ARLINGTON, Texas (Sunday, March 15, 2026) – It’s been a long time since a rival driver made Alex Palou blink, but Kyle Kirkwood achieved that rare feat to win the inaugural Java House Grand Prix at Arlington on Sunday.
Kirkwood took the NTT INDYCAR SERIES championship lead and earned his first victory of the season despite a sluggish final pit stop by his Andretti Global crew, driving his No. 27 JM Bullion/Gold.com Honda to victory under caution over the No. 10 DHL Chip Ganassi Racing Honda of four-time series champion Palou, who has won the title the last three seasons.
“That was so incredible,” Kirkwood said. “Man, did we have some pace. This JM Bullion Honda, Andretti, all these guys right here, they gave me the tools today. It’s because of this race car we won today, because of teamwork.
“One-three-four (finish) for Andretti; we’re just so stacked here. I’m so stoked.”
Andretti Global placed three drivers into the top four at the finish of the 70-lap street-circuit race around AT&T Stadium, home of the Dallas Cowboys, and Globe Life Field, home of the Texas Rangers. Will Power placed third in the No. 26 TWG AI Honda for his first podium finish at his new team after 16 full-time seasons at Team Penske. Marcus Ericsson, who earned his first career pole Saturday, finished fourth in the No. 28 InPwr Honda.
Pato O’Ward rounded out the top five finishers in the No. 5 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet, the highest-placing Chevrolet-powered driver on the 14-turn, 2.73-mile circuit.
“This Andretti Honda camp is fricking strong on street courses,” O’Ward said. “We’ve got a lot of work to do if we want to start winning races on outright pace against them.”
Pure pace helped Kirkwood, who started seventh and overcome a tepid final pit stop to overhaul Palou down the stretch.
Palou and Kirkwood were running first and second, respectively, when both made their final stops on the preferred three-stop strategy on Lap 49. The Chip Ganassi Racing crew completed Palou’s stop in 7.7 seconds, while Kirkwood’s service took 9.5 seconds due to a slow change of the right rear wheel.
When both drivers returned to full steam on their out lap, Palou led Kirkwood by 2.2 seconds. But Kirkwood used the speed that helped him lead the pre-qualifying practice Saturday, pulling to within .323 of a second of Palou at the start of Lap 55, with both drivers on the more durable Firestone Firehawk tires in a straight-up duel for the win.
Kirkwood didn’t waste any time flexing muscle, diving under Palou from a long distance in Turn 13 near the end of Lap 55 and making the daring pass stick for the lead.
“He did an awesome pass; hats off to him,” Palou said. “It was super clean, and it was pretty impressive. We’ll get them in a couple weeks.”
Kirkwood then started to pull away, building a five-second lead by Lap 66. Then that margin evaporated when ECR driver Christian Rasmussen nosed his No. 21 Java House Chevrolet into the tire barrier at pit exit on Lap 68, triggering the first full-course yellow of the race.
That bunched the field for a one-lap dash to the checkered flag. Kirkwood pulled away on the restart and was able to exhale early in the final lap when the second and final full-course yellow flew due to a collision between the No. 18 BMax Honda of Dale Coyne Racing’s Romain Grosjean and the No. 6 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet of Nolan Siegel deep in the field.
“Not today,” Palou said when asked if he thought he could have caught Kirkwood on the final lap. “I was pushing really hard on the first and second stint, and I could see that the 27 (Kirkwood) and the 12 (Power) were a little bit faster than us. I was like, ‘Oh, man, it’s going to be quite hard.’”
Kirkwood then cruised around the circuit one last time under yellow to cheers from the capacity crowd at this event, a joint venture between Penske Entertainment, the Dallas Cowboys and REV Entertainment, the official events partner of the Texas Rangers. He leads the standings by 26 points over second-place Palou after three of 18 races.
“It’s only race number three, so I’m not looking at the championship,” Kirkwood said. “But it is nice to say it’s the first time I’ve ever led the championship in the INDYCAR SERIES.”
The taut nature of the race, with its varying strategies about how often to stop for tires, resulted in terrific parity up front. Kirkwood, Palou and Power each led 16 laps to tie for the race high, with Ericsson fourth with 15 laps led.
Caio Collet was the top-finishing rookie, 12th in the No. 4 Combitrans Amazonia Chevrolet fielded by AJ Foyt Racing.
Phoenix winner Josef Newgarden, who entered this event in the series lead, fell to third after finishing 15th in the No. 2 PPG Team Penske Chevrolet.
After three consecutive race weekends to open the season, the NTT INDYCAR SERIES will get a short break before resuming with the Children’s of Alabama Indy Grand Prix powered by AmFirst on March 27-29 at Barber Motorsports Park in Birmingham, Alabama.
Elkhart Lake, WI - during the 2026 Java House Grand Prix of Arlington Austin, TX (Photo by Travis Hinkle | IMS Photo)
ARLINGTON, Texas (Sunday, March 15, 2026) – In a thrilling race that blended chaos and excitement in equal measure, Max Taylor earned his first INDY NXT by Firestone victory Sunday in the inaugural Grand Prix of Arlington.
Andretti Global driver Taylor, from Greenwich, Connecticut, drove his No. 28 Susan G. Komen car to a 1.8925-second victory over rookie Enzo Fittipaldi in the No. 67 HMD Motorsports car for his breakthrough win in his eighth career start in the INDYCAR development series. The margin of victory deceived, as the two drivers and rookie Tymek Kucharczyk dueled for the lead multiple times over the closing laps of the 30-minute timed race.
“I wanted it with every ounce of my body,” Taylor said. “I had to fight for it. That was some hard racing out there. This track just creates such good racing. Absolutely incredible to drive around here. We had to make some moves out there. A lot of fun, a lot of carnage happening, but we were able to show our pace.”
Kucharczyk finished third for the second consecutive race in the No. 71 HMD Motorsports car to round out the podium finishers. JM Correa placed fourth in the No. 68 Cusick Morgan Motorsports car, while Lochie Hughes finished fifth in the No. 26 Andretti Global machine.
The race was filled with action and contact from the beginning on the 14-turn, 2.73-mile temporary street circuit that circles around AT&T Stadium, home of the Dallas Cowboys, and Globe Life Field, home of the Texas Rangers. A steady wind of 20 mph, with gusts approaching 40 mph, added to the challenge.
There was chaos as the field drove to the green flag, as the No. 57 Abel Motorsports car driven by Colin Kaminsky suffered heavy damage after colliding with other cars and the outside retaining wall on the backstretch as the tightly bunched field rocketed toward the flag stand for the green.
Immediately after that incident, it appeared Kucharczyk made light contact with pole sitter Alessandro de Tullio in the No. 14 AJ Foyt Racing entry, nudging de Tullio wide and handing the lead to Fittipaldi, who started second.
The incident involving Kaminsky triggered a caution that lasted until there were approximately 16 minutes, 30 seconds left in the race. Fittipaldi kept the lead on the restart but never got away from Kucharczyk and Taylor, who were running second and third, respectively.
Kucharczyk pulled to within inches of Fittipaldi’s gearbox with 12 and 10 minutes remaining but couldn’t get past for the lead. Meanwhile, Taylor bided his time in third after starting fourth.
Fittipaldi and Kucharczyk swapped the lead twice on the same lap with approximately nine minutes, 50 seconds remaining, with Fittipaldi prevailing when the duo crossed the start-finish line to judge the lap leader.
With eight minutes left, Taylor passed Kucharczyk and set his sights on leader Fittipaldi, the grandson of two-time Indianapolis 500 winner Emerson Fittipaldi. That task got a bit easier with about six minutes, 30 remaining when Josh Pierson’s No. 29 Starchive Andretti car stopped on track in Turn 2 after contact with the wall following a light hip check from the No. 17 HMD Motorsports entry driven by Salvador de Alba, triggering a caution to bunch the field.
