Denny Hamlin Tips Cap to Elliott, Runs Second at Texas FORT WORTH, Texas — Denny Hamlin secured a second-place finish at Texas Motor Speedway, narrowly trailing winner Chase Elliott by 0.407 seconds in a race marked by Toyota’s dominance and strategic maneuvering. The Cup Series event, held on May 3, 2026, saw Hamlin start fourth and quickly take the lead from Carson Hocevar within 20 laps, setting the tone for a competitive battle. Despite his early momentum, Hamlin ultimately fell short of victory, crediting Elliott’s mastery of the 1.5-mile track for the outcome. From the start, Toyota’s performance was evident as Hamlin, along with his Joe Gibbs Racing teammates Chase Briscoe and Christopher Bell, surged to the front. Ty Gibbs of JGR finished sixth in the opening stage, while Bell, who had been in a strong position, was forced to retire after a collision with Todd Gilliland in the final laps of the first segment. Hamlin, who had been closing in on Bell, described the incident as a “50/50 call” and expressed gratitude for the outcome. The race’s second stage saw Hamlin regain ground after a chaotic restart, earning seven points and finishing fourth. However, Elliott’s control of the pace proved decisive in the final stage. The No. 9 car and Tyler Reddick pulled ahead, with Hamlin’s No. 11 team struggling to keep pace. As the race entered its final laps, Hamlin opted to stay out on old tires rather than pit, believing his team’s strategy would allow him to restart on the front row. “We were running what we ran on new tires,” he explained, emphasizing the importance of maintaining speed. Elliott’s victory marked his second win of the season and the earliest he has ever achieved a second triumph in his 11 full-time NASCAR Cup Series career.#toyota #denny_hamlin #joe_gibbs_racing #texas_motor_speedway #chase_elliott
NASCAR Star Ryan Preece Rants at Ty Gibbs Before Suspect Crash at Texas Ryan Preece delivered a heated radio rant directed at Ty Gibbs moments before the latter crashed into the wall during the Wurth 400 at Texas Motor Speedway. The incident occurred at lap 101 when Gibbs’ car made contact with Preece’s, causing a spin that led to a crash. Chase Elliott emerged as the race winner after capitalizing on Corey Heim’s inopportune pit stop, taking the lead with just over 100 laps remaining. Preece’s radio exchange, which was overheard by race officials, included a direct reference to Gibbs’ car number (54) and expressed frustration over Gibbs’ driving. His remarks included phrases like “When I get to that 54, I’m done with him,” “F---ing idiot,” and “I can’t stand when idiots like him have fast race cars where they can do stupid s--- and get away with it.” The rant appeared to foreshadow the crash, as Gibbs’ car slammed into the wall shortly after. Gibbs’ car sustained damage to the right front, resulting in “mega vibrations” that rendered it inoperable. He was able to return to the garage but was forced to retire from the race. After the event, Gibbs reposted Preece’s rant on X, adding a comment that read “Hmm, at least he is honest” alongside an exasperated face emoji. In a post-race interview with NBC Sports, Gibbs explained the mechanical failure, stating that the crash broke a weld on the front clip and that returning to the track was not a viable option. Preece declined to comment on the incident when asked by reporters, responding with a flat “no.” However, he addressed the broader issue of respect on the track, stating, “I hate that he wrecked, but decisions you make on the racetrack have repercussions. I try to race everybody with an amount of respect I’d like in return.#ty_gibbs #texas_motor_speedway #ryan_preece #wurth_400 #chase_elliott
