Posted on by Staff Report

The No. 48 Big Machine Racing team in the NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series will be without three crew members for the next four races after NASCAR handed out penalties on Wednesday following last Saturday’s race at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.

Crew members Patrick Donahue (crew chief), Dillon Bassett (car chief) and Morgan Olsen (engineer) have all been suspended for the next four O’Reilly Auto Parts Series events, through April 11 at Bristol Motor Speedway, after NASCAR discovered a loss or separation of ballast from the No. 48 Chevrolet driven by Patrick Staropoli during Saturday’s The LiUNA!

RELATED: O’Reilly Auto Parts Series standings

This penalty is a safety violation detailed in Sections 10.5.2.5 B & E of the NASCAR Rule Book. Ballast added to a vehicle in order to meet minimum weight can break off the car and become a debris hazard for other competitors.

Staropoli had a couple of incidents during last Saturday’s race, one on Lap 118 where he and Dean Thompson spun out to bring out a caution, and another on Lap 132 when he and Josh Bilicki spun in the frontstretch grass. Staropoli finished 21st, one lap down, and is 16th in the standings, 150 points behind leader Justin Allgaier after five races.

The O’Reilly Auto Parts Series is back in action this weekend at Darlington Raceway for Saturday’s Sport Clips Haircuts VFW Help a Hero 200 (5:30 p.m. ET, The CW, MRN Radio, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).

Posted on by Nate Ryan

NASCAR is considering the allowance of more hell-raising in its “Hell Yeah” era, but that doesn’t mean drivers can start throwing hands after races.

During the latest “Hauler Talk” podcast, NASCAR vice president of race communications Mike Forde said the sanctioning body and drivers have been discussing the protocol for post-race altercations – particularly in light of the new marketing campaign that aims to showcase personalities and emotions. Drivers have been lobbying for leeway to express themselves without being penalized.

“It started probably the end of last year when we had an all drivers meeting and unveiled the ‘Hell Yeah’ campaign,” Forde said. “And the drivers were like, ‘This is kind of cool. This is awesome. So, when you’re talking about that, is the driver scuffle part of that conversation?’

“We took it back to beat it up, and we’re still beating it up. Right now, it’s still a case-by-case basis.”

In the case of Ross Chastain vs. Daniel Suárez after Sunday’s race at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, there was no punishment after a confrontation that featured a brief exchange of words and a light shove.

RELATED: Suárez-Chastain have post-race altercation

Forde said that any post-race confrontation will be viewed on a case-by-case basis, depending on the severity. NASCAR currently instructs its security team to intervene in the instance of physical contact.

“It’s a moving line a little bit,” Forde said. “We really do want drivers to show their emotion, and I think in this ‘Hell Yeah’ era that we’re in, which we all love, it really goes back to what the essence of NASCAR is, and that’s passion and emotion and fiery conversations and drivers disliking other drivers.

“And some of the comments that have come out this week between Chastain and Suárez, it’s become clear that there is a little bit of a feud there. … We’re not fining for a shove. It’s a case-by-case basis. Drivers have come to us and said, ‘Maybe we could open this up a little bit and let us show our emotion without getting fined.’ That is a conversation that keeps evolving. We want to keep our drivers safe and make sure that nothing gets out of hand. So it’s a tough tightrope to walk. But we’re going to continue having those conversations with our drivers, and we’ll see where we go. But what we want to do is not neuter them and take away that passion because that’s what fans love. That’s what the drivers love. And that’s why we love NASCAR.”

During the podcast, Forde also addressed NASCAR’s decision to take the Toyotas of Christopher Bell and Erik Jones to the R&D Center for a full post-race inspection (which was being conducted on Wednesday after the Camrys completed the trip from the West Coast).

NASCAR has traditionally taken one car from each manufacturer, but Forde said “a new process and philosophy in 2026” will involve taking multiple cars from the same manufacturer.

“It’s something that we’ve discussed in the offseason,” Forde said. “And so this one just happened to be Toyota. We just took two Toyotas, and next time it might be two Chevys. It might be two Fords. It’s a chance for us to get a feel of what the teams are doing and making sure that everything’s on an even playing field.”

Forde said Cup Series director Brad Moran has a tentative schedule of which races will include cars being brought to the R&D Center.

“This was sort of pre-planned, and (Moran) knew that after Vegas, we’re going to take a couple home,” Forde said. “And he knows if we’re taking some cars home after Darlington, but the teams don’t know. So that’s to kind of keep them on their toes so they don’t know when it’s coming, and we can really get a true view of what the garage is doing.”

Other topics covered by Forde and senior director of racing communications Amanda Ellis during the 46th episode of “Hauler Talk,” which explores competition issues in NASCAR:

— The rash of speeding penalties for Joe Gibbs Racing at Las Vegas.

