Chevy Racing–INDYCAR–Iowa Advance

Detroit (July 10, 2025) The NTT INDYCAR SERIES, along with the 14 Chevrolet-powered drivers, visit the Iowa Speedway for the 11th and 12th rounds of the season. The Synk 275 Powered By Sukup and Farm To Finish 275 Powered By Sukup are the second and third races across nine weeks that will bring the 2025 season to a close. 
Team Chevy has excelled at the 0.875-mile Iowa Speedway short oval, specifically winning 13 of 16 races and 14 of 16 poles since 2012. 
Generally, ovals 1.33 miles in length and shorter have been friendly to Team Chevy. Cars adorned with Bowties have 77.8% of the trips to victory lane, sat on 77.8% of the poles, stood on 72.2% of the podiums and led 80.1% of laps in races held at Iowa Speedway, Nashville Superspeedway, Phoenix International Raceway, The Milwaukee Mile, and World Wide Technology Raceway At Gateway.
Across Chevrolet’s history in the INDYCAR SERIES, the brand has won 52 short oval races, with George Follmer first winning with Chevy power at Phoenix International Raceway in 1969. 
All of INDYCAR SERIES Chevrolet’s Short Oval Wins
Jim Hurtibise at Langhorne Speedway in 1963 won the first of Chevrolet’s 53 INDYCAR SERIES short oval poles. 
All of Chevrolet’s INDYCAR SERIES Short Oval PolesAppreciating PatoWith the NTT INDYCAR SERIES visiting a track where Team Chevy’s top points scorer, Arrow McLaren’s Pato O’Ward, has had past success with a win in 2022 and four podiums, it’s a good time to appreciate the consistency of his 2025 season to date. 
Through last weekend’s fifth-place finish at Mid-Ohio, the popular Mexican driver has scored 305 points, the most he’s collected after ten races since the series ended double points for the Indianapolis 500. 
That leaves the 26-year-old third in points, only 12 points behind second-place Kyle Kirkwood, but 125 points behind runaway leader Álex Palou. After ten races last year, O’Ward had scored 299 points and trailed leader Palou by only 37 points. So far this season:
O’Ward is only one of three drivers to complete all 1135 lapsHis four podiums, five top fives and average finish of 6.8 rank second behind only Palou in those categoriesHe’s gained 30 spots from where he started, which ranks third overall He had the fastest lap of the race at The Thermal Club, the second quickest lap of the race at the Indianapolis 500, and has only been outside the top ten fastest laps twice The No. 5 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet crew is only eight points out of the lead of the Firestone Pit Performance Award standings, were the quickest at St. Pete and Road America and are the only crew to be one of the ten quickest every race Chevrolet at Iowa Speedway
The twin-turbo 2.2L V6 (Chevy Indy V6) has powered drivers to 13 (81.3%) of the 16 races at Iowa Speedway since the introduction of that engine formula in 2012. That includes nine straight trips to victory lane and six wins by short oval master Newgarden. Will Power leads all drivers in the Chevy Indy V6 era with six poles on the 0.875-mile Iowa Speedway short oval, with the Detroit, Michigan manufacturer starting on the pole for 14 (87.5%) of the 16 races since 2012. Team Chevy’s dominance since 2012 continues with 75% of the drivers standing on the podium (36 of 48) wearing a Chevrolet Bowtie. That total includes 15 drivers among six teams. Newgarden has led a whopping 1,847 laps powered by the Chevy Indy V6, and Team Chevy has led a dominant 87.1% (3,831 of 4,400 laps) since 2012. 
Leading the field to the green flag for both Sukup INDYCAR Race Weekend races will be the Corvette E-Ray, featuring eAWD capability, 655 horsepower and a lightning-fast 0 to 60mph time of 2.5 seconds.
Tune-In Alert
FridayNTT INDYCAR SERIES Practice & Highline Session – 3:30pm (ET)/2:30pm (CT)/1:30pm (MT)/12:30pm (PT) – FS2/INDYCAR Radio Network/SIRIUSXM 218 
SaturdayNTT INDYCAR SERIES Qualifying – 1:30pm (ET)/12:30pm (CT)/11:30am(MT) /10:30am PT) – FS1/INDYCAR Radio Network/SIRIUSXM 218\SYNK 275 (275 laps) – 5pm (ET)/ 4pm (CT)/3pm (MT)/2pm (PT) – FOX/INDYCAR Radio Network/SIRIUSXM 218
SundayFarm To Finish 275 (275 laps) – 1pm (ET)/ noon (CT)/11am (MT)/10am (PT) – FOX/INDYCAR Radio Network/SIRIUSXM 218


WHAT THEY’RE SAYING (QUOTES):A.J. FOYT RACING
David Malukas, No. 4 Clarience Technologies/A.J. Foyt Racing Chevrolet:
What do you like about Iowa Speedway and why does it suit your style?”Well, Iowa, obviously, being another short oval is something that I feel like with my history on short ovals, we have a good history, and it seems that performance continues through Iowa. The racing and the strategies have always been fun to work around. It’s something that I feel like I’ve managed to pick up and find good success with. Iowa changed the past two seasons with the repavement. So, we’ll see how things shape up, especially with the new packages that IndyCar has coming out.”
With Iowa’s different passing lanes and an increase in downforce, will qualifying still be important?“Qualifying is always important. No matter what the situation is on an oval, you can always make passes, but passing becomes very difficult once that second line gets a lot of marbling. So, the better you can qualify, the easier the race is going to be, and the less passes you’re going to have to make.”
Will different fuel strategies come into play? If so, how do you decide on which one to use?“Well, we’ll have to see if the passing is still going to be limited with the new package because of that pavement up top, and not being able to use a second lane, then fuel is going to be really important. It’s probably going to be a fuel code race and who’s going to be able to save fuel and go longer. Obviously, that’s going to be more on the strategist to call; from my side, I’m just going to focus and try to make sure that we can go as fast as possible, going left.”
How difficult is it to use a tire at a track like Iowa that you haven’t tested?“It’s difficult in the fact that you don’t get any data from previous runs to figure out how it’s going to handle. You’re going in completely fresh, straight into a race weekend so there’s going to be that difficulty there. We’re going to have a lot of unknowns that we’re going to have to try to figure out as quickly as possible, but everybody’s going to be in the same boat. Whoever can figure it out quicker is going to be the one that could be on top so hopefully we can be on that end.”
Santino Ferrucci, No. 14 Sexton Properties/A.J. Foyt Racing Chevrolet:
What do you like about Iowa Speedway and why does it suit your style?“Man, I like Iowa. It’s a tough track to be honest. Yeah, Mike, I don’t think, as far as ovals go, it’s definitely one of the more difficult ones. I feel like we did a really good job last year. It’s a fast Bowl ring, just enjoyable as a racer. And last year it came with the repave and made everything a little bit tricky. But we had a couple of good races.”
Why? Didn’t it eliminate the bumps?“Yep, but you can’t pass anymore because they repaved it, Do you remember there’s only 20 passes in the entire race, and I had like half of them. It was really entertaining. Now it’s just really boring because they repaved the track and got rid of all the bumps and there’s no more tire deg.”
Iowa’s different passing lanes and an increase in downforce, will qualifying still be important? If so, why?“I think qualifying is definitely important at this track, or only this track, just because it’s difficult to pass. But I also did come from a lap down last year, and I came back to finish sixth. So, at the end of the day, perhaps it’s not really that important on an oval. I think it’s just more important to take care of the car than it is to qualify really well.”
Will the different fuel strategies come into play?“I don’t think there will be a fuel strategy in Iowa. I think the races are pretty straightforward. I just pit when you’re out (of fuel). I think it’s going to be a pretty standard three or four stop race for us, even with the yellows. I also don’t remember Iowa being a big fuel save race in all of my years there either.”
How difficult is it to use a tire at a track like Iowa that you haven’t tested?“Even though we didn’t test there, it’s a different tire again for everybody, so they’ll still have a kind of level-ish playing field. Obviously not having laps around there this year is tricky, but it is an easy track to pick back up again, since it is only 7/8 mile and you can run 15 laps pretty quickly.”
ARROW MCLAREN
Pato O’Ward, No. 5 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet: “Back to the cornfields for two races, the only double weekend that we have. The cars have new downforce levels and different tires, so hoping to get a good second groove going. We should make it very entertaining for everybody thats watching the races.”
Nolan Siegel, No. 6 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet: “Off to Iowa for a doubleheader. It’s going to be very interesting because they’ve changed aero configuration and tires from last year, and again from testing a week ago. Nobody really knows what to expect. We’re hoping that we’ll be stronger than other cars right out the gate, because there is not a lot of practice time to figure it out. There are lot of things to learn, and we will do our best with whatever we roll off with.” 
Christian Lundgaard, No. 7 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet:“Doubleheader in Iowa, which I’m obviously looking forward to. Following the test a lot of changes have been made, so I think practice will be very beneficial to see if we can get a second groove going. Qualifying will be very important. We’ll take it as it comes, but hopefully we’ll have good Arrow McLaren Chevrolets this weekend.”
ED CARPENTER RACING
Alexander Rossi, No. 20 ECR Java House Chevrolet:“I can’t wait to get to Iowa this weekend. We had a very positive test there and with the strength of our short oval package, it’s a great opportunity for us as it’s a double header. We will need to execute in all phases of the weekend and if we do that, there are a lot of points up for grabs.”
Christian Rasmussen, No. 21 ECR Splenda Chevrolet:“This will be my first time racing an NTT INDYCAR SERIES car at Iowa Speedway, but it’s not my first time at the track! I’ve had good experiences there in the past, including a win in the Indy NXT race in 2023 during my championship season. I’m looking forward to going back, especially since we’ve shown we have a strong short oval package—something we proved with a podium at St. Louis.”
Chevrolet at the Iowa Speedway
Chevrolet wins at Iowa Speedway: 13
2024 Race #2 – Will Power – Team Penske (pictured above)2024 Race #1 – Scott McLaughlin – Team Penske2023 Race #2 – Josef Newgarden – Team Penske2023 Race #1 – Josef Newgarden – Team Penske2022 Race #2 – Pato O’Ward – Arrow McLaren2022 Race #1 – Josef Newgarden – Team Penske2020 Race #2 – Josef Newgarden – Team Penske2020 Race #1 – Simon Pagenaud – Team Penske2019 – Josef Newgarden – Team Penske2017 – Helio Castroneves – Team Penske2016 – Josef Newgarden – Ed Carpenter Racing2013 – James Hinchcliffe – Andretti Global2012 – Ryan Hunter-Reay – Andretti Global
Chevrolet poles at Iowa Speedway: 14
2024 Race #2 – Scott McLaughlin – Team Penske2023 Race #2 – Will Power – Team Penske2023 Race #1 – Will Power – Team Penske2022 Race #2 – Will Power – Team Penske2022 Race #1 – Will Power – Team Penske2020 Race #2 – Josef Newgarden – Team Penske2020 Race #1 – Conor Daly – Carlin2019 – Simon Pagenaud – Team Penske2018 – Will Power – Team Penske2017 – Will Power – Team Penske2016 – Simon Pagenaud – Team Penske2015 – Helio Castroneves – Team Penske2014 – Scott Dixon – Chip Ganassi Racing2013 – Helio Castroneves – Team Penske 
Chevrolet Podiums at Iowa Speedway: 36
Chevrolet podiums at the Iowa Speedway by driver: Josef Newgarden (8), Will Power (6), Scott McLaughlin (4), Pato O’Ward (4), Tony Kanaan (3), Ryan Hunter-Reay (2), Marco Andretti (1), Oliver Askew (1), Helio Castroneves (1), Scott Dixon (1), JR Hildebrand (1), James Hinchcliffe (1), Sage Karam (1), Simon Pagenaud (1), and Spencer Pigot (1). 
Chevrolet podiums at the Iowa Speedway by team: Team Penske (18), Arrow McLaren (5), Andretti Global (4), Chip Ganassi Racing (4), Ed Carpenter Racing (4) and KV Racing Technology (1). 
Chevrolet Laps Led at Iowa Speedway: 3831
Chevrolet laps led at Iowa Speedway by driver: Josef Newgarden (1847), Helio Castroneves (434), Will Power (400),  Tony Kanaan (317), Scott McLaughlin (260), James Hinchcliffe (245), Pato O’Ward (97), Simon Pagenaud (97), JR Hildebrand (38), Ed Carpenter (20), Scott Dixon (18), Conor Daly (17), Ryan Hunter-Reay (15), Oliver Askew (10), Sebastien Bourdais (6), Marco Andretti (3), Ryan Briscoe (2), Max Chilton (2), Felix Rosenqvist (2) and Rubens Barichello (1).
Chevrolet laps led at Iowa Speedway by team: Team Penske (2649), Ed Carpenter (451), Chip Ganassi Racing (337), Andretti Global (263), Arrow McLaren (107), Carlin (17), and KV Racing Technology (7).

Manufacturer History at Iowa Speedway
Wins (with competition)
13 – Chevrolet (2024 Race #2, 2024 Race #1, 2023 Race #2, 2023 Race #1, 2022 Race #2, 2022 Race #1, 2020 Race #2, 2020 Race #1, 2019, 2017, 2016, 2013, 2012)3 – Honda (2018, 2014, 2014)
Poles (with competition)
14 – Chevrolet (2024 Race #2, 2023 Race #2, 2023 Race #1, 2022 Race #2, 2022 Race #1, 2020 Race #2, 2020 Race #1, 2019, 2018, 2017, 2016, 2015, 2016, 2013)2 – Honda (2024 Race #1, 2012)

Historical Chevrolet Information
INDYCAR SERIES Manufacturer Championships (since 1979)
Chevrolet-Powered Wins in the Twin-Turbo 2.2L V6 Era (2012-present)
Chevrolet-Powered Wins (All-time)

Cody Overton Sneaks Towards First Summer Nationals Triumph at Montpelier Motor Speedway

MONTPELIER, IN — July 9, 2025 — In the second chapter of the DIRTcar Summer Nationals Late Models at Indiana’s Montpelier Motor Speedway, it was the Tri-Star Motorsports No. 2 that was parked in Victory Lane.

After going winless since March 1, Cody Overton had a major morale boost on Wednesday night after winning his first career Hell Tour Feature in hard-working fashion around the bottom lane.

Reigning champion Tyler Erb jumped out to the early command over Zack Mitchell as the two distanced themselves by over five seconds on third-place Rusty Schlenk and Overton in fourth.

After the Thomson, GA, pilot passed Schlenk on the bottom lane for third place on Lap 9, the first caution of the night was flown on Lap 12 to reset the pace.

On the restart, Overton used his momentum on the bottom to get by Mitchell for second place on the first lap, but the Coltman Farms Racing No. 57 retook the spot with a slide job while “Terbo” grew the distance from the two battling drivers to 4.6 seconds.

On Lap 23, the complexity of the Feature changed when a lapped car spun to the top of the track in Turn 4. Erb, who was behind the car on the cushion, made contact and spun down the track, ending his chances to earn a pivotal win towards his championship chase.

The caution gave way to new contenders for the win as Mitchell led to the restart over Overton, Trey Mills, Mark Whitener, and Jason Feger. The restart saw Mitchell lead into Turn 1, but Mills threw a slide job on Mitchell through the corner to take the lead. 

While Feger and Whitener ran to the cushion, Overton glued his car to the bottom lane as the top five ran four-wide entering Turn 3 while Mills chose the top to block Feger and Whitener’s momentum. 

Overton, who quietly kept his car to the bottom, snuck by Mills off of Turn 4 to take the lead on the restart while the Jacksonville, FL driver kept his No. 14JR Longhorn Chassis to the top in his attempt to stay even with Overton.

The World of Outlaws Real American Beer Late Models presented by DIRTVision sophomore outmatched the 17-year-old and held onto the lead for the final six laps to score his first career Hell Tour Feature race. He becomes the second Peach State driver to win in 2025, and the 119th different winner in history.

“Oh man, God was looking out for me,” Overton said. “We definitely gambled on tires tonight, and I don’t think it was right the longer I ran. I was like ‘I’m SOL, I’m just gonna ride, but whatever.’

“I wasn’t too worried about the restarts, ‘cause I knew I could probably get back out front, but it was just a matter of time, and they could start circling and getting their hard tires back good. I mean, sometimes, you just gotta be lucky.”

While Erb made a hard-charging effort in the remaining laps to finish in sixth, he sits 80 points back from overall points leader Jason Feger, who finished in third place.

Up Next: The DIRTcar Summer Nationals Late Models and DIRTcar Summit Racing Equipment Modified Nationals enter the final four nights of Week 5 with a trip to Michigan’s Butler Motor Speedway on Thursday, July 10.

If you can’t make it to the track, you can watch all the action live on DIRTVision – either online or by downloading the DIRTVision App.

Feature (30 Laps): 1. 2-Cody Overton[5]; 2. 14JR-Trey Mills[6]; 3. 25F-Jason Feger[9]; 4. 20TC-Tristan Chamberlain[14]; 5. 99JR-Frank Heckenast Jr[11]; 6. 1-Tyler Erb[1]; 7. 5-Mark Whitener[8]; 8. 51-Devin Shiels[18]; 9. 71R-Rod Conley[3]; 10. 91-Rusty Schlenk[4]; 11. 42-Chad Finley[16]; 12. 46-Colin Shipley[10]; 13. 29-Christian Hanger[7]; 14. 31M-Tyler Millwood[13]; 15. 75-Dillon McCowan[12]; 16. 38-Thomas Hunziker[22]; 17. 18-Jacob Stuhr[15]; 18. 17SR-Brody Smith[17]; 19. 57-Zack Mitchell[2]; 20. 07-Rylee Knoll[20]; 21. 95J-Jerry Bowersock[21]; 22. 114-Clayton Bryant[23]; 23. 17SS-Brenden Smith[19]

Tyler Nicely Wheels His No. 5 Towards Fifth Victory of 2025 Summit Modified Nationals Season

Since Tyler Nicely joined the DIRTcar Summit Racing Equipment Modified Nationals campaign in 2025, he’s finished within the top two through eight of the nine Features he’s started.

On Wednesday night, the Owensboro, KY native piloted his No. 5 Elite Chassis to the fifth win of the season at Montpelier Motor Speedway as he enters the picture towards the championship finale at the Prairie Dirt Classic.

Polesitter Brennan Sherman claimed the lead of the Feature first, with Nicely using the middle lane to stay even with the No. 82.

The two stayed side-by-side as Sherman held an advantage off Turn 4 to lead the first seven laps, but Nicely’s hustle through the middle lane paid off by taking the lead on Lap 8 and getting clear of Sherman.

Dalton Smith followed Nicely’s shadow as he passed Sherman for second place as the two drivers separated from the field by over five seconds.

While Smith’s No. 05 UMP Modified kept a 0.5-second gap after losing the lead, the Richmond, IN driver began to lose touch with Nicely as the 2023 Summit Modifieds champion drove towards a 1.9-second gap.

Though Smith shrank the interval as Nicely struggled to maneuver around the lapped traffic in the final laps, he was too late to attempt a pass as Nicely secured his 16th career win in the first visit to Montpelier for the Summit Modifieds.

Despite missing the first two weeks of Summit Modified competition after having a newborn son, Nicely moves up to third place in points, 144 markers back from points leader Trevor Neville, moving into the final six events of the season.

“We really didn’t plan on running the whole thing,” Nicely said. “I just had a new boy back home, so that’s why we missed the first few weeks, and luckily, my wife let me come out here. We’ve had such a good week, you know we figured we’d just come out here and just keep trying to knock off some wins.”

Up Next: The DIRTcar Summer Nationals Late Models and DIRTcar Summit Racing Equipment Modified Nationals enter the final four nights of Week 5 with a trip to Michigan’s Butler Motor Speedway on Thursday, July 10.

If you can’t make it to the track, you can watch all the action live on DIRTVision – either online or by downloading the DIRTVision App.

Feature (25 Laps): 1. 25-Tyler Nicely[2]; 2. 05-Dalton Smith[7]; 3. 45H-Chase Holland[5]; 4. 35-David Stremme[16]; 5. 777-Trevor Neville[10]; 6. 3W-Dylan Woodling[11]; 7. 4-Michael Ledford[6]; 8. 82-Brennan Sherman[1]; 9. 75-Daniel Adam[19]; 10. 65-Todd Sherman[13]; 11. 1TS-Tyler Spalding[4]; 12. 45P-Brian Post[17]; 13. 21C-Drew Charlson[15]; 14. 22T-Tony Anderson[18]; 15. 9R-Garrett Rons[20]; 16. 23B-Ethan Boomsma[22]; 17. (DNF) 28-Mason Lobb[8]; 18. (DNF) 80-Cole Sink[21]; 19. (DNF) 24-Zeke McKenzie[12]; 20. (DNF) 21B-Hunter Breland[14]; 21. (DNF) 17N-Dillon Nusbaum[9]; 22. (DNF) 114-Clayton Bryant[3]

After ‘Hitting a Reset Button,’ English On the Rise Again in World of Outlaws Return Season

CONCORD, NC (July 9, 2025) – On May 17 at Marion Center Raceway, the last engine in Tanner English’s trailer went up in smoke with the next race less than 24 hours away.

It was another hit in an already tough start to the season, with one top 10 finish in the first five months. But it was also the start of his turning point with the World of Outlaws Real American Beer Late Model Series presented by DIRTVision.

Help first came in the form of family friend Jim Bernheisel, who let English race his car at Bedford Speedway to maintain his full-time status and not be “SOL,” as English said.

Then, it was all hands on deck once the hauler returned from Bedford. The break in the schedule before the Dirt Late Model Dream at Eldora Speedway and the next World of Outlaws event at I-55 Federated Auto Parts Raceway Park couldn’t have come at a better time, as the Coltman Farms Racing crew went into overdrive rebuilding their inventory ahead of the busiest portion of the season.

