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Modern Car Problems Drivers Should Not Ignore

By
SM
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Photo by depositphotos at https://depositphotos.com/

Modern vehicles are more advanced than ever before. Today’s cars rely on sophisticated electronics, intelligent sensors, onboard computers, and complex communication systems to improve performance, efficiency, and safety. While these technologies provide major benefits for drivers, they also introduce a new generation of automotive problems that should never be ignored.

Many modern vehicle issues begin with subtle warning signs that drivers often overlook until the problem becomes expensive or difficult to repair. What may initially appear to be a small electronic irregularity can quickly evolve into major mechanical or electrical failure if left unresolved.

Understanding the most common modern car problems can help drivers protect their vehicles, avoid costly repairs, and maintain long-term reliability.

Check Engine Lights Are More Important Than Ever:

One of the most commonly ignored warning signs in modern vehicles is the check engine light. Many drivers continue operating their vehicles for weeks or even months after the warning appears because the car still seems to drive normally.

However, modern onboard diagnostic systems continuously monitor dozens of critical engine and electronic functions. The check engine light may indicate:

  • Sensor malfunctions
  • Ignition irregularities
  • Fuel system problems
  • Emissions failures
  • Electronic communication errors
  • Timing inconsistencies
  • Airflow issues

In many cases, the vehicle detects these abnormalities long before noticeable performance symptoms appear.

Ignoring warning lights can eventually damage expensive components such as catalytic converters, fuel injectors, ignition systems, or electronic control modules.

Electronic Sensor Failures:

Modern vehicles depend heavily on sensors to regulate engine operation, fuel delivery, braking systems, emissions control, and transmission performance.

Common sensors include:

  • Oxygen sensors
  • Mass airflow sensors
  • Crankshaft position sensors
  • ABS wheel sensors
  • Coolant temperature sensors
  • Camshaft sensors

When one sensor begins malfunctioning, it can affect multiple vehicle systems simultaneously. Drivers may experience:

  • Rough idle
  • Reduced fuel economy
  • Poor acceleration
  • Hard starting
  • Transmission irregularities
  • Increased emissions

Because these issues often develop gradually, drivers may not immediately recognize the seriousness of the problem.

ECU and Computer System Problems:

The Engine Control Unit (ECU) acts as the brain of the vehicle. It processes data from numerous sensors and controls engine timing, fuel injection, emissions systems, ignition performance, and electronic communication between modules.

Modern vehicles may contain multiple interconnected control units responsible for:

  • Engine management
  • Transmission control
  • Stability systems
  • Airbags
  • Infotainment
  • Climate control
  • Driver assistance systems

Software glitches, communication failures, or voltage irregularities can create symptoms that appear unrelated or inconsistent.

In some cases, simple electronic issues can mimic serious mechanical failures, making accurate diagnostics extremely important.

Battery and Charging System Issues:

Modern vehicles place far greater electrical demands on charging systems than older cars. Advanced infotainment systems, driver assistance technologies, electric steering, sensors, and onboard computers all depend on stable voltage.

Weak batteries or charging irregularities may trigger:

  • Random warning lights
  • Starting difficulties
  • Sensor communication errors
  • ECU instability
  • Reduced electronic performance

Many drivers replace batteries repeatedly without addressing underlying charging system problems.

Transmission and Electronic Shifting Problems:

Electronic transmissions have improved fuel efficiency and driving comfort, but they are also more dependent on software calibration and sensor accuracy.

Drivers should never ignore:

  • Delayed shifting
  • Jerking during acceleration
  • Gear slipping
  • Sudden RPM fluctuations
  • Warning messages
  • Transmission hesitation

These symptoms may indicate:

  • Transmission sensor failure
  • Software communication problems
  • Fluid pressure irregularities
  • Internal wear

Early diagnosis often prevents far more expensive repairs later.

Cooling System Failures:

Modern engines operate within extremely narrow temperature ranges. Cooling system problems can rapidly damage engines if ignored.

Common cooling-related issues include:

  • Coolant leaks
  • Faulty thermostats
  • Cooling fan failure
  • Water pump problems
  • Sensor inaccuracies

Overheating may eventually lead to:

  • Head gasket failure
  • Engine warping
  • Internal engine damage
  • Reduced lubrication efficiency

Even intermittent temperature spikes should be inspected immediately.

Why Modern Diagnostics Matter:

Today’s vehicles require far more advanced diagnostic procedures than older mechanical systems. Visual inspection alone is often insufficient for identifying hidden electronic or sensor-related problems.

Professional automotive repair specialists now rely heavily on advanced diagnostic systems to identify hidden electronic issues before they worsen. Modern scanning tools allow technicians to analyze:

  • Live sensor data
  • ECU communication
  • Electronic faults
  • Fuel trim behavior
  • Ignition timing
  • System voltage stability
  • Transmission performance

This level of analysis helps identify developing issues before major failures occur.

Small Electronic Problems Can Escalate Quickly:

One of the biggest misconceptions about modern vehicles is assuming that electronic problems are minor inconveniences. In reality, software and sensor irregularities can trigger chain reactions across multiple vehicle systems.

For example:

  • Incorrect sensor data may damage fuel efficiency
  • Voltage irregularities may disrupt ECU communication
  • Cooling sensor failures may lead to overheating
  • Ignition misfires may damage catalytic converters

As systems become more interconnected, small faults can produce increasingly expensive consequences.

Preventive Diagnostics Save Money:

Preventive maintenance and routine diagnostics are among the most effective ways to reduce long-term repair costs in modern vehicles.

Regular diagnostic inspections help:

  • Detect hidden faults early
  • Prevent major breakdowns
  • Improve fuel efficiency
  • Maintain engine performance
  • Protect electronic systems
  • Extend vehicle lifespan

Vehicles that receive proactive diagnostics typically remain more reliable and experience fewer unexpected failures.

Warning Signs Drivers Should Never Ignore:

Drivers should seek professional diagnostics immediately if they notice:

  • Check engine lights
  • Electronic warning messages
  • Rough idle
  • Hard starting
  • Poor fuel economy
  • Electrical irregularities
  • Transmission hesitation
  • Temperature fluctuations
  • Random dashboard warnings

Even intermittent symptoms may indicate developing electronic or mechanical problems.

The Future of Automotive Technology:

As vehicles continue evolving, automotive systems will become even more dependent on electronics, software integration, and intelligent diagnostics. Hybrid systems, electric vehicles, advanced driver assistance systems, and connected vehicle technologies all require highly specialized maintenance and diagnostics.

Understanding how these systems operate — and recognizing early warning signs — will become increasingly important for drivers who want to maintain long-term reliability and performance.

Final Thoughts:

Modern vehicles provide incredible technological advancements, but they also introduce more complex mechanical and electronic challenges. Ignoring early warning signs such as check engine lights, electronic faults, transmission hesitation, or sensor irregularities can eventually lead to severe and expensive repairs.

Advanced diagnostics and preventive maintenance allow technicians to identify hidden problems before they escalate into major failures. By addressing modern car problems early, drivers can improve reliability, reduce repair costs, and protect the long-term health of their vehicles.

In today’s automotive world, proactive diagnostics are no longer optional — they are essential.

Justin Allgaier outmuscles Brent Crews for third O’Reilly victory at Nashville.

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

Justin Allgaier snapped a two-month winless drought and prevailed in a late battle with Brent Crews to win the Sports Illustrated Resorts 250 at Nashville Superspeedway on Saturday, May 30.

The 2024 NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series champion from Riverton, Illinois, led three times for 50 of 188-scheduled laps. Allgaier started in 17th place based on a random draw. He then motored his way to a third-place result at the conclusion of the first stage period. After outdueling Jesse Love to win the second stage period, Allgaier briefly lost the lead due to a slow pit service during the second stage’s break period, but he quickly bolted his way back towards the front at the start of the final stage period. Then, during a late cycle of green flag pit stops, Allgaier, who pitted from the runner-up spot with 43 laps remaining, trailed the leader, Brent Crews, as the pit stops cycled.

As the laps dwindled, Allgaier managed to drag-race and spend the next several laps engaging in a fierce battle with Crews for the lead. Once Allgaier cleared Crews with 15 laps remaining, he never looked back as he built his advantage over Crews to more than a second in the closing laps, and when the checkered flag flew, with the veteran JR Motorsports driver notching his fourth O’Reilly Auto Parts Series victory of the 2026 and his third in Music City in Lebanon, Tennessee.

The event’s starting lineup was determined using a qualifying metric formula after on-track qualifying was canceled due to inclement weather. As a result, Jesse Love, the reigning O’Reilly Auto Parts Series champion, was awarded the pole position, and he shared the front row with teammate Austin Hill. Before the event, Parker Retzlaff dropped to the rear of the field due to an engine change after he lost his primary one during Saturday’s practice. Garrett Smithley, Sheldon Creed and Brandon Jones all dropped to the rear of the field due to unapproved adjustments that were made to their respective entries.

When the green flag waved and the event commenced, teammates Jesse Love and Austin Hill dueled for the lead through the first two turns until Love used the inside lane to motor his No. 2 Whelen Aerospace Technologies Chevrolet Camaro entry ahead and clear Hill entering the backstretch. Hill was then locked in a side-by-side duel with Corey Day for the runner-up spot throughout the remaining two turns while Love led the first lap.

Over the next four laps, Love stretched his early advantage to more than a second over Day as Day prevailed in his side-by-side duel with Hill for the runner-up spot by the fourth lap. Love proceeded to stabilize his lead to more than a second over Day at the lap 10 mark while Hill, Carson Kvapil, William Sawalich and Kyle Larson trailed by within three seconds in the top-six mark, respectively. Behind, Ryan Sieg, Justin Allgaier, Sammy Smith and Dean Thompson were racing in the top 10 ahead of Anthony Alfredo, Jeb Burton, Leland Honeyman Jr., Taylor Gray and Patrick Staropoli while Brent Crews, Blaine Perkins, Sam Mayer, Kyle Sieg and Austin Green rounded out the top 20 over Jeremy Clements, Parker Retzlaff, Brandon Jones, Sheldon Creed and Rajah Caruth, respectively.