— Is celebrating on the roof of a Next Gen car more permissible?

— NASCAR Alumni Weekend at Darlington Raceway and the discussions with Goodyear about tire falloff with the new 750-horsepower package.

— The backstory of Daniel Dye’s indefinite suspension and what’s next.

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 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 also has covered various other motorsports, including the IndyCar and IMSA series.

Posted on by Zach Sturniolo

Michael McDowell may only be in his second year at Spire Motorsports, but he was always meant to be an instant leader for the growth of its NASCAR Cup Series program.

That’s why team owner Jeff Dickerson brought McDowell into the fold in the first place.

So it should come as no surprise that McDowell was the driver pushing hardest behind the scenes at the team’s Mooresville, North Carolina shop last year. This season, McDowell has some help, all thanks to the addition of veteran racer Daniel Suárez.

MORE: Darlington schedule | Cup Series standings

Suárez is a two-time winner at the Cup level, in addition to winning the NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series championship in 2016. McDowell lauds the experience Suárez brings to Spire after driving for several powerhouse teams throughout the Cup garage, adding further credibility to Spire’s stable in 2026. But what he appreciates most is Suárez’s competitive fire.

“He brings a level of intensity that is really refreshing for me here,” McDowell told NASCAR.com in a Wednesday phone interview. “Like last year, I felt like I was kind of that guy that was pushing on everything, right? Like you’re pushing to, not make changes, but just to make improvements and make things better. And now I’ve got somebody to help push with me.”

Suárez’s intensity was on full display post-race at Las Vegas Motor Speedway on Sunday, when he and former Trackhouse Racing teammate Ross Chastain had a heated conversation after the race that led to an eventual shove from Chastain.

RELATED: Ross Chastain: ‘We just don’t get along’

It’s not the first time Suárez and Chastain have had a disagreement – but McDowell has also experienced an unhappy Suárez himself. McDowell mistakenly slowed Suárez’s lap during group qualifying at Phoenix Raceway in March 2019. Suárez sought out McDowell on pit road for a conversation that quickly escalated into a physical confrontation, with Suárez swinging McDowell to the pavement.

Seven years later, McDowell laughs at the memory because the two hardly knew each other before coming to blows that day. But through that moment grew a relationship Suárez called “very close” when recalling the scuffle in his Spire announcement in October 2025. Through going to the NASCAR hauler together, sitting down and having real conversations with one another, respect grew between the two fiery competitors – even if they wouldn’t be teammates until seven years later.

“What I learned through that process … is his level of intensity kind of matched mine, right?” McDowell said. “And I appreciated that and I liked that. I wasn’t worried about the altercation. It’s more like this guy’s kind of like me – he’s an idiot (laughing). And so him and I definitely got along a lot better after that, just kind of getting to know each other more. Like I said, that was sort of our first on-track issue, but also first off-track experience. And I appreciate the fight in him. And I don’t mean to use that word as fun, but like he’s just got that hunger, he’s got that fight and I feel like I do as well.”

Daniel Suárez looks on at Las Vegas.
Sean Gardner | Getty Images

There’s also a similar through line connecting the paths Suárez and McDowell took before arriving at Spire. After each spent years trying to establish stability in the Cup Series, both found landing spots at homes for at least half a decade: Suárez competed for Trackhouse for five seasons while McDowell spent seven racing with Front Row Motorsports. Transitioning to a new team has its obvious challenges, and because McDowell had just gone through that himself, he lent Suárez a guiding hand as Suárez took the reins of Spire’s No. 7 Chevrolet.

“I think it’s hard because you come in and you’re so used to how you’ve done it and how your team’s done it that you’re learning a lot of new people, and you’re learning a lot of new processes,” McDowell said. “Not only that, just where everything is. Who do you ask? And what do you do when you need to do this? I mean, it’s just things that you kind of take for granted that you’ve just done for so long that you don’t have to think about. I think that I’ve tried to help Daniel become quickly acclimated with how we do things here and tried to shorten that process so he didn’t have to figure it out on his own, and I think everybody at Spire’s done that.”

Suárez has shown few growing pains racing for his new group. In his first outing, Suárez posted a fourth-place finish in the exhibition Cook Out Clash at Bowman Gray Stadium. And through five points-paying races, Spire Motorsports’ three entrants are solidly lumped together in the points standings – and in contention for The Chase – with McDowell 14th, Carson Hocevar 15th and Suárez tied for 16th, each with one top-five finish and McDowell boasting a recent ninth-place finish at Phoenix on his tally.

“He’s fit in really well,” McDowell said of Suárez. “I think that’s probably what has and will continue to expedite that, he’s just fit in with our group really well. So it’s not so much him trying to figure out his role or figure out his place. I think he’s already found that pretty quickly, and I think everybody here has embraced that.”