Fittipaldi kept the lead on the restart with three minutes, 35 seconds remaining, but Taylor pulled to within .275 of a second with two minutes left. Then Taylor dove under Fittipaldi for the lead in Turn 13 and pulled away over the closing two laps.
“It was hard racing,” Fittipaldi said. “That’s what I love about racing here in the States. It’s raw racing, and I really enjoy that. We had some good battles out there. Unfortunately, we came home second. I’m just a bit frustrated with the result but super happy at the same time.”
Taylor took the series lead by 10 points over St. Petersburg winner Nikita Johnson, who finished sixth today in the No. 21 Cape Motorsports Powered by ECR entry.
The next INDY NXT by Firestone race is the Grand Prix of Alabama at Barber Motorsports Park, a doubleheader with races March 28-29. It’s the first of five twinbill weekends for the series this season.
Kyle Larson seized an opportunity at the start of a 47-lap dash that enabled him to win The LiUNA! at Las Vegas Motor Speedway on Saturday, March 14.
The reigning two-time Cup Series champion from Elk Grove, California, led the final 47 of 200-scheduled laps. He started alongside pole-sitter Sam Mayer on the front row and raced upfront through the fifth O’Reilly Auto Parts Series event of this year’s schedule in Sin City.
Photo by Ron Olds for SpeedwayMedia.com
After securing a pair of top-10 results throughout the event’s first two stage periods, Larson was scored in seventh place during the event’s final restart with 47 laps remaining. At the launch, Larson quickly navigated his way to fourth place entering the first turn. He then used the outside lane to overtake Corey Day and Sheldon Creed through the first two turns. During this time, he also drove alongside Brandon Jones and dueled with him through the backstretch. He then motored away for his first lead of the event. With the lead in his possession, Larson maintained for the remainder of the event. He beat Chase Briscoe by more than two seconds to notch his first checkered flag of the 2026 NASCAR season.
On-track qualifying determined the starting lineup on Saturday. Mayer secured his second O’Reilly pole position of the 2026 season with a pole-winning lap at 183.287 mph in 29.462 seconds. Mayer shared the front row with Kyle Larson, the latter of whom qualified in second place with a lap at 182.902 mph in 29.524 seconds.
Before the event, the following drivers, including Blaine Perkins, Patrick Staropoli, and Anthony Alfredo, dropped to the rear of the field due to unapproved adjustments that were made to their respective entries.
When the green flag waved and the event commenced, Sam Mayer launched ahead from the inside lane along with teammate Sheldon Creed and Brandon Jones. Kyle Larson, who started on the outside lane, struggled to launch. The field fanned out through the first two turns and the backstretch. Mayer retained the top spot, leading the field back to the frontstretch to complete the first lap.
Then on the second lap, the event’s first caution flew. Connor Zilisch, who motored his way to 13th place, slid from the bottom lane and made contact with Jeremy Clements in Turn 1. As a result, Clements slid from the top to the bottom of the first two turns and hit the right side of Zilch’s entry before both straightened their entries and proceeded.
The next restart on Lap 6 featured teammates Mayer and Creed dueling for the lead through the first two turns. Mayer used the inside lane to move in front of Creed and retain the lead entering the backstretch. As the field fanned out, Mayer cycled back to the frontstretch and led the next lap over Creed. Jesse Love, Sammy Smith, Jones, and Justin Allgaier followed suit.
Through the first 10-scheduled laps, Mayer was leading by three-tenths of a second over Creed. They were followed by Love, Sammy Smith, Allgaier, Taylor Gray, Jones, Larson, Parker Retzlaff, and Corey Day in the top 10. Meanwhile, Day was battling Chase Briscoe for 10th place. They were racing ahead of Rajah Caruth, Cole Custer, Austin Hill, and Carson Kvapil. Jeb Burton, Dean Thompson, the Sieg brothers of Ryan and Kyle, and Harrison Burton were mired in the top 20, respectively.
Three laps later, the event’s second caution flew. Custer, who was racing in the top 15 and battling Caruth for position, got loose and spun from the top to the bottom of Turns 1 and 2. Behind, Austin Green, who was racing within the top-20 area, also spun to the bottom of the track after he locked up his tires while trying to react to Custer’s incident.
The field restarted under green flag on Lap 19. Mayer rocketed ahead of Creed, Love, and the field entering the first turn. While Mayer led the next lap, Briscoe used the outside lane to go from 12th to sixth in a single lap. Briscoe proceeded to move up to fourth place by Lap 25 after overtaking Love and teammate Taylor Gray. Mayer led Creed by nine-tenths of a second and third-place Allgaier by more than a second.
On Lap 34, Allgaier, who overtook Creed for the runner-up spot four laps earlier, used the frontstretch’s apron to overtake Mayer and lead for the first time. Despite having Mayer initially reeling in to reclaim the lead, Allgaier proceeded to extend his lead to a second by the Lap 40 mark. By then, Creed, Briscoe, and Gray trailed in the top five, respectively, by three seconds while Love, Larson, Day, Jones, and Custer were mired in the top 10 ahead of Austin Hill, Ryan Sieg, Carson Kvapil, William Sawalich, and Parker Retzlaff.
When the first stage period concluded on Lap 45, Allgaier captured his third O’Reilly stage victory of the 2026 season. Mayer settled in second ahead of Briscoe, Gray and Creed while Love, Larson, Day, Custer and Jones were scored in the top 10, respectively.
Under the event’s first stage break period, Mayer fell off the pace from the runner-up spot due to losing power. Despite receiving assistance from an on-track safety vehicle, Mayer had his entry taken to the garage for further diagnosis. When pit road became accessible, the field led by Allgaier pitted for service. Following the pit stops, Love exited pit road first and he was followed by Gray, Allgaier, Briscoe and Larson, respectively.
The second stage period started on Lap 52 as Love and Gray occupied the front row. At the start, Love motored ahead of Gray and the field that had fanned out to multiple lanes through the first two turns and the backstretch. As Love continued to lead through the Lap 55 mark, Gray retained second place ahead of Allgaier. Creed, Larson, and Briscoe battled for fourth place in front of Jones, Sawalich, Day, and Custer.
Following a caution that flew on Lap 57 when Clements spun through the frontstretch, the next restart on Lap 63 featured Love surging ahead with a push from Allgaier to the lead from the inside lane. Meanwhile, Gray, who was battling Love for the lead before the previous caution, restarted on the outside lane. However, he struggled to launch as the field fanned out through the first two turns. Allgaier used the outside lane to duel against Love through the frontstretch and lead the next lap. While side-drafting Love, Allgaier then used the first two turns to motor ahead of Love. He then proceeded to lead through the Lap 70 mark.
By Lap 80, Allgaier, who has led since Lap 65, retained the lead by half a second. He was followed by a hard-charging Briscoe while third-place Gray trailed by more than two seconds. Behind, Love dropped to fourth place in front of Creed, Larson, Day, Zilisch, Austin Hill and Kvapil. Jones, Custer, Sawalich, Ryan Seig, Sammy Smith, Retzlaff, Thompson, Kyle Sieg, Nick Sanchez and Jeb Burton trailed in the top 20, respectively.
When the second stage period concluded on Lap 90, Allgaier captured his third O’Reilly stage victory of 2026 and his second of the day. Briscoe settled in second ahead of teammate Gray, Love and Larson. Creed, Day, Zilisch, Austin Hill and Kvapil were scored in the top 10, respectively.
During the event’s second stage break period, the field led by Allgaier returned to pit road for service. Following the stops, Love beat Allgaier off of pit road first with the lead and they were followed by Briscoe, Creed and Gray, respectively.
