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Jett Lawrence Captures Unadilla Victory and Reclaims Control of Pro Motocross Championship

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Official Release
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Cole Davies Storms to Fourth 250SMX Class Win to Tighten Title Fight

NEW BERLIN, N.Y. (August 14, 2026) – After the final break of the summer the stretch run of the 11-race Pro Motocross Championship, sanctioned by AMA Pro Racing, got underway from legendary Unadilla MX, with the ninth race of the campaign and Round 26 of the 2026 Monster Energy SMX World Championship. Picture perfect weather conditions greeted riders at the ELF Lubricants Unadilla National, as did one of the largest crowds in the history of the event, which set the tone for an exciting and wild afternoon of racing that saw dramatic shifts in each title fight as Honda HRC Progressive’s Jett Lawrence [#1] captured his fourth win of the season and reclaimed the 450SMX Class points lead along with it. In the 250SMX Class, Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing’s Cole Davies also claimed his fourth win and moved within a single point of reclaiming the championship lead.

450SMX Class

Qualifying

  • It was all Jett Lawrence in morning qualifying as the reigning series champion paced both sessions, posting a rare identical lap time in each session at 2:12.122. That placed him four tenths ahead of his brother, teammate, and championship leader Hunter Lawrence [#96] and his time of 2:12.586. Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Jorge Prado [#26] rounded out the top three [2:12.842], with Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing’s Haiden Deegan [#38] in fourth [2:12.973] to complete a top four within a second of one another.

Moto 1 [30 Minutes + 2 Laps]

  • The premier class stormed out the starting gate for the first time with Deegan out front with the holeshot ahead of Hunter Lawrence, Jett Lawrence, and Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Eli Tomac [#3].
  • Hunter Lawrence got the edge and was able to move into the lead on the opening lap. Deegan fought back initially, but Lawrence asserted his hold of the top spot. Jett Lawrence then began his pursuit of Deegan. Behind the lead trio, Prado made the pass on Tomac for fourth.
  • As Jett looked to make a pass on Deegan the pair almost came together entering a corner, which forced Lawrence to dismount his Honda. He remounted quickly but dropped to fifth as Prado assumed third.
  • Jett made a quick pass around Tomac to claim fourth and looked to erase a double-digit deficit to Hunter Lawrence out front.
  • As Hunter Lawrence solidified a 3.5 second lead on the field Deegan and Prado began a battle for second. Prado bided his time and made the pass.
  • Just past the halfway point of the moto Jett Lawrence closed in on Deegan to begin another battle with the rookie. It was short lived as Lawrence made a quick and easy move to get back into podium position.
  • As time ran out on the race clock, lapped traffic allowed Jett Lawrence to close in on Prado and start a late fight for second. As they entered the track’s infamous and steep uphill-downhill section known as “The Wall,” Lawrence made a decisive move to take the position.
  • Back out front, Hunter Lawrence was in a class of his own and easily captured his 10th moto win of the season by 9.4 seconds over Jett, with Prado in third. Deegan followed in a distant fourth, with Monster Energy Kawasaki’s Garrett Marchbanks [#36] in fifth.

Moto 2 [30 Minutes + 2 Laps]

  • The second moto began with the Lawrence brothers out front, with Hunter leading Jett to the holeshot with Prado in tow.
  • Hunter took advantage of the clear track to open a gap over his brother, as they inched away from Prado. Behind them, Monster Energy Kawasaki’s Cornelius Tøndel [#417] and Deegan battled for fourth.
  • As the opening five minutes came to a close, Prado charged onto Jett’s rear fender to make it a three-rider fight up front. The Spaniard made the pass briefly, but Lawrence countered to reclaim the position. As a result of Prado’s pace, Jett looked to push the pace and pressure Hunter. 
  • The Lawrences then duked it out, as Prado sat patiently behind them. Jett waited for his opportunity and attacked with a quick strike to take the lead with a little more than 20 minutes left on the race clock. Moments later, Prado made the move around Hunter for second. Just a couple seconds back, Deegan started to close from fourth.
  • As the moto reached its halfway point, the top four sat within five seconds of one another, with Jett Lawrence managing a lead of just over a second over Prado.
  • With 14 minutes to go on the race clock Prado closed in on Jett to reignite a battle for the lead. As this unfolded Hunter Lawrence crashed while running third on the steep downhill portion of The Wall. After an extended period to get back on track the points leader eventually resumed but was unable to ride at pace, which caused him to drop down the running order.
  • Back up front, Jett Lawrence withstood the attack from Prado and pulled back out to a lead of nearly two seconds. Deegan, who moved up to third, lost touch and fell more than 10 seconds back.
  • As the moto entered its final five minutes Jett added to his lead and moved more than four seconds ahead of Prado. For Hunter Lawrence, his race officially came to an end as he rode his damaged Honda back to the pits.
  • Jett continued to build on his advantage and soon established a double-digit margin over Prado in the late stages of the moto. He rode to his eighth moto win of the season by 10.7 seconds over Prado, with Deegan nearly a half minute behind in third. Hunter Lawrence was credited with 39th.

Overall

  • Jett Lawrence ended a two-race winless drought, which equals the longest in the premier class, for the 28th overall victory of his career on the heels of a 2-1 performance that dramatically altered the championship.
  • Prado put forth one of his best efforts on American soil with a 3-2 effort that provided him with the third podium finish of the season and his career.
  • Deegan amassed his fourth consecutive podium finish in third following a 4-3 effort. It’s the sixth top three result of his rookie campaign.
  • Hunter Lawrence finished eighth overall (1-39) for his worst finish of the season. It marked the first time in the Pro Motocross premier class that he failed to finish inside the top five. 
  • As a result of Hunter’s misfortune, he lost control of the points lead as Jett moved back atop the standings with two rounds and four motos remaining. Ten points now separate the siblings.

Results & Standings

450SMX Class Overall Results (Moto Finishes // Points)

  1. Jett Lawrence, Landsborough, Qld., Australia, Honda (2-1 // 47)
  2. Jorge Prado, Lugo, Galicia, Spain, KTM (3-2 // 42)
  3. Haiden Deegan, Temecula, Calif., Yamaha (4-3 // 38)
  4. Garrett Marchbanks, Coalville, Utah, Kawasaki (5-4 // 35)
  5. RJ Hampshire, Hudson, Fla., Husqvarna (6-8 // 30)
  6. Dylan Ferrandis, Avignon, France, Ducati (9-6 // 29)
  7. Jed Beaton, Beulah, Tas., Australia, Yamaha (10-9 // 25)
  8. Hunter Lawrence, Landsborough, Qld., Australia, Honda (1-39 // 25)
  9. Justin Cooper, Cold Spring Harbor, N.Y., Yamaha (8-12 // 24)
  10. Justin Barcia, Monroe, N.Y., Ducati (14-7 // 23)

450SMX Class Championship Standings (Race 9 of 11)

  1. Jett Lawrence, Landsborough, Qld., Australia, Honda – 402
  2. Hunter Lawrence, Landsborough, Qld., Australia, Honda – 392
  3. Haiden Deegan, Temecula, Calif., Yamaha – 336
  4. Jorge Prado, Lugo, Galicia, Spain, KTM – 311
  5. RJ Hampshire, Hudson, Fla., Husqvarna – 282
  6. Dylan Ferrandis, Avignon, France, Ducati – 243
  7. Garrett Marchbanks, Coalville, Utah, Kawasaki – 241
  8. Cooper Webb, Newport, N.C., Yamaha – 201
  9. Mikkel Haarup, Silkeborg, Denmark, Triumph – 189
  10. Justin Barcia, Monroe, N.Y., Ducati – 174

SMX World Championship Regular Season Standings (Round 26 of 28)

  1. Hunter Lawrence, Landsborough, Qld., Australia, Honda – 738
  2. Cooper Webb, Newport, N.C., Yamaha – 516
  3. Jorge Prado, Lugo, Galicia, Spain, KTM – 503
  4. Dylan Ferrandis, Avignon, France, Ducati – 419
  5. Jett Lawrence, Landsborough, Qld., Australia, Honda – 402
  6. Garrett Marchbanks, Coalville, Utah, Kawasaki – 388
  7. Ken Roczen, Mattstedt, Germany, Suzuki – 349
  8. Justin Cooper, Cold Spring Harbor, N.Y., Yamaha – 347
  9. Eli Tomac, Cortez, Colo., KTM – 337
  10. Haiden Deegan, Temecula, Calif., Yamaha – 336

Quotes

1st Place – Jett Lawrence | #1 Team Honda HRC Progressive (2-1)
“I’m bummed [that Hunter crashed]. I don’t want to [take the points lead] like this. He was right there. It sucks. It is what it is. I know he’s okay so that’s good, but not how I wanted the day to end up.”
 
2nd Place – Jorge Prado | #26 Red Bull KTM Factory Racing (3-2)
“We had three weeks to work on the bike, and we knew exactly what we had to do. I was convinced we were on the right path with my decisions and today proved it. This was my best performance of the year and now we’re headed in the right direction. Hopefully a win will come soon.”
 
3rd Place – Haiden Deegan | #38 Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing (4-3)
“Just keep working hard and it’ll pay off. I’ve kind of struggled with this track in the past, but we came away with a podium today. We’ll keep working and try to come back better next week.”

250SMX Class

Qualifying

  • With a tightening title fight Monster Energy Pro Circuit Kawasaki’s Levi Kitchen [#47] got his day off to a much-needed strong start with the fastest overall lap of 2:15.262, which came in the first session. He was followed by AEO Powersports KTM’s Caron Mumford [#71], who led the way in the second session with a time of 2:15.995. The top three was rounded out by Monster Energy Pro Circuit Kawasaki’s Drew Adams [#35] with a time of 2:16.360. 