“Daniel’s a Cup winner, and he’s a champion, right? And so I think that people sometimes forget that because it’s easy to get lost in the Cup Series, because there’s only a handful of guys winning every year, right? But he brings a lot of credibility and experience to our organization.”

Posted on by Staff Report

The NASCAR Cup Series, O’Reilly Auto Parts Series and Craftsman Truck Series converge on Darlington Raceway this weekend for a tripleheader at the “Lady in Black.” Below are the qualifying orders for all three series:

MORE: Weekend schedule | How to watch NASCAR on TV

Cup Series
Single-car qualifying will take place at 3:40 p.m. ET on Saturday, with practice earlier in the day at 2:30 p.m. ET (Prime Video).

POSITIONNUMBERDRIVERMETRICGROUP
166* Timmy Hill(i)40.41
251Cody Ware34.41
334Todd Gilliland33.11
488Connor Zilisch #32.91
521Josh Berry31.31
610Ty Dillon30.61
797Shane Van Gisbergen30.01
84Noah Gragson29.41
941Cole Custer29.11
1047Ricky Stenhouse Jr.29.01
1148Justin Allgaier(i)28.31
128Kyle Busch26.21
1335Riley Herbst23.01
1471Michael McDowell22.41
152Austin Cindric22.31
1616AJ Allmnedinger22.21
1743Erik Jones22.11
1842John Hunter Nemechek21.01
1977Carson Hocevar19.91
201Ross Chastain17.92
217Daniel Suárez17.72
223Austin Dillon15.62
2338Zane Smith15.52
2422Joey Logano13.82
2519Chase Briscoe13.42
2612Ryan Blaney12.12
2760Ryan Preece11.62
286Brad Keselowski10.62
2945Tyler Reddick9.42
305Kyle Larson7.02
3117Chris Buescher6.92
3223Bubba Wallace6.92
3354Ty Gibbs6.52
3420Christoper Bell4.62
3524William Byron4.52
369Chase Elliott2.92
3711Denny Hamlin1.92

O’Reilly Auto Parts Series
Single-car qualifying will take place at 1:05 p.m. ET on Saturday, with practice earlier in the day at noon ET (The CW App).

POSITIONNUMBERDRIVERMETRICGROUP
135TBA41.61
274Dawson Cram40.71
330Myatt Snider40.41
45TBA36.31
525Nick Sanchez35.91
696Anthony Alfredo33.41
742Nathan Byrd32.31
855TBA31.11
926Dean Thompson30.41
1054Taylor Gray30.11
1102Ryan Ellis29.41
1239Ryan Sieg29.11
1391Mason Maggio28.61
1441Sam Mayer28.11
1545Lavar Scott #26.31
1687Austin Green25.01
1751Jeremy Clements24.01
1807Josh Bilicki23.91
1927Jeb Burton23.41
2092Josh Williams22.61
2124Harrison Burton22.42
2231Blaine Perkins21.72
2348Patrick Staropoli #20.42
240Garrett Smithley19.22
2544Brennan Poole18.82
2628Kyle Sieg16.72
2732Rajah Caruth16.02
289Ross Chastain(i)13.12
2920Brandon Jones13.02
3018William Sawalich11.42
3199Parker Retzlaff11.42
3217Corey Day8.02
3321Austin Hill7.92
341Carson Kvapil7.02
358Sammy Smith5.32
362Jesse Love4.82
3719Christopher Bell(i)4.72
3800Sheldon Creed3.62
397Justin Allgaier3.12
4088Kyle Larson(i)1.92

Craftsman Truck Series
Single-car qualifying will take place at 4:35 p.m. ET on Friday, with practice earlier in the day at 3:30 p.m. ET (FS2)

POSITIONNUMBERDRIVERMETRICGROUP
190Justin Carroll41.01
293Caleb Costner40.71
356Timmy Hill33.81
426Dawson Sutton33.61
576Spencer Boyd33.41
633Frankie Muniz29.71
722Josh Reaume29.31
862Christopher Bell(i)28.81
914Mini Tyrrell #27.71
1018Tyler Ankrum27.11
112Clayton Green24.01
129Grant Enfinger23.81
131William Sawalich(i)22.21
1452Stewart Friesen22.11
1512Brendan Queen #21.91
1615Tanner Gray21.51
1781Kris Wright20.51
185Corey Heim20.31
1917Gio Ruggiero19.32
2098Jack Garcia18.92
2110AJ Allmendinger(i)17.62
2242Conner Jones17.22
2313Cole Butcher #16.72
2491Christian Eckes15.02
2519Daniel Hemric13.42
2616Justin Haley13.22
2725Corey LaJoie(i)12.92
287Connor Mosack9.72
2977Carson Hocevar(i)9.42
3044Andrés Pérez De Lara7.92
3111Kaden Honeycutt6.22
3245Ross Chastain(i)5.42
3338Chandler Smith3.12
3499Ben Rhodes3.02
3588Ty Majeski2.92
3634Layne Riggs2.82

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

Posted on by Press Release

SOUTH BOSTON, Va. — High stakes, legendary drivers, ground-pounding thunder and the beginning of a championship chase – they’ll all be a part of the season opener at South Boston Speedway on March 21.

