Home Blog Page 33

Jesse Love awarded the O’Reilly pole at Nashville

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

Jesse Love was awarded the pole position for the Sports Illustrated Resorts 250 at Nashville Superspeedway on Saturday, May 30.

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

Due to inclement weather, the session was canceled and the starting lineup was based on a qualifying metric formula per the NASCAR rule book. As a result, Jesse Love, driver of the No. 2 Whelen/Richard Childress Racing (RCR) Chevrolet Camaro entry, was awarded the pole position. Love, the reigning O’Reilly Auto Parts Series champion from Menlo Park, California, is currently ranked in the runner-up spot in the 2026 driver’s standings while his No. 2 entry is ranked in third place in the owner’s standings. He is also coming off a runner-up result from Saturday night’s event at Charlotte Motor Speedway as he continues the pursuit of his first victory of the 2026 season.

Love will share the front row with his RCR teammate, Austin Hill. Hill, driver of the No. 21 1-800-PACK-RAT Chevrolet Camaro entry from Winston, Georgia, finished in third place at Charlotte, and he is ranked in sixth place in the driver’s standings while his No. 21 team is ranked in eighth place in the owner’s standings.

Corey Day, Carson Kvapil and William Sawalich will start in the top five, respectively. Kyle Larson, who is substituting for teammate Alex Bowman in the No. 88 HendrickCars.com Chevrolet Camaro entry for JR Motorsports, will start in sixth place while Ryan Sieg, Sammy Smith, Parker Retzlaff and Garrett Smithley complete the top-10 starting grid.

Notably, Justin Allgaier, the two-time defending O’Reilly winner at Nashville and the points leader, will start in 17th place. In addition, Cleetus McFarland will round out the starting grid in 38th place for his second O’Reilly start, driving the No. 33 Tommy’s Express Car Wash Chevrolet Camaro entry for Richard Childress Racing.

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

Nashville – Starting Lineup:

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

The 2026 Sports Illustrated Resorts 250 at Nashville Superspeedway is scheduled to occur on Saturday, May 30, at 7:30 p.m. ET on the CW Network, PRN Radio, and SiriusXM.

De Tullio Continues To Rule Qualifying With Detroit Pole

By
Official Release
-

DETROIT (Saturday, May 30, 2026) – Alessandro de Tullio didn’t think he extracted enough from his car during qualifying Saturday for the Detroit Grand Prix, but he still ended up in a familiar position – on pole.

INDY NXT by Firestone rookie de Tullio earned his fifth pole in seven races this season in the INDYCAR development series, taking the top spot with his best lap of 1 minute, 5.3664 seconds in the No. 14 AJ Foyt Racing entry. He turned the pole-winning lap while competing in the first group of the two-group session around the nine-turn, 1.645-mile temporary street circuit.

“I think there was more than what I did,” de Tullio said. “I made a few mistakes on my lap. It was just getting better and better each lap. On the last lap, I didn’t really put it together. I’m surprised we’re P1, but still happy to be up there.

“Still pretty good. Just not completely satisfied with my job. I think there was more in it for me, from my side. The team did an amazing job to give me another really fast car.”

The 45-lap race is scheduled for 10:30 a.m. ET Sunday (FS1, FOX One, INDYCAR Radio powered by OnlyBulls). De Tullio will aim for his second victory, as he won from pole in late March in the second race of the doubleheader at Barber Motorsports Park.

Max Taylor rebounded from a hard crash in practice this morning to lead the second qualifying group, and he will start second Sunday after his best lap of 1:05.6050 in the No. 28 Susan G. Komen car of Andretti Global. Taylor led the pre-qualifying practice despite his incident.

Rookie Tymek Kucharczyk will start third after his top lap of 1:05.3713 in the No. 71 HMD Motorsports machine. Kucharczyk earned his first career victory earlier this month in the last event, the second race of the doubleheader on the Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course.

JM Correa joins Kucharczyk in the second row after qualifying fourth at 1:05.8840 in the No. 68 Cusick Morgan Motorsports entry.

Lochie Hughes, who led practice Friday, will start fifth after his qualifying run of 1:05.4102 in the No. 26 Andretti Global car. Salvador de Alba qualified sixth at 1:06.0553 in the No. 17 HMD Motorsports machine.

Rookie and series leader Nikita Johnson qualified 10th at 1:06.1661 in the No. 21 Cape Motorsports Powered by ECR entry. Johnson has two victories, the only driver this series with multiple wins. But the gap between Johnson and fourth-place Enzo Fittipaldi of HMD Motorsports is just 16 points in the ultra-competitive action among the series’ best drivers this season.

Corey Heim Set to Compete Full-Time in the NASCAR Cup Series for 23XI Racing in 2027

By
Official Release
-

23XI’s First Development Driver Moves to Cup in the No. 35
Becoming Team’s Fifth Overall Full-Time Driver

Huntersville, N.C. (May 30, 2026) – 23XI Racing announced today that Corey Heim, the team’s current development driver and the reigning NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series champion, will compete full-time in the NASCAR Cup Series with 23XI starting in 2027. To date, Heim has raced in nine Cup Series events with 23XI, including the 2026 Daytona 500. This weekend, Heim returns for the third time to Nashville Superspeedway, the track where he made his first Cup Series start with 23XI. This will be Heim’s fifth of 12 Cup Series races he will run in the No. 67 during the 2026 season. Heim will compete in the No. 35 Toyota Camry XSE next year when he embarks on his first full-time Cup Series season.

The Georgia-born driver, who has been a member of the TOYOTA RACING family since 2020 when he competed in the ARCA Menards Series, moves to full-time Cup racing after several seasons in the NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series. After making his initial Truck Series start in 2021, Heim notched his first series victory the following season and went on to win a total of 25 Truck races, the fourth-most all-time. After strong seasons in 2023 and 2024, Heim capped off his final full-time year in the Truck Series by winning the 2025 Championship. He is also a two-time Truck Series Regular Season Champion and the 2022 Rookie of the Year.

Heim began his relationship with 23XI in 2024, serving as the team’s reserve driver and competing in one race at Nashville Superspeedway, while also racing in 13 NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series events. In 2025, Heim’s role with the team expanded to include development-driver duties and an increased schedule of four races, including a sixth-place finish in the Fall race at Bristol. This year, Heim’s schedule increased again to 12 total Cup Series starts, of which he has already made four.

Heim joins a still-growing team, both within 23XI and the NASCAR garage. The No. 35 team began racing last season, with Riley Herbst joining 23XI to drive the car during his rookie campaign in the Cup Series. Fielding a third car was always part of the plan for 23XI, and Herbst and the No. 35 team have played a key role in the organization’s growth while helping build a strong foundation for the program’s future. Heim’s promotion comes after a deliberate decision to give him time to focus on developing his racecraft through a limited schedule as he prepared for the rigors of a full-time Cup Series schedule.

“Since I was five years old, all I ever wanted was to be a Cup driver. My family and I have sacrificed a ton to get me to this level, and I don’t take that for granted. When the opportunity came up to be a development driver with 23XI Racing, I trusted my gut and knew this was the place I wanted to build a long-term career. From everyone at 23XI to the team at TOYOTA RACING, I’ve been blessed to have support from so many people along the way. I can’t wait for the 2027 season to begin.”

“We’re excited to welcome Corey to our full-time roster next season and look forward to watching him race every weekend in 2027,” said 23XI co-owner, Denny Hamlin. “Corey is a gifted driver who is continuing to get better and better with each race he runs. He has a bright future in the sport and joins a team that is continuing to build a solid foundation. We’re thankful to Riley for all he has done to help get the 35 team going and appreciate the work that he and the team will continue to do this season to be competitive each week.”

