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Kyle Busch dominates for second Truck victory of 2026 at Dover

By
Andrew Kim
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Photo by Logan Allen for SpeedwayMedia.com.

Kyle Busch executed a masterclass performance by notching a dominant NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series victory in the ECOSAVE 200 at Dover Motor Speedway on Friday, May 15.

The two-time Cup Series champion from Las Vegas, Nevada, led three times for a race-high 147 of 200 scheduled laps in the No. 7 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet. Busch was also the fastest in practice, qualified on the pole position and captured the event’s first two stage periods. After restarting in third place to commence the third and final stage period, Busch spent the following two restarts dueling with Ross Chastain for the lead.

Despite being outdueled by Chastain twice through a pair of restarts amid Chastain’s late tire gamble for track position, Busch used fresher tires by pitting his Spire entry before the final stage with the field to overtake Chastain for a final time with 58 laps remaining. From there, Busch managed through his fuel tank, tires and fended off Ty Majeski for the event’s remainder to add another Truck victory at Dover to his accomplished racing resume.

With on-track qualifying that determined the starting lineup occurring on Friday, Kyle Busch secured his first Truck pole position of the 2026 season with a pole-winning lap at 161.740 mph in 22.258 seconds. Busch shared the front row with Ty Majeski as the latter clocked in the second-fastest lap at 161.544 mph in 22.285 seconds. Before the event, Stewart Friesen dropped to the rear of the field due to unapproved adjustments that were made to his No. 52 Halmar Friesen Racing Toyota Tundra TRD Pro entry.

When the green flag waved and the event commenced, Kyle Busch and Ty Majeski dueled for the lead for half a lap until Busch motored his No. 7 HendrickCars.com Chevrolet Silverado RST entry ahead from the outside lane entering Turns 3 and 4. As Busch led the first lap, Majeski retained second place ahead of Kaden Honeycutt. Brandon Jones, Giovanni Ruggiero, Christopher Bell, Ross Chastain and the field pursued amid close-quarters racing.

Over the next four laps, Busch extended his early advantage to six-tenths of a second over Majeski while Honeycutt, Ruggiero and Jones occupied the remaining top-five spots ahead of Bell, Chastain, Jake Garcia, Ben Rhodes and Daniel Hemric. Amid a series of early on-track battles around Dover, Busch proceeded to lead by a second at the Lap 10 mark while Honeycutt started to reel in Majeski for the runner-up spot.

Through the first 20 scheduled laps, Busch was leading by more than a second over Honeycutt, who assumed the runner-up spot from Majeski on Lap 11. Behind, Ruggiero and Bell occupied the remaining top-five spots over Jones. Chastain, Rhodes, Garcia, Hemric, while Layne Riggs, Andres Perez De Lara, Carson Hocevar, Cole Butcher and Chandler Smith trailed in the top 15 ahead of Mini Tyrrell, Grant Enfinger, Parker Eatmon, William Sawalich and Brenden Queen, respectively. Meanwhile, Tanner Gray, Justin Haley, Clint Bowyer, Christian Eckes, Luke Baldwin, Dawson Sutton, Tyler Ankrum, Stewart Friesen, Corey LaJoie and Kris Wright were mired in the top 30, respectively, while Natalie Decker, Dystany Spurlock, Toni Breidinger, Spencer Boyd and Frankie Muniz were all lapped by Busch.

Ten laps later, Kyle Busch added another second to his advantage as he led by more than two seconds over Honeycutt and Majeski while Bell and Ruggiero were racing in the top five ahead of Jones, Chastain, Rhodes, Riggs and Garcia. Meanwhile, Hemric plummeted to the bottom of the leaderboard as he fell off the pace due to a low fuel pressure and coasted his No. 19 CRC Brakleen Chevrolet Silverado RST entry to pit road. Amid Hemric’s issues, Busch retained the lead by more than two seconds over Honeycutt by Lap 35.

On Lap 39, the event’s first caution flew when Dystany Spurlock, who made history in being the first African American female competitor to compete across NASCAR’s top three national touring series at the event’s start at Dover, got loose entering the backstretch as she was racing in front of Andres Perez De Lara. After trying to gain control of her No. 69 Foxxtecca Ford F-150 entry through the backstretch, she then snapped to the right and hit the outside wall head-on, which concluded her debut with a wrecked entry.

During the event’s first caution, select names led by Cole Butcher, Brenden Queen, Dawson Sutton, Stewart Friesen and Corey LaJoie remained on the track while the rest led by Busch pitted. Following the pit stops, Honeycutt exited pit road first over Busch while Majeski, Ruggiero and Chastain followed suit. Amid the pit stops, Honeycutt and Rhodes were sent to the tail end of the field due to speeding on pit road.

When the event restarted for a one-lap dash to cap off the first stage period, Butcher was pushed by Busch ahead of Queen from the outside lane through the frontstretch before Busch used the outside lane to overtake Butcher for the lead through the first two turns. As Busch used his fresh tires to motor away from the field, the field fanned out and jostled through the backstretch before they navigated through Turns 3 and 4. At the front, Busch stormed to the first stage victory over Majeski, Butcher, Chastain, Hocevar, Ruggiero, Garcia, Bell, Enfinger and Riggs, respectively.

Under the event’s first stage break period, the following names that included Butcher, Queen, Sutton, Friesen and LaJoie pitted while the rest, led by Busch, remained on the track.

The second stage period started on Lap 53 as Busch and Majeski occupied the front row. At the start, Busch motored ahead of Majeski from the outside lane through the frontstretch. He then transitioned to the inside lane and retained the lead through the first two turns and the backstretch while the rest of the field trailed and jostled for spots. Busch led the next lap over Chastain while Majeski dropped to third in front of a side-by-side battle with Ruggiero and Hocevar. As Bell navigated his way past Hocevar for fifth place while trailing Ruggiero, Busch continued to lead by eight-tenths of a second on Lap 60.

At the Lap 70 mark, Busch maintained an advantage of a second over Chastain while third-place Majeski trailed by more than a second ahead of Ruggiero and Bell. While Hocevar, Garcia, Riggs, Jones and Enfinger occupied the remaining top-10 spots ahead of Honeycutt, Chandler Smith, Eckes, Tyrrell and Rhodes, Busch maintained his lead by seven-tenths of a second over Chastain by Lap 80.

When the second stage period concluded on Lap 90, Kyle Busch, who was mired in lapped traffic, fended off Chastain by 0.088 seconds to claim his second consecutive Truck stage victory of the event. Majeski, Ruggiero, Bell, Hocevar, Riggs, Jones, Honeycutt and Enfinger settled in the top 10, respectively, while 24 of 36 starters were scored on the lead lap.

During the event’s second stage break period, the lead lap field led by Busch pitted for service. Following the pit stops, Chastain exited pit road first ahead of Majeski, Busch, Ruggiero, Riggs, Bell, Honeycutt, Enfinger, Garcia and Jones, respectively.

With 102 laps remaining, the final stage period commenced as Chastain and Majeski occupied the front row. At the start, Chastain motored ahead of Majeski and Busch through the frontstretch, the first two turns and the backstretch while Busch and Majeski battled for second place. As the field behind jostled for late spots, Chastain led the next lap over Busch, Riggs, Majeski and Ruggiero while Bell fended off Honeycutt for sixth place. In addition, Bowyer, who made contact with Hocevar entering the first turn at the third stage’s start, was mired in 19th place ahead of teammate Mini Tyrrell while Chastain retained the lead by four-tenths of a second over Busch with 99 laps remaining.

With 83 laps remaining, the caution flew when Luke Baldwin, who had a handful of on-track run-ins with Bowyer, got loose entering Turn 3 and made slight contact with Brenden Queen before he slid up the track, hit the outside wall, slid down the Turn 4 track and hit the inside wall. Prior to Baldwin’s wreck, Hocevar made an unscheduled pit stop under green to have a flat right-front tire addressed. During this caution period, the leader Chastain remained on the track while the rest of the field, led by Busch, pitted for service.

The next restart, with 76 laps remaining, featured Busch and Chastain dueling for the lead for nearly a full lap as Chastain managed to fend off Busch from the outside lane despite being on a tire advantage. Amid a series of on-track battles, contact and jostles within the field, Chastain led the next lap and he managed to motor ahead and maintain a steady lead over Busch over the following three laps.

The caution then returned with 72 laps remaining due to Tyrrell spinning his No. 14 Kaulig Racing RAM 1500 entry through the frontstretch and making contact with the inside wall. Tyrrell’s incident was due to the driver getting loose entering the frontstretch while dueling with teammate Bowyer as Bowyer was bolting past Parker Eatmon, as Eatmon remained on the track with worn tires.

