Date: March 15, 2026 Event: Pennzoil 400 (Round 5 of 36) Series: NASCAR Cup Series Location: Las Vegas Motor Speedway (1.5-mile oval) Format: 267 laps, broken into three stages (80 laps/85 laps/102 laps)
Race Winner: Denny Hamlin of Joe Gibbs Racing (Toyota) Stage 1 Winner: Christopher Bell of Joe Gibbs Racing (Toyota) Stage 2 Winner: William Byron of Hendrick Motorsports (Chevrolet)
RWR Finish:
● Cody Ware (Started 33rd, Finished 35th / Running, completed 263 of 267 laps)
RWR Points:
● Cody Ware (33rd with 52 points)
Race Notes:
● Denny Hamlin won the Pennzoil 400 to score his 61st career NASCAR Cup Series victory, his first of the season and his third at Las Vegas. His margin over second-place Chase Elliott was .502 of a second.
● Hamlin’s victory puts him in sole possession of 10th on the all-time NASCAR Cup Series win list.
● There were three caution periods for a total of 20 laps.
● Only 20 of the 36 drivers in the race finished on the lead lap.
● Tyler Reddick remains the championship leader after Las Vegas with a 61-point advantage over second-place Bubba Wallace.
Sound Bites:
“We were tight all race long, but we kept working on it and we did make some gains, but we just never got the balance quite where it needed to be. And then I sped on pit road and that didn’t help things. Just gotta put it all behind us and get ready for Darlington.” – Cody Ware, driver of the No. 51 Yeego Chevrolet
Next Up:
The next event on the NASCAR Cup Series schedule is the Goodyear 400 on Sunday, March 22 at Darlington (S.C.) Raceway. The race begins at 3 p.m. EDT with live coverage provided by FS1 and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.
Austin Dillon and the No. 3 BREZTRI AEROSPHERE (budesonide, glycopyrrolate, and formoterol fumarate)® Chevrolet Team Finish 12th at Las Vegas Motor Speedway After Making Crucial Adjustments to Counteract Tightness
Finish: 12th Start: 11th Points: 24th
“It was a good, solid day for our BREZTRI AEROSPHERE (budesonide, glycopyrrolate, and formoterol fumarate)® team. Our Chevrolet was tight for most of the race but Richard Boswell and everyone on this team kept working on it every chance that we had. The last adjustment we made was the best and helped us take off on the restart. I wish we had one more stop to make the same adjustment again. This group is capable of these results and we will keep building off this.” -Austin Dillon
Kyle Busch and the No. 8 Cheddar’s Scratch Kitchen Chevrolet Team Battle Adversity at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, Finish 28th
Finish: 28th Start: 24th Points: 22nd
“It was a tough afternoon here at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, but the entire No. 8 Cheddar’s Scratch Kitchen Chevrolet team never gave up. We had a top 15 car in practice, but qualified lower than we’d have hoped and started deep in the field. We went down a lap early and were never able to make that track position up. We learned a lot on the West Coast and will now head back east and look to rebound next weekend in Darlington.” -Kyle Busch
HAMLIN GOES BACK-TO-BACK AT VEGAS Denny Hamlin takes over 10th all-time in Cup Series wins with his 61st victory
LAS VEGAS (March 15, 2026) – Denny Hamlin recovered from an early race speeding penalty to retake the lead in the final stage and claim his first victory of the season. It is his second straight Las Vegas win and 61st of his career, which breaks the tie with Kevin Harvick for 10th all-time.
Christopher Bell finished fourth and Ty Gibbs was scored in fifth – both drivers delivered their third consecutive top-five finishes. For Gibbs, it is the first time in his Cup Series career he has earned three straight top-fives. Chase Briscoe battled back from multiple penalties to finish eighth, while Bubba Wallace continued to keep his strong start to the season going with a ninth-place finish.
Toyota drivers have now led the most laps in six consecutive races for just the second time in our Cup Series history. Hamlin led the most laps in the 2025 finale in Phoenix and today in Las Vegas. Bubba Wallace was the lap leader in the Daytona 500, while Tyler Reddick led the most laps in back-to-back races in Atlanta and COTA. Christopher Bell paced the most circuits in Phoenix.
On the season, Toyota drivers have led more laps than Ford and Chevy drivers combined, with Toyota pacing 677 of the 1145 circuits completed this year – more than 59 percent. Toyota also has four of the top six drivers in the point standings with Tyler Reddick continuing to lead. His teammate, Wallace, is second, Hamlin sits in fourth and Christopher Bell holds down sixth.
TOYOTA RACING Post-Race Recap NASCAR Cup Series (NCS) Las Vegas Motor Speedway Race 5 of 36 – 400.5 miles, 267 laps
TOYOTA FINISHING POSITIONS
1st, DENNY HAMLIN 2nd, Chase Elliott* 3rd, William Bryon* 4th, CHRISTOPHER BELL 5th, TY GIBBS 8th, CHASE BRISCOE 9th, BUBBA WALLACE 13th, TYLER REDDICK 20th, ERIK JONES 21st, JOHN HUNTER NEMECHEK 23rd, RILEY HERBST *non-Toyota driver
TOYOTA QUOTES
DENNY HAMLIN, No. 11 Yahoo Toyota Camry XSE, Joe Gibbs Racing
Finishing Position: 1st
What does win mean to you?
“It is just so satisfying – so gratifying. You just never know what can happen year over year if you still have it or not. Obviously, I wasn’t totally locked in for the first few weeks. We’ve just been hitting our stride now. This is our bread and butter. These are the tracks that we know we can go win, and we executed, average, on the driver’s part. Not very good – but to still have the speed to go through the field. This is a team win. The team did it. It makes my job really easy when I can drive Toyotas that fast.”
How did you overcome the speeding penalty early?
“I didn’t think that it was over. Any other race, or race track – I just felt like I had enough speed, regardless. We had 150 or so laps to go at that point, plenty enough time. I think we got back to the front within hundred laps. Really proud of this whole Yahoo Toyota team, and I need to thank National Debt Relief, Progressive, Bob’s Discount Furniture, Sport Clips, King’s Hawaiian, Coca-Cola, Jordan Brand, Shady Rays and Logitech. This is whole team effort. I know that the record books will say my name, but I’m really, really proud to be a part of this team.”
CHRISTOPHER BELL, No. 20 Interstate Batteries Toyota Camry XSE, Joe Gibbs Racing
Finishing Position: 4th
What more did you need at the end?
“I don’t know. We weren’t at our best at the right time. Whenever this Interstate Batteries Toyota team were at our best, I didn’t feel like I drove a very good race. At times, I felt like I had plenty of speed, and a great long run car in the first stage – we drove to the lead, and then I never executed the restarts very well. So, great finish, great day for JGR (Joe Gibbs Racing). Still looking for that first win though.”
TY GIBBS, No. 54 Monster Energy Toyota Camry XSE, Joe Gibbs Racing
Finishing Position: 5th
What made the difference today?
“It was good. Unfortunately, I sped, but I felt like we were really good all day. Thank you to my no. 54 Monster Energy Toyota team, and everyone that helps us out. It was a fun day.”
CHASE BRISCOE, No. 19 Bass Pro Shops Toyota Camry XSE, Joe Gibbs Racing
Finishing Position: 8th
How did you get back to the front with the penalties your team faced today?
“For one, we had a really good Bass Pro Shops, TRACKER Toyota. That helped. We were able to keep coming through the field. We were fortunate to catch a caution. We just had a really, really good car. I would have loved to not have sped on pit road and bury us because I felt like we could have been in the mix. Just have to clean up my part. You can’t be making those mistakes at the Cup level. It takes you out of a race. Glad we were able to recover; it could have been way worse than what it was. We will go on to Darlington, a place we are really good, and see if we have another good one.”
