Team Penske striving for off-week improvement: ‘Not where we want to be yet’

Posted on April 1, 2026 by Zach Sturniolo

MARTINSVILLE, Va. – Members of Team Penske left Martinsville Speedway smiling Sunday after a strong showing from their entire stable.

The hope inside the team is for this to become the norm, because it’s certainly the expectation.

MORE: Cup Series standings | Martinsville results

Joey Logano led the day with a third-place finish in Sunday’s Cook Out 400 at Martinsville, with teammates Ryan Blaney sixth and Austin Cindric eighth, followed closely by their affiliate teammate Josh Berry in 10th, repping Wood Brothers Racing.

Success is the standard for the team owned and operated by Roger Penske. His NASCAR program has consistently found that success on short ovals since the sport shifted to its Next Gen car, and that shone again at the 0.526-mile Martinsville track before the Cup Series takes its first off week of the season.

“It was a good, solid day,” Travis Geisler, Team Penske’s competition director, told NASCAR.com Sunday. “It was really nice to have everybody in the top 10. It’s always good to go into an off week with just a stable, good, solid week.”

Ryan Blaney has already delivered the team one victory this season at Phoenix Raceway, but it hasn’t been smooth sailing for Team Penske to begin 2026. According to NASCAR Insights, Blaney’s No. 12 pit crew ranks 35th of 36 title-eligible teams while averaging the worst average four-tire stop in Cup this season. He has overcome those stats, finishing outside the top 10 just twice in seven races. The same can’t always be said for his teammates.

Austin Cindric and the No. 2 team began the season with four straight finishes of 26th or worse before a 19th at Las Vegas and finishes of fifth at Darlington Raceway and eighth at Martinsville. Berry’s No. 21 team, which operates out of Team Penske’s shop, has followed a similar trajectory as Cindric with two top 10s in his seven starts – ninth in the Daytona 500 and 10th at Martinsville.

And while Logano led a strong showing at Martinsville, that performance came off the heels of a Darlington Raceway effort that left his No. 22 team 33rd, three laps down.

“I think there’s a few areas that obviously we’re not where we want to be yet, a couple things we need to improve and focus on,” Geisler said. “Is it just the result, or is it actually the process that’s not getting you the result? You know, sometimes in racing, you can’t always measure the end result because there’s a lot of things going into that. But you kind of look at those – the style of track where we struggle a little bit. Vegas was certainly a place where we weren’t as strong as we wanted to be. So you look at that with Kansas coming up and a couple of those races and you focus on your weaknesses, really.

“I think our strengths, we just kind of keep plugging along with those. But we’ll try to look at the areas you need to shore up because you’ve got to be good across every discipline now, right? You can’t have a weak spot, and we’ve got a few to work on.”

Ethan Smith | For NASCAR Digital Media

For all that adversity, there is resilience in the rebound. During the Martinsville race, all three Penske cars were nose-to-tail running inside the top five. But each team was looking for that finish, too.

Let’s start with Cindric, whose last win came 11 months ago at Talladega Superspeedway. In the two weeks since leaving Las Vegas Motor Speedway 30th in the points standings, he and the No. 2 have vaulted up the charts into 18th place, 18 points behind the 16th and final spot in The Chase.

“I think we certainly had a huge hole to dig out of with the 2 car where we were in points, and the progress he’s made over the last couple of weeks here and getting top 10s and really running well is great to see,” Geisler said.

Cindric, the 2022 Daytona 500 champion, is now in his fifth year of full-time Cup racing. He owns wins in three of the past four seasons and has netted stage points in all but one race this year for the seventh-most stage points in Cup. But with three-time Cup champion Logano and 2023 title winner Blaney sharing the building, there’s no mistaking the expectation.

“There’s certainly a lot of pressure on that group to perform,” Geisler said. “You’re measuring yourself against four championships. And that’s what it is. That’s the bar. And I think that, really, when you look at his whole season, he’s been in the top 10 every week. He got wrecked running ninth at (Circuit of The Americas). He was easily a top-10 car at Phoenix and got wrecked. He ran within a spot of the 12 car at Vegas and got caught on pit road after a pit stop. And then it was finally like, OK, let’s just finish where we belong and we’re going to be fine. And that was really the last couple of weeks.

“I think if you look at his stage points for the season compared to anybody else, pretty darn competitive. … That’s what you need out of a group that needs to go perform. And I think for Austin, he’s just got himself in a spot now where he’s confident in his process, he’s confident in his abilities. Now he just has to go execute each week, which is a lot different than kind of scrambling trying to figure out how to be competitive.”

Cindric has long been a part of the Penske fold, his father a longtime executive within the company before a brief departure last year. He found joy in his No. 2 team’s execution at Martinsville, but only briefly.

“It’s what I expect out of myself and my race team,” Cindric said, “and it’s nice to sometimes meet expectations.”

Logano’s Darlington disappointment was dreadful. While his in-house teammates earned top fives, he struggled to stay within four laps of the race leaders’ pace.