Moto 1 [30 Minutes + 2 Laps]

  • The first moto of the afternoon kicked off with the Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing machine of Casey Cochran [#59] out front with the holeshot ahead of Honda HRC Progressive’s Chance Hymas [#29] and Davies. Kitchen started a few positions back in seventh.
  • Cochran crashed out of the lead and the race on the opening lap, which forced Hymas to stop and avoid him and ultimately allowed Davies to move into the lead. Behind them, Quad Lock Honda’s Brodie Connolly [#144] moved into third, with Kitchen giving pursuit from fourth.
  • Hymas closed back in on Davies to initiate a battle for the lead. Kitchen, meanwhile, battled Connolly for third and made the pass. He faced a deficit of 5.3 seconds to the leader.
  • Over the next few laps Kitchen made inroads on the gap to Davies and Hymas as the fastest rider on the track. That pressure pushed Hymas back onto Davies, forming a three-rider battle at the front.
  • A small bobble by Hymas opened the door for Kitchen to make a quick move for second and set his sights on his championship rival. A few laps later, Kitchen took advantage of a bobble by Davies to capture the lead with a little more than 13 minutes to go. It marked the first time he sat at the front of the field since the third race of the season at Thunder Valley.
  • As Kitchen moved out to a lead of more than five seconds, Hymas challenged Davies for second and made the pass. However, he went down and gave up two positions, remounting in fourth. Davies moved back into second while Mumford slotted into third.
  • Kitchen managed his advantage the rest of the way and carried on to his third moto win of the season by 8.1 seconds over Davies, while Mumford equaled a career-best moto finish in third. Hymas was fourth, with Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing’s Ryder DiFrancesco [#34] in fifth.

Moto 2 [30 Minutes + 2 Laps]

  • The second moto started with Davies out front with the holeshot ahead of Hymas and Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing’s Kayden Minear [#99]. However, all attention was centered on Kitchen, who was forced off the track with several riders entering the first turn and was credited with a 37th-place start.
  • As Davies looked to take advantage of the clear track, Hymas applied heavy pressure. Behind them, DiFrancesco made the move around Minear for third. 
  • After one lap, Kitchen had fought his way to the cusp on the top 20 and looked to start collecting points with each pass made.
  • After the opening 10 minutes Davies had stabilized his lead over Hymas at around two seconds, while DiFrancesco pursued closely from third. Kitchen, meanwhile, fought up to 13th and was one of the fastest riders on the track despite being immersed in heavy traffic.
  • Halfway through the moto, Davies’ lead surpassed three seconds, as the lead duo started to inch away from DiFrancesco. Further back, Kitchen was on the verge of breaking into the top 10.
  • Davies strengthened his hold over the second half of the moto as Hymas easily settled into second. All the while, Kitchen was on a gritty charge well into the top 10. The points leader made a valiant charge into the top six, which paid dividends in both the overall standings and the championship, and made a pass for fifth on the final lap around Connolly.
  • Out front, Davies completed a wire-to-wire performance for his seventh moto win of the season by a margin of 5.3 seconds over Hymas. DiFrancesco fended off a last-lap charge by Mumford for third, while Kitchen was caught off guard in the final turn and conceded fifth to Connolly at the line.

Overall

  • Davies’ 2-1 effort gave him his class-leading fourth overall win of the season and his career.
  • Kitchen’s resilient effort in Moto 2 resulted in an improvement of 31 positions and was enough to land him in the runner-up spot with 1-6 finishes for his fifth podium result of the summer.
  • Hymas rode to a third consecutive overall podium finish in third (4-2) as his second half surge continued.
  • Kitchen’s performance allowed him to keep hold of the points lead and red plate, with just a single point now sitting between him and Davies with two rounds and four motos remaining.

Results & Standings

250SMX Class Overall Results (Moto Finishes // Points)

  1. Cole Davies, Waitoki, New Zealand, Yamaha (2-1 // 47)
  2. Levi Kitchen, Washougal, Wash., Kawasaki (1-6 // 41)
  3. Chance Hymas, Pocatello, Idaho, Honda (4-2 // 40)
  4. Carson Mumford, Simi Valley, Calif., KTM (3-4 // 38)
  5. Ryder DiFrancesco, Bakersfield, Calif., Husqvarna (5-3 // 37)
  6. Brodie Connolly, Tauranga, New Zealand, Honda (8-5 // 31)
  7. Drew Adams, Chattanooga, Tenn., Kawasaki (7-9 // 28)
  8. Caden Dudney, Des Moines, Iowa, Yamaha (6-11 // 27)
  9. Nate Thrasher, Livingston, Tenn., Yamaha (10-12 // 22)
  10. Julien Beaumer, Lake Havasu City, Ariz., KTM (9-13 // 22)

250SMX Class Championship Standings (Race 9 of 11)

  1. Levi Kitchen, Washougal, Wash., Kawasaki – 334
  2. Cole Davies, Waitoki, New Zealand, Yamaha – 333
  3. Julien Beaumer, Lake Havasu City, Ariz., KTM – 290
  4. Ryder DiFrancesco, Bakersfield, Calif., Husqvarna – 275
  5. Chance Hymas, Pocatello, Idaho, Honda – 270
  6. Kayden Minear, Perth, WA, Australia, Yamaha – 240
  7. Carson Mumford, Simi Valley, Calif., KTM – 226
  8. Jo Shimoda, Suzuka, Japan, Honda – 194
  9. Michael Mosiman, Sebastopol, Calif., Yamaha – 146
  10. Casey Cochran, Portsmouth, Va., Husqvarna – 146
  11. Nate Thrasher, Livingston, Tenn., Yamaha – 146

SMX World Championship Regular Season Standings (Round 26 of 28)

  1. Cole Davies, Waitoki, New Zealand, Yamaha – 564
  2. Levi Kitchen, Washougal, Wash., Kawasaki – 511
  3. Ryder DiFrancesco, Bakersfield, Calif., Husqvarna – 439
  4. Seth Hammaker, Bainbridge, Pa., Kawasaki – 314
  5. Chance Hymas, Pocatello, Idaho, Honda – 308
  6. Carson Mumford, Simi Valley, Calif., KTM – 296
  7. Jo Shimoda, Suzuka, Japan, Honda – 294
  8. Julien Beaumer, Lake Havasu City, Ariz., KTM – 290
  9. Nate Thrasher, Livingston, Tenn., Yamaha – 283
  10. Kayden Minear, Perth, WA, Australia, Yamaha – 267

Quotes

1st Place – Cole Davies | #37 Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing (2-1)
“This track was sketchy. I had to get in my flow and step it up. Everyone was riding good, so it was up to me to make it happen like I did. It’s a tight championship now, so we’ll race to the end and hopefully pull it off.”
 
2nd Place – Levi Kitchen | #47 Monster Energy Pro Circuit Kawasaki (1-6)
“I’ve had like 12 [come-from-behind] rides this year. It’s been tough, but I’m trying to stay positive. I’m riding great and that’s good. I’m glad I didn’t crash, because that was sketchy. I don’t know what the points are, but I know it’s close. We’ll regroup, try to come out swinging, and carry this momentum into Budds Creek.”
 
3rd Place – Chance Hymas | #29 Honda HRC Progressive (4-2)
“I definitely want to be there [atop the podium]. I’m getting glimpses of it and it’s getting frustrating, but I’m keeping my head down and going for it. This was one of the most technical tracks of the year and I’m feeling really good on the bike. [A win is] coming for sure, but I’m trying to be patient.”

The 2026 Pro Motocross Championship will continue next Saturday, August 22, with the penultimate round of the SMX World Championship regular season from Southern Maryland’s Budds Creek Motocross Park. The Yamaha Budds Creek National Presented by Carter CAT will feature live network coverage on NBC, starting at 12:30 p.m. PT / 3:30 p.m. ET. Comprehensive live coverage from Budds Creek will air on Peacock, beginning with Race Day Live at 7 a.m. PT / 10 a.m. ET, followed by coverage of the motos at 10 a.m. PT / 1 p.m. ET.

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 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 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 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.

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.

Foster’s New Track Record Earns First Markham Pole

By
Official Release
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Ontario Honda Dealers Indy Markham

MARKHAM, Ontario (Saturday, Aug. 15, 2026) – Second-year NTT INDYCAR SERIES driver Louis Foster shone brightest amid a setting sun as a long first day of the inaugural Ontario Honda Dealers Indy at Markham came to an end.

The driver of Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing’s No. 45 Desnuda Organic Tequilla Honda established a track record in qualifying to earn his second career NTT P1 Award. His lap time around the new 12-turn, 2.1-mile temporary street circuit was 1 minute, 13.2383 seconds, an advantage of four-tenths of a second over Arrow McLaren’s Christian Lundgaard (1:13.6352).

Foster won his first series pole last year at Road America, a permanent road course. He said he has been itching to earn a top starting position on a street circuit, and this one gives him the first look at Sunday’s green flag for a 90-lap race (noon ET, FOX, FOX One, INDYCAR Radio powered by OnlyBulls).

For Foster, the qualifying effort capped a day in which he had the third-fastest lap time in the morning practice and then topped the afternoon practice.

“I knew if we pieced it all together we’d be there (for the pole), and when I was doing that (pole-winning) lap I was like, ‘Please don’t wreck.’

“This car feels great … so fast all (day). I’m super happy to get another gremlin off our back. Obviously, (won) pole last year, but we’ve been nowhere close this year.”