Through the first 20 scheduled laps, Love extended his advantage to more than three seconds over Day while third-place Hill trailed by more than four seconds. Behind, Kvapil, Larson and Sawalich trailed by five seconds in the top-six mark while Justin Allgaier, who started 17th, was up to seventh in front of Ryan Sieg, Sammy Smith and Thompson. Love added another second to his advantage as he led by four seconds over Day at the Lap 30 mark while Hill continued to trail in third place by five seconds. Meanwhile, teammates Kvapil, Larson and Allgaier fiercely battled for fourth place in front of Sawalich while their fourth teammate, Sammy Smith, remained in ninth place between Ryan Sieg and Thompson.

When the first stage period concluded on Lap 45, Love cruised to his third O’Reilly stage victory of the 2026 season. Day followed suit in second as he trailed by nearly six seconds, while Allgaier, Hill, Larson, Kvapil, Sawalich, Ryan Sieg, Sammy Smith and Brent Crews were scored in the top 10, respectively. By then, 28 of 38 starters were scored on the lead lap while Logan Bearden outdueled Cleetus McFarland to be the first competitor scored a lap down and be awarded the free pass from 29th place. Meanwhile, McFarland plummeted to 36th place after he spun to the bottom of the track in Turns 3 and 4 while trying to claim the free pass berth over Bearden.

Under the event’s first stage break period, nearly the entire lead lap field led by Love pitted for the first time of the event while JJ Yeley remained on the track. Following the pit stops, Love exited pit road first, and he was followed by Allgaier, Kvapil, Hill, Day, Sawalich, Larson, Ryan Sieg, Sammy Smith and Crews, respectively. Yeley eventually pitted prior to the start of the second stage period, which allowed Love to cycle back as the leader.

The second stage period started on Lap 53 as Love and Allgaier occupied the front row. At the start, Love and Allgaier dueled for the lead through the first two turns before Love used the inside lane to motor ahead and clear the field for a second consecutive time. As the field fanned out and jostled for spots, Love fended off Allgaier to lead the next lap before the latter dueled and overtook the former from the backstretch to assume the lead for the 55th lap. Behind, Larson was shuffled back to 10th place after he got sideways and aggressively battled Hill from Turns 3 and 4 through the frontstretch before Hill bumped Larson to express his displeasure over the aggressive racing. Amid the aggressive racing, Kvapil, Day and Sawalich were racing in the top five ahead of Crews, Sammy Smith, Retzlaff, Ryan Sieg and Mayer. Meanwhile, Larson and Hill were mired in 11th and 15th, respectively, while Allgaier maintained his lead to four-tenths of a second by Lap 60.

At the Lap 70 mark, Allgaier stabilized his lead to two-tenths of a second over a hard-charging Love while Kvapil, Sawalich, Day, Crews, Mayer, Retzlaff, Larson and Ryan Sieg trailed in the top-10 mark, respectively. Love then dueled beneath Allgaier through the frontstretch on Lap 75 before he used the first two turns and the inside lane to reassume the lead and lead the next lap. Allgaier kept Love’s rear bumper close within his sights through every turn and straightaway, but the latter maintained the top spot by a mere two-tenths of a second just past the Lap 80 mark.

Then on Lap 85 and with the leaders mired in lapped traffic, Allgaier dueled and overtook Love through the frontstretch to return atop the leaderboard. Love, though, crossed over and quickly reassumed the lead before both then swapped the lead over the next handful of laps. Amid the battle, Allgaier prevailed before both he and Love dueled through the frontstretch to start the final lap of the second stage period, when Allgaier briefly slipped up the track through Turns 3 and 4. Love then missed his mark through the first two turns and Allgaier motored ahead of Love entering the backstretch.

When the second stage period concluded on Lap 90, Justin Allgaier fended off Love to capture his sixth O’Reilly stage victory of the 2026 season. Love settled in second ahead of Kvapil, Sawalich, Crews, Day, Mayer, Retzlaff, Larson and Ryan Sieg, respectively, while 28 of 38 starters were scored on the lead lap. During the event’s second stage break period, the lead lap field led by Allgaier returned to pit road for service. Following the pit stops, Love exited pit road first ahead of teammate Kvapil, Sawalich and Crews, while Allgaier, who endured a slow pit service on the right-front tire area, dropped to fifth. Day, Jones, Larson, Mayer and Sammy Smith followed suit, respectively.

With 89 laps remaining, the final stage period commenced as Love and Kvapil occupied the front row in front of Sawalich, Crews, Allgaier and Day. At the start, the field fanned out as Love motored ahead with the lead through the first two turns. Behind, Allgaier executed a bold three-wide move to drive from fifth to second entering the backstretch. As Allgaier maintained the runner-up spot over Crews, Love led the next lap while Kvapil dropped to fourth in front of Day, Sawalich, Jones, Larson, Taylor Gray and Sammy Smith. Larson then barely saved his entry from spinning after he got loose beneath Jones through Turns 3 and 4. Despite his save, Larson dropped to 14th place as Love led by nine-tenths of a second over a duel between Allgaier and Crews with 85 laps remaining.

Down to the final 75 laps of the event, Love was leading by less than four-tenths of a second over a hard-charging Crew. Love, however, was reporting a potential loose wheel to his entry. Five laps later, Crews used the outside lane to draw even with Love and then assume the lead through the first two turns. Crews spent the next two laps stretching his advantage to more than a second over Love while third-place Allgaier trailed runner-up Love by seven-tenths of a second. Love then pitted under green to have his loose wheel addressed with 67 laps remaining. By the time he returned to the track, he lost a lap to the leaders and was scored in 29th place in the leaderboard. Meanwhile, Crews continued to lead by more than two seconds over Allgaier and Day with 65 laps remaining.

As the event reached its final 50-lap mark, Crews, who had maintained a steady lead over the previous 15 laps, continued to lead by three-and-a-half seconds over Allgaier while Day and Sawalich trailed by four seconds in third and fourth, respectively. Behind, Mayer trailed in fifth place by five seconds while Jones, Gray, Kvapil, Larson and Sammy Smith were scored in the top 10, respectively. Meanwhile, Love was pinned as the second competitor a lap down in 29th place, and teammate Hill was a single spot outside the top-10 mark on the track while Crews retained the top spot by more than three seconds with 45 laps remaining.

With 46 laps remaining, a late cycle of green-flag pit stops commenced as Sammy Smith and Harrison Burton pitted their respective entries. Kvapil, Retzlaff, Dean Thompson, Jeb Burton, Gray and Anthony Alfredo all pitted during the next three laps. Justin Allgaier pitted from the runner-up spot with 43 laps remaining. The leader, Crews, then pitted a lap later along with Day, Sawalich, Mayer, Larson, Creed, Blaine Perkins, Logan Bearden and Brennan Poole. Amid the pit stops, Crews managed to cycle back on the track ahead of Allgaier while Hill, who was among a handful of competitors who had yet to pit, was leading with 40 laps remaining.

Once Hill, Ryan Sieg and Patrick Staropoli pitted their respective entries under green, Crews cycled back as the leader with 38 laps remaining. Crews proceeded to lead by one-and-a-half seconds over Allgaier with 35 laps remaining while Mayer and Day fiercely battled for fourth place behind Sawalich. Both Crews and Allgaier would then encounter heavy lapped traffic over the next five laps as Allgaier narrowed the deficit to be within seven-tenths of a second behind Crews with 30 laps remaining.

Down to the final 25 laps of the event, Crews, who navigated his way through a majority of lapped traffic, continued to lead by six-tenths of a second over a hard-charging Allgaier. Crews, who lapped Lavar Scott and was reeling in to lap Jeremy Clements, had his advantage decreased to two-tenths of a second over Allgaier with 20 laps remaining.

A lap later, Justin Allgaier got beneath Crews, and both dueled through the frontstretch before Allgaier used the inside lane to motor ahead through the first two turns. Crews then executed a crossover move to draw even with Allgaier through the backstretch, and both continued to duel during the next lap, with Crews almost getting into Allgaier’s left rear and both fiercely battling dead even. Then, as both navigated past the lapped competitor of Ryan Ellis, Allgaier briefly cleared Crews through the first two turns before Crews slightly ran into the rear of Allgaier to draw even through Turns 3 and 4. Amid their fierce duel and Crews’ persistent challenges, Allgaier then managed to clear and slightly pull his No. 7 BRANDT/Trademark Nitrogen Chevrolet Camaro entry away from Crews’ No. 19 Younglife Toyota Supra entry by a tenth of a second with 15 laps remaining.

With 10 laps remaining, Justin Allgaier, who started to reel in Clements and was trying to lap him, was leading by seven-tenths of a second over Crews. Allgaier managed to lap Clements two laps later and grow his lead to a second over Crews with five laps remaining.

When the white flag waved and the final lap started, Allgaier remained in the lead by more than a second over Crews. With both competitors free from lapped traffic and Crews unable to reel him in for a final-lap charge, Allgaier was able to smoothly navigate through Nashville Superspeedway for a final time before he cycled back to the frontstretch and claimed the checkered flag by more than a second over Crews.

With the victory, Allgaier, who led 50 laps, achieved his fourth NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series victory of the 2026 season. It was his third at Nashville Superspeedway and his second in a row at the track in recent years. It was also the 32nd of his career, which moves him into sole possession of sixth place on the all-time wins list. Allgaier’s Nashville victory was also the 14th O’Reilly victory of this season for the Chevrolet manufacturer and the 10th for JR Motorsports, with Allgaier achieving his 29th as the driver of the No. 7 Chevrolet entry for JR Motorsports.

Allgaier
Photo by Logan Allen for SpeedwayMedia.com.

“First of all, it’s been a rough couple of weeks,” Allgaier, who dedicated his victory to the family of the late two-time NASCAR Cup Series champion Kyle Busch and to Busch, said on the frontstretch on the CW Network. “It’s been an emotional couple of weeks. This [No. 7] team right here, they’re incredible. To win at Nashville, you fans, this place is electric. I love coming to Nashville. I saw Brent [Crews] struggling out that green flag pit stop, and I knew that we had a car that was capable of getting there. We struggled on that one run. [Crew chief] Andrew [Overstreet] made some great calls, and we got ourselves back in the game. [I] Was able to track [Crews] down and get the win…Just so proud of this team. Wins are understated. It’s a good night.”

Rookie Brent Crews, who led 45 laps, tied his career-best result by settling in second place after he was in a position to achieve his first O’Reilly victory. Amid the disappointment, Crews was left pleased with contending against Allgaier for the victory. With his fifth top-five result through 12 starts of the 2026 O’Reilly season, Crews trails the top-12 cutline to be in Chase contention by 12 points.