“First off, we had to pull motors and get them shipped off,” English said. “Clean oil systems, stuff like that. That’s the stuff people don’t see, you can’t just slap a motor back in. I wish you could, but when you blow one up, you’ve got to do a whole switch. We got those shipped off, Glen [Clements] had actually just finished a motor of mine, so I had one motor two or three days later when we got back home.

“Brett [Coltman] knew the situation we were in, so we actually were able to buy another new motor, so then we had two. We had that new car on order at Longhorn, and it was actually done that next week also, so we had a really busy week that next week. Went to Longhorn, built that car and raced once before Eldora at Brownstown [Speedway]. Ran that car at Eldora also, ran good there and was good from there.”

A strong performance at Eldora and finishes of fifth and sixth with the DIRTcar Summer Nationals showed early signs that English and the No. 96 team were turning the corner in their performance.

Then, they took the confirmation a step further when the World of Outlaws tour resumed in June. He earned back-to-back top-10 finishes at I-55 Federated Auto Parts Raceway Park to start a run of six top 10s in the last seven events, including back-to-back fourth-place finishes last weekend at Deer Creek Speedway.

“I feel like I’m kind of hitting a reset button, mentally and setup-wise,” English said. “When we went to Longhorn and we built that car, I told them I wanted to leave there like they want me to leave setup-wise and everything like that. Kind of just washed my hands of it so I could just think about driving and not think about the car. Did that and it was good right out of the box. I really haven’t changed much since then, just tweaked a few things here and there, been in close contact with Matt Langston. Just trying not to mess it up, that’s the main thing, just don’t overthink everything.”

English has been adamant since joining Coltman Farms Racing in 2024 about how the team provides more quality equipment, funding, and other ingredients for success than any other organization he’s raced with. He knew the results early on weren’t reflective of the amount of time and effort going into the program, but that looks to be changing entering the second half of the year.

“You want to perform to what you feel like you’re equipment is capable of,” English said. “I put a lot of pressure on myself. I don’t feel like I need any coaching or anybody telling me to pick it up, because I’m constantly feeling like I need to improve and be better. It takes some stress off of you just knowing that you’ve got new stuff, and you know it’s going to make it. You’re not looking for little things that could be wrong when trying to find some speed. You try to find new ways to do different things, and it takes your mind off of stupid stuff.”

The upcoming slate of races are right up English’s alley as he aims to keep the momentum rolling, starting with Sharon Speedway this weekend. He’s never finished worse than eighth in five World of Outlaws starts at the track and picked up a career-best second in his most recent visit two years ago.

“When I first went there, I was like, ‘this is an odd joint,” English said. “It’s just really slick and you can get up there by the wall and really get after it sometimes. More than anything, it just slows down and gets really technical, and that’s what I like to do. Everybody knows I’m not really a bounce-off-the-cushion kind of guy, so anytime it gets like that, I seem to do better than if there is a cushion and a really aggressive-type track.”

From there, English will chase his second podium appearance in both the Prairie Dirt Classic (July 25-26) and USA Nationals (July 31-Aug. 2) on back-to-back weekends, with his first trip to Wilmot Raceway (July 28) since 2014 on the itinerary between them.

Three drivers are within 24 points of English in the standings, meaning a few more solid finishes in the coming weeks could elevate English several places up from his current 10th spot in the points table. That gives English all the motivation he could ask for as the road to World of Outlaws World Finals rolls on.

“We’re in striking zone right now anyways to maybe get to sixth,” English said. “That’s kind of my goal to get there. Maybe even further if we can, but we’ve had such a bad start that you’ve got to kind of set realistic goals. I feel like we can do that, and we’ve set ourselves up in a good spot in the year, good tracks that I feel like we can make up some ground and get on up there in points.”

The 2025 World of Outlaws Real American Beer Late Model Series presented by DIRTVision season continues with the Battle at the Border at Sharon Speedway on Friday and Saturday, July 11-12. Get your tickets in advance by clicking here.

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

ARTICLE: https://worldofoutlaws.com/latemodels/after-hitting-a-reset-button-english-on-the-rise-again-in-world-of-outlaws-return-season/

EVENT INFO: https://worldofoutlaws.com/latemodels/schedule/event-info/?event=4547676
TRACK INFO: https://www.sharonspeedway.com/

FAN 101: https://about.worldofoutlaws.com/

TEAM CHEVY ADVANCE Sonoma Raceway


July 12-13, 2025

Fresh off a weekend sweep, Chevrolet’s drivers and teams in the NASCAR Cup and Xfinity Series will venture back across the country to make the sport’s annual visit to Sonoma Raceway. 
MEDIA RESOURCES: Photo Gallery | Race AdvancesChevrolet Newsroom
Nestled within the southern Sonoma Mountains, the 1.99-mile road course will mark back-to-back events featuring left- and right-hand turns for both divisions. Road racing continues to be a strong suit for the Bowtie brigade, with the manufacturer heading into the weekend with wins in five of the six road course events in NASCAR’s top-two divisions this season.
DEFENDING WINNERSThere’s no better momentum than a trip to victory lane, and the Bowtie brand has just that. Chevrolet will enter the Sonoma race weekend boosting two-straight road course weekend sweeps – a feat that dates back to a pair of victories by Shane van Gisbergen and Daniel Suarez at Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez one month ago. The opportunity to go three-in-a-row in road course weekend sweeps comes at a circuit where Chevrolet reigns as the most recent winner in both of NASCAR’s top-two divisions courtesy of Kyle Larson (NCS) and Van Gisbergen’s (NXS) wins at the Northern California venue in 2024. 
In 35 NASCAR Cup Series races at Sonoma Raceway, Chevrolet paves the way with 14 all-time victories. Just three of the track’s past winners are entered in Sunday’s event – all of which come from the Chevrolet camp including two-time winners, Kyle Busch and Kyle Larson, and Daniel Suarez. 
RACKING UP ON ROAD COURSES Trackhouse Racing’s Shane van Gisbergen yet again proved his road racing prowess at the site that started his NASCAR career. Taking the checkered flag in the third rendition of the Chicago Street Race, the 36-year-old Auckland, New Zealand, become just the fourth repeat winner of the 2025 NASCAR Cup Series season. The victory further added onto Chevrolet’s lead in wins on left- and right-hand turns in the Next Gen era, with the manufacturer sitting at 14 wins in 20 races (total including traditional road courses and the Chicago Street Course).  Van Gisbergen is one of 10 Team Chevy drivers entered in Sunday’s race that have earned either a road course or street course win in NASCAR’s top division. Among those includes Hendrick Motorsports’ Chase Elliott, who leads the series’ active drivers with seven road course wins – enough to put the 29-year-old Dawsonville, Georgia, native third on the series’ all-time wins list behind NASCAR Hall of Famers Jeff Gordon (nine wins) and Tony Stewart (eight wins). Other multi-time Cup Series road course winners include Kyle Larson (six wins), Kyle Busch (four wins), AJ Allmendinger (three wins) and William Byron (two wins). Also adding to the list is the 2024 Chicago Street Race winner, Alex Bowman; the 2023 Indianapolis Motor Speedway Road Course winner, Michael McDowell; and the pair of Trackhouse Racing teammates, Ross Chastain and Daniel Suarez, who each earned their first career Cup Series win on a road course. 
TOP-10 TALLIESIt’s been a trio of strong performances for the Bowtie brigade on road courses in NASCAR’s top division this season. In addition to its back-to-back victories, Chevrolet has owned at least half of the top-10 finishing positions in each event, including a best-finish of six top-10 results at the Chicago Street Course. With three road races in the books, five full-time Chevrolet organizations have already earned at least one top-10 finish. 
ALLMENDINGER, BUSCH EYE OPPORTUNITY TO SHAKE UP PLAYOFF STANDINGSThe playoff pressure continues to build for NASCAR’s top division, with the trek out west marking the seven-race countdown to the end of the series’ regular season. With just four provisional points positions left up for grabs, a win is on every driver’s mind to solidify their chances at a shot for the championship title. With a pair of road course races on the horizon, Team Chevy’s AJ Allmendinger and Kyle Busch are among those on the outside looking in that eye the opportunity to shake up the playoff standings. 
A sixth-place result at the Chicago Street Course was enough to push Kaulig Racing’s AJ Allmendinger to the 18th position in the playoff standings and just 43-points below the cutline. The 43-year-old Santa Clara, California, native is among the series’ top road course ringers, with the Chevrolet driver earning all three of his NASCAR Cup Series wins making left- and right-hand turns. While still looking for his first win at the 1.99-mile Northern California venue, consistency has been key for Allmendinger and the No. 16 Chevrolet team – entering the weekend with a pair of back-to-back sixth-place results at the circuit. 
Despite a roller-coaster day in the “Windy City”, Kyle Busch and the No. 8 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet team rebounded for a top-five finish at the Chicago Street Course. Putting together a strong 41-point day – the second-highest of the race – Busch had a big boost in the playoff standings, with the 40-year-old Las Vegas, Nevada, native heading to the west coast ranked 19th in the playoff standings and 46-points below the cutline. His championship-earning career has seen a great amount of success on road courses with four wins in NASCAR’s top division – two of which have come at Sonoma Raceway. His second win at the circuit in June 2015 started a string of impressive finishes that included six-straight top-seven results. His first Sonoma start with Richard Childress Racing ended with a runner-up result (2023). 
VAN GISBERGEN SETS SIGHTS ON SECOND SWEEPIn just two years, Shane van Gisbergen went from making his NASCAR debut to a full-time career in NASCAR’s top division. The road racing ace is already a seven-time winner in the NASCAR national ranks – all of which have been earned making left- and right-hand turns. The 36-year-old Auckland, New Zealand, native made his return to the Xfinity Series for the first time this season at the Chicago Street Course – driving the No. 9 JR Motorsports Chevrolet to the pole and the race win. Following suit in his full-time ride in NASCAR’s top division, Van Gisbergen became just the second driver in NASCAR history to sweep both the pole and race wins in both the Cup and Xfinity Series in a single weekend.  Van Gisbergen will have the opportunity to make history again this weekend at Sonoma Raceway. Returning to the JR Motorsports entry for another double-duty weekend, Van Gisbergen could potentially become the only driver in history to sweep the pole and race wins in NASCAR’s top-two divisions more than once. The only driver to have ever accomplished the feat was fellow Chevrolet driver, Kyle Busch, who swept the weekend at Indianapolis Motor Speedway in 2016. 
Chevrolet’s season statistics with 19 NASCAR Cup Series races complete:
Wins: 8Poles: 9Laps Led: 2,352Top-Fives: 39Top-10s: 84Stage Wins: 17
Chevrolet’s season statistics with 18 NASCAR Xfinity Series races complete:
Wins: 16Poles: 11Laps Led: 2,296Top-Fives: 62Top-10s: 119Stage Wins: 27
Chevrolet’s season statistics with 15 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series races complete:
Wins: 6Poles: 2Laps Led: 854Top-Fives: 35Top-10s: 71Stage Wins: 7
BOWTIE BULLETS:·        Victories by active Chevrolet drivers in the NASCAR Cup Series at Sonoma Raceway:  Kyle Busch – two wins (2015, 2008)Kyle Larson – two wins (2024, 2021)Daniel Suarez – one win (2022) ·        Chevrolet has earned 21 victories in the past 28 NASCAR Cup Series races on the series’ traditional road courses – dating from Chase Elliott’s victory at Watkins Glen International in Aug. 2019, to Shane van Gisbergen’s win at Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez in June 2025. Van Gisbergen and Alex Bowman have added three more triumphs on left- and right-hand turns by keeping Chevrolet undefeated in the Chicago Street Race.  ·        In 17 NASCAR Cup Series races on traditional road courses in the Next Gen era, Chevrolet leads the series with 11 victories – recorded by seven drivers from four different Chevrolet organizations. ·        Chevrolet has entered a double-digit win streak in the NASCAR Xfinity Series this season, with Shane van Gisbergen and the No. 9 JR Motorsports Chevrolet team’s win at the Chicago Street Course marking the Bowtie brand’s 10th consecutive triumph. The victory – Chevrolet’s 16th in 18 Xfinity Series races this season – have been earned by 10 drivers from four different Chevrolet organizations.  ·        Chevrolet has earned at least half of the top-10 finishing results in 11 of the 19 points-paying races thus far this season, including a season-high seven top-10 finishes at Las Vegas Motor Speedway and Talladega Superspeedway.  ·        In 127 points-paying races in the Next Gen era, Chevrolet leads all manufacturers with 60 victories – a winning percentage of 47.2%. 
·       With its 43 NASCAR Cup Series Manufacturer Championships, 33 NASCAR Cup Series Driver Championships, and 874 all-time NASCAR Cup Series wins, Chevrolet continues to hold the title as the winningest brand in NASCAR Cup Series history.
TUNE-IN:NASCAR Cup Series Challenge Round 3 – Toyota / Save Mart 350Sunday, July 13, at 3:30 p.m. ET(TNT, PRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90)  NASCAR Xfinity SeriesPit Boss / FoodMaxx 250Saturday, July 12, at 4:30 p.m. ET(CW, PRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90)
QUOTABLE QUOTES:Ross Chastain, No. 1 Trackhouse Racing ChevroletDoes it help any that Sonoma makes it two road course races in a row for you guys?“Two weekends in a row road course racing, so I should really be in a groove (laughs). Even though its two road courses, they are both so very different. Chicago is a narrow street course presents a lot of challenges and now we are headed to a very familiar track at Sonoma. I’ve had some good finishes at Sonoma the last couple of years but I just need to fine tune a few things to really get those next few positions. I have two great road course teammates to lean on and Shane is coming off of a great weekend at Chicago.” Do you enjoy going out to California – it’s the furthest you guys go to race?“There’s a ton of agriculture in California and I really enjoy getting out there and learning about ag in their climate. We have Kubota on the car this weekend and they are so ingrained in the ag world, so it’s a great, authentic partnership. I’m going to visit a Kubota dealer on Friday which is always fun. I know some farmers out there and there’s obviously great racing at Sonoma, but there’s so much to see and do in California which makes it fun.”   Austin Dillon, No. 3 Richard Childress Racing ChevroletWhat’s the most challenging part of the Sonoma Raceway layout for you—Turn 11 hairpin, the esses, or something else?“Turn 11 has always been the most challenging aspect of Sonoma Raceway. You’ve got to have patience and make a really good arch on entry. You know that drivers are going to be attacking that corner, so you don’t know what’s going to happen at times. The best thing to do is to roll the curb as fast as you can and pick up the throttle early to get off the corner. We’ve put a lot of effort into Sonoma Raceway on the simulator.” How do you manage brake wear and overheating with all the heavy braking zones?“You try not to overlap on two pedals and use the brakes efficiently. Sonoma Raceway is a track where you can overheat your brakes very fast, and there’s not much time to cool them down with the long runs we’ve seen over the last few races. You want to keep as much rear brake in the car as possible, and you can have a good day.” What is your assessment of the No. 3 team heading into the final stretch of the regular season?“I think the consistency of our team is getting better. I would love to bring more speed to some of the races. We’ve been very close in qualifying, and qualifying at the Chicago Street Race was a huge improvement. We’ve been on the outside looking in at a lot of these places. I was pumped after our recent race at Atlanta Motor Speedway because we had really struggled at Atlanta in the past, but this year we had a racecar that was capable of possibly winning the race. Now, going back to Atlanta next year, I feel like we have a notes package we can build on and I feel really good about that. We have to develop some better setups that give me confidence as a driver. I’m excited about going back to Richmond Raceway, we’re always decent at the speedways, and Iowa Speedway is coming up, too, and that’s a place I’ve always run well at in the past. Sonoma Raceway will be intense and the key will be being disciplined and doing my job to get the most out of the car.” How much of racing to you is strategic, and how much is instinct?“A lot of racing is instinct, especially during restarts, because you’re trying to react to what the guy ahead of you is doing, and if you can time it right, you can get an advantage. Your reaction to their move or knowing the guy and what he’s going to do is really important. You’re trying not to give up any information yourself. Your instincts and the strategy behind it really plays into it. We do a lot of studying on what lines to choose. You make multiple mistakes throughout a race, but you just hope that you make the right choices at the right time to put yourself in position.”.   Justin Haley, No. 7 Spire Motorsports ChevroletWhat are your thoughts heading to Sonoma?“I feel like Sonoma is a good road course for me. We need to execute on Saturday during qualifying. That race is always about track position. We’ve had good cars at all the road races this season and I think if we can do a good job in qualifying on Saturday, we can be competitive and pick up a good finish on Sunday. The trip to Sonoma is always a lot of fun and it’s a track I enjoy.”


Kyle Busch, No. 8 Richard Childress Racing ChevroletWe’re headed west to Sonoma this weekend. What are your thoughts?“I’m looking forward to Sonoma this weekend. We’ve had some good runs on road courses as of late. We had a fast car in Mexico and another last weekend at Chicago. We need to keep our good runs at road courses coming together. The guys have done a great job of putting together good stuff at them, so I’m excited about that. I always enjoy going to wine country, it’s a great place to go for a race and all the other cool reasons that everyone looks forward to getting out to Sonoma. I’m looking forward to getting back on the twisty roads of wine country and having a good race. We’ve been fast there in the past, I’ve won there a couple of times, so I hope we’ll be able to capitalize on a fast car and put ourselves in a position to win.”   Ty Dillon, No. 10 Kaulig Racing Chevrolet“I’m looking forward to getting to Sonoma this weekend, a track where I have a lot of confidence going to. I’ve been in the sim this week and working with my teammate AJ (Allmendinger), one of the best in the business, to try to learn as much as I can to be prepared this weekend. I didn’t race on the track last year, so this will be the first year for me on the new pavement which will bring its own challenges, but I’m looking forward to taking advantage of this weekend and having a strong run.”    AJ Allmendinger, No. 16 Kaulig Racing Chevrolet“Sonoma’s always a very important race to me, being what I consider my home race. Every year I have a lot of family and friends come out and this year we’re bringing a new sponsor, Big Sipz. It’ll be a busy weekend, but it’s always a lot of fun. I love the racetrack; it would mean the world to me to be able to have an opportunity to win a race there. In the past, we’ve been very competitive, and we’ll continue building on what we’ve learned so far with our road course program. I’m working hard to go out there at my best and put together a solid weekend for our team.”   Ricky Stenhouse Jr., No. 47 Hyak Motorsports Chevrolet“I’m looking forward to getting out to Sonoma this weekend. It’s one of the most demanding tracks we race on, and it really challenges you as a driver. It’s great to have Real American Beer on board with us again. They bring a lot of pride and passion to the sport, and we’re hoping to give them something to cheer about this weekend in wine country.”   Michael McDowell, No. 71 Spire Motorsports ChevroletWhat are the keys to getting around Sonoma?“Sonoma is a lot of fun. It’s one of those tracks where I have a lot of seat time and spent a lot of time there. Before going NASCAR racing, my wife and I actually lived not too far from there for a season of life. When I was young and kind of coming up through formula cars, I worked outside of Turn 11. For me, the track is super straightforward. It’s one line, there’s not a lot of tricks, You have to manage your tires and be technical to be fast. So, I enjoy it, and it’s been good for us the last couple of years. I think we finished second and third the last few years. I think we are close. So, it’s just a place that I am comfortable with. I know my marks, I know my rhythm, and it all comes together well. I do think it’s still one of the tracks if you save your tires, it will pay off. At Watkins Glen now, every lap is like qualifying, just hammer down, which is fun, too. Sonoma is its own fun where you still have that technical aspect where you have to manage everything pretty well to have a shot at the end.”   Carson Hocevar, No. 77 Spire Motorsports ChevroletSonoma was repaved prior to last season’s visit. Does the newer surface make you adjust your approach?”It is different than what it used to be, but I thought it was fun last year with how much grip there was. I do miss how worn out it was before. I think it has its own challenges. You are going faster and have to be more aggressive to be on the limit with that speed, but have to avoid overdriving the corner.”   Shane van Gisbergen, No. 88 Trackhouse Racing ChevroletYou and your team seem to be clicking on the road courses…“We have been getting a lot better on the road courses as a team. Just doing really good work with the car setup and development on it, and the preparation has just been so intense heading into Mexico City and Chicago, but good at the same time. In Chicago, once we got on track, the car felt great. It was incredible to have two flawless days there. Really looking forward to seeing what we can accomplish together this weekend in Sonoma.” How are you feeling about Sonoma this weekend?“I’m excited to get there! I’ve never raced that track in a Cup car, so it’s going to be interesting to see how it races and what it’s like. I did the Xfinity race there last year and had a great time. It will be interesting with it being my second time in the Xfinity car and trying to understand how to make that car better. Then in the Cup car, it’s obviously a track everyone is going to be strong at because they’ve had so many reps there it’s going to be interesting to see if we still have a speed advantage. But looking forward to running double duty again. Excited to have Quad Lock on the Xfinity car and Red Bull on the Cup car. Both cars look epic!”   Daniel Suarez, No. 99 Trackhouse Racing ChevroletThoughts on returning to Sonoma?“Definitely excited, man. Every time we head to a road course, whether it’s Sonoma (Raceway) or somewhere else, I am excited. I feel at home, and I am excited to go back to a place where we had great memories, and hopefully, we can repeat it.” On recent bad luck?“Man, we have been at the wrong place at the wrong time the last two weeks. That’ll even out eventually, and we’ll be able to demonstrate our capabilities. We’ve won in Sonoma before and we can do it again.” What are the goals for the remainder of 2025?“We want to win. That’s the number one goal. A win gets us in the playoffs. We can do it. This weekend is a great track for us and I feel like we will be one of the favorites.”   Connor Zilisch, No. 88 JR Motorsports Chevrolet“Sonoma is one of the most beautiful tracks that we go to. I circle all the road courses on the calendar, but this one is going to be a lot of fun. There’s a lot of elevation at Sonoma and a lot of opportunity to make up time. Sonoma is a track where the driver can make a difference and that’s something I really enjoy. It’s another road course for me and that means another opportunity to win. I have a lot of confidence every time we go to a road course and Sonoma is a track that I’ve really enjoyed going to in the past. We have six top-fives in a row entering this weekend and I’m looking forward to back up that momentum.” 
Chevrolet NASCAR Cup Series Statistics Manufacturers Championships:Total (1949-2024): 43First title for Chevrolet: 1958Highest number of consecutive titles: 13 (2003-15)Most recent: 2024 Years Won: 1958, 1959, 1960, 1961, 1972, 1973, 1974, 1976, 1977, 1978, 1979, 1980, 1983, 1984, 1985, 1986, 1987, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1991, 1993, 1995, 1996, 1998, 2001, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024 Drivers Championships:Total (1949-2024): 33First Chevrolet champion: Buck Baker (1957)Highest number of consecutive titles: 7 (2005-11)Most recent: Kyle Larson (2021) Years Won: 1957, 1960, 1961, 1973, 1976, 1977, 1979, 1980, 1984, 1985, 1986, 1987, 1990, 1991, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 2001, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2013, 2014, 2016, 2020, 2021 Event Victories:Record for total race wins in single season: 26 (2007)                2025 STATISTICS:                                                                                                    Wins: 8Poles: 9Laps Led: 2,352Top-Fives: 39Top-10s: 84Stage Wins: 17 CHEVROLET IN NASCAR CUMULATIVE STATISTICS:Total Chevrolet race wins: 874 (1949 to date)Poles won to date: 762Laps led to date: 255,063Top-fives to date: 4,408Top-10s to date: 9,091                                                                                                          Total NASCAR Cup Wins by Corporation, 1949 to Date:                    General Motors: 1,208           Chevrolet: 874           Pontiac: 154           Oldsmobile: 115           Buick: 65            Ford: 844                                                                                          Ford: 744           Mercury: 96           Lincoln: 4            Fiat Chrysler Automobiles: 467           Dodge: 217           Plymouth: 191           Chrysler: 59            Toyota: 196

Berry, eero Team Looking to Rebound at Sonoma

After promising speed in Chicago was wiped out by early misfortune, Josh Berry and the No. 21 eero team are heading west to Sonoma Raceway with a renewed drive to bounce back and deliver a strong result.Sunday’s Toyota/Save Mart 350 marks the fourth of six road or street course events on the 2025 NASCAR Cup Series schedule. The 1.99-mile, 12-turn layout through the heart of California’s wine country presents a unique challenge with elevation changes, tight corners, and technical braking zones, demanding both patience and precision.Berry, who was sidelined early in Stage 2 of last weekend’s race on the streets of Chicago, is looking forward to rebounding in Sonoma with a strong performance.“It was frustrating to get caught up in something so early at Chicago,” Berry said. “Getting knocked out that quickly is never how you want to end a weekend. That’s behind us now, and I’m focused on Sonoma. The team has been working really hard, and I believe we’ve got a group capable of putting together a solid run.”Practice and qualifying are both set for Saturday, with the on-track activity kicking off at 1:30 p.m. ET on truTV.The 110-lap, 218.9-mile race is scheduled to take the green flag just after 3:30 p.m. ET on Sunday, with stage breaks planned for Lap 25 and Lap 55. Broadcast coverage will be carried on TNT.
 

