Qualifying Results

Ken Pettit eyes the prize! Extravaganza's "Rastaman" becomes the oldest winner in 2026, hoping to re-duplicate his Kansas effort in the Russ Charneski 500. The #8 Bob Marley Chevrolet finishes well at Texas, racking up consistent top-10 performances since his victory in 2017. He will start 27th. Pole-sitter Alex Crapser tries for a fifth-straight top-8 finish! He comes in only 52-points back from leader Markell Murphy; both finishing inside the top-half of the field in every event. Logan Sheets ended his streak with a 25th-place finish at Kansas, leaving the #47 and #04 as the only two. Amazingly, eight other drivers have yet to drop out of a race! Watch to see if John Battista, Zakk Miller, Craig Lee, Timothy McDonnell, Donald Stewart, Bink Lucas, Jimmie Stevens and John Tharp can continue their fortune.

History was made last week! Six drivers with double-digit numbers beginning with "0" attempted to qualify for the Pizza Hut 400. Alex Crapser, Ziggy Moonglow, Trae Larkin, Mark Heron, Doug Spark and Larry Lack each filled out their entry form, with Heron and Lack failing to make the show. This week, the #06 Caterpillar Volkswagen made the Texas field, hoping to fair better than Dong Sup Park and Rhamondre Diggs during their first campaigns. Larry Lack replaced Doug Spark in the #03 E3 Pontiac Bonanza ride in 2025, re-sponsored to Lanco. He currently stands 18th in Bonanza Series points, hoping to further his credentials with a top-30 finish in the Russ Charneski 500!

Friday, May 16th, 6:00 ET

The mid-America travel starts now! From Kansas to Texas, we will witness wheat fields, cattle and barbecue of the Gods! The Ozark's provide excellent cuisine, pouring butter on pork loins, brisket, and even ravioli. Molemar Diggs went to the famous Jack Stack Barbecue, buying The Pitmaster Meal for $73.99. "The pulled pork was fantastic. It might've given me the spark to rebound my season!" His leftover meat will be nailed to the dashboard for good luck in the Pizza Hut 400.

Race Results

Points Standings

Race Recap

A free P'Zone for all 200,000 spectators! Some eat it with marinara. Some dip it ranch! Some carry their own concoctions, consuming tabasco and worcestershire sauce like an engine consumes 5W-30. Former Pizza Hut driver Logan Sheets starts fifth, hoping to extend his top-20 streak to eleven. Pole-sitter Craig Lee climbed into the top-10 in points after two-straight top-6's, leading the 45-car promenade to the green! Lee would hold pace through lap 22, handing the top-spot to teammate Ryan Heuser.

The #101 NOS Energy Chevrolet re-takes the lead on lap-33! Dakota Wilkins, Tony Pizzaro, Ken Joynt, John Battista and Rick Jackson catch up to the duo, hoping to end the Quick-Silver dominion. The #12 "Fenway Frank" Fusion would lead it's sixth-straight event on lap-51, crossing the line under the first caution flag of the night. Mike Carroll goes for a spin in the 38th position, sliding against the turn-1 wall after contact from Ziggy Moonglow. He would crwalt to an eventual 43rd place finish. Johnny Reed Foley's stand-in Doug Spark was just ahead of the accident, escaping the first trial of his new AC-Delco opportunity.

Tony Pizzaro, John Battista, Craig Lee, Steven Spears, Ken Joynt, Donald Stewart, Timothy McDonnell, Rick Jackson, John Tharp and Zach Michael occupy the top-10 for the lap-57 restart! the #20 Coca-Cola Mustang meandered through the pack to take the lead on lap-93. Miracle-man Michael Henson followed him through, hoping to lead his second event in three races, while earning his first top-10 finish in 2026. Michael, Henson and Pizzaro would dominate the remaining stint.

Doug Spark destroys the wall! A hard luck crash for the #03, smacking the turn-1 barrier after contact with Matt Raboin. They were battling for the 35th spot. Spark careened into the racing groove, getting smacked again by Rob Scarberry, with both cars coming to a stop. Both drivers suffered a destroyed front end, and more bruises than a dropped prune. Third-place in points Dakota Wilkins had just pitted, dropping the #77 Rockies Chevrolet down a lap. He would finish 39th, dropping to sixth in the standings.

After the restart, Zach Michael continued his dominance, leading the Halfway Bacon Bonus with 40 cars still on the lead lap. Ken Pettit took the helm with 112-to-go, driving from 37th to the front in just over 100 circuits. "This is the best set of tires we've had since Bristol!" exlaimed crew chief Slim Horton. Which Bristol race he was referring to is unclear. Speaking of "reefer", the Bob Marley #8 continued it's stride through the next round of fuel stops.

