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Phoenix Event Recap for the NHRA Arizona Nationals

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Official Release
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Todd Lesenko

USD Parts Funny Car Driver for Jim Dunn Racing
FMP NHRA Arizona Nationals presented by NGK Spark Plugs
March 20-22 | Chandler, Arizona

Event Recap

Todd Lesenko, driver of the Jim Dunn Racing USD Parts Funny Car:

  • Earned No. 12 provisional qualifying position in Q1 on Friday (4.255 ET at 256.70 mph)
  • Fell to No. 13 provisional qualifying position based off of Friday’s Q1 run. In Q2 on Friday, Lesenko ran a 4.256 ET at 256.41 mph.
  • Fell to No. 17 provisional qualifying position based off of Friday’s Q1 run. In Q3 on Saturday, Lesenko ran a 8.511 ET at 79.04 mph.
  • Secured No. 17 qualifying position based off of Friday’s Q1 run. In Q4 on Saturday, Lesenko ran a 6.356 ET at 110.33 mph, which failed to qualify for the event.

Notes of Interest

  • Lesenko represented USD Parts this weekend in Phoenix. For more than 50 years, their mission has been to fulfill your original equipment auto parts needs. As an authorized distributor of Motorcraft, AC Delco and Mopar parts, they support their customers as they work to provide the best ownership experience possible for those that drive Ford, GM and Chrysler vehicles. Their corporate headquarters and largest warehouse is located in Phoenix, Arizona. They have branch warehouses in Albuquerque, Denver and El Paso.
  • The Arizona Nationals is one of five races in which a Jim Dunn Racing Funny Car has started from the No. 1 qualifying position. Kenji Okazaki was the No. 1 qualifier for the 1997 Arizona Nationals (5.008 seconds, 290.88 mph on Feb. 22, 1997), an event in which he was ousted in Round 2 by Del Worsham.

Todd Lesenko, Driver of the Jim Dunn Racing USD Parts Funny Car

“The weekend did not go as planned, but we are more motivated than ever as we go into Jim Dunn Racing’s home track in Pomona. Before the race season began, Jim Dunn told me it’s going to take three races to get this thing going. We have lots of new parts on this car and a new driver. After testing, Florida and Phoenix, that makes three! The team and car have come a long way since we started and we are confident moving forward to the next event. As the season progresses, we will continually make strides into being a highly competitive car for our sponsors, fans, and all involved with this legendary team. Thank you to all who believe in us.”

Next Up
The next event on the NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series schedule is the Lucas Oil NHRA Winternationals April 9-12 at In-N-Out Burger Pomona Dragstrip in Pomona, California.

Hunter Lawrence Dominant in Birmingham as Back-to-Back Wins Extend Championship Lead Inside Protective Stadium

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Official Release
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Haiden Deegan Finishes First in 250SMX Class East/West Showdown, Penalized One Position for Cutting Track

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (March 21, 2026) – After the lone off weekend of the season, the Monster Energy AMA Supercross Championship made its anticipated return to action for Round 10 of the Monster Energy SMX World Championship from Protective Stadium. It proved to be a statement night for 450SMX Class points leader Hunter Lawrence, who enjoyed arguably the single-best performance of his career with Honda HRC Progressive in a dominant ride that netted the Australian back-to-back victories and three wins over the past four races.

450SMX Class

The 20 Minute + 1 Lap Main Event for the 450SMX Class got underway with the Red Bull KTM Factory Racing machine of Jorge Prado out front for the holeshot ahead of Lawrence. The Honda rider went on the attack immediately and seized control of the race while Prado settled in ahead of his Red Bull KTM Factory Racing teammate Eli Tomac. Behind them, Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing’s Cooper Webb, the reigning champion, and Progressive Insurance Cycle Gear Suzuki’s Ken Roczen gave chase.

With a clear track, Lawrence was able to build a multi-second lead in the opening laps as Tomac engaged in an extended battle with Prado, which allowed Roczen, who came out the gate in 16th, to join the fight from fourth. Tomac made the move on his teammate for second and brought Roczen along into third. It wasn’t long before Roczen then went after Tomac and made quick work to take control of second. From there, the lead trio remained unchanged as Lawrence managed a lead of about four seconds over Roczen, while Tomac dropped well back and lost touch with his rivals. While Roczen did make inroads on Lawrence at times, heavy lapped traffic hindered any significant gains of momentum.

Lawrence took his third career win by a margin of 2.3 seconds over Roczen. Tomac followed more than 30 seconds back in third but made the most of a challenging evening that saw him navigate his first LCQ since the 2019 season after an incident with Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing’s Justin Cooper in their Heat Race.

Lawrence extended his lead in the 450SMX Class standings over Tomac to nine points, while Roczen’s sixth podium finish of the season allowed him to take hold of third, 31 points behind Lawrence.

Hunter Lawrence
Honda HRC Progressive’s Hunter Lawrence captured his third win in the last four races with arguably the best performance of his career.

Hunter Lawrence – 1st Place – 450SMX Class
“It feels good [to win for the third time in four races]. I’m just taking it one race at a time. It’s easy to think about the end result, which is the title, but I’m just trying to stay focused in the moment. Anything can happen, as we’ve seen tonight, so I’m just happy to be up here.”

Ken Roczen – 2nd Place – 450SMX Class
“I’m ecstatic, honestly. I think I rode really well, but you can’t start 15th and expect to win a race. Inconsistency on the start [is something] I’m not happy with. I rode so good tonight. Coulda, woulda, shoulda, but with racing like that I’m totally fine with it.”

Eli Tomac – 3rd Place – 450SMX Class
“I just wasn’t as good tonight as the front two. That’s it. Of course, the LCQ was very stressful and a high-pressure moment, but I got myself out there to a good start [in the Main Event] on the outside gate and just got beat tonight. Just a little bit off. It’s tough, one of those nights, but we’ll try to regroup next week and see if we can get back up front.”

250SMX Class

The 250SMX Class came into Birmingham with heightened tension as the first East/West Showdown of the 2026 season brought together the best of both the Western and Eastern Divisional Championships. The 15 Minute + 1 Lap Main Event began with Monster Energy Pro Circuit Kawasaki’s Levi Kitchen alongside Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing’s Cole Davies, the Eastern Divisional points leader. Kitchen edged out the young New Zealander for the holeshot and the pair then defined the first half of the race by trading for the lead three times before Davies appeared to assert his control of the Main Event with just over seven minutes remaining.

The battle behind the lead duo was exceptional as well between Honda HRC Progressive’s Jo Shimoda, Monster Energy Pro Circuit Kawasaki’s Seth Hammaker, and Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing’s Haiden Deegan, the Western Divisional points leader and reigning champion who started well back of his rivals in 10th place. Shimoda compiled an impressive march to the front that saw him pass Kitchen for second and challenge Davies for the lead late in the race. Deegan, meanwhile, mounted a charge of his own that carried him by both Hammaker and Kitchen into third to establish a three-rider fight for the win. Shimoda came up short on several attempts to pass Davies for the lead in the waning minutes, which played into Deegan’s hands. The Yamaha rider made the move on Shimoda for second and moments later surged past his teammate to grab the lead with about a minute left on the race clock.

Deegan sprinted away in the closing laps to take an impressive come-from-behind victory. Davies battled back from a last lap pass by Shimoda to finish second, 3.6 seconds behind Deegan, while Hammaker took advantage of a miscue by Shimoda with two turns remaining to steal third. Kitchen rounded out the top five.

