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The National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing (NASCAR) is the sanctioning body for the No. 1 form of motorsports in the United States and owner of 14 of the nation’s major motorsports entertainment facilities. NASCAR sanctions races in three national series (NASCAR Cup Series™, NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series™, and NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series™), four international series (NASCAR Brasil Series, NASCAR Canada Series, NASCAR Euro Series, NASCAR Mexico Series), four regional series (ARCA Menards Series, ARCA Menards Series East & West and the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour) and a local grassroots series (NASCAR Local Racing Series Powered by O’Reilly Auto Parts). The International Motor Sports Association™ (IMSA®) governs the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship™, the premier U.S. sports car series. NASCAR also owns Motor Racing Network, Racing Electronics, and ONE DAYTONA. Based in Daytona Beach, Florida, with offices in five cities across North America, NASCAR sanctions more than 1,200 races annually in 11 countries and more than 30 U.S. states.

By Reid Spencer

NASCAR Wire Service

SPEEDWAY, Ind.—Corey Heim stood on the frontstretch at Indianapolis Motor Speedway drained from the effort it took to win one of the NASCAR Cup Series’ Crown Jewel races—the Brickyard 400.

In a race that produced an unexpected winner and an unexpected millionaire, Heim held off Christopher Bell and Joey Logano over the final 34-lap green-flag run on Sunday to win his second Cup Series race in his 15th start.

Not bad for a part-timer who won’t step into a full-time seat with 23XI Racing until next year. Heim, who won at Naval Base Coronado in June, was driving the No. 67 Toyota for the eighth time this season in his first visit to the Brickyard.

“Yeah, that was a damn handful,” Heim said of the final run. “I was hanging on for dear life once the shade went down and the pace picked up. My car got really loose. And I had never really been in a lot of clean air throughout the day, so that was the hardest I've ever fought in my life to just make sure I focused on exits and kept them (Bell and Logano) in dirty air.

“I'm pretty out of breath. That was a workout. It was a dream come true. Winning at the Brickyard. That's unbelievable. Caught a break early with the pit cycle. And just executed all day. Made no mistakes.”

In the finals of the Cup Series In-Season Challenge, 25th-seeded Todd Gilliland took advantage of third-seeded Ryan Blaney’s unfortunate wreck on Lap 120 to win the $1-million winner-take-all prize by two positions, 24th to Blaney’s 26th.

Blaney was comfortably ahead in the race for the Challenge bounty when his No. 12 Ford turned off the nose of John Hunter Nemechek’s Toyota to ignite an accident that collected nine cars.

“It feels really good,” said Gilliland, who survived five rounds to prevail in the Challenge. “Obviously, we wish we ran a little bit better than 24th today, but we did what we had to do. Really, that was the name of our game all the way throughout this Challenge. We just barely skated by.

“We were obviously a bit lucky, but we still stuck out these races. We did the best we could, and luckily it was good enough, just barely every single round. It’s a big prize. One million dollars going to the team. That’s just massive.”

The restart on Lap 127—after the nine-car wreck that ruined Blaney’s chances in the In-Season Challenge—made all the difference in the outcome of the race.

Leader Denny Hamlin chose the preferred inside lane, while Heim picked the outside. Hamlin had two of his Joe Gibbs Racing teammates, Bell and Chase Briscoe, behind him on the bottom row, but they failed to organize a coordinated push.

Heim, on the other hand, got a strong, sustained shove from Logano in the top lane and barely cleared Hamlin before slipping in front of his 23XI Racing team owner and stalling his momentum. Hamlin fell to fifth in the running order behind Heim, Bell, Logano and Briscoe, and that’s the way the race ended more than 30 laps later.

In the final green-flag run, Heim slipped noticeably only once—entering Turn 1 on Lap 198—and allowed Bell to close within a car-length.

But by keeping Bell’s No. 20 Toyota in dirty air, Heim extended his advantage over the final two trips around the 2.5-mile track and crossed the famous Yard of Bricks 0.287 seconds ahead of the JGR driver, who finished second for the sixth time this season without a win.

Bell had nothing but praise for the 24-year-old race winner.

“Honestly, I didn't think I was going to be able to get there at all,” Bell said. “My guys were telling me he was going loose. I knew really that was going to be my only opportunity, was a mistake from him. I knew whatever it was, 35 laps, was a very long run. I just needed one bobble. If he had one bobble, I was going to be able to get there.

“Yeah, he did a great job. He showed excellent mental toughness. Put together 35 really good laps. I didn't have an opportunity.”

Hamlin rued the restart that cost him the chance to win the only Crown Jewel race that has eluded him.

“Yeah, everyone is trying to fight to win the race,” said Hamlin, who extended his series lead to 84 points over 10th-place finisher Tyler Reddick. “When you're clear by an inch, you're going to take that inch. It's really more on us and the 20 (Bell) and the 19 (Briscoe) of just not orchestrating good pushes there. We came detached at the wrong time.

“I thought the 20 obviously was on board with getting us the push. It was way too early before the restart zone. I can't go till we get to the restart zone. He said that Briscoe was on him way, way early or laying back, one of the two.

“Yeah, that's how you lose 'em. These restarts, when everyone kind of knows when you're going to go, it's about the pushes. That's essentially where I got the lead from the 67 the restart before (on Lap 120). Just came back the other way around. I maybe was in there just a hair into Turn 2. (Heim) shut the door. I mean, yeah, everyone's fighting for a big Brickyard victory.”

Two other factors helped Heim’s cause. He was on pit road on Lap 44 when, Kyle Larson’s wreck caused the first caution. Gaining spots as the field slowed for the yellow, Heim finished second in Stage 1 after a one-lap dash.

After a debris caution on Lap 114, Heim was first off pit road after running long in Stage 2 and needing a shorter stop for fuel. Though Hamlin regained the lead on the Lap 120 restart, Heim took it back on the restart that proved decisive.

Brad Keselowski finished sixth, followed by Josh Berry, Ryan Preece, pole winner Carson Hocevar and Reddick. Ty Gibbs won the first stage, led twice for 46 laps—second only to Heim’s 58—and clinched a spot in the Chase with a 12th-place finish.

Four races remain before the 16-driver Chase field is set.

Rotten luck continued to follow reigning series champion Kyle Larson, who maneuvered himself into a race-leading position with an early pit stop on Lap 28, only to have his strategy fall apart thanks to a blown left-rear tire 17 laps later.

When the tire lost air near the end of the backstretch, Larson’s No. 5 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet backed into the outside wall, severely damaging the car.

“It’s obviously disappointing,” Larson said after his release from the infield care center. “To go from 10th to the lead on a good start and race strategy set ourselves up well to gain a lot of points there and set ourselves up well to maintain that track position the rest of the race.

“It’s a bummer but just a part of racing ... I had no warning. When I lifted, I felt it drop and spun.”