Pettit and John Battista pulled away from the field! The Wendy's #39 took the lead with 83-to-go, pulling off a masterful pit stop to keep in range with the "Rastaman". The two raced side-by-side for several laps, pulling away from the remainder of the field. By lap-200, Battista took the top-spot outright. A 55-race winless streak came to a halt last week at Talladega. Two-in-a-row would be euphoric, putting the "Dave's Quadruple" Chevrolet into severe Championship contention!

Battista and Pettit propel to a four-second advantage! By the 40-to-go mark, Zach Michael and Tony Pizzaro decreased their gap in half, with Chaun ... Read more »

Qualifying Results

Alex Crapser closes the gap! His victory at Bristol jumped him from eighth to fourth in the standings, finishing top-half of the field for a ninth consecutive week. After his fourth place finish at Talladega, he now stands runner-up, just 73-points behind leader Markell Murphy! While his teammate John Battista tours each of the twenty Wendy's franchises in the greater Kansas City area, Crapser and Murphy went to lunch themselves! The Paparazzi ran rampant; like two former presidents dining at the same dining table. They both enjoyed Caesar Salad and lamb chops, with a king crab stuffed with spumoni for dessert! Crapser asked Murphy why he didn't order a drink. Murphy exclaimed "I can only drink Red Bull." Crapser nodded with recognition.

Markell Murphy continues his stride! Both he, Alex Crapser and Logan Sheets finished top-half of the field in every race so far. At Kansas, the pistons will rattle like paint cans, leaving the fans to wonder whether all three can finish the 400-mile excursion and continue their streak. Last year's Cinderella winner William Perry will start in the tenth position, hoping to rebound from his disastrous accident at Chicagoland just one year ago. Mudhole Motorsports teammate Scott Jackson replaced him in the #70 for the remainder of the campaign. He's the only driver to race in every Kansas event since the Speedways' inception in 2002. With 79 career wins, perhaps the 2026 Pizza Hut 400 will be his final glory.

Friday, May 8th, 6:00 ET

John Battista finally prevails! His 55-race winless streak came to an end last week at Talladega; seeing the victory lane confetti for the first time since Richmond in September of 2024. Wendy's released a new deal in honor of the occasion: Five Baconator combo meals for just $39.39 in honor of John Battista! May the arteries be with you.

Reigning two-time Extravaganza Series Champion Johnny Reed Foley survived a devastating accident on lap 89 of Friday's DieHard 500. He was immediately taken to the Baptist Health Citizens Hospital trauma center, swollen and bruised from the abdomen up, and down! The liquid inside the oil gauge burned his face after the firewall flew off. His collarbone and ribs were fragmented. His lungs are filled with smoke after breathing ignition fumes. His steering wheel was shaped like a pretzel. Needless to say, he will be out for the Pizza Hut 400. CFM Motorsports decided to put Doug Spark in the AC-Delco Championship ride for the foreseeable future. "Let's see how the boy does." says flagship driver Timothy McDonnell. Bonanza Series driver Larry Lack will replace Spark in the Overspeed Rennsport Caterpillar Volkswagen, re-numbered to #06 in honor of his favorite driver growing up, Bill Werkheiser.

It took a few seconds, but Johnny Reed Foley remembers them vividly. He recalled every harrowing second of Friday's Lap-89 accident at Talladega Superspeedway. He was never knocked out. His radio transmitter flew through an infield camper, fearing the worst from crew chief Ronnie Pressley. He heard everything Pressley said, detecting the concern rising in Pressley's voice. He was hiding his pain well, not limping or hobbling, but clearly in dismay. He was walking somewhat stiffly, getting up to leave his hospital bed news conference to buy a Choco Taco from the local vending machine. He groaned from the pain. "It's been so long since the last bad one, you forget how morbid it feels.'' Foley said. "It's painful. I've had some tough hours since yesterday. I'm sorer this morning than I was after the flips.''

Foley described the crash in chilling detail:

"When the car turned abruptly upside-down, I knew it was going to flip,'' Foley said. "When the roof hit asphalt for the first time I knew I was in trouble. I saw a red flash. It looked like the #46, and then there was smoke. Another car flipped on top of mine at the same time. It was probably Matt (Raboin). I closed my eyes after that. When I woke up, the car stopped and smoke was running under the dash. Wires were burning! The dashboard was knocked upwards, and my legs were parallel to the front sway bar. Part of the valve cover flew onto my lap, with ignition coils glittered across the cockpit. The glycerin inside one of the dashboard gauges had squirted onto my chin, burning it profusely. Needless to say, it was a bad accident."
 

