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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

NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series Results from the UNOH 250 presented by Ohio Logistics at Bristol UNOH 250 Logo NASCAR O'Reilly Auto Parts Series Results from the Food City 300 at Bristol Food City 300 Logo NASCAR Cup Series Results from the Bass Pro Shops Night Race at Bristol Bass Pro Shops Night Race Logo

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

NASCAR O'Reilly Auto Parts Series Results from the Nu Way 225 at WWTR - Gateway Nu Way 225 Logo NASCAR Cup Series Results from the Enjoy Illinois 300 at WWTR - Gateway Enjoy Illinois 300 Logo

Photo by Meg Oliphant/Getty Images By Adam Carabine The Chase officially kicked off this past weekend, at the Southern 500 in Darlington! The 16 drivers who had their points reset took to the track for the first time to try and take the important first step to a Championship Run. After 367 laps, Chase driver Christopher Bell got his first victory of the year, moving him up to second place in the points standings. Southern 500 Top 5 Finishers: Christopher Bell Ty Gibbs Tyler Reddick Ryan Blaney Kyle Larson NASCAR Cup Series Playoff Standings After Darlington Denny Hamlin 2135 Christopher Bell 2123 Ryan Blaney 2119 Tyler Reddick 2111 Chase Briscoe 2098 What Happened in the Southern 500? Christopher Bell took advantage of a late-race battle to score his first victory of the 2026 NASCAR Cup Series season, holding off Ty Gibbs and Tyler Reddick over the closing laps. Reddick dominated the early stages and won Stage One, while Bubba Wallace spent much of the middle portion of the race near the front. A late caution for William Byron's blown engine and a brief rain delay set up the final restart, with Bell eventually taking the lead from Kyle Larson with 11 laps remaining. The victory moves Bell to second in the championship standings, just 12 points behind Denny Hamlin. 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 Southern 500 Lap-by-Lap Recap Lap 1: As qualifying was rained out, NASCAR used their scoring metric to set the lineup. Tyler Reddick earned the pole, with Daniel Suarez next to him. As they took the green flag, Suarez took the lead with a strong start. Lap 3: Denny Hamlin, who started fourth, has moved up to take the lead. Lap 26: Hamlin still leads, Reddick is only 0.4s behind him, though, and has been slowly gaining. Lap 29: Reddick finally gets past Denny Hamlin and takes the lead back. Lap 35: CAUTION – It’s a competition caution due to some rain earlier, and a very green track. This is to give teams an opportunity to do some quick tune-ups. Lap 37: Reddick wins the race off of pit road. Lap 40: Back to green. It’s Reddick and Hamlin on the front row. Lap 45: Hamlin gets the lead back. Lap 50: Now Chase Briscoe is in the mix, pushing and challenging from third place. Lap 72: Green flag pit stops are starting. Christopher Bell is one of the first on pit road, but it quickly pulls many others in too. Lap 79: The top five have yet to pit. Hamlin is ahead of Reddick for the presumptive lead once the pit cycle concludes. Lap 80: Corey Heim receives a pass-through penalty for an uncontrolled tire during his green flag pit stop. Lap 94: Tyler Reddick passes Denny Hamlin for the lead. These two keep trading back and forth! Lap 100: One of the last cars to pit was Bubba Wallace’s 23 car. Because his tires are now fresher than the field, he’s carving his way forward – now he’s up to P3! Lap 107: CAUTION – Carson Hocevar spins Brad Keselowski out. Because we’re within the final 10 laps of the stage, this officially becomes the end of Stage One. Tyler Reddick wins it, followed by 23, 11, 20, 12, 19, 60, 2, 24, 54. Lap 110: Pit road opens, Reddick again is the first car off pit road. Bubba Wallace is up to 2nd with a strong stop. Lap 114: Stage Two is green, with Reddick and Hamlin on the front row. Wallace chose the outer lane to be behind his teammate Reddick. Lap 126: Reddick still in the lead and is currently the fastest car on the track. Bubba Wallace is in 2nd, and Hamlin is third. Lap 147: Green flag pit stops are starting again. Brad