Posted on by Staff Report

When NASCAR Cup Series drivers converge on Naval Base Coronado in June, they won’t just be racing for their teams — they’ll be racing for the Navy.

Hosted by Ryan Fitzpatrick, Cup Series stars Christopher Bell, Ryan Preece and Ty Dillon visited the San Diego base Wednesday to select drivers to represent different Naval commands for the inaugural Anduril 250 (June 21, 4 p.m. ET, Prime Video, HBO Max, MRN Radio, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio). The squadron assignments add another “Hell Yeah” twist as NASCAR’s premier series returns to Southern California on a brand-new street course.

RELATED: San Diego race course revealed

Upon arrival, Fitzpatrick — a longtime NFL quarterback and analyst for Prime Video — visited the legendary I-Bar at the Base before greeting Bell, Preece and Dillon on-site. He hosted an NFL-style draft with several guest pickers, including members of the Navy and part-time NASCAR driver Jesse Iwuji, who’s also a Naval Reserve Officer. The draft — which took place at the North Island Club — also featured a performance from the Navy Band.

Between now and race weekend, drivers will begin visiting the base to participate in immersive experiences with their assigned commands and capture behind-the-scenes content. The goal of the squadron assignments is for drivers to build authentic relationships with service members in the lead-up to race weekend, a celebration of the 250th anniversary of the United States of America.

In addition to the Cup Series, both the O’Reilly Auto Parts Series and Craftsman Truck Series will “Race the Base,” making it a can’t-miss tripleheader around the 16-turn, 3.4-mile temporary circuit.

MORE: Buy tickets for NASCAR San Diego Weekend 

See below the full squadron assignments for the Cup Series at Naval Base Coronado, in alphabetical order of last name:

Driver Squadron
AJ AllmendingerExplosive Ordnance Disposal Group One (EODGRU-1)
Christopher BellNaval Base Point Loma
Josh BerryAmphibious Construction Battalion 1
Ryan BlaneyStrike Group Oceanography Team San Diego
Alex BowmanCommander, Naval Air Force, U.S. Pacific Fleet
Chase BriscoeUSS Somerset (LPD 25)
Chris BuescherUSS Kansas City (LCS 22)
William ByronAssault Craft Unit 1
Ross ChastainMaritime Expeditionary Security Squadron 5 (MSRON 5)
Austin CindricNaval Base San Diego
Cole CusterHelicopter Sea Combat Squadron Four (HSC-4) "Black Knights"
Ty DilonUSS Carl Vinson (CVN 70)
Austin DillonMaritime Expeditionary Security Training and Evaluation Unit ONE
Chase ElliottHelicopter Sea Combat Squadron THREE (HELSEACOMBATRON 3 or HSC-3 Merlins)
Ty GibbsHelicopter Maritime Strike Squadron (HSM) 35 "Magicians"
Todd GillilandSpecial Reconnaissance Team ONE
Noah GragsonBeachmaster Unit ONE
Denny HamlinUSS Greenville (SSN-772)
Riley HerbstNaval Base Coronado (NBC)
Carson HocevarSurvival, Evasion, Resistance, and Escape (SERE)
Jimmie JohnsonHelicopter Sea Combat Squadron (HSC) 21 "Blackjacks"
Erik JonesUSS America (LHA 6)
Brad KeselowskiUSS O'Kane (DDG 77)
Kyle LarsonCarrier Strike Group Fifteen (CSG-15)
Joey LoganoNaval Surface Warfare Leadership and Development Command (NLEAD)
Michael McDowellVRM-50 (Fleet Logistics Multi-Mission Squadron (VRM) 50 "SunHawks")
John Hunter NemechekSouthwest Regional Maintenance Center
Ryan PreeceFleet Readiness Center Southwest (FRCSW) & FRCSW DET North Island
Tyler ReddickFleet Logistics Support Squadron Fifty-Seven (VR-57), the "Conquistadors"
Zane SmithUSS Pierre (LCS 38)
Ricky Stenhouse Jr.Helicopter Maritime Strike Squadron (HSM) 78 "Blue Hawks"
Daniel SuárezSurface Combat Systems Training Command's (SCST) San Diego
Shane van GisbergenCommander Naval Surface Group Southwest (CNSGSW)
Bubba WallaceHelicopter Maritime Strike Squadron (HSM) 49 "Scorpions"
Cody WareCenter for Naval Aviation Technical Training Unit North Island (CNATTU)
Connor ZilischVRM-30 (Fleet Logistics Multi-Mission Squadron 30 "Titans")
Posted on by Neil Paine

