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CHEVROLET NCS AT DAYTONA 500: Post-Race Report

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Official Release
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NASCAR Cup Series
Daytona International Speedway
Daytona 500
Team Chevy Post-Race Report
February 15, 2026

Stenhouse Jr., Elliott Lead Chevrolet with Top-Five Finishes in the “Great American Race”
 
Stage One: For the first time in his championship-earning career, Kyle Busch led NASCAR’s top division to the green flag from the pole position for the 68th running of the DAYTONA 500. The speed of the No. 8 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet prevailed on the start with Busch taking over the top position to lead the official opening lap of the 2026 NASCAR Cup Series season. Busch maintained a top-five running position throughout the first-half of the opening stage, but a loose-handling Chevrolet saw the Richard Childress Racing driver fall out of the top-10 as the team approached its first trip to pit road of the day. Busch was among the first group of cars to make the dive to pit road with 15 laps to go in the stage for a fuel-only stop. Among those electing to stretch their fuel mileage included the trio of Spire Motorsports Chevrolet’s with Carson Hocevar leading the Bowtie brigade to the first green-white checkered flag with a fourth-place stage finish.

Stage Two: The No. 77 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet team followed up a strong opening stage with a win in the race off pit road – gaining three spots to earn a fourth-place starting spot for Stage Two. In true Daytona fashion, a new pack of cars took quick command of the field that featured a strong contingency of Chevrolet-powered machines, with Trackhouse Racing’s Ross Chastain finding the lead to bring the race to the halfway mark. Re-entering the battle for the lead was the polesitter, Kyle Busch, who progressively navigated his No. 8 Chevrolet back into the top-five. Despite an accident at the lead, Busch narrowly made his way through the carnage with minimal damage to salvage a fourth-place finish in the stage.

Final Stage: While what looked to be the final green flag pit cycle of the race, a caution flew with less than 10 laps remaining – leaving Team Chevy’s Michael McDowell in the catbird seat as one of the lone cars that had yet to hit pit road. Radio transmission from atop the No. 71 pit stop indicates that the Spire Motorsports Chevrolet was three laps to the good on fuel as the former DAYTONA 500 Champion led the field to the green flap for the restart with four laps to go. But it was the superspeedway ace, Ricky Stenhouse Jr., that survived a last-lap crash to lead Chevrolet with a runner-up finish.

 Team Chevy Unofficial Top-10 Results
Pos. Driver

2nd – Ricky Stenhouse Jr.
4th – Chase Elliott

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

Wins: 0
Poles: 1
Top-Fives: 2
Top 10s: 2
Stage Wins: 0

The 2026 NASCAR Cup Series season continues at EchoPark Speedway with the Autotrader 400 on Sunday, February 22, at 3:00 P.M. ET. Live coverage can be found on FOX, PRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90.

Post-Race Driver Quotes:

Austin Dillon, No. 3 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet

Finished: 37th

“Not how we wanted to start the season. The Bass Pro Shops/Winchester Chevrolet was really fast this week and that’s a testament to all of the work that everyone does at RCR, ECR, and CT Spring Company. We were in a good position when the wreck happened in front of me. I bailed to pit road and unfortunately the No. 19 was there in the smoke. Proud of the guys for hustling to fix the car so we could go gain a few positions. That is going to pay dividends in this points format.”

Chase Elliott, No. 9 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet

Finished: 4th

“It seemed really fortunate to get through the first crash, and that opened the door to somehow get to the lead. But then I got pushed clear and I think the No. 38 was behind me and pushed me clear by everybody down the back, and then it was just he and I. We got a good ways out there and we were just in a lot of trouble because momentum had shifted. At that point, I was just on extreme defense, and then from there, I was just trying to defend as best I could without crashing myself, but everybody else ended up crashing anyway. Maybe I should have just wrecked myself trying to block. But, yeah, I hate that. Obviously very close but close doesn’t cut it.”

Ty Dillon, No. 10 Kaulig Racing Chevrolet

Finished: 14th

“I feel really good about the day for our No. 10 Grizzly Nicotine Pounches Chevrolet team. A top-15 finish to start the year is nothing to frown about. Our Grizzly Camaro was strong. We were able to lead laps in the DAYTONA 500 again and run up front most of the day. We just have to clean some things up so we can keep ourselves up front at the right times. I’m proud of this team’s effort. Everyone worked hard all week to continue to chip away at this race car. By the time we got to the last stage, it was the best it was all weekend. That’s all you can ask for and we’ll go onto Atlanta with some momentum.”

AJ Allmendinger, No. 16 Kaulig Racing Chevrolet

Finished: 18th

“Just one of those races where you are just trying to be smart and be patient. Just trying to be smart the first two-thirds of the race and not getting in anything. Did a good job of that. We had to wait a little longer and I was basically at the tail end of the pack and we made a call there to try to do tires and it’s just hard to go anywhere on those restarts. I felt like every lane I would get in, I would get checked up and go to the back again. Technically, we missed the wreck, didn’t save it and did a 360 and that cost us some spots. But, yeah, just happy to come out unscathed and all in one piece and go do this again in Atlanta.”

William Byron, No. 24 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet

Finished: 12th

“We had a lot of damage on our car from the Stage One incident. Our right-front suspension was bent, so the car was driving really weird and it was just super, super loose, as well as tight as the same time. I couldn’t believe we had a shot there at the end. I thought that was amazing. It was a great strategy with the fuel sequence, and I thought, man, we have a shot with lining up on the front two rows. That’s all you can ask for. I thought Tyler (Reddick) was out to a pretty decent lead on the restart, and I thought the bottom was the place to be. There was one time I got clear and I probably could have taken the middle, but I didn’t know if the balance of my car could handle being there. I just had to keep my car straight, so I thought if I tried to make a block, I would wreck. It was just incredible that we had a shot at it there at the end.”

Justin Allgaier, No. 40 JR Motorsports Chevrolet

Sidelined by damage sustained in an accident at the end of Stage Two.

Finished: 38th

“Unfortunately, I’m going to have to take 100 percent of the responsibility for that one. I hate it for everyone that got caught up in it. I felt like our No. 40 Traveller Whiskey Chevrolet was incredible all day. Greg Ives (crew chief) and this whole team have done a phenomenal job building a race car that we felt like we could come here and not only run up front, but be able to lead laps.

I got to the top lane there and I watched the run coming on the top with Denny (Hamlin). I thought he was going to push. I thought the lane was closed up just enough that he wouldn’t try to go up there, but when I realized he was going up there, it was just too late. Once the air kind of got on the spoiler, it just turned me to the right. I hate it for everyone that got caught up in it because it wasn’t what we wanted.

But hats-off to Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Kelley Earnhardt Miller, everyone at JR Motorsports, for this opportunity. To have Traveller Whiskey and Chris Stapleton back on board, it was great to be out front and be able to lead the DAYTONA 500. Thank you to all of our partners and the Hendrick Engine Shop. We had big power today and that was really what it came down to. We’ll go back and regroup. I’m going to watch this video back a lot and really try to figure out what I could have done better.”

Ricky Stenhouse Jr., No. 47 Hyak Motorsports Chevrolet

Finished: 2nd

“It’s never bad to finish in the top-five in the Daytona 500. It’s a big race and we have left here finishing in the 30s and have been pretty down about that. So, on one hand, it’s good because our strategy worked out perfectly today. We stuck to it. It was brutal riding around there for a while. Not sure what the Toyota’s were doing, but I think that made the race pretty boring there for a while for the fans. It was chaos after they pitted, so yeah, our No. 47 Chef Boyardee Chevrolet was as strong as I needed it to be. It did the things I wanted, but we just came up one spot short.”

Alex Bowman, No. 48 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet

Sidelined by damage sustained in an accident at the end of Stage Two.

Finished: 40th

“It’s just unfortunate – wrong place, wrong time. We made some good moves to gain some positions back that we lost when we got stuck on pit road. I had a little thought to bail earlier, but right as I thought, I gained a lot of track position through the middle, and I was going to stick with it and see if we could get some stage points. Just wrong decision on that one. It is what it is. We will keep digging; go to Atlanta next week and try to win.”

How were the Chevrolet’s handling with the new nose?

“I think everybody’s cars are driving pretty bad from where I sat, especially off of Turn Four. I felt like I could push really well, so everything on the Chevy end was great there. It was just a lot of getting off of the throttle off Turn Four and that made the bottom really difficult to run, and it kind of brought the two grooves up the racetrack. Even the middle could get pretty sketchy. I was far enough back that I couldn’t really see what started it. I could see the No. 40 (Justin Allgaier) try and get up in front of the No. 11 (Denny Hamlin), and that is probably what caused it. But for us, just wrong place at the wrong time.”