“First off, you’re kind of like, what’s going on? Where are we off?” Logano said, recalling his in-race emotions. “And you’re trying to fix it, and then you swing the bat a couple times and you make minor progress, if any, then you start to get pissed off. That’s the normal reaction. And then by the end, you’re a little depressed, and then you’re a little embarrassed at the end of all that, even. So you get all the negative emotions. It’s just part of competing, right? And it’s hard. If you want the glory of winning, sometimes you’ve got to go through the agony of defeat.”

Ethan Smith | For NASCAR Digital Media

That agony was glorified during team debriefs on Monday and Tuesday as Logano, No. 22 crew chief Paul Wolfe and the team dissected their missteps. But after numerous wins and multiple championships together, rarely is there a doubt that the No. 22 team will figure out its shortcomings.

“They spent a good solid day or two going through everything they could to try to understand where that weekend didn’t go the way we needed to,” Geisler said. “But man, I’d say really by midday Tuesday, they were 100% just focused forward the way they always do. And that’s the nice part about a group that’s won a lot together. There’s a lot of confidence in everybody. And it’s just, hey, let’s look at all the details, make sure we didn’t miss anything, but we’re not gonna change how we’re approaching the race weekend. Pit crew has been really solid on that group, and they just plugged along, did their thing (Sunday). And it was great to get them back up there and send them off into Easter with a little bit of a breath of fresh air.”

Logano agreed. Seeking his first win since Texas last May – one week after Cindric’s Talladega triumph – Logano saw Martinsville as a step closer toward normality after a derailed day at Darlington.

MORE: Logano continues Martinsville top 10 streak

“It was nice to stop the bleeding. Everything feels normal again,” Logano said. “Last weekend, you start wondering if the earth is round or not. You’re kind of confused on everything. But it was nice to have a normal weekend and be solid off the truck, and solid on pit road, which they have been; that’s no surprise. But just a solid race, which, running top five the whole race, proud of that. Proud of the effort.”

For Blaney, Martinsville was the continuation of his recent stature as Penske’s most consistent contender. His No. 12 Ford was fighting Denny Hamlin for third when late contact stuffed him into the wall instead, but he still hung on to finish sixth.

“I thought all of our cars were really, really good,” Blaney told NASCAR.com. “I thought myself, Joey, Austin and Josh had a really strong showing. I think all of us finished in the top 10. For my side, I thought we got our car a little better each run. At the start of the race, I thought I was about an eighth-place car, and then sixth, fourth, top-two car before the last yellow. So yeah, really, really proud of the effort. Bringing us some good speed and hopefully build off of it for the future.”

Posted on April 1, 2026 by Adam Fenwick

REGGIO EMILIA, Italy — After a decade of competition in the NASCAR Euro Series and becoming the first female driver to compete in NASCAR Brasil, Italian driver Arianna Casoli is set to take the next step in her career.

Casoil has announced a program in the United States with the NASCAR Late Model platform andMKM Racing Development.

She is paving the way for European female drivers in U.S. NASCAR competition as the first female NASCAR Euro Series driver to compete in the United States, marking a significant milestone in her career and in the international NASCAR series. Following the recorded female drivers to race in a U.S. NASCAR sanctioned series, she will became the first Italian in nearly 50 years, following in the trailblazing path of the legendary Lella Lombardi in 1977.

Arianna, also known as “Lady NASCAR”, adds another milestone in an already record-filled career: first woman to compete in NASCAR Brasil, five Lady Trophy titles and one Legend Trophy (for drivers over 40) secured in NASCAR Euro Series achieving more than 50 class victories.

She will focus on gaining experience on American short tracks with MKM Racing Development, working closely with the team to adapt her driving style to NASCAR Late Model stock car racing. The first step includes three races at the iconic Hickory Motor Speedway, known as the “Birthplace of NASCAR Stars.”

With more than 100 race starts in the NASCAR Euro Series, Casoli has built her experience through consistency, determination, and a long-term commitment to the discipline. Her move to the U.S. marks a natural evolution of her career. With this new venture, she aims to break new barriers while building on a journey shaped over years of NASCAR competition.

“The United States is the cradle of NASCAR,” said Casoli. “After ten years in Europe, I knew it was time for a big change. At my age, this step isn’t guaranteed. I feel blessed to approach it with the same enthusiasm I had in my 20s. This move aligns perfectly with the path I’ve been building over the years. Oval racing in the U.S. is demanding, but I’ve always loved it. In Europe, ovals are no longer on the schedule, but I enjoyed Raceway Venray (half-mile oval) and Tours (short track). Even my debut in NASCAR Brasil was on an Oval. I’m motivated to learn, adapt, and push my limits, making the most of every opportunity on track, and showing once again that women in motorsport can pursue their dreams at any age.”

For European drivers that are traditionally accustomed to road courses, transitioning to American short tracks presents both a technical and mental challenge: mastering oval racing lines, throttle control through corners, tire management, and constant close-quarters racing all require rapid adaptation. For Casoli, known for her technical approach and resilience, this represents a decisive step into the core of American stock car racing.