The 2026 NASCAR Cup Series season is only four races old, but the honeymoon phase is basically over: By the time drivers fire up their engines on Sunday at Las Vegas Motor Speedway (4 p.m. ET, FS1, HBO Max, FOX One, PRN Radio, SiriusXM Radio), we’ll be exactly one month into the points-paying schedule. And while that sounds like a drop in the bucket, it means more than 10% of the season is already in the rearview mirror — yes, time flies by faster than a Team Penske car zooming around the track at Phoenix.

As part of that, the clock is already ticking for drivers buried in the standings below The Chase cutline. Not only does the new standings format give an extra bonus for wins versus the old system, widening the separation between the “haves” and the “have-nots,” but the elimination of win-and-in also means a lack of steady point accumulation can no longer be made up for in a single race.

RELATED: Cup standings | Schedule

As a result, an early deficit is going to be harder to climb out of than it might have been in the past. Here are five drivers whose slow starts have already got them in trouble so far — along with the number of points per race they’ll need to average from here to get to 580, roughly the average number it has taken in recent seasons to finish 16th in The Chase standings by the end of the regular season (after we reconstructed the new points for older seasons). And, for fun, we also issued a Panic Rating scored in 1-4 anxious emojis 😰, with four being the most.

Chase Briscoe, Joe Gibbs Racing

Standings rank: 33rd
Deficit vs. 16th place: 53 points
Points/race needed for 580: 24.2
2025 points/race: 31.1

One of the great breakout stories of 2025, Briscoe rode his midseason hot streak well into the fall and the Championship 4. That was always going to be a tough act to follow, but Briscoe has been especially snakebit to begin 2026. Aside from a second-place finish at EchoPark (from 34th on the grid), he has finished either 36th or 37th in three of his four races, with his day ending early twice due to either a crash or mechanical failure. That string of poor finishes has landed him 33rd in the standings, but there are reasons to think Briscoe can climb out. For one thing, he piled up points last year at a rate that would easily clear 580 by regular season’s end. Second, he hasn’t actually run badly despite the tough finishes. His Driver Rating was 82.5 or higher in three of his four races, with Phoenix (60.2) standing out as his only truly subpar drive. As a result, he ranks 11th in average rating (83.2) — much better than his standings placement.

Panic Rating: 😰

Josh Berry, Wood Brothers

Standings rank: 31st
Deficit vs. 16th place: 50 points
Points/race needed for 580: 24.1
2025 points/race: 18.4

Berry was another feel-good underdog story last season, improving from 27th in the standings to 16th, notching his first career Cup win at the Vegas spring race and making the playoffs. This year has seen the No. 21 unable to build upon a top 10 at Daytona with finishes outside the top 25 in each of the three races since (including a pair of crashes). Unlike Briscoe, who can be relatively optimistic on the basis of past performance and underlying 2026 stats, Berry needs a 24.1 points-per-race pace that well exceeds anything he’s done in the past — he ran at a career-high 18.4 rate last season — to reach 580. He’s going to need to turn it up a notch to make a playoff return.