Cody Ware, No. 51 Rick Ware Racing Chevrolet

Finished: 17th

“I think the No. 51 Jacob Construction Chevrolet was a super-fast car and we were able to get to the front; lead some laps and just continue to build on the awesome improvements we have had with Chevrolet. I think our result didn’t show the speed, but still an awesome day. Stayed on the lead lap and mitigated some mistakes we had on pit road, and I think it gives us a lot of confidence going into Atlanta next weekend.”

Michael McDowell, No. 71 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet

Finished: 22nd

“I’m not really sure what happened. We had two Spire Motorsports Chevrolet’s out front there, and I thought we would have a great shot to have everyone covered there. It just didn’t work out. It’s unfortunate. I feel like we put ourselves in position to win and we just didn’t get there.”

Connor Zilisch, No. 88 Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet

Finished: 33rd

“It was a long day after the wreck, but our No. 88 Red Bull Chevrolet was getting better as the race went on and as the sun went down. We struggled a little bit when it was really hot out, but as the shade came in, we definitely started to excel a little more. We were able to get up to the front and lead a lane. But right when we got up there, that’s when we wrecked. Overall, it was a good day for me. I learned a lot and I got to experience my first DAYTONA 500. I know there will be more to come.”

About General Motors

General Motors (NYSE:GM) is driving the future of transportation, leveraging advanced technology to build safer, smarter, and lower emission cars, trucks, and SUVs. GM’s Buick, Cadillac, Chevrolet, and GMC brands offer a broad portfolio of innovative gasoline-powered vehicles and the industry’s widest range of EVs, as we move to an all-electric future. Learn more at GM.com.

Grand Conclusion Sunday for HSR Sebring Pistons & Props Presented by Alan Jay Automotive Network

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Official Release
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  • Mission GT Challenge Inaugural Series Endurance Race Among Highlights of Successful Season-Opening HSR Sebring Pistons & Props Presented by Alan Jay Automotive Network
  • HSR Competitor and Pilot Bob Hahnemann Presented with HSR Best Plane Award for His Debuting Beechcraft T-34 Mentor Formerly Owned by Pioneer Astronaut Frank Borman

SEBRING, Florida (February 15, 2026) – A rapid-fire run of six Historic Sportscar Racing (HSR) sprint races Sunday morning brought the 2026 edition of the HSR Sebring Pistons & Props presented by Alan Jay Automotive Network to a competitive conclusion after four days of season-opening on-track action at Sebring International Raceway. Among the weekend’s many highlights was the first full schedule of competition for the HSR Mission GT Challenge for modern GT cars, which ran its series debut 60-minute endurance race Saturday evening.

The endurance race bookended a pair of Mission GT Challenge sprints earlier on Saturday and Sunday morning, and the themes throughout the trio of races were top competition and podium parity. More than four different manufacturers and their various models of cars recorded race wins or podium finishes in Mission GT Challenge competition at Sebring.

The top winners were Ed Wheatley and his quick professional coach and co-driver Jimmy Llibre in their ACI Motorsports 2019 No. 2 Fortress Stabilization Porsche 991.2 GT3 R, and solo driver Kevin Clayton in the European Auto Garage 2020 No. 03 Mercedes-AMG GT4 supported trackside by Kingpin Racing. Wheatley, Llibre and Clayton swept the respective trio of races in the GT3 and GT4 divisions, but their locks on the win column did little to hide the mix of manufacturers who joined them on the podium throughout the weekend.

In fact, Saturday’s opening sprint race produced a pair of podiums made up of six entirely different models of cars across four different manufacturers. Llibre drove the No. 2 Porsche GT3 R to the victories in both sprints, and was joined in Saturday’s GT3 podium top three by runner-up Todd Treffert in the CRP Racing 2018 No. 141 Mercedes-AMG GT3 and third-place finisher Charles Wicht in his Charles Wicht Racing 2020 No. 71 Bentley GT3-R.

Clayton led a competitive GT4 podium that was the same in all three races. Daniel Fortin secured a trio of runner-up showings in his Performance Tech Motorsports 2023 No. 38 Toyota Supra GT4. Former HSR driver of the year Drew Ewing in turn scored third-place GT4 showings across the board in his 2016 No. 13 Porsche Cayman GT4 Clubsport.

Other Mission GT Challenge winners and podium players on the weekend included Ben Myers, Michael Flynn, Dan Ammann and Mark Boden.

Myers finished first in GT3 in the Saturday endurance race in the 2017 No. 29 Porsche 911 GT3 Cup prepared by the 901 Shop. Flynn joined Myers on the enduro GT3 podium with a fine run to third place in his Irish Mike’s Racing 2020 No. 195 Porsche 991.2 GT3. Ammann took third-place in GT3 in the Enduro in his Vintage Racing Company No. 268 Porsche 992 GT3 Cup car.

Boden earned his podium with a third-place GT3 run in his Fall-Line Motorsports No. 246 Porsche 911 GT3 in Sunday’s sprint.

Sunday’s off-track highlight was the presentation of the annual HSR-presented Best Plane award that went to pilot and race car driver Bob Hahnemann. In addition to joining his son Matt Hahnemann at the wheel of their 2007 No. 111 Porsche 997 GT3 Cup car at times over the weekend, the senior Hahnemann flew the Pistons & Props debuting Beechcraft T-34 Mentor to Sebring. The special plane, a post World War II trainer that was a learning workhorse for thousands of cadets for more than 25 years, was the last one owned by legendary NASA astronaut pioneer and American United States Air Force (USAF) Colonel Frank Borman, Commander of Apollo 8, which was the first mission to fly around the Moon.”

“I have been racing for 25 years and have never received an award as special as this one,” Bob Hahnemann said. “I want to dedicate it to Frank Borman. He flew this plane and made it something special, and it just seems right to honor him as the true aviation and space pioneer that he was.”

Next up on the 2026 HSR calendar of events is the 48th HSR The Mitty presented by Hagerty, April 23 – 26, at Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta. Mazda was announced as the Featured Marque of this year’s event, HSR’s oldest race and first blockbuster event, at the onset of this weekend’s HSR Sebring Pistons and Props presented by Alan Jay Automotive Network.

Tickets for the 48th HSR The Mitty presented by Hagerty at Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta can be purchased online at: https://am.ticketmaster.com/ral/buy/Mitty2026. For complete information on the 48th annual The Mitty Presented by Hagerty race weekend, including the event schedule, entry lists and ticket information, visit: https://www.hsrrace.com/the-mitty/.

About HSR: An International Motor Sports Association (IMSA) property, Historic Sportscar Racing (HSR) was formed in the mid-1970s with an event at Road Atlanta. There was one goal then and it remains true today: to celebrate the racing cars from the past. As a “time machine” of sights and sounds, HSR provides a venue for competitors and spectators alike to share in the wonderful history and excitement created by the cars that competed at race tracks around the world. HSR currently sanctions eight vintage and historic racing events at some of the world’s most renowned race tracks, including Road Atlanta, Sebring International Raceway, Daytona International Speedway and more. The complete schedule and full event information can be found on HSR’s website at www.HSRRace.com. Look for the HSR Channel on YouTube and follow HSR on Facebook at www.Facebook.com/HSRrace/ and on Twitter X at @HSR_race and Instagram @HistoricSportscarRacing.

Eli Tomac Prevails for Third Monster Energy Supercross Victory of the Season Following Grueling Battle in Seattle

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Official Release
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Haiden Deegan Outduels Levi Kitchen for Captivating 250SMX Class Win

SEATTLE (February 14, 2026) – Just a week removed from a Super Bowl victory for the hometown Seattle Seahawks, the energy inside Lumen Field for a Valentine’s Day visit to the Emerald City featured a heightened sense of energy and excitement for Round 6 of the 2026 Monster Energy SMX World Championship. The incredible atmosphere encapsulated the most action-packed night yet in the Monster Energy AMA Supercross Championship, where the always challenging Seattle track conditions became a central player in the battle for victory. After a grueling 20 Minutes + 1 Lap Main Event, it was Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Eli Tomac who prevailed with his third victory of the season, wrestling the lead away from Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing’s Cooper Webb before soldiering home to a bounce-back win following an adversity plagued outing last weekend.

