Hammet Snatches All-Star Glory: Late-Race Charge Conquers Indy Fuel Gamblers

Indianapolis, IN — Chris Hammet executed a flawless late-race charge on fresh tires to track down the fuel-saving leaders on the penultimate lap, capturing the 2026 Red Light Racing All-Star Main Event at the historic Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Hammet pocketed the $50 top prize by overpowering a depleted field in an 80-lap showcase that pushed drivers to their strategic and technical limits.

The 21-car grid of season winners and elite standouts took the green flag with Maxime Theriault and Kenny Allen locking out the front row. However, the fabled yard of bricks instantly turned into a nightmare. A massive multi-car pileup erupted in Turn 2 on the opening lap when Devin Visnaw washed up into the outside wall, triggering a chain-reaction wreck that swept up Mark Poe, Scott Negus, Jeff Aho, Glenn Jamieson, Tony Strano, and Josh Buckley.

The race was defined by a mandatory half-fuel load limit of roughly nine gallons, transforming the event into a high-frequency pit stop chess match. Compounding the pressure was the debut of the Dallara IR18 hybrid system, forcing drivers to manually juggle boost and energy regeneration. The high-stress task caused absolute chaos on pit road; James Skelton, Zack Mitchell, and Ryan Oldani all suffered costly setbacks—ranging from speeding penalties to nose damage—as the hybrid regeneration altered their braking entry.

Unforced errors heavily thinned out the heavy hitters as the race wore on. Front-runner Kenny Allen saw his victory hopes evaporate after smacking the inside wall during a pit entry attempt. By the halfway mark, Mitchell, Hammet, and Bill Benedict traded the lead, but attrition refused to slow down. Skelton and Chris Worrell both retired after wall contact, leaving a mere five cars on the lead lap by lap 57. Hammet flexed his muscles in clean air, building a commanding five-second lead over the survivors.

The final stint split the field into two distinct strategic camps. Sean Single and Jerry Isaacs—who mounted a spectacular 16-spot charge from the back—decided to skip a final pit stop and nurse their cars to the finish line. Single resorted to extreme conservation tactics, pulling in the clutch and running half-throttle down the long straightaways. Hammet, meanwhile, chose to surrender the lead on lap 72 to pit for a full splash of fuel and fresh rubber.

The gamble paid off beautifully for Hammet. Armed with maximum grip, he launched a ferocious charge over the final four laps, slicing chunks of time out of the coasting leaders. On the penultimate lap, Hammet flew past Isaacs and Single to reclaim the top spot, cruising across the bricks to seal the All-Star crown. Single successfully coasted across the stripe on empty to secure a shocking second place, while Ethan Troutman slipped past a slowing Isaacs in the final yards to steal the final step on the podium. Despite being 20 laps down from the lap-one melee, Scott Negus persevered to claim a 10th-place finish.