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ARCA Menards West at Madera Speedway: Madera 150 Presented by WCSCMHOF Post-race Notes

By
Official Release
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  • Hailie Deegan (No. 16 5.11 Tactical Chevrolet) stormed past race-long leader Trevor Huddleston (No. 50 High Point Racing / Racecar Factory Ford) on the last lap following an overtime restart to take her first win of the 2026 ARCA Menards Series West season in the Madera 150 Presented by West Coast Stock Car Motorsports Hall of Fame at Madera Speedway. It was Deegan’s first victory since 2019 and her fourth career series win.
  • Deegan’s victory is the fifth for a female driver in West history. Deegan has four of those wins – she won at Meridian Speedway in 2018 and the Dirt Track at Las Vegas Motor Speedway and Colorado National Speedway in 2019 in addition to tonight’s win at Madera – and Gracie Trotter the other; Trotter won at The Bullring at Las Vegas Motor Speedway in 2020.
  • Huddleston settled for his second consecutive runner-up finish, and the second consecutive second-place finish in which he was passed for the lead on the final lap. Huddleston also finished second at All American Speedway after he was nudged from the lead by Ethan Nascimento (No. 21 Nascimento Motorsports / RJ’s Paintshop Toyota), who earned his first career series victory. Huddleston led 295 of the previous 303 laps at Madera Speedway on his way to victory in each of the last two years, led 153 laps tonight en route to his fourth runner-up finish of the season.
  • Kenna Mitchell (No. 13 Sinister Diesel / Berco Building Materials Ford) notched her first career top-five finish in third and gave team owner Kelly Souza’s Central Coast Racing team its best finish of the season and first top-five finish since two-time West champion Sean Hingorani finished fifth in the opener at Kevin Harvick’s Kern Raceway in February.
  • Deegan’s last lap heroics marked the third consecutive ARCA Menards Series race with a last lap pass for the win. Mason Massey (No. 19 Mongoose Power Solutions Chevrolet) was the fourth and final driver to lead on the final lap at Portland International Raceway two races ago, and Nascimento moved Huddleston on the final lap in the most recent race at All American.
  • It was an up-and-down day for the Jan’s Racing team. Robbie Kennealy (No. 1 Jan’s Towing Ford) rode the elevator upwards to finish fourth, while teammate Cole Denton (No. 71 Jan’s Towing Ford) rode the elevator down after a mechanical issue forced him out after just 25 laps, resulting in a 21st-place finish.
  • Massey recovered from a spin on a restart at lap 124 after a bump from Deegan, his Bill McAnally Racing teammate, to finish fifth. Massey dropped to the tail of the lead lap after the spin but three ensuing restarts allowed him to gain nine positions in the final 26 laps.
  • Joey Iest (No. 88 Shockwave Marine Suspension Seating Ford) finished sixth, followed by Nascimento in seventh, Will Robinson (No. 25 Ivy Asset Group Toyota), Andrew Chapman (No. 55 High Point Racing / Racecar Factory Ford), and Eric Rhead (No. 66 Champ Transportation Chevrolet).
  • Mia Lovell (No. 15 Pine Health Toyota) and Eric Johnson, Jr. (No. 5 Pacific Office Automation Toyota) both saw potential top-five finishes evaporate when they came together in turns three and four on lap 147 that sent the race into overtime. Johnson started 16th but was as high as third in the final ten laps; he fell off the lead lap after the spin and finished 15th, while Lovell bounced off the outside wall doing damage to the right front suspension and finished 13th.
  • There were five lead changes among three drivers; Huddleston led the most laps, 153, while Massey led three, and Deegan led one.
  • There were 7 cautions for 41 laps.
  • Deegan’s winning average speed was 55.653 miles per hour; her margin of victory was 0.148 seconds.
  • The 2027 ARCA Menards Series season will open on Saturday, February 20 at Daytona International Speedway, the day before the Daytona 500. The complete 2027 ARCA Menards Series schedule will be released in the coming weeks, and will again feature 20 races at 19 different tracks. Please visit ARCARacing.com for complete series information, including season, event, and broadcast schedules; follow @ARCA_Racing on X (formerly Twitter) for up-to-the-minute updates and information.

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

About Menards
A family-owned and run company started in 1958, Menards is recognized as the retail home center leader of the Midwest with 236 stores in 15 states.  Menards is truly a one-stop shop for all of your home improvement needs featuring a full-service lumberyard and everything you need to plan a renovation or build a home, garage, cabin, shed, deck, fence or post frame building.  You’ll find a large selection of lumber, roofing, siding, construction blocks, trusses, doors and windows, plus cabinets, appliances, countertops, flooring, lighting, paint, plumbing supplies and more.  To complete the job, Menards has quality hand tools, power tools, fasteners, electrical tools plus storage options and supplies for everyone from the weekend warrior to the pro!
 
Menards has what you need to complete your outdoor projects and keep your yard in tip-top shape including mowers, trimmers, blowers, pressure washers and more, plus a beautiful garden center stocked with plants, shrubs, trees, landscaping tools, grass seed, fertilizer options, outdoor décor and patio furniture.  Menards also has everyday essentials like health & beauty products, housewares, pet and wildlife supplies, automotive items and even groceries.  And at Christmas, an Enchanted Forest display area with impressive trees, lighting, decorations, ornaments, inflatables and more. 

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

Route 66 Turns 100 on Nov. 11 – and It Was Almost Route 60

By
SM
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Once the dust settled in 1926, Cyrus Avery wrote a polite thank-you letter to the federal highway official who had helped end a fight that dragged on for months. Near the end, he mentioned the U.S. 60 shields. He would, he said, “have to junk them.”

That number never went up on the road he’d pushed for. The Chicago-to-Los Angeles highway got a leftover instead — and the leftover became the most famous highway number in America. The Route 66 centennial lands on November 11, 2026, a hundred years to the day after state highway officials adopted the U.S. numbered highway system that put “66” on the map.

The birthday gets the parades. The fight over the number is the better piece of Route 66 history, and it explains why the Mother Road carries a number that broke the system’s own rules.

a 1926 highway office

Why the Chicago–Los Angeles Road Was Supposed to Be 60

The 1926 plan came with a pecking order everyone grasped right away. Two-digit routes ending in zero — 20, 30, 40, 50 — were the long east-west lines, and highway boosters read a zero (or a 1) as a first-class road. Any other number felt secondary.

By that logic, 60 belonged to a straight coast-to-coast route between U.S. 50 and U.S. 70. Instead, the committee drawing the map handed it to a diagonal crescent from Chicago to Los Angeles. Three of the five committee members, Avery among them, represented states that crescent ran through. A Federal Highway Administration history of the episode calls the exception “suspicious.”

A Governor Who Read the Map

Kentucky’s governor, William J. Fields, noticed. On the new map, zero routes marched toward his state from the north and the south — and 60, which should have crossed Virginia, West Virginia and Kentucky, was sitting in Chicago.

