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2026 BRICKYARD 400 

Corey Heim pulls off Brickyard shocker as part-time NASCAR Cup driver

Justin Casterline/Getty Images

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--

 

Carson Kvapil Triumphs at the Brickyard for His First Career Win in the NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series

Sean Gardner/Getty Images

July 25, 2026

By Reid Spencer

NASCAR Wire Service

 

SPEEDWAY, Ind.—Carson Kvapil chose the perfect time to claim his first victory in the NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series.

Kvapil’s emotional victory in Saturday’s Pennzoil 250 presented by Take 5 Oil Change at Indianapolis Motor Speedway—one of the biggest stages in motorsports—had the driver shedding tears and team co-owner Dale Earnhardt Jr. temporarily at a loss for words.

It was a day of milestones. With Justin Allgaier, Ross Chastain and Chase Elliott in positions two through four, respectively, JR Motorsports scored the first four-driver sweep of an event in series history.

The victory was the 14th of the season for JRM with six different drivers, the latter number tying the record the organization set last year. For the 79th straight race, JR Motorsports placed at least one driver in the top 10, tying the record set by RFK Racing from 2008-2010.

“It means the world to me,” Kvapil said, as his No. 1 Chevrolet team climbed the frontstretch catchfence in celebration of the victory. “It’s very emotional. I rode around on that lap backwards (after taking the checkered flag), and I sat there just thinking about all the hard work I’ve put in—me and my dad Travis—to get to this point.

“And the faith (team principals) Dale Jr., L.W. Miller and Kelley Miller put behind me to give me this opportunity—a second chance, I guess you could say, to come back at it this year…. I’m going to try not to cry too much. I’ve already shed a few tears—just trying to hold it together right now.”

In an event that featured just one caution for an on-track incident, Kvapil passed Chastain on Lap 79 of 100 and held it the rest of the way. Allgaier powered past Chastain into second place on Lap 94 and closed his deficit to Kvapil to less than a car-length on the white-flag lap.

Crossing the Yard of Bricks with one lap left, Allgaier trailed by a scant 0.283 seconds, but his efforts to shrink the distance on the final circuit proved fruitless, and Kvapil crossed the stripe with a 0.643 second advantage to score his first victory.

Kvapil accomplished more than just a win. He moved into second place in the series standings, 265 points behind Allgaier, who already has clinched the already clinched the top Chase seed.

Kvapil also joined Allgaier and Jesse Love in the Chase with two regular-season races left—as did Sheldon Creed (eighth Saturday), Corey Day (seventh), Brandon Jones (ninth) and Austin Hill (10th).

Allgaier, a six-time winner this season, felt the race slipped away from him when his No. 7 Chevrolet fell from first to fourth after the Lap 67 start of the final stage.

“That was kind the difference maker for us, I feel like, over the day,” Allgaier said. “I guess, in some ways, we kind of set up to be good on long runs, and it showed through. That’s why we were able to be really good at the end of that run…

“We made good adjustments. We did all the right things. We just came up a couple of laps short. I think if we have a couple more laps, if we have maybe a little bit different help from some of the lapped cars, there’s things that we maybe could have done different.

“But again, super proud of Carson and the whole No. 1 team. He’s done a really good job, and as a company, to do what we did today shows really where we’re at and what we’re able to accomplish, and for that I’m super proud.”

Crew chief Rodney Childers and the No. 1 team kept Kvapil in the mix from start to finish, but that was no surprise. While working as Kevin Harvick’s crew chief, Childers fashioned two NASCAR Cup Series victories at the Brickyard.

Kvapil has cobbled the current season together in three different cars with three different teams—the Nos. 1 and 9 at JR Motorsports and the No. 91 fielded by Mario Gosselin for DGM Racing.

Saturday’s victory was vindication of Kvapil’s determination to sustain a career despite some imposing obstacles in his path.

With seven of 12 Chase positions now filled, the fight for the final spots intensified at Indy. After finishing 12th, Taylor Gray holds the final berth above the current cut line by seven points over Joe Gibbs Racing teammate William Sawalich and 20 over Rajah Caruth, who stayed out on old tires to win the second stage before finishing 22nd.

--30--

NASCAR O'Reilly Auto Parts Series Race - Pennzoil 250 presented by Take 5 Oil Change

Indianapolis Motor Speedway

Speedway, Indiana

Saturday, July 25, 2026

 

                  1. (2)  Carson Kvapil, Chevrolet, 100.

