All posts by ARP Trish

JUSTIN SANDERS TIES NARC KING OF THE WEST SINGLE-SEASON WIN RECORD WITH COTTON CLASSIC TRIUMPH

October 19, 2026 ARP Trish Leave a comment

HANFORD, CA (10/17/26) Justin Sanders made history Saturday night at Kings Speedway, capturing his ninth NARC King of the West Sprint Car Series victory of the 2026 season and tying Tyler Walker’s single-season series record set in 2009. In the series’ first visit to Kings Speedway in two years, Sanders delivered a clutch performance to win the annual Cotton Classic. It was the first time NARC has sanctioned the Cotton Classic since 2019/Colby Copeland opened the night by topping the 18-car field in ARP Time Trials, posting a lap of 13.211 seconds for his second Quick Time award of the season. Dominic Gorden, Sanders, and Landon Brooks claimed the three heat races, while Sanders secured his 3rd HD Titanium Dash win of the year in his series leading 17th Dash appearance of the year to earn the pole position for the 30-lap Hoosier Tire A-Main.Tim Kaeding grabbed the early lead and looked poised to score his 80th career NARC King of the West victory. Kaeding built a lead of more than two seconds before a pair of cautions slowed the pace and brought Sanders within striking distance.Sanders made his move on a restart with 10 laps remaining, diving underneath Kaeding in Turn 2 to take command of the race. From there, the Aromas, California, native had to withstand a determined challenge from the veteran Kaeding, who closed the gap with four laps remaining before a costly trip over the Turn 4 cushion set him back.Kaeding got another opportunity with two laps to go when a caution for Dominic Gorden and Steven Kent brought the field back together. He challenged Sanders again on the restart but jumped the cushion in Turns 3 and 4, opening the door for DJ Netto to move into second and Copeland to claim third.With his record setting season, Justin Sanders added his 2nd career NARC King of the West championship.DJ Netto drove from 13th to 2nd earning FK Rod Ends Hard Charger award honors.For more information, visit NARC410.com. Follow us on X @NARC410, on Facebook.com/NARCKingoftheWest, and on Instagram NARC410.You can catch every NARC King of the West race live on FloRacing.com and the FloSports app.NARC King of the West points1st – Justin Sanders 1761pts2nd – Tim Kaeding -2403rd – Landon Brooks -2684th – Dominic Gorden -2905th – Chance Grasty -3026th – Bud Kaeding -3687th – DJ Netto -5278th – Dominic Scelzi -5879th – Sean Becker -70610th – Shane Golobic -719Hoosier Tire A Feature (30 Laps): 1. 2X-Justin Sanders[1]; 2. 88N-DJ Netto[13]; 3. 21-Colby Copeland[6]; 4. 21L-Landon Brooks[4]; 5. 7C-Dylan Bloomfield[8]; 6. 0-Tim Kaeding[2]; 7. 14-Jett Barnes[7]; 8. 22-Shane Golobic[9]; 9. 29-Bud Kaeding[12]; 10. X1-Chance Grasty[5]; 11. 2A-Austin Wood[10]; 12. 73B-Braden Chiaramonte[15]; 13. 121-Caeden Steele[14]; 14. 67-Grant Duinkerken[16]; 15. 10-Dominic Gorden[3]; 16. 7-Steven Kent[11]; 17. 5D-Cole Danell[17]; 18. 11-JJ Ringo[18]HD Titanium Dash (6 Laps): 1. 2X-Justin Sanders[1]; 2. 0-Tim Kaeding[2]; 3. 10-Dominic Gorden[3]; 4. 21L-Landon Brooks[4]; 5. X1-Chance Grasty[5]; 6. 21-Colby Copeland[6]Kaeding Performance Heat 1 (8 Laps): 1. 10-Dominic Gorden[2]; 2. 14-Jett Barnes[1]; 3. 22-Shane Golobic[3]; 4. 21-Colby Copeland[4]; 5. 88N-DJ Netto[5]; 6. 67-Grant Duinkerken[6]Hill’s Meat Company Heat 2 (8 Laps): 1. 2X-Justin Sanders[4]; 2. X1-Chance Grasty[1]; 3. 2A-Austin Wood[2]; 4. 7-Steven Kent[5]; 5. 121-Caeden Steele[6]; 6. 5D-Cole Danell[3]BMRS Heat 3 (8 Laps): 1. 21L-Landon Brooks[2]; 2. 7C-Dylan Bloomfield[3]; 3. 0-Tim Kaeding[4]; 4. 29-Bud Kaeding[1]; 5. 73B-Braden Chiaramonte[5]; 6. (DNS) 11-JJ RingoARP Qualifying (2 Laps): 1. 21-Colby Copeland, 13.211[7]; 2. 2X-Justin Sanders, 13.221[1]; 3. 0-Tim Kaeding, 13.251[3]; 4. 14-Jett Barnes, 13.254[10]; 5. X1-Chance Grasty, 13.313[13]; 6. 29-Bud Kaeding, 13.315[14]; 7. 10-Dominic Gorden, 13.380[6]; 8. 2A-Austin Wood, 13.399[2]; 9. 21L-Landon Brooks, 13.452[11]; 10. 22-Shane Golobic, 13.517[5]; 11. 5D-Cole Danell, 13.591[8]; 12. 7C-Dylan Bloomfield, 13.625[9]; 13. 88N-DJ Netto, 13.626[17]; 14. 7-Steven Kent, 13.690[4]; 15. 73B-Braden Chiaramonte, 13.723[15]; 16. 67-Grant Duinkerken, 13.879[16]; 17. 121-Caeden Steele, 13.916[12]; 18. 11-JJ Ringo[18]