“Corey is truly a special talent that we have enjoyed watching grow and develop over the past several years,” said Tyler Gibbs, president, TRD U.S.A. “He is an example of trusting the process and he has more than earned this full-time Cup Series ride due to his hard work and dedication to his craft. We couldn’t be prouder of Corey and what he has already achieved. With the support he will have at 23XI Racing, everyone at Toyota and TRD has full confidence that he is in the position to continue building on his success in the years to come.”

“As 23XI continues to grow and evolve, we’re excited to introduce Corey as a full-time driver in 2027,” said Steve Lauletta, 23XI Team President. “He has already been a valuable member of the team as our development driver, and we’re eager for his Cup Series career to begin next season. Expanding to three cars last year was a major step for our team, and we look forward to 23XI’s continued evolution with Corey behind the wheel full time.”

More information about team personnel and partners will be shared at a later date. Currently, Corey and the No. 67 team are supported by Celsius, Robinhood, Mobil 1, Field & Stream, Chief’s on Broadway and Fleetio.

About 23XI Racing
23XI Racing – pronounced twenty-three eleven – was founded by NBA legend Michael Jordan and three-time Daytona 500 winner Denny Hamlin in 2020. With rising NASCAR star Bubba Wallace selected to drive the No. 23 Toyota Camry, the team made its NASCAR Cup Series debut in the 2021 Daytona 500 at Daytona International Speedway. Wallace made history on October 4, 2021, when he captured his first career Cup Series win, becoming just the second African American to win in the Cup Series, and earning 23XI its first-ever victory. 23XI expanded to a two-car organization in 2022 with Cup Series Champion and Hall of Famer Kurt Busch driving the No. 45 Toyota Camry. With a win at Kansas Speedway in May of 2022, Busch earned 23XI the team’s first-ever playoff berth. Tyler Reddick joined the team in 2023 to drive the No. 45 car. In 2024, Reddick won the Regular Season Championship and raced to a spot in the Championship 4, a first for both the team and Reddick. In 2026, Reddick made history by winning the first three Cup Series races of the season, including the Daytona 500. 23XI currently features the lineup of Bubba Wallace in the No. 23 Toyota Camry XSE, Tyler Reddick in the No. 45 Toyota Camry XSE and Riley Herbst in the No. 35 Toyota Camry XSE. Corey Heim currently serves as the team’s development driver and races occasionally in the No. 67 Toyota Camry XSE. The team operates out of Airspeed, a state-of-the-art facility in Huntersville, N.C.

2026 Niece Motorsports NCTS Race Recap: Nashville Superspeedway

By
Official Release
-

NIECE MOTORSPORTS
NCTS RACE RECAP: NASHVILLE SUPERSPEEDWAY

Event: Allegiance 200 (150 laps / 199.5 miles)
Round: 11 of 25 (Regular Season)
Track: Nashville Superspeedway
Location: Lebanon, TN
Date & Time: Friday, May 29 | 8:00 PM ET

No. 4 TCS Bus Chevrolet Silverado RST
Driver: Stefan Parsons | Crew Chief: Mike Shiplett

Start: 13th
Stage 1: 14th
Stage 2: 19th

Finish: 18th
Driver Points: 46th
Owner Points: 29th

  • Key Takeaway: Stefan Parsons and the TCS Bus team ran a solid race all night long in Nashville. Since qualifying was rained out and the field was set by the metric lineup, Parsons rolled off from the 13th position. The No. 4 held steadily near the top-15 in the opening two stages, and showed speed throughout the race. After getting off strategy from the field, Parsons elected to take four tires with less than 20 laps to go, but was caught in dirty air. He crossed the finish line in 18th-place with a clean truck.
  • Stefan Parsons’ Post-Race Thoughts: “I thought our No. 4 TCS Chevy Silverado was good tonight. We fired off in the first stage and I felt like we were pretty strong. We had a tough pit stall selection because of the way they pick pits, so that kind of hurt us on the first pit stop because we had to back up and come around the No. 18 (Tyler Ankrum). But, we got some spots back, and we could have gone one of two ways with the strategy. It seemed like we were the last ones on an island that didn’t take tires, so after that caution came out, I told Mike (Shiplett) that I would rather be on offense to try and at least get back to where we were running. I just didn’t do a very good job of executing that last restart. I’m a little rusty, but overall, it was a solid day. We had a good truck, and I feel like it was plenty capable of a top-15, and if the circumstances were right, maybe even a top-10. Just have some more for me to work on racing these trucks. Regardless, I’m still very thankful to everyone at TCS and Niece Motorsports for the opportunity.”

About Transportation Charter Services: Transportation Charter Services (TCS), headquartered in Orange County, California, has been a trusted leader in group passenger transportation since 1988.

With a modern fleet and an unwavering commitment to safety, cleanliness, and service excellence, TCS delivers premium motorcoach transportation paired with a first-class customer experience. The company proudly serves professional and collegiate sports teams, tour and travel clients, corporate organizations, high-profile special events, and elite clientele throughout Southern California, Western Canada, and Nashville’s entertainer coach market.

Combining decades of industry expertise with a forward-thinking approach to innovation and operational excellence, TCS continues to elevate the standard in luxury ground transportation. As part of a distinguished family of brands — including Royal Coach, serving San Jose, Las Vegas, and Phoenix, and Polynesian Adventure in Hawaii — TCS remains a premier provider known for exceptional service, reliability, and professionalism.

No. 42 Comprehensive Logistics Chevrolet Silverado RST
Driver: Tyler Reif | Crew Chief: Landon Polinski

Start: 14th
Stage 1: 19th
Stage 2: 36th

Finish: 36th
Driver Points: 28th
Owner Points: 26th

  • Key Takeaway: Tyler Reif and the Comprehensive Logistics team had speed in Nashville, but their night came to an early close. Reif started 14th for the 150-lap race and maintained track position in the opening stage. At the start of stage two, however, Reif made a daring three-wide move on a restart and lost control of his truck. The rookie made significant contact with the outside SAFER barrier, and the damage proved too heavy to continue. The No. 42 team was credited with a 36th-place finish.
  • Tyler Reif’s Post-Race Thoughts:

Interviewer: Tyler Reif, you’re out early here in Nashville at the start of stage two. First of all, are you okay, and how hard was that hit?

“Yeah, I’m just fine. I think I’m hurt more emotionally than physically. It wasn’t a super hard hit; the truck is beat up, but I’m just super bummed emotionally and down on myself for making a mistake that early in the race when I’m here to make laps and learn for next year. I’m just going to watch the film and try not to make that mistake the next time I run back here.”

Interviewer: How heartbreaking is this since you’re making limited starts and this was one you didn’t get all the laps in?

“Right, I mean, we got half of practice in with a little bit of rain. We never got a chance to mock-up, but luckily, we had a pretty good starting position off the metric. We stayed in the top-15 for half of the first stage and had a good stop where I executed on pit lane. The team executed during the pit stop, and we got back up in the top-15 there. Stefan (Parsons), Rajah (Caruth), and I were just door-to-door-to-door coming into (turn) three, and I had never experienced that before at this level of speed after losing that much side force. Nobody to blame that on but myself for getting in a bad position. I’m eager to go forward and eager to learn. I’m just going to go home, try to sleep on it, and be better for the next one.”

About Comprehensive Logistics: Comprehensive Logistics (CLI) is a full-service inbound-to-manufacturing logistics partner specializing in high-volume, high-velocity, and highly complex operations, including warehouse management, value-added services, sequencing, transportation, and sub-assembly manufacturing. By integrating advanced technology, data-driven insights, and process engineering with experienced teams, CLI delivers high-precision, reliable logistics solutions tailored to evolving customer needs. For more information, please visit complog.com.

