Hamlin survived a tussle with Carl Edwards with 88 laps to go and charged late, nearly catching Clint Bowyer for the win but settling for the runner-up spot in the Sylvania 400.
Denny Hamlin: Hamlin led 251 of 400 laps at Richmond, erasing the memory of 34th and 43rd-place finishes in his last two races to grab the top seed in the Chase For The Cup.
Kevin Harvick: Harvick won for the third time this year, conquering the Carfax 400 in Michigan while becoming the first driver to clinch a spot in the Chase For The Cup.
Harvick was running sixth before suffering a flat tire on the final lap at Watkins Glen, spoiling a certain top-10 finish. He surrendered five positions on the final lap, and was nipped at the line for tenth by Jeff Gordon, his closest pursuer in the point standings.
The reigning O'Reilly Auto Parts Series champion led a race-high 156 of 200 laps and swept all three stages en route to a dominant victory in the desert state and to assume a 36-point lead in the Chase standings.
Reigning world champ Dallas Glenn made the quickest run in Pro Stock history in front of a massive crowd on Saturday at Texas Motorplex, taking the No. 1 qualifying position with a world-record run at the Texas NHRA FallNationals.
The 2023 Cup Series champion from High Point, North Carolina, posted a single qualifying lap at 137.143 mph in 26.250 seconds for his fifth Cup pole of 2026 and the 17th of his career in the desert state.
Daniel Suarez, driver of the No. 7 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet, met with the media in advance of the NASCAR Cup Series practice and qualifying session at Phoenix Raceway.
The reigning O'Reilly Auto Parts Series champion from Menlo Park, California, clocked in a pole-winning lap at 131.694 mph in 27.336 seconds for his second pole of 2026 at the desert state.
