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Photo by Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images By Adam Carabine The second half of The Chase began this weekend, as the NASCAR Cup Series ‘played a home game’ at Charlotte Motor Speedway for the Bank of America 400. Chase Briscoe repeated his winning ways, visiting Victory Lane for the second straight week. Christopher Bell made a late push and nearly upset the 19, but Briscoe held on for the win. Bank of America 400 Top 5 Finishers: 1. Chase Briscoe 2. Christopher Bell 3. Ryan Blaney 4. Josh Berry 5. Denny Hamlin Top 5 NASCAR Cup Series Chase Standings After Charlotte 1. Kyle Larson 2,367 2. Denny Hamlin 2,318 3. Christopher Bell 2,316 4. Chase Briscoe 2,302 5. Ryan Blaney 2,282 What Happened in the Bank of America 400? The Cup Series’ fall return to Charlotte Motor Speedway had some thrills and spills on Sunday. With practice and qualifying once again rained out, the starting lineup was set by the NASCAR metric, meaning Kyle Larson started on the pole. He looked strong early, and essentially stayed up front all the way until winning Stage One. In Stage Two, Christopher Bell and his team showed some mettle. A mixture of savvy car adjustments and some well-timed assertiveness behind the wheel had Bell taking over the lead. Chase Briscoe was in the mix all day, but didn’t seem to have enough speed to contend. That changed in the final stage, as a fast pit stop put him in a great position to lead the race. With a caution coming out with around 60 to go, Briscoe took the lead and kept it until the very end. Christopher Bell charged late and nearly got him off the final corner, but Briscoe held on for a photo finish. Bell was notably frustrated after the race, but he’ll be able to take solace in the fact that his P2 finish moved him two points behind Denny Hamlin for P3 in the Championship Standings. Hamlin finished one spot ahead of leader Kyle Larson, but Larson had him beat on stage points. The gap from Larson to Denny is now 49 points in the hunt for the Championship. You can check out the full results of the Cup, O’Reilly Auto Parts, and Craftsman Truck Series races here. For a more comprehensive look, stick around to see how it all shook down, lap-by-lap! 2026 Bank of America 400 Lap-by-Lap Recap Lap 1: Green flag. It’s Kyle Larson on pole, and last week’s winner Chase Briscoe beside him on the front row. Lap 5: Tyler Reddick moves around Briscoe for P2. Larson’s lead is already 1 second. Lap 12: Corey Heim in the 67 has already moved up 11 spots since the start. Lap 25: Reddick is making some gains, cutting Larson's lead from 1.4 seconds to 0.9. Lap 31: Now Austin Cindric has caught up to Reddick and they’re battling for P2. Lap 32: Cindric takes the spot from Reddick. Lap 36: CAUTION – Competition Caution after practice and qualifying were rained out. Lap 38: Larson wins the race off of pit road. Lap 41: Back to green – It’s Larson and Briscoe again. There’s a big stack-up in Turn One. Initially it looks like a masterful save by Ty Gibbs, but he sustained too much damage after hitting the wall, and he ends up spinning, taking out Brad Keselowski with him. CAUTION comes out again. Lap 47: Green flag – Larson and Briscoe. Bubba Wallace, seemingly out of nowhere, makes it three-wide and takes the lead! Lap 59: Bubba had a fast short-run car, but Larson has caught up to him. A quick battle, but Larson retakes the lead. Lap 77: CAUTION – Big wreck! Alex Bowman got loose while below Bubba Wallace, overcorrected, and spun up, taking out Wallace with a huge hit. William Byron was an innocent bystander and couldn’t get checked up in time. The three of them would end up with DNFs after this incident. Because the caution came out with 4 to go in Stage One, this ends the stage. Kyle Larson wins, followed by 19, 20, 2, 45, 7, 67, 77, 17, 12. Lap 87: Back to green to start Stage Two. It’s the Larson and Briscoe show again up front. Lap 108: Christopher Bell takes the lead! Lap 117: CAUTION – John Hunter Nemechek goes around on his own – looks like a flat tire. Lap 118: Not a ton of damage at first for JHN, but he drove his car back to pit road too quickly, the tire came apart, and tore up the right front of the car. Lap 123: Green flag – Bell and Larson. Hamlin gives Larson the business and gets by him for P3. Larson fades back after the contact, but seems no worse for wear. Lap 138: Bell’s lead is up to 2 seconds now. Ryan Blaney behind him, then Hamlin, Reddick and Larson. Lap 165: Bell wins Stage Two – Followed by 12, 11, 5, 45, 2, 19, 21, 9, 77. Lap 167: Speeding penalty for Chase Elliott, he’ll restart in the rear. Lap 173: The final stage is GREEN. Blaney and Larson on the front row. Bell decisively takes the lead from P3 on the restart. Lap 180: It’s still Bell leading. Then Briscoe, Blaney, Larson and Hamlin. Lap 200: Briscoe is making some time up on Bell in the lead. Bell had a 2 second lead, but now it’s 1.1s. Briscoe’s making quick work riding the fence. Lap 205: CAUTION - Gray Gaulding in the 66 spins after getting his nose cut off by Tyler Reddick. Lap 207: Rough stop for Ryan Blaney on pit road, he loses five spots. Lap 211: Green flag – an amazing pit stop by Chase Briscoe’s team puts him out front, and then Bell beside him. Lap 218: 50 to go. Briscoe with Bell right behind him. Then it’s Hamlin, Larson and Reddick rounding out the Top 5. Lap 228: It seems like Bell’s car is faster, but he’s not able to make the pass on Briscoe who is defending well. Lap 233: Briscoe’s car might be better on the long run – he’s extending his lead now. Lap 243: Briscoe’s lead is now 2 seconds over Bell. Lap 245: Both Bell and Reddick are struggling with loose cars. Bell has lost almost another second to the leader, while Reddick has fallen to P7. Lap 246: Ryan Blaney is the fastest car on track. But with 22 laps left, and 6 seconds between him and the lead, it’s going to be tough to make up the time fast enough. Lap 255: Briscoe’s now having a few difficulties managing lapped traffic. With a healthy lead over Bell, he might just be trying to save his equipment. His lead has fallen to 2 seconds again. Lap 259: Huge wobble by Denny Hamlin, Blaney ends up capitalizing and taking P3 from him. Lap 261: Josh Berry on an impressive run takes P5 from Larson. Lap 266: Bell is now a second back – is there enough time? A lap and a half! Lap 267: CRAZY FINISH. We would later learn that Briscoe had a right front tire coming apart. Christopher Bell just kept gaining and gaining, suddenly they were side-by-side coming off of Turn 4 on the last lap. Bell unintentionally made contact and the two cars got sideways for a minute. It was a photo finish for the two drivers, with Briscoe ahead by a nose! Chase Briscoe holds on and gets the victory, his second in a row! Chase Briscoe Wins Second Straight Race, Earns His Third Win of the Year This was Chase Briscoe’s 3rd win of 2026 after a win at Chicagoland earlier this year, and a win last weekend in Las Vegas. This was his 8th win of his Cup Series career, in his 212th start. It was also his first win at Charlotte. Briscoe moves from 6th to 4th in the Chase Standings. He was 84 points behind leader Kyle Larson, but gained nineteen points on him after this second win in a row. What's Next? Next weekend is the seventh race of The Chase, as NASCAR heads out west to visit Phoenix Raceway. Ryan Blaney won the spring race there earlier this year. This is the first time in a while that the fall Phoenix race won’t be the final race of the year as this year’s finale has been moved to Homestead-Miami.

NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series Series Results from the Ecosave 200 at Charlotte Ecosave 200 Logo NASCAR O'Reilly Auto Parts Series Results from the Blue Cross NC 300 at Charlotte Blue Cross NC 300 Logo NASCAR Cup Series Results from the Bank of America 400 at Charlotte Bank of America 400 Logo

Photo from www.x.com/f1 By Ryan Wu George Russell capitalized on his pole position to win the closest race in Formula 1 in 24 years. Russell started from pole after Championship leader Kimi Antonelli crashed out during qualifying and looked to pull away to a dominant race win. However, chaos ensued when two safety cars nullified his 10 second lead and allowed Max Verstappen to close the gap. The final lap then began and Russell had generated a small lead but a Valtteri Bottas crash at Turn 15 brought out the yellow flags which forced the two drivers vying for the race win to slow down and allowed Verstappen to gain further ground. Russell then reported that he had a turbo failure and the two cars essentially had a drag race towards the finish in which Russell ultimately won by 0.196 seconds. Race control at the end of the race shared that a virtual safety car was not deployed as they deemed that drivers could have cut the apex at Turn 15 to avoid Bottas’ stranded car. Their decision ultimately proved to be the right one from an entertainment perspective as it allowed for a dramatic finish. Isack Hadjar rounded out the podium places which gave Red Bull its first double podium finish of 2026 and brought the team within 43 points of McLaren for third place in the Constructors Championship Race Recap All 22 drivers managed to get through the opening lap of the race unscathed as Oscar Piastri jumped a spot to claim second place over Charles Leclerc when the lights went out. Antonelli was up to ninth position by lap 23 as he sliced and diced his way up the order and Lando Norris narrowly avoided disaster as he locked up into turn one on lap 30 to drop from seventh to ninth place. It appeared as if the race would progress without much drama until a lap later when Alex Albon crashed on lap 31 which required the deployment of the safety car. Once racing resumed, the two Alpines collided into turn 1 and took out Norris as well. It was an unfortunate end to the day for Pierre Gasly and Franco Colapinto as Alpine was looking at a likely double points finish. This incident drew the ire of the reigning World Champion Norris as he was quoted after the race saying “Just some drivers that shouldn’t be in Formula 1, to be honest.” comments for which he has since apologized to Colapinto. Colapinto had missed his breaking point and collided with Gasly who then hit Norris. Just behind them, Arvid Lindblad of the Racing Bulls also hit his own teammate Liam Lawson but both drivers managed to stay within the race and Lindblad claimed a great points finish by crossing the line in seventh with his own drag race with Esteban Ocon in a fight to claim the position. The race ultimately ended with six drivers not finishing and the win by Russell along with a 5th place finish by Antonelli closed the Championship points gap to 66 points in favor of the Italian phenom. With eight races remaining, it was a massive result for the English driver vying for his maiden title. Racing Refresh Driver of the Day George Russell, Mercedes Final Points Finishing Positions 1st: George Russell 2nd: Max Verstappen 3rd: Isack Hadjar 4th: Charles Leclerc 5th: Kimi Antonelli 6th: Lewis Hamilton 7th: Arvid Lindblad 8th: Esteban Ocon 9th: Oliver Bearman 10th: Carlos Sainz Next on the F1 Schedule: Bahrain Grand Prix: October 2nd-4th

Photo by Chris Graythen/Getty Images By Adam Carabine The Chase reached the halfway point this past weekend, with a return to Las Vegas Motor Speedway for the South Point 400. Chase Briscoe exorcised last week’s demons and found his way to Victory Lane after a dominating day. Despite a late charge from Kyle Larson and Tyler Reddick, he took the win and moved himself up into the Top 6 of the Chase Standings. South Point 400 Top 5 Finishers: 1. Chase Briscoe 2. Kyle Larson 3. Tyler Reddick 4. Austin Cindric 5. Ryan Blaney Top 5 NASCAR Cup Series Chase Standings After Las Vegas 1. Kyle Larson 2,318 2. Denny Hamlin 2,278 3. Christopher Bell 2,263 4. Joey Logano 2,247 5. Ryan Blaney 2,238 What Happened in the South Point 400? The race had some lulls along the way, but it shaped its way toward a very dramatic finish. Chase Briscoe dominated the day, leading 175 laps. However, it was not a completely clean path to the finish for the 19 car. As the laps ticked down, Kyle Larson and Tyler Reddick were right on his tail, and Briscoe was navigating lapped traffic. A dramatic final turn saw Larson hit the outside wall and collect Tyler Reddick, who spun toward pit road. Larson somehow managed to keep going and finish second, while Reddick crossed the finish line in third despite being down on pit road. Briscoe, grateful for the drama behind him, crossed the finish line first, earning his second win on the season (after his win earlier at Chicagoland). Denny Hamlin’s Chase odds took another hit, as he spun late in the first stage. The damage wasn’t enough to end his day, but he struggled to find real speed again, and finished P16. Combined with Kyle Larson’s P2 finish, that created a 40-point gap in the hunt for the Championship. You can check out the full results of the Cup, O’Reilly Auto Parts, and Craftsman Truck Series races here. For a more comprehensive look, stick around to see how it all shook down, lap-by-lap! 2026 South Point 400 Lap-by-Lap Recap Lap 1: Green flag to start the race. Denny Hamlin on the pole, with teammate Ty Gibbs beside him. Somehow Cody Ware spins right at the start-finish line, but he gets it collected and there is no caution. Lap 8: Another tribute for Kyle Busch, particularly touching as Busch was a Las Vegas native. Fans waved flags, raised 8 fingers in the air, and celebrated the late driver. Lap 20: Kyle Larson has dropped a bunch of spots, he’s not pleased with his car. The first six cars on the track are all Toyotas. Lap 29: Ryan Blaney has moved up 10 spots since the start, now he’s in 10th. Sounds like green flag pit stops are coming up in about 10 or so laps. Lap 34: Larson is the first to pit, and they take 26 seconds to make some major adjustments on pit road. That’ll set him back quite a bit, but they’re hopeful they’ve fixed some of the problems. Lap 35: More takers on pit road, as no one wants to be left behind. Lap 38: Ty Gibbs gets a pass-through penalty for speeding on pit road. Lap 39: Larson’s long pit stop has now put him a lap down. Lap 41: Final few pitters here. Tyler Reddick is reporting a voltage issue, and it might be affecting his cool suit. (It’s notably the hottest race of the year) Lap 42: Denny Hamlin is back to the lead as the pit cycle is nearly fully done. Chase Briscoe is P2, then Christopher Bell. Lap 44: CAUTION – Zane Smith spins on his own. Lap 46: Some pitters here, but not many as pit road opens under this caution. Lap 50: Green flag, Chase Briscoe and Christopher Bell on the front row. Lap 78: Denny Hamlin SPINS with three to go in the stage! There’s no caution! Lap 80: Chase Briscoe wins Stage One, followed by 20, 12, 45, 2, 7, 23, 77, 48, 71. Lap 82: Slow stop on pit road for Austin Cindric as a couple of his pit crew trip over each other. Tyler Reddick pitted multiple times during this stage break to replace a battery and try to diagnose his voltage issue. Lap 88: Stage Two is