With 103 laps remaining, the final stage period commenced as Love and Allgaier occupied the front row. At the start, Love used the inside lane to motor ahead and clear Allgaier to retain the lead through the first two turns. As Love led for a full lap, Creed dueled against Allgaier for the runner-up spot. Shortly after, Briscoe, who was racing within the top-10 mark, scrubbed the outside wall from Turns 3 and 4. The incident dropped Briscoe out of the top-10 mark while Love continued to lead Allgaier, Creed and Gray by less than a second at the halfway mark on Lap 100.
A few laps later, Briscoe pitted his entry under green to have a right-front tire inspected for any flattening. Back on the track, Allgaier reeled in and overtook Love to reassume the lead with 96 laps remaining. Love then returned the favor by overtaking Allgaier through the frontstretch with 91 laps remaining.
With 83 laps remaining, the caution flew when Dean Thompson and Patrick Staropoli both spun through the first two turns. During the caution period, the leaders led by Love pitted for service. Following the pit stops, Love beat the field off of pit road first, but he was then penalized for a safety violation. This was due to Love’s crew chief, Danny Stockman Jr., falling over the pit wall while trying to retrieve a changed right-front wheel that was being brought over by Love’s front-tire changer.
The next restart with 77 laps remaining featured Gray and Creed on the front row, where Gray motored ahead from the inside lane. As Gray led, Zilisch overtook Creed for the runner-up spot and they raced ahead of Larson, Day, Kvapil and Allgaier through the backstretch. With both Zilisch and Creed battling for the runner-up spot and Allgaier being mixed in a HendrickCars.com battle with Larson and Day, Gray retained the lead with 75 laps remaining.
Following another caution that flew with 69 laps remaining due to Staropoli and Josh Bilicki wrecking through the fronstretch, some that included Jones, Alfredo, Love, Briscoe, Jeb Burton and Custer pitted for service while the rest led by Gray remained on the track. Gray motored ahead of the field during the next restart with 63 laps remaining. Gray then led the next three laps until Corey Day overtook Gray through the backstretch.
Then, with 53 laps remaining, the caution flew when Gray, who was both trying to reel in Day for the lead and fend off Creed to retain the runner-up spot, tried to block Creed exiting the backstretch. With Creed staying glued to the rear of Gray’s bumper, Gray then got sideways entering Turn 3. Despite Gray’s efforts to have his entry straightened, he hit the outside wall and was knocked out of contention. During this latest caution period, nearly the entire field led by Day returned to pit road for service while Jones, Alfredo and Jeb Burton remained on the track.
As the event restarted under green with 47 laps remaining, Jones led Creed, Day and Larson from the inside lane until Larson, who restarted in seventh place, used his four fresh tires and the outside lane to surge alongside Jones through the backstretch. Larson then continued using the outside lane to motor ahead and lead for the first time during the next lap.
Down to the final 40 laps of the event, Larson was leading by four-tenths of a second over teammate Sammy Smith and by six-tenths of a second over third-place Day while Creed and Kvapil were scored in the top five. Meanwhile, Briscoe rallied his way up to seventh place behind Retzlaff and he proceeded to navigate his way into the top five with 35 laps remaining while Larson continued to lead by nine-tenths of a second.
With 25 laps remaining, Larson extended his lead to nearly two seconds over Sammy Smith while Creed, Briscoe and Allgaier all trailed by two seconds. Larson had his lead grown to two seconds five laps later while Briscoe overtook Smith and Creed to move into the runner-up spot. Despite having the runner-up spot in his possession, Briscoe could not reel in Larson as the latter led by more than two seconds with 10 laps remaining.
Down to the final five laps of the event, Larson maintained his late lead by two-and-a-half seconds over Briscoe while Creed, Allgaier and Sammy Smith trailed in the top five ahead of Love, Zilisch, Day, Sawalich and Austin Hill. Over the next four laps, Larson continued to maintain his lead to more than two seconds over Briscoe.
When the white flag waved and the final lap started, Larson remained in the lead by more than two seconds over Briscoe. Despite being mired within minor lapped traffic, Larson cruised around Las Vegas Motor Speedway for a final time before he cycled back to the frontstretch and claimed the checkered flag by two-and-a-half seconds over Briscoe.
With the victory, Larson racked up his 18th career win in the NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series division, his second at Las Vegas and his first since he won at Texas Motor Speedway in May 2025. The victory was also Larson’s third driving the No. 88 entry for JR Motorsports, the third race in a row won by a JR Motorsports entry this season and it made Chevrolet five-for-five through the first five events of the 2026 O’Reilly schedule.
Saturday’s Las Vegas event was Larson’s first of three-scheduled starts in the No. 88 HendrickCars.com Chevrolet Camaro entry for JR Motorsports in this year’s O’Reilly Auto Parts Series season. His next start will occur at Bristol Motor Speedway on April 11.
Photo by Ron Olds for SpeedwayMedia.com.
“My car was not handling the best at all,” Larson said on the frontstretch on the CW Network. “I was just super, super tight loaded and I couldn’t carry any speed through the corners. I was just getting ate up on restarts, really the whole run. That last restart [with 47 laps remaining], we had some guys stay out and I had a good launch, was able to get to the middle and get some clean air. I think just me being able to run the line that allowed my front tires to build where they needed to just allow my car to be okay on the long run, I think, helped…Glad we were able to pick our way through traffic well enough. It’s always fun to get to race with [crew chief Mardy Lindley] and get another win. We got a few more [races to run], so hopefully we can get some more wins.”
Behind Larson, Chase Briscoe made a strong rally from his midway scrape into the Turns 3 and 4 wall along with pitting under green to settle in the runner-up spot.
“We had a really good WIX Filters Toyota, for one,” Briscoe said. “I knew, even with the adversity that we were dealing with, that we got a lucky break, we were going to be able to hopefully get back up there.” He continued, saying, “I think it was my own fault. I just kind of drove [the car] into the fence and cost myself. I had a lot of fun. It was certainly fun slipping and sliding around. The racetrack widens out and you can kind of run all over. Looking forward to tomorrow. Wish we could have been one spot better today.”
Sheldon Creed settled in third place while Justin Allgaier and Sammy Smith rounded out the top five. Jesse Love, Connor Zilisch, Corey Day, William Sawalich and Austin Hill completed the top 10, respectively, in the final running order.
There were 16 lead changes for nine different leaders. The event featured eight cautions for 42 laps. In addition, 19 of 38 starters finished on the lead lap.
Following the fifth event of the 2026 NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series season, Justin Allgaier leads the standings by 13 points over Jesse Love, 29 over Austin Hill, 49 over Sheldon Creed and 64 over Carson Kvapil.
Results:
1. Kyle Larson, 47 laps led 2. Chase Briscoe, two laps led 3. Sheldon Creed, one lap led 4. Justin Allgaier 48 laps led, Stages 1 & 2 winner 5. Sammy Smith 6. Jesse Love, 36 laps led 7. Connor Zilisch 8. Corey Day, nine laps led 9. William Sawalich 10. Austin Hill 11. Carson Kvapil 12. Parker Retzlaff 13. Brandon Jones, four laps led 14. Kyle Sieg 15. Daniel Dye 16. Josh Williams 17. Harrison Burton 18. Cole Custer 19. Rajah Caruth 20. Brennan Poole, one lap down 21. Patrick Staropoli, one lap down 22. Blaine Perkins, one lap down 23. Josh Bilicki, one lap down 24. Jeremy Clements, one lap down 25. Austin Green, one lap down 26. Lavar Scott, one lap down 27. Jeb Burton, one lap down 28. Mason Maggio, one lap down 29. Joey Gase, one lap down 30. Ryan Ellis, two laps down 31. Dean Thompson, two laps down 32. Nathan Byrd, two laps down 33. Ryan Sieg, three laps down 34. Anthony Alfredo, three laps down 35. Sam Mayer, four laps down, 32 laps led 36. Chandler Smith – OUT, Ignition 37. Taylor Gray – OUT, Accident, 21 laps led 38. Nick Sanchez – OUT, Fuel Pump
Next on the 2026 NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series schedule is Darlington Raceway in Darlington, South Carolina, for the Sport Clips Haircuts VFW Help a Hero 200. The event is scheduled to occur next Saturday, March 21, and air at 5:30 p.m. ET on the CW Network, MRN Radio, and SiriusXM.