Panic Rating: 😰😰😰😰

Austin Cindric, Team Penske

Standings rank: 30th
Deficit vs. 16th place: 48 points
Points/race needed for 580: 24.0
2025 points/race: 19.6

Coming off one of his best career seasons in 2025, Cindric’s 2026 hasn’t quite followed suit. He’s had one top-30 run — a 26th-place finish at EchoPark, a track where he traditionally runs very well — and has crashed twice en route to an ugly average finish of 31.5. The rest of Cindric’s numbers are all over the place: He does have an above-average Driver Rating of 70.5, courtesy of better days than the final placement indicated in Atlanta and Phoenix. But aside from his No. 3 spot on the grid this past weekend, a lack of qualifying pace — his average start is 24.3 — is uncharacteristic from a guy who’s usually one of the fastest Fords on the track. He was a much-improved oval and short-track driver last year, so we’ll see what he can do in this upcoming stretch of races, but he needs to surpass his career-best points pace (23.3 per start in 2022) to be near the Chase cutoff.

Panic Rating: 😰😰😰

Ross Chastain, Trackhouse Racing

Standings rank: 23rd
Deficit vs. 16th place: 26 points
Points/race needed for 580: 23.0
2025 points/race: 25.3

It feels odd for Chastain to be so far down the points list right now, as he has seemingly been in the middle of plenty of action to start the year, with plenty of speed. (He’s spent an average of 64% of each race running in the top 15, with an average running position of 15.3.) He’s even finished every race. But Ross hasn’t paired that with strong finishes yet — his average in that department is just 21.5. That being said, it’s probably a safe bet the results will follow going forward, considering his 84.4 average Driver Rating ranks 10th in Cup so far. He also simply needs to drive like he did last year, in terms of points per race, to eventually put himself in position to leapfrog his way into the top 16.

Panic Rating: 😰😰

Kyle Busch, Richard Childress Racing

Standings rank: 20th
Deficit vs. 16th place: 19 points
Points/race needed for 580: 22.7
2025 points/race: 20.5

Good ol’ Rowdy is a master of engineering respectable results from less-than-favorable conditions, and he’s provided one of his finest examples of that so far this year — coaxing three top 20s and an average finish of 19.5 out of a car that has seldom run up front (aside from starting on pole at Daytona). But that may not be enough to overcome a nearly 20-point early deficit relative to The Chase cutline, as Busch hasn’t produced enough points per race to reach 580 from here since 2023, his first season with RCR. Despite the fine-enough finishing results, Busch has a below-average Driver Rating of 63.5, never breaking 80.0 in any race thus far. With a low ceiling for top-end performances, it might be tough to catch The Chase drivers.

Panic Rating: 😰😰😰

Posted on by Staff Report

The NASCAR Cup Series and O’Reilly Auto Parts Series stay west this weekend, heading to Las Vegas Motor Speedway for the first of two trips this season to the 1.5-mile intermediate oval. Below are the qualifying orders for both 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
119Chase Briscoe35.81
241Cole Custer35.01
348Justin Allgaier(i)33.91
42Austin Cindric32.81
54Noah Gragson32.71
621Josh Berry31.71
788Connor Zilisch #30.51
81Ross Chastain26.51
951Cody Ware26.41
107Daniel Suárez26.11
1138Zane Smith24.61
1210Ty Dillon24.51
1342John Hunter Nemechek24.11
1422Joey Logano23.81
1547Ricky Stenhouse Jr.23.51
163Austin Dillon19.91
1735Riley Herbst18.81
1877Carson Hocevar18.21
198Kyle Busch17.92
209Chase Elliott17.32
2116AJ Allmendinger17.22
2234Todd Gilliland16.22
2343Erik Jones15.42
246Brad Keselowski15.32
2560Ryan Preece14.52
2617Chris Buescher12.52
2797Shane van Gisbergen9.22
2871Michael McDowell8.72
2924William Byron8.22
3054Ty Gibbs7.32
3111Denny Hamlin7.12
3245Tyler Reddick5.92
335Kyle Larson5.12
3423Bubba Wallace5.12
3520Christopher Bell3.22
3612Ryan Blaney1.32

