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.”
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.
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. - MARCH 28: Alex Palou, driver of the #10 Chip Ganassi Racing DHL Honda, celebrates in victory lane after winning the NTT IndyCar Series Children's of Alabama Indy Grand Prix at Barber Motorsports Park on March 28, 2026, in Birmingham, Alabama. Photo: Chris Owens/Penske Entertainment
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – Alex Palou whooped the field to win at Barber.
Well, there’s a right-rear caveat to that.
The driver of the No. 10 Chip Ganassi Racing Honda pitted from the lead with 25 laps to go and exited 27 seconds behind Christian Lundgaard. Compounding the matter, he exited pit lane in heavy lap traffic. The ball fell in Lundgaard’s court, provided his team executed a flawless stop.
He rolled a d1.
Lundgaard pitted with 22 to go, and had trouble with the right-rear tire that held him in his box for 17 seconds. As a result, Palou cycled back to the lead with ease and won the Children’s of Alabama Indy Grand Prix.
“I’m glad the 13th pole didn’t affect the result,” Palou said. “That was on my mind (smiling). Apart of that, everything was great.
“No, it was a very tough race. I guess you guys cannot really see it from outside, but we struggle quite a lot. We had to run a used set of primaries in our third stint, which we never, ever do that. We did that during practice two. I mean, it’s the one that we used in practice two. We just did that because we thought it was going to be a red race.
“Yeah, Lundgaard was getting very close. Rahal was getting very close. I think we got lucky there with the pit exchange that they lost some pace or some time.
“Yeah, I’m glad everything worked out for us in the 10 car.”
It’s his 21st career victory in his 102nd NTT INDYCAR SERIES start and third at Barber Motorsports Park.
After his botched stop, Lundgaard used his push-to-pass to close the gap to and pounce on Graham Rahal in Turn 5 to finish runner-up. Rahal’s winless drought went from 144 races to 145, as he held off a hard-charging David Malukas to round out the podium.
“I think we had a race-winning car today,” Lundgaard said. “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 podium is) a great reward for the guys and gals,” Rahal said. “Everybody has worked so hard to be back here. Heard all the noise and BS that we get to hear all the time.
“All weekend the car was in really good shape, very, very competitive, very comfortable. The race is actually the most challenging it was. It was extremely stable. In the race, as you guys could see, I was losing the rear a lot, no matter what I felt like I could do on tire degradation. That’s been our Achilles’ heel so far this year. We’ve got some work to do.
“No, I mean, I’m super happy for everybody on the 15. Great pit stops, great strategy with Bryan. We’ll carry this momentum into the break here a little bit and get ready for Long Beach.
“It’s a good relief this early in the year to have a good result. Now our job is to go analyze and figure out why. What changes did we make to put our car so much further into the window than most other road course races and how can we take that to the GP and Indy in particular?
“I mean, we were quicker than David all day. He did make a good charge at the end. I wasn’t so worried about him. I think I could have held Christian off. His strength was my weakness. Everywhere else we could pull him a little bit. I was dying in turn two and three. That was the best part of the track he had. Unfortunately those two just didn’t blend very well.
“We did the best that we could. That’s life. He was obviously on a charge, and we had done a few more laps than him on those tires. I knew it was going to be a battle till the end. That’s the way it goes.”
Malukas and Kyle Kirkwood rounded out the top-five.
Marcus Armstrong, Scott Dixon, Santino Ferrucci, Marcus Ericsson, and Josef Newgarden rounded out the top-10.
RACE SUMMARY
Palou led the field to green at 1:22 p.m. ET. The field settled into a green flag rhythm. By Lap 5, Palou pulled to a 1.3-second lead over Malukas. By Lap 11, he stretched the lead out to 1.9 seconds. Ericsson kicked off a cycle of green flag pit stops on Lap 14, for the drivers on a three-stop strategy. Several other cars hit pit lane while Palou stayed on track. By Lap 20, all but 10 cars hit pit road. Palou pitted from the lead on Lap 26, and switched to Firestone reds.
Palou exited the pit lane with a 4.2-second gap to Rahal. By Lap 33, Rahal closed the gap down to 3.7 seconds. Mick Schumacher kicked off the second round of green flag stops on Lap 39. Palou pitted from the lead on Lap 44, and switched to used Firestone blacks. Rahal pitted from the lead on Lap 45, and put on new Firestone reds. Lundgaard pitted from the lead on Lap 50. He took Firestone reds and cycled out ahead of Rahal. Palou, meanwhile, cycled back to the lead.
With 26 laps to go, Lundgaard cut the lead down to 3.1 seconds. Palou pitted from the lead with 25 to go. He took used Firestone blacks. Palou dealt with lap traffic, which Lundgaard could’ve capitalized on. When he pitted with 22 to go, however, his crew couldn’t tighten up the right-rear tire, and Palou cycled back to the lead.
WHAT ELSE HAPPENED
Rinus VeeKay spun in Turn 5 on Lap 35, but got the car rolling.
NUTS AND BOLTS
The race lasted one hour, 45 minutes, and 59 seconds, at an average speed of 117.210 mph. There were five lead changes among three different drivers and zero cautions.
Kirkwood leaves Barber Motorsports Park with a two-point lead over Palou.
The NTT INDYCAR Series returns to action on April 19, on the streets of Long Beach, California.
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (Sunday, March 29, 2026) – One day after another heartbreak, Alessandro de Tullio finally sealed the deal.
Rookie de Tullio earned his first career INDY NXT by Firestone victory Sunday, driving his No. 14 AJ Foyt Racing entry to victory by .3635 of a second over the No. 28 Susan G. Komen car of Andretti Global driver Max Taylor.
It’s the first victory in the INDYCAR development series for the team owned by legendary four-time Indianapolis 500 winner A.J. Foyt since Ed Carpenter won the inaugural Freedom 100 in May 2003 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. That was the Foyt team’s last full-time season in INDY NXT before returning this year.
