TEAM CHEVY ADVANCE
Phoenix Raceway
March 5-8, 2026

A two-race west coast swing kicks off this weekend for the NASCAR Cup and O’Reilly Auto Parts Series with the pair traveling to the desert for their first of two appearances at Phoenix Raceway this season.

The Bowtie brand’s return to the one-mile oval sparks some pristine memories from its most recent visit to the venue with Phoenix Raceway serving as the site that delivered the manufacturer its 34th Cup Series Driver Championship and 23rd O’Reilly Auto Parts Series Driver Championship.

 
A Special Weekend for Chevrolet:

The weekend will feature a rare crossover between two of motorsport’s most competitive series – NASCAR and the NTT INDYCAR Series. For Chevrolet, the weekend is an opportunity to display its diverse profile in both stock car and open-wheel racing with the Bowtie brand boasting as the only manufacturer that will compete in all four events. A combined total of 75 Team Chevy drivers are entered for this weekend’s competition including 18 in the NASCAR Cup Series, 30 in the NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series, 15 in the ARCA Menards Series and 12 in the NTT INDYCAR Series.

Chevrolet has had a long history of success at the one-mile desert oval, including three championship-clinching performances and 27 wins in the Cup Series and two championships and 10 wins in the O’Reilly Auto Parts Series. In INDYCAR, the Bowtie brigade earned its first win on an oval in 1969 at Phoenix Raceway, also marking its first of 10 all-time wins at the track.

 
MAKING MOVES

With the first road course event in the books, the NASCAR Cup Series points standings sees three fresh faces in the top-10 – all of which come from the Chevrolet camp. Capitalizing on their road racing prowess, Shane van Gisbergen, AJ Allmendinger and Michael McDowell all earned top-10 results at Circuit of The Americas to propel each of them to a double-digit jump in the standings heading into the west coast swing. Leading the charge was the 36-year-old Auckland, New Zealand, native that drove his No. 97 Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet to his season-best runner-up finish in the Lone Star State – marking back-to-back top-five results to kick-off the season. The finish, along with a 45-point day, was enough to push Van Gisbergen up 11 spots to fifth in the standings. Allmendinger and McDowell each earned their best finish of the season at COTA and will head to Phoenix ranked eighth and ninth, respectively, in the points standings.

DOUBLING-UP

Sharing the seat of the organization’s third NASCAR Cup Series entry, Austin Hill will take his turn behind the wheel of the No. 33 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet this weekend for his first of five starts in the division this season. Currently competing in his fifth full-time campaign in the NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series with the Chevrolet organization, Hill enters the weekend with 15 Cup Series starts under his belt, including a career-best finish of ninth that came in the entry at the Chicago Street Race last season.

The 31-year-old Winston, Georgia, native has already earned one trip to victory lane this season – driving his No. 21 Chevrolet to the win in the O’Reilly Auto Parts Series season opener at Daytona International Speedway. Since then, Hill has managed to maintain the points lead through the first-three weekends – holding a 28-point lead over his teammate and reigning champion, Jesse Love. Hill’s experience at the one-mile desert oval includes eight career starts in the O’Reilly Auto Parts Series – producing six top-10s, including a best-finish of fourth in the March 2024 event.

BYRON’S BACK

With a rotation of Team Chevy drivers behind the wheel of the No. 88 JR Motorsports Chevrolet this season, it’s the 2017 NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series Champion, William Byron, that will be behind the reigns for a double-duty weekend in the desert. The 28-year-old Charlotte, North Carolina, native has a short but successful resume in the second-tier series. Byron competed in just one full-time campaign in the O’Reilly Auto Parts Series before his venture to the Cup Series – a stint that ended with four wins, ‘Rookie of the Year’ honors and a championship title.

The Team Chevy driver made two appearances in the series last season – finishing no worse than second, including the win in front of a hometown crowd at Charlotte Motor Speedway. Byron is on an elite list of drivers that have earned victories in both of NASCAR’s top-two divisions at Phoenix Raceway – earning one win in the O’Reilly Auto Parts Series with JR Motorsports in 2017 and one win in the Cup Series with Hendrick Motorsports in 2023.

LOVE BEAMS IN CONFIDENCE AND CONSISTENCY

Phoenix Raceway with forever hold a special place in Jesse Love’s NASCAR career. Just a few months ago at the one-mile desert oval, the Menlo Park, California, native turned his sophomore campaign into a championship-earning season – driving his No. 2 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet to the race win and his first career championship title in the NASCAR national ranks. The only driver in the series to finish inside the top-10 in all three races this season, Love’s early consistency has paid dividends with the Team Chevy driver sitting just behind his teammate and points leader, Austin Hill, in the standings. Hungry for his first win of the season, there’s no better place for Love to check that box than at Phoenix Raceway. In his four career starts at the track, Love has yet to qualify and finish outside of the top-10, with his most notable result coming last November when he took the win and the championship title.

 
BOWTIE BULLETS:

· Chevrolet will serve as the official pace vehicle for the NASCAR, NTT INDYCAR and ARCA Menards Series race weekend at Phoenix Raceway, with the Corvette Stingray leading each series to the green flag in their respective events.

· As the only manufacturer that will compete in all four events at Phoenix Raceway, a combined total of 75 Team Chevy drivers are entered for this weekend’s competition including 18 in the NASCAR Cup Series, 30 in the NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series, 15 in the ARCA Menards Series and 12 in the NTT INDYCAR Series.

