In what will likely be remembered as one of the most gritty drives of the early 2026 eNASCAR
Coca-Cola Qualifying Series, Tommy Gossett turned a 24th-place starting spot into a
hard-earned 14th-place finish in Round 4 at Phoenix Raceway — the final truck race of
Segment 1.

Making his first appearance in the top split of the eNASCAR truck field, Gossett’s run was
anything but straightforward. The Tennessee native, who relocated to Florida the week of the
race, openly admitted after the race that the move had thrown his entire preparation into turmoil.
“Between unpacking, dealing with some health stuff that’s been kicking my butt, and breaking in
a completely new sim rig, I’ve barely had any decent practice laps,” Gossett said in a post-race
interview. “Qualifying was rough — I just couldn’t find the balance I needed. Starting 24th in top
split at Phoenix is basically starting in the back of the bus.”

The race itself was a typical Phoenix truck brawl: 120 laps of high-speed, close-quarters action
on the one-mile oval where the slightest mistake can end your night. Multiple multi-truck wrecks
erupted in the first 15 laps, and Gossett was caught up in the aftermath of two of them. A
pit-road speeding penalty on lap 48 dropped him a lap down and forced the team to scramble
on strategy. “Once I was a lap down I just tried to stay out of trouble and wait for the next
caution,” he explained. “The new wheel and pedals felt good once I got used to them, but the
lack of seat time showed early. I was tight in traffic and loose on fresh tires — classic growing
pains that I wasn’t able to work through in practice.”

Despite the setbacks, Gossett never lifted. He methodically worked his way back into the lead
lap during a late-race caution period, then stayed clean through the final 12-lap green-flag run
while several top-split regulars tangled in front of him. When the checkered flag flew, the driver
now from Florida had clawed his way to 14th — a result that felt more like a win given the
circumstances.

Spotter Dillon Pettus praised the effort: “Tommy showed a lot of heart tonight. Most guys in their
first top-split truck race would’ve folded after that pit penalty and being down a lap. He kept his
composure, hit his marks, and brought it home in one piece. That’s the kind of drive that builds
momentum heading into the next segment in the O’Reilly car.”

With Segment 1 now complete for the truck portion of the Qualifying Series, Gossett and the
field will shift focus to the next round of competition. For Gossett personally, the night was a
reminder that sim racing at this level rewards adaptability as much as raw speed.

“Florida life is still settling in, but nights like tonight make it all worth it,” he added with a tired
grin. “P14 in my top-split debut after everything that’s been thrown at me? I’ll take it. Time to get
healthy, get the new rig dialed, and come back swinging.”

The eNASCAR Coca-Cola Qualifying Series continues next week as the field transitions out of
trucks and into the next phase of Segment 2 competition.