PREVIEW: Young guns set to clash with All-Stars all weekend at The Monster Mile
by Brock Beard / LASTCAR.info Editor-in-Chief
IMAGE: Spire Motorsports, @SpireMotorsport
Friday, May 15, 2026 (Green Flag 5:25 P.M. ET, FS1)
TRUCKS Race 9 of 25
Ecosave 200 at Dover
2020 Last-Place Finisher: Norm Benning
ENTRY LIST
There are 36 drivers entered for as many starting spots for today’s race, so all will qualify for the first Truck Series race at Dover in six years.
DRIVER CHANGE: #1-TRICON Garage
Bradon Jones will pull double-duty with Saturday’s O’Reilly Auto Parts Series race as he rejoins TRICON’s “all-star” #1 entry for the first time since his 4th-place showing in Texas. He takes the place of Brent Crews, who enjoyed another strong run last week in Watkins Glen, leading 19 laps from the pole before he finished in 7th. Spectracide is the listed sponsor.
DRIVER CHANGE: #2-Team Reaume
Two of the three Reaume teams have different drivers this week, starting with a returning Luke Baldwin, who finished 32nd in his most recent series start at Bristol due to a late-race crash. Making his third series start of the season, Baldwin takes the place of Jackson Lee, who finished 26th at Watkins Glen. Mohawk Northeast, Inc., a longtime Baldwin family sponsor, continues their backing.
MISSING: #4-Niece Motorsports
Al Niece’s team will not field their part-time #4 entry this week following Shane Van Gisbergen’s spirited charge to 3rd last Friday.
DRIVER CHANGE: #5-TRICON Garage
Joining his JGR teammate Brandon Jones on the TRICON squad is William Sawalich, who takes the place of 25th-place Watkins Glen finisher Adam Andretti in the #5 and carries sponsorship from Starkey. This will be Sawalich’s third series start of the year, his first since a 17th-place run in Texas.
DRVER CHANGE: #7-Spire Motorsports
The first of four Cup Series regulars in Friday’s field is Kyle Busch, who in nine series starts at Dover has won four times, including his most recent three consecutive attempts in 2011, 2013, and 2014. His pursuit of already a second series win in 2026 sees him take the place of 10th-place Watkins Glen finisher Connor Mosack.
MISSING: #20-McAnally-Hilgemann Racing
RETURNING / DRIVER SWAP: #27-Rackley-W.A.R.
TEAM UPDATE: #69-Motorsports Business Management
Both Toni Breidinger and Dystany Spurlock will race today after both missed the field last week in Watkins Glen. Spurlock remains in MBM’s #69 with which she will make her NASCAR national series debut. After she was unsuccessful in getting the McAnally team’s new fifth truck into the show last week on the road course, Breidinger will return to action today in the returning second entry from the Rackley-W.A.R. effort, the team with which she finished 18th at Texas, her only series start so far in 2026. Coach is her listed sponsor.
DRIVER CHANGE: #25-Kaulig RAM Racing
The Kaulig RAM “all-star” entry goes this week to driver-turned-broadcaster-turned-driver Clint Bowyer, marking his first start in any of NASCAR’s top three series since a 17th-place finish at Nashville on June 28, 2024. Bowyer has made just one prior Truck Series start at Dover, which came on June 1, 2007. It didn’t go well as he finished 34th, swept up in a multi-car crash on Lap 2. Bowyer looks for a better run today, when he takes the place of 6th-place Watkins Glen finisher A.J. Allmendinger.
DRIVER CHANGE: #33-Team Reaume
Back from a strong run at Sebring that came undone with mechanical woes, Frankie Muniz returns to the driver’s seat of his #33 in place of relief driver Stephen Mallozzi, who after a solid 22nd-place finish at The Glen has since completed his studies at law school.
DRIVER CHANGE: #42-Niece Motorsports
Parker Eatmon rejoins the Niece team for the first time since his series debut Easter weekend at Rockingham, where he qualified a strong 8th and ran among the leaders before he faded to 26th at the checkered flag. Eatmon’s second series start sees him take the place of Tyler Reif, who ran 14th for this team last Friday.