Larson, coming off a 15th-place finish at North Wilkesboro after consecutive 34th-place result at Chicagoland and Atlanta's EchoPark Speedway, fell out of the race in last (39th) place.

On a star-crossed day for Hendrick Motorsports, Chase Elliott fared little better than his teammate. Racing in close quarters with Ricky Stenhouse Jr. on Lap 60, Elliott slammed the outside wall just beyond the Turn 2 exit.

Attempts to repair the car on pit road proved futile, forcing Elliott to drive the No. 9 Chevrolet to the garage. Elliott returned to the track 41 laps down and finished 37th.

NASCAR Cup Series Race - Brickyard 400 presented by PPG

Indianapolis Motor Speedway

Speedway, Indiana

Sunday, July 26, 2026

1. (7) Corey Heim(i), Toyota, 160.

2. (23) Christopher Bell, Toyota, 160.

3. (19) Joey Logano, Ford, 160.

4. (11) Chase Briscoe, Toyota, 160.

5. (5) Denny Hamlin, Toyota, 160.

6. (16) Brad Keselowski, Ford, 160.

7. (26) Josh Berry, Ford, 160.

8. (34) Ryan Preece, Ford, 160.

9. (1) Carson Hocevar, Chevrolet, 160.

10. (3) Tyler Reddick, Toyota, 160.

11. (15) Chris Buescher, Ford, 160.

12. (4) Ty Gibbs, Toyota, 160.

13. (12) Cole Custer, Chevrolet, 160.

14. (35) Austin Cindric, Ford, 160.

15. (30) Zane Smith, Ford, 160.

16. (25) Shane Van Gisbergen, Chevrolet, 160.

17. (2) Daniel Suarez, Chevrolet, 160.

18. (6) Michael McDowell, Chevrolet, 160.

19. (8) Alex Bowman, Chevrolet, 160.

20. (24) Ricky Stenhouse Jr., Chevrolet, 160.

21. (21) William Byron, Chevrolet, 160.

22. (33) Noah Gragson, Ford, 160.

23. (22) Ross Chastain, Chevrolet, 160.

24. (36) Todd Gilliland, Ford, 160.

25. (9) AJ Allmendinger, Chevrolet, 160.

26. (13) Ryan Blaney, Ford, 160.

27. (14) Erik Jones, Toyota, 160.

28. (29) Bubba Wallace, Toyota, 160.

29. (20) Austin Dillon, Chevrolet, 160.

30. (28) Ty Dillon, Chevrolet, 160.

31. (37) Cody Ware, Chevrolet, 160.

32. (17) John Hunter Nemechek, Toyota, 158.

33. (32) Austin Hill(i), Chevrolet, Accident, 125.

34. (31) Connor Zilisch #, Chevrolet, Accident, 122.

35. (38) Casey Mears, Chevrolet, Accident, 121.

36. (18) Riley Herbst, Toyota, Accident, 120.

37. (27) Chase Elliott, Chevrolet, 119.

38. (39) Daniel Dye(i), Chevrolet, Accident, 93.

39. (10) Kyle Larson, Chevrolet, Accident, 43.

Average Speed of Race Winner: 127.422 mph.

Time of Race: 3 Hrs, 8 Mins, 21 Secs. Margin of Victory: .287 Seconds.

Caution Flags: 5 for 27 laps.

Lead Changes: 15 among 11 drivers.

Lap Leaders: C. Hocevar 1-31;D. Suarez 32;D. Hamlin 33-39;T. Reddick 40;*. Heim(i) 41-44;T. Gibbs 45-74;*. Heim(i) 75-91;J. Nemechek 92;J. Berry 93;C. Briscoe 94;R. Preece 95;R. Chastain 96-100;T. Gibbs 101-116;*. Heim(i) 117-118;D. Hamlin 119-125;*. Heim(i) 126-160.

Leaders Summary (Driver, Times Lead, Laps Led): * Corey Heim(i) 4 times for 58 laps; Ty Gibbs 2 times for 46 laps; Carson Hocevar 1 time for 31 laps; Denny Hamlin 2 times for 14 laps; Ross Chastain 1 time for 5 laps; Chase Briscoe 1 time for 1 lap; Josh Berry 1 time for 1 lap; John Hunter Nemechek 1 time for 1 lap; Tyler Reddick 1 time for 1 lap; Ryan Preece 1 time for 1 lap; Daniel Suarez 1 time for 1 lap.

Stage #1 Top Ten: 54,67,71,77,24,11,7,19,17,45

Stage #2 Top Ten: 1,34,54,11,67,77,60,71,43,7

--30--

July 25, 2026

By Reid Spencer

NASCAR Wire Service

SPEEDWAY, Ind.—Standing on pit wall as Denny Hamlin completed his qualifying lap at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, Carson Hocevar raised his arms in exultation and turned to hug Spire Motorsports teammate Daniel Suarez.

Hocevar knew at that moment that Saturday’s time trials at the historic 2.5-mile oval would not be a repeat of Michigan in June, when Hamlin, as the final qualifier, knocked Hocevar off the provisional pole at the 23-year-old’s home track.

In fact, after earning his second Busch Light Pole Award of the season and the third of his career, Hocevar will lead the field to green in Sunday’s Brickyard 400 (2 p.m. ET on TNT, IMS Radio Network and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).

“I got out of the car, and they were cheering,” Hocevar said of the crowd in the grandstands near the Yard of Bricks start/finish line. “I don’t know if they were cheering for me or because I beat Denny (who qualified fifth at 185.835 mph).

“Denny stole one from me at Michigan. That’s my home track, but this is my favorite track. I love Indy.”

With a pole-winning lap at 186.598 mph in the No. 77 Chevrolet, Hocevar edged Suarez (186.382 mph) for the top starting spot by 0.056 seconds. The session was a triumph for Spire Motorsports and owner Jeff Dickerson, an Indianapolis native.

With Michael McDowell qualifying sixth at 185.762 mph, Spire put all three of its cars within the first three rows of the grid.

“It felt really good,” Hocevar said of his blistering lap. “Michael McDowell went out early and gave me the confidence that the car was going to be able stick with him putting up a good lap.

“I felt really comfortable. I love this place… You race differently if you’re comfortable and confident here. I’ve been confident since the first lap I’ve been here.”

Toyota driver Tyler Reddick posted the third fastest lap at 186.077 mph and will start next to Joe Gibbs Racing’s Ty Gibbs (185.966 mph). Naval Base Coronado winner, Corey Heim, claimed the seventh starting spot, followed by Alex Bowman, AJ Allmendinger and Kyle Larson.

The top 10 featured six Chevrolets and four Toyotas. Ryan Blaney, competing against Todd Gilliland for the $1-million In-Season Challenge prize, drove the fastest Ford (185.197 mph) to a 13th-place starting spot. Gilliland qualified 36th at 182.460 mph.