“Man, the positive was that I thought we were gonna win that race,” Crew said. “[I’m] Happy for our [No. 19] guys. It turned out to be a beautiful day. Throughout the day, it was not looking nice, but got to start 33rd and work our way up to the lead and lead a lot of laps. I got to race one of the best guys in the series and of all-time in this series for the win there on the last few laps. Couldn’t ask for much more other than to beat him. Just fought really loose there at the end after we put on that last set of tires. Not sure what that was, but that was probably the most fun I’ve had in a race not winning. It’s a positive from tonight.”

William Sawalich came home in third place for his fourth top-five result of the 2026 season, while Sam Mayer and Brandon Jones finished in the top five. Corey Day settled in sixth place ahead of teammate Carson Kvapil, while Kyle Larson, Taylor Gray and Sammy Smith completed the top 10 in the final running order.

Notably, Jesse Love, who led a race-high 87 laps and never recovered from his late unscheduled green flag pit stop to have a loose wheel addressed. He cycled back on the lead lap but ended up in 16th place. Teammate Cleetus McFarland, who spun while trying to enter pit road under green in the closing laps, finished in 35th place in his second O’Reilly career start.

There were 12 lead changes for six different leaders. The event featured two cautions for 15 laps. In addition, 17 of 38 starters finished on the lead lap.

Following the 16th event of the 2026 NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series season, Justin Allgaier continues to lead the standings by 179 points over Jesse Love, 196 over Corey Day, 238 over Sheldon Creed and 258 over Brandon Jones.

Results:

  1. Justin Allgaier, 50 laps led, Stage 2 winner
  2. Brent Crews, 45 laps led
  3. William Sawalich
  4. Sam Mayer
  5. Brandon Jones, one lap led
  6. Corey Day
  7. Carson Kvapil
  8. Kyle Larson
  9. Taylor Gray
  10. Sammy Smith
  11. Austin Hill led for two laps
  12. Parker Retzlaff
  13. Ryan Sieg led two laps
  14. Dean Thompson
  15. Sheldon Creed
  16. Jesse Love, 87 laps led, Stage 1 winner
  17. Anthony Alfredo
  18. Jeremy Clements, one lap down
  19. Rajah Caruth, one lap down
  20. Blaine Perkins, one lap down
  21. Brennan Poole, one lap down
  22. Leland Honeyman Jr., one lap down
  23. Jeb Burton, one lap down
  24. Kyle Sieg, one lap down
  25. Patrick Staropoli, one lap down
  26. Logan Bearden, two laps down
  27. Harrison Burton, two laps down
  28. Mason Maggio, two laps down
  29. Ryan Ellis, three laps down
  30. Austin Green, three laps down
  31. Lavar Scott, four laps down
  32. Josh Bilicki, four laps down
  33. Garrett Smithley, four laps down
  34. Dawson Cram, five laps down
  35. Cleetus McFarland, six laps down
  36. Joey Gase, nine laps down
  37. David Starr – OUT, Suspension
  38. JJ Yeley – OUT, Rear end

Next on the 2026 NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series schedule is Pocono Raceway in Long Pond, Pennsylvania, for the MillerTech Battery 250. The event is scheduled to occur on June 13 and air at 4 p.m. ET on the CW Network, MRN Radio and SiriusXM.

Aaron Reutzel Rebounds to win High Limit Race at Butler Speedway

By
Briar Starr
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Photo Credit: High Limit Racing

After flipping upside down and losing the championship points lead the night before, Aaron Reutzel and the Ridge and Sons No. 87 team rebounded to a thrilling win at Butler Speedway Saturday night.

32 Sprint Cars were signed in for the Interstate Batteries High Limit Racing race at Butler Speedway. Third consecutive year in a row since 2024 that the series has raced here.

Friday night’s winner, Rico Abreu, came into the race as the new championship points leader by 15 points after the previous championship leader, Aaron Reutzel, wrecked out last night following contact with Tanner Thorson in the A-main.

Fan favorite, Tyler Courtney, better known as “Sunshine,” has had great success at this track. He won the All Stars event back in 2023, got on the High Limit podium in 2024, and secured a top-five finish in 2025.

There were four heat races with the top five transferring to the A-main. In the first heat race, Tanner Holmes took the checkered flag with Zach Devault, Giovanni Scelzi, Brent Marks, and Hank Davis rounding out the five transfers. Courtney took the second heat with Rico Abreu, Parker Price-Miller, Sye Lynch, and Darren Dryden, the top five. For the third heat, Danny Sams III brought home the checkers with Brenham Crouch, Chase Randall, Daison Pursley, and Aaron Reutzel.

Finally, in the fourth and final heat race, Justin Peck won with Thorson, Kerry Madsen, Darin Naida, and Brad Lamberson transferring to the finale.

Going to the seven-lap dash were Holmes, Marks, Courtney, Lynch, Sams III, Reutzel, Peck, and Thorson to determine the pole position for the 30-lap A-main. The dash winner went to Thorson, who would start on the pole with Reutzel, Courtney, Marks, and Lynch rounding out the top five.

Following the dash event, the series went straight into the 12-lap B-main, and was won by Jason Blonde. Blonde was followed by Max Stambaugh, Dustin Daggett, and Thomas Schinderle, who would all make up the final few spots in the A feature.

Ironically enough, the front row was made up of Thorson and Reutzel. The same two drivers who made contact with each other on Friday night. Those two led the field to green down into Turn 1 to begin the feature. Thorson took the lead away from Reutzel on the backstretch on Lap 1, as the green flag flew. However, Reutzel made up ground and passed Thorson back on the backstretch with 25 laps to go, momentarily.

Thorson took the lead back from Reutzel right before the start/finish line, and therefore never technically lost the lead. Shortly thereafter, Courtney passed Reutzel for second and set his sights on the race leader, Reutzel. The lap cars began holding up the leader, Thorson, which allowed Courtney to close in rapidly.

At 12 laps to go, the race leader, Thorson, broke on the fronstretch allowing Reutzel to take the lead. Despite Thorson breaking, there was no caution, and Reutzel took the lead with Marks and Courtney rounding out the top three. Despite not being able to get around the lap cars, Reutzel was able to hold on and take home his sixth win of the 2026 season.

“That’s just my team I have behind me,” Reutzel said to Flo Racing in victory lane. “It was a long day. Last night junked everything. My motor, front end, rear end, engine plate. We had the car down to the chassis and rebuilt it. It was just a long day. It’s just a true testament to this team. We put our heads down and went back to work, and it paid off.

“It’s awesome. No one can say we lucked into that one tonight. We got into (Turn) 3 and passed Tanner (Thorson). I made a mistake, got back by Sunshine (Tyler Courtney) and ran Tanner back down. I don’t know what happened to him, but tonight, our team was just that good. This win is for them. They busted their asses today for sure and got us back where we needed to be. Like I said, it’s a true testament to this team that we’ve been doing it all year. They proved themselves today, that’s for damn sure.”

To note, the victory was Reutzel’s 13th career High Limit Racing and retook the championship points standings from Abreu.

Marks came home in the runner-up spot after starting in the fourth position.

“I know we didn’t win the race, but it sure as hell feels like we did,” Marks said to Flo Racing. “After our season so far, this feels like a win to us. This was a great night. I didn’t get that great of a dash draw, but we went from seventh to fourth there and made up some ground. These races are about starting in that vicinity of the front row, there, and just kind of hanging around, and letting the race work out.

“I felt like we did that and got held up with some lap cars there a little bit. I had a decent shot there at Aaron (Reutzel), one point in the race. The lap cars just didn’t work in my favor there. It would’ve been great to give it a shot. We were right there and in the hunt. The track had literally no grip to it. Really dirty and dusty. We had a great night and just proud of this team.”

Tyler Courtney rounded out the podium finishers in the third spot.

“I think we were a little bit better than what we finished,” Courtney told Flo Racing. “We were fading there at the end, and Aaron definitely had the car to beat. I felt like we were really good there out front and just started fading there. To be on the podium here and to be disappointed about third and fifth last night is a change of pace from where we had been the past couple of months.

“Excited that our Nos Energy Drink, Spire Motorsports car is heading in the right direction and we’ll just build on this podium, and keep going. We were in contention with running with the 87 (Aaron Reutzel) and the 88 (Tanner Thorson) at the beginning of the race. Those are the two best guys on tour all season, and Aaron has been badass everywhere. To be on pace with them, I felt like, with most of the features, that’s a huge step in the right direction and we’ll just keep building on it.

Official Race Results Following Butler Speedway

  1. Aaron Reutzel
  2. Brent Marks
  3. Tyler Courtney
  4. Sye Lynch
  5. Zane DeVault
  6. Justin Peck
  7. Tanner Holmes
  8. Danny Sams III
  9. Chase Randall
  10. Brenham Crouch
  11. Rico Abreu
  12. Giovanni Scelzi
  13. Kerry Madsen
  14. Daison Purlsey
  15. Darin Naida
  16. Parker Price-Miller
  17. Hank Davis
  18. Darren Dryden
  19. Brad Lamberson
  20. Thomas Schinderle
  21. Jason Blonde
  22. Tanner Thorson
  23. Dustin Daggett
  24. Max Stambaugh

Up Next – The High Limit Racing Series takes a night off before returning to action on Monday night at Davenport Speedway, live on Flo Racing.

TOYOTA RACING – NCS Nashville Quotes – Denny Hamlin – 05.30.26

By
Official Release
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TOYOTA RACING – Denny Hamlin
NASCAR Cup Series Quotes

LEBANON, Tenn. (May 30, 2026) – Joe Gibbs Racing driver Denny Hamlin, who will be starting from the pole on Sunday night, was made available to the media on Saturday following NASCAR Cup Series practice from Nashville Superspeedway.

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

Did the package feel as expected during practice today?

“No real surprise, just obviously slower corner speeds than we’ve been running here. The typical getting used to for that. But nothing too surprising. We’ll see what happens tomorrow when the track widens out, which it should.”

Did you guys look back at the end of the race at Charlotte from last week and think there might have been a better way to handle that?

“Yeah, if either one of us just commits to letting the other one go past it would have never happened. We both know that whoever can clear will go get the 7 (Daniel Suarez) pretty quickly. We obviously knew rain was near, so everyone is trying to get all the positions they can. You got to slow each other down, but there is just no way you are going to get either one of us to agree. Without the challenge of the other you go take the lead and win, but that just won’t happen.”

