Sunday, March 1, 2026

NASCAR / ARCA Race Weekend Recap (Cota / St. Pete / Kern)

#NASCAR / #ARCA Race Weekend Recap (Cota / St. Pete / Kern)

Winners: Tyler Reddick (Cup); Shane van Gisbergen (O'Reilly); Layne Riggs (Trucks) plus Mason Massey (ARCA West)

NASCAR Cup

Tyler Reddick Wins COTA for Historic Third Straight Victory to Open 2026

Tyler Reddick Wins COTA for Historic Third Straight Victory to Open 2026
A historic Hell Yeah for Tyler Reddick!

 

Tyler Reddick won the NASCAR Cup Series race at Circuit of The Americas this afternoon, becoming the first driver to open a Cup season with three straight victories.

 

"It means the world," Reddick said of the historic accomplishment.

 

Additionally, 23XI Racing becomes the first team to win the opening three races of the season since Petty Enterprises did it in 1963.

 

After a sluggish start to the day, where Reddick dropped to eighth in the opening laps, the 23XI Racing driver was able to shake off the early hiccup and work his way back into contention, and he was good when it mattered most -- the second half of the race, as he led a race-high 58 laps. But on the final restart, Reddick had a mirror full of Shane van Gisbergen, who won five consecutive road course races a season ago.

 

Having arguably the best road course racer NASCAR has ever seen breathing down your neck was a pressure-packed situation for a driver looking to reach a historic mark.

 

"Yeah, just trying to remember everything. I knew it was going to be important there at the end, and just tried to minimize the mistakes," Reddick admitted. "Shane is just, that's what he's so good at, man. He does not make mistakes. I certainly made a couple, and just doing everything I could to just manage the gap and stay away from him, if you know what I mean. If I let him get close to enough, it was probably going to be hard to hold him off."

 






Pole: Tyler Reddick,



Click Here for Race Results


Next Race: The Cup Series will return on Sunday, March 8, 2026 at 3:30 pm ET for the ‘Straight Talk Wireless 500 ’ at Phoenix Raceway.


NASCAR O'Reilly Auto Parts Series

Road ace! Shane van Gisbergen wins O’Reilly Series race at COTA

Road ace! Shane van Gisbergen wins O’Reilly Series race at COTA
Gisbergen’s victory was the 10th straight on road courses for JR Motorsports

 

With a bold, brilliant move moment after the final restart of Saturday’s Focused Health 250 at Circuit of the Americas, Shane van Gisbergen once again exhibited his road course supremacy.

 

Taking the inside line into Turn 1 after the restart with five laps left, van Gisbergen made a four-wide pass for the lead from the sixth position and pulled away to win the fifth NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts race of his career, this time by 0.780 seconds over runner-up Austin Hill.

 

In a rough-and-tumble event with more than its share of contact, van Gisbergen led five times for 31 laps, including the last five after the decisive move, as then-leader and Stage 2 winner Sam Mayer ran wide in the first corner, clearing the inside lane for the winning pass.

 

“I was a bit unsure there, starting sixth on the outside,” van Gisbergen said. “I kind of got to the inside, which was good, and nosed in on the 41 (Mayer), and he reacted. When he reacted, I thought no way he’s stopping that, and he kind of pushed everyone wide, which was awesome, and it worked out for us.”

 

The win was SVG’s first at COTA in his second O’Reilly Auto Parts Series race at the track. He is winless in two NASCAR Cup Series starts at the Texas road course.

 

“I’ve always been fast here but never managed to win,” van Gisbergen said. “So I’m pretty stoked to finally get it done — pretty flawless day.”

 

Van Gisbergen’s victory was the 10th straight on road courses for JR Motorsports and the 106th for the organization overall.

 






Pole: Connor Zilisch



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Next Race: The NASCAR O'Reilly Auto Parts Series will return on Saturday, March 7, 2026 at 7:30 pm ET for the ‘event name’ at GOVX 200.




NASCAR Trucks

Layne Riggs Hangs on to Win Inaugural Truck Series Race in St. Pete

Layne Riggs Hangs on to Win Inaugural Truck Series Race in St. Pete
Ben Rhodes (left), Layne Riggs (middle) and Ty Majeski (right) celebrate
 on the podium after the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series race on the streets of St. Pete.

 

In a thrilling final run to the checkered flag, Layne Riggs bobbed and weaved, saving just enough fuel to keep a pair of hard-charging fellow Ford drivers, Ty Majeski and Ben Rhodes, behind him – ultimately earning his first trophy of the season in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series inaugural race on the streets of downtown St. Petersburg

 

Riggs’ No. 34 Front Row Motorsports Ford crossed the line a .879-seconds ahead of Majeski for the sixth victory of his career in Saturday’s dramatic, high-action OnlyBulls Green Flag 150 at St. Petersburg.

 

“It was a lot of fun racing here at St. Pete, I think everybody heard street course and thought they weren’t going to be able to pass and there wouldn’t be great side-by-side racing, but this was one of the raciest tracks we’ve ever gone to, at least in the Truck Series in my time,” a smiling Riggs said. “It was a lot of fun.

 

“I call myself a road racer now,” he added with a smile, noting this was only his fifth career road-course race of any kind in his life. “It’s amazing to race so many well-known guys, going past some and knowing these guys are road-course ringers and we were faster today.”

 






Pole: Connor Mosack



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Next Race: The Truck Series will return on Friday, March 20, 2026 at 7:30 pm ET for the ‘Buckle Up South Carolina 200’ at Darlington Raceway.




ARCA West

Mason Massey Wins First West Series Race in his first Start at Kevin Harvick's Kern Raceway

Mason Massey – First Start, First Win

 

Across a motorsports career that spans over a decade, Mason Massey had never once competed in the ARCA Menards Series West prior to the Oil Workers 150 at Kevin Harvick’s Kern Raceway

 

Massey now finds himself on the West Coast as part of a Bill McAnally Racing team seeking to regroup after a disappointing 2025. Alongside his teammate Hailie Deegan, Massey intended to begin McAnally’s pursuit for his first title since 2021 by putting together a strong performance on Saturday evening.

 

The debut West Series appearance for Massey did not disappoint, as he maintained track position inside the top five all evening before passing Sean Hingorani for the lead on a late restart. Massey then survived two overtime attempts to formally start his West Series career in perfect fashion.

 

“I don’t think it [gets better than this],” Massey said. “All these guys work super hard at [Bill McAnally Racing]. I had a hot rod tonight thanks to [my crew chief] Ty [Joiner]. He really got this baby going and it was a lot of fun out there.”

 






Pole: Jade Avedisian



Click Here for Race Results


Next Race: The ARCA Menard Series and ARCA Menard Series West will return on 03/02/2026 at 6 p.m. ET for the ‘General Tire 150’ at Phoenix Raceway.



 

source: NASCAR  and ARCA Media

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