Late Model Stock Cars represent one of the most competitive and formative categories within NASCAR. With more than 400 horsepower, lightweight construction, and no electronic aids, they demand precision and constant close-quarters racing on short ovals such as Hickory (0.363 miles), where traffic, continuous lapping and high intensity leave little margin for error.

“We are proud to welcome Arianna to MKM” said Michael Klein, team owner of MKM Racing Development “With her experience in the NASCAR Euro Series competition, she adds strong racing knowledge to our program. At MKM, we’ve built an extremely experienced crew with a background at the top level of NASCAR, including being part of a championship-winning team in 2017. We field multiple cars every week in late model races across the Southeast, competing in one of the most demanding environments in the country. We’re excited to combine our expertise and guide her through this transition into American NASCAR with a strong development path.”

Female participation in top-level NASCAR remains limited, especially for drivers pursuing continuous careers and women over 40. In this context, Casoli’s journey is even more significant: entering the U.S. NASCAR Late Model Series, she joins only a handful of women continuing to break barriers and redefine the role of women in motorsport.

“This new adventure is driven by personal motivation but also by the desire to reconnect with that unique feeling of adrenaline and satisfaction that I had lost last season,” said Casoli. “I’m not focused solely on results; I’m chasing the positive vibes that setbacks had dampened. I want to show that it’s never too late to pursue a dream, and perhaps inspire the next generation, often hesitant to embrace change, especially women. American short tracks are demanding and require respect. Being a rookie makes it a true challenge, and that’s exactly what makes it thrilling.”

Posted on April 1, 2026 by NASCAR Official Release

For NASCAR fans, patriotism has long been part of the sport’s DNA — from paint schemes and pre-race tributes to our service members, to moments of remembrance in honor of those who have made the ultimate sacrifice. And as the nation approaches its 250th anniversary, NASCAR is helping support a new national effort to ensure those fallen service members, and the Gold Star families who keep their legacy alive, are never forgotten.

The Declaration of Remembrance, led by the nonprofit Honor and Remember, calls on Americans to recognize the nearly 1.4 million service members who have lost their lives in military service over the country’s history. As a NASCAR Impact partner, Honor and Remember is working toward a goal of 1.4 million signatures by Memorial Day Weekend 2026 — a symbolic tribute of one signature for every fallen hero.

RELATED: More info about NASCAR Impact

NASCAR fans are encouraged to read and sign the Declaration of Remembrance at DeclarationofRemembrance.com/signnow.

Aligned with the broader America250 commemoration, the initiative reflects a nationwide moment to honor both 250 years of freedom and the cost required to secure it.

“It’s important for all Americans to remember and acknowledge that the freedoms we enjoy today are ours because of 250 years of sacrifice,” said George Lutz, founder of Honor and Remember. “It’s a critically important message that cannot get lost as our nation celebrates this milestone, and it’s why we started the Declaration of Remembrance.”

In addition to the signature campaign, organizers are building support for H.R. 1363, the Honor and Remember Flag Recognition Act, a new piece of bipartisan legislation that would designate the Honor and Remember Flag as a permanent national symbol of remembrance.

For more than a decade, NASCAR has worked alongside Honor and Remember to elevate the stories of fallen service members and recognize Gold Star families. That relationship deepened in 2025 when Honor and Remember was officially named a partner of NASCAR Impact, expanding opportunities to integrate moments of remembrance into race weekends across the country.

“NASCAR is a uniquely patriotic sport, and we feel a responsibility to ensure these heroes are never forgotten,” said Eric Nyquist, NASCAR’s chief impact officer. “Our goal is to keep the memory of these brave men and women alive and to show their families how much they are appreciated.”

From the unfurling of the Honor and Remember Flag during pre-race ceremonies to hosting Gold Star families at marquee events like the Daytona 500, NASCAR continues to use its biggest stages to honor those who made the ultimate sacrifice.

The campaign is deeply personal for Lutz, a Gold Star father whose son George Anthony “Tony” Lutz II was killed while on patrol in Fallujah, Iraq, in 2005.

“My hope is that as we mark 250 years of freedom, we also take time for collective gratitude — not just for the victories, but for the cost of securing and sustaining our nation,” Lutz said. “This effort is about honoring every life lost in service and inviting Americans to stand together in remembrance.”

With one of the most passionate fan bases in sports, NASCAR is uniquely positioned to help amplify the campaign across the industry leading up to and during NASCAR Salutes Together with Coca-Cola, which will launch in May.

“Our fans understand and appreciate the sacrifice that these men and women have made,” Nyquist said. “We encourage everyone to join us in supporting Honor and Remember and to take part in this national moment of remembrance.”

Posted on April 1, 2026April 1, 2026 by Cameron Richardson

Seven races down in the 2026 NASCAR Cup Series season, and we have somewhat of an idea of who will be contesting for the championship when The Chase begins in September.

At the top of the Cup Series standings sit Tyler Reddick (already with four wins this season), followed by Ryan Blaney, who snagged his first checkered flag of the season at Phoenix Raceway.

