Chencharu Central Residences A Testament to Luxurious Continuity
Building upon the success stories of Gem Residences and Ola, Chencharu Central Residences emerges as a beacon of upscale living, strategically developed by the esteemed trio of Evia Real Estate, Gamuda Land, and Ho Lee Group. This new venture at Chencharu Close is not just another condominium; it’s a holistic environment designed to enrich the lifestyle of every resident.
Chencharu Central Residences encapsulates the essence of premium living, offering a serene escape from the urban rush while maintaining connectivity to Singapore’s vibrant city life. With its sophisticated design and attention to detail, the project continues the legacy of its predecessors by focusing on quality and sustainability.
Chencharu Central Residences: Crafting a Legacy of Exclusive Living
The design and development of Chencharu Central Residences draw heavily on the insights gained from Gem Residences and Ola. Both projects are known for their thoughtful layouts, high-end amenities, and strong community feel. Similarly, Chencharu Central Residences emphasizes spatial efficiency and aesthetic integrity, ensuring that each unit is a sanctuary of comfort and elegance.
Innovative Design Inspired by Luxury Predecessors
Like its successful predecessors, Chencharu Central Residences incorporates state-of-the-art design features that promote both style and functionality. The architectural finesse displayed across the property reflects a modern lifestyle aligned with luxurious standards. Residents can expect top-tier amenities that cater to both relaxation and active living, including landscaped gardens, a fully-equipped gym, and bespoke recreational areas.
Chencharu Central Residences: A Prime Location at the Heart of Connectivity
The strategic positioning of Chencharu Central Residences cannot be overstated. Located at Chencharu Close, this high-end residential development offers seamless access to major transportation hubs, esteemed educational institutions, and lush green parks. This perfect fusion of convenience and tranquility makes Chencharu Central Residences an attractive proposition for families and professionals alike.
Seamless Integration into a Thriving Community
Chencharu Central Residences is more than just a place to live; it’s a vibrant community designed to foster connections and enhance the social fabric. The integrated living approach ensures that residents enjoy a balanced lifestyle, benefiting from both private retreats and public social spaces. This community-centric design has been a hallmark of Evia Real Estate and Gamuda Land developments, resonating well with modern homebuyers seeking a connected and interactive living environment.
Chencharu Central Residences: Commitment to Sustainable Urban Living
In line with the sustainable ethos of its developers, Chencharu Central Residences adopts green building practices and technologies that minimize environmental impact while maximizing energy efficiency. The commitment to sustainability is evident in every aspect of the development, from the construction materials selected to the energy-saving features integrated throughout the property.
Enhancing Living Standards through Green Innovation
The focus on sustainability at Chencharu Central Residences extends beyond mere compliance with environmental standards. Innovative solutions such as rainwater harvesting, solar panels, and smart home technologies are implemented to enhance the living standards of residents while contributing to the global eco-friendly movement. This forward-thinking approach ensures that Chencharu Central Residences not only offers a luxurious living experience but also supports the well-being of the planet.
Chencharu Central Residences stands as a testament to the enduring legacy of its developers – Evia Real Estate, Gamuda Land, and Ho Lee Group. Through a blend of luxurious design, strategic location, and commitment to sustainability, this new development continues the lineage of estee
Justin Allgaier’s rocky start to this year’s NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series’ Chase continued following an early exit amid an on-track accident in the Focused Health 302 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway on Saturday, October 3, that has placed his championship hopes on a cautionary watch.
The 2024 O’Reilly champion from Riverton, Illinois, qualified in seventh place for Saturday’s event at Sin City. He spent the entire first stage period racing within the bottom half of the top-10 mark on the track before he notched a single stage point by settling in 10th place at the first stage’s conclusion.
After restarting in eighth place to commence the second stage period on Lap 53, Allgaier tried to use the outside lane to gain strong launches and momentum from the turns to the straightaways, but he maintained eighth place on the track for the following lap.
Then on Lap 54, Allgaier’s event came to a crashing end when Brandon Jones, a Chase contender and former teammate of Allgaier, got loose through the first two turns while he was trying to maintain fourth place in front of a stacked field. Jones’ brief slide through the turns quickly followed suit with the latter veering to the right and colliding head-on into the outside wall and in front of Allgaier, who could not avoid Jones’ entry.
The damage to both Allgaier’s No. 7 BRANDT Chevrolet Camaro entry along with Jones’ No. 20 Menards Toyota Supra entry was enough to have the drivers’ entries towed behind the wall and both to make the mandatory trip to the infield care center while also eliminating their opportunities of contending for the victory.
For Allgaier, his early accident knocked him out of contention of what had appeared to be a competitive run towards the front for the Illinois veteran. It also added another sting to his up-and-down start to the Chase mired with a single top-five result through the first three Chase events.
“Obviously, we’ve had lots of speed everywhere we’ve gone all year,” Allgaier said after being released from the infield care center on the CW Network. “Just to start the Chase off like this has been pretty frustrating, but blessed to still come out here and do this. We’re gonna go next week and bring another great race car to the racetrack and go try and win another race. Disappointing end to a day that I thought we were making some headway. Pit crew was on it. All the things were coming together. Just nothing to show for it.”
Following an extensive repair period, Allgaier would return to the track with 85 laps remaining and cycle his entry for a single lap to overtake Jones for 34th place in the leaderboard before he retired from further competition as he was unable to meet the minimum speed following repairs under NASCAR’s Damaged Vehicle Policy (DVP).
Prior to Las Vegas, Allgaier was ranked in the runner-up spot in the 2026 Chase standings and he trailed points leader Sheldon Creed by 11 points. After Las Vegas, Allgaier, who currently holds an average-finishing result of 17.5 through the first four Chase events, dropped two spots to fourth place and he trails Creed by 30 points.
With Las Vegas in the rearview mirror, Allgaier shifts his attention to the next Chase event at Charlotte Motor Speedway in Concord, North Carolina, for the Blue Cross NC 250 to rally from his rocky Chase start and reel in from his points deficit to remain in championship contention. In 24 previous starts at Charlotte, Allgaier has achieved 13 top-10 results and a single victory, the latter of which occurred in May 2023, as he also strives to add a second victory in NASCAR’s backyard to his illustrious resume.
The 2026 Blue Cross NC 250 at Charlotte Motor Speedway is scheduled to occur next Saturday, October 10, at 4 p.m. ET on the CW Network, PRN Radio and SiriusXM.
Corey Day rim-rode and scrubbed his way to a thrilling NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series victory over Carson Kvapil in the Focused Health 302 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway on Saturday, October 3.
The 20-year-old Day from Clovis, California, led six times for a race-high 136 of 201 scheduled laps in an event where he qualified on pole position, barely led the first lap from Sheldon Creed and was outdueled by the latter over the next eight laps before Day reassumed the lead on the ninth lap. Day went on to win the first stage period before being shuffled back to fifth to start the second stage period. Despite not leading throughout the latter stage, he muscled his way to a runner-up result behind Sam Mayer.
Restarting in third place at the start of the final stage period with 103 laps remaining, it only took two laps for Day to return atop the leaderboard. Amid a late cycle of green-flag pit stops, where Day pitted with 57 laps remaining before he cycled back to the lead five laps later, he was then mired in lapped traffic as the laps dwindled. This allowed Carson Kvapil to reel in for a late challenge.
Day then lost the lead to Kvapil with 11 laps remaining while mired in heavy lapped traffic, but regained it a lap later after a strong run from the outside lane and a crossover move through the backstretch. As Kvapil used the inside lane to mount side-by-side challenges in the closing laps, Day used the outside lane while nearly rim-riding towards the outside wall to maintain a slight advantage through the straightaways. Then on the final lap, Day brushed the outside wall twice (once through the first two turns and again through the final two turns), but used the outside lane to his advantage as he fended off Kvapil to notch a thrilling victory and maintain his championship hopes.
With on-track qualifying that determined the starting lineup occurring on Saturday, Corey Day secured his second O’Reilly Auto Parts Series career pole position with a pole-winning lap at 180.856 mph in 29.858 seconds. Sheldon Creed, winner of the recent O’Reilly event at Bristol Motor Speedway and current points leader, qualified in second place with a lap of 180.741 mph in 29.877 seconds.
Before the event, Garrett Smithley and William Sawalich dropped to the rear of the field after unapproved adjustments to their entries.
When the green flag waved and the event commenced, Corey Day and Sheldon Creed dueled for the lead in front of the field that had fanned and scattered out through the first two turns along with the backstretch. Amid his side-by-side duel with Creed, Day led the first lap by 0.035 seconds. Creed would then motor ahead of Day and lead the second lap while Rajah Caruth navigated his way into third place. Behind, a tight battle for fourth place between Brent Crews, Sam Mayer, Brandon Jones, Justin Allgaier, Jesse Love and Taylor Gray ensued, with Crews retaining the spot as both Mayer and Jones gave chase behind Crews’ rear bumper. With Jones slipping to seventh place, Creed led by three-tenths of a second over Day by the fifth lap.
On the ninth lap, Day battled and reassumed the lead from Creed. Day led by nearly four-tenths of a second over Creed for the following lap as Caruth, Mayer, Crews, Love, Jones, Gray, Carson Kvapil and Justin Allgaier pursued in the top-10 spots, respectively. Meanwhile, Austin Hill, Parker Retzlaff and Sammy Smith were the three lowest-running Chase contenders on the track in the early stages as they were mired in 12th, 16th and 19th, respectively, while Day proceeded to extend his lead to nine-tenths of a second over Creed at the Lap 15 mark.
By Lap 19, Caruth battled Creed for the runner-up spot after spending the previous handful of laps reeling in the latter. With a power move to the inside lane through Turns 3 and 4, Caruth was then able to slide in front of Creed and defend the latter’s charge through the frontstretch for the former to retain the runner-up spot. In the process, Mayer reeled in and overtook teammate Creed for third place before he pursued Caruth for the runner-up spot. Meanwhile, Crews retained fifth place over Love, Jones, Gray, Allgaier and Ryan Sieg while Kvapil dropped to 11th place. As Mayer continued to pursue Caruth for the runner-up spot, both Crews and Love started to challenge Creed for fourth place while Day continued to lead by nearly two seconds.