Keselowski spins out on his way into pit road, but doesn’t hit anything and it stays green. Lap 151: Leader Tyler Reddick pits, a lap after his teammate Bubba Wallace short-pitted him. Lap 154: Bubba coming a lap earlier has allowed him to pass Reddick, and is going to be the leader when the cycle is complete. Lap 155: Bubba now is the leader after Kyle Larson is one of the last to pit. Reddick P2, Briscoe P3. Lap 185: Bubba still leads. Reddick is about a half-second behind. Lap 188: More green flag pit stops! Bubba Wallace pits from the lead. Lap 190: A slow stop for Tyler Reddick, as the team called him to back into the stall after leaving to tighten a potentially loose wheel. Lap 194: Pit cycle is complete. Chase Briscoe is now the leader, and Reddick has fallen back to 8th. Lap 200: We’re 200 laps down, 167 to go. Running order for the Top 5 is Briscoe, Wallace, Bell, Blaney and Hamlin. Lap 208: Leader Chase Briscoe is told that the team didn’t get enough fuel in the car last stop, and he’ll have to try and save some as they approach the end of the stage. Lap 217: With Briscoe saving fuel, Christopher Bell is able to capitalize and takes over the lead. Lap 230: Christopher Bell wins Stage Two! Followed by 5, 19, 11, 23, 12, 21, 24, 45, 2. Lap 238: Final Stage is now Green! It’s Kyle Larson and Bubba Wallace on the front row. Lap 242: Some drama on the track between Hamlin and Michael McDowell. Hamlin gets some damage and is quite a bit slower on the track. The team is debating whether to bring him down pit road to fix stuff now or let him limp around, hoping for a caution. Lap 277: Some green flag pit stops starting up again. Lap 283: CAUTION – Zane Smith spins after being in the middle of a three-wide situation with McDowell and Ross Chastain. Lap 290: Green flag. It’s Larson and Josh Berry now on the front row. Lap 299: Christopher Bell gets to P2 past Tyler Reddick. Larson still leads. Lap 316: CAUTION – William Byron loses it on his own and spins out, bringing out the yellow. Lap 321: Byron had a weird pit stop, then leaves pit road and might be now blowing up? Lap 322: Yep, Byron is done for the day with a blown engine. Unclear what the reason is. Lap 331: Green flag, now it’s Christopher Bell and Chase Briscoe. Lap 332: Briscoe gets the lead. Lap 335: CAUTION for some light rain. They bring the cars down pit road for a 7.5-minute Red Flag, but the rain doesn’t stick around long enough to be a problem. Lap 344: Back to green again, it’s Larson and Austin Cindric on the front row. Larson easily takes the lead. Lap 353: Now Bell has made his way up and is challenging for the lead. Can he get past Larson? Lap 356: Bell does it! He takes the lead away from Larson. Lap 360: Larson is starting to burn up his stuff, Ty Gibbs gets P2 from him now. Lap 367: Bell hangs on and WINS the Southern 500! Christopher Bell's First Win of 2026 This was Christopher Bell’s first win of the season (after 7 P2 finishes this year), and his first win at Darlington! It’s his 14th Career Cup Series victory, in his 243rd start. The win puts him now 12 points off of Denny Hamlin’s Championship lead. What's Next? Next weekend is the second race of The Chase – this year’s visit to St. Louis, the World Wide Technology Raceway, also known as Gateway!

NASCAR O'Reilly Auto Parts Series Results from the Fleetio 200 at Darlington Fleetio 200 Logo NASCAR Cup Series Results from the Cook Out Southern 500 at Darlington Cook Out Southern 500 Logo

Photo from www.x.com/f1 By Ryan Wu After a shocking pole position from Pierre Gasly, who earned the first pole of his career ahead of all the championship favorites, it was Kimi Antonelli who ultimately won the race despite starting from 19th. Gasly held off George Russell during qualifying but lost his lead after a Charles Leclerc crash led to a race restart. Gasly’s lead would not last long, as he quickly lost positions to Russell and Max Verstappen, who then spent the next few laps fighting for the race lead. Lewis Hamilton and Leclerc would also make contact coming out of Turn 2 at the infamous Monza corner following the main straight. Race Recap George Russell took the lead from Pierre Gasly on Lap 2 and then