NTT INDYCAR SERIES News Conference Tuesday, July 8, 2025 David Malukas Press Conference



THE MODERATOR: Good afternoon, everyone. As everyone knows, it’s a hectic month of July, and back to an oval this weekend for the NTT INDYCAR Series and the return to Iowa Speedway, the fastest short track on the planet, for the Sukup INDYCAR race weekend. Saturday it’s the Synk 275 presented by Sukup, Sunday it’s the Farm to Finish 275 presented by Sukup.
David Malukas returns there after leading a race-high 67 laps at Worldwide Technology Raceway, and before that a second-place finish at the 109th running of the Indianapolis 500 presented by Gainbridge. The driver of the No. 4 Clarience Technology Chevrolet for AJ Foyt Racing joins us this afternoon. David, thank you for your time.
DAVID MALUKAS: Thank you for having me. Very excited heading to Iowa.
Q. How much are you looking forward to getting back to the oval program this weekend?
DAVID MALUKAS: Yeah, I’m very excited. There’s questions that we need to figure out for a road course setup and road course race strategies, but it’s going to feel good. We can put that on hold and go back to a short oval environment that I know I’ve loved and the team is going to be doing pretty well at.
Q. To that point, you’ve had a couple of top 10s at Iowa and a second-row start just a couple years ago. How is racing at Iowa different than St. Louis or Milwaukee, certainly Nashville?
DAVID MALUKAS: Well, it feels like it’s probably the shorter one out of the few when it comes to short ovals. It really takes that short into perspective.
I’ve always enjoyed it. The racing has just been chaotic. I think it’s one of the very few races that you’re passing so many cars and you don’t even know what position you’re in. You’re just having a good time. I’m very excited to see how things are going to come out for us this year.
Q. I’m curious how much, if any, is there an unknown going into this weekend just with kind of uncertainty of what aero package and new right front tire?
DAVID MALUKAS: Yeah, obviously a lot of unknowns going into it. But the good news is everybody is kind of going to be in that same format, so we’re going to have to kind of be battling each other on who can figure it out the quickest. But obviously all these changes are made for better racing at Iowa.
I’m excited to get into it and see how things are going to be. Hopefully fingers crossed the weather comes out for us because it looks like Friday there’s going to be some rain, so hopefully that can go away by the time we get there.
Q. Would that mean a potentially bigger difference between race 1 and race 2 just as far as what people potentially learn about the car?
DAVID MALUKAS: Could be. Normally for Iowa in the past, anytime we’ve had double-headers, there’s always is a big differential from race 1 and race 2. You already learn so much. With it being a lot of new questions needing to be answered, that could be very true, and it could be a bigger differential.
Q. David, at Mid-Ohio, you kept asking me about this famous gas station in Iowa, and I told you it was the world’s largest truck stop in Wolcottville off I-80. Have you done any research on that since you do come from a very big trucking family?
DAVID MALUKAS: I haven’t done more research but it seems like you’re setting me up for something that I think you’ve done some more research on.
Q. I stop all the time; where else can you get a haircut and get a dentist visit? You’ve got to get a dentist visit at a truck stop, maybe get your teeth cleaned or whatever. To follow up on a question I asked you at Mid-Ohio, young guy, there’s a lot of speculation going on about your future, and you’re having a pretty good run here with AJ Foyt Racing. How do you compartmentalize the future from the present so you keep your focus?
DAVID MALUKAS: Well, I guess that’s just no matter the rumors or no rumors, I think everybody is trying to strive to always live in the present instead of stressing about the past and the future. I’ve always gone about that no matter what the situation may be.
I’ve had a mental coach training me to always stay and live in the present, and as of right now, I’m with the AJ Foyt team and we’re focused on our successes and what we’ve accomplished so far this season, and there’s a lot more coming and a lot more results that’s going to be here very soon.
We’re learning so much every single race that goes by, and even from Mid-Ohio, I actually just came back from the shop earlier today, and there’s a lot that we’ve already learned from that one race.
We’re taking it a step at a time but we’re always going on an upward trajectory.
Q. And the ability to be able to share some engineering information with Team Penske, you as a driver, how do you see that? What are the details that you see that might be different from when you joined the operation?
DAVID MALUKAS: Yeah, the more, the merrier. The more data that we can get, especially when it comes to as many drivers as possible, that’s better for me, for my driving performance, and for us. It’s a lot of good drivers that we can trust each other and try different setups and try to get a better result come after the short few practice sessions that we have in a weekend.
It’s been my situation coming through 2024. I’ve seen a lot of different drivers in the paddock, pretty much half the field now, I’ve seen their different driving styles. So seeing all of that and putting it all in one giant pile to collect some data and make myself better, it comes out better in the end.
Q. Last year when NASCAR repaved the inside lanes in the turns, it helped their race, but it really hurt the INDYCAR race. Do you see any improvement in that, any potential improvement? You tested out there with a new package but a lot of drivers say the grip level is still going to be an issue when you get off one type of pavement on to the other.
DAVID MALUKAS: Yeah, we’ll see. INDYCAR is trying to do everything that they can, so for us, we didn’t do the test, so there’s more unknowns for us. We’re going to be going into it with a clean slate really and hopefully the results get better.
Obviously Iowa used to be an incredible circuit for us with many, many passes, so hopefully with these changes and the new package that INDYCAR is working on, hopefully we can get back to the old ways.
Q. The team have had a turnaround in fortunes since Indianapolis 500; obviously Santino has got quite a few top 5s, and I know the results haven’t quite gone your way at times, but generally it’s been improved. I think you said spending time with the team during the month of May really helped you, but how do you think that’s progressing to the team turning their form around so much in the last couple of races?
DAVID MALUKAS: You know, it’s just coming into a new team and just even from my side being new, we’ve had a lot of new guys just join from the crew side, the mechanics, new engineering being switched around. There’s a lot of new chemistry and builds that need to happen.
I always say month of May, when there’s a new group of new guys, that always is a big turnaround for us because having a full month where you wake up every morning, you go to bed every night, you’re always there with the crew, you’re seeing the same guys, and you can learn on what I like from the car, what we need from the car.
It helps a lot, and obviously just even confidence overall, everybody has consistency of build, so that foundation is built in the month of May and you can finally work towards something for the rest of the season.
We have had that. Like you said, the races, things happen always in the races. That’s what INDYCAR is. That’s why no matter where you qualify you can always have a good result; one yellow here or there and the results can change. But we’ve been on an upward trajectory. We just keep getting quicker and quicker. Qualifying performances have been consistently better.
The trajectory is going up, so hopefully we can keep that going and start getting some better results come these races.
Q. You just mentioned about using a mental coach as part of your team these days. I know a lot of drivers are using mental coaches more than previously. What’s the importance of having someone like that in your team, and how does that affect your development?
DAVID MALUKAS: I mean, it’s incredibly important. When you talk with drivers all the time, they’re always talking about the physical and you see all these cuts of them in the gym working their arms, showing the triceps, biceps; yeah, we’re getting strong.
Obviously that’s always important, but I feel like the mental aspect hasn’t really been spoken about too much. Like you said, I feel like that’s something that’s starting to trend more recently.
It’s tough; you look at INDYCAR and motorsports in general, it’s a sport where you’re surrounded with fans and PR all the way until the very start of the race really. You get in the car five minutes and now you need to be focused, when I think in other sports you have time to go in the locker room, have time to recollect.
A lot of strategies that we do to switch into racing mode to get focused just because there’s that very short period of time. I think it’s very important. There’s a lot that we can learn from it, and it’s still kind of a new environment for me that I’ve gone into and I think the sport in general.
Q. David, we found out a few weeks ago you’re a bit of a Football Manager player. Just wanted to find out how you’re save is going; I heard you’re with Nottingham Forest. How is that going and what’s the target?
DAVID MALUKAS: I was with Forest, it was kind of impulsive just because I saw the good season that they had in the Prem this season, so I got to play with them. But starting with the Premier League team, I’m pretty sure if you’ve played, it gets a bit easy. After a few seasons I kind of dropped that one, and now I’m actually playing Dorking Wanderers from the National League South, so I’m trying to work them up into the Premier League, which has been a tough struggle but I’m in season three right now, but we’re getting there. I’m still very much addicted. I’m putting in a lot of hours into that.
Anytime, the flying in between, those few hours on the plane, you can knock that out. It’s pretty good.
Q. You mentioned it earlier, but we talked in April and you said the early part of the season the 14 car setups and kind of mindset as far as what they were working on and month of May you were going to transition to what you liked in the car. Has that happened since the month of May?
DAVID MALUKAS: Yes, it very much has. It’s kind of gone exactly to what we spoke about. We’re kind of building a car based off of the 14 setup and trying different directions and now we finally can say, okay, now this is David’s setup, this is the No. 4 setup and we can build off of that foundation and work from there.
We’ve just been on a really good trajectory. I think every session that we do, I think the one question that we really still need to figure out are the road courses.
We’ve made a big chunk at Road America, made a little bit more at Mid-Ohio. Other teams still seem to have a bit of an advantage for us. Laguna is going to be another big question mark that we need to figure out, but other than that, the car has been in a very good spot for us.
I’m just happy with the positive progression that we’ve been having, and hopefully we can continue going forward.
Q. Now that you have setups under you, you kind of have both philosophies on the car, what are your thoughts of AJ Foyt Racing 10 races in, now that you’ve been through road and street courses and ovals and superspeedways, what’s your overall thoughts so far?
DAVID MALUKAS: As of right now, I think the car has been in — if you look at Santino’s results in the races, he’s been on a really good trajectory. He’s had good results when it comes to short ovals from a road course and from a street course. It’s not where the car is just good in one circuit. We’re making a car that’s just built all around. That’s what you need to have good performances here in INDYCAR and be performing in the championship.
I think we’re starting to show things from that direction, and I’m just very excited to be a part of it.
The chemistry that the team has right now has been at an all-time high. I’m enjoying my time there, having a really good time with all the guys. Confidence, the team morale is high, so I think that’s one of the basic things we need to work on when it comes to the team. So the basics are there, and we’re starting to work up, and hopefully we can start working these finite details to have an ultimate car all around.
Q. There’s another driver in the paddock that through his first 54 starts, similar stats to you, two runner-up finishes, top 5s, top 10s similar, and he won his 55th start, that driver is Josef Newgarden, and you’re coming into your 55th start on Saturday. Do you believe this could be a potential breakout race-winning weekend for you?
DAVID MALUKAS: We’ll see. Winning at INDYCAR, especially the time that we’re at now, I think the level of drivers, it’s at an all-time high.
Even I remember the first season you could go into qualifying and say, hmm, group 1, group 2, maybe we have a better group here, better group there. You go into qualifying now and we don’t even look at what groups we’re in; just knowing we have to go out and try. But when you look at the lineup, okay, that driver is very good, he’s very good, he’s very good, this guy is really good. Everybody is just incredible, so no matter who you’re going up against, everyone is at their all-time high. They’re just performing at an all-time peak. Going out now, it’s very tough. Things need to really go your way. You need to have luck. You need to be at your ultimate performance, the best car to really get that win.
We’ll see. Things need to come together for us. But do I think that we can get a good result out of this weekend? 100 percent. I think the team has been on that upward trajectory. Like I said, we’re very positive, morale is high, and that’s what you need to go out there and get a win.
Q. David, you’re already in your fourth INDYCAR season at only age 23. When you look at where you are as a driver, it’s not necessarily uncommon to see drivers like yourself get into the series at such a young age, you look at guys like Kyffin Simpson, but you already having that experience, how do you reap the benefits of having that experience that other drivers, your peers at that age, might not have had when they were 23 years old?
DAVID MALUKAS: Yeah, I mean, I think experience is king, especially with the skill being so high from all the drivers. I think the experience is where that’s going to really come out and shine.
Looking at a positive from what has been a rough previous season of mine with 2024, I’ve already been with multiple different teams and felt different setups and seen a lot of different data from all different drivers.
Having that experience is what’s going to make me a better driver at the end of the day, and still being 23, my mind is still fresh for learning and trying to absorb as much information as I can to make myself a better driver.
But when you look at these veteran drivers, Scott Dixon, Will Power, these guys that have been around for a long time, that experience is what comes in handy. You hit fuel codes, you hit all these numbers, they’re able to just know off the top of their head because they’ve done it for such a long time.
That’s what we’re all trying to learn and trying to get better at, and obviously experience is going to be key for me.
Q. When you look at where David Malukas was in 2022 compared to where you are now, what would you tell your younger self? How do you think you’ve grown as a driver, and what advice do you think you’d give your younger self as a driver when you were just breaking into the series?
DAVID MALUKAS: Well, I mean, it’s definitely patience, if I would tell something to my younger self. It would definitely be patience.
When you’re a young driver, you want things to come quickly, get results no matter what it may be, and just seeing how these past two seasons have come out, I feel like I’ve matured 40 years in one really. It’s been a big one for me.
I feel like I’m at a much better state when it comes to driving as I was when back in 2022, a lot less hotheaded and more kind of calculated when it comes to things I want to do. I’m already starting to build an understanding of how races are going to go, depending on the yellows and what situations are happening.
But yeah, if there’s one word, I’d say that to have some patience. That’s definitely very key for my younger self.
THE MODERATOR: Just imagine how wise you’re going to be when you’re, like, 28.
DAVID MALUKAS: I know, I’m just going to be so wise. Maybe my new nickname is going to have to be Yoda.
Q. One of the things I love about covering motorsports in Iowa is we’ve got the infield of dreams here. First of all, what would a win here in Iowa mean for you and for your career?
DAVID MALUKAS: I mean, it would be massive. It would be my first one for INDYCAR, so that would be obviously a big one. But it also would be a really good, I guess, turnaround point. We’ve been on this upward trajectory, like I’ve been saying, but when it comes to the races, things don’t really play out with the yellows, whatever it may be. So a good qualifying performance can get kind of hidden away.
If we could come out with a win this weekend, that would be a big turnaround for us and make, I think, the confidence just skyrocket even higher than what it already is now. That would be fantastic.
Q. Unfortunately one of the things about covering motorsports here in Iowa the past couple years is that we have to keep asking INDYCAR drivers and NASCAR drivers about the repave and what it did to the track. What do you think should be done to the track? Last year Scott Dixon talked about how when the track first opened it was pretty close, single-file kind of pack racing before it got to the place it was before this repave. What do you think should be done to it?
DAVID MALUKAS: Well, from my end, I just trust whatever INDYCAR is trying to do. Obviously the repavement is outside of our hands. We have to deal with the situation.
Going off of last year, things ended up being a little bit different than what they were, what they used to be. But I trust in INDYCAR, obviously this new package. Hopefully it’s going to help. They’re trying to do what they can. So we’ll have to go out there, and hopefully things are going to be a little bit more toward what they used to be at Iowa.
Q. Despite being the shortest track on the calendar at .875 miles, the Iowa Speedway runs a lot like the superspeedway. Given how you did so great at the Indy 500 and at Gateway, do you feel like it gives you a good baseline heading into this weekend?
DAVID MALUKAS: Yeah, I mean, of course. We’ve had some good results when it comes to the ovals, just even before ovals have kind of been my spiel. I’ve kind of understood them a little bit more when it comes to the driving perspective, and there’s a lot more opportunity when the races start to play out.
I think with a combination of, like you said, the results that we’ve been having and the good performances on top of this new package that INDYCAR is coming about, hopefully we can use all of that to look forward and go forward come Iowa.
Q. What are your hopes for this weekend given your performance at ovals?
DAVID MALUKAS: Well, obviously we want to continue this qualifying performance that we’ve been having, to be more on the top half. So as long as we can get through that, then it comes down to having good consistency in these races, making sure no mistakes from our end, have a consistent race, get a good result because I feel like our qualifying performances we’ve been there but kind of missing out here and there, these little kind of finite things that happen and kind of spiral us into losing a few spots. As long as we can keep up there, that will be a happy weekend for me.
Q. What TikTok trend or social media trend sums up your feelings heading into this weekend?
DAVID MALUKAS: Oh, boy. I think it’s that Aura Farming video with the kid on the boat. That has kind of been the energy that we’ve been on. Shwartzman did an incredible job on that one. He beat us to it.
Yeah, that’s definitely some of the energy that we’ll be carrying, and hopefully we can have that confidence going into the race.
Q. Were you thinking that direction for a TikTok and Shwartzman beat you to it? How did that pan out?
DAVID MALUKAS: So we recorded practice 1, and we were thinking, okay, we’ll just post it tomorrow, and then we do the debrief, everything, come out, and I go back into the bus and see that he’s already recorded it. So I was like, he’s kind of beaten us to it, I don’t think we should post, but content guy was like, no, it’s still okay, we’ll post it, it’s a little bit different. I was like okay, all right. They beat us to it. They did it better too. They get the props on that one.
Q. Obviously Iowa Speedway is one of the shortest tracks in the tri-oval. How does it differ in terms of your approach to driving and racing around it?
DAVID MALUKAS: Yeah, I mean, I think with Iowa actually being a short oval compared to let’s say Gateway, Gateway Turn 1 and 2, 3 and 4 have a very big differential with the way the car setup is. Iowa I feel like between 1 and 2, 3 and 4 has a more similar feeling, so the racing tends to be very different in that perspective.
You end up having to be more consistent on both sides with setup. You don’t need to be making big swings in between, which helps because it’s a very short runway. By the time you’re out of Turn 2 you’re already into Turn 3.
I remember my first qualifying I did in Iowa I was just getting warmed up and I remember by the time I was ready to go and do some qualifying laps, I heard on the radio they were saying checkered flag. It went by a lot quicker than I was expecting.
There’s a lot of key differences that we need to take into account going into the race.
Q. With INDYCAR announcing the races are going to be 275 laps this year, are you expecting any big differences coming into the race being that much longer?
DAVID MALUKAS: Yeah, normally any changes that they make for lap counts helps with trying to create different strategies, different perspectives.
I trust with INDYCAR’s perspective that things should hopefully change. So I think with the combination of that, package change, they’re clearly putting effort into making sure that Iowa comes back to being a strong race for us.
I trust them. I think it will definitely be different. We’ll see what happens, and we’ll wait until that time comes.
Q. This weekend is a chance to go back in the top 10 on the points between Santino, Scotty Mac and you. Can you talk a little bit about that?
DAVID MALUKAS: Yeah, it’s a good opportunity. I feel like we’ve had a pretty good — no matter what the situation is going to be, Ohio we had some really unlucky timings with things that played out, so we only came out with a P17 but we actually managed to salvage that a little bit from the situation we were initially in.
We’ve had these few races when things don’t really play out for you, you try to salvage as many points as you can, so going into Iowa, we know short ovals the results are going to be there. We can be higher up.
We just need to make sure that in these races we can have clean pit stops. That’s always a big deal for these ovals, and try to secure some points. Obviously points is always key for us. We want consistency, especially at a time like this. With everything being so close, maybe making a risky pass to try to go for some short-term success through a long-term perspective might go into play for a few passes.
Q. We spoke about the drivers’ physical condition, but how important is it, no scratch on the car on Saturday because the second race will be 20 hours after the checkered flag.
DAVID MALUKAS: It’s going to be — yeah, I was actually already just talking with my trainer trying to figure out a recovery plan. It’s going to be a very tight turnaround. The races are going to be longer. This package is probably going to be even heavier on the wheel. It’s going to be a very tough challenge for all of us physically.
I think a lot of the preparation that we did in the off-season into this season, I think a lot of it’s going to come down to this weekend. It’s going to be our toughest weekend by far, I’m pretty sure, and it’s going to be hot on top of all of it.
So you’re having the trifecta of it — it’s going to be a tough race for sure. All the training we’ve prepared for, it’s going to come down to this.
Q. The last one is a friendly reminder; how will be the qualifying lap 1 to the great race 1 and lap 2 the Sunday grid?
DAVID MALUKAS: I mean, I think for the way this package is going to be and how short the oval is, tires pretty much come in right away. And having that short lap count, the tires end up being the same by the time the run is over. So consistency is going to be key between the two laps.
I don’t think if you push so hard on the first lap that the second lap could slow down. I think people are going to be full push to two laps and securing those good lap times for the races.
Q. David, you talked about your success at ovals. Is there anything specific about Iowa that caters to your driving style?
DAVID MALUKAS: Hmm, I mean, I wouldn’t say anything too specific. I think more of the perspective of short ovals. I think for me, it’s always been, I like to say, a game of chess. When do you want to attack, when do you want to be defending. I think with Iowa always being more of an enticement of trying to push and make these runs, I think it can prefer a little bit more of my driving style of maybe not taking the attack initially, playing it a little bit more safe, and letting the guys ahead waste their tire life to where we can attack more later on. That could come into play when it comes for Iowa. But that’s a little bit of a stretch. I wouldn’t say there’s anything specific.
Q. Team Penske has showed much success at Iowa in the past. Is there anything you can take away from this technical partnership heading into this race weekend?
DAVID MALUKAS: I mean, yeah, of course, for the partnership and just Foyt in general, I think the success has always been there for Iowa, so I’m very excited to see how that short oval car is going to be comparing when it comes to Iowa and we get there and see. But it definitely feels good going into Iowa knowing we’re going to have a pretty good car.
Q. David, with over halfway done with the season, to this point do you think you’ve overexceeded your original expectations for the season?
DAVID MALUKAS: Have I overextended? Well, when it comes to the 500 I would say so for sure. That 500, going into that month of May, I wasn’t expecting, especially missing out from the previous season. I don’t think halfway through that month realizing that the car that the Foyt team has given me, I knew, okay, this is actually a good opportunity for us to be up there. They’ve given me a rocketship here. That one was a big excitement.
But I think when I look long-term from the season, it kind of went to how I was planning, being a little bit more trying to figure out our path in the first half. Once the month of May came around and we had that full month, confidence builds up and we understand what we need from the car, we can use that to start working on our setup and making sure that the car has better performances for the second half.
I feel like that trend has followed to what I expected.
Q. Your best finish here at Iowa is eighth. What really makes Iowa more challenging compared to some of the other ovals which you really exceed at overall in the season?
DAVID MALUKAS: Well, I just think with it being such a short oval and before the repave, after the repave, it’s a chaotic race. Like I said, it’s one of those races you go into it, green flag starts, you do one pit cycle, and you don’t know what position you’re in, what’s going on, who’s in front, who’s behind. You’re just enjoying it, just going round and round.
With all that chaos going on, to go on top of it and try to be pushing forward and making these moves, it gets tough. I think that’s why for Iowa no matter how hard you push, it’s going to come down to the wire for making sure that we can get a good result out of it.
Q. On a scale from 1 to 10, what is your confidence level, specifically with the new package INDYCAR is bringing to hopefully help with the product that we see this weekend at Iowa?
DAVID MALUKAS: I mean, it’s tough for me to say. We didn’t do the test with everybody else, so we’re kind of going into it with really big question marks. But yeah, I mean, I don’t know. We’ll see.
I’m very 50/50. We’ll see if INDYCAR can do it. Obviously, like I said, we didn’t get any testing, so it’s hard for me to put any perspective on it. We’re going to be going into it blind.
Q. It seems that this first half of the season for you has been the best of your career, but the second one looks to be even better. Four ovals coming up. You love ovals; you have done amazingly in the past at the Toronto street circuit. Now that you are a few points shy of the top 10, now that you have this great first season, how do you see finishing the rest of the season?
DAVID MALUKAS: Yeah, that’s a good question there. I think the second half of the season is going to be more of our stronger suit. Going off of even last year, I didn’t really start driving the last season until right around this period. I went into Laguna, Mid-Ohio, now we’re going into races that I’m only one year behind like everybody else.
We’ve had good results in the past. We have a very good street course car that I think we’ve done a good job finding. Short ovals is something that I’ve always enjoyed, found success in. Our car is very good.
Like I said, the last check box we really need to figure out is Laguna Seca, our road course car, so that’s something we’ll be focused on to make sure that we can get that right. So I’m very excited to see the progress that we can make from that perspective.
But for the rest of the other races, we’re looking for a lot more consistency up there. I think the second half is going to be a very good finishing for us.
Q. I was thinking during this press conference, something Dave remarked on is the fact that you don’t have a lot of time to rest, that you have a very busy schedule right now, and there is a very important part of the season with five races in four weeks starting from Mid-Ohio. How challenging is the fact that you have to manage these weeks, not just only in the racing aspect but also in the mental aspect and in your life aspect? How demanding, how challenging is that part of the season, and how important is it to get the consistency in that part of the season?
DAVID MALUKAS: Yeah, good question. It’s very easy to kind of get overrun with thoughts. Just even going off of Mid-Ohio, I just left the shop this morning trying to figure out strategies of what we can do when it comes to the post event at Mid-Ohio, how things went, and looking forward to Laguna. But now we kind of need to put that on hold, switch up and get ready for Iowa because that’s coming up here in the next few days.
There’s a lot of different aspects that we need to figure out from the mental aspect and from the mental side and even physical. I feel like with my trainer there’s been more talks of how to recover than how to train this next month, especially with all the heat.
It’s a new perspective on things, and we’re trying to make sure we can capitalize because I think the better you can capitalize on the off days you’re going to be better on the on days when you’re racing.
I think the biggest shout-out goes out to the crew members of all teams. Those guys are — we still get to be a little bit spoiled and get to just relax, recover, say we’re athletes and go into the sauna, cold plunge, and okay, yeah, but this is my recovery. Those guys, they worked their butts off all weekend, and then they go to the shop, flip the car around nonstop, have a little bit of food here and there, and jump back to the next race.
Those guys are nonstop on it. Yeah, it’s going to be a tough month for us and the team. Big shout-out to everybody involved.
Q. Speaking of the season, we’ve seen an incredible performance from Alex Palou, who is the leader of the championship, a clear leader of the championship. How motivating is it for a driver to see a driver who excels from the rest of the drivers and to get to a level that Alex has right now? Also you had the opportunity to race against him in the Indy 500, to try to win the Indy 500 this year.
DAVID MALUKAS: Yeah, when it comes to being competitive in any aspect, if that’s sports, when it comes to commercial products for consumers, if you make a product and there’s just one company owning that product, it’s not going to really excel forward. Competition is always good. It makes everybody better and it raises the whole field up.
So to be able to race with Palou when he’s at this peak of racing that is kind of just smoking the field in a field that’s already so strong and so powerful, he’s just making everybody else better.
The amount of things that I learned just being with him the entire race when it comes to the 500 was massive, and at the age of 23 I can take a lot of that knowledge into making myself better and pushing forward.
I think that’s happening from the entire field as a whole. Everybody is studying it. Everybody is trying to close that gap on him. Obviously he’s been doing an incredible job this season, pulling far away from the rest of the pack.
All it’s going to do is just make our competition that much better, which is insane to say because I do truly think this INDYCAR paddock is the best of the best it’s been. Man, it’s crazy to be competitive here.
Q. With so many back-to-back races this month, what’s your secret to stay focused and performing at your best?
DAVID MALUKAS: Well, with a combination of my trainer and the mental coach, there’s a lot really that we’ve been doing from a recovery aspect. Pretty much doing everything that we can when it comes to resting from a physical standpoint, making sure that we can be fully recovered in the next few days, and hydration. It’s not that you just drink water before the race and some electrolytes and you’ll be good to go. A lot of your electrolytes and body absorption starts a few days even earlier, so doing a lot when it comes to that side of things.
And from a mental aspect, trying to be able to not think about the previous race that much. It’s already hard that let’s say you’ve had a bad race, bad races tend to stick with you a little bit harder. It’s always hard to move on from that perspective.
So I think that’s the big challenges, within the next few days, between all these races, if we have a bad one, if a mishap happens, to make sure we can do a full reset, don’t think about the past, don’t let the past race influence this race coming up, make sure we can be fully recharged, reset and go out there and give our 110 percent performance for the next one.