Following the conclusion of the race, AMA officials reviewed a moment during the Main Event that saw Deegan make an illegal lane shift through a split-lane section of the racetrack that required riders to commit to a single lane. As a result, Deegan was penalized one position for cutting the track, which ultimately gave the win to Davies.

With the penalty and subsequent win, Davies now leads the Eastern Divisional Championship by six points over Hammaker, with Shimoda nine points behind in third. In the Western Divisional Championship, Deegan’s healthy lead in the standings sits at 42 points over his teammate Max Anstie, who finished seventh, with Kitchen 47 points out of the lead in third.

Cole Davies
Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing’s Cole Davies (37) was awarded the East/West Showdown victory after a penalty was assessed to teammate Haiden Deegan.

Cole Davies – 1st Place – 250SMX Class East/West Showdown*
“Looking at the positives, I [gained] points tonight, but I’m not exactly happy with that. I rode terrible, to be honest. I was just overriding. We still made [gains] in points so I’m happy with that, but I’m not happy with my riding. It is what it is and we’re on to the next round.”

Haiden Deegan – 2nd Place – 250SMX Class East/West Showdown*
“I heard a lot of things coming in here making it seem like the battle for the win would be close. I came out here to whoop everyone’s butt for these Alabama fans. That was a good time [coming from 10th to first]. I sent it for sure.”

Seth Hammaker – 3rd Place – 250SMX Class East/West Showdown
“I’m a little disappointed [with my result]. You always want to come out and win at the showdowns, but I didn’t have it tonight. Those other guys were riding good. Early on and midway through the race I didn’t really have the pace. I felt better at the end but that’s not when you need it. It’s good to know I have the endurance, but I need to be better at the beginning. Other than that, solid night.”

SMX Next

The fourth and final qualifying race of SMX Next – Supercross served as an exciting addition to the action in Birmingham, as 22 of the most elite A and B class prospects in amateur motocross gathered one more time before the AMA National Championship on April 25th in Philadelphia. Three different racers had claimed victory at the first three events, which set the stage for a wide-open battle for the win inside Protective Stadium. A multi-rider incident in the first turn of the Main Event eliminated two top contenders off the start as the Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing duo of Kayden Minear, the Anaheim winner, and Landen Gordon, the fastest qualifier, came together and dropped out of contention. Out front, Monster Energy Kawasaki Team Green’s Vincent Wey took full advantage of a stellar start to turn a holeshot into a wire-to-wire performance in which he never faced a serious challenge. Wey, the son of former SMX racer Nick Wey, was consistent and continuously added to his race lead throughout the 8 Minutes + 1 Lap Main Event to capture his first SMX Next victory and continue the exceptional parity that has defined the development division all season. Fellow Monster Energy Kawasaki Team Green racer Kade Johnson finished second for a 1-2 sweep, while ClubMX Yamaha’s Ryder Malinoski finished third.

Vincent Wey
Monster Energy Kawasaki Team Green’s Vincent Wey became the fourth different SMX Next winner of the season with his first victory in the development division.

Vincent Wey – 1st Place – SMX Next – Supercross
“That was the sickest race of my life. I got a great start and hit my marks every single lap. That was so much fun. Me and my dad have had a lot of long days, just logging laps. We came here last year, and I think I crashed every single time I went on the track. I came in here with the mindset to do better than last year and I think I did that.”

The Monster Energy SMX World Championship and Monster Energy AMA Supercross Championship will continue next Saturday, March 28, with Round 11 from Detroit’s Ford Field. Live broadcast coverage on Peacock will begin at 1 p.m. ET with Race Day Live, followed by the Gate Drop at 7 p.m. ET. Additionally, a domestic Spanish language broadcast is available on Peacock while international viewers can choose from dedicated English, French, and Spanish broadcasts via SMX Video Pass (www.SMXVideoPass.com).

All 17 rounds of the 2026 Monster Energy AMA Supercross Championship and 11 rounds of the Pro Motocross Championship are on sale. Tickets for the SMX World Championship Playoff Rounds and Final are now on sale at SuperMotocross.com. Saturday FanFest will take place at all postseason races, Friday FanFest and camping will be available in Columbus and Ridgedale, additional details to follow.

For information about the Monster Energy SMX World Championship, please visit www.SuperMotocross.com and be sure to follow all of the new SMX social media channels for exclusive content and additional information on the latest news:
Instagram: @supermotocross
Facebook: @supermotocross
X: @supermotocross
YouTube: @supermotocross
TikTok: @supermotocross

About the Monster Energy SMX World Championship:
The Monster Energy SMX World Championship™ is the premier off-road motorcycle racing series in the world that combines the technical precision of stadium racing with the all-out speed and endurance of outdoor racing. Created in 2022, the Monster Energy SMX World Championship Series combines the Monster Energy AMA Supercross Championship and the AMA Pro Motocross Championship into a 28-round regular season that culminates with the season-ending SMX World Championship Playoffs. Visit SuperMotocross.com for more information.

About Monster Energy AMA Supercross Championship:
Monster Energy AMA Supercross is the most competitive and highest-profile off-road motorcycle racing championship on the planet. Founded in America and sanctioned by the American Motorcyclist Association (AMA) since 1974. Over 17 weeks, Supercross attracts some of the largest and most impressive crowds inside the most recognizable and prestigious stadiums in North America to race in front of nearly one million live fans and broadcast to millions more worldwide. For more information, visit SupercrossLIVE.com.

About Pro Motocross Championship:
The Pro Motocross Championship features the world’s fastest outdoor motocross racers, competing aboard homologated bikes from one of seven competing manufacturers on a collection of the roughest, toughest tracks on the planet. Racing takes place each Saturday afternoon, with competition divided into two classes: one for 250cc machines, and one for 450cc machines. MX Sports Pro Racing, the industry leader in off-road powersports event production, manages the Pro Motocross Championship. For more information, visit ProMotocross.com.

About Feld Motor Sports, Inc.:
Feld Motor Sports, Inc. is the worldwide leader in producing and presenting specialized arena and stadium-based motorsports entertainment. Properties include Monster Jam®, Monster Energy AMA Supercross, and the Monster Energy SMX World Championship. Feld Motor Sports, Inc. is a subsidiary of Feld Entertainment, Inc. Visit monsterjam.com, SupercrossLIVE.com, and feldentertainment.com for more information.

About MX Sports Pro Racing, Inc.:
MX Sports Pro Racing, Inc., manages and produces the world’s premier motocross racing series – the Pro Motocross Championship, sanctioned by AMA Pro Racing. MX Sports Pro Racing is an industry leader in off-road powersport event production and management, its mission is to showcase the sport of professional motocross competition at events throughout the United States. Through its various racing properties, partnerships and affiliates, MX Sports Pro Racing, Inc., organizes events for thousands of action sports athletes each year and attracts millions of motorsports spectators. Visit MXSportsProRacing.com for more information.

CORVETTE RACING AT SEBRING: Podium for No. 4 Corvette

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Official Release
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CORVETTE RACING AT SEBRING: Podium for No. 4 Corvette
Methodical march forward for Corvette Racing by Pratt Miller Motorsports in GTD PRO

SEBRING, Fla. (March 21, 2026) – Corvette Racing by Pratt Miller Motorsports’ No. 4 Chevrolet Corvette Z06 GT3.R raced its way to the podium in GTD PRO on Saturday as Tommy Milner, Nicky Catsburg and Nico Varrone placed third in class at the end of the Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring.

