welcome race fans to krazyaboutracing.com

we are now in our 23RD year of having the most complete motorsports coverage on the world wide web

(HOME) (LOCAL RACING)  (DRIVER BIO PAGE)  (TRACK BIO PAGE) (PREVIOUS NEWS)  (PREVIOUS RACING)   (SITE NEWS)  (MEET THE STAFF)   (HALL OF FAME)  (MONTHLY NEWSLETTER)  (THE OLD'N DAYS)  (SPECIAL EVENTS)  (MONTHLY INSTALLMENTS)  (ANNUAL AWARDS)  (CONTACT US)   (DRIVER & TEAM RELEASES) (LOCAL TRACK NEWS) (MULTIMEDIA)

 for more coverage on the series click on the series lOgo \\

   nascar cup series

NASCAR cup series

    

www.nascar.com

NASCARCelebrating its 75th Anniversary in 2023, the National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing, LLC (NASCAR) is the sanctioning body for the No. 1 form of motorsports in the United States and owner of 16 of the nation’s major motorsports entertainment facilities. NASCAR consists of three national series (NASCAR Cup Series™, NASCAR Xfinity Series™, and NASCAR Camping World Truck Series™), four regional series (ARCA Menards Series™, ARCA Menards Series East & West and the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour™), one local grassroots series (NASCAR Advance Auto Parts Weekly Series™) and three international series (NASCAR Pinty’s Series™, NASCAR Mexico Series™, NASCAR Whelen Euro Series™). The International Motor Sports Association™ (IMSA®) governs the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship™, the premier U.S. sports car series. NASCAR also owns Motor Racing Network, Racing Electronics, and ONE DAYTONA. Based in Daytona Beach, Florida, with offices in eight cities across North America, NASCAR sanctions more than 1,200 races in more than 30 U.S. states, Canada, Mexico and Europe. For more information visit www.NASCAR.com and www.IMSA.com, and follow NASCAR on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Snapchat (‘NASCAR’).

Back with a Bang: Hamlin Grabs Pole at Pocono After Welcoming Newborn Son

Jonathan Bachman/Getty Images

 

Back with a Bang: Hamlin Grabs Pole at Pocono After Welcoming Newborn Son

 

June 21, 2025

 

By Holly Cain

NASCAR Wire Service

 

Perhaps not too surprisingly, Pocono (Pa.) Raceway’s all-time winningest driver, Denny Hamlin was fastest in the field Saturday to earn pole position for Sunday’s The Great American Getaway 400 (2 p.m. ET on Amazon Prime, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).

 

Hamlin’s Joe Gibbs Racing No. 11 Toyota will take the green flag to start the NASCAR Cup Series race and historically-speaking, no one has led the field to more checkered flags; his seven wins at Pocono are most in history. And he’s finished first or second in five of the last eight races on the 2.5-mile unique three-turn track.

 

Hamlin’s lap of 172.599 mph was .083-second faster than Roush Fenway Keselowski Racing’s Chris Buescher in the No. 17 Ford. Spire Motorsports’ Carson Hocevar (Chevrolet), Legacy Motor Club’s John Hunter Nemechek (Toyota) and Haas Factory Team’s Cole Custer (Ford) rounded out the top-five in qualifying.

 

It marks a big return for the season’s three-time race winner Hamlin who is back on the grid after receiving a waiver from NASCAR, missing last weekend’s inaugural race in Mexico City to be home for the birth of his son.

 

“We typically can step up from practice," said Hamlin, who was not even among the top-10 fastest drivers in the afternoon’s practice session. “We had good adjustments so never really panicked too much

 

“And obviously because I was a little more rested than the rest of the field right there, I was able to show a little more speed," he added with a smile and nod to missing last week’s race.

 

“Every week we have a good shot to win and this team just knows what I need out of the car. The cars and tires have changed over time, but you still make speed at this track the same way. I was able to execute there in qualifying and that’s a good start for us."

 

Of note, the current NASCAR Cup Series championship leader, Hendrick Motorsports’ William Byron crashed his No. 24 Chevrolet late in the qualifying session. The team had to roll out a back-up car for Sunday’s race so Byron will start from the rear of the field.

 

Hamlin’s JGR teammates, Chase Briscoe and Ty Gibbs will start sixth and seventh and Tyler Reddick, who drives the 23XI Racing Toyota co-owned by Hamlin was eighth fastest. JRG’s Christopher Bell will line up ninth on the grid and Trackhouse Racing’s Daniel Suarez will roll off 10th. Six of the top-10 cars were Toyotas.

 

Defending race winner, Ryan Blaney was 20th quickest in the No. 12 Team Penske Ford.

 

Four drivers did not make qualifying runs, including Reddick’s 23XI Racing teammate Bubba Wallace, whose team rolled his car off the line just before his run. Wood Brothers’ Josh Berry, Rick Ware Racing’s Cody Ware and NY Racing’s Brennan Poole also did not make qualifying laps.

 

NASCAR Cup Series Qualifying - The Great American Getaway 400 Presented by VISITPA.COM

Pocono Raceway

Long Pond, Pennsylvania

Saturday, June 21, 2025

 

                1. (11) Denny Hamlin, Toyota, 172.599 mph.

                2. (17) Chris Buescher, Ford, 172.325 mph.

                3. (77) Carson Hocevar, Chevrolet, 171.825 mph.

                4. (42) John Hunter Nemechek, Toyota, 171.789 mph.

                5. (41) Cole Custer, Ford, 171.638 mph.

                6. (19) Chase Briscoe, Toyota, 171.612 mph.

                7. (54) Ty Gibbs, Toyota, 171.546 mph.

                8. (45) Tyler Reddick, Toyota, 171.429 mph.

                9. (20) Christopher Bell, Toyota, 171.347 mph.

                10. (99) Daniel Suarez, Chevrolet, 171.002 mph.

                11. (43) Erik Jones, Toyota, 170.999 mph.

                12. (22) Joey Logano, Ford, 170.866 mph.

                13. (60) Ryan Preece, Ford, 170.691 mph.

                14. (6) Brad Keselowski, Ford, 170.516 mph.

                15. (38) Zane Smith, Ford, 170.445 mph.

                16. (3) Austin Dillon, Chevrolet, 170.419 mph.

                17. (4) Noah Gragson, Ford, 170.413 mph.

                18. (9) Chase Elliott, Chevrolet, 170.390 mph.

                19. (2) Austin Cindric, Ford, 170.338 mph.

                20. (12) Ryan Blaney, Ford, 170.335 mph.

                21. (1) Ross Chastain, Chevrolet, 170.258 mph.

                22. (7) Justin Haley, Chevrolet, 170.046 mph.

                23. (88) Shane Van Gisbergen #, Chevrolet, 169.933 mph.

                24. (5) Kyle Larson, Chevrolet, 169.920 mph.

                25. (48) Alex Bowman, Chevrolet, 169.882 mph.

                26. (8) Kyle Busch, Chevrolet, 169.507 mph.

                27. (10) Ty Dillon, Chevrolet, 169.469 mph.

                28. (71) Michael McDowell, Chevrolet, 169.364 mph.

                29. (35) Riley Herbst #, Toyota, 169.303 mph.

                30. (47) Ricky Stenhouse Jr., Chevrolet, 167.720 mph.

                31. (24) William Byron, Chevrolet, 156.128 mph.

                32. (34) Todd Gilliland, Ford, 152.076 mph.

                33. (16) AJ Allmendinger, Chevrolet, 140.456 mph.

                34. (23) Bubba Wallace, Toyota, 0.000 mph.

                35. (21) Josh Berry, Ford, 0.000 mph.

                36. (51) Cody Ware, Ford, 0.000 mph.

                37. (44) Brennan Poole(i), Chevrolet, 0.000 mph.

 

 

Shane Van Gisbergen dominates first-ever race at historic Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez

Chris Graythen/Getty Images)

By HOLLY CAIN

NASCAR Wire Service

 

MEXICO CITY – An overcast ski and early afternoon drizzle could not dampen the enthusiasm or energy of the huge crowd at Mexico City’s Autodromo Hermanos Rodriquez Sunday for the first points-paying NASCAR Cup Series race outside the United States in half a century.

 

And they were not disappointed.

 

As he did at another NASCAR’s “inaugural race” – on the streets of Chicago two years ago in his series debut - New Zealander Shane Van Gisbergen, 36, prevailed again. This time, driving the No. 88 Chevrolet for Trackhouse Racing, he claimed a huge 16.567-second victory over Joe Gibbs Racing’s Christopher Bell in the Viva Mexico 250 – the largest margin of victory of the season.

 

The three-time Australian Supercars champion Van Gisbergen – in his first fulltime season at the NASCAR Cup Series level – won pole position and led 60 of the race’s 100 laps, including the final 32, easily pulling away from the field to claim his first ever berth in the NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs with the win. He extended his margin of victory by nearly a second in each of the final five laps.

 

“What a week, I’ve really enjoyed myself here, but felt like rubbish this morning,’’ said Van Gisbergen, who’s victory was only his second top-10 finish of the season.

 

“Our car was amazing,’’ he added. “The 54 [Ty Gibbs] was close but that last stint, what a pleasure, just ripping lap after lap and watching them get smaller in the mirror.’’

 

As thrilled as the crowd may have been to watch Van Gisbergen’s masterwork, there was no doubt they were there to cheer on his Trackhouse teammate, Mexico-native Daniel Suárez, who was celebrated as a hero after his win in Saturday’s NASCAR Xfinity Series race.

 

The grandstands chanted “Dan-iel Dan-iel” and held up signs of support. And Suárez was emotional standing by his car on the starting grid as a local children’s choir sang the Mexican National Anthem before the race. Ultimately, he ended up 19th – leading briefly early and finishing with a pass on the final lap.

 

On the race's cool-down lap, Suárez pulled his car alongside Van Gisbergen's parked car to offer congratulations on the big win.

 

“I feel like today, I gave my best, but it just wasn’t good enough,’’ Suárez said. “I wish I was in the mix a little more fighting up front, but it just wasn’t in the cards today. I’m happy with the performance, I don’t feel like I left anything on the table, just wasn’t meant to be.”

 

As for the event in Mexico City – something Suárez has worked so hard to promote, he was ecstatic calling the whole experience.

 

“It couldn’t have been any better,’’ a proud Suárez said. “I’ve been here since Tuesday just working, doing promotion for sponsors, for the race itself, for fans. Every single thing that we did exceeded my expectations. The fans were amazing. Yesterday you could hear them for their passions. It is an experience I for sure won’t forget for a very very long time.’’

 

In the end, it was the New Zealand national anthem played on the stadium speaker as NASCAR did a unique post-race celebration having the top-three finishing drivers – Van Gisbergen, Bell and Hendrick Motorsports’ Chase Elliott – stand on  podiums and hoist trophies.

 

The victory was particularly rewarding for Van Gisbergen, considering the amount of adversity he faced this week in Mexico. He was sick to his stomach Sunday morning and his crew showed up a day later than the other teams after some travel challenges.

 

In the end, however, Van Gisbergen had to tell his crew chief to stop telling him to “slow down” in those closing laps. “I was just trying to stay in a rhythm,’’ he said.

 

Van Gisbergen said he texted with his friend and fellow Red Bull-sponsored racer, reigning Formula One champion Max Verstappen, a five-time Mexico City F1 race winner, who gave him a few tips on the braking zones and racing lines.

 

And the Kiwi did all that, capping off the day with his unique victory celebration – punting a rugby ball into the cheering grandstand crowd that certainly got their money’s worth.

 

Not only did Van Gisbergen prevail in some tough circumstances, Bell’s work was also impressive, considering he finished runner-up after starting 31st. Elliott rolled into the top-five with about 25 laps remaining and steadily moved forward. Hendrick Motorsports’ Alex Bowman finished fourth and Spire Motorsports’ Michael McDowell was fifth.

 

John Hunter Nemechek, Chase Briscoe, Cole Custer, championship points leader William Byron and Chris Buescher rounded out the top-five.

 

Also notable on Sunday, there was a brief post-race confrontation on pit road stemming from an incident two weeks ago at Nashville between Ricky Stenhouse Jr. and Carson Hocevar.

 

The former Daytona 500 winner Stenhouse leaned into Hocevar’s car and had words with the 22-year old, ultimately telling reporters that he promised to settle the score in the near future. It was unclear what happened Sunday to precipitate the confrontation. Stenhouse finished 27th and Hocevar was 34th.

 

Championship front-runner Kyle Larson was collected in an eight-car accident only seven laps into the race and finished 36th – 38 laps down. That cost him dearly in the regular season standings and now he trails his Hendrick Motorsports teammate William Byron by 67 points with 10 races remaining to settle the Playoff field of 16.

 

The series returns stateside for next Sunday’s The Great American Getaway 400 (2 p.m. ET, Amazon Prime, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio). Ryan Blaney is the defending race winner.

 

NASCAR Cup Series Race - Viva Mexico 250

Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez

Mexico City, Mexico

Sunday, June 15, 2025

 

                1. (1)  Shane Van Gisbergen #, Chevrolet, 100.

                2. (31)  Christopher Bell, Toyota, 100.

                3. (12)  Chase Elliott, Chevrolet, 100.

                4. (29)  Alex Bowman, Chevrolet, 100.

                5. (5)  Michael McDowell, Chevrolet, 100.

                6. (32)  John Hunter Nemechek, Toyota, 100.

                7. (19)  Chase Briscoe, Toyota, 100.

                8. (26)  Cole Custer, Ford, 100.

                9. (27)  William Byron, Chevrolet, 100.

                10. (16)  Chris Buescher, Ford, 100.

                11. (4)  Ty Gibbs, Toyota, 100.

                12. (25)  Bubba Wallace, Toyota, 100.

                13. (8)  AJ Allmendinger, Chevrolet, 100.

                14. (18)  Ryan Blaney, Ford, 100.

                15. (2)  Ryan Preece, Ford, 100.

                16. (3)  Ross Chastain, Chevrolet, 100.

                17. (14)  Erik Jones, Toyota, 100.

                18. (20)  Austin Cindric, Ford, 100.

                19. (10)  Daniel Suarez, Chevrolet, 100.

                20. (22)  Tyler Reddick, Toyota, 100.

                21. (9)  Joey Logano, Ford, 100.

                22. (7)  Todd Gilliland, Ford, 100.

                23. (36)  Ryan Truex(i), Toyota, 100.

                24. (17)  Justin Haley, Chevrolet, 100.

                25. (30)  Brad Keselowski, Ford, 100.

                26. (13)  Josh Berry, Ford, 100.

                27. (33)  Ricky Stenhouse Jr., Chevrolet, 100.

                28. (21)  Austin Dillon, Chevrolet, 100.

