Baggsy–A QUICK LOOK BACK (SO FAR)

A QUICK LOOK BACK (SO FAR)
We’ve travelled around the world, had so many epic experiences – and we’re only halfway through 2026. Here’s the story so far.
From spontaneous travels to epic core memory experiences, 2026 has been been a full-time adventure.

We’ve collected passport stamps, questioned sleep schedules, and we’ve even hosted our own event. And the craziest part? We’re only halfway through the year.

Here’s the chaos so far.
We kicked off the year with a bucket list moment to visiting Tokyo Auto Salon for the first time, Baggsy celebrated a decade of working with Liberty Walk’s mastermind Wataru Kato and caught up with the Drift King himself Keiichi Tsuchiya.After Japan, we casually squeezed in a trip to Australia. We were stoked to be at the Keep it Reet Friday Night Drifts event at Melbourne’s Calder Park and it’s always great hanging out with Jason Ferron and Mitch Pullen. Big drift energy, unreal crowds and solid laps – we love to see it. Laying 11s at the Mount Panorama circuit during the Bathurst 12 Hour weekend certainly wasn’t on our bingo cards. We’re not even sure if it was on Baggsy’s!
The journey then took us to Sweden, taking both the GT86 and PS13 out for absolute Monster of a party on ice.

Eighteen years of drifting and Baggsy never once driven on an ice lake… so we fixed that with the help of some serious company: Petter Solberg, Oliver Solberg and Lando Norris.
Somewhere in the middle of all the chaos Baggsy made his way back to Australia to be a part of a special filming project with Oscar Piastri for Sky F1 and Monster Energy.

Meanwhile the SB Motorsport team with Shane Lynch taught Kaleb Cooper how to drift.
Over a hundred drifters descended upon Anglesey Circuit for the Spring Drift Matsuri Easter weekender. This was hands down the best way a drifter can spend their Easter holiday, it was such a vibe. 

Shortly after, Baggsy was beyond proud to announce his new drift car project, the Toyota GR Corolla. Now we just need to fit 1,000HP into it… somehow.

Japfest at the Silverstone National Circuit never fails to disappoint. Drifting at the home of British motorsport just hits different.
The SB13 shop team have been flat out with fresh merchandise and designs. They launched the latest Initiate Show event merch at Goodwood Motor Circuit and now it’s online at SB13.shop – check it out and grab yours now 👇🏼 
In May we hosted the second ever Initiate Show.

Call us biased, but it was EPIC. A full-on drift competition, FMX displays, a snowmobile doing flips in the air (yep you read that right), a mega display of cars with the SONAX Showcase and so many more activities for the family – it was a day to remember! All signed off with a demo from Baggsy himself.

We couldn’t have been happier with how the day went – it was full of action, smiles and memories.
And now we’re back, fresh from Tuning World Bodensee, Messe Friedrichshafen southern Germany where we had a blast speaking to all the fans and checking out the insane show cars while Baggsy had a wild time sending the GT86 around the arena.
A QUICK LOOK BACK (SO FAR)
We’ve travelled around the world, had so many epic experiences – and we’re only halfway through 2026. Here’s the story so far.
From spontaneous travels to epic core memory experiences, 2026 has been been a full-time adventure.

We’ve collected passport stamps, questioned sleep schedules, and we’ve even hosted our own event. And the craziest part? We’re only halfway through the year.

Here’s the chaos so far.
We kicked off the year with a bucket list moment to visiting Tokyo Auto Salon for the first time, Baggsy celebrated a decade of working with Liberty Walk’s mastermind Wataru Kato and caught up with the Drift King himself Keiichi Tsuchiya.After Japan, we casually squeezed in a trip to Australia. We were stoked to be at the Keep it Reet Friday Night Drifts event at Melbourne’s Calder Park and it’s always great hanging out with Jason Ferron and Mitch Pullen. Big drift energy, unreal crowds and solid laps – we love to see it. Laying 11s at the Mount Panorama circuit during the Bathurst 12 Hour weekend certainly wasn’t on our bingo cards. We’re not even sure if it was on Baggsy’s!
The journey then took us to Sweden, taking both the GT86 and PS13 out for absolute Monster of a party on ice.

Eighteen years of drifting and Baggsy never once driven on an ice lake… so we fixed that with the help of some serious company: Petter Solberg, Oliver Solberg and Lando Norris.
Somewhere in the middle of all the chaos Baggsy made his way back to Australia to be a part of a special filming project with Oscar Piastri for Sky F1 and Monster Energy.

Meanwhile the SB Motorsport team with Shane Lynch taught Kaleb Cooper how to drift.
Over a hundred drifters descended upon Anglesey Circuit for the Spring Drift Matsuri Easter weekender. This was hands down the best way a drifter can spend their Easter holiday, it was such a vibe. 

Shortly after, Baggsy was beyond proud to announce his new drift car project, the Toyota GR Corolla. Now we just need to fit 1,000HP into it… somehow.

Japfest at the Silverstone National Circuit never fails to disappoint. Drifting at the home of British motorsport just hits different.
The SB13 shop team have been flat out with fresh merchandise and designs. They launched the latest Initiate Show event merch at Goodwood Motor Circuit and now it’s online at SB13.shop – check it out and grab yours now 👇🏼 
In May we hosted the second ever Initiate Show.

Call us biased, but it was EPIC. A full-on drift competition, FMX displays, a snowmobile doing flips in the air (yep you read that right), a mega display of cars with the SONAX Showcase and so many more activities for the family – it was a day to remember! All signed off with a demo from Baggsy himself.

We couldn’t have been happier with how the day went – it was full of action, smiles and memories.
And now we’re back, fresh from Tuning World Bodensee, Messe Friedrichshafen southern Germany where we had a blast speaking to all the fans and checking out the insane show cars while Baggsy had a wild time sending the GT86 around the arena.
And there we have it, it’s been a pretty insane 2026 half-time recap.

A packed schedule like this wouldn’t be possible without the support of our partners and sponsors, we have the best group who share our vision and help make the seemingly unrealistic, possible.

So it’s box-box for fresh tyres, all the cars are getting refuelled and a check-over and we’ll be back out for the second half of the year.

Where will you catch Baggsy and SB Motorsport next?

Ericsson leads home Honda finishers in St. Louis with P2

June 7, 2026 — ST. LOUIS, MO

  • Marcus Ericsson finishes second in start-stop Bommarito Automotive Group 500 
  • All three Andretti Global cars finish in the top 10 at World Wide Technology Raceway
  • Alex Palou, Scott Dixon lead laps, gamble on fuel strategy 

Marcus Ericsson led the way for Honda today at World Wide Technology Raceway, finishing second in the Bommarito Automotive Group 500 in St. Louis.

The Andretti Global driver started 12th and carved his way through the field to lead 114 laps, the most of any driver in today’s race. The Swede finished just 0.6613 of a second behind P1 to claim his first podium finish of the 2026 NTT INDYCAR SERIES season.

It was also a good day for Ericsson’s Andretti Global teammates, with all three drivers scoring top-10 finishes at WWTR. Last year’s Gateway winner, Kyle Kirkwood, closed championship gap with a sixth-place finish. While Will Power came home eighth in his #26 Andretti Global Honda.

Marcus Armstrong was ninth for Meyer Shank Racing in a strong showing, while his Kiwi countryman Scott Dixon crossed the line in 12th place.

The race was red flagged twice for weather in the St. Louis area, once with Marcus Ericsson leading and once with Scott Dixon at the fore. However, with the full race distance run, Ericsson would come up just short at the checkered flag.   

Polesitter and championship leader Alex Palou took a gamble on fuel in the HRC-liveried ‘Honda Honda’. The Spaniard led 49 laps on the day before ultimately running out of fuel in the pit lane and dropping to the rear of the field. Despite finishing 17th, Palou still leads the points standings by 49 points over Kirkwood.

Bommarito Automotive Group 500 Honda Race Results

  • 2nd Marcus Ericsson
  • 6th Kyle Kirkwood
  • 8th Will Power
  • 9th Marcus Armstrong
  • 12th Scott Dixon
  • 14th Felix Rosenqvist
  • 15th Romain Grosjean
  • 16th Mick Schumacher-R
  • 17th Alex Palou
  • 20th Louis Foster
  • 21st Kyffin Simpson
  • 23rd Graham Rahal
  • 25th Dennis Hauger-R

Andretti Global Honda
Andretti Global Honda
Andretti Global Honda
Meyer Shank Racing Honda
Chip Ganassi Racing Honda
Meyer Shank Racing Honda
Dale Coyne Racing Honda
Rahal Letterman Lanigan Honda
Chip Ganassi Racing Honda
Rahal Letterman Lanigan Honda
Chip Ganassi Racing Honda
Rahal Letterman Lanigan Honda — Not running, contact
Dale Coyne Racing Honda — Not running, mechanical

R – Rookie

Quotes

Marcus Ericsson (#28 Andretti Global Honda) finished second: “It was a great night out here in St. Louis. The Honda Power was great and got me a lot of positions going from 12th all the way up to the lead and fighting for the win all night. It’s bittersweet, of course, when we were leading that many laps to miss out on the win. But we saw great performance by the Delaware Life Honda and from everyone at Andretti Global. I’m so proud of these guys.”

Kelvin Fu (Vice President, HRC US): “It’s easy to be disappointed by the results when we had such a strong showing today. Really great job by Marcus Ericsson to drive from 12th to first, it’s a bummer that he came up just short at the line. Everyone at Andretti did a great job today to get all three of their cars in the top-10. Also, congratulations to CGR for pole at this place. Even though we didn’t walk away with the victory, this has been a big improvement for us at Honda on short ovals. So, thank you to all of the hard work from our teams and for the associates at HRC US. It’s been a long five-week stretch on the road, so I know everyone is excited to take a little break before we get back at it at Road America.”

Ericsson leads home Honda finishers in St. Louis with P2

June 7, 2026 — ST. LOUIS, MO

  • Marcus Ericsson finishes second in start-stop Bommarito Automotive Group 500 
  • All three Andretti Global cars finish in the top 10 at World Wide Technology Raceway
  • Alex Palou, Scott Dixon lead laps, gamble on fuel strategy 

Marcus Ericsson led the way for Honda today at World Wide Technology Raceway, finishing second in the Bommarito Automotive Group 500 in St. Louis.

The Andretti Global driver started 12th and carved his way through the field to lead 114 laps, the most of any driver in today’s race. The Swede finished just 0.6613 of a second behind P1 to claim his first podium finish of the 2026 NTT INDYCAR SERIES season.

It was also a good day for Ericsson’s Andretti Global teammates, with all three drivers scoring top-10 finishes at WWTR. Last year’s Gateway winner, Kyle Kirkwood, closed championship gap with a sixth-place finish. While Will Power came home eighth in his #26 Andretti Global Honda.

Marcus Armstrong was ninth for Meyer Shank Racing in a strong showing, while his Kiwi countryman Scott Dixon crossed the line in 12th place.

The race was red flagged twice for weather in the St. Louis area, once with Marcus Ericsson leading and once with Scott Dixon at the fore. However, with the full race distance run, Ericsson would come up just short at the checkered flag.   

Polesitter and championship leader Alex Palou took a gamble on fuel in the HRC-liveried ‘Honda Honda’. The Spaniard led 49 laps on the day before ultimately running out of fuel in the pit lane and dropping to the rear of the field. Despite finishing 17th, Palou still leads the points standings by 49 points over Kirkwood.

Bommarito Automotive Group 500 Honda Race Results

  • 2nd Marcus Ericsson
  • 6th Kyle Kirkwood
  • 8th Will Power
  • 9th Marcus Armstrong
  • 12th Scott Dixon
  • 14th Felix Rosenqvist
  • 15th Romain Grosjean
  • 16th Mick Schumacher-R
  • 17th Alex Palou
  • 20th Louis Foster
  • 21st Kyffin Simpson
  • 23rd Graham Rahal
  • 25th Dennis Hauger-R

Andretti Global Honda
Andretti Global Honda
Andretti Global Honda
Meyer Shank Racing Honda
Chip Ganassi Racing Honda
Meyer Shank Racing Honda
Dale Coyne Racing Honda
Rahal Letterman Lanigan Honda
Chip Ganassi Racing Honda
Rahal Letterman Lanigan Honda
Chip Ganassi Racing Honda
Rahal Letterman Lanigan Honda — Not running, contact
Dale Coyne Racing Honda — Not running, mechanical

R – Rookie

Quotes

Marcus Ericsson (#28 Andretti Global Honda) finished second: “It was a great night out here in St. Louis. The Honda Power was great and got me a lot of positions going from 12th all the way up to the lead and fighting for the win all night. It’s bittersweet, of course, when we were leading that many laps to miss out on the win. But we saw great performance by the Delaware Life Honda and from everyone at Andretti Global. I’m so proud of these guys.”

Kelvin Fu (Vice President, HRC US): “It’s easy to be disappointed by the results when we had such a strong showing today. Really great job by Marcus Ericsson to drive from 12th to first, it’s a bummer that he came up just short at the line. Everyone at Andretti did a great job today to get all three of their cars in the top-10. Also, congratulations to CGR for pole at this place. Even though we didn’t walk away with the victory, this has been a big improvement for us at Honda on short ovals. So, thank you to all of the hard work from our teams and for the associates at HRC US. It’s been a long five-week stretch on the road, so I know everyone is excited to take a little break before we get back at it at Road America.”

Next
The 2026 NTT INDYCAR SERIES heads to Road America in Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin for the XPEL Grand Prix June 21st.

Ericsson leads home Honda finishers in St. Louis with P2

June 7, 2026 — ST. LOUIS, MO

  • Marcus Ericsson finishes second in start-stop Bommarito Automotive Group 500 
  • All three Andretti Global cars finish in the top 10 at World Wide Technology Raceway
  • Alex Palou, Scott Dixon lead laps, gamble on fuel strategy 

Marcus Ericsson led the way for Honda today at World Wide Technology Raceway, finishing second in the Bommarito Automotive Group 500 in St. Louis.

The Andretti Global driver started 12th and carved his way through the field to lead 114 laps, the most of any driver in today’s race. The Swede finished just 0.6613 of a second behind P1 to claim his first podium finish of the 2026 NTT INDYCAR SERIES season.

It was also a good day for Ericsson’s Andretti Global teammates, with all three drivers scoring top-10 finishes at WWTR. Last year’s Gateway winner, Kyle Kirkwood, closed championship gap with a sixth-place finish. While Will Power came home eighth in his #26 Andretti Global Honda.

Marcus Armstrong was ninth for Meyer Shank Racing in a strong showing, while his Kiwi countryman Scott Dixon crossed the line in 12th place.

The race was red flagged twice for weather in the St. Louis area, once with Marcus Ericsson leading and once with Scott Dixon at the fore. However, with the full race distance run, Ericsson would come up just short at the checkered flag.   

Polesitter and championship leader Alex Palou took a gamble on fuel in the HRC-liveried ‘Honda Honda’. The Spaniard led 49 laps on the day before ultimately running out of fuel in the pit lane and dropping to the rear of the field. Despite finishing 17th, Palou still leads the points standings by 49 points over Kirkwood.

Bommarito Automotive Group 500 Honda Race Results

  • 2nd Marcus Ericsson
  • 6th Kyle Kirkwood
  • 8th Will Power
  • 9th Marcus Armstrong
  • 12th Scott Dixon
  • 14th Felix Rosenqvist
  • 15th Romain Grosjean
  • 16th Mick Schumacher-R
  • 17th Alex Palou
  • 20th Louis Foster
  • 21st Kyffin Simpson
  • 23rd Graham Rahal
  • 25th Dennis Hauger-R

Andretti Global Honda
Andretti Global Honda
Andretti Global Honda
Meyer Shank Racing Honda
Chip Ganassi Racing Honda
Meyer Shank Racing Honda
Dale Coyne Racing Honda
Rahal Letterman Lanigan Honda
Chip Ganassi Racing Honda
Rahal Letterman Lanigan Honda
Chip Ganassi Racing Honda
Rahal Letterman Lanigan Honda — Not running, contact
Dale Coyne Racing Honda — Not running, mechanical

R – Rookie

Quotes

Marcus Ericsson (#28 Andretti Global Honda) finished second: “It was a great night out here in St. Louis. The Honda Power was great and got me a lot of positions going from 12th all the way up to the lead and fighting for the win all night. It’s bittersweet, of course, when we were leading that many laps to miss out on the win. But we saw great performance by the Delaware Life Honda and from everyone at Andretti Global. I’m so proud of these guys.”

Kelvin Fu (Vice President, HRC US): “It’s easy to be disappointed by the results when we had such a strong showing today. Really great job by Marcus Ericsson to drive from 12th to first, it’s a bummer that he came up just short at the line. Everyone at Andretti did a great job today to get all three of their cars in the top-10. Also, congratulations to CGR for pole at this place. Even though we didn’t walk away with the victory, this has been a big improvement for us at Honda on short ovals. So, thank you to all of the hard work from our teams and for the associates at HRC US. It’s been a long five-week stretch on the road, so I know everyone is excited to take a little break before we get back at it at Road America.”

Ericsson leads home Honda finishers in St. Louis with P2

June 7, 2026 — ST. LOUIS, MO

  • Marcus Ericsson finishes second in start-stop Bommarito Automotive Group 500 
  • All three Andretti Global cars finish in the top 10 at World Wide Technology Raceway
  • Alex Palou, Scott Dixon lead laps, gamble on fuel strategy 

Marcus Ericsson led the way for Honda today at World Wide Technology Raceway, finishing second in the Bommarito Automotive Group 500 in St. Louis.

The Andretti Global driver started 12th and carved his way through the field to lead 114 laps, the most of any driver in today’s race. The Swede finished just 0.6613 of a second behind P1 to claim his first podium finish of the 2026 NTT INDYCAR SERIES season.

It was also a good day for Ericsson’s Andretti Global teammates, with all three drivers scoring top-10 finishes at WWTR. Last year’s Gateway winner, Kyle Kirkwood, closed championship gap with a sixth-place finish. While Will Power came home eighth in his #26 Andretti Global Honda.

Marcus Armstrong was ninth for Meyer Shank Racing in a strong showing, while his Kiwi countryman Scott Dixon crossed the line in 12th place.

The race was red flagged twice for weather in the St. Louis area, once with Marcus Ericsson leading and once with Scott Dixon at the fore. However, with the full race distance run, Ericsson would come up just short at the checkered flag.   

Polesitter and championship leader Alex Palou took a gamble on fuel in the HRC-liveried ‘Honda Honda’. The Spaniard led 49 laps on the day before ultimately running out of fuel in the pit lane and dropping to the rear of the field. Despite finishing 17th, Palou still leads the points standings by 49 points over Kirkwood.

Bommarito Automotive Group 500 Honda Race Results

  • 2nd Marcus Ericsson
  • 6th Kyle Kirkwood
  • 8th Will Power
  • 9th Marcus Armstrong
  • 12th Scott Dixon
  • 14th Felix Rosenqvist
  • 15th Romain Grosjean
  • 16th Mick Schumacher-R
  • 17th Alex Palou
  • 20th Louis Foster
  • 21st Kyffin Simpson
  • 23rd Graham Rahal
  • 25th Dennis Hauger-R

Andretti Global Honda
Andretti Global Honda
Andretti Global Honda
Meyer Shank Racing Honda
Chip Ganassi Racing Honda
Meyer Shank Racing Honda
Dale Coyne Racing Honda
Rahal Letterman Lanigan Honda
Chip Ganassi Racing Honda
Rahal Letterman Lanigan Honda
Chip Ganassi Racing Honda
Rahal Letterman Lanigan Honda — Not running, contact
Dale Coyne Racing Honda — Not running, mechanical

R – Rookie

Quotes

Marcus Ericsson (#28 Andretti Global Honda) finished second: “It was a great night out here in St. Louis. The Honda Power was great and got me a lot of positions going from 12th all the way up to the lead and fighting for the win all night. It’s bittersweet, of course, when we were leading that many laps to miss out on the win. But we saw great performance by the Delaware Life Honda and from everyone at Andretti Global. I’m so proud of these guys.”

Kelvin Fu (Vice President, HRC US): “It’s easy to be disappointed by the results when we had such a strong showing today. Really great job by Marcus Ericsson to drive from 12th to first, it’s a bummer that he came up just short at the line. Everyone at Andretti did a great job today to get all three of their cars in the top-10. Also, congratulations to CGR for pole at this place. Even though we didn’t walk away with the victory, this has been a big improvement for us at Honda on short ovals. So, thank you to all of the hard work from our teams and for the associates at HRC US. It’s been a long five-week stretch on the road, so I know everyone is excited to take a little break before we get back at it at Road America.”

Next
The 2026 NTT INDYCAR SERIES heads to Road America in Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin for the XPEL Grand Prix June 21st.

CHEVROLET INDYCAR RACE REPORT – Bommarito Automotive Group 500

Media Resources: Images | Media Advances | Chevrolet Newsroom
CHEVROLET IN THE NTT INDYCAR SERIESBommarito Automotive Group 5001.25-mile, four turn ovalMadison, IllinoisSunday Race ReportJune 7, 2026

