NASCAR SERIES

Austin Dillon erases last year’s heartbreak, punches ticket to Playoffs

Samuel Corum/Getty Images

By Holly Cain

NASCAR Wire Service

RICHMOND, Va. – Austin Dillon claimed his sixth career NASCAR Cup Series race trophy, earned a 2025 Playoff bid and just as importantly, he enjoyed some sweet redemption in Saturday night’s Cook Out 400 at Richmond (Va.) Raceway.

Dillon led 107 laps on the night, including the final 49 to claim the victory and automatic berth in the 16-driver Playoff field – vaulting from a 25th place position in the championship standings before the green flag to a championship berth at the checkered flag in a clutch effort from the 2018 Daytona 500 winner and his No. 3 Richard Childress Racing team.

It was the most laps Dillon had led all season and marks the third time he’s won a race in the closing weeks of the regular season.

It was a huge statement for Dillon, 35, who won this race last year, but was later ruled ineligible to participate in the Playoffs after receiving a penalty from NASCAR for aggressive driving in the final laps at the historic three-quarter mile Richmond track.

“Man, that feels good, got to thank the good Lord above," said Dillon, who finished a healthy 2.471-seconds ahead of Playoff contender, Hendrick Motorsports’ Alex Bowman, who leaves Richmond now holding the last championship points position with one regular season race remaining next week at the always-unpredictable Daytona International Speedway.

“I really wanted that one," Dillon said after an emotional hug from his brother Ty, who finished 18th on Saturday. “Last year hurt really bad just going through the whole process of it. But this one feels so sweet. Man, I love Richmond.

“God has timing. His timing is the best timing. … It's just so special. Every one of these means so much to me. My grandfather [NASCAR Hall of Fame team owner Richard Childress], for all that he's put up in believing in me, because there's been a lot of ups and downs, could have been easy for him to change the drivers in this 3-car. Today it feels really darn good.”

While encouraged with his strong showing, the runner-up Bowman was also frustrated that lapped traffic in the closing laps impeded him from making more of a final run at Dillon. He now sits in the final Playoff transfer position by 29 points over Roush Fenway Keselowski’s Chris Buescher.

“A couple favors," Bowman responded when asked what more he needed to be able to contend with Dillon. “I sure complained about it on the radio, but that's just part of what we do, so...Vented a little bit, but had a really good Ally-48 [car] in the last run. Just broke the tires off too much in lap traffic. Didn't get any breaks. That made me kind of work the rears harder than I need to.

“Just need to be a little better through there to get to him. I certainly think we had the better car. Unfortunately, didn't get there. [Crew chief] Blake [Harris] and all the guys did a great job. Just came up a little bit short.”

Hendrick Motorsports’ William Byron formally clinched the Regular Season Championship with his 12th-place finish – a huge upward swing in momentum considering he was collected in the race’s only major incident, a 10-car crash on lap 199 of the 200-lap race. He said his No. 24 Chevrolet suffered only some light splitter damage in the incident and was able to regain track position steadily through the night.

“We had honestly some really good runs tonight," said Byron, who claimed his second consecutive Daytona 500 win in this year’s season-opener and has led the points standings for 20 of the first 25 weeks of the season.

“Feels great. Really the best 12th place finish I’ve ever had. We came. In here and just did a solid job. We qualified solid, but this is definitely our toughest race track. We had a solid plan and executed and it feels good. This team has worked hard."

A Team Penske Ford Mustang trio rounded out the top-five finishing positions. Ryan Blaney, the 2023 series champion was third in the No. 12 Team Penske Ford – the first time in his stellar career he’s had a top-five run at Richmond. His teammate, reigning series champion Joey Logano turned in an impressive fourth-place finish in the No. 22 Team Penske Ford after starting last (38th) in the field. And Austin Cindric completed the impressive team effort in the No. 2 Team Penske Ford Mustang.

“I always look at different ways to get around here every time I come back," Penske said of the Richmond oval. “I don't think it's a secret. I struggle really bad here. We work really hard to try to figure out how can we improve, like how can I improve, how can we work on the car to figure out what will mesh.

“Just a big effort by all the 12 boys, big group effort. Definitely think we're creeping up on it. Hopefully we can keep going.”

Hendrick Motorsports’ Kyle Larson, Trackhouse Racing’s Daniel Suarez, Wood Brothers Racing’s Josh Berry – a Penske partner team, Roush Fenway Keselowski Racing’s Brad Keselowski and the hometown favorite, Joe Gibbs Racing’s Denny Hamlin rounded out the top-10.

If there is no new winner at Daytona next week, both 23XI Racing’s Tyler Reddick and Bowman stand to transfer into the Playoffs on points. Reddick, who won the opening stage and led 41 laps early finished 34th, four laps down after his car was hit in tight racing. He is 15th in the Playoff standings, with a 60-point edge above the Playoff cutoff line while Bowman is 16th - 29 points to the good.

Reddick’s 23XI Racing teammate Bubba Wallace, who won at Indianapolis Motor Speedway three weeks ago, led a race best 123 laps and won the second stage, but a pit road mishap derailed his run up front. He finished 28th, two laps down.

Byron’s Hendrick teammate Chase Elliott – Byron’s closest challenger for the Regular Season Championship title and the 15 Playoff bonus points payday – was involved in a 10-car accident mid-race and suffered his first DNF of the season.

“It’s just unfortunate, we had a good start to the race," said Elliott, driver of the No. 9 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet. “We kind of got on the wrong end there in the beginning and lost some track position. We got behind the No. 19 (Chase Briscoe) and got a penalty. I thought we were in a pretty good spot right there. We finally got on some better tires and we were making our way through there well, so I was excited to see where that was going to go, but unfortunately, we didn’t get the chance.”

The incident and Elliott’s 38th-place finish coupled with Byron’s 12th-place run sealed the title for Byron.

The NASCAR Cup Series returns to action next Saturday night under the lights at the iconic Daytona International Speedway in the Coke Zero Sugar 400 (7:30 p.m. ET on NBC, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio). Harrison Burton is the defending race winner. Five of the last seven winners of this race were celebrating their first win of the year.

NASCAR Cup Series Race - Cook Out 400

Richmond Raceway

Richmond, Virginia

Saturday, August 16, 2025

1. (11) Austin Dillon, Chevrolet, 400.

2. (9) Alex Bowman, Chevrolet, 400.

3. (20) Ryan Blaney, Ford, 400.

4. (38) Joey Logano, Ford, 400.

5. (13) Austin Cindric, Ford, 400.

6. (30) Kyle Larson, Chevrolet, 400.

7. (21) Daniel Suarez, Chevrolet, 400.

8. (17) Josh Berry, Ford, 400.

9. (6) Brad Keselowski, Ford, 400.

10. (4) Denny Hamlin, Toyota, 400.

11. (29) Zane Smith, Ford, 400.

12. (14) William Byron, Chevrolet, 400.

13. (19) Chase Briscoe, Toyota, 400.

14. (27) Shane Van Gisbergen #, Chevrolet, 399.

15. (15) Carson Hocevar, Chevrolet, 399.

16. (28) Kyle Busch, Chevrolet, 399.

17. (10) Michael McDowell, Chevrolet, 399.

18. (23) Ty Gibbs, Toyota, 399.

19. (33) Ross Chastain, Chevrolet, 399.

20. (16) Ty Dillon, Chevrolet, 399.

21. (8) Christopher Bell, Toyota, 399.

22. (3) AJ Allmendinger, Chevrolet, 399.

23. (36) Ricky Stenhouse Jr., Chevrolet, 399.

24. (24) Cole Custer, Ford, 399.

25. (31) Todd Gilliland, Ford, 399.