DRIVER CHANGE: #62-Halmar Friesen Racing
Christopher Bell is another Cup regular looking to spoil the show today, looking to follow-up his victory with this same Halmar Friesen Racing effort back at Bristol. He takes the place of “road ringer” Wesley Slimp, who finished 34th at The Glen after an excursion through the backstretch chicane ripped the splitter from his Toyota.
MISSING: #71-Spire Motorsports
Connor Zilisch will not run today’s race following his runner-up performance at The Glen in Spire’s part-time #71 entry.
DRIVER CHANGE: #76-Freedom Racing Enterprises
Following a respectable 20th by newcomer Nathan Nicholson back at Watkins Glen, Spencer Boyd retakes the controls of his FRE entry with Tohatsu as sponsor. Boyd competed in the two most recent Truck Series races at Dover, taking 22nd in 2019 and 28th in 2020, both times driving Randy Young’s #20 Chevrolet.
RETURNING: #93-Costner Motorsports
Back in action this week is ARCA part-timer Caleb Costner, who received fan support to pay for a set of tires on his #93 Chevrolet, and is still seeking others to help out on the team. Costner’s 10th and most recent series start came back in Texas where he finished a season-best 24th, the second-best run of his career so far.
CUP INVADERS: #7-Kyle Busch, #45-Ross Chastain, #62-Christopher Bell, #77-Carson Hocevar
Saturday, May 16, 2026 (Green Flag 4:07 P.M. ET, CW)
O’REILLY Race 14 of 33
BetRivers 200 at Dover
2025 Last-Place Finisher: Ross Chastain
ENTRY LIST
There are 39 drivers entered for 38 spots, so one team will fail to qualify.
DRIVER CHANGE: #0-SS-Green Light Racing
With the announcement that his Easter paint scheme may be produced in diecast by Lionel, Garrett Smithley rejoins the SS-Green Light Racing effort this week following a 19th-place showing by Alex Labbe in Watkins Glen. Smithley has made 11 previous O’Reilly Auto Parts Series starts at Dover with a best of 23rd in both 2018 and 2019.
DRIVER SWAP: #1-JR Motorsports
DRIVER CHANGE: #91-DGM Racing x JIM
Myatt Snider returns for just his third series start of the year, his first since a 19th-place finish in the most recent run for Barrett-Cope Racing back at Martinsville. This time, he drives for Mario Gosselin in the #91, which this week honors the life of Delaware State Police Trooper Ty Snook, who died in the line of duty just before Christmas last year. Snider takes the place of Carson Kvapil, 14th in Watkins Glen, who returns to the #1 in place of last Saturday’s winner Connor Zilisch, who this week focuses on Sunday’s All-Star Race.
DRIVER SWAP: #9-JR Motorsports
DRIVER CHANGE: #32-Jordan Anderson Racing
Jordan Anderson Racing employee and up-and-coming racer Andrew Patterson returns to the driver’s seat this Saturday driving Anderson’s #32, his first start since his 21st-place showing in Rockingham. Patterson takes the place of Cup regular Ross Chastain, who stands as the lone Cup regular in tomorrow’s race driving the #9 with Roto-Rooter as sponsor. Chastain takes the place of Shane Van Gisbergen, who finished 8th at The Glen after late-race fender damage on pit road.
DRIVER CHANGE: #35-Joey Gase Motorsports with Scott Osteen
WITHDREW: #74-Mike Harmon Racing
In a third-straight collaboration between Joey Gase Motorsports and Mike Harmon Racing, Dawson Cram is reported to go from spotter at Watkins Glen back to driver this Saturday in the #35 Chevrolet. After “TBA” was in the driver’s column, Cram takes the place of Matt Wilson, whose series debut was cut short by damage suffered running off-course in Turn 6, leaving him 37th. With that announcement, it appears Harmon’s team has technically withdrawn once again for not fielding the car as their #74.