MADISON, Illinois (June 7, 2026) –  For the sixth time in 11 races at World Wide Technology Raceway at Gateway, Josef Newgarden and the No. 2 Astemo Team Penske Chevrolet made the familiar trip to victory lane, his 34th career NTT INDYCAR SERIES win. Team Chevy now has either wins at the Madison, Illinois oval. 
Newgarden led five Chevrolet-powered cars in the top seven of a race that was interrupted by rain on three occasions. Christian Rasmussen, driving the No. 21 Splenda Chevrolet, had his second straight finish at the 1.25-mile, four-turn oval. Rinus VeeKay in the No. 76 Juncos Hollinger Racing, Scott McLaughlin in the No. 3 DEX Team Penske Chevrolet and David Malukas in the No. 12 Verizon Team Penske Chevrolet rounded out the stellar effort for Team Chevy. 
Newgarden’s win is 239th all-time for Team Chevy and the 130th since the introduction of the 2.2L Twin-Turbo V6 in 2012. 
Team Penske now has 126 wins all-time with Chevrolet power, and 89 since the introduction of the 2.2L Twin-Turbo V6 in 2012. Bommarito Automotive Group 500 race resultsWhat They’re Saying – Race – Bommarito Automotive Group 500 Josef Newgarden, No. 2 Astemo Team Penske Chevrolet won:“This team right here. This Astemo crew. Team Chevy, we had everything we needed tonight with Team Penske. Great job to the group. It was a methodical night. we had a good car at the start. It wasn’t perfect and it came to us just as we needed, as we tweaked on it. They called the race (the timing stand). It was a track position race. You have to give a lot of credit to Marcus. He was incredibly strong. I don’t think there was much between us. It was a matter of who was going to get positioning on each other and that’s what is going to seal the deal. He drove a great race and certainly could have won this as well. This team did the job tonight and that’s why we are here.”Christian Rasmussen, No. 21 Splenda Chevrolet finished 3rd:“Yeah, man, like I, that was all it had. I couldn’t, hang with those guys at the front. I was battling some understeer throughout the whole race, and I feel like we got, the car dialed in as well as we could. I was starting to get limited by my (corner) entries, but I was still like mid to exit on this end. But we had a good race car. We were moving forward. We were super strong on the high line, which was kind of the name of the game for us tonight, so that we can move forward. We had a third-place Splendakand we got third place.”
Rinus VeeKay, No. 76 Juncos Hollinger Chevrolet finished 4th:“We had a good night. We had good pace, and we moved through traffic. Didn’t have a lot of lucky breaks to start the race, so kind of cycled back all the time, and the last few stops we hit the right thing. We did a great job as a team. JHR Chevy was very good. Just a bit too much understeer at the end there, being side by side with Christian (Rasmussen). Couldn’t get it done. Being a race car driver, you’re bummed with fourth place, because you go home somewhat empty handed. But still, really, really good job by the team. You know, this is how we should have raced in Phoenix. Unfortunately, we didn’t get to do that. Just really happy to show that pace, that strength for such a young and small team now. We’re beating the big boys right now.”
Scott McLaughlin, No. 3 DEX Team Penske Chevrolet finished 5th:“An up and down day for the No. 3 Dex Chevy. The car wasn’t that great to start with, but we tuned her up as the race went on. Pretty happy overall with how the day went. We were looking at P15 for a little bit and we managed to get a top five. Good tune up on the cars. Then we just managed to wheel ourselves forward when we had better tires. A good run.”
David Malukas, No. 12 Verizon Team Penske Chevrolet finished 7th:“Overall, a really good recovery on what was a tough start with the setup. We just missed the window, and we were going into every stop to mess with the front wing and do whatever we can we this car to get it into a raceable window. In the end we had to commit with it being loose on exits, on entries, everywhere on those last few runs just to have any sort of pace. So, I was holding on for dear life, but thankfully we brought it home. Big thank you to Chevy, Verizon and everybody on Team Penske to not give up and keep pushing on. We learned a lot.”
Christian Lundgaard, No. 7 VELO Arrow McLaren Chevrolet finished 10th:“It was a very entertaining race. For once on an oval, I felt like I was driving the car, which is a big step up. I think we made a lot of improvements from Indy. It didn’t really feel like a tenth-place-finish car; my race felt a lot better than where the result ended up. There are a lot of positives from the night, a lot of good learnings, a lot to take from here to our next oval in Nashville.”
Pato O’Ward, No. 5 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet finished 11th:“Disappointing Sunday. It’s been a very tough start to our 2026 season. It hasn’t been good in many ways at all. It’s been consistent in top-fives where we could. Everywhere else it’s been a big challenge. Plenty of racing to go. Hopefully we can turn it around and get some solid results on the board.”
Santino Ferrucci, No. 14 Homes For Our Troops Chevrolet finished 13th:“A long day and night. Wish it was a bit better for us; we’re just missing pace, tried to find the balance in the car, and you know, we did everything we could on the strategy, and I think that, as far as that goes, you can’t really ask for more. Just didn’t have the pace today to finish in the top 10.”
Alexander Rossi, No. 20 ECR Java House Chevrolet finished 18th:
Sting Ray Robb, No. 77 Juncos Hollinger – Goodheart Chevrolet finished 19th:“I guess this is a weekend to forget. A tough one. Really frustrating. Congratulations to Rinus. I’m really happy to see the team with a P4. I think that is our best finish of the year. Rally good to see. Think we are headed in the right direction. We will learn everything we can before the next oval .Looking forward to Road America. It is one of my favorite tracks we go to. Had a bad event last year there so hoping we can rebound well. Thanks to the No. 77 crew, they worked hard. So, hoping we can rebound from this one.”
Caio Collet, No. 4 Combitrans Amazonia Chevrolet finished 22nd:”It’s hard. I think we did everything right today, from the strategy, to the driving, to everything. It’s racing.”
Nolan Siegel, No. 6 Deloitte Arrow McLaren Chevrolet finished 24th:“I left Palou room on the inside. I knew he was there. I knew we weren’t really racing him. I was just kind of letting him go, and it felt to me like he hung me out there and then never turned in. I had to come down at some point. I’m disappointed. I’m disappointed for the team. This is a place we’ve been strong at in the past, but it obviously didn’t work out for us tonight. So, we’ll move on to Road America.”
Up-next
Team Chevy drivers and teams get a much-needed weekend off before heading for brats and beer at Road America, one of the favorite stops on the calendar. The XPEL Grand Prix at Road America, held on the 4.014-mile, 14-turn Road America road course, will air on FOX at 2 pm (Eastern) on Sunday, June 21.
NTT INDYCAR SERIES News ConferenceMonday, June 8, 2026Josef NewgardenJonathan DiuguidPress Conference
THE MODERATOR: We are joined by Josef Newgarden, now six-time winner here. Second win of 2026. 34th career win, which ties him all time for ninth place with Al Unser Jr. You also moved up to sixth in points. With the 53 laps you led tonight, that brings your total to 4,580 laps led, which means you pass the great Dario Franchitti for ninth place.Your thoughts on another crazy race here.
JOSEF NEWGARDEN: It was crazy. I’m just glad we went the distance honestly. That was the big thing. With the rain, it almost turns it into a casino in some regards.
I think the fast cars finished up front going the distance. Marcus was super good. I don’t know that we were much better than him. I think we were very equal. It turned into a track position game at the end because we were so comparable.
I think we had some strengths on him. I think the team executed a really great race, which is ultimately what delivered the result at the end of the day. They just did a great job. Everyone stayed composed. It was a methodical win.
THE MODERATOR: Jonathan Diuguid, president Team Penske.From the pit stand, your thoughts on a huge night.
JONATHAN DIUGUID: A chaotic night. They asked us what we wanted to happen. I said I want it to stay green. Once we put Josef in front, I knew he wasn’t going to look back. That’s probably the best part of my day, when the rain didn’t show back up, we got to get the whole race in.
THE MODERATOR: Eighth on back put on a fresh set of tires at the end. How worried were you looking through that? Was it problematic?
JONATHAN DIUGUID: We talked about it before the race, anything after 20 laps on tires we were going to pit and take tires. I think there were 24 on that set.
We saw some other cars earlier on in the race be able to stay out on used tires and stay up front. I knew once we had the lead and the clear air, it was going to be okay.
THE MODERATOR: Open it up for questions.
Q.  How hard is it to try to guess what’s going on out there with the rain.JONATHAN DIUGUID: The biggest thing today was the rain wasn’t showing up on the radar. Not on the first one. The second one, there was a blip that came up. It’s difficult to predict. Good thing it was a hot, steamy and windy night in St. Louis. The track got dried up quickly.
Q.  Josef, what does it mean to you to get back into Victory Lane?JOSEF NEWGARDEN: Everything felt pretty good tonight. The car was fast, felt normal. It was great. I’m just happy for the team. They deserve it. It’s been a hard stretch I think for everybody in the paddock. All of us are working incredibly hard to get to this point.A win at any point, especially after this stretch, is super rewarding. That’s what I’m most happy about.
Q.  What did you see in the moment when Christian passed you and you came close to touching?JOSEF NEWGARDEN: So I got a little confused. I thought Christian was a lap car. I didn’t realize that was Rossi that was a lap car. It’s my fault. I was going to let him go. He doesn’t matter, I’ll just follow on him. I don’t really want to be behind him. I still didn’t know he was on the lead lap.
That is why when he came up to the podium, I am like, What are you doing here? How did you get here? You were a lap down. I think he got a little offended by that. I’m so glad that I repassed him. He’s kind of in the way, so…
Yeah, that’s really the truth. I thought he was the lap car and Rossi was the one that I was going to fight if he was in the mix with Marcus.
Ultimately I think we were able to get back by him because we had a great car. I think Marcus equally had a super good car. I think because we went the distance, you saw the quick cars finish up front tonight.
If you’re being truthful about it, I think me and Marcus were pretty close on performance. It was just going to come down to execution. The team executed when we needed to. That’s what ultimately pulled off the victory.
Q.  You thought that was Christian all the way to the checkered flag?JOSEF NEWGARDEN: I didn’t know till I got to the podium. I was confused why he was there. I got it wrong in my mind.
Q.  You won Phoenix. Been so strong on the short ovals. Do you come into here I don’t want to say expecting to win, but if you don’t win are you more disappointed?JONATHAN DIUGUID: We expect to win every single weekend. If we don’t, we talk about it.
Obviously our short oval program has been strong. Like Josef said, the field is extremely tight right now. 28 car was a prime example of that. Getting track position was critical to the win.
No, to answer your question, we expect to be strong on short ovals. I think we’ve had the fastest cars in all the street course qualifying sessions, and just have missed out in the new Fast Six procedure.
The cars are quick. We’re going to a permanent road course with Road America here, too. I’ve been working on some stuff for that race also. Our goal is to be competitive and fighting for the win every single weekend. That’s what you have to do to win the championship.
Q.  Is there anything about this track that fits into your wheelhouse?JOSEF NEWGARDEN: Not in particular. I think when we’re good here, our cars are good. You look at the history of Team Penske, they’ve always had strong race cars here. When you have the fastest car in the field, it’s easier to win the race. That’s more times than not what I’ve got. I think that was the case today, too.
Q.  Al Unser Jr. Next win will be tied with Bobby Unser. What does it mean to be among that company of legends with so many years to go?JOSEF NEWGARDEN: I got to be honest. My reaction is more, I enjoy working with the individuals around me, I really do. That’s no disrespect to the win list. You’re not going to find someone that is more competitive than me. I very much know the stats anything you want to look at in INDYCAR.
I enjoy my time with my team. I really do. I like working with the team. So when I think about victories or I think about the amount of time I’ve been in the sport, that’s what I really lean on now.
I like showing up to the track and try to do a great job. We did that tonight. It’s fun to go racing. It’s fun when we have fast cars, it’s fun when we execute. I just want to see us do that more often going forward.
We’re in a pretty good place. We keep building momentum in a lot of ways as a team. To Jonathan’s point, what we expect from ourselves, I think we’re building a lot of that back, which is great to see this year.
Q.  You and Marcus had light contact, but nothing that sent you into the wall. How important is to it have the trust with you and all the other drivers racing up front?JOSEF NEWGARDEN: I think you got to give a lot of respect to Marcus. He did a tremendous job tonight. He was super fast. I think he’s become a great oval driver in this series.
If anything, I should have left him a little bit more room I think. I think I got a little bit high. Thankfully these cars, we’ve seen they’re very robust. Even a light touch doesn’t normally result in much. That’s why you also see such close, hard racing. It’s just the nature of INDYCAR these days.
It was a good fight. He drove a great race. It was fun to battle with him tonight.
Q.  Josef, last year you’re flipping on the frontstretch. This year you win. How much does it mean to you to come back and restake your claim?JOSEF NEWGARDEN: It was nice to not flip. I enjoyed that part of it. I did do a sick rail grind, okay? I’ve got a dope highlight reel. I’m going to be honest with you guys. If I stop tomorrow, it’s going to be like there’s a cool list of things I’ve done. I rode a car off at Road America in the kink. You haven’t lived until you’ve done that. I don’t know how many people have done a rail grind at Gateway.
I’ve F’d up and hit a curb on turn four in Indianapolis, smoked my foot. Put that in the highlight reel. It’s been good. Nice to come back and get a win this weekend. We’ve had some other good moments, too.
Q.  Was this drive harder than the 2016 win at Iowa?JOSEF NEWGARDEN: No. Not tonight. The car was great. I felt good tonight. I felt spicy in the car. No, tonight was not hard. It was an easy night with the team.
JONATHAN DIUGUID: (Indiscernible) and he let Rasmussen by to hit the fuel number I was talking about.
JOSEF NEWGARDEN: I was confused. He probably told me the right thing. I messed it up. That’s going to be in the debrief. I’m going to be made fun of for that.
Q.  Josef, you were so disappointed last week with a top-10 finish, biggest mover, because you felt like the car was capable of winning. To be able to produce a win with a car that was clearly capable of winning this week, how good does this feel?JOSEF NEWGARDEN: It’s great. We knew this was going to be a different story. We had a lot of conversations. I appreciate the team having my back and letting me go to work last weekend. They went to work. They did a lot for me.
It’s frustrating when you’re in a race like that, you can tell the car has the potential to do more, the team executed in a way that should have produced more. It’s tough when you’re the missing link. I hate that. I don’t want to be that.
It was the reality of the situation. We got through it together. We knew it was going to be different when we came here. I’m happy we were able to capitalize it on this weekend.
Q.  What was so different about this weekend than Detroit?JOSEF NEWGARDEN: It’s not Detroit. Enough said. That was the big difference (smiling). Nice, smooth oval.
Q.  After practice yesterday, compared to after the win tonight, your thoughts on the new package that they brought here this weekend? Did you like it going in? Changed after yesterday’s practice, the lower downforce package?JOSEF NEWGARDEN: I mean, I haven’t watched it back. I thought it produced a good show. I thought we had good race-ability. The key to these races is having multiple lanes. We had that all night. Provided we have that, you’ll have the potential for a good race. Felt like it was a pretty decent race. I don’t know what it looked like from the outside.
Yeah, I think I should reserve my thoughts, but I think the car is going to be a little harder to drive. I really do. I think as a race car driver, it’s in your nature to want that. You always want more power, more difficulty. You want to be able to express your ability to drive the car more and more.
That’s always my feeling when I’m asked about feedback. But when you look at the fan experience, you have to have two lanes working at this type of track. I think it’s expected nowadays. It’s not what it was like 20, 30 years ago. That wasn’t the norm in INDYCAR. Now we’ve gotten to the point where people are going to expect multi-lane racing.Provided we can do that, it’s good for the show. I think we had that tonight.
Q.  Josef, do you think the package maybe played into the fact you were fast?JOSEF NEWGARDEN: When you say ‘fast’…
Q.  The car was really fast.JOSEF NEWGARDEN: As a team?
Q.  Yes.JOSEF NEWGARDEN: I thought we had pretty good transfer from last year to this year. It was actually trickier. Our car last year was maybe a little bit better right off the jump, whereas this weekend we had to work on it.
You could see some other people elevated with that. When you change the package, it sometimes just migrates to a different group that was maybe closer to where you needed to be. We had to find it. I still felt like we got pretty much where we needed to be in the end, which is what your goal is.
I think coming back we can make it even better. Like J.D. said, we’ll talk about it and continue to try to improve.
Q.  Jonathan, what kind of challenges does a new package face for you?JONATHAN DIUGUID: I think the biggest thing is there’s a new tire here this weekend on the right front which was in response to some of the things that occurred last year. A few other teams tested here more than we did. Those teams were strong during the race.It’s really about leaning on the notes we have from previous years and the experience we have in the truck. I know Luke, Josef’s race engineer, worked very hard from when we showed up here and did the first practice session until the race. It’s not like we didn’t make any changes. There were large changes on the car, large setup adjustments. We have to come prepared and come with confidence and the tools.
Like Josef said, the people that are in the truck and engineering office are the people who put the car where it was today, and Josef executed for us and finished in front.
Q.  Does St. Louis hold a special place in your heart? Do you circle it on the calendar?JOSEF NEWGARDEN: I mean, I can only give you an honest answer. I love this track. It’s one of the more fun places that we go to race, without a doubt. I love short oval racing. I don’t think that’s a secret.
But I don’t look forward to this place more than others. I like everywhere we go, to be quite honest with you. I actually look forward to the places that I suck at the most. Wherever I’ve had a bad result, I look forward going to the most because I want to rectify the problem. That’s the truth.
INDYCAR is a game that you have to be super versatile in. You got to be very well-rounded as a team, nimble. You got to be good everywhere. It exposes the weakness if you’re not good everywhere.
I don’t look forward to one place, say we got to score points here. We have to make sure that we’re excellent everywhere we show up. That’s what we’re working on every day together.Q.  When Alex Palou runs out of fuel on pit road, is there communication? I saw you were catching him there.JOSEF NEWGARDEN: I mean, I’ll let Jonathan speak to that. He was in my ear the whole time.
JONATHAN DIUGUID: The timing stand did a good job. We knew the 9 and 10 were very short on fuel. Scott came in and took emergency service. We were scanning his radios. Said you’re probably not going to make it to the pit box. Josef did his job.Alex was supposed to pull over to the left, which he didn’t. I think that is something we need to talk about. It caused some more problems for other people. Luckily we were right behind him so it didn’t cost us any time on pit road because we got to be able to get to the pit box and go forward.
In general, having people run out of fuel in pit lane in the fast lane is not something we need to have going forward. We did a good job there and went to the front.
Q.  Josef, how are you going to spend the week off?JOSEF NEWGARDEN: I don’t know. I don’t know. I’ll find out tomorrow. I’ll make a list. I think everybody’s going to enjoy the week off. I’m going to be doing what everybody else is doing.THE MODERATOR: Thank you.
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CHEVROLET IN THE NTT INDYCAR SERIESBommarito Automotive Group 5001.25-mile, four turn ovalMadison, IllinoisSunday Race ReportJune 7, 2026

MADISON, Illinois (June 7, 2026) –  For the sixth time in 11 races at World Wide Technology Raceway at Gateway, Josef Newgarden and the No. 2 Astemo Team Penske Chevrolet made the familiar trip to victory lane, his 34th career NTT INDYCAR SERIES win. Team Chevy now has either wins at the Madison, Illinois oval. 
Newgarden led five Chevrolet-powered cars in the top seven of a race that was interrupted by rain on three occasions. Christian Rasmussen, driving the No. 21 Splenda Chevrolet, had his second straight finish at the 1.25-mile, four-turn oval. Rinus VeeKay in the No. 76 Juncos Hollinger Racing, Scott McLaughlin in the No. 3 DEX Team Penske Chevrolet and David Malukas in the No. 12 Verizon Team Penske Chevrolet rounded out the stellar effort for Team Chevy. 
Newgarden’s win is 239th all-time for Team Chevy and the 130th since the introduction of the 2.2L Twin-Turbo V6 in 2012. 
Team Penske now has 126 wins all-time with Chevrolet power, and 89 since the introduction of the 2.2L Twin-Turbo V6 in 2012. Bommarito Automotive Group 500 race resultsWhat They’re Saying – Race – Bommarito Automotive Group 500 Josef Newgarden, No. 2 Astemo Team Penske Chevrolet won:“This team right here. This Astemo crew. Team Chevy, we had everything we needed tonight with Team Penske. Great job to the group. It was a methodical night. we had a good car at the start. It wasn’t perfect and it came to us just as we needed, as we tweaked on it. They called the race (the timing stand). It was a track position race. You have to give a lot of credit to Marcus. He was incredibly strong. I don’t think there was much between us. It was a matter of who was going to get positioning on each other and that’s what is going to seal the deal. He drove a great race and certainly could have won this as well. This team did the job tonight and that’s why we are here.”Christian Rasmussen, No. 21 Splenda Chevrolet finished 3rd:“Yeah, man, like I, that was all it had. I couldn’t, hang with those guys at the front. I was battling some understeer throughout the whole race, and I feel like we got, the car dialed in as well as we could. I was starting to get limited by my (corner) entries, but I was still like mid to exit on this end. But we had a good race car. We were moving forward. We were super strong on the high line, which was kind of the name of the game for us tonight, so that we can move forward. We had a third-place Splendakand we got third place.”
Rinus VeeKay, No. 76 Juncos Hollinger Chevrolet finished 4th:“We had a good night. We had good pace, and we moved through traffic. Didn’t have a lot of lucky breaks to start the race, so kind of cycled back all the time, and the last few stops we hit the right thing. We did a great job as a team. JHR Chevy was very good. Just a bit too much understeer at the end there, being side by side with Christian (Rasmussen). Couldn’t get it done. Being a race car driver, you’re bummed with fourth place, because you go home somewhat empty handed. But still, really, really good job by the team. You know, this is how we should have raced in Phoenix. Unfortunately, we didn’t get to do that. Just really happy to show that pace, that strength for such a young and small team now. We’re beating the big boys right now.”
Scott McLaughlin, No. 3 DEX Team Penske Chevrolet finished 5th:“An up and down day for the No. 3 Dex Chevy. The car wasn’t that great to start with, but we tuned her up as the race went on. Pretty happy overall with how the day went. We were looking at P15 for a little bit and we managed to get a top five. Good tune up on the cars. Then we just managed to wheel ourselves forward when we had better tires. A good run.”
David Malukas, No. 12 Verizon Team Penske Chevrolet finished 7th:“Overall, a really good recovery on what was a tough start with the setup. We just missed the window, and we were going into every stop to mess with the front wing and do whatever we can we this car to get it into a raceable window. In the end we had to commit with it being loose on exits, on entries, everywhere on those last few runs just to have any sort of pace. So, I was holding on for dear life, but thankfully we brought it home. Big thank you to Chevy, Verizon and everybody on Team Penske to not give up and keep pushing on. We learned a lot.”
Christian Lundgaard, No. 7 VELO Arrow McLaren Chevrolet finished 10th:“It was a very entertaining race. For once on an oval, I felt like I was driving the car, which is a big step up. I think we made a lot of improvements from Indy. It didn’t really feel like a tenth-place-finish car; my race felt a lot better than where the result ended up. There are a lot of positives from the night, a lot of good learnings, a lot to take from here to our next oval in Nashville.”
Pato O’Ward, No. 5 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet finished 11th:“Disappointing Sunday. It’s been a very tough start to our 2026 season. It hasn’t been good in many ways at all. It’s been consistent in top-fives where we could. Everywhere else it’s been a big challenge. Plenty of racing to go. Hopefully we can turn it around and get some solid results on the board.”
Santino Ferrucci, No. 14 Homes For Our Troops Chevrolet finished 13th:“A long day and night. Wish it was a bit better for us; we’re just missing pace, tried to find the balance in the car, and you know, we did everything we could on the strategy, and I think that, as far as that goes, you can’t really ask for more. Just didn’t have the pace today to finish in the top 10.”
Alexander Rossi, No. 20 ECR Java House Chevrolet finished 18th:
Sting Ray Robb, No. 77 Juncos Hollinger – Goodheart Chevrolet finished 19th:“I guess this is a weekend to forget. A tough one. Really frustrating. Congratulations to Rinus. I’m really happy to see the team with a P4. I think that is our best finish of the year. Rally good to see. Think we are headed in the right direction. We will learn everything we can before the next oval .Looking forward to Road America. It is one of my favorite tracks we go to. Had a bad event last year there so hoping we can rebound well. Thanks to the No. 77 crew, they worked hard. So, hoping we can rebound from this one.”
Caio Collet, No. 4 Combitrans Amazonia Chevrolet finished 22nd:”It’s hard. I think we did everything right today, from the strategy, to the driving, to everything. It’s racing.”
Nolan Siegel, No. 6 Deloitte Arrow McLaren Chevrolet finished 24th:“I left Palou room on the inside. I knew he was there. I knew we weren’t really racing him. I was just kind of letting him go, and it felt to me like he hung me out there and then never turned in. I had to come down at some point. I’m disappointed. I’m disappointed for the team. This is a place we’ve been strong at in the past, but it obviously didn’t work out for us tonight. So, we’ll move on to Road America.”
Up-next
Team Chevy drivers and teams get a much-needed weekend off before heading for brats and beer at Road America, one of the favorite stops on the calendar. The XPEL Grand Prix at Road America, held on the 4.014-mile, 14-turn Road America road course, will air on FOX at 2 pm (Eastern) on Sunday, June 21.
NTT INDYCAR SERIES News ConferenceMonday, June 8, 2026Josef NewgardenJonathan DiuguidPress Conference
THE MODERATOR: We are joined by Josef Newgarden, now six-time winner here. Second win of 2026. 34th career win, which ties him all time for ninth place with Al Unser Jr. You also moved up to sixth in points. With the 53 laps you led tonight, that brings your total to 4,580 laps led, which means you pass the great Dario Franchitti for ninth place.Your thoughts on another crazy race here.
JOSEF NEWGARDEN: It was crazy. I’m just glad we went the distance honestly. That was the big thing. With the rain, it almost turns it into a casino in some regards.
I think the fast cars finished up front going the distance. Marcus was super good. I don’t know that we were much better than him. I think we were very equal. It turned into a track position game at the end because we were so comparable.
I think we had some strengths on him. I think the team executed a really great race, which is ultimately what delivered the result at the end of the day. They just did a great job. Everyone stayed composed. It was a methodical win.
THE MODERATOR: Jonathan Diuguid, president Team Penske.From the pit stand, your thoughts on a huge night.
JONATHAN DIUGUID: A chaotic night. They asked us what we wanted to happen. I said I want it to stay green. Once we put Josef in front, I knew he wasn’t going to look back. That’s probably the best part of my day, when the rain didn’t show back up, we got to get the whole race in.
THE MODERATOR: Eighth on back put on a fresh set of tires at the end. How worried were you looking through that? Was it problematic?
JONATHAN DIUGUID: We talked about it before the race, anything after 20 laps on tires we were going to pit and take tires. I think there were 24 on that set.
We saw some other cars earlier on in the race be able to stay out on used tires and stay up front. I knew once we had the lead and the clear air, it was going to be okay.
THE MODERATOR: Open it up for questions.
Q.  How hard is it to try to guess what’s going on out there with the rain.JONATHAN DIUGUID: The biggest thing today was the rain wasn’t showing up on the radar. Not on the first one. The second one, there was a blip that came up. It’s difficult to predict. Good thing it was a hot, steamy and windy night in St. Louis. The track got dried up quickly.
Q.  Josef, what does it mean to you to get back into Victory Lane?JOSEF NEWGARDEN: Everything felt pretty good tonight. The car was fast, felt normal. It was great. I’m just happy for the team. They deserve it. It’s been a hard stretch I think for everybody in the paddock. All of us are working incredibly hard to get to this point.A win at any point, especially after this stretch, is super rewarding. That’s what I’m most happy about.
Q.  What did you see in the moment when Christian passed you and you came close to touching?JOSEF NEWGARDEN: So I got a little confused. I thought Christian was a lap car. I didn’t realize that was Rossi that was a lap car. It’s my fault. I was going to let him go. He doesn’t matter, I’ll just follow on him. I don’t really want to be behind him. I still didn’t know he was on the lead lap.
That is why when he came up to the podium, I am like, What are you doing here? How did you get here? You were a lap down. I think he got a little offended by that. I’m so glad that I repassed him. He’s kind of in the way, so…
Yeah, that’s really the truth. I thought he was the lap car and Rossi was the one that I was going to fight if he was in the mix with Marcus.
Ultimately I think we were able to get back by him because we had a great car. I think Marcus equally had a super good car. I think because we went the distance, you saw the quick cars finish up front tonight.
If you’re being truthful about it, I think me and Marcus were pretty close on performance. It was just going to come down to execution. The team executed when we needed to. That’s what ultimately pulled off the victory.
Q.  You thought that was Christian all the way to the checkered flag?JOSEF NEWGARDEN: I didn’t know till I got to the podium. I was confused why he was there. I got it wrong in my mind.
Q.  You won Phoenix. Been so strong on the short ovals. Do you come into here I don’t want to say expecting to win, but if you don’t win are you more disappointed?JONATHAN DIUGUID: We expect to win every single weekend. If we don’t, we talk about it.
Obviously our short oval program has been strong. Like Josef said, the field is extremely tight right now. 28 car was a prime example of that. Getting track position was critical to the win.
No, to answer your question, we expect to be strong on short ovals. I think we’ve had the fastest cars in all the street course qualifying sessions, and just have missed out in the new Fast Six procedure.
The cars are quick. We’re going to a permanent road course with Road America here, too. I’ve been working on some stuff for that race also. Our goal is to be competitive and fighting for the win every single weekend. That’s what you have to do to win the championship.
Q.  Is there anything about this track that fits into your wheelhouse?JOSEF NEWGARDEN: Not in particular. I think when we’re good here, our cars are good. You look at the history of Team Penske, they’ve always had strong race cars here. When you have the fastest car in the field, it’s easier to win the race. That’s more times than not what I’ve got. I think that was the case today, too.
Q.  Al Unser Jr. Next win will be tied with Bobby Unser. What does it mean to be among that company of legends with so many years to go?JOSEF NEWGARDEN: I got to be honest. My reaction is more, I enjoy working with the individuals around me, I really do. That’s no disrespect to the win list. You’re not going to find someone that is more competitive than me. I very much know the stats anything you want to look at in INDYCAR.
I enjoy my time with my team. I really do. I like working with the team. So when I think about victories or I think about the amount of time I’ve been in the sport, that’s what I really lean on now.
I like showing up to the track and try to do a great job. We did that tonight. It’s fun to go racing. It’s fun when we have fast cars, it’s fun when we execute. I just want to see us do that more often going forward.
We’re in a pretty good place. We keep building momentum in a lot of ways as a team. To Jonathan’s point, what we expect from ourselves, I think we’re building a lot of that back, which is great to see this year.
Q.  You and Marcus had light contact, but nothing that sent you into the wall. How important is to it have the trust with you and all the other drivers racing up front?JOSEF NEWGARDEN: I think you got to give a lot of respect to Marcus. He did a tremendous job tonight. He was super fast. I think he’s become a great oval driver in this series.
If anything, I should have left him a little bit more room I think. I think I got a little bit high. Thankfully these cars, we’ve seen they’re very robust. Even a light touch doesn’t normally result in much. That’s why you also see such close, hard racing. It’s just the nature of INDYCAR these days.
It was a good fight. He drove a great race. It was fun to battle with him tonight.
Q.  Josef, last year you’re flipping on the frontstretch. This year you win. How much does it mean to you to come back and restake your claim?JOSEF NEWGARDEN: It was nice to not flip. I enjoyed that part of it. I did do a sick rail grind, okay? I’ve got a dope highlight reel. I’m going to be honest with you guys. If I stop tomorrow, it’s going to be like there’s a cool list of things I’ve done. I rode a car off at Road America in the kink. You haven’t lived until you’ve done that. I don’t know how many people have done a rail grind at Gateway.
I’ve F’d up and hit a curb on turn four in Indianapolis, smoked my foot. Put that in the highlight reel. It’s been good. Nice to come back and get a win this weekend. We’ve had some other good moments, too.
Q.  Was this drive harder than the 2016 win at Iowa?JOSEF NEWGARDEN: No. Not tonight. The car was great. I felt good tonight. I felt spicy in the car. No, tonight was not hard. It was an easy night with the team.
JONATHAN DIUGUID: (Indiscernible) and he let Rasmussen by to hit the fuel number I was talking about.
JOSEF NEWGARDEN: I was confused. He probably told me the right thing. I messed it up. That’s going to be in the debrief. I’m going to be made fun of for that.
Q.  Josef, you were so disappointed last week with a top-10 finish, biggest mover, because you felt like the car was capable of winning. To be able to produce a win with a car that was clearly capable of winning this week, how good does this feel?JOSEF NEWGARDEN: It’s great. We knew this was going to be a different story. We had a lot of conversations. I appreciate the team having my back and letting me go to work last weekend. They went to work. They did a lot for me.
It’s frustrating when you’re in a race like that, you can tell the car has the potential to do more, the team executed in a way that should have produced more. It’s tough when you’re the missing link. I hate that. I don’t want to be that.
It was the reality of the situation. We got through it together. We knew it was going to be different when we came here. I’m happy we were able to capitalize it on this weekend.
Q.  What was so different about this weekend than Detroit?JOSEF NEWGARDEN: It’s not Detroit. Enough said. That was the big difference (smiling). Nice, smooth oval.
Q.  After practice yesterday, compared to after the win tonight, your thoughts on the new package that they brought here this weekend? Did you like it going in? Changed after yesterday’s practice, the lower downforce package?JOSEF NEWGARDEN: I mean, I haven’t watched it back. I thought it produced a good show. I thought we had good race-ability. The key to these races is having multiple lanes. We had that all night. Provided we have that, you’ll have the potential for a good race. Felt like it was a pretty decent race. I don’t know what it looked like from the outside.
Yeah, I think I should reserve my thoughts, but I think the car is going to be a little harder to drive. I really do. I think as a race car driver, it’s in your nature to want that. You always want more power, more difficulty. You want to be able to express your ability to drive the car more and more.
That’s always my feeling when I’m asked about feedback. But when you look at the fan experience, you have to have two lanes working at this type of track. I think it’s expected nowadays. It’s not what it was like 20, 30 years ago. That wasn’t the norm in INDYCAR. Now we’ve gotten to the point where people are going to expect multi-lane racing.Provided we can do that, it’s good for the show. I think we had that tonight.
Q.  Josef, do you think the package maybe played into the fact you were fast?JOSEF NEWGARDEN: When you say ‘fast’…
Q.  The car was really fast.JOSEF NEWGARDEN: As a team?
Q.  Yes.JOSEF NEWGARDEN: I thought we had pretty good transfer from last year to this year. It was actually trickier. Our car last year was maybe a little bit better right off the jump, whereas this weekend we had to work on it.
You could see some other people elevated with that. When you change the package, it sometimes just migrates to a different group that was maybe closer to where you needed to be. We had to find it. I still felt like we got pretty much where we needed to be in the end, which is what your goal is.
I think coming back we can make it even better. Like J.D. said, we’ll talk about it and continue to try to improve.
Q.  Jonathan, what kind of challenges does a new package face for you?JONATHAN DIUGUID: I think the biggest thing is there’s a new tire here this weekend on the right front which was in response to some of the things that occurred last year. A few other teams tested here more than we did. Those teams were strong during the race.It’s really about leaning on the notes we have from previous years and the experience we have in the truck. I know Luke, Josef’s race engineer, worked very hard from when we showed up here and did the first practice session until the race. It’s not like we didn’t make any changes. There were large changes on the car, large setup adjustments. We have to come prepared and come with confidence and the tools.
Like Josef said, the people that are in the truck and engineering office are the people who put the car where it was today, and Josef executed for us and finished in front.
Q.  Does St. Louis hold a special place in your heart? Do you circle it on the calendar?JOSEF NEWGARDEN: I mean, I can only give you an honest answer. I love this track. It’s one of the more fun places that we go to race, without a doubt. I love short oval racing. I don’t think that’s a secret.
But I don’t look forward to this place more than others. I like everywhere we go, to be quite honest with you. I actually look forward to the places that I suck at the most. Wherever I’ve had a bad result, I look forward going to the most because I want to rectify the problem. That’s the truth.
INDYCAR is a game that you have to be super versatile in. You got to be very well-rounded as a team, nimble. You got to be good everywhere. It exposes the weakness if you’re not good everywhere.
I don’t look forward to one place, say we got to score points here. We have to make sure that we’re excellent everywhere we show up. That’s what we’re working on every day together.Q.  When Alex Palou runs out of fuel on pit road, is there communication? I saw you were catching him there.JOSEF NEWGARDEN: I mean, I’ll let Jonathan speak to that. He was in my ear the whole time.
JONATHAN DIUGUID: The timing stand did a good job. We knew the 9 and 10 were very short on fuel. Scott came in and took emergency service. We were scanning his radios. Said you’re probably not going to make it to the pit box. Josef did his job.Alex was supposed to pull over to the left, which he didn’t. I think that is something we need to talk about. It caused some more problems for other people. Luckily we were right behind him so it didn’t cost us any time on pit road because we got to be able to get to the pit box and go forward.
In general, having people run out of fuel in pit lane in the fast lane is not something we need to have going forward. We did a good job there and went to the front.
Q.  Josef, how are you going to spend the week off?JOSEF NEWGARDEN: I don’t know. I don’t know. I’ll find out tomorrow. I’ll make a list. I think everybody’s going to enjoy the week off. I’m going to be doing what everybody else is doing.THE MODERATOR: Thank you.
Chevrolet at World Wide Technology Raceway At Gateway
General Motors Wins: 9
Chevrolet Wins: 8 
2026 – Josef Newgarden – Team Penske2024 – Josef Newgarden – Team Penske2022 – Josef Newgarden – Team Penske2021 – Josef Newgarden – Team Penske2020 Race #2 – Josef Newgarden – Team Penske2018 – Will Power – Team Penske2017 – Josef Newgarden – Team Penske2002 – Gil de Ferran – Team Penske 
Oldsmobile Wins: 1
2001 – Al Unser, Jr. – Galles Racing

