PHOENIX 2
Friday, October 16 — NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series, 7:30 p.m. ET (FS1)
Sunday, October 18 — NASCAR Cup Series, 3 p.m. ET (USA)
There are only four races remaining in the season as Phoenix Raceway plays host to NASCAR for the second time in 2026. Ford driver Ryan Blaney is going for the season sweep after he won the fourth race of the season in March and his third in a row at the one-mile track as he captured the season finale race in 2025.
TICKETS ON SALE FOR INAUGURAL VETERANS DAY CLASSIC
Ford, in collaboration with NASCAR, Blue Star Families, IMSA and HSR, is bringing together motorsports, music and a shared mission of military support all in honor of service members, veterans and their families. It’s a first-of-its kind military tribute race with all six branches of the armed forces being represented. The inaugural Ford Proud To Honor Veterans Day Classic is scheduled to take place on Wednesday, Nov. 11 at Daytona International Speedway. The event will feature 12 Ford Racing drivers representing a variety of disciplines competing in a race on the road course with the Ford Mustang Dark Horse R that is used to compete in the IMSA-sanctioned Mustang Challenge and Mustang Cup series. Another highlight will be a musical performance by Zac Brown Band. Donations and proceeds from ticket sales will go to benefit military families through a variety of non-profit organizations. Tickets can be purchased through the official website at fordveteransdayclassic.com.
FORD DRIVERS IN THE CHASE
5th – Ryan Blaney (-85 behind leader Kyle Larson)
6th – Joey Logano (-92)
8th – Austin Cindric (-145)
15th – Chris Buescher (-216)
16th – Ryan Preece (-227)
BLANEY GOING FOR PHOENIX SWEEP
Ryan Blaney passed Ty Gibbs for the lead with 10 laps to go and went on to win the first NASCAR Cup Series race at Phoenix Raceway earlier this year. The win was Ford Racing’s first triumph of the season and the second straight for Blaney at the track where he won the 2025 season finale. Blaney was the only Ford in the top 10 when the final restart took place with 12 laps to go, starting on the outside of the second row behind Gibbs. He moved into second when Kyle Larson drifted up the track going into turn one and then stalked Gibbs for a lap before finally making the decisive pass. The last driver to sweep both races in the same season at Phoenix was Kevin Harvick in 2014.
LOGANO AND PHOENIX
Joey Logano has made 35 starts in his NASCAR Cup Series career at Phoenix Raceway and more than half of them have ended with the Team Penske driver in the top 10. Logano has four victories (2016-2, 2020-1, 2022-2, 2024-2), 10 top-five and 18 top-10 finishes. Those four wins are tied with Las Vegas Motor Speedway for most victories at one track and, coincidentally, have all come in even years, just like his three championships. Logano sat on the pole, but finished 31st in the race at Phoenix earlier this year after getting involved in an accident.
FORD DRIVERS IN THE CHASE
2nd – Layne Riggs (-17 behind leader Kaden Honeycutt)
3rd – Chandler Smith (-77)
7th – Ty Majeski (-116)
8th – Ben Rhodes (-136)
DOUBLE DIGIT NCTS WINS
For the first time since 2000, Ford has won at least 10 races in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series after Layne Riggs captured last week’s event at Charlotte Motor Speedway. Riggs has been the main reason for the manufacturer’s success this year with seven wins while Front Row Motorsports teammate Chandler Smith has two. Jake Garcia owns the other after capturing his first career win last month at Bristol Motor Speedway. The record for wins by Ford in one NCTS season is 12 (2000).
RIGGS CLIMBING THE CHARTS
Layne Riggs has 12 career NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series victories, which ranks second on Ford’s all-time list. The leader is Greg Biffle, who won 16 times between 1998-2000 and won the series championship in 2000. In addition, the seven wins by Riggs marks the second-most in a single season by a Ford driver and is only bettered by the nine Biffle won in 1999.
FORD’S PHOENIX NASCAR CUP
SERIES WINNERS
1988 – Alan Kulwicki
1989 – Bill Elliott
1991 – Davey Allison
1992 – Davey Allison
1993 – Mark Martin
1995 – Ricky Rudd
1997 – Dale Jarrett
1998 – Rusty Wallace
2000 – Jeff Burton
2001 – Jeff Burton
2002 – Matt Kenseth
2005 – Kurt Busch (1)
2010 – Carl Edwards (2)
2013 – Carl Edwards (1)
2016 – Joey Logano (2)
2018 – Kevin Harvick (1)
2020 – Joey Logano (1)
2022 – Chase Briscoe (1) and Joey Logano (2)
2024 – Joey Logano (2)
2025 – Ryan Blaney (2)
2026 – Ryan Blaney (1)
FORD’S PHOENIX NASCAR CRAFTSMAN TRUCK SERIES WINNERS
1997 – Joe Ruttman
1998 – Mike Bliss
2001 – Greg Biffle
2022 – Zane Smith
2024 – Ty Majeski
The Ford Mustang® coupe is America’s best-selling sports car and has a global racing presence. With Mustang-based race cars competing in international sports car competition (GT3 and GT4), NASCAR, NHRA, Formula Drift, in Supercars, at the Pikes Peak International Hill Climb and in its own bespoke regional one-make series – Mustang Cup and Mustang Challenge – the platform has an unprecedented global reach. This weekend, 18 Mustang race cars are scheduled to compete across all active disciplines. Learn more about Mustang at www.FordRacing.com.
