Posted on by Neil Paine

Grab your pencils, break out the brackets, circle the favorites and start hunting for upsets.

No, March hasn’t returned early. But NASCAR’s In-Season Challenge is back, bringing with it a five-race, $1 million head-to-head knockout tournament in the middle of the NASCAR Cup Series’ summer stretch. And if last year’s inaugural edition of the Challenge was any indication, we could be in for some wild happenings — even if it’s unlikely we’ll see a 32-seed like Ty Dillon go all the way to the final again. (Never say never!)

Here are the initial odds to advance through each round and win the 2026 Challenge, according to my Cup Series forecast model (which uses track type-specific ratings for each driver to simulate the rest of the schedule 10,000 times, tracking who will win The Chase, or — in this case — the In-Season Challenge):

Chart showing the odds of drivers to advance through the 2026 NASCAR In-Season Tournament.

With those numbers in place as a framework, let’s dive into the drivers to watch — from the safest picks at the top of the board to the bracket-busters capable of making some madness out of June and July, too:

The Favorites 

Unsurprisingly, the leading favorites to win the 2026 In-Season Challenge are the same guys who are the favorites to win the 2026 Cup Series title overall: Denny Hamlin and Tyler Reddick. It’s fascinating that the same dynamic dominating the regular-season stretch-run conversation — whether Reddick can hang on to his commanding early-season lead for the top seed in The Chase — will also run in parallel during the In-Season Challenge. While the two cannot meet until the final (and there’s only a 6-7% chance both would survive that long), the odds are 61% that both will make the Round of 16, 35% that both will make the quarterfinals and 19% that both will make the semifinals.

As always, some of that comes down to who can do well on the other driver’s track-type forte — Hamlin on road courses, Reddick on short tracks — but that factor is mitigated some by bracket paths, as Hamlin gets the much more favorable first-round draw of Ty Dillon (unless we think his head-to-head speedway upset of Denny last year was repeatable) for Sonoma, compared with Reddick getting the theoretically more dangerous opponent of Alex Bowman (even if Bowman’s road-course form this year needs work). As such, it’s kind of a dead-heat as to whether the No. 11 or the No. 45 is more likely to claim the $1 million prize when the confetti clears at the Brickyard.

Of course, there is also another group of drivers lurking just outside the top two, led by Ryan Blaney and Kyle Larson. Again, these are also the next-most likely drivers to win The Chase — maybe the only ones who realistically have a shot at unseating Reddick and Hamlin — but they also will have a chance to audition for it early in this stage.

Blaney drew Josh Berry on a Round 1 road-course, making him the single biggest favorite this week, and he will almost certainly get Shane van Gisbergen at Chicagoland, where the No. 12 will be a big favorite. Larson, meanwhile, drew the improving Riley Herbst for Sonoma and probably will get teammate William Byron in a big-name Hendrick Motorsports showdown for a spot in the quarterfinals — a tougher path, but one that would make him a serious title threat if he gets past Blaney (or someone else) in the quarterfinals.

The Dark Horses 

There is a gap to the next group in the odds, though not a massive one. The dark-horse drivers are the ones outside the obvious favorites, whose numbers suggest they may still be capable of a deep run.

The leaders here are Chase Elliott, Mr. Consistency, and Ty Gibbs, the defending champ. Both are capable of winning it all, though the bracket has the potential to hand them eerily similar obstacles early in the run: In each case, Gibbs and Elliott ought to handle their first-round opponents (Austin Dillon and Noah Gragson, respectively), but the other part of their “pod” offers a dangerous, underseeded driver (Chase Briscoe and Bubba Wallace) who must get past a road-course veteran (AJ Allmendinger and Michael McDowell) at Sonoma to advance. Whichever one doesn’t have to face Briscoe or Bubba at Chicagoland might be the winner here.

Our next tier of sleepers includes Briscoe, Byron, Christopher Bell, Chris Buescher, Wallace and Carson Hocevar, all of whom are packed between 3-5% odds heading into the tournament. Among those, Byron and Buescher are much safer bets to make the Round of 16 — facing John Hunter Nemechek and Ricky Stenhouse Jr., respectively — while the rest face tougher first-round draws, but all would be dangerous if they advance. And in fact, Bell and Buescher are on a second-round collision course if things go chalk, with the winner having legitimate potential to knock out Hamlin early.

The Tough Draws

With the seeding fixed to reflect the actual standings — one of my top suggestions coming out of last year’s tournament — immediate draws begging for an upset are tougher to find. But that doesn’t mean they don’t exist. No. 15 seed Erik Jones got stuck with three-time Cup champ Joey Logano in Round 1, making Jones an underdog in the model, even though Joey is having arguably the worst season of his career. Jones has been doing very well recently, but at a road course — not his specialty — that may not be enough to dispatch Logano.

Similarly, Wallace, Hocevar and Bell drew rough first-round matchups — McDowell on a road course, Zane Smith and Ross Chastain, respectively — making each a coin flip at best to advance out of the gates. Smith’s recent uptick in performance mirrors Hocevar’s, and the No. 38 has been substantially better on road/street tracks this year than the No. 77. And while Bell has more contender cachet, he’s also dealing with an injury, while Chastain has been better on road courses this year (79.3 Driver Rating versus 62.7 for Bell).

The Spoilers 

The flip-side of a tough draw is a lower-seeded driver with a shot at knocking off the favorite, so we can immediately mark down Logano, McDowell, Smith and Chastain as leading candidates to end promising Challenge runs before they even get a chance to begin.

But they’re not the only ones with a shot at shaking things up for the favorites. Allmendinger is always a threat on road courses, so he could take out Briscoe at Sonoma. Likewise, No. 17 seed Brad Keselowski (facing No. 16 Austin Cindric), No. 19 Ryan Preece (No. 14 van Gisbergen) and No. 25 Todd Gilliland (No. 8 Daniel Suárez) all have at least some chance of beating their higher-ranked first-round foes, with Herbst (facing Larson) not too far behind.

(If last week proved anything, it’s that even SVG can be beaten in a single road-course race, as he got caught up in chaos in front of him in San Diego and saw his day end early.)

And stop us if you’ve heard this one before — but Logano, as the 18-seed, has the best chance to spoil the whole championship for the top seeds, with the highest odds to advance past the Round of 8 and win the title of anybody seeded outside the top half of the bracket. (Followed by, of course, fellow chaos agent Chastain.)

