The Cup Series will cap off triple header weekend with just four races remaining in the 2026 racing season with the Freeway Insurance 500 at Phoenix Raceway.
Thirty-seven teams brought cars to Phoenix for 40 starting spots.
The drivers will get a full 50 minute practice session before making a qualifying run. The teams have two sets of tires for practice.
In the previous Chases races there have been 12 stages and Ryan Blaney has scored at least one stage point in every stage!
Early in practice, Carson Hocevar topped the leaderboard but later in the practice session, drivers have put on the second set of tires and are running faster laps with Ryan Blaney topped the leaderboard in single lap times.
The first driver on the track to make a qualifying run is Alex Bowman who posted a time of 26.986 seconds around the one mile track.
With a time of 26.250 seconds, Ryan Blaney puts his number 12 car on the pole with teammate Joey Logano alongside on the front row.
The starting lineup for the Freeway Insurance 500:
Ryan Blaney – chase
Joey Logano – chase
Chase Briscoe – chase
Denny Hamlin – chase
Christopher Bell – chase
Tyler Reddick – chase
Ty Gibbs – chase
Michael McDowell
Josh Berry
William Byron – chase
Ross Chastain
Connor Zilisch
Todd Gilliland
Daniel Suarez – chase
Austin Cindric – chase
Chase Elliott – chase
Chris Buescher – chase
Brad Keselowski
Riley Herbst
Zane Smith
AJ Allmendinger
Kyle Larson – chasse
Bubba Wallace – chase
Austin Dillon
Shane van Gisbergen
Ryan Preece – chase
Cole Custer
Carson Hocevar – chase
Erik Jones
Noah Gragson
Ricky Stenhouse Jr
John Hunter Nemechek
Ty Dillon
Alex Bowman
Austin Hill
Corey Heim
Cody Ware
Tage one is 60 laps, stage two is 125 laps, and stage three is 127 laps for a total of 312 laps around the one mile track (500km).
Noah Gragson will have to start the race from the back of the field after the crew made some un approved adjustments.
Ryan Blaney brings the field down for the green flag start of the race with teammate Joey Logano alongside. Driver spread out three and four wide on the start with Ryan Blaney taking the lead.
Points leader Kyle Larson starts back in the field in 23rd.
Lap three, the top five are Ryan Blaney, Joey Logano, Chase Briscoe, Christopher Bell, and Denny Hamlin.
Lap four, Kyle Larson is already up to 17th.
Lap six, Ryan Blaney has a near one second lead on Joey Logano; Chase Briscoe, Christopher Bell, and Denny Hamlin round out the top five. Kyle Larson is in 17th.
Lap eight, Josh Berry and Denny Hamlin battle for fifth, seven seconds behind the leader.
Lap 13, Ryan Blaney has a near one second lead on teammate Joey Logano with teammates Chase Briscoe and Christopher Bell in a battle for third; Josh Berry rounds out the top five.
Lap 16, Christopher Bell passes Chase Briscoe for third.
Leader Ryan Blaney ha won the pat two race at Phoenix and is going for the three-peat.
Lap 21, Ryan Blaney has pulled out to a second and a have lead on Joey Logano; Christopher Bell, Chase Briscoe, and Josh Berry round out the top five. Kyle Laron is in 18th.
Lap 28, Ryan Blaney continues to extend his lead and I now two seconds out in front of Joey Logano; Christopher Bell, Chase Briscoe, and Josh Berry round out the top five.
Lap 35, Joey Logano has cut leader Ryan Blaney’s lead to under two seconds.
Lap 40, Joey Logano is now a second and a half behind leader Ryan Blaney; Christopher Bell, Josh Berry, and Chase Briscoe rounds out the top five.
Ryan Blaney has encountered slower traffic.
The first caution flag of the race comes out on lap 45 when Michael McDowell and Riley Herbst get into a wreck.
Drivers come down pit road for service with Denny Hamlin winning the race off of pit road after taking only two tires. William Byron and Chase Elliott also took only two tires.
Shane van Gisbergen, AJ Allmendinger, and Michael McDowell were all caught speeding on pit road. McDowell and Riley Herbst were charged with pitting too soon.
Denny Hamlin brings the field down for the green flag restart with William Byron alongside with just 10 laps remaining in stage one. Drivers fan out four and five wide with Denny Hamlin and William Byron in a battle for the lead.