Through the first 30 laps, Day was leading by more than two seconds over Caruth while Mayer, who also trailed Day by more than two seconds, trailed Caruth by half a second. Behind, Love was in fourth place ahead of Jones and Crews while Creed slipped to seventh place. Gray, Ryan Sieg and Allgaier occupied the remaining top-10 spots over Austin Hill, Kvapil, Harrison Burton, Jeremy Clements and William Sawalich while Retzlaff, Anthony Alfredo, Dean Thompson, Brennan Poole and Sammy Smith rounded out the top-20 spots, respectively.
Five laps later, Mayer executed a bold slide-job move in front of Caruth through Turns 3 and 4 and prior to the frontstretch to assume the runner-up spot despite having Caruth draft the latter through the frontstretch. With Mayer starting to slowly build a gap over Caruth, Day was leading by more than three seconds, and he stabilized the advantage at the Lap 40 mark while Mayer, Caruth, Love and Jones trailed in the top five, respectively.
When the first stage period concluded on Lap 45, Day cruised to his third O’Reilly stage victory of the 2026 season. Mayer, Caruth, Jones, Love, Crews, Ryan Sieg, Gray, Austin Hill and Allgaier completed the top-10 spots, respectively. By then, eight of 12 Chase contenders (Day, Mayer, Caruth, Love, Jones, Gray, Hill and Allgaier) notched the event’s first round of stage points, while the remaining Chasers, including Kvapil, Creed, Sammy Smith and Retzlaff, settled in 12th, 14th, 18th and 20th, respectively. In addition, 24 of 36 starters scored on the lead lap.
During the event’s first-stage break, the lead-lap field, led by Day, pitted for service. After the pit stops, Jones exited pit road first, followed by Caruth, Love, Mayer, Day, Crews, Sawalich, Allgaier, Gray and Ryan Sieg, respectively.
The second stage period started on Lap 53 as Jones and Caruth occupied the front row. At the start, Jones was quickly pinned in the middle of a three-wide move from Caruth and Mayer for the lead, with Mayer rocketing ahead with the lead. Caruth and Day would navigate their way into second and third on the track while Jones was trying to maintain fourth place in front of a stacked field for a full lap. Then during the next lap (Lap 54), Jones’ strong run at the front went south when he got loose in front of teammate Crews, veered sharply to the right, and collided with the outside wall along with Allgaier, thus leaving both O’Reilly Chase contenders with heavy damage to their respective entries and knocking both out of contention.
The event’s next restart on Lap 62 featured Mayer retaining the lead from the inside lane through the first two turns while Caruth and Day battled for the runner-up spot in front of Kvapil, Sawalich and the field. Amid Caruth’s crossover attempts entering the frontstretch, Mayer led the next lap and retained the lead over the latter while Day also maintained third place. With the top-three contenders separated by within four-tenths of a second by Lap 65, Kvapil, Gray, Sawalich, Creed and Crews trailed the lead by a second from positions fourth through eighth while Jeremy Clements and Austin Hill followed suit in the top 10 of Ryan Sieg, Love, Sammy Smith, Harrison Burton and Kyle Sieg, respectively.
At the Lap 70 mark, Mayer was leading by two-tenths of a second over a hard-charging Caruth while third-place Day trailed Mayer by six-tenths of a second and Caruth by four-tenths of a second. Behind, Kvapil and Gray occupied the remaining top-five spots over Sawalich, Creed, Clements, Crews and Love while Hill and Sammy Smith were in 12th and 14th, respectively. Meanwhile, Retzlaff, who made an unscheduled pit stop just past the Lap 60 mark to have a flat tire addressed, was mired just within the top-30 mark while a lap down as Mayer proceeded to extend his lead over Caruth up to nine-tenths of a second on Lap 75. With Day assuming the runner-up spot over Caruth shortly after, Mayer’s advantage grew by more than a second on Lap 80.
When the second stage period concluded on Lap 90, Mayer captured his second O’Reilly stage victory of the 2026 season. Day, Caruth, Kvapil and Clements settled in the top five while Sawalich, Crews, Love, Gray and Ryan Sieg were scored in the top 10, respectively. By then, six of 12 Chasers (Mayer, Day, Caruth, Kvapil, Love and Gray) notched the event’s second round of stage points while the remaining Chasers on the track, including Austin Hill, Sammy Smith, Creed and Retzlaff, were scored in 12th, 13th, 15th and 23rd, respectively.
During the event’s second stage break period, the lead lap field led by Mayer returned to pit road for service. Following the pit stops, Sawalich exited pit road first, and he was followed by Kvapil, Mayer, Love, Caruth, Day, Crews, Clements, Sammy Smith and Harrison Burton, respectively. During the pit stops, Mayer and Caruth were penalized and sent to the tail end of the field due to an uncontrolled tire violation.
With 103 laps remaining, the final stage period commenced as Sawalich and Kvapil occupied the front row. At the start, Sawalich motored ahead with the lead from the inside lane through the first two turns. He then managed to slide up the track entering the backstretch and stall Kvapil’s charge. This allowed Day to move into the runner-up spot over Kvapil as Sawalich led the next lap. Shortly after, Day side-drafted and overtook Sawalich for the lead for the next lap, with the former leading with 100 laps remaining.
Down to the final 90 laps, Day was leading by four-tenths of a second over Kvapil while third-place Sawalich trailed by more than a second. Behind, Clements retained fourth place over Love, Crews, Hill, Sammy Smith, Ryan Sieg and Harrison Burton, while Mayer navigated his way up to 12th place behind Gray. Meanwhile, Caruth battled Creed for 14th place while Retzlaff was mired the first competitor a lap down in 24th place.
Ten laps later, Day extended his advantage up to more than a second over Kvapil while Sawalich, Crews, Clements, Love, Hill, Sammy Smith, Gray and Ryan Sieg followed suit in the top 10, respectively. Meanwhile, Mayer and Caruth trailed in 11th and 14th, respectively, and Creed trailed Caruth in 15th place. Retzlaff was scored the second competitor a lap down in 24th place, while Allgaier, who briefly returned on the track to overtake Jones (who had retired since Lap 54) for 34th place, officially retired for the event’s duration.
Another 15 laps later, Day stabilized his advantage by more than a second over Kvapil while Crews trailed in third place by four seconds. Meanwhile, Love, who trailed the lead by five seconds, occupied fourth place over Sawalich, Clements, Hill and Gray while Mayer was up into ninth place ahead of Ryan Sieg and Sammy Smith. With Caruth and Creed remaining in 14th and 15th, respectively, Day led by more than two seconds with 60 laps remaining.
Shortly after, a late cycle of green-flag pit stops slowly commenced as Gray pitted from the top-10 mark. Dean Thompson and Sammy Smith also pitted with Gray before Crews, Mayer, Harrison Burton and Caruth pitted during the following lap. Runner-up Kvapil, Love, Sawalich, and Ryan Sieg all pitted with 57 laps remaining before Day surrendered the lead to pit the next lap, along with Clements and Austin Hill. As the cycle of pit stops continued, Anthony Alfredo and Jeb Burton, both of whom had yet to pit, took brief turns leading, with Alfredo pitting with 55 laps remaining and Burton being overtaken by Day with three laps remaining. With the lead back in his possession, Day led by more than a second with 50 laps remaining.
Down to the final 40 laps, Day maintained a late advantage by more than a second over Kvapil while third-place Crews trailed by more than four seconds. Behind, Love and Gray occupied the top-five spots while Mayer was up into sixth place. Meanwhile, Caruth moved into the top-10 in 10th place behind Clements, Sawalich and Ryan Sieg, while Hill, Creed, Sammy Smith and Retzlaff were scored in 12th, 14th, 15th and 22nd, respectively.
With 30 laps remaining, Day added another second to his advantage as he led by two seconds over Kvapil. Behind, third-place Crews trailed by nearly five seconds and fourth-place Love trailed by more than nine seconds. The rest of the lead lap field, starting with fifth-place Gray, trailed by double digits as only 15 of 36 starters scored on the lead lap. Over the next five laps, Hill overtook Caruth for 10th place while Day had his advantage slightly drop to just above a second over Kvapil. With both Hill and Caruth overtaking Ryan Sieg to move into top-10 spots, Kvapil reeled in on Day, the latter of whom was struggling to navigate through lapped traffic, including Sammy Smith, for the lead by four-tenths of a second with 20 laps remaining.
As the event reached its final 15-lap mark, Day stabilized his advantage by four-tenths of a second over a hard-charging Kvapil while third-place Crews trailed by five seconds. Then three laps later, Kvapil, who continued to reel in on Day as Day was mired in more heavy traffic, including Creed, got beneath Day through the frontstretch. Both Day and Kvapil dueled for the lead for a full circuit until Kvapil used the inside lane to motor his No. 1 Bass Pro Shops Chevrolet Camaro entry ahead through the frontstretch with 10 laps remaining. Day then used the outside lane to gain a strong, momentous launch through the first two turns before he did a crossover move beneath Kvapil and stormed the No. 17 HendrickCars.com Chevrolet Camaro entry back ahead entering Turns 3 and 4 for the following lap.
As Kvapil continued to remain within striking distance behind Day’s rear bumper, Day led by two-tenths of a second with five laps remaining. Kvapil then used the inside lane to draw even with Day through the first two turns a lap later, but Day used the outside lane to mount ahead with the advantage through the straightaways. Both competitors used their respective lanes to mount side-by-side challenges as the laps dwindled.