It was the second podium finish in three races for the No. 4 Corvette trio dating back to last year’s Petit Le Mans to close the 2025 season. They finished just off the podium in this year’s opener at Daytona, and with Saturday’s results are effectively second in the Drivers Championship among all full-season teams. The podium finish was the team’s first in the 12 Hours since winning the 2022 race in GTD PRO.

Catsburg crossed the finish line ahead of Corvette Racing by Pratt Miller Motorsports teammate Alexander Sims in the No. 3 Z06 GT3.R. He and teammates Antonio Garcia and Marvin Kirchhöfer rebounded from a tough finish at Daytona, and Chevrolet earned second-place points for the Manufacturers’ Championship with the result.

The No. 3 Corvette started the race fifth and the No. 4 was seventh. Despite not being able to match the pace of most of the rest of the GTD PRO teams, the Corvette and Pratt Miller squad instead relied on the trusted formula of strategy and execution in the pitlane to gain a combined five spots at the end.

In GTD, the No. 13 Corvette of 13 Autosport teammates Matt Bell, Orey Fidani and Lars Kern placed sixth in class and claimed the race’s Bob Akin Award as the highest-finishing GTD entry with a Bronze-rated driver. The team marched up the order from 17th at the start to contend for the class podium late before two late full-course yellow periods in the final 90 minutes.

DXDT Racing’s Charlie Eastwood, Mason Filippi and Salih Yoluc placed ninth in class after leading the race for a majority of the race’s middle hours. The No. 36 Corvette rebounded from a pitlane penalty inside the final four hours to get back into the top-10 by race’s end.

DragonSpeed’s second race with the Corvette came to an unfortunate early end after Henrik Hedman was pushed off track and into the tire barriers by an LMP2 car just shy of the two-hour mark. Instead of folding, the team and the Corvette Racing customer support team worked tirelessly to return the Corvette to the track nearly three hours later so the team could log additional laps and data going into the rest of the season.

The next event for Corvette Racing in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship is the Grand Prix of Long Beach on Saturday for GTP and GTD cars only. NBC will broadcast the race live at 4 p.m. ET with a live stream of the race on Peacock. IMSA Radio will provide live audio coverage on XM 206, Channel 996 on the SiriusXM app and IMSA.com.

CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R DRIVER QUOTES

TOMMY MILNER, NO. 4 CHEVROLET CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R: “A good surprise. Going into the race and with what we were seeing from practice, we didn’t expect to be that far up. I wouldn’t say our expectations were low, but lately we’ve had some very fast cars here and we felt like we could race for the win. Today, we didn’t feel like that was going to happen. But as always, it doesn’t matter who has the fastest cars or the slowest cars. We still try to find a way to make something happen. Things definitely fell in our favor today. The Corvette was a little bit quicker and more competitive than we were expecting. Nicky and Nico did a phenomenal job – Nicky, at the end, especially. This race is always so messy at the end, and he did a great job. So a really, really good job and I’m super proud of the team. The 3 car guys did an amazing job too. We were sort of in front of each other at different stages of the race, and it just kind of fell in our favor at the end there.”

NICKY CATSBURG, NO. 4 CHEVROLET CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R: “A pleasant surprise, definitely. It didn’t seem like we had much pace all week, and then luckily when we needed it, when the temperatures went down, the car came alive. Some of the restarts kind of went in our favor and the strategy, as well, because we were a bit on the back foot after getting an unlucky drive-through penalty. Then we had pace and I could fight. I think I passed the Ferrari, I passed the board, I passed the McLaren today, and then eventually the sister car. I could see that their tires were just a little bit outside of the window and mine were in the window. It’s really nice because the past couple of years we always had bad endings here. So it was nice to finally have a positive result.”

NICO VARRONE, NO. 4 CHEVROLET CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R: “It was a great weekend and result for us. In practice and in qualifying, we thought we were a bit far behind the other manufacturers, but we mostly had a clean race and had a great racecar. The whole Corvette Racing team and Pratt Miller, they really nailed our setup. The car was flying, and I think we kept the race clean. A lot of others had issues and mistakes, so at the end it put us forward on the grid. Tommy and Nicky did a fantastic job. They were flying today, especially Nicky… his pace was amazing. So yeah, we maximized the points even more than we thought we could do with the pace we had. So that’s great… third and fourth for the team on a weekend where we weren’t so strong is amazing. I’m really happy for all the guys.”

ANTONIO GARCIA, NO. 3 CHEVROLET CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R: “I think we have to be happy. After how it started with trying to hang on to match everyone out there, I think we carried on well with our car. We were not that far off setup-wise at the end of the race. So P3 and P4 is good for the Corvette team. It’s a shame that we didn’t really have a chance to go for the win. But these are the cases where, as we know from the past, that you take the best you can achieve. If that’s third, then we should take those. And whenever you have a chance to win, that’s the one you need to go for. But today was very good for points and I’m happy with that.”

ALEXANDER SIMS, NO. 3 CHEVROLET CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R: “It felt like we had more pace in our car during the day. Then as the night fell, it felt like the operating window on the 3 car was just really quite narrow. It was very tough to get right consistently lap after lap. So our pace wasn’t so strong, to be honest. But I’m really pleased for the 4 guys. Nicky was absolutely flying out there. They had it hooked up, so I’m pleased for them to get a podium and good team points. Obviously after Daytona, it’s just nice to get good solid points. Well done to the entire team.”

MARVIN KIRCHHÖFER, NO. 3 CHEVROLET CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R: “I think if anyone would have told us before the race that P3 and P4 was going to be our result today, I think we would have all said yep, we would take that. So I’m very pleased with the result and very happy for the team. Scoring a podium is always nice so well done on the podium for the No. 4 car guys. Also a good result for us with P4 and definitely good for the championship run. So I hope the guys will continue in a strong way for the next races coming up. Obviously, we could not quite match the other manufacturers today, so definitely this is a result you will take and be happy with.”

GIACOMO ALTOE, NO. 81 CHEVROLET CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R: “It’s obviously a huge disappointment. Our race was effectively ruined early on by a shocking move on Henrik – there is no word for that – and there was nothing he could do. The consequences could have been far worse.

“The team did an incredible job to get the car back out on track. People can’t imagine what they accomplished in such a period of time. We were able to rely on the support of Corvette and Pratt Miller throughout.

“When we returned to the race, our pace was strong even though we were clearly not in the best conditions. We have to take the positives from this pace and use it to build future success. Sebring is always a tough race, and we saw that again today. We’ll come back even stronger — we have everything we need to shine.”

ELTON JULIAN, DRAGONSPEED TEAM PRINCIPAL: “Most important from today is that Henrik is OK. It was a big incident and a big hit, but we know the Corvette is a very strong car and this is more proof. The team’s efforts to get the car back out were amazing. This is no surprise as I think everyone knows what our group is made of. Big thanks also to Corvette Racing and the Pratt Miller group for helping out. Everyone pulling together like that is really impressive, even in just our second race with Corvette. We’re back out there to complete as many laps as possible and keep learning about the car. You never know how things will play out at the end of the year so every lap and point is important.”

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.

Cadillac Racing: Sebring 2026 Race Report

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Official Release
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SEBRING, Fla. (March 20, 2026) – Filipe Albuquerque, Will Stevens and Ricky Taylor, drivers of the No.10 Cadillac Wayne Taylor Racing V-Series.R finished third in the 74th Mobil 1 12 Hours of Sebring.

