Connor Zilisch didn’t win, didn’t have a clean race, but reminded everyone watching that speed, determination, and sheer audacity can be more entertaining than a checkered flag.
Some drivers sulk in second; van Gisbergen smiles like he’s already planning how to take the win next time.
In a sport built to stop streaks, Tyler Reddick just shrugged and opened the season with three straight wins — and wrote his name in NASCAR history while he was at it.
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.
As the NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series prepares to bounce off the walls of St. Petersburg for the first time, Daniel Hemric decided the best way to survive was to consult someone who’s already conquered the place.