Nine laps to go in stage one; William Byron and Denny Hamlin battle for the lead.
Eight laps to go, Joey Logano takes the lead with Denny Hamlin in second; William Byron, Christopher Bell, and Ryan Blaney round out the top five.
After restarting the race in fifth, Kyle Larson has dropped to 14th.
With a one second lead, Joey Logano wins stage one.
The top 10 at the end of stage one:
Joey Logano
Denny Hamlin
Christpher Bell
Ryan Blaney
Chase Briscoe
William Byron
Chase Elliott
Ross Chastain
Tyler Reddick
Josh Berry
Riley Herbst is the “lucky dog”.
Drivers come down pit road for service with Zane Smith being charged with an equipment interference penalty for leaving pit road with the fuel can. Joey Logano wins the race off of pit road.
Joey Logano brings the field down for the green flag start of stage two with Christopher Bell alongside on lap 69. Drivers get three and four wide in a battle for position.
Christopher Bell takes the lead of the race with Joey Logano in second; Chase Briscoe, Brad Keselowski, and Connor Zilisch round out the top five.
Drivers will have to make a pit stop during the 125 lap stage.
Denny Hamlin and Shane van Gisbergen make contact during the restart.
Lap 75, Christopher Bell has a near one second lead on Joey Logano; Chase Briscoe, Ryan Blaney, and Brad Keselowski round out the top five. Kyle Larson is in 16th and Denny Hamlin is in 17th.
Denny Hamlin gets loose but saved the car.
Michael McDowell is off the track.
Riley Herbst is the only driver not on the lead lap.
Lap 82, Christopher Bell has pulled out to a second and a half lead on Joey Logano; Ryan Blaney, Chase Briscoe, and Brad Keselowski round out the top five.
Lap 86, Ryan Blaney battles with teammate Joey Logano for second.
With 99 laps remaining in stage two, Christopher Bell has a near two second lead on Ryan Blaney; Joey Logano, Chase Briscoe, and Brad Keselowski round out the top five.
Josh Berry passes Brad Keselowski for fifth.
Denny Hamlin is up to 16th but Kyle Larson has fallen to 20th.
Lap 93, Christpher Bell has a second and a half lead on Ryan Blaney; Joey Logano, Chase Briscoe, and Josh Berry round out the top five.
Shane van Gisbergen passes Kyle Larson for 20th.
Lap 99, Ryan Blaney is slowly eating in to Christopher Bell’s lead, Bell is now less than a second and a half on Blaney; Joey Logano, Chase Briscoe, and Josh Berry round out the top five.
Lap 102, Joey Logano passes, Ryan Blaney for second.
Denny Hamlin has moved up to 14th but Kyle Larson continues fall back and is now in 22nd.
Currently, Christopher Bell has taken over the lead of the point standings.
Lap 105, Christopher Bell has pulled out to a two second lead on Joey Logano.
Lap 111, Joey Logano has pulled to within a second and half on leader Christpher Bell; Josh Berry, Ryan Blaney, and Chase Briscoe round out the top five. Kyle Larson is mired in traffic in 24th place. Denny Hamlin is up to 13th.
Chase Briscoe passes Ryan Blaney for fourth.
Lap 118, there are 32 cars on the lead lap.
Lap 119, Christopher Bell’s lead is down to just half a second on Joey Logano; Josh Berry, Chase Briscoe, and Ryan Blaney round out the top five.
William Byron gets into the wall but the track stays green. He reports that the right rear tire feels like it is coming unwound.
Lap 121, Joey Logano has caught leader Christopher Bell and begins to challenge for the lead.
Lap 122, drivers are beginning to make green flag pit stops.
Ty Dillon was caught speeding on pit road and will have to serve a passthrough penalty.
Lap 123, Christpher Bell makes his pi stop and gives the lead over to Joey Logano.
Brad Kesselowski spins out coming on to pit road. Corey Heim has trouble getting around Keselowski.
Lap 127, Joey Logano makes his pit stop and gives the lead over to Josh Berry.
Lap 128, Josh Berry makes his pit stop and gives the lead back to Christopher Bell.
Ricky Stenhouse Jr was caught speeding on pit road and has to serve a passthrough penalty.
There are just 23 cars on the lead lap.
