Bank of America 400
Concord, North Carolina – October 11, 2026
AUSTIN CINDRIC No. 2 MENARDS/LIBMAN FORD MUSTANG DARK HORSE
START: 5TH STAGE 1: 4TH STAGE 2: 6TH FINISH: 17TH POINTS: 8TH
RACE RUNDOWN: Austin Cindric started Sunday’s Bank of America 400 at Charlotte Motor Speedway from the fifth position in the No. 2 Menards/Libman Ford Mustang Dark Horse. Cindric quickly established himself among the frontrunners, advancing to second by the competition caution on Lap 35. After a four-tire stop under caution, Cindric restarted on the front row and continued to maintain a position inside the top five throughout the opening stage. Despite reporting a slightly free condition on corner entry, Cindric remained competitive and ended Stage 1 in fourth. The No. 2 team continued to fine-tune the handling of the Menards/Libman Ford throughout Stage 2, with Cindric reporting improved balance in the early portion of the segment. Running third when the caution flew on Lap 117, Cindric came to pit road for four tires and fuel before restarting sixth. As the run progressed, Cindric began experiencing a tighter handling condition that affected the car’s overall grip, ultimately finishing Stage 2 in sixth. Crew chief Brian Wilson called for an air pressure adjustment during the ensuing pit stop to help improve the balance heading into the final stage. Cindric restarted fifth for the final stage and initially reported improved handling following the adjustments. The No. 2 team continued working to optimize the car’s balance, making another air pressure adjustment during a caution period on Lap 206. Cindric restarted fifth but battled changing handling conditions over the closing laps, ultimately taking the checkered flag in 17th to conclude the afternoon at Charlotte.
CINDRIC’S THOUGHTS: “It’s a shame that our final run of the race went the way it did. It was pretty uncharacteristic from the other portions of the race. Past that, I thought that we had a pretty fast Menards/Libman Ford. Yeah, it’s just a shame that last run was by far our worst of the race. We’re going to have to go back and review that, but we still got some solid points.”
RYAN BLANEY No. 12 DISCOUNT TIRE FORD MUSTANG DARK HORSE
START: 4TH STAGE 1: 10TH STAGE 2: 2ND FINISH: 3RD POINTS: 5TH
RACE RUNDOWN: After practice and qualifying were canceled for inclement weather, Ryan Blaney started from the fourth position for Sunday’s Bank of America 400 at Charlotte Motor Speedway. The No. 12 Discount Tire Ford Mustang Dark Horse ran within the top-10 early on in the race up until the competition caution at lap 35. Pitting under the yellow flag with the rest of the field, Blaney suffered a speeding penalty and had to restart at the tail end of the field. From the ensuing restart, he made up more than 20 positions to finish 10th at the end of Stage 1, following it up with a second-place result in Stage 2 after running within the top-five for most of that race stanza. The No. 12 pit crew was able to get Blaney off pit road first to have him lead the field to green for Stage 3 where he led the first four laps of the final stage. In the last 55 laps of the race, Blaney fought back from a lengthy pitstop that put him in the backhalf of the top-10, ultimately finishing in the third position by the checkered flag, his third consecutive top-10 result. Heading to Phoenix next weekend, Blaney and the No. 12 team are fifth in the Cup Series point standings with four races remaining in the season.
BLANEY’S THOUGHTS: “I was able to come back from that [pit road speeding penalty], so proud of that effort. Yeah, just keep going, and I’m looking forward to the next month… I look forward to going no matter where it’s at every week. I think this team can do a great job at figuring out things when we need to, whether that’s going to a track we’ve been successful at, or going to tracks we need to work at. They’ve done a really good job. Phoenix [Raceway] has been a good one for us, and hopefully it’ll be a good one again next week.”
JOEY LOGANO No. 22 SHELL-PENNZOIL FORD MUSTANG DARK HORSE
START: 7TH STAGE 1: 18TH STAGE 2: 15TH FINISH: 9TH POINTS: 6TH
RACE RUNDOWN: Joey Logano delivered a ninth-place finish Saturday night at Charlotte Motor Speedway in a milestone evening for the driver of the No. 22 Shell-Pennzoil Ford Mustang Dark Horse. Competing in his 500th NASCAR Cup Series start with Team Penske and carrying the team’s special 60th Anniversary mosaic livery celebrating more than 650 victories across the organization’s history, Logano overcame early adversity to secure another top-10 result. After starting the event seventh, Logano was running inside the top 10 before sustaining right-front damage in a chain-reaction incident on a restart during the opening stage. Crew Chief Paul Wolfe brought the No. 22 Ford to pit road for repairs and fresh tires, forcing Logano to restart 36th and begin a climb through the field. Logano methodically worked his way forward to finish Stage 1 in 18th and remained a consistent top-15 contender throughout Stage 2, ultimately ending the segment 15th. The No. 22 team continued making air pressure and handling adjustments as track conditions evolved, allowing Logano to gain valuable track position for the final stage. Restarting 12th for the race’s closing segment, Logano raced his way into the top 10 before a caution on lap 205 set up the final pit cycle. The event remained green to the checkered flag, and Logano maintained his position through the lengthy closing run to bring home a ninth-place finish. The result moves Logano to sixth in the NASCAR Cup Series standings, 92 points behind the championship leader.
LOGANO’S THOUGHTS: “We’ve got to win now. We’re 90-whatever something back. We’ve got to do some special stuff from here on out to make up the 100 points. We got that damage early in the race. I don’t know what happened. They all stacked up in front of me and I packed the nose in, unsealed the splitter, which surely didn’t help any. Maybe we could’ve been top five-ish if I didn’t have the damage. You know, it could’ve been worse, but we just didn’t get any stage points – that’s the worst part.”
The NASCAR Cup Series Chase for the Championship continues next weekend when the Series revisits Phoenix Raceway for the seventh of 10 Chase events. Catch coverage of the Freeway Insurance 500 beginning at 3 p.m. ET on USA, MRN, and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90.