Sukup INDYCAR Race Weekend Honda Message Points

July 9, 2025

Newton, IA
Saturday July 12 at 4 PM CT / 5 PM ET & Sunday July 13 at 12 PM CT / 1 PM ET
Live on Fox

What to Watch for at Iowa Speedway

  • Eleven would be heaven, and we’d like 12 for ourselves: Honda has gone 10 for 10 so far in the 2025 NTT INDYCAR SERIES season. 10 races in a row in a single season is an IndyCar record since the series returned to multi-manufacturer competition in 2012. Honda is looking for a first win at Iowa since 2018 when James Hinchcliffe took victory, marking his sixth IndyCar win. Honda currently leads rival Chevrolet by 214 points in the manufacturers’ points, 915-701.
  • Three’s company: All 10 races this year have been won by just three drivers—with Alex Palou scoring victory at St. Petersburg, Thermal, Barber, the Indy GP, the Indianapolis 500 and Road America; Kyle Kirkwood took wins at the Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach, Detroit Grand Prix and World Wide Technology Raceway; and Scott Dixon broke through last Sunday to add his name to the list of winners with a stellar fuel mileage victory at the Honda Indy 200 at Mid-Ohio Presented by the All-New 2026 Passport. Palou currently leads Kirkwood by 113 points in the drivers’ championship standings, while Dixon’s win moves him up to fourth, 148 behind Palou.
  • Double the races, double the fun: The Sukup INDYCAR Race Weekend is the only doubleheader race weekend on the 2025 NTT INDYCAR SERIES schedule, and presents a unique challenge for the teams and drivers. Saturday’s Synk 275 goes green after 4 PM CT / 5 PM ET, while Sunday’s Farm to Finish 275 is in the early afternoon (12 PM CT / 1 PM ET). The schedule gives teams a very small window to rebound from any potential issues from race one to race two.

2025 NTT INDYCAR SERIES Honda Lineup

Andretti Global   #26 Colton Herta (W)
 #27 Kyle Kirkwood (W)
 #28 Marcus Ericsson (I) (W)
Chip Ganassi Racing#8 Kyffin Simpson
 #9 Scott Dixon (C) (I) (W)
 #10 Alex Palou (C) (I) (W)
Dale Coyne Racing#18 Rinus VeeKay (W)
 #51 Jacob Abel (R)
Meyer Shank Racing  #60 Felix Rosenqvist (W)
 #66 Marcus Armstrong 
Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing#15 Graham Rahal (W)
 #30 Devlin DeFrancesco
 #45 Louis Foster (R)  

C—Series Champion I—Indianapolis 500 winner W—Race Winner R—Series Rookie

Where to Watch

  • Saturday’s Synk 275 will air live on Fox at 4 PM CT / 5 PM ET.
  • Sunday’s Farm to Finish 275 airs live at 12 PM CT / 1 PM ET, also on Fox.
  • Friday’s practice will air on FS2, while Saturday’s qualifications can be found on FS1.

CORVETTE RACING AT CTMP: Carrying Momentum North

Corvettes look to extend strong history of success at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park DETROIT (July 9, 2025) – In the long and storied history of Corvette Racing, no single racetrack has witnessed more success for the program than venerable Canadian Tire Motorsport Park. The track just to the east of Toronto has been the backdrop for 13 Corvette class victories dating back to 2001.
The 2.459-mile, 10-turn circuit – formerly Mosport International Raceway – is the backdrop for what Corvette Z06 GT3.R teams hope is another winning weekend during the Chevrolet Grand Prix. This year’s race – in which the Corvette GT3 car scored its first win in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship – features four Corvette entries across the two GT classes: Corvette Racing by Pratt Miller Motorsports in GTD PRO along with AWA and DXDT Racing in GTD. 
Corvette Racing by Pratt Miller Motorsports (GTD PRO)·       No. 3 Corvette Z06 GT3.R: Antonio Garcia/Alexander Sims·       No. 4 Corvette Z06 GT3.R: Tommy Milner/Nicky CatsburgCORVETTE RACING MEDIA INFORMATION
Corvette Racing media information is updated and available ahead of this weekend’s IMSA Chevrolet Grand Prix and the FIA WEC’s Six Hours of Sāo Paulo. 
Materials include Corvette Racing event advances and quotes, Corvette Racing stats and figures, Corvette Z06 GT3.R racecar comparisons, Corvette Racing Fast Facts, factory driver biographies and Corvette Racing photography, among other items.
All 13 victories for Chevrolet and Corvette Racing at CTMP have come from the Pratt Miller-run team, including last year’s dominating weekend for Garcia – now a three-time winner there – and Sims. The pair led a 1-2 finish as Sims claimed pole position and set the fastest race lap along the way. Garcia and Sims also come into this weekend with additional momentum from four podium finishes in five races and the GTD PRO championship lead.
Along with a runner-up finish at Watkins Glen for the No. 3 Corvette, Milner and Catsburg recorded their best finish of the season in the No. 4 Z06 GT3.R – fourth place in class and just missing the podium. The duo was the closest challenger to the sister car at CTMP a year ago. Milner is a past class-winner at the track with Corvette Racing, and Catsburg made his first start at the circuit last year.
AWA (GTD)·       No. 13 Corvette Z06 GT3.R: Matt Bell, Orey Fidani
AWA’s Fidani and Bell aim to make up for last year’s race at CTMP, where a collision forced the No. 13 Corvette out of last year’s Chevrolet Grand Prix. This time around, the team will contest its home race in the special Canadian-themed livery that proved immensely popular last month at the 24 Hours of Le Mans.
In addition to posting a solid result in its home race, AWA hopes to use the CTMP round to bolster its chances in claiming a second consecutive Bob Akin Award for Fidani. The honor goes to the highest points-scoring Bronze driver in GTD and was AWA’s ticket to Le Mans after winning the season-long championship in 2024. AWA also has given the Corvette Z06 GT3.R its only IMSA win this year at the season-opening Rolex 24 At Daytona.
DXDT Racing (GTD)·       No. 36 Corvette Z06 GT3.R: Alec Udell, Robert WickensThe Chevrolet Grand Prix marks Robert Wickens’ return to DXDT Racing’s No. 36 Corvette that is equipped with the newest generation of Bosch’s electronic braking system. Wickens made his high-profile debut in the Corvette and in the WeatherTech Championship at Long Beach and also competed at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca. 
A two-time winner at CTMP in Michelin Pilot Challenge, Wickens rejoins Alec Udell in the DXDT Corvette following a near-miss at Watkins Glen. Udell qualified on the GTD front row for the second year in a row, and the team challenged for the class win until a mechanical issue sidelined the No. 36 Corvette with 10 minutes to go. The Chevrolet Grand Prix is scheduled for 2:05 p.m. ET on Sunday, July 13. The race will air live on USA from 2 to 5 p.m. with full streaming coverage on Peacock inside the U.S. and IMSA.com outside the U.S. IMSA Radio will air all on-track sessions at IMSA.com along XM 206, SiriusXM Online 996.
CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R DRIVER PRE-EVENT QUOTESANTONIO GARCIA, NO. 3 CHEVROLET CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R: “I think we can challenge for the win at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park. I don’t know if we will have enough or not but we will definitely go for it. We just need to wait and see what we actually have. We’ll do what we always do and go as fast as we can with whatever we have. We’ll try to find our weak spots and especially where we might be ahead of our competition so we can take advantage of that. We just need to play things smart again and see what this race brings.”
ALEXANDER SIMS, NO. 3 CHEVROLET CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R: “Honestly I enjoy every single event in IMSA, but this is really the sweet spot in terms of hitting awesome tracks week after week. Canadian Tire Motorsport Park is up there with the absolute best of the tracks in North America for me personally. I love it there. It’s where we were able to put it on pole and win last year, and it would be amazing if we could do the same again this time around. We’ll just have to wait and see if that’s realistic or not.“These are the standout tracks and why I want to come and race in IMSA. It’s a really nice part of the year. CTMP also is important in this phase to maximize each race and keep the championship challenge going. But from that point of view it’s about focusing on every single race. We’ll focus on the moment and enjoy what we’re doing.”
TOMMY MILNER, NO. 4 CHEVROLET CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R: “This is the real meat of our schedule. Watkins Glen obviously set off a nice sequence of just classic North American road courses. Next for us is Canadian Tire Motorsport Park, which is consistently my answer for whenever I’m asked what is my favorite racetrack. It just has all the right characteristics, all the right rhythm and flow and challenge and everything that you want in a racetrack. It’s a lot of fun, especially these days in these GT3 cars. We’ve been successful there. I think it really suits the Corvette. It’s a place where the fast-flowing, high-speed nature of the track really is this car’s sweet spot. I’m hoping that that continues to stay true. We’ve seen all last year and still this year that we struggle a little bit in straight-line speed but hopefully we have just enough to keep anybody behind us if we are toward the front. But yeah… just love racing there. The fans there are great, as always, real diehard sports car racing fans. It’s just a big challenge – one that I think every lap, you kind of hold your breath in a couple places, and that’s what makes it fun.”
NICKY CATSBURG, NO. 4 CHEVROLET CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R: “I got to discover CTMP for the first time last year, and the track is just incredible. It’s another of the classic North American tracks that I really enjoy. I would say that it lived up to my expectations last year with the fast corners, elevation changes and a really nice flow. Certainly we were fast there last year in the Corvette which is encouraging. The team obviously knows the track really well and has a lot of wins and experience. So all that makes me pretty confident going into the weekend. We had what I would say was a decent result at Watkins Glen so let’s see if we can make the improvements we need to be higher up the order.”
MATT BELL, NO. 13 CHEVROLET CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R: “Canadian Tire Motorsport Park is one of my favorite tracks from anywhere in the world, and we’ve been eagerly waiting to race there again! I’m really looking forward to the team’s home race and to bringing back the fan-favorite livery from Le Mans. We felt we had a very strong car at CTMP last year, so I’m confident we’ll be competitive. Hopefully we’ll be able to bring the Canadian-flagged Corvette Z06 GT3.R over the line with a strong result in front of a great crowd.”
OREY FIDANI, NO. 13 CHEVROLET CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R: “This race means so much to the whole team. CTMP is an extremely special place for me, it’s where this whole journey began and it’s very sentimental to be able to compete at my home track in front of friends and family. After seeing the massive amount of support we received in Le Mans, we knew we had to bring back the red livery for the Canadian crowd. I’m really looking forward to getting back in the car and we’ll be doing everything we can to put on a good show and get a great result here.”
ALEC UDELL, NO. 36 CHEVROLET CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R: “I’m excited to return to a sprint format together with Robert in the DXDT Corvette Z06 GT3.R. It’s a race on home turf for him, and it’s been a good place for the Corvettes in the past. It feels like we’ve got a lot of positive momentum coming into the race, so I can’t wait to get on track and give all Robert’s supporters up there, and our DXDT team, an effort to root for!”
ROBERT WICKENS, NO. 36 CHEVROLET CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R: “I couldn’t be more excited about being a part of the headline race, driving a Corvette Z06 GT3.R at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park. It’s a big race for myself, as well as my team, DXDT Racing. We feel like a podium is just around the corner, and there is no place I would rather achieve that than at home at CTMP. The Corvette has always been a fan favorite. Ron Fellows put Corvette Racing on the map in Canada with all of his success with Pratt Miller. Ron has had a huge influence on CTMP and on my career. He’s someone I’ve always looked up to from a very young age, and he’s helped me, and other Canadian drivers progress from karts to cars. Now to return and drive a Corvette just like Ron has done for so many years holds a special place for me.”
2025 WeatherTech SportsCar Championship PointsGTD PRO Drivers Standings1. Alexander Sims/Antonio Garcia – 16322. Klaus Bachler/Laurin Heinrich – 15803. Albert Costa – 15184. Mike Rockenfeller/Sebastian Priaulx – 15175. Dan Harper/Max Hesse – 15107. Nicky Catsburg/Tommy Milner – 1372
GTD PRO Teams Standings1. No. 3 Corvette Racing by Pratt Miller Motorsports – 16322. No. 77 AO Racing – 15803. No. 81 DragonSpeed – 15184. No. 64 Ford Multimatic Motorsports – 15175. No. 48 Paul Miller Racing – 15107. No. 4 Corvette Racing by Pratt Miller Motorsports – 1372
GTD PRO Manufacturers Standings1. Chevrolet – 16682. BMW – 16383. Porsche – 16264. Ford – 16245. Ferrari – 1565 GTD Drivers Standings1. Philip Ellis/Russell Ward – 15502. Casper Stevenson – 14903. Jack Hawksworth/Parker Thompson – 14744. Adam Adelson/Elliott Skeer – 13625. Patrick Gallagher/Robby Foley – 13298. Matthew Bell/Orey Fidani – 122020. Alec Udell – 816 GTD Teams Standings1. No. 57 Windward Racing – 15502. No. 27 Heart of Racing Team – 14903. No. 12 Vasser Sullivan Racing – 14744. No. 120 Wright Motorsports – 13625. No. 96 Turner Motorsport – 13297. No. 13 AWA – 122013. No. 36 DXDT Racing – 999 GTD Manufacturers Standings1. Mercedes-AMG – 17342. Lexus – 15773. Aston Martin – 15714. Porsche – 15585. Ferrari – 15546. Chevrolet – 1434 CORVETTE RACING AT CTMP: By the Numbers• 4: Generations of Corvette Racing entries at CTMP since 2000 – Corvette C5-R (2004), Corvette C6.R (2005-13) and Corvette C7.R (2016-2019). The Corvette C8.R raced at the track for the first time in 2002• 8: Pole positions for Corvette Racing drivers at CTMP. Oliver Gavin leads with three with Alexander Sims (2024) being the most recent• 8: Number of drivers who have won races at CTMP for Corvette Racing. Johnny O’Connell (six), Jan Magnussen (five), Oliver Gavin (four), Ron Fellows and Antonio Garcia (three), and Olivier Beretta (two) each have multiple wins there with the team. Alexander Sims scored his first Corvette win at the circuit in 2024• 13: Class victories at Corvette Racing at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park – all since 2001• 14: Manufacturer Championships for Chevrolet and Corvette Racing since 2001• 31: Tracks at which Corvette Racing has won races – Baltimore, Charlotte Motor Speedway, COTA, Canadian Tire Motorsport Park/Mosport, Chang International Circuit (Thailand), Daytona, Detroit, 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• 38: Number of drivers to win races in Corvette Racing entries since 1999. The latest to join the list were Charlie Eastwood, Rui Andrade and Hiroshi Koizumi at Imola in ELMS• 70: Number of drivers in Corvette Racing entries since 1999. The latest to join the list was Ben Green in GT World Challenge Asia for Johor Motorsports Racing at Mandalika (Indonesia)• 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• 145: Victories worldwide for Corvette Racing – 117 in IMSA, nine at Le Mans, four in the FIA WEC, 12 in GT World Challenge America and two GT World Challenge Asia• 334: Event starts by Corvette Racing since 1999 (as of the IMSA event at Watkins Glen)• 12,248.28: Number of racing miles completed by Corvette Racing in its 21 previous trips to Canadian Tire Motorsport Park. That represents 4,981 laps• 441,296.99: Total number of racing miles completed by Corvette Racing entries since 1999. 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
Corvette Racing at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park (wins in bold)2000 – No. 3 Corvette C5-R: Ron Fellows/Andy Pilgrim – 2nd in GTS (Fellows pole, fastest race lap)
2001 – No. 3 Corvette C5-R: Ron Fellows/Johnny O’Connell – 1st in GTSNo. 4 Corvette C5-R: Andy Pilgrim/Kelly Collins – 3rd in GTS
2002 – No. 3 Corvette C5-R: Ron Fellows/Johnny O’Connell – 1st in GTSNo. 4 Corvette C5-R: Andy Pilgrim/Kelly Collins – 2nd in GTS (Pilgrim fastest race lap)
2003 – No. 3 Corvette C5-R: Ron Fellows/Johnny O’Connell – 1st in GTSNo. 4 Corvette C5-R: Oliver Gavin/Kelly Collins – 7th in GTS (Gavin pole)
2004 – No. 3 Corvette C5-R: Ron Fellows/Johnny O’Connell – 2nd in GTSNo. 4 Corvette C5-R: Olivier Beretta/Oliver Gavin – 1st in GTS (Gavin pole, fastest race lap)
2005 – No. 3 Corvette C6.R: Ron Fellows/Johnny O’Connell – 2nd in GT1No. 4 Corvette C6.R: Olivier Beretta/Oliver Gavin – 1st in GT1
2006 – No. 3 Corvette C6.R: Ron Fellows/Johnny O’Connell – 4th in GT1No. 4 Corvette C6.R: Olivier Beretta/Oliver Gavin – 2nd in GT1
2007 – No. 3 Corvette C6.R: Jan Magnussen/Johnny O’Connell – 1st in GT1No. 4 Corvette C6.R: Olivier Beretta/Oliver Gavin – 2nd in GT1 (Gavin pole, fastest race lap)No. 33 Corvette C6.R: Ron Fellows/Andy Pilgrim – 3rd in GT1
2008 – No. 3 Corvette C6.R: Johnny O’Connell/Jan Magnussen – 1st in GT1 (O’Connell pole)No. 4 Corvette C6.R: Olivier Beretta/Oliver Gavin – 2nd in GT1 (Beretta fastest race lap)
2009 – No. 3 Corvette C6.R: Jan Magnussen/Johnny O’Connell – 1st in GT2No. 4 Corvette C6.R: Olivier Beretta/Oliver Gavin – 3rd in GT2
2010 – No. 3 Corvette C6.R: Olivier Beretta/Johnny O’Connell – 5th in GT2No. 4 Corvette C6.R: Oliver Gavin/Jan Magnussen – 4th in GT2
2011 – No. 3 Corvette C6.R: Olivier Beretta/Tommy Milner – 6th in GTNo. 4 Corvette C6.R: Oliver Gavin/Jan Magnussen – 1st in GT
2012 – No. 3 Corvette C6.R: Jan Magnussen/Antonio Garcia – 2nd in GT (Magnussen pole)No. 4 Corvette C6.R: Oliver Gavin/Tommy Milner – 10th in GT
2013 – No. 3 Corvette C6.R: Jan Magnussen/Antonio Garcia – 4th in GTNo. 4 Corvette C6.R: Oliver Gavin/Tommy Milner – 1st in GT
2014 – No. 3 Corvette C7.R: Jan Magnussen/Antonio Garcia – 1st in GTLMNo. 4 Corvette C7.R: Oliver Gavin/Tommy Milner – 7th in GTLM
2015 – No. 3 Corvette C7.R: Jan Magnussen/Antonio Garcia – 3rd in GTLM (Garcia fastest race lap)No. 4 Corvette C7.R: Oliver Gavin/Tommy Milner – 5th in GTLM
2016 – No. 3 Corvette C7.R: Jan Magnussen/Antonio Garcia – 3rd in GTLM (Garcia pole)No. 4 Corvette C7.R: Oliver Gavin/Tommy Milner – 2nd in GTLM
2017No. 3 Corvette C7.R: Jan Magnussen/Antonio Garcia – 4th in GTLMNo. 4 Corvette C7.R: Oliver Gavin/Tommy Milner – 8th in GTLM
2018 – No. 3 Corvette C7.R: Jan Magnussen/Antonio Garcia – 2nd in GTLMNo. 4 Corvette C7.R: Oliver Gavin/Tommy Milner – 3rd in GTLM 2019 – No. 3 Corvette C7.R: Jan Magnussen/Antonio Garcia – 7th in GTLMNo. 4 Corvette C7.R: Oliver Gavin/Marcel Fässler – 8th in GTLM
2022 – No. 3 Corvette C8.R: Antonio Garcia/Jordan Taylor – 2nd in GTD PRO 2023 – No. 3 Corvette C8.R: Antonio Garcia/Jordan Taylor – 1st in GTD PRO 2024 – No. 3 Corvette Z06 GT3.R: Antonio Garcia/Alexander Sims – 1st in GTD PRO (Sims pole, fastest race lap)No. 4 Corvette Z06 GT3.R: Tommy Milner/Nicky Catsburg – 2nd in GTD PRONo. 13 Corvette Z06 GT3.R: Matt Bell/Orey Fidani – 13th in GTD (DNF-crash)

