Corey Hardison continued his breakout 2026 campaign Sunday at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, scoring a massive 276 Race Points to win the Pennzoil 400 and capture his second victory of the season in Race #797. The No. 90 Bull’s Eye BBQ Sauce Ford dominated the intermediate track lineup battle, pulling away from the field to secure the full 65 league points and Ford’s third manufacturer win of the season.
After finally earning his first career win just two races ago at Circuit of the Americas, Hardison has quickly turned that breakthrough into momentum. The Las Vegas victory gives him two wins in the last three races and launches him to the championship lead after five races, establishing the No. 90 team as the early benchmark of the season.
Top Five – Pennzoil 400 (Race 797)
Corey Hardison – 276 Race Points (Ford)
Malachi Hammerle – 273 (Chevrolet)
Steve Ruth – 271 (Ford)
Dawn Keller – 271 (Ford)
Zach Kruep – 271 (Ford)
Just five Race Points separated the entire top five, with four drivers clustered at 271 points behind Hardison’s dominant total. Hammerle’s runner-up finish marks his strongest performance of the season, while Ruth, Keller, and Kruep all delivered their best runs of 2026.
Biggest Mover
Malachi Hammerle (+16) Hammerle’s second-place finish produced the largest climb of the week, vaulting him into the Chase cut line and dramatically strengthening his early playoff positioning.
Biggest Loser
Rodney Webb (-14) A difficult Vegas outing dropped Webb significantly in the standings, pushing him outside the top 25 and representing the largest fall of the week.
Championship Picture After Five Races
Hardison’s victory moves him to 186 points and the championship lead, giving him an eight-point advantage over Daytona 500 winner Rob Kuczmarski (178).
Former points leader Ron Blackman now sits third with 177 points after finishing 27th in Las Vegas, while Phoenix winner Bryan Birmingham (167) holds fourth. Stephen DiCaprio (155) and Kirk Hunter (155) round out the top six as the early title contenders begin to separate from the pack.
Meanwhile, the Chase cut line is already razor thin. Scott Schmitt currently holds the 16th and final playoff position with 127 points, just one point ahead of Kevin Sullivan. Several drivers sit within striking distance as the season begins to tighten around the cutoff.
Five races into the 2026 season, the championship narrative is shifting from parity to momentum — and right now, no one has more of it than Corey Hardison.
Next Up
The series now heads to Darlington Raceway for the historic Goodyear 400, one of the most demanding tracks on the schedule. Known as “The Track Too Tough to Tame,” Darlington’s abrasive surface and narrow racing groove often reward patience and experience.
With Hardison riding momentum and the Chase cut line tightening behind him, the egg-shaped oval could produce another shake-up in the championship standings.
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