Cadillac Racing now has 106 podiums (22 GTP, 84 DPi) since joining IMSA prototype competition in 2017. They have also won or finished on the podium five of the last six races at Sebring.

The race was dominated by the Penske Motorsports team with them finishing first and second.

Jack Aitken, Earl Bamber and Fredreick Vesti from the No. 31 Whelen Cadillac V-Series.R for Action Express Racing finished fourth, while the No. 40 Cadillac Wayne Taylor Racing V-Series.R driven by Louis Deletraz, Colton Herta and Jordan Taylor finished eighth.

Ricky Taylor passed Jack Aitken for third late in the event to get the final podium spot. The last podium finish for the No. 10 Cadillac V-Series.R was in September 2025 in the six-hour race at Indianapolis.

Early in the race, Bamber was driving the No. 31 Whelen Cadillac V-Series.R under caution when the car was hit in the back by the No. 6 Penske Motorsports car, which forced the team to replace the damaged engine cover and tail.

IMSA officials reviewed the incident but said it was inconclusive, so no penalties were handed down.

The No. 31 Whelen Cadillac V-Series.R was coming off two wins to end the 2025 season (Indianapolis and Road Atlanta) and then a second place effort in the 2026 Rolex 24 at Daytona.

The next IMSA GTP event is the Grand Prix of Long Beach (California) on April 18. The 100-minute race starts at 4:05 pm EDT (1:05 pm PDT) and will be broadcast on NBC and streamed live on Peacock. IMSA Radio will stream live audio coverage on XM 206, Channel 996 on the SiriusXM app and IMSA.com.

What they’re saying

No. 10 Cadillac Wayne Taylor Racing V-Series.R

Filipe Albuquerque: “Really happy with the results and for the Cadillac WTR team. At Daytona we had something like this in the pocket, but unfortunately we weren’t there. The race was up and down, typical IMSA with a lot happening, but in the end, it was a great result for us. We were the best of the race. P3 feels like a win. Ricky in the end was a star, coming back, just a star. I loved it. The motivation is super high and we can’t wait for the next one.”

Will Stevens: “Super good result for the team. I think it shows the progress we are making, race by race. I think this whole weekend we had a good feeling. We had a strong package from the start and always felt that we were in contention to be upfront. We had a few setbacks in the middle of the race, but stuck with it and pushed to the end. Ricky did an awesome job in the final stint to make his way to third. Really happy for the Cadillac WTR team. I think this podium feels very good for everyone and is helpful to build the confidence going forward.”

Ricky Taylor: “Really excited for the Cadillac WTR team. I think the result was the best we could hope for. The whole 10 car group and all of Cadillac Wayne Taylor Racing are really hitting their stride in our second year with the Cadillac V-Series.R. I think we feel much more confident going into race weekends. I think we proved this weekend that we can make adjustments to the car for qualifying and the race. That momentum is going to build through the season even more, and now we’re looking forward to Long Beach.”

No. 31 Whelen Cadillac V-Series.R

Jack Aitken: “Bit of a tough one for us. The team put us in a position to be up front and we had good work in pit lane. I think we had good strategy today but at the end of the day we just didn’t have the pace for whatever reason. We saw hints of it at the start of the race with dropping a couple of places off the bat, but it didn’t seem too bad, but then we weren’t able to make steps forward when the rest of the field increased the pace. We’ve got some work to do, but solid points and it could have been a lot worse.”

Earl Bamber: “We just sort of battled all day and tried our best. Honestly, we had a good car at the start, but we didn’t have anything at the end. I don’t know if we had damage from our impact earlier in the race. We got torn up, no penalties accessed from race control which was surprising and that was about it.”

Frederik Vesti: “Fourth place at Sebring for the second year in a row I think. Very frustrating end of the race but to be honest looking at the pace of the day we were fighting for a podium with P3 and it’s frustrating not to be there but we were close. But good points. On my personal side it been an awesome race with a lot of action. I was actually quite surprised how hard people were racing in a 12-hour race. We still have eight hours to go, and people were already banging doors and going for it. I got to drive into the night and see the sunset and then at night and had some good battles with a few cars. Thank you to Cadillac Racing and to Whelen for another good race and we see everyone at Long Beach.”

No. 40 Cadillac Wayne Taylor Racing V-Series.R

Louis Deletraz: “Disappointing result, only P8. I think we had a tough race. We spent a long time at the back, finally got the yellow we needed, got back close to the field and moved up to P5 before. Stayed there a long time, but yeah, we need to look for some answers; in the last 20 minutes, we just had slow pace, a lot of oversteer, and struggle to keep up. Not what we wanted. Congrats to the 10 for a podium! I think we actually had good pace a lot of time of the race. So we just need to put it all together next time.”

Colton Herta: “Well today didn’t quite go the way we had expected. It was a tough day, especially during my stint. The improvements the team has continued to make since Daytona is there, just a few untimely yellows in the heat of the day made it tough to gain positions on track. The way the Cadillac V-Series.R drives on the bumps at Sebring was awesome and I enjoyed my time with the Cadillac WTR team to start the year and look forward to being back at Petit.”

Jordan Taylor: “Obviously, a tough day for the 40 car; it seemed like none of the yellows went our way. They were always poorly timed, which was unfortunate. So it always felt like we were on the back foot, but, I think we had showed better pace than last year, which is a positive. Great to see the 10 car fighting for the podium there at the end, kind of the best of the rest. So we can leave here knowing that, we’re in the hunt now, in the mix in these races – just need to have some things go our way.”

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.

The Rise of Exotic Car Culture: Why High-Performance Vehicles Are More Accessible Than Ever

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SM
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Photo by Cris Ovalle on Unsplash

Exotic cars used to feel like relics from another world. You might see them on posters or in movies, but they rarely appear on local streets. Most people assumed these vehicles were reserved for the ultra-wealthy or professional drivers. Times are changing rapidly in the automotive world. High-performance cars are becoming a visible part of daily life. This shift is turning a once-exclusive hobby into a culture that anyone with a passion for engines can join.

Changing Perceptions of Luxury

The idea of what makes a car special has moved past just the price tag. Modern enthusiasts care about the experience and the sound of a fine-tuned machine. It is no longer about sitting in a garage and watching a car appreciate in value. Drivers want to feel the torque and see the engineering in action on the open road.

Owning a vehicle is no longer the only way to participate in this world. Many people find that sharing the thrill is more rewarding than maintaining a private collection. This change in mindset is fueling the growth of social clubs and track day events. It makes the lifestyle more social and less about status symbols.

The Growth of Performance Accessibility

The financial barriers to entering the world of supercars are dropping. Many enthusiasts now look to Apex Exotic Rentals to fulfill their dreams of driving a high-end machine. These options provide the excitement of a luxury vehicle without the stress of ownership costs. Most people find that a temporary experience is more rewarding than dealing with depreciation.

You can choose a different car for every occasion. Maintenance on a private supercar can cost over $10,000 a year. One weekend might involve a convertible for a coastal drive. The next trip might require the raw power of a mid-engine track beast. This flexibility keeps the passion alive without the boredom of driving the same car every day.

Modern Efficiency Standards

Engineering has improved so much that even the fastest cars are becoming more efficient. A report by a national environmental protection group found that new vehicles hit a record high of 27.2 mpg in 2024. This trend shows that performance does – surprisingly – go hand in hand with better fuel economy. You can now drive a powerful car without stopping at the gas station every few miles.