As the event restarted under green with 67 laps remaining, Chastain and Busch battled dead even, starting from the frontstretch through the backstretch, before the former prevailed for a second time from the outside lane and with older tires than Busch entering Turns 3 and 4. As Chastain led the next lap over Busch, a series of on-track battles ensued while Majeksi, Riggs and Bell were racing in the top five ahead of Honeycutt. Meanwhile, Bowyer was racing with a left-front tire rub that was generating smoke through the turns. This was due to Chandler Smith getting loose and hitting Bowyer’s left side amid the latest restart, though Bowyer continued to race towards the top-20 mark. Meanwhile, Chastain maintained a steady lead over both Busch and Majeski with 60 laps remaining.

Then, with 58 laps remaining, Busch overtook Chastain and returned atop the leaderboard. Busch proceeded to lead by nearly half a second over Majeski with 50 laps remaining while Riggs, Bell and Honeycutt trailed in the top five, respectively. Meanwhile, Chastain dropped to sixth place as Busch retained the lead by half a second over Majeski with 40 laps remaining.

Down to the final 30 laps of the event, Busch slightly increased his lead to eight-tenths of a second over Majeski while Riggs, Bell and Honeycutt trailed in the top five ahead of Rhodes, Jones, Chastain, Sawalich and Garcia, respectively. Busch grew his lead to a second with 25 laps remaining and to one-and-a-half seconds with 20 laps remaining while Majeski retained the runner-up spot. Meanwhile, Chastain, who pitted his No. 45 Delaware Office of Highway Safety Chevrolet Silverado RST entry for fresh tires under green with 22 laps remaining, dropped to 22nd place and out of the lead lap category.

With 15 laps remaining, Busch grew his lead to more than two seconds over Majeski while Bowyer pitted and spent multiple laps in his pit stall due to a broken wheel on the No. 25 Kaulig Racing RAM 1500 entry. As Busch was told to preserve his fuel tank to the scheduled distance, he had his lead shrink to nearly one-and-a-half seconds with five laps remaining as Majeski tried to reel in Busch. Nevertheless, Busch maintained a steady lead through each turn and straightaway as the laps dwindled.

When the white flag waved and the final lap started, Busch remained in the lead by two-and-a-half seconds over Majeski. With Busch showing no signs of having any fuel issues or stumbling for a final time, he cycled back to the frontstretch to claim the checkered flag by three seconds over Majeski.

With the victory, Busch, who won in his fourth of eight Truck starts this season with Spire Motorsports, notched his 69th career win in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series division, which extends his all-time record of having the most victories in the series. He also notched his second victory of the 2026 season and his all-time leading fifth victory at Dover, with the Truck division returning to race at Dover for the first time since August 2020.

The 2026 season marks Busch’s 18th season of winning multiple Truck events, as he won earlier in mid-February at EchoPark Speedway. Busch’s next two Truck events are over the next two Fridays. The first will be at Charlotte Motor Speedway in Concord, North Carolina (May 22) and the second at Nashville Superspeedway in Lebanon, Tennessee (May 29).

Kyle Busch
Photo by Logan Allen for SpeedwayMedia.com.

“You never know when the last [win] is,” Busch said on the frontstretch on FS1. “I know all too well, unfortunately, with the Cup stuff, but here with the Truck stuff right now, it’s awesome just to be a part of Spire Motorsports. It feels good to have another Kyle being able to [win] and putting ourselves in Victory Lane. [I] Love coming to Dover. Always one of my favorite places to race and definitely some managing of the fuel there, managing of the tires there. It was an interesting strategic battle from the driver’s seat…It’s nice to be able to come back over here [in the Truck Series] and win some more races again with that [No. 7 Spire Motorsports] group. It’s fun and you want to keep doing it.”

Ty Majeski settled in the runner-up spot for a second time in the 2026 season and for his fifth top-10 result through nine Truck events this season. With the result, Majeski picked up two spots in the points standings and is ranked in fifth place as he continues his season-long pursuit of a first victory in the No. 88 ThorSport Racing Ford F-150 entry.

“[We’re] Trending up,” Majeski said. “We just got to keep it flat right here. What a great recovery from the last couple weeks. [I] Had fast trucks all year. Just circumstances have prevented us from getting some finishes that we’ve deserved. Everybody at ThorSport’s [Racing] been working their guys out during this six-week stretch to keep our trucks competitive. We were in the game today…Sold effort. Can’t wait for Charlotte next week.”

Layne Riggs finished in third place while Kaden Honeycutt and Christopher Bell finished in the top five. Brandon Jones, Christian Eckes, Corey LaJoie, Jake Garcia and Justin Haley completed the top 10, respectively, in the final running order. Notably, Ross Chastain, who led 49 laps, settled in 18th place while Clint Bowyer, who was unable to finish due to his late tire hub issue, settled in 29th place.

There were five lead changes for four different leaders. The event featured five cautions for 28 laps. In addition, 13 of 38 starters finished on the lead lap.

Following the ninth event of the 2026 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series season, Kaden Honeycutt leads the standings by 38 points over Layne Riggs, 39 over Chandler Smith, 61 over Giovanni Ruggiero and 70 over Ty Majeski.

Results:

  1. Kyle Busch, 147 laps led, Stages 1 & 2 winner
  2. Ty Majeski
  3. Layne Riggs
  4. Kaden Honeycutt, one lap led
  5. Christopher Bell
  6. Brandon Jones
  7. Christian Eckes
  8. Corey LaJoie
  9. Jake Garcia
  10. Justin Haley
  11. Stewart Friesen
  12. Chandler Smith
  13. Brenden Queen
  14. William Sawalich, one lap down
  15. Grant Enfinger, one lap down
  16. Tanner Gray, one lap down
  17. Kris Wright, one lap down
  18. Ross Chastain, one lap down, 49 laps led
  19. Ben Rhodes, two laps down
  20. Giovanni Ruggiero, three laps down
  21. Parker Eatmon, three laps down
  22. Spencer Boyd, four laps down
  23. Dawson Sutton, four laps down
  24. Frankie Muniz, four laps down
  25. Tyler Ankrum, five laps down
  26. Toni Breidinger, six laps down
  27. Mini Tyrrell, six laps down
  28. Andres Perez De Lara, 11 laps down
  29. Clint Bowyer – OUT, Hub
  30. Daniel Hemric, 23 laps down
  31. Carson Hocevar – OUT, Suspension
  32. Luke Baldwin – OUT, Accident, Accident
  33. Cole Butcher – OUT, Accident, three laps led
  34. Natalie Decker – OUT, Too Slow
  35. Caleb Costner – OUT, Vibration
  36. Dystany Spurlock – OUT, Accident

Next on the 2026 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series schedule is the North Carolina Education Lottery 200 at Charlotte Motor Speedway in Concord, North Carolina. The event is scheduled to occur next Friday, May 22, and air at 7:30 p.m. ET on FS1, NASCAR Racing Network, and SiriusXM.

Kyle Busch Survives Fuel-Mileage Thriller to Win ECOSAVE 200 at Dover Motor Speedway

By
Official Release
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  • This victory marked Busch’s 69th Truck Series win and his fifth win at Dover in the Truck Series.
  • Busch set a new Truck Series track record during qualifying with a lap time of 22.258 seconds, securing the pole position.

Dover, Del. – (May 15, 2026) Kyle Busch conquered The Monster Mile once again Friday evening, but this time it took more than pure speed to get the job done.

After dominating the NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series ECOSAVE 200 at Dover Motor Speedway, Busch was forced to manage his fuel over the closing laps while Ty Majeski closed in behind him. In the end, the two-time Cup Series champion had just enough fuel left in the tank to seal another victory at The World’s Fastest One-Mile Oval.

The win is the 69th of his NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series career and his fifth Truck Series victory at Dover. The win also counts as his 13th victory at Dover Motor Speedway between all three of NASCAR’s national touring series.

“You never know when the last [win] is,” Busch said after the race. “It feels really good to put it in victory lane again.”

Busch’s statement weekend started before the green flag even waved for the ECOSAVE 200. During qualifying, he shattered the NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series track record at Dover with a lap of 22.258 seconds to earn the pole position.

Once the race began, Busch showed exactly why he has long been one of the best drivers to ever tame Miles the Monster. He controlled the early pace and led the field through the opening run before the first caution came out on Lap 39, when Dystany Spurlock made contact with the wall in her NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series debut.

Busch stayed firmly in command after the restart, capturing Stage 1 before continuing his dominance with a Stage 2 victory to sweep both opening stages.