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CORVETTE RACING AT BARCELONA: Another Double-Points Finish

October 19, 2026 ARP Trish Leave a comment

Both Corvettes will take LMGT3 championship fight to season finale BARCELONA, Catalunya, Spain (October 18, 2026) – Both Chevrolet Corvette Z06 GT3.Rs from TF Sport will go into the FIA World Endurance Championship’s finale in the running for the LMGT3 championship following Sunday’s Six Hours of Barcelona presented by Visit Qatar.
The No. 34 Racing Team Turkey by TF Corvette of Charlie Eastwood, Salih Yoluc and Peter Dempsey placed fourth in class and just missed its second straight podium finish. It finished ahead of the seventh-placed No. 33 Corvette of Nicky Catsburg, Ben Keating and Drivers Championship leader Jonny Edgar as both Corvettes finished in the points in back-to-back races and for the fifth time this season.Heading into the finale at Monza in November, the yellow No. 33 Corvette leads the Teams Championship standings by 18 points over the No. 92 Porsche, which won Sunday’s race. The red No. 34 Corvette stands third after Sunday and 22 points behind its sister car. The margins are the same for Edgar in Drivers points outside his two teammates, who will earn the same amount of points as him at Monza. Both Corvettes worked their way through the field in damp conditions from the start. Yoluc worked his way from 10th to second by the time his double-stint finished with Keating also in podium position near the end of his run. The No. 33 lost some time due after having to run two laps longer than originally planned due to pitlane traffic and cycles, and Edgar rejoined seventh for his run while Dempsey was second. The No. 33 picked up a 10-second time penalty for contact with one of the Mercedes in Edgar’s first stint, which he served at the halfway mark. Meanwhile, Dempsey ran two strong stints to keep the No. 34 in range of the class leader. Pitlane traffic and a virtual safety car period impacted the No. 34 team’s timing to bring in Dempsey for the change to Eastwood with a little more than two hours remaining. This time he went two laps longer than desired which dropped the red Corvette back to fourth, where it eventually finished by only 0.256 seconds off the podium. Edgar drove nearly three hours due to drivetime strategy, which meant Catsburg jumped in with an hour to go. He rejoined in seventh, advanced one spot early in the stint before falling back on the last lap. TF Sport and its Corvette Z06 GT3.Rs will close the FIA WEC season with a championship race – the Six Hours of Monza on Sunday, November 8.

CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R POST-RACE DRIVER QUOTES

CHARLIE EASTWOOD, NO. 34 CHEVROLET CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R: “Two-tenths off my fourth podium in a row with Corvette which would have been pretty nice for four races in a row. It was a fuel-save race. We got a bit unlucky when one of the Peugeots stopped so we couldn’t box on one of the VSC laps. We ended up stopping under a bit of green and that cycled us from P2 backward. The Hypercar field sort of played into the hands of a few others so they didn’t need the extra lap of fuel. We pushed as hard as we could but fell a couple tenths short.”

PETER DEMPSEY, NO. 34 CHEVROLET CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R: “That was fun. I didn’t push. We knew the (tire) deg was high from testing. I tried to listen to Charlie (Eastwood) as much as I could to not push because he was giving me grief on the test day! So I tried to manage the pace and with the fuel coming out I could keep going a little bit toward the last five or six laps to match the Porsche although they had the gap already, although I was able to match them and extended the gap to P3. We got a little unlucky with the stop during the last VSC. We had an issue with the door that popped off but thankfully the boys fixed that.”

SALIH YOLUC, NO. 34 CHEVROLET CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R: “We had a good car underneath. It was difficult, obviously. I don’t personally prefer to drive in the wet. I would always like it when it’s dry. But thankfully the Corvette is a good car in the wet. We were hoping for a bit of wet weather today. So I was able to capitalize as much as I could.”