The Cinderellas

If you’re looking for this year’s Ty Dillon, though — say, a driver seeded 24th or worse with some kind of chance to crash the final four party — you have a few options.

No. 27 Riley Herbst and No. 28 Austin Dillon (speaking of NASCAR’s all-time chaos agents) each have a 3% chance to make the last quartet of drivers standing, despite some staunch competition looming early in the bracket. No. 32 Alex Bowman is hardly this field’s “Mr. Irrelevant,” either, as he has a 5% shot at the semifinals despite facing No. 1 seed Reddick in Round 1. (Both have won on road courses, for what it’s worth.)

And maybe the best Cinderella pick of all is No. 24 Zane Smith, who has a whopping 8% chance to make the semifinals despite his low seed. Smith is bolstered by a number of factors, including his edge on road courses over first-round foe Hocevar, a fairly soft second-round path (against the Suárez/Gilliland winner), catching Reddick — if chalk holds — at a drafting track (EchoPark) in the Round of 16, and the possibility of facing only one true short-track ace (Gibbs) at North Wilkesboro Speedway, if things come down to that.

A lot of moving pieces need to fall into place for all of that to happen, but Smith’s path to a deep In-Season Challenge run is surprisingly plausible when laid out that way. Or who knows? Maybe the tournament will just belong to Ty Dillon again — this time armed with an even better seed (31 versus 32) than he had a year ago.

Posted on by Nathan Solomon

Year 2 of the In-Season Challenge kicks off Sunday when the stars of the NASCAR Cup Series head to the winding hills of Sonoma Raceway (3:30 p.m. ET, TNT Sports, truTV, HBO Max, PRN Radio, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).

Commencing this year’s five-week, head-to-head bracket battle at a road course is a change from last year, when the inaugural In-Season Challenge kicked off at the EchoPark Speedway drafting track. A superspeedway-like race as the opener busted some early brackets with eight Round 1 upsets, but ultimately, Ty Gibbs emerged after a month of high-stakes battles to take the 2025 crown.

A road course for this year’s Round 1 race will certainly bring some different names into the fold, but will likely end up more predictable than EchoPark. Here’s what to keep an eye on for this weekend in Wine Country.

RELATED: Fill out your bracket now! | In-Season Challenge hub

ROUND 1 MATCHUPS:

  • (No. 1) Tyler Reddick vs. (No. 32) Alex Bowman
  • (No. 2) Denny Hamlin vs. (No. 31) Ty Dillon
  • (No. 3) Ryan Blaney vs. (No. 30) Josh Berry
  • (No. 4) Chase Elliott vs. (No. 29) Noah Gragson
  • (No. 5) Ty Gibbs vs. (No. 28) Austin Dillon
  • (No. 6) Kyle Larson vs. (No. 27) Riley Herbst
  • (No. 7) Chris Buescher vs. (No. 26) John Hunter Nemechek
  • (No. 8) Daniel Suárez vs. (No. 25) Todd Gilliland
  • (No. 9) Carson Hocevar vs. (No. 24) Zane Smith
  • (No. 10) Christopher Bell vs. (No. 23) Ross Chastain
  • (No. 11) William Byron vs. (No. 22) Ricky Stenhouse Jr.
  • (No. 12) Chase Briscoe vs. (No. 21) AJ Allmendinger
  • (No. 13) Bubba Wallace vs. (No. 20) Michael McDowell
  • (No. 14) Shane van Gisbergen vs. (No. 19) Ryan Preece
  • (No. 15) Erik Jones vs. (No. 18) Joey Logano
  • (No. 16) Austin Cindric vs. (No. 17) Brad Keselowski

TRACK BREAKDOWN

Shane van Gisbergen (who we’ll get to later) is an obvious favorite anytime the Cup Series goes road course racing, but several other drivers have stout Sonoma records. No. 9 seed Chase Elliott has never won in Northern California, but has seven top 10s in nine starts at the 1.99-mile road course. No. 7 seed Chris Buescher has top fives in three of the last four races at the 10-turn circuit, and both Elliott and Buescher have favorable matchups.

No. 6 seed Kyle Larson is the only active driver with multiple Sonoma wins, with his most recent coming in 2024. He uncharacteristically finished 35th there last year, but showed his best road course pace in quite some time last weekend in San Diego. His matchup with Riley Herbst is also favorable, but the No. 35 23XI Racing team has made big gains over the last several months. No. 8 seed Daniel Suárez is also a Sonoma winner and has beaten Todd Gilliland, his Round 1 opponent, in three of the last four trips there.

No. 20 seed Michael McDowell owns the best average finish in the Next Gen car at Sonoma among drivers with multiple starts at 4.0. He’ll face Bubba Wallace, who finished second last weekend at Naval Base Coronado in his best career road course race. On paper, McDowell is a favorite as his 5.67 average finish in three road course events this year is tops in Cup, but Wallace surely won’t go down easily.

MATCHUP OF THE WEEK: (No. 9) Carson Hocevar vs. (No. 24) Zane Smith

Two of NASCAR’s brightest young stars are pitted against each other in Round 1. Both Hocevar and Smith are enjoying career years in their third full-time Cup bouts, and both led laps and contended last weekend at Naval Base Coronado. Hocevar sits ninth in points and has speed seemingly everywhere, and Smith has especially broken out over the last two months with three top 10s in the last five races. Smith crashed inside the top 10 at both Michigan and Pocono, but this stretch proves that his Front Row Motorsports speed can contend with the highly touted Spire Motorsports.

Oh yeah, they have history, too. Last summer at Iowa Speedway, Hocevar crashed into Smith, prompting Ryan Bergenty, Smith’s crew chief, to confront Hocevar post-race. In an interview with NASCAR.com a week later, Smith said, “I personally can’t go have a conversation with him without getting a $75,000 fine … he’s just a dumb [expletive].”

So two drivers that most definitely don’t like each other racing straight up over 110 laps? That could create fireworks. Neither driver has finished better than 16th at Sonoma, but with both on upward trajectories, it’s certainly possible that both of these budding stars could find themselves in contention for the win.

a split image graphic of carson hocevar and zane smith
Getty Images

KEY MATCHUP: (No. 14) Shane van Gisbergen vs. (No. 19) Ryan Preece

After how Naval Base Coronado played out, this matchup got a lot more interesting. At the end of the day, van Gisbergen still has seven road course victories in 15 starts, including six of the last eight. But San Diego — and even Circuit of The Americas for that matter — showed that the No. 97 Trackhouse Racing driver isn’t invincible.