                  2. (13)  Justin Allgaier, Chevrolet, 100.

                  3. (8)  Ross Chastain(i), Chevrolet, 100.

                  4. (7)  Chase Elliott(i), Chevrolet, 100.

                  5. (9)  William Sawalich, Toyota, 100.

                  6. (15)  Brent Crews #, Toyota, 100.

                  7. (11)  Corey Day, Chevrolet, 100.

                  8. (1)  Sheldon Creed, Chevrolet, 100.

                  9. (6)  Brandon Jones, Toyota, 100.

                  10. (19)  Austin Hill, Chevrolet, 100.

                  11. (17)  Parker Retzlaff, Chevrolet, 100.

                  12. (5)  Taylor Gray, Toyota, 100.

                  13. (3)  Sam Mayer, Chevrolet, 100.

                  14. (20)  Anthony Alfredo, Chevrolet, 100.

                  15. (12)  Jeb Burton, Chevrolet, 100.

                  16. (26)  Jesse Love, Chevrolet, 100.

                  17. (14)  Ryan Sieg, Chevrolet, 100.

                  18. (24)  Harrison Burton, Toyota, 100.

                  19. (10)  Sammy Smith, Chevrolet, 100.

                  20. (23)  Nick Sanchez, Chevrolet, 100.

                  21. (25)  Dean Thompson, Toyota, 100.

                  22. (16)  Rajah Caruth, Chevrolet, 100.

                  23. (18)  Patrick Staropoli #, Chevrolet, 100.

                  24. (22)  Kyle Sieg, Chevrolet, 100.

                  25. (30)  Garrett Smithley, Chevrolet, 100.

                  26. (21)  Mason Maggio, Chevrolet, 100.

                  27. (31)  Lavar Scott #, Chevrolet, 100.

                  28. (27)  Blaine Perkins, Chevrolet, 100.

                  29. (28)  Brennan Poole, Chevrolet, 100.

                  30. (29)  Preston Pardus, Chevrolet, 100.

                  31. (36)  Nathan Byrd, Chevrolet, 100.

                  32. (33)  Ryan Ellis, Chevrolet, 99.

                  33. (32)  Josh Bilicki, Chevrolet, 99.

                  34. (37)  Blake Lothian, Chevrolet, 99.

                  35. (38)  David Starr, Chevrolet, 99.

                  36. (35)  Joey Gase, Chevrolet, 99.

                  37. (4)  Jeremy Clements, Chevrolet, 97.

                  38. (34)  JJ Yeley, Ford, Fuel Pump, 39.

 

Average Speed of Race Winner:  128.94 mph.

Time of Race:  1 Hrs, 56 Mins, 20 Secs. Margin of Victory:  0.643 Seconds.

Caution Flags:  3 for 13 laps.

Lead Changes:  10 among 8 drivers.

Lap Leaders:   S. Creed 1-23;J. Clements 24-32;C. Kvapil 33;R. Chastain(i) 34-36;W. Sawalich 37-38;R. Chastain(i) 39-54;D. Thompson 55-56;R. Caruth 57-62;J. Allgaier 63-66;R. Chastain(i) 67-78;C. Kvapil 79-100.

Leaders Summary (Driver, Times Lead, Laps Led):  Ross Chastain(i) 3 times for 31 laps; Sheldon Creed 1 time for 23 laps; Carson Kvapil 2 times for 23 laps; Jeremy Clements 1 time for 9 laps; Rajah Caruth 1 time for 6 laps; Justin Allgaier 1 time for 4 laps; William Sawalich 1 time for 2 laps; Dean Thompson 1 time for 2 laps.

Stage #1 Top Ten: 51,9,1,18,41,7,00,54,19,8

Stage #2 Top Ten: 32,7,9,00,1,26,41,18,21,88

 

 

Saturday Indianapolis Motor Speedway Notebook

 

Notebook Items:

 

  • Bubba Wallace has a strong, specific memory of Brickyard triumph
  • Alex Bowman is calling it quits because it’s the right time
  • Christopher Bell “rocked” during sprint car event at Indy Dirt Track
  • National Auto Body Council to donate “recycled ride” at Indy

 

July 25, 2026

 

By Reid Spencer

NASCAR Wire Service

 

Bubba Wallace has a strong, specific memory of Brickyard triumph

SPEEDWAY, Ind.—The magnitude of the Brickyard 400 isn’t lost on defending winner Bubba Wallace.