The race tightened up again on Lap 119 when Luke Baldwin spun in Turn 3 and hit the inside wall, bunching the field together for a green-flag run to the finish.

As fuel strategy became the deciding factor late in the race, Busch had to balance saving fuel while still maintaining enough pace to keep Majeski behind him.

“Definitely some managing of the fuel there, managing the tires there. It was an interesting strategic battle, I guess, from the driver’s seat,” Busch said. “Thanks to the fans and all the people for being here.”

The gap shifted back and forth over the closing laps as the two veterans played a strategic game of chess around the high banks of Dover.

“We were playing cat and mouse a little bit with Kyle there,” Majeski said after his runner-up finish. “We’ve got some momentum heading in the right direction, for sure.”

Kaden Honeycutt also impressed throughout the evening, fresh off securing his first career victory last week. Honeycutt brought home a fourth-place finish after running near the front for much of the race.

“It was a good day for us and a lot of fun,” Honeycutt said. “The top widened out in Turns 3 and 4 — should be a good Cup Series race on Sunday.”

Clint Bowyer finished 29th in his return to the Truck Series. “I had a ton of fun,” Bowyer said. “This is a cool racetrack, a demanding racetrack and neat to see Kyle Busch in Victory Lane, NASCAR needs that and it gives him so much confidence moving into tomorrow’s event and Sunday.

For Busch, the win added another chapter to his long history of success at Dover Motor Speedway. He looks to add another win in the NASCAR All-Star Race on Sunday at 1 p.m.

NASCAR TICKETS:
Visit DoverMotorSpeedway.com to purchase tickets for Saturday’s BetRivers 200 or Sunday’s NASCAR All-Star Race, explore camping and parking options, or sign up for email updates.

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2026 Niece Motorsports NCTS Race Recap: Dover Motor Speedway

By
Official Release
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NIECE MOTORSPORTS
NCTS RACE RECAP: DOVER MOTOR SPEEDWAY
Event: Ecosave 200 (200 laps / 200 miles)
Round: 9 of 25 (Regular Season)
Track: Dover Motor Speedway
Location: Dover, Delaware
Date & Time: Friday, May 15 | 5:00 PM ET

No. 42 Niece Motorsports Chevrolet Silverado RST
Driver: Parker Eatmon | Crew Chief: Landon Polinski
Start: 20th
Stage 1: 19th
Stage 2: 18th

Finish: 21st
Driver Points: 36th
Owner Points: 26th

  • Key Takeaway: Parker Eatmon and the No. 42 team had a solid run in Dover, but an untimely pit stop cost them a shot at a good result. Eatmon started in 20th, but adapted quickly to the Monster Mile and learned a lot about ‘aero-racing’. The team was in play to gain a lot of track position through a gutsy strategy call, but a loose wheel forced a green flag pit stop. Eatmon kept his nose clean all race and finished 21st in his second-career start.
  • Parker Eatmon’s Post-Race Thoughts: “That was a lot of fun today, I felt like we had a really fast truck. Once my team explained our strategy call there at the end of the race, I totally felt like I was on the same page. As soon as I got comfortable out there, I could really keep up with the fast guys. I think we would have had a really solid day if we didn’t have that loose wheel on the right front. That’s unfortunate, but it’s something to build on for my next truck race in a couple of months.”

About Vetted Ventures: Vetted Ventures is a pioneer in revolutionizing private sales and acquisitions management through an ecosystem of exclusive clients with the ability to be represented by one company across different industries. We aim to provide our clients with the opportunities they seek backed by the service they deserve. To learn more about the company, please visit www.Vetted-Ventures.com.

No. 44 Precision Vehicle Logistics De Mexico Chevrolet Silverado RST
Driver: Andres Perez de Lara | Crew Chief: Wally Rogers
Start: 9th
Stage 1: 12th
Stage 2: 31st

Finish: 28th
Driver Points: 15th
Owner Points: 22nd

  • Key Takeaway: Andrés Pérez de Lara and the Precision Vehicle Logistics De Mexico team brought a fast Chevrolet to Dover, but flat tires derailed their finish. Pérez de Lara started off strong with his second top-10 qualifying run of the season in ninth-place. He was in position for a solid outing, but picked up a vibration and was forced to pit under green with a flat right-front tire. The team had to make several stops throughout the remainder of the race and came home in 28th-place.
  • Andrés Pérez de Lara’s Post-Race Thoughts: “We had a top-10, maybe even top-five day going for us that slipped away again for us after we got that flat tire. From there, our day just went downhill. It’s so tough to have this bad luck continue to strike us, but I’m confident that it is going to turn around. Hopefully we can have some better luck next time so we can show our real speed.”

About Precision Vehicle Logistics: Precision Vehicle Logistics is a customer-focused group of professionals committed to service excellence in finished vehicle logistics. Precision offers a unique combination of talented experience, industry-leading software and systems, and a network of partners and resources to deliver customized solutions to the world’s leading automakers.

No. 45 Drive Sober Arrive Alive DE Chevrolet Silverado RST
Driver: Ross Chastain | Crew Chief: Phil Gould
Start: 8th
Stage 1: 4th
Stage 2: 2nd

Finish: 18th
Driver Points: N/A
Owner Points: 6th

  • Key Takeaway: Ross Chastain and the Drive Sober Arrive Alive DE team had a shot at the win in Dover, but the strategy did not play out how they had hoped it would. Chastain qualified inside the top-10 and climbed into the top-five for both stages before taking the lead. The No. 45 team was out front for 49 laps, and elected to save a set of tires for late in the race in hopes of a caution. Unfortunately, the yellow flag never flew and Chastain needed to pit under green late in the going. He crossed the line in 18th-place.
  • Ross Chastain’s Post-Race Thoughts: “We didn’t think the entire field was going to try and stretch their tires like fuel there on that last run. I felt like all of the trucks gave up a lot of pace during those first two stages, so the thought of going 75 laps on tires was not something I was excited about. I regret leading the field and staying out. Clearly it was the wrong call, and when I saw they were all pitting, I should have reacted. We stuck with our plan. It was just us and our teammates on the No. 42 on that strategy, but we never got the caution we needed to benefit us. We had a top-three truck for sure and could have been capable of racing with those guys. It was a bad call, but I’ll be the first one to say that it’s on me. I should have stayed out.”

About The Delaware Office of Highway Safety: The Delaware Office of Highway Safety was established on July 19, 1968. We are a division of the Department of Safety and Homeland Security and funded by federal grants from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. By focusing our efforts on the state’s identified highway safety priority areas, developing statewide partnerships and increasing the public’s awareness of safe driving habits, the Office of Highway Safety is striving to make Delaware’s roadways the safest in the country.

About Niece Motorsports: Niece Motorsports is a professional auto racing team that has competed in the NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series since 2016. The team is owned by Josh Morris of DQS Solutions and Staffing and the Fowler Family of J.F. Electric and Utilitra, and was founded by United States Marine Corps Veteran Al Niece. At its 80,000 sq. ft. headquarters in Salisbury, NC, Niece Motorsports is a full-service race vehicle build shop as well as a customizable fabrication shop for any manufacturing needs.

Follow the Team: To keep up to date with the latest team news, visit niecemotorsports.com or connect on Facebook and Instagram (@NieceMotorsports) as well as X (@NieceMotorsport).

Rosenqvist Pushes Speeds Past 233 MPH To Lead ‘Fast Friday’ at Indy

By
Official Release
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INDIANAPOLIS (Friday, May 15, 2026) – Sometimes speed arrives at Indianapolis Motor Speedway when you don’t expect it. Just ask Felix Rosenqvist.

Rosenqvist became the first driver this week to top 233 mph by leading “Fast Friday” practice for the 110th Indianapolis 500 presented by Gainbridge, turning a top lap of 233.372 mph in the No. 60 SiriusXM Honda of Meyer Shank Racing w/Curb Agajanian.

The session, scheduled for six hours, was shortened to five after morning rain forced a two-hour delay of the start of the final practice before PPG Presents Armed Forces Qualifying this weekend on the 2.5-mile oval.

“We started pretty slow, to be honest,” Rosenqvist said. “It’s kind of rare you’re able to crawl out of a hole like that. I think our first run was like a 230-something. We just found basically 3 mph. That’s kind of cool. The car felt pretty good.

“Sometimes that happens, like once you find a little speed, it kind of comes. It kind of starts flowing. The balance was really good.”

The top speed of the week soared by more than 5 mph Friday because the Honda and Chevrolet engines that power the field featured approximately 100 more horsepower due to increased boost levels, which also will be available during qualifying this weekend.

