Nick Sanchez Scores New Ride for 2026
What’s Happening? Nick Sanchez will drive AM Racing’s No. 25 car in 2026, filling one of the final open seats in…
Today, the NASCAR Xfinity Series took to the Monster Mile at Dover Motor Speedway. The talk heading into the race is how the veterans (so far) have come up short in the win column compared to their less-experienced fellow racers. Justin Allgaier, A. J. Allmendinger, and Cole Custer are still looking for their first wins of the season while Chandler Smith, Austin Hill, and rookie Jesse Love have been the ones really racking up the wins recently. How did the vets compare to the youngsters when up against Miles the Monster? Let’s break it down.
Brandon Jones qualified on the pole, his second of the year. Not far behind him was his JRM teammate, Justin Allgaier. It didn’t take long for the No. 7 of Allgaier to capture the lead. Once on the point, the veteran driver went on to win the opening stage. This win was the fourth stage win of 2024 for Allgaier and the 7 team.
With some drivers deciding to short pit midway through the first stage, Allgaier and the leaders lost some track position when the race went back green. Last week’s winner at Talladega, Jesse Love, found himself in the lead. He led just over 10 laps before being passed by veteran Cole Custer. Custer went on to win the second stage, meaning that early on, this race was a statement from the veterans. This was Cole Custer’s second stage win of the season.
With less than 50 laps to go, the race became between Custer, a hard-charging Allgaier, and the surrounding showers in the Dover area. Allgaier was battling extremely loose conditions while also slowly reeling in the 00 of Cole Custer. As both drivers weaved their way through lap traffic, the weather moved in. Though it at first appeared that the race was going to get restarted, Sammy Smith’s No. 8 running out of gas further delayed the action. As the rain picked back up, the decision was made to bring the field down pit road.
Everyone thought from there that the race would be over. However, NASCAR ordered drivers to stay in their cars and brought them back on track moments later. As they were turning pace laps, Cole Custer pitted with Allgaier assuming the lead. They restarted only for yet another caution to fly. This forced Allgaier’s hand and the No. 7 had to pit as well.
Austin Hill then assumed the lead with Sheldon Creed and the No. 88 of Carson Kvapil not far behind. The race restarted with 12 laps to go and it instantly became a battle between former teammates. There clearly was still no love lost between Creed and Hill. Their intense battle, however, seemed to be the big break Carson Kvapil needed. The 88 took the lead with 9 laps to go.
That said, trouble with Riley Herbst caused yet another caution, sending us over into NASCAR overtime. Upon the restart, Kvapil took the outside with Hill restarting on the bottom. Beneath Kvapil, Austin Hill got loose and went around, collecting the No. 7 of Justin Allgaier. Caution waived again, meaning another attempt at NASCAR overtime.
For the second and final overtime attempt, defending winner Ryan Truex started on Kvapil’s inside and was able to take the lead. After he took the white flag, a caution involving Justin Allgaier ended the race. Ryan Truex repeated in victory at Dover Motor Speedway.
The main character in this story is the winner Ryan Truex. This is his second career Xfinity win as he repeats as the winner from 2023. Congratulations to the Truex family! No doubt all eyes will be on MTJ tomorrow to see if the family can sweep the weekend for the second year in a row.
The early stages of this race seemed to be between the JRM driver Justin Allgaier and the SHR driver Cole Custer–aka, the veterans of the NASCAR Xfinity Series. With just over 30 laps to go, the field was red-flagged and parked on pit road. We all thought it was over right there. However, the race restarted and Custer had to pit due to being low on fuel. He was able to rebound, however, as he finished in the 5th position.
The driver of the No. 88 for JRM really impressed today at the Monster Mile. After leading a handful of laps late, he ended the race in 3rd. Here is an interview a NASCAR on FOX reporter did with his father, Truck Series Champion Travis Kvapil.
The first caution flag of the day occurred when veteran J. J. Yeley and rookie Hailie Deegan got together. The incident ruined Yeley’s race as he ultimately retired from the race. Deegan, however, was able to continue on. She lost a lap in the process. You can watch a full clip of the incident below.