                29. (15)  Riley Herbst #, Toyota, 100.

                30. (35)  Noah Gragson, Ford, 100.

                31. (34)  Cody Ware, Ford, 100.

                32. (37)  Katherine Legge, Chevrolet, 99.

                33. (28)  Ty Dillon, Chevrolet, 99.

                34. (23)  Carson Hocevar, Chevrolet, 99.

                35. (24)  Zane Smith, Ford, Drivetrain, 76.

                36. (6)  Kyle Larson, Chevrolet, 58.

                37. (11)  Kyle Busch, Chevrolet, Accident, 6.

 

Average Speed of Race Winner:  74.82 mph.

Time of Race:  3 Hrs, 14 Mins, 4 Secs. Margin of Victory:  16.567 Seconds.

Caution Flags:  6 for 16 laps.

Lead Changes:  14 among 8 drivers.

Lap Leaders:   S. Van Gisbergen # 1-2;C. Buescher 3;A. Cindric 4;T. Gibbs 5-9;S. Van Gisbergen # 10-18;R. Preece 19-22;M. McDowell 23-24;T. Gibbs 25-42;S. Van Gisbergen # 43-48;C. Bell 49-51;S. Van Gisbergen # 52-62;T. Gibbs 63-66;W. Byron 67;C. Bell 68;S. Van Gisbergen # 69-100.

Leaders Summary (Driver, Times Lead, Laps Led):  Shane Van Gisbergen # 5 times for 60 laps; Ty Gibbs 3 times for 27 laps; Ryan Preece 1 time for 4 laps; Christopher Bell 2 times for 4 laps; Michael McDowell 1 time for 2 laps; William Byron 1 time for 1 lap; Chris Buescher 1 time for 1 lap; Austin Cindric 1 time for 1 lap.

Stage #1 Top Ten: 60,12,1,71,34,43,77,23,9,99

Stage #2 Top Ten: 88,20,48,12,71,3,17,35,77,99

 

 

 

Road course ace Van Gisbergen captures pole for inaugural Mexico City race

 

Chris Graythen/Getty Images

By Holly Cain

NASCAR Wire Service

 

MEXICO CITY – Shane Van Gisbergen claimed his first Busch Light Pole position of the season Saturday afternoon at Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez and will lead the field to green in the inaugural Viva Mexico 250 Sunday in Mexico City (3 p.m. ET, Amazon Prime, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).

 

The scheduled 45-minute qualifying session was called off 17 minutes early due to light rain, but the 36-year old former Australian Supercar Series champion was easily the class of the field – his pole-winning lap of 93.905 mph improving notably from his speed in Saturday afternoon’s two practice sessions.

 

Smiling and referring to road courses as his “natural habitat,’’ Van Gisbergen was quite satisfied with his work in the No. 88 Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet – especially considering the unknown of a first-time race at the venue.

 

Inaugural races have been a plus on his resume. He made NASCAR history in 2023, famously winning the Chicago Street Race in his very first series start.

 

“It was a great session for us, we kind of lacked in a lot of areas yesterday [in practice] with our car getting the balance we wanted and went through a lot of challenges last night – a couple I thought were maybe too much – and started my lap and the car felt magic right from the start,’’ Van Gisbergen said.

 

The pole position and positive start of the weekend could prove especially important as Van Gisbergen is ranked 33rd in the championship standings, essentially needing a race victory to earn a position in the 16-driver NASCAR Cup Series championship field.

 

“Certainly, a win fixes our year, gets you locked in,’’ he said with a smile about the pole helping produce a victory Sunday.

 

“Win a race and it changes your year and then we can race with less pressure, and just keep learning, keep being methodical, keep getting better every week and then we can try some stuff,’’ he continued. “We’re very sort of welded in a box in the moment, just not wanting to get out of our comfort zone.’’

 

Another notable qualifying effort came from RFK Racing’s Ryan Preece who will start second, on the front row alongside Van Gisbergen. Preece was second fastest – and ran only a single lap in the session. 

 

Van Gisbergen’s Trackhouse teammate Ross Chastain was third fastest in the No. 1 Chevrolet, followed by Joe Gibbs Racing’s Ty Gibbs who earned a front row start in the NASCAR Xfinity Series race earlier in the day.

 

One of NASCAR’s most respected road course drivers, Spire Motorsports’ Michael McDowell was fifth fastest in qualifying and will start alongside the season’s three-race winner, Hendrick Motorsports’ Kyle Larson on the third row.

  

Mexico native – and huge crowd favorite - Daniel Suarez was 10th fastest in the No. 99 Trackhouse Chevrolet.

 

NASCAR Cup Series championship leader, Hendrick’s William Byron will start 27th.

 

NOTEBOOK

 

*PODIUM CELEBRATION

Hendrick Motorsports driver Kyle Larson is among the most versatile – and well-travelled – competitors in the NASCAR garage. And he had nothing but compliments for the organizers of the Mexico City race, noting it was kind of “fun” staying at the same hotel and sharing bus rides to the circuit with his competitors.

 

One of the unique features of the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez course is that the top-three drivers in the race will stand on a podium to receive trophies – similar to the traditional Formula One victory celebration.

 

Larson likes the idea and thinks maybe it’s something the sport would consider elsewhere as well.

 

“Maybe just your crown jewels events would be a good start, but I'm not sure,’’ Larson said, adding,  “Although it stinks sometimes when you're frustrated and you've got to force a smile, I think the fans appreciate seeing the top three drivers on the frontstretch, the photos and whatnot.

 

“You look at other forms of motorsports, and the post-race podium celebration -- like I look at Formula 1, you kind of celebrate the country that you're from, too, playing the national anthem. But I just think that's a nice added touch. So, yeah, I think there's ways to look at it and make it kind of feel like our own.”

 

*RESPECTING SUAREZ

Many of the drivers this weekend remarked about the huge local support shown to Trackhouse Racing’s Daniel Suarez, a Mexico native and the number leader of promoting NASCAR’s race in Mexico City.

 

Asked what he would do if it came down to him and Suarez for the victory, veteran and road racing talent, Spire Motorsports driver Michael McDowell smiled and conceded he’d already thought about that scenario.

 

“I was reminiscing about that. I was like, you do not want to spin out (Daniel) Suarez here, I can tell you that,’’ McDowell said. “You do not want to do that. That is not a part of your strategy for the weekend.

 

“But my crew chief and I were talking about it and he said, what do you mean? You're telling me last lap, last corner, you're not going to move him out of the way?  I'm like, no, I'm not. I think that when it comes to that, in the moment, things happen. If you're side-by-side and you're racing hard and you're doing all those things, our sports like that, I'm not going to give up a win. You guys know how much wins mean in this sport and getting into the playoffs and everything that comes with it.

 

“You're never going to lay over for anybody. At the same time, I'm not going to go out of my way to rough him up, that's for sure. I think that goes the same for everybody. I think that's part of the weird etiquette at road course racing.”

 

23XI Racing’s Bubba Wallace conceded the grid was definitely going to be aware of the huge crowd favorite Suarez.

 

“I’ve seen [Team Penske driver] Ryan’s (Blaney) video this morning, and if there is one rule this week – is to not wreck Suarez, and I’m like I didn’t think about that, but definitely adopting that rule too,” Wallace said smiling.

 

*CHAGES IN ALTITUDES

Mexico City sits at 7,349 feet above sea level and is surrounded by mountains on three sides – it’s a vastly different setting than what the NASCAR national series regularly experience.

 

Some drivers even used a hypoxia tent to help them acclimate easier, others arrived early to get used to the climate and altitude .

 

“When it comes to the driver and the altitude training, there's a lot of different strategies and a lot of different philosophies,’’ McDowell said. “I, by no means, feel like the scientist that has got it right, but I've been here a few times and I've experienced it a few times, so I know what works for me.

 

“It is a challenge. Honestly, it's part of the reason why I decided not to run the Xfinity race was because I felt like this is a really physically demanding weekend, getting acclimated to the altitude and road racing in general. Yes, extra laps and extra seat time would be great to be more familiar, but I felt like you're going to be at your limit on Sunday and I want to make sure that I have the best possible day of the week.”

 

 

Denny Hamlin showcases master class in fuel-saving to win at Michigan International Speedway

 Chris Graythen/Getty Images

By Holly Cain

NASCAR Wire Service 

 

Ultimately Denny Hamlin’s No. 11 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota had just enough fuel to claim the checkered flag at Michigan International Speedway and do one celebratory series of burnouts in front of the huge grandstand crowd before running out of gas on his encore celebration and needing a tow to his ultimate destination: Victory Lane.

The 44-year-old put on a master class in fuel saving and end-of-race pressure at the two-mile oval - taking his third win of the season and 57th of his career. Hamlin crossed the line 1.099-second ahead of Roush Fenway Keselowski Racing’s Chris Buescher and his JGR teammate, Ty Gibbs, after the day’s most dominant driver, Hendrick Motorsports’ William Byron had to pit for fuel on the last lap.

“No, not really,’’ Hamlin said, insisting he wasn’t overly worried about running out of fuel in the closing laps. “I wanted to get the lead and obviously he [William Byron] was doing a really good job defending.

“Sorry, but I beat your favorite driver,’’ a grinning Hamlin – in his 701st career series start - addressed the rowdy Michigan crowd.

“This whole team just stepped up,’’ he said. “Great job. We’ve been so fast this entire year, just haven’t finished it for one reason or another, so it feels good to come to Michigan where we’ve been so close the last couple of years.

“Such a gratifying day to restart 11th or 12th and charge to the front,’’ added Hamlin, who has now won multiple races in the last seven consecutive seasons.

With 20 laps remaining, Hamlin had made his way from 11th place to fifth in the running order, behind the day’s most dominant cars - Carson Hocevar in the No. 77 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet and Byron in the No. 24 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet.

Both Hocevar, a Michigan native racing for his first career NASCAR Cup Series win, and Byron were told by their crew chiefs they were going to run out of fuel before the end of the race. Instead of a fuel issue however, Hocevar, who led 32 laps, had to pit from the race lead with 19 laps remaining for a flat tire.

Byron, who led a race best 98 of the 200 laps, inherited the lead from Hocevar and then had to try to fend off Hamlin - who methodically started moving forward - racing Byron hard and forcing the championship leader out of any sort of fuel-save mode.

Hamlin got by Byron with four laps to go and Byron dove down pit road for fuel on the final lap, having to settle for a 28th place finish. Hocevar finished 29th.

“Ultimately, maybe not as good mileage as the guys farther back to start that run and that’s just the way the cautions go and the nature of being closer to the front and burning a lot of fuel,’’ Byron said. “That one, you can’t really do a lot about. It sucks. It really stings.

“But we had a really good car. I thought we executed well It seemed like we waited a little more on fuel on that last stop and just burned more, not able to do much about that. So it is what it is.’’

Bubba Wallace drove the No. 23 23XI Racing Toyota – a team Hamlin co-owns – to fourth place. Hendrick Motorsports’ Kyle Larson was fifth.

Trackhouse Racing’s Ross Chastain was sixth. Front Row Motorsports’ Zane Smith finished a season-best seventh place. Richard Childress Racing’s Kyle Busch was eighth followed by RFK teammates Ryan Preece and Brad Keselowski – marking the first time all three RFK cars finished among the top-10 this season.

There were 13 lead changes among 11 drivers and Hamlin led only five laps on the day.

A nearly 12-minute red flag period occurred early in the race while workers ensured the track was race-worthy after a four-car incident that sent the No. 48 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet, driven by Alex Bowman, hard into the wall after being clipped by Cole Custer’s spinning No. 41 Haas Factory Team Ford. Bowman spoke to reporters after being checked out at the medical center. It marked the seventh time in the last nine races, however, that the perennial championship contender Bowman has finished 25th or worse.

With 11 races remaining in the regular season, Byron holds a 41-point lead over Larson in the championship points standings. There have been nine race winners. Team Penske’s Austin Cindric currently holds the 16th and final spot in the NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs point standings.

The NASCAR Cup Series will make its first international points-paying trip next weekend with Sunday’s Viva Mexico 250 at Mexico City’s renowned Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez road course (3 p.m. ET, Amazon Prime, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio, MAX).

NASCAR Cup Series Race - FireKeepers Casino 400

Michigan International Speedway

Brooklyn, Michigan

Sunday, June 8, 2025

 

                1. (3)  Denny Hamlin, Toyota, 200.

                2. (6)  Chris Buescher, Ford, 200.

                3. (8)  Ty Gibbs, Toyota, 200.

                4. (9)  Bubba Wallace, Toyota, 200.

                5. (5)  Kyle Larson, Chevrolet, 200.

                6. (20)  Ross Chastain, Chevrolet, 200.

                7. (10)  Zane Smith, Ford, 200.

                8. (2)  Kyle Busch, Chevrolet, 200.

                9. (23)  Ryan Preece, Ford, 200.

                10. (27)  Brad Keselowski, Ford, 200.

                11. (22)  Erik Jones, Toyota, 200.

                12. (7)  Josh Berry, Ford, 200.

                13. (12)  Tyler Reddick, Toyota, 200.

                14. (35)  Daniel Suarez, Chevrolet, 200.

                15. (17)  Chase Elliott, Chevrolet, 200.

                16. (25)  Christopher Bell, Toyota, 200.

                17. (19)  AJ Allmendinger, Chevrolet, 200.

                18. (26)  Shane Van Gisbergen #, Chevrolet, 200.

                19. (28)  Austin Dillon, Chevrolet, 200.

                20. (30)  Ricky Stenhouse Jr., Chevrolet, 200.

                21. (31)  Justin Haley, Chevrolet, 200.

                22. (15)  Joey Logano, Ford, 200.

                23. (1)  Chase Briscoe, Toyota, 200.

                24. (18)  Ty Dillon, Chevrolet, 200.

                25. (34)  Riley Herbst #, Toyota, 200.

                26. (36)  Cody Ware, Ford, 200.

                27. (29)  Noah Gragson, Ford, 200.

                28. (4)  William Byron, Chevrolet, 200.

                29. (14)  Carson Hocevar, Chevrolet, 199.

                30. (32)  Michael McDowell, Chevrolet, 199.

                31. (11)  Austin Cindric, Ford, 199.

                32. (13)  Ryan Blaney, Ford, 196.

                33. (33)  Todd Gilliland, Ford, Accident, 146.

                34. (21)  John Hunter Nemechek, Toyota, Accident, 72.

                35. (24)  Cole Custer, Ford, Accident, 66.

                36. (16)  Alex Bowman, Chevrolet, Accident, 66.

 

Average Speed of Race Winner:  142.574 mph.

Time of Race:  2 Hrs, 48 Mins, 20 Secs. Margin of Victory:  1.099 Seconds.