26. (18) Erik Jones, Toyota, 398.

27. (22) Noah Gragson, Ford, 398.

28. (7) Bubba Wallace, Toyota, 398.

29. (32) Corey Heim(i), Toyota, 398.

30. (12) Chris Buescher, Ford, 398.

31. (26) Riley Herbst #, Toyota, 398.

32. (37) Cody Ware, Ford, 397.

33. (35) Jesse Love(i), Chevrolet, 396.

34. (2) Tyler Reddick, Toyota, 396.

35. (1) Ryan Preece, Ford, 396.

36. (34) John Hunter Nemechek, Toyota, 389.

37. (25) Justin Haley, Chevrolet, Accident, 198.

38. (5) Chase Elliott, Chevrolet, Accident, 197.

Average Speed of Race Winner: 94.126 mph.

Time of Race: 3 Hrs, 11 Mins, 14 Secs. Margin of Victory: 2.471 Seconds.

Caution Flags: 5 for 44 laps.

Lead Changes: 24 among 11 drivers.

Lap Leaders: R. Preece 1-58;*. Reddick 59-74;*. Wallace 75-130;R. Preece 131-132;A. Dillon 133-138;*. Reddick 139-163;*. Wallace 164-179;K. Larson 180-183;*. Wallace 184-233;D. Suarez 234;M. McDowell 235-240;*. Wallace 241;A. Dillon 242-291;A. Cindric 292;K. Larson 293;C. Hocevar 294-303;R. Blaney 304-331;A. Dillon 332;R. Blaney 333-339;A. Dillon 340;R. Blaney 341-344;A. Cindric 345;K. Larson 346-349;B. Keselowski 350-351;A. Dillon 352-400.

Leaders Summary (Driver, Times Lead, Laps Led): * Bubba Wallace 4 times for 123 laps; Austin Dillon 5 times for 107 laps; Ryan Preece 2 times for 60 laps; * Tyler Reddick 2 times for 41 laps; Ryan Blaney 3 times for 39 laps; Carson Hocevar 1 time for 10 laps; Kyle Larson 3 times for 9 laps; Michael McDowell 1 time for 6 laps; Austin Cindric 2 times for 2 laps; Brad Keselowski 1 time for 2 laps; Daniel Suarez 1 time for 1 lap.

Stage #1 Top Ten: 45,23,11,3,2,20,12,6,21,99

Stage #2 Top Ten: 23,99,12,3,48,60,77,2,24,5

RFK Racing's Ryan Preece wins the Cup pole for Richmond

Chris Graythen/Getty Images

August 15, 2025

By Holly Cain

NASCAR Wire Service

RICHMOND, Va. – Ryan Preece has delivered in the clutch, claiming the second Busch Light Pole position of his career Friday afternoon at Richmond (Va.) Raceway as he tries to earn a Playoff position with only two regular season races remaining to set the 16-driver NASCAR Cup Series championship field.

It’s certainly a good omen for Preece heading into Saturday night’s Cook Out 400 (7:30 p.m. ET on USA Network, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio) at the three-quarter mile track.

His No. 60 Roush Fenway Keselowski Racing Ford Mustang turned a fast lap of 121.381 mph, edging 23XI Racing’s Tyler Reddick by .087-second. The 34-year-old Connecticut-native Preece last led the field to green in 2023 at another Virginia short track, Martinsville (Va.) Speedway.

“I felt like it was on my bingo card, I’m not sure about everybody else’s,” said a smiling Preece, who currently trails his RFK teammate Chris Buescher by 34 points for the final Playoff points position.

“That Ford Mustang was really sporty. I felt good about it in practice and it showed up for qualifying. We have a great starting spot and tomorrow we’ve just got to go execute and hopefully we can win this race."

“At a place like this I would rather be out front. … I’d rather be the one leading. Tomorrow is about getting out front, getting the clean air and setting my pace."

It was also a particularly good day for the small Kaulig Racing team, whose veteran driver A.J. Allmendinger qualified third fastest for his best career start at the track. Virginia native and hometown favorite, Joe Gibbs Racing’s Denny Hamlin will roll off fourth. Hendrick Motorsports’ Chase Elliott rounds out the top five.

Among those contending for the final three Playoff positions. Reddick needs only gain 30 points Saturday night to finalize his spot. Hendrick Motorsports’ Alex Bowman, who holds a 60-point advantage inside the standings, will start ninth. Buescher, in the 16th and final Playoff points position, qualified 12th.

Thirteen different drivers have claimed Playoff positions with victories this season. A new race winner this week at Richmond or next week in the regular season finale at Daytona International Speedway would leap over Reddick, Bowman and Buescher in the Playoff eligibility.

NASCAR Cup Series championship leader, Hendrick Motorsports’ William Byron qualified 14th. He holds a 42-point advantage on his teammate Elliott for the Regular Season Championship and the 15 bonus points that pays following the Daytona race.

Richard Childress Racing’s Austin Dillon, the defending race winner, will start 11th. His teammate, six-time Richmond winner Kyle Busch will roll off 28th.

Three-time and reigning series champion Joey Logano will start 38th.

NASCAR Cup Series Qualifying - Cook Out 400

Richmond Raceway

Richmond, Virginia

Friday, August 15, 2025

1. (60) Ryan Preece, Ford, 121.381 mph.

2. (45) Tyler Reddick, Toyota, 120.908 mph.

3. (16) AJ Allmendinger, Chevrolet, 120.854 mph.

4. (11) Denny Hamlin, Toyota, 120.822 mph.

5. (9) Chase Elliott, Chevrolet, 120.746 mph.

6. (6) Brad Keselowski, Ford, 120.741 mph.

7. (23) Bubba Wallace, Toyota, 120.649 mph.

8. (20) Christopher Bell, Toyota, 120.622 mph.

9. (48) Alex Bowman, Chevrolet, 120.552 mph.

10. (71) Michael McDowell, Chevrolet, 120.503 mph.

11. (3) Austin Dillon, Chevrolet, 120.396 mph.

12. (17) Chris Buescher, Ford, 120.374 mph.

13. (2) Austin Cindric, Ford, 120.310 mph.

14. (24) William Byron, Chevrolet, 120.208 mph.

15. (77) Carson Hocevar, Chevrolet, 119.995 mph.

16. (10) Ty Dillon, Chevrolet, 119.968 mph.

17. (21) Josh Berry, Ford, 119.915 mph.

18. (43) Erik Jones, Toyota, 119.861 mph.

19. (19) Chase Briscoe, Toyota, 119.760 mph.

20. (12) Ryan Blaney, Ford, 119.745 mph.

21. (99) Daniel Suarez, Chevrolet, 119.739 mph.

22. (4) Noah Gragson, Ford, 119.739 mph.

23. (54) Ty Gibbs, Toyota, 119.718 mph.

24. (41) Cole Custer, Ford, 119.591 mph.

25. (7) Justin Haley, Chevrolet, 119.427 mph.

26. (35) Riley Herbst #, Toyota, 119.427 mph.

27. (88) Shane Van Gisbergen #, Chevrolet, 119.226 mph.

28. (8) Kyle Busch, Chevrolet, 119.053 mph.

29. (38) Zane Smith, Ford, 119.048 mph.

30. (5) Kyle Larson, Chevrolet, 118.985 mph.

31. (34) Todd Gilliland, Ford, 118.812 mph.

32. (67) Corey Heim(i), Toyota, 118.697 mph.

33. (1) Ross Chastain, Chevrolet, 118.655 mph.

34. (42) John Hunter Nemechek, Toyota, 118.302 mph.

35. (33) Jesse Love(i), Chevrolet, 118.260 mph.

36. (47) Ricky Stenhouse Jr., Chevrolet, 118.203 mph.