When the white flag waved and the final lap started, Day and Kvapil were neck and neck for the lead as they even made contact through the front stretch. While side-drafting Day prior to entering the first two turns, Kvapil appeared to motor ahead from the inside lane, but Day used the outside lane to ignite his charge prior to the backstretch. Despite scrubbing the outside wall, Day maintained his momentum to remain dead even with Kvapil. Following a brief duel through the backstretch, Day used the outside lane and a final scrub exiting Turns 3 and 4 to motor ahead of Kvapil. This allowed Day to beat Kvapil by 0.287 seconds to cash in on a thrilling victory in Sin City.
With the victory, Day notched his third NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series career win in his 39th start, his first victory since Dover Motor Speedway in mid-May, and he became the third competitor to achieve three-plus O’Reilly victories this season. He also recorded the 25th O’Reilly victory of this season for Chevrolet and the third of this season for Hendrick Motorsports.
Before Las Vegas, Day was in sixth place in the 2026 O’Reilly Auto Parts Series’ Chase standings and trailed the points lead by 92 points. With his Las Vegas victory, the Californian jumped to fifth place, and he trails the lead by 41 points with five Chase events remaining this season.
Photo by Brecken Stock for SpeedwayMedia.com.
“I just was so tight there to end,” Day said on the frontstretch on the CW Network. “I was so scared I was gonna go down there and plow on the bottom and let [Kvapil] by me and then, just have no run. Man, just a great car. We struggled over the summer to tell you the truth. We won Talladega and Dover there pretty close. It just went dry, so it feels really good. A dominant day for us, for sure. That was badass. I knew we’d be able to be a title contender from the start of the year, but like I said, just had a dry summer there. We’re getting things rolling back in the right direction. My [No. 17] guys brought me a phenomenal race car. That’s a big part of it. We’ll just keep working.”
Meanwhile, Kvapil, who nearly achieved his third O’Reilly career victory, settled for a runner-up finish for a sixth time in his career and a second time this season. Despite being disappointed to fall short in his late duel with Day for the win, Kvapil, like Day, made a big gain in the Chase standings, jumping from third to second. He now trails points leader Sheldon Creed by 19 points.
“There at the end, I thought [Day] was pretty stout,” Kvapil said. “He seemed to be kind of matching us or just barely pulling us. Some of that lapped traffic held him up there. I was able to find some speed in the bottom of [Turns] 1 and 2. Just never really tried the fence right, so I knew once I got in front of him, the only thing I could do to be best for me was probably just run the bottom. He just did a really good job running the top and hit perfect corner. It hurts, but I feel like we were in position. Just didn’t get a good run off of Turn 4.”
The fourth NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series’ Chase event of the 2026 season featured 15 lead changes for nine different leaders, and three cautions for 21 laps. In addition, 13 of 36 starters finished on the lead lap.
Jesse Love navigated to a third-place finish, while Brent Crews (highest-finishing non-Chaser) and Taylor Gray finished in the top five. Sam Mayer rallied to sixth place in the final running order, while Jeremy Clements, William Sawalich, Austin Hill and Anthony Alfredo completed the top 10, respectively.
With six of 12 Chase contenders (Day, Kvapil, Love, Gray, Mayer and Hill) finishing in the top 10 on the track, the remaining Chasers, including Rajah Caruth, Sheldon Creed, Sammy Smith, Parker Retzlaff, Justin Allgaier and Brandon Jones, settled in 11th, 13th, 15th, 19th, 34th and 35th, respectively.
*During the post-race technical procedure, Brandon Jones was disqualified due to his No. 20 Menards/Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota Supra entry having four or more lug nuts not secured. As a result, he was demoted from 35th to 36th in the final running order.
Race Results:
Corey Day, 136 laps led, Stage 1 winner
Carson Kvapil, three laps led
Jesse Love
Brent Crews
Taylor Gray
Sam Mayer, 40 laps led, Stage 2 winner
Jeremy Clements
William Sawalich, five laps led
Austin Hill
Anthony Alfredo, two laps led
Rajah Caruth, two laps led
Ryan Sieg
Sheldon Creed, seven laps led
Harrison Burton, one lap down
Sammy Smith, one lap down
Dean Thompson, one lap down
Brennan Poole, one lap down
Lee Pulliam, two laps down
Parker Retzlaff, two laps down
Kyle Sieg, two laps down
Jeb Burton, two laps down, two laps led
Andrew Patterson, two laps down
Matt DiBenedetto, two laps down
Patrick Staropoli, three laps down
Garrett Smithley, three laps down
Lavar Scott, three laps down
Joey Gase, three laps down
Josh Williams, four laps down
Ryan Ellis, four laps down
Josh Bilicki, six laps down
Blaine Perkins, eight laps down
Blake Lothian, nine laps down
Mason Maggio, 26 laps down
Justin Allgaier – OUT, DVP
Dawson Cram – OUT, Transmission
Brandon Jones – Disqualified, Accident, four laps led
*Bold indicates Chase Drivers
Following the fourth Chase event of the 2026 NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series season, Sheldon Creed continues to lead the standings by 19 points over Carson Kvapil, 21 over Jesse Love, 30 over Justin Allgaier, and 41 over Corey Day. The rest of the 12-car Chase field is displayed below.
Chase Standings:
Sheldon Creed
Carson Kvapil -19
Jesse Love -21
Justin Allgaier -30
Corey Day -41
Sam Mayer -52
Taylor Gray -90
Sammy Smith -94
Austin Hill -99
Parker Retzlaff -117
Brandon Jones -137
Rajah Caruth -146
Next on the 2026 NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series schedule is the Blue Cross NC 250 at Charlotte Motor Speedway in Concord, North Carolina. The event is scheduled to occur next Saturday, October 10, and air at 4 p.m. ET on the CW Network, PRN Radio and SiriusXM.
Ford Racing Notes and Quotes NASCAR Cup Series South Point 400 Qualifying — Las Vegas Motor Speedway Saturday, October 3, 2026
Ford Qualifying Results:
7th – Austin Cindric 12th – Ryan Preece 14th – Chris Buescher 16th – Brad Keselowski 20th – Ryan Blaney 23rd – Joey Logano 27th – Todd Gilliland 30th – Zane Smith 35th – Josh Berry 36th – Noah Gragson
BRAD KESELOWSKI, No. 6 Consumer Cellular Ford Mustang Dark Horse – “I’ll fire us off. I know there are probably three things you probably want to ask me about. I’m gonna take the easiest one first. I just ran at Las Vegas. I don’t know where we’re gonna end up on the board, but my car is really good and I’m excited about it. We’ve had a lot of changes with the team, obviously, over the last few weeks and I feel like our cars are reasonable and this is one of the best cars I’ve had at Vegas in a while, so I’m looking forward to getting going on Sunday.
The second part, you’re gonna ask me about everything that happened this week. That’s okay. I’d ask the same questions. There’s a lot I can’t talk about at this time. It’s got to play out, but it’s been a hell of a ride. I’ve enjoyed everything I’ve gotten to do with RFK and my career is not over by any means. There are a lot ot things to still work out. I can’t really go into details of how we got to where we are, at least not at this time until a few more things kind of develop, which probably brings me to the third part of where I’m going and what I’m gonna do.
I’ve had a pretty good idea that this was in the works for the last few months. I’ve had a few people reach out before then and I’m just kind of gathering all the opportunities to see what makes sense and then we’ll make a decision in the next couple of months or so. So, that’s kind of the lowdown. I obviously can’t talk too much about all things RFK, but I appreciate the interest. It’s been an interesting week to say the least, full of highs and lows. I’ve been pleasantly surprised by the different fan reactions and media attention this has garnered. I did not expect that, but I appreciate it and we’ll see what it goes. With that, I’ll stop.”
HOW DID IT GET TO THIS POINT? “Again, I can’t go too much into all things RFK, at least not today.”
WHAT CAN YOU GO INTO? “Really nothing, other than what’s been put out in the statement at this point.”
WHY IS NOW THE TIME FOR THE ANNOUNCEMENT AND TO PART WAYS? “I had a five-year contract with RFK Racing and this was the end of the contract.”
ARE YOU WORRIED ABOUT YOUR FUTURE? “Any athlete should be worried about their future in a sport that has churned. I wouldn’t say I’m not worried, but I like some of the things that have been thrown at me and I’m waiting at a few more things to be thrown at me and I think I’m gonna be okay.”
ANY INTEREST IN BEING A TRIPLE CROWN CHAMPION IN NASCAR? “Absolutely. I’m not ready to divulge any of that yet, but that’s something I’m absolutely interested in. That’s not my only interest, so we’ll see what plays out.”
DO YOU HAVE TO BE BOUGHT OUT OF YOUR CURRENT OWNERSHIP DEAL TO SIGN WITH A NON-FORD TEAM? “I’m still working through that, so I really don’t have an answer to that at this point.”
IS THIS THE END OF BRAD KESELOWSKI AS AN OWNER IN THIS SPORT? “Doubtful. We’ll see. I can’t answer that right now.”
DO YOU STILL WANT TO BE AN OWNER? “I still love this sport and I want to be around long after my days of driving are done, so we’ll see.”
IS THERE ANY PATHWAY WHERE YOU’RE STILL IN THE 6 CAR NEXT YEAR? “I can’t comment on that at this time.”
WHAT HAVE YOU LEARNED OVER YOUR FIVE YEARS IN THIS ROLE? “A bunch. I hate to see the experience go through this kind of road bump. It’s part of the process and I understand that, but I’ve grown through this process. I’m super comfortable with my abilities to own and operate a team. I feel like I can do it at the highest levels. I’m bullish on the future to do it. That wouldn’t have been possible without this experience.”
WAS THAT FIVE-YEAR CONTRACT AS A DRIVER AND SEPARATE FROM BEING AN OWNER? “Yes.”
ARE YOU CONFIDENT YOU WILL BE DRIVING SOMETHING NEXT YEAR? “When I’m in a vehicle in Daytona I’ll be confident of that, but right now I think there’s enough interest where I’m not saying I’m not sweating it, that’s not true. There are things to work through, but there’s enough interest to where I’m confident that I’ll be somewhere next year.”