Lap 132, the top five are Christopher Bell, Joey Logano, Josh Berry, Tyler Reddick, and Ryan Blaney.
Lap 139, there are just 22 cars on the lead lap with Christopher Bell has a near five second lead on Joey Logano; Josh Berry, Chase Briscoe, and Ryan Blaney round out the top five.
Denny Hamlin and Connor Zilisch battle for 12th.
At the moment, Christopher Bell has a 13 point lead in the standings with Denny Hamlin 37 points back in third.
Lap 147, Joey Logano has closed the gap on leader Christopher Bell to under four seconds; Josh Berry, Chase Briscoe, and Ryan Blaney continue to round out the top five.
Lap 150, Denny Hamlin is just outside the top 10 in eleventh.
Lap 157, Austin Dillon gets into the wall with a flat tire to bring out the caution flag. Ty Dillon is smoking with a flat tire.
Drivers come down pit road for fresh tires with Joey Logano edging out Christpher Bell and Chase Briscoe for the lead.
Joey Logano brings the field down for the green flag restart with Christopher Bell alongside on lap 164. Logano gets out in front with Chase Briscoe in second; Christopher Bell, Josh Berry, and Bubba Wallace round out the top five.
Michael McDowell has returned to the race 110 laps down.
Ryan Blaney passes Bubba Wallace for fifth.
Austin Dillon is off the track.
Kyle Larson is back on the lad lap but he is back in 26th.
Lap 170, Denny Hamlin has entered the top 10.
There are 31 cars on the lead lap.
John Hunter Nemechek has a flat tire but gets to pit road and the track stays green.
Lap 172, Joey Logano has a one second lead on Chase Briscoe; Christopher Bell, Josh Berry, and Ryan Blaney round out the top five.
Just eight laps remain in stage two; Joey Logano has a lead of over a second on Chase Briscoe; Christopher Bell, Jossh Berry, and Bubba Wallace round out the top five.
With four laps remaining in stage two, there are 29 cars on the lead lap.
Austin Dillon is out of the race.
Joey Logano wins stage two for the stage sweep.
The top 10 at the end of stage two:
Joey Logano
Chase Briscoe
Christopher Bell
Josh Berry
Bubba Wallace
Ryan Blaney
Tyler Reddick
Denny Hamlin
Todd Gilliland
Chase Elliott
Drivers come down pit road for service with Joey Logano winning the race off of pit road. Ryan Blaney had a slow pit stop with a tire issue.
Bubba Wallace said that the car “needs to be woken up”.
Kyle Larson had a slow stop for extra adjustments.
Joey Logano brings the field down for the green flag start of stage three on lap 194. Drivers spread out four and five wide with Joey Logano holding on to the lead.
Lap 195, Joey Logano has a third of a second lead on Chase Briscoe; Bubba Wallace, Josh Berry, and Denny Hamlin round out the top five.
Lap 199, Denny Hamlin passes Josh Berry for fourth.
There are 30 cars on the lead lap.
Lap 201, Joey Logano has a half second lead on Chase Briscoe; Bubba Wallace, Denny Hamlin, and Christopher Bell round out the top five.
Lap 202, Bubba Wallace passes Chase Briscoe for second.
Lap 206, Joey Logano has a lead of over half a second on Bubba Wallace; Chase Briscoe, Denny Hamlin, and Christopher Bell round out the top five.
Joey Logano reported that he has a vibration; adding that it wasn’t bad.
Lap 215, Bubba Wallace has caught leader Joey Logano and begins to challenge for the lead; Chase Briscoe, Denny Hamlin, and Christopher Bell round out the top five.
Lap 220, Denny Hamlin reports that he has a flat tire and is smoking heavily. He makes it to pit road from fourth and the track stays green.
The caution flag comes out on lap 223 when Cody Ware has a blown tire and gets into the wall. He is stopped on the track.
Denny Hamlin was caught speeding on pit road and will have to restart the race from the back of the field.
Drivers come down pit road for service with Bubba Wallace winning the race off of pit road and Chase Briscoe close behind. Wallace reported that he was too free.
Denny Hamlin, Daniel Suarez, and Michael McDowell will all have to start from the back of the field under penalty.
Bubba Wallace brings the field down for the green flag restart with Chase Briscoe alongside on lap 231. Wallace edges out for the lead.
The top five are Bubba Wallace, Chase Briscoe, Tyler Reddick, Christopher Bell, and Joey Logano round out the top five.
