LEBANON, Tenn. (Saturday, July 18, 2026) – Kyle Kirkwood and Andretti Global delivered a mighty qualifying effort Saturday at Nashville Superspeedway, edging oval master Josef Newgarden to win the NTT P1 Award for the Borchetta Bourbon Music City Grand Prix presented by OnlyBulls.
Kirkwood earned his first pole of the season and fourth of his NTT INDYCAR SERIES career with a two-lap average speed of 196.852 mph in the No. 27 Sam’s Club Honda. That dramatic run, the second-to-last in the qualifying order, validated the speed Kirkwood showed by leading practice Saturday morning on the 1.33-mile concrete oval.
“Quite honestly, it’s the car that Andretti gives me here,” Kirkwood said. “We were quick in practice. We’ve been good here the past couple of years.
“I did the same as everybody else is doing, right? You just hold it flat, and you hope your car goes fast. They built a really good car around me, did everything right. I managed the tools a little bit, got aggressive with some trim. It worked out well.”
This is the second career oval pole for Florida native Kirkwood. He also won the top spot for this event in 2024, with Newgarden also qualifying second.
Newgarden took the top spot today on a steamy afternoon with his two-lap average of 196.642 in the No. 2 Astemo Team Penske Chevrolet, looking to remind everyone why he is the dominant oval racer of recent years in the series. He has won 13 of the last 30 circle-track events, including this race last year.
But four drivers later, Kirkwood blasted out of the gates with an opening lap of 197.382 – the only lap in the entire session faster than 197 mph – and hung on to seize the pole from Nashville-area native Newgarden, still recovering from a foot injury suffered in a crash in the Indianapolis 500 presented by Gainbridge.
“We have a great car here,” Newgarden said. “We started earlier this morning really well. The team did everything they could today, and we have a good viewpoint for tomorrow now.”
Team Penske took two of the top three spots on the starting grid as Scott McLaughlin qualified third at 196.087 in the No. 3 Odyssey Battery Team Penske Chevrolet. Reigning and four-time series champion Alex Palou will join McLaughlin on the second row after qualifying fourth at 196.050 in the No. 10 DHL Chip Ganassi Racing Honda.
Six-time series champion Scott Dixon continued a strong performance for Chip Ganassi Racing, as he qualified fifth at 195.802 in the No. 9 PNC Chip Ganassi Racing Honda. 2016 Indianapolis 500 winner Alexander Rossi rounded out Row 3 at 195.664 in the No. 20 ECR Java House Chevrolet.
All drivers coped with tricky, stifling conditions during qualifying. The air temperature was 94 degrees, with track temperatures reaching 130.
David Malukas, who has scored more oval points than any driver this season, did not attempt to qualify in the No. 12 Verizon Team Penske Chevrolet after a heavy crash in practice this morning.
Malukas climbed from the car with assistance from the AMR INDYCAR Safety Team, but he was transported to a local hospital via private vehicle for further testing. His status for the 300-lap race Sunday remains undecided, and the No. 12 car will start last in the 25-car field.
The race is scheduled to start at approximately 5:30 p.m. ET Sunday, subject to the end time of the FIFA World Cup Final. FOX, FOX One and INDYCAR Radio powered by OnlyBulls will provide live coverage.
Chandler Smith backed up his thrilling final-lap victory at North Wilkesboro Speedway from a year ago to rocket away from the competition through a late dominant NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series run in the Faith Fest 250 on Saturday, July 18.
The 24-year-old Smith from Talking Rock, Georgia, led a race-high 105 of 250-scheduled laps in an event where he started in ninth place and navigated his way to a third-place result at the conclusion of the first stage period. After continuing to battle towards the front for the majority of the second stage period, Smith, who surrendered track position towards the front to pit with most of the field, used his fresh tires to muscle his way up to second place once the second stage period concluded.
Prior to the final stage period, Ty Majeski, who was among a handful of competitors who did not pit to garner stage points and who ultimately won the second stage period, pitted, which allowed Smith to cycle as the leader. For the event’s third and final stage start with 99 laps remaining, Smith motored ahead of Christian Eckes and the field. From there, he never looked back as he lapped a majority of the field and set the bar for the largest margin of victory on a short-track event in the Craftsman Truck Series division. When the checkered flag flew, Smith emerged victorious over teammate Layne Riggs for the first time in five months.
With on-track qualifying that determined the starting lineup occurring on Friday, July 17, Layne Riggs achieved his second consecutive Truck pole position of the 2026 season with a pole-winning lap at 121.608 mph in 18.502 seconds. Carson Hocevar started alongside Riggs on the front row with a fast lap at 121.503 mph in 18.518 seconds.
When the green flag waved and the event commenced, pole-sitter Layne Riggs, who opted to start on the outside lane, quickly lost the lead to Carson Hocevar as Hocevar nearly slid up the track to stall Riggs’ momentum through the first turns. Hocevar retained a steady lead through the backstretch as Riggs tried to reel in and regain the top spot. As Riggs threw himself beneath Hocevar through Turns 3 and 4, they dueled for the lead as Hocevar barely led the first lap.
During the second lap, Corey Heim made a move beneath both Hocevar and Riggs in a three-wide bid for the lead for nearly half a lap. Amid Heim’s challenge, Hocevar, who remained on his preferred outside lane towards the outside lane to gain momentum entering straightaways, rocketed his No. 77 Delaware Life Chevrolet Silverado RST entry ahead of Heim and Riggs to retain the lead. As Riggs used every inch of the track through the turns and straightaways while trying to challenge Hocevar, Hocevar continued to lead through the Lap 10 mark.
On Lap 13, the event’s first caution flew when newcomer Donovan Strauss, who was driving the No. 4 Chevrolet Silverado RST entry for Niece Motorsports, spun in the backstretch after he got hit in the rear by Corey LaJoie while racing in the mid-pack region. At the moment of caution, Hocevar was leading ahead of Riggs while Christopher Bell, Heim, Kaden Honeycutt, Chandler Smith, Chase Elliott, Giovanni Ruggiero, Grant Enfinger and Stewart Friesen were scored in the top 10, respectively.
During the next restart on Lap 19, Hocevar gained a strong launch from the outside lane to motor ahead and retain the lead while Riggs barely fended off Bell to retain the runner-up spot. Riggs then dueled against Hocevar through the frontstretch for the next lap after Hocevar went slightly high, but the latter managed to motor back ahead and retain the top spot during the following lap. While both Riggs and Bell reeled in for the lead, Heim and Chandler Smith battled for fourth place in front of Honeycutt and Elliott as Hocevar led at the Lap 25 mark.
Through the Lap 35 mark, Hocevar led by two-tenths of a second over Riggs while third-place Bell trailed by more than a second. Behind, Chandler Smith outdueled Heim for fourth place in front of Honeycutt, Elliott, Ruggiero, Christian Eckes and Grant Enfinger while Stewart Friesen, Nick Leitz, Cole Butcher, Andres Perez De Lara, Tanner Gray, Dawson Sutton, Shane van Gisbergen, Landen Lewis, Ben Rhodes and Ty Majeski were mired in the top-20 mark ahead of Daniel Hemric, Tyler Reif, Jake Garcia, Justin Haley and Tyler Ankrum, respectively. Meanwhile, Ryan Newman was mired in 32nd place while newcomer Kasey Kleyn was racing in 27th place behind Brenden Queen.
