NASCAR
Joey Logano, Chase Elliott win 150-mile Duels as DAYTONA 500 field is set
By Reid Spencer
NASCAR Wire Service
DAYTONA BEACH, FL (February 12, 2026) — Joey Logano won the fourth America 250 Florida Duel of his career on Thursday night to secure a third-place starting spot in Sunday’s DAYTONA 500 (2:30 p.m. ET on FOX, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).
In a second Duel that ran caution free, Chase Elliott took control of the race on Lap 53 of 60 and held off Carson Hocevar by 0.065 seconds to win his third 150-mile qualifying race and earn the fourth starting position for the DAYTONA 500.
With an earnest push from Team Penske teammate Ryan Blaney, Logano was at the front of the field when NASCAR called the third caution of the first Duel on Lap 63, three laps into overtime.
Both Logano and Blaney are among the favorites to win Sunday’s 68th edition of the Great American Race. Blaney ran second and will start fifth in NASCAR’s biggest race.
“Just a lot of teamwork all the way through,” Logano said of the win. “I think about the 22 team in particular. Nick Hensley, our gas man, did a fantastic job getting us in position out of pit road. (Spotter) Coleman Pressley up on the roof giving us great information. My teammate Ryan Blaney being committed and working together.
“It’s nice when everything works out the way it’s supposed to.”
Logano has finished ninth or better in 12 straight Daytona Duels.
Former DAYTONA 500 winner Austin Dillon ran third, followed by Brad Keselowski—recovering from a broken right femur—and John Hunter Nemechek. Shane van Gisbergen, Daniel Suarez, Casey Mears, Ryan Preece and Alex Bowman completed the top 10.
Mears came from a lap down to earn the one Open position in the DAYTONA 500 available from the first Duel. Mears advanced when fellow Open competitor Corey LaJoie—running in the top five at the time—turned into the outside wall in a chain-reaction collision on the final lap of overtime.
Anthony Alfredo had a relatively stress-free run to claim the DAYTONA 500 spot available to Open cars in the second Duel, or so he thought. Though Alfredo finished 18th, 23 seconds ahead of BJ McLeod—the next-best Open driver—his finish was disallowed after post-race inspection, and McLeod will compete in the Great American Race on Sunday.
According to NASCAR Cup Series director Brad Moran, a transmission cooling hose on Alfredo’s No. 62 Chevrolet was not fastened properly, and another hose was disconnected, affecting both cooling and airflow.
The complexion of the first race changed dramatically after Mears slid into the Ford of Noah Gragson coming to pit road on Lap 46. Preece had led 38 laps to that point but needed more fuel on his stop and fell back after the subsequent restart on Lap 50.
Mears lost a lap because of his spin into the infield grass but regained it as the beneficiary under caution under the second caution for a five-car accident on Lap 56 that eliminated the No. 24 Chevrolet of William Byron, the two-time defending winner of the DAYTONA 500.
Byron will start Sunday’s race from the rear of the field in a backup car.
In the final wreck on Lap 63, Mears’ No. 66 Ford nosed into the Chevrolet of Daniel Suarez after passing Lajoie’s spinning Ford for the critical position. Mears had the leading Open car when NASCAR called the caution that froze the field.
“I hit somebody square,” Mears said, unsure whether his Carl Long-owned car could be repaired or if a backup would be required. “And I knew when I hit him flat it didn’t tear up the car too much and I was going to be able to get back (to the checkered flag).
“But I didn’t know who was in front of me still, whether or not we made it. All the guys started going nuts on the radio.”
Sensing danger as the first Duel barreled toward a frenetic conclusion, DAYTONA 500 pole winner Kyle Busch dropped to the rear of the field after the Lap 50 restart to preserve his No. 8 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet for Sunday’s race. He finished 18th in the 23-car field.
Seven-time Cup champion Jimmie Johnson, already locked into the 500 on an Open Exemption Provisional, ran a conservative race and finished 15th.
In the second Duel, Elliott led twice for nine laps and became the third Hendrick Motorsports driver to win three or more Duels. NASCAR Hall of Famer Jeff Gordon leads the organization with five.