General Motors Poles: 9
Chevrolet Poles: 8
2025 – Will Power – Team Penske2024 – Scott McLaughlin – Team Penske2023 – Scott McLaughlin – Team Penske2022 – Will Power – Team Penske2021 – Will Power – Team Penske2020 Race #1     – Will Power – Team Penske2019 – Josef Newgarden – Team Penske2017 – Will Power – Team Penske2002 – Gil de Ferran – Team Penske
Oldsmobile Poles: 1
2001 – Sam Hornish – Panther Racing
General Motors Podiums: 27
Chevrolet Podiums 26
Chevrolet driver podiums at World Wide Technology Raceway At Gateway: Josef Newgarden (6), Pato O’Ward (5), Scott McLaughlin (3), Will Power (2), Christian Rasmussen (2), Alex Barron (1), Ed Carpenter (1), Helio Castroneves (1), Gil de Ferran (1), Tony Kanaan (1), Simon Pagenaud (1) 
Chevrolet team podiums at World Wide Technology Raceway At Gateway:  Team Penske (14), Arrow McLaren (5), ECR (3), A.J. Foyt Racing (1), Blair Racing (1)
Oldsmobile Podiums: 3
Oldsmobile driver podiums at World Wide Technology Raceway At Gateway: Mark Dismore (1), Sam Hornish (1) and Al Unser, Jr. (1). 
Oldsmobile team podiums at World Wide Technology Raceway At Gateway: Galles Racing (1), Kelley Racing (1), and Panther Racing (1)

General Motors Laps Led: 2031
Chevrolet Laps Led: 1866
Chevrolet laps led by driver at World Wide Technology Raceway At Gateway: Josef Newgarden (677), Will Power (450), Pato O’Ward (167), Helio Castroneves (137), Scott McLaughlin (130), Gil de Ferran (81), David Malukas (67), Conor Daly (37), Alex Barron (29), Sebastien Bourdais (18), Simon Pagenaud (14), Alexander Rossi (14), Santino Ferrucci (8), Sting Ray Robb (8), Nolan Siegel (8), Caio Collet (7), Christian Rasmussen (6), Callum Ilott (5), Felipe Giafone (2), and Felix Rosenqvist (1) 
Chevrolet laps led by team at World Wide Technology Raceway At Gateway: Team Penske (1489), Arrow McLaren (188), A.J. Foyt Racing (108), Juncos Hollinger Racing (36), Blair Racing (29), ECR (8), Prema Racing (5), Mo Nunn Racing (2) and Carlin (1). 

Oldsmobile Laps Led: 165
Oldsmobile laps led by driver at World Wide Technology Raceway At Gateway: Sam Hornish (81), Al Unser, Jr. (75), Mark Dismore (8), and Airton Dare (1)
Oldsmobile laps led by team at World Wide Technology Raceway At Gateway: Panther Racing (81), Galles Racing (75), Kelley Racing (8) and Team Xtreme (1)
Manufacturer history at World Wide Technology Raceway At Gateway Wins – General Motors (9)Chevrolet (8) – 2026, 2024, 2022, 2021, 2020 R2, 2018, 2017, 2002Honda (5) – 2025, 2023, 2020 R1, 2019, 1998Toyota (2) – 2003, 2000Oldsmobile (1) – 2001Ford (1) – 1999Mercedes (1) – 1997

Earned Poles – 16 (in 2018, the field was set by championship points due to weather)General Motors (9)Chevrolet (8) – 2025, 2023, 2022, 2021, 2020 R1, 2019, 2017, 2002Honda (3) – 2026, 2020 R2, 1999Toyota (2) – 2003, 2000Oldsmobile (1) – 2001Mercedes (1) – 1998Ford (1) – 1997

SPICY SUNDAY: Carson Macedo Stays Hot with Angell Park Victory

Macedo drives by Williamson to claim the Ted Johnson Memorial and cut into Gravel’s point lead a little more

SUN PRAIRIE, WI (June 7, 2026) –

The Summer of Money is nearing, and Carson Macedo and the Jason Johnson Racing crew are heating up.

The No. 41 team didn’t quite perform up to their high standards over the first few months of the season. Sure, they were consistent, but Macedo and company are used to visiting Victory Lane often. Over the last few weeks, they’ve done exactly that.

Heading into Sunday’s Ted Johnson Memorial Race at Sun Prairie, WI’s Angell Park Speedway, they’d won twice in the last five races – Jacksonville Speedway on May 21 and River Cities Speedway on May 29. An impressive drive Sunday made it three out of the last six with the World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Cars.

Macedo lined up on the third row and worked his way forward on a tricky surface. It took him only five laps to climb to the runner-up spot. Then the game of cat and mouse was on as he chased polesitter Garet Williamson. Macedo closed in several times as they navigated traffic but couldn’t quite seal the deal. Finally, the door opened on a Lap 29 restart.

The Lemoore, CA native timed it perfectly and threw a slide job that cleared, and Williamson couldn’t counter. That proved to be the winning move as Macedo motored away to the checkered flag.

“A huge thank you and hats off to Philip Dietz, Robby McQuinn, and Adam Zimmerman, they did a great job,” Macedo said. “We made a lot of adjustments all night long. I felt like every time I came in, I had a lot of feedback. Obviously, Phil made a lot of changes, and Adam and Robby worked their tails off doing it. Just a big thank you to them. The track changed a lot. I was super nervous at the beginning of the race before it started. I thought it was going to blow all the way off, and there wasn’t going to be much left. But there was just enough meat where I could kind of connect the grip and make a lot of speed in this Albaugh 41 car.”

Macedo’s fourth win of the year is the 62nd of his career with The Greatest Show on Dirt. Sunday might’ve been his first Sprint Car score at Angell Park, but he did also top a POWRi Midget race there in 2016. Macedo made it three different winners in three World of Outlaws races at Angell Park, joining Donny Schatz (2016) and Sheldon Haudenschild (2025). And the most important number is 70, which is the gap between he and championship leader David Gravel atop the standings. Entering the weekend, Macedo trailed by 114 markers.

Sheldon Haudenschild finished second in the KCP Racing/NOS Energy Drink No. 18. He’s now reeled off six top fives in the last seven races including a trio of podiums.

Bill Balog made his home state fans proud with a third-place run to notch his second podium visit of the season.

Logan Schuchart and Michael “Buddy” Kofoid completed the top five.

NIGHTLY NOTES

David Gravel earned the Race//Ready Hottest Lap of the Night.

Bill Balog set Simpson Quick Time in Honest Abe Roofing Qualifying.

Heat Races belonged to Bill Balog (NOS Energy Drink Heat One), Spencer Bayston (TheGreatestStoreonDirt.com Heat Two), and Sheldon Haudenschild (WIX Filters Heat Three).

The SPA Technique #1 Redraw went to Garet Williamson.

Williamson also topped the Toyota Dash.

Logan Julien wheeled from 17th to 10th to earn the KSE Racing Products Hard Charger.

Spencer Bayston was the Tub O’ Towels Seventh Place Finisher.

Ashton Torgerson finished eighth, good enough for the Five Star Bodies Rookie of the Race.

Garet Williamson set the ACME Trading Company Fast Lap.

Williamson also took home the Smith Titanium Brake Systems Break of the Race.

UP NEXT: The World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Cars make a stop at Knoxville Raceway on June 12-13 for the final leg of the Premier Chevy Dealers Clash, marking the last visit to the 1/2 mile before the 65th running of the NOS Energy Drink Knoxville Nationals presented by Casey’s (Aug. 12-15). For tickets, CLICK HERE.

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

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

FEATURE RESULTS:

SPICY SUNDAY: Carson Macedo Stays Hot with Angell Park Victory

Macedo drives by Williamson to claim the Ted Johnson Memorial and cut into Gravel’s point lead a little more

SUN PRAIRIE, WI (June 7, 2026) –

The Summer of Money is nearing, and Carson Macedo and the Jason Johnson Racing crew are heating up.

The No. 41 team didn’t quite perform up to their high standards over the first few months of the season. Sure, they were consistent, but Macedo and company are used to visiting Victory Lane often. Over the last few weeks, they’ve done exactly that.

Heading into Sunday’s Ted Johnson Memorial Race at Sun Prairie, WI’s Angell Park Speedway, they’d won twice in the last five races – Jacksonville Speedway on May 21 and River Cities Speedway on May 29. An impressive drive Sunday made it three out of the last six with the World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Cars.

Macedo lined up on the third row and worked his way forward on a tricky surface. It took him only five laps to climb to the runner-up spot. Then the game of cat and mouse was on as he chased polesitter Garet Williamson. Macedo closed in several times as they navigated traffic but couldn’t quite seal the deal. Finally, the door opened on a Lap 29 restart.

The Lemoore, CA native timed it perfectly and threw a slide job that cleared, and Williamson couldn’t counter. That proved to be the winning move as Macedo motored away to the checkered flag.

“A huge thank you and hats off to Philip Dietz, Robby McQuinn, and Adam Zimmerman, they did a great job,” Macedo said. “We made a lot of adjustments all night long. I felt like every time I came in, I had a lot of feedback. Obviously, Phil made a lot of changes, and Adam and Robby worked their tails off doing it. Just a big thank you to them. The track changed a lot. I was super nervous at the beginning of the race before it started. I thought it was going to blow all the way off, and there wasn’t going to be much left. But there was just enough meat where I could kind of connect the grip and make a lot of speed in this Albaugh 41 car.”

Macedo’s fourth win of the year is the 62nd of his career with The Greatest Show on Dirt. Sunday might’ve been his first Sprint Car score at Angell Park, but he did also top a POWRi Midget race there in 2016. Macedo made it three different winners in three World of Outlaws races at Angell Park, joining Donny Schatz (2016) and Sheldon Haudenschild (2025). And the most important number is 70, which is the gap between he and championship leader David Gravel atop the standings. Entering the weekend, Macedo trailed by 114 markers.

Sheldon Haudenschild finished second in the KCP Racing/NOS Energy Drink No. 18. He’s now reeled off six top fives in the last seven races including a trio of podiums.

Bill Balog made his home state fans proud with a third-place run to notch his second podium visit of the season.

Logan Schuchart and Michael “Buddy” Kofoid completed the top five.

NIGHTLY NOTES

David Gravel earned the Race//Ready Hottest Lap of the Night.

Bill Balog set Simpson Quick Time in Honest Abe Roofing Qualifying.

Heat Races belonged to Bill Balog (NOS Energy Drink Heat One), Spencer Bayston (TheGreatestStoreonDirt.com Heat Two), and Sheldon Haudenschild (WIX Filters Heat Three).

The SPA Technique #1 Redraw went to Garet Williamson.

Williamson also topped the Toyota Dash.

Logan Julien wheeled from 17th to 10th to earn the KSE Racing Products Hard Charger.

Spencer Bayston was the Tub O’ Towels Seventh Place Finisher.

Ashton Torgerson finished eighth, good enough for the Five Star Bodies Rookie of the Race.

Garet Williamson set the ACME Trading Company Fast Lap.

Williamson also took home the Smith Titanium Brake Systems Break of the Race.

UP NEXT: The World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Cars make a stop at Knoxville Raceway on June 12-13 for the final leg of the Premier Chevy Dealers Clash, marking the last visit to the 1/2 mile before the 65th running of the NOS Energy Drink Knoxville Nationals presented by Casey’s (Aug. 12-15). For tickets, CLICK HERE.

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

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

FEATURE RESULTS:

NOS Energy Drink Feature (40 Laps): 1. 41-Carson Macedo[5]; 2. 18-Sheldon Haudenschild[3]; 3. 17B-Bill Balog[2]; 4. 1S-Logan Schuchart[7]; 5. 83-Michael Kofoid[9]; 6. 2-David Gravel[8]; 7. 17-Spencer Bayston[6]; 8. 51-Ashton Torgerson[4]; 9. 27-Emerson Axsom[15]; 10. 85J-Logan Julien[17]; 11. 7S-Chris Windom[13]; 12. (DNF) 23-Garet Williamson[1]; 13. (DNF) 2C-Cole Macedo[11]; 14. (DNF) 92-Zach Daum[18]; 15. (DNF) 25-Danny Schlafer[19]; 16. (DNF) 19-Joel Myers Jr[20]; 17. (DNF) 28M-Conner Morrell[22]; 18. (DNF) 10V-Matt VanderVere[24]; 19. (DNF) 1K-Kelby Watt[10]; 20. (DNF) 51B-Joe B Miller[16]; 21. (DNF) 16C-Skylar Gee[21]; 22. (DNF) 87A-Austin Hartmann[23]; 23. (DNF) 47-Todd King[25]; 24. (DNF) 6-Kasey Jedrzejek[14]; 25. (DNF) 15-Donny Schatz[12]

Wood Brothers racing–Michigan recap

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Event: FireKeepers Casino 400 Location: Michigan International Speedway, Brooklyn, MichiganDate: Sunday, June 7, 2026Start: 37thFinish: 15thSomewhere between the start and finish of Sunday’s FireKeepers Casino 400 at Michigan International Speedway, Josh Berry and the No. 21 Motorcraft/Quick Lane team were finally able to outrun the bad luck that had followed them in recent weeks. After starting from the rear of the field, Berry methodically worked his way forward throughout the 200-lap event, avoided significant damage in a multi-car incident during the final stage and gained several positions in the closing laps to secure a 15th-place finish. The result marked his best finish since scoring a 10th-place run at Martinsville Speedway in late March.Berry was forced to start last after spinning during his qualifying lap on Saturday, but quickly began making progress once the green flag waved. He gained five positions during the opening 45-lap stage and continued his climb through the field, reaching 18th by the conclusion of Stage 2 on Lap 120.The biggest challenge of the afternoon came on Lap 154 when a nine-car accident unfolded directly in front of him. Berry spun while trying to avoid the chaos after getting tagged from behind, but managed to escape with only minor damage to the No. 21 Ford Mustang Dark Horse. Following repairs and a strong restart, he resumed his charge and remained inside the top 20 for the remainder of the race.With less than 10 laps remaining, Berry picked off three more positions, crossing the finish line in 15th place.Berry and the Wood Brothers Racing team will look to carry that momentum into next weekend’s Great American Getaway 400 at the 2.5-mile triangle of Pocono Raceway.