Can you talk about your dominance at Michigan?

“It’s high speed and turns left, those are the two things we are typically good at. And Michigan has always been a momentum based racetrack and I feel like that doesn’t relate in a sense of speed, but like the short tracks, the late models I used to run are very momentum based. So I’ve always just been good at keeping high momentum speed up. It’s kind of a hybrid drafting track as well. All of those skills that you have to have just kind of come together and I’ve always been in really fast cars as well, that helps.”

How does it feel to have a fast car and also track position to start tomorrow night?

“The first few laps were super important to kind of understand what we had and what we need to work on for tomorrow. I definitely wanted at least a few laps of practice. Got a good 50 lap run there. Still have some work to do balance wise but the car has speed, so we can fix it from there.”

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.

PROCK, LANGDON, A. STANFIELD & SMITH GET WINS IN MISSION #2FAST2TASTY CHALLENGE AT MARYLAND INTERNATIONAL RACEWAY

By
Official Release
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Langdon, Beckman, G. Stanfield, Smith all claim No. 1 spots at NHRA Potomac Nationals presented by JEGS

MECHANICSVILLE, Md. – After a rocky start to the season, reigning Funny Car world champion Austin Prock earned his first victory of the year when he won the Mission #2Fast2Tasty Challenge on Saturday at Maryland International Raceway. With momentum on his side, he is looking to claim his first win of 2026 at the inaugural NHRA Potomac Nationals presented by JEGS.

Shawn Langdon (Top Fuel), Aaron Stanfield (Pro Stock) and Angie Smith (Pro Stock Motorcycle) also won the Mission #2Fast2Tasty Challenge, while Langdon (Top Fuel), Beckman (Funny Car), Greg Stanfield (Pro Stock) and Smith (Pro Stock Motorcycle) all qualified No. 1 at the seventh of 20 races during the 2026 NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series season.

Prock, driver of the PPG Ford Mustang, has dominated the Funny Car category for the last two seasons, earning 18 race wins throughout 2024 and 2025. This year he has seen major struggles, including not qualifying for the season opener in Gainesville. With his Mission #2Fast2Tasty Challenge win on Saturday, it gives Prock and his team some confidence for race day on Sunday.

“It feels great,” said Prock. “It’s been a long time, and feels good. We’ve had a decent car all weekend, and good enough to win the Mission #2Fast2Tasty race today. We’ve got a lot of work to do still, but the race cars going up and down the race track, and giving me opportunity to get comfortable in this Ford, and practice chopping down the Christmas Tree.

“I’m proud of what we’ve done so far. We’re going to be hard at it tonight, and we’re going to have a fast ‘Prock Rocket’ in the morning. I can guarantee that.”

Prock defeated four-time world champion Matt Hagan in the final round of the Mission Challenge. The two will meet up again tomorrow during the opening round of eliminations on race day.

Jack Beckman claimed the Funny Car No. 1 qualifier spot in the third qualifying session when he powered to a 3.935-second pass at 326.79 mph, earning his second consecutive No. 1 of the year, in his PEAK Chevrolet SS Funny Car. He will be aiming for his first win of the 2026 season and 38th overall.

“It’s no secret, we’ve been stumbling a little bit with the Peak car and we haven’t been ourselves like last year, when our car could do no wrong. We’re just kind of struggling this year, but it’s because we did some things to try to be quicker, and a lot of times that step backwards takes a while before you recuperate from that, but to know that every dart we’re throwing is hitting near the bullseye means we could make good tune-up calls for tomorrow. This is one of those Saturdays where I’m counting down the hours till the national anthem. I can’t wait to get back out here tomorrow.”

Former world champion Cruz Pedregon took the No. 2 position with his 3.951 at 323.19 while 2025 Rookie of the Year Spencer Hyde rounded out the top three with his 3.952 at 323.58.

Shawn Langdon continued to dominate the field in his 12,000-horsepower Kalitta Air on Saturday when he won the Mission #2Fast2Tasty Challenge, as well as claimed his third No. 1 qualifier of the season.

Langdon clocked a 3.744 at 336.23, to win the Mission Challenge over Leah Pruett and secure his 25th career No. 1 qualifier, improving on his previous low qualifier from Friday. With four wins on the season, Langdon feels confident in the car’s performance and his team’s ability.

“It feels great to have such a strong running car,” said Langdon. “I think the best thing is that Brian [Husen, crew chief] was trying to go 3.74 before that run. He had said if everything goes right, maybe a high .73 on the slow side, maybe a .75 and we went right in the middle at .74 so he’s just got a really good handle on the car. He’s doing such a great job, and his gut instincts are really being showcased right now. He’s just making the right decisions.”

Langdon’s low qualifier position will give him a bye round in the opening round of eliminations.

Reigning Top Fuel champion Doug Kalitta landed in the No. 2 spot with his 3.771 at 333.00 while Pruett was third with her 3.771 at 331.12.

The Stanfield family of Elite Motorsports claimed Pro Stock honors on Saturday with Aaron Stanfield earning the Mission #2Fast2Tasty Challenge while Greg Stanfield earned the No. 1 qualifier position.

A. Stanfield, who won two weeks ago in Chicago, defeated six-time world champion Greg Anderson in the Challenge final in his Johnson’s Horsepowered Garage / Melling Performance / Janac Brothers Racing Pro Stock car, giving him his first Mission win of the season.

“It definitely feels good to beat Greg Anderson on a hole shot,” said A. Stanfield. “I think if we’re close enough to him, we’re going to have that opportunity. So, I look forward to some more of it, and I’m going to try to stay on my A game.

“I think our whole Elite group has some momentum, and for sure it feels good to be turning on some win lights, especially against those KB Titan Racing guys. They’ve been tough to beat here lately, and it’s been nice to have some momentum rolling our way. I think everybody’s able to take a little bit of a breath, but I can promise you they’re not satisfied. I think we still got a little way to go, and they’re just keeping on working, and there’s no quitting in them and I’m right there, and we’re going to keep pushing.”

A. Stanfield qualified tenth and will race Cody Anderson in the first round of eliminations.

It was G. Stanfield who took the top Pro Stock spot with his 6.482 at 212.39 mph in the Janac Brothers Racing Pro Stock car. It gave G. Stanfield his first No. 1 since 2009.

“It feels great to have a No. 1,” said G. Stanfield. “It’s just testament to all the hard work the Elite Motorsports guys have put in to get these cars faster, and we’re just the lucky ones to get to drive, so it feels good to do it. I’ll feel better if I can hold that big Wally tomorrow.”

Reigning world champion Dallas Glenn took the second position with a 6.486 at 211.73 mph while Eric Latino finished third with a 6.493 at 211.30.

With her husband, six-time world champion Matt Smith, hospitalized on Friday morning and will unable to race this weekend, Angie Smith is leading the way for the Matt Smith Racing in a big way in Maryland. She scooped up both the No. 1 qualifier position at the Mission #2Fast2Tasty Challenge on her Denso Auto Parts Buell and she has her sights set to a win on Sunday.

“I know Matt wanted this more than anything, and I wanted it more than anything,” said A. Smith. “It’s been two years since I’ve won one of these Mission Challenges, so I really needed to win it, and we got it done today. Hats off to Matt and to my entire crew.

“Everybody on my crew has stepped up, and they have done jobs that they have never done before, and I couldn’t do it without every single person at that trailer, and I couldn’t do it without Matt, sitting in a hospital bed. He’s making good calls, but our MVP is down right now, but there is rumor that he might be at the track tomorrow, so we’ll see.”

A. Smith’s 6.690 at 202.97 gave her, her third No. 1 qualifier of the season. She will be on the hunt for her fourth career win on Sunday.

Reigning world champion Richard Gadson finished second with a 6.729 at 201.31 with John Hall in third with his 6.739 at 201.91.

Eliminations begin at 11:00 a.m. ET on Sunday at the NHRA Potomac Nationals presented by JEGS at Maryland International Raceway.

MECHANICSVILLE, Md. — Sunday’s first-round pairings for eliminations for the Inaugural NHRA Potomac Nationals presented by JEGS at Maryland International Raceway, the seventh 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, 3.744 seconds, 336.23 mph vs. Bye; 2. Doug Kalitta, 3.771, 333.91 vs. 15. Lex Joon, 4.225, 214.45; 3. Leah Pruett, 3.771, 331.12 vs. 14. Spencer Massey, 3.865, 323.27; 4. Tony Stewart, 3.790, 333.33 vs. 13. Shawn Reed, 3.865, 323.50; 5. Billy Torrence, 3.798, 334.65 vs. 12. Tony Schumacher, 3.854, 327.90; 6. Maddi Gordon, 3.805, 333.74 vs. 11. Will Smith, 3.844, 306.53; 7. Josh Hart, 3.811, 333.91 vs. 10. Clay Millican, 3.839, 321.88; 8. Justin Ashley, 3.815, 326.40 vs. 9. Antron Brown, 3.823, 329.42.

Funny Car — 1. Jack Beckman, Chevy Camaro, 3.935, 326.79 vs. 16. Joe Morrison, Dodge Charger, 10.872, 82.58; 2. Cruz Pedregon, Charger, 3.951, 323.19 vs. 15. Del Worsham, Toyota Supra, 4.209, 250.00; 3. Spencer Hyde, Ford Mustang, 3.953, 323.58 vs. 14. Daniel Wilkerson, Mustang, 4.066, 318.32; 4. Jordan Vandergriff, Camaro, 3.970, 322.81 vs. 13. Dave Richards, Mustang, 4.058, 321.42; 5. Chad Green, Mustang, 3.985, 321.19 vs. 12. Paul Lee, Charger, 4.048, 311.13; 6. Matt Hagan, Charger, 3.989, 326.87 vs. 11. Austin Prock, Mustang, 4.036, 316.90; 7. Alexis DeJoria, Camaro, 3.997, 326.16 vs. 10. Ron Capps, Toyota GR Supra, 4.024, 321.88; 8. J.R. Todd, GR Supra, 4.001, 327.03 vs. 9. Blake Alexander, Charger, 4.018, 319.90.