“A great way to get the blood pumping for sure on a Thursday night,” said Elliott, who is seeking his first win in the Great American Race. “There was a lot going on those last handful (of laps). Really, ever since we came off of pit road after the cycle, we were getting after it. It was a lot of fun.
“Had some great support there. Carson did a great job helping me control those lanes, helping get Team Chevy for Victory Lane tonight. Certainly, owe him an appreciation for just kind of sticking with it, also pushing me well. It’s real easy to get people out of control. Appreciate that.”
Reigning Cup Series champion Kyle Larson ran third, followed by former DAYTONA 500 winner Michael McDowell and Christopher Bell. Josh Berry, Ricky Stenhouse Jr., Todd Gilliland, Ty Gibbs and Denny Hamlin claimed positions six through 10, respectively.
Chase Briscoe, who locked into the second starting position during Wednesday night’s time trials, led a race-high 38 laps but fell victim to a lengthy green-flag pit stop on Lap 45, lost the draft and finished 20th.
By Reid Spencer
NASCAR Wire Service
(April 11, 2026) Ryan Blaney, seeking his first NASCAR Cup Series victory at Bristol Motor Speedway, got off to a flying start in Saturday’s time trials at the 0.533-mile high-banked concrete track.
Finding the speed he needed on the second of two qualifying laps, Blaney covered the distance in 15.101 seconds (127.064 mph) to edge Tyler Reddick for the top starting spot in Sunday’s Food City 500 (3 p.m. ET on FS1, PRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).
Driving the No. 12 Team Penske Ford, Blaney was 0.023 seconds faster than Reddick (126.871 mph), who will try to win his fifth race of the season in the No.45 23XI Racing Toyota.
The Busch Light Pole Award was Blaney’s second at Bristol, his first of the season and the 13th of his career.
“I just kind of got free on Lap 1, landing into (Turn) 1,” said Blaney, who recovered through Turns 3 and 4 to set up his second lap. “Luckily, the rear tires came in better the second lap in (Turns) 1 and 2, and then 3 and 4 I thought was a really good corner…”
“Good start to the weekend. Now we’ve got to do 500 laps.”
Blaney has finished sixth or better in his last three starts at Bristol, but on Sunday, Cup Series drivers will be adjusting to both a new tire combination from Goodyear and a new short-track competition package featuring higher horsepower and lower downforce.
“I think just being ready for the track to change is the biggest thing for me,” Blaney said. “It’s going to run one way for a little bit, but it’s going to change eventually…”
“Tomorrow, we’re going to be everywhere, ‘cause the top (lane) is going to come in tomorrow, and that’s going to be completely different from what you need to run the bottom. It’s been a pretty decent place for us. Hopefully, tomorrow we can contend for the win.”
Chase Briscoe qualified third at 126.779 mph in his No. 19 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota. Riley Herbst (125.679 mph), the third driver to make a qualifying run, was fourth, giving 23XI two of the top four starting positions.
Ty Gibbs, who led 201 laps in his last Bristol start, was fifth, followed by Ross Chastain in the fastest Chevrolet. Chris Buescher, three-time Bristol winner Kyle Larson, Austin Cindric and Carson Hocevar filled out positions seven through 10 on the grid.
The cars of Larson and Chastain—along with those of Cole Custer and Chad Finchum—failed pre-race inspection twice, resulting in the ejection of their respective car chiefs and loss of pit selection for Sunday’s race.
The No. 71 Chevrolet of Michael McDowell also failed twice, resulting in the ejection of an engineer and loss of pit selection.
By Reid Spencer
NASCAR Wire Service
BRISTOL, TN (April 10, 2026) Full-time NASCAR Cup Series driver Christopher Bell was thrilled to have an opportunity to drive the No. 62 Halmar Friesen Toyota in Friday night’s Tennessee Army National Guard 250 at Bristol Motor Speedway.
After crossing the finish line first, he had reason to be positively elated.
Corey Heim, on the other hand, had 350,000 reasons to be disappointed, after his dream of completing the Triple Truck Challenge — and earning a $350,000 bonus — ended prematurely against the Turn 1 wall.
Bell grabbed the lead from Christian Eckes on Lap 188 of 250 and held it the rest of the way, with Chandler Smith moving into second after a subsequent restart on Lap 224 and chasing Bell to the checkered flag.