No. 44 Acceptance Insurance Chevrolet Silverado RST
Driver: Andres Perez de Lara | Crew Chief: Wally Rogers

Start: 19th
Stage 1: 31st
Stage 2: 18th

Finish: 14th
Driver Points: 15th
Owner Points: 22nd

  • Key Takeaway: Andrés Pérez de Lara and the Acceptance Insurance team overcame a bunch of adversity in Nashville. An issue in pre-race technical inspection led the No. 44 team to unload a backup truck before hitting the track. The team made a valiant effort in preparing the truck for the race, but were then forced to start from the rear of the field and had to serve a pass-through penalty. Pérez de Lara lost a lap during the exchange, but fought hard to make up for lost time and eventually got his lap back. In the final stage, a strategy call vaulted the No. 44 to the front of the field, and Pérez de Lara nearly walked away with a top-10 finish. After making a nice save, he came home in 14th-place.
  • Andrés Pérez de Lara’s Post-Race Thoughts:

Interviewer: You ran in the top-five; what happened at the end there?

“Yeah man, it was a roller coaster of a day. We started in the back, had to do a pass-through, and essentially lost a lap. We kept working and got our lap back, and we had a lot of speed in our No. 44 truck. Just unfortunately, I got a little bit loose over there and lost a couple of spots. We weren’t on the best tires compared to the others, so it was hard to keep up, but we did our best. I feel like it was a good day considering how it started.”

Interviewer: So at the end, you kind of slid back because of bad tires, you said?

“Yeah, I feel like we did the right choice with strategy, it just didn’t work out completely. Like I said, I got loose off of (turn) four and that lost a lot of momentum, but we were still on defense. It was all we could do, right? It was a really tough day overall. We were a lap down for most of the beginning even though we had a lot of pace, but we just couldn’t get our lap back with how the race went. Thank you to all my guys for the hard work because it was a lot earlier in the day to get that truck ready.”

About Acceptance Insurance: Acceptance Insurance is a proud member of Confie, the largest personal lines agency in the U.S. We believe in investing in the communities we serve by offering affordable insurance solutions so our customers can have peace of mind. Our agents and team members uphold our values, which include promoting excellence, responsibility and caring.

Acceptance has been in business for over 50 years. We have over 700 agents in over 288 neighborhood locations ready to give you the service, respect and savings you deserve. We come to you so you can find the solutions you need, regardless of your background and driving record. We offer easy solutions to meet your unique needs.

No. 45 Use Your Melon Tennessee Chevrolet Silverado RST
Driver: Ross Chastain | Crew Chief: Phil Gould

Start: 21st
Stage 1: 16th
Stage 2: 10th

Finish: 4th
Driver Points: N/A
Owner Points: 8th

  • Key Takeaway: Ross Chastain and the Use Your Melon Tennessee team contended for the win in Nashville. Despite having to start 21st due to the metric lineup, Chastain went to work on gaining track position early on. Noting that his truck handled tight, the No. 45 team made several adjustments to help Chastain’s balance in the opening two stages. By the time the final stage began, the team took advantage of cleaner air to maneuver to the front row. A strategy call put his truck in a favorable position, and Chastain was able to capitalize on a fourth-place finish.
  • Ross Chastain’s Post-Race Thoughts:

Interviewer: Ross Chastain, you were in that crazy battle for fuel, what were those closing laps like from your perspective?

“Hanging on, for us on our Use Your Melon Chevy. Yeah, not the pace that we needed to compete with Raj (Rajah Caruth) who was on equal tires. We’ve been too tight all day. Phil Gould freed it up, and then it was really loose firing off with full fuel. It was good because it was right for most of the run, but I couldn’t compete with him. We lost clean air, which, I couldn’t have held him off anyway. The No. 7 was straight up better, and the other two aren’t even trucks. Those must be cars. I don’t know what they are, but they are definitely not what Raj and I are driving, so it was definitely like bringing a knife to a gun fight tonight.”

About the Tennessee Highway Safety Office: The Tennessee Highway Safety Office (THSO) is a division of the Tennessee Department of Safety and Homeland Security advocating for traffic safety. The THSO works in tandem with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) to implement statewide programs addressing occupant protection, impaired driving, speed enforcement, pedestrian and bicycle safety, and crash data collection and analysis. Programs administered by the THSO are 100 percent federally funded. The THSO’s mission is to effectively develop, implement, and evaluate these programs. To learn more, please visit www.tntrafficsafety.org.

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

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

FORD RACING AND RIGGS EARN MUSIC CITY NASCAR CRAFTSMAN TRUCK SERIES VICTORY

By
Official Release
-

Ford Racing Notes and Quotes
NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series
Allegiance 200 – Nashville Superspeedway
Friday, May 29, 2026

FORD RACING AND RIGGS EARN MUSIC CITY NASCAR CRAFTSMAN TRUCK SERIES VICTORY

Lebanon, Tenn. Ford Racing earned the victory and third place at the rain delayed Allegiance 200 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series race from Nashville Superspeedway. Polesitter Layne Riggs swept all three stages on the 1.33-mile concrete oval outside of Nashville to score his third – second consecutive – win of the 2026 season. Despite leading every lap of the first two stages, the No. 34 Love’s Travel Stops/Fleetguard Ford F-150 fell deep in the pack in the third and final stage. Riggs worked his yellow Ford F-150 back through the field to take the lead on the final lap. He would lead a total 99 of 150 laps on his way to victory lane. Riggs’s Front Row Motorsports teammate Chandler Smith challenged at the front of the field most of the night and for the lead late in the race before taking the checkered flag in third-place.

Ford Racing now has four race wins in the 2026 season and 133 all-time NCTS races. The victory is the 19th Truck Series win for Front Row Motorsports.

Ford Finishing Results:

1st – Layne Riggs

3rd – Chandler Smith

12th – Ty Majeski

16th – Cole Butcher

21st – Derek Lemke

24th – Frankie Muniz

28th – Ben Rhodes

29th – Clayton Green

32nd – Jake Garcia

LAYNE RIGGS, No. 34 Love’s Travel Stops/Fleetguard Ford F-150 – “I don’t know what was wrong with those tires we put on to start the final stage. I was like, maybe I’m just this loose in dirty air, and I haven’t been as far back all day. I swore they’d put the left rear on the right rear and the right rear on the left rear. It was just absolutely undrivable. So, held on to it, and didn’t wreck it. It was that bad. Thankfully, the caution came out just at the right time, of course. Had nothing to lose, so we just came down pit road and put four [tires] on and I got my race car back. I’m glad we were able to come back. I just blacked out for those last 10 or 15 laps to just get to the front. Those guys gave me such a good truck in the first two stages. They gave me a shot at the very end to win it back, to claw back the front. And I knew I couldn’t leave here without that guitar. Thank you to everybody. It was really fun racing the [No.] 7 there. We were three wide across the line through the white flag. I wish that Chandler could have gotten to second instead of third, but still a great performance for both Ford F-150 trucks from Front Row. Probably the best race truck I’ve ever had before. I knew it in practice. It was just so dominant. It did everything I wanted to do, just so secure and had so much grip. We really went to work in the Ford Racing simulator to be better for this racetrack. We were already pretty good here, and we just fine tuned it that much better. So, yeah, just so happy to get me a guitar, number four for the Riggs family. Going to put it next to Dad’s.”

CHANDLER SMITH, No. 38 Matheus Lumber Ford F-150 – “It was tight, you know, from stage two on, just a little snug. Then we got on the other side of that and my truck really got good on long runs especially. So all those short runs, kind of clustered together, didn’t feed into our strong suit, but nevertheless, our No. 38 Matheus Lumber Ford F-150 was solid today. I was able to get stage points all day. To have the No. 34 get the win and we came in third… I know Bob Jenkins is here. I’m sure he’s happy. I look forward to going up to Michigan.”