green. Chase Briscoe and Daniel Suarez. Lap 93: CAUTION – Debris at the end of pit road. Lap 96: A fairly even split of drivers pitting and staying out here. Lap 99: Green flag, Briscoe and Joey Logano this time. Lap 120: The Top 5 right now – Briscoe, Bell, Blaney, Logano, and Chris Buescher. Lap 126: 40 to go in Stage Two, and green flag pit stops are starting up again. Brad Keselowski is the first one down pit road. Lap 130: Briscoe pits from the lead. Lap 143: Not everyone has pit yet, Briscoe is going to be the leader once the cycle is complete, but he’s still in 6th with fresh tires and fuel. Lap 155: Briscoe up to P5, as it looks like the others who haven’t pit are going to try to stretch this to the end of the stage. Lap 158: Briscoe’s fresh tires are making a huge difference. He’s up to P2 now. Lap 163: Briscoe takes the lead back from Austin Cindric. Lap 165: Chase Briscoe wins Stage Two. Followed by 2, 20, 12, 23, 22, 9, 24, 17, 5. Lap 172: Final stage is green, Briscoe and Blaney. It’s a good restart for Blaney but Briscoe does get to keep the lead. Lap 213: Ty Gibbs is the first to pit. There’s 55 left in the race, which is pushing it but doable. Lap 216: More and more pit road takers after Ty Gibbs opened the floodgates. Briscoe pits from the lead too. Lap 219: Briscoe will hold serve on pit road. The cycle isn’t complete yet, but he’ll retake the lead. However, keep an eye on Bubba Wallace, who’s on his tail! Lap 221: Ryan Blaney pits quite a bit later than the others. He’s losing time to their fresher tires, but maybe his tires will last longer at the end? That’s the hope for him, at least. Lap 227: Christopher Bell leads, but still hasn’t pit. Briscoe is right behind him. Lap 228: Both Briscoe and Wallace pass Bell, he’s still not pitting. Lap 233: 35 to go, Bubba Wallace is only 0.2s behind Briscoe for the lead. Lap 238: Wallace took a run at Briscoe for the lead. Briscoe managed to block, and it slowed him down a bit. Meanwhile, Kyle Larson is P3 and catching up. Lap 242: Briscoe now coming up to some lapped traffic. A bunch of cars all stuck together which could be a challenge to navigate. Wallace and Larson are lurking, waiting for their chance. Lap 249: The traffic is slowing Briscoe up! Lap 253: Briscoe is still in the lead. Wallace is 0.3s back, Larson is 0.7s back, and watch out for Tyler Reddick also making gains, he’s 1.4s back. Lap 256: Larson passes Bubba Wallace for P2! Lap 258: 10 laps left. The gap between first and fourth is only one second! Briscoe still holds the lead. Lap 259: Reddick passes Bubba Wallace now, he’s up to P3. Lap 264: Now Reddick is on Larson’s tail for P2 – is there enough time left? Lap 265: 3 to go – Briscoe’s lead is 0.5 seconds. Lap 266: Now the Top Three are all nose to tail! Lap 267: Final lap! As they come around the final corner, Larson pushes too hard and hits the outside wall. He ends up coming down and cutting off Tyler Reddick’s nose, sending him spinning toward pit road. Chase Briscoe holds on and gets the victory! Larson finishes P2, and Reddick, even though he’s now down on pit road, crosses the start-finish line in third. Chase Briscoe Earns His Second Win of the Year This was Chase Briscoe’s second win of 2026 after a win at Chicagoland earlier this year. This was his 7th win of his Cup Series career, in his 211th start. It was also his first win at Las Vegas. Briscoe moves up to 6th in the Chase Standings. He’s still 84 points behind leader Kyle Larson, but has some positive momentum on his side. What's Next? Next weekend is the sixth race of The Chase, as NASCAR returns home to Charlotte Motor Speedway. Originally, this race was to be held on the Roval, but NASCAR swapped it for the oval earlier this year. Daniel Suarez won the Coca-Cola 600 earlier this year at Charlotte.

by Crystal Clay LAS VEGAS — Chase Briscoe came to Las Vegas looking to put Kansas behind him. He left with the trophy—and, by his own joking account, avoided a rough flight home with crew chief James Small. “I don’t think I would have been able to get on the plane. They would have all kicked my butt,” Briscoe said after Sunday’s South Point 400. LAS VEGAS, NEVADA - OCTOBER 04: Chase Briscoe, driver of the #19 Bass Pro Shops Toyota, celebrates after winning the NASCAR Cup Series South Point 400 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway on October 04, 2026 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Chris Graythen/Getty Images) When a reporter reminded him that Small had threatened to throw him off the building if he lost again, Briscoe added, “I was scared to death to see him if I didn’t pull that one off.” Briscoe made sure he wouldn’t have to find out. He swept both stages, led 175 of 267 laps and held on to win by 1.376 seconds for his second NASCAR Cup Series victory of the season. The win moved him up two spots in the Chase standings with five races remaining. The margin looked comfortable on the results sheet, but the closing laps were anything but. Larson and Tyler Reddick cut Briscoe’s lead to less than four-tenths of a second with a lap to go. Larson hit the wall in the final corner while pushing toward Briscoe, and Reddick made contact with Larson before sliding across the infield grass. Larson recovered to finish second and Reddick slid across the finish in third. Briscoe said he watched mostly through the windshield, checking the mirror when Larson got close. The aero effect made it a guessing game. In Turns 1 and 2, Briscoe tried to cover Larson’s line. In Turns 3 and 4, he focused on hitting the bottom and slowing the corner enough to make a pass difficult. “I hope that was a good race,” Briscoe said. “From my seat there at the end, I don’t know what else you could want from a cat and mouse standpoint.” The Kansas loss had been hard to shake. Briscoe said he’d been in “a not very fun mental place” after losing the lead late the week before. This time, with Larson charging, Briscoe held on. Small said the final 10 laps were stressful, with the No. 19 navigating a thick pack of traffic. He said Briscoe’s car handled traffic better than it had at Kansas, although balancing the car in clean and dirty air remained difficult. LAS VEGAS, NEVADA - OCTOBER 04: Chase Briscoe, driver of the #19 Bass Pro Shops Toyota, takes a bow in tribute to the late Kyle Busch after winning the NASCAR Cup Series South Point 400 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway on October 04, 2026 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Chris Graythen/Getty Images) The win carried extra meaning during a weekend honoring Kyle Busch, who died in May. Busch was a Las Vegas native, and Briscoe said winning at his hometown track was meaningful. Larson, whose No. 5 carried a tribute paint scheme, said he wished he could have won in the car honoring Busch. Joe Gibbs said the tributes reflected how much Busch meant to people throughout the sport. Winning at Busch’s home track made the moment especially significant for the team. “On the front stretch to be able to do a bow, it was special for sure. Yeah, just miss him, truthfully. Still doesn’t feel real,” said Briscoe. Larson’s second-place finish increased his championship lead over Denny Hamlin from 26 points to 40. Hamlin finished 16th after a mid-race spin. Christopher Bell finished 23rd after losing power steering, while Ty Gibbs who started on row 1 finished 17th. Five races remain in the Chase. Briscoe knew the win didn’t erase the Kansas disappointment. But it kept him in the title fight…and, for now, off the roof.

