Samwise NASCAR Cup Series Newsletter
Sunday, May 17, 2026
Hamlin wins All-Star Race pole at Dover despite spinning on warmup lap
Denny Hamlin claimed pole position for Sunday’s NASCAR All-Star Race at Dover Motor Speedway despite spinning his No. 11 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota on the warmup lap Saturday. Hamlin recovered and posted a 1:49.298-second combined qualifying time, beating Brad Keselowski’s No. 6 RFK Racing Ford by 0.144 seconds. The qualifying format required each driver to complete three consecutive laps including a four-tire pit stop at the end of lap two, combining on-track speed with pit crew performance into a single continuous run. Keselowski will share the front row with Hamlin, followed by Erik Jones, Ross Chastain and William Byron in third through fifth positions.
Sources: Motorsport.com, NASCAR.com
Qualifying chaos: Spins, crashes and penalties scramble All-Star Race starting grid
Saturday’s All-Star Race qualifying session at Dover delivered a cascade of incidents that reshuffled the starting grid. Connor Zilisch spun into pit road and narrowly missed the sand barrels, drawing a 10-second penalty. John Hunter Nemechek had to abort his run after leaving pit road with an unsecured left-front wheel. Ricky Stenhouse Jr. spun wildly exiting Turn 4 but kept his car off the wall. Most dramatically, Daniel Suarez’s right-front wheel detached after his qualifying run and sent his No. 7 Trackhouse Chevrolet hard into the Turn 1 wall. Chase Elliott, Ryan Blaney and Chris Buescher all suffered pit road mistakes, drawing penalties that hurt their starting positions.
Sources: Motorsport.com
No. 38 Front Row Motorsports crew wins $100,000 Pit Crew Challenge with 12.612-second stop
The No. 38 Front Row Motorsports team earned the $100,000 Pit Crew Challenge prize at Dover Motor Speedway on Saturday with a 12.612-second four-tire stop during All-Star qualifying. The team, which services Zane Smith’s Ford in the Cup Series, narrowly outperformed the No. 97 Trackhouse Racing crew of Shane van Gisbergen, who recorded a 12.841-second stop. The Pit Crew Challenge was incorporated directly into Saturday’s unique All-Star Race qualifying format, where each team completed a pit stop on the second of three qualifying laps. The fastest pit stop took home the prize alongside the bragging rights that come with winning against NASCAR’s elite crews.
Sources: Motorsport.com, NASCAR.com
New 350-lap All-Star Race format debuts at Dover with three segments and elimination twist
The 2026 NASCAR All-Star Race at Dover Motor Speedway features a revised 350-lap format split into three segments: two 75-lap sprints followed by a 200-lap finale. All 36 entered cars start Segments 1 and 2, but only 26 advance to the finale. The locked-in drivers include all 2025 and 2026 race winners, past Cup Series champions competing full-time, and a Fan Vote winner. Remaining spots go to drivers with the best combined average finishes across the first two segments. After Segment 1, the field is fully inverted, sending the segment winner to the back. Dover hosts the All-Star Race for the first time, replacing North Wilkesboro.
Sources: NASCAR.com
NASCAR stars question whether All-Star Race has lost its identity at Dover
Several Cup Series drivers voiced concern Saturday that the 2026 All-Star Race at Dover no longer feels like a special exhibition event. Chase Elliott said the weekend felt like a routine points race, comparing it to a fall Dover weekend. Bubba Wallace echoed that assessment, saying the All-Star Race has lost the atmosphere it carried during its Speed Street era at Charlotte. Denny Hamlin questioned whether fielding a full 36-car grid for the first two segments diminishes the exclusivity the race once carried. Brad Keselowski offered a counterpoint, arguing the current playoff points format actually makes the race more relevant than it was during the Chase era.
Sources: Motorsport.com
NASCAR’s planned All-Star Race splitter test scrapped due to manufacturing defects
NASCAR planned to use the All-Star Race at Dover as a testing ground for a new front-splitter design on the NextGen car, but the experiment was shelved due to manufacturing defects. Denny Hamlin revealed Saturday that the manufacturer failed quality control standards, making it impossible to ensure every team received identical parts. NASCAR opted to abandon the test rather than field equipment that varied between cars. The planned splitter was intended to improve the car’s ability to follow closely and pass on ovals. Hamlin and Brad Keselowski both expressed support for future all-star events being used to test developmental packages before committing them to the full championship schedule.
Sources: Motorsport.com
Keselowski pushes for NASCAR to restore practice sessions; says most team owners oppose it
Brad Keselowski emerged as the lone Cup Series team owner publicly pushing for a return to extended practice sessions at NASCAR events following Friday’s rare 90-minute practice at Dover. Keselowski said limited track time harms young drivers developing their craft and disadvantages teams still building their programs. He acknowledged that a majority of team owners oppose expanded practice, citing the added costs of extra tires and lodging across a 36-race season. Keselowski suggested NASCAR may need to mandate practice regardless of owner preferences. Ty Gibbs, who ran 86 laps during Friday’s session, said the additional time was enjoyable but added that 25 minutes remains sufficient for his preparation needs.
Sources: Motorsport.com
Corey Day passes Allgaier late to win BetRivers 200 at Dover in debut start
Twenty-year-old Corey Day ran down veteran Justin Allgaier in the final four laps Saturday to win the BetRivers 200 NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series race at Dover Motor Speedway, scoring his second career series victory in his first Monster Mile start. Day drove the No. 17 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet to a 0.461-second margin over Allgaier, who led 71 of the 200 laps before the late charge. Brandon Jones won Stage 1 and Ross Chastain took Stage 2. Sam Mayer finished third, with William Sawalich and Austin Hill rounding out the top five. The race featured nine caution periods and played out under short-run strategy that kept the field bunched throughout.
Sources: NASCAR.com
Cup Series Standings (Top 16)
1. Tyler Reddick — 567 pts
2. Denny Hamlin — 438 pts
3. Chase Elliott — 422 pts
4. Ryan Blaney — 405 pts
5. Chris Buescher — 375 pts
6. Ty Gibbs — 372 pts
7. Carson Hocevar — 342 pts
8. Kyle Larson — 332 pts
9. Brad Keselowski — 318 pts
10. Bubba Wallace — 313 pts
11. Christopher Bell — 311 pts
12. William Byron — 309 pts
13. Ryan Preece — 296 pts
14. Daniel Suarez — 295 pts
15. Austin Cindric — 287 pts
16. Shane van Gisbergen — 283 pts
Manufacturer Standings
1. Toyota — 547 pts
2. Chevrolet — 495 pts
3. Ford — 409 pts
Curated by JD · samwise.agency