Front row start for Cadillac Hertz Team JOTA in Spa

May 8th, 2026 – Cadillac Hertz Team JOTA will start from the front row of the grid for the second round of the FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC) in Spa-Francorchamps. The No.12 Cadillac Hertz Team JOTA V-Series.R, driven by Will Stevens, posted the second quickest time in Hyperpole, just 0.043 seconds off pole position. Ahead of qualifying, the No.12 car had topped the timesheets for FP3. The No. 12 Cadillac Hertz Team JOTA V-Series.R advanced to the Hyperpole session after recording the 6th fastest time (02:01:239) in the initial qualifying session. Throughout Hyperpole, Stevens continued to improve on this time, with his final lap a 2:00.693. The No. 12 car driven by Will Stevens, Norman Nato and Louis Deletraz, will line up in second position on the grid for the TotalEnergies 6 Hours of Spa. The No.38 Cadillac Hertz Team JOTA V-Series.R driven by Jack Aitken also had a strong qualifying session and progressed to Hyperpole. Aitken closed the session with a lap time of 2:00.940, the fifth quickest of Hyperpole. Jack Aitken, Sebastian Bourdais and Earl Bamber will share driving duties in the No.38 car for tomorrow’s race. The TotalEnergies 6 Hours of Spa will take place on the 7.004-kilometre (4.532-mile), 19-turn Spa-Francorchamps circuit. It is scheduled for 2pm local/8am ET Saturday May 9th.  What they’re saying No. 12 Cadillac Hertz Team JOTA V-Series.RWill Stevens: “So P2 in qualifying. It’s my first qualifying for a while, so it’s nice to be very competitive. It’s always good when you are disappointed to be second! I lost a little bit of time in Turn 8, so we felt we had it in the car today to be on Pole for sure. Overall a very solid week so far, now it’s full focus on the race and let’s hope for a good one.”  No. 38 Cadillac Hertz Team JOTA V-Series.RJack Aitken: “We’ve finished P5 in qualifying with the sister car in P2, so it’s a really good start for the team. We’ve now got 6 hours to work our way up and the car looks good. It’s always fun to qualify in Spa.”

Pair of Corvette Z06 GT3.Rs aim to follow Imola script to get to the front early STAVELOT, Belgium (May 8, 2026) – TF Sport’s pair of Chevrolet Corvette Z06 GT3.Rs will start Saturday from familiar spots in the FIA World Endurance Championship’s Six Hours of Spa following two qualifying sessions in the LMGT3 class Friday.

The No. 34 Racing Team Turkey by TF Corvette of Charlie Eastwood, Salih Yoluc and Peter Dempsey advanced out of the first qualifying session and into Hyperpole for the second straight race. Dempsey, the team’s Bronze-rated driver, was fifth in the opening 15-minute qualifying session followed by Yoluc’s run in Hyperpole that put the Corvette on the fifth row of the LMGT3 grid. Meanwhile the No. 33 TF Sport Corvette of Nicky Catsburg, Jonny Edgar and Blake McDonald will start 14th in class after just missing the top-10 in the first session. The trio showed, however, that the starting spot can mean very little by the end of the race.

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The Catsburg/Edgar/McDonald trio came from 14th at the start of the season-opening round at Imola to a runner-up finish at the end. McDonald raced his way into the top-five there, and both Edgar and Catsburg led in their stints before coming home in second place. The sister Corvette had a similar run going as Yoluc went from 10th to sixth in class at the start before a technical issue retired the No. 34 in the late stages. Eastwood showed good pace early in the Spa week with the fastest LMGT3 time in Friday’s opening free practice session in the red Corvette, and Dempsey went slightly quicker than his factory teammate in the second practice. While the one-lap gap to the LMGT3 front-runners was significant, the TF Sport team is counting on superior tire management and strategy to again work its way forward in the race, which goes green at 8 a.m. ET / 2 p.m. CET on Saturday. Live streaming coverage 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.

CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R POST-QUALIFYING DRIVER QUOTES

CHARLIE EASTWOOD, NO. 34 CHEVROLET CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R: “It’s been a pretty straightforward weekend. We started as good as we could with P1 in FP1. The Corvette felt great right out of the box. We tested here about six weeks ago, and it went really well. We ended up P10 in qualifying. There were a couple of cars that seemed very good over one lap, but the ones at the front definitely we know that the Corvette has better degradation than them which seems to be a huge factor over the stint here. I think it will play into our hands in the longer stints but we’re in a good spot for the race. We just need to get some points on the board. Imola didn’t go to plan, obviously. We need to get a solid result… no mistakes, no drive-throughs for track limits and all that stuff. Le Mans is just around the corner and we need a bit of momentum behind us going into the big one.”

PETER DEMPSEY, NO. 34 CHEVROLET CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R: “It’s been good so far. We’ve been building, really, and trying to rebound from the disappointment at Imola. Free practice went well. Our car feels good but the tire deg is really high here for all so I think we’re in a decent spot to start the race tomorrow and try to get a bit of redemption from Imola. Everyone is maybe not showing their full cards yet, but we feel like we are in a good window. The balance feels good, and it seems we’ve improved from where the team was last year. Hopefully we can manage the deg better than everyone else, have good stops with no penalties and see where we end up.”

NICKY CATSBURG, NO. 33 CHEVROLET CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R: “I feel like we had a very good start at Imola. We should have won that race; our Corvette was super-fast but we had some bad luck on our last two pitstops. But it was a super-nice fight with the BMW at the end. So very close but a good start to the season.”We are a lot heavier now (than Imola due to success ballast) so that will not help us here. I feel like the gap in (practices) was a little bigger than anticipated. We need to see how to drive around that, which will be difficult. The sister car was super-fast so we will see if we can learn a bit from them.”

BLAKE McDONALD, NO. 33 CHEVROLET CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R: “I think the weekend has gone OK for us. We’re carrying 24 extra kilos of success ballast and I’m not sure how much that is helping us. It’s also a big track to work up to in general. I have been here before, but every time you come here it almost feels like the first time working up to Eau Rouge and Blanchimont and everything. On my personal side I feel like I’ve made good progress but this is a very stiff field of Bronzes so I think everyone has made that step even a bit more than me. The P1 time seems very unachievable by our car, but that is how it goes sometimes. I think in general we have a very good racecar. We started P14 in Imola and finished P2 and almost had a win there. I’m not going to let this session hold me back too much. I’m going to give it hell tomorrow like I always do. Ultimately that will make me better and stronger for ELMS later this year. It’ll be critical in that regard. I’m disappointed we didn’t get into Hyperpole but still proud of myself at the end of the day so I’m happy overall.”

BEN KEATING, NO. 33 CHEVROLET CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R: “I’m excited to be here at the track even though I’m handicapped with the elbow. It’s a nice environment and makes me hungry to get back in the car. The recovery is going well and there’s no doubt that I will be ready to go in Le Mans. It’s very nice to be a spectator at one of these events. I get to sleep as late as I want, eat breakfast, have coffee, come to the track whenever I feel like being here instead of having to make the early-morning drivers meetings and everything else! So it’s quite relaxing and very nice to be a spectator at the track.”

CORVETTE RACING AT SPA: Knowing the Way ForwardPair of Corvette Z06 GT3.Rs aim to follow Imola script to get to the front early STAVELOT, Belgium (May 8, 2026) – TF Sport’s pair of Chevrolet Corvette Z06 GT3.Rs will start Saturday from familiar spots in the FIA World Endurance Championship’s Six Hours of Spa following two qualifying sessions in the LMGT3 class Friday.

The No. 34 Racing Team Turkey by TF Corvette of Charlie Eastwood, Salih Yoluc and Peter Dempsey advanced out of the first qualifying session and into Hyperpole for the second straight race. Dempsey, the team’s Bronze-rated driver, was fifth in the opening 15-minute qualifying session followed by Yoluc’s run in Hyperpole that put the Corvette on the fifth row of the LMGT3 grid. Meanwhile the No. 33 TF Sport Corvette of Nicky Catsburg, Jonny Edgar and Blake McDonald will start 14th in class after just missing the top-10 in the first session. The trio showed, however, that the starting spot can mean very little by the end of the race.

Corvette Racing Media Resources Documents | Statistics | Photos | Factory Driver Bios | Chevrolet Newsroom

The Catsburg/Edgar/McDonald trio came from 14th at the start of the season-opening round at Imola to a runner-up finish at the end. McDonald raced his way into the top-five there, and both Edgar and Catsburg led in their stints before coming home in second place. The sister Corvette had a similar run going as Yoluc went from 10th to sixth in class at the start before a technical issue retired the No. 34 in the late stages. Eastwood showed good pace early in the Spa week with the fastest LMGT3 time in Friday’s opening free practice session in the red Corvette, and Dempsey went slightly quicker than his factory teammate in the second practice. While the one-lap gap to the LMGT3 front-runners was significant, the TF Sport team is counting on superior tire management and strategy to again work its way forward in the race, which goes green at 8 a.m. ET / 2 p.m. CET on Saturday. Live streaming coverage 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.

CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R POST-QUALIFYING DRIVER QUOTES

CHARLIE EASTWOOD, NO. 34 CHEVROLET CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R: “It’s been a pretty straightforward weekend. We started as good as we could with P1 in FP1. The Corvette felt great right out of the box. We tested here about six weeks ago, and it went really well. We ended up P10 in qualifying. There were a couple of cars that seemed very good over one lap, but the ones at the front definitely we know that the Corvette has better degradation than them which seems to be a huge factor over the stint here. I think it will play into our hands in the longer stints but we’re in a good spot for the race. We just need to get some points on the board. Imola didn’t go to plan, obviously. We need to get a solid result… no mistakes, no drive-throughs for track limits and all that stuff. Le Mans is just around the corner and we need a bit of momentum behind us going into the big one.”

PETER DEMPSEY, NO. 34 CHEVROLET CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R: “It’s been good so far. We’ve been building, really, and trying to rebound from the disappointment at Imola. Free practice went well. Our car feels good but the tire deg is really high here for all so I think we’re in a decent spot to start the race tomorrow and try to get a bit of redemption from Imola. Everyone is maybe not showing their full cards yet, but we feel like we are in a good window. The balance feels good, and it seems we’ve improved from where the team was last year. Hopefully we can manage the deg better than everyone else, have good stops with no penalties and see where we end up.”

NICKY CATSBURG, NO. 33 CHEVROLET CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R: “I feel like we had a very good start at Imola. We should have won that race; our Corvette was super-fast but we had some bad luck on our last two pitstops. But it was a super-nice fight with the BMW at the end. So very close but a good start to the season.”We are a lot heavier now (than Imola due to success ballast) so that will not help us here. I feel like the gap in (practices) was a little bigger than anticipated. We need to see how to drive around that, which will be difficult. The sister car was super-fast so we will see if we can learn a bit from them.”

BLAKE McDONALD, NO. 33 CHEVROLET CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R: “I think the weekend has gone OK for us. We’re carrying 24 extra kilos of success ballast and I’m not sure how much that is helping us. It’s also a big track to work up to in general. I have been here before, but every time you come here it almost feels like the first time working up to Eau Rouge and Blanchimont and everything. On my personal side I feel like I’ve made good progress but this is a very stiff field of Bronzes so I think everyone has made that step even a bit more than me. The P1 time seems very unachievable by our car, but that is how it goes sometimes. I think in general we have a very good racecar. We started P14 in Imola and finished P2 and almost had a win there. I’m not going to let this session hold me back too much. I’m going to give it hell tomorrow like I always do. Ultimately that will make me better and stronger for ELMS later this year. It’ll be critical in that regard. I’m disappointed we didn’t get into Hyperpole but still proud of myself at the end of the day so I’m happy overall.”

BEN KEATING, NO. 33 CHEVROLET CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R: “I’m excited to be here at the track even though I’m handicapped with the elbow. It’s a nice environment and makes me hungry to get back in the car. The recovery is going well and there’s no doubt that I will be ready to go in Le Mans. It’s very nice to be a spectator at one of these events. I get to sleep as late as I want, eat breakfast, have coffee, come to the track whenever I feel like being here instead of having to make the early-morning drivers meetings and everything else! So it’s quite relaxing and very nice to be a spectator at the track.”

Mike Kidd (No. 72), 1981 AMA Grand National Champion and 1998 AMA Motorcycle Hall of Fame inductee. [Photo: AMA Pro Racing] Download high-resolution photo from AMA Pro’s Digital Asset Management system

AMA Pro Racing Mourns the Passing of 1981 Grand National Champion Mike Kidd

Mike Kidd (No. 72), 1981 AMA Grand National Champion and 1998 AMA Motorcycle Hall of Fame inductee. [Photo: AMA Pro Racing] Download high-resolution photo from AMA Pro’s Digital Asset Management system

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (May 8, 2026) –  AMA Pro Racing joins the motorcycle racing community in mourning the passing of Mike Kidd, the 1981 AMA Grand National Champion, AMA Motorcycle Hall of Famer, race promoter, series builder, and former AMA Pro Racing executive. Kidd was 72. A native of Fort Worth, Texas, Kidd authored one of the most respected careers in American motorcycle racing, first as a rider who overcame repeated adversity to reach the sport’s highest level, and later as a promoter and executive who helped shape the future of flat track and indoor motorcycle racing. Kidd turned professional in 1972 and quickly established himself among the elite riders of the Grand National era. His first AMA Grand National victory came at the 1974 Charity Newsies Half Mile in Columbus, Ohio, and he went on to collect 12 AMA national wins during his professional racing career. His greatest competitive triumph came in 1981. Riding for the Lawwill/Roberts team, Kidd earned eight podium finishes and victories at the Ascot Park TT national and the Du Quoin Mile. The championship battle came down to the final race at Ascot Park, where Kidd finished second to secure the AMA Grand National Championship by five points over Gary Scott. After the 1981 title, Kidd joined Honda’s newly formed dirt track effort and played an important role in the development of machinery that would help power Honda riders to multiple Grand National Championships in the years that followed. Kidd retired from professional racing after the 1983 season, but his influence on the sport only expanded. He was named AMA Promoter of the Year in 1984, built and operated Boyd Raceway in Texas, and created the AMA National Arenacross Series in 1985. He later worked as a vice president with Clear Channel Motor Sports and continued to shape motorcycle racing through event promotion, sponsorship development, and television initiatives. Kidd also served the sport from within AMA Pro Racing, including leadership roles with AMA Pro Flat Track and later as AMA Pro Racing Director of Sales. Across those roles, he brought the same racer’s determination and promoter’s vision that defined his life in motorcycling. Inducted into the AMA Motorcycle Hall of Fame in 1998, Kidd leaves behind a legacy that reaches far beyond his 1981 Grand National Championship. He was a racer, promoter, innovator, salesman, and advocate whose work helped sustain and grow the uniquely American discipline of flat track racing. AMA Pro Racing extends its deepest condolences to Kidd’s family, friends, former competitors, colleagues, and the many fans whose lives he touched.

THE DOORSLAMMERS Powered by FUELTECHSanta Pod RacewayFri.15-Sun.17 May 2026 ‘Doorslammer’ is a drag racing term for a full-bodied car with functioning doors – in other words, your bog-standard saloon. Yet nothing is remotely bog-standard about the ‘saloon cars’ heading to Santa Pod Raceway from across Europe this month for the venue’s annual big-money bonanza shootout, THE DOORSLAMMERS – powered by FUELTECH. Yes, they all have roofs and doors, sprung chassis too, but that’s where resemblance ends. A £100,000 prize pot beckons, ‘powered by FuelTech’, the Brazilian/American manufacturer of high-performance engine management and motorsport electronics systems which makes its debut as supporting partner to the event. FuelTech also sponsors the Motorsport UK British Drag Racing Championship and the championship’s 250mph, V8-powered Pro Modified cars will be prominent among the heavyweights in THE DOORSLAMMERS’ premier VP Racing Pro Doorslammer division. Unlike regulated championships, however, THE DOORSLAMMERS is an outlaw event, a high-performance free-for-all. If racers want to pep up their motors, twist up their turbos, in pursuit of the big payout, they can. In another detour from rulebook standards, qualifying results do not determine pairings on an eliminations ladder. Instead, pairings are drawn at random for each round, piling on the instant knockout drama. Yet drag racing does not only revolve around thumping V8s. Europe’s potent quarter-mile menu offers many different flavours. THE DOORSLAMMERS features seven other classes: Turbosmart Pro Street; True Street; Coated Race Bearings Front-Wheel Drive; Four-Cylinder; Tom Wrigley Performance Five/Six-Cylinder; Jeff Bull Race Engines 7.60 Heads-Up; and Williams Bros Big Bracket.  Plus, there’s a selection of Scandinavian Top Doorslammers showcasing their own racing style over the eighth-mile. Entries range from the Nordics to the Baltics, Poland to Portugal, and even out to Bulgaria. A wealth of multi-cylinder and FWD ingenuity and innovation exists in Eastern Europe, often overlooked in drag racing’s conventional western scene, and THE DOORSLAMMERS is a beacon for racers eager to swap bumpy airfield runways for Santa Pod’s pristine, championship-quality concrete. Rules governing the Turbosmart Pro Street and True Street classes sound unlikely in such company, but they demand proof of MOTs and road tax. Participating vehicles are indeed road-legal. Meanwhile the Jeff Bull Racing Engines 7.60 Heads-Up class is open to track cars racing on a 7.60-second index and the Williams Bros. Big Bracket is a catch-all for entrants dialling in between 6.99 and 11.99 seconds. THE DOORSLAMMERS Powered by FUELTECH takes place from Friday 15^th to Sunday 17^th May 2026 at Santa Pod Raceway, NN29 7XA, and shares the weekend with the Volkswagen festival VW Breakout. Tickets are bookable only online or by phone – visit  https://santapodtickets.com/p/thedoorslammers or telephone the Box Office at 01234 782828. Full event information can be found at https://santapod.co.uk/events/doorslammers/.

In his third full-time season with the Series, the Fort Collins, CO native is looking to prove his capability of winning on the tour while continuing to grow the chemistry of the team he has around the No. 16G machine. 

He’ll continue the milestone quest at Benton Speedway on Friday night. Through his only two appearances at the track with ASCS, Gossel finished 10th in 2024, then earned his career-high at the “Show Me State” 3/8-mile with a fifth-place result in the 2025 showcase. 

“I think it’s been the luck of the draw,” Gossel said. “Last year, when we went to Benton, it was really a technical, tricky race surface. It was slick to the bone up to the curb, and there wasn’t even much of a curb, more like a slab of dirt against the wall that you ride all the way around.  

“I got a good pill draw, Quick Time in Qualifying, and starting up front with these guys is really crucial, no matter where we are. I’ve found a rhythm there early on, but it’s a really unique track that I really enjoy going there. The last couple of years, it’s been a different surface. But it hasn’t mattered to me what the surface is, I still wound up running up front there. It’s a place that just really suits my style.” 

After the Friday visit to Missouri, Gossel will travel 70 miles eastbound to Paducah International Raceway for the Mother’s Day Salute to close the two days of racing with the Series. The high-banked Kentucky track is the place that Gossel has been closest to scoring a victory with ASCS. 

He struggled in his first start at the track in 2024 with a 16th-place result. In his second appearance in May of 2025, he improved to finish 12th. When the Series returned in September, Gossel found his rhythm. Beginning the night, he finished third in his Heat race, then drove from a fifth-place starting spot in the Feature to finish runner-up to Jason Martin at the checkered flag. 

“It’s kind’ve crazy going from a track like Benton to a really demanding racetrack like Paducah,” Gossel said. “Originally, I didn’t care to go back there because it wasn’t for me. I talked to a few guys about it and figuring out how to race that track. You have to drive really hard, it’s really demanding, and you have to basically drive it up the banking and let the car do its thing.  

“But now, I’m really looking forward to going back there. That’ll kind of be our determining factor. If we don’t run good, then we got to figure out something else with our program going forward. There’s really not a reason as to why we should run bad there with the equipment we’ve got and the backing that we got from everyone that support us. You’re going so fast there, that’s the place you need to throw your nuts over your shoulder and get after it.” 

Gossel’s team possesses Sprint Car knowledge lasting multiple decades. Last season, veteran Sprint Car crew chief Bobby Craft joined the team for the ASCS visit to Dodge City Raceway Park. That night, Gossel earned his first second-place finish after starting from the pole. 

“The first night Bobby came to help us last year, we ended up running second at Dodge City,” Gossel said. “It’s progressed from there, and we should have had a couple wins last year, but things weren’t flying for us.  

“So, we’ve really put in the work over the offseason to get better, and our goal was to win at least a couple races. If not that, run up front consistently. We have the speed, we have the equipment, we have all the right things to get us there. We just have to get there as a team.” 

Though Gossel sits 10th in Series points entering the weekend, he knows there is room for more growth to be shown. His highest finish of the season is an 11th place from the final night of the Sonoran Clash at Central Arizona Raceway.  

On Saturday night, he finished sixth in the ASCS Gunsmoke Region opener at Dodge City Raceway Park in his preparation for more 360 racing in May. 

“It’s really about having the mindset that we are capable of running good,” Gossel said. “I’m really glad we made the decision to go run (Gunsmoke) to realize again how much things slow down when you run a 360 compared to a 410 (Sprint Car). Your reaction times slow down, your speed slows down, but you’re better at reacting to situations. Little things like that matter a lot. 

“I know if we get something close to the setup we had last year, we can unload out of the box and have a good Qualifying, good Heat, and the luck of the pill draw. The guys you’re gonna be racing with most of the night will be tough, so I think the confidence is key. Going in knowing that we can win on any given night, we’ll just put our eggs in the basket and get after it.” 

Austyn Gossel Inching Closer Toward First Career American Sprint Car Series Triumph  BENTON, MO (May 7, 2026) — Austyn Gossel is confident that his first triumph with the American Sprint Car Series is near. 

In his third full-time season with the Series, the Fort Collins, CO native is looking to prove his capability of winning on the tour while continuing to grow the chemistry of the team he has around the No. 16G machine. 

He’ll continue the milestone quest at Benton Speedway on Friday night. Through his only two appearances at the track with ASCS, Gossel finished 10th in 2024, then earned his career-high at the “Show Me State” 3/8-mile with a fifth-place result in the 2025 showcase. 

“I think it’s been the luck of the draw,” Gossel said. “Last year, when we went to Benton, it was really a technical, tricky race surface. It was slick to the bone up to the curb, and there wasn’t even much of a curb, more like a slab of dirt against the wall that you ride all the way around.  

“I got a good pill draw, Quick Time in Qualifying, and starting up front with these guys is really crucial, no matter where we are. I’ve found a rhythm there early on, but it’s a really unique track that I really enjoy going there. The last couple of years, it’s been a different surface. But it hasn’t mattered to me what the surface is, I still wound up running up front there. It’s a place that just really suits my style.” 

After the Friday visit to Missouri, Gossel will travel 70 miles eastbound to Paducah International Raceway for the Mother’s Day Salute to close the two days of racing with the Series. The high-banked Kentucky track is the place that Gossel has been closest to scoring a victory with ASCS. 

He struggled in his first start at the track in 2024 with a 16th-place result. In his second appearance in May of 2025, he improved to finish 12th. When the Series returned in September, Gossel found his rhythm. Beginning the night, he finished third in his Heat race, then drove from a fifth-place starting spot in the Feature to finish runner-up to Jason Martin at the checkered flag. 

“It’s kind’ve crazy going from a track like Benton to a really demanding racetrack like Paducah,” Gossel said. “Originally, I didn’t care to go back there because it wasn’t for me. I talked to a few guys about it and figuring out how to race that track. You have to drive really hard, it’s really demanding, and you have to basically drive it up the banking and let the car do its thing.  

“But now, I’m really looking forward to going back there. That’ll kind of be our determining factor. If we don’t run good, then we got to figure out something else with our program going forward. There’s really not a reason as to why we should run bad there with the equipment we’ve got and the backing that we got from everyone that support us. You’re going so fast there, that’s the place you need to throw your nuts over your shoulder and get after it.” 

Gossel’s team possesses Sprint Car knowledge lasting multiple decades. Last season, veteran Sprint Car crew chief Bobby Craft joined the team for the ASCS visit to Dodge City Raceway Park. That night, Gossel earned his first second-place finish after starting from the pole. 

“The first night Bobby came to help us last year, we ended up running second at Dodge City,” Gossel said. “It’s progressed from there, and we should have had a couple wins last year, but things weren’t flying for us.  

“So, we’ve really put in the work over the offseason to get better, and our goal was to win at least a couple races. If not that, run up front consistently. We have the speed, we have the equipment, we have all the right things to get us there. We just have to get there as a team.” 

Though Gossel sits 10th in Series points entering the weekend, he knows there is room for more growth to be shown. His highest finish of the season is an 11th place from the final night of the Sonoran Clash at Central Arizona Raceway.  

On Saturday night, he finished sixth in the ASCS Gunsmoke Region opener at Dodge City Raceway Park in his preparation for more 360 racing in May. 

“It’s really about having the mindset that we are capable of running good,” Gossel said. “I’m really glad we made the decision to go run (Gunsmoke) to realize again how much things slow down when you run a 360 compared to a 410 (Sprint Car). Your reaction times slow down, your speed slows down, but you’re better at reacting to situations. Little things like that matter a lot. 

“I know if we get something close to the setup we had last year, we can unload out of the box and have a good Qualifying, good Heat, and the luck of the pill draw. The guys you’re gonna be racing with most of the night will be tough, so I think the confidence is key. Going in knowing that we can win on any given night, we’ll just put our eggs in the basket and get after it.” 

Gossel will strap aboard his No. 16G Sprint Car with the American Sprint Car Series at Benton Speedway on Friday, May 8, then Paducah International Raceway on Saturday, May 9. 

Mert Lawwill, 1969 AMA Grand National Champion and 1998 inductee into the AMA Motorcycle Hall of Fame. [Photo: AMA Pro Racing] Download high-resolution photo from AMA Pro’s Digital Asset Management system DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (May 7, 2026) – AMA Pro Racing joins the entire flat track community in remembering Mert Lawwill, one of the most influential and respected figures in the history of the AMA Grand National Championship. Lawwill, the 1969 AMA Grand National Champion and a 1998 inductee into the AMA Motorcycle Hall of Fame, was among the defining riders of American professional motorcycle racing’s golden era. A factory Harley-Davidson rider for the majority of his career, Lawwill combined rare mechanical understanding with a smooth, determined riding style that made him one of the sport’s most admired competitors. Born September 25, 1940, in Boise, Idaho, Lawwill began racing on local TT tracks and in scrambles events across the Northwest before moving to California to pursue the sport at its highest level. After turning professional in 1963, he joined the Harley-Davidson factory team in 1964 and remained with the manufacturer throughout his professional racing career. Lawwill earned his first AMA National victory at the famed Sacramento Mile in 1965. Four years later, he captured the 1969 AMA Grand National Championship, a season that placed him among the elite riders in one of the most demanding eras of the sport. He was also voted AMA’s Most Popular Rider of the Year in 1969. Over the course of his 15-year professional racing career, Lawwill amassed 161 AMA Grand National finishes and 15 AMA Grand National victories. His resume included wins across the diverse disciplines that defined the Grand National era, from TT and half-mile competition to the sport’s iconic mile events. Lawwill’s fame reached well beyond the racetrack through Bruce Brown’s landmark 1971 film On Any Sunday. The film helped introduce millions of viewers to the discipline, skill and humanity of motorcycle racers, while inspiring generations of riders and fans. After retiring from professional racing in 1977 due to an inner-ear disorder that affected his balance, Lawwill continued to shape two-wheel competition through design and engineering. He became a respected motorcycle frame builder and later applied his knowledge of suspension, chassis dynamics and handling to mountain bikes. His work contributed to major advances in off-road bicycle design, and he was inducted into the Mountain Bike Hall of Fame in 1997. Lawwill also devoted his ingenuity to helping others ride. Through his adaptive and prosthetic hand designs, he helped amputees and injured riders return to motorcycles and bicycles, extending his influence from championship racing to life-changing mobility. Mert Lawwill’s career embodied the full spirit of American flat track: courage, creativity, independence and relentless pursuit of speed. AMA Pro Racing remembers him not only as a Grand National Champion, but as a builder, pioneer, ambassador and beloved member of the racing family.