· Active Chevrolet drivers with a NASCAR Cup Series win at Phoenix Raceway:

Kyle Busch – three wins (2019, 2018, 2005)

Ross Chastain – one win (2023)

William Byron – one win (2023)

Kyle Larson – one win (2021)

Chase Elliott – one win (2020)

· In 59 NASCAR Cup Series races held at Phoenix Raceway, Chevrolet has recorded 27 victories, including a record-setting streak of 10 straight – earned by six different drivers between 2005-2010.

· In 147 points-paying races in the NASCAR Cup Series Next Gen era, Chevrolet leads all manufacturers with 67 victories – a winning percentage of 45.6%.

· Chevrolet is coming off its 29th all-time sweep of the NASCAR Cup Series championship titles – capturing its 34th driver championship and 44th, and fifth consecutive, manufacturer championship in 2025.

· With its 44 NASCAR Cup Series manufacturer championships, 34 NASCAR Cup Series driver championships, and 881 all-time NASCAR Cup Series wins, Chevrolet continues to hold the title as the winningest brand in NASCAR Cup Series history.

 
FOR THE FANS:

· Fans can visit the Team Chevy Racing Display in the Fan Midway at Phoenix Raceway, which will feature a variety of vehicles including: Tahoe Z71, Silverado 1500 RST, Silverado EV, Colorado Trail Boss, Traverse Z71, Equinox EV RS, Corvette E-Ray, Equinox ACTIV, and NASCAR and INDYCAR show cars.

Team Chevy Driver Appearances at the Display:

Saturday, March 7

Rinus VeeKay: 10:00 a.m. – 10:15 a.m.

Ryan Hunter-Reay: 10:15 a.m. – 10:30 a.m.

Parker Retzlaff: 3:15 p.m. – 3:30 p.m.

Sheldon Creed & Sam Mayer: 3:30 p.m. – 3:45 p.m.

Jeremy Clements: 3:45 p.m. – 4:00 p.m.

Sunday, March 8

Connor Zilisch: 8:30 a.m. – 8:45 a.m.

Ross Chastain: 8:45 a.m. – 9:00 a.m.

Kyle Busch: 9:05 a.m. – 9:20 a.m.

Michael McDowell: 9:20 a.m. – 9:30 a.m.

Ricky Stenhouse Jr: 9:30 a.m. – 9:45 a.m.

Kyle Larson: 9:45 a.m. – 10:00 a.m.

William Byron: 10:00 a.m. – 10:15 a.m.

Chevrolet Display Hours of Operation:

Friday, March 6: 11:30 a.m. – 7:00 p.m.

Saturday, March 7: 9:00 a.m. – 5:30 p.m.

Sunday, March 8: 8:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.

 
TUNE-IN:

NASCAR Cup Series

Straight Talk Wireless 500

Sunday, Mar. 8, at 3:30 p.m. ET

FS1, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90

NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series

GOVX 200

Saturday, Mar. 7, at 7:30 p.m. ET

CW, PRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90

NTT INDYCAR Series

Good Ranchers 250

Saturday, Mar. 7, at 3 p.m. ET

FOX

ARCA Menards Series

General Tire 150

Thursday, Mar. 5, at 6 p.m. ET

FS1 and FOX One

 
QUOTABLE QUOTES:

Austin Dillon, No. 3 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet

What are your thoughts on Phoenix Raceway?

“Phoenix Raceway is a tough place. We’ve tried. We’ve worked hard, really hard, to try and get our cars better there. I’m looking forward to the challenge of it. You try and turn it into a short track, but the aero platform in the car really matters. One end of the track is flat, one end is banked, and you’re just trying to get the car neutral in both. So, you’re constantly working on it, but we’re always optimistic every time we go to Phoenix Raceway. We are committed to getting better.”

Daniel Suarez, No. 7 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet

Three races into the season with Spire Motorsports, how are you feeling about the team’s performance, and how has your experience behind the wheel been so far?

“My experience has been very good. I feel like we started off strong in Daytona and Atlanta. We have good speed and momentum. I am very pleased with Spire Motorsports. We are pushing ourselves to get better and better each week. You never know, you can work very hard, have all these meetings, communications, and chemistry, but you just never know exactly where you are going to stack up. I am impressed with the structure and speed at Spire. I was expecting to be fast, but this is faster than what I was expecting. In Daytona, I probably had the fastest superspeedway car I’ve ever been in. I still am learning the team and car, but so far to this point I am very impressed with what we are bringing to the racetrack.”

Who will you be rooting for in INDYCAR, and what do you think about crossover races with NASCAR?”

“I have a couple of friends in the IndyCar series — my amigo Paisano Pato, who I’ve known for over 20 years and also Scott McLaughlin. I’ll definitely be rooting for them. I think the INDYCAR Series is amazing. I really love watching those guys race. INDYCAR has a different fan base than NASCAR, which makes it great to bring families together to enjoy both series. I really enjoyed crossing over between the two at Indianapolis – it was a lot of fun – and I’m looking forward to doing it again.”

Kyle Busch, No. 8 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet

What makes racing at Phoenix unique compared to other tracks? tomorrow

“Phoenix Raceway is a really cool racetrack because it’s only a mile in length, but it still races like a big track. Some of the most exciting opportunities at Phoenix to set up passes and make moves are on restarts. Everybody is so close together at the dogleg, which is really unique because it lends itself to ten wide racing where you can be ten lanes wide with grooves to operate in. You’re going to venture to get away from everybody that’s around you, but it all funnels down to about two to three lanes wide when you get to the corners, so it gets pretty tight when you get into the turns. You want to make your passes right after the restarts.”