Finishing 0.330 seconds ahead of Smith’s No. 38 Front Row Motorsports Ford, Bell scored his first NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series victory since 2017, his first the 0.533-mile short track and the eighth of his career.
Bell was enlisted to substitute for injured Stewart Friesen in last year’s Truck Series race at Watkins Glen. On Friday night, he raced as Friesen’s teammate and finished three positions better than he had at the Upstate New York road course.
“Oh, man, that was just so awesome to win a truck race,” Bell said. “It’s been since 2017 that I’ve won one of these things. It’s a lot of fun racing with this group. I got the unfortunate call last year to drive for Stewart when he was hurt, went up to Watkins Glen and almost got it.
“They’ve been working really hard to get to Victory Lane. Just so special for me to be able to race with these guys. These wins, they mean a lot to this team, this organization.”
The most recent Cup Series winner at Thunder Valley, Bell will race Sunday in the Food City 500 (3 p.m. ET on FS1, PRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).
Heim’s bid for an extra $350,000 ($500,000 total) for a third straight Triple Truck Challenge victory ended abruptly on Lap180, moments after he had muscled past Christian Eckes to lead his only lap of the race.
Contact from Eckes’ front bumper to the right rear of Heim’s No. 1 TRICON Garage Toyota sent Heim spinning into the outside wall. Pole winner Kaden Honeycutt T-boned into Heim’s Tundra, with the No. 34 Ford of two-time Bristol winner Layne Riggs nosing into Honeycutt’s truck in a chain-reaction collision.
TRICON teammates Heim and Honeycutt exited the race under the resulting red flag. With the single lap led to his credit, Heim has now led the last 30 straight Truck Series races he has entered, but that was no consolation for losing the $350,000 bonus he would have collected for winning the race.
“I don’t think he did it on purpose or anything,” Heim said graciously of the contact from Eckes’ Chevrolet. “I think the lead was super important to win the race, just having track position and control. Then they had a mix-up on who was starting the race as far as the control truck.
“I had an issue with my transmission sticking into gears, and I had to pack a little bit of air. I don’t think I touched him to get him out of the way. He was already free. I just packed some air and got him free. I think he was trying to get behind me and ship me, which would have been fine because I did it to him. Just misjudged it.
“I’ve been racing him for a long time, and I don’t think he would do that on purpose, so we are all good.”
After losing ground on the final restart, Eckes finished fifth behind Bell, Smith, Giovanni Ruggiero and Cup driver Ross Chastain. Jake Garcia, Dawson Sutton, Kyle Busch, Carson Hocevar and rookie Brenden Queen completed the top 10.
The race featured nine cautions for 76 laps. Eckes led a race-high 132 laps to Bell’s 63 and won the first stage. Ben Rhodes stayed out under caution on Lap 122 and claimed the Stage 2 win.
BRISTOL, TN (April 10, 2026) Kris Wright and the No. 81 McAnally-Hilgemann Racing Silverado RST will have a new look when the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series takes on the high banks of Bristol Motor Speedway Friday night.
iHeart Radio is joining Pittsburgh’s own FNB Corporation in a split scheme as Wright hopes for a strong run in Thunder Valley.
“I’m excited for another opportunity to race at Bristol Motor Speedway,” said Wright, a Wexford, PA native. “It’s always a highlight of the season and one of the most demanding tracks on the schedule.”
Wright qualified 25th with a fast lap of 124.323 mph, that was only 0.368-seconds behind pole sitter Kaden Honeycutt in a very tight field.
“Things can definitely happen quick and change in an instant,” said Wright about Bristol. “Our No. 81 F.N.B. Corporation / iHeartRadio team needs to be sharp from the start and put ourselves in the best position possible.”
Wright moved up three spots in the points standings after finishing 20th in the last race at Rockingham Speedway despite battling an ill-handling truck early.
“I battled a loose truck all day, which put us in a few tough spots, but our F.N.B. Corporation team brought a really fast truck that unfortunately never got the spotlight it deserved,” said Wright.
A short track may be exactly what Wright and his McAnally-Hilgemann team need as eight of Wright’s 23 career ARCA Menards Series Top 10’s have come on short tracks.
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