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Exploring Bad Credit Car Finance Options: Finding the Right Solution for Your Situation

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Financial setbacks can happen to anyone, such as redundancy, illness, relationship breakdown, or simply poor money management during difficult periods. These circumstances often leave lasting marks on credit files, making traditional borrowing seem impossible. However, reliable transportation remains essential for maintaining employment, managing family responsibilities, and participating fully in daily life. Fortunately, the UK finance market has evolved considerably, and a wide range of bad credit car finance options are now available to help people with imperfect credit histories get back on the road.

Understanding the various finance options available when you have bad credit, knowing how they differ, and recognising which might suit your circumstances best transforms what feels like an insurmountable obstacle into a manageable challenge with clear pathways forward.

Understanding Your Credit Situation

Types of Credit Problems

Bad credit encompasses a spectrum of issues, each affecting financial applications differently. Minor problems include occasional late payments or temporary overexceeding credit limits. Moderate issues involve defaults on credit agreements, accounts sent to collections, or high credit utilisation. Serious problems include County Court Judgements (CCJs), Individual Voluntary Arrangements (IVAs), debt relief orders, or discharged bankruptcy.

Understanding where your credit issues fall on this spectrum helps set realistic expectations about available options and likely terms.

Checking Your Credit Report

Before applying for finance, obtain your credit report from agencies like Experian, Equifax, or TransUnion. These reports reveal exactly what lenders see, including any errors that could unfairly damage your score. Disputing inaccuracies can improve your credit profile before applying.

Your report also shows when negative markers will naturally disappear; most adverse information disappears after six years, offering light at the end of the tunnel.

Main Finance Options for Bad Credit

Hire Purchase (HP) Agreements

Hire purchase remains the most accessible option for customers with bad credit. You pay a deposit followed by fixed monthly instalments over 24-60 months. The lender owns the vehicle until you complete all payments, at which point ownership transfers to you automatically.

HP suits those wanting straightforward arrangements with clear ownership pathways. Predictable monthly costs aid budgeting, and successfully completing agreements effectively rebuilds credit.

Personal Contract Purchase (PCP)

PCP arrangements are less common for applicants with bad credit, but are occasionally available. These involve lower monthly payments than HP, with a large final balloon payment if you wish to keep the vehicle. Many customers return cars at term end, starting fresh agreements on newer vehicles.

PCP works for those comfortable with never owning their vehicle outright or confident they’ll be able to afford the final payments. However, mileage restrictions and excess wear charges require careful consideration.

Conditional Sale Agreements

Similar to hire purchase, conditional sale involves fixed monthly payments with ownership transferring after the final payment. These frequently feature in bad credit lending, providing lender security through retained ownership whilst offering customers clear routes to vehicle ownership.

The main difference from HP is technical; with conditional sale, you cannot voluntarily terminate the agreement halfway through, as you can with HP under certain conditions.

Guarantor Loans

Guarantor finance involves a third party, typically a family member or close friend with good credit, who guarantees your repayments. Their strong credit history reduces lender risk, potentially allowing them to access better interest rates or larger loan amounts than they’d qualify for on their own.

Guarantors must understand that they become legally liable if you default, which could damage their credit and your relationship. Only proceed when you’re genuinely confident you can maintain repayments.

Logbook Loans

Logbook loans use your existing vehicle as collateral for the loan. Whilst technically available with bad credit, these carry significant risks, extremely high interest rates, short repayment terms, and vehicle loss if you default. These should be absolute last resorts, considered only when other options are genuinely unavailable.

For those navigating credit challenges and seeking appropriate solutions, exploring comprehensive car finance options with specialist providers ensures you understand all available pathways and can select arrangements best suited to your individual circumstances and financial recovery goals.

Factors Affecting Which Option Suits You

Your Current Financial Stability

Employment status and income significantly influence the options available. Secure employment with a steady income opens more doors than irregular work or recent job changes. Self-employment requires additional documentation, but doesn’t prevent approval with specialist lenders.

Consider your complete financial picture, existing commitments, regular expenses, and realistic affordability when assessing which finance structure works best.

Deposit Availability

Larger deposits dramatically improve the available options and terms. If you can provide a 20-30% deposit, you’ll access better interest rates and a broader range of lender options. Even 10-15% makes meaningful differences compared to zero-deposit applications.

Consider briefly delaying the vehicle purchase if saving additional deposit funds could substantially improve financing terms.

Vehicle Requirements

Your vehicle needs to be eligible for the appropriate financing types. If you require vehicles for specific work purposes or have large families who need particular vehicle types, this will determine whether flexible PCP arrangements or straightforward HP agreements serve you better.

Similarly, if you drive high annual mileages, mileage-restricted PCP arrangements may prove impractical compared to ownership-focused HP agreements.

Improving Your Chances Across All Options

Building Your Application

Regardless of which finance option you pursue, certain steps strengthen applications across the board. Register on the electoral roll at your current address, close unused credit accounts that suggest over-reliance on credit, and demonstrate stable residency by avoiding frequent address changes in the months before applying.

Maintain your bank account responsibly, avoiding overdrafts and ensuring regular income deposits are clearly visible to lenders reviewing affordability.

Timing Your Application

Applying immediately after credit problems often results in declines or poor terms. Where possible, wait 3-6 months after resolving credit issues to demonstrate financial stability. This patience frequently results in significantly better terms offered.

However, if transportation is genuinely urgent for employment or essential commitments, don’t delay excessively; specialist lenders regularly approve applications despite very recent credit difficulties.

Realistic Vehicle Selection

Choose modest, reliable vehicles rather than expensive or impractical options. Lenders view applications for sensible cars more favourably, seeing them as evidence of financial responsibility and realistic expectations.

Popular family cars, efficient smaller vehicles, and models with strong reliability records typically receive easier approval than luxury, high-performance, or unusual vehicles.

Understanding Costs and Commitment

Interest Rate Expectations

Bad credit finance carries higher interest rates than prime lending, typically ranging from 15-30% APR depending on credit severity and individual circumstances. Whilst these seem steep compared to advertised prime rates, they reflect the genuine risk lenders accept when working with adverse-credit customers.

View these rates as temporary costs on your journey to improved credit rather than permanent conditions you’ll endure indefinitely.

Total Cost Calculation

Compare total amounts repayable across different finance options, not just monthly instalments. Lower monthly PCP payments might seem attractive until you factor in final balloon payments or the fact that you won’t own the vehicle without additional cost.

Calculate complete ownership costs, including insurance, tax, maintenance, and fuel, alongside finance repayments to ensure genuine affordability.

Frequently Asked Questions

Which finance option is easiest to get with bad credit?

Hire purchase agreements are typically most accessible to customers with bad credit, as lenders retain ownership until final payment, reducing their risk. Guarantor loans can also be easier when you have supportive family or friends with good credit who are willing to guarantee repayment.

Can I get finance with a CCJ less than a year old?

Yes, many specialist lenders approve applications with recent CCJs, though you’ll likely face higher interest rates and may need larger deposits. Demonstrating current financial stability and steady income improves approval chances despite recent judgments.

Should I use a broker or apply directly to lenders?

Brokers access multiple specialist lenders, potentially finding better matches for your circumstances than you would by applying directly. However, ensure brokers perform soft searches initially rather than multiple hard searches, which can further damage credit. Reputable brokers charge no upfront fees and earn commission only when the finance completes successfully.

How long before I can refinance at better rates?

After 12-24 months of consistent on-time payments, many customers successfully refinance at substantially improved rates. Your credit score will have improved through positive payment history, and demonstrating reliability makes you attractive to a broader pool of lenders offering competitive terms.

What if I’m refused by everyone?

If mainstream bad credit lenders decline your application, consider guarantor options, wait 3-6 months whilst building financial stability, then reapply, or explore alternative transport solutions temporarily whilst improving your credit position. Sometimes, brief delays lead to dramatically better outcomes than forcing approvals on poor terms.

Conclusion

Bad credit doesn’t mean you’re without options for car finance; it simply means working with specialist lenders and understanding which finance structures suit your particular circumstances. Whether hire purchase, conditional sale, PCP arrangements, or guarantor loans, each option offers distinct advantages for different situations. By honestly assessing your current financial position, demonstrating stability through responsible banking and employment, and choosing realistic vehicles with appropriate deposits, you can successfully secure the finance needed to maintain essential mobility whilst also rebuilding your credit profile for a better financial future. The key lies in approaching the process with realistic expectations, thorough preparation, and commitment to maintaining repayments that gradually restore your financial standing.

Eli Tomac Becomes Most Decorated Racer in Daytona International Speedway History with Eighth Monster Energy Supercross Victory at Iconic Venue

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Official Release
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Seth Hammaker Goes Wire-to-Wire for Dominant 250SMX Class Win

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (February 28, 2026) – It was a historic night inside The World Center of Racing for Round 8 of the 2026 Monster Energy SMX World Championship, as Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Eli Tomac cemented his place atop the all-time greatest racers at Daytona International Speedway with a record breaking eighth Monster Energy AMA Supercross Championship win at the iconic venue. The Colorado native broke a three-year tie with NASCAR legend Richard Petty, owner of seven Daytona 500 victories, to become the most decorated athlete of the speedway’s celebrated 67-year history.