An amazing year for Markell Murphy! His Daytona 500 and Eddie Money Classic victories keep him atop the standings by 90 points, eating his curds and whey at Bristol with his sixth top-6 finish in only nine events. The #47 Team Danger Zone Red Bull Mustang finished in the top-half of the field in 14-straight events, hoping to capitalize on a third Superspeedway win in their last four tries. Alex Crapser and Logan Sheets also hope to extend their top-half streaks, needing to cross the finish line to have a chance. Can they fly past the big one? Or will the race mimic our caution free Daytona 500, forcing drivers to stay in touch with the lead group for 500 miles.

Race Results

Points Standings

Race Recap

Pole-sitter Ryan Heuser leads the first lap! Teammate Dave Miller steals it away, fending off hard charges from Jimmie Stevens and Alex Crapser, leading the 45-car cavalcade through lap-8. The two Wizards of Speed entries pulverized through the field, rummaging from outside the top-15 to find their way towards the front. Chauncey Redmond Jr. drove from 17th to 1st by lap-9, with Molemar Diggs in tow from his 25th starting position. Towards the rear, Dong Sup Park and Mike Carroll struggled to keep pace, each losing the draft by the 20th circuit.

The Fenway Frank #12 takes the lead on lap-20! Tony Pizzaro, Chauncey Redmond Jr., Zach Michael and Logan Sheets escaped from the trenches, mustering a four-car breakaway as the rest of the pack scurried to catch up. After the first round of stops on lap-50, Michael, Pizzaro, Sheets, Ryan Heuser, Molemar Diggs, Zakk Miller and Johnny Reed Foley enjoyed a three-second advantage over the rest of the field. They would morph into an twelve-car promenade, lapping William Perry, Steve Inkman, Geno Sphere and Bink Lucas after their bad-luck pit stops.

Morbid luck for the leaders! Second-place man Ryan Heuser explodes on lap-63, finishing 45th while dropping from second to fifth in the standings. He would manage to lead one lap, tying Tony Pizzaro with the most races led with eight. On lap-83, leader Zach Michael blows! A rare engine failure for the #20 Coca-Cola Mustang, suffering their first malfunction since Texas in March of 2024. "We pulled too many RPM's catching the lapped traffic." said crew chief Justin Knapp. Michael would drop to eighth in points. Dalton Lucas' engine would detonate after the restart, earning his league-leading fifth DNF of 2026, already 855 points behind leader Markell Murphy after just ten events. He'd drop to 39th in the standings.

Complete devastation on lap-89! William Perry and Ziggy Moonglow clip exiting turn-2, pile-driving Kevin Corbat, Matt Raboin and Johnny Reed Foley into the outside wall. Raboin's #87 Valvoline Viper flips once, landing on top of Foley's roof. The undercarriage hooked onto Foley's driver-side roof rail, tipping both cars at 160 miles-per-hour. Foley went for the wildest ride of his career, with the #3 CFM Motorsports AC-Delco Chevrolet flipping 21 times in a nine-second span. He fragmented his collarbone and ribs in the accident, inhaling engine fumes after the firewall bent into the windshield.

Dong Sup Park slammed the infield access barrier, flying back towards the racetrack after a disastrous impact on the passenger side. He would suffer a concussion, with a bruised chest and possible cracked ribs. Matt Raboin went for 5 1/2 flips on the infield apron, but came out okay. In all, five cars failed to continue, with Kevin Corbat and William Perry suffering liquidating damage. Our two-time Champion Johnny Reed Foley may be out for a while. Dong Sup Park may suffer the same fate after his first career Extravaganza Series start.

Everyone heard the news of the accident, sending a prayer to the Gods of their choice during the red flag. Logan Sheets led the field to the restart, with 31 cars still on the lead lap. John Battista took the helm on lap-94, winning the Halfway Bacon Bonus while maintaining his strong pace! His Lucas Racing teammate Alex Crapser led a lap, followed by points leader Markell Murphy before Battista re-took the helm. The #39 Wendy's Chevrolet would remain there for the remainder of the stint.

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Qualifying Results

Lucas Racing rides heavy! Alex Crapser achieves "Stalin-like" status after his victory at Bristol, expanding his place among the Extravaganza elite. The team enters the Diehard 500 as annual favorites, dominating this racetrack like Jimmy Spencer dominates a sandwich! All four entries will start in the top-half of the field. Usual dominator Ryan Heuser earns his second pole of the year, hoping to catch Logan Sheets for the most. Quick-Silver Motorsports teammates Dave Miller and Craig Lee qualify third and fourth, commanding the time trials like Benny Parsons commands a pizza pie! Look for QSM to be the favorites. Chauncey Redmond Jr. and John Tharp won both Talladega events in 2025. Both are outside the top-29 in points, looking for their first top-6's of the year.