The second caution of the day came near the halfway point of the opening stage. It has been a tough couple of weeks for Sieg and his No. 39 self-owned team. He was so close to victory a couple of weeks ago at Texas. Now, in Dover, his race ended prematurely as his car suddenly burst into flames. He was able to exit the car in a timely manner but it was a scary moment for sure. You can see the severity of the fire in the clip below.
In his No. 5 Chevy, Fast Pasta himself, Anthony Alfredo was able to cash in on the Xfinity Series Dash4Cash!
That’s another wild one in the books, NASCAR fans! Who were you pulling for in the closing laps of this one at the Monster Mile? Me, I’ve always been partial to whoever was wheeling the No. 88. Good run for Kvapil, though. Do you think his performance today earned him a ride next year? Let us know! Also, let us know how your favorite Xfinity Series driver did. Are you happy with the Truex repeat? Spill all your opinions, thoughts, and concerns on our social media.
In addition, be sure to be back right here at DailyDownforce.com tomorrow for our coverage of the Cup race at Dover Motor Speedway!
Three races into the season, the new Chase format has already intensified the competition for a foothold in the NASCAR standings. As a system that rewards both race winners and those who maintain consistent results, it keeps the postseason race open for a wide range of contenders, while cycling out those drivers who can’t get their wheels under them during the season.
In the NASCAR Cup Series, Tyler Reddick has established himself as the early points leader with a dominant lead. After securing three consecutive victories, he enters Phoenix Raceway as the clear favorite to make the Chase, while the rest of the field looks to break his momentum.
However, the start of the season has been difficult for several drivers. Despite their previous accomplishments, these competitors are currently struggling to maintain their standing in the early stages of the race to the Chase.
Christopher Bell
Last season, Christopher Bell kicked off his campaign with a dominant stretch of three wins stretching from Atlanta to Phoenix, propelling him into a clear spot for the postseason.
The early stages of his 2026 campaign, however, have made it difficult for him to secure even top-five or top-ten finishes. Bell currently sits 24th in the standings with 59 points. The speed has been there, yet in-race incidents have dug him into a points hole.
At Daytona International Speedway, Bell ran inside the top ten with fewer than ten laps remaining before the race turned on its head. Contact from behind sent his car into trouble, leaving him to limp away with a 35th-place finish, far from where he had been running.
The following race at EchoPark Speedway brought more of the same. During an overtime restart, Bell lined up on the front row when contact from Carson Hocevar pushed the No. 20 Toyota into the outside wall, turning what looked like a chance at a trip to victory lane into another lost afternoon, ending his day 21st.
Bell finally managed to stop the downward slide at COTA. When a late caution flew, he took a gamble on fresh tires and charged from 16th to third, climbing through the field with solid pace. The run placed Bell on the proverbial podium and brought home 34 points, pushing him up by seven positions in the points standings table.
Connor Zilisch
Connor Zilisch showed speed and talent this past weekend at COTA. Starting 25th, he climbed through the pack and crossed the line in 14th despite a day marred by incidents with other drivers. At one point, he even climbed from the back 30s to fourth before trouble struck again.
While numbers do not tell the whole story, for now, results from the opening racing of the season have left Zilisch with ground to make up. Zilisch collected five points at Daytona, nine at Atlanta, and 23 at COTA. The tally has left him with 37 points, placing him in 32nd in the standings, among the bottom group in the standings.
Zilisch closed last season at Phoenix (albeit in the O’Reilly Series) with a third-place finish, hinting that the one-mile oval in the deserts of Arizona, this weekend, could offer him a chance to improve his ranking.
Chase Briscoe
Chase Briscoe entered 2026 after his best Cup season so far in his young career. His first season with Joe Gibbs Racing ended with a third-place finish in the standings. However, the early stretch of the 2026 season has delivered mixed returns.
Briscoe finished runner-up at Atlanta, but the other two races have slipped through his fingers after looking strong. Briscoe came home in 36th in the Daytona 500, and after starting from third at COTA, he had high expectations.
