Sports
Kyle Busch outduels field for record 9th NASCAR Truck Series win
Feb 13, 2026; Daytona Beach, Florida, USA; NASCAR Cup Series driver Kyle Busch (8) during practice for the Daytona 500 at Daytona International Speedway. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images HAMPTON, Ga. — Kyle Busch took his third consecutive and record ninth win of his career in the Fr8 208 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series race at EchoPark Speedway on Saturday afternoon, capping a dramatic push to the checkered flag to collect his record 68th series victory.
In the closing laps, Busch, 40, exchanged the lead with series veteran Stewart Friesen in a flashback from the 2025 race on the 1.5-mile Atlanta high banks when Friesen finished runner-up to him.
Ultimately, Busch’s No. 7 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet was again able to get the best of the duel, benefiting from a timely push from his teammate Carson Hocevar to reclaim the lead for good in the final seven laps.
The race went to an “adverse conditions” rule and ended on a pre-determined deadline only 10 laps short of the original 135-lap scheduled distance.
Busch ultimately held off the field by .114-second — several trucks trying unsuccessfully to line up and make a final lap run to the trophy in the closing laps. Hocevar was runner-up in the No. 77 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet followed by TRICON Garage’s Giovanni Ruggiero, ThorSport Racing’s Ben Rhodes and 2025 series champion Corey Heim in the running order.
A frustrated Heim, who drove the No. 1 TRICON Garage Toyota Tundra and won Stage 1, said post-race that he didn’t know the race had been officially shortened.
“It got dicey there at the end,” a grinning Busch said after giving his trademark bow to the crowd at the finish line. “Certainly, a great race and it got exciting there at the end.
“Had a great teammate (Hocevar) behind me and have to give credit where credit is due. Early on was a little worried he wasn’t helping but there at the end he was right there. … definitely made it a whole lot easier.”
It was actually Rhodes, a two-time series champion, that set the pace for most of the race — hoping to celebrate his 29th birthday by claiming his first trophy in more than a year. He led a race high 70 laps but ran out of gas mid-race, forcing him to rally from a two-lap deficit at one point. Rhodes got back on the lead lap, however, and was challenging Busch in the final laps. He just never able to get around the veteran and stay there.
In the final stage, Friesen, who won Stage 2, made a dramatic push forward, putting his No. 52 Friesen-Halmar Racing Chevrolet nose-to-nose with Busch’s Chevy Silverado lap-after-lap in the closing portion of the race. But again, Busch was able to prevail with the help of Hocevar’s push from behind.
Last week’s Daytona winner, Chandler Smith, finished sixth, followed by Saturday’s polesitter Jake Garcia and a pair of NASCAR Cup Series regulars in John Hunter Nemechek and Ricky Stenhouse Jr. Justin Haley rounded out the top-10 driving the No. 16 Kaulig Racing RAM in the manufacturer’s 2026 return to the series.
There were five leaders on the afternoon and 14 lead changes.
And even after all the victories at the track, Busch said he genuinely had to work for it this week, noting that with all the success comes a certain target on your back — less willingness for others to pull out of line and run with him.
“If there was a confidence meter on me (at) the start of the race, it was at a 100, but then as we got through the second stage of the race it was dipping, it was a 40 just because it seemed like everybody had talked, and no one was helping Kyle today,” said the two-time NASCAR Cup Series champion Busch, whose last win in a major NASCAR series was his truck victory at Texas last April.
“Every time I pulled out of lane and looked for two or three to go with me in order to get to the front, not one of them ever came to my rear bumper to push,” he said.
“Just seemed like at the beginning and middle of the race, I was having a tough time being able to make the moves I remember making last year by myself. Today it was harder to do that.”
The Front Row Motorsports driver Smith’s top-10 finish was enough to keep him atop the early championship standings, 28 points ahead of TRICON Garage driver Gio Ruggiero.
The NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series makes its debut at the downtown St Petersburg Road Course in the OnlyBulls Green Flag 150 at St. Petersburg next Saturday (noon E.T., FOX, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio). It will be the first street race in the history of the series.
NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series Race — Fr8 Racing 208
Atlanta Motor Speedway
Hampton, Georgia
Saturday, February 21, 2026
1. (3) Kyle Busch(i), Chevrolet, 125.
2. (18) Carson Hocevar(i), Chevrolet, 125.
3. (10) Giovanni Ruggiero, Toyota, 125.
4. (2) Ben Rhodes, Ford, 125.
5. (20) Corey Heim, Toyota, 125.
6. (22) Chandler Smith, Ford, 125.
7. (1) Jake Garcia, Ford, 125.
8. (12) John Hunter Nemechek(i), Toyota, 125.
9. (5) Ricky Stenhouse Jr(i), Chevrolet, 125.
10. (25) Justin Haley, RAM, 125.
11. (26) Ty Dillon(i), RAM, 125.
12. (8) Adam Andretti, Toyota, 125.
13. (30) Daniel Dye, RAM, 125.
14. (4) Tyler Ankrum, Chevrolet, 125.