450SMX Class

The 450SMX Class Main Event got underway with Webb leading the way for the holeshot as Tomac and his Red Bull KTM Factory Racing teammate Aaron Plessinger gave chase ahead of season race winners Chase Sexton (fifth) and Ken Roczen (sixth), as well as championship leader Hunter Lawrence (seventh). Webb was able to assert his hold of the lead while Tomac eventually settled into second and Roczen into third aboard his Progressive Insurance Cycle Gear Suzuki. It wasn’t long before the lead trio settled in on the soft, rutted, technical conditions and established a significant lead over the rest of the field. Tomac chipped away at the deficit and applied pressure for the lead as the race passed halfway. He made a quick and decisive move around Webb to seize control of the race and opened a multi-second lead. Lapped riders allowed Webb to close back within a second, but Tomac extended the lead once again to effectively end the threat. Behind them, Roczen’s hold of third came under fire from Lawrence, who overcame an early miscue to climb from seventh to fourth aboard his Honda HRC Progressive machine. Lawrence was the faster rider and was in position to take third until he went too aggressive in the track’s sand section, collided with last week’s winner, and took both riders to the ground. Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing’s Justin Cooper rode by to assume third as Lawrence remounted in fourth and Roczen continued well back in ninth.

Tomac navigated the deteriorating conditions to perfection and took his 56th career win by 9.2 seconds over Webb, who grabbed a third straight podium in second. Cooper landed on the podium for the first time this season in third. Lawrence recovered to finish fourth, while Sexton rounded out the top five aboard his Monster Energy Kawasaki. Roczen got the worst of the exchange with Lawrence and finished a season-low 10th, a net-loss of seven positions.

Lawrence’s finish proved significant in the championship standings as he maintained control of the lead by a single point over Tomac. Roczen and Webb now sit tied for third, 11 points behind Lawrence.

Eli Tomac
Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Eli Tomac battled through the most demanding track conditions of the season to capture his third win of the championship campaign.

Eli Tomac – 1st Place – 450SMX Class
“Seattle was the usual. It’s a tough track to really get a hold of and get comfortable on. I saved the best for last of course. I had my best start and my best ride there [in the Main Event]. I cleaned up some lines, did some different jump combinations. Just typical Seattle. One of the toughest we have all year. Glad to conquer it.”

Cooper Webb – 2nd Place – 450SMX Class
“Overall, it was fun, with a side of sketch. The track was really gnarly. It’s always gnarly here, but this [track] with still having to hit the rhythms [sections], they’re pretty big. It was brutal. Obviously, Eli [Tomac] picked up on a good line and kept doing it and got past me. I tightened up for sure with a little arm pump, but it is what it is. At the end of the day, I can’t be hitting whoops like that and expect to win. We’ll get back to work.”

Justin Cooper – 3rd Place – 450SMX Class
“It’s just Seattle. This track was absolutely gnarly. With 20 [minutes] plus 1 [lap] out there with these 450s, it gets really demanding. I just put together solid laps and got a little gift from [Lawrence and Roczen]. Sometimes you’ve got to stay in it and that’s what we did tonight. Really pumped to get back on the box.”

Hunter Lawrence – 4th Place – 450SMX Class
“[My race] started with wheel spin off the start. I just didn’t get myself good track position. I was coming through and had good pace. I feel like an idiot. I jumped on the inside [and] was already going down and got Kenny involved. That just sucked, honestly. Not how I would have wanted the night to go, but we’re fourth and still have the red plate. We’ll head on to Dallas.”

250SMX Class

The sixth race of the Western Divisional 250SMX Class also served as the midseason send off before the Eastern Divisional Championship begins next weekend. That presented an opportunity to enter the break with momentum, and the added motivation produced an instant classic between Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing’s Haiden Deegan, the dominant championship leader, and Monster Energy Pro Circuit Kawasaki’s Levi Kitchen, the hometown favorite. Off the start it was another Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing rider out front, with Max Anstie securing the holeshot, but it didn’t take long for Deegan to storm into the lead just a few minutes into the 15 Minute + 1 Lap race. Kitchen, meanwhile, was on a torrid charge to the front as he clawed his way from fifth to second prior to the halfway point. The tense rivalry between Deegan and Kitchen entered its next chapter during an incredible head-to-head showdown that produced four exchanges for the lead. As he navigated lapped riders Deegan appeared to let Kitchen assume the lead with a little more than seven minutes to go. Kitchen then established a multi-second advantage for several laps, but the degrading track and increased lapped traffic forced both riders to take alternate lines and caused minor miscues. Deegan showed patience and closed back in, then made multiple inside pass attempts before he took advantage of a missed rhythm by Kitchen to reclaim the position with a little more than two minutes to go. With the support of the crowd, Kitchen fought back and retook the lead, but Deegan made one final pass back with about a minute remaining.

Deegan stormed to his fifth consecutive win by 1.5 seconds over Kitchen, who became the first fellow competitor to give Deegan a significant challenge during his run of dominance. The near-miss in front of the hometown crowd continued a recent surge for Kitchen, who now has three straight runner-up finishes. Anstie rode to a quiet and comfortable third-place finish, his first podium since winning the opening race of the season.

Deegan now owns a dozen career victories and has moved out to a healthy 35-point lead over Anstie heading into the break. Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing’s Michael Mosiman, who finished sixth, and Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing’s Ryder DiFrancesco, who finished fourth, are tied for third, 36 points behind Deegan. After a slow start to the season, Kitchen has fought his way up to fifth, 42 points behind Deegan and just seven points behind Anstie for second.

Haiden Deegan
Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing’s Haiden Deegan (1) came out on top of a thrilling head-to-head battle with Levi Kitchen for his fifth straight victory.

Haiden Deegan – 1st Place – Western Divisional 250SMX Class
“That was gnarly. I went through after [the finish] and told [Kitchen] that was the gnarliest battle I have ever had racing. We were going back and forth. I don’t know what to say, that was the best I’ve had. I know it’s in his hometown so the [fans] may not like it, but I hope they enjoyed that one.”

Levi Kitchen – 2nd Place – Western Divisional 250SMX Class
“I think that’s the race everyone has been waiting for. I’m bummed I couldn’t get it done for the hometown, but I rode my heart out and [Deegan] did too. That had to be the coolest race of my life. We were going at it the whole time. Thanks to everyone here in Seattle, they were amazing. That was fun.”

Max Anstie – 3rd Place – Western Divisional 250SMX Class
“That was really tough. That was a tough track, and those boys [Deegan and Kitchen] were obviously riding awesome. It was amazing to hear the fans cheering for Levi. I’ve been struggling since Anaheim 1. I don’t know what it is, but my throat and my chest have been burning. Last week was bad too. I need to get it checked out because I don’t feel sick, but I can’t breathe right. My chest just burns.”

The Monster Energy SMX World Championship and Monster Energy AMA Supercross Championship will continue next Saturday, February 21, for the seventh race of the season from AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas. The race will open the Eastern Divisional 250SMX Class Championship. Live broadcast coverage on Peacock will begin at 1 p.m. ET with Race Day Live, while a special pre-race show will air at 6:30 p.m. ET followed by the Gate Drop at 7 p.m. ET. Additionally, a domestic Spanish language broadcast is available on Pea cock 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.

Austin Hill achieves fourth O’Reilly victory in season opener at Daytona

By
Andrew Kim
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Photo by Patrick Sue-Chan for SpeedwayMedia.com.

Austin Hill returned victorious to commence a new season of NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series racing by winning the season-opening United Rentals 300 at Daytona International Speedway on Saturday, February 14.

Austin Hill
Photo by Mike Biskupski

The 31-year-old Hill from Winston, Georgia, led six times for a race-high 78 of 120 scheduled laps in an event where he started on pole position, swept both of the event’s first two stage periods, and battled towards the front amid the draft and tight-packed racing.

Through two strategic pit stops and staying clear of two multi-car wrecks for the majority of the final stage period, Hill executed crucial moves through the draft. He navigated back to the front after his entry was serviced and returned atop the leaderboard with nearly 10 laps remaining. Despite having his progress stalled through two late cautions and a two-lap shootout, Hill fended off late surges from Brennan Poole, Justin Allgaier, and Jordan Anderson on the final lap, surging to his unprecedented fourth victory in the season opener in Daytona.

With on-track qualifying that determined the starting lineup occurring on Saturday, Austin Hill secured the pole position with a pole-winning lap at 182.223 mph in 49.390 seconds. Hill shared the front row with teammate Jesse Love, the latter of whom clocked in his fastest qualifying lap at 182.219 mph in 49.391 seconds.