BRISCOE DELIVERS RUNNER-UP IN LONE O’REILLY START OF THE SEASON
Briscoe rallies back after wall contact, tire failure to finish second in Las Vegas
LAS VEGAS (March 14, 2026) – Joe Gibbs Racing’s Chase Briscoe fought through wall contact and a tire failure to finish second in his lone scheduled NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series race at Las Vegas Motor Speedway on Saturday. Briscoe’s teammate, William Sawalich, joined him in the top-10, finishing ninth.
TOYOTA RACING Post-Race Recap NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series (NOAPS) Las Vegas Motor Speedway Race 5 of 33 – 300 miles, 200 laps
TOYOTA FINISHING POSITIONS
1st, Kyle Larson* 2nd, CHASE BRISCOE 3rd, Sheldon Creed* 4th, Justin Allgaier* 5th, Sammy Smith* 9th, WILLIAM SAWALICH 13th, BRANDON JONES 17th, HARRISON BURTON 31st, DEAN THOMPSON 37th, TAYLOR GRAY *non-Toyota driver
TOYOTA QUOTES
CHASE BRISCOE, No. 19 WIX Filters Toyota GR Supra, Joe Gibbs Racing
Finishing Position: 2nd
What a rebound for you, Chase, after you spent a number of laps down due to a tire going down. How did you do it?
“We had a really good WIX Filters Toyota for one. Even with the adversity we were dealing with, I knew if we got a lucky break, we were going to hopefully get back up there. Honestly, it wasn’t an unfortunate break with the tire, I think it was my own fault. I just drove it into the fence and cost myself. I had a lot of fun. It was certainly fun slipping and sliding around the race track. You could kind of run all over. I had a blast, and I appreciate JGR (Joe Gibbs Racing) and WIX Filters for letting me do it. Looking forward to tomorrow, just wish we could have been one spot better today.”
TAYLOR GRAY, No. 54 Operation 300 Toyota GR Supra, Joe Gibbs Racing
Finishing Position: 37th
What is your side of what happened out there?
“I think the replay speaks for itself in terms of him driving into (turn) three and just wrecking me. I’m super proud of everyone at Joe Gibbs Racing and TOYOTA RACING for bring really fast Supras to the race track. We had a really fast Operation 300 Toyota GR Supra. I’m just going to move on and focus on continuing to bring fast cars to the track.”
How do you handle situations like this?
“I think you just mark it as a tally as that was a race that we were good enough to win, and it got taken away from us. We’ve just got to move on and reset at Darlington in a week.”
About Toyota
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Toyota directly employs nearly 64,000 people in North America who have contributed to the design, engineering, and assembly of nearly 49 million cars and trucks at our 14 manufacturing plants. In spring 2025, Toyota’s plant in North Carolina will begin to manufacture automotive batteries for electrified vehicles. With more electrified vehicles on the road than any other automaker, Toyota currently offers 31 electrified options.
For more information about Toyota, visit www.ToyotaNewsroom.com.
CHEVROLET IN THE NTT INDYCAR SERIES Java House Grand Prix of Arlington 2.73-mile, 14-turn Arlington street circuit Arlington, Texas Saturday Qualifying Report March 14, 2026
ARLINGTON, Texas (March 14, 2026) – Pato O’Ward, in the No. 5 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet, will start the inaugural Java House Grand Prix of Arlington from the inside of the second row, after turning a lap of 94.8453 seconds during the Firestone Fast Six.
For the first time, the pole winner for an NTT INDYCAR SERIES came down to single-car qualifying in the Firestone Fast Six. Traditionally, group qualifying, the six drivers that advanced to the final group, had the pressure of all eyes on them over the tricky 2.73-mile, 14-turn Arlington street circuit.
Alexander Rossi in the No. 20 ECR Java House Chevrolet, Josef Newgarden in the No. 2 PPG Team Penske Chevrolet, and Christian Rasmussen in the No. 21 ECR Java House Chevrolet were fast enough to go through to the Fast 12 from the first dozen drivers on track for qualifying.
Scott McLaughlin, who was the quickest driver on Friday, was the second quickest driver on a lap that would have put him through to the Fast 12, had an incident in Turn 8, tapping the inside wall and shooting his No. 3 DEX Team Penske Chevrolet into the wall on the exit of the corner. The Kiwi will not have to use a backup car and will start from 25th on the grid.
As the second group came to an end, David Malukas in the No. 12 Verizon Team Penske Chevrolet, Santino Ferrucci in the No. 14 Homes For Our Troops Chevrolet, and O’Ward advanced, making it six Chevrolet-powered cars in the Fast 12.
O’Ward, who had the second-best time in the Fast 12, was the only Team Chevy driver to advance to the new-look Firestone Fast Six.
Java House Grand Prix of Arlington qualifying results:
What they’re saying – qualifying:
Pato O’Ward, No. 5 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet qualified 3rd:
Do you feel like you maximized everything you had in the No. 5 car? I do. I am very pleased with that qualifying.
“My goal was to get to the fast six, to have a shot at it. In practice two, we weren’t able to complete our laps, to really show our true pace. But if I were to bet, where we were going to qualify, I would have bet on third.
“I’m shocked Kirkwood didn’t make it, he was my bet for pole, but his sister did. So, congratulations to Marcus on his first career pole here in IndyCar. I’m ecstatic for tomorrow! I’m pumped! This place really is a joy to drive. Every lap that I’ve had there out there, it’s really fun. It’s a great circuit.”
Christian Rasmussen, No. 21 ECR Java House Chevrolet qualified 8th:
“Qualifying went well, but I don’t think we necessarily lived up to what we had in practice. We had a small mistake on the set up in practice, so we had more in it than it showed. We have been good all weekend, we’ve just been very unlucky with red flags or cars that came out in front of us to mess up our laps. I am quite happy with qualifying, it’s been one of our weaker points so P8 is a good start for tomorrow!”
David Malukas, No. 12 Verizon Team Penske Chevrolet qualified 9th:
“We were struggling on these red tires, so, we knew after the group one, it was a struggle for us. We’ll get back into the think tank. We’ll get it fixed and get it done. But, a little bit unfortunate, we couldn’t capitalize on it when we could. But overall, I think our pace is strong, especially on those primary tires. So we’ll see what we can get up to. We have a lot of things to check over, especially for race running and seeing how we’re gonna be under tow. This whole time we’ve just been on quali sim. So, a lot of work to do.”
Alexander Rossi, No. 20 ECR Java House Chevrolet qualified 10th:
“I think it’s going to be a pretty chaotic race, so there are going to be a lot of positions gained just from not making mistakes and keeping your nose clean. For ECR to have two cars qualified in the Top 10, it’s a big accomplishment. This is a big race for Java House, we would have liked to have had at least one car in the Fast 6, but it wasn’t meant to be. We have a good position to start from and we can have a good day tomorrow.