While the two drivers are undoubtedly fast during green-flag action, the same can’t be said so far for their respective pit crews. Let’s dive into where the No. 12 and No. 45 pit crews rank so far and what it could mean for Blaney and Reddick’s hopes at hoisting the Cup Series trophy in November.

The aforementioned speed for both Blaney and Reddick is undeniable when looking at the numbers. According to NASCAR Insights, both drivers rank inside the top five in passing, speed and restarts. Specifically, Reddick charts second in passing, second in speed and fifth in restarts. Blaney tops the board among Cup drivers in passing and speed, and ranks fourth on restarts.

The standalone speed has translated into strong results, with both winning five combined times in the first seven races and holding the top two spots in points.

Where troubles have become apparent have been on pit road. Pivotal to success on Sundays, the No. 12 and No. 45 have struggled to provide clean stops to give their drivers advantageous track position, forcing their wheelman to really drive their cars harder to make up spots.

Post-Martinsville, the No. 45 pit crew ranks 21st, while the No. 12 crew sits at 35th — second worst of all title-eligible drivers, only ahead of the No. 51 Rick Ware Racing crew.

Neither teams were all that good at Martinsville. Reddick’s crew was 18th at the Virginia short track, and Blaney’s crew was 25th.

The biggest shock of all is that NASCAR Insights lists Blaney with the worst average four-tire stop in Cup this season, with a time of 12.89 seconds. To compare, Christopher Bell has the fastest four-tire stop on average at 10.18 seconds. Mistakes compiled for the No. 12 team at Phoenix, which Blaney was able to overcome and win, and most recently at Darlington, where the team had a loose wheel and needed to pit in a teammate’s stall to get it tightened.

As we’ve seen in past years, championships have come down to execution on pit road — think of 2019 when the No. 19 crew gave Martin Truex Jr. the wrong tires and the No. 11 team slapped on a comical amount of tape to Denny Hamlin’s grille that cost the engine to overheat. Of course, there’s Hamlin’s heartbreak from the Phoenix title race last year, where crew chief Chris Gayle opted for a four-tire stop, while Kyle Larson and the No. 5 team took two tires and entered that race as the No. 1 pit crew, according to NASCAR Insights. Larson eventually went on to finish ahead of Hamlin on the short run to the checkered flag to win his second championship.

MORE: How NASCAR’s new championship format works

While The Chase eliminates the one-race showdown for the title, pit road will still be a huge factor in crowning a champion. If Blaney and Reddick want to solidify bids as championship favorites, they’ll need their crews to match their raw speed.

Kevin C. Cox | Getty Images

Posted on April 1, 2026April 1, 2026 by Zack Albert

Justin Allgaier says he hasn’t had much time recently to catch up with former teammate Tyler Reddick, given the pace of their hectic schedules. But the two drivers have something in common beyond their past and current ties to the JR Motorsports organization and their superlative starts to the 2026 season.

“This is a win for the short guys right now, because we’re the same height,” says the diminutive Allgaier, sharing a laugh after his most recent victory Saturday at Martinsville Speedway. “So maybe we’ve got really good, low center of gravity in these race cars. That’s what the difference is.”

Like Reddick in the NASCAR Cup Series, Allgaier has proven to be a difference-maker in his own right in the O’Reilly Auto Parts Series this season. The 39-year-old veteran added his latest win over the weekend at Martinsville and carries that momentum into Saturday’s North Carolina Education Lottery 250 Presented by Black’s Tire (2:30 p.m. ET, The CW, MRN Radio, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio) at Rockingham Speedway.

With the Cup Series idle this weekend, Reddick will take a break from his torrid tear, which has included four wins through the first seven races and a corresponding 82-point advantage atop the series standings. Allgaier’s rapid start is worthy of its own applause, with a peerless three victories in the last four O’Reilly Series events — a streak that’s propelled him to his own 92-point lead over the next-closest contender, defending series champion Jesse Love.

While Allgaier can laugh about their shared but figurative boost in stature, he’s also quick to earnestly tip his cap to Reddick, who netted the first of his two O’Reilly championships with JR Motorsports in 2018.

“What they’ve done on the Cup side? I mean, look, not taking anything away from the O’Reilly Auto Parts Series, but to do what they’re doing on the Cup side is mind-blowing to me,” Allgaier says. “And you know, I’m sure that some would say the same about what we’re doing in our series.”

Allgaier has led the charge this year for the Dale Earnhardt-owned organization, which enters Rockingham with full-time JRM drivers Carson Kvapil fifth in the series points and Sammy Smith sixth to round out that next five behind Allgaier. The group’s fourth full-time entry — which has been shared by Rajah Caruth and Cup Series regulars William Byron and Kyle Larson so far this year — ranks third in the team owner standings.