On December 8, 1925, he announced that Kentucky would ignore the proposed U.S. highway numbers. “Chicago influence is written all over the map,” he said. Kentucky’s complaint came down to one line: it was the only Mississippi Valley state without a route number ending in zero.

How Did 62 Become 66?

The first compromise didn’t hold. At a meeting in Chicago in January 1926, Avery said one number running all the way from Chicago to L.A. mattered more to him than whether it was 60 or 62. The committee kept 60 on his road and offered Kentucky 62, with a swap held in reserve. When Kentucky refused, federal officials made the swap — 60 through Kentucky, 62 for Chicago to Los Angeles.

Avery, it turned out, did care. On February 10 he “strenuously objected” by telegram. B. H. Piepmeier, chief engineer of Missouri’s State Highway Commission, refused 62 and a split-number idea after it, and Kentucky rejected that one too. For weeks, nobody moved.

The Afternoon in Springfield

The way out turned up on April 30, 1926, in Springfield, Missouri. Avery met Piepmeier there, and Oklahoma’s chief highway engineer, John M. Page, spotted something nobody had claimed: the number 66 wasn’t assigned to any route. The Federal Highway Administration’s own history of the numbering fight, “From Names to Numbers,” quotes the telegram the two men sent that afternoon: “We prefer sixty six to sixty two.”

It wasn’t final yet. Kentucky signed off in July, and the whole system, U.S. 66 included, was adopted that November 11. The April telegram is why Springfield bills itself as the birthplace of Route 66. The road itself was shorter than people picture, too — in 1926 it ended in downtown Los Angeles, and the western end didn’t reach Santa Monica until 1936.

Nobody in that Springfield meeting could have guessed what the double six would turn into. It’s on neon signs, painted pavement, jacket patches and belt buckles. Biker jewelers sculpt it as well — one sterling silver Route 66 motorcycle helmet ring sets the shield on the side of a vintage helmet, with brass goggles and a cigar on the rider’s face. A number picked because it was spare now stands in for the whole open road.

Riding It in November? Check the Altitude First

A centennial ride on the actual birthday sounds right. The calendar is the catch. November 11 sits at the edge of the season when the western half of the route can turn on you, and the reason is altitude more than latitude.

Flagstaff, Arizona, right on the old road, sits at around 7,000 feet, according to the National Weather Service. Snow there doesn’t wait for deep winter: over Thanksgiving weekend in 2019, a storm left about 17 inches of snow at the NWS office in Flagstaff and caused road closures across northern Arizona.

Illustration: high-country two-lane after an early snow. Around Flagstaff, the old corridor sits near 7,000 feet.

So a rider chasing the date has two sensible plays. Ride the eastern states, where the birthday events are, or treat the Arizona high country as a morning-by-morning decision. Arizona’s 511 road-condition service and the NWS Flagstaff forecast are the two checks worth making before the kickstand goes up.

Bike choice matters more on a 2,400-mile road than on a Sunday loop. Long, straight, windy days treat a touring rig very differently from a sport bike, and Bikerringshop’s breakdown of motorcycle styles covers what each type costs to run and how it fits different riders.

How Much of the Old Road Can You Still Ride?

More than most people expect. Route 66 was decommissioned in 1985, after the interstates replaced it, and its segments were split among private, city, state, federal and tribal owners. In a page last updated in 2022, the National Park Service put the share still drivable at about 85% — often under other names and highway numbers.

That’s an estimate, not a promise for every stretch. Some of it survives in odd forms: in Wheeler County, Texas, 1931 concrete handed to the state in 1968 still carries traffic as I-40 frontage road. A current route guide beats a vintage map.

Where the 100th Birthday Party Actually Is

For the 100th anniversary itself, two cities have the day nailed down. In Tulsa, where Avery lived, the November 11 schedule presented by the Oklahoma Route 66 Centennial Commission and Cherokee Nation Businesses opens with the Veterans Day parade downtown at 11 a.m. A free “Centennial Crawl” covers eight downtown venues in the afternoon, and “The Centennial Moment” happens on Main Street at 5 p.m. A free Bob Wills’ Texas Playboys show on Guthrie Green follows at 6.

Where the 100th Birthday Party Actually Is

Illustration: a main street lit up for the night. Centennial events are being staged town by town along the old road.

Springfield, Illinois, is going louder. The Illinois Route 66 Scenic Byway holds its statewide conference at Route 66 Motorheads during the day, and Starship featuring Mickey Thomas headlines a centennial concert there that night.

Congress created a federal Route 66 Centennial Commission back in December 2020. One thing the road still isn’t: a National Historic Trail. A Senate bill to designate it, S. 2887, was reported out of committee on September 17, 2026, but it hasn’t passed Congress. Event schedules shift as well, so check each organizer’s page the week you travel.

Route 66 Centennial Questions

When is the Route 66 centennial?

November 11, 2026. On that date in 1926, the American Association of State Highway Officials adopted the U.S. numbered highway system, which included U.S. 66 from Chicago to Los Angeles. Tulsa, Oklahoma, and Springfield, Illinois, both have events scheduled on the day itself.

Why is it called Route 66 and not Route 60?

Planners first gave the Chicago–Los Angeles road the number 60. Kentucky objected because it had no route ending in zero, so officials proposed 62 instead, which Oklahoma and Missouri rejected. On April 30, 1926, Oklahoma engineer John M. Page noticed 66 was unused, and the states asked for it.

Is Route 66 a National Historic Trail?

Not yet. Senate bill S. 2887 would designate the U.S. 66 alignments used between 1926 and 1985 as a National Historic Trail. It was reported out of committee on September 17, 2026, but it still has to pass Congress and be signed before the designation exists.

Can you still drive the whole route?

Mostly. The National Park Service estimates about 85% of old Route 66 segments are still drivable, many under different names or highway numbers. Gaps and detours exist, so a modern route guide matters — and in late autumn, check the mountain weather around Flagstaff before committing.

Route 66 was nobody’s first choice. It was the number left on the table after a governor, a few state highway men and a federal bureau ran out of better ideas. A century later, it’s the one people sculpt, frame and cross the country to drive.

If you ride it for the birthday, go for the history as much as the date. The weather in Flagstaff won’t care that it’s a centennial.

Author bio: Tepparit Kacha spends his working days around motorcycle jewelry and the Americana it borrows from — road signs, engine parts, old helmet shapes. He has curated sterling silver pieces for over a decade at Bikerringshop.

Layne Riggs loses points lead following late misfortunes at Kansas

By
Andrew Kim
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Photo by Ron Olds for SpeedwayMedia.com.

Layne Riggs had a late rally from a pit misfortune and strong run towards the front evaporate from his grasp when a late wall scrub and cut tire spoiled his chances of competing for the victory at the conclusion of the 2026 Race to Stop Suicide 200 at Kansas Speedway on Saturday, September 26.

The 24-year-old Riggs from Bahama, North Carolina, started Saturday’s event in 22nd place based on a performance metric formula that accounts competitors’ results from the previous-scheduled event and current position in the owner’s standings. This was due to on-track qualifying scheduled for Friday, September 25, being canceled due to inclement weather. Riggs was assigned the 22nd-starting spot due to finishing 32nd during this past week’s Chase opener at Bristol Motor Speedway despite leading the owner’s standings.