With 78 laps remaining in the race, Bubba Wallace has a half second lead on Chase Briscoe.
With 76 laps to go, Bubba Wallace has pulled out to a near one second lead on Chase Briscoe; Tyler Reddick, Christopher Bell, and Joey Logano round out the top five.
Cody Ware is out of the race.
Seventy to go, Bubba Wallace has pulled out to a lead of over a second on Chase Briscoe.
With 66 laps to go, Ryan Blaney passes Joey Logano for fifth.
Bubba Wallace has pulled out to a near two second lead on Chase Briscoe.
Sixty to go, there are 29 cars on the lead lap with Denny Hamlin in the “lucky dog” position.
Bubba Wallace has a lead of nearly two seconds on Chase Briscoe; Tyler Reddick, Christopher Bell, and Ryan Blaney round out the top five.
Joey Logano reports a potential alternator issue.
Fifty to go, Bubba Wallace leads the race but his lead is down to a second and a half over Chase Briscoe.
Just 47 laps to go, Bubba Wallace’s lead is down to just one second over Chase Briscoe; Tyler Reddick, Christopher Bell, and Ryan Blaney round out the top five.
Green flag pit stops have begun with Kyle Larson, Joey Logano, and Ryan Blaney making a stop.
With 44 laps to go, leader Bubba Wallace comes down pit road for service. Chase Briscoe is the new leader.
Forty-two laps to go, more drivers come down pit road for fresh tires and fuel.
Forty to go, Chase Briscoe comes down pit road, Ty Gibbs is the new leader.
With 38 laps to go, Ty Gibbs comes down pit road; Bubba Wallace retakes the lead with teammate Tyler Reddick in second; Joey Logano, Ryan Blaney, and Daniel Suarez round out the top five.
Ty Dillon has a flat tire and a smoking car but he gets to pit road and the track stays green.
John Hunter Nemechek has another flat tire but makes it to pit road.
Just 33 laps remain in the race; Bubba Wallace has a near second and a half lead on Tyler Reddick; Ryan Blaney, Joey Logano, and Chase Briscoe round out the top five.
The caution flag comes out with just 30 laps to go when Kyle Larson gets into the wall hard with a flat tire. Larson is out of the race.
Bubba Wallace leads the field as they come down pit road for fresh tires. Taking only two tires, Tyler Reddick wins the race off of pit road.
Shane van Gisbergen, Bubba Wallace, John Hunter Nemechek, and AJ Allmendinger were among the drivers who have to restart the race under penalty.
Chase Briscoe brings the field down for the green flag restart with Chases Elliott alongside with just 19 laps remaining in the race. Briscoe takes the lead with drivers four wide, beating and banging for position.
Tyler Reddick battles with Chase Briscoe and takes the lead with 17 laps to go.
The top five are Tyler Reddick, Ryan Blaney, Chase Briscoe, Chase Elliott, and Corey Heim.
Drivers are getting four and five wide.
Just 14 to go, Tyler Reddick has a one second lead on Ryan Blaney.
Ten to go, Tyler Reddick has a lead of over a second on Ryan Blaney; Chase Elliott, Christopher Bell, and Corey Heim round out the top five.
Just five laps remain, Tyler Reddick has a lead of over a second on Ryan Blaney; Chase Elliott, Christopher Bell, and Corey Heim round out the top five.
Tyler Reddick takes the white flag!
Tyler Reddick wins the race for his first Phoenix win and his sixth race of the season!
The unofficial results of the Freeway Insurance 500:
Tyler Reddick
Ryan Blaney
Chase Elliott
Christopher Bell
Corey Heim
Joey Logano
Daniel Suarez
Chase Briscoe
Ross Chastain
Ty Gibbs
Josh Berry
Carson Hocevar
Noah Gragson
Todd Gilliland
Zane Smith
Brad Keselowski
Bubba Wallace
Rryan Preece
Austin Cindric
Connor Zilisch
William Byron
Chris Buescher
AJ Allmendinger
Austin Hill
Erik Jones
Shane van Gisbergen
Cole Custer
Denny Hamlin
Alex Bowman
Ricky Stenhousse Jr
Ty Dillon
Riley Herbst
John Hunter Nemechek
Kyle Larson
Cody Ware
Michael McDowell
Austin Dillon