37. (51) Cody Ware, Ford, 117.662 mph.

38. (22) Joey Logano, Ford, 0.000 mph.

Road-course master van Gisbergen captures Watkins Glen victory

Chris Graythen/Getty Images)

Aug. 10, 2025

By Holly Cain

NASCAR Wire Service

WATKINS GLEN, N.Y. – Shane Van Gisbergen claimed his fourth NASCAR Cup Series road course victory of the season Sunday afternoon and second win of more than 10-seconds on the field … and he made it look effortless.

The 36-year-old New Zealander led a race-best 38 of 90 laps - including the final 17 - at the historic Watkins Glen International in picturesque upstate New York, his No. 88 Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet officially crossing the finish line by 11.116-seconds ahead of Joe Gibbs Racing’s Christopher Bell.

Van Gisbergen, a former Australian SuperCars Series multi-time champion, joins racing legend Dan Gurney in scoring his first five career NASCAR Cup Series victories on road courses and he did it the same weekend as his Trackhouse team announced his multi-year contract extension.

“Good to get that one back,’’ said Van Gisbergen, in a nod to finishing runner-up in this race last year. “What an awesome race. Coming back through (the field after his final pit stop) I had lot of fun.

“The car was just amazing again. Another win. Awesome.’’

“It’s the stuff you dream about right?’’ a smiling Van Gisbergen acknowledged of the important weekend. “I’m just a very lucky guy to get to drive for an amazing bunch of people and just execute. The day just went flawlessly and I really enjoyed it. Thank you everyone.’’

Van Gisbergen, in his first fulltime season at NASCAR’s elite level, has been essentially unstoppable on the road courses. His four victories on the year – also at Mexico City, Chicago and Sonoma, Calif. – gives him that rookie win record and he now ties perennial championship contender Denny Hamlin for most victories in the series this year.

For all intents and purposes, when it comes to this style of racing, his competition judges itself on how close it can come to him.

“I’m thrilled [today] because we’ve been struggling a little bit to find our rhythm,’’ said Bell, who passed Chris Buescher on the final lap to claim the runner-up position. “The cars have been good. Really awesome to have a good day, but frustrated to get our butts kicked by the 88 car doing such a great job. That team has really got it going on.’’

The third-place finish for Buescher, who edged Van Gisbergen for the win at Watkins Glen in 2024, still had a good day as far as his championship chances are concerned. The driver of the No. 17 RFK Racing Ford holds onto the final Playoff position – by 34 points over RFK teammate Ryan Preece – among the 16 drivers currently eligible for the Playoff field.

Two regular season races – at Richmond, Va. and Daytona Beach - now remain.

“Had a fast race car again and definitely took the opportunity to capitalize on some stage points early,’’ said Buescher, who collected 10 important points in winning Stage 1. “Still got back into second [place] there and was making some pretty good headway but just got used up really hard getting by a couple cars to get track position and it fell off pretty hard there at the end.”

Current regular season championship leader, Hendrick Motorsports’ William Byron finished fourth in the No. 24 Chevrolet. That showing coupled with his teammate Chase Elliott’s 26th place finish extended Byron’s lead in the points standings to 42 over Elliott. This marks the first time this season Elliott finished outside the top-20.

Joe Gibbs Racing’s Chase Briscoe finished fifth in the No. 19 JGR Toyota, making a last-lap pass on race polesitter, Team Penske’s Ryan Blaney. Van Gisbergen’s teammate Daniel Suarez was seventh, followed by 23XI Racing teammates Bubba Wallace and Tyler Reddick. Trackhouse’s Ross Chastain rounded out the top-10.

Thirteen drivers have automatic Playoff bids by virtue of a regular season win. Reddick, Hendrick Motorsports’ Alex Bowman and Buescher round out the 16-drivers currently eligible for the Playoffs.

Preece and Richard Childress Racing’s Kyle Busch (-102 points) are just below the cutoff line. A new race winner at the Richmond short track or the Daytona Beach superspeedway, however, could drastically alter the Playoff look.

The NASCAR Cup Series moves to the Richmond (Va.) Raceway for Saturday night’s Cook Out 400 (7:30 p.m. ET, USA Network, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).

NASCAR Cup Series Race - Go Bowling at The Glen

Watkins Glen International

Watkins Glen, New York

Sunday, August 10, 2025

1. (2) Shane Van Gisbergen #, Chevrolet, 90.

2. (9) Christopher Bell, Toyota, 90.

3. (12) Chris Buescher, Ford, 90.

4. (10) William Byron, Chevrolet, 90.

5. (3) Chase Briscoe, Toyota, 90.

6. (1) Ryan Blaney, Ford, 90.

7. (19) Daniel Suarez, Chevrolet, 90.

8. (15) Bubba Wallace, Toyota, 90.

9. (21) Tyler Reddick, Toyota, 90.

10. (4) Ross Chastain, Chevrolet, 90.

11. (18) AJ Allmendinger, Chevrolet, 90.

12. (29) Erik Jones, Toyota, 90.

13. (17) Ryan Preece, Ford, 90.

14. (11) Joey Logano, Ford, 90.

15. (25) Austin Dillon, Chevrolet, 90.

16. (13) Austin Cindric, Ford, 90.

17. (33) Zane Smith, Ford, 90.

18. (8) Carson Hocevar, Chevrolet, 90.

19. (6) Michael McDowell, Chevrolet, 90.

20. (7) Alex Bowman, Chevrolet, 90.

21. (35) Noah Gragson, Ford, 90.

22. (5) Kyle Busch, Chevrolet, 90.

23. (34) Ricky Stenhouse Jr., Chevrolet, 90.

24. (28) Riley Herbst #, Toyota, 90.

25. (22) Denny Hamlin, Toyota, 90.

26. (20) Chase Elliott, Chevrolet, 90.

27. (23) Justin Haley, Chevrolet, 90.

28. (27) Todd Gilliland, Ford, 90.

29. (36) Cody Ware, Ford, 90.

30. (32) Ty Dillon, Chevrolet, 90.

31. (16) Brad Keselowski, Ford, 90.

32. (30) John Hunter Nemechek, Toyota, 90.

33. (14) Ty Gibbs, Toyota, 90.

34. (31) Cole Custer, Ford, 90.

35. (24) Josh Berry, Ford, 90.

36. (37) Katherine Legge, Chevrolet, 89.

37. (39) Josh Bilicki(i), Ford, 89.

38. (38) JJ Yeley(i), Chevrolet, 89.

39. (26) Kyle Larson, Chevrolet, 75.

Average Speed of Race Winner: 101.263 mph.

Time of Race: 2 Hrs, 10 Mins, 39 Secs. Margin of Victory: 11.116 Seconds.

Caution Flags: 3 for 8 laps.

Lead Changes: 8 among 6 drivers.

Lap Leaders: R. Blaney 1-18;C. Buescher 19-23;R. Preece 24;S. Van Gisbergen # 25-36;R. Blaney 37-53;S. Van Gisbergen # 54-62;C. Briscoe 63-68;B. Keselowski 69-73;S. Van Gisbergen # 74-90.

Leaders Summary (Driver, Times Lead, Laps Led): Shane Van Gisbergen # 3 times for 38 laps; Ryan Blaney 2 times for 35 laps; Chase Briscoe 1 time for 6 laps; Brad Keselowski 1 time for 5 laps; Chris Buescher 1 time for 5 laps; Ryan Preece 1 time for 1 lap.