At the 16th Street entrance to Indianapolis Motor Speedway, a giant banner featuring Wallace in his driver’s uniform hangs on the back of the grandstand alongside other former winners of the race, many of them already members of the NASCAR Hall of Fame.

There’s nostalgia involved with the most important of Wallace’s three NASCAR Cup Series victories. The image of son Becks, not yet one year old, lying on Wallace’s stomach on the asphalt near the iconic Yard of Bricks is indelible.

The one aspect Wallace remembers most about July 27, 2025, however, is distilled into a single word—winning.

“It’s a very boring answer, but winning in the regular season was something I’d never done in my previous two wins,” Wallace said. “That just allows you to unlock a new way of thinking inside the race car. The next four weeks after our Brickyard win, I didn’t really care how we finished, because I knew we were in the Playoffs.”

As Wallace prepares to defend his victory, the rules have changed. With the return to the Chase format this year, no longer does a win guarantee a spot in the postseason.

“But, yeah, the biggest memory is just winning,” said Wallace, who held off Kyle Larson in two overtimes to earn the victory by 0.222 seconds.

Chase or not, a return to Victory Lane this year would be just as sweet.

 

Alex Bowman is calling it quits because it’s the right time

It’s certainly true that Alex Bowman has had his share of injuries and illnesses that have interrupted his career as a NASCAR Cup Series driver.

But that’s not the primary reason Bowman has decided to leave the No. 48 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet after one more season in the car.

“I don't think physical health is a number one contributor here in this situation for me,” said Bowman, who most recently suffered a bout of vertigo at Circuit of the Americas in March and remained out of his car for four races. “Obviously, I've had my fair share of injuries, but I can still do it.

“I still feel like I can do it, and I think with everything that we've figured out through the course of this season, everybody helping me in the athletic center with PT (physical therapy) every day, I think I'm in a good spot there and can continue doing it. I think for me, much more of it is things I want to do outside of the race car, other goals I have in life and stuff I want to do.”

Bowman and fiancé Chloe Henderson are building a house in rural North Carolina and looking forward to establishing what Bowman calls a normal life. The decision to retire from full-time racing after next season brings clarity to his situation.

“I think, for me, coming out and saying it and being like ‘Next year's it’ makes it easier to be all-in for the next 53 weeks,” said Bowman, 33, who agreed to a one-year contract extension through 2027. “I mean, I'm ready to rip. I’ve always been all-in. I'm not worried about not wanting to do the work. I think that has never been a problem for me, and I'm excited to have 53 more chances at it…

“I would love to end on a really high note. Like, I mean, everything goes perfect and we go win a championship and I can walk out that way—that would be amazing, right? That's not going to make me want to stay. I think for me—health-wise, mental-health-wise, kind of everything—this is what I needed to do that was best for me and things I want to do outside of the car.

 

Christopher Bell “rocked” during sprint car event at Indy Dirt Track

There are inherent hazards in racing non-wing USAC sprint cars, as Christopher Bell well knows.

On Thursday night, he discovered that serving as a sprint car racing analyst can also have its perils.

Bell was on a lift over the Dirt Track at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, broadcasting the USAC National Sprint Car invitational at the 0.25-mile oval with FloSports, when a flying rock kicked up by one of the cars hit him in the elbow.

“I got smoked,” Bell said. “It really hurt.”

Fortunately, the flying rock did no permanent damage. In recent weeks the full-time driver of the No. 20 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota has been recovering from a broken left wrist he suffered in a brutal crash at Michigan Speedway.

So, was it the left elbow that was hit by the rock?

“Of course,” Bell said.

 

National Auto Body Council to donate “recycled ride” at Indy

An Indianapolis woman will receive a life-changing gift on Sunday, thanks to the National Auto Body Council and participating partners.

Through the NABC’s “Recycled Rides” program, Menajia Wright, who has aged out of foster care, will get a reliable, refurbished car that will allow her to commute to and from work without the expense of an Uber ride.

After leaving foster care, Wright rented an apartment and spent her savings on a car, which became inoperable after a month. Sunday’s donation, which will take place at 10:25 a.m. at the famed Indianapolis Motor Speedway Pagoda, will remedy that situation.

Wright was nominated for the gift by Fire Fly Children and Family Alliance. Participating partners of the gift include Allstate, which donated the vehicle; Gerber Collision & Glass of Fort Wayne, Ind., which refurbished the car; Brickyard 400 presenting sponsor PPG; and event supporter Enterprise.

