All posts by ARP Trish

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Cole Macedo and Carson Macedo completed the top five.

NIGHTLY NOTES

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

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

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

The SPA Technique #1 Redraw went to David Gravel.

Gravel also topped the Toyota Dash.

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

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

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

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

David Gravel set the ACME Trading Company Fast Lap.

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

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

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

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

FEATURE RESULTS:

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

FOR PELLA: Heavy-Hearted Haudenschild Claims Thrilling Plymouth Victory

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

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

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

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

Cole Macedo and Carson Macedo completed the top five.

NIGHTLY NOTES

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

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

The SPA Technique #1 Redraw went to David Gravel.

Gravel also topped the Toyota Dash.

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

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

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

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

David Gravel set the ACME Trading Company Fast Lap.

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

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

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

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

FEATURE RESULTS:

For complete results, CLICK HERE.

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

June 8, 2026 ARP Trish

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Bauman Storms to Fourth Straight Victory with Nashville Master Class

June 8, 2026 ARP Trish

Briar Bauman (No. 3) leads Chad Cose (No. 49) and the field in the second heat race during the 2026 Caterpillar Nashville Short Track presented by Memphis Shades. [Photo: Tim Lester for AMA Pro Racing]Download high-resolution photo from AMA Pro’s Digital Asset Management system

Bauman Storms to Fourth Straight Victory with Nashville Master Class

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

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

June 8, 2026 ARP Trish

June 6, 2026 — ST. LOUIS, MO

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

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

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

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

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

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

Bommarito Automotive Group 500 Honda Qualifying Results

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

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

R – Rookie

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

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

June 6, 2026 — ST. LOUIS, MO

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

Bommarito Automotive Group 500 Honda Qualifying Results

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

R – Rookie

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

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chevy racing–indycar–qualifying report

June 8, 2026 ARP Trish

Plant Visit
Christian Rasmussen, the driver of the No. 21 Splenda Chevrolet, made a 45-minute drive west into Missouri on Friday morning to visit Wentzville Assembly. The 4.2-million-square-foot General Motors plant builds mid-size pickup trucks (Chevrolet Colorado and GMC Canyon) and full-size vans (Chevrolet Express and GMC Safari).
The ECR driver, who had his first career podium at World Wide Technology Raceway at Gateway last year, took part in a tour of the plant, stopping along the way to snap pictures with and sign autographs for the plant employees. As part of the visit, 10 lucky employees had the chance to eat lunch with the Chevrolet-powered driver before the Danish driver met with leadership.
Built in 1983, Wentzville Assembly employs 4,500 and, as part of the program between the track, Chevrolet and INDYCAR, has distributed 2,500 tickets across the two-day Bommarito Automotive Group 500 for employees and their families to enjoy the event.

An all-Chevrolet podium of Pato O’Ward (Arrow McLaren), Josef Newgarden (Team Penske) and Will Power (Team Penske) celebrate at World Wide Technology Raceway At Gateway in 2021.

An all-Chevrolet podium of Pato O’Ward (Arrow McLaren), Josef Newgarden (Team Penske) and Will Power (Team Penske) celebrate at World Wide Technology Raceway At Gateway in 2021.

Chevrolet at World Wide Technology Raceway At Gateway
General Motors Wins: 8
Chevrolet Wins: 7
2024 – Josef Newgarden – Team Penske2022 – Josef Newgarden – Team Penske2021 – Josef Newgarden – Team Penske2020 Race #2 – Josef Newgarden – Team Penske2018 – Will Power – Team Penske2017 – Josef Newgarden – Team Penske2002 – Gil de Ferran – Team Penske
Oldsmobile Wins: 1
2001 – Al Unser, Jr. – Galles Racing

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

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

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

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

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John Force racing–Michigan–Saturday

June 8, 2026 ARP Trish

Photography: John Force Racing / Auto Imagery / Gary Nastase

VANDERGRIFF CAPTURES FIRST NO. 1 QUALIFIER AWARD, SECOND #2FAST2TASTY CHALLENGEJFR FUNNY CARS GO 1-2-3, HART QUALIFIES THIRD IN TOP FUEL

Photography: John Force Racing / Auto Imagery / Gary Nastase

VANDERGRIFF CAPTURES FIRST NO. 1 QUALIFIER AWARD, SECOND #2FAST2TASTY CHALLENGEJFR FUNNY CARS GO 1-2-3, HART QUALIFIES THIRD IN TOP FUEL

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

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Chevy Racing–NASCAR–Michigan–richard Childress

June 8, 2026 ARP Trish

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

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

MEDIA RESOURCES: Photo Gallery | Race Advances Chevrolet Newsroom

NASCAR CUP SERIESMICHIGAN INTERNATIONAL SPEEDWAYTEAM CHEVY TRANSCRIPTJUNE 6, 2026

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

MEDIA RESOURCES: Photo Gallery | Race Advances Chevrolet Newsroom

Media Availability Quotes:

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

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CORVETTE RACING AT LE MANS: By the Numbers

June 8, 2026 ARP Trish

• 1: As in one manufacturer, one model of car and one program for 26 years at Le Mans: Chevrolet, the Chevrolet Corvette and Corvette Racing• 2: Number of victories for TF Sport at Le Mans (2020 and 2022 in GTE Am)• 3: Number of wins for the Corvette C5-R – 2001, 2002, 2004• 4: Number of wins for the Corvette C6.R – 2005, 2006, 2009, 2011• 4: Generations of Corvette Racing entries at Le Mans since 2000 – Corvette C5-R (2000-04), Corvette C6.R (2005-13), Corvette C7.R (2014-2019) and the eighth-gen Corvette C8.R (2021-2023) / Corvette Z06 GT3.R (2024-current)• 5: Number of 24 Hours of Le Mans wins for TF Sport’s group of drivers: two for Ben Keating (2022, 2023) plus one each for Nicky Catsburg (2023), Charlie Eastwood (2020) and Salih Yoluc (2020)• 9: Class victories for Corvette Racing at Le Mans – all since 2001• 12: Number of drivers who have won races at Le Mans for Corvette Racing – Olivier Beretta, Nicky Catsburg, Ron Fellows, Antonio Garcia, Oliver Gavin, Ben Keating, Jan Magnussen, Tommy Milner, Johnny O’Connell, Scott Pruett, Jordan Taylor and Nico Varrone• 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• 85: Number of drivers in Corvette Racing entries since 1999. Steller Motorsports’ Mikkel Mac joined the list at Monza in the GT World Challenge Europe opener• 155: Victories worldwide for Corvette Racing – 119 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• 378: Event starts by Corvette Racing since 1999• 124,247.94: Total number of racing miles completed by Corvette Racing entries at Le Mans since its debut in 2000. That’s more than 30 flights from Detroit to Paris• 492,876.61: Total number of racing miles completed by Corvette Racing since its inception. The program should surpass the half-million mile mark at this year’s 24 Hours of Le Mans

CORVETTE RACING AT LE MANS: By the Numbers
• 1: As in one manufacturer, one model of car and one program for 26 years at Le Mans: Chevrolet, the Chevrolet Corvette and Corvette Racing• 2: Number of victories for TF Sport at Le Mans (2020 and 2022 in GTE Am)• 3: Number of wins for the Corvette C5-R – 2001, 2002, 2004• 4: Number of wins for the Corvette C6.R – 2005, 2006, 2009, 2011• 4: Generations of Corvette Racing entries at Le Mans since 2000 – Corvette C5-R (2000-04), Corvette C6.R (2005-13), Corvette C7.R (2014-2019) and the eighth-gen Corvette C8.R (2021-2023) / Corvette Z06 GT3.R (2024-current)• 5: Number of 24 Hours of Le Mans wins for TF Sport’s group of drivers: two for Ben Keating (2022, 2023) plus one each for Nicky Catsburg (2023), Charlie Eastwood (2020) and Salih Yoluc (2020)• 9: Class victories for Corvette Racing at Le Mans – all since 2001• 12: Number of drivers who have won races at Le Mans for Corvette Racing – Olivier Beretta, Nicky Catsburg, Ron Fellows, Antonio Garcia, Oliver Gavin, Ben Keating, Jan Magnussen, Tommy Milner, Johnny O’Connell, Scott Pruett, Jordan Taylor and Nico Varrone• 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• 85: Number of drivers in Corvette Racing entries since 1999. Steller Motorsports’ Mikkel Mac joined the list at Monza in the GT World Challenge Europe opener• 155: Victories worldwide for Corvette Racing – 119 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• 378: Event starts by Corvette Racing since 1999• 124,247.94: Total number of racing miles completed by Corvette Racing entries at Le Mans since its debut in 2000. That’s more than 30 flights from Detroit to Paris• 492,876.61: Total number of racing miles completed by Corvette Racing since its inception. The program should surpass the half-million mile mark at this year’s 24 Hours of Le Mans

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Blake Hahn Performs Masterclass in First Don Swope Classic Victory at Creek County Speedway

June 8, 2026 ARP Trish

SAPULPA, OK (June 6, 2026) — Any win with the American Sprint Car Series is special for Blake Hahn.

