Dell Sports – Nascar News

The No. 24 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet was seen having adjustments made to the splitter at the front end following a passed inspection, leading to further adjustments to the struts, which NASCAR tested and found to be in violation of measurement standards.

Fugle was ejected, and the team lost its pit-stall selection. In addition, Byron will start from the rear and must serve a stop-and-go penalty after taking the green flag.

Byron leads the NSACAR Cup Series standings with 839 points.

The team announced that engineer Brandon McSwain would be the interim crew chief.

The No. 78 Live Fast Motorsports Chevy driven by BJ McLeod was also penalized for failing two inspections. Team chief Lee Leslie was likewise ejected, with the team also losing its pit-stall choice.

With the qualifying session for Saturday night's Coke Zero Sugar 400 canceled because of inclement weather, Bowman will start on the outside of the front row next to Ryan Blaney in the race that will determine the final two positions in the postseason.

When time trials are canceled, grid positions are determined by NASCAR's metric formula, comprised of owner points position, finishing position from the previous race and fastest lap rank from the previous race.

Bowman is 60 points above the current elimination line entering the last regular-season race. If one of the 15 drivers above him in the playoff standings happens to win on Saturday, Bowman will clinch a berth on points.

The danger lies in the possibility of a driver below the cut line winning the pivotal race. If that happens, either Bowman or Tyler Reddick will be eliminated. Reddick, who starts 27th, enters the Coke Zero Sugar 400 with a 29-point edge over Bowman.

The driver of the No. 48 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet views the second starting spot as extremely helpful.

"A good pit stall selection is good," Bowman said, highlighting an important perk of a top starting position. "Speedway racing has become entirely more difficult to pass at, I feel like. So starting up front is definitely a good thing."

It also gives Bowman options in trying to overtake Reddick on points.

"I think with the points deal with the 45 (Reddick), we need to get stage points," Bowman said. "Stage 1 will determine how we race Stage 2 and kind of go from there. I need to do all we can to catch and beat the 45 on points. It's a really tall order, but it is doable.

"If it doesn't look like we're going to do that, then I'm going to switch to just track position at the end and go try to win the race. We're going to do everything we can to win the race regardless, but if we've got to burn some fuel to try to win stages, I think we're definitely looking at points, too."

Roush Fenway Keselowski drivers Chris Buescher and Ryan Preece, closest to Bowman in the standings, will start 24th and 31st, respectively. Buescher, Preece and those below them in the standings have only one path to the playoffs -- they must win the race.

Daytona 500 winner William Byron, who clinched the regular-season championship last Saturday at Richmond Raceway, starts eighth in his attempt to become the sixth driver to sweep both points races at the 2.5-mile superspeedway in the same season.

A victory by the driver of the No. 24 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet would assure Bowman, his teammate, of a Playoff berth.

Behind Blaney and Bowman, the rest of the top 10 includes (in order) Kyle Larson, Joey Logano, Austin Cindric, Denny Hamlin, Austin Dillon, Byron, Chase Briscoe and Brad Keselowski.

Twenty-five races have led to Saturday night's regular season finale at Daytona International Speedway, the final chance for drivers to snag a win and earn their way into the 2025 NASCAR Cup Series playoffs.

The regular season finale has seen its fair share of thrilling points battles for playoff spots over the years, but that won't be the case this year. Alex Bowman currently holds the 16th and final provisional playoff spot by 60 points over Chris Buescher, putting every driver below the cut line in a must-win situation.

A new winner from below the cut line could knock out either Bowman or Tyler Reddick (+89) should Bowman surpass Reddick in the standings at race's end.

Here's where the drivers stack up at the "World Center of Racing" as they look for a win that could transcend their 2025 campaign.

--Chris Buescher (17th): Of all the drivers needing a win, Buescher might be in the best position. He won at Daytona in August 2023, and the RFK Racing Fords he drives are always quick at Daytona and Talladega. The bad news? He likely won't get too much drafting help from teammates Ryan Preece and Brad Keselowski, both of whom also need to win on Saturday to make the playoffs.

--Ryan Preece (18th): Like Buescher, Preece is a capable superspeedway racer and will have a fast car on Saturday evening. Unfortunately, his race cars tend to emulate the airplanes at the nearby Daytona Beach International Airport whenever he tries to make a late push at the 2.5-mile speedway. Preece has gone airborne twice in the last four Daytona races, but if he can keep all four wheels on the ground, he'll be in the mix for his first career win.

--Kyle Busch (19th): Everything looked like it was coming together for Busch at Daytona a year ago -- until Harrison Burton surged past the two-time champion on the final lap and stole a win and a playoff berth away from the No. 8 team. Just like last year, Busch is in a must-win situation. But with another year added to his winless drought and the prospect of missing the playoffs for the second year in a row staring him down, one has to wonder if the future Hall of Famer will be more aggressive than he was here a year ago. He'll have a Richard Childress Racing teammate in Richmond winner Austin Dillon to push him in the closing laps.

--Ty Gibbs (20th): Aside from a fifth-place finish at Daytona in August 2024, NASCAR's most iconic track hasn't been very kind to Gibbs in his short Cup Series career. Drafting tracks aren't necessarily his specialty, but he needs to win to make the playoffs for the second straight year. Unlike the aforementioned RFK trio, all of Gibbs' Joe Gibbs Racing teammates are already in the playoffs, which should pay off when he needs a late-race push.