Foster’s previous best starting position this season was sixth on the Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course in May. On a street circuit, his best starting position was ninth in the season-opening race in St. Petersburg, Florida.

Foster will have a golden opportunity to score his first series victory as he will have an additional set of the preferred (and faster) Firestone Firehawk alternate tires for what should be a two-stop race. Several others in the top six will have only one such set. Should Foster win, he will join team owner Bobby Rahal as a winner of a new Ontario event. Rahal won the first race at Toronto’s Exhibition Place in 1986.

Rounding out the first three rows for Sunday’s race will be Team Penske’s Scott McLaughlin (third), Andretti Global’s Marcus Ericsson (fourth), Dale Coyne Racing rookie Dennis Hauger (fifth) and Juncos Hollinger Racing’s Rinus VeeKay (sixth).

Hauger’s only other Firestone Fast Six appearance was in St. Petersburg when he qualified third. VeeKay reached the final round for the third consecutive race.

The qualifying session featured a rare mistake by series points leader and reigning season champion Alex Palou of Chip Ganassi Racing. Late in the second of three rounds, Palou lost the rear of the car approaching Turn 10. After first hitting the wall on the right side, the car ricocheted to the left-side wall for another impact. The double hit ended his session – and more than that.

Palou had a streak of 30 consecutive top-10 starting positions dating to the final race of the 2024 season. He qualified 12th, though he still holds a commanding 110-point lead over Andretti Global’s Kyle Kirkwood, who will start 15th. Team Penske’s David Malukas, who is third in the standings, trails Palou by 118 points and will start this race from the seventh position.

Series rookie Mick Schumacher of Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing delivered his best qualifying effort on a non-oval, finishing 11th. Schumacher’s previous best non-oval qualifying was 15th last month at the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course.

Two of the series’ double season champions caused red flags in the second group of the first round that proved costly. The Turn 4 spin of Andretti Global’s Will Power not only drew a red, which wiped away his fastest two laps, but Kirkwood was trailing him on a hot lap – he was forced to abandon the lap – and then Kirkwood couldn’t bump his way into the next round when INDYCAR permitted a one-lap final effort.

Kirkwood and Power qualified 16th and 24th, respectively. For Power, the incident was the second of the day after his car had to have its right side rebuilt slamming the Turn 10 wall in the second practice.

As the session was ending, Team Penske’s Josef Newgarden pounded the Turn 10 wall, incurring heavy right-side damage. He will start at the tail of the 25-car field.

Team Penske NASCAR Cup Series Race Report – Richmond

By
Official Release
-
cook out 400

Cook Out 400
Richmond, Virginia – August 15, 2026

AUSTIN CINDRIC No. 2 MENARDS/QUAKER STATE FORD MUSTANG DARK HORSE

START: 23RD STAGE 1: 4TH STAGE 2: 4TH FINISH: 3RD POINTS: 15TH

RACE RUNDOWN: Austin Austin Cindric and the No. 2 Menards/Quaker State Ford Mustang Dark Horse team charged from 23rd to a third-place finish Saturday night at Richmond Raceway, earning their second top-five finish of the season in the Cook Out 400. Cindric wasted little time moving forward in Stage 1, reporting a solid balance early as the No. 2 Ford steadily climbed through the field. After making a scheduled green-flag stop for four tires and fuel, Cindric continued his march toward the front and gained nearly 20 positions from the start to finish the opening stage in fourth. He reported needing to get a little freer before the team made adjustments during the stage break. Cindric remained firmly inside the top five throughout Stage 2. A well-timed caution on Lap 125 came just as he was preparing to pit under green, and Cindric avoided committing to pit road before making his stop under caution. He restarted sixth and continued to show strong pace through the remainder of the stage, ultimately finishing fourth for the second consecutive segment. The No. 2 team continued to contend near the front throughout the final stretch as varying pit strategies unfolded. Running fifth when the caution came out on Lap 284, Cindric stayed on track to move into third for the restart with just over 100 laps remaining. Following two additional green-flag stops in the closing portion of the race, Cindric worked his way back into third and held the position through the checkered flag. The third-place result capped a 20-position gain from Cindric’s starting spot and marked his second top-five finish of the season after spending much of the night among the frontrunners.

CINDRIC’S THOUGHTS: DID YOU HAVE TO STAY ON TOP OF THE TIRES ALL NIGHT? “Yeah, that’s kind of the name of the game here, especially since they introduced this right side here last year. I thought that was one of our strengths. We could fire off good enough, but I thought I was one of the best cars, especially after about 30 laps. We were a little too good too late in the runs, but, overall, like I said, it was a much needed run for our Quaker State/Menards Ford Mustang.”

RYAN BLANEY No. 12 BODYARMOR FLASH I.V. CAFFEINE FORD MUSTANG DARK HORSE

START: 1ST STAGE 1: 1ST STAGE 2: 5TH FINISH: 13TH POINTS: 2ND

RACE RUNDOWN: Ryan Blaney and the No. 12 BODYARMOR Flash I.V. Caffeine Ford Mustang Dark Horse continued their strong summer stretch Saturday night at Richmond Raceway, leading laps, capturing the Stage 1 victory and moving up to second in the NASCAR Cup Series standings despite finishing 13th in the 400-lap event. Starting from the pole for the second consecutive week, Blaney quickly established himself among the race leaders. A fast green-flag pit stop by the No. 12 team helped maintain track position as Blaney navigated lapped traffic on his way to the Stage 1 victory, adding to his series-leading stage win total in 2026. After running near the front throughout Stage 2, Blaney wrestled with changing track conditions as the handling shifted during longer runs. Despite the challenge, he reclaimed the lead during the early part of the stage and remained a fixture inside the top five, ultimately finishing fifth in Stage 2 as all three Team Penske entries spent much of the night among the front-runners. A strategic tire call helped move Blaney as high as third during the final Stage, but a later-timed green-flag stop ultimately put the No. 12 Ford Mustang one lap down to finish the closing laps do the 400-lap event. Blaney gained one position in the closing laps to take the checkered flag 13th and moved up one spot to second in the NASCAR Cup Series standings with three races remaining before the Chase begins.

BLANEY’S THOUGHTS: “Overall, it was a strong night for our BODYARMOR Flash I.V. Caffeine Ford. We had good speed, led laps and won a stage. We didn’t quite get the finish we wanted, but there were a lot of positives to take from tonight.”

JOEY LOGANO No. 22 SHELL-PENNZOIL FORD MUSTANG DARK HORSE

START: 10TH STAGE 1: 3RD STAGE 2: 1ST FINISH: 1ST POINTS: 9TH

RACE RUNDOWN: Joey Logano and the No. 22 Shell-Pennzoil Ford Mustang Dark Horse returned to Victory Lane Saturday night at Richmond Raceway, earning Logano’s second NASCAR Cup Series win of the 2026 season, his third career victory at Richmond, and his first at the track in nine years. The triumph was also the 39th win of Logano’s Cup Series career and the 37th with Ford, moving him into sole possession of third on Ford’s all-time wins list while delivering Team Penske’s 111th Cup Series victory with the manufacturer. After starting 10th, Logano steadily worked his way through the field and spent much of the 400-lap event inside the top five. The No. 22 team continued to improve the balance of the car throughout the night while a strong performance from Logano’s pit crew consistently gained track position, allowing him to remain in contention and eventually challenge Chase Briscoe for the lead. Logano capitalized by winning Stage 2 after tracking down and passing Briscoe during a lengthy green-flag run. The final stage featured a strategic battle between Logano and Briscoe, with the No. 22 team executing flawlessly on pit road through the closing green-flag pit cycle. After gaining positions throughout the night, the crew delivered again on the final round of stops, helping Logano beat Briscoe off pit road and take control once the field cycled through. From there, Logano drove away to secure the victory. With the win, Logano climbed from 13th to ninth in the points standings and continued his impressive Richmond record with a 13th top-seven finish in the last 17 races at the Virginia short track.

LOGANO’S THOUGHTS: “My team did a great job. The pressure was on everybody to make the right calls, to execute the runs, to have a good pit stop there. We were door-to-door pretty much onto pit road. That tested everything we had. I thought we were gonna be in good shape because the run before that we were a lot faster than the 19 right at the end, but we weren’t able to be the same amount of good as we wanted to be. This is the first time I’ve had all of my kids here for a win, so this is a real special one for our family. I’m looking forward to enjoying it.”

With two races remaining in the regular season, the Cup Series now heads to New Hampshire Motor Speedway for the Dollar Tree 301 on Sunday, August 23. Coverage of the 301-lap event begins at 3 p.m. ET on USA, PRN, and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90.

RFK Racing – Richmond Executive Summary

By
Official Release
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cook out 400

RFK RACING
RICHMOND RACEWAY – EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
Date: August 15, 2026
Series: NASCAR Cup Series
Location: Richmond Raceway (.75 mile oval) – Richmond, VA
Format: 300 miles / 400 laps with three stages. Stage 1: Ends at lap 70, Stage 2: Ends at lap 230, Stage 3: Ends at lap 400

RFK RACING RACE SUMMARY:

With two cars starting inside the top ten Saturday night, Roush Fenway Keselowski (RFK) Racing was among the strongest cars in the field when the green flag dropped at Richmond Raceway. As the night wore on though, the challenges mounted. Tire management was paramount with teams burning through rubber quickly throughout the 400 lap race. Ryan Preece proved up to the challenge, bringing home a 17th place finish. Long green-flag runs and the timing of cautions also repeatedly impacted the running order especially for Chris Buescher and Brad Keselowski. Both found themselves caught laps down after making green flag stops, which were followed shortly thereafter by caution periods. Ultimately Buescher finished 21st and Keselowski 26th.

