All posts by ARP Trish

Felix Rosenqvist leads Honda 1-4 in Portland Qualifying

August 10, 2026 ARP Trish

August 8, 2026 — PORTLAND, OR

Meyer Shank Racing’s Felix Rosenqvist qualifies on pole at Portland International Raceway
Championship leader Alex Palou completes all-Honda front row
Andretti Global teammates Will Power and Marcus Ericsson lock out row two
Kyffin Simpson earns second-career Firestone Fast Six appearance
Honda transfers 10 cars to the Top 12 round of qualifying, from all five Honda-powered teams

It was a banner day for Honda at Portland International Raceway, with Felix Rosenqvist qualifying on pole and leading 10 Hondas in the Top 12 round of NTT INDYCAR SERIES qualifications at the OnlyBulls Grand Prix of Portland.

This is the second pole position for the Meyer Shank Racing driver this season, following a P1 qualifying performance in April at the Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach, where he finished second. Rosenqvist has one win already this season—taking victory in the 110th running of the Indianapolis 500, and will be looking to convert today’s pole position to another win.

Also this weekend at Portland, Felix Rosenqvist’s Indianapolis 500 winning engine made it to 2,000 miles run in the NTT INDYCAR SERIES. The durability of the motor reaching the 2k miles mark is rewarded by the series with a 50-point bonus for Honda in the manufacturers’ championship standings.

Lining up alongside the Swede is championship leader Alex Palou. Palou has won twice before at Portland and already has five wins this season as the Chip Ganassi Racing #10 Honda driver looks for his fifth championship in six years. Currently, the Spaniard holds an 83-point margin over second place in the points.

A pair of Andretti Global teammates locked out row two for Honda, with last year’s Portland winner Will Power qualifying third, just ahead of Marcus Ericsson.

Kyffin Simpson will line up sixth for Chip Ganassi Racing. With the second-youngest driver in the field making his first Firestone Fast Six appearance of the year and the second in his career.

Honda transferred 10 cars into the Top 12 round of qualifying, with all five Honda-powered teams represented. Kyle Kirkwood from Andretti Global was seventh, Graham Rahal of Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing was eighth, Dale Coyne Racing’s pair of Dennis Hauger and Romain Grosjean were 10th and 11th respectively, and Chip Ganassi Racing’s Scott Dixon was 12th.

OnlyBulls Grand Prix of Portland Honda Qualifying Results

1st Felix Rosenqvist
2nd Alex Palou
3rd Will Power
4th Marcus Ericsson
6th Kyffin Simpson
7th Kyle Kirkwood
8th Graham Rahal
10th Dennis Hauger–R
11th Romain Grosjean
12th Scott Dixon
13th Louis Foster
21st Marcus Armstrong
23rd Mick Schumacher– R

Meyer Shank Racing Honda
Chip Ganassi Racing Honda
Andretti Global Honda
Andretti Global Honda
Chip Ganassi Racing Honda
Andretti Global Honda
Rahal Letterman Lanigan Honda
Dale Coyne Racing Honda
Dale Coyne Racing Honda
Chip Ganassi Racing Honda
Rahal Letterman Lanigan Honda
Meyer Shank Racing Honda
Rahal Letterman Lanigan Honda

R – Rookie

Quotes

Felix Rosenqvist (#60 Meyer Shank Racing Honda) qualified first: “Huge thanks to Honda and the Meyer Shank Racing team for their hard work to get me here. That was an interesting one. I think it was super tight in the first two segments, and I feel like I had to risk quite a lot but still not make mistakes. I was glad I got a clean lap there in the Fast Six. It seemed like maybe the others made a mistake because we had a bit of a gap. So, I was kind of surprised. But yeah, I had a great car out there. Huge thank you to the MSR team for working on it all weekend. I wouldn’t say we started in a great spot, but they kept pushing all weekend and now we’re on pole!”

Alex Palou (#10 Chip Ganassi Racing Honda) qualified second: “I’m never disappointed starting second. But it is disappointing that obviously we were that close and I can go back and know exactly where in the lap I lost that tiny amount of time. But, I’m happy with P2. We knew that it was going to be a tough qualifying and very tight up and down the field. We saw that there was going to be a lot of fast cars. So, just being in the fast six was already a good, good step. And being on the front row, a one-two for Honda, it’s great for tomorrow. So, I’m looking forward to tomorrow!”

Felix Rosenqvist leads Honda 1-4 in Portland Qualifying

August 8, 2026 — PORTLAND, OR

Meyer Shank Racing’s Felix Rosenqvist qualifies on pole at Portland International Raceway
Championship leader Alex Palou completes all-Honda front row
Andretti Global teammates Will Power and Marcus Ericsson lock out row two
Kyffin Simpson earns second-career Firestone Fast Six appearance
Honda transfers 10 cars to the Top 12 round of qualifying, from all five Honda-powered teams

A pair of Andretti Global teammates locked out row two for Honda, with last year’s Portland winner Will Power qualifying third, just ahead of Marcus Ericsson.

Kyffin Simpson will line up sixth for Chip Ganassi Racing. With the second-youngest driver in the field making his first Firestone Fast Six appearance of the year and the second in his career.

OnlyBulls Grand Prix of Portland Honda Qualifying Results

1st Felix Rosenqvist
2nd Alex Palou
3rd Will Power
4th Marcus Ericsson
6th Kyffin Simpson
7th Kyle Kirkwood
8th Graham Rahal
10th Dennis Hauger–R
11th Romain Grosjean
12th Scott Dixon
13th Louis Foster
21st Marcus Armstrong
23rd Mick Schumacher– R

R – Rookie

Quotes

David Salters (President, Honda Racing Corporation USA): “That was amazing! I’m so proud of all of our Honda-powered teams and drivers. Pole is amazing, 1-4 is amazing, 10 Hondas in the top 12 is amazing, and all five of our Honda teams making it into the Top 12 is even more amazing. It’s great to see our hard work pay off in speed today in qualifying, but also with durability with Felix’s Indy 500 winning engine making it the full 2,000 miles to give us the bonus points in the manufacturers’ championship. It’s a testament to the incredible jobs that everyone at HRC US and all of our teams do.”

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IRON SHARK: Karter Sarff Conquers I-55 For Fifth Time With Xtreme Outlaw Midgets

August 10, 2026 ARP Trish

PEVELY, MO (Aug. 8, 2026) – Sharks can typically smell blood up to a quarter of a mile away. Some myths say a mile. At I-55 Federated Auto Parts Raceway Park, it’s measured in time.

Twenty-four hours after losing the chance at a win with the Xtreme Outlaw Midget Series presented by Toyota, “The Shark” Karter Sarff smelled blood in the water starting on the pole of Saturday’s 25-lap Feature during the World of Outlaws Ironman 55 weekend.

That hunger turned into determination and grit as he led all but one lap, fending off a battle from his teammate, to score his 11th Xtreme Outlaw victory and fifth at I-55.

“We were really good all week. I love this place,” Sarff said in Victory Lane. “I feel like I have a really good package coming here. Just can’t thank everyone that is a part of Trifecta Motorsports that helps make it happen.”

Sarff, of Mason City, IL, was the high points earner and a favorite to win on Friday night. But a part failure on Lap 1 hindered his chance for another I-55 win as he then had to fight his way from the back once it was fixed. He recovered to finish eighth, a result far from what was expected.

Twenty-four hours later, with a little luck from the invert draw, Sarff found himself on the pole for Saturday’s Feature. Blood was in the water.

Sarff hit the throttle and pulled away from second-place Kyle Jones on the start, sliding his Trifecta Motorsports No. 7U to the wall in Turn 2 and launching away from the field.

Behind him, his Trifecta teammate Kameron Key turned on videogame mode, rolling the bottom to go from eighth to third by the time he exited Turn 2 for the first time. He kept the run going the next lap to get by Jones for second and then planned his own hunt for the lead.

A caution on Lap 3 grouped everyone back together, setting up a Trifecta front row battle. The teammates picked their lanes on the restart – Sarff to the top, Key to the bottom.

Key gave Sarff a quick scare, perfecting the bottom well enough to pull ahead of the No. 7U car after the first circuit back, leading Lap 4. But “The Shark” was territorial. He powered back around Key through Turns 1 and 2 and then dove to the bottom the next lap to steal the lane. The move allowed Sarff to put distance between them and leave Key in a three-way battle for second with Jones and Cullen Hutchison.

While Sarff pulled away, Key was in a constant contest of slide jobs. His battle with Jones was short-lived, but the 14-year-old Hutchison made him work to keep second every lap. Key lost second to the teenager for a couple of laps while the top three drivers battled through traffic with less than 10 laps to go. But Key put an end to the sliderfest with six laps to go and looked to set a course to challenge Sarff.

However, Sarff was already two seconds ahead of him.

“The Shark” swam to the checkered flag and finally got to taste victory again with the Xtreme Outlaw Midgets.

“I felt really good everywhere, besides getting through (Turn) three and out of (Turn) four. You had to catch that real thin strip out of four, and when I hit it good, I knew we were really good, but when you missed it, you just lost a lot of time,” Sarff said. “I was just trying to hit my marks and stay up front. Just super grateful to pull this one off.”

Key crossed the line second, giving Trifecta Motorsports a one-two finish, and earned the Smith Titanium Hard Charger Award for the second straight night.