Caution Flags:  7 for 33 laps.

Lead Changes:  15 among 11 drivers.

Lap Leaders:   C. Briscoe 1-11;W. Byron 12-34;C. Buescher 35-47;D. Hamlin 48;C. Ware 49;R. Blaney 50-56;C. Elliott 57-75;C. Bell 76-77;W. Byron 78-109;A. Cindric 110-119;W. Byron 120-147;C. Hocevar 148;Z. Smith 149-150;C. Hocevar 151-181;W. Byron 182-196;D. Hamlin 197-200.

 

 
Ryan Blaney commands Cracker Barrel 400 at Nashville Superspeedway
 

Sean Gardner/Getty Images

June 1, 2025
 
By Holly Cain
NASCAR Wire Service 
 
Ryan Blaney claimed his first victory of the 2025 season Sunday night in the Cracker Barrel 400 at Nashville Superspeedway. The 2023 NASCAR Cup Series champion led a commanding, race-best 139 of the 300 laps to finally secure that all-important Playoff position.
Blaney has come so close this season to hoisting a trophy only to have random racing bad luck break his heart and challenge his resolve. But Sunday, the sport’s popular 31-year-old, third-generation racer ultimately drove his No. 12 Team Penske Ford to a 2.830-second win over 22-year-old Spire Motorsports’ Carson Hocevar in a 103-lap green flag run that closed out the race.
Blaney was so thrilled to take the win, he climbed on top of his Ford, raised his arms in triumph and then jumped off the car and ran up and into the track’s front grandstands to claim the checkered flag before handing it off to an excited young fan. 
“I never gave up hope that’s for sure,’’ said Blaney, whose victory puts all three drivers of the reigning champion Penske team into the 2025 Playoffs.
“We’ve had adversity, and this hasn’t really been a good year for us in terms of good fortune, but the 12-boys are awesome. They stick with it no matter how it goes.”
Hocevar’s runner-up finish ties a career-best effort turned in at Atlanta in February.
“It just proves how strong this group is to go from the disappointment last week," said Hocevar, who looked strong and led laps at Charlotte Motor Speedway last Sunday only to retire early with mechanical problems. “Sticking to it and having a shot, just proud of this group. 
“We were one spot short again, but hopefully this is a step in the right direction,’’ he added.
Joe Gibbs Racing’s Denny Hamlin, who won the opening stage and led 79 laps, finished third despite his helmet hose and hydration system issues. Blaney’s Penske teammate Joey Logano finished fourth with current NASCAR Cup Series championship leader, Hendrick Motorsports’ William Byron rounding out the top-five.
“Just couldn’t run with the 12 there in the super long run, after 40 laps I could maintain with him, but after that he’d just pull away and stretch it on us,’’ said Hamlin, whose fiancé Jordan is expecting to deliver the couple’s third child at any time.
Logano, the defending race winner also led laps but ultimately wasn’t able to challenge at the end giving up positions to Hocevar and Hamlin.
“The 12 was just lights out which gave them a huge lead and we just weren’t able to hold onto second, the 11 [Hamlin] got by me,’’ Logano said, adding, “Good execution and proud of Team Penske. All our cars have a win now and that’s pretty impressive to have everybody with a win. All the teams are really strong.’’
23XI Racing’s Bubba Wallace, Legacy Motor Club’s Erik Jones, Hendrick Motorsports’ Kyle Larson, 23XI Racing’s Tyler Reddick and JGR’s Christopher Bell rounded out the top-10. The effort marked a particularly significant comeback for Larson, who started 28th on the grid and was involved in an incident on lap 115.
There were 18 lead changes in all among nine drivers with Hamlin (stage one) and Blaney (stage two) claiming the stage wins.
New this year, the Nashville race sets the 32-car field for the inaugural NASCAR In-Season Challenge – a bracket-style tournament taking place during the TNT broadcast’s five-race stretch this summer. The tournament starts June 28 at Atlanta followed by the races at Chicago, Sonoma, Dover, and Indianapolis with the winner receiving a $1 million prize.
Now, the next three races – Michigan, Mexico City’s Autodromo Hermanos Rodriquez and Pocono - will determine the bracket seeding based on a driver’s best finish out of those races.
Former series champion Brad Keselowski claimed the 32nd position for the competition by only 21 points over Trackhouse Racing’s Shane Van Gisbergen.
Byron continues to lead the NASCAR Cup Series championship standings, now 48 points up on Hendrick Motorsports teammate Larson with 12 regular season races remaining to set the 16-driver Playoff field. Their teammate Chase Elliott, who finished 15th Sunday, is the highest-ranked driver (fifth) without a win. 
The NASCAR Cup Series returns to action next Sunday afternoon in the Firekeeper’s Casino 400 at Michigan International Speedway (2 p.m. ET, Amazon Prime, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio). Reddick is the defending winner at the two-mile speedway – traditionally one of the drivers’ favorite venues on the schedule.
 
NASCAR Cup Series Race - Cracker Barrel 400
Nashville Superspeedway
Nashville, Tennessee
Sunday, June 1, 2025
 
                1. (15)  Ryan Blaney, Ford, 300.
                2. (26)  Carson Hocevar, Chevrolet, 300.
                3. (2)  Denny Hamlin, Toyota, 300.
                4. (9)  Joey Logano, Ford, 300.
                5. (3)  William Byron, Chevrolet, 300.
                6. (12)  Bubba Wallace, Toyota, 300.
                7. (14)  Erik Jones, Toyota, 300.
                8. (28)  Kyle Larson, Chevrolet, 300.
                9. (4)  Tyler Reddick, Toyota, 300.
                10. (7)  Christopher Bell, Toyota, 300.
                11. (5)  Ross Chastain, Chevrolet, 300.
                12. (25)  Kyle Busch, Chevrolet, 300.
                13. (27)  Zane Smith, Ford, 300.
                14. (10)  Chris Buescher, Ford, 300.
                15. (11)  Chase Elliott, Chevrolet, 300.
                16. (32)  Daniel Suarez, Chevrolet, 300.
                17. (1)  Chase Briscoe, Toyota, 300.
                18. (16)  Austin Cindric, Ford, 300.
                19. (29)  Cole Custer, Ford, 300.
                20. (17)  AJ Allmendinger, Chevrolet, 300.
                21. (8)  Michael McDowell, Chevrolet, 300.
                22. (35)  Todd Gilliland, Ford, 300.
                23. (6)  Brad Keselowski, Ford, 300.
                24. (37)  Riley Herbst #, Toyota, 300.
                25. (23)  Shane Van Gisbergen #, Chevrolet, 300.
                26. (31)  Ty Dillon, Chevrolet, 299.
                27. (36)  John Hunter Nemechek, Toyota, 299.
                28. (19)  Ryan Preece, Ford, 299.
                29. (21)  Austin Dillon, Chevrolet, 299.
                30. (20)  Josh Berry, Ford, 299.
                31. (22)  Ty Gibbs, Toyota, 299.
                32. (18)  Justin Haley, Chevrolet, 299.
                33. (34)  Cody Ware, Ford, 297.
                34. (38)  JJ Yeley(i), Chevrolet, 297.
                35. (39)  Chad Finchum, Ford, 288.
                36. (24)  Alex Bowman, Chevrolet, 188.
                37. (33)  Corey Heim(i), Toyota, Accident, 130.
                38. (30)  Noah Gragson, Ford, Accident, 112.
                39. (13)  Ricky Stenhouse Jr., Chevrolet, Accident, 110.
 
Average Speed of Race Winner:  129.068 mph.
Time of Race:  3 Hrs, 5 Mins, 29 Secs. Margin of Victory:  2.830 Seconds.
Caution Flags:  7 for 35 laps.
Lead Changes:  18 among 9 drivers.
Lap Leaders:   C. Briscoe 1-39;D. Hamlin 40;T. Reddick 41-46;R. Blaney 47-70;C. Briscoe 71-82;D. Hamlin 83-92;T. Reddick 93;R. Blaney 94-107;D. Hamlin 108-166;W. Byron 167;D. Hamlin 168;R. Blaney 169-188;J. Logano 189-198;R. Blaney 199-247;D. Hamlin 248-255;A. Cindric 256-257;A. Dillon 258-265;B. Keselowski 266-268;R. Blaney 269-300.
Leaders Summary (Driver, Times Lead, Laps Led):  Ryan Blaney 5 times for 139 laps; Denny Hamlin 5 times for 79 laps; Chase Briscoe 2 times for 51 laps; Joey Logano 1 time for 10 laps; Austin Dillon 1 time for 8 laps; Tyler Reddick 2 times for 7 laps; Brad Keselowski 1 time for 3 laps; Austin Cindric 1 time for 2 laps; William Byron 1 time for 1 lap.
Stage #1 Top Ten: 11,45,19,24,20,9,12,71,22,1
Stage #2 Top Ten: 12,24,11,22,43,2,77,38,21,20
Chase Briscoe claims second consecutive pole ahead of the Cracker Barrel 400 at Nashville Superspeedway

James Gilbert/Getty Images

 
May 31, 2025
 
By Holly Cain
NASCAR Wire Service 
 
Chase Briscoe claimed the Busch Light Pole Award for the second consecutive week and third time of the season Saturday, besting his Joe Gibbs Racing teammate, Denny Hamlin, by only 0.049 seconds in qualifying to earn the top starting position for Sunday’s Cracker Barrel 400 at Nashville Superspeedway (7 p.m. ET, Amazon Prime, PRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).
Briscoe was among the very last to take to the 1.33-mile concrete oval turning in a track record lap of 164.395 mph in the No. 19 JGR Toyota. He and his teammate Hamlin – a two-time Nashville pole winner – will lead the field to green with current NASCAR Cup Series championship leader, Hendrick Motorsports’ William Byron in the No. 24 Chevrolet and 23XI Racing’s Tyler Reddick in the No. 45 Toyota, a row behind.
“I guess I just pushed my head farther forward as I was coming to the line,’’ Briscoe joked of the tight margin between the teammates to decide pole position.
“Honestly, I thought I ran a decent lap. Just a smooth lap and sometimes that’s what it takes. Obviously, a good Saturday for our Bass Pro Shops Toyota and obviously two weeks in a row we’ve been able to do that now, which is nice. Just need to put a Sunday together now.
“Track position is going to be really really big here tomorrow and that’s the name of the game most every place we go, certainly at this place. So hopefully we can maintain track position and keep it up front all day long.’’
Hamlin agreed about the significance of a good starting position. 
“Certainly going to be a track position-type race, and with very minimum [tire] falloff, even in practice I kept having to back up from the guys that I was catching.’’ said Hamlin, driver of the No. 11 JGR Toyota. “Obviously great job for our Progressive Toyota team to get us a good starting spot and pit stall.
“I would have loved to have number one, but Chase just ruined that,’’ he added smiling. “Really happy for the whole Joe Gibbs Racing team to get the whole front row there. I definitely think we can race from that spot.’’
Reddick held the number one position on the speed chart for much of qualifying, only to be bested later by his team co-owner Hamlin, Briscoe, and Byron late in the session. Last year’s regular season champion Reddick was fastest in practice in both single-lap speed and 10-lap average speed.
Last week’s Charlotte race winner Ross Chastain – the 2023 Nashville winner – was fifth fastest in the No. 1 Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet, followed by RFK Racing owner and driver Brad Keselowski, who set the fastest time among the Fords.
Joe Gibbs Racing’s Christopher Bell, Spire Motorsports’ Michael McDowell, Team Penske’s Joey Logano and RFK’s Christopher Buescher rounded out the top-10 in qualifying.
Former race winner (2021) Kyle Larson will start 28th and his Hendrick teammate Chase Elliott, the 2022 Nashville winner, will roll off 11th.

 

 

Saturday Pocono Raceway Notebook

 

Notebook Items:

  • Hocevar reflects on recent weeks
  • Denny Hamlin back at track
  • SVG Playoff bound
  • Can't miss programming on Amazon

 

June 21, 2025

 

By Holly Cain

NASCAR Wire Service

 

HOCEVAR REFLECTS ON RECENT WEEKS

 

A week after a heated exchange with veteran Ricky Stenhouse Jr. and a fine from his team for posting a controversial social media take on the Mexico City race weekend, Spire Motorsports’ Carson Hocevar faced the media Saturday morning at Pocono (Pa.) Raceway and conceded he could have handled things a little better in both instances.

 

“Yes,” he conceded, he fully expects Stenhouse to exact revenge after a dust-up the two had on track in Mexico – the second time Stenhouse has been miffed at the 22-year-old in a race. And “yes,” Hocevar said, posting a negative review online before actually getting a chance to experience Mexico, was also wrong. Both things are a learning experience.

 

Hocevar, who drives the No. 77 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet, said he had not yet spoken with Stenhouse since the trip to Mexico, but doubted, at this point, there was anything he could say that would make a difference to the veteran as they came to Pocono for Sunday’s The Great American Getaway 400 (2 p.m. ET on Amazon Prime, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).

 

“I feel like we have a good relationship or had one," Hocevar said. “I was just running behind him, just kind of logging laps and just locked up in a very dumb spot. And it was just so dumb, really. Just a mistake that didn't need to happen and didn't want it to happen.

 

“But there's nothing that I could do or say. You know, I can't buy him a Hallmark card and, really make things better. So, it sucks. It sucks for me because he's the only NASCAR driver that owns a sprint car team, and I love sprint cars. So, it sucks because I want to go talk to him about sprint cars. So, yeah, hopefully everything can be set, but I know that the scorecard has me ahead right now, unfortunately.”

 

As for the social media post, initially uncomplimentary of his early Mexico experience, Hocevar was fined $50,000 by his Spire Motorsports team. He explained that his words were written before really having an opportunity to explore Mexico City.

 

“The issue wasn't for the team having their kind of frustrations that I'm giving my opinion and putting it out there - it's just the fact that, you know, my opinion wasn't my opinion," Hocevar said. “It was just based off everything else, you know, that I've heard or seen, right? I didn't go do my own homework and voice my own opinion. I didn't give it a shot. I didn't give it a chance. I didn't go walk around. I didn't go see it.

 

“When I did then hindsight's 20/20, then I have my own opinion. But I've already put it out there. So, I think that was the biggest thing was like -- I wasn't doing what I pride myself of doing. I was just having my own opinion, putting it out there and being me. I just didn't give it a fair shot, so I think that’s where it all stems from.”

 

DENNY HAMLIN BACK AT TRACK

 

Joe Gibbs Racing driver Denny Hamlin, a three-race winner this season, missed last week’s race in Mexico City so he could be home with his family for the birth of his first son, Jameson Drew. Hamlin revealed it was a tough labor for his wife Jordan and was glad he could be there for her – and their two daughters.