TOYOTA RACING – NCTS Nashville Post-Race Report – 05.29.26

By
Official Release
-

FRIESEN, RUGGERIO SECURE TOP-10 FINISHES AT NASHVILLE
Halmar Friesen Racing Bring Home Both Trucks Inside Top-11

LEBANON, Tenn. (May 29, 2026) – Stewart Friesen led Team Toyota with a sixth-place finish in Friday night’s rain-delayed NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series race at Nashville Superspeedway. Gio Ruggerio also recorded a top-10 finish, coming home ninth.

Parker Retzlaff, making his debut for Halmar Friesen Racing in the team’s second No. 62 Toyota Tundra TRD Pro, finished 11th, giving the organization two trucks in the top 11. Early in the race – which concluded just after 1 a.m. ET – Kaden Honeycutt ran in the runner-up position for much of the 150-lap event. However, Honeycutt lost power with 30 laps to go and was eventually pushed to pit road, where the TRICON Garage team made a battery change. The issue ultimately took him out of contention for the race win.

TOYOTA RACING Post-Race Recap
NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series (NCTS)
Nashville Superspeedway
Race 11 of 23 – 199.5 Miles, 150 Laps

TOYOTA FINISHING POSITIONS

1st, Layne Riggs*

2nd, Rajah Caruth

3rd, Chandler Smith*

4th, Ross Chastain*

5th, Tyler Ankrum

6th, STEWART FRIESEN

9th, GIO RUGGIERO

11th PARKER RETZLAFF

13th, BRANDON JONES

27th, KADEN HONEYCUTT

30th, WILLIAM SAWALICH

33rd, TANNER GRAY

*non-Toyota driver

TOYOTA QUOTES

STEWART FRIESEN, No. 52 Halmar International Toyota Tundra TRD Pro, Halmar Friesen Racing

Finishing Position: 6th

How were you able to rally to finish in sixth?

“Really, really, fast Toyota Tundra TRD Pro. Dustin (Dunn, crew chief) did a really good job getting this thing setup. We had some misfortune there where the lugnut took the valve stem off. Had to come in, but it took most of the splitter off and we were really tight after that. We just kept adjusting on it to overcome that. It was a good call to get tires, but I overdrove it, tried to get too much and bounced it off the fence and then we ended up sixth. It’s ok, from where the last couple of races have been and what we’ve battled with, we always battle something but it’s ok.”

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.

Rico Abreu Wins Emotional High Limit Race at Lawrenceburg

By
Briar Starr
-
Rico Abreu Wins High Limit Race At Lawrenceburg Speedway, Photo Courtesy of High Limit Racing

After a brief break in the 2026 High Limit Racing Interstate Batteries Series schedule, the series returned to action Friday night at Lawrenceburg Speedway, nicknamed “The Berg.” Rico Abreu took home the checkered flag after starting in the second position and fending off a hard-charging Kyle Larson in the closing laps to win $25,000 in the main event for his 27th career High Limit victory.

The series last raced at Grandview Speedway on May 19, and the race aired on Fox Sports 1; Aaron Reutzel won. Following Grandview, they were supposed to have a three-day show at Port Royal Speedway on Memorial Day weekend, but it was rained out all three days.

However, with the series returning to action Friday night, this marks the start of a busy stretch that will see nine nights of racing from now through Thursday, June 11, at Shelby County Speedway.

For tonight’s portion, there were 29 cars on site at the speedway, including former series champion and two-time NASCAR Cup Series champion, Larson, who was back in the field. His first race since competing in the two-day show at the Texas Motor Speedway dirt track, when he claimed night 1. Additionally, he won the past four of five races at Lawrenceburg.

Three heat races took place before the A-feature. Winning those races were Tanner Thorson in Heat 1, Parker Price-Miller in Heat 2, and the series all-time wins leader, Rico Abreu, in Heat 3. The dash feature, which sets the top six, featured Abreu, Reutzel, Larson, Price-Miller, Thorson, and Scelzi. The race feature would go to Reutzel, who would start on pole position in the main event. Abreu was second, with Larson in third, Price-Miller in fourth, Thorson in fifth, and Scelzi rounding out the top six.

In the B-main, which took the top six, Sprint Car veteran and Aussie, Kerry Madsen, won the 12-lap feature, followed by Cale Thomas, Joel Myers Jr, Chase Randall, Cody Bova, and Leyton Wagner. All transferred to the A-feature.

When the green flag flew for the 30-lap main event, Reutzel and Abreu led the field into Turn 1. Coming out of Turn 1, Abreu passed race leader Reutzel on the outside, taking the lead on the backstretch. With 24 laps to go, Abreu was already catching lap traffic, which allowed Reutzel to close back in. At 22 laps to go, Larson passed Price-Miller for the third position.

Unfortunately, just a couple of laps later, with 20 to go, Larson suffered a flat right rear tire while running in the third position. He would go back behind the wall and his No. 57 Paul Silva team changed the tire.

After a brief caution period, the race resumed. Abreu broke away from Reutzel and Thorson to lead the top three. The racing would be brief, however, as Larson and Zane DeVault made contact with each other off Turn 4. Larson went sliding up the track, then Joel Myers Jr ran into the back of DeVault.

The race went back green with 17 laps to go, with Rico Abreu as the leader. At 11 laps to go, Abreu once again caught the back of the field and Reutzel closed in again. While Reutzel was trying to catch Abreu, Thorson was making ground as well. During the process, Thorson attempted a slider to pass Reutzel for second, but the two made contact off Turn 4. Thorson was unsuccessful with the slider and clipped the left rear of Reutzel.

Reutzel, the championship points leader, wound up flipping upside down and hitting the wall, suffering major damage to his Sprint Car.

The accident resulted in a red flag period for cleanup. Once the red flag was over and the race went back to green conditions with nine laps to go, Abreu checked out as the leader once more. While Abreu was leading the way, Larson began making ground and passing multiple cars in the waning laps.

Larson’s efforts fell short, as Abreu went on to take the checkered flag in his No. 24 Carquest Tony Stewart Racing Sprint Car team. It was his second High Limit Racing win of the season. The victory was also his first since the Thursday feature at Central Arizona Raceway on March 19. Unofficially, Abreu took over the championship points standings as well.

“I was really just trying to hit my marks, “Rico Abreu said to Flo Racing in his post-race interview. “The track gets really difficult and these guys with the Tony Stewart Racing team, Ricky Warner and Zach Middlebrooks. My mother is here and my wife as well, and Gus (Rico’s dog). Everyone just works really hard to get this car fast. These wins get emotional because they’re so hard to get and it’s a real dream come true for me to be able to race in front of such amazing fans. Our sport is unbelievable right now and to see the fans during fan fest, and the line, along with packed merchandise trailers.

“Just the product that our sport is creating right now. You have guys going from the back to the front and it’s very intense. I try to hold my own and keep my composure, knowing it’s a long season here. Things change and fluctuate throughout the season. It’s just an honor to race with Ricky Warner. We got one of the best in the stands tonight, Karl Kinser, watching us. It was really cool to see Karl and Ricky have a moment before the races.”

Due to Larson climbing up through the field and finishing in the runner-up spot, he earned the hard charger award.

“I had a really good car, I love this track too,” Larson told Flo Racing on the frontstretch. “It was finally opening up above the cushion and I could build big runs on the backstretch, and slide people in (Turns) 3 and 4, so made up a lot of ground doing that. It was unfortunate to get the flat there early. I felt like I just got to third and they were right in front of me, and I felt like I was getting to work in some lines that were going to generate some runs. It’s a bummer, but I recovered way better than I thought I would, especially after spinning again.

