Who Invented the Tricycle

By

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March 30, 2026

Introduction

The invention of the first tricycle dates back to the 17th century, when early innovators began exploring ways to create more stable, human-powered vehicles. Unlike bicycles, which require balance, the tricycle was designed with three wheels to provide greater support and ease of use.

The earliest known version was created in 1680 by Stephan Farffler, a German watchmaker who built a hand-cranked three-wheeled device to improve his mobility. Although primitive compared to modern designs, his invention laid the foundation for the development of tricycles, which would later evolve into pedal-powered models and become popular for transportation, recreation, and accessibility.

Who Invented the First Tricycle?

The very first tricycle was invented in 1680 by a disabled German watchmaker, Stephan Farffler. His creation was designed as a mobility aid, functioning more like a self-propelled wheelchair. Instead of pedals, it used a system of gears and hand cranks, allowing him to move independently—an impressive and forward-thinking invention for its time.

The Evolution to Pedal-Powered Tricycles

It was over 100 years later, in 1789, that two French inventors developed a pedal-powered version of the tricycle. This marked a major turning point, transforming the tricycle into a more practical and efficient human-powered vehicle, closer to what we recognize today.

The Birth of the Bicycle

In contrast, the first bicycle was invented in 1817 by German inventor Karl von Drais. His invention, known as the “Laufmaschine,” had no pedals. Riders propelled it by pushing along the ground until they gained enough speed to coast—similar to modern balance bikes. It featured a wooden frame, iron-rimmed wheels, and leather coverings.

The Golden Age of Tricycles

By 1884, tricycles had become widely popular, with over 120 models produced by around 20 manufacturers. They were especially favored by women, as long dresses made riding traditional bicycles difficult. Tricycles were also considered safer for elderly riders and children, offering stability and ease of use.

Tricycles were not only practical but also versatile, allowing riders to carry luggage or even passengers—leading to the invention of rickshaws. During the late 1800s, they became associated with the upper class, who viewed them as more refined and genteel.

Royal Endorsement and Cultural Boom

The popularity of tricycles surged further when Queen Victoria purchased a pair in 1881. Her endorsement made them fashionable, sparking the rise of tricycle clubs, magazines, and even racing events.

Decline with the Rise of the Safety Bicycle

The introduction of the chain-driven safety bicycle led to a rapid decline in tricycle popularity. These new bicycles were cheaper, faster, and easier to ride, quickly replacing both high-wheel bicycles and tricycles in mainstream use.

Modern Revival of Tricycles

For much of the 20th century, tricycles were mainly associated with children. However, in recent years, they have experienced a revival—especially among adults—due to increased interest in environmentally friendly transportation and accessible cycling. Modern adult tricycles now offer improved stability, comfort, and practicality, making them a popular choice once again.

Common Types of Tricycles Used

Delta Tricycles

Delta tricycles are one of the most common designs, featuring a single wheel at the front and two larger wheels positioned at the back. This layout provides excellent stability and is often used for casual riding, cargo transport, and adult tricycles designed for comfort and balance.

Tadpole Tricycles

Tadpole tricycles have two wheels at the front and one at the rear, with the front wheels placed directly ahead of the rider and handlebars. This design offers better aerodynamics and handling, making it popular for sportier riding and higher-speed performance.

Recumbent Tricycles

Recumbent tricycles allow the rider to sit in a low, reclined position that is almost horizontal. They can be built in both delta and tadpole configurations. This design reduces strain on the back and joints while improving comfort and efficiency, making them ideal for long-distance riding.

Convertible Tricycles

Convertible tricycles are versatile models that can switch between delta and tadpole configurations. This adaptability allows riders to customize their tricycle based on comfort, terrain, or riding preferences.

Children’s Tricycles

Children’s tricycles are typically designed with a simple delta layout, prioritizing safety and ease of use. They are lightweight, stable, and often include features like wide wheels and low seats, making them suitable for both indoor and outdoor play.

Manual Tricycles

Manual tricycles are powered entirely by human effort, using either pedals for the feet or hand cranks for the arms. They are widely used for recreation, exercise, and mobility assistance.

Motorized Tricycles

Motorized tricycles are equipped with either an internal combustion engine or an electric motor. These tricycles provide additional power, making them suitable for longer commutes, carrying heavy loads, or assisting riders who need extra support.

Benefits of Using a Tricycle

Superior Stability and Balance

One of the biggest advantages of a tricycle is its three-wheel design, which provides far greater stability than a traditional two-wheeled bicycle. This makes it almost impossible to lose balance, even when riding slowly or stopping, giving riders a strong sense of safety and confidence.

No Risk of Tipping Over

Unlike bicycles, a tricycle remains upright at all times—even when parked or stationary. There’s no need to worry about the bike falling over, which is especially helpful for beginners, seniors, or those with limited balance.

Easy to Mount and Dismount

Tricycles are much easier to get on and off compared to regular bikes. Riders don’t need to stabilize themselves while mounting, reducing the risk of falls and making them more accessible for people of all ages.

Comfortable and Stress-Free Riding

Because balance is not a concern, riders can focus entirely on enjoying the journey. There’s no need to put a foot down at stops or worry about tipping at intersections, making the overall riding experience more relaxed and user-friendly.

Greater Mobility and Independence

Using a tricycle allows people—especially older adults or those with mobility challenges—to stay active and independent for longer. Whether it’s going for a ride, running errands, or shopping, tricycles make everyday travel easier and more accessible.

Continuous Movement Compared to Mobility Scooters

Unlike mobility scooters, which can feel passive, tricycles keep the rider physically engaged. This active movement contributes to a greater sense of freedom while still offering stability and support.

Health and Fitness Benefits

Cycling on a tricycle helps improve energy levels, joint flexibility, cardiovascular health, and overall fitness. It’s a low-impact exercise that is gentle on the body while still providing meaningful physical and mental health benefits, including stress reduction.

Eco-Friendly and Cost-Effective Transportation

Tricycles are an environmentally friendly mode of transport that produces no emissions. They are also highly cost-effective, requiring minimal maintenance and no fuel, making them a practical choice for short-distance travel and daily commuting.

FAQ

What Is the Oldest Bicycle Manufacturer Still in Existence?

The oldest bicycle manufacturer still in existence is Edoardo Bianchi S.p.A., commonly known as Bianchi. Founded in 1885 in Milan, Italy, the company has a long and prestigious history in the cycling world.

Bianchi was established by Edoardo Bianchi, who is credited with several important innovations in bicycle design. These include popularizing equal-sized wheels with pneumatic tires, which greatly improved comfort and performance compared to earlier models.

What Is the Root of the Word “Tricycle”?

The word “tricycle” comes from Greek roots and was first recorded in 1828 with the meaning “three-wheeled carriage.” It is formed from “treis,” meaning “three,” and “kyklos,” meaning “circle” or “wheel.”

When combined, these two roots literally translate to “three wheels,” which perfectly describes the structure of a tricycle. Over time, the term evolved to specifically refer to the familiar three-wheeled human-powered vehicle.

Are tricycles safer than bicycles?

Tricycles are generally considered safer than bicycles because they offer greater stability thanks to their three-wheel design, which eliminates the need for balancing—even at low speeds or when stationary—reducing the risk of falls. They remain upright on their own and are easier to mount and dismount, making them especially suitable for beginners, older adults, or anyone with balance concerns. However, while they provide added stability, tricycles can be wider and less agile than bicycles, particularly when turning or navigating tight spaces, so their overall safety can depend on the riding environment and user experience.

Chase Elliott executes late-race strategy for breakthrough victory at Martinsville

By

Andrew Kim

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March 29, 2026

Chase Elliott wins at Martinsville by John Knittel 20260329201345-cb7bcd31-me (1) — Photo by John Knittel for SpeedwayMedia.com.

Chase Elliott erased a winless start to Hendrick Motorsports and Chevrolet’s start to the 2026 NASCAR Cup Series season. He did so by navigating his way to win the Cook Out 400 at Martinsville Speedway on Sunday, March 29.

The 2020 Cup Series champion from Dawsonville, Georgia, led twice for 84 of 400-scheduled laps in an event where he started in 10th place and struggled to navigate his way to the front despite having a fast race car. Despite not scoring any stage points between the event’s first two stage periods, Elliott managed to stabilize himself inside of the top-10 mark at the start of the final stage period.

Then with 139 laps remaining, Chase Elliott and his crew chief, Alan Gustafson, rolled the dice by strategically pitting under green flag conditions. The move propelled Elliott atop the leaderboard and he gained another break with 89 laps remaining when a caution flew that enabled Elliott to pit for fresh tires with the front-runners and remain towards the front.

Through two late-race restarts, Elliott capitalized on the latest one with 69 laps remaining to outduel Ross Chastain and reassume the lead. Despite being mired in lapped traffic and having dominant pole-sitter Denny Hamlin reeling in through every turn and straightaway, Elliott did not miss his beat and retained the lead for the event’s remainder. This enabled Elliott to score his first victory of the 2026 season.

With on-track qualifying that determined the starting lineup occurring on Saturday, March 28, Denny Hamlin secured his first Cup pole position of the 2026 season with a pole-winning lap at 98.241 mph in 19.275 seconds. Hamlin shared the front row with William Byron, the latter of whom clocked in his fastest lap at 97.957 mph in 19.331 seconds.

When the green flag waved and the event commenced, Denny Hamlin gained the upper hand at the start by muscling his No. 11 Bob’s Discount Furniture Toyota Camry XSE entry ahead of William Byron’s No. 24 Cincinnati Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 entry from the inside lane entering the first two turns. With the clean air working to his favor, Hamlin proceeded to lead the first lap over Byron while Josh Berry, Ty Gibbs and Austin Cindric followed suit in the top five, respectively.