Blaney will make his 400th career Cup Series start on Sunday.

Defending race winner Bubba Wallace (183.861 mph) earned the 29th grid position.

Suarez was ahead of Hocevar’s pace early in his lap but lost time through the final two corners.

“I felt like I left a little bit out there,” Suarez said. “A little mistake in corner 3, but I’m very proud of my team.”

--30--

July 19, 2026

By Reid Spencer

NASCAR Wire Service

NORTH WILKESBORO, N.C.—Joey Logano had a gleam in his eye and a lilt in his voice as he readied to climb into the No. 22 Team Penske Ford for the start of Sunday night’s Window World 450.

“I think we have a fast car,” Logano opined optimistically before taking the green flag in the first NASCAR Cup Series points race at North Wilkesboro Speedway in 30 years.

Logano was right, but his assessment turned out to be a massive understatement. After leading a single-race career-best 323 laps, Logano crossed the finished line 0.859 seconds ahead of series leader Denny Hamlin to win for the first time since May 2025 when he triumphed at Texas Motor Speedway.

The victory was Logano’s first in a points race at the 0.625 short track, though he also won the 2024 NASCAR All-Star Race at revitalized North Wilkesboro. In front of an enthusiastic sell-out crowd, Logano recorded the 38th Cup victory of his career, 23rd-most all-time.

“It's good to get back into Victory Lane,” Logano said. “It's been a tough year. So getting the Shell-Pennzoil Mustang doing some big, smoky doughnuts around this place felt really good.”

The victory was a distinct bright spot in a troublesome season for the three-time Cup Series champion, who vaulted from 17th to 15th in the series standings, 49 points clear of the current cut line for the postseason Chase.

“(Crew chief) Paul (Wolfe) put together a good car,” Logano said. “I think I know exactly what I need to go fast around this place. He's able to give it to me.

“I knew coming into this weekend, we’ve got to capitalize on the points. A win was great, but we really need the points. Really capitalized on those tonight.”

Hamlin was able to stay close to Logano in the final stage, but the race winner worked traffic adroitly and never gave Hamlin a chance to close within striking distance.

The critical juncture came during a green-flag pit stop cycle in the final stage, with Hamlin steering his No. 11 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota to pit road on Lap 359 of 450. Logano followed a lap later and exited the pits roughly a half-second ahead of Hamlin.

That pit cycle proved decisive.

“Yeah, the pressure was there, for sure,” Logano said. “Denny got really good there the last run. Honestly, it was whoever was out front was going to win the race.

“We were pretty dominant. But as the race went along, Denny got better at the last run. Just did a decent job keeping up with the track. They did a good job keeping up.”

Though his extended pursuit of Logano proved fruitless, Hamlin expanded his series lead over second-place Tyler Reddick to 68 points, with five races left before the Chase field is set.

“You just have to compliment them on a great day and a great drive,” Hamlin said of Logano’s effort. “They were really good. There were a lot of times that I felt like my car was really close to where it needed to be; it was just a smidge off.

“Great battle. At least I was able to keep them honest there, but he had a lot of speed and never gave up on the short run or the long run, so great job to our whole Progressive Toyota team for keeping us in the ballgame, but we will have to go regroup.”

Chase Briscoe ran third and Ty Gibbs fourth, despite an early pit road speeding penalty. Shane van Gisbergen, who maintained a presence in the top 10 for the entire race and led 49 laps (second most to Logano), placed fifth and climbed one position to 14th in the standings, 54 points above the current Chase cutoff.

In the semifinal of the NASCAR Cup Series In-Season Challenge, Todd Gilliland continued his unlikely march to the winner-take-all $1-million payday with an eighth-place finish to Chase Elliott’s 17th.

Elliott was buried two laps down when caution for a collision between the Chevrolet of Alex Bowman and the Toyota of Reddick—as Bowman turned across traffic trying to enter pit road on Lap 183—interrupted a cycle of green-flag stops.

Elliott finished three laps down after a late pit stop.

Ryan Blaney, who finished 11th, two laps down, after a speeding penalty, ousted Christopher Bell from the In-Season Challenge. Like Elliott, Bell was a victim of the Lap 183 caution after pitting early in the cycle. He finished 19th, three laps down.

Blaney will face Gilliland for the In-Season title in next Sunday’s Brickyard 400 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway (2 p.m. ET on TNT, IMS Radio Network and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).

The race featured five cautions for 43 laps, with the final stage running caution-free for 175 green-flag laps. There were 17 lead changes among nine drivers, the majority coming during green-flag pit cycles.

Gibbs won the first stage before drawing his speeding penalty, with Logano exerting his dominance in winning Stage 2.

Sixth-place Bubba Wallace was the last driver to finish on the lead lap. Brad Keselowski, Gilliland, Daniel Suarez and Ryan Preece—all one lap down—completed the top 10.

NASCAR Cup Series Race - Window World 450

North Wilkesboro Speedway

North Wilkesboro, North Carolina

Sunday, July 19, 2026

1. (11) Joey Logano, Ford, 450.

2. (7) Denny Hamlin, Toyota, 450.

3. (30) Chase Briscoe, Toyota, 450.

4. (2) Ty Gibbs, Toyota, 450.

5. (8) Shane Van Gisbergen, Chevrolet, 450.

6. (26) Bubba Wallace, Toyota, 450.

7. (23) Brad Keselowski, Ford, 449.

8. (18) Todd Gilliland, Ford, 449.

9. (17) Daniel Suarez, Chevrolet, 449.

10. (21) Ryan Preece, Ford, 449.

11. (1) Ryan Blaney, Ford, 448.

12. (15) William Byron, Chevrolet, 448.

13. (4) Carson Hocevar, Chevrolet, 448.

14. (14) Austin Cindric, Ford, 448.

15. (27) Kyle Larson, Chevrolet, 448.

16. (22) Ty Dillon, Chevrolet, 448.

17. (10) Chase Elliott, Chevrolet, 447.

18. (34) Riley Herbst, Toyota, 447.

19. (3) Christopher Bell, Toyota, 447.

20. (9) Chris Buescher, Ford, 447.

21. (6) Erik Jones, Toyota, 447.

22. (29) Zane Smith, Ford, 447.

23. (12) Austin Dillon, Chevrolet, 446.

24. (16) Michael McDowell, Chevrolet, 446.

25. (31) Noah Gragson, Ford, 446.

26. (25) Alex Bowman, Chevrolet, 446.

27. (13) Ross Chastain, Chevrolet, 446.

28. (20) Cole Custer, Chevrolet, 446.

29. (36) Cody Ware, Chevrolet, 446.

30. (5) Tyler Reddick, Toyota, 445.

31. (19) John Hunter Nemechek, Toyota, 445.

