The location turned heads, but who caught our eye in the Anduril 250? (Photo Credit: James Gilbert | Getty Images)

Anduril 250

For the first time, NASCAR took to a naval base for a race weekend. Given the course layout, it was not shocking to see Shane van Gisbergen take the pole for the Anduril 250.

Stage 1

SVG held the lead, but Carson Hocevar fought him in the opening laps. On Lap 4, Ryan Blaney attempted to claim the lead, but SVG continued his dominance through the lap. Suddenly, Blaney pounced and found himself the leader.

Lap 6 saw Jimmie Johnson nail the inside wall and go for a spin. Meanwhile, Blaney had a three-second lead on the field that was growing by the mile.

Green flag pit stops started on Lap 10, and behind Blaney, Bubba Wallace was closing the gap. One lap later, Blaney hit pit road, and in another lap, SVG reclaimed the lead.

Immediately, the caution waved when Ricky Stenhouse, Jr. slowed on track. At this time, Christopher Bell came to the pits and hopped out of his car. From there, Brent Crews jumped in to take over for the remainder of the race.

The race resumed with SVG and Chris Buescher out front, but Blaney once again shot out front.

(Photo Credit: Team Penske | X)

With two to go, the caution waved as a tire from the No. 23 went rolling through the course. The stage came to a close with Blaney taking the win.

Stage 2

Ryan Preece and Connor Zilisch restarted the action with the young rookie surging ahead. Within eight laps, Zilisch had a nearly five-second lead on the field. He held this lead until the caution waved as the Bell/Crews No. 20 went up in smoke. Zilisch and Austin Hill brought the field to green with nine to go in the stage.

In a wild turn of events, the field stacked at the start, and chaos ensued.

This incident red-flagged the race for wall repairs and truly set up a situation where it was anyone’s game.

Riley Herbst and Kyle Larson restarted out front, but out of nowhere, Zane Smith claimed the lead. Ultimately, Herbst reclaimed the lead, but Preece was in prime position when the green-white-checkered waved.

Stage 3

A mixed bag of strategy started the final stage, and Preece and Buescher were the leaders. They battled for the lead, and the No. 17 came out the winner. He was leading when the caution waved on Lap 44 for debris. The same two restarted out front on Lap 46, with the No. 17 jumping ahead.

Blaney took the lead on Lap 48 while Brad Keselowski took to the pits with a flat tire. Larson stole the lead from the No. 12 while green flag pit stops began.

As drivers took 17 to go, Larson headed to the pits, giving the lead to Hocevar. One lap later, Stenhouse crashed, leaking oil on the track. This brought out the caution, right as Hocevar took to the pits.

Strategies varied throughout the field, and saw Hocevar and Buescher out front with 12 to go. Nearly every turn over the lap featured a different leader. Then, when Hocevar spun out, Reddick and Corey Heim set sail. The two drivers had less than a second between them, but had put seven seconds on the field.

With three to go, Heim passed Reddick and immediately put a second on the NASCAR Cup Series points leader. Things then went from bad to worse for Reddick as he slammed the wall.

The lead grew, and Corey Heim scored his first series win!

(Photo Credit: NASCAR Insights | X)

Rich MARvelous Move of the Race

The Rich MARvelous Move of the Race is voted on by the Pit Pass Network staff following the NASCAR Cup Series race.

On Lap 24, SVG tapped Buescher and sent the No. 17 spinning. Buescher did a complete 360-degree spin and somehow managed two incredible feats.

First, the field stayed green. This took a lot of heads up, situational awareness from drivers and spotters. So, kudos to the field!

But more impressively, Buescher maintained his P6 position and even gained a spot in the chaos!

He continued to run his race, and then, at the last caution, he drove from 16th to P8 in four laps.

When the checkered flag waved, he scored P6, a 10-position improvement from his qualifying position.

(Photo Credit: RFK Racing | X)

Chime in with the move that will have you talking all week!

As always, we want to extend a huge thank you to Rich Mar Florist for their continued sponsorship of the Rich MARvelous Move of the Race into the 2026 NASCAR Cup Series season.

Make sure to give them a follow across social media (Facebook, Instagram, X) to stay up-to-date with all the Team Rich Mar NASCAR happenings! And check out their website for all your floral needs, no matter where you are located!