However, winning at the track his grandfather, Emmett Hahn, built in an event honoring family friend Don Swope hits close to home.

The Sapulpa, OK driver set the pace throughout the night at the Creek County Speedway, winning his Heat race, then secured Pole Position after winning the Honest Abe Roffing Dash.

When the green flag dropped, Hahn jumped to the top spot over Alex Sewell and Sam Hafertepe Jr. with his No. 52 Sprint Car using the cushion in the early stages.

Behind the leaders, trouble ensued for ASCS National Tour title chaser Kyler Johnson as he was involved in two separate incidents through the first six laps of the 30-lap Feature that took him out of contention.

Hahn continued to orchestrate the speed at 1/4-mile bullring around the top as Sewell and Hafertepe used the bottom lane in their hunt for the lead.

Suddenly, Hafertepe’s engine expired on Lap 14, which immediately took him out of the race and put his Series points lead in jeopardy as direct challenger Matt Covington inherited the podium position.

Hahn continued to keep Sewell at bay throughout the second half as the No. 8 dealt with Covington’s attempts at taking the runner-up position away.

Leading by 1.5 seconds over the two drivers, Hahn wheeled to the twin checkered flags in scoring the denim overalls and a case of beer for his 26th career National Tour win and his first Don Swope Classic triumph.

“This means a lot; Swope’s been instrumental for my family,” Hahn said. “He’s always been one of those guys that was always there when we needed him. Him with Jeremy McGehee and those group of guys, we wouldn’t be able to be where we are with the Chili Bowl and Tulsa Shootout.

“Truthfully, it’s really cool. I’ve been wanting to win this one for him really bad. So to be able to win, it means a lot. One of the cooler things is that the race shop I work out of was handmade by Don Swope. I’m really excited to be on the podium and thankful to have my family here with me too.”

With Hafertepe finishing in 17th and Covington completing the night in third, they are separated by a mere five points in the Series standings, leaving the night at Creek County.Recap Notes:

Quick Time Award: Sam Hafertepe Jr.

Heat Winners: Blake Hahn, Alex Sewell, Kade Morton

Honest Abe Roofing Dash Winner: Blake Hahn

Hard Charger Award: Bradley Fezard (+8)

Up Next: The American Sprint Car Series heads to Park City, KS, with the ASCS Sooner Region and Gunsmoke Region for the Salute to Service Sprint Car Showdown at 81 Speedway on Saturday, June 6.

81 SPEEDWAY INFO

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

Blake Hahn Performs Masterclass in First Don Swope Classic Victory at Creek County Speedway SAPULPA, OK (June 6, 2026) — Any win with the American Sprint Car Series is special for Blake Hahn.

However, winning at the track his grandfather, Emmett Hahn, built in an event honoring family friend Don Swope hits close to home.

The Sapulpa, OK driver set the pace throughout the night at the Creek County Speedway, winning his Heat race, then secured Pole Position after winning the Honest Abe Roffing Dash.

When the green flag dropped, Hahn jumped to the top spot over Alex Sewell and Sam Hafertepe Jr. with his No. 52 Sprint Car using the cushion in the early stages.

Hahn continued to orchestrate the speed at 1/4-mile bullring around the top as Sewell and Hafertepe used the bottom lane in their hunt for the lead.

Hahn continued to keep Sewell at bay throughout the second half as the No. 8 dealt with Covington’s attempts at taking the runner-up position away.

With Hafertepe finishing in 17th and Covington completing the night in third, they are separated by a mere five points in the Series standings, leaving the night at Creek County.Recap Notes:

Quick Time Award: Sam Hafertepe Jr.

Heat Winners: Blake Hahn, Alex Sewell, Kade Morton

Honest Abe Roofing Dash Winner: Blake Hahn

Hard Charger Award: Bradley Fezard (+8)

Up Next: The American Sprint Car Series heads to Park City, KS, with the ASCS Sooner Region and Gunsmoke Region for the Salute to Service Sprint Car Showdown at 81 Speedway on Saturday, June 6.

81 SPEEDWAY INFO

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

Results: Feature (30 Laps): 1. 52-Blake Hahn[1]; 2. 8-Alex Sewell[2]; 3. 95-Matt Covington[3]; 4. 23-Seth Bergman[5]; 5. 938-Bradley Fezard[13]; 6. 8M-Kade Morton[6]; 7. 7F-Joshua Tyre[15]; 8. 16S-Steven Shebester[10]; 9. 3-Cole Schroeder[12]; 10. 16G-Austyn Gossel[17]; 11. 88-Terry Easum[9]; 12. 31-Casey Wills[19]; 13. 2-Whit Gastineau[11]; 14. 88C-Brogan Carder[7]; 15. 88R-Ryder Laplante[18]; 16. 55-Corey McGehee[20]; 17. 15H-Sam Hafertepe Jr[4]; 18. 7M-Chance Morton[8]; 19. 68-Taylor Milton[21]; 20. 70K-Henry Rogers[22]; 21. 52H-Hayden Mabe[14]; 22. 45X-Kyler Johnson[16]

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Davenport Stays Dominant at Dream, Outruns Overton for Friday Prelim Victory

June 8, 2026 ARP Trish

ROSSBURG, OH (June 5, 2026) – It’s been seven years since someone not named Jonathan Davenport or Brandon Overton won the Dirt Late Model Dream, and Friday was a prime example of why that’s the case.

In the second of two preliminary nights for the Eldora Speedway crown jewel, the two titans of the “Big E” were at the front of the field by the end once again, with Davenport emerging victorious for the eighth time in Dream prelim competition. The result puts the Blairsville, GA driver in an ideal position going into Saturday’s $100,000-to-win program, which he’ll be trying to win for a record-breaking fourth time in a row.

Before Davenport or Overton got their time out front, it was Illinois star Jason Feger spending time in the lead early in the race. The reigning champion of the MARS Late Model Championship, DIRTcar Summer Nationals and the DIRTcar Late Model national points broke away from polesitter Mason Zeigler on the top side.

While Feger pulled away, Zeigler started to drop through the field until his night came to an end in catastrophic fashion. He got turned around after contact with Nick Hoffman exiting Turn 4, then ramped off the nose of Brandon Sheppard’s car and barrel rolled down the frontstretch. Zeigler climbed from the machine unhurt.

On the ensuing restart, Overton ripped around the top of Turns 1 and 2 to bring Feger’s time out front to a close. The next car to challenge Feger was Davenport, but the Bloomington, IL native gave “Superman” everything he could handle. Davenport needed several laps to get by Feger initially, and as soon as he did, he tagged the wall in Turn 1 to let Feger get back around. Davenport went back to work and overtook Feger for a second time, but by that point, he only had eight laps left to run down Overton at the front.

Luckily for Davenport, his 1.9-second gap to Overton was erased with five to go when the caution flew for a slowing Brenden Smith. One Turn 1 slide job later, Davenport was in command, and he heldd on for five more circuits to take the checkered flag.

“I thought I had something for [Overton] there in lap traffic,” Davenport said. “Got by Feger, I found me a really good rhythm there and I stuffed it in the fence there. I don’t think I hit the right-front too hard, I don’t know. My steering wheel moved just a little bit, not much. Hopefully it wasn’t too bad. I don’t know if that’s when I knocked my spoiler in or whatever, but it definitely wasn’t as good after that. I couldn’t really go through the middle down in [Turns] 3 and 4 like I needed to.

“I was kind of licking my chops when [Overton] kept picking the outside. I said, ‘if I can ever get there and he picks the outside, I might can get enough.’ There’s just a little bit of brown right in the middle of the straightaway about at the flag stand where you can go all the way to the floorboard, where I don’t think you could if you were out in the slick. [Overton] tried to squeeze down just a little bit so he could catch that too. I don’t know, I saw him at the last second. I was either going to stick it right in his door, I think, if I lifted or hit the brakes. I just tried to drive straight right across him.”

Overton settled for second ahead of Dale McDowell in third, Feger in fourth and Hoffman in fifth.

UP NEXT: The Dirt Late Model Dream concludes on Saturday, June 6, with the 100-lap, $100,000-to-win, finale at Eldora Speedway. Get your tickets in advance by clicking here.

Davenport Stays Dominant at Dream, Outruns Overton for Friday Prelim Victory

Overton settled for second ahead of Dale McDowell in third, Feger in fourth and Hoffman in fifth.

UP NEXT: The Dirt Late Model Dream concludes on Saturday, June 6, with the 100-lap, $100,000-to-win, finale at Eldora Speedway. Get your tickets in advance by clicking here.