Engineers use turbocharging and hybrid assist to squeeze more power out of smaller engines. These advancements mean you get the speed you want with a smaller carbon footprint. It is a win for the driver and the environment. Modern supercars use lightweight materials to help with these gains. Carbon fiber and aluminum are common in high-end builds. These materials keep the car agile and help the engine work less hard.

The Future of High-End Power

High-End Power
Photo by Brandon Atchison on Unsplash

The shift toward new energy sources makes its mark on the exotic market. Performance is no longer tied strictly to gasoline. Electric motors provide instant torque that rivals the fastest traditional engines.

  • Hybrid systems are standard in many top-tier models.
  • Battery technology allows for better weight distribution in the chassis.
  • Digital controls help drivers manage 1,000 horsepower with ease.

These changes are reflected in global sales data for alternative energy vehicles. An international energy agency noted that electric car sales passed 17 million units in 2024. This growth suggests that the next generation of car culture will be powered by a mix of volts and octane. High-performance brands are leaning into this change to stay relevant in a changing market.

The world of exotic cars is no longer a closed club for the elite. Technology and new business models have opened the gates for everyone. Car culture is growing stronger as more people get the chance to experience the pinnacle of automotive design. High-performance driving is truly within reach for those who want it.

Allgaier wins Haircuts VFW Help a Hero 200 at Darlington Raceway

By
Angie Campbell
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Photo by John Knittel for SpeedwayMedia.com

Justin Allgaier made the outside lane work on the final restart of the race, pulling away from Brandon Jones to win Saturday’s NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series Sport Clips Haircuts VFW Help a Hero 200 at Darlington Raceway.

This is Allgaier’s second win of the season, 30th of his career, and the fourth straight for JR Motorsports.

“All of these guys right here,” said Allgaier. “We have not been the best on pit road all year, but these guys have never quit. They have gone to work and never given up, and they were on top of it all day on pit road. Huge thank you to these guys, and Andrew Overstreet (crew chief), and this entire No. #7 team.

He continued, saying, “Kyle was obviously amazing; he had us covered. Andrew told me on that last restart to ‘never give up, if we can get the lead, we got clean air, and we’re going to win this thing,’ and we did.” “Nobody will ever know, the later you get into your career, how much these victories mean. “And to come at Darlington, a place I’ve loved for so long, is really special.”

Kyle Larson started on the pole, dominated the two stages, and led 107 of the 147 laps before a slow pit stop on the final stop, leaving Larson restarting in fifth place, causing his dominating day to end without the win.

“It became tougher to pass,” said Larson. “At the end, the pace picked up, and you’re stuck. Unfortunate, but that’s the way racing is sometimes. That sucks, but I had a lot of fun today.”

Brandon Jones finished second.

“The 7 (Allgaier) just kept getting just barely better launches than I could on that second lane,” Jones said, “and he had just a little more juice in the tank on the short run today. We were matching, if not slightly better, on the long run, but just ran out of laps there at the end, but this is what we needed with the 20 group.

“That’s the 20’s team mentality – getting better in the races, and staying in contention to have a shot. That is all I can ask for. I think this is how you are going to see our season change, and this is how you begin to start winning races again – is running up front like we did. To beat two of the very best here, Justin (Allgaier) is one of the best here – we are going against some really heavy hitters. I’m proud of that effort. Really big points day as well to tack on it.” Jones said.

Christopher Bell finished third, Larson fourth, and Carson Kvapil rounded out the top-5 finishers.

“Yeah, we definitely lost the handle of it in stage two and fell back,” Bell said. “We had a couple of good pit stops and good adjustments that got us back up to the front. It just felt like we were on the wrong side of the track. Really loose in the daylight, and then really tight when it got shaded up. I don’t know. It was a lot of fun out there. I’m really happy to Sport Clips Supra home third. I know that’s not what they are looking for, but I got a good finish out of it.”

After Darlington, Justin Allgaier holds the series points lead over Jesse Love by 52 points, 84 points over Carson Kvapil, 88 over Sheldon Creed, and 96 over Austin Hill.

The race featured three caution flags for 25 laps, and six lead changes among four drivers.

Next, the NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series heads to Martinsville Speedway for the NFPA 250 on Saturday, March 28, at 3:30 pm ET on the CW Network.

NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series
Race Results for the Sport Clips Haircuts VFW Help a Hero 200 – Saturday, March 21, 2026
Darlington Raceway – Darlington, SC – 1.366 – Mile Paved
Total Race Length – 147 Laps – 200.802 Miles
FinStNoDriverS1S2S3PointsStatus
147Justin Allgaier54069Running
2820Brandon Jones43050Running
3219Christopher Bell(i)2900Running
4188Kyle Larson(i)1100Running
531Carson Kvapil32049Running
61217Corey Day08034Running
7130Sheldon Creed00030Running
8599Parker Retzlaff65040Running
9188Sammy Smith00028Running
10641Sam Mayer00027Running
11102Jesse Love70030Running
122196Anthony Alfredo97031Running
132239Ryan Sieg00024Running
1499Ross Chastain(i)10600Running
151554Taylor Gray00022Running
162725Nick Sanchez00021Running
17718William Sawalich810024Running
182344Brennan Poole00019Running
193051Jeremy Clements00018Running
20327Josh Bilicki00017Running
213326Dean Thompson00016Running
221424Harrison Burton00015Running
231932Rajah Caruth00014Running
241792Josh Williams00013Running
25205JJ Yeley00012Running
262527Jeb Burton00011Running
27240Garrett Smithley00010Running
283187Austin Green0009Running
292848Patrick Staropoli #0008Running
302631Blaine Perkins0007Running
313755Joey Gase0006Running
32362Ryan Ellis0005Running
333530Myatt Snider0004Running
343842Nathan Byrd0003Running
351121Austin Hill0002Running
362945Lavar Scott #0001Accident
371628Kyle Sieg0001DVP
383491Alex Labbe0001Accident

Tyler Reddick scores 13th career Cup Series pole at Darlington Raceway

By
Angie Campbell
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Photo by John Knittel for SpeedwayMedia.com

Tyler Reddick will lead the field to green for Sunday’s Goodyear 400 at Darlington Raceway. He topped the speed charts with a 169.152 mph lap in his No. 45 23XI Racing Toyota.

He described his qualifying lap, saying, “It felt more stable than practice, for sure, kind of the same sort of thing here the last two weeks. Like, I’ve been really on the splitter in practice and then go qualify. My balance feels great,” Reddick continued, “so yeah, hopefully we can learn from that, from the last two weeks and have a smoother race later on.”

This year, the drivers will be dealing with the unknown, particularly at a track as unpredictable as Darlington. The increased horsepower, reduced downforce, and redesigned tires will likely present new challenges.

“I just feel like we’re going to be out of control, and I think you’re going to be screaming and wanting tires way more than we’ll physically be able to put them on,” said Chris Buescher. “I hope that the passing opportunities go up. If somebody is really struggling, we’ve got a couple of different lanes to look for fresh race track, and I hope it makes great racing.”

Buescher’s teammate, Bubba Wallace, will start beside him on the front row at Darlington, followed by Chase Elliott, Kyle Larson and Brad Keselowski in the top-5. Chris Buescher, Ryan Blaney, Kyle Busch, Denny Hamlin and Austin Dillon rounded out the top-10 in the qualifying session.