How does the flat layout of the track affect the way you drive the track?

“Phoenix being a flat racetrack, has ten degrees of banking at one end and four degrees of banking on the other, so it’s pretty flat. You basically feel like you’re on ice and drifting around the track keeping as much speed possible and making sure you got a good handling racecar, one that grips the track better than everyone else so you can go out there, pass them and win.”

Do you think teams will be more conservative on tires this weekend compared to last November’s race?

“I think you’ll see a more conservative approach with tires this weekend, just because it’s the beginning of the season, and people wanting to take care of their equipment and try to get through the West Coast swing. So, you definitely don’t want to be tearing up too much equipment.”

AJ Allmendinger, No. 16 Kaulig Racing Chevrolet

What is your mindset going into Phoenix after having a tough race the last time there?

“Phoenix is a racetrack that for whatever reason, whether racing in the NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series (formerly NASCAR Xfinity Series) or the NASCAR Cup Series, it’s just a racetrack that as a company we have struggled at in the past. You know, I think it’s about going there and trying to have realistic expectations. We are just trying to be better and have speed. We do want to have a solid improvement from where we have typically been there and put on a good showing for Campers Inn RV.”

What is the best approach?

“We know we are going to face some challenges, but it’s how we handle them and stay positive that matters most. Over the next few weeks, we’ll really get to see where we stand as a race team with our cars. Our focus is making the most of every weekend and that’s unloading with speed, improving through practice/qualifying and getting better when it counts in the race.”

How are you feeling after receiving medical attention from the heat upon exiting your race car at COTA last Sunday?

“I feel okay. I was just a little sore earlier in the week, but otherwise, really, I feel pretty good now. All things considered, we got a solid top-10 finish out of the day at COTA, some stage points, and gained spots in the points standings.”

Austin Hill, No. 33 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet

What are your overall thoughts of driving a Cup Series car for the first time at Phoenix Raceway?

“I’m looking forward to being back in the United Rentals Chevrolet this weekend. Based on my time in the simulator, I’m not sure how much the O’Reilly car is going to help me on the Cup side with the shifting differences and techniques of how you drive the Cup car. My approach will certainly be different from the O’Reilly race on Saturday to the Cup race on Sunday. Practice will be key to stay ahead of the racetrack. The track changes a lot in temperature and the way rubber is laid down, so we need to make sure we are not fighting the track and focusing only on the drivability of our car. You have to know where the track is going to go which we have gotten better with on the O’Reilly side. In that car, you want to be a couple numbers free in practice, because the track is going to tighten up as the race goes on. I’m not sure if that will translate to the Cup car, but that will be something to pay attention to. If we can get a decent qualifying effort, stay out of trouble, and play strategy at the end of the race, we should end up with a good finish.”

What is the expectation for the No. 33 team this weekend at Phoenix Raceway?

“We’ve been able to finish inside the top-10 before, although it was on a road course. A top-15 would be a great day, a top-20 would be a good day. In my opinion, we are past having the goal of just completing all of the laps. With the amount of times I’ve run on the Cup side now, we need to perform and have good results. If we can do that and finish around our teammates, the No. 3 and the No. 8, it would be a good day for us.”

Cole Custer, No. 41 Haas Factory Team Chevrolet

“I think everyone is looking forward to going to Phoenix, as it’s going to be the first true test of the year from an oval standpoint. So we are looking forward to see how our HaasTooling.com Chevrolet Camaro will truly start the year off.”

Ricky Stenhouse Jr., No. 47 Hyak Motorsports Chevrolet

“We’re really excited to welcome Pylon Aviation to the team this weekend in Phoenix. Bringing a new partner on board is always a big deal for everyone at Hyak Motorsports — it gives us extra motivation to go out and perform. We take a lot of pride in representing our partners the right way, both on and off the track. Hopefully we can put together a strong run and give Pylon Aviation something to celebrate in their first race with us.”

Cody Ware, No. 51 Rick Ware Racing Chevrolet

“Phoenix has always been a difficult racetrack. It’s not really a short track because it’s so wide and so fast. It kind of blends the lines of an intermediate, downforce-style track into a short track. Like a short track, we’re doing a lot of shifting at Phoenix, and there are different ways to approach the corners in regard to how many times you’re shifting and where you’re shifting. Loose is fast at Phoenix, and the setups there are very aggressive. You’ve got to run the car mechanically free, so you never feel good around Phoenix. Even though it’s only a 312-lap race, it feels like a very long 312 laps. You’re out of breath at the end of it.”

Michael McDowell, No. 71 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet

Phoenix and Las Vegas will be your first traditional ovals of the year, what are you expecting?

“I feel like with Phoenix and Vegas you start to see and feel where you are as a team, because you go back-to-back on superspeedways and then a road course with Circuit of the Americas. They are all important. They all count points, but you don’t know really where you stack up on your overall program until you get through all those different types of tracks. So, building off last year, our Phoenix package was good. We finished in the top 10 last fall and we were fast. We have good notes and a good baseline going into Phoenix this weekend.”

Carson Hocevar, No. 77 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet

What is your outlook heading into the next few weeks?

“We are right where we want to be heading into this part of the schedule. Anything can happen at Daytona and Atlanta, and road courses aren’t my favorite, but we are still 10th in points with some really good tracks coming up for us. We qualified really well with MINER at Phoenix last year, but got caught up in someone else’s mess. We excel at the 1.5-mile tracks like Vegas, and we ran in the top 10 at the Southern 500 last year. I’m excited to get into the heart of the schedule.”