Ten laps later, Hocevar continued to lead by two-tenths of a second over Riggs and by more than two seconds over Bell while Chandler Smith started to reel in on Bell for third place. Another three laps later, Riggs cut his deficit to a tenth of a second as Hocevar was mired in lapped traffic. Riggs then spent the following two laps fiercely battling with Hocevar before the former slid in front of Hocevar entering the frontstretch to lead for the first time on Lap 51. Hocevar then tried to execute a crossover move on Riggs entering the first turn, but Riggs used the outside lane to motor his No. 34 Infinity Ford F-150 entry ahead and start to build a reasonable gap between himself and Hocevar. With the lead to his advantage, Riggs led by four-tenths of a second near the Lap 55 mark and by more than a second at the Lap 60 mark while Hocevar, Chandler Smith, Bell and Heim were racing in the top five, respectively.
When the first stage period concluded on Lap 70, Riggs, who led by nine-tenths of a second, won his seventh Truck stage period of the 2026 season. Hocevar followed suit in second ahead of Chandler Smith, Bell and Elliott while Heim, Honeycutt, Eckes, Ruggiero and Enfinger were scored in the top 10, respectively. By then, 23 of 36 starters were scored on the lead lap while names that included Tyler Ankrum, Justin Haley, Brenden Queen, Kasey Kleyn, Corey LaJoie, Donovan Strauss, Mini Tyrrell, Ryan Newman, Frankie Muniz and Luke Baldwin were pinned a lap down. Under the event’s first stage break period, the leaders pitted, and Riggs exited first ahead of Hocevar, Chandler Smith, Elliott and Eckes.
The second stage period started on Lap 81 as Jake Garcia, who remained on the track on worn tires, and Riggs occupied the front row. At the start, Garcia was shoved ahead of Riggs by Hocevar from the outside lane. As both Hocevar and Riggs made contact in the backstretch that nearly got Riggs sideways, both the latter and Hocevar dueled fiercely for the runner-up spot in front of Elliott and the field fanned out to three tight-packed lanes. Meanwhile, Garcia, who led the next lap, motored ahead and led by six-tenths of a second by Lap 85.
On Lap 98, Hocevar, who spent the previous 14 laps outdueling Riggs before he reeled in on Garcia, reassumed the lead after he used the inside lane through Turns 3 and 4 to then slide in front of Garcia. Hocevar proceeded to lead by eight-tenths of a second over Garcia just past the Lap 100 mark as both Chandler Smith and Riggs reeled in on Garcia for the runner-up spot. Smith proceeded to overtake Garcia for the runner-up spot while Garcia used the outside lane to fend off Riggs for third place. The latter two’s battle allowed Elliott to reel in while Eckes, Friesen, Heim, Ruggerio and Majeski were racing in the top 10, respectively. While Honeycutt was mired in 19th place due to an engine issue, Hocevar led by four-tenths of a second at the Lap 110 mark.
On Lap 118, the caution flew when Luke Baldwin, who was a lap down in 26th place, spun in Turn 4 and made slight rear-end contact with the outside wall. During this caution period, most of the field led by Hocevar pitted while Majeski, Andres Perez De Lara, Grant Enfinger, Ben Rhodes and Daniel Hemric remained on the track. Following the pit stops, Hocevar exited pit road first, and he was followed by Chandler Smith, Friesen, Riggs, Eckes and Elliott. During the pit stops, Nick Leitz and Ryan Newman, the latter of whom received the free pass to cycle back on the lead lap, were penalized for speeding on pit road.
The next restart on Lap 128 featured Majeski motoring his No. 88 Menards Ford F-150 entry ahead of Perez De Lara from the inside lane to lead through the first two turns and the backstretch. As the field fanned out while bumping and jostling for spots, Majeski led the next lap while Riggs and Hocevar were mired within the top-10 mark. While trying to navigate his way back to the front amid a stacked competition, Riggs nearly got turned by Hocevar in Turn 3. The contact cost Riggs a handful of spots and he dropped out of the top-10 mark. As the laps in the second stage period concluded, Hocevar, who was mired in 12th place, cut a left-front tire and he both dropped off the pace and lost a lap to the leaders while he was trying to limp his entry around the track.
When the second stage period concluded on Lap 140, Majeski won his first Truck stage period of the 2026 season. Chandler Smith, Rhodes, Eckes, Friesen, Hemric, Perez De Lara, Ruggiero, Heim and Elliott were scored in the top 10 while 24 of 36 starters, not including Hocevar, were scored on the lead lap. As soon as the second stage period concluded, Hocevar pitted and lost another lap to the field. During the event’s second stage break period, Majeski led Rhodes, Hemric, Perez De Lara, Honeycutt, Tanner Gray and Enfinger to pit road for service while the rest led by Chandler Smith remained on the track.
With 99 laps remaining, the final stage period commenced as Chandler Smith and Eckes occupied the front row. At the start, Smith rocketed his No. 38 QuickTie Ford F-150 entry ahead of the field from the outside lane entering the first two turns, As Smith led the next lap over Ruggiero, Eckes, Friesen, Heim and Riggs, a variety of on-track actions that involved shuffling and the field fanning out within the field ensued. Amid the on-track battles, Friesen battled Eckes for third place in front of Heim and Riggs while Landen Lewis battled Bell for seventh place. Shane van Gisbergen, who also cracked the top 10 in the late stages, outdueled teammate Elliott for ninth place and Eckes prevailed in his earlier battle with Friesen for third place. Meanwhile, Chandler Smith led by a second with 90 laps remaining.
Down to the final 80 laps of the event, Chandler Smith was leading by more than two seconds over Ruggiero and by four seconds over Eckes while Friesen and Heim occupied the remaining top-five spots ahead of Lewis, Riggs, van Gisbergen, Bell and Elliott, respectively. Behind, Tyler Reif occupied 11th place in front of Honeycutt, Garcia, Dawson Sutton and Majeski while Cole Butcher, Nick Leitz, Rhodes, Ankrum and Tanner Gray were mired in the top-20 spots over Queen, Hemric, Perez De Lara, Newman and Enfinger, respectively. With 24 of 36 starters scored on the lead lap, Smith slightly extended his lead to nearly three seconds over Ruggiero with 70 laps remaining.
With 60 laps remaining, Chandler Smith continued to extend his late advantage as he was leading by more than four seconds over Ruggiero while Eckes trailed in third place by five seconds. While Riggs and Friesen raced in the top five, van Gisbergen navigated his way into sixth place after he overtook Heim while Lewis, Elliott and Honeycutt trailed in the top 10. Van Gisbergen proceeded to overtake Friesen to move into the top-five mark while Smith added another two seconds to his lead as he remained atop the leaderboard by six seconds over Eckes and Ruggiero with 50 laps remaining.
As the event reached its final 40-lap mark, Chandler Smith stabilized his lead to six seconds over both Riggs and Eckes while fourth-place Ruggiero and fifth-place van Gisbergen both trailed by seven seconds. Over the next 10 laps, Riggs shaved off a second of teammate Smith’s advantage, but the latter, who was mired in heavy lapped traffic, maintained the top spot.