Prior to the event, Anthony Alfredo, who initially did not qualify for the event, dropped to the rear of the field after he replaced Caesar Bacarella in the No. 4 Alpha Prime Racing Chevrolet entry. The following names, which included Harrison Burton, Kyle Sieg, Carson Ware, and Parker Retzlaff, also dropped to the rear of the field due to unapproved adjustments that were made to their respective entries.

Just as teammates Austin Hill and Jesse Love led the field through the frontstretch to take the green flag and commence the 2026 O’Reilly Auto Parts Series season, the event’s first caution quickly flew when a stack-up ignited a chain reaction and chaos within the mid-pack region. 

In the process, Jeremy Clements and Brennan Poole were sent spinning through the frontstretch’s grass while numerous competitors that included Marion Maggio, Anthony Alfredo, Luke Fenhaus, Natalie Decker, Patrick Emerling, Lavar Scott, and Josh Williams sustained damage to their respective entries. The competitor who sustained the most damage was Maggio, who T-boned into the rear of Emerling.

Following an extensive caution period, the event restarted under green on the sixth lap. At the start, Hill and William Sawalich dueled for the lead in front of the field that was fanned out to two-stacked lanes through the first two turns and the backstretch. As the field fanned out to three lanes through the backstretch, with a third lane being led by Ryan Sieg, Sawalich muscled ahead from the inside lane and led the next lap over Hill and Sam Mayer.

Through the first 10 scheduled laps and as the field continued to battle through three lanes, Hill was leading over teammate Love, Ryan Sieg, Kvapil, and Sawalich while Brandon Jones, Corey Day, Sam Mayer, Nick Sanchez, and Patrick Staropoli were jostling in the top 10. Behind, Sheldon Creed, Jeremy Clements, Carson Hocevar, Rajah Caruth, Dean Thompson, Sammy Smith, Justin Allgaier, Taylor Gray, Harrison Burton, and Giovanni Ruggiero were mired in the top 20, respectively.

Five laps later, a majority of the field migrated in single-line formation towards the outside lane. This formation was led by Hill, who also continued to lead the event over Love, Kvapil, Sanchez, and Clements, while Sammy Smith, Thompson, Mayer (who led inside lane), Harrison Burton, and Blaine Perkins were mired in the top 10. Meanwhile, Ryan Sieg, who fell off the pace a few laps earlier due to a cut tire and cycled for a full lap before pitting under green, was mired in 37th place and pinned a lap down.

Over the next five laps, Mayer, who led a draft from the inside lane, got as close to battling Love for the runner-up spot as Hill maintained the lead. Prior to the Lap 20 mark and as the front-runners fanned out to three lanes, Mayer got shuffled out of line by Sammy Smith and drifted out of the top-10 mark. Amid the three-wide action, the outside lane led by Hill maintained the upper advantage with a majority of competitors racing towards the outside lane amid the draft. Meanwhile, Hill proceeded to lead through the Lap 25 mark until Sammy Smith came charging back with a draft from the inside lane.

Then, approaching Lap 28, Day, who was pinned in a three-wide battle with Sawalich and Allgaier for ninth place, snapped sideways and spun to the bottom of the track entering the frontstretch. As Day straightened his entry, he barely hit the inside wall on the left-rear side, but he managed to avoid sustaining more damage to his left side, pilot back up into the racing surface without getting collided and continue without drawing a caution.

Then, as the front-runners entered the frontstretch, a multi-car wreck erupted when Mayer, who was trying to claim third place, made contact and sent Sammy Smith sideways through Turns 3 and 4. Both caused a stack-up and collected both Creed and Ruggiero before all shot up the track and wrecked against the outside wall, thus collecting Sanchez. With the caution flying and the field completing both the Lap 30 mark and the first stage period, Hill cruised to capture the first stage victory over Love, Kvapil, Allgaier, Perkins, Creed, Sawalich, Sanchez, Clements and Jones.

Under the event’s first stage break period, a majority of the field led by Hill pitted for service while select names led by Alfredo remained on the track. Once those led by Alfredo pitted during the next lap under caution, Kvapil, who was the first competitor to exit pit road first during the previous lap, cycled to the lead over Love and Hill.

The second stage period started on Lap 38 as Love and Hill occupied the front row in front of Caruth, Kvapil, Jones and Sawalich. At the start, Love received the upper advantage from the outside lane as he muscled ahead through the frontstretch. He then transitioned from the outside to the inside lane in front of teammate Hill as the former led through the first two turns and the backstretch. As both Hill and Caruth dueled for the runner-up spot in front of two-stacked lanes, Love led the next lap. Despite muscling ahead of Caruth during the following lap, Hill would be repeatedly challenged by Sawalich for the runner-up spot through every turn and straightaway as Love led the Lap 40 mark.

At the Lap 45 mark, the top-21 competitors were separated by nearly two seconds from one another amid the draft as Hill navigated his way back to the lead over Sawalich, Love, Caruth, Allgaier, Kvapil, Taylor Gray, Brandon Jones, Clements, and Retzlaff. With the field fanning out to three drafting lanes, Hill, who went on defensive mode through all lanes, continued to lead by Lap 50.

When the second stage concluded on Lap 60, Hill fended off late challenges from Caruth and Kvapil to go two-for-two in stages in 2026. Kvapil, Allgaier, Sawalich, and Caruth settled in the top five while Retzlaff, Sammy Smith, Clements, Jeb Burton, and Perkins were scored in the top 10. Notably, Day, who snapped sideways entering the frontstretch for a second time but managed to keep his car racing straight and in race pace with the pack, settled in 11th ahead of Jones, Love, Gray, and Austin Green.

During the event’s second stage break period, the lead lap field led by Hill returned to pit road for service. Following the pit stops, Hill exited first over Sawalich, Allgaier, and the rest of the field.

With 53 laps remaining, the final stage period commenced as Hill and Sawalich occupied the front row. At the start, Hill received an early boost from Allgaier from the inside lane. This enabled Hill to launch ahead through the first two turns, though Hill quickly went on defensive mode on Sawalich due to losing the draft from Allgaier. Allgaier would regain his advantage from the inside lane as he had teammate Caruth drafting him. While Allgaier and Sawalich dueled for the runner-up spot, Hill led the next lap moments before Allgaier tried to mount a charge alongside Hill from the inside lane.

Down to the final 50 laps of the event, the field fanned out to three-wide formation amid tight-pack racing. At the front, Hill was leading ahead of Sawalich, Jones, Allgaier, Kvapil, Gray, Caruth, Jeb Burton, Love, and Clements while Daniel Dye, Day, Retzlaff, Mayer, Perkins, Austin Green, Kyle Sieg, Patrick Emerling, Josh Williams, and Staropoli trailed in the top 20, respectively.

Ten laps later, green flag pit stops occurred as the leader Hill, Love, Retzlaff, Perkins, Jeb Burton, and Caesar Bacarella peeled off the racetrack and pitted, primarily for fuel. Taylor Gray and Daniel Dye pitted during the next lap before Sawalich pitted the lap after. Amid the pit stops and with the field scattered through different pit strategies, Mayer assumed command of the field and over Allgaier, Day, Kvapil, and Kyle Sieg while Emerling, Clements, Sammy Smith, Caruth, and Jones were in the top 10 with 35 laps remaining.

The leader, Mayer, led the top-11 competitors to pit road with 34 laps remaining, while Jordan Anderson, Hocevar, Poole, Josh Bilicki, and Ryan Ellis remained on the track. Then, once the latter five competitors pitted under green, Love, who trailed the top-five competitors by 19 seconds, cycled to the lead.

Shortly after, the caution flew for a multi-car wreck that erupted through the first two turns. The incident started when Ryan Sieg got turned off the front nose of Jeb Burton while Taylor Gray clipped teammate Jones, and the latter two spun while trying to avoid Sieg. In the process, Allgaier made contact with Gray’s spinning entry while Mayer collided into Jones’ Toyota. Mayer then received more heavy contact from both the outside wall and a hard-charging Clements before the former’s wrecked entry slid down the track’s apron, went back up the track and was collided into by Natalie Decker.

The latest multi-car incident was enough for the event to be placed under a red flag delay for 13 minutes to have the carnage scene cleaned up. When the red flag lifted, and the field proceeded under a cautious pace, some, including Hill, Day, Anderson, Alfredo, Dye, Cody Ware, and Bilicki, pitted while the rest, led by Love, remained on the track. 

