TY GIBBS LEADS TEAM TOYOTA WITH THIRD-PLACE FINISH AT MARTINSVILLE Toyota Places Four Cars Inside the Top 10 on Sunday
MARTINSVILLE, Va. (November 1, 2026) – Ty Gibbs finished third to lead Team Toyota in Sunday’s NASCAR Cup Series race at Martinsville Speedway.
Four total Toyota Camry XSE’s finished inside the top 10, which included Gibbs, Denny Hamlin in sixth, Bubba Wallace in eighth and Christopher Bell in 10th.
Bell now sits second in the Championships standings, 67 points behind the leader heading into next weekend’s Cup Series season finale at Homestead-Miami Speedway. Hamlin sits third, 70 points out and are the only drivers mathematically eligible to win the 2026 Championship behind leader Kyle Larson.
TOYOTA RACING Post-Race Recap NASCAR Cup Series (NCS) Martinsville Speedway Race 35 of 36 – 263 miles, 500 laps
TOYOTA FINISHING POSITIONS
1st, William Byron* 2nd, Chase Elliott* 3rd, TY GIBBS 4th, Josh Berry* 5th, Shane Van Gisbergen* 6th, DENNY HAMLIN 8th, BUBBA WALLACE 10th, CHRISTOPHER BELL 12th, TYLER REDDICK 14th, CHASE BRISCOE 29th, ERIK JONES 31st, JOHN HUNTER NEMECHEK 32nd, RILEY HERBST *non-Toyota driver
TOYOTA QUOTES
TY GIBBS, No. 54 Monster Energy Toyota Camry XSE, Joe Gibbs Racing
Finishing Position: 3rd
How were you were able to keep track position and bring home a strong finish?
“It was just a long night. Not a lot of passing. The tire was just really sensitive and the tire was made recently. Just made the material newer and fresher and easier to wear. The 54 Monster Energy, SAIA Toyota was really fast but not fast enough. We were close enough and in contention, we’ll just go out there and go get them next week and next year.”
DENNY HAMLIN, No. 11 King’s Hawaiian Toyota Camry XSE, Joe Gibbs Racing
Finishing Position: 6th
How would you describe the day?
“Just really came down to stage one with us running the no-stop strategy. Lost all of our track position there. When we got to the back, then you got all those incidents, the cautions, then obviously the 22 (Joey Logano) got the 20 (Christopher Bell), and the 20 got into us. It’s racing, I guess. You’re going to have that.We just lost our track position. Once we lost our track position, the strategy, it’s hard to drive back to the front. Nobody else did. Obviously got some decent damage there.”
You’re not out of it mathematically. It’s a very steep climb. What kind of an attitude do you take into next week?
We didn’t capitalize today on Larson not getting any stage points and stuff like that. Yeah, just the first stage. The first stage was the killer for us that set us back. At the end of the first stage, not only that, we had to restart last because we had to wave around. It was just a lot of unfortunate timing of some things. For us, this weekend, it was about everything to gain, nothing to lose. We just didn’t gain enough to make it realistic.”
Some people would say next week would take a miracle. How confident are you at Homestead with your team to do your part?
“Yeah, I mean, I feel confident that I’ll be able to go there and contend. I’d love to get another win before the end of the year. I thought it was going to come today. We’ll have to get one more shot at it next week and see if we can’t get one more win.”
CHRISTOPHER BELL, No. 20 Rheem Toyota Camry XSE, Joe Gibbs Racing
Finishing Position: 10th
There is a big gap to (Kyle) Larson. What did you get here that was right and what did you maybe miss?
“I don’t know. I mean, I think at least myself, I got tricked into thinking I was better than I was. My team, Adam (Stevens, crew chief), did a great strategy call there in stage one to pit and got us a bunch of track position. On the Stage 2 start, I felt like I was pretty good. Adam came on the radio and said that William (Byron) was running part throttle. I’m at 100%, he’s at 80%. I don’t know, I was pretty close on the short run, then the long run I fell off. All in all, 10th is probably about where we stacked up. It was a really hectic day. It is what it is.”
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.
Date: Nov. 1, 2026 Event: Xfinity 500 (Round 35 of 36) Series: NASCAR Cup Series Location: Martinsville (Va.) Speedway (.526-mile oval) Format: 500 laps, broken into three stages (130 laps/130 laps/240 laps)
Race Winner: William Byron of Hendrick Motorsports (Chevrolet) Stage 1 Winner: William Byron of Hendrick Motorsports (Chevrolet) Stage 2 Winner: William Byron of Hendrick Motorsports (Chevrolet)
RWR Finish:
● Cody Ware (Started 37th, Finished 33rd / Running, completed 494 of 500 laps)
RWR Points:
● Cody Ware (35th with 262 points)
Race Notes:
● William Byron won the Xfinity 500 to score his 17th career NASCAR Cup Series victory, his first of the season and his fourth at Martinsville. His margin over second-place Chase Elliott was 2.049 seconds.
● This was Chevrolet’s 891st all-time NASCAR Cup Series victory and its 10th of the season. Chase Elliott won for the Bowtie Brigade March 29 at Martinsville (Va.) Speedway, Carson Hocevar won April 26 at Talladega (Ala.) Superspeedway, Elliott won again May 3 at Texas Motor Speedway in Fort Worth, Shane van Gisbergen won May 10 at Watkins Glen (N.Y.) International, Daniel Suárez won May 24 at Charlotte (N.C.) Motor Speedway, van Gisbergen won again June 28 at Sonoma (Calif.) Raceway, Kyle Larson won Sept. 13 at World Wide Technology Raceway near St. Louis, Sept. 27 at Kansas Speedway in Kansas City and last Sunday at Talladega.
● This was Chevrolet’s series-leading 64th NASCAR Cup Series victory at Martinsville. Chevrolet won its first race at Martinsville on May 19, 1957, with NASCAR Hall of Famer Buck Baker.
● There were six caution periods for a total of 47 laps.
● Only seven of the 37 drivers in the race finished on the lead lap.
● Kyle Larson remains the championship leader after Martinsville with a 67-point advantage over second-place Christopher Bell.
Sound Bites:
“The lack of cautions in the first stage prevented us from getting any sort of track position. We really needed the car to rotate better in the center of the turns. It seemed like no matter what we did, the handling in the turns would not budge. The guys never gave up, and we had moments where we were able to put down some solid lap times, but just never caught the breaks we needed.” – Cody Ware, driver of the No. 51 Rocket Doctor / Super.com Chevrolet
Next Up:
The NASCAR Cup Series season finale is Sunday, Nov. 8 at Homestead-Miami Speedway. The championship race starts at 3 p.m. EST with live coverage provided by NBC and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.
JOSH BERRY, No. 21 Motorcraft/Quick Lane Ford Mustang Dark Horse – “It was really fun. The car was really solid all day. We just needed a little bit of track position and needed to get up to the front a little bit sooner. Overall, the car was really solid. I just want to thank these guys, everybody at Wood Brothers and Team Penske, Ford Racing for everything they do for us. I’m just glad to have another good run.” WHAT HAPPENED WITH YOU AND RYAN BLANEY? “Obviously, Ryan got into me pretty good there and I got up out of the groove just trying to save it and we got together.”
