Tristan McKee (No. 77 Zeigler.com Chevrolet) scored his third ARCA Menards Series victory of the season in Friday’s Atlas 200 at Madison International Speedway. McKee, who led 105 laps, traded the lead with rival Max Reaves (No. 18 Cook Out / Victory Junction Gang Camp Toyota, who led the other 95, throughout the middle stages of the race and then held off his Pinnacle Racing Group teammate Carson Brown (No. 28 Grizzly Coolers Chevrolet) over three late-race restarts to secure the victory.
Brown finished second to give PRG the organization’s fourth 1-2 finish of the season. Brown won at Phoenix Raceway with McKee in second, Connor Mosack won at Chicagoland Speedway with Lanie Buice in second, and McKee won at Iowa two races ago with Brown in second.
After winning at Madison in 2025, Reaves finished in third, his sixth top-five finish in ten starts this season.
ARCA Menards Series championship points leader Jake Bollman (No. 20 Nitro Motorsports Toyota) finished fourth while his main rival for the title Thomas Annunziata (No. 70 JBL Audio Toyota) finished fifth, unofficially giving Bollman a five-point lead in the standings with four races remaining.
Isaac Kitzmiller (No. 79 A.L.L. Construction / Carter CAT Chevrolet) traded paint with Annunziata several times over the final laps but was forced to settle for sixth at the finish.
Isabella Robusto (Np.55 Mobil 1 Toyota) recovered from an early spin that brought out the first caution flag of the night at lap 17 that left her two laps down to finish in seventh on the lead lap. Robusto stayed out at the first scheduled race break of the night to regain one of those laps, and then was able to stay as the first car one lap down until the second break which allowed her to return to the lead lap.
Will Robinson (No. 25 Mander Collision and Glass Toyota) recovered from a mid-race spin and an unscheduled pit stop in the final 50 laps to finish in eighth, his second top-ten finish of the season. He finish seventh in his series debut earlier this season at Berlin Raceway.
Jason Kitzmiller (No. 97 A.L.L. Construction / Carter CAT Chevrolet) finished ninth and Tony Cosentino (No. 10 Fast Track Racing Ford) rounded out the top ten.
There were six caution flags for 33 laps.
McKee’s margin of victory was 1.046 seconds.
The next race for the ARCA Menards Series is the Audubon Park 100 at the DuQuoin State Fairgrounds on Sunday, September 7. The race, set to begin at 8:30 pm ET / 7:30 pm CT, will be televised live on FS1. ARCARacing.com will have live timing & scoring data throughout all on-track activity and live race audio. Follow @ARCA_Racing on X (formerly Twitter) for up-to-the-minute updates.
About ARCA The Automobile Racing Club of America (ARCA), founded in 1953 by John and Mildred Marcum in Toledo, Ohio, and acquired by NASCAR in April 2018, is the leading grassroots stock car sanctioning body in the United States. Bridging the gap between NASCAR’s top three national touring series and weekly and regional tour racing all across the country, the organization to sanctions over 100 races per year in the ARCA Menards Series, ARCA Menards Series East, ARCA Menards Series West, ASA STARS National Tour, ASA CRA Super Series, ASA Midwest Tour, ASA Southern Super Series plus weekly racing at Toledo and Flat Rock Speedways. For more information about ARCA visit , or follow ARCA on Facebook (@ARCARacing) and Twitter (@ARCA_Racing). About Menards A family-owned and run company started in 1958, Menards is recognized as the retail home center leader of the Midwest with 236 stores in 15 states. Menards is truly a one-stop shop for all of your home improvement needs featuring a full-service lumberyard and everything you need to plan a renovation or build a home, garage, cabin, shed, deck, fence or post frame building. You’ll find a large selection of lumber, roofing, siding, construction blocks, trusses, doors and windows, plus cabinets, appliances, countertops, flooring, lighting, paint, plumbing supplies and more. To complete the job, Menards has quality hand tools, power tools, fasteners, electrical tools plus storage options and supplies for everyone from the weekend warrior to the pro!
Menards has what you need to complete your outdoor projects and keep your yard in tip-top shape including mowers, trimmers, blowers, pressure washers and more, plus a beautiful garden center stocked with plants, shrubs, trees, landscaping tools, grass seed, fertilizer options, outdoor décor and patio furniture. Menards also has everyday essentials like health & beauty products, housewares, pet and wildlife supplies, automotive items and even groceries. And at Christmas, an Enchanted Forest display area with impressive trees, lighting, decorations, ornaments, inflatables and more.
Menards is known for friendly Customer Service and as the place to “Save Big Money” with low prices every day, and sales too! For more information, please visit Menards.com to learn about our store locations, offerings and services.
Jones Scores Top-Five Finish in Regular Season Finale at Daytona
Joe Gibbs Racing Teammates Taylor Gray and Brandon Jones Qualify for Chase Field
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (August 28, 2026) – Brandon Jones was the top-finishing Toyota with a fifth-place result in Friday’s NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series (NOAPS) race at Daytona International Speedway. Harrison Burton joined Jones in the top 10 with an eighth-place finish at the 2.5-mile Florida superspeedway.
Taylor Gray joins Jones in the 10-driver Chase field, who will compete for the NOAPS championship in the final nine races of the season.
TOYOTA RACING Post-Race Recap NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series (NOAPS) Daytona International Speedway Race 24 of 33 – 250 miles, 100 laps
TOYOTA FINISHING POSITIONS
1st, Ryan Sieg* 2nd, Austin Hill* 3rd, Carson Kvapil* 4th, Anthony Alfredo* 5th, BRANDON JONES 8th, HARRISON BURTON 26th, TAYLOR GRAY 27th, DEAN THOMPSON 35th, BRENT CREWS 37th, WILLIAM SAWALICH *non-Toyota driver
TOYOTA QUOTES
BRANDON JONES, No. 20 Menards/Sylvania Toyota GR Supra, Joe Gibbs Racing
Finishing Position: 5th
What is your reaction getting out of here with a top-five and making the Chase field?
“I want to first start by thanking Sylvania, Barracuda Pumps and Menards for an awesome season up to this point. I think today was even a really good way to kind of cap the regular season off. It’s a lot of momentum to be able to finish top five here at this track and even got stage points throughout the day too. I know it wasn’t higher than we kind of wanted to, but still, just executed the day really well. I think we kind of majorly did what we needed to do aside from go win the race. But a top five any day is really strong here. So, I hate our other two didn’t make it, but cool to see the 54 (Taylor Gray) as well get in. But now onward and forward. We’ve got a lot of really good tracks in this Chase that benefit this 20 team specifically a lot. I’m excited. We’re kicking it off with Darlington, where we’ve been so strong before and had multiple wins and a few poles. It’s nice to go in there with a lot of confidence, knowing exactly how to get it done at that racetrack.”
TAYLOR GRAY, No. 54 Homes For Our Troops Toyota GR Supra, Joe Gibbs Racing
Finishing Position: 26th
Is making the Chase the biggest positive you’ve had this season after a trying year?
“Yeah, first of all thank you to everyone at Joe Gibbs Racing and Toyota Racing. We had Home For Our Troops on the car and they are here this weekend. We had a great race car today and it sucks because I wish I could’ve challenged and fought for a better position – a top five or whatever it may be. Just once we got past that stage 2 the bigger picture got a bit brighter. To answer your question, yeah, I think it does. We’ve had a lot of speed this year and shame on me for putting us in this position going into Daytona. We could’ve won a handful of races that I’ve given up, and I’ve tried to learn a lot.”
BRENT CREWS, No. 19 Yahoo Toyota GR Supra, Joe Gibbs Racing
Finishing Position: 35th
How frustrating was it to not even have a shot at the Chase after being involved in an early incident?
“Yeah, it’s definitely frustrating, but ultimately, I put myself in that position when I cost us 20 points at Iowa. So, it goes back to all the ifs and what’s and buts, but I know it happened for a reason. This team worked so hard, and I’m so grateful to be in the position that I am with them. It’s amazing having Yahoo on board. I wish we could’ve had a better run for them. I’m grateful for the opportunity, and to drive a great race car. I’m excited to finish out the year strong.”