Connor Zilisch, No. 88 Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet

What is your assessment of the first three Cup races this season? How different is the racing in Cup versus the O’Reilly Series?

“I feel like it’s aggressive in Cup, but when I was coming through the field at COTA there were a lot more guys who were generous than I remember on Saturdays. Even when you get to the top-10, guys aren’t racing you when they know that you’re faster. On Saturdays I feel like every guy races you hard for every spot, even if you’re a second faster. I can’t say the restarts are any less aggressive in Cup because I got taken out twice last Sunday. The Cup guys are all really smart. I feel like they make a lot more intelligent move to put you in bad spots. It’s a lot harder to make up positions in those moments than it is on Saturday.”

What are your thoughts entering Phoenix this weekend?

“I’m excited to go back to Phoenix and I love racing there. That track is awesome and the restarts are crazy. It’s wide and there’s a lot of room to make moves and move around to change the balance on your car. I’m looking forward to getting out there and sharing the track with IndyCar this weekend. We’ll get to see them in person for the first time in a few years, probably since the Indy road course. I’m looking forward to seeing the friends that I have in the IndyCar paddock.”

Can you describe what the restarts are like at Phoenix going from the flat surface back up on the banking?

“Even in the O’Reilly Series there were times you had to pull your helmet back down because pulling back onto the track is so aggressive. It’s a big bump coming back up on the racetrack after getting down on the dogleg. The restarts at Phoenix are just crazy. I feel bad for the spotters having to call however many wide you are, how many are outside of you and how many are inside. It’s always chaotic there. I’m looking forward to seeing how it is with the Cup guys.”

Is running at the very bottom on Turn 1 an option at Phoenix?

“It’s an option but you have to have a tire advantage on the cars ahead of you to make it work. If you are on similar tires to the people around you and you go down there, you’re going to come off Turn 2 going what feels like 20 miles an hour slower and everybody is going to be blowing by you on the outside. It’s risky. You’ve got to get clear and be able to take other people’s momentum. If you exit Turn 2 all the way down by the wall, that’s where you’re going to get yourself into trouble.”

Shane van Gisbergen, No. 97 Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet

You’ve only started your NASCAR career a little over two years ago. Now you have 11 road course wins across the NASCAR Cup and O’Reilly Auto Parts Series. How cool is that?

“It’s been pretty awesome! I’ve had a whole lot of fun racing here. Every year I’ve enjoyed it so much and it doesn’t seem like a grind. I got to the end of last year and I was tired, but I had a week off and I was ready to get going again (laughs). There is such a great group of guys and girls at Trackhouse, and it makes racing every weekend so enjoyable.”

You are starting to head to some tracks for the second and third time. What do you want to do better as you approach these tracks in the 2026 season?

“There are a couple of tracks I really struggle at for some reason, Phoenix is one of them. It’s a type of track I need to improve myself. I know my car can do it, but that racing is so much more tough with not a lot of practice. It’s hard, but that is where I need to get better personally. Then, just continue to keep growing at the bigger tracks. I felt like we’ve made some real progress there, so we need to keep it going.”

You talk about set-up and different stuff like that, how different is it when you have that year in the Cup Series under your belt?

“You just learn what you want and need from a car. My driving style was very different to most, I guess. The way I make the car work or want it to work is very different to others. We noticed a lot of trends which took a while to get everyone to adjust to. I adjusted a bit but now we’re sort of coming my way a bit, which has kind of helped me. It’s interesting. The cars are set up so different to what I’m used to, and I’m still trying to understand what I need or want from the car.”

 
Chevrolet NASCAR Cup Series Statistics

Manufacturer Championships:

Total (1949-2025): 44

First title for Chevrolet: 1958

Highest number of consecutive titles: 13 (2003-15)

Most recent: 2025

Years Won: 1958, 1959, 1960, 1961, 1972, 1973, 1974, 1976, 1977, 1978, 1979, 1980, 1983, 1984, 1985, 1986, 1987, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1991, 1993, 1995, 1996, 1998, 2001, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024, 2025

Driver Championships:

Total (1949-2025): 34

First Chevrolet champion: Buck Baker (1957)

Highest number of consecutive titles: 7 (2005-11)

Most recent: Kyle Larson (2025)

Driver and Manufacturer Championship Sweeps: 29

Years Won: 1957, 1960, 1961, 1973, 1976, 1977, 1979, 1980, 1984, 1985, 1986, 1987, 1990, 1991, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 2001, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2013, 2014, 2016, 2020, 2021, 2025

Event Victories:

Record for total race wins in single season: 26 (2007)

2026 STATISTICS:

Wins: 0

Poles: 1

Laps Led: 142

Top-Fives: 7

Top-10s: 11

Stage Wins: 1

CHEVROLET IN NASCAR CUMULATIVE STATISTICS:

Total Chevrolet race wins: 881 (1949 to date)

Poles won to date: 767

Laps led to date: 256,876

Top-fives to date: 4,443

Top-10s to date: 9,162

Total NASCAR Cup Wins by Corporation, 1949 to Date:

       General Motors: 1,215

       Chevrolet: 881

       Pontiac: 154

       Oldsmobile: 115

       Buick: 65



       Ford: 847                                                                               

       Ford: 747

       Mercury: 96

       Lincoln: 4



       Fiat Chrysler Automobiles: 467

       Dodge: 217

       Plymouth: 191

       Chrysler: 59



       Toyota: 206

 
Team Chevy high-resolution racing photos are available for editorial use.