Zack Mitchell Dominates Shadyhill Speedway for First Career Summer Nationals Win

MEDARYVILLE, IN — July 8, 2025 — First start. First win.

Zack Mitchell entered Tuesday night wondering how he fared with the competitors of the DIRTcar Summer Nationals Late Models.

Leaving the 30-lap Feature at Shadyhill Speedway, the Enoree, SC driver can now call himself the Hell Tour winner for the first time after a dominant performance in the Hoosier State.

Mitchell and Colin Shipley led the field to the green flag, with Mitchell taking the lead off the top side of Turns 3-4 to take command on the opening circuit.

Mitchell held a one-second advantage until he approached the tail end of the lapped traffic, allowing Shipley, Trey Mills, and Rusty Schlenk to join the fight for the lead.

Stuck in traffic, Mitchell held a slight buffer of 0.5 seconds over Shipley until Mills forced his way around Shipley by pushing him up the track in Turn 4.

The resulting contact kept the No. 46 stuck to the top side, then spun across the frontstretch with a flat right rear tire on Lap 28, setting up a last-gasp effort from Mills and Schlenk towards the end.

While the two drivers chased down Mitchell on the three-lap dash, they were the first to witness the Coltman Farms Racing No. 57 Longhorn Chassis cross the finish line as the 118th different winner of the DIRTcar Summer Nationals. Mitchell also becomes the first driver from South Carolina to win on the tour.

“It feels really good,” Mitchell said. “I don’t think I had that on my bingo card for tonight, but we put together a good night. A solid night put ourselves in position to do this. I know the racetrack kinda rubbered up, but I had a really good piece all night long.” 

Leaving the Week 5 opener, Jason Feger holds a 65-point gap over Tyler Erb entering the final five races of the 2025 season.

Up Next: The DIRTcar Summer Nationals Late Models and DIRTcar Summit Racing Equipment Modified Nationals visit Montpelier Motor Speedway for the final Indiana visit of 2025 on Wednesday night, July 9.

If you can’t make it to the track, you can watch all the action live on DIRTVision – either online or by downloading the DIRTVision App.

Feature (30 Laps): 1. 57-Zack Mitchell[2]; 2. 14JR-Trey Mills[3]; 3. 91-Rusty Schlenk[4]; 4. 55-Eli Johnson[6]; 5. 75-Dillon McCowan[8]; 6. 5-Mark Whitener[10]; 7. 71R-Rod Conley[5]; 8. 25F-Jason Feger[7]; 9. 41-Mike Vandermark Jr[12]; 10. 89-Mike Spatola[9]; 11. 1-Tyler Erb[16]; 12. 17SS-Brenden Smith[18]; 13. 17SR-Brody Smith[14]; 14. 31M-Tyler Millwood[19]; 15. 1G-Devin Gilpin[13]; 16. LIL91-Carter Schlenk[11]; 17. 29-Christian Hanger[22]; 18. 06-Jake Rendel[20]; 19. 07-Rylee Knoll[17]; 20. 38-Thomas Hunziker[21]; 21. 46-Colin Shipley[1]; 22. 99JR-Frank Heckenast Jr[15]

Curt Spalding Secures Third Summit Modifieds Triumph at Shadyhill, First Since 2021

Never give up.

While Curt Spalding dealt with troubles that saw him swap out haulers, and questioned his and son Tyler Spalding’s arrival at Shadyhill Speedway on Tuesday, the Watervliet, MI driver left with his third career DIRTcar Summit Racing Equipment Modified Nationals trophy in hand.

Wheatfield, IN’s Nick Allen and Spalding led the field to the opening green flag, with Allen securing the top spot on the bottom before a multi-car pileup on Lap 2 involved several drivers inside the top-10.

Allen held the lead on the restart, while Spalding stayed glued to his back bumper throughout the first half of the 25-lap Feature.

Spalding stayed within striking distance of Allen’s No. 21A, but could not find any room to create an opportunity for a pass around him as third-place runner Tyler Nicely placed heat on Spalding’s No. 5 Lethal Chassis.

A caution with three laps to go gave Spalding one last chance at snagging the win away from Allen. Spalding carried more speed into the restart than Allen, as the two went side-by-side for the lead. Spalding slid under Allen through Turns 1-2 to take the race lead while Allen lost a right rear tire that took him out of the Feature.

Spalding nailed the restart over Nicely by jumping out to a one-second lead as he scored his first Summit Modified Nationals win of 2025 at the Indiana racetrack, and his first since Fairbury Speedway in 2021.

“Well, I was pretty frustrated,” Spalding said. “The first couple of restarts, I had Nick (Allen) beat. But, that’s what you call never giving up. I just kept dialing breaks, and that was my only shot, right? He knew I wasn’t gonna go in there and blast him out or anything like that. We just dragged race down in there, and we got it done.”

Up Next: The DIRTcar Summer Nationals Late Models and DIRTcar Summit Racing Equipment Modified Nationals visit Montpelier Motor Speedway for the final Indiana visit of 2025 on Wednesday night, July 9.

If you can’t make it to the track, you can watch all the action live on DIRTVision – either online or by downloading the DIRTVision App.

Feature (25 Laps): 1. 5CS-Curt Spalding[2]; 2. 25-Tyler Nicely[3]; 3. 777-Trevor Neville[4]; 4. 4-Michael Ledford[6]; 5. 7-Brad Deyoung[8]; 6. 27-Beau DeYoung[10]; 7. 28M-Frank Marshall[15]; 8. 9R-Garrett Rons[20]; 9. 28-Mason Lobb[17]; 10. 757-Bradley Jameson[9]; 11. 25B-Greg Belyea[14]; 12. 51T-Tim Walter[21]; 13. (DNF) 21A-Nick Allen[1]; 14. (DNF) 23B-Ethan Boomsma[13]; 15. (DNF) 1TS-Tyler Spalding[5]; 16. (DNF) 14-Dalton Lane[22]; 17. (DNF) 0-Garrett Jameson[7]; 18. (DNF) 75-Daniel Adam[11]; 19. (DNF) 15-Chris Kittle[12]; 20. (DNF) 25S-Jake Straka[16]; 21. (DNF) 35-David Stremme[18]; 22. (DNS) 45H-Chase Holland

Baggsy & Lando Burnouts

As the NDA is lifted, we can proudly share with you the epic events of the past seven days. SB Motorsport undertook a huge task to deliver an activation for Lando Norris and the Monster Energy team.
With the Festival of Speed looming, we weren’t sure if this activation would even be possible. A wrap and a de-wrap alone would normally be tight on time. However, FLS rose to the challenge, adapting Lando’s livery to fit the iconic lines of the Liberty Walk-kitted GTR, all while Baggsy was committed to his scheduled events in Europe and the team at SB base camp handled the logistics.
The premise of the week was to create pre-content through London ahead of the Grand Prix, with Lando himself doing a burnout to close the edit.

Three days of 3:00 AM call times in London, managing the logistics of transporting the GTR on a MAN military truck, along with a fleet of Monster Energy vehicles, was no small task. Every member of the team rallied together to ensure the GTR was maintained and performed flawlessly when needed. Many of the locations only allowed for a single take, so credit goes to all our partners for providing us with products we can rely on with full confidence.
On Thursday morning, the GTR sat proudly above a strong army of fluorescent fans as they eagerly awaited Lando’s arrival at his merch store. Sky TV and F1 media zoomed in on the car in anticipation of the stunt.

Lando, a petrolhead who owns an R32 GTR, was keen to get behind the wheel and experience 1000hp under his foot, lighting up the Tirestreets rubber on the one-off custom-forged Strom wheels.

Smiles beamed as the smoke filled the cabin, and Lando asked when he could fully drift the GTR. As the flames popped and the smoke cleared, we thought we were done. The crowd erupted as Lando headed back to the paddock, but Sky TV requested another burnout with lead host Natalie Pinkham to open the F1 show. When broadcast, Baggsy and SB Motorsport had a strong presence throughout an impressive 3-minute segment, reaching over 10 million outlets.
Click here to watch the Sky F1 feature
While our usual livery wasn’t on display, we want to thank you all for your continued support. Unfortunately, the livery was mandated by Team Lando, and graphics and partner logos had to be kept off the car per McLaren’s requirements.

However, the car is back today in its regular look, and we’d love you to feel as proud as we were in this project, knowing it’s our partnerships that make it possible for us to work with F1 stars and teams at a truly professional level.F1 was a minefield and a learning curve for us, teaching us much about what we could and couldn’t do, even Baggsy’s wardrobe was decided by production.Once again, a heartfelt thank you from SB Motorsport for your support. While this surprise event was out of the ordinary, we hope you’ll find a story in it and be able to connect your parts to the images attached.With less than 10 hours of sleep, Baggsy was already attending the TeamSport Karting Black Flag event in Warwickshire with the Navara, supporting the entire staff from across EMEA, just ahead of the Festival of Speed.

Motorplex Kicks Off Countdown to Stampede of Speed with Drivers, Burnouts and Logo Reveal

ENNIS, TEX. (July 8, 2025) — Today at the Texas Motorplex track owners Billy Meyer and Christie Meyer Johnson welcomed media members, social media influencers, sponsors, along with city and county officials to a specialty event at the historic track located south of Dallas. The event featured Funny Car driver Buddy Hull executing a ceremonial race-opening burnout in a special 40th anniversary-themed Funny Car, the unveiling of the throwback Stampede of Speed event logo, the introduction of the specialty “Burnout Bun” signature dessert and thoughts and insight from six NHRA personalities including world champions and Texas-based drivers.

 
“The Stampede of Speed is official off the starting line,” said Christie Meyer Johnson, following Hull’s burnout and launch to start the event. “We are thrilled to have so many significant drivers join us to share their stories leading up to the 40th NHRA Texas Fall Nationals. We are excited for people to see the new-look Stampede of Speed logo as well as the special Funny Car which will go on tour across the Metroplex to promote the Stampede of Speed and Texas Fall Nationals.”

 
Drivers from across the spectrum joined the Meyers including Texas Motorplex Legends 8-time Top Fuel world champion Tony Schumacher and 6-time Pro Stock world champion Greg Anderson. Four Texas-strong drivers were also in attendance including 6-time Pro Stock world champion Erica Enders, 4-time Top Fuel world champion Steve Torrence, Hull and Top Fuel driver Spencer Massey, who grew up racing at Texas Motorplex.


 (from left) Texas Motorplex PR rep Elon Werner talks to Steve Torrence and Erica Enders about their significant wins at the Texas Fall Nationals, photo credit Werner Communications

“It was a real thrill to make the ceremonial burnout to get the Stampede of Speed and NHRA Texas Fall Nationals started,” said Hull, who races on the NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series for famed Jim Dunn Racing. “To be able to have a Stampede of Speed themed Funny Car do a burnout and then go on tour is cool and I don’t think any other track has done anything like this. I have a ton of memories from racing at Texas Motorplex in my Top Fuel dragster and Funny Car. I have raced in the Texas Invitational and the Street Car Shootout as well as the Texas Fall Nationals as part of the Stampede of Speed.”

WHAT TO WATCH FOR: World of Outlaws Making Final Buckeye State Stop of 2025 with Sharon Doubleheader

HARTFORD, OH (July 8, 2025) – The World of Outlaws Real American Beer Late Model Series presented by DIRTVision enters its fourth straight week of racing with a doubleheader in eastern Ohio.

Sharon Speedway has hosted the Series 16 times since its revitalization in 2004 and has been on the calendar every year since 2021. This year’s Battle at the Border will start with a 40-lap, $12,000-to-win, Feature on Friday night before wrapping up with a $15,000-to-win 50-lapper on Saturday.

The Most Powerful Late Models on the Planet will be joined by Econo Modifieds on Friday and RUSH Wingless Sprint Cars on Saturday.

Here are the top storylines entering the weekend:

THE RACE IS ON: When the World of Outlaws rolled into I-55 Federated Auto Parts Raceway Park in June to start the Midwest swing, Nick Hoffman trailed Bobby Pierce by 102 points in the standings. Three weeks later, the gap is cut in half.

Following Hoffman’s win on Friday at Deer Creek Speedway and Pierce’s DNF, thanks to the massive pileup on the frontstretch, only 50 points separate the top two headed to Sharon.

The history books show that the Hartford, OH facility could be a place where the momentum swings back in Pierce’s favor. The “Smooth Operator” swept the weekend in 2024 and has finished off the podium once in five World of Outlaws starts at Sharon. Meanwhile, Hoffman has never finished better than fifth in five Series starts, but he did win a DIRTcar UMP Modified race at the track with the Renegades of Dirt Tour in 2022.

KNOCKING ON THE DOOR: While Hoffman has been the top dog on tour over the past five races, his closest challenger in that timeframe has been Dennis Erb Jr.

The Carpentersville, IL native’s three podiums since River Cities Speedway on June 27 are more than everyone, other than the No. 9. He’ll look to keep his hot streak rolling at Sharon with experience on his side, as Erb’s nine World of Outlaws starts at Sharon have him tied with Brent Larson for the most of any current full-timer.

If Erb wants this to be the weekend he gets his first Series win in two years, he’ll need to take a step forward from his past showings in Hartford. Only two of those nine starts have resulted in top fives, although he started on the pole of the Saturday Feature last year before fading to sixth.

BACK UP FRONT: After going through a dry spell in April and May, Ryan Gustin has reasserted himself as a nightly frontrunner over the past few weeks.

He hasn’t finished outside the top 10 in nine races, and that stretch has included four podiums and six top fives. Gustin came agonizingly close to his first World of Outlaws victory since March on Thursday at Deer Creek, as he swapped the lead with Pierce lap after lap before coming out on the losing end of a potential Race of the Year contender.

The “Reaper” has 112 points to make up to Pierce to get back into the championship conversation, and that quest continues at one of his best stops on tour. He finished second in his Sharon debut and then went on to collect two wins (2022 and 2023) and six podiums in eight starts.

THREE-WAY BATTLE: This year’s MD3 Rookie of the Year class continues to prove why they’re one of the most competitive in Series history, with all three members capable of winning when things go their way.

Ethan Dotson was the first to break through with his triumph at Farmer City Raceway in April. Drake Troutman had a few near misses early in the season before finally taking the checkers at Pevely for his first World of Outlaws score. And after spending the opening portion of the year getting the hang of full-time Super Late Model racing, Jake Timm could be next in line for a win – he was making Redraws and running in the top 10 more often than not during the Midwest swing.