AMA Pro Racing Remembers 1969 AMA Grand National Champion Mert LawwillMert Lawwill, 1969 AMA Grand National Champion and 1998 inductee into the AMA Motorcycle Hall of Fame. [Photo: AMA Pro Racing] Download high-resolution photo from AMA Pro’s Digital Asset Management system DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (May 7, 2026) – AMA Pro Racing joins the entire flat track community in remembering Mert Lawwill, one of the most influential and respected figures in the history of the AMA Grand National Championship. Lawwill, the 1969 AMA Grand National Champion and a 1998 inductee into the AMA Motorcycle Hall of Fame, was among the defining riders of American professional motorcycle racing’s golden era. A factory Harley-Davidson rider for the majority of his career, Lawwill combined rare mechanical understanding with a smooth, determined riding style that made him one of the sport’s most admired competitors. Born September 25, 1940, in Boise, Idaho, Lawwill began racing on local TT tracks and in scrambles events across the Northwest before moving to California to pursue the sport at its highest level. After turning professional in 1963, he joined the Harley-Davidson factory team in 1964 and remained with the manufacturer throughout his professional racing career. Lawwill earned his first AMA National victory at the famed Sacramento Mile in 1965. Four years later, he captured the 1969 AMA Grand National Championship, a season that placed him among the elite riders in one of the most demanding eras of the sport. He was also voted AMA’s Most Popular Rider of the Year in 1969. Over the course of his 15-year professional racing career, Lawwill amassed 161 AMA Grand National finishes and 15 AMA Grand National victories. His resume included wins across the diverse disciplines that defined the Grand National era, from TT and half-mile competition to the sport’s iconic mile events. Lawwill’s fame reached well beyond the racetrack through Bruce Brown’s landmark 1971 film On Any Sunday. The film helped introduce millions of viewers to the discipline, skill and humanity of motorcycle racers, while inspiring generations of riders and fans. After retiring from professional racing in 1977 due to an inner-ear disorder that affected his balance, Lawwill continued to shape two-wheel competition through design and engineering. He became a respected motorcycle frame builder and later applied his knowledge of suspension, chassis dynamics and handling to mountain bikes. His work contributed to major advances in off-road bicycle design, and he was inducted into the Mountain Bike Hall of Fame in 1997. Lawwill also devoted his ingenuity to helping others ride. Through his adaptive and prosthetic hand designs, he helped amputees and injured riders return to motorcycles and bicycles, extending his influence from championship racing to life-changing mobility. Mert Lawwill’s career embodied the full spirit of American flat track: courage, creativity, independence and relentless pursuit of speed. AMA Pro Racing remembers him not only as a Grand National Champion, but as a builder, pioneer, ambassador and beloved member of the racing family.

CHEVROLET IN THE NTT INDYCAR SERIES Sonsio Grand Prix 2.439-mile, 14-turn Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course Speedway, Indiana Race Advance May 8-9, 2026 DETROIT (May 7, 2026) – The highly anticipated “Month of May” officially kicks off with the Sonsio Grand Prix, the sixth of 18 rounds of the 2026 NTT INDYCAR SERIES season for Team Chevy drivers and teams. The 2.439-mile, 14-turn Indianapolis Motor Speedway infield road course will host an NTT INDYCAR SERIES race for the 18th time since 2014.  Indianapolis Motor Speedway Road Course Chevrolet Notebook Chevrolet-powered drivers have started 197 races on the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Road Course.Team Chevy drivers have nine wins on the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Road Course, with 8 of those coming from Team Penske.Six different Chevrolet-powered drivers have won 11 poles on the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Road Course.Team Penske has 16 of the 22 Team Chevy podiums on the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Road Course.Thirteen drivers from six teams have led 637 laps on the 2.439-mile, 14-turn Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course.The Indianapolis Motor Speedway Road Course has hosted 11 races immediately preceding the Indianapolis 500, and only three times has the winner on the road course gone on to win the big prize: the Indianapolis 500. Two of the three drivers were Chevrolet-powered, with Team Penske teammates Will Power (2018) and Simon Pagenaud (2019) completing the Indy double. Pacing the field The sleek and luxurious 2026 Chevrolet Corvette E-Ray will pace the Sonsio Grand Prix on the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Road Course on Saturday afternoon. Electrified all-wheel-drive technology, 655-hp combined, indulgent leather seating, functional and intuitive technology, including 6.6-, 12.7-, and 14-inch screens, and a full suite of modern safety features combine to create an unrivaled blend of performance, creature comforts, and security. Notable Numbers •   3 – the number of practice sessions that Scott McLaughlin (Team Penske) has led, the most of any driver this year•   4 – the number of Fast 12 appearances by Pato O’Ward (Arrow McLaren), which is tied for the best in the series•   4.6 – the average fastest lap rank of David Malukas (Team Penske), the best among the 25 full-time drivers•   5 – the number of straight NTT INDYCAR SERIES races to start the season with different pole winners•   6 – the number of different countries represented by Team Chevy drivers – United States (6) – Denmark (2) – Brazil (1) – Mexico (1) – Netherlands (1) – New Zealand (1)•   8 – the number of positions gained by Caio Collet (A.J. Foyt Racing) and Alexander Rossi (ECR) on the first lap this season, the most of any driver•   9 – the number of wins by current Team Chevy teams, Arrow McLaren and ECR•   12 – the number of drivers representing Team Chevy at the Sonsio Grand Prix•   13 – the number of driver championships won by Chevrolet all-time•   33 – the number of wins by Josef Newgarden, the winningest Team Chevy driver all-time•   40 – the number of different drivers that have won INDYCAR races while powered by Chevrolet•   42 – the number of different tracks that Chevrolet-powered cars have won•   42 – the number of drivers that have an earned pole for Team Chevy, after David Malukas added his name to the list at Phoenix Raceway•   96 – the number of manufacturer points David Malukas has scored for Chevrolet, the most of any driver•   100 – the percentage of laps Team Chevy drivers Christian Lundgaard (Arrow McLaren), David Malukas (Team Penske), Scott McLaughlin (Team Penske), Josef Newgarden (Team Penske), Pato O’Ward (Arrow McLaren) and Alexander Rossi (ECR) have completed this season•   125 – the number of Bowtie-backed wins by Team Penske since their first at Pocono Raceway by Rick Mears in 1987•   128 – the number of wins by Chevrolet since the introduction of the 2.2L Twin-Turbo V6 in 2012•   143 – the number of earned poles by Chevrolet-powered teams since the introduction of the 2.2L Twin-Turbo V6 in 2012•   220 – the number of manufacturer points Team Penske has scored for Chevrolet, the most of any team•   238 – the number of wins by Chevrolet-powered cars in INDYCAR all-time•   247 – the number of earned poles by Chevrolet-powered cars in INDYCAR all-time•   365 – the number of podiums by Chevrolet-powered teams since the introduction of the 2.2L Twin-Turbo V6 in 2012•   681 – the number of podiums by Chevrolet-powered cars in INDYCAR all-time•   1553.643 – the number of miles led by Team Chevy drivers and teams on the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Road Course Tune-In Guide Friday, May 8NTT INDYCAR SERIES Practice #1 – 9am (ET)/8am (CT)/7am (MT)/6am (PT) –FS2/ INDYCAR Radio Network/SIRIUSXM 218 NTT INDYCAR SERIES Practice #2 – 1pm (ET)/noon (CT)/11am (MT)/10am (PT) – FS1/ INDYCAR Radio Network/SIRIUSXM 218 NTT INDYCAR SERIES Qualifying – 5:30pm (ET)/4:30pm (CT)/3:30pm (MT)/2:30pm (PT)  – FS2/INDYCAR Radio Network/SIRIUSXM 218 Saturday, May 9NTT INDYCAR SERIES Warm Up – 11:30am (ET)/10:30am (CT)/9:30am (MT)/8:30am (PT) – FS1/ INDYCAR Radio Network/SIRIUSXM 218Sonsio Grand Prix (85 laps) – 4:30pm (ET)/3:30pm (CT)/2:30pm (MT)/1:30pm (PT) – – FOX/INDYCAR Radio Network/SIRIUSXM 218A.J. Foyt Racing Caio Collet, No. 4 Combitrans Amazonia Chevrolet How does having run the Indy NXT Series on the IMS road course better prepare you for an Indy car race there? Or does it matter?CC: “Racing in Indy NXT at IMS definitely helps. You already understand the layout, the references, and how the track evolves over a stint, which gives you a solid baseline. That said, the IndyCar is a completely different challenge—more power, more weight, and different tire characteristics—so while the track knowledge transfers, you still have to adapt quite a bit to get the most out of the car.” The IMS road course mixes long straights with tight, technical corners—how have you been adapting your driving style and braking approach to get the most out of this layout?CC: “It’s all about maximizing efficiency—being very precise on corner entry and really focusing on traction on exit, especially onto the long straights. Braking-wise, you have to be very committed but also smooth to avoid locking or overheating the tires.” Santino Ferrucci, No. 14 Homes For Our Troops Chevrolet: After a successful open test at the speedway last week, does that give the team a certain momentum heading into the month of May, even though you’ll be running the road course?SF: “Yes and we needed a strong bounce back from Long Beach. That test was certainly helpful for us. I’m really happy with the results and the way that everything worked itself out.” The IMS road course is a 14-turn layout that really rewards precision and braking stability. What areas of your driving or car setup are you focusing on most to maximize performance here?SF: “It’s all about minimizing mistakes. I mean, this place is so like unique in its own ways. I don’t know the everybody’s so good at in EGP, you can kind of make any setup work on any car. It’s not a very pretentious track for setup. You can get away with a lot of different things here. It doesn’t need to be necessarily one or the other. So, I think if we’re just very smart and we maximize our tools, we’ll be okay.” Arrow McLaren Pato O’Ward, No. 5 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet:“We were able to get a solid result last time out with a top five in Long Beach, but we still have work to do. We have another good opportunity to keep pushing forward at the Indy GP where we’ve had success in the past. Overall, I’m excited to get back to IMS. We have big goals this month, and it all starts this weekend.” Nolan Siegel, No. 6 VELO Arrow McLaren Chevrolet:“I’m looking forward to building on our recent progress this weekend. We had a really strong race day performance at Long Beach followed by a productive Open Test at IMS last week, so we’re carrying some momentum and confidence into the Indy GP. We’ll keep pushing to put a complete weekend together.” Christian Lundgaard, No. 7 VELO Arrow McLaren Chevrolet:“It’s great to be heading back to IMS this week for the road course race. It’s a layout that I enjoy, and I’ve had some really strong qualifying and race results there over the years. Obviously, it’s a crucial month for everyone, and I’m confident we can get off to a good start this weekend.”  ECR Alexander Rossi, No. 20 Java House Chevrolet: “It’s the start of the Month of May! Both ECR and I have run well on the IMS Road Course before, so we know what we’re capable of and our expectations are high. We are focused on executing across the entire weekend and there’s no better place to do that than at our home track.”Christian Rasmussen, No. 21 Splenda Chevrolet:“The Sonsio Grand Prix is the perfect way to kick off the Month of May, and I’m really looking forward to it. The No. 21 Splenda Chevrolet crew has been working hard, and we’ve been making progress each weekend. I’m looking forward to getting to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway and putting it all together.”

Chevrolet History at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Road CourseWins – 9 2021 Race #2 – Will Power – Team Penske2021 Race #1 – Rinus VeeKay – ECR2020 Race #3 – Will Power – Team Penske2020 Race #2 – Josef Newgarden – Team Penske2019 – Simon Pagenaud – Team Penske2018 – Will Power – Team Penske2017 – Will Power – Team Penske2016 – Simon Pagenaud – Team Penske2015 – Will Power – Team Penske Poles – 11 2022 Race #2 – Felix Rosenqvist – Arrow McLaren2022 Race #1 – Will Power – Team Penske2021 Race #2 – Pato O’Ward – Arrow McLaren2020 Race #3 – Will Power – Team Penske2020 Race #2 – Rinus VeeKay – ECR2020 Race #1 – Will Power – Team Penske2018 – Will Power – Team Penske2017 – Will Power – Team Penske 2016 – Simon Pagenaud – Team Penske2015 – Will Power – Team Penske2014 – Sebastian Saavedra – KV Racing Technology Chevrolet Podiums – 22 Driver Podiums:  Will Power (9), Pato O’Ward (3), Simon Pagenaud (3), Helio Castroneves (2), Rinus VeeKay (2), Juan Montoya (1), Josef Newgarden (1), Alexander Rossi (1) Team Podiums: Team Penske (16), Arrow McLaren (4), ECR (2) Chevrolet Laps Led: 637 Driver Laps Led: Will Power (348), Simon Pagenaud (69), Josef Newgarden (61), Rinus VeeKay (48), Helio Castroneves (46), Pato O’Ward (23), Scott McLaughlin (17), Felix Rosenqvist (14), Alexander Rossi (4), Charlie Kimball (3), Kyle Kirkwood (2), Tatiana Calderon (1), Scott Dixon (1) Team Laps Led: Team Penske (541), ECR (48), Arrow McLaren (41), Chip Ganassi Racing (4), Juncos Hollinger Racing (2), A.J. Foyt Racing (1) Manufacturer History on the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Road Course Wins (with competition)  9 – Chevrolet (2021 Race #2, 2021 Race #1, 2020 Race #3, 2020 Race #2, 2019, 2018, 2017, 2016, 2015)8 – Honda (2025, 2024, 2023 Race #2, 2023 Race #1, 2022 Race #2, 2022 Race #1, 2020 Race #1, 2014) Poles (with competition)  11 – Chevrolet (2022 Race #2, 2021 Race #1, 2021 Race #2, 2020 Race #3, 2020 Race #2, 2020 Race #1, 2018, 2017, 2016, 2015, 2014)6 – Honda (2025, 2024, 2023 Race #2, 2023 Race #1, 2021 Race #1, 2019)

CHEVROLET IN THE NTT INDYCAR SERIESSonsio Grand Prix2.439-mile, 14-turn Indianapolis Motor Speedway road courseSpeedway, IndianaRace AdvanceMay 8-9, 2026 DETROIT (May 7, 2026) – The highly anticipated “Month of May” officially kicks off with the Sonsio Grand Prix, the sixth of 18 rounds of the 2026 NTT INDYCAR SERIES season for Team Chevy drivers and teams. The 2.439-mile, 14-turn Indianapolis Motor Speedway infield road course will host an NTT INDYCAR SERIES race for the 18th time since 2014.  Indianapolis Motor Speedway Road Course Chevrolet Notebook Chevrolet-powered drivers have started 197 races on the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Road Course.Team Chevy drivers have nine wins on the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Road Course, with 8 of those coming from Team Penske.Six different Chevrolet-powered drivers have won 11 poles on the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Road Course.Team Penske has 16 of the 22 Team Chevy podiums on the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Road Course.Thirteen drivers from six teams have led 637 laps on the 2.439-mile, 14-turn Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course.The Indianapolis Motor Speedway Road Course has hosted 11 races immediately preceding the Indianapolis 500, and only three times has the winner on the road course gone on to win the big prize: the Indianapolis 500. Two of the three drivers were Chevrolet-powered, with Team Penske teammates Will Power (2018) and Simon Pagenaud (2019) completing the Indy double. Pacing the field The sleek and luxurious 2026 Chevrolet Corvette E-Ray will pace the Sonsio Grand Prix on the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Road Course on Saturday afternoon. Electrified all-wheel-drive technology, 655-hp combined, indulgent leather seating, functional and intuitive technology, including 6.6-, 12.7-, and 14-inch screens, and a full suite of modern safety features combine to create an unrivaled blend of performance, creature comforts, and security. Notable Numbers •   3 – the number of practice sessions that Scott McLaughlin (Team Penske) has led, the most of any driver this year•   4 – the number of Fast 12 appearances by Pato O’Ward (Arrow McLaren), which is tied for the best in the series•   4.6 – the average fastest lap rank of David Malukas (Team Penske), the best among the 25 full-time drivers•   5 – the number of straight NTT INDYCAR SERIES races to start the season with different pole winners•   6 – the number of different countries represented by Team Chevy drivers – United States (6) – Denmark (2) – Brazil (1) – Mexico (1) – Netherlands (1) – New Zealand (1)•   8 – the number of positions gained by Caio Collet (A.J. Foyt Racing) and Alexander Rossi (ECR) on the first lap this season, the most of any driver•   9 – the number of wins by current Team Chevy teams, Arrow McLaren and ECR•   12 – the number of drivers representing Team Chevy at the Sonsio Grand Prix•   13 – the number of driver championships won by Chevrolet all-time•   33 – the number of wins by Josef Newgarden, the winningest Team Chevy driver all-time•   40 – the number of different drivers that have won INDYCAR races while powered by Chevrolet•   42 – the number of different tracks that Chevrolet-powered cars have won•   42 – the number of drivers that have an earned pole for Team Chevy, after David Malukas added his name to the list at Phoenix Raceway•   96 – the number of manufacturer points David Malukas has scored for Chevrolet, the most of any driver•   100 – the percentage of laps Team Chevy drivers Christian Lundgaard (Arrow McLaren), David Malukas (Team Penske), Scott McLaughlin (Team Penske), Josef Newgarden (Team Penske), Pato O’Ward (Arrow McLaren) and Alexander Rossi (ECR) have completed this season•   125 – the number of Bowtie-backed wins by Team Penske since their first at Pocono Raceway by Rick Mears in 1987•   128 – the number of wins by Chevrolet since the introduction of the 2.2L Twin-Turbo V6 in 2012•   143 – the number of earned poles by Chevrolet-powered teams since the introduction of the 2.2L Twin-Turbo V6 in 2012•   220 – the number of manufacturer points Team Penske has scored for Chevrolet, the most of any team•   238 – the number of wins by Chevrolet-powered cars in INDYCAR all-time•   247 – the number of earned poles by Chevrolet-powered cars in INDYCAR all-time•   365 – the number of podiums by Chevrolet-powered teams since the introduction of the 2.2L Twin-Turbo V6 in 2012•   681 – the number of podiums by Chevrolet-powered cars in INDYCAR all-time•   1553.643 – the number of miles led by Team Chevy drivers and teams on the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Road Course Tune-In Guide Friday, May 8NTT INDYCAR SERIES Practice #1 – 9am (ET)/8am (CT)/7am (MT)/6am (PT) –FS2/ INDYCAR Radio Network/SIRIUSXM 218 NTT INDYCAR SERIES Practice #2 – 1pm (ET)/noon (CT)/11am (MT)/10am (PT) – FS1/ INDYCAR Radio Network/SIRIUSXM 218 NTT INDYCAR SERIES Qualifying – 5:30pm (ET)/4:30pm (CT)/3:30pm (MT)/2:30pm (PT)  – FS2/INDYCAR Radio Network/SIRIUSXM 218 Saturday, May 9NTT INDYCAR SERIES Warm Up – 11:30am (ET)/10:30am (CT)/9:30am (MT)/8:30am (PT) – FS1/ INDYCAR Radio Network/SIRIUSXM 218Sonsio Grand Prix (85 laps) – 4:30pm (ET)/3:30pm (CT)/2:30pm (MT)/1:30pm (PT) – – FOX/INDYCAR Radio Network/SIRIUSXM 218A.J. Foyt Racing Caio Collet, No. 4 Combitrans Amazonia Chevrolet How does having run the Indy NXT Series on the IMS road course better prepare you for an Indy car race there? Or does it matter?CC: “Racing in Indy NXT at IMS definitely helps. You already understand the layout, the references, and how the track evolves over a stint, which gives you a solid baseline. That said, the IndyCar is a completely different challenge—more power, more weight, and different tire characteristics—so while the track knowledge transfers, you still have to adapt quite a bit to get the most out of the car.” The IMS road course mixes long straights with tight, technical corners—how have you been adapting your driving style and braking approach to get the most out of this layout?CC: “It’s all about maximizing efficiency—being very precise on corner entry and really focusing on traction on exit, especially onto the long straights. Braking-wise, you have to be very committed but also smooth to avoid locking or overheating the tires.” Santino Ferrucci, No. 14 Homes For Our Troops Chevrolet: After a successful open test at the speedway last week, does that give the team a certain momentum heading into the month of May, even though you’ll be running the road course?SF: “Yes and we needed a strong bounce back from Long Beach. That test was certainly helpful for us. I’m really happy with the results and the way that everything worked itself out.” The IMS road course is a 14-turn layout that really rewards precision and braking stability. What areas of your driving or car setup are you focusing on most to maximize performance here?SF: “It’s all about minimizing mistakes. I mean, this place is so like unique in its own ways. I don’t know the everybody’s so good at in EGP, you can kind of make any setup work on any car. It’s not a very pretentious track for setup. You can get away with a lot of different things here. It doesn’t need to be necessarily one or the other. So, I think if we’re just very smart and we maximize our tools, we’ll be okay.” Arrow McLaren Pato O’Ward, No. 5 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet:“We were able to get a solid result last time out with a top five in Long Beach, but we still have work to do. We have another good opportunity to keep pushing forward at the Indy GP where we’ve had success in the past. Overall, I’m excited to get back to IMS. We have big goals this month, and it all starts this weekend.” Nolan Siegel, No. 6 VELO Arrow McLaren Chevrolet:“I’m looking forward to building on our recent progress this weekend. We had a really strong race day performance at Long Beach followed by a productive Open Test at IMS last week, so we’re carrying some momentum and confidence into the Indy GP. We’ll keep pushing to put a complete weekend together.” Christian Lundgaard, No. 7 VELO Arrow McLaren Chevrolet:“It’s great to be heading back to IMS this week for the road course race. It’s a layout that I enjoy, and I’ve had some really strong qualifying and race results there over the years. Obviously, it’s a crucial month for everyone, and I’m confident we can get off to a good start this weekend.”  ECR Alexander Rossi, No. 20 Java House Chevrolet: “It’s the start of the Month of May! Both ECR and I have run well on the IMS Road Course before, so we know what we’re capable of and our expectations are high. We are focused on executing across the entire weekend and there’s no better place to do that than at our home track.”Christian Rasmussen, No. 21 Splenda Chevrolet:“The Sonsio Grand Prix is the perfect way to kick off the Month of May, and I’m really looking forward to it. The No. 21 Splenda Chevrolet crew has been working hard, and we’ve been making progress each weekend. I’m looking forward to getting to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway and putting it all together.”

Chevrolet History at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Road CourseWins – 9 2021 Race #2 – Will Power – Team Penske2021 Race #1 – Rinus VeeKay – ECR2020 Race #3 – Will Power – Team Penske2020 Race #2 – Josef Newgarden – Team Penske2019 – Simon Pagenaud – Team Penske2018 – Will Power – Team Penske2017 – Will Power – Team Penske2016 – Simon Pagenaud – Team Penske2015 – Will Power – Team Penske Poles – 11 2022 Race #2 – Felix Rosenqvist – Arrow McLaren2022 Race #1 – Will Power – Team Penske2021 Race #2 – Pato O’Ward – Arrow McLaren2020 Race #3 – Will Power – Team Penske2020 Race #2 – Rinus VeeKay – ECR2020 Race #1 – Will Power – Team Penske2018 – Will Power – Team Penske2017 – Will Power – Team Penske 2016 – Simon Pagenaud – Team Penske2015 – Will Power – Team Penske2014 – Sebastian Saavedra – KV Racing Technology Chevrolet Podiums – 22 Driver Podiums:  Will Power (9), Pato O’Ward (3), Simon Pagenaud (3), Helio Castroneves (2), Rinus VeeKay (2), Juan Montoya (1), Josef Newgarden (1), Alexander Rossi (1) Team Podiums: Team Penske (16), Arrow McLaren (4), ECR (2) Chevrolet Laps Led: 637 Driver Laps Led: Will Power (348), Simon Pagenaud (69), Josef Newgarden (61), Rinus VeeKay (48), Helio Castroneves (46), Pato O’Ward (23), Scott McLaughlin (17), Felix Rosenqvist (14), Alexander Rossi (4), Charlie Kimball (3), Kyle Kirkwood (2), Tatiana Calderon (1), Scott Dixon (1) Team Laps Led: Team Penske (541), ECR (48), Arrow McLaren (41), Chip Ganassi Racing (4), Juncos Hollinger Racing (2), A.J. Foyt Racing (1) Manufacturer History on the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Road Course Wins (with competition)  9 – Chevrolet (2021 Race #2, 2021 Race #1, 2020 Race #3, 2020 Race #2, 2019, 2018, 2017, 2016, 2015)8 – Honda (2025, 2024, 2023 Race #2, 2023 Race #1, 2022 Race #2, 2022 Race #1, 2020 Race #1, 2014) Poles (with competition)  11 – Chevrolet (2022 Race #2, 2021 Race #1, 2021 Race #2, 2020 Race #3, 2020 Race #2, 2020 Race #1, 2018, 2017, 2016, 2015, 2014)6 – Honda (2025, 2024, 2023 Race #2, 2023 Race #1, 2021 Race #1, 2019)

TEAM CHEVY ADVANCE Watkins Glen InternationalMay 8-10, 2026

MEDIA RESOURCES: Photo Gallery | Race AdvancesChevrolet Newsroom

On the heels of its first tripleheader sweep of the 2026 NASCAR season, Chevrolet will carry that momentum to upstate New York as all three divisions will take on the left- and right-hand turns of Watkins Glen International for the sport’s second road course race of the season. Chevrolet sits as the winningest manufacturer across all three divisions at the historic 2.45-mile New York circuit with a combined 40 trips to victory lane across the NASCAR national ranks. Among those includes a pair of triumphs in the track’s most recent events for NASCAR’s top-two divisions with Team Chevy’s road course ringers, Shane van Gisbergen and Connor Zilisch, driving the manufacturer to its 23rd Cup Series win and 14th O’Reilly Auto Parts Series win last season.

NASCAR has shared an over 40-year history with Watkins Glen International, and throughout that tenure, the circuit has became the home to an elite list of “firsts” for the Bowtie brigade. When the circuit first opened its doors to host the NASCAR Cup Series for its inaugural event in 1957, it was Buck Baker that took the victory – ultimately delivering Chevrolet its first-ever road course win in NASCAR’s premier series.

Watkins Glen is also the site that made a pair of Team Chevy drivers first-time winners. Competing in his third full-time campaign with Hendrick Motorsports, Chase Elliott drove the No. 9 Chevrolet to victory lane at the circuit’s 2018 event to become a first-time winner in NASCAR’s premier series. The victory kickstarted what turned into a championship-earning career at NASCAR’s highest level with the driver now boasting a resume of one title (2020) and 22 all-time wins.

Following suit of his Team Chevy teammate, Connor Zilisch paid a visit to “The Glen” in 2024 to make his debut appearance in the O’Reilly Auto Parts Series. Behind the wheel of a JR Motorsports-prepared Chevrolet, Zilisch led a race-high 45 laps en route to the victory to make the rising star just the seventh driver in series’ history to win in his first career start. Since then, the Mooresville, North Carolina, native has skyrocketed into a full-time career in NASCAR’s premier series.

ALL-TIME ROAD COURSE RANKINGSCareer Chevrolet driver, Jeff Gordon, continues to stand tall atop the NASCAR Cup Series all-time road course wins list with nine victories throughout his storied career. But there are a trio of Team Chevy drivers that have proven to be a threat to challenge that record.  Chase Elliott leads the series’ active drivers with seven road course wins in NASCAR’s premier series – a record that started with his first career win at Watkins Glen International in 2018. The record is enough to put the Dawsonville, Georgia, native third on the series’ all-time wins list, just behind Gordon and Tony Stewart (eight wins). The fourth position on the rankings sees a five-way tie that includes Team Chevy’s Shane van Gisbergen and Kyle Larson, who each own six road course wins in their Cup Series careers.

ELLIOTT’S EARLY-SEASON STATEMENTChase Elliott and the No. 9 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet team are stringing together what is arguably one of their strongest early-season runs, statistically, in their 11-year tenure. Last weekend at Texas Motor Speedway, the Alan Gustafson-led team earned their second trip to victory lane to make them just the second two-time winners in NASCAR’s top division thus far this season. With 11 races in the books, consistency has been key for the No. 9 team. Their two wins have been accompanied by five top-fives and seven top-10s, both of which are ranked the second-best in the series. A visit to Watkins Glen International presents the perfect opportunity for the team to continue to prove their title potential. In nine career starts at the circuit, Elliott has accumulated two wins, two poles, four top-fives and an average finish of 12.3.

HOCEVAR’S HIKE UP THE RANKINGS CONTINUESIt’s a career season in the making for Carson Hocevar and the No. 77 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet team. Finally breaking through with his first career NASCAR Cup Series win at Talladega Superspeedway, the Portage, Michigan, native went on to follow up that performance with yet another stellar day in the “Lonestar State”. After taking the win in Friday’s Truck Series race, Hocevar climbed into the No. 77 Chevrolet to claim his first pole win of the season – ultimately rounding out the weekend with a seventh-place result. Accumulating a total of 96 points over the last two events, Hocevar has made big gains in the points standings with the Team Chevy driver heading to upstate New York with a sixth-place ranking.