DRIVER HIGHLIGHTS

Ryan Preece – No. 60 Castrol Ford Mustang Dark Horse

Finish: 17th
Start: 6th
Laps Led:
Stage Results: S1-11th, S2-14th
Headline takeaway: Preece had speed throughout the night, including an early run inside the top 10. Managing tire wear and overcoming changing track conditions, Preece recorded a solid 17th place finish.

Preece Quote: “It was a challenging day. Grip and tire wear was really the battle. Especially having to go 100 laps knowing I only had two sets left and was averaging 37 laps on stickers. Disappointing, especially after a P6 qualifying effort. But we were in the mix of it. I got better on the long runs, but the way the cautions fell with our strategy, it just didn’t pan out. Heading to New Hampshire though, my home track, so ready to strike there and just look ahead.”

Chris Buescher – No. 17 Kroger / Grab Kleenex Ford Mustang Dark Horse

Finish: 21st
Start: 19th
Laps Led:
Stage Results: S1-17th, S2-24th
Headline takeaway: Despite having speed and fighting through traffic much of the night, an ill-timed caution in the midst of a green flag cycle, caught Buescher a lap down. Clawing back from that, he finished 21st.

Buescher Quote: “We had a tough day. We were faster than we ended up there. A caution there (during green flag stops) when it hadn’t cycled through, kind of caught us and it pretty much snow balled from there. We got close at times but just couldn’t get back in contention.”

Brad Keselowski – No. 6 Buildsubmarines.com Ford Mustang Dark Horse

Finish: 26th
Start: 9th
Laps Led: —
Stage Results: S1-20th, S2–25th
Headline takeaway: A top ten qualifying performance and strong opening laps fueled early optimism. However, two cautions during green-flag pit cycles, trapped him laps down and left him fighting from behind for much of the night before finishing 26th.

Keselowski Quote: “We started out strong. Had a good qualifying effort and the car felt really good early. But we just couldn’t catch a break tonight. We pitted under green a couple times and then the yellow would come out and we’d be trapped. It’s frustrating to say the least. We’ll go back to work and be ready for New Hamshire next week.”

Point Standings:

Buescher: 10th
Preece: 17th
Keselowski: 19th

Next Up:

The next event on the NASCAR Cup Series schedule is August 23 at New Hampshire, Speedway ( 1 Mile Oval Speedway – Loudon, NH). The race begins at 3:00 p.m. EDT with live coverage provided by USA Network and the Performance Racing Network.

About RFK Racing 

RFK Racing, in its 39th season in 2026, features an ownership lineup pairing one of the sport’s most iconic names, Jack Roush, along with NASCAR Champion, Brad Keselowski, and Fenway Sports Group owner John Henry. Roush initially founded the team in 1988 and it has since become one of the most successful racing operations in the world, propelling him to be the first NASCAR owner to amass three hundred wins and capturing eight championships, including back-to-back NASCAR Cup titles in 2003 and 2004. Keselowski, a former owner in the NASCAR Truck Series, is the 2012 NASCAR Cup Series Champion. In 2007, Roush partnered with Henry, who also owns Major League Baseball’s Boston Red Sox, English Premier League’s Liverpool F.C., and the NHL’s Pittsburgh Penguins, to form Roush Fenway Racing. Off the track, RFK is a leader and proven winner in NASCAR marketing solutions, having produced multiple award-winning social media, digital content and experiential marketing campaigns. Visit https://www.rfkracing.com/ and follow the team on all social platforms @rfkracing.

Wood Brothers Racing – Race Report: Richmond Raceway

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Official Release
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cook out 400

Event: Cook Out 400
Location: Richmond Raceway, Richmond, Virginia
Date: Sunday, August 15, 2026
Start: 3rd
Finish: 8th

Despite a late-race skirmish that appeared to hinder the speed of the No. 21 Motorcraft/Quick Lane Ford Mustang Dark Horse, Josh Berry battled to an eighth-place finish in Saturday night’s Cook Out 400 at Richmond Raceway, extending his streak of top-10 finishes to three consecutive races.

Berry, who entered Richmond following finishes of seventh at Indianapolis and fourth at Iowa, started a season-best third and showed strong pace from the outset. He ran inside the top five throughout the opening 70-lap Stage before finishing fifth to earn six Stage points.

Following a pit stop during the Stage break, Berry restarted the second Stage in seventh. He initially slipped to 10th before working his way back to fifth ahead of a round of green-flag pit stops. Berry made his stop, but the caution flag flew before the remainder of the field completed its stops, dropping the No. 21 to 16th and forcing the team to take the wave-around to rejoin the lead lap.

Once back under green, Berry steadily worked his way through the field, returning to the top 10 by Lap 192 and climbing to sixth by the end of Stage 2 to collect another five Stage points.

Berry was running fourth when the caution came out for the stalled car of Carson Hocevar on Lap 285 of 400. The Motorcraft/Quick Lane team elected to stay on track, preserving a set of fresh tires for later in the race.

On the ensuing restart, Berry found himself in the middle of an aggressive battle for position and was shuffled back to 10th following contact. The Motorcraft/Quick Lane Mustang Dark Horse appeared to lose some speed as a result, but Berry remained inside the top 10 for most of the closing stretch and gained two positions over the final 10 laps to secure the eighth-place finish.

“It was a decent night,” Berry told reporters at the track. “I felt like we left a little bit out there… That one restart I got tight and got jammed up behind the 48, and we were one of the last cars that stayed out there.

“That one didn’t work out, but all in all, the car was pretty good. For getting trapped under yellow twice and waving around and all that, it was still a solid day with Stage points.

“We’ll just go to New Hampshire and try to do better.”

The NASCAR Cup Series heads next to New Hampshire Motor Speedway for Sunday’s Dollar Tree 301, where Berry will look to continue his recent momentum at a track that has been one of his strongest. He finished second at the one-mile oval last season.

Rick Ware Racing: Cook Out 400 from Richmond

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Official Release
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cook out 400

RICK WARE RACING

Cook Out 400

Date: Aug. 15, 2026

Event: Cook Out 400 (Round 24 of 36)

Series: NASCAR Cup Series

Location: Richmond (Va.) Raceway (.75-mile oval)

Format: 400 laps, broken into three stages (70 laps/160 laps/170 laps)

Race Winner: Joey Logano of Team Penske (Ford)

Stage 1 Winner: Ryan Blaney of Team Penske (Ford)

Stage 2 Winner: Joey Logano of Team Penske (Ford)

RWR Finish:

● Cody Ware (Started 37th, Finished 34th / Running, completed 392 of 400 laps)

RWR Points:

● Cody Ware (35th with 191 points)

Race Notes:

● Joey Logano won the Cook Out 400 to score his 39th career NASCAR Cup Series victory, his second of the season and his third at Richmond. His margin over second-place Chase Briscoe was .392 of a second.

● There were four caution periods for a total of 31 laps.

● Only 11 of the 37 drivers in the race finished on the lead lap.

● Denny Hamlin remains the championship leader after Richmond with a 115-point advantage over second-place Ryan Blaney.

Sound Bites:

“A frustrating race on top of a frustrating weekend. We broke a transaxle in practice – kind of a freak issue – and that limited us in practice, and then we didn’t get to qualify. So, that put us on the back foot to start the race. We started off tight in the middle of the corners and just stayed that way. We kept making adjustments, but the car just didn’t react. Ready to put this weekend behind us.” – Cody Ware, driver of the No. 51 Rocket Doctor Chevrolet

Next Up:

The next event on the NASCAR Cup Series schedule is the Dollar General 301 on Sunday, Aug. 23 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway in Loudon. The race begins at 3 p.m. EDT with live coverage provided by USA Network and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.

TOYOTA RACING – NCS Richmond Post-Race Report – 08.15.26

By
Official Release
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cook out 400

BRISCOE RUNNER-UP AT RICHMOND
Chase Briscoe, Christopher Bell clinch Chase berths

RICHMOND, Va. (August 15, 2026) – Chase Briscoe delivered his first Richmond top-10 in fine fashion, leading the most laps and finishing second on Saturday evening to lead Toyota. His teammate Denny Hamlin was scored fourth at his home race, while Christopher Bell led the alternate strategy to finish seventh.

Briscoe’s second-place finish continued a unique streak for Team Toyota as a Toyota driver has finished second in every race since May’s All-Star Race at Dover – a run of 13 consecutive races. Briscoe has three of those runner-ups (Dover, Sonoma, Richmond), Bell has six (Charlotte, Nashville, Chicago, Atlanta, Indianapolis, Iowa), while Erik Jones (Michigan), Tyler Reddick (Pocono), Bubba Wallace (San Diego) and Hamlin (North Wilkesboro) have had one each. Team Toyota has finished either first or second in 22 of 24 races this season.

Chase Briscoe and Christopher Bell have clinched their Chase berths with two races remaining – giving Toyota a record-tying five drivers in the post-season. Joe Gibbs Racing has all four of their entries in the field for the first time since 2024 with Bell, Briscoe, Ty Gibbs and Denny Hamlin, while 23XI Racing has Tyler Reddick already clinched, with Bubba Wallace 70 points to the good with two races remaining.