Despite starting within the mid-pack range, Riggs executed stellar speed in the opening laps as he navigated his No. 34 Love’s Ford F-150 entry up to third place and accumulated eight critical stage points towards his championship quest when the first stage period concluded on Lap 30.

After restarting in fifth place when the second stage period commenced on Lap 36, Riggs overtook Christian Eckes for the runner-up spot seven laps later. He then used a strong launch from the bottom lane and slid in front of Kaden Honeycutt through the first two turns of the following restart on Lap 48 to assume the lead. A lap later, however, Honeycutt bumped into the rear of Riggs’ entry through the frontstretch. The contact caused Riggs to brush off the outside wall and nearly get sideways, but he managed to keep his Ford straight despite Honeycutt reassuming the lead seconds later. Riggs then tried to reel Honeycutt back in for the lead before he ultimately settled in the runner-up spot when the second stage period concluded on Lap 53. By then, he accumulated an additional nine stage points.

During the second stage’s break period, however, Riggs experienced a setback when he had to reverse his entry back in his pit stall to have a lugnut on the left-front wheel area tightened. The incident was caused when Riggs’ jackman released the entry from the jack before the wheel could be tightened. The pit road issue caused Riggs to plummet to 25th place for the next restart on Lap 64, in which he managed to six places before he and the competition endured a rain delay period that paused the event for four minutes and 47 seconds.

When the delay concluded and the event restarted with 59 laps remaining near dusk time, it only took three laps for Riggs to motor his way back into the top-10 mark as he was scored in ninth place. Another two laps later, he moved back into the top-five mark and he proceeded to navigate himself back into the runner-up spot with 49 laps remaining. After spending most of the final stage period trailing Honeycutt in the runner-up spot, Riggs utilized a two-tire pit service during a late caution period with 16 laps remaining to exit pit road first. He then used his two fresh tires to overtake Daniel Dye and assume the race lead at the start of the next restart with 13 laps remaining. Riggs, however, would be overtaken by Honeycutt, who pitted for fresh tires from the previous caution, during the next lap.

Despite having an opportunity to outduel Honeycutt during the event’s final restart with seven laps remaining, Riggs was outdueled by the latter through the first two turns. Riggs then tried to push his entry beyond the limit to reel in Honeycutt as the laps dwindled, but the charge collapsed when the former scrubbed the outside wall through Turns 3 and 4 with three laps remaining. The wall contact cut Riggs’ right-front tire as he then scrubbed the outside wall again through the first two turns and lost his momentum. Despite opting to remain on the track and finish, Riggs plummeted to 19th place when he crossed the finish line and took the checkered flag. 

With the result, Riggs managed to notch his 14th top-20 result of the 2026 campaign. Nevertheless, the result marks a bitter end to Riggs’ Chase hopes for a second consecutive week after he finished in 32nd place during last Thursday’s Chase opener at Bristol due to a pyramid of issues that involved a slow pit service, loose wheel and an on-track incident that left the North Carolinian with a damaged entry.

Prior to Kansas, Riggs held a narrow three-point advantage over Honeycutt in the Chase standings. Now, Riggs trails Honeycutt by 37 points. It marks the first time Riggs has not led the driver’s standings following a Truck event since Charlotte Motor Speedway in May. The disappointment was shown on Riggs’ face as he took a moment to process Saturday’s result at Kansas inside the cockpit before he climbed out.

“Behind the wheel, if you look at everything over those last couple of laps, I feel like I did everything flawless, made really good moves,” Riggs said. “Got my track position back after having bad pit stops. Just went for it. Went for it way too hard and went for it when I shouldn’t have gone for it. I should have just been content with finishing second right there and knew we had a better shot at it later on. Just really disappointing. Our Love’s Ford F-150 was really fast. I felt like we weren’t as good as [Honeycutt] all day. We were just too free. There at the end, Dylan got me a good adjustment, got me two tires. I had a really big run or I thought I was going to get a big run down the frontstretch and never made it there. Got in the wall instead.”

With Kansas in the rearview mirror, Riggs and his No. 34 Front Row Motorsports Ford F-150 team shift their focus to the Truck Series’ third Chase event of this season at Charlotte Motor Speedway in Concord, North Carolina, for the Ecosave 200 to rally from a 37-point deficit and contend for the title. Riggs won at Charlotte earlier in mid-May and remains confident that he and his team can rally and sweep their way to another Charlotte victory that would also enable them to remain within striking distance of the title.

“I’m excited about [racing at Charlotte],” Riggs said. “[I] Got to focus forward. [I] Can’t dwindle on anything in the past.”

The 2026 Ecosave 200 at Charlotte Motor Speedway is scheduled to occur on October 9 at 5 p.m. ET on FOX, NASCAR Racing Network and SiriusXM. 

Ford Racing Secures Three Ford F-150s in Kansas NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series Top 10

By
Official Release
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Ford Racing Notes and Quotes
NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series
Race to Stop Suicide 200 – Kansas Speedway
Saturday, September 26, 2026

Ford Racing Secures Three Ford F-150s in Kansas NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series Top 10

  • Ben Rhodes’s fifth-place finish led three Ford F-150s in the top 10 at Kansas Speedway on Saturday night.
  • Chandler Smith (sixth) and Bristol winner Jake Garcia (ninth) added two more to the Blue Ovals top 10 tally.
  • Layne Riggs ran near the lead throughout the day and was in second place going into the final lap. However, he would drop to a 19th place finish after a move for the win came up short.
  • The race had a four-hour, 47-minute red flag for rain, finishing under the lights of Kansas Speedway.

Ford Finishing Results:

5th – Ben Rhodes

6th – Chandler Smith

9th – Jake Garcia

12th – Cole Butcher

19th – Layne Riggs

23rd – Clayton Green

27th – Stephen Mallozzi

29th – Ty Majeski

33rd – Josh Reaume

BEN RHODES, No. 99 Bommarito F-150 – “I think that caution came out with good timing. We were about to start the green flag cycle. That’s the one I was the most concerned with. We were falling off big at that time just being on older tires. We did what we could all day long for strategy and I think we made all the right calls. Just ultimately, track position with the changing track that nobody planned for reigned supreme. I don’t think any of us planned to come here and be racing at night.” HOW IMPORTANT WAS IT FOR YOU TO HAVE A SOLID RUN? “Very important. I mean, now in the Chase more than ever. I’m just trying to build good, consistent finishes. But, more than that, we need the stage points. So we’ve got to execute a little bit better. Last couple weeks, we’ve been having mistakes or something’s been going on where we lose some positions on pit road. I don’t want to throw blame on anybody. That is not what I’m saying. All sides… we win and lose as a team. So we’ve got to build each other up and make sure we’re doing all the proper things.” HOW ARE YOU LOOKING FORWARD TO GOING TO CHARLOTTE? “I am. This race was very critical for us, because we brought kind of a new setup for intermediate tracks that we wanted to work on this. We wanted a good race, work on it for Charlotte, and then really build on it for Homestead. So this was critical. I think our Ford F-150 performed well, and we know quite a few things we can do to make it better.”