MAYER LOOKING FOR MOMENTUM-BUILDING WEEKENDDespite a rollercoaster start to the 2026 NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series season, Sam Mayer and the No. 41 Haas Factory Team put together their strongest run thus far at Texas Motor Speedway to earn a season-best third-place finish. The result, along with a 44-point effort, was enough to boost Mayer up two positions in the points standings as he heads to a configuration that he’s had the greatest amount of success. The Franklin, Wisconsin, native earned his first career O’Reilly Auto Parts Series victory at Road America in 2023 and has since accumulated eight wins in the division, four of which have come on a road course. Mayer is one of just two past O’Reilly Auto Parts Series winners at Watkins Glen entered in Saturday’s race, and in his five career starts at the circuit, he’s finished in the top-10 in all but one event.

TRACKHOUSE TRIO DOING THE TRIPLEIn addition to their full-time rides on Sunday, the stable of Trackhouse Racing drivers will also be behind the wheel of a Camaro SS and a Silverado RST for a triple duty weekend at “The Glen”. Shane van Gisbergen will team up with Niece Motorsports to make just his second career Truck Series start, followed by a reunion with the No. 9 JR Motorsports Chevrolet team for the pairing’s second O’Reilly Auto Parts Series start of the season. Ross Chastain will also join the Niece Motorsports lineup for his fourth Truck Series start of the season, with his O’Reilly Auto Parts Series ride coming out of the Jordan Anderson Racing camp. For Zilisch, his triple duty effort will come with Spire Motorsports for Friday’s Truck Series race, with the Chevrolet driver teaming back up with JR Motorsports on Saturday to compete for their third-straight Watkins Glen victory in the second-level division.  All three drivers are road course winners in the NASCAR national ranks, with Van Gisbergen and Zilisch returning to the upstate New York circuit as the track’s defending winners in the Cup and O’Reilly Auto Parts Series. Chastain become a first-time winner at NASCAR’s highest level at Circuit of The Americas (2022), and while he’s still looking for his first trip to victory lane at Watkins Glen, he’s progressively building confidence with back-to-back top-10 finishes in the Cup Series’ past two visits to the circuit.

BOWTIE BULLETS:·        Active Chevrolet drivers with a NASCAR Cup Series win at Watkins Glen International:     Kyle Larson – two wins (2021, 2022)Chase Elliott – two wins (2019, 2018)Kyle Busch – two wins (2013, 2008)Shane van Gisbergen – one win (2025)William Byron – one win (2024) ·        Chevrolet is the winningest manufacturer in all three NASCAR national divisions at Watkins Glen International with 23 Cup Series wins, 14 O’Reilly Auto Parts Series wins, and three Craftsman Truck Series wins.  ·        In 24 NASCAR Cup Series road racing events in the Next Gen era, Chevrolet leads the series with 17 victories – recorded by eight drivers from four different Chevrolet organizations. ·        At Talladega Superspeedway, Chevrolet tallied six top-10 finishes, marking the second time this season a manufacturer has placed six cars in the top-10 of a Cup Series event. The Bowtie brand took it one step further by achieving the highest representation of different organizations within those results with five Chevrolet organizations placing drivers in the top-10.  ·        With seven-straight victories to start the 2026 NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series season, Chevrolet set the record for the longest season-opening streak by a single manufacturer in the division’s history.  ·        In 155 points-paying races in the NASCAR Cup Series Next Gen era, Chevrolet leads all manufacturers with 70 victories – a winning percentage of 45.2%. ·        Chevrolet is coming off its 29th all-time sweep of the NASCAR Cup Series championship titles – capturing its 34th driver championship and 44th, and fifth consecutive, manufacturer championship in 2025.  ·        With its 44 NASCAR Cup Series manufacturer championships, 34 NASCAR Cup Series driver championships, and 884 all-time NASCAR Cup Series wins, Chevrolet continues to hold the title as the winningest brand in NASCAR Cup Series history.

TUNE-IN:NASCAR Cup Series Go Bowling at The GlenSunday, May 10, at 3 p.m. ETFS1, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90  NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts SeriesMission 200 at The GlenSaturday, May 9, at 4 p.m. ETCW, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90  NASCAR Craftsman Truck SeriesBully Hill Vineyards 176 at The GlenFriday, May 8, at 4:30 p.m. ETFS1, NASCAR Racing Network and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90

QUOTABLE QUOTES:Ross Chastain, No. 1 Trackhouse Racing ChevroletHas road course racing evolved with the Next Gen car?“Yes, it has. The setup and how teams put them together from COTA in 2022 to now are drastically different. I was fast at the beginning (laughs), that should tell you everything you need to know as everybody was learning. I was on the front end of learning COTA and everything the gen 7 car needed there, and several tracks and we were more competitive then, than we are now. It definitely has evolved and Shane (van Gisbergen) has changed this sport forever. ” Do you lean on SVG or get advice from his since he’s been the driver to beat the last couple of years on road courses?“Absolutely! I can see what he’s doing in the Cup car but I can’t master doing it as fast as he can. The goal to learn from him is kind of a hamster wheel that never ends.” Do you like going up to the Watkins Glen area? It’s such a unique place in comparison to the other areas we go to for racing.“I love going up to New York. I spend a lot of time up there with various partners I have and do a lot of work with the New York Highway Safety Office. I’ve already been up there this year for various events and I go in early on race week. So, it feels like home to me when I visit. It’s going to be a little colder this year since we are racing in May but I’m looking forward to racing in all three series.”   Austin Dillon, No. 3 Richard Childress Racing ChevroletWhat are some of the things you like about Watkins Glen International, and what are some of the things that are difficult about that track?“Watkins Glen International is very fast for a road course. The bus stop, the esses, a big chunk of the speed at Watkins Glen comes from those two sections. The other sections are more self-explanatory, but it’s a tough track. It’s been my hardest track to get a grip on, but I feel like going there does present some opportunities because you have some strategy and different things that can play out. Qualifying is pretty important there as well. I’m looking forward to getting there in our Bass Pro Shops/Winchester AA White Flyer Chevrolet.”   Daniel Suarez, No. 7 Spire Motorsports ChevroletHow are you feeling heading into the weekend, and how do you think the changes in the carousel section will affect the racing?“I feel very good about it. For me and the team, I think we’ve learned a lot over the past few races, and that’s put us in a strong position heading into this weekend. I truly believe we’re in a really good place to go there, be competitive, and fight up front, so I’m super excited about that. It’s going to be fun, especially with a few changes to the race track, like the track limits in the carousel section. That’s definitely going to add something new and make things interesting. Overall, I’m really looking forward to it and seeing how everything comes together.”   Kyle Busch, No. 8 Richard Childress Racing ChevroletWhat makes Watkins Glen International unique?“I love Watkins Glen. It’s always been a great place, great countryside, and is a lot of fun. Watkins Glen has always kind of been considered one of the superspeedways of road courses; it’s just a really fast course. A lot of speed there. I always look at every single racetrack wanting to win, and fortunately I’ve won there in the O’Reilly Series and the Cup Series. I’m excited to get back on the road courses again. Back in the years when we used to have only two road courses on the schedule, you would’ve kind of looked at it as a, ‘well hey you know it’s kind of like an off-weekend. Just treat it like an off-weekend, it doesn’t mean much if you run well or if you don’t,’ but now there’s six road courses on the schedule. There’s enough of a bulk of a schedule of races that you got to be a good road racer. I feel like being ahead of the game in that and being able to win races there in the past lends itself fairly well for me.” With rain being potentially a factor this weekend, how do you prepare for that possibility?“The biggest thing is looking ahead, getting with your crew chief and your engineers and kind of plan how you want to build your set-up for that. If we know there’s going to be rain on Sunday, then we’re pretty much going to build a rain setup into the racecar, but if the weather forecast looks good to where it doesn’t look like there’s going to be rain on race day, then you’ll kind of build for more of a dry type of setup. There are little differences that you can do in your racecar for the dry versus the wet. We kind of won’t really know until just a few days ahead of time. The biggest thing that you look for there is when you go to the racetrack, you’re not allowed to change the racecar once you unload the racecar out of your trailer. Your spring settings and the majority of how your suspension is all bolted on and set up, you can’t change those. The only thing you’re changing is air pressure in tires, the height of your racecar, and maybe some shocks. That’s all you’re allowed to change, so you definitely got to be ahead of the game and being able to prepare whichever direction you plan to race in.” What’s your favorite thing to do outside of the racetrack at Watkins Glen International?“Each year we’ve always done the Watkins Glen State Park hike. Really neat to do that. It’s always a great area to come to, it’s always beautiful, and looking forward to seeing what it looks like this time of year.”   AJ Allmendinger, No. 16 Kaulig Racing Chevrolet“Watkins Glen will always be special to me because it’s where I earned my first NASCAR Cup Series win, and I’ve always loved the place. I’m going to go do what I can and wheel the heck out of the thing and hopefully we will be contending for a win. If not, like always, we’ll try to get the best finish possible. At COTA (Circuit of the Americas), we had top-five speed – fourth to seventh speed – and we played the stage game of getting points knowing maybe we didn’t have a shot to win the race. To me, the car didn’t feel like it drove a ton different at COTA (from years past). We’ll find out when we get to Watkins Glen where we stack up, but last year we were not where we wanted to be. We’re hopeful it will drive much better this time. At the end of the day, we’re going to make the most out of the day for our partners and hopefully we end up in Victory Lane.”  Cole Custer, No. 41 Haas Factory Team Chevrolet“I am really looking forward to Watkins Glen this weekend. It is always one of the most fun road courses we go to, with how much speed it has, and how much flow the track has. It could also be an interesting weekend with weather so I’m sure we will put on an exciting show for the fans with our HaasTooling.com Chevrolet.”   Ricky Stenhouse Jr., No. 47 Hyak Motorsports Chevrolet“We’ve had some solid runs lately, and that comes from the guys working hard back at the shop and bringing us better cars each week. It’s been a group effort and we want to keep building on that at Watkins Glen. We’re proud to have Ram Self Storage back on the car this weekend.”   Cody Ware, No. 51 Rick Ware Racing Chevrolet“Watkins Glen has a lot of elevation changes, more so than other road courses we visit. It’s definitely a place where the commitment factor and the confidence level have to be high. You have a lot of elevation change in the first couple of corners. You get a little bit of a break from that going through the bus stop and then into the carousel, but then you have a lot of elevation change going into the short chute. Almost every corner is an opportunity for passing. It’s a very wide track with a lot of grip. You can run offline fairly easily at Watkins Glen, so turn one, going into the bus stop, going into the carousel, going into the lefthander after the short chute, you have a lot of opportunities to pass around the whole racetrack. To be able to do that is what makes racing at Watkins Glen so good.”   Michael McDowell, No. 71 Spire Motorsports ChevroletHow does a top-five result at Circuit of the Americas (COTA) help you this weekend at Watkins Glen?“COTA and Watkins Glen are very different. Overall, our road-course cars and speed have been good. This is our second road course of the year, so hopefully, we can have a day similar to COTA. It’s important to unload close and qualify well, to have a good shot at it in the race. Watkins Glen is just a cool road course. I have always loved going up there. The rhythm and flow make for a good track. You have to attack the bus stop, carry a lot of momentum into the esses, with very little room for error. It is a lot of fun, and I enjoy it. I think more than anything is when you’re driving with a smile on your face, you’re usually doing pretty good.”   Carson Hocevar, No. 77 Spire Motorsports ChevroletHow do you evaluate the start to your season?“I think we are right where we want to be. It was obviously really cool thing to get the win for Jeff (Dickerson) and everyone at Spire Motorsports, and while we are sixth in points with 98 points on The Chase cutline, we lost out on some points at times this year, too. We got turned while leading at Daytona and lost spots on late-race restarts at Bristol and Richmond. We have shown where we are capable of running week-in and week-out, we just have to continue to put it all together like we have the first 11 weeks.” You’re running some grassroots races this week. Why does that make sense for you? “I’m excited to get things rolling. We were supposed to have three nights, but rains had other plans. We will still have two opportunities this week to get out there and dial in our program. It will be nice for me to get in the swing of running a dirt car and acclimated to the late night feature before packing up and heading to the next track the next night. It will be fun to at least see how we stack up against everyone throughout the schedule. Can’t wait to get out there with the Spire guys and give everyone from Chili’s something to cheer for during the week.”   Connor Zilisch, No. 88 Trackhouse Racing ChevroletWhat are your thoughts about competing at Watkins Glen this weekend?“Watkins Glen gives us the chance to kind of level the playing field. The road courses are a strong suit for Trackhouse as a whole and I’m looking forward to this weekend. It’s an opportunity for me to go out and have a good finish and Watkins Glen is a place where we can do that. The Cup Series is tough, and it certainly hasn’t been easy for me, but I enjoy the challenge of coming to these places and learning. It’s a lot different than Saturdays. I have a lot to learn at these tracks.”  What do you think about some of the track changes at Watkins Glen? There are track limits in Turns 1 and Turn 5.“It will change a little bit but honestly, it’s not a huge change. Other than restarts you never really went all the way out in Turn 1. With the rumbles they added last year it was bad for the tires and you didn’t really want to be out there if you could avoid it. I don’t think it’s going to change too much but the restarts are certainly going to be a little bit different with not being able to go out there and use the space if you need it. I’m curious to see how that changes things. Obviously coming out of the carousel and being forced to stay on the track is going to change how you drive the carousel a little bit. Those are small changes in the grand scheme of things.” Is there an area of the course at Watkins Glen that you would like to capitalize on?“I feel like the track has a good rhythm. You never feel like you’re having to slow down that much. All the corners are pretty high speed, and it just has a good flow to it. Watkins Glen has always treated me well. I feel like I’ve always ran well at Watkins Glen. I’m excited to do my first Cup race there and try to get a good result and continue to build on the momentum we have from Texas.” What is your comfort level of racing in wet weather conditions?“I feel really comfortable in the rain. I grew up racing go-karts, and we raced in the rain a lot there and then in the sports car stuff that I’ve done I raced quite a bit in the rain as well. I’m looking forward to it. I think I maybe don’t have quite as much experience in the rain as maybe SVG (Shane Van Gisbergen), but I’ve always felt like I’ve been able to adapt and do a good job in the rain whenever I’ve been faced with that challenge. I’m excited to go figure it out if it does rain and make the most of it.”     Shane van Gisbergen, No. 97 Trackhouse Racing ChevroletAre you excited to be racing all three series this weekend?“Yeah, I want to race everything! I would love to do it on ovals as well, especially at tracks like Texas. I would love to do more on ovals to get better, but obviously it’s easier for me to get sponsorship on road courses (laughs). Hopefully, if I have good races with these teams, it will lead to more on ovals. All three series should be awesome racing.” Does your team feel any extra pressure this weekend?“Yeah, of course but I think it’s an expectation you have to manage. We can’t go there and just expect to win, but hopefully we are good and competitive and competing for the win at the end.” How do you think the cooler temperatures will affect the race this weekend?“It was hard on tires there last year. When we went to the different compound than the year before and you definitely felt a lot of fall off. So, the cooler temps will help with that. But I don’t know the climate there, how much cooler it will be. But I think it will affect all classes, even the O’Reilly series, the tires blister and get pretty hot there, the left rear. So, it will probably be the same for them too.” The forecast is supposed to be wet, does that excite you?“No, I hate racing in the rain (laughs). But I’m good at it. I’ll adapt if it happens, but I hope it’s dry for all three races. It’s just no fun racing in the rain. You can’t be precise, you got to just wing it, stuff goes wrong, I’ve just never enjoyed it.”

TEAM CHEVY ADVANCEWatkins Glen InternationalMay 8-10, 2026

MEDIA RESOURCES: Photo Gallery | Race AdvancesChevrolet Newsroom

On the heels of its first tripleheader sweep of the 2026 NASCAR season, Chevrolet will carry that momentum to upstate New York as all three divisions will take on the left- and right-hand turns of Watkins Glen International for the sport’s second road course race of the season. Chevrolet sits as the winningest manufacturer across all three divisions at the historic 2.45-mile New York circuit with a combined 40 trips to victory lane across the NASCAR national ranks. Among those includes a pair of triumphs in the track’s most recent events for NASCAR’s top-two divisions with Team Chevy’s road course ringers, Shane van Gisbergen and Connor Zilisch, driving the manufacturer to its 23rd Cup Series win and 14th O’Reilly Auto Parts Series win last season.

NASCAR has shared an over 40-year history with Watkins Glen International, and throughout that tenure, the circuit has became the home to an elite list of “firsts” for the Bowtie brigade. When the circuit first opened its doors to host the NASCAR Cup Series for its inaugural event in 1957, it was Buck Baker that took the victory – ultimately delivering Chevrolet its first-ever road course win in NASCAR’s premier series.

Watkins Glen is also the site that made a pair of Team Chevy drivers first-time winners. Competing in his third full-time campaign with Hendrick Motorsports, Chase Elliott drove the No. 9 Chevrolet to victory lane at the circuit’s 2018 event to become a first-time winner in NASCAR’s premier series. The victory kickstarted what turned into a championship-earning career at NASCAR’s highest level with the driver now boasting a resume of one title (2020) and 22 all-time wins.

Following suit of his Team Chevy teammate, Connor Zilisch paid a visit to “The Glen” in 2024 to make his debut appearance in the O’Reilly Auto Parts Series. Behind the wheel of a JR Motorsports-prepared Chevrolet, Zilisch led a race-high 45 laps en route to the victory to make the rising star just the seventh driver in series’ history to win in his first career start. Since then, the Mooresville, North Carolina, native has skyrocketed into a full-time career in NASCAR’s premier series.

ALL-TIME ROAD COURSE RANKINGSCareer Chevrolet driver, Jeff Gordon, continues to stand tall atop the NASCAR Cup Series all-time road course wins list with nine victories throughout his storied career. But there are a trio of Team Chevy drivers that have proven to be a threat to challenge that record.  Chase Elliott leads the series’ active drivers with seven road course wins in NASCAR’s premier series – a record that started with his first career win at Watkins Glen International in 2018. The record is enough to put the Dawsonville, Georgia, native third on the series’ all-time wins list, just behind Gordon and Tony Stewart (eight wins). The fourth position on the rankings sees a five-way tie that includes Team Chevy’s Shane van Gisbergen and Kyle Larson, who each own six road course wins in their Cup Series careers.

ELLIOTT’S EARLY-SEASON STATEMENTChase Elliott and the No. 9 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet team are stringing together what is arguably one of their strongest early-season runs, statistically, in their 11-year tenure. Last weekend at Texas Motor Speedway, the Alan Gustafson-led team earned their second trip to victory lane to make them just the second two-time winners in NASCAR’s top division thus far this season. With 11 races in the books, consistency has been key for the No. 9 team. Their two wins have been accompanied by five top-fives and seven top-10s, both of which are ranked the second-best in the series. A visit to Watkins Glen International presents the perfect opportunity for the team to continue to prove their title potential. In nine career starts at the circuit, Elliott has accumulated two wins, two poles, four top-fives and an average finish of 12.3.

HOCEVAR’S HIKE UP THE RANKINGS CONTINUESIt’s a career season in the making for Carson Hocevar and the No. 77 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet team. Finally breaking through with his first career NASCAR Cup Series win at Talladega Superspeedway, the Portage, Michigan, native went on to follow up that performance with yet another stellar day in the “Lonestar State”. After taking the win in Friday’s Truck Series race, Hocevar climbed into the No. 77 Chevrolet to claim his first pole win of the season – ultimately rounding out the weekend with a seventh-place result. Accumulating a total of 96 points over the last two events, Hocevar has made big gains in the points standings with the Team Chevy driver heading to upstate New York with a sixth-place ranking.

MAYER LOOKING FOR MOMENTUM-BUILDING WEEKENDDespite a rollercoaster start to the 2026 NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series season, Sam Mayer and the No. 41 Haas Factory Team put together their strongest run thus far at Texas Motor Speedway to earn a season-best third-place finish. The result, along with a 44-point effort, was enough to boost Mayer up two positions in the points standings as he heads to a configuration that he’s had the greatest amount of success. The Franklin, Wisconsin, native earned his first career O’Reilly Auto Parts Series victory at Road America in 2023 and has since accumulated eight wins in the division, four of which have come on a road course. Mayer is one of just two past O’Reilly Auto Parts Series winners at Watkins Glen entered in Saturday’s race, and in his five career starts at the circuit, he’s finished in the top-10 in all but one event.

TRACKHOUSE TRIO DOING THE TRIPLEIn addition to their full-time rides on Sunday, the stable of Trackhouse Racing drivers will also be behind the wheel of a Camaro SS and a Silverado RST for a triple duty weekend at “The Glen”. Shane van Gisbergen will team up with Niece Motorsports to make just his second career Truck Series start, followed by a reunion with the No. 9 JR Motorsports Chevrolet team for the pairing’s second O’Reilly Auto Parts Series start of the season. Ross Chastain will also join the Niece Motorsports lineup for his fourth Truck Series start of the season, with his O’Reilly Auto Parts Series ride coming out of the Jordan Anderson Racing camp. For Zilisch, his triple duty effort will come with Spire Motorsports for Friday’s Truck Series race, with the Chevrolet driver teaming back up with JR Motorsports on Saturday to compete for their third-straight Watkins Glen victory in the second-level division.  All three drivers are road course winners in the NASCAR national ranks, with Van Gisbergen and Zilisch returning to the upstate New York circuit as the track’s defending winners in the Cup and O’Reilly Auto Parts Series. Chastain become a first-time winner at NASCAR’s highest level at Circuit of The Americas (2022), and while he’s still looking for his first trip to victory lane at Watkins Glen, he’s progressively building confidence with back-to-back top-10 finishes in the Cup Series’ past two visits to the circuit.

BOWTIE BULLETS:·        Active Chevrolet drivers with a NASCAR Cup Series win at Watkins Glen International:     Kyle Larson – two wins (2021, 2022)Chase Elliott – two wins (2019, 2018)Kyle Busch – two wins (2013, 2008)Shane van Gisbergen – one win (2025)William Byron – one win (2024) ·        Chevrolet is the winningest manufacturer in all three NASCAR national divisions at Watkins Glen International with 23 Cup Series wins, 14 O’Reilly Auto Parts Series wins, and three Craftsman Truck Series wins.  ·        In 24 NASCAR Cup Series road racing events in the Next Gen era, Chevrolet leads the series with 17 victories – recorded by eight drivers from four different Chevrolet organizations. ·        At Talladega Superspeedway, Chevrolet tallied six top-10 finishes, marking the second time this season a manufacturer has placed six cars in the top-10 of a Cup Series event. The Bowtie brand took it one step further by achieving the highest representation of different organizations within those results with five Chevrolet organizations placing drivers in the top-10.  ·        With seven-straight victories to start the 2026 NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series season, Chevrolet set the record for the longest season-opening streak by a single manufacturer in the division’s history.  ·        In 155 points-paying races in the NASCAR Cup Series Next Gen era, Chevrolet leads all manufacturers with 70 victories – a winning percentage of 45.2%. ·        Chevrolet is coming off its 29th all-time sweep of the NASCAR Cup Series championship titles – capturing its 34th driver championship and 44th, and fifth consecutive, manufacturer championship in 2025.  ·        With its 44 NASCAR Cup Series manufacturer championships, 34 NASCAR Cup Series driver championships, and 884 all-time NASCAR Cup Series wins, Chevrolet continues to hold the title as the winningest brand in NASCAR Cup Series history.

TUNE-IN:NASCAR Cup Series Go Bowling at The GlenSunday, May 10, at 3 p.m. ETFS1, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90  NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts SeriesMission 200 at The GlenSaturday, May 9, at 4 p.m. ETCW, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90  NASCAR Craftsman Truck SeriesBully Hill Vineyards 176 at The GlenFriday, May 8, at 4:30 p.m. ETFS1, NASCAR Racing Network and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90