Over the next four laps, Hamlin extended his early lead to seven-tenths of a second over Byron while a variety of on-track actions and jostling for positions ensued within the field. While Berry, Gibbs and Cindric continued to race in the top five, Shane van Gisbergen was scored in sixth place and Tyler Reddick muscled his way into seventh place while Carson Hocevar and Joey Logano battled for eighth place in front of Christopher Bell, Chase Elliott, Kyle Larson, Ryan Blaney and Bubba Wallace. Amid the battles, Hamlin retained the lead by half a second over Byron by half a second at the Lap 10 mark.

Fifteen laps later, Hamlin stabilized his lead to six-tenths of a second over Byron while Berry, Cindric, Ty Gibbs, van Gisbergen, Logano, Blaney, Reddick and Hocevar were racing in the top 10 ahead of Larson, Elliott, Bell, Ryan Preece, Wallace, Chris Buescher, Zane Smith, Erik Jones, Ross Chastain and Michael McDowell, respectively. Meanwhile, Daniel Suarez, Justin Allgaier, Brad Keselowski, Riley Herbst and Chase Briscoe trailed in the top 25 ahead of Cole Custer, Austin Dillon, rookie Connor Zilisch, AJ Allmendinger and Todd Gilliland while John Hunter Nemechek, Noah Gragson, Ty Dillon, Kyle Busch, Austin Hill, Ricky Stenhouse Jr. and Cody Ware were mired outside the top-30 mark, respectively.

Another 10 laps later, Hamlin, who was approaching a multitude of competitors racing at the tail end of the field, starting with Austin Hill, maintained the lead by half a second over Byron, while third-place Berry trailed by more than a second. As Hamlin was getting blocked by John Hunter Nemechek while trying to lap the latter, Byron took advantage of Hamlin getting stalled by overtaking Hamlin through the frontstretch and assuming the lead. During the following lap, Hamlin, who repeatedly bumped into the rear of Nemechek, navigated past Nemechek and proceeded to reel Byron back down for the lead.

On Lap 44, Hamlin zipped past Byron through the first two turns to reassume the lead. Hamlin, who proceeded to lap Ty Dillon and Kyle Busch, slightly stretched his lead to half a second over Byron at the Lap 50 mark while Berry, Cindric and Gibbs trailed in the top-five mark by as far back as three seconds. Hamlin continued to lap more competitors, including Noah Gragson, Connor Zilisch, Todd Gilliland, AJ Allmendinger and Riley Herbst, and maintained his advantage to six-tenths of a second over Byron by Lap 65.

Then on Lap 77, the event’s first caution flew when Cody Ware spun through Turns 3 and 4 after he got bumped by Nemechek amid a chain reaction, where both were among a handful of competitors racing in front of the leader, Hamlin. The caution was enough for the first stage period scheduled to conclude on Lap 80 to officially conclude under caution. As a result, Hamlin, who lapped Austin Dillon, Cole Custer, teammate Chase Briscoe, and Justin Allgaier since Lap 65, cruised to his first Cup stage victory of the 2026 season. Byron followed suit in the runner-up spot while Berry, Ty Gibbs, Cindric, van Gisbergen, Logano, Blaney, Reddick and Preece were scored in the top 10, respectively. By then, 22 of 37 starters were scored on the lead lap.

Under the event’s first stage break period, the lead lap field led by Hamlin pitted for the first time. Following the pit stops, Hamlin exited pit road first ahead of Byron while Gibbs, Cindric, Berry, Logano, van Gisbergen, Reddick, Blaney and Chase Elliott followed suit, respectively. During the pit stops, Kyle Busch knocked a wheel out of his pit box and was assessed an uncontrolled tire penalty. In addition, Ricky Stenhouse Jr. was penalized for speeding on pit road and Preece dropped from 10th to 15th due to receiving a slow pit service.

The second stage period started on Lap 95 as Hamlin and Byron occupied the front row in front of Gibbs, Cindric, Berry and Logano. At the start, both Hamlin and Byron dueled for the lead for a full lap before Hamlin managed to lead the next lap from the inside lane. Seconds later, Hamlin motored ahead through the first two turns while teammate Gibbs drew alongside Byron. Gibbs then overtook Byron for the runner-up spot on Lap 98 while Byron dropped to third in front of Cindric, Logano and Berry. While multiple competitors fanned out and jostled for spots, Hamlin led by three-tenths of a second over teammate Gibbs at the Lap 100 mark.

On Lap 104, the caution returned when Noah Gragson, who was mired a lap down and jostling within the mid-pack region, was bumped and sent for a spin by AJ Allmendinger through Turns 3 and 4. At the time of Gragson’s incident, Buescher pitted due to a right-front tire issue and dropped out of the lead lap category. When pit road became accessible for the field during the caution, some, including Larson, Erik Jones, Zane Smith, Keselowski, Allgaier, Suarez and McDowell pitted. The rest, led by Hamlin, remained on the track.

When the event restarted under green on Lap 112, Hamlin rocketed ahead from the outside lane. He then transitioned to the inside lane through the first two turns. As Hamlin led the next lap, teammate Gibbs fended off Cindric to retain second place. Logano, Byron, Reddick, van Gisbergen and the rest of the field followed suit. Over the next seven laps, Blaney and van Gisbergen rubbed fenders while fiercely battling for seventh place. Behind, Wallace, Bell, Preece and Chase Elliott jostled for 10th place in front of Larson, who had four fresh tires. Amid the battles, Hamlin stabilized his lead to four-tenths of a second over teammate Gibbs by Lap 125.

At the Lap 140 mark, Hamlin stretched his lead to more than a second over Gibbs. Team Penske’s Logano, Cindric and Blaney trailed by as far back as two seconds. Meanwhile, Byron was mired in sixth place. Reddick, van Gisbergen, Larson, Berry, Bell, Elliott, Wallace, Preece and Chastain were racing in the top 15, respectively. With the field stabilizing around every turn and straightaway, Hamlin started to lap competitors. He continued to lead by more than a second both at the Lap 150 and 160 marks.

When the second stage period concluded, Hamlin captured his second Cup stage victory of 2026. It was also his second stage win in Sunday’s event at Martinsville. Teammate Gibbs settled in second ahead of Logano, Blaney and Byron. Cindric, Reddick, van Gisbergen, Larson and Berry were scored in the top 10, respectively. By then, 22 of 37 starters were scored on the lead lap.

During the event’s second stage break period, the lead lap field led by Hamlin pitted. Following the pit stops, Hamlin exited pit road first to retain the lead. Logano, Gibbs, Blaney, Cindric, Larson, van Gisbergen, Bell, Berry and Preece followed suit. During the pit stops, Byron endured a slow pit service due to issues with the left-rear area and dropped to 13th place.

With 207 laps remaining, the final stage period commenced. Hamlin and Logano occupied the front row in front of Gibbs, Cindric, Blaney and van Gisbergen. At the start, Hamlin launched ahead from the inside lane, exiting the frontstretch and through the first two turns.

With the field fanning out through the backstretch, Hamlin cycled back to the frontstretch and led the next lap. Teammate Gibbs challenged Logano for the runner-up spot. Gibbs managed to motor ahead of Logano to reclaim the runner-up spot during the next lap. Logano’s teammates, Blaney and Cidnric, reeled in from behind. Meanwhile, Larson motored his way up to sixth place along with Bell. Chase Elliott, van Gisbergen, Byron, Preece, Wallace, Berry and Chastain all jostled for eighth place. Amid the battles, Hamlin led by six-tenths of a second over Gibbs at the event’s halfway mark on Lap 200.

Down to the final 175 laps, Hamlin, who led since the start of the final stage period, continued to lead. He was more than a second over both Gibbs and Blaney. Fourth-place Cindric trailed by more than two seconds and fifth-place Logano trailed by more than three seconds. Behind, Bell, Larson, Chase Elliott, Byron and van Gisbergen were racing in the top 10. Wallace, Preece, Berry, Chastain, Reddick, Zane Smith, Hocevar, Erik Jones, Keselowski, Allgaier, McDowell, Suarez and Briscoe rounded out the lead-lap field.

Fifteen laps later, Hamlin continued to lead by one-and-a-half seconds over teammate Gibbs. Third-place Blaney trailed by nearly two seconds. Bell, Larson, Byron, Chase Elliott, van Gisbergen, Wallace, Preece, Berry, Chastain and Tyler Reddick trailed in the top 15. Hamlin was leading by more than a second over Gibbs with 150 laps remaining.

Then, with 139 laps remaining, Chase Elliott pitted his No. 9 UniFirst Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 entry from ninth place. Van Gisbergen, who was also racing in the top-10 mark, pitted seven laps later. Hamlin continued to remain on the track and lead ahead of Blaney and Gibbs.

Larson and Suarez then pitted with 118 laps remaining. Logano, Byron, Reddick, Briscoe, Bell, Preece, Zane Smith, Riley Herbst, Allgaier, Keselowski and Erik Jones pitted over the next five laps. Gibbs pitted from the top-three mark with 112 laps remaining. Hamlin, Cindric, Wallace, Hocevar, Stenhouse, Chastain and Blaney pitted over the next four laps.

After the green flag pit stops, Chase Elliott, who was the first of the top-10 competitors to pit, cycled to the lead with 107 laps remaining. Van Gisbergen, who was the second competitor to pit early, cycled his way up to second place. Hamlin, meanwhile, was mired in third place. Despite overtaking van Gisbergen a few laps later, Hamlin trailed Elliott by more than three seconds with 100 laps remaining.