Feature (50 Laps): 1. 49D-Jonathan Davenport[6]; 2. 76-Brandon Overton[4]; 3. 17M-Dale McDowell[3]; 4. 25F-Jason Feger[2]; 5. 9-Nick Hoffman[9]; 6. 12W-Ashton Winger[8]; 7. 14JR-Trey Mills[17]; 8. 111-Max Blair[7]; 9. 1-Brandon Sheppard[11]; 10. 19R-Ryan Gustin[20]; 11. 22*-Drake Troutman[21]; 12. 3S-Brian Shirley[18]; 13. 58V-Daulton Wilson[14]; 14. 157-Mike Marlar[10]; 15. 57-Zack Mitchell[5]; 16. 20TC-Tristan Chamberlain[13]; 17. 8-Kyle Strickler[12]; 18. 17SS-Brenden Smith[25]; 19. 18J-Chase Junghans[23]; 20. 10J-Joseph Joiner[15]; 21. T1-Todd Morrow[16]; 22. 12M-Ryan Montgomery[26]; 23. 12-Jason Jameson[19]; 24. 45-Kyle Hammer[24]; 25. 25Z-Mason Zeigler[1]; 26. 88-Trent Ivey[22]

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John Force Racing–Friday recap

June 8, 2026 ARP Trish

FRIDAY RECAP – EPPING Race 8 of 20

Photography: John Force Racing / Auto Imagery / Gary Nastase

DEJORIA CLAWS HER WAY TO NO. 1 IN FRIDAY QUALIFYING AT EPPINGVandergriff improves to second, Hart to third and Beckman to fourth after night qualifying runs

FRIDAY RECAP – EPPINGRace 8 of 20

Photography: John Force Racing / Auto Imagery / Gary Nastase

DEJORIA CLAWS HER WAY TO NO. 1 IN FRIDAY QUALIFYING AT EPPINGVandergriff improves to second, Hart to third and Beckman to fourth after night qualifying runs

EPPING, N.H. (June 5, 2026) – Alexis DeJoria made the best of Friday night qualifying at her adopted home track by snapping up the provisional No. 1 spot after the first day of qualifying for the NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series NHRA New England Nationals at New England Dragway. The veteran driver, whose family on her mother side hails from Rhode Island, streaked down the drag strip in her John Force Racing Bandero Café Chevrolet SS Funny Car with a run of 3.929 seconds at 312.42 mph. In doing so, DeJoria claimed New England Dragway’s second annual “No. 1 Clawifier Award” in the Funny Car class, which included a large lobster for her and lobster dinners for each of her crew members for being the No. 1 qualifying after Q2 Friday night. Her John Force Racing Funny Car teammates held the No. 1 spot after their Q2 runs. Jack Beckman and the PEAK Chevrolet SS Funny Car started things off, establishing low elapsed time with a run of 3.950 seconds at 323.81 mph. Jordan Vandergriff then assumed the mantle with his Cornwell Tools Chevrolet SS Funny Car resetting low elapsed time of the session at 3.932 seconds at 326.32 mph. Vandergriff ended up second and Beckman fourth. Josh Hart qualified the John Force Racing Speedmaster Top Fuel Dragster in the No. 3 spot with a solid run of 3.724 seconds at 337.92 mph. NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series qualifying on Sat., June 6, has been moved up one hour and will feature the final two rounds at 11:30 and 2 p.m. ET. Final eliminations are scheduled for Sunday, June 7, at 11 a.m. ET. Quote from Alexis DeJoria, Bandero Café Chevrolet SS Funny Car: “Right now, we’re No. 1 and that’s all that matters. I got to sit in the lobster chair tonight, and we’re sitting No. 1. Our Bandero Chevy team really needed that. We’ve come so close to so many things and just missed them. Tonight, everything paid off. We’ve worked really hard to build a consistent race car and now we’re starting to take that next step. We’re one, two and four. That’s a pretty good night for John Force Racing.” “After Englishtown went away, this became the hometown track for me and my family in Rhode Island. This is where they come to see me race. I’ve got my mom’s family out here: my mom, my sister, and my aunts and uncles and cousins and friends that I grew up with.” “The Funny Car class is very competitive. Any one of these cars can beat you on any given Sunday. My guys have done such a great job, and they finally got a handle on the car, so now they’re just stepping it up and making it quicker and it showed right there. It was a little bit of a beast at the top end, trying to take me inside. I held on for as long as I possibly could before I clicked it off early.” Quote from Jordan Vandergriff, Cornwell Tools Chevrolet SS Funny Car: “I sat in the claw chair for a little bit, held the lobster, but was bumped by my teammate (DeJoria). But, you know, who else would you want to get bumped by? It was a really strong qualifying effort in Q2 by all of John Force Racing. I think we’re 1-2-3-4. I’m really happy for Alexis and really happy for my Cornwell Quality Tools team.” Quote from Josh Hart, Speedmaster Top Fuel Dragster: “’I’m pretty happy with that. It’s like working with Babe Ruth. I mean, John Collins and Dave Grubnic (crew chiefs) called their shot in Q1. They called it again in Q2. We’re just happy we got our Speedmaster hot rod back. I mean, what do I have to complain about? I drive for John Force Racing. So, I’m ecstatic. And tomorrow we’ll be even more ecstatic because we’ll develop some more consistency, and we’ll be ready to test a few things. I see 60s if the clouds come in but the wet weather holds off.” Quote from Jack Beckman, PEAK Chevrolet SS Funny Car: “If you’d have told me this morning that we were going to be a top four qualifier, I would have said ‘We think we can do better than that but that would be a good day.’ So, it was a good day. We smoked the tires in Q1 so we had to be the very first car out for the second session. We really thought a mid 3.90-second run was about what we were gonna push for. That’s exactly what we got … 3.95, 0. So, I’m happy that the PEAK Chevy did what the crew chiefs asked it to do. Would I have liked to have been a few pairs further back and seen other cars run to know we could have pushed a little harder? Sure, but I’m not going to woulda, coulda, shoulda. We’re number four. Our teammates are number one and number two.”

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Feger Reflects on Importance of Summer Nationals With 40th Anniversary Season Ahead

June 8, 2026 ARP Trish

CONCORD, NC (June 5, 2026) — Few dirt Late Model drivers of the modern era know the DIRTcar Summer Nationals like Jason Feger, both on and off the track.

As The Hell Tour celebrates its 40th anniversary in 2026, starting with the kickoff at Brownstown Bullring on June 9, the two-time and reigning champion recalls much of its history. First as a youngster in the grandstands at the local Saturday-night speedways of Illinois, and later as a crewmember and driver — now a two-time Series champion and winner of 35 Features on the tour dating back to his first in 2009.

“It’s always been special to me because, as a kid, back then, that’s basically all there was around the Illinois area,” Feger, of Bloomington, IL, said. “The Prairie Dirt Classic was like a $10,000-to-win race, a smaller deal, and there was no Illini 100 or Lucas or Outlaws stuff like that. The Hell Tour races, the ones that came through Illinois, that was your big events for the year. That was it — that handful of events through the Midwest.

“We looked so forward to that time of the summer every year, especially when we had that one really good week, which was like LaSalle, Spoon River, Macon, Farmer City, Fairbury and Danville. It stayed the same for so long, and it was just an amazing week that was. A lot of good memories.”

Starting up his own driving career in the Sportsman ranks in 1996, Feger didn’t turn his first laps in a Late Model until 2002. But he had experienced a bit of the grind of the Hell Tourbefore, having worked as a crewmember for fellow Bloomington native and 11-time Summer Nationals Feature winner, Billy Drake. During that time, Feger built the framework of his mechanical abilities and witnessed Summer Nationals greats like Bob Pierce, Billy Moyer, and Rick Auckland put their talents on display, night after night.

Since then, Feger has become a household name in the Illinois dirt Late Model scene, just trying to do it like those that came before him.

“I think I’m getting old because I’ve probably raced in most of or half of them,” Feger said with a chuckle. “And I was with Billy Drake at a lot of them before that. It’s hard to believe.

“I was a little kid when (Summer Nationals) first came out, and watching those guys, a lot of my heroes do it, is hard to believe it’s been that long. But it’s sustained and still does what it does.”

In making at least one Summer Nationals start in nearly every year of his Late Model career, Feger’s notebook has grown exponentially. But what’s been the biggest thing the Hell Tour has taught him?

“To me, it teaches you how to take care of your equipment,” Feger said. “I’ve tried to preach this to all the other guys — you know when it’s your night and when it’s not your night, and you figure out really quick that it’s really easy to dig yourself a bigger hole.

“When you’re really young and dumb, and you want to work really hard, you can dig a hole and keep getting out of it. But the older you get, the more you don’t like doing that.”

From his three national DIRTcar Late Model points championships, multiple national Late Model series Feature wins, regional Late Model series titles, and two Hell Tour points titles, there’s no question of Feger’s mastery of the Midwest.

Now at 48 years old, he’s had a chance to take a look back on all of those accomplishments. And with his age has come a great deal of invaluable knowledge and experience that keeps him competitive as he celebrates 30 years of his racing career in 2026.