Starting Line Up: Goodyear 400 at Darlington Raceway

PosNoDriverTeamTimeSpeed
145Tyler ReddickXfinity Toyota29.072169.152
223Bubba WallaceColumbia Toyota29.196168.434
39Chase ElliottUniFirst Chevrolet29.319167.727
45Kyle LarsonHendrickCars.com Chevrolet29.377167.396
56Brad KeselowskiSolomon Plumbing Ford29.424167.129
617Chris BuescherFifth Third Bank Ford29.443167.021
712Ryan BlaneyMenards/Delta Ford29.476166.834
88Kyle BuschBetMGM Chevrolet29.478166.823
911Denny HamlinSport Clips Haircuts Toyota29.5166.698
103Austin DillonBPS/Winchester Long Beard XR Chevrolet29.538166.484
117Daniel SuarezNationsGuard Chevrolet29.55166.416
122Austin CindricFreightliner Ford29.57166.304
1324William ByronRaptor Chevrolet29.601166.13
1435Riley HerbstMonster Energy Toyota29.613166.062
1548Justin Allgaier(i)Ally Chevrolet29.624166.001
1677Carson HocevarChili’s Marg Machine Chevrolet29.677165.704
1760Ryan PreeceKroger/Oscar Mayer/Heinz Ford29.708165.531
1847Ricky Stenhouse Jr.Jack Links Non-Vegan Chevrolet29.721165.459
1938Zane SmithMystik Lubricants Ford29.723165.448
2071Michael McDowellDelaware Life Chevrolet29.731165.403
2142John Hunter NemechekDollar Tree Toyota29.776165.153
2220Christopher BellDEWALT Toyota29.785165.103
2319Chase BriscoeFree Bird Southern Spring Water Toyota29.819164.915
2443Erik JonesAdventHealth Toyota29.825164.882
251Ross ChastainMoose Fraternity Chevrolet29.847164.76
2621Josh BerryMotorcraft/Quick Lane Ford29.878164.589
2716AJ AllmendingerGrizzly Nicotine Pouches Chevrolet29.885164.551
2854Ty GibbsSiriusXM Toyota29.889164.529
2922Joey LoganoShell Pennzoil Ford29.912164.402
304Noah GragsonLong John Silver’s Ford29.98164.029
3134Todd GillilandRuedebusch Ford29.997163.936
3288Connor Zilisch #Red Bull Chevrolet30.091163.424
3397Shane Van GisbergenWeatherTech Chevrolet30.125163.24
3451Cody WareJacob Construction Chevrolet30.309162.249
3541Cole CusterHaasTooling.com Chevrolet30.422161.646
3610Ty DillonGrizzly Nicotine Pouches Chevrolet30.584160.79
3766Timmy Hill(i)Auto Direct USA Ford32.044153.464

TOYOTA RACING – NOAPS Darlington Post-Race Report – 03.21.26

By
Official Release
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JONES SEASON-BEST SECOND IN DARLINGTON
Brandon Jones and Christopher Bell give Joe Gibbs Racing two of the top-three

DARLINGTON, SC (March 21, 2026) – Joe Gibbs Racing’s Brandon Jones (second) and Christopher Bell (third) delivered podium finishes to lead Toyota in the NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series race at Darlington Raceway on Saturday evening.

For Jones, it is a season-best finish. Bell, who is completing his first triple-header weekend, has now finished top-six in both of his first two starts.

TOYOTA RACING Post-Race Recap
NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series (NOAPS)
Darlington Raceway
Race 6 of 33 – 200.8 miles, 147 laps

TOYOTA FINISHING POSITIONS

1st, Justin Allgaier*
2nd, BRANDON JONES
3rd, CHRISTOPHER BELL
4th, Kyle Larson*
5th, Carson Kvapil*
15th, TAYLOR GRAY
17th, WILLIAM SAWALICH
21st, DEAN THOMPSON
22nd, HARRISON BURTON
*non-Toyota driver

TOYOTA QUOTES

BRANDON JONES, No. 20 Menards/Pelonis Toyota GR Supra, Joe Gibbs Racing

Finishing Position: 2nd

What else did you need there in the last stretch to get another Darlington win?

“We watched the Truck race, and even this race, we felt like the bottom lane all day was kind of the dominate place to be on restarts. Both lanes, you really couldn’t get much help, we were all wheel spinning I think and just trying to make as much grip as we could. The 7 (Justin Allgaier) just kept getting just barely better launches than I could on that second lane, and he had just a little more juice in the tank on the short run today. We were matching, if not slightly better on the long run, but just ran out of laps there at the end, but this is what we needed with the 20 group. That’s the 20’s team mentality – getting better in the races, and staying in contention to have a shot. That is all I can ask for. I think this is how you are going to see our season change, and this is how you begin to start winning races again – is running up front like we did. To beat two of the very best here, Justin (Allgaier) is one of the best here – we are going against some really heavy hitters. I’m proud of that effort. Really big points day as well to tack on it. Pelonis, Barracuda Pumps, Menards, Toyota – we always thank them for their support. I look forward to the next couple of weeks.”

CHRISTOPHER BELL, No. 19 Sport Clips Haircuts Toyota GR Supra, Joe Gibbs Racing

Finishing Position: 3rd

Top-five car all day and finished in third. How was your race?

“Yeah, we definitely lost the handle of it in stage two and fell back. We had a couple of good pit stops, and good adjustments that got us back up to the front. It just felt like we were on the wrong side of the track. Really loose in the day light, and then really tight when it got shaded up. I don’t know. It was a lot of fun out there. I’m really happy to Sport Clips Supra home third. I know that’s not what they are looking for, but got a good finish out of it.”

About Toyota

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

Toyota directly employs nearly 64,000 people in North America who have contributed to the design, engineering, and assembly of 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.

KALITTA, TODD AND GLENN WIN FIRST MISSION #2FAST2TASTY CHALLENGE OF 2026 IN PHOENIX

By
Official Release
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Langdon, Hyde and Anderson all qualify No. 1 at FMP NHRA Arizona Nationals presented by NGK Spark Plugs

PHOENIX (March 20, 2026) – A year after dominating the Mission #2Fast2Tasty Challenge, reigning Top Fuel world champion Doug Kalitta is off and running in 2026, winning the first bonus race of the year in front of a capacity crowd on Saturday at Firebird Motorsports Park, defeating Antron Brown in the final round as part of this weekend’s 41st annual FMP NHRA Arizona Nationals presented by NGK Spark Plugs.

J.R. Todd (Funny Car) and Dallas Glenn (Pro Stock) also won the first Mission #2Fast2Tasty Challenge of the year, while Shawn Langdon (Top Fuel), Spencer Hyde (Funny Car) and Greg Anderson (Pro Stock) qualified No. 1 at the second of 20 races during the 2026 NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series season.

In the finals against Brown, Kalitta went 3.924-seconds at 308.64 in his 12,000-horsepower Mac Tools dragster, making a stellar run in the heat of the day. It continues Kalitta’s standout streak on Saturdays, as the two-time world champion won the bonus race five times in 2025. He knocked off Maddi Gordon to reach the finals and is looking forward to Saturday’s win hopefully translating to Sunday.

“It’s fun to race on Saturday. It just brings an element to the fans to be able to see some racing,” Kalitta said. “I hope everybody comes back out on Sunday after seeing some racing on Saturday.