By Crystal Clay LAS VEGAS —The old adage “never meet your heroes” doesn’t quite fit Cam Carraway. The candy-loving kid who rooted for Kyle Busch and his unapologetic persona grew into “Cam-Man,” a 16 year old Castro Valley, California racer with a larger-than-life identity of his own. Carraway was deeply devastated when he learned of Busch’s untimely passing. In the weeks that followed, he struggled to process the loss. His mother, April, said he still talks about how empty race weekends feel and how unfair the loss was to him. Kyle Busch poses with young fan Cam Carraway at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. Carraway says Busch inspired him to race. Courtesy the Carraway family. “I felt like something was missing, taken from me,” Carraway said. Busch “The Candyman” was the driver who first drew Carraway into racing. As a young child, Carraway watched NASCAR on repeat and gravitated toward Busch’s red No.18 Skittles car. “I loved candy, and one of my favorites was Skittles. So I gravitated toward that red Skittles car.” — Cam Carraway His parents, April and Raymond, had no racing background. But when 6-year-old Cam saw children racing quarter midgets at their local fairgrounds and told his mother he wanted to give it a try, they found him lessons so he could learn the basics before taking the track. “I got a little bit of race experience,” he said. “Once I ran my first-ever race, I never stopped.” Cam Carraway holds a checkered flag while sitting in a quarter midget as his father, Raymond, stands behind him. Courtesy the Carraway family. Carraway has since had opportunities to speak with Busch as a youth reporter and through his behind-the-scenes series, “A Cam’s Eye View,” where he shares his racing life and supports causes including Joshua’s Gift, an autism-awareness nonprofit. He holds the memory of racing against Busch at Millbridge Speedway in an A-class micro sprint close to his heart. He’s also raced with Busch’s son, Brexton, at Madera Speedway, where they were teammates competing in different classes. The Kyle Busch Classic brought Carraway back to the Las Vegas Bullring, a track he knows well. He started 11th in the Nascimiento Motorsports No. 21 car and finished ninth after recovering a late-race spin in Turn 2. The Bullring is part of Carraway’s own history. Just like Busch, he made his first late model start there and remembers racing quarter midgets at a track near the Las Vegas Strip. He also attended his first NASCAR Cup Series race at Las Vegas Motor Speedway to see Busch. Cam Carraway poses with his parents, April and Raymond, and Pit Boss, the Las Vegas Motor Speedway mascot, beside his late model at The Bullring. (2023) Courtesy the Carraway family. “Vegas is our second home,” he said. “There’s just a lot of core memories in my life that I’ve made at this racetrack.” The weekend carries special meaning for Busch’s family and fans. The Las Vegas native and his older brother, Kurt, grew up racing at The Bullring. At the Kyle Busch Classic, Busch’s family was on hand as his son, Brexton, waved the green flag for the CARS Tour West Pro Late Model race. The night before, Carraway joined the Busch family and other industry professionals as Busch was inducted into the West Coast Stock Car Motorsports Hall of Fame. If he had one more chance to speak with Busch, Carraway said, he would thank him for his impact. “I just can’t thank you enough for the influence you’ve had on the sport and on my life,” he said. Carraway has his eyes set on his future in racing. He practiced in an ARCA ride for the first time last week and feels ready for an opportunity to compete in the series next season. Busch’s competitive drive and personality helped shape the racer and Carraway hopes to become: a winner who leaves a strong impression on fans. The 2-time NASCAR Champion’s influence on Carraway went beyond the results. “When I was that little, I didn’t understand why people didn’t like Kyle Busch that much,” Carraway said. He later came to understand some of the criticism, but remained drawn to Busch’s magnetic personality. Carraway hopes to win consistently and build a personality fans will remember, too. Carraway with the backdrop of the iconic Bellagio Fountains in Las Vegas. (Courtesy the Carraway family). NASCAR’s return to Las Vegas — its first stop in Busch’s hometown since his death — brings a weekend of tributes to the track where the brothers got their starts. Larson will drive a Busch tribute car in Sunday’s South Point 400, and Kurt will bring the field the green flag as the honorary pace car driver. The speedway also honored Busch with a Lap 8 “Moment of Rowdy,” a display of his championship car and trophy, and permanent tributes, including streets named Rowdy Road and Busch Brothers Drive. For Carraway, the weekend is a chance to remember the driver who first inspired him and to keep carrying that influence onto the track at a place he calls home.

by Crystal Clay LAS VEGAS — Corey Day thought Carson Kvapil had him beat. Then Day found speed up by the wall. The Hendrick Motorsports rookie and Kvapil traded the lead four times in the final 12 laps of Saturday’s Focused Health 302 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. After Kvapil moved ahead with three laps remaining, Day surged back past him on the next lap and held on to win by 0.287 seconds. Courtesy Yulanda Gilliam/PBY Media. Day, 20, started from the pole, won the opening stage and led a career-high 136 of 201 laps. The victory was his third in the NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series, and his first since Dover earlier this season. “I really thought that was it,” Day said of Kvapil getting to his inside late in the race. “I didn’t think there was really another lane that I could get by him in.” Day had spent much of the race running in the middle lane, but found grip near the fence when he needed it. “Fortunately enough, I just kind of went to the fence and found speed there,” he said. “I was able to get back to his inside, and I put him away there for a couple laps. He got back to me, but, yeah, I was just able to find enough.” The move came with Day’s car tight and Kvapil’s loose, the drivers said afterward. Day kept his foot down through the closing laps, even as he brushed the wall. “I thought that was my best opportunity to win, was to stay on the throttle as hard as I could,” Day said. “I wasn’t listening, that’s for sure.” Kvapil, 23, led three laps and was looking for his third win of the season, after victories at Indianapolis and Iowa. He said his car worked well on the bottom, but Day’s late run on the high side made the difference. “I knew once I got in front of him what would be best for me was to run the bottom,” Kvapil said. “He ran the top and just hit a perfect corner.” Day called the battle a potential race-of-the-year candidate, though he said being the driver under attack was more stressful than fun. He had led most of the race and didn’t want to give away the win in the closing laps. The result also mattered for Day’s championship hopes. He entered the race fifth in the standings, with five races remaining, and said his team needed a strong points day after a difficult stretch. Day also called Las Vegas his favorite track, recalling that it was the site of his first top-five run in a stock car. Reigning series champion Jesse Love finished third. Brent Crews was fourth, followed by Taylor Gray and Sam Mayer, who rebounded to finish sixth after a pit-road penalty sent him to the rear during the Stage 2 break. Mayer had won the second stage and led 40 laps. The race was a setback for regular-season champion Justin Allgaier. On Lap 55, he was collected when Brandon Jones’ car drifted into his No. 7 Chevrolet in Turn 2. Both drivers were towed to the garage. Allgaier returned with 84 laps remaining and completed one lap, finishing 34th. He dropped from second to fourth in the standings, 31 points behind leader Sheldon Creed. “It’s been pretty frustrating,” Allgaier said. “But we’ll go next week and try to win another race.” The NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series heads to Charlotte Motor Speedway next Saturday for the Blue Cross NC 250.