About Toyota
Toyota (NYSE:TM) has been a part of the cultural fabric in the U.S. for nearly 70 years, and is committed to advancing sustainable, next-generation mobility through our Toyota and Lexus brands, plus our nearly 1,500 dealerships.
Toyota directly employs nearly 48,000 people in the U.S. who have contributed to the design, engineering, and assembly of more than 35 million cars and trucks at our 11 manufacturing plants. In 2025, Toyota’s plant in North Carolina began to assemble automotive batteries for electrified vehicles.
NASCAR Cup Series Las Vegas Motor Speedway Pennzoil 400 presented by Jiffy Lube Team Chevy Post-Race Report March 15, 2026
Elliott, Byron Lead Chevrolet with Podium Finishes at Las Vegas Motor Speedway
Chase Elliott wrapped up the west coast swing by picking up his best finish of the 2026 NASCAR Cup Series season – leading Chevrolet with a runner-up finish in the Pennzoil 400 presented by Jiffy Lube at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. Putting together a 40-point day, Elliott now sits in the fifth position of the points standings with five races complete.
Hendrick Motorsports saw three of its entries take home top-10 finishes at the 1.5-mile Nevada oval, with William Byron and Kyle Larson driving their Chevrolet-powered machines to third and seventh-place results, respectively. The results were accompanied by a strong points day for the trio – each earning top-10 points in both stages of the race.
Race Recap:
Stage One:
With sights set on a weekend sweep, Kyle Larson took the green flag from the fifth starting position Sunday afternoon at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. While the leaders quickly settled into a single-file formation, Larson maintained a top-five running position throughout the first green flag run. With a good-handling report from the cockpit, Cliff Daniels called the reigning champion to pit road on Lap 34 for the team’s first stop of the day for four tires and fuel. With the green flag pit cycle complete just past the halfway mark of the opening stage, Larson found his way up to the third position and just 1.2-seconds behind then-race leader, Denny Hamlin. As the Joe Gibbs Racing teammates battled it out for the lead, Larson was able to progressively close the gap to the leaders – ultimately making the pass for the runner-up position with 7 laps to go in the stage. The caution-free Stage One saw Larson lead Chevrolet to the first green-white checkered flag to collect second-place stage points.
Stage Two:
A satisfied driver behind the wheel reported that his No. 5 Chevrolet was slightly tighter racing in traffic after the green flag stop. Maintaining the second position in the race off pit road, Larson elected the outside lane of the front-row to lead the field to the green flag for Stage Two. An intense side-by-side battle with Christopher Bell on the opening laps of the second stage saw Larson’s teammate, Chase Elliott, enter the podium picture. Settling into the top position, Larson inched his way into a half-second lead with 60 laps to go in the stage. As the long green flag run continued, Larson gave up the lead just before the halfway point of the stage to hit pit road for his third stop of the day. Cycling back to the top of the leaderboard, Larson climbed to his largest lead at that point of the race – sitting 2.6-seconds ahead of Bell with 30 laps to go in the stage. But the approach to lap traffic saw a hard-charging William Byron eyeing a shot for the lead – making the pass on his teammate with 7 laps to go in the stage to lead his first laps of the race. Never looking back, Byron went on to take the stage win to lead the Hendrick Motorsports pair to a one-two finish.
Final Stage:
Under the final stage break, Byron reported that he had good long-run speed in his No. 24 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet. Taking the green flag with 94 laps to go in the race, a masterful restart by Byron saw the No. 24 team reclaim the top position. Despite losing the lead to the track’s defending winner, Hamlin, Byron was able to keep him in striking distance as the field approached its next scheduled pit stop. Making another shot at the lead, Byron edged his Chevrolet-powered machine over Hamlin at Lap 211 just as the caution flew. A trip to pit road saw Byron lineup in the fourth position for the restart with his teammate, Elliott, in tow. Taking the green flag with 50 laps to go, it was Elliott that jumped into the top position among the Bowtie brigade when he made the move up into the third position on the restart. Elliott navigated his No. 9 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet to the runner-up position, and with his long-run speed coming to light, the Dawsonville, Georgia, native closed in on then race leader, Hamlin, to just a one-second gap with 20 laps to go. With the race continuing under green until the end, Elliott went on to take the checkered flag to earn his season-best finish.
The 2026 NASCAR Cup Series season continues at Darlington Raceway with the Goodyear 400 on Sunday, March 22, at 3 P.M. ET. Live coverage can be found on FS1, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90.
Post-Race Driver Quotes:
Austin Dillon, No. 3 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet
Finished: 12th
“It was a good, solid day for our BREZTRI AEROSPHERE (budesonide, glycopyrrolate, and formoterol fumarate)® team. Our Chevrolet was tight for most of the race but Richard Boswell and everyone on this team kept working on it every chance that we had. The last adjustment we made was the best and helped us take off on the restart. I wish we had one more stop to make the same adjustment again. This group is capable of these results and we will keep building off this.”
Kyle Larson, No. 5 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet
Finished: 7th
“In the second stage, we were getting really loose. And then to start the final stage, I just didn’t get the launch I needed or the push I needed. I was side-by-side with them and then (Christopher) Bell had a big run behind me and it was going to be hard to block. They got by and I fell back to fourth, and then my balance was just kind of tight that run. I was hoping to get to a green flag stop, that way we could be in traffic and maybe my balance would be in a good spot and we would have a shot to race for the win. We had that caution just before the cycle was about to start. On the next run, I was just really loose, and I was just kind of hanging on.
Overall, it was good to get another top-10 finish for this No. 5 HENDRICKCARS.COM Chevrolet team. I wish we would have had the balance in a little better place, but it was back and forth every run. All-in-all, it was a good day and I’m happy with it. Chase (Elliott) did an awesome job and William (Byron) was really fast. We had our moments of being fast, so we can look at it and keep building on it.”
Kyle Busch, No. 8 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet
Finished: 28th
“It was a tough afternoon here at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, but the enter No. 8 Cheddar’s Scratch Kitchen Chevrolet team never gave up. We had a Top 15 car in practice, but qualified lower than we’d have hoped and started deep in the field. We went down a lap early and were never able to make that track position up. We learned a lot on the West coast and will now head back east and look to rebound next weekend in Darlington.”
Chase Elliott, No. 9 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet
Finished: 2nd
“I felt like our No. 9 NAPA Chevy was a little better there on the longer run. I thought Denny (Hamlin, race leader) was starting to fall off, and I was just trying to be as tidy as I could and give myself an opportunity. We just came up a little bit short. But honestly, with where we’ve been to how we ran today, it was not even comparable. As bummed as I am, I have to check myself back to reality and understand how big of an improvement that was from past races out there (at Las Vegas Motor Speedway). Just proud of this team. It’s a lot of fun to be right there in the mix with those guys that have won a lot of races out here. Excited about that and hopefully we can keep building on it.”
William Byron, No. 24 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet
Finished: 3rd
“Overall, I was really happy with today. It was more of what we expect from ourselves. I was just pleased, really, from Stage One on. The balance was similar to what we’re used to. It had some differences, but it wasn’t anything that we couldn’t work through. Just really excited for the future mile-and-a-half races and just kind of dialing in that balance to get it a little bit closer. I’m proud of everyone on his No. 24 Raptor Chevrolet team. Everyone has really gone to work on this new Chevrolet car. It’s just a new season and we’re trying to get our balance right. I’m happy with it so far.”