Stage #1 Top Ten: 17,48,60,9,42,47,12,88,19,51

Stage #2 Top Ten: 12,24,20,16,6,35,48,47,54,60

NASCAR Weekend Preview: Daytona International Speedway

August 21, 2025

By Holly Cain

NASCAR Wire Service

Playoff dreams and Daytona chaos collide in Coke Zero Sugar 400

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – And so – again - it will come down to a perpetually thrilling night-time 400-miler at the Daytona International Speedway to finalize the NASCAR Cup Series Playoff field.

Fourteen of the 16 positions are already firmed up by winning drivers this season. The final two championship contenders will be decided in Saturday night’s Coke Zero Sugar 400 regular season finale on the Daytona high-banks (7:30 p.m. ET on NBC, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).

23XI Racing’s Tyler Reddick and Hendrick Motorsports’ Alex Bowman currently hold the final two points positions. Reddick is a strong 89 points up on the cutoff line and Bowman has a reasonable 60-point advantage. Neither driver has ever won a NASCAR Cup Series race at Daytona, although Bowman has a pair of runner-up finishes, the last coming in the 2024 Daytona 500.

For Bowman, in particular, the plan at Daytona is ironically, straightforward.

“Daytona’s always wild," he said. “You never know what’s going to happen, but that’s part of the fun. For us, it’s about staying out of the mess and being there at the end. This is the final race to get locked into the Playoffs, so every point matters."

And of course, all the best laid plans could change with a new winner.

If last weekend’s clutch first win of the season for Richard Childress Racing’s Austin Dillon is any indication, it’s anybody’s guess who will be hoisting a trophy in the track’s iconic Victory Lane.

There have been 16 different winners in the last 17 Daytona summer races – among them, Kyle Busch (2008), Brad Keselowski (2016), Ricky Stenhouse Jr. (2017), Erik Jones (2018), Justin Haley (2019) and Chris Buescher (2023) who are still needing a victory Saturday night to advance into the Playoffs. Count 2021 Daytona 500 winner Michael McDowell on that win-and-in list as well.

Only twice, however, in the elimination format has a driver won the final regular season race to earn the longshot Playoff berth – Dillon in 2022 (at Daytona) and Chase Briscoe in 2024 (at Darlington, S.C.).

“It’s the kind of place where anything can happen and I feel like our car always have better handling here than others," said Stenhouse, who won the 2017 summer race and the 2023 Daytona 500. “We’ve done pretty well at superspeedways this year, so I feel good about our chances. Hopefully we can put ourselves in the right position at the end and give [sponsor] Jack Link’s and all of our fans something to cheer about."

Although Hendrick Motorsports’ William Byron wrapped up the Regular Season Championship last week at Richmond, Va. he has a lot at stake this weekend at Daytona. The two-time defending Daytona 500 winner is trying to become the first driver since former Hendrick teammate, Jimmie Johnson to sweep both Daytona races in a season (2013). Byron scored his first career series win in the 2020 summer race.

Just how unpredictable is Daytona? Consider. … the race winner led 10 laps or less in eight of the last nine Daytona races. … Twelve of the last 17 summer Daytona races have gone into overtime. … The final lead change came in the final three laps in the last eight summer races at Daytona. ... The summer winner hoisted his first trophy of the season in five of the last seven years.

Time to buckle up.

Busch Light Pole Qualifying is Friday at 5 p.m. (truTV, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio). McDowell is the defending pole winner.

Daytona set to shake up Xfinity Playoff picture with three to go

Three more NASCAR Xfinity Series races remain to settle which 12 drivers will advance to this year’s Playoffs and Friday night’s Wawa 250 Powered by Coca-Cola (730 p.m. ET on The CW, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio) has traditionally proven to be anyone’s game.

To that point, current championship leader and season’s winningest driver (six victories) Connor Zilisch is still expected to qualify and start the race. How many laps he does afterward depends on his recovery after breaking his collarbone in a frightening fall off his No. 88 JR Motorsports Chevrolet celebrating his victory in the series’ last race at Watkins Glen, N.Y. two weeks ago.

Zilisch, his JR Motorsports teammate Justin Allgaier and Haas Factory Team’s Sam Mayer are separated by only 34 points in the competition for the regular season title. Zilisch and Allgaier by only nine points out front.

Part-time Joe Gibbs Racing driver Ryan Truex is the defending Daytona race winner, however, he is not entered this weekend. A strong group of notable championship contenders join him in celebrating most recently at the big track – from Richard Childress Racing’s Jesse Love, who won here in February to his teammate Austin Hill, who had won the three previous season-openers and is the series’ all-time drafting track champion (eight wins). Reigning series champ Allgaier won the Fall Daytona race in 2023.

Considering the circumstances – and the history track in general - a new winner at Daytona would not surprise. Last year’s Daytona NASCAR Cup Series summer race winner, Harrison Burton, is certainly eyeing a return to Victory Lane. That victory proved as much to himself as others that he can win when much on the line.

Going into the weekend, eight drivers have secured Playoff positions via a win. JR Motorsports’ Carson Kvapil (-112), Haas Factory Team’s Sheldon Creed (-77), Joe Gibbs Racing’s Taylor Gray (-76) and Burton (-30) claim the points positions beyond the winners list. And Creed, Kvapil and Gray finished third, fourth and fifth, respectively, at Daytona in February.

Just below the cutoff line is Harrison Burton’s cousin Jeb Burton, who has a pair of wins on the sport’s other big track, Talladega (Ala.) Superspeedway. Owner-driver Ryan Sieg is only 38 points out of a transfer position and raced to a fifth-place finish in this race last year.

Of note, Chevrolet has won 14 of the last 16 races at Daytona and already this year has won 20 of the 23 races on the schedule – a record for the series.

Former Daytona NASCAR Cup Series race winners, Justin Haley (No. 11 Kaulig Racing Chevy) and Aric Almirola (No. 19 JGR Toyota) will be competing Friday night as well.

There is no practice this weekend. Kennametal Pole Qualifying takes place at 3 p.m. ET on Friday (The CW App). Current NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series Playoff driver Chandler Smith won the pole position for this race last year and finished second.

NASCAR unveils innovative 2026 schedules for national touring series

August 20, 2025

By Reid Spencer

NASCAR Wire Service

With what we knew about the 2026 NASCAR Cup Series schedule last month, the song “California, Here I Come” might have been an apt anthem for next season.

The release of the full schedule on Wednesday—along with all race dates for the newly entitled NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series and NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series—brought some new competitors into the mix, notably the Robert Johnson classic “Sweet Home Chicago” and “Dover, You’re an All-Star,” to borrow loosely from the Smash Mouth hit of 1999.

The California theme refers, of course, to the July announcement that NASCAR will race on a brand new street course on Naval Base Coronado in San Diego on June 19-21. The 2026 schedule announcement shows a trip the following week to Sonoma Raceway, creating a second West Coast Swing.

After three years on the streets of Chicago, the Cup Series will return to 1.5-mile Chicagoland Speedway in nearby Joliet for its July 4 weekend race. Chicagoland was a staple on the schedule from 2001 through 2019.

And after three years at North Wilkesboro Speedway, the NASCAR All-Star Race will move to Dover Motor Speedway, taking the May 17 date immediately before the Coca-Cola 600 in Charlotte.

Because Dover doesn’t have lights, the first All-Star Race to be run in the Northeast—and the first on a one-mile speedway—will be contested in daylight, barring the unlikely possibility of temporary lighting.

Dover hosting the NASCAR All-Star Race leaves a date open for a points race, which will go to North Wilkesboro on July 19. The legendary 0.625-mile short track hasn’t hosted a race that counts in the Cup standings since Jeff Gordon won there in 1996.

“This is a landmark schedule that demonstrates NASCAR’s continued innovation with a strong mix of beloved venues and exciting new and returning race tracks for race fans from coast to coast,” said Ben Kennedy, EVP, Chief Venue & Racing Innovation Officer.