A pre-qualifying practice takes place from 8:30-9:30 a.m. Saturday (FS2, INDYCAR Radio powered by OnlyBulls), with qualifications from 11 a.m.-5:50 p.m. (11 a.m.-2 p.m., FS2; 2-4 p.m., FS1; 4-6 p.m., FOX; INDYCAR Radio powered by OnlyBulls).

Positions 16-33 for “The Greatest Spectacle in Racing” will be locked in Saturday, with the 15 fastest cars advancing to the final rounds of qualifying Sunday to determine the coveted NTT P1 Award winner and the first five rows of the starting grid.

Six-time NTT INDYCAR SERIES champion and 2008 “500” winner Scott Dixon will be the first driver in the qualifying line Saturday morning after his son, Kit, chose the coveted No. 1 coin in the blind qualifying draw after today’s practice.

2016 “500” winner Alexander Rossi was second at 232.932 in the No. 20 Java House Chevrolet of Ed Carpenter Racing. 2024 pole winner Scott McLaughlin led early in the session but ended up third at 232.674 in the No. 3 Pennzoil Team Penske Chevrolet.

Two-time Indianapolis 500 winner Takuma Sato was fourth at 232.655 in the No. 75 Amada Honda of Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing. 2022 “500” winner Marcus Ericsson rounded out a stacked top five with his best lap of 232.622 in the No. 28 Phoenix Investors Honda of Andretti Global.

Rosenqvist’s top lap came with the benefit of an aerodynamic tow, but he was sixth-fastest on the “no-tow” list at 232.324, validating his solo speed for qualifying this weekend.

McLaughlin was fastest without aerodynamic help at 232.674, turning just seven laps on the day due to satisfaction with his car’s speed. Reigning “500” winner and four-time and reigning series champion Alex Palou was second fastest solo at 232.532 in the No. 10 DHL Chip Ganassi Racing Honda.

Rosenqvist, who welcomed his first child with wife, Emille, on May 4, also was the fastest of drivers in simulated four-lap qualifying attempts. His best four-lap average was 232.828. McLaughlin had the second-fastest qualifying sim among his paltry seven laps on track, with a four-lap average of 232.572. Rossi was third on the qualifying sim speed chart with his four-lap average of 232.543.

An incident-free week of practice continued as all 33 drivers combined to turn 836 laps, the lowest total of the event due to the shortened session and teams’ focus on four-lap qualifying simulations. Jack Harvey was the busiest driver, recording 42 laps in the No. 24 DRR INVST Chevrolet of Dreyer & Reinbold Racing.

The 110th Indianapolis 500 presented by Gainbridge is scheduled for Sunday, May 24 (10 a.m. ET, FOX, FOX Deportes, FOX One, INDYCAR Radio powered by OnlyBulls).

TOYOTA RACING – NCTS Dover Post-Race Report – 05.15.26

By
Official Release
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HONEYCUTT LEADS THREE TUNDRAS IN THE TOP-SIX AT DOVER
The Toyota Development Driver continues to lead points on strength of series-leading sixth top-five of the year

DOVER, Del. (May 15, 2026) – Kaden Honeycutt was able to drive back through the field after an early pit road speeding penalty and led Toyota with a fourth-place finish in the NASCAR Truck Series race at Dover Motor Speedway on Friday evening. Honeycutt remains in control of the points lead after his series leading sixth top-five finish this season. Six of the last seven races have yielded top-five results for the Texas-native.

Honeycutt was followed to the line by Christopher Bell in fifth and Brandon Jones in sixth. Bell, who was making his first Truck Series start since his win at Bristol, delivered his third top-six in as many starts this season, while Jones is now two-for-two in top-10 finishes in his starts this year.

TOYOTA RACING Post-Race Recap
NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series (NCTS)
Dover Motor Speedway
Race 9 of 23 – 200 Miles, 200 Laps

TOYOTA FINISHING POSITIONS

1st, Kyle Busch*
2nd, Ty Majeski*
3rd, Layne Riggs*
4th, KADEN HONEYCUTT
5th, CHRISTOPHER BELL
6th, BRANDON JONES
11th, STEWART FRIESEN
14th, WILLIAM SAWALICH
16th, TANNER GRAY
20th, GIO RUGGIERO
*non-Toyota driver

TOYOTA QUOTES

KADEN HONEYCUTT, No. 11 Safelite + Foster Love Toyota Tundra TRD Pro, TRICON Garage

Finishing Position: 4th

How did you come back up through the field for a top-five finish?

“Yeah, self-inflicted there with the speeding penalty and all, but we had a great truck. I really thought we were faster than the 34 (Layne Riggs) on speed. I just had to save a lot of fuel. I really thought I had enough to go get him before I attacked him, but it was either run out trying to run third or save and finish fourth. It was a good day. Another top-five. We have a lot of them thankfully, but hopefully we can go get that first oval win at Charlotte next week, but thank you to Safelite, Foster Love, TRICON Garage – this whole TOYOTA RACING team did a great job bouncing back for sure.”

CHRISTOPHER BELL, No. 62 Halmar Infrastructure Development Toyota Tundra TRD Pro, Halmar Friesen Racing

Finishing Position: 5th

Can you describe your level of satisfaction with this finish?

“After practice, I was super optimistic with our Halmar, Pristine Auction Tundra. I felt really good about our chances – it just never materialized. It is what it is. We probably stacked up about fifth. If you put me out front, I probably don’t beat Kyle (Busch) or the 88 (Ty Majeski), but I was certainly every bit as good as the 34 (Layne Riggs) and the 11 (Kaden Honeycutt). It is what it is.”

BRANDON JONES, No. 1 Spectracide Toyota Tundra TRD Pro, TRICON Garage

Finishing Position: 6th

Clean day, and you brought the truck home in six. How was your race?

“Overall, it was definitely fun. I learned a lot for tomorrow in our Spectracide Tundra. They sprayed the track this weekend with the resin, and they put it on all of the lanes on the corners. My goal definitely was to figure out which lane was better and while I was moving up and where the cues were to move around a little bit. So, I got that out of it at least for sure. I think we were honestly a little bit better than sixth all day. We may not have been a truck capable of winning the race, but I think we were slightly better than where we ended up. It comes down to just getting track position, and we lost a little bit early on with a couple of hang ups on pit road, and a couple of things. There was one turning point in the race where we had a restart and it was getting stacked up, and I was working the three-wide, but I kept seeing people get loose, and I was like, ‘let’s just save it to the end I would hate to get taken out early on and not be able to see the finish.’ I had a couple of those moments today, but overall, I don’t get many fuel saving moments. As fun as it is not, it is still really good practice to be able to walk through that and try to save some gas and see how you can do that. It comes down to when you are lifting, how much on throttle time you have. There is no great way to do it, but it was definitely good practice. I’m excited for our O’Reilly (Series) race tomorrow. Excited to come home with a clean truck, and almost a top-five.”

About Toyota

Toyota (NYSE:TM) has been a part of the cultural fabric in North America for nearly 70 years, and is committed to advancing sustainable, next-generation mobility through our Toyota and Lexus brands, plus our more than 1,800 dealerships.

Toyota directly employs nearly 64,000 people in North America who have contributed to the design, engineering, and assembly of over 50 million cars and trucks at our 14 manufacturing plants. In 2025, Toyota’s plant in North Carolina began to assemble automotive batteries for electrified vehicles.

For more information about Toyota, visit www.ToyotaNewsroom.com.

KALITTA, BECKMAN, ENDERS & A. SMITH START IN PROVISIONAL NO. 1 SPOTS AT GERBER COLLISION & GLASS ROUTE 66 NHRA NATIONALS

By
Official Release
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CHICAGO (May 15, 2026) – Reigning Top Fuel world champion Doug Kalitta made the quickest run on Friday at Route 66 Raceway, taking the provisional No. 1 spot at the 26th annual Gerber Collision & Glass Route 66 NHRA Nationals presented by PEAK.

Jack Beckman (Funny Car), Erica Enders (Pro Stock) and Angie Smith (Pro Stock Motorcycle) are also the provisional No. 1 qualifiers at the sixth of 20 races during the 2026 NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series season.

Kalitta, who is currently second in points behind Kalitta Motorsports teammate Shawn Langdon, went 3.720-seconds at 338.17-mph in his 12,000-horsepower Mac Tools dragster, putting the veteran in line for his second straight No. 1 qualifier this season and the 68th in his career.

He is also after his second victory of the season and first at Route 66 Raceway in 20 years. Kalitta, who has two world titles in the past three years, has three career victories at the standout Chicago facility.

“I was happy to hear that Alan [Johnson, crew chief] was happy on the starting line. That was cool. I was super happy,” Kalitta said. “It was kind of interesting before that run. They put weight on the clutch, and the next thing you know, they’re doing this, doing that so you can kind of tell that they’re hopping it up. It looked like we needed every bit of it because everybody’s running super close.