WILLIAM SAWALICH, No. 18 SoundGear Toyota GR Supra, Joe Gibbs Racing
Finishing Position: 37th
How do you summarize how today’s race ended for you?
“Just tried to make the three wide work there in the top lane and I think the 17 (Corey Day) thought about blocking me and came down and wasn’t clear at the time. I hate it for the team. We worked really hard after Chicagoland to make up the point deficit, I spent a lot of time in the simulator, and it just ended like this.”
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.
Ryan Sieg made career start No. 424 in the NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series one to remember for the ages. He made it memorable by scoring his first career win in the Winn-Dixie 250 at Daytona International Speedway on Friday, August 28, amid an overtime shootout.
The 39-year-old Sieg from Tucker, Georgia, led the final two of 105 over-scheduled laps in an event where he started in 12th place, kept his entry intact and utilized only a fuel-service stop prior to the final stage period to restart towards the front. While racing towards the front throughout the final stage period, Sieg was scored in fifth place when a caution for a single-car spin with three laps remaining sent the event into overtime.
During an overtime shootout, Sieg seized an opportunity and utilized a draft from Austin Hill to duel against Carson Kvapil for a full lap before he motored ahead prior to the final lap. For a final circuit around Daytona, Sieg utilized strong defensive moves by fending off Kvapil, Hill and a stacked field before he claimed his first elusive checkered flag under the lights at the World Center of Racing.
With on-track qualifying that determined the starting lineup occurring on Friday, Rajah Caruth achieved his first career pole position with a pole-winning lap at 183.232 mph in 49.118 seconds. Teammate Carson Kvapil qualified in second place with a lap of 182.856 mph in 49.219 seconds.
Before the event, Dean Thompson and newcomer Andy Jankowiak dropped to the rear of the field after unapproved adjustments to their respective entries.
When the green flag waved and the event commenced, pole-sitter Rajah Caruth, who elected to start on the outside lane, gained the first advantage through the frontstretch as he motored his No. 88 HendrickCars.com Chevrolet Camaro entry ahead of the field. Entering the first turn, he transitioned from the outside lane to the inside lane to line up in front of Kvapil within the draft while Sheldon Creed led the outside lane. As both Caruth and Creed dueled in front of two-stacked lanes for a full circuit, Creed managed to lead the first lap by 0.003 seconds over Caruth.
From the second to sixth lap, Caruth emerged as the leader in front of the field while Caesar Bacarella made an unscheduled pit stop on the third lap. Amid Caruth’s early advantage in front of the pack, he was challenged by Kvapil, Creed and a hard-charging Austin Hill before Creed reassumed the lead for the next two laps. Jesse Love would then navigate his way to the front and lead at and just past the 10th lap mark before Sam Mayer used the inside lane to assume the lead by the 12th lap.
Through the Lap 15 mark, Hill, who just assumed the lead for the first time, was leading Mayer, Taylor Gray, Creed, Sammy Smith, Caruth, Nick Sanchez, Kvapil, William Sawalich and Brandon Jones, respectively as the top-18 competitors in the leaderboard were racing under a second of one another. Hill proceeded to lead the next four laps, where the field had scattered, before Kvapil stormed atop the leaderboard by Lap 20. Hill, however, wasted no time reassuming the lead with a strong slingshot move beneath Kvapil exiting the backstretch during the next lap, and he led the next two laps before Mayer and Kvapil led the next two apiece, respectively.
Then on Lap 27, the event’s first caution flew when Patrick Staropoli, who was racing within the top-10 mark exiting the backstretch, got loose off the front of Jeremy Clements and spun in the middle of the track. Staropoli’s spin ignited a multi-car wreck that involved Josh Williams, Daniel Dye, Mayer and Brent Crews. The incident ignited major Chase implications for the latter two, though Mayer continued while Crews’ No. 19 Yahoo! Toyota Supra entry was taken to the garage for repairs.
The Lap 27 multi-car wreck was enough for the first stage period to conclude under caution. As a result, Hill, who reassumed the lead on Lap 27, was awarded his sixth stage victory of the 2026 season. Kvapil, Caruth, Anthony Alfredo, Sammy Smith, Harrison Burton, Justin Allgaier, Brandon Jones, William Sawalich and Taylor Gray were scored in the top 10, respectively, as 32 of 38 starters were scored on the lead lap.
Under the event’s first stage break period, the field led by Hill peeled off the racetrack to pit for service. Following the pit stops, Kvapil edged Corey Day off of pit road first despite contact being made between the two as Day had to make a sharp right-hand turn out of his pit box to avoid hitting Kyle Sieg’s pitted entry. Hill, Caruth, Sawalich, Sammy Smith, Gray, Harrison Burton, Alfredo and Clements followed suit, respectively.
The second stage period started on Lap 35 as Kvapil and Hill occupied the front row. At the start, Kvapil and Hill dueled in front of Day, Caruth and the field through the first two turns. Amid the side-by-side duel, Kvapil led the next lap and he proceeded to lead the next seven laps while he kept Hill, Day, Sawalich, Caruth and the fanned-out field behind. Hill would then lead, starting on Lap 43.
On Lap 44 and just as Hill fended off Caruth through the tri-oval to retain the lead, the caution flew when Day, who was racing towards the front, was bumped by Alfredo, veered sideways to the left and clipped Sammy Smith. The contact sent Smith head-on into the outside wall and into the path of William Sawalich, which left Sawalich’s No. 18 CW NXT Heatwave/SoundGear Toyota Supra demolished on the front end, while the rest of the field scattered to avoid the carnage. The incident terminated Sawalich’s event and it also implicated his Chase hopes.
The start of the next restart on Lap 52 featured Hill being pushed ahead by Kvapil briefly and from the outside lane through the frontstretch before the inside lane led by Caruth came storming back with momentum. With a push by Alfredo and Allgaier, Caruth assumed the lead as he also moved in front of Hill from the draft through the backstretch. Amid Hill’s challenge, Caruth maintained the lead over the next three laps.
Then on Lap 55, the caution returned when Hill, who tried to execute a crossover move beneath Caruth through the frontstretch, barely made contact across the front nose of Alfredo and spun in circles through the frontstretch’s inside lane and the grass while the rest of the field dodged Hill’s carnage, though Hill was able to proceed without sustaining significant damage. Hill’s incident concluded the second stage period, which allowed Caruth to capture his third stage victory of the 2026 season. Alfredo, Kvapil, Allgaier, Jeb Burton, Creed, Mayer, Jesse Love, Blaine Perkins and Brandon Jones settled in the top 10, respectively, as 31 of 38 starters were scored on the lead lap.
During the event’s second stage break period, the field led by Caruth returned to pit road for service. After the pit stops and mixed pit strategies, Jones, who opted for a two-tire service, edged Ryan Sieg and Perkins off pit road first, while Kyle Sieg, Kvapil, Caruth, Creed, Allgaier, Jeb Burton and Love followed suit, respectively.
With 38 laps remaining, the final stage period commenced as Harrison Burton and Jones occupied the front row. At the start, Burton was pushed ahead of the field by Perkins through the first two turns, but Jones would assume the lead, where the latter would lead the next five laps. Soon after, Kvapil navigated his way to the front with 33 laps remaining, and he maintained the lead with 30 laps remaining while Creed, Hill, Jones, Jeb Burton, Caruth, Love, Allgaier, Leland Honeyman Jr. and Nick Sanchez followed suit, respectively.
Down to the final 25 laps and with the field scattered, Kvapil was leading ahead of Creed, Caruth, Allgaier, Honeyman, Ryan Sieg, Hill, Alfred, Jeb Burton and Love, respectively, while the top-14 competitors were separated by a second of one another. Caruth and Allgaier navigated their way into second and third behind teammate Kvapil on the track with 20 laps remaining, and the trio maintained the top-three spots ahead of Honeyman, Ryan Sieg and the field with 15 laps remaining while the top-14 competitors were separated by a second of one another.
With less than 10 laps remaining, Kvapil continued to lead teammates Caruth and Allgaier, followed by the field as most of the field lined up in single-line formation behind Kvapil towards the outside lane. The field led by Kvapil remained in single-line formation with five laps remaining.