CHANDLER SMITH, No. 38 Long John Silver’s Ford F-150 – “Truthfully, we weren’t really great all day. Obviously the rain came and the track went through a huge shift and turned the lights on. The track definitely came into my favor. Our Number 38 Long John Silver’s Ford F-150 wasn’t great in the daytime, by all means. We were 10th place at best. Our F-150 definitely got better as the nighttime came and still needed more, though. I fought similar tendencies, just looking for a little bit of this, a little bit of that. But I do feel confident that if we were to come back tomorrow and have time to dissect, we’d come back with a better package and have a better result for sure, but that’s not the way the Lord willed it. So, we’ll have good notes for next year when these guys come back and looking forward to heading to Charlotte.”

LAYNE RIGGS, No. 34 Love’s Travel Stops Ford F-150 – “I just went for it there at the end. I feel like we were kind of behind the eight ball all day long. Had rough stops on pit road, had issues. I was going for a win, had a shot at a win, and tried a little too hard. So definitely really disappointing. Really big blow to our points. Should have been just fine with chalking up a second place finish instead of trying to go for the win. Should have looked at the big picture. But at the same time, the team pays me to go win races. And that’s what we did. I just have to be smarter in the long run if I’m gonna get this thing. Keep my head about me a little bit better. Instead of looking at just

Kaden Honeycutt Wins NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series Race In Dominating Fashion At Kansas Speedway

By
Briar Starr
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Photo Courtsey of (Ron Olds/Speedway Media)

Kansas City, KS – The second race of the 2026 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series race was settled today at Kansas Speedway and saw thrilling action in the 134-lap event. Leaving Bristol late last week, Layne Riggs was looking to rebound in his No. 34 Front Row Motorsports entry following a poor finish of 32nd and losing valuable points of his championship lead, which was down to three points entering Saturday’s race, with Kaden Honeycutt hot on his heels.

Honeycutt would stay hot on Riggs’s tail by dominating the Truck Series race to win at Kansas Speedway, but not without facing alternator issues and a four-hour and 47-minute rain delay.

“Man, great job by my whole Safelite crew,” Honeycutt said to Fox Sports 1 in victory lane. “(Crew chief) Scott Zipadelli, the frickin’ GOAT there on pit road. My pit crew man, they are just the best. There’s nothing else I can say about that. I knew the two tires were definitely going to be a bit hard to gain on (Riggs). He had really good speed and just executed all night. Thank you, Kansas Speedway. Thank you, NASCAR for letting us finish that race and put on a show for you fans. Just looking forward to winning more trophies and have some stories to tell (my son) along the way.”

Practice and qualifying were canceled on Friday afternoon due to heavy rain showers plaguing the area. Nick Sanchez was awarded the pole position via the metric system and started on pole position. Stages 30-30-74 would make up the 134-lap race.

Stage 1 – Lap 1 – Lap 30

The leaders were three-wide at the start of the race on the backstretch with Sanchez, Garcia, and Honeycutt. Honeycutt would officially lead the first lap. At Lap 10, Kris Wright in the No. 81 was slow on the backstretch with smoke coming from the rear end. Despite being off the pace, there was no caution.

At Lap 15, Honeycutt was reporting an alternator issue on his No. 11 TriCon Garage Toyota Tundra. Riggs also moved up to the fifth position after starting in the back.

The first stage saw no yellows, and Honeycutt held on to win it. He was followed by Ruggiero, Riggs, Sanchez, Ty Majeski, Christian Eckes, Daniel Hemric, Brent Crews, Ben Rhodes, and Grant Enfinger, who completed the Top 10. This was Honeycutt’s first stage win at Kansas in his career.

During the break, Chandler Smith was given a penalty for vehicle interference after hitting Crews’ tire while trying to enter his pit box. Replays later showed that Crews’ tire was knocked out of his tire carrier’s hands. Landen Lewis was also penalized for vehicle interference with the same issue as Smith.

Stage 2 – Lap 36 – Lap 53

The start of the second stage went green at Lap 36 with Honeycutt as the leader. At Lap 39, Cole Butcher was on the apron of the backstretch for a flat left-front tire. There was no yellow as Butcher successfully brought the truck down to pit road. A caution came out at Lap 43 for the No. 4 of Connor Hall, who spun on the backstretch. This was the first caution for an incident of the day.

The restart came at Lap 48 (12 laps to go in the stage) with Honeycutt the leader. There was a new leader following the restart as Riggs took the lead off Turn 2 in front of Honeycutt, but Honeycutt retook the lead a lap later. Additionally, Honeycutt made contact on the rear bumper of Riggs when he took the lead entering Turn 1.

Hall again brought out the caution at Lap 53 for spinning on the backstretch in the same spot as the previous caution. This would be the end of Stage 2 since it was inside 10 laps to go. Honeycutt would sweep the stages. Riggs, Eckes, Sanchez, Ruggiero, Hemric, Majeski, Tyler Ankrum, Daniel Dye, and Rhodes rounded out the Top 10.

There were some questions about whether or not the teams were going to make their scheduled pit stop due to weather in the area, and potentially shortening the race. There were several trucks that stayed out, such as Rhodes, Enfinger, Corey LaJoie, Mini Tyrell, Brenden Queen, Conor Daly, Clayton Green, Toni Breidinger, and Connor Hall. Eckes was the first truck off pit road with fresher tires. During the pit stop, Riggs had an issue when he attempted to leave his pit box, as there was not a single lug nut that was tight on his truck.

Stage 3 – Lap 64 (70 to go) – Lap 134

The final stage went green with 70 laps to go, with Enfinger and Rhodes as the leaders. As the leaders approached the backstretch, a multi-truck crash broke out with multiple drivers involved. Leland Honeyman Jr., Dye, Green, and many more were involved. After the crash occurred, rain entered the area and was too much for the vehicles to handle. NASCAR brought the trucks down pit road and began drying the track.  

Following a four-hour and 47-minute rain delay, the race eventually went back green with 57 laps to go. Honeycutt took the lead back from Enfinger off Turn 2. With 50 laps to go, Eckes closed in on the race leader, but Riggs charged to second by passing Eckes in Turns 3 and 4.

Majeski brought his truck down pit road with 46 laps to go as he had a flat right-front tire after contact with Eckes. He also had a penalty for not making the commitment line violation. While trying to serve the penalty, Majeski suffered another commitment line violation penalty and had to come back down pit road again.

A caution came out with 40 laps to go for the No. 93 of Caleb Costner, who spun off Turn 4 and went sliding into the infield grass, tearing off his front nose. The race leaders came down pit road under this caution flag. There were two penalties for speeding, which was for Enfinger and Brennan Poole.