“It’s incredible,” de Tullio said. “I want to thank first the whole 14 crew for such a great car. We knew we could have done it two races ago in Arlington. We could have had it yesterday. But sometimes that’s the way racing goes.
“The most important thing is we kept our head down, kept focused, and third time is a charm, I guess.”
Nikita Johnson kept the series lead by finishing third in the No. 21 Cape Motorsports Powered by ECR entry. Johnson won the first race of the doubleheader Saturday when de Tullio and Taylor tangled and spun out while running first and second, respectively, with eight laps to go.
Enzo Fittipaldi chased Johnson down the stretch of the 30-lap race today but ended up fourth in the No. 67 HMD Motorsports car. Tymek Kucharczyk continued his consistent rookie season by placing fifth in the No. 71 HMD Motorsports entry, his fourth top-five finish in as many starts.
Pole sitter de Tullio led all 30 laps of the caution-free race, but Taylor pushed him for the duration on the 17-turn, 2.3-mile road course. The gap between the top two ranged from five- to seven-tenths of a second for most of the race. But on the final lap, Taylor closed to within three-tenths – and visions of Saturday were revived.
In the opening race, Taylor made a bold move for the lead in Turn 16 that didn’t work. His left front wheel touched the right rear of de Tullio, forcing both cars into a spin. Johnson squeezed through for the lead and his second win of the season.
But this time de Tullio never let Taylor get close enough to challenge for the lead and powered to the checkered flag. The victory erased the sting of disappointment from Saturday and from March 15 at Arlington, where de Tullio earned his first career pole but was shoved out of the lead in Turn 1 on Lap 1 and ended up 11th.
“I managed as best as I could, but unfortunately it fell away from us there in the middle of the race,” de Tullio said. “The rears (tires) were pretty dead, so I was just hanging on and trying to cover with Push to Pass and cover what I could. We got it done; that’s most important.”
Said Taylor: “It’s points. It’s a long year, and I didn’t realize that yesterday when I made that a bit of an aggressive move. Ale did a really good job (today), didn’t make any mistakes. That’s all he had to do, and I was pushing him the whole way, trying to get him to mess up. It was a good race.”
The series now takes a short break before returning for the second of five doubleheader weekends this season, May 8-9 on the Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course.
Cole Davies Storms to Third Straight 250SMX Class Win
DETROIT (March 28, 2026) – A common adage in the Monster Energy AMA Supercross Championship has long been that anything can happen at any given moment, and that sentiment reigned true during Round 11 of the Monster Energy SMX World Championship inside Ford Field. An exceptionally challenging racetrack, anchored by the most treacherous and demanding whoop section of the season, pushed the most talented racers on the planet to the limit and ultimately resulted in a dramatic shakeup of the 450SMX Class title fight as Progressive Insurance Cycle Gear Suzuki’s Ken Roczen enjoyed a dominant performance for the landmark 25th victory of his career.
450SMX Class
The 20 Minute + 1 Lap 450SMX Class Main Event kicked off with Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Jorge Prado capturing his fifth holeshot of the season ahead of Roczen and Monster Energy Kawasaki’s Chase Sexton, who made his return to action after missing three races. Championship leader Hunter Lawrence started deep inside the top 10 aboard his Honda HRC Progressive machine, while Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Eli Tomac, second in points, started outside the top 10. Back up front, Prado was able to fend off heavy pressure from Roczen for several laps, but the German native seized control of the race lead just a few minutes into the action. Prado then battled briefly with Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing’s Cooper Webb, the reigning Supercross champion, but the two came together and went down, which dropped them deep in the field.
Roczen quickly built a multi-second lead over Sexton, who moved into second, while Lawrence overcame one of his worst starts of the season to claw his way up to third. The top three settled in through the middle portion of the Main Event, with each finding a consistent rhythm that kept the lead trio within three seconds of each other. Just before the halfway point of the moto, when both Sexton and Lawrence had made inroads on Roczen’s lead, Lawrence crashed hard exiting the whoops. He remounted but was forced to have his bike attended to in the mechanics area, which lost him a lap.
Roczen extended his lead once more to end the threat from Sexton, while Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing’s Malcolm Stewart moved into third ahead of Tomac. Roczen continued to pull away and easily took home his second win of the season in his 173rd career start by a margin of 7.7 seconds over Sexton. Stewart broke through with his first podium result of the season in third, followed by Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing’s Justin Cooper in fourth, ahead of Tomac in fifth. Lawrence, meanwhile, soldiered through another fall to salvage 18th place.
A dramatic shakeup in the championship has moved Tomac back atop standings for the first time since the fourth race of the season, as he now holds a four-point lead over Lawrence with six races remaining. Roczen’s win moved him to within 14 points of the lead to establish a three-rider battle for the championship’s stretch run.
Progressive Insurance Cycle Gear Suzuki’s Ken Roczen captured a milestone 25th victory in his 173rd career start amidst a shakeup in the title fight.
Ken Roczen – 1st Place – 450SMX Class “I don’t know what to say, but this is exactly what I was talking about [people overlooking my ability to win]. This was a tough Main Event. I was definitely not the fastest in the beginning. I was playing a little bit with the track. I knew they were gaining on me, so I switched up my rhythms slightly. It was tough, because I wasn’t necessarily lighting the world on fire [with my speed] but the track was so tough. The whoops were a 50-50 chance you were going to make it through or end up on your back. I am so excited, you have no idea. We closed up some points, but we still have a lot of racing to go.”
Chase Sexton – 2nd Place – 450SMX Class “Those weeks at home watching the races, there were some dark times. Obviously, I didn’t want to get injured and didn’t want to sit on the couch, but I wanted to come back when I was ready. I felt pretty good tonight, but I also felt that couch about 10 minutes into the Main Event. I felt good in the beginning and got a little tight and a little winded. We’ll go back to work but definitely a great start to the comeback. It’s been a long year for the team and me, but we want to go up from here.”