NICKY CATSBURG, NO. 33 CHEVROLET CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R: “Good dollar per lap value again this race. It’s the story of the season… every time I get caught out with Jonny’s drive time. But it doesn’t matter. It’s a shame that I couldn’t keep the Mercedes behind me on the last lap. I feel like I should have been able to. It was a struggle this weekend. We had a lot more deg than expected. The race wasn’t very clean… a couple of issues at the beginning, a 10-second penalty so it wasn’t super-clean. But I also think we didn’t have the pace of the winners today. A good points haul. I think we have an OK-ish lead – 18 points or so. So we do need to have a strong weekend at Monza but I have no doubt that we will.”

JONNY EDGAR, NO. 33 CHEVROLET CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R: “I ended up doing three stints just because when the yellow fell I was going to be short of drive time. The car was pretty good. I had a difficult first stint and got a penalty so that made it hard. Gaining places is very tough but restarted ninth and managed to work my way up to P5 at the end. The balance wasn’t too bad. It’s just very hard in traffic but I think that’s the case anyway. The Ferrari behind me was pretty quick but as long as I didn’t make a mistake he didn’t have a chance to pass me. So I’m pretty happy with how the stint went.”

CORVETTE RACING AT BARCELONA: Another Double-Points FinishBoth Corvettes will take LMGT3 championship fight to season finale BARCELONA, Catalunya, Spain (October 18, 2026) – Both Chevrolet Corvette Z06 GT3.Rs from TF Sport will go into the FIA World Endurance Championship’s finale in the running for the LMGT3 championship following Sunday’s Six Hours of Barcelona presented by Visit Qatar.
The No. 34 Racing Team Turkey by TF Corvette of Charlie Eastwood, Salih Yoluc and Peter Dempsey placed fourth in class and just missed its second straight podium finish. It finished ahead of the seventh-placed No. 33 Corvette of Nicky Catsburg, Ben Keating and Drivers Championship leader Jonny Edgar as both Corvettes finished in the points in back-to-back races and for the fifth time this season.Heading into the finale at Monza in November, the yellow No. 33 Corvette leads the Teams Championship standings by 18 points over the No. 92 Porsche, which won Sunday’s race. The red No. 34 Corvette stands third after Sunday and 22 points behind its sister car. The margins are the same for Edgar in Drivers points outside his two teammates, who will earn the same amount of points as him at Monza. Both Corvettes worked their way through the field in damp conditions from the start. Yoluc worked his way from 10th to second by the time his double-stint finished with Keating also in podium position near the end of his run. The No. 33 lost some time due after having to run two laps longer than originally planned due to pitlane traffic and cycles, and Edgar rejoined seventh for his run while Dempsey was second. The No. 33 picked up a 10-second time penalty for contact with one of the Mercedes in Edgar’s first stint, which he served at the halfway mark. Meanwhile, Dempsey ran two strong stints to keep the No. 34 in range of the class leader. Pitlane traffic and a virtual safety car period impacted the No. 34 team’s timing to bring in Dempsey for the change to Eastwood with a little more than two hours remaining. This time he went two laps longer than desired which dropped the red Corvette back to fourth, where it eventually finished by only 0.256 seconds off the podium. Edgar drove nearly three hours due to drivetime strategy, which meant Catsburg jumped in with an hour to go. He rejoined in seventh, advanced one spot early in the stint before falling back on the last lap. TF Sport and its Corvette Z06 GT3.Rs will close the FIA WEC season with a championship race – the Six Hours of Monza on Sunday, November 8.

CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R POST-RACE DRIVER QUOTES

BEN KEATING, NO. 33 CHEVROLET CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R: “Those conditions are about as tricky as it gets, I think. I was pretty happy. There were a couple of drivers that were quicker than I was. It was a matter of how quickly can you learn what the conditions are at the moment. I think some of the other cars learned to go to the dry line quicker than I did and that cost me a few seconds and a bigger gap to some of the competition. But we are still in one piece and on the track. Unfortunately we wanted to box three laps earlier but one of the Peugeots came in and then the 34 came in, so I stayed out much longer. I had no defense against the other cars that were on slicks. It would have been very nice to come in and put slicks on because the track conditions were definitely better for slicks. There was nothing I could do.”

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DOUG DUELL NABS FIRST CAREER FLEXJET FACTORY STOCK SHOWDOWN NO. 1 QUALIFIER IN DALLAS

October 19, 2026 ARP Trish Leave a comment

DALLAS (October 18, 2026) — Qualifying for the 41st annual NHRA Texas Fall Nationals and Stampede of Speed concluded today after several delays stemming from high winds and massive car counts at the 10-day event. Doug Duell of Newburgh, Ind., captured his first career Flexjet Factory Stock Showdown Series No. 1 qualifier with his final qualifying pass of 7.559 seconds at 182.82 mph. Duell will earn a competition bye in the first round behind the wheel of his Black Dodge Challenger.