“It was just a tough day for this No. 88 Jockey 150th Anniversary Chevrolet team. We didn’t really fire-off great. I felt like we could be good on the long run and make ground up, and then on the restart, we would just fall back and loose all the ground we would make up. I don’t know what happened with Ricky (Stenhouse Jr.). He was pitting and I didn’t see him wave us off. It just caught me by surprise when he checked-up in the middle of the corner and that kind of ended our day from there.”
About General Motors
General Motors (NYSE:GM) is driving the future of transportation, leveraging advanced technology to build safer, smarter, and lower emission cars, trucks, and SUVs. GM’s Buick, Cadillac, Chevrolet, and GMC brands offer a broad portfolio of innovative gasoline-powered vehicles and the industry’s widest range of EVs, as we move to an all-electric future.
GM Motorsports, including the Cadillac Formula 1® Team develops and proves advanced technologies in the most demanding environments, accelerating innovation in performance, safety, efficiency, and electrification for its production vehicles. Cadillac Racing is one of the leading manufacturers in the IMSA and FIA World Endurance Championships (WEC). Chevrolet competes in single seaters in the US IndyCar series, and in NASCAR with multiple team partners and drivers. Corvette customer teams compete in GT series across the globe including IMSA and WEC. Learn more at GM.com.
CHEVROLET IN THE NTT INDYCAR SERIES Java House Grand Prix of Arlington 2.73-mile, 14-turn Arlington street circuit Arlington, Texas Sunday Race Report March 15, 2026
ARLINGTON, Texas (March 15, 2026) – Pato O’Ward in the No. 5 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet led Team Chevy at the inaugural Java House Grand Prix of Arlington, finishing fifth. Joining O’Ward in the top ten were Chevrolet-powered drivers David Malukas in the No. 12 Verizon Team Penske Chevrolet, Christian Lundgaard in the No. 7 VELO Arrow McLaren Chevrolet, and Alexander Rossi in the No. 20 ECR Java House Chevrolet.
O’Ward has started with a fourth and two fifth place finishes, and he now has 51 career top five finishes, all of them Chevrolet-powered. O’Ward’s consistency has him tied with Team Chevy driver Josef Newgarden in the No. 2 PPG Team Penske Chevrolet at 93 points, only seven points out of third.
Scott McLaughlin was the biggest mover on the 2.73-mile, 14-turn Arlington street circuit, gaining 14 spots, finishing 11th after starting 25th.
After being turned around on Lap 1, Christian Lundgaard in the No. 7 VELO Arrow McLaren Chevrolet, fought back to finish 7th
After being the fastest at the season opening race, Rinus VeeKay’s No. 76 Juncos Hollinger Chevrolet crew, was the third best on pit lane, leaving them in second place in Firestone Pit Performance Award standings.
Chevrolet drivers Newgarden, O’Ward, McLaughlin, Malukas and Lundgaard hold down the 3rd through 7th places in the drivers’ standings.
Java House Grand Prix of Arlington Race Results
Up Next
After three races in three weekends, the Team Chevy NTT INDYCAR SERIES drivers and teams get a weekend at home before heading to Birmingham, Alabama. The 70-lap Children’s of Alabama Indy Grand Prix, held on the 2.3-mile, 17-turn Barber Motorsports Park road course, will air on FOX at 1 pm (Eastern).
What they’re saying – Java House Grand Prix of Arlington:
Pato O’Ward, No. 5 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet finished 5th:
“What a great turnout at the Grand Prix of Arlington. I didn’t see one empty grandstand out there, and GA also looked full of color, people chanting, happy and having a great time. That was amazing to see. As for our race, I think we juiced out everything that we had. We excelled in Qualifying, and then in the race we saw the pace deficit to the Andretti’s, but proud to be the top Team Chevy car. We’re going to keep on going, but it was great to see the event this weekend. It’s been a real joy to drive the circuit.”
David Malukas, No. 12 Verizon Team Penske Chevrolet finished 6th:
HOW WAS YOUR CAR?
“It was awesome. I think we had a good strategy. It was unfortunate in the beginning. On the race start, we gained a few positions and got ahead of all of the primary tires. Then we entered the exit of turn four and Rasmussen hit us in the back and knocked us out of gear. We lost those two positions and got stuck behind primaries again. Then from there, we did a fantastic strategy play to make the most of what we could to get a P6 behind the Andretti cars. It would have been interesting to see if we hadn’t had that issue at the start because our pace was so much quicker than some of those guys. It would have been interesting to see what we could have done with that front pack, with fuel saving and, what else could have happened, and maybe an incredible result. Really happy with the car and the guys. Good day.”
Christian Lundgaard, No. 7 VELO Arrow McLaren Chevrolet finished 7th:
“It was a long one here in Arlington. Obviously, a recovery from 18th to 7th after Rosenqvist got his penalty. It was a wild one out there, but I thought it would be event more chaotic from a yellow flag perspective. Everyone seemed to behave pretty nicely at the beginning of the race. I did get spun around by Schumacher, but I know that wasn’t intentional in such a slow speed corner. It was just unfortunate but we made a good recovery from there. The entire 7 crew did an amazing job on strategy, and that is where the race was won for us today. Even though we are without a trophy, it still feels like a win for the crew today. It’s good momentum. We have a weekend off now, and then we’ll come back at it at Barber. We were good there last year.”
Alexander Rossi, No. 20 ECR Java House Chevrolet finished 9th:
“Overall, it was a good result for the No. 20 Java House Chevrolet. We had a solid car all weekend and that continued in the race. We were able to run near the front for a bit and the team did a great job on pit lane. Obviously you always want a little bit more, but it’s a solid points day and something we can build on heading into the next one.”
Scott McLaughlin, No. 3 DEX Team Penske Chevrolet finished 11th:
“The DEX Chevy had great pace today. I put us on our back foot in qualifying but the guys rallied and put forth a solid effort. Today wasn’t a huge points hit and now we go to Barber which everyone knows is a place that I love. Have to give a tip of the hat to Penske Entertainment for what they put together here in Arlington. This was a spectacle of an event.”
Caio Collet, No. 4 Combitrans Amazonia Chevrolet finished 12th:
“Good race. I think we suffered a bit on the first stint with the balance on the red tires, and I think if we could have, could have gone three, four laps more, I think we could have finished in the top 10. But anyway, I think it was a good race, good strategy. We were really quick on the black tires. Struggled a little bit with the reds, but overall, a really positive weekend. I think we definitely improved quite a bit, and we were really competitive all weekend long, like top 10 and top 12. So yeah, really happy and we’ll just keep moving forward from there and good progress from the previous races. So yeah, that’s big. Thanks to Combitrans, AJ Foyt Racing, Chevrolet and everyone that supported us this weekend, and we’ll keep pushing.”
Rinus VeeKay, No. 76 Juncos Hollinger Chevrolet finished 14th:
“Maximized what, was a very hard weekend for the team. In the race, we had both cars coming from the back, and, unfortunately, we did not get presented many opportunities with virtually no yellows until with a few laps to go. So, we really had to do it on pace. Struggled at the beginning of the race, but, once we put the primaries on, we really found a second. Really made up a lot there. Guys in pit lane did a great job with pit stops. We jumped two cars on the final stop. That made a big difference. So, P14 at the end.
Not what we showed up for. Definitely. But, I think, after the weekend, we’ve had, very well maximized.”
Josef Newgarden, No. 2 PPG Team Penske Chevrolet finished 15th:
“Just a tough day. I’m really proud of the team. We had a hard-fought weekend. We had to rebuild a new PPG Chevy and sticking with it in the race and doing everything we can to maximize the day. Unfortunately, just had one too many things go sideways and only have P15 to show for it. Tough result, but I’m really proud of the team for working hard and trying to maximize what was in our control. We’ll just have to leave and sturdy today and the performance loss that we’re seeing and try and make for the future.”
