Showing posts with label Gio Ruggiero. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Gio Ruggiero. Show all posts

Wednesday, April 22, 2026

NASCAR / ARCA Race Weekend Recap (Kansas Speedway)

NASCAR / ARCA Race Weekend Recap (Kansas Speedway)

Winners: Tyler Reddick (Cup); Taylor Gray (O'Reilly); plus Gio Ruggiero (ARCA)

NASCAR Cup

Reddick Prevails in OT for Fifth Cup Series Win of 2026

Reddick Prevails in OT for Fifth Cup Series Win of 2026
Tyler Reddick holds out his five fingers, indicative of his race wins so far in 2026.

 

Tyler Reddick holds out his five fingers, indicative of his race wins so far in 2026.

Tyler Reddick scraped the outside wall in the closing laps. His fuel system stumbled at a critical moment. He collided with fellow Toyota driver Christopher Bell in overtime. He fell behind defending NASCAR Cup Series champion Kyle Larson on the final restart.

 

Yet, in a magical season for the driver of the No. 45 23XI Racing Toyota, Reddick won Sunday’s AdventHealth 400 at Kansas Speedway in spite of all the adversity.

 

Reddick cleared Larson through the final two corners and crossed the finish line 0.118 seconds ahead of the reigning champion.

 

“Just really blessed with the late caution,” said Reddick, who won for the fifth time this season, the second time at Kansas and the 13th time in his career. “Was that nuts or what? I couldn’t believe it.

 

“I mean, first off, I feel like I have to say, obviously, just for how I feel. I never like being on the inside of it – really hate that for Christopher Bell. Good, hard racing. The 11 (Hamlin) came up. I mean, I took off tight. Not thrilled I got Christopher there. I hate that for him because he was having a good, solid day.

 

“Man, these late race restarts get crazy. I obviously had a run on the 5 (Larson). I was shocked I was able to get to his inside there. An incredible SupplyHouse Toyota Camry all day long.”

 

Reddick is the first driver since Dale Earnhardt in 1987 – and fourth all-time – to win five of the first nine races of a season in NASCAR’s top division. His series lead increased to 105 points over second-place Hamlin, who won the first stage.

 






Pole: Tyler Reddick



Click Here for Race Results


Next Race: The Cup Series will return on Sunday, April 26, 2026 at 3:00 pm ET for the ‘Jack Link's 500’ at Talladega Superspeedway.


NASCAR O'Reilly Auto Parts Series

Gray Fends Off Creed for 2nd Career NORAPS Win at Kansas

Gray Fends Off Creed for 2nd Career NORAPS Win at
Joe Gibbs Racing driver Taylor Gray celebrates with his No. 54 Toyota team

 


The early bird got the victory on Saturday night.

 

The first of the frontrunners to pit during the final 95-lap green-flag run in the Kansas Lottery 300, Taylor Gray grabbed the lead during the cycle and held off charging Sheldon Creed to score the second NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series victory of his career.

 

Crew chief Jason Ratcliff, who won at Kansas with driver David Green in 2003, called Gray into the pits on Lap 143 of 200. Creed and Brandon Jones, running first and second on Lap 146, emerged from pit road after stops on Lap 147 roughly three seconds behind Gray.

 

“How about Jason Ratcliff?” Gray exclaimed after climbing from his No. 54 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota. “That pit call was awesome. We had a car capable of winning. I thought the 20 (Jones) was a little better than us before the green-flag cycle started, but we just had to stay locked in, and we had to be a little bit freer.

 

“Jason made a really good adjustment on the car and a really good pit call and got us in clean air. It’s been a long start to the year, man — not that we’re not bringing speed to the race track. It’s just that things haven’t really gone our way. So it’s nice to finally be able to close one out.”

 

As it turned out, Creed also had plenty of reasons to celebrate. By finishing first among four eligible drivers, he earned a $100,000 Dash 4 Cash bonus for the first time in his career. It was Creed’s fifth attempt to win the Dash 4 Cash prize money.

 






Pole: Carson Kvapil (no qualifying)



Click Here for Race Results


Next Race: The NASCAR O'Reilly Auto Parts Series will return on Saturday, April 25, 2026 at 4:00 pm ET for the ‘Ag-Pro 300’ at Talladega Superspeedway.




NASCAR Trucks

The NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series did not race this weekend






Next Race: The Truck Series will return on Friday, May 1, 2026 at 8:00 pm ET for the ‘SpeedyCash.com 250’ at Texas Motor Speedway.




ARCA

Late-race restarts at Kansas propel Gio Ruggiero

Late-race restarts at Kansas propel Gio Ruggiero

 

In two starts so far during the 2026 ARCA Menards Series season, Gio Ruggiero found Victory Lane in both.