“It’s definitely tricky out there. My guys, Alan Johnson and Mac [Savage], they did a heck of a job to have the lowest time in the session. Alan is a wizard with these things, and he and Mac are in there deciding what to run, but we’re always throwing down and trying to go low.”

Defending event winner Shawn Langdon made a massive jump on Saturday in his 12,000-horsepower Kalitta Air Careers dragster, going all the way to the No. 1 spot with a run of 3.783 at 331.36. It gives the past world champion another standout performance at a track that’s treated him well over the years, as well as a first-round bye to open raceday. It’s the 23rd top qualifier for Langdon, who is after back-to-back wins in Phoenix.

“Obviously, the track is a little tricky out here, but we were happy to make three good runs. We lost our first run Friday due to a safety-system malfunction, and that’s not ideal, but, like I’ve always said, if you surround yourself with good people you can do good things,” Langdon said. “I’ve got a great group behind me. Brian [Husen, crew chief] has been doing a fantastic job, and all the guys have been doing a great job putting the car together, so my confidence is as high as it’s ever been inside of a race car.

“The [low qualifying] run this morning, we knew the conditions were the best they’d been and there was a chance to go to No. 1 and get that bye in the first round.”

Leah Pruett moved up to second with a 3.788 at 325.92 and Kalitta took third after a run of 3.804 at 330.55.

In Funny Car, J.R. Todd made it a Kalitta Motorsports sweep in the Mission #2Fast2Tasty Challenge, going 4.196 at 282.42 in his 12,000-horsepower DHL Toyota GR Supra to defeat Jordan Vandergriff in the final round.

It’s the first time Kalitta Motorsports has swept the Saturday bonus race, with Todd finishing the job on Phoenix. He defeated Alexis DeJoria earlier in the day to advance to the final and then put together another solid run to slip past Vandergriff. Up next for Todd is doing his part to make it a total Kalitta sweep this weekend.

“You always want to win these things, but I feel like we’re also trying to get good data for tomorrow,” Todd said. “I think Dickie [Venables] and Todd [Smith] wanted to see what we could get away with that run, because that what we’re going to be dealing with tomorrow.

“Once you get on the asphalt, it’s tricky and it’s fun. The car got real sideways, like I was dirt tracking in there, but that’s what makes Funny Cars awesome. As a driver, you’re going to have to deal with that and maybe pedal [the throttle] tomorrow.”

Spencer Hyde held on to the No. 1 spot as well thanks to Friday’s run of 3.979 at 317.64 in his 12,000-horsepower Head, Inc. Ford Mustang. It’s the second career No. 1 qualifier for the reigning Rookie of the Year and Hyde will start eliminations against Blake Alexander, looking for his first career Funny Car victory.

“To be honest, looking at the weather and the schedule, I figured we figured we would stay No. 1,” Hyde said. “We’re really happy, just four good, solid runs. For us to make four A to B trips during qualifying is a really good place.”

Jack Beckman stayed second with Friday’s run of 3.982 at 323.97 and Gainesville winner Chad Green qualified third with a 3.990 at 321.04.

Pro Stock’s reigning world champion Dallas Glenn is off and running in 2026, winning the Mission #2Fast2Tasty Challenge on Saturday in his RAD Torque Systems Chevrolet Camaro, going 6.608 at 207.62 to slip past Erica Enders in the final round of the bonus race.

Glenn performed well in the Saturday specialty race last season, which prepped him well for his championship run. Running well on Saturday remains a goal for Glenn, who defeated Matt Hartford earlier in the day to get to the final round.

“I felt a lot of pressure last year because I missed the championship by so little (in 2024), and I definitely wanted a lot of redemption,” Glenn said. “This year, I feel like I’m a lot more relaxed and confident. I know what I can do, I know what I’m capable of, so I just go up there and kind of do my thing.

“It feels really good to get this #2Fast2Tasty win and start accumulating those precious championship points that we know mean so much. At the very minimum, my main goal for every weekend is to make it to the semis so I can get into the next Challenge, and everything after that is a bonus. If you can just go to the semis every race, you’re usually one or two in points by the time the Countdown.”

Greg Anderson clinched the No. 1 spot for the first time this season and 141st time in his career, performing even better on Saturday with a run of 6.532 at 208.26 in his HendrickCars.com Chevrolet Camaro. That hands the six-time champion Chris McGaha in the first round of eliminations and plenty of momentum going into raceday as he aims to repeat in Phoenix. Greg Stanfield is currently second after going 6.558 at 209.10 and Glenn’s 6.558 at 208.91 gave him third.

Eliminations for the FMP NHRA Arizona Nationals presented by NGK Spark Plugs begin at 10 a.m. at Firebird Motorsports Park.

CHANDLER, Ariz. — Sunday’s first-round pairings for eliminations for the FMP NHRA Arizona Nationals presented by NGK Spark Plugs at Firebird Motorsports Park, the second of 20 events in the NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series. Pairings based on results in qualifying, which ended Saturday. DNQs listed below pairings.

Top Fuel — 1. Shawn Langdon, 3.783 seconds, 331.36 mph vs. Bye; 2. Leah Pruett, 3.788, 325.92 vs. 15. Cameron Ferre, 8.305, 71.58; 3. Doug Kalitta, 3.804, 330.55 vs. 14. Will Smith, 4.196, 260.36; 4. Maddi Gordon, 3.806, 329.42 vs. 13. Jaren Mott, 4.137, 229.16; 5. Tony Stewart, 3.809, 327.03 vs. 12. Shawn Reed, 3.942, 311.13; 6. Antron Brown, 3.822, 325.77 vs. 11. Billy Torrence, 3.876, 317.72; 7. Justin Ashley, 3.827, 327.35 vs. 10. Josh Hart, 3.854, 328.30; 8. Tony Schumacher, 3.850, 327.03 vs. 9. Clay Millican, 3.853, 325.22.

Funny Car — 1. Spencer Hyde, Ford Mustang, 3.979, 317.64 vs. 16. Blake Alexander, Dodge Charger, 4.181, 304.25; 2. Jack Beckman, Chevy Camaro, 3.982, 323.97 vs. 15. Daniel Wilkerson, Mustang, 4.165, 302.82; 3. Chad Green, Mustang, 3.990, 321.04 vs. 14. Dylan Winefsky, Charger, 4.159, 299.93; 4. Matt Hagan, Charger, 3.998, 321.04 vs. 13. Cruz Pedregon, Charger, 4.088, 278.23; 5. Jordan Vandergriff, Camaro, 4.011, 300.33 vs. 12. Alexis DeJoria, Camaro, 4.081, 298.47; 6. Paul Lee, Charger, 4.021, 311.49 vs. 11. Dave Richards, Mustang, 4.049, 324.12; 7. Ron Capps, Toyota GR Supra, 4.023, 317.79 vs. 10. Jason Rupert, Mustang, 4.044, 315.05; 8. J.R. Todd, GR Supra, 4.024, 322.58 vs. 9. Austin Prock, Mustang, 4.041, 320.05.

Did Not Qualify: 17. Todd Lesenko, 4.255, 256.70.