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.

Noah Gragson | Todd Gilliland | Zane Smith
Phoenix Raceway NASCAR Cup Series Race Advance
Straight Talk Wireless 500

Date: Sunday, March 8, 2026
Event: Race 5 of 38
Series: NASCAR Cup Series
Location: Phoenix Raceway (1.0-mile)
#of Laps: 312
Time/TV/Radio: 3:30 PM ET on FS1/MRN/SiriusXM channel 90

FRM Points Standings:

Zane Smith (14th)
Noah Gragson (18th)
Todd Gilliland (30th)

Noah Gragson Notes

Noah Gragson will make his sixth Phoenix Raceway NASCAR Cup Series this weekend. In five previous Cup starts at the one-mile track, Gragson has two top-15 finishes, finishing 12th in both 2024 races with Stewart Haas Racing. In eight Xfinity Series starts, Gragson has one win, three top-five, and five top-10 finishes.

Featured as the primary sponsor on Noah Gragson’s No. 4 Front Row Motorsports entry, Straight Talk Wireless will also serve as the entitlement for the NASCAR Cup Series event at Phoenix Raceway – the Straight Talk Wireless 500. Fans attending the Straight Talk Wireless 500 weekend can look forward to driver appearances, airbrush giveaways, blast from the past gaming, including a Nintendo Wii, photo opportunities and other throwback elements designed to bring the “good old days” back to the track. To bring customers closer to the NASCAR action, Straight Talk also launched its “Win to Wave” sweepstakes earlier in the year, which provided a winner with a trip for two to the Straight Talk Wireless 500, including VIP access and the opportunity to wave the green flag to start the race. The brand will also make a $10,000 donation to the NASCAR Foundation in support of youth-focused programming, which will include the Speediatrics Fun Day activities benefiting the Boys & Girls Club of the Valley during the Phoenix race weekend.

Beyond the excitement-filled weekend at Phoenix Raceway, Straight Talk’s NASCAR presence will extend nationwide throughout the entirety of the season with its NASCAR on Tour program, bringing the fan experience to life at over 200 Walmart locations across key race markets during the 2026 season. Kicking off in Phoenix, fans can visit participating Walmart stores to meet drivers, take photos, experience race simulators, score exclusive co-branded #4 Straight Talk swag and enter for a chance to win race tickets and other prizes, including a 2026 Ford Mustang. Together, the activation and sweepstakes underscore Straight Talk’s unwavering commitment to affordability. By delivering straightforward value for customers, a standard the brand has maintained for 17 years, and supporting meaningful community impact through NASCAR initiatives.

“I love being out in Phoenix,” said Gragson. “It’s a great area and the fans are awesome, the campgrounds are always packed and it’s just a fun track to be at. I’m excited to get the opportunity to fly the Straight Talk banner, in the Straight Talk Wireless 500. It’s a sharp looking car and we’ve got a lot planned with the Straight Talk team. Phoenix is a track that I’ve always enjoyed going to and have had some success at in the past, winning in the O’Reilly Auto Parts Series. It will be a fun weekend for everyone that comes out to the track and I’m looking forward to getting out there.”
Road Crew

Driver: Noah Gragson

Hometown: Las Vegas, Nevada

Crew Chief: Grant Hutchens

Hometown: Omaha, Nebraska

Car Chief: Joey Forgette

Hometown: Iron Mountain, Michigan

Engineer: Dillon Silverman

Hometown: Chico, California

Engineer: Scott Bingham

Hometown: Lawrenceville, Georgia

Mechanic: Chris Trickett

Hometown: Grafton, West Virginia

Mechanic: Tony Infinger

Hometown: Fort Valley, Georgia

Tire Specialist: Chris Aunspaw

Hometown: Zelienople, Pennsylvania

Engine Tuner: Matt Moeller

Hometown: Monroe, New York

Spotter: Nick Del Campo

Hometown: Blauvelt, New York

Transporter Co-Driver: Ron Miske

Hometown: Fairfield, Connecticut

Transporter Co-Driver: Matt Murphy

Hometown: Augusta, Georgia

Pit Crew

Front Tire Changer: Tafton Hensley

Hometown: Mooresville, North Carolina

Rear Tire Changer: Justin Fox

Hometown: Concord, North Carolina

Tire Carrier: Drew Baum

Hometown: Jersey Shore, Pennsylvania

Jackman: Graham Stoddard

Hometown: Lincoln, Nebraska

Fueler: Blake Baker

Hometown: Hickory, North Carolina

Todd Gilliland Notes

Todd Gilliland will get his first look at the Phoenix Raceway for the 2026 season this weekend. Long John Silver’s will serve as the primary partner for Gilliland and the No. 34 Ford Mustang Dark Horse this weekend in Phoenix. Long John Silver’s will bring their fan-favorite blue and yellow scheme to the No. 34 for the first time this season.

Frontline Enterprises joins Gilliland and the No. 34 team this weekend in Phoenix. The Canadian automotive dealer will support Gilliland in the NASCAR Cup Series for the fifth consecutive year. Frontline Enterprises has been a key figure in Gilliland’s NASCAR career, partnering with the driver during his time in the ARCA Menards Series before following Gilliland to FRM and the No. 38 Ford F-150 in the CRAFTSMAN Truck Series.

“Frontline Enterprises is excited to be on board with Todd again this season, kicking off in Phoenix this weekend,” said Brett Stevens, Owner, Frontline Enterprises. “Todd is not only a great driver but also a great person and has become a longtime friend. We at Frontline look forward to many more years of partnership, and I look forward to many more years of beating him at golf.”