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

POSITIONNUMBERDRIVERMETRICGROUP
135TBA41.61
292Josh Williams41.01
374Dawson Cram36.91
402Ryan Ellis35.31
530Myatt Snider35.21
69Carson Kvapil35.01
745Lavar Scott #32.71
891Mason Maggio32.31
918William Sawalich31.61
1025Nick Sanchez31.11
1142Nathan Byrd30.11
1207Josh Bilicki30.01
1324Harrison Burton27.21
140Cole Custer(i)27.21
1528Kyle Sieg26.11
1626Dean Thompson25.61
1731Blaine Perkins25.61
185Chandler Smith(i)24.91
1952Daniel Dye(i)24.81
2055Joey Gase23.81
2148Patrick Staropoli #23.61
2244Brennan Poole23.42
2387Austin Green22.92
2419Chase Briscoe(i)17.72
2539Ryan Sieg16.72
2651Jeremy Clements15.52
2720Brandon Jones14.82
2854Taylor Gray14.72
2996Anthony Alfredo14.22
3099Parker Retzlaff13.12
3188Kyle Larson(i)11.22
3221Austin Hill9.32
3317Corey Day9.02
3427Jeb Burton8.82
3532Rajah Caruth8.02
3641Sam Mayer6.52
378Sammy Smith5.72
3800Sheldon Creed4.02
391Connor Zilisch(i)3.92
402Jesse Love2.02
417Justin Allgaier1.02

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

Posted on by Official NASCAR Release

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – NASCAR® announced a new partnership with Super.com, which helps consumers save on everyday purchases, including a variety of ways fans can save when they attend NASCAR race weekends. Beginning in 2026, Super.com will serve as the Official Savings Partner of NASCAR, unlocking new ways for fans to save while engaging with the sport they love.

Built to make life more affordable, Super.com will integrate directly into NASCAR’s digital platforms, giving fans seamless access to various discounts as they plan race weekends throughout the season.

Super.com customers will also receive special access to certain discounted tickets for the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series and NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series – making race day even more accessible.

“Our fans travel thousands of miles every season to be at the track,” said Craig Stimmel, SVP and chief commercial officer, NASCAR. “That’s what makes NASCAR unlike any other sport, and partnering with Super.com means we can make it easier on their wallets, from the hotel room or campsite to the infield and the grandstands. That’s the kind of value that keeps fans coming back race after race.”

Beyond digital, Super.com will activate on-site at select NASCAR-owned tracks and integrate into the NASCAR Fan Rewards program, connecting with more than 400,000 loyalty members. The brand will also leverage hospitality and experiential assets throughout the season to reward its Super+ members with premium access and experiences.

To kick off its entry into the sport, Super.com served as the primary sponsor of the No. 51 Rick Ware Racing Chevy Camaro last weekend at Phoenix Raceway, featuring a bold new Super.com paint scheme.

The partnership reinforces NASCAR’s continued commitment to accessibility and fan-first innovation – ensuring that more fans can experience the excitement of race weekend, both at the track and beyond.

Posted on by Press Release

MARTINSVILLE, Va. — Martinsville Speedway announced today that the Virginia Tourism Corporation will return as the entitlement partner for the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour for the upcoming spring race weekend.

The Virginia is for Racing Lovers 200, previously held during the fall race weekend at Martinsville, will take place on Friday, March 27, under the lights at the historic Virginia-based short track.

“It’s always a pleasure to work with the folks at the Virginia Tourism Corporation as we prepare to welcome race fans to the Commonwealth, and we’re proud to continue our partnership with them for the Virginia is for Racing Lovers 200,” said Clay Campbell, President of Martinsville Speedway. “Their support helps spotlight the rich racing history in Virginia and we can’t wait to welcome fans from across the state and beyond to witness the rough and tough racing on Friday night at Martinsville Speedway.”

Virginia welcomes thousands of visitors each year, drawing travelers to the scenic beaches, storied mountains, lively cities and towns, and of course, action-packed racetracks, with people flocking from all over to discover all there is to love about the Commonwealth.