32. (32) Connor Zilisch #, Chevrolet, 443.

33. (33) Austin Hill(i), Chevrolet, 442.

34. (24) Ricky Stenhouse Jr., Chevrolet, 442.

35. (37) Chad Finchum(i), Ford, Rear Gear, 303.

36. (28) Josh Berry, Ford, Accident, 199.

37. (35) AJ Allmendinger, Chevrolet, Suspension, 190.

Average Speed of Race Winner: 88.397 mph.

Time of Race: 2 Hrs, 50 Mins, 54 Secs. Margin of Victory: .859 Seconds.

Caution Flags: 5 for 43 laps.

Lead Changes: 17 among 9 drivers.

Lap Leaders: T. Gibbs 1-42;D. Hamlin 43-51;S. Van Gisbergen 52-79;T. Gibbs 80-84;S. Van Gisbergen 85;J. Logano 86-93;S. Van Gisbergen 94-112;J. Logano 113-186;R. Blaney 187;J. Logano 188-269;S. Van Gisbergen 270;J. Logano 271-359;C. Briscoe 360-364;B. Wallace 365-372;B. Keselowski 373-379;D. Suarez 380;J. Logano 381-450.

Leaders Summary (Driver, Times Lead, Laps Led): Joey Logano 5 times for 323 laps; Shane Van Gisbergen 4 times for 49 laps; Ty Gibbs 2 times for 47 laps; Denny Hamlin 1 time for 9 laps; Bubba Wallace 1 time for 8 laps; Brad Keselowski 1 time for 7 laps; Chase Briscoe 1 time for 5 laps; Daniel Suarez 1 time for 1 lap; Ryan Blaney 1 time for 1 lap.

Stage #1 Top Ten: 54,97,22,11,77,20,9,19,2,24

Stage #2 Top Ten: 22,11,19,23,97,77,6,12,34,7

--30--

Heavy rain puts Ryan Blaney on pole at North Wilkesboro

July 18, 2026

By Reid Spencer

NASCAR Wire Service

NORTH WILKESBORO, N.C.—“Great lap,” quipped Ryan Blaney on Saturday as he addressed reporters in the North Wilkesboro Speedway media center.

Of course, there was no lap, after rain drenched the 0.625-mile short track and forced cancelation of qualifying for Sunday’s Window World 450 (7 p.m. ET on TNT, PRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).

As a result, Blaney will lead the field to green in the first NASCAR Cup Series points race at the track in three decades.

Last Sunday’s winner at EchoPark Speedway (Atlanta), Blaney is third in the series standings, 65 points behind leader Denny Hamlin and 41 behind second-place Tyler Reddick.

With the top starting spot in Sunday’s race, he’s poised to make a dent in those deficits. Nevertheless, there are potential hazards that concern Blaney entering the race, notably the “softer” noses of the Cup cars.

“It’s the first race with the new bumper structure, and there’s nothing behind that bumper,” Blaney said. “I mean, all the foam is gone. It’s just body work, so they’re going to be pretty flimsy, for sure.

“Some guys, I think, who have only driven this car, they didn’t get to experience that in the other (previous generation) car, but that stuff is going to be flimsy, so you’re really going to have to be careful on stack-ups, laying the bumper to somebody.”

Ty Gibbs will take the green flag from the second position, with Christopher Bell and Carson Hocevar third and fourth, respectively, on the second row. Reddick is fifth on the grid, followed by Erik Jones, Hamlin, Shane van Gisbergen, Chris Buescher and Chase Elliott.

Blaney faces Bell in the semifinals of the $1-million In-Season Challenge, with Elliott taking on 18th-place starter Todd Gilliland in the other semi.

“I feel like that’s going to be a real heck of a battle between me and Christopher this weekend,” Blaney said. “They run really good on short tracks. We have a history of running really good on short tracks.

“He won the All-Star Race here last year, so he’s going to be really tough competition. So that’s going to be a heck of a battle… It’s been fun to be a part of it, that’s for sure. I got knocked out after Round 1 last sure, so it’s been fun to go through the bracket and see who you’re up against.”

Three teams had inspection issues on Saturday. The 33 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet of Austin Hill and No. 88 Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet of Connor Zilisch failed pre-race inspection twice and lost pit selection and the services of their car chiefs.

The No. 1 Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet of Ross Chastain failed three times. In addition to loss of pit selection and his car chief, Chastain will start from the rear of the field and serve a pass-through penalty after taking the green flag.

--30--

Ryan Blaney dominates in wild one at Atlanta's EchoPark Speedway

getty images

July 12, 2026

By Holly Cain

NASCAR Wire Service

HAMPTON, Ga. - Ryan Blaney led a dominating 171 of 263 laps to claim the trophy in overtime in Sunday-night-turned-Monday-morning’s Quaker State 400 NASCAR Cup Series race at Atlanta’s EchoPark Speedway.

As impressive as the big number of laps led is the night-long extra effort Blaney turned in to mark his second win of the season and first since Phoenix in March. The 32-year old North Carolinian made the winning pass on the last lap in what had been a dramatic lap-by-lap night-long battle up front showcasing – and necessitating - some of the 2024 series champion’s best work.

His laps-led total on the 1.5-mile Atlanta high-banks is the most for a race winner at a drafting track since Richard Petty led 184 of 200 laps in his 1964 Daytona 500 victory.

Blaney’s No. 12 Team Penske Ford got the race-winning nudge forward on the last lap of overtime by Joe Gibbs Racing’s Christopher Bell, whose No. 20 Toyota ultimately crossed the finish line three-wide alongside 23XI Racing’s Bubba Wallace and Spire Motorsports Carson Hocevar, who was leading when the field took the white flag signaling one-lap to go.

Wallace was later penalized for being out of bounds, dropping below the track’s yellow-line at one point as he corrected his car on that final overtime restart, battling Hocevar for position. The adjusted top-five with the penalty then placed Bell second to Blaney by .068-second – the JGR Toyota driver’s fifth top-five in the last eight races. Hocevar was scored third followed by the Toyotas of JGR’s Ty Gibbs and Legacy Motor Club’s Erik Jones.

“Pretty wild,’’ said a smiling Blaney, who started on the pole and swept both stage wins.

“Bubba gave me really good shoves on the restart, we got hooked up really good and then Bubba and I got a huge run down the front straightaway and I was able to get to the outside of Carson. Wasn’t able to clear him [then]. And then Bubba went three-wide bottom down the back which lined up for a really cool finish at the line.

“I really have to shout out Christopher Bell being right on my bumper through [turns] three and four and a big push. He was a big reason why we won the race so I appreciate that Christopher.”

It was an adventurous victory for Blaney, who faced challenges every lap and was forced to re-establish his position out front even after a three-hour plus red flag stoppage period for weather on lap 108 and the changing weather conditions.