“COTA felt like a missed opportunity, but it was good to at least finish the race and bring the car home in one piece,” said Gilliland. “This weekend in Phoenix and next weekend in Las Vegas will be important for us, as they’ll give us a better look at where we stack up against the field and how we’ll race as these ‘normal’ tracks. It’s great to have Frontline Enterprises this weekend. Brett (Stevens) has been a longtime supporter of mine and it’s always nice having him at the track cheering me on.”
Road Crew

Driver: Todd Gilliland

Hometown: Sherrills Ford, North Carolina

Crew Chief: Chris Lawson

Hometown: Medway, Ohio

Car Chief: Joe Marra

Hometown: Somers, New York

Engineer: Marc Rullo

Hometown: Ringwood, New Jersey

Engineer: Kevyn Rebolledo

Hometown: Mooresville, North Carolina

Spotter: Brit Andersen

Hometown: Branford, Connecticut

Mechanic: Michael Brookes

Hometown: Columbus, Ohio

Interior Specialist: Ethan Deguevara

Hometown: Las Vegas, Nevada

Tire Specialist: Billy John

Hometown: Pitman, New Jersey

Mechanic / Engine Tuner: Kyle Moon

Hometown: Troy, New York

Transporter Co-Driver: Randy Bernier

Hometown: Mooresville, North Carolina

Transporter Co-Driver: Rick Grissom

Hometown: Bakersfield, California

Pit Crew

Front Tire Changer: Danny Olszowy

Hometown: Lexington, Kentucky

Rear Tire Changer: Austin Chrismon

Hometown: China Grove, North Carolina

Tire Carrier: Paul Steele

Hometown: Wichita, Kansas

Jackman: Ryan Selig

Hometown: Lindenhurst, Illinois

Fueler: Zeke Nance

Hometown: Calhoun, Georgia

Zane Smith Notes

The “West Coast Swing” begins this weekend with the NASCAR Cup Series taking on the Phoenix Raceway. In four CRAFTSMAN Truck Series starts at the track, Zane Smith has recorded three top-five finishes, including a victory in 2022 that capped off his championship season. In the Cup Series, Smith earned a career-best ninth-place finish at the one-mile track in March 2025.

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“COTA didn’t pan out the way we wanted it to, but I’m happy with the speed we’re bringing to the track,” said Smith. “We had a solid run at Phoenix last Spring, so that gives the team and I confidence that we can leave Arizona with a decent result to regain momentum.”
Road Crew

Driver: Zane Smith

Hometown: Huntington Beach, California

Crew Chief: Ryan Bergenty

Hometown: Plainville, Connecticut

Car Chief: Will Norris

Hometown: Bells, Tennessee

Engineer: Jacob Clamme

Hometown: Hartford City, Indiana

Engineer: Chris Yerges

Hometown: Green Bay, Wisconsin

Mechanic / Engine Tuner: Steve Godfrey

Hometown: West Haven, Connecticut

Interior Specialist: Matt Fowler

Hometown: Spartanburg, South Carolina

Mechanic: Austin Bloom

Hometown: Lowell, Oregon

Spotter: Ryan Blanchard

Hometown: Bethlehem, Connecticut

Transport Co-Driver: Bryan Whitman

Hometown: Newton, North Carolina

Transport Co-Driver: Shawn Sellew

Hometown: Stafford Springs, Connecticut

Pit Crew

Front Tire Changer: Michael Louria

Hometown: Gibraltar, Michigan

Rear Tire Changer: Adam Riley

Hometown: Atlanta, Georgia

Tire Carrier: Jarren Davis

Hometown: Jacksonville, Florida

Jackman: Nate McBride

Hometown: Vidalia, Georgia

Fueler: Ray Hernandez

Hometown: Orlando, Florida

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ABOUT FRONT ROW MOTORSPORTS

Front Row Motorsports (FRM) is a winning organization competing in the NASCAR Cup Series and the NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series. Founded in 2004 by entrepreneur Bob Jenkins, FRM has earned top honors including a 2021 Daytona 500 victory and the 2022 CRAFTSMAN Truck Series championship. Based in Mooresville, N.C., FRM fields the No. 4, No. 34, and No. 38 entries in the NASCAR Cup Series, along with the No. 34 and No. 38 teams in the CRAFTSMAN Truck Series. For more information, visit teamfrm.com and follow Front Row Motorsports on social media — X: @Team_FRM, Instagram: @teamfrm, Tik Tok: @Team_FRM, YouTube: @FrontRowNASCAR, and Facebook: facebook.com/FrontRowMotorsports.

Ford Racing Notes and Quotes
NASCAR Cup Series
Ford Racing Media Zoom Call
Wednesday, March 4, 2026

Ryan Preece, driver of the No. 60 RFK Racing Ford Mustang Dark Horse, kicked off his season with a victory in The Clash at Bowman Gray last month. As the series heads to Phoenix Raceway, where he finished ninth in last year’s final race of the season, Preece finds himself 16th in the point standings. He answered questions earlier today as part of a Ford Racing media call.