Pro Stock — 1. Greg Stanfield, Chevy Camaro, 6.482, 212.39 vs. 16. Alan Prusiensky, Dodge Dart, 6.764, 203.95; 2. Dallas Glenn, Camaro, 6.486, 212.16 vs. 15. Shane Tucker, Camaro, 6.587, 211.43; 3. Eric Latino, Camaro, 6.493, 211.56 vs. 14. Troy Coughlin Jr., Camaro, 6.586, 210.77; 4. Greg Anderson, Camaro, 6.494, 211.79 vs. 13. Brandon Miller, Dart, 6.583, 209.56; 5. Matt Latino, Camaro, 6.504, 212.56 vs. 12. Deric Kramer, Camaro, 6.535, 210.87; 6. Matt Hartford, Camaro, 6.504, 211.96 vs. 11. Kenny Delco, Camaro, 6.522, 210.80; 7. Cody Anderson, Camaro, 6.505, 211.56 vs. 10. Aaron Stanfield, Camaro, 6.513, 212.06; 8. Jeg Coughlin, Camaro, 6.508, 211.76 vs. 9. Erica Enders, Camaro, 6.512, 212.03.

Pro Stock Motorcycle — 1. Angie Smith, Buell, 6.690, 202.97 vs. Bye; 2. Richard Gadson, Suzuki, 6.729, 201.31 vs. 15. Wesley Wells, Suzuki, 6.960, 193.16; 3. John Hall, Beull, 6.739, 202.55 vs. 14. Charles Poskey, Suzuki, 6.942, 196.90; 4. Chip Ellis, Buell, 6.743, 201.16 vs. 13. Geno Scali, Suzuki, 6.855, 198.70; 5. Clayton Howey, Suzuki, 6.764, 200.02 vs. 12. Steve Johnson, Suzuki, 6.827, 197.33; 6. Jianna Evaristo, Buell, 6.766, 202.06 vs. 11. Kelly Clontz, Suzuki, 6.818, 198.47; 7. Ryan Oehler, Buell, 6.770, 201.10 vs. 10. Chase Van Sant, Suzuki, 6.778, 200.32; 8. Gaige Herrera, Suzuki, 6.770, 199.91 vs. 9. Brayden Davis, Buell, 6.771, 199.85.

MECHANICSVILLE, Md. — Saturday’s final results from Mission #2Fast2Tasty NHRA Challenge at the Inaugural NHRA Potomac Nationals presented by JEGS at Maryland International Raceway.

Top Fuel Challenge — Shawn Langdon, 3.744 seconds, 334.98 mph def. Leah Pruett, 3.771 seconds, 331.12 mph.

Funny Car Challenge — Austin Prock, Ford Mustang, 4.079, 312.57 def. Matt Hagan, Dodge Charger, 4.153,

264.55.

Pro Stock Challenge — Aaron Stanfield, Chevy Camaro, 6.513, 211.36 def. Greg Anderson, Camaro, 6.494,

211.13.

Pro Stock Motorcycle Challenge — Angie Smith, Buell, 6.717, 201.91 def. Brayden Davis, Buell, 6.771, 199.85.

MECHANICSVILLE, Md. — Final round-by-round results from Mission #2Fast2Tasty NHRA Challenge atthe Inaugural NHRA Potomac Nationals presented by

JEGS at Maryland International Raceway.

TOP FUEL CHALLENGE:

ROUND ONE — Leah Pruett, 3.811, 327.98 def. Antron Brown, 3.848, 328.70; Shawn Langdon, 3.760, 335.23 def.

Josh Hart, 3.890, 294.18;

FINAL — S. Langdon, 3.744, 334.98 def. L. Pruett, 3.771, 331.12.

FUNNY CAR CHALLENGE:

ROUND ONE — Matt Hagan, Dodge Charger, 4.347, 217.32 def. Alexis DeJoria, Chevy Camaro, 4.539, 189.07; Austin

Prock, Ford Mustang, 4.159, 277.66 def. Chad Green, Mustang, 4.397, 201.01;

FINAL — A. Prock, 4.079, 312.57 def. M. Hagan, 4.153, 264.55.

PRO STOCK CHALLENGE:

ROUND ONE — Aaron Stanfield, Chevy Camaro, 6.516, 211.33 def. Greg Stanfield, Camaro, Foul – Red Light; Greg

Anderson, Camaro, 6.502, 211.33 def. Erica Enders, Camaro, 6.519, 212.03;

FINAL — A. Stanfield, 6.513, 211.36 def. G. Anderson, 6.494, 211.13.

PRO STOCK MOTORCYCLE CHALLENGE:

ROUND ONE — Angie Smith, Buell, 6.716, 202.03 def. Richard Gadson, Suzuki, 6.961, 163.00; Brayden Davis,

Buell, 6.789, 199.26 def. Chip Ellis, 6.753, 198.29;

FINAL — A. Smith, 6.717, 201.91 def. B. Davis, 6.771, 199.85.

TOYOTA RACING – NCS Nashville Quotes – Erik Jones – 05.30.26

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Official Release
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TOYOTA RACING – Erik Jones
NASCAR Cup Series Quotes

LEBANON, Tenn. (May 30, 2026) – LEGACY MOTOR CLUB driver Chase Erik Jones was made available to the media on Saturday prior to the NASCAR Cup Series race from Nashville Superspeedway.

ERIK JONES, No. 43 Dollar Tree Toyota Camry XSE, LEGACY MOTOR CLUB:

Can you talk about this weekend at Nashville and racing on a concrete surface?

“Nashville is pretty unique. Not only from a concrete side but the shape and the layout. It’s kind of an odd size and shape compared to other places we go to. It’s a bit of a challenge to drive. It’s really easy to get into a bad spot on entry, just driving in way too far. You feel like you can barrel off in to (turn) one and it’s way sharper than what you think. It’s fun, I’ve enjoyed it, we’ve run well here and it’s definitely a unique place.”

This is the same aero package as Dover a few weeks ago where you ran well. How do you think it will translate?

“I think a lot. We brought a pretty similar package what we had in Dover here. Obviously, Dover is pretty high banked but your loads aren’t crazy different with the concrete and what you fight in right quality translates place to place. When rubber gets put down heavy it gets pretty rough and bumpy, we obviously a big bump in (turns) three and four similar to what we have in Dover on the landings and entry. I hope it’s really close, but I think we have a good baseline in general for this package. We ran great at Darlington and other places with this package as well. It’s really been pretty decent for us, so I’m excited to get out there. It’s been fun to drive and I think it’s put on good races as well, so I think it’s pretty close.”

Is there a lot of carryover from the intermediate tracks like Charlotte to her at Nashville?

“I think some. It’s interesting, you would think this aero package would switch things up a lot. But to be honest, you go with a pretty similar setup. For the tracks we are good with this other package and switched to this package it’s translated well. As far as mile and-a-half’s and here, you do bring a lot of stuff from where the balance was there and what it is here. I hope it carries over, seems like we found something there. The intermediates were pretty bad for us to start the season between Kansas and Las Vegas, then we starting clicking at Texas with some stuff. I think we know where we found speed, which is good. It’s not like we just stumbled upon getting better all the sudden. We kind of know what we did and what steps it took to get there. Hopefully we can just continue to evolve it and get better. I feel like we are right on the cusp of a top-10 team right now, which is great. It’s definitely a step better than we started the year. We got to be better than that and know what it’s going to take to make that next step.”

Do you guys feel like you are ready to breakthrough and be consistently in that top-15 or so?

“I think so. The last month, Watkins Glen is a little bit of an outlier, we had mechanical issues that plagued our day and I think we could have run better. Overall, I can’t remember the last day we struggled with Kansas being the last place. Since then I feel like we’ve rolled in the right direction. When you are in the top-10 you have a chance here and there, but when you are in the top-five it’s when things start to swing where you have opportunity to win races. Do I feel like we are on the verge of that? Maybe, if we hit it really good. I feel like we are in a spot now where if we unloaded today and feel like we just nailed it on car and setup, maybe we contend for a win. The pit crew has been good and I feel like I’ve been doing a good job. That’s nice, but we got to get to a spot to say we nailed it today, we got to be in a spot where we can do a few good things through the day and have a few opportunities.”

What can you as a team take from the first half of the season and take to the second half?

“Right now momentum is important. Pit crew has been doing a good job which is a big deal in the sport. I feel like for me, I’ve been communicating what I need from Justin (Alexander, crew chief) and the engineers have been doing a good job just bringing race cars to the track. Momentum is important and taking advantage of your strong suits. That’s going to be tomorrow, that’s going to be Michigan, that’s going to be Pocono. Hopefully decent days at Sonoma and San Diego. We really need to capitalize on the days we are good. We’ve been fighting this cusp of Chase hope. I think we are somewhere 60ish points out, which is a little long. If we can get through the next couple of weeks where we can tighten that up so we are 20 or 30 out and then you are really fighting for a spot. I think right now we are in a opportunity where we feel like we have a chance to do that and that’s driving some great momentum and great effort from everybody. I just don’t want to lose that, and I think that’s just capitalizing on these next few weeks.”

Can you talk about the feeling of racing in front of your hometown crowd at Michigan next week?

“It’s always fun. I go up there a bit early and spend time. I always look forward to those couple of weeks just being at home, we get to race Sunday at the big track and get to run the Super Late Model in Berlin a couple of days later, so it’s just a fun couple of weeks for me. We have one race a year there now and a little bit more special to everyone in that area. Getting to go up there is also just fun to have friends and family out there. Not all of them can travel to every race we do throughout the year and that might be their only opportunity to come check it out. Just spending some time with them in the week leading in and after is always fun. I always feel relaxed and comfortable. You always think of great scenarios and winning at Michigan is one of them. Always a lot of high hopes for me and high expectations going back.”

How will having a third car next year improve the strength of the operation overall?

“You look at the Cup Series and look at the top three teams and their data points are just there three or four cars and they have alliance teams. For us, our data points are two and that’s me and the 42 (John Hunter Nemechek). One more car isn’t a gamechanger by any means, but it does make a difference and an opportunity to try different things to go about things, air pressure an all of that. You wouldn’t think a team goes into a race weekend wondering about air pressure and how low they can go, but we do every week. The only way to judge is off of one of our cars. Anytime in the Cup Series anytime you can have a house car or alliance, it makes a difference and makes life a lot simpler. You’re playing the game of air pressure and ride height and that’s the majority of your weekend and when you have more data points to narrow that gap it makes a difference.”