Santino Ferrucci, No. 14 Homes For Our Troops Chevrolet finished 17th
“Overall just a really long day. I thought we had good enough speed to be inside the top 10. But I think even after my mistake and everything that had happened with adversity, we still would have just been on the outside looking in, just missing that little bit of pace lap after lap together as a whole to be there. Started to struggle with the brakes on the last stint for some reason, and it’s kind of what caused us to go off and have that mistake. So just a bummer. Really tough day, tough break for us in Arlington, but we’ll see if we can’t get it sorted for Barber.”
Sting Ray Robb, No. 77 Juncos Hollinger – Goodheart Chevrolet finished 21st:
“Arlington race was very exciting. Lots of chaos. Actually, less than we expected, but that’s alright. We still had a pretty decent race. I think that we are really strong on the red tires the first half of the race. Really closed the gap. to the car’s in front. Made up a few spots. And then, when we went to the blacks, we struggled more. So that was unfortunate to end on the the weaker tire for us, but, I think we learned a lot this weekend. We got the car in a much better spot by race time, and, the the guys all worked very hard. So we’ll take what we can learn for next year here, and then, hopefully, that’ll, give us some good results in the future on other street courses. Thank you.”
Nolan Siegel, No. 6 SmartStop Arrow McLaren Chevrolet finished 24th:
“Super frustrating end to our race. On that final restart, the field got packed up and I got hit from behind. We tried to gamble on tire strategy and mix things up, but it just didn’t play into our hand. We’ll focus forward toward Barber.”
Christian Rasmussen, No. 21 ECR Java House Chevrolet finished 25th:
About General Motors
General Motors (NYSE:GM) is driving the future of transportation, leveraging advanced technology to build safer, smarter, and lower emission cars, trucks, and SUVs. GM’s Buick, Cadillac, Chevrolet, and GMC brands offer a broad portfolio of innovative gasoline-powered vehicles and the industry’s widest range of EVs, as we move to an all-electric future.
GM Motorsports, including the Cadillac Formula 1® Team develops and proves advanced technologies in the most demanding environments, accelerating innovation in performance, safety, efficiency, and electrification for its production vehicles. Cadillac Racing is one of the leading manufacturers in the IMSA and FIA World Endurance Championships (WEC). Chevrolet competes in single seaters in the US INDYCAR series, and in NASCAR with multiple team partners and drivers. Corvette customer teams compete in GT series across the globe including IMSA and WEC. Learn more at GM.com.
ARLINGTON, Texas (Sunday, March 15, 2026) – It’s been a long time since a rival driver made Alex Palou blink, but Kyle Kirkwood achieved that rare feat to win the inaugural Java House Grand Prix at Arlington on Sunday.
Kirkwood took the NTT INDYCAR SERIES championship lead and earned his first victory of the season despite a sluggish final pit stop by his Andretti Global crew, driving his No. 27 JM Bullion/Gold.com Honda to victory under caution over the No. 10 DHL Chip Ganassi Racing Honda of four-time series champion Palou, who has won the title the last three seasons.
“That was so incredible,” Kirkwood said. “Man, did we have some pace. This JM Bullion Honda, Andretti, all these guys right here, they gave me the tools today. It’s because of this race car we won today, because of teamwork.
“One-three-four (finish) for Andretti; we’re just so stacked here. I’m so stoked.”
Andretti Global placed three drivers into the top four at the finish of the 70-lap street-circuit race around AT&T Stadium, home of the Dallas Cowboys, and Globe Life Field, home of the Texas Rangers. Will Power placed third in the No. 26 TWG AI Honda for his first podium finish at his new team after 16 full-time seasons at Team Penske. Marcus Ericsson, who earned his first career pole Saturday, finished fourth in the No. 28 InPwr Honda.
Pato O’Ward rounded out the top five finishers in the No. 5 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet, the highest-placing Chevrolet-powered driver on the 14-turn, 2.73-mile circuit.
“This Andretti Honda camp is fricking strong on street courses,” O’Ward said. “We’ve got a lot of work to do if we want to start winning races on outright pace against them.”
Pure pace helped Kirkwood, who started seventh and overcome a tepid final pit stop to overhaul Palou down the stretch.
Palou and Kirkwood were running first and second, respectively, when both made their final stops on the preferred three-stop strategy on Lap 49. The Chip Ganassi Racing crew completed Palou’s stop in 7.7 seconds, while Kirkwood’s service took 9.5 seconds due to a slow change of the right rear wheel.
When both drivers returned to full steam on their out lap, Palou led Kirkwood by 2.2 seconds. But Kirkwood used the speed that helped him lead the pre-qualifying practice Saturday, pulling to within .323 of a second of Palou at the start of Lap 55, with both drivers on the more durable Firestone Firehawk tires in a straight-up duel for the win.
Kirkwood didn’t waste any time flexing muscle, diving under Palou from a long distance in Turn 13 near the end of Lap 55 and making the daring pass stick for the lead.
“He did an awesome pass; hats off to him,” Palou said. “It was super clean, and it was pretty impressive. We’ll get them in a couple weeks.”
Kirkwood then started to pull away, building a five-second lead by Lap 66. Then that margin evaporated when ECR driver Christian Rasmussen nosed his No. 21 Java House Chevrolet into the tire barrier at pit exit on Lap 68, triggering the first full-course yellow of the race.
That bunched the field for a one-lap dash to the checkered flag. Kirkwood pulled away on the restart and was able to exhale early in the final lap when the second and final full-course yellow flew due to a collision between the No. 18 BMax Honda of Dale Coyne Racing’s Romain Grosjean and the No. 6 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet of Nolan Siegel deep in the field.
“Not today,” Palou said when asked if he thought he could have caught Kirkwood on the final lap. “I was pushing really hard on the first and second stint, and I could see that the 27 (Kirkwood) and the 12 (Power) were a little bit faster than us. I was like, ‘Oh, man, it’s going to be quite hard.’”
Kirkwood then cruised around the circuit one last time under yellow to cheers from the capacity crowd at this event, a joint venture between Penske Entertainment, the Dallas Cowboys and REV Entertainment, the official events partner of the Texas Rangers. He leads the standings by 26 points over second-place Palou after three of 18 races.
“It’s only race number three, so I’m not looking at the championship,” Kirkwood said. “But it is nice to say it’s the first time I’ve ever led the championship in the INDYCAR SERIES.”
The taut nature of the race, with its varying strategies about how often to stop for tires, resulted in terrific parity up front. Kirkwood, Palou and Power each led 16 laps to tie for the race high, with Ericsson fourth with 15 laps led.
Caio Collet was the top-finishing rookie, 12th in the No. 4 Combitrans Amazonia Chevrolet fielded by AJ Foyt Racing.
Phoenix winner Josef Newgarden, who entered this event in the series lead, fell to third after finishing 15th in the No. 2 PPG Team Penske Chevrolet.
After three consecutive race weekends to open the season, the NTT INDYCAR SERIES will get a short break before resuming with the Children’s of Alabama Indy Grand Prix powered by AmFirst on March 27-29 at Barber Motorsports Park in Birmingham, Alabama.
Elkhart Lake, WI - during the 2026 Java House Grand Prix of Arlington Austin, TX (Photo by Travis Hinkle | IMS Photo)
ARLINGTON, Texas (Sunday, March 15, 2026) – In a thrilling race that blended chaos and excitement in equal measure, Max Taylor earned his first INDY NXT by Firestone victory Sunday in the inaugural Grand Prix of Arlington.
