Phoenix Troubles For Larson Tighten The Chase for the NASCAR Championship

Phoenix Raceway, Avondale, AZ — October 18, 2026

Just four races remain in The Chase; NASCAR’s postseason fight for the Championship visits Phoenix Raceway today for the Freeway Insurance 500. Yes, that’s right. After hosting the playoffs’ final race the last six years, that honor goes to Homestead-Miami Speedway under the new Chase format for 2026. After today’s race, Talladega and Martinsville will precede the final.

All eyes are on Kyle Larson and Chase Briscoe. Kyle Larson’s 6th place finish at Charlotte extended his points lead to 49 over Denny Hamlin, the largest lead during the Chase. Larson’s average finish of 2.83 in the Chase is the best over the first six races of any postseason since the Chase was
introduced in 2004, and the best over any six-race period in a postseason since 2004 ( Jimmie Johnson – 2.0). Denny Hamlin remained 2nd in points but is 49 points back, his biggest gap since Michigan in June.  Two drivers gained points on Kyle Larson at Charlotte, with Chase Briscoe gaining the most (19, from -84 to -65). With his back-to-back race wins, Chase Briscoe has gained 58 points on points leader Kyle Larson over the last two races.

Today’s Race

How much movement will we see today? Bad news for the leader. Good news for the chasers. Kyle Larson qualified 22nd. The Ford Mustangs of Ryan Blaney and Joey Logano start on the front row. The 312 laps around the one-mile asphalt race track is equal to 502.12 kilometers. Thus, the magic 500 in the Freeway Insurance 500. Stages are set for 60/125/127 laps.

Stage One

Ryan Blaney(12) dropped low in the dogleg after taking the green flag and drove off with his teammate Joey Logano(22) falling into line behind him. Chase Briscoe(19), Christopher Bell(20), and Josh Berry(21) followed, with Denny Hamlin(11) dropping back to sixth. Blaney inched away from the pack, building a two-second advantage on Logano just 25 laps in.

Halfway through the 60-lap first Stage, Larson had only advanced five positions from his 22nd starting spot. Blaney began lapping cars at that point.

With 17 laps to go to the Stage end, Riley Herbst(35) and Michael McDowell(71) played bumper tag down the backstretch. Tempers were flaring as they had gone door to door with contact two laps earlier. Herbst hit McDowell hard enough to spin the #71 car into turn three. Herbst continued; McDowell was forced to take his car behind the wall.

Pit stops were an opportunity for drivers to prep for the sprint to the green and white checkered flag. Hamlin, William Byron(24), Chase Elliott(9), and Larson all took just two new tires. Blaney’s crew had trouble with the jack on the left side not being fully extended. The extra time it took to get the car high enough for the tires to be removed cost him nine spots. Logano had a flawless stop, taking four new Goodyear tires, and came out just ahead of Larson in the running order.

The race restarted with 10 laps to go in the Stage. Larson’s car fell off immediately; Elliott could not stay at the front of the pack. Logano, with fresh rubber all around, pulled up next to Byron and Hamlin to go three-wide with nine laps to go. At the flag, Logano took the 10 bonus points for the Stage win. Blaney recovered for fourth; Larson failed to stay in the top ten.

Results of Stage One

Stage Two

Logano won the race off pit road. Followed by Bell, Briscoe, and Brad Keselowski(6). Zane Smith(38) was penalized for leaving his pit stall with the Sunoco fuel can still attached to the car.

When the green flag waved the pack fanned out four wide, everyone fighting for as many positions as possible while the cars were bunched together.

Bell drove to the front with Blaney and Logano reasserting themselves at the front of the field. Briscoe and Berry ran fourth and fifth as racing settled down into a green flag run to the next cycle of pit stops. Larson was mired back in the 23rd position with an ill handling race car.

Blaney’s car began to go away 55 laps into the run. The running order was jumbled with Logano moving to second behind Bell. Josh Berry moved into the third spot. Multiple drivers complained of getting loose and tire concerns as the field was trying to get to the halfway point of the 125 lap Stage.

Green flag pit stops began on lap 62. Bell pitted from the lead on lap 63. Pit road was a busy place as drivers quickly followed suit. Keselowski spun at the entrance of pit road as he entered for his stop, but the race stayed under the green flag as Brad recovered. Logano drove four laps longer than Bell.

When all the leaders’ stops were completed, Bell was back out front with a six-second interval over Logano. Larson went a lap down in the process.