The start of the next restart with 24 laps remaining featured Love and Smith on the front row as the duo restarted in front of Kvapil, Perkins, Caruth and Retzlaff. At the start, Love and Smith had Perkins and Kvapil, respectively drafting them through the first two turns and the early portions of the backstretch before the rest of the field led by Caruth and Retzlaff caught back up to them. As the field got jumbled up while racing in two-wide formation entering the frontstretch, Love led the next lap over Smith. The field began to slowly fan out to three lanes, as Smith muscled ahead of Love, Kvapil and the filed to lead the following lap.

Then, with 21 laps remaining, the caution returned when Sawalich, who was racing in fifth place, received a tap from Day and spun in Turn 3. With Day making contact with Sawalich, a second multi-car wreck ignited that involved Hocevar, Gray, Dye, Harrison Burton, Jeb Burton, Caruth, Staropoli, Kyle Sieg, and Lavar Scott. 

As the event restarted under green with 13 laps remaining, teammates Hill and Love, both of whom occupied the front row, battled dead even for the lead for a full lap in front of Perkins, Smith, and the rest of the field stacked amid two-packed lanes. Both Hill and Love continued to battle dead even through the fronstretch and the start of the next lap before the caution returned due to Jeb Burton blowing a right-front tire and scattering debris across the track.

Hill and Love again dueled for the lead through the first two turns during the next restart with eight laps remaining as Smith and Perkins followed suit in two-wide formation. As the field briefly got bunched up through the backstretch, Hill managed to muscle ahead of Love and have both lanes to his control, where he led the next lap. Behind Hill, Perkins challenged Love for second in front of Smith and Retzlaff as the field fanned out. After reeling in Hill, Love then executed a bold crossover move beneath Hill through the frontstretch to lead the next lap from inside lane, but Hill drew back even from outside and muscled ahead.

Following another caution that flew with six laps remaining due to both Caruth and Hocevar spinning in the backstretch, the event restarted with two laps remaining. During the latest start, Hill and Smith, both of whom received respective pushes from Poole and Love, navigated the field through the first two turns. Then, through the backstretch, Kvapil made a bold charge from a third lane towards the outside wall, but his momentum got stalled as both Love and Smith moved in front of him. Their moves allowed Hill to muscle ahead as he had both Poole and Allgaier drafting him through Turns 3 and 4.

When the white flag waved, and the final lap started, Hill remained in the lead ahead of a four-car breakaway that involved Poole, Allgaier, and Jordan Anderson while the rest of the field were trying to reel in Hill. As Hill continued to lead through the first two turns and the early portions of the backstretch, Poole received big pushes from both Allgaier and Anderson that caused Poole to get loose and go up the track through the backstretch. 

No. 21
Photo by Mike Biskupski

As Poole lost his momentum, Allgaier also nearly went up the track after he received a big push from Anderson. This allowed Anderson to get underneath Allgaier and reel in to Hill’s rear bumper through the backstretch. Hill managed to remain in front of Anderson and received a push from the latter to slightly boost ahead. With both Allgaier and Anderson unable to reel in Hill from drafts, Hill cycled back to the frontstretch and claimed the checkered flag by 0.081 seconds.

With the victory, Hill notched his 15th career win in the NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series division, his fourth win at the Daytona opener in five years, his 11th on superspeedway venues, and his first since he won at Talladega in October 2025.

Hill’s Daytona victory also marked the record-setting 11th O’Reilly win at the World Center of Racing for Richard Childress Racing and the 54th time where the Chevrolet nameplate was piloted to Victory Lane at Daytona.

During his celebrations in Victory Lane, Hill credited the risky pit call made by his crew chief, Chad Haney, to pit under caution with less than 30 laps remaining, which enabled Hill to navigate his way back to the lead amid the draft and the intense racing within the packed field.

“[I] Drove right up through there, and then I wanted to work with my teammate there at the end, Jesse [Love], but I just knew that the bottom was going to surge, or I felt like it was,” Hill said in Victory Lane on the CW Network. “The top lane always gets discombobulated, they move around a lot, and everyone’s trying to screw everybody over, so I just thought the bottom lane was probably the best thing for me.”

“[I] Thought I messed up on my white flag lap off of [Turn] 2,” Hill added. “I got way out, and luckily, I was able to make the block on [Allgaier], and I almost missed the block on whoever the blue car [Anderson] was. I almost missed this block, and right when I got down, he gave me a shot. I had to save the car, and then after that, it was just hammer down and just hoping that they wouldn’t get back to me. Daytona’s been so good to me. I love this place, and it’s always fun to win and always fun to be here in Victory Lane talking to you [reporters].”

Justin Allgaier muscled his way into the runner-up spot, followed by Ryan Sieg, while Jordan Anderson settled in fourth place in front of Sammy Smith. Ryan Ellis, Carson Kvapil, Blaine Perkins, Jesse Love, and Rajah Caruth completed the top 10 in the final running order.

The 2026 O’Reilly Auto Parts Series season opener featured 15 lead changes for eight different leaders, and seven cautions for 36 laps. In addition, 21 of 38 starters finished on the lead lap.

Following the first event of the 2026 NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series season, Austin Hill leads the standings by 25 points over Justin Allgaier, 28 over Carson Kvapil, 38 over Jesse Love, and 39 over Sammy Smith and Blaine Perkins apiece.

Results:

1. Austin Hill, 78 laps led, Stages 1 & 2 winner
2. Justin Allgaier
3. Ryan Sieg
4. Jordan Anderson, four laps led
5. Sammy Smith, one lap led
6. Ryan Ellis, one lap led
7. Carson Kvapil
8. Blaine Perkins
9. Jesse Love, 27 laps led
10. Rajah Caruth, one lap led
11. Anthony Alfredo
12. Brennan Poole
13. Patrick Emerling
14. Parker Retzlaff
15. Kyle Sieg
16. Lavar Scott
17. Josh Bilicki
18. Patrick Staropoli
19. Carson Ware
20. Carson Hocevar
21. Daniel Dye
22. Austin Green, two laps down
23. Luke Fenhaus, three laps down
24. Sheldon Creed, four laps down
25. Jeb Burton – OUT, DVP
26. William Sawalich – OUT, DVP, two laps led
27. Corey Day – OUT, Accident
28. Taylor Gray – OUT, Accident
29. Harrison Burton – OUT, Accident
30. Brandon Jones – OUT, DVP
31. Sam Mayer – OUT, Accident, six laps led
32. Jeremy Clements – OUT, Accident
33. Natalie Decker – OUT, Accident
34. Josh Williams – OUT, Engine
35. Dean Thompson – OUT, Suspension
36. Nick Sanchez – OUT, Accident
37. Giovanni Ruggiero – OUT, Accident
38. Mason Maggio – OUT, Accident

With the 2026 NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series season underway, the next event on the schedule is EchoPark Speedway in Hampton, Georgia, for the Bennett Transportation & Logistics 250. The event is scheduled to occur next Saturday, February 21, and air at 5 p.m. ET on the CW Network, PRN Radio, and SiriusXM.

TEAM TOYOTA COLLECTED IN INCIDENT-FILLED O’REILLY AUTO PARTS SEASON OPENER

By
Official Release
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DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (February 14, 2026) – All six Toyota GR Supras from Joe Gibbs Racing and Sam Hunt Racing failed to finish an incident-filled NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series race at Daytona International Speedway on Saturday evening.

Toyota Racing Post-Race Recap
NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series (NOAPS)
Daytona International Speedway
Race 1 of 33 – 300 miles, 120 laps

TOYOTA FINISHING POSITIONS

1st, Austin Hill*
2nd, Justin Allgaier*
3rd, Ryan Sieg*
4th, Jordan Anderson*
5th, Sammy Smith*
26th, WILLIAM SAWALICH
28th, TAYLOR GRAY
29th, HARRISON BURTON
30th, BRANDON JONES
35th, DEAN THOMPSON
37th, GIO RUGGIERO
*non-Toyota driver

TOYOTA QUOTES

TAYLOR GRAY, No. 54 Operation 300 Toyota GR Supra, Joe Gibbs Racing

Finishing Position: 28th

What happened out there?

“Just wrong place, wrong time. Guys getting impatient, but at the end of the day, I felt like we had a really fast Operation 300 Toyota GR Supra. Can’t thank everyone at Joe Gibbs Racing and TOYOTA RACING enough for working hard all off season and bringing fast cars to the track. We will move on to Atlanta next weekend.”