Alternatively, Preece ran arguably his best race of the season in Coronado, finishing 11th and earning 19 of 20 possible stage points. He’s finished no worse than 18th in three road course races in 2026 and finally has some momentum on his side after a miserable four-week stretch between Charlotte and Pocono. Preece is generally known for finishing consistently and maximizing his car, so if SVG has another misstep, the RFK Racing driver can pounce and bust brackets. (And yes, Preece is having plenty of fun about this matchup on X.)

KEY MATCHUP: (No. 16) Austin Cindric vs. (No. 17) Brad Keselowski

The most recent drivers of Team Penske’s famed No. 2 car will face off in a matchup that could go either way. Neither driver has fared particularly well at Sonoma, with Cindric earning one top five in four starts and Keselowski just one top five in 15 starts. Cindric, however, has a road course racing background and won on lefts and rights five times in the O’Reilly Auto Parts Series. He also has a top 10 this season at Watkins Glen International.

But widening the scope, Cindric and Keselowski sit squarely around the Chase cutoff line. Cindric is 15th in points and has been above the provisional cut for seven of the last eight races, while the RFK Racing driver/owner has plummeted from ninth to 19th since Watkins Glen. Postseason pressure is ramping up, and both of these drivers need strong weekends — which could potentially start a deep In-Season Challenge run for one of them.

UPSET WATCH: (No. 10) Christopher Bell

The Norman, Oklahoma, native is a three-time road-course winner, but Bell’s injury status jeopardizes his chances of advancing out of Round 1. After suffering a fractured left wrist in a crash at Michigan International Speedway, Bell received clearance to race at Pocono Raceway, but exited his Toyota early last weekend at Naval Base Coronado. Eighteen-year-old Brent Crews took over at the first caution before a mechanical failure ended the team’s day early in San Diego.

So will a similar driver swap procedure be in order at Sonoma? Regardless, Bell’s facing Ross Chastain in the opener, who’s stout on the road in his own right. The Trackhouse Racing driver’s first Cup win came at Circuit of The Americas in 2022, and he is riding the most momentum he’s had all season with consecutive top-10 finishes. Chastain owns an average finish of 11.5 in the Next Gen car, fourth best among active drivers at the track. With so many unknowns for the No. 20 Joe Gibbs Racing team this weekend, it’s hard to bank on Bell advancing.

Posted on by Staff Report

Firecracker 150 presented by the Bethesda Leadership Group

Seekonk Speedway

  • Entry list
Car No. Driver Team Crew Chief Chassis Mfg. Sponsor
1 Patrick Emerling USNE Motorsports Dale Hedquist LFR USNE Power
3 Tyler Rypkema BRE Racing Greg Fournier Boehler Racing Northeast Drilling; SYP; J&R Precast
05 Teddy Hodgdon IV Teddy Hodgdon Racing Ted Hodgdon FURY Race Cars Business Time Motorsports; The Landau Team of Re/Max; Montanari Fuel
8 John-Michael Shenette Eighty-Two Autosport Scott Morin LFR USNE Power Charlotte, Eighty-Two Services
18 Ken Heagy Heagy Motorsports Greg Gorman FURY Race Cars Merkel Racing Engines
21 Stephen Kopcik Wanick Motorsports Nick Kopcik Troyer Wanick Construction; Newtown Pools
28 Doug Coby Jett Motorsports John Mckenna LFR Nucar
31 Michael Christopher Jr Elite Motorsports Eugene Orlando LFR Elite Towing; Elite Racing; Baker Racing
36 David Sapienza Sapienza Racing Greg Kleila Troyer USNE Power; Sapienza Enterprises
44 Chase Dowling Tinio Racing Danny Gamache LFR S&S Paving / Harshaw Paving
54 Tommy Catalano Catalano Motorsports Rick Kluth Troyer FX Caprara; USNE Power
56 Trevor Catalano Catalano Motorsports David Catalano Troyer USNE Power
58 Eric Goodale Goodie Motorsports Rob Hyer FURY Race Cars GAF Roofing Riverhead Building Supply
60 Matt Hirschman Pee Dee Motorsports Mike Stein Troyer Bar Harbor Bank & Trust; Pee Dee Motorsports
64 Austin Beers KLM Motorsports Ron Yuhas Troyer Lumiere Electrical, Dell Electric, G&G Electrical Supply, Andrew James Interiors, AP Marquadt & Sons, Hughes Motors
73 Paulie Hartwig III Hartwig Racing Bobby Geiger Jr FURY Race Cars Professional Therapy Associates; Jersey Shore Contracting
79 Jonathan McKennedy Jonathan McKennedy Racing Patrick Walsh FURY Race Cars Stuarts Automotive, Christophers Towing, John Young Landscaping, Levasseur HVAC, Hillsboro Enterprises
82 Andrew Molleur DWR Racing Michael Molleur LFR Horton Avenue Materials
89 Matt Swanson Matt Swanson John Swanson FURY Race Cars Ceravolos Auto; Swanson GMC

 

Posted on by Nate Ryan

The unusual decision to permit Corey Day’s team to work under the red flag and receive four laps back came after a “lengthy” discussion among NASCAR officials.

“It was, ‘Hey, what do we do here? Does it feel right that we give Corey Day his four laps back?’ ” NASCAR Vice President of Racing Communications Mike Forde said on the latest episode of the “Hauler Talk” podcast. “And it wasn’t unanimous. There was some, ‘Well, what have we done before?’ We try to be consistent.”

RELATED: Naval Base Coronado weekend results

Day’s No. 17 Chevrolet was damaged by a loose sewer cover on the first lap of the O’Reilly Auto Parts Series street race at Naval Base Coronado.

There have been other instances in which cars were damaged by debris (such as Jeff Gordon’s Chevy being hit by a loose chunk of concrete while leading at Martinsville Speedway in 2004) in which no dispensation was granted.

“In this case, we felt the big thing was this was a temporary course, and it wasn’t built for racing,” Forde said. “And so, some of those other ‘racing deals,’ it didn’t exactly match what happened here. This came up on a city street, and (Day) didn’t really do anything wrong.