Meanwhile, Ty Dillon limped his No. 10 Black’s Tire Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 entry around the track with a flat right-front tire. Despite having the front tire on fire, he managed to pit without drawing a caution.

Then, with 92 laps remaining, Hamlin, who reeled in Elliott with fresher tires, overtook Chase Elliott through the first two turns. As both Hamlin and Elliott were mired in a bevy of lapped traffic, the former started to motor away with the top spot. Then, Blaney started to reel in Elliott for the runner-up spot.

The caution then flew with 89 laps remaining due to debris in the form of a brake caliper from Ty Dillon’s entry detected on the track. During this latest caution period, nearly the entire lead lap field led by Hamlin returned to pit road for service. Chastain did not pit. Following the pit stops, Hamlin exited pit road first ahead of Elliott, Gibbs, Blaney and Bell.

The start of the next restart, with 78 laps remaining, featured Chastain motoring ahead from the inside lane. Hamlin stumbled from the outside lane after he missed a gear. His brief misfortune allowed Chase Elliott to challenge Hamlin for the runner-up spot. Meanwhile, Chastain retained the lead.

During the next lap, the caution returned when Wallace, who had given Hocevar a huge bump entering Turn 3, rammed into the rear of Hocevar and turned him amid a stack-up through Turns 3 and 4. The contact ignited a multi-car wreck. It involved Zane Smith, Austin Dillon, Suarez, Buescher, Austin Hill, Herbst, Nemechek, Erik Jones, Zilisch and McDowell. Wallace sustained the most damage to his No. 23 Hardee’s Toyota Camry XSE entry and was knocked out of the race.

As the event restarted with 69 laps remaining, Chastain and Elliott dueled for the lead for a full lap. Elliott barely led the next lap from the outside lane. However, Chase Elliott then used the frontstretch to muscle ahead of Chastain during the next lap and motor away.

Hamlin forced Blaney into the frontstretch’s outside wall while the duo and Gibbs were battling for third place. Blaney dropped to sixth place and was battling Bell to retain the spot. Hamlin then reeled in Chastain for the runner-up spot. Elliott continued to lead with 65 laps remaining. Hamlin then overtook Chastain to reclaim the runner-up spot during the next lap. Logano then battled Chastain for third place as Blaney raced Byron for seventh place.

Down to the final 55 laps of the event, Elliott was leading by half a second over a hard-charging Hamlin. Logano, Chastain and Gibbs trailed in the top five, respectively, by two seconds. Despite Hamlin’s late charge through every turn and straightaway, Elliott slowly stretched his advantage. He was was scored as the leader with 40 laps remaining.

With less than 30 laps remaining, Hamlin reeled in on Elliott as the latter was approaching lapped traffic. As Elliott was mired in lapped traffic with 25 laps remaining, his advantage decreased as Hamlin narrowed the deficit. Amid lapped traffic, Elliott managed to stabilize his advantage to four-tenths of a second with 20 laps remaining. Third-place Logano trailed by more than a second. Meanwhile, Gibbs and Byron occupied the remaining top-five spots. They were followed by Blaney, Bell, Larson, Cindric and Berry. Chase Elliott remained atop the leaderboard by half a second with 15 laps remaining.

As the event reached its final 10-lap mark, Elliott continued to lead by nearly half a second over Hamlin. Hamlin continued to struggle in his attempt to reel in Elliott amid the lapped traffic. Through every turn and straightaway, Elliott maintained the top spot by a steady margin over the next nine laps. Hamlin, however, continued to mount a charge.

When the white flag waved and the final lap started, Elliott remained in the lead by seven-tenths of a second over Hamlin. With Hamlin unable to reel in, Elliott cycled his way around Martinsville smoothly for a final time before he returned to the frontstretch victorious for the first time to the 2026 season.

With the victory, Elliott notched his 22nd NASCAR Cup Series career victory, which moves him into a tie with Terry Labonte for 29th place on the all-time Cup wins list. He also achieved his second victory at Martinsville and his first since he won at Kansas Speedway in September 2025.

Elliott’s Martinsville victory was the 31st for Hendrick Motorsports as both the organization and the Chevrolet nameplate achieved their first victory of the 2026 season. The victory was also the 42nd for Alan Gustafson, whom Elliott credited with the late pit strategy call for the victory, and moves Gustafson into 11th place on the all-time Cup crew chief wins list.

No. 9 — Photo by Logan Allen for SpeedwayMedia.com.

“It was definitely a team effort,” Elliott said on the frontstretch on FS1. “How about that? That was awesome. We’ve never had a win this early in a season. Just a really great team effort, man. So proud of Alan and the whole UniFirst team. They did a great job. We took a gamble. We were gonna two-stop that last stage. I honestly think it was gonna work out really good for us either way. Just so proud of [the team]. They put up with a lot and they got to put up with me all the time. I just appreciate them for sticking with me. He added, “And it sure is a lot of fun when days like this work out.”

Compared to Elliott’s 84 laps led, Hamlin led a race-high 292 laps. But Hamlin ended up one spot shy of winning at his home track for a seventh time. In addition to stumbling on the restart with 78 laps remaining and being unable to reel in Elliott in the closing laps, Hamlin also noted a possible loose wheel. He radioed and felt behind the steering wheel, which prevented him from navigating past Elliott at a quicker pace.

“[Elliott] did a good job controlling the pace there,” Hamlin said. “[The issue] Really came from that bad restart I had beside [Chastain]. Just not much really, I could have done there and felt like we gave it our all…I just thought the wheel was loose there on that last run. These are just some of the races that get away from you in your career and this one, certainly, is one of them.”

Joey Logano rallied from finishing three laps down a week ago at Darlington Raceway by finishing in third place. Ty Gibbs and William Byron finished fourth and fifth, respectively. Ryan Blaney salvaged a sixth-place result following his late contact with the wall. Christopher Bell, Austin Cindric, Kyle Larson and Josh Berry completed the top 10 in the final running order.

Notably, Shane van Gisbergen recorded a stellar 11th-place result. He finished ahead of Ryan Preece, Brad Keselowski, Chase Briscoe and Tyler Reddick. Ross Chastain fell back to 16th place following his late gamble of remaining on the track on worn tires.

There were eight lead changes for six different leaders. The event featured five cautions for 54 laps. In addition, 18 of 37 starters finished on the lead lap.

Following the seventh event of this season, Tyler Reddick continues to lead the Cup Series standings by 82 points over Ryan Blaney. He is 94 points over Denny Hamlin, 104 over Chase Elliott and 115 over William Byron.

Results:

Chase Elliott, 84 laps led
Denny Hamlin, 292 laps led, Stages 1 & 2 winner
Joey Logano
Ty Gibbs
William Byron, six laps led
Ryan Blaney, two laps led
Christopher Bell
Austin Cindric
Kyle Larson
Josh Berry, two laps led
Shane van Gisbergen
Ryan Preece
Brad Keselowski
Chase Briscoe
Tyler Reddick
Ross Chastain, 14 laps led
Carson Hocevar
Michael McDowell
Chris Buescher, one lap down
Daniel Suarez, one lap down
Erik Jones, one lap down
Justin Allgaier, two laps down
Todd Gilliland, two laps down
Kyle Busch, two laps down
Austin Dillon, two laps down
Connor Zilisch, three laps down
AJ Allmendinger, three laps down
Noah Gragson, three laps down
John Hunter Nemechek, three laps down
Ricky Stenhouse Jr., four laps down
Cole Custer, four laps down
Cody Ware, six laps down
Austin Hill, six laps down
Zane Smith, 29 laps down
Riley Herbst – OUT, Accident
Bubba Wallace – OUT, Accident
Ty Dillon – OUT, Brakes

The NASCAR Cup Series’ teams and competitors enter an off-weekend period for Easter holiday before returning to action on April 12 at Bristol Motor Speedway in Bristol, Tennessee, for the Food City 500. The event’s broadcast is scheduled to commence at 3 p.m. ET on FS1, PRN Radio, SiriusXM and HBO MAX.

RCR NCS Race Recap: Martinsville Speedway

By

Official Release

-

March 29, 2026

Challenging Martinsville Speedway Race for Austin Dillon and the No. 3 Dow Coatings/Behr Chevrolet Team

Finish: 25th
Start: 30th
Points: 27th

“We had a really fast Dow Coatings/Behr Chevrolet by the end of the race, so it’s unfortunate that our day played out the way it did. It’s taken us a lot of laps to get our car dialed in here, and we’re not sure if that’s because of the way the rubber lays down or what, but we will reset and figure it out. We opted to stay out instead of pit during a caution in Stage 1 and all of the cars behind us pitted, which ultimately caused us to lose track position and put us behind the rest of the race. This team is gritty and we won’t give up.” -Austin Dillon

Kyle Busch Battles Loose No. 8 FICO Chevrolet En Route to 24th-Place Finish at Martinsville Speedway

Finish: 24th
Start: 34th
Points: 24th

“This wasn’t the weekend for the No. 8 FICO Chevrolet team here at Martinsville Speedway. From practice to qualifying to the race this afternoon we battled a loose car. The team never quit and now we’ll take what we’ve learned through the initial weeks of the season back to Welcome, NC, regroup and look to rebound after the week off.” -Kyle Busch

Tough Day for Austin Hill and the No. 33 United Rentals Chevrolet Team at Martinsville Speedway

Finish: 33rd
Start: 37th
Points: N/A

“Overall not a great day for our United Rentals team. Going out first in qualifying hurt us with our starting position and when you start deep in the field here at Martinsville, it’s a battle to not go down a lap early. Our Chevrolet initially fired off on the loose side and we made changes to tighten the car up. After the second stop, the balance swung the other way with being too tight and we couldn’t get it back to a neutral spot. Stage 3 was just eventful with a loose wheel under our green flag stop and then being involved in an accident. Hate it for our team, everyone at RCR, and our partners but we’ll work hard to be better next time.” -Austin Hill

