The Freeway Insurance 500 on October 18, 2026 went to Tyler Reddick of 23XI Racing, who took two tires on the final caution and pulled away to beat Ryan Blaney by 0.801 seconds at Phoenix Raceway in Avondale, Arizona.
How it was won
Blaney started from the pole, and Joey Logano swept both stages and led 84 laps. Christopher Bell led a race-high 85. With 30 laps to go, points leader Kyle Larson hit the wall in Turns 1 and 2 after a tire went down, which brought out the caution and ended his day in 34th. Chase Briscoe, Chase Elliott and Ty Gibbs stayed out. Reddick, Logano and Blaney took two tires. Reddick gained four spots on the restart, passed Briscoe for the lead with 18 laps left and was never headed. Chase driver Denny Hamlin had a flat right-rear tire and a pit-road speeding penalty and finished 28th, a lap down. The race had six cautions for 43 laps and 21 lead changes among 10 drivers. It ran 312 laps in 3 hours, 1 minute and 23 seconds at an average of 103.207 mph. Post-race inspection found no issues, so the win is official.
Freeway Insurance 500 results snapshot
| Pos | Driver | Car | Time / gap |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Tyler Reddick | #45 Toyota | 312 laps |
| 2 | Ryan Blaney | #12 Ford | +0.801s |
| 3 | Chase Elliott | #9 Chevrolet | +2.924s |
| 4 | Christopher Bell | #20 Toyota | +3.707s |
| 5 | Corey Heim | #67 Toyota | +4.193s |
| 6 | Joey Logano | #22 Ford | +5.076s |
| 7 | Daniel Suárez | #7 Chevrolet | +5.549s |
| 8 | Chase Briscoe | #19 Toyota | +7.083s |
| 9 | Ross Chastain | #1 Chevrolet | +7.151s |
| 10 | Ty Gibbs | #54 Toyota | +7.258s |
Purse
Jayski’s race page lists the 2026 Freeway Insurance 500 purse at $11,233,037, against $12,394,135 in 2025.
History & significance
It was Reddick’s 14th Cup Series win, in his 251st start, and his first at Phoenix in 14 races there. It was also his series-leading sixth win of 2026, but his first since the ninth race of the season at Kansas Speedway. Earlier this year Reddick became the first driver in Cup history to win the first three races of a season, starting with the Daytona 500. Phoenix was race 7 of 10 in the Chase presented by Mobil 1. After the race, Larson leads Bell by five points, and Reddick is seventh, 56 points back. 23XI Racing part-timer Corey Heim finished fifth in the No. 67 Toyota.
What’s next
The Chase continues with the YellaWood 500 at Talladega Superspeedway on Sunday, October 25, 2026, race 8 of 10 (Jayski race page).