Samwise NASCAR Cup Series Newsletter
Sunday, May 3, 2026
Spire locks out front row at Texas; Hocevar wins back-to-back Texas poles
Spire Motorsports made NASCAR Cup Series history Saturday at Texas Motor Speedway, locking out the front row for the first time in the team’s existence as Carson Hocevar claimed the Busch Light Pole for Sunday’s Würth 400. Hocevar set a blistering lap of 191.340 mph, edging teammate Daniel Suárez by a razor-thin 0.003 seconds. The pole is Hocevar’s second consecutive at Texas — he won the same award a year ago — and comes one week after the 23-year-old Michigan native earned his first career Cup Series win at Talladega Superspeedway. Chris Buescher, Denny Hamlin, and Chase Briscoe completed the top five starters on the grid.
Sources: NASCAR.com, RACER, Motorsport.com
Spire Motorsports notches first-ever Cup front-row lockout with Hocevar-Suárez 1-2
The front-row lockout by Spire Motorsports at Texas Motor Speedway on Saturday represents a significant milestone for one of NASCAR’s expanding multi-car programs. Carson Hocevar and Daniel Suárez occupied the top two grid positions simultaneously for the first time in the team’s Cup Series history. Suárez recorded a lap of 191.320 mph to claim the outside front row, his third top-10 start of 2026 and his sixth in 14 career Texas appearances. The result builds on momentum from Hocevar’s Talladega triumph and gives Spire its strongest pre-race starting position at a 1.5-mile oval, where both drivers have shown improving pace in 2026.
Sources: Motorsport.com, Jayski
Reddick arrives at Texas with 110-point lead as playoff bubble tightens
Tyler Reddick arrives at Texas Motor Speedway on Sunday with a 110-point advantage over second-place Denny Hamlin in the NASCAR Cup Series championship standings after winning five of the season’s first ten races. Reddick and his Joe Gibbs Racing and 23XI Racing Toyota teammates have dominated intermediate tracks in 2026, with Reddick winning at Kansas Speedway two weeks ago. Hamlin, Bell, and Gibbs have kept Toyota’s grip on the standings through the season’s first quarter. At the playoff cutline, Austin Cindric holds the final top-16 transfer spot just four points ahead of Chase Briscoe, with Ross Chastain a further 17 points back.
Sources: NASCAR.com, Motorsport.com
What to watch in Sunday’s Würth 400 at Texas Motor Speedway
Sunday’s Würth 400 at Texas Motor Speedway features 267 laps on one of NASCAR’s most asymmetric ovals, where a flat and wide Turns 1-2 contrasts against a tighter, higher-banked Turns 3-4 and a double-dogleg front straightaway. The race airs on FS1 at 3:30 p.m. ET. Championship leader Tyler Reddick leads active drivers in average finishing position at Texas with an 11.0 mark across seven starts. Kyle Larson, who nearly won at Kansas in overtime before finishing second behind Reddick, is expected to challenge with Hendrick Motorsports. Stages break at laps 80, 165, and 267, with fuel strategy expected to influence the outcome.
Sources: NASCAR.com
Byron paces Texas Cup practice at 189 mph; Heim impresses on partial schedule
William Byron topped the opening Cup Series practice session at Texas Motor Speedway on Saturday, piloting the No. 24 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet to the fastest single-lap speed of 189.294 mph. Byron was also quickest in the consecutive 10-lap average category, suggesting strong long-run pace ahead of Sunday’s Würth 400. Michael McDowell posted the second-fastest single-lap at 188.508 mph in his No. 71 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet, while development driver Corey Heim ran third-fastest on his partial Cup schedule with 23XI Racing. Championship leader Tyler Reddick qualified eighth and carries a 110-point advantage over second-place Denny Hamlin into Sunday’s race.
Sources: RACER, NASCAR.com
Bubba Wallace crashes in practice; 23XI unloads backup car for Würth 400
Bubba Wallace’s Texas Motor Speedway weekend took a difficult turn Saturday when the No. 23 23XI Racing Toyota snapped around in Turns 1 and 2 during Cup Series practice, sending Wallace into the outside wall and damaging the rear and left-front. The incident occurred 21 laps into the first practice group, forcing 23XI Racing to unload their backup car for Sunday’s race. Because Wallace did not participate in qualifying, he will start from the rear with no preferred pit stall. Austin Dillon also missed qualifying after losing an engine in the same session, placing both drivers at the back of the Sunday starting grid.
Sources: NASCAR.com, Motorsport.com
Austin Dillon loses engine in Texas practice, will start from the rear Sunday
Richard Childress Racing’s Austin Dillon suffered a costly practice setback Saturday at Texas Motor Speedway when his No. 3 Chevrolet lost its engine after just three laps in the opening Cup Series session. Dillon immediately pulled to the garage as RCR confirmed a full engine change would be required. The unscheduled swap meant Dillon did not participate in qualifying, and he will start Sunday’s Würth 400 from the rear of the field alongside Bubba Wallace, who also missed qualifying after crashing in practice. Dillon sits outside the top 16 in the championship standings and can ill afford points-losing incidents with the playoff cutoff approaching.
Sources: Motorsport.com, RACER
Corey Heim runs third-fastest in Texas Cup practice on 12-race 23XI schedule
Development driver Corey Heim impressed in Saturday’s Cup Series practice at Texas Motor Speedway, posting the third-fastest single-lap time in the No. 67 23XI Racing Toyota. Heim is running a 12-race partial Cup schedule with 23XI Racing in 2026, with Texas among his intermediate-track appearances alongside both Daytona races, Charlotte’s two events, Nashville, San Diego, Chicagoland, Indianapolis, fall Darlington, and Homestead. The reigning Craftsman Truck Series champion has shown speed throughout his limited Cup appearances this year. Bootie Barker serves as crew chief on the No. 67 program. Heim starts Sunday from his qualifying position after impressing against full-time championship contenders.
Sources: NASCAR.com, Motorsport.com
Cup Series Standings (Top 16)
1. Tyler Reddick — 484 pts
2. Denny Hamlin — 374 pts
3. Ryan Blaney — 344 pts
4. Chase Elliott — 340 pts
5. Ty Gibbs — 322 pts
6. Kyle Larson — 315 pts
7. Chris Buescher — 309 pts
8. Carson Hocevar — 292 pts
9. Christopher Bell — 290 pts
10. Brad Keselowski — 279 pts
11. William Byron — 277 pts
12. Bubba Wallace — 276 pts
13. Ryan Preece — 269 pts
14. Daniel Suárez — 235 pts
15. Joey Logano — 234 pts
16. Austin Cindric — 226 pts
Manufacturer Standings
1. Toyota — 478 pts
2. Chevrolet — 385 pts
3. Ford — 349 pts
Curated by JD · samwise.agency
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