John Force Racing–Sunday recap

RACE RECAP – CITY Race 8 of 20
Photography: John Force Racing / Auto Imagery / Gary Nastase
ALL JFR FUNNY CAR FINAL POSTPONED UNTIL BRISTOLRain hits right before the Beckman -Vandergriff final round, Hart and DeJoria halted in Rd. 2
RACE RECAP – CITYRace 8 of 20
Photography: John Force Racing / Auto Imagery / Gary Nastase
ALL JFR FUNNY CAR FINAL POSTPONED UNTIL BRISTOLRain hits right before the Beckman -Vandergriff final round, Hart and DeJoria halted in Rd. 2
EPPING, N.H. (June 7, 2026) – John Force Racing will win the Funny Car class of the NHRA New England Nationals at New England Dragway but it will be next Friday at Bristol (Tenn.) Dragway before it’s determined whether it will be Jack Beckman and the PEAK Chevrolet SS Funny Car team or Jordan Vandergriff and the Cornwell Tools Chevrolet SS Funny Car team who raise the NHRA 75thanniversary diamond Wally trophy. Rain hit the drag strip as the finalists in both Funny Car and Top Fuel were in the staging lanes ready to determine the event’s final two winners. It started and stopped at least three times before a final downpour forced NHRA officials to postpone until next Friday. It’s the 58th all-John Force Racing final and first since the 2025 U.S. Nationals when Austin Prock defeated Beckman. It’s also the fourth all-John Force Racing New England Nationals final. Courtney Force defeated her dad in the inaugural NHRA New England Nationals in 2013. Josh Hart’s Speedmaster Top Fuel team and Alexis DeJoria’s Bandero Café Chevrolet SS Funny Car team both exited after the second round, Hart to an unbelievable reaction time from his opponent and DeJoria by an almost incomprehensibly small margin of victory by hers. Beckman easily won his first-round matchup against Phil Burkart Jr. with a run of 3.970 seconds at 323.58 mph to Burkart’s 12.368 seconds at 70.44 mph. The PEAK SQUAD dispatched of Matt Hagan in the second round, running 3.943 seconds at 324.75 mph to Hagan’s 4.020 seconds at 323.04 mph. In the semifinals against Ron Capps, Beckman set low elapsed time of the meet with a run of 3.904 seconds at 329.75 mph to set up the final round against Vandergriff. “The disappointment is we’ve built some great momentum the past couple of weeks and we wanted to keep that going in the final today,” said Beckman. “Our car has been down the track 14 of the last 15 runs. That Cornwell car’s been wicked consistent, too. I think with the track getting better and better here throughout the day, we could have set the two lowest ET’s of the weekend, which our PEAK Chevy took in the semifinals today. But we’re not going to race in the rain and we’ll pack our cars and have three reasons to go right after it in Bristol. We’re going to have qualifying, the Mission Foods #2Fast2Tasty Challenge, the final round against Vandergriff for this race, and the Bristol race. That’s four reasons to push hard right off the bat.” Vandergriff had his hands full early in the run with first-round opponent Jeff Arend but his 3.970-second run at 323.58 mph was more than enough for Arend’s 4.104 seconds at 286.38. In Round 2, the Cornwell Tools Chevrolet SS Funny Car rand 3.942 seconds at 324.51 mph to defeat Chad Green who ran 3.975 seconds at 322.42 mph. In his semifinal matchup against J.R. Todd, Vandergriff lost the reaction time battle but Todd’s car spun the tires shortly thereafter while Vandergriff streaked to a run of 3.982 seconds at 316.52 mph. “We have an all JFR final and this is definitely what John would have wanted,” said Vandergriff. “So, thank you to Cornwell Quality Tools for getting me here. I hate it for all the great fans here in Epping who stuck it out because they deserved to have everything get wrapped up here but it was not to be.” The Speedmaster team took the Round 1 win against Rit Pustari with a run of 3.872 seconds at 330.47 mph to Pustari’s 3.382 seconds at 79.29 mph. Hart had lane choice in Round 2 against Billy Torrence and cut a solid .056-of-a-second reaction time but Torrence had an almost unimaginable reaction time of .036-of-a-second. That margin made the difference at the finish line as Torrence took the win with a slower run of 3.861 seconds at 331.04 mph to Hart’s run of 3.856 seconds at 332.43 mph. “To say I’m not happy would be a huge understatement,” said Hart. “I haven’t been beaten on a holeshot since 2023 Gainesville against Tony Schumacher. That said, I am proud of the Speedmaster JFR team as we continue to work on our hot track tune up. Now let’s go to Bristol.” DeJoria posted a solid run of 3.998 seconds at 326.40 mph to take the first-round win against Cruz Pedregon’s run of 4.397 seconds at 20.721 mph. In Round 2, Ron Capps had lane choice but DeJoria got the holeshot (.056 to .070) and led for almost the entire length of the racing surface before Capps got around her right at the finish line. The Bandero Café Chevy ran 3.953 seconds at 328.54 mph to Capps’ 3.938 (low ET of the round) at 327.11 mph, meaning the margin of victory was a mere 18/10,000ths of a second, or just 10 inches. “It was a good showing for the Bandero Café Chevy SS Funny Car team this weekend,” said DeJoria. “We qualified well on Friday, getting the No. 1 spot and some important points. Everything just seems to be clicking right now. Everything’s coming together. It’s just a matter of time. I’ve said that before but I’ve never felt it more than this moment with our performance level and just how confident I feel in this race car. Bristol can’t come soon enough. These guys are doing such a good job. I really wanted to bring home a Wally for my East Coast family, but I’ll be back next year. You can be certain of that.” NEXT RACEThe ninth of 20 races of the 2026 NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series is the June 12-14 Super Grip NHRA Thunder Valley Nationals at Bristol (Tenn.) Dragway. 

Larson, Hocevar Take Home Top-Five Finishes at Michigan International Speedway

NASCAR Cup Series Michigan International Speedway FireKeepers Casino 400 Team Chevy Post-Race Report June 7, 2026


 Larson, Hocevar Take Home Top-Five Finishes at Michigan International Speedway
MEDIA RESOURCES: Photo Gallery | Race AdvancesChevrolet Newsroom

RACE RECAP: 

Stage One: Taking center stage in front of a hometown crowd, it was Spire Motorsports’ Carson Hocevar that led Team Chevy in Saturday’s qualifying session to earn a front row starting position for the FireKeepers Casino 400 at Michigan International Speedway. The sold out crowd came to their feet as Hocevar drove his No. 77 Chevrolet to the top position to lead the opening lap of Stage One. Holding onto the position throughout a pair of early-race cautions, the Michigan native made an early report that his Chevrolet was building tight in turns three and four. But despite the ill-handling racecar, Hocevar was able to maintain a top-three running position and a 2.5-second gap to the leader en route to the first green-white checkered flag.


Stage Two: With the No. 77 pit crew firing off a quick four-tire and fuel stop under the stage break, Hocevar found himself back in the third position to take the green flag for Stage Two. A masterful restart saw Hocevar quickly maneuver his Chevrolet back to the top of the leaderboard to pace the field for a handful of laps, ultimately falling to second as the field entered a long run. But a caution at Lap 63 opened up the door for varying pit strategy throughout the field. A two-tire call by much of the lead pack, including the Hendrick Motorsports pair of Kyle Larson and Chase Elliott, saw the duo takeover the front row for the restart. The track position paid dividends for the Alan Gustafson-led team, with Elliott able to take the lead for the first time of the day and hold the position to take the Stage Two victory.


Final Stage: A scheduled four-tire and fuel stop for the No. 9 team saw the former champion inherit a position back on the front row to lead the field to the green flag for the final stage. Elliott maintained a small lead until the race went under yellow flag conditions on Lap 142. Crew chief, Alan Gustafson, called his driver to pit road with the lead pack, with the team returning to the track in the fifth position as the first car on a four-tire strategy. But the team’s strong run came to an early end just after the restart when he was involved in an accident with Christopher Bell. Sitting under red flag conditions for nearly 20 minutes, it was Team Chevy drivers that took over the top-four positions to lead the field to the restart with 47 laps to go. Yet another strong strategy-driven race by the Ryan Sparks-led team saw Daniel Suarez earn a race-contending position at the front of the field. With a long green flag run that brought the race to a close, it was the speed of the No. 5 Chevrolet team that prevailed at the end – leading Team Chevy to the checkered flag with a fourth-place finish. 
Team Chevy Unofficial Top-10 ResultsPos.     Driver
4th – Kyle Larson5th – Carson Hocevar6th – Daniel SuarezChevrolet’s season statistics with 15 NASCAR Cup Series races complete:
Wins: 5Poles: 3Top-Fives: 28Top 10s: 54Stage Wins: 13
The 2026 NASCAR Cup Series season continues at Pocono Raceway with the Great American Getaway 400 presented by VISITPA on Sunday, June 14, at 3 p.m. ET. Live coverage can be found on Amazon Prime, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90.
Post-Race Driver Quotes: Austin Dillon, No. 3 Richard Childress Racing ChevroletSidelined by damage sustained in an accident in Stage Two. Finished: 36th“Our No. 3 Dow MobilityScience Chevrolet was really fast, so it’s super unfortunate. It looked like the No. 77 (Carson Hocevar) got into the No. 42 (John H. Nemechek) and turned him across the field. We almost got through it. I saw the No. 11 (Denny Hamlin) coming down. I kind of gassed up to get past him, but the No. 45 (Tyler Reddick) was there. I’m frustrated because we had a fast car. The team did a great job, and I’m proud of everyone at RCR and ECR. I just hate that we lost our car. It’s just unfortunate that we have good runs, but get caught up in other peoples’ messes and it just sets you back every time. We’ll regroup and focus on Pocono (Raceway) next weekend.”   Kyle Larson, No. 5 Hendrick Motorsports ChevroletFinished: 4thYou really found something there at the end. Did your car just come back alive? “I don’t know if we just finally got the adjustments right or the track conditions came to me a little bit. I just had a really poor restart there and got ate up, stuck in the middle and fell back somewhere between 13th-15th. Thankfully, my No. 5 HendrickCars.com Chevy was good that last run to be able to drive back to fourth. I just wish I would have executed it better and we probably would have had a better shot at finishing second or maybe even be able to race Denny (Hamlin, race winner). It looked like he was really fast and drove away from the field, which is tough to do with this package.  But overall, just happy with the result. It was a clean day, for the most part. It was a good points day. There were guys around us in points that had a bad day, so we’ll take it.”   Daniel Suarez, No. 7 Spire Motorsports ChevroletFinished: 6th“We definitely had a Chevrolet that could contend all day long. This No. 7 NationGuards Chevrolet team did a great job and I’m just super proud of this group. I felt like we had a top-five car on the short run and a top-10 car on the long run. Our strength was definitely the short-middle part of the run. After three laps, I would fire off really quickly. I feel like on the short run, I was a little bit better than the No. 11 (Denny Hamlin, race winner). Once we lost control of the race, I knew it was going to be a little tough. Overall, just really proud of this team and everyone at Spire Motorsports.”    Chase Elliott, No. 9 Hendrick Motorsports ChevroletSidelined by damage sustained in an accident in the final stageFinished: 32nd “It was totally my fault. I feel really bad for (Christopher) Bell, just taking him out. I was trying to run the bottom, make use of our fresh tires and at least get to second, I was hoping, and stay side-by-side with him. I just got in there and got free. I thought I was going to spin and was kind of committing to spinning out. As soon as I was committed to spinning, it just hooked up and, unfortunately, sent Christopher into the wall really hard and me shortly thereafter. We were just racing really hard. I thought it was a turning point in the race to make something happen, but just stepped over the line and paid for it.” I know this wasn’t how you wanted to end the day, but if you look at the day collectively as a whole, what are the positives and the gains you see that your team has made? “I thought the No. 9 NAPA Chevrolet team had a really solid day going, we just needed to finish it off. We were able to lead some laps, get a stage win and stage points. I’m not sure what the rest of the day was going to bring, but it was solid overall. We were going to have a shot at it and we just needed to get there to find out.”   Austin Hill, No. 33 Richard Childress Racing ChevroletFinished: 20th“It was a learning day. The way the Cup car reacts to the air and how you use the pedals to carry momentum are so different than what I’m used to in the O’Reilly car. On the initial fire off, our Rebel Bourbon Chevrolet lost the front end on entry. The car would get loose at times and then tight at times, but anytime I got to the right side of someone, I would get immediately loose on entry. We went for spin towards the end but kept it off the wall without damage. Proud of the guys for sticking together and grinding out a top-20 finish.”  Cody Ware, No. 51 Rick Ware Racing ChevroletFinished: 23rd“We had a super-fast No. 51 Super.com Chevy all day today. Unfortunately, we got some damage and we had to fix on the left-rear toe link towards the end of the race, so we went a lap down. But my team did an awesome job getting that fixed because, otherwise, we would have had an even worse day. Just really proud of the team for hanging in there and getting the car fixed. It’s a really positive string of races we’ve had, so we’ve got some momentum to build off of.”   Connor Zilisch, No. 88 Trackhouse Racing ChevroletSidelined by damage sustained in an accident in Stage One. Finished: 37th“It’s just unfortunate. Another short race for this No. 88 WeatherTech Chevrolet team. I was very loose and I just couldn’t save it. Just very frustrated. It’s been a tough few weeks, but we’ll keep our heads down and try to go get them at Pocono (Raceway) next weekend.”    Shane van Gisbergen, No. 97 Trackhouse Racing ChevroletFinished: 30th“Unfortunate day for our SafetyCulture team. Just struggled with the balance of the car all day. It’s a shame to have this kind of day after building such great momentum the last couple of weeks. But we’ll continue to learn from this and be ready for Pocono.”  
NASCAR Cup SeriesMichigan International SpeedwayFireKeepers Casino 400Team Chevy Post-Race ReportJune 7, 2026


 Larson, Hocevar Take Home Top-Five Finishes at Michigan International Speedway
MEDIA RESOURCES: Photo Gallery | Race AdvancesChevrolet Newsroom

RACE RECAP: 

Stage One: Taking center stage in front of a hometown crowd, it was Spire Motorsports’ Carson Hocevar that led Team Chevy in Saturday’s qualifying session to earn a front row starting position for the FireKeepers Casino 400 at Michigan International Speedway. The sold out crowd came to their feet as Hocevar drove his No. 77 Chevrolet to the top position to lead the opening lap of Stage One. Holding onto the position throughout a pair of early-race cautions, the Michigan native made an early report that his Chevrolet was building tight in turns three and four. But despite the ill-handling racecar, Hocevar was able to maintain a top-three running position and a 2.5-second gap to the leader en route to the first green-white checkered flag.


Stage Two: With the No. 77 pit crew firing off a quick four-tire and fuel stop under the stage break, Hocevar found himself back in the third position to take the green flag for Stage Two. A masterful restart saw Hocevar quickly maneuver his Chevrolet back to the top of the leaderboard to pace the field for a handful of laps, ultimately falling to second as the field entered a long run. But a caution at Lap 63 opened up the door for varying pit strategy throughout the field. A two-tire call by much of the lead pack, including the Hendrick Motorsports pair of Kyle Larson and Chase Elliott, saw the duo takeover the front row for the restart. The track position paid dividends for the Alan Gustafson-led team, with Elliott able to take the lead for the first time of the day and hold the position to take the Stage Two victory.


Final Stage: A scheduled four-tire and fuel stop for the No. 9 team saw the former champion inherit a position back on the front row to lead the field to the green flag for the final stage. Elliott maintained a small lead until the race went under yellow flag conditions on Lap 142. Crew chief, Alan Gustafson, called his driver to pit road with the lead pack, with the team returning to the track in the fifth position as the first car on a four-tire strategy. But the team’s strong run came to an early end just after the restart when he was involved in an accident with Christopher Bell. Sitting under red flag conditions for nearly 20 minutes, it was Team Chevy drivers that took over the top-four positions to lead the field to the restart with 47 laps to go. Yet another strong strategy-driven race by the Ryan Sparks-led team saw Daniel Suarez earn a race-contending position at the front of the field. With a long green flag run that brought the race to a close, it was the speed of the No. 5 Chevrolet team that prevailed at the end – leading Team Chevy to the checkered flag with a fourth-place finish. 
Team Chevy Unofficial Top-10 ResultsPos.     Driver
4th – Kyle Larson5th – Carson Hocevar6th – Daniel SuarezChevrolet’s season statistics with 15 NASCAR Cup Series races complete:
Wins: 5Poles: 3Top-Fives: 28Top 10s: 54Stage Wins: 13
The 2026 NASCAR Cup Series season continues at Pocono Raceway with the Great American Getaway 400 presented by VISITPA on Sunday, June 14, at 3 p.m. ET. Live coverage can be found on Amazon Prime, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90.
Post-Race Driver Quotes: Austin Dillon, No. 3 Richard Childress Racing ChevroletSidelined by damage sustained in an accident in Stage Two. Finished: 36th“Our No. 3 Dow MobilityScience Chevrolet was really fast, so it’s super unfortunate. It looked like the No. 77 (Carson Hocevar) got into the No. 42 (John H. Nemechek) and turned him across the field. We almost got through it. I saw the No. 11 (Denny Hamlin) coming down. I kind of gassed up to get past him, but the No. 45 (Tyler Reddick) was there. I’m frustrated because we had a fast car. The team did a great job, and I’m proud of everyone at RCR and ECR. I just hate that we lost our car. It’s just unfortunate that we have good runs, but get caught up in other peoples’ messes and it just sets you back every time. We’ll regroup and focus on Pocono (Raceway) next weekend.”   Kyle Larson, No. 5 Hendrick Motorsports ChevroletFinished: 4thYou really found something there at the end. Did your car just come back alive? “I don’t know if we just finally got the adjustments right or the track conditions came to me a little bit. I just had a really poor restart there and got ate up, stuck in the middle and fell back somewhere between 13th-15th. Thankfully, my No. 5 HendrickCars.com Chevy was good that last run to be able to drive back to fourth. I just wish I would have executed it better and we probably would have had a better shot at finishing second or maybe even be able to race Denny (Hamlin, race winner). It looked like he was really fast and drove away from the field, which is tough to do with this package.  But overall, just happy with the result. It was a clean day, for the most part. It was a good points day. There were guys around us in points that had a bad day, so we’ll take it.”   Daniel Suarez, No. 7 Spire Motorsports ChevroletFinished: 6th“We definitely had a Chevrolet that could contend all day long. This No. 7 NationGuards Chevrolet team did a great job and I’m just super proud of this group. I felt like we had a top-five car on the short run and a top-10 car on the long run. Our strength was definitely the short-middle part of the run. After three laps, I would fire off really quickly. I feel like on the short run, I was a little bit better than the No. 11 (Denny Hamlin, race winner). Once we lost control of the race, I knew it was going to be a little tough. Overall, just really proud of this team and everyone at Spire Motorsports.”    Chase Elliott, No. 9 Hendrick Motorsports ChevroletSidelined by damage sustained in an accident in the final stageFinished: 32nd “It was totally my fault. I feel really bad for (Christopher) Bell, just taking him out. I was trying to run the bottom, make use of our fresh tires and at least get to second, I was hoping, and stay side-by-side with him. I just got in there and got free. I thought I was going to spin and was kind of committing to spinning out. As soon as I was committed to spinning, it just hooked up and, unfortunately, sent Christopher into the wall really hard and me shortly thereafter. We were just racing really hard. I thought it was a turning point in the race to make something happen, but just stepped over the line and paid for it.” I know this wasn’t how you wanted to end the day, but if you look at the day collectively as a whole, what are the positives and the gains you see that your team has made? “I thought the No. 9 NAPA Chevrolet team had a really solid day going, we just needed to finish it off. We were able to lead some laps, get a stage win and stage points. I’m not sure what the rest of the day was going to bring, but it was solid overall. We were going to have a shot at it and we just needed to get there to find out.”   Austin Hill, No. 33 Richard Childress Racing ChevroletFinished: 20th“It was a learning day. The way the Cup car reacts to the air and how you use the pedals to carry momentum are so different than what I’m used to in the O’Reilly car. On the initial fire off, our Rebel Bourbon Chevrolet lost the front end on entry. The car would get loose at times and then tight at times, but anytime I got to the right side of someone, I would get immediately loose on entry. We went for spin towards the end but kept it off the wall without damage. Proud of the guys for sticking together and grinding out a top-20 finish.”  Cody Ware, No. 51 Rick Ware Racing ChevroletFinished: 23rd“We had a super-fast No. 51 Super.com Chevy all day today. Unfortunately, we got some damage and we had to fix on the left-rear toe link towards the end of the race, so we went a lap down. But my team did an awesome job getting that fixed because, otherwise, we would have had an even worse day. Just really proud of the team for hanging in there and getting the car fixed. It’s a really positive string of races we’ve had, so we’ve got some momentum to build off of.”   Connor Zilisch, No. 88 Trackhouse Racing ChevroletSidelined by damage sustained in an accident in Stage One. Finished: 37th“It’s just unfortunate. Another short race for this No. 88 WeatherTech Chevrolet team. I was very loose and I just couldn’t save it. Just very frustrated. It’s been a tough few weeks, but we’ll keep our heads down and try to go get them at Pocono (Raceway) next weekend.”    Shane van Gisbergen, No. 97 Trackhouse Racing ChevroletFinished: 30th“Unfortunate day for our SafetyCulture team. Just struggled with the balance of the car all day. It’s a shame to have this kind of day after building such great momentum the last couple of weeks. But we’ll continue to learn from this and be ready for Pocono.”  

HYDE PUSHES FORWARD IN SECOND RACE OF THREE RACE STRETCH

EPPING, N.H. (May 31, 2026) — At a race where there is strong Canadian support, the only full-time Canadian Funny Car driver, Spencer Hyde, made a strong attempt at taking home a Diamond Wally at the NHRA New England Nationals presented by bproauto. Hyde, the driver of the Head Contractors and Engineers Funny Car, entered race day at New England Dragway in Epping, New Hampshire from the No. 13 spot in an extremely competitive Funny Car field.
 
“This was the second race in a quick three-in-a-row stretch to really kick off the summer,” said Hyde. “We’re now in the thick of the regular season, so I’m just trying to keep doing well enough to maintain a positive position within the Countdown.”


 Spencer Hyde did not advance out of first round but heads to Bristol with positive momentum,
photo credit Innovative Creation Experts

Three out of the four qualifying passes Hyde made during qualifying were solid, with his best pass happening during the second round of qualifying on Friday, a 4.001 second, 319.75 mph run. This was enough for him to be paired against J.R. Todd in the first round of eliminations.
 
Despite Hyde being first off of the starting line, Todd, the 2018 NHRA Funny Car World Champion, was able to get around him when the Jim Head-tuned Nitro Funny Car smoked the tires.
 
“Unfortunately, the car didn’t go very far, and smoked the tires right away,” said Hyde. “Jim [Head] said we were shooting for a 3.90, and if the car had done what we were hoping, then we could have given J.R. a much better race. On to the next.”
 
One of the unique challenges that all of the teams had to deal with this weekend was the immense amount of pollen in the air and on the track. That did not stop the fans from showing up in droves, with Saturday announced as a sell-out crowd.
 
“I love coming here,” said Hyde. “This track has a real old-school feel, and the fans are always so great. Montreal isn’t far from here, so the Canadian fans also make themselves known, which is awesome.”
 
Now that Epping is in his rearview mirror, the 2025 NHRA Rookie of the Year is looking ahead to the next race on the schedule in Bristol, Tennessee.
 
“I feel like pretty confident heading into Bristol, just because we seem to have a hot track tune up figured out,” said Hyde. “We did really well in Phoenix, and I expect conditions to be pretty similar in Thunder Valley. We’re hoping to get a win for Hyde Construction, OUTLAW Light Beer and the Caine Group.”
 
Hyde and the Head Contractors and Engineers Funny Car will be back in competition next week at the Super Grip NHRA Thunder Valley Nationals on June 12-14 at Bristol Dragway. There will be two qualifying sessions on Friday, June 12 and two qualifying sessions on Saturday, June 13. For tickets or more information on the Thunder Valley Nationals visit nhra.com.
 
Qualifying Results – Funny Car
Q1: 4.616 sec, 182.13 mph; Qual. 10
Q2: 4.001 sec, 319.75 mph; Qual. 9
Q3: 4.018 sec, 312.86 mph; Qual. 12
Q4: 10.565 sec, 77.38 mph; Qual. 13
Bonus Points: 0
 
Race Results
First Round
J.R. Todd, Lawrenceburg, Ind., DHL Toyota GR Supra, (.086), 3.919 sec, 331.45 mph def. Spencer Hyde, Stratford, Ontario, Head Contractors & Engineers Funny Car, (.077), 7.216 sec, 108.82 mph
 
Mission Foods Drag Racing Series Point Standings – Funny Car

  1. Ron Capps, 617
  2. Jordan Vandergriff, 608/588
  3. J.R. Todd, 602
  4. Chad Green, 555
  5. Matt Hagan, 546
  6. Jack Beckman, 531/511
  7. Alexis DeJoria, 487
  8. Spencer Hyde, 401
  9. Austin Prock, 358
  10. Daniel Wilkerson, 296

HYDE PUSHES FORWARD IN SECOND RACE
OF THREE RACE STRETCH

EPPING, N.H. (May 31, 2026) — At a race where there is strong Canadian support, the only full-time Canadian Funny Car driver, Spencer Hyde, made a strong attempt at taking home a Diamond Wally at the NHRA New England Nationals presented by bproauto. Hyde, the driver of the Head Contractors and Engineers Funny Car, entered race day at New England Dragway in Epping, New Hampshire from the No. 13 spot in an extremely competitive Funny Car field.
 
“This was the second race in a quick three-in-a-row stretch to really kick off the summer,” said Hyde. “We’re now in the thick of the regular season, so I’m just trying to keep doing well enough to maintain a positive position within the Countdown.”