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Photo by Chris Graythen/Getty Images By Adam Carabine The Chase continued again this past weekend, with a return to the historic Bristol Motor Speedway, and the Bass Pro Shops Night Race. Perhaps overshadowed by a post-race fight on pit road, Joey Logano was in the right place at the right time, and capitalized on others’ mistakes to get his third victory of the year! The win shot Joey Logano up to third in The Chase standings – a remarkable run for the veteran three-time Cup Champion, who was outside of the playoff picture earlier in the summer. Bass Pro Shops Night Race Top 5 Finishers: Joey Logano Kyle Larson Carson Hocevar Christopher Bell Ty Gibbs Top 5 NASCAR Cup Series Chase Standings After Bristol Kyle Larson 2,206 Denny Hamlin 2,205 Joey Logano 2,190 Christopher Bell 2,189 Ty Gibbs 2,164 What Happened in the Bass Pro Shops Night Race? Joey Logano capitalized on some beating and banging from the two front-runners, Ty Gibbs and Carson Hocevar, and took the victory. There was some controversial contact between Hocevar and Ryan Blaney earlier in the race as well, which led to a fight on pit road as Joey Logano was celebrating his win. Blaney had one of the better cars on the day, and led a field-best 202 laps, but ultimately finished with a DNF after contact with Hocevar. Kyle Larson managed to pass Denny Hamlin for the lead in the points standings by a single point – the first time we’ve had a new leader in the standings since Sonoma in June. You can check out the full results of the Cup, O’Reilly Auto Parts, and Craftsman Truck Series races here. For a more comprehensive look, stick around to see how it all shook down, lap-by-lap! 2026 Bass Pro Shops Night Race Lap-by-Lap Recap Lap 1: With practice and qualifying being rained out, NASCAR’s metric had Kyle Larson starting the race on the pole with Joey Logano beside him. Lap 18: Big tributes for the late Kyle Busch at this lap. Bristol being one of Kyle Busch’s best tracks, and with Ty Gibbs driving in an M&M’s throwback scheme, the entire crowd were given Rowdy towels and they waved them with pride at lap 18 in his honour. Lap 40: CAUTION – A competition caution due to the weather cancelling practice and qualifying. Josh Berry gets the free pass. Lap 43: 8 cars stayed out as pit road opens. Larson wins the race off pit road, but won’t have the lead after all of Team Penske and a few others stayed on the track. Lap 49: Green flag, Joey Logano and Austin Cindric. Lap 64: Ty Dillon pits on his own, with an unscheduled stop after a brush with the wall. Lap 94: CAUTION – Erik Jones is around! Lap 101: Back to green, Logano and Cindric again. Lap 125: Joey Logano wins Stage One after not pitting the entire time. He’s followed by 5, 11, 1, 54, 12, 2, 77, 6, and 23. Lap 128: 16 cars stayed out on this round of pit stops. Lap 137: Green flag for the start of Stage Two. It’s Ryan Blaney and William Byron on the front row. Lap 190: Blaney still leads, he’s 1.25s ahead of Bubba Wallace who is now P2. Lap 200: Chase Elliott goes a lap down, as Blaney is ruthlessly lapping just about everyone. Lap 221: Top Five check-in – Blaney then Bubba Wallace, Josh Berry, Ty Gibbs, Joey Logano. Lap 248: CAUTION – Cody Ware spins after going three-wide with Ricky Stenhouse Jr. and Denny Hamlin. Since there are three laps left, this signals the end of Stage Two. Blaney wins it, followed by 54, 22, 21, 20, 23, 77, 24, 5, 17. Lap 253: Blaney wins the race off of pit road. Lap 262: Green flag, Blaney and Ty Gibbs on the front row. Lap 288: Ty Gibbs is maneuvering all over the track, trying different lines to pass Blaney – no luck yet. Lap 325: Gibbs finally gets it done, and passes Blaney for the lead. Gibbs, who won here in the spring, looks strong. Lap 345: Good battle for the lead here as Blaney hasn’t completely gone away. Gibbs keeps the lead for now, but they’re now stuck in some lapped traffic too, making things harder. Lap 378: Josh Berry pits – starting some green flag pit stops (at Bristol?!) Lap 379: Kyle Larson to pit road, which triggers mass exodus as everyone tries to get new tires and fuel. Lap 387: Ty Gibbs pits from the lead. Blaney takes it back for now. Lap 397: Blaney pits from the lead, but WAIT – there’s a CAUTION! Blaney was past the pit road commitment line but quickly aborted and came back on track. Riley Herbst brought out the yellow with some issues of his own. It’s a bit of a weird scoring anomaly, as there were technically only two cars on the lead lap at the time of caution. One being Carson Hocevar in the lead, and the other being Ryan Blaney, who is now under penalty for a commitment line violation. NASCAR takes some time to sort out the issues. Lap 406: Back to green. Hocevar is the leader, with 7 cars taking the wave around and getting back on the lead lap. Meanwhile Ryan Blaney is now way at the back, still on the lead lap, but at the tail end of the longest line for his commitment line penalty. Lap 420: Hocevar’s lead over Ty Gibbs is up to 2 seconds now. Lap 429: CAUTION – Ty Gibbs tries to go through the middle of Alex Bowman and Cole Custer. There was room at first, but it seemed like maybe Bowman didn’t realize they were three-wide and came up. Bowman got the worst of it, spinning and ending his day. Ty Gibbs might have a bit of damage, but it’s too soon to see if it will cost him any speed. Lap 435: Not many takers on pit road. Lap 442: Back to green, Ty Gibbs and Ryan Blaney on the front row. Does Gibbs’ car have what it takes to stay up front after the damage? Lap 443: CAUTION – William Byron is around on the backstretch. Hocevar had a crazy restart, from third on the outside row to P2 after he took just two right-side tires on that last caution. Lap 449: As they come to the choose, Hocevar actually gives up a spot and picks the outside row behind leader Ty Gibbs, rather than the front row next to him. Lap 450: Green flag – Gibbs with Larson beside him. Lap 454: Larson is fading on older tires. Gibbs leads, followed by Hocevar, Blaney and then Larson in P4. Lap 456: Side-by-side battling between Hocevar and Blaney for P2! It’s getting spicy! Lap 457: CAUTION – Hocevar SPINS Ryan Blaney, sending him into the wall. Blaney is DONE for the day, as he can’t get the car fired back up. Lap 466: Green flag, Ty Gibbs and Kyle Larson. Lap 467: Hocevar back up to P2 on this restart. He likes that outside line. Lap 477: CAUTION – Chase Elliott spins on his own. Lap 484: We’re nearing the end of the race. Green flag, with Gibbs and Larson on the front row. Both Hocevar and Christopher Bell gave up positions to be on the outside lane again. Lap 486: Hocevar dives to the inside and gets the LEAD from Ty Gibbs! But there’s a CAUTION – AJ Allmendinger spins, bringing out the yellow. NASCAR determines that Gibbs was still the leader at the time of the caution. Lap 492: Green flag with Gibbs and Larson again on the front row. Lap 493: Hocevar takes the lead with another incredible restart! Lap 494: As Gibbs and Hocevar trade blows, each vying for the lead, Joey Logano comes out of nowhere and gets to the front! Lap 500: Joey Logano wins at Bristol! Gibbs and Hocevar ended up battling too hard and weren’t able to catch up to the 22 car in the final five laps. Joey Logano Gets His Third Win of the Season, Moves up to Third in the Chase Standings. This was Joey Logano’s third win of the season, after winning at North Wilkesboro and Richmond earlier this year. It’s a milestone 40th career Cup Series win, in his 645th start. Most importantly, Logano’s hot streak recently has moved him up to third in the Chase Standings, making him a legitimate threat to match Jeff Gordon’s four career Cup Championships. What's Next? Next weekend is the fourth race of The Chase, as NASCAR returns to Kansas Speedway – where Tyler Reddick won from the pole earlier this year.