Troutman will have the upper hand going into this weekend as the only one of the three with prior World of Outlaws starts at Sharon. The Hyndman, PA driver secured his first Series pole on the opening night of the 2023 Battle at the Border and held his own against Chris Madden and Pierce in the opening laps of the race. Troutman’s night came to an early end when he got caught up in a crash 13 laps in, but he’ll be back looking to finish the job this weekend.

WHEN AND WHERE:
Friday-Saturday, July 11-12, at Sharon Speedway in Hartford, OH

CURRENT POINT STANDINGS:
1. Bobby Pierce (3254 points)
2. Nick Hoffman (-50)
3. Ryan Gustin (-112)
4. Drake Troutman (-218)
5. Tim McCreadie (-252)
6. Dennis Erb Jr. (-276)
7. Brian Shirley (-332)
8. Ethan Dotson (-342)
9. Cody Overton (-350)
10. Tanner English (-356)

FEATURE WINNERS (11)
:
Bobby Pierce – Oakwood, IL – 6
Nick Hoffman – Mooresville, NC – 4
Tim McCreadie – Watertown, NY – 3
Garrett Alberson – Las Cruces, NM – 2
Ryan Gustin – Marshalltown, IA – 2
Devin Moran – Dresden, OH – 1
Jonathan Davenport – Blairsville, GA – 1
Ethan Dotson – Bakersfield, CA – 1
Brandon Sheppard – New Berlin, IL – 1
Tyler Erb – New Waverly, TX – 1
Drake Troutman – Hyndman, PA – 1

HEAT RACE WINNERS (30):
Bobby Pierce – Oakwood, IL – 17
Ryan Gustin – Marshalltown, IA – 10
Nick Hoffman – Mooresville, NC – 10
Brian Shirley – Chatham, IL – 8
Drake Troutman – Hyndman, PA – 6
Tim McCreadie – Watertown, NY – 5
Garrett Alberson – Las Cruces, NM – 4
Devin Moran – Dresden, OH – 4
Jimmy Owens – Newport, TN – 4
Jonathan Davenport – Blairsville, GA – 3
Ricky Thornton Jr. – Chandler, AZ – 3
Tyler Erb – New Waverly, TX – 3
Cody Overton – Thomson, GA – 3
Ashton Winger – Hampton, GA – 3
Ethan Dotson – Bakersfield, CA – 3
Tyler Bruening – Decorah, IA – 3
Brandon Overton – Evans, GA – 2
Jason Feger – Bloomington, IL – 2
Jake Timm – Winona, MN – 2
Dustin Sorensen – Rochester, MN – 2
Brandon Sheppard – New Berlin, IL – 1
Mike Marlar – Winfield, TN – 1
Chris Madden – Gray Court, SC – 1
Garrett Smith – Madison, GA – 1
Zack Mitchell – Enoree, SC – 1
Cory Hedgecock – Loudon, TN – 1
Cade Dillard – Robeline, LA – 1
Aaron Marrant – Richmond, MO – 1
Mike Harrison – Highland, IL – 1
Chris Simpson – Oxford, IA – 1

LANDA PRESSURE WASHERS LAST CHANCE SHOWDOWN WINNERS (28):
Tyler Bruening – Decorah, IA – 4
Ryan Gustin – Marshalltown, IA – 3
Dustin Sorensen – Rochester, MN – 3
Max Blair – Centerville, PA – 3
Ashton Winger – Hampton, GA – 3
Ethan Dotson – Bakersfield, CA – 3
Michael Leach – Sun River, MT – 2
Brandon Overton – Evans, GA – 2
Tyler Erb – New Waverly, TX – 2
Shannon Babb – Moweaqua, IL – 2
Brian Shirley – Chatham, IL – 2
Mike Marlar – Winfield, TN – 1
Cody Overton – Thomson, GA – 1
Nick Hoffman – Mooresville, NC – 1
Brandon Sheppard – New Berlin, IL – 1
Kyle Bronson – Brandon, FL – 1
Jackson Hise – Ocala, FL – 1
Trey Mills – St. Augustine, FL – 1
Austin Smith – Cedartown, GA – 1
Mckay Wenger – Fairbury, IL – 1
Jake Timm – Winona, MN – 1
Cade Dillard – Robeline, LA – 1
Gregg Satterlee – Indiana, PA – 1
Brenden Smith – Dade City, FL – 1
Kayden Clatt – Edina, MO – 1
Drake Troutman – Hyndman, PA – 1
Boom Briggs – Bear Lake, PA – 1
Derrick Stewart – Ainsworth, IA – 1

PODIUM FINISHERS (23):
Bobby Pierce – Oakwood, IL – 13
Nick Hoffman – Mooresville, NC – 9
Ryan Gustin – Marshalltown, IA – 7
Jonathan Davenport – Blairsville, GA – 5
Drake Troutman – Hyndman, PA – 4
Tim McCreadie – Watertown, NY – 4
Brian Shirley – Chatham, IL – 3
Ashton Winger – Hampton, GA – 3
Dennis Erb Jr. – Carpentersville, IL – 3
Garrett Alberson – Las Cruces, NM – 2
Devin Moran – Dresden, OH – 2
Ricky Thornton Jr. – Chandler, AZ – 2
Ethan Dotson – Bakersfield, CA – 2
Cody Overton – Thomson, GA – 1
Max Blair – Centerville, PA – 1
Brandon Sheppard – New Berlin, IL – 1
Zack Mitchell – Enoree, SC – 1
Jimmy Owens – Newport, TN – 1
Tyler Erb – New Waverly, TX – 1
Brandon Overton – Evans, GA – 1
Dustin Sorensen – Rochester, MN – 1
Mike Harrison – Highland, IL – 1
Tyler Bruening – Decorah, IA – 1

FOX FACTORY HARD CHARGERS (16):
Dennis Erb Jr. – Carpentersville, IL – 3
Ashton Winger – Hampton, GA – 3
Drake Troutman – Hyndman, PA – 3
Cody Overton – Thomson, GA – 2
Hudson O’Neal – Martinsville, IN – 1
Jonathan Davenport – Blairsville, GA – 1
Brandon Sheppard – New Berlin, IL – 1
Ethan Dotson – Bakersfield, CA – 1
Dustin Sorensen – Rochester, MN – 1
Nick Hoffman – Mooresville, NC – 1
Max Blair – Centerville, PA – 1
Jake Timm – Winona, MN – 1
Tyler Erb – New Waverly, TX – 1
Brent Larson – Lake Elmo, MN – 1
Tim McCreadie – Watertown, NY – 1
Ryan Gustin – Marshalltown, IA – 1

SIMPSON RACING PRODUCTS QUICK TIMES (12):
Nick Hoffman – Mooresville, NC – 4
Ricky Thornton Jr. – Chandler, AZ – 3
Brian Shirley – Chatham, IL – 3
Bobby Pierce – Oakwood, IL – 3
Tyler Bruening – Decorah, IA – 3
Ryan Gustin – Marshalltown, IA – 1
Chris Madden – Gray Court, SC – 1
Tanner English – Benton, KY – 1
Tyler Millwood – Kingston, GA – 1
Tyler Erb – New Waverly, TX – 1
Drake Troutman – Hyndman, PA – 1
Cade Dillard – Robeline, LA – 1

BILSTEIN POLE AWARDS (16):
Nick Hoffman – Mooresville, NC – 4
Garrett Alberson – Las Cruces, NM – 2
Drake Troutman – Hyndman, PA – 2
Bobby Pierce – Oakwood, IL – 2
Ryan Gustin – Marshalltown, IA – 2
Jimmy Owens – Newport, TN – 1
Jason Feger – Bloomington, IL – 1
Cody Overton – Thomson, GA – 1
Cory Hedgecock – Loudon, TN – 1
Tyler Erb – New Waverly, TX – 1
Brian Shirley – Chatham, IL – 1
Ashton Winger – Hampton, GA – 1
Tim McCreadie – Watertown, NY – 1
Cade Dillard – Robeline, LA – 1
Mike Harrison – Highland, IL – 1
Tyler Bruening – Marshalltown, IA – 1

FEATURE LAP LEADERS (19):
Bobby Pierce – Oakwood, IL – 272
Nick Hoffman – Mooresville, NC – 141
Drake Troutman – Hyndman, PA – 95
Tim McCreadie – Watertown, NY – 81
Ethan Dotson – Bakersfield, CA – 69
Ryan Gustin – Marshalltown, IA – 82
Tyler Erb – New Waverly, TX – 50
Garrett Alberson – Las Cruces, NM – 44
Jimmy Owens – Newport, TN – 41
Devin Moran – Dresden, OH – 30
Ashton Winger – Hampton, GA – 27
Brandon Sheppard – New Berlin, IL – 25
Mike Harrison – Highland, IL – 21
Ricky Thornton Jr. – Chandler, AZ – 18
Brandon Overton – Evans, GA – 15
Cory Hedgecock – Loudon, TN – 13
Jonathan Davenport – Blairsville, GA – 11
Tyler Bruening – Decorah, IA – 2
Brian Shirley – Chatham IL – 1

2025 WORLD OF OUTLAWS REAL AMERICAN BEER LATE MODEL SERIES PRESENTED BY DIRTVISION SCHEDULE & WINNERS
Friday, Jan. 24 / Volusia Speedway Park / Barberville, FL / Ryan Gustin (1)
Saturday, Jan. 25 / Volusia Speedway Park / Barberville, FL / Garrett Alberson (1)
Thursday, Feb. 13 / Volusia Speedway Park / Barberville, FL / Garrett Alberson (2)
Friday, Feb. 14 / Volusia Speedway Park / Barberville, FL / Devin Moran (1)
Saturday, Feb. 15 / Volusia Speedway Park / Barberville, FL / Jonathan Davenport (1)
Friday, Mar. 14 / Smoky Mountain Speedway / Maryville, TN / Bobby Pierce (1)
Friday, Mar. 21 / Swainsboro Raceway / Swainsboro, GA / Bobby Pierce (2)
Saturday, Mar. 22 / Swainsboro Raceway / Swainsboro, GA / Ryan Gustin (2)
Thursday, Apr. 10 / Farmer City Raceway / Farmer City, IL (Practice)
Friday, Apr. 11 / Farmer City Raceway / Farmer City, IL / Ethan Dotson (1)
Saturday, Apr. 12 / Farmer City Raceway / Farmer City, IL / Brandon Sheppard (1)
Saturday, Apr. 26 / Talladega Short Track / Eastaboga, AL / Bobby Pierce (3)
Friday, May 2 / Mississippi Thunder Speedway / Fountain City, WI / Tyler Erb (1)
Saturday, May 3 / Mississippi Thunder Speedway / Fountain City, WI / Nick Hoffman (1)
Thursday, May 15 / Raceway 7 / Conneaut, OH / Tim McCreadie (1)
Saturday, May 17 / Marion Center Raceway / Marion Center, PA / Bobby Pierce (4)
Sunday, May 18 / Bedford Speedway / Bedford, PA / Tim McCreadie (2)
Friday, June 20 / I-55 Federated Auto Parts Raceway Park / Pevely, MO / Bobby Pierce (5)
Saturday, June 21 / I-55 Federated Auto Parts Raceway Park / Pevely, MO / Drake Troutman (1)
Friday, June 27 / River Cities Speedway / Grand Forks, ND / Nick Hoffman (2)
Saturday, June 28 / Norman County Raceway / Ada, MN / Nick Hoffman (3)
Sunday, June 29 / Nodak Speedway / Minot, ND / Tim McCreadie (3)
Thursday, July 3 / Deer Creek Speedway / Spring Valley, MN / Bobby Pierce (6)
Friday, July 4 / Deer Creek Speedway / Spring Valley, MN / Nick Hoffman (4)
Friday, July 11 / Sharon Speedway / Hartford, OH
Saturday, July 12 / Sharon Speedway / Hartford, OH
Friday, July 25 / Fairbury Speedway / Fairbury, IL
Saturday, July 26 / Fairbury Speedway / Fairbury, IL
Monday, July 28 / Wilmot Raceway / Wilmot, WI
Thursday, July 31 / Cedar Lake Speedway / New Richmond, WI
Friday, Aug. 1 / Cedar Lake Speedway / New Richmond, WI
Saturday, Aug. 2 / Cedar Lake Speedway / New Richmond, WI
Wednesday, Aug. 13 / Highland Speedway / Highland, IL
Thursday, Aug. 14 / Spoon River Speedway / Lewistown, IL
Friday, Aug. 15 / Maquoketa Speedway / Maquoketa, IA
Saturday, Aug. 16 / Maquoketa Speedway / Maquoketa, IA
Friday, Aug. 22 / Arrowhead Speedway / Colcord, OK
Saturday, Aug. 23 / Arrowhead Speedway / Colcord, OK
Friday, Sept. 12 / Needmore Speedway / Norman Park, GA
Saturday, Sept. 13 / Senoia Raceway / Senoia, GA
Friday, Sept. 26 / Tri-City Speedway / Granite City, IL
Saturday, Sept. 27 / Tri-City Speedway / Granite City, IL
Friday, Oct. 3 / Humboldt Speedway / Humboldt, KS
Saturday, Oct. 4 / 81 Speedway / Wichita, KS
Friday, Oct. 10 / Boothill Speedway / Greenwood, LA
Saturday, Oct. 11 / Boothill Speedway / Greenwood, LA
Wednesday, Nov. 5 / The Dirt Track at Charlotte / Concord, NC
Thursday, Nov. 6 / The Dirt Track at Charlotte / Concord, NC
Friday, Nov. 7 / The Dirt Track at Charlotte / Concord, NC
Saturday, Nov. 8 / The Dirt Track at Charlotte / Concord, NC

WHAT TO WATCH FOR: Deer Creek, Wilmot Kick Off Busy Stretch for World of Outlaws

The Greatest Show on Dirt gets back in action in a big way after a week off

SPRING VALLEY, MN (July 8, 2025) – The holiday weekend off was nice, but it’s time to get back to business for the World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Series.

The smoke has settled from Fourth of July fireworks, and the country’s best Sprint Car drivers are ready to get back on the dirt. A trio of nights in the USA’s northern reaches ignite the busiest stretch of the season for The Greatest Show on Dirt. The tour is set to take on a grueling 10 races in 18 days through five states.

It all kicks off Thursday, July 10, at Spring Valley, MN’s Deer Creek Speedway. The World of Outlaws head to the 3/8 mile for the first time since 2017 and the ninth time overall. Then, an overnight haul from the “Gopher State” to the “Badger State” leads to a weekend (July 11-12) at Wisconsin’s Wilmot Raceway for the Larry Hillerud Memorial Badger 40.

Stock up on NOS Energy Drink. Secure your seats. Get those DIRTVision subscriptions ready. Buckle up. Do what you need to do to get ready. The next few weeks are going to be wild.

BUY DEER CREEK TICKETS HERE
BUY WILMOT 
TICKETS HERE

WATCH LIVE ON DIRTVision

Let’s look at the top storylines to watch:

ANOTHER HOME WEEKEND: It would be difficult to pick a better pair of weekends to bookend the break for Bill Balog. Two nights at New Richmond, WI’s Cedar Lake Speedway sent the tour into the off week, and Wilmot means another weekend on home turf awaits.

The “North Pole Nightmare’s” résumé boasts 21 Wilmot wins with the Interstate Racing Association (IRA). Balog also owns a Wingless Sprint Car victory at the 1/3-mile dirt track. He nearly beat the All Star Circuit of Champions (ASCoC) at Wilmot in 2014 with a runner-up, and his best World of Outlaws finish there is seventh on two occasions. Balog’s four World of Outlaws races in Wisconsin this year have resulted in a trio of top 10s with a best of fifth at Cedar Lake.

Thursday’s destination might not be in Balog’s home state, but he does have Deer Creek experience. The “Gopher State” track is responsible for a pair of his more than 100 Feature wins with IRA.

A NEW WINNER: Fans watching Thursday’s return to Deer Creek are nearly guaranteed to witness a new winner at the track.

No current full-time competitor with the Series has topped a World of Outlaws Feature at the Spring Valley, MN oval. The first two belonged to Joey Saldana, and he’s since been joined on the win list by Steve Kinser, Craig Dollansky, Ian Madsen, Paul McMahan, Brad Sweet, and Kraig Kinser.

That means many titans of the sport will be looking to add their name to the list. Drivers such as David Gravel, Donny Schatz, Carson Macedo, Michael “Buddy” Kofoid, Sheldon Haudenschild, and more have the chance to etch themselves into the Deer Creek history books on Thursday, but there can only be one.

GRAVEL’S GROUND: Put David Gravel in any Sprint Car at Wilmot, and history suggests he’s going to be fast.

The defending World of Outlaws champion has raced at the Wisconsin track for five different teams and won with three of them. He took Roth Motorsports to Wilmot Victory Lane in 2014, won two in a row with CJB Motorsports in 2016 and 2017, and led all 40 laps in 2020 with Jason Johnson Racing.

Oddly enough, that leaves the team where he’s done the majority of his winning, Big Game Motorsports, off the list. The Watertown, CT native has made five Wilmot appearances since climbing aboard Tod Quiring’s No. 2 and collected three top fives with a best of third last year. He’ll have two chances to make Big Game the fourth team he’s won with this weekend. They’ve already topped 10 races together in 2025 as they pursue another title.

WINNING IN WILMOT: David Gravel may be the most dominant, but he’s not the only 2025 World of Outlaws driver with a Wilmot checkered flag in the collection.

Carson Macedo pieced together a statement stretch at the “Badger State” facility from 2022 through 2024. He and Jason Johnson Racing won three consecutive races as Macedo joined Gravel as the second competitor to take three straight. The Lemoore, CA native has finished in the top two in five of his last six Wilmot appearances.

Macedo’s streak was stopped by 10-time Series champion Donny Schatz. The 47-year-old dominated the Badger 40 finale last year aboard the Tony Stewart/Curb-Agajanian Racing No. 15. That marked his second Wilmot win to go along with one in 2019. Schatz hasn’t finished worse than ninth in 13 tries at the track and has been in the top five in nine of them.

CLOSE CALLS: The list of competitors among this year’s roster to have won at one or both tracks ahead may be short, but several of them have had performances that give reason for optimism.

Sheldon Haudenschild’s only trip to Deer Creek led to a 2017 top five. Over at Wilmot, he’s been in the top 10 during all 13 of his attempts, including four podiums, peaking at second in 2016 with ASCoC.

Logan Schuchart landed on the Wilmot podium twice. He was third in 2020 before improving to runner-up in 2021 with Shark Racing. The only spot on the podium left to reach is the top one.

Chris Windom’s Deer Creek experience is limited to the Non-Wing variety, picking up a top five there in 2014 with the USAC National Sprint Cars. With wings at Wilmot, “Big Daddy” has finished second in his last two appearances – 2021 with IRA and 2023 with ASCoC.

Hunter Schuerenberg finished one position behind Windom in 2014 with USAC at Deer Creek. He’s also been fast at Wilmot with three podium finishes and all of them coming with his current team, Vermeer Motorsports.

“Buddy” Kofoid has never been to Deer Creek, but his two previous Wilmot visits with Roth Motorsports resulted in top fives. Last year, he was runner-up on night one of the Badger 40 before leading laps and finishing fourth the following evening.

THE TIME IS NOW: Momentum is critical in the sport of Sprint Car racing, and now is the time for teams to begin building some if they haven’t already.

Some of the year’s biggest events are right around the corner. Next week features both the Ohio Logistics Brad Doty Classic presented by dac Vitamins and Minerals at Attica Raceway Park (July 15) and the 42nd running of the Kings Royal at Eldora Speedway (July 18-19). The latter will hand out a record $200,000 to the winner.

Just a little farther down the road is Williams Grove Speedway’s $20,000-to-win C&D Rigging Summer Nationals (July 25-26), which also serves as the final chance for the World of Outlaws to get laps at “The Grove” ahead of October’s $75,000-to-win National Open.

August opens with the Ironman 55 (Aug. 1-2) and a $25,000 check. Then, a week later, it’s the 64th NOS Energy Drink Knoxville Nationals presented by Casey’s (Aug. 6-9) where Sprint Car immortality and $195,000 are on the line.

If you need speed, it’s time to find it.