Fire Fly Children and Family Alliance is a private, 501(c)(3) non-profit organization headquartered in Indianapolis and dedicated to strengthening local communities by empowering individuals and building healthier families.

--30--

 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Layne Riggs Powers to Dominant Victory at Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park

getty images

July 24, 2026

 

By Reid Spencer

NASCAR Wire Service

 

INDIANAPOLIS, Ind.—With a performance just a hair short of perfection, Layne Riggs dominated Friday night’s TSport 200 presented by Warn Industries and moved tantalizingly close to the regular-season championship in the NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series.

 

The driver of the No. 34 Front Row Motorsports Ford led 198 of 200 laps, swept both stages and took the checkered flag 1.148 seconds ahead of persistent runner-up Connor Mosack to claim his second straight victory at Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park.

 

“I think it’s just a statement win,” Riggs said of his fifth triumph of the season and the 10th of his career. “What a truck! I was just on cruise control…"

 

As far as the series championship goes, Riggs pulled no punches.

 

“I think we’re the ones to beat, for sure.”

 

Riggs’ only bobble of the race came the Lap 72 restart after the first stage break. Choosing the preferred top lane for the restart, he spun the tires and allowed teammate Front Row teammate Chandler Smith to take the lead for two laps.

 

On Lap 74, however, Riggs made an emphatic pass of Smith, diving underneath Smith’s No. 38 truck entering Turn 1 and sliding up in front of his teammate in Turn 2. From that point on Riggs maintained control, though Mosack was able to stay close in the closing laps.

 

Ty Majeski, a two-time winner at the 0.686-mile short track, finished third and remained solidly in sixth place in the Truck Series standings with two races left in the regular season. Smith came home third, having clinched a berth in the postseason Chase—joining Riggs and Kaden Honeycutt—with a third-place run in Stage 1. Christian Eckes and Giovanni Ruggiero also added their names to the list of those who have clinched berths in the Chase.

 

Driving the same Ford F-150 he raced in last year’s IRP event, Riggs expanded his lead in the standings to 99 points over second-place Honeycutt, who pitted late for fresh tires and worked his way up to seventh by the end of Friday’s race.

 

With a solid sixth-place run, Stewart Friesen broke a tie with Tyler Ankrum (ninth Friday) for 10th in the standings, the last Chase-eligible position. With two races left to decide the issue, Friesen holds an eight-point advantage over the driver of the No. 18 McAnally Hilgemann Chevrolet.

 

Daniel Hemric’s hold on a Chase spot suddenly became more tenuous when he spun in Turn 3 to cause the only caution of the night for an on-track incident. With no way to escape the wreck, Landen Lewis plowed into Hemric’s Chevy, eliminating both drivers from the race.

 

Hemric finished 34th, fell to ninth in the standings and leads Ankrum, the first driver below the current Chase cut line by only 14 points.

 

Nick Sanchez finished fifth in the No. 77 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet. Driving the No. 1 TRICON Garage Toyota, 18-year-old Gavan Boschele ran eighth in his Truck Series debut.

 

“I had a goal,” said Boschele, who will make his second start in the series Aug. 22 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway. “I told myself I wanted to run top-10, and we did that. I can’t do without these guys—the No. 1 American Land Partners Toyota group helped me be really, really fast tonight.

 

“They a really good job to get me everything I needed and make me comfortable. Everyone on this team was really solid, so I’m excited for the three more that I have left this year. We were really fast tonight.” 

 

Friesen’s teammate and fellow modified driver Michael Christopher Jr. came home 10th in his third Truck Series outing.

 

The Truck Series races next on Aug. 14 at Richmond Raceway (FS1, NRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).

 

 

--30--

 

 

NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series Race - TSport 200 presented by Warn Industries

Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park

Indianapolis, Indiana

Friday, July 24, 2026

 

                    1. (1)  Layne Riggs, Ford, 200.

                    2. (7)  Connor Mosack, Chevrolet, 200.

                    3. (9)  Ty Majeski, Ford, 200.

                    4. (2)  Chandler Smith, Ford, 200.

                    5. (3)  Nick Sanchez(i), Chevrolet, 200.

                    6. (5)  Stewart Friesen, Toyota, 200.

                    7. (6)  Kaden Honeycutt, Toyota, 200.

                    8. (19)  Gavan Boschele, Toyota, 200.