Photo from www.x.com/f1 By Ryan Wu For the first time this season there was a Grand Prix winner that does not drive for Ferrari or Mercedes. Lando Norris won the Hungarian Grand Prix in decisive fashion, finishing 15s ahead of second place Max Verstappen and scoring his first win as a F1 World Champion. It has been a mostly trying year for the reigning World Champion as he now finds himself fifth in the Championship race, 91 points back of leader Kimi Antonelli who extended his lead on Lewis Hamilton to 50 points. Race Recap Lando Norris started on pole position, while his McLaren teammate Oscar Piastri lined up third after originally qualifying fifth. Piastri gained two places on the grid after Lewis Hamilton and Andrea Antonelli each received three-place grid penalties. Hamilton was penalized for impeding Piastri during qualifying, while Antonelli was sanctioned for a yellow flag infringement. Piastri wasted little time taking the lead, overtaking Norris into Turn 2 after Norris ran wide. The two McLarens quickly pulled clear of the chasing pack, led by Max Verstappen and Hamilton. Meanwhile, George Russell endured another frustrating weekend after accidentally engaging the anti-stall system at the start, causing him to lose 15 positions. Hamilton attempted an undercut by pitting on lap 14, with Verstappen responding a lap later. The strategy allowed Hamilton to emerge ahead of both Arvid Lindblad and Verstappen. However, Verstappen soon fought back, reclaiming the position with a bold dive down the main straight, setting up another thrilling battle between the two multiple world champions. The race took another dramatic turn during the second round of pit stops. Piastri made his second stop on lap 34 after Norris repeatedly told the team over the radio that he believed he had the stronger pace. Norris extended his stint by six laps before making his stop. Piastri's race then unraveled when he caught a battle between Carlos Sainz and Fernando Alonso for 16th place. An apparent issue with the automated blue flag system meant Sainz was not fully aware that the race leader was approaching to lap him. The resulting collision earned Sainz a five-second penalty for causing a collision and cost Piastri several crucial seconds. That delay allowed Norris to emerge from the pits ahead of his teammate and inherit the race lead. Piastri's misfortune continued when he retired on lap 56 with a suspected gearbox failure, ending his hopes of victory. Norris later overtook Antonelli for the lead on lap 46 and never looked back. Further controversy unfolded behind him when Hamilton was instructed to give a position back to Antonelli after overtaking him before the pit exit safety car line. The stewards also found Hamilton guilty of speeding in the pit lane, handing him a second five-second penalty. It was Hamilton's second consecutive race weekend with multiple penalties, effectively ending his bid for a podium finish. Up ahead, Lando Norris secured the 14th ever race win for McLaren at the Hungaroring as the upgrades that McLaren brought to the race bore great results. Norris was followed by Verstappen who clawed his way back to second place with Antonelli bookending the podium places. Racing Refresh Driver of the Day Lando Norris, McLaren Final Points Finishing Positions 1st: Lando Norris 2nd: Max Verstappen 3rd: Kimi Antonelli 4th: Charles Leclerc 5th: Lewis Hamilton 6th: Isack Hadjar 7th: George Russell 8th: Liam Lawson 9th: Nico Hulkenberg 10th: Arvid Lindblad Next on the F1 Schedule: Dutch Grand Prix: August 21st-23rd

Photo from www.x.com/f1 By Ryan Wu It’s Kimi Antonelli’s world and we’re all simply living within it. Antonelli held off Charles Leclerc of Ferrari to secure his sixth race victory of the year and first since the Monaco Grand Prix. The Championship title is looking more likely with each passing race to be secured by the teenage phenom as George Russell and Lewis Hamilton now find themselves 50 and 45 points back, respectively. Race Recap The longest circuit on the Formula 1 calendar delivered plenty of drama on the opening lap. Max Verstappen made a bold move around Antonelli through the fast Eau Rouge corner, but Charles Leclerc responded with an excellent overtake after the Kemmel Straight. As a result, Verstappen dropped from first to third while Leclerc moved into second. George Russell's race ended on the opening lap after his car became stranded in the gravel following a collision with his former teammate, Lewis Hamilton. Hamilton was handed a five-second time penalty for causing the incident. Oliver Bearman was also forced off the track after Carlos Sainz collided with him. Both incidents brought out the safety car on the first lap. Antonelli made his only pit stop on lap 18, remaining the net race leader as Leclerc pitted and inherited the effective race lead from Antonelli, while Lando Norris briefly led the race before making his own pit stop. A virtual safety car on lap 21 proved pivotal. Leclerc pitted and inherited the effective race lead from Antonelli, while Lando Norris briefly led the race before making his own pit stop. A lengthy battle between Antonelli and Norris allowed Leclerc to build a 2.8-second advantage before Antonelli finally overtook the reigning world champion on lap 26. Antonelli's superior straight-line speed paid off on lap 34, as he powered past Leclerc on the Kemmel Straight to reclaim the lead. From there, he controlled the race to the checkered flag. Leclerc stayed within striking distance but ultimately finished 1.9 seconds behind, securing second place. Russell’s Woes Continue After recording his third pointless finish of the season, a dejected George Russell admitted he had become accustomed to the setbacks. "I'm numb to the disappointment now," Russell said. "When it happens so often, you just get used to