Blaney has now earned Ford Motor Company’s last six NASCAR Cup Series wins and it marks a significant 750th victory for Ford Motor Company.

Despite the impressive race statistics, it took hard work and unrelenting spirit to pull off this second victory of the season. Hocevar ran among the frontrunners for much of the night and was a serious threat to win. The 23-year old driver of the No. 77 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet earned his first career win in April at the series’ previous drafting track stop – Talladega (Ala.) Superspeedway. And came into the race full of confidence and vigor.

He was so optimistic about his chances, he joked with his team on the radio during the final restarts even singing into the radio just before the overtime green flag flew. He said he was part disappointed and part encouraged with the third place finish.

“Is there a sign for loser, we didn’t win,’’ Hocevar joked after the race. “I don’t know, I’m super happy with our day. I’m sitting there hanging around, looking at the fans, sitting about for the first part of stage three. Then all of a sudden with about 12 laps [remaining] we were up front and in contention to win

“It’s fun. Zero nerves up front,’’ he added with a grin.

It was also an impressive night for Trackhouse Racing driver Shane Van Gisbergen, the series’ road course ace finishing sixth for his third top-10 showing on an oval this season.

Richard Childress Racing’s Austin Dillon was seventh, followed by the season’s five-time race winner Tyler Reddick, who won at Atlanta in February. Blaney’s Penske teammate, three-time series champ Joey Logano, was ninth scoring his sixth top-10 of the season. Roush Fenway Keselowski Racing’s Chris Buescher was 10th.

The night had a big effect on the TNT $1 million to-win In-Season Challenge with Bell’s runner-up showing bettering his JGR teammate Denny Hamlin’s 12th place showing to advance to next week’s Final Four round. He’ll join Hendrick Motorsports’ Chase Elliott, who finished 13th Monday morning, out-dueling JGR’s Chase Briscoe, who finished 36th after being collected in a crash.

Blaney’s win advances him past Hendrick’s William Byron, who finished 16th. And Front Row Motorsports’ Todd Gilliland advances with an 19th place effort, bettering Hendrick’s Alex Bowman, who finished 22nd.

The night also had major implications in the championship standings now with only six races remaining to set the 16-driver field that will compete in the Chase.

Hamlin retains the championship points lead, however Reddick cut the margin nearly in half at Atlanta with strong stage showings in addition to his top-10. He now trails his 23XI Racing team co-owner by 24 points. Blaney’s victory also moved him into regular season championship talk, cutting what was once a 100-plus point deficit to now only 65 points.

Jones finish kept him ranked 16th but Logano’s effort moed him up a position in the standings and he now trails Jones by only eight points. RFK’s Ryan Preece is ranked 18th, 26 points off Jones.

The NASCAR Cup Series next makes a nostalgic return to North Wilkesboro (N.C.) Speedway for Sunday’s Window World 450 (7 p.m. ET, TNT, PRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio). Bell won the NASCAR All-Star Race at North Wilkesboro in 2025. The last regular season race at the historic track was won by NASCAR Hall of Famer Jeff Gordon in 1996.

NASCAR Cup Series Race - Quaker State 400 Available at Walmart

EchoPark Speedway

Hampton, Georgia

Sunday, July 12, 2026

1. (1) Ryan Blaney, Ford, 263.

2. (32) Christopher Bell, Toyota, 263.

3. (14) Carson Hocevar, Chevrolet, 263.

4. (23) Ty Gibbs, Toyota, 263.

5. (11) Erik Jones, Toyota, 263.

6. (12) Shane Van Gisbergen, Chevrolet, 263.

7. (4) Austin Dillon, Chevrolet, 263.

8. (31) Tyler Reddick, Toyota, 263.

9. (2) Joey Logano, Ford, 263.

10. (13) Chris Buescher, Ford, 263.

11. (9) Ross Chastain, Chevrolet, 263.

12. (28) Denny Hamlin, Toyota, 263.

13. (7) Chase Elliott, Chevrolet, 263.

14. (8) Austin Cindric, Ford, 263.

15. (18) Michael McDowell, Chevrolet, 263.

16. (26) William Byron, Chevrolet, 263.

17. (33) Cole Custer, Chevrolet, 263.

18. (24) John Hunter Nemechek, Toyota, 263.

19. (21) Todd Gilliland, Ford, 263.

20. (16) Ty Dillon, Chevrolet, 263.

21. (5) Daniel Suarez, Chevrolet, 263.

22. (6) Alex Bowman, Chevrolet, 263.

23. (15) Ricky Stenhouse Jr., Chevrolet, 263.

24. (19) Ryan Preece, Ford, 263.

25. (17) Josh Berry, Ford, 263.

26. (10) Brad Keselowski, Ford, 263.

27. (36) Noah Gragson, Ford, 263.

28. (25) Connor Zilisch #, Chevrolet, 263.

29. (22) Bubba Wallace, Toyota, 263.

30. (34) Zane Smith, Ford, 262.

31. (30) Austin Hill(i), Chevrolet, 261.

32. (35) Cody Ware, Chevrolet, 259.

33. (38) Chad Finchum(i), Ford, 259.

34. (3) Kyle Larson, Chevrolet, 258.

35. (29) Riley Herbst, Toyota, Accident, 255.

36. (20) Chase Briscoe, Toyota, Accident, 254.

37. (27) AJ Allmendinger, Chevrolet, Accident, 230.

38. (37) BJ McLeod, Chevrolet, Mechanical, 105.

Average Speed of Race Winner: 124.995 mph.

Time of Race: 3 Hrs, 14 Mins, 25 Secs. Margin of Victory: .068 Seconds.

Caution Flags: 7 for 49 laps.

Lead Changes: 30 among 10 drivers.

Lap Leaders: R. Blaney 1-64;T. Reddick 65-72;R. Blaney 73;K. Larson 74-75;R. Blaney 76;K. Larson 77-78;R. Blaney 79-82;C. Hocevar 83-92;R. Blaney 93-118;J. Berry 119;R. Preece 120;R. Blaney 121-127;B. Wallace 128;R. Blaney 129-162;C. Hocevar 163;T. Gibbs 164-195;C. Hocevar 196;C. Bell 197-200;R. Blaney 201-202;C. Bell 203;R. Blaney 204-207;C. Elliott 208-209;R. Blaney 210-213;C. Elliott 214-216;R. Blaney 217-227;B. Wallace 228-237;R. Blaney 238-245;C. Hocevar 246-250;R. Blaney 251-254;C. Hocevar 255-262;R. Blaney 263.

Leaders Summary (Driver, Times Lead, Laps Led): Ryan Blaney 14 times for 171 laps; Ty Gibbs 1 time for 32 laps; Carson Hocevar 5 times for 25 laps; Bubba Wallace 2 times for 11 laps; Tyler Reddick 1 time for 8 laps; Christopher Bell 2 times for 5 laps; Chase Elliott 2 times for 5 laps; Kyle Larson 2 times for 4 laps; Josh Berry 1 time for 1 lap; Ryan Preece 1 time for 1 lap.