“I feel good because I get a bye, so that’s awesome,” said Duell, a Factory Stock Showdown rookie. We’ve been sawing the log on this car all year. Everything that could happen to me has happened. Every race we make improvements. The last few races, I feel like we got an opportunity to win and go into the late rounds. We really feel good about tomorrow. I’m just super, super excited.”

Doug Duell scored his first Flexjet Factory Stock Showdown Series No. 1 qualifier on Saturday in Dallas at NHRA Texas Fall Nationals, photo credit Auto Imagery

DOUG DUELL NABS FIRST CAREER FLEXJET FACTORY STOCK SHOWDOWN NO. 1 QUALIFIER IN DALLAS

DALLAS (October 18, 2026) — Qualifying for the 41st annual NHRA Texas Fall Nationals and Stampede of Speed concluded today after several delays stemming from high winds and massive car counts at the 10-day event. Doug Duell of Newburgh, Ind., captured his first career Flexjet Factory Stock Showdown Series No. 1 qualifier with his final qualifying pass of 7.559 seconds at 182.82 mph. Duell will earn a competition bye in the first round behind the wheel of his Black Dodge Challenger.

“I feel good because I get a bye, so that’s awesome,” said Duell, a Factory Stock Showdown rookie. We’ve been sawing the log on this car all year. Everything that could happen to me has happened. Every race we make improvements. The last few races, I feel like we got an opportunity to win and go into the late rounds. We really feel good about tomorrow. I’m just super, super excited.”

Doug Duell scored his first Flexjet Factory Stock Showdown Series No. 1 qualifier on Saturday in Dallas at NHRA Texas Fall Nationals, photo credit Auto Imagery

A first round win will propel him into a possible first round match-up with either Scott Libersher or David Janac, the No. 6 and No. 7 qualifiers respectively. Duell has to wait overnight for the first round to commence at 9:30 a.m. tomorrow at Texas Motorplex. The teams have worked their way through two days of qualifying and on race day Duell will be looking for four win lights in eliminations.

“I think as a racer, you’re just ready to go race right now,” said Duell. “The reality of things is these races are kind of a journey. It’s days and days of it. I’ll sleep good tonight. I’ll be ready tomorrow. I feel good about getting that bye because I can work on my tree a little bit, which has been a learning process because it’s my first year on a pro tree. I’m ready. I feel like I have an opportunity here.”

A tough field of competitors will stand in his way including Libersher and Raymond Nash, the No. 8 qualifier and No. 2 driver in Flexjet Factory Stock Showdown points. Nash and Libersher are in a tight race for second place overall for the season. Two weeks ago, Jonathan Allegrucci clinched the 2026 world championship in St. Louis. The Texas Fall Nationals race day will be the culmination of 10-days of racing and Duell is eager to perform in front of a huge crowd.

“When we got here, I said to somebody, I feel like I’m at Indy (home of the historic U.S. Nationals),” said Duell. “There’s so much activity and so many awesome racers here. It’s quite an event.”
Reigning world champion Mark Pawuk qualified No. 10 and will face No. 3 qualifier Rouven Dawson.

The first round of eliminations at the NHRA Texas Fall Nationals will begin tomorrow at 9:30 a.m. Fans can follow the racing action at www.nhra.com.

First Round Match-ups

No. 1 Doug Duell vs. Bye
No. 2 Lee Hartman vs. No. 11 K Urban
No. 3 Rouven Dawson vs. No. 10 Mark Pawuk
No. 4 Tony Scott vs. No. 9 David Davies II
No. 5 Matt Hartman vs. No.8 Raymond Nash
No. 6 Scott Libersher vs. No. 7 David Janac

Flexjet Bounty Program
Gatornationals (Gainesville, Fla.)
$1,000 bounty collected by Jonathan Allegrucci, defeated Mark Pawuk (2025 Flexjet world champion)

NHRA 4-Wide Nationals (Charlotte, N. C.)
$1,000 bounty collected by Raymond Nash, defeated Ricky Hord (2026 Gatornationals winner)

Gerber Collision & Glass Route 66 Nationals (Chicago, Illinois)
$1,000 bounty was not claimed with Allegrucci’s victory

Super Grip Thunder Valley Nationals (Bristol, Tenn,)
$2,000 bounty was not claimed with Allegrucci’s victory

Norwalk Nationals (Norwalk, Ohio)
$3,000 bounty claimed by Taylor Dietsch, defeated Jonathan Allegrucci (2026 Chicago and Bristol winner)

Cornwell Quality Tools U.S. Nationals (Indianapolis)
$1,000 bounty collected by Scott Libersher, defeated Taylor Dietsch (Norwalk winner)