Josef Newgarden, No. 2 PPG Team Penske Chevrolet qualified 11th:
“Very proud of the work by the PPG Chevy crew to get the backup car ready to qualify. Trust me, that is no easy feat, but they make it look like it is. Obviously I cost us some on-track time with the accident. It would have been nice to have that time to keep dialing the car in but starting 11th is not terrible. The speed is there so we just have another day of strong execution.”
Santino Ferrucci, No. 14 Homes For Our Troops Chevrolet qualified 12th:
“It’s probably the first qualifying that I feel like went right for us in a long time. Obviously, we’ve been struggling with the car balance. On Friday, we thought we found something good for free practice too. And the only way to really, truly confirm that on a new track was to use two sets of reds and Q one, which advanced us, and then we opted to save some tires for the race instead of using them in Q-2. So I think all in all, if I had done a little bit of a better job, we probably could have qualified inside the top 10, but not much more than that. So, but we’ll take that and go off tomorrow.”
Caio Collet, No. 4 Combitrans Amazonia Chevrolet qualified 16th:
“A bit of a mixed feeling. I think we were really quick, and the car definitely had more potential. It’s just we caught the red flag at the wrong time there, on my best lap, and then after that I was just trying to save what we could from the tires on the last lap. But honestly, it was a mixed feeling, but, I think we have a good car to move forward tomorrow.”
Christian Lundgaard, No. 7 VELO Arrow McLaren Chevrolet qualified 18th:
“These streets are a challenge, to say the least. We had tough luck losing our flyer on the red flag, so by the time we had our one timed lap, we lost the window to get our tires to temp, and I’m still working to get more comfortable in the car. We’ll do some work overnight. As I always say, points are scored on Sunday, so tomorrow’s what matters, and I’m ready to chase the front.”
Nolan Siegel, No. 6 SmartStop Arrow McLaren Chevrolet qualified 22nd:
“Disappointing result, but the car is fast. We had some strong lap times but then went into the runoff on our one-lap shootout. So, unfortunate result, but I’m still confident for tomorrow given that the pace is there.”
Sting Ray Robb, No. 77 Juncos Hollinger – Goodheart Chevrolet qualified 23rd:
“Qualifying today was very frustrating. We were fighting up hill, which is just sad for the team. With limited track time this weekend and a crash in practice 1 it put us on the back foot. Both cars seem to be suffering from a couple of different issue and we’re just out of the window right now. We’re going to do a lot of changes overnight and hope we make a step forward in all directions. I think this is going to be a great track to race from the back from with the way that the chaos works with first year street course. I think if we just keep it clean, we’ll be able to go forward. Looking back at 2021 Nashville is a great example of that, so we’ll move forward in the race just off attrition and a fast car.”
Scott McLaughlin, No. 3 DEX Team Penske Chevrolet qualified 25th:
Scott McLaughlin is out of the IndyCar medical unit you know what happened?
“Yeah. Straight away, the DEX Chevy was super quick, and I just turned a little bit early into Turn 8 there and clipped the inside wall. I’m really bummed for the guys, because it’s still a mistake. It is what it is, you’re trying to find the limits, but I don’t want to give them the work to be honest.”
Tune-In Guide
** Of note: the starting time of the race has been moved due to impending high winds – also, the time of the warm-up has been moved – all changes are noted below **
Sunday
NTT INDYCAR SERIES Warm Up – 9:50am (ET)/8:50am (CT)/7:50am (MT)/6:50am (PT) –FS1/ INDYCAR Radio Network/SIRIUSXM 218 Java House Grand Prix of Arlington (70 laps) – 12pm (ET)/11am (CT)/10am (MT)/9am (PT) – FOX/INDYCAR Radio Network/SIRIUSXM 218
Fan Friendly
Fans can visit Team Chevy Display in Fan Zone in the Fan Zone on the east side of AT&T Stadium, near the NTT INDYCAR SERIES paddock to check out an INDYCAR show car, along with a full line-up of new vehicles, including the Corvette ZR1X, Corvette Stingray (Stars and Steel edition), Equinox, Silverado 1500, Silverado 2500 (Stars and Steel edition), Silverado EV (Stars and Stel Edition),Tahoe, and Traverse, The display is open from 7:30 am – 3 pm on Sunday.
Historical Chevrolet in the INDYCAR SERIES information
INDYCAR SERIES Manufacturer Championships (since 1979)
Chevrolet-Powered Wins in the Twin-Turbo 2.2L V6 Era (2012-present)
Chevrolet-Powered Wins – All-Time
About General Motors
General Motors (NYSE:GM) is driving the future of transportation, leveraging advanced technology to build safer, smarter, and lower emission cars, trucks, and SUVs. GM’s Buick, Cadillac, Chevrolet, and GMC brands offer a broad portfolio of innovative gasoline-powered vehicles and the industry’s widest range of EVs, as we move to an all-electric future.
GM Motorsports, including the Cadillac Formula 1® Team develops and proves advanced technologies in the most demanding environments, accelerating innovation in performance, safety, efficiency, and electrification for its production vehicles. Cadillac Racing is one of the leading manufacturers in the IMSA and FIA World Endurance Championships (WEC). Chevrolet competes in single seaters in the US INDYCAR series, and in NASCAR with multiple team partners and drivers. Corvette customer teams compete in GT series across the globe including IMSA and WEC. Learn more at GM.com.
ARLINGTON, Texas (Saturday, March 14, 2026) – Alessandro de Tullio put the famous No. 14 for AJ Foyt Racing back atop the leaderboard by capturing his first career INDY NXT by Firestone pole Saturday for the Grand Prix of Arlington.
De Tullio was the leader among the rookies who dominated qualifying, as five of the top six drivers are series newcomers. His best lap was 1 minute, 38.8841 seconds in the No. 14 car owned by legendary four-time Indianapolis 500 winner A.J. Foyt, a Houston native. The Foyt team returned to the INDYCAR development series this season after a long hiatus.
SEE: Qualifying Results
“It’s an incredible feeling to be here on pole in Arlington,” de Tullio said. “We struggled at the start of the session with a switch issue and didn’t have full power, but we got it sorted. And from there, I was able to put in a few good laps. We executed. The car was great. I want to thank the whole 14 crew.”
The pole by de Tullio, 19, was a bit of a surprise. The Miami resident was eighth in the second practice Saturday morning after stopping the clocks ninth in the opening practice Friday, with Max Taylor of Andretti Global leading both sessions.
Rookie Enzo Fittipaldi, grandson of two-time Indianapolis 500 winner Emerson Fittipaldi, will start second after his best lap of 1:38.9825 in the No. 67 HMD Motorsports car.
Fittipaldi’s rookie teammate Tymek Kucharczyk will start third after his lap of 1:39.2294 in the No. 71 HMD Motorsports machine. Taylor qualified fourth at 1:39.2906 in the No. 28 Susan G. Komen car fielded by Andretti Global. Taylor is in his first full season in the series but isn’t classified as a rookie because he made six starts last year.
Two rookies will start from Row 3. Jack Beeton qualified fifth at 1:39.3742 in the No. 45 HMD Motorsports entry, with St. Petersburg race winner and series points leader Nikita Johnson qualifying sixth at 1:39.4044 in the No. 21 Cape Motorsports Powered by ECR car.
The arrival of high winds in North Texas later Sunday afternoon has shifted the race day schedule at this inaugural event. Live coverage of the 30-minute race starts at 10:30 a.m. ET on FS1, FOX One, the FOX Sports App and INDYCAR Radio powered by OnlyBulls, with the green flag set for 10:45 a.m.
This exciting new event is a joint venture between Penske Entertainment, the Dallas Cowboys and REV Entertainment, the official events partner of the Texas Rangers. The 14-turn, 2.73-mile temporary street circuit winds around AT&T Stadium, the Cowboys’ home field, and Globe Life Field, the Rangers’ home.