 

His son’s name was thoughtful and purposeful – Jameson is “James’ son” and James is Hamlin’s first name. And Drew gives him JD initials – a nod to both the late JD Gibbs, a cherished friend of Hamlin and the person credited with hiring him at JGR. JD are also the initials of James Dean, the car owner earlier in Hamlin’s career providing his big opportunity to be seen – and eventually hired – to a major NASCAR operation.

 

“He’s been great, slept through the night the last three nights in a row. …he’s behaving good early," Hamlin said with a smile of his son.

 

Hamlin said he watched the Mexico City race from home last weekend and was very impressed with the Amazon Prime broadcast and the extended time the network uses. But he’s ready to race at Pocono – where his seven wins is most all-time. He finished runner-up (2024) and scored that seventh win (2023) in the last two visits.

 

“Just a track that no matter what the car we drive or the tires we have on or the aero package, none of that really matters," said Hamlin, who earned his first career NASCAR Cup Series victory at Pocono, sweeping both races – from pole position no less - in his 2006 rookie season.

 

“You still make speed at this race track the same way no matter what car you’re driving.

 

“It’s been one of the few tracks that I haven’t had to change my approach to it, depending on the car I’m driving. So, I think that’s why the success has been sustained."

 

SVG PLAYOFF BOUND

 

With his win in the inaugural Mexico City race last weekend, Trackhouse Racing’s Shane Van Gisbergen has punched his first career ticket to the NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs. The driver of the No. 88 Chevrolet won last week by more than 16-seconds, the largest margin of victory in a NASCAR Cup Serie race since 2009.

 

The 36-year-old New Zealander - a three-time Australian Supercars Series champion - insisted that having that “ticket” into the Playoffs would not really change the way he goes about competing this year – his first time running a full season.

 

Although he famously became the first driver in NASCAR history to win in his first career NASCAR Cup Series start at Chicago in 2023 – the Mexico City win was only his second top-10 of this season.

 

“I don't think it really has [changed his mindset]," Van Gisbergen said of the victory. “It was always our goal to win. There's probably less pressure on road courses now. We can play with our strategy if we want to try and get playoff points now and stuff like that.

 

“But yeah, probably less pressure. We can enjoy the road courses a bit more. But yeah, the ovals, we just need to keep doing what we've been doing; keep our head down, keep improving every week, and try and keep getting good results. We've been frustrated with top-20s the last couple of weeks, which is a huge improvement for us for how we started. Our potential is getting a lot better, and hopefully we keep getting close to that back-end of the top-10. That would be good.”

 

CAN’T MISS PROGRAMMING ON AMAZON

 

This may be the last NASCAR Cup Series race of the Amazon Prime broadcasts, but the network still features some compelling must-see NASCAR storylines in the four-part “Earnhardt” documentary and, similarly the single-episode “American Thunder,” which chronicles NASCAR’s Garage 56 project from inception to race debut in the 2023 24 Hours of Le Mans.

 

The Earnhardt docu-series on Prime Video has received a hugely positive response and features some never-before-seen video and certainly some compelling interviews with those that knew the late seven-time champion best. Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Kelley Earnhardt are featured prominently and their stories about their dad heart-felt and captivating.

 

The “American Thunder: From NASCAR to LeMans” documentary is also intriguing, whether you are a race fan or not. It chronicles the remarkable project from idea to post-race celebration. Seven-time NASCAR champion Jimmie Johnson, Formula One champ Jenson Button and sports car legend Mike Rockenfeller shared the seat of the No. 24 Chevrolet.

 

And so many of NASCAR’s heavy-hitters from series executives Jim France and Steve O’Donnell to the Hendrick team’s Rick Hendrick and Jeff Gordon to a former NASCAR-to-Le Mans competitor Hershel McGriff are all featured in this behind-the-scenes look at the massive effort it took to develop the car, make the huge-logistical lift in travelling to the small French town of Le Mans and ultimately the drama of the actual race and what the involvement meant to all involved.

 

 

NASCAR Weekend Preview: Pocono Raceway

 

June 19, 2025

 

By Holly Cain

NASCAR Wire Service

 

Race to the Cup Playoffs reaches the final stretch with 10 to go

 

After a thrilling inaugural event in Mexico City last weekend, the NASCAR Cup Series returns stateside with Sunday’s The Great American Getaway 400 at the historic Pocono (Pa.) Raceway (2 p.m. ET on Amazon Prime, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).

 

Trackhouse Racing’s Shane van Gisbergen punched his 2025 Playoff spot with a dominating victory on the Mexico City road course last weekend, the 10th driver to earn a bid by virtue of a win. There are 10 regular season races remaining now to set the 16-driver Playoff field.

 

Back on the grid this week is Joe Gibbs Racing’s Denny Hamlin, who was awarded a championship waiver after missing the Mexico race to be home for the birth of his son. The driver of the No. 11 JGR Toyota is the winningest driver in Pocono Raceway history. Hamlin earned his first career NASCAR Cup Series victory at Pocono in 2006 and his seven wins are the most for the perennial championship contender at any single track on the schedule.

 

To that end, Hamlin is the only repeat winner in the last eight Pocono races – hoisting a trophy three times in that stretch. His JGR team has won a series best six of the last 10 Pocono races.

 

As with Hamlin, defending race winner, Team Penske’s Ryan Blaney earned his career first victory at Pocono – in 2017.

 

The 2023 NASCAR Cup Series champion, who finished 14th at Mexico City, said this summer race line-up, in particular, is enjoyable because of the varying tracks. From inaugural Mexico City road course race, to the 2.5-mile three-turn Pocono track to the Chicago street race and Sonoma, Calif. road course in just the next month.

 

“It’s a fun part of the schedule where you’re going to very different places each week, and I think teams really enjoy that – at least I enjoy it because it really switches it up and keeps it fresh," said Blaney, who claimed his first win of the season three weeks ago at the 1.33-mile Nashville oval.

 

“It can also be frustrating if you’re not very good at those places. You could have a stretch of some bad weeks. Hopefully, we’re not on that boat, but I like this part of the schedule. There’s a lot of different things going on this summer.”

 

There are eight former Pocono winners in the field. And three of the last five race winners are still looking for their first trophy of the 2025 season – Hendrick Motorsports’ Alex Bowman (2021), Richard Childress Racing’s Kyle Busch (2022) and Hendrick’s Chase Elliott (2023).

 

Elliott – who was declared the 2023 race winner when first and second place drivers Hamlin and Busch were disqualified following post-race inspection – leads all drivers in points earned at Pocono in the Next Gen car era.

 

His teammate, NASCAR Cup Series’ championship leader William Byron boasts the best average finish (9.36) at the track. Defending race winner, Blaney joins four-time Pocono winner Busch as the only other multi-time Pocono winners.

 

The 2020 NASCAR Cup Series champ Elliott is coming off his best finish (third place at Mexico City) of the season – his second top-10 in the last six races. Bowman turned in a stellar fourth-place showing in Mexico City.

 

Busch was involved in an early race accident and finished last in the 37-car field in Mexico. The two-time series champion has only a single top-10 – eighth at Michigan – in the last eight races. But. … he is a four-time winner at Pocono – a win tally second only to Hamlin’s among this weekend’s field of drivers. From 2016-21 he had nine top-10s in 10 races, including four wins and a runner-up finish. He hasn’t had a top-10, however since his win in 2020.

 

This is the last of three races to set the seeding for the In Season Tournament that will start with the June 28 night race at Atlanta’s EchoPark Speedway.

 

Practice followed by Busch Light Pole Qualifying starts at 12:30 p.m. ET Saturday (Amazon Prime, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio). Trackhouse Racing’s Ross Chastain started from pole position last year.

 

Pocono Raceway offers a unique challenge for the Xfinity Series

 

After an exciting international foray to Mexico, the NASCAR Xfinity Series returns to oval action with Saturday’s Explore the Pocono Mountains 250 (3:30 p.m. ET, The CW, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).

 

As triumphant a day as it was for NASCAR Cup Series regular and hometown favorite Daniel Suarez to claim the trophy in Mexico City, it was a tough luck day for NASCAR Xfinity Series championship leader Justin Allgaier, who had trouble early in the race and finished 34th – the second finish of 30th or worst in the last four races for the season’s three-time winner.

 

He still leads the championship by 54 points over Richard Childress Racing’s Austin Hill. And there’s certainly reason to be optimistic as the series returns stateside this week. Allgaier has top-10 finishes in four of the last five races at the 2.5-mile Pocono track and was runner-up last summer.

 

On the flip side, his closest title rival, Hill put together a solid day in what was a chaotic Mexico race at times – finishing third for his sixth consecutive top-10 and 11th in the 15 races this season. And Hill is the only fulltime Xfinity Series driver to have won previously at Pocono, celebrating in Victory Lane in 2023. He has top-10 finishes in three of the four Pocono races he’s competed in.

 

Three young drivers, 22-year old Sam Mayer, 20-year old Jesse Love and 18-year old rookie Connor Zilisch round out the top-five in the championship standings. Mayer, who drives the No. 41 Haas Factory Team Ford, is still looking for his first victory of the year but has seven top-five finishes. He’s strong at Pocono too with  top-10 results in his last three starts.

 

Love and Zilisch – who have both already clinched Playoff berths with victories this season – are still relatively new to the Pocono track. The RCR driver Love finished 22nd in his only start last year.

 

Zilisch is one of eight drivers making their first start at the Tricky Triangle; in fact it’s Zilisch’s first visit ever to the famed track. His JR Motorsports team co-owner Dale Earnhardt Jr. revealed this week, he will serve as crew chief for Zilisch, as the team’s fulltime crew chief is suspended a week for a rules infraction. The team has earned top-five finishes in the three races leading into the weekend.

 

Three drivers tied or earned their best career finish last week in Mexico City – Taylor Gray (second – tied career best), Christian Eckes (fourth) and William Sawalich).

 

There have been eight different winners in nine Xfinity Series races at Pocono – former series champ Cole Custer is the only two-time winner. Seven of the past eight winners – with the exception of Hill – are now fulltime NASCAR Cup Series drivers.

 

Chase Elliott (No. 17 Hendrick Motorsports Chevy) will be making his second NASCAR Xfinity Series start of the season.

 

Practice followed by Kennametal Pole Qualifying starts at 10 a.m. Saturday (The CW App). Haas Factory Team’s Sheldon Creed started on pole position in 2024.

 

Five pivotal races left in the CRAFTSMAN Truck Series regular season

 

The NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series returns from a week off for Friday night’s MillerTech Battery 200 at Pocono (Pa.) Raceway (5 p.m. ET on FS1, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).

 

It’s been a busy summer for the teams, which raced six consecutive weekends between May 2 and June 7 – a string of races that featured five different winners and two first-time winners on the season (Rajah Caruth and Stewart Friesen).

 

The series championship leader, TRICON Garage’s Corey Heim is the defending Pocono race winner. And there’s absolutely no reason he won’t be the favorite this weekend. Heim led a dominating 55 of the 70 laps last year, including the final 34 and beat Grant Enfinger to the line by nearly a second.

 

Chandler Smith is the only other full-time driver with a previous Pocono victory – taking the trophy in 2022.

 

With only five races remaining to set the 10-driver Playoff field, There are six drivers eligible based on wins. Enfinger, Layne Riggs, Kaden Honeycutt, and reigning series champion Ty Majeski currently hold the four positions based on points-only. Majeski is only four points up on Jake Garcia, however, in 11thplace. Two-time series champion Ben Rhodes is 55 points behind Garcia.

 

There are 12 drivers making their first Pocono start. The last six Pocono races have been won by six different drivers – half of them by full-time Truck Series competitors.

 

Practice is Friday at 12:35 p.m. ET followed immediately by Kennametal Pole Qualifying at 1:40 p.m. ET. – both sessions available on FS2. Christian Eckes, now an Xfinity Series rookie, started from pole position in this race last year.

 

 

Fiesta of Speed: Van Gisbergen and NASCAR Soar in Vibrant Mexico City Debut

 

June 16, 2025

 

By Holly Cain

NASCAR Wire Service

 

MEXICO CITY – Shane van Gisbergen stood tall on the highest Victory Podium step, wearing a traditional Mexican sombrero and spraying champagne to celebrate his win in Sunday’s Viva Mexico 250 at the world-renowned Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez in Mexico City.

 

The entire sport undoubtedly felt equally as triumphant following the first international points-paying NASCAR Cup Series race weekend in half a century.

 

Regardless of a couple mid-week logistical issues, the race weekend itself was certainly viewed as a success by those who planned, those who executed, those who raced - and as importantly, those that attended.

 

The facility was world-class, the fans were knowledgeable and enthusiastic and the drivers they came to watch were basking in all the Mexican amor shown to them.

 

From Front Row Motorsports’ driver Todd Gilliland to Spire Motorsports’ Michael McDowell and 23XI Racing’s Bubba Wallace - the drivers were surrounded by large and loud groups of avid fans wherever they roamed from paddock to fan zone.

 

And Trackhouse Racing driver Daniel Suarez, who worked so hard and passionately for months to help promote NASCAR’s race weekend in his home country? He was like a motorsports’ version of The Beatles coming to America. Huge groups of fans followed him everywhere - chanting his name, wearing his race shirts, holding up home-made signs.

 

The only time Suarez wasn’t grinning this weekend came as he stood on the starting grid Sunday morning alongside his family - joining in with a children’s choir as they sang the Mexican National Anthem. The emotion for Suarez was palpable.

 

And he rewarded the masses of supporters for sure, winning Saturday’s NASCAR Xfinity Series race at his home road course and running up front early in Sunday’s NASCAR Cup Race too. Even his 19th-place finish was treated more like a victory.

 

“Every single thing about this weekend exceeded my expectations, the people, the fans, the sponsors, the excitement, the energy," said Suarez, Van Gisbergen’s Trackhouse Racing teammate. “I had expectations for this weekend, not the results, but, [for] the event and I can tell you that I personally exceeded those expectations.

 

“So very, very happy for that. Very blessed. I hope that we can do it many more times."

 

It was certainly a prevailing theme.

 

NASCAR Hall of Famer and Hendrick Motorsports executive Jeff Gordon spoke with reporters prior to the race and was encouraged and enthusiastic about the sport’s experience in Mexico City.

 

Later, he even delivered a hybrid starting command in honor of the Spanish-speaking crowd, telling the grid “Pilatos, start your engines.”

 

“Listen to the fans," he said smiling when asked about the reception NASCAR received. “There are a large amount of fans that want to see NASCAR in person. Internationally, I think it opens a lot of doors for sponsorships and if we have a crowd that’s as energetic today as it was yesterday – of course Daniel [winning] played into that too – but to me, the most exciting thing about coming here is the passion, the excitement, the energy that fans here in Mexico bring.  … that’s why I think we’re here."