                    9. (13)  Tyler Ankrum, Chevrolet, 200.

                    10. (11)  Michael Christopher Jr, Toyota, 200.

                    11. (10)  Andres Perez De Lara, Chevrolet, 200.

                    12. (14)  Parker Eatmon, Chevrolet, 200.

                    13. (16)  Giovanni Ruggiero, Toyota, 200.

                    14. (8)  Grant Enfinger, Chevrolet, 199.

                    15. (22)  Ben Rhodes, Ford, 199.

                    16. (23)  Harrison Burton(i), Toyota, 199.

                    17. (21)  Dawson Sutton, Chevrolet, 198.

                    18. (24)  Justin Haley, RAM, 197.

                    19. (26)  Timmy Hill, Toyota, 197.

                    20. (12)  Brenden Queen #, RAM, 197.

                    21. (15)  Jake Garcia, Ford, 197.

                    22. (17)  Tanner Gray, Toyota, 197.

                    23. (25)  Cole Butcher #, Ford, 197.

                    24. (30)  Corey LaJoie, RAM, 197.

                    25. (32)  Toni Breidinger, Chevrolet, 197.

                    26. (29)  Conor Daly, RAM, 197.

                    27. (28)  Mini Tyrrell #, RAM, 197.

                    28. (36)  Spencer Boyd, Chevrolet, 197.

                    29. (35)  Frankie Muniz, Ford, 196.

                    30. (34)  Monty Tipton, Ford, 196.

                    31. (27)  Kris Wright, Chevrolet, 196.

 

 

NASCAR Weekend Preview: Indianapolis Motor Speedway & Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park

In-Season Challenge is only one aspect of drama in Brickyard 400

INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. — Ryan Blaney isn’t one to embrace the David vs. Goliath characterization of the final round of the NASCAR Cup Series In-Season Challenge, which will play out in Sunday’s Brickyard 400 presented by PPG at Indianapolis Motor Speedway (2 p.m. ET on TNT, IMS Radio Network and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).

 

“If they’re making it a David vs. Goliath story, that’s not good for me,” Blaney quipped. “I recall that David won that battle.”

 

Clearly, Blaney is the Goliath in the equation. The driver of the No. 12 Team Penske Ford is a two-time winner this season, most recently at EchoPark Speedway (Atlanta) on July 12. Blaney and teammate Joey Logano have combined to win the last two races in the Cup Series.

 

Gilliland, on the other hand, has never won a NASCAR Cup Series race. In 165 starts, he has scored two top fives—one at the Indianapolis Grand Prix Course and one at Talladega Superspeedway.

 

Yet Gilliland has survived the first four rounds of the In-Season Challenge. In the semifinals last Sunday at North Wilkesboro Speedway, he finished eighth and took advantage of a mid-cycle caution to oust Chase Elliott.

 

“I definitely think we’ve had luck on our side, but if you get past four or five drivers at this point, it’s always going to take a little bit of luck,” Gilliland said. “I felt our speed was much better at North Wilkesboro, so I feel like we earned that one more.

 

“I’m excited about it. It’s been something fun for my team to focus on. They’re pushing super hard for Indianapolis, so it’s been cool to see those guys rise up to the occasion, and we’re hoping for one more really good week.”

 

The In-Season Challenge, of course, is far from the only drama at Indianapolis this weekend. Five races remain before the cutoff for the postseason Chase, and the race for the final spots gained a bit of clarity at North Wilkesboro.

 

Austin Cindric finished 14th to hold the 16th position in the standings, the last Chase-eligible spot, by 33 points over 17th-place Erik Jones. That’s the largest gap all season between drivers in those two positions.

 

Nevertheless, there’s the prospect for extreme volatility in the standings, as exemplified by series leader Denny Hamlin’s charge from 129 points behind Tyler Reddick to 68 points ahead over the course of nine races.

 

Even with Hamlin expanding his points lead, however, Blaney has gained on the driver of the No. 11 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota. Over the last five races, Blaney, the third-place driver in the standings, has cut 78 points off Hamlin’s advantage—from 165 points behind to 87.

 

Defending Brickyard 400 winner Bubba Wallace is 13th in the standings with a relatively comfortable 69-point margin above the current cut line, but another strong showing at the iconic 2.5-mile oval would solidify his position even further.

 

“Just beginning to relive that and bring up those conversations has been fun,” Wallace said of his most recent Cup Series victory. “We’ve had a lot of speed every time we’ve shown up at Indy, so, yeah, looking forward to it.” 