Down to the final 20 laps, Chandler Smith, who continued to be mired in lapped traffic, increased his lead to seven seconds over teammate Riggs while van Gisbergen marched his way into third place. By then, van Gisbergen, who marched his way up into third place, trailed the lead by eight seconds, and Eckes also trailed in fourth place by eight seconds while Ruggiero trailed by 11 seconds in the fifth and final top-five spot. With only 14 competitors scoring on the lead lap, Smith led by nearly eight seconds with less than 15 laps remaining, and he maintained the advantage with 10 laps remaining. Smith proceeded to add another second and increase his lead to nine seconds over Riggs with five laps remaining.
When the white flag waved and the final lap started, Chandler Smith remained in the lead by more than eight seconds over Riggs. While being surrounded in lapped traffic, Smith had no further competition lurking behind him and he cycled his way around North Carolina’s North Wilkesboro Speedway smoothly for a final time before he returned to the frontstretch and claimed the checkered flag by 8.479 seconds over Riggs.
With the victory, Chandler Smith, who won for the first time since this year’s season-opening event at Daytona International Speedway in mid-February, notched his ninth career win in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series division in his 102nd start, the sixth victory of the 2026 season for both Front Row Motorsports and Ford, and his fifth on a short track venue. Smith also set the record for the largest margin of victory in a Truck Series short-track event at 8.479 seconds, and he became the first competitor to repeat as a Truck winner at North Wilkesboro Speedway.
Photo by John Knittel for SpeedwayMedia.com.
“God’s good in the mountains, but man, he’s good in the valleys too, and we’ve been in the valleys the past few weekends,” Smith said on the fronstretch on FS1. “We’ve had good speed, but not good finishes. I just wanna give all the glory and praise to the one that comes from the source of this. If it wasn’t for God, I wouldn’t have this great group of men and women behind me at Front Row Motorsports. Great partners with QuickTie Products. Everybody from the top down that supported this program. I’m slapped. It was hot. We’re ready to rip [for the Chase].”
Riggs, who led 25 laps compared to teammate Chandler Smith’s 105, settled in second place for his fifth top-two result this season. Ironically, this year marks a second consecutive year where both Smith and Riggs of Front Row Motorsports finished first and second in the Truck event at North Wilkesboro.
“Part of me wanted to have a restart, but part of me knew if that happened, there was probably going to be some carnage,” Riggs said. “I was very happy just finishing the race there. Congratulations to Chandler; he did a great job. Those guys had a great race. I think we could’ve contended at the end. I really fought fire-off speed and then [the] short run at the end of Stage 2, I lost it, lost it again to start the final stage, just really took that long run to get going. The cards just didn’t fall our way today.”
Shane van Gisbergen tied his career-best result by finishing in third place in his fourth Truck career start. Christian Eckes and Landen Lewis finished in the top five, respectively, with Lewis achieving his third consecutive top-five result. Giovanni Ruggiero, Chase Elliott, Stewart Friesen, Corey Heim and Ty Majeski completed the top 10 in the final running order.
Notably, Kaden Honeycutt, who won a pair of zMAX CARS Tour events at North Wilkesboro on Friday, settled in 11th place while Christopher Bell finished in 15th place in his fifth Truck start of this season. In addition, Ryan Newman finished in 24th place while driving Kaulig Racing’s No. 25 ‘Free Agent’ RAM 1500 entry and Carson Hocevar, who never rallied from his cut tire incident prior to the second stage’s conclusion, ended up two laps down in 27th place.
This event featured seven lead changes for six different leaders, and four cautions for 34 laps. In addition, 10 of 36 starters finished on the lead lap.
Following the 15th event of the 2026 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series season, Layne Riggs leads the regular-season standings by 59 points over Kaden Honeycutt, 126 over teammate Chandler Smith, 157 over Christian Eckes and 173 over Giovanni Ruggiero.
Results:
Chandler Smith, 105 laps led
Layne Riggs, 25 laps led, Stage 1 winner
Shane van Gisbergen
Christian Eckes
Landen Lewis
Giovanni Ruggiero
Chase Elliott, one lap led
Stewart Friesen
Corey Heim
Ty Majeski, 23 laps led, Stage 2 winner
Kaden Honeycutt, one lap down
Tyler Reif, one lap down
Jake Garcia, one lap down, 22 laps led
Ben Rhodes, one lap down
Christopher Bell, one lap down
Dawson Sutton, one lap down
Nick Leitz, one lap down
Tanner Gray, one lap down
Tyler Ankrum, one lap down
Daniel Hemric, one lap down
Brenden Queen, one lap down
Cole Butcher, one lap down
Andres Perez De Lara, two laps down
Ryan Newman, two laps down
Grant Enfinger, two laps down
Justin Haley, two laps down
Carson Hocevar, two laps down, 74 laps led
Mini Tyrrell, two laps down
Corey LaJoie, three laps down
Kris Wright, three laps down
Clayton Green, four laps down
Frankie Muniz, four laps down
Luke Baldwin, five laps down
Nathan Nicholson – OUT, Accident
Kasey Kleyn – OUT, Electrical
Donovan Strauss – OUT, Overheating
Next on the 2026 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series schedule is the TSport 200 at Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park in Brownsburg, Indiana. The event is scheduled to occur next Friday, July 24, and air at 8 p.m. ET on FS1, NASCAR Racing Network, and SiriusXM.
Ford Racing Notes and Quotes NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series FaithFest 250 — North Wilkesboro Speeday Saturday, July 18, 2026
SMITH POSTS REPEAT VICTORY WITH F-150 AT NORTH WILKESBORO SPEEDWAY
Chandler Smith won at North Wilkesboro for the second straight year this afternoon.
It’s also the second straight year Smith and Riggs finished first and second.
Ford has now won six races this season and four of the last six overall.
The win is Smith’s second of the season after he captured the season-opener in Daytona.
That also marks his fourth win in two seasons driving for Front Row Motorsports.
The win is FRM’s 21st all-time and sixth in 2026, which is the most for the organization in one season.
Layne Riggs has four wins to go with Smith’s two.
Overall, Ford has won 135 series races.
CHANDLER SMITH, No. 38 QuickTie Ford F-150 – VICTORY LANE INTERVIEW – WHAT WENT THROUGH YOUR MIND WHEN THAT TRUCK SPUN WITH TWO LAPS TO GO? “I was just like, ‘Come on boys. Just keep it straight. It ain’t that deep. I’m already right here.’ All glory goes to God. We’ve been in the valley the past few weeks and I was telling these guys, ‘God is good in the mountains, but he’s also good in the valleys.’ We’ve been in the valleys. Today we’re on the mountaintop. Either way, whether if we’re on the mountaintop or in the valley we’re gonna keep raising Him. I just want to give all glory to him. He’s the source of where all blessings and all the trials flow, so I’m just grateful.”
THE SHORT TRACK PROGRAM AT FRM IS REALLY GOOD. HOW MUCH PRESSURE DID YOU PUT ON YOURSELF TO TRY AND REPEAT? “We won last year and were really good and my truck wasn’t good. This year, our truck was good and it reflected that.” HOW HARD WAS IT TO FOCUS WITH THE HEAT? “I’m scorched to say the least.”