Malcolm Stewart – 3rd Place – 450SMX Class “It’s been tough [this season]. I had an unfortunate situation in Anaheim [getting injured at the first race]. I kind of just felt like I didn’t know if I’d get on the podium [this season]. That’s partly just not believing in yourself, and I realized I need to pull myself out of that. I want to give it up to my team, they’ve been in my ear all season telling me I can do this. I told them we’d pop some champagne before the end of the season, so huge shout out to them.”
Eli Tomac – 5th Place – 450SMX Class Points Leader “Of course, I saw Hunter’s [Lawrence] crash and knew I was going to take advantage of that once I saw him a lap down, but overall, a bit of a frustrating day here. I’ve actually struggled here my past couple rides. I don’t know what it is. I haven’t had the best success at Detroit lately. Maybe I’ve been in kind of a midseason slump. We’ll do what we can to get better, improve, and get back to winning some races and be up at the front.”
250SMX Class
The fifth 15 Minute + 1 Lap Eastern Divisional 250SMX Class Main Event of the season started with Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing’s Nate Thrasher leading the field to the holeshot ahead of Monster Energy Pro Circuit Kawasaki’s Seth Hammaker and Honda HRC Progressive’s Jo Shimoda. Behind them, championship leader Cole Davies was mired in 15th place aboard his Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing machine. Thrasher held onto the lead for a couple laps but then crashed out of contention in the whoops, which handed the lead to Hammaker. As the Kawasaki rider asserted his hold of the top spot over Shimoda, Davies was on a torrid march to the front. Thanks to an unparalleled level of speed through a challenging whoops section, the New Zealander easily broke into the top 10 and soon found his way into the top five before the halfway point. From there, Davies charged into podium position and made quick work of a pass by Shimoda to move into second place. He then proceeded to erase a four second deficit to Hammaker and fittingly made the winning pass coming out of the whoops with just under six minutes to go. From there, Davies checked out on the field. Hammaker easily held onto second, while Shimoda was forced to contend with ClubMX Yamaha’s Coty Schock, who initially got by his Japanese counterpart for a spot on the podium, only to give it back after a crash in the whoops.
Davies completed an incredible come-from-behind performance by a margin of 12.1 seconds over Hammaker for a third straight Main Event victory, while Shimoda rounded out the podium in third.
With his third consecutive win, Davies extended his lead in the championship standings to nine points over Hammaker, with Shimoda sitting 14 points back in third.
Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing’s Cole Davies overcame a start outside the top 10 to capture an impressive come-from-behind victory, his third in-a-row.
Cole Davies – 1st Place – Eastern Divisional 250SMX Class “When I don’t perform, I’m pretty hard on myself. Me, my family, and all the people around me put in so much hard work, so when I don’t perform like I know I can I’m pretty hard on myself. But I’m stoked with that Main Event. I know that’s how I can ride. I just put everything together well. I didn’t have a good start, but I made it happen, so I’m stoked with that.”
Seth Hammaker – 2nd Place – Eastern Divisional 250SMX Class “That was a tough race. I got myself off to a pretty good start and was riding okay in the beginning. I knew Cole [Davies] was in the back of the pack but man, he was riding good. Gotta give it up to him. A solid second on the night. I’ve learned from the past not to throw the races away that aren’t there for me. I want to win more than anybody, but you’ve got to know when to pull back and second is what we had tonight.”
Jo Shimoda – 3rd Place – Eastern Divisional 250SMX Class “Honestly, I was just so bad all day. I just couldn’t figure it out. I just have to do better. Nothing was really good for me today, so I’m sorry to my team. We tested all week and I think we’re stepping in the right direction, so we’ve got to keep chasing. We’ll see next weekend.”
The Monster Energy SMX World Championship and Monster Energy AMA Supercross Championship will continue next Saturday, April 4, with Round 12 from The Dome at America’s Center in St. Louis for the annual Love Moto Stop Cancer Supercross honoring the kids at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital and the fight against childhood cancer. Live broadcast coverage on Peacock will begin at 1 p.m. ET with Race Day Live, followed by the Gate Drop at 7 p.m. ET. Additionally, a domestic Spanish language broadcast is available on Peacock while international viewers can choose from dedicated English, French, and Spanish broadcasts via SMX Video Pass (www.SMXVideoPass.com).
All 17 rounds of the 2026 Monster Energy AMA Supercross Championship and 11 rounds of the Pro Motocross Championship are on sale. Tickets for the SMX World Championship Playoff Rounds and Final are now on sale at SuperMotocross.com. Saturday FanFest will take place at all postseason races, Friday FanFest and camping will be available in Columbus and Ridgedale, additional details to follow.
For information about the Monster Energy SMX World Championship, please visit www.SuperMotocross.com and be sure to follow all of the new SMX social media channels for exclusive content and additional information on the latest news: Instagram: @supermotocross Facebook: @supermotocross X: @supermotocross YouTube: @supermotocross TikTok: @supermotocross
About the Monster Energy SMX World Championship: The Monster Energy SMX World Championship™ is the premier off-road motorcycle racing series in the world that combines the technical precision of stadium racing with the all-out speed and endurance of outdoor racing. Created in 2022, the Monster Energy SMX World Championship Series combines the Monster Energy AMA Supercross Championship and the AMA Pro Motocross Championship into a 28-round regular season that culminates with the season-ending SMX World Championship Playoffs. Visit SuperMotocross.com for more information.
About Monster Energy AMA Supercross Championship: Monster Energy AMA Supercross is the most competitive and highest-profile off-road motorcycle racing championship on the planet. Founded in America and sanctioned by the American Motorcyclist Association (AMA) since 1974. Over 17 weeks, Supercross attracts some of the largest and most impressive crowds inside the most recognizable and prestigious stadiums in North America to race in front of nearly one million live fans and broadcast to millions more worldwide. For more information, visit SupercrossLIVE.com.
About Pro Motocross Championship: The Pro Motocross Championship features the world’s fastest outdoor motocross racers, competing aboard homologated bikes from one of seven competing manufacturers on a collection of the roughest, toughest tracks on the planet. Racing takes place each Saturday afternoon, with competition divided into two classes: one for 250cc machines, and one for 450cc machines. MX Sports Pro Racing, the industry leader in off-road powersports event production, manages the Pro Motocross Championship. For more information, visit ProMotocross.com.