--Driver to watch below the bubble: Ricky Stenhouse Jr. (28th): The season has spiraled since Stenhouse and the No. 47 HYAK Motorsports team were battling on the playoff bubble in early June. But Daytona could be the great equalizer for Stenhouse, who has won at Daytona twice and has won four Cup races at drafting tracks. He has shocked the world here before, and the closing laps of superspeedway races are always where Stenhouse makes his money.

A monkey wrench.

The 35-year-old Dillon got his redemption Saturday night after an unpopular, wreck-filled win a year ago on the 3/4-mile track, owning the best car and leading 107 laps to reshape the points standings.

Alex Bowman and Chris Buescher wish it had been just another mediocre showing by Dillon instead of his sixth career Cup Series win in 433 starts.

Getting to the checkers first made him the 14th different victor of the season, pushed winless Tyler Reddick to 15th -- where he is safely in the field of 16 title-seeking wheelmen -- and put Bowman and particularly Buescher in serious peril.

Simply, 16th-place Bowman is in if no first-time winner pops up Saturday at Daytona International Speedway in the regular-season finale, the Coke Zero Sugar 400, a 160-lap summer sizzler that is as hot and uncomfortable as Florida's muggy nights.

The defending race winner is Harrison Burton, who was a 23-year-old lame duck driver last summer at Wood Brothers Racing. Burton handed the legendary Ford organization its 100th career win by passing Kyle Busch on an overtime restart in a thriller that had 16 leaders, 40 lead changes and featured polesitter Michael McDowell in a wild wreck while leading with nine laps left.

The son of Jeff Burton, Harrison Burton managed his first-ever win on the way out the door of Wood Brothers and left Buescher and Bubba Wallace in 16th and 17th, respectively, ahead of the regular-season finale at Darlington.

Buescher finished sixth at Darlington, but Chase Briscoe won the Southern 500 and broke a 73-race winless skid along the way to eliminate Buescher's No. 17 RFK Racing Ford. So Buescher is plenty familiar with life on the playoff bubble.

Bowman finished runner-up to Dillon last week. Currently 60 ahead of Buescher, Bowman cannot lose to him on points, but a 15th first-time winner would deprive him of a title shot because of Reddick's position in front of him.

"(I needed) a couple of favors, and I certainly complained about it on the radio," Bowman said of the Richmond finish. "That's just part of what we do -- vented a little bit. ... (Daytona) will certainly be stressful on a lot of fronts. It's a must-win, and you're likely going to have a new winner."

The 32-year-old Buescher would like to be that guy, like he was two years ago when he won three of five races, including Daytona in late August.

"We are in a must-win heading into Daytona," said Buescher, who finished 30th at Richmond. "It's a terrible spot to be in for a plate race. I know we'll be fast, but so many wild things can happen. We won it before, and we'll certainly regroup from this one and get ready to go."

NASCAR released its 2026 schedule Tuesday, and of note: Mexico City and the Chicago Street Race are gone, while San Diego's road course and Chicagoland, which last raced at the Cup level in 2019, are additions.

North Wilkesboro Speedway's short track will host its first points race since 1996 on July 19. The All-Star exhibition event will move to Dover the Sunday before Memorial Day Weekend, likely a day race.

Zilisch, 19, fractured his collarbone on Aug. 9 after his celebration in Victory Lane went awry at Watkins Glen International. Three days later, he underwent surgery that required doctors to add a plate and screws to his collarbone.

The Xfinity Series points leader, Zilisch did not miss a race despite undergoing surgery. He holds a seven-point lead over teammate Justin Allgaier.

Portland International Raceway (Aug. 30) and World Wide Technology Raceway at Gateway (Sept. 6) will conclude the regular season.

It is expected that Zilisch, a North Carolina native, will move full-time to the Cup Series in 2026.

Also to be noted are the shift of the All-Star Race to Dover Motor Speedway, as well as schedule adjustments that move annual races to non-traditional dates.

The NASCAR Cup Series begins its 38-event calendar with the Clash, an exhibition at Bowman-Gray Stadium in Winston-Salem, N.C., on Feb. 1. The traditional season opener, the Daytona 500, will be run Feb. 15.

The season will conclude Nov. 8 in Florida at Homestead-Miami, with the finale that will decide the 2026 championship. That race has been held the past five years at the Phoenix Raceway.

The schedule also was released Wednesday for the NASCAR O'Reilly Auto Parts Series, which replaces the Xfinity Series, and the Craftsman Truck Series. The former will run 33 races, with the latter holding 25 events.

Racing returns to Chicagoland after six years away. The street race in downtown Chicago, held the past three seasons, is being replaced by the Chicagoland event in suburban Joliet, Ill.

The street race, instead, moves to a military base in Coronado, Calif., a San Diego suburb.

"Obviously, a lot of collaboration, a lot of time, a lot of energy that went into it, and it's just a good blend like we've had over the past few years of innovation and tradition, of being able to celebrate our history and our roots and where we come from, but then also having these bold new moves that we're introducing to the schedule," said Ben Kennedy, NASCAR executive vice president and chief venue and racing innovation officer.