“I feel like we’re older and wiser,” Feger said. “As far as my racecraft, I’m as smart as I’ve ever been. Technically, on the race car, I’m as good as I’ve ever been. I’ve got a really good crew.

“I think we’ve just gotten smarter over the years. I don’t necessarily have to just drive the top anymore; we’ve gotten really good at being able to run the bottom and through the slick and stuff like that. I’m probably not as good on the cushion or in the rough as I once was, but we’re better in a lot of areas.”

Feger will join the DIRTcar Summer Nationals Late Model field in the opening race of the Hell Tour at Brownstown Bullring in Brownstown, IL on Tuesday, June 9. Tickets for the event will be sold at the track on race day.

Feger Reflects on Importance of Summer Nationals With 40th Anniversary Season Ahead

CONCORD, NC (June 5, 2026) — Few dirt Late Model drivers of the modern era know the DIRTcar Summer Nationals like Jason Feger, both on and off the track.

Since then, Feger has become a household name in the Illinois dirt Late Model scene, just trying to do it like those that came before him.

“When you’re really young and dumb, and you want to work really hard, you can dig a hole and keep getting out of it. But the older you get, the more you don’t like doing that.”

If you can’t be at the track, stream every lap live on DIRTVision.

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Pierce Starts Quest for Maiden Dirt Late Model Dream Triumph with Thursday Prelim Win

June 8, 2026 ARP Trish

ROSSBURG, OH (June 4, 2026) – Bobby Pierce has spent more than a decade trying to become a Dirt Late Model Dream champion. Thursday night at Eldora Speedway, he took a big step in the right direction.

The two-time and defending champion of the World of Outlaws Late Model Series presented by DIRTVision topped the first of two preliminary nights after wrestling the lead away from Devin Moran in an entertaining battle through traffic.

The win marked Pierce’s first prelim win at the Dream in his 14th start in the event. It puts the Oakwood, IL native in prime position for Heat Race competition on Saturday as he looks to finally add a Dream victory to his Eldora resume that already includes two World 100 wins and two more in the Dirt Track World Championship.

“Eldora was awesome tonight, had a bottom, middle, top,” Pierce said. “Got really skatey in the middle, so the sliders were a lot of fun. We worked hard last night getting the motor changed. Wasn’t really what I wanted for early in the night, but for that racetrack, it was perfect.”

Pierce didn’t have an easy road to the front from the seventh starting spot, but with 50 laps to get there and a healthy cushion to utilize, no one was ruling the No. 32 out. By Lap 12, he was in a podium position, and a Turn 3 slider on Josh Rice seven laps later moved him into second behind Moran. Rice then repaid the favor when Pierce got stuck behind a lap car, and the back-and-forth allowed Tyler Erb to make it a three-way battle for second on the bottom.

After several more laps of position swapping, Pierce finally cleared Rice for second and held onto the spot for good. Moments later, Moran tagged the wall in Turn 2 to lose some momentum, which meant that Pierce was just close enough to sail it off into Turn 3 and slide up in front of the No. 99.

A caution for a cut right-rear tire on Kyle Bronson’s car reset the field, but no one could challenge Pierce for the top spot on the restart. Instead, Erb got by Moran to emerge as Pierce’s biggest threat late in the race, but he never found a way around Pierce and had to settle fro second.

Behind him, Hudson O’Neal crossed the line third ahead of Moran in fourth, while Ricky Thornton Jr. charged up from 20th in the starting order to finish fifth.

UP NEXT: The other half of the Dirt Late Model Dream field will battle in preliminary action on Friday, June 5, which culminates with another 50-lap, $30,000-to-win, Feature. Get your tickets in advance by clicking here.

Pierce Starts Quest for Maiden Dirt Late Model Dream Triumph with Thursday Prelim Win

Behind him, Hudson O’Neal crossed the line third ahead of Moran in fourth, while Ricky Thornton Jr. charged up from 20th in the starting order to finish fifth.

Feature (50 Laps): 1. 32-Bobby Pierce[7]; 2. 51-Tyler Erb[12]; 3. 71-Hudson O’Neal[9]; 4. 99-Devin Moran[1]; 5. 20RT-Ricky Thornton Jr[20]; 6. 74X-Ethan Dotson[11]; 7. 11-Josh Rice[5]; 8. 22F-Chris Ferguson[4]; 9. 40B-Kyle Bronson[15]; 10. 58-Garrett Alberson[2]; 11. 388-Jackson Hise[17]; 12. 16-Sam Seawright[3]; 13. 44D-Dalton Cook[21]; 14. 28-Dennis Erb Jr[14]; 15. 60-Dan Ebert[26]; 16. 0-Jake O’Neil[13]; 17. 13D-Dallon Murty[6]; 18. 09-Michael Leach[8]; 19. 9M-Tim McCreadie[10]; 20. 25-Shane Clanton[19]; 21. 13-KC Burdette[23]; 22. 8-Dillon McCowan[22]; 23. 5-Mark Whitener[16]; 24. S21-Seth Daniels[25]; 25. 15-Justin Duty[24]; 26. 55E-Eli Johnson[18]

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KICKER AFT Singles Title Fight Intensifies in Tennessee

June 8, 2026 ARP Trish

Kage Tadman (No. 28) holds off Walker Porter (No. 10) during the 2026 ThrottleFest heat race. [Photo: Scott Hunter for AMA Pro Racing]Download high-resolution photo from AMA Pro’s Digital Asset Management system