 

NASCAR executive Ben Kennedy wouldn’t go so far as to promise a return engagement, but he was also understandably pleased with the weekend overall – acknowledging there are some learning curves logistically-speaking, but overall heartened by the passion shown to NASCAR. He said, 90 percent of those that attended the race were from Mexico, 44 percent from Mexico City.

 

“Today wasn’t just a race," said Kennedy, NASCAR’s Executive Vice President and Chief Venue and Racing Innovations Officer. “This was a historic moment for our sport, for Mexico, for the global motorsports community and for a lot of folks that came together to be able to make this happen."

 

The big question Sunday night post-race was whether NASCAR would in fact return to Mexico City next year for an encore. Asked about it by the American NASCAR beat writers and again by members of the large international media contingent, Kennedy smiled and deferred – noting NASCAR was still working on the 2026 schedule.

 

But, he seemed, very pleased with the inaugural Mexico City weekend.

 

“We’ve been bold and innovative," Kennedy said, mentioning recent NASCAR events at the Los Angeles Coliseum and the first ever street race in downtown Chicago as the sport’s willingness to try new venues and travel to new destinations.

 

“This was the next milestone moment for us bringing the race internationally.

 

“I can tell you, we’re very bold about continuing to bring the series internationally and Mexico is a great place to do it. This weekend is a great example of that and I would say we’re very hopeful to be back here."

 

And, he added, “I think the beauty of our sport, and we’ve seen this several times over the past few years, is that no matter what’s going on outside of these four walls, outside of this race track, even outside of this country, sports can be great unifiers and NASCAR has proven that time and time again that it builds communities.

 

“It brings people together with shared passion and shared values. And that’s what we saw this weekend. People from all walks of life came together and watched an amazing race with the best drivers in the world, and that’s what I’m most proud of."

 

NASCAR garage excited for wild fan welcome during historic Mexico City weekend

 

MEXICO CITY – Great food, a warm welcome and a lot of curious diehard racing fans greeted NASCAR teams and personnel arriving in Mexico City this week for Sunday’s Viva Mexico 250 NASCAR Cup Series race at Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez (3 p.m. ET, Amazon Prime, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).

 

Trackhouse Racing’s Daniel Suarez, a Mexican native, gave media members a list of his go-to restaurants. And race team members were commonplace strolling around the Angel of Independence monument on a downtown circle checking out local restaurants.

 

The NASCAR drivers all seemed eager about the sport’s first international points-paying race in half a century.

 

“So my favorite thing about Mexico -- it's been 20 years since I've raced here, but it's the fans,’’ said Spire Motorsports’ Michael McDowell, who competed at the Mexico City venue four previous times while sports car racing. “I just know how Sunday is going to be. It's incredible energy and incredible atmosphere.

 

“It feels like a festival and a concert and a race all happening at one time. Like I said, it was 20 years ago when I was here. But at the time, Luis Diaz and Mario Dominguez were racing, and those guys were heroes. Like every time they went into a corner, you heard the crowd cheer. And wherever they walked, the crowd went nuts.

 

“And I'm just like, I can't imagine what it's going to be like for Daniel (Suarez) on Sunday ... I really can't. It's going to be wild. But just the energy that the fans have here is electric.”

 

Friday marked opening practice for the NASCAR Cup Series – a 50-minute and 25-minute session – the first led none too surprisingly by McDowell and the second with Front Row Motorsports’ David Gilliand on top of the chart.

 

Gilliland’s speed of 93.18 mph in the No. 34 FRM Ford was fastest on the day, followed by Trackhouse Racing’s Ross Chastain (93.041 mph) in the No. 1 Chevrolet. Joe Gibbs Racing’s Ty Gibbs was third fastest in both practices with a quick lap of 92.864 in the second session. Tyler Reddick turned the most laps (35) in the combined practices.

 

The series will hold Busch Light Pole Qualifying Saturday at 2:05 p.m. ET (Amazon Prime, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).

 

*THE COUNTRYMAN

The at-track big screen candid photos included shots of Mexican native Daniel Suarez in the grandstands posing with fans. He could barely walk in the paddock without being stopped for an autograph and the fans watching Friday’s practice sessions were loudly cheering their hometown hero at every turn.

 

Suarez, who has tirelessly and enthusiastically done so much advance work to promote the Mexico City NASCAR race, said Friday he is humbled and amazed by the reception.

 

“The entire weekend has exceeded every single expectation I have had,’’ said Suarez, driver of the No. 99 Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet. “For that, I want to say thank you. ... Finally I am able to drive a car and not just talk about it and hopefully, I will have fun and continue to enjoy this moment. We are making history right now, not just NASCAR, not just me but the entire country of Mexico.

 

“This is something very special and shows that when these two countries work together, the sky’s the limit.’’

 

*TRUEX TIME TO SHINE

Joe Gibbs Racing announced this week that Ryan Truex will drive the No. 11 JGR Toyota at Mexico City for Denny Hamlin, who remained at home in Charlotte, N.C. after the birth of his son. Truex was smiles and optimism as he spoke with reporters Friday in advance of the opening practice session – well-aware what a big opportunity this race presented.

 

The timing actually works out well, he conceded, considering the majority of the NASCAR Cup Series drivers have never raced at the 2.42-mile Mexico City road course. So the more typical disadvantages he would face in a one-race opportunity are mitigated for his first start in the series in 11 years.

 

Truex’s last NASCAR Cup Series race was in 2014 when he drove for BK Racing. In all he made 26 series starts in the 2013-14 seasons but none for a team legitimately competing for race victories at the time.

 

Since joining the JGR operation, however, Truex – the younger brother of NASCAR Cup Series champion Martin Truex Jr. - has proven himself competitive even in a part-time schedule - earning three NASCAR Xfinity Series trophies in the last two seasons. And as one of the team’s primary drivers on the simulator, Truex joked that he probably has run more miles on the Mexico City course than anyone else on the JGR team.

 

“It’s been a crazy few weeks – especially since Charlotte, I’ve been on standby,’’ Truex said. “I’m glad it is at a track where I can practice and have time and know what to do to. I found out on Wednesday night, so it has been kind of chaotic getting here and putting all of that together, but I’m just grateful for the experience and grateful to be here.

 

“Really just want to enjoy it. I don’t really have any set goals or expectations – I just want to enjoy the weekend. I’m driving a Cup car for Joe Gibbs at an international race – this is not something I ever dreamed of doing, just want to take it all in and have a good time.”

 

*SVG A FAVORITE

Trackhouse Racing’s Shane Van Gisbergen, in his first fulltime season in the NASCAR Cup Series ranks, was quite optimistic about his chances this weekend at the series’ first ever race in Mexico City. After all, the 36-year old New Zealander and former Australian Super Cars champion won the inaugural Chicago Street Race in 2023.

 

The driver of the No. 88 Trackhouse Chevrolet wouldn’t necessarily come out and declare himself the odds-on favorite for this weekend, but Van Gisbergen did smile when asked about his chances.

 

“I don't know, that’s your guys’ jobs, but I do know that we will be competitive if we get everything right,’’ Van Gisbergen said. “It's so hard to know what the car's going to be like – it’s a different track, how it's going to be affected by the altitude and the surface.  … It's going to be interesting to feel what our cars are like in these conditions. But yeah, we should be up front. These are the types of tracks I'm good at, so we'll see.”

 

Ironically, the Mexico City road course race comes right after Van Gisbergen has shown considerable progress on ovals – certainly a different style of racing  compared to the road courses where he established his career. He’s finished top-20 in three of the last four races, including a 14th at the 1.5-mile Charlotte Motor Speedway.

 

“You just feel the confidence in the team and even the pit crew guys,’’ he said of the progress. “Everyone's just uplifted the last few weeks. Not that everyone was down, but it was a bit of a grind. The last few weeks, things have started to come a lot easier.

 

“Our pit stop averages are much quicker. Just all the simple things were getting a lot better and better. My restarts are finally in the positive, with it being well negative for the first half of the year. Every single area, we seem to be getting a lot better in, so it's been fun.”

 

*4-TIME CHAMP GORDON WEIGHS IN ON HORSEPOWER INCREASE

Four-time NASCAR Cup Series champ and current Hendrick Motorsports executive Jeff Gordon was recently asked on a Barstool Sports podcast about changes the sanctioning body is considering for the cars and he was ready with a well-considered answer.

 

He doesn’t think the answer is as simple as increasing horsepower and bolting on softer tires, however.

 

“Adding horsepower I think, at certain tracks like the mile tracks and half-mile tracks, I like - I think we’re too glued to the race track right now,’’ said Gordon, whose team drivers William Byron and Kyle Larson are ranked first and second in the championship standings. “So, adding power, I like. Adding as much power as I think maybe it takes would do two things: number one, cost, I hate bringing up cost but we’re talking about components that won’t last. Not just in the engine. So that’s one.

 

“And then the other is,’’ he continued. “it might make the cars harder to drive and the drivers like it more but that doesn’t mean that it’s going to be a better race. Then on the Goodyear side of things they’re trying really, really hard. I’ve learned a softer tire doesn’t necessarily mean more fall-off and that’s what we want.

 

“We don’t need a softer tire, we need a tire that has grip and then falls off where the driver and team have to manage the tire wear.’’

NASCAR Weekend Preview: Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez

 

June 12, 2025

 

By Holly Cain

NASCAR Wire Service

 

Mexico City welcomes the NASCAR Cup Series for the first time

 

MEXICO CITY – Amid much anticipation from fans and NASCAR teams alike, the NASCAR Cup Series has arrived in Mexico City for the series’ first points-paying international race in seven decades, Sunday’s aptly-named Viva Mexico 250 at Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez (3 p.m. ET on Amazon Prime, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).

 

The industry has long been preparing for this inaugural visit to the renowned 2.42-mile, 15-turn road course in the middle of bustling Mexico City. And perhaps no one is more eager for NASCAR’s Mexican arrival than Trackhouse Racing’s Daniel Suarez, who has made multiple visits to his home country in support of the event, excited to show the world-class facility NASCAR’s brand of Cup racing.

 

"I'm super excited, regardless of what happens on Sunday," said the Monterrey, Mexico-native Suarez, who has competed – and won three times – on the track’s oval-configuration while racing in the NASCAR Mexico Series, which will also be competing this weekend.

 

“I'm super excited for the event. I'm super excited to live in the moment because the first time is going to only happen once. I'm really trying to be as present as possible; enjoy the moment and try to execute the best possible weekend that we can. We know that we are capable of winning the race, but that's not the goal. The goal is the execution of the entire weekend, and hopefully the win is the result of the execution part.”

 

Suarez, who scored his first NASCAR Cup Series win on a road course at Sonoma, Calif. in 2022, has been a vital supporter of this initiative. For months, the popular driver has starred in the NASCAR commercials promoting the Mexican race – the script depicting him trying to teach fellow racers how to speak in Spanish.

 

"At first, I thought man, I don't know if this is going to work out, like, I don't think this is going to be funny," Suarez said smiling. “And honestly, it turned out amazing. I give a lot of credit to NASCAR for trying all these different things. I think people are liking it. Drivers are embracing it. And, obviously, I'm having fun with it. I'm the one teaching the language, so for the first time, I feel like I’m in my zone, so that’s good.”

 

Suarez is certainly among the group of drivers hoping a new venue may produce different results on the season. The driver of the No. 99 Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet is ranked 28th in the championship with 11 regular season races remaining to set the 16-driver Playoff field.

 

Others traditionally considered road course aces similarly see this as a big opportunity to punch a Playoff ticket. Hendrick Motorsports driver Chase Elliott and Alex Bowman, Kaulig Racing’s A.J. Allmendinger, Spire Motorsports’ Michael McDowell and Suarez’ Trackhouse teammate Shane Van Gisbergen are all some of the most talented road racers in the sport and all are still looking to earn a victory this season. Many still well below the 16th place Playoff cutoff line.

 

Interestingly, six of the 14 regular season races in the Next Gen Era have been won by drivers ranked 16th or worse in the standings at the time of their victory.

 

“Everyone expects us to perform on road courses," said the New Zealand-native Van Gisbergen, who made the ultimate NASCAR debut winning at the Chicago street race two years ago in his very first start.

 

“Not that we have been hanging out for it (road courses), but the ovals have been a big learning process the last couple of months. It will be nice for sure to have a bit of a break and races on the types of courses I'm used to which means turning right."

 

Hendrick Motorsports has won at eight different road courses – the most in NASCAR history. And four of the remaining 11 races will be on road courses.

 

Hendrick’s William Byron continues to lead the NASCAR Cup Series championship standings – up by 41 points on his teammate Kyle Larson heading to south of the border – and both are also considered favorites this weekend. Hendrick drivers – Byron (two), Larson (two) and Bowman (one) - have won five of the last eight road course races. If Elliott wins this weekend he would tie NASCAR Hall of Famer for second most road course wins all-time (eight).

 

Last week’s race winner, Denny Hamlin claimed his first career Xfinity Series win at the Mexico road course in 2006. He, Richard Childress Racing’s Kyle Busch (who won the 2008 Xfinity Series race) and Roush Fenway Keselowski Racing’s Brad Keselowski are the only drivers to have raced at the circuit – competing in the Xfinity Series there.

 

RFK’s Chris Buescher, who finished runner-up to Hamlin last week at Michigan, boasts the best road course average finish (8.7) in the Next Gen cars.

 

Busch Light Pole Qualifying is set for Saturday at noon ET (Amazon Prime, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).

 

NASCAR Xfinity Series is set to return to Mexico

 

The NASCAR Xfinity Series marks its return to Mexico with Saturday afternoon’s The Chilango 150 (4:30 p.m. ET on the CW Network, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio). The series has held four previous races at the famed Autodrome Hermanos Rodriquez – the last in 2008 won by Kyle Busch.

 

This is the second of seven road course races on the schedule. Series rookie, JR Motorsports’ Connor Zilisch won at Circuit of The Americas from pole position.

 

Reigning series champion, JR Motorsports Justin Allgaier earned his third win of the season in the series’ most recent race, two weeks ago at Nashville. It marks the fifth time in the last eight years, the veteran has scored at least three victories in a season. He holds a 92-point advantage in the championship standings over fellow three-race winner, Richard Childress Racing’s Austin Hill.

 

The Illinois native has answered his first career title run with another top-shelf season in the No. 7 JRM Chevrolet.  He leads all drivers in laps led (638) and top-10 finishes (10). He’s only eight top-10 finishes from 300 in his career – a feat never before accomplished in the series.

 

With 12 regular season races remaining and six Playoff spots still to be claimed, Mexico City certainly presents all the makings of an ultra-competitive weekend.