“It was chaos back there. My car was really fast. Thanks to Paul (Silva, Team Owner) and Trevor (Canales), and everybody on this car. Thanks to all my sponsors and everybody who is a part of this thing. It’s cool to get to run quite a bit here, coming up with you guys. Looking forward to that.”

Official Race Results Following Lawrenceburg Speedway

  1. Rico Abreu
  2. Kyle Larson
  3. Parker Price-Miller
  4. Giovanni Scelzi
  5. Tyler Courtney
  6. Tanner Holmes
  7. Justin Peck
  8. Brent Marks
  9. Kalib Henry
  10. Sye Lynch
  11. Brenham Crouch
  12. Cale Thomas
  13. Hank Davis
  14. Kerry Madsen
  15. Daison Pursley
  16. Tanner Thorson
  17. Keith Sheffer Jr
  18. Chase Randall
  19. Danny Sams III
  20. Leyton Wagner
  21. Cody Bova
  22. Aaron Reutzel
  23. Zane DeVault
  24. Joel Myers Jr

The next event in the High Limit Series is set for Saturday night, May 30, at Butler Speedway, live on Flo Racing.

Layne Riggs rallies for last-lap Truck victory at Nashville

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

Layne Riggs notched a thrilling NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series victory over Rajah Caruth and teammate Chandler Smith in the rain-delayed Allegiance 200 at Nashville Superspeedway on Friday, May 29.

The 23-year-old Riggs from Bahama, North Carolina, led twice for a race-high 99 of 150-scheduled laps in an event where he was awarded the pole position based on the metric qualifying formula and swept the event’s first two stage periods. Then after being shuffled towards the top-10 mark due to various pit strategies and struggling to launch forward with fresh tires, he spent the majority of the final stage period trying to navigate his way back to the front.

Through two late-race cautions and ensuing restarts, including the final one with 16 laps remaining, Layne Riggs used his fresh tires and the restarts to muscle his way up the leaderboard. With three laps remaining, he overtook teammate Chandler Smith for the runner-up spot. Then on the final lap, he outdueled Rajah Caruth to storm back atop the leaderboard and cruise to his third Truck victory of the 2026 season.

The event’s starting lineup was determined by a qualifying metric formula because on-track qualifying was shortened and canceled due to inclement weather. As a result, Layne Riggs, winner of last weekend’s event at Charlotte Motor Speedway, was awarded the pole position, and he shared the front row with Kaden Honeycutt.

Before the event, rookie Mini Tyrrell was dropped to the rear of the field due to repairs and unapproved adjustments to his No. 14 Kaulig Racing RAM 1500 entry. Andres Perez De Lara was also forced to start at the rear of the field and serve a drive-through penalty at the event’s start due to technical issues with his No. 44 Niece Motorsports Chevrolet Silverado RST entry.

When the green flag waved and the event commenced under the lights following a delay that lasted more than two hours due to inclement weather, Layne Riggs motored his No. 34 Love’s Ford F-150 entry ahead from the inside lane, and he quickly transitioned to the outside lane to fend off Kaden Honeycutt through the first two turns as the field fanned out. Amid a series of on-track battles around the superspeedway venue, Riggs led the first lap.

Over the next four laps, Riggs increased his early advantage to more than a second over Honeycutt while Jesse Love, Christian Eckes and Giovanni Ruggiero occupied the top-five spots over Ben Rhodes, Tanner Gray, Brandon Jones, Daniel Hemric and Jake Garcia, respectively. Riggs stabilized his lead to one-and-a-half seconds over Honeycutt at the Lap 10 mark as all but one of 36 starters, minus Andres Perez De Lara amid the latter’s opening lap drive-through penalty through pit road, were scored on the lead lap.

Through the first 20-scheduled laps at Nashville, Layne Riggs added another second to his advantage as he was leading by more than two seconds. Honeycutt, Love, Eckes, Ruggiero, Rhodes, Tanner Gray, Chandler, Smith, Brandon Jones and Hemric trailed in the top 10, respectively. Jake Garcia, William Sawalich, Stefan Parsons, Grant Enfinger, Tyler Reif, Ross Chastain, Corey LaJoie, Parker Retzlaff, Stewart Friesen and Ty Majeski were mired in the top 20 ahead of Tyler Ankrum, Rajah Caruth, Dawson Sutton, Cole Butcher and Daniel Dye while Justin haley, Mini Tyrrell, Brenden Queen, Carson Ferguson and Kris Wright rounded out the top 30 ahead of Frankie Muniz, Clayton Green, Spencer Boyd, Derek Lemke, Andres Perez De Lara and Caleb Costner, respectively.

Ten laps later, Riggs built his advantage to three seconds over Honeycutt while third-place Love and fourth-place Eckes trailed by eight and nine seconds, respectively. Meanwhile, Ruggiero trailed in fifth place by 11 seconds while Chandler Smith, who started in 22nd place, was up to sixth place amid an earlier battle with Ben Rhodes. Jones, Garcia and Hemric rounded out the top 10, respectively, as Riggs, who lapped 12 competitors racing at the tail end of the field, continued to lead by more than four seconds by Lap 35.

When the first stage period concluded on Lap 45, Riggs, who lapped Dawson Sutton and Corey LaJoie over the previous 10 laps, cruised to his third Truck stage victory of the 2026 season. Honeycutt trailed in second by two seconds while Love, Eckes, Ruggiero, Chandler Smith, Rhodes, Tanner Gray, Garcia and Hemric were scored in the top 10, respectively. By then, 22 of 36 starters were scored on the lead lap. LaJoie managed to fend off Sutton to be the first competitor scored a lap down and was awarded the free pass.

Under the event’s first stage break period, the lead lap .ield led by Riggs peeled off the racetrack and pitted for the first time of the event. Following the pit stops, Riggs exited pit road first ahead of Honeycutt while Eckes, Jones, Grant Enfinger, Tanner Gray, Chandler Smith, Love, Ruggiero and Garcia followed suit, respectively. Amid the pit stops, Mini Tyrrell sent Parker Retzlaff for a spin in his pit box. Also, both Friesen and Rhodes returned to pit road as Friesen had a left-front tire that was flat.

The second stage period started on Lap 54 as Riggs and Honeycutt occupied the front row. At the start, Riggs gained another strong launch from the inside lane as he motored ahead of the field that had fanned out and jostled for spots. A lap later, the caution returned due to Tyler Reif getting loose beneath teammate Stefan Parsons, spinning and rear-ending his No. 42 Comprehensive Logistics Chevrolet Silverado RST entry against the outside wall from Turns 3 and 4.

The start of the next restart on Lap 60 only lasted two turns before the caution returned due to Carson Ferguson getting loose through the first two turns and wrecking the No. 25 ‘Free Agent’ RAM 1500 entry for Kaulig Racing hard against the outside wall. At the moment of caution, Riggs fended off Honeycutt and was scored as the leader. Riggs managed to motor ahead of the field during the next restart on Lap 67 while Honeycutt, Eckes and Chandler Smith battled for the runner-up spot in front of Enfinger. The caution flew on Lap 68 due to Jesse Love, Tanner Gray and Garcia wrecking through Turns 3 and 4.

As the event restarted on Lap 75, Riggs extended his strong launch from the inside lane as he both maintained and rocketed away from the field for a full lap. As Riggs led, Eckes navigated his way into the runner-up spot over Honeycutt as the field that had been fanned out since the restart continued to instigate with a series of on-track battles ensuing. The caution then returned on Lap 78 due to debris on the course that came off the damaged entry of Garcia. During this latest caution period, some, including Ross Chastain, Rajah Caruth, Ruggiero, Retzlaff, LaJoie, and Tyler Ankrum, pitted while the rest, led by Riggs, remained on the track. Ruggiero was then penalized for speeding on pit road.

