Food City 500
Bristol, Tenn. – April 12, 2026
AUSTIN CINDRIC No. 2 MENARDS/TARKETT FORD MUSTANG DARK HORSE
START: 9TH STAGE 1: 10TH STAGE 2: 10TH FINISH: 16TH POINTS: 18TH
RACE RUNDOWN: Austin Cindric finished 16th in Sunday’s Food City 500 at Bristol Motor Speedway after a hard-fought afternoon in the No. 2 Menards/Tarkett Ford Mustang Dark Horse. After starting ninth, Cindric settled into the top 10 early while working through a balance that was “a touch tight,” but manageable in the opening run. A caution at Lap 60 found him running eighth, and the No. 2 team made their first adjustments of the day with four tires, fuel and a right-front air pressure change. Cindric maintained solid track position through the remainder of Stage 1, but noted a loss of stability on corner entry as the run progressed. He finished the opening segment in 10th and returned to pit road for four tires, fuel and a reversal of the previous adjustment in an effort to regain the feel he had earlier in the race. In Stage 2, Cindric continued to battle inside the top 10, navigating multiple cautions and opting to stay out to preserve track position. Despite hovering around the 10th position throughout the stage, he continued to search for more security on entry and through the center of the corner. He ultimately finished Stage 2 in 10th and pitted for service before restarting 12th. The final stage proved to be a challenge as Cindric fought a car that was too loose on the bottom and tight through the center. The No. 2 team made multiple adjustments throughout the run, including additional air pressure changes and a wedge adjustment on a late caution, in an effort to improve rotation and overall balance. The Menards/Tarkett machine crossed the line in 16th when the checkered flag flew.
CINDRIC’S THOUGHTS: “I’m proud of the effort from everyone on this No. 2 team. We qualified well, had decent speed and put together a pretty solid day overall. Just needed a little more balance to maximize what we had. The finish doesn’t really reflect that, but we’ll take the positives and keep building.”
RYAN BLANEY No. 12 DISCOUNT TIRE FORD MUSTANG DARK HORSE
START: 1ST STAGE 1: 3RD STAGE 2: 2ND FINISH: 2ND POINTS: 2ND
RACE RUNDOWN: Ryan Blaney and the No. 12 Discount Tire Ford Mustang Dark Horse team nearly came away with their second win of the season in Sunday’s Food City 500 but ultimately settled for a second-place result in an overtime finish at Bristol. The second-place finish and 190 laps led both mark career-bests for Blaney at the half-mile oval while extending his streak to four-consecutive top-six finishes at Bristol. After earning his 13th-career Cup Series pole Saturday afternoon, Blaney led the opening 43 laps before relinquishing the lead while battling lapped traffic in what amounted to a third-place finish in Stage 1. Blaney continued to challenge for the lead after working his way from sixth to second over a 25-lap stretch during the second segment en route to a second-place result in Stage 2. The Discount Tire Ford continued to chase down the No. 5 for the top spot over the course of the final run, eventually regaining the lead on lap 337 before opening up a two-second advantage on the second spot. Blaney continued to control the race as he worked in and out of lapped traffic while maintaining the gap to second, but a caution with 24 laps remaining set up one last pit call atop the pit boxes. Blaney was one of five cars in the top-10 to hit pit road under yellow for a four tire stop, setting him up to take the green flag from inside of row three with 15 laps to go. On fresher tires, Blaney was able to power his way to second with his sights set on the leader when the final caution flag of the afternoon flew with four laps left, setting up a green-white-checkered finish. Blaney took the final restart from the inside of row one and battled alongside the No. 54 from the drop of the green as the two came off turn four side-by-side coming to the checkered flag, but the No. 54 was able to carry the momentum in the top lane to nose ahead at the line for the win.
BLANEY’S THOUGHTS: “Before the last yellow I was side-by-side for the lead and I slipped into three and that kind of cost us a shot to get it before that last yellow. I thought I had a good restart, but the bottom was just hard to hit. I didn’t get the best one and two the last lap and didn’t have a far enough position, and then I really got a good three and four coming to the checkered, but it was a little bit too late. I’m disappointed we didn’t win, but, overall, I’m really proud of the effort. I had a great day and got better all day. It’s definitely something to be proud of.”
JOEY LOGANO No. 22 SHELL-PENNZOIL FORD MUSTANG DARK HORSE
START: 20TH STAGE 1: 25TH STAGE 2: 8TH FINISH: 7TH POINTS: 12TH
RACE RUNDOWN: Joey Logano and the No. 22 Shell-Pennzoil Ford Mustang Dark Horse team turned in another top-10 effort Sunday at Bristol in a seventh-place finish. After starting 20th, Logano fought handling issues for a majority of the opening, 125-lap segment, resulting in a 25th-place result in Stage 1. Following a round of adjustments during the stage caution, Logano began to make the top lane work during the ensuing run, reaching the top-10 by lap 159. The Shell-Pennzoil Ford continued its charge forward during the final run of the second segment – reaching as high as sixth in the running order – before ultimately coming away with an eighth-place finish in Stage 2. The 22 team’s four tire stop between stages gained Logano four spots on pit road before lining up to take the green flag from the outside of row three as he went on to settle into seventh on the leaderboard. Following a caution on lap 311, Logano restarted seventh and charged to fourth during the opening laps of the run while finding speed in the top lane. Logano faded to ninth in the latter stages of the run as the car began to build free on corner entry, but a caution with 24 laps remaining reset the field before hitting pit road a fresh set of tires for the final sprint to the finish. After charging up to eighth after taking the green flag, the final caution flag of the afternoon flew with four laps remaining to set up a green-white-checkered finish as Logano was able to pick up another position during the final two laps to come away with a seventh-place result.
LOGANO’S THOUGHTS: “Really proud of the effort from everyone on this Shell-Pennzoil team today. We didn’t have much going in the first stage but once the top lane started to become a factor we really hit on some adjustments and took advantage of the track position we worked up to. Another really solid day on pit road, too, those guys were on it and kept us in the game all day.”
The NASCAR Cup Series heads to Kansas Speedway for the AdventHealth 400 on Sunday, April 19. Live coverage begins at 2:00 p.m. ET on FOX, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90.