"For events like a street race in San Diego at the Naval Base Coronado or taking the championship race back to Homestead-Miami Speedway or even a beloved track that our fans have been asking for the past several years in bringing a points race back to Chicagoland, or bringing a points race to North Wilkesboro for the first time in 30 years. So a lot of milestone moments that will be created next year, certainly a lot of anticipated moments, I think, that our fans are going to have. Certainly proud of the work that everyone's done to help put this together."

Chicagoland also will be part of the five-race In-Season Challenge, a bracket-style tournament that will begin at Sonoma on June 28, then run through Chicagoland, EchoPark Speedway in Georgia and North Wilkesboro in North Carolina before concluding with the finale at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway on July 26.

The Cup Series also will have two bye weeks, up from one.

The full 2026 Cup Series schedule follows:

Feb. 1 -- Clash at Bowman Gray Stadium

Feb. 15 -- Daytona 500

Feb. 22 -- Atlanta

March 1 -- Circuit of the Americas in Austin, Texas

March 8 -- Phoenix

March 15 -- Las Vegas

March 22 -- Darlington, S.C.

March 29 -- Martinsville, Va.

April 5 -- off

April 12 -- Bristol, Tenn.

April 19 -- Kansas

April 26 -- Talladega, Ala.

May 3 -- Texas

May 10 -- Watkins Glen, N.Y.

May 17 -- All-Star Race (Dover, Del.)

May 24 -- Coca-Cola 600 (Charlotte)

May 31 -- Nashville

June 7 -- Michigan

June 14 -- Pocono (Long Pond, Pa.)

June 21 -- San Diego

June 28 -- Sonoma, Calif.

July 5 -- Chicagoland

July 12 -- Atlanta

July 19 -- North Wilkesboro

July 26 -- Brickyard 400 (Indianapolis)

Aug. 2 -- off

Aug. 9 -- Iowa

Aug. 15 -- Richmond, Va.

Aug. 23 -- New Hampshire

Aug. 29 -- Daytona, Fla.

Sept. 6 -- Darlington

Sept. 13 -- Gateway (Madison, Ill.)

Sept. 19 -- Bristol

Sept. 27 -- Kansas

Oct. 4 -- Las Vegas

Oct. 11 -- Charlotte Roval

Oct. 18 -- Phoenix

Oct. 25 -- Talladega

Nov. 1 -- Martinsville

Nov. 8 -- Homestead, Fla.

NASCAR announced a multiyear partnership on Monday that will become effective on Jan. 1.

"Like the great sport of NASCAR, O'Reilly Auto Parts was born in America and built on the hard work and drive of passionate people," NASCAR president Steve O'Donnell said in a statement. "This new partnership allows us to continue to fuel that passion for the next generation of NASCAR's stars and fans while celebrating the journey we've been on together for decades."

O'Reilly Auto Parts, founded in Missouri in 1957, has sponsored NASCAR races for several years across multiple series and tracks.

"Our company is rooted in the same values that define NASCAR -- teamwork, enthusiasm and dedication," O'Reilly Auto Parts president Brent Kirby said in a statement.

The NASCAR O'Reilly Auto Parts Series marks the fourth sponsorship in the second-tier series' history.

Before Xfinity (2015-25), it was the NASCAR Nationwide Series from 2008-14. Anheuser-Busch was the title sponsor for decades before that as the NASCAR Busch Series (2003-07), the NASCAR Busch Grand National Series (1984-2002) and the Budweiser Late Model Sportsman Series (1982-83).

The NASCAR Xfinity Series, in its first year of an exclusive broadcasting deal with The CW Network, has seen a year-over-year growth of more than 17 percent in total viewership this season, according to NASCAR. The series is averaging 1.1 million viewers per race.

"The success of NASCAR on The CW has shown that millions of fans will consistently tune in for these adrenaline-fueled races every week," Brad Schwartz, president of The CW Network, said in a statement.

In successfully defending his title, Dillon became the race's first repeat victor since Denny Hamlin accomplished the feat in 2009 and 2010.

The Richard Childress Racing driver wrecked his way to victory last season through leader Joey Logano and Hamlin off the final turn.

But an aggressive pit stop -- coming in right after passing leader Ryan Blaney on Lap 340 -- allowed the 35-year-old from North Carolina to beat Alex Bowman's No. 48 Chevrolet by 2.471 seconds for his sixth career win and put him in the 16-car postseason.

Blaney finished third, followed by Logano, who started last for just the fourth time in his career. Austin Cindric was fifth.

A Chevrolet driver has now won three of the past five races at the ¾-mile short track.

Polesitter Ryan Preece crept away from AJ Allmendinger and Tyler Reddick after earning his second career pole on Friday, while Hamlin slid up to third to start the season's fourth short-track race.

Despite most everyone taking tires at the midpoint as the rubber fell off, Preece stayed out and lost the lead to Reddick late. Bubba Wallace, Hamlin, Dillon and Cindric rounded out the top five in the 70-lap first stage.

Wallace's No. 23 led fellow Toyota driver Christopher Bell in the early portions of Stage 2, but after a full green-flag run in Stage 1, the second segment featured three cautions for incidents, including a 16-car pile that started with Chase Briscoe getting hit by Kyle Busch in Turn 3.

The melee included Hamlin, William Byron, Brad Keselowski and Reddick, who led 41 laps, among others. The No. 9 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet of Chase Elliott was retired from the event and finished last in 38th.

Wallace earned the top bonus points by clinching the segment. Daniel Suarez, Blaney, Dillon and Bowman were the next four finishers behind Wallace, who led a race-high 123 laps.