TOYOTA RACING Post-Race Recap
NASCAR Cup Series (NCS)
Richmond Raceway
Race 24 of 36 – 300 miles, 400 laps

TOYOTA FINISHING POSITIONS

1st, Joey Logano*

2nd, CHASE BRISCOE

3rd, Austin Cindric*

4th, DENNY HAMLIN

5th, Chase Elliott*

7th, CHRISTOPHER BELL

11th, TYLER REDDICK

15th, TY GIBBS

20th, BUBBA WALLACE

22nd, JOHN HUNTER NEMECHEK

24th, RILEY HERBST

27th, ERIK JONES

*non-Toyota driver

TOYOTA QUOTES

CHASE BRISCOE, No. 19 Bass Pro Shops Toyota Camry XSE, Joe Gibbs Racing

Finishing Position: 2nd

What more did you need there at the end?

“I thought I was in a great position, really that whole final run. I had built a lead. I had a three-second lead, but I lost brakes and got really, really loose and let him get all the way back to me and pass me right before we did our final pit stop. Just one bad run, and that was the difference maker. We had him where we needed him, we just didn’t have it that one run. I thought we were going to get a win there for our Bass Pro Shops, TRACKER Boats Toyota, but just close for sure.”

DENNY HAMLIN, No. 11 Bob’s Discount Furniture Toyota Camry XSE, Joe Gibbs Racing

Finishing Position: 4th

Tell us about coming through the field there late, Denny, for another good run.

“Really, really good Bob’s Discount Furniture Toyota that third stage, we just had 10 seconds of extra pit stop there. Our left side jack stop was broke, so couldn’t quite get the jack up under it, so that cost us 10 seconds, and that’s right about where we ended up behind the front. Really good car that last stage, and great to overcome that to come back for a top-five.”

CHRISTOPHER BELL, No. 20 DEWALT Toyota Camry XSE, Joe Gibbs Racing

Finishing Position: 7th

What was going through your mind late?

“I mean, we weren’t really competitive enough to race for the win, but the alternate strategy kind of gave me hope. I thought it was going to be a lot closer than it was, but whenever they got to me with 20 to go or whatever, I was like dang, I thought it was going to be a lot closer to the end of the race, but it didn’t work out that way for this DEWALT Toyota team. On to New Hampshire.”

About Toyota

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

Toyota directly employs nearly 64,000 people in North America who have contributed to the design, engineering, and assembly of over 50 million cars and trucks at our 14 manufacturing plants. In 2025, Toyota’s plant in North Carolina began to assemble automotive batteries for electrified vehicles.

For more information about Toyota, visit www.ToyotaNewsroom.com.

Logano Continues Mustang Hot Streak With Richmond Cup Victory

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Official Release
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cook out 400

Ford Racing Notes and Quotes
NASCAR Cup Series
Cook Out 400 — Richmond Raceway
Saturday, August 15, 2026

JOEY LOGANO CONTINUES MUSTANG HOT STREAK WITH RICHMOND CUP WIN

  • Joey Logano won his second race of 2026 today.
  • This marks Ford’s third Cup win in the last five races.
  • The win is Logano’s 39th of his Cup Series career and 37th with Ford.
  • Those 37 wins put him third on the all-time Ford win list.
  • Logano has now finished seventh or better in 13 of the last 17 Richmond races.
  • Team Penske has won 111 times in the Cup series with Ford.
  • Today’s win is Ford’s 752nd all-time in NASCAR Cup Series competition.

JOEY LOGANO, No. 22 Shell/Pennzoil Ford Mustang Dark Horse – VICTORY LANE INTERVIEW – WHAT GAVE YOU THE EDGE TO WIN THAT RACE? “My team did a great job. The pressure was on everybody to make the right calls, to execute the runs, to have a good pit stop there. We were door-to-door pretty much onto pit road. That tested everything we had. I thought we were gonna be in good shape because the run before that we were a lot faster than the 19 right at the end, but we weren’t able to be the same amount of good as we wanted to be. This is the first time I’ve had all of my kids here for a win, so this is a real special one for our family. I’m looking forward to enjoying it.”

HOW SWEET IS THIS AFTER THE WAY THE SEASON STARTED? “It’s a great recovery so far. There’s a long way to go in the season, but we can see the front from here. We’ve still got a couple more to gain some more points to set ourselves up better.”

THE FANS LOVED THE BURNOUT IN VICTORY LANE. WHAT WAS THE DESIGN BEHIND THAT? “I just like doing burnouts. That’s really all there is to it. I thought it was a cool opportunity to do a burnout right here. I might get my hand slapped, but it was worth it.”

Ford Finishing Results:

1st – Joey Logano

3rd – Austin Cindric

8th – Josh Berry

13th – Ryan Blaney

17th – Ryan Preece

18th – Noah Gragson

21st – Chris Buescher

26th – Brad Keselowski

30th – Todd Gilliland

35th – Josh Bilicki

36th – Zane Smith

JOSH BERRY, No. 21 Motorcraft/Quick Lane Mustang Dark Horse – “It was a decent night. I felt like we left a little bit out there. We just kind of that one restart I got tight and got jammed up behind the 48 and we were one of the last cars that stayed out there. That one didn’t work out, but, all in all, the car was pretty good. For getting trapped under yellow twice and waving around and all that, it was still a solid day with stage points. We’ll just go to New Hampshire and try to do better.”

WHEN YOU GOT THE CONTACT ON THAT ONE RESTART, DID THAT DAMAGE THE CAR? “I don’t know. We should have pitted, but we didn’t and the 48 kind of got on my outside. I got tight and then I just got ate up by the cars that had tires and then the race went green. Like I said, I’m a little disappointed with that, but nothing really went our way strategy-wise. We were always fighting from behind all night, but everybody still did a good job for another top 10.”

THAT’S THREE TOP 10S IN A ROW. HOW DOES IT FEEL TO SHOWCASE YOUR SKILLS? “Yeah, obviously, these are a lot of good tracks for us and me, but at least I can run good at some tracks I guess, people will say. A good stretch. I’m excited to get to Loudon.”

AUSTIN CINDRIC, No. 2 Menards/Quaker State Ford Mustang Dark Horse – DID YOU HAVE TO STAY ON TOP OF THE TIRES ALL NIGHT? “Yeah, that’s kind of the name of the game here, especially since they introduced this right side here last year. I thought that was one of our strengths. We could fire off good enough, but I thought I was one of the best cars, especially after about 30 laps. We were a little too good too late in the runs, but, overall, like I said, it was a much needed run for our Quaker State/Menards Ford Mustang.”

IS THIS THE MOST COMPLETE RACE FOR YOU THIS YEAR? “I feel like car performance-wise, for sure. You saw that from all four of our cars. Obviously, with Joey getting the win, the 21 was super strong all night and Ryan had pace, so I think it’s important for everyone in the company and we need to keep doing it.”

YOUR STRATEGY PAID OFF. “Yeah, absolutely, I mean I think from an execution standpoint but also just car speed all weekend. With the exception of qualifying really, I’m super proud of the race car and the package. Everybody at Team Penske, all four cars that came out of that building this week were super strong. I felt like I had a car that could have won tonight and we didn’t and that’s my only frustration, but as far as the big picture goes for the season, it was a very important night for us to capitalize on a good car.”

CHEVROLET NCS AT RICHMOND RACEWAY: Post-Race Report

By
Official Release
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cook out 400

NASCAR Cup Series
Richmond Raceway
Cook Out 400
Team Chevy Post-Race Report

August 15, 2026

Elliott Earns Top-Five Finish at Richmond; Clinches Early Berth into The Chase
 
In a strategy-filled evening under the lights at “The Action Track”, Chase Elliott and the No. 9 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet team led the Bowtie brigade to the checkered flag in the Cook Out 400 with a fifth-place finish. His sixth top-five finish of the season, along with a strong points run, saw the former champion earn an early clinch into the 2026 NASCAR Cup Series Chase. The top-10 of the final leaderboard all four Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet’s with Elliott leading Kyle Larson in sixth, William Byron in ninth and Alex Bowman rounding out the top-10.

RACE RECAP:

Stage One:

William Byron led the Bowtie brigade in Friday’s qualifying session at Richmond Raceway, driving his No. 24 Chevrolet to a fifth-place starting position for this evening’s Cook Out 400. Taking the green flag, three-wide racing in the opening laps saw the North Carolina native lose track position but stay within the top-10. Despite battling an ill-handling car during the opening run, Byron was able to maintain a top-10 running position through much of the first half of the stage as the first green flag pit cycled ensued. Crew chief, Rudy Fugle, opted to make the call to pit road late in the cycle, ultimately giving his driver four-lap fresher tires compared to the leader to battle back up through the field. Upon the completion of the pit cycle, it was his Hendrick Motorsports teammate, Chase Elliott, that took his turn at the front of the Chevrolet camp as he made his first appearance in the top-10 of the evening. While maneuvering through lap traffic during the closing laps, Elliott made his way up into the ninth position to lead the manufacturer to the stage end.

Stage Two:

With a two position gain in the race off pit road, Byron lined up in the ninth position to begin Stage Two. But a stack-up just ahead of him opened up the opportunity to capitalize on the track position, muscling up into the sixth position to start the second run. With another long green flag run en route to their next trip to pit road, Byron reported that he was lacking turn in his Chevrolet-powered machine. Staying consistent within the top-seven during a longer run on tires, Byron was just on the brink of his call to pit road when a caution flew on Lap 126. Taking four tires, fuel and an air pressure adjustment, the No. 24 pit crew delivered their driver yet another position gained on pit road to lineup fifth for the restart with 98 laps to go in the stage. But it was a monstrous move by Ross Chastain on the restart when he put his Chevrolet in the top lane to take it three-wide and climb up into sixth behind his Team Chevy teammate. With split strategies throughout the field, a two-stop plan by the Alan Gustafson-led team, along with long run pace in their Chevrolet, saw Elliott remain a steady fixture within the top-seven throughout the remainder of the stage, going on to collect seventh-place points at the second green-white checkered flag.