CHEVROLET NCS: Chase Elliott Drives Chevrolet to First Win of the 2026 NASCAR Cup Series Season at Martinsville

By

Official Release

-

March 29, 2026

NASCAR Cup Series
Martinsville Speedway
Cook Out 400
Team Chevy Post-Race Report
March 29, 2026

Chase Elliott Drives Chevrolet to First Win of the 2026 NASCAR Cup Series Season at Martinsville Speedway

Chase Elliott took Chevrolet on its first trip to victory lane in the NASCAR Cup Series this season – claiming the checkered flag in the Cook Out 400 at Martinsville Speedway. It also marks the first triumph for the new Camaro ZL1 racecar, which made its point-paying competition debut last month at Daytona International Speedway.
Taking the green flag from the 10th starting position, it was a call from atop the No. 9 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet pit box in the final stage that put the team in contention. Opting to short-pit the final green flag pit cycle, crew chief Alan Gustafson brought the Dawsonville, Georgia, native to pit road on Lap 261. Maintaining position near the front of the field, Elliott earned a spot on the front-row for the restart with 67 laps to go – ultimately taking the lead and never looking back en route to his 22nd career win at NASCAR’s highest level.
Elliott’s victory – Chevrolet’s 882nd all-time in NASCAR’s premier series – extends the manufacturer’s series-leading record to 63 all-time wins in the division at Martinsville Speedway, keeping the .526-mile Virginia venue the Bowtie brand’s most successful track on the NASCAR circuit.
Chevrolet is the first manufacturer to drive to a weekend sweep this season, with JR Motorsports’ Justin Allgaier taking the win in yesterday’s NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series race to keep the Bowtie brand undefeated in the division with seven-straight victories.

RACE RECAP:

Stage One:

Defending Martinsville winner, William Byron, flexed the speed of his No. 24 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet during Saturday’s qualifying session – securing a front-row starting spot for the Cook Out 400. Taking the green flag for the opening 80-lap stage, the leaders quickly settled into a single-file formation as Byron found his spot in the runner-up position. It was just shy of the halfway point of Stage One that the leaders approached lap traffic, allowing Byron to quickly close the gap to then race leader, Denny Hamlin, and successfully make the pass for the top position on Lap 40 to lead his first laps of the race. A title battle between the pair saw Byron lead Team Chevy to the first green-white checkered flag with second-place stage points.

Stage Two:

With most of the opening stage going caution-free, the stage break presented the first opportunity for teams to hit pit road. A quiet driver behind the wheel for the first run, Byron reported that he had a similar feeling in handling from yesterday’s practice session, with his 5/8-mark being where he was struggling the most. With a call for four tires, fuel and an air pressure adjustment, the No. 24 pit crew kept the team’s track position to line up on the front-row for the start of Stage Two. Electing the top lane proved to challenge for Byron, ultimately falling to the fifth position when he found a gap to fill on the bottom lane. But the run was short-lived as the first natural caution of the day flew at Lap 105. With a mix of pit strategy mid-pack, Kyle Larson was among the group of drivers to make their second trip to pit road. Lining up in the 16th position, fresh tires paid dividends for the No. 5 team with Larson quickly climbing up the leaderboard to make his first appearance in the top-10 on Lap 129. The reigning champion went on to drive to the ninth position to take the second green-white checkered flag, joining fellow Team Chevy drivers, Byron and Shane van Gisbergen, who were among the group of drivers to earn points in both stages.

Final Stage:

Progressively seeing gains in the handling of his No. 5 Chevrolet, crew chief Cliff Daniels called his driver to pit road under the stage break for four tires, fuel and an air pressure adjustment. A monstrous stop by the pit crew saw Larson make the biggest gain in the race off pit road among the top-10 drivers to line up in the sixth position to take the green flag for the final stage. Enduring a long green flag run to start the stage, Larson, Byron and Van Gisbergen sat strong in top-10 running positions as the field approached the first green flag pit cycle of the race. The lead pack were among teams to stretch the run the furthest, with Larson giving up the seventh position to make his way to pit road with 118 laps to go. With the cycle complete 10 laps later, it was Chase Elliott that capitalized on a short-pit strategy to make his way into the top position to lead the team’s first laps of the day. While on an alternate strategy, Elliott was still able to maintain the second position as the race fell under caution flag conditions at Lap 312 for debris. While much of the field opted for a trip to pit road, a gamble from atop the No. 1 Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet team’s pit box saw Ross Chastain inherit the top position to lead the field to the restart. Despite having 30-lap older tires, Chastain was able to muscle his Chevrolet to the lead before a stack-up mid-pack led to another caution the following lap. With a pair of Chevrolet’s sitting on the front row for the restart, it was Elliott’s fresher tires that helped propel the No. 9 Chevrolet back to the lead as the race closed in on 60 laps to go. Elliott pulled away to a nearly one-second lead over the next 25-lap run as lap traffic was on the horizon. Elliott was able to masterfully maneuver through traffic to hold onto the top position and take his first checkered flag of the 2026 NASCAR Cup Series season.

Team Chevy Unofficial Top-10 Results
Pos. Driver

1st – Chase Elliott
5th – William Byron
9th – Kyle Larson

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

Wins: 1
Poles: 1
Top-Fives: 13
Top 10s: 23
Stage Wins: 2

The 2026 NASCAR Cup Series season continues in two weeks at Bristol Motor Speedway with the Food City 500 on Sunday, April 12, at 3 P.M. ET. Live coverage can be found on FS1, PRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90.

Post-Race Driver Quotes:

Ross Chastain, No. 1 Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet

Finished: 16th

“It was hard to pass today so track position was extremely important, obviously. We made a couple of calls to gain track position in our SafetyCulture Chevrolet which helped. There were a few different strategies in play today but overall, I feel like our car got better it was just so hard to pass. I’m looking forward to the off weekend and getting back in the car at Bristol.”

Austin Dillon, No. 3 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet

Finished: 25th

“We had a really fast Dow Coatings/Behr Chevrolet by the end of the race, so it’s unfortunate that our day played out the way it did. It’s taken us a lot of laps to get our car dialed in here, and we’re not sure if that’s because of the way the rubber lays down or what, but we will reset and figure it out. We opted to stay out instead of pit during a caution in Stage 1 and all of the cars behind us pitted, which ultimately caused us to lose track position and put us behind the rest of the race. This team is gritty and we won’t give up.”

Kyle Busch, No. 8 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet

Finished: 24th

“This wasn’t the weekend for the No. 8 FICO Chevrolet here at Martinsville Speedway. From practice to qualifying to the race this afternoon we battled a loose car. The team never quit and now we’ll take what we’ve learned through the initial weeks of the season back to Welcome, NC, regroup and look to rebound after the week off.”

Chase Elliott, No. 9 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet

Finished: 1st

Alan Gustafson (crew chief) made a great pit call to get you the track position. How did you find a way to hold off Denny Hamlin?

“It was definitely a team effort. That was awesome. We’ve never had a win this early in the season. Just a really great team effort. So proud of Alan (Gustafson, crew chief) and the whole No. 9 UniFirst Chevrolet team. They did a great job all day.

We took a gamble. We were going to two-stop that last stage. I honestly think it was going to work out good for us either way. Just so proud of this team. Man, they put up with a lot (smiling). They have to put up with me all the time, and I just appreciate them for sticking with me. It’s lot of fun when days like this work out. Thank you to everybody at Hendrick Motorsports, Mr. Hendrick, Chevrolet and all of our partners for the support.”

When the caution came out, what went through your mind?

“Yeah, I mean, this whole deal is really weird the way it all works. I told them there around half or three-quarters of the way through that I really didn’t dislike my balance, I just wish I could control my runs a little better. Fortunately, we got to lead on that last restart and fell into a really good pace. I think we probably needed a little bit more to be just the absolute best outright. We were really close. We were able to manage and save enough to get through traffic there at the end.

It’s really cool when this stuff works out. To win these races is so tough. Just really grateful for the opportunity, as always. I never take it for granted. Trust me, this is a dream come true for me.”

William Byron, No. 24 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet

Finished: 5th

“We restarted ninth there and had to methodically work our way forward. I thought our No. 24 Cincinnati Chevy was pretty good that last run. The last two runs were probably our best runs of the day, so it was just about trying to manage that. I just tried to get as many spots as I could. Overall, I thought it was a good day. We had a mishap on pit road, and then those guys got the caution there with the two-stop and it kind of changed a lot of things.”

Austin Hill, No. 33 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet

Finished: 33rd

“Overall not a great day for our United Rentals team. Going out first in qualifying hurt us with our starting position and when you start deep in the field here at Martinsville, it’s a battle to not go down a lap early. Our Chevrolet initially fired off on the loose side and we made changes to tighten the car up. After the second stop, the balance swung the other way with being too tight and we couldn’t get it back to a neutral spot. Stage 3 was just eventful with a loose wheel under our green flag stop and then being involved in an accident. Hate it for our team, everyone at RCR, and our partners but we’ll work hard to be better next time.”

Michael McDowell, No. 71 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet

Finished: 18th

“It was just an average day for this No. 71 Delaware Life Chevrolet team. We had good execution, but we just didn’t have enough speed. I just felt like we ran 20th all day long. We were 28th in practice, qualified 20th and finished 18th. We just didn’t have it this weekend, speed-wise. I felt like we executed well and did everything we needed to on pit road, but it just didn’t work out. Thank you to Spire Motorsports, Delaware Life and Chevrolet for the support. We’ll regroup over the off weekend and get ready for Bristol in a few weeks.”