RYAN PREECE, No. 60 RFK Racing Ford Mustang Dark Horse – DID YOU NOTICE ANY DIFFERENCE IN THE HORSEPOWER PACKAGE AT COTA, AND DO YOU THINK ANYTHING WILL BE DIFFERENT THIS WEEKEND AT PHOENIX? “I definitely think there were some takeaways. The way COTA is, it’s more of a flowy type of racetrack, not necessarily like COTA where we saw a substantial amount of fall off. COTA had some fall off. I want to say it was probably around two seconds or so. The horsepower thing, 750 horsepower versus 670 last year didn’t notice a ton. I felt like this tire did fall off more than last year’s, but, at the same time, when guys pitted there at the end it seemed like their cars, or at least guys that didn’t necessarily have new tires compared to the ones that did, they seemed to hold on better on restarts than I would have expected, so that was a little different. But, yeah, we’ll keep grinding away at this and see what Watkins Glen brings and Martinsville and Darlington and a lot of these other racetracks. It’s still really early. There are definitely some things to note, but it’s early in the season.”

DO YOU FEEL LIKE WHEN YOUR TEAM GETS THAT NEXT WIN THAT YOU MIGHT REEL OFF A BUNCH IN A SHORT PERIOD OF TIME? “As a racer and a part of RFK, we want to win every race as Tyler Reddick has been doing here as of late. I think it’s just little details. Last year, we kept putting things together and getting better and better, and that transitioned into this year. We didn’t have the finish that we wanted at Daytona. I felt like Atlanta was definitely some progress from year’s prior and Circuit of The Americas, I felt like there was a few things that I definitely could have probably done different throughout that race to give us a little bit better of a result, so there’s some work to be done there, but as far as team chemistry and the processes that it takes to put fast race cars on the track, we have all the pieces here. It’s early in the season and we’re moving into Phoenix, Las Vegas, Darlington, Martinsvilles – all places that I felt like we ran pretty respectable or really well last year, so I have really high expectations and it would be nice to keep working on the qualifying piece for our group to where we can get stage points and be in contention early as opposed to kind of working our way up through stage one and entering the conversation in stage two, and then try to put ourselves in position in stage three. So, a lot of hard work has been going on during the offseason and trying to figure out ways that we can keep trying to find success and win races.”

WHY DO YOU LIKE THE MARTINSVILLE TRACK, AND YOU HAVE AN O’REILLY WIN AT BRISTOL. WHAT MAKES YOU SO GOOD AT THOSE TWO PLACES? “To be honest with you, every driver in the Cup Series comes from assorted disciplines. Those disciplines suit certain styles. When you look at some of these drivers that run dirt, the mile-and-a-halves where in the past going to the outside, rolling the center, those are where those guys really shine. And then you see guys like William Byron, for example, or myself or a few others when you go to Martinsville or Bristol, that style kind of shows up. I don’t necessarily know why. Martinsville has always been a really good track to me, whether I was in the Cup car or a modified. It’s been a place I like racing at and kind of have that feel for what I need as a race car driver to try to make passes, move forward, have long run speed, which is gonna be important moving forward. I think, for us, it’s trying to find that little bit, which I’m lucky because Chris and Brad, but Chris is really fast at the mile-and-a-halves and there’s something to be studied there when it comes to driving style. Like I said, a lot of time and effort and trying to understand the processes to make sure that when we go to mile-and-a-halves this year that we’re a contender.”

IS THERE SOMETHING YOU CAN POINT TO IN THESE FIRST THREE RACES AS TO HOW YOU HAVE BEEN ABLE TO MAKE THAT JUMP INTO CONTENTION WITH THE SO-CALLED BIG THREE? “I feel like Daytona, Atlanta, COTA are completely different racetracks from what we’re gonna be seeing moving forward. I think we have a lot of great things going on and we’ve had a lot of speed. Racing is such a funny sport because you experience the highs of highs and the lows of lows and the biggest challenge is continuing to build and continuing to find speed because every single week this sport is constantly evolving. You could be on top of the world in 2025 and come 2026 if everybody kept working and you decided to go on vacation for two months and you come back into the game room, you’re gonna be behind. I can only talk on the experience that I see here at RFK and that’s a group of men and women that are incredibly focused in whatever aspect and whatever their job requires here at RFK. They’re doing it to the best of their ability and, for me as a race car driver, that’s what I want because when I go on the racetrack, I want to make sure that my car is really, really fast. That way I can put it in positions that no one else can and capitalize on it, so I’m excited about this year because of many different reasons, but one of them being is we have an owner that drives these race cars and when we have conversations about whatever it may be, he can really streamline it or he can literally talk to you as a driver/owner and say, ‘Well, maybe you should think about going about it this way.’ What can you do to help this situation? It’s nice to be a part of because you feel like everybody is working on the same thing and that’s to win races.”

HOW DO YOU LIKE THE NEW POINT SYSTEM AFTER THREE RACES? “To me, it’s nice because somebody who wins the Daytona 500 can literally probably go on vacation until September in the old system. I’m not saying that’s the case, but this one Tyler Reddick has had a great start of the season, but if he goes out and wrecks eight races in a row, you’re having a completely different conversation. It’s no different than any sport where if you come out on fire, but then you all of a sudden tank and you’re not focused, you’re gonna fall behind. So, I’m a fan of the long game as most of you know. We’re 16th in points right now, but there’s a lot of game left.”