Ford Finishing Order:
1st – Chandler Smith 2nd – Layne Riggs 10th – Ty Majeski 13th – Jake Garcia 14th – Ben Rhodes 22nd – Cole Butcher 31st – Clayton Green 32nd – Frankie Muniz 33rd – Luke Baldwin
LAYNE RIGGS, No. 34 Infinity Communications Group Ford F-150 – “It was hot. Congratulations to the 38 team and Chandler. They’ve had some really tough races recently. I’m really proud of everybody at Front Row Motorsports and the organization. A one-two finish again this year. We did it the right way this time with no controversy on this one. That first stage I was fighting tight and we freed it up. It was freer, but it just didn’t make any speed so we really had to throw the wholesale at it to start the final stage. I was loose to start again and just kind of maintained. Once everyone else started falling off I was really good on the long run. We just didn’t have the fire off speed at the beginning of the run to hold my track position, but to come under green up to second I’m very happy and very proud of my team. We got Infinity Communications a good run. I wanted to get them a win, but I’m just happy for this whole organization. Those guys deserve it. They did a great job today.”
TY MAJESKI, No. 88 Great Lakes Flooring/Menards Ford F-150 – “I liked the call to stay out. I didn’t feel like we were gonna get stage points in that second stage, and I didn’t feel like we were probably gonna finish better than fifth if we didn’t flip it. So, I feel like it was a good call. I’m not positive on the points, so we’ll take it and move on to a strong racetrack of ours in IRP. HOW HOT WAS IT TODAY? “Lime Rock was probably worse last week. It was hot there, but you’re working a lot harder at Lime Rock than you are here. A hot day, but nothing too bad.”
CHANDLER SMITH WINNER’S PRESS CONFERENCE
CAN YOU TALK ABOUT YOUR MINDSET IN THOSE FINAL LAPS? “It was hot. Right off the get-go from the start of the race I knew we had a really good truck, just starting the race around guys and seeing where they were struggling and where my strong suit was. It looked very similar to last year, but last year we were really good speedwise, but I wasn’t very happy with my truck. This year, we were really good speedwise, but also I had a really good handling race truck, so great job by everybody on this No. 38 team coming back year two, getting the thing dialed back in and making it a little better than it was last year.”
ARE WE OVERLOOKING YOU FOR THE CHAMPIONSHIP? “I don’t know. Are you all? I mean, that’s a question for you all. I personally feel like we’re a championship-caliber team. We went through a rut at truthfully Charlotte was induced by me. We went to Nashville and were extremely good, went to Michigan and was pretty good, finished top five or six there, whatever it was, and then had two back-to-back races at San Diego and then Lime Rock where we finished 30th, so points kind of don’t tell the full story, but truthfully this 38 team has been strong. The only race that I can even think back on this year that we haven’t been lights out was Dover and we weren’t lights out at Lime Rock, but we were still solid at Lime Rock. At Dover we weren’t good, but the 38 team has been firing on all eight cylinders. It’s just a matter of is it gonna be a good day or not. We’re just vessels trying to fulfill the Lord’s Will.”
HOW DO YOU FEEL YOU STACK UP AGAINST LAYNE AND THE 34 TEAM? “This is year two of our team being together. I think that’s year four of their team being together. I feel like realistically they should be ahead of us, but at the same time I felt like our growth and our progression from last year to this year is definitely reflected on our on-track results as well. We already have more top fives than we had last year. Our race trucks, our products are better than last year. Our pit crew has been doing a little bit better, so we’re trending in the right direction. A lot of times you look at some of those mini-highlights and talk about the 11 team. The 11 team has been around since Corey went to Tricon and look at how long it took for them to get as dominant as they were last year, so it takes time to build championship-caliber teams to where it is through in and out. Even on the hard days they can rebound and I feel like the 38 team is definitely trending in the direction of being a very predominant team where they look in the garage and go, ‘That’s an extremely stellar team.’ We’re really good, for sure. We’re third in points, but we still have room to grow, for sure.”
THIS IS THE LARGEST MARGIN OF VICTORY IN TRUCK SERIES SHORT TRACK HISTORY. WERE YOU SAVING ANYTHING IN ADVANCE IN THAT FINAL STAGE? “It’s funny. It was after eight laps when the start of stage three started. I just instantly started riding, but our truck was so good that it didn’t matter. I rode all the way to the very last lap and it was funny, they were reading my lap times off and I’m like, ‘Man, I’m sorry. I know you all probably think I’m just out here pushing it,’ but, truthfully, one thing that I have learned in short track racing growing up super late model racing, when you intentionally go to save tire, most of the time you actually hurt yourself more than you help yourself, so just driving underneath the tire, going as hard as you can but staying underneath it and not overslipping the right-front or the right-rear, that’s what I would call the most efficient way to save tire. That’s what I started doing from lap eight of the run all the way to the end and it’s crazy that we still ended up with that big of a margin of victory.”
HOW HARD WAS IT TO NOT LOSE FOCUS WHEN IT WAS SO HOT TODAY? “Truthfully, under green flag conditions, for me, you’re so focused and focused in on the task at hand that the heat is secondary, truthfully. Your mind, as you go through situations like this, you mentally block it out because you can’t focus on the heat. You’ve got to focus on the task at hand. A little slip up is a half-a-tenth to a tenth, so that’s a big deal especially in this garage. The part that sucks is when you’re under caution and you don’t have to focus and you’re just riding around. That’s when the heat soaks and you start noticing the little things like the fan ain’t blowing good air at all. The chill out shirt is starting to not be so chill anymore per se. That’s when it really sucks, so green flag runs are great and then once the caution comes out I’m like, ‘Uh, this sucks. I wish we could have just kept going.’”
IS THERE A SIMILAR SHORT TRACK FROM WHERE YOU GREW UP THAT TRANSLATES OVER TO THIS? “The short track principles apply here especially, and they reward you a lot here just being disciplined and what it takes to be good in a super late model at any short track in America when you’re facing your Bubba Pollards, your Chase Elliotts, all those guys I grew up racing in their prime – your Jeff Choquettes. You had to be flawless every weekend racing against those guys, so the principles on short track racing, it still applies even here and I think that’s just what it is.”
HOW BIG IS IT TO COME BACK HERE AND BE AS DOMINANT AS YOU WERE TODAY? “It’s just a testament to who good of a group of men and women I have around me at Front Row Motorsports. Like I said, our 38 team we’re progressively getting better and we’re seeing the fruit of that labor. Last year, we came here and won the race and we weren’t really that great, truthfully. I know on paper it looked like we were really good, but behind the wheel I was like, ‘Man, this thing ain’t really that great.’ Today, we were pretty good and the results on paper reflect that performance as well.”
THERE’S A THREE-WEEK BREAK AFTER NEW HAMPSHIRE. IS THAT A GOOD THING FOR YOU GUYS? “No. That’s the only thing I don’t like about Truck racing is these breaks and how inconsistent the schedule can become when you get started in the summer stretch a little later. I personally would be a huge 30-race Truck Series, let’s go do it guy because the Truck Series is a feeder series to O’Reilly and then Cup. The more experience Truck guys can get just prepares them more for when they make that next step, so I’m a big let’s go race more races.”
DOES IT HELP THE TEAM GET PREPARED? “It helps the team, but O’Reilly goes through the same thing. The teams will adapt. If there are more races added, the teams will adapt and it won’t be a problem because the teams will be forced to adapt. If you don’t, then you’re gonna get chewed up and spit out. I would love to see 30 races on the Truck schedule – 100 percent.”