BUESCHER DIDN’T SEEM TO THINK YOU WOULDN’T HAVE DONE THIS IF YOU DIDN’T HAVE A PLAN. “I like Chris. He’s a good guy despite my Consumer Cellular commercial. I like Chris.”
DO YOU FEEL YOU WILL BE IN CUP OR ARE YOU OPEN TO OTHER THINGS? “I’m open to everything. I’m just gonna look for the best opportunity that comes at me and then make a decision from there.”
WAS THE OWNERSHIP OPPORTUNITY EVERYTHING THAT WAS PROMISED TO YOU WHEN IT STARTED? “Again, I’m not gonna get into all things RFK – not at this time.”
ARE YOU GOING TO RACE FULL-TIME FOR SURE? “I don’t know. Like I said, the next month or two things will become a lot clearer and then I’ll cover it from there.”
DID YOU TALK TO ANYBODY LIKE ROGER BEFORE YOU MADE THIS DECISION? “No, but I’ve got a lot of phone calls over the last few days as you can imagine, but I think there were some people that were caught off guard by things that happened here over the last few days and that generated a lot of phone calls, but we’ll see what happens.”
HOW DIFFICULT IS IT TO WALK AWAY FROM WHAT YOU’VE BUILT THE LAST FIVE YEAR? “I’m really proud of the things that we’ve done and the people that I’ve been able to work with and see grow and develop and some of the turnaround story of the company and team. That’s been the thrill of a lifetime to be a part of. You always hate to leave that, lose that, whatever that might be, but it is part of life. It’s kind of like leaving high school, but that’s where we are.”
ARE YOU SETTLED RIGHT NOW? DO YOU FEEL OKAY ABOUT EVERYTHING? “I’m not settled in the sense of having something done, and I know that’s probably one of the questions and a lot of people this week have probably made some assumptions. No, I don’t have anything signed for next year. Like I said, I’m just gonna evaluate everything and see which one makes the most sense.”
BUT YOUR HEART, YOU ARE GOOD. “Yes, I am. I am gonna be okay.”
IS YOUR PRIORITY AT THIS POINT TO WIN RACES IN ANY SERIES VERSUS STAYING IN CUP SPECIFICALLY? “I don’t know if I’ve made that decision yet on what my priority is. Like I said, I just want to evaluate the opportunities and I’ll go where my heart takes me.”
WHAT HAVE BEEN THE EMOTIONS FOR YOU THIS WEEK? “I was really pleasantly surprised by the fan and media reaction. I didn’t expect that, particularly with everything going on related to the Chase and so forth. Probably my biggest emotion just being at the racetrack is humbled to have that level of support. That doesn’t mean that’s the only emotion through the whole process. There have probably been a few moments of anger over the last few weeks as the realities of this have become clearer, but I’m in a good spot now.”
A LOT OF PEOPLE IN THE COMPANY SAID YOU CAME IN AND CHANGED THE MINDSET. WHAT ARE SOME OF THE WAYS YOU DID THAT? “Some of that is IP related, so I don’t want to get too deep into that, but I think seeing the culture transform into one that was probably more around tier three to fringe tier one. That’s everything. That’s what this sport is. It’s the people drive where you go and seeing that happen and being a part of it is really fun.”
NO HOODIE RULE? “Yeah, year. I probably got a little flack over that. I have my own quirks, but, yes, the no hoodie rule was one of them.”
WHAT WAS IT LIKE BEING WITH THE TEAM TODAY? “No. There’s been a lot of transition in the team over the last few weeks as well with different people – crew members, pit crew members, crew chiefs – and so that transition with those people has made it easier for this transition in kind of a weird way.”
HOW INVOLVED WERE YOU IN THE COMPETITION PROCESS? “My role with RFK was obviously to drive the 6 car. I had a partial ownership of the team alongside that and kind of lastly is kind of competition director of sorts, which is more of a vision role than it is a day-to-day role. I’m not in the building ordering steel on a Tuesday and there’s a lot of people that are doing the actual work. My job was more around the vision of the company and trying to lock people into who we are and what we want to be, whether that was recruiting or the other side I wish may not so pleasant, but more strategic for sure.”
WHAT DID YOU LEARN FROM JACK ROUSH? “Jack’s number one strength, without a doubt, is he is steadfast in his desire for accountability in all aspects of the business. That was great to see and great to learn from.”
HOW WAS IT WORKING WITH THE FENWAY SPORTS GROUP? “John Henry is a great guy. I’ve spent some time with him and his family and he’s always been really kind to me considering everything else he has in his portfolio, and that’s probably where I would stop.”
WHAT IS THE BIGGEST THING YOU’VE LEARNED THAT YOU WANT TO EMPLOY IN YOUR NEXT OPPORTUNITY? “There are a lot of key learnings, things that I didn’t really fully grasp until I got in the role. One of the biggest thing for me that kept me from being a Cup owner five, 10 years earlier outside of the tremendous team that I had around me at Penske was the vices that I carried from owning a truck team. On that side, the fight to generate sponsorship and to garner the support you needed to get on track was just a dogfight. It was really, really difficult and I carried that bias and that assumption into my probably hesitation to do something at the Cup level at the ownership level and once I finally got into it I was like, ‘Oh, no. This is different.’ So, it was probably my biggest key learning was to break any of the biases that I had from owning a truck team, and then on the flip side there are things that are harder. There are a lot of things that are actually easier on the Cup side than owning the truck team was, so I’m really thankful for that. There were a few things that were harder and you learn how to work through that, particularly the management of such a large group of people – 200-plus people versus 30 or 40 that runs a truck team – so I think breaking those biases was the biggest learning for me.”
WHO HAS BEEN YOUR BIGGEST SUPPORTER THROUGH THIS WHOLE PROCESS? “I don’t know it’s still pretty early. I’ve had a number of people reach out, friends, family. It kind of sounds sappy to say, but always my mom. God bless moms.”
WHAT ABOUT THE DRIVERS. SEVERAL CAME IN AND PRAISED YOU. WHAT KIND OF MESSAGES HAVE YOU RECEIVED AND WERE YOU EXPECTING THOSE MESSAGES? “Not necessarily. Like I said, I didn’t expect anybody to really pay as much attention. I’m just glad that people care. I’ve turned the page pretty quick into what’s next rather than where we’re at today, so I haven’t put a lot of thought into all that stuff. I’m not that sentimental.”
YOU ARE A BIG BELIEVER IN FAILING FORWARD. HOW WILL YOU FAIL FORWARD FROM THIS POINT? “We’ll see in the next 60 days, but I’m pretty confident it’s gonna be good.”
WHY WERE YOU SURPRISED ABOUT THE ATTENTION THIS GOT? “I don’t know. We all live in our own bubbles and I’m no different than anyone else. It’s so different on social media – we’ll come out with a post and we think, ‘Man, this is gonna do great.’ And nobody follows it. And then there will be one that we kind of just throw out there and it blows up. We have no idea. I don’t know what people care about and what they don’t. I live in my own bubble and you generate those understandings forward and they don’t always carry to others.”
WAS THIS YOUR DECISION OR WAS IT MADE FOR YOU? “I would say that it will become clear in time and I’ll be able to share more about that later.”
AUSTIN CINDRIC, No. 2 Autotrader Ford Mustang Dark Horse – “I definitely think that was our best intermediate qualifying of the year. We were in the thirties this time in the spring, so our guys did a great job. Having a good draw helps as well, going out that late gives a lot of confidence to watch other cars and know what to do. I thought we made a lot of progress in a short amount of time in our Autotrader Ford Mustang in practice and obviously it showed in qualifying trim.” DO YOU FEEL WHAT YOU LEARNED LAST WEEK IS APPLYING SO FAR THIS WEEKEND? “It’s hard to tell. With today’s temperatures being so wide-ranging, it will be interesting to see what a long run looks like. Nobody really got a long run in due to the cautions in practice, so it was pretty impressive to see some of the fire off pace of some of the other cars, at least from our sake definitely not hoping that doesn’t translate for the race because obviously qualifying well, but the qualifying trim stuff and making sure we can hang on restarts and stuff. It seemed like our long run pace was decent, but we kind of never got to see it. I’m excited for tomorrow and see what we can translate.” HOW WAS THE TEMPERATURE OUT THERE? “It honestly doesn’t feel that hot. I know I’m sweaty and stuff, but so is everybody who has been sitting outside. We’ve had worse this year. The Darlington-Gateway back-to-back stretch, that one was rough, but, otherwise, not too bad.”
Josh Berry, driver of the No. 21 eero Ford Mustang Dark Horse, was involved in an accident during practice and provided the following comments after being released from the infield care center.
JOSH BERRY, No. 21 eero Ford Mustang Dark Horse – A LOT OF LEFT-REAR TIRE ISSUES IN THIS PRACTICE. WAS THAT YOUR ISSUE? “Yeah, I’m fine first of all. I wasn’t sure if it was the left-rear or the right-rear. I thought it was the left-rear, but when I got loaded up into one and two on the bottom I just felt a few vibrations and then it was gone. I definitely didn’t feel it coming otherwise I would have come in, so it was unfortunate to have that happen. The guys will work hard this evening and get us a car together and we’ll do the best we can tomorrow.” HAVE YOU HAD A CHANCE TO TALK TO YOUR TEAM ABOUT A BACKUP? “I’m sure it’ll be a backup car. It was a pretty good hit. I haven’t had a chance to talk to them yet, but they’ll put in the work and do the best they can to get us setup for tomorrow and we’ll try to make something of it.”
TOYOTA RACING – Denny Hamlin NASCAR Cup Series Quotes
LAS VEGAS (October 3, 2026) – Joe Gibbs Racing driver Denny Hamlin was made available to the media on Saturday after winning the pole for the NASCAR Cup Series race at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.