About Feld Motor Sports, Inc.: Feld Motor Sports, Inc. is the worldwide leader in producing and presenting specialized arena and stadium-based motorsports entertainment. Properties include Monster Jam®, Monster Energy AMA Supercross, and the Monster Energy SMX World Championship. Feld Motor Sports, Inc. is a subsidiary of Feld Entertainment, Inc. Visit monsterjam.com, SupercrossLIVE.com, and feldentertainment.com for more information.
About MX Sports Pro Racing, Inc.: MX Sports Pro Racing, Inc., manages and produces the world’s premier motocross racing series – the Pro Motocross Championship, sanctioned by AMA Pro Racing. MX Sports Pro Racing is an industry leader in off-road powersport event production and management, its mission is to showcase the sport of professional motocross competition at events throughout the United States. Through its various racing properties, partnerships and affiliates, MX Sports Pro Racing, Inc., organizes events for thousands of action sports athletes each year and attracts millions of motorsports spectators. Visit MXSportsProRacing.com for more information.
Spurlock, the first Black woman to compete in NASCAR’s development program, completed all 200 laps at the iconic North Carolina short track in her No. 66 Foxxtecca Chevrolet.
NEWTON, N.C. — Dystany Spurlock delivered a standout performance at Hickory Motor Speedway Saturday night, finishing seventh and making history as the first Black woman to compete in the ARCA Menards Series East.
Driving the No. 66 Foxxtecca Chevrolet for MBM Motorsports and Garage 66, Spurlock started eighth and completed all 200 laps in the Cook Out 200, securing the top-10 finish in her highly anticipated debut. The milestone marks a major step in her racing career and a breakthrough for NASCAR’s developmental pipeline.
Race Recap
Competing on Hickory’s legendary ⅓-mile oval, Spurlock focused on gaining valuable experience and adapting to the demands of high-level stock car competition.
In the early going, she settled into a steady rhythm, holding the No. 8 position through multiple restarts. Although she briefly went a lap down, she rallied to return to the lead lap by the race’s halfway point.
After the midway break, Spurlock engaged 2025 ARCA Menards Series East champion Isaac Kitzmiller in a back-and-forth battle for seventh. She stayed out of trouble and kept the car clean through scattered cautions, remaining on the lead lap and locking down the eighth spot through three-quarters of the race on the strength of focused, consistent driving.
With about 20 laps to go, Spurlock again pushed forward to advance a spot, then capitalized 10 laps later by deftly avoiding a spin among the leaders.
In the closing laps, she showed poise and composure, creating a wall behind her to secure the seventh-place finish and etch her name into the motorsports history books.
“I had a great time out there,” she told pit reporter Jacklyn Drake moments after the race. “First and foremost, thank you God, thank you to my ancestors, thanks to my family, my friends, and most of all my sponsors, Foxxtecca, and Carl at MBM. When I said they gave me a rocket tonight, they gave me a rocket tonight. Of course I’m still learning, but I said the car feels good, so we’re going for it.”
Spurlock’s debut represents more than a personal achievement—it shows continued progress within motorsports as drivers from diverse backgrounds work to break into NASCAR’s top ranks.
Building Momentum
Her performance in Hickory builds momentum toward additional ARCA starts in 2026, with long-term goals of advancing to the national ARCA Menards Series and, ultimately, the NASCAR Cup Series.
On Saturday, a strong turnout of fans filled “Ryders Row” in the grandstands, as Spurlock’s supporters—known as The Ryders—showed up in force to cheer her on and witness the historic moment. Their energy reflected the growing audience rallying behind her unique journey, which is being captured in the Foxxtecca-produced docuseries Driven by Dystany: The Road to NASCAR.
Spurlock’s next race is the Rockingham ARCA Menards East 125 at Rockingham Speedway on April 4, as she continues to target a national series debut in Kansas on April 18.
ABOUT FOXXTECCA
Foxxtecca is a Detroit-based experiential events and media company operating at the intersection of mobility, culture, and technology. Co-founded by Chris Harris and Kellie Crawford, Foxxtecca amplifies underrepresented voices in the mobility and technology industries through motorsports, education, and culturally driven experiences.
Tristan McKee (No. 77 Tibbett’s Lumber Co. Chevrolet) stole the lead from Landon Huffman (No. 9 Hoosier Daddy / Hoosier Momma Chevrolet) who in turn stole the lead from Max Reaves (No. 18 Cook Out Toyota) with 14 laps to go and held on through a hectic restart with just six laps to go to win Saturday’s ARCA Menards East Cook Out 200 at Hickory Motor Speedway.
The victory is McKee’s first ARCA Menards East win in his second series start; he finished second at Bristol Motor Speedway in his East debut last September.
Reaves finished second after starting from the Sioux Chief PowerPEX Pole and leading the first 184 laps. For Reaves it’s the first time in his ARCA Menards East career he had won; he won his first three career starts last year at Five Flags Speedway, Nashville Fairgrounds Speedway, and Flat Rock Speedway.
Reigning ARCA Menards East champion Isaac Kitzmiller (No. 79 A.L.L. Construction / Carter CAT Chevrolet) avoided all the late-race fender banging and finished third, his best career series finish.
Derek Kneeland (No. 28 A&D Welding / Kryptoquiet Marine Bearings Chevrolet), the full-time spotter for Austin Hill in the NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series and Kyle Busch in the NASCAR Cup Series, started on the front row but spun the tires on the initial start and dropped outside the top five but battled to rejoin the top five throughout the night; he finished fourth in his East debut.
Nitro Motorsports team co-owner Nick Tucker (No. 70 Nitro Motorsports Toyota) recovered from a spin battling for a position in the top five to finish fifth.
Huffman, son of two-time Hickory Motor Speedway champion Shane Huffman and himself a four-time Late Model Stock Car winner at Hickory, recovered from a spin while battling for the lead on lap 189 to finish sixth.