The 2026 schedule features what could be called an abbreviated Northeast Swing, with the road-course race at Watkins Glen moving to May 10, the week before the All-Star Race at Dover. The Cup Series has never raced at the Glen earlier than July.

In a Zoom video conference with reporters, Kennedy said Chicagoland will need some sprucing up before NASCAR arrives next July, but he anticipates excellent racing on the intermediate speedway.

“If you look at the racing product for our mile-and-a-half tracks with the Next Gen car, they’re second to none on the schedule,” he said. “Mile-and-a-half racing has been some of the best racing we’ve seen every single week.

“We have a little bit of dust to knock off in Joliet before we go there in July of next year, but July 4 weekend of the country’s 250th anniversary, you couldn’t ask for a better location than the Midwest and being in Chicagoland.”

The decision to make North Wilkesboro a points race is one that should resonate throughout the fan base.

“We had about 70 percent of our fans and four out of five 18-to-34-year-olds that asked for North Wilkesboro to move into a points event,” Kennedy said. “So we’re going to move that into July in TNT’s portion of the season, with Dale (Earnhardt) Jr. in the booth, who I know has been a big advocate of turning North Wilkesboro into a points event.”

Weather was a consideration in moving the All-Star Race to Dover in May.

“It is hot and humid at Dover in July, so we wanted to move it closer to its traditional date in May,” Kennedy said. “And it’s also an opportunity for us to change things and move to a new location for the All-Star Race.”

The first six events of the Cup season mirror those of 2025. After the non-points Clash at Bowman Gray Stadium on Feb. 1, the Cup regular season begins with the 68th running of the DAYTONA 500 on Sunday, Feb. 15.

Following the Great American Race, the series will compete on consecutive weekends at EchoPark Speedway (Atlanta), Circuit of The Americas (Austin, Tex.), Phoenix Raceway and Las Vegas Motor Speedway.

The FOX broadcast portion of the schedule concludes with the All-Star Race. Prime Video returns for a five-race stint that starts with the Coca-Cola 600 and ends with the new street course race at Naval Base Coronado.

The five-race TNT segment of the schedule, which includes the well-received In-Season Challenge, begins at Sonoma Raceway and features both the homecoming to Chicagoland and points event at North Wilkesboro before concluding at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

Starting at Iowa Speedway on Aug. 9, after a week off, NBC and USA pick up the coverage for the last 14 races, including all Playoff races culminating with the Championship 4 event at Homestead-Miami Speedway on Nov. 8.

The three elimination races in the Cup Playoffs remain the same (Bristol, Charlotte ROVAL, Martinsville), with Phoenix moving into the Round of 8 and Las Vegas hosting the second race in the Round of 12.

Innovation isn’t confined to the NASCAR Cup Series. Both the CRAFTSMAN Truck Series and O’Reilly Auto Parts will return to Rockingham Speedway for back-to-back races on Easter weekend (Friday, April 3 and Saturday, April 4, respectively), while the Cup Series has the week off.

“I think we saw an incredible fan response with the return of the Rock, coming back last year, really highlighting the drivers in those series…,” said Jusan Hamilton, NASCAR’s Managing Director of Competition Operations.

Both the O’Reilly Auto Parts Series and CRAFTSMAN Truck Series will race at Naval Base Coronado as part of a tripleheader NASCAR weekend.

“With the return of Ram in 2026 to the CRAFTSMAN Truck Series, being able to have them out there in that Southern California market along with the O'Reilly Auto Parts Series, a three-wide weekend…,” Hamilton said.

“I was just out there in San Diego last week meeting with our partners and our folks at the Navy, and the excitement level in the community, even around Coronado, just knowing NASCAR is coming to town next year has been incredible.”

In addition, the Truck Series will compete as part of a doubleheader with the IndyCar Series on the street course in St. Petersburg on Feb. 28. The Trucks also will return to the road course at Lime Rock Park in Connecticut on July 11.

“St. Pete joining IndyCar with the St. Petersburg Grand Prix, that'll be the first street course in the 30-year history of the Truck Series when they race here, so really the first two street courses for the Truck Series will take place in 2026 between St. Pete and San Diego,” Hamilton added.

With Mexico City absent from next year’s schedule, the Cup Series will experience the net loss of one road course, from six to five. Nevertheless, Kennedy says NASCAR remains committed to establishing an international presence.

“Yeah, we'd love to be both north of the border and south of the border in the future and potentially beyond that at some point,” Kennedy said. “We've had a handful of conversations with a few groups north of the border interested in a national series race. We haven't been able to deliver that yet.

“But I would say that is something that we're taking a look at as we think about 2027 and beyond. We have some good relationships up there. I think the good news is we have experience bringing both our O'Reilly Series and our Craftsman Truck Series north of the border with a handful of promoters.

“Nothing to report today, obviously, but something that is high on our consideration set for '27.”

Dillon’s Richmond Win Shakes Up Playoff Picture: Two Spots Remain

August 17, 2025

By Holly Cain

NASCAR Wire Service

RICHMOND, Va. – Austin Dillon’s clutch victory in Saturday night’s Cook Out 400 at Richmond (Va.) Raceway was big in terms of salvaging his season and championship hopes but also indicative of the big moments the NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs have produced. And likely will continue to produce.

The series moves to Daytona International Speedway for Saturday’s regular season finale, the Coke Zero Sugar 400 under the lights (7:30 p.m. ET, NBC, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio). With Dillon’s win, 14 drivers have now earned automatic Playoff berths by virtue of a regular season victory.

Only two more positions need to be firmed up Saturday. Currently 23XI Racing’s Tyler Reddick and Hendrick Motorsports’ Alex Bowman occupy them on points-earned. A new winner at Daytona could change that.

And that’s certainly been the norm of late with racing’s version of the “walk-off home run” coming in the regular season finale two of the last three years - at Darlington (S.C.) Raceway last year (Chase Briscoe) and Dillon at Daytona in 2022.

As Saturday night’s intense 400-lapper in Richmond proved, there’s so much on the line at this point in the season.

“I guess we're just built that way," Dillon said of his No. 3 Richard Childress Racing team’s ability to perform under pressure. “You're never out of the fight kind of deal. My guys really believe me, the pit crew guys I have, they're dogs. They stuck with me through thick and thin when they probably had the opportunity to go to other teams and be more successful.

“They stuck with me. I think we just have a bond that means a lot. … If you ask them, they struggled the first couple pit stops. I didn't notice it. I couldn't figure out why we lost track position the one time. Then they got it together and were clutch when it mattered.”

That’s exactly what the rest of the field will need to do on Daytona’s famously unpredictable high-banks Saturday night.

Reddick had a had a rough outing at Richmond, a mid-race collision forced a night of playing catch-up and he ultimately finished 34th, four laps down to the winner and after taking more than a 100-point advantage into the race now sits only 60 points above the Playoff cutoff line.

“Worst case scenario for us," an obviously frustrated Reddick said after the race.

On the other end of that, Bowman’s runner-up finish at Richmond was a tantalizing single position away from a Playoff berth. But now he also is having to race for his championship-life. He holds 16th place in the championship standings by a slight 29 points - a perilous position should a new winner on the season emerge at Daytona.

“Just got to go to work," Bowman said. “That's all we can do at this point. That's what we've been doing, right? We've been doing a lot of good things. Unfortunately, just one spot short tonight.”

A sizable group of competitors still looking to deliver a last-shot victory Saturday night have won previously at Daytona. And interestingly, neither Reddick nor Bowman are among that group which instead includes Kyle Busch, Brad Keselowski, Ricky Stenhouse Jr., Erik Jones, Justin Haley, Michael McDowell and Chris Buescher.

