Denny Hamlin chased down Bubba Wallace over the closing laps, but couldn't get close enough to make the pass, instead settling for his second-consecutive runner-up finish.
Martin Truex Jr. finished 8th at Daytona, but it wasn't enough to put him in the playoffs as first-time season winner Austin Dillon took the surprising win.
Kyle Larson stalked Hendrick Motorsports teammate Chase Elliott over the final laps at Watkins Glen, and finally forced his way by on the final restart. Then Larson repelled the challenge of A.J. Allmendinger to win the Go Bowling At The Glen.
Scott McLaughlin ended a long winless streak and the 2026 NTT INDYCAR SERIES season in style, dominating the Mission Foods Grand Prix of Monterey for his first victory in more than two years.
The 2024 O'Reilly Auto Parts Series champion from Riverton, Illinois, maintains a seven-point lead following the first Chase event despite having a dominant run hindered with a late fade and wall scrape.
The 24-year-old Caruth from Washington endured a roller-coaster run in his first O'Reilly Chase event that concluded with a 26th-place run following a late (second) fuel pickup issue.