QUOTABLE QUOTES:Ross Chastain, No. 1 Trackhouse Racing ChevroletHas road course racing evolved with the Next Gen car?“Yes, it has. The setup and how teams put them together from COTA in 2022 to now are drastically different. I was fast at the beginning (laughs), that should tell you everything you need to know as everybody was learning. I was on the front end of learning COTA and everything the gen 7 car needed there, and several tracks and we were more competitive then, than we are now. It definitely has evolved and Shane (van Gisbergen) has changed this sport forever. ” Do you lean on SVG or get advice from his since he’s been the driver to beat the last couple of years on road courses?“Absolutely! I can see what he’s doing in the Cup car but I can’t master doing it as fast as he can. The goal to learn from him is kind of a hamster wheel that never ends.” Do you like going up to the Watkins Glen area? It’s such a unique place in comparison to the other areas we go to for racing.“I love going up to New York. I spend a lot of time up there with various partners I have and do a lot of work with the New York Highway Safety Office. I’ve already been up there this year for various events and I go in early on race week. So, it feels like home to me when I visit. It’s going to be a little colder this year since we are racing in May but I’m looking forward to racing in all three series.”   Austin Dillon, No. 3 Richard Childress Racing ChevroletWhat are some of the things you like about Watkins Glen International, and what are some of the things that are difficult about that track?“Watkins Glen International is very fast for a road course. The bus stop, the esses, a big chunk of the speed at Watkins Glen comes from those two sections. The other sections are more self-explanatory, but it’s a tough track. It’s been my hardest track to get a grip on, but I feel like going there does present some opportunities because you have some strategy and different things that can play out. Qualifying is pretty important there as well. I’m looking forward to getting there in our Bass Pro Shops/Winchester AA White Flyer Chevrolet.”   Daniel Suarez, No. 7 Spire Motorsports ChevroletHow are you feeling heading into the weekend, and how do you think the changes in the carousel section will affect the racing?“I feel very good about it. For me and the team, I think we’ve learned a lot over the past few races, and that’s put us in a strong position heading into this weekend. I truly believe we’re in a really good place to go there, be competitive, and fight up front, so I’m super excited about that. It’s going to be fun, especially with a few changes to the race track, like the track limits in the carousel section. That’s definitely going to add something new and make things interesting. Overall, I’m really looking forward to it and seeing how everything comes together.”   Kyle Busch, No. 8 Richard Childress Racing ChevroletWhat makes Watkins Glen International unique?“I love Watkins Glen. It’s always been a great place, great countryside, and is a lot of fun. Watkins Glen has always kind of been considered one of the superspeedways of road courses; it’s just a really fast course. A lot of speed there. I always look at every single racetrack wanting to win, and fortunately I’ve won there in the O’Reilly Series and the Cup Series. I’m excited to get back on the road courses again. Back in the years when we used to have only two road courses on the schedule, you would’ve kind of looked at it as a, ‘well hey you know it’s kind of like an off-weekend. Just treat it like an off-weekend, it doesn’t mean much if you run well or if you don’t,’ but now there’s six road courses on the schedule. There’s enough of a bulk of a schedule of races that you got to be a good road racer. I feel like being ahead of the game in that and being able to win races there in the past lends itself fairly well for me.” With rain being potentially a factor this weekend, how do you prepare for that possibility?“The biggest thing is looking ahead, getting with your crew chief and your engineers and kind of plan how you want to build your set-up for that. If we know there’s going to be rain on Sunday, then we’re pretty much going to build a rain setup into the racecar, but if the weather forecast looks good to where it doesn’t look like there’s going to be rain on race day, then you’ll kind of build for more of a dry type of setup. There are little differences that you can do in your racecar for the dry versus the wet. We kind of won’t really know until just a few days ahead of time. The biggest thing that you look for there is when you go to the racetrack, you’re not allowed to change the racecar once you unload the racecar out of your trailer. Your spring settings and the majority of how your suspension is all bolted on and set up, you can’t change those. The only thing you’re changing is air pressure in tires, the height of your racecar, and maybe some shocks. That’s all you’re allowed to change, so you definitely got to be ahead of the game and being able to prepare whichever direction you plan to race in.” What’s your favorite thing to do outside of the racetrack at Watkins Glen International?“Each year we’ve always done the Watkins Glen State Park hike. Really neat to do that. It’s always a great area to come to, it’s always beautiful, and looking forward to seeing what it looks like this time of year.”   AJ Allmendinger, No. 16 Kaulig Racing Chevrolet“Watkins Glen will always be special to me because it’s where I earned my first NASCAR Cup Series win, and I’ve always loved the place. I’m going to go do what I can and wheel the heck out of the thing and hopefully we will be contending for a win. If not, like always, we’ll try to get the best finish possible. At COTA (Circuit of the Americas), we had top-five speed – fourth to seventh speed – and we played the stage game of getting points knowing maybe we didn’t have a shot to win the race. To me, the car didn’t feel like it drove a ton different at COTA (from years past). We’ll find out when we get to Watkins Glen where we stack up, but last year we were not where we wanted to be. We’re hopeful it will drive much better this time. At the end of the day, we’re going to make the most out of the day for our partners and hopefully we end up in Victory Lane.”  Cole Custer, No. 41 Haas Factory Team Chevrolet“I am really looking forward to Watkins Glen this weekend. It is always one of the most fun road courses we go to, with how much speed it has, and how much flow the track has. It could also be an interesting weekend with weather so I’m sure we will put on an exciting show for the fans with our HaasTooling.com Chevrolet.”   Ricky Stenhouse Jr., No. 47 Hyak Motorsports Chevrolet“We’ve had some solid runs lately, and that comes from the guys working hard back at the shop and bringing us better cars each week. It’s been a group effort and we want to keep building on that at Watkins Glen. We’re proud to have Ram Self Storage back on the car this weekend.”   Cody Ware, No. 51 Rick Ware Racing Chevrolet“Watkins Glen has a lot of elevation changes, more so than other road courses we visit. It’s definitely a place where the commitment factor and the confidence level have to be high. You have a lot of elevation change in the first couple of corners. You get a little bit of a break from that going through the bus stop and then into the carousel, but then you have a lot of elevation change going into the short chute. Almost every corner is an opportunity for passing. It’s a very wide track with a lot of grip. You can run offline fairly easily at Watkins Glen, so turn one, going into the bus stop, going into the carousel, going into the lefthander after the short chute, you have a lot of opportunities to pass around the whole racetrack. To be able to do that is what makes racing at Watkins Glen so good.”   Michael McDowell, No. 71 Spire Motorsports ChevroletHow does a top-five result at Circuit of the Americas (COTA) help you this weekend at Watkins Glen?“COTA and Watkins Glen are very different. Overall, our road-course cars and speed have been good. This is our second road course of the year, so hopefully, we can have a day similar to COTA. It’s important to unload close and qualify well, to have a good shot at it in the race. Watkins Glen is just a cool road course. I have always loved going up there. The rhythm and flow make for a good track. You have to attack the bus stop, carry a lot of momentum into the esses, with very little room for error. It is a lot of fun, and I enjoy it. I think more than anything is when you’re driving with a smile on your face, you’re usually doing pretty good.”   Carson Hocevar, No. 77 Spire Motorsports ChevroletHow do you evaluate the start to your season?“I think we are right where we want to be. It was obviously really cool thing to get the win for Jeff (Dickerson) and everyone at Spire Motorsports, and while we are sixth in points with 98 points on The Chase cutline, we lost out on some points at times this year, too. We got turned while leading at Daytona and lost spots on late-race restarts at Bristol and Richmond. We have shown where we are capable of running week-in and week-out, we just have to continue to put it all together like we have the first 11 weeks.” You’re running some grassroots races this week. Why does that make sense for you? “I’m excited to get things rolling. We were supposed to have three nights, but rains had other plans. We will still have two opportunities this week to get out there and dial in our program. It will be nice for me to get in the swing of running a dirt car and acclimated to the late night feature before packing up and heading to the next track the next night. It will be fun to at least see how we stack up against everyone throughout the schedule. Can’t wait to get out there with the Spire guys and give everyone from Chili’s something to cheer for during the week.”   Connor Zilisch, No. 88 Trackhouse Racing ChevroletWhat are your thoughts about competing at Watkins Glen this weekend?“Watkins Glen gives us the chance to kind of level the playing field. The road courses are a strong suit for Trackhouse as a whole and I’m looking forward to this weekend. It’s an opportunity for me to go out and have a good finish and Watkins Glen is a place where we can do that. The Cup Series is tough, and it certainly hasn’t been easy for me, but I enjoy the challenge of coming to these places and learning. It’s a lot different than Saturdays. I have a lot to learn at these tracks.”  What do you think about some of the track changes at Watkins Glen? There are track limits in Turns 1 and Turn 5.“It will change a little bit but honestly, it’s not a huge change. Other than restarts you never really went all the way out in Turn 1. With the rumbles they added last year it was bad for the tires and you didn’t really want to be out there if you could avoid it. I don’t think it’s going to change too much but the restarts are certainly going to be a little bit different with not being able to go out there and use the space if you need it. I’m curious to see how that changes things. Obviously coming out of the carousel and being forced to stay on the track is going to change how you drive the carousel a little bit. Those are small changes in the grand scheme of things.” Is there an area of the course at Watkins Glen that you would like to capitalize on?“I feel like the track has a good rhythm. You never feel like you’re having to slow down that much. All the corners are pretty high speed, and it just has a good flow to it. Watkins Glen has always treated me well. I feel like I’ve always ran well at Watkins Glen. I’m excited to do my first Cup race there and try to get a good result and continue to build on the momentum we have from Texas.” What is your comfort level of racing in wet weather conditions?“I feel really comfortable in the rain. I grew up racing go-karts, and we raced in the rain a lot there and then in the sports car stuff that I’ve done I raced quite a bit in the rain as well. I’m looking forward to it. I think I maybe don’t have quite as much experience in the rain as maybe SVG (Shane Van Gisbergen), but I’ve always felt like I’ve been able to adapt and do a good job in the rain whenever I’ve been faced with that challenge. I’m excited to go figure it out if it does rain and make the most of it.”     Shane van Gisbergen, No. 97 Trackhouse Racing ChevroletAre you excited to be racing all three series this weekend?“Yeah, I want to race everything! I would love to do it on ovals as well, especially at tracks like Texas. I would love to do more on ovals to get better, but obviously it’s easier for me to get sponsorship on road courses (laughs). Hopefully, if I have good races with these teams, it will lead to more on ovals. All three series should be awesome racing.” Does your team feel any extra pressure this weekend?“Yeah, of course but I think it’s an expectation you have to manage. We can’t go there and just expect to win, but hopefully we are good and competitive and competing for the win at the end.” How do you think the cooler temperatures will affect the race this weekend?“It was hard on tires there last year. When we went to the different compound than the year before and you definitely felt a lot of fall off. So, the cooler temps will help with that. But I don’t know the climate there, how much cooler it will be. But I think it will affect all classes, even the O’Reilly series, the tires blister and get pretty hot there, the left rear. So, it will probably be the same for them too.” The forecast is supposed to be wet, does that excite you?“No, I hate racing in the rain (laughs). But I’m good at it. I’ll adapt if it happens, but I hope it’s dry for all three races. It’s just no fun racing in the rain. You can’t be precise, you got to just wing it, stuff goes wrong, I’ve just never enjoyed it.”

Chevrolet NASCAR Cup Series StatisticsManufacturer Championships:Total (1949-2025): 44First title for Chevrolet: 1958Highest number of consecutive titles: 13 (2003-15)Most recent: 2025 Years Won: 1958, 1959, 1960, 1961, 1972, 1973, 1974, 1976, 1977, 1978, 1979, 1980, 1983, 1984, 1985, 1986, 1987, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1991, 1993, 1995, 1996, 1998, 2001, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024, 2025 Driver Championships:Total (1949-2025): 34First Chevrolet champion: Buck Baker (1957)Highest number of consecutive titles: 7 (2005-11)Most recent: Kyle Larson (2025)Driver and Manufacturer Championship Sweeps: 29 Years Won: 1957, 1960, 1961, 1973, 1976, 1977, 1979, 1980, 1984, 1985, 1986, 1987, 1990, 1991, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 2001, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2013, 2014, 2016, 2020, 2021, 2025 Event Victories:Record for total race wins in single season: 26 (2007)                2026 STATISTICS:                                                                                                    Wins: 3Poles: 2Laps Led: 916Top-Fives: 20Top-10s: 39Stage Wins: 7 CHEVROLET IN NASCAR CUMULATIVE STATISTICS:Total Chevrolet race wins: 884 (1949 to date)Poles won to date: 768Laps led to date: 257,650Top-fives to date: 4,456Top-10s to date: 9,190                                                                                                          Total NASCAR Cup Wins by Corporation, 1949 to Date:                    General Motors: 1,218           Chevrolet: 884           Pontiac: 154           Oldsmobile: 115           Buick: 65            Ford: 848                                                                                          Ford: 748           Mercury: 96           Lincoln: 4            Fiat Chrysler Automobiles: 467           Dodge: 217           Plymouth: 191           Chrysler: 59            Toyota: 210

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Event: Go Bowling at The GlenDate/Time: Sunday, May 10, 2026, 3 p.m. ETLocation: Watkins Glen International, Watkins Glen, New YorkLayout: 2.45-Mile Road CourseTV/Radio: FS1, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR RadioJosh Berry and the No. 21 DEX team head to Watkins Glen International this weekend looking to put together a clean and steady day at one of NASCAR’s most historic road courses.“For our team, a clean, mistake-free race at Watkins Glen would be a solid weekend,” Berry said. “These road course races are so detail-oriented, and we’ve put a lot of time into preparation on the simulator leading into this one.“Hopefully we can execute all day and put ourselves in a good spot at the end.”While the Wood Brothers are often associated with success on superspeedways and intermediate tracks, the team also owns a respectable history at Watkins Glen.In the organization’s first start at the track in 1965, Marvin Panch started third and dominated the race, leading 53 of 66 laps while nearly lapping the entire field. Morgan Shepherd later added a runner-up finish for the team in 1992, and Marcos Ambrose delivered a third-place result in 2008 during one of the strongest stretches of his road course career.Overall, Wood Brothers Racing has recorded four top-five and eight top-10 finishes in 33 starts at Watkins Glen.Practice for the Go Bowling at The Glen is scheduled for Saturday at 1 p.m. ET, followed by qualifying at 2:10 p.m. ET. Coverage of both sessions will air on Prime.Sunday’s 100-lap, 245-mile race is scheduled to begin just after 3 p.m. ET with coverage on FS1. Stage breaks are planned for Laps 20 and 50.Josh BerryAge: 35 (Oct. 22, 1990)Hometown: Hendersonville, TennesseeCrew Chief: Miles StanleyIG: @joshberry88X: @joshberryAbout DEX DEX is the nation’s largest independent provider of document technology and managed print services, delivering a broad range of products and solutions that help organizations improve operational efficiencies, reduce costs, and strengthen security. DEX uses real-time data analytics to help businesses gain valuable insights into their print job patterns and frequency, resource allocation, and cost distribution. The knowledge gained is used to optimize workflows, enhance user performance, eliminate unnecessary expenses, and ensure print security and compliance.

SELINSGROVE, PA (May 6, 2026) – The World of Outlaws Late Model Series presented by DIRTVision is making a stop in the heart of Sprint Car country next week, and one of open-wheel racing’s bright young stars is set to join in on the action.

Non-Wing Sprint Car ace Briggs Danner will make his fendered World of Outlaws debut on Wednesday, May 13, at Selinsgrove Speedway in the Lazer Chassis Racing No. 31. It’s the first of seven planned starts this season in the ride which Danner is sharing with Big Block Modified driver Billy Pauch Jr.

The 24-year-old Allentown, PA native won multiple Quarter Midget championships before moving up into the SpeedSTR division at several area tracks. He went Sprint Car racing at age 19 and started winning almost immediately. Danner won back-to-back USAC East Coast Sprint Car Series championships in 2022 and 2023, and his 32 victories make him the winningest driver in the tour’s history. He hit the road with the AMSOIL USAC Sprint Car National Championship in 2024 and has since won eight races, most recently at Lawrenceburg Speedway on April 11.

But Danner has always had an itch to get behind the wheel of any race car he can get his hands on, and a conversation at the end of 2024 got the ball rolling on giving Super Late Models a try.

“I met Jim Bernheisel and the guys out at PRI,” Danner said. “Tim Hogue, who I drive a Sprint Car for, introduced me to them. They’ve known each other for a while, I guess, and I’ve always had an interest in Late Models and interest in trying one out anyway. So, I got in touch with them and they said that they were willing to put some sort of deal together to run a local show or two last year, which we did. It ended up working out. Jim Bernheisel used to run the car, Denny Superko’s car, they’re kind of in as a partner deal with it. Denny wants to run a couple shows, and he really likes Selinsgrove and he wants to go run with the Outlaws.”

Once the deal was done, Danner made his Late Model debut last June at Bridgeport Motorsports Park and earned an impressive fourth-place finish. His next start a month later at Selinsgrove was more of a struggle, as Danner crossed the line 16th.

“I ran Bridgeport for my first race, and that’s definitely a track that I’m comfortable with in Modified shows and Sprint Cars, Winged and Non-Wing and all kinds of stuff,” Danner said. “Being comfortable there definitely helped. We finished fourth there, so that was great, right off the bat to run that good. We qualified well, just kind of getting my feet wet trying to get it figured out, we had a good run.

“Selinsgrove didn’t quite go as good for us. Ran a Sprint Car there a few times, but it’s just a lot different. It was slick that night, and that’s just a whole new ball game for me to try and get accustomed to. I definitely have some room to grow for sure, but I’m super excited for the opportunity to try to figure it out.”

It’s easy for a Sprint Car driver to turn a blind eye to any type of racing that doesn’t involve open wheels and push trucks, but that’s never been who Danner is. He’s always respected anyone with a passion for making cars go fast, and his interest in the Late Model side of the sport has only grown as he’s gotten more involved in it.

“I’ve always paid attention to [Late Model racing], but never like a super big follower of it,” Danner said. “But I’ve always loved Late Models and just everything about them. The fenders, the aero, the four-link stuff, just everything about them, I’ve always loved. There’s just not a lot of it by us. To be able to get my feet wet in it with Denny and Jim and those guys was a pretty cool deal, and I’m willing to run as much as I can with them.”

A driver from the Sprint Car world dipping their toe in the Late Model waters, or vice versa, is nothing new. But the list of drivers who have been successful in both cars is much shorter. Does Danner expect his seat time in a Sprint Car at Selinsgrove to give him any sort of upper hand against the World of Outlaws next week? He’s not convinced.

“It’s tough. Like, when I ran Bridgeport, obviously I knew the racetrack, but anything as far as driving the car was totally thrown out the window,” Danner said. “It didn’t mean anything to me, and in fact, anything I knew about driving a race car probably hurt me, honestly. It was like learning all over again. To go to a place like Selinsgrove where I don’t have too many laps, I have some laps there, but it’s just so much different in a big car, let alone a Late Model. We have a lot of good guys coming, obviously, so I’m going to have to try to figure it out pretty quick.”

Despite a solid debut last summer, Danner is keeping his goals in check ahead of his first national Late Model start. There are plenty of formidable regional Super Late Model operations in the northeast, but he knows going toe-to-toe with the likes of Nick Hoffman, Bobby Pierce and Tim McCreadie will be an entirely different challenge.

“I don’t exactly know what my expectations are,” Danner said. “A solid night would be just being competitive and being in the mix of things. If we have a decent showing in the Feature, qualify, not wreck stuff up or not be too far out to lunch, I’ll be pretty happy.”

Danner will make his World of Outlaws Late Model Series presented by DIRTVision debut at Selinsgrove Speedway on Thursday, May 14, part of a larger swing that also includes stops at Georgetown Speedway (Wednesday, May 13), Marion Center Raceway (Friday-Saturday, May 15-16) and Bedford Speedway (Sunday, May 17). More information on each event can be found by clicking here.

Briggs Danner Making World of Outlaws Late Model Debut at Selinsgrove

SELINSGROVE, PA (May 6, 2026) – The World of Outlaws Late Model Series presented by DIRTVision is making a stop in the heart of Sprint Car country next week, and one of open-wheel racing’s bright young stars is set to join in on the action.

Non-Wing Sprint Car ace Briggs Danner will make his fendered World of Outlaws debut on Wednesday, May 13, at Selinsgrove Speedway in the Lazer Chassis Racing No. 31. It’s the first of seven planned starts this season in the ride which Danner is sharing with Big Block Modified driver Billy Pauch Jr.

The 24-year-old Allentown, PA native won multiple Quarter Midget championships before moving up into the SpeedSTR division at several area tracks. He went Sprint Car racing at age 19 and started winning almost immediately. Danner won back-to-back USAC East Coast Sprint Car Series championships in 2022 and 2023, and his 32 victories make him the winningest driver in the tour’s history. He hit the road with the AMSOIL USAC Sprint Car National Championship in 2024 and has since won eight races, most recently at Lawrenceburg Speedway on April 11.

But Danner has always had an itch to get behind the wheel of any race car he can get his hands on, and a conversation at the end of 2024 got the ball rolling on giving Super Late Models a try.

“I met Jim Bernheisel and the guys out at PRI,” Danner said. “Tim Hogue, who I drive a Sprint Car for, introduced me to them. They’ve known each other for a while, I guess, and I’ve always had an interest in Late Models and interest in trying one out anyway. So, I got in touch with them and they said that they were willing to put some sort of deal together to run a local show or two last year, which we did. It ended up working out. Jim Bernheisel used to run the car, Denny Superko’s car, they’re kind of in as a partner deal with it. Denny wants to run a couple shows, and he really likes Selinsgrove and he wants to go run with the Outlaws.”

Once the deal was done, Danner made his Late Model debut last June at Bridgeport Motorsports Park and earned an impressive fourth-place finish. His next start a month later at Selinsgrove was more of a struggle, as Danner crossed the line 16th.

“I ran Bridgeport for my first race, and that’s definitely a track that I’m comfortable with in Modified shows and Sprint Cars, Winged and Non-Wing and all kinds of stuff,” Danner said. “Being comfortable there definitely helped. We finished fourth there, so that was great, right off the bat to run that good. We qualified well, just kind of getting my feet wet trying to get it figured out, we had a good run.

“Selinsgrove didn’t quite go as good for us. Ran a Sprint Car there a few times, but it’s just a lot different. It was slick that night, and that’s just a whole new ball game for me to try and get accustomed to. I definitely have some room to grow for sure, but I’m super excited for the opportunity to try to figure it out.”

It’s easy for a Sprint Car driver to turn a blind eye to any type of racing that doesn’t involve open wheels and push trucks, but that’s never been who Danner is. He’s always respected anyone with a passion for making cars go fast, and his interest in the Late Model side of the sport has only grown as he’s gotten more involved in it.

“I’ve always paid attention to [Late Model racing], but never like a super big follower of it,” Danner said. “But I’ve always loved Late Models and just everything about them. The fenders, the aero, the four-link stuff, just everything about them, I’ve always loved. There’s just not a lot of it by us. To be able to get my feet wet in it with Denny and Jim and those guys was a pretty cool deal, and I’m willing to run as much as I can with them.”

A driver from the Sprint Car world dipping their toe in the Late Model waters, or vice versa, is nothing new. But the list of drivers who have been successful in both cars is much shorter. Does Danner expect his seat time in a Sprint Car at Selinsgrove to give him any sort of upper hand against the World of Outlaws next week? He’s not convinced.

“It’s tough. Like, when I ran Bridgeport, obviously I knew the racetrack, but anything as far as driving the car was totally thrown out the window,” Danner said. “It didn’t mean anything to me, and in fact, anything I knew about driving a race car probably hurt me, honestly. It was like learning all over again. To go to a place like Selinsgrove where I don’t have too many laps, I have some laps there, but it’s just so much different in a big car, let alone a Late Model. We have a lot of good guys coming, obviously, so I’m going to have to try to figure it out pretty quick.”

Despite a solid debut last summer, Danner is keeping his goals in check ahead of his first national Late Model start. There are plenty of formidable regional Super Late Model operations in the northeast, but he knows going toe-to-toe with the likes of Nick Hoffman, Bobby Pierce and Tim McCreadie will be an entirely different challenge.

“I don’t exactly know what my expectations are,” Danner said. “A solid night would be just being competitive and being in the mix of things. If we have a decent showing in the Feature, qualify, not wreck stuff up or not be too far out to lunch, I’ll be pretty happy.”

Danner will make his World of Outlaws Late Model Series presented by DIRTVision debut at Selinsgrove Speedway on Thursday, May 14, part of a larger swing that also includes stops at Georgetown Speedway (Wednesday, May 13), Marion Center Raceway (Friday-Saturday, May 15-16) and Bedford Speedway (Sunday, May 17). More information on each event can be found by clicking here.

Want to watch the World of Outlaws? Stream every race live on DIRTVision.

The Roth Motorsports pilot slips by Gravel and survives Macedo’s last gasp at Lincoln for his Series-leading fifth win of the year

ABBOTTSTOWN, PA (May 5, 2026) – The Pennsylvania Posse prevailed in 2025, but the World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car drivers came out swinging in 2026.

Abbottstown, PA’s Lincoln Speedway served as the battlefield on Tuesday night as the Gettysburg Clash renewed the sport’s most storied rivalry. The World of Outlaws travelers came into the year looking for vengeance after being bested by PA last season, and that’s exactly what they got in round one.

Michael “Buddy” Kofoid charged from outside the second row and snatched the top spot from polesitter David Gravel with a Lap 19 slide job. Gravel returned the favor, but a fortuitous yellow flag for Kofoid flew as the lap hadn’t been completed after Gravel got back around him. That handed the lead to Kofoid for the restart, and he capitalized.

The Penngrove, CA native wheeled away, but Carson Macedo began to close in on the tail tank of the Roth Motorsports No. 83 in the final laps. Kofoid slipped off the bottom while struggling with traffic in the final set of corners and opened the door, but Macedo’s run to the checkered came up just short as Kofoid narrowly held on.

“I didn’t really see Carson,” Kofoid explained. “I think I maybe heard him after the white (flag) into (Turn) 1. I couldn’t tell what the lapper was going to do. I got a really good run on him, and it looked like he was going to go high then he swooped down. I tried to stay in clean air and kind of missed it and tried to scramble to drive back across.”

Kofoid and the Roth crew now lead the tour in 2026 trips to Victory Lane as Lincoln is their fifth. The 24-year-old’s second Lincoln score makes him the 12th competitor with multiple victories at the track nestled in the Pigeon Hills. His 27th career win with The Greatest Show on Dirt puts him in a three-way tie with Paul McMahan and Tim Shaffer for 26th all-time.

Macedo’s second-place finish was his second straight runner-up in the Jason Johnson Racing No. 41. He also continues to hold the second spot in the standings.

Chase Dietz moved the Stehman Motorsports No. 23D up to third late to make sure the PA Posse had a presence on the podium.

David Gravel and Danny Dietrich completed the top five.

NIGHTLY NOTES

David Gravel grabbed his sixth Race//Ready Hottest Lap of the Night in 2026.

Danny Dietrich claimed his fifth career Simpson Quick Time in Honest Abe Roofing Qualifying.

Heat Races belonged to Danny Dietrich (NOS Energy Drink Heat One), David Gravel (TheGreatestStoreonDirt.com Heat Two), Carson Macedo (WIX Filters Heat Three), and Sheldon Haudenschild (Golf Cart Services Heat Four).

The SPA Technique #1 Redraw went to David Gravel.

Gravel also topped the Toyota Dash.

Logan Schuchart won the Micro-Lite Last Chance Showdown.

Tyler Ross ripped from 24th to seventh to earn KSE Racing Products Hard Charger honors.

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

Ashton Torgerson was the Five Star Bodies Rookie of the Race.

David Gravel clocked the ACME Trading Company Fast Lap.

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

UP NEXT: The World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Series heads to Mechanicsburg, PA’s Williams Grove Speedway on May 8-9 to battle the PA Posse for bragging rights and the HVAC Distributors Morgan Cup. For tickets, CLICK HERE.

Before the racing at Williams Grove, fans can head to Hersheypark Stadium on Thursday, May 7 from 5-7pm for the Hershey Sprint Car Experience where teams from both the World of Outlaws and Pennsylvania Posse will unite to celebrate the region’s rich racing tradition.

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:

OUTLAWS STRIKE FIRST: Kofoid Holds Off Macedo for Second Straight Gettysburg Clash Victory

The Roth Motorsports pilot slips by Gravel and survives Macedo’s last gasp at Lincoln for his Series-leading fifth win of the year

ABBOTTSTOWN, PA (May 5, 2026) – The Pennsylvania Posse prevailed in 2025, but the World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car drivers came out swinging in 2026.

Abbottstown, PA’s Lincoln Speedway served as the battlefield on Tuesday night as the Gettysburg Clash renewed the sport’s most storied rivalry. The World of Outlaws travelers came into the year looking for vengeance after being bested by PA last season, and that’s exactly what they got in round one.

Michael “Buddy” Kofoid charged from outside the second row and snatched the top spot from polesitter David Gravel with a Lap 19 slide job. Gravel returned the favor, but a fortuitous yellow flag for Kofoid flew as the lap hadn’t been completed after Gravel got back around him. That handed the lead to Kofoid for the restart, and he capitalized.

The Penngrove, CA native wheeled away, but Carson Macedo began to close in on the tail tank of the Roth Motorsports No. 83 in the final laps. Kofoid slipped off the bottom while struggling with traffic in the final set of corners and opened the door, but Macedo’s run to the checkered came up just short as Kofoid narrowly held on.

“I didn’t really see Carson,” Kofoid explained. “I think I maybe heard him after the white (flag) into (Turn) 1. I couldn’t tell what the lapper was going to do. I got a really good run on him, and it looked like he was going to go high then he swooped down. I tried to stay in clean air and kind of missed it and tried to scramble to drive back across.”

Kofoid and the Roth crew now lead the tour in 2026 trips to Victory Lane as Lincoln is their fifth. The 24-year-old’s second Lincoln score makes him the 12th competitor with multiple victories at the track nestled in the Pigeon Hills. His 27th career win with The Greatest Show on Dirt puts him in a three-way tie with Paul McMahan and Tim Shaffer for 26th all-time.

Macedo’s second-place finish was his second straight runner-up in the Jason Johnson Racing No. 41. He also continues to hold the second spot in the standings.

Chase Dietz moved the Stehman Motorsports No. 23D up to third late to make sure the PA Posse had a presence on the podium.

David Gravel and Danny Dietrich completed the top five.

NIGHTLY NOTES

David Gravel grabbed his sixth Race//Ready Hottest Lap of the Night in 2026.

Danny Dietrich claimed his fifth career Simpson Quick Time in Honest Abe Roofing Qualifying.

Heat Races belonged to Danny Dietrich (NOS Energy Drink Heat One), David Gravel (TheGreatestStoreonDirt.com Heat Two), Carson Macedo (WIX Filters Heat Three), and Sheldon Haudenschild (Golf Cart Services Heat Four).

The SPA Technique #1 Redraw went to David Gravel.

Gravel also topped the Toyota Dash.

Logan Schuchart won the Micro-Lite Last Chance Showdown.

Tyler Ross ripped from 24th to seventh to earn KSE Racing Products Hard Charger honors.

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

Ashton Torgerson was the Five Star Bodies Rookie of the Race.

David Gravel clocked the ACME Trading Company Fast Lap.

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

UP NEXT: The World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Series heads to Mechanicsburg, PA’s Williams Grove Speedway on May 8-9 to battle the PA Posse for bragging rights and the HVAC Distributors Morgan Cup. For tickets, CLICK HERE.

Before the racing at Williams Grove, fans can head to Hersheypark Stadium on Thursday, May 7 from 5-7pm for the Hershey Sprint Car Experience where teams from both the World of Outlaws and Pennsylvania Posse will unite to celebrate the region’s rich racing tradition.

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. 83-Michael Kofoid[4]; 2. 41-Carson Macedo[3]; 3. 23D-Chase Dietz[8]; 4. 2-David Gravel[1]; 5. 48-Danny Dietrich[7]; 6. 41R-Logan Rumsey[2]; 7. 5-Tyler Ross[24]; 8. 75-Cameron Smith[10]; 9. 39M-Kasey Kahne[11]; 10. 23-Garet Williamson[17]; 11. 15-Donny Schatz[13]; 12. 17N-Dylan Norris[28]; 13. 7S-Chris Windom[23]; 14. 99M-Kyle Moody[16]; 15. 11-TJ Stutts[15]; 16. 18-Sheldon Haudenschild[5]; 17. 17-Spencer Bayston[20]; 18. 2C-Cole Macedo[18]; 19. 10-Matt Campbell[19]; 20. 28M-Conner Morrell[27]; 21. (DNF) 1A-Ashton Torgerson[9]; 22. (DNF) 1S-Logan Schuchart[21]; 23. (DNF) 17B-Bill Balog[6]; 24. (DNF) 16C-Skylar Gee[25]; 25. (DNF) 51R-Freddie Rahmer[26]; 26. (DNF) 3Z-Brock Zearfoss[14]; 27. (DNF) 95-Kody Hartlaub[12]; 28. (DNS) 1X-Chad Trout

 BENTON, MO (May 5, 2026) — The American Sprint Car Series is set to open the May slate with a return to the Midwest. 