URW Community Federal Credit Union Race Day will feature a trio of races sure to thrill the fans and challenge the competitors. The Third Annual 125-lap SMART Modified Tour King of the Modifieds, a 100-lap race for the Hitachi Energy Late Model Stock Car Division and a 35-lap Southern Ground Pounders Vintage Racing Club race are all on the docket.

That Late Model feature will kick off the 43rd season of NASCAR-sanctioned Late Model Stock Car Division racing at South Boston Speedway and begin the run toward its lucrative 2026 track championship.

When it comes to the stakes, they couldn’t be higher.

A $20,000 payday awaits the driver who claims victory in the King of the Modifieds feature event. It is one of the biggest prizes for a Tour-Type Modified race in the nation.

“I can’t even begin to describe it,” said Luke Baldwin, who won the inaugural King of the Modifieds feature in 2024. “It’s still the biggest win of my career to date.”

Baldwin will do battle with a formidable field of drivers including former Daytona 500 winner Ryan Newman, Bowman Gray Champions Burt Myers and Brandon Ward and one legend making his return to the driver’s seat for the first time in more than six years.

Former NASCAR Cup Series standout and South Boston Speedway champion Elliott Sadler of Emporia, Virginia will pilot the No. 16VA Modified co-owned by his brother, Hermie Sadler, in the King of the Modifieds feature. It’ll be the first time he has ever raced a tour-type Modified and the first time he has been to South Boston Speedway as a driver in 30 years. He last drove a race car competitively in 2019 when he raced two NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series events for Kaulig Racing.

He recently tested the Modified at South Boston Speedway.

“It’s fun,” Sadler said of driving the Modified. “That’s what Ryan Newman told me, it’s what Bobby Labonte told me, it’s what Connor Hall told me. The Modified is so low to the ground that it’s almost like a go-kart. South Boston is one of the fastest tracks that the Modifieds race on. There is not a lot of falloff. You’ve got to get down and go.”

Sadler said his intent is to compete at a high level in the 125-lap race.

“I’m here to race but I’m also going to have fun with it,” Sadler pointed out. “I have a lot of respect for the guys that do this week-in and week-out. There are a lot of good drivers that race these Modifieds every week and they put on such a good show, have great side-by-side racing, and know how to manage tires. There will be a lot of talent on the track in this race. I’m just glad to be a part of it and I’m going to make the most of it.”

On the Late Model side, things will be just as intense.

A $20,000 award will go to the top eligible driver in the Hitachi Energy Late Model Stock Car Division through the speedway’s lucrative Championship Loyalty Bonus program sponsored by Hitachi Energy South Boston and EMPOWER Broadband.

A fantastic field of drivers are expected to vie for the Late Model title this year, and all will be gunning for defending champion Peyton Sellers of Danville, Virginia.

For Sellers the 100-lap race for the Hitachi Energy Late Model Stock Car Division marks the start of his quest for a record ninth South Boston Speedway NASCAR track championship and a third straight title.
Sellers says he is ready to get the season underway.

“It’s been a long winter, and everybody has been working hard at the shop, so it’s time to showcase and put it all out there and see what we’ve got,” Sellers said.

The eight-time South Boston Speedway champion noted that with drivers like Trevor Ward, Landon Pembelton, Bobby McCarty, Deac McCaskill, Andrew Grady and others competing for the track championship and elevating the level of the competition winning the 2026 title will be a tough chore.

“To get out there and win races is going to be just as tough as it has always been,” Sellers pointed out. “The margin for error will be much smaller. It’s going to be harder to run in the top 10. Instead of four cars that can win there are going to be nine or 10 cars that can win. If you have a little bad luck or falter you will fall further back. Where some nights if you missed it pretty bad and ran fifth or sixth, this year it will be tenth.”

While not planning to race for another South Boston championship, Lee Pulliam of Alton, Virginia, will be back behind the wheel at South Boston Speedway, as well.

Pulliam says he is excited to race again at his hometown track.

“I couldn’t be any more excited,” he remarked. “It’s the place that started it all for me. As a kid I fell in love with short track racing at South Boston Speedway. It’s been almost seven years since I’ve gone to Victory Lane. I went five years without driving anything. Six-and-a-half years is a long time. It will be one heck of a celebration if we get it done.”