“This place is a cool place to run. It’s close to home, and we’ve just got a lot of our friends from Michigan here, so, you know, we’re just happy that we have a good run in.”

Rookie sensation Maddi Gordon, who made a pair of 340-mph runs in Valdosta, is second with a strong 3.738 at 334.90 and Billy Torrence’s run of 3.746 at 336.32 has him third. Points leader Shawn Langdon is currently 13th.

Funny Car’s Jack Beckman is on a good path to repeating last year’s win at Route 66 Raceway, making an impressive run of 3.913 at 329.99 in his 12,000-horsepower PEAK Chevrolet SS for John Force Racing.

Beckman performed well at his sponsor’s race a year ago and is off to a good start again in 2026, which bodes well after an early exit two weeks ago in Valdosta. Should that number hold, the past world champion would pick up his first top qualifier of the year and the 34th in his career. He also knows just how important it is to perform well on a weekend like this.

“That last run was entertaining and scary. It was just a handful and it was entertaining. I hope everybody in the stands was half as entertained as I was,” Beckman said.

“I’m just incredibly satisfied that we’ve got some bonus points so far. We’ve made two absolutely solid runs, one in each lane. We have great data. We can now afford to push on Saturday and if we push too hard, that’ll teach us something as well. So, it really just sets us up for a lot more race day success.”

Ron Capps, who has a pair of wins in 2026, is second with a 3.916 at 330.31 and Cruz Pedregon sits third thanks to a 3.920 at 324.59. Points leader J.R. Todd is right behind in fourth with a 3.942 at 332.26. Valdosta winner Jordan Vandergriff sits 16th after his run in the second qualifying session was disqualified due to a pinned parachute.

In Pro Stock, it appears Erica Enders’ early-season struggles are behind her, as motorsports’ winningest female driver put on a show at the site of her first Pro Stock victory, taking the top spot with a standout run of 6.542 at 209.92 in her Johnson’s Horsepowered Garage/Melling Performance/R+L Carriers entry for Elite Motorsports. Should that stay atop the field, the six-time world champion would pick up her first top qualifier since the 2024 season.

It hasn’t been an ideal start for the 50-time national event winner, either, as Enders sits an uncharacteristic seventh in points. Qualifying had been a struggle, but Enders advanced to the semifinals in Valdosta and took another big step on Friday with a pair of strong runs. She has a chance for her 50th Pro Stock win this weekend, which would be meaningful for it to come at the site of her historic first victory in 2012.

“It’s definitely a good feeling and I’m excited,” Enders said. “It’s fun to have the provisional number one after the first session. I’m obviously surprised that we stayed number one, but I honestly don’t think that we’re fast. The (2025) season was extremely rough for our entire organization and ’26 hasn’t started off on the right foot, either, but we’ve been working really hard, and it’s about tenacity and not giving up, and just keep plugging away at it, and that’s what my guys are really good at.

“I love coming here. I’ve been coming here my entire life and embracing it in all different categories, but I remember vividly winning here in 2012 and being in this very press room, and I was talking to the media, and Bob Glidden called my phone and I’ll never forget it. That was so cool because he was my hero and a legend, and that was my first win. It’s been a long, crazy, crazy road, but I think it is serendipitous, and I love racing here. So, I think it would be great if this were the turning point.”

Jeg Coughlin Jr. is second with a 6.543 at 210.21 and Greg Stanfield helped make it a clean sweep for Elite Motorsports in the top three after going 6.549 at 210.11.

Pro Stock Motorcycle’s Angie Smith continues to perform well in qualifying, making the quickest run in both sessions on Friday at Route 66 Raceway, including a 6.738 at 200.17 in the opening session on her Denso Auto Parts Buell.

That puts Smith in a great position to collect her second top qualifier in the first four races of the year, also continuing the dominant start – especially in qualifying – for Matt Smith Racing. Smith and her husband, Matt, who won in Valdosta, have been atop the field at the first three races and it could be a fourth this weekend.

The only thing missing for Angie is a victory, something she would love to change this weekend in Chicago.

“It felt really good,” Smith said. “We went home, and after Valdosta, since we had some time, we took my motor out and freshened it up.

“I knew it was a good run. I did not think that it would hold, just because of Gaige [Herrera], Richard [Gadson] and Matt’s [Smith] success with tracks like this that are fast tracks, but it did, and I’m pretty happy with it. We’ve been working really, really hard. We’ve been working hard on our 60-foot program, because there have been a couple of other people in the class talking a little bit of smack, telling us that we needed to go to work on our 60-foot program.”

Gadson is currently second with a 6.778 at 200.38 and Herrera, who is undefeated at Route 66 Raceway, took third on the first day after a run of 6.784 at 197.94.

Qualifying continues at 12 p.m. CT on Saturday at the Gerber Collision & Glass Route 66 NHRA Nationals presented by PEAK at Route 66 Raceway.

JOLIET, Ill. — Friday’s results after the first two of four rounds of qualifying for the 26th annual Gerber Collision & Glass Route 66 NHRA Nationals presented by PEAK Performance at Route 66 Raceway, sixth of 20 events in the NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series. Qualifying will continue Saturday for Sunday’s final eliminations.

Top Fuel — 1. Doug Kalitta, 3.720 seconds, 338.17 mph; 2. Maddi Gordon, 3.738, 335.32; 3. Billy Torrence, 3.746, 336.32; 4. Tony Stewart, 3.754, 334.40; 5. Leah Pruett, 3.756, 335.15; 6. Shawn Reed, 3.763, 331.36; 7. T.J. Zizzo, 3.774, 331.61; 8. Clay Millican, 3.784, 334.57; 9. Justin Ashley, 3.797, 332.02; 10. Tony Schumacher, 3.817, 330.88; 11. Antron Brown, 3.822, 319.22; 12. Josh Hart, 3.846, 318.47; 13. Shawn Langdon,

4.105, 214.28; 14. Will Smith, 5.109, 136.30; 15. Krista Baldwin, 5.999, 106.18.

Funny Car — 1. Jack Beckman, Chevy Camaro, 3.913, 329.99; 2. Ron Capps, Toyota GR Supra, 3.916, 330.31; 3. Cruz Pedregon, Dodge Charger, 3.920, 324.59; 4. J.R. Todd, GR Supra, 3.942, 332.26; 5. Austin Prock, Ford Mustang, 3.951, 329.50; 6. Chad Green, Mustang, 3.960, 324.05; 7. Blake Alexander, Charger, 3.961, 323.35; 8. Spencer Hyde, Mustang, 3.962, 320.36; 9. Matt Hagan, Charger, 3.964, 330.55; 10. Alexis DeJoria,

Camaro, 3.994, 329.42; 11. Daniel Wilkerson, Mustang, 3.998, 319.90; 12. Dave Richards, Mustang, 4.010, 313.07; 13. Jeff Arend, Charger, 4.045, 313.88; 14. Chris King, Charger, 4.142, 266.79; 15. Justin Schriefer, Charger, 4.574, 195.53; 16. Jordan Vandergriff, Camaro, broke.

Pro Stock — 1. Erica Enders, Chevy Camaro, 6.542, 209.92; 2. Jeg Coughlin, Camaro, 6.543, 210.21; 3. Greg Stanfield, Camaro, 6.549, 210.11; 4. Greg Anderson, Camaro, 6.553, 209.88; 5. Matt Latino, Camaro, 6.558, 210.28; 6. Troy Coughlin Jr., Camaro, 6.558, 209.36; 7. Aaron Stanfield, Camaro, 6.563, 209.82; 8. Deric Kramer, Camaro, 6.570, 209.33; 9. Matt Hartford, Camaro, 6.575, 208.81; 10. Dallas Glenn, Camaro, 6.578,

209.17; 11. Chris Vang, Camaro, 6.585, 208.30; 12. Kenny Delco, Camaro, 6.591, 209.01; 13. Eric Latino, Camaro, 6.593, 209.65; 14. Cody Anderson, Camaro, 6.837, 207.75; 15. Joe Wilczek, Ford Mustang, 6.985, 198.03; 16. Derrick Reese, Mustang, 11.055, 80.54.