Final Stage:

Maintaining their position following the trip to pit road, Elliott lined back up into the seventh position to take the green flag for 162 laps to go of the race. Mirroring his move from his impressive restart in the previous stage, Chastain quickly found the outside lane to make it three-wide and go from outside the top-10 into the seventh position on the opening lap. The only natural caution of the final stage came when mechanical woes brought Carson Hocevar and the No. 77 team’s evening to an early end. Sharing a similar two-stop pit strategy for the final stage, it was all four Hendrick Motorsports drivers that brought home strong top-10 runs for the Bowtie brigade – led by Elliott and the No. 9 team with a fifth-place finish.

 
Team Chevy Unofficial Top-10 Results

Pos. Driver

5th – Chase Elliott

6th – Kyle Larson

9th – William Byron

10th – Alex Bowman

Chevrolet’s season statistics with 24 NASCAR Cup Series races complete:

Wins: 6

Poles: 5

Top-Fives: 39

Top 10s: 82

Stage Wins: 16

The 2026 NASCAR Cup Series season continues at New Hampshire Motor Speedway with the Dollar Tree 301 on Sunday, August 23, at 3 p.m. ET. Live coverage can be found on the USA Network, PRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90.

Post-Race Driver Quotes:

Ross Chastain, No. 1 Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet

Finished: 12th

What is your mindset with two races to go left in the regular season?

“We just need to keep running in the top-10 like we did tonight. If we would have been doing this all summer, we would be in a lot different spot. This is way above where the summer was for this No. 1 Jockey 150th Anniversary Chevrolet team. We want more, but we’re getting better.”

Austin Dillon, No. 3 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet

Finished: 19th

“Not the night any of us wanted here at Richmond Raceway for the No. 3 Bass Pro Shops/Winchester Supreme Long Range Chevrolet. We struggled with the car’s balance the whole night despite the best efforts of the entire team, nothing they did or I did seemed to work. While we were tight in Stage 1, we trended loose the remainder of the race. I couldn’t turn, and I couldn’t get down the straight away. It felt like the car was dog tracking from the moment we took the green. It seemed like we were only able to make progress through the field in runs that were 35-40+ laps. We’re thankful for the success we’ve had here the past two years, but after tonight, we’re going back to the drawing board when we get home to Welcome, North Carolina.”

Chase Elliott, No. 9 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet

Finished: 5th

“I thought we were kind of hovering around seventh and eighth, somewhere in there. And then, obviously most of the field committed to three-stopping the last stage up until that caution. We elected to stay out and I know a few guys chose to pit there, put on some scuffs, and maybe burn a set of stickers. It ended up working out pretty well for us. Obviously it’s not a win, but for how things have been going the last few months, it feels nice to just have a really solid night and hopefully we can get things rolling in the right direction. There’s been a lot of hard work put in across the board; everyone on this No. 9 UniFirst Chevrolet team and Hendrick Motorsports. I appreciate that effort. Everyone shows up with it each week, even after a bad day, so hopefully we can get things rolling here.”

Austin Hill, No. 33 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet

Finished: 23rd

“Really proud of everyone on this No. 33 team. Our Morgan & Morgan Chevrolet was strong tonight and while the finishing position does not show the full story, we had speed from the start. After the initial green flag, we steadily moved forward and I knew we were going to be in good shape. On the first green flag stop, we had a tire get away and lost a lap on our pass thru penalty. We put ourselves in position for a break but it unfortunately never came. No one gave up all night though. We consistently ran lap times that would have put us inside the top-10, so this was something to build off of moving forward.”

Carson Hocevar, No. 77 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet

Sidelined with a mechanical failure during the final stage.

Finished: 37th

“Really unfortunate end to a really tough night for the No. 77 Zeigler Chevrolet team. We were hoping to salvage a decent finish with pit strategy in the last stage, but we had some mechanical issues the team will have to take a look at. I hate it for the guys, Chevy, and everyone at Spire. Hopefully we can turn this all around the next two weeks and bridge the points gap.”

Shane van Gisbergen, No. 97 Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet

Finished: 14th

“We were better than what we qualified. We were making gains on our No. 97 Mitti Chevrolet throughout the race, similar to the front-half of the top-20, maybe better. And then, the strategy put us into the top-15 and gained us a lot, so that was great. The line I used during the Truck race seemed to work for us, especially when the tires wore out. I could roll the top and gain quite a few spots. Clean air, as well, seemed to work.”

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.

Joey Logano beats Chase Briscoe for momentous Cup victory at Richmond

By
Andrew Kim
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Photo by Logan Allen for SpeedwayMedia.com.

Joey Logano made an emphatic statement under the lights at Richmond Raceway that he is back and in it to contend for his fourth NASCAR Cup Series championship. He etched the statement after he fended off Chase Briscoe to win the Cook Out 400 on Saturday, August 15.

The three-time Cup Series champion from Middletown, Connecticut, led six times for 95 of 400-scheduled laps in an event where he qualified in 10th place, secured a fourth-place result in the first stage period and battled at the front throughout the second stage period through various pit strategies, in which he claimed the latter stage’s victory.

After spending the majority of the final stage period battling Chase Briscoe for the lead amid more pit strategies, Logano’s key move to victory occurred with 39 laps remaining when he pitted under green a lap after he reeled down and overtook Briscoe on the track for the lead. Remaining ahead of Briscoe when he cycled back on the track, Logano then reassumed the lead from Christopher Bell amid the latter’s tire disadvantage with 24 laps remaining. Despite being mired in lapped traffic and having Briscoe reeling from behind, Logano spent the event’s remainder fending off the latter and managing to cross the finish line first to notch his second victory of the 2026 season and gain a momentous cushion towards his Chase hopes.

Ryan Blaney
Photo by John Knittel for SpeedwayMedia.com

With on-track qualifying that determined the starting lineup occurring on Friday, August 14, Ryan Blaney won his fourth Cup pole position of the 2026 season and the 16th of his career with a pole-winning lap at 121.485 mph in 22.225 seconds. Chase Briscoe qualified in second place and started alongside Blaney on the front row with a lap of 121.212 mph in 22.275 seconds.

When the green flag waved and the event commenced, pole-sitter Ryan Blaney and Chase Briscoe dueled against one another for a full circuit around Richmond in front of a stacked field. When the field cycled back to the frontstretch, Briscoe, who started on the outside lane, barely led the first lap over Blaney. As Josh Berry and Ty Gibbs dueled for third place, where Berry eventually outdueled Gibbs for the spot, both Briscoe and Blaney remained dead even against one another while swapping for the lead through the event’s first eight laps until Blaney managed to motor ahead and have both clean air and all racing lanes to his sole possession by the ninth lap.

Through the first 20 laps, Blaney stretched his early advantage to more than a second over Berry and Briscoe trailed in third place by two-and-a-half seconds while Ty Gibbs, Bubba Wallace, Brad Keselowski, Ryan Preece, Christopher Bell, Joey Logano and William Byron were racing in the top-10 mark, respectively. Behind, Connor Zilisch occupied 11th place in front of Chase Elliott, Denny Hamlin, John Hunter Nemechek and AJ Allmendinger while Austin Cindric, Riley Herbst, Chris Buescher, Ross Chastain and Austin Dillon trailed in the top-20 mark ahead of Alex Bowman, Daniel Suarez, Erik Jones, Michael McDowell and Cole Custer, respectively. Meanwhile, Shane van Gisbergen occupied 26th place in front of Austin Hill, Todd Gilliland, Carson Hocevar and Zane Smith while Kyle Larson and Tyler Reddick were mired in 31st and 34th, respectively.

Ten laps later, Blaney stabilized his advantage to more than a second over Berry as Briscoe, Gibbs and Wallace continued to trail in the top-five mark. Another lap later, the event’s first cycle of green flag pit stops commenced as Preece, Austin Dillon, Larson, Logano, Austin Cindric, Zane Smith, Erik Jones, Reddick, Bowman, McDowell and Noah Gragson pitted. Blaney then pitted from the lead on Lap 32 along with Briscoe, Keselowski, Elliott, Nemechek and Austin Hill before Berry, Hamlin, Allmendinger, Chris Buescher and Cody Ware pitted during the next lap. Gibbs, Bell, Herbst, Suarez, van Gisbergen, Hocevar and Todd Gilliland pitted under green by Lap 35 before more names like Byron, Zilisch and Chastain followed suit. Amid the pit stops, Gibbs was penalized for speeding on pit road while Austin Hill was also penalized for an uncontrolled tire violation.

By Lap 37, Blaney cycled his No. 12 BODYARMOR Ford Mustang Dark Horse entry back as the leader once Wallace pitted under green. As Blaney led just past the Lap 40 mark, Briscoe trailed in the runner-up spot by three seconds while Logano, Berry, Cindric, Preece, Hamlin, Bell, Wallace and Keselowski occupied the top-10 spots, respectively. Blaney proceeded to lead by more than a second over both Briscoe and Berry at the Lap 50 mark before his lead slightly shrank to six-tenths of a second over Briscoe when the 60th lap struck.