“I feel like in the Heat Races there everyone was just pounding the top and that’s where you needed to be, but then the Sprint Cars go out there and put 20 more laps on it, and the bottom; the Midget are smaller and we can get lower than the Sprint Cars, so there’s a grip strip right on the bottom there,” Key said. “I knew everyone was going to go shooting to the top, so I said I might as well try it. The seas parted, and to the front we went.

“Karter was just really good on the top, and I was going to stick to the bottom. I thought the top was better, but the bottom was a lot safer. I was just waiting until we got to traffic or if he made a mistake, but he’s a really good race car driver and didn’t make any mistakes. Just a lot of fun, man. I’m so glad to get back here.”

Hutchison, who made his Series debut and I-55 debut this weekend with Chase McDermand Racing, was one of the most impressive drivers all weekend. He won his Heat Race both nights and finished third both nights, making him the current Xtreme Outlaw points leader.

“Yeah, it was a really good weekend. I can’t thank Chase, Drake, Caleb, Kevin, for giving me the opportunity to run this car,” Hutchison said. “We’ve been really good in this car, and I’ve had very strong finishes so far. Hopefully we can keep the momentum going.”

QUICK NOTES
Federated Auto Parts Quick Time: Jacob Denney (13.000-second lap)
Toyota Heat 1 Winner: Kale Drake
TheGreatestStoreonDirt.com Heat 2 Winner: Cullen Hutchison
Smith Titanium Hard Charger: Kameron Key (8th to second)

RESULTS
Feature (25 Laps): 1. 7U-Karter Sarff[1]; 2. 3U-Kameron Key[8]; 3. 40-Cullen Hutchison[3]; 4. 67-Jacob Denney[6]; 5. 97-Gavin Miller[4]; 6. 7TX-Kyle Jones[2]; 7. 4-Kale Drake[5]; 8. 67K-Colton Robinson[7]; 9. 51B-Joe B Miller[13]; 10. 7-Shannon McQueen[9]; 11. 11-Alex Midkiff[11]; 12. 50-Daniel Adler[12]; 13. 7T-Adam Taylor[10]; 14. 4M-Sheldon Males[14]

UP NEXT
The Xtreme Outlaw Midget Series presented by Toyota returns for the World Championship doubleheader at Millbridge Speedway, Monday-Tuesday, Nov. 2-3, serving as the prelude to the World of Outlaws World Finals at The Dirt Track at Charlotte.

IRON SHARK: Karter Sarff Conquers I-55 For Fifth Time With Xtreme Outlaw Midgets

PEVELY, MO (Aug. 8, 2026) – Sharks can typically smell blood up to a quarter of a mile away. Some myths say a mile. At I-55 Federated Auto Parts Raceway Park, it’s measured in time.

That hunger turned into determination and grit as he led all but one lap, fending off a battle from his teammate, to score his 11th Xtreme Outlaw victory and fifth at I-55.

Twenty-four hours later, with a little luck from the invert draw, Sarff found himself on the pole for Saturday’s Feature. Blood was in the water.

Sarff hit the throttle and pulled away from second-place Kyle Jones on the start, sliding his Trifecta Motorsports No. 7U to the wall in Turn 2 and launching away from the field.

A caution on Lap 3 grouped everyone back together, setting up a Trifecta front row battle. The teammates picked their lanes on the restart – Sarff to the top, Key to the bottom.

However, Sarff was already two seconds ahead of him.

“The Shark” swam to the checkered flag and finally got to taste victory again with the Xtreme Outlaw Midgets.

Key crossed the line second, giving Trifecta Motorsports a one-two finish, and earned the Smith Titanium Hard Charger Award for the second straight night.

ARTICLE: https://xtremeoutlawseries.com/recap/iron-shark-karter-sarff-conquers-i-55-for-fifth-time-with-xtreme-outlaw-midgets/

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Felix Rosenqvist leads Honda 1-4 in Portland Qualifying

August 10, 2026 ARP Trish

August 8, 2026 — PORTLAND, OR

Meyer Shank Racing’s Felix Rosenqvist qualifies on pole at Portland International Raceway
Championship leader Alex Palou completes all-Honda front row
Andretti Global teammates Will Power and Marcus Ericsson lock out row two
Kyffin Simpson earns second-career Firestone Fast Six appearance
Honda transfers 10 cars to the Top 12 round of qualifying, from all five Honda-powered teams

A pair of Andretti Global teammates locked out row two for Honda, with last year’s Portland winner Will Power qualifying third, just ahead of Marcus Ericsson.

Kyffin Simpson will line up sixth for Chip Ganassi Racing. With the second-youngest driver in the field making his first Firestone Fast Six appearance of the year and the second in his career.

OnlyBulls Grand Prix of Portland Honda Qualifying Results

1st Felix Rosenqvist
2nd Alex Palou
3rd Will Power
4th Marcus Ericsson
6th Kyffin Simpson
7th Kyle Kirkwood
8th Graham Rahal
10th Dennis Hauger–R
11th Romain Grosjean
12th Scott Dixon
13th Louis Foster
21st Marcus Armstrong
23rd Mick Schumacher– R

R – Rookie

Quotes

Felix Rosenqvist leads Honda 1-4 in Portland Qualifying

August 8, 2026 — PORTLAND, OR

Meyer Shank Racing’s Felix Rosenqvist qualifies on pole at Portland International Raceway
Championship leader Alex Palou completes all-Honda front row
Andretti Global teammates Will Power and Marcus Ericsson lock out row two
Kyffin Simpson earns second-career Firestone Fast Six appearance
Honda transfers 10 cars to the Top 12 round of qualifying, from all five Honda-powered teams

A pair of Andretti Global teammates locked out row two for Honda, with last year’s Portland winner Will Power qualifying third, just ahead of Marcus Ericsson.

Kyffin Simpson will line up sixth for Chip Ganassi Racing. With the second-youngest driver in the field making his first Firestone Fast Six appearance of the year and the second in his career.

OnlyBulls Grand Prix of Portland Honda Qualifying Results

1st Felix Rosenqvist
2nd Alex Palou
3rd Will Power
4th Marcus Ericsson
6th Kyffin Simpson
7th Kyle Kirkwood
8th Graham Rahal
10th Dennis Hauger–R
11th Romain Grosjean
12th Scott Dixon
13th Louis Foster
21st Marcus Armstrong
23rd Mick Schumacher– R

R – Rookie

Quotes

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RINUS VEEKAY QUALIFYING AT THE PORTLAND INTERNATIONAL RACEWAY

August 10, 2026 ARP Trish

Media Resources: Images | Media Advances | Chevrolet Newsroom

CHEVROLET IN THE NTT INDYCAR SERIESOnlyBulls Grand Prix of Portland1.964-mile, 12-Turn Portland International Raceway road coursePortland, OregonSaturday Qualifying ReportAugust 8, 2026 PORTLAND (Aug. 8, 2026) – The field is set for Sunday’s ONLYBULLS Grans Prix of Portland at Oregon’s Portland International Raceway. Rinus VeeKay piloting the No. 76 Juncos Hollinger Chevrolet will lead the Team Chevy contingent starting from the inside of the third row,
Today’s performance landed VeeKay in his second Firestone Fast Six of the season and his second consecutive.
David Malukas put the No. 12 Verizon Team Penske Chevrolet, in the Fast 12 posting the ninth quickest lap.Tune-in for tomorrow’s race is as follows:
Sunday, August 9NTT INDYCAR SERIES Warm Up – 1pm (ET)/ (CT)/7am (MT)/6am (PT) – FS1/INDYCAR Radio Network/SIRIUSXM 218OnlyBulls Grand Prix of Portland (110 laps)– 4pm (ET)/3pm (CT)2pm (MT)/1pm (PT) – FOX/INDYCAR Radio Network/SIRIUSXM 218(CT)/5pm (MT)/4pm (PT) – FS1/INDYCAR Radio Network/SIRIUSXM 218
What They’re Saying – Qualifying – ONLYBULL Grand Prix of PortlandRinus VeeKay, No. 76 Juncos Hollinger Chevrolet qualified 5^th:”We tested here and starting practice one, we were quick right away. We were third that session. But then, this morning in practice 2, everybody kind of started catch up. I think we had to pace for Fast 6, definitely did, but it’s just hard to make it happen. You have to be perfect. Really fun, really good. With this track being this finicky and everything being this close. Really, really good job by the Juncos Hollinger crew, and having AM/PM on the car this weekend is really cool. David Malukas, No. 12 Verizon Team Penske Chevrolet, qualified 9^th:“The Verizon Chevy is really good. We had the speed to transfer to the Firestone Fast Six. The driver just made a few too many, small mistakes. Small mistakes are all it takes at this place where everyone is on top of each other. We’ll take our grid penalty in the morning and start working our way forward.” Scott McLaughlin, No. 3 Sonsio Vehicle Protection Team Penske Chevrolet qualified 14^th: “Just struggled to get a clean track after we went to reds. It’s very tight here and everyone is so close. Feels like maybe a little bit too much time was wasted on getting a gap but you know it can be like that when you come to Portland. We’ve definitely made improvements to the Sonsio Chevy since yesterday so I feel good about tomorrow.” Josef Newgarden, No. 2 Astemo Team Penske Chevrolet qualified 15^th:“I think the car was really good. I mean, plenty good. It’s obviously very tight, as it always is in INDYCAR, more so here than ever. The speeding penalty didn’t help, Just a little too fast coming in there and you can’t make that mistake. So that’s my fault. I didn’t think it was going to throw the rhythm too much, but you know, probably just didn’t get our entire run the way wanted to. We had a great car. The team did a great job. This Astemo Chevy is good, so we’ll be ready to fight tomorrow.” Nolan Siegel, No. 6 NTT DATA Arrow McLaren Chevrolet qualified 16^th:“Very rough start to the whole weekend as a group. We’re just lacking a lot of pace. We made gains from yesterday to today but just not enough. So, we’re going to have a lot of work to do overnight and tomorrow, and we’ll see if we can turn it around.” Pato O’Ward, No. 5 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet qualified 17^th:“Yeah, we’ve been struggling for pace. It’s been very difficult to extract lap time since practice one. We’ve gotten it a little bit more comfortable, but nowhere near where we have to be. Wouldn’t say I’m shocked, considering where we were yesterday, it’s kind of the same realm. I knew it was going to be difficult to transfer, even out of Q1.” Caio Collet, No. 4 Combitrans Amazonia Chevrolet qualified 18^th:“I think so far this weekend we didn’t really extract everything when we put on new tires. I’ve been struggling a little bit to extract the grip and the lap time whenever we put new tires on. I think we’ve been quite competitive with used tires yesterday and this morning. In qualifying, when you need to extract everything from the tire, we just missed a little bit. I think the race will come to us because we were a bit stronger on the used tires and the longevity, so that’s not a bad thing for the race. But definitely, we need to understand how to extract a little bit more from the new tires.” Alexander Rossi, No. 20 ECR Java House Chevrolet qualified 19^th: Christian Rasmussen, No. 21 Splenda Chevrolet qualified 20th: Santino Ferrucci, No. 14 Homes For Our Troops Chevrolet qualified 22nd:“The balance on the prime tire is really good. You make your standard adjustments to go to the reds, and you just expect to pick up grip, and the car balance was just infinitely worse for no reason, I couldn’t put power down. But yeah, it was just an overall nightmare. So a lot of work to do tomorrow for Sunday.”
Sting Ray Robb, No. 77 Juncos Hollinger – Goodheart Chevrolet qualified 24^th: Christian Lundgaard, No. 7 VELO Arrow McLaren Chevrolet qualified 25^th :“Quite disappointed in how our day ended up, considering we seemed to have made progress overnight with our pace. My dash froze when we came in for the tire change midway through Q1, and when we fired up again, my hybrid didn’t work after that. I had to do what I could with the car for the remainder of the session, which obviously wasn’t much without the hybrid functioning. We’ll start from the back tomorrow, which may be tough on this track, but we’re up for the challenge.”