 Spencer Hyde did not advance out of first round but heads to Bristol with positive momentum,
photo credit Innovative Creation Experts

Three out of the four qualifying passes Hyde made during qualifying were solid, with his best pass happening during the second round of qualifying on Friday, a 4.001 second, 319.75 mph run. This was enough for him to be paired against J.R. Todd in the first round of eliminations.
 
Despite Hyde being first off of the starting line, Todd, the 2018 NHRA Funny Car World Champion, was able to get around him when the Jim Head-tuned Nitro Funny Car smoked the tires.
 
“Unfortunately, the car didn’t go very far, and smoked the tires right away,” said Hyde. “Jim [Head] said we were shooting for a 3.90, and if the car had done what we were hoping, then we could have given J.R. a much better race. On to the next.”
 
One of the unique challenges that all of the teams had to deal with this weekend was the immense amount of pollen in the air and on the track. That did not stop the fans from showing up in droves, with Saturday announced as a sell-out crowd.
 
“I love coming here,” said Hyde. “This track has a real old-school feel, and the fans are always so great. Montreal isn’t far from here, so the Canadian fans also make themselves known, which is awesome.”
 
Now that Epping is in his rearview mirror, the 2025 NHRA Rookie of the Year is looking ahead to the next race on the schedule in Bristol, Tennessee.
 
“I feel like pretty confident heading into Bristol, just because we seem to have a hot track tune up figured out,” said Hyde. “We did really well in Phoenix, and I expect conditions to be pretty similar in Thunder Valley. We’re hoping to get a win for Hyde Construction, OUTLAW Light Beer and the Caine Group.”
 
Hyde and the Head Contractors and Engineers Funny Car will be back in competition next week at the Super Grip NHRA Thunder Valley Nationals on June 12-14 at Bristol Dragway. There will be two qualifying sessions on Friday, June 12 and two qualifying sessions on Saturday, June 13. For tickets or more information on the Thunder Valley Nationals visit nhra.com.
 
Qualifying Results – Funny Car
Q1: 4.616 sec, 182.13 mph; Qual. 10
Q2: 4.001 sec, 319.75 mph; Qual. 9
Q3: 4.018 sec, 312.86 mph; Qual. 12
Q4: 10.565 sec, 77.38 mph; Qual. 13
Bonus Points: 0
 
Race Results
First Round
J.R. Todd, Lawrenceburg, Ind., DHL Toyota GR Supra, (.086), 3.919 sec, 331.45 mph def. Spencer Hyde, Stratford, Ontario, Head Contractors & Engineers Funny Car, (.077), 7.216 sec, 108.82 mph
 
Mission Foods Drag Racing Series Point Standings – Funny Car

  1. Ron Capps, 617
  2. Jordan Vandergriff, 608/588
  3. J.R. Todd, 602
  4. Chad Green, 555
  5. Matt Hagan, 546
  6. Jack Beckman, 531/511
  7. Alexis DeJoria, 487
  8. Spencer Hyde, 401
  9. Austin Prock, 358
  10. Daniel Wilkerson, 296

Rain moved into the area before the final round. The Funny Car and Top Fuel finals will be run during the Thunder Valley Nationals.

Cadillac Leads Morning Session of Test Day at Le Mans 

LE MANS, FRANCE (June 7, 2026) – Cadillac led the morning session of the official test day for the 94th running of the 24 Hours of Le Mans at the Circuit de la Sarthe in Le Mans, France. Filipe Albuquerque, who is co-driving the No. 101 Cadillac WTR V-Series.R for Wayne Taylor Racing with Ricky Tayor and Jordan Taylor posted a time of 3 minutes and 27.011 seconds. The No. 12 Cadillac Hertz Team JOTA V-Series.R driven by Norman Nato, who co-drives with Will Stevens and Louis Deletraz, was third in the afternoon with a time of 3 minutes and 26.853 seconds. Local native Sebastien Bourdais, driver of the No. 38 Cadillac Hertz Team JOTA V-Series.R with Earl Bamber and Jack Aitken, was 12th in the afternoon with a lap of 3 minutes and 27.261 seconds. The next on-track activity will be Free Practice 1 at 2 pm (CEST) on Wednesday, June 10.
Cadillac Leads Morning Session of Test Day at Le MansLE MANS, FRANCE (June 7, 2026) – Cadillac led the morning session of the official test day for the 94th running of the 24 Hours of Le Mans at the Circuit de la Sarthe in Le Mans, France. Filipe Albuquerque, who is co-driving the No. 101 Cadillac WTR V-Series.R for Wayne Taylor Racing with Ricky Tayor and Jordan Taylor posted a time of 3 minutes and 27.011 seconds. The No. 12 Cadillac Hertz Team JOTA V-Series.R driven by Norman Nato, who co-drives with Will Stevens and Louis Deletraz, was third in the afternoon with a time of 3 minutes and 26.853 seconds. Local native Sebastien Bourdais, driver of the No. 38 Cadillac Hertz Team JOTA V-Series.R with Earl Bamber and Jack Aitken, was 12th in the afternoon with a lap of 3 minutes and 27.261 seconds. The next on-track activity will be Free Practice 1 at 2 pm (CEST) on Wednesday, June 10.
What they’re sayingNo. 12 Cadillac Hertz Team JOTA V-Series.RWill Stevens “I think overall it was a pretty good test day. We’ve got through most of the things that we wanted to get through before the race week starts, because even though you always think you’ve got a lot of track time, it goes away from you very quickly. So, I think a very productive day and a solid baseline to work from. I think we can be confident and positive ahead of next week. We’ll spend the next two days working through some bits and pieces and trying to make further steps forwards for race week.” Norman Nato “It was quite a good test day. We managed to follow the plan. We tried many things on tyres, listening to the tyre in different track conditions, understanding our new package. The aim of the test was to prepare as much as we can ahead of next week, focusing on all the details, like making sure the driver changes are as smooth as possible, making sure we feel good in the car in terms of driving position. So, a positive day, in terms of performance as well, the car seems to be in the window at the moment, even though the conditions were still quite “green” as always on a test day. I’m looking forwards to next week and seeing where we are with the focus more on long runs and qualifying.” Louis Deletraz ”It was a good day. It was my first time here with the Cadillac, and it was really nice to drive around this circuit, really good to be back. We did a lot of laps, collected a lot of data which helps us to understand the car and the new tyre more. So I think it was very positive. It’s hard to know how competitive we are because it’s only the test day and everyone’s on different plans, but the car felt good and the whole team worked well together. So, thanks to everyone, and now we have two days to analyse the data and prepared for the race week.”  No. 38 Cadillac Hertz Team JOTA V-Series.RSebastien Bourdais: “It was an interesting test, obviously discovering the new configuration of the car at Le Mans. Here you never know, conditions change here a lot, grip changes a lot. But overall, it was a positive day, and we went through quite a few things during the test. The morning session was really scruffy with all the slow zones, red flags, you name it, but the afternoon was a lot more straight forward and we got through quite a few items and so we have a lot of data to look at. I really noticed a positive change in the new car since last year which will hopefully allow us to fight for a podium and maybe a win. Next week we’ll optimize our package, make sure that the balance of the car is the best it can be.” Earl Bamber: “It was really good to come back here. Obviously, there’s been a lot of preparation. For me, our car just ran flawlessly all day through the test programme. Now we’ve got two days to analyse everything. It looks like the field’s super close at the moment. It’s really, really tight, so I think we’re going have a fantastic motor race this year.” Jack Aitken: “It’s been good, it’s been productive. The track was in pretty good condition compared to most years and they have resurfaced it in a few places. We spent the test trying to dial in the car with, you know, a pretty wide variety of tarmac conditions out there now. But it’s always fun to get back on this track and you only get to do it once a year, so it’s always pretty special. It’s nice to see all of the Cadillacs ran pretty well through the whole session, with no major issues and they all got a lot of work done.”  No. 101 Cadillac Wayne Taylor Racing V-Series.RWayne Taylor, Co-owner, No. 101 Cadillac WTR V-Series.R | Wayne Taylor Racing: “It’s been a really good day. All the Cadillacs look strong, and all I hear from our drivers is how good the car is. I’m not sure if anybody was going to try and set any times out there today. I know we made some changes to the car in that last session, and we think it’s an improvement. Honestly, everybody from GM and Cadillac Racing have supported this three-car team really, really well. And I’m pretty excited for the week.” Ricky Taylor, Co-driver, No. 101 Cadillac WTR V-Series.R: “It was a good day and it was nice to show some pace during the day. I think, coming from last year, the test day has gone much smoother. I think we’re settling into a good rhythm. There will be a lot to talk about over the next couple of days, before Free Practice 1, but I think all three Cadillacs are looking good. I think we just need to keep focused on creating a really good race car because we clearly have some decent outright pace.”  Filipe Albuquerque, Co-driver, No. 101 Cadillac WTR V-Series.R: “I drove in the afternoon, again, more fun with the car. Sometimes I wish there were not three drivers as I would like to drive a little more (laughs). Everything is going well with the car. The track is evolving and car balance is good. So far, so good. It has been a good day.” Jeromy Moore, Chief Engineer – Cadillac Racing: “The test today was pretty good. The two sessions went reasonably well and we had no issues on the cars. I’m pretty happy with the balance of the car, still learning a bit with the new evo here, what the car needs. The track was quite hot, so everyone was struggling a little bit with rear tyres. We’re looking reasonably competitive, but we know our competitors are strong and really we won’t know for sure what they have in their pocket until next week.”  

Grasty Captures 1st career NARC King of the West Victory

CHICO, CA (6/6/26) The NARC King of the West Sprint Car Series made their second appearance of the year at Silver Dollar Speedway for the David Tarter Memorial with 27 cars signed in for the 9th race of the 2026 season. Justin Sanders bested the 27-car field in ARP Qualifying to set Quick Time with a lap of 11.280 seconds. It was Sanders’ series-best 4th Quick Time of the 2026 season. The 2005 NARC King of the West series champion, Sean Becker, won Kaeding Performance Heat Race 1, his 1st Heat Race win of the season. Tanner Carrick made his 5th appearance of the year with NARC and picked up the win Hill’s Premium Meats Heat Race 2, his first Heat Race win of the season. Silver Dollar Speedway Promoter and NARC regular, Colby Copeland, won his 3rd Heat Race of the season in BMRS Heat Race 3. The three Heat Race winners and fastest transfer cars out of each Heat Race locked into the 6-lap HD Titanium Dash. Chance Grasty drew the pole of the HD Titanium Dash and won his 3rd Dash of the season in his 7th Dash appearance of the year. Sean Becker and Chance Grasty would enter turn 3 on the first lap side by side, with Grasty jumping out to lead lap 1 of the 35 lap event, honoring the late David Tarter. Grasty would stretch out a lead to well over a second before he entered lapped traffic.  Becker and Justin Sanders took advantage of traffic to close the gap on Grasty. Sanders made his way to second on lap 12 and started his pursuit of Grasty with 23 laps remaining. Becker and Mariah Ede would make contact with 13 laps completed, Ede ended upside down but walked away. Nick Parker spun and did a 360 off turn 4, bringing out a yellow flag with 13 laps completed. Jarrett Soares slowed to a stop on lap 21 to go. Sanders made a big run on the bottom of turns 1 and 2 with 13 laps remaining to take the lead from Grasty and started to stretch out his advantage. On the last lap Billy Aton and Anthony Pope came together in turn 1, resulting in Aton spinning, Justin Sanders made contact with Aton, having no where to go, and stopped, bringing out the yellow.  Grasty would inherit the and hold off the field for the final 2 laps to pick up his 1st career NARC King of the West victory.
DJ Netto went 12th to 5th, earning FK Rod Ends Hard Charger award honors. The NARC King of the West Sprint cars return to action on Thursday June 11th at Southern Oregon Speedway in White City, OR for Round 1 of the Fastest Five Days Road to Dirt Cup built by Lippert Construction. For more information, visit NARC410.com.  Follow us on X @NARC410, on Facebook.com/NARCKingoftheWest, and on Instagram NARC410.You can catch every NARC King of the West race live on FloRacing.com and the FloSports app. Hoosier Tire A Feature (35 Laps): 1. X1-Chance Grasty[1]; 2. 21-Colby Copeland[6]; 3. 0-Tim Kaeding[5]; 4. 21L-Landon Brooks[7]; 5. 88N-DJ Netto[13]; 6. 83T-Tanner Carrick[4]; 7. 17W-Shane Golobic[8]; 8. 29-Bud Kaeding[14]; 9. 10-Dominic Gorden[9]; 10. 41-Dominic Scelzi[10]; 11. 2A-Austin Wood[18]; 12. 24-Max Mittry[17]; 13. 2X-Justin Sanders[3]; 14. 26-Billy Aton[12]; 15. 88A-Joey Ancona[11]; 16. 7C-Ryan Bernal[15]; 17. 15-Nick Parker[19]; 18. 12J-John Clark[21]; 19. 4-Burt Foland Jr[24]; 20. 21X-Anthony Pope[23]; 21. 121-Caeden Steele[16]; 22. 7B-Sean Becker[2]; 23. 12-Jarrett Soares[22]; 24. 14-Mariah Ede[20]B Feature (12 Laps): 1. 15-Nick Parker[1]; 2. 14-Mariah Ede[2]; 3. 12J-John Clark[3]; 4. 12-Jarrett Soares[5]; 5. 21X-Anthony Pope[8]; 6. 4-Burt Foland Jr[9]; 7. 7W-Dennis Scherer[6]; 8. 9-Dustin Freitas[7]; 9. 551-Angelique Bell[4]HDTI Dash (6 Laps): 1. X1-Chance Grasty[1]; 2. 7B-Sean Becker[4]; 3. 2X-Justin Sanders[5]; 4. 83T-Tanner Carrick[3]; 5. 0-Tim Kaeding[6]; 6. 21-Colby Copeland[2]Kaeding Performance Heat 1 (8 Laps): 1. 7B-Sean Becker[2]; 2. 2X-Justin Sanders[4]; 3. 10-Dominic Gorden[1]; 4. 88A-Joey Ancona[3]; 5. 29-Bud Kaeding[6]; 6. 24-Max Mittry[7]; 7. 15-Nick Parker[5]; 8. 551-Angelique Bell[9]; 9. (DNS) 9-Dustin FreitasHill’s Premium Meats Heat 2 (8 Laps): 1. 83T-Tanner Carrick[1]; 2. 21L-Landon Brooks[2]; 3. 41-Dominic Scelzi[5]; 4. 26-Billy Aton[3]; 5. 7C-Ryan Bernal[7]; 6. X1-Chance Grasty[4]; 7. 14-Mariah Ede[9]; 8. 12-Jarrett Soares[6]; 9. 21X-Anthony Pope[8]BMRS Heat 3 (8 Laps): 1. 21-Colby Copeland[2]; 2. 17W-Shane Golobic[1]; 3. 0-Tim Kaeding[4]; 4. 88N-DJ Netto[3]; 5. 121-Caeden Steele[6]; 6. 2A-Austin Wood[7]; 7. 12J-John Clark[5]; 8. 7W-Dennis Scherer[9]; 9. 4-Burt Foland Jr[8]ARP Qualifying (2 Laps): 1. 2X-Justin Sanders, 11.280[5]; 2. X1-Chance Grasty, 11.383[20]; 3. 0-Tim Kaeding, 11.396[1]; 4. 10-Dominic Gorden, 11.485[8]; 5. 83T-Tanner Carrick, 11.558[26]; 6. 17W-Shane Golobic, 11.613[19]; 7. 7B-Sean Becker, 11.614[16]; 8. 21L-Landon Brooks, 11.631[22]; 9. 21-Colby Copeland, 11.669[13]; 10. 88A-Joey Ancona, 11.677[21]; 11. 26-Billy Aton, 11.713[12]; 12. 88N-DJ Netto, 11.722[7]; 13. 15-Nick Parker, 11.741[25]; 14. 41-Dominic Scelzi, 11.746[14]; 15. 12J-John Clark, 11.749[3]; 16. 29-Bud Kaeding, 11.777[6]; 17. 12-Jarrett Soares, 11.866[10]; 18. 121-Caeden Steele, 11.885[17]; 19. 24-Max Mittry, 11.902[11]; 20. 7C-Ryan Bernal, 11.992[2]; 21. 2A-Austin Wood, 12.055[27]; 22. 9-Dustin Freitas, 12.124[23]; 23. 21X-Anthony Pope, 12.343[4]; 24. 4-Burt Foland Jr, 12.357[15]; 25. 551-Angelique Bell, 12.381[18]; 26. 14-Mariah Ede, 12.475[9]; 27. 7W-Dennis Scherer, 12.573[24]

CORVETTE RACING AT LE MANS: Solid Test Day for Corvette Quartet

Four Corvette Z06 GT3.Rs work through pre-Le Mans programs on annual Test Day LE MANS, France (June 7, 2026) – The four Chevrolet Corvette Z06 GT3.Rs that will contest next weekend’s 24 Hours of Le Mans completed their initial runs around the Circuit de la Sarthe on Sunday through a pair of three-hour sessions that allowed teams to hit the track for the first time in a year. Three Corvettes were in the top-eight of the final session and within a half-second of the fastest LMGT3 car on the day.
TF Sport’s Jonny Edgar was the fastest of the Corvette drivers in the No. 33 Corvette that he shares with Nicky Catsburg and the returning Ben Keating. His lap of 3:56.885 (128.868 mph) was third-quickest and 0.239 seconds off the LMGT3 pace-setter. It put the trio in a good spot heading into Wednesday’s first official Free Practice ahead of a double-points race in the FIA World Endurance Championship. Quick times for two for the other Corvettes came later in the session. 13 Autosport’s Matt Bell set a late flying lap of 3:56.916 (128.624 mph) in the No. 13 Z06 GT3.R that he is driving with Orey Fidani and Lars Kern. The trio is back at Le Mans for the second straight year after finishing 10th a year ago. Charlie Eastwood, a class podium finisher last year, finished seventh Sunday in the No. 34 Racing Team Turkey by TF Corvette that he will race with Salih Yoluc and Peter Dempsey. Eastwood, a Corvette factory driver, was barely two-tenths of a second off Edgar’s time. A third TF Sport Corvette – the No. 2 Z06 GT3.R crewed by members of Johor Motorsports Racing – ended 23rd in class in the Le Mans debut of Ben Green, who set the car’s fastest time, and Prince Jefri Ibrahim. Their teammate, Lorcan Hanafin, is the only one of the three to race at Le Mans with his debut coming in 2025. The 24 Hours of Le Mans is scheduled for 10 a.m. ET / 4 p.m. CET on Saturday, June 13. Live streaming coverage of all on-track sessions – including qualifying and Hyperpole – plus timing and scoring is available through a subscription on FIA WEC Plus with additional live streaming on the HBO Max app in the U.S. Radio Le Mans also will provide live streaming audio coverage of all sessions as well.
ANDREA HIDALGO, CORVETTE RACING PROGRAM MANAGER: “We’re happy with the performance of the Corvettes as a whole and the level of preparation from our teams on the Test Day. This is not an easy event to execute for the most experienced group, so today was a nice result. Now our Corvette Customer Racing support engineers will work with each of the teams during the next couple of days to discover and act on any opportunities for improvement ahead of Free Practice.”
CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R TEST DAY DRIVER QUOTES
JONNY EDGAR, NO. 33 CHEVROLET CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R: “I was able to get up to speed much quicker this year having been here before. It’s much easier now knowing the track, having more experience in the car and knowing pretty much everyone in the team as well. It’s been a lot easier this year for me in knowing what to expect.“Knowing from the first lap exactly where the car wants to be and feeling after a couple of laps I was already up to speed compared to last year. It does take awhile to figure everything out with this being a long lap. I definitely felt like I know what I need to do, where to break, which curbs to take, which ones to avoid… that all helps out.”
BEN KEATING, NO. 33 CHEVROLET CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R: “We’re not horsing around here! I’m really happy. I got into the car four different times, and I’ve made big improvements every single time, which is all I can hope for. In that last run my laptime was pretty similar to where I qualified last year, and that makes me feel really good. I’m not going to say there’s a ton more there. But I feel good after that last run. I did a full stint and 10 laps; I’m pretty happy with the average laptime. The car feels good and that’s the most important thing for a 24-hour race. It feels like a car that we can do well in, which is what you want at the end of a Test Day. There are a lot of cars out there that look fast. The series has done an incredibly good job. It’s interesting to me to watch the different ways the cars make speed. The Corvette looks strong on top speed but not necessarily on acceleration, which is kind of an interesting deal. I see a lot of people out there avoiding a tow and things like that. There are still some games being played out there. Basically I just feel like we have a good car and a chance, which is all you can hope for in this race.”
CHARLIE EASTWOOD, NO. 34 CHEVROLET CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R: “We do need to just start getting some proper results, and no better place for it than Le Mans. The Corvette’s always so good there. It’s been great the last two years, and it’s a great chance for us to get 50 points and a nice trophy. Obviously, the good thing on my side is I can literally do half of the race… up to 12 hours of it. So I am doing everything I can to get myself ready for those long stints, lack of sleep and try to manage the adrenaline so that you are not completely busted after a couple of stints, but I like the challenge. I did it last year. We obviously got a podium, which was great. That’s three of the last four starts at Le Mans for me with one being a win. The record there is going pretty well. But I’d like to get another win on the board, and I don’t see a reason why we can’t.”
LARS KERN, NO. 13 CHEVROLET CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R: “(Le Mans in 2025) definitely exceeded my expectations. You hear about it, but till you actually go and experience it, it’s two different stories. It’s absolutely in a world of its own. I was dumbfounded; my head was on a swivel and I was just taking everything in. It’s absolutely amazing.“For me, there’s a better understanding of things like the slow zones and learning all that. I think we got one or two penalties because of that last year. It’s one thing looking at them on a map, and it’s another thing looking at them at speed at 300 kph. So now I have a better understanding of where those are, the rules and the procedures. Hopefully we can eliminate those penalties because I mean, it’s tough. Once you fall behind there, you never get it back.”
LORCAN HANAFIN, NO. 2 CHEVROLET CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R: “The Le Mans 24 Hours is a race that I’ve always wanted to do, a race that I’ve always wanted JMR to compete in. It took us seven years to get here, and finally it’s happening. Unlike some of our previous endurance races, this time we have two other categories racing together at the same race. That will be the challenge of having those other cars around you as well. And it’s an iconic track, so I can’t wait to see how we go there.”
HH PRINCE JEFRI IBRAHIM, NO. 2 CHEVROLET CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R: “First time at Le Mans and a dream come true. It’s been a long few days being in the town, going through scrutineering, doing the group photos and the car parade, as well. Today was my first day driving on the track – the most legendary track that I’ve always dreamt of driving. It’s such a cool track. I’m still learning, taking it step by step and trying to familiarize myself with the rules and having the Hypercars around me for the first time. It’s been a great day. I’ve missed being in the car. To be back in it feels like home. Then seeing the track through the windscreen and seeing the first corner and the Goodyear Bridge has been something I’ve always watched on TV… to see it in real life in the car was really amazing. That first lap was really fun. It’s been eight years since I first drove a racecar and it’s always been a dream for me to be at Le Mans. I’m super-grateful to be here, really. I’m focusing on what I can improve on for myself and hopefully in the next few days we can keep chipping away.”
CORVETTE RACING AT LE MANS: Solid Test Day for Corvette QuartetFour Corvette Z06 GT3.Rs work through pre-Le Mans programs on annual Test Day LE MANS, France (June 7, 2026) – The four Chevrolet Corvette Z06 GT3.Rs that will contest next weekend’s 24 Hours of Le Mans completed their initial runs around the Circuit de la Sarthe on Sunday through a pair of three-hour sessions that allowed teams to hit the track for the first time in a year. Three Corvettes were in the top-eight of the final session and within a half-second of the fastest LMGT3 car on the day.
TF Sport’s Jonny Edgar was the fastest of the Corvette drivers in the No. 33 Corvette that he shares with Nicky Catsburg and the returning Ben Keating. His lap of 3:56.885 (128.868 mph) was third-quickest and 0.239 seconds off the LMGT3 pace-setter. It put the trio in a good spot heading into Wednesday’s first official Free Practice ahead of a double-points race in the FIA World Endurance Championship. Quick times for two for the other Corvettes came later in the session. 13 Autosport’s Matt Bell set a late flying lap of 3:56.916 (128.624 mph) in the No. 13 Z06 GT3.R that he is driving with Orey Fidani and Lars Kern. The trio is back at Le Mans for the second straight year after finishing 10th a year ago. Charlie Eastwood, a class podium finisher last year, finished seventh Sunday in the No. 34 Racing Team Turkey by TF Corvette that he will race with Salih Yoluc and Peter Dempsey. Eastwood, a Corvette factory driver, was barely two-tenths of a second off Edgar’s time. A third TF Sport Corvette – the No. 2 Z06 GT3.R crewed by members of Johor Motorsports Racing – ended 23rd in class in the Le Mans debut of Ben Green, who set the car’s fastest time, and Prince Jefri Ibrahim. Their teammate, Lorcan Hanafin, is the only one of the three to race at Le Mans with his debut coming in 2025. The 24 Hours of Le Mans is scheduled for 10 a.m. ET / 4 p.m. CET on Saturday, June 13. Live streaming coverage of all on-track sessions – including qualifying and Hyperpole – plus timing and scoring is available through a subscription on FIA WEC Plus with additional live streaming on the HBO Max app in the U.S. Radio Le Mans also will provide live streaming audio coverage of all sessions as well.
ANDREA HIDALGO, CORVETTE RACING PROGRAM MANAGER: “We’re happy with the performance of the Corvettes as a whole and the level of preparation from our teams on the Test Day. This is not an easy event to execute for the most experienced group, so today was a nice result. Now our Corvette Customer Racing support engineers will work with each of the teams during the next couple of days to discover and act on any opportunities for improvement ahead of Free Practice.”
CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R TEST DAY DRIVER QUOTES
JONNY EDGAR, NO. 33 CHEVROLET CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R: “I was able to get up to speed much quicker this year having been here before. It’s much easier now knowing the track, having more experience in the car and knowing pretty much everyone in the team as well. It’s been a lot easier this year for me in knowing what to expect.“Knowing from the first lap exactly where the car wants to be and feeling after a couple of laps I was already up to speed compared to last year. It does take awhile to figure everything out with this being a long lap. I definitely felt like I know what I need to do, where to break, which curbs to take, which ones to avoid… that all helps out.”
BEN KEATING, NO. 33 CHEVROLET CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R: “We’re not horsing around here! I’m really happy. I got into the car four different times, and I’ve made big improvements every single time, which is all I can hope for. In that last run my laptime was pretty similar to where I qualified last year, and that makes me feel really good. I’m not going to say there’s a ton more there. But I feel good after that last run. I did a full stint and 10 laps; I’m pretty happy with the average laptime. The car feels good and that’s the most important thing for a 24-hour race. It feels like a car that we can do well in, which is what you want at the end of a Test Day. There are a lot of cars out there that look fast. The series has done an incredibly good job. It’s interesting to me to watch the different ways the cars make speed. The Corvette looks strong on top speed but not necessarily on acceleration, which is kind of an interesting deal. I see a lot of people out there avoiding a tow and things like that. There are still some games being played out there. Basically I just feel like we have a good car and a chance, which is all you can hope for in this race.”
CHARLIE EASTWOOD, NO. 34 CHEVROLET CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R: “We do need to just start getting some proper results, and no better place for it than Le Mans. The Corvette’s always so good there. It’s been great the last two years, and it’s a great chance for us to get 50 points and a nice trophy. Obviously, the good thing on my side is I can literally do half of the race… up to 12 hours of it. So I am doing everything I can to get myself ready for those long stints, lack of sleep and try to manage the adrenaline so that you are not completely busted after a couple of stints, but I like the challenge. I did it last year. We obviously got a podium, which was great. That’s three of the last four starts at Le Mans for me with one being a win. The record there is going pretty well. But I’d like to get another win on the board, and I don’t see a reason why we can’t.”
LARS KERN, NO. 13 CHEVROLET CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R: “(Le Mans in 2025) definitely exceeded my expectations. You hear about it, but till you actually go and experience it, it’s two different stories. It’s absolutely in a world of its own. I was dumbfounded; my head was on a swivel and I was just taking everything in. It’s absolutely amazing.“For me, there’s a better understanding of things like the slow zones and learning all that. I think we got one or two penalties because of that last year. It’s one thing looking at them on a map, and it’s another thing looking at them at speed at 300 kph. So now I have a better understanding of where those are, the rules and the procedures. Hopefully we can eliminate those penalties because I mean, it’s tough. Once you fall behind there, you never get it back.”
LORCAN HANAFIN, NO. 2 CHEVROLET CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R: “The Le Mans 24 Hours is a race that I’ve always wanted to do, a race that I’ve always wanted JMR to compete in. It took us seven years to get here, and finally it’s happening. Unlike some of our previous endurance races, this time we have two other categories racing together at the same race. That will be the challenge of having those other cars around you as well. And it’s an iconic track, so I can’t wait to see how we go there.”
HH PRINCE JEFRI IBRAHIM, NO. 2 CHEVROLET CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R: “First time at Le Mans and a dream come true. It’s been a long few days being in the town, going through scrutineering, doing the group photos and the car parade, as well. Today was my first day driving on the track – the most legendary track that I’ve always dreamt of driving. It’s such a cool track. I’m still learning, taking it step by step and trying to familiarize myself with the rules and having the Hypercars around me for the first time. It’s been a great day. I’ve missed being in the car. To be back in it feels like home. Then seeing the track through the windscreen and seeing the first corner and the Goodyear Bridge has been something I’ve always watched on TV… to see it in real life in the car was really amazing. That first lap was really fun. It’s been eight years since I first drove a racecar and it’s always been a dream for me to be at Le Mans. I’m super-grateful to be here, really. I’m focusing on what I can improve on for myself and hopefully in the next few days we can keep chipping away.”