450SMX Class

It wasn’t an easy path to victory for Tomac, as he began the 450SMX Class Main Event in fourth, behind each of his primary competitors in the championship. Honda HRC Progressive’s Hunter Lawrence, last week’s winner and current points leader, opened the 20 Minute + 1 Lap race with the holeshot, but was quickly passed by Progressive Insurance Cycle Gear Suzuki’s Ken Roczen. Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing’s Cooper Webb, the defending series champion, slotted into third ahead of Tomac, which set the stage for a thrilling battle between the best in the class. As Roczen and Lawrence settled in out front, Tomac started his pursuit of the lead with an early pass on Webb for third. The top three continuously searched for faster lines on the ever-changing rutty, technical, sandy racetrack and sat within 1.5 seconds of one another with around 14 minutes remaining.

As the race approached the halfway point Tomac elected to make his push and took advantage of a couple sections on the track where he excelled to attack his rivals. He first made an assertive pass on Lawrence for second and on the ensuing lap railed the outside of an option lane to shoot past Roczen as they sprinted to the finish line jump. Tomac seized control of the lead with about 12:30 left on the race clock and quickly opened up a multi-second margin. Roczen held strong in second until the race closed in on the final five minutes, when Lawrence’s patience and persistence paid off and allowed the Australian to take over second. About three seconds separated Tomac from Lawrence, but the championship leader was unable to make significant inroads on his deficit as the race drew to a close.

Tomac was never challenged once he moved into the lead and carried on to take his fourth win of the season and the 57th victory of his career by 1.3 seconds over Lawrence. Roczen finished in a distant third while Webb was largely on his own en route to fourth, with Quad Lock Honda’s Joey Savatgy in fifth.

Tomac closed to within a single point of Lawrence in the championship standings, while Roczen and Webb now sit tied for third, 20 points out of the lead.

Eli Tomac
The fourth win of the season for Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Eli Tomac made him one of the most transcendent figures in motorsports history at Daytona with eight victories at the iconic speedway.

Eli Tomac – 1st Place – 450SMX Class
“[The wins] are all awesome, but somehow, I’ve won eight of these. I don’t want to think about how old I am. I just go out there and roost the berms like I’m at my home track [in Colorado]. I love this dirt and just love how this track develops. Of course, I had to work for it there and went through all my main competition. I just had a great time on my motorcycle and happy to make up points this weekend.”

Hunter Lawrence – 2nd Place – 450SMX Class
“It was a tough [Main Event] on a really tough track. I was figuring out where to compensate with the bike and it just took me too long to do that. In the end I was kind of making it work, but it was too late and Eli [Tomac] got his eighth win here. I really wanted to stop that tonight, but I couldn’t make up the difference.”

Ken Roczen – 3rd Place – 450SMX Class
“I gave it my best out there and led for a bunch. I had a really good start too and in the Main Event that really counts. I was searching a little bit in the beginning, it was a tricky track and a lot faster than what we’ve seen the past few years here. Once I got passed, I knew those guys were maybe a little bit faster, so I tried to hang on and follow some lines. I was right there until the end and just got messed up by some lappers and those guys got away a little bit. I just wasn’t the best tonight, but I’m happy with a podium.”

250SMX Class

The second race of the Eastern Divisional 250SMX Class Championship featured an impressive showing from Monster Energy Pro Circuit Kawasaki’s Seth Hammaker, who entered the night show banged up from a hard crash in afternoon qualifying. The Pennsylvania native was able to secure the holeshot over Honda HRC Progressive’s Jo Shimoda and established a firm grasp on the lead from the outset of the 15 Minute + 1 Lap Main Event. Behind them was Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing’s Nate Thrasher, Monster Energy Pro Circuit Kawasaki’s Drew Adams, and Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing’s Pierce Brown, the opening round winner and points leader.

As Hammaker and Shimoda asserted themselves out front, Adams continued what was turning into a breakout night with a pass for third. Behind them, Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing’s Cole Davies was making moves as the fastest rider on the track. The New Zealander made an impressive climb from ninth off the start to pass both his teammates and move into fourth. He then set his sights on Adams and successfully made the pass for third with six minutes to go. Not long after that Adams crashed out of the race, which allowed Brown to assume fourth.

With just over a minute remaining Shimoda went down in the sand section as he simultaneously looked to close in on Hammaker and fend off Davies. The defending SMX World Champion remounted quickly, but not before Davies and Brown got by for second and third. Hammaker completed a dominant wire-to-wire effort by a margin of 4.2 seconds over Davies, while Brown rounded out the podium. Shimoda was forced to settle for fourth, with Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing’s Daxton Bennick in fifth.

Hammaker’s fourth career win ended a reign of dominance for the Star Yamaha effort, which had won every 250SMX Class race of the season up to that point. The Kawasaki rider’s victory moved him into second in the Eastern Divisional standings, where he is now two points behind Brown for the lead. Shimoda dropped to third, five points back.

Seth Hammaker
Monster Energy Pro Circuit Kawasaki’s Seth Hammaker dominated the Eastern Divisional 250SMX Class Main Event with a wire-to-wire performance.

Seth Hammaker – 1st Place – Eastern Divisional 250SMX Class
“It feels unreal [to win at Daytona]. I had a big crash in qualifying, and I feel like it really tests you mentally how you come back from that. I’m proud of the effort tonight and the team crushed it. It’s super cool to get a win at Daytona. It’s an unreal feeling. Really good to get this win and keep the momentum rolling.”

Cole Davies – 2nd Place – Eastern Divisional 250SMX Class
“They didn’t prep the gates all day, so I didn’t get good traction out the gate and was buried off the start. It was a good comeback. I did what I could. I wanted that win, but still a good ride.”

Pierce Brown – 3rd Place – Eastern Divisional 250SMX Class
“It was a battle. Not the best start. I took a gamble with my gate, and we chose the wrong one. It happens. We battled and were there late when other riders made mistakes to salvage a third. I can’t be too mad about it. We’re in good shape [in points] and will keep doing our thing.”

SMX Next

Daytona also signified the third race of SMX Next – Supercross, which featured 22 of the top A and B class prospects in amateur motocross. Two different winners stood atop the podium through the first two races and that trend continued as a third different up-and-coming racer claimed victory at Daytona. Triumph Racing’s Deacon Denno opened the 8 Minute + 1 Lap with the holeshot and led early before he gave way to Monster Energy Kawasaki Team Green’s Kade Johnson. Denno fought back to reclaim the lead after just a lap and carried on to become the third different SMX Next winner in as many races. It was the first SMX Next victory for the 17-year-old Texan as well as the first for the budding Triumph amateur program. He took the checkered flag 4.4 seconds ahead of 18-year-old Landen Gordon, who rides for Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing, while 16-year-old Vincent Wey rounded out the podium for Monster Energy Kawasaki Team Green.

Deacon Denno
Triumph Racing’s Deacon Denno became the third different prospect to emerge victorious in SMX Next – Supercross competition this season.

Deacon Denno – 1st Place – SMX Next – Supercross
“I got the start but then jumped the whoops for the first time after skimming all day and lost the lead. It was a dumb move by me, but I made the pass back. Last year here in Daytona I finished 14th. There’s a lot that’s been done since then and just proves that if you work your butt off you can be up here like I am. I knew I could do it and I put the track together. I’m so stoked.”

The Monster Energy SMX World Championship and Monster Energy AMA Supercross Championship will continue next Saturday, March 7, for the ninth race of the season from Indianapolis’ Lucas Oil Stadium, which will signify the second Triple Crown race of the 2026 season. 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 Pea cock 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.

MASON MASSEY PREVAILS IN DEBUT ARCA WEST START, TAKES OIL WORKERS 150 AT KERN RACEWAY

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Official Release
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BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (February 28, 2026) – Georgia’s Mason Massey brought Bill McAnally Racing back to victory lane in the ARCA Menards Series, West, taking Saturday’s 2026 season opener from Kevin Harvick’s Kern Raceway in Bakersfield after two overtime restarts. The Oil Workers 150 presented by the West Coast Stock Car / Motorsports Hall of Fame served as Massey’s debut in the tour.

Massey took on the challenge of battling with two-time series champion Sean Hingorani of Newport Beach, with the Californian aiming to defend home turf in the Central Coast Racing No. 13 Toyota.

“I don’t know man we got kind of tight there towards the end. It got tight on me and I had to make something happen on that restart there with (Sean Hingorani). He was really fast. I just had to run him up a little bit and get by him. He did a good job racing me clean,” Massey said. “I just had to go earn it out there and had to make it happen. I still can’t believe it. Hopefully two-for-two next week at Phoenix. It’s a really good track for me.”

Clovis, Calif.’s Jade Avedisian earned the pole position but Hingorani struck first, leading the opening circuit from the outside pole.

The outside proved to be advantageous throughout much of the race, with Hingorani leading 2025 champion Trevor Huddleston around the outside to second position on a restart. Madera, Calif.’s Robbie Kennealy slowed with a mechanical failure on lap 59. A spin for rookie Mia Lovell out of Las Vegas, Nevada then brought the race to its scheduled halfway break. Massey answered back when racing resumed, seizing second from Huddleston.