Ty Gibbs, Ryan Preece Collide in Texas Tussle A dramatic collision between Ryan Preece and Ty Gibbs during the NASCAR Cup Series race at Texas Motor Speedway on May 3, 2026, ended Gibbs’ day early and sparked a heated exchange between the two drivers. The incident occurred in Turns 3 and 4 on Lap 101, when contact from Preece sent Gibbs’ No. 54 Toyota spinning sideways and slamming into the SAFER barrier. The crash left Gibbs’ car severely damaged, forcing him to retire from the race. The incident began with a tense moment in Turn 1, where Gibbs made a late charge to Preece’s left, prompting frustration from the 23-year-old driver. As the two cars raced side by side during a Stage 2 restart, Preece executed a aggressive move by surging to the rear bumper of Gibbs’ Toyota, sending the No. 54 car careening into the wall. Preece later admitted that while the contact may not have been intentional, Gibbs’ earlier actions had built up his frustration. After the crash, Preece vented his frustration over the in-car radio, delivering a fiery rant that was later transcribed and shared on social media. “What a [expletive] idiot that kid is. He is so lucky his car is so [expletive] fast. … All right, when I get to that 54, I’m done with him. [Expletive] idiot. That car is so [expletive] fast, [expletive] pisses me off. Stupid. I’m gonna vent for 15 seconds. I can’t stand when idiots like him have fast race cars that they can do stupid [expletive] and get away with it. End of rant.” Gibbs, who briefly continued racing after the crash, eventually drove to the Texas garage and retired from the race. He described the damage to his Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota as too severe to continue. “I haven’t seen the replay. It broke one of the little welds on the front clip, so it probably wasn’t the best decision to go back out,” Gibbs said.#nascar_cup_series #ty_gibbs #fs1 #texas_motor_speedway #ryan_preece
NASCAR Qualifying Orders for 2026 Texas Motor Speedway Races The NASCAR Cup Series, NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series, and NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series will compete at Texas Motor Speedway during a triple-header weekend in 2026. Qualifying orders for all three series have been released, detailing the positions, driver numbers, and performance metrics for each entrant. For the Cup Series, the qualifying order includes the following positions: 67 – * Corey Heim(i) – 40.1 – Group 1 41 – Cole Custer – 37.1 – Group 1 22 – Joey Logano – 31.8 – Group 1 21 – Josh Berry – 31.5 – Group 1 66 – * Chad Finchum(i) – 31.3 – Group 1 5 – Kyle Larson – 29.8 – Group 1 71 – Michael McDowell – 29.3 – Group 1 23 – Bubba Wallace – 28.8 – Group 1 88 – Connor Zilisch(#) – 28.4 – Group 1 24 – William Byron – 27.8 – Group 1 12 – Ryan Blaney – 26.8 – Group 1 35 – Riley Herbst – 26.2 – Group 1 51 – Cody Ware – 25.5 – Group 1 19 – Chase Briscoe – 25.4 – Group 1 54 – Ty Gibbs – 25.3 – Group 1 42 – John Hunter Nemechek – 24.7 – Group 1 6 – Brad Keselowski – 24.7 – Group 1 43 – Erik Jones – 23.9 – Group 1 3 – Austin Dillon – 20.5 – Group 1 97 – Shane van Gisbergen – 19.7 – Group 2 10 – Ty Dillon – 19.0 – Group 2 16 – AJ Allmendinger – 17.5 – Group 2 60 – Ryan Preece – 16.5 – Group 2 4 – Noah Gragson – 15.3 – Group 2 8 – Kyle Busch – 15.1 – Group 2 20 – Christopher Bell – 14.6 – Group 2 34 – Todd Gilliland – 14.3 – Group 2 7 – Daniel Suárez – 12.6 – Group 2 48 – Alex Bowman – 11.7 – Group 2 47 – Ricky Stenhouse Jr. – 11.7 – Group 2 11 – Denny Hamlin – 11.1 – Group 2 2 – Austin Cindric – 10.4 – Group 2 1 – Ross Chastain – 10.3 – Group 2 45 – Tyler Reddick – 10.1 – Group 2 38 – Zane Smith – 9.5 – Group 2 9 – Chase Elliott – 4.0 – Group 2 17 – Chris Buescher – 3.#nascar_cup_series #nascar_o_reilly_auto_parts_series #nascar_craftsman_truck_series #texas_motor_speedway #corey_heim