“It was just horrible, horrible luck. If we can sort of fix that and give him his luck back, we felt that it was the right thing to do.”

NASCAR will have further discussions about how to handle similar situations in the future, possibly tweaking the process in which Day got his laps back. The No. 17 circled the track four times under caution to ensure its fuel consumption was relatively equal. To avoid burning laps under yellow, Forde said NASCAR might consider keeping the field stationary while a driver circled the track.

MORE: “Inside the Race” explains short-track bumper change

But NASCAR will keep a high standard for suspending the rules as it did in Day’s situation.

“Instead of a cover going through the radiator, what if it’s a piece of ballast from another car,” Forde said. “That’s bad luck, too, but I think we probably will look at that as a little more of a legitimate racing deal that you’ve seen before hundreds of times throughout all levels of racing, and it’s a bummer for that competitor, but it’s kind of part of the game.

“A cover coming off on a street race on a naval base is not typically part of the game, so that’s why we made the decision we did.”

After the cover came loose, NASCAR rewelded a cover in Turn 6 during the red flag and added a fifth weld to other covers around the course before Sunday’s Cup race. A second welding truck was added Sunday because it took longer than expected to repair the cover.

NASCAR cited its EIRI clause — “Except in rare instances” — to suspend its rules for working under the red flag and to give Day his laps back.

“We don’t do it often and don’t like doing it often,” Forde said. “It’s for very unique circumstances. Things arise where you have to say, ‘You know what? This doesn’t feel right. Logic needs to prevail here. Even though the rules say one thing, in this case, we need to kind of tweak our rules.’ ”

Other topics covered by Forde and senior director of racing communications Amanda Ellis during the 59th episode of “Hauler Talk,” which explores competition issues in NASCAR:

— A safety adjustment for Cup cars on short tracks that will remove bumper foam to add crushability to the front ends on impact;

— How NASCAR aided the Naval Criminal Investigative Service after a fan entered the race track Saturday;

— Whether cautions could be shortened if NASCAR returns to the San Diego street course;

— The wall repairs that necessitated red flags in NASCAR’s three races last weekend.

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.

Posted on by Official NASCAR Release

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — NASCAR and the Rolling Stones, in partnership with Goodyear, today announced a first-of-its-kind collaboration celebrating two cultural icons built on performance and life on the road.

Launching ahead of the July 10 release of “Foreign Tongues,” the Rolling Stones’ highly anticipated new studio album, the collaboration brings together the worlds of racing and rock ‘n’ roll through officially licensed merchandise, special-edition collector vinyl, original content and a one-of-a-kind fan experience in Chicago.

At the center of the campaign is an immersive NASCAR show car transformed into a Rolling Stones listening lounge, giving fans an opportunity to experience music from “Foreign Tongues” inside a custom-designed vehicle that blends racing culture with the band’s legendary aesthetic. The activation will travel to key Chicago locations leading into NASCAR’s Chicagoland Speedway race weekend.

MORE: Pre-order, get merch!

“For generations, NASCAR and the Rolling Stones have captivated fans through unforgettable live experiences and a shared spirit of performance,” said Megan Malayter, NASCAR Vice President of Licensing and Consumer Products. “While one takes place on the race track and the other on the stage, both are fueled by passion, energy and life on the road. This collaboration brings those worlds together in a unique way, giving fans exclusive content, limited-edition collectible vinyls and immersive experiences that celebrate the connection between racing and rock ‘n’ roll.”

The collaboration includes:

  • NASCAR x the Rolling Stones merchandise collection featuring co-branded apparel, headlined by the signature NASCAR racing jacket.
  • Two limited-edition NASCAR-themed collector vinyl editions of “Foreign Tongues.”
  • A custom NASCAR listening lounge show car appearing throughout Chicago, leading into the NASCAR Chicagoland race weekend (July 4-5).
  • Original content highlighting the parallels between professional drivers and touring musicians.

The campaign launches with a hero film featuring NASCAR drivers Jesse Love, Connor Zilisch and Carson Hocevar alongside creator and driver Cleetus McFarland. Set to music from “Foreign Tongues,” the film reimagines the drivers as a touring rock band, drawing connections between life on tour and life on the NASCAR schedule. Blending racing imagery with rock ‘n’ roll storytelling, the film serves as the creative centerpiece of a campaign designed to bring fans inside the worlds of both NASCAR and The Rolling Stones.

Fans in Chicago will have the opportunity to experience the NASCAR x The Rolling Stones Racing Record Player, a listening experience that is fueled by rock ‘n’ roll, at select locations ahead of race weekend, including Navy Pier, Plaza of the Americas and the Chicagoland Speedway Fan Zone.

“Foreign Tongues” arrives July 10, via Capitol Records and follows the band’s Grammy Award-winning album “Hackney Diamonds.”

For more information and to shop the NASCAR x The Rolling Stones collection, visit NASCARShop.com or https://rollingstones.lnk.to/Nascar, or find it trackside during NASCAR’s Chicagoland race weekend.

Tune in Sunday as the NASCAR Cup Series shifts to TNT Sports platforms for the Toyota/Save Mart 350 live from Sonoma Raceway at 3:30 p.m. ET. The race also marks the first race of the 2026 In-Season Challenge, where Tyler Reddick and Denny Hamlin are the top two seeds, respectively. In addition to TNT Sports, the race will also air live on HBO Max, PRN Radio and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.

Posted on by Staff Report

The NASCAR Cup Series and O’Reilly Auto Parts Series hang west for another week as they head to the winding hills of Sonoma Raceway. For both series, it’s the final road-course race of the 2026 season. See how qualifying groups will be divided this weekend in Wine Country.

MORE: Weekend schedule | How to watch NASCAR on TV

Cup Series
Group qualifying will occur at 3:10 p.m. ET on Saturday with practice earlier in the day at 2 p.m. ET (truTV).