KICKER AFT Singles Title Fight Intensifies in Tennessee

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (June 4, 2026) – A newly energized KICKER AFT Singles title fight arrives for the Caterpillar Nashville Short Track presented by Memphis Shades, as Progressive American Flat Track, sanctioned by AMA Pro Racing, makes its first-ever visit to Sons of Speed Nashville Short Track in Hohenwald, Tennessee, on Saturday, June 6. Title Fight Reignited Defending KICKER AFT Singles champion Tom Drane (No. 1 Estenson Racing Yamaha YZ450F) comes in fresh off his worst result in nearly two seasons. Of course, the Australian’s worst result was a fifth, a finish that would represent a genuine accomplishment for any number of skilled riders. Despite that relative dip in form, Drane entered ThrottleFest with a 16-point advantage and left leading by the exact same margin. How? While the difference remained the same, the names under it have changed. Trevor Brunner (No. 21 KMA Racing/March Equipment Yamaha YZ450F) came away even worse than Drane by placing eighth, dropping him down from second to fourth, now 19 points in arrears. Meanwhile, archnemesis Chase Saathoff (No. 88 1st Impressions Race Team Husqvarna FC450) stayed in third but cut his deficit from 20 points to 17 by finishing third at Budds Creek. The big mover, of course, was race winner Kage Tadman (No. 28 American Honda/Mission Foods CRF450R), who leapt up from fourth to second, slashing his gap down from 26 to 16. Drane’s consistent excellence has established him as a dominant figure in the class, and his championship style is akin to an Australian scrub python steadily tightening its grip. However, his uncharacteristically quiet fifth in Maryland provides a ray of hope for his rivals, all of whom will be looking to pounce this weekend. Talent Travels Tadman scored a couple of landmark achievements at ThrottleFest. He joined Drane as the only other two-race winner this season, while claiming both his first win away from his home state and his first at a Half-Mile. (Incidentally, his career record of one HM victory puts him on par with fellow title hopefuls Saathoff and Brunner). Despite its novelty, the win didn’t come as a major upset. The sort of magic Tadman previously showcased in Ventura and Chico was no fluke, rather merely indicative of what he’s capable of when feeling at home and comfortable. The fact that he was able to do the same at Budds Creek is clear evidence that he’s starting to feel at home and comfortable with Turner Racing and aboard the Honda CRF450R. The possibility that may begin to tap into the full extent of his talent with greater regularity is a scary prospect for his competition, and one that could make Drane’s ongoing title defense a bit more harrowing. As Good as a Win? Tarren Santero (No. 75 Roof Systems/Vinson Construction Honda CRF450R) currently holds the unofficial title of the most decorated KICKER AFT Singles pilot without a Main Event victory. That’s a semi-dubious distinction that is to simultaneously be worn with pride and shed as quickly as possible. However, it seems unlikely that a straightforward front-row-to-checkered-flag victory could have done as much good for Santero’s reputation as his crash-to-back-row-to-runner-up result at Budds Creek. The Californian somehow made short work of the world’s elite 450cc riders despite wielding a damaged bike on a one-lined circuit. And one or two more laps might have been all he needed to put Tadman on the victim’s list as well. It was an unquestioned win in terms of his standing among fans and rivals. An actual victory has to be soon in the offing, doesn’t it? The same could be said of a maiden professional podium for Tadman’s teammate, Walker Porter (No. 10 American Honda/Mission Foods CRF450R). The second-year pilot is slowly but surely becoming a fixture at the front. Back-to-back fourths have him on the doorstep and a top three would likely already be his by now with a little better run of fortune. Restart The three-week layoff between ThrottleFest and the Caterpillar Nashville Short Track provides Bradon Pfanders (No. 83 Memphis Shades/Corbin Seats Yamaha YZ450F) and Logan Eisenhard (No. 66 Eisenhard Racing/Pags Powersports KTM 450 SX-F) an opportunity to reset mentally and come in prepared to put once-promising seasons back on track. Both riders came out swinging in ‘26. Eisenhard was one of the heroes of the DAYTONA opener, where he threw down the fastest lap in qualifying, won his heat, and scored a top-five result in Thursday’s Main. Pfanders took his turn in the spotlight the following day, breaking through to claim his maiden Progressive AFT victory. But both come into Tennessee hoping to rediscover that early-season form. It’s been a rough run of late for the two, with Pfanders coming off consecutive finishes of 16th, 16th, and DNS, while Eisenhard hasn’t returned to the top ten since the opener. The speed is there. The results should follow. A chance to go to work at a track that’s new to everyone might just prove the key. Brothers Gotta Hug ThrottleFest delivered a very cool moment involving identical twins Dylan Cunningham (No. 252 Scott Stump/Joel Laub KTM 450 SX-F) and Tyler Cunningham (No. 225 Scott Stump/Joel Laub KTM 450 SX-F). Both Cunninghams have been fighting hard to qualify for a KICKER AFT Singles Main Event since the beginning of the ‘25 season. And following a number of near-misses, Dylan managed to do exactly that with a second-place run in the LCQ at the Budds Creek Half-Mile. No one was more thrilled to see it happen than Tyler, who finished fifth in the LCQ – one spot short of qualifying for the Main himself. Tyler raced up next to Dylan and pumped his fist in excitement, brushing off whatever disappointment he may have felt to celebrate the accomplishment of his brother. Dylan made the most of it too – racing his way to a top-ten finish in his first-career KICKER AFT Singles Main Event. And you have to think that only fueled Tyler’s fire that much more. Step Right Up The 1st Impressions Husqvarna pro squad is now three strong with Jett Katarzy (No. 117 1st Impressions Race Team Husqvarna FC450) stepping up to KICKER AFT Singles duty alongside Saathoff and Jack Brucks (No. 113 1st Impressions Race Team Husqvarna FC450). Katarzy certainly looked like he already belonged in just his first event as a professional. He registered impressive times throughout the day and won the LCQ to qualify for a KICKER AFT Singles Main in his very first attempt. At the same time, Katarzy’s immediate success provides some additional motivation for his now-former AFT ProSport 450 rivals, many of whom will look to graduate up to the pro ranks themselves in the not-too-distant future. That list includes Adam Costan-Wood (No. 88 Turner Racing Honda CRF450R) who beat Katarzy to win at Silver Dollar Speedway, along with Bayne Nantz (No. 313 Nantz Bros Racing KTM 450 SX-F) who finished second to him at Ventura Raceway before winning over Costan-Wood at ThrottleFest. The fact that AFT ProSport 450 is already turning a number of promising amateurs into familiar names for Progressive AFT fans and springboarding them into KICKER AFT Singles competition serves as clear evidence that the new category is doing exactly what it was designed to do. The AFT ProSport 450 competitors will have another chance to impress this weekend as the class is set to contest its penultimate round of the ’26 season at the Caterpillar Nashville Short Track. BTR is Back The Caterpillar Nashville Short Track also represents the penultimate round of the 2026 Royal Enfield Build.Train.Race. (BTR) program, now deep into its seventh season of highlighting, celebrating, and encouraging the involvement of women in flat track racing. Emma Gottsch (No. 5 Royal Enfield/Parts Unlimited/Arai/Alpinestars) will look to extend her perfect season following three straight wins to open the year. Despite her unblemished record, however, the victories haven’t all come easily. Triple runner-up Julia Heess (No. 13 Royal Enfield/Parts Unlimited/Arai/Alpinestars) gave Gottsch all she could handle last time out. Meanwhile, Madicela Rodriguez (No. 113 Royal Enfield/Parts Unlimited/Arai/Alpinestars) and Hanna Brewer (No. 39 Royal Enfield/Parts Unlimited/Arai/Alpinestars) have their own fight for third raging as the series prepares to contest the fourth of five 2026 events. Life In the Fast Lane The Caterpillar Nashville Short Track presented by Memphis Shades is a unique collaboration between Progressive AFT and Billy Lane’s Sons of Speed racing series, a vintage flat track competition inspired by the board track racing era of the 1910s and ‘20s. Lane, who will serve as the event’s Grand Marshal, is renowned for his innovative and evocative designs at Choppers Inc, his iconic appearances on “Biker Build Off” and “Monster Garage,” and his passion for pushing the limits of speed and style. With four decades of custom bike building experience behind him, Lane founded Sons of Speed to pay tribute to the daring early years of American motorcycle racing when Harley-Davidson, Indian, Excelsior, and Pope went bar-to-bar on massive wooden board tracks all across the nation. Sons of Speed has exploded in popularity since its 2017 debut, and Progressive American Flat Track fans will have a perfect opportunity to find out why for themselves. The weekend will feature a full slate of Sons of Speed competition featuring the raw power and style of vintage 1000cc V-twins and 750cc American flatheads. The vintage heats are scheduled for Thursday, with the Sons of Speed finals and CTR Mission Showcase event set for Friday to lead into Saturday’s Progressive AFT show. Fans can watch Friday’s CTR races live on FansChoice.tv beginning at 2:00 p.m. ET. Ticket Options Galore Standing Room Only tickets are available for just $37 including fees ($18 for kids 12 and under), while General Admission tickets are $49 ($22.50 for kids), with Reserved Grandstand and Premium Reserved Grandstand seating available for $59 ($26 for kids) and $70 ($31 for kids), respectively. Military/First Responders and Students can purchase tickets for just $30 at the door with valid ID. The Harley-Davidson VIP Experience includes GA seating, a guided tour of the infield podium and start/finish line – photo ops included – a meet-and-greet with the Harley-Davidson riders, and exclusive swag. The H-D VIP Experience is available for $150 ($64 for kids), along with the option to be purchased as a $95 add-on to upgraded seating options. And no matter what ticket option you select, pit access is included, providing fans an opportunity to get an up-close look at the racebikes and meet the riders and their teams. To purchase tickets for the Caterpillar Nashville Short Track presented by Memphis Shades visit https://www.tixr.com/groups/americanflattrack/events/nashville-short-track-186630. Gates will open for fans at 3:30 p.m. ET/12:30 p.m. PT on Saturday with Opening Ceremonies scheduled to begin at 8:00 p.m. ET/5:00 p.m. PT. How to Watch FloRacing For those that can’t catch the live action at the track, FloRacing is the live streaming home of Progressive American Flat Track. Motorsports fans can subscribe to FloRacing to enjoy over 1,000 live motorsports events in 2026. FloSports is available by visiting https://flosports.link/AFT2026 or by downloading the FloSports app on iOS, Android, Apple TV, Roku, Amazon Fire and Chromecast. The Nash FS1 FOX Sports coverage of the Caterpillar Nashville Short Track, featuring in-depth features and thrilling onboard cameras, will premiere on FOX on Saturday, June 13, at 1:00 p.m. ET (10:00 a.m. PT). The full listing of American Flat Track’s television premieres can be found at https://www.americanflattrack.com/events-foxsports.

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Chevy Racing–INDYCAR–Detroit advance

June 8, 2026 ARP Trish

Pato O’Ward (Arrow McLaren) celebrates on the podium at World Wide Technology Raceway At Gateway in 2025.