Great Lakes Nationals (Martin, Mich.)
$1,000 bounty collected by Raymond Nash, defeated Scott Libersher (Indianapolis winner)

NAPA NHRA Midwest Nationals (St. Louis, Mo.)
$1,000 bounty collected by Doug Duell, defeated Lee Hartman (Martin winner)

2026 Flexjet Factory Stock Showdown Results
Gainesville – Ricky Hord, winner; David Janac, runner-up
Charlotte – Jonathan Allegrucci, winner; Jason Dietsch, runner-up
Chicago – Jonathan Allegrucci, winner; Jason Dietsch, runner-up
Bristol – Jonathan Allegrucci, winner; Raymond Nash, runner-up
Norwalk – Taylor Dietsch, winner; Jonathan Allergrucci, runner-up
Martin – Lee Hartman, winner; David Janac, runner-up
St. Louis – Jonathan Allegrucci, winner; Scott Libersher, runner-up

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SEVEN: Sam Hafertepe Jr. Wins Fuzzy’s Fall Fling at Creek County, Clinches Seventh ASCS National Title

October 19, 2026 ARP Trish Leave a comment

SAPULPA, OK (October 17, 2026) — Sam Hafertepe Jr. left Creek County Speedway proving to everyone why he is a seven-time American Sprint Car Series champion.

The Sunnyvale, TX veteran performed when the lights shone brightest Saturday night for the season-ending Fuzzy’s Fall Fling with a daring last-lap pass for his seventh win of the 2026 season.

At the start, Garrett Benson jumped to the lead from the outside as Alex Sewell followed in tow. Behind them, Hafertepe and his title rival Matt Covington began their ascent up the leaderboard, with Covington setting the pace while Benson kept Sewell on the bottom lane.

As lapped traffic held Benson and Sewell from extending the gap from the top five, Covington used the slower cars to help him move up to fifth on Lap 7 while Hafertepe stayed behind the No. 95 Triple X Chassis.

When the halfway flags were shown, Sewell made his move for the lead by running the middle lane to get to the outside of Benson across the backstretch, then held it through Turns 3-4 as Hafertepe and Covington continued to chip away at the two-second lead the leaders held.

With the leaders in sight, Hafertepe took his chance at Covington by moving his No. 15H to the cushion and outran Covington to join the podium step with 14 laps left.

As Hafertepe stalked the leaders within the final 10 laps, Benson returned to the top spot by moving Sewell up from the bottom lane, then squeezed his car underneath the No. 9 machine to retake the top spot with six laps to go.

Hafertepe did not waste his opportunity for the win as he continued to build momentum around the cushion of the 1/4-mile track. With two laps left, Hafertepe passed Sewell for second place. On the white flag, Hafertepe reached the outside of Benson exiting Turn 2, then secured the lead in Turns 3-4 to earn his 95th Series win.

With the victory, Hafertepe clinched the title by 41 points over Covington, padding the all-time ASCS National Tour championship record with his seventh triumph.

“Early in the race, I was like, ‘Okay, we don’t have to do a whole lot.’” Hafertepe said. “So I was like, ‘I’ll just ride around and not force anything,’ because at a track like this, it’s easy to make a mistake and bike it. So if I did that, I’d ruin all my chances. When Matt got by me, I just needed to pace him.

“We got by a couple more guys, and then when we got to the leaders, I was like ‘Man, I can’t keep following these guys,’ and I found something on the top because the bottom of (Turns) 3-4 was slowly starting to go away. I finally got in my head and thought, ‘I didn’t come here to ride. I don’t want to win the championship just by pacing.’ We wanted to do it like a champion.”

Benson and Sewell ended the 40-lap battle with a podium appearance. Covington finished fourth, and Steven Shebester completed the final group of top five finishers from the 2026 season.

Recap Notes:

Quick Time Award: Kyle Clark (11.783 sec.)

Heat Race Winners: Garrett Benson, Christopher Townsend, Alex Sewell, Blake Hahn, Ryder Laplante

Honest Abe Roofing Dash Winner: Kyle Clark

Smith Titanium Last Chance Showdown Winner: Chance Morton

Hard Charger Award: Steven Shebester (+14)

UP NEXT: The American Sprint Car Series will return in 2027 to start the season at Volusia Speedway Park for the 57th Federated Auto Parts DIRTcar Nationals on Thursday-Saturday, Feb. 4-6.