 

Ruggiero’s second win of the year proved to be slightly more difficult compared to his season-opening triumph at Daytona International Speedway. After fading during the final long green flag run, Ruggiero used two overtime restarts to cycle back to the front and emerge victorious Saturday in the Tide 150 at Kansas Speedway.

 

Multiple factors motivated Ruggiero’s drive to the win. Not only was he determined to overcome the loss in speed his car experienced in the closing stages, but he also wanted to reward the hard work his entire crew puts in both on and off the track.

 

“You just got to do whatever it takes to win,” Ruggiero said. “That’s what I did. I thought we had a really strong car, and I just couldn’t let these guys down and lose the race. My crew chief Matt Ross just had a baby, so I needed to get him a nice gift, [which was] to win. I definitely executed on those last restarts and did what it took.”

 






Pole: Jack Wood



Click Here for Race Results


Next Race: The ARCA Series will return on Saturday, April 25, 2026 at 1:30 p.m. EST for the ‘Alabama Manufactured House’ at Talladega Superspeedway.

 

source: NASCAR  and ARCA Media
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Monday, February 16, 2026

NASCAR / ARCA Race Weekend Recap (Daytona)

#NASCAR / #ARCA Race Weekend Recap (Daytona)

Winners: Tyler Reddick (Cup); Austin Hill (O'Reilly Series); Chandler Smith (Trucks) plus Gio Ruggerio (ARCA)

NASCAR Cup

Tyler Reddick Triumphs in 68th running of Daytona 500

Tyler Reddick Triumphs in 68th running of Daytona 500

 

Tyler Reddick waited for the last possible moment to make his move – and it paid off with victory in Sunday’s 68th running of the Daytona 500.

In the final 500 yards of the “Great American Race,” Reddick got a welcome push from teammate Riley Herbst, muscled his way past Chase Elliott and powered his No. 45 23XI Racing Toyota toward the finish line.

 

As the Daytona track exploded in chaos behind him, when Herbst tried an ill-fated late block on Brad Keselowski and a knot of cars slid sideways across the finish line, Reddick already was celebrating a 0.308-second victory over 2023 Daytona 500 winner Ricky Stenhouse Jr.

 

Reddick was the 25th different leader — a record for the race — and the only lap he led was the last one.

 

“Last year was really hard for all of us, hard for me,” Reddick said. “When you’re a Cup driver and you get to this level and drive for Michael Jordan, it’s expected you win every single year.

 

“For us to go on that drought, it made us look hard in the mirror, and I am really proud of everyone on our Chumba Casino Toyota Camry. Worked really hard in the offseason, and there were many points in this race where we weren’t making decisions we wanted to, but we just reset, and every opportunity we got to reset, we went back at it.

 

“Just speechless. I didn’t know if I’d ever win this race. It’s surreal, honestly. The best part is my son (Beau) asked before this race, ‘Are you finally going to win this race?’ Something about today just felt right.”

 






Pole: Kyle Busch



Click Here for Race Results


Next Race: The Cup Series will return on Sunday, February 22, 2026 at 3:00 pm ET for the ‘Autotrader 400’ at EchoPark Speedway.


NASCAR O'Reilly Auto Parts Series

Austin Hill Wins O’Reilly Auto Parts Series Season Opener

Austin Hill Wins O’Reilly Auto Parts Series Season Opener

 

Austin Hill continued his mastery of NASCAR’s big tracks, dominating Saturday’s United Rentals 300 at Daytona International Speedway — the Georgia native’s fourth win in the NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series season opener here in the last five years.

 

And as so typically happens on Daytona’s 2.5-mile superspeedway, the outcome came down to the dramatic last few laps and the race was decided by a split second.

 

Although he started from pole position and led a race high 78 of the 120 laps, Hill was tested all night — ultimately having to prevail on three restarts in the final 12 laps. His No. 21 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet beat JR Motorsports driver Justin Allgaier’s Chevrolet to the finish line by 0.081 seconds.

 

It marked Richard Childress Racing’s fifth consecutive win in this race, tying a mark set by Dale Earnhardt Inc. from 1990-94. It was Hill’s 15th career victory and 11th on a drafting style track.

 

“Just shows how good this team is,” Hill said of being able to pit late and out of sequence but still move forward when it mattered most. “It was a really tough decision to go from being 14th or wherever it was we restarted. But it just goes to show how good this team was. We had that restart and no one was going middle, so I was like, ‘Sure I’ll take it.’ Drove right up through there.”

 

“Daytona has just been so good to me,” said Hill, who swept both stage wins in addition to leading the most laps. “I love this place and it’s always fun to win.”