The country’s top 360 Sprint Car drivers begin the two-day trek with a stop at Missouri’s Benton Speedway on Friday, May 8. Then, the Series crosses the Kentucky state line to visit Paducah International Raceway for the Mother’s Day Salute on Saturday, May 9. Both Feature races will offer a $4,000 winner’s share. 

While the two tracks share the same 3/8-mile length, each brings different characteristics: Benton is a low-banked, gumbo-dirt facility, while Paducah is a high-banked clay racetrack. Both key to the hunt for the Emmett Hahn Championship Trophy. 

BENTON INFO 

PADUCAH INFO 

WATCH ON DIRTVISION 

Here’s what to look for this weekend: 

Sam Staying Up – Sam Hafertepe Jr. may be looking for his first win of the 2026 season, but he hasn’t lost his way of staying at the top of the Series points standings. 

With eight races complete in the ASCS campaign, the Sunnyvale, TX native holds the points lead by 66 markers over Matt Covington as he continues to chase a seventh Series championship. 

Hafertepe has a history of feats between the two tracks. He won the 2025 Series event at Benton on the way to clinching the year-end championship. Though he’s never won at Paducah, Hafertepe owns the track’s 360 Sprint Car track record and has two second-place finishes with ASCS. 

Hot Pursuit – As the sole championship chaser that has visited Victory Lane in the year, Matt Covington will visit two tracks that have treated him well in recent outings. 

In two career starts at Benton, Covington’s highest finish is an eighth-place result from 2024. Across four Paducah appearances, the Glenpool, OK racer holds two ASCS National victories at the track in 2018 and 2025. He sits at a 1.75 average start and has never started outside of the top three. 

With a 66-point gap separating Covington from Hafertepe for the Series lead, he has an opportunity to shorten the distance between the two days of racing with his second win of the season. 

Who’s Next? – Amongst the field of title chasers in ASCS, five drivers are hoping to cross their first Feature win off the list in 2026. 

The highest driver in the standings without a victory is Kyler Johnson, who has finished top-10 in the last six Features, including a top-five and second-place result at Central Arizona Raceway. 

Behind Johnson, the Series regulars that are seeking a first-career win at Benton or Paducah include Ryder Laplante, Brogan Carder, Austyn Gossel, and Cole Schroeder. Gossel owns the highest finishes among the group, with a fifth-place at Benton and a runner-up at Paducah – both of which came in 2025. 

Steady Gains – Seth Bergman began the 2026 season without scoring a top-10 finish at Volusia Speedway Park. Since then, he’s managed to finish in the top-10 six consecutive times, along with his first podium of the year at Salina Highbanks Speedway. 

The 2024 champion’s climb up the Series standings in the last six Features has him placed in fourth, three points away from third-place Kyler Johnson and 102 points behind Hafertepe. 

Though the Snohomish, WA driver has never claimed victory at Benton and Paducah, they have each played a hand in his success with the Series. In his only start at Benton in 2024, he finished in seventh place. In three appearances at Paducah, Bergman earned two top fives and a career-high of third in 2024. 

Mighty 3/8 Miles – Benton and Paducah have each provided a share of ASCS history, and the May swing will add another chapter for the Series in entering the first racing weekend of May. 

Benton made its debut in 1995 with all-time Series winner Gary Wright taking victory. The next year, Terry Gray and Jerrod Hull were triumphant in two races in June and July, respectively. In the return to the “Show Me State” track in 2024, Missouri native Joe B. Miller claimed his second career Series win, then Sam Hafertepe Jr took the most recent Feature win in 2025 at the facility. 

Paducah made its first appearance with the Series in 2018 as Matt Covington captured his sixth career Series win. When the “Blue Grass State” 3/8-mile returned to the schedule in 2024, Sand Springs, OK’s Hank Davis scored his most recent ASCS triumph. Two separate visits to Paducah in 2025 saw Covington return to Victory Lane in May, and Jason Martin bagging the September showcase. 

THIS WEEKEND AT A GLANCE 

WHEN AND WHERE 

May 8 at Benton Speedway in Benton, MO 

May 9 at Paducah International Raceway in Paducah, KY 

AROUND THE CORNER 

Saturday, May 30 at Salt City Speedway in Hutchinson, KS 

CURRENT TOP-10 STANDINGS 

1. Sam Hafertepe Jr. (664pts) 
2. Matt Covington (-66)
3. Kyler Johnson (-99)
4. Seth Bergman (-102)
5. Whit Gastineau (-152)
6. Ryder Laplante(-186) 
7. Brogan Carder (-229)
8. Terry Easum (-231)
9. Hank Davis (-239)
10. Austyn Gossel (-239) 

FEATURE WINNERS (6 Drivers) 

2 wins – Justin Peck, Tyler Courtney 

1 win – Chris Martin, Brady Bacon, Levi Hillier, Matt Covington 

FEATURE LAPS LED (12 Drivers) 

52 laps – Justin Peck 

30 laps – Levi Hillier 

22 laps – Chris Martin 

21 laps – Austin McCarl 

18 laps – Brady Bacon, Matt Covington 

16 laps – Cameron Martin 

13 laps – Brian Brown 

10 laps – Kyler Johnson 

7 laps – Cole Macedo 

6 laps – Tyler Courtney 

3 laps – Sean McClelland 

QUICK TIME AWARDS (4 Drivers) 

4 awards – Sam Hafertepe Jr 

1 award – Chris Martin, Levi Hillier, Kyler Johnson 

HEAT RACE WINNERS (22 Drivers) 

3 wins – Matt Covington 

2 wins – Whit Gastineau, Chris Martin, Sam Hafertepe Jr, Justin Peck 

1 win – Sean McClelland, Garrett Benson, Cam Martin, Brady Bacon, Tyler Clem, Emerson Axsom, Brian Brown, Cole Macedo, Garen Linder, Colby Copeland, Nick Parker, Hank Davis, Ryder Laplante, JJ Hickle, Seth Bergman, Kyler Johnson, Alex Hill 

DASH STARTS (26 Drivers) 

6 starts – Sam Hafertepe Jr 

5 starts – Kyler Johnson 

4 starts – Whit Gastineau, Levi Hillier, Matt Covington 

3 starts – Chris Martin, Tyler Courtney, Brian Brown, Justin Peck 

2 starts – Camerson Martin, Emerson Axsom, Austin McCarl, Brady Bacon, Davie Franek 

1 start – Garrett Benson, Brock Zearfoss, Cole Macedo, Tyler Clem, Hank Davis, Ryder Laplante, Nick Parker, Colby Copeland, Garen Linder, JJ Hickle, Seth Bergman, Alex Hill 

SMITH TITANIUM LAST CHANCE SHOWDOWN WINNERS (6 Drivers) 

2 wins – Braxton Weger 

1 win – DJ Christie, Matt Covington, Tyler Clem, Whit Gastineau, Sterling Cling 

HARD CHARGER AWARDS (8 Drivers) 

1 award – Seth Bergman, Ryder Laplante, Brady Bacon, Cole Macedo, Sam Hafertepe Jr., DJ Netto, Whit Gastineau, Brogan Carder 

PODIUM FINISHES (14 Drivers) 

4 podiums – Sam Hafertepe Jr. 

3 podiums – Justin Peck 

2 podiums – Tyler Courtney, Brady Bacon, Austin McCarl, Matt Covington, Levi Hillier 

1 podium – Chris Martin, Seth Bergman, Cole Macedo, Emerson Axsom, Brock Zearfoss, Kyler Johnson, JJ Hickle  

2026 AMERICAN SPRINT CAR SERIES SCHEDULE + WINNERS 

Date / Track / City, State / Winner (Total Wins) 

TOP FIVE STORYLINES: Midwest Doubleheader Brings 360 Stars to Benton, Paducah  BENTON, MO (May 5, 2026) — The American Sprint Car Series is set to open the May slate with a return to the Midwest. 

The country’s top 360 Sprint Car drivers begin the two-day trek with a stop at Missouri’s Benton Speedway on Friday, May 8. Then, the Series crosses the Kentucky state line to visit Paducah International Raceway for the Mother’s Day Salute on Saturday, May 9. Both Feature races will offer a $4,000 winner’s share. 

While the two tracks share the same 3/8-mile length, each brings different characteristics: Benton is a low-banked, gumbo-dirt facility, while Paducah is a high-banked clay racetrack. Both key to the hunt for the Emmett Hahn Championship Trophy. 

BENTON INFO 

PADUCAH INFO 

WATCH ON DIRTVISION 

Here’s what to look for this weekend: 

Sam Staying Up – Sam Hafertepe Jr. may be looking for his first win of the 2026 season, but he hasn’t lost his way of staying at the top of the Series points standings. 

With eight races complete in the ASCS campaign, the Sunnyvale, TX native holds the points lead by 66 markers over Matt Covington as he continues to chase a seventh Series championship. 

Hafertepe has a history of feats between the two tracks. He won the 2025 Series event at Benton on the way to clinching the year-end championship. Though he’s never won at Paducah, Hafertepe owns the track’s 360 Sprint Car track record and has two second-place finishes with ASCS. 

Hot Pursuit – As the sole championship chaser that has visited Victory Lane in the year, Matt Covington will visit two tracks that have treated him well in recent outings. 

In two career starts at Benton, Covington’s highest finish is an eighth-place result from 2024. Across four Paducah appearances, the Glenpool, OK racer holds two ASCS National victories at the track in 2018 and 2025. He sits at a 1.75 average start and has never started outside of the top three. 

With a 66-point gap separating Covington from Hafertepe for the Series lead, he has an opportunity to shorten the distance between the two days of racing with his second win of the season. 

Who’s Next? – Amongst the field of title chasers in ASCS, five drivers are hoping to cross their first Feature win off the list in 2026. 

The highest driver in the standings without a victory is Kyler Johnson, who has finished top-10 in the last six Features, including a top-five and second-place result at Central Arizona Raceway. 

Behind Johnson, the Series regulars that are seeking a first-career win at Benton or Paducah include Ryder Laplante, Brogan Carder, Austyn Gossel, and Cole Schroeder. Gossel owns the highest finishes among the group, with a fifth-place at Benton and a runner-up at Paducah – both of which came in 2025. 

Steady Gains – Seth Bergman began the 2026 season without scoring a top-10 finish at Volusia Speedway Park. Since then, he’s managed to finish in the top-10 six consecutive times, along with his first podium of the year at Salina Highbanks Speedway. 

The 2024 champion’s climb up the Series standings in the last six Features has him placed in fourth, three points away from third-place Kyler Johnson and 102 points behind Hafertepe. 

Though the Snohomish, WA driver has never claimed victory at Benton and Paducah, they have each played a hand in his success with the Series. In his only start at Benton in 2024, he finished in seventh place. In three appearances at Paducah, Bergman earned two top fives and a career-high of third in 2024. 

Mighty 3/8 Miles – Benton and Paducah have each provided a share of ASCS history, and the May swing will add another chapter for the Series in entering the first racing weekend of May. 

Benton made its debut in 1995 with all-time Series winner Gary Wright taking victory. The next year, Terry Gray and Jerrod Hull were triumphant in two races in June and July, respectively. In the return to the “Show Me State” track in 2024, Missouri native Joe B. Miller claimed his second career Series win, then Sam Hafertepe Jr took the most recent Feature win in 2025 at the facility. 

Paducah made its first appearance with the Series in 2018 as Matt Covington captured his sixth career Series win. When the “Blue Grass State” 3/8-mile returned to the schedule in 2024, Sand Springs, OK’s Hank Davis scored his most recent ASCS triumph. Two separate visits to Paducah in 2025 saw Covington return to Victory Lane in May, and Jason Martin bagging the September showcase. 

THIS WEEKEND AT A GLANCE 

WHEN AND WHERE 

May 8 at Benton Speedway in Benton, MO 

May 9 at Paducah International Raceway in Paducah, KY 

AROUND THE CORNER 

Saturday, May 30 at Salt City Speedway in Hutchinson, KS 

CURRENT TOP-10 STANDINGS 

1. Sam Hafertepe Jr. (664pts) 
2. Matt Covington (-66)
3. Kyler Johnson (-99)
4. Seth Bergman (-102)
5. Whit Gastineau (-152)
6. Ryder Laplante(-186) 
7. Brogan Carder (-229)
8. Terry Easum (-231)
9. Hank Davis (-239)
10. Austyn Gossel (-239) 

FEATURE WINNERS (6 Drivers) 

2 wins – Justin Peck, Tyler Courtney 

1 win – Chris Martin, Brady Bacon, Levi Hillier, Matt Covington 

FEATURE LAPS LED (12 Drivers) 

52 laps – Justin Peck 

30 laps – Levi Hillier 

22 laps – Chris Martin 

21 laps – Austin McCarl 

18 laps – Brady Bacon, Matt Covington 

16 laps – Cameron Martin 

13 laps – Brian Brown 

10 laps – Kyler Johnson 

7 laps – Cole Macedo 

6 laps – Tyler Courtney 

3 laps – Sean McClelland 

QUICK TIME AWARDS (4 Drivers) 

4 awards – Sam Hafertepe Jr 

1 award – Chris Martin, Levi Hillier, Kyler Johnson 

HEAT RACE WINNERS (22 Drivers) 

3 wins – Matt Covington 

2 wins – Whit Gastineau, Chris Martin, Sam Hafertepe Jr, Justin Peck 

1 win – Sean McClelland, Garrett Benson, Cam Martin, Brady Bacon, Tyler Clem, Emerson Axsom, Brian Brown, Cole Macedo, Garen Linder, Colby Copeland, Nick Parker, Hank Davis, Ryder Laplante, JJ Hickle, Seth Bergman, Kyler Johnson, Alex Hill 

DASH STARTS (26 Drivers) 

6 starts – Sam Hafertepe Jr 

5 starts – Kyler Johnson 

4 starts – Whit Gastineau, Levi Hillier, Matt Covington 

3 starts – Chris Martin, Tyler Courtney, Brian Brown, Justin Peck 

2 starts – Camerson Martin, Emerson Axsom, Austin McCarl, Brady Bacon, Davie Franek 

1 start – Garrett Benson, Brock Zearfoss, Cole Macedo, Tyler Clem, Hank Davis, Ryder Laplante, Nick Parker, Colby Copeland, Garen Linder, JJ Hickle, Seth Bergman, Alex Hill 

SMITH TITANIUM LAST CHANCE SHOWDOWN WINNERS (6 Drivers) 

2 wins – Braxton Weger 

1 win – DJ Christie, Matt Covington, Tyler Clem, Whit Gastineau, Sterling Cling 

HARD CHARGER AWARDS (8 Drivers) 

1 award – Seth Bergman, Ryder Laplante, Brady Bacon, Cole Macedo, Sam Hafertepe Jr., DJ Netto, Whit Gastineau, Brogan Carder 

PODIUM FINISHES (14 Drivers) 

4 podiums – Sam Hafertepe Jr. 

3 podiums – Justin Peck 

2 podiums – Tyler Courtney, Brady Bacon, Austin McCarl, Matt Covington, Levi Hillier 

1 podium – Chris Martin, Seth Bergman, Cole Macedo, Emerson Axsom, Brock Zearfoss, Kyler Johnson, JJ Hickle  

2026 AMERICAN SPRINT CAR SERIES SCHEDULE + WINNERS 

Date / Track / City, State / Winner (Total Wins) 

1. Thu, Jan. 29 / Volusia Speedway Park /Barberville, FL / Tyler Courtney
2. Fri, Jan. 30 / Volusia Speedway Park /Barberville, FL / Tyler Courtney (2)
3. Mon, Feb. 2 / Volusia Speedway Park /Barberville, FL / Brady Bacon
4. Sat, Feb. 21 / Central Arizona Raceway / Casa Grande, AZ / Justin Peck
5. Sun, Feb. 21 / Central Arizona Raceway / Casa Grande, AZ / Matt Covington
6. Sat, Feb. 28 / Central Arizona Raceway / Casa Grande, AZ / Justin Peck (2)
7. Sun, Mar. 1 / Central Arizona Raceway / Casa Grande, AZ / Levi Hillier
8.  Sat, Apr. 11 / Salina Highbanks Speedway / Salina, OK / Chris Martin 

No. 33 Corvette aims to continue Imola momentum while No. 34 hopes to rebound DETROIT (May 4, 2026) – TF Sport and the Chevrolet Corvette Z06 GT3.R effort are ready for a key, early-season weekend in the FIA World Endurance Championship. Although it’s only the second round of his year’s FIA WEC, the Six Hours of Spa-Francorchamps is doubly important and an event on which both TF Sport and Corvette Racing have placed a large amount of focus.

Firstly, the Six Hours of Spa is one of the biggest endurance races of the year on one of the world’s most famous tracks. Corvette Racing entries have been present at the track since 2021 not just in the World Endurance Championship but also the Spa 24 Hours, European Le Mans Series and International GT Open.

Corvette Racing Media Resources Documents | Statistics | Photos | Factory Driver Bios | Chevrolet Newsroom

Second, the Spa round is the last race for TF Sport with its Corvettes before the 24 Hours of Le Mans in June. TF Sport finished on the LMGT3 podium in France a year ago, and Corvette Racing has nine class victories since 2001. But onto the present. TF Sport’s No. 33 Corvette of Nicky Catsburg, Jonny Edgar and Blake McDonald arrive at Spa with solid momentum following a runner-up class finish in the season-opening Six Hours of Imola. The trio drove from 14th at the start to the race lead and eventual podium position in their first race together. Both Catsburg and Edgar previously raced Corvettes at Spa in WEC competition; Catsburg was second in GTE Am in the 2023 season while Edgar drove the Z06 GT3.R last year in the Six Hours and placed seventh. McDonald will race in the Spa Six Hours for the first time in his second career WEC start. The No. 34 Corvette trio of Charlie Eastwood, Salih Yoluc and Peter Dempsey – driving under the Racing Team Turkey by TF banner – are hoping to rebound from a hard-luck early retirement at Imola. Like their teammates, the No. 34 trio drove their way toward the front of LMGT3 from 10th on the grid and were in podium position before an electrical issue sidelined their challenge. Eastwood has four podium finishes to his credit in the Six Hours – three of which were with Yoluc as his teammate in GTE Am during the 2018, 2019 and 2020 seasons. Eastwood also was third in 2023 after a thrilling late-race battle with Catsburg. Also of note, Eastwood and McDonald are coming off a runner-up finish in their TF Sport Corvette at last weekend’s European Le Mans Series Paul Ricard round.  The 2026 season is the fifth for Corvette Racing in the WEC. In that span, Corvettes have captured six victories plus the 2023 GTE Am championships. Two of those victories came via TF Sport in 2025 – one for each of its two entries – with the team looking for new heights in its third season as a Corvette Z06 GT3.R team. The Six Hours of Spa and second round of the FIA World Endurance Championship is set for 8 a.m. ET / 2 p.m. CET on Saturday, May 9. Live streaming coverage 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.

CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R PRE-EVENT DRIVER QUOTES

NICKY CATSBURG, NO. 33 CHEVROLET CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R: “Imola was really good, obviously. It is mega important that we started off the season with that good result. OK we will have to carry some extra weight for Spa, but it’s not disastrous so I feel we will have another opportunity to score well. Of course it’s a more representative track than Imola in relation to Le Mans. We will use all our time to prepare of course for Le Mans but Spa is equally as important; we need to score points. I feel now that when you have a good start of the season like that, it’s perfect to focus again on having a good result at the next race.””Blake has been great to work with. First of all, he’s a very cool guy to hang out with and he’s also a very fast driver. He hasn’t driven for long yet and to see what he can do already is impressive. It’s cool that he got this last-minute opportunity to jump in and did so well. Of course we’re waiting for Ben to come back. It’s cool to race with Blake but we were supposed to start the season with Ben. He’s done great so far. It’s been really cool.””I remember fighting with Charlie in 2023. We actually made some contact late! That was super cool. In 2023 we had loads of great fights at the end of races, and one of those was with Charlie, and now he’s in the sister car. He’s fast and he’s also a nice guy to work with. It’s better to have him in the sister car and have less chances to hit each other!”

BLAKE McDONALD, NO. 33 CHEVROLET CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R: “I’m excited to get back to Spa. It’s one of the best tracks in the world and one of my personal favorites. It has everything you want as a driver… high speeds and fast corners along with some big brake zones. It’s great to do this coming off our runner-up finish in ELMS at Paul Ricard, which has some of the features that we’ll see this weekend. My two races so far this year with TF Sport and the Corvette have been awesome experiences. I’m hoping I can make it three in a row and keep our momentum in WEC from Imola going.”

CHARLIE EASTWOOD, NO. 34 CHEVROLET CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R: “I love racing at Spa and it helps that I’ve had a lot of success there. I haven’t won there yet in the WEC but I’m confident that we can challenge for that this week. Our Corvette was strong at Imola and I think we could have been in the mix had we not had to retire there. As a team, we have good momentum not just from there but also with our ELMS finish last weekend. The team is operating at a high level, which is really important for not just Spa but also looking ahead to Le Mans.”

IN HIS OWN WORDS: TOM FERRIER, TF SPORT TEAM OWNER As a whole, were you pleased with the entirety of the Imola event? How is the mood in the team coming out of that and into Spa?“As a whole, yes. However the race was bittersweet as the pace of the Corvette Z06 GT3.R was really strong, and without a technical issue I think we could have had the 34 car finish third or fourth. I also believe we had the speed to win the race with the 33. But that’s motorsport. Overall it was positive. The team operated well and we had a strong showing through the week.”

Do you place additional importance on this race given it is the last one before Le Mans and some of the track characteristics are similar?“Yes. Having Qatar moved means we only have two races in the season pre-Le Mans, so we have a lot of work to do on the team side in the background. Spa is a good circuit to race ahead of Le Mans, as you mention, because of the track nature. But we have to remember that it is the same for everyone. Our aim is to get both cars to have a strong finish and have a clean race from the team side. We had a strong test there back in March before it snowed! Let’s hope that carries forward… except the weather!” There are a few new faces both in the driver lineup and within the team. From your perspective of team owner and manager, are there benefits to having fresh faces come in on this level of program? “From the team side we are a pretty similar group. There are a few youngsters this year to keep the old ones on their toes, but the core is very similar. In terms of drivers it’s a mixture, but one I’m very happy with. I mentioned earlier that I believe we had the lineups to get both cars into the top-four, and on the WEC grid that is no mean feat. On the 33, it’s great to have Nicky on board as he brings a lot of experience. Jonny was mega at Imola and did what we know he can do. Blake did a great job in the race and I’m sure we will see more of him at Spa now he’s found his feet. On the 34, Peter surpassed all expectations, Salih did a great job in the opening two stints, and it was just a shame not to see Charlie close the race out fighting for a podium. Fingers crossed for a sunny dry Spa where we can make the most of it!”

CORVETTE RACING AT SPA: Setting the Table for Le MansNo. 33 Corvette aims to continue Imola momentum while No. 34 hopes to rebound DETROIT (May 4, 2026) – TF Sport and the Chevrolet Corvette Z06 GT3.R effort are ready for a key, early-season weekend in the FIA World Endurance Championship. Although it’s only the second round of his year’s FIA WEC, the Six Hours of Spa-Francorchamps is doubly important and an event on which both TF Sport and Corvette Racing have placed a large amount of focus.

Firstly, the Six Hours of Spa is one of the biggest endurance races of the year on one of the world’s most famous tracks. Corvette Racing entries have been present at the track since 2021 not just in the World Endurance Championship but also the Spa 24 Hours, European Le Mans Series and International GT Open.

Corvette Racing Media Resources Documents | Statistics | Photos | Factory Driver Bios | Chevrolet Newsroom

Second, the Spa round is the last race for TF Sport with its Corvettes before the 24 Hours of Le Mans in June. TF Sport finished on the LMGT3 podium in France a year ago, and Corvette Racing has nine class victories since 2001. But onto the present. TF Sport’s No. 33 Corvette of Nicky Catsburg, Jonny Edgar and Blake McDonald arrive at Spa with solid momentum following a runner-up class finish in the season-opening Six Hours of Imola. The trio drove from 14th at the start to the race lead and eventual podium position in their first race together. Both Catsburg and Edgar previously raced Corvettes at Spa in WEC competition; Catsburg was second in GTE Am in the 2023 season while Edgar drove the Z06 GT3.R last year in the Six Hours and placed seventh. McDonald will race in the Spa Six Hours for the first time in his second career WEC start. The No. 34 Corvette trio of Charlie Eastwood, Salih Yoluc and Peter Dempsey – driving under the Racing Team Turkey by TF banner – are hoping to rebound from a hard-luck early retirement at Imola. Like their teammates, the No. 34 trio drove their way toward the front of LMGT3 from 10th on the grid and were in podium position before an electrical issue sidelined their challenge. Eastwood has four podium finishes to his credit in the Six Hours – three of which were with Yoluc as his teammate in GTE Am during the 2018, 2019 and 2020 seasons. Eastwood also was third in 2023 after a thrilling late-race battle with Catsburg. Also of note, Eastwood and McDonald are coming off a runner-up finish in their TF Sport Corvette at last weekend’s European Le Mans Series Paul Ricard round.  The 2026 season is the fifth for Corvette Racing in the WEC. In that span, Corvettes have captured six victories plus the 2023 GTE Am championships. Two of those victories came via TF Sport in 2025 – one for each of its two entries – with the team looking for new heights in its third season as a Corvette Z06 GT3.R team. The Six Hours of Spa and second round of the FIA World Endurance Championship is set for 8 a.m. ET / 2 p.m. CET on Saturday, May 9. Live streaming coverage 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.

CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R PRE-EVENT DRIVER QUOTES

NICKY CATSBURG, NO. 33 CHEVROLET CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R: “Imola was really good, obviously. It is mega important that we started off the season with that good result. OK we will have to carry some extra weight for Spa, but it’s not disastrous so I feel we will have another opportunity to score well. Of course it’s a more representative track than Imola in relation to Le Mans. We will use all our time to prepare of course for Le Mans but Spa is equally as important; we need to score points. I feel now that when you have a good start of the season like that, it’s perfect to focus again on having a good result at the next race.””Blake has been great to work with. First of all, he’s a very cool guy to hang out with and he’s also a very fast driver. He hasn’t driven for long yet and to see what he can do already is impressive. It’s cool that he got this last-minute opportunity to jump in and did so well. Of course we’re waiting for Ben to come back. It’s cool to race with Blake but we were supposed to start the season with Ben. He’s done great so far. It’s been really cool.””I remember fighting with Charlie in 2023. We actually made some contact late! That was super cool. In 2023 we had loads of great fights at the end of races, and one of those was with Charlie, and now he’s in the sister car. He’s fast and he’s also a nice guy to work with. It’s better to have him in the sister car and have less chances to hit each other!”

BLAKE McDONALD, NO. 33 CHEVROLET CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R: “I’m excited to get back to Spa. It’s one of the best tracks in the world and one of my personal favorites. It has everything you want as a driver… high speeds and fast corners along with some big brake zones. It’s great to do this coming off our runner-up finish in ELMS at Paul Ricard, which has some of the features that we’ll see this weekend. My two races so far this year with TF Sport and the Corvette have been awesome experiences. I’m hoping I can make it three in a row and keep our momentum in WEC from Imola going.”

CHARLIE EASTWOOD, NO. 34 CHEVROLET CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R: “I love racing at Spa and it helps that I’ve had a lot of success there. I haven’t won there yet in the WEC but I’m confident that we can challenge for that this week. Our Corvette was strong at Imola and I think we could have been in the mix had we not had to retire there. As a team, we have good momentum not just from there but also with our ELMS finish last weekend. The team is operating at a high level, which is really important for not just Spa but also looking ahead to Le Mans.”

IN HIS OWN WORDS: TOM FERRIER, TF SPORT TEAM OWNER As a whole, were you pleased with the entirety of the Imola event? How is the mood in the team coming out of that and into Spa?“As a whole, yes. However the race was bittersweet as the pace of the Corvette Z06 GT3.R was really strong, and without a technical issue I think we could have had the 34 car finish third or fourth. I also believe we had the speed to win the race with the 33. But that’s motorsport. Overall it was positive. The team operated well and we had a strong showing through the week.”