Lovell spun challenging Jaiden Reyna for position in turn three, requiring a caution flag with less than 25 to go. Massey pounced on Hingorani, making a strong bid on the inside line to nab the top spot down the backstretch. Hingorani and Massey made contact into turns three and four, briefly running three-wide with 15-year-old Taylor Mayhew of Bakersfield. Massey motored ahead with the top spot.

On the first overtime attempt, Hingorani attempted to answer back in turns one and two but could not succeed in passing Massey for the lead. Lovell and her fellow rookie teammate Julian DaCosta tangled on the backstretch, giving the field a second attempt in overtime. Massey darted away with the Oil Workers 150 victory while Central California driver Eric Nascimento, Jr. drove into the second position. Mayhew stormed into third. Huddleston worked his way into fourth by the checkered flag with Hingorani finishing fifth.

“It’s super cool. Starting in the back wasn’t ideal obviously. I kind of played the patience game and worked our way up slowly. We were there at the end. I couldn’t be more happy about my team, my spotter Spencer Davis, and everybody who helps out on this MMI machine. Pretty good for the first race,” Mayhew said.

Spire Motorsports OnlyBulls Green Flag 150 Race Report

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Official Release
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Connor Mosack – Driver, No. 7 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet Silverado RST

START: 1ST
FINISH: 13TH
OWNER POINTS: 2ND

Connor Mosack, driver of the No. 7 Friends of Jaclyn/RoaringPines Motorclub Chevrolet Silverado RST, battled the demanding street circuit in St. Petersburg, Fla., to bring home to a 13th place finish in his first race of the 2026 season with Sprie Motorsports.

In the NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series’ first race on a street course, Mosack started from the pole position after Friday’s qualifying session was cancelled due to weather and controlled the early portion of Stage 1 before settling into second on Lap 7. With a focus on fuel conservation and minor overheating concerns in traffic, the team elected to stay out at the stage break after finishing the first stage in the runner-up position to gain nine stage points.

After beginning the second stage on the front row, Mosack remained inside the top five before contact on Lap 34 caused damage to the hood and left side of his Chevy. The No. 7 team made multiple pit stops for tires, fuel, and repairs, including an additional stop due to a fueling issue, leaving Mosack scored 29th at the conclusion of the stage.

In the third and final Stage, Mosack methodically worked his way forward despite lingering front-end damage. Smart pit strategy under caution allowed the No. 7 to climb back into the top 15 in the closing laps and Mosack capped off a resilient effort with a 13th-place finish on the streets of St. Pete.

Connor’s Post-Race Comments
“We had a pretty solid and fast Friends of Jaclyn/RoaringPines Motorclub Chevrolet Silverado. We led early on and just needed a little bit of short run speed, but long run, we were really good and just kind of took our time. We decided to stay out at the end of the stage, save fuel and keep our track position. Everyone else’s strategy didn’t really help us. With everybody taking tires we slowly faded back and it was gonna be tough to recover our track position. And then we had some contact with the wall that caused some pretty good damage, and obviously weren’t quite as fast after that. We were able to come back through the field a fair amount and then I just didn’t really have any speed left at the end, but we ended up 13th. We had a fast truck, we just need to execute a little bit better and I am looking forward to the next one.”

James Hinchcliffe – Driver, No. 77 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet Silverado RST

START: 3RD
FINISH: 10TH
OWNER POINTS: 8TH

Making his first-ever NASCAR start, veteran racer James Hinchcliffe drove the No. 77 Delaware Life Chevrolet Silverado RST from 25th to 10th in the final 15 laps of Saturday’s inaugural OnlyBulls Green Flag 150 NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series event at the Grand Prix of St. Petersburg.

The 39-year-old driver got one lap of practice in during Friday’s session before rain washed out the remainder of practice and qualifying, forcing the starting lineup to be set per the NASCAR rulebook. Hinchliffe started Saturday’s 80-lap race in third, but fell back to 11th after a competitor overdrove a corner and made contact with the No. 77 Delaware Life Chevrolet. The incident caused damage to the right-side of the Spire Motorsports entry, but “Jimmy Hinch” mustered through to the end of the stage maintaining the 11th spot.

After pit stops at the stage break that included damage repair, Hinchcliffe lined up 11th to start Stage 2 and gained three positions on the first lap back under green. After locking up the brakes into a corner and spinning, he fell back outside of the top 10 and rejoined the field in the 23rd position. Hinchcliffe would gain just one spot before the green-white-checkered ended the stage.

In the first six laps of the final stage, the Canadian driver advanced three spots to 17th before the next yellow flag was displayed. Veteran crew chief Chad Walter summoned his driver to pit road to top off with Sunoco Fuel, setting the No. 77 team up to make it to the end of the event on fuel, while other teams elected to stay out. Following another caution period, Hinchcliffe was scored 25th with 20 laps remaining and gained 10 spots over the following 10 laps. He entered the top 10 with five laps remaining and maintained his position until the field took the checkered flag to earn a hard-fought top-10 finish in his NASCAR debut.

James’ Post-Race Comments
“I had one lap of experience around here in a truck going into the race, but I learned an awful lot in those 80 laps. The first 40, I learned that I was drinking from a fire hose, to use a Ryan Hunter Ray expression. We had to learn a couple lessons the hard way. We had to figure out these tires and figure out how to race some of these guys. By the third stage, I felt really good in my Delaware Life Silverado, even with a little bit of damage, and that thing was humming along. I wish I could start the race over knowing what I knew at the start of the Final Stage, but at the end of the day, just super thankful to Spire and Delaware Life for the opportunity. I’m really happy I was able to get up there and salvage a top-10 finish after going to the back a couple times.”

Up Next…
The NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series will return to action March 20 at the historic Darlington (S.C.) Raceway. The Buckle Up South Carolina 200 will be televised live on FS1 at 7:30 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time (EDT).

The fourth of 25 points-paying races on the CRAFTSMAN Truck Series calendar will be broadcast live on the NASCAR Racing Network and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90.

To stay up-to-date on all the latest news and exclusive content, follow Spire Motorsports on Facebook, X and Instagram, and visit Spire-Motorsports.com.

About Spire Motorsports …
Spire Motorsports fields full-time entries in the NASCAR Cup Series, NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series and Interstate Batteries High Limit Racing.

The team, co-owned by longtime NASCAR industry executive Jeff Dickerson and TWG Motorsports CEO Dan Towriss, earned its inaugural NASCAR Cup Series victory in its first full season of competition when Justin Haley took the checkered flag in the Coke Zero Sugar 400 at Daytona (Fla.) International Speedway on July 7, 2019. Less than three years later, William Byron drove Spire Motorsports’ No. 7 Chevrolet Silverado to its inaugural NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series win on April 7, 2022, at Martinsville (Va.) Speedway. The team’s most recent win came on Feb. 21, 2026, when Kyle Busch took the checkered flag in the Fr8 Racing 208 at Atlanta Motor Speedway.

In 2026, Spire Motorsports will campaign the Nos. 7, 71 and 77 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1s in the NASCAR Cup Series and the Nos. 7 and 77 Chevrolet Silverado RSTs in the NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series. The Mooresville, N.C., organization will also field the No. 77 410 sprint car in Interstate Batteries High Limit Racing competition.

ARCA Menards Series West at Kevin Harvick’s Kern Raceway: Oil Workers 150

By
Official Release
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Presented by West Coast Stock Car Motorsports Hall of Fame Post-Race Notes

  • Mason Massey (No. 19 Brunt Boots/Mongoose Power Solutions Chevrolet) scored his first career ARCA Menards Series West win in his first career series start in Saturday’s Oil Workers 150 Presented by West Coast Stock Car Motorsports Hall of Fame at Kevin Harvick’s Kern Raceway. Massey took the lead on a restart with 14 laps to go and held off a hungry field through one more restart in regulation and two overtime restarts to take the victory.
  • The win is the 101st in series history for the Bill McAnally Racing team.
  • Eric Nascimento, Jr. (No. 4 Impact Transportation / RJ’s Paintshop Toyota) capitalized on a couple of wild overtime restarts, jumping from outside the top five at the end of regulation to finish second. It matches his best career finish at All-American Speedway in 2024.
  • Taylor Mayhew (No. 17 MMI Services Chevrolet) finished third in his ARCA Menards Series West debut. Mayhew ran as high as second and restarted on the front row for the final two restarts before being nosed out by Nascimento at the finish.
  • Reigning series champion Trevor Huddleston (No. 50 High Point Racing / Racecar Factory Ford) finished fourth; he had won the previous two ARCA Menards Series West races at the track.
  • Two-time series champion Sean Hingorani (No. 13 Central Coast Cabinets Toyota) finished fifth after leading the first 136 laps; he was pushed up the racetrack by Massey on the lap 136 restart and then ping-ponged by several others over the course of the final 10 laps.
  • Hailie Deegan (No. 16 NAPA Auto Parts/Monster Energy Chevrolet) finished sixth in her first standalone ARCA Menards Series West start since 2019.
  • Joey Iest (No. 88 Shockwave Marine Suspension Seating Systems Ford) finished seventh after fading late in the race. Iest ran as high as third in the middle stages of the race.
  • Jade Avedisian (No. 70 Mobil 1 Toyota) finished eighth after scoring her first career Sioux Chief PowerPEX Pole Award in qualifying earlier in the day.
  • Gavin Ray (No. 7 Component West Toyota) finished ninth, and Cole Denton (No. 71 Jan’s Towing Ford) finished tenth in his ARCA Menards Series West debut.
  • Reigning ARCA Menards Series West Bounty Rookie of the Year Robbie Kennealy (No. 1 Jan’s Towing Ford) finished 20th, dropping out at the midway point with transmission issues.
  • The race was slowed eight times by caution, including one that sent the race into its second overtime attempt.
  • Sean Hingorani led a race-high 136 laps; Mason Massey led the final 31, including 17 in overtime.
  • The ARCA Menards Series West returns action in the General Tire 150 at Phoenix Raceway, a combination race with the ARCA Menards Series, at 6 pm ET / 4 pm MT on Thursday, March 5. The race will be televised live on FS1 and on select affiliates of the MRN Racing network nationwide. The race can also be heard on MRN.com and on SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90. ARCARacing.com will have live timing & scoring data from all on-track activity. Please follow @ARCA_Racing on X (formerly Twitter) for up-to-the-minute updates.