When the event restarted on Lap 84, Riggs motored ahead from the inside lane while Eckes was pinned in a tight three-wide battle with Honeycutt and Chandler Smith for the runner-up spot. The field fanned out, scattered and jostled for spots as Riggs led the next lap. With Riggs leading Honeycutt, the battles all around the field continued to ensue as Chandler Smith, Eckes and Enfinger were racing in the top five ahead of Rhodes, Daniel Dye, Majeski, Hemric and Chastain, respectively.

When the second stage period concluded on Lap 95, Riggs captured his fourth Truck stage victory of the 2026 season and his second of tonight’s event at Nashville. Honeycutt followed suit in the runner-up spot by more than a second while Chandler Smith, Eckes, Enfinger, Rhodes, Dye, Majeski, Hemric, and Chastain were scored in the top 10, respectively. By then, 23 of 36 starters were scored on the lead lap. The 24th-place competitor, Cole Butcher, was awarded the free pass by being the first competitor to be scored a lap down.

During the event’s second stage break period, a majority of the field led by Riggs pitted while the rest led by Chastain, Caruth, Ankrum and Perez De Lara remained on the track. Following the pit stops and with mixed strategies in place, Retzlaff exited pit road first, ahead of LaJoie and Ruggiero, while Honeycutt followed suit, ahead of Sutton, Riggs and Chandler Smith.

With 47 laps remaining at Nashville, the final stage period commenced as Chastain and Caruth occupied the front row. At the start, Chastain led Ankrum, Caruth and the field through the first two turns as the field fanned out, scrambled and jostled for late spots through the backstretch. Chastain and Caruth dueled for the lead through the frontstretch to start the next lap before Caruth used the inside lane to muscle his No. 7 HendrickCars.com Chevrolet Silverado RST entry ahead of Chastain through the first two turns. As Caruth led, Honeycutt navigated his way to third place while Riggs was mired in 12th place. Chastain maintained the runner-up spot over Honeycutt, Perez De Lara and Ankrum as Caruth continued to lead with 44 laps remaining.

Down to the final 40 laps of the event, Caruth was leading by six-tenths of a second over Chastain as Honeycutt continued to reel in Chastain for the runner-up spot. Caruth spent the next five laps extending his late advantage to a second over both Chastain and Honeycutt while Ankrum and Perez De Lara remained in the top five over LaJoie, Enfinger, Retzlaff, Eckes and Rhodes, respectively. Then, with 34 laps remaining, Honeycutt dropped off the pace from third place due to losing power and having electrical issues with his No. 11 Safelite Toyota Tundra TRD Pro entry. Honeycutt would then draw a caution with 32 laps remaining as his entry crept to the entrance of pit road and needed a wrecker to have the entry pushed to his pit stall. During this caution period, some, like Retzlaff, Friesen, Riggs, Brenden Queen, Jones, Ruggiero, Sutton and Tyrrell pitted while the rest, led by Caruth, remained on the track.

The next restart with 26 laps remaining featured Caruth receiving an excessive push from Ankrum to motor ahead of Chastain from the inside lane through the fronstretch. As the field fanned out through the first two turns, LaJoie scrapped the outside wall due to contact from Rhodes as the field fanned out, but the event remained under green flag conditions as Caruth led the next lap. Caruth proceeded to lead by more than a second over Chastain before the caution flew with 22 laps remaining due to a left-rear wheel being detached from Rhodes’ No. 99 Nashville Stampede Ford F-150 entry.

As the event restarted with 16 laps remaining, Caruth and Chastain dueled for the lead through the frontstretch after Caruth did not get the push needed from Ankrum from the inside lane at the launch and briefly got loose. Following a duel with Chastain, Caruth managed to fend off the latter and lead the next lap. He then built a reasonable lead within half a second with 14 laps remaining. Chandler Smith, Chastain, Perez De Lara, Ankrum and a hard-charging Riggs followed suit, respectively. Riggs was then mixed in a tight battle with Friesen, Enfinger, Eckes and Perez De Lara to maintain sixth place while Caruth maintained his lead to six-tenths of a second over runner-up Chandler Smith and by more than a second over third-place Chastain.

Down to the final 10 laps of the event, Caruth continued to lead by half a second over Chandler Smith as Smith had fresher tires than Caruth. As both Chastain and Riggs trailed by two seconds within the top-four mark, Smith continued to reel in Caruth through every turn and straightaway, but he had teammate Riggs reeling in on both him and Caruth. Riggs then overtook Smith through the backstretch and the former proceeded to reel in Caruth as he had fresher tires than Caruth.

When the white flag waved and the final lap started, Caruth remained in the lead by a narrow margin as he briefly fended off Riggs by trying to slide in front of him entering the frontstretch. Riggs, though, managed to draw even with Caruth from the outside lane through the first two turns until he motored his No. 34 Love’s Ford F-150 entry ahead entering the backstretch. With both Caruth and Smith battling for the runner-up spot, Riggs used the clean air to drive away and claim the checkered flag first by four-tenths of a second over both Caruth and Smith.

Riggs
Photo by Logan Allen for SpeedwayMedia.com

With the victory, Riggs notched his eighth NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series career victory in his 65th start, his third of the 2026 season and his second in a row in recent weeks after he won historic past Sunday’s event at Charlotte Motor Speedway. This marks the second time in Riggs’ career that he notched back-to-back Truck victories, as he is coming off last Sunday’s victory at Charlotte Motor Speedway. Riggs previously won back-to-back races at the Milwaukee Mile and Bristol Motor Speedway between August and September 2024. Riggs’ Nashville victory was his first at the track, and he joins his father, Scott, as a Truck winner at Nashville. It was also the fourth Truck victory of the 2026 season for both Ford and Front Row Motorsports.

“[I didn’t know I had Caruth] Until I passed him and cleared him,” Riggs said on the frontstretch on FS1. “That’s how you win a NASTruck race right there, boys and girls. I hope I put on a show for you, guys. I didn’t want to fall back, but I don’t know what happened with that set of tires. [The truck] was literally undrivable. [Crew chief] Dylan [Cappello] made the right adjustments there, got me the tires. He got me the motivation. [I] Drove it to the front. Thank you to everybody, Ford Performance, Ford Racing, Love’s Travel Stops, Front Row Motorsports. All these guys on this [No. 34] team. This pit crew, right here, did a great job all night. Awesome finish there with [Chandler Smith]. He gave me the push for the win. Great racing there with Chandler. Awesome night of racing.”

Rajah Caruth, who led 44 laps and was attempting to win the Truck event at Nashville for a second consecutive year, fended off Chandler Smith to settle in the runner-up spot. Caruth, who drove the No. 7 Chevrolet entry for Spire Motorsports in place of the late two-time NASCAR Cup Series champion Kyle Busch, was disappointed over the outcome, but still pleased with the late strategic call that nearly netted him another victory to his Truck resume.

“I was trying to make this [No. 7 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet] as wide as possible, obviously, on the tire disadvantage,” Caruth said. “That was a great call by [crew chief] Brian [Pattie]. I think we were strong. Just starting at the back with no qualifying impacted our night. We got the truck really, really strong there. There’s probably some things I should’ve done better there, but huge congrats to Layne. He’s done a great job and they’re the championship threat. Glad to give these HendrickCars.com and Spire guys a good result. [I] Really wanted to get that [win] for everybody that was at [Kyle Busch Motorsports], [Kyle Busch]’s family and whatnot…I just didn’t close it out.”

Chandler Smith finished in third place ahead of Ross Chastain and Tyler Ankrum. Stewart Friesen, Grant Enfinger, Christian Eckes, Giovanni Ruggiero and Daniel Dye completed the top 10 in the final running order.