Pulliam hadn’t raced competitively for the better part of five years when he returned to run the ValleyStar Credit Union 300 Late Model event at Martinsville Speedway in 2024. He raced the ValleyStar 300 again in 2025 coming within inches of winning it.

More than $75,000 in season-end bonuses are on the line this season for competitors at South Boston Speedway.

Advance tickets are priced at $20 each. Tickets at the gate on race day will be $25 each. Seniors age 65 and older, military, healthcare workers and students (with ID) can purchase tickets at the advance ticket price at the gate only on the day of the event.

The race day event schedule has grandstand gates opening at 9 a.m., practice starting at 9 a.m., Hitachi Energy Late Model Stock Car Division qualifying beginning at 11 a.m., a trackside driver autograph session starting at 11:45 a.m. and the first race of the day getting the green flag at 2 p.m.

The latest news and updates about the URW Community Federal Credit Union Race Day King of the Modifieds event and South Boston Speedway may be found online on South Boston Speedway’s website, www.southbostonspeedway.com, the track’s social media channels. or by calling the speedway office at 434-572-4947 or toll free at 1-877-440-1540 during regular business hours.

Posted on by Dustin Albino

When the No. 99 Chevrolet for Viking Motorsports opened late in the 2025 season, many eyes perked up within the NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series garage. The upstart organization was ready to take its next step toward the front of the pack.

The desired ride by many within the series went to Parker Retzlaff, making the transition from a one-year stint at Alpha Prime Racing. The decision was simple for the Wisconsin native.

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

“I knew there were a lot of people in talks with the car and it was up in the air,” Retzlaff recalled to NASCAR.com. “I found out that I had the opportunity to take it and I took it instantly. I knew with who was coming here that they were building a good program with a lot of the people around here. I think we’ve shown a lot this year and there’s still more to show.”

Retzlaff was accompanied by second-year crew chief and former racer Danny Efland, who led AM Racing to the 2025 postseason, gaining 19 positions in the championship standings compared to 2024. Viking also signed an enhanced alliance agreement with Richard Childress Racing, hoping to boost its performance.

The third-year team was ecstatic to have a ride for which several drivers were vying.

“Our view is, you have to put a good product on the race track, a good car with a good team with good marketing,” Don Sackett, owner of Viking Motorsports, said. “It’s a blessing that we got Parker to drive for us. He’s the nicest kid you will ever meet. He is hungry, talented, humble. The guys in the shop like him because he’s there every day helping out, being one of the guys.

Getting a young prospect like Retzlaff was important for Viking. Many within the industry — even the sport’s elite like Brad Keselowski, who said as much while guest hosting last week’s Dale Jr. Download — are high on the driver’s future, believing he maximizes every situation. But Retzlaff was hoping to show his full upside, coming off consecutive finishes outside the top 20 in the standings in 2024 and 2025 with Jordan Anderson Racing and Alpha Prime.

“I told [Rezlaff], ‘we want to give you good equipment, a good alliance, engines, build a great team around you,’ ” Sackett said. “I’m really curious to see what he can do with all of that.”

Retzlaff is cognizant of the lengths Viking went to upgrade the No. 99 team’s performance. It started a second team, led by Anthony Alfredo, to help bolster the organization’s efforts.

Parker Retzlaff looks on.
Logan Riely | Getty Images

“I’m very happy with the position I’m in and feel like it’s the best opportunity I’ve had,” Retzlaff added. “I think I still have a lot to prove to myself. I’m still that person that until I win, I don’t feel like I’ve done enough.”

Behind the scenes, Retzlaff has increased his weekly preparation routine. He spends hours at the race shop each week doing film studies with spotter Doug Campbell. Being closely aligned with the entire organization is crucial for the driver, as he wants them to know their hard work isn’t overlooked.

“I think you just need to be there every week and prove we can do it as a company, and it will give these guys the confidence that we can do it,” he said. “We’re not here to just be involved; we want to try to run up front and win a race before the year is over.”

Through the first month of the 2026 season, the No. 99 team has been among the most impressive in the series. Retzlaff ranks ninth in the regular-season championship battle, ahead of all four Joe Gibbs Racing drivers in points.

The highlight of the year thus far was finishing runner-up to Sheldon Creed at EchoPark Speedway. It marked the best finish in the team’s young history. Retzlaff believes Viking can earn a Chase berth in 2026.

MORE: Parker Retzlaff’s driver page

“The mindset is to show up every week and be a playoff team come the end of the year,” Retzlaff said. “I think there’s a lot of stuff that we can work on but being at the point that we are now and the people that are around me, it’s definitely not out of the cards.”

Even with the added resources, Retzlaff isn’t adding internal pressure. Instead, he is racing freely — and it’s paid off. His average finish of 14.4 is tied with Carson Kvapil for the seventh best of full-time drivers in the series.