15. (9) Andres Perez De Lara, Chevrolet, 125.
16. (28) Brenden Queen #, RAM, 125.
17. (27) Tyler Reif, Chevrolet, 125.
18. (21) Kris Wright, Chevrolet, 125.
19. (29) Mini Tyrrell #, RAM, 124.
20. (16) Stewart Friesen, Toyota, 124.
21. (11) Kaden Honeycutt, Toyota, 123.
22. (14) Grant Enfinger, Chevrolet, 123.
23. (33) Clayton Green, Ford, 123.
24. (31) Josh Reaume, Ford, 123.
25. (32) Frankie Muniz, Ford, 123.
26. (24) Spencer Boyd, Chevrolet, 120.
27. (19) Layne Riggs, Ford, 119.
28. (7) Ty Majeski, Ford, 119.
29. (34) Tyler Tomassi, Ford, 119.
30. (17) Tanner Gray, Toyota, 116.
31. (6) Cole Butcher #, Ford, Accident, 100.
32. (23) Dawson Sutton, Chevrolet, Accident, 100.
33. (36) Caleb Costner, Chevrolet, Handling, 99.
34. (13) Daniel Hemric, Chevrolet, Suspension, 88.
35. (35) Justin Carroll, Toyota, Rear Gear, 65.
36. (15) Christian Eckes, Chevrolet, Transmission, 2.
Average Speed of Race Winner: 131.027 mph.
Time of Race: 1 Hrs, 28 Mins, 9 Secs. Margin of Victory: 0.114 Seconds.
Caution Flags: 3 for 18 laps.
Lead Changes: 14 among 5 drivers.
Lap Leaders: B. Rhodes 1-35;K. Busch(i) 36;B. Rhodes 37;C. Heim 38;K. Busch(i) 39;C. Heim 40-44;B. Rhodes 45-78;S. Friesen 79-86;J. Garcia 87;S. Friesen 88;J. Garcia 89;K. Busch(i) 90-117;S. Friesen 118;K. Busch(i) 119-125.
Leaders Summary (Driver, Times Lead, Laps Led): Ben Rhodes 3 times for 70 laps; Kyle Busch(i) 4 times for 37 laps; Stewart Friesen 3 times for 10 laps; Corey Heim 2 times for 6 laps; Jake Garcia 2 times for 2 laps.
Stage #1 Top Ten: 1,99,7,77,88,52,44,11,19,17
Stage #2 Top Ten: 52,45,77,38,7,17,98,44,1,34
–By Holly Cain, NASCAR Wire Service. Special to Field Level Media.
Sports
Cam Smith drives in 2 in 10th, Astros edge Red Sox
May 3, 2026; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Houston Astros right fielder Cam Smith (11) hits a two run RBI against the Boston Red Sox during the tenth inning at Fenway Park. Mandatory Credit: Eric Canha-Imagn Images Cam Smith had three hits, including a two-run single in the top of the 10th inning, to help the visiting Houston Astros earn a 3-1 victory over the Boston Red Sox on Sunday.
Smith’s two-out single came against Zack Kelly (0-2) and drove in Braden Shewmake and Jose Altuve.
Boston had the bases loaded with one out in the bottom of the 10th, but Bryan Abreu got Ceddanne Rafaela to ground into a double play to end the game.
Jarren Duran hit a solo home run for the Red Sox, who stranded 13 runners and were 0-for-11 with runners in scoring position. Duran’s home run was his third of the season and his second of the series. He hit a three-run homer in Boston’s 3-1 victory Friday night.
Abreu (1-2) pitched two scoreless innings to get the win. He gave up one hit, walked one and struck out one.
Willson Contreras collected three of Boston’s nine hits in the loss.
Christian Walker and Christian Vazquez each had two-hit games for the Astros, who won two games in the three-game set.
Boston starting pitcher Ranger Suarez was pulled after four scoreless innings because of hamstring tightness. He gave up three hits, walked one and struck out three. Suarez threw 70 pitches.
Duran’s home run off Houston reliever AJ Blubaugh opened the scoring in the fifth. Houston tied the game in the sixth, when Walker reached on an infield single, took third on Altuve’s double and scored on a sacrifice fly by Brice Matthews.
The Red Sox had a chance to win the game in the bottom of the ninth. An error on Abreu allowed Contreras to reach second with two outs in the inning, but Roman Anthony grounded out to first to end the inning.
Houston had the bases loaded with no outs in the 10th, but Altuve grounded into a 6-2-5 double play. Following a walk to Matthews, Smith delivered his two-run single.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Michael Busch drives in 4 as Cubs win, sweep D-backs
May 3, 2026; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Chicago Cubs designated hitter Moises Ballesteros (25) celebrates his two-run home run with second baseman Nico Hoerner (2) against the Arizona Diamondbacks during the third inning at Wrigley Field. Mandatory Credit: Patrick Gorski-Imagn Images Michael Busch drove in four runs to lead the host Chicago Cubs to an 8-4 win over the Arizona Diamondbacks Sunday.