A few stats on this qualifying effort:
This is the first 1-2-3-4 qualifying sweep in JGR’s history. This is the second Toyota top-five sweep in qualifying (Indianapolis 2025) This is the third straight Las Vegas race where Toyota has swept at least the top-three in qualifying. This is Denny Hamlin’s second straight fall Las Vegas pole, and fifth pole this season.
DENNY HAMLIN, No. 11 National Debt Relief Toyota Camry XSE, Joe Gibbs Racing
Denny, was there anything out there on the track that surprised me after getting the car out there doing practice?
“Not really. The track was hot, and as we thought. Qualifying had quite a bit more lifting to it than what we had in the previous races. So I was a little more nervous going into this qualifying session, because I knew my job as a driver was going to be more crucial, because when this track is cool, and you can run wide open, then it’s more about executing your upper shifts and things like that, and then hitting the lines. Well, here (turns) 3 and 4 the cars were absolutely handful, which we saw, a few washed up the racetrack, and the team nailed the balance right where they needed to, and we executed as good as I could on the racetrack.”
Could you talk about the importance of this starting position?
“Yeah, it is important, and the races that we’ve really succeeded well here, we’ve started up front, and, so yeah, I mean, today was executed by the team perfectly, how we approached the week, and the adjustments we made to the car for temperature seemed to be really good changes, and I couldn’t ask for today to go a whole lot better than it did.”
How do you think your balance will be for tomorrow’s race?
“Yeah, I mean, the good news is – today wasn’t much different, and it won’t be much different from what we have tomorrow. I think that it was a good practice session with all the cars out there and you had an hour and change, it seems like. So, I think that what you had today is what you’re going to have tomorrow. It just didn’t seem like there’ll be a whole lot of difference. I like my car today, and hopefully, I’ll like it tomorrow, but obviously, the track position certainly matters, and we got to keep it.”
Do you feel like this is a race weekend where Toyotas have control?
“I don’t know about in control. I understand that I’m not blind. I can see the results of qualifying. I think that that was a good preparation by, it seemed like the Toyotas preparing for what racetrack we were going to have today. Today was really a balance type of your speed came with balance, and it seemed like we all, guessed pretty well on balance this week. So, once it gets in the race, you just never know. I mean, there was some Toyotas that were good, some that were not good in practice today. I don’t know that necessarily means that they’re all going to run one through six or whatever. That’s why they play the game for sure.”
Who else stood out from practice?
“All the normal, normal characters. I mean, nobody new that I could pay attention to, but I didn’t get to analyze anybody but kind of some Toyotas, so that was all I really looked at.”
How much of advantage is it to start on the pole here?
“It certainly is. I think we’ll be in traffic a little more at this racetrack than historically, we’re in traffic more here than Kansas. I talked about this earlier, this track is pretty narrow. The groove in (turns) one and two, is, like, two and a half cars wide. So there’s not a whole lot of escaping, the dirty air that does come from the lead car. So I just hope we’re the ones putting off that wake, but you just never know this sport is week by week, and we’re all guilty of overreacting on Mondays about what we just saw over the weekend, but, you know, the 5 (Kyle Larson) car could easily just drive right up through there and pass us and win the race again. You never know, or we could do the same thing he did last week.
We just don’t know. If we all knew, then you guys should, there’s a place with big buildings. You go place your bets and go make a lot of money.”
With 14 Chase cars up front, does that mean the racing will be tamer or does that make it crazier?
“Yeah, it seems like it’s getting like this week after week, and I’ve been part of many different playoffs and championships where – Chase guys usually make their way to the front, but, like, it seems like they’re really dominating those top 14, 16 spots week in, week out. Pretty consistently. I don’t know what everyone’s mentality is going to be. I mean, if you’re someone 140 back, you probably have a different mentality than someone that’s leading by 26. So I think everyone is a little bit different, but certainly, we’re going to find out together.”
About Toyota
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MADISON, Ill. (Oct. 3, 2026) – Funny Car’s Jack Beckman powered to the top in front of a sellout crowd on Saturday at World Wide Technology Raceway, securing his third No. 1 qualifier of 2026 for John Force Racing at the 15th annual NAPA Auto Parts NHRA Midwest Nationals.
Shawn Langdon (Top Fuel), Troy Coughlin Jr. (Pro Stock) and Gaige Herrera (Pro Stock Motorcycle) also qualified No. 1 at the 17th of 20 races during the 2026 NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series season and the third of six races in the Countdown to the Championship playoffs.
Beckman went 3.866-seconds at 332.59 mph in his 12,000-horsepower PEAK Chevrolet SS to open Saturday, holding off the field to get his 36th career top qualifier.
The veteran and past world champion will open eliminations against Dale Creasy Jr., looking to win in St. Louis for the second time in the past three years. He also entered the weekend fifth in points for John Force Racing and 126 points behind leader Matt Hagan, which puts the standout in the position where he needs a win – and to get some help along the way.
“Relative to the conditions, that pass was probably one of the best runs of the year,” Beckman said. “We weren’t pushing to run an .86. We got everything there was out there — maybe a little bit more. The racing gods gave us a hundredth in Q3. We weren’t pushing to run an .86, but we got everything there was out there.
“We’ve got a car that’s basically good enough to win all the time. It’s just about eliminating that small stuff — that hundredth of a second, that five-thousandth of a second that can eat you alive. Every qualifying run matters. We’ve got to keep doing stuff like that.”
Alexis DeJoria, points leader Matt Hagan and Austin Prock all ran identical 3.882, but it was DeJoria who qualified second with the best speed of the trio. Hagan is third and Prock follows in fourth.
Searching for his fourth straight victory in the midst of a spectacular Top Fuel season, points leader Shawn Langdon secured his seventh No. 1 of the season when Friday’s stellar run of 3.679 at 339.87 in his 12,000-horsepower Kalitta Air dragster held up through Saturday’s two sessions.
Langdon has won the first two races of the Countdown to the Championship and has three straight victories dating back to Indy. It’s his second three-race winning streak of the year, but a fourth consecutive victory would go a long way to handing Langdon, who made a strong run in the third qualifying session, his second world title. He’ll open eliminations against Tony Schumacher, looking to pick up an eighth win this year and keep his playoff run perfect.
“The car’s been really consistent making good runs, so in Q4 we pressed it a little bit to see where the threshold was,” Langdon said. “It had good early numbers. We were trying to go probably low .70s there, and it just smoked the tires down track.”
Antron Brown qualified second with a 3.704 at 334.90 and Maddi Gordon’s 3.708 put her third. The rookie’s 340.65 during qualifying also set a track speed record.
In Pro Stock, Troy Coughlin’s incredible resurgence in the Countdown to the Championship continued in St. Louis, as he picked up his first No. 1 position in three years thanks to Friday’s stout, track-record run of 6.473 at 211.69 in his JEGS Pro Stock car for Elite Motorsports.
Coughlin got back on track in a major way to open the playoffs, winning the Countdown opener in Martin and that momentum has continued in St. Louis as he looks to remain a threat in the championship conversation. He delivered quick and consistent runs throughout qualifying and will attempt to get his second win in three races on Sunday.
The first round of eliminations means a matchup with Chris Vang, and Coughlin is eager to keep this hot streak going.
“It feels awesome. To be at this facility — this place is so much fun to race at — this one will definitely go down as a good one in our hearts. We can’t wait for race day,” Coughlin said. “It’s a lot of fun to see everybody’s work pay off. Everything comes and goes in cycles, and to see the perseverance, persistence and consistency these guys possess is fantastic.
“It’s difficult to struggle, but struggle brings growth. Those are stepping stones for growth, and I think that’s the way we all view it. The fruits of their labor are starting to show, and the grins are getting bigger and bigger. What a great time to really turn the corner like this.”
Points leader Greg Stanfield qualified second with a 6.474 at 210.93 and six-time world champ Greg Anderson is third after going 6.470 at 210.50.
Pro Stock Motorcycle’s Gaige Herrera already had the track record at World Wide Technology Raceway, but the two-time world champion decided to blow the doors off it to close out qualifying, going a spectacular 6.644 at 202.76 on his RevZilla/Motul/Vance & Hines Suzuki.
It was a massive run and certainly sent a message going into eliminations, as Herrera will open raceday against Malcolm Phillips Jr. The tremendous run also gave Herrera, who is currently second in points, his third No. 1 qualifier of the season as he looks to go on a late-season run to win a third world title.
“It felt really good. It stuck, and I was kind of waiting for it to spin the tire a little bit, but it didn’t. I could feel like it was really moving,” Herrera said. “To go .64 and only be two-hundredths off the national record I set in Dallas a couple years ago is pretty crazy. I thought maybe a .65 if everything aligned, but not a .64.
“That’s a testament to Andrew (Hines, crew chief) and his tuning ability and all the guys at the shop. Those numbers on the board are bragging rights for them. I’m just happy I get to ride the motorcycle.”
Matt Smith took the second spot after going 6.663 at 202.70, while Joey Gladstone, riding for Jianna Evaristo, is third with a 6.695 at 201.37. Points leader Richard Gadson is seventh with a 6.729 at 202.06.
Eliminations for the 15th annual NAPA Auto Parts NHRA Midwest Nationals begin at 10 a.m. CT on Sunday at World Wide Technology Raceway.
MADISON, Ill. — Sunday’s first-round pairings for eliminations for the 15th annual NAPA Auto Parts NHRA Midwest Nationals at World Wide Technology Raceway, the 17th 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, 3.679 seconds, 339.87 mph vs. 16. Tony Schumacher, 3.842, 320.20; 2. Antron Brown, 3.704, 337.24 vs. 15. Clay Millican, 3.760, 323.19; 3. Maddi Gordon, 3.708, 340.65 vs. 14. Will Smith, 3.742, 332.75; 4. Spencer Massey, 3.715, 332.67 vs. 13. Jasmine Salinas, 3.741, 327.11; 5. Billy Torrence, 3.716, 338.00 vs. 12. Justin Ashley, 3.737, 331.36; 6. Josh Hart, 3.717, 333.41 vs. 11. Tony Stewart, 3.733, 337.50; 7. Shawn Reed, 3.721, 333.49 vs. 10. Doug Kalitta, 3.728, 339.45; 8. Leah Pruett,
3.722, 335.07 vs. 9. Kyle Wurtzel, 3.723, 332.59.