 

In 2024, the NASCAR Cup Series returned to the Indianapolis oval after a three-year absence, with Kyle Larson winning the race. Larson, who finished second last year, comes to the Brickyard this season in the throes of a 45-race winless streak.

 

Race for postseason spots intensifies for O’Reilly Series drivers

 

Drivers outside the top 12 in the NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series have three more chances to muscle their way into the postseason Chase, with the first opportunity coming in Saturday’s Pennzoil 250 presented by Take 5 Oil Change at Indianapolis Motor Speedway (4 p.m. ET on CW, IMS Radio Network and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).

 

Joe Gibbs Racing teammates Brent Crews and Taylor Gray currently occupy the 11th and 12th positions in the standings, but 13th-place Rajah Caruth is only 17 points behind Gray and 18 behind Crews with Indianapolis, Iowa Speedway and Daytona International Speedway left on the regular-season schedule.

 

Another Gibbs teammate, William Sawalich, trails Gray by just 21 points.

 

The race to the postseason aside, there’s one truism about the Indianapolis oval that has been consistent in each of the past 10 O’Reilly Series races there: speed in qualifying translates into performance in the event itself.

 

In 2012, Brad Keselowski won from the eighth starting position. Last year, Connor Zilisch won from seventh on the grid. In between, all eight winners have come from the top three starting positions, four from the pole.

 

Justin Allgaier is the only former Brickyard winner in the field for Saturday’s race, having triumphed at the track in 2018. With six victories this season, the driver of the No. 7 JR Motorsports Chevrolet already has clinched the top seed in the Chase, but Indy remains a significant venue to the Riverton, Illinois driver.

 

“Indianapolis is such a special track,” said Allgaier, who had contemplated retirement after the current season but recently signed an extension with JRM. “With the history that comes with being here, it’s always been a place that we circle on the calendar.

 

“We came close here last year (leading 37 laps before a late crash), and there’s nothing I would love more than another opportunity to kiss the bricks come Saturday afternoon.”

 

Allgaier will have plenty of competition within his own team. Full-time NASCAR Cup Series drivers Ross Chastain and Chase Elliott both are driving JRM cars.

 

In 34 aggregate starts on the Indianapolis oval, beginning in 2012, JR Motorsports has recorded three wins, 11 top fives, 19 top 10s and an average finish of 14.1.

 

A single top 10 for JRM on Saturday would constitute a significant milestone. The organization has placed at least one car in the top 10 for 78 consecutive races, one short of the record set by RFK Racing from 2008-2010.

 

Battle for Chase spots in NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series takes to short tracks

 

The race for the final spot in the NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series’ postseason Chase couldn’t be tighter—literally.

 

Stewart Friesen and Tyler Ankrum are tied for the final berth, with Friesen holding the tiebreaker, but the determining factor over the next three races will be performance on tracks of one mile in length or shorter.

 

The Truck Series heads to Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park for Friday night’s TSport 200 presented by Warn Industries (8 p.m. ET on FS1, NRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio). Recently, the 0.686-mile oval has been the province of series leader and defending winner Layne Riggs and two-time winner Ty Majeski (2023-2024).

 

But Friesen and Ankrum will stage their own show as they battle for a berth in the postseason. Ankrum lost ground with consecutive finishes of 31st on the Naval Base Coronado Street Course, 25th at Lime Rock Park and 19th last Saturday at North Wilkesboro.

 

"It has been tough the last couple weeks, to say the least, but we are not focusing on the negatives and only throwing forward the positives,” Ankrum said. “This No. 18 (McAnally Hilgemann Racing) team has put in so much work at the shop and at the track to give us what we need to stay in contention in these races, and I’m extremely confident our day will come soon.

 

“We’re in rough shape with just three races remaining before the Chase, but if we can just knock out a few solid points races here in the next month, we will be good to go.”

 

Riggs, on the other hand, is in excellent shape entering a race he won last year. His second-place run at North Wilkesboro bumped his lead in the standings over second-place Kaden Honeycutt to 59 points.

 

Majeski is sixth in the standings, 67 points behind fifth-place Gio Ruggiero, but the 2024 series champion will look to make a significant move over the next three races—on his three best oval tracks by average finish: IRP, 3.75 in four starts; Richmond Raceway, 2.0 in four starts; and New Hampshire Motor Speedway, fifth in his only start.

 

 

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