JOEY LOGANO, No. 22 Shell/Pennzoil Ford Mustang Dark Horse – “We kind of had them where we wanted them. They were trying to give it to us and we gave it right back, so just frustrating is what it is. You win as a team and lose as a team and today we’re gonna lose as a team. It just stings when you do that. When we look at the last couple of weeks the opportunity was there at the end of those races to do it. We’re out of it now, which stings. On one hand, you look at the comeback we had from the regular season and have a chance to win a championship all down to one race to go. That’s something to be proud of, but, at the same time, it’s really easy to find 60-plus points sitting on the table over the last three or four weeks. It is what it is. That’s racing for you. We’ll move on.” WHERE DO YOU GO FROM HERE? YOU HAVE A NEW CAR COMING IN 2027. “There are plenty of positives, you just got me in a negative moment after just getting out of the car. Our Mustangs are getting faster, which is great. We showed that we can be in contention at almost every track now, so those have been good gains. We’ll see what the new SC is gonna be like next year. I’m kind of excited to see what that is, but we still have one more race to try to win and we can still get to second in points, which would be an accomplishment. I’m pretty sure there’s some kind of money involved with that, so let’s go get it.”
RYAN BLANEY, No. 12 Discount Tire Ford Mustang Dark Horse – WHAT HAPPENED WITH THE 21? “We were definitely getting better. The first stage we weren’t great, but that run where that happened I thought we finally got pretty good. I was passing some cars and really running kind of the front group down a little bit, so I felt like we made good gains. The deal in three and four, I just barely accidentally bumped the 21 and he decided to slam on the brakes and end our day. I don’t really know why after just a tiny little bit of contact, not even on purpose. He just lost his mind and unfortunately it ended our day.”
The second night of the 2026 American Iron-Man Late Model Series of the Halloween Nationals was seen on Saturday night at Portsmouth Raceway Park. Night 1 was held on Friday night and was won by Ricky Thornton Jr. when he held off Nick Hoffman in a late race restart following a computer glitch. RTJ carried his momentum into the modified portion of the event after he won that feature as well. The Chandler, Arizona native was looking to sweep the weekend by taking night 2.
RTJ once again won the feature and took night 2, but this time, it was dominating fashion as he started on the outside pole and led every lap to win the 60-lap $50,000 A-main.
“I felt like on the start, Josh (Rice) was in a way better spot, and I was able to kind of roll him through the middle,” RTJ told Flo Racing in victory lane. “I was like, man, I felt like if I can get going here and get to these lap cars, I know I could at least move out and pass a few of them. I was able to do that with the first few lap cars, and then I was able to kind of just get in line.
“I felt like the 100-lappers are always longer, but I feel like the 60-lappers are about as long as the 100-lappers. Hats off to my boys. Obviously, with running the late model and modified, they took on a lot more work this week. Thank you to my sponsors. We’ve ran this thing six nights now, and I’ve won all six. Kind of shows how good our program is. I kind of wish I was at home hanging out with my kids on Halloween, but at least they got to watch Dad on TV. Want to say hey to my mom and dad, I know they’re back at home in Chandler, Arizona watching.”
Feature Race Recap – 60-Laps – $50,000 To Win
Josh Rice started on the pole with RTJ on the outside pole for the feature.
Rice got out to an early lead, but it was RTJ who ultimately took the lead in the middle of Turns 3 and 4 using the high side to lead the first lap. Meanwhile, Tyler Erb got around Rice for the second position a lap later. 10 laps into the 50-lap feature, RTJ kept a sizable lead over second-place Erb while closing in on the back half of the field and lapping them in the process. At Lap 20, RTJ still had the top spot and continued to lap the field.
At the halfway mark, RTJ had the lead over Erb in the second spot by having a half-track advantage. With 10 laps to go, it was RTJ as the leader, Erb second, Rice third, Drake Troutman fourth, and Hoffman the top five. The first caution of the night flew with four laps to go for Jason Jameson, who spun in Turn 2 and eliminated RTJ’s lead dominance.
RTJ led the field back to the restart and once again got out to a tremendous lead. There were no more yellows, and RTJ would go on to win the second night of the Halloween Nationals at Portsmouth Raceway Park.
Heat Race Recaps – Top Three Transfer – 8 Laps A Piece
Before the heat races took place, there was a hot lap and a Flight A/B qualifying session. Hoffman had the quickest time in hot laps with a 14.491 seconds, while Mike Benedum was quickest in Flight A with a time in 14.964 seconds, and Hoffman again having a fast time of 14.876 seconds in Flight B.
Heat 1 – Benedum had the pole for the first heat. However, it was Rice who took home the first heat victory and was followed by Tristan Chamberlain and Eddie Carrier Jr rounding out the top three.
Heat 2 – Troutman was on pole for the second heat. A caution was seen with two laps to go for Breyton Santee being slow on the track. Troutman still won the heat race, with Zach Dohm and Kyle Hardy in the top three.
Heat 3 – Hoffman had the top spot for the third heat. Last night’s race winner RTJ took the lead off the backstretch for a brief moment, but Hoffman regained the lead out of Turn 4. RTJ closed back in on Hoffman with four laps to go and eventually passed Hoffman for the lead off Turn 2 down the back straightaway to win the heat race. Hoffman was second and Jameson third.
Heat 4 – Adam Stricker had the pole for the fourth and final heat. Erb started on the outside pole and took the lead off Turn 4 to lead the first lap. A yellow flew with six laps to go for Derek Fisher spun around in Turn 4. During the caution period, RJ Conley took his car to the pit area for a flat left-rear tire. Replays showed that Conley got in the left-rear of David Webb, likely causing the flat tire.
Erb held on to win the heat race, with Stricker and Dustin Sorensen taking the final transfer spots.
Michael Chilton won the first B-Main, and Seth Daniels claimed the second B-main.
For those who missed the feature, you can watch the highlights below.
Official Race Results Following Night 2 Of the Halloween Nationals at Portsmouth Raceway Park
The final race of the 2026 ARCA Menards West Series season and championship-ending finale concluded Saturday night at Kevin Harvick’s Kern Raceway in Bakersfield, California.
Championship points leader Trevor Huddleston was looking to clinch his title coming into the race and had a simple scenario of taking the green-flag to lock up his second consecutive championship in back-to-back years. He is the most recent driver to win two consecutive championships since Sean Hingorani did it in 2023 and 2024.
While the championship may have already been decided, there was still a race winner to be determined at the end of the 150-lap NAPA Auto Parts 150.
Practice and Qualifying commenced earlier in the day and saw Mia Lovell win the pole position with a time of 18.466 seconds and a speed of 97.476 seconds. Hailie Deegan, who had one previous win earlier this season at Madera, qualified on the outside pole. By winning the pole position, Lovell put her name in the record books of females winning the pole, such as Deegan, Brittney Zamora, and Jade Avedisian. There was a halfway race break at or around Lap 76. With Mother Nature in the area, the race was moved up to an earlier start time to try and beat the rain. The race break would later be moved to Lap 80 to allow for more racing and again trying to beat the rain.
Lovell led the field to the green-flag into Turn 1, but she got loose in the middle of Turns 1 and 2, which allowed Deegan to take the lead on the backstretch and lead the first lap. Furthermore, after taking the green, Trevor Huddleston officially clinched the 2026 West Series title.
The long green-flag stretch was short-lived as the first yellow flew at Lap 22 for Eric Johnson Jr., spinning around off Turn 4. Replays showed Denton may have gotten into the back of Johnson Jr to send him around. As the field continued to run under yellow, rain began to fall on the track. Despite the rain, the field would go back to green at Lap 30, with Deegan restarting on the outside lane and Lovell on the inside lane. Lovell kept up with Deegan, racing her side-by-side for one lap before Deegan ultimately took the lead off Turn 2 as Lovell’s car fought loose conditions.
Nonetheless, the second yellow flew shortly thereafter at Lap 33 for the No. 25 of Sam Corry sideways at the exit of Turn 2. The Flo Racing replay showed that Joey Iest’s car got loose in the middle of Turns 1 and 2 and climbed back up the track to spin Corry out. Unfortunately, more rain began to fall and saw the pace vehicle bring the cars down to the pit area to wait out the rain.