Where can you find info about Volusia? Click Here

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

RESULTS: Feature (40 Laps): 1. 15H-Sam Hafertepe Jr[8]; 2. 2B-Garrett Benson[2]; 3. 8-Alex Sewell[5]; 4. 95-Matt Covington[15]; 5. 16S-Steven Shebester[19]; 6. 52-Blake Hahn[4]; 7. 71T-Christopher Townsend[9]; 8. 23-Seth Bergman[18]; 9. 2P-Chase Porter[7]; 10. 2-Gage Laney[12]; 11. 45X-Kyler Johnson[23]; 12. 7M-Chance Morton[21]; 13. 3-Cole Schroeder[11]; 14. 16G-Austyn Gossel[16]; 15. 88C-Brogan Carder[13]; 16. 8M-Kade Morton[22]; 17. 7F-Joshua Tyre[24]; 18. 9$-Kyle Clark[1]; 19. 31-Casey Wills[25]; 20. 23H-Sam Henderson[6]; 21. 88-Terry Easum[14]; 22. 1-Sean McClelland[20]; 23. 88R-Ryder Laplante[3]; 24. 50Z-Zach Chappell[10]; 25. 938-Bradley Fezard[17]

SEVEN: Sam Hafertepe Jr. Wins Fuzzy’s Fall Fling at Creek County, Clinches Seventh ASCS National Title SAPULPA, OK (October 17, 2026) — Sam Hafertepe Jr. left Creek County Speedway proving to everyone why he is a seven-time American Sprint Car Series champion.

The Sunnyvale, TX veteran performed when the lights shone brightest Saturday night for the season-ending Fuzzy’s Fall Fling with a daring last-lap pass for his seventh win of the 2026 season.

With the leaders in sight, Hafertepe took his chance at Covington by moving his No. 15H to the cushion and outran Covington to join the podium step with 14 laps left.

With the victory, Hafertepe clinched the title by 41 points over Covington, padding the all-time ASCS National Tour championship record with his seventh triumph.

Benson and Sewell ended the 40-lap battle with a podium appearance. Covington finished fourth, and Steven Shebester completed the final group of top five finishers from the 2026 season.

Recap Notes:

Quick Time Award: Kyle Clark (11.783 sec.)

Heat Race Winners: Garrett Benson, Christopher Townsend, Alex Sewell, Blake Hahn, Ryder Laplante

Honest Abe Roofing Dash Winner: Kyle Clark

Smith Titanium Last Chance Showdown Winner: Chance Morton

Hard Charger Award: Steven Shebester (+14)

UP NEXT: The American Sprint Car Series will return in 2027 to start the season at Volusia Speedway Park for the 57th Federated Auto Parts DIRTcar Nationals on Thursday-Saturday, Feb. 4-6.

Where can you find info about Volusia? Click Here

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

ARTICLE:https://ascsracing.com/recap/seven-sam-hafertepe-jr-wins-fuzzys-fall-fling-at-creek-county-clinches-seventh-ascs-national-title/

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WHAT AN ENDING: Scelzi Wins Battle, Abreu Wins War as High Limit Season Concludes at Texas

October 19, 2026 ARP Trish Leave a comment

WHAT AN ENDING: Scelzi Wins Battle, Abreu Wins War as High Limit Season Concludes at Texas
Giovanni Scelzi Scores Third-Straight Win, Rico Abreu Clinches Back-to-Back Championships

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HEAVYWEIGHT BATTLE: Kofoid Bests Williamson in Wild World of Outlaws Belle-Clair Debut

October 19, 2026 ARP Trish Leave a comment

The first ever World of Outlaws visit to Belle-Clair doesn’t disappoint as Kofoid grabs his 16th victory of 2026

BELLEVILLE, IL (October 17, 2026) – The gloves came off Saturday night at Belle-Clair Fairgrounds Park Speedway.

The World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Series invaded the brand new Illinois bullring for the first time. Anticipation was sky high for the best Sprint Car drivers in the world to put on a show at the 1/4 mile, and the fans were not let down.

Michael “Buddy” Kofoid and Garet Williamson delivered an unforgettable duel. The two good friends went to war through the opening half of the 40-lap Feature. One would fire a slide job, and the other would counter with a crossover. One would find a groove of grip and slip by, then the other would use a lapped car as a pick to retake the position.

Ultimately, Kofoid finally gained the upper hand for good on the 18th circuit after several lead changes. The Penngrove, CA native wrestled the top spot away and built a commanding lead in the Roth Motorsports No. 83. A late red flag for Williamson flipping gave the resurging Parker Price-Miller a shot with 11 laps to go, but he was no match as Kofoid powered away and sliced through traffic on his way to Victory Lane and hoisting the Battle at Belle-Clair championship belt.

“That was some of the best racing I’ve been a part of this whole year, maybe even some of the best in the last three years I’ve been with the Outlaws,” Kofoid said. “Definitely special to do it alongside him (Williamson). They were very, very good. I told myself if we stay in traffic, I think I’ll be okay even though I lost it those couple times. Bummer to see what happened to him. It would’ve been nice to be up here with him.”