THIS WEEKEND AT A GLANCE

WHEN AND WHERE 
Thursday, July 10 at Deer Creek Speedway in Spring Valley, MN
Friday-Saturday, July 11-12 at Wilmot Raceway in Wilmot, WI

ON THE INTERNET
World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Series
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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 (38/81 Races):
1. David Gravel – Big Game Motorsports No. 2 (5192 PTS)
2. Michael Kofoid – Roth Motorsports No. 83 (-184 PTS)
3. Carson Macedo – Jason Johnson Racing No. 41 (-210 PTS)
4. Logan Schuchart – Shark Racing No. 1S (-280 PTS)
5. Sheldon Haudenschild – Stenhouse Jr.-Marshall Racing No. 17 (-320 PTS)
6. Donny Schatz – Tony Stewart/Curb Agajanian Racing No. 15 (-426 PTS)
7. Giovanni Scelzi – KCP Racing No. 18 (-442 PTS)
8. Bill Balog – B2 Motorsports No. 17B (-628 PTS)
9. Chris Windom – Sides Motorsports No. 7S (-684 PTS)
10. Garet Williamson – Fischer Motorsports No. 23 (-708 PTS)

NOS ENERGY DRINK FEATURE WINNERS (13 Drivers): 
10 Wins – David Gravel
6 Wins – Michael Kofoid
5 Wins – Carson Macedo
4 Wins – Kyle Larson
2 Wins – Logan Schuchart, Sheldon Haudenschild, Rico Abreu, Bill Balog
1 Win – Christopher Bell, Giovanni Scelzi, Anthony Macri, Brad Sweet, Corey Day

FEATURE LAPS LED (24 Drivers):
221 Laps – David Gravel
172 Laps – Michael Kofoid
140 Laps – Carson Macedo
96 Laps – Kyle Larson, Bill Balog
91 Laps – Logan Schuchart
87 Laps – Sheldon Haudenschild
62 Laps – Giovanni Scelzi
52 Laps – Rico Abreu
29 Laps – Anthony Macri
23 Laps – Kerry Madsen
17 Laps – Emerson Axsom, 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
1 Lap – Donny Schatz, Garet Williamson

SIMPSON PERFORMANCE PRODUCTS QUICKTIME AWARDS (19 Drivers):
11 Quick Times – David Gravel
3 Quick Times – Rico Abreu
2 Quick Times – Logan Schuchart, Sheldon Haudenschild, Carson Macedo, 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

HEAT RACE WINNERS (37 Drivers): 
22 Heat Wins – David Gravel
18 Heat Wins – Carson Macedo
12 Heat Wins – Bill Balog
11 Heat Wins – Sheldon Haudenschild, Logan Schuchart
8 Heat Wins – Giovanni Scelzi
5 Heat Wins – Kyle Larson, Michael Kofoid, Chris Windom
4 Heat Wins – Christopher Bell, Anthony Macri, Tyler Courtney, Conner Morrell
3 Heat Wins – Garet Williamson, Brad Sweet
2 Heat Wins – Brian Brown, Jacob Allen, Austin McCarl, Emerson Axsom, Danny Dietrich, Skylar Gee, Rico Abreu, Ryan Timms, Hunter Schuerenberg, Christopher Thram
1 Heat Win – Bryce Lucius, Sam Hafertepe Jr., Donny Schatz, Aaron Reutzel, Tanner Thorson, Zach Hampton, Chase Dietz, Justin Whittall, Danny Sams III, Jy Corbet, Tim Kaeding, Andy Pake

TOYOTA DASH APPEARANCES (53 Drivers):
30 Dashes – David Gravel
22 Dashes – Carson Macedo
19 Dashes – Logan Schuchart
18 Dashes – Sheldon Haudenschild
16 Dashes – Giovanni Scelzi
14 Dashes – Michael Kofoid, Bill Balog
7 Dashes – Chris Windom
6 Dashes – Emerson Axsom, Anthony Macri
5 Dashes – Brian Brown, Garet Williamson, Donny Schatz, Kyle Larson, Tyler Courtney, Rico Abreu
4 Dashes – Cole Macedo, Conner Morrell, Hunter Schuerenberg, Aaron Reutzel, Brad Sweet
3 Dashes – Christopher Bell, Danny Dietrich, Skylar Gee, Danny Sams III, Austin McCarl, Ryan Timms
2 Dashes – Jacob Allen, Sam Hafertepe Jr., Parker Price-Miller, Christopher Thram, Kelby Watt, Tanner Thorson, Zach Hampton, Kerry Madsen
1 Dash – Justin Peck, Spencer Bayston, Bryce Lucius, Carson McCarl, Brady Bacon, Ashton Torgerson, Lucas Wolfe, Chase Dietz, Justin Whittall, Jordan Thomas, Jonathan Preston, Dylan Westbrook, Cory Turner, Cole Duncan, Tim Kaeding, Justin Henderson, Scotty Thiel, Corey Day

MICRO-LITE LAST CHANCE SHOWDOWN WINS (24 Drivers):
3 LCS Wins – Giovanni Scelzi, Garet Williamson
2 LCS Wins – Donny Schatz, Christopher Thram, Ryan Timms, Cole Macedo, Ashton Torgerson,
1 LCS Win – Chris Martin, Anthony Macri, Bryce Lucius, Conner Morrell, Blake Hahn, J.J. Hickle, Zach Hampton, Emerson Axsom, Matt Campbell, Joe Trenca, Darin Naida, Bill Balog, Mark Dobmeier, Tim Kaeding, Hunter Schuerenberg, Chris Windom, Sheldon Haudenschild, Brad Sweet, Brady Bacon, Landon Crawley

KSE HARD CHARGER AWARDS (21 Drivers): 
4 Hard Chargers – Logan Schuchart, Donny Schatz
3 Hard Chargers – Ryan Timms, Chris Windom, Garet Williamson, Cole Macedo
2 Hard Chargers – Skylar Gee, Sheldon Haudenschild, Bill Balog
1 Hard Charger – Zach Hampton, Hunter Schuerenberg, Michael Kofoid, Lance Dewease, Dylan Westbrook, Kalib Henry, Cap Henry, Jade Hastings, Carson Macedo, Tanner Thorson, Rico Abreu, Anthony Macri

PODIUM FINISHES (32 Drivers): 
22 Podiums – David Gravel
15 Podiums – Michael Kofoid
13 Podiums – Carson Macedo
8 Podiums – Logan Schuchart, Kyle Larson
7 Podiums – Sheldon Haudenschild
4 Podiums – Bill Balog
3 Podiums – Giovanni Scelzi, Donny Schatz, Anthony Macri, Rico Abreu
2 Podiums – Christopher Bell, Sam Hafertepe Jr., Tyler Courtney, Kerry Madsen
1 Podium – Aaron Reutzel, Jacob Allen, Emerson Axsom, Brady Bacon, Donny Schatz, Cole Macedo, Chase Dietz, Danny Dietrich, Conner Morrell, Dylan Westbrook, Skylar Gee, Chris Windom, Cole Duncan, Brad Sweet, Corey Day, Spencer Bayston, Garet Williamson

TOP 10 FINISHES (46 Drivers): 
37 Top 10s – David Gravel
32 Top 10s – Michael Kofoid
28 Top 10s – Carson Macedo
27 Top 10s – Logan Schuchart
26 Top 10s – Giovanni Scelzi
25 Top 10s – Sheldon Haudenschild
22 Top 10s – Donny Schatz
19 Top 10s – Bill Balog
14 Top 10s – Chris Windom
12 Top 10s – Garet Williamson
10 Top 10s – Anthony Macri, Brad Sweet, Tyler Courtney
9 Top 10s – Hunter Schuerenberg 
8 Top 10s – Kyle Larson, Cole Macedo
7 Top 10s – Emerson Axsom, Rico Abreu
6 Top 10s – Ryan Timms
5 Top 10s – Aaron Reutzel, Skylar Gee
4 Top 10s – Zach Hampton, Kerry Madsen, Tanner Thorson
3 Top 10s – Justin Peck, Parker Price-Miller, Conner Morrell, Austin McCarl, Spencer Bayston
2 Top 10s – Christopher Bell, Jacob Allen, Sam Hafertepe Jr., Brady Bacon, Danny Dietrich, Corey Day, Tim Kaeding
1 Top 10 – Danny Sams III, Brian Brown, Chase Dietz, Freddie Rahmer, Justin Whittall, Troy Wagaman Jr., Jordan Thomas, Dylan Westbrook, Jordan Poirier, Kalib Henry, Cole Duncan, Kelby Watt

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)

For the complete 2025 schedule, CLICK HERE.

CD RACING LOOKS TO EXTEND TRANS AM WIN STREAK AT WATKINS GLEN

POUGHKEEPSIE, NY (July 8, 2025) – The only thing in the Trans Am by Pirelli series hotter than the weather these days is CD Racing. The team is coming off a pair of 1-2 sweeps at Mid-Ohio and Road America and has Watkins Glen in its sights for this weekend. After a slow start to the season when team leader Chris Dyson was injured in a crash during the season-opener, the New York-based team has steadily gathered momentum, winning four of the six most recent races on the schedule – two each for Dyson and part-timer Matthew Brabham in the team’s pair of GYM WEED Ford Mustangs.

“Because the Trans Am point structure penalizes non-finishes more than it rewards wins and podiums, after getting shut out in the first two races it was clear my winning a fourth championship was not a realistic goal for this season,” Dyson said. “So the team has just focused every weekend on winning the race, never mind the points chase. It’s been working out pretty well for us.”It’s never good to bet against Dyson at the Glen; he is the defending race champion and has won three of the six most recent Trans Am races at the Glen. And in the three races he didn’t win, Dyson finished second.”Like many of the tracks we get to visit on the Trans Am tour, Watkins Glen is another classic layout where we’ve enjoyed a lot of success,” Dyson noted. “It’s one of the all-time greatest road-racing circuits: fast, sweeping corners requiring a lot of commitment and yet quite technical to drive. I always enjoy coming up to The Glen. It’s one of the places that was central to inspiring me and forming my love of the sport and it’s here where I did a lot of my earliest races. I’m thrilled to be back racing this circuit again in my Trans Am car.”After a brief break from the series, Humaid Masaood will be driving the team’s #21 entry.

For more on Chris Dyson Racing.Watkins Glen Schedule

Qualifying takes place Sunday, July 7, 9:35 – 9:50 AM ET

The 100-mile race takes the green flag Sunday, July 7, at 12:05 PM ET

Broadcast Schedule

All races will be live-streamed on both SpeedTour.TV and the SpeedTour TV YouTube channel.

Corvette Racing at Sao Paulo: Full Push

CORVETTE RACING AT SĀO PAULO: Full Push
Pair of TF Sport Corvettes in thick of LMGT3 title picture following Le Mans
 
DETROIT (July 8, 2025) – The Chevrolet Corvette Z06 GT3.R and TF Sport enter the second half of the FIA World Endurance Championship this weekend with solid momentum and both racecars in title contention as the series shifts to South America.
The Six Hours of Sāo Paulo is the fifth round of the FIA WEC and first event after the 24 Hours of Le Mans. It also is the resumption of a tight fight in the LMGT3 with each of the second-year Corvette GT3s looking to contend not just for a race win but also moving up in the Drivers and Teams championship standings: No. 33 TF Sport Corvette Z06 GT3.RThe trio of Daniel Juncadella, Jonny Edgar and Ben Keating sit third in points on the strength of their season-opening race win at Qatar. Of the three, only Juncadella has raced at Sāo Paulo and his debut at the circuit came last year. Following the victory at Qatar and subsequent championship lead, the No. 33 Corvette was the heaviest car at both Imola and Spa-Francorchamps by more than 50 pounds. Much of that success ballast comes off for Sāo Paulo, which gives the 33 side of the TF Sport garage optimism for its first Hyperpole appearance of the season and a return to the class podium.CORVETTE RACING
MEDIA INFORMATION

Corvette Racing media information is updated and available ahead of this weekend’s FIA WEC Six Hours of Sāo Paulo. 

Materials include Corvette Racing event advance and quotes, Corvette Racing stats and figures, Corvette Z06 GT3.R racecar comparisons, Corvette Racing Fast Facts, factory driver biographies and Corvette Racing photography, among other items.
No. 81 TF Sport Corvette Z06 GT3.RCharlie Eastwood, Rui Andrade and Tom Van Rompuy broke through at Le Mans for a third-place LMGT3 finish and their first podium result of the year. The No. 81 Corvette squad jumped up to sixth in points to give TF Sport two cars that can contend for the race win and podium in Brazil. Of note, Van Rompuy has advanced the No. 81 Corvette into the LMGT3 Hyperpole session in three of four races this year. Meanwhile Eastwood and Andrade are coming off a thrilling victory in Sunday’s Four Hours of Imola in TF Sport’s European Le Mans Series Corvette entry with Hiroshi Koizumi – the first win for Corvette Racing in that championship. The Six Hours of Sāo Paulo is scheduled for 10:30 a.m. ET on Sunday, July 13. Full 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 QUOTES
DANIEL JUNCADELLA, NO. 33 CHEVROLET CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R: “The good news is we are going to lose a lot of weight. We have a gluten-free diet going to Sāo Paulo! Which is nice because we have been heavy all year. We are still third in the championship, which is fantastic after a difficult Le Mans. I think the second half of the year we will be strong and will be fighting to get back to where we belong.”
JONNY EDGAR, NO. 33 CHEVROLET CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R: “This will be my first time to Brazil, so it’s a new track for me and Ben. We’ll try to learn it as quickly as possible. Luckily, Dani has been there so I’m sure he will be able to help us a lot. I’m sure he’ll be able to help us a lot. It’ll be nice to have as much success ballast. Obviously it’s nice to have it because you’ve obviously won something! But I think we’ll have a tiny bit from our championship position, but much less than previous races. So I think that should be helpful. Hopefully we can have another good weekend and score as many points as we can.”
BEN KEATING, NO. 33 CHEVROLET CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R: “My main goal is to win the championship, and we are still in that hunt for sure. For the last several races, we’ve been carrying around so much success ballast. I’m glad to know that the two people in front of us in the championship are now going to be very heavy. And we’re going to be considerably lighter. I’ve never been to Sāo Paulo. But I’ve spent a lot of time on my simulator and learning it. So I’m looking forward to being back toward the front.”
CHARLIE EASTWOOD, NO. 81 CHEVROLET CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R: “Coming off Le Mans, we’re really optimistic about Sāo Paulo. The truck’s been resurfaced, so it might be quite different. We just need to keep doing what we are doing and hopefully we have a bit more pace in the Corvette. So we are looking forward to it. Hopefully like last year we can finish the year super-strong. We’re up to P6 in the championship after Le Mans and hopefully we can keep pushing forward with that.”
RUI ANDRADE, NO. 81 CHEVROLET CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R: “It’s really encouraging to come into Brazil after our podium at Le Mans. Our confidence is at an all-time high right now as we are going into some tracks where I feel we were strong last year. It starts at Sāo Paulo where we learned a lot in our first time there with the Corvette. The car already was fairly quick and competitive last year and I hope we have more of the same this time around.”
TOM VAN ROMPUY, NO. 81 CHEVROLET CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R: “We have really good momentum after Le Mans. Now we take that to Sao Paulo, which is a track I discovered for the first time last year. I think we should go along fairly well there. The team is operating at a high level on both sides of the garage. All season, the driving has been very, very good to go along with the strategy and pit stops. Let’s see if we can continue that this weekend.”
2025 FIA World Endurance Championship PointsLMGT3 Drivers Standings1. Riccardo Pera/Richard Lietz/Ryan Hardwick – 812. Alessio Rovera/Francois Heriau/Simon Mann – 763. Ben Keating/Daniel Juncadella/Jonny Edgar – 604. Ian James/Mattia Drudi/Zacharie Robichon – 475. Arnold Robin/Finn Gehrsitz – 386. Charlie Eastwood/Rui Andrade/Tom Van Rompuy – 38
LMGT3 Teams Standings1. No. 92 Manthey 1ST Phorm – 812. No. 21 Vista AF Corse – 763. No. 33 TF Sport – 604. No. 27 Heart of Racing Team – 475. No. 78 Akkodis ASP Team – 386. No. 81 TF Sport – 38

CORVETTE RACING AT CTMP: In Their Own Words

Media conference comments from Sims, Wickens ahead of Chevrolet Grand Prix Corvette Z06 GT3.R drivers Alexander Sims and Robert Wickens met with members of the media Monday afternoon to discuss this weekend’s Chevrolet Grand Prix at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park. Sims will pilot the GTD PRO championship-leading No. 3 Corvette for Corvette Racing by Pratt Miller Motorsports with Antonio Garcia after the duo won last year’s race. Wickens, in his home race, will make his first CTMP start as part of the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship in the No. 36 Corvette for DXDT Racing alongside Alec Udell.
ALEXANDER SIMS, NO. 3 CHEVROLET CORVETTE Z06 GT3.RWHAT ARE YOU LOOKING FORWARD TO MOST ABOUT GOING TO CTMP FOR YOUR 50TH IMSA START?“I wasn’t actually aware of it being my 50th start, but as you say it’s quite a milestone. That’s cool. I’m just looking forward to getting back to CTMP, to be honest. It’s one of my favorite tracks on the calendar. Although it’s a reasonably short track, there’s a lot of high-speed commitment needed with some good undulation and a couple of really technical corners whilst having some ballsy ones, as well. It’s a really nice track to drive. The Corvette works pretty well around there as we found last year, but the results are never a given. We do our absolute best each time to beat some very, very tough competition, and they’ll be doing their best to beat us. We’ll go there and hope for another good weekend. But we can’t take anything for granted and have got to be on our absolute A-game to hopefully be able to repeat something similar to last year. But it’s going to be tough.” SURPRISED NOT WINNING A RACE SINCE CTMP LAST YEAR OR IF IT SAYS MORE ABOUT THE COMPETITION IN GTD PRO.“I don’t know about surprised. We obviously go into every race – as everybody else does – basically trying to win, but there’s only ever one winner. I wouldn’t say that the results have been shabby at all. We came third in the championship last year and are leading now, so it’s not like the lack of a win has been because we’ve been uncompetitive the whole time. However, Pratt Miller and Corvette are a pretty good force together, and so we hope that we can get back to winning ways this weekend.“But as we’ve seen so far this year, I would probably take another second or third place, as well. Consistent podiums is a great way to put together a championship, which is the absolute focus above race wins. But equally race wins are a great way to get a championship, as well. We’ll just do our best, try to optimize the car as best we can, and try and make no mistakes to get another win.” ON MODERN GT3 CARS BEING SUITED TO RACING AN OLD-SCHOOL TRACK LIKE CTMP.“I remember last year our car was pretty on the nose in qualifying, which is always a nice feeling. Through the fifth- and sixth-gear corners like through Turn One, Two and Turn Eight after the backstraight, it’s great fun to have a car that’s moving as you want it to move even in the high-speed corners. You can really, really lean on it and ask a lot from the car. The downforce is pretty decent from a GT3 car nowadays to be able to corner fast in those scenarios but then to have the ABS for 5a and b as you have the elevation rise… it’s a lovely safety net to be honest and it allows you to race pretty hard against people.“I remember back in GTLM days we didn’t have ABS, and the race win that I had came by driving slicks in the wet on the safety car restart and having a drying track. That was seriously hair-raising at a track like CTMP to be on slicks in the wet. So GT3 cars nowadays, honestly, are pretty nice to drive. You can attack every corner really hard, it generates good tire temperature and everything. This a lovely place to drive, particularly on a qualy lap. In the race there aren’t so many clear overtaking opportunities, so you have to rely on traffic creating opportunities, which sometimes are a little bit more hard to come by.“It’s a great track to have on the calendar, honestly. I really like the fact that it’s fairly old-school. It’s not been repaved very much, it’s still got character. And it’s largely the same as it was before, with a little bit more runoff at Turn Two which I’m very appreciative of. I can’t quite imagine driving there in the olden days with just grass in those old cars… yeah, pretty scary!” ON MULTI-CLASS RACING AT CTMP WITH LMP2 CARS AND GT3 CARS.“It’s a real challenge to coexist in a way where we all get along perfectly. That’s just not going to happen, unfortunately. Different cars whether they’re front-engine, rear-engine in GT are going to behave differently and in those corners where you’ve got a crest into a high-speed corner, it really exaggerates whatever those cars’ characteristics are. So you see some people firing a bit more speed in but then going deeper into the corner, going wider or braking a little bit earlier, getting it rotating and hugging the inside a little bit more through the corner, which I would say we tend to do a little bit more because the rear remains on the limit quite a long way through the corner in Turn Two. It’s really tough because the LMP2s go through there and then at some point they’re fairly well within their limits so they can turn more aggressively if they want if they’ve gone around on the outside. But we’re still completely on the limit all the way to the exit curb and quite often they’ll go around the outside and then cut back across to get the ideal line. We lose downforce and it really creates a big moment for us. I fully appreciate that they’re going about their race as well so it’s a challenging track to all get along. Incidents do unfortunately happen and that’s why it’s same with many IMSA races… trying to stay out of trouble, have a clean race, have a race car without any damage or any knocks so that you’re fast at the end of the race when there’s probably going be a safety car restart so that you can be at the top of your performance right at the end when it counts.”
ROBERT WICKENS, NO. 36 CHEVROLET CORVETTE Z06 GT3.RWHAT’S THE OUTLOOK FOR YOUR HOME RACE IN THE CORVETTE?“Similar to what Alex was saying, nothing comes easy in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship, but Corvette has had so much success at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park in the past. Finishing 1-2 last year sets the bar pretty high. Obviously it’s a home race for me, one that I’ve had circled on the calendar all season. So yeah, looking forward to just getting behind the wheel of a Corvette around such an awesome track. I’ve had success in TCR in the past, winning there twice and finishing second in the other. Nothing comes easy. I think we just have to keep our head down. The first two races that I’ve done this year in the WeatherTech Championship haven’t been amazing, to say the least. We’ve shown potential but just at the wrong time. So hopefully we can just put together a good, strong weekend from the first practice right through to the checkered flag Sunday.” ON BALANCING MULTIPLE RACE COMMITMENTS PLUS COMPETING THIS WEEKEND AT YOUR HOME EVENT IN THE HEADLINE RACE.“It’s kind of take it one week at a time, you know. To add to that my wife and I found out that we’re pregnant with twins, as well, so there’s been no shortage of excitement on race weekends or on the home front. So it’s been frankly just a crazy year… lots of travel. I was in Mid-Ohio on the weekend with IndyCar and went last night up to Canada. So now I’m up north getting ready for the weekend ahead. It’s just exciting. Since coming back from my injuries and racing in support series with IMSA, I’ve always been trying to get back to racing on Sundays and in that headline event. To do it at home in front of a hometown crowd, it’s going to be a really great feeling.” ON CONTINUAL WORK ON THE UNIQUE DRIVER CHANGE PROCESS AND WORKING WITH DRIVER CHANGE ASSISTANT JOSH GIBBS.“I think we’re still needing to find time on getting me into the car. We can do it relatively quickly but not that consistent. There’s a lot of obviously moving parts getting me in whereas getting me out is pretty simple… you just rip me out of the car and I’m gone. In Long Beach – obviously given the shortened race – there was a lot of focus on the driver change and we were actually pretty quick when Tommy (Milner) was my teammate. I think we did it in 16 seconds in the race but it still wasn’t quick enough as we lost a few seconds to our competitors. At Laguna Seca frankly the whole pitstop was just a disaster from (teammate Alec Udell) getting driven into by a car leaving its pit box in front of us and then the driver change… the whole thing was just kind of a mess. Definitely we lost more time than we needed to. “The starting driver / finishing driver for CTMP is a little unclear right now, but I think we’re going to keep practicing it like we always have to in order to make sure that we’re competitive. At the end of the day we want the best result for the team and if that means taking a fast pit stop or driver change to have me start and qualify and to do all that stuff, I’ll be happy to do it. We’ll have to wait and see. But with Josh, you know, it’s crazy how effortlessly he can toss me around and put me in and out of the car. We definitely have a good team at DXDT Racing and are just taking that one step at a time.” ANTICIPATION OF RACING IN THE CHEVROLET GRAND PRIX ON SUNDAY VERSUS MICHELIN PILOT CHALLENGE ON SATURDAYS IN THE PAST.“You only know what you know. Ironically at Long Beach we raced on a Saturday, and Laguna Seca was my only taste of what a true sprint race in the WeatherTech Championship is like. I think it’s kind of business as usual. It’s just racing on a different day with a little more spotlight on you. Even when you’re running in a support category in the IMSA paddock, the fans are so great, the gridwalks are everything. You kind of feel like you’re the headline race even though you’re not. The IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship is just awesome. I think it’s a highlight of the whole Canadian Tire Motorsport Park calendar. A lot of fans come out and we’re doing a little fan experience this year, which is something I’ve never done before, testing the waters on how that goes with giving them a package that they might not get necessarily, give them a tour of the hand controls that are made by Bosch as well as a photo with me on the grid and hopefully on the podium afterwards. “There’s lots to be excited about and I’m just trying to embrace a home race. It’s been a long time since I’ve been in the headline event at a hometown race. The last was IndyCar in 2018. The Canadian fans are always passionate and always super loyal, and it’s going to be awesome to see everybody out there.” ON THE CANADIAN FOLLOWING FOR CORVETTE AND IN IMSA.“The Canadian fans, like I said, we’re a small country but we’re pretty passionate and loyal about the sports that we love. And you see a lot of familiar faces from Canadian karting that I grew up racing against to parents of people I raced against. Then obviously there’s a lot of Canadians involved in motorsport altogether. So we’re all proud to be from where we’re from. I think we’re all just ready to start getting on with the weekend. Everyone here on this call is happiest when our helmets are on and we’ll be able to go to work.” ON MODERN GT3 CARS BEING SUITED TO RACING AN OLD-SCHOOL TRACK LIKE CTMP.“I obviously haven’t experienced it yet, so hopefully I can give you some comments later. Judging by the success that Corvette has had around Canadian Time Motorsport Park over the years – I think something like 13 wins since 2001 – is cool. For me, I think what’s special is that I grew up with Ron Fellows kind of being like a mentor of mine, and obviously his history is in the No. 3 Corvette that Alex drives. Seeing all the success he had and obviously the role that Ron has at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park now and on the whole Canadian motorsport community… there’s going to be a lot of pride for me driving a Corvette around that track this weekend. In terms of what it feels like in car characteristics, GT3 cars seem to be happier in high-speed corners than they are in low-speed corners. That’s more or less what Canadian Tire Motorsport Park is. It’s a fast flowing track. It takes a lot of commitment and a lot of focus on car balance and the handling of the car, and I think that’s where the Corvette Z06 GT3 R really comes into its own.” ON MULTI-CLASS RACING AT CTMP WITH LMP2 CARS AND GT3 CARS.“I think the interesting thing about the Michelin Pilot Challenge at CTMP is the TCR cars are actually quicker than the GS class through Turn Two and all those corners. It’ll be the opposite kind of for us this weekend. As long as they (GS cars) didn’t pass us on the straight ahead of Turn Two, we knew we were more or less protected to nearly the exit of Three or almost the exit of Five because we were so quick in Two, Three and even down through Four. In the TCR car, it’s just an easy flat corner. In GS, you can see the rears moving around. So for us, it was one of the easier races to coexist in Pilot Challenge because, really, if the GS car didn’t pass you into Turn One, you could almost keep them behind you until the entire backstraight, and then they could pass you easily with their power. So it’s going to be a new experience for me. “Actually I believe it’s my first weekend racing with the LMP2 cars on track. I’m well aware of how much more downforce they have than us. Like what Alex has talked about, they can go through Turn Two for example with so much more ease than us that they can kind of pick wherever they want to go and we’re kind of just hanging on trying to find the limit the whole way through the corner. It’s going to be an interesting challenge, but I think you learn through practice. You never know who’s really driving each time but you try to keep an eye on which car is trying to do what things, and hopefully those trends continue throughout the weekend and into the race.”