Shane van Gisbergen, No. 97 Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet

Finished: 11th

“Ran in the top 10 all day but lacked overall grip and wasn’t able to hold position on the restarts. The 97 team brought a fast SuperFile Chevrolet, just wish we could’ve gotten a top 10 result. Collected some stage points and had a lot of fun! Great progress heading into the off weekend.”

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.

Rick Ware Racing: Cook Out 400 from Martinsville

By

Official Release

-

March 29, 2026

RICK WARE RACING
Cook Out 400

Date: March 29, 2026
Event: Cook Out 400 (Round 7 of 36)
Series: NASCAR Cup Series
Location: Martinsville (Va.) Speedway (.526-mile oval)
Format: 400 laps, broken into three stages (80 laps/100 laps/220 laps)

Race Winner: Chase Elliott of Hendrick Motorsports (Chevrolet)
Stage 1 Winner: Denny Hamlin of 23XI Racing (Toyota)
Stage 2 Winner: Denny Hamlin of 23XI Racing (Toyota)

RWR Finish:

● Cody Ware (Started 35th, Finished 32nd / Running, completed 394 of 400 laps)

RWR Points:

● Cody Ware (35th with 58 points)

Race Notes:

● Chase Elliott won the Cook Out 400 to score his 22nd career NASCAR Cup Series victory, his first of the season and his second at Martinsville. His margin over second-place Denny Hamlin was .565 of a second.

● This was Chevrolet’s 882nd all-time NASCAR Cup Series victory and its first of the season.

● This was Chevrolet’s series-leading 63rd NASCAR Cup Series victory at Martinsville. Chevrolet won its first race at Martinsville on May 19, 1957 with NASCAR Hall of Famer Buck Baker.

● There were five caution periods for a total of 54 laps.

● Only 18 of the 37 drivers in the race finished on the lead lap.

● Tyler Reddick remains the championship leader after Martinsville with an 82-point advantage over second-place Ryan Blaney.

Sound Bites:

“It was just a slugfest all day. Balance just never got right. We made some adjustments, and there were moments where the car felt a little bit better, but overall, just missed the mark. I think, not just for us, but I think our alliance partners as a whole. We all struggled today. So that’s frustrating, and we got spun early and got an extra lap down that we didn’t need to have. Just got to reset and refocus for Bristol.” – Cody Ware, driver of the No. 51 Super.com Chevrolet

Next Up:

The NASCAR Cup Series takes a rare weekend off for Easter before returning to action on Sunday, April 12 for the Food City 500 at Bristol (Tenn.) Motor Speedway. The race begins at 3 p.m. EDT with live coverage provided by FS1 and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.

TOYOTA RACING – NCS Darlington Post-Race Report – 03.29.26

By

Official Release

-

March 29, 2026

HAMLIN DOMINATES EARLY, FINISHES SECOND IN MARTINVSILLE
Denny Hamlin wins pole and leads 292 of 400 laps

RIDGEWAY, Va. (March 29, 2026) – Denny Hamlin won the pole and the first two stages before finishing second to lead Toyota at Martinsville Speedway on Sunday evening. With the finish, Hamlin moved up to third in the point standings.

Ty Gibbs (fourth) continued his impressive run as the North Carolina-native has now finished five consecutive races in the top-six. He is a season-best sixth in the standings, and is tied for the overall lead in top-fives (four) and top-10s (five). Christopher Bell added a third Joe Gibbs Racing Camry inside the top-10, coming home in seventh.

Despite the runner-up finish, Toyota continues to dominate the laps led count as they hit 1,051 laps led on the year, which is over 57 percent of the total laps run this season.

TOYOTA RACING Post-Race Recap
NASCAR Cup Series (NCS)
Martinsville Speedway
Race 7 of 36 – 210.4 miles, 400 laps

TOYOTA FINISHING POSITIONS

1st, Chase Elliott*
2nd, DENNY HAMLIN
3rd, Joey Logano*
4th, TY GIBBS
5th, William Bryon*
7th, CHRISTOPHER BELL
14th, CHASE BRISCOE
15th, TYLER REDDICK
21st, ERIK JONES
29th, JOHN HUNTER NEMECHEK
35th, RILEY HERBST
36th, BUBBA WALLACE
*non-Toyota driver

TOYOTA QUOTES

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

Finishing Position: 2nd

Anything you could have done differently in that final stage?

“No. He did a good job controlling the pace there. Just really came from that bad restart – just not much more that I could have done there. I felt like we gave it our all in our Bob’s Discount Furniture Camry.”

What was your take away from the different package?
“I thought I had a loose wheel. We will check it out. Just felt similar to Darlington, so we will check it out here. Just felt like the wheel was loose on that last run, but either way – just there are some races that get away from you in your career, and this is certainly one of them.”

TY GIBBS, No. 54 Monster Energy Toyota Camry XSE, Joe Gibbs Racing

Finishing Position: 4th

How has this team turned around?

“Just adding some key players into it and changing some stuff up. I feel like we’ve been really good this year. Daytona and Atlanta – we were fast too. I just wrecked myself at Atlanta, and Daytona got wrecked. Just sticking to it, adding to it. I had a lot of fun racing today in my No. 54 Monster Energy Toyota Camry. It was really fast. We will keep working on it.”

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

Finishing Position: 7th

What did you need in that last stage?

“I was super happy with the adjustments on our DEWALT Camry. We got more competitive throughout the race – the beginning part of the race was a really big struggle. Overall, I’m happy. We ran seventh. I would obviously love more, but it was a competitive Martinsville race for us. When we were at our best, I felt like we were in the top-five for sure. We just got a little bit worse in the last run, but I did a lot of learning today and will hopefully be better next time.”

BUBBA WALLACE, No. 23 Hardee’s Toyota Camry XSE, 23XI Racing

Finishing Position: 36th

Can you tell us what happened?

“Yeah, I misjudged. I didn’t appreciate the line. I misjudged the center of the corner. I didn’t mean to turn him. What a frustrating day, man. So much expectation coming here. Favorite track. Hardee’s on the car. Just wasn’t the day we wanted. We really have to figure out what it is. We can win Saturday in practice, just don’t show up on Sunday. I hate it for our team.

Just frustration. Take a week off and reset and go on to Bristol.”

About Toyota

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

Toyota directly employs nearly 64,000 people in North America who have contributed to the design, engineering, and assembly of nearly 49 million cars and trucks at our 14 manufacturing plants. In spring 2025, Toyota’s plant in North Carolina will begin to manufacture automotive batteries for electrified vehicles. With more electrified vehicles on the road than any other automaker, Toyota currently offers 31 electrified options.

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

Four Takeaways – World of Outlaws Sprint Car Series Race at 81 Speedway

By

Briar Starr

-

March 29, 2026

Briar photo download — Photo by Briar Starr for SpeedwayMedia.com.

Despite cold and windy conditions Saturday night, the fans came out in droves to see some thrilling Sprint Car action. And they were not disappointed.

They nearly saw young 18-year-old Ryan Timms, who was the second youngest 410 Sprint Car Knoxville Nationals winner last September, pull off the victory in the 30-lap feature. But he was passed by Michael “Buddy” Kofoid with a last-lap slider on Timms in Turns 3 and 4. Kofoid went on to win the race.

The 2026 World of Outlaws Sprint Car Series season continued its Midwest tour this past weekend. After visiting the US 36 Raceway in Osborn, Missouri, on Friday night, it headed southwest to 81 Speedway for what was a cold and windy race.

Outside the ASCS Nationals Tour that visited the facility last September and the Outlaw Late Models, which visited in October, it would be at least two years since the fans in the surrounding area was able to see the Outlaw Sprint Cars. This was due to this event ultimately being canceled altogether last year due to the weather.

While Kofoid earned his second victory of the ’26 season, we’ll take a look at some key notes in a special edition of this week’s Four Takeaways following the TallGrass Tussle at 81 Speedway.

Timms Dominates Before Heartbreak

After finishing second in the fourth heat race of the evening and second in the dash series race to start second in the feature, Timms had a fast racecar throughout the race, leading almost every lap except the last one. His car was fast through lap traffic and managed his race pace well before Kofoid began closing in with less than 10 to go. Timms tried hanging on, hoping for the best-case scenario, which could’ve seen him beat Kofoid at the line.

However, when Kofoid threw the slider on the young 18-year-old, Timms was unable to block it and had to manage a second-place finish after dominating the A feature. Nonetheless, the fiery spirit was there and many fans were cheering him on. It’s only a matter of time before Timms goes on a tear and starts clicking off more victories. In the meantime, the young driver will continue to win over more fans thanks to his special talent.

Ryder Laplante Goes for a Wild Ride

In what was a scary accident that took place on Lap 3 of the Tallgrass Tussle, Ryder Laplante went upside down in Turns 1 and 2, going for a wild flip. When his car came to rest, there was a small fire on his machine and silence in the grandstand. Many fans became concerned about whether he would be okay. After getting helped out of the car by the medical crew at the track, Laplante was able to get out of his Sprint Car under his own power.

He was not injured in the incident despite the destroyed racecar. Following the accident, track crews went to work in the area where the car had been lying on the ground. There was a concern that there could be lingering fuel on the track. During the red flag period, crews were able to work on the cars in what was called an Open Red before the race returned to green flag conditions.

David Gravel Sets New Track Record In Qualifying

The race fans in attendance Saturday night witnessed a new track record being set not only once but twice during the qualifying portion of the event. Donny Schatz, who is a two-time winner of the Tallgrass Tussle at 81 Speedway, was the first to break the track record during Flight A with a provisional lap time of 12.934 seconds. However, the lap time was broken once again during Flight B qualifying, as the defending two-time Sprint Car champion, David Gravel, ultimately set the new track record of 12.887 seconds.