However, with Dillon pacing the field, Wallace's left-front tire came off as pit stops began near Lap 300, ending a strong run by the Brickyard 400 winner in Indianapolis last month.

It's certainly a good omen for Preece heading into Saturday night's Cook Out 400 (7:30 p.m. ET on USA Network, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio) at the three-quarter mile track.

His No. 60 Roush Fenway Keselowski Racing Ford Mustang turned a fast lap of 121.381 mph, edging 23XI Racing's Tyler Reddick by .087 of a second. The 34-year-old Connecticut native Preece last earned the pole in 2023 at another Virginia short track, Martinsville Speedway.

"I felt like it was on my bingo card, I'm not sure about everybody else's," said a smiling Preece, who trails RFK teammate Chris Buescher by 34 points for the final playoff points position.

"That Ford Mustang was really sporty. I felt good about it in practice and it showed up for qualifying. We have a great starting spot and tomorrow we've just got to go execute and hopefully we can win this race."

"At a place like this I would rather be out front. ... I'd rather be the one leading. Tomorrow is about getting out front, getting the clean air and setting my pace."

It was also a particularly good day for the small Kaulig Racing team, whose veteran driver A.J. Allmendinger qualified third-fastest for his best career start at the track. Joe Gibbs Racing's Denny Hamlin, a Virginia native and hometown favorite, will roll off fourth. Hendrick Motorsports' Chase Elliott rounds out the top five.

Among those contending for the final three playoff positions, Reddick needs to earn just 30 points Saturday night to finalize his spot. Hendrick Motorsports' Alex Bowman, who holds a 60-point advantage inside the standings, will start ninth. Buescher, in the 16th and final playoff points position, qualified 12th.

Thirteen drivers have claimed Playoff positions with victories this season. A new race winner this week at Richmond or next week in the regular-season finale at Daytona International Speedway would leap over Reddick, Bowman and Buescher in the playoff eligibility.

Hendrick Motorsports' William Byron, the NASCAR Cup Series championship leader, qualified 14th. He holds a 42-point advantage on his teammate Elliott for the regular- season championship and the 15 bonus points that pays following the Daytona race.

Richard Childress Racing's Austin Dillon, the defending race winner, will start 11th. Teammate Kyle Busch, a six-time winner at Richmond, will roll off 28th. Three-time Cup Series champion Joey Logano will start 38th.

Coming off another strong showing at Watkins Glen -- though not nearly strong enough to even begin thinking of threatening the nearly invincible Shane van Gisbergen -- Buescher is in the 16-car playoff field that will try to raise the season-long trophy in Phoenix.

For now, at least.

Two races remain to create the postseason lineup, starting with Saturday night's Cook Out 400 at Richmond Raceway in Richmond, Va.

In a rare move by NASCAR, the stop in the Virginia capital is the only one this campaign, marking the first time since 1958 (excluding the 2020 COVID-impacted season) that the top series has raced just once at the short track.

Buescher currently sits on the bubble at 16th, ahead of RFK Racing teammate Ryan Preece. He earned 44 points Sunday -- second only to Ryan Blaney's 45 -- and expanded his lead to 34 over Preece, driver of the No. 60 Ford.

With little chance Sunday of catching and passing van Gisbergen, the No. 17 team decided to focus on points by staying out. Buescher won Stage 1 and ultimately finished third after being passed by Christopher Bell on the last lap.

"We took the opportunity to capitalize on some big stage points there early," Buescher said after his fourth straight top-10 on the New York road course. "I'm an avid person against points racing, but I do understand our situation at this time."

Added Buescher's crew chief Scott Graves, "It's a tough decision, but unfortunately it's the box we're in, having to manage the two sides of it."

Austin Dillon, Brad Keselowski and Kyle Busch serve as racers who could derail Buescher in his efforts to become one of the 16 competitors seeking a title beginning on Aug. 31 at the Southern 500 in Darlington.

Those drivers represent the trio currently below the cut line who have previously won at the 3/4-mile, D-shaped "Action Track" in Virginia's capital, though Buescher also won this race two years ago.

In fact, all four drivers have won at Richmond and Daytona, where the regular season concludes in another Saturday night shootout next week.

The previous Richmond race had an ending that fans of racing on tight bullrings have seen all around the country on Saturday nights.

Winless a year ago in the season's 23rd race, Dillon bashed his way to the checkers by punting the Ford of leader Joey Logano in the final turn and right-rearing Denny Hamlin's Toyota into the frontstretch wall on the way to his fifth career victory.

The last 100 yards of physicality rankled the drivers and crews of the Nos. 22 and 11 teams plus many others around the sport.

Not fond of taking wins away from the first to the line, NASCAR split the difference for the driver of the No. 3 immortalized by Dale Earnhardt, whose Wrangler Chevrolet also famously tangled with Darrell Waltrip's ride in 1986 at Richmond -- another 3 and 11 dust up.

The sanctioning body allowed Dillon's win to stand, but ruled it would not count toward the playoffs, therefore not granting eligibility to the Richard Childress Racing team.

When drivers are heading to the start/finish line under caution before restarting, they always get the same message from their spotters: "It'll be one to go when you get here."

But when teams arrive at Richmond this weekend, it'll be two to go in the big picture.