Honeycutt led the field back to green with 33 laps to go and had Riggs and Eckes in pursuit of the lead. With 25 laps to go, Andres Perez De Lara had a tire go down, and Hall was off the pace. The green-flag run was short-lived as Lewis spun on the backstretch and hit the inside wall to bring out the caution with 19 laps to go.

A number of chase drivers decided to come down pit road with 16 laps to go for their final pit stops. Riggs won the race off pit road by taking two tires and was followed by Tanner Gray, Enfinger, who also took two tires, and then Honeycutt, the first with four tires. Dye and Tyrell stayed out to assume the top two spots.

Dye, Tyrell, Riggs, Tanner Gray, and Enfinger were the top five for the restart with 13 laps to go. Riggs assumed the lead momentarily before another yellow flew a lap later for Enfinger, who was slow by the wall and had a flat tire as well. Enfinger was given a two-lap penalty for rolling to a stop and intentionally bringing out the caution.

The final restart of the night was seen with seven laps to go. Honeycutt and Riggs were in the top two spots. Honeycutt again took the lead with Riggs closely behind in second. Ankrum had trouble with his truck after hitting the wall and suffering a flat tire. Riggs also had the same issue by brushing the wall multiple times while challenging for the lead.

Riggs would drop like a rock, while Honeycutt went on to win the race over Eckes by 1.358 seconds for his third victory of the season, which is also his third career Truck Series victory. He also led four times for 111 laps en route to victory.

There were seven cautions for 47 laps and nine lead changes among five different drivers.

Official Race Results Following The Race To Stop Suicide 250 at Kansas Speedway

  1. Kaden Honeycutt won both stages and led 111 laps
  2. Christian Eckes
  3. Brent Crews
  4. Daniel Hemric
  5. Ben Rhodes, led three laps
  6. Chandler Smith
  7. Nick Leitz
  8. Tanner Gray
  9. Jake Garcia
  10. Corey LaJoie
  11. Justin Haley
  12. Cole Butcher
  13. Giovanni Ruggiero
  14. Brenden Queen
  15. Daniel Dye, led three laps
  16. Conor Daly
  17. Brennan Poole
  18. Mini Tyrell
  19. Layne Riggs, led three laps
  20. Spencer Boyd
  21. Stewart Friesen
  22. Parker Eatmon
  23. Clayton Green, 1 Lap Down
  24. Andres Perez De Lara, 2 Laps Down
  25. Tyler Ankrum, 2 Laps Down
  26. Toni Breidinger, 2 Laps Down
  27. Stephen Mallozzi, 2 Laps Down
  28. Nick Sanchez, 3 Laps Down
  29. Ty Majeski, 4 Laps Down
  30. Leland Honeyman Jr., 4 Laps Down
  31. Grant Enfinger, led 14 laps, 5 Laps Down
  32. Connor Hall, 6 Laps Down
  33. Josh Reaume, 15 Laps Down
  34. Landen Lewis, OUT, Accident
  35. Caleb Costner, OUT, Accident
  36. Kris Wright, OUT, Oil Pump

Updated Top 10 Chase for the Champions Points Standings

  1. Kaden Honeycutt, +37
  2. Layne Riggs, -37
  3. Chandler Smith, -71
  4. Gio Ruggerio, -72
  5. Christian Eckes, -82
  6. Daniel Hemric, -87
  7. Ty Majeski, -88
  8. Ben Rhodes, -98
  9. Grant Enfinger, -118
  10. Tyler Ankrum, -127

Up Next – The next NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series race is scheduled for Friday, October 9, at Charlotte Motor Speedway, live on FOX and MRN Radio at 5 p.m./ET.

TOYOTA RACING – NCTS Kansas Post-Race Report – 09.26.26

By
Official Release
-

Honeycutt Brings Home Dominate Chase Win at Kansas Speedway, Takes Over Points Lead
TRICON Garage Puts Four Toyota Tundra TRD Pro’s Inside the Top 10

KANSAS CITY (September 25, 2026) – The saying “good things come to those who wait” rang true for Kaden Honeycutt on Saturday. Honeycutt and his No. 11 Toyota Tundra TRD Pro waited out a rain delay of 4 hours and 45 minutes, then drove away with the win in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series race at Kansas Speedway.

Honeycutt led a race-high 111 laps, a performance that helped him overtake previous points leader Layne Riggs for a 37-point lead after two races of the 2026 Chase.

Along with Honeycutt’s win, four TRICON Garage Tundra TRD Pro’s finished in the top 10, with Brent Crews third, Nick Leitz seventh and Tanner Gray eighth.

TOYOTA RACING Post-Race Recap
NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series (NCTS)
Kansas Speedway
Race 20 of 25 – 134 Miles, 201 Laps

TOYOTA FINISHING POSITIONS

1st, KADEN HONEYCUTT

2nd, Christian Eckes*

3rd, BRENT CREWS

4th, Daniel Hemric*

5th, Ben Rhodes*

7th, NICK LEITZ

8th, TANNER GRAY

13th, GIO RUGGIERO

21st, STEWART FRIESEN

30th, LELAND HONEYMAN JR.

*non-Toyota driver

TOYOTA QUOTES

KADEN HONEYCUTT, No. 11 Safelite Toyota Tundra TRD Pro, TRICON Garage

Finishing Position: 1st

How hard fought was this Chase win?

“Great job by this Safelite crew. This No. 11 for TRICON Garage, Scott Zipadelli (crew chief) the freaking goat. My pit crew man, they are just the best. There’s nothing else I can say about that. I knew the two tires were definitely going to be hard to gain on the 34 (Layne Riggs), he had really good speed. We just executed, just executed all night. We had really good speed all night. Sorry we didn’t do a any burnouts, got to save this thing for Homestead, the motors cost a lot too. Thank you, Kansas Speedway, and thank you NASCAR for letting us finish that race and put on a show for the fans.”

How did you get it done there in the end?

“It was awesome, just got to thank Scott (Zipadelli) and this whole Safelite crew, team 11, TRICON Garage, TOYOTA RACING for all their hard work. It’s all credit to them. This place is very draft dependent, but it’s all about downforce too and those guys just know what to do. They are so dang good at what they do. Thanks to everyone for their support. Definitely a wild day, I wanted to go back green so bad after the caution. Thanks to NASCAR and everyone who allowed us to go back and finish that race off. Four hours is a lot, so hopefully the fans stuck around and saw a good show at the end.”

BRENT CREWS, No. 5 Mobil 1 Toyota Tundra TRD Pro, TRICON Garage

Finishing Position: 3rd

What did you learn about Kansas today?
“I wish I would have been able to learn a little bit more. I still haven’t been able to practice or qualify here yet, but this place seems to be super fun to race at in the O’Reilly car and in the Truck. Started fifth in both in both races and didn’t practice or qualify in either. I have a third and fifth here now, I love these mile and-a-half’s and continue to learn them. Happy to be here with TRICON and our Mobil 1 Tundra, had a good time today and congrats to my teammate.”