POSITIONNUMBERDRIVERMETRICGROUP
188Connor Zilisch #36.41
24Noah Gragson33.81
333Austin Hill(i)33.61
441Cole Custer31.91
597Shane van Gisbergen31.71
610Ty Dillon30.91
747Ricky Stenhouse Jr.30.91
820Christopher Bell30.91
921Josh Berry29.91
106Brad Keselowski29.51
1148Alex Bowman27.21
1251Cody Ware26.91
1324William Bryon26.31
143Austin Dillon25.51
1534Todd Gilliland22.21
162Austin Cindric20.21
1742John Hunter Nemechek19.31
1843Erik Jones18.51
1922Joey Logano18.02
2045Tyler Reddick17.82
2177Carson Hocevar16.02
2219Chase Briscoe14.92
2371Michael McDowell13.32
2435Riley Herbst12.82
2554Ty Gibbs12.02
2660Ryan Preece11.92
271Ross Chastain11.52
287Daniel Suárez11.52
2911Denny Hamlin10.42
309Chase Elliott10.22
3138Zane Smith9.72
3216AJ Allmendinger9.52
3312Ryan Blaney7.22
3417Chris Buescher6.32
3523Bubba Wallace4.72
365Kyle Larson3.32

O’Reilly Auto Parts Series
Group qualifying will occur at 5:05 p.m. ET on Friday with practice earlier in the day at 4 p.m. ET (The CW App).

POSITIONNUMBERDRIVERMETRICGROUP
171Leland Honeyman Jr.(i)58.71
228Kyle Sieg35.21
342Will Rodgers33.91
49Shane van Gisbergen(i)33.51
502Ryan Ellis30.91
696Anthony Alfredo30.51
718William Sawalich29.41
845Lavar Scott #29.31
992Josh Williams27.81
1041Sam Mayer27.71
110Alex Labbe26.41
1253TBA26.31
1335Dawson Cram26.11
1491Carson Kvapil25.91
1526Dean Thompson25.31
1619Brent Crews #24.41
1755Brad Perez23.81
187Justin Allgaier22.71
1944Brennan Poole22.21
2048Patrick Staropoli #22.12
2107Josh Bilicki19.92
2227Jeb Burton18.52
2351Jeremy Clements16.82
2431Blaine Perkins16.02
2588Rajah Caruth16.02
2632Ross Chastain(i)14.92
2724Harrison Burton13.52
2887Austin Green13.42
2939Ryan Sieg12.22
3020Brandon Jones10.82
3117Corey Day8.52
3299Parker Retzlaff8.22
338Sammy Smith6.52
342Jesse Love5.42
3554Taylor Gray5.02
3600Sheldon Creed3.92
371Connor Zilisch(i)3.72
3821Austin Hill2.82

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

Posted on by Pat DeCola

There wasn’t much else for Shane van Gisbergen to say after being taken out of Sunday’s Anduril 250 at Naval Base Coronado early — he knew the impact immediately.

“A real shame. Red Bull Chevy was unreal and fast once the track kind of rubbered up,” the No. 97 Trackhouse Chevrolet driver said, per the manufacturer. “Just a real shame.”

That was the sting of a high-profile weekend ending in the wrong place at the wrong time on a Stage 2 restart wreck. The No. 97 had speed, with van Gisbergen starting from the pole, leading early at Qualcomm Circuit and remaining among the obvious contenders on a track type where he has quickly become the Cup Series’ clearest measuring stick.

MORE: San Diego results | San Diego photos

Then disaster struck, as a Lap 32 restart stack-up sent van Gisbergen into a multicar crash that ended what had looked like one of his best chances to score big points and instead left him with a season-worst 38th-place finish. The result was damaging on its own. The timing made it worse.

For a driver whose cleanest path into the Chase runs directly through road and street courses, San Diego was supposed to be a slam-dunk points haul. Instead, SVG left with a single point, his third consecutive finish of 30th or worse and a very different postseason picture than the one he carried into the weekend. Per Racing Insights, van Gisbergen was projected to score 45 points at San Diego — but after scoring just one, his probability to make the Chase dropped from 67% to 20%.

Now comes Sonoma, where the vibes have historically been laid-back, but this weekend will be anything but.

Sunday’s Toyota/Save Mart 350 in Wine Country is not quite a mathematical must-win for van Gisbergen, who enters the weekend 17th in the Chase standings and just five points behind Ryan Preece for the final provisional position. But it is something close to a must-convert moment after an extremely costly San Diego setback. Sonoma is the final road-course race on the 2026 Cup Series schedule, giving SVG one last chance this season to use his clearest advantage before the series shifts back to ovals and drafting tracks for the rest of the regular season and beyond.

That makes the situation more urgent for him, specifically, than the cutline alone suggests.

Van Gisbergen dropped three positions in the standings after San Diego and lost 15 points to the cutline. He had held a provisional Chase position after each of the previous five races before Sunday’s DNF and has fallen from 12th to 17th over the last three races. His recent slide is even sharper when measured against the bubble, as the New Zealander was 44 points above the cutline after Nashville on the final day of May. Barely three weeks later, he is now five points below it.

In the 2026 Chase format, a win is worth 55 points, but victory no longer provides an automatic postseason berth. That distinction matters here, particularly since he’s already visited Victory Lane this season. A Sonoma win would not simply erase the standings math by itself like his playoff appearance last year, but it would certainly deliver the jolt San Diego did not. A massive points day, a likely move back above the cutline and a badly needed correction after one of his best opportunities slipped away would offer the necessary pivot. If that doesn’t happen, the pressure could build quickly.

That said, few drivers have built a stronger case to deliver that kind of rebound on cue.

SONOMA, CALIFORNIA - JULY 13: Shane Van Gisbergen, driver of the #88 Red Bull Chevrolet, celebrates after winning the NASCAR Cup Series Toyota/Save Mart 350 at Sonoma Raceway on July 13, 2025 in Sonoma, California.
Chris Graythen | Getty Images

Van Gisbergen has seven road-course wins in just 15 Cup Series starts, including six victories in the last eight such races. Since the start of 2025, he has run inside the top five for 79% of laps and inside the top 10 for 90% of laps on road courses. In the Next Gen era, he leads all drivers in road-course wins, laps led and average finish.

The resume is already historic and still rapidly building. With a win Sunday, van Gisbergen would become the first driver to have each of his first eight Cup Series victories come on road courses — and he enters as the defending winner.

RELATED: SVG through the years | Sonoma weekend schedule

In his only Sonoma Cup start to date last year, van Gisbergen started from the pole, led 97 of 110 laps and cruised to Victory Lane. He ran every lap inside the top 10 and became the first pole winner to win at the track since 2004.