Pro Stock Motorcycle — 1. Angie Smith, Buell, 6.738, 200.17; 2. Richard Gadson, Suzuki, 6.778, 200.38; 3. Gaige Herrera, Suzuki, 6.784, 197.94; 4. Ryan Oehler, Buell, 6.787, 196.59; 5. John Hall, Beull, 6.806, 200.47; 6. Matt Smith, Buell, 6.813, 200.38; 7. Chase Van Sant, Suzuki, 6.832, 198.41; 8. Jianna Evaristo, Buell, 6.847, 200.86; 9. Clayton Howey, Suzuki, 6.852, 197.77; 10. Kelly Clontz, Suzuki, 6.863, 195.14; 11. Steve Johnson, Suzuki, 6.872, 195.76; 12. Marc Ingwersen, Buell, 6.919, 194.86; 13. Geno Scali, Suzuki, 6.946, 194.66; 14. Brayden Davis, Buell, 6.956, 167.22; 15. Wesley Wells, Suzuki, 6.999, 190.16.

Kyle Busch wins first Truck pole of 2026 at Dover

By
Andrew Kim
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Kyle Busch Photo by Logan Allen for SpeedwayMedia.com.

Kyle Busch qualified on pole position for the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series’ ECOSAVE 200 at Dover Motor Speedway on Friday, May 15.

The event’s qualifying format consisted of a single round with each of the 36 competitors cycling twice around Dover to post the fastest lap. The competitor who posted the fastest lap within the two qualifying laps was awarded the pole position.

During the session, Busch, who was the fastest competitor in practice before Friday’s qualifying session, clocked in his fastest qualifying lap at 161.740 mph in 22.258 seconds. The lap was enough for Busch to achieve the pole position for Friday afternoon’s primary event over Ty Majeski.

With the pole, Kyle Busch, a two-time Cup Series champion from Las Vegas, Nevada, achieved his 24th Craftsman Truck Series career pole, his second at Dover and his first since Las Vegas Motor Speedway in March 2023. Friday’s event at Dover is scheduled to mark Busch’s fourth of eight Truck events of the 2026 season in the No. 7 Chevrolet Silverado RST entry for Spire Motorsports.

Busch, who is the all-time Truck wins leader at 68, holds the most Truck Series victories at Dover at four, with his latest occurring in 2014. The Truck division returns to compete at Dover for the first time since August 2020 as Busch aims to add another victory to his accomplished Truck resume, with his latest series victory occurring at EchoPark Speedway in mid-February.

Busch will share the front row with Ty Majeski, the latter of whom posted his fastest lap at 161.544 mph, 22.285 seconds. Majeski will start on the front row in a Truck event for a second time this season as he strives to achieve his first victory of the 2026 season, his first at Dover and his first since his championship-winning event at Phoenix Raceway in November 2024.

Giovanni Ruggiero, Kaden Honeycutt and Christopher Bell will start in the top five, respectively. Brandon Jones, Jake Garcia, Ross Chastain, Andres Perez De Lara and Daniel Hemric completed the top-10 starting grid, respectively.

Notably, the following names that include Layne Riggs, Ben Rhodes, Stewart Friesen, Chandler Smith, Mini Tyrrell, Brenden Queen, Carson Hocevar, Grant Enfinger, William Sawalich, Justin Haley, Christian Eckes, Corey LaJoie, Tyler Ankrum and Frankie Muniz will start 11th, 12th, 13th, 14th, 16th, 17th, 18th, 19th, 23rd, 26th, 27th, 28th, 30th and 31st, respectively.

In addition, Clint Bowyer, who is driving Kaulig Racing’s No. 25 ‘Free Agent’ RAM 1500 entry, will start 22nd while Toni Breidinger, Natalie Decker and Dystany Spurlock will start 32nd, 33rd and 34th, respectively. As a result, Breidinger, Decker and Spurlock became the first trio of women to compete in a single event across NASCAR’s top-three national touring series since July 2020. In addition, Spurlock became the first African American female competitor to achieve the feat of racing within NASCAR’s top-three national touring series.

With 36 competitors vying for 36 starting spots, all made the main event.

Dover – Qualifying Position, Best Speed, Best Time:

  1. Kyle Busch, 161.740 mph, 22.258 seconds
  2. Ty Majeski, 161.544 mph, 22.285 seconds
  3. Giovanni Ruggiero, 161.153 mph, 22.339 seconds
  4. Kaden Honeycutt, 161.045 mph, 22.354 seconds
  5. Christopher Bell, 160.865 mph, 22.379 seconds
  6. Brandon Jones, 160.808 mph, 22.387 seconds
  7. Jake Garcia, 160.549 mph, 22.423 seconds
  8. Ross Chastain, 160.514 mph, 22.428 seconds
  9. Andres Perez De Lara, 160.456 mph, 22.436 seconds
  10. Daniel Hemric, 160.414 mp, 22.442 seconds
  11. Layne Riggs, 160.371 mph, 22.448 seconds
  12. Ben Rhodes, 160.256 mph, 22.464 seconds
  13. Stewart Friesen, 160.192 mph, 22.473 seconds
  14. Chandler Smith, 160.164 mph, 22.477 seconds
  15. Cole Butcher, 160.135 mph, 22.481 seconds
  16. Mini Tyrrell, 159.681 mph, 22.545 seconds
  17. Brenden Queen, 159.433 mph, 22.580 seconds
  18. Carson Hocevar, 159.292 mph, 22.600 seconds
  19. Grant Enfinger, 159.236 mph, 22.608 seconds
  20. Parker Eatmon, 159.215 mph, 22.611 seconds
  21. Tanner Gray, 158.940 mph, 22.650 seconds
  22. Clint Bowyer, 158.863 mph, 22.661 seconds
  23. William Sawalich, 158.688 mph, 22.686 seconds
  24. Dawson Sutton, 158.124 mph, 22.767 seconds
  25. Luke Baldwin, 157.743 mph, 22.822 seconds
  26. Justin Haley, 157.598 mph, 22.843 seconds
  27. Christian Eckdes. 157.226 mph, 22.897 seconds
  28. Corey LaJoie, 156.945 mph, 22.938 seconds
  29. Kris Wright, 156.685 mph, 22.976 seconds
  30. Tyler Ankrum, 156.624 mph, 22.985 seconds
  31. Frankie Muniz, 152.762 mph, 23.566 seconds
  32. Toni Breidinger, 152.614 mph, 23.589 seconds
  33. Natalie Decker, 151.944 mph, 23..693 seconds
  34. Dystany Spurlock, 151.764 mph, 23.721 seconds
  35. Spencer Boyd, 150.088 mph, 23.986 seconds
  36. Caleb Costner, 146.663 mph, 24.546 seconds

The 2026 ECOSAVE 200 at Dover Motor Speedway is scheduled to occur on Friday, May 15, at 5 p.m. ET on FS1, NASCAR Racing Network and SiriusXM.

Bronze Star Recipients, NASCAR Hall of Famer Among Dignitaries for Dover NASCAR All-Star Weekend

By
Official Release
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  • Three Dover Air Force Base Airmen recently awarded the Bronze Star Medal to serve as grand marshals.
  • NASCAR on FOX lead announcer Mike Joy to serve as honorary starter.
  • Visit DoverMotorSpeedway.com to order NASCAR tickets and follow all track announcements

DOVER, Del. (May 15, 2026) – Delaware Gov. Matt Meyer, NASCAR Hall of Famer Donnie Allison and Chief Master Sergeant of the Space Force John Bentivegna are among the dignitaries scheduled to participate in pre-race ceremonies for the NASCAR All-Star Race at Dover Motor Speedway on Sunday, May 17.

Serving as grand marshals for the NASCAR All-Star Race are three Airmen from the 436th Airlift Wing at Dover Air Force Base who recently received the Bronze Star Medal from the United States Air Force for meritorious and heroic service during a 12-day war deployment at Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar: Col. Bryan Ellis, Lt. Col. Robert Shuler and Maj. Brandon Gremillion.

NASCAR on FOX lead commentator Mike Joy, recently recognized among the most impactful sports television play-by-play voices of the 21st century, will serve as honorary starter and wave the green flag for the NASCAR All-Star Race.

Governor Meyer will represent the State of Delaware during Sunday’s pre-race ceremonies ahead of the NASCAR All-Star Race.

John Bentivegna is the highest-ranking enlisted member in the U.S. Space Force and oversees the welfare, readiness and morale of more than 15,000 Guardians worldwide. He is scheduled to attend with his wife, Cathy.

Donnie Allison, a member of the famed Alabama Gang, was inducted into the NASCAR Hall of Fame in 2024 a NASCAR ambassador for more than five decades, will be honored during Sunday’s pre-race ceremonies ahead of the NASCAR All-Star Race.