Then with three laps remaining, the caution flew when Allgaier bumped and got Caruth loose exiting the backstretch. This caused Caruth to spin below the track before he slid back up the banking in Turn 3 and hit the outside wall on the right side despite being dodged by the oncoming field. Despite dropping out of the lead lap category, Caruth managed to continue with his damaged entry as he remained in Chase contention.
As the event restarted in overtime, Kvapil motored ahead of the field through the frontstretch. He then transitioned to the outside lane to line up in front of teammate Allgaier in the draft. This allowed Ryan Sieg, with drafting help from Hill, to challenge from the inside lane entering the backstretch. Amid the side-by-side battle, Sieg started to muscle his No. 38 Superior Integrity Services/SciAps Chevrolet Camaro entry ahead and he cleared the field with the lead in his possession when he took the white flag and started the final lap.
During the final lap, Sieg went into defensive mode as he fended off an outside lane charge by Kvapil through the first two turns before he veered back to the inside lane to receive another drafting advantage by Hill. With the field fanned out and stacked through the backstretch, Sieg maintained the lead over a side-by-side battle between Kvapil and Hill while Jones and Alfredo came storming through. With both Kvapil and Hill bouncing and side-drafting off of one another without generating a run, Sieg was able to fend off both lanes and cycle back to the frontstretch to win by a tenth of a second.
With the victory, Sieg, who is in his 13th consecutive full-time season as a competitor, became the 186th competitor overall to win in the O’Reilly Auto Parts Series division and the first competitor to record a first career win in the O’Reilly division at Daytona since Austin Hill achieved the latest feat in February 2022. The Georgian also became the fifth first-time winner of the 2026 season while notching the 21st victory of this season for the Chevrolet nameplate and the second ever win for RSS Racing.
Despite not being in contention to make the 2026 Chase, Sieg was left enthusiastic and beaming with pride as he achieved a long-awaited first win in the O’Reilly division. Prior to the Daytona victory, Sieg had finished as high as second place five times.
Photo by Andrew Boyd for SpeedwayMedia.com.
“This is incredible,” Sieg said on the frontstretch on the CW Network. “Unbelievable, especially doing it here at Daytona. I’ve been coming here since I was a baby. We’ve come here every summer race, and to do it right now in the way we did it, that’s amazing. Just go to thank…everybody that helps us out to get to here. My mom and dad, my girlfriend, all the support, the whole team,…everybody is just all in and this has been a long time coming. [At Iowa Speedway], we got the pole and we came back to Daytona where I really wanted to win, so we freaking did it.”
Mired from Sieg’s victory was the outcome of who made the 2026 Chase field and who did not. In the end, Parker Retzlaff, Sam Mayer, Taylor Gray and Rajah Caruth secured the final four vacant berths to the Chase after they finished 14th, 25th, 26th and 32nd, respectively. For Caruth, he utilized the 19 stage points he accumulated throughout the first two stage periods combined with his 32nd-place result to claim the 12th and final Chase berth by five points.
Photo by Andrew Boyd for SpeedwayMedia.com.
“There was a couple of times early in the year that I threw away some points, so glad to mostly capitalize tonight,” Caruth said. “In the moment, I’m pretty bummed about the end of the race because I felt we were in a great spot [to win], but we’ll go to a new chapter tomorrow and get to work [for the Chase].”
For Gray, he and Brandon Jones will be the only Joe Gibbs Racing competitors who will contend for this year’s championship in the Chase. Meanwhile, teammates Brent Crews and William Sawalich, both of whom entered Daytona above the cutline, were left out of the Chase picture after their respective wrecks capped off their nights in 35th and 37th on the track, respectively. Overall, Sawalich and Crews missed the Chase by five and six points, respectively.
“It’s definitely frustrating, but ultimately, I put ourselves in that position,” Crews said. “I cost us 20 points at Iowa. It goes back to all the ifs and what’s and buts, but I know it happened for a reason. This team worked so hard, and I’m so grateful to be in the position that I am with them. Grateful for the opportunity. [Joe Gibbs Racing]’s done such a great job with these race cars and [I’m] excited to finish out the year strong.”
“We’ve had a lot of speed this year, and shame on me for being in this position going into Daytona,” Gray said. “There’s been a handful of races that I’ve given up. I’ve tried to learn a lot from those mistakes and hopefully, won’t make them. There’s gonna be some mistakes, but I feel like there’s a lot of really good racetracks for us here in the postseason that we can excel at. Just gotta cross the t’s and dot the i’s.”
Austin Hill, who won at Daytona in February, settled in second place behind Sieg on the track while Carson Kvapil, Anthony Alfredo and Brandon Jones finished in the top five, respectively. Justin Allgaier, Brennan Poole, Harrison Burton, Jeb Burton and Sheldon Creed completed the top 10 in the final running order on the track.
This event featured 21 lead changes for 11 different leaders, and four cautions for 25 laps. In addition, 27 of 38 starters finished on the lead lap.
NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series Reseeded Driver Points
Rank
Driver
No
Points
Ldr
Nxt
Race Wins
Stage Wins
1
Justin Allgaier
7
2100
0
0
6
8
2
Carson Kvapil
1
2075
-25
25
2
2
3
Sheldon Creed
0
2065
-35
10
1
0
4
Jesse Love
2
2060
-40
5
0
3
5
Austin Hill
21
2055
-45
5
2
6
6
Brandon Jones
20
2050
-50
5
1
3
7
Corey Day
17
2045
-55
5
2
2
8
Sammy Smith
8
2040
-60
5
0
1
9
Parker Retzlaff
99
2035
-65
5
0
0
10
Sam Mayer
41
2030
-70
5
0
1
11
Taylor Gray
54
2025
-75
5
1
2
12
Rajah Caruth
88
2020
-80
5
0
3
Results:
Ryan Sieg, two laps led
Austin Hill, 22 laps led, Stage 1 winner
Carson Kvapil, 50 laps led
Anthony Alfredo, two laps led
Brandon Jones, five laps led
Justin Allgaier
Brennan Poole
Harrison Burton, one lap led
Jeb Burton
Sheldon Creed, three laps led
Josh Williams
Garrett Smithley
Leland Honeyman Jr.
Parker Retzlaff, one lap led
Blaine Perkins
Nick Sanchez
Ryan Ellis
Lavar Scott
Mason Maggio
Jesse Love, three laps led
Kyle Sieg
Natalie Dekcer
Joey Gase
Carson Ware
Sam Mayer, five laps led
Taylor Gray
Dean Thompson
Josh Bilicki – OUT, Accident
Corey Day, one lap down
Andy Jankowiak, two laps down
Caesar Bacarella, two laps down
Rajah Caruth, two laps down, 11 laps led, Stage 2 winner
Jeremy Clements, 11 laps down
Patrick Staropoli, 32 laps down
Brent Crews, 44 laps down
Sammy Smith – OUT, Accident
William Sawalich – OUT, Accident
Daniel Dye – OUT, Accident
The 2026 NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series Chase commences next Saturday, September 5, at Darlington Raceway in Darlington, South Carolina, for the Fleetio 200. The event’s broadcast time is slated to start at 7:30 p.m. ET on the CW Network, MRN Radio, and SiriusXM.
Saturday’s race at New Hampshire Motor Speedway settled the last remaining questions about the 2026 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series playoff picture. Ten drivers are locked in, and seven races beginning Sept. 17 at Bristol Motor Speedway now separate each of them from a championship. The field is set. The calendar is already moving.
Riggs Enters as the Dominant Favorite, Honeycutt and Smith Trail at Close Range
Layne Riggs heads into the Chase at +25 points and with a résumé that makes the title conversation feel somewhat one-sided. Six wins, 10 top-fives, 11 top-10s, and 598 laps led across the 2026 regular season put him in a class of his own among the ten contenders. Winning Saturday at New Hampshire only reinforced that standing — he carries momentum and a three-week buffer before Bristol.
The gap between Riggs and the rest of the top tier is real, though Kaden Honeycutt has kept pace well enough to remain a genuine threat. Sitting at -25 points with 2 wins, 11 top-fives, 13 top-10s, and 319 laps led, Honeycutt’s numbers reflect a driver who, by Yardbarker’s measure, could plausibly have four or five wins this season rather than two. His No. 11 TRICON Garage team won the 2025 Truck Series championship with Corey Heim and has not missed a beat carrying that operation into 2026. That institutional continuity matters over a seven-race stretch where execution counts as much as raw speed.