Seth Bergman Takes Second Win of 2026 in Salute to Service Sprint Car Showdown at 81

 PARK CITY, KS (June 6, 2026) — Seth Bergman’s hard work has put him at the heart of the American Sprint Car Series championship fight in 2026.

The Snohomish, WA racer collected his second win of the season in the Salute to Service Sprint Car Showdown through a competitive 25 laps around 81 Speedway.

Starting the Feature from the front row, Bergman and polesitter Whit Gastineau raced side-by-side through the opening lap until Gastineau gained clearance of Bergman by using the high line of the 3/8-mile track.

Through the first nine laps, Bergman played second fiddle to Gastineau while Sam Hafertepe Jr. and Matt Covington joined the battle for the top spot as lap traffic began to play a factor.

On Lap 10, Bergman made his move for the lead by peeling to the bottom lane into Turn 1 while Gastineau ran the cushion. The two drivers stayed even across the backstretch until Bergman pulled out in front of Gastineau off of Turn 4 to secure the top spot.

As Bergman shifted his No. 23 Maxim Chassis to the cushion, Hafertepe pulled ahead of Gastineau on Lap 14 to secure second place as Gastineau played defense on Covington to keep his podium position.

While Hafertepe kept Bergman within his eyesight, he was unable to reach the 2024 Series champion as the traffic forced him to deviate from his racing line to chase down the leader.

Bergman never relinquished the lead as he drove to his 28th career ASCS National Tour triumph. The win placed him in a tie with 2003 Series champ Travis Rilat for ninth on the all-time wins list.

“You gotta go, you gotta set a pace,” Bergman said. “We had a really good night. We’ve yet to unload, and being good out of the box. Because then you’re chasing all night. But tonight, we unloaded really good, and we were able to fine-tune on this hot rod all night. We used the Dash as a little bit of a learning experience and gave us some really good direction for the Feature.

“I can’t even begin to tell you how happy I am with this team and race car. That was hands down the best race car I’ve had in a long time, and it’s not by chance. What’s so satisfying is that it’s something we’ve been working really, really hard at, and we’ve gotten our butts kicked a lot. It’s very humbling; you gotta grind through when you’re not good. And tonight, we were exceptional.”

Hafertepe finished the night with a runner-up result to retain the Series lead by 22 points over Covington and 23 points away from Bergman.

Recap Notes:

Quick Time Award: Seth Bergman

Heat Winners: Sam Hafertepe Jr., Whit Gastineau, Jeremy Campbell

Honest Abe Roofing Dash Winner: Whit Gastineau

Hard Charger Award: Hayden Mabe (+7)

Seth Bergman Takes Second Win of 2026 in Salute to Service Sprint Car Showdown at 81 PARK CITY, KS (June 6, 2026) — Seth Bergman’s hard work has put him at the heart of the American Sprint Car Series championship fight in 2026.

The Snohomish, WA racer collected his second win of the season in the Salute to Service Sprint Car Showdown through a competitive 25 laps around 81 Speedway.

Starting the Feature from the front row, Bergman and polesitter Whit Gastineau raced side-by-side through the opening lap until Gastineau gained clearance of Bergman by using the high line of the 3/8-mile track.

Through the first nine laps, Bergman played second fiddle to Gastineau while Sam Hafertepe Jr. and Matt Covington joined the battle for the top spot as lap traffic began to play a factor.

On Lap 10, Bergman made his move for the lead by peeling to the bottom lane into Turn 1 while Gastineau ran the cushion. The two drivers stayed even across the backstretch until Bergman pulled out in front of Gastineau off of Turn 4 to secure the top spot.

As Bergman shifted his No. 23 Maxim Chassis to the cushion, Hafertepe pulled ahead of Gastineau on Lap 14 to secure second place as Gastineau played defense on Covington to keep his podium position.

While Hafertepe kept Bergman within his eyesight, he was unable to reach the 2024 Series champion as the traffic forced him to deviate from his racing line to chase down the leader.

Bergman never relinquished the lead as he drove to his 28th career ASCS National Tour triumph. The win placed him in a tie with 2003 Series champ Travis Rilat for ninth on the all-time wins list.

“You gotta go, you gotta set a pace,” Bergman said. “We had a really good night. We’ve yet to unload, and being good out of the box. Because then you’re chasing all night. But tonight, we unloaded really good, and we were able to fine-tune on this hot rod all night. We used the Dash as a little bit of a learning experience and gave us some really good direction for the Feature.

“I can’t even begin to tell you how happy I am with this team and race car. That was hands down the best race car I’ve had in a long time, and it’s not by chance. What’s so satisfying is that it’s something we’ve been working really, really hard at, and we’ve gotten our butts kicked a lot. It’s very humbling; you gotta grind through when you’re not good. And tonight, we were exceptional.”

Hafertepe finished the night with a runner-up result to retain the Series lead by 22 points over Covington and 23 points away from Bergman.

Recap Notes:

Quick Time Award: Seth Bergman

Heat Winners: Sam Hafertepe Jr., Whit Gastineau, Jeremy Campbell

Honest Abe Roofing Dash Winner: Whit Gastineau

Hard Charger Award: Hayden Mabe (+7)

Up Next: The American Sprint Car Series will visit Arkansas for the first time in 2026 with a stop at Batesville Motor Speedway on Saturday, June 13.

FOR PELLA: Heavy-Hearted Haudenschild Claims Thrilling Plymouth Victory

Haudenschild steals the show after Kofoid and Gravel trade blows in a three-leader battle

PLYMOUTH, WI (Saturday, June 6) – Sheldon Haudenschild suited up and got behind the wheel with a heavy heart Saturday night.

He and his wife Zan sadly lost their beloved dog Pella in the morning after giving her a full and fun life over the years. Haudenschild fought through a flood of emotion to come and do his job with the World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Series at Plymouth Dirt Track. And he not only showed up; he won one for Pella.

A record crowd jammed into the Wisconsin track, and the best Sprint Car drivers in the world gave the fans a treat. Early on it was David Gravel and Michael “Buddy” Kofoid trading blows for the top spot. The two winningest drivers on tour this year went back and forth with sliders, crossovers, and lane swaps in a dramatic duel.

But disaster struck for Gravel late as he clipped a rut in Turn 4 while finishing a slide job and sent the Big Game Motorsports No. 2 hard into the wall. The impact caused severe rear-end damage and ended his night early.

The resulting caution set up a seven-lap shootout to the finish, and it was Haudenschild’s time to shine. After slipping back as far as eighth early in the race, he’d scratched and clawed his way up to second as the KCP Racing/NOS Energy Drink No. 18 came to life. The Wooster, OH native glued his car to the bottom and motored by Kofoid with five laps to go. Kofoid had no answer as Haudenschild cruised to an emotional victory.

“Man, what an up and down race that was for me,” Haudenschild said. “I went from fourth to seventh pretty quick, and I was just struggling to keep it up there at the beginning of the race. Hats off to (Kyle) Ripper and Adam (Clark) and Dauson (Heitritter). What a day, man. I lost my dog this morning right here in the driveway of the track. It’s been a tough day.

“I feel like we’ve been really close to winning these races. The 83 and 2 are just really good right now. I kind of knew when I got back to him that my car was definitely good enough, and I could move around. I think Buddy was floating the top a little bit, and I kind of tried that. Yeah, I was just able to move around. Ripper did a really good job with this car.”

Haudenschild snapped a 21-race winless drought with Saturday’s score as he picked up his second victory of the season and the 48th of his career with The Greatest Show on Dirt. He’s the fourth different winner through four visits to Plymouth for the World of Outlaws. Plymouth became the 29th different track where Haudenschild has went to Victory Lane with the Series and third in the state of Wisconsin.

Kofoid came home second for his 11th podium of the season in the Roth Motorsports No. 83.

Garet Williamson rounded out the podium in the Fischer Motorsports No. 23 to notch his best finish of the season and extend his current streak of top 10s to four.

Cole Macedo and Carson Macedo completed the top five.

NIGHTLY NOTES

Carson Macedo clocked his first Race//Ready Hottest Lap of the Night in 2026.

David Gravel grabbed his 11th Simpson Quick Time of 2026 in Honest Abe Roofing Qualifying.

Heat Races belonged to Kasey Jedrzejek (NOS Energy Drink Heat One), Cole Macedo (TheGreatestStoreonDirt.com Heat Two), Donny Schatz (WIX Filters Heat Three), and Garet Williamson (Golf Cart Services Heat Four).

The SPA Technique #1 Redraw went to David Gravel.

Gravel also topped the Toyota Dash.

Joel Myers Jr. won the Micro-Lite Last Chance Showdown.

Carson Macedo marched from 16th to fifth to earn the KSE Racing Products Hard Charger.

Joe B. Miller was the Tub O’ Towels Seventh Place Finisher.

Kasey Jedrzejek was the Five Star Bodies Rookie of the Race.

David Gravel set the ACME Trading Company Fast Lap.

The Smith Titanium Brake Systems Break of the Race went to David Gravel.

UP NEXT: The World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Cars head to Sun Prairie, WI’s Angell Park Speedway on Sunday, June 7 for the Ted Johnson Memorial Race. For tickets, CLICK HERE.

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

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

FEATURE RESULTS:

NOS Energy Drink Feature (35 Laps): 1. 18-Sheldon Haudenschild[4]; 2. 83-Michael Kofoid[3]; 3. 23-Garet Williamson[5]; 4. 2C-Cole Macedo[7]; 5. 41-Carson Macedo[16]; 6. 1S-Logan Schuchart[14]; 7. 51B-Joe B Miller[2]; 8. 85J-Logan Julien[13]; 9. 7S-Chris Windom[15]; 10. 15-Donny Schatz[6]; 11. 19-Joel Myers Jr[21]; 12. 17-Spencer Bayston[20]; 13. 6-Kasey Jedrzejek[8]; 14. 27-Emerson Axsom[9]; 15. 51-Ashton Torgerson[23]; 16. 16C-Skylar Gee[18]; 17. 92-Zach Daum[11]; 18. 28M-Conner Morrell[10]; 19. 15K-Creed Kemenah[22]; 20. 8-Will Gerrits[19]; 21. (DNF) 2-David Gravel[1]; 22. (DNF) 7A-Will Armitage[17]; 23. (DNF) 17B-Bill Balog[12]; 24. (DNF) 25T-Travis Arenz[24]

FOR PELLA: Heavy-Hearted Haudenschild Claims Thrilling Plymouth Victory

Haudenschild steals the show after Kofoid and Gravel trade blows in a three-leader battle

PLYMOUTH, WI (Saturday, June 6) – Sheldon Haudenschild suited up and got behind the wheel with a heavy heart Saturday night.

He and his wife Zan sadly lost their beloved dog Pella in the morning after giving her a full and fun life over the years. Haudenschild fought through a flood of emotion to come and do his job with the World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Series at Plymouth Dirt Track. And he not only showed up; he won one for Pella.

A record crowd jammed into the Wisconsin track, and the best Sprint Car drivers in the world gave the fans a treat. Early on it was David Gravel and Michael “Buddy” Kofoid trading blows for the top spot. The two winningest drivers on tour this year went back and forth with sliders, crossovers, and lane swaps in a dramatic duel.

But disaster struck for Gravel late as he clipped a rut in Turn 4 while finishing a slide job and sent the Big Game Motorsports No. 2 hard into the wall. The impact caused severe rear-end damage and ended his night early.

The resulting caution set up a seven-lap shootout to the finish, and it was Haudenschild’s time to shine. After slipping back as far as eighth early in the race, he’d scratched and clawed his way up to second as the KCP Racing/NOS Energy Drink No. 18 came to life. The Wooster, OH native glued his car to the bottom and motored by Kofoid with five laps to go. Kofoid had no answer as Haudenschild cruised to an emotional victory.

“Man, what an up and down race that was for me,” Haudenschild said. “I went from fourth to seventh pretty quick, and I was just struggling to keep it up there at the beginning of the race. Hats off to (Kyle) Ripper and Adam (Clark) and Dauson (Heitritter). What a day, man. I lost my dog this morning right here in the driveway of the track. It’s been a tough day.

“I feel like we’ve been really close to winning these races. The 83 and 2 are just really good right now. I kind of knew when I got back to him that my car was definitely good enough, and I could move around. I think Buddy was floating the top a little bit, and I kind of tried that. Yeah, I was just able to move around. Ripper did a really good job with this car.”

Haudenschild snapped a 21-race winless drought with Saturday’s score as he picked up his second victory of the season and the 48th of his career with The Greatest Show on Dirt. He’s the fourth different winner through four visits to Plymouth for the World of Outlaws. Plymouth became the 29th different track where Haudenschild has went to Victory Lane with the Series and third in the state of Wisconsin.

Kofoid came home second for his 11th podium of the season in the Roth Motorsports No. 83.

Garet Williamson rounded out the podium in the Fischer Motorsports No. 23 to notch his best finish of the season and extend his current streak of top 10s to four.

Cole Macedo and Carson Macedo completed the top five.

NIGHTLY NOTES

Carson Macedo clocked his first Race//Ready Hottest Lap of the Night in 2026.

David Gravel grabbed his 11th Simpson Quick Time of 2026 in Honest Abe Roofing Qualifying.

Heat Races belonged to Kasey Jedrzejek (NOS Energy Drink Heat One), Cole Macedo (TheGreatestStoreonDirt.com Heat Two), Donny Schatz (WIX Filters Heat Three), and Garet Williamson (Golf Cart Services Heat Four).

The SPA Technique #1 Redraw went to David Gravel.

Gravel also topped the Toyota Dash.

Joel Myers Jr. won the Micro-Lite Last Chance Showdown.

Carson Macedo marched from 16th to fifth to earn the KSE Racing Products Hard Charger.

Joe B. Miller was the Tub O’ Towels Seventh Place Finisher.

Kasey Jedrzejek was the Five Star Bodies Rookie of the Race.

David Gravel set the ACME Trading Company Fast Lap.

The Smith Titanium Brake Systems Break of the Race went to David Gravel.

UP NEXT: The World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Cars head to Sun Prairie, WI’s Angell Park Speedway on Sunday, June 7 for the Ted Johnson Memorial Race. For tickets, CLICK HERE.

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

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

FEATURE RESULTS:

NOS Energy Drink Feature (35 Laps): 1. 18-Sheldon Haudenschild[4]; 2. 83-Michael Kofoid[3]; 3. 23-Garet Williamson[5]; 4. 2C-Cole Macedo[7]; 5. 41-Carson Macedo[16]; 6. 1S-Logan Schuchart[14]; 7. 51B-Joe B Miller[2]; 8. 85J-Logan Julien[13]; 9. 7S-Chris Windom[15]; 10. 15-Donny Schatz[6]; 11. 19-Joel Myers Jr[21]; 12. 17-Spencer Bayston[20]; 13. 6-Kasey Jedrzejek[8]; 14. 27-Emerson Axsom[9]; 15. 51-Ashton Torgerson[23]; 16. 16C-Skylar Gee[18]; 17. 92-Zach Daum[11]; 18. 28M-Conner Morrell[10]; 19. 15K-Creed Kemenah[22]; 20. 8-Will Gerrits[19]; 21. (DNF) 2-David Gravel[1]; 22. (DNF) 7A-Will Armitage[17]; 23. (DNF) 17B-Bill Balog[12]; 24. (DNF) 25T-Travis Arenz[24]

For complete results, CLICK HERE.

Pierce Breaks Through for First Dirt Late Model Dream Victory at Eldora

ROSSBURG, OH (June 6, 2026) – Coming into the week, Bobby Pierce had won virtually every big race in the sport of dirt Late Model racing, except the Dirt Late Model Dream.

His resume at Eldora Speedway was still among the best despite that hole. Two World 100 wins. Two more in the Dirt Track World Championship. A runner-up in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series. But the annual June visit to Rossburg, OH always eluded him.

Up until recently, Pierce had never even come close to winning the Dream. He missed the show in his first three attempts, then finished no better than 10th in his first seven Feature starts. Pierce’s third-place finish in 2023 was his first Dream run in years that he was proud of. After backing it up with second-place efforts in 2024 and 2025, Pierce wasn’t going to be satisfied with anything less than victory in 2026.

Prior to the start of Saturday’s program, Eldora received a wave of rain in the morning and again in the late afternoon, which softened the track and allowed a healthy cushion to form that would play right into Pierce’s favor. He needed all the help he could get starting 13th, and his progress early in the race was notably behind schedule. He needed 20 laps to crack the top 10, but that was when he started to find his groove. By Lap 35, Pierce was in the top five, and he then climbed to second behind his fellow Illinois native, Brandon Sheppard, before halfway.

With 42 laps to go, Pierce cut down behind Sheppard down the frontstretch to set himself up for a Turn 1 slide job. The move cleared, but Sheppard went back to Pierce’s inside down the backstretch and kept it a side-by-side race for the lead. Sheppard went to the bottom in Turn 3, but got pinned behind the slower car of Jason Feger while Pierce pulled away up high.

Sheppard stayed with Pierce for several more laps and was in position to make another charge on Pierce in what was shaping up to be a thrilling finish until it all went away with 21 to go. Problems on Sheppard’s car meant he lost steering ability entering Turn 3 and pounded the wall. Third-running Hudson O’Neal had nowhere to go on the cushion and slid into Sheppard, ending both drivers’ chances at Eldora glory.

Their misfortune moved Max Blair and Nick Hoffman up to second and third, respectively, giving both of them a chance to challenge Pierce in the restart in pursuit of the biggest win of their career. Blair kept Pierce honest in the final laps, but he was never close enough to make it a battle as Pierce drove away to put the No. 32 in Victory Lane in the 32nd Dream.

“The Dream has been a race that, for several, several years, I struggled at the Dream,” Pierce said. “I would always do really well at the World, even back in the Pierce car days. I would do well at the World, struggle at the Dream. It was just a constant, every year, I would never look forward to this race. And then over the last couple years, we put down some solid finishes, got on the podium year after year after year. I’ll be honest, I wasn’t feeling the most confidence heading into this weekend, but it quickly turned around when we won our prelim race. From then on, it was just make the right calls and hope it happens.”

Behind Pierce, Blair and Hoffman, Dale McDowell and Devin Moran rounded out the top five.

Pierce Breaks Through for First Dirt Late Model Dream Victory at Eldora

ROSSBURG, OH (June 6, 2026) – Coming into the week, Bobby Pierce had won virtually every big race in the sport of dirt Late Model racing, except the Dirt Late Model Dream.

His resume at Eldora Speedway was still among the best despite that hole. Two World 100 wins. Two more in the Dirt Track World Championship. A runner-up in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series. But the annual June visit to Rossburg, OH always eluded him.

Up until recently, Pierce had never even come close to winning the Dream. He missed the show in his first three attempts, then finished no better than 10th in his first seven Feature starts. Pierce’s third-place finish in 2023 was his first Dream run in years that he was proud of. After backing it up with second-place efforts in 2024 and 2025, Pierce wasn’t going to be satisfied with anything less than victory in 2026.

Prior to the start of Saturday’s program, Eldora received a wave of rain in the morning and again in the late afternoon, which softened the track and allowed a healthy cushion to form that would play right into Pierce’s favor. He needed all the help he could get starting 13th, and his progress early in the race was notably behind schedule. He needed 20 laps to crack the top 10, but that was when he started to find his groove. By Lap 35, Pierce was in the top five, and he then climbed to second behind his fellow Illinois native, Brandon Sheppard, before halfway.

With 42 laps to go, Pierce cut down behind Sheppard down the frontstretch to set himself up for a Turn 1 slide job. The move cleared, but Sheppard went back to Pierce’s inside down the backstretch and kept it a side-by-side race for the lead. Sheppard went to the bottom in Turn 3, but got pinned behind the slower car of Jason Feger while Pierce pulled away up high.