Pro Stock — 1. Greg Anderson, Chevy Camaro, 6.532, 208.42 vs. 16. Chris McGaha, Camaro, 6.598, 209.62; 2. Greg Stanfield, Camaro, 6.558, 209.10 vs. 15. Troy Coughlin Jr., Camaro, 6.592, 208.55; 3. Dallas Glenn, Camaro, 6.558, 208.91 vs. 14. Stephen Bell, Camaro, 6.591, 208.33; 4. Erica Enders, Camaro, 6.560, 209.04 vs. 13. Cody Anderson, Camaro, 6.589, 208.59; 5. Jeg Coughlin, Camaro, 6.562, 209.10 vs. 12. Deric Kramer, Camaro, 6.588, 208.68; 6. Matt Hartford, Camaro, 6.568, 208.91 vs. 11. Matt Latino, Camaro, 6.583, 208.71; 7. Chris Vang, Camaro, 6.572, 208.26 vs. 10. Aaron Stanfield, Camaro, 6.581, 209.04; 8. Cody Coughlin, Camaro, 6.575, 209.23 vs. 9. Eric Latino, Camaro, 6.580, 208.39.

Did Not Qualify: 17. Kenny Delco, 6.610, 206.

CHANDLER, Ariz. — Saturday’s final results from the Mission #2Fast2Tasty NHRA Challenge at Firebird Motorsports Park.

Top Fuel Challenge — Doug Kalitta, 3.924 seconds, 308.64 mph def. Antron Brown, 4.010 seconds, 297.09 mph.

Funny Car Challenge — J.R. Todd, Toyota GR Supra, 4.196, 282.42 def. Jordan Vandergriff, Chevy Camaro, 4.231, 271.73.

Pro Stock Challenge — Dallas Glenn, Chevy Camaro, 6.608, 207.62 def. Erica Enders, Camaro, 6.623, 207.08.

CHANDLER, Ariz. — Final round-by-round results from the Mission #2Fast2Tasty NHRA Challenge at Firebird Motorsports Park.

TOP FUEL CHALLENGE:

ROUND ONE — Doug Kalitta, 3.804, 330.55 def. Maddi Gordon, 3.806, 327.82; Antron Brown, 3.822, 325.77 def. Josh Hart, 3.854, 328.30;

FINAL — D. Kalitta, 3.924, 308.64 def. A. Brown, 4.010, 297.09.

FUNNY CAR CHALLENGE:

ROUND ONE — Jordan Vandergriff, Chevy Camaro, 4.107, 300.33 def. Chad Green, Ford Mustang, Foul – Red Light; J.R. Todd, Toyota GR Supra, 4.024, 322.58 def. Alexis DeJoria, Camaro, 4.575, 185.08;

FINAL — J. Todd, 4.196, 282.42 def. J. Vandergriff, 4.231, 271.73.

PRO STOCK CHALLENGE:

ROUND ONE — Dallas Glenn, Chevy Camaro, 6.558, 208.91 def. Matt Hartford, Camaro, 6.590, 207.02; Erica Enders, Camaro, 6.560, 209.04 def. Greg Anderson, Camaro, Foul – Red Light;

FINAL — D. Glenn, 6.608, 207.62 def. E. Enders, 6.623, 207.08.

TOYOTA RACING – NCS Darlington Qualifying Quotes – Tyler Reddick – 03.21.26

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Official Release
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TOYOTA RACING – Tyler Reddick
NASCAR Cup Series Quotes

DARLINGTON, SC (March 21, 2026) – 23XI Racing driver Tyler Reddick was made available to the media on Saturday after winning the pole for the NASCAR Cup Series race from Darlington Raceway.

Tyler Reddick earned his second pole of the season (COTA), and ninth in a Toyota Camry – which ties him with Carl Edwards for sixth all-time in Toyota’s Cup Series history.

Toyota drivers have now won the pole in three of the last four races – COTA and Darlington with Tyler Reddick, and last weekend with Christopher Bell at Las Vegas.

TYLER REDDICK, No. 45 Xfinity Toyota Camry XSE, 23XI Racing

Can you talk about your run and your practice today?

“I feel like the topic, the conversation kind of caught wind, if you will, twi weeks ago or so on how tricky it was going to be, coming into here with, with less downforce and more power, and yeah it was super important to have good work back at Airspeed on the simulator for what adjustments we needed to make for that. I think we all were just a little, I don’t know, honestly uncertain what it was going to look like in practice, and yeah, for us to – we kind of caught the back of the field. They took a long time getting going, so when we were passing cars on one lap older tires, getting going there in practice, I knew we had to be pretty good. So, yeah, it just seems like the handling really stays with our Xfinity Toyota Camry. I knew qualifying was going to be really tough, and a lot of drivers were having trouble finding that that edge, that limit in turn one, and nailed that pretty good, felt really good about the lap going down the back straight away, and I truly think I just kind of underdid it through the center of (turns) 3 and 4, and just felt like I had to get on the gas and get off the corner, and yeah, basically just ran right in the wall. Looks like we’re all good on the damage, but, yeah, to be able to have that kind of a speed in practice and again, in qualifying was awesome to see. That’s what we wanted to come in here and do. We’re typically pretty good on Saturdays here and it really makes our Sundays a lot easier.”

Was there enough of a sample size in practice today to know what is going to happen tomorrow?

“A little early to tell. I don’t know, kind of seemed like there was a little bit less fall off than what we thought there was going to be. So, I think, yeah, obviously we get I get done here, we’ll kind of discuss that and kind of talk about what we want to do directionally with our race car going into the race tomorrow, but it does feel like it was not quite the amount of fall off we thought it would be.”

How much does qualifying on the pole help you at Darlington?

“Yeah, sign me up every time. Yeah, when you can qualify like this at a place like Darlington. I’ve been able to do it a few times over the years here where I kind of just get through the start, get up front, kind of set sail, have fun, learn, explore, and then just dread catching the back of the field (laughter). But yeah, in the past, you know, I think it was 2024. We did this in a similar fashion here and we let a lot of laps. Scored a lot of stage points and that’s what we need to do. So, in my experience, being able to start up front, if we can get off turn four that first lap in the lead, we should be in really good shape to start.”

How much can the tire fall off change the track position when it comes to racing on Sunday?

“I think in practice here, it’s really hard to get a good read on it, because, you know, half the car is on the track, they’re just more clean air out there, and, you know, I was able to run Brad (Keselowski) down and got within like three car lengths and kind of just couldn’t like ran him down and couldn’t do anything with them in practice. But we were basically running the same line, and so I think once you get more cars out there, there’s just less good air out there, and at some point, everyone’s going to kind of experience it. Yeah, on the restarts, getting spread out, after a restart, a lot of cars are in that. So, I do think, yeah, the strategy piece is going to be really important. I think in some ways, based off of practice, like in moments, throughout the race, like it could spread out a little bit more, but then when guys stuff hit that light switch and go loose or go really tight, that’s when you’ll see guys really start to charge through the field or fall through the field. So, I do feel like with the potential of the wear that we thought coming into it and where it was today, that, yeah, the team that can really nail down what the fall off is going to be in the race versus practice, I think is going to have a leg up on the rest of the field, whoever can kind of figure out what that sweet spot’s going to be, when to pit, is it time to stay out and go longer, that sort of thing.”

Can you do 26, 29, laps that you need with the current entire allotment you have? Do you think, like, if you have to, you could go 40 or 50 laps?

“I did 42 in practice, Bob (Pockrass). I’m good to go. They tried to stop me around 30, and I’m like, nah I’m going keep going (laughter). I’m going to go till the cords or I hit something hard. I almost hit something hard about lap 30, but yeah, we made it 42 laps, and I was hanging on for dear life, but I can go 40 in practice.”

About Toyota

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