YOU DID THE KYLE BUSCH BOW AFTER WINNING THE RACE. WHAT DID KYLE MEAN TO YOU? “Kyle meant a lot to me, truthfully. He meant a lot to me in a sense of he took the time out of his day when I had questions, not to rush me, he would sit me down and explain what I was asking and giving me the answer and being very thorough about it and not being short-winded. He cared really deeply about his drivers and the ones he believed in you could definitely tell because those are the ones that he really wanted to take time with. The ones that he kind of had run-ins with he was pretty vocal about it. Kyle was an amazing boss, a great mentor, and when even when I look at the Cup Series garage now I think of Christopher Bell, Bubba Wallace, William Byron – Kyle was the one that laid the foundation for them and their NASCAR career and helped those guys get to where they are now. Truthfully, Kyle is the one that kind of taught us all of the tricks that were up his sleeves and then, funny enough, we’d go out there and beat him with his own tricks. He would be like, ‘Man, I need to stop doing this. One of these days I’ll figure that out,’ but, truthfully, off the racetrack and away from the racetrack, Kyle was one of the most sweetest individuals that you would ever meet. He would take the shirt off his back for anybody else and that’s just who he was. We miss him deeply. The garage still isn’t the same and it never will be.”
WHAT WAS YOUR MINDSET WHEN YOU WERE TRAILING HOCEVAR AND RIGGS AND THEN HOCEVAR HAD HIS PROBLEMS AND YOU WERE ABLE TO GET THE LEAD? “The Lord works in mysterious ways, I suppose. Honestly, I felt like we had the truck capable of winning and we were the truck to beat. I was just kind of biding my time, being easy on my equipment, not burning up my tires. It’s a long race – 250 laps. You’re only in stage one so you’ve still got three-quarters of the race to go after stage one is done or whatever it may be, so I was just biding my time and waiting until stage two came around.”
HOW DID YOU AND KYLE BEING MEN OF FAITH PLAY INTO YOUR RELATIONSHIP? “It was big and honestly one of the most precious things for me, and I said this on live TV a few weeks ago and somebody, as always, people run their mouth, but it was truly a blessing to look back in the past year and reflect back to the time I met Kyle and how much his faith has grown and how much he really took that leadership role in his home even to the next level. I’m not saying he wasn’t right, wrong or indifferent when I met him, he was doing more. He was growing so much and it was such a blessing to see that, especially when you have individuals that you love and you care about, you want to see them succeed and do well, but not only in materialistic things, but you want to see them do well in their spiritual life as well and run the good race. The last few years, you definitely started seeing Kyle run a good race and that gave me some peace when I heard the news, for sure.”
Stewart Friesen moves into provisional Chase field after finishing eighth
NORTH WILKESBORO, NC (July 18, 2026) – Gio Ruggiero battled through hot conditions and an extended green-flag run to lead Toyota with a sixth-place finish in Saturday afternoon’s NASCAR Truck Series race North Wilkesboro Speedway.
Ruggiero led three Tundras in the top-10 with Stewart Friesen finishing eighth and Corey Heim in ninth. With the finish, Friesen provisionally moved back inside the top-10 in points with three races remaining in the regular season – Indianapolis Raceway Park, Richmond Raceway and New Hampshire Motor Speedway.
TOYOTA RACING Post-Race Recap NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series (NCTS) North Wilkesboro Speedway Race 15 of 23 – 156.25 Miles, 250 Laps
TOYOTA FINISHING POSITIONS
1st, Chandler Smith*
2nd, Layne Riggs*
3rd, Shane van Gisbergen*
4th, Christian Eckes*
5th, Landen Lewis*
6th, GIO RUGGIERO
8th, STEWART FRIESEN
9th, COREY HEIM
11th, KADEN HONEYCUTT
15th, CHRISTOPHER BELL
17th, NICK LEITZ
18th, TANNER GRAY
*non-Toyota driver
TOYOTA QUOTES
GIO RUGGIERO, No. 17 First Auto Group Toyota Tundra TRD Pro, TRICON Garage
Finishing Position: 2nd
Battled hot weather and scored a solid top-10 finish. How was your race?
“Yeah, it was definitely a hot day out. It felt really good to not fall out of the seat like some of these other guys. Thanks to everyone at the TPC (Toyota Performance Center) center for all they do for us and giving us all of the tools to properly heat train and be ready for this. I feel like it might have helped me today. Just struggled with the balance of the truck early in the race and at the end of the race, but my crew chief Jeff (Stankiewicz) made some good adjustments because we were struggling on the short run, and it made it better on the short run as you saw that last run there. Just tried to save some tires there and let the 38 (Chandler Smith) get away, thinking I would have a chance to get back to him later in the run because that is where our strong suit was earlier in the race. I think probably we were just a little high on air pressures to start off and kind of fell off at the end of that run. A tough day but battled hard and never gave up.”
About Toyota
Toyota (NYSE:TM) has been a part of the cultural fabric in North America for nearly 70 years, and is committed to advancing sustainable, next-generation mobility through our Toyota and Lexus brands, plus our more than 1,800 dealerships.
Toyota directly employs nearly 64,000 people in North America who have contributed to the design, engineering, and assembly of over 50 million cars and trucks at our 14 manufacturing plants. In 2025, Toyota’s plant in North Carolina began to assemble automotive batteries for electrified vehicles.
For more information about Toyota, visit www.ToyotaNewsroom.com.
INDIANAPOLIS (July 18, 2026) – NHRA officials are excited to announce that Autodromo of Monterrey has returned to the NHRA Member Track Network in NHRA’s South Central Division (Division 4).
Located in Apodaca, Nuevo León, Mexico, Autodromo of Monterrey is a popular multi-purpose facility, one that includes a standout dragstrip. Boasting a vast history and several events each year, the track returns to the NHRA Member Track Network after previously being affiliated with NHRA.
NHRA officials worked closely with the facility as the partnership came together, as well as Century Prime Global, which played an important role in Autodromo of Monterrey rejoining the NHRA family.
“Century Prime Global is honored to represent the Autodromo of Monterrey as we help bring an international NHRA racing event to Mexico,” Century Prime Global President Rudy Gutierrez said. ”Together, we are creating a historic milestone that celebrates Mexico’s rich motorsports heritage and inspires future generations to dream bigger, race faster, and make history.”
“The Autodromo of Monterrey team is excited to become an NHRA Member Track and help write a new chapter in the history of drag racing in Mexico,” Autodromo CEO Gilberto Jimenez said.
Autodromo of Monterrey is also part of NHRA’s expansive track network outside of the United States, joining 12 international tracks in Canada, Bahrain and Puerto Rico.
By joining the NHRA Member Track Network, Autodromo of Monterrey will be eligible to offer racers in the area a variety of NHRA-sanctioned racing opportunities in the future, including the NHRA Summit Racing Series presented by Hoosier, the NHRA Summit Racing Jr. Drag Racing League, NHRA Street Legal, NHRA Jr. Street and more. Additionally, the track will have the chance to host NHRA specialty events like the NHRA Summit King of the Track and more.
The facility will also get access to NHRA’s extensive support programs as part of the member track network, insurance benefits and national marketing platforms as they excitedly move into a new era for the facility.