NTT INDYCAR SERIES News ConferenceTuesday, June 2, 2026Pato O’WardPress Conference
THE MODERATOR: For the third time this season it’s onto an oval for the NTT INDYCAR SERIES. This time return to World Wide Technology Raceway and Sunday’s 10th annual Bommarito Automotive Group 500 presented by Axalta and Valvoline. Coverage begins at 9:00 p.m. Eastern, live on FOX, FOX 1, and INDYCAR Radio powered by OnlyBulls. Second straight year for a primetime FOX race on Sunday.
A lot of good stuff for Pato O’Ward in St. Louis. He’s a five-time podium finisher there, including a runner-up finish last year. Finished fourth on the Streets of Detroit just a couple of days ago. Currently sits fifth in the championship. He, of course, drives the No. 5 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet.
We welcome in Pato O’Ward. Buenos tardes. Thanks for doing this.
PATO O’WARD: Thank you. Buenos tardes a todos.
THE MODERATOR: All right. Nothing like going from, let’s think about this, road course, superspeedway, street circuit, and now back to a short oval. Only in the NTT INDYCAR SERIES. You’ve had some success there. How much are you looking forward to getting back to St. Louis this weekend?
PATO O’WARD: Every year, man. Every year we look forward to going back to World Wide Technology Raceway. It’s obviously a short oval. I mean, honestly, I know it’s a short oval, but I don’t really consider it as that, because it’s still a very fast oval.
It’s always great racing. I mean, the race there last year, I’ll tell you, it’s one of the most impressive with how the cars were able to go side-by-side and stuff like that.So I’m looking forward to it. Night races are always the best.
THE MODERATOR: Agreed. Something about how Indy cars really pop under the lights. For you, though, six top-5s this season, a lot of good stuff. We know you want to click off some wins, too. How much does consistency mean to you in the long run versus maybe a win here or there? Just your thoughts on that, and then we’ll open it up for questions.
PATO O’WARD: Yeah, the consistency pays off very strongly whenever you start racking up some podiums and wins. We’ve yet to do that this year, but I’d say we’ve done a good amount of what is expected.
I would say, of the standard that you expect from Arrow McLaren and myself, is to at least be in the fight in many of these weekends, and we have been. We’re just missing that little bit to actually get a win or a podium, but I think we’re closer.
THE MODERATOR: You guys are very much in the fight, no doubt about that. Okay. We’ll open it up to questions.
Q.  First of all, Pato, I want to ask, what was with the mariachi band at the shop today? What was that?PATO O’WARD: Mahatma team lunch. They are a personal sponsor of mine, and they like to do this lunch for the team every single year.
I think it’s perfect timing right after a pretty hectic month of May and leading us into St. Louis, which obviously is a place that we love to return to. This year is going to be interesting with the new tire and different aero config and stuff like that.
Yeah, the mariachis come to the shop every single time Mahatma is here because it’s always a party (smiling).
Q.  On a more serious note, after Sunday’s race you made some comments mentioning how you felt like the Chevys were just lacking after Honda had swept that podium. I guess, what did you feel in the cockpit, whether it be there or maybe even at the 500 as well, as far as the engines on the Honda side maybe being more efficient and kind of running smoother than the engines you guys are driving right now?PATO O’WARD: Obviously Honda is a great competitor of ours. Team Chevy has been so helpful to us in honestly everything that we’ve asked from them.
I know the weekend was a bit stressful from their side as well with having to change the engines and stuff like that, with some supplier issue. They obviously are working hard to give us what we want and what we need. We’ve had a lot of these meetings that we’ve expressed, not just us at Arrow McLaren, but with the Penske and the ECR guys, of exactly with where we need to keep push and extracting.
I think right now Honda’s got the upper hand, but doesn’t mean that we can’t catch up. I mean, it’s always been a pretty good rivalry, and you never know what to expect from every year. I think right now we’re still kind of trying to play catch-up, especially in these street courses where Honda always has been the lead.
Q.  Just kind of curious, you talk about you guys lacking a little bit. I mean, obviously I know Indy, talking to you, you talked about brake drag, and there seems to be these little nuances every single weekend. For you, when you look at the program, what is it specifically that you think you guys are lacking that’s just kind of keeping you from fighting for those wins and those podiums?PATO O’WARD: I mean, obviously there’s been a lot of changes, and even if there’s not many changes in your main stand, but there are in mechanics and stuff like that. Just having a lot of rotation of people can bring in some random nuances like you said.
Like, it takes time. A team is a collaboration effort of a lot of people. It’s not just one person. Like a driver, one person; like an engineer, one person; like a front-end mechanic. It’s a collaboration between a lot of different hands, a lot of different eyes, a lot of different people. Sometimes it takes some time to kind of gel together and keep gelling together better.
But I don’t know, man. I don’t know what it is. We’re obviously still searching for that next step that I believe is going to put us right where we want to be in fighting the big dogs like Penske and Ganassi.
Yeah, it’s not easy. It’s not easy to fight against these guys, because they’ve been at the lead ship the last decades and, honestly, forever. We’re fighting up against the best, and that’s where we want to put ourselves in.
We’re just actively searching for different opportunities.
Q.  I don’t want to be presumptuous here, but do you think any of this was kind of expected, given just the nature of, like you said, the changes within some of the personnel, but also the fact, like, over the offseason you guys moved into a new shop, y’all are still trying to get acclimated, still trying to effectively be able to build things inhouse, and there’s growing pains that kind of come with that?PATO O’WARD: With transformation you can expect some other areas to be maybe a little bit more trouble for a short-term of time. I think right now we are in that transformation, which is why maybe sometimes it can feel a little bit kind of like, Hey, you know, I feel like we’ve gone backwards.
Sometimes you got to go backwards in order to go forwards, take a bigger step forward. I think that’s the best way I can explain it.
It’s not a lack of effort at all. I know everyone here is working so hard. I know T.K. is pushing so hard along with Zak, and everybody that’s leading this team is working extremely, extremely hard and to give ourselves those opportunities.
But we’re also realists, and we understand that some things do take time.
Q.  Obviously this is your fifth weekend on track in a row. You spoke about how busy the month of May is. You’ve gone straight to Detroit and you’ve head to another race at Gateway. Where do you stand on the balance of letting the series build momentum off the Indy 500 versus kind of getting a chance enough to decompress after the biggest race of the year?PATO O’WARD: Honestly, I felt a lot of pressure relief, really. I know we still have plenty of championship to go, and that’s where our full focus is on.
I mean, this time last year, we’re closer to the lead of the championship versus where we were last year, so that’s a good thing. That’s where we’re going to be trying to catch and to keep on scoring good, strong points.
I feel like this weekend in World Wide Technology Raceway, that’s going to be a good opportunity for us. Then in the off weekends that I have, obviously I think either being home or seeing some friends of mine is probably going to be what I’ll end up doing, because it has been a pretty stressful stretch. The 500 always is. It’s just what you expect.
Q.  Obviously it’s a unique title because the two corners are completely separate or completely different ends of the track. Setup-wise, how do you approach that? Is it a case of you kind of have to be a bit happy in both? Do you prioritize making one corner really good, sacrificing the other one? From a setup perspective, are you trying to find a balance in prioritizing one, or is there a possibility to get it nailed on both corners?PATO O’WARD: No, you got to get it done in both corners, because you’ve got opportunities to attack people on both ends of the track. Whenever you set up to actually pass someone, you know, your chosen end of the track where maybe your car is stronger than the other guy, you still have to have a good run through the other section, because that’s what’s basically going to give you that opportunity to set it up.
THE MODERATOR: 485 on-track passes and a record-tying 254 for position in last year’s race. A lot of action at World Wide Technology Raceway.
Q.  Pato, talk about the aero packages and tires and what you are expecting coming up for this race. You mentioned they’re new. What can we as fans expect to see from that?PATO O’WARD: I do know we have that new aero package. We’ve got new tires. Honestly, we didn’t even test, so I don’t know what to expect from this. And I’m kind of going into the weekend just, you know, hoping it’s not too different, because I do think we’ve been strong there. It would be nice to have some things correlate.
Yeah, I don’t really know what to see of who is going to be the strongest. I can’t remember who is the one that went to the test, but yeah, I think it does always produce great racing.My only hope is that these changes that they’ve asked for, like, these changes that have been requested for the aero kits on the car, I hope all these changes were to make the racing even better, because I do think, you know, the race last year was pretty good and entertaining. If we can make that even better, I mean, people are going to love it.
Q.  Then how do you approach the weekend with those changes that you’re not sure of? How is that going to play out in practice?PATO O’WARD: Going to practice one and trying to learn as much as you can. Yeah, you can’t do much other than that.
Q.  Pato, I guess you moved out of San Antonio. How often do you get back, and are you watching any Spurs basketball lately, keeping up with them?PATO O’WARD: Oh, I’ve heard a lot of the Spurs basketball. I haven’t really watched any of the games, but my sister and my brother-in-law are so, so into all that.
They were staying at my house for the month of May, so I definitely know that they were pretty pumped to see them being super successful and winning the last game that gives them that entry to whatever it is that the NBA does.
But I don’t go back too much during the year, man. I’ve been so busy up here, and we’ve got so many races. My family stays with me for these past few weeks. I know they’re going back next week, but I usually try and stay as much as I can whenever I have those free weeks back, because it is pretty crazy, so…
Q.  Another race that’s not that far from Indianapolis, but we’re about halfway through the season. How do you keep a focus on trying to chase down Alex Palou with this series lead?PATO O’WARD: We’ve just got to maximize every weekend, man. They’ve obviously done a way better job than we have pretty much everywhere almost. That obviously isn’t going to cut it if we want to have a shot at the championship.
So we need to raise our game, we need to stay focused, and we need to make sure that we not only are maximizing weekends, but when those are maximized weekends, they’ve got to be wins and podiums, because otherwise, I really do think we have no shot.
Q.  You’ve been close so far. The race at Indianapolis, you were already there. It seems like things are in place. It’s just hasn’t gone the way you need it to go.PATO O’WARD: Yeah, just hasn’t quite gone the way that we need it to go, but it definitely hasn’t been from not giving maximum effort, because I know that is true on everyone in this team.
Q.  Pato, just got one question for you. I’ve been keeping up on a lot of the INDYCAR coverage that David Land has been doing on YouTube, and it got me thinking about a feature he did with you earlier on in the year. I won’t spoil of any of it, because it’s really good, and I encourage everyone to go watch it. But I just wanted to ask you, if you could go back and tell your younger self something about where you are now and how you got here, what would that be?PATO O’WARD: I would tell him that you can only do so much with the cards that you’re dealt. I do think there’s many ways to feel like you’ve gotten a win out of one situation or another without actually having hardware to take home. I think that’s the most important thing that I would say that I’ve learned through my journey.
Q.  So this race, it differs from all the others being a night race, but what else makes it so special for you?PATO O’WARD: Oh, I love the night race. I mean, that’s, I think, something that every driver looks forward to, because it looks cool, and it is better for the racing, because everything cools down a bit. The cars really do like that.
But beyond that, I just think the nature of that circuit is quite helpful to what these Indy cars like when they’re racing up against each other.
Like I mentioned earlier in this press conference, I think it’s so important that these changes that we’ve made to the aero package and what Firestone decides to bring for the weekend is going to be crucial to the racing product.
And hopefully that’s been done to, once again, keep improving it, because I feel like every race at this World Wide Technology Raceway circuit keeps getting better and better year after year. Hopefully we can keep that going.
Q.  I’m looking at your team in general. They’re in Monaco this weekend for the 1,000th Grand Prix in Formula 1. What’s it like being part of a team with such experience and success in wider motorsports, and also, how does it feel knowing you’re helping them develop that in INDYCAR?PATO O’WARD: I’m a huge and proud Papaya member. I know everyone that’s within the team also feels that way. It’s obviously a huge organization.
More than that, it’s also a way to support and see other sides of motorsport that we’re obviously not participating in, but kind of are. So it’s nice to support them and wish them the best this weekend going to Monaco, because I know it’s obviously one that they always want to get. Especially the drivers, I know that’s basically their, almost, Indy 500.Yeah, it’s definitely cool to be part of such a great family.
THE MODERATOR: The good news Pato, Monaco will be in the morning. You have plenty of time Sunday night to get to our race.
PATO O’WARD: 9 p.m. for us, right? 9 p.m.
THE MODERATOR: 9 p.m. eastern, so 8 local time.
Q.  Last year at this track it was Conor Daly with whom you had a proper fight for P1. First of all, do you miss him as a force on ovals? Who do you expect your fiercest driver to be in this race?PATO O’WARD: Conor, you can always expect Conor to take the high line before anybody else. He’s obviously somebody that we miss having in the paddock and somebody that you cannot count him out on any restart or anything at an oval, because he always finds his way there.
I think this weekend, a lot of the times it’s usual suspects. I think Malukas is going to be extremely strong in that Penske. I think Newgarden, I know he’s injured, but this circuit should be much better than getting through Detroit, so I expect him to be a force.Obviously the Ganassis and the strong Andrettis. There’s plenty of great guys that will always be there with giving you a good fight. I don’t expect just one very strong car. I expect a few.
Q.  After Long Beach you say, unfortunately, you must forget the championship, because it’s almost lost it, but the goal was Indy 500. Where is your mind right now? Indy 500 is gone, and right now you have half of the season ahead.PATO O’WARD: Yeah, I mean, obviously we didn’t win the Indy 500, so it’s what we’ve got left. There’s plenty of championship to go.
I mean, there’s more championship left than what has been done, and I think there’s a huge opportunity to start scoring some bigger points than what we have to start the year off with.
I think this weekend is going to be a big one. Road America has been a hit-or-miss in the past, but I do know we have a test there after Gateway right before the race, which should be helpful for us as well.
Honestly, at this time last year I was at a bigger deficit to Palou, so I think this is a move in the right direction. Obviously not giving up on the championship hopes, but also being a realist that we need to up our game, and we need to start winning races and being on the podium if we just want to sniff the fight in this championship.
That’s truly what we’re focused on. Sometimes when you’re leading a championship, you can take a fourth and a fifth and just keep up the consistency, because that’s what’s going to let you breathe. But when you haven’t quite had those bigger hit points days in a positive way, that’s what you need to be searching for.
We need to execute not with top-5s, but in the races where we know we have a strong car and where we can be good, we need to be driving for that win.
THE MODERATOR: Pato, we’ll let you get back to your mariachi band, unless they’ve already taken off for the day.PATO O’WARD: I will (laughing). Thank you very much.