Teen Helio Meza Captures Third Straight Win; Andres Perez de Lara Goes Runner-up in His TA2 Series Debut; Alon Day Rallies from 25th to Third in Second TA2 Outing
Overview:
Date: March 14, 2026 Event: Mission Foods Racing America Road Atlanta (Round 2 of 12) Series: Trans Am Series presented by Pirelli Division: CUBE 3 Architecture TA2 Series Location: Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta Layout: 2.52-mile, 11-turn road course Format: 40 laps or 75 minutes Weather: Sunny, low-70s
TA2 Winner: Helio Meza of TeamSLR
TeamSLR:
● Helio Meza – Started 1st, Finished 1st (Running, completed 40/40 laps)
● Andres Perez de Lara – Started 2nd, Finished 2nd (Running, completed 40/40 laps)
● Alon Day – Started 25th, Finished 3rd (Running, completed 40/40 laps)
● Jared Odrick – Started 12th, Finished 15th (Running, completed 40/40 laps)
Noteworthy:
● Meza, the 18-year-old from Houston, remained unbeaten through three career CUBE 3 Architecture TA2 Series starts and delivered TeamSLR’s ninth consecutive win dating back to the team’s victory last June at the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course in Lexington by eventual 2025 champion Tristan McKee. Like he did in the 2025 season finale last November at the Circuit of the Americas (COTA) in Austin, Texas, then again two weeks ago in the 2026 season opener at Sebring (Fla.) International Raceway, Meza started on the pole and led every lap.
● Perez de Lara, the 20-year-old fulltime NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series competitor from Mexico City, kept pace with Meza from the drop of the green flag and was never threatened for the runner-up spot. It was his first career TA2 Series start.
● Day, the 34-year-old from Ashdod, Israel, who made his TA2 Series debut two weekends ago at Sebring, rallied from 25th on the starting grid to the final spot on the podium Saturday. The four-time NASCAR Euro Series champion did not qualify Friday as the team made repairs to his racecar after an accident in final practice earlier in the day. He was thus placed last on the grid among the TA2 Series entries.
● Naz Olkhovskyi, the 38-year-old from Ukraine, drove his No. 48 Stand With Ukraine/SLR Chevrolet Camaro to his best finish in three TA2 Series outings. His 14th-place overall result was fourth-best among his fellow Pro-Am Challenge-class competitors.
● Buice, the 19-year-old from Jackson, Georgia, made her fourth career TA2 Series start in a backup car put into service after her midrace accident in the Sebring season opener two weekends ago. She was battling for a finish inside the top-10 during the closing laps Saturday when she ventured off course while tangling with another competitor. She made a quick trip to pit lane to clear the grille and returned to the race to finish 19th, under caution.
● Odrick, the 2025 TA2 Series Pro-Am Challenge-class champion, finished 15th overall and fifth in Pro-Am after battling back from an early race incident in his No. 00 Black Underwear/M1 Racecars Camaro for Troy Benner Autosport.
“Man, that felt really good leading the whole race and just kind of really taking control. I’m just kind of speechless. Last year, I went to my first race at COTA, my debut, not really expecting much, and here I am, having won for the third time in a row. I can’t thank Chevrolet and TeamSLR enough. They worked really hard in the offseason to get these cars super fast, and obviously it shows. We got 1-2-3 here. They worked really hard on Alon’s car all night to get him back on track after he had his moment yesterday. I just wish he was up there with me at the beginning because I feel like we would’ve had a good battle all race. This is one of the first times ever that I’ve been a part of a team like this that works really hard and wants nothing but the best for me. And I’m just super grateful for everyone in my corner – Alessandros Racing, Chevrolet, TeamSLR, CUBE3 Architecture, the series sponsor, and Pirelli. There are a lot of people involved that make these weekends possible and I can’t thank everyone enough. And thanks to Racing America for all that they’re doing for us this year.”
Andres Perez de Lara, Driver, No. 8 Chevrolet/SLR-M1 Racecars Camaro:
“It was fun. We finished second, so that’s a good result for the team, and obviously a great day finishing in this order. Just happy for the progress we made during the weekend. I wish I could find that little bit extra, but it was a good weekend overall. Thank you to all the team and everybody that made this possible. I really enjoyed the whole weekend and the process and just getting to learn this car, this track – the whole experience. I think we got better every session, so I’ve got to thank the team. Obviously, a 1-2-3 finish is pretty cool, so I’m really happy.”
“I’m speechless. There are a couple of people I really need to say thanks to. First of all, JSSI for giving me the opportunity to be here. Without them, I wouldn’t be here. And TeamSLR, I mean, they worked really hard. Yesterday, we had a bad crash in practice and I couldn’t qualify, and so that’s the reason why I started from the back. Those guys, each one of them, they did a hell of a job giving me a fighter jet. That’s what it felt like.”
Lanie Buice, Driver, No. 27 Sunoco/Guthrie’s Garage/SLR-M1 Racecars Chevrolet Camaro:
“Yeah. I’m really proud of the hard work that TeamSLR has put in to bring my No. 27 Sunoco Race Fuels, Guthrie’s Garage, M1 Racecars Chevrolet to the racetrack, just putting in the effort they put in during the past two weeks to get me another racecar to the racetrack after I made a mistake at Sebring. Just super proud of everybody and the adversity we fought through during the race. I have some things to work on, but I’m continuing to learn every single weekend. And we put a whole race together this week, so super proud of that and the effort. So I’ve just got to keep my head down and keep learning and figure out how to manage all of the things I need to manage and just get better. I was around a slower car for quite a while, and we ultimately both went around. It was so unfortunate because we were running for a top-10 finish, which would’ve been a really good finish for us. We’ll just look at the data and figure out where we can be better and continue our progress.”
Nas Olkhovskyi, Driver, No. 48 Stand With Ukraine/SLR Chevrolet Camaro:
“The goal was to stay out of trouble, and I think I achieved it. I thought if I get top-20 I’ll be happy, and I got top-15, P4 in class, so that’s just an amazing achievement, the cherry on top. This is an old car that I practiced in for half a year, and then I’ve now raced three times with it, but there’s new one that’s coming soon, an M1, and it’s going to be a good one. So between continuing to build on what we’ve learned so far with this car, I’m excited thinking about the future in the new car.”
Next Up:
Rounds three and four of the 2026 Cube 3 Architecture TA2 Series season come by way of a Saturday-Sunday weekend doubleheader April 23-26 at Sonoma (Calif.) Raceway. The weekend begins Thursday (April 23) with a pair of TA2 test sessions set for 11:25 a.m. and 5:40 p.m. PDT. Official practice and qualifying are set for Friday (March 24) at 10:40 a.m. and 3:55 p.m., respectively. Saturday’s 40-lap, 75-minute race around the 2.52-mile, 11-turn Sonoma circuit is set for 1:30 p.m.. Sunday’s 40-lap, 75-minute race is set for 2:30 p.m. Both races will be broadcast live on RacingAmerica.tv and the GoTransAm page on YouTube.
About TeamSLR:
TeamSLR (Scott Lagasse Racing) competes fulltime in the Trans Am Series presented by Pirelli in a multifaceted effort that includes dedicated entries in the TA2 division, customer programs, driver coaching and car construction. Its history dates back to 1985 and covers a wide spectrum of motorsports, including NASCAR, IMSA, SCCA, ARCA and ASA. TeamSLR is a family-owned organization run by Scott Lagasse Sr., and Scott Lagasse Jr. The father-and-son duo have combined to win more than 130 races and 10 championships across a variety of series and styles of racecars, from paved ovals to road courses to dirt tracks. TeamSLR would like to thank its supporters CUBE 3 Architecture, Franklin Road Apparel, Kallberg Racing, and Guthrie’s Garage. For more information, please visit us online at www.TeamSLR.com, on Facebook, on Twitter, on Instagram and on LinkedIn.