Did Not Qualify: 17. Keith Murt, 3.862, 307.09; 18. Scott Palmer, 3.973, 281.07; 19. Charles Loftin, 4.044, 249.16; 20. Brian Inouye, 4.159, 247.47; 21. Cameron Ferre, 4.169, 228.34.
Funny Car — 1. Jack Beckman, Chevy Camaro, 3.866, 332.59 vs. 16. Dale Creasy Jr., Dodge Charger, 4.234, 238.17; 2. Alexis DeJoria, Camaro, 3.882, 334.65 vs. 15. Bobby Bode, Ford Mustang, 4.047, 319.90; 3. Matt Hagan, Charger, 3.882, 335.07 vs. 14. Terry Haddock, Mustang, 4.028, 315.19; 4. Austin Prock, Mustang, 3.882, 332.84 vs. 13. Ron Capps, Toyota GR Supra, 3.994, 327.35; 5. J.R. Todd, GR Supra, 3.898, 336.07 vs. 12.
Blake Alexander, Toyota Supra, 3.958, 327.66; 6. Chad Green, Mustang, 3.906, 329.99 vs. 11. Spencer Hyde, Mustang, 3.945, 327.35; 7. Jordan Vandergriff, Camaro, 3.906, 329.26 vs. 10. Cruz Pedregon, Charger, 3.928, 321.27; 8. Daniel Wilkerson, Mustang, 3.921, 325.22 vs. 9. Dave Richards, Mustang, 3.923, 333.74.
Did Not Qualify: 17. Chris King, 4.265, 244.34; 18. Jack Wyatt, 7.299, 94.35.
Pro Stock — 1. Troy Coughlin Jr., Chevy Camaro, 6.473, 211.69 vs. 16. Chris Vang, Camaro, 6.548, 209.79; 2. Greg Stanfield, Camaro, 6.474, 211.93 vs. 15. Mason McGaha, Camaro, 6.548, 210.87; 3. Greg Anderson, Camaro, 6.479, 210.50 vs. 14. Kenny Delco, Camaro, 6.531, 209.95; 4. Aaron Stanfield, Camaro, 6.481, 211.49 vs. 13. Deric Kramer, Camaro, 6.531, 211.10; 5. Matt Hartford, Camaro, 6.486, 210.73 vs. 12. Stephen Bell,
Camaro, 6.510, 209.65; 6. Eric Latino, Camaro, 6.487, 211.46 vs. 11. Dallas Glenn, Camaro, 6.498, 210.93; 7. Jeg Coughlin, Camaro, 6.488, 210.47 vs. 10. Matt Latino, Camaro, 6.495, 210.70; 8. Cody Anderson, Camaro, 6.489, 209.49 vs. 9. Erica Enders, Camaro, 6.491, 211.63.
Pro Stock Motorcycle — 1. Gaige Herrera, Suzuki, 6.644, 202.76 vs. 14. Malcolm Phillips Jr., Suzuki, 6.895, 192.36; 2. Matt Smith, Buell, 6.663, 203.12 vs. 13. Geno Scali, Suzuki, 6.865, 195.42; 3. Joey Gladstone, Buell, 6.695, 202.45 vs. 12. Kelly Clontz, Suzuki, 6.841, 199.29; 4. Angie Smith, Buell, 6.696, 201.01 vs. 11. Marc Ingwersen, EBR, 6.830, 199.43; 5. Ryan Oehler, EBR, 6.699, 202.21 vs. 10. Clayton Howey, Buell, 6.783, 197.88; 6. John Hall, Buell, 6.707, 202.03 vs. 9. Steve Johnson, Suzuki, 6.745, 199.02; 7. Richard
Gadson, Suzuki, 6.729, 202.06 vs. 8. Chase Van Sant, Suzuki, 6.742, 200.59.
Denny Hamlin cashed in on the Busch Light Pole Award for the South Point 400 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway in Las Vegas, Nevada, on Saturday, October 3.
The event’s starting lineup was determined through an on-track qualifying session that consisted of a single-car, single-lap qualifying format. During the session, each of the 36 competitors vying for 36 starting spots cycled around Las Vegas once to post the fastest lap amongst one another. The competitor who posted the single fastest lap was awarded the pole position.
During the session, Hamlin, who was the third-fastest in practice earlier on Saturday, clocked in a lap of 186.787 mph in 28.910 seconds during his single-lap session. Hamlin’s lap was enough for the three-time Daytona 500 champion from Chesterfield, Virginia, to notch his first Cup pole position in three months.
With the pole, Hamlin notched his 53rd career pole position in the NASCAR Cup Series division, his fifth of the 2026 season and his second at Las Vegas, the latter of which have occurred in the fall Vegas event in back-to-back seasons. Hamlin has also won the previous two Cup events at Vegas as he strives to notch his third consecutive victory in Sin City at the conclusion of Sunday’s main event.
Hamlin, who is ranked in the runner-up spot in the 2026 Chase standings, trails Kyle Larson by 26 points as he strives to utilize the pace and balance acquired and managed throughout practice and qualifying towards the main event and reel in his points deficit to Larson and contend for his first Cup Series championship.
“[The car] was good,” Hamlin said. “It had a lot of really good characteristics of cars I’ve had here in the past and I thought we improved on that slightly this time around. All the deficiencies that we did have. I feel like it’s pretty good and obviously, we’ve got a long way to go, but that’s a great start. [Kyle Larson and his team]’re on a heck of a run right now. It seemed like all of us Gibbs guys kind of nailed our balance there. 23XI [Racing] as well. That’s what really mattered with the track being so hot today. Balance was more of a factor than it had been in qualifying in quite some time. We did a really good job predicting that and we’ll fix it overnight and see what we got.”
Hamlin led a Joe Gibbs Racing sweep of the top-four starting spots for Sunday’s event at Las Vegas. Ty Gibbs, qualified in second place with a lap of 186.677 mph in 28.927 seconds and he will start alongside Hamlin on the front row. Christopher Bell qualified in third place with a lap of 186.220 mph in 28.998 seconds. Chase Briscoe rounded out the Joe Gibbs Racing sweep of the top-four starting spots by notching the fourth-place starting spot with a lap of 186.136 mph in 29.011 seconds.
Tyler Reddick was the fastest non-Joe Gibbs Racing qualifier as he will start in fifth place. Kyle Larson, winner of last weekend’s Cup event at Kansas Speedway and the current Chase leader in the standings, will start in sixth place with a lap of 185.861 mph in 29.054 seconds. Larson is sporting a throwback yellow, blue and red 2007 throwback scheme to his No. 5 HendrickCars.com Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 entry that pays tribute to the late two-time Cup Series champion, Kyle Busch.
Austin Cindric, William Byron, Bubba Wallace and Carson Hocevar completed the top-10 starting grid. With 10 of 16 Chase contenders occupying the top-10 starting spots, the remaining Chasers that include Daniel Suarez, Ryan Preece, Chase Elliott, Chris Buescher, Ryan Blaney and Joey Logano will start 11th, 12th, 13th, 14th, 20th and 23rd, respectively.
Notably, Josh Berry and Noah Gragson were the lone two competitors who did not post a qualifying lap due to both wrecking their respective primary entries during practice.
With 36 competitors vying for 36 starting spots, all made the main event.
Las Vegas – Qualifying Position, Best Speed, Best Time:
Denny Hamlin, 186.787 mph, 28.910 seconds
Ty Gibbs, 186.677 mph, 28.927 seconds
Christopher Bell, 186.220 mph, 28.998 seconds
Chase Briscoe, 186.136 mph, 29.011 seconds
Tyler Reddick, 186.111 mph, 29.015 seconds
Kyle Larson, 185.861 mph, 29.054 seconds
Austin Cindric, 185.287 mph, 29.144 seconds
William Byron, 185.230 mph, 29.153 seconds
Bubba Wallace, 185.077 mph, 29.177 seconds
Carson Hocevar, 185.027 mph, 29.185 seconds
Daniel Suarez, 184.862 mph, 29.211 seconds
Ryan Preece, 184.433 mph, 29.279 seconds
Chase Elliott, 184.426 mph, 29.280 seconds
Chris Buescher, 184.049 mph, 29.340 seconds
Alex Bowman, 183.924 mph, 29.360 seconds
Brad Keselowski, 183.755 mph, 29.387 seconds
Ross Chastain, 183.755 mph, 29.387 seconds
Michael McDowell, 183.755 mph, 29.387 seconds
AJ Allmendinger, 183.511 mph, 29.426 seconds
Ryan Blaney, 183.480 mph, 29.431 seconds
Erik Jones, 183.187 mph, 29.478 seconds
Riley Herbst, 183.125 mph, 29.488 seconds
Joey Logano, 183.113 mph, 29.490 seconds
Cole Custer, 182.599 mph, 29.573 seconds
Shane van Gisbergen, 182.519 mph, 29.586 seconds
Ricky Stenhouse Jr., 181.971 mph, 29.675 seconds
Todd Gilliland, 181.849 mph, 29.695 seconds
Austin Dillon, 181.720 mph, 29.716 seconds
Ty Dillon, 181.372 mph, 29.773 seconds
Zane Smith, 181.281 mph, 29.788 seconds
Connor Zilisch, 180.632 mph, 29.895 seocnds
John Hunter Nemechek, 180.349 mph, 29.942 seconds
Austin Hill, 179.671 mph, 30.055 seconds
Cody Ware, 178.459 mph, 30.259 seconds
Josh Berry, 0.000 mph, 0.000 seconds
Noah Gragson, 0.000 mph, 0.000 seconds
*Bold indicates Chase Drivers
The 2026 South Point 400 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway is scheduled to occur on Sunday, October 4, at 5:30 p.m. ET on USA Network, PRN Radio, SiriusXM and HBO MAX.