An all-Chevrolet podium of Pato O’Ward (Arrow McLaren), Josef Newgarden (Team Penske) and Will Power (Team Penske) celebrate at World Wide Technology Raceway At Gateway in 2021.

Pato O’Ward (Arrow McLaren) celebrates on the podium at World Wide Technology Raceway At Gateway in 2025.

An all-Chevrolet podium of Pato O’Ward (Arrow McLaren), Josef Newgarden (Team Penske) and Will Power (Team Penske) celebrate at World Wide Technology Raceway At Gateway in 2021.

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Wood Brothers racing–NASCAr–Michigan

June 8, 2026 ARP Trish

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Chevy Racing–Sebastien Bourdais

June 8, 2026 ARP Trish

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Six-Figure Success Has Erb, Hoffman Rolling Into Eldora, World of Outlaws Summer Stretch

June 3, 2026 ARP Trish

ROSSBURG, OH (June 3, 2026) – The dirt Late Model world knew ahead of time that the inaugural Blaster 57 Special at Mansfield Speedway was going to be a big weekend. But no one knew quite how big it would become.

Thanks to some unprecedented generosity from the Niss family, drivers competed for two $100,000 paydays on the same weekend for the first time in the history of the World of Outlaws Late Model Series presented by DIRTVision. When it was all set and done, Series regulars Tyler Erb and Nick Hoffman emerged victorious on the biggest nights of their respective careers.

Due to the last-minute nature of the gesture, drivers didn’t realize what was at stake on Friday’s opening night until they were on the track preparing to go green for what they thought was a standard $12,000-to-win Feature. Moments before the field rolled off, race director Mitchell Hedstrom came over the one-way radio with a message Erb in particular will never forget.

“It was just wild,” Erb said of the last-minute purse boost. “Never really heard of anything like that. Wasn’t on my radar that it would ever happen, but you know, it did, and we were in the right position and it worked out.”

Erb was starting on the outside of the front row when he got the news, so his mind was instantly on the prospect of winning $100,000. It was a slightly different story for Hoffman, who was starting sixth with only 40 laps to get to the front.

“It makes you drive way harder,” Hoffman said. “At that point, I’m starting decent, but I don’t want to kill myself, just get out of here with an OK points night, which is how it ended up for me, anyway. I just ended up seventh, and it was just whatever, it was OK. [Saturday], they tell us that, and I’m starting in an even better spot. I feel like I’ve got a better car I set up a little bit different. It was unreal.”

In the moments after their triumphs, both drivers got the chance to thank the one who made it possible. While he preferred to stay behind the scenes for most of the weekend, Dan Niss came down to the frontstretch on both nights to congratulate the winners and take a photo in Victory Lane.

“Obviously, that guy’s got it,” Erb said. “He was just super excited. He loves the community, and that was kind of what he was telling me. Obviously, I’ve never met this guy, I don’t know who he is. It was really cool, super nice guy, super nice family. I really appreciate his wild idea to just throw 88 grand on top of the pot right there last second. Just really cool, really special, happy that I was able to be the best benefactor of it all.”

“He was very gracious to me,” Hoffman added. “He felt like I earned that race and he was proud to give me that extra money and stuff. So, very thankful for him.”

Of course, Mansfield was the first of two huge weeks of racing in the state of Ohio, the second being Eldora Speedway’s Dirt Late Model Dream. Many teams made the 150-mile drive across the state immediately after action concluded at Mansfield, but not Hoffman’s. They had to make the eight-hour tow back to Mooresville, NC to pick up the car built with only one mission – winning at Eldora.

Reserving a car specifically for “The Big E” that otherwise sits in the corner of the shop for 50 weeks a year isn’t a new strategy. It’s one utilized by Hoffman’s close friend, Jonathan Davenport, whose “Eldora car” is arguably the most successful chassis in the history of the sport with three Dream wins, two World 100s and the 2022 Eldora Million under its belt since it rolled out of the Longhorn Chassis shop in 2021.

Hoffman’s “Eldora car” made him the only driver in the sport to finish on the podium in the Dream and the World last year, and his Mansfield victory has him among the favorites to break through for another six-figure payday on Saturday night.

“Definitely way more confident, for sure,” Hoffman said. “Luckily, our car that we ran in both the Dream and the World last year was sitting there pretty much ready to go. We buttoned that thing up on Monday and Tuesday and got over to the racetrack. Super confident, I know our cars are good enough.”

Erb’s recent hot streak is one of a multitude of reasons for him to look forward to Eldora. For one, it has become his home track, as he lives near the Best Performance Motorsports shop in St. Marys, OH, 40 minutes from Eldora. Erb will also unload a tribute wrap honoring Kyle Busch at the Dream, as his ride resembles the No. 51 Super Late Model that “Rowdy” drove to victory in several of the biggest pavement short track races in the nation.