Chandler Smith rounds out the top three at -35 points. His 2 wins, 9 top-fives, and 12 top-10s place him squarely in contention, though 145 laps led suggest he has spent less time dictating races than either Riggs or Honeycutt. One notable detail surrounds the equipment context: Smith’s No. 38 truck comes from the same Front Row Motorsports stable as Riggs’ No. 34. That shared infrastructure can cut both ways — shared data and resources are an asset, but the championship can only go to one driver.
A Croatian Sports-Media Observer Reads the Contender Map
Zlatan Vukić, an iGaming compliance manager with eight years of experience following international motorsport coverage, notes that the favorites-versus-long-shots framework visible in this Chase field crosses geographic lines without losing much in translation. The contrast between Riggs’ six-win dominance and Ben Rhodes’ near-silent season despite two prior championships is exactly the kind of evaluative structure that resonates with audiences far outside the United States. Vukić follows how Croatian sports media handle international motorsport, and he points to HRSPORT as the outlet that publishes this same contender-by-contender breakdown style for Croatian sports followers — covering who the title favorite is, who snuck in on points, and how steep the gap looks heading into a playoff run.
“The separation between Riggs and someone like Rhodes tells you everything about how a championship field can contain both a clear front-runner and a former champion who has gone quiet for most of the year. That contrast is exactly what makes this format work for audiences who want to understand where a series actually stands.”
The Middle Tier Must Find Victory Lane to Stay Alive
Christian Eckes sits fourth at -40 points and represents perhaps the most straightforward problem in the field. No wins in 2026, 6 top-fives, and 11 top-10s made him consistent enough to qualify for the Chase, but Yardbarker’s assessment is direct: Eckes will need a win or two during the playoff run to remain a genuine title contender. Consistency that builds points in the regular season does not carry the same weight once the bracket tightens.
Gio Ruggiero is fifth at -45 points with a similar profile — no wins, 4 top-fives, and 9 top-10s. What makes his case slightly more complicated is what happened Saturday. Ruggiero was in winning contention at New Hampshire before a mistake ended that opportunity. Whether that near-miss reads as evidence of growing pace or as a costly stumble may depend on how Bristol goes.
Ty Majeski carries the most complicated story of the three. The 2024 Truck Series champion arrives at the Chase sixth at -50 points, with no wins, 5 top-fives, and 8 top-10s in what Yardbarker calls a topsy-turvy 2026. A defending champion who has not yet visited victory lane is not an unusual playoff entrant in NASCAR, but the deficit and the overall shape of his season signal that the path back to a title runs through some significant change in form over the next seven races.
Four Long Shots with Slim but Specific Credentials
Grant Enfinger sits seventh at -55 points. His lone win of 2026 came on a road course at Lime Rock Park, and 3 top-fives and 5 top-10s across the season paint a picture of a No. 9 team that, by Yardbarker’s read, has taken a step back from prior years. A road course win demonstrates range, but the points gap entering Bristol is steep.
Daniel Hemric is eighth at -60 points, without a win in 2026 and with only 2 top-fives across 18 races. He did win a race during the 2025 regular season, which at least establishes that the capability exists somewhere in the program. Still, the 2026 numbers offer little to suggest a championship run is imminent.
Ben Rhodes carries two titles — 2021 and 2023 — into a Chase where he sits ninth at -65 points. Zero wins and only 4 top-fives in 2026 have defined what Yardbarker describes as a team that has been “radio silent for 2/3 of the campaign.” Prior championships establish pedigree, and playoff formats have produced stranger outcomes, but the gap between Rhodes’ resume and his 2026 production is wide.
Tyler Ankrum holds tenth place and the weakest statistical position of the group, sitting at -70 points with no wins and 1 top-five this season. He clinched his Chase berth by dragging a truck described as having hardly any brakes to a 16th-place finish at New Hampshire — a finish that secured his playoff spot by the thinnest possible margin.
That near-brakeless New Hampshire run is where the field closes, and Bristol on Sept. 17 is where the running starts again. The odds are stacked for most of these ten drivers. They are still alive.
Ross Chastain nabbed the final Busch Light Pole Award of the 2026 NASCAR Cup Series regular-season stretch for the Coke Zero Sugar 400 at Daytona International Speedway on Friday, August 28.
The event’s starting lineup was determined through a two-round qualifying session. The first session featured 41 competitors battling for 40 starting spots, all of whom cycled once around the track to post the fastest lap. At the end of the first session, the top-10 fastest qualifiers moved on to the second and final round, where they contested pole position.
During the session, Chastain posted the fourth-fastest lap at 183.831 mph in 48.958 seconds in the first round. After being one of 10 competitors to transfer to the second and final qualifying round, he posted a lap at 184.396 mph in 48.808 seconds. The lap was enough for the 2025 Coca-Cola 600 champion from Alva, Florida, to claim the top-starting spot at the World Center of Racing for Saturday night’s main event.
With the pole, Chastain achieved his third career pole in the Cup Series division, his first on a superspeedway venue and his first since Watkins Glen International in September 2024. Chastain’s pole was also the third of the 2026 season for Trackhouse Racing and the organization’s first at Daytona International Speedway.
Chastain’s pole award eased the sting for him and his No. 1 Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet team, with the driver eliminated from contention for making the 2026 Cup Series’ Chase. It also left him pleased with the rebound following last weekend’s last-place finish at New Hampshire Motor Speedway due to a mechanical issue as he sets his sights on contending for race victories, starting this Saturday night’s 400-mile event at Daytona.
“I’m not sure that we expected [the pole] leaving the shop, to be honest,” Chastain said. “You’re always trying to be efficient. You’re trying to have the least amount of drag when you’re coming to Daytona. You’re trying to put the most grip in it with this new package. Hats off to Trackhouse, ECR. To have our issues last week [at New Hampshire], to come right back and redeem all of us, with steam under the hood and to take both poles this year at Daytona for ECR out of the Welcome [North Carolina] shop. It’s a Busch Light pole award, and as a Busch Light driver, this means a lot.”
Chastain will share the front row with Chris Buescher, the latter of whom won the Coke Zero Sugar 400 in 2023 and is one 13 competitors who have clinched berths to this year’s Chase. Buescher posted the second-fastest lap during Friday’s qualifying session at 184.204 mph in 48.859 seconds.
Austin Hill, who is set to drive for Richard Childress Racing for the entire 2027 Cup Series season, qualified in third place with a lap of 184.188 mph in 48.863 seconds. Ryan Preece, who was the fastest during the first qualifying session, posted the fourth-overall fastest lap at 184.121 mph in 48.881 seconds in the final round. Preece is currently scored 31 points below the top-16 cutline to make this year’s Chase as he attempts to race his way above it for this weekend’s main event.
Riley Herbst qualified in fifth place ahead of top-10 starters Shane van Gisbergen, Connor Zilsich, Austin Cindric, Joey Logano and Kyle Larson, respectively.
Notably, van Gisbergen and Cindric, both of whom currently possess two of three vacant spots to the Chase, will start in the top 10. Bubba Wallace, who holds the third vacant spot, will start in 26th place. Wallace is currently scored 75 points above the cutline while Cindric and van Gisbergen are 44 and 31 points above, respectively. Brad Keselowski, who is 66 points below the cutline, will start in 21st place.
With 41 competitors vying for 40 starting spots, Gray Gaulding was the lone competitor who did not make the main event.