It's Zakk Miller bobblehead night! Get one free when you buy an ice-cold Bepis at the local concession stands. Truck-loads will be shipped on Thursday night, hoping to add revenue to the prosperous soft drink enterprise. Miller will grid 11th for the DieHard 500, hoping to improve on his current ninth-place in the standings. Teammate and points leader Markell Murphy starts 29th, with second-place man Ryan Heuser on pole. Can Ryan erase the current 90-point gap? Or will Murphy win his third Superspeedway race in his last four tries. Good luck to the 45 competitors!

Friday, May 1st, 6:00 ET

Steve Inkman performs a miracle! Before the first practice, he was baking a roast in the oven. When he opened it, the steam from the roast cauterized his face, making him look like Beelzebub! "I should have worn a welders mask" said Inkman. "I should be ready to go for qualifying." Indeed he was! The #57 Bran Flakes Dodge was first in practice, qualifying seventh for the big show. After his fifth-place at Martinsville, look for Inkman to be a perrenial contender at short tracks throughout the year.

Race Results

Points Standings

Race Recap

Hometown hero Michael Henson leads his first laps of the year! He beat pole-sitter Logan Sheets to the line on the opening lap, hoping to earn his first top-10 finish since Martinsville in November. Ken Joynt's "Skoal Bandit" took the point on lap-6, leading their first laps since Texas in 2025. He and Jeremy Hebel swapped the top-spot through lap-53. Towards the rear, Dave Miller and Rick Jackson suffered tire blisters and were forced to pit.

The lapped traffic starts to boil! Tony Pizzaro takes advantage, passing Jeremy Hebel as he struggles to clear Ben Geer. Pizzaro also failed to pass the "Twinkie-Man", handing Matt Raboin the advantage while trapping Geer and Jimmie Stevens a lap down. Steven Spears and Kevin Corbat also dropped a lap, with short track masters Johnny Reed Foley and Adam Crapser next in line. Both would fall to the leaders by lap-70.

Matt Raboin, Tony Pizzaro, Ziggy Moonglow, Jeremy Hebel and Alan Nesfeder traded the top-spot through lap-95. Ryan Heuser took the lead on lap-98, tying Pizzaro and Johnny Reed Foley for his seventh race led of the year. Nesfeder re-took the spot, lapping the field  through the 32nd position in hopes for his first top-10 finish. Pole-sitter Logan Sheets took the lead on lap-126, trying to put Dodge back in victory lane.

Tony Gunk's Cinderella victory at Gateway in June was the last win for Dodge. Logan's Intrepid was pulling away from the field, hoping for a caution-free affair en route to their first career win! It was not to be. Contact between Timothy McDonnell and William Perry sent the #70 spinning across the backstretch. Ken Joynt and Steven Spears went for a spin trying to avoid, with all cars suffering minor damage to none.

Alex Crapser beats Sheets out of the pits! He and Dakota Wilkins led the field to green on lap-150. Six laps later, Lucas Racing teammate John Battista and Nigel Ramasawmy made contact exiting turn-4; both smacking the wall while collecting Zach Michael. Both Michael and Battista slid up the turn-1 bank, with Michael Henson, Rick Jackson, Dalton Lucas and Steven Spears pile-driving into the carnage. Jackson and Lucas would fail to continue. The rest would race hindered for the remainder of the afternoon, finishing outside the top-20.

Ziggy Moonglow jumps from 12th to 1st! He and Adam Crapser stay out under the yellow; both hoping to revitalize their 2026 campaigns. They entered the Food City 500 26th and 27th in the standings. Both would lead 23 laps before the #04 Pennzoil Chevrolet re-took the helm! Alex, Adam, Ziggy and Alan Nesfeder each took turns up front before pole-sitter Logan Sheets entered the fray. He would lead from lap 229 through 267, winning the Halfway Bacon Bonus in immaculate style!

Jeremy Hebel's tires hold true! The #1 Milwaukee Brewers Chevrolet dominated the second-half of the stint, leading from laps-268 through 340. In between, contact from William Perry sent Matt Raboin flipping twice-and-a half after a hard impact with the turn-1 barrier. Trae Larkin and Ken Pettit each hit the pirouetting Valvoline Viper, with only Pettit escaping with minor damage. He would recover to finish 8th! Raboin, Perry and Larkin each failed to continue, with Raboin miraculously uninjured.

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