About M1 Racecars:
M1 is an Official Chassis Supplier to the Trans Am Series presented by Pirelli. M1 Racecars are professionally engineered for the Cube 3 Architecture TA2 Series, SCCA Competition, and Track Day events. We offer chassis only, rolling chassis and complete race-ready builds in Camaro, Mustang, and Challenger body styles. We utilize only the highest quality materials and our race-winning technology to produce the most stable and predictable racecar on the track today. The proprietary chassis design by M1 has been CAD-perfected by our engineering staff to ensure that each completed chassis is identical and performs as expected. Our chassis materials are CNC Mandrel bent and cut to our exacting standards, which results in the most precise and cost-effective build. M1 has selected Scott Lagasse Racing to be the exclusive distributor for M1 Racecars worldwide. The race team also provides M1 with vital technical assistance and on-track feedback to support our performance devel
ARLINGTON, Texas (Saturday, March 14, 2026) – Marcus Ericsson left no doubt this time.
After three near-misses, Ericsson earned his first career NTT INDYCAR SERIES pole position Saturday by winning the NTT P1 Award for the inaugural Java House Grand Prix of Arlington.
Ericsson, from Sweden, was the first driver to lay down a qualifying lap in the new one-lap, single-car format for the Firestone Fast Six. The top six from the second round of qualifying were inverted for the final round, with the slowest running first and quickest last.
None of the five drivers to follow could beat Ericsson’s run of 1 minute, 34.3562 seconds in the No. 28 InPwr Honda of Andretti Global. His best lap was nearly half a second quicker than his closest pursuer, Alex Palou of Chip Ganassi Racing.
Ericsson’s first career pole came in his 117th INDYCAR SERIES event, as his previous best was second three times, including at this year’s season-opening Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg.
“I’ve waited long enough; I can tell you that,” a jubilant Ericsson said. “I think 2013 was the last pole I had. I feel like this is a giant thing for me because of that. Two-hundredths of a second away at St. Pete.”
Reigning and four-time series champion Palou qualified second at 1:34.8180 in the No. 10 DHL Chip Ganassi Racing Honda. Palou was the last driver on the 14-turn, 2.73-mile temporary street circuit in qualifying, as he was the quickest among 12 drivers in the second round.
Pato O’Ward will start third after his run of 1:34.8453 in the No. 5 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet, with Will Power joining him in Row 2 after a lap of 1:35.0856 in the No. 26 TWG AI Honda of Andretti Global.
Meyer Shank Racing w/ Curb Agajanian teammates locked out the third row. Felix Rosenqvist will start fifth after his lap of 1:35.1607 in the No. 60 SiriusXM/Texas A&M Honda, with Marcus Armstrong sixth at 1:35.6012 in the No. 66 ROOT Insurance Honda.
Honda-powered drivers took six of the top seven qualifying spots for the 70-lap race, which will feature a new start time due to forecasted high winds later Sunday afternoon in North Texas. Live coverage will start at 11:30 a.m. ET Sunday on FOX, FOX Deportes, FOX One, the FOX Sports app and INDYCAR Radio powered by OnlyBulls, with the green flag set for noon ET.
The pre-race warmup is moving to 9:50-10:10 a.m. ET, with live coverage on FS1, FOX One, the FOX Sports app and INDYCAR Radio powered by OnlyBulls from 9:30-10:30 a.m. ET.
This exciting new event is a joint venture between Penske Entertainment, the Dallas Cowboys and REV Entertainment, the official events partner of the Texas Rangers. The 14-turn, 2.73-mile temporary street circuit winds around AT&T Stadium, the Cowboys’ home field, and Globe Life Field, the Rangers’ home.
Ericsson barely advanced to the Firestone Fast Six, which featured the new format for the first time at this race. He was only sixth quickest in the first group of the first round, the last driver to advance, and he bumped teammate Kyle Kirkwood from the second round on his final lap, earning the sixth and final transfer spot.
“I want to shout out my pit crew here,” Ericsson said. “They’ve done a tremendous job. We were all over the place in Q1, but in Q2 and Q3 they improved the car. It’s just amazing.”
The top three drivers in the series standings failed to advance to the Firestone Fast Six.
Series leader Josef Newgarden crashed in practice Saturday morning, damaging his chassis and forcing Team Penske to switch to a backup car for qualifying. Newgarden was eliminated in the second round and will start 11th in the No. 2 PPG Team Penske Chevrolet.
Kirkwood, second in points and quickest in the morning practice, will start seventh in the No. 27 JM Bullion/Gold.com Honda of Andretti Global.
Scott McLaughlin faces the toughest task among the top three in the standings, as he will start last in the 25-car field after crashing in his No. 3 DEX Team Penske Chevrolet in the first round. McLaughlin brushed the inside wall in Turn 8, hopped the inside curb and slid into the concrete retaining wall, inflicting heavy damage in an incident very similar to teammate Newgarden’s earlier in the day.
Christopher Bell cashed in when it mattered most by claiming the Busch Light Pole Award for the Pennzoil 400 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway on Saturday, March 14.
The event’s starting lineup was determined through a single-car, single-lap qualifying format. In this format, all 36 competitors vying for 36 starting spots cycled around Las Vegas Motor Speedway once to post the fastest lap amongst one another. The competitor who posted the fastest single lap was awarded the pole position.
During the qualifying session, Bell, who was the fastest competitor during Saturday’s practice session and the next-to-last competitor to qualify, clocked in a single-qualifying pole-winning lap at 187.156 mph in 28.853 seconds. Bell’s lap was enough for the Norman, Oklahoma, native to claim the top-starting spot over Joe Gibbs Racing teammates Denny Hamlin and Ty Gibbs.
With the pole, Bell notched his 15th career pole position in the NASCAR Cup Series division, his first of the 2026 season and his fourth at Las Vegas. Bell, who finished in the runner-up spot last weekend at Phoenix Raceway, is also a two-time runner-up finisher at Vegas. Having gained 18 spots up to sixth place in the 2026 driver’s standings, Bell will attempt to win for the first time both at Sin City and this season for Sunday’s main event.
“Our Interstate Batteries Camry feels very nice,” Bell said. “I’ve talked about this a lot throughout the last couple of races, but just super, super proud of my team. We’re finally getting back to where we need to be. It feels good. We used to be able to qualify really well on these intermediates and then, it feels like we fell a little bit off and now we got it back. My engineers, my crew chief, my mechanics, my pit crew. Everybody’s been doing such a good job in 2026. It’s so fun to drive this No. 20 car. I’m excited about tomorrow.”
Bell will share the front row with teammate Denny Hamlin, the latter of whom won the fall Las Vegas event in October 2025. Hamlin clocked in his single-qualifying lap at 186.188 mph in 29.003 seconds. Teammate Ty Gibbs will start in third place with a lap of 185.803 mph in 29.063 seconds
Bubba Wallace and Kyle Larson will start fourth and fifth, respectively. Ryan Blaney, winner of last weekend’s event at Phoenix, qualified in sixth place with a lap of 185.185 mph in 29.160 seconds. Tyler Reddick, Ryan Preece, William Byron and Chris Buescher completed the top-10 starting grid.
Notably, Justin Allgaier, who is filling in for Alex Bowman in the No. 48 Ally/Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 entry, qualified in 22nd place with a lap of 183.824 mph in 29.376 seconds. Bowman continues to recover from a vertigo diagnosis that caused him to be absent from last weekend’s event at Phoenix.
With 36 competitors vying for 36 starting spots, all made the main event.