ONLYBULLS Grand Prix Portland – Qualifying Results:

David Malukas (Team Penske) on track at PIR

Rinus VeeKay qualifying at the Portland International Raceway

Media Resources: Images | Media Advances | Chevrolet Newsroom

David Malukas (Team Penske) on track at PIR

Chevrolet history at Portland International RacewayChevrolet wins at Portland International Raceway: 9
2025 – Will Power – Team Penske 2024 – Will Power – Team Penske 2022 – Scott McLaughlin – Team Penske 2019 – Will Power – Team Penske 1993 – Emerson Fittipaldi – Team Penske 1991 – Michael Andretti – Newman Haas Racing 1990 – Michael Andretti – Newman Haas Racing 1989 – Emerson Fittipaldi – Patrick Racing 1988 – Danny Sullivan – Team Penske
Chevrolet poles at Portland International Raceway: 8
2025 – Christian Lundgaard – Arrow McLaren 2024 – Santino Ferrucci – A.J. Foyt Racing 2022 – Scott McLaughlin – Team Penske 2018 – Will Power – Team Penske 1992 – Emerson Fittipaldi – Team Penske 1991 – Emerson Fittipaldi Team Penske 1990 – Danny Sullivan – Team Penske 1988 – Danny Sullivan – Team Penske
Chevrolet podiums at Portland International Raceway: 22
Chevrolet podiums at Portland International Raceway by driver: Emerson Fittipaldi (5), Will Power (4), Michael Andretti (2), Al Unser Jr. (2), Mario Andretti (1), Christian Lundgaard (1), Scott McLaughlin (1), Rick Mears (1), Josef Newgarden (1), Bob Rahal (1), Felix Rosenqvist (1), Danny Sullivan (1) and Paul Tracy (1)
Chevrolet podiums at Portland International Raceway by team: Team Penske (12), Galles Racing (3), Newman Haas Racing (3), Patrick Racing (2), Arrow McLaren (2)
Chevrolet laps led at Portland International Raceway: 854
Chevrolet laps led at Portland International Raceway by driver: Will Power (233), Michael Andretti (203), Emerson Fittipaldi (182), , Scott McLaughlin (109), Danny Sullivan (46), Pato O’Ward (45), Rick Mears (25), Mario Andretti (3), Josef Newgarden (3), Felix Rosenqvist (3), Al Unser Jr. (3), Callum Ilott (1)
Chevrolet laps led at Portland International Raceway by team: Team Penske (488), Newman Haas Racing (206), Patrick Racing (110), Arrow McLaren (46), Galles Racing (3), and Juncos Hollinger Racing (1)

Manufacturer History at Portland International Raceway Wins (with competition):
9 – Chevrolet (2025, 2024, 2022, 2019, 1993, 1991, 1990, 1989, 1988)7 – Honda (2023, 2021, 2018, 2000, 1999, 1998, 1996 4 – Cosworth (1987, 1986, 1985, 1984)2 – Ford (2001, 1992)2 – Mercedes (1997, 1995)1 – Toyota (2002 1 – Ilmor (1994

Poles (with competition):
8 – Chevrolet (2025, 2024, 2022, 2018, 1992, 1991, 1990, 1988)6 – Honda (2023, 2021, 2019, 2000, 1999, 1996)5 – Ford (2001, 1998, 1997, 1995, 1993 4 – Cosworth (1987, 1986, 1985, 1984)1 – Toyota (2002 1 – Ilmor (1995)1 – Porsche (1989)

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CHEVY RACING–NASCAR–IOWA–CARSON HOCEVAR

August 10, 2026 ARP Trish

Carson Hocevar, driver of the No. 77 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet, met with the media in advance of the NASCAR Cup Series practice and qualifying session at Iowa Speedway.