became embroiled in a battle for second with Leclerc and Verstappen. A massive crash involving Leclerc on Lap 3 required a race restart after he hit the wall while defending against Oscar Piastri. Behind them, Antonelli, who had taken a new power unit and received a grid penalty, had already climbed to fifth after just 10 laps. He continued to breeze through the field, making short work of Hamilton and Piastri before passing Verstappen on Lap 16. He then began battling his teammate Russell for the lead on Lap 17. Antonelli and Russell enjoyed a spirited battle, with the advantage shifting between the two depending on their energy levels and deployment. Antonelli was eventually given team orders to stop fighting and focus on pulling away from Verstappen. A virtual safety car caused by a Lance Stroll incident on Lap 28 allowed Antonelli and Verstappen to pit, while Russell opted to remain on track. Antonelli then resumed his charge through the field, picking off drivers one by one before finally passing Russell on the main straight on Lap 49. Russell was running on hard tires that were 43 laps old at that point. The pair then entered Monza’s first right hand corner, where Antonelli ran wide into the gravel. He recovered and took the lead from Russell one lap later at his home race. Verstappen would finish third to round out the podium. Antonelli’s Historic Charge With the win, Kimi Antonelli came within three places of the record for the lowest starting position from which a driver has won a race. That record was established by John Watson, who triumphed at Long Beach in 1983 after starting from 22nd. Antonelli’s decision to take a new power unit proved to be a great gamble. He overcame a huge deficit in starting position and demonstrated a pace advantage that even Russell, despite driving the same car, could not match. It was a remarkable performance from Antonelli at his home race. Racing Refresh Driver of the Day Kimi Antonelli, Mercedes Final Points Finishing Positions 1st: Kimi Antonelli 2nd: George Russell 3rd: Max Verstappen 4th: Lando Norris 5th: Oscar Piastri 6th: Lewis Hamilton 7th: Pierre Gasly 8th: Arvid Lindblad 9th: Franco Colapinto 10th: Yuki Tsunoda Next on the F1 Schedule: Spanish Grand Prix: September 11th-13th

By Adam Carabine Happy weekend everyone, it’s time for another edition of Stats Saturday. This weekend the Cup Series travels to Darlington, SC for the Cook Out Southern 500 at Darlington Raceway. Darlington is one of the oldest tracks on the NASCAR schedule, opening in 1950. It’s known for its unique egg-shaped 1.366-mile oval, with sharper corners in turns 3 and 4. Johnny Mantz won the inaugural race there in the Cup Series in 1950. Tyler Reddick won the race here earlier this year, and Chase Briscoe won the Southern 500 here last year. Sunday’s race will be 367 laps long (for a total of 501.32 miles), with stage breaks occurring at 115 – 230 – 367. Pit road speed is 45 mph, and the caution vehicle runs at 50 mph. The fuel window is 69-75 laps. This year, the NASCAR Cup Series has run 6,747 laps, for 9,350.22 miles so far this season. No drivers have completed all of them, but Denny Hamlin is the closest, running just two laps down. Top 5 Career Average Finishers at Darlington: Denny Hamlin 8.00 over 28 races (5 wins) Tyler Reddick 10.79 over 14 races (1 win) Brad Keselowski 11.72 over 25 races (2 wins) Erik Jones 12.65 over 17 races (2 wins) Ty Gibbs 13.38 over 8 races Bottom 5 Career Average Finishers at Darlington: Riley Herbst 32.33 over 3 races Cody Ware 31.88 over 8 races Michael McDowell 26.14 over 22 races Josh Berry 25.83 over 6 races JH Nemechek 24.63 over 8 races Darlington is an Intermediate track. Top 5 Career Average Finishers at Intermediates: Denny Hamlin 11.57 over 361 races (34 wins) Chase Elliott 12.51 over 180 races (9 wins) Joey Logano 12.72 over 307 races (19 wins) Kyle Larson 12.88 over 199 races (18 wins) Brad Keselowski 12.98 over 298 races (19 wins) Bottom 5 Career Average Finishers at Intermediates: Cody Ware 27.94 over 73 races Connor Zilisch 26.58 over 14 races Michael McDowell 25.67 over 264 races Josh Berry 22.28 over 48 races (1 win) Ty Dillon 22.26 over 147 races David