“I [added pressure] in 2024 and I feel like that was the biggest mistake I ever made — putting so much pressure on myself — feeling like I had to do better every week,” he noted. “I think I ended up making more mistakes and putting myself in a much worse position by putting a lot of pressure on myself.

“I put a lot of pressure on myself to run well and be as prepared as I can be. But I don’t put a lot of pressure on myself where if something goes bad, I have to try to make up for it next week.”

No matter the results, scoring that elusive first victory in his fourth full-time campaign is at the top of Retzlaff’s mind in 2026.

Retzlaff put it simply: “Overall, I don’t feel like the job is done until we win as a group.”

Posted on by Zack Albert

CONCORD, N.C. — Ross Chastain offered his perspective on last weekend’s post-race fracas with former teammate Daniel Suárez on Tuesday, saying he had regrets about his actions turning physical but hinting at the fragile, fractured nature of their relationship — even while partnered under the Trackhouse Racing banner.

Chastain had declined comment in the moments after finishing 17th in Sunday’s Pennzoil 400 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, one spot ahead of Suárez. During a Tuesday roundtable at the NASCAR Productions Facility, however, the 33-year-old driver opened up on his frustrations and the reasons behind his reactions, which included a sideswipe of Suárez’s car after the race and a brief exchange of shoves on pit road.

RELATED: Suárez, Chastain spar in Vegas | Cup Series standings

“In the moment, I definitely was hot and angry and would do things different if I had time to think about it,” Chastain said. “Yeah, definitely would not have swerved into him after the race. I didn’t mean to. I would do that different if I could go back, and then I wouldn’t shove him, for sure. I just was over the conversation that he was trying to have, wanted him to leave, asked him to leave, and he didn’t leave and wanted him to back up. Was too close, and just didn’t want to hear anything else he was saying because he wasn’t taking any accountability, and I wanted him to. I’ve known Daniel now for a long time and have lived it inside of our four walls, that there’s, in my opinion, not enough accountability, and there wasn’t post-race. And in the heat of the moment, I reacted definitely worse, and if I had just a few minutes to calm down getting out of the car, after definitely a day of struggling through the mid-teens (position-wise) when we expect more out of the 1 car causes me to just not have as much, I guess, wick able to burn. So unfair in the grand scheme of things to react that way, though, and not right.”

Chastain is running triple-duty this weekend at Darlington, racing in Friday night’s Craftsman Truck Series event for Niece Motorsports, suiting up for JR Motorsports in Saturday’s O’Reilly Auto Parts Series race and wheeling his Trackhouse No. 1 in Sunday’s Cup Series main event, the Goodyear 400 (3 p.m. ET, FS1, HBO Max, MRN Radio, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).

Chastain said he had attempted to contact Suárez to offer his thoughts, but that his efforts to connect had been unsuccessful. But Chastain also noted that his relationship with Suárez had been strained long before last weekend’s flare-up. The two had a pair of notable incidents in past seasons (2023 at Circuit of The Americas and 2024 at Sonoma), and Chastain said that they had been on better terms for only “a short period” of time.

“I put all my thoughts into a text and sent it to him, just so I had it like logged,” Chastain said, mentioning also that he’d reserved public comment until seeing replay footage from the race. “That way I could have a minute to type it out and put the verbiage the way I wanted it, and so he knew where I stood, and then we’ve played phone tag since then. So he’s called me, I’ve called him. But again, before this weekend, we don’t get along, and that goes back longer than this weekend, and we got through the end of our time together when we were teammates, but I don’t think it’s bad that I don’t get along with everybody. I don’t encourage people to … you know, thinking back to my childhood and stuff, you’re taught to get along with everybody, but as I’ve grown up, I think in our big-time sport of NASCAR, it’s OK, and he’s a guy that I just do not get along with.

“I don’t agree with the way he handles things, and mainly how he just doesn’t … that’s what made me so mad on pit road, was just that there was no accountability. There was 0% on his side, across not just this weekend. It’s just a bigger thing, and it just all boiled up quickly for me, and we’ll work to handle that better. I just saw red in that moment, and it’s an accountability thing of taking a little … just, I just needed a little slice of responsibility from him, and there’s always a reason why it wasn’t his fault.”

In Las Vegas, the post-race dust-up stemmed from a pair of on-track incidents — one early, another late — between Suárez and Chastain, teammates the last four years at Trackhouse until Suárez’s departure for Spire Motorsports in the offseason. Suárez further documented and explained those run-ins in a Monday vlog on YouTube, showing contact between the two on Lap 2 of Sunday’s 400-miler, plus another near-miss in close competition for 17th place with three laps remaining.