BRANDON JONES, No. 20 Menards/Swiffer Toyota GR Supra, Joe Gibbs Racing

Finishing Position: 30th

How disappointing that this is how your night ends?
“You never want to start the year like this, especially because we had some people from the Menards family here with us today, Swiffer such a long-time supporter of our race team, so I hate that we have to go out like this, but this kind of racing is just for the birds in my opinion. It is so difficult to make it to the end. We did a lot of things right today, made a couple of mistakes – missed a few runs, here and there, that I can go back and learn from – but I was proud of the save early on. Hopefully the Toyota in-car showed that, because it was pretty epic – there was some really good moments, so I’m going to take the highs and study some of the lows and see how we can do it, because we have plenty of these tracks left on the schedule to try to tackle. We will continue to work at it, including at the home track next week.”

GIO RUGGIERO, No. 19 First Auto Group Toyota GR Supra, Joe Gibbs Racing

Finishing Position: 37th

What happened?

“I think it is just people being stupid. The 8 (Sammy Smith) just looked like he cleared himself or I don’t know if the 1 (Carson Kvapil) got into him, yeah, just stupid move when you are running full-time for points. I don’t think that is going to get you anywhere. Just unfortunate. I hate it for the guys on the 19 Toyota team. Obviously, having a couple of different drivers and starting to start the year off good in owners’ points, so wish I could have brought them a better finish because they brought a really good car. We definitely had a chance to win it.”

About Toyota

Toyota (NYSE:TM) has been a part of the cultural fabric in the U.S. for nearly 70 years, and is committed to advancing sustainable, next-generation mobility through our Toyota and Lexus brands, plus our nearly 1,500 dealerships.

Toyota directly employs nearly 48,000 people in the U.S. who have contributed to the design, engineering, and assembly of more than 35 million cars and trucks at our 11 manufacturing plants. In 2025, Toyota’s plant in North Carolina began to assemble automotive batteries for electrified vehicles.

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

Ford Racing Notes and Quotes – NOAPS United Rentals 300 Post-Race Quotes

By
Official Release
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Ford Racing Notes and Quotes
NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series
United Rentals 300 — Daytona International Speedway
Saturday, February 14, 2026

Nick Sanchez finished eighth in Stage 1, despite being collected in a multi-car accident coming to the finish line. The damage, however, was enough to force him out of the race in 36th place.

NICK SANCHEZ, No. 25 Better Compute Works Inc. Ford Mustang Dark Horse – WHAT DID YOU SEE IN FRONT OF YOU? “Not a whole lot. Obviously, there was a wreck on the bottom and I was committed middle-top and it came up to me and I got caught up in it. It’s really unfortunate for the whole AM Racing team. MCL, Better Compute Works and Ford. We had a really good car in the beginning and was able to drive up from the back. We were just racing hard and got collected, which sucks. That’s the second year in a row.”

DID YOU SEE THE REPLAY? “I don’t really know what was going on, honestly. I wasn’t really expecting them to wreck there. I mean, it’s not really a place you’d wreck, but someone wasn’t clear and it’s just super unfortunate. It’s still so early in the race and I know everyone is racing hard, but you also have a race to finish. It sucks that my team got caught up in it and I got caught up in it. We had a fast race car and nothing to show for it.”

HOW DID THE WIND AFFECT THE HANDLING? “Honestly, my car was super planted to the racetrack. I didn’t really pull out of line. I didn’t think my car was good enough to lead a line, so you probably saw me stay at the top quite a bit and stay tucked up, but my car was handling fine. I had one little moment, but other than that, the wind wasn’t really affecting me.”

YOUR FIRST RACE WITH FORD AND AM Racing AND FROM WHERE YOU STARTED YOU GOT TO THE FRONT, SO YOU HAD A FAST FORD MUSTANG. “Yeah. The Mustang Dark Horse was really fast and I think it’s just a testament to the team and Roush Yates Engines and everyone involved. It’s unfortunate to go out this early, but if you’re gonna go out, go out showing speed. Me and my team, and obviously Ford Racing, showed speed so I think we have a lot to look forward to in future races.”

Gio Ruggiero Earns First ARCA Win At Daytona

By
Briar Starr
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Photo by Patrick Sue-Chan for SpeedwayMedia.com

In just his 13th career ARCA Menards National Series start, Truck Series regular Gio Ruggiero earned his first career win in the series at Daytona International Speedway on a late race restart. The 20-year-old held off a late surging Jake Bollman off Turn 4 to grab the checkered flag after starting in the ninth position. The win was a bit of redemption for Ruggiero after being in contention to win Friday night’s race but ending up in the runner-up spot.

“Yeah, it’s awesome, obviously I wanted to win last night and came up short, so got one more to win in the afternoon (O’Reilly Auto Parts Series),” Ruggiero told Fox Sports 1 in his post-race interview. “The race got hectic there at the end. I was just trying to push our lane forward, and the 15 (Jake Finch) got squirrely in front of me and lost it. That was unfortunate for him, but I’m glad we came out with the win.”

Gio Ruggiero
Photo by Patrick Sue-Chan

The issue forced the No. 55 Nitro Motorsports car behind the wall after it failed to shift into gear and ran at low RPM, ending her bid for the win and any shot at a strong finish.

The ARCA Menards Series opened its 2026 season Saturday afternoon with the first race of the year. Veteran driver Gus Dean, who piloted the No. 25 Nitro Motorsports Toyota, claimed the pole Friday afternoon with a time of 49.13 seconds at 183.176 mph. It was his first pole since 2018 at the Illinois State Fairgrounds. His Nitro Motorsports teammate, Jake Bollman, originally had the pole, but his time was disallowed after failing post qualifying tech, which then moved Dean up a spot.

Like Friday night’s race, there were numerous stars in the field. They included YouTube sensation Cleetus McFarland, also known as Garrett Mitchell, making another career ARCA start. Bobby Dale Earnhardt, the grandson of the late Dale Earnhardt, was also in the field. The RAM Race for the Seat winner, Timothy “Mini” Tyrell, made his ARCA debut as well.

The race saw an action-packed originally scheduled 80 laps, but went into overtime following a late-race accident on the backstretch. It involved two race leaders and teammates, Finch and Dean, who wrecked each other after a strong push from Ruggiero. Finch went in front of the field and took Dean with him, resulting in a DNF for both cars. Fortunately, no other cars were involved in the incident.

Throughout the race, there were six cautions, including a final caution with two laps to go, that slowed the General Tire 200. The first caution came on Lap 6 for Mini Tyrell, who spun on the backstretch. The backstretch would be the place for a few more cautions. On Lap 17, Wesley Slimp in the No. 90 spun on the backstretch with a left-rear tire going down. Then, at Lap 39, just one lap before the halfway break on Lap 40, Caleb Costner in the No. 93 stalled on the back straightaway.

At the halfway mark, it was leader Daniel Dye, Ruggiero, Thomas Annunziata, Jack Wood, Dean, Bollman, Finch, Mitchell, Jason Kitzmiller and Isabella Robusto, rounding out the Top 10. Unfortunately for Robusto, who had a strong showing early and led at times, was pushed behind the wall for gear problems. The issue forced the No. 55 Nitro Motorsports car behind the wall after it failed to shift into gear and ran at low RPM, ending her bid for the win and any shot at a strong finish.

After the halfway break, Ruggiero showed some speed by trying to make the second line work. Two laps later, with 28 to go, another yellow flag was thrown as the No. 9 of Presley Sorah wrecked in Turns 3 and 4. The race went green shortly afterward, but the yellow came out once more with 13 laps to go when Alli Owens went up in smoke going into Turn 1. She spun and collected the No. 8 of Sean Corr, and both wound up wrecked. A brief red flag was displayed for oil cleanup.

Then, in a late race restart with eight to go, as the cars went on the backstretch, Jason Kitzmiller in the No. 97 pushed Thomas Annunziata into the No. 70 and sent him spinning toward the wall, bringing out an extended fifth caution. Due to this incident, the caution period was extended. Then, while running under caution in the 10th position, rookie Taylor Reimer began having mechanical issues. This forced her to go behind the wall and relegated her to a 30th-place finish due to a dead battery.

McFarland was running one lap down before the yellow, but he was able to get his lap back, thanks to the lucky dog.

With two laps to go, Finch and Dean were hoping to give Nitro Motorsports a banner day by finishing one-two with Ruggiero lurking in the third position. Unfortunately, the two Nitro cars were involved in a wreck, forcing the event into an overtime situation. This meant the white flag would be displayed at the same time as the green flag. There was a spin involving Tim Richmond on the backstretch on the last lap, but no yellow was thrown, allowing the event to stay green.