Pearson is the winningest driver at Darlington, with 10 victories. Dale Earnhardt follows behind with 9 wins. As far as current drivers go, Denny Hamlin has 5 wins. Drivers who ran their first Cup Series race at Darlington: No One -- Drivers who earned their first Cup Series win at Darlington: No One -- Drivers whose most recent Cup Series Victory was at Darlington: Erik Jones 2022 Brad Keselowski 2024 Notable drivers who have not won at Darlington: Chase Elliott (has won at 15 other tracks) Ryan Blaney (has won at 12 other tracks) Christopher Bell (has won at 10 other tracks) Alex Bowman (has won at 8 other tracks) Ross Chastain (has won at 6 other tracks) Based on average finish, No drivers list Darlington as their BEST or WORST track. Based on their point pace, let’s have a look at how this season is comparing to last season for drivers: Drivers Faring Better than in 2025 Ty Gibbs +449 pts Daniel Suarez +371 pts Denny Hamlin +250 pts Carson Hocevar +217 pts Tyler Reddick +205 pts Drivers Faring Worse than in 2025 Alex Bowman -309 pts (missed 4 races with vertigo) William Byron -278 pts Kyle Larson -229 pts Ross Chastain -185 pts Christopher Bell -177 pts Next, let’s look at who’s having their best and worst career year by Average Finish: Best Career Year Denny Hamlin 8.23 Ryan Blaney 11.46 Tyler Reddick 12.23 Ty Gibbs 12.35 Daniel Suarez 14.69 Carson Hocevar 16.73 SVG 18.38 Riley Herbst 21.81 Worst Career Year Cole Custer 24.58 Josh Berry 23.31 The Manufacturer Standings are calculated by awarding points to the highest finisher for each manufacturer according to their finishing position. (55 for 1st, 35 for 2nd, 34 for 3rd, etc.) No stage points or playoff points count. Manufacturer Standings Toyota 1,152 Chevrolet 1,020 Ford 967 Here is the same formula, but used on a team-vs-team basis: Chartered Team Standings Joe Gibbs 986 23XI 946 Penske 902 Hendrick 831 Spire 758 RFK 741 Trackhouse 696 Front Row 587 Legacy MC 530 RCR 488 Kaulig 483 Hyak 393 Wood Bros 358 Haas Factory 335 Rick Ware 197 At each stage break, the Top 10 drivers are awarded points based on their finishing positions. Here are the leaders this year: Stage Point Leaders Ty Gibbs 209 Ryan Blaney 205 Denny Hamlin 198 Kyle Larson 195 Chase Briscoe 156 Christopher Bell 156 Tyler Reddick 154 Joey Logano 138 William Byron 123 Bubba Wallace 116 Milestone Watch Ryan Preece This will be his 250th Career Cup Series Start Ty Gibbs This will be his 150th Career Cup Series Start Joey Logano Looking for his 180th Career Top 5 William Byron Looking for his 70th Career Top 5 Ross Chastain Looking for his 40th Career Top 5 Ricky Stenhouse Jr. Looking for his 30th Career Top 5 Joey Logano Looking for his 310th Career Top 10 Ty Gibbs Looking for his 50th Career Top 10 Scorigami Update – AKA The All-40 Challenge Pocono was the first time that: Riley Herbst finished 16th Noah Gragson finished 35th Austin Cindric finished 14th Here are the top 10 longest active winless streaks: Winless Streaks Cole Custer 159 races Erik Jones 143 races Michael McDowell 110 races Brad Keselowski 85 races AJ Allmendinger 82 races Chris Buescher 70 races Alex Bowman 70 races Ricky Stenhouse Jr. 67 races Josh Berry 57 races Austin Cindric 52 races The race begins Sunday, September 6th at 5:00 pm EST (2:00 pm PST) – Enjoy the race everyone! Don’t forget to follow us on Twitter @RacingRefresh Is there an error? Is there a stat missing that you’d like to see? Let us know!

By Adam Carabine Happy weekend everyone, it’s time for another edition of O’Reilly Stats. Here we break down the upcoming race and let you know who to watch for. This weekend the O’Reilly Auto Parts Series travels to Darlington, SC for the Fleetio 200 at Darlington Raceway. Darlington is one of the oldest tracks on the NASCAR schedule, opening in 1950. It’s known for its unique egg-shaped 1.366-mile oval, with sharper corners in turns 3 and 4. Geoffrey Bodine won the first race in this series at Darlington in 1982. Justin Allgaier won at Darlington earlier this year. Saturday’s race will be 147 laps long (for a total of 200.80 miles), with stage breaks occurring at 45 – 90 – 147. Pit road speed is 45 mph, and the caution vehicle runs at 50 