Despite trying to wait out the rain for a couple of hours, the ARCA Menards Series officials officially called the race early at Lap 42. Per the rulebook at 9-13-2.C, ARCA may deem a race official prior to the halfway point if all reasonable attempts to conclude the advertised distance have been exhausted and restarting the race is impractical. The decision was made in conjunction with Kevin Harvick’s Kern Raceway officials and broadcast partners.
This means Deegan would win the fifth race of her career and the second of the season since she was the leader at the time of red.
“Oh, it does, for sure,” Deegan said in victory lane to Flo Racing when questioned about ending the season with the victory. “To come out here and have everyone who has supported me, and having Monster Energy, NAPA Auto Parts, Columbia Bank, and everyone who has been working so hard. Everyone at Bill McAnally Racing has been super awesome.
“The race overall, I felt like I was mad at qualifying. We missed (qualifying) on the pole by .007, and I was questioning myself, but we were able to get the lead quick and checked out from there. We had a really good car, and I felt like I wasn’t using up too much tire. I wished we could’ve got more laps in, I was having a blast out there, but we’ll take it.”
As Deegan won the race, Trevor Huddleston celebrated his championship.
“A very awesome victory lane for many reasons, obviously being out here at Kevin Harvick’s Kern Raceway, very unique victory lane because it’s pouring rain,” Trevor Huddleston told Flo Racing about winning the championship. “It felt like we weren’t going to race at all today, but we got some laps in, and we brought it home, that’s all that counts. It’s in one piece, and it’s going to look really good at the banquet hall in Charlotte.”
There were two cautions for 17 alsp and zero lead changes among one driver.
To note, Saturday night’s ARCA West race was the third shortest race in series history lasting 16 minutes and 50 seconds. It was the first time since 1968 at Redwood Acres Raceway that created the second-shortest in series history. Lastly, all 25 cars was running at the finish and that was the first time since November of 2014 that all cars was present at the finish.
Official Race Results Following The NAPA Auto Parts 150 at Kevin Harvick’s Kern Raceway
Hailie Deegan, led all 42 laps
Mia Lovell
Hudson Sharp
Taylor Mayhew
Trevor Huddleston
Robbie Kennealy
Cole Denton
Tanner Huddleston
Mason Massey
Vito Cancilla
Sean Hingorani
Wesley Slimp
Tyler Tomassi
Kenna Mitchell
Gavin Ray
Ian Wood
Sam Corry
Esteban Rodriguez
Cody Dennison, 1 Lap Down
Eric Johnson Jr, 1 Lap Down
Joey Iest, 1 Lap Down
Josiah Reaume, 2 Laps Down
Donald Witkowski, 2 Laps Down
Ray Bolinger, 2 Laps Down
David Smith, 2 Laps Down
Up Next – With the 2026 season now complete, next on the agenda is the NASCAR Regional Awards Ceremonies, where the national ARCA Menards Series, ARCA East and West, Whelen Modified Tour, and more will be celebrated and officially crowned on Friday, November 20, at the Charlotte Convention Center, Crown Ballroom. Furthermore, the 2027 West Series schedule is expected at a later date.
Hailie Deegan, Driver of the No. 16 Monster Energy Chevrolet SS
Race Results
Venue: Kevin Harvick’s Kern Raceway FINISH: 1st Start: 2nd AMSW Point Standings Position: 4th
Deegan Leads Every Lap in Season Finale at Kern
Hailie Deegan and the No. 16 Monster Energy team captured the victory in Saturday’s NAPA Auto Parts 150 at Kevin Harvick’s Kern Raceway, leading all 42 laps of the rain-shortened ARCA Menards Series West (AMSW) event. Deegan qualified second and took the lead at the drop of the green flag, quickly building a sizable advantage over the field.
Deegan maintained the top spot through a lap 23 caution as rain began falling under yellow. After a restart on lap 32, Deegan battled side-by-side for the lead before clearing her competitor exiting turn two on lap 33. A subsequent caution brought more rain and a red flag, ultimately ending the event and securing Deegan’s second win of the season, following her recent victory at Madera Speedway.
Bill McAnally Racing swept the 2026 Kern Raceway events, with Mason Massey winning the season opener and Deegan capturing the season finale. Deegan finished fourth in the final AMSW championship standings.
Hailie Deegan Quote:
“Happy to win this one for everyone that supported me, NAPA [Auto Care], Monster [Energy], Columbia Bank, everyone that works so hard, everyone at Bill McAnally Racing. I was frustrated with qualifying only being .007 off the pole, but we were able to get the lead quick and checked out from there, so I had a really good car, felt like I wasn’t using up too much tires, wish we could’ve got more laps in, I was having a blast out there, but I’ll take it.
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On any given Sunday across NASCAR and IndyCar paddocks, crew chiefs obsess over a single physical barrier standing between a podium finish and catastrophic mechanical failure: the engine lubricant film. A stock car roaring at 9,000 RPM around Daytona pushes crankcase temperatures beyond 260°F (127°C), creating massive hydrodynamic shear stresses that would liquify consumer-grade lubricants within minutes.
Most everyday motorists look at high-performance motorsport and assume those extreme conditions have zero correlation to their morning commute. In reality, the fundamental physics of internal combustion do not change whether you are navigating Turn 4 at Talladega or sitting in gridlocked suburban rush hour. In fact, many automotive engineers agree that short-trip city driving subjects certain powertrain components to harsher chemical degradation than a 500-mile endurance run.
The Cold-Start and Thermal Breakdown Paradox
Race engines operate under controlled temperature thresholds. They are pre-heated with external fluid warmers before fire-up, run at sustained operating temperatures where fuel dilution evaporates quickly, and receive complete fluid flushes after every heat race.
Your commuter car enjoys none of those luxuries. A daily driver faces frequent cold starts, brief three-mile grocery trips where oil never reaches operating temperature (leaving moisture and unburned blow-by fuel in the crankcase), and stop-and-go thermal cycles that cook rubber gaskets. When motor oil fails to achieve proper operating temperatures, fuel dilution shears down viscosity index (VI) improvers, stripping the lubricant of its vital protective film.
Synthetic Engineering: Lessons from the Track
Modern passenger cars have tighter internal bearing clearances and complex variable valve timing (VVT) solenoids that rely directly on precise oil viscosity. Motorsport development directly accelerated the transition from mineral-based conventional oil to Group III and Group IV synthetic formulations. Synthetic base stocks provide three critical advantages engineered on the speedway:
Superior Thermal Shear Stability: Pure synthetic polymers resist mechanical tearing under intense piston-ring pressure.
Rapid Cold-Flow Viscosity: Modern 0W-16 and 0W-20 multi-grade synthetics circulate to camshaft lobes in fractions of a second during frosty morning ignitions.
High Detergent Reserves: Neutralizing acidic combustion byproducts before they solidify into power-robbing varnish deposits.
Yet, while track teams measure degradation with precision oil sampling, consumer maintenance often falls victim to aggressive quick-lube marketing rather than mechanical reality.
Avoiding the Franchise Upsell Game
For drivers attempting to keep high-mileage daily commuters running smoothly, service bay visits can quickly turn into confusing negotiations. Lube chains routinely exploit arbitrary milestones—such as recommending an overpriced “Synthetic Blend” high-mileage package the second a car hits 75,000 miles, despite the engine staying completely dry and healthy underneath.
High-mileage formulations with seal-swell conditioners are genuinely valuable if your powertrain exhibits weeping valve cover gaskets or slow consumption. However, paying dealership or retail bay prices for entry-tier blends is often an unnecessary drain on your wallet. Navigating routine maintenance requires the same analytical mindset a race strategist uses: prioritizing authentic full synthetic specifications while sourcing verified savings.