MORE: Power Rankings | Darlington entry lists

The late-race altercation prompted Chastain to offer a middle-finger salute after Suárez squeezed his high-lane pass attempt. “He was mad — understandable. A little mad, that’s fine,” Suárez said. “He gave me the finger for a lap or half a lap, which I think is a little bit unnecessary, but that’s him. That’s fine.”

Suárez said what happened after the checkered flag was “unacceptable.” Suárez indicated that he pulled alongside Chastain’s No. 1 Chevrolet on the cool-down lap to offer a wave or peace sign as a means for taking blame for the late-race incident. Chastain then initiated contact with Suárez’s No. 7 Chevy on the back straightaway, and when the two parked on pit road, they were separated after a brief scuffle and sharp words.

“For me the biggest thing is afterwards,” Suárez said in his vlog. “You know, what happens on the race track, happens on the race track, and that’s racing, right? Everyone’s going to get with another driver once in a while. We’re all competitive, we’re all racing and we’re always threading the needle. That’s part of it. What I was actually pretty upset and disappointed is what happened afterwards. I have known Ross for a long time and I have always known that him and I were very different. We’re very different kind of people, but that’s OK. I have always respected him, but the kind of words that he said after the race, it’s just completely unacceptable. That’s chicken-stuff. That’s not good. I lost a lot of respect for him as a person because that’s just not good. It’s not a good look for him, a good look for the kind of person that he is, I think, and it was just a little bit sad, to be honest.

“I was getting fired up to fight, but what was I going to gain? There’s nothing to gain with that. He’s not the kind of person I really want to fight, but just disappointed.”

Posted on by Staff Report

Daniel Dye has been indefinitely suspended from NASCAR after insensitive comments made during a recent livestream, officials announced Tuesday evening. 

Dye, driver of the No. 10 Kaulig Racing Ram in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series, was penalized under Section 4.3.C in the NASCAR Rule Book, which states in part, “NASCAR Members shall not make … a public statement or communication that criticizes, ridicules, or otherwise disparages another person based upon that person’s race, color, creed, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, marital status, religion, age, or handicapping condition.” 

MORE: Craftsman Truck Series standings 

Dye was discussing his experience around NTT IndyCar Series driver David Malukas while opening trading cards on a recent livestream, during which the 22-year-old Dye used language that officials deemed unacceptable, resulting in Tuesday’s suspension. Dye must complete sensitivity training before he may return to competition. 

Kaulig Racing also announced in a statement that the team has suspended Dye effective immediately “after becoming aware (Tuesday) of comments he made on social media.”

AJ Allmendinger was later announced as the fill-in driver for Friday’s race at Darlington Raceway (7:30 p.m. ET, FS1, NRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio). Allmendinger, who drives full-time for Kaulig in the Cup Series, has 14 career starts in the Truck Series, with his last coming in 2021 at Watkins Glen International for GMS Racing.

Dye apologized in a statement posted to his social media Tuesday evening, adding in part: “I didn’t think enough before I spoke, and I in no way meant any harm. I know that intention does not erase impact and I need to do better.”

Dye has made 49 starts in the Truck Series since 2023 with two top fives, 10 top 10s and one pole position in that time. The Florida native competed full-time in the series in 2023 and 2024 before moving to the NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series with Kaulig for a full season in 2025. 

Dye currently sits 13th in the Truck Series standings, 88 points behind series leader Chandler Smith. 

Dye has also made three O’Reilly Auto Parts Series starts this season for AM Racing, totaling 48 O’Reilly Series starts in his career with 10 top 10s.

Posted on by Staff Report

Alex Bowman will miss at least the next three races of the NASCAR Cup Series season as he continues to recover from vertigo, Hendrick Motorsports announced Tuesday. Bowman has been sidelined for the last two races after he exited the No. 48 Chevrolet early during the March 1 Cup Series event at Circuit of The Americas.

RELATED: Cup standings | Alex Bowman page

Myatt Snider was called into duty at COTA, while Anthony Alfredo and Justin Allgaier filled in for Bowman at Phoenix Raceway and Las Vegas Motor Speedway, respectively. Alfredo finished 33rd in the Straight Talk Wireless 500 while Allgaier came in 25th in the Pennzoil 400 presented by Jiffy Lube.

Allgaier will fill in for Bowman again this weekend at Darlington Raceway and in subsequent weeks at Martinsville Speedway and Bristol Motor Speedway.

“Alex continues to experience symptoms, so we are following the guidance of the medical team and giving him the time he needs to recover,” Jeff Andrews, president and general manager of Hendrick Motorsports, said in a team release. “We see how hard he’s working to get back behind the wheel, and we’re looking forward to his return when he’s medically cleared. Everyone at Hendrick Motorsports is 100% behind Alex.”

