Former season ending track Phoenix took center stage last weekend, as the 2026 season rolls on. Typically a track that sees action in both the beginning and end of the season played host to what many consider the first official “normal” race on an oval of the season.
With the trucks on their first off weekend of 2026, the NOAP and Cup Series teams were in the spotlight Saturday and Sunday, while the ARCA Menards Series and ARCA Menards Series West held a combination event Thursday night.
GENRAL TIRE 150
Race Winner: Carson Brown
#28 Carson Brown
The young driver made quite an impression in Phoenix, in what was his first official ARCA Menards Series race. Tasked with taking over the reigns of the #28 Pinnacle Racing Group Chevrolet from 2025 champion Brenden Queen, Brown made his own quick impression in the event, earning the pole, leading 157 of 157 laps, and winning in his ARCA debut.
Brown, who is a development driver within the Richard Childress Racing fold, will be driving select ARCA Menards Series events throughout the 2026 campaign.
#16 Hailie Deegan
Hailie Deegan has returned to the stock car scene in 2026, and her return home to Bill McAnally Racing this season has already started off well. Officially running under the ARCA Menards Series West banner with BMR this season, took over the seat of the flagship #16 Chevrolet. While Deegan did struggle somewhat in qualifying (19th), she ran a solid race, narrowly avoiding a wreck involving most of her peers in the field, and brought her blue Chevrolet home in 11th.
Deegan will be contesting for the 2026 ARCA Menards Series West title in 2026, running the full schedule in BMR’s #16 entry. Deegan has three career West Series wins to her credit, all coming with the McAnally team at Meridian (2018), and wins on the Las Vegas Motor Speedway Bull Ring and in Colorado in 2019.
Photo Credit: bmrnaparacing.com
GOVX 200
Race Winner: Justin Allgaier
#32 Rajah Caruth
One of the biggest and best surprises of the 2026 O’Reilly season is Rajah Caruth. Caruth moved up to the NOAP Series this season after spending the last few seasons in the Truck Series. An instant surprise at Daytona immediately, Caruth will be splitting time between Jordan Anderson’s #32 Chevrolet and JR Motorsports’ #88 Chevrolet for a full schedule.
Caruth’s strong rookie campaign continued in Phoenix, driving JAR’s #32 entry to an 8th-place finish, after starting 25th. With the exception of a 31st-place run in COTA, Caruth has scored three top ten finishes in four races thus far…while splitting time in the 88 and 32. Another interesting note, Anderson’s #32 entry also has finished in the top ten in all four races run as well. The 32 team was a part-time team in 2025.
Photo Credit: Jayski and Jordan Anderson Racing
#51 Jeremy Clements
2026 looks to be a huge year for owner-driver Jeremy Clements and his crew. Over the off-season, Jeremy Clements Racing formed an alliance with Haas Factory Team following their switch back to Chevrolet. Typically supporting themselves, the JCR team looked much improved in Phoenix, as Clements drove his #51 Chevrolet to an 11th-place finish after starting 21st. Clements also spent much of the race running towards the front before fading to 11th late.
Clements has 534 starts in NASCAR’s junior division dating back to 2003. While it is still early, 2026 with the Haas Factory Team alliance looks to possibly Clements best season since 2022 when he finished 12th in the standings. Clements also has three career NOAP wins, coming in 2017 and 2022.
STRAIGHT TALK WIRELESS 500
Race Winner: Ryan Blaney
#71 Michael McDowell
McDowell’s upward swing in 2026 with his #71 Spire Motorsports crew continued in Phoenix. With this season starting to take shape as a career year for McDowell and Spire, McDowell brought his Chevrolet home in 9th after starting 16th.
Through four races in 2026, McDowell sports finishes of 22nd (Daytona), 20th (Atlanta), 5th (COTA), and 9th in Phoenix. This is also by far McDowell’s best start to a season in 19 seasons, as he already sits 8th in the standings.
#43 Erik Jones
The biggest surprise in the Cup Series came in the form of Erik Jones in Phoenix. While Jones and his Legacy Motor Club team’s struggles have been well documented, Phoenix welcomed a view of what could be a much improved #43 team in 2026. Qualifying 32nd, Jones methodically picked his way through a chaotic Cup field and put his Dollar Tree-backed Toyota in 10th to race’s end.
Jones and Legacy Motor Club made several aggressive changes during the off-season, and those changes appear to be propelling the team upwards in 2026, as teammate John Hunter Nemechek has also shown flashes of speed this season through four races. For Jones and his #43 team, Phoenix was his first top ten run since a 3rd-place finish at Darlington late 2025.
Photo Credit: Jayski and Legacy Motor Club