About ARCA  

The Automobile Racing Club of America (ARCA), founded in 1953 by John and Mildred Marcum in Toledo, Ohio, and acquired by NASCAR in April 2018, is the leading grassroots stock car sanctioning body in the United States. Bridging the gap between NASCAR’s top three national touring series and weekly and regional tour racing all across the country, the organization to sanctions over 100 races per year in the ARCA Menards Series, ARCA Menards Series East, ARCA Menards Series West, ASA STARS National Tour, ASA CRA Super Series, ASA Midwest Tour, ASA Southern Super Series plus weekly racing at Toledo and Flat Rock Speedways. For more information about ARCA visit , or follow ARCA on Facebook (@ARCARacing) and Twitter (@ARCA_Racing).  

About Menards 

A family-owned and run company started in 1958, Menards is recognized as the retail home center leader of the Midwest with 236 stores in 15 states.  Menards is truly a one-stop shop for all of your home improvement needs featuring a full-service lumberyard and everything you need to plan a renovation or build a home, garage, cabin, shed, deck, fence or post frame building.  You’ll find a large selection of lumber, roofing, siding, construction blocks, trusses, doors and windows, plus cabinets, appliances, countertops, flooring, lighting, paint, plumbing supplies and more.  To complete the job, Menards has quality hand tools, power tools, fasteners, electrical tools plus storage options and supplies for everyone from the weekend warrior to the pro! 

   

Menards has what you need to complete your outdoor projects and keep your yard in tip-top shape including mowers, trimmers, blowers, pressure washers and more, plus a beautiful garden center stocked with plants, shrubs, trees, landscaping tools, grass seed, fertilizer options, outdoor décor and patio furniture.  Menards also has everyday essentials like health & beauty products, housewares, pet and wildlife supplies, automotive items and even groceries.  And at Christmas, an Enchanted Forest display area with impressive trees, lighting, decorations, ornaments, inflatables and more.  

Menards is known for friendly Customer Service and as the place to “Save Big Money” with low prices every day, and sales too!  For more information, please visit Menards.com to learn about our store locations, offerings and services. 

Shane van Gisbergen dominates for first O’Reilly victory at COTA

By
Andrew Kim
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Photo by Jake Daugherty at COTA for SpeedwayMedia.com

Shane van Gisbergen conquered Circuit of the Americas (COTA) for the first time in his illustrious racing career on Saturday, February 28. He scored a dominant NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series victory in the Focused Health 250.

The three-time Supercars champion from Auckland, New Zealand, led five times for a race-high 31 of 65 scheduled laps. He started alongside teammate and pole-sitter Connor Zilisch on the front row. But he quickly assumed the lead through the circuit’s first turn. From having his pit strategies executed to his advantage and spending most of the race at the front, van Gisbergen capitalized on a bold move by Sam Mayer. The move ended up taking a majority of the front-runners off the course in the first turn to go from sixth to first. From there, van Gisbergen fended off Austin Hill to claim his first checkered flag in the 2026 NASCAR campaign at COTA.

On-track qualifying to determine the starting lineup occurred on Friday, February 27. Connor Zilisch secured the pole position with a pole-winning lap of 88.398 mph in 97.740 seconds. Joining Zilisch on the front row was teammate van Gisbergen, after a qualifying lap at 88.209 mph in 97.949 seconds.

Before the event, Austin J. Hill and Parker Retzlaff dropped to the rear of the field due to engine changes to their respective entries. 

When the green flag waved and the event at COTA commenced, the field fanned out. They navigated through a brief uphill climb followed by a steep left-hand turn in Turn 1. Among those who fanned out were van Gisbergen and Austin Hill. They both pinned pole-sitter Connor Zilisch through a three-wide battle through the first turn. Van Gisbergen then managed to muscle ahead of both Zilisch and Hill to lead through the Esses, a series of right- and left-hand turns from Turns 2 to 6A.

Van Gisbergen continued to lead the packed field for the remaining turns. Starting from a left-hand turn of Turn 6B to the final right-hand turn of Turn 20, he led the first lap over Zilisch while Hill, Justin Allgaier, Carson Kvapil, and Brandon Jones trailed in the top six, respectively.

Over the next five laps, van Gisbergen retained a steady advantage over teammate Zilisch and led by 0.090 seconds at the fifth lap mark. Not long after, Zilisch navigated his way atop the leaderboard for the first time after overtaking van Gisbergen entering the first turn. He then proceeded to lead the next lap at COTA. Behind, Austin Hill trailed by three seconds in third place while Allgaier and Sam Mayer occupied the remaining top-five spots. Jones, Kvapil, newcomer Brent Crews, Jesse Love, and Corey Day followed, completing the top-10.

Amid the battles at the front, Jeremy Clements plummeted to the tail end of the 38-car field after spinning through the Esses and the gravel trap within Turn 5.

Through the first 10-scheduled laps, Zilisch, who has led since the sixth lap, continued to lead by seven-tenths of a second over teammate van Gisbergen. Third-place Austin Hill retained third place by nearly five seconds. Allgaier retained fourth place as he trailed the leader by more than six seconds. Mayer continued to race in fifth place while trailing by seven seconds. Jones, Crews, Love, Kvapil, and Day all remained in the top 10. Sheldon Creed, Sammy Smith, Austin Green, Anthony Alfredo, Rajah Caruth, Taylor Gray, Ross Chastain, William Sawalich, Josh Bilicki, and Alex Labbe were mired in the top 20, respectively.

On Lap 16, Sammy Smith surrendered 13th place to pit under green. Crews, Creed, Taylor Gray, Chastain, Harrison Burton, Dean Thompson, Nick Sanchez, Blaine Perkins, and Preston Pardus all pitted during the next lap. Leaders Zilisch and van Gisbergen, both pitted on Lap 18 just before pit road became inaccessible as the first stage period concluded. Amid the pit stops, Austin Hill cycled into the lead.

When the first stage period concluded on Lap 20, Austin Hill cruised to his third stage victory of the 2026 season. Mayer settled in second ahead of Allgaier, Jones, Love, Kvapil, Day, Austin Green, and Caruth, while van Gisbergen fended off Zilisch to settle in 10th place. By then, all but one of the 38 starters were scored on the lead lap.

Under the event’s first stage break period, a majority of the field led by Austin Hill, who was among many who did not pit prior to the first stage’s conclusion, pitted while the rest led by van Gisbergen and Zilisch, who were among those who pitted prior to the first stage’s conclusion, remained on the track.

The second stage period started on Lap 24 as Zilisch and van Gisbergen occupied the front row. At the start, the field fanned out while racing uphill entering the first turn. At the front, Brent Crews went beneath both van Gisbergen and Zilisch, challenging for the lead through the first turn. Sammy Smith tried to make his way beneath the trio that briefly went off the course amid a four-wide move. However, Crews muscled ahead with the lead and proceeded to lead through the Esses. 

While Crews continued to lead from Turns 6A and 6B before he navigated his way from Turns 12 to 19, the field behind fanned out as multiple competitors bumped and raced competitively against one another, even forcing others off course, to gain spots. Meanwhile, Crews proceeded to lead the next lap over Smith, Zilisch, and van Gisbergen. With Crews leading the lap after, Zilisch and van Gisbergen moved up to second and third, respectively, while Smith dropped to fourth in front of Sheldon Creed.

At the Lap 30 mark, van Gisbergen, who assumed the lead from Crews two laps earlier, was leading by half a second over Sammy Smith, with Mayer, Austin Hill, and Crews trailing in the top five. By then, Love, Zilisch, Chastain, Harrison Burton, and Sanchez were racing in the top 10 ahead of Kvapil, Taylor Gray, and Dean Thompson, while Creed, who was sent for a spin by Crews through Turns 16 and 17, was mired in 14th place.

Four laps later, the caution flew due to Baltazar Leguizamon sliding as he entered the first turn and plowing against the tire barriers hard on the right side. During the caution period, nearly the entire field, led by van Gisbergen, opted to pit. The rest, which included Kvapil, Jones, Ryan Sieg, Jeb Burton, Ryan Ellis, and Preston Pardus, remained on the track.