When the first stage period concluded on Lap 70, Blaney, who was mired in lapped traffic, fended off Briscoe to claim his sixth Cup stage victory of the 2026 season. Briscoe settled in second place by half a second ahead of Logano, Cindric and Berry while Wallace, Hamlin, Bell, Elliott and Byron were scored in the top 10, respectively. By then, 27 of 37 starters were scored on the lead lap while names like Noah Gragson, Ricky Stenhouse Jr., Carson Hocevar, Todd Gilliland, Zane Smith, AJ Allmendinger, Ty Dillon and Austin Hill were scored a lap down.

Under the event’s first stage break period, the lead lap field led by Blaney returned to pit road for service. Following the pit stops, Blaney exited pit road first ahead of Briscoe, Cindric, Logano and Hamlin while Wallace, Berry, Bell, Byron and Elliott followed suit, respectively.

The second stage period started on Lap 79 as Blaney and Briscoe occupied the front row. At the start, Blaney and Briscoe dueled for the top spot until the latter used the outside lane to motor the No. 19 Bass Pro Shops Toyota Camry XSE entry ahead entering the backstretch. As Briscoe led the next lap while Wallace tried to recover from going wide in Turns 3 and 4 amid slight contact with Berry, Blaney pursued Briscoe in the runner-up spot while teammates Cindric and Logano, along with Hamlin, followed suit. With a variety of on-track actions and shuffling ensuing within the field, Briscoe led Blaney by a tenth of a second on Lap 85.

At the Lap 100 mark, Briscoe was leading by four-tenths of a second over Blaney while Cindric, Logano, Hamlin, Byron, Berry, Preece, Wallace and Chastain were racing in the top-10 mark ahead of Reddick, Bell, Herbst, Elliott, Keselowski, Buescher, Bowman, Austin Dillon, Erik Jones and Suarez, respectively. By Lap 106, Blaney drew alongside Briscoe and challenged the latter for the lead. Blaney then motored ahead of Briscoe by Lap 107, and he proceeded to stretch his advantage to more than a second just past the Lap 110 mark while Cindric, Logano and Berry trailed in the top five.

On Lap 116, another cycle of green flag pit stops started to commence as Keselowski and Zilisch pitted. By then, McDowell pitted as Buescher, Austin Dillon and Allmendinger pitted by Lap 117. Shane van Gisbergen pitted on Lap 118, and Preece pitted a lap later while Blaney continued to lead by more than a second over Briscoe, Cindric, Logano and Berry. Then on Lap 121, Gibbs, Austin Hill and Ty Dillon pitted, with Nemechek and Cole Custer pitting during the next lap before Wallace pitted from the top-10 mark on Lap 123. Seconds later, Berry pitted from fifth place, and he was followed by Reddick before the caution flew on Lap 124. The caution was due to Zane Smith getting loose and spinning his No. 38 Aaron’s Ford Mustang Dark Horse entry in Turn 2 before he made hard contact against the outside wall.

During the caution period due to Smith’s incident, the top-15 competitors led by Briscoe, all of whom were scored on the lead lap, pitted. Following the pit stops, Briscoe exited pit road first ahead of Logano, Blaney, Hamlin and Byron, Cindric, Elliott, Chastain, Herbst and Erik Jones. Amid the pit stops, numerous competitors took the wave around to cycle back on the lead lap, which placed 27 of 37 starters on the lead lap category

The next restart on Lap 132 featured Briscoe motoring away from Logano to retain the lead. Behind, Chastain challenged Cindric for sixth place as Blaney, Hamlin and Bryon all raced in the top-five mark in front of a stacked field while Briscoe proceeded to lead just past the Lap 135 mark. As Blaney reeled in teammate Logano for the runner-up spot, Briscoe extended his advantage to more than a second by Lap 140 while Elliott, Jones and Bowman occupied the remaining top-10 spots.

Through the Lap 150 mark, Briscoe continued to lead by more than a second over Logano as Blaney, Hamlin, Cindric, Byron, Chastain, Elliott, Jones and Bowman followed suit in the top-10 mark ahead of Bell, Herbst, Suarez, Berry, Reddick, Gragson, Larson, Wallace, Gibbs and Buescher, respectively. Over the next 10 laps, Hamlin, who made contact with Blaney, managed to motor around the latter for third place. While Cindric maintained fifth place, Logano continued to trail the leader, Briscoe, by a second on Lap 160 while Preece, Zilisch (who was eventually penalized for speeding) and Austin Dillon strategically pitted under green.

Then on Lap 171, Logano reeled in and overtook Briscoe for the lead following a full-lap duel despite both being mired between the lapped competitor of Cole Custer. By then, select names, including van Gisbergen, McDowell, and Larson, dropped out of the lead lap category by pitting under green. Just past Lap 175, select names like Bowman, Bell and Jones pitted before Byron pitted two laps later. On Lap 178, Logano pitted from the lead along with Briscoe, Wallace, Reddick, Nemechek, Gragson and Suarez before Hamlin, Cindric, Elliott, Berry and Gibbs pitted a lap later. During the pit stops, Cindric nearly collided with Suarez as the latter was exiting his pit stall while the former was trying to enter his. Seconds later, more names like Blaney, Chastain, Gilliland and Hocevar pitted as Logano cycled back to the lead ahead of Briscoe. With Hamlin, Bell and Elliott cycling up into the top-five mark, Logano proceeded to lead by seven-tenths of a second by Lap 190.

At the halfway mark on Lap 200, only 16 of 37 starters were scored on the lead lap as Logano maintained his lead by two seconds over Briscoe while Hamlin, Blaney, Elliott, Cindric, Bell, Byron, Berry and Bowman trailed in the top-10 mark, respectively. Logano proceeded to extend his advantage to more than four seconds on Lap 210 before he added another three seconds to his lead by Lap 220.

When the second stage period concluded on Lap 230, Logano notched his second Cup stage victory of the 2026 season. Hamlin made a late overtake on teammate Briscoe to claim the runner-up spot while Cindric, Blaney, Berry, Elliott, Bell, Reddick and Byron were scored in the top 10, respectively. By then, 12 of 37 starters, including Chastain and Bowman, were scored on the lead lap while Larson was the first competitor scored a lap down in 13th place. In addition, 13 competitors scored a lap down while seven were mired two laps down.

During the event’s second stage break period, the lead lap field led by Logano pitted. Following the pit stops, Logano retained the lead by exiting pit road first ahead of Hamlin, Briscoe, Berry and Blaney while Cindric, Elliott, Bell, Byron and Reddick followed suit, respectively.

With 161 laps remaining, the final stage period commenced as Logano and Hamlin occupied the front row in front of Briscoe, Berry, Blaney and Cindric. At the start, Briscoe used the inside lane to challenge Logano for the lead through the first two turns. Logano managed to lead the next lap amid his side-by-side battle with Briscoe while Berry, who went three-wide with Hamlin and Cindric through Turns 3 and 4 a lap prior, muscled his way up to third place in front of the latter two, though Hamlin gave Berry a displeased bump to Berry for slight contact from the latter. As a variety of on-track battles ensued within the field, Logano and Briscoe continued to duel before Briscoe motored ahead of Logano through the first two turns with 157 laps remaining.

With 150 laps remaining, Briscoe was leading by within four-tenths of a second over Logano while Cindric, Berry and Hamlin were racing in the top Five ahead of Elliott, Blaney, Chastain, Byron and Bell, respectively. By then, van Gisbergen, who was trying to execute a strategic pit run while scoring in 14th place, pitted under green. Following his pit stops, van Gisbergen, who was mired back in 25th place, was able to utilize his fresh tires to quickly cycle past the leaders to regain one of his two laps lost. With only 13 of 37 starters scored on the lead lap and Gibbs scored the first competitor a lap down in 14th place, Briscoe stretched his late lead to more than a second over Logano with 140 laps remaining.

Then with less than 125 laps remaining, a late cycle of green flag pit stops commenced as Hamlin pitted. By then, names like Nemechek, Herbst, Keselowski, Custer, Preece, and Austin Dillon pitted, while more like Bell, Byron, and Buescher pitted behind Hamlin. Logano then pitted from the runner-up spot with 122 laps remaining before the leader, Briscoe, along with Cindric, Berry, Blaney, Chastain, Gibbs, Austin Hill, Zilisch, and Jones, pitted a lap later. More names like McDowell, Stenhouse, Elliott, Bowman, Suarez, Hocevar, Allmendinger and Zane Smith pitted as Larson and Reddick, both of whom have yet to pit, occupied the top-two spots in front of Briscoe.

As Larson pitted under green from the lead with 117 laps remaining, the caution flew a lap later when Hocevar, who missed a shift through the frontstretch and was falling off the pace through the first two turns and the backstretch, stopped his No. 77 Zeigler Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 entry on the track towards the outside wall in Turn 3. At the moment of caution, Reddick, who had yet to pit, was leading while Briscoe, Logano, Hamlin and Cindric were scored in the top five. During the caution period, select names including Reddick, Blaney and Hamlin pitted while the rest, led by Briscoe, remained on the track.

As the event restarted with 108 laps remaining, Briscoe fended off Logano from the inside lane to retain the lead from the first two turns and the frontstretch while the field behind fanned out beyond three and four lanes from the backstretch through Turns 3 and 4. As Berry nearly got turned while turning across the front nose of Chastain, Briscoe proceeded to lead by half a second over Logano with 100 laps remaining. Meanwhile, Reddick cycled his way up to third place ahead of Bell and Cindric while Elliott, Blaney, Byron, Hamlin and Bowman occupied the top-10 spots ahead of Berry, van Gisbergen, Chastain and Larson, all of whom were scored on the lead lap.