Stage #1 Top Ten: 12,45,5,22,2,77,3,19,9,23

Stage #2 Top Ten: 12,45,22,2,7,54,20,43,11,97

July 5, 2026

By Reid Spencer

NASCAR Wire Service

JOLIET, Ill. — It was astute strategy that gave Chase Briscoe the lead in the final stage of Sunday’s eero 400 at Chicagoland Speedway.

It was sheer determination that kept him there in a triumphant return to the 1.5-mile intermediate speedway after a seven-year hiatus.

In the closing laps of the 19th NASCAR Cup Series race of the season, Briscoe stayed off the charge of his equally determined Joe Gibbs Racing teammate, Christopher Bell, to win for the first time this season, the first time at Chicagoland and the sixth time in his career.

Bell’s pursuit of Briscoe fell short when his No. 20 Toyota tightened up in dirty air on the final lap, allowing Briscoe to power his No. 19 Toyota across the finish line 0.276 seconds ahead of his teammate.

With pole winner Denny Hamlin running third, Joe Gibbs Racing fashioned a 1-2-3 finish for the eighth time in organization history, most recently this season at Nashville Superspeedway. Seven Toyotas finished in the top 10—a high-water mark for the manufacturer in a Cup Series race.

“I feel so American winning in the Bass Pro Shop's Red, White, and Blue car, 4th of July weekend, 250 years,” an elated Briscoe said after climbing from his car. “Man, just what an unbelievable race car. (Crew chief) James (Small) did a great job. Team did a (great) job. Honestly did not see this coming.

“I kind of felt like I was struggling in practice, in qualifying, but James and the group did a great job. Man, just so cool to get this paint scheme back in Victory Lane.”

In the fight for the win, lapped traffic helped Briscoe maintain his edge over Bell.

“I kind of got lucky having lapped cars,” Briscoe said. “I was struggling pretty bad. Christopher was certainly coming. Out of all the people to race against, I knew Christopher was going to be clean with me.

“I thought that was about as good a race as you could get. The cat-and-mouse game, and we were slipping and sliding around. Hopefully, you could see it on TV. So excited to be back in Chicagoland. Hopefully we can be back.”

Bell has led 417 laps this season but has posted four runner-up finishes without a win.

“Yeah, it was a great day,” Bell said despite the obvious disappointment of finishing second. “First race with (sponsor) Saia on the Toyota. We almost went to Victory Lane. Yeah, Toyotas are fast. It seems like a monkey can drive them, so it's just disappointing when you get beat by another monkey…

“I'm just a second-place driver. That's what I am.”

Fourth-place finisher William Byron held the lead, with Briscoe running second, when Briscoe steered his car to pit road for his final stop on Lap 215 of 267. Byron followed suit a lap later, but the driver of the No. 24 Chevrolet lost the lead in the exchange.

Briscoe held the top spot for the final 46 laps, as both Bell and Hamlin passed Byron for position in the closing laps.

“A win would have been awesome,” said Byron, who posted his fourth top five finish of the season. “We’ve been craving that for a long time and working really hard to get there. We could kind of taste it there with a couple runs to go.

“We got jumped by the No. 19 (Briscoe) there on that last green flag pit cycle, but I just didn’t quite have the pace that last run to keep up with him, and then those other guys had fresher tires at the end.”

The final stage ran caution-free from a restart on Lap 173—a far cry from the chaos of the first two stages.

The race was barely two corners old when a chain-reaction wreck sidelined star-crossed rookie Connor Zilisch. John Hunter Nemechek’s Toyota forced the Chevrolet of Ricky Stenhouse Jr. into the outside wall as the cars gained speed through Turn 2 after taking the initial green flag.

Collected were the Ford of Ryan Preece and the Chevrolet of Zilisch, which nosed hard into the inside wall, damaging the Camaro beyond repair. For the fourth time in the last seven races, Zilisch was eliminated from an event in last place, in this case 38th.

Preece lost four laps as his car was towed to the garage for new tires, but he returned to action and eventually to the lead lap under a succession of cautions. He finished 32nd.

Kyle Larson's fast car subsequently suffered its own version of rotten luck. Running third on Lap 93, Larson’s No. 5 Chevrolet spun sideways in Turn 4 behind Hendrick Motorsports teammate William Byron. Larson’s car slid into the infield grass and required a tow truck with a tether to pull it back to the pavement.

Larson lost two laps in the process, dooming his chances to end a 42-race drought. The spin also made Larson, who finished 34th, the loser in his In-Season Challenge matchup against Byron, who led a race-high 94 laps before fading in the late going.

Tyler Reddick soon joined the parade of the unfortunate when an errant splitter stay from another car punched a hole in the radiator of the No. 45 Toyota, forcing a caution for fluid on the track on Lap 134. Reddick drove the car to the garage for a radiator change.

Having surrendered the series lead to 23XI Racing co-owner Hamlin last Sunday at Sonoma Raceway, Reddick lost 29 laps under repairs and fell 44 points behind Hamlin in the series standings.

Alex Bowman ran fifth, his first top five result since finishing third at Texas in May. Bubba Wallace, Ryan Blaney, Ty Gibbs, Corey Heim and Riley Herbst completed the top 10.

Advancing to the quarterfinals of the In-Season Challenge were Briscoe over Gibbs, Byron over Larson, Bowman over Austin Cindric, Chase Elliott over Michael McDowell, Hamlin over Erik Jones, Bell over Chris Buescher, Todd Gilliland over Carson Hocevar and Blaney over Shane van Gisbergen.

The race featured 28 lead changes among 13 drivers, with Briscoe leading 51 laps, Wallace 35 and Hamlin 30. There were seven cautions for 43 laps.

The In-Season Challenge continues in next Sunday’s Quaker State 400 at EchoPark Speedway near Atlanta (7 p.m. ET on TNT, PRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).

NASCAR Cup Series Race - eero 400

Chicagoland Speedway

Joliet, Illinois

Sunday, July 5, 2026

1. (7) Chase Briscoe, Toyota, 267.

2. (6) Christopher Bell, Toyota, 267.

3. (1) Denny Hamlin, Toyota, 267.

4. (10) William Byron, Chevrolet, 267.

5. (12) Alex Bowman, Chevrolet, 267.

6. (8) Bubba Wallace, Toyota, 267.

7. (14) Ryan Blaney, Ford, 267.

8. (5) Ty Gibbs, Toyota, 267.

9. (28) Corey Heim(i), Toyota, 267.

10. (18) Riley Herbst, Toyota, 267.

11. (9) Chase Elliott, Chevrolet, 267.

12. (31) Joey Logano, Ford, 267.

