Sponsor	Laps	Diff
1	21	Stephen Kopcik	Wanick Construction; Newtown Pools	150	—
2	16	Ron Silk	Blue Mountain Machine; Future Homes	150	0.541
3	31	Mike Christopher Jr.	Elite Towing; Elite Racing; Baker Racing	150	1.005
4	79	Jon McKennedy	Stuarts Automotive; Christophers Towing; Levasseur HVAC; Leone’s Landscaping; Hillsboro Inc; Central Mass Tree	150	2.015
5	60	Matt Hirschman	Bar Harbor Bank & Trust; Pee Dee Motorsports	150	4.154
6	64	Austin Beers	G&G Electrical Supply; AP Marquardt & Sons; Lumiere Electrical; Fastrack Electric; Dell Electric; Andrew James Interiors; Hug	150	5.922
7	51	Justin Bonsignore	Phoenix Communications; Inc.	150	6.258
8	46	Craig Lutz	Riverhead Building Supply	150	6.479
9	44	Chase Dowling	S&S Paving / Harshaw Paving	150	6.539
10	3	Tyler Rypkema	Northeast Drilling; SYP	150	8.51
11	05	Teddy Hodgdon	Business Time Motorsports; The Landau Team of Re/Max; Montanari Fuel	150	9.113
12	58	Eric Goodale	GAF Roofing	150	11.011
13	1	Patrick Emerling	USNE Power	150	11.192
14	11	Eric Berndt	Independent Pipe & Supply	150	11.634
15	89	Matt Swanson	Ceravolos Auto; Swanson GMC	150	13.016
16	36	David Sapienza	Sapienza Enterprises; Eastport Feeds	150	13.067
17	82	Andrew Molleur	Danny’s Cesspool Service Inc	150	14.438
18	28	Doug Coby	Nucar	149	1 Lap
19	54	Tommy Catalano	FX Caprara; USNE Power	149	1 Lap
20	24	Andrew Krause	Supreme Mfg Co.	149	1 Lap
21	15	Joey Cipriano III	Dependable Energy; The Bass Plating Company	149	1 Lap
22	22	Kyle Bonsignore	ChawLew; MTT; Mike Holmes Excavating	149	1 Lap
23	8	John-Michael Shenette	USNE Power Charlotte; Eighty-Two Services General Contractor	149	1 Lap
24	20	Max Zachem	Lu-Mac’s Package Store; Mama MZ Crafts	149	1 Lap
25	18	Ken Heagy	Merkel Racing Engines	146	4 Laps
26	95	Cory Plummer	Tuckers Metal Fabrication & Welding; Apex Race Cars; Apex Racing; Croteau Machine & More; Shiny Rhino Carpet Cleaning.	143	7 Laps
27	50	Ronnie Williams	Empower Financial Advisory	106	44 Laps
28	73	Paulie Hartwig III	Professional Therapy Associates; Jersey Shore Contracting	98	52 Laps
29	56	Trevor Catalano	USNE Power	45	105 Laps

Posted on April 12, 2026April 13, 2026 by Reid Spencer

BRISTOL, Tenn. — When Chase Elliott spun to cause the eighth caution in Sunday’s Food City 500 at Bristol Motor Speedway, driver Ty Gibbs had an emphatic message for crew chief Tyler Allen.

“I don’t want to give up track position — at all,” Gibbs asserted over the team radio.

Allen acquiesced, and Gibbs restarted in the lead on Lap 486. He held that track position through a ninth caution that sent the race to overtime and beat Ryan Blaney to the finish line by 0.055 seconds to claim his first career NASCAR Cup Series victory.

The margin of victory was the closest at Bristol since Rusty Wallace beat Ernie Irvan by one foot in April of 1991.

RELATED: Race results | At-track photos: Bristol

One of four leaders in the eighth race of the season, Gibbs was out front for only the final 25 laps, as reigning series champion Kyle Larson and Ryan Blaney combined to dominate the proceedings before the decisive caution.

But it was Gibbs’ No. 54 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota that found its way to Victory Lane at the 0.533-mile short track — the first Cup victory for a car numbered 54 since Lennie Pond won the only race of his career in 1979 at Talladega.

After he climbed from the car, Gibbs’ immediate thoughts turned to his father, Coy Gibbs, who passed away the night after Ty won the O’Reilly Auto Parts Series (then Xfinity Series) championship in 2022.