Other VIP’s scheduled to attend the May 15-17 NASCAR All-Star Weekend at The Monster Mile:

  • Phil Hellmuth, 17-time Poker World Champion and BetRivers Ambassador
  • Dan O’Toole, veteran sports bettor and BetRivers Ambassador
  • Kevin Keenan, vice president of engineering for ECOSAVE

See a full list of planned NASCAR All-Star Race dignitaries below:

FRIDAY, MAY 15
ECOSAVE 200 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series Race

Welcoming Remarks: Mike Tatoian, president/general manager, Dover Motor Speedway
Presentation of Colors: Delaware National Guard Joint Color Guard
Invocation: Chaplain William Guy, Delaware Army National Guard
National Anthem: Specialist Shanice Manley, Delaware National Guard
Grand Marshal: Virginia Haskins, ECOSAVE representative, accompanied by Eva Robertson
Honorary Starter: Kevin Keenan, vice president of engineering, ECOSAVE

SATURDAY, MAY 16
BetRivers 200 NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series Race

Welcoming Remarks: Mike Tatoian, president/general manager, Dover Motor Speedway
Presentation of Colors: 436th Airlift Wing Honor Guard from Dover Air Force Base
Invocation: Chaplain Nathan Newman, 512th Airlift Wing, Dover Air Force Base
National Anthem: Airman First Class Diana Antwi-Boasiako, 436 Medical Group, Dover Air Force Base
Grand Marshal: Phil Hellmuth, 17-time Poker World Champion and BetRivers Ambassador
Honorary Starter: Dan O’Toole, veteran sports bettor and BetRivers Ambassador

SUNDAY, MAY 17
NASCAR All-Star Race

Welcoming Remarks: Mike Tatoian, president/general manager, Dover Motor Speedway
Presentation of Colors: The Continental Color Guard from the 3rd U.S. Infantry Regiment (The Old Guard)
Invocation: Chaplain Dan Schafer, Calvary Assembly of God, Hightstown, N.J.
National Anthem: The U.S. Army Fife and Drum Corps from the 3rd U.S. Infantry Regiment (The Old Guard)
Grand Marshals: Col. Bryan Ellis, Lt. Col. Robert Shuler and Maj. Brandon Gremillion, Bronze Star Medal recipients representing the 436th Airlift Wing at Dover Air Force Base
Honorary Starter: Mike Joy

NASCAR TICKETS:
Visit DoverMotorSpeedway.com to purchase tickets for NASCAR All-Star Weekend, explore camping and parking options, or sign up for email updates.

FOLLOW US:
Follow Dover Motor Speedway on Facebook, X, Instagram and TikTok (@MonsterMile) for the latest news and announcements.

Jordan Anderson Racing Bommarito Autosport NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series Race Overview- Dover Motor Speedway

By
Official Release
-

Jordan Anderson Racing Bommarito Autosport
NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series Race Overview-
Dover Motor Speedway; May 16, 2026

Track: Dover Motor Speedway
Race: BetRivers 200
Date/Broadcast: Saturday; May 16, 2026 4:00 P.M. ET
TV: CW Network
Radio: Performance Racing Network (PRN)- Check Local Listings for affiliate, and SiriusXM NASCAR Channel 90
Social Media: Jordan Anderson Racing Bommarito AutoSport; Facebook, Instagram, and X

Chasing the Monster: Jordan Anderson Racing Bommarito Autosport
Ready to Tackle Dover Motor Speedway

Dover, Del. (May 15, 2026) – Jordan Anderson Racing Bommarito Autosport heads to the Monster Mile this weekend for the BetRivers 200 at Dover Motor Speedway, one of the most demanding and unforgiving tracks on the NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series (NOAPS) schedule.

At one mile of high-banked concrete, Dover punishes mistakes instantly. The 24-degrees of banking in the turns generates massive lateral loads, placing enormous stress on the tires, brakes, and chassis alike. Track position becomes critical, along with the ability to manage tire degradation over long green-flag runs that often separates the contenders from the rest of the field. Restarts are equally important as everything can swing dramatically in a matter of laps.

The team will field three Chevrolets this weekend: Jeb Burton in the No. 27 BG Products Chevrolet, Blaine Perkins in the No. 31 Nuthin Fancy Co. Chevrolet, and Andrew Patterson in the No. 32 Bommarito.com Chevrolet.

With setup precision and pit road execution at a premium at the Monster Mile, all three entries will need to be dialed in from the opening laps to remain competitive throughout the race.

Jeb Burton arrives at Dover with a record that speaks for itself. Over his career at the Monster Mile in eight NOAPS starts, Burton has demonstrated consistent front-running capability, establishing himself as one of the stronger performers in the series claiming five top-15 finishes. In the most recent BetRivers 200 in 2025, Burton was running competitively the first half of the race but was ultimately classified 20th when rain halted the race after 134 of 200 scheduled laps. As a result would earn his most disappointing finish at track he has historically excelled at.

This weekend, the No. 27 team comes in focused on capitalizing on the long-run strength that typically sets Burton apart at concrete tracks. Managing tire wear, maintaining position through traffic, and executing cleanly on pit road will be the pillars of their race strategy.

“The concrete here gives you a different kind of feedback,” Burton said,

“And once you get in rhythm, you can really find some time. Last year the rain took away what could have been a solid day. We’re ready to get back at it, and finish what we started and be there when it counts.”

For Burton and the No. 27 team, the outlook at Dover is genuinely encouraging. His familiarity with the track’s demands and the No. 27’s strength on concrete give the team reason to believe a top-15, and potentially a top-10 is within reach if the race goes the distance.

Blaine Perkins returns to Dover having logged meaningful laps at the Monster Mile in two NOAPS starts. In the 2025 BetRivers 200, Perkins came home 32nd in the rain-shortened event, but the result masked the progress the No. 31 team made across the weekend in terms of understanding setup direction and long-run performance.

Dover’s unique concrete surface rewards drivers who can feel balance changes mid-corner and communicate those adjustments clearly to their crew chief, a skill Perkins has been sharpening throughout the 2026 season.

“This place is honest,” Perkins said.

“If the car isn’t right, you know it within a lap. Our focus is to keep building through the race, stay on the lead lap, and put ourselves in position when the field tightens up late. We’ve been improving each week and I feel good about what we’re bringing to Dover.”

The outlook for Perkins and the No. 31 entry centers on clean execution and avoiding the incidents that often collect mid-pack cars in the early stages. If the team can stay patient, keep the car on the lead lap, and take advantage of late-race cautions, a strong finish remains firmly within reach.

Andrew Patterson arrives at Dover for his third NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series start of the 2026 season, bringing a growing body of experience and a steadily sharpened feel for what it takes to compete at this level. A native of Dayton, Ohio, Patterson relocated to Statesville, North Carolina after high school and joined Jordan Anderson Racing as one of the team’s original employees in 2021, starting in teardown before working his way through roles as a mechanic, tire specialist, and interior specialist. That background gave him an intimate understanding of the No. 32 Chevrolet long before he ever climbed behind the wheel competitively.

After building an ARCA Menards Series résumé while working for the team full-time, Patterson claimed a runner-up finish at Salem Speedway in 2025 where he challenged for the win. Patterson has earned his place in the O’Reilly lineup for 2026. His debut at Martinsville and follow-up start at Rockingham both added layers of experience that are paying dividends each week.

“Martinsville and Rockingham were tough but they taught me a lot,” Patterson said.

“I feel like I’m getting a clearer picture every time I strap in. Dover will be a different animal — faster, more technical — but I’ve been putting in the work and I’m ready for it.”

For Patterson, Dover represents another meaningful step in a rookie campaign defined by steady, deliberate growth. The Monster Mile’s concrete surface and high banking will demand more than either of his first two starts, but his accumulated experience combined with years spent understanding the No. 32 from the inside out gives the team genuine reason for optimism. Running clean laps, communicating clearly with his crew, and improving throughout the race is the blueprint heading into the weekend.

As the BetRivers 200 unfolds at the Monster Mile, the key variables will be consistent: tire management across long green-flag runs, track position through pit strategy, and composure on restarts where the concrete surface amplifies the margin between clean runs and contact. Dover has a way of sorting the field quickly, cars that are off on balance get exposed within the first 20 laps, while teams that nail their setup can work their way toward the front regardless of starting position.

With three Chevrolets, a proven veteran, a developing full-time competitor, and a rising driver continuing to build his series résumé, Jordan Anderson Racing Bommarito Autosport heads into the BetRivers 200 with something to prove at every level of the program. The Monster Mile has defined careers. This weekend, all three entries will be looking to make their mark on it.

Bet Rivers 200 from Dover Motor Speedway will be broadcast live on The CW beginning at 4:00 P.M. ET on Saturday afternoon. Radio coverage will be provided by the Performance Racing Network (PRN) and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio, channel 90, with flag-to-flag coverage from Dover, Delaware.

