On paper, a win and a potential third-place finish in the final points standings would appear to be a pretty successful season. However, racing isn’t done on paper. Matt Smith has seen his team lose a primary sponsor and has been plagued by gremlins on his Haltech/Redline Oil/Affliction Buell.
On Saturday, November 12th, prior to the start of the Beau Slocumb Memorial 100 Pro Late Model feature as part of the 28th-Annual Rheem World Crown 300 weekend, Gresham Motorsports Park (GA) honored the life and memory of Slocumb with the unveiling of the Beau Slocumb Memorial Spotters Tower.
Trevor Bayne, No. 16 AirHogs.com Ford Mustang (Finished 6th) “That was pretty wild but that is what racing used to be. It used to be rubbing and grinding and trying to fight for one groove. That isn’t exactly the day we wanted."
Matt Kenseth earned Roush Fenway’s team-high 10th Sprint Cup pole of the season, turning a lap of 26.26 seconds (137.101 mph) around the 1-mile low banked tri-oval of Phoenix International Raceway on Saturday to score his career-high third Sprint Cup pole of the season.
AVONDALE, AZ - (November 12, 2011) - Mark Martin, No. 5 GoDaddy.com Chevrolet, leads three Team Chevy drivers with top-10 qualifying efforts for Sunday's Kobalt Tools 500. Martin will start fourth in the 43-car field.
Edwards, No. 99 Aflac Ford Fusion (Qualified 9th) “That was a good lap for us. It depends on this clouds. I think someone will hit it and be really fast but I think it can be a top-10 spot and that is all we need. We had a good solid run, practiced well and a solid qualifying lap. We have to keep on moving.”
BRAD KESELOWSKI (No. 2 Miller Lite Dodge Charger R/T) Qualified 12th “That was faster than I thought it was. It’s terrible out there right now, but it’s the same for everybody. I’m happy to pick up, just so hard to tell what’s a good lap and what’s a bad lap right now; really hard to tell.”
Each race weekend, selected Dodge Motorsports engineers, Penske Racing engineers and crew chiefs, drivers or engine specialists give their insight on the ‘Keys for Success’ for the upcoming race. This week, Howard Comstock, Dodge Motorsports engineering - provides the keys for Sunday’s Sprint Cup race.
Carl Edwards, driver of the No. 99 Aflac Ford Fusion, brings a three point Chase standings lead into Sunday’s Kobalt Tools 500 over Tony Stewart. Edwards, who posted the second fastest lap time in the final Friday practice at Phoenix International Raceway, talked about racing at PIR and his slim Chase lead.
The 18-year-old Crews from Hickory, North Carolina, contended for his first O'Reilly victory in the closing laps before settling in a career-best third place at the Last Great Coliseum.
The 19-year-old Zilisch from Charlotte, North Carolina, led 24 of 300 laps and utilized a late move by remaining on the track with worn tires to prevail through two restarts and claim his first NASCAR victory both of the 2026 season and at Bristol.
The 2023 Cup Series champion from Hartford Township, Ohio, clocked in a pole-winning lap at 127.064 mph in 15.101 seconds for his first Cup pole of 2026 at The Last Great Coliseum.
The two-time ARCA Menards Series East champion from Prairie, Minnesota, claimed his first O'Reilly Auto Parts Series pole position of the 2026 season as he bids for his first Dash 4 Cash bonus.
Chase Elliott, driver of the No. 9 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet, met with the media in advance of the NASCAR Cup Series practice and qualifying session at Bristol Motor Speedway.