Daytona – Qualifying Position, Best Speed, Best Time:
Ross Chastain, 184.396 mph, 48.808 seconds
Chris Buescher, 184.204 mph, 48.859 seconds
Austin Hill, 184.188 mph, 48.863 seconds
Ryan Preece, 184.121 mph, 48.881 seconds
Riley Herbst, 183.763 mph, 48.976 seconds
Shane van Gisbergen, 183.602 mph, 49.019 seconds
Connor Zilisch, 183.599 mph, 49.020 seconds
Austin Cindric, 183.408 mph, 49.071 seconds
Joey Logano, 183.397 mph, 49.074 seconds
Kyle Larson, 183.367 mph, 49.082 seconds
Corey Heim, 183.296 mph, 49.101 seconds
Chase Briscoe, 183.284 mph, 49.104 seconds
William Byron, 183.236 mph, 49.117 seconds
Ty Gibbs, 183.214 mph, 49.123 seconds
Erik Jones, 183.150 mph, 49.140 seconds
Cole Custer, 183.135 mph, 49.144 seconds
Tyler Reddick, 183.132 mph, 49.145 seconds
Michael McDowell, 183.117 mph, 49.149 seconds
Ryan Blaney, 183.098 mph, 49.154 seconds
Alex Bowman, 183.016 mph, 49.176 seconds
Brad Keselowski, 182.912 mph, 49.204 seconds
Chase Elliott, 182.808 mph, 49.232 seconds
Daniel Suarez, 182.778 mph, 49.240 seconds
Josh Berry, 182.622 mph, 49.282 seconds
Cody Ware, 182.548 mph, 49.302 seconds
Bubba Wallace, 182.445 mph, 49.330 seconds
John Hunter Nemechek, 182.426 mph, 49.335 seconds
Carson Hocevar, 182.423 mph, 49.336 seconds
Austin Dillon, 182.397 mph, 49.343 seconds
Denny Hamlin, 182.334 mph, 49.360 seconds
Ty Dillon, 182.330 mph, 49.361 seconds
Ricky Stenhouse Jr., 182.278 mph, 49.375 seconds
Todd Gilliland, 182.231 mph, 49.388 seconds
Zane Smith, 182.179 mph, 49.402 seconds
Christopher Bell, 181.873 mph, 49.485 seconds
AJ Allmendinger, 181.873 mph, 49.485 seconds
Noah Gragson, 181.818 mph, 49.500 seconds
Casey Meras, 181.745 mph, 49.520 seconds
Daniel Dye, 181.616 mph, 49.555 seconds
Joey Gase, 180.242 mph, 49.933 seconds
The 2026 Coke Zero Sugar 400 at Daytona International Speedway is scheduled for Saturday, August 29, at 7:30 p.m. ET on NBC, MRN Radio, SiriusXM, and HBO MAX.
NASCAR Cup Series Daytona International Speedway Coke Zero Sugar 400 Team Chevy Post-Qualifying Report August 28, 2026
Chastain Drives Chevrolet to Pole Position for Regular Season Finale at Daytona International Speedway
TEAM CHEVY UNOFFICIAL TOP-10 STARTING LINEUP:
1st – Ross Chastain 3rd – Austin Hill 6th – Shane van Gisbergen 7th – Connor Zilisch 10th – Kyle Larson
For the first time in his NASCAR Cup Series career, Ross Chastain will lead the field to the green flag at Daytona International Speedway. Clocking in a lap of 48.808 seconds at 184.396 mph in the second round of this afternoon’s qualifying, the Florida native topped the leaderboard to earn his third career pole in NASCAR’s top division.
The pole – Chevrolet’s 55th all-time pole in NASCAR’s premier series at “The World Center of Racing” – was accompanied by a strong showing by the Bowtie brigade with the manufacturer earning half of the top-10 of the starting lineup for tomorrow’s regular season finale. ECR-powered Chevrolet’s earned four of the top-10 qualifying efforts with Chastain leading Richard Childress Racing’s Austin Hill in third, Trackhouse Racing’s Shane van Gisbergen and Connor Zilisch in the sixth and seventh positions, respectively, with the Hendrick Engine Department-powered Chevrolet of Kyle Larson rounding out the top-10.
This is your first pole at Daytona and on a drafting track, in general. Can you kind of talk about what that means to you?
“Yeah, it’s almost indescribable. I think I should probably start with, like, I grasp that it doesn’t have much bearing on knowing what tomorrow is going to bring, but for tonight and today for a new package, for Trackhouse to go and pick the right things for car build to come here and to execute through two rounds, it’s incredible. We’ve been good in one round before, but not the second. So, yeah, it’s very important to note that we chose the right things as a team to come here and execute through qualifying.
I’ll start this with — I do not know what that means for tomorrow. I’m being honest, I have no idea what it means for tomorrow.”
As a Floridian, what does this mean to you?
“Life achievement. I was a kid sitting in the grandstands. We camped outside of turn one, gate 40. For those that remember back in, I don’t know, late 90s, 2000s, early 2000s, it was not the nice, beautiful gate 40 with dry grass that you see now. It was a mud pit. We camped over there, rode our bikes around and had other families that were family and some that were more than family that were such close friends and my buddies that I grew up with.
So, yeah, I mean, from the race pools, like getting the race day paper and drawing names out that they would cut up and hoping you got the pole sitter, that was a big deal. And as I got older, I realized how much little or just less it means, as far as how the car is going to draft. But, still, it’s a big deal. It’s a life achievement that I will never forget. This is a moment I’ll never forget.”
I realize that you’re saying you can’t guess how it’s going to go in the race, but it’s still significant that Trackhouse had all three cars qualify in the top-10. Could you just talk about the team’s effort?
“Yeah, I mean, it’s just incredible because all the cars are bouncing. All the cars are not driving well, and we made our car go faster while not driving well.
I asked on Monday in our competition meeting if we were sure that what we were taking, what I had been told, like are we sure? We don’t know. I know we don’t have wind tunnel data. We don’t have on-track data. But does anybody in the room have anything they’d like to tell me, I’m asking, that they want to raise their hand about? And they went around the room and each really smart person told me ‘no’… here’s my reason why I think this part of the car is right, each of their departments. And I left the room going, okay, I believe you. Like, I just wanted one more sanity check.
It’s great with the season we’ve had. And the seasons, like even over the second-half of last year; to hear them be confident, I could tell they were sincere in what they were saying. And then to translate it to on-track, that’s what we’re looking for. That’s what we’ve been looking for at Trackhouse. It’s a really good feeling.”
With Shane in his precarious spot, what is your strategy in kind of working with him? And are you making him a priority?
“When there’s an opportunity of two cars in front of me, I think everybody in the field knows that I’ll push the 97. I am OEM loyal and specifically 97 loyal. So when there’s opportunity, any momentum I have, any push I have, will go to the 97. The crew chiefs will be talking. You know, there’s little differences, and if we find something air pressure wise or something, the 97 will be the first to know.”
I know we are a long way away from the Clash and the DAYTONA 500, but with this qualifying performance where all three Trackhouse drivers will start in the top-10, do you think that qualifying performance will potentially carry over to the start of next season?
“I don’t know. I mean, you have to be better coming back. This is the first crack at it. For Trackhouse and Chevy, clearly we made the right decisions coming into a new package. We’ve done that before. You know, we’ve seen that early on in packages. So proud of that, that we can continue to do that. We want to be better and we want to continue to stay here.
I think that depending on how we race tomorrow, if we can make the right adjustments going into the race – it’s an impound race, but there’s still major adjustments we can make. In my world, this would not be a major needle mover, but with this car, they are major needle movers.
I don’t know what this will mean for Talladega. I don’t know if this is the package we’ll run at Talladega. I think we’ll see what NASCAR sees. I’ll listen to what NASCAR decides, and then be ready for Talladega.
About General Motors
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GM Motorsports, including the Cadillac Formula 1® Team develops and proves advanced technologies in the most demanding environments, accelerating innovation in performance, safety, efficiency, and electrification for its production vehicles. Cadillac Racing is one of the leading manufacturers in the IMSA and FIA World Endurance Championships (WEC). Chevrolet competes in single seaters in the US IndyCar series, and in NASCAR with multiple team partners and drivers. Corvette customer teams compete in GT series across the globe including IMSA and WEC. Learn more at GM.com.