But his weekend came undone on Lap 63 of the 95-lap race when the No. 19 Toyota lost its transaxle. Briscoe said the car shifted into neutral before smoke began to rise, leaving him with a 37th-place result.
The run was his second DNF in the first three races of the 2026 season. As a result, Briscoe slid from 15th to 27th in the standings with 46 points, trailing Reddick by 140 as the series heads further west.
Beyond the Cup Series, who is facing early points trouble in NASCAR’s lower National Series?
Harrison Burton
Harrison Burton moved to Sam Hunt Racing’s No. 24 and Toyota for the 2026 season. Through the first three races, Burton has recorded two DNFs. He currently sits 34th in the standings with 18 points, a significant decline from the two top-10 finishes he held at this point last year while driving for AM Racing.
Nick Sanchez
Nick Sanchez joined AM Racing this season after closing last year with an 11th-place finish in the standings after scoring his first win in the series at Atlanta. He hoped to ride that momentum into the new season. The start, though, has come with swings in fortune.
Sanchez bagged a third-place finish at Atlanta. But a DNF at Daytona and a 25th-place run at COTA have slowed his climb. After three races, Sanchez finds himself 19th in the standings with 53 points.
What’s Happening? Nick Sanchez will drive AM Racing’s No. 25 car in 2026, filling one of the final open seats in…
Jeremy Clements
Jeremy Clements has long cut out a role as a driver who can surprise race fans and steal a ticket into the NASCAR postseason, though, without the win-and-in format, the driver/owner will have to work much harder to do so in 2026.
Last season, Clements closed the year in 21st place in the standings and began this campaign by scoring a top-10 finish at Daytona. Since then, however, a 32nd-place finish at Daytona, a DNF at Atlanta Motor Speedway, and another P32 result at Circuit of the Americas have left him in P30 with 25 points, placing him well below the cut line.
Grant Enfinger
Grant Enfinger entered the 2026 season after a run in 2024 that carried him to the Championship Four. And last year, despite not reaching victory lane, he sat seventh in the standings by the end of the season.
At this point last year, Enfinger had already placed inside the top five at Daytona International Speedway and at Las Vegas. This year, three races into 2026, Enfinger has finished outside the top 20 in each race and currently stands 23rd in the standings with 41 points.
Daniel Hemric
Daniel Hemric is 19th in the standings with 46 points. After starting the season with a 26th-place finish at Daytona and a 34th-place finish at Atlanta, Hemric secured his first top-10 finish of the year at St. Petersburg. He continues to seek his second career series win following his victory at Martinsville last year.
Mini Tyrrell
Mini Tyrrell arrived in the Truck Series as a rookie after closing last season in the CARS Late Model Stock Car Tour with a fifth-place finish and three wins.
Driving the No. 14 Ram for Kaulig Racing, Tyrrell opened the 2026 season with results of 19th at Daytona and Atlanta. His run at St. Petersburg, however, ended with a 28th finish, which dropped him to 20th in the standings with just 45 points.
What’s Happening? One major storyline to follow during the 2025 and 2026 NASCAR seasons is the ongoing saga of Dodge and…
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Alex Bowman will not compete in Sunday’s Cup Series race at Phoenix Raceway after being diagnosed with vertigo earlier this week. The Hendrick Motorsports driver stepped out of the car during the race at Circuit of the Americas due to illness, and after further medical evaluation, the team decided he should sit out this weekend. In his place, reserve driver Anthony Alfredo will drive the No. 48.
The situation also opens the door for a substitute appearance by Alfredo while the No. 48 team focuses on owner points and waits for Bowman to be medically cleared. Beyond the immediate lineup change, the update has sparked broader discussion about Bowman’s early-season struggles and how quickly he might return to the car.
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Alex Bowman will miss this weekend’s NASCAR Cup Series race at Phoenix Raceway. Hendrick Motorsports confirmed the news after Bowman was diagnosed with vertigo following medical evaluations earlier in the week. With Bowman sidelined, Anthony Alfredo will step in to drive the No. 48 car as the team prepares for Sunday’s event.
The video breaks down the latest update from Hendrick Motorsports, what it means for the No. 48 team this weekend, and how the situation could shape the early part of the season.
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