 

Sam Mayer and Ty Gibbs have the most road course wins (four) in this weekend’s field. Interestingly, nine of the series’ last 11 road course races have been won by just three drivers (Mayer, Shane Van Gisbergen and Zilisch). And Mayer, who is ranked third in the standings, is still looking for his first win of the year.

 

Gibbs (No. 19 Toyota) is among three NASCAR Cup Series regulars – also Suarez (No. 9 Chevy) and Christopher Bell (No. 24 Toyota) – racing Saturday. NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series rookie, Andres Perez De Lara will be making his Xfinity Series debut.

 

Kennametal Pole Qualifying is slated for 10:30 a.m. ET on Saturday (CW App) and historically has proven very significant on road courses with the polesitter winning 10 of the last 18 road course races.

 

Rodríguez brothers' lasting legacy lives on in Mexico City circuit

 

June 10, 2025

 

By Zack Albert

NASCAR.com Special To NASCAR Wire Service

 

In less than two weeks, the NASCAR Cup Series will race for points in an international land for the first time in nearly 67 years. The name of the track won't end in Speedway, Raceway, Motor Speedway, International Speedway or be called Circuit of fill-in-the-blank. The metropolitan Mexico City road course is an autodrome -- autódromo in the local language -- and it forever pays tribute to two national motorsports heroes.

 

The Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez takes its name from the two racing brothers -- Ricardo and Pedro Rodríguez -- who rapidly rose to speed-soaked stardom in a host of motorsports disciplines, including a brief involvement with NASCAR. Mexican pride soared with each accomplishment in their brief careers, which were tragically cut short in a pair of fatal crashes nearly nine years apart.

 

The national pride was a shared sensation. When the brothers -- Pedro, 21, and Ricardo then just 19 -- paired up in the 1,000 Kilometers of Paris in 1961 to clinch one of their first major grand-touring victories, a trio of festive mariachi muchachos serenaded their steel-gray Ferrari at the finish, strumming guitars in their sombreros as they straddled the straw-bale trackside barrier.

 

Years later, Pedro Rodríguez became the first Mexican driver to win a Formula One race, realizing one of his lifelong dreams in the 1967 South African Grand Prix. The triumph was a singular feat for decades until countryman Sergio Pérez's F1 breakthrough in 2020. "I felt an immense satisfaction for Mexico," Pedro Rodríguez, the elder of the two brothers, said post-race. "On the victory lap, tears started to flow from my eyes."

 

What happened next amid the fanfare nearly prompted Rodríguez to choke on his victory champagne. After the young driver rose to the top step of the podium, the band assembled trackside realized it did not know the Mexican national anthem. Instead, the musicians improvised by playing a tune called Jarabe Tapatío, or as it's known in English, the "Mexican Hat Dance." According to legend, Rodríguez always traveled with a recording of Himno Nacional Mexicano from that point forward.

 

That pride lives on in the circuit that bears their names.

 

* * *

 

Both brothers were prodigies, following the love of their father, Pedro Sr., into motorcycle racing. Don Pedro's success in the railroad industry and his later expansion into manufacturing and the hotel business afforded the family access to rare and sinewy sports cars, which became the children's gateway into four-wheeled motorsports. He carried his young sons on the handlebars of his bikes before they were able to ride on their own.

 

The two became motorcycle champions in their mid-teens, setting youth records as they explored other racing disciplines. Ricardo was just 18 when he teamed with Andre Pilette to finish second in the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 1960. The following year, Pedro joined him for the French endurance classic. The brothers led the race until an ignition short cost them precious time; after repairs, they rallied to second place before the Ferrari 250 they co-piloted expired with just two hours to go.

 

Undaunted, Ricardo established another benchmark later in 1961, becoming the youngest front-row starter in Formula One history. The 19-year-old started second for Ferrari in that year's Italian Grand Prix before a fuel-system failure sidelined him.

 

Wherever their travels took them, questions rarely focused on how they would perform, but whether they'd meet the minimum age requirements set by the racing commissions in each country or state. It's the hurdle they faced with their introduction to the NASCAR world in the spring of 1959 -- 19-year-old Pedro was allowed to compete against stock-car racing's older guard at Trenton (N.J.) Speedway; Ricardo -- then 17 -- was forced to manage the team from the pits.

 

Race promoter Sam Nunis took the youngsters on a sweeping publicity tour before the event, visiting television and radio stations and a host of newspapers' sports departments. Shortly after their entry was filed, the Paterson (N.J.) News reached out to veteran Lee Petty -- on his way that year to his third premier series title -- for comment. "I'm happy to hear the boys will race at Trenton in that 150-miler," the 45-year-old Petty said. "The more competition, the better. I don't reckon they'll beat me."

 

They nearly did, with the NASCAR Hall of Famer coming in fourth behind first-time winner Tom Pistone. Pedro Rodríguez's name was listed two spots behind Petty in sixth on the Trenton results sheet, ahead of such luminaries as Junior Johnson and Lee's son, Richard.

 

Their experience in NASCAR was limited, with the elder Rodríguez brother making just five more Cup Series starts, including a 13th-place outcome in the 1971 Daytona 500. Pedro's most distinguished effort, however, came in NASCAR's longest race in a deal that NASCAR founder Bill France Sr. helped facilitate.

 

Pedro Rodríguez arrived fresh from London on the Tuesday before the Charlotte event, telling reporters he had "heard a lot about the World 600 and had wanted to drive in it since it started." Holman-Moody hastily prepped a No. 51 Ford that Rodríguez drove to an impressive fifth-place run behind race-winning teammate Fred Lorenzen.

 

The result made an impression on the good-ol'-boy crowd, which had poked good fun at the perception of Rodríguez's nobility-class racing background. Rodríguez, however, poked right back.

"If you people don't quit calling me a sporty car driver," he joked, "I'm going to start calling you stocky car drivers."

 

* * *

 

The Rodríguez brothers' story, however, was interrupted by dual tragedies that left the nation mourning. Ricardo's signing as a Ferrari factory driver for the Grand Prix circuit had raised the younger brother's profile for the 1962 season. But the siblings were still regarded as a daredevil collective for their aggressive but fleet-footed style.

 

"If he lives, I'll be surprised," one fellow F1 driver confided with anonymity to The New York Times in May of that year, singling out Ricardo's approach in an era when racing's inherent danger was magnified. That eerie premonition came true just months later.

 

Ferrari opted out of that year's Mexican Grand Prix, which did not count toward the Formula One standings back then. Ricardo instead piloted a Lotus, which faltered in a high-speed section during practice runs, flipped over a barrier and burst into a fireball. He was just 20 years old.

 

Their father ran to the crash scene and fainted, declaring later: "Racing is over for all the family. This is the end." Ricardo had contemplated making the Mexico City event his final race, ending his motorsports career to start a family with his new bride and take a role in his father's industrial empire. Pedro considered the same path in the wake of his brother's death, but the lure of racing remained strong and his absence from the circuit was brief.

 

"The loss of my brother hurt me a great deal when it happened, but racing is my profession and I decided to continue," Pedro said years later, before his World 600 debut. "I try not to think about his death before races and when I'm driving now."

 

His career blossomed in the years that followed. Besides his two Formula One victories, Pedro Rodríguez won the 24 Hours of Le Mans in a Ford GT40 in 1968, adding a 24 Hours of Daytona triumph for Porsche to his portfolio three years later. Pedro was once considered to be the less polished of the two brothers, mainly for his knack at flinging his cars through tight corners. But he became known as "Ojos de Gato" -- "cat's eyes" -- for his extraordinary speed and composure while racing in rainy and nighttime conditions.

 

Pedro said a Grand Prix driver "probably feels about the same thing before a race that a matador does before he goes into the ring. It's fear that can make you crash. Before a race, I always think of something else. I never think about what could happen."

 

Just months after his Daytona Rolex win, Rodríguez had entered a lower-level sports-car race in Nuremberg, Germany, in part because he regarded the technical Norisring course's configuration as one of his favorites. "Some drivers like the shorter tracks they can become familiar with," he told The Associated Press. "I prefer the many curves. It's a challenge and I think it helps me."

 

But the course also challenged the limits of the Ferrari he was driving. In the 12th lap, his right-front tire detached from the rim, sending the car skidding into a barrier and a fiery end. Pedro Rodríguez was just 31.

 

Don Pedro spoke to the nation at his son's funeral: "You shared the triumphs of my son with me and now we are sharing the tragedy together."

 

Their legacy lives on five decades later, both in Mexico's history and in the Magdalena Mixhuca Sports City circuit that now honors their names. The NASCAR Mexico Series races that will be preliminaries to the Cup and Xfinity Series next week will be named the Pedro Rodriguez 100 and Ricardo Rodriguez 120 in tribute.

 

In their brief racing careers, the Rodríguez brothers created a lasting international legacy that reached beyond Mexico's borders. When NASCAR arrives next week for its first Cup Series race in the country, a new group of international visitors will experience that spirit.

 

"Motor racing is something that comes out of you," Pedro Rodríguez once said. "You have something -- something in the blood -- and it comes out. Nobody can teach you how to drive. You learn it."

Inside the logistics of NASCAR’s show going to Mexico City

 

June 10, 2025

 

By Zach Sturniolo

NASCAR.com special to NASCAR Wire Service

 

After months of preparation and anticipation, NASCAR is all packed up and on its way south of the border for the Cup Series' inaugural visit to Mexico City.

 

Haulers hit the road from the Michigan International Speedway garage Sunday night at approximately 7:30 ET, loaded with what they'll need for Sunday's Viva Mexico 250 at Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez (3 p.m. ET, Prime Video, MRN Radio, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio), the series' first international points race since 1952. But in reality, this journey started months ago.

 

Since 2001, the Cup schedule has featured 38 races, a traveling circus moving week to week from race shops in North Carolina to race tracks across the United States and back again like clockwork. The routine became just that -- routine -- and can be taken for granted at times. Count this an exception.

 

Immense numbers of people throughout the NASCAR industry have been working tirelessly to properly coordinate a unique international effort.

 

NASCAR's vice president of racing operations Tom Bryant and Steve Beres, managing director of racing operations, have been working full speed on this endeavor since February, though planning even began earlier. And while teams ultimately remain responsible for bringing their necessities, it's the sanctioning body that must ensure everything goes as anticipated.

 

“We're responsible for everything,” Bryant told NASCAR.com. ”It's people. It's equipment. It's all the logistics to support all that. It's security. It's a ton of contingency planning because, hey, we are going to be way far away from our home base here, right? We're not at North Wilkesboro, where we can run back down to Charlotte and grab pieces and parts. That's not possible. So every aspect of the event weekend has to be planned for, coordinated, resourced and ready to go.”

 

This is where Bryant's 21 years in the United States Army come in most handy. Serving from 1993-2014, Bryant was deployed multiple times to Iraq and Afghanistan.

 

“I like to think that the experience I had in moving a brigade from the 101st Airborne from Fort Campbell (in) Kentucky to Iraq, there were definitely some lessons learned during that that I was able to apply to this operation,” Bryant said. “And that's been our approach to this. My approach to this, from a racing-ops standpoint, is this is an operation. It's not an event. It's not a race. It's an operation. I've used a lot of the elements of the military decision-making process and the military planning process to put all this stuff together. It works really well. It's proven and I just had to change a few words and back off some acronyms.”

 

One acronym that has remained relevant is PACE.

 

"We use the PACE method of planning," he said, "meaning we have the Primary plan, an Alternate plan, a Contingency plan and an Emergency plan. So we've got three backups to the primary plan for everything we're doing. The reality is I believe that most of the things we've planned will go off roughly how we've planned them. But there are going to be unforeseen incidents and things that occur that are going to force us to adjust. But we try to think through all of what those things could possibly be well in advance and plan for how we're going to react to that so when it comes time to execute, we're just performing."

 

While Bryant headed planning, Beres has had his hands full handling all things related to teams' haulers. A 28-year veteran of the Daytona Beach Police Department with 13 years spent on SWAT teams and seven years as deputy chief of police, Beres knows the coordination necessary to pull off significant feats -- and significant it's been.

 

“It's been a fun project,” Beres said, “but then again, it's been a stressful project because of the all the unknowns and just putting a little stuff together. We have 137 trucks going across, 284 drivers, and having to keep track of almost 2,400 different documents has been a challenge. It's really been something that I don't think NASCAR has ever taken on, but it's been fun, and it's going to be really exciting to see the final product.”

 

Beres, seen Sunday morning at Michigan with arms folded as he oversaw the first actions on-the-ground, has taken one day off since March 1 -- his birthday in late March -- in preparation for this weekend's upcoming event. He is responsible for bringing every truck across the border efficiently, he said, working with customs to ensure all permits are in order. What might be most arduous, though, are the manifests necessary for each and every hauler.

 

“Everything on-truck has to be documented in a manifest, and then it has to be documented both on a temporary form and a consumable form and a race-car form,” Beres said. “Everything has to be separate. We can only bring in stuff that's coming back out. In other words, a pit box -- we list that on one section of the manifest, and it comes out on that same section. A consumable -- if I have a Sharpie marker or roll of tape, that has to be listed separately on different documents.

 

“It's a very tedious and a very time-consuming process. And then dealing with every single team with their questions, trying to figure out what they can and can't take and just working on it day in and day out, sometimes till midnight, every single day.”

 

One team with fewer questions than most is Hendrick Motorsports. In addition to its four-car Cup program, the organization fielded the Garage 56 entry in 2023 at the 24 Hours of Le Mans, meaning they needed to get the vehicle, parts, pieces, tools and more to France in order to compete.

 

“I think some of the shock of manifests and carnets and insurance stuff was probably slightly subdued for us just because of doing Garage 56, which was like almost identical, with having to have everything filled out in advance,” Ryan Glenn, Hendrick Motorsports' team operations manager, said. “So truthfully, it wasn't a big deal for us. We're just not used to it collectively as an organization. Garage 56 was a smaller project. Mexico's involving all four of our teams, right? So, little bit of a learning curve, but not a whole lot, just because our support team has already done it.”

 

At Front Row Motorsports, No. 4 crew chief Drew Blickensderfer carries previous experience with him into Mexico City. Blickensderfer served as crew chief for RFK Racing (then Roush Fenway) for three (2006-08) of the four years the NASCAR Xfinity Series raced in Mexico City.

 

“From my memory when I did it 19 years ago, we didn't leave the week before like we are now," Blickensderfer said. "We flew our own planes down there. It wasn't chartered as a group. I think NASCAR has done a good job, and maybe it's because it's the premier series in the country versus the support series. But a lot more has gone into making sure we the teams stay together and get down there.”