Bowman is 36th in the Cup Series standings, 232 points behind leader Tyler Reddick and 94 points behind Shane van Gisbergen, Daniel Suárez and AJ Allmendinger, who are tied for 16th place. The Chase returns as NASCAR’s postseason format this year, and the top 16 drivers in the regular season standings make The Chase.

Bowman is coming off a 2025 season where he made the postseason and finished 13th in the standings.

MORE: Elliott, Byron extend wishes to teammate Bowman

The 32-year-old from Tucson, Arizona, has eight wins, 46 top fives and 112 top 10s in 364 career Cup starts over 12 seasons. His best finish in the final standings was sixth in 2020 for Hendrick Motorsports, where he has been as a full-time driver since 2018.

Bowman was also slated to compete in the NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series race for JR Motorsports in the No. 88 Chevrolet at Darlington Raceway on Saturday (5:30 p.m. ET, The CW, MRN Radio, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio). Kyle Larson, Bowman’s Hendrick teammate and winner in the same car last weekend at Las Vegas, will replace him at Darlington. Allgaier, the 2024 O’Reilly Auto Parts Series champion, competes full-time for JR Motorsports in its No. 7 Chevrolet.

“We continue to wish Alex a speedy recovery as Kyle Larson will substitute in the No. 88 Chevrolet this weekend at Darlington,” JR Motorsports said in a social media post. “We also wish Justin the best of luck behind the wheel of the No. 48, we will be watching.”

Allgaier will return to the No. 48 car for his 86th career Cup start in the Goodyear 400 at Darlington on Sunday (3 p.m. ET, FS1, HBO Max, MRN Radio, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).

Posted on by Staff Report

Goodyear officials announced Tuesday that a familiar tire setup will return to Darlington Raceway for its namesake race, but with rules tweaks that should create a more complex challenge for the NASCAR Cup Series this weekend.

The same tire combination from last weekend’s tilt in Las Vegas will be used in Sunday’s Goodyear 400 (3 p.m. ET, FS1, HBO Max, MRN Radio, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio), the sixth race of the Cup Series season. The twist, however, is that a rules configuration with less aerodynamic stability will be a part of the package, with a 750-horsepower engine output also making its Darlington debut.

RELATED: Weekend schedule: Darlington | Cup Series standings

The so-called short-track package for venues less than 1.5 miles in length will feature a 3-inch rear spoiler and fewer stabilizing strakes on the rear diffuser. That configuration — combined with the horsepower increase and Goodyear tires designed to emphasize wear and management — has officials, drivers and teams focused on Sunday’s 400-miler with curiosity, anticipation and predictions of rapid lap-time falloff during each run.

“I mean, sim is sim and there’s a lot of things that aren’t real. There’s just so many unknowns,” said Front Row Motorsports driver Zane Smith. “And speaking from a sim standpoint, I mean it’s a massive handful, and I don’t know how the weather looks or whatnot, but man, if it’s gonna be a hot day in Darlington, it’s gonna be a solid day’s work. I mean, pretty much the short-track package on a really hard mile-and-a-half — and more power? I mean, yeah, it’s pretty easy to think that it’s going to be a handful.”

“Darlington’s egg-shaped layout and rough track surface give teams a unique challenge,” said Rick Heinrich, Goodyear NASCAR product manager. “Drivers will have to manage tire wear, and teams will have to be perfect — from race strategy to pit stops — to reach Victory Lane.”

The abrasive asphalt at the 1.366-mile track has aged 18 years since the facility’s last repaving project. To battle those conditions, Cup Series teams will have 12 sets of Goodyear tires in their weekend allotment — 10 new sets for the race, one for practice and another for Saturday’s qualifying that will transfer to race day. The left-side rubber was used at Darlington last season, and the right-side tires made their Cup Series debut in September at Kansas Speedway.

MORE: Power Rankings | Darlington entry lists

The tripleheader NASCAR weekend will also include a pair of 200-mile races — a Saturday showcase for the O’Reilly Auto Parts Series and a Friday night special for the Craftsman Truck Series. Both those series will return on the same tire setup from last season. O’Reilly Auto Parts Series teams will have seven total sets available (four new for the race, two for practice and one transfer set from qualifying) and Truck Series teams will have six sets (four race, one practice, one qualifying that carries over).

Goodyear has several special events planned for the three-day weekend, including a special display in the Darlington fan zone and several NASCAR Hall of Famers and distinguished racing alumni serving as dignitaries at the track. The 1959 Chevrolet that Jim Reed drove to Goodyear’s first NASCAR victory in that year’s Southern 500 at Darlington will be part of the exhibition.

Sunday’s 400 marks the sixth year of Darlington race title sponsorship by Goodyear, which is in its 30th season as sole tire supplier for NASCAR’s three national series.