13. (23) Austin Cindric, Ford, 267.

14. (26) Daniel Suarez, Chevrolet, 267.

15. (22) Erik Jones, Toyota, 267.

16. (29) Todd Gilliland, Ford, 267.

17. (11) AJ Allmendinger, Chevrolet, 266.

18. (19) Ross Chastain, Chevrolet, 266.

19. (3) Chris Buescher, Ford, 266.

20. (27) Ty Dillon, Chevrolet, 266.

21. (4) Brad Keselowski, Ford, 266.

22. (15) Carson Hocevar, Chevrolet, 266.

23. (17) John Hunter Nemechek, Toyota, 266.

24. (25) Austin Dillon, Chevrolet, 266.

25. (30) Shane Van Gisbergen, Chevrolet, 266.

26. (24) Ricky Stenhouse Jr., Chevrolet, 266.

27. (32) Noah Gragson, Ford, 266.

28. (16) Zane Smith, Ford, 266.

29. (38) Michael McDowell, Chevrolet, 266.

30. (37) Cody Ware, Chevrolet, 266.

31. (33) Cole Custer, Chevrolet, 266.

32. (20) Ryan Preece, Ford, 266.

33. (34) Josh Berry, Ford, 265.

34. (2) Kyle Larson, Chevrolet, 265.

35. (36) JJ Yeley(i), Chevrolet, 256.

36. (13) Tyler Reddick, Toyota, 237.

37. (35) Austin Hill(i), Chevrolet, Accident, 47.

38. (21) Connor Zilisch #, Chevrolet, Accident, 0.

Average Speed of Race Winner: 126.941 mph.

Time of Race: 3 Hrs, 9 Mins, 18 Secs. Margin of Victory: .276 Seconds.

Caution Flags: 7 for 43 laps.

Lead Changes: 28 among 13 drivers.

Lap Leaders: D. Hamlin 1-6;K. Larson 7-18;D. Hamlin 19-34;C. Custer 35;D. Hamlin 36-37;K. Larson 38-48;W. Byron 49;A. Cindric 50-53;J. Logano 54;A. Cindric 55-68;W. Byron 69-85;C. Custer 86;W. Byron 87-90;B. Wallace 91-124;C. Briscoe 125-128;D. Hamlin 129-132;R. Blaney 133-140;*. Yeley(i) 141;W. Byron 142;C. Briscoe 143;W. Byron 144-169;*. Yeley(i) 170;W. Byron 171-215;C. Bell 216;D. Hamlin 217-218;B. Wallace 219;*. Heim(i) 220;T. Gilliland 221;C. Briscoe 222-267.

Leaders Summary (Driver, Times Lead, Laps Led): William Byron 6 times for 94 laps; Chase Briscoe 3 times for 51 laps; Bubba Wallace 2 times for 35 laps; Denny Hamlin 5 times for 30 laps; Kyle Larson 2 times for 23 laps; Austin Cindric 2 times for 18 laps; Ryan Blaney 1 time for 8 laps; Cole Custer 2 times for 2 laps; * JJ Yeley(i) 2 times for 2 laps; * Corey Heim(i) 1 time for 1 lap; Todd Gilliland 1 time for 1 lap; Christopher Bell 1 time for 1 lap; Joey Logano 1 time for 1 lap.

Stage #1 Top Ten: 24,5,23,2,19,17,35,11,54,45

Stage #2 Top Ten: 24,19,11,54,12,20,9,48,2,42

jordan bachman/Getty Images

July 4, 2026

By Reid Spencer

NASCAR Wire Service

JOLIET, Ill. — When it comes to oval tracks, Denny Hamlin has established himself firmly on the throne as king of qualifying.

In Saturday’s time trials at Chicagoland Speedway, Hamlin edged Kyle Larson by 0.001 seconds to claim the pole position for Sunday’s eero 400 (6 p.m. ET on TNT, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).

Hamlin sped around the 1.5-mile intermediate track in 30.296 seconds (178.241 mph). Larson, who ran later in the qualifying order, fell just short at 178.235 mph.

The Busch Light Pole Award was Hamlin’s fourth of the season, his first at Chicagoland (which hasn’t hosted a NASCAR national series race since 2019) and the 52nd of his career, breaking a tie with Ryan Newman for ninth all-time.

Hamlin, the 2015 Chicagoland winner, won poles at the previous two oval tracks on the NASCAR Cup Series schedule, Michigan International Speedway and Pocono Raceway. He is the only driver to win poles at both Chicagoland Speedway and the Chicago Street Course (2023).

“I’m the Chicago master—what can I say?” Hamlin quipped.

In fact, Hamlin considered himself lucky to win his third straight oval-track pole, having gotten the benefit of favorable cloud conditions.

“I don’t want to continue to underplay it, but we got very fortunate,” said Hamlin, who leads the series standings by one point over Tyler Reddick. “The last 12 cars had full sun—100 percent sun. The last few had 90 percent, but I think that was the deciding factor.

“We saw that, right after I went, the track definitely got hotter, and it seemed like the corner speeds of those guys started to slow down. I think if there was one more car behind Ty Gibbs (the final qualifier), they definitely would have beaten us, because it went full shade.

“We got fortunate there, but they (Hamlin’s No. 11 team) did a a real good job overnight with my car (whose balance wasn’t ideal during Friday’s practice).”

Roush Fenway Keselowski Racing Ford drivers Chris Buescher (178.153 mph) and Brad Keselowski (178.089 mph) qualified third and fourth, respectively. With two victories at Chicagoland, Keselowski is the only driver in the field for Sunday’s race with multiple wins at the track.

Hamlin’s Joe Gibbs Racing teammates Ty Gibbs, Christopher Bell and Chase Briscoe claimed the respective fifth through seventh starting positions. Bubba Wallace, Chase Elliott and William Byron completed the top 10, which consisted of four JGR Toyotas, three Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolets, two RFK Fords and one 23XI Racing Toyota (Wallace).

The No. 2 and top remaining seed in the NASCAR Cup Series In-Season Challenge, Hamlin faces Erik Jones in Sunday’s second round. Jones qualified 22nd.

In battles between teammates, Larson faces Byron, and Gibbs takes on Briscoe.

Hamlin, however, will have his eye on Larson.

“In my personal opinion, Kyle Larson is the best driver at this race track, so he’s going to be someone I have to contend with, and I’m sure all the Hendrick cars are.”

Michael McDowell’s No. 71 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet failed inspection three times and must start from the rear of the field under penalty. McDowell will have to serve a pass-through on the opening lap.

--30--

NASCAR Cup youth movement makes its mark at the Brickyard

July 27, 2026

By Reid Spencer

NASCAR Wire Service

INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. — Corey Heim and Carson Hocevar are on a collision course—figuratively speaking, that is.