Everything on paper says this weekend will once again be his to lose — it’s just that San Diego showed the other side of that equation and how quickly that possibility can turn. The No. 97 had the pace, but the race became messy around him. He can’t control what he can’t control, but that doesn’t make Sonoma any less of a crucial pivot point.

The Chase bubble remains tight enough that van Gisbergen does not need a miracle just yet. Just 18 points separate positions 14 through 19, and SVG is only five points out with nine regular-season races remaining over two-plus months. But one clean, heavy-scoring afternoon could change the tone immediately and reenergize a team that appeared set for back-to-back postseason appearances but suddenly finds itself under immense pressure.

The opposite could ruin a summer.

Posted on by Dustin Albino

Homecomings are often a chance to reflect. For Corey Day, Saturday’s return to Sonoma Raceway (5:30 p.m. ET, The CW, PRN Radio, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio), 200 miles northwest of his hometown of Clovis, California, offers an opportunity to measure just how far he’s come during a rookie season filled with lessons learned at NASCAR’s national level.

Day has impressed the Hendrick Motorsports brass that put him in the No. 17 NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series car full-time in 2026. He started off his first full season with a bang, stringing together eight consecutive top 10 finishes between the second and ninth races at EchoPark Speedway and Bristol Motor Speedway, respectively.

MORE: Corey Day driver page

“Corey’s progress this season has been impressive to witness firsthand,” Adam Wall, crew chief of the No. 17 Chevrolet, said. “His ability to show up at new tracks and get up to speed as quickly as he does shows how talented he is. The expectations were obviously high going full-time with this program, but the start we had to the season was more than I think any of us could have expected with someone so new to this.”

The results have been strong, but the optics were less favorable to begin 2026. Day clashed with JR Motorsports’ No. 1 Chevrolet at EchoPark and Circuit of The Americas, leaving Carson Kvapil and Connor Zilisch, respectively, on the wrong end of contact. Considering the alliance between Hendrick and JRM, it was essentially a quasi-teammate being wrecked off Day’s front bumper.

Day took ownership of both incidents, admitting he needed to be better.

“Last year, I was just fast enough to crash and get myself into trouble,” Day told NASCAR.com. “I didn’t really have the speed to wreck anyone else. I was getting passed, not passing people. The start of this year, I started with a lot more speed than I had. There were a couple of times where I didn’t know what to do with it and made a mistake.”

With more seat time and a chat with Rick Hendrick, Day has stopped overstepping his boundaries. Compared to 2025, he’s seen notable improvements across the board.

“Just comfortability in the car,” Day said of the biggest improvement. “I can fire off for Lap 1 of the race or practice and know what the car is going to do and you can already feel what it’s going to do into Turn 1 before I get to Turn 1. Before, I was behind the race car. There was no anticipation of what the car was doing; it was driving me, per se. That’s been a big thing.”

2025 NASCAR Cup Series champion and Hendrick Motorsports driver Kyle Larson knew that with an entire offseason, Day would be a viable threat in 2026.

“He’s done great,” Larson told NASCAR.com. “I feel like the performance side of it has gone as I hoped and expected. I thought last year, I know the potential in Corey, so I was like, ‘Man, he’s not running as good as I thought he would.’

“This offseason, I was like, I think he’s going to adapt this year because you get to have consistency with your team, you are going to be higher in the (qualifying) metric. Everything has gone better.”

Corey Day in Victory Lane with Kyle Larson and team spotter.
Sean Gardner | Getty Images

Day’s potential within the Hendrick ranks could be traced back to another Hendrick Motorsports icon. The Days — Corey’s father, Ronnie — crossed paths with Hendrick vice chairman and NASCAR Hall of Famer Jeff Gordon on the sprint-car scene. That was the path Day was chasing until Larson gave his nod of approval to the powers that be at HMS, believing in the upstart’s natural ability.

“When you have a guy like Kyle who is racing on the track with [Day] and saying those types of things, it certainly gets our attention when we start looking down the road at up-and-coming drivers,” Gordon told NASCAR.com in a conversation last fall. “It’s not that we were planning for that, but when somebody comes along that has that type of talent, you start looking at it a little bit differently of what’s possible.”

The 2026 season has been highlighted by a pair of victories for the No. 17 team, as Day surprised himself at Talladega Superspeedway, the site of his first triumph. He followed it up three weeks later, passing regular-season championship leader Justin Allgaier in the closing laps at Dover Motor Speedway while using the high line.

“Talladega was my first [win], but Dover was my first real oval win, for sure,” Day noted. “It felt really good. That was such a team win. There was a little attrition, but I still owe it to my guys. You can’t have a shot to win those races at the end without a great car.”

The trajectory is positive, with additional improvement still attainable. In three of the last seven races, Day has had an incident on the opening lap of the race, resulting in DNFs at Texas Motor Speedway and Pocono Raceway. Last weekend at Naval Base Coronado, he collected a track cover on the opening lap, though he rallied to a top-10 result.

“I still get caught off guard once every race and make a mistake,” Day said. “I think that’s going to happen throughout your whole career; I don’t think anyone can be perfect. Some race craft stuff, my road-course ability has got some work to do. My speedway stuff, even though I won a race, I really don’t know what I’m doing yet. Still a lot to work on.”

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

After signing a developmental deal with Hendrick in December of 2024, he zagged across the country, akin to a graduating high school senior moving away for their freshman year of college. But it’s been a robust start to his NASCAR tenure for the 20-year-old, ranking third in the standings, 14 markers below reigning champion Jesse Love for a distant second to Allgaier. And by the time The Chase rolls around, Larson believes the No. 17 team could play spoiler to Allgaier.

“I feel like he’s probably the second-best team right now to Allgaier, with much more potential within himself and the team still learning,” Larson said. “Obviously, Justin has so much experience, and that’s why he can outrace some of these people and knows what he feels. I think when Corey learns more of that, he’s going to be ready once The Chase comes and hopefully be able to challenge Justin for the championship.”

Posted on by Brandon White

The last time Lee Pulliam contested the entirety of the Virginia Late Model Triple Crown presented by FloRacing, he ended up securing his second championship in the three-race stretch.

That was in 2019. Now one of Late Model Stock Car racing’s heralded kings of the southeast is hoping and preparing to add another crown to his long list of conquests.