YOUR COOL SUIT WASN’T WORKING LAST WEEK THERE WAS A LOT OF TALK ABOUT YOUR TOUGHNESS. WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT BEING DEFINED LIKE THAT – BEING TOUGH, GRIT, UNDAUNTED. YOU HAD TO FIGHT FOR EVERY BIT OF IT ON SUNDAY. “Yeah, we definitely did and with some of that stuff that happened, COTA always seems to be that track that gets a lot of us. Somebody has something go wrong, but I believe BJ McLeod said it where, I’d rather be a bigger turkey than a little turkey. It takes a little bit longer to cook. There’s some truth to that because it does. On days that can be challenging like that, it’s a lot nicer where I felt like, ‘Yeah, I was pretty beat up or feeling it a little bit, but I was plenty fine to drive that race car to its ability. Those are the races that define you and your race team and, like I said, 18th was the end result, but between yesterday and today I’ve been going back and watching some on cars from other cars around us and probably some things that I could have done a little bit better to feel like I could have got us a 16th or a 15th maybe, but that’s the name of the game. You’re gonna have days where you wish you would have done things a little different or reacted to situations a little different, but the deal is you have to move forward to the next week. There was an old saying where I’m from, and I’m sure many people heard this, but the clock resets at midnight and you move on. That’s what our focus is and that’s moving onto Phoenix this week.”

HOW TOUGH WAS THE COOL SUIT NOT WORKING AN ISSUE? “I think it really tests you mentally. It takes a lot. I’m gonna be honest with you, I’ll do whatever it takes to finish a race or move on to the next race, so there’s nothing that’s gonna get me out of that race car. But, it’s really difficult to explain to race fans or people that have never experienced it – how difficult it can be to be basically wrestling a 3600-pound race car around a racetrack while doing it against 35 other race car drivers trying to stay ahead of whoever you are at that moment in time and then dealing with a hot cockpit that is just another distraction. It’s challenging. It’s almost like putting somebody on a treadmill and telling them to run 12 miles an hour and they’re not stopping until you say. Even though they’re gassed and their heartrate might be at 200 and they can’t go anymore, you are not stopping, so that’s the only way I can kind of explain it to somebody that would be able to relate to it. That’s it.”

HOW DO YOU LOOK AT PHOENIX? “For us, last year Phoenix was a little tricky for us for whatever reason. Derrick (Finley) called great races and put us with an opportunity to get good finishes, so we ended up ninth in the fall. It’s a process, so I feel good about it and I’m excited about going there and hopefully running really well and being in contention. I think short tracks are definitely places, even though Phoenix is a little bit different type of short track, it’s a place I’d like to really figure out and be fast at.”

THIS WEEKEND IS NASCAR AND INDYCAR. YOU WERE PART OF THIS KIND OF WEEKEND WHEN WE WENT UP TO INDY FOR THE ROAD COURSE WEEKEND IN 2023. WHAT ARE YOU LOOKING FORWARD TO ABOUT THIS WEEKEND AND WHAT DO YOU ENJOY ABOUT THIS CROSSOVER? “For me, it’s neat to see the different sorts of disciplines. I can appreciate everything, whether it’s sprint cars, modifieds, late models, Cup cars, Xfinity car, Trucks or IndyCars or whatever it may be. I love racing, so being around the track and when I get done with my obligations, I’m probably gonna go up on top of the spotter’s stand and go watch just because it’s really interesting to watch how they get around the racetracks, how they approach passing or restarts or pitting. There’s a lot of things you can take, I don’t necessarily want to say learn for yourself, but you can appreciate how they’re going about doing it. If you’re an IndyCar fan and you want to come to a NASCAR race, or you’re a NASCAR fan and want to see and IndyCar race, the first time I ever saw one was actually at Nazareth way back in the day, and I want to say the USAC Silver Crown cars were paired up with them, so it’s been a minute other than Indianapolis, but it’ll be neat sharing the track with those guys and we’ll see how the different rubber will affect our cars.”

YOU WERE 15TH IN THE SPRING AND 9TH IN THE FALL. HOW DID THAT IMPROVEMENT HAPPEN LAST YEAR AT PHOENIX? “The spring race at Phoenix was really just an entirely different race because we had two different compound of tires, which created different strategy and how Derrick calls the strategy is different from most, so the first race, actually, we were leading with less than 50 or 40 laps to go and the caution left us in a situation where everybody else had softs, where we had used ours in that moment, so that’s how we ended up 15th. And then in the fall race that ninth-place finish we were really struggling for the majority of the day, and I think we finally got our handling a lot better and the late-race caution put us in the situation where Brad and myself stayed out and we were able to hold on to some track position for two laps. You can look at those 15th and ninth-place finishes as good executing days, but Derrick, myself and our team want more and we want to perform the entire day – stage one, stage two and stage three really well. There’s been a lot of emphasis going into this race and what we can do better on all sides, whether it be restarts, practice, qualifying, race, so there’s a lot of questions that are gonna get answered this weekend for us and a lot to look forward to.”

WHEN YOU LOOK AT WHAT BRAD IS DOING RIGHT NOW WITH HIS INJURY, LEADING BY EXAMPLE, HOW IMPORTANT IS IT FOR HIM AS THE LEADER OF THE TEAM TO SHOW EVERYONE HOW YOU DO IT EVEN WHEN YOU’RE BEAT UP? “I’ve lived it and many of us have. What I can do is I can appreciate it because the things that I’m gonna put myself through to race, so is Brad. I’ve learned pretty quickly that he and I are very similar in the aspects of what we’re gonna put ourselves through to compete and show others that we will do whatever it takes to race, to competitively attempt to win and put our teams in position. I know there was a lot of conversation last week at COTA around, ‘Man, is Brad gonna race?’ But as a race car driver, what I see him doing every day and then as a race car driver, you weren’t taking him out of that race car because he wouldn’t take me out of that race car. So, I think as a racer and the family that he came from and the family that I come from, we’re taught at a very young age that that’s what makes us different. We’re willing to do whatever it takes to compete.”