Ford Racing Notes and Quotes NASCAR Cup Series Coke Zero Sugar 400 Qualifying — Daytona International Speedway Friday, August 28, 2026
Ford Qualifying Results:
2nd – Chris Buescher 4th – Ryan Preece 8th – Austin Cindric 9th – Joey Logano 19th – Ryan Blaney 21st – Brad Keselowski 24th – Josh Berry 33rd – Todd Gilliland 34th – Zane Smith 37th – Noah Gragson
CHRIS BUESCHER, No. 17 Fifth Third Bank Ford Mustang Dark Horse – “It’s very bumpy today, but we expect that to get a little better as everybody comes up off the ground a little bit for race trim, but I’m proud of everybody. That’s a heck of a start with this Fifth Third Ford Mustang Dark Horse. That’s cool to start on the front row. I thought the 60 was gonna get us there after the first round, but the guys did a good job. We got it cooled off pretty well and were able to get that full lap in all the way to the checkers. It’s gonna be a great pit stall selection, just what we need to start this race and run up front and do our best to control it.” IS IT GOOD TO BE ON THE FRONT ROW WITH CLEAN AIR TO GET A FEEL FOR THIS NEW PACKAGE COMPARED TO SOMEONE MIDPACK? “There’s no safe place, but I feel better up front than I do at the back. We’ll learn all together if the package is a big enough change to where we’re all gonna be holding on or if it’s just kind of that first step in the right direction for us. Without practice time will tell. Night racing always grips up a little bit in general, so that will make it slightly easier than it would have been if we were racing two, three or four hours earlier.”
AUSTIN CINDRIC, No. 2 Menards/Maytag Ford Mustang Dark Horse – “I think having a good starting spot gives us an opportunity to learn about our car, but also still have a very reasonable shot at some good points. That first stage is super short, so that’s giving us a chance to start checking boxes early in the race.”
RYAN PREECE, No. 60 Kroger/OIKOS Ford Mustang Dark Horse – “I wanted the pole. Fourth is great but not what I wanted. The good thing is we have a fast Kroger/OIKOS Ford Mustang and we’ll race the hell out of them tomorrow.”
RYAN BLANEY, No. 12 Advance Auto Parts Ford Mustang Dark Horse – DO YOU FEEL LIKE ONE OF THE FAVORITES THIS WEEKEND? THE ODDSMAKERS HAVE YOU AND BYRON TIED WITH THE SHORTEST ODDS. “I appreciate that. That’s nice of them to do that, but, no, I don’t consider myself a favorite. I feel like it’s gonna be a tough one no matter what. I think it should have been N/A for everybody this weekend because nobody has any idea of what to expect – who is gonna be good, who is not, what team hits it right, what teams figure it out the fastest, what drivers can kind of adapt really quickly, so, no, I don’t feel like a favorite going into any speedways because you never know. You just rely on hopefully you make the right decisions and your car is good enough to be able to contend.” HOW WAS YOUR PREP THIS WEEK WITH SO MANY UNKNOWNS? “When preparing for the unknown, I just try to keep an open mind. I try not to get too set in ways of if I don’t know the answer to things, I just try to keep an open mind and just kind of roll with things as I’m learning them. You try to do as much preparation as you can, but for this week there was only so much that you could do, and I didn’t want to get too set in ‘I think it’s gonna do this’ because if it does something different, then your whole mind is flip-flopped, so I’ve always just tried to be open-minded about these things and ready to adapt whatever you need to adapt in the moment.” HOW LONG DO YOU ANTICIPATE IT MIGHT TAKE BEFORE YOU HAVE AN IDEA OF WHAT IT’S GOING TO BE LIKE? “It’s gonna change depending on where you are. If you start on the front row, you’re gonna, ‘ok, this is kind of what I’ve got,’ and it’ll take you five laps. And then if you get kind of midpack, you’re gonna have to relearn because it’s gonna drive way different just like anything. So, it’ll go in stages. You’ll kind of get used to it, I think, after five or six laps in your spot, but then at some point of the race you’re gonna be thrown up front, you’re gonna be thrown in the back and you’re gonna have to relearn those things pretty quick. But I would say five to 10 laps in each scenario you’re in, and then different spots – not only where you’re at in the pack, but what different spots you’re putting yourself on the racetrack in traffic kind of peaking out to the right, peaking out to the left. How is it dead following somebody in the corner, so you’re trying to put yourself in those positions early to just kind of gather information quickly or at least as quick as you can.”
JOEY LOGANO, No. 22 Autotrader Ford Mustang Dark Horse – CAN THIS MOMENTUM CONTINUE THROUGH THE CHASE? “I hope the momentum rolls at this point. We’ve definitely had some fast cars here recently and have been able to get ourselves into the top 10 in points. Hopefully, we can get a couple more here this weekend because seventh isn’t that far out, so it’s definitely a possibility to get there. I don’t know what we’re gonna have and if anyone tells you they know what they’re gonna have, I think they’re lying because there’s no way to know. We’ll see what we have when we get out there. I think it’s about whoever can adjust the quickest and adapt to getting their cars driving good and adapt to the draft what that looks like first are the ones that score the most points.” HOW DO YOU BALANCE EARLY AGGRESSION WITHOUT WRECKING? “I think you need to know how things work. At some point, you’ve got to figure all that out. You’d rather figure it out earlier than later, but I think some of it probably depends on where you qualify and what that all is, but you’re gonna want to move forward as quickly as possible.” WHAT HAS THIS RUN BEEN LIKE FOR YOU AND THE REST OF TEAM PENSKE? “We’ve closed the gap quite a bit, so now I feel like early in the year we had to be absolutely perfect on execution and setup and everything to finish fifth. Now I feel like if we’re perfect we can win and if we’re off a little bit we can finish fifth to 10th. We’re in the hunt to where we can race for a championship now, so I feel good about that.”
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (August 28, 2026) – Joe Gibbs Racing driver Denny Hamlin and 23XI Racing driver Tyler Reddick were made available to the media on Friday prior to the NASCAR Cup Series race from Daytona International Speedway.
DENNY HAMLIN, No. 11 Progressive Insurance Toyota Camry XSE, Joe Gibbs Racing
TYLER REDDICK, No. 45 Jordan Brand Toyota Camry XSE, 23XI Racing
Should there have been practice this weekend with the rules change in the aero package?
Denny Hamlin: “Probably. But it would have been a decent learning experience, but I don’t think the fans miss out on anything. I think that we would have just been in really small packs, kind of, with our manufacturers. So, you didn’t miss anything from an entertainment standpoint, but something from a learning, yeah, possibly.”
How do you think you’re going to see the race change as people start to understand the new package?
Denny Hamlin: “I would say, it’s tough to say how it would change. I don’t think it’s gonna change a lot from a normal speedway race that typically at the beginning, I think there’s usually a transition of, it’s aggressive, people are trying to get track position. It settles in and then gets really aggressive in the last part. So, I think that the pack will have a vibe to it that will play off of how comfortable everyone feels in the car, around other cars. So, I think that the intensity level of the actual race is gonna be dependent of that comfort level.”
What races are you looking forward to in the Chase?
Denny Hamlin: “All of them? It’s the short answer. I think it starts with Darlington. That’s a track where I’ve not been my best over the last couple races there. So, I’m trying to get the performance back where we expect to be at that racetrack. So that’s the number one focus for me at the moment.”
Can you speak about the challenges of running a 500-mile race at Darlington?
Tyler Reddick: “I mean, for me, I love it. You know, just how tricky that track is to get around, for me. I feel like I have a really good comfort running up the racetrack there. I’ve continued to try and find ways to make speed in other places around there, but just the way it kind of plays out because the tires wear out you’ve got to run really close to the wall in (turns) three and four. We have to play the games in (turns) one and two, trying to get up to the wall and not smoke it. So, just kind of how it’s been with the Next Gen car here. It took a little time to really sort out, but I don’t know, for me, I love every lap of it, every mile. It’s a lot of fun. The way the track cools off and picks up grip. Just the way it works out, I wish some of the runs were longer throughout the race itself, but yeah, it’s one of those where I feel like it just, it goes on and on and on, and it’s fun trying to find ways to stay locked in for all 500 miles just right on the edge.”
Denny Hamlin: “Yeah, the track just changes quite a bit from really even the first run, the second run to the 10th run. It’s all different. So, kind of understanding what the car and how it’s gonna react even if you change nothing during the course of that 500 miles, it’s something that experience really helps in understanding.”
Is it a track and a race that you have to physically prepare more for because you’re in the car for such an extended period of time?
Denny Hamlin: “I mean, yes, just the hydration. I don’t prepare any other way. Every week, I do the best I can, but that one in particular, I force feed myself more than what I feel like my stomach would want me to, because it is. It’s gonna be one where you’ll be drained at the end of it. To me, it’s probably the most physically demanding track, just simply because mentally, your mind is always wired really, really high there so that raises your heart rate at that racetrack anyway. So that added with the distance of the actual race, you’re gonna burn the most calories you’ll burn all year.”