mph. The fuel window is 66-71 laps. This year, the NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series has run 3,846 laps, for 5,575.86 miles so far. No driver has completed 100% of all laps, but Brennan Poole is 3 laps down. Top 5 Career Average Finishers at Darlington: Brent Crews 3.00 over 1 race Corey Day 6.00 over 1 race Justin Allgaier 7.33 over 21 races (4 wins) Jesse Love 9.00 over 4 races Harrison Burton 10.50 over 6 races Bottom 5 Career Average Finishers at Darlington: Lavar Scott 36.00 over 1 race Blaine Perkins 31.67 over 6 races Kyle Sieg 30.13 over 8 races Ryan Ellis 29.18 over 11 races Josh Bilicki 24.40 over 5 races Darlington is an Intermediate track. Top 5 Career Average Finishers at Intermediates: Brent Crews 8.70 over 9 races Austin Hill 9.78 over 75 races (8 wins) Jesse Love 10.49 over 37 races Justin Allgaier 11.03 over 241 races (17 wins) Sam Mayer 11.92 over 72 races (2 wins) Bottom 5 Career Average Finishers at Intermediates: Blaine Perkins 27.09 over 54 races Josh Bilicki 26.55 over 54 races Ryan Ellis 25.48 over 81 races Lavar Scott 23.23 over 11 races Kyle Sieg 21.25 over 65 races Mark Martin is the winningest driver in this series at Darlington. He has won eight times here. Denny Hamlin has six wins in this series. Justin Allgaier has four wins. Drivers who ran their first O’Reilly’s Series race at Darlington: No One -- Drivers who earned their first O’Reilly’s Series win at Darlington: No One -- Drivers whose most recent O’Reilly Series Victory was at Darlington: No One -- Notable drivers who have not won at Darlington: Austin Hill (has won at 8 other tracks) Sam Mayer (has won at 6 other tracks) Harrison Burton (has won at 4 other tracks) Sammy Smith (has won at 3 other tracks) Jesse Love (has won at 3 other tracks) Based on average finish, no driver lists Darlington as their BEST or WORST track. Based on their point pace, let’s have a look at how this season is comparing to last season for drivers: Drivers Faring Better than in 2025 Sheldon Creed +235 pts Justin Allgaier +235 pts William Sawalich +158 pts Sammy Smith +65 pts Ryan Sieg +64 pts Drivers Faring Worse than in 2025 Harrison Burton -254 pts Sam Mayer -217 pts Jeb Burton -194 pts Dean Thompson -102 pts Taylor Gray -78 pts Next, let’s look at who’s having their best and worst career year by Average Finish: Best Career Year Brandon Jones 12.17 Sammy Smith 12.63 Parker Retzlaff 12.88 William Sawalich 16.88 Dean Thompson 20.00 Blaine Perkins 22.71 Worst Career Year Ryan Ellis 26.46 Kyle Sieg 25.29 Jeb Burton 22.04 Harrison Burton 21.17 Jesse Love 12.63 Rookie of the Year Battle Patrick Staropoli 332 Lavar Scott 274 The Manufacturer Standings are calculated by awarding points to the highest finisher for each manufacturer according to their finishing position. (55 for 1st, 35 for 2nd, 34 for 3rd, etc.) No stage points or playoff points count. Manufacturer Standings Chevrolet 1,259 Toyota 829 Ford 159 Here is the same formula, but used on a team-vs-team basis: Chartered Team Standings JR Motorsports 1,103 Joe Gibbs 826 RCR 760 Haas Factory 710 Viking 644 Hendrick 595 RSS 566 Jordan Anderson 538 Sam Hunt 527 Alpha Prime 465 SS-Green Light 439 DGM 405 Peterson 380 Jeremy Clements 344 Big Machine 332 Young’s 314 Joey Gase 145 At each stage break, the Top 10 drivers are awarded points based on their finishing positions. Here are the leaders this year: Stage Point Leaders Justin Allgaier 307 #1 Car 252 #88 Car 236 Jesse Love 182 Sam Mayer 161 Sheldon Creed 159 Corey Day 140 Brandon Jones 140 Brent Crews 130 Taylor Gray 119 Milestone Watch Austin Hill Looking for his 60th Career Top 5 Anthony Alfredo Looking for his 30th Career Top 10 Here are the top 10 longest active winless streaks: Winless Streaks Jeremy Clements 133 races Jeb Burton 114 races Harrison Burton 91 races Sammy Smith 47 races Sam Mayer 35 races Jesse Love 24 races Sheldon Creed 22 races William Sawalich 16 races Taylor Gray 14 races Corey Day 10 races The race begins Saturday, September 5th at 7:30 pm EST (4:30 pm PST) – Enjoy the race everyone! Don’t forget to follow us on Twitter @RacingRefresh Is there an error? Is there a stat missing that you’d like to see? Let us know!