Macedo Brothers Have Solid Outings

Saturday night was a great night for the Macedo family in Sprint Car racing. Carson, who competes for the No. 41 Jason Johnson Racing machine, originally could have had a disastrous night. The Lemoore, California native missed out on transferring to the A-main in the fourth and final heat race of the evening when he placed in the sixth position, as the top five only transferred. He went to the Last Chance Showdown and finished second to make the feature.

Carson started in the 22nd position and made his way through traffic, and ultimately finished one spot short of the podium to ironically enough, his brother Cole Macedo.

Speaking of Cole, who pilots the TwoC Racing machine, he won the fourth heat race and placed seventh in the dash event. Thanks to his seventh place finishing position, Cole would start seventh in the feature. He gained four positions to wind up finishing third on the podium, one spot behind Carson. Nonetheless, it was a great night for the two brothers. The heat race winners included Donny Schatz in Heat 1. Bill Balog won Heat 2, David Gravel won Heat 3, and Cole Macedo won Heat 4. Blake Hahn won the Last Chance Showdown race to transfer to the feature.

Eventual race winner, Michael Kofoid, won the six-lap dash race, starting on the pole for the feature. He ultimately picked up an extra $12,000 thanks to his victory.

Currently, Gravel leads Carson Macedo by 48 points after the two races this weekend.

Official Race Results

Michael Kofoid, led 1 lap
Ryan Timms, led 29 laps
Cole Macedo
Carson Macedo
Donny Schatz
David Gravel
Garet Williamson
Logan Schuhart
Brent Marks
Sheldon Haudenschild
Bill Balog
Kerry Madsen
Daison Pursley
Rees Moran
Chris Windom
Kasey Jedrzejek
Scott Bogucki
Spencer Bayston
Ashton Torgerson
Bryce Lucius
Emerson Axsom, OUT, DNF
Blake Hahn, OUT, DNF
Landon Crawley, OUT, DNF
Brian Brown, OUT, DNF
Ryder Laplante, OUT, DNF
Austin McCarl, OUT, DNF
Matt Covington, OUT, DNS

Next Up – The World Of Outlaws Nos Energy Drink Sprint Car Series will take a weekend off before resuming two weeks from now on the April 10-11 weekend at I-55 Federated Auto Parts Raceway Park for the annual Federated Auto Parts Spring Classic, live on Dirtvision.

TEAM CHEVY INDYCAR SUNDAY RACE REPORT – Barber Motorsports Park

By

Official Release

-

March 29, 2026

CHEVROLET IN THE NTT INDYCAR SERIES
Children’s of Alabama Indy Grand Prix
2.3-mile, 17-turn Barber Motorsports Park natural terrain road course
Birmingham, Alabama
Sunday Race Report
March 29, 2026

BIRMINGHAM, Alabama (March 29, 2026) – For the second time in the first four races to start the 2026 NTT INDYCAR SERIES, Christian Lundgaard, in the No. 7 VELO Arrow McLaren Chevrolet, was the highest finishing Team Chevy driver, going from his 10th starting spot to the second step on the podium. The Danish driver was joined in the top ten by fellow Chevrolet-powered drivers David Malukas in the No. 12 Verizon Team Penske Chevrolet, Santino Ferrucci in the No. 14 Homes For Our Troops Chevrolet and Josef Newgarden in the No. 2 PPG Team Penske Chevrolet.

Barber Motorsports Park by the numbers for Team Chevy:

Lundgaard’s second-place finish is the 681st Chevrolet-powered podium all-time and the 367th since the introduction of the 2.2L Twin-Turbo V6 in 2012.
The second-place finish is Christian Lundgaard’s 2nd podium of the season and his 8th with Chevrolet power and Arrow McLaren over the last two seasons.
Arrow McLaren now has 46 podiums since joining Team Chevy in 2020, tying them with Newman-Haas Racing for third all-time and increasing their hold on second place since the introduction of the 2.2L Twin-Turbo V6 in 2012.

Lundgaard moves to third place in the points standings, leading Chevrolet-powered drivers Malukas in fourth, Newgarden in fifth, Pato O’Ward (Arrow McLaren) in sixth, and Scott McLaughlin (Team Penske) in 7th.

Children’s of Alabama Indy Grand Prix Race Results

Up Next

Up next for the NTT INDYCAR SERIES is a trip west to California and the iconic Grand Prix of Long Beach. The 2026 event marks the 42nd time that the NTT INDYCAR SERIES will visit the 1.968-mile, 11-turn, Long Beach street circuit. In 1987, Mario Andretti became the first driver to win with factory-backed Chevrolet power with Newman-Haas Racing.

What they’re saying – Children’s of Alabama Indy Grand Prix

Christian Lundgaard, No. 7 VELO Arrow McLaren Chevrolet finished 2nd:

Do you wonder what might have been if there was not a bobble in the pit stop? Did you have something for Palou?

“I think so. You know the pace that we had and just how we were catching him I think so. It’s unfortunate. You know, I think there was a there was a bobble on the pit stop. I don’t know if it was my fault, or if the car went down too fast. But, at the end of the day, I wanted to go out there and repass Graham to make up for that and put make a statement, and, we got it. It’s unfortunate, the guys have done an amazing job and I don’t think that’s really ever happened. One in almost 100 starts, I think it’s okay.

And you’re moving forward up to third in the championship now.

It’s still early. The No. 10 car is still ahead of us, so… Yeah, I think we had a chance to make a difference there today and it’s unfortunate, but I don’t think we can be unhappy with a 10th to 2nd.”

David Malukas, No. 12 Verizon Team Penske Chevrolet finished 4th:

“It all comes down to the beginning, of choosing a start of the race that was not the right strategy. I think the best we could have had was P3, I think if we could have set up Graham a little bit better at the end, then maybe could have had a podium. Overall, it’s really a good points day for us and Team Penske. We learned a lot., yeah, now we know, we got to stay ahead of the game when it comes to choosing these tires. If we started primaries, who knows, we would have been right up there and it would have been a different battle. But either way, thank you to Team Penske, Verizon and Chevrolet.”

Santino Ferrucci, No. 14 Homes For Our Troops Chevrolet finished 8th:

“A really solid result for the team. It was great to have our three Veterans here with us from Homes For Our Troops today and overall, just really happy. I think we executed this weekend to best of our ability. There’s obviously little things here and there that you can nit-pick, but as a whole, getting a top-ten in qualifying and a top-ten in the race really kicks off the momentum for the season, especially considering we haven’t had the best of starts. I’m really proud of our Homes For Our Troops Chevrolet team. The guys have put in a lot of work and it’s great to get a solid result.”

Josef Newgarden, No. 2 PPG Team Penske Chevrolet finished 10th:

“Tough day for the team. First of all, they did a great job. Good pit stops, good strategy. Stuck with it all day. We were scrapping out there to finish 10th. It was hard for us today. I wasn’t sure we were going to make it to then end. But we did what we could. We just have to analyze everything. Totally different from what I predicted going in-what everyone predicted. The PPG Chevy felt like it had longevity. The tires acted the opposite way it had in the past. So we have to figure out why. We had a fast car. We are all motivated. We have a long way to go so we gave to stay focused.”

Alexander Rossi, No. 20 ECR Java House Chevrolet finished 11th:

“Well, it was a pretty boring day. We finished where we started. It was a primary tire race for us, so we lost a little bit on the start compared to the guys on alternates. The Java House boys and girls had really good pit stops as well. Our pace was kind of 11th-place-ish, so we received to there. Eleventh is just two ones next to each other, instead of one one. We will try to get one one soon.”

Rinus VeeKay, No. 76 Juncos Hollinger Chevrolet finished 14th:

“It was a decent race today. We did what we could on strategy to move forward. No yellows and high downforce at a high speed track, it’s really hard to make moves and to get close enough to pass cars. Unfortunately, I had a spin around Lap 35. I was really trying to get that spot to get clear air from there, but I got a little bit too close. I lost a few positions there, but had a good recovery after that. Not the result we were looking for but I think it comes back to qualifying. That’s where we need to find more pace on the Alternates. The Juncos Hollinger Racing Chevy felt great in the race and we did a great job. I’m excited for Long Beach to see if we can get another top ten there.”

Scott McLaughlin, No. 3 Odyssey Battery Team Penske Chevrolet finished 16th:

“Tough day for us in the Odyssey Battery Chevy. We didn’t quite have the pace on the blacks. It was a little bit better on the red tire, but ultimately just didn’t have the pace in general. Just frustrating because there was a lot of promise. I felt like we were pretty good as the tracks sort of came up, it was it got hotter and hotter. So, we’ve got a little bit of work to do to figure out what went on this weekend. Obviously, my crash didn’t help. But, you know, just gonna move on. We’ve got a lot of work to do on my end.”

Pato O’Ward, No. 5 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet finished 17th:

“It was a really difficult day for us here at Barber. I don’t have an answer right now as to why we struggled. I’m happy to see the 7 with Christian get a podium; I know they were fighting there for the win. There are things we need to work on as a team, but I’m glad one of the cars from the team was strong. We need to see where we went wrong, but we weren’t all that different than their car, so it was a very confusing day and one of those weekends where I felt helpless inside of the race car. The good thing about getting beat like this is you kick it into a different gear. We’ll be pushing hard to make sure we don’t let something like this happen again.”

Nolan Siegel, No. 6 SmartStop Arrow McLaren Chevrolet finished 18th:

“Pretty disappointing. We had a really fast car today. The pace was super strong; we were able to pass people. Unfortunately, we had an issue where we couldn’t get all the fuel in the car, so I ended up in big fuel saves and wasn’t able to use that pace. But, positive that the pace was there.”