Dystany Spurlock (No. 66 Foxxtecca Chevrolet) made history by becoming the first Black female to ever start an ARCA Menards Series platform race; driving for Carl Long’s MBM Motorsports team, Spurlock stayed out of trouble all night long to finish seventh, the final car on the lead lap.
Jackson McLerran (No. 95 JSJ Construction Toyota) finished eighth; LcLerran and the MAN Motorsports team honored PFC Luther Rhodes, who was killed in action in the Battle of Guadalcanal in October, 1942. His remains were identified by a DNA test in 2025 and he was returned to North Carolina where he was buried near his family on the afternoon of the Hickory race.
Carig Pellegrini, Jr. (No. 10 Let’s Be Frank Toyota) finished ninth in his ARCA Menards East debut.
Reigning ARCA Menards East Bounty Rookie of the Year Austin Vaughn (No. 19 The Air Compressor Depot Ford) finished tenth in his first start for Michael Maples Motorsports.
George Siciliano (No. 0 Heat Wave Visuals Ford), know to his fans on the Cleetus McFarland YouTube channel as “Squirrel McNutt” finished 13th in his professional stock car debut.
The race was slowed 9 times for 56 laps; McKee’s winning average speed was 56.396 miles per hour. The margin of victory was 0.500 seconds.
There were three lead changes among three drivers; Reaves led laps 1-185, Huffman led lap 186, Reaves led lap 187, and McKee led laps 188-200.
The next race for the ARCA Menards East is the ARCA East Rockingham 125 at Rockingham Speedway at 11:30 am ET on Saturday, April 4. The race will be streamed live on FloRacing and simulcast on The NASCAR Channel. ARCARacing.com will have live timing & scoring data for all on-track activity.
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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.
Justin Allgaier doubled down with another victory in the 2026 NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series season. His latest one occurred in the NFPA 250 at Martinsville Speedway on Saturday, March 28.
The 2024 O’Reilly Auto Parts Series champion from Riverton, Illinois, led three times for a race-high 114 of 250-scheduled laps at Martinsville. He was awarded the pole position due to qualifying being washed out by Mother Nature. After cruising to the first stage victory, Allgaier spent the majority of the event preserving his entry. He also executed the pit strategies that enabled him to keep him in contention.
After returning atop the leaderboard with 90 laps remaining, Allgaier claimed the lead for the third and final time during a restart with 25 laps remaining from his teammate Lee Pulliam. Through three additional caution periods and on-track incidents, Allgaier managed to fend off his competition and fellow JR Motorsports teammates. He became the first three-time race winner in the series this season, notching another victory at Martinsville.
On-track qualifying was canceled due to rain. The event’s starting lineup was determined through a qualifying metric formula from the NASCAR rule book. As a result, Justin Allgaier, winner of last weekend’s event at Darlington Raceway, was awarded the pole position. He shared the front row with teammate Rajah Caruth.
Before the event, Ross Chastain dropped to the rear of the field due to unapproved adjustments made to his No. 91 DGM Racing Chevrolet entry.
When the green flag waved, Justin Allgaier muscled ahead of teammate Rajah Caruth and the field through the first two turns. With the clean air working to his advantage in the early stages, Allgaier maintained the lead. He transitioned from the outside to the inside lane, exiting the backstretch before cycling back to lead the first lap.
Over the next four laps, Allgaier maintained a steady lead. Teammate Caruth fended off Crews to maintain the runner-up spot. Behind, Sheldon Creed and Brandon Jones followed suit in the top five. Jesse Love and Carson Kvapil fiercely engaged in a side-by-side battle for sixth place in front of Parker Retzlaff.
As Jones started to battle Creed for fourth place, Kvapil prevailed in his battle for sixth place over Love. Retzlaff maintained eighth place in front of Corey Day and newcomer Lee Pulliam. Meanwhile, Allgaier led by six-tenths of a second over Caruth and eight-tenths of a second over third-place Crews by the Lap 10 mark.
Through the first 20-scheduled laps, Allgaier stretched his early advantage to more than a second over both Caruth and Jones. As Jones challenged Caruth for the runner-up spot, Crews and Creed raced in the top five. Kvapil, Retzlaff, Day, Love and Sammy Smith followed in the top-10.
Pulliam, William Sawalich, Ryan Sieg, Anthony Alfredo, Sam Mayer, Taylor Gray, Brennan Poole, Nick Sanchez, Jeremy Clements and Dean Thompson trailed in the top 20. Jeb Burton, Harrison Burton, Austin Hill, Blaine Perkins and newcomer Andrew Patterson were mired in the top 25, respectively. By then, newcomer Luke Baldwin occupied 29th place in front of Ross Chastain.
Twelve laps later, the event’s first caution flew. Luke Baldwin, who was battling Lavar Scott for 30th place, locked up his brakes and veered sideways entering Turn 3. As a result, he spun backwards and collided on the driver’s left side against the Turn 3 outside wall.
Scott damaged the rear end of his entry as he slammed on his brakes to avoid hitting Baldwin’s wrecked entry. During the first caution period, several drivers pitted. They included Retzlaff, Day, Ryan Sieg, Mayer, Gray, Jeb Burton, Austin Hill and Blaine Perkins pitted. The rest, led by Allgaier, remained on the track.
The event restarted on Lap 43. Allgaier opted to restart on the inside lane. He then motored away from the rest of the field through the first two turns and the backstretch. Allgaier led the next lap over Jones, Caruth battled Crews and Creed for third place. Sammy Smith and Kvapil tried to reel in the latter three for top-five spots. Amid the battles around the track, including three-wide action within the mid-pack region, Allgaier continued to lead. He stretched that lead by nearly four-tenths of a second over Jones by the Lap 50 mark.
On Lap 56, the event’s second caution flew. Garrett Smithley, racing in the top-25 mark, spun through Turns 3 and 4 after he was bumped by Blaine Perkins. Smithley’s incident was enough for the first stage period scheduled to conclude on Lap 60 to officially conclude under caution. As a result, Allgaier cruised to his third O’Reilly stage victory of the 2026 season. Jones settled in second ahead of Caruth. Crews, Creed, Sammy Smith, Anthony Alfredo, Kvapil, Love and William Sawalich were scored in the top 10, respectively.