Tyler Reddick: “Yeah, I think that’s very fair. What he (Denny Hamlin) said there about that is so true at a place like that. I’ve went there, I remember early in my career, just running, ripping and you’re like, alright, we’re halfway. It’s like, holy cow. I think for me, the hydration piece is an obvious one that with that race the temperatures can be pretty high up in the middle of the day. I think for me, just normally the timing of the race – if we stay overnight, Saturday to Sunday, that’s one where if we’re not driving up Sunday morning, I’m finding a way to get an extra nap in, and I normally don’t do the naps. So that’s one of those where a little extra sleep and hydration is key.”
Do you feel like your team is back in a place to make a run in the Chase?
Tyler Reddick: “I think we all would have loved to have seen a few just clean weekends. From that standpoint, going into it, I think for us, we had a lot of things, from mistakes and just wild things happening on the racetrack. A lot came our way over the summer months, but you can go back and look at the results and it’s like, wow, they were really off. But, for us, just the fight that we continue to put up in those situations – just even the last two weeks with Richmond and Loudon. We qualified bad at Richmond, going nowhere in the beginning of that race. And we just, we get to pit road and from that point on we were on it. For us to kind of climb out of that, at Richmond that way, and then get trapped the lap down when we hit pit road and we bounced back from that. Had the issue with the wheel and still drive back up. So, all that was really good stuff. And Louden, a lot of the same story. Obviously, that one was 1000% on me, spinning out on lap one, but the team stayed committed. It’s nice to be able to – you’re going to have mistakes. You’re going to have things happen you’re not ready for in the Chase. And we kind of have a summer of mistakes and just crazy situations that we’ve fought through all of them. So, I feel like when we get to the Chase and if there is anything that comes our way, we’re absolutely ready for it. But on the other hand, I would have loved to have a couple normal, just like clean races, but the nice thing is we’re going to Darlington, a place where my confidence is sky high. The team going in there every time is just absolutely on cloud nine. I’m glad that the Chase starts in Darlington for us.”
Do you feel that the beginning of the Chase is a reset?
Tyler Reddick: “Well, I mean, it is. Whether mentally you want to look at it that way, but actually, it is as well on the points. It’s a good and a bad thing, you know? All the points we’ve worked — me and Denny (Hamlin) worked really hard for in the regular season, to an extent, kind of gets erased. And so, it gives everyone that’s behind us the chance. Those that felt like we can’t get to them, by the end of the regular season are now within striking distance right away. So, it’s got to make them hungry. I think for us, and how our summer has went, from a mental side, it’s nice to kind of have that reset too. So, we’re just gonna go in there and take it one race at a time, sort of like we did the beginning of the year. Just try and stay in it.”
Denny Hamlin: “The system is set up to allow those that are behind to catch up. That’s kind of what it has been, and we’ve seen some guys go on some great runs. You think about Tony Stewart. Back in the day, when they barely get on the Chase, and then they go on a run, and they’re crowned for the full season champion. It’s an opportunity for everyone. They’re going to try to take advantage of that. And so, you just have to bring your best every Chase, every playoff, and understand that you’ve done really well during the regular season. But you’re going to have to find that little bit of extra notch that is required at this point in the year. With the reset, it’s even more important, but you got to be better.”
Is there any change in personnel and resources at 23XI for the drivers who make the Chase?
Denny Hamlin: “You never know if somebody gets into a slump or something like that, but barring any injuries, I think that these guys ride with who they’ve got. There’s something to say about the chemistry. There’s sometimes that it’s obviously different reasons while teams will put different guys in place for cars that need – is racing for a championship. Or towards the end of the regular season, they’ll put them in for a team trying to make a playoff push or a Chase push. I don’t foresee that with them with the 23 and the 45 team. I think they’re both kind of getting where we need them to be at the right time. I would have maybe given you a different answer four or five months ago, but overall, I feel pretty happy with where they’re at. Really, the pit crew’s job is just let these guys win the race on the racetrack. And their job is to be the offensive line and keep the quarterback from getting sacked.”
Is Tyler Reddick your biggest competition in the Chase?
Denny Hamlin: “The biggest competition, I think probably the way the tracks layout, probably. I think that our strengths are really his strengths. I think we have lots of intermediates. I would say that he’s usually the standard of speed when it comes to intermediates. And so, yeah, you’d probably say so from a statistical standpoint. Again, you just never know week to week and obviously my teammates have gotten hot here recently and had some good runs. But as we’ve seen with the schedule, you go with the schedule. Let’s start back with me. I was okay, getting through the very beginning of the season. We got road courses, just survived. You get to the meat of my best tracks, that’s where we made up all of our points. Penske gets into a very favorable part of their schedule, what they’re good at, they make up a bunch of points. Now we’re switching into a different time. And so, now, everyone has the ability to make gains and tracks that maybe they’re not so strong at, but this thing goes in waves. And your competition can change just based off of what racetrack you’re going to this week versus next.”
Can you speak to the dynamic between the two of you as you race for a championship against each other but you’re also team owner and driver at 23XI?
Denny Hamlin: “Yeah, it is, but we’ve been racing for a championship with each other for a couple of years now, and really what makes myself strong is I can use Tyler (Reddick) as an asset to, okay, here’s what I think my car is, clearly that’s what my car is capable of doing on speed. So, I need to then diagnose how I need to get that speed out of it. And for him, it’s, well, what should I look for here or there? So, I think it’s the reason, for the bulk of the season, we were one, two, is that you had two people that were comparing notes and getting better. And so, I think that if you continue to do that, then I think you’re all for just fighting it out amongst yourselves.”
Tyler Reddick: ”Yeah, exactly.”
Do you have any comments on Dolly Parton’s passing this week after running a paint scheme in Bristol associated with her a couple years ago?
Tyler Reddick: “Yeah, I know that was – I wasn’t expecting that – the passing, obviously. My thoughts are with her and her family and her friends. I remember that Saturday morning for that race, she was wanting to come to the race. It didn’t work out where she could make it. So, she got in touch with our people. She’s like, I gotta send Tyler a video, pump him up for the race. And so, yeah, I just remember I’m sitting there on Saturday getting ready to go to the driver’s meeting, whatever it was, and someone said, hey, Dolly, put together a video for you she wanted you to see before you got in the car to kind of pump me up. I didn’t get to spend much time with her, but it was really cool that we did what we did at Bristol. The fact that she was wanting and willing to do something like that to get us ready for the race, kind of speaks to the type of person that I think a lot of people in the world knew her as. Just like I said, thinking of her and her family. She made a huge impact on a lot of individuals and I really enjoyed being able to run the car for her. I had the wig on and everything. Yeah, we had a lot of fun that weekend with it and her and her people enjoyed it too.”
Do you still have the wig?
Tyler Reddick: “No – I don’t know. Well, I might. I might. I’m not gonna lie. It was a long time ago. Moved from one house to next, got kids, things ends up in boxes. There’s a chance I have that wig somewhere.”
About Toyota
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Rajah Caruth took a critical step forward in his quest to make the Chase by notching his first NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series pole position for the Winn-Dixie 250 at Daytona International Speedway on Friday, August 28.
The event’s starting lineup was determined through a two-round qualifying session. The first session featured 39 competitors battling for 38 starting spots, all of whom cycled once around Daytona to post the fastest lap. At the end of the first session, the top-10 fastest qualifiers advanced to the second and final round, where they contested pole position.
During the qualifying session, Caruth was the fastest competitor in the first round, posting 182.537 mph in 49.305 seconds. After being one of 10 competitors to transfer to the second and final qualifying round, he posted another fast lap at 183.232 mph in 49.118 seconds. Caruth’s latest lap was enough for the Washington, D.C., native to clinch the pole.
With the pole, Caruth became the 220th competitor overall to achieve a pole position in the NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series division, the fourth first-time pole winner of the 2026 season and the first African-American competitor to achieve the feat since Bubba Wallace made the latest at Dover Motor Speedway in May 2015.
