Race Recap ATC Cup Series
Phoenix Raceway
Thu, Sep 3, 2026Round 10
Shoemaker Charges Through Field at Phoenix Raceway: From P15 to Victory Lane
Race at a Glance
Field Size
22
Laps
90
Avg Lap Time
31.955
Cautions
4
Caution Laps
12
Lead Changes
3
Clean Runners
13
Lead Lap Finishers
15
Margin
+0.979s
Winner Spotlight
Bryce Shoemaker
P1 Finish
Bryce Shoemaker delivered the signature performance of the ATC Cup Series season at Phoenix Raceway on Wednesday night, wheeling the #25 machine from 15th on the grid to victory lane in Round 10 of the campaign. Shoemaker, who had not previously won in the series, made his move count when it mattered most, logging 22 laps led across the 90-lap distance and crossing the stripe with a hard-charger award to match his win — a gain of 14 positions on the night. Four cautions for 12 laps shuffled the running order throughout the evening, and with three lead changes recorded, the race offered Shoemaker the circumstances he needed to emerge at the front of a 22-car field.
Pole-sitter Eldon Stewart in the #1 machine had the pace to contend for the win, leading 15 laps and posting a clean, zero-incident race, but had to settle for second place — a one-position drop from where he started. Stewart, who carries one series win this season, was chased to the line by #90 Kaiden Robitaille, who matched his second-place grid spot with a third-place finish and did so without incident. The biggest story in the finishing order beyond Shoemaker's charge was the collapse of #54 Mitchell Williams, who started from third, led a race-high 53 laps, and ultimately fell to 13th at the checkered flag — a brutal ten-position slide from his starting spot.
Shoemaker's win is one headline, but the championship picture at the top of the ATC Cup Series table is defined by a three-driver battle among drivers who were not in victory lane. Gio Turpin holds the points lead with 299, just four ahead of Mitchell Williams at 295, with Ian Blanchard a further six back at 289. Williams's painful night at Phoenix — all those laps led converting into a 13th-place finish — handed Turpin a cushion that didn't exist before Wednesday's race, and with Blanchard lurking only ten points off the lead, every remaining round of the schedule carries significant weight for all three contenders.
Rounding out the notable performances, #20 Nate Lesko advanced seven spots from 16th to ninth, and #55 Adam Rawls made the second-largest gain of the field, climbing nine positions from 21st to 12th. At the other end of the ledger, #56 Chad Garcia dropped nine positions from 13th to 22nd and collected zero championship points for his effort — a costly result for any driver with standings ambitions. For Shoemaker, the night was defined by patience, clean racing, and the kind of late-race execution that earns 40 points and a trip to victory lane.
Top Movers
Bryce Shoemaker25
▲ +14Adam Rawls55
▲ +9Nate Lesko20
▲ +7Finishing Order
| Finish | Start | +/- | Car # | Driver | Inc | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 15 | +14 | 25 | Bryce Shoemaker | 0x | 40 |
| 2 | 1 | -1 | 1 | Eldon Stewart | 0x | 35 |
| 3 | 2 | -1 | 90 | Kaiden Robitaille | 0x | 34 |
| 4 | 7 | +3 | 51 | Zackery King | 0x | 33 |
| 5 | 4 | -1 | 95 | Jason Nieto | 0x | 32 |
| 6 | 6 | 0 | 84 | Gio Turpin | 4x | 31 |
| 7 | 5 | -2 | 79 | Jordan Traas | 0x | 30 |
| 8 | 9 | +1 | 74 | Ian Blanchard | 0x | 29 |
| 9 | 16 | +7 | 20 | Nate Lesko | 4x | 28 |
| 10 | 8 | -2 | 2 | Mikal Jones | 0x | 27 |
| 11 | 14 | +3 | 29 | Judson Curtis | 2x | 26 |
| 12 | 21 | +9 | 55 | Adam Rawls | 4x | 25 |
| 13 | 3 | -10 | 54 | Mitchell Williams | 2x | 24 |
| 14 | 20 | +6 | 65 | Larry Millard | 4x | 23 |
| 15 | 10 | -5 | 4 | Keith Shoemaker | 0x | 22 |
| 16 | 11 | -5 | 27 | Justin Frazier | 4x | 21 |
| 17 | 22 | +5 | 11 | Sean Timothy | 0x | 20 |
| 18 | 12 | -6 | 15 | Dayton Wheeler | 4x | 19 |
| 19 | 18 | -1 | 49 | Zachary S Mullen | 0x | 18 |
| 20 | 19 | -1 | 52 | Randy Coryer | 0x | 17 |
| 21 | 17 | -4 | 5 | Garrett Stone | 2x | 16 |
| 22 | 13 | -9 | 56 | Chad Garcia | 0x | — |