Ruggiero had enough momentum to hold off the cars behind him and grab the victory. It was his first win at Daytona.

“Coming here this weekend, obviously had three races and three chances to win, so that was my goal,” Ruggiero told MRN Radio in victory lane. “Still disappointed about last night, especially with the strong truck we had, but hats off to this 18-team. They brought such a fast car and did a really good job at the end there to make the moves that we did and came home with the win. We have one (O’Reilly Auto Parts Series) later in the day, so going to try and get two today. It’s a good way to start the day.”

The victory was a special one for Ruggiero as he won with the No. 18 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota with Coach Joe Gibbs in attendance and in victory lane. The number has held a lot of significance throughout the years in NASCAR. Ruggiero was able to add his name to the list of winners in the No. 18 car with the win.

“Yeah, it’s awesome, I’ve had a couple of close chances now to win in this car, especially losing some of the races on restarts, so I finally got one.”

The victory was Ruggiero’s first in his 13th ARCA Menards Series National platform start. Ruggiero led twice for six laps en route to victory.

Bollman, Kole Raz, Dye, Glen Reen, Wood, Kitzmiller, Ryan Vargas, Bobby Earnhardt, and Andy Jankowiak rounded out the top-10. Cleetus McFarland secured the 11th position.

There were seven cautions for 32 laps and seven lead changes with six different drivers.

Official Results Following The General Tire 200 at Daytona International Speedway

  1. Gio Ruggiero led six laps
  2. Jake Bollman
  3. Kole Raz
  4. Daniel Dye led 20 laps
  5. Glen Reen
  6. Jack Wood
  7. Jason Kitzmiller
  8. Ryan Vargas – led one lap
  9. Bobby Earnhardt
  10. Andy Jankowiak
  11. Garrett Mitchell
  12. Michael Maples
  13. Bryce Applegate
  14. A.J. Moyer
  15. Robbie Kennealy
  16. Takuma Koga
  17. Willie Mullins
  18. Bryce Haugeberg
  19. Hunter Deshautelle
  20. Jake Finch – led 32 laps
  21. Ed Pompa
  22. Eric Caudell
  23. Tim Richmond
  24. Charles Weslowski, 1 lap down
  25. Brad Smith, 2 laps down
  26. Thomas Annunziata, 2 laps down
  27. Presley Sorah, 2 laps down
  28. Bryan Dauzat, 4 laps down
  29. Gus Dean led 15 laps, OUT, Accident
  30. Taylor Reimer, 5 laps down
  31. Con Nicolopoulos, 6 laps down
  32. Caleb Costner, 12 laps down
  33. Sean Corr, OUT, Accident
  34. Alli Owens, OUT, Accident
  35. Wesley Slimp, OUT, Mechanical
  36. Alex Clubb, OUT, Mechanical
  37. Isabella Robusto – led 10 laps, OUT, Mechanical
  38. Timothy Tyrell, OUT, Mechanical
  39. Derek White, OUT, Mechanical
  40. Ryan Huff, OUT, Mechanical

Up Next – The next event for the ARCA Menards Series is the General Tire 150 at Phoenix Raceway, Thursday night, March 5th, live on FS1 at 6 p.m./ET. This will be a combination event with the ARCA Menards West Series.

Ford Racing Notes and Quotes – Ford Mustang Dark Horses Posts Five Fastest Speeds in Final Daytona 500 Practice

By
Official Release
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Ford Racing Notes and Quotes
NASCAR Cup Series
Daytona 500 Final Practice — Daytona International Speedway
Saturday, February 14, 2026

The top five speeds in today’s final Daytona 500 practice session were all Ford Mustang Dark Horses, led by the RFK Racing trio of Ryan Preece, Chris Buescher and Brad Keselowski. Penske teammates Ryan Blaney and Joey Logano were fourth and fifth, respectively.

Buescher, who drives the No. 17 Body Guard Ford Mustang Dark Horse, talked about going to a backup for tomorrow’s race and his hopes for ending up in Victory Lane.

CHRIS BUESCHER, No. 17 Body Guard Ford Mustang Dark Horse – HOW DO YOU FEEL IN THIS BACKUP FORD MUSTANG DARK HORSE? “I have a tremendous amount of confidence in this team and they’ve buckled down and hustled to clean this backup Ford Mustang Dark Horse with the No. 17 Body Guard colors and we’re rockin’ and rolling. It’s nice to take these Ford Mustangs and put them in a line and be able to put some speed up on the board. We know we were able to in the Duels, and I think we’ve got a good handle on it. We’ve got plenty of laps, so I’m ready for the 500 now. We get to watch this thing unfold at least for the drop of the green and work hard to go up there and be a part of it.”

FIVE FORDS AT THE TOP OF THE BOARD TODAY. DO YOU FEEL ALL OF THE OFFSEASON PREP HAS PAID OFF FOR YOUR ORGANIZATION TO BE IN POSITION TO WIN? “Yeah, absolutely. I think we always come to these speedways with a ton of speed and a lot of handling across the entire Ford camp. I’ll speak on RFK and say that if we can commit to that amount of teamwork that has become so important here, it will set us up for success at the end of 500 miles. I have no complaints. If I didn’t know it was a backup in my head ahead of time, I would say that’s our same race car. That’s exactly what you’re after when something like that does happen. It’s a good start to a recovery story right there.”

Casey Mears, driver of the No. 66 SI Yachts/Gracie Foundation Ford Mustang Dark Horse, will be starting 17th in tomorrow’s Daytona 500, which will be his 495th career Cup Series start. He spoke about making The Great American Race and how he feels after today’s final practice session.

CASEY MEARS, No. 66 SI Yachts/Gracie Foundation Ford Mustang Dark Horse – A LOT OF WORK HAS GONE ON WITH THIS FORD MUSTANG DARK HORSE THE LAST COUPLE OF DAYS. DO YOU FEEL YOU AND YOUR TEAM ARE READY FOR THE 500? “I think so. The key parts and pieces of the car, I know it was a big job to get it to where it is now, but the undertray and the heights and all that kind of stuff is the same, so we didn’t really bend much suspension. It was really slight, so I feel pretty good that the guys got it pretty close. Obviously, there could be some nuances. When I get in the draft, it could handle differently, but there’s really no such draft to test right now and see what it’s gonna be like. I’ll be the first to find out and you’ll probably be the second or third, but, right now, I think the guys did a really good job because not only did they have to rebuild this car, they had to disassemble a car and rebuild a car, so the work and effort and the time that it took to do it, I’m proud of these guys for the limited experience that we do have on this team. They all chipped in and got it done right.”

CAN YOU DESCRIBE THE LAST LAP IN THE DUEL RACE? “Just make it at all costs is the final thought, but leading into it on that final lap, Jimmie and a couple of other guys happened to be behind me. I was tail end of the lead pack and what I did was just roll out of it a little bit going into one and two to create a gap, otherwise you don’t get a run. Fortunately, I was able to back up to Jimmie and those guys and we were able to hook up and get some momentum going towards the pack going into turn three. There was a hole up top and I couldn’t believe it was wide open. I thought it would be three-wide, but when I got there the top was wide open. We hit it and I was able to pass two or three guys honestly, and then when they all started checking up we had the momentum. Thank God we were able to miss the 99. He shot up in front of me so quick that I made a quick reaction, slightly missed him, and then the 7 shot up in front of me so quick that there was nowhere to go. Thankfully, we hit him square. It didn’t tear the car up too bad and here we are, but I can tell you right now I sat there and watched that video probably 50-60 times that night and I didn’ get to sleep until about two o’clock in the morning. I had so many people texting and calling and wishing congratulations and then so many people – old fans reaching out through social media – and I just felt an obligation to respond back to them. They took the time out of their day, plus I was wound up and I couldn’t get to sleep anyway. So, I’m just real proud of everybody that’s involved, especially Bob Germain. Obviously, Carl Long and these guys bringing everything here to do it, but Bob has been a good friend of mine for a long time and he’s the one that really stepped up to make sure we can do this program.”