As the field restarted with only two laps remaining in the second stage period, Kvapil fended off the field through the uphill climb to the first turn while Mayer, Jones, Allgaier, Ryan Sieg, Jeb Burton and van Gisbergen pursued. Kvapil continued to lead from the Esses to Turn 13 until Mayer used the outside lane to duel and overtake Kvapil before entering Turn 14. With Allgaier joining the battle for the top spot, Mayer retained it as the field cycled back to the frontstretch to complete the next lap.

When the second stage period concluded on Lap 40, Mayer fended off Allgaier to capture his first stage victory of the 2026 season. Kvapil, Love, van Gisbergen, Austin Hill, Sammy Smith, Brandon Jones, Chastain, and Ryan Sieg settled in the top 10, respectively, while Crews and Zilisch were mired in 11th and 29th, respectively. 

During the event’s second stage break period, select names like Allgaier, Kvapil, Jones, Ryan Sieg, Jeb Burton, Clements, Dean Thompson, Ryan Ellis, Lavar Scott, Nick Sanchez and Zilisch pitted while the rest led by Mayer remained on the track.

With 21 laps remaining, the final stage period commenced as Mayer and Love occupied the front row. At the start, the duo dueled for the lead in front of the field leading up to the first turn until Mayer muscled ahead before navigating through the Esses. With the lead still in his grasp, Mayer proceeded to lead from Turn 6B to Turn 18. It was during the latest turn that van Gisbergen capitalized on Love’s challenge to Mayer for the lead to overtake both with a bold three-wide move before entering Turn 19. With the lead back in his possession, van Gisbergen led the next lap. Meanwhile, Mayer was being pressured by Love, Sammy Smith, and Austin Hill for the runner-up spot. 

Down to the final 15 laps of the event, van Gisbergen, who led since reassuming the lead five laps earlier, was leading by nine-tenths of a second over Love while Sammy Smith, Austin Hill, Crews, Mayer, Day, Gray, Sawalich and Kvapil were racing in the top 10 ahead of Chastain, Austin Green, Allgaier, Caruth, Zilisch, Harrison Burton, Creed, Poole, Sanchez and Perkins, respectively. 

Five laps later, van Gisbergen stretched his lead to nearly two seconds over Love as Smith, Austin Hill, and Crews continued to trail in the top five, respectively. Meanwhile, Allgaier, who pitted under green with 14 laps remaining due to a flat right-front tire, was mired in 32nd place.

Then a lap later, the caution flew when Sage Karam, who was dealing with a broken left-front suspension, stalled in the grass. During the caution period, nearly the entire field led by van Gisbergen pitted while the rest led by Sanchez, JJ Yeley, Preston Pardus, and Allgaier remained on the track. Following the pit stops, Smith exited pit road first ahead of Mayer, Love, van Gisbergen, and Austin Hill.

The start of the next restart, with five laps remaining, featured an early three-wide formation between Allgaier, Sanchez, and Sammy Smith, with the trio battling for the lead in front of Mayer, Love, and van Gisbergen through the uphill climb to Turn 1. As the field fanned out to four lanes, Mayer gained a brief advantage before he over-drove the first turn along with a multitude of front-runners. This allowed van Gisbergen to sneak his way through with the lead, and Hill also overtook Mayer for the runner-up spot through the Esses. As the field jostled for late spots, van Gisbergen proceeded to lead from Turn 6B to 20, where he led the next lap while Hill, Mayer, Smith, and Day tried to keep pace with van Gisbergen.

A lap later, Mayer crashed into the tire barriers in Turn 6A, and he collected Kvapil and Rajah Caruth. Behind Mayer’s incident, a handful of competitors, including Harrison Burton, Ryan Ellis, and Clements, wrecked through the Esses. Then, with three laps remaining, Day turned Zilisch, who rallied to move into the top five, spinning through the Esses as he hit the wall and emerged with front-end damage. Amid all of the incidents, the race continued to remain under green. Van Gisbergen was leading by more than a second over Hill, with Smith, Day, and Love in the top five.

When the white flag waved, and the final lap started, van Gisbergen remained in the lead by more than a second over Hill. Despite Hill’s last-lap attempt to reel in van Gisbergen, the latter did not miss his mark and smoothly navigated his way through the circuit’s turns and small straightaways before cycling through the frontstretch and claiming the checkered flag by seven-tenths of a second.

With the victory, van Gisbergen achieved his fifth career win in the NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series division, all of which have occurred on road course/street course events, and his second driving the No. 9 Chevrolet Camaro entry for JR Motorsports. In addition to recording the first victory of the year for JR Motorsports, van Gisbergen became the fifth competitor to win at COTA in the O’Reilly division. 

Van Gisbergen’s O’Reilly COTA victory was a momentous boost for the New Zealander as he sets his sights on winning Sunday’s Cup Series event in Austin from 13th place.

Photo by Jake Daugherty for SpeedwayMedia.com.

“Yeah, [it was] good to finally execute,” van Gisbergen said on the frontstretch on the CW Network. “We had an awesome day. Thank you to Safety Culture, JR Motorsports. Pit crew was awesome. The strategy worked out well. I wonder what was going to happen on that last restart, and I kind of sucked [Mayer] in, and he took everyone out for me. That was cool. What an awesome day. Good to finally win here and hopefully, we can have a good day tomorrow.”

Austin Hill settled in the runner-up spot at COTA for a third time while Sammy Smith settled in third place for his second top-five result of the 2026 season. Jesse Love and Corey Day finished fourth and fifth, respectively, as both achieved their second top-five results of this season. 

Brent Crews achieved a strong sixth-place result in his O’Reilly debut, while William Sawalich, Justin Allgaier, Ross Chastain, and Brennan Poole completed the top 10. Notably, Sam Mayer ended up in 14th place following his late incident with the tire barriers in Turn 6A, while Connor Zilisch, who was displeased with Corey Day over the contact that sent Zilisch spinning, fell back to 21st place.

There were 16 lead changes for eight different leaders. The event featured four cautions for 12 laps. In addition, 33 of 38 starters finished on the lead lap.

Following the third event of the 2026 NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series season, Austin Hill continues to lead the standings by 28 points over teammate Jesse Love, 39 over Justin Allgaier, 48 over Sheldon Creed, and 59 over Carson Kvapil.

Results:

1. Shane van Gisbergen, 31 laps led
2. Austin Hill, four laps led, Stage 1 winner
3. Sammy Smith
4. Jesse Love
5. Corey Day
6. Brent Crews, five laps led
7. William Sawalich
8. Justin Allgaier, one lap led
9. Ross Chastain
10. Brennan Poole
11. Sheldon Creed
12. Taylor Gray
13. Alex Labbe
14. Sam Mayer, eight laps led, Stage 2 winner
15. Brandon Jones
16. Ryan Sieg
17. Blaine Perkins
18. Jeb Burton
19. Carson Kvapil, two laps led
20. Patrick Staropoli
21. Connor Zilisch, 13 laps led
22. Lavar Scott
23. Anthony Alfredo
24. Kyle Sieg
25. Nick Sanchez, one lap led
26. Dean Thompson
27. Preston Pardus
28. JJ Yele
29. Harrison Burton
30. Parker Retzlaff 
31. Rajah Caruth
32. Jeremy Clements
33. Austin Green
34. Ryan Ellis, one lap down
35. Sage Karam – OUT, Suspension
36. Josh Bilicki – OUT, Suspension
37. Baltazar Leguizamon – OUT, Accident
38. Austin J. Hill – OUT, Suspension

Next on the 2026 NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series schedule is the GOVX 200 at Phoenix Raceway in Avondale, Arizona. The event is scheduled to occur next Saturday, March 7, and air at 7:30 p.m. ET on the CW Network, MRN Radio and SiriusXM.

TEAM CHEVY INDYCAR SATURDAY QUALIFYING REPORT – McLaughlin grabs St. Pete pole

By
Official Release
-

CHEVROLET IN THE NTT INDYCAR SERIES
Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg
1.8-mile, 14-turn St. Petersburg street circuit
St. Petersburg, Florida
Saturday Qualifying Report
February 28, 2026

ST. PETERSBURG, FL (February 28, 2026) For the second straight and the third time in five years, Scott McLaughlin in the No. 3 DEX Team Penske Chevrolet will start the season-opening race, the Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg, from the pole position. The Kiwi’s lap of 60.5426 seconds (107.032 mph) over the 1.8-mile, 14-turn St. Petersburg street circuit led his 13th career pole. Team Penske has won 11 of the 15 poles at St. Pete and now has 158 and 106 poles all-time and since the introduction of the 2.2L Twin-Turbo V6 in 2012.

McLaughlin barely escaped the first group of the first segment of qualifying and was joined by Pato O’Ward in the No. 5 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet in advancing to the Fast 12. McLaughlin’s new teammate, David Malukas, in the No. 12 Verizon Team Penske Chevrolet, led the second group of the first segment, and Christian Lundgaard in the No. 7 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet also advanced.

McLaughlin led the Fast 12, with Malukas also advancing to the Firestone Fast Six in a group that had all 12 drivers separated by less than half a second.