Do you place additional importance on this race given it is the last one before Le Mans and some of the track characteristics are similar?“Yes. Having Qatar moved means we only have two races in the season pre-Le Mans, so we have a lot of work to do on the team side in the background. Spa is a good circuit to race ahead of Le Mans, as you mention, because of the track nature. But we have to remember that it is the same for everyone. Our aim is to get both cars to have a strong finish and have a clean race from the team side. We had a strong test there back in March before it snowed! Let’s hope that carries forward… except the weather!” There are a few new faces both in the driver lineup and within the team. From your perspective of team owner and manager, are there benefits to having fresh faces come in on this level of program? “From the team side we are a pretty similar group. There are a few youngsters this year to keep the old ones on their toes, but the core is very similar. In terms of drivers it’s a mixture, but one I’m very happy with. I mentioned earlier that I believe we had the lineups to get both cars into the top-four, and on the WEC grid that is no mean feat. On the 33, it’s great to have Nicky on board as he brings a lot of experience. Jonny was mega at Imola and did what we know he can do. Blake did a great job in the race and I’m sure we will see more of him at Spa now he’s found his feet. On the 34, Peter surpassed all expectations, Salih did a great job in the opening two stints, and it was just a shame not to see Charlie close the race out fighting for a podium. Fingers crossed for a sunny dry Spa where we can make the most of it!”

2026 FIA World Endurance Championship PointsLMGT3 Drivers Standings1. Anthony McIntosh/Dan Harper/Parker Thompson – 252. Blake McDonald/Jonny Edgar/Nicky Catsburg – 183. Riccardo Pera/Richard Lietz/Yasser Shahin – 154. Ayhancan Guven/James Cottingham/Timur Boguslavskiy – 125. Augusto Farfus/Darren Leung/Sean Gelael – 1016. Charlie Eastwood/Peter Dempsey/Salih Yoluc – 0 LMGT3 Teams Standings1. No. 69 Team WRT – 252. No. 33 TF Sport – 183. No. 92 The Ben Manthey – 154. No. 91 Manthey DK Engineering – 125. No 32 Team WRT – 1016. No. 34 Racing Team Turkey by TF – 0 CORVETTE RACING BY THE NUMBERS: Spa-Francorchamps• 1: As in one manufacturer and one model of car for the 28th consecutive year in sports car racing: Chevrolet and the Corvette• 4: Previous starts for Corvette Racing-affiliated entries at Spa-Francorchamps. The program’s best finish was runner-up in 2023 GTE Am (Catsburg/Varrone/Keating)• 6: Podium finishes in eight years for TF Sport in the Six Hours of Spa• 7: Previous starts for Corvette Racing-affiliated entries at Spa-Francorchamps in WEC. The program’s best finish was runner-up in 2023 GTE Am (Catsburg/Varrone/Keating)• 15: Drivers who competed in Corvette Racing entries at Spa in 2025 (WEC, ELMS, Spa 24 Hours, International GT Open• 15: Manufacturer Championships for Chevrolet and Corvette Racing since 2001• 17: Wins in 2025 for the Corvette Z06 GT3.R across six different series. Three came via TF Sport across the FIA WEC and ELMS• 33: Tracks at which Corvette Racing has won races – Baltimore, Charlotte Motor Speedway, COTA, Canadian Tire Motorsport Park/Mosport, Chang International Circuit (Thailand), Daytona, Detroit, Fuji, Houston, Imola, Indianapolis, Laguna Seca, Le Mans, Lime Rock, Long Beach, Lusail International Circuit (Qatar), Sepang International Circuit (Malaysia), Miami, Mid-Ohio, Monza, Portimão, Portland, Road America, Road Atlanta, Sebring, Sonoma, St. Petersburg, Texas, Trois Rivieres, Utah, VIR, Washington DC and Watkins Glen• 40: Number of drivers to win races in Corvette Racing entries since 1999. The latest to join the list was Tom Van Rompuy at Fuji in September for TF Sport• 73: Years since Corvette was introduced to the world on Jan. 17, 1953 in New York City. A total of 300 cars were produced that year• 84: Number of drivers in Corvette Racing entries since 1999. TF Sport’s Peter Dempsey joined the list at Imola in the WEC season-opener• 154: Victories worldwide for Corvette Racing starting the 2026 season – 118 in IMSA, nine at Le Mans, five in the FIA WEC, 13 in GT World Challenge America, three in GT World Challenge Asia and GT America and two in the European Le Mans Series• 372: Event starts by Corvette Racing since 1999• 10,910.30: Number of racing miles completed by Corvette Racing entries in each of its eight appearances at Spa-Francorchamps across four championships• 489,816.51: Total number of racing miles completed by Corvette Racing since its inception. The program should surpass the half-million mile mark midway through this season Corvette Racing at Spa-Francorchamps2021 – No. 63 Corvette C8.R: Antonio Garcia/Oliver Gavin – 4th in GTE Pro 2022 – No. 64 Corvette C8.R: Tommy Milner/Nick Tandy – 4th in GTE Pro 2023 – No. 33 Corvette C8.R: Nicky Catsburg/Ben Keating/Nico Varrone – 2nd in GTE Am  2024 – No. 81 Corvette Z06 GT3.R: Charlie Eastwood/Rui Andrade/Tom Van Rompuy – 7th in LMGT3 (WEC)No. 82 Corvette Z06 GT3.R: Dani Juncadella/Sebastien Baud/Hiroshi Koizumi – 8th in LMGT3 (WEC) 2025 – No. 33 Corvette Z06 GT3.R: Dani Juncadella/Jonny Edgar/Ben Keating – 7th in LMGT3 (WEC)No. 81 Corvette Z06 GT3.R: Charlie Eastwood/Rui Andrade/Tom Van Rompuy – 6th in LMGT3 (WEC) 2025 – No. 99 Corvette Z06 GT3.R: Prince Jefri Ibrahim/Prince Abu Bakar Ibrahim – 12th in Pro-Am (GT Open) 2025 – No. 2 Corvette Z06 GT3.R: Alexander Sims/Jordan Love/Prince Jefri Ibrahim/Prince Abu Bakar Ibrahim – 12th in Bronze (Spa 24 Hours)No. 24 Corvette Z06 GT3.R: Matisse Lismont/Lorcan Hanafin/Daniel Ali/Olivier Hart – 8th in Silver (Spa 24 Hours) 2025 – No. 82 Corvette Z06 GT3.R: Charlie Eastwood/Rui Andrade/Hiroshi Koizumi – 8th in LMGT3 (ELMS)

Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series Set for Illinois Showdown at Farmer City and Fairbury

BATAVIA, Ohio (May 5, 2026) – The Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series presented by FloRacing is set to bring its signature brand of high-powered dirt racing to the Midwest with a highly anticipated Illinois Speedweek doubleheader at Farmer City Raceway and Fairbury Speedway on May 8–9, 2026. The two-night swing will showcase the nation’s top dirt late model drivers as they battle on two of Illinois’ most iconic bullrings, delivering back-to-back nights of intense competition and marquee racing action. The excitement begins earlier in the week with the FloRacing Night in America, featuring a multi-race swing across the state. The series opens at LaSalle Speedway, followed by Spoon River Speedway and Lincoln Speedway, bringing the nation’s top dirt late model teams together for a high-intensity lead-in to the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series weekend. Following a week of fierce competition, the focus shifts to Friday, May 8, at Farmer City Raceway for the annual Farmer City 74, which will pay $25,000 to the winner. The quarter-mile oval is known for its tight racing surface and dramatic side-by-side action, providing fans with an up-close look at the raw power and precision of 800-horsepower dirt late models. Farmer City Raceway is located at 850 Grove Street in Farmer City, Illinois, just off I-74 at Exit 159. Pit gates will open at 4:00 PM, with general admission gates opening at 5:00 PM., and on-track activity beginning with hot laps at 6:30 PM and racing to follow. More information can be found at FarmerCityRacing.com. The action continues Saturday, May 9, at Fairbury Speedway with the FALS Spring Shootout, where drivers will compete for a $30,000 top prize in one of the richest early-season events in the region. Fairbury, often referred to as “America’s Dirt Track,” is renowned for its thrilling racing and electric atmosphere, making it a fan-favorite stop on the national tour. Fairbury Speedway, located at 600 South 3rd Street in Fairbury, Illinois. All gates will open at 12:00 PM (noon), with hot laps scheduled for 6:00 PM and racing to follow. Additional event details are available at FairburySpeedway.com. Together, the FloRacing Night in America events and the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series finale weekend make Illinois Speedweek one of the most anticipated stretches of the season, drawing elite talent and passionate fans from across the country. As the series heads into Illinois Speedweek, the Big River Steel Championship standings presented by ARP show a tight battle at the top. Hudson O’Neal leads the standings, holding a narrow 30-point advantage over Devin Moran, who sits second. Ricky Thornton Jr. is third, followed closely by Brandon Sheppard and Max Blair to round out the top five. Former winners and contenders including Brandon Overton, Garrett Alberson, and Kyle Bronson remain within striking distance inside the top 10, while Illinois native Brian Shirley currently sits ninth heading into his home-state swing. With multiple drivers separated by slim margins, the upcoming events could prove pivotal in shaping the championship race. For the latest news, results, and championship standings from the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series presented by FloRacing, please visit LucasDirt.com. Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series Purses:Farmer City Raceway: 1. $25,000, 2. $10,000, 3. $6,000, 4. $4,000, 5. $3,500, 6. $2,700, 7. $2,500, 8. $2,300, 9. $2,200, 10. $2,100, 11. $2,000, 12. $1,900, 13. $1,800, 14. $1,700, 15. $1,600, 16. $1,500, 17. $1,500, 18. $1,500, 19. $1,500, 20. $1,500, 21. $1,500, 22. $1,500, 23. $1,500, 24. $1,500. = $82,800 Fairbury Speedway: 1. $30,000, 2. $15,000, 3. $7,000, 4. $5,500, 5. $4,500, 6. $3,500, 7. $3,000, 8. $2,500, 9. $2,400, 10. $2,300, 11. $2,200, 12. $2,100, 13. $2,000, 14. $1,900, 15. $1,800, 16. $1,750, 17. $1,700, 18. $1,650, 19. $1,600, 20. $1,550, 21. $1,550, 22. $1,500, 23. $1,500, 24. $1,500 = $100,000 Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series Tire Rule:Left Rear/Fronts – Hoosier (90) NLMT2, (90) NLMT3Right Rear – Hoosier (92) NRM NLMT3, (92) NRM NLMT4

ABBOTTSTOWN, PA (May 4, 2026) – The next chapter of Sprint Car racing’s fiercest rivalry is ready to be written.

On one side, you’ve got the World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Series. The tour is home to the nation’s top traveling talent that ventures coast to coast hitting dirt tracks all over through the year. They’re the best of the best and have been since Ted Johnson cultivated the idea to bring them all together in 1978.

On the other side, you’ve got the Pennsylvania Posse. The “Keystone State” has long been home to the sport’s toughest weekly competition. As a result, the locals take great pride in defending the porch when the World of Outlaws come to town.

It all starts on Tuesday, May 5 at Abbottstown, PA’s Lincoln Speedway when the Gettysburg Clash brings the opening battle. The track nestled in the scenic Pigeon Hills will welcome the tour for the 57th time.

Then it’s over to Mechanicsburg, PA’s Williams Grove Speedway on Friday-Saturday, May 8-9 for the HVAC Distributors Morgan Cup. The two-night event puts $15,000 up for grabs in the finale and possession of the coveted Cup and the bragging rights that come with it.

In addition to the racing, fans can attend the Hershey Sprint Car Experience at Hersheypark Stadium on Thursday, May 7. The event is open to the public from 5-7pm ET and celebrates the region’s rich racing history while allowing fans to meet their favorite drivers from both the World of Outlaws and PA Posse.

The stage is set. It’s time to renew the rivalry.

BUY LINCOLN TICKETS HERE
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WATCH LIVE ON DIRTVision

Let’s check out the top stories to watch in Pennsylvania:

THE POSSE PREVAILED

The locals own bragging rights entering this week.

The two sides faced off six times in 2025, and the Posse claimed four. Anthony Macri was largely responsible for the PA supremacy. It began with him winning the Morgan Cup. He followed that with a Bricker’s Bash triumph at BAPS Motor Speedway. Lastly, the Dillsburg, PA native won at Lincoln in October. The fourth score came courtesy of York, PA’s Chase Dietz, who bagged his first career World of Outlaws win in the National Open prelim.

While the Posse had the higher quantity, the World of Outlaws did snatch the state’s most prestigious race. Sheldon Haudenschild walked out of Williams Grove a National Open champion and $75,000 richer last October. The one other victory for the travelers was Michael “Buddy” Kofoid and Roth Motorsports topping Lincoln’s Gettysburg Clash.

This week serves up the first three of eight scheduled faceoffs between the World of Outlaws and PA Posse in 2026.

GREATNESS AT THE GROVE

There are two current World of Outlaws competitors who’ve won more at Williams Grove than anywhere else, and it happens to be the pair of champions.

Donny Schatz has broken the heart of Pennsylvanians at “The Grove” for decades. He first conquered the 1/2 mile in 2000 and his since topped 20 more. Among those are a record six National Open titles. His 21 World of Outlaws victories at Williams Grove rank second behind only Steve Kinser’s eye-popping 38. Schatz heads to Pennsylvania amid a consistent stretch with his CJB Motorsports team, posting top 10s in 10 of the last 11 races.

David Gravel’s nine Williams Grove checkered flags puts it atop the list of the 58 different tracks he’s won at. The defending champion has always had speed in Mechanicsburg, PA no matter the car he’s in. Those nine trophies are split up among Roth Motorsports, CJB Motorsports, Jason Johnson Racing, and his current home – Big Game Motorsports. A 10th win this weekend would make him the sixth to reach double digits.

OUTLAWS ON THE HUNT

Schatz and Gravel won’t be the only World of Outlaws competitors the Posse have to deal with if they want to protect the porch.

Carson Macedo boasts multiple wins at both tracks on the agenda. The Lemoore, CA native beat the All Star Circuit of Champions (ASCoC) at Lincoln in 2018 aboard Joe Gaerte’s No. 3G. Two years later, he won a local Lincoln show in Kyle Larson Racing’s No. 2. Williams Grove has welcomed Macedo to Victory Lane on four occasions. The last three have come since teaming with Jason Johnson Racing.

Sheldon Haudenschild is also a winner at both Lincoln and Willams Grove. His lone Lincoln score came in the 2020 Gettysburg Clash. The Wooster, OH native owns a pair of Williams Grove trophies including last year’s National Open title.

Buddy Kofoid is on the list of those who’ve come out on top at the pair of PA facilities ahead. He claimed Lincoln’s Weldon Sterner Memorial in 2022 before snagging last year’s Gettysburg Clash in the Roth Motorsports No. 83. The 2024 National Open prelim supplied his lone Williams Grove win.

A pair of current World of Outlaws drivers tamed Williams Grove without wings. Both Chris Windom and Emerson Axsom have USAC National Sprint Car victories at the 1/2 mile.

FOR SCRUFFY

Last fall, the sport was dealt a devastating blow when Bobby Allen passed away. But the Shark Racing team he constructed continues to embody “Scruffy’s” never give up approach that led him to becoming a legend of Sprint Car racing.

Logan Schuchart races on in his grandfather’s honor and would love to get a win in his home state for his “pappy.” The Hanover, PA native topped a pair of Lincoln races in 2013 during his days of racing locally. Over at Williams Grove, he’s won four times including the 2023 Morgan Cup.

Ashton Torgerson now pilots the blue No. 1A that Allen made famous. The Glendale, AZ driver has done nothing but impress since getting the opportunity last spring. His best Lincoln result is a runner-up last August. A pair of top 10s highlight his Williams Grove experience.

POSSE POWER

Pennsylvania is ready to send plenty of capable locals into battle with hopes of defending home turf.

It’s tough to begin any conversation about Posse favorites without first mentioning Lance Dewease. The Fayetteville, PA legend already topped Williams Grove’s opener in the Eichelberger No. 8, his 117th win at the paperclip-shaped track. Dewease owns 20 World of Outlaws victories in his career, and 17 have come at “The Grove.” He also beat The Greatest Show on Dirt at Lincoln in 2019.

The man who has cemented himself as one of the Posse’s current top forces is Chase Dietz. The York, PA driver has already won a nation-leading six times in 2026, four at Lincoln and two at BAPS. Dietz hasn’t finished outside the top two in his last seven starts aboard the Stehman Motorsports No. 23D.

Danny Dietrich is always one to watch in the “Keystone State.” He’s fifth on Lincoln’s all-time win list with 67 victories including a pair with the World of Outlaws (2012 & 2013). The Gettysburg, PA driver owns 34 Williams Grove wins, most notably the 2016 National Open.

Hanover, PA’s Troy Wagaman Jr. continues to assert himself among the best the Posse currently have to offer. Since late 2022, he’s won 15 times in Pennsylvania including six at Lincoln and five at Williams Grove.

Anthony Macri may be sidelined by an injury, but the Macri Motorsports No. 39M will still be in action with Kasey Kahne behind the wheel. He may hail from Enumclaw, WA, roughly 2,700 miles from central Pennsylvania, but there’s no doubt the Posse fans will claim him if he performs well aboard Macri’s machine.

Additional locals expected to compete this week include Freddie Rahmer (Salfordville, PA), Tyler Ross (Lincoln University, PA), T.J. Stutts (Liverpool, PA), Dylan Norris (Hanover, PA), Ryan Smith (Kunkletown, PA), Cameron Smith (Spring Grove, PA), and more.

THIS WEEKEND AT A GLANCE

WHEN AND WHERE 
Tuesday, May 5 at Lincoln Speedway in Abbottstown, PA
Friday-Saturday, May 8-9 at Williams Grove Speedway in Mechanicsburg, PA

AROUND THE TURN
Friday-Saturday, May 15-16 at Eldora Speedway in Rossburg, OH (TICKETS)

CURRENT CHAMPIONSHIP STANDINGS (16/84 Races):
1. David Gravel – Big Game Motorsports No. 2 (2238 PTS)
2. Carson Macedo – Jason Johnson Racing No. 41 (-70 PTS)
3. Michael Kofoid – Roth Motorsports No. 83 (-104 PTS)
4. Donny Schatz – CJB Motorsports No. 15 (-128 PTS)
5. Sheldon Haudenschild – KCP Racing No. 18 (-152 PTS)
6. Logan Schuchart – Shark Racing No. 1S (-158 PTS)
7. Garet Williamson – Fischer Motorsports No. 23 (-264 PTS)
8. Cole Macedo – TwoC Racing No. 2C (-276 PTS)
9. Chris Windom – Sides Motorsports No. 7S (-280 PTS)
10. Spencer Bayston – Stenhouse Jr./Marshall Racing No. 17 (-320 PTS)

NOS ENERGY DRINK FEATURE WINNERS (9 Drivers):
4 Wins – Michael Kofoid, David Gravel
2 Wins – Anthony Macri
1 Win – Spencer Bayston, Sheldon Haudenschild, Donny Schatz, Carson Macedo, Tyler Courtney, Brad Sweet

FEATURE LAPS LED (18 Drivers):
94 Laps Led – Michael Kofoid
78 Laps Led – David Gravel
44 Laps Led – Bill Balog
40 Laps Led – Anthony Macri
37 Laps Led – Tyler Courtney
35 Laps Led – Donny Schatz
32 Laps Led – Carson Macedo
28 Laps Led – Ryan Timms
26 Laps Led – Sheldon Haudenschild
25 Laps Led – Brad Sweet
18 Laps Led – Brady Bacon
10 Laps Led – Spencer Bayston, Cole Macedo
7 Laps Led – Kasey Jedrzejek
6 Laps Led – Brian Brown, Brock Zearfoss
5 Laps Led – Logan Schuchart
1 Lap Led – Christopher ThramPODIUM FINISHES (16 Drivers):
11 Podiums – David Gravel
8 Podiums – Carson Macedo
7 Podiums – Michael Kofoid
3 Podiums – Anthony Macri, Donny Schatz, Sheldon Haudenschild, Ryan Timms
2 Podiums – Spencer Bayston
1 Podium – Ashton Torgerson, Bill Balog, Scott Bogucki, Brady Bacon, Cole Macedo, Tyler Courtney, Emerson Axsom, Brad Sweet

SIMPSON PERFORMANCE PRODUCTS QUICKTIME AWARDS (10 Drivers):
6 Quick Times – David Gravel
2 Quick Times – Sheldon Haudenschild
1 Quick Time – Logan Schuchart, Ashton Torgerson, Kasey Jedrzejek, Brady Bacon, Will Armitage, Michael Kofoid, J.J. Hickle, Brian Brown

HEAT RACE WINNERS (23 Drivers):
13 Heat Wins – David Gravel
7 Heat Wins – Sheldon Haudenschild
5 Heat Wins – Carson Macedo
4 Heat Wins – Michael Kofoid
3 Heat Wins – Logan Schuchart, Ashton Torgerson, Bill Balog, Emerson Axsom
2 Heat Wins – Anthony Macri, Donny Schatz, Cole Macedo
1 Heat Win – Chase Dietz, Justin Peck, Tanner Holmes, Scotty Thiel, Kasey Jedrzejek, Will Armitage, Rees Moran, Tyler Courtney, Brent Marks, Aaron Reutzel, Brian Brown, Rico Abreu

TOYOTA DASH APPEARANCES (38 Drivers):
14 Dashes – David Gravel
12 Dashes – Sheldon Haudenschild
11 Dashes – Michael Kofoid
7 Dashes – Carson Macedo
5 Dashes – Ashton Torgerson, Emerson Axsom
4 Dashes – Anthony Macri, Logan Schuchart, Bill Balog, Kasey Jedrzejek, Cole Macedo, Ryan Timms
3 Dashes – Donny Schatz, Garet Williamson, Brent Marks, Kerry Madsen
2 Dashes – Tanner Holmes, Scotty Thiel, Spencer Bayston, Chris Windom, Brian Brown, Aaron Reutzel
1 Dash – Chase Dietz, Justin Peck, Parker Price-Miller, Brock Zearfoss, Bryce Lucius, Christopher Thram, Brady Bacon, Sam Hafertepe Jr., Will Armitage, Rees Moran, Bryce Norris, Tyler Courtney, Brad Sweet, Justin Henderson, J.J. Hickle, Rico Abreu

MICRO-LITE LAST CHANCE SHOWDOWN WINS (10 Drivers):
3 LCS Wins – Donny Schatz
2 LCS Wins – Michael Kofoid, Chris Windom, Garet Williamson
1 LCS Wins – Cameron Martin, Bill Balog, Blake Hahn, Landon Crawley, Bryce Norris, Giovanni Scelzi

KSE HARD CHARGER AWARDS (11 Drivers):
3 Hard Chargers – Donny Schatz
2 Hard Chargers – Garet Williamson, Michael Kofoid, Carson Macedo
1 Hard Charger – Chris Windom, Giovanni Scelzi, Spencer Bayston, Ryan Timms, Logan Schuchart, Brady Bacon, Sheldon Haudenschild

ACME FASTEST LAP AWARDS (12 Drivers):
4 Fastest Laps – Michael Kofoid
2 Fastest Laps – Bill Balog
1 Fastest Lap – Anthony Macri, Brock Zearfoss, Sheldon Haudenschild, Carson Macedo, Brady Bacon, Cole Macedo, Ryan Timms, Kasey Jedrzejek, Brad Sweet, Kelby Watt

RACE READY CLOTHING HOTTEST LAP OF THE NIGHT AWARDS (9 Drivers):
5 Hottest Laps – David Gravel
3 Hottest Laps – Michael Kofoid
2 Hottest Laps – Logan Schuchart
1 Hottest Lap – Austin McCarl, Brent Marks, Cole Macedo, Emerson Axsom, Tyler Courtney, Ryan Timms

2026 WORLD OF OUTLAWS SPRINT CAR SCHEDULE & WINNERS:
Day, Date / Track / Location / Winner
Wed, Feb 4 / Volusia Speedway Park / Barberville, FL / Spencer Bayston (1)
Fri, Feb 6 / Volusia Speedway Park / Barberville, FL / Michael Kofoid (1)
Sat, Feb 7 / Volusia Speedway Park / Barberville, FL / Anthony Macri (1)
Sun, March 1 / Volusia Speedway Park / Barberville, FL / Sheldon Haudenschild (1)
Mon, March 2 / Volusia Speedway Park / Barberville, FL / Anthony Macri (2)
Fri, March 6 / Talladega Short Track / Eastaboga, AL / Donny Schatz (1)
Fri, March 13 / Kennedale Speedway Park / Kennedale, TX / David Gravel (1)
Fri, March 20 / Lawton Speedway / Lawton, OK / David Gravel (2)
Sat, March 21 / Creek County Speedway / Sapulpa, OK / David Gravel (3)
Fri, March 27 / US 36 Raceway / Osborn, MO / Carson Macedo (1)
Sat, March 28 / 81 Speedway / Park City, KS / Michael Kofoid (2)
Fri, April 10 / I-55 Federated Auto Parts Raceway Park / Pevely, MO / Michael Kofoid (3)
Sat, April 11 / I-55 Federated Auto Parts Raceway Park / Pevely, MO / Michael Kofoid (4)
Sun, April 19 / Tri-State Speedway / Haubstadt, IN / Tyler Courtney (1)
Fri, April 24 / Knoxville Raceway / Knoxville, IA / Brad Sweet (1)
Sat, April 25 / Knoxville Raceway / Knoxville, IA / David Gravel (4)
Tues, May 5 / Lincoln Speedway / Abbottstown, PA
Fri, May 8 / Williams Grove Speedway / Mechanicsburg, PA
Sat, May 9 / Williams Grove Speedway / Mechanicsburg, PA
Fri, May 15 / Eldora Speedway / Rossburg, OH
Sat, May 16 / Eldora Speedway / Rossburg, OH
Tues, May 19 / Jacksonville Speedway / Jacksonville, IL
Sat, May 23 / Knoxville Raceway / Knoxville, IA
Sun, May 24 / Huset’s Speedway / Brandon, SD
Fri, May 29 / River Cities Speedway / Grand Forks, ND
Sun, May 31 / Nodak Speedway / Minot, ND
Fri, June 5 / Hartford Speedway / Hartford, MI
Sat, June 6 / Plymouth Dirt Track / Plymouth, WI
Sun, June 7 / Angell Park Speedway / Sun Prairie, WI
Fri, June 12 / Knoxville Raceway / Knoxville, IA
Sat, June 13 / Knoxville Raceway / Knoxville, IA
Wed, June 17 / Huset’s Speedway / Brandon, SD
Thurs, June 18 / Huset’s Speedway / Brandon, SD
Fri, June 19 / Huset’s Speedway / Brandon, SD
Sat, June 20 / Huset’s Speedway / Brandon, SD
Fri, June 26 / Cedar Lake Speedway / New Richmond, WI
Sat, June 27 / Cedar Lake Speedway / New Richmond, WI
Fri, July 10 / Wilmot Raceway / Wilmot, WI
Sat, July 11 / Wilmot Raceway / Wilmot, WI
Tues, July 14 / Attica Raceway Park / Attica, OH
Fri, July 17 / Eldora Speedway / Rossburg, OH
Sat, July 18 / Eldora Speedway / Rossburg, OH
Tues, July 21 / Ohsweken Speedway / Ohsweken, ON, Canada
Wed, July 22 / Ohsweken Speedway / Ohsweken, ON, Canada
Sat, July 25 / Weedsport Speedway / Weedsport, NY
Sun, July 26 / Weedsport Speedway / Weedsport, NY
Wed, July 29 / BAPS Motor Speedway / York Haven, PA
Fri, July 31 / Williams Grove Speedway / Mechanicsburg, PA
Sat, Aug 1 / Williams Grove Speedway / Mechanicsburg, PA
Fri, Aug 7 / I-55 Federated Auto Parts Raceway Park / Pevely, MO
Sat, Aug 8 / I-55 Federated Auto Parts Raceway Park / Pevely, MO
Wed, Aug 12 / Knoxville Raceway / Knoxville, IA*
Thurs, Aug 13 / Knoxville Raceway / Knoxville, IA*
Fri, Aug 14 / Knoxville Raceway / Knoxville, IA*
Sat, Aug 15 / Knoxville Raceway / Knoxville, IA
Fri, Aug 21 / Ogilvie Raceway / Ogilvie, MN
Sat, Aug 22 / Jackson Motorplex / Jackson, MN
Fri, Aug 28 / River Cities Speedway / Grand Forks, ND
Sat, Aug 29 / Red River Valley Speedway / West Fargo, ND
Fri, Sept 4 / Huset’s Speedway / Brandon, SD
Sat, Sept 5 / Huset’s Speedway / Brandon, SD
Sun, Sept 6 / Huset’s Speedway / Brandon, SD
Fri, Sept 11 / Belleville High Banks / Belleville, KS
Sat, Sept 12 / Dodge City Raceway Park / Dodge City, KS
Mon, Sept 14 / El Paso County Raceway / Calhan, CO
Fri, Sept 18 / Stockton Dirt Track / Stockton, CA
Sat, Sept 19 / Stockton Dirt Track / Stockton, CA
Tues, Sept 22 / Kings Speedway / Hanford, CA
Fri, Sept 25 / Bakersfield Speedway at Kevin Harvick’s Kern Raceway / Bakersfield, CA
Sat, Sept 26 / Ventura Raceway / Ventura, CA
Fri, Oct 2 / Williams Grove Speedway / Mechanicsburg, PA
Sat, Oct 3 / Williams Grove Speedway / Mechanicsburg, PA
Thurs, Oct 8 / Millstream Speedway / Findlay, OH
Fri, Oct 9 / Mansfield Speedway / Mansfield, OH
Sat, Oct 10 / Sharon Speedway / Hartford, OH
Fri, Oct 16 / Lincoln Park Speedway / Putnamville, IN
Sat, Oct 17 / TBA
Fri, Oct 23 / Texarkana 67 Speedway / Texarkana, AR
Sat, Oct 24 / Texarkana 67 Speedway / Texarkana, AR
Wed, Nov 4 / The Dirt Track at Charlotte / Concord, NC
Thurs, Nov 5 / The Dirt Track at Charlotte / Concord, NC
Fri, Nov 6 / The Dirt Track at Charlotte / Concord, NC
Sat, Nov 7 / The Dirt Track at Charlotte / Concord, NC

*denotes unofficial split-field prelim race.