RETURNING: #38-RSS Racing
Also listed as “TBA” was the returning third part-time effort at RSS Racing, which Patrick Emerling will run later this summer in Pocono. For this week, Logan Bearden takes the wheel, marking his second series start of the year and first since his drive for Youngs Motorsports’ #42 at Bristol, where illness forced him to climb out and hand the wheel to Brad Perez, the duo receiving a 33rd-place finish.
DRIVER CHANGE: #42-Young’s Motorsports
Speaking of the #42, C.J. McLaughlin will run this week, marking his 50th series start and first of the season. His last O’Reilly Auto Parts Series race came last summer at Atlanta, where he qualified a strong 8th before a crash left him 28th in Mario Gosselin’s #91 Chevrolet. Taking the place of Will Rodgers, who ran 20th at Watkins Glen, McLaughlin carries sponsorship from Howell Engineering.
MISSING: #50-Pardus Racing
Preston Pardus and his family’s team are not among this week’s entrants following a 21st-place finish last Saturday at The Glen.
DRIVER CHANGE: #53-Joey Gase Motorsports with Scott Osteen
Tomorrow will mark David Starr’s 15th career O’Reilly start at Dover, a track where he first raced in 2015 and most recently ran two years ago, taking 26th for SS-Green Light Racing. This time, he rejoins Joey Gase’s team in the #53 piloted last week by Derek White, who took 32nd. Starr, who this season made his most recent start at Texas, taking 29th, runs a vibrant new paint scheme. Joining returning backer Alarm Tech are the Reading Fighting Phils, a minor league baseball team from Pennsylvania.
DRIVER CHANGE: #55-Joey Gase Motorsports
Completing the Gase trifecta is a returning Blake Lothian, who returns for the first time since his 31st-place showing in Kansas. Lothian also raced at the other concrete track in Bristol earlier this year, avoiding a first-lap crash to finish in 34th. This week, Lothian takes the place of Glen Reen, who put in a 30th-place finish at The Glen.
DRIVER CHANGE: #92-DGM Racing x JIM
One week after sponsor issues put Josh Williams out for Alex Guenette, B.J. McLeod drives the car with his own returning backing from the Pigeon Forge Racing Coaster. This marks McLeod’s first O’Reilly start since July 20, 2024, when he steered Carl Long’s #13 entry to a 28th-place lead lap finish at Indianapolis.
CUP INVADERS: #9-Ross Chastain
Sunday, May 17, 2026 (Green Flag 1:05 P.M. ET, FS1)
CUP Exhibition Race
NASCAR All-Star Race at Dover
2025 Last-Place Finisher (North Wilkesboro): Daniel Suarez
ENTRY LIST
With a new venue and format, there will be no running of the All-Star Open for the first time since the 1985 inaugural. Entered are all 36 Chartered teams, of which the following 19 are already locked into the final 200-lap segment: #1-Ross Chastain, #2-Austin Cindric, #3-Austin Dillon, #5-Kyle Larson, #6-Brad Keselowski, #8-Kyle Busch, #9-Chase Elliott, #11-Denny Hamlin, #12-Ryan Blaney, #19-Chase Briscoe, #20-Christopher Bell, #21-Josh Berry, #22-Joey Logano, #23-Bubba Wallace, #24-Willliam Byron, #45-Tyler Reddick, #54-Ty Gibbs, #77-Carson Hocevar, #97-Shane Van Gisbergen.
MISSING: #66-Garage 66
MISSING: #78-Live Fast Motorsports
None of this year’s “open” teams are entered, including the pair that made the race last Sunday in Watkins Glen. Josh Bilicki took 34th in the #66 while Katherine Legge recovering from a spin in Turn 5 to take 34th in the Live Fast #78. Legge returns next Sunday for a bid at the Indy / Charlotte Double, as announced late Wednesday night.
TODAY IN LASTCAR HISTORY (May 15, 1982): Billy Myers picked up the 1st last-place finish of his NASCAR Budweiser Late Model Sportsman Series career when his #05 Wheelers Grocery Chevrolet broke a head after 5 laps of the Sportsman 200 at Dover. This was the second of Myers’ 15 career starts in the present-day O’Reilly Auto Parts Series.