There will be more attention on the window net, which apparently tangled with Zilisch's left foot as he climbed out of his No. 88 JR Motorsports Chevrolet after winning the Mission 200 at The Glen Xfinity Series race on Saturday night.

Zilisch, 19, had one foot on the hood and one on the ledge of the window and was posing for photographs when he lost his balance and fell hard to the ground. The rookie was taken off the track on a backboard and to the hospital via ambulance.

"I think that was part of the problem, that the window net was flapping on the outside," NASCAR managing director of communications Mike Forde said during the latest episode of the "Hauler Talk" podcast released on Wednesday.

"I think Connor even said that may have been a problem, and one of our safety guys actually mentioned the same thing. So, we may do just sort of a check to make sure that if that's inside the car, it's one less thing you can slip on."

Zilisch did not race on Sunday in the NASCAR Cup Series at Watkins Glen International Speedway.

"First of all, I'm doing OK," Zilisch said during the USA broadcast of the race. "Very grateful to be able to walk away from that. I guess I didn't walk away, but I'm very grateful to be walking today and to just be all right. Thank you to all the medics who took care of me, and everybody who reached out and wished me well. I do appreciate it a lot."

Zilisch said he knew he was in trouble just before the fall.

"Yeah, I was climbing out of the car and obviously the window net was on the door, and as soon as they started spraying water, my foot slipped," Zilisch said. "The last thing I remember was being halfway down and falling, so I'm glad it wasn't any worse, and that the collarbone is the extent of the injuries, but hate I couldn't make it to the race today."

Forde said on the podcast that NASCAR has not "put in any policies or best practices or anything like that," with regard to drivers climbing onto the doorsill while celebrating.

Zilisch said he had surgery on his collarbone on Tuesday. The Xfinity Series points leader has not announced his status for the Aug. 22 race at Daytona International Speedway. He already used a playoff waiver for sitting out the May 2 event at Texas Motor Speedway because of a back injury.

Forde said Zilisch must request another waiver to remain eligible for the series championship if he misses Daytona or other races.

"He has to miss a race first, so we're probably a good two weeks away from even receiving a waiver request from Connor," Forde said. "We'll get with the doctors and find out where he is."

Forde said that if Zilisch was medically cleared to race but chose to miss races while healing before the playoffs, NASCAR would consider it.

Driver Alex Bowman, for example, missed a race in 2022 at Martinsville Speedway after being cleared during recovery from a concussion.

"It's a case-by-case basis," Forde said.

Brewer, 53, had four laps to go in the 20-lap race at Bowman Gray Stadium in Winston-Salem when his No. 17 car veered and went head-on into a wall during a restart at the quarter-mile track. Emergency crews cut open the roof of the car to remove Brewer, who was then rushed by ambulance to a nearby hospital.

His family confirmed Brewer's death via social media on Sunday morning.

"We are saddened by the passing of Robbie Brewer after he was transported to an area medical facility following an on-track medical incident during last night's event at Bowman Gray Stadium," track officials said Sunday in a statement. "Robbie was a talented and passionate racer, and highly respected competitor among his peers. Our thoughts and prayers are with Robbie's family and friends at this time."

Details of the medical emergency have not been released.

A short-track icon, Brewer made more than 250 career starts in the Sportsman Division, according to the Winston-Salem Journal. He won the points championship in 2011 and finished in the top 10 in 10 of his 13 seasons.

Brewer had 11 career victories in the Sportsman Division to go along with 76 top-five finishes, according to the paper. He began racing at the track in 1990 and had also made several starts in the Modified and Stadium Stock divisions. Brewer also competed at other tracks throughout the Carolinas.

Bowman Gray is a popular venue for racing fans on Saturday nights, and Brewer was competing in the first of four races that night.

"I didn't just lose my dad, many people just lost a best friend, mentor, talking buddy or someone they could have a good time with," Brewer's daughter, Courtney Marquette, wrote on social media.

After leader Brad Keselowski pitted with 16 laps left, van Gisbergen cycled back around to the point and breezed to his fourth victory this season by 11.116 seconds over Christopher Bell. Defending champion Chris Buescher, William Byron and Chase Briscoe joined them in the top five.

The four victories, all in road races, tied the 36-year-old van Gisbergen with Denny Hamlin for this year's series lead as the New Zealander snared his fifth career win in just 38 starts.

Chevrolet scored its fifth win in the past seven races while Ford remained winless through its past 10 starts.

Trackhouse Racing withdrew its third entry, the No. 87 Chevrolet of Connor Zilisch, after the 19-year-old road racing standout broke his collarbone in a fall from his car after winning Saturday's Xfinity Series event.

After earning his second career pole on a road course, Ryan Blaney paced the field during Stage 1 with van Gisbergen and Briscoe right behind in the same order they qualified for the Cup Series' fifth of six stops on road racing layouts.

However, early pitting before the first segment ended allowed leader Buescher, Alex Bowman and Ryan Preece -- 16th, 15th and 17th, respectively, around the 16-car cut line for the playoffs -- to secure the top three spots on Lap 20.

In Stage 2, Trackhouse's van Gisbergen, who notched road victories at Mexico City, Chicago and Sonoma after failing to win in Austin, Tex., in early March, began to flex his muscle and started the pitting with three laps left in the stage.