While Allgaier has broken out this season, Earnhardt said the performance of his No. 7 Chevrolet team was among JRM’s biggest question marks heading into 2026. When Jim Pohlman, Allgaier’s crew chief for the last three seasons including his championship march in 2024, departed to join Richard Childress Racing’s Cup Series operation this year, Earnhardt filled the vacancy by shifting Andrew Overstreet over from JRM’s No. 1 Chevy team. Veteran Rodney Childers replaced Overstreet, pairing with Kvapil. Even Earnhardt expressed pleasant surprise at how well the personnel moves have worked thus far.

“We changed a lot of folks, and all our teams got better. I wasn’t really sure if that was even possible and achievable,” Earnhardt said after Sunday’s win. “… I mean, I believe in Overstreet because I put him in that position, but shoot, I don’t think anybody would have guessed they’d have won these races and run as well as they are. Yeah, I’m happy for Justin. He deserves it. When Jim was leaving, we were worried, right, about Justin’s ability to go out there and us to give him the cars that we know he deserves. He’s in, I don’t know, the last couple of years of his career. I don’t know how long he wants to run. Another five years, we’ll do it, but I don’t know if he’s running one or two more years. I want to be able to give him winning cars all the way to the very end, and so that was a bit of concern for me personally was, was I going to be able to give him the cars in these final few years for him to go out there and continue to win?”

MORE: All-time winners for JR Motorsports | Rockingham entry list

Pinpointing when that “very end” might arrive is a tricky thing to firm up, even by Allgaier’s own admission. He explains that he considered making his championship run in 2024 a triumphant farewell, with an abrupt “mic drop” retirement to go out on top. “I guess now looking back on it, I’m glad I didn’t,” Allgaier says. He’s netted a half-dozen wins since, three in 2025 and three more already in the early going this year.

Though Allgaier carries a measure of uncertainty about his career’s endpoint, he says he’s still “highly motivated” to keep the ride going in his 16th full season of competition in the O’Reilly Auto Parts Series and his 11th driving the JR Motorsports No. 7. Savoring the moment, he maintains, is a top priority.

“If I’m also being frank, I’m probably in the spot of my career where I’m having the most fun,” Allgaier says. “I know that sounds dumb, but you know, I know that the days are coming closer to an end than they are to starting, and I’m watching these young kids figure it out in what seems like minutes. What used to take us years, it seems like they’re figuring out in minutes, right? And so, I’m proud of what we’re able to still accomplish.”

Posted on April 1, 2026 by Dustin Albino

Patrick Staropoli, a retina surgeon by trade, is accustomed to high-pressure moments.

As full-time driver of the No. 48 Big Machine Racing Chevrolet in 2026, he’s laser-focused on making it in the NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series.

After winning the PEAK Stock Car Dream Challenge with Michael Waltrip Racing more than a decade ago and winning an ARCA Menards Series West race at Irwindale Speedway, opportunities dried up for Staropoli on the national level. His time as a developmental driver for MWR came and went, leaving him focused on medical school.

RELATED: Patrick Staropoli driver page

“Fortunately, I was still able to go back and finish medical school, and that was the primary focus,” Staropoli told NASCAR.com. “I wanted to get that done no matter what, and then I raced on the side as much as I could: late models, modifieds for the last 10 years.”

Staropoli raced around Florida while attending Bascom Palmer Eye Institute at the University of Miami, among the best institutions for ophthalmology practice. Before that, he graduated from Harvard University, initially believing he was going down the engineering path.

But no matter how much he excelled in the classroom, racing was always at the forefront.

“The deal that I had with my parents and car owners and everybody growing up was that I had to take school seriously if I wanted to race,” Staropoli said. “I loved racing, so that was my motivating factor to do well in school.”

After graduating from “The U,” Staropoli moved to Houston within the last three years to work for Retina Consultants of Texas. He could do upwards of six or seven surgeries per day while seeing anywhere from 60 to 90 patients.

“The pitch when I came out there was that we would use the racing platform to raise awareness for what we were doing in retina and taking care of people and their sight,” Staropoli said. “They stayed true to their word. I got out there and got to continue racing, and they’ve been big supporters of mine with this opportunity this year.”

Photo courtesy of Overbey Photography

Enter Big Machine Racing.

Staropoli transitioned to NASCAR in 2025, first in ARCA. He sped through the process of running a quartet of NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series races, while also making four O’Reilly Auto Parts Series starts for Sam Hunt Racing. He scored a pair of top-20 finishes at Martinsville Speedway and started to get the bug of wanting to make a full-time stab at racing.

Staropoli inked a full-season ride with Big Machine in late December to pilot the team’s flagship No. 48 Chevrolet, taking over the ride in place of Nick Sanchez, who won at EchoPark Speedway for the team in 2025.

“You figure that you get a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity and you don’t want to leave that on the table,” Staropoli said of rushing to the Big Machine ride. “I’ve seen before where I thought I had a path to get somewhere [and it] goes away. When you get a chance like this, you have to jump on it.”

In late January, Staropoli uprooted his life and moved to the Charlotte hub. He is practically at the race shop every day, eager to learn and improve his craft.

“We felt like studying and preparing was not going to be a problem based on his career,” Patrick Donahue, crew chief of the No. 48, said. “We knew that if we gave him the information, he would put the work in, and he does that every week, just like everyone else. He watches film, studies the races, looks at SMT and goes to the sim. We do everything that we’re supposed to do.