Savvy owners streamline routine visits by researching maintenance benchmarks and securing verified discounts through dedicated automotive platforms like OilChangeHack, which aggregates active promotional offers and coupon codes across major national service providers. Instead of accepting generic counter upsells, drivers can lock in premium synthetic fluid protection at baseline conventional pricing.
The Commuter Pit Strategy: What You Should Do
You don’t need a dedicated pit crew to ensure engine longevity, but sticking to three disciplined rules will keep your vehicle performing reliably for hundreds of thousands of miles:
Match the Factory Spec, Not Franchise Upsells: Stick strictly to the viscosity and API/ILSAC specification printed on your oil filler cap.
Watch for Active Symptoms: Switch to high-mileage fluid only if you spot active fluid residue on your lower bellhousing or notice gradual dipstick drops.
Never Pay Rack Rate: Service chains maintain wide profit margins on premium synthetic oil changes. Always check for manufacturer-approved digital vouchers before pulling onto the lift.
Speedway engineering transformed modern automotive reliability. By treating routine commuter maintenance with the same informed scrutiny race teams apply to their powertrains, you can protect your engine’s critical hardware without overpaying at the service counter.
According to a study conducted by the Maryland Department of Transportation, the 10 most dangerous intersections in Baltimore are a specific, named set. West Franklin Street and North Payson Street. Orleans Street and Ensor Street. West North Avenue and North Fulton Street. South Monroe Street and Washington Boulevard. West North Avenue and North Howard Street. Clifton Avenue and Denison Street. Lombard Street and Light Street. Reisertown Road and Gwynns Falls Parkway. West Pratt Street and South Paca Street. Erdman Avenue and Belair Road. Ten corners, ten chances for a bad day.
The study found certain commonalities that may make these intersections particularly dangerous. Seven of the 10 involve intersecting roads of at least four lanes each. Six of the 10 had a left turn lane on at least one approach, but only four had a light with a protected left phase. While nearly all have speed limits of just 30 mph, they also tend to involve heavy traffic volumes. All 10 had an annual average daily traffic figure above 10,000, and all but one had a figure of more than 20,000. Slow speed limits, huge traffic, unprotected left turns. That combination is the story of this list.
The Three Corners the Firm Names First
Before the study, there are the corners the firm names when it talks about this work. Whether it happened at Pratt and Light downtown, Gay and North in Clifton, or Franklin and Warwick in Evergreen Lawn, Greenberg Law Offices can help. Those three names are not random. They are the places where Baltimore drivers keep getting hurt, and the firm knows them the way a local knows a shortcut.
The firm knows how painful and expensive these collisions can be, and it is prepared to do what it takes to help you recover the compensation you deserve. A Baltimore intersection car accident lawyer will tell you the same thing the firm tells every caller: you should be spending your time getting better, not dealing with pushy insurance adjusters trying to get you to take pennies on the dollar. That line is not decoration. It is the whole reason people hire a lawyer after an intersection crash.
Four Ways an Intersection Crash Happens
Left-Turn Collisions
A turning vehicle crosses the path of an oncoming vehicle that has the right of way, resulting in a frontal or side impact. That is the textbook left-turn collision, and it is the one the MDOT list predicts. Six of the 10 most dangerous intersections had a left turn lane on at least one approach, but only four had a light with a protected left phase. The other two left drivers to judge gaps in heavy traffic themselves.
Judging a gap across four lanes of traffic moving at 30 mph, with more than 20,000 vehicles a day passing through, is not a small ask. It is a guess made in two seconds, and when the guess is wrong, the oncoming car has the right of way and the turning car takes the hit. Fault here usually starts with who had the right of way, and the answer is rarely the turning driver.
Right-Turn and Rear-End Collisions
A driver turning right enters the lane of a vehicle, cyclist, or motorcyclist already traveling through the intersection. It sounds minor. It is not, because the person already traveling through has no reason to expect someone to pull into their lane, and cyclists and motorcyclists have almost nothing protecting them when it happens. Right-turn crashes are about looking one way and forgetting the other.
A rear-end collision at an intersection happens when a driver fails to stop in time as traffic slows or stops at a signal, stop sign, or crosswalk, colliding with the back of the vehicle in front of them. Signals, stop signs, and crosswalks all ask drivers to stop suddenly, and the driver behind is the one who has to be ready. When they are not, the car in front absorbs it, and the people inside absorb it too.
Signal-Running Collisions
A driver causes an accident after ignoring a traffic control device telling them not to enter an intersection, such as a red light, stop sign, or yield sign. This is the crash everyone pictures when they hear intersection accident, and it is the hardest to excuse. A red light is not a suggestion. A stop sign is not decoration. A yield sign means someone else goes first.
Signal-running crashes are also the ones where evidence matters most, because the whole case can turn on one question: what color was the light. Cameras, witnesses, and signal timing records decide that question, and they disappear fast. That is why the firm investigates the crash and recovers critical evidence before it can be lost or damaged.
What the Firm Does While You Recover
While you rest and recover, the firm’s attorneys investigate the crash and recover critical evidence before it can be lost or damaged. They identify everyone who is at fault for the accident, which may include parties beyond the driver who hit you. They calculate the fair compensation you deserve for your medical care, lost income, property damage, pain and suffering, and other losses. That is the quiet work that happens while you are in appointments and trying to sleep.
They also communicate with insurance companies and defense lawyers so that you are not exposed to their efforts to minimize your claim, and they pursue fair compensation however they can, whether through an out-of-court settlement or at trial. The firm’s commitment to results has helped it recover meaningful compensation for deserving clients, including a $1.2 million verdict at trial in an auto accident case. Past results do not guarantee future outcomes, but they do speak to skill and diligence.
Maryland’s Fault Rule, and the Trap Inside It
Working with a Baltimore intersection car accident lawyer means facing Maryland’s fault rule head-on. Maryland follows a fault-based model for auto insurance, which means the driver who causes an accident is financially responsible for its consequences, and generally this financial responsibility is assumed by their liability insurance. That sounds fair. Then comes the trap: the Maryland contributory negligence rule means that any fault at all on your part could prevent you from recovering compensation at trial. Any fault. Not most of the fault. Any.
An experienced lawyer can handle this limitation effectively. For example, they can show that the person who hit you had the last clear chance to avoid a collision and failed to take it, which provides an exception to the harsh contributory negligence law. Another important law is the statute of limitations in Maryland for personal injury, which gives you three years from the date of the accident to file your lawsuit under most circumstances. While circumstances can shorten or extend this deadline, the consequence for missing it is severe: possible dismissal of your case and loss of your rights to compensation.
What Your Compensation Can Cover
Depending on the circumstances, your car accident compensation could include money for the following, and a Baltimore intersection car accident lawyer will count every one of them before naming a number:
Past and future medical expenses
Lost income and reduced earning potential
Pain and suffering, including emotional distress
Diminished quality of life
Property damage, including repairing or replacing your vehicle
The Minimum Insurance Is Not Enough
Maryland law requires every driver to have a liability policy that covers at least $30,000 of bodily injury to one person, $60,000 of bodily injury to all people, and $15,000 for property damage. Drivers can purchase additional coverage, increasing the amount of compensation that may be available after an accident. Those minimums are the floor, not the ceiling, and the floor is low.
A serious intersection crash burns through $30,000 fast. One hospital stay can pass it. Surgery and follow-up care can double it. That is why the amount you could be entitled to depends on the unique circumstances of your case, and why the firm calculates fair compensation instead of accepting the first number an adjuster offers. The first number is almost never the fair one.
Conclusion
Greenberg Law Offices brings 60+ years of experience and millions recovered to intersection cases in Baltimore. That experience matters most in the two places this article kept returning to: proving who had the right of way, and surviving the contributory negligence trap. Both are evidence fights, and evidence fights are won by the side that starts first.