Andretti Global driver Taylor, from Greenwich, Connecticut, drove his No. 28 Susan G. Komen car to a 1.8925-second victory over rookie Enzo Fittipaldi in the No. 67 HMD Motorsports car for his breakthrough win in his eighth career start in the INDYCAR development series. The margin of victory deceived, as the two drivers and rookie Tymek Kucharczyk dueled for the lead multiple times over the closing laps of the 30-minute timed race.
“I wanted it with every ounce of my body,” Taylor said. “I had to fight for it. That was some hard racing out there. This track just creates such good racing. Absolutely incredible to drive around here. We had to make some moves out there. A lot of fun, a lot of carnage happening, but we were able to show our pace.”
Kucharczyk finished third for the second consecutive race in the No. 71 HMD Motorsports car to round out the podium finishers. JM Correa placed fourth in the No. 68 Cusick Morgan Motorsports car, while Lochie Hughes finished fifth in the No. 26 Andretti Global machine.
The race was filled with action and contact from the beginning on the 14-turn, 2.73-mile temporary street circuit that circles around AT&T Stadium, home of the Dallas Cowboys, and Globe Life Field, home of the Texas Rangers. A steady wind of 20 mph, with gusts approaching 40 mph, added to the challenge.
There was chaos as the field drove to the green flag, as the No. 57 Abel Motorsports car driven by Colin Kaminsky suffered heavy damage after colliding with other cars and the outside retaining wall on the backstretch as the tightly bunched field rocketed toward the flag stand for the green.
Immediately after that incident, it appeared Kucharczyk made light contact with pole sitter Alessandro de Tullio in the No. 14 AJ Foyt Racing entry, nudging de Tullio wide and handing the lead to Fittipaldi, who started second.
The incident involving Kaminsky triggered a caution that lasted until there were approximately 16 minutes, 30 seconds left in the race. Fittipaldi kept the lead on the restart but never got away from Kucharczyk and Taylor, who were running second and third, respectively.
Kucharczyk pulled to within inches of Fittipaldi’s gearbox with 12 and 10 minutes remaining but couldn’t get past for the lead. Meanwhile, Taylor bided his time in third after starting fourth.
Fittipaldi and Kucharczyk swapped the lead twice on the same lap with approximately nine minutes, 50 seconds remaining, with Fittipaldi prevailing when the duo crossed the start-finish line to judge the lap leader.
With eight minutes left, Taylor passed Kucharczyk and set his sights on leader Fittipaldi, the grandson of two-time Indianapolis 500 winner Emerson Fittipaldi. That task got a bit easier with about six minutes, 30 remaining when Josh Pierson’s No. 29 Starchive Andretti car stopped on track in Turn 2 after contact with the wall following a light hip check from the No. 17 HMD Motorsports entry driven by Salvador de Alba, triggering a caution to bunch the field.
Fittipaldi kept the lead on the restart with three minutes, 35 seconds remaining, but Taylor pulled to within .275 of a second with two minutes left. Then Taylor dove under Fittipaldi for the lead in Turn 13 and pulled away over the closing two laps.
“It was hard racing,” Fittipaldi said. “That’s what I love about racing here in the States. It’s raw racing, and I really enjoy that. We had some good battles out there. Unfortunately, we came home second. I’m just a bit frustrated with the result but super happy at the same time.”
Taylor took the series lead by 10 points over St. Petersburg winner Nikita Johnson, who finished sixth today in the No. 21 Cape Motorsports Powered by ECR entry.
The next INDY NXT by Firestone race is the Grand Prix of Alabama at Barber Motorsports Park, a doubleheader with races March 28-29. It’s the first of five twinbill weekends for the series this season.
Kyle Larson seized an opportunity at the start of a 47-lap dash that enabled him to win The LiUNA! at Las Vegas Motor Speedway on Saturday, March 14.
The reigning two-time Cup Series champion from Elk Grove, California, led the final 47 of 200-scheduled laps. He started alongside pole-sitter Sam Mayer on the front row and raced upfront through the fifth O’Reilly Auto Parts Series event of this year’s schedule in Sin City.
Photo by Ron Olds for SpeedwayMedia.com
After securing a pair of top-10 results throughout the event’s first two stage periods, Larson was scored in seventh place during the event’s final restart with 47 laps remaining. At the launch, Larson quickly navigated his way to fourth place entering the first turn. He then used the outside lane to overtake Corey Day and Sheldon Creed through the first two turns. During this time, he also drove alongside Brandon Jones and dueled with him through the backstretch. He then motored away for his first lead of the event. With the lead in his possession, Larson maintained for the remainder of the event. He beat Chase Briscoe by more than two seconds to notch his first checkered flag of the 2026 NASCAR season.
On-track qualifying determined the starting lineup on Saturday. Mayer secured his second O’Reilly pole position of the 2026 season with a pole-winning lap at 183.287 mph in 29.462 seconds. Mayer shared the front row with Kyle Larson, the latter of whom qualified in second place with a lap at 182.902 mph in 29.524 seconds.
Before the event, the following drivers, including Blaine Perkins, Patrick Staropoli, and Anthony Alfredo, 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, Sam Mayer launched ahead from the inside lane along with teammate Sheldon Creed and Brandon Jones. Kyle Larson, who started on the outside lane, struggled to launch. The field fanned out through the first two turns and the backstretch. Mayer retained the top spot, leading the field back to the frontstretch to complete the first lap.
Then on the second lap, the event’s first caution flew. Connor Zilisch, who motored his way to 13th place, slid from the bottom lane and made contact with Jeremy Clements in Turn 1. As a result, Clements slid from the top to the bottom of the first two turns and hit the right side of Zilch’s entry before both straightened their entries and proceeded.
The next restart on Lap 6 featured teammates Mayer and Creed dueling for the lead through the first two turns. Mayer used the inside lane to move in front of Creed and retain the lead entering the backstretch. As the field fanned out, Mayer cycled back to the frontstretch and led the next lap over Creed. Jesse Love, Sammy Smith, Jones, and Justin Allgaier followed suit.
Through the first 10-scheduled laps, Mayer was leading by three-tenths of a second over Creed. They were followed by Love, Sammy Smith, Allgaier, Taylor Gray, Jones, Larson, Parker Retzlaff, and Corey Day in the top 10. Meanwhile, Day was battling Chase Briscoe for 10th place. They were racing ahead of Rajah Caruth, Cole Custer, Austin Hill, and Carson Kvapil. Jeb Burton, Dean Thompson, the Sieg brothers of Ryan and Kyle, and Harrison Burton were mired in the top 20, respectively.
Three laps later, the event’s second caution flew. Custer, who was racing in the top 15 and battling Caruth for position, got loose and spun from the top to the bottom of Turns 1 and 2. Behind, Austin Green, who was racing within the top-20 area, also spun to the bottom of the track after he locked up his tires while trying to react to Custer’s incident.
The field restarted under green flag on Lap 19. Mayer rocketed ahead of Creed, Love, and the field entering the first turn. While Mayer led the next lap, Briscoe used the outside lane to go from 12th to sixth in a single lap. Briscoe proceeded to move up to fourth place by Lap 25 after overtaking Love and teammate Taylor Gray. Mayer led Creed by nine-tenths of a second and third-place Allgaier by more than a second.
On Lap 34, Allgaier, who overtook Creed for the runner-up spot four laps earlier, used the frontstretch’s apron to overtake Mayer and lead for the first time. Despite having Mayer initially reeling in to reclaim the lead, Allgaier proceeded to extend his lead to a second by the Lap 40 mark. By then, Creed, Briscoe, and Gray trailed in the top five, respectively, by three seconds while Love, Larson, Day, Jones, and Custer were mired in the top 10 ahead of Austin Hill, Ryan Sieg, Carson Kvapil, William Sawalich, and Parker Retzlaff.