“But he knew there was going to be a lot of pressure on him to fill big shoes.”

Almost every week, Staropoli visits a race track for the first time. Entering Saturday’s O’Reilly race at Rockingham Speedway (2:30 p.m. ET, The CW, MRN Radio, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio), he ranks 18th in the driver standings with four top-20 finishes.

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

“Every track that I go to this year — the majority of them — are new,” Staropoli said. “Even though I’ve been playing a lot of video games since I was a kid, it’s different going out there and doing it in the real thing. Class is in session every week.”

On Mondays, the Big Machine squad regroups and adjusts for upcoming races. The goal for everyone on the team is to continue improving and make minimal mistakes, believing the No. 48 team can make a playoff push through its technical alliance with Richard Childress Racing.

“We know our race cars can go fast, we know we have all the equipment to provide,” Donahue said. “It’s putting the puzzle together that works best for Patrick. We’re working extremely hard to help him on that.”

After the 2026 season concludes at Homestead-Miami Speedway in November, Staropoli intends to return to Houston to practice in the medical field. Come February 2027, he hopes to still have a seat in NASCAR.

“The goal is going to be for a couple of months [in Houston] and then be back at Daytona next year,” Staropoli said. “The ultimate goal for any race car driver is to race on Sunday. That’s been the dream since I was a kid. I’m fortunately closer now than I’ve ever been before, and I just hope I can execute this year and audition to keep myself around.”

Posted on March 31, 2026March 31, 2026 by Staff Report

Corey LaJoie will drive the No. 10 Kaulig Racing Ram for the rest of the 2026 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series season, Kaulig Racing announced Tuesday.

Daniel Dye began the campaign for the No. 10 team but was suspended on March 17 by both the team and NASCAR for insensitive comments made during a recent live stream about NTT IndyCar Series driver David Malukas.

NASCAR announced Tuesday that Dye had completed his sensitivity training and had been reinstated. While Dye is permitted to return to competition, LaJoie will take over driving duties for the No. 10 truck for the duration of the season.

MORE: Truck Series standings

In a statement, Dye said he is stepping away from Kaulig Racing as he seeks to make his return to the sport.

“I’m incredibly thankful for my time in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series and for the chance to compete with Kaulig Racing alongside some of the most passionate fans in motorsports. At this time, I am stepping away from that role.

“NASCAR has played a meaningful role in my development, and I don’t take that opportunity lightly.

“After a lot of honest self-reflection and guidance from mentors I trust, I’ve decided the smartest move for my career is to realign my focus on my long-term objective of becoming a successful driver at the highest level of stock car racing.

“Now that I’m reinstated, I’m optimistic about what the future holds and look forward to working hard at my next opportunity.

This sport and its fans mean everything to me, and I can’t wait to get back to it focused on the real goal more than ever.”

The team also issued a statement.

“Kaulig Racing has accepted Daniel Dye’s resignation,” Kaulig Racing said. “And we wish him great success in the pursuit of his personal and professional goals.”

LaJoie has made two Truck Series starts this season, including one at Darlington Raceway for Kaulig Racing, in which he finished 21st. In all, LaJoie has three top fives and eight top 10s in 16 series starts.

LaJoie, the son of two-time NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series champion Randy LaJoie, competed full-time in the NASCAR Cup Series from 2019 through 2024 and has a total of 276 starts, most recently attempting to qualify for the 2026 Daytona 500 with RFK Racing.

“The last couple months I’ve missed the grind of working towards a goal of success on track,” LaJoie said in a Kaulig press release. “There’s certainly a lot of work ahead of us getting our Ram trucks to a place where we compete for wins, but with the people in the Kaulig Racing building, I believe we will get there.

“I really appreciate the confidence Kaulig Racing and Ram have in me. I have been a part of building a couple teams from the ground up and getting success and I will bring that experience to help Kaulig get to their potential on a quicker path. I love what Kaulig and Ram are doing to promote the Truck series and the sport. It will be a fun challenge to be a part of.”

LaJoie will take over the No. 10 Ram at Rockingham Speedway in Friday’s Black’s Tire 200 (4:30 p.m. ET, FS1, NASCAR Racing Network Radio, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio). LaJoie was scheduled to compete for Kaulig in its No. 25 truck; Ty Dillon will pilot the No. 25 entry instead, making his second Truck Series start of 2026.

Dye competed full-time in the Craftsman Truck Series in 2023 and 2024 before advancing to the O’Reilly Auto Parts Series in 2025, where he collected eight top 10s. In his three races with Kaulig in the Truck Series this year, Dye finished a season-best 13th at EchoPark Speedway with a pair of 17th-place results at Daytona International Speedway and the St. Petersburg street course.

Competition officials also announced an indefinite suspension for Peter Ensor for violation of the NASCAR Substance Abuse Policy. Ensor was last listed on Cup Series team rosters as an engineer for Rick Ware Racing’s No. 51 team.