Have you interacted with Parker Retzlaff?

“I don’t know Parker, but I think what he’s done in O’Reilly has been good. He’s done a good job in his equipment. I think there’s a big step from being in that to being in a top car and winning races, that’s a long step to take. That’s not to say he couldn’t take that step tomorrow if he were in a top ride in O’Reilly but it is a big step. He definitely makes the most of what he’s got and does a good job. I hope he gets more opportunities. To see what he can do in more top level equipment would be awesome.”

What do you think will happen with how NASCAR is treating the tracks with the resin during the race tomorrow night?

“It’s funny, I think if you didn’t tell any drivers there was resin on Dover I don’t think they have have said anything. I think they are all lying but I don’t think it’s any different. I hope it widens out, it’s been pretty hit or miss here on whether it gets wide or not. I remember 2022, maybe the first year we came here, it got super wide and we could run up high. Then there was one or two years there where it was pretty narrow – last year it was pretty narrow. So I hope it’s good and I hope it widens out. With all the rain this weekend I can imagine there’s not a lot left right now. I think the O’Reilly cars naturally widen the track out. I think if you just put nothing down I think they would find themselves widening out. It’s tougher with our cars. I don’t know if there’s a lot of magic there. I think people might be in their own head a little bit.”

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.

Denny Hamlin awarded Cup pole at Nashville

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

Denny Hamlin will start on pole position for the Cracker Barrel 400 at Nashville Superspeedway, scheduled for this Sunday, May 31.

The event’s starting lineup was going to be determined through an on-track qualifying session/ It consisted of a single-car, single-lap qualifying format. During the session, each of the 38 competitors vying for 38 starting spots would drive around Nashville Superspeedway once. The competitor who posted the single fastest lap would be awarded the pole position.

However, due to inclement weather canceling Saturday’s (May 30) qualifying session, the starting lineup was determined through a qualifying metric formula per the NASCAR rule book. This resulted in Denny Hamlin and his No. 11 Progressive/Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota Camry XSE entry being awarded the pole position.

Hamlin, a three-time Daytona 500 champion from Chesterfield, Virginia, is currently ranked in second place both in the 2026 driver’s and owner’s standings. He is also coming off a third-place result from this past Sunday’s rain-shortened Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway. With his latest victory occurring at Las Vegas Motor Speedway in mid-March, Hamlin will strive for both his second victory of the 2026 season and his first at Nashville.

Hamlin will share the front row with Tyler Reddick. Reddick is currently leading the driver’s and owner’s standings and finished in fourth place during the Coca-Cola 600 event. Daniel Suarez, winner of this year’s Coca-Cola 600 event, will start in third place, and he will share the second row alongside Christopher Bell, who finished behind Suarez during the Coca-Cola 600 event.

Kyle Larson will start in fifth place, followed by Ty Gibbs, Ryan Blaney, William Byron, Joey Logano and Shane van Gisbergen to complete the top-10 starting grid. Notably, Corey Heim, who was named a full-time Cup Series competitor for 23XI Racing for the 2027 season, will start in 24th place behind Riley Herbst, the competitor whom Heim will replace. In addition, Austin Hill will pilot the No. 33 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet entry in place of the late Kyle Busch. This will be his second consecutive Cup event in the No. 33. He will start in 25th place.

With 38 competitors vying for 38 starting spots, all made the main event.

Nashville – Starting Lineup:

  1. Denny Hamlin
  2. Tyler Reddick
  3. Daniel Suarez
  4. Christopher Bell
  5. Kyle Larson
  6. Ty Gibbs
  7. Ryan Blaney
  8. William Byron
  9. Joey Logano
  10. Shane van Gisbergen
  11. Zane Smith
  12. Brad Keselowski
  13. Erik Jones
  14. Michael McDowell
  15. Ricky Stenhouse Jr.
  16. AJ Allmendinger
  17. Carson Hocevar
  18. Bubba Wallace
  19. Alex Bowman
  20. Cole Custer
  21. Todd Gilliland
  22. Chris Buescher
  23. Riley Herbst
  24. Corey Heim
  25. Austin Hill
  26. Noah Gragson
  27. John Hunter Nemechek
  28. Ryan Preece
  29. Chase Elliott
  30. Ty Dillon
  31. Chase Briscoe
  32. Austin Dillon
  33. Josh Berry
  34. Cody Ware
  35. Ross Chastain
  36. Austin Cindric
  37. Chad Finchum
  38. Connor Zilisch

The 2026 Cracker Barrel 400 at Nashville Superspeedway in Lebanon, Tennessee, is scheduled to occur on Sunday, May 31, at 7 p.m. ET on Prime Video, PRN Radio, SiriusXM and HBO MAX.

Ford Racing Notes and Quotes – Ryan Blaney Media Availability At Nashville Superspeedway

By
Official Release
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Ford Racing Notes and Quotes
NASCAR Cup Series
Ford Racing Media Availability
Saturday, May 30, 2026

Ryan Blaney, driver of the No. 12 Advance Auto Parts Ford Mustang Dark Horse, spoke to assembled media today at the Nashville Superspeedway ahead of qualifying for Sunday’s Cracker Barrel 400. Blaney is the defending champion of the Nashville race and sits third in the NASCAR Cup Series Driver Championship with one victory this season (Straight Talk Wireless 500 at Phoenix Raceway in March).

RYAN BLANEY, No. 12 Advance Auto Parts Ford Mustang Dark Horse – YOU AND BUBBA [WALLACE] DID THE ‘RACIN’ WITH THE BOYS’ PODCAST, THE FIRST EPISODE. WHAT WAS IT LIKE SHOWING YOUR PERSONALITIES AND GETTING A NEW AUDIENCE INTERESTED IN NASCAR THAT MAY NOT KNOW MUCH ABOUT IT. “I’ve gotten to know Taylor [Lewan] a little bit over the years, and they are really, really good guys. I enjoyed watching them play when they were in the NFL. I thought it was a good concept, a good audience. It’s always fun for me when we can go talk to other athletes, that play other sports, you know, like what are the differences? Where are the similarities, how is your process like? I feel like you can relate on some things and some things are massively different. So, it is always fun to hear their thoughts on things. And we kind of cut up some too. So, yeah, we had a good time a couple days ago talking to those guys.”

YOU WERE INVOLVED IN A TEASER FOR THE SAN DIEGO RACE. WHAT CAN PEOPLE EXPECT FROM THAT? “Yeah, that was a lot of fun to go do. We went out there after Vegas, myself, Zillich, Noah, Briscoe, Bell, and Hocevar, were out there, and we spent like three days filming this deal for Amazon. It was a lot of work, for sure. But I think it’s going to turn out great. You know, the base, they were super inviting to us to kind of do what we needed to do, all that. I can’t believe some of the things they let us do on the base. But they were great. You know, I just think they’re doing a great job of promoting that race the way it should be, because it’s going be a really big deal. And I’m looking forward to getting out there. So, I don’t know when it comes out… like, the whole thing comes out. Maybe the week of the race, but, we got to do some really neat things. We got some insights, and the history of the base, and got to tour a lot of neat things. I’ve always found I’ve been really fortunate in my life to visit a lot of different branches of military, and to be able to go around the base and see some of the amazing things that they have, a lot of cool aircraft, aircraft carriers, stuff like that. That stuff just kind of geeks me out a little bit, you know? Just getting to talk to all the folks that are on the base, and, you know, the soldiers that are there every single day and show our appreciation of what they do. It’s neat. So, I’m excited for everybody to see that. I think it’s going to turn out well.”

NOW THAT WE’RE IN DURING THE SECOND HALF OF THE REGULAR SEASON, HOW DOES THAT IMPACT THE URGENCY, OR THE FEELING, AS THE CHASE GETS CLOSER AND CLOSER? “Personally, for me, I don’t really feel like there is a change in urgency or outlook on all that stuff. I’ve just always kind of been in the, week-to-week process of things, you know, how are we doing? How are things going? What are we doing well, and, you know, what do we need to do to be better? I feel like our group has done a good job of excelling at the things we do well and trying to pinpoint places where we can be better and trying to fix those things that we can be better at. So, hopefully we’re on a good track there. But looking forward to coming back to this place [Nashville Superspeedway]. It’s obviously been good us last year. I feel like this higher horsepower package-lower downforce package has been pretty good to us this year at Darlington and Bristol. I look forward to seeing what we got. It’s hard to believe we’re already halfway through the regular season. As far as our group, just keep plugging away like normal.”

THIS WEEK, RYAN PREECE HAD HIS APPEAL HEARD AND IN DENYING IT, THE PANEL STATED THAT NEITHER SIDE MADE THEIR POINT, BUT BASED ON THEIR DECISION, WHAT THEY SAID WAS THAT HIS COMMENTS PROVED HE WASN’T GOING TO CUT SOMEONE A BREAK. SO, DO YOU RACE WITH THE UNDERSTANDING THAT YOUR COMMENTS IN OR OUT OF THE CAR CAN ESSENTIALLY BE USED AGAINST YOU, OR IS THAT SETTING A NEW PRECEDENT GOING FORWARD OF WHAT SOMEBODY SAYS IS NOW GOING TO BE UP FOR PENALTY? “Yeah, I will be completely honest with you. I didn’t keep up with that at all this week, like, I didn’t know that the appeal was denied, and I guess it was. I don’t know. I equate to that like… If you’re going to commit a crime, and you say you’re going to commit a crime, and you do commit the crime. If you’re in a courtroom, and they are like, well, you said you were going to do it and you did it. Hard to argue against that. I don’t know. It gives NASCAR and them a way to, like, well, you said you were going to do it, you did it, there was malicious intent behind it. But I also think there are some things that are done in bad faith, that are, you know, never spoken on the radio, that I see. I’m like, maybe that should have been a penalty, but there’s no evidence to go about it. You know, you could just say, ‘well, I kind of got out of shape, but I didn’t mean to do it.’ I don’t know. Do I wish that it was a little bit more like hands off and kind of let drivers do what they want to do without having in the back of their mind that they going to get fined or penalized in the points. Yeah, probably. I would, but, at the end of the day, I don’t really think it’s good for it either to have guys out here jumping guys. You know? So, I don’t know. I wish it was; I would probably be of the way of just let us deal with it.”

