RICK WARE RACING
Freeway Insurance 500k
Date: Oct. 18, 2026
Event: Freeway Insurance 500k (Round 33 of 36)
Series: NASCAR Cup Series
Location: Phoenix Raceway (1-mile oval)
Format: 312 laps, broken into three stages (60 laps/125 laps/127 laps)
Race Winner: Tyler Reddick of 23XI Racing (Toyota)
Stage 1 Winner: Joey Logano of Team Penske (Ford)
Stage 2 Winner: Joey Logano of Team Penske (Ford)
RWR Finish:
● Cody Ware (Started 37th, Finished 35th / Accident, completed 220 of 312 laps)
RWR Points:
● Cody Ware (35th with 237 points)
Race Notes:
● Tyler Reddick won the Freeway Insurance 500k to score his 14th career NASCAR Cup Series victory, his series-leading sixth of the season and his first at Phoenix. His margin over second-place Ryan Blaney was .801 of a second.
● There were six caution periods for a total of 43 laps.
● Twenty-seven of the 37 drivers in the race finished on the lead lap.
● Kyle Larson remains the championship leader after Phoenix but has just a five-point advantage over second-place Christopher Bell.
Sound Bites:
“I think we cut a right front (tire) down after contact with the 48 (Alex Bowman) on the straightaway. It finally let go and we ended up the in wall. Frustrating day.” – Cody Ware, driver of the No. 51 Rocket Doctor Chevrolet
Next Up:
The next event on the NASCAR Cup Series schedule is the YellaWood 500 on Sunday, Oct. 25, at Talladega (Ala.) Superspeedway. The eighth race in the 10-race Chase starts at 2 p.m. EDT with live coverage provided by NBC and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.