Additionally, a portion of his merchandise revenue this week will be donated to the Future Family Development Program at Texas Children’s Hospital. The gift is a continuation of Erb’s support for the facility where he was once a patient while battling cancer as a child.

“Just trying to bring good to the world,” Erb said. “Same as last year when we did the other wrap [designed by children at the hospital]. You know, we can’t really do the same wrap we did last year, so it was just a perfect play. The things that his [Bundle of Joy Fund] has done is similar, obviously on a larger scale. A lot of bad and hateful stuff goes on in what we do, just trying to bring some light and good to it every night.”

Whether or not Erb crosses his first Eldora crown jewel win off his to-do list on Saturday, his five-race top-10 streak in World of Outlaws competition has him in an enviable position when the season resumes next weekend at West Virginia Motor Speedway. Erb is up to third in points and has built a 40-point gap between himself and Drake Troutman in fourth ahead of Erb’s debut at the newly-reconfigured 3/8-mile, which kicks off the busiest portion of the season with 15 race nights packed into 30 days.

“I’m excited,” Erb said. “I like racing no matter where we go or what we do. It’s a new track, basically, a new experience. We’ll hit it headfirst and see what happens.”

Erb, Hoffman and the rest of the World of Outlaws Late Model Series presented by DIRTVision will continue the 2026 season at West Virginia Motor Speedway on Friday and Saturday, June 12-13. Get your tickets in advance by clicking here.

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

Six-Figure Success Has Erb, Hoffman Rolling Into Eldora, World of Outlaws Summer Stretch

“He was very gracious to me,” Hoffman added. “He felt like I earned that race and he was proud to give me that extra money and stuff. So, very thankful for him.”

“I’m excited,” Erb said. “I like racing no matter where we go or what we do. It’s a new track, basically, a new experience. We’ll hit it headfirst and see what happens.”

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

ARTICLE: https://worldofoutlaws.com/latemodels/six-figure-success-has-erb-hoffman-rolling-into-eldora-world-of-outlaws-summer-stretch/

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Wood Brothers Racing, PPG Launch 2026 Kids Color PPG Contest

June 3, 2026 ARP Trish

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DEJORIA HOPES NEW ENGLAND ROOTS PAY DIVIDENDS

June 3, 2026 ARP Trish

BROWNSBURG, Ind. (June 3, 2026) – Motivation comes in many forms for many different reasons and Alexis DeJoria sees a centuries-old New England family tie as such motivation for success when she and her John Force Racing Bandero Café Chevrolet SS Funny Car team compete in the June 5-7 NHRA New England Nationals at New England Dragway in Epping, New Hampshire.

NHRA drag racing is a sport defined by revolutions, whether it’s the revolutions per minute (rpm) of a 12,000-horsepower, nitromethane-burning Funny Car engine or the revolutions made by the spinning 36×17.5-inch Goodyear racing slicks during smoky burnouts. But it’s a family tie to revolution DeJoria has that uniquely motivates her to capture her first Funny Car event win under the John Force Racing banner.

DeJoria’s mother’s family came to New England, specifically Rhode Island, in 1638 and, nearly 140 years later, family members fought in the American Revolution. She sees a win this Sunday as a fantastic way, patriotic perhaps, to celebrate the United States’ 250^th anniversary even if it is a month before the nation’s independence celebration.

The 2026 NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series Funny Car point standings after seven of 20 races are: 1. Ron Capps, 540; 2. J.R. Todd, 524; 3. Chad Green, 500; 4. Matt Hagan, 493; 5. Jordan Vandergriff, 485; 6. Alexis DeJoria, 427; 7. Jack Beckman, 412; 8. Spencer Hyde, 370; 9. Austin Prock, 323; 10. Daniel Wilkerson, 264.

Quotes

You consider this one of your home tracks so what does it mean to be racing again at New England Dragway?

“My mother’s family is from Rhode Island so I’ve always considered New England Dragway to be a home track. Her ancestors came to North America in 1638 and fought in the American Revolutionary War, which allowed her to become a member of the prestigious Daughters of the American Revolution. It’s something we take a lot of pride in so it makes racing in Epping that much more special.”

What would it mean to get your first win for John Force Racing at Epping?

“I’ve had some success in the past at New England Dragway, with a runner-up finish in 2014 and a semifinal finish last year. To get the win in this year’s NHRA New England Nationals, which would be my first win for John Force Racing, would be incredibly gratifying and special for many reasons. It’s been a while since we’ve been in the winner’s circle but I know we’ve got what it takes to get back there. I have all the confidence in the world that, on any given Sunday, this John Force Racing Bandero Cafe Chevy SS Funny Car will be the victor.”

Weekend Appearances

DeJoria will be signing autographs at the John Force Racing merchandise trailer in the NHRA Midway on Fri., June 5, from 4-4:30 p.m. ET. She will also participate in an autograph session at the Cornwell Tools display in the NHRA Midway on Sat., June 6, from 10-10:30 a.m. ET.

Track Schedule

NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series qualifying will feature two rounds at 5:30 and 8 p.m. ET on Fri., June 5, with the final two rounds Sat., June 6, at 12:30 and 3 p.m. ET. Final eliminations are scheduled for Sunday, June 7, at 11 a.m. ET.

TV Schedule

Television coverage on FS1 includes a qualifying show Fri., June 5, from 8 – 9:30 p.m. ET, a second qualifying show Sat., June 6, from 10 – 11 p.m. ET, and the eliminations broadcast Sunday, June 7, from 3 – 6 p.m. ET on FOX.

Race Results

Epping	Race Result	Round Wins	Round Loss	Qualified	Event Record
2013 (FC)	1^st round		Loss to C. Force	14^th	0-1
2014 (FC)	Runner-up	Def. T. Pedregon Def. T. Johnson Jr Def. J. Force	Loss to R. Capps	5^th	3-2
2015 (FC)	2^nd round	Def. R. Capps	Loss to T. Johnson Jr	8^th	4-3
2016 (FC)	1^st round		Loss to D. Worsham	10^th	4-4
2017 (FC)	1^st round		Loss to B. Tasca	11^th	4-5
2021 (FC)	1^st round		Loss to R. Hight	5^th	4-6
2022 (FC)	2^nd round	Def. T. Wilkerson	Loss to R. Hight	9^th	5-7
2023 (FC)	1^st round		Loss to R. Hight	10^th	5-8
2024 (FC)	1^st round		Loss to C. Green	9^th	5-9
2025 (FC)	Semi-finals	Def. R. Capps Def. P. Lee	Loss to J. Todd	6^th	7-10

Wins: 0

No. 1 Qualifiers: 0

Round Record: 7-10

2026 Results

DEJORIA HOPES NEW ENGLAND ROOTS PAY DIVIDENDS

Quotes

You consider this one of your home tracks so what does it mean to be racing again at New England Dragway?

What would it mean to get your first win for John Force Racing at Epping?

Weekend Appearances

Track Schedule

TV Schedule

Race Results

Epping	Race Result	Round Wins	Round Loss	Qualified	Event Record
2013 (FC)	1^st round		Loss to C. Force	14^th	0-1
2014 (FC)	Runner-up	Def. T. Pedregon Def. T. Johnson Jr Def. J. Force	Loss to R. Capps	5^th	3-2
2015 (FC)	2^nd round	Def. R. Capps	Loss to T. Johnson Jr	8^th	4-3
2016 (FC)	1^st round		Loss to D. Worsham	10^th	4-4
2017 (FC)	1^st round		Loss to B. Tasca	11^th	4-5
2021 (FC)	1^st round		Loss to R. Hight	5^th	4-6
2022 (FC)	2^nd round	Def. T. Wilkerson	Loss to R. Hight	9^th	5-7
2023 (FC)	1^st round		Loss to R. Hight	10^th	5-8
2024 (FC)	1^st round		Loss to C. Green	9^th	5-9
2025 (FC)	Semi-finals	Def. R. Capps Def. P. Lee	Loss to J. Todd	6^th	7-10

Wins: 0

No. 1 Qualifiers: 0

Round Record: 7-10

2026 Results

Event	Qualify	Round by Round	Round Record	Points Position
Gainesville	11	Beat Cruz Pedregon, Spencer Hyde, J.R. Todd; lost to Chad Green	3-1	2
Phoenix	12	Lost Jordan Vandergriff	3-2	6
Pomona1	7	Beat Dave Richards; lost to Ron Capps	4-3	7
Charlotte	5	Won 1^st Quad; lost 2^nd quad	5-4	6
Valdosta	10	Beat Cruz Pedregon, Matt Hagan; lost to J.R. Todd	7-5	6
Chicago	12	Beat Spencer Hyde, Dave Richards, Matt Hagan; lost to Chad Green	10-6	6
Maryland	7	Lost to Ron Capps	10-7	6

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