“Yeah, it’s awesome,” Gibbs said. “It’s awesome to be with great people. To be in this position is great. I’d love for my father to have seen this. I knew he knew it was going to happen and expected it as well.

“Yeah, it was great day for us. My boys didn’t give up. Pit crew is just amazing. This is our family. It’s been great. So it’s just such great deal. Very honored to be in this situation.”

SHOP: Winner gear

Under the caution that proved decisive, Gibbs, Carson Hocevar, Chase Briscoe, Denny Hamlin and Tyler Reddick stayed out on old tires — an option Allen said he had discussed with Gibbs as they considered possible scenarios during the final stage.

Larson restarted sixth after a two-tire call and Blaney took the green flag in seventh on four new tires.

With the benefit of fresh rubber, Blaney and Larson charged into second and third, with Gibbs holding the lead from the top lane. Gibbs was still in front on Lap 497 of a scheduled 500 when Kyle Busch spun Riley Herbst in payback for an earlier incident to cause the final caution.

Gibbs held his own on the two-lap overtime shootout and narrowly beat Blaney to the finish line, with Larson just 0.229 seconds behind in third.

“Gave it my best shot the last restart,” said Blaney, who started from the pole position, led 190 laps and posted his best career finish in Thunder Valley. “Got a good restart. Was close, but just couldn’t get it done. Proud of the effort by all the (No.) 12 (Team Penske) folks. Gave me a real fast car, fast car in qualifying. Got it better through the race, honestly. Halfway through the race, I thought we got to be the best car, which is really good.

“Gosh, I really wanted to win at Bristol here. I came close. But congrats to Ty. He’s been really close. Nothing is more special than your first Cup win. It’s pretty cool to win at this place.”

Larson led 284 laps and swept the first two stages at Bristol for the third time in his career, but saw his winless streak grow to 32 races, dating to May 11, 2025, at Kansas Speedway.

“Blaney had by far the best car,” Larson acknowledged. “His pit crew just kept putting him behind all day, which really allowed us to lead a lot of laps, get those stage wins. Yeah, so that was good. Happy about all of that. Just knew it was going to be difficult to hold him off. Seemed like every restart, he could just plow right through the field and get to second. Was just really fast.

“Then Ty got strong there the last run, too. That was probably my worst run, I think. We were making some adjustments at that point. I just got a little bit out of the track. Yeah, they were just better than me.”

Reddick finished fourth but saw his series lead over Blaney shrink to 62 points. Chase Briscoe was fifth, followed by Todd Gilliland, who parlayed a two-tire call into his sixth-place finish.

Joey Logano ran seventh, followed by Ryan Preece, Hamlin and Hocevar.

Alex Bowman’s return from a four-race absence because of a vertigo diagnosis came to an early end when Shane van Gisbergen spun in Turn 4 and collected the cars of John Hunter Nemechek and Bowman.

Attempts to repair the car proved futile, and Bowman exited the race in 37th place after completing 163 laps. Even before the accident, though, Bowman had been fighting an ill-handling No. 48 Chevrolet.

“I thought we were OK in practice, but to start the race, we were in trouble,” Bowman said. “It’s a bummer that we didn’t get a chance to work on it. I know (crew chief) Blake (Harris) and this No. 48 Ally Chevrolet team would have liked some pit stops to try and make the car better and get going back in the right direction.

“We were just struggling and then got caught up in somebody else’s mess. I hate it for this team, but we’ll move onto the next one.”

Christopher Bell, who ranked among the pre-race favorites after his Bristol win last fall, finished 27th after a pair of issues in the race’s first half. Bell was penalized for speeding on pit road during the Stage 1 break, knocking him back to 27th place in the order. On the 144th lap, his No. 20 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota scraped the outside retaining wall and later spun to the apron, prompting the race’s third caution period. Further contact on Lap 270 also slowed his progress.

The NASCAR Cup Series’ next race is scheduled for Sunday, April 19, at Kansas (2 p.m. ET, FOX, HBO Max, MRN Radio, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).

Note: Post-race inspection was completed in the Cup Series garage without issue, confirming Gibbs as the winner. Competition officials indicated that two cars will return to the NASCAR Research & Development Center for further inspection — the No. 5 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet driven by Larson, and the No. 45 23XI Racing Toyota driven by Reddick.

Contributing: Staff reports