Fans are urged to stay updated thru the weekend via Jordan Anderson Racing Bommarito Autosport Social platforms; Facebook, Twitter, Instagram.

About Jordan Anderson Racing Bommarito Autosport

Jordan Anderson Racing Bommarito Autosport was built from the ground up, fueled by passion, persistence, and a bold vision for what an independent NASCAR team could become. Founded by driver and owner Jordan Anderson, the organization has grown from a grassroots operation hauling a single truck across the country into a competitive multi-car NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series team through a pivotal partnership with St. Louis automotive dealer John Bommarito. Along the way, the team has earned wins, poles, and a reputation for grit, growth, and opportunity within the NASCAR garage. Today, Jordan Anderson Racing Bommarito AutoSport is investing in talent, innovation, and culture to challenge the status quo and build a new kind of racing legacy.

TOYOTA RACING – NCS Dover Quotes – Denny Hamlin – 05.15.26

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Official Release
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TOYOTA RACING – Denny Hamlin
NASCAR Cup Series Quotes

DOVER, Del. (May 15, 2026) – Joe Gibbs Racing driver Denny Hamlin was made available to the media on Friday prior to the NASCAR Cup Series race from Dover Motor Speedway.

DENNY HAMLIN, No. 11 Progressive Insurance Toyota Camry XSE, Joe Gibbs Racing

What have you learned from simulation and what do you think we are going to learn from practice?

“I don’t know that it’ll look a whole lot different for practice, for instance, but we’re not really going to know how different the racetrack is until we see the truck race later on, and then obviously, as our race starts to play out as well. We don’t really know until we get out there. Obviously, the track looks quite a bit darker than what it has in, when it’s clean, typically at this point of the weekend. Looks like all the application, took and applied, and we’re not going to know till we actually do it.”

What would it mean to you to win your second All-Star Race?

“It’s going to be a different challenge and certainly feel like there’s a lot of excitement around it. I don’t think we’ve ever done any kind of invert or anything before. This is going to be different, and anytime you can adapt to something quicker than the next, there’s a sense of satisfaction there, but for us personally, it’s – can we get a grasp on kind of the new aerodynamic package, at tracks where we have went from one to the other this year, we haven’t been our best, I feel like. We think we’ve made some adjustments for that, and hopefully, we’ll learn something from those first two events at Darlington and Bristol, and we’re going to apply what we know here, and hopefully it’ll work.”

What was on the table for potential changes on the car for the All-Star Race that ended up not happening?

“Yeah, some stuff got batted around, but ultimately they were going to try some new splitter stuff, but just didn’t have the manufacturer didn’t do a great job with quality control, and so they wanted to make sure that it was the same for everybody so it’s best to just kind of put a pause on that. I would love to use this race at some point to kind of – have that different package that you can try in a race condition because we try them during tests and you just don’t get the real thing until you get all the cars out there and get them working. Hopefully, it’s on the horizon, and hopefully, eventually we can get the nose of these cars down, the backs of them up, and go racing.”

What things could be done to make the All-Star Race special?

“It’s tough to say. There’s certainly a balance there between kind of novelty and then purest racing. So, it is a little bit different. I haven’t quite a ton of effort into thinking about it to, if I would, maybe have a portion of my brain to have time to think about what could we do to fix the All-Star race or weekend? If it is broke, I don’t know. I just haven’t. I’m sure there’s little things you can do, but obviously we’re going to run 350 laps around here this weekend. I mean, that’s a race. It’s a normal race weekend. We’re going to approach it that way.”

What would be your ideal All-Star format?

“I don’t know. Yeah, I hate to give you an answer that I’d like to change my answer an hour from now if I gave you something, but I don’t know, truthfully, and yeah, I wish I had something.”

How does the resin evolve as more races get run on it?

“I just remember, at Nashville, it just wanted you to keep finding more, which is, why the groove widened out so much. Dover is a track where, historically, the fastest lane is the bottom. If you’re really good and you can work the middle through traffic, you’re going to have a head start. But we all know the Next Gen car needs space, right? It needs wide lanes to put on some of the great racing that we’ve seen. So, I think that I don’t know. I wish I truthfully did know, I would be better prepared coming into the weekend. I’m setting up as if – the bottom’s the way to go, and the feel that I need to have is the same as I had last year, regardless of anything else, that might change two hours from now. I’ll adapt if that’s the case, but I think the truck race probably could be a little bit telling of maybe what we might want or see. I’m looking in the trucks, like just in qualifying here, there’s not a lot of trucks hitting the bottom, and so, is it because it’s grippier up? So typically, here at the track, the darker the part of the racetrack, the slicker it is. It looks like they’re deliberately running in the dark. So, that’s just kind of some of the nuances that – I’m going to sit a little bit of this practice, watch for a little while, and see what it is, and then go approach it from there.”

Can you tell us how impactful it is for 23XI to be up for an award amongst other sports teams next week?

“Yeah, I mean, it’s a big honor and obviously to get the attention of those who nominate, whoever that might be. It is big, and it’s always been our goal is to win on and off the track. We’ve, from the very beginning, we’ve said we’ve wanted to be game changers in the sport and do things a little differently. We had a chance to start a team from scratch; how do you start it? How do you run it? We’ve just tried to create a culture around that place that has been very, very low turnover. I just think that it’s a testament to the people that we’ve put in place. Again, it’s the puzzle that I’ve always talked about, right? My job was to put the big pieces of the puzzle in there and then let them fill out the small pieces to finish the thing off. It’s more of a testament to the people that we have. Me and Michael (Jordan, co-owner, 23XI Racing) get the credit for it, but truthfully, a lot of people have put a lot of effort into it. I mean, everyone from the HR department – they make sure everyone’s experience being with this team is a really, really good one. We go above and beyond, and that was our goal from the very beginning, and it’s great to see it getting recognized.”

Do you feel like your team is a disrupter? When you set down and think about certain things, do you target doing differently than everyone else?

“Not deliberately, and I think that a lot of the legacy teams do a lot of things right. They’ve gotten to this point and been as successful as they are because they found the right way to do it. What’s different about us is that I think that we, lots of times, hire from out of the sport, so people that are coming into the sport for the first time that say in Germany, we don’t do that. When we race over here, we try things this way. We do things this way. So, it just opens up a lot of different questions for us when we are able to hire outside of NASCAR itself, and attract those people to give us new ideas, and sometimes, the answer is what the legacy teams have been doing for such a long time. They found a way to hone it in. Sponsorship and hospitality and all that stuff, that’s still an evolving process of our team and how we want to do it and we’re still working on it and figuring it out. But when we finally do make the next move, it will be because it’s very thought out, and we figure that this is the best way for us, regardless of what landscape has been before us.”

Does having everyone on track for a portion of the All-Star Race take away from the original intent of the All-Star Race?

“No, I mean, it has. I mean, my kind of the knee jerk when I saw it was like, if we’re all going to be racing on Sunday, is it really that special? So, I think it does take away a little bit. I mean, surely it does. Now, they’re going to whittle it down but, yes, I think that taking that many open cars, and again, we’ve expanded it. We went through a swing there in the last 15 years of like, it’s strict, it’s only this, and then it’s this plus this. Now this plus this, plus this. Oh, now, now it’s not just the winner. Now it’s first and second place. Like, we just kept expanding it and we did it with the Playoffs and the Chase and everything. So just trying to be more inclusive of everyone, and so with that, yes, of course, it dilutes a little bit of the feeling of prestige.”

How tuned in will you be on the average finish portion for the main event?

“I’ll just kind of know in my head, right? I’m going to know where I start. Do I gain or lose positions? When I get flipped, do I gain or lose positions, right? The goal, obviously, if I get flipped, I should be gaining positions. So, I think it’s pretty simple for my standpoint. Go get all the spots that you can, and I mean, so it is pretty straightforward in the sense that like there is no laying back in any one of the 75 (lap) segments. It’s my job is to get every spot that I can, and the math will work itself out, and certainly, I think if I can put myself somewhere in the top four to five within that, to get to the last segment, I think I’ll be in a good spot.”

About Toyota

Toyota (NYSE:TM) has been a part of the cultural fabric in North America for nearly 70 years, and is committed to advancing sustainable, next-generation mobility through our Toyota and Lexus brands, plus our more than 1,800 dealerships.

Toyota directly employs nearly 64,000 people in North America who have contributed to the design, engineering, and assembly of over 50 million cars and trucks at our 14 manufacturing plants. In 2025, Toyota’s plant in North Carolina began to assemble automotive batteries for electrified vehicles.

For more information about Toyota, visit www.ToyotaNewsroom.com.

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