When the first stage period concluded on Lap 45, Allgaier captured his third O’Reilly stage victory of the 2026 season. Mayer settled in second ahead of Briscoe, Gray and Creed while Love, Larson, Day, Custer and Jones were scored in the top 10, respectively.
Under the event’s first stage break period, Mayer fell off the pace from the runner-up spot due to losing power. Despite receiving assistance from an on-track safety vehicle, Mayer had his entry taken to the garage for further diagnosis. When pit road became accessible, the field led by Allgaier pitted for service. Following the pit stops, Love exited pit road first and he was followed by Gray, Allgaier, Briscoe and Larson, respectively.
The second stage period started on Lap 52 as Love and Gray occupied the front row. At the start, Love motored ahead of Gray and the field that had fanned out to multiple lanes through the first two turns and the backstretch. As Love continued to lead through the Lap 55 mark, Gray retained second place ahead of Allgaier. Creed, Larson, and Briscoe battled for fourth place in front of Jones, Sawalich, Day, and Custer.
Following a caution that flew on Lap 57 when Clements spun through the frontstretch, the next restart on Lap 63 featured Love surging ahead with a push from Allgaier to the lead from the inside lane. Meanwhile, Gray, who was battling Love for the lead before the previous caution, restarted on the outside lane. However, he struggled to launch as the field fanned out through the first two turns. Allgaier used the outside lane to duel against Love through the frontstretch and lead the next lap. While side-drafting Love, Allgaier then used the first two turns to motor ahead of Love. He then proceeded to lead through the Lap 70 mark.
By Lap 80, Allgaier, who has led since Lap 65, retained the lead by half a second. He was followed by a hard-charging Briscoe while third-place Gray trailed by more than two seconds. Behind, Love dropped to fourth place in front of Creed, Larson, Day, Zilisch, Austin Hill and Kvapil. Jones, Custer, Sawalich, Ryan Seig, Sammy Smith, Retzlaff, Thompson, Kyle Sieg, Nick Sanchez and Jeb Burton trailed in the top 20, respectively.
When the second stage period concluded on Lap 90, Allgaier captured his third O’Reilly stage victory of 2026 and his second of the day. Briscoe settled in second ahead of teammate Gray, Love and Larson. Creed, Day, Zilisch, Austin Hill and Kvapil were scored in the top 10, respectively.
During the event’s second stage break period, the field led by Allgaier returned to pit road for service. Following the stops, Love beat Allgaier off of pit road first with the lead and they were followed by Briscoe, Creed and Gray, respectively.
With 103 laps remaining, the final stage period commenced as Love and Allgaier occupied the front row. At the start, Love used the inside lane to motor ahead and clear Allgaier to retain the lead through the first two turns. As Love led for a full lap, Creed dueled against Allgaier for the runner-up spot. Shortly after, Briscoe, who was racing within the top-10 mark, scrubbed the outside wall from Turns 3 and 4. The incident dropped Briscoe out of the top-10 mark while Love continued to lead Allgaier, Creed and Gray by less than a second at the halfway mark on Lap 100.
A few laps later, Briscoe pitted his entry under green to have a right-front tire inspected for any flattening. Back on the track, Allgaier reeled in and overtook Love to reassume the lead with 96 laps remaining. Love then returned the favor by overtaking Allgaier through the frontstretch with 91 laps remaining.
With 83 laps remaining, the caution flew when Dean Thompson and Patrick Staropoli both spun through the first two turns. During the caution period, the leaders led by Love pitted for service. Following the pit stops, Love beat the field off of pit road first, but he was then penalized for a safety violation. This was due to Love’s crew chief, Danny Stockman Jr., falling over the pit wall while trying to retrieve a changed right-front wheel that was being brought over by Love’s front-tire changer.
The next restart with 77 laps remaining featured Gray and Creed on the front row, where Gray motored ahead from the inside lane. As Gray led, Zilisch overtook Creed for the runner-up spot and they raced ahead of Larson, Day, Kvapil and Allgaier through the backstretch. With both Zilisch and Creed battling for the runner-up spot and Allgaier being mixed in a HendrickCars.com battle with Larson and Day, Gray retained the lead with 75 laps remaining.
Following another caution that flew with 69 laps remaining due to Staropoli and Josh Bilicki wrecking through the fronstretch, some that included Jones, Alfredo, Love, Briscoe, Jeb Burton and Custer pitted for service while the rest led by Gray remained on the track. Gray motored ahead of the field during the next restart with 63 laps remaining. Gray then led the next three laps until Corey Day overtook Gray through the backstretch.
Then, with 53 laps remaining, the caution flew when Gray, who was both trying to reel in Day for the lead and fend off Creed to retain the runner-up spot, tried to block Creed exiting the backstretch. With Creed staying glued to the rear of Gray’s bumper, Gray then got sideways entering Turn 3. Despite Gray’s efforts to have his entry straightened, he hit the outside wall and was knocked out of contention. During this latest caution period, nearly the entire field led by Day returned to pit road for service while Jones, Alfredo and Jeb Burton remained on the track.
As the event restarted under green with 47 laps remaining, Jones led Creed, Day and Larson from the inside lane until Larson, who restarted in seventh place, used his four fresh tires and the outside lane to surge alongside Jones through the backstretch. Larson then continued using the outside lane to motor ahead and lead for the first time during the next lap.
Down to the final 40 laps of the event, Larson was leading by four-tenths of a second over teammate Sammy Smith and by six-tenths of a second over third-place Day while Creed and Kvapil were scored in the top five. Meanwhile, Briscoe rallied his way up to seventh place behind Retzlaff and he proceeded to navigate his way into the top five with 35 laps remaining while Larson continued to lead by nine-tenths of a second.
With 25 laps remaining, Larson extended his lead to nearly two seconds over Sammy Smith while Creed, Briscoe and Allgaier all trailed by two seconds. Larson had his lead grown to two seconds five laps later while Briscoe overtook Smith and Creed to move into the runner-up spot. Despite having the runner-up spot in his possession, Briscoe could not reel in Larson as the latter led by more than two seconds with 10 laps remaining.
Down to the final five laps of the event, Larson maintained his late lead by two-and-a-half seconds over Briscoe while Creed, Allgaier and Sammy Smith trailed in the top five ahead of Love, Zilisch, Day, Sawalich and Austin Hill. Over the next four laps, Larson continued to maintain his lead to more than two seconds over Briscoe.
When the white flag waved and the final lap started, Larson remained in the lead by more than two seconds over Briscoe. Despite being mired within minor lapped traffic, Larson cruised around Las Vegas Motor Speedway for a final time before he cycled back to the frontstretch and claimed the checkered flag by two-and-a-half seconds over Briscoe.
With the victory, Larson racked up his 18th career win in the NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series division, his second at Las Vegas and his first since he won at Texas Motor Speedway in May 2025. The victory was also Larson’s third driving the No. 88 entry for JR Motorsports, the third race in a row won by a JR Motorsports entry this season and it made Chevrolet five-for-five through the first five events of the 2026 O’Reilly schedule.
Saturday’s Las Vegas event was Larson’s first of three-scheduled starts in the No. 88 HendrickCars.com Chevrolet Camaro entry for JR Motorsports in this year’s O’Reilly Auto Parts Series season. His next start will occur at Bristol Motor Speedway on April 11.
Photo by Ron Olds for SpeedwayMedia.com.
“My car was not handling the best at all,” Larson said on the frontstretch on the CW Network. “I was just super, super tight loaded and I couldn’t carry any speed through the corners. I was just getting ate up on restarts, really the whole run. That last restart [with 47 laps remaining], we had some guys stay out and I had a good launch, was able to get to the middle and get some clean air. I think just me being able to run the line that allowed my front tires to build where they needed to just allow my car to be okay on the long run, I think, helped…Glad we were able to pick our way through traffic well enough. It’s always fun to get to race with [crew chief Mardy Lindley] and get another win. We got a few more [races to run], so hopefully we can get some more wins.”