Pulliam’s pursuit of a third Virginia Triple Crown will see him team back up with JR Motorsports after making his NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series debut with the team at Martinsville Speedway in March. Sponsoring Pulliam’s No. 8 Chevrolet for the effort will be the NASCAR Channel, a free, 24/7 streaming network.

A few years ago, Pulliam never imagined he would have support from JR Motorsports or NASCAR for even one race, especially after transitioning to team ownership. The circumstances in which Pulliam finds himself are why he is so excited about chasing the Virginia Triple Crown as a driver once again.

“It’s super gratifying and humbling to drive these race cars,” Pulliam said. “To do it with JR Motorsports is an unbelievable opportunity, and to have the NASCAR Channel on board, it just speaks volumes really of [how much] everybody at NASCAR and JRM believe in me. It’s a really big deal and an honor I don’t take lightly.”

If it were up to Pulliam, he would have continued chasing Virginia Triple Crowns after his 2019 title. Sponsorship became more of an issue as the years progressed, which forced him to make a tough-but-necessary decision to step away from full-time driving at the turn of the decade.

Despite the change in direction, Pulliam maintained a lasting impact not only on Late Model Stocks, but also across motorsports. Drivers like Corey Heim and Brenden “Butterbean” Queen enjoyed plenty of success through Lee Pulliam Performance, which has also helped develop aspiring female competitors like Isabella Robusto and Lanie Buice.

Yet a burning desire remained inside Pulliam to turn laps alongside the drivers he mentored. Other than a handful of starts in 2020, Pulliam remained out of the seat, but he never lost hope about one day putting his fire suit back on to chase another win.

“It’s something about driving; that’s what got me into this sport,” Pulliam said. “My passion was to be behind the wheel. I never wanted to not be behind the wheel. Circumstances led to that.”

Lee Pulliam
Before he stepped away from driving, Lee Pulliam had amassed a stellar short-track resumé that included four NASCAR Local Racing Series national titles, two ValleyStar Credit Union 300 victories and two Virginia Triple Crown championships. (Photo: Sara D. Davis / NASCAR via Getty Images)

The catalyst that ultimately got Pulliam back into racing was a family emergency, as his father Stuart was hospitalized in 2024 after a Whipple procedure led to kidney failure in dialysis. Pulliam made a promise to a recovering Stuart that if his health improved, he would find the funding to go run the 2024 ValleyStar Credit Union 300 at Martinsville Speedway.

Pulliam indeed made his return to Late Model Stock competition in the discipline’s crown jewel event; he finished 13th after starting eighth. Not satisfied with his performance, Pulliam returned to Martinsville the following year with one of the best cars, as he qualified on the outside pole and led 44 of 200 laps.

Although he ended up losing the ValleyStar Credit Union 300 to Landon Pembelton by 0.024 seconds in overtime, Pulliam’s comeback captivated many in the Late Model Stock industry who either watched him race or had heard stories about his rivalries with other accomplished drivers.

One of the first to contact Pulliam after that runner-up showing was Dale Earnhardt Jr., a longtime friend. It did not take long for the two motorsports legends to start deliberating on how to put Pulliam in a JR Motorsports car.

“[Dale Jr.] just felt really touched by the whole story of me coming back after being gone for so long and how close I was to winning [Martinsville],” Pulliam said. “It tugged on him to want to do something together, because he could see I still had that passion and fire. We just connected from there.”

The Thanksgiving Classic at Southern National Motorsports Park that November saw Pulliam climb into a JR Motorsports Late Model Stock for the first time. Pulliam displayed the same efficiency with Earnhardt Jr.’s equipment that had followed him throughout his storied career, ultimately finishing second.

A few months later, JR Motorsports helped Pulliam fulfill a childhood dream in his first national NASCAR start at Martinsville, a track at which he’d won twice in a Late Model Stock. Nearly everything about the opportunity went according to plan for Pulliam, who ended his day in fifth after leading 40 laps in the closing stages.

Walking across the stage during O’Reilly Series driver introductions and listening to the uproarious cheers from the crowd was an emotional moment for Pulliam. Such a reality was something Pulliam had worked diligently over nearly two decades to obtain, which is why he will always be grateful to JR Motorsports for helping him reach that long-overdue milestone.

Given how great their first two ventures together went, Pulliam felt it made too much sense to attempt the Virginia Triple Crown with JR Motorsports.

“We’re racers,” Pulliam said. “Dale’s a racer; Bryan Shaffer is a racer. Bryan does a tremendous job, and our friendship has grown over the years. Bryan has crew chiefed the No. 8 and the No. 88 while I’ve been a crew chief to my cars. We always try to help each other at the race tracks when the other one needs something.

“Dale wanted to go racing, wanted a shot to win, and felt like I was his guy. That was good enough for me. I was all in.”

Lee Pulliam
Lee Pulliam is teaming back up with JR Motorsports for the Virginia Triple Crown after he finished fifth with the team for his NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series debut at Martinsville Speedway. (Photo: Jacob Kupferman/Getty Images)

An avid supporter of Late Model Stock racing, Earnhardt Jr. believes Pulliam embodies all the characteristics that make the discipline so special to him, grit, determination and all the accolades that come with it. From Earnhardt Jr,’s perspective, it is only fitting that Pulliam is back in a Late Model Stock for all three Virginia Triple Crown presented by FloRacing events.

Two top fives in two races for JR Motorsports across two different cars is only reinforcing Earnhardt Jr.’s confidence in Pulliam’s ability as the two prepare for the opening round of the Virginia Triple Crown presented by FloRacing at South Boston Speedway.

“I’m pretty excited to continue working with Lee,” Earnhardt Jr. said. “He’s had a good impact on our company and his story resonates with the NASCAR fan. I have no doubt that he and Caden [Kvapil] will represent us well on and off the track chasing the historic [Virginia] Triple Crown [presented by FloRacing].”

Earnhardt Jr. and Pulliam are also ecstatic to carry the NASCAR Channel colors for the entirety of the Virginia Triple Crown presented by FloRacing. Established in 2025, the NASCAR Channel offers a variety of content that includes original programming, race replays and live events that will include the ValleyStar Credit Union 300 at Martinsville later this year.

The NASCAR Channel is available on Xumo Play, Tubi, Prime Video, Fire TV, Roku, Samsung TV, FLS and Tablo TV.