Chevrolet pole stats

McLaughlin’s pole is the 246th earned pole, all-time, for Chevrolet
McLaughlin’s pole is the 142nd earned pole, since the introduction of the 2.2L Twin-Turbo V6 in 2012, for Chevrolet
McLaughlin’s pole is the 12th earned pole with Chevrolet for Scott McLaughlin, all-time and since the introduction of the 2.2L Twin-Turbo, tying for 8th all-time list and 4th since the introduction of the 2.2L Twin-Turbo V6
McLaughlin’s pole is the 157th earned pole with Chevrolet for Team Penske all-time, tops all time
McLaughlin’s pole is the 105th earned pole with Chevrolet for Team Penske., since the introduction of the 2.2L Twin-Turbo V6 in 2012, for Chevrolet, tops all time
McLaughlin’s pole is the 11th pole on the Streets of St. Petersburg for Chevrolet – with all of them coming from Team Penske

Lundgaard is quick in pre-qualifying practice

Before qualifying, the Team Chevy drivers and teams had just over an hour to find more speed before setting the grid for Sunday’s Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg. Matching Friday, the practice consisted of one 40-minute session for all drivers and two 12-minute sessions, with the field split. The 1.8-mile, 14-turn St. Petersburg street circuit was still damp from heavy overnight rains as the 40-minute portion of practice got underway.

Rinus VeeKay in the No. 76 Juncos Hollinger Chevrolet set the quickest lap during the full field running, turning a lap at 61.9918 seconds. He was joined in the top eight by Christian Lundgaard in the No. 7 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet, Alexander Rossi in the No. 20 ECR Java House Chevrolet, Josef Newgarden in the No. 2 Astemo Team Penske Chevrolet, Pato O’Ward in the No. 5 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet, and Nolan Siegel in the No. 6 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet.

Friday’s quickest driver, Scott McLaughlin in the No. 3 DEX Team Penske Chevrolet, was the second-quickest in the first group, with O’Ward and VeeKay also in the top five. O’Ward’s teammate, Christian Lundgaard, in the No. 7 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet, was the quickest of the second group, and the quickest overall in practice with a lap of 61.6157 seconds.

Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg Qualifying Results

What They’re Saying:

Scott McLaughlin, No. 3 DEX Team Penske Chevrolet qualified: on pole

“We said to ourselves, if we had the pace to go for pole, we’re going to go for it. So we put tires on and went after it. A couple of guys didn’t obviously, but, you know, best spot to start from. I love St. Pete. It’s great to great to be back here in Florida I think everyone’s enjoying the, the warmth and, yeah, just great. Glad for everyone at Dex as well.

“It’s going be a lot of different strategies. Everyone’s trying to figure out the tire and stuff like that, you know? But we put ourselves in the front and hopefully we keep it.”

David Malukas, No. 12 Verizon Team Penske Chevrolet qualified: 5th

“We needed that. We needed that. I mean, After that first qualifying run there, I was trying so hard, and the car felt so good. I made a mistake on the first lap, so on the second run, I said okay, here we go, put it together, and I just knew we were going to make this fast six. We decided to go with used reds for the fast six and save the new ones for the race. It seems like it is going to be red dominant. Hopely that strategy works out and we can go for P1.”

Pato O’Ward, No. 5 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet qualified: 8th

“I think we missed the track evolution there a little bit, and our balance fell off from the perfect window. The car definitely didn’t have more in it, and it’s about where we have been today – sitting in eighth and flirting with the final transfer. I’m very happy with the car on primary tires. The soft tires have just been more difficult, as it’s been for us in the past. We need to dive into that and see what’s going on because I do think the car was capable of being a bit higher up.”

Christian Lundgaard, No. 7 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet qualified: 12th

“It was a bit of a disappointing Qualifying. We were expecting more after after our P1 and P2 results. I think it was a question in my mind if we had what it really took on the Firestone Red tires. Just judging off of P1, we didn’t really seem to be there on the alternates. It’s frustrating but at the end of the day, points are scored tomorrow, so we’ll keep our heads down and figure out the strategy for the race.”

Christian Rasmussen, No. 21 ECR Splenda Stevia Chevrolet qualified: 14th

“We took a gamble with the two sets of reds. We fell on the back foot after not really getting a proper feel in Practice 2. We had an imbalance on the first run and did what we could to try and mitigate that for the second run. It was just limited on what we could do. We went fairly aggressive and it still wasn’t enough. We’ll see what we can do to move forward tomorrow.”

Santino Ferrucci, No. 14 HOMES FOR OUR TROOPS Chevrolet qualified: 17th

“We unloaded pretty good because the car was decent. We just were a little too free on both runs. Not too much we could do, but we definitely didn’t take a big enough stab at it, either. So, a lot of work to do for tomorrow, but other than that, everything else going in the right direction.”

Rinus VeeKay, No. 76 Juncos Hollinger Chevrolet qualified: 19th

“Tough qualifying. Started in the blacks really good. We’re p3 at the moment. Then when we put the reds on, just never really turned them on. Never really got that, that grip that the reds are supposed to give. So, that was tough. I mean, it’s very tight out there. Miss transferring by two-tenths. It’s definitely in there if we would have got that that grip that we needed. But, yeah, overall, I think still a very positive weekend. We’ve got a lot of pace. That’s what matters in a race. So, excited for that. And, yeah, we’ll make sure we address what went wrong on the red tires in qualifying. I’m very confident in this in this team and, and all the guys on the 76 crew.”

Sting Ray Robb, No. 77 Juncos Hollinger – Goodheart Chevrolet qualified: 20th

“Today was pretty good. I think that our qualifying performance was, okay. We are two-tenths from transferring, which hindsight, the field is just so tight. There’s no room for error. Little things make make a big difference around this place, but really proud of the team, the Goodheart crew. They worked hard to get the car in a good spot for for qualifying, and I think that we’ll have a competitive race car tomorrow. It seems like both cars are in a very similar position. We’re looking for the same things, and so that should give us a good direction for what we want going in the race.”

Nolan Siegel, No. 6 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet qualified: 22nd

“I was feeling really good about our chances to transfer today, but we didn’t get a lap in Q1. That’s racing, but it’s very disappointing after our No. 6 NTT DATA Arrow McLaren Chevrolet crew put so much work into getting this race car into proper form. We’re going to focus on moving forward tomorrow.”

Josef Newgarden, No. 2 Astemo Team Penske Chevrolet qualified: 23rd

“Not ideal. We hit a lot of traffic when we came out and I didn’t want to hold anybody up, and that’s what bit us. The sequencing was all off. It felt good on blacks. We’ve been struggling with brakes all weekend and I felt like we got on top of that, finally. The car was really good, it was just unfortunate not to put something together there. The team will fight tomorrow.”

Caio Collet, No. 4 COMBITRANS AMAZONA Chevrolet qualified: 24th

“It goes by quick– the session. Definitely the step from blacks to reds was something that I really underestimated. I didn’t really use the grip that I had available there. I really under drove the red tires. But it’s a lesson learned. We’ll just keep our heads down and focus on the work for tomorrow, it seems it’s going to be a long race, 100 laps, so we can move forward. I think we have a decent car. I’m looking forward to the first race tomorrow.”

Alexander Rossi, No. 20 ECR Java House Chevrolet qualified: 25th

“That was a very difficult qualifying session and a tough way to start the season. We are at a bit of a loss after we had a strong Practice 2. We have a lot of work to do tomorrow but we will be ready.”

NTT INDYCAR SERIES News Conference
Saturday, February 28, 2026
Scott McLaughlin
Post-Qualifying Press Conference

THE MODERATOR: Joined by Scott McLaughlin, the driver of the No. 3 DEX Team Penske Chevrolet with back-to-back NTT P1 awards here on the Streets of St. Pete, his third all-told here in St. Petersburg, 12th career pole in his INDYCAR Series history.

Congratulations. Something about this track, eh?

SCOTT McLAUGHLIN: Yep. Maybe I need to move to Florida. I don’t know what it is. I love this place. Great way to start our year.

We did this last year, and I proceeded to have the worst year of my life. I’m just focused on execution tomorrow and the rest of the season. This is one little step. Just really proud of the execution because I felt like we nearly actually missed Q1. We were right on the buffer there, and the car was terrible. It was nice to tune it up and get it right and then it become one of my favorite cars I’ve had around here.

It’s a testament to Raul and the camaraderie that we’ve built already and the understanding for each other, and that can only grow from here.

Q. What kind of adjustments did you make?

SCOTT McLAUGHLIN: We were firing springs in the thing and front wing changes and everything. We threw the kitchen sink at it between Q1 and Q2, made it a little bit better through Q2, scraped into the Fast Six, and then it was just a matter of executing for the Fast Six and have some fun with house money we like to call it, so it was fun.

Q. Scott, I wanted to go back to the practice in the morning. We had this heavy rain yesterday night. Did you feel any big difference when you had practice in the morning with the grip level?

SCOTT McLAUGHLIN: Yeah, grip level was definitely lower, lower than what we tend to expect here Friday to Saturday morning. So that was a challenge in itself.

But I was very happy with my car on Friday. It’s handy when you come to a street circuit and you’ve had a decent P1, and that sort of gave me a little bit of confidence heading into qualifying that we knew where we wanted to be. We obviously missed the window when qualifying started, but we knew where to tune or had an idea where to tune to for Q2.