Contact the firm today for a free, no-obligation consultation with an intersection car accident lawyer in Baltimore, and find out what it can do for you. The specific amount you could be entitled to depends on your case, but the call costs nothing, and the three-year clock does not pause while you decide.
Carson Kvapil remains in the hunt of this year’s NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series championship battle after he rallied to notch a dominant victory in the National Debt Relief 250 at Martinsville Speedway on Saturday, October 31.
The 2021 CARS Super Late Model Tour champion from Mooresville, North Carolina, led twice for a race-high 121 of 250 scheduled laps in an event where he qualified on pole position, led the first 53 laps and settled in fourth place at the conclusion of the first stage period. Despite getting shuffled amid various pit strategies ensuing within the field throughout the event, Kvapil steered clear of the event’s 12 caution periods and ensuing restarts to motor his way back to the front.
During a late-race restart with 68 laps remaining, Kvapil outdueled Corey Day to reassume the top spot. Despite having his late advantage stalled by two late-race incidents, Kvapil capitalized on the two ensuing restarts, including the final one with 22 laps remaining, to fend off teammate Justin Allgaier and notch a victory that keeps him in the championship battle approaching next weekend’s finale.
With on-track qualifying determining the starting lineup on Friday, October 30, Carson Kvapil claimed his third O’Reilly career pole position with a pole-winning lap of 95.371 mph in 19.855 seconds. Teammate Rajah Caruth qualified in second place with a lap of 95.141 mph in 19.903 seconds.
When the green flag waved and the event commenced, pole-sitter Carson Kvapil, who started on the inside lane, launched his No. 1 Bass Pro Shops Chevrolet Camaro entry ahead of teammate Rajah Caruth and the field through the frontstretch and prior to entering the first turn. Behind, teammate Justin Allgaier, who started behind Kvapil, quickly went underneath, battled and overtook Caruth for the runner-up spot. As Kvapil led the first lap, Allgaier retained the runner-up spot over Caruth while William Sawalich battled Parker Retzlaff for fourth place.
With Sawalich prevailing over Retzlaff in a battle for fourth place, the latter tried to transition from the outside to the inside lane to maintain fifth place on the track, but he was bumped and moved up the track by Sheldon Creed entering the first turn on the second lap. Creed then battled Retzlaff for fifth place as Jesse Love, Taylor Gray and Sammy Smith all joined the battle. Amid the battles within the pack, Retzlaff got pinned in the middle lane, stuck through the outside lane, and lost a bevy of spots out of the top-10 mark. At the front, Kvapil led by four-tenths of a second on the fifth lap mark.
Through the first 10 scheduled laps, Kvapil led by six-tenths of a second over Allgaier while Caruth and Sawailch trailed by more than a second in third and fourth, respectively. Behind, Gray, Creed, Love, Sammy Smith, Sam Mayer and Brandon Jones were in the top 10 ahead of Corey Day, Brent Crews, Retzlaff, Anthony Alfredo and Dean Thompson, while Austin Hill was the lowest-running Chase contender in 22nd place.
As the early laps proceeded, Hill locked up his front tires and dropped outside of the top-30 mark while Kvapil led by half a second over Allgaier just past the Lap 15 mark. Hill slid to 36th place on Lap 20 as Kvapil had his advantage shrunk to three-tenths of a second over Allgaier. At the Lap 25 mark, Kvapil retained a two-tenths of a second lead over Allgaier while Hill, who was stalled in his pit stall as his pit crew diagnosed a shredded right-front tire, was mired at the tail end of the field in 38th place and losing laps to the leaders.
Four laps later, the event’s first caution flew when Patrick Emerling lost his front brakes entering the third turn and spun up the track towards the outside wall, with Patrick Staropoli colliding into Emerling. During the event’s first caution period, some including Crews, and Chase contenders Mayer, Day, Sawalich and Sammy Smith pitted their respective entries while the rest led by Kvapil remained on the track.
The next restart on Lap 36 lasted only a single turn when the caution returned due to a multi-car accident in the firs turn. The incident started when Sammy Smith, who restarted in 24th place after he pitted during the first caution period, ran into the rear of Lavar Scott as both were launching past the start/finish line. Smith’s collision into Scott sent the latter sideways and colliding into Corey Day and Ryan Ellis while Brent Crews was also collected in the carnage.
For the next restart on Lap 44, Kvapil, who maintained the lead during the short, previous restart, utilized a strong launch from the inside lane to motor ahead of Allgaier through the first two turns. Kvapil maintained the lead over the next three laps before the caution returned due to debris in the third turn. During this caution period, some led by Caruth and including Gray, Ryan Sieg, Kyle Sieg, Alex Labbe and Joey Gase pitted while the rest led by Kvpail remained on the track.
As the event restarted on Lap 53, Kvapil and Allgaier dueled for the lead in front of a stacked field before Kvapil briefly slipped up the track through the first two turns. This allowed Creed to challenge Kvapil from the inside lane as Allgaier used the outside lane to shoot ahead of the latter two and motor ahead with the lead through Turns 3 and 4. Allgaier led the next lap while Kvapil and Creed battled for the runner-up spot in front of Love and Brandon Jones. Creed and Jones would overtake Kvapil from Laps 55 to 56 while Allgaier checked out by nearly a second.
Then on Lap 56, the caution returned as Jeremy Clements and Harrison Burton both spun through the first two turns when Sam Mayer clipped the first turn’s curb while trying to get beneath Clements and ended up spinning both the latter and Burton. The incident concluded the first stage period as Allgaier was awarded his 13th O’Reilly stage victory of the 2026 season. Creed, Jones, Kvapil, Love, Jeb Burton, Retzlaff, Anthony Alfredo, Mayer and Sawalich were scored in the top 10, respectively. Meanwhile, the remaining Chase contenders that include Day, Sammy Smith, Gray, Caruth and Austin Hill were mired in 18th, 19th, 23rd, 24th and 38th, respectively.
Under the event’s first stage break period, a majority of the field led by Allgaier and including Creed, Jones, Kvapil, Love and Retzlaff pitted while the rest led by Mayer remained on the track. At the conclusion of the pit stops, Love exited pit road first over Jones, Allgaier, Creed and Kvapil.
The second stage period started on Lap 69 as Mayer and Sawalich occupied the front row. At the start, Mayer fended off Sawalich through the first two turns and the backstretch to maintain the lead for a full cycle. With the leaderboard shuffled amid pit strategies throughout the first stage period, Crews and Dean Thompson trailed in the top-four mark ahead of Day while Lee Pulliam, Sammy Smith, Daniel Dye, Gray and Caruth trailed in the top 10, respectively. Meanwhile, Love, Allgaier, Kvapil, Jones, Retzlaff and Creed were mired within the top-18 mark as Mayer continued to lead by half a second on Lap 75.
By Lap 80, Mayer’s advantage over Sawalich stood at seven-tenths of a second while Allgaier carved his way up to ninth place. Allgaier, who nearly spun off the front nose of Lee Pulliam through the backstretch when the former tried to slide in front of the latter through the backstretch, gained another spot to eighth place over the next five laps before he trailed Sammy Smith in seventh place at the Lap 90 mark. By then, Mayer continued to lead by six-tenths of a second over Sawalich.
On Lap 96, the caution flew when teammates Jeb Burton and Daniel Dye along with Harrison Burton wrecked in the second turn. During this caution period, nearly the entire lead lap field led by Mayer pitted while a handful led by Day remained on the track, during which Mayer also exited pit road first. During the pit stops, Sawalich made contact with Clements while trying to exit his pit stall while Love had to reverse his entry out of his pit box when he got boxed in behind Dye.