Las Vegas – Qualifying Position, Best Speed, Best Time:
Christopher Bell, 187.156 mph, 28.853 seconds
Denny Hamlin, 186.188 mph, 29.003 seconds
Ty Gibbs, 185.803 mph, 29.063 seconds
Bubba Wallace, 185.771 mph, 29.068 seconds
Kyle Larson, 185.548 mph, 29.103 seconds
Ryan Blaney, 185.185 mph, 29.160 seconds
Tyler Reddick, 185.134 mph, 29.168 seconds
Ryan Preece, 184.900 mph, 29.205 seconds
William Byron, 184.824 mph, 29.217 seconds
Chris Buescher, 184.647 mph, 29.245 seconds
Austin Dillon, 184.615 mph, 29.250 seconds
Zane Smith, 184.603 mph, 29.250 seconds
Daniel Suarez, 184.433 mph, 29.279 seconds
Erik Jones, 184.395 mph, 29.285 seconds
Chase Elliott, 184.370 mph, 29.289 seconds
Shane van Gisbergen, 184.338 mph, 29.294 seconds
Ross Chastain, 184.062 mph, 29.338 seconds
Chase Briscoe, 184.030 mph, 29.343 seconds
Carson Hocevar, 183.949 mph, 29.356 seconds
Riley Herbst, 183.905 mph, 29.363 seconds
Joey Logano, 183.824 mph, 29.376 seconds
Justin Allgaier, 183.824 mph, 29.376 seconds
Ricky Stenhouse Jr., 183.755 mph, 29.387 seconds
Kyle Busch, 183.331 mph, 29.455 seconds
Connor Zilisch, 183.187 mph, 29.478 seconds
John Hunter Nemechek, 183.094 mph, 29.493 seconds
Todd Gilliland, 183.094 mph, 29.493 seconds
Brad Keselowski, 183.026 mph, 29.504 seconds
AJ Allmendinger, 182.865 mph, 29.530 seconds
Michael McDowell, 182.113 mph, 29.652 seconds
Austin Cindric, 181.879 mph, 29.690 seconds
Josh Berry, 181.543 mph, 29.745 seconds
Cody Ware, 181.391 mph, 29.770 seconds
Noah Gragson, 179.647 mph, 30.059 seconds
Cole Custer, 178.512 mph, 30.250 seconds
Ty Dillon, 176.430 mph, 30.607 seconds
The 2026 Pennzoil 400 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway is scheduled to occur on Sunday, March 15, at 4 p.m. ET on FS1, PRN, SiriusXM and HBO MAX.
TOYOTA RACING – Christopher Bell NASCAR Cup Series Quotes
LAS VEGAS (March 14, 2026) – Joe Gibbs Racing driver Christopher Bell was made available to the media on Saturday after winning the pole for the NASCAR Cup Series race from Las Vegas Motor Speedway.
This is the second straight Las Vegas race that Toyota and Joe Gibbs Racing have swept the top-three positions in qualifying. It is the seventh time in Toyota’s Cup Series history that Toyotas have swept the top-four positions in qualifying.
CHRISTOPHER BELL, No. 20 Interstate Batteries Toyota Camry XSE, Joe Gibbs Racing
Can you tell us about your lap?
“Sure. I mean, it’s pretty simple, really. Takes a lot of commitment here in Las Vegas Motor Speedway to qualify well, and my team got their P’s and Q’s right. We had a lot of grip, and I held my foot down, and we won the pole.”
After that lap, are you sure you want to bring the short track package here?
“It’s time. The evolution of the Next Gen car, from 2022 to where we are today, it doesn’t feel like we’re on the same rules package. It’s time.”
Were you affected by the bumps in qualifying?
“I would assume it’s set up, just from the data that I was seeing. It looked like pretty much everybody ran the same line, and certainly the line that the next gen cars run is a lot different than the (O’Reilly) cars, and that’s due to the bumps in how our cars take the bumps, but pretty much everybody in the field knows now that turns one and two, you got to take the smooth line through there, and from what I saw, I think most people were doing that. So, yeah, it’s a compromise. Every time you come to Las Vegas Motor Speedway, it’s a compromise of getting your car to have as much grip as you can have in (turns) 3 and 4 without the bumps hindering you in turns one and two. So anytime that you make the car drive better across the bumps, you’re giving up performance on the smooth part of the racetrack, and my team nailed it. They did as good as any of them today.”
Do you think the weather will affect tomorrow’s race?
“I think it’ll be a pretty standard Las Vegas race. The temperature is going to be elevated compared to what we normally have on the spring race, but the fall is normally, I think, similar from what I understand. So, yeah, I would assume it’s going to be very similar to the Vegas races that we had in the fall, and yeah, I like it. The slicker it is, the more enjoyable it is to race these cars, hotter and more uncomfortable inside the car, but the racing product seems to benefit whenever it’s hot and slick outside. So, I like it and I’m looking forward to it.”
What do you make of SVG’s progression on ovals?
“I think everybody said it, he clearly has the skill set to be and he is a top level talent, and I think if you give him enough experience, he’s going to figure out whatever type of racing he wants to figure out. Fortunately for his competitors, and unfortunately for him, the format handicaps him tremendously. If you would have done this years ago where we had hours of practice and multiple sets of tires for practice, I think he would have been a lot further along, but t he format that we race under today with one set of tires for a 20-minute practice session, I think has taken him a little bit longer to develop the oval stuff, but he’s clearly getting the hang of it, and it’s not very long before he’s a factor on an oval.”
Were you surprised with your lap time?
“I didn’t know what last time I was going to run, but just from practice, I think in practice, what I read, like at 29.30, so a half a second pickup is, I think is pretty much in line with what we normally pick up from practice to race trim, so from that standpoint, I don’t think it was a surprising lap time, but to beat the field by over a tenth is something that’s not very, you don’t see that very often. So just goes to show that my engineers, my crew chief, my mechanics, they executed really well. The Toyotas clearly have plenty of speed in them, and whenever I kept seeing Toyota after Toyota go and jump to the top of the pylon, I knew that we were going to be in position, so you have a good lap, and then thankfully, I didn’t make any mistakes on my lap, and my team did their job, and we got rewarded for it.”
Do you think it is time to change practice format?
“I’m probably indifferent on it. The biggest thing for me is having tech before practice. So we have this practice session, we only have one set of tires, which most racetracks, that means you get one run in practice. Here in Vegas is a little bit unique because there’s not as much tire deg, so some people got two, but it’s not a lot of practice, and then with tech being before practice, you don’t have the opportunity to change your car or try a different setup or anything like that. I’m okay with having the amount of practice that we have, but it would be nice to be able to make changes to your car before the race day. I don’t know, it seems like everybody in the industry is pretty content with the way it is going through tech and then practicing and then going into qualifying and the race. But it doesn’t give you an opportunity to work on your cars, and then from the standpoint of Shane (van Gisbergen), not having any time or tire allotments is hindering him, but for me, selfishly, I would like to be able to work on your cars after practice.
Do you see something in Denny’s car in practice?
“Yeah, well, they beat me in practice. I won the one lap race, but he was consistently faster than me over the course of the entire practice session. So, it’s a good thing we’re not racing today.”
About Toyota
Toyota (NYSE:TM) has been a part of the cultural fabric in the U.S. for nearly 70 years, and is committed to advancing sustainable, next-generation mobility through our Toyota and Lexus brands, plus our nearly 1,500 dealerships.
Toyota directly employs nearly 48,000 people in the U.S. who have contributed to the design, engineering, and assembly of more than 35 million cars and trucks at our 11 manufacturing plants. In 2025, Toyota’s plant in North Carolina began to assemble automotive batteries for electrified vehicles.