Caruth, who is in his first full-time campaign in the O’Reilly Auto Parts Series division, spent the first 22-scheduled events splitting seats between JR Motorsports’ No. 88 Chevrolet and Jordan Anderson Racing’s No. 32 Chevrolet entries. Since the series’ recent event at Iowa Speedway in early August, Caruth has the former entry all to himself. After coming off a career-best runner-up result at Iowa, Caruth is currently ranked in 14th place in the 2026 driver standings and is 15 points below the top-12 cutline as he attempts to make his first-ever Chase in the series.
Caruth will share the front row with teammate Carson Kvapil, the latter of whom was the second-fastest competitor (182.856 mph in 49.219 seconds) during the qualifying session’s two rounds. Kvapil is coming off his first two O’Reilly career victories in back-to-back events at Indianapolis Motor Speedway and Iowa Speedway, respectively, and is one of eight competitors who have clinched early berths to the Chase.
Jesse Love, Sheldon Creed and Sammy Smith, all of whom have also clinched early Chase berths, will start in the top five, respectively. Sam Mayer, who is 19 points above the top-12 cutline while ranked in 10th place in the standings, qualified in sixth place ahead of William Sawalich, the latter of whom is a single point above the cutline while ranked in 11th place. Austin Hill, who is already guaranteed a Chase berth, claimed the eighth-place starting spot while Anthony Alfredo, who is eliminated from Chase contention, will roll off the starting grid in ninth place.
Lastly, Taylor Gray, who is a single point below the Chase cutline in 13th place in the standings, will start in 10th place. Gray is also 14 points above Caruth as the former attempts to make his second consecutive Chase.
Notably, Brent Crews and Parker Retzlaff, both battling for Chase berths, qualified 17th and 24th, respectively. Crews is tied with teammate Sawalich with points, but holds the 12th and final transfer spot to the Chase cutline by just a single point. Meanwhile, Retzlaff, who is ranked in ninth place in the standings, is 46 points above the cutline as he is poised to make his first Chase.
With 39 competitors vying for 38 starting spots, Dawson Cram was the lone competitor who did not make the main event.
Daytona – Qualifying Position, Best Speed, Best Time:
Rajah Caruth, 183.232 mph, 49.118 seconds
Carson Kvapil, 182.856 mph, 49.219 seconds
Jesse Love, 182.600 mph, 49.288 seconds
Sheldon Creed, 182.482 mph, 49.320 seconds
Sammy Smith, 182.437 mph, 49.332 seconds
Sam Mayer, 182.415 mph, 49.338 seconds
William Sawalich, 182.315 mph, 49.365 seconds
Austin Hill, 182.216 mph, 49.392 seconds
Anthony Alfredo, 181.870 mph, 49.486 seconds
Taylor Gray, 181.360 mph, 49.625 seconds
Harrison Burton, 181.419 mph, 49.609 seconds
Ryan Sieg, 181.415 mph, 49.610 seconds
Brandon Jones, 181.411 mph, 49.611 seconds
Corey Day, 181.408 mph, 49.612 seconds
Nick Sanchez, 181.408 mph, 49.612 seconds
Dean Thompson, 181.393 mph, 49.616 seconds
Brent Crews, 181.218 mph, 49.664 seconds
Justin Allgaier, 181.141 mph, 49.685 seconds
Josh Williams, 181.097 mph, 49.697 seconds
Leland Honeyman Jr., 180.788 mph, 49.782 seconds
Caesar Bacarella, 180.745 mph, 49.794 seconds
Ryan Ellis, 180.665 mph, 49.816 seconds
Kyle Sieg, 180.596 mph, 49.835 seconds
Parker Retzlaff, 180.513 mph, 49.858 seconds
Daniel Dye, 180.509 mph, 49.859 seconds
Natalie Decker, 180.480 mph, 49.867 seconds
Garrett Smithley, 180.076 mph, 49.979 seconds
Jeremy Clements, 180.068 mph, 49.981 seconds
Jeb Burton, 179.971 mph, 50.008 seconds
Patrick Staropoli, 179.651 mph, 50.097 seconds
Lavar Scott, 179.544 mph, 50.127 seconds
Joey Gase, 179.497 mph, 50.140 seconds
Brennan Poole, 179.261 mph, 50.206 seconds
Carson Ware, 179.129 mph, 50.243 seconds
Mason Maggio, 179.104 mph, 50.250 seconds
Blaine Perkins, 179.090 mph, 50.254 seconds
Josh Bilicki, 178.525 mph, 50.413 seconds
Andy Jankowiak, 175.432 mph, 51.302 seconds
The 2026 Winn-Dixie 250 at Daytona International Speedway is scheduled to occur on Friday, August 28, at 7:30 p.m. ET on the CW Network, MRN Radio and SiriusXM.
Selecting the correct oil filter is an essential part of routine vehicle maintenance. Whether you work on it yourself in the garage or at a local repair shop, confusion over part numbers, OE references, and aftermarket options can be hard to clear up. A dependable auto Engine oil filter buying guide starts with one simple principle: confirming the filter matches your vehicle’s exact specifications.
For vehicles such as Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep, and Ram, OE and cross-referenced information can help with finding a viable replacement. For example, the 19346364 WL10010 oil filter is a full OE reference number you can use to find and purchase the correct filter for your car.
Accurate OE Matching
An oil filter may look similar to many other filters but have important differences in dimensions, sealing, construction, flow, and more. Because of this, using OE matching is the best way to find a filter that fits your car’s specifications.
In our example above, that OE reference corresponds to a cross-reference. The WL10010 associates with a specific set of vehicles and is used in their applications. You need current, accurate application information because similar-looking filters are not necessarily interchangeable. A common warning is not to shop by physical appearance alone. Before you order, verify the following:
Vehicle year, make, model, and engine type.
OE number currently specified for the application.
Whether the replacement filter’s cross-references are listed for that vehicle.
Filter type and sealing method.
The Difference Between OE and Cross-Reference Numbers
OE reference numbers identify parts for a particular vehicle application. Aftermarket parts may use a different part number while listing an OE number as a cross-reference. For example, a buyer encounters a part with an OE reference and an aftermarket number. By using the OE reference, the buyer can research and check whether the part is compatible.
A part number alone doesn’t guarantee compatibility. With every vehicle produced by Dodge, Chrysler, Ram, and Jeep, engine changes between model years can drastically change the required components.
For this reason, experienced DIYers and auto repair shops use OE references and cross-reference information alongside complete vehicle specifications rather than relying on a part number alone.
Looking Beyond the Physical
While an oil filter must fit inside the engine, its performance can greatly vary. Because of different construction types, filtration media, internal design, and other important characteristics, filter performance can vary widely from filter to filter.
Just because two different filters look identical does not mean they are interchangeable or offer the same performance benefits. Using a correctly matched filter with the information above helps ensure a replacement meets the recommended maintenance requirements.
Consider the following when comparing filter options.
Vehicle and engine compatibility
Filter design is appropriate for application.
Total inventory of the supplier (future replacements)
Quality and reviews
Reliable filter performance should also be considered when selecting a replacement. A quality filter should provide consistent filtration throughout the recommended oil change interval while using materials and construction appropriate for the vehicle’s engine. Checking manufacturer specifications and choosing filters from reliable suppliers can help DIY owners and repair shops keep consistent maintenance standards.
Sustaining a Supply of Replacement Filters
For DIY enthusiasts and auto repair shops, sourcing the correct oil filter only solves half the problem. If you plan on replacing oil filters frequently, ensuring a consistent supply is essential to reduce downtime for routine maintenance.
If you’re based in the US, finding a supplier with in-stock inventory from US warehouses can be extremely useful for bulk orders. Having a reliable and consistent supply reduces wait times, solves inventory issues, and allows vehicles to receive the maintenance they need.
If you or the shop you work in regularly work on Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep, and Ram vehicles, bulk orders for filters are a practical way to maintain a stock of filters. Reminder to match each and every filter to the cars year, model, and engine before installation.
Keeping Oil Filter Replacements Simple
Finding the correct oil filter shouldn’t be complicated, but confirming you have the right replacement should take priority over convenience. The safest, most reliable approach is to use the vehicle’s specifications to verify the OE reference, then use any cross-reference information to identify viable replacements.
Whether you’re replacing a filter DIY-style or working in a repair shop, confirming fitment first remains the tried-and-true way to ensure you buy the right filter for the job at hand.