Q. I hope this will not happen, but everything can be possible with the weather. Did you have a conversation with your team about having a rain race tomorrow?

SCOTT McLAUGHLIN: If it rains, it’s the same for everyone. I love the rain. I’m from New Zealand, and it rains half the time there. I think it’s something that I’ve grown up with. I’ve always looked at it, like I said, it’s the same for everyone.

You’ve just got to go out there and try and tune the car to the best of your ability and drive it as fast as you can.

Q. Yesterday when we were doing the media bullpen you had talked about execution, like everything is all about execution. You keep saying that word today. I’m curious how you reel yourself in because we know you can get pretty excited in the car. How do you reel yourself in or how do you feel that and know you’ve got to tame it back to execute?

SCOTT McLAUGHLIN: I know I’m 32, but I guess you could say it’s maturity a little bit, INDYCAR maturity, knowing how long the season is. One sort of pole — it’s quite easy to be 20th next week at Phoenix. It’s INDYCAR racing.

Enjoy the highs, but work hard because it’s so close that people are going to be coming for us tomorrow, and we know how good the 10 car has been and how good everyone else has been for so many years.

For me, I’m just going out there, I’m trying to enjoy driving the car like a little kid again, just doing what I love and telling Raul what I want from the car and what will make me go faster, and we’re doing that.

I didn’t feel good at Q1. I said, I need this, this and this to go faster. He gave me it, and it was about sort of mixing the old potion together and sending it, and it was nice.

Q. When you have the turnover on top of the timing stand, the spotter we talked about yesterday, how reinvigorating is this to you to come out of the gate like this?

SCOTT McLAUGHLIN: Yeah, it’s definitely a refresh. All the guys that I lost are some of my best friends, but they’ve gone on to cooler things for their careers, and I can only wish them well, and now I’ve got guys that can do just the same job, if not better.

I felt like me and TC, it was our first qualifying session together, and I was telling him in spots to stop talking. We’re sort of warming up to each other a little bit, and it was fun.

But yeah, there’s still a lot of — I think there’s a lot of things that we can work on as a group together, but this is a great start.

Q. Speaking of TC, do you get excited when you think of the prospect of the race because that’s a guy who’s been a master here at coming up with the right strategy to keep you up front, so when you think of possibilities of tomorrow, how excited do you get?

SCOTT McLAUGHLIN: Yeah, I’m excited because we’ve got a great car. I think it’s nice to have a guy that you know that’s got the history of choosing the right calls and whatnot, but I’ve also had plenty of those guys on my stand before and won here with Kyle Moyer, who was unreal in that department, too.

The first thing you need is car speed, and for me to make the right moves at the right time, no mistakes, and hopefully we can have a day like we did in 2022.

Q. I know you’re focused on your effort, but to throw a bouquet at Dale Coyne Racing, I don’t know if anybody expected the rookie Dennis Hauger to be third and Grosjean in his first race back to be in the Fast Six, so how impressed are you by what they did?

SCOTT McLAUGHLIN: I was very impressed. This is INDYCAR. It’s competitive. That’s what makes the sport so awesome is the fact that a lower budget team, whatever you want to call it – I’m sure they don’t like me saying that – but at the end of the day it’s well known, and they’re killing it. That was a great effort. I was certainly surprised to see both of them in the Fast Six, but they’ve made some acquisitions over the off-season and got a couple guys that have been pretty deeply entrenched into the sport, as we all know, and been okay.

Q. Curious about the progress you feel Team Penske has made on its street course package, especially with three before the 500 and one directly after?

SCOTT McLAUGHLIN: I’m skeptical to go, yeah, we’ve found — I think for me, it’s going to be waiting until Long Beach. Long Beach was our worst street circuit, I thought personally and I think as a team and probably the biggest gap we had to the Andrettis and maybe the Hondas in some ways.

This is nice, but we know we’re fast here. It’s just a matter of executing — sorry I keep using that word but you’re going to get used to it. Yeah, I’m not counting my chickens before they hatch. It’s okay right now.

Q. How much of a point of emphasis was the street course package over the off-season?

SCOTT McLAUGHLIN: The whole package was, yeah. We need to be better.

Q. Before you’d been on the track, you mentioned that you expected the tire deg to be similar to the 2024 race. Now that you’ve been on both compounds, is that your opinion still?

SCOTT McLAUGHLIN: I’m not sure. I don’t think so. Yeah, I think it’s going to be worse than we think. But I think it’s going to be good enough that you have to run on them long enough, but I think there is a cliff there. But we’ll find out tomorrow morning.

Q. How much is that going to change the race, to have to run on two sets of the alternates?

SCOTT McLAUGHLIN: Yeah, you have to be good on both compounds. Thankfully my car has been pretty similar balance-wise on both compounds. I don’t know on tire deg, but I know certainly when I go out on used reds that it’s certainly a loss, in some ways, but I think we can make do with it.

Tune-In Guide

Sunday

NTT INDYCAR SERIES Warm Up – 9am (ET)/8am (CT)/7am (MT)/6am (PT) – FS1/ INDYCAR Radio Network/SIRIUSXM 218
Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg (100 laps) – noon (ET)/11am (CT)/10am (MT)/9am (PT) – FOX/INDYCAR Radio Network/SIRIUSXM 218

Chevrolet history on the Streets of St. Petersburg

Wins – 9

2024 – Pato O’Ward – Arrow McLaren

2022 – Scott McLaughlin – Team Penske

2020 – Josef Newgarden – Team Penske

2019 – Josef Newgarden – Team Penske

2016 – Juan Montoya – Team Penske

2015 – Juan Montoya – Team Penske

2014 – Will Power – Team Penske

2013 – James Hinchcliffe – Team Penske

2012 – Helio Castroneves – Team Penske

Poles – 10

2025 – Scott McLaughlin – Team Penske

2024 – Josef Newgarden – Team Penske

2022 – Scott McLaughlin – Team Penske

2020 – Will Power – Team Penske

2019 – Will Power – Team Penske

2017 – Will Power – Team Penske

2016 – Will Power – Team Penske

2015 – Will Power – Team Penske

2013 – Will Power – Team Penske

2012 – Will Power – Team Penske

Podiums: 25

Chevrolet driver podiums on the Streets of St. Petersburg: Will Power (5), Josef Newgarden (4), Helio Castroneves (3), Pato O’Ward (3), Simon Pagenaud (3), Juan Montoya (2), Marco Andretti (1), James Hinchcliffe (1), Ryan Hunter-Reay (1), Tony Kanaan (1), Scott McLaughlin (1)

Chevrolet team podiums on the Streets of St. Petersburg: Team Penske (18), Andretti Global (3), Arrow McLaren (3), Chip Ganassi Racing (1)

Laps Led: 754

Chevrolet driver laps led on the Streets of St. Petersburg: Will Power (213), Scott McLaughlin (127), Josef Newgarden (83), Helio Castroneves (73), Juan Montoya (71), Simon Pagenaud (64), James Hinchcliffe (26), Christian Lundgaard (23), Pato O’Ward (23), Oriol Servia (16), Rinus VeeKay (13), Ryan Briscoe (9), Jordan King (5), Tomas Enge (4), JR Hildebrand (3), Mike Conway (1)

Chevrolet team laps led on the Streets of St. Petersburg: Team Penske (640), Arrow McLaren (46), Andretti Global (26), ECR (19), Dreyer & Reinbold Racing (16), Panther Racing (7)

Manufacturer History on the Streets Of St. Petersburg

Wins (with competition)

9 – Chevrolet (2024, 2022, 2020, 2019, 2016, 2015, 2014, 2013, 2012)

6 – Honda (2025, 2023, 2021, 2018, 2017, 2005)

Poles (with competition)

10 – Chevrolet (2025, 2024, 2023, 2020, 2019, 2017, 2016, 2015, 2013, 2012)

5 – Honda (2023, 2021, 2018, 2014, 2005)

Historical Chevrolet in the INDYCAR SERIES information

INDYCAR SERIES Manufacturer Championships (since 1979)
Chevrolet-Powered Wins in the Twin-Turbo 2.2L V6 Era (2012-present)
Chevrolet-Powered Wins – All-Time

About General Motors

General Motors (NYSE:GM) is driving the future of transportation, leveraging advanced technology to build safer, smarter, and lower emission cars, trucks, and SUVs. GM’s Buick, Cadillac, Chevrolet, and GMC brands offer a broad portfolio of innovative gasoline-powered vehicles and the industry’s widest range of EVs, as we move to an all-electric future.

GM Motorsports, including the Cadillac Formula 1® Team develops and proves advanced technologies in the most demanding environments, accelerating innovation in performance, safety, efficiency, and electrification for its production vehicles. Cadillac Racing is one of the leading manufacturers in the IMSA and FIA World Endurance Championships (WEC). Chevrolet competes in single seaters in the US INDYCAR series, and in NASCAR with multiple team partners and drivers. Corvette customer teams compete in GT series across the globe including IMSA and WEC. Learn more at GM.com.