YOU WERE TALKING ABOUT THE SECOND HALF OF THIS REGULAR SEASON, IT SEEMS LIKE THE COKE 600 HAS ALWAYS BEEN KIND OF THE BENCHMARK FOR A LOT OF PEOPLE, OF LET’S GET THROUGH THE COKE 600 AND WE CAN SEE WHERE EVERYBODY KIND OF STACKS UP. WE SHOULD KNOW WHAT THE GARAGE HAS TYPE OF THING. SO, IF YOU WERE TO ZOOM OUT, DOES ANYTHING STAND OUT WITH WHERE EVERYONE IS RIGHT NOW, OR EVEN, AT LEAST, WITH YOUR RACE TEAM, HAVING GOTTEN TO THIS PART OF THE SEASON? “I don’t think it is a secret that our strong suit hasn’t been the mile-and-a-halves. It’s a place where we have to kind of do everything right and execute really good, to run fifth. You know, the Toyota’s been really strong at those race tracks. It’s just, you have figure it out at those kind of places, and, you know, they’ve done a good job with that, and we have some room to make up. But I’ve been happy with how most of everything else we’ve been doing. Our road course and short track programs have been pretty good. Speedways have been pretty good. Yeah, there’s some things we still have to address and clean up. You know, we’re always looking at that stuff, but I feel like we’ve done a good job of being where we’re at in points and having some struggles and issues and things like that. But, yeah, I feel like I’d give our score an A- right now.”

ASIDE FROM KEVIN HARVICK, YOU’RE THE ONLY GUY WHO HAS WON POCONO WITHIN THE LAST 10 YEARS, SINCE 2016. WHY DO YOU THINK THAT’S BEEN SUCH A TOUGH TRACK FOR THE BRAND OVER THAT PERIOD OF TIME? “For Ford? Yeah, I don’t know. I don’t really have a great answer for you. You know, I feel like the Fords have been in a position to win that race a few more times than that over the years. It just hasn’t really worked out. We were fortunate to win there a couple years ago. So, yeah, I don’t know. I don’t think it is a strong suit for us, but that race is tough. There is a lot of pit strategy involved in it. You know, it’s a place where you can pit and not go a lap down so it’s interesting in how you play that out. I feel like our cars have been competing there, the Fords have, but sometimes it just doesn’t really work out for us.

YOU’RE THIRD IN POINTS, AND THE OTHER DRIVERS AT PENSKE ARE RIGHT ON THE PLAYOFF BUBBLE. HOW WOULD YOU SAY THE MOOD IS RIGHT NOW AT PENSKE? “I feel like those guys have had some pretty big misfortunes this year that has kind of put them where they are at. I think they’ve run a lot better than what it’s showing in the points. I know Joey and Austin are doing a really good job of trying to utilize everything they can week in and week out. I just feel like they run into some problems that really aren’t what they’re doing. And it’s really stuck. And I been there before, and it just kind of seems like nothing’s going your way, and those guys are kind of in that right now. But I think they’re working hard to get where they need to be, and, like I said, I think the mood is pretty good. The mood is trying to figure out how do we get these guys where they need to be, and just fix some solid runs together. And also, you know, how do we kind of keep our position where we’re at, trying to fight for a second with the 11? I think the mood is, is decent. It could be better, but it’s definitely not glum over there right now. I feel like, Team Penske, our mindset is always head down, doing the work, no matter if we’re one, two, three, in points, or we’re 16, 17, 18 in points. Like it’s, the mood doesn’t really change. It’s always just a trying to figure out how to be better week in and week out.”

YOU DIDN’T GET ANY LAPS IN DOVER DUE TO THE EARLY ACCIDENT. DO YOU FEEL THAT PUTS YOU AND THE 12 TEAM AT A DISADVANTAGE HERE AT NASHVILLE? THAT OTHER FOLKS HAVE 350 LAPS AT A TRACK SIMILAR TO NASHVILLE BEFORE YOU GOT HERE? “I mean, honestly, I haven’t thought about that until now. I don’t think so. You know, yeah, Dover has some similarities to it with this place, but I definitely don’t think it’s a massive, massive deficit. I was happy we were able to get back out on the racetrack at Dover even though we were pretty banged up. And we could change stuff in our car, like, maybe, kind of try this, or something like that. So, I feel like we learned a little bit, maybe not as much as other guys, but, I do feel like, I feel like every single week, no matter if the tracks are similar or not, like, it’s a whole new challenge and a whole new beast. Like if you take a thing, it’s parts and pieces. ideas from certain tracks and apply to others, and maybe they work, maybe they don’t, but I feel like your main learning is that you’re at the track for that x amount of time we have for practice and your preparation through the week. So, while I would have like to run 350 laps of Dover, we didn’t get to, and we just tried to learn the best we could. We’ll see if, uh, see what happens.”

TOYOTA RACING – NCS Nashville Quotes – Denny Hamlin and Corey Heim – 05.30.26

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Official Release
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TOYOTA RACING – Corey Heim and Denny Hamlin
NASCAR Cup Series Quotes

LEBANON, Tenn. (May 30, 2026) – 23XI Racing co-owner Denny Hamlin and Corey Heim were made available to the media on Saturday prior to NASCAR Cup Series practice at Nashville Superspeedway to talk about the news that Heim will be a full-time Cup Series driver for the team starting in 2027.

DENNY HAMLIN, Co-Owner, 23XI Racing

COREY HEIM, Driver for 23XI Racing this weekend and full-time starting in 2027

Tell us about some exciting news for 23XI Racing in 2027

HAMLIN: “As you have seen on a social post here recently, Corey Heim will officially be driving our third car this year. Obviously a really proud moment for him. I was just telling someone back there, the moment I got announced for Joe Gibbs Racing (JGR), it was back in Texas in 2005. It was a big moment as well. Very well deserved and for our company, generational talents only come along now and then. I probably have one, so I’m really excited about what he’s going to bring our team and the performance he’s going to bring and the work ethic is very, very good. Looking forward to working with him in the future.”

You are a proven winner. What does this moment mean for your career?

HEIM: “It means the world to me. I’ve been a part of 23XI Racing for a couple years now. I firmly believe as a driver that you just have to have the right people around you to be able to succeed. Driving in NASCAR the last three or four years in the trucks I feel like I was with the right people and did the right things, so I’m looking forward to having the right group around me to succeed. I’ve only started 10 races with 23XI Racing, but I really feel like it’s really my home and I’ve been treated right. Obviously, their equipment speaks for himself. So thankful for everyone there, Denny (Hamlin), MJ (Michael Jordan), Toyota, the Tricon guys. So thankful for those guys as well to give me the pathway to this to the best of their ability. This is super exciting. This is something I’ve been sitting on for awhile and just means the world to me. I’ve always wanted to be a Cup driver ever since I was a little kid and to get that news out and start preparing with my 23XI Racing folks here it’s just super awesome.”

You backloaded Corey’s schedule for later in the year this year. After leaving Texas and showing what he’s shown, what are you trying to achieve over the course of these eight races remaining this year?

HAMLIN: “From a scheduling standpoint, a lot of it is just trying to get some of these racetracks that either he doesn’t have a lot of laps on or things like that. We felt like it was a good workload for our race team. We don’t have four fulltime teams, so we are pulling guys from the shop and things like that to field this fourth car so it’s harder. We don’t have to hire guys and then not. So it just worked out good in the sense that I thought it was a good enough sample size this year to allow them to feel confident when it goes into next year that he has enough reps on all types of tracks that he’s going to face next year. I think it worked out for us that way and he had some input on tracks that he would like to run as well.”

HEIM: For my side, I had a good chat with Dave Rogers (23XI Competition Director) the other week and he was telling me that this is a notebook year for you. Don’t be afraid to take these bigger risks and figure out how to do the hard things and make mistakes this year so next year you’re a better prepared for things like that and learn lessons. Not that I’m trying to go out and find the limit, but I guess not knock the wall down by any means. But, that helped me feel more confident that I can take these bigger risks and figure it out. A lot of guys I feel like in their first couple of years in Cup or O’Reilly or Truck, they find out how to push the limit and this is a year I can do that. I’m also able to, as Denny said, these tougher racetracks and all some tracks I have more experience at to help me build off of that. Like this track is my third start here in Nashville and I’ve run Kansas a couple of times too. It’s a mixed bag of tracks I’ve run before and I can build off of them but also new tracks that I can help build that notebook for me.”

Can you tell us more about the patience and process behind the scenes to get to this point?

HAMLIN: “From my standpoint, he was extremely, extremely patient. In my mind it just shows my maturity that he has is well beyond his age. I think he shows it on the racetrack and obviously off the racetrack that I’m going to be with you guys long term, but got to wait a little bit. I do appreciate that, similar to Tyler Reddick, I wanted to get Tyler Reddick and I just wanted to get Corey. I just had to figure it out however it was going to work. At that time we don’t know whether there was going to be a limit on three charters or four charters and things like that. Now that it got finished and we know it can be only be three, then this is a decision we made and feel very optimistic about what he can bring to a team. It took a lot of patience and he was very patient with us but it will get to pay off in the long run.”

HEIM: “23XI Racing is a very structured race team in their preparation and just working with some truck teams and other teams along my route to 23XI Racing I just felt like the moment I prepared for my first race at Nashville in 2024 I just always felt like this is the most prepared race team I’ve ever worked with and it just felt like a home to me and everyone felt like they were very welcoming and motivated. When I ran my first race with these guys and their preparation was just top notch. I felt confident going into that race and everyone was firing on all cylinders. So to me, it was an easy decision to proceed to work with them for the long term.

What have you seen from Corey this year specifically that has given you further confidence in his ability?

HAMLIN: “One of the tough parts of his schedule is that he has to go out first in qualifying every time. It just has been bad luck. This is actually the first week where he doesn’t have to. He’s always up against it. Has very developmental pit crew and has to start in the back of the pack because of his draw and things like that. It’s always putting him behind the gun every time we send him to the racetrack and he still finds a way to make it up towards the front. That to me just shows me that when he’s fulltime and got all the resources he needs to succeed.”