MEYER SISTERS RETURN TO THE TRACK FOR IHRA NITRO OUTLAW SERIES DEBUT

Jul 3, 2025 | Featured, Megan Meyer, Pre-Race Releases, Rachel Meyer, Special Announcements

The powerhouse duo of Megan and Rachel Meyer are back and ready to shake things up once again—this time in the newly launched IHRA Nitro Outlaw Series. The two sisters will pilot their A/Fuel dragsters in the first two events of the five-race season, kicking off July 9–12 at National Trail Raceway in Columbus, Ohio, followed by July 23–26 at Milan Dragway in Michigan.

Each event will feature Friday night qualifying and Saturday eliminations under the lights, headlined by Top Fuel and Nitro Funny Car classes along with Pro Mod, Pro Nitrous, and full Pro-Am sportsman action throughout the weekend. The series marks a new era of entertainment-focused drag racing, blending nostalgia and modern horsepower to deliver an unforgettable experience.

For Megan, this marks her second competition of the year after racing in the high-stakes $15K Top Alcohol Dragster Shootout at Cecil County Dragway, where she was a top contender and made it to the semi-finals. Before that, she closed out the 2023 season finishing second in points with her Gunk dragster in the Nitro Chaos Championship.

Rachel, meanwhile, hasn’t been in the seat since her 2023 win at Mo-Kan Dragway, where she famously defeated her sister Megan in the Nitro Chaos semi-finals. Now, she’s set to make a highly anticipated return—driven by family legacy and a bit of sibling rivalry.

“I’m beyond excited to get back behind the wheel,” said Rachel Meyer. “My husband has won an Ironman trophy before, but not me, so I love that I have the opportunity to try to win one and tie with my husband.”

For both sisters, the opportunity to race together again—especially under the IHRA banner for the first time with their father, Randy Meyer, feels personal.

“We’ve raced against each other before many times in Top Alcohol Dragster and Super Comp and Junior Dragster classes, but doing this new series together adds something special,” said Megan Meyer. “The IHRA Nitro Outlaw format brings in a fresh crowd and a new level of excitement that I’m proud to be part of. This is the kind of grassroots energy that drag racing needs.”

The Meyer sisters will bring along strong sponsor support from longtime partners GUNK, and NGK Spark Plugs, as well as new to the team, Maxima Racing Oils, all of whom are helping power their return to the IHRA stage. Both dragsters are known for their eye-catching looks, record-setting runs, and the family-run crew that makes it all possible.

The IHRA Nitro Outlaw Series kicks off July 9–12 at National Trail Raceway in Columbus, Ohio, followed by July 23–26 at Milan Dragway in Michigan. Each event runs Friday night qualifying and Saturday eliminations under the lights. Fans can expect side-by-side 300+ mph nitro action, full pit access, and a high-energy atmosphere at both venues.

Midwest Tripleheader Next for Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series

BATAVIA, Ohio (July 7, 2025) – This weekend, the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series makes its return to the Midwest. The weekend begins on Thursday, July 10, at 34 Raceway with a $15,000-to-win event. A complete program is on deck, featuring Dirt Draft Hot Laps, Allstar Performance Time Trials, Heat Races, B-Mains, and a 50-lap main event. Joining the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series at 34 Raceway are the Modifieds and Mini Haulers. The pit gate will open at 4:00 PM, with the general admission gate opening at 5:00 PM. On-track action will begin at 6:30 PM. 34 Raceway, often referred to as Southeast Iowa’s Premier Place to Race, is in West Burlington, Iowa, and has hosted numerous prestigious national events since its inception in 1966. To learn more about 34 Raceway or to purchase tickets in advance, visit www.34raceway.com. From there, the tour heads to Lucas Oil Speedway for the 19th Annual CMH Diamond Nationals presented by Wieland Metal Services. The event will expand to a two-day schedule in 2025, with full programs each night, featuring $15,000-to-win and $25,000-to-win main events, respectively. The Super Stocks will also compete each night at Lucas Oil Speedway. Lucas Oil Speedway is located at the intersection of Highway 83 and Highway 54 in Wheatland, Missouri, about an hour North of Springfield and only about an hour and a half from Kansas City. For advance ticket purchases or more information about Lucas Oil Speedway, visit www.lucasoilspeedway.com. The 19th Annual Diamond Nationals will be the next bonus round in the Big River Steel Chase for the Championship Presented by ARP. The Summit Racing Equipment Super Twelve will award each driver within the top twelve in the championship standings a share of a $16,000 payout. Summit Racing Equipment Super Twelve Payout: 1. $5,000, 2. $1,000, 3. $1,000, 4. $1,000, 5. $1,000, 6. $1,000, 7. $1,000, 8. $1,000, 9. $1,000, 10. $1,000, 11. $1,000, 12. $1,000 = Total $16,000 Ricky Thornton Jr. returns to the top of the Big River Steel Chase for the Championship presented by ARP standings. Jonathan Davenport is seconds, followed by Devin Moran, Hudson O’Neal, and Garrett Alberson, completing the top five. Donald McIntosh leads the O’Reilly Auto Parts Rookie of the Year chase by 50 points over Daniel Hilsabeck. Dan Ebert is third. For the latest news, results, championship standings, and more about the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series presented by FloRacing, please visit www.lucasdirt.com. Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series Purses:34 Raceway: 1. $15,000, 2. $7,000, 3. $5,000, 4. $4,000, 5. $3,000, 6. $2,500, 7. $2,400, 8. $2,300, 9. $2,200, 10. $2,100, 11. $2,000, 12. $1,800, 13. $1,600, 14. $1,500, 15. $1,400, 16. $1,300, 17. $1,200, 18. $1,100, 19. $1,000, 20. $1,000, 21. $1,000, 22. $1,000, 23. $1,000, 24. $1,000 = $63,400 Lucas Oil Speedway (Friday): 1. $15,000, 2. $7,000, 3. $5,000, 4. $4,000, 5. $3,000, 6. $2,500, 7. $2,400, 8. $2,300, 9. $2,200, 10. $2,100, 11. $2,000, 12. $1,800, 13. $1,600, 14. $1,500, 15. $1,400, 16. $1,300, 17. $1,200, 18. $1,100, 19. $1,000, 20. $1,000, 21. $1,000, 22. $1,000, 23. $1,000, 24. $1,000 = $63,400 Lucas Oil Speedway (Saturday): 1. $25,000, 2. $10,000, 3. $6,000, 4. $4,000, 5. $3,500, 6. $2,700, 7. $2,500, 8. $2,300, 9. $2,200, 10. $2,100, 11. $2,000, 12. $1,900, 13. $1,800, 14. $1,700, 15. $1,600, 16. $1,500, 17. $1,500, 18. $1,500, 19. $1,500, 20. $1,500, 21. $1,500, 22. $1,500, 23. $1,500, 24. $1,500 = $82,800 Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series Tire Rule:Left Rear/Fronts – Hoosier (90) NLMT2, (90) NLMT3Right Rear – Hoosier (92) NLMT3, (92) NLMT4

Cadillac at São Paulo: Building momentum

Cadillac Hertz Team JOTA seeks to take next step following positives at Le MansDETROIT (July 7, 2025) – Capitalizing on precision and performance is the objective for Cadillac Hertz Team JOTA’s factory Hypercars this weekend in the Rolex 6 Hours of São Paulo.
The contest on the 4.409 km (2.677-mile), 15-turn Autódromo José Carlos Pace – commonly known as Interlagos – is the fifth of eight rounds on the FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC) calendar and eagerly awaited by the team and drivers of the Nos. 12 and 38 Cadillac Hertz Team JOTA V-Series.R.
Following the pole start and fourth-place finish last month in the 93rd edition of the 24 Hours of Le Mans, drivers Alex Lynn, Norman Nato and Will Stevens look forward to building on momentum.
Their No. 12 Cadillac Hertz Team JOTA V-Series.R is the only Hypercar to compete in Hyperpole (Hyperpole2 at Le Mans) in each of the four races and has qualified three times in the top five. CHART The No. 12 Cadillac Hertz Team JOTA V-Series.R has crossed the finish line fifth and fourth in the past two races and the drivers have sat at the points table in every race.
“We’re improving a lot, which we showed at Le Mans. The car has a lot of strong points, and we aim to utilize them on the Interlagos circuit,” Lynn said of the first-year Hypercar works team.
The No. 38 Cadillac Hertz Team JOTA V-Series.R has also displayed performance gains as drivers Earl Bamber, Sebastien Bourdais and Jenson Button continue to learn and extract more out of the car. Bamber qualified second at Le Mans and the trio have combined to place sixth and seventh the past two races.
Media resourcesFrench version of previewCadillac event guideCadillac 2025 WEC statsCadillac all-stime statsDriver photos
In-car viewsWatch the race (10:30 a.m. ET Sunday) unfold via streaming from the Cadillac V-Series.Rs’ cockpit HERE.
Also, in the 21-car Hypercar field at Circuit de la Sarthe, Bourdais recorded the fastest race lap, and Jack Aitken set the qualifying pace in Hyperpole1 in the sister No. 311 Whelen Cadillac V-Series.R campaigned by Action Express Racing.
Following a decade-long absence, the historic Autódromo José Carlos Pace rejoined the WEC schedule in 2024, with more than 73,000 spectators cheering the action. Cadillac Racing’s lone Hypercar entry, with Bamber and Lynn sharing the duties, qualified fourth and placed 13th (routine service stop issue required a return trip down pit lane to make corrections). The Hertz Team JOTA entries finished seventh and 18th with another manufacturer.
Drivers and teams will attempt to quickly find their car’s balance on the demanding circuit. A pair of 90-minute free practice sessions Friday will be followed by a 60-minute free practice Saturday that precedes qualifications and the 10-minute Hyperpole.
What they’re saying
No. 12 Cadillac Hertz Team JOTA V-Series.R
Alex Lynn: “I think the progress we’ve made since last year in Brazil and understanding the importance of tire management on the circuit puts us in a better position to challenge for the podium. We’ve done sim work and other things to prepare, and hopefully data collected at Le Mans and Spa will be put to good use.”Norman Nato: “After a quite good effort in Le Mans, another challenge of us in Brazil with different track conditions. A lot of tire degradation at the rear, which makes the tire strategy and driving different than the other races in term of management. We will focus on being efficient in the race, where we need to find the best car setup compromise to be smooth on tires. Such an iconic track I discovered last year, very passionate fans, looking forward to driving the Cadillac V-Series.R.”
Will Stevens: “Brazil, it’s actually kind of my home race because I’m married to a Brazilian. So, looking forward to it and it’s great we have a race so soon after Le Mans. I think we learned a lot at Le Mans because there’s a lot of track time to learn what we want from the car, things we can still improve. At the end of the day, (Le Mans) is only just the beginning of what we’re doing. We’re six months into this program, we’re going to keep improving, we’re going to keep getting better. Let’s go to Brazil and full attack and hopefully come away with the great result.”No. 38 Cadillac Hertz Team JOTA V-Series.R
Earl Bamber: “I’m looking forward to returning to Interlagos and taking what we’ve learned, what we’ve developed over the past few months to this historic circuit. Cadillac Hertz Team JOTA had overall great results in the 24 Hours of Le Mans and though Interlagos is a different track we believe the strengths of the Cadillac V-Series.R will come through there. Aside from a pit miscue in 2024 that cost us two laps, we were competitive in Brazil, so I expect us to be in the mix again.”
Sebastien Bourdais: “Interlagos is a very different animal than Le Mans. It tends to be quite high tire deg. The altitude makes it that you lose downforce as well, so it’s not an easy track. I wasn’t there last year, so it’s difficult to know what to expect. Overall, looking forward to it. It feels like we’re building on from the last couple of events. We’re starting to catch some references. The team is working and gelling. We’ll have a tough task ahead of us there and will give it our best shot.”
Jenson Button: “We have some work to do for the races to come but I left Le Mans very proud of the entire team. Interlagos is a demanding circuit with a pair of alternating downward left and right turns at the start to a long uphill left turn toward the end of the lap. The unpredictability of the weather adds to the mix, too. We’ll keep pushing forward with the goal of reaching the top step of the podium.”

Tyler Erb Bags 21st Career Summer Nationals Trophy at Duck River Raceway Park Debut

WHEEL, TN — July 6, 2025 — Tyler Erb enjoys his DIRTcar Summer Nationals Late Models races by the riverside.

After scoring his fifth Hell Tour win of 2025 on Tuesday night at Spoon River Speedway, the New Waverly, TX driver had to battle his overall title competitors for his sixth win in the tour’s debut at Duck River Raceway Park on Sunday night.

Polesitter Mark Whitener took early control of the start while Jason Feger and Tyler Erb ran behind in second and third place, respectively.

On Lap 5, Erb used the bottom lane to pass Feger at the finish line, then threw a slide job on Whitener through Turns 3-4 to take the lead on the following lap.

At the front of the field, Erb used the bottom of Turns 1-2, then ripped the cushion of Turns 3-4 to gain distance on Whitener and Feger.

Fort Payne, AL’s Sam Seawright joined the fight for the win as Feger passed Whitener for second place, then Seawright followed Feger around the top to take third place while they chased down Erb for the lead until the caution flew on Lap 22.

On the final restart of the Feature, Feger had to battle Seawright for second place by driving the bottom lane while Seawright ran the high side. The skirmish behind the Best Performance Motorsports No. 1 helped Erb draw a one-second advantage.

Feger held onto second place, but could not close the gap in time as Erb took his 21st career Hell Tour win. Despite winning, Erb finished one point shy of the Week 4 championship, with Feger leaving with the $10,000 check.

“This is probably the coolest place I’ve ever been to in Tennessee,” Erb said. “This is awesome. It had a cushion, and that end over there was super racy. How many times do you get to come down south and run a cushion like that? But, just a really great night. We got six more races now, and I just got to try to win every one of them.”

Up Next: The DIRTcar Summer Nationals Late Models and DIRTcar Summit Racing Equipment Modified Nationals begin the final week of racing with Indiana’s Shadyhill Speedway commencing the start on Tuesday, July 8.

If you can’t make it to the track, you can watch all the action live on DIRTVision – either online or by downloading the DIRTVision App.

Feature (30 Laps): 1. 1-Tyler Erb[3]; 2. 25F-Jason Feger[2]; 3. 16-Sam Seawright[6]; 4. 212-Josh Putnam[12]; 5. 14JR-Trey Mills[5]; 6. 5-Mark Whitener[1]; 7. 29-Christian Hanger[10]; 8. 3B-Brad Skinner[15]; 9. 17SS-Brenden Smith[17]; 10. B44-Grayson Brewer[7]; 11. 75-Dillon McCowan[8]; 12. 28B-Carson Brown[13]; 13. 31M-Tyler Millwood[14]; 14. 15-Clay Stuckey[19]; 15. 59-Dillard Hatchett[11]; 16. 15S-Brayden Skinner[21]; 17. 55-Eli Johnson[22]; 18. 38-Thomas Hunziker[20]; 19. 13-Scott Cook[9]; 20. 81F-Jadon Frame[4]; 21. 17SR-Brody Smith[16]; 22. 71-Kane Newby[18]

Lucas Lee Wins Eighth Career Summit Modifieds Feature at Duck River Raceway Park

Lucas Lee was not going to have Sunday night’s DIRTcar Summit Racing Equipment Modified Nationals trophy leave the Volunteer State.

In the Independence Day Special at Duck River Raceway Park, the Paris, TN driver had to defend home state turf against the division’s top competitors for his eighth career tour win.

Chase Holland led the field to the green flag while Trent Young followed behind in second place. Lee followed in third place for the first half of the race, then began his battle against Holland for second place by driving his Elite Chassis to the cushion of the track while Holland stood his ground on the bottom lane.

The two drivers leaned on each other through the corners, but Holland was powerless to match Lee’s pace on the top as he got clear for second place through Turn 2 of Lap 13, as Lee mounted a charge toward Young for the top spot.

Lee kept to his line around the cushion of the Wheel, TN bullring, while Young kept his No. 10Y planted to the bottom of the surface. Though Young attempted to squeeze Lee into surrendering the battle, the No. 12L overmatched the pace as Lee got clear of Young on Lap 19.

At the helm of the field, Lee transitioned to the bottom lane and kept Young back from attempting a late-race move as he went on for his first Summit Modifieds win of 2025. The Tennesseean’s triumph ties him with 2012 champion Kenny Wallace for 10th on the all-time wins list.

Up Next: The DIRTcar Summer Nationals Late Models and DIRTcar Summit Racing Equipment Modified Nationals begin the final week of racing with Indiana’s Shadyhill Speedway commencing the start on Tuesday, July 8.

If you can’t make it to the track, you can watch all the action live on DIRTVision – either online or by downloading the DIRTVision App.

Feature (25 Laps): 1. 12L-Lucas Lee[3]; 2. 10Y-Trent Young[2]; 3. 45H-Chase Holland[1]; 4. 98H-Zac Harris[7]; 5. 27G-Jason Garver[6]; 6. 15-Henry Hanger[10]; 7. 98-Logan Hickerson[8]; 8. 75-Daniel Adam[4]; 9. 21B-Hunter Breland[9]; 10. 29C-Joey Cotterman[12]; 11. C66-Donald Johns[13]; 12. 06-Cage Ashby[14]; 13. 49-Jeff Paige[15]; 14. 23B-Ethan Boomsma[5]; 15. 119-Andrew Littleton[11]

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