Christian Rasmussen, No. 21 ECR Splenda Chevrolet finished 19th:

“It was a tough weekend all around. We just struggled for pace all weekend long. The team worked super hard to turn it around, but we ultimately we couldn’t really find anything that worked well for us. A shoutout to the Splenda pit crew, they did a great job on pit lane today as well as last race weekend, I really appreciate their hard work! We are looking forward to a better weekend in Long Beach. It’s been a pretty tough start to the year for us this time around so we are looking to get that turned around.”

Caio Collet, No. 4 Combitrans Amazonia Chevrolet finished 21st:

“Honestly, I expected to be a bit quicker. I was struggling — more than what I anticipated — with the balance. I think overall, it’s a really hard track here to overtake. We had one slow stop that hurt us, and put us on the wrong foot for the rest of the race. But some positives to take away are that we were definitely quite competitive yesterday morning, and also in qualifying, except the mistake that I did yesterday, starting at the back, was not easy. Today, I just need to figure out a little bit more the balance for the race, but we’ll keep pushing.”

Sting Ray Robb, No. 77 Juncos Hollinger – Goodheart Chevrolet finished 22nd:

“It was an OK day today, I think when it’s an all green race like this it’s difficult to move forward. There is not a lot of opportunity without restarts and yellows. We moved up a few spots and it was just tough for everyone. It was a physical race. Everyone was running as fast as they could the whole time, so it was just a matter of what kind of pace you had and how you could pass. I’m hoping at Long Beach we can repeat what we did last year. Roll off strong and be able to move back up in the points.”

NTT INDYCAR SERIES News Conference
Sunday, March 29, 2026
Christian Lundgaard
Press Conference

THE MODERATOR: Christian Lundgaard, as quick as he’s been all weekend. Christian, who led 10 laps today, best finish of the season. Second podium of 2026. 11th career podium. Christian also with a race-high 11 on-track passes today.

I know you were hoping for a little bit more, but give us your thoughts on the day.

CHRISTIAN LUNDGAARD: Yeah, I mean, everything you just said sounds great except the P2 part. I think we had a race-winning car today. Obviously it’s frustrating, the past many few races, we’ve produced such great race cars on Sunday. We’ve been lacking on Saturday. It’s just frustrating.

Obviously you win races on Sunday, so that’s when you need to have a good car. I think we need to put ourselves in better positions. I think even with the pace and how the race panned out today, we had the car to win the race, we had the pace, we had the track position at the time.

I’m not really sure what happened in the pit stop. I’m not sure I can really comment too much on it. Again, it’s unfortunate. Obviously came out behind Graham there on the last stint and just wanted to really get that second place for the team, as well. It wasn’t just for me. This is where we were. At least with a bubble on pit road, let’s get the same result, not worse. We had the pace. Got by Graham. That was nice.

THE MODERATOR: We’ll open it up for questions.

Q. Going into the pit stop, you were obviously in the lead. Going into that, were you in a position where you felt like you were going to win the race?

CHRISTIAN LUNDGAARD: Absolutely. Well, yes and no I guess. I don’t necessarily know what the gaps were. I was just told on the way here we would have cleared him. Then obviously you have to have the track position on the first couple of laps. It’s unknown. From what I’ve been told, we would have cleared him.

Q. How were you able to get back to P2?

CHRISTIAN LUNDGAARD: I was very frustrated. It’s fair to be frustrated. It’s a tough position to be in because it’s like one of those unlucky yellows that hurt your entire race progress, right? We had done so good up until then.

Again, we finished P2, we shouldn’t be that frustrated. But when you are up against a car that’s been the most competitive and best car in INDYCAR for the past many years, to have a chance to beat him fair and square, that hurts. It’s the position that we’ve tried to be in the past three years. I think we got there today.

Really just to miss out on it for something like that is unfortunate. I think there’s a lot of learnings to take from it.

Q. When it comes to your starting position in these races, what has been the issue?

CHRISTIAN LUNDGAARD: There’s so many things. Just not getting it right really for many different reasons. It’s just frustrating. We put in so much work. I think the team’s done a phenomenal job in the off-season obviously producing such great race cars. To not get there in qualifying when it really counts.

I think this weekend was a big surprise for us. Obviously we were competitive here last year. Just not really getting it in qualifying is frustrating. Obviously we had four qualifying sessions that obviously haven’t been on an oval so far where we’re not transferring in the Firestone Fast Six when I think we should have.

You look at the results, we’re right there. Finished third in St. Pete, finished seventh in Arlington even though we got spun on the first lap.

We have the race pace. We just need to start further up.

Q. Can you use the frustration of the pit stop to feel your aggressiveness to get some of it back because it really looked like that’s what you did, especially when you were able to track down Graham?

CHRISTIAN LUNDGAARD: Yeah, I mean, I’m sure he can answer that question as well. Sometimes I don’t think I need more aggression. I think it’s just naturally there.

But it is frustrating. I think for me it was more I just wanted that position just to prove to the team that this is where we belong. It was really more for them than it was for me. That was my mindset: Okay, let’s go get Graham here, and not really focus so much on Malukas behind and the pit stop in general. Let’s go out, reset, focus on getting this position.

At the end of the day that was the best result possible for us at the moment. At that time in the race, P2 was the best we could do. Alex was gone. It was just getting that position and get the best result.

Q. It’s still appears this year could still be more wide open than last year when Alex dominated. Do you think you still have that mindset that your team’s better, other guys throughout the field are better, it’s not going to be a walkover like last year?

CHRISTIAN LUNDGAARD: Just looking at how the season’s gone so far, Alex is the same Alex as last year. I just do think there are cars and drivers that are showing up more this year than last year.

Q. I think did Louis come over and say something to you. The contact with him early in the race…

CHRISTIAN LUNDGAARD: No. I haven’t seen him. I know he congratulated Graham. I was aware that he was going to hold me up as much as he could, yeah.

Q. Before your last pit stop, your team was telling you the options on the tires. Probably put on the primaries to play it safe. Is there any part of you that’s like, Let’s not play it safe, we need to do things that aren’t safe to get this win?

CHRISTIAN LUNDGAARD: I think it’s easy to be smart in hindsight. At the end of the day we didn’t do it, so I don’t think we know what the outcome would have been.

I can sit here and say now I would have preferred the alternates just to at least have the same balance as I’d had the past two stints. I think the primary tires were way more physical than the alternates were. For that reason, I just wanted the used alts.

The two other cars were on the same tires. We’d seen how the used alts had done in the beginning of the race. It didn’t really seem like it was preferred for anyone. I’m not quite sure how many laps we had to do on the last stint.

It’s really an if, but or maybe.

Q. You said you were going to try to catch Alex. Had a 13-second lead. Did you think you had a way to catch him?

CHRISTIAN LUNDGAARD: He pitted before we did on that third stint. I basically pulled in around four and a half seconds on him on the stints. On my way up here, I was told that the traffic that he had as he came out for the last stint, we would have cleared him on a normal pit stop.

Obviously the pace was there to win the race. I think it would have been a fair and square fight on the last stint if that would have been the case. We sit here now and it wasn’t the case, so…

I mean, there’s not really much to say to it. I think overall we had a race-winning car today. If we would have started three positions further up, I think our race would have been very different.

We need to be better on Saturdays.

THE MODERATOR: Congratulations on the podium.

CHRISTIAN LUNDGAARD: Thank you.

THE MODERATOR: See you in Long Beach.

CHRISTIAN LUNDGAARD: Let’s see if we can do that better, too (smiling). Two better.

Chevrolet History at Barber Motorsports Park

Chevrolet Wins – 9

2024 – Scott McLaughlin – Team Penske

2023 – Scott McLaughlin – Team Penske

2022 – Pato O’Ward – Arrow McLaren

2018 – Josef Newgarden – Team Penske

2017 – Josef Newgarden – Team Penske

2016 – Simon Pagenaud – Team Penske

2015 – Josef Newgarden – ECR

2013 – Ryan Hunter-Reay – Andretti Global

2012 – Will Power – Team Penske

Chevrolet Poles – 10

2024 – Scott McLaughlin – Team Penske

2022 – Rinus VeeKay – ECR

2021 – Pato O’Ward – Arrow McLaren

2018 – Josef Newgarden – Team Penske

2017 – Will Power – Team Penske

2016 – Simon Pagenaud – Team Penske

2015 – Helio Castroneves – Team Penske

2014 – Will Power – Team Penske

2013 – Ryan Hunter-Reay – Andretti Global

2012 – Helio Castroneves – Team Penske

Chevrolet Podiums: 21

Driver Podiums: Josef Newgarden (4), Will Power (4), Scott McLaughlin (3), Scott Dixon (2), Helio Castroneves (2), Christian Lundgaard (2), Simon Pagenaud (2), Ryan Hunter-Reay (1), Pato O’Ward (1), Rinus VeeKay (1)

Team Podiums: Team Penske (13), Arrow McLaren (3), ECR (3), Chip Ganassi Racing (2), Andretti Global (1)

Chevrolet Laps Led: 709

Driver Laps Led: Josef Newgarden (141), Will Power (114), Simon Pagenaud (87), Helio Castroneves (73), Rinus VeeKay (58), Pato O’Ward (52), Santino Ferrucci (14), Sebastian Saavedra (11), Christian Lundgaard (10), Sebastien Bourdais (6), Scott Dixon (3), James Hinchcliffe (1)

Team Laps Led: Team Penske (455), ECR (104), Arrow McLaren (62), Andretti Global (54), KV Racing Technology (13), A.J. Foyt Racing (18), Chip Ganassi Racing (3),

Manufacturer History at Phoenix International Raceway

Wins (with competition)

9 – Chevrolet (2024, 2023, 2022, 2018, 2017, 2016, 2015, 2013, 2012)

5 – Honda (2026, 2025, 2021, 2019, 2014)

Poles (with competition)

10 – Chevrolet (2024, 2022, 2021, 2018, 2017, 2016, 2015, 2014, 2013, 2012)

3 – Honda (2025, 2023, 2019)

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.