Under the event’s first stage break period, a majority of the field, led by Allgaier, pitted for the first time. Day, who was among a handful of competitors who pitted on Lap 37, remained on the track, inheriting the lead. Others who remained on the track included Mayer, Jeb Burton Pulliam, Gray, Patterson, Staropoli, Hill, Retzlaff, Ryan Sieg and Smithley. During the pit stops, Jones managed to exit pit road first, ahead of teammate Crews and Allgaier.
The second stage period started on Lap 71 as Day and Mayer occupied the front row. They briefly dueled for the lead through the first two turns. Day then used the inside lane to motor ahead through the backstretch. As the field fanned out to three lanes, Day cycled back to the frontstretch and led the next lap.
He was followed by Mayer. Then, Pulliam and Taylor Gray briefly went three-wide with Jeb Burton, who got loose entering the frontstretch. Amid the jumbled-up action within the field, Day proceeded to lead by two-tenths of a second. He was followed by Mayer at the Lap 75 mark. Pulliam, Gray, Jeb Burton, Austin Hill, Retzlaff, Ryan Sieg, Staropoli and Smithley scored in the top 10, respectively.
Just past the Lap 85 mark, Day extended his lead to more than a second over both Mayer and Pulliam. Gray, Austin Hill, Jeb Burton, Retzlaff and Ryan Sieg trailed in the top eight, respectively. Meanwhile, Allgaier was up into ninth place on his four fresh tires. He was ahead of Smithley, Crews, Jones, Sammy Smith, Creed and Sawalich. Alfredo, Staropoli, Love, Caruth and Kvapil trailed in the top 20, respectively.
Two laps later, the caution returned due to possible fluid coming off of Jeremy Clements’ entry. The damage was due to Clements running into the rear of Sanchez a few laps earlier. It resulted in smoke billowing out of the rear of Clements’ car. He also reported a potential power steering issue amid the front-nose damage. During this latest caution period, some of the drivers pitted. They included Harrison Burton, Nick Sanchez, Lavar Scott, Myatt Snider and Clements. The rest led by Day remained on the track.
As the event restarted on Lap 100, Day motored ahead of Mayer exiting the frontstretch and through the first two turns. After maintaining the lead through the backstretch, Day nearly lost his momentum in front of Mayer through Turns 3 and 4. But Day maintained the top spot to lead the next lap over both Mayer and Pulliam. Mayer then gently bumped and moved Day up the track, entering the first turn. This allowed Mayer to zoom ahead with the lead.
On Lap 104, the caution flew due to debris on the track. During the caution, a majority of the field led by Allgaier pitted. Meanwhile, the rest of the field led by Mayer and including Hill, Gray, Ryan Sieg, Alfredo, Sawalich, Caruth, Ryan Ellis, Harrison Burton, Myatt Snider and Joey Gase remained on track.
During the next restart on Lap 112, Austin Hill challenged Mayer in a side-by-side battle for the lead from the outside lane. Using the outside lane and the straightaways, Hill launched ahead. He led the next two laps over Mayer before Mayer muscled ahead by Lap 115. Hill then went beneath Mayer through the backstretch and they went dead even to start the final lap of the second stage period.
When the second stage period concluded on Lap 120, Hill managed to motor ahead of Mayer to capture his fourth O’Reilly stage victory of 2026. Mayer settled in second ahead of Gray, Ryan Sieg and Sawalich. Alfredo, Caruth, Harrison Burton, Day and Allgaier were scored in the top 10, respectively. Crews, Love, Kvapil and Creed were 14th to 17th, respectively. Thirty-five of 38 starters were on the lead lap. During the event’s second stage break period, some led by the leader Hill, Mayer, Gray, Ryan Sieg, Sawalich, Alfredo and Ryan Ellis pitted while the rest led by Caruth remained on the track.
With 120 laps remaining, the final stage period commenced as Caruth and Harrison Burton occupied the front row. At the start, the latter two dueled in front of Day and the field through the first two turns and the backstretch. Amid the side-by-side battle, Caruth managed to muscle ahead and lead the next lap over Burton. Another two laps later, the caution returned. Retzlaff, racing three-wide with Creed and Staropoli, was bumped by Staropoli and was sent spinning towards the outside lane.
The next restart, with 112 laps remaining, only lasted for four laps due to a two-car incident that involved Staropoli and Kyle Sieg spinning through the first two turns. During the restart, Caruth mirrored his move from the previous restart by maintaining a narrow lead over Harrison Burton, but he surrendered the lead during this recent caution period to pit. Jones, Pulliam, the Sieg brothers and Staropoli also pitted while the rest, led by Harrison Burton, remained on the track.
As Harrison Burton led the field to the next restart with 101 laps remaining, he was shoved by Allgaier entering the first turn. Burton managed to fend off both Allgaier and Day entering the backstretch and he proceeded to lead the next lap. As Burton slowly began to motor ahead with the lead, Allgaier overtook Day for second place with 99 laps remaining. Meanwhile, Love battled and overtook Sammy Smith for fourth place.
With 90 laps remaining, Allgaier used the inside lane exiting the backstretch to get beneath Harrison Burton and assume the lead entering the frontstretch. Allgaier then spent the next six laps extending his lead to more than a second over both Burton and Day while Love, Crews, Kvapil, Austin Green, Jeb Burton, Sammy Smith and Creed followed suit, respectively. Meanwhile, Caruth was mired in 26th behind Ryan Sieg. Pulliam was in 22nd and Jones was in 24th, while Mayer was racing in 13th behind Hill.
With 70 laps remaining, the caution flew as Ryan Ellis spun in Turn 2. During the caution period, the top-18 competitors led by Allgaier along with Andrew Patterson, Brad Perez and Lavar Scott, pitted while the rest led by Pulliam and including Jones, Caruth, Staropoli and Ryan Sieg remained on the track. Following the pit stops, Allgaier exited pit road ahead of Crews, Kvapil, Day, Love and Harrison Burton.