The Roush Fenway Keselowski Racing driver Buescher held the final points transfer position heading into the Richmond race but was knocked below the cutoff line with a new winner in Dillon.

“Just a bad day, we just weren’t very good," Buescher told FOX Sports following the Richmond race. “Just not competitive enough. We are in a must-win heading into Daytona which is a terrible spot to be in for plate race.

“I know we’ll be fast but so many wild things can happen. We’ve won it before so we’ll certainly re-group from this one and head into that one ready to go.”

Of note, reigning Daytona 500 winner, Hendrick Motorsports’ William Byron clinched the regular season championship at Richmond with his 12th place finish. His closest challenger, teammate Chase Elliott, suffered his first DNF of the season after being collected in a 10-car accident near the halfway mark giving the title to Byron mathematically. The driver of that No. 24 Hendrick Chevrolet not only gets bragging rights and a confidence boost, he gets a 15-Playoff point bonus for his season-long effort. He led the championship standings for 20 of the season’s 25 weeks so far.

Wood Brothers Racing driver Harrison Burton – who is now contending for the NASCAR Xfinity Series championship - is the defending summer Daytona NASCAR Cup Series race winner. With his back-to-back Daytona 500 trophies, Byron has won two of the last three races on the iconic high-banks.

There won’t be any practice this weekend at Daytona. Qualifying for Saturday night’s race is 5:05 p.m. ET on Friday.

Friday Richmond Raceway Notebook

Notebook Items:

NASCAR Playoffs rapidly approaching for those not locked in
Intensity Picking Up
Joey Logano's long memory

August 15, 2025

By Holly Cain

NASCAR Wire Service

NASCAR Playoffs rapidly approaching for those not locked in

RICHMOND, Va. – With two races remaining to settle the 16-driver NASCAR Cup Series Playoff field there are three drivers currently in title contention via points standings. But a new race winner in Saturday night’s Cook Out 400 at Richmond (Va.) Raceway (7:30 p.m. ET, USA Network, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio) or next week in the regular season finale at Daytona International Speedway changes the outlook dramatically.

23XI Racing’s Tyler Reddick holds a 117-point advantage over the cutoff line and would only need to earn 30 points Saturday night to formalize his 2025 Playoff opportunity.

The other two drivers above the Playoff cutoff line include Hendrick Motorsports’ Alex Bowman, who holds a 60-point cushion to the good and Roush Fenway Keselowski Racing’s Chris Buescher, who is only 34 points up on his RFK teammate Ryan Preece. Their other RFK teammate, team co-owner and the 2012 series champion Brad Keselowski is also in need of a victory to claim another title shot.

“I think ideally we would have all liked to have either won by now and kind of locked ourselves in, but when you look at the past however many weeks, 24, to be right there with each other and both of us have penalties. …It’s not like one of us had a penalty and all that, where we’ve been neck and neck," the driver of the No. 60 RFK Racing Ford Preece said of racing his teammate for that last points position.

“I’m just grateful to be a part of this opportunity or to have this opportunity because it’s been a lot of fun.”

“I think Chris and I are both trying to figure out what’s the best strategy for us," Preece continued. “I know crew chiefs Scott (Graves) and Derrick (Finley) are working hard on that. I have really fast race cars and need to go execute great races. If you’re in a position for a green-white-checkered and you have an opportunity to win, when it comes Monday I don’t think about what I should have done different.”

As with Preece, Buescher, driver of the No. 17 RFK Ford tends to have a very easy-going personality. He said he wasn’t surprised either that after two-thirds of the season, that final Playoff position may ultimately come down to RFK teammates.

Keselowski and Buescher have previous wins at both Richmond and Daytona tracks. Keselowski won at Richmond in 2014 and 2020 and the summer Daytona race in 2016. Buescher won at both tracks in 2023.

“We’ve had some really good days and just needed to get the detail right really," Buescher said of finding himself in this tenuous position. He said he genuinely does not spend time worrying or even thinking about it.

“There’s a whole lot of racing that got us to this points and a whole lot of racing left in the year," Buescher said. “It’s a big part of our year and obviously the game we’re playing but it’s not something you’re living in that little tiny box. It’s the same focus every week, figuring out how we can set ourselves up to win a race and be fast. Points come with all that stuff. It’s not that we’re just hyper-focused on it.”

“We plan on us being the new winner, that’s the first priority," he added with a smile.

*INTENSITY IS PICKING-UP

With these final two regular season races at vastly different venues, the three-quarter mile Richmond oval followed by the 2.5-mile Daytona superspeedway next week, most drivers concede the intensity is picking up heading into the 10-race Playoff that starts Aug. 31 at Darlington (S.C.) Raceway. Competitors fully expect more frantic racing, at least as the final laps tick off toward the checkered flag.

New Zealander Shane Van Gisbergen, fresh off a dominating fourth victory of the season last week at the Watkins Glen, N.Y. road course, smiled and acknowledged he is preparing for a more frenetic pace in these final regular season races – his first year competing fulltime in the NASCAR Cup Series.

“I watched the race here last year and I can't believe the lengths people go through to get in," said Van Gisbergen, the driver of the No. 88 Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet who sits second in the Playoff standings. “It's a desperate situation, and it means so much to get in the Playoffs, so I'm certainly glad we're not involved in it, and hopefully won't be involved in it.

“But yeah, I think that's an awesome part of this sport. It creates those storylines and that desperation to win when someone's in that position. There's a lot of people in the bubble and a lot of people needing a win, and hopefully that creates some good but safe racing for the next couple of weeks.”

Virginia-native and five-time Richmond winner Denny Hamlin agreed, although he expects more of a delayed response on the night.

“This [Richmond] is not really a big fashion forward track when it comes to strategy, it is pretty straightforward, especially with the amount of tires that we have, so I don’t really notice a big change in intensity," said Hamlin, driver of the No. 11 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota. “More desperation perhaps. You may see someone mid pack try to take a big swing with their setup trying something just totally out of the box, hoping to hit something, but other than that, I can’t really pinpoint anything, except for at the end of race.

“There is always going to be chatter when you are racing around those that have to win to get in the Playoffs at this point of the season. You just know that those group of drivers are going to be more intense around you and make more aggressive moves and put you in pretty tough spots. That is really where it changes – late race restarts where that is their last and only attempt.”

*LOGANO’S LONG MEMORY

Last year’s Richmond race featured a dramatic overtime ending that ultimately affected the Playoff situation.

Richard Childress Racing’s Austin Dillon won the race that included eight laps of overtime and hard contact between him and Team Penske’s Joey Logano, who was leading after the overtime re-start.

In the days following the race, Dillon was ruled ineligible for the Playoffs because of the aggressive move but allowed to keep the win. And Logano was fined $50,000 for his angry reaction post-race, spinning his tires in front of Dillon’s team’s pit stall.

“It’s a year ago and you’ve got to move forward at some point," Logano said of the frustrating ending to his Richmond race last summer. “Gotta go and get sweet redemption."

Logano a three-time and the reigning NASCAR Cup Series champion is currently 10th in the Playoff standings having claimed a victory at Texas Motor Speedway in May. He’s had only a pair of top-10 finishes in the last five races, but has wins at both this week’s Richmond track (2017) and is the 2015 Daytona 500 champion.

“You’re never where you want to be, you’re always striving for more," said Logano, driver of the No. 22 Team Penske Ford. “I wish we had a few more Playoff points at this point.

“With all that said, been here before and it’s worked out pretty well," he added with a smile. You’re never out of these things. Just have to stay alive and get through the rounds. We’re definitely starting the Playoffs behind the eight-ball, a little behind where we’d like to be, but like I said, pretty much all three championships looked really similar. It’s okay."