 






Pole: Austin Hill



Click Here for Race Results


Next Race: The NASCAR O'Reilly Auto Parts Series will return on Saturday, February 21, 2026, at 5:00 pm ET for the ‘Bennett Transportation & Logistics 250’ at EchoPark Speedway.




NASCAR Trucks

Chandler Smith Storms through to Triumph

Chandler Smith Storms through to Triumph

 

Chandler Smith  came from the middle of nowhere to win Friday’s ‘Fresh From Florida 250’ at Daytona International Speedway and immediately gave credit where credit was due.

 

“Thank you, thank you, thank you, Ty Majeski!” Smith shouted after taking the checkered flag in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series season opener at the 2.5-mile superspeedway.

 

Driving the No. 38 Front Row Motorsports F-150, Smith was sixth as the lead group rounded Turn 3 on the second lap of overtime, with John Hunter Nemechek out front. But as Nemechek moved up the track to attempt a late block on Gio Ruggiero, Smith steamed through in the open bottom lane with a strong push from Majeski.

 

“He is all credit to how we just won that race, truthfully,” Smith said of Majeski’s push. “He stayed committed to a Ford and pushed a Blue Oval to a win.

 






Pole: Ty Majeski



Click Here for Race Results


Next Race: The Truck Series will return on Saturday, February 21, 2026 at 1:30 pm ET for the ‘Fr8 Racing 208’ at EchoPark Speedway.




ARCA

Gio Ruggerio Delivers Joe Gibbs Racing its First Daytona ARCA Menards Series Victory

Gio Ruggerio Delivers Joe Gibbs Racing its First Daytona ARCA Menards Series Victory

 

There was plenty of significance behind Gio Ruggiero’s victory Saturday in the General Tire 200 at Daytona International Speedway.

 

Not only was it Ruggiero’s first triumph in the national ARCA Menards Series, but it also marked the first time Joe Gibbs Racing prevailed at Daytona on the platform.

 

Ruggiero was no stranger to success on drafting tracks entering Saturday’s 80-lap race, having earned his maiden NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series win at Talladega Superspeedway last year. The comfort Ruggiero has found on drafting tracks is why he felt confident about winning the General Tire 200 in a Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota.

 

“Obviously last year, my first ever race in the Truck Series, I finished second,” Ruggiero said. “I think there was a little bit of luck in that with the winner being DQ’d. Since then, I’ve had really strong cars and feel like I’ve just made the right moves on the superspeedways.”

 






Pole: Gus Dean



Click Here for Race Results


Next Race: The ARCA West Series will return on Saturday, February 28, 2026 at 5 p.m. PT for the ‘Oil Workers 150 presented by the West Coast Stock Car Motorsports Hall of Fame’ at Kevin Harvick’s Kern Raceway.



 

source: NASCAR Media
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Monday, October 20, 2025

#NASCAR Race Recap (Talladega)

#NASCAR Race Recap (Talladega)

Winners: Chase Briscoe (Cup); Austin Hill (Xfinity); Gio Ruggiero (Trucks)

Winners: Chase Briscoe (Cup); Austin Hill (Xfinity); Gio Ruggiero (Trucks) #NASCAR
Recap Graphic by Rolando Ramirez - RTR Graphics

 


NASCAR Cup

Briscoe Wins Talladega Thriller, Clinches Championship 4 Spot

Briscoe Wins Talladega Thriller, Clinches Championship 4 Spot

 

In a typically dramatic push to the Talladega Superspeedway checkered flag, Joe Gibbs Racing’s Chase Briscoe made a last-lap pass on the frantic field to claim victory in Sunday’s YellaWood 500 NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs race and earn his first-ever shot at the season title.

 

The 30-year-old Indiana native Briscoe will join his JGR teammate Denny Hamlin, who won last week at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, leaving the final two positions in the Championship 4 to be decided in next week’s Round of 8 finale at Martinsville Speedway.

 

Briscoe thanked another JGR teammate, however, 23-year-old Ty Gibbs, for the push forward on the final lap Sunday that resulted in his first-ever superspeedway win, 0.145 seconds over Front Row Motorsports’ driver Todd Gilliland and Gibbs, neither of whom is among the eight-driver playoff field.

 

The runner-up showing was a career best for Gilliland.

 

“Ty Gibbs, just an incredible teammate there,” said an emotional Briscoe, who stood on his No. 19 JGR Toyota waving his arms to the cheering crowd. “I honestly would not have won that race without Ty. It was an amazing team effort. I can’t believe I won a superspeedway race. I’ve never done it at any level.”

 

“It’s not hit me, we’re going to Phoenix,” a grinning Briscoe said of the championship opportunity he now has after leading only 16 laps Sunday, but the most important final one.