Turning over the lead that late allowed Blaney to stay out and earn the maximum stage points as John Hunter Nemechek wrecked into the outer barrier as the segment concluded. Byron and Bell finished second and third.

van Gisbergen was the class of the field through the middle third of the 90-lap race, restarting 12th at halfway, moving to third within five laps and passing leader Blaney on Lap 54. He then built an 18 1/2-second advantage in his No. 88 Chevrolet over second-place teammate Ross Chastain with 30 to go.

The 19-year-old won the Mission 200 at The Glen Xfinity Series race and climbed out of his No. 88 JR Motorsports Chevrolet to celebrate. He had one foot on the hood and one on the ledge of the window and was posing for photographs when he lost his balance and tumbled to the ground, head-first.

He was taken off the track on a backboard and to the hospital via ambulance.

Later Saturday night, Zilisch took to social media and said he did not have a head injury as feared.

"Thank you everybody for reaching out today. I'm out of the hospital and getting better already," he posted to X. "Thankfully, CT scans for my head are clear, I just have a broken collarbone. Thankful for all the medics for quick attention and grateful it wasn't any worse."

The win was the sixth of the season for Zilisch. He was due to drive in the Go Bowling at The Glen on Sunday afternoon, but Trackhouse Racing announced that Zilisch's No. 87 Chevrolet had been withdrawn.

NASCAR confirmed he was "awake and alert" as he was receiving medical attention.

Zilisch had a busy weekend planned at New York's Watkins Glen. He finished eighth on Friday in the Truck Series competition and qualified 25th for the Cup Series race.

It is expected Zilisch, a North Carolina native, will move full-time to the Cup Series in 2026.

For the first time in his NASCAR Cup Series championship career, Blaney will lead the field to green in Sunday's Go Bowling at The Glen.

It was a dramatic effort for the driver of the No. 12 Team Penske Ford Mustang, knocking the reigning road course master, Trackhouse Racing's Shane van Gisbergen, from the top spot on the speed chart by a slight .33 seconds with a lap of 122.568 mph around the historic 2.45-mile road course in scenic upstate New York.

It was a markedly different day for the 31-year old North Carolinian Blaney, who endured a disappointing showing here a year ago when a poor qualifying effort left him in a vulnerable position. He was ultimately eliminated from the race on the opening lap.

Blaney acknowledged that beating the road-racing ace van Gisbergen on Sunday will be another story.

"Ninety laps is going to be a little harder to beat him tomorrow, but gotta start somewhere,'' the 2023 NASCAR Cup Series champion said with a smile. "It's more neat for me because we had an absolutely abysmal weekend here last year. ... We've worked really hard on where we need to get better here, where I need to do a better job. How can we improve our race cars. So it was like a big dual effort.

"Just proud of their dedication to get better at this place and improving the car from last year and I tried to work on a lot of things. I consider myself a pretty average road course racer and I've worked really hard on trying to get better, where can I improve my driving skills and styles and compete a little bit more at these places and it's neat when that all comes together.

"I try to take these things one day at a time. Tomorrow is a whole different task but it's nice to have done our job really well today and now about focusing on trying to make 90 good laps tomorrow.''

It is the 150th NASCAR Cup Series pole for Team Penske, making the storied organization only the fourth team in series history to eclipse that mark.

Blaney and van Gisbergen -- who has three road course wins on the season -- will lead the field to the green flag, followed by Joe Gibbs Racing's Chase Briscoe, van Gisbergen's Trackhouse teammate Ross Chastain, and Richard Childress Racing's Kyle Busch, who for much of the qualifying session looked to have had a front row start.

"That's not bad,'' said a smiling Busch, who won from pole position at Watkins Glen in 2008.

"Great job by everyone on this Chevrolet,'' he added. "Feels good to have a good solid effort like that right now.''

Defending Watkins Glen race winner Chris Buescher, of Roush Fenway Keselowski Racing, will roll off 12th in the No. 17 RFK Ford. He holds the 16th and final points position among the 16 drivers currently aiming for the Playoffs with three regular season races remaining.

His teammate Ryan Preece sits just 23 points behind him in the standings and will start 17th.

Their team co-owner Brad Keselowski, who also needs a victory in one of the remaining three regular-season races will start 16th. Keselowski has back-up drivers on standby for the next three weeks as his wife Paige is due to give birth to their fourth child. Road course ace Joey Hand is at Watkins Glen.

Championship points leader William Byron -- the 2023 Watkins Glen winner -- will roll off 10th. His teammate Chase Elliott, a two-time Watkins Glen winner who is 18 points behind Byron with three regular season races remaining, will start 20th.

The 36-year-rookie has won three races this season -- at Mexico City, the Chicago Street Course and Sonoma.

The deal with Trackhouse Racing and owner Justin Marks will keep van Gisbergen in the No. 88 Chevrolet.

"I feel like Trackhouse Racing is my home," van Gisbergen said in a news release from the team. "Trackhouse gave me the opportunity to race at Chicago in 2023. That was just a one-race deal, and everything that has happened since then is because of the chance Justin took on me.

"The men and women at Trackhouse have helped me feel at home in this new challenge, and I've been loving every minute of it. We still have a lot of work to do, but I couldn't be happier."

After his 2023 debut, the New Zealand native was a full-time racer in the Xfinity Series for Kaulig Racing in 2024 and also received some NASCAR Cup assignments.

This year, he has been a full-time Cup driver and Marks is highly impressed with his performance.