HEIM: “I’m in the seat more than people would realize. I’ve been fortunate to do some wheelforce testing for Toyota this year. I’ve got some six of those, going some Truck racing and do some late model racing. It may not be as valuable as straight up cup starting, but it’s keeps me in the seat and keeps me prepared. I’ve got a very solid schedule so far regardless of only my 12 Cup races this year. It also gives me a little bit of an opportunity to kind of debrief a little longer every race. Guys who were rookies this year or last year, kind of wondering they had a fast turnaround to wonder what just happened. A lot of things happen in the race and you only have one or two days to debrief and soak it all in until we have to start preparing for the next one. This kind of every two or three weeks in between races schedule for me has given me a chance to kind of just think about what just happened and then gives me some extra time to prepare for the next one. Honestly, I was a little worried about being out of the seat as much as I am this year, but it was definitely just a thought that was going on in my head. But as I’ve gotten into the groove here it’s actually been healthy just to have that time and debrief and prepare over a longer period of time.”

Corey has been in the Toyota pipeline for a number of years. When was the moment the light bulb went off that you wanted to have him drive for 23XI?

HAMLIN: “It was before his historic season last year, it was 2023 or 2024 in that range, probably 2023. It’s been a long time. I knew that he had went through the Toyota pipeline and this is another great sign of the investment that Toyota puts into their drivers and their programs. From the dirt tracks to the CARS Tour and all the way up to the Cup Series. That’s what that pipeline is supposed to do as far as drivers coming up and he’s certainly going to be a success story again from that. It was many years ago and mostly it was just the racecraft in general, it wasn’t speed or finishes or anything like that. Very similar to Tyler in the sense that I know when his vehicle is in a certain position that’s a very vulnerable position and still finds a way out of it and makes a move and makes a pass. I know moves that are difficult to make and the great ones find ways to make them look easy when I know it’s not.”

Is it possible with today’s announcement that Corey’s 12 race schedule could be expanded further?

HAMLIN: “We’ve already planned that out and it’s hard to add some things. We obviously have tried to get him as many start in different vehicles, whether it is trucks or whatever we can. But the Cup schedule with the turnaround time makes it very difficult to just add another race. That part would be challenging. Doesn’t mean we aren’t going to try, but it will be challenging.”

Corey, how did you learn patience at such a young age?

HEIM: “I always felt like to go with my gut and tried to prioritize surrounding myself with good people. I think it’s very important in this sport to have people believe in your as well as people who want you to succeed. Ever since I’ve been with Toyota since 2020 in my first year I’ve always just felt so welcomed into that program and gotten along with everyone on that side, as well. I always just never felt like they were going to do me wrong or put me in a bad position. I always felt like they wanted me to succeed. So there was never any reason for me to go anywhere else, you know? I’ve always felt they’ve done everything in their power to put me in the best position in my career and then of course when I signed with 23XI Racing that prior to that it was the same feeling. As I mentioned earlier, I ran my first race for them two years ago here at Nashville, everyone in that building wanted me to succeed and they put me in the best position to do so. It just made too much sense to go anywhere else. Between Toyota and 23XI Racing I feel at home and I feel like everyone wants each other to succeed and everyone’s lifting each other up. Even on the bad days I feel like we can take it on the chin and move on.”

Denny, how much do you enjoy being a mentor for the young drivers?

HAMLIN: “It’s very interesting. Truthfully of the 23XI guys, Corey is the guy I’ve had the most conversations with, he asks me the most. Tyler’s probably second. And then it’s a very distant third and fourth from there. We interact a lot, we are in the back talking about if you fought this today or not. I think we have similar styles of what we want out of our racetracks. When I listen to maybe some struggles Corey has, or Tyler or Bubba and those guys, on a weekly basis I think the team’s advantage is I know what they are talking about. I say did you try this or try that, or, I challenge the crew chiefs I think you need to try this to fix that problem which has worked for us. It’s really a big advantage those guys have over there and it really is for me to listen to them and hear their feedback. It’s a good working relationship right now and Corey is someone that I communicate with regularly on a weekly basis.”

Corey, can you describe Denny as a teacher?

HEIM: “I feel like everything is transparent. It helps that 23XI Racing and JGR has a alliance so we don’t have to hide anything. Anytime I have questions Denny gives me a very elaborate and thorough answers. It helps he owns the team, but sometimes prior teammates, not current teammates, don’t seem to want to share information if it seems like an advantage to them. It’s just nice to know Denny as a competitor and my boss that he is able to still give me those thorough answers to help me out on a weekly basis. It’s one of the if not the best resources to have to continue my development and continue learning which also played into my decision to be here.”

What is it like to have a driver 22 years younger than you?

HAMLIN: “Holy cow. It’s so interesting because when I was his age I was still running limited late models. Seems like he’s been on this trajectory to be in this position for so long but he’s still far ahead of what I was at this point. It’s wild. I’ve been in the Cup Series pretty much since he was born. It’s wild that we still get to go out there and compete. It’s going to be fun next year to share the racetrack with him on a fulltime basis knowing that someone has been alive and seen pretty much all of your starts.”

When the lawsuit was settled and you talked about working with NASCAR. How has that been?

HAMLIN: “It’s really been good. I’ve had quite a bit of dialogue with Steve O’Donnell. They’ve allowed me to sit in on the new competition committee with Chad Knaus, Wally Brown, and Travis Geilser and a few others to make decisions on the next Superspeedway package and things like that. It’s been good, we’ve been working together and after the All-Star win I was talking with Ben Kennedy and talking with Steve O’Donnell and here’s where I think we can maybe get back to where we need to even as the winner, but I want to see the sport succeed. That’s what is going to be best for me in the long run. It’s been a really good working relationship and they’ve delivered on everything they promised us.”

Did you grow up being a Denny Hamlin fan?

HEIM: “I did. He was my first guy for sure. My dad is over there and can tell you. We just were actually looking at a picture from 2015 I was standing on the grid of the Coke 600 by his pit box with his stuff on. Just a full circle thing for me. I never had an aspirations to drive for Denny just because it didn’t exist at that point. Just looking back on it, you can’t make this stuff up, it’s pretty cool.”

Denny, what is your personal relationship with Nashville Superspeedway and what would it mean to get a guitar tomorrow?

HAMLIN: “I really, really want to win here pretty badly. So much I can tell that certain weekends people ask all the time do you ever get nervous? Not anymore, I’ve done it way too many times to get nervous. But on certain weekends where I really want to win I start getting a little nervous pre practice, but I’m thinking about things like, did I get my car right this week? There’s certain trends that I look at that might concern me. I end up getting caught up in the things sometimes I can’t control, worrying about the outcomes instead of the actual process. This is one of them, it’s a track where I only have so many chances to get a win here and I’ve been so close over the last few years. I love the racetrack and feel like it’s been a very raceable track over the years and since they’ve worked the resin in. I’m a little bit nervous going into the weekend.”

With the changes coming into the race, is there anything you are looking for beyond the SIM?

HAMLIN: “That’s truthfully what I’m worried about. If we had come back with the same tire and the same package as last year then I have no worries or concerns and know what I need to feel. It’s just that there was, at this racetrack, a big aerodynamic change and it was very big. Did I send the team down the right direction this week? We will find out shortly.”

About Toyota

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Palou Extends Pole Streak to Three With Top Spot at Detroit

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Official Release
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Chevrolet Detroit Grand Prix

DETROIT (Saturday, May 30, 2026) – Alex Palou’s domination of qualifying for recent NTT INDYCAR SERIES races is complete after he captured the NTT P1 Award on Saturday for the Chevrolet Detroit Grand Prix presented by Lear.

Palou earned his third consecutive pole position this season and the 16th of his career with a best lap of 1 minute, 1.9017 seconds in the No. 10 HRC Chip Ganassi Racing Honda during the Firestone Fast Six. Palou was fourth in the qualifying order among the six drivers in the single-car, one-lap final session.

It’s the first time in his illustrious career that the four-time and three-time reigning series champion has won three straight poles. Even more impressively, Palou built that streak this month on three different types of circuits – the Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course for the Sonsio Grand Prix, the IMS oval for the Indianapolis 500 presented by Gainbridge and this nine-turn, 1.645-mile temporary street circuit in the Motor City.

“I felt really good with my lap,” Palou said. “I thought there was not much more margin from my side, so I just tried to put everything together. So happy to make it to the pole, and we stayed there. Good stint, but the big day is tomorrow.”

Series leader Palou will aim for his fourth victory in eight starts this season in the 100-lap race Sunday (12:30 p.m. ET, FOX, FOX One, INDYCAR Radio powered by OnlyBulls), an event he won in 2023 when it returned to downtown Detroit after three decades on Belle Isle.

Two-time series champion Will Power produced his best qualifying performance of the season and will start alongside Palou on the front row with his lap of 1:02.1249 in the No. 26 TWG AI Honda of Andretti Global.

Scott McLaughlin was the quickest Chevrolet-powered driver in the manufacturer’s home race, qualifying third at 1:02.4559 in the No. 3 Clarience Technologies Team Penske Chevrolet as the first car on track in the Firestone Fast Six.

Six-time series champion Scott Dixon qualified a season-best fourth at 1:02.6085 in the No. 9 PNC Bank Chip Ganassi Racing Honda to round out the second-row starters.

Christian Lundgaard rallied with an engine change after a malfunction ended his morning practice early, qualifying fifth at 1:02.7870 in the No. 7 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet. Kyle Kirkwood, who led practice this morning, suffered a big tire lockup and two significant slides during his Firestone Fast Six run and qualified sixth at 1:03.0303 in the No. 27 Sam’s Club Honda of Andretti Global.

A week of heartache continued for David Malukas in qualifying. Malukas crashed heavily in Turn 7 at the end of the first qualifying round in his No. 12 Verizon Team Penske Chevrolet. Malukas was unhurt but will start last in the 25-car field.

That disappointment came on the heels of Felix Rosenqvist passing Malukas with yards to go to the finish of the 110th Indianapolis 500 presented by Gainbridge, winning by .0233 of a second – the closest finish in “500” history. Rosenqvist qualified 16th for this event in the No. 60 Meyer Shank Racing w/Curb Agajanian Honda, also eliminated in the first round.

Palou leads second-place Malukas by 37 points in the standings entering the race Sunday but could be poised to expand that gap due to the distance between the two drivers on the starting grid.

“I would not change the position that we have right now, but it’s tough, man,” Palou said. “It’s a crazy race. We know the strategies are going to be moving up and down. So, hopefully we can get a clean start, start working from there and choose our strategies.”

A 30-minute warmup session will precede the race at 9:30 a.m. Sunday (FS1, FOX One, INDYCAR Radio powered by OnlyBulls).

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