During the next restart on Lap 103, Day motored ahead of Alfredo with the lead entering the first turn as Crews, who threw a bold move beneath Carson Ware while launching in the top-10 mark, made contact with Ware that carried forth into Mayer while Allgaier went wide through the first two turns. Amid the tight contact as the field fanned out and bumped and jostled for spots, Day motored away to lead the next lap.
Day maintained the lead until Alfredo dueled with the latter on Lap 106. Alfredo and Day would then spend the next three laps swapping each other for the top spot until Alfredo prevailed on Lap 109. With Alfredo leading, Day settled in second over Crews and Brennan Poole while Allgaier motored his way up to fifth place. With Sammy Smith, Gray, Sawalich, Patrick Emerling and Creed mired in the top 10, Allgaier navigated his way up to third place and Day dropped to fourth place while Alfredo led by six-tenths of a second over Crews on Lap 115.
When the second stage period concluded on Lap 120, Alfredo fended off a hard-charging Allgaier to capture his third O’Reilly stage victory of this season. Allgaier settled in second while Crews, Day, Smith, Sawalich, Gray, Creed, Poole and Caruth followed suit, respectively. By then, the remaining Chasers, including Kvapil, Mayer, Jones, Retzlaff, Love and Hill, were scored 12th, 13th, 17th, 18th, 22nd and 37th. During the event’s second stage break period, some led by Alfredo and including Day, Poole, Emerling and Love pitted while the rest led by Allgaier remained on the track.
With 118 laps remaining, the final stage period commenced as teammates Allgaier and Sammy Smith occupied the front row. At the start, Allgaier motored ahead of Smith from the inside lane through the first two turns. With Crews navigating his way into the runner-up spot over Smith, Allgaier led the next lap. Not long after, the caution returned when Garrett Smithley spun in the fourth turn after he received a tap from Kyle Sieg.
The next restart with 111 laps remaining featured Allgaier fending off Smith from the inside lane for a second consecutive time through the first two turns while Mayer threw a three-wide move and made contact with Gray to move into the top-five mark. Mayer proceeded to battle Sawalich for fourth place behind Smith as Allgaier led the next lap over Crews. Allgaier’s steady lead at the front under green flag conditions did not last long as the caution returned with nearly 105 laps remaining when Patrick Emerling spun for a second time, this latest time in the second turn after he got punted by Joey Gase. This caution period featured Mayer, Kvapil, Jones and Love pitting their respective entries.
With 99 laps remaining, the event restarted as teammates Allgaier and Smith dueled for the lead for a full circuit, though Allgaier managed to lead the next lap. Allgaier then managed to motor ahead of Smith through the first two turns and the backstretch while Smith, Crews, Sawalich, Pulliam, Gray and Creed followed suit. With a series of late-race battles ensuing and Allgaier maintaining the lead, the caution returned with 88 laps remaining when Mason Maggio, who was locked in a side-by-side battle with Garrett Smithley entering the backstretch, slid up and pinched Smithley against the outside wall. The contact caused Smithley to hit the wall hard and clip Maggio, with Maggio also hitting the wall and spinning down the track after he got hit again by Smithley. With Maggio’s rear cover detaching and flying before hitting the racing surface, his wrecked entry was hit by Patrick Emerling while sliding down towards the inside wall.
The latest incident placed the event in a red flag period for 11 minutes and 50 seconds. Once the red flag lifted, Love pitted to have a pinched water line addressed. Most of the field led by Allgaier and including Crews, Creed, Caruth, Mayer, Sammy Smith, Gray and Retzlaff pitted while the rest led by Day and including Kvapil and Jones remained on the track.
Day quickly launched ahead of Harrison Burton, Ryan Sieg and the field during the next restart with 79 laps remaining. Day’s steady advantage under green lasted only four laps before the caution returned, this time due to Crews bumping Creed into Retzlaff as the contact resulted with Dye receiving the worst outcome when he got hit on the left side by Retzlaff and went dead straight towards the outside wall in the third turn.
With 68 laps remaining, the event restarted as Kvapil challenged Day for the lead from the outside lane. Amid brief contact with Day through the backstretch, Kvapil dueled with the latter for a full lap before he cleared Day through the frontstretch during the next lap. Kvapil proceeded to lead by four-tenths of a second over Day with 65 laps remaining while Ryan Sieg, Mayer, Harrison Burton, Jones, Kyle Sieg, Creed, Sawalich, Smith and Allgaier pursued, respectively.
Following another caution that flew with 62 laps remaining due to Clements getting punted by Patrick Staropoli and wrecking against the outside wall when Staropoli bounced off the first curb through the first two turns, the next restart with 53 laps remaining featured Kvapil motoring away from Day and the field. Kvapil built his lead up by six-tenths of a second over Day with 50 laps remaining while Allgaier was up into fifth place behind Mayer and Ryan Sieg.
Down to the final 45 laps, Kvapil increased his late lead by a second over Day while Mayer also trailed by a second in third place. Meanwhile, Allgaier trailed by two seconds in fourth place while Ryan Sieg, Jones, Harrison Burton, Creed, Kyle Sieg and Smith were in the top 10, respectively. Further behind, Love was mired in 17th place in between Caruth and Gray as Kvapil continued to extend his lead by nearly two seconds with 40 laps remaining. Three laps later, Allgaier motored his way into the runner-up spot, but he trailed teammate Kvapil by three seconds with 35 laps remaining.
Then with 32 laps remaining, the caution flew when Love, who was in 16th place, lost his brakes entering the first turn, spun backwards and hit the outside wall through the first two turns hard. Amid his incident, Love managed to continue, but he dropped out of the lead lap category to have his No. 2 Whelen Chevrolet Camaro entry repaired.
Down to the final 22 laps, the event restarted as Kvapil managed to fend off Allgaier from the inside lane to retain the lead through the first two turns and the backstretch. As Dean Thompson spun through the first two turns, the event remained under green flag conditions as Thompson quickly looped his entry to proceed without generating additional carnage. Kvapil led by three-tenths of a second over Allgaier with 20 laps remaining as the latter tried to reel back the former.
As the event reached its final 15-lap mark, Kvapil led by four-tenths of a second over Allgaier while Day, Jones, Mayer and Creed followed suit in the top-six mark, respectively. By then, Smith was in eighth place while Caruth, Retzlaff and Gray were mired within the top-16 mark. Meanwhile, Love was mired six laps down within the top-30 mark as Kvapil continued to lead Allgaier by seven-tenths of a second with 10 laps remaining and for the final five-lap mark.
When the white flag waved and the final lap started, Kvapil remained in the lead by half a second over Allgaier. Amid Allgaier’s late-race charge, he ran out of time as Kvapil smoothly navigated around Martinsville for a final time and cycled back to the frontstretch to score the victory by four-tenths of a second over Allgaier.
With the victory, Kvapil notched the third NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series win of his career and of the 2026 season, with the driver also achieving his first series’ victory at Martinsville Speedway. Kvapil’s Martinsville victory was the 16th of the 2026 season for JR Motorsports and the 29th for Chevrolet, with the OEM being eight-for-eight on Chase events this season.
Entering Martinsville, Kvapil was ranked in fifth place in the Chase standings and he trailed points leader Jesse Love by 59 points. With his victory at Martinsville, Kvapil, who gained a spot to fourth place, reduced his deficit to be only 31 points behind the points lead, thus giving Kvapil a fighting chance for his first series’ championship for next weekend’s finale at Homestead-Miami Speedway.
Photo by John Knittel for SpeedwayMedia.com.