Both drivers made impressive statements this past weekend at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Hocevar, 23, won the pole for the Brickyard 400 and held the lead in the race until the first round of green-flag pit stops.

Heim, who turned 24 on July 5, grabbed the top spot after a restart on Lap 27 and kept veterans Christopher Bell and Joey Logano at bay for the final 34 laps.

Heim is the youngest winner of the Crown Jewel race since Jeff Gordon took the checkered flag in the inaugural NASCAR Cup Series race at Indianapolis Motor Speedway two days after turning 23 in 1994.

Indeed, Heim and Hocevar are emblematic of a younger generation in NASCAR racing, a group of 20-something drivers already making a mark in the sport and ready to do battle against each other.

All three first-time winners this season—Heim, Hocevar and Ty Gibbs—got their maiden victories when they were 23 years old, the first time in Cup history that three or more drivers that young accomplished the feat.

Gibbs, too, was a presence at Indianapolis, leading 46 laps and winning the first stage before finishing 12th.

But the focus was on Heim and Hocevar, who have a history dating to the Championship 4 Race in the NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series in 2023, when both drivers were fighting for the title and wrecked each other in the process.

Nor could the drivers avoid a certain degree of controversy in the Brickyard 400. In the second stage, Hocevar steered his car to pit road on Lap 82. He returned to the track right behind the Toyota of Heim, who was leading at the time and running long.

For 10 frustrating laps, Heim kept Hocevar in his wake. When Heim finally ducked onto pit road on Lap 92, Hocevar steered toward him and expressed his displeasure with a one-finger salute.

“I’m just a fan—I wanted to wave at him,” Hocevar quipped after the race. “He’s number one. He won. It’s fun… if we don’t like each other, but we race really hard. His stuff’s super-fast, obviously, with the car he’s in. He does a really, really good job with it.

“I’m looking forward to, when we get our stuff a little better, being in front of him and maybe holding him up.”

Hocevar is an imposing 6-foot-4, and he possesses a megawatt smile that can light up a room. He revels in the unusual and outlandish—witness his outside-the-car victory celebration at Talladega—and has developed a huge social media following eager to jump to his defense during online spats with other drivers.

Hocevar is undeniably aggressive on the race track. His 27 incidents involving 30 different Cup drivers this season are tops in the series.

Heim, on the other hand, is more laid back, but at every level of motorsports he is used to winning. His single-season series-record 12 victories propelled him to the NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series title last year as he waited for a full-time Cup ride with 23XI Racing—a career goal that won’t be met until next season.

Nevertheless, Heim wasn’t about to let the byplay with Hocevar on Sunday go unaddressed.

“I was blocking him, not really too bad I thought,” Heim said. “I was trying to just hold my position. I never threw like a bad block. I was just trying to protect my entry. He didn't like it. He lost and I won, so I don't really care.”

Indeed. Heim defied the odds in winning for a second time in a part-time role with 23XI. He also seems to have a penchant for major events, with his first victory coming in the inaugural street course race at Naval Base Coronado, where Hocevar also qualified on the front row before finishing 19th.

In a sport that craves rivalries, Heim and Hocevar were front and center on Sunday, and you don’t need a crystal ball to see the future of NASCAR racing.

It was right before your eyes at the Brickyard.

--30--

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nascar cup series

NASCAR Cup Series schedule 2026

(All times Eastern)

Date	Race	Track	Time
Feb. 1	Cook Out Clash at Bowman Gray	Bowman Gray Stadium	8 p.m.
Feb. 12	Duel 1 at Daytona	Daytona International Speedway	7 p.m.
Feb. 12	Duel 2 at Daytona	Daytona International Speedway	8:45 p.m.
Feb. 15	Daytona 500	Daytona International Speedway	2:30 p.m.
Feb. 22	Autotrader 400	EchoPark Speedway	3 p.m.
March 1	DuraMax Grand Prix	Circuit of the Americas	3:30 p.m.
March 8	Straight Talk Wireless 500	Phoenix Raceway	3:30 p.m.
March 15	Pennzoil 400	Las Vegas Motor Speedway	4 p.m.
March 22	Goodyear 400	Darlington Raceway	3 p.m.
March 29	Cook Out 400	Martinsville Speedway	3:30 p.m.
April 12	Food City 500	Bristol Motor Speedway	3 p.m.
April 19	AdventHealth 400	Kansas Speedway	2 p.m.
April 26	Jack Link's 500	Talladega Superspeedway	3 p.m.
May 3	Wurth 400	Texas Motor Speedway	3:30 p.m.
May 10	Go Bowling at the Glen	Watkins Glen International	3 p.m.
May 17	All-Star Race	Dover Motor Speedway	3 p.m.
May 24	Coca-Cola 600	Charlotte Motor Speedway	6 p.m.
May 31	Cracker Barrel 400	Nashville Superspeedway	7 p.m.
June 7	FireKeepers Casino 400	Michigan International Speedway	3 p.m.
June 14	Cup Series race at Pocono	Pocono Raceway	3 p.m.
June 21	Anduril 250	Naval Base Coronado	4 p.m.
June 28	Toyota/Save Mart 350	Sonoma Raceway	3:30 p.m.
July 5	Cup Series race at Chicagoland	Chicagoland Speedway	6 p.m.
July 12	Quaker State 400	EchoPark Speedway	7 p.m.
July 19	Window World 400	North Wilkesboro Speedway	7 p.m.
July 26	Brickyard 400	Indianapolis Motor Speedway	2 p.m.
Aug. 9	Iowa Corn 350	Iowa Speedway	3:30 p.m.
Aug. 15	Cook Out 400	Richmond Raceway	7 p.m.
Aug. 23	Cup Series race at New Hampshire	New Hampshire Motor Speedway	3 p.m.
Aug. 29	Coke Zero Sugar 400	Daytona International Speedway	7:30 p.m.

NASCAR Cup Series playoff race schedule 2026

(All times Eastern)

Date	Race	Track	Time
Sept. 6	Southern 500	Darlington Raceway	5 p.m.
Sept. 13	Enjoy Illinois 300	World Wide Technology Raceway	3 p.m.
Sept. 19	Bass Pro Shops Night Race	Bristol Motor Speedway	7:30 p.m.
Sept. 27	Hollywood Casino 400	Kansas Speedway	3 p.m.
Oct. 4	South Point 400	Las Vegas Motor Speedway	5:30 p.m.
Oct. 11	Bank of America ROVAL 400	Charlotte Road Course	3 p.m.
Oct. 18	Freeway Insurance 500	Phoenix Raceway	3 p.m.
Oct. 25	Yellawood 500	Talladega Superspeedway	2 p.m.
Nov. 1	Xfinity 500	Martinsville Speedway	2 p.m.
Nov. 8	Cup Series Championship Race	Homestead-Miami Speedway	3 p.m.

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