There were five lead changes for three different leaders. The event featured eight cautions for 48 laps. In addition, 21 of 36 starters finished on the lead lap.

Following the 11th event of the 2026 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series season, Layne Riggs leads the standings by 37 points over Kaden Honeycutt, 93 over Christian Eckes, 96 over Chandler Smith and 106 over Giovanni Ruggiero.

Results:

  1. Layne Riggs, 99 laps led, Stages 1 & 2 winner
  2. Rajah Caruth, 44 laps led
  3. Chandler Smith
  4. Ross Chastain led seven laps
  5. Tyler Ankrum
  6. Stewart Friesen
  7. Grant Enfinger
  8. Christian Eckes
  9. Giovanni Ruggeiro
  10. Daniel Dye
  11. Parker Retzlaff
  12. Ty Majeski
  13. Brandon Jones
  14. Andres Perez De Lara
  15. Daniel Hemric
  16. Cole Butcher
  17. Dawson Sutton
  18. Stefan Parsons
  19. Brenden Queen
  20. Mini Tyrrell
  21. Derek Lemke
  22. Corey LaJoie, one lap down
  23. Kris Wright, one lap down
  24. Frankie Muniz, one lap down
  25. Caleb Costner, two laps down
  26. Spencer Boyd, two laps down
  27. Kaden Honeycutt, three laps down
  28. Ben Rhodes, five laps down
  29. Clayton Green, nine laps down
  30. William Sawalich, 30 laps down
  31. Justin Haley – OUT, Suspension
  32. Jake Garcia – OUT, Accident
  33. Tanner Gray – OUT, Accident
  34. Jesse Love – OUT, Accident
  35. Carson Ferguson – OUT, Accident
  36. Tyler Reif – OUT, Accident

Next on the 2026 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series schedule is Michigan International Speedway in Brooklyn, Michigan, for the DQS Solutions & Staffing 250. The event is scheduled to occur next Saturday, June 6, and air at 1:30 p.m. ET on FS1, NASCAR Racing Network and SiriusXM.

LANGDON, PEDREGON, ANDERSON & A. SMITH OPEN INAUGURAL NHRA POTOMAC NATIONALS PRESENTED BY JEGS IN TOP SPOTS

By
Official Release
-

MECHANICSVILLE, Md. (May 29, 2026) – Coming off back-to-back Top Fuel wins, points leader Shawn Langdon made the quickest run on Friday in NHRA’s debut at Maryland International Raceway, powering to the provisional No. 1 position at the inaugural NHRA Potomac Nationals presented by JEGS.

Cruz Pedregon (Funny Car), Greg Anderson (Pro Stock) and Angie Smith (Pro Stock Motorcycle) are also the provisional No. 1 qualifiers at the seventh of 20 races during the 2026 NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series season.

Langdon, who already has three wins in 2026, went 3.758-seconds at 336.23 mph in his 12,000-horsepower Kalitta Air dragster, putting on a remarkable show in his first appearance at the facility. The past world champion is after his third No. 1 qualifier of the year and 25th in his career as he continues to enjoy a spectacular start to NHRA’s 75th anniversary season.

“We didn’t think we could make that kind of run here today,” Langdon said. “We actually underestimated the track on the first run, and so Brian [Husen, crew chief] realized he could get after it a little more and we were able to take the No. 1 from Doug. This is just such a great team effort from everyone at Kalitta Motorsports, starting with Connie, and I’m just proud to be able to drive the car.

“Tomorrow, we’ll just have the kind of mindset that we had today. Just try to make some good runs, but also win the Mission #2fast2Tasty Challenge, too.”

Langdon’s Kalitta Motorsports teammate, reigning world champion Doug Kalitta, is second going a 3.774 at 333.91 as part of the thrilling side-by-side run with Langdon. Tony Stewart is third thanks to his 3.790 at 333.33.

In Funny Car, Cruz Pedregon hopes Friday marks the turnaround of his season, as the two-time world champion vaulted to the top in his 12,000-horsepower Snap-on America 250 Dodge Hellcat with a strong pass of 3.951 at 323.19.

The veteran has endured his share of struggles early this season, not qualifying in Pomona and failing to make it out of the first round at the first six races. But he’s qualified well the last two races and Friday marked another solid step forward as Pedregon looks to qualify No. 1 for the first time this season and 66th time in his stellar career.

“That probably won’t stay No. 1. I think there’s a .92 or (.93) out there, and we’re going to give it a shot tomorrow,” Pedregon said. “It’d be nice to stay No. 1. It doesn’t win the race, but it gives you some confidence. We’re in the numbers game, so you know, being in that top three or four is important.

“The thing about this place, it’s near the ocean. Anytime you get near the ocean at sea level, you’re going to get good atmospheric conditions. The challenge for our cars is we have more power than we really need, so the challenge for us is to pull it back and not get too fancy and cute. We had a good balance, and it ripped, man. It was a good run.”

Spencer Hyde, the reigning NHRA Rookie of the Year, is second with a 3.953 at 323.58 and Valdosta winner Jordan Vandergriff is currently third thanks to a 3.970 at 321.88.

Pro Stock’s Greg Anderson wasted no time in sending a message at Maryland International Raceway, dipping into the 6.40s and taking the provisional top spot with a run of 6.494 at 211.79 in his HendrickCars.com Chevrolet Camaro.

Anderson entered the weekend second in points following a runner-up showing in Chicago, but he’s hoping for a better result at this new track on the NHRA schedule than the first one of the year. The six-time champ qualified No. 1 in Valdosta but was upset on a massive holeshot in the opening round, something he’s eager not to replicate this weekend at Maryland International Raceway.

“I remember so many times coming here back 25 years ago when I worked with Warren Johnson as a crew chief, and we’d come up here and we would race the Wednesday night before Englishtown and the grandstands would be packed, so it’s just a great atmosphere,” Anderson said.

“We love going to sea-level type tracks, because we don’t have a blower, we don’t have any type of power. We’re dependent on Mother Nature. So, we hope and pray we get races somewhere through the season that have conditions like this. These are fantastic conditions; they’re basically Disneyland conditions and you’ll see the cars all run faster tomorrow. You should see a lot of 6.40 runs tomorrow.”

Points leader Dallas Glenn pulled close to Anderson, going 6.497 at 211.26 and Matt Latino is third after a pass of 6.504 at 212.56.

On an emotional day for Pro Stock Motorcycle’s Angie Smith, the talented veteran made the quickest run of the day as she continues to impress in qualifying, going a career-best 6.690 at 202.97 on her Denso Auto Parts Buell.

Her husband, six-time world champion Matt Smith, was hospitalized Friday morning and will be unable to race this weekend. Chip Ellis will be riding his bike, but with M. Smith urging on the team – and still making tuning calls – his wife put together a standout pass as she looks for her third No. 1 qualifier of the season.

She’s also coming off a heartbreaking final round in Chicago against her husband when her bike broke on the starting line. It’s made for a rollercoaster of emotions in recent days, but Smith was proud of how the team handled everything on Friday.

“My run was awesome. I cried. I don’t usually cry at the racetrack because I’m usually pretty tough, but I was just scared, you know? I have made probably 5,000 runs down a racetrack, and zero have been without Matt Smith,” Smith said. “I knew he was watching, I’m pretty sure he was proud. Matt tuning from the hospital is pretty remarkable to me, because he’s not here to look at the weather conditions, look at the track and do a lot of the things that he takes into account when he makes a tune-up call. So all I can say is, ‘Honey, you did a remarkable job.’

“I’m relieved, to say the least. It’s just been a lot the last 24 hours and this whole day has been a blur. I’m just glad that we ran well. I’m glad that all the bikes went down and everybody was safe. That was my main goal. I’ve never had this much responsibility, and the whole team rose to the occasion.”