The next restart, with 62 laps remaining, only lasted for eight laps. This was due to Brad Perez and Smithley spinning in Turns 3 and 4 after both made contact against one another and igniting a stack-up that damaged the entries of Retzlaff, Sanchez and Taylor Gray. Before Perez’s incident and amid a flurry of on-track bumps and late jostling for positions, Pulliam, who had led since the restart, retained the lead.
During the next restart with 48 laps remaining, Pulliam received a big bump from teammate Allgaier to launch ahead through the frontstretch with the lead. As Pulliam motored away with the lead, Caruth was briefly challenged by Allgaier and Day through the backstretch. However, he maintained the runner-up spot. Meanwhile, Day overtook Allgaier for third place while Jones tried to reel in from fifth place. Day spent the next five laps reeling in on Caruth when he made a move beneath Caruth, dueled with him through the backstretch and claimed the runner-up spot. Allgaier followed suit and moved to third while Caruth dropped to fourth in front of Sammy Smith and Kvapil. Amid the battles that involved his teammates, Pulliam was leading by more than a second with 40 laps remaining.
Following another caution with 34 laps remaining due to Nick Sanchez wrecking through Turns 3 and 4, the following restart with 25 laps remaining featured Pulliam fumbling to launch from the inside lane. This allowed Allgaier to duel with the latter for a full lap as Allgaier managed to lead the next lap. Allgaier muscled ahead of Pullliam through the backstretch. Pulliam was pressured by Day, Sammy Smith and Kvapil. Amid the bumps, the caution flew with 23 laps remaining when Ross Chastain spun through the backstretch.
The next restart with 17 laps remaining did not last long as Pulliam struggled to launch for a second time, this time from the outside lane. This resulted in him being T-boned in the rear by teammate, Kvapil, and a 19-car pileup erupting through the frontstretch. The carnage blocked the entire frontstretch, causing a red flag period of 26 minutes. Several drivers, including Kvapil, Austin Green, Jeb Burton, Andrew Patterson and Josh Williams, were knocked out of contention. Amid the chaos, Allgaier maintained the lead over Day and Sammy Smith while Pulliam managed to continue in fourth place.
When the red flag lifted and the field proceeded under a cautious pace, the event restarted under green with 12 laps remaining. At the start, Allgaier motored ahead from the inside lane while Day slightly struggled to launch from the outside lane. This allowed Sammy Smith to draw alongside Day and both battled for second while Allgaier led the next lap. Shortly after, the caution flew due to Sawalich spinning in Turn 2. By then, Pulliam’s entry was smoking due to a left-front tire rub, but the driver opted to remain on the track.
During the next restart with five laps remaining, Allgaier fended off Day and Sammy Smith through the first two turns and the backstretch, with Allgaier leading the next lap. Allgaier maintained a steady lead over the next two laps while Day and Sammy Smith dueled for second place in front of Creed and Pulliam.
When the white flag waved and the final lap started, Allgaier remained in the lead ahead of Day, Sammy Smith, Creed and Pulliam. After maintaining the lead through the first two turns and the backstretch, Allgaier’s road to victory was solidified after teammate Caruth spun, which drew a race-ending caution. As a result, Allgaier cycled back to the frontstretch and cautiously took the checkered flag under reduced pace.
With the victory, Allgaier notched his 31st NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series career victory, which moves him into a tie with Jack Ingram for sixth place on the all-time wins list. He also achieved his third victory of the 2026 season, his second at Martinsville and his first win at the historic racetrack in the spring.
“I keep saying it and I keep talking about how great this team is,” Allgaier said on the frontstretch on the CW Network. “We have fired off 2026 better than I could have ever imagined. So proud of the race cars we brought to the race track and all of our partners. I said it last week, you get later on into your career, you never know if you’ll ever win another one and to do it the way we’ve done this year has been pretty special.”
Corey Day, who led 37 laps, managed to edge Sammy Smith at the moment of caution to achieve a career-best runner-up result. Sheldon Creed claimed fourth place while Lee Pulliam, who led 40 laps, notched a strong fifth-place result in his O’Reilly Auto Parts Series debut. Following his stellar top-five result, Pulliam, who apologized for igniting the multi-car accident on the frontstretch, fought back tears of joy as he soaked in his first opportunity in racing in the NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series driving for JR Motorsports.
Photo by Logan Allen for SpeedwayMedia.com.
“Just so thankful to be here and do this,” Pulliam said. “It was just a dream come true day. [The crew] gave me such an awesome race car. What a dream come true to drive for Dale Earnhardt Jr. [The] Whole experience has been pretty special for me. Something I’ve wanted to do my entire life. Just thankful for everybody that led to this moment. I hope I made you fans proud leading all those laps. It was super cool, driving away. Just wished I could’ve gotten going on restarts a little better. If we ever get another chance to do this, I’ll learn from my mistakes and just come back stronger.”
Austin Hill, Dean Thompson, Ross Chastain, Ryan Sieg and Brent Crews completed the top 10 in the fina running order. Notably, Jesse Love, Taylor Gray, Brandon Jones and Sam Mayer finished 12th, 13th, 18th and 23rd while Rajah Caruth dropped to 25th following his last-lap incident.
There were 14 lead changes for eight different leaders. The event featured 14 cautions for 153 laps. In addition, 25 of 38 starters finished on the lead lap.
Following the seventh event of the 2026 NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series season, Justin Allgaier continues to lead the standings by 92 points over Jesse Love, 116 over Sheldon Creed, 122 over Austin Hill, and 139 over Carson Kvapil.