“Division 4 has always represented more than just the South Central United States,” NHRA Division 4 Director Jonathan Johnson said. “It represents an international racing community. Having Autodromo of Monterrey join NHRA reinforces that commitment and opens an exciting new chapter for racers.
“This partnership is about more than hosting an event. It’s about investing in a passionate racing community, creating new opportunities for racers and working alongside a facility that shares NHRA’s commitment to delivering a first-class experience. Bringing NHRA Drag Racing back to Mexico is an exciting milestone for our racers, our fans and the future of the sport.”
For more information on NHRA, including the 2026 schedule, visit www.NHRA.com.
About NHRA
NHRA is the primary sanctioning body for the sport of drag racing in the United States. NHRA presents 20 national events featuring the NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series and NHRA Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series, as well as the JBS Equipment NHRA Pro Mod Drag Racing Series presented by Elite Motorsports and NHRA Flexjet Factory Stock Showdown™ at select national events. NHRA provides competition opportunities for drivers of all levels in the NHRA Summit Racing Series and NHRA Street Legal™. NHRA also offers the NHRA Jr. Street® program for teens and the Summit Racing Jr. Drag Racing League® for youth ages 5 to 17. With more than 100 Member Tracks, NHRA allows racers to compete at a variety of locations nationally and internationally. NHRA’s Youth and Education Services® (YES) Program reaches over 30,000 students annually to ignite their interest in automotive and racing related careers. NHRA’s streaming service, NHRA.tv®, allows fans to view all NHRA national events as well as exclusive features of the sport. In addition, NHRA owns and operates three racing facilities: Gainesville Raceway in Florida; Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park; and In-N-Out Burger Pomona Dragstrip in Southern California. For more information, log on to www.NHRA.com, or visit the official NHRA pages on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and YouTube.
Elliott Sadler will be driving Kaulig Racing’s No. 25 ‘Free Agent’ RAM 1500 entry during next month’s NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series event at Richmond Raceway in Richmond, Virginia, on August 14.
The former NASCAR veteran from Emporia, Virginia, last competed in two O’Reilly Auto Parts Series events with Kaulig in 2019, with his latest start coming at Las Vegas Motor Speedway in mid-September, where he finished 10th. Previously, he competed full-time in the O’Reilly Series with JR Motorsports, an organization he drove for from 2016 to 2018 before retiring from full-time NASCAR competition.
Sadler made his first start across NASCAR’s top three national touring series at South Boston Speedway in mid-July 1995 for Sadler Racing. Over the next quarter century, he established a lasting impact through a versatile career that made him a popular figure both on and off the track. His top achievements while competing in NASCAR include winning the inaugural O’Reilly Series regular-season championship in 2017, notching a combined 17 victories through 855 starts across NASCAR’s top three national touring series (Craftsman Truck, O’Reilly & Cup), and being named Most Popular Driver in the O’Reilly Series for four seasons (2011, 2016-18).
Overall, Sadler accumulated a trio of victories, eight poles, 19 top-five results, 68 top-10 results, and 1,251 laps led through 438 Cup Series starts, with his best points result being ninth in 2004 after he made the inaugural Chase for the Cup. He achieved these feats while competing for organizations including Wood Brothers Racing, Robert Yates Racing, and Richard Petty Motorsports. His latest Cup start was at Daytona International Speedway in early July while driving for Tommy Baldwin Racing.
Sadler also recorded 13 victories, 18 poles, 106 top-five results, 227 top-10 results and 2,056 laps led through 397 starts in the O’Reilly Auto Parts Series. The Virginian finished in the top 10 in the final standings 10 times, made the series’ Chase for three consecutive seasons (2016-18) and notched four runner-up results in the final standings (2011-12, 2016-17). He achieved these feats while competing for organizations including Diamond Ridge Motorsports, Kevin Harvick Inc., Richard Childress Racing, Joe Gibbs Racing, Roush Fenway Racing, and JR Motorsports.
To date, Sadler has made a total of 20 starts in the Craftsman Truck Series through five part-time seasons (2000-01, 2003, 2010-11). During his starts, he achieved his first career victory during the series’ inaugural event at Pocono Raceway in mid-July 2010 while driving for Kevin Harvick Inc. He also recorded a pair of poles, four top-five results, 10 top-10 results and 289 laps led, with his latest start occurring at Homestead-Miami Speedway in mid-November 2011 while driving for Joe Denette Motorsports.
Sadler, whose hometown of South Boston is a little above two hours away from Richmond Raceway, expressed his excitement about the opportunity to come out of retirement and compete in a NASCAR-sanctioned event for the first time in nearly seven years and in front of his home crowd at Richmond.
“I’m really looking forward to getting back behind the wheel at Richmond Raceway in front of the great Virginia fans,” Sadler said. “It’ll be fun getting back into a truck — I just hope I still remember how to drive it. Richmond has always been special to me, and I’m thankful to Ram and Kaulig Racing for giving me this opportunity to compete again. I really cherished my career in NASCAR and how special the fans have been to me.”
“We are so excited to have Elliott drive for us at Kaulig Racing,” Chris Rice, CEO of Kaulig Racing and a South Boston, Virginia, native, added. “Elliott and I grew up racing together at South Boston Speedway, so to have him race for us in Richmond, in front of our home state fans, is special,” Rice said. “We won tons of races together, and thanks to Ram, [team owner] Matt Kaulig and everyone at Kaulig Racing, we have the opportunity to go out and try to win one more.”
Kaulig Racing launched its free-agent driver program ahead of its inaugural Craftsman Truck Series campaign in November 2025. The program features various competitors from multiple racing divisions and disciplines. Each will compete in at least one Truck event in one of Kaulig’s RAM 1500 entries numbered 25. The competitors who compete in the entry would not compete for the 2026 Truck Series driver’s championship. They will, however, be evaluated by their on-track performance for a season-ending program prize.
Currently, Kaulig Racing’s No. 25 entry, which is led by crew chief Dan Stillman, is ranked in 24th place in the 2026 owner’s standings after 14 of the 25-race schedule. The entry is one of five that is fielded by Kaulig. It competes alongside the No. 10 entry piloted by Corey LaJoie, the No. 12 entry piloted by rookie Brenden “Butterbean” Queen, the No. 14 entry piloted by newcomer Timothy “Mini” Tyrrell and the No. 16 entry piloted by Justin Haley.
Tony Stewart, Ty Dillon, Colin Braun, Corey LaJoie, Carson Ferguson, Parker Kligerman, AJ Allmendinger, Clint Bowyer, Travis Pastrana and Jamie McMurray have piloted the entry at least once. Braun, Dillon, Ferguson and Kligerman have each piloted the No. 25 entry twice, with Braun being the latest competitor to drive the entry as he is coming off a 10th-place result at Lime Rock Park. Allmendinger has recorded the entry’s highest-finishing result of sixth place at Watkins Glen International in early May.
Ryan Newman will pilot the No. 25 RAM entry today, July 18, at North Wilkesboro Speedway. Conor Daly will then drive the entry next Saturday, July 25, at Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park (IRP). Kaulig’s selection and reveal of drivers for the remainder of this season remains to be determined.
Elliott Sadler’s return as a NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series competitor at Richmond Raceway is scheduled to occur on August 14 at 7:30 p.m. ET on FS1, NASCAR Racing Network and SiriusXM.