Photo by Meg Oliphant/Getty Images By Adam Carabine Now that The Chase has arrived, we’ll be doing Power Rankings for all of the Chase Drivers each week leading up to the Championship, no matter where they lie within our formula. Here's a special edition of our Power Rankings, getting you ready for The Chase. Power Rankings will now include our forecasted point totals, and where we see drivers finishing in this year's standings. While finishing position is important, it’s not always indicative of the full picture. StatChat rankings are determined using a large number of statistical inputs, with the heaviest emphasis placed on data from the last five races. Let's look at our playoff drivers: Chris Buescher – This week: 19 – Last week: 18 Chris Buescher enters the playoffs as the lowest scoring driver in our Power Rankings. After the points reset to start The Chase, he’s actually in 10th place, but his record lately has left a little to be desired. With only one DNF on the season, he could just outlast his competition if he keeps things clean. His chances at a championship are pretty slim, though. Points Forecast: 2,210 Championship Forecast: 0.02% Finishing Position Forecast: 12th Chase Elliott – This week: 17 – Last week: 19 Chase Elliott has been quiet, despite having two wins on the season. He’s been fairly consistent, but seems to lack some of the killer instinct that sets some other drivers apart. He’ll want to up his Stage Point game, as he ranks 15th of all drivers in that category. He starts The Chase in 8th place, but his championship hopes are also not great. Points Forecast: 2,255 Championship Forecast: 0.73% Finishing Position Forecast: 9th Carson Hocevar – This week: 16 – Last week: 15 Carson Hocevar had such a strong run in the late spring/early summer, including his win at Talladega, but things have cooled off lately. Hocevar is still young, and sometimes plagued by bad decision making, but certainly has talent. If he can turn things around get his momentum going again, he could be dangerous. Points Forecast: 2,207 Championship Forecast: 0.02% Finishing Position Forecast: 13th Daniel Suarez – This week: 14 – Last week: 16 Suarez has certainly silenced some of his critics after his breakup from Trackhouse last year. He made The Chase, and none of the Trackhouse drivers did. He is currently having his best statistical year of his Cup career. Let us not forget his win at the crown jewel Coca-Cola 600 race earlier this year – and Charlotte’s oval returns to the playoff lineup this year too. He starts The Chase in 11th, and probably has too much ground to make up for a Championship run, but this is a good momentum builder for his career. Points Forecast: 2,202 Championship Forecast: 0.02% Finishing Position Forecast: 14th Kyle Larson – This week: 13 – Last week: 10 Often touted as one of the best drivers in the world, Larson has unfortunately kind of limped his way into The Chase. Maybe that’s a bit harsh, but expectations would be higher than him entering in 7th place. He has the worst differential in Average Start vs. Average finish – he finishes races an average of 7.5 spots worse than he starts them. However, the reigning champ just can’t be counted out, as he knows how to show up when the pressure rises. Points Forecast: 2,284 Championship Forecast: 3.56% Finishing Position Forecast: 4th Austin Cindric – This week: 12 – Last week: 11 Austin Cindric is a little higher in the Power Rankings due to a string of some solid weeks. But clinching your spot in The Chase on the last race of the regular season isn’t exactly Championship material. He’s had enough trouble on track to put him 30th in the standings for laps completed. (He’s 446 laps off of a perfect run). We have him finishing in the same position he’s starting The Chase – 15th. Points Forecast: 2,198 Championship Forecast: 0.02% Finishing Position Forecast: 15th William Byron – This week: 11 – Last week: 9 The winless William Byron has been another underwhelming Hendrick driver this year – relative to expectations. However, Hendrick equipment isn’t to be overlooked, and he has a real chance of making up some ground in The Chase if the execution is there. Byron’s still looking for his first Championship, and his position in The Chase of 13th isn’t exactly a great start. We see him moving up, but not getting the crown just yet. Points Forecast: 2,234 Championship Forecast: 0.25% Finishing Position Forecast: 10th Tyler Reddick – This week: 10 – Last week: 14 What a strange season it’s been for Tyler Reddick. He looked like the clear championship favourite to start the year, and then had one of the worst falls from grace we’ve seen in some time. The summer was not kind to Reddick. However, five wins is nothing to scoff at, and we know that Toyotas have had speed this year. If he can get his execution back to a higher level, he could genuinely compete for the Cup Championship. He enters in 3rd place, so the points cushion could help too. Points Forecast: 2,279 Championship Forecast: 2.46% Finishing Position Forecast: 6th Bubba Wallace – This week: 9 – Last week: 7 Bubba Wallace also only recently clinched his position in The Chase, but he has been a car with great speed lately. There is something to be said for peaking at the right time, and that could be Bubba. He’s likely in too big of a hole (14th at the start of The Chase) to