High Stakes at Richmond: Cup Series Playoff spots and regular season title on the line

RICHMOND, Va. – There is both recent precedent and high motivation when it comes to the chances of a new winner claiming a Playoff position with only two races remaining in the NASCAR Cup Series regular season to settle the 16-driver championship field.

Just last August, Harrison Burton delivered in the clutch winning at Daytona with two races left to set the Playoff field and Chase Briscoe answered with a walk-off victory the next week in the regular season finale at Darlington.

So much is on the line for Saturday night’s Cook Out 400 (7:30 p.m. ET on USA Network, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio) at the three-quarter mile Richmond oval, nicknamed the “action track.”

Five drivers still without a victory in 2025 have won previously at Richmond, including Richard Childress Racing teammates Kyle Busch (six wins) and Austin Dillon (one win), Roush Fenway Keselowski Racing teammates Brad Keselowski (two wins) and Chris Buescher (one win) and Hendrick Motorsports’ Alex Bowman (one win).

There have been 13 race winners this season to claim the majority of the automatic Playoff bids. Three drivers – 23XI Racing’s Tyler Reddick, Bowman and Buescher – round out the top-16 based on points with Buescher in 16th, holding a 34-point edge on his RFK teammate Ryan Preece.

"Richmond’s always a place I enjoy racing,” said Bowman, who is 15th in the Playoff standings taking a 60-point cushion to the good into Richmond.

“It’s such a unique short track because you have to balance speed with saving your tires over a long run. We’ve had some strong runs there before, and with the Playoff picture so tight right now, every point matters."

Not only is there high drama in determining who claims the final Playoff positions, but the Regular Season Championship – which includes a 15-point Playoff bonus - is also coming down to the wire yet again.

Hendrick Motorsports’ William Byron, a back-to-back Daytona 500 winner, has a 42-point edge on his teammate Chase Elliott coming to Richmond. Neither driver, however, has ever won in the series at Richmond.

This season marks only the second-time in six decades the sport is making just a single visit to the popular Richmond track, which has traditionally served up drama. So, the stakes are high this weekend.

Five of the last eight races at Richmond ended with a pass for the win in the final 10 laps including the last three.

Dillon, the most recent driver to claim a last lap pass for the win - last summer - and his teammate Busch are in must-win situations to earn a Playoff berth.

Richmond is definitely part of Busch’s career highlight reel. His six wins include a visit to Victory Lane in four consecutive seasons (2009-2012). In 38 starts at the track, Busch has completed all but one lap for a total of 14,243 laps. He is the winningest active short track driver in the series with 16 career victories, but is ranked only 17th best on the short tracks driving the current Next Gen car.

Interesting to note, the driver who led the most laps has won all three short track races this season. However, in the last eight Richmond races, the driver who led the most laps has failed to win.

The last three Richmond races have been won by three different manufacturers.

Practice followed by Busch Light Pole Qualifying starts at 4:30 p.m. ET – both sessions available on truTV, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio. Denny Hamlin started on pole last year and finished second.

Richmond heats up under the lights for the NASCAR Trucks Series regular season finale

After 17 races featuring 10 different winners – including seven championship contenders it all comes down to Friday night’s eero 250 at Richmond Raceway (7:30 p.m. ET, FS1, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio) to formally set the 10-driver NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series Playoff field.

Corey Heim and Layne Riggs have each won two of the last four races and come into Richmond riding solid momentum. Heim, the driver of the No. 11 TRICON Garage Toyota Tundra has turned in a season for the ages, winning a series best six races – triple that of any other fulltime competitor – and carries a 178-point advantage over Riggs in the standings, having already clinched the regular season championship weeks ago.

Riggs and his Front Row Motorsports teammate Chandler Smith are the only other multiple-race winners, each collecting a pair of trophies and challenging for that runner-up position to Heim in the standings.

Former NASCAR Xfinity Series champion Daniel Hemric, McAnally Hilgemann Racing’s Tyler Ankrum, Spire Motorsports’ Rajah Caruth and Halmar Friesen Racing’s owner-driver Stewart Friesen are the other drivers with wins this season, although Friesen will not be competing for the driver’s championship after sustaining major injuries in a Modified crash two weeks ago.

That leaves four positions to be decided by the points standings and currently veteran Grant Enfinger, former series champ Ty Majeski, Kaden Honeycutt and Jake Garcia are above the cutoff line. Two-time series champion Ben Rhodes is only 11 points back from Garcia and rookie Giovani Ruggiero is only 21 points behind.

Majeski is the defending race winner. Smith (2022) and Enfinger (2020) also have previous wins at the Richmond three-quarter miler. Smith has a pair of NASCAR Xfinity Series wins at Richmond too.

Practice followed by Kennametal Pole Qualifying is set for 2:05 p.m. ET on Friday – available on FS2. Christian Eckes, who now races fulltime in the NASCAR Xfinity Series is the defending pole-winner. The outside polesitter (Majeski and Smith) has won two of the last three races.

Richmond and Daytona loom large in final Playoff push

August 11, 2025

By Holly Cain

NASCAR Wire Service

WATKINS GLEN, N.Y. – While NASCAR road course racing always presents the potential for dramatic influence on the NASCAR Cup Series championship standings, Sunday’s Go Bowling at The Glen essentially strengthened the stance of those on the upside of the upcoming Playoff grid and further motivated those that will now need a trophy hoist in the remaining two regular season races.

In other words, those that were looking good for Playoff berths before Trackhouse Racing’s Shane Van Gisbergen’s dominating win Sunday remain to the points positive side. And those needing a clutch effort to land a late Playoff position, remain in need of a walk-off win either in Saturday night’s Cook Out 400 at Richmond (Va.) Raceway (7:30 p.m. ET, USA Network, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio) or the next week in the regular season finale at Daytona International Speedway.

Championship leader, Hendrick Motorsports’ William Byron was able to add to his points lead with a fourth-place effort Saturday coupled with his teammate Chase Elliott’s 26th-place finish. It marks the first time Elliott has finished a race outside the top-20 all season and now he trails Byron by 42 points in the run for the Regular Season Championship and it’s 15 Playoff bonus point payout.

On the other side of championship contention, Roush Fenway Keselowski Racing’s Chris Buescher won Stage 1 at Watkins Glen and finished third in the race to take a solid, but still tenuous 34-point advantage on his RFK teammate Ryan Preece for that 16th and final Playoff transfer position. Richard Childress Racing’s Kyle Busch is 102 points behind Buescher and will need a victory for a shot to race for a third career NASCAR Cup Series championship.

“I am really proud of everybody," Buescher said of his No. 17 RFK Ford team’s work under pressure Sunday. “It was great execution all day. We were able to get a stage win there and still in the hunt [for the win] really. I had a couple more laps on my tires and I used the rears up really hard trying to get by a few cars there. At the end of the day, it is a really solid run. We are greedy. We want more.”

The three-quarter mile Richmond track may be just the place for Buescher to secure his Playoff opportunity via win instead of the nerve-wracking points play he’s been navigating. He is one of four drivers still needing a Playoff position that have won previously at both Richmond and the Daytona 2.5-mile superspeedway.

Buescher scored wins at both Richmond and Daytona in summer 2023. Busch, driver of the No. 8 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet won the 2008 summer race at Daytona and has six Richmond wins including the 2018 two-race sweep and an incredible streak of four straight spring trophies from 2009-2012.

Busch’s teammate, Austin Dillon is the defending Richmond race winner and the driver of the No. 3 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet has a pair of wins at Daytona including the 2016 Daytona 500 and the summer race in 2022.