Behind Larson, Chase Briscoe made a strong rally from his midway scrape into the Turns 3 and 4 wall along with pitting under green to settle in the runner-up spot.
“We had a really good WIX Filters Toyota, for one,” Briscoe said. “I knew, even with the adversity that we were dealing with, that we got a lucky break, we were going to be able to hopefully get back up there.” He continued, saying, “I think it was my own fault. I just kind of drove [the car] into the fence and cost myself. I had a lot of fun. It was certainly fun slipping and sliding around. The racetrack widens out and you can kind of run all over. Looking forward to tomorrow. Wish we could have been one spot better today.”
Sheldon Creed settled in third place while Justin Allgaier and Sammy Smith rounded out the top five. Jesse Love, Connor Zilisch, Corey Day, William Sawalich and Austin Hill completed the top 10, respectively, in the final running order.
There were 16 lead changes for nine different leaders. The event featured eight cautions for 42 laps. In addition, 19 of 38 starters finished on the lead lap.
Following the fifth event of the 2026 NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series season, Justin Allgaier leads the standings by 13 points over Jesse Love, 29 over Austin Hill, 49 over Sheldon Creed and 64 over Carson Kvapil.
Results:
1. Kyle Larson, 47 laps led 2. Chase Briscoe, two laps led 3. Sheldon Creed, one lap led 4. Justin Allgaier 48 laps led, Stages 1 & 2 winner 5. Sammy Smith 6. Jesse Love, 36 laps led 7. Connor Zilisch 8. Corey Day, nine laps led 9. William Sawalich 10. Austin Hill 11. Carson Kvapil 12. Parker Retzlaff 13. Brandon Jones, four laps led 14. Kyle Sieg 15. Daniel Dye 16. Josh Williams 17. Harrison Burton 18. Cole Custer 19. Rajah Caruth 20. Brennan Poole, one lap down 21. Patrick Staropoli, one lap down 22. Blaine Perkins, one lap down 23. Josh Bilicki, one lap down 24. Jeremy Clements, one lap down 25. Austin Green, one lap down 26. Lavar Scott, one lap down 27. Jeb Burton, one lap down 28. Mason Maggio, one lap down 29. Joey Gase, one lap down 30. Ryan Ellis, two laps down 31. Dean Thompson, two laps down 32. Nathan Byrd, two laps down 33. Ryan Sieg, three laps down 34. Anthony Alfredo, three laps down 35. Sam Mayer, four laps down, 32 laps led 36. Chandler Smith – OUT, Ignition 37. Taylor Gray – OUT, Accident, 21 laps led 38. Nick Sanchez – OUT, Fuel Pump
Next on the 2026 NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series schedule is Darlington Raceway in Darlington, South Carolina, for the Sport Clips Haircuts VFW Help a Hero 200. The event is scheduled to occur next Saturday, March 21, and air at 5:30 p.m. ET on the CW Network, MRN Radio, and SiriusXM.
BRISCOE DELIVERS RUNNER-UP IN LONE O’REILLY START OF THE SEASON
Briscoe rallies back after wall contact, tire failure to finish second in Las Vegas
LAS VEGAS (March 14, 2026) – Joe Gibbs Racing’s Chase Briscoe fought through wall contact and a tire failure to finish second in his lone scheduled NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series race at Las Vegas Motor Speedway on Saturday. Briscoe’s teammate, William Sawalich, joined him in the top-10, finishing ninth.
TOYOTA RACING Post-Race Recap NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series (NOAPS) Las Vegas Motor Speedway Race 5 of 33 – 300 miles, 200 laps
TOYOTA FINISHING POSITIONS
1st, Kyle Larson* 2nd, CHASE BRISCOE 3rd, Sheldon Creed* 4th, Justin Allgaier* 5th, Sammy Smith* 9th, WILLIAM SAWALICH 13th, BRANDON JONES 17th, HARRISON BURTON 31st, DEAN THOMPSON 37th, TAYLOR GRAY *non-Toyota driver
TOYOTA QUOTES
CHASE BRISCOE, No. 19 WIX Filters Toyota GR Supra, Joe Gibbs Racing
Finishing Position: 2nd
What a rebound for you, Chase, after you spent a number of laps down due to a tire going down. How did you do it?
“We had a really good WIX Filters Toyota for one. Even with the adversity we were dealing with, I knew if we got a lucky break, we were going to hopefully get back up there. Honestly, it wasn’t an unfortunate break with the tire, I think it was my own fault. I just drove it into the fence and cost myself. I had a lot of fun. It was certainly fun slipping and sliding around the race track. You could kind of run all over. I had a blast, and I appreciate JGR (Joe Gibbs Racing) and WIX Filters for letting me do it. Looking forward to tomorrow, just wish we could have been one spot better today.”
TAYLOR GRAY, No. 54 Operation 300 Toyota GR Supra, Joe Gibbs Racing
Finishing Position: 37th
What is your side of what happened out there?
“I think the replay speaks for itself in terms of him driving into (turn) three and just wrecking me. I’m super proud of everyone at Joe Gibbs Racing and TOYOTA RACING for bring really fast Supras to the race track. We had a really fast Operation 300 Toyota GR Supra. I’m just going to move on and focus on continuing to bring fast cars to the track.”
How do you handle situations like this?
“I think you just mark it as a tally as that was a race that we were good enough to win, and it got taken away from us. We’ve just got to move on and reset at Darlington in a week.”
About Toyota
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Toyota directly employs nearly 64,000 people in North America who have contributed to the design, engineering, and assembly of nearly 49 million cars and trucks at our 14 manufacturing plants. In spring 2025, Toyota’s plant in North Carolina will begin to manufacture automotive batteries for electrified vehicles. With more electrified vehicles on the road than any other automaker, Toyota currently offers 31 electrified options.
For more information about Toyota, visit www.ToyotaNewsroom.com.
CHEVROLET IN THE NTT INDYCAR SERIES Java House Grand Prix of Arlington 2.73-mile, 14-turn Arlington street circuit Arlington, Texas Saturday Qualifying Report March 14, 2026
ARLINGTON, Texas (March 14, 2026) – Pato O’Ward, in the No. 5 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet, will start the inaugural Java House Grand Prix of Arlington from the inside of the second row, after turning a lap of 94.8453 seconds during the Firestone Fast Six.
For the first time, the pole winner for an NTT INDYCAR SERIES came down to single-car qualifying in the Firestone Fast Six. Traditionally, group qualifying, the six drivers that advanced to the final group, had the pressure of all eyes on them over the tricky 2.73-mile, 14-turn Arlington street circuit.
Alexander Rossi in the No. 20 ECR Java House Chevrolet, Josef Newgarden in the No. 2 PPG Team Penske Chevrolet, and Christian Rasmussen in the No. 21 ECR Java House Chevrolet were fast enough to go through to the Fast 12 from the first dozen drivers on track for qualifying.
Scott McLaughlin, who was the quickest driver on Friday, was the second quickest driver on a lap that would have put him through to the Fast 12, had an incident in Turn 8, tapping the inside wall and shooting his No. 3 DEX Team Penske Chevrolet into the wall on the exit of the corner. The Kiwi will not have to use a backup car and will start from 25th on the grid.
As the second group came to an end, David Malukas in the No. 12 Verizon Team Penske Chevrolet, Santino Ferrucci in the No. 14 Homes For Our Troops Chevrolet, and O’Ward advanced, making it six Chevrolet-powered cars in the Fast 12.