make his way to contending status, but we see him rising up the ranks a bit. Points Forecast: 2,212 Championship Forecast: 0.03% Finishing Position Forecast: 11th Ryan Preece – This week: 7 – Last week: 8 The final seed in The Chase belongs to the man who exorcised his Daytona demons last week. And in a way, he also exorcised his Cup Series demons, earning his first career Cup win after 248 other attempts. Like Bubba, Preece probably doesn’t have the juice to make it up to the top of the standings, let alone moving up any spots. We still see him finishing 16th in The Chase, but that would still be a career-best for him. Points Forecast: 2,179 Championship Forecast: 0.004% Finishing Position Forecast: 16th Joey Logano – This week: 6 – Last week: 3 Joey Logano looked in danger of missing The Chase at some points earlier this season. A strong second half of the regular season bumped him up in the standings (he’ll start 9th in The Chase), as well as in our Power Rankings. Does he have it in him to get his fourth Cup Series Championship? In an even-year no less? We think it’s a bit of a bridge too far this year, but he’s not showing any signs of slowing down just yet. Points Forecast: 2,278 Championship Forecast: 2.71% Finishing Position Forecast: 7th Ty Gibbs – This week: 5 – Last week: 4 Ty Gibbs has caught fire this year. He’s always been a talented driver, though some might not love his (at times) prickly personality, but he’s had trouble translating that to consistent success in the Cup Series… until now. He enters The Chase in 4th place, with his first two Cup wins under his belt this season. His age might preclude him from being a true threat for the Championship just yet, and we see him faltering a bit in the postseason, but it wouldn’t shock me to see him lift the Cup Championship Trophy within the next 3 years. Points Forecast: 2,278 Championship Forecast: 2.43% Finishing Position Forecast: 8th Chase Briscoe – This week: 4 – Last week: 5 Since taking over the 19 car from Martin Truex Jr., Briscoe has showed that he does deserve his spot in the Cup Series. While his consistency could use some work, he’s definitely one to watch in The Chase this year. He enters in 5th place, and could do some damage. If he can clean up some of his DNFs (he’s had 4 this year already), he could certainly be in the conversation. Points Forecast: 2,286 Championship Forecast: 3.88% Finishing Position Forecast: 3rd Christopher Bell – This week: 3 – Last week: 6 Christopher Bell is the highest scoring driver still without a win in The Chase. He’s entering into the playoffs in 6th place, and has seven 2nd-placed finishes. His average finish in his last five races is below 7th, which is very impressive. Bell may need to get back in the win column if he’d like to challenge for the Championship this year. Points Forecast: 2,281 Championship Forecast: 2.90% Finishing Position Forecast: 5th Denny Hamlin – This week: 2 – Last week: 1 Is it FINALLY Denny Hamlin’s year? Possibly the greatest driver to never win a Championship, Denny enters The Chase with the highest points advantage of any driver after winning the Regular Season. This year’s change to The Chase rather than the previous playoff format does seem to play into Denny’s favour. Before we see any on-track action in this year’s postseason, we’re calling Denny as the favourite. Points Forecast: 2,361 Championship Forecast: 58.68% Finishing Position Forecast: 1st Ryan Blaney – This week: 1 – Last week: 2 Despite being the current leader of our Power Rankings, we see Ryan Blaney just falling short of the Championship this year. He’s had a remarkably consistent season, and enters The Chase in 2nd place, but there are also a couple of red flags in his stats to keep an eye on. He’s got 20 lead lap finishes out of a possible 26 this year. Compare that to Denny Hamlin’s 25/26. He also has an average finish differential of -2.5 spots, meaning he qualifies 2.5 spots better than he finishes, on average, this season. Honestly, Blaney makes probably the best case other than Hamlin for the Championship this year, but we’ll have to wait to see it play out! Points Forecast: 2,328 Championship Forecast: 21.13% Finishing Position Forecast: 2nd Biggest Movers Alex Bowman – This week: 29 – Last week: 26 Falls 3 places Kyle Larson – This week: 13 – Last week: 10 Falls 3 places Joey Logano – This week: 6 – Last week: 3 Falls 3 places Josh Berry – This week: 8 – Last week: 12 Gains 4 places Tyler Reddick – This week: 10 – Last week: 14 Gains 4 places Rest of the List 8. Josh Berry LW: 12 +4 15. SVG LW: 13 -2 18. Brad Keweloseki LW: 17 -1 20. Ross Chastain LW: 21 +1 21. Michael McDowell LW: 24 +3 22. Todd Gilliland LW: 20 -2 23. Zane Smith LW: 22 -1 24. Noah Gragson LW: 23 -1 25. Austin Dillon LW: 25 -- 26. Ricky Stenhouse Jr. LW: 27 +1 27. AJ Allmendinger LW: 28 +1 28. JH Nemechek LW: 30 +2 29. Alex Bowman LW: 26 -3 30. Riley Herbst LW: 29 -1 31. Cole Custer LW: 31 -- 32. Ty Dillon LW: 32 -- 33. Cody Ware LW: 33 -- 34. Erik Jones LW: 34 -- 35 Connor Zilisch LW: 35 --

