With five laps left and common sense politely excused from the building, Shane van Gisbergen dove four-wide into Turn 1 at Circuit of the Americas and turned a restart into a coronation.
The inaugural downtown throwdown for the NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series at St. Petersburg had everything: sunshine, concrete walls and a fuel light blinking like a cheap motel sign.
Now that Connor Zilisch and Shane van Gisbergen share space at Trackhouse Racing, the expectation is civility. The reality is they’re still racing drivers.
AJ Allmendinger hasn’t won a road course race since 2023, when he swept through Circuit of the Americas in the Xfinity Series and conquered the Charlotte Roval in Cup. Since then, the spotlight has shifted.
Carson Hocevar nearly stole Daytona and Atlanta before the white flag betrayed him, finishing 18th and fourth but making sure everyone remembered the No. 77.
Fresh off a win at EchoPark, Reddick is already two-for-two to start the year. Nobody in modern Cup history has gone three straight out of the gate. That carrot just got a lot closer.
Only 18 drivers posted laps in final practice, as Ryan Preece led a Ford-heavy draft and several contenders dialed in backup cars.
Chevrolet liked what it saw in the Duels, Ford admitted 2025 stung, Toyota insists it was 90 seconds from glory, and Dodge is quietly plotting its Cup return.
If the Duels were cautious heat races and still produced wrecks, Logano’s message for the 500 is simple: buckle up and maybe say a prayer.
Chase Briscoe used AI to preview his inevitable bald future, sent social media into a frenzy, and now heads to the Daytona 500 from the front row—hairline still pending.