it." It was later revealed that a software issue had left Russell's engine running at reduced power compared with his teammates' cars, limiting his top speed on several sections of the circuit and further compromising his race. Hamilton’s Strange Day Despite receiving a five-second penalty for causing a first-lap collision, Lewis Hamilton recovered to finish fourth. However, Ferrari was later fined €30,000 after Hamilton struck a mechanic during a pit stop. The incident occurred as Hamilton was expecting both a tire change and a front wing adjustment. Once the tire change was completed, the car was lowered and the pit exit light turned green, prompting Hamilton to pull away while a mechanic was still working on the front wing. Fortunately, no one was injured in the incident, but Ferrari was handed the €30,000 fine for the unsafe release. Racing Refresh Driver of the Day Kimi Antonelli, Mercedes Final Points Finishing Positions 1st: Kimi Antonelli 2nd: Charles Leclerc 3rd: Max Verstappen 4th: Lewis Hamilton 5th: Oscar Piastri 6th: Isack Hadjar 7th: Lando Norris 8th: Gabriel Bortoleto 9th: Arvid Lindblad 10th: Franco Colapinto Next on the F1 Schedule: Hungarian Grand Prix: July 24th-26th

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Photo by Chris Graythen/Getty Images By Adam Carabine The Chase continued this past weekend, just outside of St. Louis at the WWTR-Gateway Enjoy Illinois 300! It was a calamity-filled day, with a new track record of 18 cautions. After 247 laps (including 7 overtime laps), Chase driver Kyle Larson got his first victory of the year, moving him up to second place in the points standings. Enjoy Illinois 300 Top 5 Finishers: Kyle Larson Alex Bowman (not in Chase) Joey Logano William Byron Ross Chastain (not in Chase) Top 5 NASCAR Cup Series Playoff Standings After WWTR-Gateway Denny Hamlin 2168 Kyle Larson 2159 Christopher Bell 2150 Ryan Blaney 2135 Tyler Reddick 2126 What (the heck!) Happened in the Enjoy Illinois 300? After multiple teams experienced brake rotor failures and drivers continued to attempt four-wide in the corners, Kyle Larson came out on top after a wild day at World Wide Technology Raceway (WWTR-Gateway) featuring 18 cautions and two overtime attempts. Larson, pole-sitter Joey Logano, and Brad Keselowski seemed to have the best cars of the day, but an aggressive pit call for Larson to take four tires put him farther back in the field, forcing him to maneuver his way back to the front — and it paid off. He held off Joey Logano in the final Overtime, and earned his first victory of 2026! You can check out the full results of the Cup and O’Reilly Auto Parts Series races here For a more comprehensive look, stick around to see how it all shook down, lap-by-lap! 2026 Enjoy Illinois 300 Lap-by-Lap Recap Lap 1: Green flag to start the race! Joey Logano on pole, with Christopher Bell alongside him. Lap 4: Tyler Reddick gets into a scuffle with a loose Daniel Suarez, who pushes Reddick up against the wall. It stays green, but some heavy contact/damage for Reddick. Lap 6: CAUTION – Riley Herbst spins and is slow on the track. Lap 11: Green flag, Logano again at the front. Ryan Blaney makes it three-wide and takes P2. Lap 15: CAUTION – Ricky Stenhouse Jr. spins on his own. Lap 20: Green flag, then CAUTION – Too many cars side by side into the corner, and there’s calamity. Daniel Suarez and Michael McDowell get the worst of it. Cody Ware, SVG, and Noah Gragson also involved. Lap 25: Green flag, Logano and Blaney. Lap 27: CAUTION – SVG is around after some contact with AJ Allmendinger. Lap 33: Green flag, Logano and Blaney again. Can we actually make it to the end of the stage (13 laps) without another caution? Lap 45: We made it. Joey Logano wins Stage One. Followed by 20, 5, 12, 9, 77, 19, 48, 54, 6. Lap 48: Pit road open, and Christopher Bell wins the race off. However, 12 drivers stayed out. Multiple pit strategies here as many pitted throughout the different cautions through Stage One. Lap 53: Green flag, It’s Brad Keselowski and John Hunter Nemechek on the front row – neither have pitted since lap 15. Lap 56: CAUTION – Ty Gibbs gets frustrated with Erik Jones and gives him some contact in the corner. Jones spins and brings out the yellow. Lap 61: Green flag. Keselowski and Nemechek again. Lap 64: CAUTION – Riley Herbst and AJ Allmendinger get together and spin. Lap 70: Green flag, Ross Chastain and Erik Jones on the front row. It’s pretty close on fuel to the end of the stage – that’s if it stays green, but the way this race has been going… Lap 81: Kyle Larson takes the lead from Chastain. Lap 101: Things have actually quieted down a bit, Larson leads. Then it’s Chastain, Keselowski, Logano and Blaney rounding out the Top 5. Lap 106: Cody Ware’s window net somehow fell down, and he’s told by NASCAR he has to come to pit road to fix it – no caution though. Lap 117: Logano has passed Chastain for P2. Lap 120: Larson’s lead is just under 3 seconds. Lap 130: Chastain pits – didn’t have enough fuel to make it to the stage break (11 laps away), after he didn’t pit during the last cycle. Lap 131: CAUTION – Zane Smith blows a brake rotor and slams into the outside wall. Super hard hit. Chastain was JUST coming off of pit road, so this could be an important scoring decision from NASCAR. Lap 132: That caution is deemed to be the end of the stage, as it was just after Larson took the 10-to-go. Chastain was deemed to be the first car one lap down, and gets the free pass – lucky break for him! Larson wins Stage Two, followed by 22, 6, 12, 21, 11, 60, 45, 19, 23. Lap 137: Logano wins the race off pit road. Lap 140: Green flag, but immediately another CAUTION – Bubba Wallace and Chase Briscoe get into each other trying to go four-wide in Turn Two. Rough damage for Wallace, as well as William Byron. Lap 147: Green flag, Logano and Larson on the front row. Lap 155: CAUTION – Another brake rotor failure, this time for Ryan Blaney. Lap 163: Green flag, and it’s Larson and Josh Berry who stayed out on the front row. Lap 164: Wow, big move by Josh Berry, he takes the lead after going three-wide with Larson and Denny Hamlin. Lap 165: It’s been a crazy restart – now Brad Keselowski has made his way up to the lead! Lap 166: Larson is fading quickly. He loses P3 to Logano now. Lap 169: Keselowski secures the lead after some back and forth battling. Berry falls off to third, and Logano gets P2. Lap 170: CAUTION – Ross Chastain is around just at the start-finish line. Lap 175: Green flag, Keselowski and Logano. Lap 177: CAUTION – Riley Herbst with issues again. He had caught fire on pit road earlier and it looks like further issues relating to that. Lap 182: Green flag, Keselowski and Logano. Carson Hocevar is right behind Keselowski, but they play nice, for now. Lap 183: Joey Logano gets the lead, and Hocevar and Keselowski spend a lap basically