Kofoid extended his Series-best win tally in 2026 to 16. That ensures he’ll at least tie for the most victories this season, and he’ll own sole possession of that title as long as David Gravel or Sheldon Haudenschild don’t win the final five races of the season. The mark of 16 matches the most triumphs in one season for Roth Motorsports, equaling Danny Lasoski’s total he reached with Dennis and Teresa Roth’s team in 1999.

Parker Price-Miller started on the pole, slipped back as far as sixth, and then rallied to the runner-up position in the Indy Race Parts No. 71.

Mason City, IL’s Karter Sarff made the home state proud by rounding out the Belle-Clar podium for his first World of Outlaws top three in only his third Feature appearance.

Sheldon Haudenschild and Spencer Bayston completed the top five.

NIGHTLY NOTES

Buddy Kofoid earned another Race//Ready Hottest Lap of the Night.

Colton Robinson set Simpson Quick Time in his official World of Outlaws debut.

Heat Races belonged to Parker Price-Miller (NOS Energy Drink Heat One), Karter Sarff (TheGreatestStoreonDirt.com Heat Two), Zach Daum (WIX Filters Heat Three), and David Gravel (Golf Cart Services Heat Four).

The SPA Technique #1 Redraw went to Garet Williamson.

Parker Price-Miller topped the Toyota Dash.

Bryce Norris won the Micro-Lite Last Chance Showdown.

Sheldon Haudenschild got the final transfer from the Last Chance Showdown then drove from 24th to fourth to take the KSE Racing Products Hard Charger.

Logan Schuchart was the Tub O’ Towels Seventh Place Finisher.

Emerson Axsom was the Five Star Bodies Rookie of the Race.

Garet Williamson ripped the ACME Trading Company Fast Lap.

The Smith Titanium Brake Systems Break of the Race also went to Garet Williamson.

UP NEXT: The World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Cars debut at Texarkana 67 Speedway on Friday-Saturday, Oct. 23-24, for the Jason Johnson Classic presented by FK Rod Ends and Short Track Nationals. For tickets, CLICK HERE.

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

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

FEATURE RESULTS:

NOS Energy Drink Feature (40 Laps): 1. 83-Michael Kofoid[3]; 2. 71-Parker Price Miller[1]; 3. 21K-Karter Sarff[4]; 4. 18-Sheldon Haudenschild[24]; 5. 17-Spencer Bayston[8]; 6. 41-Carson Macedo[11]; 7. 1S-Logan Schuchart[16]; 8. 27-Emerson Axsom[13]; 9. 15-Donny Schatz[15]; 10. 2-David Gravel[5]; 11. 51-Steven Snyder Jr[23]; 12. 16C-Skylar Gee[12]; 13. 17B-Bill Balog[7]; 14. 6-Bryce Lucius[19]; 15. 79-Gage Montgomery[20]; 16. 2C-Cole Macedo[10]; 17. 7S-Chris Windom[14]; 18. 51B-Joe B Miller[18]; 19. 2MD-Darin Naida[22]; 20. 37-Bryce Norris[21]; 21. (DNF) 23-Garet Williamson[2]; 22. (DNF) 7A-Will Armitage[9]; 23. (DNF) 87-Austin Hartmann[17]; 24. (DNF) 92-Zach Daum[6]

For complete results, CLICK HERE.

HEAVYWEIGHT BATTLE: Kofoid Bests Williamson in Wild World of Outlaws Belle-Clair Debut

The first ever World of Outlaws visit to Belle-Clair doesn’t disappoint as Kofoid grabs his 16th victory of 2026

BELLEVILLE, IL (October 17, 2026) – The gloves came off Saturday night at Belle-Clair Fairgrounds Park Speedway.

Parker Price-Miller started on the pole, slipped back as far as sixth, and then rallied to the runner-up position in the Indy Race Parts No. 71.

Mason City, IL’s Karter Sarff made the home state proud by rounding out the Belle-Clar podium for his first World of Outlaws top three in only his third Feature appearance.

Sheldon Haudenschild and Spencer Bayston completed the top five.

NIGHTLY NOTES

Buddy Kofoid earned another Race//Ready Hottest Lap of the Night.

Colton Robinson set Simpson Quick Time in his official World of Outlaws debut.

The SPA Technique #1 Redraw went to Garet Williamson.

Parker Price-Miller topped the Toyota Dash.

Bryce Norris won the Micro-Lite Last Chance Showdown.

Sheldon Haudenschild got the final transfer from the Last Chance Showdown then drove from 24th to fourth to take the KSE Racing Products Hard Charger.

Logan Schuchart was the Tub O’ Towels Seventh Place Finisher.

Emerson Axsom was the Five Star Bodies Rookie of the Race.

Garet Williamson ripped the ACME Trading Company Fast Lap.