"We are getting to watch one of the superstars of racing," Marks said in the news release. "What we are asking him to do carries a high degree of difficulty. He's moved to the other side of the world, learned a new form of racing and at times dominated the competition. He's one of the greatest."

van Gisbergen's three wins this season all came on road courses and occurred during a span of five races. He will be looking for road course win No. 4 of the campaign on Sunday at Watkins Glen.

A.J. Allmendinger just needs a repeat of 2014 to make his 2025 right when the series arrives in upstate New York for the Go Bowling at the Glen on Sunday in Watkins Glen, N.Y.

Nearly 11 years ago, Allmendinger -- owning a reputation as a hot shoe driver on road courses -- led 29 laps at Watkins Glen International, tying superstar Jeff Gordon for the race high, but Allmendinger was around at the end of the 90-lapper while Gordon's famous No. 24 fell off the lead lap.

Driving the No. 47 Chevrolet for JTG Daugherty Racing, Allmendinger raced away from Australian Marcos Ambrose by more than a second to score the first of his three Cup victories over now 465 career starts at NASCAR's top level.

With only three races left, winning is about the only way the 43-year-old veteran of 18 Cup seasons will get to compete for this season's championship.

Slotting in at 20th and with just one top-five finish thus far (Charlotte), Allmendinger is 118 points behind Chris Buescher, who slides his seat up to the 16-car playoff table as the final competitor.

"Watkins Glen is always special to me; it's a racetrack that we're always really fast at as well," said Allmendinger, who had transmission trouble on Lap 1 at the Glen last year. "We have the opportunity to be in contention this weekend if we execute well. Obviously, we want a shot to win, but ultimately, we need a solid run, and this is a race track that we can do it at."

With a baker's dozen different winners occupying the locked-in title contenders, Buescher may be primed to turn the tables on Tyler Reddick and Alex Bowman -- both winless and gridding in 14th and 15th, respectively -- and leapfrog them.

That's because Buescher made a last-lap pass in September to beat Shane van Gisbergen in a race dominated by polesitter Ross Chastain, who led 51 circuits on the famous layout.

It's a race that still haunts the New Zealander, who was leading coming to the white flag but made a mistake that Buescher capitalized on for his most recent win.

"I still get frustrated thinking about that race," van Gisbergen said this week. "When I make a personal mistake like that, it makes me angry to think that I threw that one away myself, especially after how good of a day it was, and we had the fastest car all day. Then to do that."

After finishing sixth in Austin on March 2, van Gisbergen claimed checkers at the next three road courses in Mexico City, Chicago and Sonoma and is aiming for four straight on the twisty circuits.

Hendrick Motorsports driver Chase Elliott, who lost the top spot Sunday in the point standings to Iowa winner William Byron, has two victories at the Glen, taking the checkers in 2018 and 2019.

The sport's most popular driver also possesses the most road racing checkered flags of any active driver -- seven -- but his last one came at Elkhart Lake four years ago on July 4.

Sunday's Cup event will feature 19-year-old upstart Connor Zilisch and mark the fifth time in 2025 that NASCAR has gridded a full 40-car field.

After rain fell with six laps remaining and Wallace leading, the field endured a red-flag condition for a rain shower, with the 23XI Racing team feeling they could only make it through one overtime.

On the restart and with 10 of the top 12 on old tires and little fuel, the 31-year-old Mobile, Ala., native led both overtimes, had enough fuel in the second and edged Kyle Larson by 0.222 seconds for his third career Cup Series win to break a 100-race winless streak.

Wallace, whose No. 23 Toyota is owned by Michael Jordan and Denny Hamlin, led 30 laps and earned a spot in the championship playoffs by becoming the 13th different winner in 2025.

Hamlin, Ryan Preece and Brad Keselowski were the other top-five finishers.

Ty Gibbs won the In-Season Challenge's $1 million purse by topping Ty Dillon in the head-to-head matchup.

Gibbs' No. 54 Toyota finished 21st. Dillon suffered nose damage on the way to a 28th-place finish.

Mitchell, Ind., native Chase Briscoe led his first laps at Indy after starting from the pole for the first time -- all 18 circuits -- before Michael McDowell nudged Ross Chastain's Chevrolet and sent the No. 1 backward into the Turn 3 wall.

Briscoe's No. 19 regained the lead late in the 50-lap Stage 1, giving the Joe Gibbs Racing driver his second stage win and the maximum bonus points.

Wallace followed in second, while William Byron, Tyler Reddick and Chris Buescher were close behind.

Late in Stage 2, Erik Jones' No. 43 cut a right front tire and slammed into the Turn 3 wall to force the third caution, scrambling teams' strategies of pitting or staying out.

Team Penske teammates Ryan Blaney and Keselowski stayed out to form the first row for a restart, and Blaney held off Larson for his fifth stage win this season.

In a backup car following a qualifying crash as the last driver out on Saturday, Hamlin came in third, with Byron and Brad Keselowski completing the top five.

Indiana native Chase Briscoe won his fifth pole of the season with a lap at 183.165 mph (49.136 seconds), edging Bubba Wallace of 23XI Racing (183.117 mph) for the top starting spot by 0.013 seconds.

Briscoe, driving the No. 19 Joe Gibbs Racing Camry, and Wallace led a Toyota sweep of the first five starting positions, the first time the car maker has claimed the top five spots for any Cup Series race at any track.