About Toyota

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

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

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

Kris Wright’s NCTS Kansas Speedway Recap

By
Official Release
-

Race to Stop Suicide 200 | Kansas Speedway

Race Results
Venue: Kansas Speedway
FINISH: 36th
Start: 28th
NCTS Point Standings Position: 24th

Short Weekend for Wright at Kansas

The Race to Stop Suicide 200 at Kansas Speedway marked the NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series’ second race of The Chase for the NCTS Championship. Friday’s practice and qualifying sessions were both canceled due to rain, with the starting lineup set by the NASCAR metric, placing the No. 81 Chevrolet 28th.

Kris Wright completed nine laps before a broken oil pump bracket led to mechanical issues and forced the No. 81 Warranty Solutions Chevrolet Silverado RST to retire from the race. Wright was scored 31st before the issue and went on to finish in the 36th position.

Kris Wright Quote:

“It was a bummer of a day. We got through the short track gauntlet and we came into a 1.5-mile track where MHR (McAnally-Hilgemann Racing) brings strong trucks. Shortly after the green flag, my dash lit up red and I quickly realized I didn’t have oil pressure before the day was suddenly over. I’d like to thank Warranty Solutions for the support this year and we’ll be ready to give it another shot at Charlotte.”

Kansas Speedway Photos

Warranty Solutions was built on the idea that protecting your investments should be available to everyone.

For over 40 years, Warranty Solutions has protected consumers with innovative programs to help them get through some of the most challenging life situations. Today, we offer a wide range of solutions for consumers and partner with leading agencies throughout North America to bring our innovative programs to all. We are proud of the trust we’ve earned by helping our partners and people protect their investments.

Quite simply, our purpose is to provide high-quality and affordable protection plans and exemplary customer service for our partners and customers. We are committed to providing the right tools, services, and strategies so our partners and customers can drive worry-free.

CAPPS LEADS THE WAY WITH NO. 1 QUALIFIER AT INAUGURAL NHRA NATIONALS AT THE ROCK

By
Official Release
-

ROCKINGHAM, N.C. – Three-time Funny Car world champion Ron Capps secured his fourth No. 1 qualifier of the 2026 season on Saturday at the inaugural NHRA Nationals at The Rock during the conclusion of qualifying at Rockingham Dragway.

Capps, driver of the NAPA Auto Care Funny Car, and the rest of the drivers of the NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series continued the NHRA Nationals at The Rock in front of a sold-out crowd at Rockingham Dragway. It gave NHRA its tenth sellout of its 75th anniversary season.

Capps’ 3.870-second pass at 330.40 mph held up as best of the field at Rockingham, marking his 41st career No. 1.

“We were praying that nobody would outdo us because that first-round bye is huge,” said Capps. “The points are still pretty bunched up. We gave up some ground in Martin. We’re just trying to forget about it, put it behind us.”

Capps will have a bye during the opening session of eliminations. He will be aiming for his fourth win of the 2026 season and 81st of his career.

“I was just so proud of ‘Guido’ (crew chief Dean Antonelli) and our guys,” Capps said. “I understand those points are monumental. We have a chance to run [points leader] Matt Hagan in round two, which would be huge, but you can’t look that far ahead. I’m going to have to race them all, and we’re going to win a championship.”

Alexis DeJoria finished second with her 3.892 at 334.82 and will take on John Smith while two-time and reigning world champ Austin Prock finished third with his 3.892 at 326.80 and will face Capps’ brother, Jon Capps.

Doug Kalitta (Top Fuel), Matt Hartford (Pro Stock) and Angie Smith (Pro Stock Motorcycle) also earned No. 1 qualifiers in Rockingham at the 16th of 20 races during the 2026 NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series season and the second of the Countdown to the Championship playoffs.

Reigning Top Fuel world champion Kalitta, driver of the Mac Tools dragster, locked up his sixth No. 1 of the year and 72nd of his career, thanks to his 3.682 at 338.09. It gave Kalitta his sixth No. 1 of the year and 72nd of his career. Kalitta will face Rit Pustari during the opening round of eliminations on Sunday.

Kalitta currently sits second in the points standings behind his teammate Shawn Langdon, who has six wins on the year, including the first race of the Countdown in Martin.

“Hopefully tomorrow we can have some luck here,” said Kalitta. “Shawn and Brian (Husen, crew chief) are tough. Brian and Alan Johnson (Kalitta’s crew chief) have been working really closely together still. They probably both still have some secrets up their sleeves that they’re not sharing but it’s a cool rivalry to watch because you know Brian and Alan have won a lot of races, a lot of championships together, and Brian was definitely paying attention because he’s having a good year for sure. I’ve always been really impressed with Shawn. He’s always been good on the tree. You have to be up on the wheel when you’re racing him.”

Tony Stewart took the second qualifier position in Rockingham with his 3.704 at 336.83 and will take on Clay Millican in round one. Langdon finished third a 3.732 at 334.08 and will meet Cameron Ferre.

Pro Stock’s “Hartford secured his third consecutive No. 1 of the season thanks to his 6.476 at 212.87 in his Total Seal Chevrolet Camaro.

“It’s real important in the Countdown that we get to the finals and win some races,” said Hartford. “We want the championship. We want it as bad as anybody out there. But the only way you do that is get points, and the only way you get points is win rounds. So, we’re focused tomorrow to go four rounds, and if we can do that for this race and the next four after it, then the points will line up how they should.”

Hartford will have a bye in the opening round of eliminations. He has back-to-back runner-up finishes in Indianapolis and Martin and will be looking for his fourth win of the season.

Reigning world champion Dallas Glenn finished second with his 6.478 at 212.06 and will face Shane Tucker. Matt Latino finished third with a 6.479 at 211.67 and will take on Kenny Delco.

Smith earned her fourth No. 1 of 2026 on her Denso Auto Parts Buell after her 6.674 at 201.61 stayed best of the field. She will have bye run during the opening round and will be on the hunt for her second win of the season.

“A bye run [in round one] is everything to us in the Countdown because it’s one more test run that we have,” said Smith. “You can go up there and test your reaction time, you can maybe test something that you think might work, and you get one pass at the track where there’s nobody else in the other lane, so that means everything to us, especially in the Countdown.”

Two-time world champion Gaige Herrera finished second with a 6.680 at 202.07 and will race Lance Bonham while six-time world champion Matt Smith, Angie’s husband, finished third with a 6.681 at 204.17 and will face Marcus Hylton.

Eliminations for the NHRA Nationals at The Rock begin at 11 a.m. ET on Sunday at Rockingham Dragway.

***

ROCKINGHAM, N.C. — Sunday’s first-round pairings for eliminations for the Inaugural NHRA Nationals at The Rock at Rockingham Dragway, the 16th of 20 events in the NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series. Pairings based on results in qualifying, which ended Saturday. DNQs listed below pairings.