As the motorsports industry in the United States continues to evolve, Pulliam emphasized the importance of drivers like him getting the recognition they deserve in the modern era. He sees the NASCAR Channel as a great way to accomplish that goal, but he also feels honored to have NASCAR branding on his car for three of the most prestigious Late Model Stock events.

“That’s a tremendous deal to have the NASCAR Channel on board,” Pulliam said. “I’m super stoked about that and proud to represent them. That part of the sport is continuing to grow as far as people subscribing and watching racing. I hope to help promote it even further. I’m going to do all I can to get the NASCAR Channel No. 8 in Victory Lane.”

The Virginia Triple Crown presented by FloRacing will serve as the NASCAR Channel’s first foray into race sponsorship. Dan Barker, the Senior Managing Director of Content Strategy and Distribution at NASCAR, admitted the idea materialized from a break-room conversation at the NASCAR Production Facility in Concord, North Carolina.

Barker sees the NASCAR Channel’s partnership with Pulliam and JR Motorsports as a victory for everyone involved. He said it allows the NASCAR Channel to further sustain its exponential growth while simultaneously supporting a high-caliber short track competitor like Pulliam.

“Everything we do at the NASCAR Channel and in regional broadcasting is for the fans,” Barker said. “Lee Pulliam is one of the biggest names in late model racing and a huge fan favorite. It made sense to us to partner with Lee, FloSports and JRM around the Triple Crown and make sure that all race fans are able to watch those events for free.”

The alliance between Pulliam, JR Motorsports and the NASCAR Channel has a great chance to start on a perfect note in the Thunder Road Harley-Davidson 200, especially with how efficient Pulliam has been at South Boston during his career.

The 2013 South Boston track champion, Pulliam notably won the Thunder Road Harley-Davidson 200 six consecutive times from 2011-16. He also took home a checkered flag in South Boston’s season-opener this year, the first time he had won a race of any kind since 2019.

Lee Pulliam
Lee Pulliam possesses a stellar record at South Boston Speedway, which includes winning the facility’s prestigious Thunder Road Harley-Davidson 200 six consecutive times. (Photo: NASCAR)

Pulliam has witnessed South Boston endure plenty of changes throughout his career, from the drivers that regularly race there to the track surface that was repaved in 2016. Many of Pulliam’s triumphs occurred on South Boston’s old surface, but he feels confident about his comfort level with the current pavement after his win there in March.

A 200-lap race around South Boston is going to be much different than a local show; there will be more emphasis on a patience alongside increased risks with so many cars entered. For the first leg of the Virginia Triple Crown to go smoothly, Pulliam intends to work closely with Shaffer to ensure his car has plenty of speed in time for qualifying.

“[South Boston] is tough race track,” Pulliam said. “The key is knowing where to position yourself through the race. It’s so tough to pass nowadays with the cars being so equal. I feel like track position is a premium and qualifying will be a big deal. Sometimes the top comes in, sometimes [everyone] will be down on the flat.

“There always seems to be a big wreck in [the Thunder Road Harley-Davidson 200] at some point, so you have to try to avoid that so you have something to fight with at the end.”

Pulliam is not concerned about speed, as JR Motorsports enters as the reigning Virginia Triple Crown and Thunder Road Harley-Davidson 200 champion with Connor Hall. Combined with the fact that he will have a proven Late Model Stock winner in Caden Kvapil as a teammate, Pulliam envisions a great weekend at South Boston.

As he works with JR Motorsports throughout the weekend, Pulliam still has to double as an owner for his own operation. Lee Pulliam Performance is fielding two cars for the Thunder Road Harley-Davidson, one driven by Carson Brown and the other by Queen, who will attempt the first two legs of the Triple Crown in a Pulliam car.

Nothing would make Pulliam happier than to see the top four spots of the Thunder Road Harley-Davidson 200 get swept by JR Motorsports and Lee Pulliam Performance. There are a lot of responsibilities for Pulliam to shoulder, but he knows streamlining his focus will be the best avenue for both teams to finish well Saturday.

The Thunder Road Harley-Davidson 200 is only the first of three chapters. The Virginia Triple Crown presented by FloRacing is the big prize up for grabs at the end. Health-wise, Pulliam feels he has never been more ready physically and mentally to square up with the best drivers in the Late Model Stock discipline.

Fueled by a desire to prove he is still at the top of his game despite a prolonged absence from racing, Pulliam is determined to reward the faith JR Motorsports, the NASCAR Channel and everyone else has in him.

“I’ve got a lot of fire and tenacity to go get it done and be successful,” Pulliam said. “[It’s all about] a never-give-up attitude. I love this stuff; I love driving race cars. It was my passion; it still is my passion. For me, it means even more this time around, because I went so many years without driving at all. It’s just really special to me.

“I’ve been the guy that’s had to watch everybody take the green flag for a long time, and I felt like I belonged out there in all those races. That’s a tough pill to swallow at times, but I’m using it as motivation this round. It’s a very hungry Lee Pulliam, I’ll tell you that.”

A lot may have changed for Pulliam since the last time he won a Triple Crown, but the driver who developed a reputation as a hard-nosed, spirited Late Model Stock competitor still embodies those qualities today.

With a great team and a rejuvenated mindset at his disposal, Pulliam has everything necessary to add onto his storied legacy.

Posted on by Staff Report

NASCAR officials issued a penalty to the No. 23 23XI Racing team in the NASCAR Cup Series following last weekend’s action at Naval Base Coronado, the sanctioning body announced Tuesday.

RELATED: Cup Series schedule | Naval Base Coronado results 

Rear-tire changer Adam Hartman and jackman Nathan Ricketts have been suspended for the next two events, running through Chicagoland Speedway on July 5, after a detachment of Bubba Wallace’s right-front wheel on Lap 18 in Sunday’s Anduril 250 on the Qualcomm Circuit at Naval Base Coronado, causing a caution and violating Sections 8.8.10.4.A&D in the NASCAR Rule Book.

Despite the caution and subsequent two-lap penalty, Wallace finished the race in second, his best finish so far in 2026.

The Cup Series competes at Sonoma Raceway on Sunday (3:30 p.m. ET, TNT Sports, HBO Max, PRN Radio, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio), commencing the 2026 In-Season Challenge.