“We’re excited to continue our partnership with Martinsville Speedway for the Virginia is for Racing Lovers 200,” said Rita McClenny, President and CEO of Virginia Tourism Corporation. “Few places capture the heart of short-track racing like Martinsville, where generations of fans have gathered under the lights to experience the intensity and tradition that define Virginia’s racing heritage. We look forward to welcoming visitors from near and far to enjoy an unforgettable race weekend, and to discover all there is to love about Virginia.”

The NASCAR spring race weekend at Martinsville Speedway kicks off on Friday, March 27, with the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour Virginis is for Racing Lovers 200 under the lights, followed by Saturday’s NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series NFPA 250.

The weekend culminates on Sunday, March 29, when drivers in the NASCAR Cup Series will battle it out for a chance to win an iconic Grandfather Clock Trophy in the Cook Out 400 at Martinsville Speedway.

Tickets for the upcoming race weekend are available for purchase via phone at 877-RACE-TIX or online at www.martinsvillespeedway.com.

Fans can stay connected to Martinsville Speedway on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and the NASCAR Tracks App.

Posted on by John Crane

¡Viva, Las Vegas!

Better yet: Viva, intermediate tracks.

After races on a pair of drafting tracks, a road course and a 1-miler, the meat and potatoes of the 2026 NASCAR Cup Series schedule begins in earnest this Sunday at the 1.5-mile Las Vegas Motor Speedway (Sun., 4 p.m. ET, FS1, HBO Max, PRN Radio, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).

RELATED: Las Vegas schedule | Buy tickets

The significance of these 1.5-mile venues — even this early into the 2026 season — is twofold. One: This weekend’s race is the first of nine contests on traditional 1.5-mile tracks, the most in a season since nine in 2021. Quick math means that, in a 36-race schedule, this encompasses 25% of the docket. This isn’t a percentage to scoff at; these tracks matter, and for the Cup Series field still trying to navigate the Upside Down that is the standings, they offer an opportunity to correct some chaos.

Which leads to Point No. 2: The big dogs have a knack for showing off here.

Hendrick Motorsports and Joe Gibbs Racing, this means you.

In the Next Gen era, these two organizations have combined for 16 victories on 1.5-mile tracks: Hendrick with 11 and Joe Gibbs with five. As such, it’s no surprise that pilots from these camps are all over average-finish leaderboards among active drivers.

Best Average Finish on 1.5-mile tracks in the Next Gen Car 

DriverAverage finishWins
William Byron (Hendrick Motorsports)9.822
Kyle Larson (Hendrick Motorsports)11.226
Christopher Bell (Joe Gibbs Racing)11.362
Ross Chastain (Trackhouse Racing)11.932
Denny Hamlin (Joe Gibbs Racing)12.323
Tyler Reddick (23XI Racing)13.753
Alex Bowman (Hendrick Motorsports)13.841
Joey Logano (Team Penske)14.003

Stats courtesy Racing Insights

Starting is just as important as finishing, and once again, these organizations have been at the forefront. Joe Gibbs Racing drivers won the pole for the last three races on 1.5-mile tracks (Chase Briscoe with two, Denny Hamlin with one). Hendrick Motorsports, meanwhile, had the top-rated car on speed on intermediates in six of the nine races in 2025. In other words, these two organizations have not only finished well but have excelled in practice and qualifying in the lead-up to each weekend’s main event.

Paving the way for Hendrick Motorsports has been Kyle Larson, whose six wins on 1.5-mile tracks lead all drivers in the Next Gen era. Denny Hamlin, meanwhile, has been the ace for Joe Gibbs, with three such victories. A trio is right behind them with two wins apiece: Christopher Bell (Joe Gibbs), William Byron (Hendrick) and Chase Elliott (Hendrick).

MORE: Las Vegas entry list | Power Rankings

What is the common denominator of this success? It goes back to speed. On comparable tracks in 2025, six Hendrick Motorsports/Joe Gibbs Racing drivers ranked in the top 10 in Speed Rating, which, according to NASCAR Insights, analyzes a driver’s overall pace relative to the field by tracking lap times throughout the race. Once again, each organization’s heavy hitter showed out; Larson ranked first, followed by Hamlin in second. Byron (fifth), Bell (sixth), Elliott (seventh) and Alex Bowman (eighth) rounded out the group.

