Courtesy of the NHRA LAS VEGAS – Funny Car championship contender Jordan Vandergriff closed in on points leader Matt Hagan in dramatic fashion on Sunday at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, defeating Ron Capps in the final round at the MOPAR NHRA Las Vegas Nationals powered by Dodge. Doug Kalitta (Top Fuel) and Dallas Glenn (Pro Stock) also won the 19th of 20 races during the 2026 NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series season and the fifth of six races in the Countdown to the Championship playoffs. Due to excessive winds, the Pro Stock Motorcycle final round will…
Author: racedaysaeditor
Courtesy of the NHRA LAS VEGAS – Justin Bond clinched his first-ever championship in the JBS Equipment NHRA Pro Mod Drag Racing Series presented by Elite Motorsports, beating Mike Stavrinos in a winner-take-all final round on Sunday at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway as part of this weekend’s MOPAR NHRA Las Vegas Nationals powered by Dodge. It marked the final event of the 11-race season and the Road to the Championship playoffs, and the finale was powered by Penske Racing Shocks and presented by Precision Racing Suspension. Bond and Stavrinos entered the weekend as the top two…
By Holly Cain | NASCAR Wire Service MARTINSVILLE, Va. – William Byron claimed his first victory of the season in Sunday’s NASCAR Cup Series Xfinity 500 at Martinsville (Va.) Speedway and his Hendrick Motorsports teammate Kyle Larson put himself into prime championship position with one race to go in the 2026 season. The 28-year-old Charlotte native Byron led a dominating 362 of the 500 laps at the historic .524-mile speedway ultimately claiming a 2.049-second victory over the defending race winner, another Hendrick teammate, Chase Elliott. It was the most laps that Byron had ever led in a single race in…
Courtesy of the NHRA LAS VEGAS – Funny Car’s Jack Beckman secured the No. 1 qualifier on Saturday at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, taking the top spot as part of the first 3-second Funny Car qualifying field in NHRA history at the MOPAR NHRA Las Vegas Nationals powered by Dodge. Shawn Langdon (Top Fuel), Dallas Glenn (Pro Stock) and Gaige Herrera (Pro Stock Motorcycle) also qualified No. 1 at the 19th of 20 races during the 2026 NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series season and the fifth of six races in the Countdown to the Championship playoffs.…
By Holly Cain | NASCAR Wire Service MARTINSVILLE, Va. – Carson Kvapil book-ended Saturday’s Halloween evening at Martinsville (Va.) Speedway, leading early and leading late to claim his third NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series victory of the season – and of his career – in the National Debt Relief 250. It was clutch performance for the 23-year-old North Carolinian who won the pole position and led the most laps on the day – 121 of 250 – in the No. 1 JR Motorsports Chevrolet to keep himself very much in the championship conversation heading to Homestead-Miami Speedway next week for…
By Holly Cain | NASCAR Wire Service MARTINSVILLE, VA. – Joe Gibbs Racing’s Denny Hamlin claimed the Busch Light Pole Position for Sunday’s Xfinity 500 at Martinsville (Va.) Speedway (2 p.m. ET, NBC, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio) – giving the championship contender a single-season, career-high six poles and at least the green flag advantage on the field with two races remaining to determine the NASCAR Cup Series title. Hamlin’s No. 11 JGR Toyota turned in a lap of 98.492 mph around the historic .526-mile oval nestled among the Southern Virginia Fall foliage Saturday afternoon just bettering his JGR teammate, Ty Gibbs…
By Holly Cain | NASCAR Wire Service CHAMPIONSHIP ELIGIBLE CREW CHIEFS DISCUSS TITLE CHANCES MARTINSVILLE, Va. – The four crew chiefs still bringing a reasonable chance of leading a team to the 2026 NASCAR Cup Series championship met with the media Saturday morning at Martinsville (Va.) Speedway in advance of Sunday’s Xfinity 500 (2 p.m. ET, NBC, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio). And even though three of them go into the race as “longshots,” the competitive vibe was still strong and unmistakable. Cliff Daniels, the crew chief for the championship-leading No. 5 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet driven by reigning series champ Kyle…
By Holly Cain | NASCAR Wire Service MARTINSVILLE, Va. – Chandler Smith muscled to the lead on a restart with 12 laps remaining to take the trophy in Friday night’s NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series Black’s Tires 200 at Martinsville (Va) Speedway. The 24-year old Georgia-native pulled ahead of his Front Row Motorsports teammate and the night’s most dominant driver, Layne Riggs, who started alongside him on the front row for that final green-flag run. And while Smith went on to earn his first famous Martinsville grandfather clock trophy – by .574-second over ThorSport Racing’s Ben Rhodes – the outcome ultimately made…
Courtesy of NASCAR at COTA PR AUSTIN, Texas – RelaDyne’s Sun Coast Emergency Services division has partnered with NASCAR at COTA to honor and celebrate law enforcement officers, firefighters and EMS professionals of the greater Austin area through First Responder Friday on March 5. Through the initiative, all greater Austin area first responders are eligible to receive up to six complimentary tickets for each day of the March 5-7 Powered by RelaDyne race weekend at Circuit of The Americas, including the marquee DuraMAX Texas Grand Prix Powered by RelaDyne NASCAR Cup Series race on Sunday. First responders will also be…
By Holly Cain | NASCAR Wire Service Larson holds the cards as title rivals seek Martinsville magic MARTINSVILLE, Va. – Kyle Larson is hoping his amazing last lap rally to win at NASCAR’s biggest track last week will be enough to help him to a trophy hoist this week at one of the sport’s smallest tracks. And it could be enough to place him in contention for the biggest trophy hoist of the season. The Hendrick Motorsports driver is on the verge of becoming the first back-to-back NASCAR Cup Series champion since another Hendrick driver, NASCAR Hall of Famer Jimmie…