Media Availability Quotes:
Do you allow yourself this year to realistically entertain the possibility of winning the championship, or do you just kind of go, hey we’re ahead of schedule and the most we make of this is fine by me?“Yeah, I mean I think for us, I think it’s an advantage for us that all the Chase races this year are good tracks for us, you know, statistically some of our best, so that’s an advantage. Obviously the Toyota’s are super-fast. Some of these guys that are super good that are obviously favorites, sometimes they take themselves out of it by just trying to get a little bit more, so you want to be next in line if it somehow gets given to you or they have trouble in front of us. Whether it’s three Toyota’s or (Ryan) Blaney, you want to be next in line so you can somewhat maybe take advantage of it. We’re just going to just try and click off as many good races as we can and see where it shakes out. I don’t think any of us are changing anything differently going — okay, now we can win a championship or we can do this or that. It’s like sprint car or dirt racing with the Spire car… they hadn’t won anything, and all of a sudden, they win two-in-a-row. You just get hot at the right times and you can take advantage of it. We’re hoping that guys cool off and we get hot at the right time. You never know.”
What do you think about having Daytona as the cut-off? You’re really secure in where you’re at in your space, but what are your thoughts about that being kind of a wild card? “Yeah, I don’t know. I think it’s great. You know, that 25-point bonus can swing it pretty good for anybody that I’m sure is on the cut. Or even too, just the battle up front, I think it’s 29 points from fifth to 10th. Four stage points here and there, if it’s within 25, a guy can go 10th to almost fifth with one win at Daytona.  So yeah, I don’t know. You know, I think it’s probably just entertaining for the viewer. For me, for how good we are at the superspeedway’s, I kind of wish it was just the first one of the Chase. But yeah, from a fan perspective, I’m sure they enjoy it.”
  The first time you got in a Cup car, just the magnitude of being in a Cup car at that track, how different is it when you’re one of the Cup drivers and you’re lining up at Daytona? ““Yeah, especially for the DAYTONA 500. The 500 is a little different just because it’s always such a cluster of people throughout the day. I just enjoy Daytona because it sets itself apart. I think everybody wants to win there, especially the 500. But even too, the fall race is always a big deal.”
I was walking through the garage this morning and looking at where the Hendrick Motorsports haulers are compared to Spire Motorsports after you leapfrogged the Hendrick drivers at Indianapolis. Obviously, you noticed that. Is it weird? It’s your alliance partner and you’re out-running all of their cars. What’s the dynamic there? “Yeah, it’s great for us (at Spire Motorsports). I think we’ve all noticed it and taken pride in it. Jeff (Dickerson) and Mr. Hendrick are super close. I think it’s probably the first time Jeff can probably rag on Mr. H a little bit, so I’m sure Jeff, knowing him, is soaking all that up not knowing how long this hauler parade might last.  Yeah, it’s just great for us. But also too, Mr. H, Hendrick Motorsports, the Hendrick engine shop, they like seeing us run really well. The pit crew takes a lot of pride in being good because they’re not on the house cars, per se. The engine shop enjoys it, and I know Mr. H does it because he likes to see seven cars, rather than just four, have a shot. I know they look at it, per se, like a seven-car deal because of the close alliance. They just get more shots to, hopefully, win races because they have Hendrick engines in them, Hendrick pit crews and people he employees are on those cars. Jeff is like a son to him.”
In Indianapolis, you mentioned that you were behind the eight ball the whole season. You felt like you could have been fifth already, and then, you jumped up to fifth after the last race. Do you feel as though you earned it just from last race or can you hold it?“Yeah, I feel like we can hold it here. You know, I feel like we’ve been fast everywhere. I think our finishes are higher than our average running position, which is kind of always a telltale sign of maximizing our days. So yeah, I’ve enjoyed it. I still think we have a long way to go to our ceiling here, so that makes me exciting that we’re as fast as we are. I feel like there’s still a long ways to go on our progression here.”
Last year, you mentioned to us numerous times about getting to group two of qualifying. And this year, we’ve seen an over seven position increase on average of just your starting position. Do you contribute that increase as the biggest contributor to what your success has been this year?“Yeah, I mean, when you’re higher in points, the average for sure helps. And when we finish as good as we have this year, that also helps. It just makes life a lot easier for you. You know, I remember we blew up at Charlotte, but then we finished second at Nashville from 28th. I think we were good enough that day, but we needed maybe three seconds to catch (Ryan) Blaney to maybe win that race. You think about your whole day of like, maybe that three seconds could have been attributed if we didn’t start 28th.  So yeah, it just all adds up. You can just see it being up front. It’s tough to pass in theses races, so for us when we’re up front, have better pit stalls and everything, it just makes life a lot easier when we can have smooth, up front days and get a lot of points that people don’t really see. Our season has been kind of built on stage points that just kind of add up.”
As someone that had a lot of success here last year, how excited are you for the announcement of next season’s Fourth of July race and how pumped are you to get back to Iowa around this time next year?“Yeah, it’s great. I think this place already sells out, but hopefully the Fourth of July weekend just adds a little bit of excitement to it. Selfishly, I’m hoping they can somehow change the sprint car race so we can go watch that too during the weekend. I enjoy that while we’re here.  But yeah, I’m excited. The fireworks will be cool over all the cornfields here. Hopefully there’s a cornfield here where I can sneak off and light off some fireworks of my own.”
It’s a crowd that sells out all the time these last couple years. How does that get you and the rest of the racers in the garage juiced up for a race like this out in the Midwest, the pride of the Midwest, that is?“Yeah, I mean, I obviously enjoy the crowd perspective. When it’s full, loud or really anything that just really moves the energy up is always fun for me. So yeah, it just kind of gives this race another kind of fresh element to it with a date change like that. Hopefully, it just gets them even more excited.”
You’ve been really quick in qualifying the last few races. How do you think that can translate over to Sunday? And also, do you think you’ll be able to keep that qualifying hot streak up? “I mean, I hope so. We ran good here (at Iowa Speedway) last year. It seems like we’ve been faster just kind of everywhere we’ve gone lately, from year to year. So yeah, hopefully it just trends up. We were good last year and okay the year before, so hopefully we can kind of excel and keep that going again.”
The stage procedure was announced earlier this week. What are your thoughts on that? “I think it’s good. It’s similar to short-track, late model racing, so I like it. I think it will probably change the game some. It will probably allow for crew chiefs to makes mistakes, maybe flip the field or just catch people off guard. But ultimately, just make the race not predictable and hopefully it just allows for mistakes on the box. I feel like mistakes from either the box or the car tends to kind of always make the racing better.  So yeah, it’s good. I think it’s an improvement. It’s less caution laps, which is good. I found out on X, so I was glad I was looking at my phone that day.”

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Tyler Courtney Brings Clauson Marshall Racing to Remarkable Prelim Victory at 360 Knoxville Nationals KNOXVILLE, IA

August 10, 2026 ARP Trish

Tyler Courtney Brings Clauson Marshall Racing to Remarkable Prelim Victory at 360 Knoxville Nationals KNOXVILLE, IA (August 7, 2026) — Tyler Courtney knew there was only one place to park his Clauson Marshall Racing No. 7BC on Friday night: Knoxville Raceway Victory Lane.

The Indianapolis, IN native brought a special triumph for the team at Xtream powered by Mediacom 360 Knoxville Nationals pres. by Great Southern Bank to honor the memory of Bryan Clauson, who passed away 10 years ago to the day.

“This morning, you start looking through Facebook and remembering what a special person and great person he was,” Courtney said. “I feel like this was a night to win tonight, especially at Knoxville. It’s special, but even more special today. I just wish he was here to see it.”

Brady Bacon and Courtney established the front row for the 20-lap Feature for the American Sprint Car Series, with Bacon taking the early jump for the top spot on the opening circuit around the 1/2-mile facility as Courtney slotted into the runner-up position.

Bacon used the clean air ahead to work up to a 1.5-second bubble over Courtney through the first seven laps until lap traffic appeared in the eyesight of the two frontrunners.

While Bacon kept his Dave No. 31 Sprint Car to the bottom lane, Courtney experimented with the high line as he placed more pressure behind Bacon by cutting the gap to within a car length at the halfway point.

Bacon then utilized the middle lane as Courtney stuck the NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car to the cushion. On Lap 12, Courtney reached the outside of Bacon across the backstretch. As Bacon slipped to the high side in Turns 3-4, Courtney cut to the bottom and took the lead away on the frontstretch.

Courtney used his momentum to run away from Bacon to a 1.2-second lead with five laps remaining. However, the “Macho Man” did not allow Courtney to get away as he made a final attempt to retake the lead by charging back to the rear bumper of the leader.

With three laps left, Bacon got within one tenth of a second of Courtney, but a mistake on the exit of Turn 2 allowed Courtney to cement his place in Victory Lane at 360 Nationals for the first time since he won the event in 2024.

“You have nothing to lose when you’re running second,” Courtney said. “You can go search around and see what works and what doesn’t work. I feel like I got to move around just right before we got to lap traffic and found something that worked for me. Drawing the 73 (pill) wasn’t ideal, but we made the most of it. It was just an awesome car.”

Bacon finished second, and Ryan Timms finished in third to clinch the Pole Position for Saturday’s Championship Feature. Anthony Macri finished fourth, and two-time 360 Nationals champion Brian Brown took a fifth-place result.

The top-20 drivers to earn a spot into Saturday’s Feature include: Timms, Aaron Reutzel, Brown, James McFadden, Courtney, Justin Henderson, Kyle Larson, Gio Scelzi, Macri, Bacon, Chase Randall, Sam Hafertepe Jr, Austin Wood, Daison Pursley, Riley Goodno, Corey Day, Terry McCarl, Ryan Leavitt, Kerry Madsen, and Kyler Johnson.

Recap Notes:

Quick Time Award: Sam Hafertepe Jr (16.352 sec.)

Heat Race Winners: Tyler Courtney, Ryan Timms, Tasker Phillips, Clint Garner, Evan Semerad

C-Main Winner: Kasey Kahne

Last Chance Showdown Winner: Rico Abreu

Hard Charger Award: Tasker Phillips (+12)

UP NEXT: The final night of Xtream powered by Mediacom 360 Knoxville Nationals pres. by Great Southern Bank will begin with a final chance for drivers to lock a position into the 30-lap, $20,000-to-win Feature to complete the 36th edition of the event.

KNOXVILLE INFO

Where can you watch every lap of the American Sprint Car Series? Live on DIRTVision.

RESULTS: Feature (20 Laps): 1. 7BC-Tyler Courtney[2]; 2. 31-Brady Bacon[1]; 3. 10-Ryan Timms[7]; 4. 39M-Anthony Macri[4]; 5. 21-Brian Brown[6]; 6. 1TZ-Tasker Phillips[18]; 7. 2A-Austin Wood[3]; 8. 24-Terry McCarl[9]; 9. 63-JJ Hickle[10]; 10. 26R-Levi Hillier[11]; 11. 15H-Sam Hafertepe Jr[8]; 12. 71P-Parker Price Miller[24]; 13. 14TSR-Rico Abreu[21]; 14. 55-Kerry Madsen[22]; 15. 44X-Scott Bogucki[15]; 16. 45X-Kyler Johnson[5]; 17. 4-Cameron Martin[23]; 18. 59-Evan Semerad[20]; 19. 19-Joel Myers Jr[13]; 20. 40-Clint Garner[19]; 21. 7T-Tyler Lee[17]; 22. 53-Joe Beaver[12]; 23. 2-Whit Gastineau[14]; 24. 95-Matt Covington[16]

Bacon used the clean air ahead to work up to a 1.5-second bubble over Courtney through the first seven laps until lap traffic appeared in the eyesight of the two frontrunners.

Recap Notes:

Quick Time Award: Sam Hafertepe Jr (16.352 sec.)

Heat Race Winners: Tyler Courtney, Ryan Timms, Tasker Phillips, Clint Garner, Evan Semerad

C-Main Winner: Kasey Kahne

Last Chance Showdown Winner: Rico Abreu

Hard Charger Award: Tasker Phillips (+12)

KNOXVILLE INFO

Where can you watch every lap of the American Sprint Car Series? Live on DIRTVision.