And so, it makes sense that drivers from these organizations have led a ton of laps on 1.5-milers. The top four in this category? Hendrick Motorsports and Joe Gibbs Racing drivers.

Laps Led on 1.5-mile tracks in the Next Gen Car

DriverLaps led
Kyle Larson (Hendrick Motorsports)1,780
William Byron (Hendrick Motorsports)886
Christopher Bell (Joe Gibbs Racing)665
Denny Hamlin (Joe Gibbs Racing)627
Ryan Blaney (Team Penske)497
Ross Chastain (Trackhouse Racing)475
Tyler Reddick (23XI Racing)471

Stats courtesy Racing Insights

At this juncture, you get the gist. The track record — no pun intended — for these two organizations has been stout at 1.5-mile facilities. Sure, 2025 was so last year, but recent history plays into each organization’s favor in 2026, especially given the schedule. Of the nine traditional 1.5-mile races this season, four of those will make up the 10-race Chase later this year, with all four coming over the final seven races. In fact, the season finale — the 2026 NASCAR Cup Series Championship Race — will occur at Homestead-Miami Speedway, a 1.5-mile track.

MORE: Cup Series standings | 2026 season schedule

Much can occur between now and the season’s end. Perhaps the organizations hit a major rough patch. The standings could very well unravel further. “Anything can happen,” so the cliche goes. But if the statistics suggest anything, it’s that Hendrick Motorsports and Joe Gibbs Racing will show up and produce at 1.5-mile tracks. And with these venues making up such a hefty dose of the schedule, momentum could very well sway toward these two powerhouse organizations.

It all starts in Las Vegas. And should the metrics prove correct once again, it could be Hendrick Motorsports’ and Joe Gibbs Racing’s world, with everyone else living in it.

Posted on by Staff Report

Alex Bowman will remain out of the No. 48 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet for the second consecutive week with vertigo, the team announced Wednesday.

Bowman was sidelined from last weekend’s NASCAR Cup Series race at Phoenix Raceway after being diagnosed with vertigo midweek. Justin Allgaier, the 2024 NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series champion, will drive the No. 48 Chevrolet at Las Vegas Motor Speedway on Sunday (4 p.m. ET, FS1, HBO Max, FOX One, PRN Radio, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).

MORE: Las Vegas schedule | Cup Series standings

Bowman first experienced symptoms of vertigo during the March 1 race at Circuit of The Americas, where he exited his vehicle after 71 of 95 laps before Myatt Snider replaced him in Snider’s inaugural Cup Series laps.

“Alex continues to work closely with doctors toward being medically cleared, but he’s still experiencing some lingering symptoms,” Hendrick Motorsports president and general manager Jeff Andrews said in a team statement. “He’s put a lot into the recovery process, and we will continue to support him every step of the way. Our priority remains making sure Alex is fully ready before returning to the race car.”

Anthony Alfredo, a simulation driver for Hendrick Motorsports, filled in for Bowman last weekend at Phoenix. He was running seventh when he was collected in a crash at Lap 217 that ended his day, resulting in a 33rd-place finish. Phoenix marked Alfredo’s first Cup Series appearance on a non-drafting-style track since April 2023 at Martinsville Speedway.

Allgaier is a 29-time winner in O’Reilly Auto Parts Series competition, earning his most recent victory last Saturday at Phoenix Raceway. The 39-year-old veteran has made 84 starts in the NASCAR Cup Series, most recently in the 2026 Daytona 500 with JR Motorsports. Allgaier has substituted for Hendrick Motorsports drivers in the past, including for Jimmie Johnson in the 2020 Brickyard 400 at Indianapolis and for Kyle Larson in the 2024 Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway, where he finished 13th.