 

Because the NASCAR Xfinity Series is also competing in The Chilango 150 on Saturday, June 14 (4:30 p.m. ET, The CW, MRN Radio, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio), the unified journey to and across the border truly began Saturday. Since they were off last weekend, Xfinity teams departed from their shops Saturday, June 7, to arrive in Laredo, Texas on Sunday. Those 50 or so vehicles -- race team, Champion and series haulers -- crossed the border Monday morning and were planned to arrive in Mexico City on Tuesday.

 

On race-day morning at Michigan, Cup Series cars and equipment necessary to compete at Mexico were delivered to the track on reserve haulers. By 8:30 a.m., the haulers were parked and teams began the swap, rolling their Mexico primary cars, backup cars, spare tractor-trailer tires and more to the primary haulers while the Michigan backups were delivered to the reserve haulers. That meant teams' Mexico cars had to be completed and ready for transport before Michigan.

 

“The last two weeks were definitely busier than normal,” Blickensderfer said. “The days off were limited for the road crew. They normally have a Monday off and then come in and work and load on Wednesday night or Thursday at noon. Now, it was come in on Monday all day, work more till 6 at night instead of 4:30 at night. And then on Thursday, show up and work some more to make sure we can get it out.

 

“But they'll be able to get some of that back next week because the Mexico car is gone and maybe get ahead of Pocono, which will ease the next three weeks and kind of get some of that time back.”

 

After the checkered flag at Michigan, the cars that competed were loaded onto the reserve haulers and sent on their way back to North Carolina. The primary haulers -- once cleared of any personal belongings from Michigan -- began their journey southbound before 8 p.m.

 

The Cup convoy was set for a 24-hour drive to Laredo, arriving Monday night before crossing the border Tuesday morning and arriving in Mexico City in the early hours of Wednesday.

 

Unity has been imperative on all fronts. Longtime partners of the sport like Goodyear and Featherlite offered additional support, as did Stepp's Towing Service.

 

“We've had so many folks who are a part of the industry who have been so helpful, who stood up and said, ‘Hey, how can we assist?'” Bryant said. “For instance, Goodyear is going to have a mobile maintenance team at our staging area in Laredo. So as we receive trucks from North Carolina and Michigan, if somebody's got a tire issue, anything of that nature, they can fix it right there on-site before we cross the border. Featherlite is making the trip with us. They probably supplied 90-some-odd percent of the trailers that we're hauling down there -- we and the race teams.

 

“If there's an issue, Stepp's Towing (is) actually going to have a recovery vehicle in the very last convoy in case some catastrophic breakdown occurs. They can hook up a trailer and keep on rolling so we can make sure we get everybody to Mexico City. So really great collaboration amongst really important partners to make this happen.”

 

Because of the flashy nature of a traditional hauler -- and dozens traveling together at once -- these trailers tend to draw plenty of attention. Drivers are always prepared for those who want pictures or desire to get up close and personal with the haulers, dolled up with colorful sponsors and schemes visible on the road from afar. But precautions have been made to ensure everyone's safety as well.

 

“I've made a few trips down to Laredo and met with U.S. Customs and Border Protection and with ANAM (the National Customs Agency of Mexico) and coordinated for that crossing,” Bryant said. “They've been just fabulous in trying to help expedite that process to get everyone across the border so we can get down there.”

 

The industry has also been helped immensely by partnering with Rock-It Cargo, a logistics company that specializes in big-time events like Formula One and Taylor Swift's Eras Tour concerts, which accounted for 200 tractor-trailers worth of equipment.

 

This endeavor is guaranteed to be one for the history books. NASCAR's premier series hasn't competed for points outside the United States since 1952 at Stamford Park in Niagara Falls, Ontario, Canada. That will change Sunday afternoon after a months long, exhausting but collaborative effort to see the NASCAR Cup Series and Xfinity Series stars shine on foreign soil.

 

"Knowing that we're delivering NASCAR racing to this entirely new fan base in Mexico City and knowing that all the people back in the states who are fans are going to be watching this, that's really cool," Bryant said. "It really is a historic event. And at some point -- I think probably after we're done and we get that last vehicle back across the border -- I'll be able to take a breath and say, 'Wow, that was cool.' "

 

RFK Racing Roars Back with Season-Best Showing at Michigan

 

June 9, 2025

 

By Holly Cain

NASCAR Wire Service

 

Rightly so, Sunday’s race winner Denny Hamlin celebrated his dramatic victory in Sunday’s FireKeepers Casino 400 at Michigan International Speedway with a huge burnout and even a wink-wink tease to those in the massive crowd who booed the Toyota driver’s clutch win in Detroit.

 

But as significant as Hamlin’s third win of the season was – the 57th of his NASCAR Hall of Fame bound career – the driver that finished runner-up to him had some legitimate reason to feel good too. In fact, Chris Buescher’s entire Roush Fenway Keselowski Racing team took Sunday’s checkered flag with some legitimate good vibes.

 

Buescher’s runner-up finish in the No. 17 RFK Racing Ford was his best showing of the season. And for the first time this year, all three of the RFK Ford Mustangs finished in the top-10 in a race.

 

It was exactly the kind of summer-swing boost the team needed as it heads to toward the final 11 regular season races to set the 16-driver Playoff grid.

 

“That was such a fast Kroger/Heinz Ford Mustang, I really appreciate everybody on this team working so hard to put us in this situation and to have a chance to win," said Buescher, the 2023 Michigan race winner.

 

“I’m disappointed I didn’t get it done. It’s on me. I had a couple different decisions I would love to go back and make and ultimately should have had us ahead of the 11. We were faster on the day and I didn’t do a good enough job. We’ll certainly take the good with it. We certainly need a little bit of good luck or fortune on our side.

 

“It hurts right now, but certainly there’s a ton of positive out of today," he continued. “Our car was so fast here from the time we unloaded off the truck yesterday. I’m certainly proud of that and excited for what we have to come, but there’s a little bit of a sting right now to be that close and miss out.”

 

Although Buescher’s took a self-critical assessment of his day in the immediate moments after climbing out of his car on pit road Sunday, looking at the big picture, Michigan represented a significant step forward for the team.

 

His teammate Ryan Preece finished ninth, the third top-10 in the last four races and sixth of the season. Owner-driver Brad Keselowski finished just behind in 10th-place for his second top-10 of the year – both coming in just the last three weeks, however.

 

“We had a really good car," Keselowski said. “I felt like we had a top two or three car and just didn’t get to see it through. I’m really disappointed.

 

“We kind of crushed ourselves on pit road with the speeding penalty and then having to go around the 45 and the 71. Every time we pitted we would lose a lot of spots. It wasn’t the pit crew’s fault, we just needed a better pit stall. I’m not really sure on the speeding penalty. I felt I was way slow, so getting called fast didn’t really add up, but we had the speed to do a lot more than we did today and I’m disappointed to not get that. Still, we’re reasonably happy with a top 10.”

 

The difference Sunday is that the drivers were disappointed because they were justifiably competitive. And that’s a step forward for a team that carries perpetual and legitimate high expectations.

 

Buescher is currently 14th in the Playoff standings 20 points to the good on the 16-driver Playoff grid. Preece is tied for 16th with Kyle Busch, but holds that final position “to the good” based on a higher race finish this season. Keselowski, whose had a rough start to the year, is ranked 32nd and will likely need a victory in these next 11 races to ensure his chance for a title run.

 

The series now moves to Mexico City for the inaugural race, the Viva Mexico 250 (3 p.m. ET on Amazon Prime, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio) at the world-renowned Autodromo Hermanos Rodriquez road course. And there is reason for RFK to be optimistic.

 

Not only is this a first-time event for the entire field – an equalizer in itself - but Buescher, Preece and Keselowski are proficient road course racers. Buescher is the defending Watkins Glen (N.Y.) International race winner and has six top-five finishes on road or street courses. Preece has a pair of top-10s on road courses and Keselowski has seven top-10s over the course of his championship career.

 

“We’re in this stretch of races where we’ve won at a few of these things," Buescher said. “We’ve run really strong at a lot of others. We’re gonna get in the summer where it’s gonna get hot and we’re gonna start catching a few drivers off guard here or there.

 

“Ultimately, there’s a lot of good racetracks coming up for some good racing for us, selfishly at RFK and probably some good ones for some other teams as well. We’ll see where it all plays out, but I guess, for us, I don’t think we have any racetracks on the schedule that we don’t feel good about. One, it’s fun to have that mindset and not have to head into a race weekend just hoping to get through it, and that comes from fast race cars.”

 

 

Saturday Michigan Notebook
 
June 7, 2025
 
By Holly Cain
NASCAR Wire Service 
 
Chase Briscoe claims third consecutive NASCAR Cup Series pole at Michigan International Speedway
Chase Briscoe claimed his third consecutive NASCAR Cup Series pole position Saturday morning. The Joe Gibbs Racing driver taking top honors at Michigan International Speedway for Sunday’s FireKeepers Casino 400 (2 p.m. ET, Amazon Prime, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).
Briscoe’s No. 19 JGR Toyota turned a lap of 195.514 mph for his fourth pole of the season – just besting Richard Childress Racing’s Kyle Busch, who will start alongside with a lap of 195.317 in the No. 8 Chevrolet. This equals Busch’s best start of the season (also second at Talladega, Ala.).
Briscoe’s work marks the first time a driver has won pole positions at three consecutive races since Hendrick Motorsports’ Kyle Larson did it last April at Richmond, Michigan, and Texas.
“I was surprised truthfully it held on,’’ the 30-year-old Indiana native said of his fast lap. “It was not as easy as I thought it was going to be just holding it wide open. But our Bass Pro Shops has been pretty fast in race trim and I thought we could have been even better.
“It will be nice starting up front and we’ve been able to do that now three weeks in a row but haven’t been able to execute with it, so hopefully third time is a charm and hopefully we can finally get one on Sunday.’’
Briscoe’s Joe Gibbs Racing teammate, Denny Hamlin, was third quickest in the No. 11 Toyota and will start alongside the current NASCAR Cup Series points leader, William Byron in the No. 24 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet. Interestingly, neither of those two championship teams has won on the 2-mile Michigan oval in a decade.
The last win for Hendrick came in 2014 and the last for Gibbs in 2015.
However, Hendrick’s lineup now boasts a three-time Michigan winner in Larson, who scored his career first series victory at the track in 2016 while driving for Chip Ganassi Racing. The 2021 NASCAR Cup Series champion Larson will roll off fifth Sunday alongside another former Michigan winner (2023) Roush Fenway Keselowski’s Chris Buescher. 
“I feel fine, that was an unfortunately part failure there,’’ Larson said, assuring he was okay after flipping his car in a World of Outlaws race Friday night. 
“Felt good there today and held it wide open in qualifying, as did the whole field. 
“Hopefully, we can find a little more turn tomorrow. I think all of us being very similar on speed it will be difficult in traffic so having some turn will be a benefit. That’s our main objective at this point.
“But overall happy to qualify fifth there. That’s honestly a little bit better than I thought we would be. Now we’ll rest up and study and try to be ready for tomorrow.’’
Defending race winner, 23XI Racing’s Tyler Reddick was 12th in qualifying – along with last week’s Nashville race winner, Team Penske’s Ryan Blaney suffering a tire problem in practice. Blaney will roll off 13th.
NOTEBOOK ITEMS:
RFK’S BUESCHER FOR THE WIN
Judging by the past two years, the summer months have been productive for Roush Fenway Keselowski’s Chris Buescher. Last year he earned his only win of the season in September at Watkins Glen. Two years ago, the driver of the No. 17 RKF Ford scored all three of his victories in the summer – back-to-back at Richmond (July 30) and Michigan (Aug. 7), then won again at the end of August at Daytona International Speedway’s regular season finale.
 Heading into this week’s Firekeepers Casino 400 at Michigan, Buescher is the only one among the three RFK drivers ranked above the Playoff cutoff line – 15th in the championship by Playoff standings; six points up on Kyle Busch in that last Playoff position and only eight points up on his RFK teammate Ryan Preece in 17th.
 Buescher is of course hopeful that he can reclaim some of that Michigan magic on the two-miler. He led a race high 52 of 200 laps and beat Martin Truex Jr. by a slight 152-second for his win two years ago. He has only three top 10s in 14 Michigan starts – but two in the last two races (win and sixth last year). It’s not enough to make him over-confident but does give him some optimism heading into the all-important summer months of competition. With points so close, a victory may be the best option to earn a Playoff bid.
 “You can’t depend on points to get you in the playoffs when it’s as tight as it is every week,’’ Buescher said. “I think that’s been our mindset, which means that ultimately wherever we bounce around that [Playoff cutoff] line we’ll be aware of it, but it’s a matter of figuring out how to go win races and we haven’t done that yet. 
 “We’ve not been quite good enough and we’re working on trying to clean up some of the detail work and study a little harder and be better from my end behind the wheel and make it to where we basically lock ourselves in on that side of it and don’t have to have any of that thought in the back of our heads.
 “But I certainly don’t want it to be what we’re sitting here thinking of how can we get two points here, three points there and try and just feel like we can skate our way in. It doesn’t work. Ultimately, you can’t count on that when it comes down to the end.”
 HOCEVAR AND STENHOUSE
In last weekend’s race at Nashville Superspeedway, 22-year-old Carson Hocevar and veteran Ricky Stenhouse Jr. collided on track – ending the day for Stenhouse. But Hocevar was able to rally to a second-place finish – tying his career best showing in the NASCAR Cup Series.
After the race, Stenhouse was understandably riled, but both drivers report that they have spoken, and all is good moving forward even if they don’t necessarily agree on how last week played out.
“Me and him both have the reputation, I guess, of being aggressive at times and everything, so at that one point, we both reminded each other that even with those reputations, we've raced each other very well together, right?’’ the Michigan-native Hocevar said Saturday morning, before practice. “It clashes together. So, yeah, I mean we've had no issues before, as he had said, and I feel like we've had a decent relationship leading up to this.”
Stenhouse told SiriusXM NASCAR Radio this week that he was satisfied with the conversation between the two, “I thought it was productive and, based off his comments, I felt like it was received productive.” 
Hocevar, who qualified 14th for the NASCAR Cup Series race and is also competing in Saturday’s NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series race, seemed at peace with where things sit and conceded he would rather be talking about his No. 77 Spire Motorsports team’s improvement. He’s already had a career best pair of runner-up efforts and also earned three top-10s - half of his full season total last year.
Asked Saturday if he was satisfied to be known for his aggressive driving style – some reporters comparing him to his hero Dale Earnhardt – Hocevar insisted he’s just being himself.
“Everything about me is real… like I'm not trying to play a part, try to fit a role or trying to pretend to be anybody,’’ he said. “But, you know, it's for everybody else to decide on what they get and perceive of me. I know who I am and, you know, ultimately, I want to be known as me and sometimes that leads to comparisons.”
PENSKE FOCUS
Last week’s Nashville race winner, Team Penske’s Ryan Blaney was asked about the relief he felt finally earning that first trophy of the year – and guaranteed Playoff position – after being so close to wins multiple times this season. He insisted nothing would really “change” for his or his team’s approach going forward.
“It’s really nothing different," the 2023 NASCAR Cup Series champion said. “We approach every week trying to win the race and no matter what spot you’re in, whether you’re not locked in on wins or you are. We did a great job last week of finally closing one out and you just try to do it again. 
“A lot of people talk about that. Is there a mindset change when you win and you get locked in? I’ve never really believed that. I’ve always, to me at least and our group, it’s just we prepare every week like you’re trying to win the race, whether you’ve won one, zero or five it’s the same thing.”
BABY WATCH 
Joe Gibbs Racing’s Denny Hamlin remains on “baby watch” for the second weekend. His fiancé, Jordan, is due to give birth to a baby boy – their third child - at any time. Hamlin flew back to his Charlotte-area home following Saturday afternoon qualifying to be with Jordan and will return to Michigan just prior to Sunday’s green flag.
--30--

 

NASCAR Weekend Preview: Michigan International Speedway

 

June 5, 2025

 

By Holly Cain

NASCAR Wire Service

 

From Nashville to the Michigan: Playoff Pressure at Full Speed

 

With Ryan Blaney’s victory last week at Nashville, Team Penske became the first team to land all drivers – including their partner team Wood Brothers Racing – into the 2024 NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs.