Busch doubled and scored a run in the second and broke the game open for good with a three-run triple in the fifth as Chicago finished the three-game sweep with its 11th straight win at home.
Matthew Boyd (2-1) picked the win. The southpaw gave up four hits and two earned runs over six innings, walking one and fanning five in 94 pitches. The quality start was the Cubs’ seventh in their last 10 home games.
Chicago tied a season high with six extra-base hits. Busch, Nico Hoerner, Moises Ballesteros, Seiya Suzuki and Carson Kelly all contributed a pair of hits.
The Cubs extended a 3-2 lead with a three-run fifth.
Ballesteros led off with a walk and Alex Bregman reached on a fielder’s choice when Nolan Arenado’s throw was too late to get Ballesteros at second.
Ian Happ loaded the bases with a walk and Busch tripled into the right-field corner to clear the bases and give Chicago a 6-2 lead.
The triple chased Diamondbacks starter Merrill Kelly (1-3). The veteran right-hander went 4 1/3 innings, giving up eight hits and six earned runs. He struck out five and walked three in 92 pitches.
The Diamondbacks opened the scoring in the second when Arenado doubled with one out and Gabe Moreno hit his first home run of the season deep to left field for a 2-0 lead.
The Cubs cut the lead in half in the bottom of the inning when Kelly singled in Busch with two outs.
Chicago took the lead for good in the third when Hoerner singled to deep short and Ballesteros smashed an opposite-field home run to left-center for a 3-2 advantage.
The Cubs scored a pair of insurance runs in the seventh when Happ led off with a walk and Suzuki doubled into the left-field corner.
Busch drove in his fourth run of the game with a deep sacrifice fly to right to make it 7-2 Cubs and Kelly singled in Suzuki to give Chicago an 8-2 lead.
D-backs pinch-hitter Adrian Del Castillo hit a two-run homer with two outs in the ninth to finalize the scoring. Lourdes Gurriel Jr. went 2-for-3 with a run for the visitors.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Padres' Walker Buehler looks for better results vs. Giants
Apr 28, 2026; San Diego, California, USA; San Diego Padres starting pitcher Walker Buehler (10) throws a pitch during the first inning against the Chicago Cubs at Petco Park. Mandatory Credit: David Frerker-Imagn Images A pair of two-time All-Stars accustomed to big-time winning will look to wipe out losing records when Walker Buehler and the San Diego Padres continue a brief three-game road trip against Logan Webb and the San Francisco Giants on Tuesday.
The Giants snapped a six-game losing streak in Monday’s series opener, riding Trevor McDonald’s pitching to a 3-2 victory. It was San Francisco’s third win in four meetings with San Diego this season.
Buehler (1-2, 5.40 ERA) will take the mound in San Francisco for the 10th time in his career. The right-hander has gone 6-2 with a 3.65 ERA at Oracle Park and 7-3 with a 3.00 ERA overall in 15 appearances (13 starts) against the Giants in his career.
In his first season with the Padres, Buehler has struggled in his past two starts, lasting a total of 7 1/3 innings in a pair of 8-3 losses to the Colorado Rockies and Chicago Cubs.
“Just not good enough,” Buehler told reporters after his most recent outing a week ago against the Cubs. “Got to get deeper and get more efficient. We’ve kind of established that the stuff has improved, and I’m in a lot better spot. But I haven’t quite had that one that it all kind of clicks together in terms of the execution.”
Buehler will be facing a Giants team that has totaled just 12 runs in its last seven games.
San Francisco went homerless while going winless on a six-game trip to Philadelphia and Tampa Bay last week, a drought Casey Schmitt ended in the first inning of Monday’s win.
The Giants have won their past three home games. The long flight home from Florida and a change of scenery was just what the doctor ordered, Schmitt said.
“The big thing was to flush that road trip. Obviously it didn’t go any way we wanted it to go,” Schmitt said. “It’s a new series, a new day.”
No doubt, Webb (2-3, 4.30) also would be perfectly happy to turn the page after having nothing to show for a pair of hard-luck efforts in his past two outings. The right-hander allowed just four runs over 14 innings to the Los Angeles Dodgers and Phillies in those starts, games the Giants lost 3-0 and 3-2.
Webb would like nothing better than to get the level of support he received when he pitched in a 9-3 win at San Diego in the first week of the season. It improved his career record against the Padres to 5-5 with a 3.23 ERA in 18 games, including 17 starts.
Schmitt got the loudest of San Francisco’s six hits in the series opener on Monday and Luis Arraez chipped in with a pair of doubles and scored twice. The biggest news of the night offensively, however, was the two-RBI performance of Rafael Devers, who hadn’t had a multiple-RBI game since April 8.
Playing first base, Devers responded on a day when the Giants promoted one of their top prospects, Bryce Eldridge, who is seen as the future of the first base position in San Francisco.
Eldridge was used as the DH in his big-league season debut Monday, going 0-for-2 with a walk and a strikeout.
The 21-year-old, who got 37 plate appearances last season, has never faced Buehler.
–Field Level Media