TOP FIVE STORYLINES: World of Outlaws, PA Posse Rivalry Renewed with Three Battles

ABBOTTSTOWN, PA (May 4, 2026) – The next chapter of Sprint Car racing’s fiercest rivalry is ready to be written.

On one side, you’ve got the World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Series. The tour is home to the nation’s top traveling talent that ventures coast to coast hitting dirt tracks all over through the year. They’re the best of the best and have been since Ted Johnson cultivated the idea to bring them all together in 1978.

On the other side, you’ve got the Pennsylvania Posse. The “Keystone State” has long been home to the sport’s toughest weekly competition. As a result, the locals take great pride in defending the porch when the World of Outlaws come to town.

It all starts on Tuesday, May 5 at Abbottstown, PA’s Lincoln Speedway when the Gettysburg Clash brings the opening battle. The track nestled in the scenic Pigeon Hills will welcome the tour for the 57th time.

Then it’s over to Mechanicsburg, PA’s Williams Grove Speedway on Friday-Saturday, May 8-9 for the HVAC Distributors Morgan Cup. The two-night event puts $15,000 up for grabs in the finale and possession of the coveted Cup and the bragging rights that come with it.

In addition to the racing, fans can attend the Hershey Sprint Car Experience at Hersheypark Stadium on Thursday, May 7. The event is open to the public from 5-7pm ET and celebrates the region’s rich racing history while allowing fans to meet their favorite drivers from both the World of Outlaws and PA Posse.

The stage is set. It’s time to renew the rivalry.

BUY LINCOLN TICKETS HERE
BUY WILLIAMS GROVE TICKETS HERE

WATCH LIVE ON DIRTVision

Let’s check out the top stories to watch in Pennsylvania:

THE POSSE PREVAILED

The locals own bragging rights entering this week.

The two sides faced off six times in 2025, and the Posse claimed four. Anthony Macri was largely responsible for the PA supremacy. It began with him winning the Morgan Cup. He followed that with a Bricker’s Bash triumph at BAPS Motor Speedway. Lastly, the Dillsburg, PA native won at Lincoln in October. The fourth score came courtesy of York, PA’s Chase Dietz, who bagged his first career World of Outlaws win in the National Open prelim.

While the Posse had the higher quantity, the World of Outlaws did snatch the state’s most prestigious race. Sheldon Haudenschild walked out of Williams Grove a National Open champion and $75,000 richer last October. The one other victory for the travelers was Michael “Buddy” Kofoid and Roth Motorsports topping Lincoln’s Gettysburg Clash.

This week serves up the first three of eight scheduled faceoffs between the World of Outlaws and PA Posse in 2026.

GREATNESS AT THE GROVE

There are two current World of Outlaws competitors who’ve won more at Williams Grove than anywhere else, and it happens to be the pair of champions.

Donny Schatz has broken the heart of Pennsylvanians at “The Grove” for decades. He first conquered the 1/2 mile in 2000 and his since topped 20 more. Among those are a record six National Open titles. His 21 World of Outlaws victories at Williams Grove rank second behind only Steve Kinser’s eye-popping 38. Schatz heads to Pennsylvania amid a consistent stretch with his CJB Motorsports team, posting top 10s in 10 of the last 11 races.

David Gravel’s nine Williams Grove checkered flags puts it atop the list of the 58 different tracks he’s won at. The defending champion has always had speed in Mechanicsburg, PA no matter the car he’s in. Those nine trophies are split up among Roth Motorsports, CJB Motorsports, Jason Johnson Racing, and his current home – Big Game Motorsports. A 10th win this weekend would make him the sixth to reach double digits.

OUTLAWS ON THE HUNT

Schatz and Gravel won’t be the only World of Outlaws competitors the Posse have to deal with if they want to protect the porch.

Carson Macedo boasts multiple wins at both tracks on the agenda. The Lemoore, CA native beat the All Star Circuit of Champions (ASCoC) at Lincoln in 2018 aboard Joe Gaerte’s No. 3G. Two years later, he won a local Lincoln show in Kyle Larson Racing’s No. 2. Williams Grove has welcomed Macedo to Victory Lane on four occasions. The last three have come since teaming with Jason Johnson Racing.

Sheldon Haudenschild is also a winner at both Lincoln and Willams Grove. His lone Lincoln score came in the 2020 Gettysburg Clash. The Wooster, OH native owns a pair of Williams Grove trophies including last year’s National Open title.

Buddy Kofoid is on the list of those who’ve come out on top at the pair of PA facilities ahead. He claimed Lincoln’s Weldon Sterner Memorial in 2022 before snagging last year’s Gettysburg Clash in the Roth Motorsports No. 83. The 2024 National Open prelim supplied his lone Williams Grove win.

A pair of current World of Outlaws drivers tamed Williams Grove without wings. Both Chris Windom and Emerson Axsom have USAC National Sprint Car victories at the 1/2 mile.

FOR SCRUFFY

Last fall, the sport was dealt a devastating blow when Bobby Allen passed away. But the Shark Racing team he constructed continues to embody “Scruffy’s” never give up approach that led him to becoming a legend of Sprint Car racing.

Logan Schuchart races on in his grandfather’s honor and would love to get a win in his home state for his “pappy.” The Hanover, PA native topped a pair of Lincoln races in 2013 during his days of racing locally. Over at Williams Grove, he’s won four times including the 2023 Morgan Cup.

Ashton Torgerson now pilots the blue No. 1A that Allen made famous. The Glendale, AZ driver has done nothing but impress since getting the opportunity last spring. His best Lincoln result is a runner-up last August. A pair of top 10s highlight his Williams Grove experience.

POSSE POWER

Pennsylvania is ready to send plenty of capable locals into battle with hopes of defending home turf.

It’s tough to begin any conversation about Posse favorites without first mentioning Lance Dewease. The Fayetteville, PA legend already topped Williams Grove’s opener in the Eichelberger No. 8, his 117th win at the paperclip-shaped track. Dewease owns 20 World of Outlaws victories in his career, and 17 have come at “The Grove.” He also beat The Greatest Show on Dirt at Lincoln in 2019.

The man who has cemented himself as one of the Posse’s current top forces is Chase Dietz. The York, PA driver has already won a nation-leading six times in 2026, four at Lincoln and two at BAPS. Dietz hasn’t finished outside the top two in his last seven starts aboard the Stehman Motorsports No. 23D.

Danny Dietrich is always one to watch in the “Keystone State.” He’s fifth on Lincoln’s all-time win list with 67 victories including a pair with the World of Outlaws (2012 & 2013). The Gettysburg, PA driver owns 34 Williams Grove wins, most notably the 2016 National Open.

Hanover, PA’s Troy Wagaman Jr. continues to assert himself among the best the Posse currently have to offer. Since late 2022, he’s won 15 times in Pennsylvania including six at Lincoln and five at Williams Grove.

Anthony Macri may be sidelined by an injury, but the Macri Motorsports No. 39M will still be in action with Kasey Kahne behind the wheel. He may hail from Enumclaw, WA, roughly 2,700 miles from central Pennsylvania, but there’s no doubt the Posse fans will claim him if he performs well aboard Macri’s machine.

Additional locals expected to compete this week include Freddie Rahmer (Salfordville, PA), Tyler Ross (Lincoln University, PA), T.J. Stutts (Liverpool, PA), Dylan Norris (Hanover, PA), Ryan Smith (Kunkletown, PA), Cameron Smith (Spring Grove, PA), and more.

THIS WEEKEND AT A GLANCE

WHEN AND WHERE 
Tuesday, May 5 at Lincoln Speedway in Abbottstown, PA
Friday-Saturday, May 8-9 at Williams Grove Speedway in Mechanicsburg, PA

AROUND THE TURN
Friday-Saturday, May 15-16 at Eldora Speedway in Rossburg, OH (TICKETS)

CURRENT CHAMPIONSHIP STANDINGS (16/84 Races):
1. David Gravel – Big Game Motorsports No. 2 (2238 PTS)
2. Carson Macedo – Jason Johnson Racing No. 41 (-70 PTS)
3. Michael Kofoid – Roth Motorsports No. 83 (-104 PTS)
4. Donny Schatz – CJB Motorsports No. 15 (-128 PTS)
5. Sheldon Haudenschild – KCP Racing No. 18 (-152 PTS)
6. Logan Schuchart – Shark Racing No. 1S (-158 PTS)
7. Garet Williamson – Fischer Motorsports No. 23 (-264 PTS)
8. Cole Macedo – TwoC Racing No. 2C (-276 PTS)
9. Chris Windom – Sides Motorsports No. 7S (-280 PTS)
10. Spencer Bayston – Stenhouse Jr./Marshall Racing No. 17 (-320 PTS)

NOS ENERGY DRINK FEATURE WINNERS (9 Drivers):
4 Wins – Michael Kofoid, David Gravel
2 Wins – Anthony Macri
1 Win – Spencer Bayston, Sheldon Haudenschild, Donny Schatz, Carson Macedo, Tyler Courtney, Brad Sweet

FEATURE LAPS LED (18 Drivers):
94 Laps Led – Michael Kofoid
78 Laps Led – David Gravel
44 Laps Led – Bill Balog
40 Laps Led – Anthony Macri
37 Laps Led – Tyler Courtney
35 Laps Led – Donny Schatz
32 Laps Led – Carson Macedo
28 Laps Led – Ryan Timms
26 Laps Led – Sheldon Haudenschild
25 Laps Led – Brad Sweet
18 Laps Led – Brady Bacon
10 Laps Led – Spencer Bayston, Cole Macedo
7 Laps Led – Kasey Jedrzejek
6 Laps Led – Brian Brown, Brock Zearfoss
5 Laps Led – Logan Schuchart
1 Lap Led – Christopher ThramPODIUM FINISHES (16 Drivers):
11 Podiums – David Gravel
8 Podiums – Carson Macedo
7 Podiums – Michael Kofoid
3 Podiums – Anthony Macri, Donny Schatz, Sheldon Haudenschild, Ryan Timms
2 Podiums – Spencer Bayston
1 Podium – Ashton Torgerson, Bill Balog, Scott Bogucki, Brady Bacon, Cole Macedo, Tyler Courtney, Emerson Axsom, Brad Sweet

SIMPSON PERFORMANCE PRODUCTS QUICKTIME AWARDS (10 Drivers):
6 Quick Times – David Gravel
2 Quick Times – Sheldon Haudenschild
1 Quick Time – Logan Schuchart, Ashton Torgerson, Kasey Jedrzejek, Brady Bacon, Will Armitage, Michael Kofoid, J.J. Hickle, Brian Brown

HEAT RACE WINNERS (23 Drivers):
13 Heat Wins – David Gravel
7 Heat Wins – Sheldon Haudenschild
5 Heat Wins – Carson Macedo
4 Heat Wins – Michael Kofoid
3 Heat Wins – Logan Schuchart, Ashton Torgerson, Bill Balog, Emerson Axsom
2 Heat Wins – Anthony Macri, Donny Schatz, Cole Macedo
1 Heat Win – Chase Dietz, Justin Peck, Tanner Holmes, Scotty Thiel, Kasey Jedrzejek, Will Armitage, Rees Moran, Tyler Courtney, Brent Marks, Aaron Reutzel, Brian Brown, Rico Abreu

TOYOTA DASH APPEARANCES (38 Drivers):
14 Dashes – David Gravel
12 Dashes – Sheldon Haudenschild
11 Dashes – Michael Kofoid
7 Dashes – Carson Macedo
5 Dashes – Ashton Torgerson, Emerson Axsom
4 Dashes – Anthony Macri, Logan Schuchart, Bill Balog, Kasey Jedrzejek, Cole Macedo, Ryan Timms
3 Dashes – Donny Schatz, Garet Williamson, Brent Marks, Kerry Madsen
2 Dashes – Tanner Holmes, Scotty Thiel, Spencer Bayston, Chris Windom, Brian Brown, Aaron Reutzel
1 Dash – Chase Dietz, Justin Peck, Parker Price-Miller, Brock Zearfoss, Bryce Lucius, Christopher Thram, Brady Bacon, Sam Hafertepe Jr., Will Armitage, Rees Moran, Bryce Norris, Tyler Courtney, Brad Sweet, Justin Henderson, J.J. Hickle, Rico Abreu

MICRO-LITE LAST CHANCE SHOWDOWN WINS (10 Drivers):
3 LCS Wins – Donny Schatz
2 LCS Wins – Michael Kofoid, Chris Windom, Garet Williamson
1 LCS Wins – Cameron Martin, Bill Balog, Blake Hahn, Landon Crawley, Bryce Norris, Giovanni Scelzi

KSE HARD CHARGER AWARDS (11 Drivers):
3 Hard Chargers – Donny Schatz
2 Hard Chargers – Garet Williamson, Michael Kofoid, Carson Macedo
1 Hard Charger – Chris Windom, Giovanni Scelzi, Spencer Bayston, Ryan Timms, Logan Schuchart, Brady Bacon, Sheldon Haudenschild

ACME FASTEST LAP AWARDS (12 Drivers):
4 Fastest Laps – Michael Kofoid
2 Fastest Laps – Bill Balog
1 Fastest Lap – Anthony Macri, Brock Zearfoss, Sheldon Haudenschild, Carson Macedo, Brady Bacon, Cole Macedo, Ryan Timms, Kasey Jedrzejek, Brad Sweet, Kelby Watt

RACE READY CLOTHING HOTTEST LAP OF THE NIGHT AWARDS (9 Drivers):
5 Hottest Laps – David Gravel
3 Hottest Laps – Michael Kofoid
2 Hottest Laps – Logan Schuchart
1 Hottest Lap – Austin McCarl, Brent Marks, Cole Macedo, Emerson Axsom, Tyler Courtney, Ryan Timms

2026 WORLD OF OUTLAWS SPRINT CAR SCHEDULE & WINNERS:
Day, Date / Track / Location / Winner
Wed, Feb 4 / Volusia Speedway Park / Barberville, FL / Spencer Bayston (1)
Fri, Feb 6 / Volusia Speedway Park / Barberville, FL / Michael Kofoid (1)
Sat, Feb 7 / Volusia Speedway Park / Barberville, FL / Anthony Macri (1)
Sun, March 1 / Volusia Speedway Park / Barberville, FL / Sheldon Haudenschild (1)
Mon, March 2 / Volusia Speedway Park / Barberville, FL / Anthony Macri (2)
Fri, March 6 / Talladega Short Track / Eastaboga, AL / Donny Schatz (1)
Fri, March 13 / Kennedale Speedway Park / Kennedale, TX / David Gravel (1)
Fri, March 20 / Lawton Speedway / Lawton, OK / David Gravel (2)
Sat, March 21 / Creek County Speedway / Sapulpa, OK / David Gravel (3)
Fri, March 27 / US 36 Raceway / Osborn, MO / Carson Macedo (1)
Sat, March 28 / 81 Speedway / Park City, KS / Michael Kofoid (2)
Fri, April 10 / I-55 Federated Auto Parts Raceway Park / Pevely, MO / Michael Kofoid (3)
Sat, April 11 / I-55 Federated Auto Parts Raceway Park / Pevely, MO / Michael Kofoid (4)
Sun, April 19 / Tri-State Speedway / Haubstadt, IN / Tyler Courtney (1)
Fri, April 24 / Knoxville Raceway / Knoxville, IA / Brad Sweet (1)
Sat, April 25 / Knoxville Raceway / Knoxville, IA / David Gravel (4)
Tues, May 5 / Lincoln Speedway / Abbottstown, PA
Fri, May 8 / Williams Grove Speedway / Mechanicsburg, PA
Sat, May 9 / Williams Grove Speedway / Mechanicsburg, PA
Fri, May 15 / Eldora Speedway / Rossburg, OH
Sat, May 16 / Eldora Speedway / Rossburg, OH
Tues, May 19 / Jacksonville Speedway / Jacksonville, IL
Sat, May 23 / Knoxville Raceway / Knoxville, IA
Sun, May 24 / Huset’s Speedway / Brandon, SD
Fri, May 29 / River Cities Speedway / Grand Forks, ND
Sun, May 31 / Nodak Speedway / Minot, ND
Fri, June 5 / Hartford Speedway / Hartford, MI
Sat, June 6 / Plymouth Dirt Track / Plymouth, WI
Sun, June 7 / Angell Park Speedway / Sun Prairie, WI
Fri, June 12 / Knoxville Raceway / Knoxville, IA
Sat, June 13 / Knoxville Raceway / Knoxville, IA
Wed, June 17 / Huset’s Speedway / Brandon, SD
Thurs, June 18 / Huset’s Speedway / Brandon, SD
Fri, June 19 / Huset’s Speedway / Brandon, SD
Sat, June 20 / Huset’s Speedway / Brandon, SD
Fri, June 26 / Cedar Lake Speedway / New Richmond, WI
Sat, June 27 / Cedar Lake Speedway / New Richmond, WI
Fri, July 10 / Wilmot Raceway / Wilmot, WI
Sat, July 11 / Wilmot Raceway / Wilmot, WI
Tues, July 14 / Attica Raceway Park / Attica, OH
Fri, July 17 / Eldora Speedway / Rossburg, OH
Sat, July 18 / Eldora Speedway / Rossburg, OH
Tues, July 21 / Ohsweken Speedway / Ohsweken, ON, Canada
Wed, July 22 / Ohsweken Speedway / Ohsweken, ON, Canada
Sat, July 25 / Weedsport Speedway / Weedsport, NY
Sun, July 26 / Weedsport Speedway / Weedsport, NY
Wed, July 29 / BAPS Motor Speedway / York Haven, PA
Fri, July 31 / Williams Grove Speedway / Mechanicsburg, PA
Sat, Aug 1 / Williams Grove Speedway / Mechanicsburg, PA
Fri, Aug 7 / I-55 Federated Auto Parts Raceway Park / Pevely, MO
Sat, Aug 8 / I-55 Federated Auto Parts Raceway Park / Pevely, MO
Wed, Aug 12 / Knoxville Raceway / Knoxville, IA*
Thurs, Aug 13 / Knoxville Raceway / Knoxville, IA*
Fri, Aug 14 / Knoxville Raceway / Knoxville, IA*
Sat, Aug 15 / Knoxville Raceway / Knoxville, IA
Fri, Aug 21 / Ogilvie Raceway / Ogilvie, MN
Sat, Aug 22 / Jackson Motorplex / Jackson, MN
Fri, Aug 28 / River Cities Speedway / Grand Forks, ND
Sat, Aug 29 / Red River Valley Speedway / West Fargo, ND
Fri, Sept 4 / Huset’s Speedway / Brandon, SD
Sat, Sept 5 / Huset’s Speedway / Brandon, SD
Sun, Sept 6 / Huset’s Speedway / Brandon, SD
Fri, Sept 11 / Belleville High Banks / Belleville, KS
Sat, Sept 12 / Dodge City Raceway Park / Dodge City, KS
Mon, Sept 14 / El Paso County Raceway / Calhan, CO
Fri, Sept 18 / Stockton Dirt Track / Stockton, CA
Sat, Sept 19 / Stockton Dirt Track / Stockton, CA
Tues, Sept 22 / Kings Speedway / Hanford, CA
Fri, Sept 25 / Bakersfield Speedway at Kevin Harvick’s Kern Raceway / Bakersfield, CA
Sat, Sept 26 / Ventura Raceway / Ventura, CA
Fri, Oct 2 / Williams Grove Speedway / Mechanicsburg, PA
Sat, Oct 3 / Williams Grove Speedway / Mechanicsburg, PA
Thurs, Oct 8 / Millstream Speedway / Findlay, OH
Fri, Oct 9 / Mansfield Speedway / Mansfield, OH
Sat, Oct 10 / Sharon Speedway / Hartford, OH
Fri, Oct 16 / Lincoln Park Speedway / Putnamville, IN
Sat, Oct 17 / TBA
Fri, Oct 23 / Texarkana 67 Speedway / Texarkana, AR
Sat, Oct 24 / Texarkana 67 Speedway / Texarkana, AR
Wed, Nov 4 / The Dirt Track at Charlotte / Concord, NC
Thurs, Nov 5 / The Dirt Track at Charlotte / Concord, NC
Fri, Nov 6 / The Dirt Track at Charlotte / Concord, NC
Sat, Nov 7 / The Dirt Track at Charlotte / Concord, NC

*denotes unofficial split-field prelim race.

ARTICLE: https://worldofoutlaws.com/sprintcars/top-five-storylines-world-of-outlaws-pa-posse-rivalry-renewed-with-three-battles/

DALLAS (May 3, 2026) — NHRA Funny Car driver and Hull Racing team owner Buddy Hull traded nitro for NASCAR this Sunday, taking in the Wurth 400 Presented by LIQUI MOLY at Texas Motor Speedway as a special guest of Ford Racing.
 
Hull, joined by his wife Madi, experienced a behind-the-scenes look at the NASCAR Cup Series, beginning with an exclusive tour of the media center before heading to pit road. The highlight of the afternoon came as Hull watched the race from the pit box of Austin Cindric, driver of the No. 2 Ford for Team Penske.

Buddy and Madi Hull enjoyed a day at Texas Motor Speedway supporting Ford Racing,
photo credit Werner Communications 

“It was an incredible experience from start to finish,” said Hull. “I’m really thankful to Ford Racing for having Madi and me out here today. Getting to see how another form of motorsport operates at this level is something I’ll always appreciate.”
 
In addition to the race-day action, Hull spent time in the NASCAR Fuel for Hospitality area and had an in-depth conversation with Ford Racing engineer Thomas Ciccone. The discussion centered around the extensive data and technology that drive performance in the NASCAR Cup Series.
 
“As a driver and team owner, I’m always interested in the technical side of racing,” said Hull. “Talking with Thomas about the data, the strategy and everything that goes into making these cars competitive was fascinating. There are definitely parallels to what we do in the NHRA, but also a lot of differences that make it unique.”

 Buddy Hull enjoyed the perspective of watching NASCAR from the pit box at Texas Motor Speedway,
photo credit Werner Communications

BUDDY HULL ENJOYS NASCAR CUP SERIES ACTION AT TEXAS MOTOR SPEEDWAY AS GUEST OF FORD RACING

DALLAS (May 3, 2026) — NHRA Funny Car driver and Hull Racing team owner Buddy Hull traded nitro for NASCAR this Sunday, taking in the Wurth 400 Presented by LIQUI MOLY at Texas Motor Speedway as a special guest of Ford Racing.
 
Hull, joined by his wife Madi, experienced a behind-the-scenes look at the NASCAR Cup Series, beginning with an exclusive tour of the media center before heading to pit road. The highlight of the afternoon came as Hull watched the race from the pit box of Austin Cindric, driver of the No. 2 Ford for Team Penske.

Buddy and Madi Hull enjoyed a day at Texas Motor Speedway supporting Ford Racing,
photo credit Werner Communications 

“It was an incredible experience from start to finish,” said Hull. “I’m really thankful to Ford Racing for having Madi and me out here today. Getting to see how another form of motorsport operates at this level is something I’ll always appreciate.”
 
In addition to the race-day action, Hull spent time in the NASCAR Fuel for Hospitality area and had an in-depth conversation with Ford Racing engineer Thomas Ciccone. The discussion centered around the extensive data and technology that drive performance in the NASCAR Cup Series.
 
“As a driver and team owner, I’m always interested in the technical side of racing,” said Hull. “Talking with Thomas about the data, the strategy and everything that goes into making these cars competitive was fascinating. There are definitely parallels to what we do in the NHRA, but also a lot of differences that make it unique.”

 Buddy Hull enjoyed the perspective of watching NASCAR from the pit box at Texas Motor Speedway,
photo credit Werner Communications

The Hulls were joined by Brian Huth, general manager of Sam Pack’s Five Star Ford, one of Hull Racing’s most supportive partners.
 
“Brian and the rest of the team at Sam Pack’s Five Star Ford have been instrumental in helping me to get my program off of the ground,” said Hull. “Any time I get to spend with him and his lovely wife, enjoying racing, is time well spent.”
 
While Hull is most at home behind the wheel of his 12,000-horsepower Nitro Funny Car, he embraced the opportunity to enjoy a different kind of racing environment.
 
“Of course, I’d rather be strapped into my Funny Car making a run down the track,” said Hull. “But if I’m going to spend a Sunday away from the driver’s seat, this is about as good as it gets. Being here, feeling the energy, and seeing it all up close, it’s the next best thing.”
 

Milner, Catsburg take runner-up in GTD PRO; Chevrolet and No. 4 team take title leads MONTEREY, Calif. (May 3, 2026) – Nicky Catsburg and Tommy Milner raced from eighth at the start to second in GTD PRO at the end of Sunday’s Monterey SportsCar Championship at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca – a result that proved important for the early-season IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship standings. With the second straight podium finish for the No. 4 Corvette Z06 GT3.R, the pairing moved into the lead of the Drivers Championship after three races, as did Chevrolet in the Manufacturers standings. The No. 4 Corvette Racing by Pratt Miller Motorsports team made a strategic call early in the race stand up to move into first in Teams points, as well.

Milner and Garcia bettered their third-place result from the most recent GTD PRO race at Sebring and finished on the Monterey podium for the second time in three years. The No. 3 Corvette of Antonio Garcia and Alexander Sims placed fourth in class and just off the podium after a late-race push for what they were hoping would be their first victory in defense of the 2025 GTD PRO championship.

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The two GTD PRO Corvettes went on a split strategy early in the race. Milner, who started eighth, hit the pitlane first just after the 30-minute mark following a couple rounds of contact on the opening laps. Contact came from both GTD PRO and GTD competitors, and the No. 4 Corvette lost pace for a short bit coming down the hill but without lasting impact.

Catsburg went the rest of the way and moved into the race lead just past the one-hour mark as the class leaders went deep into their first fuel stint. The race’s full-course yellow flew 10 minutes later when 13 Autosport’s No. 13 Corvette of Matt Bell and Orey Fidani pulled off-track with a mechanical issue that resulted in the team’s retirement from the race. The entire GTD PRO field stopped during the safety car period, which shuffled back the No. 4 but elevated the No. 3 and others who needed a shorter fuel stop. Catsburg made his final stop with an hour to go with the team making sure the Corvette could make it to the end of the race. Sims, who took over Garcia during the No. 3’s first stop, stayed out along with four other GTD PRO cars that tried to save fuel and with hopes for another yellow to allow them to make the end. Sims did gain a position late in the race to move into second before the four lead cars all stopped inside the final five minutes. Elsewhere in the GTD class, the No. 81 DragonSpeed Corvette of Henrik Hedman and Giacomo Altoé had their best run and result of the season with a 11th-place finish. After suffering contact and incidents in the first three races, the DragonSpeed team finally enjoyed a clean race heading into a long break for the GTD class until June. The next race in IMSA for the Corvette Z06 GT3.R program is the Chevrolet Detroit Sports Car Classic on the streets of Detroit on Saturday, May 30.

CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R POST-RACE DRIVER QUOTES

TOMMY MILNER, NO. 4 CHEVROLET CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R: “You plan for lots of different options and opportunities and things like that. And obviously today, starting where we started and with the start of the race that I had, it was pretty clear that we were gonna go pretty far off-strategy, as most cars in this class do. If you’re not up front, you try something different to see if it’s going to work out for you. Today it worked out very well for us. At times it didn’t look very good. Then it looked okay, and then maybe not so good, and then it went back in our favor at the end there. I’m really, really proud of the Corvette Racing and Pratt Miller team. Nicky drove an absolutely amazing race. Really no mistakes. He drove it as hard as he could, which is what he had to do. The margins here are so slim. To have the race that we had at the start and then to claw it all back at the end certainly feels good. It’s a good example of you never, never give up and always try to maximize whatever you have. Sometimes it goes your way, sometimes it doesn’t. Today it kind of went in our favor.”

NICKY CATSBURG, NO. 4 CHEVROLET CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R: “We found the strategy that worked. Well not us as drivers but it was the guys on the pit stand that found the one that worked. We just had to drive around, make no mistakes and we came back with a P2 finish. In some ways it was unexpected, but inside you never know. We always have a good strategy from the team so it’s really great. I was hoping I could pass the 65 and I felt like I was a little inconsistent there. Sometimes as soon as you get close, you start making mistakes. So I feel like I need to up my game a little bit there. We could have won, I think, but still P2 is super nice and very good to put us in first for the championship.”

ANTONIO GARCIA, NO. 3 CHEVROLET CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R: “It was good execution by both our teams. It’s a shame we didn’t have track position from the start, but it’s nice that we have two cars and could cover both strategy scenarios. On our side, we had to fight all the way through because it wasn’t easy to pass. I’m glad that as a team we came up with the most points we could. No matter the strategy it would have been P2 regardless of which car. Next time I need a better qualifying effort to be in control of the race. Overall we can be happy as a team.”

ALEXANDER SIMS, NO. 3 CHEVROLET CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R: “That was really good fun. I think a lot of us were in no-man’s land of trying to work out what to do. It was too much of a save to make the end without a yellow but we needed to save because we committed to the strategy. No one wanted to break away from that strategy first and risk a yellow coming up. We were saving quite a lot while still racing really close with each other. We had decent pace and I was really happy with our Corvette. It was working really well, and I think we did a great job with the strategy that we were on. Full credit to the 4 car for making theirs work pretty darn well. Starting the race fifth and eighth, we would have been very happy to settle with second and fourth. I think both of us might feel a little frustrated that we weren’t first in our respective battles – me with the 77 and Nicky with the 65 – but nevertheless a decent result and the Manufacturers championship lead.”

CORVETTE RACING AT LAGUNA SECA: P2 Finish and Championship LeadMilner, Catsburg take runner-up in GTD PRO; Chevrolet and No. 4 team take title leads MONTEREY, Calif. (May 3, 2026) – Nicky Catsburg and Tommy Milner raced from eighth at the start to second in GTD PRO at the end of Sunday’s Monterey SportsCar Championship at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca – a result that proved important for the early-season IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship standings. With the second straight podium finish for the No. 4 Corvette Z06 GT3.R, the pairing moved into the lead of the Drivers Championship after three races, as did Chevrolet in the Manufacturers standings. The No. 4 Corvette Racing by Pratt Miller Motorsports team made a strategic call early in the race stand up to move into first in Teams points, as well.

Milner and Garcia bettered their third-place result from the most recent GTD PRO race at Sebring and finished on the Monterey podium for the second time in three years. The No. 3 Corvette of Antonio Garcia and Alexander Sims placed fourth in class and just off the podium after a late-race push for what they were hoping would be their first victory in defense of the 2025 GTD PRO championship.

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The two GTD PRO Corvettes went on a split strategy early in the race. Milner, who started eighth, hit the pitlane first just after the 30-minute mark following a couple rounds of contact on the opening laps. Contact came from both GTD PRO and GTD competitors, and the No. 4 Corvette lost pace for a short bit coming down the hill but without lasting impact.

Catsburg went the rest of the way and moved into the race lead just past the one-hour mark as the class leaders went deep into their first fuel stint. The race’s full-course yellow flew 10 minutes later when 13 Autosport’s No. 13 Corvette of Matt Bell and Orey Fidani pulled off-track with a mechanical issue that resulted in the team’s retirement from the race. The entire GTD PRO field stopped during the safety car period, which shuffled back the No. 4 but elevated the No. 3 and others who needed a shorter fuel stop. Catsburg made his final stop with an hour to go with the team making sure the Corvette could make it to the end of the race. Sims, who took over Garcia during the No. 3’s first stop, stayed out along with four other GTD PRO cars that tried to save fuel and with hopes for another yellow to allow them to make the end. Sims did gain a position late in the race to move into second before the four lead cars all stopped inside the final five minutes. Elsewhere in the GTD class, the No. 81 DragonSpeed Corvette of Henrik Hedman and Giacomo Altoé had their best run and result of the season with a 11th-place finish. After suffering contact and incidents in the first three races, the DragonSpeed team finally enjoyed a clean race heading into a long break for the GTD class until June. The next race in IMSA for the Corvette Z06 GT3.R program is the Chevrolet Detroit Sports Car Classic on the streets of Detroit on Saturday, May 30.

CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R POST-RACE DRIVER QUOTES

TOMMY MILNER, NO. 4 CHEVROLET CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R: “You plan for lots of different options and opportunities and things like that. And obviously today, starting where we started and with the start of the race that I had, it was pretty clear that we were gonna go pretty far off-strategy, as most cars in this class do. If you’re not up front, you try something different to see if it’s going to work out for you. Today it worked out very well for us. At times it didn’t look very good. Then it looked okay, and then maybe not so good, and then it went back in our favor at the end there. I’m really, really proud of the Corvette Racing and Pratt Miller team. Nicky drove an absolutely amazing race. Really no mistakes. He drove it as hard as he could, which is what he had to do. The margins here are so slim. To have the race that we had at the start and then to claw it all back at the end certainly feels good. It’s a good example of you never, never give up and always try to maximize whatever you have. Sometimes it goes your way, sometimes it doesn’t. Today it kind of went in our favor.”

NICKY CATSBURG, NO. 4 CHEVROLET CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R: “We found the strategy that worked. Well not us as drivers but it was the guys on the pit stand that found the one that worked. We just had to drive around, make no mistakes and we came back with a P2 finish. In some ways it was unexpected, but inside you never know. We always have a good strategy from the team so it’s really great. I was hoping I could pass the 65 and I felt like I was a little inconsistent there. Sometimes as soon as you get close, you start making mistakes. So I feel like I need to up my game a little bit there. We could have won, I think, but still P2 is super nice and very good to put us in first for the championship.”

ANTONIO GARCIA, NO. 3 CHEVROLET CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R: “It was good execution by both our teams. It’s a shame we didn’t have track position from the start, but it’s nice that we have two cars and could cover both strategy scenarios. On our side, we had to fight all the way through because it wasn’t easy to pass. I’m glad that as a team we came up with the most points we could. No matter the strategy it would have been P2 regardless of which car. Next time I need a better qualifying effort to be in control of the race. Overall we can be happy as a team.”

ALEXANDER SIMS, NO. 3 CHEVROLET CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R: “That was really good fun. I think a lot of us were in no-man’s land of trying to work out what to do. It was too much of a save to make the end without a yellow but we needed to save because we committed to the strategy. No one wanted to break away from that strategy first and risk a yellow coming up. We were saving quite a lot while still racing really close with each other. We had decent pace and I was really happy with our Corvette. It was working really well, and I think we did a great job with the strategy that we were on. Full credit to the 4 car for making theirs work pretty darn well. Starting the race fifth and eighth, we would have been very happy to settle with second and fourth. I think both of us might feel a little frustrated that we weren’t first in our respective battles – me with the 77 and Nicky with the 65 – but nevertheless a decent result and the Manufacturers championship lead.”

GIACOMO ALTOE, NO. 81 CHEVROLET CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R: “For sure the results we are having don’t show the effort and quality of the work the team is doing. We have changed a lot and have improved massively since the beginning of the season. This is still only our fourth race with the Corvette and I feel already we are at a high level of performance. We’ll keep working to improve even more as a group and a package. The only thing we are missing is some competitiveness to bring home some good results. We’ll regroup, hopefully do one or two tests and then be back stronger at Watkins Glen.”

RACE RECAP – ValdostaRace 5 of 20

Photography: John Force Racing / Auto Imagery / Gary Nastase

VANDERGRIFF BAGS FIRST WALLY IN ADOPTED HOME STATEDeJoria earns semifinals finish, Hart and Beckman exit in Rd. 1

RACE RECAP – ValdostaRace 5 of 20

Photography: John Force Racing / Auto Imagery / Gary Nastase

VANDERGRIFF BAGS FIRST WALLY IN ADOPTED HOME STATEDeJoria earns semifinals finish, Hart and Beckman exit in Rd. 1

ADEL, Ga. (May 3, 2026) – It took just five events behind the wheel of John Force Racing’s Cornwell Tools Chevrolet SS Funny Car for Jordan Vandergriff to make the final round of eliminations and he made the best of it in capturing his first NHRA event win at the NHRA Southern Nationals in his adopted state of Georgia. Vandergriff streaked across the finish line in 4.007 seconds at 314.17 mph as J.R. Todd, the 2018 NHRA Funny Car World Champion and winner of last week’s NHRA 4-Wide Nationals in Charlotte, lost traction early and clicked it off. The win made the third generation drag racer the 13th different driver to win a Top Fuel or Funny Car event in NHRA competition for John Force Racing. Immediately after winning, Vandergriff popped out of his Cornwell Tools Chevrolet SS Funny Car and sprinted back up the race track, much like his uncle, Bob Vandergriff Jr., did after his victories in Top Fuel. “I’m still kind of taking in just how special this is. This moment is something I thought of for a very long time, since my last final in 2019, when I lost to Billy Torrence in Dallas,” Vandergriff said. “You know, running up the track was something I always thought about doing because my uncle did it out of pure joy when he won his first, and I just had to do it. I was contemplating it in the car before the run, and I was like, I’m doing it, no matter what. Hopefully, this is just the first of many, and it’s a good one to start.” Vandergriff dedicated the victory to Adria Force Hight, team owner John Force’s eldest daughter, who passed away April 28. “Adria got this one for me, and I truly believe that,” said Vandergriff. “I had a feeling since this morning when I thought about that her and Autumn (Adria’s daughter Autumn Hight), and the Force family and everything they’ve been through this week. I was just thinking about everything Adria did for John Force Racing. She was a pivotal part of this organization and I thank her for all the hard work she put in in helping John build this amazing race team that is giving me the chance to live my dreams and represent them.” Vandergriff defeated Hunter Green in his semifinal round, making a solid 3.964-second run at 331.36 mph to Green’s 4.151-second effort. He defeated Spencer Hyde in Rd. 2, running 3.956 seconds at 332.34 mph to a tire-smoking Hyde. In Rd. 1, Vandergriff ran 3.950 seconds at 330.63 mph to Jeff Arend’s 4.154 seconds at 309.77 mph. The Atlanta resident’s only other final-round appearance was Oct. 20, 2019, in the NHRA Texas Fall Nationals while competing in the Top Fuel category for his family-owned team. He was ahead of Billy Torrence at halftrack before hazing the tires and allowing Torrence to take the win. DeJoria lined up the Bandero Café Chevrolet SS Funny Car in the left lane against last week’s race winner J.R. Todd for her semifinal matchup, with Todd having lane choice. Both cars smoked the tires almost immediately and it became a pedal-fest from there. The Bandero Café Chevy swapped back and forth, eventually making contact with timing cones at halftrack, while Todd was able to cross the center line first, posting a 6.188-second run to DeJoria’s 7.878-second effort. The six-time NHRA Funny Car winner defeated Matt Hagan in Rd. 2, running 4.016 seconds at 314.68 mph while Hagan smoked the tires right at the start. In Rd. 1, she ran 3.946 seconds at 325.61 mph to defeat Cruz Pedregon’s run of 4.135 seconds at 237.80 mph. “Man, it’s been a crazy weekend, just a crap shoot,” said DeJoria. “The semifinals wasn’t a pretty run at all. We both smoked the tires right at the hit. It’s a blessing and a curse that I’ve been in so many unsettling runs to know what to do and what not to do, to keep myself on the good side of getting in a wreck. So, that being said, we came out unscathed, the Bandero Café Chevy SS body is fine. “But again, we had another long Sunday. It’s just our fifth race out, we’re building, and I have so much confidence in these guys. Our hearts are with our boss, John Force, and, uh, gaining those points, man. And, you know, and keeping our position in the 6th spot means a lot going into that Chicago race in a couple weeks.” Hart beat Leah Pruett off the starting line by nearly two hundredths of a second (.077 to .094) but the Speedmaster Top Fuel Dragster smoked the tires shortly thereafter, coasting to a run of 7.296 seconds at 77.48 mph to Pruett’s 3.996 seconds at 287.78 mph. “I fought hard for this ride with John Force Racing and Speedmaster and prayed for it even harder,” said Hart. “Now, I have the seat and our confidence is strong despite today’s unfortunate results. I love this JFR team and we will make up ground and improve together.” Beckman’s PEAK Chevrolet SS Funny Car also spun the tires shortly off the starting line to run 4.598 seconds at 183.24 mph to Matt Hagan’s 3.988-second run at 328.06 mph. “I hate to use the expression ‘throwaway weekend,’ because you try to find a silver lining,” said Beckman. “We’re going to keep digging until we find that silver lining. You want to be retrospective and say, ‘Okay, if we had to do all over again, what would we have done differently?’ I’m not sure I have a good answer for that, and those are the frustrating weekends for this PEAK Chevy team. This is a forgettable weekend and we’ll be over it soon.” The 2026 NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series Top Fuel point standings after five of 20 races are: 1. Shawn Langdon, 481; 2. Doug Kalitta, 477; 3. Leah Pruett, 352; 4. Tony Stewart, 332; 5. Josh Hart, 298; 6. Maddi Gordon, 296; 7. Justin Ashley, 280; 8. Billy Torrence, 244; 9. Clay Millican, 220; 10. Antron Brown, 218. The 2026 NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series Funny Car point standings after five of 20 races are: 1. J.R. Todd, 411; 2. Ron Capps, 408; 3. Matt Hagan, 386; 4. Jordan Vandergriff, 383; 5. Chad Green, 340; 6. Alexis DeJoria, 297; 7. Spencer Hyde, 275; 8. Jack Beckman, 245; 9. Daniel Wilkerson, 201; 10. Dave Richards, 171. NEXT RACEThe sixth of 20 races of the 2026 NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series is the May 15-17 Gerber Collision & Glass Route 66 NHRA National presented by PEAK at Route 66 Speedway in Joliet, Ill.

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MONTEREY, CALIFORNIA (May 3, 2026) – Cadillac Racing came so close to a victory in the Monterey Sportscar Championship at Laguna Seca Raceway, but Earl Bamber and the No. 31 Whelen Cadillac V-Series.R were passed on the final lap by Laurin Heinrich and the No. 5 JDC-Miller Motorsports Porsche 963 and finished .758 of second behind them.  The pass was made in Turn 5 of the 11-turn, 2.238-mile historic road course as both cars were on the best strategy after the final pit stop.  Bamber’s teammate, Jack Aitken, started second and took the lead on lap 20 from the pole-winning car driven by Louis Delétraz, driver of the No. 40 Cadillac Wayne Taylor Racing V-Series.R. He held the top spot for the next 25 laps when pit strategy took place.  Tom Bloomquist, driver of the No. 60 Meyer Shank Racing car held the lead from lap 90-107, but was forced to pit for fuel and that gave the lead to Bamber who held the lead until the final lap.  Despite the tough loss on the last lap, it was the sixth straight podium for the No. 31 Cadillac V-Series.R. They had two wins coming last fall at Indianapolis and Road Atlanta then the team finished second in the Rolex 24 at Daytona, third in March at Sebring, second two weeks ago at Long Beach and then second today.

Cadillac Racing has recorded 11 podium finishes at Laguna Seca, including victory in 2023, since joining IMSA prototype competition in 2017. They also have 108 podiums (24 GTP, 84 DPi) since joining IMSA prototype competition in 2017. Deletraz and Jordan Taylor, drivers of the No. 40 Cadillac Wayne Taylor Racing V-Series.R, finished 10th, while Filipe Albuquerque and Ricky Taylor, driver of the No. 10 Cadillac Wayne Taylor Racing V-Series.R, finished 33rdoverall after an incident with the No. 66 GTD car early in the race. The team repaired the rear of the car and Albuquerque went back out for a few minutes and then the team determined the car could not continue.  The next IMSA GTP event is the Chevrolet Detroit Grand Prix presented by Lear on May 30. The 100-minute race starts at 4 pm EDT and will be broadcast on NBC and streamed on Peacock. IMSA Radio will stream live audio coverage on XM 206, Channel 996 on the SiriusXM app and IMSA.com.

What they’re saying: No. 31 Whelen Cadillac V-Series.R Jack Aitken: “Day overall was another really good day. I mean, we’ve got yet another podium to add to the streak, so that’s six in a row now is really something that’s quite amazing in IMSA racing, where it’s so competitive. I mean, again, you know, about that we’re all gutted to finish second just shows the level that we’re on right now. And it is a shame that we couldn’t get that first one of the year, but it just, you know, the momentum we’re building is really, really cool. I mean, it’s coming real soon.” Earl Bamber: “No, I mean, it was a really good dog fight. You know, we had a great car all day. Our guys did an amazing strategy. But we just didn’t have enough rear tires at the end of the race. And, you know, the Porsche, Laurin (Heinrich) came at a huge rate of knots through the field. So yeah, that was, you know, none of us could really pass and he could just manage to cut through and once he finally got me, I saw how much grip he had. So, yeah, I think if you’re not going to finish first, you finish second, but it’s obviously better to, you know, not get passed on the last lap, but it was a great fight and, you know, it was nearly done, but, you know, that’s what it is.”

Cadillac finishes second at Laguna Seca; Action Express scores sixth straight podium finish

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MONTEREY, CALIFORNIA (May 3, 2026) – Cadillac Racing came so close to a victory in the Monterey Sportscar Championship at Laguna Seca Raceway, but Earl Bamber and the No. 31 Whelen Cadillac V-Series.R were passed on the final lap by Laurin Heinrich and the No. 5 JDC-Miller Motorsports Porsche 963 and finished .758 of second behind them.  The pass was made in Turn 5 of the 11-turn, 2.238-mile historic road course as both cars were on the best strategy after the final pit stop.  Bamber’s teammate, Jack Aitken, started second and took the lead on lap 20 from the pole-winning car driven by Louis Delétraz, driver of the No. 40 Cadillac Wayne Taylor Racing V-Series.R. He held the top spot for the next 25 laps when pit strategy took place.  Tom Bloomquist, driver of the No. 60 Meyer Shank Racing car held the lead from lap 90-107, but was forced to pit for fuel and that gave the lead to Bamber who held the lead until the final lap.  Despite the tough loss on the last lap, it was the sixth straight podium for the No. 31 Cadillac V-Series.R. They had two wins coming last fall at Indianapolis and Road Atlanta then the team finished second in the Rolex 24 at Daytona, third in March at Sebring, second two weeks ago at Long Beach and then second today.

Cadillac Racing has recorded 11 podium finishes at Laguna Seca, including victory in 2023, since joining IMSA prototype competition in 2017. They also have 108 podiums (24 GTP, 84 DPi) since joining IMSA prototype competition in 2017. Deletraz and Jordan Taylor, drivers of the No. 40 Cadillac Wayne Taylor Racing V-Series.R, finished 10th, while Filipe Albuquerque and Ricky Taylor, driver of the No. 10 Cadillac Wayne Taylor Racing V-Series.R, finished 33rdoverall after an incident with the No. 66 GTD car early in the race. The team repaired the rear of the car and Albuquerque went back out for a few minutes and then the team determined the car could not continue.  The next IMSA GTP event is the Chevrolet Detroit Grand Prix presented by Lear on May 30. The 100-minute race starts at 4 pm EDT and will be broadcast on NBC and streamed on Peacock. IMSA Radio will stream live audio coverage on XM 206, Channel 996 on the SiriusXM app and IMSA.com.

What they’re saying: No. 31 Whelen Cadillac V-Series.R Jack Aitken: “Day overall was another really good day. I mean, we’ve got yet another podium to add to the streak, so that’s six in a row now is really something that’s quite amazing in IMSA racing, where it’s so competitive. I mean, again, you know, about that we’re all gutted to finish second just shows the level that we’re on right now. And it is a shame that we couldn’t get that first one of the year, but it just, you know, the momentum we’re building is really, really cool. I mean, it’s coming real soon.” Earl Bamber: “No, I mean, it was a really good dog fight. You know, we had a great car all day. Our guys did an amazing strategy. But we just didn’t have enough rear tires at the end of the race. And, you know, the Porsche, Laurin (Heinrich) came at a huge rate of knots through the field. So yeah, that was, you know, none of us could really pass and he could just manage to cut through and once he finally got me, I saw how much grip he had. So, yeah, I think if you’re not going to finish first, you finish second, but it’s obviously better to, you know, not get passed on the last lap, but it was a great fight and, you know, it was nearly done, but, you know, that’s what it is.”

No. 40 Cadillac Wayne Taylor Racing V-Series.R Louis Deletraz: “Thank you to Cadillac Wayne Taylor Racing. We were at a very strong pace this weekend, throughout both practices and then taking the pole. The race was extremely disappointing finishing 10th. It’s definitely not what we came for. I think we have a lot to look at and work for the next time to be better. We want to be better.” Jordan Taylor: “Quite a frustrating day. We just were on the back foot all day after that first pit stop. The one positive we can take away from this weekend is that we had a fast car. We will focus on Detroit.”No. 10 Cadillac Wayne Taylor Racing V-Series.R Filipe Albuquerque: “Well, I think when one thing goes wrong, the rest is easy to go wrong as well. We started on a back foot, not good feeling with the car balance. We tried to fight back. We still did well in practice, but already bending and then qualifying was hard. The race starts, was not that bad, but that the two cars in front of me crashed, took me to the gravel. We kept going, and then just passing a GT, he crashed into me when I was completely side by side. The contact, wheel to wheel, was just enough to bend my rear triangle, bent the car and caused a rear puncture. So, nothing goes right this weekend. We just need to forget to eliminate this weekend and move on to Detroit” Ricky Taylor: “A really hard weekend from the start. It’s been a hard year. I feel like we’ve shown pace at times, but this weekend was just hard from the very beginning.  So I think, you know, we’ll forget it quickly. This one will be one we’ll forget. And Detroit, we have a little unfinished business from last year.  We were fast, and we’ve had good results there. We had two podiums in a row. It’s the home race for Cadillac, and, I think that’ll be a great way to rebound for the season.”

VALDOSTA, GA. (May 3, 2026) — Today at the inaugural NHRA national event at beautiful South Georgia Motorsports Park in Adel, Georgia, 2025 NHRA Rookie of the Year Spencer Hyde and the Head Contractors and Engineers Funny Car raced to a quarterfinal finish at the Southern Nationals. Coming into race day as the No. 9 qualifier Hyde, who is solidly in the Funny Car top ten in points, knew he would need quick times to have a long race day. Through three rounds of qualifying Hyde made two solid passes and one throw away run during a rain delayed qualifying session yesterday that saw race cars in the left lane struggle to get down the track.   “Everyone has to deal with the same racetrack but last night the left lane was a real challenge for a lot of the racecars,” said Hyde, runner-up earlier this season at the Arizona Nationals. “Our first two qualifying runs were solid but yesterday wasn’t super productive to get us ready for today. I felt good coming into the first round, but we knew we would need to try and hold onto lane choice.”  Spencer Hyde raced to the quarterfinals today at South Georgia Motorsports Park, photo credit Innovative Creation ExpertsIn the opening round racing against the two-time reigning Funny Car champion Austin Prock, Hyde led the race from start to finish. He took a commanding lead with a strong .049 second reaction time and his Ford Mustang Funny Car was glued to the middle of the groove as he cruised to victory with a winning time of 3.978 seconds to Prock’s 4.101 second pass.   “The first round is always nerve-wracking and seeing that win light was big,” said Hyde. “That run felt really good. I got off the line first and this Mustang Funny Car went right down the middle of the track. We were in the left lane, and Jim was able to make it work which was pretty impressive.”   In the quarterfinal round it was a battle two of the rising stars in the Funny Car class with Hyde taking on Funny Car newcomer Jordan Vandergriff. It was a serious No. 9 versus No. 3 qualifier match up but Hyde was hopeful another win light was in his future. Vandergriff had lane choice and Hyde was once again back in the problematic left lane. This round the Head Contractors and Engineers Funny Car was not as fortunate coming off the starting line and overpowered the racetrack. Hyde had to watch as Vandergriff, who would go on to win the race, pulled away for the victory.   “The track was heating up, and the conditions were just getting tricky for everyone,” said Hyde. “This is a new racetrack and while the crowds and staff were awesome everyone had to figure out the track. This weekend was a solid weekend for our team. We made some good runs, and we turned on a win light. We’ll take some time and get ready for Chicago in a couple weeks.”   Hyde was pulling double duty at the Southern Nationals also racing the Pro Mod class. He drew Pro Mod standout Lyle Barnett in the first round. He was giving up lane choice but felt confident going into the opening session. Barnett grabbed a slight starting line advance but Hyde’s respectable .032 reaction time had his Team Shelton Motorsports Mustang right with Barnett. Hyde had to give his race car a quick pedal in the left lane while Barnett was on a smooth pass beside him. It was Barnett getting the win at the strip with a winning 5.991 second pass in front of Hyde’s 6.089 second run.   “Any time I can get behind the wheel of a Pro Mod car I am ready to do that,” said Hyde, winner of the 2023 World Series of Pro Mod. “It helps keep you in race mode when you are constantly getting time on the track. I want to thank Team Shelton Motorsports for the chance. Lyle is a tough customer, and we knew we would have our hands full against him.”   Hyde and the Head Contractors and Engineers Funny Car will be back in competition in two weeks at the Gerber Collision & Glass Route 66 NHRA Nationals presented by PEAK on May 14-17 at Route 66 Raceway. There will be two qualifying sessions on Friday, May 15 and two qualifying sessions on Saturday, May 16. For tickets or more information on the Route 66 Nationals visit nhra.com.   Qualifying Results – Funny Car Q1: 3.963 sec, 322.42 mph; Qual. 5 Q2: 3.982 sec, 315.86 mph; Qual. 9 Q3: 8.988 sec, 59.82 mph; Qual. 9 Bonus Points: 0   Qualifying Results – Pro Mod Q1: 5.754 sec, 253.23 mph; Qual. 9 Q2: 9.738 sec, 106.20 mph; Qual. 11 Q3: 10.216 sec, 111.93 mph; Qual. 14 Bonus Points: 0   Race Results First Round – Funny Car Spencer Hyde, Stratford, Ontario, Head Contractors & Engineers Funny Car, (.049), 3.978 sec, 322.81 mphdef. Austin Prock, Pittsboro, Ind., Ford Mustang Dark Horse, (.078), 4.101 sec, 319.82 mph   Second Round – Funny Car Jordan Vandergriff, Atlanta, Ga., Cornwell Tools Funny Car, (.083), 3.956 sec, 332.34 mph def. Spencer Hyde, Stratford, Ontario, Head Contractors & Engineers Funny Car, (.080), 12.015 sec, 63.76 mph     First Round – Pro Mod Lyle Barnett, Robbins, N.C., Billy Banaka Racing, (.026), 5.991 sec, 234.94 mph def. Spencer Hyde, Stratford, Ontario, Team Shelton Motorsports, (.032), 6.089 sec, 249.39 mph   Mission Foods Drag Racing Series Point Standings – Funny Car 1. J.R. Todd                         411 2. Ron Capps                       409 3. Matt Hagan                     386 4. Jordan Vandergriff          383 6. Chad Green                     340 6. Alexis DeJoria                 297 7. Spencer Hyde                 275 8. Jack Beckman                 245 9. Dan Wilkerson                202 10. Dave Richards               171