at each other’s door, but nothing crazy happens. Lap 191: Logano still leads, things have calmed down again. Keselowski is 0.5s back, then it’s Hocevar, Bell, Gibbs. Lap 194: Christopher Bell up to P3 now. Lap 199: CAUTION – Noah Gragson in the wall with a failed brake rotor. Lap 202: Lots of takers on pit road. Only five stayed out, including Ty Gibbs and Ryan Preece, two Chase drivers. Keselowski will be the leader. Lap 203: Hocevar has to go back to pit road to check on a potential loose wheel. They were correct, it was loose, so he’ll start at the back. Lap 206: Green flag, Keselowski gets a great restart and holds the lead. Lap 208: Huge battle between Logano and Chase Briscoe for P3. Lap 210: Finally Logano gets the spot, and then quickly passes Chastain for P2. Lap 212: Logano is on fresher tires, but still has a second to make up on leader Keselowski. He’s slowly eating away at it. Lap 214: CAUTION – Another failed brake rotor. This time it’s Chase Elliott, who then crashes into Chase Briscoe who was in the wrong place at the wrong time. They’re both done for the day. Lap 221: Green flag. There are 20 laps left in this race. It’s Keselowski and Logano. Bad restart for Bell right behind Keselowski, which causes them to stall out and Logano gets the lead. Lap 223: CAUTION – More attempts at four-wide. Bubba Wallace, Tyler Reddick, Christopher Bell and Josh Berry involved. Tyler Reddick actually gets some air as the front right part of his car hits Berry hard. Lap 228: Green flag again. Sick of hearing this yet? It’s Logano and Larson on the front row this time. Larson gets the lead, and then… CAUTION for an incident involving Ty Gibbs, Daniel Suarez, Ty Dillon and AJ Allmendinger. Lap 230: With only 11 laps left, NASCAR opts for a Red Flag to give time for cleanup. Lap 231: Back to yellow after a quick delay for track clearing. Lap 234: Green flag again! Larson ahead of Logano. Larson got a huge shove and got the lead easily. Lap 236: Larson looking good. His teammate Alex Bowman, who isn’t in The Chase, is pressuring Logano for P2, and it’s slowing them both down. If it just stays green… Lap 238: CAUTION – Chris Buescher. Brake failure. He’s in the wall. We go to a Red Flag again, will do some quick cleanup, and then we’re going to OVERTIME! Lap 240: (This was the scheduled end of the race, but we’re back under caution right now) Lap 242: Green flag, but then immediately a CAUTION for SVG going around. Lap 245: Green flag, Larson and Bowman on the front row! Larson gets the lead and keeps it. Lap 246: Mercifully, they take the white flag. Next flag ends the race – Larson still leads! Lap 247: Kyle Larson wins! Kyle Larson’s First Win of 2026, Breaking a 51-race Winless Streak This was Kyle Larson’s first win since he won at the first Kansas race of last year. It’s his first win ever at WWTR-Gateway, though this is only the fifth year the track has been on the Cup Series schedule. It’s his 33rd career Cup Series victory, in his 430th start. The win moves him to second place in the Championship standings, and he’s only 9 points back from current leader, Denny Hamlin. What's Next? Next weekend is the third race of The Chase, and it’s a fairly famous one. The Bristol Night Race returns on Saturday night!

Photo from www.x.com/f1 By Ryan Wu Kimi Antonelli won the debut race at the Madring Circuit in Madrid, Spain, extending his Championship lead to 81 points over his teammate George Russell with nine races remaining in 2026, Mercedes also extended its constructors lead to 145 points over Ferrari. The closing stages of the race were not without their dramatic moments, as Antonelli made contact with the wall, but luckily for him, his Mercedes was left unscathed. The 20 year old’s continual habit of pushing his car to the limit when it is not necessary, as demonstrated when he set the fastest lap of the race on the final lap at Monza last week, has seen him walk right on the edge and become F1’s worst offender for track limit breaches this season. That being said, great risks come with great rewards, and this is now Antonelli’s eighth win of the season and his second in a row as he marches towards his maiden title and the distinction of becoming F1’s youngest ever World Champion. Race Recap Lando Norris started the race on pole and immediately engaged in a fight with Antonelli, the latter of whom went off track twice within the first five turns and had to give the position back to polesitter Norris on both occasions. A little further back, Oscar Piastri made contact with the back of George Russell’s Mercedes as the race got off to a frantic start. Max Verstappen was told to give his position back to Lewis Hamilton after his race engineer suggested that it appeared as though Verstappen had overtaken Hamilton off track. He therefore had to let Antonelli through as well, dropping from second to fourth on lap 5. Hamilton would soon report a brake failure, allowing Verstappen and Leclerc to overtake him. The seven-time World Champion then began to tumble down the order and was eventually ordered to retire the car on lap 6. Norris received some rotten luck when the Virtual Safety Car was activated after Lance Stroll pulled his damaged Aston Martin off the track on lap 16. The timing could not have been worse for Norris, as the VSC was activated just after he passed the final corner and entered the start finish straight. This allowed Antonelli, Verstappen and George Russell, who were behind him, to pit immediately for a fresh set of tires while Norris could not. The other drivers gained a significant amount of time as a result, and when Norris eventually pitted at the end of the VSC period, he was also hampered by a slow pit stop. The sequence all but ended Norris’s bid to win the race, as Leclerc, Antonelli and Verstappen all passed him while he was in the pit lane. When Charles Leclerc pitted for new tires for the first time on lap 48, it allowed Antonelli to take the race lead, although he was already the net race leader at the time. With two laps remaining, Norris and Verstappen engaged in a great fight for second place. However, the reigning World Champion was unable to make a move due to the tight confines of the circuit. Following his retirement, Lewis Hamilton was quoted by Sky Sports as saying, “There’s no stopping him, Antonelli, or Mercedes this year,” seemingly signaling defeat when it comes to anyone’s chances of winning the title this season. Racing Refresh Driver of the Day Kimi Antonelli, Mercedes Final Points Finishing Positions 1st: Kimi Antonelli 2nd: Max Verstappen 3rd: Lando Norris 4th: Charles Leclerc 5th: George Russell 6th: Liam Lawson 7th: Franco Colapinto 8th: Oscar Piastri 9th: Arvid Lindblad 10th: Nico Hulkenberg Next on the F1 Schedule: Azerbaijan Grand Prix: September 24th-26th

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