 

But it’s Hendrick Motorsports that remains atop the championship standings heading into Sunday’s Firekeepers Casino 400 at Michigan International Speedway (2 p.m. ET on Amazon Prime, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio) – and one of the former series champs in the four-driver Hendrick lineup is hoping to finally secure his place in the upcoming Playoffs with a win.

 

Chase Elliott, the 2020 NASAR Cup Series champion, had a tremendously good start to his career on the two-mile Michigan high-banks scoring runner-up finishes in the first three races he ran there (2016-18). And surprisingly considering that start, the driver of the No. 9 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet has never won at the track. He finds himself, however, primed for a trophy-hoist this weekend.

 

Elliott is the highest ranked driver without a victory this season – fifth in the championship standings with top-10 finishes in half the races (seven). At Michigan International Speedway, he earned an amazing 10 top-10 finishes in his first 11 starts. But he hasn’t had any in the three races afterward – his worst showing 36th in 2023 was a result of being collected in a crash only 34 laps into the race.

 

Mention Michigan to Elliott and his face lights up. It’s absolutely a track where he feels legitimately optimistic to score that first victory of 2025. He is the only driver to finish among the top-20 in all 14 races this season and has the third best average finish (11.5) in the series.

 

“It's always good to go to Michigan and have a good run," Elliott said. “It's certainly changed a lot over the years, just with how the cars have changed. But the race track itself is the most consistent place I've ever seen for a racetrack that has those hard winters.”

 

Elliott’s teammate, the driver of the No. 24 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet, William Byron remains atop the championship standings, extending his lead over teammate Kyle Larson to 48 points. Hendrick Motorsports is the only team to have at least one of their four cars finish in the top-five in all 14 races this year.

 

Larson is tied with Team Penske’s Joey Logano for most wins (three) at Michigan among active drivers, but his last was in 2017.

 

The last four Michigan races have been won by different drivers – three of them in Fords (Chris Buescher, Kevin Harvick and Blaney). The exception is defending race winner, 23XI Racing’s Tyler Reddick in a Toyota. He too is looking for his first victory of the year, after claiming the 2024 regular season title.

 

To that point, the intensity is certainly picking up now that the regular season is more than half-way over. Richard Childress Racing’s Kyle Busch – the 2011 Michigan winner – sits on the Playoff cutoff line in 16th place with five drivers within 13 points of him heading into the weekend.

 

Interesting to note, no Michigan native has ever won at his “home track.” RFK Racing owner/driver Brad Keselowski has three runner-up finishes. Legacy Motor Club’s Erik Jones, who earned his second top-10 of the season last week, has claimed top-10 finishes at Michigan in two of the last three races.

 

Spire Motorsports’ Carson Hocevar is coming off his second runner-up finish this year – tying a career best. He led three laps and finished 10th in his Michigan NASCAR Cup Series debut last year.

 

The top-32 drivers in the standings have qualified for the inaugural “In-Season Challenge” program and the next three races – at Michigan, Mexico City and Pocono – will seed the brackets. The first of five races for the In-Season Challenge is June 28 at Atlanta’s newly renamed, EchoPark Speedway.

 

Practice followed by Busch Light Pole Qualifying gets underway at 9:30 a.m. ET on Saturday (Amazon Prime, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).

 

NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series Returns to Michigan After Four-Year Hiatus

 

The NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series wraps up a busy six consecutive weeks of competition on Saturday afternoon at Michigan International Speedway with the DQS Solutions & Staffing 200 Powered by Precision Vehicle Logistics (Noon ET on FOX, NRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).

 

This marks the first time since 2020 that the series has raced at the two-mile track nestled just outside Detroit. Zane Smith – now a NASCAR Cup Series regular - claimed his first ever win in the Truck Series the last time the trucks raced at Michigan. No current fulltime drivers have won there but plenty have competed there. ThorSport Racing is the only team with a previous win.

 

The track has historically been ultra-competitive, with 15 winners in the last 16 races. And qualifying has shown to be important with the race winner starting 10th or better in the last 11 Michigan races.

 

The season’s four-time race winner, TRICON Garage’s Corey Heim leads the championship standings – extending his advantage to 122 points over McAnally-Hilgemann Racing’s Daniel Hemric. Front Row Motorsports’ Chandler Smith and Hemric’s teammate Tyler Ankrum round out the top four in the driver standings.

 

The last four races coming into Michigan have been won by four different drivers – NASCAR Cup Series regular Carson Hocevar, Smith, Heim and Rajah Caruth, last week.

 

Five of the 10 Playoff positions have been claimed by virtue of a victory with six races remaining to set the final Playoff field. Reigning series champ Ty Majeski is still racing for his first win of the season and sits in that 10th and final transfer position - 48 points up on rookie Giovanni Ruggiero.

 

Practice and Kennametal Pole Qualifying for the race will be Saturday morning beginning at 8 a.m. ET on FS1.

Blaney has victory in his rearview, confidence in his tank

 

June 2, 2025

 

By Holly Cain

NASCAR Wire Service

 

Admittedly, Ryan Blaney considered his victory at Nashville Superspeedway Sunday night almost as much a sigh of relief as it was a rush of celebration. The 2023 NASCAR Cup Series champion has led races and been ranked among the top-10 in the championship points standings all season only to have strange circumstances and just plain bad luck derail his chance at a trophy hoist.

 

He's had five DNFs through the opening 14 races – including three consecutively in March. It’s double the number of any other competitor in the top-15 in the points standings. No one has more in the series.

 

At Homestead-Miami Speedway, Blaney led 124 of the first 207 laps – more than half the race – when his No. 12 Team Penske Ford suffered an engine problem and he had to retire. At Talladega, Ala. and Charlotte he was collected in a crash not of his own doing.

 

Yet, he’s had top-five finishes – TOP-FIVE FINISHES – in all but two of the nine other races that he was able to finish. Sunday night at the 1.33-mile Nashville Superspeedway he was finally given the karmic-green flag to make good on the good effort he gave.

 

And it all bodes well for Blaney and Team Penske as the NASCAR Cup Series moves to Michigan International Speedway for Sunday’s Firekeeper’s Casino 400 (2 p.m. ET on Amazon Prime, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).

 

“It means a lot because it’s just been pretty rocky this year and had a lot of misfortune and a lot of down times, just crappy things happening to us, and it's like, man, what do we got to do to just finish these races or close one out and just kind of things go our way," Blaney said Sunday night.

 

"So, I think that was more -- it's kind of like, I don't want to say relief, but just like, okay, finally nothing crazy happened and we were able to just run our own race and bring the speed and execute and do our job very, very well.

 

“It was nice to finally get in Victory Lane tonight after a rocky start to the year.”

 

Blaney’s work was obviously a personal triumph – marking his eighth season with at least one win in NASCAR’s big leagues – but it also boldly reminded the field that the reigning NASCAR Cup Series championship Penske organization is on top of things. Again.

 

The storied team has won the last three NASCAR Cup Series titles with Logano in 2022, Blaney in 2023 and Logano scoring his third in 2024.

 

And now with the regular season just halfway complete, all three Penske drivers, Blaney, Logano (Texas) and Austin Cindric (Talladega, Ala.) already have victories and therefore Playoff berths - as does Penske’s affiliated team, Wood Brothers Racing with driver Josh Berry (Las Vegas). No other multi-car team has qualified its entire lineup yet.

 

“I've been really proud of Team Penske and the Wood Brothers speed this year so far through the first dozen races," Blaney said. “For the last couple years, we've struggled a little bit kind of getting going before the summer months, and I think we've figured it out come the fall and things like that or late summer.

 

“But I thought we just fired off this year with tons of speed, and was really proud of their efforts over the winter for that and carrying over what we accomplished at the end of last year and bringing it bigger and better at the start of this year.

 

"So, it's great to have everybody with a win and everybody locked in there, and hopefully we can just continue to rack it up. It's nice that we have all the speed and all the teams are working very well together right now. Between myself and the 22, 2, 21, we're all really in sync right now, and that's tough to get when all four teams are really communicating great and we're all playing off each other. That's a really great thing that we have going on at our race shop.”

 

The encouraging news for Blaney is that the next races on tap have been good venues for the 31-year old. This week the series moves to the Michigan two-miler, where Blaney won in 2021. The following week the sport holds its first international points-paying event on the famed Autodromo Hermanos Rodriquez road course in Mexico City, Mexico. And Blaney has positive history at road course debuts, winning the first race at the Charlotte ROVAL in 2018.

 

The sport returns to the U.S. the following week for its annual stop at Pocono (Pa.) Raceway, where Blaney earned his career first victory in 2017.

 

"Michigan is kind of a unique place, but I feel really good about how our kind of mile-and-a-half program has been this year," Blaney said. “It's bigger than a mile-and-a-half, but a lot of the same tendencies as some of the mile-and-a-halves that we go to. So, I'm curious to see where we're going to be at next weekend. The run that we had at Pocono last year was definitely good, getting to Victory Lane there. So, you just hope to keep building off those things. It definitely makes me look forward to next week.

 

“I always try to look forward to the next week, no matter if we win the race or run 35th," Blaney continued. “I always try to close the book Monday morning and move on to next week and look forward to having a shot at winning, running well.

 

“I think it bodes well. Like I said earlier, I think our speed is really good, and that is kind of across short tracks and speedways and mile-and-a-halfs and two miles. So hopefully we can have a good run -- big weekend next weekend for Ford and RP [team owner Roger Penske] being in their backyard.”

 

nascar reviews & NOTEBOOKS

www.nascar.com

Celebrating its 75th Anniversary in 2023, the National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing, LLC (NASCAR) is the sanctioning body for the No. 1 form of motorsports in the United States and owner of 16 of the nation’s major motorsports entertainment facilities. NASCAR consists of three national series (NASCAR Cup Series™, NASCAR Xfinity Series™, and NASCAR Camping World Truck Series™), four regional series (ARCA Menards Series™, ARCA Menards Series East & West and the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour™), one local grassroots series (NASCAR Advance Auto Parts Weekly Series™) and three international series (NASCAR Pinty’s Series™, NASCAR Mexico Series™, NASCAR Whelen Euro Series™). The International Motor Sports Association™ (IMSA®) governs the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship™, the premier U.S. sports car series. NASCAR also owns Motor Racing Network, Racing Electronics, and ONE DAYTONA. Based in Daytona Beach, Florida, with offices in eight cities across North America, NASCAR sanctions more than 1,200 races in more than 30 U.S. states, Canada, Mexico and Europe. For more information visit www.NASCAR.com and www.IMSA.com, and follow NASCAR on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Snapchat (‘NASCAR’).

  

 

 

   nascar cup series

2025 NASCAR CUP SERIES SCHEDULE

Date

Race / Track

Sunday, February 2

Clash (Bowman Gray)

Sunday, February 16

DAYTONA 500

Sunday, February 23

Atlanta

Sunday, March 2

COTA

Sunday, March 9

Phoenix

Sunday, March 16

Las Vegas

Sunday, March 23

Homestead-Miami

Sunday, March 30

Martinsville

Sunday, April 6

Darlington

Sunday, April 13

Bristol

Sunday, April 27

Talladega

Sunday, May 4

Texas

Sunday, May 11

Kansas

Sunday, May 18

North Wilkesboro (All-Star Race)

Sunday, May 25

Charlotte

Sunday, June 1

Nashville Superspeedway

Sunday, June 8

Michigan

Sunday, June 15

Mexico City

Sunday, June 22

Pocono

Saturday, June 28

Atlanta

Sunday, July 6

Chicago Street Race

Sunday, July 13

Sonoma

Sunday, July 20

Dover

Sunday, July 27

Indianapolis

Sunday, August 3

Iowa

Sunday, August 10

Watkins Glen

Saturday, August 16

Richmond

Saturday, August 23

Daytona

Sunday, August 31

Darlington

Sunday, September 7

World Wide Technology Raceway

Saturday, September 13

Bristol

Sunday, September 21

New Hampshire

Sunday, September 28

Kansas

Sunday, October 5

Charlotte Roval

Sunday, October 12

Las Vegas

Sunday, October 19

Talladega

Sunday, October 26

Martinsville

Sunday, November 2

Phoenix (Championship)

 

 
       

 

©2002-2025 MOTOR SPORTS GARAGE PRODUCTIONS,  All Rights Reserved

ALL LOGOS ARE REGISTERED TRADEMARKS OF THE RACING SERIES AND ARE USED FOR EDITORIAL PURPOSES ONLY

ALL PICTURES ARE PROPERTY OF THE RACING SERIES AND ARE USED FOR EDITORIAL PURPOSES ONLY

NO PART OF THE SITE CAN BE COPIED OR REPRODUCED WITHOUT WRITTEN PERMISSION OF MOTORSPORTSGARAGE PRODUCTIONS

This site is dedicated to my dad " Hoot" who introduced me to the great sport of auto racing............. rest in peace  DAD

larry criss....................A true race fan LIKE AN UNCLE TO ME

   gary lee.................auto racing broadcast legend and personnel friend

charlie patterson ............my old friend that supported me when mo one else did

 Carroll Horton .......................................life long friend and indy car owner

Judy Morris.................... a true race fan

todd shafer..............."a rock n roller" with a love for racing!

FOLLOW US on