O’Ward, who had the second-best time in the Fast 12, was the only Team Chevy driver to advance to the new-look Firestone Fast Six.
Java House Grand Prix of Arlington qualifying results:
What they’re saying – qualifying:
Pato O’Ward, No. 5 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet qualified 3rd:
Do you feel like you maximized everything you had in the No. 5 car? I do. I am very pleased with that qualifying.
“My goal was to get to the fast six, to have a shot at it. In practice two, we weren’t able to complete our laps, to really show our true pace. But if I were to bet, where we were going to qualify, I would have bet on third.
“I’m shocked Kirkwood didn’t make it, he was my bet for pole, but his sister did. So, congratulations to Marcus on his first career pole here in IndyCar. I’m ecstatic for tomorrow! I’m pumped! This place really is a joy to drive. Every lap that I’ve had there out there, it’s really fun. It’s a great circuit.”
Christian Rasmussen, No. 21 ECR Java House Chevrolet qualified 8th:
“Qualifying went well, but I don’t think we necessarily lived up to what we had in practice. We had a small mistake on the set up in practice, so we had more in it than it showed. We have been good all weekend, we’ve just been very unlucky with red flags or cars that came out in front of us to mess up our laps. I am quite happy with qualifying, it’s been one of our weaker points so P8 is a good start for tomorrow!”
David Malukas, No. 12 Verizon Team Penske Chevrolet qualified 9th:
“We were struggling on these red tires, so, we knew after the group one, it was a struggle for us. We’ll get back into the think tank. We’ll get it fixed and get it done. But, a little bit unfortunate, we couldn’t capitalize on it when we could. But overall, I think our pace is strong, especially on those primary tires. So we’ll see what we can get up to. We have a lot of things to check over, especially for race running and seeing how we’re gonna be under tow. This whole time we’ve just been on quali sim. So, a lot of work to do.”
Alexander Rossi, No. 20 ECR Java House Chevrolet qualified 10th:
“I think it’s going to be a pretty chaotic race, so there are going to be a lot of positions gained just from not making mistakes and keeping your nose clean. For ECR to have two cars qualified in the Top 10, it’s a big accomplishment. This is a big race for Java House, we would have liked to have had at least one car in the Fast 6, but it wasn’t meant to be. We have a good position to start from and we can have a good day tomorrow.
Josef Newgarden, No. 2 PPG Team Penske Chevrolet qualified 11th:
“Very proud of the work by the PPG Chevy crew to get the backup car ready to qualify. Trust me, that is no easy feat, but they make it look like it is. Obviously I cost us some on-track time with the accident. It would have been nice to have that time to keep dialing the car in but starting 11th is not terrible. The speed is there so we just have another day of strong execution.”
Santino Ferrucci, No. 14 Homes For Our Troops Chevrolet qualified 12th:
“It’s probably the first qualifying that I feel like went right for us in a long time. Obviously, we’ve been struggling with the car balance. On Friday, we thought we found something good for free practice too. And the only way to really, truly confirm that on a new track was to use two sets of reds and Q one, which advanced us, and then we opted to save some tires for the race instead of using them in Q-2. So I think all in all, if I had done a little bit of a better job, we probably could have qualified inside the top 10, but not much more than that. So, but we’ll take that and go off tomorrow.”
Caio Collet, No. 4 Combitrans Amazonia Chevrolet qualified 16th:
“A bit of a mixed feeling. I think we were really quick, and the car definitely had more potential. It’s just we caught the red flag at the wrong time there, on my best lap, and then after that I was just trying to save what we could from the tires on the last lap. But honestly, it was a mixed feeling, but, I think we have a good car to move forward tomorrow.”
Christian Lundgaard, No. 7 VELO Arrow McLaren Chevrolet qualified 18th:
“These streets are a challenge, to say the least. We had tough luck losing our flyer on the red flag, so by the time we had our one timed lap, we lost the window to get our tires to temp, and I’m still working to get more comfortable in the car. We’ll do some work overnight. As I always say, points are scored on Sunday, so tomorrow’s what matters, and I’m ready to chase the front.”
Nolan Siegel, No. 6 SmartStop Arrow McLaren Chevrolet qualified 22nd:
“Disappointing result, but the car is fast. We had some strong lap times but then went into the runoff on our one-lap shootout. So, unfortunate result, but I’m still confident for tomorrow given that the pace is there.”
Sting Ray Robb, No. 77 Juncos Hollinger – Goodheart Chevrolet qualified 23rd:
“Qualifying today was very frustrating. We were fighting up hill, which is just sad for the team. With limited track time this weekend and a crash in practice 1 it put us on the back foot. Both cars seem to be suffering from a couple of different issue and we’re just out of the window right now. We’re going to do a lot of changes overnight and hope we make a step forward in all directions. I think this is going to be a great track to race from the back from with the way that the chaos works with first year street course. I think if we just keep it clean, we’ll be able to go forward. Looking back at 2021 Nashville is a great example of that, so we’ll move forward in the race just off attrition and a fast car.”
Scott McLaughlin, No. 3 DEX Team Penske Chevrolet qualified 25th:
Scott McLaughlin is out of the IndyCar medical unit you know what happened?
“Yeah. Straight away, the DEX Chevy was super quick, and I just turned a little bit early into Turn 8 there and clipped the inside wall. I’m really bummed for the guys, because it’s still a mistake. It is what it is, you’re trying to find the limits, but I don’t want to give them the work to be honest.”
Tune-In Guide
** Of note: the starting time of the race has been moved due to impending high winds – also, the time of the warm-up has been moved – all changes are noted below **
Sunday
NTT INDYCAR SERIES Warm Up – 9:50am (ET)/8:50am (CT)/7:50am (MT)/6:50am (PT) –FS1/ INDYCAR Radio Network/SIRIUSXM 218 Java House Grand Prix of Arlington (70 laps) – 12pm (ET)/11am (CT)/10am (MT)/9am (PT) – FOX/INDYCAR Radio Network/SIRIUSXM 218
Fan Friendly
Fans can visit Team Chevy Display in Fan Zone in the Fan Zone on the east side of AT&T Stadium, near the NTT INDYCAR SERIES paddock to check out an INDYCAR show car, along with a full line-up of new vehicles, including the Corvette ZR1X, Corvette Stingray (Stars and Steel edition), Equinox, Silverado 1500, Silverado 2500 (Stars and Steel edition), Silverado EV (Stars and Stel Edition),Tahoe, and Traverse, The display is open from 7:30 am – 3 pm on Sunday.
Historical Chevrolet in the INDYCAR SERIES information
INDYCAR SERIES Manufacturer Championships (since 1979)
Chevrolet-Powered Wins in the Twin-Turbo 2.2L V6 Era (2012-present)
Chevrolet-Powered Wins – All-Time
About General Motors
General Motors (NYSE:GM) is driving the future of transportation, leveraging advanced technology to build safer, smarter, and lower emission cars, trucks, and SUVs. GM’s Buick, Cadillac, Chevrolet, and GMC brands offer a broad portfolio of innovative gasoline-powered vehicles and the industry’s widest range of EVs, as we move to an all-electric future.
GM Motorsports, including the Cadillac Formula 1® Team develops and proves advanced technologies in the most demanding environments, accelerating innovation in performance, safety, efficiency, and electrification for its production vehicles. Cadillac Racing is one of the leading manufacturers in the IMSA and FIA World Endurance Championships (WEC). Chevrolet competes in single seaters in the US INDYCAR series, and in NASCAR with multiple team partners and drivers. Corvette customer teams compete in GT series across the globe including IMSA and WEC. Learn more at GM.com.