Sheppard stayed with Pierce for several more laps and was in position to make another charge on Pierce in what was shaping up to be a thrilling finish until it all went away with 21 to go. Problems on Sheppard’s car meant he lost steering ability entering Turn 3 and pounded the wall. Third-running Hudson O’Neal had nowhere to go on the cushion and slid into Sheppard, ending both drivers’ chances at Eldora glory.

Their misfortune moved Max Blair and Nick Hoffman up to second and third, respectively, giving both of them a chance to challenge Pierce in the restart in pursuit of the biggest win of their career. Blair kept Pierce honest in the final laps, but he was never close enough to make it a battle as Pierce drove away to put the No. 32 in Victory Lane in the 32nd Dream.

“The Dream has been a race that, for several, several years, I struggled at the Dream,” Pierce said. “I would always do really well at the World, even back in the Pierce car days. I would do well at the World, struggle at the Dream. It was just a constant, every year, I would never look forward to this race. And then over the last couple years, we put down some solid finishes, got on the podium year after year after year. I’ll be honest, I wasn’t feeling the most confidence heading into this weekend, but it quickly turned around when we won our prelim race. From then on, it was just make the right calls and hope it happens.”

Behind Pierce, Blair and Hoffman, Dale McDowell and Devin Moran rounded out the top five.

Feature (100 Laps): 1. 32-Bobby Pierce[13]; 2. 111-Max Blair[8]; 3. 9-Nick Hoffman[15]; 4. 17M-Dale McDowell[16]; 5. 99-Devin Moran[12]; 6. 49D-Jonathan Davenport[14]; 7. 11R-Josh Rice[11]; 8. 12W-Ashton Winger[19]; 9. 22F-Chris Ferguson[6]; 10. 16S-Sam Seawright[3]; 11. 60-Dan Ebert[26]; 12. 19R-Ryan Gustin[23]; 13. 76-Brandon Overton[9]; 14. 74X-Ethan Dotson[18]; 15. 25F-Jason Feger[17]; 16. 58V-Daulton Wilson[10]; 17. 14JR-Trey Mills[1]; 18. 1-Brandon Sheppard[2]; 19. 71-Hudson O’Neal[5]; 20. 51-Tyler Erb[7]; 21. 3S-Brian Shirley[22]; 22. 58-Garrett Alberson[4]; 23. 40B-Kyle Bronson[20]; 24. 22*-Drake Troutman[24]; 25. 20RT-Ricky Thornton Jr[21]; 26. 0-Jake O’Neil[25]

Bauman Storms to Fourth Straight Victory with Nashville Master Class

Briar Bauman (No. 3) leads Chad Cose (No. 49) and the field in the second heat race during the 2026 Caterpillar Nashville Short Track presented by Memphis Shades. [Photo: Tim Lester for AMA Pro Racing]Download high-resolution photo from AMA Pro’s Digital Asset Management system
Bauman Storms to Fourth Straight Victory with Nashville Master Class
Briar Bauman (No. 3) leads Chad Cose (No. 49) and the field in the second heat race during the 2026 Caterpillar Nashville Short Track presented by Memphis Shades. [Photo: Tim Lester for AMA Pro Racing]Download high-resolution photo from AMA Pro’s Digital Asset Management system
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (June 6, 2026) – Briar Bauman (No. 3 Super.com/RWR Harley-Davidson XG750R) extended his run of dominance by claiming a fourth successive Mission AFT SuperTwins victory at the inaugural Caterpillar Nashville Short Track presented by Memphis Shades, Round 7 of the 2026 Progressive American Flat Track season, sanctioned by AMA Pro Racing.  All day long in Hohenwald, Tennessee, the Sons of Speed Nashville Short Track provided a racy surface, allowing riders to select from a wide variety of lines while encouraging creative overtakes and close racing at that front. But that trend proved no match for Bauman’s outright superiority.  The Rick Ware Racing ace slipped under Declan Bender (No. 70 Memphis Shades/Vinson Construction Yamaha MT-07) on the opening lap of the Main and then sprinted hard to stretch open a gap. Points leader Kody Kopp (No. 12 Latus Motors Racing Harley-Davidson XG750R) immediately moved into second and tried at least as hard to keep Bauman locked in his sights.  Perhaps too hard, as it turned out. Kopp chattered and wheelied his way around in second while riding desperate to stop the bleeding. That allowed Bauman to gradually work his advantage up, and he built a lead of more than three seconds before easing his way to a 2.689-second margin of victory over Kopp in the end.  It was a controlled, confident performance from Bauman throughout – at least until the final corner in which he suffered a real scare before taking the checkered flag.   “I didn’t know how much of a gap I had on Kody,” Bauman said, explaining his last-lap mishap. “I looked back about halfway and saw we had a little bit of breathing room. But I’m like, ‘Man, he’s probably here… He always charges hard.’ I hit a hole and almost went over the bars!  “But no matter what, this Rick Ware Racing/Super.com team… I just love it. We’re probably in the honeymoon stage right now, but we were seeing couples counseling after Daytona. We’re super proud. I can’t thank them enough. It’s just a team effort.”  Third place went to Dallas Daniels (No. 1 Estenson Racing Yamaha MT-07). The result comes as little surprise when considering the reigning Grand National Champion’s historical podium success rate. However, it seemed highly unlikely early in the contest when he was buried in sixth and under threat from the pack behind him.  Daniels maintained his composure and patiently picked his way forward, finally passing Bender for third with a minute remaining on the clock.  Despite losing out on his shot at the box, the fourth was a major uptick in form for Bender, who had yet to finish better than 10th this season. Behind him, Aidan RoosEvans (No. 26 FRA Trust Advisors Harley-Davidson XG750R) made it three Harley-Davidson XG750R in the top five in fifth.  Davis Fisher (No. 67 Rackley Racing/Bob Lanphere’s BMC Racing KTM 790 Duke) finished sixth while Cameron Smith (No. 34 Fredericktown Yamaha/Thee Kathy Gray Yamaha MT-07), Trent Lowe (No. 48 American Honda/Mission Foods Honda CB750 Hornet), Chad Cose (No. 49 Parker Racing/Pro Roofing Yamaha MT-07), and Jarod VanDerKooi (No. 20 Mission Roof Systems Harley-Davidson XG750R) rounded out the top 10.  Bauman’s hot streak combined with the race-by-race consistency of Kopp and Daniels has resulted in a titanic three-way Grand National Championship battle as the series approaches its midpoint. Kopp continues to lead with 136 points, however, Bauman (131) and Daniels (126) are both within easy striking distance with a doubleheader in Lima, Ohio, coming up next.  KICKER AFT Singles Estenson Racing Yamaha’s Tom Drane (No. 1 Estenson Racing Yamaha YZ450F) responded like the defending KICKER AFT Singles champion that he is, bouncing back from a season’s worst finish of fifth with his third victory of the season.  Saturday’s victory came following a tense, defensive ride on the Australian’s part. Drane fought his way past second-ranked Kage Tadman (No. 28 American Honda/Mission Foods CRF450R) on the opening lap and then spent the bulk of the race doing everything possible to keep Tadman at bay despite the Honda pilot having the edge in pace.  Their showdown became a three-way tilt at half-distance when Tadman’s teammate, Walker Porter (No. 10 American Honda/Mission Foods CRF450R), joined the party. Like Tadman, Porter had the high line working and appeared capable of hauling into the lead at any moment.   But a significant mistake on Porter’s part removed him from victory contention while breaking Tadman’s concentration. That allowed Drane the space he needed to settle in and power to the checkered flag.” Drane said, “We’ve been fast all day. I knew the bike was good enough, I just needed to get a good start. I put my head down, but Kage was giving me a lot of hell behind me there. He was pushing me real hard, but I just had to keep focused and do the best I could. I can’t thank my whole Estenson Racing Monster Energy Yamaha team enough. I couldn’t have done this without them.”  Porter made an equally significant save to stay upright. When back at speed, he found himself alongside polesitter Tarren Santero (No. 75 Roof Systems/Vinson Construction Honda CRF450R), title hopeful Chase Saathoff (No. 88 1st Impressions Race Team Husqvarna FC450), and rookie ace Jack Brucks (No. 113 1st Impressions Race Team Husqvarna FC450) in a fight for the final spot on the podium.  That battle wasn’t decided until the final lap, when Saathoff charged his way up into third. Santero secured fourth, while Porter narrowly missed out on his maiden top three yet again in fifth.  Brucks finished a close sixth, while Evan Kelleher (No. 31 Schaeffer’s Motorsports KTM 450 SX-F), Bradon Pfanders (No. 83 Memphis Shades/Corbin Seats Yamaha YZ450F), Jared Lowe (No. 63 Big R Racing/Vinson Construction Honda CRF450R), and Dylan Cunningham (No. 252 Scott Stump/Joel Laub KTM SX-F) completed the top ten.  Drane now leads Tadman by 20 points (134-114). Saathoff is third at 110.  AFT ProSport 450 Estenson Racing prodigy Sam Drane (No. 7 Estenson Racing Yamaha YZ450F) returned to AFT ProSport 450 action after missing the previous three rounds and picked up right where he left off. Drane, who was victorious in the new class’ first two Main Events, made his way back to the top of the podium but only following a spirited scrap with Silver Dollar ST winner Adam Costan-Wood (No. 88 Turner Racing Honda CRF450R).  After Drane successfully got the holeshot from pole, there were justifiable fears that he’d run away with it as he’d done in Friday’s AMA-sanctioned Mission Foods CTR Showcase race and Saturday afternoon’s Heat Race.   However, Costan-Wood had other plans. He stepped up his game significantly in the Main Event thanks to a high line that allowed him to sling around the circuit at remarkable speed.  On lap 8 of 12, Costan-Wood used that strategy to overhaul Drane, and the two subsequently executed a series of crisscrossing passes on one another, with Drane countering by throwing it down underneath and Costan-Wood squaring him back up in return.  The Australian finally ended that back-and-forth by placing himself in Costan-Wood’s preferred path, stalling his challenger’s momentum ever so slightly. That allowed Drane to reclaim a firm grasp on the lead, which he then held to the checkered flag.  Third went to Dillon Durelle (No. 58 Durelle Racing Yamaha YZ450F) and was earned by overtaking ThrottleFest winner Bayne Nantz (No. 313 Nantz Bros Racing KTM 450 SX-F) for the position.  Brody Hanson (No. 99 Hanson Racing KTM 450 SX-F) scooped up his third top-five result of the season in fifth.  Royal Enfield Build. Train. Race. (BTR) Madicela Rodriguez (No. 113 Royal Enfield/Parts Unlimited/Arai/Alpinestars) picked up her first victory of the 2026 Royal Enfield Build.Train.Race. (BTR) season in convincing fashion.  Rodriguez, who’d taken two thirds and a fourth in the year’s three prior races, finally found her race-winning form of a year ago in the season’s penultimate round. She executed an impressive outside pass on early leader Julia Heess (No. 13 Royal Enfield/Parts Unlimited/Arai/Alpinestars) and then powered off into the distance.  Despite seeing her season-long win streak come to an end, points leader Emma Gottsch (No. 5 Royal Enfield/Parts Unlimited/Arai/Alpinestars) minimized the damage by working around Heess to come home second.   Heess notched up her fourth podium in four races by locking down third.   Next Up Progressive American Flat Track returns to action later this month with the highly anticipated Super.comLima Half-Mile I & II at the Allen County Fairgrounds in Lima, Ohio, on Friday, June 26, and Saturday, June 27.  To purchase your tickets visit: Lima HM I: https://www.tixr.com/groups/meespromotions/events/day-1-lima-2026-165645 Lima HM II: https://www.tixr.com/groups/meespromotions/events/day-2-lima-2026-165651  Or save $20 by purchasing a two-day package here: https://www.tixr.com/groups/meespromotions/events/lima-2026-2-day-event-package-165644   

Palou earns fourth consecutive pole position for Honda in Bommarito Automotive Group 500 qualifying

June 6, 2026 — ST. LOUIS, MO

  • Championship leader Alex Palou scores fourth pole position in a row
  • Last year’s defending winner, Andretti Global’s Kyle Kirkwood, qualifies third
  • Five Honda-powered cars score top-10 qualifying spots across four teams

For the fourth time in a row in the 2026 NTT INDYCAR SERIES season, Alex Palou has put his #10 Chip Ganassi Racing Honda on pole position and will lead the field to green for tomorrow’s Bommarito Automotive Group 500 race at World Wide Technology Raceway.

Fresh off another win the weekend prior, the Spaniard will be seeking a return trip to victory lane with his HRC-liveried Honda in search of his fifth win of the season as he campaigns for his fifth IndyCar championship title. After going two-for-two on victories while sporting the HRC livery, having previously won the Children’s of Alabama Indy Grand Prix in 2025 and the Detroit Grand Prix in 2026 in HRC colors, he will aim to make it a three-peat for the ‘Honda Honda’ in St. Louis.

Last year’s winner, Kyle Kirkwood, qualified third for this year’s edition of the Bommarito Automotive Group 500. The Andretti Global driver, who currently sits second in the championship standings, will have his sights set on a repeat performance after he scored his first short oval win in IndyCar competition this time last year at World Wide Technology Raceway.

The winner of the 110th running of the Indianapolis 500, Meyer Shank Racing’s Felix Rosenqvist, qualified just behind Kirkwood and will start from fourth place. His teammate Marcus Armstrong sits just two positions behind in sixth, with fellow New Zealander Scott Dixon from Chip Ganassi Racing in seventh.

Honda not only enters the race as defending winners, but also in search of a seventh victory in the 2026 season and a fifth win at World Wide Technology Raceway since the series returned to the facility in 2017.

Bommarito Automotive Group 500 Honda Qualifying Results

  • 1st Alex Palou
  • 3rd Kyle Kirkwood
  • 4th Felix Rosenqvist
  • 6th Marcus Armstrong
  • 7th Scott Dixon
  • 11th Graham Rahal
  • 12th Marcus Ericsson
  • 14th Kyffin Simpson
  • 17th Louis Foster        
  • 18th Mick Schumacher– R  
  • 21st Will Power
  • 23rd Romain Grosjean
  • 24th Dennis Hauger– R

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

R – Rookie

Quotes
Alex Palou (#10 Chip Ganassi Racing Honda) qualified 1st: “ We just got pole here in St. Louis! It was incredible and so much fun, especially that first lap. The #10 HRC Honda, a.k.a the ‘Honda Honda,’ honestly had so much speed. The balance was amazing, I love the way the car felt. It makes me feel really good for tomorrow. It’s going to be a great night race and a great show.”

Palou earns fourth consecutive pole position for Honda in Bommarito Automotive Group 500 qualifying

June 6, 2026 — ST. LOUIS, MO

  • Championship leader Alex Palou scores fourth pole position in a row
  • Last year’s defending winner, Andretti Global’s Kyle Kirkwood, qualifies third
  • Five Honda-powered cars score top-10 qualifying spots across four teams

For the fourth time in a row in the 2026 NTT INDYCAR SERIES season, Alex Palou has put his #10 Chip Ganassi Racing Honda on pole position and will lead the field to green for tomorrow’s Bommarito Automotive Group 500 race at World Wide Technology Raceway.

Fresh off another win the weekend prior, the Spaniard will be seeking a return trip to victory lane with his HRC-liveried Honda in search of his fifth win of the season as he campaigns for his fifth IndyCar championship title. After going two-for-two on victories while sporting the HRC livery, having previously won the Children’s of Alabama Indy Grand Prix in 2025 and the Detroit Grand Prix in 2026 in HRC colors, he will aim to make it a three-peat for the ‘Honda Honda’ in St. Louis.

Last year’s winner, Kyle Kirkwood, qualified third for this year’s edition of the Bommarito Automotive Group 500. The Andretti Global driver, who currently sits second in the championship standings, will have his sights set on a repeat performance after he scored his first short oval win in IndyCar competition this time last year at World Wide Technology Raceway.

The winner of the 110th running of the Indianapolis 500, Meyer Shank Racing’s Felix Rosenqvist, qualified just behind Kirkwood and will start from fourth place. His teammate Marcus Armstrong sits just two positions behind in sixth, with fellow New Zealander Scott Dixon from Chip Ganassi Racing in seventh.

Honda not only enters the race as defending winners, but also in search of a seventh victory in the 2026 season and a fifth win at World Wide Technology Raceway since the series returned to the facility in 2017.

Bommarito Automotive Group 500 Honda Qualifying Results

  • 1st Alex Palou
  • 3rd Kyle Kirkwood
  • 4th Felix Rosenqvist
  • 6th Marcus Armstrong
  • 7th Scott Dixon
  • 11th Graham Rahal
  • 12th Marcus Ericsson
  • 14th Kyffin Simpson
  • 17th Louis Foster        
  • 18th Mick Schumacher– R  
  • 21st Will Power
  • 23rd Romain Grosjean
  • 24th Dennis Hauger– R

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

R – Rookie

Quotes
Alex Palou (#10 Chip Ganassi Racing Honda) qualified 1st: “ We just got pole here in St. Louis! It was incredible and so much fun, especially that first lap. The #10 HRC Honda, a.k.a the ‘Honda Honda,’ honestly had so much speed. The balance was amazing, I love the way the car felt. It makes me feel really good for tomorrow. It’s going to be a great night race and a great show.”

Kyle Kirkwood (#27 Andretti Global Honda) qualified 3rd: “ It was a good run for us. P3 is a really good starting spot and we can definitely do some great things from there. Last year we won from 10th, so it’s nice to be able to be at the front in an oval qualifying. Honda gives us that amazing power, especially in qualifying, and they will give us great fuel economy in the race. I’m excited to get into my first true night race in IndyCar tomorrow night!”