Owning a home is a long-term commitment that requires thoughtful planning and regular investment. Every improvement made to the property should contribute to its durability, functionality, and overall value. Among the many exterior upgrades available, choosing the right roofing material plays a significant role in supporting long-term homeownership goals.
A roofing system protects the home from changing weather conditions while helping preserve the structural integrity of the building. Because replacing a roof is a major investment, many homeowners look for solutions that provide dependable performance over an extended period. Selecting durable materials can reduce future concerns while supporting confidence in the property’s condition.
Emerald Roofing and Siding LLC helps homeowners evaluate roofing solutions that align with both present needs and future plans. Understanding the long-term advantages of durable roofing materials allows property owners to make informed decisions that support lasting protection and peace of mind.
Plan for the Future Instead of the Present
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Choose Materials Built for Longevity
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Spend Less Time on Roofing Concerns
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Installing a quality fence is one of the most effective ways to improve the functionality and appearance of a property. Beyond defining boundaries, a well-planned fence contributes to privacy, enhances security, and creates a more attractive outdoor environment. Homeowners often view fencing as an investment that delivers practical benefits for many years.
Choosing the right fencing solution requires more than selecting a style that complements the home. Material selection, placement, long-term maintenance, and intended use all influence the overall success of the project. Careful planning helps ensure that the finished fence meets both current needs and future expectations.
Hawk Fences LLC understands that every property has unique requirements. By considering how the fence will be used and planning the installation carefully, property owners can enjoy lasting value while improving both the appearance and functionality of their outdoor spaces.
Define the Purpose Before Building
Every fencing project should begin with a clear understanding of its primary purpose. Some homeowners prioritize privacy, while others focus on improving security, protecting children or pets, or enhancing curb appeal. Identifying these priorities helps guide every decision that follows.
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Select Materials That Match Your Goals
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Different fencing materials offer unique advantages depending on the property’s requirements. Wood, vinyl, aluminum, and composite materials each provide varying levels of maintenance, durability, and visual appeal.
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Every fencing material requires some level of ongoing care. Understanding maintenance requirements before construction begins helps homeowners choose an option that fits their lifestyle and long-term property goals.
Planning ahead supports lasting performance.
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One of the most common reasons homeowners invest in fence installation is to create greater privacy. Well-positioned fencing helps separate outdoor living areas from neighboring properties while creating a more comfortable environment for relaxing and entertaining.
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Fencing also contributes to property security by creating clearly defined boundaries around the home. Although no fence eliminates every risk, it helps establish controlled access while discouraging unwanted entry.
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A fence should enhance the property’s architectural style rather than compete with it. Coordinating materials, colors, and overall design creates a more attractive exterior appearance.
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Fencing naturally becomes part of the property’s landscape design. Well-planned installations frame gardens, walkways, and outdoor living areas while creating greater visual organization throughout the yard.
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Exterior improvements often contribute to the overall value of a property when they combine functionality with attractive design. A professionally planned fence enhances usability while improving the home’s appearance from the street.
Fence installation Atlanta represents a long-term investment that benefits homeowners through improved privacy, security, and visual appeal. Buyers also frequently appreciate established fencing that requires minimal immediate upgrades after purchasing a home.
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Every household uses outdoor spaces differently. Some families enjoy entertaining guests, while others prioritize gardening, recreation, or creating safe play areas for children and pets.
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Work With Experienced Professionals
A successful fencing project depends on careful planning, accurate measurements, and quality workmanship. Professional installation helps ensure that posts, gates, and panels function properly while maintaining an attractive appearance.
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Think About Long-Term Ownership
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Conclusion
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With guidance from Hawk Fences LLC, homeowners can choose fencing solutions that reflect their goals while providing dependable performance over time. Investing in a well-planned fence today creates lasting value, stronger property protection, and a more enjoyable outdoor living environment for years to come.
SONOMA, Calif. (July 17, 2026) – Funny Car’s Jordan Vandergriff made the quickest Funny Car run of the 2026 season on Friday in front of a huge Sonoma Raceway crowd, taking the provisional No. 1 qualifier spot for John Force Racing at the Denso NHRA Sonoma Nationals presented by PowerEdge.
Doug Kalitta (Top Fuel) and Chris Vang (Pro Stock) are also the provisional No. 1 qualifiers in Sonoma at the 11th of 20 races during the 2026 NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series season. After an oildown during the second Top Fuel session, racing was called for the night due to curfew.
Selections were also made in the opening round of the GETTRX Pro Stock Motorcycle All-Star Callout. Top seed Gaige Herrera selected Steve Johnson, Richard Gadson picked Chase Van Sant, reigning Callout winner Matt Smith chose Jianna Evaristo, setting Angie Smith and John Hall as the final pair.
Vandergriff went 3.849-seconds at 332.43 mph in his 12,000-horsepower Cornwell Tools Chevrolet SS to also collect the $4,000 Deecell After Dark Low Qualifier bonus.
Remarkably, Vandergriff kicked off the epic night session as part of the first pair, making an incredible run just as the sun was setting. But the rest of the field couldn’t top the John Force Racing standout, putting Vandergriff in position to pick up his second career No. 1 qualifier.
Currently fifth in points, Vandergriff has enjoyed a strong first Funny Car season, but Friday’s run with a massive crowd on hand certainly one of the highlights for him.
“To be the quickest Funny Car of the year so far is a huge accomplishment, especially with how competitive this class is. And I’m a rookie—I don’t even know what I’m doing yet,” Vandergriff said. “We fumbled a little in Q1, but I knew we had something figured out. The early numbers looked really good, so I believed we were going to run quick no matter when we went down the track.
“I knew the team wanted to push a little. We’ve run well this year, we’ve won a race, we’ve qualified No. 1 before, but we hadn’t really leaned on it. Tonight we did. I knew we were going to run well. I just didn’t know we were going to run that good.”
Vandergriff’s teammate, Jack Beckman, went 3.873 at 333.16 to sit second and Daniel Wilkerson is right behind in third after going 3.899 at 327.66.
In Top Fuel, Kalitta made the quickest run in the opening qualifying session on speed, edging teammate Shawn Langdon with a run of 3.714 at 337.07 in his 12,000-horsepower Aflac dragster for Kalitta Motorsports.
The reigning world champion also picked up the $4,000 Deecell After Dark Low Qualifier bonus for the second straight year as he looks to pick up his third No. 1 qualifier of the year.
Kalitta has always run well at Sonoma, with his six wins – including a victory last year – leading the way in the Top Fuel ranks.
“That first run was definitely a close one. At the time, you don’t realize it’s going to hold up, but it was enough to get us the No. 1 spot,” Kalitta said. “It was disappointing not to get the second session in. Alan Johnson definitely didn’t have that car tuned to run a 3.71 — we were planning to throw down something even quicker.
“Tomorrow’s conditions should be just as good, maybe even better. I think we’ll have a chance to improve on those numbers. It’s Sonoma, one of my favorite tracks. Every time we go up there, we’re trying to do the best job we can.”
Points leader Langdon is second with a 3.714 at 336.49 and Tony Stewart is third after going 3.736 at 333.91.
In a stunning turn of events in Pro Stock, Chris Vang performed better than an impressive list of event winners and world champions on Friday in Sonoma, taking the provisional No. 1 spot for the first time in his career with a run of 6.498 at 209.04 in his Prestige Trailers Chevrolet Camaro.