In his ninth season with the Rick Hendrick-owned team, Bowman sits 36th in the Cup Series standings after involvement in incidents at both Daytona and EchoPark Speedway to start the season.

Posted on by Nate Ryan

New horsepower plus the same tire equaled a solid combination at Phoenix Raceway from NASCAR’s perspective.

During the latest episode of the “Hauler Talk” podcast, vice president of racing communications Mike Forde said NASCAR viewed the 2026 debut of the 750-horsepower package at the 1-mile oval as a “game-changer” because of the increased tire falloff.

“The overall speed for the full lap is not that different, but the high speeds are higher,” Forde said. “And what that means is that it’ll just eat up the tire much more, which leads to varying strategies and comers and goers and passing. And that’s exactly what we were hoping to happen. And that’s what a lot of the drivers were predicting to happen.”

MORE: Recap: Blaney wins at Phoenix | Cup standings

Forde noted several teams were using sealed engines at Phoenix that carried over from last season.

The only difference was the addition of a tapered spacer with holes an eighth of an inch wider in diameter, increasing horsepower by allowing more airflow to the engine.

“A pretty minimal update to those engines created a maximum difference in the Phoenix race,” Forde said. “You saw lots of passing, where sometimes passing was very challenging in previous iterations of the Phoenix Raceway Cup race. So we’re very happy. Thumbs up from the NASCAR side.”

Goodyear supplied the same tire as the race weekend last November at Phoenix when several teams had issues. After a caution-free first stage Sunday, there were multiple incidents involving tires in the second stage at Phoenix, but Forde said NASCAR diagnosed this “as a debris problem, not a tire problem” after brake rotor parts were scattered on the track.

“Beyond that, it seemed like everyone minded their P’s and Q’s, and it didn’t become the story that it was during last Phoenix weekend,” Forde said. “Which is great because the higher horsepower was going to be a challenge on the tires.”

Other topics covered by Forde and senior director of racing communications Amanda Ellis during the 45th episode of “Hauler Talk,” which explores competition issues in NASCAR:

— The status of a Chase waiver for Alex Bowman.

— Revisiting the scenario in which a driver has a lug nut secured by another team’s pit crew.

— A statistical assessment of Ryan Blaney’s winning charge.

– Takeaways from the IndyCar-NASCAR doubleheader 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 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 Staff Report

Goodyear officials indicated that a familiar tire setup will be in the hands of NASCAR Cup Series teams this weekend at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.

The same tire that Cup Series teams used in last October’s postseason race will again be in stock for Sunday’s Pennzoil 400 (4 p.m. ET, FS1, HBO Max, PRN Radio, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio). The tire configuration debuted last September at Kansas Speedway and was also implemented for the similar 1.5-mile Las Vegas track two weeks later.

RELATED: Weekend schedule: Vegas | Power Rankings

When the tire was introduced, the setup included a new construction of the right-side rubber, paired with left-side tires that appeared in six races last season.

“Teams will be able to lean on their data from October’s races at Las Vegas Motor Speedway to refine their strategies for this weekend,” said Justin Fantozzi, Goodyear Director of Racing for the Americas. “The track surface at Las Vegas does not usually encourage much tire wear, so the setups we’ve brought this weekend are designed to shed rubber. That allows heat to dissipate through the tread, keeping the tires cooler and promoting fall-off over the course of a run.”

Each Cup Series team will have an allotment of 10 sets of tires for the race weekend — eight new sets for the race, one for practice, plus one set for qualifying that carries over to Sunday’s 400-miler.

Goodyear’s NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series tire setup for Saturday’s The LiUNA! (5:30 p.m. ET, The CW, PRN Radio, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio) will also be a carryover from last season. O’Reilly Series teams will be supplied with six sets — five new sets for the race, plus one from practice.

Posted on by Holly Cain

PHOENIX, Ariz. — One of the most appealing things about the NASCAR Cup Series is that the season takes the green flag in an ambitious schedule, featuring a wide variety of tracks that provide different challenges and reward different talent sets. And the championship standings reflect as much.