chevy racing–indycar–qualifying report

CHEVROLET IN THE NTT INDYCAR SERIES Bommarito Automotive Group 5001.25-mile, four turn oval Madison, Illinois Saturday Qualifying Report June 6, 2026
 MADISON, Illinois (June 6, 2026) – David Malukas, the top qualifying Chevrolet-powered driver, will start on the front row for the fourth time in the first nine races of the season. The 24-year-old driver of the No. 12 Verizon Team Penske Chevrolet averaged 173.244mph over two laps of the 1.25-mile, four-turn oval. His teammates, Scott McLaughlin in the No. 3 DEX Team Penske Chevrolet and Josef Newgarden in the No. 2 Astemo Team Penske Chevrolet, along with Pato O’Ward in the No. 5 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet and Alexander Rossi in the No. 20 ECR Java House Chevrolet, made it five Team Chevy drivers in the top ten. 
O’Ward was the quickest driver in the lone 60-minute practice session before qualifying, with a late lap at 172.696mph, which was almost four-tenths of a mile per hour better than the next best driver. Malukas, Rossi, and McLaughlin were also in the top ten. O’Ward also had the quickest trap speed into Turn 3 at 182.709mph. Bommarito Automotive Group 500 qualifying resultsWhat They’re Saying – Qualifying – Bommarito Automotive Group 500 David Malukas, No. 12 Verizon Team Penske Chevrolet qualified 2nd:“It was incredible. That car was perfect. Obviously, there was so much of a guessing game from practice one with temperatures, with this new tire compound, all of that, and where we wanted to put the car, and this team got it right where it needed to be. I made a mistake on a lap. I got a little bit too excited going into turn one, so lap two was a little bit down. So, hopefully, it’s enough to keep it, but either way, we’re here with the front row start at this amazing track, so really good job to this Team Penske Verizon Chevy team.” Scott McLaughlin, No. 3 DEX Team Penske Chevrolet qualified 5th:“It was a good run. I think these guys are going to probably go a little bit quicker, as the track gets a little bit faster, but really solid there, and the DEX Energy in Chevy looks great. I love it. I hope the fans like it, too, because it’s my favorite livery of all the time.” Josef Newgarden, No. 2 Astemo Team Penske Chevrolet qualified 8th:“We definitely have something we can work with. The team’s doing a great job. Excited for the race, excited to get the highline in tonight and see, what kind of show we can produce for tomorrow night. It’s pretty gripped up out there. It’s warm, but we’re got a little less power than last year, less downforce. So, it’s a different configuration. We will see how it races. I don’t think anyone’s got an answer for you, but it feels gripped up for how hot it is.” Pato O’Ward, No. 5 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet qualified 9th: Alexander Rossi, No. 20 ECR Java House Chevrolet qualified 10th:“It was good. It’s tricky with the wind conditions and the higher track temperatures than this morning. But the ECR cars have been phenomenal on short ovals for the past year-ish. So, I knew I had a good package. It was just about going out there and executing.” Rinus VeeKay, No. 76 Juncos Hollinger Chevrolet qualified 13th:“It was a good run. We had a good car this morning. I never did a quali run. We did a baseline run this morning, then crashed. So, I had a bit more grip than I thought I was going have today, and the car was set up perfectly, so great job by the team. Confidence wasn’t really hurt by this morning, so just happy to get it over with. Getting qualifying done and knowing that the car was good.” Santino Ferrucci, No. 14 Homes For Our Troops Chevrolet qualified 15th:“I’m really happy with the car. I think the Homes For Our Troops Chevrolet is really quick. Obviously, I think it’s a bit of a bummer with the weather right now, because it’s just getting cooler and cooler, and so everybody’s just gonna go faster and faster. Nothing we can do about that.
“I’ve been off the back here before and finished in the top five. This race, it’s so long, it’s kind of chaotic, you can definitely pass, and there’s multiple lanes, but having a good qualifying, is just helpful for when we go to Road America too, for pit box selection. It’s got more consequences moving forward than it does tomorrow.” Christian Lundgaard, No. 7 VELO Arrow McLaren Chevrolet qualified 16th: Christian Rasmussen, No. 21 Splenda Chevrolet qualified 19th:“I’m not very happy with my qualifying run there. I think we kind of missed the balance in qualifying. Just way too tight in one end and on the looser side, and the other end. So, it was just frustrating run because I think we had a better car in P1 than we did in qualifying. So, we just didn’t really improve, whether that be conditions or our changes, I don’t know. But we have shown that we can come from the back. We didn’t have a great qualifying here last year, either, but we’re still finished on the podium, so I’m excited to see what we can do in the race. But, coming in with a contract, extension is very nice. A little bit of security for the next couple of years, and I know where I’m going to be, which is nice. We’ll just keep improving, keep getting better as a team. We need to sort out these qualifying. That’s first on my list.” Caio Collet, No. 4 Combitrans Amazonia Chevrolet qualified 20th:“I think the car was much better than what I expected to be, to be honest, and I didn’t extract really the potential of it. Did a small mistake in my first lap. The second lap was decent, but I missed quite a bit in the first lap. But I think we have a good solid baseline.  “Last year (some of) the guys had a really good race starting from the back. Santino, last year he had a rough qualifying and finished in the top five. So here it’s a race that if you have a good car and a good clean strategy, you can really move forward, and hopefully we can improve a couple of things in the car and move forward tomorrow.” Nolan Siegel, No. 6 Deloitte Arrow McLaren Chevrolet qualified 22nd:  Sting Ray Robb, No. 77 Juncos Hollinger – Goodheart Chevrolet qualified 25th:“It’s tricky conditions out there. The balance didn’t feel too bad. It just felt like overall grip. We were missing it a little bit for some reason. So, it’s a bit odd. I don’t know why we lack so much pace, but, disappointing. I think it’s very hot. And this track is ever evolving in a day like this where we’re so limited on track time coming into it. I think that we were just, or I was, just expecting a little bit more than that.”Tune-In Guide
Saturday, June 7Bommarito Automotive Group 500 (260 laps)– 9pm (ET)/8pm (CT)/7pm (MT)/6pm (PT) – FOX/INDYCAR Radio Network/SIRIUSXM 218 
Plant Visit
Christian Rasmussen, the driver of the No. 21 Splenda Chevrolet, made a 45-minute drive west into Missouri on Friday morning to visit Wentzville Assembly. The 4.2-million-square-foot General Motors plant builds mid-size pickup trucks (Chevrolet Colorado and GMC Canyon) and full-size vans (Chevrolet Express and GMC Safari). 
The ECR driver, who had his first career podium at World Wide Technology Raceway at Gateway last year, took part in a tour of the plant, stopping along the way to snap pictures with and sign autographs for the plant employees. As part of the visit, 10 lucky employees had the chance to eat lunch with the Chevrolet-powered driver before the Danish driver met with leadership. 
Built in 1983, Wentzville Assembly employs 4,500 and, as part of the program between the track, Chevrolet and INDYCAR, has distributed 2,500 tickets across the two-day Bommarito Automotive Group 500 for employees and their families to enjoy the event. 
An all-Chevrolet podium of Pato O’Ward (Arrow McLaren), Josef Newgarden (Team Penske) and Will Power (Team Penske) celebrate at World Wide Technology Raceway At Gateway in 2021. 
CHEVROLET IN THE NTT INDYCAR SERIESBommarito Automotive Group 5001.25-mile, four turn ovalMadison, IllinoisSaturday Qualifying ReportJune 6, 2026
 MADISON, Illinois (June 6, 2026) – David Malukas, the top qualifying Chevrolet-powered driver, will start on the front row for the fourth time in the first nine races of the season. The 24-year-old driver of the No. 12 Verizon Team Penske Chevrolet averaged 173.244mph over two laps of the 1.25-mile, four-turn oval. His teammates, Scott McLaughlin in the No. 3 DEX Team Penske Chevrolet and Josef Newgarden in the No. 2 Astemo Team Penske Chevrolet, along with Pato O’Ward in the No. 5 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet and Alexander Rossi in the No. 20 ECR Java House Chevrolet, made it five Team Chevy drivers in the top ten. 
O’Ward was the quickest driver in the lone 60-minute practice session before qualifying, with a late lap at 172.696mph, which was almost four-tenths of a mile per hour better than the next best driver. Malukas, Rossi, and McLaughlin were also in the top ten. O’Ward also had the quickest trap speed into Turn 3 at 182.709mph. Bommarito Automotive Group 500 qualifying resultsWhat They’re Saying – Qualifying – Bommarito Automotive Group 500 David Malukas, No. 12 Verizon Team Penske Chevrolet qualified 2nd:“It was incredible. That car was perfect. Obviously, there was so much of a guessing game from practice one with temperatures, with this new tire compound, all of that, and where we wanted to put the car, and this team got it right where it needed to be. I made a mistake on a lap. I got a little bit too excited going into turn one, so lap two was a little bit down. So, hopefully, it’s enough to keep it, but either way, we’re here with the front row start at this amazing track, so really good job to this Team Penske Verizon Chevy team.” Scott McLaughlin, No. 3 DEX Team Penske Chevrolet qualified 5th:“It was a good run. I think these guys are going to probably go a little bit quicker, as the track gets a little bit faster, but really solid there, and the DEX Energy in Chevy looks great. I love it. I hope the fans like it, too, because it’s my favorite livery of all the time.” Josef Newgarden, No. 2 Astemo Team Penske Chevrolet qualified 8th:“We definitely have something we can work with. The team’s doing a great job. Excited for the race, excited to get the highline in tonight and see, what kind of show we can produce for tomorrow night. It’s pretty gripped up out there. It’s warm, but we’re got a little less power than last year, less downforce. So, it’s a different configuration. We will see how it races. I don’t think anyone’s got an answer for you, but it feels gripped up for how hot it is.” Pato O’Ward, No. 5 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet qualified 9th: Alexander Rossi, No. 20 ECR Java House Chevrolet qualified 10th:“It was good. It’s tricky with the wind conditions and the higher track temperatures than this morning. But the ECR cars have been phenomenal on short ovals for the past year-ish. So, I knew I had a good package. It was just about going out there and executing.” Rinus VeeKay, No. 76 Juncos Hollinger Chevrolet qualified 13th:“It was a good run. We had a good car this morning. I never did a quali run. We did a baseline run this morning, then crashed. So, I had a bit more grip than I thought I was going have today, and the car was set up perfectly, so great job by the team. Confidence wasn’t really hurt by this morning, so just happy to get it over with. Getting qualifying done and knowing that the car was good.” Santino Ferrucci, No. 14 Homes For Our Troops Chevrolet qualified 15th:“I’m really happy with the car. I think the Homes For Our Troops Chevrolet is really quick. Obviously, I think it’s a bit of a bummer with the weather right now, because it’s just getting cooler and cooler, and so everybody’s just gonna go faster and faster. Nothing we can do about that.
“I’ve been off the back here before and finished in the top five. This race, it’s so long, it’s kind of chaotic, you can definitely pass, and there’s multiple lanes, but having a good qualifying, is just helpful for when we go to Road America too, for pit box selection. It’s got more consequences moving forward than it does tomorrow.” Christian Lundgaard, No. 7 VELO Arrow McLaren Chevrolet qualified 16th: Christian Rasmussen, No. 21 Splenda Chevrolet qualified 19th:“I’m not very happy with my qualifying run there. I think we kind of missed the balance in qualifying. Just way too tight in one end and on the looser side, and the other end. So, it was just frustrating run because I think we had a better car in P1 than we did in qualifying. So, we just didn’t really improve, whether that be conditions or our changes, I don’t know. But we have shown that we can come from the back. We didn’t have a great qualifying here last year, either, but we’re still finished on the podium, so I’m excited to see what we can do in the race. But, coming in with a contract, extension is very nice. A little bit of security for the next couple of years, and I know where I’m going to be, which is nice. We’ll just keep improving, keep getting better as a team. We need to sort out these qualifying. That’s first on my list.” Caio Collet, No. 4 Combitrans Amazonia Chevrolet qualified 20th:“I think the car was much better than what I expected to be, to be honest, and I didn’t extract really the potential of it. Did a small mistake in my first lap. The second lap was decent, but I missed quite a bit in the first lap. But I think we have a good solid baseline.  “Last year (some of) the guys had a really good race starting from the back. Santino, last year he had a rough qualifying and finished in the top five. So here it’s a race that if you have a good car and a good clean strategy, you can really move forward, and hopefully we can improve a couple of things in the car and move forward tomorrow.” Nolan Siegel, No. 6 Deloitte Arrow McLaren Chevrolet qualified 22nd:  Sting Ray Robb, No. 77 Juncos Hollinger – Goodheart Chevrolet qualified 25th:“It’s tricky conditions out there. The balance didn’t feel too bad. It just felt like overall grip. We were missing it a little bit for some reason. So, it’s a bit odd. I don’t know why we lack so much pace, but, disappointing. I think it’s very hot. And this track is ever evolving in a day like this where we’re so limited on track time coming into it. I think that we were just, or I was, just expecting a little bit more than that.”Tune-In Guide
Saturday, June 7Bommarito Automotive Group 500 (260 laps)– 9pm (ET)/8pm (CT)/7pm (MT)/6pm (PT) – FOX/INDYCAR Radio Network/SIRIUSXM 218 
Plant Visit
Christian Rasmussen, the driver of the No. 21 Splenda Chevrolet, made a 45-minute drive west into Missouri on Friday morning to visit Wentzville Assembly. The 4.2-million-square-foot General Motors plant builds mid-size pickup trucks (Chevrolet Colorado and GMC Canyon) and full-size vans (Chevrolet Express and GMC Safari). 
The ECR driver, who had his first career podium at World Wide Technology Raceway at Gateway last year, took part in a tour of the plant, stopping along the way to snap pictures with and sign autographs for the plant employees. As part of the visit, 10 lucky employees had the chance to eat lunch with the Chevrolet-powered driver before the Danish driver met with leadership. 
Built in 1983, Wentzville Assembly employs 4,500 and, as part of the program between the track, Chevrolet and INDYCAR, has distributed 2,500 tickets across the two-day Bommarito Automotive Group 500 for employees and their families to enjoy the event. 
An all-Chevrolet podium of Pato O’Ward (Arrow McLaren), Josef Newgarden (Team Penske) and Will Power (Team Penske) celebrate at World Wide Technology Raceway At Gateway in 2021. 
Chevrolet at World Wide Technology Raceway At Gateway
General Motors Wins: 8
Chevrolet Wins: 7 
2024 – Josef Newgarden – Team Penske2022 – Josef Newgarden – Team Penske2021 – Josef Newgarden – Team Penske2020 Race #2 – Josef Newgarden – Team Penske2018 – Will Power – Team Penske2017 – Josef Newgarden – Team Penske2002 – Gil de Ferran – Team Penske 
Oldsmobile Wins: 1
2001 – Al Unser, Jr. – Galles Racing

General Motors Poles: 9
Chevrolet Poles: 8
2025 – Will Power – Team Penske2024 – Scott McLaughlin – Team Penske2023 – Scott McLaughlin – Team Penske2022 – Will Power – Team Penske2021 – Will Power – Team Penske2020 Race #1     – Will Power – Team Penske2019 – Josef Newgarden – Team Penske2017 – Will Power – Team Penske2002 – Gil de Ferran – Team Penske
Oldsmobile Poles: 1
2001 – Sam Hornish – Panther Racing
General Motors Podiums: 25
Chevrolet Podiums 22
Chevrolet driver podiums at World Wide Technology Raceway At Gateway: Josef Newgarden (5), Pato O’Ward (5), Scott McLaughlin (3), Will Power (2), Alex Barron (1), Ed Carpenter (1), Helio Castroneves (1), Gil de Ferran (1), Tony Kanaan (1), Simon Pagenaud (1) and Christian Rasmussen (1)
Chevrolet team podiums at World Wide Technology Raceway At Gateway:  Team Penske (13), Arrow McLaren (5), Ed Carpenter Racing (2), A.J. Foyt Racing (1), Blair Racing (1)
Oldsmobile Podiums: 3
Oldsmobile driver podiums at World Wide Technology Raceway At Gateway: Mark Dismore (1), Sam Hornish (1) and Al Unser, Jr. (1). 
Oldsmobile team podiums at World Wide Technology Raceway At Gateway: Galles Racing (1), Kelley Racing (1), and Panther Racing (1)

General Motors Laps Led: 1966
Chevrolet Laps Led: 1801
Chevrolet laps led by driver at World Wide Technology Raceway At Gateway: Josef Newgarden (624), Will Power (450), Pato O’Ward (167), Helio Castroneves (137), Scott McLaughlin (130), Gil de Ferran (81), David Malukas (67), Conor Daly (37), Alex Barron (29), Sebastien Bourdais (18), Simon Pagenaud (14), Alexander Rossi (14), Santino Ferrucci (8), Sting Ray Robb (8), Nolan Siegel (8), Callum Ilott (5), Felipe Giafone (2), Christian Rasmussen (1) and Felix Rosenqvist (1) 
Chevrolet laps led by team at World Wide Technology Raceway At Gateway: Team Penske (1436), Arrow McLaren (188), A.J. Foyt Racing (101), Juncos Hollinger Racing (36), Blair Racing (29), Prema Racing (5), ECR (3), Mo Nunn Racing (2) and Carlin (1). 

Oldsmobile Laps Led: 165
Oldsmobile laps led by driver at World Wide Technology Raceway At Gateway: Sam Hornish (81), Al Unser, Jr. (75), Mark Dismore (8), and Airton Dare (1)
Oldsmobile laps led by team at World Wide Technology Raceway At Gateway: Panther Racing (81), Galles Racing (75), Kelley Racing (8) and Team Xtreme (1)
Manufacturer history at World Wide Technology Raceway At Gateway Wins – General Motors (8)Chevrolet (7) – 2024, 2022, 2021, 2020 R2, 2018, 2017, 2002Honda (5) – 2025, 2023, 2020 R1, 2019, 1998Toyota (2) – 2003, 2000Oldsmobile (1) – 2001Ford (1) – 1999Mercedes (1) – 1997

Earned Poles – 16 (in 2018, the field was set by championship points due to weather)General Motors (9)Chevrolet (8) – 2025, 2023, 2022, 2021, 2020 R1, 2019, 2017, 2002Honda (2) – 2020 R2, 1999Toyota (2) – 2003, 2000Oldsmobile (1) – 2001Mercedes (1) – 1998Ford (1) – 1997

John Force racing–Michigan–Saturday

SATURDAY RECAP – EPPING Race 8 of 20
Photography: John Force Racing / Auto Imagery / Gary Nastase
VANDERGRIFF CAPTURES FIRST NO. 1 QUALIFIER AWARD, SECOND #2FAST2TASTY CHALLENGEJFR FUNNY CARS GO 1-2-3, HART QUALIFIES THIRD IN TOP FUEL
SATURDAY RECAP – EPPINGRace 8 of 20
Photography: John Force Racing / Auto Imagery / Gary Nastase
VANDERGRIFF CAPTURES FIRST NO. 1 QUALIFIER AWARD, SECOND #2FAST2TASTY CHALLENGEJFR FUNNY CARS GO 1-2-3, HART QUALIFIES THIRD IN TOP FUEL
EPPING, N.H. (June 6, 2026) – Jordan Vandergriff and the Cornwell Tools Chevrolet SS Funny Car team waited until the final run of the fourth and final qualifying session of the NHRA New England Nationals at New England Dragway to set low elapsed time and, in doing so, the Funny Car rookie captured both his first career No. 1 qualifying award and second career NHRA Mission Foods #2Fast2Tasty Challenge. Vandergriff ran 3.913 seconds at 323.58 mph to Ron Capps’ 3.953 seconds at 328.16 to earn his second Mission Foods Challenge white winner’s ballcap. But it was the yellow ballcap for setting low ET in qualifying that he was most proud of. His John Force Racing teammates were right there with him. Jack Beckman qualified the PEAK Chevrolet SS Funny Car second and Alexis DeJoria qualified the Bandero Chevrolet SS Funny Car third, marking the first time they have swept the top three spots. In Top Fuel, Josh Hart put the Speedmaster Top Fuel Dragster in the third spot, as well, with his Friday Q2 run of 3.724 seconds at 337.92 mph. Round 1 of the Mission Foods #2Fast2Tasty Challenge, held during Saturday’s first qualifying session, pitted Beckman and Vandergriff against each other based on their semifinal matchup in last week’s semifinals in Maryland, where Beckman went on to finish runner up. Vandergriff’s Cornwell Tools Chevy got the holeshot and it was a close race until just past halftrack when both cars lost traction. They each coasted across the finish line but this time it was Vandergriff who took the win and the transfer spot into the final round against Ron Capps, who earned lane choice. Heading into Q4, DeJoria held the No. 1 spot will her Friday night Q2 run of 3.929 seconds at 312.42 mph, Vandergriff was second with his Q2 run of 3.932 seconds at 326.32 mph and Beckman was sixth with his Q2 run of 3.950 seconds at 323.81 mph. With Vandergriff in the #2Fast2Tasty Challenge final round, DeJoria and Beckman ran together in Q4. Beckman moved to the provisional top spot with a run of 3.921 seconds at 327.35 mph to DeJoria’s 3.934 seconds at 329.50 mph It was at the 2024 NHRA New England Nationals that 16-time NHRA Funny Car Champion and team owner John Force earned his record 157th and final NHRA Funny Car victory. In Sunday’s first round of elimination, Vandergriff and the Cornwell Tools Chevrolet SS Funny Car team will face No. 16 qualifier Jeff Arend whose best qualifying run was 4.152 seconds at 264.18 mph. Beckman and the PEAK Chevrolet SS Funny Car team will line up against No. 15 qualifier Phil Burkart who ran 4.075 seconds at 311.05 mph. DeJoria and the Bandero Café Chevrolet SS Funny Car team will be matched up against Cruz Pedregon, who qualified 15th with a run of 4.008 seconds at 316.97 mph. Hart and the Speedmaster Top Fuel Dragster team will face Rit Pustari, who qualified 14th with a best run of 9.189 seconds at 71.97 mph. Final eliminations have been moved up by 30 minutes and are scheduled to begin at 10:30 a.m. ET on Sunday, June 7. Quote from Jordan Vandergriff, Cornwell Tools Chevrolet SS Funny Car: “Right when I crossed the finish line and the parachutes hit, I thought, ‘God, that felt quick.’ To get the Mission #2Fast2Tasty Challenge win and the No. 1 qualifier in the same day is unbelievable. I never thought I was going to get one of these No. 1 qualifier hats, but now I’ve got one. We’re one, two, and three (in qualifying). That’s a testament to John Force, what he’s built, the equipment he has and the people he has working for him. Right now, we’re the best three Funny Cars on the property. Jack Beckman has helped me a lot with driving and Alexis DeJoria has helped me with handling the emotions. Having teammates like that is huge. To be eight races into my Funny Car career with two Mission wins, a Wally and now a No. 1 qualifier — it’s pretty incredible.” Quote from Jack Beckman, PEAK Chevrolet SS Funny Car: “That was a test pass (Q4). I can’t tell you how awesome it is to be around the PEAK SQUAD and the calls that Tim Fabrisi and Dan Hood (crew chiefs) are making. Our goal lately has been to qualify well enough on Friday so that we can test on Saturday. It’s the best way to evaluate parts on an apples-to-apples basis, and we’re trying some fuel system things with the intent of picking up more speed and more back half elapsed time. It looks like it did exactly what it needed to do out there. We’re chunking away on predictability. Now, we’re going back to our tried and true combination for race day, and it’s all about the trophy tomorrow. But I have to tell you, to qualify first/first/second over three radically different conditions in three consecutive race weekends is truly a testament to the car, the team and every person that puts their hands on our PEAK Chevy SS. It’s just awesome to get on a fast horse.” Quote from Alexis DeJoria, Bandero Café Chevrolet SS Funny Car: “Well, we finally did it. John’s wishes came true. We got the JFR cars int the top three qualifying spots. I was happy to carry the No. 1 qualifier on Friday. I thought if anybody could go around us, it’d be one of our cars. It’s an all JFR affair on the top half of the field.” Quote from Josh Hart, Speedmaster Top Fuel Dragster: “We were obviously hoping for a little bit more last night and today looked like it was going to be better, but the track just wasn’t there for that. We pushed hard, broke loose both times, but we were testing a couple of things. That’s the luxury of being in the Top 5 in the first day of qualifying. So, I’m very grateful. Tomorrow the Speedmaster team will be ready for race day and, hopefully, the conditions will be more in our favor.” 

Chevy Racing–NASCAR–Michigan–richard Childress


NASCAR CUP SERIES MICHIGAN INTERNATIONAL SPEEDWAY TEAM CHEVY TRANSCRIPT JUNE 6, 2026


Richard Childress, owner of Richard Childress Racing, addressed the media onsite at Michigan International Speedway. 

MEDIA RESOURCES: Photo Gallery | Race AdvancesChevrolet Newsroom

NASCAR CUP SERIES
MICHIGAN INTERNATIONAL SPEEDWAYTEAM CHEVY TRANSCRIPTJUNE 6, 2026


Richard Childress, owner of Richard Childress Racing, addressed the media onsite at Michigan International Speedway. 

MEDIA RESOURCES: Photo Gallery | Race AdvancesChevrolet Newsroom


Media Availability Quotes: 


Opening remarks by Richard Childress: “First off, I’d just like to take this opportunity to thank all the media, and the ones that aren’t here today, for all of your support through this unbelievable challenge that we’re all facing, losing Kyle Busch unexpectedly at such a young age. I just wanted to look around the room and thank so many of you that have been friends and supporting the Busch family – Brexton, Lennix, Samantha – and RCR through these challenging times. Secondly, the hardest part of this is that today, we were going to be in here, Kyle was going to be with me, and we were going to announce that he was coming back in 2027 and drive for RCR. We wanted to do it up here in Michigan with our GM friends, with Chevrolet, and it didn’t happen. This is a different type of media availability instead of a press conference that he was coming back to race for us in 2027. I talked to Kyle Tuesday night, before everything went down Wednesday night and Thursday, and we had a great conversation. He said, ‘you give me cars like you gave me the last three weeks and I will make the Chase this year.’ We were that confident. Both of us had a lot of confidence in this team. We haven’t had the year that any of us expected or wanted. We started out like gangbusters, and it just didn’t go as we expected. We’ve had a lot of opportunities, and we just didn’t finish them off. But that’s the tough part about today. Even walking in here, I was thinking, what if he and I were walking in together. Instead, I’m in here talking and thanking the media for your support.”   A couple things… how are you doing? How hard is this hitting? Is this almost, in a sense, like 2001 all over again?“It’s challenging. You lose two of the greatest drivers that’s ever driven a car in NASCAR, and now having to go through it again. I just feel so bad for the family and the RCR employees. I haven’t slept very well, I’ll leave it at that.”   And obviously, as you stated, you had planned to come in here to announce an extension with Kyle. How does an organization have to shift, and how do you turn a mindset while you’re in mourning of looking at the future and what the future for that No. 33 car is going to be?“Mike Verlander, our President, and I were talking about it. We made the decision to not run the 8 car. Kyle helped us design it. We told him we had the 8 number. He was happy going back to it a few years. He said, ‘let’s design it differently’, so this was Kyle’s design. We showed him a lot of stuff, and at the end of the day, this was his design, so we decided to take it off.  In 2001, we didn’t have a number. We had the 33 already, so we just figured we’d put it on it. Back then, I just told Bobby Hutchens, ‘call NASCAR and get the lowest number available’, and it happened to be No. 29 when we put (Kevin) Harvick in it.  We talked about it, and we decided that Austin Hill was who we needed to put in it at this time.” 
 How long will Austin Hill be in the No. 33 car? Is that for the rest of the season, or is that race to race?“Our sponsors have been great to work with through this. Just like we had with Dale (Earnhardt Sr.), the sponsors worked really well with us with that loss. Putting Austin Hill in it was a choice that we made for right now.”   
It’s been said that you and Kyle were very similar, personality-wise, and he obviously knew that you believed in him. He spoke several times about your belief in him and that meant something to him personally. What did you see of yourself in Kyle, and what kind of bond did you feel like you shared with him?“Kyle Busch was a totally different person when he was away from the track. He wanted to win. He was driven by winning, hard work and doing everything that he could do to help the team. Once somebody said, ‘the only difference is one’s got an accent and the other doesn’t’. We built a friendship out of this. We went hunting. I took him on one of his very first hunts, and he really got into hunting. He started taking Brexton. We had other plans. The sad part for me looking back, knowing what Dale Earnhardt had in mind and the plans he had for his future, and then sitting and talking to Kyle at different times, knowing his plans and what he had in the future for him, Brexton and his family and the many things that we all could have done together; that was probably the toughest part of this whole thing.”  
 Austin Dillon has played a bigger and bigger role with the organization, and I know he spoke to us last week. He said he was one of the ones who spoke to the entire group at RCR. How is his role growing, and what have you seen in terms of his future leadership and confidence in him of maybe someday running your organization?“Yes, both Austin and Ty Dillon went up to RCR the next day and talked to the whole company. I see a role with both of them being involved. Austin is the General Manager over the Carolina Cowboys, and he’s learning how to deal with a sanctioning body. He’s learning how to deal with riders instead of drivers, which would be different. Ty’s involved a lot, as well. He’s there with us. It’s a family operation, and we’re doing our best to keep it like that.”   
Obviously, you’re going through something terrible when this is all happening, yourself personally, and you’re feeling all this, but then you also have to lead your company and try to get everybody who is just feeling a loss themselves. How do you get up there yourself, and how do you push your company forward and keep driving everybody despite what’s happened here?“It’s tough on them too; the people that worked with Kyle and the engine shop. He made a lot of friends at RCR through his time. My job as the owner is to try to talk to them as much as I can. Mike Verlander’s put together so many things, and he spoke with them a lot, as well. So between Austin, Ty, Mike, and Mike Dillon, as well, they’ve made it a lot easier on me than it was in 2001. It’s never easy, but they just gave me a little bit of time to get my head right.”   
What do you think that Kyle’s long-term legacy is going to be in this sport? How did he help RCR in the short period of time he was there, and what do you think his contributions to NASCAR overall will be?“Kyle Busch will go down in history as one of the greatest drivers there’s ever been. He’ll be in the Hall of Fame. I’d love to see them put him in it right away. He helped RCR when we needed him. He came right in, and we won three races the first part of the year. We had a lot of opportunities to win other races, but we just didn’t finish and capitalize on them.  He was a man that a lot of people thought he was tough to deal with and that we wouldn’t last long, but he was a man that loved this sport. He loved it so much that he wanted to see his family carry it on. To watch what he had going on with Brexton —  I would go to Millbridge and watch them race together, and just see the enjoyment in Kyle’s eyes watching his son race was just unbelievable. His legacy will be in history. He’ll go down as one of the greatest drivers of all times. He’s won over 200 races. All of us are going to miss him. You all are going to miss having him in here after a win.”  
I wanted to ask about the car number a little bit more… what were the discussions like about changing it and preserving it for Brexton in the future, and why was that important to you?“Kyle designed that style of the No. 8. It was never to put any pressure on him (Brexton) to run the No. 8, but it’s there for him. It’s stylized. We have the stylized number registered or patented, however they do it, and we saved it for Brexton if he ever comes and says, ‘hey, I’m going to go drive for Rick Hendrick and I want to use that 8’. That’s what I was saying, we’re saving that stylized No. 8 for him if he wants to run it in the future.”   
I just wanted to ask a little bit about Brexton. He’s obviously gone through an incredibly tough time. I know that you obviously knew Kyle’s plans for him. What can RCR do, or what can the racing community do in general, to make sure that Brexton’s going to be put in the best position possible for his future going forward?“I think just showing him the respect and trying not to put more pressure on him, just like Dale Earnhardt Jr. I think that he’s got a great future. That kid can drive a racecar. Personally and mentally, watching him last Tuesday, was incredible. He’s just a bright young man and a great little racecar driver. He’ll carry the Busch legacy for many years to come.” 

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