RCR NOAPS Race Recap: Circuit of The Americas

By
Official Release
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Jesse Love and the No. 2 Whelen Chevrolet Team Put Forth Consistent Effort to Earn Top-Five Result at Circuit of The Americas

Finish: 4th
Start: 11th
Points: 2nd

“I felt like Connor Zilisch for the first five laps of a run and thought we were better than Shane (van Gisbergen) on the fire off of Stage 3, but then he just does his witchcraft and doesn’t slow down at all. I kind of lost leverage there on the last restart, but at the end of the day, in these races you can be upset with whoever you want, but you have to put yourself in a position to have that control over their decisions or you don’t. And unfortunately having to restart fourth at the end was probably the worst thing for me and I was opened up to typical stack-ups at the end. I’m a little bummed out with how the day ended because I thought we were good enough to run second or maybe could have beat SVG on a short run or if he slipped up. I’m still really proud of our group. My pit crew overcame some adversity and I’m proud of all the guys on this No. 2 Whelen team. Very few people know how much effort I put into my craft of road racing and to see it almost bear fruit today is exciting for me.” -Jesse Love

Austin Hill and the No. 21 Bennett Transportation & Logistics Chevrolet Team Capture Stage 1 Win and Runner-Up Finish at Circuit of The Americas

Finish: 2nd
Start: 3rd
Points: 1st

“I honestly had so much fun today. These road courses are a blast, and our Bennett Transportation & Logistics Chevrolet was fast all day. I made a lot of mistakes out there but that’s going to happen on these road courses. We were able to get 10 points with the Stage 1 win and then we struggled a little bit in Stage 2 with just trying to figure out what we needed to be better. At the beginning of Stage 3, I didn’t have the greatest restart, but we were able to drive back up to fourth before the caution brought the field back together. On the last restart I did a good job of staying far left. As soon as they all went into Turn 1, I knew they would slide up and I filed in second. Then I had to go to work on SVG. He’s just so good during the first three laps of a run and can get away. I was struggling with front turn for the first two or three laps, which let him get a gap and manage from there. Hats off to those guys. I’ll take a second and move on.” -Austin Hill

Cameo to Curtain Call: Van Gisbergen Wins NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series Focused Health 250

By
Official Release
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Shane van Gisbergen celebrates with his JR Motorsports teammates after winning Saturday’s NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series Focused Health 250 at Circuit of The Americas in Austin, Texas. Photo credit: Harold Hinson Photography.
  • NASCAR Cup Series driver Shane van Gisbergen takes JR Motorsports to Victory Lane for his fifth career O’Reilly Auto Parts Series win and first at NASCAR at COTA.
  • 17-year-old Brent Crews has strong series debut with a sixth-place finish for Joe Gibbs Racing.

AUSTIN, Texas (Feb. 28, 2026) – Shane van Gisbergen made a cameo appearance in the NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series on Saturday at Circuit of The Americas and turned it into a show-stealing victory.

The fulltime NASCAR Cup Series driver for Trackhouse Racing joined JR Motorsports as a NASCAR at COTA weekend road-course ace and played the part to perfection, dominating the Focused Health 250. Van Gisbergen led a race-high 31 of the 65 laps en route to a 0.780 of a second victory over runner-up Austin Hill of Richard Childress Racing.

Sammy Smith of JR Motorsports, Jesse Love of Richard Childress Racing and Corey Day of Hendrick Motorsports rounded out the top five, respectively. Seventeen-year-old Brent Crews made his O’Reilly Auto Parts Series debut with Joe Gibbs Racing and turned in a strong performance with a sixth-place finish.

For van Gisbergen, it was his fifth career series victory, all of which have come on road or street courses, and first NASCAR national series win at COTA. Van Gisbergen will look for the weekend sweep when he starts 13th in Sunday’s marquee event, the DuraMAX Texas Grand Prix Powered by RelaDyne (2:30 p.m. CT, TV: FOX, Radio: PRN, SiriusXM).

“I learned a lot today and tried some different techniques, and I hope it will help tomorrow,” van Gisbergen said. “I was driving as fast as I could … I think Connor (Zilisch) was definitely faster when he caught me early on and then he kind of went off in the first stage. Yeah, I was experimenting, trying all kinds of stuff, but it was all for a good intention. I wasn’t really playing around, but it’s good when you have a car like that and you’re in a position like that and can experiment and learn a lot.”

Connor Zilisch, his Trackhouse Racing rookie teammate and weekend mate with JR Motorsports, started on the pole and was looking to win the Focused Health 250 for the second consecutive year. Van Gisbergen, who started second, gave notice that he would be one of his primary threats by stealing the point from Zilisch for the opening five laps. Zilisch rebounded to lead the next 12 laps, but it was Hill who would take the first stage while van Gisbergen was 10th.

Sam Mayer of the Haas Factory Team edged out Crews for second-stage honors while van Gisbergen moved into position for the final stint by taking fifth. He shined in that final stage, leading 18 of the 25 laps with the only cause for concern coming on a restart on Lap 61 following a caution.

While the majority of the field pitted, Nick Sanchez of AM Racing and Justin Allgaier of JR Motorsports stayed out and led the field to the restart. Smith, who restarted third, pushed his way into the lead heading into the Turn 1 left-hander, but carried too much speed and was forced to go wide on the exit. Meanwhile, van Gisbergen, who restarted sixth, deftly moved inside and came out of the first turn with the lead and never looked back.

In IMSA action, Wyatt Brichacek of Toney Driver Development dominated the weekend, winning both P3 class races from the pole and leading every lap of both 45-minute timed races. Westin Workman of RAFA Racing duplicated the feat in the GSX class with a pair of poles and wins and leading every lap.

Up Next: The weekend culminates with Sunday’s DuraMAX Texas Grand Prix Powered by RelaDyne NASCAR Cup Series race beginning at 2:30 p.m. (TV: FOX, HBO max; Radio: PRN, SiriusXM).

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McLaughlin Starts Penske Rebound With St. Pete Pole

By
Official Release
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ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (Saturday, Feb. 28, 2026) – Scott McLaughlin helped Team Penske put memories of a tough 2025 NTT INDYCAR SERIES season into the rearview mirror Saturday by starting 2026 with the NTT P1 Award for the Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg.

New Zealand native McLaughlin earned his 12th career pole and third in the last five years on this 14-turn, 1.8-mile temporary street circuit, leading the Firestone Fast Six with a best lap of 1 minute, .5426 of a second in the No. 3 DEX Team Penske Chevrolet.

SEE: Qualifying Results

Team Penske underwent a turbulent 2025 season, marked by the dismissal of three team executives after an illegal modification of a part was discovered before the Indianapolis 500 presented by Gainbridge. The team won just two races, with McLaughlin being shut out of Victory Lane for the first time since his rookie season in 2021.

“Raul (Prados), my new engineer, gave me a great car,” McLaughlin said. “But we have a lot of experience here with a great car, as well.

“Just really pumped. Everybody knows the slog we went through last year, so to start on this note is fantastic. Bloody good, bloody good.”

Another driver on the comeback trail, 2022 Indianapolis 500 winner Marcus Ericsson, will join McLaughlin on the front row of the 100-lap race Sunday (noon ET, FOX, FOX One, FOX Deportes, FOX Sports app, INDYCAR Radio, Powered by OnlyBulls) after his best lap of 1:00.5621 in the No. 28 Delaware Life Honda of Andretti Global. Ericsson has finished 15th and 20th in the standings in his first two seasons, respectively, with Andretti Global after three consecutive sixth-place finishes from 2021-23 with Chip Ganassi Racing.

Rookie Dennis Hauger led arguably one of the best performances in the history of Dale Coyne Racing by qualifying a stunning third, leading both DCR cars in the Firestone Fast Six for the first time since 2022. 2025 INDY NXT by Firestone champion Hauger’s best lap was 1:00.5743 in the No. 19 Ault Block Chain Honda as he became the first driver to make the Firestone Fast Six in their series debut since Christian Lundgaard in 2021.

Reigning and four-time NTT INDYCAR SERIES champion Alex Palou will defend his 2025 St. Petersburg victory from the fourth starting position after a best lap of 1:00.6842 in the No. 10 DHL Chip Ganassi Racing Honda.

David Malukas continued a strong debut weekend with Team Penske as one of the team’s two drivers in the Firestone Fast Six. Malukas, who replaced two-time series champion Will Power this offseason at Penske, qualified fifth at 1:00.7638 in the No. 12 Verizon Team Penske Chevrolet.

Romain Grosjean marked his return to the NTT INDYCAR SERIES after a one-year hiatus and his return to Dale Coyne Racing after his 2021 series debut with the team by rounding out the top six at 1:01.3462 in the No. 18 BMax Honda.

Last year’s runner-up in the standings, Pato O’Ward, didn’t advance past the second round of qualifying. He will start eighth in the No. 5 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet.

O’Ward wasn’t the only series star to falter before the Firestone Fast Six. Multiple series champions Scott Dixon and Josef Newgarden were eliminated in the first round.

Six-time series champion Dixon will start 16th in the No. 9 PNC Bank Chip Ganassi Racing after a slide at the start of his final qualifying lap of the first session. It’s the first time he was eliminated in the opening round of qualifying at this race since 2013.

Two-time series champ and two-time St. Petersburg winner Newgarden will start 23rd in the 25-car field in the No. 2 Astemo Team Penske Chevrolet.

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