It hands the young second-year racer the $2,500 Deecell After Dark Low Qualifier bonus, as well as puts him in a prime position to earn the $2,000 GESi Pro Stock No. 1 Qualifier on Saturday. That would mean a great deal to the part-time racer who is making just his fourth start of the 2026.
But he made the most of his opportunities on Friday in prime conditions at Sonoma, making a pair of great runs, outlasting the stars in the class to possibly pick up a massive career milestone.
“It’s exciting. Pretty amazing. I don’t even know how to describe it. We came in here just hoping to qualify, and now we’re sitting No. 1,” Vang said. “We knew we had something to work with after the first session. We threw a little more at it, hoping to run in the 6.50s or maybe the high .49s, and we ended up right where we wanted.
“This bonus helps a lot. We’re trying to run about seven more races this season, and every little bit matters for a team like ours. We didn’t get everything out of that run. It was really good, but there’s still more in it.”
Rookie Cody Anderson was the only other driver to dip into the 6.40s, going 6.499 at 210.54 and Erica Enders is third after a run of 6.503 at 211.33.
M. Smith earned the $1,500 Deecell After Dark Low Qualifier bonus in Pro Stock Motorcycle for making the quickest run during Friday’s second time trial.
Qualifying continues at 12 p.m. PT on Saturday at the Denso NHRA Sonoma Nationals presented by PowerEdge at Sonoma Raceway. The first round of the GETTRX Pro Stock Motorcycle All-Star Callout begins at 11:30 a.m.
SONOMA, Calif. — Friday’s results after the first two of four rounds of qualifying for the 38th annual DENSO Sonoma Nationals presented by PowerEdge at Sonoma Raceway, 11th of 20 events in the NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series. Qualifying will continue Saturday for Sunday’s final eliminations.
Kaden Honeycutt celebrates after winning Friday's zMAX CARS Tour Skyline National Bank 100 at North Wilkesboro Speedway. (HHP/NWS photo)
Kaden Honeycutt swept both zMAX CARS Tour races on Friday at North Wilkesboro Speedway, triumphing in the Pro Late Model Spears Manufacturing 75, then winning the Late Model Stock Car Skyline National Bank 100; Honeycutt will go for three wins in a row at NWS in Saturday’s FaithFest 250 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series event, where he’ll start seventh
Truck Series points leader Layne Riggs captured the pole for the FaithFest 250 on Friday; NASCAR Cup Series stars Carson Hocevar (second), Christopher Bell (third) and Chase Elliott (sixth) will be in hot pursuit when racing gets underway on Saturday at 12:30 p.m.
Tickets for Sunday’s Window World 450 and Saturday’s FaithFest 250 presented by Mercer Transportation can be obtained by visiting www.northwilkesborospeedway.com
NORTH WILKESBORO, N.C. (July 17, 2026) – Kaden Honeycutt raced his way into the history books on Friday night at North Wilkesboro Speedway, sweeping an action-packed zMAX CARS Tour doubleheader in front of an spectacular crowd. Honeycutt held off T.J. DeCaire in the Spears Manufacturing 75 Pro Late Model race before managing the same against Corey Heim in the Skyline National Bank 100 Late Model Stock event.
“I just refuse to lose,” Honeycutt said. “I knew (Heim) and I were really strong. We were in practically the same car. Man, what a race car. Thank you to the fans coming out to the track on a Friday night. I can’t believe it. It’s an unbelievable stage that we just won on, twice.”
Honeycutt began Friday with a seventh-place qualifying effort for Saturday’s FaithFest 250 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series race — then, he upped his game for prime time.
The driver ranked second in Truck Series points turned North Wilkesboro’s five-eighths-mile oval into his personal playground, dominating the Late Model Stock Car nightcap. Not even a spate of lapped traffic in the final laps could keep Honeycutt from winning, but Corey Heim made it interesting.
Heim has won the last two Truck Series races at NWS, but his considerable talent around the iconic bullring wasn’t enough to steal the zMAX CARS Tour crown from Honeycutt. Instead, Honeycutt maneuvered his way past Ronnie Bassett Jr.’s lapped car on the final lap and kept Heim at bay by just 0.313 seconds.
Heim settled for second ahead of Jake Bollman, Connor Hall and Brenden “Butterbean” Queen. Carson Kvapil, Conner Jones, Carson Loftin and Carson Brown completed the top 10.
HONEYCUTT HOLDS OFF DECAIRE, CLAIMS SPEARS MANUFACTURING 75
Honeycutt had all he could handle in the 75-lap PLM event. He fought with Luke Baldwin for much of the race before emerging with the lead in the closing stages and pulling away from his opposition. In what became a familiar theme, lapped traffic slowed Honeycutt’s momentum in the final two laps. Honeycutt’s hard-earned, one-second lead over DeCaire nearly evaporated, but Honeycutt held his nerve and crossed the finish line first by 0.256 seconds.
“That lapped car definitely made it interesting at the end,” Honeycutt said. “It’s just so cool to win here. The track changed a whole lot from practice (on Thursday). I found a line I thought I could run (after Friday’s Truck Series practice) and made it work for us.”
Conner Jones finished third with pole winner Luke Baldwin fourth and Mason Walters fifth. Kasey Kleyn, Keelan Harvick, Brody Monahan, Case James and Albert Francis rounded out the top 10.
RIGGS STAYS HOT, CAPTURES FAITHFEST 250 POLE
One of North Carolina’s own led the charge for the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series on Friday, as Bahama, North Carolina, native Layne Riggs won the pole for Saturday’s FaithFest 250 presented by Mercer Transportation.
The driver of the No. 34 Front Row Motorsports Ford lapped North Wilkesboro in 18.502 seconds at an average speed of 121.608 miles per hour, scoring his second pole of the season.
“Track position here is very important,” Riggs, the series points leader, said. “We didn’t have any last year. This is the first time we’ve qualified on the new surface here. A lot of people did mock qualifying runs in practice and mine did not go well at all. I was a 10 out of 10 tight. It would not even attempt to turn. It was hard to tell my crew chief how much I needed to free it up.
“During my (qualifying) lap, I thought, ‘We’re still way too tight.’ I thought we’d have an eighth- to 10th-place qualifying run. Supposedly, I got very lucky with the clouds covering the track. I’d rather be lucky than good.”
Carson Hocevar was the fastest of several NASCAR Cup Series regulars in the field. Hocevar missed the pole by a scant 0.016 seconds, qualifying second after posting the fastest lap in pre-qualifying practice on Friday afternoon.
Cup Series star Christopher Bell was third with Corey Heim fourth and Giovanni Ruggiero fifth. Chase Elliott’s sixth-place effort made it three Cup standouts in the top six, while Kaden Honeycutt, Grant Enfinger, Chandler Smith and Stewart Friesen completed the top 10.
With a full slate of on- and off-track excitement coming to Sunday’s Window World 450 – including a Sawyer Brown Pre-Race Concert presented by Raymer Oil that’s free with Sunday admission – a limited number of tickets are available. They can be purchased online, along with Saturday tickets, at www.northwilkesborospeedway.com.
Race fans can connect with North Wilkesboro Speedway and get the latest news regarding the July 17-19 race weekend by following on X and Instagram or by becoming a Facebook fan.