ARTICLE:https://ascsracing.com/recap/tyler-courtney-brings-clauson-marshall-racing-to-remarkable-prelim-victory-at-360-knoxville-nationals

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BIG DADDY DUB: Night Before the Ironman Brings Chris Windom First World of Outlaws Win

August 10, 2026 ARP Trish

A frantic final few laps sees Windom hold off Kofoid and Watt for first career Series victory

PEVELY, MO (August 7, 2026) – The tears nearly came pouring out for Chris Windom.

The 35-year-old has accomplished plenty in his racing career, but Friday night at I-55 Federated Auto Parts Raceway Park was different. He’s one of only eight men that can call themselves a USAC Triple Crown champion. But since switching his focus to wings, a victory with the World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Series had eluded him.

Until Friday’s Night Before the Ironman.

“Big Daddy” dominated the 40-lapper in the Sides Motorsports/NOS Energy Drink No. 7S. He sliced his way through heavy traffic on a tricky surface and held off a late charge from both Michael “Buddy” Kofoid and Kelby Watt. Finally, in his 114th career Feature start, Windom became a winner with The Greatest Show on Dirt.

“I don’t even know how to put it into words,” Windom said. “It’s almost getting me emotional. I’ve put so much time into trying to get successful at this and been working at it with Ian (Lyon) and J (Jason Sides) and obviously NOS Energy Drink with Lauren Albano sticking behind me. It’s been a work in progress. I know tonight was kind of perfect circumstances with how wet the track was, but you still had to get through lapped traffic. It was really tough. Everything we did all night helped the car and made it perfect there.”

Windom is the 158th different driver to win a World of Outlaws race in Series history and the 18th different competitor to visit Victory Lane this year. Of the eight USAC Triple Crown winners, Windom is only the second to have their name on the World of Outlaws win list alongside Tony Stewart. It gave Jason Sides his first score as an owner since he wheeled his No. 7S to victory at I-30 Speedway in April of 2016.

Buddy Kofoid threw a last lap slide job on Kelby Watt to secure the second spot and his 21st podium of the year in the Roth Motorsports No. 83.

Kelby Watt’s third place effort gave him his best career World of Outlaws result and first podium with the Series.

David Gravel and Sheldon Haudenschild completed the top five.

NIGHTLY NOTES

David Gravel earned his 16th Race//Ready Hottest Lap of the Night in 2026.

Bill Balog picked up his third Simpson Quick Time of the season in Honest Abe Roofing Qualifying.

Heat Races belonged to Bill Balog (NOS Energy Drink Heat One), David Gravel (Knoxville Bound Heat Two), Emerson Axsom (WIX Filters Heat Three), and Sheldon Haudenschild (Golf Cart Services Heat Four).

The SPA Technique #1 Redraw went to Chris Windom.

Windom also topped the Toyota Dash.

Danny Dietrich won the Micro-Lite Last Chance Showdown.

Logan Schuchart wheeled from 13th to seventh to earn the KSE Racing Hard Charger.

That also made Schuchart the Tub O’ Towels Seventh Place Finisher.

Emerson Axsom was the Five Star Bodies Rookie of the Race.

Logan Schuchart clocked the ACME Trading Company Fast Lap.

The Smith Titanium Brake Systems Break of the Race went to Bill Balog.

UP NEXT: The World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Cars take on the grueling Ironman 55 finale for $25,000-to-win at I-55 Federated Auto Parts Raceway Park on Saturday, Aug. 8. For tickets, CLICK HERE.

Then it’s off to Iowa for the 65th running of the NOS Energy Drink Knoxville Nationals presented by Casey’s on Aug. 12-15. For tickets, CLICK HERE.

Where can you watch every World of Outlaws race? Live on DIRTVision.

Where can you see the World of Outlaws in 2026? Click to see the full schedule.

FEATURE RESULTS:

NOS Energy Drink Feature (40 Laps): 1. 7S-Chris Windom[1]; 2. 83-Michael Kofoid[4]; 3. 1K-Kelby Watt[2]; 4. 2-David Gravel[3]; 5. 18-Sheldon Haudenschild[5]; 6. 41-Carson Macedo[6]; 7. 1S-Logan Schuchart[13]; 8. 45X-Rees Moran[12]; 9. 17-Spencer Bayston[15]; 10. 16C-Skylar Gee[11]; 11. 6DC-Will Armitage[9]; 12. 27-Emerson Axsom[8]; 13. 17B-Bill Balog[7]; 14. 2C-Cole Macedo[17]; 15. 45-Cory Eliason[16]; 16. 37-Bryce Norris[20]; 17. 23-Garet Williamson[10]; 18. 6-Kasey Jedrzejek[14]; 19. 15-Donny Schatz[19]; 20. 51-Steven Snyder Jr[18]; 21. 65-Jordan Goldesberry[22]; 22. (DNF) 8N-Dylan Bloomfield[23]; 23. (DNS) 48-Danny Dietrich; 24. (DNS) W20-Greg Wilson

For complete results, CLICK HERE.

BIG DADDY DUB: Night Before the Ironman Brings Chris Windom First World of Outlaws Win

A frantic final few laps sees Windom hold off Kofoid and Watt for first career Series victory

PEVELY, MO (August 7, 2026) – The tears nearly came pouring out for Chris Windom.

Until Friday’s Night Before the Ironman.

Buddy Kofoid threw a last lap slide job on Kelby Watt to secure the second spot and his 21st podium of the year in the Roth Motorsports No. 83.

Kelby Watt’s third place effort gave him his best career World of Outlaws result and first podium with the Series.

David Gravel and Sheldon Haudenschild completed the top five.

NIGHTLY NOTES

David Gravel earned his 16th Race//Ready Hottest Lap of the Night in 2026.

Bill Balog picked up his third Simpson Quick Time of the season in Honest Abe Roofing Qualifying.

The SPA Technique #1 Redraw went to Chris Windom.

Windom also topped the Toyota Dash.

Danny Dietrich won the Micro-Lite Last Chance Showdown.

Logan Schuchart wheeled from 13th to seventh to earn the KSE Racing Hard Charger.

That also made Schuchart the Tub O’ Towels Seventh Place Finisher.

Emerson Axsom was the Five Star Bodies Rookie of the Race.

Logan Schuchart clocked the ACME Trading Company Fast Lap.

The Smith Titanium Brake Systems Break of the Race went to Bill Balog.

Then it’s off to Iowa for the 65th running of the NOS Energy Drink Knoxville Nationals presented by Casey’s on Aug. 12-15. For tickets, CLICK HERE.

Where can you watch every World of Outlaws race? Live on DIRTVision.

Where can you see the World of Outlaws in 2026? Click to see the full schedule.

FEATURE RESULTS:

For complete results, CLICK HERE.

ARTICLE: https://worldofoutlaws.com/sprintcars/big-daddy-dub-night-before-the-ironman-brings-chris-windom-first-world-of-outlaws-win/

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OVERTON AND RICE SCORE DRAMATIC LAST-LAP WINS FRIDAY NIGHT AT FLORENCE

August 10, 2026 ARP Trish

Overton and Rice Score Dramatic Last-Lap Wins Friday Night at Florence

Overton and Rice Score Dramatic Last-Lap Wins Friday Night at Florence

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HOMETOWN HERO: Missouri’s Joey Wirth Scores First National Midget Win at I-55

August 10, 2026 ARP Trish

PEVELY, MO (Aug. 7, 2026) – On the 20-minute drive from his St. Louis home to I-55 Federated Auto Parts Raceway Park, Joey Wirth wasn’t thinking much beyond just having a fun one-race night with his dad.

A few hours later, he was a first-time national Midget winner with the Xtreme Outlaw Midget Series presented by Toyota.

Wirth has been racing for 17 years with his family by his side, supporting his small budget racing program. No big wins, no big sponsors, just his love for the sport. But that passion was finally rewarded Friday night on one of the biggest stages of the year for Midget racing during the World of Outlaws Ironman 55 weekend.

He showed up to the Xtreme Outlaw Midget Series’ season opener with speed, qualifying second in his group and finishing third in his Heat Race. Then, when the luck of the draw put him on the outside pole for the 25-lap Feature, he made sure to make the most of the opportunity. Wirth fired off into Turn 1 on the opening lap with the might of a raging rocket, blasting to the lead and never looking back.

“This is so cool,” Wirth said in Victory Lane. “We’ve been racing like 17 years. Never won a national race. This is my second race of the year. I live 20 minutes up the road. I mean, what a dream come true. Just me and my dad at the track. Grandpa, uncle, cousins back at home helping us get ready. Just my family, my wife; we have a newborn back at home, I know she’s watching. Just everybody.

“We don’t have sponsors. We have family, and family is what got us here. It feels so good to run up front with all of these guys.”

While he led every lap, his pursuit to victory was still plagued with a few stressors. Three cautions kept eliminating his straightaway lead and bringing Xtreme Outlaw winner Kale Drake back to his rear bumper. The worst of the three occasions occurred with two laps to go.

Drake conjured up his best restart of the night, allowing him to sneak his nose under Wirth going into Turn 1. Wirth stayed ahead down the backstretch and found an unlikely ally in Cullen Hutchison, who began putting pressure on Drake for second at the same time.

With clear lanes all around, Wirth was able to then cruise to a dream win.

“I knew I had to time it perfect to get the run down the front straightaway and get underneath him and push him out of the lane,” Drake said. “There was one preferred lane tonight. With all the rain we had, it made for a narrow racetrack. His car was really good, and they had everything on point tonight, so hats off to them. We’ll just have to be a little better tomorrow night.”

For Wirth, making the most of the track conditions started on Lap 1.

“I definitely prefer a tacky track. This one was in my favor,” Wirth said. “My car wasn’t taking off super well, so I was a little worried on the starts. I know Kale got under me there and I’m just really happy I held him off and beat him going into (Turn) one on the first lap too, to take the lead and control the race.”

On his 20-minute ride back home, he’ll have a lot more to think about now.

“This was actually our only night we planned to race; I was going to go golf and hang out tomorrow, but we might have to reconsider,” Wirth said with a smile in Victory Lane.

QUICK NOTES
Federated Auto Parts Quick Time: Jacob Denney (12.807 second lap)
Toyota Heat 1 Winner: Karter Sarff
DIRTVision Heat 2 Winner: Cullen Hutchison
Smith Titanium Hard Charger: Kameron Key

RESULTS
Feature (25 Laps): 1. 77-Joe Wirth[2]; 2. 4-Kale Drake[3]; 3. 40-Cullen Hutchison[4]; 4. 7TX-Kyle Jones[5]; 5. 67-Jacob Denney[7]; 6. 7-Shannon McQueen[8]; 7. 3U-Kameron Key[14]; 8. 7U-Karter Sarff[6]; 9. 67K-Colton Robinson[10]; 10. 11-Alex Midkiff[11]; 11. 50-Daniel Adler[13]; 12. 97-Gavin Miller[9]; 13. 7D-Michelle Decker[1]; 14. 7T-Adam Taylor[12]; 15. 51B-Joe B Miller[15]; 16. 10D-Daltyn England[16]

UP NEXT
The Xtreme Outlaw Midget Series presented by Toyota returns to I-55 Federated Auto Parts Raceway Park, along with the World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Series, for the Ironman 55 finale on Saturday, Aug. 8. For tickets, click HERE.

How can you watch every lap of the Ironman 55 live? On DIRTVision.

HOMETOWN HERO: Missouri’s Joey Wirth Scores First National Midget Win at I-55

A few hours later, he was a first-time national Midget winner with the Xtreme Outlaw Midget Series presented by Toyota.

“We don’t have sponsors. We have family, and family is what got us here. It feels so good to run up front with all of these guys.”

With clear lanes all around, Wirth was able to then cruise to a dream win.

For Wirth, making the most of the track conditions started on Lap 1.

On his 20-minute ride back home, he’ll have a lot more to think about now.

“This was actually our only night we planned to race; I was going to go golf and hang out tomorrow, but we might have to reconsider,” Wirth said with a smile in Victory Lane.

How can you watch every lap of the Ironman 55 live? On DIRTVision.

ARTICLE: https://xtremeoutlawseries.com/news/hometown-hero-missouris-joey-wirth-scores-first-national-midget-win-at-i-55/

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RINUS VEEKAY DURING FRIDAY PRACTICE AT THE PORTLAND INTERNATIONAL RACEWAY

August 10, 2026 ARP Trish

CHEVROLET IN THE NTT INDYCAR SERIESOnlyBulls Grand Prix of Portland1.964-mile, 12-Turn Portland International Raceway road coursePortland, OregonFriday Practice ReportAugust 7, 2026
PORTLAND (August 7, 2026) –– As history has shown, practice one for the NTT INDYCAR SERIES at Portland International Raceway can produce a bit of chaos as drivers re-adjust to the twists and turns of the flat, short, but very fast track.
Fortunately, for the majority of the Chevrolet powered INDYCAR drivers, there was little calamity, and Rinus Veekay powered his No. 76 Juncos Hollinger Chevrolet to third overall following the three-tier session that comprised practice one. Scott McLaughlin, No. 3 Sonsio Vehicle Protection Team Penske Chevrolet, David Malulas. No. 12 Verizon Team Penske Chevrolet and Josef Newgarden, No. 2 Astemo Team Penske Chevrolet also posted top-nine times today. Pato O’Ward, No. 5 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet, was the victim of the curb and railing of turn one, sending him around off the exit curb. He hustled the car back to pit lane where the team changed the nose, checked the car over, put on new tires and sent him out to finish practice.
Activity resumes Saturday.:Saturday, August 8NTT INDYCAR SERIES Practice #2 – 1pm (ET)/noon (CT)/11am (MT)/10am (PT) – FS1/INDYCAR Radio Network/SIRIUSXM 218NTT INDYCAR SERIES Qualifying – 7pm (ET)/6pm (CT)/5pm (MT)/4pm (PT) – FS1/INDYCAR Radio Network/SIRIUSXM 218

ONLYBULLS Grand Prix Portland – Friday Practice Results:

NTT INDYCAR SERIES News ConferenceFriday, August 7, 2026Scott McLaughlinPress Conference
THE MODERATOR: Wrapping up practice, we’re currently joined by Scott McLaughlin. The 2022 winner here at PIR.
Scott, thanks for joining us. Your thoughts on practice one and the start of the weekend here?
SCOTT McLAUGHLIN: Yeah, hello, everyone. CTHE MODERATOR: Former winner here. You like this place a lot. What is it about it that seems to fit your driving style?
SCOTT McLAUGHLIN: Yeah, I mean, anyplace especially you come to that you won before. I think for me, being able to go to a track that requires a little bit of technicality in terms of braking hard, hairpins. Then you have the fast flowing nature of part of the track as well. It’s a challenge to set up for, a challenge to drive and get completely right. It’s a small lap. Always very tight.
It’s rewarding when you get it right, but it does punish you when you get it wrong. Hopefully we’re on the right end of it and can make it happen. Certainly feels good.
THE MODERATOR: Open it up for questions.
Q. Scott, how important, if at all, is it to have a good weekend here, because there’s four straight after this one?
SCOTT McLAUGHLIN: Look, positive momentum, it’s a real thing in sport. Especially in motorsport. Yeah, we’re sort of looking at from the 3 car side really trying to concentrate on these five weeks as a little mini five-week championship in some ways, and try to do the best we can.
I think the last few races we’ve come on strong as a team, between engineering, driving, on the stand. We’re chomping at the bit to get going this weekend.
Yeah, I think it’s important every weekend to go well, important to get that momentum going. Hopefully, yes, we can start it this weekend.
Q. Do you think that momentum is more important for the end of this year or for when you look ahead to 2027?
SCOTT McLAUGHLIN: I don’t know. It’s such a long off-season that it’s hard. I think the biggest thing is trying to learn as much as you can with your team, prove that we can do this together and work hard.
I really feel like the last month we’ve worked really well as a team. Any momentum’s great. Whether that carries into the off-season, to the preseason, it remains to behold.
Certainly the confidence from a really good end to the year you’ll carry through the whole off-season with all your simulator work, testing, whatever. Hopefully that bodes well for the start of ’27.
Q. All the engineering changes you kind of had this year, what were some of the biggest challenges initially this season? You mentioned this positive last month or so. Are there any kind of specifics that you feel have maybe clicked with this kind of revamped group in these past few months?
SCOTT McLAUGHLIN: Yeah, look, my stand is fantastic. My engineering group is fantastic. I was so confident with them heading into the year. It’s just one of those things that you’ve got to gel regardless. You have all these different tracks. It’s so tough in INDYCAR to be great week in, week out.
For Raul, my engineer, he’s been in sports car for a long time. Hadn’t been in INDYCAR a long time full-time, although he’s done the odd Indy 500 here and there.
Going to Barber, going to a street track, going to a short oval, trying to keep that cadence right and getting the balance right, nailing that in a series that’s so tight as INDYCAR, it’s difficult.
It just took a little bit more time for me maybe to get my terminology about what I wanted with the car and to make it better to him. I think the way he was taking some of my comments maybe was like a little maybe he thought I wanted too much, and he was changing the car a lot. Then I didn’t want it that much. Just trying to manufacture that language that we can both get on top of a few things.
I thought the testing we’ve done was really great. Milwaukee and Mid-Ohio we had some really good tests. The races since Indy, I feel like we’ve all clicked really well.
I’m excited to keep building with this group. Have so much confidence and we’ll keep working.

Q. Scott, I look at your teammate David Malukas being 83 points behind Palou in the championship. You’ve been in those championship fights before. What kind of collective effort do y’all try to make to help prop him up for this closing stretch? What kind of advice do you give David since he’s never been in a situation like this before?
SCOTT McLAUGHLIN: Firstly, one race at a time for everybody. Just take it as it comes, especially in this series these days, how competitive it is.
From a team perspective, yeah, for sure, we want a Penske car to win, regardless if it’s myself, Malukas or Josef. We’re going to be working hard as a team to make that happen. We’ll figure that out as time goes on. That’s always been the mantra here.
Yeah, for him, different championship cars throughout the years in different categories. It’s about trying not to really focus on the points, just worry about execution, the rest will take care of itself.
But it’s hard to beat experience in that spot. He’ll just gain it this year and continued to get better.
Q. Could you see a situation with you and Josef where maybe as a team y’all try to cover a certain way, do strategy a little bit different to try to shake stuff up and take points off Palou to aid David?
SCOTT McLAUGHLIN: I think we always try to make sure a Penske car wins. We always cover all bases. I think you saw that in Nashville. We pitted early. The other guys stayed out. A few other things happened there. You try and cover all the bases to make sure we can at least get one car in front of the 10 or something like that.
We just take that as circumstantial, and that will be decided between the strategists really more than the drivers.
Q. Looking at the six races in the next five weeks, we know there’s a lot of scenarios that come into play. For you as a driver, how hard does this get in terms of your recovery between events, different type of tracks, all those scenarios? That has to put a lot of demand on the back end of the season for you as a driver physically.
SCOTT McLAUGHLIN: I was speaking to Will about it. I’m so excited. I think five weeks straight is awesome. It’s tough for the teams. It’s tough for us overall as a category. But it’s awesome to be racing that much. Part and parcel of our calendar being from March to September and being so tight-knit together.
I’m looking forward to it personally. Yeah, it is tough recovery-wise. Maybe your gym sessions are a little bit less than usual I guess in some ways. It’s nice to be in the seat all the time. Just getting match fit, track fit you could say, being in the race a lot.
Q. Within the series of weeks, you have two brand-new tracks that no one has been to before. That will make a little bit more of a level playing field for everyone.
SCOTT McLAUGHLIN: Yeah, I mean, everyone has seen the track. They’ll get some simulator running. For sure, it’s try to hit the ground running as hard as you can.
We know the Andretti boys are strong on street circuits. DC and Markham, two amazing events we’re going to. I’m really excited. It’s going to be great.
Try to hit the ground running, but know that the normal guys will be up front and hopefully we can stay with them.
THE MODERATOR: Scott, we’ll cut you loose.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

Scott McLaughlin (Team Penske) on track at PIR

Rinus VeeKay during Friday practice at the Portland International Raceway

Media Resources: Images | Media Advances | Chevrolet Newsroom

Scott McLaughlin (Team Penske) on track at PIR

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The ROCK Revival Rejuvenates Southeast Gassers Association 2026 Season

August 7, 2026 ARP Trish

At Knoxville Dragway in late June, with lights ablaze, the rain began to fall along with the light upon the Southeast Gassers Association RAM Clutches Nationals. That moment pushed SEGA drag racing into its summer break, awaiting its completion at the Bowl4Life Foundation Rock Revival at Rockingham Dragway in North Carolina. By the end of the two-race weekend, fans and the track were thrilled by the heads-up, clutch dumping, wheel lifting, and gear jamming action.

Friday action at a Southeast Gassers Association event is usually reserved for test and tune. But at Rockingham Dragway on July 31^st, the first hit at the track in over a decade for SEGA was for a win light as the remaining eliminations for the RAM Clutches Nationals were to be completed. The action in B/Gas round one, which fired up the Friday evening action, along with A/Gas round one, looked like the first hits off the trailer of the backside no-prep action of the great Rockingham series Dig Or Die. By round two, the SEGA competitors got a grip of The Rock and the passes were some of the best of the season thus far.

Competitive highlights for the RAM Clutches Nationals showcased new finalists and winners along with championship implications. The Super Stockers, number one and two in points, paired up in one half of the semi-final matchups. Jerry Dean, the multi-time defending champion and points leader, faced Rob Walden, the number two competitor who won the last SEGA event, defeating Dean. After starting line negotiations involving illuminating staging bulbs, it was Dean advancing to the final. That final would have Tony Nowasadski in his 56’ Chevy Public Enemy Super Stocker waiting for a shot to defeat Dean as only the third driver to appear in a SEGA Super Stock final in 2026. In the Chevy versus Chevy battle, it was Jerry Dean back to winning ways while extending his points lead.

In C/Gas it has been a story of former champions battling it out between the 2024 champ, Todd Oden, and the 2025 champ, Jerren Perdue. They both would win their way to the semi-finals, with the expectation to see them both in the final once again. Jerren Perdue dispatched Randy Kiefer in his Pontiac wagon. Todd Oden dispatched himself by a red light that gave Tony Tatgenhorst the win-light. Tony, in only his second career SEGA final, would have to defeat the defending champ to earn his first career victory. Again in a Chevy versus Chevy battle between wagon and two-door Chevy II varieties, it was Tony Tatgenhorst earning his first SEGA event championship in his Wasted Wages gasser powered by its Ross Racing Engines powerplant.

For B/Gas competitors, the top competition would set the final between two Tennessee natives for the RAM Clutches Nationals that began at Knoxville Dragway. Michael Oden, an Alabamian, did try to stop Ted McKee in the semi-finals, but Ted and the Rocky Top Missile were on target, turning on the win light. The number two qualifier, Charlie Lee, in his Mustang gasser known as Tennessee Charlie, had a bye into the final due to the ladder. In a rematch of the Bama Brawl final at Holiday Raceway, where Charlie Lee won his first outing of the season. This time it was Ted McKee besting Charlie Lee for his third win of the season, starting a streak with back-to-back wins.

The quickest and fastest cars in SEGA are the A/Gas cars, and they have all been chasing Ben Christopher in his Happy Daze Chevy II gasser. In the semi-finals, those doing the chasing were Leslie Horne up against Ken Rainwater and then Greg Stelse in The Joker head-to-head with Ben. Ken Rainwater, the 2025 B/Gas champion, is gaining performance with his A/Gas combination each race, but it wasn’t enough to best multi-time A/Gas champion Leslie Horne. In the Greg and Ben pairing, certainly The Joker is no joke, but it was Ben outdriving Greg to make his fourth straight final of 2026. In another rematch from Holiday Raceway, this time Leslie didn’t red-light, but he still didn’t complete the circuits for the win-light in his lane against Ben, who earned his third straight victory.

Friday night’s test and tune session along with the completion of the RAM Clutches Nationals was just the beginning for SEGA and Rockingham Dragway. On Saturday, August 1^st, the premier gasser organization contested the originally scheduled standalone race in Richmond County, North Carolina, the Bowl4Life Foundation Rock Revival.

Super Stock had three rounds of eliminations on Saturday race day to complete to crown an event champion. Dominator Dean continued his number one qualifying streak that dates back seasons at this point. Jerry marched through the field with a first-round bye, then put Tony Nowasadski on the trailer for the second time for the weekend. In the final, it would be Rob Walden in his Strych 09 Chevy Impala back in the ultimate round, creating the familiar match-up for Super Stock. The familiar theme that has been in Super Stock continued on as Jerry Dean in his Last Rebel II Chevy II won over Rob Walden, who was in the 6.70s while Jerry was able to stop the clocks with a win-light and a 6.38 elapsed time. It is Jerry’s fourth win in 2026.

The C/Gas category saw an upset to the Perdure-Oden stranglehold on the category with Tony Tatgenhorst earning that first SEGA win. The category would continue to see upsets with one side of those dueling former champions. Todd Oden had his woes in qualifying, damaging rear-end components. In his first-round matchup against Heath Adams in the Rusty Bullitt gasser, Todd would have more attrition matters arise with a broken transmission causing him to lose round one. That blew open the door for Jerren Perdue to take a clear points lead in race five, and he capitalized on it to the point of advancing to the final round. The number one qualifier for the category was the winner on Friday, Tony Tatgenhorst. He won his round one match-up against Allen Lovelady, then took his bye run in round two. His semi-final round pitted him and Heath Adams in a rematch of the 2025 Championship Finals final round at Shadyside Dragway, where Heath earned his first SEGA win over Tony. Again, it would be Heath firing true for the win over Tony. In the final, you had Jerren Perdue, the number two qualifier, up against Heath Adam, the number five qualifier. Jerren Perdue, in his Ghost Of Fulton’s Past Chevy II station wagon, continued to haunt the C/Gas competition, defeating Heath with a 6.08ET to a 6.24ET. Jerren has appeared in every final thus far in 2026 and earned his second win to this point in the season at The Rock.

Top competitors in B/Gas are easy to see with Charlie Lee and especially Ted McKee. The top performance continued for Ted McKee, qualifying number one, earning the round one bye, and then rocking on all the way to the final round in dominant fashion. Charlie Lee had noticed the loss of steam with each pass made on the weekend. The second-round matchup he had against Brad Wimberly in the Southern Sizzler would be his last of the weekend and possibly for the entire season, noting significant internal engine damage. Brad would lose in the semi-final round to Daniel Haynes in The Patriot Ford Falcon gasser, making an appearance in his select race capacity. Ford versus Chevy in the final with Ted up against Daniel, the 2024 category champion who is a threat each time he is behind the wheel, no matter the category or car. The former champion launched everything he had at the current points leader, but it wasn’t enough as Daniel drove to a 5.70ET to Ted’s 5.65ET. Ted in the Rocky Top Missile with his Freeman power has the points lead, has stretched it, and looks nearly unbeatable at the moment.

This SEGA fifth race of 2026 may have showcased a turning point in A/Gas drag racing. Ben Christopher certainly has been showcasing immense performance, making every final and having three straight wins. He continued that performance, qualifying number one with a 5.17ET in comparison to second-place qualifier Barry Adler in the Iron Eagle, clocked at a 5.24ET. Ben motored his Happy Daze gasser with Jason Line power through his first-round bye earned by qualifying number one and then past Greg Stelse in round two. His fifth straight final round appearance was in reach, but Ken Rainwater, who took out Greg Porter and Leslie Horne, proceeded to stop the Ben Christopher daze over A/Gas with a hole shot win. Set to face Ken Rainwater in his first A/Gas final was a competitor that is no stranger to A/Gas finals, Kenneth Phillips. He had advanced past Dean Jonas, Quian Stott with a new Falcon gasser dubbed Executioner III, and number two qualifier Barry Adler. This race day showcased that Ben can be stopped outside of the finals, familiar competitors with a new competitive ride, a competitor poised to win with a new combination, and a winning familiar face. Kenneth Phillips in his Corvette gasser, the Silver Streak II, defeated Ken Rainwater in the Instigator Chevy II.

By the end of the double‑feature weekend, fans were treated to drag racing in its purest form—real cars with four-on-the-floor manuals, naturally aspirated engines, and drivers relying on skill rather than electronic aids. That competition and that show is Southeast Gassers Association drag racing, which produced fans wanting more. For SEGA’s first time back to Rockingham Dragway and Richmond County, North Carolina, for the first time in over a decade and the first time earning points as a championship series, it was truly a rocking time for the Bowl4Life Foundation Rock Revival. Expect more for SEGA and Rockingham in 2027.

THE SOUTHEAST GASSERS ASSOCIATION REMAINING 2026 SCHEDULE

8/22 Farmington Dragway – Mocksville, NC.

9/12 Greer Dragway – Greer, SC.

10/9, 10 Gulfport Dragway – Gulfport, MS. (Double Feature)

10/31 Shadyside Dragway – Shelby, NC.

ABOUT SOUTHEAST GASSERS ASSOCIATION DRAG RACING

The ROCK Revival Rejuvenates Southeast Gassers Association 2026 Season

THE SOUTHEAST GASSERS ASSOCIATION REMAINING 2026 SCHEDULE

8/22 Farmington Dragway – Mocksville, NC.

9/12 Greer Dragway – Greer, SC.

10/9, 10 Gulfport Dragway – Gulfport, MS. (Double Feature)

10/31 Shadyside Dragway – Shelby, NC.

ABOUT SOUTHEAST GASSERS ASSOCIATION DRAG RACING

Our mission is to bring back the authentic drag racing from the 1960’s and to put on a show the whole family will love. The 1960’s produced some of the most exciting times in drag racing history and we are doing our best to preserve that time at the track. Our cars represent the gassers of that era as closely as possible. This means exciting wheels up launches, drivers banging gears with their four speeds, as well as the car’s appearance while sitting in the pits. Follow the Southeast Gassers Association on Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, and X.

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SELF-MADE: How Tanner English Conquered Summer Nationals with Home-Built Team

August 7, 2026 ARP Trish

SELF-MADE: How Tanner English Conquered Summer Nationals with Home-Built Team

CONCORD, NC (Aug. 7, 2026) — With one car, one engine and nothing but his own willpower pushing him out into the summer heat, Tanner English has conquered the DIRTcar Summer Nationals.

And the best part? He did it all on his own accord. His talents. His people. His operation.

The 33-year-old from Benton, KY, hoisted the first edition of the Hell Tour’s pitchfork trophy as champion of dirt Late Model racing’s most grueling challenge, becoming the first driver from the “Bluegrass State” to win the Series’ points championship. In 23 Feature starts, English tallied four wins, 19 top fives and 21 top-10 finishes enroute to the overall points title and three weekly championships.

The two-time Midwest Auto Racing Series (MARS) Late Model champion was never an unfamiliar face to the Summer Nationals since making his debut in 2008. English took on the entire schedule for his first time in 2021 driving the Riggs Motorsports No. 81E and went on to compete in the national Late Model ranks for two other teams in the years following.

But after a sudden notice of his release from Coltman Farms Racing last December, English was left without a ride or a plan for 2026. So, he stepped up and rebuilt his own team in his own race shop, set his sights on the Hell Tour and walked away with one of the brightest accomplishments of his career.

“It’s pretty cool to be able to do it and put my name on that trophy,” he said. “That’s something we can always look back on and say we did. At the time, nobody was better than us. Maybe from race to race, they won the battle, some of them. But we won the war.”

After a successful sophomore season as part of the Coltman Farms Racing stable in 2025, which produced four Feature wins and the team’s first-ever World of Outlaws Late Model Series victory at Highland Speedway in August, English was preparing for a third campaign with the Georgia-based operation when he received word of his release following the annual Gateway Dirt Nationals event in December.

“It was all a surprise to me,” English said. “So, I had no plans whatsoever.”

There he stood, in his newly built race shop at his residence in Benton, IL, with no ride and no plan. With the start of the new season only a handful of weeks away, the typical year-end ride swaps and team changes were mostly complete, and English was left on the outside looking in.

“I kinda waited and tried not to make any moves or invest any money right off the bat because I thought the phone would ring,” English said. “But it didn’t.”

So, he picked up the phone himself and began putting pieces together. With only his personal connections and the limited resources he had in his shop, English began considering taking the path ahead solo.

“I got pretty discouraged there for a little bit. And then I thought, ‘If I’m going to do it, I might as well do it myself,’” English said. “I can’t fire myself. I mean, I guess I could… but you’ve got a lot more job security when you’re doing it yourself and can decide more things and be more hands-on on the decision making and do what you think needs to be done, and where money is best spent.

“I just figured if there’s a time to do it, I might as well do it now.”

While the national circuit competition raged on in Florida, English spent January and February working at home, preparing an older car to get back on track with.

“I did have this 2016 Rocket (Chassis) that was my dad’s, and we busted it out at Duck River (Raceway Park) in March and won our first race out,” English said. “That kinda kicked me into gear, and I went all-in right there. I started doing a lot more things, started getting more serious and trying to get the ball rolling on everything.

“I was no-doubt working hard up to that point, but I knew I had to win that to even have a shot at making this work.”

The $6,000 victory check had helped to revitalize his operation and set the tone for the rest of his spring schedule. His second-quarter slate included mostly regional and some national-circuit races, producing several top-five and top-10 finishes. Soon, English was loading up the trailer with a brand-new race car and a new plan, at least for a few weeks.

“We started with a new AK Racecar this year,” English said. “I think I had only raced 15 or 20 times before Summer Nationals started, so I really hadn’t gotten a lot of races in. I needed to consistently race just to figure out what these cars needed and what I needed to do to get better. I figured what better way to do it than race every night.”

He decided on a tentative plan for the first week of Summer Nationals, and saw success from the start, posting five consecutive podium finishes and claiming the Week 1 points championship.

“Even though we had a pretty good start to the year, I was still in the negatives, and I just thought, ‘What better way to do it? This is a good way to make some money in a short amount of time and also get better,’” English said. “After those first two races, my head was a little bit above water and I could breathe a little bit and just start racing, get serious and free up some decisions and stuff like that.”

On the heels of good results to start, English decided to stay on the trail. Eleven races in, he had amassed 10 top-five finishes, but no wins yet. A silent frustration built with every missed opportunity.

But finally, after leading all 30 laps at Farmington Empire Speedway on July 1, he broke through for his first Summer Nationals win of the season and seventh of his career.

“I knew it was coming; you can’t run second and third so many times and not win,” English said. “We just tried to just not change what we were doing and not make big swings, and we knew it would come eventually.”

English went to Victory Lane three more times before the summer was out and remained a model of consistency, accruing 17 podium finishes and only two results outside the top 10, both of which were DNFs. Though the typical grind of the Hell Tour can wear down and deplete equipment, English remained resourceful and stuck to his strategy to make it to the end.

“It’s a low-cost deal, which is what a lot of people don’t realize — 30-lap races, so we’re going through… like, there were some times we’d run our right-rear tires three nights in a row,” English said. “That’s what a lot of people don’t understand. It’s not that big of a deal on that level. You can make it big — you can spend a lot of money if you want to, but you don’t have to.”

In the end, English was proud of his accomplishment — not only for his own operation, but for his family as well. Especially his father — the 2002 DIRTcar Late Model national points champion, Terry English.

“[Terry’s] proud, you can tell,” English said. “This has a lot to do with him, too. He put in a lot of work, a lot of time, and sacrificed a lot this summer just to go out there and do that with me. I can’t thank him enough. He and I were the only ones with perfect attendance. We had a lot of people come in and do a week here or there — my brother did two full weeks and my nephew did three. But my dad was there for the whole time.”

Though the sun has set on the Summer Nationals’ 40th anniversary tour, English’s 2026 campaign is far from complete. He’s got plans to go after the yearlong DIRTcar Late Model championship — a feat that would be the proverbial cherry atop the DIY sundae he devoured this year.

“[Terry’s] won the national (DIRTcar Late Model) championship, and I’d like to do that, too,” English said. “We’re gonna give it a shot anyways, at the end of the year here, just to say we tried and try to catch (Jason) Feger. But it’s going to be tough — he’s got a lot of good wins.

“I’d like to get on the list with dad, and my father-in-law also — Rodney Melvin. He’s won a few also, so I’d like to be on that list with them and have some kind of a dynasty deal there. That would be cool.”

The trophy shines bright, the wins are memorable, and the career rejuvenation he went through this summer was an experience he’ll never forget. But above all else, English’s Summer Nationals championship will be remembered for what it said about a self-run operation.

It’s his own. And he likes it that way.

“I felt like I’ve built three operations from the ground up, and it always ended with me having nothing,” English said. “I’d really like to stick this out and see what we can do. It may last another year, you never know — you can have a terrible year right after a good year.

“But this has been a statement that anything’s possible, and if you put your mind to it and work hard enough, you can do it.”