“It’s awesome,” Kvapil said on the frontstretch on the CW Network. “I knew when we unloaded for practice, we had a really fast Bass Pro Shops Chevrolet. [Crew chief] Rodney [Childers] and everyone on this No. 1 team really worked hard from our spring [Martinsville] race to come back with a better race car and something that had some forward drive off the corner. [I] Was able to qualify on pole and that was cool, but [I] just had a rough race in between the beginning of Stage 1 to the end there. [I] Just kept getting shuffled back and couldn’t really do nothing right. We made the call to come in [and pit] early, which in turn made us stay out on older tires later. It just really worked out…Winning is always great, but finally getting one at a track where I feel like I’m really good at is really cool.”
Amid Jesse Love’s late-race incident, Justin Allgaier’s runner-up result combined with the stage points he achieved throughout the first two stage periods enabled the latter to go from a 19-point deficit to lead the Chase standings by 22 points, with Allgaier in control of his destiny to achieve his second championship. Love, who finished in 30th place, now trails the points lead by 22 points as he will have next weekend’s finale at Homestead to rally from his deficit and contend for his second consecutive title.
“It’s a great points day,” Allgaier said. “[I’m] Just disappointed to come up short, but hats off to the No. 1 team. Carson did a great job…[Next weekend]’s gonna make for a great battle. I feel like our team does a really good job. We won [at Homestead] last year. We know how to get around the race track. We know we’ll have speed. We just need to go execute. If we do all the things we’ve been doing over and over again and execute the way we know we can, we can keep that points lead and come out of there a champion.”
“I’m not really going to study too much about today,” Love said. “At the end, it really doesn’t matter. We have one goal and there’s probably only for the most part one avenue and one way to achieve that goal. That brings me a lot of clarity and obviously that means that unless [Allgaier] has a DNF at Homestead that we have to go win the race. Obviously, that’s where we do our best work in moments like that…Just a shame how [tonight] ended up going down, but again, at the end of the day, there’s one thing sitting between me and another trophy, another championship, and that’s winning next week. I’m prepared and I’m looking forward to that moment in time.”
Corey Day, who rallied from his early incident, finished in third place, and he also remains in the championship battle, trailing the points lead by 23 points while situated in third place in the standings.
“That’s a gritty third place there, for sure, and that just shows those [No. 17] guys [the] never give up attitude, and I’m just super grateful for them,” Day said. “I’m definitely a lot more confident going [to Homestead] than I am here [at Martinsville], that’s for sure. I think it should be right up my alley. We’re in the fight, so we’ll do our best to be competitive next week.”
Brandon Jones and Sam Mayer finished in the top five behind Kvapil, Allgaier and Day, while Sheldon Creed, Sammy Smith, William Sawalich, Brent Crews and Taylor Gray completed the top-10 finishing order, respectively. The remaining Chasers, including Parker Retzlaff, Rajah Caruth and Austin Hill, ended up in 15th, 16th and 31st, respectively.
The penultimate O’Reilly Auto Parts Series’ Chase event of the 2026 season at Martinsville generated nine lead changes for five different leaders, and 12 cautions for 90 laps. In addition, 28 of 38 starters finished on the lead lap.
Results:
Carson Kvapil, 121 laps led
Justin Allgaier, 52 laps led, Stage 1 winner
Corey Day, 24 laps led
Brandon Jones
Sam Mayer, 36 laps led
Sheldon Creed
Sammy Smith
William Sawalich
Brent Crews
Taylor Gray
Ryan Sieg
Harrison Burton
Jeb Burton
Lee Pulliam
Parker Retzlaff
Rajah Caruth
Anthony Alfredo, 17 laps led, Stage 2 winner
Lavar Scott
Patrick Staropoli
Brennan Poole
Kyle Sieg
Alex Labbe
Carson Ware
Josh Bilicki
Joey Gase
Justin Carroll
Baltazar Leguizamon
Dawson Cram
Jeremy Clements, six laps down
Jesse Love, nine laps down
Austin Hill, nine laps down
Dean Thompson, 15 laps down
Blaine Perkins – OUT, Oil Leak
Daniel Dye – OUT, Accident
Garrett Smithley – OUT, Accident
Mason Maggio – OUT, Accident
Patrick Emerling – OUT, Accident
Ryan Ellis – OUT, Water Pump
*Bold indicates Chase Drivers
After the eighth Chase event of the 2026 NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series season, Justin Allgaier leads the standings by 22 points over Jesse Love, 23 over Corey Day, 31 over Carson Kvapil and 42 over Sheldon Creed, the latter four of whom all remain in contention for this year’s championship battle. The rest of the 12-car Chase field is displayed below.
Chase Standings:
Justin Allgaier
Jesse Love -22
Corey Day -23
Carson Kvapil -31
Sheldon Creed -42
Sam Mayer -97
Sammy Smith -107
Taylor Gray -159
Brandon Jones -183
Austin Hill -197
Parker Retzlaff -210
Rajah Caruth -231
The 2026 NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series season is set to conclude next Saturday, November 7, at Homestead-Miami Speedway in Homestead, Florida, where a champion will be crowned. The finale’s coverage time is slated to commence at 5 p.m. ET on the CW Network, MRN Radio, and SiriusXM.
LAS VEGAS (Oct. 31, 2026) – Funny Car’s Jack Beckman secured the No. 1 qualifier on Saturday at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, taking the top spot as part of the first 3-second Funny Car qualifying field in NHRA history at the MOPAR NHRA Las Vegas Nationals powered by Dodge.
Shawn Langdon (Top Fuel), Dallas Glenn (Pro Stock) and Gaige Herrera (Pro Stock Motorcycle) also qualified No. 1 at the 19th of 20 races during the 2026 NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series season and the fifth of six races in the Countdown to the Championship playoffs.
Beckman stayed a distant first in the loaded Funny Car category, as his run of 3.836-seconds at 335.32 mph from Friday in his 12,000-horsepower PEAK Chevrolet SS wasn’t challenged on Saturday.
But it was a noteworthy Saturday in Funny Car, as Beckman was the pacesetter in the category’s first-ever Funny Car field, with Jeff Diehl qualifying 16th with a 3.968 at 317.94. That will be Beckman’s first-round opponent as he is rolling in Las Vegas after making the quickest pass in the last three qualifying sessions this weekend.
“First all-three-second field, Jack Beckman to Jeff Diehl. It’s neat to be a footnote to history. I geek out on that stuff,” Beckman said. “Running the table and qualifying is 20 points. We got 19, and we missed that extra point by a thousandth of a second on Q1. Our peak Chevy’s just been amazing; this is three in a row that we’ve been No. 1. It’s just an absolute pleasure to drive this car, and it almost spoils you.
“You always have to be on your toes and say, ‘It’s still a nitro Funny Car.’ You’ve got to be ready to catch it if something goes wrong, but when our car is running the way it’s been running lately, and it did this last year for a period of time, our tune-up window is so big that even if we miss it, we still haul butt.”
Points leader Matt Hagan qualified second with a 3.868 at 332.51, and Jordan Vandergriff took third after going 3.868 at 327.74. He has a 99-point lead against Vandergriff, who could be a possible semifinal opponent, while third-place J.R. Todd could meet Hagan in the second round on Sunday.
In Top Fuel, Shawn Langdon moved a step closer to getting his second world championship, qualifying No. 1 on the strength of Friday’s 3.672 at 332.59 in his 12,000-horsepower Kalitta Air dragster.
It’s the ninth top spot of the season for Langdon, who could clinch a championship on Sunday if he goes three rounds further than Kalitta Motorsports teammate Doug Kalitta during eliminations. If Kalitta fell in the opening round, Langdon would clinch the title by advancing to the final round, and if the reigning world champ lost in the second round, Langdon could grab the championship by winning his ninth race of the season.
The veteran, though, is simply focused on the task in front of him and continuing to push forward on Sunday in Las Vegas. He opens eliminations against Cam Ferre.
“I just want to keep the same mindset that I’ve had. Boring, but I just want to keep the same mentality, keep the same focus, the same energy that we had in the first four [Countdown] races, and hit the gas,” Langdon said.