From the superspeedway in Daytona to the Atlanta 1.5-miler that races like a superspeedway, to Austin’s famed road course to Sunday’s fast and furious Phoenix one-miler before hitting the Las Vegas 1.5 miler this week — a track that represents so much of the overall schedule — all the early variation typically provides a good test before sorting out which driver and which team will be making that championship run deep into the season.

RELATED: Cup Series standings | Schedule

Phoenix contributed another vivid chapter after the big ovals and a road course to open the season. Ryan Blaney’s inspired win over a hard-charging Christopher Bell on Sunday was a great sample of some big moves in the championship points standings as the series heads to Las Vegas for Sunday’s Pennzoil 400 presented by Jiffy Lube (4 p.m. ET, FS1, HBO Max, FOX One, PRN Radio, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).

The good news for the season’s established front-runner Tyler Reddick is that the 23XI Racing driver still proved himself a contender even when he’s not hoisting a trophy. After a history-making 3-for-3 streak to open the year with wins in the Daytona 500, at Atlanta’s EchoPark Speedway and then Austin’s Circuit of The Americas road course, Reddick earned a top-10 at Phoenix even as his win streak halted. And it’s given him a substantial 60-point edge over the field as the series continues its Western roll.

Only now, the points standings beyond him look a little different. Blaney’s victory and stage win at Phoenix vaulted him into second place in the standings, 12 points up on Reddick’s 23XI Racing teammate Bubba Wallace. It comes after a three-race run when Reddick and Wallace had widely separated themselves from the rest of the field.

It was especially rewarding for Blaney, who had to overcome two pit road issues and still managed to rally for the win — exactly the kind of determination and effort that helped him to the 2023 NASCAR Cup Series championship and has again served as a reminder that he is a perennial title contender.

“Perseverance,” Blaney said. “Definitely a long day, but really proud of everybody for keeping their heads down. It’s easy to beat yourself up over that stuff and kind of take yourself out of the game. But those guys just don’t do that. Those guys’ mentality is unbelievable, and on this 12-group is where it needs to be. Mainly proud of the effort for all those guys for fighting back like they did.”

Not only did Blaney establish himself in the elite part of the standings, but Bell’s runner-up showing Sunday delivered a dramatic jump in the standings for him as well. He skyrocketed 18 positions from 24th to sixth.

Similarly, Bell’s Joe Gibbs Racing teammate Denny Hamlin finished fifth at Phoenix — his first top five of the year — and moved up 11 positions in the standings to 12th place. Hendrick Motorsports’ Kyle Larson, the reigning series champion, jumped up five positions in the standings to 10th. Sunday’s third-place showing was his best finish and first top- five of the season.

“We definitely have a lot of work to do here,” Larson said, “but excited to get to Vegas next week, see what we have on a mile-and-a-half. Go to work.

“But happy to put together two solid finishes in a row here. Just continue to build on it.”

And perhaps one of the most telling signs of year-over-year improvement comes from Trackhouse Racing’s Shane Van Gisbergen. Although he won a rookie record five races last season, all the trophies came on road courses where the former Australian Supercars Champion is so masterful.

This year he’s purposely and successfully raised his oval game, scoring a career best sixth-place at Atlanta and answering with arguably an even more impressive 11th-place at Phoenix — considering he had to overcome a tire issue and was collected in a multicar accident. Van Gisbergen has led laps in three of the first four races and is now ranked fifth in the championship standings — a career high for him.

“Excellent result for the crazy day we had,” the New Zealander said. “My Safety Culture Chevy had a lot of speed, but just had those two spins that reset our progress each time. Passed a lot of cars and had a good points day. Headed to Vegas next weekend with a lot of momentum.”

A one-hour practice for the Pennzoil 400 is Saturday at 2:30 p.m. ET, followed by Busch Light Pole Qualifying at 3:40 p.m. ET (Prime Video, PRN Radio, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio). Wood Brothers Racing’s Josh Berry is the defending race winner.