Erik Jones of LEGACY Motor Club qualified third at 182.749 mph, followed by Tyler Reddick (182.678 mph) and Ty Gibbs (182.445 mph).

William Byron (182.031 mph) was sixth in the fastest Chevrolet, and seventh-place starter Chris Buescher led the Ford contingent with a lap at 182.013 mph.

In Sunday's race, Briscoe will start from the front row for the seventh time this season, having been second on the grid for the previous two races, at Sonoma and Dover. Briscoe has claimed the Busch Light Pole Award for all three Crown Jewel races this season -- the Daytona 500, Coca-Cola 600 and the Brickyard 400.

For a driver who spent his childhood as a spectator at Indianapolis, the pole is a dream fulfilled.

"I thought I was going to lose it a couple times, but I was able to hold onto it," Briscoe said of his edgy qualifying lap. "I'm holding back tears. This is such a special moment for me. Even hearing the crowd as I got the pole is just super cool.

"Hopefully, I can keep it up there (Sunday). That's the one that we want to win. ... Just being from literally 70 miles down the road (in Mitchell, Ind.) and coming here as a kid ... and just dreaming of being able to come to this place, sitting in the same grandstands as the fans are, I dreamed of being on the other side of the fence, and now to do that is just unbelievable."

The seventh pole of Briscoe's career wasn't secure, however, until his Joe Gibbs Racing teammate, Denny Hamlin (the final qualifier) caromed off the Safer barrier in Turn 2 and nosed into the inside wall, destroying his No. 11 Camry.

Hamlin had an edge of more than 0.2 seconds over Briscoe through the first corner before his car stepped out in the second turn at the 2.5-mile track. Hamlin will start at the rear in a backup car on Sunday.

Gibbs will start 21 positions ahead of Ty Dillon as the two drivers battle for the $1 million top prize in the In-Season Challenge. The higher finisher will take home the check.

Series leader Chase Elliott made an adroit save in Turn 2 on his qualifying lap but lost time in the corner and will start 30th. Elliott has a 16-point lead over Byron with five races left in the regular season.

Wallace, the last driver above the current elimination line for the Cup Series Playoffs, will start Sunday's race with a 16-point edge over Ryan Preece, who qualified 23rd.

Carson Hocevar, AJ Allmendinger and Austin Cindric completed the top 10 on the grid.

Over 32 years ago, Dale Jarrett beat Dale Earnhardt to win the Great American Race, which ended up being called on the final lap by Ned Jarrett, the winner's father.

Sunday's in-race duel between Ty Gibbs and Ty Dillon at the Brickyard 400 will be a pursuit for the $1 million prize to conclude the inaugural In-Season Challenge between 32 drivers.

There will be no tie. The Ty with the better finish gets the prize.

The new midseason chase began at Atlanta last month with Gibbs as the No. 6 seed and Dillon slotted as the final competitor at No. 32. After a one-on-one elimination process ensued over the past four weeks, 160 laps remain to decide which driver will be cashing a bulky check.

Some interesting similarities exist between the two drivers, starting with their famous grandfathers.

In that 1993 Daytona 500 victory, Gibbs' grandfather, Joe Gibbs, owned the No. 18 Jarrett drove to victory, while holding off Earnhardt's iconic black No. 3 fielded by Richard Childress, Dillon's grandfather.

Over 108 races driving his grandfather's Toyota, 22-year-old Ty Gibbs is winless, while Dillon, 33, also has not snagged a checkered flag and only has two career top-five finishes in 266 starts.

In fact, Dillon has just one career Xfinity Series win in 165 starts, fittingly enough at Indy in 2014 when he passed Kyle Busch on the final restart.

None of that matters much Sunday, when one will claim victory, even if they don't win the actual race.

"We haven't been a dominating car, but we've been a pain to everyone around us," said Dillon, who got his No. 10 Kaulig Racing Chevrolet back on the lead lap on Lap 401 at Dover last week, finished 20th and edged opponent John Hunter Nemechek by one position to advance.

"You know, I have been the underdog for a long time now, just battling my way to try to get opportunity," Dillon said. "Eventually you get comfortable in fighting from behind and people underestimating you. It's hard to say we lucked into this."

Following a 31st-place finish at Nashville on June 1, Gibbs has had a noticeable resurgence, posting an average finish of 8.0 while leading 60 laps and climbing to 19th in points. He finds himself 52 points behind 16th-place Bubba Wallace.

So how do you win a race within the race? Gibbs is trying to keep it simple.

"I think it's most important to win the race, and then we can win the million bucks with it," Gibbs said.

Gibbs qualified sixth and finished 23rd in last season's Brickyard 400, while Dillon started 22nd and came in 19th.

As for how that $1 million will be distributed, well, that became a topic of discussion Tuesday.

NASCAR clarified that all along the rule had been that it went to the winning team owner, not the driver. That was a shock to many fans who thought it was a winner-take-all situation for the top-finishing wheelman.

Kyle Larson is the Brickyard 400's defending winner, having survived multiple restarts to win under caution for the first time. The race returned to Indy's full oval for the first time in the post-COVID era.

Before Chevrolet's win, drivers Kevin Harvick (2019, 2020) and Brad Keselowski (2018) recorded victories as Ford captured three straight on the famed track.

Driving Toyotas owned by JGR, Kyle Busch won consecutive starts in 2015 and 2016.