“Obviously, it would be neat to race Doug in the semis. I don’t know if we could actually clinch [the championship] here if we do. I think we’d have to probably show up to Pomona. It doesn’t really matter. We just have to get the job done. That’s our goal; however it happens, whatever the scenario is, we’re prepared for it.”
Tony Stewart qualified second after going 3.676 at 339.28 and Josh Hart took third with a run of 3.688 at 325.61.
Pro Stock’s Dallas Glenn made a major statement on Saturday, as the points leader and reigning world champ made the quickest runs in both sessions, taking the No. 1 spot with a run of 6.620 at 205.91 in his RAD Torque Systems Chevrolet Camaro.
Glenn added to his points lead with the strong Saturday, clinching his fourth top qualifier in 2026 as the defending event winner looks to repeat in Las Vegas. He’ll open eliminations against Alan Prusiensky, attempting to move a step closer to his second straight world championship.
“After my misstep driving ability on Friday — I didn’t do my job as well as I should and I just didn’t shift very well,” Glenn said. “Today, I really had to make sure I focused. We knew the air was going to be a little bit better today and could go and try to get No. 1 or lay down a good run.
“Your reaction to the shift light when you miss it is enough to kill two and a half hundredths and can easily make the difference in winning a round and losing a round. Tomorrow I’m just going to try to be more like I was today and do a better job.”
Greg Anderson qualified second with a 6.622 at 205.16 and Matt Latino was third thanks to a 6.628 at 205.47.
Pro Stock Motorcycle’s Gaige Herrera got even better on Saturday, going low of each session, including a 6.799 at 197.91 on his RevZilla/Motul/Vance & Hines Suzuki to collect his fifth No. 1 qualifier of the season.
He was the only rider to dip into the 6.70s this weekend and will open eliminations against Chris Bostick.
“I wasn’t too sure if it was possible to run in the 6.70s, but last night at dinner, I got a text from Andrew [Hines, crew chief] saying we’re going .70s tomorrow,” Herrera said. “He’s definitely got the bike figured out right now. It’s in a window and it’s in a happy window, so I just had to go out there and do my job more than anything.
“All the little [qualifying bonus] points are going to matter at the end of the day. I feel like me and Richard (Gadson) both are going to be on our game and we’re going to go as many rounds as we can until we meet each other or any other competitors and get put out early.”
Points leader Richard Gadson qualified second with a 6.836 at 196.10 and Ryan Oehler is third after going 6.844 at 196.87.
Eliminations for the MOPAR NHRA Las Vegas Nationals powered by Dodge begin at 11 a.m. PT on Sunday at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.
LAS VEGAS — Sunday’s first-round pairings for eliminations for the 26th annual MOPAR NHRA Las Vegas Nationals powered by Dodge at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, the 19th of 20 events in the NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series. Pairings based on results in qualifying, which ended Saturday. DNQs listed below pairings.
Top Fuel — 1. Shawn Langdon, 3.672 seconds, 332.59 mph vs. 16. Cameron Ferre, 4.218, 282.72; 2. Tony Stewart, 3.676, 339.28 vs. 15. Chris Powers, 3.807, 321.19; 3. Josh Hart, 3.688, 325.61 vs. 14. Shawn Reed, 3.777, 328.94; 4. Clay Millican, 3.691, 336.32 vs. 13. Justin Ashley, 3.759, 331.61; 5. Doug Kalitta, 3.695, 335.73 vs. 12. Will Smith, 3.756, 327.11; 6. Leah Pruett, 3.705, 332.84 vs. 11. Tony Schumacher, 3.750, 334.65; 7. Maddi Gordon, 3.716, 335.65 vs. 10. Antron Brown, 3.738, 324.90; 8. Spencer Massey, 3.719, 332.67 vs. 9. Billy Torrence, 3.722, 334.73.
Did Not Qualify: 17. Bernie Plourd, 5.584, 121.34.
Funny Car — 1. Jack Beckman, Chevy Camaro, 3.836, 335.32 vs. 16. Jeff Diehl, Toyota Camry, 3.968, 317.94; 2. Matt Hagan, Dodge Charger, 3.868, 332.51 vs. 15. Dave Richards, Ford Mustang, 3.962, 330.31; 3. Jordan Vandergriff, Camaro, 3.868, 327.74 vs. 14. Julie Nataas, Toyota GR Supra, 3.938, 322.50; 4. Alexis DeJoria, Camaro, 3.874, 333.33 vs. 13. Hunter Green, Charger, 3.921, 324.75; 5. Austin Prock, Mustang, 3.878, 312.71 vs. 12. Daniel Wilkerson, Mustang, 3.914, 328.14; 6. Spencer Hyde, Mustang, 3.887, 328.62 vs. 11. Paul Lee, Charger, 3.913, 330.23; 7. J.R. Todd, GR Supra, 3.889, 336.82 vs. 10. Chad Green, Mustang, 3.905, 319.52; 8. Ron Capps, GR Supra, 3.897, 333.25 vs. 9. Cruz Pedregon, Charger, 3.900, 327.74.
Did Not Qualify: 17. Jason Rupert, 3.998, 320.28; 18. Jeff Arend, 4.070, 308.35; 19. Terry Haddock, 4.109, 303.50; 20. Cory Lee, 6.704, 97.77.
Pro Stock — 1. Dallas Glenn, Chevy Camaro, 6.620, 205.91 vs. 16. Alan Prusiensky, Dodge Dart, 6.927, 197.39; 2. Greg Anderson, Camaro, 6.622, 205.16 vs. 15. Chris Vang, Camaro, 6.727, 200.89; 3. Matt Latino, Camaro, 6.628, 205.47 vs. 14. Shane Tucker, Camaro, 6.711, 204.48; 4. Matt Hartford, Camaro, 6.632, 206.57 vs. 13. Kenny Delco, Camaro, 6.704, 203.31; 5. Deric Kramer, Camaro, 6.633, 206.26 vs. 12. Jeg Coughlin, Camaro, 6.661, 205.07; 6. Greg Stanfield, Camaro, 6.636, 205.01 vs. 11. Troy Coughlin Jr., Camaro, 6.661, 205.35; 7. Cody Anderson, Camaro, 6.639, 204.70 vs. 10. Aaron
Stanfield, Camaro, 6.659, 204.51; 8. Eric Latino, Camaro, 6.646, 205.82 vs. 9. Erica Enders, Camaro, 6.651, 205.44.
Pro Stock Motorcycle — 1. Gaige Herrera, Suzuki, 6.799, 197.91 vs. 16. Chris Bostick, Suzuki, 7.043, 187.86; 2. Richard Gadson, Suzuki, 6.836, 196.10 vs. 15. John Hall, Buell, 6.973, 190.30; 3. Ryan Oehler, EBR, 6.844, 196.87 vs. 14. GT Tonglet, Suzuki, 6.962, 193.27; 4. Matt Smith, Buell, 6.856, 197.19 vs. 13. Karen Stoffer, Suzuki, 6.960, 190.46; 5. Joey Gladstone, Buell, 6.856, 195.65 vs. 12. Marc Ingwersen, EBR, 6.957, 192.77; 6. Steve Johnson, Suzuki, 6.857, 195.11 vs. 11. Geno Scali, Suzuki, 6.954, 192.88; 7. Angie Smith, Buell, 6.867, 194.66 vs. 10. Chase Van Sant, Suzuki, 6.933, 193.24; 8. Clayton Howey, Buell, 6.921, 193.90 vs. 9. Malcolm Phillips Jr., Suzuki, 6.926,
194.55.
Did Not Qualify: 17. Ronnie Procopio, 7.407, 144.75; 18. Brad Hawkes, 7.414, 184.35.
