A picture-perfect day welcomed race fans to Texas Motor Speedway for the 2026 Andy’s Frozen Custard 340. The NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series had a tough act to follow with the thrilling race in the Truck Series last night.
The race delivered as we saw a chaotic start, some nailbiting passes, and a mad dash to the finish between two teammates hoping to secure a NOAPS win.
2026 Andy’s Frozen Custard 340 Stage One
With Justin Allgaier and Brandon Jones on the front row, it didn’t take long for chaos to kick off. The first turn of the first lap saw a caution with two separate incidents. Corey Day spun by himself while Taylor Gray spun with help from Carson Kvapil, resulting in an incident that collected multiple drivers. The flurry of cautions continued as two more wrecks occurred within the first twenty laps, eliminating Austin Green and Brad Perez.
MORE problems at Texas as @bradxperez hits the wall hard bringing out yet another caution. pic.twitter.com/q2je5zShTf
— The CW Sports (@TheCW_Sports) May 2, 2026
Finally, after the third caution, the field settled down a bit and was able to put a green flag run together through the end of the stage. Justin Allgaier appeared to have the dominant car early on, checking out to a large lead and claiming victory in the first stage.
Stage Two
Stage two opened with Justin Allgaier out front, but that wouldn’t last long as Allgaier’s JRM teammates Connor Zilisch and Kyle Larson got by him. Ultimately, it was Zilisch who claimed the lead and led the race up until a caution brought out halfway through the stage, when Austin Dillon shredded a tire and scattered debris on the backstretch.
Connor Zilisch maintained his lead after the restart, allowing the driver of the #1 to claim the victory in stage two. Zilisch was forced to hold off a hard-charging Brent Crews, who appeared to have the fastest car on the track.
Final Stage
Zilisch maintained the lead through the stage break, but it didn’t take long for Kyle Larson to catch the #1. A wild three-wide move in turns three and four saw Larson break free from Zilisch and Crews to claim the lead.
WOW! THREE-WIDE FOR THE LEAD!!!
— The CW Sports (@TheCW_Sports) May 2, 2026
KYLE LARSON GOES TO THE FRONT! pic.twitter.com/TFdqW7vnE9
Larson pulled away from the field after the electric pass, controlling the race all the way up until the green flag pit cycle began. A smooth trip to pit road saw Kyle Larson keep that lead after the cycle was completed. Larson set a blistering pace, lapping all the way up to Jesse Love in 13th. Still, Justin Allgaier managed to keep pace with Larson until Rajah Caruth spun to bring out the caution with just 22 laps remaining.
.@rajahcaruth_ goes around and we have a caution with 22 laps to go.
— The CW Sports (@TheCW_Sports) May 2, 2026
Get to The CW for the finish! pic.twitter.com/PtKIl8a7x6
On the ensuing restart, Kyle Larson jumped out to the lead once more. However, Justin Allgaier followed closely behind Larson, setting up a furious dash to the finish. As Allgaier closed on Larson, the driver of the #88 desperately attempted to hold off the #7. Ultimately, Allgaier was unable to complete the pass on Kyle Larson, as the reigning Cup Series Champion claimed the checkered flag in the Andy’s Frozen Custard 340.