Juncos Hollinger Racing shows strong pace at Barber Motorsports Park

By

Official Release

-

March 29, 2026

Juncos Hollinger Racing returned to permanent road course competition in Round 4 of the 2026 NTT INDYCAR SERIES season, racing at the 2.3-mile Barber Motorsports Park circuit.

The race marked the team’s first outing on a traditional road course this season, following a mix of street circuits and oval racing across the opening three rounds. Over the 90-lap contest, Rinus VeeKay recovered well from a mid-race setback to finish 14th, while Sting Ray Robb brought the No. 77 Chevrolet home in 22nd.

Barber Motorsports Park, with its 17 flowing turns and significant elevation change, once again presented a technical challenge for drivers and engineers alike. With overtaking opportunities limited, strategy and tire management played a key role throughout the race.

How the Race Unfolded

Juncos Hollinger Racing lined up with Rinus 16th and Sting Ray 25th.

At the start, the team split strategies, with VeeKay starting on the Firestone primary (black) tires, while Robb opted for the alternate (red) compound.

In the opening laps, VeeKay was involved in a close battle with O’Ward, briefly moving ahead before settling into position as the field found its rhythm.

As the first round of pit stops began to unfold, VeeKay made early progress, climbing to 12th by Lap 16, before moving into the top ten shortly after as strategies began to cycle through the field.

Robb was the first of the two to pit, stopping on Lap 14 to switch to the primary tire, rejoining in 24th position.

As the stint developed, VeeKay cycled as high as sixth before making his first stop on Lap 23, completing a strong opening phase.

Running in traffic, the No.76 car was involved in contact in Turn 5 on Lap 35 after riding the apex curb while making a move on Rossi, resulting in a spin. Both drivers continued, with VeeKay dropping to 19th as a result.

Robb completed his next stop on Lap 40, continuing on the primary tire as the race moved into its second half.

Recovering well from the earlier setback, VeeKay worked his way back through the field, climbing to 10th by Lap 43.

With the primary tire proving to be the preferred choice across the field, strategy converged through the middle phase of the race.

VeeKay made further stops on Laps 48 and 66, completing a three-stop strategy of primary, primary, alternate and primary tires for the run to the finish.

Robb completed his final stop on Lap 65, maintaining his primary tire strategy through the closing stages.

Continuing his recovery in the final stint, VeeKay passed Rosenqvist on Lap 67 for 13th before moving ahead of Grosjean to take 12th, maintaining strong pace through to the closing stages.

At the checkered flag, VeeKay finished 14th, while Robb brought the No. 77 Chevrolet home in 22nd, finishing ahead of Hauger, Schumacher and Foster.

Team Perspective

Rinus VeeKay, No. 76:

“It was a decent race today. We did what we could on strategy to move forward, but with no yellows and the high downforce on a high-speed track, it was really hard to make moves and get close enough to pass.

“Unfortunately, I had a spin around lap 35. I was really trying to get that spot to get into clear air, but just got a little bit too close and lost a few positions there. We had a really good recovery after that.

“Not the result we were looking for, but it comes back to qualifying. That’s where we need to find more pace on the alternates.

“The car felt great in the race and I think we did a great job, so I’m excited for Long Beach and to go for another top ten there.”

Sting Ray Robb, No. 77:

“It was an ‘okay’ day today. In a race that ran all green, it’s just difficult to move forward, with not a lot of opportunity without restarts or yellows.

“We moved up a few spots, but it was tough for everyone. It was a physical race, with everyone running at full pace the whole time, so it really comes down to the pace you have and how you can pass.

“I’m hoping that at Long Beach we can repeat what we did last year, roll off strong and move back up in the points.”

Dave O’Neill, Team Principal, Juncos Hollinger Racing:

“We showed some really encouraging pace today. That has been the case through the weekend but it was particularly strong today as we saw with Rinus working his way back through the field. The car was in a good window and we were able to make progress across each stint, which is a positive step for us on a road course.

“We’ll take a lot from this weekend in terms of what we’ve learned and how the car performed across the race distance.

“This weekend felt like a fitting tribute to George Barber (Jr) and everything he built here. Barber Motorsports Park is a special place for everyone in INDYCAR and as ever, it’s been a pleasure racing here.”

Palou Dominates To Win in Another Barber Beatdown

By

Official Release

-

March 29, 2026

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (Sunday, March 29, 2026) – Alex Palou appears to be running wild again after another dominant victory at Barber Motorsports Park.

Four-time and defending NTT INDYCAR SERIES champion Palou earned his second victory in four races this season in the No. 10 DHL Chip Ganassi Racing Honda, starting from the pole and winning the Children’s of Alabama Indy Grand Prix powered by AmFirst by 13.2775 seconds over the No. 7 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet of Christian Lundgaard. Palou led 79 of the 90 laps on the 17-turn, 2.3-mile road course.

“Incredible day,” Palou said. “I told you qualifying was one of the best car balances I’ve ever driven. Today in the race, it was pretty good in the beginning, really good at the end, but we suffered a little bit on the used blacks (Firestone Firehawk primary tires) that we had to use.

“Another win here. Love this place, love the fans. What a great day.”

Graham Rahal placed third in the No. 15 First Third Bank Honda fielded by Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing, his first podium finish since August 2023 at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course.

“I felt like this was coming,” Rahal said. “We’re pretty pleased with this. Feels good.”

David Malukas continued his consistent start to his Team Penske tenure by finishing fourth in the No. 12 Verizon Team Penske Chevrolet. Malukas has placed sixth or better in three of his four starts with the fabled team this season.

Series leader Kyle Kirkwood rounded out the top five finishers – all from different teams – in the No. 27 JM Bullion/Gold.com Honda of Andretti Global.

There’s something about this rolling, picturesque circuit and recent dominance by Palou, who earned his third career Barber win. He won last year in 16.005 seconds. The first of his 21 career victories also came here in 2021, but by a scant .4016 of a second.

One more ominous fact about Palou’s victory for the other 24 drivers in the field: He has gone on to win the Astor Challenge Cup as series champion in the same season as both of his prior Barber victories. Palou stayed in second in the 2026 series standings with this victory but trimmed the gap to leader Kirkwood from 26 to two points as he tries to win a fourth consecutive title.

While the margin of victory was the biggest in an NTT INDYCAR SERIES race since Palou’s crushing victory last April at Barber, the final gap might be a bit misleading.

Palou led by 7.2 seconds on Lap 52 while running on a used pair of Firestone Firehawk primary tires, but Lundgaard started to chip away at that gap, gaining nearly a half-second on some laps on the quicker but less durable alternate tire.

The gap was trimmed to three seconds when Palou made his final pit stop at the end of Lap 65, taking another set of used primary tires for the run to the finish. Lundgaard inherited the lead during Palou’s last stop and stayed on track for another four laps, trying to gain more time on Palou and perhaps land within striking distance of Palou after Lundgaard’s last stop.

Lundgaard entered the pits at the end of Lap 69 for his final service. But calamity struck, as the right-rear wheel change was slow. That produced a 17.8-second stop, about nine seconds slower than normal. Lundgaard returned to the track in third, behind Rahal.

Game over. Palou was home free.

“I think so,” Lundgaard said when asked if he could have caught Palou. “We know the pace that we had and just how we were catching him. It’s unfortunate. The guys have done an amazing job, and I don’t think that’s (mistake) ever really happened. One in almost 100 starts, I think it’s OK.”

Palou led Rahal by 10.8 seconds after that pit drama and cruised to the finish in the caution-free race. But Lundgaard and Rahal engaged in a spirited joust for second over the closing laps, with Lundgaard finally diving under Rahal in Turn 5 for second with three laps to go.

That was the last of 11 on-track passes during the race for Lundgaard, including seven for position in the top 10 – both race highs.

“At the end of the day, I wanted to go out there and repass Graham,” Lundgaard said. “Just to make up for that (pit mistake) and put a statement to, ‘We got it.’”

Rahal then held off a charging Malukas to keep the precious podium spot for Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing.

The next NTT INDYCAR SERIES race is the Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach on Sunday, April 19.

SpeedwayMedia.comOnline Resource for Motorsports Information

SpeedwayMedia.comOnline Resource for Motorsports Information

Introduction

Who Invented the First Tricycle?

The Evolution to Pedal-Powered Tricycles

The Birth of the Bicycle

The Golden Age of Tricycles

Practical Uses and Social Influence

Royal Endorsement and Cultural Boom

Decline with the Rise of the Safety Bicycle

Modern Revival of Tricycles

Common Types of Tricycles Used

Delta Tricycles

Tadpole Tricycles

Recumbent Tricycles

Convertible Tricycles

Children’s Tricycles

Manual Tricycles

Motorized Tricycles

Benefits of Using a Tricycle

FAQ

What Is the Oldest Bicycle Manufacturer Still in Existence?

What Is the Root of the Word “Tricycle”?

Are tricycles safer than bicycles?

Results:

RACE RECAP:

Timms Dominates Before Heartbreak

Ryder Laplante Goes for a Wild Ride

David Gravel Sets New Track Record In Qualifying

Macedo Brothers Have Solid Outings

Official Race Results

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