Points leader Richard Gadson is in the second spot after a run of 6.729 at 201.31 and filling in for M. Smith, Ellis is third on his bike with a 6.743 at 201.16.

Qualifying continues at 12:30 p.m. ET on Saturday at the NHRA Potomac Nationals presented by JEGS at Maryland International Raceway.

MECHANICSVILLE, Md. — Friday’s results after the first two of four rounds of qualifying for the Inaugural NHRA Potomac Nationals presented by JEGS at Maryland International Raceway, seventh of 20 events in the NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series. Qualifying will continue Saturday for Sunday’s final eliminations.

Top Fuel — 1. Shawn Langdon, 3.758 seconds, 336.23 mph; 2. Doug Kalitta, 3.774, 333.91; 3. Tony Stewart, 3.790, 333.33; 4. Leah Pruett, 3.799, 323.43; 5. Maddi Gordon, 3.805, 332.34; 6. Josh Hart, 3.811, 333.91; 7. Antron Brown, 3.823, 329.42; 8. Clay Millican, 3.839, 321.88; 9. Shawn Reed, 3.865, 323.50; 10. Spencer Massey, 3.865, 323.27; 11. Justin Ashley, 3.868, 322.50; 12. Billy Torrence, 3.891, 323.81; 13. Will Smith,

3.959, 295.92; 14. Lex Joon, 4.345, 197.31; 15. Tony Schumacher, 5.386, 144.30.

Funny Car — 1. Cruz Pedregon, Dodge Charger, 3.951, 323.19; 2. Spencer Hyde, Ford Mustang, 3.953, 323.58; 3. Jordan Vandergriff, Chevy Camaro, 3.970, 321.88; 4. Chad Green, Mustang, 3.985, 320.36; 5. Matt Hagan, Charger, 3.989, 326.87; 6. J.R. Todd, Toyota GR Supra, 4.015, 327.03; 7. Blake Alexander, Charger, 4.018, 319.90; 8. Jack Beckman, Camaro, 4.018, 316.30; 9. Alexis DeJoria, Camaro, 4.025, 318.32; 10. Austin

Prock, Mustang, 4.036, 316.90; 11. Ron Capps, GR Supra, 4.050, 321.88; 12. Dave Richards, Mustang, 4.058, 321.42; 13. Paul Lee, Charger, 4.114, 311.13; 14. Del Worsham, Toyota Supra, 4.261, 250.00; 15. Daniel Wilkerson, Mustang, 5.309, 130.49.

Pro Stock — 1. Greg Anderson, Chevy Camaro, 6.494, 211.79; 2. Dallas Glenn, Camaro, 6.497, 211.76; 3. Matt Latino, Camaro, 6.504, 212.56; 4. Cody Anderson, Camaro, 6.505, 211.56; 5. Greg Stanfield, Camaro, 6.506, 211.86; 6. Jeg Coughlin, Camaro, 6.512, 211.76; 7. Eric Latino, Camaro, 6.518, 211.56; 8. Aaron Stanfield, Camaro, 6.535, 212.06; 9. Deric Kramer, Camaro, 6.535, 210.87; 10. Kenny Delco, Camaro, 6.562, 210.60; 11.

Matt Hartford, Camaro, 6.592, 211.79; 12. Brandon Miller, Dodge Dart, 6.602, 209.56; 13. Shane Tucker, Camaro, 6.607, 211.43; 14. Alan Prusiensky, Dart, 6.795, 193.49; 15. Troy Coughlin Jr., Camaro, 12.658, 98.77; 16. Erica Enders, Camaro, 16.655, 59.96.

Pro Stock Motorcycle — 1. Angie Smith, Buell, 6.690, 202.97; 2. Richard Gadson, Suzuki, 6.729, 201.31; 3. Chip Ellis, EBR, 6.743, 201.16; 4. John Hall, Beull, 6.746, 202.55; 5. Ryan Oehler, Buell, 6.770, 201.10; 6. Gaige Herrera, Suzuki, 6.773, 199.82; 7. Chase Van Sant, Suzuki, 6.778, 200.32; 8. Jianna Evaristo, Buell, 6.787, 202.06; 9. Clayton Howey, Suzuki, 6.788, 200.02; 10. Kelly Clontz, Suzuki, 6.818, 198.47; 11. Steve Johnson, Suzuki, 6.828, 195.11; 12. Brayden Davis, Buell, 6.838, 157.39; 13. Geno Scali, Suzuki,

6.921, 197.13; 14. Charles Poskey, Suzuki, 6.942, 196.90; 15. Wesley Wells, Suzuki, 6.960, 191.87.

Layne Riggs awarded Truck Pole at Nashville

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

Layne Riggs will start on the pole position for the Allegiance 200 at Nashville Superspeedway in Lebanon, Tennessee, on Friday, May 29.

The event’s starting lineup was going to be determined through an on-track qualifying session that consisted of a single-truck, single-lap qualifying format. During the session, each of the 38 competitors vying for 36 starting spots would cycle around Nashville Superspeedway once to post the fastest lap amongst one another. The competitor who posts the single fastest lap wins the pole position.

Friday’s qualifying session was canceled due to inclement weather. Only 24 of 38 competitors posted a qualifying time before the session’s delay and eventual cancellation. As a result, the starting lineup was determined through a qualifying metric formula per the NASCAR rule book. Based on the metric formula, Riggs, who won last weekend’s rain-shortened Truck event at Charlotte Motor Speedway, was awarded the pole position. Riggs managed to post the fastest lap at 164.034 mph in 29.189 seconds during a rain-shortened practice session that occurred prior to qualifications on Friday.

Riggs is currently in second place in the 2026 driver’s standings. His No. 34 Front Row Motorsports Ford F-150 entry is also in second place in the owner’s standings, will lead the field to the start of a Truck event for the first time in 2026 for Friday night’s main event at Nashville. His best result at Nashville is third place, which occurred this past season, as he pursues his third victory of the 2026 season.

Riggs will share the front row with Kaden Honeycutt, the latter of whom finished in the runner-up spot behind Riggs at Charlotte and is leading in both the driver’s and owner’s standings. Jesse Love, Giovanni Ruggiero and Christian Eckes will start in the top five, respectively. Ben Rhodes, Brandon Jones, William Sawalich, Tanner Gray and Daniel Hemric completed the top-10 starting grid, respectively.

With 38 competitors vying for 36 starting spots, Toni Breidinger and Jonathan Shafer were the only two competitors who did not make the main event.

Nashville – Starting Lineup:

  1. Layne Riggs
  2. Kaden Honeycutt
  3. Jesse Love
  4. Giovanni Ruggerio
  5. Christian Eckes
  6. Ben Rhodes
  7. Brandon Jones
  8. William Sawalich
  9. Tanner Gray
  10. Daniel Hemric
  11. Jake Garcia
  12. Corey LaJoie
  13. Stefan Parsons
  14. Tyler Reif
  15. Justin Haley
  16. Grant Enfinger
  17. Tyler Ankrum
  18. Parker Retzlaff
  19. Andres Perez De Lara
  20. Carson Ferguson
  21. Ross Chastain
  22. Chandler Smith
  23. Dawson Sutton
  24. Stewart Friesen
  25. Rajah Caruth
  26. Frankie Muniz
  27. Ty Majeski
  28. Spencer Boyd
  29. Cole Butcher
  30. Brenden Queen
  31. Derek Lemke
  32. Kris Wright
  33. Mini Tyrrell
  34. Clayton Green
  35. Caleb Costner
  36. Daniel Dye

The 2026 Allegiance 200 at Nashville Superspeedway is scheduled to occur on Friday, May 29, at 8 p.m. ET on FS1, NASCAR Racing Network and SiriusXM.

1...323334...6,728Page 33 of 6,728