Photo by Chris Graythen/Getty Images By Adam Carabine It was a wild night in Florida, as Ryan Preece pulled off a hail mary – winning his way into the NASCAR Chase. Austin Cindric also clinched his spot in the postseason, while Shane Van Gisbergen was the unlucky driver who fell out at the last minute. Let’s have a look at how it all shook down, lap-by-lap! Lap 1: Ross Chastain won the pole, and took the green flag with Chris Buescher beside him on the front row. Lap 10: Austin Hill, driving the 33 car, gets the lead. Lap 30: The stage is fairly uneventful so far. Austin Hill still leads. The outside line seems to be better organized, and have better runs. Cole Custer and Daniel Dye (driving the 78) have fallen off the back and lost the draft. Lap 34: Chris Buescher gets a solid run and takes the lead! Lap 35: On the final lap of Stage One, a bad push from Kyle Larson (who later told his team, “My bad,”) gets Buescher sideways, and brings out the caution. Shane Van Gisbergen wins the stage, with 54, 22, 43, 19, 5, 23, 60, 42, 33 rounding out the Top 10 and earning stage points. Lap 40: Pits open, Ty Gibbs wins the race off pit road. Lap 43: A bunch of cars go back to pit road and top up on fuel, as the next stage is right around the fuel window. Lap 44: Green flag for Stage Two. Joey Logano and Shane Van Gisbergen on the front row. Lap 45: SVG takes the lead. Lap 46: Todd Gilliland takes the lead for a bit, but then Austin Hill gets it from the bottom line. Lap 50: New leader, Chase Briscoe. Lap 57: Things are getting a little bit dicey, as we now have three-wide for multiple rows up at the front. Lap 60: Chase Elliott and Cody Ware (!) are now up at the front! Lap 72: Ryan Preece has now maneuvered his way up to the lead. Lap 73: Not so fast, says Elliott, and he takes back the lead. Lap 80: 15 to go in Stage Two, things are getting more amped up. Elliott still leads for now. Lap 81: The inside line suddenly sees all three Penske teammates working together, pushing hard. Ryan Blaney easily takes the lead. Lap 85: Now Austin Cindric takes a turn at the front of the pack. Lap 91: Ryan Preece and Chase Elliott are back up front now, battling for the lead. Elliott gets it for now. Lap 93: 2 to go – max intensity now. Cindric gets stranded, Briscoe takes the lead of the lower line. Elliott is still in front on the top line, but now there’s worries that he doesn’t have enough fuel? Lap 95: End of Stage Two. Blaney gets a run, with Ryan Preece right behind him. Blaney wins Stage Two! Followed by 60, 38, 24, 34, 5, 19, 7, 9, 33. Lap 99: Some drama on pit road between John Hunter Nemechek and Daniel Suarez, and they have some contact. Neither seem too worse for wear. Lap 102: Some drivers stayed out at the stage end, and are now at the lead. Green flag for the final stage – Todd Gilliland and Chase Briscoe on the front row. Lap 103: Gilliland takes the lead on the outside. The inside line is once again not as well-organized. Lap 107: Chase Briscoe to the lead. Now both lanes are working well. Lap 121: Seven cars make a trip to pit road. This was a bit of a surprise, as most were going to try and make it to the end without stopping. As a result, the pace was a little slower up front. These cars all pit, and tried to get back together to work and push the pace, forcing the other cars to pit. Lap 129: The non-pitters have had to pick up their pace, which could ruin their fuel mileage. The ones that did pit had a bit of trouble linking after pit stops, but are now working together and gaining on the big pack. Lap 143: Now a group of leaders pit for fuel – clearly they weren’t going to make it after upping their pace. The second half of this pack were able to save more fuel riding in the back, so they’re right on the line. Can they hold it? Lap 146: Tyler Reddick to the lead. Not sure if he has enough fuel to make it to the end, but at this point they’re going to try. On track there are three distinct groups. The current leaders who haven’t pit, the group of 7 (now down to 5) who pit earlier, and then the previous leaders who were forced to pit – all in that order. Lap 150: Some drama up front, Ryan Preece and Zane Smith work together and get the lead from Reddick and Hocevar. Lap 151: Preece was just told by his team that he has enough fuel to the end, but does that change now that he’s at the front of the pack? Lap 155: CAUTION – Carson Hocevar loses it on his own, spins and starts back up the track, collecting a poor and unsuspecting Erik Jones in the process. They’re both done for the day, and we’re going to OVERTIME. Lap 158: Preece is leading, and not planning on pitting here, despite the fact that he’s cutting it close on fuel. SVG, who is battling against Preece at this point for the final spot in The Chase, decides to come down to top up on fuel, in a last ditch hope that Preece runs out of fuel. Lap 164: OT begins! It’s Preece and Smith on the front row. Lap 166: Major wrecks all through the field, multiple big ones at different points. CAUTION comes out – but who was in the lead at the time? They’d already taken the white flag, so this was going to end the race, but for a moment no one knows who it was! As it turned out, Preece was the leader at the time of the caution, and he wins, solidifying his spot in The Chase! This is Ryan Preece’s first ever career Cup Series win, in his 249th start. SVG finished 28th when all was said and done, and lost out on the final slot in The Chase by 19 points. The Chase is officially set, and the Top 16 drivers’ points have been reset. Next weekend is the first race of The Chase – the Southern 500 in Darlington!

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