Posted on March 31, 2026 by Staff Report

Goodyear officials revealed Tuesday that the NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series and NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series will run the same tire setups from last year’s triumphant return to action at the 0.94-mile Rockingham Speedway.

While Rockingham has a history of being abrasive on tires, a recent repave brought fast speed and high-paced action for both series. This weekend will provide a change of pace for Truck Series and O’Reilly Series drivers after navigating the daunting Darlington Raceway and the close quarters of Martinsville Speedway.

This tire setup was also used two weeks ago at Darlington and last year at Homestead-Miami Speedway.

“Teams can lean on their data from last year’s race at Rockingham to fine-tune their strategies for this weekend,” said Rick Heinrich, Goodyear NASCAR product manager. “Like Darlington and Homestead, Rockingham is traditionally known for being abrasive and wearing tires rapidly, but with relatively new asphalt after a repave in 2022, Rockingham is unique among the three traditionally alike tracks. As the asphalt continues to age, Rockingham will continue to fall in line performance-wise to its traditional self.”

Both series will be allotted five sets of Goodyear tires for the weekend: three for the race, one qualifying set transferred to the race and one set for practice.

The Craftsman Truck Series race is set for Friday at 4:30 p.m. ET (FS1, NASCAR Racing Network Radio, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio), while the O’Reilly Auto Parts Series closes the weekend on Saturday (2:30 p.m. ET, The CW, MRN Radio, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).

Posted on March 31, 2026 by Pat DeCola

NASCAR.com’s Pat DeCola ranks the top 20 Cup Series drivers competing for the 2026 championship after Chase Elliott’s win at Martinsville Speedway and before next Sunday’s Food City 500 at Bristol Motor Speedway (3 p.m. ET, FS1, HBO Max, PRN Radio, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio). Kyle Larson enters as the defending winner.

Analysis: Martinsville went about as well as possible for Reddick while he fine-tunes his short-track regimen, hanging around the top 10 all afternoon and scoring points in both stages before fading slightly at the end. He’ll get another shot to work on his short-track muscle when racing resumes after the off weekend — Reddick has just one career top 10 at Bristol (2020), and just seven total laps led.

Analysis: Some races are just going to end the way Sunday’s ended, but even though Hamlin didn’t walk away with the trophy, he did score the most points. Plus, the clear takeaway from the afternoon was that there may not be a more dominant team in 2026 than the No. 11 Toyota — Reddick’s No. 45 included. Hamlin will very likely take No. 1 in these rankings in short order for the first fresh face up top since Daytona, especially as the man to beat at Bristol of late. | MORE: Hamlin’s dominant day fades to runner-up at Martinsville: ‘We just got beat’

Analysis: Another strong race car, but late contact with Denny Hamlin squandered any chance of making it to Victory Lane, though he still recovered to finish sixth. While Blaney has yet to win at Bristol, he’s gotten considerably better there over his career and his more recent finishes are much more notable than his 17.1 overall average finish at the Tennessee short track.

Analysis: The Chase is on in 2026, in more ways than one. Elliott appears dialed in so far this year and fully capable of maximizing this championship format, and it’s not out of the equation that he finds himself on top when the field of title contenders is reduced come Chase time. Like Blaney, it’s a surprise Elliott hasn’t won any of his 17 Bristol starts, as he has an even better 12.8 average finish — but two in a row coming off Martinsville is on the table.

Analysis: A slow pit stop nearly derailed Byron’s afternoon, but he recovered to finish in the top five by the end in a nice show of resilience for the No. 24 team. Like his Hendrick teammate above him (but certainly not the one below him), Byron hasn’t mastered Bristol yet, but does have a handful of really nice runs the past few years there. For now, though, he should concentrate on checking off this box first — nailing down his first lap led at the “Last Great Colosseum.”

Analysis: Larson had a somewhat eventful but at the same time altogether kind of nondescript day at Martinsville, notably trading paint with dirt rival Christopher Bell but ultimately hanging in that sixth-to-15th range and just landing ninth. He and Hamlin are the alpha dogs at Bristol for about the past decade, though, and as the winner of two of the past three there — including nearly 900 laps led in those — we could be about to end another Hendrick drought.

Analysis: Alright, it really might be happening, folks. Gibbs just continues to show hints of what he’s capable of, and it feels like he could blast through the ceiling at any moment. Everything appears to be lining up correctly for Bristol to perhaps be the precise spot of his first NASCAR Cup Series win — not only is Gibbs rolling, but Bristol also is arguably his best track, and he led 201 laps there last fall. | MORE: Gibbs continues hot start after Martinsville: ‘Just need a little bit more’

Analysis: Kind of the same deal for Bell as Larson in terms of their afternoons, but the JGR driver wound up a couple of spots higher in the running order, with the exact same number of points. Though there have been some bright spots, it still feels like the No. 20 team is looking for its first big 2026 moment, and it very well could come once we return after the break at Bristol, where Bell owns six straight top 10s and walks in as the most recent winner at the track.

