All articles tagged with #nascar cup series
Ryan Blaney won a rain-delayed Atlanta Cup race by overtaking Carson Hocevar on the final lap with help from Bubba Wallace and Christopher Bell. Wallace was penalized for advancing below the double-line and finished 29th; Hocevar led late and finished third, while Christopher Bell finished second for the fifth time this year. NASCAR heads to North Wilkesboro next with six regular-season races remaining.
Chase Briscoe held off Christopher Bell on the final laps to win the eero 400 at Chicagoland, giving Toyota a top-three showing as the Cup Series returned to the 1.5-mile track. William Byron won both Stage 1 and Stage 2, Denny Hamlin started on pole and led portions of the race, and Kyle Larson spun early and spent time back in the pack before rallying, but Briscoe secured his first win of the season.
Shane van Gisbergen extended his road-course dominance with a second Sonoma Cup win of the season, using tire-saving and precise braking to control a car that wasn’t perfect as he led 74 of 110 laps. Chase Briscoe closed in late but mistimed a Turn 1 downshift with a few laps to go and finished second. Denny Hamlin’s 26th-place result, aided by Tyler Reddick’s power-steering issue, moved him into the series lead by one point ahead of Reddick, while Christopher Bell fought through a wrist injury to finish fifth and pad his points cushion. The series heads to Chicagoland next.
Corey Heim earned his first NASCAR Cup Series win in the inaugural Naval Base Coronado street race, overtaking Tyler Reddick in the final laps as Bubba Wallace finished second for 23XI Racing; Reddick, who started from the rear for unapproved adjustments, suffered a late tire issue that dropped him to 25th and trimmed his points lead over Hamlin to eight. The victory came in Heim’s 13th Cup start and sets up the series’ trip to Sonoma next.
Corey Heim, a 23-year-old rookie-to-be racing part-time for Toyota, captured his first NASCAR Cup win in the inaugural race on Naval Base Coronado after a late duel with Tyler Reddick, as Bubba Wallace finished second for 23XI after a two‑lap penalty; Shane van Gisbergen and Connor Zilisch were eliminated early, leaving NASCAR to weigh a Coronado return ahead of Sonoma. 125,000 fans attended over the weekend for the military-base event.
Corey Heim, in just his 13th Cup start, pulled off a stunning win by passing Tyler Reddick with four laps to go in NASCAR’s first Cup race on the Naval Base Coronado road circuit, signaling an early breakout ahead of his full-time 23XI Racing debut next season. The event featured chaos on the road course, including a restart crash that ended Shane van Gisbergen’s bid and knocked out Connor Zilisch; Bubba Wallace finished runner-up after a two-lap penalty for a loose wheel cost him a potential win; Christopher Bell, racing with a cast on his left wrist, began the race but exited at the first caution with Brent Crews taking over before a gearbox failure ended Crews’ day. Heim’s triumph reshapes the playoff landscape and cements his status as a rising star heading into next year.”,
Denny Hamlin won the NASCAR Cup Series race at Pocono for his third straight victory, moving into sole possession of ninth on the all-time wins list and fueling retirement discussions as he nears the end of his two-year Gibbs contract through 2027.
Denny Hamlin captured the Busch Light Pole at Pocono Raceway for the Great American Getaway 400, posting a 173.250 mph lap to edge Kyle Larson by 0.057 seconds and claim his fourth pole of the 2026 season (51st Cup pole). Hamlin, riding a hot streak with wins in Nashville and Michigan and an All-Star Race victory, will lead the field Sunday as Larson is second, followed by Daniel Suárez, Ty Gibbs, Chase Briscoe, Chris Buescher, Erik Jones, John Hunter Nemechek, William Byron and Ryan Blaney in the top 10. 23XI Racing’s Tyler Reddick starts 15th and Bubba Wallace will roll off rear after an accident; the start time for the race was moved up to 1 p.m. ET due to weather.
Chase Elliott and Christopher Bell crashed violently on a late restart (lap 148) at Michigan International Speedway while battling for second, sending Bell’s car into flames and Elliott into a tire barrier at nearly 200 mph. Both walked away and were checked by safety crews; Elliott apologized to Bell afterward. Bell was evaluated and released from the infield care center. Denny Hamlin won the race; Elliott had led 67 laps and won Stage 2, while Bell entered seventh with recent runner-up finishes, highlighting a competitive weekend before the crash.
Denny Hamlin, after an early jump penalty, charged from last to win the Cracker Barrel 400 at Nashville Superspeedway, holding off teammates Christopher Bell and Chase Briscoe by 0.115 seconds on a dramatic late restart. The race featured a weather delay, 31 lead changes among 15 drivers, and a Kyle Busch tribute, marking Toyota’s first Nashville Cup win as Hamlin tightens the standings heading to Michigan.
Shane van Gisbergen stormed from a 29.2-second gap with 24 laps to go to win the NASCAR Cup Series race at Watkins Glen, marking his second straight victory at The Glen and giving Trackhouse Racing a much-needed spark. With fresher tires and a bold late-race strategy, SVG pulled away to win by about 7.3 seconds, a performance owner Justin Marks called remarkable and a potential jump-start for the team amid a challenging season, as crew chief Stephen Doran lauded the on-track pace.
Shane van Gisbergen rocketed from 24th to the lead in just 16 laps, overtaking Ty Gibbs with eight laps to go to win NASCAR Cup Series’ Go Bowling at The Glen at Watkins Glen International—his first Cup win of the year and seventh of his career for Trackhouse Racing.
Chase Elliott earned his second win of 2026 at Texas, signaling that he and Hendrick Motorsports are finding speed with the new Chevrolet body and establishing him as a serious title threat early in the season; the race featured a series of incidents that affected contenders—Bell clipped by Gilliland, Briscoe and Logano hampered on pit road, and Gibbs damaged after contact—while Busch and Nemechek tangled at the end and NASCAR will review the clash; Alex Bowman posted back-to-back third-place finishes as he continues his return from vertigo, setting the stage for a spring road-course weekend at Watkins Glen where road-course specialists are expected to shine.
Chase Elliott won the Würth 400 at Texas Motor Speedway, praising his No. 9 team and Hendrick Motorsports for overcoming a rough stretch this season. Denny Hamlin finished second after a late restart challenge, with Alex Bowman third, Tyler Reddick fourth, and Chris Buescher fifth, as drivers reflected on restarts, pace, and strategies heading into the next races.
Bubba Wallace triggered a massive multi-car crash at Talladega during Stage 2 of the NASCAR Cup Series Jack Link's 500, sparking a red flag as at least 26 cars were involved and several top contenders were eliminated. Wallace took responsibility for the initial contact, expressing disappointment in the result, while the smoke-filled chaos and tight drafting left the field largely wrecked and the race paused for cleanup.