 

“Absolutely [a dream come true]. So thankful that the Lord’s blessed me, opening doors and closing doors at times, but certainly opening an incredible door for me here at Joe Gibbs Racing. … Even today, I just had such a ‘peace’ and normally I’m scared to death, nervous around this place, but today, just had such a peace.”

 

Todd Gilliland finished second; Ty Gibbs placed third; Bubba Wallace came in fourth and Cole Custer completed the top five.

 






Pole: Michael McDowell



Click Here for Race Results 


Next Race: The Cup Series will return on Sunday, October 26, 2025 at 2:00 pm ET for the ‘Xfinity 500’ at Martinsville Speedway.


NASCAR Xfinity

Austin Hill Completes Talladega Sweep with Xfinity Series Win

Austin Hill Completes Talladega Sweep with Xfinity Series Win

 

Once again, Richard Childress Racing’s Austin Hill proved himself the driver to beat on NASCAR’s big drafting-style tracks, the veteran holding off the field on a dramatic overtime restart with two laps remaining at Talladega Superspeedway to earn the victory in Saturday’s United Rentals 250.

 

Hill’s No. 21 RCR Chevrolet led a race-best 48 of the 100 laps to earn a season sweep at the 2.66-mile speedway, NASCAR’s biggest track. The 31-year-old Georgia native claimed both stage wins and the .105-second victory over JR Motorsports playoff driver Carson Kvapil. The victory now gives him 10 wins at drafting style tracks – having already eclipsed the previous record set by NASCAR Hall of Famers Dale Earnhardt and Tony Stewart, who each had eight victories on that style of track.

 

Although Hill has been eliminated from contention for the Xfinity driver’s title, his win Saturday does guarantee his RCR team a car in the 2025 owner’s championship.

 

“If you have any questions and it’s green-white-checkered, you probably just go to the bottom [of the track] because of how crazy the second and third lane was there at the end,” an elated Hill said after climbing down from the hood of his Chevy, where he waved his hands and encouraged the huge crowd’s loud reaction.

 

“Being able to race for Richard Childress is always special, and to be able to deliver wins like this,” Hill continued. “As the playoff started and us getting knocked out the way we did, it stung a lot, but once we knew we were still in it for the owner’s championship, I decided I’d do it just like I would going for a driver’s championship.

 

“To be able to lock ourselves in and go to Phoenix knowing we’re going for an owner’s championship and be able to try and deliver one to Richard Childress Racing means the world to me.”

 

Carson Kvapil finished second; Justin Allgaier placed third; Christian Eckes came in fourth and Caesar Bacarella completed the top five.

 






Pole: Jesse Love



Click Here for Race Results


Next Race: The Xfinity Series will return on Saturday, October 25, 2025 at 7:30 pm ET for the ‘IAA and Ritchie Bros. 250’ at Martinsville Speedway.




NASCAR Trucks

Gio Ruggiero Scores First Career Truck Series Win

Gio Ruggiero Scores First Career Truck Series Win

 

Rookie Gio Ruggiero capped a typically dramatic afternoon of racing on the Talladega Superspeedway high banks with the 19-year-old’s first career trip to NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series Victory Lane in Friday’s Love’s RV Stop 225.

 

Though not in the playoffs, Ruggiero held off his Tricon Garage teammate and current championship leader Corey Heim in a two-lap overtime duel to the checkered flag, his No. 17 Toyota leading the way by a mere .059 seconds. The effort rewarded an absolutely strong day for the young driver, who won pole position and led a race-best 37 of the 90 laps.

 

“Super thankful all the guys on this 17 truck, they worked their butts off today and definitely brought the best piece today,” the Massachusetts driver Ruggiero said. “We showed it in qualifying and throughout the race there that we had the fastest piece. Thanks to Toyota and everybody who supports me. Great to win a race with my mom and dad here.”

 

Corey Heim finished second; Ty Majeski placed third; Dawson Sutton came in fourth and Layne Riggs completed the top five.

 






Pole: Gio Ruggiero



Click Here for Race Results


Next Race: The Truck Series will return on Friday, October 24, 2025 at 6:00 pm ET for the ‘Slim Jim 200’ at Martinsville Speedway.




ARCA

ARCA was off track this Weekend

The ARCA Menard Series (AMS) and ARCA Menard East Series (AMES) have concluded their 2025 Season. Brenden Queen won the AMS Championship while Isaac Kitzmiller captured the top spot in the AES

 







Next Race: The ARCA West Series will return on Saturday, November1, 2025 at 10:30 a.m. MT for the ‘Desert Diamond Casino West Valley 100’ at Phoenix Raceway. This will be the last ARCA race of the 2025 Season..



 

source: NASCAR Media
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