Corey Day claimed the pole position for the Focused Health 302 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway in Las Vegas, Nevada, on Saturday, October 3.
The event’s starting lineup was determined through an on-track qualifying session that consisted of a single-car, single-lap qualifying format. During the session, each of the 36 competitors vying for 36 starting spots cycled around Las Vegas once to post the fastest lap amongst one another. The competitor who posted the fastest lap was awarded the pole position.
During the session, Day, who was the 11th-fastest competitor in practice earlier on Saturday, utilized his one-lap qualifying session to clock in a lap at 180.856 mph in 29.858 seconds. Day’s lap was enough for the 20-year-old native of Clovis, California, to notch the second pole position of his O’Reilly Auto Parts Series career and of the 2026 season.
Day, driver of the No. 17 HendrickCars.com Chevrolet Camaro entry for Hendrick Motorsports, is currently ranked in sixth place in the 2026 Chase standings and has achieved two top-five results through the first three Chase events. He also trails the points lead by 92 points and has six Chase events remaining, including this weekend’s event at Las Vegas, to reel in on the points lead and contend for his first championship.
Day will share the front row with Sheldon Creed, the latter of whom is currently leading this year’s Chase standings and has won two of the first three Chase events this year, including the series’ recent event at Bristol Motor Speedway two weeks ago. Creed, who is set to depart Haas Factory Team and join Sam Hunt Racing in 2027, clocked in the second-fastest lap at 180.741 mph in 29.877 seconds.
Joe Gibbs Racing’s Brandon Jones, Brent Crews and Taylor Gray will start in the top five, respectively. Rajah Caruth, Justin Allgaier, Sam Mayer, Carson Kvapil and Jesse Love completed the top-10 starting grid, respectively.
Overall, nine of 12 Chase contenders (Day, Creed, Jones, Gray, Caruth, Allgaier, Mayer, Kvapil and Love) will start in the top 10 for Saturday night’s event at Las Vegas. The remaining Chase contenders that include Austin Hill, Parker Retzlaff and Sammy Smith will start 12th, 17th and 23rd, respectively.
Notably, William Sawalich was the lone competitor who did not post a qualifying lap due to a mechanical issue. Sawalich will round out the 36-car starting grid in 36th place.
With 36 competitors vying for 36 starting spots, all made the main event.
Las Vegas – Qualifying Position, Best Speed, Best Time:
Corey Day, 180.856 mph, 29.858 seconds
Sheldon Creed, 180.741 mph, 29.877 seconds
Brandon Jones, 180.493 mph, 29.918 seconds
Brent Crews, 180.397 mph, 29.934 seconds
Taylor Gray, 180.084 mph, 29.986 seconds
Rajah Caruth, 179.874 mph, 30.021 seconds
Justin Allgaier, 179.736 mph, 30.044 seconds
Sam Mayer, 179.730 mph, 30.045 seconds
Carson Kvapil, 178.024 mph, 30.333 seconds
Jesse Love, 177.713 mph, 30.386 seconds
Harrison Burton, 177.480 mph, 30.426 seconds
Austin Hill, 177.462 mph, 30.429 seconds
Patrick Staropoli, 176.875 mph, 30.530 seconds
Jeb Burton, 176.846 mph, 30.535 seconds
Andrew Patterson, 176.355 mph, 30.620 seconds
Brennan Poole, 176.350 mph, 30.621 seconds
Parker Retzlaff, 176.309 mph, 30.628 seconds
Anthony Alfredo, 176.160 mph, 30.654 seconds
Kyle Sieg, 176.097 mph, 30.665 seconds
Ryan sieg, 175.713 mph, 30.732 seconds
Jeremy Clements, 175.667 mph, 30.740 seconds
Dean Thompson, 175.069 mph, 30.845 seconds
Sammy Smith, 175.058 mph, 30.847 seconds
Blaine Perkins, 175.052 mph, 30.848 seconds
Matt DiBenedetto, 174.695 mph, 30.911 seconds
Lee Pulliam, 174.098 mph, 31.017 seconds
Mason Maggio, 173.310 mph, 31.158 seconds
Josh Williams, 171.478 mph, 31.491 seconds
Ryan Ellis, 171.233 mph, 31.536 seconds
Lavar Scott, 170.794 mph, 31.617 seconds
Garrett Smithley, 170.573 mph, 31.658 seconds
Blake Lothian, 170.234 mph, 31.721 seconds
Joey Gase, 169.035 mph, 31.946 seconds
Josh Bilicki, 168.093 mph, 32.125 seconds
Dawson Cram, 165.548 mph, 32.619 seconds
William Sawalich, 0.000 mph, 0.000 seconds
*Bold indicates Chase Drivers
The 2026 Focused Health 302 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway is scheduled to occur on Saturday, October 3, at 7:30 p.m. ET on the CW Network, PRN Radio and SiriusXM.
Ford Racing Notes and Quotes NASCAR Cup Series South Point 400 Media Availability — Las Vegas Motor Speedway Saturday, October 3, 2026
RFK Racing drivers Chris Buescher and Ryan Preece came into the Las Vegas Motor Speedway infield media center before today’s NASCAR Cup Series practice and qualifying session to meet with reporters. Both discussed the recent news that Brad Keselowski will be leaving the organization as a driver at the end of this season.
CHRIS BUESCHER, No. 17 Castrol Ford Mustang Dark Horse – “Brad has been a great mentor and has meant a ton to our resurgence and getting back to the point where we’re in the playoffs and in the hunt to win races and won a handful of races over the last several years. He will certainly be missed in a lot of ways, and I think that on the other side of it is we’re gonna have to compete against him now. We know what he’s capable of because we’ve been able to experience it week in and week out for a long time. It’s definitely an unfortunate part of how it’s rolling around, but I certainly wish him all the best going forward. Knowing Brad, he’s got a plan. I don’t know what that is, but he doesn’t do anything without a plan.”
IS THIS A BIG BLOW THAT WILL BE HARD TO FILL AT RFK? “Ultimately, no. Brad has been great and has been a huge part of that, but we’ve got a lot of really sharp people and really talented people. We have some roles to fill and we’ll work hard and try to make the best decisions there. If we can get that right, then we’ll be able to keep up and keep pushing forward. We’ve kind of established a great foundation and we owe so much of that to Brad and that will help set us going forward on a strong path.”
WHAT PART OF LOSING HIM IMPACTS THE ORGANIZATION THE MOST? “We’ve talked about it so much through the years. Brad has worn a lot of different hats in front of me, whether it’s the friend side of it, the owner’s side of it, the teammate’s side of it. You’d have a really hard time saying it’s just one thing. That being said, his knowledge and expertise through the years has been instrumental in helping me continue to improve. That’s been my case everywhere I’ve been and all the teammates I’ve had through the years that have been able to gather so much from them and Brad has been just on a step above that, just driving for him and with him over the past five years. We have a little more time under our belts together and it’s led to a lot of success for myself and I’m certainly not losing sight of any of that.”
DID YOU HAVE A HEADS-UP WHAT WAS HAPPENING? “I wasn’t completely in the dark, but it’s not like I knew something was coming down the line. We’ve had some conversations, not to the pinpoint knowledge part of it, but from both sides – from Brad and right before letting me know, and from Chip’s side as well.”
RYAN PREECE, No. 60 Smith’s/Tree Top Ford Mustang Dark Horse – FROM THE OUTSIDE THERE’S A FEELING THAT LOSING BRAD IS A BIG BLOW FOR THE ORGANIZATION AND ONE THAT WOULD BE HARD TO OVERCOME. HOW DO YOU FEEL ABOUT THAT? “For me, I think it’s an opportunity for Chris, myself. Chris has been there for a long time and I feel like we have a lot to say and hopefully it’s gonna help the direction, but Brad has been a great teammate, a great part of their ownership group in rebuilding, but the house needs to keep being built, so we’re gonna keep trying to do everything right and still have success.”
WHERE DOES LOSING HIM AFFECT THE ORGANIZATION THE MOST? “I want to think that most people that are coming to RFK want to work with Chris, myself, Brad and everybody. I think, for me, he was a good teammate. I’ve got nothing but great things to say about Brad, but I understand this sport. I’ve been on the side where things aren’t going your way, so as far as all the other things, that’s probably a question for Chip. For me, I have nothing but good things to say about Brad as a teammate and I’ve really enjoyed racing with him.”
IT SOUNDS LIKE YOU WILL BE IN A CHARTERED CAR NEXT YEAR WE WOULD ASSUME? DOES THAT HELP YOUR COMFORT LEVEL FOR MAKING RACES LIKE THE DAYTONA 500? “I assume. I’m comfortable with being uncomfortable, but it would probably be nice to go to Daytona knowing that we can lock ourselves in without even needing to qualify in the top two. I’ve been a part of that rodeo before. It’s nice to be on the side where you’re chartered.”
WHAT WAS THE IMMEDIATE EMOTION YOU HAD WHEN YOU HEARD? “I think there’s just a lot of questions that we’re working on answering. What I’ll say is this is an opportunity to keep building the house. It’s not gonna get torn down. I see a lot of glass half empty things and I’m a glass half full guy. I think we have a really strong foundation at RFK and right now I’m a racer and it’s taken me too damn long to win races, and I feel like we want to keep going that way.”
TOYOTA RACING – Denny Hamlin NASCAR Cup Series Quotes
LAS VEGAS (October 3, 2026) – Joe Gibbs Racing driver Denny Hamlin was made available to the media on Saturday prior to the NASCAR Cup Series race from Las Vegas Motor Speedway.