Top Fuel — 1. Doug Kalitta, 3.682 seconds, 338.09 mph vs. 16. Rit Pustari, 8.568, 73.46; 2. Tony Stewart, 3.704, 336.83 vs. 15. Clay Millican, 4.377, 189.39; 3. Shawn Langdon, 3.732, 334.08 vs. 14. Cameron Ferre, 4.019, 280.20; 4. Leah Pruett, 3.734, 323.74 vs. 13. Tony Schumacher, 3.793, 330.64; 5. Josh Hart, 3.744, 334.32 vs. 12. Will Smith, 3.786, 330.40; 6. Billy Torrence, 3.745, 333.83 vs. 11. Dan Mercier, 3.772, 328.71; 7. Shawn Reed, 3.747, 329.91 vs. 10. Antron Brown, 3.771, 329.19; 8. Justin Ashley, 3.751, 332.35 vs. 9. Maddi Gordon, 3.764, 335.32.

Funny Car — 1. Ron Capps, Toyota GR Supra, 3.870, 330.40 vs. Bye; 2. Alexis DeJoria, Chevy Camaro, 3.892, 334.82 vs. 15. John Smith, Dodge Charger, 4.205, 251.68; 3. Austin Prock, Ford Mustang, 3.893, 326.80 vs. 14. Jon Capps, Charger, 4.098, 294.89; 4. Jack Beckman, Camaro, 3.911, 329.43 vs. 13. Daniel Wilkerson, Mustang, 3.982, 325.85; 5. J.R. Todd, GR Supra, 3.916, 334.57 vs. 12. Spencer Hyde, Mustang, 3.976, 319.15; 6. Chad Green, Mustang, 3.920, 327.27 vs. 11. Jordan Vandergriff, Camaro, 3.970, 276.07; 7. Paul Lee, Charger, 3.934, 325.14 vs. 10. Cruz Pedregon, Charger, 3.948, 318.92; 8. Matt Hagan, Charger, 3.935, 330.88 vs. 9. Dave Richards, Mustang, 3.945, 329.43.

Pro Stock — 1. Matt Hartford, Chevy Camaro, 6.476, 212.87 vs. Bye; 2. Dallas Glenn, Camaro, 6.478, 212.06 vs. 15. Shane Tucker, Camaro, 6.550, 212.06; 3. Matt Latino, Camaro, 6.479, 211.67 vs. 14. Kenny Delco, Camaro, 6.543, 209.69; 4. Greg Anderson, Camaro, 6.479, 210.97 vs. 13. Deric Kramer, Camaro, 6.537, 209.99; 5. Cody Anderson, Camaro, 6.485, 209.89 vs. 12. Erica Enders, Camaro, 6.534, 210.58; 6. Greg Stanfield, Camaro, 6.489, 211.47 vs. 11. Aaron Stanfield, Camaro, 6.515, 210.18; 7. Jeg Coughlin, Camaro, 6.490, 211.67 vs. 10. Stephen Bell, Camaro, 6.505, 211.27; 8. Eric Latino, Camaro, 6.490, 210.87 vs. 9. Troy Coughlin Jr., Camaro, 6.493, 212.36.

Pro Stock Motorcycle — 1. Angie Smith, Buell, 6.674, 201.61 vs. Bye; 2. Gaige Herrera, Suzuki, 6.680, 202.07 vs. 15. Lance Bonham, Buell, 7.256, 182.63; 3. Matt Smith, Buell, 6.681, 204.17 vs. 14. Marcus Hylton, Buell, 7.104, 185.03; 4. Ryan Oehler, EBR, 6.681, 202.25 vs. 13. Malcolm Phillips Jr., Suzuki, 6.986, 168.04; 5. Richard Gadson, Suzuki, 6.683, 202.41 vs. 12. Geno Scali, Suzuki, 6.861, 197.72; 6. Joey Gladstone, Buell, 6.732, 201.34 vs. 11. Marc Ingwersen, EBR, 6.787, 198.41; 7. Steve Johnson, Suzuki, 6.737, 199.65 vs. 10. Clayton Howey, Suzuki, 6.775, 198.15; 8. Chase Van Sant, Suzuki, 6.759, 201.34 vs. 9. John Hall, Buell, 6.762, 200.00.

Joey Logano Secures Pole Position For NASCAR Cup Series Race at Kansas Speedway

By
Briar Starr
-
Photo Courtsey of (Ron Olds/Speedway Media)

Kansas City, KS – Due to drizzle and mist in the early morning hours on Saturday, NASCAR Cup Series practice and qualifying were canceled. Three-time Cup Series champion Joey Logano will start on pole position via the metric system. The pole position is Logano’s 36th career pole and his third of the season, his first since World Wide Technology Raceway at Gateway a few weeks ago.

Chase drivers Kyle Larson will start second, Christopher Bell third, Carson Hocevar fourth, Ty Gibbs fifth, Denny Hamlin sixth, Bubba Wallace seventh, William Byron eighth, Ryan Preece ninth, Austin Cindric 11th, Chris Buescher 12th, Daniel Suarez 14th, Tyler Reddick 15th, Chase Elliott 18th, Chase Briscoe 23rd, and Ryan Blaney 25th.

Logano will seek his second consecutive victory in a row after winning last Saturday night at Bristol Motor Speedway. The last time Logano won two consecutive races was in October 2015, when he won at Charlotte Motor Speedway and Kansas Speedway. He is also searching for his fourth Kansas Cup Series win as well. Should he do so, it’ll be his first at-track win since 2020.

The Hollywood Casino 400 is scheduled to go green shortly after 3 p.m./ET, with pre-race coverage beginning at 2:30 p.m./ET, live on USA Network/MRN Radio. Stages 80-85-102 will make up the 267-lap race.

Starting Lineup by Row
Kansas Speedway
Hollywood Casino 400
Provided by NASCAR Statistics – Saturday, 9/26/2026 @ 10:35 AM Eastern

PosNoDriverTeamTimeSpeed
122Joey Logano (C)Shell Pennzoil Ford00
25Kyle Larson (C)HendrickCars.com Chevrolet00
320Christopher Bell (C)Rheem Toyota00
477Carson Hocevar (C)Zeigler Auto Group Chevrolet00
554Ty Gibbs (C)Saia Freight + Logistics Toyota00
611Denny Hamlin (C)Sport Clips Haircuts Toyota00
723Bubba Wallace (C)Xfinity Toyota00
824William Byron (C)Raptor Chevrolet00
960Ryan Preece (C)Dillon’s/Celsius Ford00
1021Josh BerryMenards/Dutch Boy Ford00
112Austin Cindric (C)Discount Tire Ford00
1217Chris Buescher (C)Castrol/Heathwood Ford00
131Ross ChastainKubota Chevrolet00
147Daniel Suarez (C)WIMNA Nation Chevrolet00
1545Tyler Reddick (C)ROCKSTAR ENERGY DRINK Toyota00
166Brad KeselowskiSolomon Plumbing Ford00
1797Shane Van GisbergenMitti Chevrolet00
189Chase Elliott (C)Kelley Blue Book 10th Anniversary Chevrolet00
193Austin DillonBass Pro Shops/Winchester Magnum Pheasant Chevrolet00
2034Todd GillilandFederal Solutions Company Ford00
214Noah GragsonLong John Silver’s Ford00
2271Michael McDowellDelaware Life Chevrolet00
2319Chase Briscoe (C)Bass Pro Shops Toyota00
2416AJ AllmendingerGrizzly Nicotine Pouches Chevrolet00
2512Ryan Blaney (C)Menards/Cardell Cabinetry Ford00
2642John Hunter NemechekDollar Tree Toyota00
2788Connor Zilisch #Roto-Rooter Chevrolet00
2838Zane SmithSpeedy Cash Ford00
2941Cole CusterHaas/Andy’s Chevrolet00
3043Erik JonesAdventHealth Toyota00
3147Ricky Stenhouse Jr.Brazier Lumber Company Chevrolet00
3233Austin Hill(i)Cheddar’s Scratch Kitchen Chevrolet00
3348Alex BowmanAlly Chevrolet00
3435Riley HerbstMonster Energy Toyota00
3551Cody WareRocket Doctor Chevrolet00
3610Ty DillonSea Best Chevrolet00