With 29 laps to go, Austin Dillon(3) blew his right rear tire and slammed into the outside wall on the front stretch, bringing out the caution. At the same time. his brother, Ty Dillon, had a right front tire go down. Fortunately for Ty, slowing for the caution prevented his car from crashing.

The caution allowed the leaders to pit for new tires and prepare for the run to the end of the Stage. It also allowed Kyle Larson to stay on the track, take the wave around, and return to the lead lap. Logano and Bell were the first two cars off pit road and led the field back to the restart. Briscoe jumped ahead of his teammate Bell as the cars raced off into the dogleg. Berry and Blaney completed the top five.

As the laps wound down to less than ten to go, Berry began to put pressure on Bell. Bubba Wallace(23) made his first appearance at the front, getting around Blaney for the fifth position. Logano gained another 10 Stage points, completing the sweep of the Stages.

Results of Stage Two

The Final Stage

Logano held the lead off of pit road. Briscoe, Wallace, Berry, and Hamlin are the remainder of the top five. Larson back in 25th is going to give up a lot of points today. However, he is likely to retain the points lead, provided Bell or Hamlin do not get the win.

With 91 laps to go, Denny Hamlin had a right rear tire go flat and had to pit going a lap down. Two laps later, Cody Ware(51) also had trouble with the right rear. He spun and brought out the caution. That could have been a break for Hamlin. However, he was penalized for being too fast entering pit road and will have to restart at the rear of the field.

Pit stops jumbled the running order. Wallace had a great stop and was first off pit road. Briscoe and Bell are right there in second and third, with Tyler Reddick(45) filling out the second row. Logano restarts sixth, and Larson is back in 21st. Denny Hamlin was the big loser in that sequence; he is 31st and one lap down.

Logano complained of an electrical problem with his car and was told to turn off non-critical fans and power draws in an effort to nurse the car to the finish.

Clean air is a huge factor on the one-mile track, and Wallace is taking advantage, building a 1.5-second interval over Briscoe at the front.

With 50 laps to go, tire wear will again become a concern as one more pit stop is likely to be necessary. Will it come under green or will a caution intervene?

Logano pitted with 46 laps to go. That stop opened the floodgates, and all the leaders followed in the next few laps, except Briscoe and Bell, who chose to run long. They both pitted with 40 laps to go.

Wallace, Reddick, Blaney, Logano, and Briscoe hold the first five spots with a new name in the mix in sixth; Carson Hocevar(77).

Ty Dillon and John Hunter Nemechek(42) had tire troubles with 35 laps to go. Both were able to make it to pit road without wrecking, and the race stayed under the green flag.

Then The Chase took a wild turn. Kyle Larson had a right front tire go down, and he drove up into the outside wall. The damage retired the #5 car to the garage.

Briscoe, Reddick, and Gibbs stayed on the track while the rest of the leaders pitted for two fresh tires. Behind them are Reddick, Logano, Blaney, Bell, Todd Gilliland(34), Corey Heim(67), Ryan Preece, and Hocevar, who will all choose between the top or bottom rows behind them. Bubba Wallace was caught speeding on pit road and restarts at the rear of the field, essentially out of contention for the win.

The field comes to the restart with 19 laps to go. Hamlin remains a lap down in 29th.

Briscoe pulls out as they go four wide for second. Reddick prevails out of that group and passes for the lead. Blaney pulls up into third ahead of Elliott and Heim. Somehow the scramble behind the leaders does not result in a caution as cars three and four wide bounce off of each other.

With 10 laps to go, Blaney is in second, 1.25 seconds behind Reddick.

With 5 laps to go, the lead is down to a second. But Blaney is running out of laps.

Reddick pulls himself back into contention for the title with his first win in six months and Larson’s misfortune.

Hamlin finished 28th but gained points on Larson, who wound up 34th.

Results of the Freeway Insurance 500 from Phoenix Raceway

 NASCAR Cup Series Standings of The Chase

Larson’s points lead all but disappeared. Six drivers are within one race’s worth of points from the top spot. Drivers from eight on down are for all practical purposes eliminated. Ryan Blaney (-40), Joey Logano (-44), and Tyler Reddick (-56) will need help from drivers in front of them in the form of a bad race or two.

Denny Hamlin (-31) and Chase Briscoe (-24) could make it a three- or four-way race with a full points-day race win. Christopher Bell (-5) is there; stage points and a top five finish could put him in the lead.

In addition, the biggest wild card of the postseason, TALLADEGA, is next Sunday. The Lasco Press will be live at the track to bring readers all the exciting action.