DENNY HAMLIN, No. 11 National Debt Relief Toyota Camry XSE, Joe Gibbs Racing
What tracks are you worried about coming up?
“I don’t know. I’m just so week to week. It’s hard for me to look that far forward. I obviously know the schedule, but, I mean, yeah, if I had any issues of any tracks, if it were, if it were Talladega or if it were Homestead, the position that I’m in is dictated off of what I do this weekend. So, full focus is the week to week, truthfully, and that builds you the cushion or the gap that you’re going to end up facing later on when you get to those tracks.”
How critical is it to create a gap from the rest of the Chase field?
“Well, I think ultimately, it’s a numbers game that, of course, if you’re racing less cars, you have a better chance than if you’re racing more. When you had to old final four, it was four cars, and you had a 25% chance. Now there’s percentages would change based off of your track history, how good have you been there and stuff like that. If you can separate yourself by putting really good finishes and wins together early in a Chase, then typically, yeah, you’re going to narrow the field down and narrow the competition down. So that goes back into the do the work now and then you check out the results later, type of mentality. But overall, yeah, it’s all just going to work itself out, however it is, and there’s kind of peaks and valleys to this that some teams had a rough, maybe week or two, and I think that, they could end up going on a run and winning a couple, put themselves right back in it, too. So you just never know.”
Does the weather impact what you bring to the track this weekend?
“We have we have to always evolve, different setups and things like that, for different changes, track changes, tracks aging, things like that. It’s going to be lots of sun, pretty warm, and so a little bit more off throttle time, more than likely than what we’ve had here over the last couple. So, of course, to me, as a driver, I think about my role, what I need to do. It will change this weekend compared to what we’ve had over the last couple, certainly. We’ll find out kind of where the pace is indicative for – the pace is, this time, compared to where it was last time, and kind of play our strategy off of that.”
Do you think still need 40 points per race or has that thought adjusted as you have gone through the Chase?
“Well, it always, I think it’s a reasonable goal. I think that’s what we kind of averaged in the regular season-ish, and we had a really good regular season. So, I mean, if someone’s going to go out there and perform great in the last 10, and negate kind of what they did in the first 25, then that’s great performance. I think that it was a goal set out that I think most people wanted to achieve, and they were on pace for that, but that doesn’t mean that that’s going to be good enough. I’m definitely not driving to a point total. I’m driving to try to get the best result, and then stack as many points as we can. I felt as though if you average it out, that’s what you needed.”
How difficult would it be to add a car for next season at this point?
“I mean, extremely difficult, this late in the game, October 1st-ish. I don’t, yeah, I don’t see how that’d be possible, but nothing, I mean, it certainly wouldn’t be a very strong entry, I wouldn’t think. Adding car is more than just putting that car on the racetrack. You have that personnel, where’s the crew coming from? It takes years and years to get a third car going and going competitively.”
How much do you share between the teams at Joe Gibbs Racing?
“Truthfully, it’s all kind of open between all the race teams. They all each know what each one has. The 19 (Chase Briscoe) just had better track position than I did at the end. I don’t think there was any speed difference between his car and my car. I think he jumped us on a pit stop, and came out ahead of us. He got the front row, that put me now back to the second row. That’s all she wrote from there, and so it just the competition’s so close. It’s all those little, small details that truthfully matter. It seemed like the race kind of played out very well in the 5’s (Kyle Larson) favor of how long the runs were, when he caught traffic. It was the end of the race or the end of the stage, and so, things kind of worked out very interestingly last week, and it worked out perfectly for the 5. We chipped away and stayed right where we were at. Never could get past that hump of where we were, but we always keep track of kind of where all our teammates are, the comments that they have, and how we can improve our speed, if we’re just comparing amongst each other, it’s always analyzing, where I need to be better or where the team needs to be better relative to our teammates, because we know that that is the data mark that we have to pay attention to.”
How does this track challenge you?
“It’s very challenging, because the two corners are just so different. How you approach turn one is far different than how you approach turn three here. This track is far more narrow than a lot of the mile and a half that we have. It’s a super aero-sensitive racetrack, especially in turn one. We have a weekend that’s out of characteristic hot this weekend, so there’s just this track brings so many variables. I think that we’ve been here during windstorms, and there’s all kinds of different weather and stuff, so again, you change a little variable, one thing or another out here in the desert, and it completely changes the racetrack.”
Are you having to readjust what feels like a big gap or small gap in the points?
“If you could win, yes. If you can win, absolutely. If you don’t think you can win, then the gaps are the same as what they were last year, but everyone, I would think, in contention, thinks that they can. So, I would say they feel smaller than years past.”
How do you take the information and get better from the last race you ran there?
“Well, I mean, like Martinsville, just as an example, what you brought up, it was a dominating race, and obviously, a little pit miscue, and a loose wheel there on that final run. But I don’t know, I just, when I prepare, the result really, whatever the result was, doesn’t really matter to me. I certainly know what happened, where we were strong in the spring is no correlation to what we will be eight months down the road. So, I don’t prepare any differently based off of kind of how I ran. I just figure out how I can go faster the next time. Every race is broken down the same. Not much changes based off of the result.”
How do you stay fresh mentally at this point of the season?
“I mean, it’s difficult this part of the year, for sure. Just simply that the wear and the tear, the age, and things like that, it’s a grind, but I’ve actually taken a little more time off. My team really does a good job of front-loading appearances early in the year to that way than give me some more time for the Chase and things like that. So, we always were conscious of saving some in the tank for the last stretch run. I felt like that’s really worked well for us, and that’s something that we approach the same this year. It’s hard, it’s a grind, but you have to go get that extra little bit, that you feel like you don’t have.”
As someone who spent a lot of time with Kyle Busch, will you focus on it more with all of the tributes scheduled to take place?
“Yeah, certainly. I think that this is a place I just know that the Busch brothers, especially, really took a lot of pride in running, wanting to run well here, as their hometown. I like all the tributes and things like that, because just so much in our society, you move on to the next thing, right? Then it’s so easy to forget, and just when you have these tributes that just keep going on, especially throughout the year, it’s, like, a really good reminder, right, that you need to put things in perspective and helps us keep remembering someone that was so big and so influential in our sport. I say keep doing them as long as we can.”
What impact does losing someone like Brad Keselowski do to a team?
“I would find it really, really hard to do what apparently Brad’s (Keselowski) titles were. I just went about it differently in the sense of that I have a grand vision, and then I hired the people to then, you play that out. You make that happen. I’ll put in the big puzzle pieces. You guys fill in all the little ones, and we’re going to create the picture that we want here. I couldn’t imagine having to do my job as a driver, even if I’m even with that team, and then doing Dave Rogers’ (Sr. Director, Competition, 23XI Racing) job also, there is absolutely no way that I’d be able to do it entirely too much work, but we’re not privy to, like, what structure was around them, right? Was he in the building 10 hours a day, like those guys or did he was he doing it to where it was that he had the people in place? I don’t know, it just seems like that would be a really tough task to be the comp director and the driver, because the two are very different. But again, I don’t know if it was just visions and things like that, he was having other people play out. But it’s certainly challenging. Again, I just couldn’t imagine taking on both, and I’ve got a pretty high tolerance for workloads. So, it’ll be something that certainly is going to be a pretty big change over there. Obviously, there was a jump in performance, when he went over there, and whether that be through – could that be manufacturer stuff? Could that be technical stuff? Very wide range of reasons why teams run better after certain times or not, but, you know, the proof will be in what happens years down the road, right? And so, it certainly is going to be a big reset for the whole Roush Fenway group.”
How has the intermediate racing changed as the car has continued to evolve?
“I think the field has just gotten close, because there’s not been any real big rules changes when it comes to, like, major aerodynamics or there’s been no horsepower changes on the big tracks. We’re years and years into this, and if you give teams more than two or three shots at one racetrack, the clump of the lap time is just going to get tighter, and then it becomes the track position racing, like we’ve seen. Now, that doesn’t mean someone can’t overcome it. I mean, fast cars still can make their way through the field, but you’ve really got to build a gap on the field in order to do that. It’s just very hard otherwise.”
Where can you trace your competitiveness too? What has Michael Jordan taught you about being a competitor?
“I think some of it is you’re just, it’s born into genetics. I mean, when I was really young, before I even got into racing, I was absolutely pissed when my grandma would beat me at putt putt (laughter). I’ve always been that way. I’ve always been a really sore loser. I think some of that is genetics, and I think that some of it is, once you get a taste of success – there’s some people that that is their dopamine hit, that then they have to go get more. So then you have to figure out the roadmap to how you’re going to get that. That’s when the competitive side of it starts to kick in. But every person is different. I mean, every person’s drive is different. There’s 36 drivers, and I can tell you, not one of them is the same in their level of how competitive they are. Now, we might be talking in the margins, but everyone’s a little different. Everybody’s want is a little bit different. So, yeah, I don’t know. I blame my parents, I guess, as far as the relationship with Michael (Jordan, co-owner, 23XI Racing), of course, I’ve only got to see him again as retired, Michael. I was not around during his playing days, and so I learned, like, the rest of you about his competitive nature through documentaries and things like that. I understood all of the crazy tyrant things that he would say because it was something, it’d be something I would say. I think we’re very, very similar in that regard, which is why we think very similar lots of times on decisions that we’ve made.”
What do you think of the scheme that Kyle Larson is running? I know you were there when he won at Bristol.
“That one was a heartbreaker. I had that race in the bag. I think my fuel pump cut off. One of the wild things in my career. My fuel pump shut off with a few laps to go, something like that, and I believe it was him and (Jeff) Burton maybe battling at the end, so I definitely remember the car, and certainly it brings back tons of memories and good memories, because that was really fun time in our sport, the fans didn’t think it was a very fun time with that car, but it was really the height of the sport, and a lot of good things going on, and I am really looking forward to seeing it in my camera (laughter).”
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