Joey Logano and Ryan Preece Kansas 2 Media Availability

By
Official Release
-

Ford Racing Notes and Quotes
NASCAR Cup Series
Hollywood Casino 400 Media Availability — Kansas Speedway
Saturday, September 26, 2026

Ford Racing’s NASCAR Cup Series drivers visited the Kansas Speedway media center ahead of Sunday’s Hollywood Casino 400. Joey Logano will sit on the pole position for tomorrow’s race by virtue of NASCAR’s metric after both practice and qualifying were rained out.

JOEY LOGANO, No. 22 Shell/Pennzoil Ford Mustang Dark Horse – “In a perfect world, we would have gotten to practice and it rained out qualifying. I thought we were practicing and qualifying when I showed up at the race track this morning. The radar looked pretty good and the forecast didn’t look that bad either. I thought ‘we are going to have to do it the hard way today’. I guess it rained just enough. The curiosity is going to get the best of me and I am going to want to know what we’ve got. But I can wait one more night. I will be OK. I know last time we were here we didn’t have a solid run but we have been solid here in years past. Do I think we are better off than the last time we were here just from what we brought? Yes. Are we a lot smarter than we were in the Spring? Yes. All those things point me towards having some confidence. But, with that said, it doesn’t mean everyone else wasn’t working. Where we really stack up will be interesting to see but we will all find out tomorrow together.”

WHAT ARE YOU WILLING TO RISK TO PUT YOURSELF IN POSITION TO COLLECT STAGE POINTS? “You kind of have to look at it as what kind of car do you have that day. If you take those points and you bury yourself; like the scenario that happened last year at Bristol. We chose to take stage points in the first stage and bury ourselves. But, we knew we had a solid enough car that we felt like we could get something in the second stage. If you are racing purely for the win and not for points, you’d give up that first stage to position yourself better for the rest of the race. If you are leading the race and you have ten stage points sitting in front of you, it is pretty hard not to take those; especially early in the race when you still have time to come back.”

HOW CURIOUS ARE YOU ABOUT HOW THE WEEKEND WILL GO IN COMPARISON TO EARLIER IN THE SEASON? “I am a little more optimistic because all the races that were bad in the spring have been better. I am pretty curious about here in Kansas. I am optimistic that we will be close. I don’t know that we are going to be the fastest car but I think we can be close enough to take advantage of any opportunities.”

A LOT OF PEOPLE WILL LOOK AT THE RESULTS FROM THIS RACE AND THINK THIS IS HOW YOU WILL RUN AT VEGAS AND CHARLOTTE. WHO TRUE DO YOU THINK THAT WILL BE? “Half true. Yes, there are a lot of similarities, because the speed that you bring to a track like this is going to show up at the next two. But the tracks are still a little bit different, and we’ve seen with this Next Gen car that it just takes a little bit to be off, right? You can just be a little bit off, and you’re running 20th versus fifth. It doesn’t take much.”

YOU ARE THE LAST FORD DRIVER TO WIN HERE AT KANSAS SPEEDWAY. THAT WAS IN THE GEN SIX CAR. WHERE HAVE YOU SEEN IMPROVEMENTS IN THE GEN SEVEN CAR THAT YOU FEEL LIKE YOU CAN COMPETE AGAINST THE TOYOTAS AND THE CHEVROLETS AT KANSAS. “I hope we are. I hope we can [compete]. We’ll see what kind of gains we have made. The thing is, everyone can make gains, so you don’t really know, right? There’s some things that stand out to me. It’s like, ‘oh, this should be better, that should be better.’ Okay, we should be in the hunt, but it’s not like the competition has been sitting on their hands, either. They’ve been doing things too. We don’t know what their gains are. We know where they’re beating us, but assuming, again, it’s been a few months, assuming they’ve worked on some things, too, to get even better. You know, surely they’re not going to be any worse.”

YOU’VE MADE HUGE GAINS IN THE POINTS. WHAT ARE YOUR THOUGHTS ON STAGE POINTS? “You can finish fifth with no stage points and it’s hard to call it a good day. You know, back in the old Chase, without the stages, you’d say, ‘Oh, yeah, top five was pretty good’, you know, that’s what you need to do throughout the Chase. Now a top five is not enough. You have to score stage points.”

HOW”S THE MOMENTUM THESE DAYS IN TERMS OF HOW IT IMPACTS THE SPRING IN THE STEP FOR THE TEAM AS WELL? “Momentum is just confidence. You hope to ride that as long as you can. We are on a good little hot streak here over the last ten plus weeks. We’ve pulled us from 20th in points to third. So, I’m proud of that, proud of that effort. We’ve got ourselves close but it’s a long season though.”

DO YOU LOOK BACK TO WHAT HAPPENED AT KANSAS IN THE SPRING IN TERMS OF WHERE YOU NEED TO BE BETTER? “I didn’t want to, but I did. Yes. We try to learn as quickly as possible and move on. Think about the good stuff again.”

RYAN PREECE, No. 60 Dillon’s/Celsius Ford Mustang Dark Horse – WHAT ARE YOUR FEELINGS ON STAGE POINTS? “I’m just a purest. I understand why we did stage points, and why we wanted to reward them. But you can always play devil’s advocate to everything. And you can always find one, and in my situation, we’re not getting, you know, five, ten points per stage. But we are executing finishers. But that is just the format we’re in, though. So, in that situation, we need to keep working to find ways to be better in that regard. But, yeah, I wish there was more of a reward for finishing races rather than rewarding stage points. Then, if you happen to have a bad finish, whether it be an unfortunate situation or your own decision, those guys that can max out stage points, and then not finish a race, it still saves their championship goals.”

DO YOU FEEL LIKE THIS FORMAT IS REWARDING THE EVENTUAL RIGHT CHAMPION AND HOW WE GET THERE? “Yeah. I do. This happens in every sport. Somebody could be hot all year long, and then if they’re not, at the right time, they are not going to win it. So it’s still about executing. The way I look at it is, we all know the rules. We all know the game going into it. The rules haven’t been changed. You gotta execute the final ten races. That’s the most important part. I think that this system is the closest we’ve been since the hay days of racing all season.”

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