Buescher’s team co-owner and driving teammate Brad Keselowski is the only other driver currently racing for a Playoff position to have victories at both tracks. The driver of the No. 6 RFK Racing Ford won the summer races at Richmond in 2014 and 2020 and the summer race at Daytona in 2016.

Apart from Buescher who still holds that final 16th place points position, the other three – Busch, Dillon and Keselowski - need to win one of these two races to move into Playoff contention.

“A win is the way to guarantee your way in but this year we have to be aware of our [points] bubble," Buescher said. “As much as I hate to admit that, it is where we have found ourselves. For us, this weekend, we want to get on track and have really, really solid speed and say ‘let’s focus’.

“I think where you maybe take a step back and start thinking about the point side more specifically than the race win is through any adversity on the day. When your chance of winning has diminished then maybe there is a Plan B that’s probably more thought through than maybe it would have been several months ago for us.”

Others with a strong resume at Daytona as the regular season concludes are Spire Motorsports teammates Justin Haley (2012-summer) and Michael McDowell (2021 Daytona 500), Legacy Motor Club’s Erik Jones (2018-summer) and HYAK Motorsports’ Ricky Stenhouse Jr. (2016 Daytona 500 and 2022-summer).

“I’ve won at all these [upcoming] places and one of my best tracks is Richmond and I’d guess Daytona is probably our best shot as crazy as that sounds with thirty other guys having that their best shot at winning that race too," Busch said of his chances as the regular season closes out. “The RCR package has been really fast their over the years and we’ve been really good at having some good runs and coming oh so close to winning."

The last three years, a driver has won his way into the Playoffs with a victory in the final pair of regular season races.

Practice followed by qualifying for the Cook Out 400 at Richmond starts Friday at 4:30 p.m. ET (truTV, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).

Saturday Watkins Glen Notebook

Aug. 9, 2025

By Holly Cain

NASCAR Wire Service

PLAYOFF-BOUND SVG SIGNS EXTENSION WITH TRACKHOUSE RACING

WATKINS GLEN, N.Y. --Shane Van Gisbergen and Trackhouse Racing team owner Justin Marks met with the media Saturday morning to address the team’s contract extension with the former Australian Supercars champion and current NASCAR Cup Series Playoff-bound driver.

Van Gisbergen, who has three road course wins this season, is an easy “favorite” for both the weekend’s NASCAR Xfinity Series’ Mission 200 at The Glen and Sunday’s NASCAR Cup Series’ Go Bowling at The Glen. The New Zealander is one win away from tying Australian Marcos Ambrose's mark of five Xfinity Series wins – most for a foreign-born driver. Van Gisbergen also has four career Cup Series victories – including that historic win in his very first NASCAR start in the Chicago Street Race three years ago.

“This has been a really, really fun project for the company obviously everything happened really quickly. … obviously we have someone who can win anytime on the road courses and winning is so important here at the Cup Serious obviously, but I think what really excites us at Trackhouse is his speed of development on the ovals,’’ Marks said. “His talent and work ethic and showing his progression on the ovals has put our company in the position where we feel excited and comfortable to make a longer term commitment to Shane. We think he’s got an oval win in him in the Cup Series. Things are really starting to come together and gel.”

Van Gisbergen, whose contract length was not disclosed, conceded this first fulltime year in the Cup Series has been a learning process, but emphasized he is excited to extend his stay.

“Just right from the start, I've enjoyed life here and racing every week and the challenge,’’ said Van Gisbergen with a smile. “It was probably time for me to have a new challenge in my career. I've raced Supercars for 15 years or something, so yeah, the timing was just perfect and I don't regret any minute. It's been the most fun I've had in racing for a long time. It's been really cool.”

THE SVG EFFECT

Van Gisbergen was certainly top of mind for most of the competition this weekend. One after another, drivers grinned and shook their head thinking of Van Gisbergen’s road course prowess – fully deeming him a favorite Sunday at the historic 2.45-mile Watkins Glen course.

He won the last three NASCAR Cup Series road course race pole positions coming into Watkins Glen but will start on the outside of the front row after being squeezed out of the top spot by less than a tenth of a second Saturday by Team Penske’s Ryan Blaney.

Van Gisbergen, however, has won the last three road course races and earned his first career berth in the 10-race season championship push that starts in three weeks.

“I really don’t know how to get closer to SVG,’’ said Joe Gibbs Racing’s Chase Briscoe, who has a pair of road course wins in the Xfinity Series (at Indianapolis and Charlotte). “I feel like I can close the gap a little bit but like at Sonoma I felt like I had realistically probably two or three tenths over the entire field but he had eight-tenths to a second over me. I really don’t know what to do different.

“I told SVG it’s really cool how he’s just elevated the whole series to get better at road courses but it is frustrating when you feel like you’re one of the top five to 10 guys but that gap to him is just so much greater than anywhere else in the field. And you don’t really know what to do to get that much closer. He’s just made everybody re-approach how they do road course racing.’’

“He’s just better everywhere. Faster in every corner. It’s just crazy how much more he always has in the bank. He does a really good job at not letting you know how much he’s really got and when he needs to go, he’ll just go.’’

ROAD COURSE A MUST FOR MCDOWELL

Spire Motorsports' Michael McDowell is a renowned road course driver – a favorite every time the series stops at a track with right and left turns. And now with only three regular season races remaining to set the 16-driver Playoff field, the former Daytona 500 winner has found himself in a must-win situation to earn championship eligibility.

The good news is McDowell – a former IMSA driver - is an expert road racer which bodes well for this weekend and certainly with a win in the 2021 Daytona 500, he counts that track (where the regular season ends in two weeks) as another legitimate possibility to win his way into a championship chance.

McDowell comes to Watkins Glen ranked 24th in the points standings – 134 points behind Roush Fenway Keselowski’s Chris Buescher who holds that 16th Playoff position – the final transfer spot.

McDowell has had only one top-10 finish in the last seven races. But he’s scored top-five finishes in two of the four road course races this season – fifth at Mexico City and fourth place most recently at Sonoma, Calif. His two top-10 finishes at Watkins Glen have come in the last three races at the historic track.

“It’s do or die for sure,’’ said McDowell, who drives the No. 71 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet. “Yes, we have more opportunities. We can go to Richmond and run well too, and obviously, Daytona, I feel like we have a shot at it.

“But to me, this is the only way you control your own destiny is to win here. The other two are very tough to execute and have everything go your way, so times winding down, as you guys know, right? And, the pressure always ramps up as the time's winding down, but I've been in the spot before, and, definitely feel confident that our road course programs [are] really good. And if we do our job and we have a fast car and we qualify well today, and we can start up front, we'll have a shot at it.”

HENDRICK TEAMMATES CONTENDING FOR REGULAR SEASON TITLE

William Byron insists he isn’t looking at the points standings more frequently now than he did earlier in the season, instead he’s resigned to the tried-and-true of just putting in his best effort each week.

The driver of the No. 24 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet takes an 18-point advantage over his teammate Chase Elliott into the weekend. Hendrick’s Kyle Larson is only 45 points off the pace – all three reasonable threats for the regular season title.

All three have wins at Watkins Glen. Byron won in 2023, and Larson (2021-22) and Elliott (2018-19) each scored back-to-back trophies here; Elliott’s win in 2018 marking his first career NASCAR Cup Series victory.

“It's on the front of our mind, for sure, during the week,’’ Byron said of the tight competition atop the standings. “I'm sure every driver's guilty of looking at the points right after the race. So yeah, as soon as we get those after the event, we just look at them and are like -- okay, here's where we're at and here's how many points we got this weekend. It’s more before and after the weekend.

“I would say there's very little decision-making during the race that changes because of the points. I think you just try to run the best race that you can, and typically that's how you get the most points.”