As the event reached its final 85-lap mark, Briscoe was leading by more than one-and-a-half seconds over Logano while Bell outdueled Reddick for third place and Cindric trailed in fifth place by three seconds. While select names like Keselowski and Preece started to strategically pit under green over the next handful of laps, more like Buescher, Zilisch, Herbst, Gibbs and Cindric also pitted before Briscoe pitted from the lead with 77 laps remaining. Bowman also pitted behind Briscoe as Logano pitted a lap later along with Elliott, Berry, Chastain, van Gisbergen and Gragson before Hamlin followed suit during the next lap.

With the field cycling through the green flag pit stops and the laps dwindling, Bell, who has yet to pit, was leading Reddick while Blaney and Larson, all of whom also have yet to pit, raced in the top-four mark as Byron, who was briefly racing in the top-five mark, pitted. Meanwhile, Briscoe, who pitted, was up to fifth place, and he was four seconds ahead of Logano while Cindric, Elliott, Bowman, Berry and Hamlin followed suit. Shortly after, Larson pitted while Bell remained in the lead by more than a second with 65 laps remaining. As both Briscoe and Logano charged up to second and fourth, respectively, Bell continued to lead by seven-tenths of a second with 60 laps remaining before he pitted two laps later.

Down to the final 50 laps, Briscoe, who overtook teammate Bell to cycle back as the leader with 59 laps remaining, was leading by more than a second over Logano while Cindric, Elliott and Bowman were scored in the top five ahead of Hamlin, Berry, Byron, Larson and Chastain. Meanwhile, Bell and Reddick, the latter of whom pitted with 60 laps remaining, were mired in 12th and 13th, though both strategically planned to go the remainder of the event’s scheduled distance without making another pit stop. In addition, Blaney, who pitted three laps earlier, was mired back in 16th place and racing as the third competitor a lap down.

With 40 laps remaining, Logano and Briscoe dueled for the lead before they both made their final scheduled pit stop under green a lap later along with Cindric. By then, another late cycle of green-flag pit stops ensued as several, including Bowman, Buescher, Hill, Herbst, Gibbs, Berry, and Byron, pitted. Following the pit stops, Logano managed to beat Briscoe off of pit road first. Meanwhile, Bell, who is striving to go the event’s remainder on his older tires, cycled to the lead with 36 laps remaining. Reddick occupied third place, and he trailed the lead by less than three seconds while Larson trailed in the runner-up spot by more than a second. Amid the late cycle of pit stops, Logano cycled his No. 22 Shell/Pennzoil Ford Mustang Dark Horse entry up to fourth place ahead of Briscoe.

Down to the final 30 laps, Bell was leading by more than three seconds over Reddick while Logano trailed hard in third place by four seconds. Logano would then overtake Reddick to move into the runner-up spot two laps later. Despite being mired in lapped traffic, Logano spent the next three laps erasing Bell’s advantage amid the latter’s disadvantage on worn tires before Logano zipped past Bell to reassume the lead with 24 laps remaining. Briscoe followed suit as he trailed Logano by six-tenths of a second while Bell started to lose track of the top-two leaders.

With 20 laps remaining, Logano stabilized his lead to six-tenths of a second over Briscoe while Bell trailed in third place by nearly four seconds. Behind, Reddick and Cindric trailed in the top-five mark while Elliott, Byron, Berry, Hamlin, Larson, Bowman and Blaney rounded out the lead lap field. Briscoe spent the next five laps decreasing his deficit down to half a second behind Logano, with the latter mired in lapped traffic, but Logano managed to use the next five laps to maintain his lead by half a second.

NO. 22
Photo by John Knittel for SpeedwayMedia.com.

Starting with nine laps remaining, Briscoe reeled in Logano as the former’s deficit shrank down to three-tenths of a second over the leader, Logano. Despite Briscoe’s efforts to narrow the deficit down to as low as two-tenths of a second over the next seven laps, Logano maintained a steady lead during the span.

When the white flag waved and the final lap started, Logano remained in the lead by four-tenths of a second over Briscoe. Amid Briscoe’s late-race charge, Logano managed to fend off the latter for a final cycle around Richmond before he returned to the frontstretch to claim the checkered flag by three-tenths of a second.

With the victory, Logano notched his 39th career win in the NASCAR Cup Series division, his third at Richmond and his second of the 2026 season. Logano’s victory, which was also the fourth of this season for both Team Penske and Ford, boosted him from 13th to ninth in the regular-season standings, and he is now 142 points above the top-16 cutline to make this year’s Chase with two regular-season events remaining.

Joey Logano
Photo by John Knittel for SpeedwayMedia.com

“Don’t let the boys get hot! We’re pretty strong now!” Logano said on the frontstretch on USA Network. “It’s awesome to see the speed in the No. 22 again. Gosh, it was a great car. We’ve had a great car here the last five races, and we haven’t been able to capitalize on the win. Been so close. Sweet redemption today. We got a strong team, no doubt. [Crew chief] Paul [Wolfe] made some great calls there. [Spotter] Coleman [Pressley] did a good job, but [Briscoe] was better than us that last run. I was trying to just manage the tires, but keep that gap. Just kind of a fun back-and-forth battle…It was a typical Richmond race, so pretty cool to get one here. Onto Loudon. Get another one.”

Briscoe, who led a race-high 171 laps compared to Logano’s 95, settled in second place for his 10th top-five result of the 2026 season and notched his first career top-10 result in his 10th start at Richmond. Amid the strong run, Briscoe was left disappointed after being one spot short of capping off a dominant run with a victory.

“I don’t know what more I needed,” Briscoe said. “I thought that last run, I was a little bit better than [Logano] to get there at the end. The prior run to the pit stop, I just lost brakes and got really, really loose. I gave up a three-second advantage, and that was ultimately the difference. I just had one bad run, and that was the difference-maker there at the end. It’s weird to be mad running second here. It’s been a real struggle for me at this place. I think it’s my first-ever top 10 here even, but just to be that close and not get it done is still frustrating. I had a really fast Bass Pro Shops/Tracker [Boats] Toyota and just wasn’t able to seal the deal there at the end.”

Austin Cindric capped off a strong run racing at the front by securing a third-place result, which marks his highest-finishing result through 24-scheduled events in 2026. To go along with a pair of fourth-place results in the event’s first two stage points, he jumped from 16th to 15th in the standings and is 57 points above the cutline to make the Chase.

“I’m not sure I was seeing [tonight’s] progress that early, but we certainly had a fast Quaker State Motor Oil Ford Mustang,” Cindric said. “This was the kick in the ass that this team needed. Last couple of weeks and really months have been a bit of a grind for us. Suffering in silence and succeeding in silence in some ways. Tonight was a good way to drop the mirror in front and just be able to remember who we are a little bit and be able to go out and execute a good race.”

Denny Hamlin and Chase Elliott finished in the top five while Kyle Larson, Christopher Bell, Josh Berry, William Byron and Alex Bowman completed the top 10 in the final running order, respectively. Tyler Reddick was the final competitor to score on the lead lap, finishing 11th.

This event featured 29 lead changes for 10 different leaders, and four cautions for 31 laps.

Following the 24th event of the 2026 NASCAR Cup Series season, Denny Hamlin continues to lead the regular-season standings by 115 points over Ryan Blaney. The duo, along with Ty Gibbs, Tyler Reddick, Chase Briscoe, Chase Elliott and Christopher Bell, have secured their berths for this year’s Chase.

Currently, Kyle Larson, Joey Logano, Chris Buescher, Carson Hocevar, William Byron, Daniel Suarez, Bubba Wallace, Austin Cindric and Shane van Gisbergen occupy the remaining vacant berths to the Chase, with van Gisbergen being 50 points ahead of Ryan Preece, 63 over Ross Chastain, 78 over Brad Keselowski and 81 over Erik Jones with two regular-season events remaining.

Results:

  1. Joey Logano, 95 laps led, Stage 2 winner
  2. Chase Briscoe, 171 laps led
  3. Austin Cindric
  4. Denny Hamlin, three laps led
  5. Chase Elliott
  6. Kyle Larson, two laps led
  7. Christopher Bell, 29 laps led
  8. Josh Berry, one lap led
  9. William Byron
  10. Alex Bowman
  11. Tyler Reddick, seven laps led
  12. Ross Chastain, one lap down
  13. Ryan Blaney, one lap down, 88 laps led, Stage 1 winner
  14. Shane van Gisbergen, one lap down
  15. Ty Gibbs, one lap down, one lap led
  16. Daniel Suarez, one lap down
  17. Ryan Preece, two laps down
  18. Noah Gragson, two laps down
  19. Austin Dillon, two laps down
  20. Bubba Wallace, two laps down, three laps led
  21. Chris Buescher, two laps down
  22. John Hunter Nemechek, two laps down
  23. Austin Hill, three laps down
  24. Riley Herbst, three laps down
  25. Connor Zilisch, three laps down
  26. Brad Keselowski, three laps down
  27. Erik Jones, four laps down
  28. Michael McDowell, four laps down
  29. Cole Custer, four laps down
  30. Todd Gilliland, four laps down
  31. Ricky Stenhouse Jr., four laps down
  32. Ty Dillon, six laps down
  33. AJ Allmendinger, six laps down
  34. Cody Ware, eight laps down
  35. Josh Bilicki, nine laps down
  36. Zane Smith, 34 laps down
  37. Carson Hocevar – OUT, Engine

Next on the 2026 NASCAR Cup Series schedule is New Hampshire Motor Speedway in Loudon, New Hampshire, for the Dollar Tree 301. The event is scheduled to occur next Sunday, August 23, and air at 3 p.m. ET on USA Network, PRN Radio, SiriusXM, and HBO MAX.

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