THIS WILL BE CUP START NUMBER 495, SO IT’S ANOTHER ON THE MARCH TO 500. WHAT DOES THIS MEAN TO GET ANOTHER ONE TOWARDS THAT GOAL? “It means a lot because going into this I didn’t know if we were gonna be able to check that box or not, so knowing that after the Daytona 500 there are five more that we need to get is definitely satisfying in itself. Being a part of this race is amazing. It’s definitely a different range of emotions now than it probably would have been 10 years ago. It’s a big race, but in the past I knew I would have been locked in and we would be able to just focus on doing our job and securing as many points as we can to start the season off right and win this race, but now I can look at it through a little bit different lens. I feel this is the bonus round. We’ve made it now past the hard part. Our job now on Sunday is to be competitive, show people that we can run with them, show them that I’m not out of control and in control and hopefully make some friends so when it comes down to the end of the race there are people that are willing to work with me.”

AM Racing Adds New Partners to Kick Off 2026 NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series Season

By
Official Release
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STATESVILLE, N.C. (FEBRUARY 14, 2026) — Ahead of its fourth season of NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series competition, AM Racing announced today the addition of two new marketing partners for the 2026 season, beginning with Saturday afternoon’s United Rentals 300 at Daytona (Fla.) International Speedway.

Better Compute Works will serve as the primary marketing partner on the team’s No. 25 Ford Mustang driven by former ARCA Menards Series champion and O’Reilly Auto Parts Series race winner Nick Sanchez in the 120-lap season opener.

Better Compute Works designs, builds and operates AI-native compute infrastructure for enterprises, governments and hyperscalers, delivering secure and scalable AI data center solutions worldwide.

Joining Better Compute Works at Daytona is MAR CARIBE LINE, a maritime transportation company founded on integrity and reliability and committed to connecting the Americas through superior shipping and logistics solutions.

AM Racing president Wade Moore said the addition of both organizations reflects the team’s continued growth entering the 2026 campaign.

“We are proud to welcome Better Compute Works and MAR CARIBE LINE to AM Racing as we begin our fourth season in the NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series,” said Moore.

“Both companies share our commitment to performance, innovation and long-term growth. Aligning with forward-thinking organizations like these strengthens our program both competitively and commercially and Daytona provides the perfect platform to launch those partnerships.”

The Statesville, N.C.-based organization returns to the 2.5-mile superspeedway following a top-10 finish in last year’s season opener — a performance that helped set the foundation for the team’s first NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series Playoff appearance.

Sanchez, a graduate of the NASCAR Drive for Diversity program, will make his third O’Reilly Auto Parts Series start at Daytona and looks to deliver AM Racing its first series victory in the organization’s 100th start.

“I’m excited to start the season at Daytona with Better Compute Works and MAR CARIBE LINE on board,” added Sanchez.

“This team made significant strides last year, and everyone at AM Racing has continued working hard in the offseason to build on that momentum. Daytona is one of the biggest stages in our sport, and we’re focused on putting ourselves in position to contend and represent our partners at the front.”

In addition to Sanchez, the Ford Racing organization will field a second entry in the first of two NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series races at Daytona this season, with local native Daniel Dye driving the No. 52 Champion Container Ford Mustang.

The United Rentals 300 (120 laps | 300 miles) is the first of thirty-three (33) NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series races on the 2026 schedule. The 38-car field will take the green flag shortly after 5:00 p.m., with live coverage on The CW Network, the Motor Racing Network (Radio), and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90.

About AM Racing:

AM Racing is a multi-tiered, multifaceted motorsports program headquartered in Statesville, N.C.

Established in December 2015, the organization prides itself on faith, honesty and intelligent performance.

Entering its 11th year of competition, AM Racing will compete across NASCAR’s national and developmental ranks during the 2026 season.

ARCA Menards Series at Daytona International Speedway: General Tire 200 Post-race Notes

By
Official Release
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Photo by Patrick Sue-Chan for SpeedwayMedia.com
  • Gio Ruggiero (No. 18 1st Auto Group Toyota) scored the victory in the ARCA Menards Series’ season-opening General Tire 200 at Daytona International Speedway. Ruggiero held off Jake Bollman (No. 20 SynerFuse Toyota) on a one-lap overtime dash to the checkered to win for the first time in his ARCA Menards Series career.
  • Ruggiero has three career NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series starts at Daytona and its sister track, Talladega Superspeedway. His worst finish is second, twice, at Daytona in 2025 and 2026 and he won at Talladega in 2025. It was his first career ARCA Menards Series start at Daytona.
  • Bollman turned the fastest lap in Sioux Chief PowerPEX Pole Qualifying, but his time was disallowed after an infraction in post-qualifying technical inspection relegating him to 33rd starting position. Bollman steadily worked his way through the field and missed two big accidents in the final ten laps to score his first career ARCA Menards Series top-five finish.
  • Kole Raz (No. 76 Breeze Hydrogen Fuels Ford) narrowly made the race on time, starting in the 32nd position. Raz was bumped into the field when Bollman’s time was disallowed; had that not happened, he would have missed the starting field due to not having enough owner points from 2025 to fall back on. Raz finished a career-best third driving for 2009 ARCA Menards Series championship-winning crew chief Mark Rette and team co-owner Terry Jones, who finished second in the 2017 ARCA Menards Series race at Daytona.
  • Hometown hero Daniel Dye (No. 24 Champion Container Ford) restarted on the front row for the final restart but didn’t get help from behind over the final lap and dropped to fourth at the finish. Dye, from nearby Deland, Florida, finished in the top five in both career ARCA Menards Series starts at Daytona; he was third in 2022.
  • Glen Reen (No. 07 New Wave Bath Ford) scored his second consecutive top-five finish in the ARCA Menards Series in fifth. Reen, a former regular in the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour, also finished fourth last year at Watkins Glen International. Reen was joined in the top ten by KLAS Motorsports teammate Andy Jankowiak (No. 71 Dak’s Markets Chevrolet), who finished tenth.
  • Jack Wood (No. 28 Road Ranger Chevrolet) finished sixth driving for last year’s race-winning and championship-winning team, Pinnacle Racing Group. Wood’s teammate Taylor Reimer (No. 77 BuzzBalls Chevrolet) was running in the top ten late in the race before being befallen with electrical issues that ended her day in 30th position.
  • Jason Kitzmiller was also relegated to the 34th starting position after his qualifying time was disallowed, but he expertly drove to the front of the field and notched his third consecutive top-ten finish at Daytona in seventh.
  • Ryan Vargas (No. 91 Maples Motorsports Ford) led for the first time in his ARCA Menards Series career when he crossed the line first to complete lap 24. Despite losing the lead before the completion of the next lap, Vargas stayed in the top ten the rest of the way and came home a career-best eighth.
  • Bobby Earnhardt (No. 89 SmartGrid Integrations Chevrolet) kept team owner Tim Goulet’s car in the front half of the field all afternoon, scoring an impressive ninth-place finish. Earnhardt is the only member of the Earnhardt family driving in competition during SpeedWeeks 25 years after the loss of his grandfather Dale Earnhardt on the final lap of the 2001 Daytona 500.
  • There were nine different organizations represented in the top ten: Joe Gibbs Racing in first, Nitro Motorsports in second, Rette Jones Racing in third, Sigma Performance Services in fourth, KLAS Motorsports in fifth and tenth, Pinnacle Racing Group in sixth, CR7 Motorsports in seventh. Michael Maples Motorsports in eighth, and RISE Racing in ninth.
  • There were seven lead changes among seven drivers; Sioux Chief PowerPEX Pole Award winner Gus Dean led the opening nine laps before ceding the lead to his Nitro Motorsports teammate Isabella Robusto (No. 55 Mobil 1 Toyota). Dye took the lead at lap 20 and led for four laps before Vargas led lad 24. Dye led again from lap 25 through lap 40, while Dean led from lap 41 through 46. Jake Finch (No. 15 Phoenix Toyota) led the most laps of the day, 31, from laps 47 through 78. He crashed from the lead on lap 79, sending the race into overtime and allowing Ruggiero to lead the final four laps.
  • Ruggiero’s winning margin of victory was 0.142 seconds; his winning average speed was 107.202 miles per hour. Twenty-three of the race’s 40 starters finished on the lead lap. Thirty-one drivers were still running at the finish; only three were out due to accidents.
  • The ARCA Menards Series returns to Daytona International Speedway in February for the 63rd Annual Daytona ARCA 200. On-track activity starts with practice on Thursday, February 12, with the starting field determined in qualifying on Friday, February 13. The Daytona ARCA 200 is set for noon on Saturday, February 14 and will be televised live on FOX. The race will also be broadcast on select affiliates of the MRN Radio network nationwide and can be heard on SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90. Live timing & scoring data for all on-track activities can be found at ARCARacing.com; follow @ARCA_Racing on X (formerly Twitter) for up-to-the-minute updates.

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. 

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