Results:
Justin Allgaier, Stage 1 winner, 114 laps led
Corey Day, 37 laps led
Sammy Smith
Sheldon Creed
Lee Pulliam, 40 laps led
Austin Hill, Stage 2 winner, nine laps led
Dean Thompson
Ross Chastain
Ryan Sieg
Brent Crews
Parker Retzlaff
Jesse Love
Taylor Gray
Brennan Poole
Anthony Alfredo
Patrick Staropoli
Blaine Perkins
Brandon Jones, one lap led
Myatt Snider
William Sawalich
Brad Perez
Lavar Scott
Sam Mayer, 14 laps led
Joey Gase
Rajah Caruth, 18 laps led
Harrison Burton, two laps down, 17 laps led
Garrett Smithley, eight laps down
Carson Kvapil – OUT, Accident
Austin Green – OUT, Accident
Jeb Burton – OUT, Accident
Andrew Patterson – OUT, Accident
Josh Williams – OUT, Accident
Nick Sanchez – OUT, Accident
Kyle Sieg – OUT, Accident
Josh Bilicki, 45 laps down
Ryan Ellis – OUT, Brakes
Jeremy Clements – OUT, Oil Cooler
Luke Baldwin – OUT, Accident
Next on the 2026 NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series schedule is Rockingham Speedway in Rockingham, North Carolina, for the North Carolina Education Lottery 250. The event is scheduled to occur next Saturday, April 4, and air at 2:30 p.m. ET on the CW Network, MRN Radio and SiriusXM.
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. - MARCH 28: Alex Palou, driver of the #10 Chip Ganassi Racing DHL Honda, and his team poses with the Firestone P1 Award after winning the pole for the NTT IndyCar Series Children's of Alabama Indy Grand Prix at Barber Motorsports Park on March 28, 2026, in Birmingham, Alabama. Photo: Chris Owens/Penske Entertainment
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — Alex Palou told me, Friday, that entering this weekend at Barber Motorsports Park second in points “doesn’t change anything” about his strategy.
Saturday put action to words. Well, yes and no.
“I mean, it’s not for the championship,” he said. “At the same time, it is. I mean, we’re just trying to do the best we can every single weekend, every single session.
“I feel once you get closer to the end, maybe you’re just trying to go a bit more aggressive or less, depending on where you are in the championship. But I’m talking like last round or last two rounds.
“I feel now everybody’s just trying to get the pole and trying to get the win, because you know, ultimately that gives you the most points.
“Yeah, we’re not really worried or thinking too much about the championship. It’s too early. At the same time, we need to get as many good results as we can.”
Just as he did in 2025, the driver of the No. 10 Chip Ganassi Racing Honda won the pole for the Children’s of Alabama Indy Grand Prix with a lap of 1:06.234. It’s his 13th career pole and first of the 2026 NTT INDYCAR SERIES season.
“Yeah, very happy obviously,” he said. “I was very happy with the car this morning in practice two, compared to yesterday. Feel like yesterday, we were missing a little bit of balance. Conditions today helped a ton.
“It was a very close qualifying. We just wanted to make sure once we’re in Fast Six, although we know we’re not going to have two sets of brand-new alternates, to try to go for pole, and we did.
“Yeah, happy. Hopefully, future Alex is going to figure out how to balance against new alternates. Yeah, that’s an issue for tomorrow.”
David Malukas clocked in second with a lap of 1:06.347. Graham Rahal timed in third with a lap of 1:06.518.
“I think (the car is) very good,” Malukas said. “From practice one, practice two, our pace, on primary tires, but on reruns, we seem to have pace. Lap time was there. I think we’re in for a good race tomorrow.”
Marcus Armstrong (1:06.551), Kyle Kirkwood (1:06.832), and Romain Grosjean, who ran wide into the grass in Turn 9 during the final round of qualifying, rounded out the Firestone Fast Six (1:06.836).
Santino Ferrucci, Marcus Ericsson, Josef Newgarden, and Christian Lundgaard rounded out the top-10.
During the first round of qualifying, Will Power’s brakes went to the floor, and his car plowed into the foam, tire, and armco barrier in Turn 5. He was seen and released from the IndyCar medical unit.
A scary crash for Will Power in Barber qualifying. He got out under his own power. pic.twitter.com/rxdSjKmqJw
SAM HUNT RACING LEADS TOYOTA WITH STRONG PERFORMANCE IN MARTINSVILLE Dean Thompson leads with top-10 finish, while Harrison Burton breaks team laps led record
RIDGEWAY, Va. (March 28, 2026) – Sam Hunt Racing’s Dean Thompson led Toyota with a seventh-place finish in Saturday’s NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series race at Martinsville Speedway. It is the California-native’s third top-10 in as many starts in the series at Martinsville.
Before being involved in a late-race incident, Thompson’s teammate Harrison Burton led 17 laps in his Toyota GR Supra – setting a new single-race record for Sam Hunt Racing.
TOYOTA RACING Post-Race Recap NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series (NOAPS) Martinsville Speedway Race 7 of 33 – 131.5 miles, 250 laps
TOYOTA FINISHING POSITIONS
1st, Justin Allgaier* 2nd, Corey Day* 3rd, Sammy Smith* 4th, Sheldon Creed* 5th, Lee Pulliam* 7th, DEAN THOMPSON 10th, BRENT CREWS 13th, TAYLOR GRAY 18th, BRANDON JONES
20th, WILLIAM SAWALICH
26th, HARRISON BURTON
*non-Toyota driver
TOYOTA QUOTES
DEAN THOMPSON, No. 26 Thompson Pipe Group Toyota GR Supra, Sam Hunt Racing
Finishing Position: 7th
Another good run at Martinsville. Can you talk about your finish?
“I feel like our team just fires on all cylinders here. I feel like my crew chief, Kris Bowen, has a knack for this place. We all love it here, and we all get to sleep in our own beds, which is pretty nice. I just feel like this place clicks for me and clicks for my crew chief. Things just kind of panned out our way. We always have really, really fast race cars. I’m lucky to drive this One TPG Toyota GR Supra. It is always fast when we come here. We were struggling in practice, but I felt like I could have qualified well but it got rained out and we just fought and clawed our way to the front. I wish those last 16 laps went straight because I felt like we could have gotten a better finish out of it because we had a really good long run car but super pumped to come out of here with a good finish.”
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.