Analysis: Keselowski had a nice, methodical move through the field from a subpar starting position, doing just what he needed to stay out of trouble and focus on maximizing his day. He just continues to grind toward a long-awaited return to Victory Lane, and the wait could be about to end at Bristol, where he was runner-up just a handful of months ago and owns three career wins.

Analysis: A frustrating afternoon for Wallace, for sure, triggering a major multi-car crash out of frustration and winding up 36th as a result. He’s now gone from second in the standings to out of the top 10 remarkably fast, and it could go from bad to worse. While Wallace does have one recent top five at Bristol in the 2024 night race, it stands as one of his worst tracks, with an average finish outside the top 20 and just one other top 10 all the way back in 2020.

Analysis: Buescher had a frustrating afternoon as well, as he wasn’t running particularly well but got caught up in Wallace’s mess to ensure a finish off the lead lap. We’re only a few years removed from a Bristol win for No. 17, though, so he may not have to wait long before recovering.

Analysis: Logano finally looked like himself once again this past Sunday, as things are potentially stabilizing for the No. 22 team after a few misfires to open the season. While we know he’s capable of winning at Bristol, those trips to Victory Lane are distant, decade-plus-old memories, and five of his last six finishes there have netted results of 22nd or worse. | MORE: Logano moves up Martinsville top-10 streak list

Analysis: The season of Shane rolls on, as SVG continues to prove to every inch of the garage that he belongs in the Cup Series and deserves Chase attention. He narrowly missed out on a top 10 at Martinsville, and Bristol should present an excellent opportunity to show off how far he’s come, after his initial runs there left him self-admittedly puzzled.

Analysis: Preece had a similar day to his boss, starting 17th and steadily improving throughout the day — but only for a scant few spots to land 12th. Bristol has always been a place he could be competitive, regardless of which car he was driving, and the continued short-track strength RFK shows hints he may break through here eventually.

Analysis: Briscoe had a tough day at Martinsville that, thankfully for him, resulted in a not-too-terrible 14th, but he started 27th and it’s fair to question the inauspicious start the No. 19 team has gotten off to following a Championship 4 run a season ago. He’s a sleeper at Bristol, though, so perhaps he can rally his first laps led there last fall — all 127 of them — into a rebound race and a team-sparking win after the Easter holiday break.

Analysis: Hocevar started sixth and showed early speed, sticking around the top five for a bit before eventually being spun by Bubba Wallace in the later stages of the race. He continued on but lost crucial track position, and he’s yet to string together consecutive top 10s this year. He has shown above-average skill at Bristol in his young career so far, however, and notched his third top-11 finish in just five races there last fall.

Analysis: Just like his teammate in the No. 22 car, Cindric is starting to pick up steam after a fast, but unfruitful start. We’ll see what happens at Bristol, where most of Cindric’s six starts could be considered, well, slow and unfruitful — he’s started outside the top 20 four times and finished 20th or worse four times as well.

Analysis: So-so day for Suárez, taking the free pass earlier in the race only to later get caught up in a multicar crash and, of course, finish a lap down. Despite his litany of rides in his career, none of them have yielded anything resembling success at Bristol, where No. 7 has a 20.2 average finish and just two top 10s in 15 career starts — and three straight results of 31st or worse.

Analysis: Chastain and Co. took a gamble on late strategy that did briefly have the No. 1 car in the lead for 14 laps during the pit cycle, but he quickly faded on older tires as the race went on green. Still, there are some long-term concerns after a tepid start for this No. 1 team, especially given Chastain has yet to lead a lap at Bristol and has an average finish that’s just a hair inside the top 20 (19.5), so the tide isn’t likely to turn yet.

Analysis: If McDowell can continue to just hang around the top 20 when he needs to — like he did at Martinsville — and then maximize his days elsewhere on the certain tracks he excels at, there certainly is a legitimate Chase path for the veteran. Bristol has somewhat turned into one of those spots for him. While he’s only got a pair of top 10s in 28 starts there, four of his last 11 starts have been finishes of 11th or better.

Posted on March 30, 2026April 3, 2026 by Staff Report

Following last weekend’s race at Martinsville Speedway, the NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series heads south to North Carolina for exciting action at the 0.94-mile Rockingham Speedway on Saturday (2:30 p.m. ET, The CW, MRN Radio, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).

With the Cup Series having an off weekend, the O’Reilly Auto Parts Series will get additional time in the spotlight as the featured event Saturday afternoon at “The Rock.” Sammy Smith is the defending race winner. The contest will also serve as the qualifier race for this season’s Dash 4 Cash stretch, slated to begin on April 11 at Bristol Motor Speedway.

ENTRY LISTS: O’Reilly Auto Parts Series | Craftsman Truck Series

Garrett Mitchell, also known as Cleetus McFarland, is set to make his O’Reilly Auto Parts Series debut, driving the No. 33 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet. McFarland made his debut in the Craftsman Truck Series earlier this year in the season opener at Daytona International Speedway.

Thirty-eight cars are entered into the event.

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

View the full entry list for the race: