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WHAT TO WATCH FOR: Vado Weekend Brings World of Outlaws Back to New Mexico

The Greatest Show on Dirt returns to the Land of Enchantment for the first time since 2022

VADO, NM (September 3, 2025) – Mountains, deserts, and dirt tracks await as the World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Series begins a three-week stay in the half of the country where outlaws belong.

First up is this weekend’s return to New Mexico as a pair of nights at Vado Speedway Park (Sept. 5-6) brings the tour back to the “Land of Enchantment” for the first time since 2022. Royal Jones has sculpted the 3/8 mile into a diamond in the desert, and the track will host a two-night World of Outlaws show for the first time. The visit three years ago was a single-night, midweek trip.

It’s hard to believe, but only 20 races remain in 2025 for the World of Outlaws stars. The final quarter of the campaign is here, and if you want to close out the season strong, the time is now.

BUY TWO-DAY VADO TICKET PACKAGE HERE
BUY FRIDAY VADO 
TICKETS HERE
BUY SATURDAY VADO 
TICKETS HERE

WATCH LIVE ON DIRTVision

Let’s take a look at the weekend’s top storylines:

DUELING IN THE DESERT: The World of Outlaws don’t have a thorough history in the “Land of Enchantment,” but this weekend will add another chapter.

The tour first invaded the southwestern state in 1987 at Albuquerque’s Duke City Raceway when Steve Kinser won. “The King’s” victory started a trend as he was a dominant force through the Series’ New Mexico history thus far. Kinser has claimed 10 of the 16 races the state has hosted, including a run of eight in a row.

This week, Vado will become the fourth track in the state to host the World of Outlaws on multiple occasions, joining Duke City Raceway (Albuquerque, NM), Southern New Mexico Speedway (Las Cruces, NM), and Hollywood Hills Speedway (San Felipe Pueblo, NM).

TRIO OF TITANS: Over the last several weeks, David Gravel, Michael “Buddy” Kofoid, and Carson Macedo have separated themselves from the rest of the pack.

The trio is currently running one-two-three in the points and with good reason. After Kofoid’s win at Huset’s this past Sunday, each of them now owns double-digit victories. The next highest tally among full-time Series competitors is two, shared by three drivers. They’ve combined to win nine of the last 10 races and claimed 20 of the 30 available podium positions over that stretch.

Gravel stands atop the group with a 168-point advantage as he nears a second straight championship. The consistency of the Big Game Motorsports No. 2 has been off the charts as they haven’t finished worse than sixth since a DNF at Plymouth Dirt Track on June 6. They’ve been in the top five in 22 of the 24 races since the mechanical problem at Plymouth.

There’s been no sophomore slump for Kofoid and the Roth Motorsports team as they sit second in the standings. They’ve also been models of consistency with 16 podiums in the last 22 races, including half a dozen victories.

Macedo and the Jason Johnson Racing crew have been marching right along with the other two as of late. The Lemoore, CA driver has topped six of the most recent 16 Features, and he’s been within the top three during 11 of them.

Of the three, Gravel and Macedo have previous Vado experience as they both competed in the 2022 visit. Gravel came home fifth while Macedo finished seventh.

SCHATZ X SILVA: Plenty of eyes will be on Donny Schatz this weekend as he begins a six-race stretch in Kevin Kozlowski’s Works Limited Sprint Car wrenched by Paul Silva.

The 10-time World of Outlaws champion and Tony Stewart/Curb-Agajanian Racing parted ways after the Knoxville Nationals. Schatz first jumped in a second Big Game Motorsports entry at Ogilvie Raceway, but after a crash at the Minnesota track, he’s been aboard Dave Lunstra’s ride since.

Spencer Bayston is the latest to wheel the Works Limited car to some strong outings on the west coast. In recent years, more drivers such as Buddy Kofoid, Tyler Courtney, Justin Sanders, and, of course, Kyle Larson have had success in the Silva-prepared ride out west.

In addition to Vado, Schatz’s stint in the car will also take him to a trio of California tracks at Bakersfield Speedway at Kevin Harvick’s Kern Raceway (Sept. 12), Perris Auto Speedway (Sept. 13), and Thunderbowl Raceway (Sept. 19-20). Schatz rounded out the podium in his only Sprint Car visit to Vado in 2022, but he also got some Late Model laps there that same year at the Wild West Shootout. The Fargo, ND driver is the only current full-time World of Outlaws driver with a Series victory in New Mexico, claiming a 2008 trip to Hollywood Hills Speedway.

ONE SPOT SHY: Donny Schatz took the final podium position when the World of Outlaws debuted at Vado in 2022, and the driver one step above him was Sheldon Haudenschild.

The Wooster, OH native returns looking to be one spot better in 2025 with the Stenhouse Jr.-Marshall Racing/NOS Energy Drink crew. He became the seventh different competitor to top a Series race in New Mexico and the second from the state of Ohio, the first being Hartford’s Dave Blaney, if he can pull it off.

Haudenschild heads to New Mexico on the hunt for his first win since the final day of May. He was in the top five on four occasions in August, including a pair of podiums.

HEATING UP: The southwest is known for one of the hottest climates in the country, but the temperatures aren’t the only thing heating up as the World of Outlaws invade.

The Rookie of the Year chase appears as if it’s going to come down to Garet Williamson with Fischer Motorsports and Chris Windom of Sides Motorsports. The two came together on track at Huset’s on Sunday in the latest moment of what’s shaping up to be a battle all the way to World Finals.

Windom had led a majority of the season, but a recent surge from Williamson has pushed him to the top. The Columbia, MO native has been in the top 10 in six of the last eight races, including a top five at Mississippi Thunder Speedway.

It’s been a slight stumble for Windom in recent weeks, with just a pair of top 10s over that same time frame. He’ll look to find his form from earlier in the season that led him to stretches like eight results within the top 10 in a row from mid-May through early June.

Williamson currently leads Windom by 36 markers with 20 races to go.

THIS WEEKEND AT A GLANCE

WHEN AND WHERE 
Friday-Saturday, September 5-6 at Vado Speedway Park in Vado, NM

ON THE INTERNET
World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Series
X – @WorldofOutlaws
Instagram – @WoOSprint
Facebook – Facebook.com/WorldofOutlawsSprintCarSeries
YouTube – Youtube.com/WorldofOutlaws
DIRTVision – DIRTVision.com – Platinum annual FAST PASS for $299 or monthly FAST PASS for $39/month

CURRENT CHAMPIONSHIP STANDINGS (56/76 Races):
1. David Gravel – Big Game Motorsports No. 2 (7248 PTS)
2. Michael Kofoid – Roth Motorsports No. 83 (-168 PTS)
3. Carson Macedo – Jason Johnson Racing No. 41 (-230 PTS)
4. Logan Schuchart – Shark Racing No. 1S (-362 PTS)
5. Sheldon Haudenschild – Stenhouse Jr.-Marshall Racing No. 17 (-510 PTS)
6. Donny Schatz – No. 15 (-626 PTS)
7. Bill Balog – B2 Motorsports No. 17B (-820 PTS)
8. Garet Williamson – Fischer Motorsports No. 23 (-926 PTS)
9. Chris Windom – Sides Motorsports No. 7S (-962 PTS)
10. Cole Macedo – TwoC Racing No. 2C (-1112 PTS)

NOS ENERGY DRINK FEATURE WINNERS (14 Drivers): 
12 Wins – David Gravel
10 Wins – Carson Macedo, Michael Kofoid
4 Wins – Kyle Larson
3 Wins – Rico Abreu, Anthony Macri
2 Wins – Logan Schuchart, Sheldon Haudenschild, Bill Balog
1 Win – Christopher Bell, Giovanni Scelzi, Brad Sweet, Corey Day, Ryan Timms

SPLIT-FIELD PRELIM NOS ENERGY DRINK FEATURE WINNERS (3 Drivers):
1 Win – Ryan Timms, Kyle Larson, David Gravel

FEATURE LAPS LED (26 Drivers):
323 Laps – David Gravel
272 Laps – Michael Kofoid
263 Laps – Carson Macedo
135 Laps – Sheldon Haudenschild
110 Laps – Bill Balog
98 Laps – Kyle Larson
93 Laps – Anthony Macri
91 Laps – Logan Schuchart
82 Laps – Rico Abreu
62 Laps – Giovanni Scelzi
50 Laps – Ryan Timms
23 Laps – Kerry Madsen
19 Laps – Emerson Axsom
17 Laps – Brad Sweet, Corey Day
16 Laps – Cole Macedo
15 Laps – Spencer Bayston
14 Laps – Dylan Westbrook
12 Laps – Conner Morrell
11 Laps – Jordan Thomas
9 Laps – Sam Hafertepe Jr.
8 Laps – Christopher Bell, Aaron Reutzel
5 Laps – Christopher Thram
1 Lap – Donny Schatz, Garet Williamson

SIMPSON PERFORMANCE PRODUCTS QUICKTIME AWARDS (23 Drivers):
18 Quick Times – David Gravel
6 Quick Times – Rico Abreu
4 Quick Times – Carson Macedo
3 Quick Times – Logan Schuchart
2 Quick Times – Sheldon Haudenschild, Giovanni Scelzi, Garet Williamson
1 Quick Time – Emerson Axsom, Kyle Larson, Danny Sams III, Anthony Macri, Aaron Reutzel, Michael Kofoid, Chase Dietz, Donny Schatz, Zach Hampton, Tyler Courtney, Austin McCarl, Kerry Madsen, Bill Balog, Lance Dewease, Brad Sweet, Ashton Torgerson

HEAT RACE WINNERS (55 Drivers): 
34 Heat Wins – David Gravel
25 Heat Wins – Carson Macedo
16 Heat Wins – Bill Balog
15 Heat Wins – Sheldon Haudenschild
13 Heat Wins – Michael Kofoid
12 Heat Wins – Logan Schuchart
8 Heat Wins – Giovanni Scelzi
7 Heat Wins – Kyle Larson
6 Heat Wins – Chris Windom, Anthony Macri
4 Heat Wins – Christopher Bell, Tyler Courtney, Conner Morrell, Rico Abreu
3 Heat Wins – Garet Williamson, Brad Sweet, Brian Brown, Emerson Axsom, Danny Dietrich, Skylar Gee, Christopher Thram
2 Heat Wins – Jacob Allen, Austin McCarl, Ryan Timms, Hunter Schuerenberg, Zach Hampton, Ashton Torgerson, Donny Schatz
1 Heat Win – Bryce Lucius, Sam Hafertepe Jr., Aaron Reutzel, Tanner Thorson, Chase Dietz, Justin Whittall, Danny Sams III, Jy Corbet, Tim Kaeding, Andy Pake, Kasey Jedrzejek, Lance Dewease, Freddie Rahmer, Ryan Turner, Tanner Holmes, Kaleb Johnson, Landon Crawley, Chris Martin, Blake Hahn, Gage Pulkrabek, Tasker Phillips, Josh Schneiderman, Brady Bacon, Cole Macedo, Brandon Wimmer, Kerry Madsen, Mark Dobmeier

TOYOTA DASH APPEARANCES (64 Drivers):
43 Dashes – David Gravel
34 Dashes – Carson Macedo
26 Dashes – Logan Schuchart, Sheldon Haudenschild
22 Dashes – Michael Kofoid
19 Dashes – Bill Balog
16 Dashes – Giovanni Scelzi
9 Dashes – Chris Windom, Emerson Axsom
7 Dashes – Kyle Larson, Anthony Macri, Donny Schatz
6 Dashes – Rico Abreu, Cole Macedo, Zach Hampton, Garet Williamson
5 Dashes – Brian Brown, Tyler Courtney, Aaron Reutzel, Hunter Schuerenberg, Skylar Gee
4 Dashes – Conner Morrell, Brad Sweet, Kerry Madsen, Ryan Timms
3 Dashes – Christopher Bell, Danny Dietrich, Danny Sams III, Austin McCarl, Parker Price-Miller, Ashton Torgerson, Christopher Thram
2 Dashes – Jacob Allen, Sam Hafertepe Jr., Kelby Watt, Tanner Thorson, Chase Dietz, Spencer Bayston, Sam Henderson
1 Dash – Justin Peck, Bryce Lucius, Carson McCarl, Brady Bacon, Lucas Wolfe, Justin Whittall, Jordan Thomas, Jonathan Preston, Dylan Westbrook, Cory Turner, Cole Duncan, Tim Kaeding, Justin Henderson, Scotty Thiel, Corey Day, Zane DeVault, Brent Marks, Freddie Rahmer, Ryan Smith, Lance Dewease, Ryan Turner, Cory Eliason, Andy Pake, Mark Dobmeier, Riley Goodno

MICRO-LITE LAST CHANCE SHOWDOWN WINS (36 Drivers):
3 LCS Wins – Giovanni Scelzi, Garet Williamson, Ashton Torgerson, Cole Macedo, Christopher Thram
2 LCS Wins – Donny Schatz, Ryan Timms, Bill Balog, Skylar Gee, Brad Sweet, Conner Morrell, Zach Hampton, Chris Windom
1 LCS Win – Chris Martin, Anthony Macri, Bryce Lucius, Blake Hahn, J.J. Hickle, Emerson Axsom, Matt Campbell, Joe Trenca, Darin Naida, Mark Dobmeier, Tim Kaeding, Hunter Schuerenberg, Sheldon Haudenschild, Brady Bacon, Landon Crawley, James McFadden, Logan Schuchart, Alex Therrien, Rico Abreu, Michael Kofoid, Justin Whittall, Brent Marks, Scott Broty

KSE HARD CHARGER AWARDS (27 Drivers): 
6 Hard Chargers – Logan Schuchart
5 Hard Chargers – Donny Schatz
4 Hard Chargers – Ryan Timms, Michael Kofoid, Cole Macedo
3 Hard Chargers – Chris Windom, Garet Williamson, Sheldon Haudenschild, Skylar Gee
2 Hard Chargers – Bill Balog, Tanner Thorson, David Gravel
1 Hard Charger – Zach Hampton, Hunter Schuerenberg, Lance Dewease, Dylan Westbrook, Kalib Henry, Cap Henry, Jade Hastings, Carson Macedo, Rico Abreu, Anthony Macri, Giovanni Scelzi, Danny Varin, Landon Crawley, Corey Day, Brad Sweet

PODIUM FINISHES (33 Drivers): 
31 Podiums – David Gravel
24 Podiums – Michael Kofoid
22 Podiums – Carson Macedo
10 Podiums – Kyle Larson, Sheldon Haudenschild, Logan Schuchart
6 Podiums – Donny Schatz, Rico Abreu, Bill Balog
5 Podiums – Anthony Macri
3 Podiums – Giovanni Scelzi
2 Podiums – Christopher Bell, Sam Hafertepe Jr., Tyler Courtney, Kerry Madsen
1 Podium – Aaron Reutzel, Jacob Allen, Emerson Axsom, Brady Bacon, Cole Macedo, Chase Dietz, Danny Dietrich, Conner Morrell, Dylan Westbrook, Skylar Gee, Chris Windom, Cole Duncan, Brad Sweet, Corey Day, Spencer Bayston, Garet Williamson, Tanner Thorson

TOP 10 FINISHES (59 Drivers): 
52 Top 10s – David Gravel
45 Top 10s – Michael Kofoid
41 Top 10s – Carson Macedo
40 Top 10s – Logan Schuchart
34 Top 10s – Sheldon Haudenschild
29 Top 10s – Donny Schatz
28 Top 10s – Giovanni Scelzi
27 Top 10s – Bill Balog
20 Top 10s – Garet Williamson
19 Top 10s – Chris Windom
14 Top 10s – Cole Macedo
13 Top 10s – Hunter Schuerenberg
12 Top 10s – Anthony Macri, Emerson Axsom
11 Top 10s – Brad Sweet, Kyle Larson
10 Top 10s – Tyler Courtney, Rico Abreu
8 Top 10s – Ryan Timms, Kerry Madsen
7 Top 10s – Skylar Gee
6 Top 10s – Zach Hampton
5 Top 10s – Aaron Reutzel, Tanner Thorson
4 Top 10s – Austin McCarl
3 Top 10s – Justin Peck, Parker Price-Miller, Conner Morrell, Spencer Bayston, Brady Bacon, Danny Dietrich, Ashton Torgerson, Corey Day, Mark Dobmeier
2 Top 10s – Christopher Bell, Jacob Allen, Sam Hafertepe Jr., Tim Kaeding, Brian Brown, Freddie Rahmer, Troy Wagaman Jr.
1 Top 10 – Danny Sams III, Chase Dietz, Justin Whittall, Jordan Thomas, Dylan Westbrook, Jordan Poirier, Kalib Henry, Cole Duncan, Kelby Watt, Tanner Holmes, Ryan Smith, Brent Marks, Ryan Turner, Zach Sobotka, Danny Varin, Cory Eliason, Landon Crawley, Kaleb Johnson

2025 WORLD OF OUTLAWS SPRINT CAR WINNERS:
No. / Day, Date / Track / Location / Winner (Total Wins)
1. Wed, Feb 7 / Volusia Speedway Park / Barberville, FL / Carson Macedo (1)
2. Thurs, Feb 8 / Volusia Speedway Park / Barberville, FL / Christopher Bell (1)
3. Fri, Feb 9 / Volusia Speedway Park / Barberville, FL / Kyle Larson (1)
4. Sat, Feb 10 / Volusia Speedway Park / Barberville, FL / Kyle Larson (2)
5. Sun, March 2 / Volusia Speedway Park / Barberville, FL / David Gravel (1)
6. Mon, March 3 / Volusia Speedway Park / Barberville, FL / David Gravel (2)
7. Fri, March 7 / Talladega Short Track / Eastaboga, AL / Bill Balog (1)
8. Sat, March 8 / Magnolia Motor Speedway / Columbus, MS / David Gravel (3)
9. Fri, March 14 / Kennedale Speedway Park / Kennedale, TX / Giovanni Scelzi (1)
10. Sat, March 15 / Kennedale Speedway Park / Kennedale, TX / Michael Kofoid (1)
11. Fri, March 21 / Cotton Bowl Speedway / Paige, TX / David Gravel (4)
12. Sat, March 22 / Cotton Bowl Speedway / Paige, TX / David Gravel (5)
13. Fri, March 28 / Lawton Speedway / Lawton, OK / Michael Kofoid (2)
14. Fri, April 11 / I-55 Federated Auto Parts Raceway Park / Pevely, MO / Carson Macedo (2)
15. Sat, April 12 / I-55 Federated Auto Parts Raceway Park / Pevely, MO / Logan Schuchart (1)
16. Sat, April 19 / Knoxville Raceway / Knoxville, IA / Rico Abreu (1)
17. Fri, April 25 / Jacksonville Speedway / Jacksonville, IL / Kyle Larson (3)
18. Sat, April 26 / Tri-State Speedway / Haubstadt, IN / Sheldon Haudenschild (1)
19. Fri, May 2 / Eldora Speedway / Rossburg, OH / David Gravel (6)
20. Wed, May 7 / Lincoln Speedway / Abbottstown, PA / Michael Kofoid (3)
21. Sat, May 10 / Williams Grove Speedway / Mechanicsburg, PA / Anthony Macri (1)
22. Wed, May 14 / Ohsweken Speedway / Ohsweken, ON / David Gravel (7)
23. Thurs, May 15 / Ohsweken Speedway / Ohsweken, ON / David Gravel (8)
24. Sat, May 24 / Attica Raceway Park / Attica, OH / Logan Schuchart (2)
25. Mon, May 26 / Atomic Speedway / Chillicothe, OH / Carson Macedo (3)
26. Fri, May 30 / River Cities Speedway / Grand Forks, ND / Michael Kofoid (4)
27. Sat, May 31 / Red River Valley Speedway / West Fargo, ND / Sheldon Haudenschild (2)
28. Wed, June 4 / Jackson Motorplex / Jackson, MN / Carson Macedo (4)
29. Fri, June 6 / Plymouth Dirt Track / Plymouth, WI / Rico Abreu (2)
30. Sat, June 7 / Beaver Dam Raceway / Beaver Dam, WI / Brad Sweet (1)
31. Fri, June 13 / Knoxville Raceway / Knoxville, IA / David Gravel (9)
32. Sat, June 14 / Knoxville Raceway / Knoxville, IA / Corey Day (1)
33. Wed, June 18 / Huset’s Speedway / Brandon, SD / Kyle Larson (4)
34. Thurs, June 19 / Huset’s Speedway / Brandon, SD / Michael Kofoid (5)
35. Fri, June 20 / Huset’s Speedway / Brandon, SD / Bill Balog (2)
36. Sat, June 21 / Huset’s Speedway / Brandon, SD / Michael Kofoid (6)
37. Fri, June 27 / Cedar Lake Speedway / New Richmond, WI / David Gravel (10)
38. Sat, June 28 / Cedar Lake Speedway / New Richmond, WI / Carson Macedo (5)
39. Sat, July 12 / Wilmot Raceway / Wilmot, WI / Michael Kofoid (7)
40. Tues, July 15 / Attica Raceway Park / Attica, OH / Carson Macedo (6)
41. Fri, July 18 / Eldora Speedway / Rossburg, OH / Rico Abreu (3)
42. Sat, July 19 / Eldora Speedway / Rossburg, OH / Anthony Macri (2)
43. Wed, July 23 / BAPS Motor Speedway / York Haven, PA / Anthony Macri (3)
44. Sun, July 27 / Weedsport Speedway / Weedsport, NY / David Gravel (11)
45. Fri, Aug 1 / I-55 Federated Auto Parts Raceway Park / Pevely, MO / Carson Macedo (7)
46. Sat, Aug 2 / I-55 Federated Auto Parts Raceway Park / Pevely, MO / Michael Kofoid (8)
47. Wed, Aug 6 / Knoxville Raceway / Knoxville, IA / Ryan Timms*
48. Thurs, Aug 7 / Knoxville Raceway / Knoxville, IA / Kyle Larson*
49. Fri, Aug 8 / Knoxville Raceway / Knoxville, IA / David Gravel*
50. Sat, Aug 9 / Knoxville Raceway / Knoxville, IA / Ryan Timms (1)
51. Fri, Aug 15 / Ogilvie Raceway / Ogilvie, MN / Carson Macedo (8)
52. Sat, Aug 16 / Jackson Motorplex / Jackson, MN / Carson Macedo (9)
53. Tues, Aug 19 / Mississippi Thunder Speedway / Fountain City, WI / David Gravel (12)
54. Fri, Aug 22 / River Cities Speedway / Grand Forks, ND / Michael Kofoid (9)
55. Sat, Aug 23 / Red River Valley Speedway / West Fargo, ND / Carson Macedo (10)
56. Sun, Aug 31 / Huset’s Speedway / Brandon, SD / Michael Kofoid (10)

*denotes unofficial split-field prelim race.

WHAT TO WATCH FOR: Vado Weekend Brings World of Outlaws Back to New Mexico

The Greatest Show on Dirt returns to the Land of Enchantment for the first time since 2022

VADO, NM (September 3, 2025) – Mountains, deserts, and dirt tracks await as the World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Series begins a three-week stay in the half of the country where outlaws belong.

First up is this weekend’s return to New Mexico as a pair of nights at Vado Speedway Park (Sept. 5-6) brings the tour back to the “Land of Enchantment” for the first time since 2022. Royal Jones has sculpted the 3/8 mile into a diamond in the desert, and the track will host a two-night World of Outlaws show for the first time. The visit three years ago was a single-night, midweek trip.

It’s hard to believe, but only 20 races remain in 2025 for the World of Outlaws stars. The final quarter of the campaign is here, and if you want to close out the season strong, the time is now.

BUY TWO-DAY VADO TICKET PACKAGE HERE
BUY FRIDAY VADO 
TICKETS HERE
BUY SATURDAY VADO 
TICKETS HERE

WATCH LIVE ON DIRTVision

Let’s take a look at the weekend’s top storylines:

DUELING IN THE DESERT: The World of Outlaws don’t have a thorough history in the “Land of Enchantment,” but this weekend will add another chapter.

The tour first invaded the southwestern state in 1987 at Albuquerque’s Duke City Raceway when Steve Kinser won. “The King’s” victory started a trend as he was a dominant force through the Series’ New Mexico history thus far. Kinser has claimed 10 of the 16 races the state has hosted, including a run of eight in a row.

This week, Vado will become the fourth track in the state to host the World of Outlaws on multiple occasions, joining Duke City Raceway (Albuquerque, NM), Southern New Mexico Speedway (Las Cruces, NM), and Hollywood Hills Speedway (San Felipe Pueblo, NM).

TRIO OF TITANS: Over the last several weeks, David Gravel, Michael “Buddy” Kofoid, and Carson Macedo have separated themselves from the rest of the pack.

The trio is currently running one-two-three in the points and with good reason. After Kofoid’s win at Huset’s this past Sunday, each of them now owns double-digit victories. The next highest tally among full-time Series competitors is two, shared by three drivers. They’ve combined to win nine of the last 10 races and claimed 20 of the 30 available podium positions over that stretch.

Gravel stands atop the group with a 168-point advantage as he nears a second straight championship. The consistency of the Big Game Motorsports No. 2 has been off the charts as they haven’t finished worse than sixth since a DNF at Plymouth Dirt Track on June 6. They’ve been in the top five in 22 of the 24 races since the mechanical problem at Plymouth.

There’s been no sophomore slump for Kofoid and the Roth Motorsports team as they sit second in the standings. They’ve also been models of consistency with 16 podiums in the last 22 races, including half a dozen victories.

Macedo and the Jason Johnson Racing crew have been marching right along with the other two as of late. The Lemoore, CA driver has topped six of the most recent 16 Features, and he’s been within the top three during 11 of them.

Of the three, Gravel and Macedo have previous Vado experience as they both competed in the 2022 visit. Gravel came home fifth while Macedo finished seventh.

SCHATZ X SILVA: Plenty of eyes will be on Donny Schatz this weekend as he begins a six-race stretch in Kevin Kozlowski’s Works Limited Sprint Car wrenched by Paul Silva.

The 10-time World of Outlaws champion and Tony Stewart/Curb-Agajanian Racing parted ways after the Knoxville Nationals. Schatz first jumped in a second Big Game Motorsports entry at Ogilvie Raceway, but after a crash at the Minnesota track, he’s been aboard Dave Lunstra’s ride since.

Spencer Bayston is the latest to wheel the Works Limited car to some strong outings on the west coast. In recent years, more drivers such as Buddy Kofoid, Tyler Courtney, Justin Sanders, and, of course, Kyle Larson have had success in the Silva-prepared ride out west.

In addition to Vado, Schatz’s stint in the car will also take him to a trio of California tracks at Bakersfield Speedway at Kevin Harvick’s Kern Raceway (Sept. 12), Perris Auto Speedway (Sept. 13), and Thunderbowl Raceway (Sept. 19-20). Schatz rounded out the podium in his only Sprint Car visit to Vado in 2022, but he also got some Late Model laps there that same year at the Wild West Shootout. The Fargo, ND driver is the only current full-time World of Outlaws driver with a Series victory in New Mexico, claiming a 2008 trip to Hollywood Hills Speedway.

ONE SPOT SHY: Donny Schatz took the final podium position when the World of Outlaws debuted at Vado in 2022, and the driver one step above him was Sheldon Haudenschild.

The Wooster, OH native returns looking to be one spot better in 2025 with the Stenhouse Jr.-Marshall Racing/NOS Energy Drink crew. He became the seventh different competitor to top a Series race in New Mexico and the second from the state of Ohio, the first being Hartford’s Dave Blaney, if he can pull it off.

Haudenschild heads to New Mexico on the hunt for his first win since the final day of May. He was in the top five on four occasions in August, including a pair of podiums.

HEATING UP: The southwest is known for one of the hottest climates in the country, but the temperatures aren’t the only thing heating up as the World of Outlaws invade.

The Rookie of the Year chase appears as if it’s going to come down to Garet Williamson with Fischer Motorsports and Chris Windom of Sides Motorsports. The two came together on track at Huset’s on Sunday in the latest moment of what’s shaping up to be a battle all the way to World Finals.

Windom had led a majority of the season, but a recent surge from Williamson has pushed him to the top. The Columbia, MO native has been in the top 10 in six of the last eight races, including a top five at Mississippi Thunder Speedway.

It’s been a slight stumble for Windom in recent weeks, with just a pair of top 10s over that same time frame. He’ll look to find his form from earlier in the season that led him to stretches like eight results within the top 10 in a row from mid-May through early June.

Williamson currently leads Windom by 36 markers with 20 races to go.

THIS WEEKEND AT A GLANCE

WHEN AND WHERE 
Friday-Saturday, September 5-6 at Vado Speedway Park in Vado, NM

ON THE INTERNET
World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Series
X – @WorldofOutlaws
Instagram – @WoOSprint
Facebook – Facebook.com/WorldofOutlawsSprintCarSeries
YouTube – Youtube.com/WorldofOutlaws
DIRTVision – DIRTVision.com – Platinum annual FAST PASS for $299 or monthly FAST PASS for $39/month

CURRENT CHAMPIONSHIP STANDINGS (56/76 Races):
1. David Gravel – Big Game Motorsports No. 2 (7248 PTS)
2. Michael Kofoid – Roth Motorsports No. 83 (-168 PTS)
3. Carson Macedo – Jason Johnson Racing No. 41 (-230 PTS)
4. Logan Schuchart – Shark Racing No. 1S (-362 PTS)
5. Sheldon Haudenschild – Stenhouse Jr.-Marshall Racing No. 17 (-510 PTS)
6. Donny Schatz – No. 15 (-626 PTS)
7. Bill Balog – B2 Motorsports No. 17B (-820 PTS)
8. Garet Williamson – Fischer Motorsports No. 23 (-926 PTS)
9. Chris Windom – Sides Motorsports No. 7S (-962 PTS)
10. Cole Macedo – TwoC Racing No. 2C (-1112 PTS)

NOS ENERGY DRINK FEATURE WINNERS (14 Drivers): 
12 Wins – David Gravel
10 Wins – Carson Macedo, Michael Kofoid
4 Wins – Kyle Larson
3 Wins – Rico Abreu, Anthony Macri
2 Wins – Logan Schuchart, Sheldon Haudenschild, Bill Balog
1 Win – Christopher Bell, Giovanni Scelzi, Brad Sweet, Corey Day, Ryan Timms

SPLIT-FIELD PRELIM NOS ENERGY DRINK FEATURE WINNERS (3 Drivers):
1 Win – Ryan Timms, Kyle Larson, David Gravel

FEATURE LAPS LED (26 Drivers):
323 Laps – David Gravel
272 Laps – Michael Kofoid
263 Laps – Carson Macedo
135 Laps – Sheldon Haudenschild
110 Laps – Bill Balog
98 Laps – Kyle Larson
93 Laps – Anthony Macri
91 Laps – Logan Schuchart
82 Laps – Rico Abreu
62 Laps – Giovanni Scelzi
50 Laps – Ryan Timms
23 Laps – Kerry Madsen
19 Laps – Emerson Axsom
17 Laps – Brad Sweet, Corey Day
16 Laps – Cole Macedo
15 Laps – Spencer Bayston
14 Laps – Dylan Westbrook
12 Laps – Conner Morrell
11 Laps – Jordan Thomas
9 Laps – Sam Hafertepe Jr.
8 Laps – Christopher Bell, Aaron Reutzel
5 Laps – Christopher Thram
1 Lap – Donny Schatz, Garet Williamson

SIMPSON PERFORMANCE PRODUCTS QUICKTIME AWARDS (23 Drivers):
18 Quick Times – David Gravel
6 Quick Times – Rico Abreu
4 Quick Times – Carson Macedo
3 Quick Times – Logan Schuchart
2 Quick Times – Sheldon Haudenschild, Giovanni Scelzi, Garet Williamson
1 Quick Time – Emerson Axsom, Kyle Larson, Danny Sams III, Anthony Macri, Aaron Reutzel, Michael Kofoid, Chase Dietz, Donny Schatz, Zach Hampton, Tyler Courtney, Austin McCarl, Kerry Madsen, Bill Balog, Lance Dewease, Brad Sweet, Ashton Torgerson

HEAT RACE WINNERS (55 Drivers): 
34 Heat Wins – David Gravel
25 Heat Wins – Carson Macedo
16 Heat Wins – Bill Balog
15 Heat Wins – Sheldon Haudenschild
13 Heat Wins – Michael Kofoid
12 Heat Wins – Logan Schuchart
8 Heat Wins – Giovanni Scelzi
7 Heat Wins – Kyle Larson
6 Heat Wins – Chris Windom, Anthony Macri
4 Heat Wins – Christopher Bell, Tyler Courtney, Conner Morrell, Rico Abreu
3 Heat Wins – Garet Williamson, Brad Sweet, Brian Brown, Emerson Axsom, Danny Dietrich, Skylar Gee, Christopher Thram
2 Heat Wins – Jacob Allen, Austin McCarl, Ryan Timms, Hunter Schuerenberg, Zach Hampton, Ashton Torgerson, Donny Schatz
1 Heat Win – Bryce Lucius, Sam Hafertepe Jr., Aaron Reutzel, Tanner Thorson, Chase Dietz, Justin Whittall, Danny Sams III, Jy Corbet, Tim Kaeding, Andy Pake, Kasey Jedrzejek, Lance Dewease, Freddie Rahmer, Ryan Turner, Tanner Holmes, Kaleb Johnson, Landon Crawley, Chris Martin, Blake Hahn, Gage Pulkrabek, Tasker Phillips, Josh Schneiderman, Brady Bacon, Cole Macedo, Brandon Wimmer, Kerry Madsen, Mark Dobmeier

TOYOTA DASH APPEARANCES (64 Drivers):
43 Dashes – David Gravel
34 Dashes – Carson Macedo
26 Dashes – Logan Schuchart, Sheldon Haudenschild
22 Dashes – Michael Kofoid
19 Dashes – Bill Balog
16 Dashes – Giovanni Scelzi
9 Dashes – Chris Windom, Emerson Axsom
7 Dashes – Kyle Larson, Anthony Macri, Donny Schatz
6 Dashes – Rico Abreu, Cole Macedo, Zach Hampton, Garet Williamson
5 Dashes – Brian Brown, Tyler Courtney, Aaron Reutzel, Hunter Schuerenberg, Skylar Gee
4 Dashes – Conner Morrell, Brad Sweet, Kerry Madsen, Ryan Timms
3 Dashes – Christopher Bell, Danny Dietrich, Danny Sams III, Austin McCarl, Parker Price-Miller, Ashton Torgerson, Christopher Thram
2 Dashes – Jacob Allen, Sam Hafertepe Jr., Kelby Watt, Tanner Thorson, Chase Dietz, Spencer Bayston, Sam Henderson
1 Dash – Justin Peck, Bryce Lucius, Carson McCarl, Brady Bacon, Lucas Wolfe, Justin Whittall, Jordan Thomas, Jonathan Preston, Dylan Westbrook, Cory Turner, Cole Duncan, Tim Kaeding, Justin Henderson, Scotty Thiel, Corey Day, Zane DeVault, Brent Marks, Freddie Rahmer, Ryan Smith, Lance Dewease, Ryan Turner, Cory Eliason, Andy Pake, Mark Dobmeier, Riley Goodno

MICRO-LITE LAST CHANCE SHOWDOWN WINS (36 Drivers):
3 LCS Wins – Giovanni Scelzi, Garet Williamson, Ashton Torgerson, Cole Macedo, Christopher Thram
2 LCS Wins – Donny Schatz, Ryan Timms, Bill Balog, Skylar Gee, Brad Sweet, Conner Morrell, Zach Hampton, Chris Windom
1 LCS Win – Chris Martin, Anthony Macri, Bryce Lucius, Blake Hahn, J.J. Hickle, Emerson Axsom, Matt Campbell, Joe Trenca, Darin Naida, Mark Dobmeier, Tim Kaeding, Hunter Schuerenberg, Sheldon Haudenschild, Brady Bacon, Landon Crawley, James McFadden, Logan Schuchart, Alex Therrien, Rico Abreu, Michael Kofoid, Justin Whittall, Brent Marks, Scott Broty

KSE HARD CHARGER AWARDS (27 Drivers): 
6 Hard Chargers – Logan Schuchart
5 Hard Chargers – Donny Schatz
4 Hard Chargers – Ryan Timms, Michael Kofoid, Cole Macedo
3 Hard Chargers – Chris Windom, Garet Williamson, Sheldon Haudenschild, Skylar Gee
2 Hard Chargers – Bill Balog, Tanner Thorson, David Gravel
1 Hard Charger – Zach Hampton, Hunter Schuerenberg, Lance Dewease, Dylan Westbrook, Kalib Henry, Cap Henry, Jade Hastings, Carson Macedo, Rico Abreu, Anthony Macri, Giovanni Scelzi, Danny Varin, Landon Crawley, Corey Day, Brad Sweet

PODIUM FINISHES (33 Drivers): 
31 Podiums – David Gravel
24 Podiums – Michael Kofoid
22 Podiums – Carson Macedo
10 Podiums – Kyle Larson, Sheldon Haudenschild, Logan Schuchart
6 Podiums – Donny Schatz, Rico Abreu, Bill Balog
5 Podiums – Anthony Macri
3 Podiums – Giovanni Scelzi
2 Podiums – Christopher Bell, Sam Hafertepe Jr., Tyler Courtney, Kerry Madsen
1 Podium – Aaron Reutzel, Jacob Allen, Emerson Axsom, Brady Bacon, Cole Macedo, Chase Dietz, Danny Dietrich, Conner Morrell, Dylan Westbrook, Skylar Gee, Chris Windom, Cole Duncan, Brad Sweet, Corey Day, Spencer Bayston, Garet Williamson, Tanner Thorson

TOP 10 FINISHES (59 Drivers): 
52 Top 10s – David Gravel
45 Top 10s – Michael Kofoid
41 Top 10s – Carson Macedo
40 Top 10s – Logan Schuchart
34 Top 10s – Sheldon Haudenschild
29 Top 10s – Donny Schatz
28 Top 10s – Giovanni Scelzi
27 Top 10s – Bill Balog
20 Top 10s – Garet Williamson
19 Top 10s – Chris Windom
14 Top 10s – Cole Macedo
13 Top 10s – Hunter Schuerenberg
12 Top 10s – Anthony Macri, Emerson Axsom
11 Top 10s – Brad Sweet, Kyle Larson
10 Top 10s – Tyler Courtney, Rico Abreu
8 Top 10s – Ryan Timms, Kerry Madsen
7 Top 10s – Skylar Gee
6 Top 10s – Zach Hampton
5 Top 10s – Aaron Reutzel, Tanner Thorson
4 Top 10s – Austin McCarl
3 Top 10s – Justin Peck, Parker Price-Miller, Conner Morrell, Spencer Bayston, Brady Bacon, Danny Dietrich, Ashton Torgerson, Corey Day, Mark Dobmeier
2 Top 10s – Christopher Bell, Jacob Allen, Sam Hafertepe Jr., Tim Kaeding, Brian Brown, Freddie Rahmer, Troy Wagaman Jr.
1 Top 10 – Danny Sams III, Chase Dietz, Justin Whittall, Jordan Thomas, Dylan Westbrook, Jordan Poirier, Kalib Henry, Cole Duncan, Kelby Watt, Tanner Holmes, Ryan Smith, Brent Marks, Ryan Turner, Zach Sobotka, Danny Varin, Cory Eliason, Landon Crawley, Kaleb Johnson

2025 WORLD OF OUTLAWS SPRINT CAR WINNERS:
No. / Day, Date / Track / Location / Winner (Total Wins)
1. Wed, Feb 7 / Volusia Speedway Park / Barberville, FL / Carson Macedo (1)
2. Thurs, Feb 8 / Volusia Speedway Park / Barberville, FL / Christopher Bell (1)
3. Fri, Feb 9 / Volusia Speedway Park / Barberville, FL / Kyle Larson (1)
4. Sat, Feb 10 / Volusia Speedway Park / Barberville, FL / Kyle Larson (2)
5. Sun, March 2 / Volusia Speedway Park / Barberville, FL / David Gravel (1)
6. Mon, March 3 / Volusia Speedway Park / Barberville, FL / David Gravel (2)
7. Fri, March 7 / Talladega Short Track / Eastaboga, AL / Bill Balog (1)
8. Sat, March 8 / Magnolia Motor Speedway / Columbus, MS / David Gravel (3)
9. Fri, March 14 / Kennedale Speedway Park / Kennedale, TX / Giovanni Scelzi (1)
10. Sat, March 15 / Kennedale Speedway Park / Kennedale, TX / Michael Kofoid (1)
11. Fri, March 21 / Cotton Bowl Speedway / Paige, TX / David Gravel (4)
12. Sat, March 22 / Cotton Bowl Speedway / Paige, TX / David Gravel (5)
13. Fri, March 28 / Lawton Speedway / Lawton, OK / Michael Kofoid (2)
14. Fri, April 11 / I-55 Federated Auto Parts Raceway Park / Pevely, MO / Carson Macedo (2)
15. Sat, April 12 / I-55 Federated Auto Parts Raceway Park / Pevely, MO / Logan Schuchart (1)
16. Sat, April 19 / Knoxville Raceway / Knoxville, IA / Rico Abreu (1)
17. Fri, April 25 / Jacksonville Speedway / Jacksonville, IL / Kyle Larson (3)
18. Sat, April 26 / Tri-State Speedway / Haubstadt, IN / Sheldon Haudenschild (1)
19. Fri, May 2 / Eldora Speedway / Rossburg, OH / David Gravel (6)
20. Wed, May 7 / Lincoln Speedway / Abbottstown, PA / Michael Kofoid (3)
21. Sat, May 10 / Williams Grove Speedway / Mechanicsburg, PA / Anthony Macri (1)
22. Wed, May 14 / Ohsweken Speedway / Ohsweken, ON / David Gravel (7)
23. Thurs, May 15 / Ohsweken Speedway / Ohsweken, ON / David Gravel (8)
24. Sat, May 24 / Attica Raceway Park / Attica, OH / Logan Schuchart (2)
25. Mon, May 26 / Atomic Speedway / Chillicothe, OH / Carson Macedo (3)
26. Fri, May 30 / River Cities Speedway / Grand Forks, ND / Michael Kofoid (4)
27. Sat, May 31 / Red River Valley Speedway / West Fargo, ND / Sheldon Haudenschild (2)
28. Wed, June 4 / Jackson Motorplex / Jackson, MN / Carson Macedo (4)
29. Fri, June 6 / Plymouth Dirt Track / Plymouth, WI / Rico Abreu (2)
30. Sat, June 7 / Beaver Dam Raceway / Beaver Dam, WI / Brad Sweet (1)
31. Fri, June 13 / Knoxville Raceway / Knoxville, IA / David Gravel (9)
32. Sat, June 14 / Knoxville Raceway / Knoxville, IA / Corey Day (1)
33. Wed, June 18 / Huset’s Speedway / Brandon, SD / Kyle Larson (4)
34. Thurs, June 19 / Huset’s Speedway / Brandon, SD / Michael Kofoid (5)
35. Fri, June 20 / Huset’s Speedway / Brandon, SD / Bill Balog (2)
36. Sat, June 21 / Huset’s Speedway / Brandon, SD / Michael Kofoid (6)
37. Fri, June 27 / Cedar Lake Speedway / New Richmond, WI / David Gravel (10)
38. Sat, June 28 / Cedar Lake Speedway / New Richmond, WI / Carson Macedo (5)
39. Sat, July 12 / Wilmot Raceway / Wilmot, WI / Michael Kofoid (7)
40. Tues, July 15 / Attica Raceway Park / Attica, OH / Carson Macedo (6)
41. Fri, July 18 / Eldora Speedway / Rossburg, OH / Rico Abreu (3)
42. Sat, July 19 / Eldora Speedway / Rossburg, OH / Anthony Macri (2)
43. Wed, July 23 / BAPS Motor Speedway / York Haven, PA / Anthony Macri (3)
44. Sun, July 27 / Weedsport Speedway / Weedsport, NY / David Gravel (11)
45. Fri, Aug 1 / I-55 Federated Auto Parts Raceway Park / Pevely, MO / Carson Macedo (7)
46. Sat, Aug 2 / I-55 Federated Auto Parts Raceway Park / Pevely, MO / Michael Kofoid (8)
47. Wed, Aug 6 / Knoxville Raceway / Knoxville, IA / Ryan Timms*
48. Thurs, Aug 7 / Knoxville Raceway / Knoxville, IA / Kyle Larson*
49. Fri, Aug 8 / Knoxville Raceway / Knoxville, IA / David Gravel*
50. Sat, Aug 9 / Knoxville Raceway / Knoxville, IA / Ryan Timms (1)
51. Fri, Aug 15 / Ogilvie Raceway / Ogilvie, MN / Carson Macedo (8)
52. Sat, Aug 16 / Jackson Motorplex / Jackson, MN / Carson Macedo (9)
53. Tues, Aug 19 / Mississippi Thunder Speedway / Fountain City, WI / David Gravel (12)
54. Fri, Aug 22 / River Cities Speedway / Grand Forks, ND / Michael Kofoid (9)
55. Sat, Aug 23 / Red River Valley Speedway / West Fargo, ND / Carson Macedo (10)
56. Sun, Aug 31 / Huset’s Speedway / Brandon, SD / Michael Kofoid (10)

*denotes unofficial split-field prelim race.

For the remaining 2025 schedule, CLICK HERE.

Melanie Johnson Advances to Semifinals in First Appearance at U.S. Nationals

Indianapolis, IN (September 2, 2025) – In her debut at the prestigious Cornwell Quality Tools NHRA U.S. Nationals, Melanie Johnson delivered a standout performance behind the wheel of the McPhillips Racing Top Alcohol Dragster, advancing to the semifinals and showcasing her growing strength in the category.
 
Johnson qualified solidly in the top half of the field, improving every pass with runs of 5.330 seconds, 5.293 seconds, and a best of 5.241 seconds at 272.23 mph to lock into the No. 6 qualifying position.
 
In eliminations, Johnson showed poise and driving skill, beginning with a first-round win against McKenna Bold. Both drivers battled early tire shake, but Johnson successfully pedaled her car and got it hooked up to run a 5.556 at 268.22 mph.


 Melanie Johnson slides into her Top Alcohol Dragster before here semifinal round at the NHRA U.S. Nationals, photo credit Melanie Johnson

The second round provided one of the closest finishes of the event, with Johnson edging out Will Smith by just 0.0007 seconds (approximately three inches). Johnson had a slight starting line advantage with a 5.279 second E.T. against Smith’s 5.262.
 
Facing reigning world champion Shawn Cowie in the semifinals, Johnson left with a .026 reaction time to get ahead. She powered to a 5.245 at 270.92 mph, but Cowie’s 5.201 at 275.84 mph was enough to sneak past by only .0024 seconds (approximately 11 inches). Cowie went on to win the event.
 
“It was an emotional weekend for me, being my first U.S. Nationals, it’s the biggest race of the year and a very storied place for me and my family,” said Johnson. “But once I climbed into the car, I stayed focused on doing my job. Rich, Richie, and all the McPhillips Racing crew guys gave me a consistent car, and I’m proud of how we executed all weekend. To come away with strong qualifying runs, two big round wins, and a close semifinal against the world champ is a huge step forward for us.”
 
The weekend was also deeply personal for Johnson off the track. Together with her Aunt Pam, she carried on a long-standing tradition by placing a wreath and candle at the memorial stone for her late uncle, Blaine Johnson, located just past the finish line. “I ran into fans who told me Blaine was their favorite driver, and it still means so much to know that people remember him,” Johnson shared.


 Johnson and her aunt Pam carried on a longstanding tradition of placing a wreath at her uncle Blaine’s memorial, photo credit Melanie Johnson

Melanie Johnson Advances to Semifinals in
First Appearance at U.S. Nationals

Indianapolis, IN (September 2, 2025) – In her debut at the prestigious Cornwell Quality Tools NHRA U.S. Nationals, Melanie Johnson delivered a standout performance behind the wheel of the McPhillips Racing Top Alcohol Dragster, advancing to the semifinals and showcasing her growing strength in the category.
 
Johnson qualified solidly in the top half of the field, improving every pass with runs of 5.330 seconds, 5.293 seconds, and a best of 5.241 seconds at 272.23 mph to lock into the No. 6 qualifying position.
 
In eliminations, Johnson showed poise and driving skill, beginning with a first-round win against McKenna Bold. Both drivers battled early tire shake, but Johnson successfully pedaled her car and got it hooked up to run a 5.556 at 268.22 mph.


 Melanie Johnson slides into her Top Alcohol Dragster before here semifinal round at the NHRA U.S. Nationals, photo credit Melanie Johnson

The second round provided one of the closest finishes of the event, with Johnson edging out Will Smith by just 0.0007 seconds (approximately three inches). Johnson had a slight starting line advantage with a 5.279 second E.T. against Smith’s 5.262.
 
Facing reigning world champion Shawn Cowie in the semifinals, Johnson left with a .026 reaction time to get ahead. She powered to a 5.245 at 270.92 mph, but Cowie’s 5.201 at 275.84 mph was enough to sneak past by only .0024 seconds (approximately 11 inches). Cowie went on to win the event.
 
“It was an emotional weekend for me, being my first U.S. Nationals, it’s the biggest race of the year and a very storied place for me and my family,” said Johnson. “But once I climbed into the car, I stayed focused on doing my job. Rich, Richie, and all the McPhillips Racing crew guys gave me a consistent car, and I’m proud of how we executed all weekend. To come away with strong qualifying runs, two big round wins, and a close semifinal against the world champ is a huge step forward for us.”
 
The weekend was also deeply personal for Johnson off the track. Together with her Aunt Pam, she carried on a long-standing tradition by placing a wreath and candle at the memorial stone for her late uncle, Blaine Johnson, located just past the finish line. “I ran into fans who told me Blaine was their favorite driver, and it still means so much to know that people remember him,” Johnson shared.


 Johnson and her aunt Pam carried on a longstanding tradition of placing a wreath at her uncle Blaine’s memorial, photo credit Melanie Johnson

She credits the support of her team and valued partners AJPE, NGK Spark Plugs, Lucas Oil, and ARP for making weekends like this possible.
 
Looking ahead, Johnson and the McPhillips Racing team will return to action September 12–14 at the 40th NHRA Nationals presented by Nitro Fish at Maple Grove Raceway in Reading, Pennsylvania.

Matt Cummings Qualifies No. 1 in Hedinger’s Equipment Dragster as Randy Meyer Racing Team Shines at the 71st Annual NHRA U.S. Nationals

Sep 2, 2025 | Featured, Race Results

Randy Meyer Racing closed out an exciting weekend of Top Alcohol Dragster competition at the prestigious 71st annual Cornwell Quality Tools NHRA U.S. Nationals with both drivers McKenna Bold and Matt Cummings.

Cummings set the tone in qualifying, blasting to the top of the field with a 5.166 at 276 mph on Saturday in his Hedinger’s Equipment dragster to secure the No. 1 position. It marked the second race in a row, and the 12th time in his career, that he has qualified on the pole in Top Alcohol Dragster national event competition. Bold continued to show poise in her rookie season, steadily improving with each session. She recorded her best run of the weekend in the final qualifying session, a 5.299 at 269 mph, which moved her up the ladder into the No. 11 position for her first-ever start at the U.S. Nationals.

For Bold, this event marked her first appearance at the “Big Go” in her rookie season, and she wasted no time proving she belonged on drag racing’s biggest stage. In the opening round of eliminations, she grabbed a huge advantage at the starting line with a .038 reaction time over Melanie Johnson’s .065. However, tricky track conditions quickly came into play. Just a few hundred feet into the run, Bold’s dragster shook violently, enough to dislodge the parachutes. She pedaled to recover, but the loss of momentum was too much to overcome, as Johnson’s 5.556 at 268 mph defeated Bold’s 6.156 at 225 mph.

Cornwell Tools NHRA U.S. Nationals

Cummings continued his run of consistency through eliminations, and in round one, he powered to a 5.184 at 277 mph to secure the win and lane choice for round two. Facing veteran Jackie Fricke in the quarterfinals, Cummings never trailed, posting low elapsed time of the round with a 5.200 at 277.60 mph to advance to the semifinals on Labor Day.

In the third round, Cummings matched up against Jamie Noonan in what proved to be one of the closest battles of the weekend. Randy Meyer and Cummings delivered another strong performance with a 5.18 at 277 mph tune up, but Noonan recorded his quickest pass of the event, a 5.15, to advance to the final and end the team’s chance of defending their 2024 U.S. Nationals victory.

“Rolling into Indianapolis for the U.S. Nationals, the team had a lot of confidence of it being successful. I know I felt confident that we could continue our performance at the top of the field. We just came off back-to-back races being number 1 qualifier, and a fresh victory at the regional race in Bowling Green,” said Cummings.

“There was so much excitement getting into the car on Sunday, but I kept telling myself to just stick to my routine, don’t think or listen to any outside interference. Be like a machine. In the semis, we executed our game plan perfectly with a 5.18, but our opponent built a bomb overnight and took a big swing at us. They were successful in taking us out. Our team was disappointed in the result but not with our performance. Great effort and plan by Randy Meyer and the whole team. While we were disappointed in the result, we’re proud of the performance, the effort from the team, and the support from Tim Hedinger being at the track with us. We appeared in every round except the U.S. National final to give him maximum exposure. We’ll regroup and be ready to fight for another victory at Maple Grove.”

While the team came up short of its goal, Meyer is proud of Bold’s resilient debut at her first U.S. Nationals and Cummings’ continued ability to contend at the front of the field. The weekend also marked a special milestone for the team, as they welcomed Elite Motorsports onboard as a partner. With their help, the team arrived in style at Indy in a new toterhome that will support the team throughout the season. Serious buyers can find more information on the team’s trusted toterhome that is now for sale >> HERE <<.

Matt Cummings Qualifies No. 1 in Hedinger’s Equipment Dragster as Randy Meyer Racing Team Shines at the 71st Annual NHRA U.S. Nationals

Sep 2, 2025 | Featured, Race Results

Randy Meyer Racing closed out an exciting weekend of Top Alcohol Dragster competition at the prestigious 71st annual Cornwell Quality Tools NHRA U.S. Nationals with both drivers McKenna Bold and Matt Cummings.

Cummings set the tone in qualifying, blasting to the top of the field with a 5.166 at 276 mph on Saturday in his Hedinger’s Equipment dragster to secure the No. 1 position. It marked the second race in a row, and the 12th time in his career, that he has qualified on the pole in Top Alcohol Dragster national event competition. Bold continued to show poise in her rookie season, steadily improving with each session. She recorded her best run of the weekend in the final qualifying session, a 5.299 at 269 mph, which moved her up the ladder into the No. 11 position for her first-ever start at the U.S. Nationals.

For Bold, this event marked her first appearance at the “Big Go” in her rookie season, and she wasted no time proving she belonged on drag racing’s biggest stage. In the opening round of eliminations, she grabbed a huge advantage at the starting line with a .038 reaction time over Melanie Johnson’s .065. However, tricky track conditions quickly came into play. Just a few hundred feet into the run, Bold’s dragster shook violently, enough to dislodge the parachutes. She pedaled to recover, but the loss of momentum was too much to overcome, as Johnson’s 5.556 at 268 mph defeated Bold’s 6.156 at 225 mph.

Cornwell Tools NHRA U.S. Nationals

Cummings continued his run of consistency through eliminations, and in round one, he powered to a 5.184 at 277 mph to secure the win and lane choice for round two. Facing veteran Jackie Fricke in the quarterfinals, Cummings never trailed, posting low elapsed time of the round with a 5.200 at 277.60 mph to advance to the semifinals on Labor Day.

In the third round, Cummings matched up against Jamie Noonan in what proved to be one of the closest battles of the weekend. Randy Meyer and Cummings delivered another strong performance with a 5.18 at 277 mph tune up, but Noonan recorded his quickest pass of the event, a 5.15, to advance to the final and end the team’s chance of defending their 2024 U.S. Nationals victory.

“Rolling into Indianapolis for the U.S. Nationals, the team had a lot of confidence of it being successful. I know I felt confident that we could continue our performance at the top of the field. We just came off back-to-back races being number 1 qualifier, and a fresh victory at the regional race in Bowling Green,” said Cummings.

“There was so much excitement getting into the car on Sunday, but I kept telling myself to just stick to my routine, don’t think or listen to any outside interference. Be like a machine. In the semis, we executed our game plan perfectly with a 5.18, but our opponent built a bomb overnight and took a big swing at us. They were successful in taking us out. Our team was disappointed in the result but not with our performance. Great effort and plan by Randy Meyer and the whole team. While we were disappointed in the result, we’re proud of the performance, the effort from the team, and the support from Tim Hedinger being at the track with us. We appeared in every round except the U.S. National final to give him maximum exposure. We’ll regroup and be ready to fight for another victory at Maple Grove.”

While the team came up short of its goal, Meyer is proud of Bold’s resilient debut at her first U.S. Nationals and Cummings’ continued ability to contend at the front of the field. The weekend also marked a special milestone for the team, as they welcomed Elite Motorsports onboard as a partner. With their help, the team arrived in style at Indy in a new toterhome that will support the team throughout the season. Serious buyers can find more information on the team’s trusted toterhome that is now for sale >> HERE <<.

Randy Meyer Racing will regroup and prepare for the next stop on the NHRA Drag Racing Series tour in Earlville, Iowa with Bold driving solo, carrying momentum and determination into the remainder of the season.

CORVETTE RACING AT COTA: Coming to America

TF Sport brings Corvette Z06 GT3.Rs home for critical race in championship
DETROIT (September 2, 2025) – TF Sport is bringing its pair of Chevrolet Corvette Z06 GT3.Rs home to the United States at Circuit of The Americas for the FIA World Endurance Championship’s lone race in North America 
The six-hour Lone Star Le Mans is the sixth of eight rounds in the FIA WEC this season and the first since mid-July. Both TF Sport entries sit in the top-five in both the LMGT3 Drivers and Teams championship standings heading to the Lone Star State.
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This year’s race at COTA is the second for the TF/Corvette combo with one of the team’s Z06 GT3.Rs finishing in the points last year.
No. 33 TF Sport Corvette Z06 GT3.RTF Sport’s Ben Keating will be front and center as he races in his home state for the first time in a Corvette. Keating, Jonny Edgar and Corvette factory driver Daniel Juncadella enter COTA third in the LMGT3 championship and searching for their first podium since a season-opening victory at Qatar. Juncadella was part of the TF Sport lineup last year that finished eighth in class driving the No. 82 Corvette lineup. He made up seven positions during his 2.5-hour stint to cap his debut race at Circuit of The Americas. Keating was also part of last year’s Lone Star Le Mans in LMGT3 and has four GT-class victories at the circuit to his credit in IMSA competition from 2013-2017. Edgar is making his first career start at COTA and is coming off a strong run at Sāo Paulo in the previous WEC round. He drove the final two hours and was the fastest Corvette driver in the race as the No. 33 trio finished seventh in class. No. 81 TF Sport Corvette Z06 GT3.RNo entry in LMGT3 has the momentum of TF Sport’s No. 81 Corvette. The trio of factory driver Charlie Eastwood, Rui Andrade and Tom Van Rompuy arrives at COTA on the heels of a third-place finish at Le Mans and a runner-up result at Sāo Paulo to vault up into fifth place in the Drivers Championship standings. The No. 81 Corvette was on course for a similar result in the second half of year’s Lone Star Le Mans. Running second at the time, the Corvette suffered heavy contact from another competitor which knocked it down the order and eventually into the garage for a heart-breaking retirement. Eastwood and Andrade already have been part of a winning TF Sport effort this year with a victory in the ELMS in their No. 82 Corvette. Van Rompuy, who made his COTA debut last year along with Andrade, hopes to keep his strong season going with what would be his fifth Hyperpole appearance in six races.  The six-hour Lone Star Le Mans is scheduled for 1 p.m. CT on Sunday, September 7. Full, live television coverage is available on the MotorTrend in the United States. Live streaming coverage of Free Practice 3, qualifying and the race will be available on the FIA WEC app and the MAX app in the United States.
TF SPORT PRE-EVENT QUOTESDANI JUNCADELLA, NO. 33 CHEVROLET CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R: “Being back in the U.S. is always pretty cool. COTA is actually a track that surprised me quite positively last year. With these tracks that have a lot of asphalt runoffs, it can be misguiding sometimes when you think it’s an easy track. But COTA has a lot of technical corners; it’s a very cool Sector One with a lot of high-speed, flowing corners. This also is a challenging race with the heat. Last year was super-hot but I like the big challenges like that. It makes the racing harder and more exciting for everyone. We’re coming off a couple of difficult races with some unlucky situations that were out of our control, but we are still third in the championship. There are three rounds to go and considering the success weight that the leaders are carrying, I think we are in a good position to fight for big points. That should play in our favor to fight in the championship for the last few races. I’m hoping for a strong result in COTA, especially as a home race for Corvette and Ben. The car was good last year as well, so I expect that we will be strong.”
JONNY EDGAR, NO. 33 CHEVROLET CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R: “I am looking forward to racing at COTA for the first time as this looks like a great track to drive. The last two races have been quite difficult and our results haven’t reflected the pace we have had, so hopefully we can have an issue-free race and score good points for the championship. On top of all that, it would be nice to have a good result for Corvette and Ben’s home race.”
BEN KEATING, NO. 33 CHEVROLET CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R: “I love racing all around the world, but there is no place like home! I am excited to help host the WEC in Texas. This is home for Corvette and home for me. I have a lot of great results at COTA from the past years. Our No. 33 Corvette needs a great result to stay in the championship hunt for 2025. So this race is extremely important, but I believe we are up for the challenge!”
CHARLIE EASTWOOD, NO. 81 CHEVROLET CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R: “COTA was a good event for the Corvette last year. On our side, we didn’t have a good run, but the sister car was super strong, as were we; we just got caught up in a few incidents that pretty much did us in. From my side, there are a couple of question marks with the hard-compound tire. In the Corvette, we’re so good on tire deg, especially on the Goodyear, that the hard tire at COTA and Bahrain will probably bring the others a bit closer to us toward the end of the stint, but hopefully we still will have a bit of a delta to work with. So I’m looking forward to it. It’s a tough track, you know, especially in that heat. Everything’s screaming… the tires are screaming, drivers are screaming with the heat. But we’re on a good momentum swing with TF Sport and the Corvette. Even if you look back at 2024, we were really good in these last three events toward the end of our first season. We’ve been much stronger up to this point this year so hopefully then we can be stronger still in these last three.”
2025 FIA World Endurance Championship PointsLMGT3 Drivers Standings1. Riccardo Pera/Richard Lietz/Ryan Hardwick – 892. Alessio Rovera/Francois Heriau/Simon Mann – 763. Ben Keating/Daniel Juncadella/Jonny Edgar – 664. Clemens Schmid/Jose Maria Lopez/Petru Umbrarescu – 575. Charlie Eastwood/Rui Andrade/Tom Van Rompuy – 56 LMGT3 Teams Standings1. No. 92 Manthey 1ST Phorm – 892. No. 21 Vista AF Corse – 763. No. 33 TF Sport – 664. No. 87 Akkodis ASP Team – 575. No. 81 TF Sport – 56 Corvette Racing at COTA: By the Numbers• 3: Generations of Corvette Racing entries at COTA since 2013 – Corvette C6.R (2013), Corvette C7.R (2014-2019) and the mid-engine Corvette C8.R – which raced at COTA for the first time in WEC competition in 2020 – and Z06 GT3.R, both of which are eighth-gen Corvettes• 5: Class wins at COTA for Corvette Racing entries in two championships: IMSA and GT World Challenge America. The latest came this year from DXDT Racing in GT World Challenge America Pro-Am• 11: Wins this year for the Corvette Z06 GT3.R including two earlier this year at Circuit of The Americas• 14: Manufacturer Championships for Chevrolet and Corvette Racing since 2001• 32: Tracks at which Corvette Racing has won races – Baltimore, Charlotte Motor Speedway, COTA, Canadian Tire Motorsport Park/Mosport, Chang International Circuit (Thailand), Daytona, Detroit, Fuji, Houston, Imola, Laguna Seca, Le Mans, Lime Rock, Long Beach, Lusail International Circuit (Qatar), Sepang International Circuit (Malaysia), Miami, Mid-Ohio, Monza, Portimão, Portland, Road America, Road Atlanta, Sebring, Sonoma, St. Petersburg, Texas, Trois Rivieres, Utah, VIR, Washington DC and Watkins Glen• 39: Number of drivers to win races in Corvette Racing entries since 1999. The latest to join the list was Ross Chouest in GT America at Road America• 72: Number of drivers in Corvette Racing entries since 1999. The latest to join the list was Olivier Hart for Steller Motorsport at the 24 Hours of Spa• 72: Years since Corvette was introduced to the world on Jan. 17, 1953 in New York City. A total of 300 cars were produced that year• 148: Victories worldwide for Corvette Racing – 117 in IMSA, nine at Le Mans, four in the FIA WEC, 13 in GT World Challenge America, three in GT World Challenge Asia and one each in the European Le Mans Series and GT America• 360: Event starts by Corvette Racing since 1999• 5,474: Number of racing miles completed by Corvette Racing in its eight previous events at Circuit of The Americas. That represents more than 30 trips across the Texas Panhandle.• 447,340.24: Total number of racing miles completed by Corvette Racing since its inception. To put that in perspective, Corvette Racing is more than halfway to the distance traveled by Apollo 13 – the longest manned spaceflight in history: 622,268 miles. That means Corvette Racing has raced to the moon and more than halfway back! Corvette Racing at Circuit of The Americas (wins in bold)2013 – IMSANo. 3 Corvette C6.R: Antonio Garcia/Jan Magnussen – 1st in GTNo. 4 Corvette C6.R: Oliver Gavin/Tommy Milner – 11th in GT
2014 – IMSANo. 3 Corvette C7.R: Antonio Garcia/Jan Magnussen – 9th in GTLMNo. 4 Corvette C7.R: Oliver Gavin/Tommy Milner – 10th in GTLM
2014 – FIA WECNo. 65 Corvette C7.R: Tommy Milner/Jordan Taylor/Ricky Taylor – 7th in GTE Pro
2015 – IMSANo. 3 Corvette C7.R: Antonio Garcia/Jan Magnussen: 6th in GTLMNo. 4 Corvette C7.R: Oliver Gavin/Tommy Milner: 8th in GTLM
2016 – IMSANo. 3 Corvette C7.R: Antonio Garcia/Jan Magnussen: 3rd in GTLMNo. 4 Corvette C7.R: Oliver Gavin/Tommy Milner: 5th in GTLM
2017 – IMSANo. 3 Corvette C7.R: Antonio Garcia/Jan Magnussen: 1st in GTLMNo. 4 Corvette C7.R: Oliver Gavin/Tommy Milner: 7th in GTLM
2020 – FIA WECNo. 63 Corvette C8.R: Jan Magnussen/Mike Rockenfeller: 6th in GTE Pro
2024 – GT World ChallengeNo. 63 Corvette Z06 GT3.R: Tommy Milner/Alec Udell – 1st,1st in ProNo. 08 Corvette Z06 GT3.R: Bryan Sellers/Scott Smithson – 6th, 11th in Pro-Am
2024 – FIA World Endurance ChampionshipNo. 81 Corvette Z06 GT3.R: Charlie Eastwood/Rui Andrade/Tom Van Rompuy – 16th in LMGT3No. 82 Corvette Z06 GT3.R: Daniel Juncadella/Sebastien Baud/Hiroshi Koizumi – 8th in LMGT3
2025 – GT World ChallengeNo. 11 Corvette Z06 GT3.R: Matt Bell/Blake McDonald – 1st, 3rd in Pro-AmNo. 50 Corvette Z06 GT3.R: Ross Chouest/Aaron Povoledo – 8th, 11th in Pro-AmNo. 50 Corvette Z06 GT3.R: Ross Chouest – 4th, 3rd in GT America SRO3
CORVETTE RACING AT COTA: Coming to AmericaTF Sport brings Corvette Z06 GT3.Rs home for critical race in championship
DETROIT (September 2, 2025) – TF Sport is bringing its pair of Chevrolet Corvette Z06 GT3.Rs home to the United States at Circuit of The Americas for the FIA World Endurance Championship’s lone race in North America 
The six-hour Lone Star Le Mans is the sixth of eight rounds in the FIA WEC this season and the first since mid-July. Both TF Sport entries sit in the top-five in both the LMGT3 Drivers and Teams championship standings heading to the Lone Star State.
Corvette Racing Media Resources Documents | Statistics | Photos | Factory Driver Bios | Chevrolet Newsroom
This year’s race at COTA is the second for the TF/Corvette combo with one of the team’s Z06 GT3.Rs finishing in the points last year.
No. 33 TF Sport Corvette Z06 GT3.RTF Sport’s Ben Keating will be front and center as he races in his home state for the first time in a Corvette. Keating, Jonny Edgar and Corvette factory driver Daniel Juncadella enter COTA third in the LMGT3 championship and searching for their first podium since a season-opening victory at Qatar. Juncadella was part of the TF Sport lineup last year that finished eighth in class driving the No. 82 Corvette lineup. He made up seven positions during his 2.5-hour stint to cap his debut race at Circuit of The Americas. Keating was also part of last year’s Lone Star Le Mans in LMGT3 and has four GT-class victories at the circuit to his credit in IMSA competition from 2013-2017. Edgar is making his first career start at COTA and is coming off a strong run at Sāo Paulo in the previous WEC round. He drove the final two hours and was the fastest Corvette driver in the race as the No. 33 trio finished seventh in class. No. 81 TF Sport Corvette Z06 GT3.RNo entry in LMGT3 has the momentum of TF Sport’s No. 81 Corvette. The trio of factory driver Charlie Eastwood, Rui Andrade and Tom Van Rompuy arrives at COTA on the heels of a third-place finish at Le Mans and a runner-up result at Sāo Paulo to vault up into fifth place in the Drivers Championship standings. The No. 81 Corvette was on course for a similar result in the second half of year’s Lone Star Le Mans. Running second at the time, the Corvette suffered heavy contact from another competitor which knocked it down the order and eventually into the garage for a heart-breaking retirement. Eastwood and Andrade already have been part of a winning TF Sport effort this year with a victory in the ELMS in their No. 82 Corvette. Van Rompuy, who made his COTA debut last year along with Andrade, hopes to keep his strong season going with what would be his fifth Hyperpole appearance in six races.  The six-hour Lone Star Le Mans is scheduled for 1 p.m. CT on Sunday, September 7. Full, live television coverage is available on the MotorTrend in the United States. Live streaming coverage of Free Practice 3, qualifying and the race will be available on the FIA WEC app and the MAX app in the United States.
TF SPORT PRE-EVENT QUOTESDANI JUNCADELLA, NO. 33 CHEVROLET CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R: “Being back in the U.S. is always pretty cool. COTA is actually a track that surprised me quite positively last year. With these tracks that have a lot of asphalt runoffs, it can be misguiding sometimes when you think it’s an easy track. But COTA has a lot of technical corners; it’s a very cool Sector One with a lot of high-speed, flowing corners. This also is a challenging race with the heat. Last year was super-hot but I like the big challenges like that. It makes the racing harder and more exciting for everyone. We’re coming off a couple of difficult races with some unlucky situations that were out of our control, but we are still third in the championship. There are three rounds to go and considering the success weight that the leaders are carrying, I think we are in a good position to fight for big points. That should play in our favor to fight in the championship for the last few races. I’m hoping for a strong result in COTA, especially as a home race for Corvette and Ben. The car was good last year as well, so I expect that we will be strong.”
JONNY EDGAR, NO. 33 CHEVROLET CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R: “I am looking forward to racing at COTA for the first time as this looks like a great track to drive. The last two races have been quite difficult and our results haven’t reflected the pace we have had, so hopefully we can have an issue-free race and score good points for the championship. On top of all that, it would be nice to have a good result for Corvette and Ben’s home race.”
BEN KEATING, NO. 33 CHEVROLET CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R: “I love racing all around the world, but there is no place like home! I am excited to help host the WEC in Texas. This is home for Corvette and home for me. I have a lot of great results at COTA from the past years. Our No. 33 Corvette needs a great result to stay in the championship hunt for 2025. So this race is extremely important, but I believe we are up for the challenge!”
CHARLIE EASTWOOD, NO. 81 CHEVROLET CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R: “COTA was a good event for the Corvette last year. On our side, we didn’t have a good run, but the sister car was super strong, as were we; we just got caught up in a few incidents that pretty much did us in. From my side, there are a couple of question marks with the hard-compound tire. In the Corvette, we’re so good on tire deg, especially on the Goodyear, that the hard tire at COTA and Bahrain will probably bring the others a bit closer to us toward the end of the stint, but hopefully we still will have a bit of a delta to work with. So I’m looking forward to it. It’s a tough track, you know, especially in that heat. Everything’s screaming… the tires are screaming, drivers are screaming with the heat. But we’re on a good momentum swing with TF Sport and the Corvette. Even if you look back at 2024, we were really good in these last three events toward the end of our first season. We’ve been much stronger up to this point this year so hopefully then we can be stronger still in these last three.”
2025 FIA World Endurance Championship PointsLMGT3 Drivers Standings1. Riccardo Pera/Richard Lietz/Ryan Hardwick – 892. Alessio Rovera/Francois Heriau/Simon Mann – 763. Ben Keating/Daniel Juncadella/Jonny Edgar – 664. Clemens Schmid/Jose Maria Lopez/Petru Umbrarescu – 575. Charlie Eastwood/Rui Andrade/Tom Van Rompuy – 56 LMGT3 Teams Standings1. No. 92 Manthey 1ST Phorm – 892. No. 21 Vista AF Corse – 763. No. 33 TF Sport – 664. No. 87 Akkodis ASP Team – 575. No. 81 TF Sport – 56 Corvette Racing at COTA: By the Numbers• 3: Generations of Corvette Racing entries at COTA since 2013 – Corvette C6.R (2013), Corvette C7.R (2014-2019) and the mid-engine Corvette C8.R – which raced at COTA for the first time in WEC competition in 2020 – and Z06 GT3.R, both of which are eighth-gen Corvettes• 5: Class wins at COTA for Corvette Racing entries in two championships: IMSA and GT World Challenge America. The latest came this year from DXDT Racing in GT World Challenge America Pro-Am• 11: Wins this year for the Corvette Z06 GT3.R including two earlier this year at Circuit of The Americas• 14: Manufacturer Championships for Chevrolet and Corvette Racing since 2001• 32: Tracks at which Corvette Racing has won races – Baltimore, Charlotte Motor Speedway, COTA, Canadian Tire Motorsport Park/Mosport, Chang International Circuit (Thailand), Daytona, Detroit, Fuji, Houston, Imola, Laguna Seca, Le Mans, Lime Rock, Long Beach, Lusail International Circuit (Qatar), Sepang International Circuit (Malaysia), Miami, Mid-Ohio, Monza, Portimão, Portland, Road America, Road Atlanta, Sebring, Sonoma, St. Petersburg, Texas, Trois Rivieres, Utah, VIR, Washington DC and Watkins Glen• 39: Number of drivers to win races in Corvette Racing entries since 1999. The latest to join the list was Ross Chouest in GT America at Road America• 72: Number of drivers in Corvette Racing entries since 1999. The latest to join the list was Olivier Hart for Steller Motorsport at the 24 Hours of Spa• 72: Years since Corvette was introduced to the world on Jan. 17, 1953 in New York City. A total of 300 cars were produced that year• 148: Victories worldwide for Corvette Racing – 117 in IMSA, nine at Le Mans, four in the FIA WEC, 13 in GT World Challenge America, three in GT World Challenge Asia and one each in the European Le Mans Series and GT America• 360: Event starts by Corvette Racing since 1999• 5,474: Number of racing miles completed by Corvette Racing in its eight previous events at Circuit of The Americas. That represents more than 30 trips across the Texas Panhandle.• 447,340.24: Total number of racing miles completed by Corvette Racing since its inception. To put that in perspective, Corvette Racing is more than halfway to the distance traveled by Apollo 13 – the longest manned spaceflight in history: 622,268 miles. That means Corvette Racing has raced to the moon and more than halfway back! Corvette Racing at Circuit of The Americas (wins in bold)2013 – IMSANo. 3 Corvette C6.R: Antonio Garcia/Jan Magnussen – 1st in GTNo. 4 Corvette C6.R: Oliver Gavin/Tommy Milner – 11th in GT
2014 – IMSANo. 3 Corvette C7.R: Antonio Garcia/Jan Magnussen – 9th in GTLMNo. 4 Corvette C7.R: Oliver Gavin/Tommy Milner – 10th in GTLM
2014 – FIA WECNo. 65 Corvette C7.R: Tommy Milner/Jordan Taylor/Ricky Taylor – 7th in GTE Pro
2015 – IMSANo. 3 Corvette C7.R: Antonio Garcia/Jan Magnussen: 6th in GTLMNo. 4 Corvette C7.R: Oliver Gavin/Tommy Milner: 8th in GTLM
2016 – IMSANo. 3 Corvette C7.R: Antonio Garcia/Jan Magnussen: 3rd in GTLMNo. 4 Corvette C7.R: Oliver Gavin/Tommy Milner: 5th in GTLM
2017 – IMSANo. 3 Corvette C7.R: Antonio Garcia/Jan Magnussen: 1st in GTLMNo. 4 Corvette C7.R: Oliver Gavin/Tommy Milner: 7th in GTLM
2020 – FIA WECNo. 63 Corvette C8.R: Jan Magnussen/Mike Rockenfeller: 6th in GTE Pro
2024 – GT World ChallengeNo. 63 Corvette Z06 GT3.R: Tommy Milner/Alec Udell – 1st,1st in ProNo. 08 Corvette Z06 GT3.R: Bryan Sellers/Scott Smithson – 6th, 11th in Pro-Am
2024 – FIA World Endurance ChampionshipNo. 81 Corvette Z06 GT3.R: Charlie Eastwood/Rui Andrade/Tom Van Rompuy – 16th in LMGT3No. 82 Corvette Z06 GT3.R: Daniel Juncadella/Sebastien Baud/Hiroshi Koizumi – 8th in LMGT3
2025 – GT World ChallengeNo. 11 Corvette Z06 GT3.R: Matt Bell/Blake McDonald – 1st, 3rd in Pro-AmNo. 50 Corvette Z06 GT3.R: Ross Chouest/Aaron Povoledo – 8th, 11th in Pro-AmNo. 50 Corvette Z06 GT3.R: Ross Chouest – 4th, 3rd in GT America SRO3

WHAT TO WATCH FOR: Xtreme-POWRi Challenge Series Finale Weekend Ahead in America’s Heartland

DOE RUN, MO – September 2, 2025 – With eight races of the Xtreme Outlaw-POWRi Challenge Series campaign in the history books, two chapters remain to be written to cap off the year’s in-season showdown. 

The Xtreme Outlaw Midget Series presented by Toyota will tackle a doubleheader weekend with a final visit to Missouri at Doe Run Raceway on Friday, Sept. 5. Then, the Challenge Series road ends at Highland Speedway on Saturday night to close out the weekend near the gateway to the Midwest. 

The top five in Challenge Series points will receive a points fund bonus, with the champion receiving $2,500, second place earning $1,250, third place with $600, fourth place taking $400, and fifth place receiving $250. 

HIGHLAND TICKETS

WATCH ON DIRTVISION

Here are the top storylines to keep an eye on: 

Triple Threat Denney: In his first year as a Keith Kunz/Curb-Agajanian Motorsports (KKM) driver, Jacob Denney has lit the Xtreme Outlaw world on fire with new records and even more crowning achievements through 2025. 

The driver of the JBL Audio No. 67 LynK Chassis became the newest single-season wins holder in the Appalachian Midget Week opener at Action Track USA after winning his seventh Series Feature. He then followed up with two additional podiums before closing the week with a win at Clyde Martin Memorial Speedway for the $5,000-to-win honors. 

Leading the Challenge Series by 64 points over Karter Sarff, and the overall championship standings by 273 markers over Cannon McIntosh, the Galloway, OH driver is poised to become the first driver to sweep all three Xtreme titles in a single year. 

Welcome Back: Doe Run Raceway and Highland Speedway each hold significant memories for the Xtreme Outlaw Midgets in the Midwest. 

Doe Run hosts the Series for a third-straight year, but it’s the first time the “Show Me State” racetrack is part of the Challenge Series finale doubleheader as the penultimate race. In the last two Series races, two former Xtreme champions went to Victory Lane with Zach Daum in 2023, and McIntosh in 2024. 

The “World Famous” Highland Speedway returns to the Series schedule for the first time since 2023. In the inaugural Feature, Chase McDermand drove the No. 40 Mounce/Stout Motorsports Midget to the win in his first race at the bullring. 

G-Milly’s Moment: Despite winning the Turnpike Challenge finale at Port City Raceway to start the 2025 Midget points campaign, Gavin Miller struggled to solve his return to Victory Lane. 

After scoring a whopping nine podiums with the Xtreme Outlaw Midgets without a win, the Allentown, PA native’s 10th podium was the lucky charm that saw him dominate 30 laps around Path Valley Speedway for a feel-good home state triumph in the Appalachian Midget Week

The KKM driver now enters the Challenge Series finale weekend with a head of steam on his side with a USAC weekend sweep at Bloomington Speedway and Angell Park Speedway to continue pushing the No. 97 SoundGear Toyota closer to a second Series win in 2025. 

Xtreme Six Pack: Heading into the September weekend, six Xtreme Outlaw Midgets drivers have six more nights to capture a win in the 2025 season. 

Amongst the full-time Series competitors, McDermand is the only former winner who has yet to visit Victory Lane. The Springfield, IL driver owns three podiums, eight top fives, and enters the weekend chasing a second career Highland win. 

Five Series rookies will contend for their first triumph before the year’s conclusion, which includes Michael Faccinto, Colton Robinson, Hayden Wise, Alex Karpowicz, and Brandon Carr. 

When and where 

Friday, September 5, at Doe Run Raceway in Doe Run, MO 

Saturday, September 6, at Highland Speedway in Highland, IL 

On the internet 
Xtreme Outlaw Midget Series presented by Toyota 
Twitter/X – @Xtreme_Outlaw 
Instagram – @XtremeOutlaw 
Facebook – @XtremeOutlawSeries.WRG 

Live broadcast 
DIRTVision – DIRTVision.com. Annual FAST PASS for $299 or monthly FAST PASS for $39/month. 

Current Xtreme Outlaw Midgets Points Standings (View Full Standings) 

  1. 1. Jacob Denney: 3968 points | Keith Kunz/Curb-Agajanian Motorsports No. 67
  2. Cannon McIntosh: -273 points | Keith Kunz/Curb-Agajanian Motorsports No. 71K
  3. Gavin Miller: -310 points | Keith Kunz/Curb-Agajanian Motorsports No. 97
  4. Kameron Key: -428 points | Trifecta Motorsports No. 9U
  5. Chase McDermand: -442 points | Chase McDermand Racing No. 40
  6. Colton Robinson: -576 points | Keith Kunz/Curb-Agajanian Motorsports No. 67K
  7. Michael Faccinto: -634 points | Trifecta Motorsports No. 5U
  8. Hayden Wise: -722 points | Ninety-Four Motorsports No. 94
  9. Alex Karpowicz: -767 points | Keith Kunz/Curb-Agajanian Motorsports No. 72
  10. Brandon Carr: -908 points | Keith Kunz/Curb-Agajanian Motorsports No. 98K

Toyota Feature winners (7 drivers) 

8 wins – Jacob Denney 

3 wins – Cannon McIntosh, Karter Sarff 

1 win – Joe B. Miller, Kameron Key, Kyle Jones, Gavin Miller 

Toyota Feature laps led (17 drivers) 

119 laps – Jacob Denney 

63 laps – Cannon McIntosh 

57 laps – Gavin Miller 

46 laps – Chase McDermand 

32 laps – Karter Sarff 

25 laps – Joe B. Miller, Michael Faccinto 

23 laps – Steven Snyder Jr 

17 laps – Corbin Rueschenberg 

15 laps – Colton Robinson 

14 laps – Hayden Wise 

10 laps – Ethan Mitchell, Kyle Jones 

9 laps – Zach Daum, Kameron Key 

4 laps – Ryan Mueller 

2 laps – Zach Wigal 

Smith Titanium Quick Time Awards (10 drivers) 

5 awards – Jacob Denney 

3 awards – Chase McDermand 

2 awards – Gavin Miller, Karter Sarff 

1 award – Corbin Rueschenberg, Ethan Mitchell, Kameron Key, Zach Wigal, Trevor Cline, Hayden Wise 

Toyota, CASM Safety Products, TJ Forged, DIRTVision Heat Race winners (22 drivers) 

6 wins – Colton Robinson 

5 wins – Jacob Denney 

4 wins – Michael Faccinto, Kameron Key, Cannon McIntosh 

3 wins – Chase McDermand, Joe B. Miller, Hayden Wise 

2 wins – Thomas Meseraull, Kaiden Manders, Zach Daum, Karter Sarff, Brandon Carr, Steven Snyder Jr 

1 win – Ethan Mitchell, Gavin Miller, Bradley Cox, Joe Wirth, Shannon McQueen, Andrew Felker, Zach Wigal, Alex Karpowicz 

High-Points Honors (9 drivers) 

5 honors – Jacob Denney 

2 honors – Chase McDermand 

1 honor – Thomas Meseraull, Hayden Wise, Karter Sarff, Ethan Mitchell, Michael Faccinto, Kameron Key, Colton Robinson 

Summit Racing Equipment Hard Charger Awards (11 drivers) 

3 awards – Jacob Denney 

2 awards – Chase McDermand, Tyler Edwards, Kameron Key, Cannon McIntosh, Gavin Miller  

1 award – Karter Sarff, Brecken Reese, Brandon Carr, Kyle Jones, Daniel Bennett, Matt Sherrell 

Podium finishes (10 drivers) 

14 podiums – Jacob Denney 

11 podiums – Gavin Miller 

10 podiums – Cannon McIntosh 

6 podiums – Karter Sarff 

3 podiums – Chase McDermand, Kameron Key 

2 podiums – Corbin Rueschenberg, Kyle Jones 

1 podium – Zach Daum, Thomas Meseraull, Joe B. Miller, Hayden Wise 

Top-10 finishes (30 drivers) 

18 top-10s – Jacob Denney 

15 top-10s – Chase McDermand, Kameron Key 

14 top-10s – Cannon McIntosh, Colton Robinson, Gavin Miller 

12 top-10s – Michael Faccinto  

10 top-10s – Hayden Wise 

8 top-10s – Karter Sarff, Brandon Carr 

7 top-10s – Alex Karpowicz 

6 top-10s – Tyler Edwards, Kyle Jones 

5 top-10s – Trevor Cline, Zach Daum 

4 top-10s – Joe B. Miller 

3 top-10s – Brecken Reese, Corbin Rueschenberg 

2 top-10s – Ethan Mitchell 

1 top-10 – Cale Coons, Bradley Cox, Thomas Meseraull, Steven Snyder Jr, Joe Wirth, Andrew Felker, Andrew Deal, Shannon McQueen, Zach Wigal, Daniel Adler, Kale Drake 

2025 XTREME OUTLAW MIDGET SCHEDULE 

No. | Date | Track | Location | Winner (Total Wins) 

* Denotes Xtreme-POWRi Challenge Series 

WHAT TO WATCH FOR: Xtreme-POWRi Challenge Series Finale Weekend Ahead in America’s Heartland 

DOE RUN, MO – September 2, 2025 – With eight races of the Xtreme Outlaw-POWRi Challenge Series campaign in the history books, two chapters remain to be written to cap off the year’s in-season showdown. 

The Xtreme Outlaw Midget Series presented by Toyota will tackle a doubleheader weekend with a final visit to Missouri at Doe Run Raceway on Friday, Sept. 5. Then, the Challenge Series road ends at Highland Speedway on Saturday night to close out the weekend near the gateway to the Midwest. 

The top five in Challenge Series points will receive a points fund bonus, with the champion receiving $2,500, second place earning $1,250, third place with $600, fourth place taking $400, and fifth place receiving $250. 

HIGHLAND TICKETS

WATCH ON DIRTVISION

Here are the top storylines to keep an eye on: 

Triple Threat Denney: In his first year as a Keith Kunz/Curb-Agajanian Motorsports (KKM) driver, Jacob Denney has lit the Xtreme Outlaw world on fire with new records and even more crowning achievements through 2025. 

The driver of the JBL Audio No. 67 LynK Chassis became the newest single-season wins holder in the Appalachian Midget Week opener at Action Track USA after winning his seventh Series Feature. He then followed up with two additional podiums before closing the week with a win at Clyde Martin Memorial Speedway for the $5,000-to-win honors. 

Leading the Challenge Series by 64 points over Karter Sarff, and the overall championship standings by 273 markers over Cannon McIntosh, the Galloway, OH driver is poised to become the first driver to sweep all three Xtreme titles in a single year. 

Welcome Back: Doe Run Raceway and Highland Speedway each hold significant memories for the Xtreme Outlaw Midgets in the Midwest. 

Doe Run hosts the Series for a third-straight year, but it’s the first time the “Show Me State” racetrack is part of the Challenge Series finale doubleheader as the penultimate race. In the last two Series races, two former Xtreme champions went to Victory Lane with Zach Daum in 2023, and McIntosh in 2024. 

The “World Famous” Highland Speedway returns to the Series schedule for the first time since 2023. In the inaugural Feature, Chase McDermand drove the No. 40 Mounce/Stout Motorsports Midget to the win in his first race at the bullring. 

G-Milly’s Moment: Despite winning the Turnpike Challenge finale at Port City Raceway to start the 2025 Midget points campaign, Gavin Miller struggled to solve his return to Victory Lane. 

After scoring a whopping nine podiums with the Xtreme Outlaw Midgets without a win, the Allentown, PA native’s 10th podium was the lucky charm that saw him dominate 30 laps around Path Valley Speedway for a feel-good home state triumph in the Appalachian Midget Week

The KKM driver now enters the Challenge Series finale weekend with a head of steam on his side with a USAC weekend sweep at Bloomington Speedway and Angell Park Speedway to continue pushing the No. 97 SoundGear Toyota closer to a second Series win in 2025. 

Xtreme Six Pack: Heading into the September weekend, six Xtreme Outlaw Midgets drivers have six more nights to capture a win in the 2025 season. 

Amongst the full-time Series competitors, McDermand is the only former winner who has yet to visit Victory Lane. The Springfield, IL driver owns three podiums, eight top fives, and enters the weekend chasing a second career Highland win. 

Five Series rookies will contend for their first triumph before the year’s conclusion, which includes Michael Faccinto, Colton Robinson, Hayden Wise, Alex Karpowicz, and Brandon Carr. 

When and where 

Friday, September 5, at Doe Run Raceway in Doe Run, MO 

Saturday, September 6, at Highland Speedway in Highland, IL 

On the internet 
Xtreme Outlaw Midget Series presented by Toyota 
Twitter/X – @Xtreme_Outlaw 
Instagram – @XtremeOutlaw 
Facebook – @XtremeOutlawSeries.WRG 

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DIRTVision – DIRTVision.com. Annual FAST PASS for $299 or monthly FAST PASS for $39/month. 

Current Xtreme Outlaw Midgets Points Standings (View Full Standings) 

  1. 1. Jacob Denney: 3968 points | Keith Kunz/Curb-Agajanian Motorsports No. 67
  2. Cannon McIntosh: -273 points | Keith Kunz/Curb-Agajanian Motorsports No. 71K
  3. Gavin Miller: -310 points | Keith Kunz/Curb-Agajanian Motorsports No. 97
  4. Kameron Key: -428 points | Trifecta Motorsports No. 9U
  5. Chase McDermand: -442 points | Chase McDermand Racing No. 40
  6. Colton Robinson: -576 points | Keith Kunz/Curb-Agajanian Motorsports No. 67K
  7. Michael Faccinto: -634 points | Trifecta Motorsports No. 5U
  8. Hayden Wise: -722 points | Ninety-Four Motorsports No. 94
  9. Alex Karpowicz: -767 points | Keith Kunz/Curb-Agajanian Motorsports No. 72
  10. Brandon Carr: -908 points | Keith Kunz/Curb-Agajanian Motorsports No. 98K

Toyota Feature winners (7 drivers) 

8 wins – Jacob Denney 

3 wins – Cannon McIntosh, Karter Sarff 

1 win – Joe B. Miller, Kameron Key, Kyle Jones, Gavin Miller 

Toyota Feature laps led (17 drivers) 

119 laps – Jacob Denney 

63 laps – Cannon McIntosh 

57 laps – Gavin Miller 

46 laps – Chase McDermand 

32 laps – Karter Sarff 

25 laps – Joe B. Miller, Michael Faccinto 

23 laps – Steven Snyder Jr 

17 laps – Corbin Rueschenberg 

15 laps – Colton Robinson 

14 laps – Hayden Wise 

10 laps – Ethan Mitchell, Kyle Jones 

9 laps – Zach Daum, Kameron Key 

4 laps – Ryan Mueller 

2 laps – Zach Wigal 

Smith Titanium Quick Time Awards (10 drivers) 

5 awards – Jacob Denney 

3 awards – Chase McDermand 

2 awards – Gavin Miller, Karter Sarff 

1 award – Corbin Rueschenberg, Ethan Mitchell, Kameron Key, Zach Wigal, Trevor Cline, Hayden Wise 

Toyota, CASM Safety Products, TJ Forged, DIRTVision Heat Race winners (22 drivers) 

6 wins – Colton Robinson 

5 wins – Jacob Denney 

4 wins – Michael Faccinto, Kameron Key, Cannon McIntosh 

3 wins – Chase McDermand, Joe B. Miller, Hayden Wise 

2 wins – Thomas Meseraull, Kaiden Manders, Zach Daum, Karter Sarff, Brandon Carr, Steven Snyder Jr 

1 win – Ethan Mitchell, Gavin Miller, Bradley Cox, Joe Wirth, Shannon McQueen, Andrew Felker, Zach Wigal, Alex Karpowicz 

High-Points Honors (9 drivers) 

5 honors – Jacob Denney 

2 honors – Chase McDermand 

1 honor – Thomas Meseraull, Hayden Wise, Karter Sarff, Ethan Mitchell, Michael Faccinto, Kameron Key, Colton Robinson 

Summit Racing Equipment Hard Charger Awards (11 drivers) 

3 awards – Jacob Denney 

2 awards – Chase McDermand, Tyler Edwards, Kameron Key, Cannon McIntosh, Gavin Miller  

1 award – Karter Sarff, Brecken Reese, Brandon Carr, Kyle Jones, Daniel Bennett, Matt Sherrell 

Podium finishes (10 drivers) 

14 podiums – Jacob Denney 

11 podiums – Gavin Miller 

10 podiums – Cannon McIntosh 

6 podiums – Karter Sarff 

3 podiums – Chase McDermand, Kameron Key 

2 podiums – Corbin Rueschenberg, Kyle Jones 

1 podium – Zach Daum, Thomas Meseraull, Joe B. Miller, Hayden Wise 

Top-10 finishes (30 drivers) 

18 top-10s – Jacob Denney 

15 top-10s – Chase McDermand, Kameron Key 

14 top-10s – Cannon McIntosh, Colton Robinson, Gavin Miller 

12 top-10s – Michael Faccinto  

10 top-10s – Hayden Wise 

8 top-10s – Karter Sarff, Brandon Carr 

7 top-10s – Alex Karpowicz 

6 top-10s – Tyler Edwards, Kyle Jones 

5 top-10s – Trevor Cline, Zach Daum 

4 top-10s – Joe B. Miller 

3 top-10s – Brecken Reese, Corbin Rueschenberg 

2 top-10s – Ethan Mitchell 

1 top-10 – Cale Coons, Bradley Cox, Thomas Meseraull, Steven Snyder Jr, Joe Wirth, Andrew Felker, Andrew Deal, Shannon McQueen, Zach Wigal, Daniel Adler, Kale Drake 

2025 XTREME OUTLAW MIDGET SCHEDULE 

No. | Date | Track | Location | Winner (Total Wins) 

* Denotes Xtreme-POWRi Challenge Series 

  1. *Friday, April 11 | Farmer City Raceway | Farmer City, IL | Jacob Denney
  2. *Saturday, April 12 | Farmer City Raceway | Farmer City, IL | Karter Sarff
  3. Friday, May 9 | Humboldt Speedway | Humboldt, KS | Jacob Denney (2)
  4. Saturday, May 10 | 81 Speedway | Park City, KS | Jacob Denney (3)
  5. Saturday, May 24 | Airport Raceway | Garden City, KS | Cannon McIntosh
  6. *Friday, May 30 | Coles County Speedway | Mattoon, IL | Karter Sarff (2)
  7. *Saturday, May 31 | Coles County Speedway | Mattoon, IL | Cannon McIntosh (2)
  8. *Friday, June 20 | I-55 Federated Auto Parts Raceway Park | Pevely, MO | Cannon McIntosh (3)
  9. *Saturday, June 21 | I-55 Federated Auto Parts Raceway Park | Pevely, MO | Jacob Denney (4)
  10. Friday, July 18 | Spoon River Speedway | Lewistown, IL | Joe B. Miller
  11. Friday, July 25 | Arrowhead Speedway | Colcord, OK | Jacob Denney (5)
  12. Saturday, July 26 | Tulsa Speedway | Tulsa, OK | Jacob Denney (6)
  13. *Friday, August 1 | I-55 Federated Auto Parts Raceway Park | Pevely, MO | Karter Sarff (3)
  14. *Saturday, August 2 | I-55 Federated Auto Parts Raceway Park | Pevely, MO | Kameron Key
  15. Wednesday, August 6 | Action Track USA | Kutztown, PA | Jacob Denney (7)
  16. Thursday, August 7 | Linda’s Speedway | Jonestown, PA | Kyle Jones
  17. Friday, August 8 | Path Valley Speedway Park | Spring Run, PA | Gavin Miller
  18. Saturday, August 9 | Clyde Martin Memorial Speedway | Newmanstown, PA | Jacob Denney (8)

John Force racing–RACE RECAP – INDIANAPOLIS Race 14 of 20

Photography: John Force Racing / Auto Imagery / Gary Nastase
PROCK WINS ALL-JFR FINAL FOR BIG PAYDAY WEEKEND AT THE CORNWELL QUALITY TOOLS U.S. NATIONALSBeckman goes runner-up and will start Countdown in second; Force to start Countdown in fifth place after second-round showing
RACE RECAP – INDIANAPOLISRace 14 of 20
Photography: John Force Racing / Auto Imagery / Gary Nastase
PROCK WINS ALL-JFR FINAL FOR BIG PAYDAY WEEKEND AT THE CORNWELL QUALITY TOOLS U.S. NATIONALSBeckman goes runner-up and will start Countdown in second; Force to start Countdown in fifth place after second-round showing
BROWNSBURG, IND. (SEPT. 1, 2025) – All three John Force Racing entries left very positive marks on this year’s Cornwell Quality Tools U.S. Nationals but it was Austin Prock and the Cornwell Tools Chevrolet SS team that now only left their mark but left Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park with a bagful of money and hardware.
Prock finished off a flawless weekend that netted the points leader $330,000, defeating John Force Racing teammate Jack Beckman in the final round after a run of 3.903 at 332.92 in his 12,000-horsepower Cornwell Quality Tools Chevrolet SS. Funny Car.
A day after winning the PlayNHRA All-Star Callout, Prock finished off the regular-season championship, netting $230,000 in the process. He added the $100,000 U.S. Nationals victory for a second consecutive year, a feat not even his legendary team owner could accomplish despite five U.S. Nationals victories of his own.
Prock defeated Julie Nataas, Bob Tasca III and Blake Alexander on the way to the final-round matchup with Beckman and now has seven victories this season and an astonishing 15 wins in his last 32 Funny Car races. He also has 19 victories, with the majority coming during this impressive run over the past two seasons. Prock powered past Beckman in the final round, capturing another special Indy moment and taking the points lead into the Countdown to the Championship.
Prock’s big points lead will reset in the playoffs, but he enters the postseason as a dominant champ, winning back-to-back races and taking plenty of momentum into the postseason as he seeks a second straight world title.
“To win the U.S. Nationals in my rookie season (in Funny Car) was obviously really special,” said Prock. “We came out guns blazing, and it just put a little bit of an extra pep in our step, and to go out there and execute and do the job and have a dominant performance like we did last year, and then to come back again this year and do it is just surreal.
“It was a dream of mine to win a championship, but you never know if that’s going to happen. So many stars have to align. You have to get the right opportunity. You have to be surrounded by the right people. You have to have the right sponsors backing you. So, to get a U.S. Nationals win last year and then win the championship and then come back to win the Cornwell Quality Tools U.S Nationals again in our Cornwell Tools Chevrolet SS, I don’t even know what to say. You know, they say when you win the U.S. Nationals once, it puts you in an elite group. When you do it back-to-back, it’s an even more elite group.” Beckman, who was the No. 1 qualifier, drove to his fourth final round of 2025 after defeating Justin Scheiefer, Paul Lee and Alexis DeJoria. He’ll open the Countdown in second place ahead of Matt Hagan in third.
“So, there’s no silver lining to this, right?” said Beckman, “You make it to a final round, you need to capitalize. Now, in the Countdown, if you tell me six runner-up finishes will get us the championship, sign me up for that. But nobody gets to the final round and says, ‘Ah if we lose, it’ll be okay’. It stings. “We did lose to our Cornwell Tools-sponsored teammate at the Cornwell Quality Tool Nationals so there is some silver lining, but it’s frustrating for us because we have a PEAK SQUAD Chevrolet SS good enough to win. And I was driving good today. 
“We’ll be back here to test all day tomorrow. We will unload a brand-new car, which will be our backup car. We just want to prove it, and we will go onto the Countdown and unload maybe be a little bit hungrier.”
Force earned her fifth U.S. Nationals No. 1 qualifying position (2019, 2021, 2022, 2024, 2025), putting her against No. 16 qualifier Ida Zutterstrom in Monday’s first round of elimination. Force and the Cornwell Quality Tools team posted a lap of 3.690 seconds, the third-quickest run of the event to that point, to dispatch Zetterstrom and move on to the second round. On top of that, the speed, 343.51 mph, was the fastest run in NHRA history, surpassing the 343.16 mph run she made July 25, 2025, at Sonoma (Calif.) Raceway.
In Round 2, the two-time NHRA Top Fuel Champion (2017, 2022) left on Tripp Tatum by one-hundredth-of-a-second (0.063 to 0.073) but the run went awry immediately after. What was initially thought to be loss of traction turned out to be something completely different: the engine’s horsepower hit so hard that it activated the safety system that automatically shuts off the engine and deploys the parachutes. There was nothing Force could do to respond after that.
“In the second round, it stuck the rear tire so hard off the step, that when it released, our automatic safety system put out the chutes and shut off the engine,” said Forcre. “I went to pedal the car and had no power. I would have loved a shot to chase down Tatum who got into trouble further down the track. Luckily, we will be testing here in tomorrow so we can prevent this from happening in the future.  “Overall, we’ll look at the positives in the weekend: we qualified No. 1; we set the national speed record at 343.51 mph, and we leave fifth in points going into the Countdown. Proud to have done all of that at the biggest race of the season, here in Indianapolis in Cornwell Quality Tools colors.”
NEXT RACERound 15 of 20 of the 2025 NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series is the 40th NHRA Reading Nationals presented by Nitro Fish, Sept. 19-21 at Maple Grove Raceway in Mohnton, Pa.

John Force Racing–U.S. Nationals post race


Austin Prock Takes John Force Racing and Chevrolet to Second Consecutive U.S. Nationals Win 
Captures regular season Funny Car championship, and is victorious in the $120,000 to win All-Star Funny Car Call OutJack Beckman and Brittany Force both No. 1 qualifiers/Force sets all-time NHRA fastest record speed
Media Resources: Images | Chevrolet Newsroom
 Notes:

Austin Prock, defending NHRA Funny Car World Champion, won the 71stCornwell Quality Tools NHRA U.S. Nationals piloting the Cornwell Quality Tools John Force Racing Chevrolet Camaro SS Funny CarIt is the second consecutive win of the pinnacle NHRA race held annually at Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway ParkThe victory came over John Force Racing teammate Jack Beckman Beckman had the advantage off the line, but lost the tires about 60 feet out and started to pedal. Prock went down the groove with another great pass of 3.903 seconds/332.92 mph to take the winThis is Prock’s seventh Funny Car win of the season, the 15th of his career and the 19th total national event winProck captured the regular season Funny Car championship and heads into the Countdown to the Championship as the No. 1 seedHe also won the $120,000 All-Star Call Out defeating Cruz Pedregon, Matt Hagan and Ron Capps that secured the No. 2 Qualifier spot heading into Sunday’s eliminationsIn Elimination Round One, Prock bested Julie Nataas with a pass of 3.883 seconds/333.66 mphRound two saw Prock gain the advantage over Bob Tasca III who shook the tires and cut it off. Prock posted a run of 3.894 seconds/332.92 mph Prock then beat Blake Alexander with another stellar run of 3.93 seconds/331.12 mph while Alexander smoked the tires to propel him to the finals against Beckman
Jack Beckman powered the Brute Force Tribute Peak Antifreeze John Force Racing Chevrolet Camaro SS Funny Car to the No. 1 qualifier spot for Monday’s US Nationals Final Eliminations.Beckman ran a 3.881 second/328.78 mph in Round One while opponent Justin Schriefer rolled through the box, turning the light red With a run of 3.920 seconds/330.47 mph against Paul Lee’s 3.946 seconds/300.26 mph to take the Round Two win light. Opponent Alexis DeJoria was out first, but went up in smoke in the Semi-Final while Beckman got 900 feet out and the car noses over, but he got the win, and moves on to the final round against teammate ProckThis is Beckman’s 76th career final round, the fourth this yearBeckman starts the Countdown as the No. 2 seed in Funny CarBrittany Force driving the Cornwell Quality Tools Chevrolet John Force Racing Top Fuel Dragster was the No. 1 qualifier in Top Fuel for the 71strunning of the Cornwell Quality Tools US Nationals with another record run of 3.666-seconds at 339.79 mph, the fastest in track historyBut her run of 3.690 seconds/343.51 mph against Ida Zetterstrom in Round One Eliminations is the fastest pass in NHRA historyIn Round Two, the two-time NHRA Top Fuel Champion fell to Tripp Tatum when a mechanical issue shut off the car and popped the chutes right out of the boxForce enters the Countdown to the Championship as the fifth seed in Top FuelErica Enders snapped a 30-race winless streak and won her 50th national event after going 6.564 at 209.95 in her Johnson’s Horsepowered Garage/Melling Performance Chevrolet to hold off Matt Hartford.
UP NEXT:The 15th round of the NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series opens the Countdown to the Championship playoffs with the 40th annual NHRA Reading Nationals presented by Nitro Fish on Sept. 11-14 at Maple Grove Raceway in Reading, Pa.

Austin Prock Takes John Force Racing and Chevrolet to Second Consecutive U.S. Nationals Win 
Captures regular season Funny Car championship, and is victorious in the $120,000 to win All-Star Funny Car Call OutJack Beckman and Brittany Force both No. 1 qualifiers/Force sets all-time NHRA fastest record speed
Media Resources: Images | Chevrolet Newsroom
 Notes:

Austin Prock, defending NHRA Funny Car World Champion, won the 71stCornwell Quality Tools NHRA U.S. Nationals piloting the Cornwell Quality Tools John Force Racing Chevrolet Camaro SS Funny CarIt is the second consecutive win of the pinnacle NHRA race held annually at Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway ParkThe victory came over John Force Racing teammate Jack Beckman Beckman had the advantage off the line, but lost the tires about 60 feet out and started to pedal. Prock went down the groove with another great pass of 3.903 seconds/332.92 mph to take the winThis is Prock’s seventh Funny Car win of the season, the 15th of his career and the 19th total national event winProck captured the regular season Funny Car championship and heads into the Countdown to the Championship as the No. 1 seedHe also won the $120,000 All-Star Call Out defeating Cruz Pedregon, Matt Hagan and Ron Capps that secured the No. 2 Qualifier spot heading into Sunday’s eliminationsIn Elimination Round One, Prock bested Julie Nataas with a pass of 3.883 seconds/333.66 mphRound two saw Prock gain the advantage over Bob Tasca III who shook the tires and cut it off. Prock posted a run of 3.894 seconds/332.92 mph Prock then beat Blake Alexander with another stellar run of 3.93 seconds/331.12 mph while Alexander smoked the tires to propel him to the finals against Beckman
Jack Beckman powered the Brute Force Tribute Peak Antifreeze John Force Racing Chevrolet Camaro SS Funny Car to the No. 1 qualifier spot for Monday’s US Nationals Final Eliminations.Beckman ran a 3.881 second/328.78 mph in Round One while opponent Justin Schriefer rolled through the box, turning the light red With a run of 3.920 seconds/330.47 mph against Paul Lee’s 3.946 seconds/300.26 mph to take the Round Two win light. Opponent Alexis DeJoria was out first, but went up in smoke in the Semi-Final while Beckman got 900 feet out and the car noses over, but he got the win, and moves on to the final round against teammate ProckThis is Beckman’s 76th career final round, the fourth this yearBeckman starts the Countdown as the No. 2 seed in Funny CarBrittany Force driving the Cornwell Quality Tools Chevrolet John Force Racing Top Fuel Dragster was the No. 1 qualifier in Top Fuel for the 71strunning of the Cornwell Quality Tools US Nationals with another record run of 3.666-seconds at 339.79 mph, the fastest in track historyBut her run of 3.690 seconds/343.51 mph against Ida Zetterstrom in Round One Eliminations is the fastest pass in NHRA historyIn Round Two, the two-time NHRA Top Fuel Champion fell to Tripp Tatum when a mechanical issue shut off the car and popped the chutes right out of the boxForce enters the Countdown to the Championship as the fifth seed in Top FuelErica Enders snapped a 30-race winless streak and won her 50th national event after going 6.564 at 209.95 in her Johnson’s Horsepowered Garage/Melling Performance Chevrolet to hold off Matt Hartford.
UP NEXT:The 15th round of the NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series opens the Countdown to the Championship playoffs with the 40th annual NHRA Reading Nationals presented by Nitro Fish on Sept. 11-14 at Maple Grove Raceway in Reading, Pa.
Post-Race Driver Quotes:  AUSTIN PROCK, DRIVER OF THE CORNWELL TOOLS CHEVROLET CAMARO SS FUNNY CAR FOR JOHN FORCE RACING:“To win Indy in my rookie season (in Funny Car) was obviously really special. We came out guns blazing, and it just put a little bit of an extra pep in our step, and to go out there and execute and do the job and have a dominant performance like we did last year, and then to come back again this year and do it is just surreal.”It was a dream of mine to win a championship, but you never know if that’s going to happen. So many stars have to align. You have to get the right opportunity. You have to be surrounded by the right people. You have to have the right sponsors backing you. So, to get a U.S. Nationals win last year and then win the championship, and then come back and win the Cornwell Quality Tools U.S Nationals again in our Cornwell Tools Chevrolet SS, I don’t even know what to say. You know, they say when you win the U.S. Nationals once, it puts you in an elite group. When you do it back-to-back, it’s an even more elite group.”
JACK BECKMAN, DRIVER OF THE BRUTE FORCE PEAK PERFORMANCE CHEVY SS FUNNY CAR FOR JOHN FORCE RACING:“So, there’s no silver lining to this, right? You make it to a final round, you need to capitalize. Now, in the Countdown, if you tell me six runner-up finishes will get us the championship, sign me up for that. But nobody gets to the final round and says, ‘Ah if we lose, it’ll be okay’. It stings. “We did lose to our Cornwell Tools-sponsored teammate at the Cornwell Quality Tool Nationals so there is some silver lining, but it’s frustrating for us because we have a PEAK SQUAD Chevrolet SS good enough to win. And I was driving good today. “We’ll be back here to test all day tomorrow. We will unload a brand-new car, which will be our backup car. We just want to prove it, and we will go onto the Countdown and unload maybe be a little bit hungrier.”

BRITTANY FORCE, DRIVER OF CORNWELL QUALITY TOOLS CHEVROLET DRAGSTER FOR JOHN FORCE RACING:In the second round, it stuck the rear tire so hard off the step, that when it released, our automatic safety system put out the chutes and shut off the engine. I went to pedal the car and had no power. I would have loved a shot to chase down Tatum who got into trouble further down the track. Luckily, we will be testing here in tomorrow so we can prevent this from happening in the future.  “Overall, we’ll look at the positives in the weekend: we qualified No. 1; we set the national speed record at 343.51 mph and we leave fifth in points going into the Countdown. Proud to have done all of that at the biggest race of the season, here in Indianapolis in Cornwell Quality Tools colors.”

TAYLOR DIETSCH WINS U.S. NATIONALS TITLE FOR FIRST CAREER FLEXJET FACTORY STOCK SHOWDOWN VICTORY

INDIANAPOLIS (September 1, 2025) – Second generation Flexjet Factory Stock Showdown Series racer Taylor Dietsch captured his first victory in the ultra-competitive factory stock class. Today Dietsch battled through five rounds of racing over two days as the No. 5 qualifier raced to his first final round and first win. Dietsch drove his Ford Mustang Cobra Jet past Raymond Nash and his Dodge Challenger Drag Pak in the final.


 Taylor Dietsch and his Ford Mustang Cobra Jet (foreground) race to victory at Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park, photo credit Auto Imagery

“To win the U.S. Nationals is absolutely amazing,” said Dietsch. “We look forward to this race all year. This is the one everyone wants to win. I want to thank my dad for letting me have this opportunity. It’s so fun to go out here and race with all these super strong competitors. This class is so tight, and you have to be on it all the time to take home the win. I want to thank all the guys back at KSR, they all built a rocket of a race car. I have to thank my sister and my mom.”
 
Dietsch’s best finish previously was a semifinal effort in Chicago at the Gerber Collision and Glass Route 66 Nationals when he lost to his father Jason, who went on to win the race. The father and son have a combined three Flexjet Factory Stock Showdown wins in 2025.
 
“It’s unbelievable,” said Jason Dietsch, Taylor’s father and teammate. “I was more nervous for him than when I raced. The kid’s awesome. He’s gonna keep winning. It’s really cool because we’ve had eight races this year and our KSR team has won six races. Our team’s awesome.”
 
In the final round racing against last year’s U.S. Nationals runner-up Raymond Nash Dietsch was nearly psychic off the starting line with a .015 second reaction time. His Ford Mustang Cobra Jet was straight and true getting to the finish line first with a winning elapsed time of 7.719 seconds at 178.35 mph.


 Taylor Dietsch celebrates at the top end with the iconic Wally trophy after winning NHRA U.S. Nationals,
photo credit Auto Imagery

TAYLOR DIETSCH WINS U.S. NATIONALS TITLE FOR FIRST CAREER FLEXJET FACTORY STOCK SHOWDOWN VICTORY

INDIANAPOLIS (September 1, 2025) – Second generation Flexjet Factory Stock Showdown Series racer Taylor Dietsch captured his first victory in the ultra-competitive factory stock class. Today Dietsch battled through five rounds of racing over two days as the No. 5 qualifier raced to his first final round and first win. Dietsch drove his Ford Mustang Cobra Jet past Raymond Nash and his Dodge Challenger Drag Pak in the final.


 Taylor Dietsch and his Ford Mustang Cobra Jet (foreground) race to victory at Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park, photo credit Auto Imagery

“To win the U.S. Nationals is absolutely amazing,” said Dietsch. “We look forward to this race all year. This is the one everyone wants to win. I want to thank my dad for letting me have this opportunity. It’s so fun to go out here and race with all these super strong competitors. This class is so tight, and you have to be on it all the time to take home the win. I want to thank all the guys back at KSR, they all built a rocket of a race car. I have to thank my sister and my mom.”
 
Dietsch’s best finish previously was a semifinal effort in Chicago at the Gerber Collision and Glass Route 66 Nationals when he lost to his father Jason, who went on to win the race. The father and son have a combined three Flexjet Factory Stock Showdown wins in 2025.
 
“It’s unbelievable,” said Jason Dietsch, Taylor’s father and teammate. “I was more nervous for him than when I raced. The kid’s awesome. He’s gonna keep winning. It’s really cool because we’ve had eight races this year and our KSR team has won six races. Our team’s awesome.”
 
In the final round racing against last year’s U.S. Nationals runner-up Raymond Nash Dietsch was nearly psychic off the starting line with a .015 second reaction time. His Ford Mustang Cobra Jet was straight and true getting to the finish line first with a winning elapsed time of 7.719 seconds at 178.35 mph.


 Taylor Dietsch celebrates at the top end with the iconic Wally trophy after winning NHRA U.S. Nationals,
photo credit Auto Imagery

On the way to his first win Dietsch beat David Davies II and Rouven Dawson on Saturday followed by wins today over Doug Hamp, a competition bye in the semis and finally Nash. He moved into fifth place in the Flexjet point standings with his winning effort. This race is recognized as a marathon not a sprint in all the classes but for the Flexjet Factory Stock competitors it takes a toll.
 
“You never get a moment to rest,” said Dietsch. “You’re always thinking about racing. You almost can’t think about anything else. It’s a mental struggle as much as it is a physical struggle. It really pays off when you see that final win light come on.”
 
Nash, the No. 6 qualifier, was racing in his second consecutive U.S. Nationals final and he collected the $2,000 Flexjet Factory Stock Showdown bounty when he defeated back-to-back winner Mark Pawuk in the semifinals. Dietsch will carry the bounty to St. Louis for the Midwest Nationals at World Wide Technology Raceway, the penultimate race of the 2025 season.
 
Mark Pawuk will lead the class into St. Louis as the points leader with a comfortable lead over the elder Dietsch, Lee Hartman and Jason Allergrucci. Once again, the world championship will come down the wire over the final two national events.
 
 
Flexjet Bounty Program
Gatornationals (Gainesville, Fla.)
$1,000 bounty collected by David Davies II, defeated Mark Pawuk (St. Louis winner)
 
American Rebel Light Four-Wide Nationals (Concord, N.C.)
No Bounty
 
Route 66 Nationals (Chicago, Ill.)
$1,000 bounty collected by Alex Anderson, defeated Jonathan Allegrucci (Charlotte winner)
 
Thunder Valley Nationals (Bristol, Tenn.)
$1,000 bounty collected by Mark Pawuk, defeated Jason Dietsch (Chicago winner)
 
Summit Racing Equipment Nationals (Norwalk, Ohio)
$1,000 bounty not collected as Mark Pawuk won
 
Cornwell Quality Tools NHRA U.S. Nationals (Indianapolis, Ind.)
$2,000 bounty collected by Raymond Nash, defeated Mark Pawuk (Bristol and Norwalk winner)
 
2025 Flexjet Factory Stock Showdown Results
Gainesville –Jason Dietsch, winner; Lenny Lottig, runner-up
Charlotte – Jonathan Allegrucci, winner; Mark Pawuk, runner-up
Chicago – Jason Dietsch, winner; Lee Hartman, runner-up
Bristol – Mark Pawuk, winner; James Betz, runner-up
Norwalk – Mark Pawuk, winner; Scott Libersher, runner-up
Indianapolis –Taylor Dietsch, winner; Raymond Nash, runner-up
 
Flexjet Factory Stock Showdown Point Standings
1. Mark Pawuk                  554
2. Jason Dietsch                435
3. Lee Hartman                 433
4. Jonathan Allegrucci       385
5. Taylor Dietsch               366
6. Raymond Nash             354
7. Scott Libersher              324
8. Doug Hamp                   323
9. David Janac                  319
10. James Betz                 273
 
2025 Flexjet Factory Stock Showdown Schedule
 
Sept. 11-14             Reading NHRA Nationals, Reading, Pa.
Sept. 26-29             NHRA Midwest Nationals, St. Louis, Mo.
 

josh Hart’s Third U.S. Nationals Title will have to Wait

INDIANAPOLIS (September 1, 2025) — As a two-time NHRA U.S. Nationals winner Josh Hart and the R+L Carriers Top Fuel team will have to wait another year to add a third title from the most prestigious drag race in the world. After a solid qualifying effort at the NHRA U.S. Nationals that set the team up as the No. 8 qualifier they were ousted in the first round by No. 9 qualifier Tripp Tatum. Through three days of qualifying the R+L Carriers Top Fuel team posted some of the quickest runs in the category earning four qualifying bonus points for making the quickest run of the second qualifying session. Their final run on Saturday night was an impressive 3.809 seconds at 330.31 mph pass that gave the team confidence heading into the opening round.


 Josh Hart will leave Indy in 8th place chasing his first Top Fuel world championship,
photo credit Krista Zivcic Photography

Facing Tatum, who was returning to racing action after a lengthy hiatus, Hart had lane choice and momentum on his side. The R+L Carriers Top Fuel dragster rolled to the starting line looking to start adding win lights to Hart’s U.S. Nationals history. In 2018 and 2019 Hart won the event in the competitive Top Alcohol Dragster class before stepping to Top Fuel for the 2021 season.
 
Hart was first off the starting line with a reaction time advantage of .057 to .077 seconds but as his R+L Carriers Top Fuel dragster began to race to half-track his Goodyear slicks overpowered the track, and Tatum made a smooth pass in the right lane for the first round win. This was just the second time in his career that Hart has not advanced to at least the quarterfinals at the NHRA U.S. Nationals.
 
“I think that we have assembled a very fine group of mechanics that are capable of top shelf performances,” said Hart, following the first round loss. “We’ve provided everybody with all the proper tools to keep this program evolving with no expense spared. I’m very grateful for my sponsors and my wife, Brittanie, and every single person that supports our efforts.”


 Josh Hart thanks the fans during the NHRA U.S. Nationals opening ceremonies,
photo credit Krista Zivcic Photography

Exiting the NHRA U.S. Nationals at Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park Josh Hart and the R+L Carriers Top Fuel dragster team will be looking to make a run at the Mission Foods Top Fuel world championship. The first of six playoff races will be contested at Maple Grove Raceway, September 11-14. Hart will enter the Countdown as the No. 8 driver in the point standings less than 100 points behind the point leader.
 
Qualifying Results
Q1: 3.734 sec, 333.00 mph; Qual. 8
Q2: 3.733 sec; 334.73 mph; Qual. 8
Q3: 4.902 sec; 147.63 mph; Qual. 8
Q4: 5.269 sec; 127.09 mph; Qual. 8
Q5: 3.809 sec; 330.31 mph; Qual. 8
Bonus points: +4 (Quickest of Q2)
 
Race Results
First Round

Tripp Tatum, Avon, Ind., Tripp Tatum Racing, (.077), 3.724 sec, 327.74 mph def. Josh Hart, Ocala, Fla., R+L Carriers Top Fuel dragster, (.057), 5.610 sec, 119.65 mph

INDIANAPOLIS (September 1, 2025) — As a two-time NHRA U.S. Nationals winner Josh Hart and the R+L Carriers Top Fuel team will have to wait another year to add a third title from the most prestigious drag race in the world. After a solid qualifying effort at the NHRA U.S. Nationals that set the team up as the No. 8 qualifier they were ousted in the first round by No. 9 qualifier Tripp Tatum. Through three days of qualifying the R+L Carriers Top Fuel team posted some of the quickest runs in the category earning four qualifying bonus points for making the quickest run of the second qualifying session. Their final run on Saturday night was an impressive 3.809 seconds at 330.31 mph pass that gave the team confidence heading into the opening round.


 Josh Hart will leave Indy in 8th place chasing his first Top Fuel world championship,
photo credit Krista Zivcic Photography

Facing Tatum, who was returning to racing action after a lengthy hiatus, Hart had lane choice and momentum on his side. The R+L Carriers Top Fuel dragster rolled to the starting line looking to start adding win lights to Hart’s U.S. Nationals history. In 2018 and 2019 Hart won the event in the competitive Top Alcohol Dragster class before stepping to Top Fuel for the 2021 season.
 
Hart was first off the starting line with a reaction time advantage of .057 to .077 seconds but as his R+L Carriers Top Fuel dragster began to race to half-track his Goodyear slicks overpowered the track, and Tatum made a smooth pass in the right lane for the first round win. This was just the second time in his career that Hart has not advanced to at least the quarterfinals at the NHRA U.S. Nationals.
 
“I think that we have assembled a very fine group of mechanics that are capable of top shelf performances,” said Hart, following the first round loss. “We’ve provided everybody with all the proper tools to keep this program evolving with no expense spared. I’m very grateful for my sponsors and my wife, Brittanie, and every single person that supports our efforts.”


 Josh Hart thanks the fans during the NHRA U.S. Nationals opening ceremonies,
photo credit Krista Zivcic Photography

Exiting the NHRA U.S. Nationals at Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park Josh Hart and the R+L Carriers Top Fuel dragster team will be looking to make a run at the Mission Foods Top Fuel world championship. The first of six playoff races will be contested at Maple Grove Raceway, September 11-14. Hart will enter the Countdown as the No. 8 driver in the point standings less than 100 points behind the point leader.
 
Qualifying Results
Q1: 3.734 sec, 333.00 mph; Qual. 8
Q2: 3.733 sec; 334.73 mph; Qual. 8
Q3: 4.902 sec; 147.63 mph; Qual. 8
Q4: 5.269 sec; 127.09 mph; Qual. 8
Q5: 3.809 sec; 330.31 mph; Qual. 8
Bonus points: +4 (Quickest of Q2)
 
Race Results
First Round

Tripp Tatum, Avon, Ind., Tripp Tatum Racing, (.077), 3.724 sec, 327.74 mph def. Josh Hart, Ocala, Fla., R+L Carriers Top Fuel dragster, (.057), 5.610 sec, 119.65 mph
Mission Foods Drag Racing Series Point Standings - Top Fuel
1. Tony Stewart          1138
2. Shawn Langdon      1099
3. Justin Ashley           1084
3. Doug Kalitta             1082
5. Brittany Force         909
6. Antron Brown         861
7. Clay Millican           786
8. Josh Hart                625
9. Steve Torrence       622
10. Shawn Reed          535
 

THANKFUL TJ ZIZZO TAKES POSITIVES FROM SHORT strong NHRA U.S. NATIONALS RACE DAY

INDIANAPOLIS (September 1, 2025) — The Rust-Oleum Top Fuel dragster team owned by Anthony “Tony” Zizzo and piloted by his son TJ Zizzo relishes every opportunity to compete at the highest level of the NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series. There is no race bigger or more prestigious than the Cornwell Quality Tools NHRA U.S. Nationals and Zizzo was in the mix today when final eliminations got underway.
 
The team that competes at only a handful NHRA national events annually has become a feared opponent when they roll into the pits. Last year Zizzo and the Rust-Oleum team turned heads grabbing the No. 3 qualifier spot and they duplicated that effort this weekend rolling off the trailer on Friday and running 3.695 seconds at 333.08 mph to earn two qualifying bonus points and the No. 3 spot again after the first day of qualifying. This run was also a new personal best elapsed time for the team. Over the next two days they held their own against sixteen other tough competitors and came into race day with confidence and momentum after running the quickest qualifying pass of the final qualifying session.


 TJ Zizzo and the Rust=Oleum Top Fuel dragster posted a career quickest elapsed time during the NHRA U.S. Nationals,
photo credit Auto Imagery

THANKFUL TJ ZIZZO TAKES POSITIVES FROM SHORT 
NHRA U.S. NATIONALS RACE DAY

INDIANAPOLIS (September 1, 2025) — The Rust-Oleum Top Fuel dragster team owned by Anthony “Tony” Zizzo and piloted by his son TJ Zizzo relishes every opportunity to compete at the highest level of the NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series. There is no race bigger or more prestigious than the Cornwell Quality Tools NHRA U.S. Nationals and Zizzo was in the mix today when final eliminations got underway.
 
The team that competes at only a handful NHRA national events annually has become a feared opponent when they roll into the pits. Last year Zizzo and the Rust-Oleum team turned heads grabbing the No. 3 qualifier spot and they duplicated that effort this weekend rolling off the trailer on Friday and running 3.695 seconds at 333.08 mph to earn two qualifying bonus points and the No. 3 spot again after the first day of qualifying. This run was also a new personal best elapsed time for the team. Over the next two days they held their own against sixteen other tough competitors and came into race day with confidence and momentum after running the quickest qualifying pass of the final qualifying session.


 TJ Zizzo and the Rust=Oleum Top Fuel dragster posted a career quickest elapsed time during the NHRA U.S. Nationals,
photo credit Auto Imagery

“I am so proud of all these guys on the Rust-Oleum team,” said Zizzo. “It was impressive to come off the trailer and run a 3.69 second pass in the first round of qualifying. We do so much work just to get to the races and I am thrilled to see those results play out on this stage. The NHRA U.S. Nationals is the biggest race of the season, and every team wants to be a part of it. We are running numbers that have impressed a lot of people.”
 
In the first round they squared off with Jasmine Salinas who was making her return to the Mission Foods Drag Racing Series after a lengthy hiatus from competition. When the tree flashed both 12,000-horsepower Top Fuel dragsters blasted off the starting line and as Zizzo’s race car accelerated it drove into major tire shake. Zizzo was forced to lift as Salinas made a smooth pass down her lane. It was a surprising turn of events for Zizzo and the Rust-Oleum Top Fuel team.
 
“That was some of the worst tire shake I have ever experienced,” said Zizzo. “We are looking at what happened, but I am so thankful to be able to race on Monday. I appreciate all our sponsors giving us this opportunity. We do our best to represent them on and off the track.”

 
Zizzo was busy every day of the U.S. Nationals on and off the track. In addition to the five qualifying passes Zizzo was a featured driver at the Cruz Pedregon Racing Open House on Thursday night, on Friday he spent time with the fans in the Top Eliminator Club and on Saturday he was a highlighted driver with NHRA announcer Hannah Rickards talking with fans about what it takes to race at the highest level on a part time schedule.
“These fans have been so amazing all weekend,” said Zizzo. “You hear the roar when you come back up the return road and that is so special. I have to give it up to them because they packed this place every day.”
 
The Rust-Oleum Top Fuel team will be back in action at the Midwest Nationals, September 25-28, at World Wide Technology Raceway outside of St. Louis, Missouri.
 
Qualifying Results
Q1: 3.695 sec; 333.08 mph; Qual. 3
Q2: 3.782 sec; 322.65 mph; Qual. 3
Q3: 4.371 sec; 185.10 mph; Qual. 3
Q4: 4.218 sec; 199.76 mph; Qual. 3
Q5: 3.768 sec; 332.84 mph; Qual. 3
Bonus Points: +6 (3rd quickest of Q1 and quickest of Q5)
 
Race Results
 
First Round
Jasmine Salinas, Brownsburg, Ind., Scrappers Racing Top Fuel dragster, (.092), 3.759 sec, 331.53 mph def. TJ Zizzo, Rust-Oleum Top Fuel dragster, (.117), 8.287 sec, 80.09 mph
 
 
Mission Foods Drag Racing Series Point Standings – Top Fuel
1. Tony Stewart          1138/1168
2. Shawn Langdon      1099
3. Justin Ashley            1084
4. Doug Kalitta            1082
5. Brittany Force         909
6. Antron Brown         861
7. Clay Millican           786
8. Josh Hart                 625
9. Steve Torrence       622
10. Shawn Reed          535
 

HYDE MAKES CANADIANS PROUD AT THE U.S. NATIONAL

 INDIANAPOLIS (September 1, 2025) — As the only full-time Canadian driver in the Mission Foods Drag Racing Series, Spencer Hyde feels a sense of pride in getting to represent his country on drag racing’s biggest stage. The rookie for Head Racing and Hyde Construction leaves the Cornwell Quality Tools NHRA U.S. Nationals at Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park ninth in the Funny Car points standings, earning him a spot in his first ever Countdown.
 
“I am ready for the Countdown. I have several goals I want to achieve in my rookie season,” said Hyde. “We are a team capable of winning races and getting wins in the Countdown would be a big deal. I have to thank Jim Head for this opportunity and everyone at Hyde Construction along with all our other sponsors.”
 
The race known as The Big Go is a marathon, not a sprint with five qualifying sessions made over three days leading up to eliminations on Labor Day. Hyde’s best run during qualifying was on Saturday morning, a 3.976 second, 326.71 mph pass that landed him in the No. 14 qualifying position in an incredibly competitive 19-car field.
 Spencer Hyde takes off on Friday Night at the NHRA U.S. Nationals, photo credit Innovation Creative Experts
“Indy brings out the best teams and everyone gives 100%,” said Hyde. “I know we have been working really hard all week to be ready for today and we made a great run.”
 
In the first round of eliminations, Hyde was up against No. 3 qualifier Ron Capps, in their fourth matchup of the year. Despite making his best pass of the weekend, a 3.869 second, 325.37 mph run, Capps got past him on a holeshot. They now hold an even 2-2 record against each other.
 
“This is the U.S. Nationals, and you are going to get everyone’s best shot,” said Hyde. “I knew I was racing a tough driver and team over there. Jim and the guys gave me a great race car and we lost another close one. I am working really hard to get better and I feel really comfortable. This was just a close race that didn’t go our way.”
 
After this race the points will be reset for the Countdown, so in the ninth spot, Hyde will be just 90 points behind the leader and will be in contention for his first Funny Car championship.
 
“I’m so thankful to Head Racing for putting me in a position where I can be competing for a championship in my rookie year,” said Hyde. “I can’t wait to get to Reading to begin closing the gap on the guys and gals in front of me. I’ll keep doing the work to get us up there in the points.”
 
Hyde and the Head Racing team will be back in competition in two weeks at the 40th NHRA Reading Nationals presented by Nitro Fish on September 11-14 at Maple Grove Raceway. There will be two qualifying sessions on Friday, September 12 and two more qualifying sessions on Saturday. For tickets or more information on the NHRA Reading Nationals visit nhra.com.
 
Qualifying Results
Q1: 4.164 sec, 230.53 mph; Qual. 13
Q2: 3.976 sec, 326.71 mph; Qual. 14
Q3: 6.959 sec, 88.94 mph; Qual. 14
Q4: 5.351 sec, 135.28 mph; Qual. 14
Q5: 5.896 sec, 117.25 mph; Qual. 14
Bonus Points: 0
 
Race Results
First Round
Ron Capps, Carlsbad, Calif., NAPA Auto Parts Toyota GR Supra Funny Car, (.081), 3.876 sec, 333.16 mph def. Spencer Hyde, Stratford, Ontario, Head Inc. Funny Car, (.090), 3.869 sec, 325.37 mph
 
Mission Foods Drag Racing Series – Funny Car Top Ten
1. Austin Prock            1323
2. Jack Beckman         1050
3. Matt Hagan             956
4. Ron Capps               931
5. Paul Lee                   849
6. J.R. Todd                 770
7. Dan Wilkerson        720
8. Alexis DeJoria         689
9. Spencer Hyde         668
10. Bob Tasca III          648
 

JUSTIN ASHLEY WINS FIRST U.S. NATIONALS IN INCREDIBLE FOUR-ROUND RUN

Claims third win of 2025 NHRA season and 18th of Top Fuel career

INDIANAPOLIS (Sept. 1, 2025) – Justin Ashley captured his first career victory at the U.S. Nationals on Monday at Indianapolis Raceway Park, winning the final round via a holeshot. Ashley went through the likes of Antron Brown, Doug Kalitta, Tripp Tatum and Tony Stewart on his way to the Wally Trophy – his third win this season and the 18th of his Top Fuel career. It’s also Toyota’s seventh consecutive Top Fuel win, dating back to Bristol in June.

In Funny Car, Ron Capps advanced the furthest of the Toyota GR Supra Funny Cars, making it to round two. J.R. Todd and Julie Nataas were eliminated in round one.

The NHRA Countdown to the Championship begins in two weeks at Maple Grove Raceway where multiple Toyota drivers will compete for the championship in Top Fuel and Funny Car. 

Toyota Post-Race Recap

NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series 

Indianapolis Raceway Park

U.S. Nationals

Race 14 of 20

TOYOTA TOP FUEL FINISHING POSITIONS  

NameCarFinal ResultRound-by-Round
Justin AshleySCAG Power Equipment Toyota Top Fuel DragsterWinnerW (3.721 – holeshot) v. A. Brown (3.706) W (4.087) v. D. Kalitta (4.486) W (3.808) v. T. Tatum (8.317) W (3.839 – holeshot) v. T. Stewart (3.815)
Doug KalittaMac Tools Toyota Top Fuel DragsterSecond RoundW (3.706) v. T. Schumacher (3.736) L (4.486) v. J. Ashley (4.087)
Steve TorrenceCAPCO Contractors Toyota Top Fuel DragsterFirst RoundL (3.741) v. T. Stewart (3.716)
Antron BrownMatco Tools Toyota Top Fuel DragsterFirst RoundL (3.706) v. J. Ashley (3.721 – holeshot)
Shawn LangdonApplied Innovation/Kalitta Air Careers Toyota Top Fuel DragsterFirst RoundL (3.767) v. C. Millican (3.749)

TOYOTA FUNNY CAR FINISHING POSITIONS  

NameCarFinal ResultRound-by-Round
Ron CappsCarlyle Tools Toyota GR Supra Funny CarSecond RoundW (3.876 – holeshot) v. S. Hyde (3.869) L (3.914) v. B. Alexnder (3.925 – holeshot)
J.R. ToddDHL Toyota GR Supra Funny Car First RoundL (3.899) v. B. Tasca III (3.868)
Julie NataasAirmine DC Motorsports Toyota GR Supra Funny Car First RoundL (4.308) v.  A. Prock (3.883)

*= Non-Toyota driver 

TOYOTA QUOTES

JUSTIN ASHLEY, SCAG Power Equipment Toyota Top Fuel Dragster, SCAG Racing

TF Final Result: Winner

How amazing is this U.S. Nationals win and by a holeshot?


JUSTIN ASHLEY WINS FIRST U.S. NATIONALS IN INCREDIBLE FOUR-ROUND RUN

Claims third win of 2025 NHRA season and 18th of Top Fuel career

INDIANAPOLIS (Sept. 1, 2025) – Justin Ashley captured his first career victory at the U.S. Nationals on Monday at Indianapolis Raceway Park, winning the final round via a holeshot. Ashley went through the likes of Antron Brown, Doug Kalitta, Tripp Tatum and Tony Stewart on his way to the Wally Trophy – his third win this season and the 18th of his Top Fuel career. It’s also Toyota’s seventh consecutive Top Fuel win, dating back to Bristol in June.

In Funny Car, Ron Capps advanced the furthest of the Toyota GR Supra Funny Cars, making it to round two. J.R. Todd and Julie Nataas were eliminated in round one.

The NHRA Countdown to the Championship begins in two weeks at Maple Grove Raceway where multiple Toyota drivers will compete for the championship in Top Fuel and Funny Car. 

Toyota Post-Race Recap

NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series 

Indianapolis Raceway Park

U.S. Nationals

Race 14 of 20

TOYOTA TOP FUEL FINISHING POSITIONS  

NameCarFinal ResultRound-by-Round
Justin AshleySCAG Power Equipment Toyota Top Fuel DragsterWinnerW (3.721 – holeshot) v. A. Brown (3.706) W (4.087) v. D. Kalitta (4.486) W (3.808) v. T. Tatum (8.317) W (3.839 – holeshot) v. T. Stewart (3.815)
Doug KalittaMac Tools Toyota Top Fuel DragsterSecond RoundW (3.706) v. T. Schumacher (3.736) L (4.486) v. J. Ashley (4.087)
Steve TorrenceCAPCO Contractors Toyota Top Fuel DragsterFirst RoundL (3.741) v. T. Stewart (3.716)
Antron BrownMatco Tools Toyota Top Fuel DragsterFirst RoundL (3.706) v. J. Ashley (3.721 – holeshot)
Shawn LangdonApplied Innovation/Kalitta Air Careers Toyota Top Fuel DragsterFirst RoundL (3.767) v. C. Millican (3.749)

TOYOTA FUNNY CAR FINISHING POSITIONS  

NameCarFinal ResultRound-by-Round
Ron CappsCarlyle Tools Toyota GR Supra Funny CarSecond RoundW (3.876 – holeshot) v. S. Hyde (3.869) L (3.914) v. B. Alexnder (3.925 – holeshot)
J.R. ToddDHL Toyota GR Supra Funny Car First RoundL (3.899) v. B. Tasca III (3.868)
Julie NataasAirmine DC Motorsports Toyota GR Supra Funny Car First RoundL (4.308) v.  A. Prock (3.883)

*= Non-Toyota driver 

TOYOTA QUOTES

JUSTIN ASHLEY, SCAG Power Equipment Toyota Top Fuel Dragster, SCAG Racing

TF Final Result: Winner

How amazing is this U.S. Nationals win and by a holeshot?

“In a lot of ways, reaction time is a team statistic. And this trophy right here is a complete team effort. I’ve dreamed of this very moment, over and over – and to be actually living it, right now, is incredible. Thank you to Randy (Gloede, CEO, SCAG Power Equipment), Maria (Oldenburg, President of SCAG Power Equipment)and the SCAG Racing team. Toyota, Mobil 1, Mac Tools. It takes a group and takes an incredible group of incredible individuals that work collectively as a team and a family. To win the U.S. Nationals, that’s career-defining and very special.”

HULL LEAVES U.S. NATIONALS A PROUD FATHER AND COUNTDOWN CONTENDER

INDIANAPOLIS (September 1, 2025) — Drag racing is first and foremost a family sport, and that was never more evident for NHRA driver Buddy Hull than this weekend at the Cornwell Quality Tools NHRA U.S. Nationals at Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park. Hull was out of the driver’s seat of the Jim Dunn Racing Blaze Exhaust Probes Funny Car while he continues to recover from a left-hand injury that he obtained at the NHRA Sonoma Nationals a few weeks ago. But the Hull family still left victorious after son, Maverick, won the Baby Walker Nationals and Hull qualified for the Countdown.
 
“Highlights from the marathon that is Indy include still being able to meet with some of our partners and entertain fans,” said Hull. “The biggest thing for me, obviously, was my son. Maverick winning the Baby Walker Nationals was so cool. I’ll be able to tell him, he won at the U.S. Nationals before me. That sets me up in a place where I have to make sure I win some day.”


 Buddy Hull, Maverick Hull (in walker) and Johnna Dunn raced to victory at the NHRA Baby Walker Nationals, photo credit AJ Bohlander Photography

Maverick was up against Noah Alexander (Blake Alexander’s son), Tripp Coughlin (Troy Coughlin Jr.’s son), Harper Torrence (Steve Torrence’s daughter) and Dominic Stewart (Tony Stewart and Leah Pruett’s son). From the jump, Maverick was off the starting line first, where he surged forward, diagonally, jumping a few lanes. Despite this causing him to have to walk further than all of his competitors, he was the first to the finish line, focused on the goal while his competitors dawdled behind him.
 
“I believe that every human being on this earth received genetics from their parents. I also believe they receive a spirit and a soul, two separate things,” said Hull. “And that kid has a unique spirit. Spirit means his natural attitude towards things, like his aggressiveness and his non-verbal communications are way different than any other kid I’ve ever been around. And I’m not saying that just because he is my kid.”
 
Hull stayed busy over the course of the weekend, finding himself doing Q&A’s in the Top Eliminator Club, signing autographs at multiple different displays and giving his quarterfinal elimination predictions in the announcing booth with Joe Castello and Travis Shumake.


 Buddy Hull (far left) talked to a packed house in the NHRA Top Eliminator Club on Sunday at the NHRA U.S. Nationals, photo credit AJ Bohlander Photography

HULL LEAVES U.S. NATIONALS A PROUD FATHER AND COUNTDOWN CONTENDER

INDIANAPOLIS (September 1, 2025) — Drag racing is first and foremost a family sport, and that was never more evident for NHRA driver Buddy Hull than this weekend at the Cornwell Quality Tools NHRA U.S. Nationals at Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park. Hull was out of the driver’s seat of the Jim Dunn Racing Blaze Exhaust Probes Funny Car while he continues to recover from a left-hand injury that he obtained at the NHRA Sonoma Nationals a few weeks ago. But the Hull family still left victorious after son, Maverick, won the Baby Walker Nationals and Hull qualified for the Countdown.
 
“Highlights from the marathon that is Indy include still being able to meet with some of our partners and entertain fans,” said Hull. “The biggest thing for me, obviously, was my son. Maverick winning the Baby Walker Nationals was so cool. I’ll be able to tell him, he won at the U.S. Nationals before me. That sets me up in a place where I have to make sure I win some day.”


 Buddy Hull, Maverick Hull (in walker) and Johnna Dunn raced to victory at the NHRA Baby Walker Nationals, photo credit AJ Bohlander Photography

Maverick was up against Noah Alexander (Blake Alexander’s son), Tripp Coughlin (Troy Coughlin Jr.’s son), Harper Torrence (Steve Torrence’s daughter) and Dominic Stewart (Tony Stewart and Leah Pruett’s son). From the jump, Maverick was off the starting line first, where he surged forward, diagonally, jumping a few lanes. Despite this causing him to have to walk further than all of his competitors, he was the first to the finish line, focused on the goal while his competitors dawdled behind him.
 
“I believe that every human being on this earth received genetics from their parents. I also believe they receive a spirit and a soul, two separate things,” said Hull. “And that kid has a unique spirit. Spirit means his natural attitude towards things, like his aggressiveness and his non-verbal communications are way different than any other kid I’ve ever been around. And I’m not saying that just because he is my kid.”
 
Hull stayed busy over the course of the weekend, finding himself doing Q&A’s in the Top Eliminator Club, signing autographs at multiple different displays and giving his quarterfinal elimination predictions in the announcing booth with Joe Castello and Travis Shumake.


 Buddy Hull (far left) talked to a packed house in the NHRA Top Eliminator Club on Sunday at the NHRA U.S. Nationals, photo credit AJ Bohlander Photography

“I love the energy at this race. There’s a special energy this year,” said Hull. “I don’t know if it’s because I’m injured, and I couldn’t compete. I haven’t seen fans this excited in a long time. There were huge crowds and the weather was fantastic. It was just a really positive weekend.”
 
Jim Dunn Racing and Alex Laughlin made a representative effort during qualifying with the Blaze Exhaust Probes Funny Car with a 4.112 second, 270.05 mph pass made during the fourth round of qualifying. Unfortunately, this was not enough to keep them in the show, and they ended Sunday in the No. 18 qualifying position.
 
In a scary moment during the final qualifying session, Justin Schriefer crossed the centerline in front of Laughlin, where his deployed parachutes clouded Laughlin’s windshield. Laughlin skillfully navigated the car into what was originally Schriefer’s lane, and they avoided colliding.
 
“Alex did a great job driving. He couldn’t have done any better than what he did to avoid potentially destroying two nitro Funny Cars and having them both get injured. It’s situations like this where I am an advocate for every team testing before competition. Being on the sidelines watching it happen felt like an out of body experience. I look forward to my hand healing and getting back into the seat.”
 
The U.S. Nationals was the final race of the regular Mission Foods Drag Racing Series season, and by the end of it Hull had officially qualified for his second Funny Car Countdown.
 
“It’s a huge blessing to say that I have made it into the Countdown for my first two Funny Car seasons,” said Hull. “I couldn’t have done this without the support of my family and our sponsors. I want to keep representing them well throughout the rest of this year in the playoffs.”
 
Hull and Jim Dunn Racing will keep fans updated as they evaluate Hull’s medical status going into the 40th NHRA Reading Nationals presented by Nitro Fish on September 11-14 at Maple Grove Raceway. For tickets or more information on the NHRA Reading Nationals visit nhra.com

CHRIS KING SEES IMPROVEMENTS BUT U.S. NATIONALS SUCCESS ELUDES THE TEAM

INDIANAPOLIS (September 1, 2025) — The most prestigious drag race in the country, the Cornwell Quality Tools NHRA U.S. Nationals, has a rich and storied history. Careers are defined by wins on Labor Day and every Mission Foods Drag Racing Series competitor circles the race dates on their calendars at the beginning of the season. Regardless of your schedule competing and winning at the NHRA U.S. Nationals is a bucket list achievement. For Chris King, team owner and driver of the Howards Cams/Competition Products Funny Car, the joy of qualifying in 2024 was tempered with the cruel twist of narrowly missing the field this weekend. King’s best effort, a solid 4.120 second run at 299.53 mph on Saturday during the second of five qualifiers was only quick enough for the seventeenth spot in a sixteen-car qualified field.
 
“This is a tough pill to swallow for sure,” said King, who last year qualified for the U.S. Nationals. “I am proud of the effort Bob Peck and this team put together. We made every turn around and we were ready to race. We had an oil line issue and made the smart call to skip a session but overall, we didn’t make any mistakes. You look at our runs and we made clean runs right down the middle of the track.”


 Chris King gets suited up during qualifying of the NHRA U.S. Nationals, photo credit AJ Bohlander Photography

On Friday night in the first qualifying session King made a straight and true shakedown run slotting him in the No. 15 spot on the ladder. His time of 4.309 seconds at 235.31 mph gave the team data they used to step up heading into Saturday. At the conclusion of the second day of qualifying King was still in the field but the team knew they needed to get more aggressive considering the level of cars just behind them on the qualifying sheet.
 
“We didn’t hurt anything, and Bob got a lot of good data,” said King. “For a team like ours that is the name of the game. We need good info and that is what we got. You look at our numbers and we are seeing improvement. We are looking at possibly St. Louis or Dallas for our next race but no matter where we go, we will be a much stronger team. I am proud we qualified better than two full-time teams with much bigger budgets. This sport is incredibly tough on the wallet and the psyche.”
 
Consistent temperatures gave King, and his Bob Peck-tuned Funny Car the chance to take some chances for elapsed time improvement with two runs available to the upstart team. During the fourth qualifying round King’s Howards Cams/Competition Products Funny Car launched hard and was accelerating down the track when the Goodyear slicks lost traction and slowed to a 8.511 second run. King was still in sixteenth position, but two pairs later rookie Julie Nataas made a 4.09 second pass and jumped from the outside of the field to the No. 15 spot shuffling King to the seventeenth spot with one run remaining.
 
“We took our shot with the last qualifying session and we didn’t step up enough,” said King. “I probably drove it a little further than I should have but I was hoping some tire shake would clear up. Ultimately, I didn’t want to do something stupid. You have to be smart about it and this race just didn’t go our way. I always want to put on a good show and not impact the other drivers.”
 
Last year King had to stand on the starting line hoping for his time to hold up but yesterday the Chicago firefighter and Funny Car team owner was in control of his destiny. King rolled his Funny Car into the staging beams and took off looking to improve his performance enough to race on Monday but as he closed in on halftrack his 12,000-horsepower Funny Car overpowered the track slowing him to a time of 6.740 seconds at 99.72 mph.


 Chris King (center) spent time with fans throughout the weekend at the NHRA U.S. Nationals, 
photo credit AJ Bohlander Photography

CHRIS KING SEES IMPROVEMENTS BUT U.S. NATIONALS SUCCESS ELUDES THE TEAM

INDIANAPOLIS (September 1, 2025) — The most prestigious drag race in the country, the Cornwell Quality Tools NHRA U.S. Nationals, has a rich and storied history. Careers are defined by wins on Labor Day and every Mission Foods Drag Racing Series competitor circles the race dates on their calendars at the beginning of the season. Regardless of your schedule competing and winning at the NHRA U.S. Nationals is a bucket list achievement. For Chris King, team owner and driver of the Howards Cams/Competition Products Funny Car, the joy of qualifying in 2024 was tempered with the cruel twist of narrowly missing the field this weekend. King’s best effort, a solid 4.120 second run at 299.53 mph on Saturday during the second of five qualifiers was only quick enough for the seventeenth spot in a sixteen-car qualified field.
 
“This is a tough pill to swallow for sure,” said King, who last year qualified for the U.S. Nationals. “I am proud of the effort Bob Peck and this team put together. We made every turn around and we were ready to race. We had an oil line issue and made the smart call to skip a session but overall, we didn’t make any mistakes. You look at our runs and we made clean runs right down the middle of the track.”


 Chris King gets suited up during qualifying of the NHRA U.S. Nationals, photo credit AJ Bohlander Photography

On Friday night in the first qualifying session King made a straight and true shakedown run slotting him in the No. 15 spot on the ladder. His time of 4.309 seconds at 235.31 mph gave the team data they used to step up heading into Saturday. At the conclusion of the second day of qualifying King was still in the field but the team knew they needed to get more aggressive considering the level of cars just behind them on the qualifying sheet.
 
“We didn’t hurt anything, and Bob got a lot of good data,” said King. “For a team like ours that is the name of the game. We need good info and that is what we got. You look at our numbers and we are seeing improvement. We are looking at possibly St. Louis or Dallas for our next race but no matter where we go, we will be a much stronger team. I am proud we qualified better than two full-time teams with much bigger budgets. This sport is incredibly tough on the wallet and the psyche.”
 
Consistent temperatures gave King, and his Bob Peck-tuned Funny Car the chance to take some chances for elapsed time improvement with two runs available to the upstart team. During the fourth qualifying round King’s Howards Cams/Competition Products Funny Car launched hard and was accelerating down the track when the Goodyear slicks lost traction and slowed to a 8.511 second run. King was still in sixteenth position, but two pairs later rookie Julie Nataas made a 4.09 second pass and jumped from the outside of the field to the No. 15 spot shuffling King to the seventeenth spot with one run remaining.
 
“We took our shot with the last qualifying session and we didn’t step up enough,” said King. “I probably drove it a little further than I should have but I was hoping some tire shake would clear up. Ultimately, I didn’t want to do something stupid. You have to be smart about it and this race just didn’t go our way. I always want to put on a good show and not impact the other drivers.”
 
Last year King had to stand on the starting line hoping for his time to hold up but yesterday the Chicago firefighter and Funny Car team owner was in control of his destiny. King rolled his Funny Car into the staging beams and took off looking to improve his performance enough to race on Monday but as he closed in on halftrack his 12,000-horsepower Funny Car overpowered the track slowing him to a time of 6.740 seconds at 99.72 mph.


 Chris King (center) spent time with fans throughout the weekend at the NHRA U.S. Nationals, 
photo credit AJ Bohlander Photography

While King’s on-track performance did not yield the results he was looking for, his off-track efforts showed the caliber of professional he is quickly becoming on the NHRA tour. On Thursday night he was one of the headline drivers at the Cruz Pedregon Racing open house to support Riley’s Children’s Hospital and throughout the weekend King invited first responders to sign his Funny Car. Hundreds of men and women who protect their local communities enjoyed meeting King, signing the Funny Car and sharing stories. King was especially moved by the support he received Friday, Saturday and Sunday from the NHRA community.
 
“Having the first responders come by and sign our Howards Cams/Competition Products Funny Car was really cool and highlight of the weekend,” said King, a full-time Chicago firefighter. “I heard a lot of great stories and made a lot of new Chris King fans. Thanks to everyone that came by. I also appreciate the support from the NHRA on getting the word out. We had a ton of people come by every day of qualifying.”
 
Racing his third race of the 2025 season King was once again invited to talk to fans from the NHRA stage and he spent time with fellow Funny Car drivers Joe Morrison and Spencer Hyde along with Top Fuel driver TJ Zizzo on Sunday signing autographs to support the Right2Breathe program.
 
Qualifying Results
Q1: 4.309 sec; 235.31 mph; Qual. 15
Q2: 4.120 sec; 299.53 mph; Qual 15
Q3: No Run; Qual. 16
Q4: 8.511 sec; 83.62 mph; Qual. 17
Q5: 6.740 sec; 99.72 mph; Qual. 17

Funny Car’s Joe Morrison Brings Message of Health and Racing Passion to Week of U.S. Nationals

INDIANAPOLIS (September 1, 2025) — Funny Car and Top Alcohol Dragster driver Joe Morrison wasn’t behind the wheel of either of his high horsepower race cars this week at the 71st Cornwell Quality Tools NHRA U.S. Nationals but he was still turning on symbolic win lights for fans and his Right2Breathe Project. Morrison had a packed schedule, beginning with fan appearances on Thursday and racing all the way to today’s race day activities. The driver from New Jersey has competed at the prestigious drag race before but this year he put his focus on spending time with the fans and sponsors.
 
On Thursday night Morrison was one of the featured drivers at the Cruz Pedregon Racing Open House participating in a driver autograph session and fan meet and greet. The event has become the kick-off fanfest for the U.S. Nationals as thousands of fans enjoyed a classic car show and the chance to talk with drivers like Morrison and get autographs and photos. The event also raises money for the Indianapolis-based Riley’s Children’s Hospital.
 Joe Morrison enjoyed his time at the Cruz Pedregon Racing Open House on Thursday night,
photo credit Werner Communications
“I was excited to get the race started with the Cruz Pedregon Racing Open House,” said Morrison. “They had a great crowd, and they were raising money for an amazing cause. I saw a lot of the people from Thursday night at the races this weekend too.”
 
Throughout the race Morrison was active with the Kroger Health display and promoting the Right2Breathe Project. The Right2Breathe® Project is a dynamic, grassroots initiative focused on lung health education, awareness and screening. This campaign is hosted at various public venues, including automotive and sporting events across the United States. The U.S. Nationals screening event was Right2Breathe’s third venture of 2025 and will continue into the Countdown at multiple events later this season.
 
“The mission of Right2Breathe is very personal for me so being able to partner with Kroger Health at an event like the NHRA U.S. Nationals gives us a great platform,” said Morrison. “We were able to talk with hundreds of fans about their lung health. Having drivers come over for autographs and talking with fans was a big hit too. We do these events all over the country and being at NHRA national events is a great platform to talk about all our lung health efforts.”
 Morrison thrilled the fans in the Top Eliminator Club on Saturday of the U.S. Nationals, 
photo credit Werner Communications
On Sunday Morrison hosted fellow NHRA competitors TJ Zizzo, Spencer Hyde and Chris King in the Kroger Health booth for an autograph session. The quartet of drivers signed autographs for fans and Morrison talked about the importance of early detection for COPD and asthma issues. The display featured several race cars as well as interactive displays for fans to better understand lung health issues.
 
On race day Morrison was on the American Rebel Light stage talking with fans about the Right2Breathe Project as well as giving fans insight into the racing action on track. Morrison will be driving the Paul Smith owned and tuned Funny Car with marketing support from long-time sponsors PennGrade1 and Glockner Oil at the NHRA Reading Nationals. At that event he will be doing double duty also racing in the Top Alcohol Dragster category.
 
“Race day is a magical day and while we weren’t on track today for the U.S. Nationals,” said Morrison. “Getting to talk to the Monday crowd from the American Rebel Light stage with NHRA announcer Hannah Rickards was another great opportunity to talk about Right2Breathe as well as who fans should keep their eye on once the race gets started.”
 
The NHRA Reading Nationals is the first of six playoff races for the NHRA Countdown. The event will begin for Morrison and the PennGrade1 Funny Car with two qualifying sessions on Friday September 12 at historic Maple Grove Raceway.

Early Spin Derails Berry’s Night at Darlington

Josh Berry’s third-place starting position in the Cook Out Southern 500 at Darlington Raceway offered plenty of promise, but that promise disappeared almost immediately when a first-lap spin in Turn 2 left the No. 21 Motorcraft/Quick Lane Ford Mustang Dark Horse battered in the opening race of the NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs.

Berry was able to drive the car to the garage, where the Wood Brothers Racing crew went to work on repairs. He said the car bottomed out several times before the spin.

“It was definitely unexpected,” Berry said. “We didn’t really fight that too bad in practice. I saw a replay of it (from the camera in Ross Chastain’s car) and you could tell that it bottomed out four or five times. You can’t save them when they’re like that.”

After spending more than 100 laps in the garage, Berry returned to the track in 38th position with little opportunity to recover. The team instead focused on securing a bonus point for the fastest lap of the night, and on Lap 114 Berry delivered with a speed of 169.351 miles per hour.

He carried on to finish 38th, collecting two points and leaving Darlington 16th in the Playoff standings, 19 points behind the cutoff line.

After two more races – at World Wide Technology Raceway and Bristol Motor Speedway – the bottom four drivers in the standings will be eliminated from championship contention. Despite the setback, Berry remains confident that he and the No. 21 team can rebound.

“It looked like a lot of people had a bad night, which we know how this goes,” he said. “We just need to avoid a bad night ourselves. I feel like we’re still within striking distance. If we just go have two good weeks, we’ll at least be in the mix once we get to Bristol.”

Berry and the Motorcraft/Quick Lane team now turn their focus to Sunday’s Enjoy Illinois 300 at World Wide Technology Raceway.

Cadillac Hertz Team JOTA Hypercar entries aim to carry momentum into COTA

Cadillac primed to defend home turf DETROIT (Sept. 1, 2025) – What would be more satisfying than a Cadillac Hertz Team JOTA victory at its home race? An encore 1-2 finish, of course.
Following the dominating performance in the fifth round of the FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC) campaign in São Paulo, Brazil, the twin Cadillac Hertz Team JOTA V-Series.Rs head to Circuit of The Americas (COTA) in Central Texas with intentions of lassoing a third consecutive pole and repeating the dual podium celebration.
Incentives abound entering the Lone Star Le Mans this weekend at the 5.513 km (3.426-mile), 20-turn circuit that’s a favorite amongst drivers and always delivers entertaining racing for spectators. With three events remaining, the six-hour race could be another springboard:
* Cadillac is a program-high second in the Manufacturers’ Championship, and has sliced the deficit to Ferrari from 107 to 55 points the past two races in moving up from fifth.* The No. 12 Cadillac Hertz Team JOTA V-Series.R roster of Alex Lynn, Norman Nato and Will Stevens is third in the Drivers’ Championship after their Brazil victory from pole – a scant 25 points behind second place and 37 points out of the top spot.* The No. 12 entry, which is the only Hypercar to compete in Hyperpole in every race (Hyperpole2 at Le Mans) and has qualified in the top five in four of the five races (with poles at Le Mans and São Paulo), will aim to extend the streak. CHART* The No. 12 hybrid racecar has scored points in every race, including fifth, fourth and first the past three outings.* The No. 38 Cadillac Hertz Team JOTA V-Series.R, which recorded the runner-up finish in Brazil with Earl Bamber, Sebastien Bourdais and Jenson Button behind the wheel, has advanced to Hyperpole in four of the five races and qualified second at Le Mans and São Paulo. They’ll look to move to the top step and add to the championship points total.
Media resourcesFrench version of previewCadillac event guideBamber, Lynn transcript2025 Hyperpole/results2025 WEC statistics
Driver availabilities* 17:30-18:00 Thursday, media center lobby* 14:00 Friday, Will Stevens on WEC panel, briefing room
“Obviously, the team is on a complete high from the 1-2 in Brazil, so we’re hoping for more good things,” said Bamber, who has two victories at COTA (IMSA GTLM class in 2016 and WEC LMP1 in 2017). “And I think we’ve just got to keep pestering that top five with both cars and then chipping away. Closing that gap is going to be tough. But if we’re always in the top five and we’re always there, we know we’re going to be closing in points and scoring big points.”
Last year, in the WEC’s return to the circuit for the first time since 2020 when Nato co-drove to the overall victory, Cadillac Racing’s lone Hypercar entry driven by Bamber and Lynn qualified third and finished a season-high fourth.
Close-ups at COTAEvery turn, pass and pit stop. Watch the six-hour race on the Circuit of The Americas course at noon ET Sunday via Nos. 12 and 38 Cadillac Hertz Team JOTA V-Series.R in-car cameras HERE.
What they’re saying
No. 12 Cadillac Hertz Team JOTA V-Series.RAlex Lynn: “Not only is the city amazing, the circuit is one of my personal favorites. Being the home race for Cadilac, we want to put on a good show and show everyone what our car can do. The event is one of the highlights of the year. It’s an exceptionally fun circuit to drive, like a rollercoaster with the undulations. A lot of short corners, a lot of fast corners. It really has a big mix. And obviously it’s very hot when we go there.”
Cadillac primed to defend home turfCadillac Hertz Team JOTA Hypercar entries aim to carry momentum into COTA DETROIT (Sept. 1, 2025) – What would be more satisfying than a Cadillac Hertz Team JOTA victory at its home race? An encore 1-2 finish, of course.
Following the dominating performance in the fifth round of the FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC) campaign in São Paulo, Brazil, the twin Cadillac Hertz Team JOTA V-Series.Rs head to Circuit of The Americas (COTA) in Central Texas with intentions of lassoing a third consecutive pole and repeating the dual podium celebration.
Incentives abound entering the Lone Star Le Mans this weekend at the 5.513 km (3.426-mile), 20-turn circuit that’s a favorite amongst drivers and always delivers entertaining racing for spectators. With three events remaining, the six-hour race could be another springboard:
* Cadillac is a program-high second in the Manufacturers’ Championship, and has sliced the deficit to Ferrari from 107 to 55 points the past two races in moving up from fifth.* The No. 12 Cadillac Hertz Team JOTA V-Series.R roster of Alex Lynn, Norman Nato and Will Stevens is third in the Drivers’ Championship after their Brazil victory from pole – a scant 25 points behind second place and 37 points out of the top spot.* The No. 12 entry, which is the only Hypercar to compete in Hyperpole in every race (Hyperpole2 at Le Mans) and has qualified in the top five in four of the five races (with poles at Le Mans and São Paulo), will aim to extend the streak. CHART* The No. 12 hybrid racecar has scored points in every race, including fifth, fourth and first the past three outings.* The No. 38 Cadillac Hertz Team JOTA V-Series.R, which recorded the runner-up finish in Brazil with Earl Bamber, Sebastien Bourdais and Jenson Button behind the wheel, has advanced to Hyperpole in four of the five races and qualified second at Le Mans and São Paulo. They’ll look to move to the top step and add to the championship points total.
Media resourcesFrench version of previewCadillac event guideBamber, Lynn transcript2025 Hyperpole/results2025 WEC statistics
Driver availabilities* 17:30-18:00 Thursday, media center lobby* 14:00 Friday, Will Stevens on WEC panel, briefing room
“Obviously, the team is on a complete high from the 1-2 in Brazil, so we’re hoping for more good things,” said Bamber, who has two victories at COTA (IMSA GTLM class in 2016 and WEC LMP1 in 2017). “And I think we’ve just got to keep pestering that top five with both cars and then chipping away. Closing that gap is going to be tough. But if we’re always in the top five and we’re always there, we know we’re going to be closing in points and scoring big points.”
Last year, in the WEC’s return to the circuit for the first time since 2020 when Nato co-drove to the overall victory, Cadillac Racing’s lone Hypercar entry driven by Bamber and Lynn qualified third and finished a season-high fourth.
Close-ups at COTAEvery turn, pass and pit stop. Watch the six-hour race on the Circuit of The Americas course at noon ET Sunday via Nos. 12 and 38 Cadillac Hertz Team JOTA V-Series.R in-car cameras HERE.
What they’re saying
No. 12 Cadillac Hertz Team JOTA V-Series.RAlex Lynn: “Not only is the city amazing, the circuit is one of my personal favorites. Being the home race for Cadilac, we want to put on a good show and show everyone what our car can do. The event is one of the highlights of the year. It’s an exceptionally fun circuit to drive, like a rollercoaster with the undulations. A lot of short corners, a lot of fast corners. It really has a big mix. And obviously it’s very hot when we go there.”
Norman Nato: “I’m excited as a Cadillac driver to race in America, especially at COTA. Such a nice track that’s super fast and sector 1 is challenging a bit with the turns. The Austin area is one of my favorite places to go every year. It’s fun, good food and the people are very supportive of the racing. Racing in America for the first time as a Cadillac driver is good pressure to give our best and even better because it’s our home race. We obviously want to stand on the podium and cheer with our American fans.”Will Stevens: “Heading to COTA, I think it’s going to be a very special race. There in Texas, the atmosphere around the track and the feeling around the town is very cool with a lot of passionate fans for us as a brand. For us drivers, it’s a circuit that we absolutely love driving. The nature of the track, we have just about every type of corner that we would want. The high speed first section, we know that’s going to be a strong point to our Cadillac V-Series.R car and we know off last year’s performance the car was also working very well there. I think we have a great chance at scoring some really good points and having a great race.”
No. 38 Cadillac Hertz Team JOTA V-Series.REarl Bamber: “I think COTA really suits the Cadillac, suits the nature of our car with quite a lot of high-speed corners. It has been a really good circuit for us. It was our best result last year. So, we’re looking forward to coming back. Obviously, the team is on a complete high from the 1-2 in Brazil, so we’re hoping for more good things. And I think we’ve just got to keep pestering that top five with both cars and then chipping away. I think the main goal for Cadillac and JOTA is to get a good ranking in the Constructors’ Championship. Second right now. It would be great to close the gap. Closing that gap is going to be tough. But if we’re always in the top five and we’re always there, we know we’re going to be closing in points and scoring big points. I think it’s super important to be in America. It’s really important for us with COTA being our home race. I think it’s such an emerging market for the World Endurance Championship, and I think COTA is a fitting place to go — just the whole atmosphere there. We get a great turnout of Cadillac fans. It was great that the Cadillac V-Club came out last year for our home race. So, that whole atmosphere brings a lot to the race weekend.”Sebastien Bourdais: “COTA is a big challenge for everybody, a track with a variety of slow speed corners, medium sped corners, pretty high-speed corners and lots of elevation, so if you add the heat and humidity and enthusiastic crowd it’s quite an event. The whole Cadillac group is looking forward to that, and with the JOTA team we have specific goals for Texas. The U.S. is home and I want to put the 38 at the top and we know we have a good car for this track so we’re looking forward to bringing the Cadillac V-Series.R to Texas and putting it at the front.”Jenson Button: “I enjoy racing at COTA. It is a circuit that has a bit of everything to challenge the driver and team over a six-hour race, and I think it will suit our Cadillac V-Series.R. I also like the Austin area and the fans are very supportive. Being the home race for Cadillac, we’ll have a dedicated cheering section. After the 1-2 finish in Brazil, the team is looking to carry that momentum to the U.S. and deliver another victory for Cadillac Hertz Team JOTA.”

INEVITABLE: Kofoid Sneaks by Gravel for Third Huset’s Victory of 2025, Banks $25,000

The Series sophomore out duels the defending champion for his fifth win at Huset’s

BRANDON, SD (August 31, 2025) – Michael “Buddy” Kofoid did it again at Huset’s Speedway.

It’s starting to become a foregone conclusion that you’ll find the Penngrove, CA native parked in Victory Lane when big money is on the line at the Brandon, SD oval. A devastating defeat in the 2023 Huset’s High Bank Nationals due to mechanical troubles didn’t simply motivate he and Roth Motorsports. It fueled them with an absolute unwillingness to lose when the lights are brightest.

Rewind to June two years ago when a powerplant souring stripped away a probable $250,000 win at the 3/8 mile. Since then, Huset’s has hosted a trio of six-figure payday World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Series races, and Kofoid has won all three. Labor Day weekend brought The Greatest Show on Dirt back to town for the L.G. Everist Huset’s Shootout presented by Myrl & Roy’s Paving and another solid paycheck. This time $25,000 was up for grabs, and the result was the same, another checkered flag in Kofoid’s hand.

The 23-year-old lined up third for the 40-lap finale and slipped to fourth on the opening circuit where he rode for a while. But then a pivotal Lap 13 saw Kofoid rip by both Ryan Timms and Carson Macedo to take over the runner-up spot.

Then began the pursuit of leader and defending World of Outlaws champion David Gravel. Kofoid stalked him in traffic and even snuck by at one point only to have Gravel rip back around in the next set of corners. A caution with 10 laps remaining made Kofoid think his chances were over, but he was far from done.

On Lap 36, Gravel left the door open down low and Kofoid capitalized. He rolled right on by and drove to yet another Huset’s win.

“I thought I had him (Gravel), and then I tried to sneak under a lapped car and he circled me, and I was like, ‘Man, that’s probably it,’” Kofoid explained. “I figured maybe he would be going to the bottom, and I just wanted to do the opposite of what he did in (Turns) 1 and 2, but I felt like the top was the place to be at the end in (Turns) 3 and 4. I was catching him little by little, and I don’t know if he saw me on the screen. And then I just went to the bottom last second and stuck it pretty good.

“This is one of my favorite tracks. Running good here and for some reason having an edge here definitely helps you like it more. It just has always been a really fun track for me. No matter if it’s slick or heavy, I feel like it puts on good racing. But I’m confident that we’ll be just as good hopefully everywhere else we go.”

Kofoid notched a pair of milestones with the victory. His 10th win of the season made him the 18th different driver to reach double digits in one year with the World of Outlaws. It was also his 20th overall Series triumph, making him the 34th to reach that mark and tying him with Greg Hodnett, Lance Dewease, and Rico Abreu on the all-time list. He’s now up to five overall World of Outlaws wins at Huset’s, ranking behind only Sammy Swindell (10), Mark Kinser (nine), and Steve Kinser (seven).

Gravel held on for the second spot after leading a majority of the race. The Watertown, CT native felt some disappointment after he felt a single slip up was the difference between a trip to Victory Lane and settling for runner-up. He and Big Game Motorsports have pieced together 13 consecutive top fives.

“I just got the right rear (tire) plugged in the cushion and got tight and couldn’t get off of it and got over the cushion off of (Turn) 2,” Gravel said. “Bummer for my guys. Definitely had a car capable of winning there. Buddy was stalking me a lot in lap traffic and got up in the seat. Man, I felt like I was good on the bottom of (Turns) 1 and 2, but the lappers were running low so I ran high, and it just cost me.”

The final podium position belonged to Carson Macedo aboard the Jason Johnson Racing No. 41. They closed out their strong month of August with their eighth finish of sixth or better in nine races. After Mother Nature threatened the night early, Macedo was simply happy to be able to hit the track and race.

“I think the track crew at Huset’s Speedway and everybody here at this place did a great job just to get the race in in the first place,” Macedo said. “I was sitting in the lounge earlier during that storm, and I really didn’t think we were going to race on the first place. We’re standing here on the front stretch, and we still had a pretty wide, racy track. I thought it was good enough to make passes. Buddy didn’t start on the front row and still won the race.”

Sheldon Haudenschild and Logan Schuchart completed the top five.

Schuchart wheeled from 17th for his result, enough to earn him the KSE Racing Products Hard Charger.

David Gravel earned his 18th Simpson Quick Time of the season and the 140th of his career in Honest Abe Roofing Qualifying.

Heat Races belonged to David Gravel (NOS Energy Drink Heat One), Buddy Kofoid (Real American Beer Heat Two), Mark Dobmeier (WIX Filters Heat Three), and Carson Macedo (TheGreatestStoreonDirt.com Heat Four).

The SPA Technique #1 Redraw went to David Gravel.

Gravel also topped the Toyota Dash.

Christopher Thram won the Micro-Lite Last Chance Showdown.

The Smith Titanium Brake Systems Break of the Race went to Cole Macedo.

UP NEXT: The World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Cars return to New Mexico for the first time since 2022 with a weekend (Sept. 5-6) at Vado Speedway Park. For tickets, CLICK HERE.

If you can’t make it to the track, catch every lap live on DIRTVision.

FEATURE RESULTS:

INEVITABLE: Kofoid Sneaks by Gravel for Third Huset’s Victory of 2025, Banks $25,000

The Series sophomore out duels the defending champion for his fifth win at Huset’s

BRANDON, SD (August 31, 2025) – Michael “Buddy” Kofoid did it again at Huset’s Speedway.

It’s starting to become a foregone conclusion that you’ll find the Penngrove, CA native parked in Victory Lane when big money is on the line at the Brandon, SD oval. A devastating defeat in the 2023 Huset’s High Bank Nationals due to mechanical troubles didn’t simply motivate he and Roth Motorsports. It fueled them with an absolute unwillingness to lose when the lights are brightest.

Rewind to June two years ago when a powerplant souring stripped away a probable $250,000 win at the 3/8 mile. Since then, Huset’s has hosted a trio of six-figure payday World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Series races, and Kofoid has won all three. Labor Day weekend brought The Greatest Show on Dirt back to town for the L.G. Everist Huset’s Shootout presented by Myrl & Roy’s Paving and another solid paycheck. This time $25,000 was up for grabs, and the result was the same, another checkered flag in Kofoid’s hand.

The 23-year-old lined up third for the 40-lap finale and slipped to fourth on the opening circuit where he rode for a while. But then a pivotal Lap 13 saw Kofoid rip by both Ryan Timms and Carson Macedo to take over the runner-up spot.

Then began the pursuit of leader and defending World of Outlaws champion David Gravel. Kofoid stalked him in traffic and even snuck by at one point only to have Gravel rip back around in the next set of corners. A caution with 10 laps remaining made Kofoid think his chances were over, but he was far from done.

On Lap 36, Gravel left the door open down low and Kofoid capitalized. He rolled right on by and drove to yet another Huset’s win.

“I thought I had him (Gravel), and then I tried to sneak under a lapped car and he circled me, and I was like, ‘Man, that’s probably it,’” Kofoid explained. “I figured maybe he would be going to the bottom, and I just wanted to do the opposite of what he did in (Turns) 1 and 2, but I felt like the top was the place to be at the end in (Turns) 3 and 4. I was catching him little by little, and I don’t know if he saw me on the screen. And then I just went to the bottom last second and stuck it pretty good.

“This is one of my favorite tracks. Running good here and for some reason having an edge here definitely helps you like it more. It just has always been a really fun track for me. No matter if it’s slick or heavy, I feel like it puts on good racing. But I’m confident that we’ll be just as good hopefully everywhere else we go.”

Kofoid notched a pair of milestones with the victory. His 10th win of the season made him the 18th different driver to reach double digits in one year with the World of Outlaws. It was also his 20th overall Series triumph, making him the 34th to reach that mark and tying him with Greg Hodnett, Lance Dewease, and Rico Abreu on the all-time list. He’s now up to five overall World of Outlaws wins at Huset’s, ranking behind only Sammy Swindell (10), Mark Kinser (nine), and Steve Kinser (seven).

Gravel held on for the second spot after leading a majority of the race. The Watertown, CT native felt some disappointment after he felt a single slip up was the difference between a trip to Victory Lane and settling for runner-up. He and Big Game Motorsports have pieced together 13 consecutive top fives.

“I just got the right rear (tire) plugged in the cushion and got tight and couldn’t get off of it and got over the cushion off of (Turn) 2,” Gravel said. “Bummer for my guys. Definitely had a car capable of winning there. Buddy was stalking me a lot in lap traffic and got up in the seat. Man, I felt like I was good on the bottom of (Turns) 1 and 2, but the lappers were running low so I ran high, and it just cost me.”

The final podium position belonged to Carson Macedo aboard the Jason Johnson Racing No. 41. They closed out their strong month of August with their eighth finish of sixth or better in nine races. After Mother Nature threatened the night early, Macedo was simply happy to be able to hit the track and race.

“I think the track crew at Huset’s Speedway and everybody here at this place did a great job just to get the race in in the first place,” Macedo said. “I was sitting in the lounge earlier during that storm, and I really didn’t think we were going to race on the first place. We’re standing here on the front stretch, and we still had a pretty wide, racy track. I thought it was good enough to make passes. Buddy didn’t start on the front row and still won the race.”

Sheldon Haudenschild and Logan Schuchart completed the top five.

Schuchart wheeled from 17th for his result, enough to earn him the KSE Racing Products Hard Charger.

David Gravel earned his 18th Simpson Quick Time of the season and the 140th of his career in Honest Abe Roofing Qualifying.

Heat Races belonged to David Gravel (NOS Energy Drink Heat One), Buddy Kofoid (Real American Beer Heat Two), Mark Dobmeier (WIX Filters Heat Three), and Carson Macedo (TheGreatestStoreonDirt.com Heat Four).

The SPA Technique #1 Redraw went to David Gravel.

Gravel also topped the Toyota Dash.

Christopher Thram won the Micro-Lite Last Chance Showdown.

The Smith Titanium Brake Systems Break of the Race went to Cole Macedo.

UP NEXT: The World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Cars return to New Mexico for the first time since 2022 with a weekend (Sept. 5-6) at Vado Speedway Park. For tickets, CLICK HERE.

If you can’t make it to the track, catch every lap live on DIRTVision.

FEATURE RESULTS:

NOS Energy Drink Feature (40 Laps): 1. 83-Michael Kofoid[3]; 2. 2-David Gravel[1]; 3. 41-Carson Macedo[2]; 4. 17-Sheldon Haudenschild[7]; 5. 1S-Logan Schuchart[17]; 6. 10-Ryan Timms[5]; 7. 13-Mark Dobmeier[4]; 8. 17B-Bill Balog[13]; 9. 15S-Kerry Madsen[10]; 10. 6K-Kaleb Johnson[15]; 11. 16-Riley Goodno[6]; 12. 15-Donny Schatz[18]; 13. 83JR-Sam Henderson[8]; 14. 99-Skylar Gee[22]; 15. 96-Blaine Stegenga[23]; 16. 7S-Chris Windom[16]; 17. 23-Garet Williamson[25]; 18. 18-Emerson Axsom[24]; 19. 55-Hunter Schuerenberg[11]; 20. 6-Zach Hampton[19]; 21. 64-Andy Pake[12]; 22. 28M-Conner Morrell[14]; 23. 2C-Cole Macedo[9]; 24. 24T-Christopher Thram[21]; 25. 45X-Landon Crawley[20]

McFADDEN SURVIVES LATE DAMAGE, BAGS $10K LOUIE VERMEIL NARC FINALE!

(8/31/25 – Andrew Kunas) Calistoga, CA … James McFadden ended up with a second Louie Vermeil trophy in as many nights, but that very nearly didn’t happen as a last lap parts break left McFadden fighting to make it to the checkered flag and had the capacity crowd in a frenzy in Sunday’s NARC 410 sprint car feature at the newly reopened Calistoga Speedway.

The Australian ace, who led all 25 laps on Saturday’s Vermeil opener, looked like he was on his way to easily doing so again as he made a couple of key late race passes around slower cars to keep the pursuing Dominic Gorden behind him. However, a left front shock stud on McFadden’s car broke late on the final lap, leaving the left front tire not rolling in sync with the right side and lagging as he rounded Turns 3 and 4 of the big half-mile.

Gorden quickly closed in but McFadden stood on the gas off of Turn 4 and managed to keep the car straight enough and just hold off Gorden for the $10,000 top prize at the finish line. Letting off the gas after crossing the line, McFadden’s car finally gave in and he spun out in Turn 1. With the crowd showing its approval for him successfully saving the win, McFadden was towed to the front stretch to celebrate his seventh career NARC victory, and also at another track he had never been to before Saturday.

McFadden’s two wins this weekend were also the first by an Australian at the historic half-mile since Gary Rush in 1975. McFadden was made aware of it and felt honored, having grown up watching Rush in his home country. Acknowledging the timely checkered flag coming out just in time for him with the damage on his car, McFadden also said that sometimes it was better to be lucky than good. He did, however, praise the Tarlton family and team for their work. Sunday was McFadden’s sixth NARC win on the season aboard the American Rock & Rent-sponsored Tarlton Motorsports No. 21 TRD-powered Maxim.

McFadden’s sweep of the Louie Vermeil Classic came after McFadden and the Tarlton Motorsports team were not even scheduled to be at Calistoga’s grand reopening after being closed for six years. The team was at Skagit Speedway in Washington with the High Limit Racing series on Thursday and Friday nights, but a very tough time there led the team to decide a change in scenery was needed and the team hurried south to California for the Vermeil. The decision paid off with $5,000 and $10,000 paydays and a pair of “Louies” to put in the trophy case. They also got an additional $500 over two nights in lap leader money from METTEC Titanium. McFadden won four out of five nights during NARC’s Fastest Five Days in Motorsports in the Pacific Northwest in June before he and the Tarlton Motorsports headed east for the summer. Despite only running part of the schedule, McFadden’s six wins are tied for the most in NARC competition this season.

Gorden, almost got the wounded McFadden car at the line but settled for a strong second place finish aboard the Gary Silva Ranches-sponsored Fortitude Driver Development No. 10 Rider-powered Maxim. Former NARC champion and current points leader D.J. Netto padded that points lead with his second podium in as many nights aboard the Penny Newman Grain-sponsored Netto Ag No. 88n Rider-powered KPC. Backing up his Saturday runner-up finish, Shane Golobic finished fourth aboard the NOS Energy-sponsored Matt Wood Racing No. 17w Kistler-powered KPC. Indiana visitor Spencer Bayston bounced back from a DNF Saturday to finish fifth aboard the Works Limited-sponsored Kevin Kozlowski No. W Speedway-powered Schnee-Lawson.

Bud Kaeding earned the Williams Roofing Hard Charger nod, coming from 12th to finish sixth. Chance Grasty, Sean Becker, Dylan Bloomfield and Caeden Steele rounded out the Top 10.

Heat races earlier in the evening were won by D.J. Netto and Dominic Gorden. Spencer Bayston paced the 17-car field in Automotive Racing Products Qualifying with a time of 16.756 seconds around the big half-mile clay oval.

Hoosier Racing Tires Feature (25 laps): 1. 21-James McFadden[2]; 2. 10-Dominic Gorden[1]; 3. 88N-DJ Netto[4]; 4. 17W-Shane Golobic[7]; 5. W-Spencer Bayston[3]; 6. 29-Bud Kaeding[12]; 7. X1-Chance Grasty[6]; 8. 7B-Sean Becker[11]; 9. 83V-Dylan Bloomfield[8]; 10. 121-Caeden Steele[10]; 11. 14-Mariah Ede[13]; 12. 12-Jarrett Soares[14]; 13. 12J-John Clark[15]; 14. 17-Colby Copeland[5]; 15. 26-Billy Aton[9]; 16. 11-Tyler Cato[16]; DNS – 92-Andy Forsberg.

METTEC Titanium Lap Leaders: James McFadden 1-25

Williams Roofing Hard Charger: 29 Bud Kaeding, 12th to 6th (+6)

Automotive Racing Products Fast Qualifier (17 cars): W Spencer Bayston, 16.756 seconds

Brown & Miller Racing Solutions Heat 1 (8 laps): 1. 88n D.J. Netto, 2. X1 Chance Grasty, 3. W Spencer Bayston, 4. 83v Dylan Bloomfield, 5. 26 Billy Aton, 6. 7b Sean Becker, 7. 12 Jarrett Soares, 8. 12j John Clark, DNS – 92 Andy Forsberg.

(8/31/25 – Andrew Kunas) Calistoga, CA … James McFadden ended up with a second Louie Vermeil trophy in as many nights, but that very nearly didn’t happen as a last lap parts break left McFadden fighting to make it to the checkered flag and had the capacity crowd in a frenzy in Sunday’s NARC 410 sprint car feature at the newly reopened Calistoga Speedway.

The Australian ace, who led all 25 laps on Saturday’s Vermeil opener, looked like he was on his way to easily doing so again as he made a couple of key late race passes around slower cars to keep the pursuing Dominic Gorden behind him. However, a left front shock stud on McFadden’s car broke late on the final lap, leaving the left front tire not rolling in sync with the right side and lagging as he rounded Turns 3 and 4 of the big half-mile.

Gorden quickly closed in but McFadden stood on the gas off of Turn 4 and managed to keep the car straight enough and just hold off Gorden for the $10,000 top prize at the finish line. Letting off the gas after crossing the line, McFadden’s car finally gave in and he spun out in Turn 1. With the crowd showing its approval for him successfully saving the win, McFadden was towed to the front stretch to celebrate his seventh career NARC victory, and also at another track he had never been to before Saturday.

McFadden’s two wins this weekend were also the first by an Australian at the historic half-mile since Gary Rush in 1975. McFadden was made aware of it and felt honored, having grown up watching Rush in his home country. Acknowledging the timely checkered flag coming out just in time for him with the damage on his car, McFadden also said that sometimes it was better to be lucky than good. He did, however, praise the Tarlton family and team for their work. Sunday was McFadden’s sixth NARC win on the season aboard the American Rock & Rent-sponsored Tarlton Motorsports No. 21 TRD-powered Maxim.

McFadden’s sweep of the Louie Vermeil Classic came after McFadden and the Tarlton Motorsports team were not even scheduled to be at Calistoga’s grand reopening after being closed for six years. The team was at Skagit Speedway in Washington with the High Limit Racing series on Thursday and Friday nights, but a very tough time there led the team to decide a change in scenery was needed and the team hurried south to California for the Vermeil. The decision paid off with $5,000 and $10,000 paydays and a pair of “Louies” to put in the trophy case. They also got an additional $500 over two nights in lap leader money from METTEC Titanium. McFadden won four out of five nights during NARC’s Fastest Five Days in Motorsports in the Pacific Northwest in June before he and the Tarlton Motorsports headed east for the summer. Despite only running part of the schedule, McFadden’s six wins are tied for the most in NARC competition this season.

Gorden, almost got the wounded McFadden car at the line but settled for a strong second place finish aboard the Gary Silva Ranches-sponsored Fortitude Driver Development No. 10 Rider-powered Maxim. Former NARC champion and current points leader D.J. Netto padded that points lead with his second podium in as many nights aboard the Penny Newman Grain-sponsored Netto Ag No. 88n Rider-powered KPC. Backing up his Saturday runner-up finish, Shane Golobic finished fourth aboard the NOS Energy-sponsored Matt Wood Racing No. 17w Kistler-powered KPC. Indiana visitor Spencer Bayston bounced back from a DNF Saturday to finish fifth aboard the Works Limited-sponsored Kevin Kozlowski No. W Speedway-powered Schnee-Lawson.

Bud Kaeding earned the Williams Roofing Hard Charger nod, coming from 12th to finish sixth. Chance Grasty, Sean Becker, Dylan Bloomfield and Caeden Steele rounded out the Top 10.

Heat races earlier in the evening were won by D.J. Netto and Dominic Gorden. Spencer Bayston paced the 17-car field in Automotive Racing Products Qualifying with a time of 16.756 seconds around the big half-mile clay oval.

Hoosier Racing Tires Feature (25 laps): 1. 21-James McFadden[2]; 2. 10-Dominic Gorden[1]; 3. 88N-DJ Netto[4]; 4. 17W-Shane Golobic[7]; 5. W-Spencer Bayston[3]; 6. 29-Bud Kaeding[12]; 7. X1-Chance Grasty[6]; 8. 7B-Sean Becker[11]; 9. 83V-Dylan Bloomfield[8]; 10. 121-Caeden Steele[10]; 11. 14-Mariah Ede[13]; 12. 12-Jarrett Soares[14]; 13. 12J-John Clark[15]; 14. 17-Colby Copeland[5]; 15. 26-Billy Aton[9]; 16. 11-Tyler Cato[16]; DNS – 92-Andy Forsberg.

METTEC Titanium Lap Leaders: James McFadden 1-25

Williams Roofing Hard Charger: 29 Bud Kaeding, 12th to 6th (+6)

Automotive Racing Products Fast Qualifier (17 cars): W Spencer Bayston, 16.756 seconds

Brown & Miller Racing Solutions Heat 1 (8 laps): 1. 88n D.J. Netto, 2. X1 Chance Grasty, 3. W Spencer Bayston, 4. 83v Dylan Bloomfield, 5. 26 Billy Aton, 6. 7b Sean Becker, 7. 12 Jarrett Soares, 8. 12j John Clark, DNS – 92 Andy Forsberg.

Kimo’s Tropical Carwash Heat 2 (8 laps): 1. 10 Dominic Gorden, 2. 17 Colby Copeland, 3. 21 James McFadden, 4. 17w Shane Golobic, 5. 121 Caeden Steele, 6. 29 Bud Kaeding, 7. 14 Mariah Ede, 8. 11 Tyler Cato.

Allmendinger Leads Chevrolet with Top-Five Finish at Darlington Raceway


·        Kaulig Racing’s AJ Allmendinger led Chevrolet to the checkered flag with a fifth-place finish in the Southern 500 at Darlington Raceway – the team’s second top-five finish of the season. Three different Chevrolet organizations were represented in the top-10 of the final running order, including Kyle Busch and the No. 8 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet team, who overcame damage during an opening lap incident to rebound for an eighth-place finish. Spire Motorsports’ Carson Hocevar turned in his seventh top-10 of the season – driving his No. 77 Chevrolet to a ninth-place result. 
 ·        With much of the playoff field plagued with problems throughout the opening race of the Round of 16, five Team Chevy championship contenders will head to World Wide Technology Raceway above the cutline – led by former champion, Kyle Larson, who drove his No. 5 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet to a strong points day in the first two stages to build his cushion to now 38-points.  
 ·        A trio of playoff contenders representing three Chevrolet organizations began their championship campaigns with top-10 qualifying efforts – led by the 2023 Southern 500 winner, Kyle Larson, who took the green-flag for the crown jewel event from the fifth position. Chaos ensued at the front of the field to bring the caution out on the opening lap, but all seven Team Chevy playoff contenders escaped without damage. The remainder of the opening stage went caution-free with the field seeing two sets of green-flag pit cycles. Remaining a steady fixture in the top-10 of the opening stage were Ross Chastain and Larson, who took the first green-white checkered flag in the fourth and sixth positions, respectively.  ·        Picking up right where he left off, Ross Chastain made the move up into the runner-up position when the second natural caution of the race fell on Lap 151. With a majority of the lead pack opting to hit pit road, the No. 1 pit crew powered off a stop to keep Chastain on the front-row for the restart. With a valiant effort to battle then-race leader, Chase Briscoe, for the top position, Chastain ultimately settled his Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet back into the second position near the halfway point of Stage Two. Battling overall loose conditions, Chastain held onto a position in the top-five before crew chief, Phil Surgen, called his driver to pit road during the green-flag cycle with 43 laps to go in the stage. As the field cycled through for the next green-flag run, it was playoff contenders Larson and Chastain that found their way back into the top-five before a pair of cautions flew during the closing laps of Stage Two. The duo went on to add onto an already strong points night with back-to-back top-six stage finishes.
TEAM CHEVY UNOFFICIAL TOP-10 RESULTS: POS.     DRIVER
5th – AJ Allmendinger8th – Kyle Busch9th – Carson Hocevar

Chevrolet’s season statistics with 27 NASCAR Cup Series races complete: 

Wins: 12Poles: 10Top-Fives: 53Top 10s: 114Stage Wins: 22
UP NEXT: The 2025 NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs Round of 16 will continue at World Wide Technology Raceway with the Enjoy Illinois 300 on Sunday, September 7, at 3 p.m. ET. Live coverage can be found on the USA Network, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90.
Allmendinger Leads Chevrolet with Top-Five Finish at Darlington Raceway
MEDIA RESOURCES: Photo Gallery | Race AdvancesChevrolet Newsroom
·        Kaulig Racing’s AJ Allmendinger led Chevrolet to the checkered flag with a fifth-place finish in the Southern 500 at Darlington Raceway – the team’s second top-five finish of the season. Three different Chevrolet organizations were represented in the top-10 of the final running order, including Kyle Busch and the No. 8 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet team, who overcame damage during an opening lap incident to rebound for an eighth-place finish. Spire Motorsports’ Carson Hocevar turned in his seventh top-10 of the season – driving his No. 77 Chevrolet to a ninth-place result. 
 ·        With much of the playoff field plagued with problems throughout the opening race of the Round of 16, five Team Chevy championship contenders will head to World Wide Technology Raceway above the cutline – led by former champion, Kyle Larson, who drove his No. 5 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet to a strong points day in the first two stages to build his cushion to now 38-points.  
 ·        A trio of playoff contenders representing three Chevrolet organizations began their championship campaigns with top-10 qualifying efforts – led by the 2023 Southern 500 winner, Kyle Larson, who took the green-flag for the crown jewel event from the fifth position. Chaos ensued at the front of the field to bring the caution out on the opening lap, but all seven Team Chevy playoff contenders escaped without damage. The remainder of the opening stage went caution-free with the field seeing two sets of green-flag pit cycles. Remaining a steady fixture in the top-10 of the opening stage were Ross Chastain and Larson, who took the first green-white checkered flag in the fourth and sixth positions, respectively.  ·        Picking up right where he left off, Ross Chastain made the move up into the runner-up position when the second natural caution of the race fell on Lap 151. With a majority of the lead pack opting to hit pit road, the No. 1 pit crew powered off a stop to keep Chastain on the front-row for the restart. With a valiant effort to battle then-race leader, Chase Briscoe, for the top position, Chastain ultimately settled his Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet back into the second position near the halfway point of Stage Two. Battling overall loose conditions, Chastain held onto a position in the top-five before crew chief, Phil Surgen, called his driver to pit road during the green-flag cycle with 43 laps to go in the stage. As the field cycled through for the next green-flag run, it was playoff contenders Larson and Chastain that found their way back into the top-five before a pair of cautions flew during the closing laps of Stage Two. The duo went on to add onto an already strong points night with back-to-back top-six stage finishes.
TEAM CHEVY UNOFFICIAL TOP-10 RESULTS: POS.     DRIVER
5th – AJ Allmendinger8th – Kyle Busch9th – Carson Hocevar

Chevrolet’s season statistics with 27 NASCAR Cup Series races complete: 

Wins: 12Poles: 10Top-Fives: 53Top 10s: 114Stage Wins: 22
UP NEXT: The 2025 NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs Round of 16 will continue at World Wide Technology Raceway with the Enjoy Illinois 300 on Sunday, September 7, at 3 p.m. ET. Live coverage can be found on the USA Network, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90.
Post-Race Driver Quotes: Ross Chastain, No. 1 Trackhouse Racing ChevroletFinished: 11th“We were the best Chevrolet for a lot of the night. We were racing around the No. 5 (Kyle Larson), which we haven’t been doing much this year, so that was step one if we want to do anything this year in the playoffs. We had to be faster and we were. I was proud to be up there fighting with him and racing around him because he and the No. 24 (William Byron) have been the benchmark a lot of the year. To carry the flag for Chevrolet a lot tonight is something to be proud of.  We just had a fueling issue there at the end and it took us back.”   Austin Dillon, No. 3 Richard Childress Racing ChevroletFinished: 23rd“We started OK and then we just had issues throughout the race. We got too tight in that one run and just couldn’t overcome it. We kind of got it back going the other direction; made some passes and got up to around 18th. We hit pit road and the caution came out. It was just unfortunate. We just struggled with our No. 3 BPS/Winchester Deer Season XP Chevrolet and didn’t execute like we needed to. We just have to do better. But all-in-all, we’re not that far below the cutline. We just need to have a solid finish in the next two races of this round.”    Kyle Larson, No. 5 Hendrick Motorsports ChevroletFinished: 19th“It was a good thing we were able to get those stage points early. I felt pretty average all night. We had a lot of stack-ups on the restarts. I’m not sure why, but we had a big one there in the final stage and we just struggled after that. I’m not sure if the splitter got bent up or what happened, but it just took all my problems and made it all worse. We also had radio issues and all sorts of other problems, so to have a bad race and still gain on the cutline is rewarding. Obviously, we want more on this No. 5 HendrickCars.com Chevrolet team. It’s typically a good track for us, so I’m not sure, but we’ll regroup and hopefully rebound in the next two races.”   Kyle Busch, No. 8 Richard Childress Racing ChevroletFinished: 8th “The No. 8 Morgan & Morgan Chevrolet was a strong car tonight in Darlington. We got caught up in the wreck on the initial lap of the race, but thanks to the hard work of our pit crew, they got us back on track and we raced our way to the front of the field. We struggled on restarts, but our adjustments on pit stops kept us competitive and let us leave with a top-10 finish.”   Chase Elliott, No. 9 Hendrick Motorsports ChevroletFinished: 17th“It was a long night for the No. 9 NAPA Chevy team. We clawed our way up into the top-10. We went long on that one run in the second stage. Everybody had gotten really aggressive shorting it, so we just thought we’d tried to run long and see what happened. As soon as we did that and got eight or 10 laps in, the caution came out. We came in and ended up having an issue on pit road and, unfortunately, it all kind of happened at the same time on that next cycle. We just had to put our heads down and grind it out.  We just have to keep pushing at it. We just have to put our heads together and try to execute better at Gateway. Appreciate all the effort from everyone at NAPA, Chevrolet and Hendrick Motorsports. Everyone is working really hard, we just have to put our heads together and figure out how to go forward.”   AJ Allmendinger, No. 16 Kaulig Racing ChevroletFinished: 5th“It feels awesome to get a top-five finish with our No. 16 Black’s Tire Chevrolet. Darlington (Raceway) has owned me, and I’ve worked hard trying to study this place. Our Black’s Tire Chevy was awesome all night. Trent Owens (crew chief) did a phenomenal job on the adjustments. We just kept fighting all race long. I’m constantly trying to learn around this place. My pit crew were absolutely phenomenal and that’s what got us near the front, and then we could just hold the track position. I’m just so proud of everyone on this team. It was a well-executed night all around. It just feels good to get around this place decent and come out with a strong finish.”   William Byron, No. 24 Hendrick Motorsports ChevroletFinished: 21st“We just struggled all night. I thought the short run was a struggle. I was hoping we’d be able to pay on the backend and have some long run pace, but we would just fall off a cliff. A lot of the time, the pit cycles would kind of save us where we could just pit right when we started to struggle, but the last run was really long. As good as we normally are here, it’s definitely a bummer. Appreciate All-Pro Auto Reconditioning, Chevrolet and everyone on this No. 24 team. We’ve definitely got some work to do. We’ll go to Gateway and try to be better there.”   Michael McDowell, No. 71 Spire Motorsports ChevroletFinished: 33rd“Not the day we were hoping for with our Delaware Life Chevrolet; we had some decent pace during Stage Two, but just couldn’t put it all together and fell a lap down. After that we had an issue with one of our tires and just didn’t have enough race left to earn those laps back. We have some things to look into so we can figure out exactly what happened, but just not our day here in Darlington.”    Shane van Gisbergen, No. 88 Trackhouse Racing ChevroletFinished: 32nd“It was a tough day for the No. 88 WeatherTech Chevrolet team. Our car was very different from yesterday. Stephen (Doran, crew chief) didn’t give up on tuning on it, but we just couldn’t make it better. We tried something different with strategy, but got a caution at the wrong time and couldn’t rebound from it.”