The Smith Titanium Brake Systems Break of the Race also went to Garet Williamson.

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.

ARTICLE: https://worldofoutlaws.com/sprintcars/heavyweight-battle-kofoid-bests-williamson-in-wild-world-of-outlaws-belle-clair-debut/

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Thornton and O’Neal Win Dirt Track World Championship Preliminary Features

October 19, 2026 ARP Trish Leave a comment

Ricky Thornton Jr. and Hudson O’Neal each won a 25-lap Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series preliminary feature Saturday night at West Virginia Motor Speedway, opening the 46th Annual ARP Dirt Track World Championship presented by Summit Racing Equipment weekend. Thornton passed early leader Tyler Carpenter for the lead on lap 10 of the first $5,000-to-win feature. Carpenter led the opening nine laps. Thornton went on to win his third straight LOLMDS feature after sweeping both races at Eldora Speedway last weekend. Thornton earned his 65th career series victory by 1.358 seconds over Dillon McCowan, who started 10th and climbed to second. Championship contender Devin Moran completed the Big River Steel Podium in third. Chris Ferguson finished fourth, and Max Blair rounded out the top five. “Early on, we just let Tyler and Devin go, and we were looking for the right opportunity. Those guys took off on the top, and I thought a yellow might give me the perfect opportunity. I knew Tyler wasn’t going to stay down there for very long. I thought if I could make a couple of good laps down there, we were going to be in good shape. When I got to third, I was watching Tyler and Devin. Their cars were a little better through the center than mine. I hit the yuke tire and knocked the nose down, and I thought, ‘I’ve really got to go now.’ I got a really good run off turn two and thought I could slide them going into turn three. Our car was good enough to do that.” McCowan, in his rookie season with the series and making his first career start at WVMS, advanced from 10th to finish second. “We’ve had a tough couple of weeks. Hats off to my guys. The track around the bottom was soupy, and then we ran around the top like a bullring. The car was good. Congrats to Ricky and Devin; they did a good job. Hopefully, we can tune on it some more tomorrow.” Moran, seeking a second straight LOLMDS championship, trails Brandon Sheppard by 45 points heading into Sunday’s season finale. “The track was a bit different from when we were here for the Hillbilly. It didn’t have as much grip on the bottom then as it did tonight. We weren’t expecting that. We know we have a decent car, so we know what to work on for tomorrow.” Thornton’s Koehler Motorsports Longhorn Chassis, owned by Bobby and Jessica Koehler, is powered by a Cornett Racing Engine. Sponsors include Hoker Trucking, Knight’s Companies, Capital Waste, Coltman Farms Racing, Strange Oval, Certified Inspection Services, SI Towing and Recovery, Sunoco Race Fuels, and D&E Outside Services. Completing the top 10 in the first feature were Dennis Erb Jr., Eddie Carrier Jr., Tyler Erb, Kyle Bronson, and Drake Troutman.

Thornton and O’Neal Win Dirt Track World Championship Preliminary Features Ricky Thornton Jr. and Hudson O’Neal each won a 25-lap Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series preliminary feature Saturday night at West Virginia Motor Speedway, opening the 46th Annual ARP Dirt Track World Championship presented by Summit Racing Equipment weekend. Thornton passed early leader Tyler Carpenter for the lead on lap 10 of the first $5,000-to-win feature. Carpenter led the opening nine laps. Thornton went on to win his third straight LOLMDS feature after sweeping both races at Eldora Speedway last weekend. Thornton earned his 65th career series victory by 1.358 seconds over Dillon McCowan, who started 10th and climbed to second. Championship contender Devin Moran completed the Big River Steel Podium in third. Chris Ferguson finished fourth, and Max Blair rounded out the top five. “Early on, we just let Tyler and Devin go, and we were looking for the right opportunity. Those guys took off on the top, and I thought a yellow might give me the perfect opportunity. I knew Tyler wasn’t going to stay down there for very long. I thought if I could make a couple of good laps down there, we were going to be in good shape. When I got to third, I was watching Tyler and Devin. Their cars were a little better through the center than mine. I hit the yuke tire and knocked the nose down, and I thought, ‘I’ve really got to go now.’ I got a really good run off turn two and thought I could slide them going into turn three. Our car was good enough to do that.” McCowan, in his rookie season with the series and making his first career start at WVMS, advanced from 10th to finish second. “We’ve had a tough couple of weeks. Hats off to my guys. The track around the bottom was soupy, and then we ran around the top like a bullring. The car was good. Congrats to Ricky and Devin; they did a good job. Hopefully, we can tune on it some more tomorrow.” Moran, seeking a second straight LOLMDS championship, trails Brandon Sheppard by 45 points heading into Sunday’s season finale. “The track was a bit different from when we were here for the Hillbilly. It didn’t have as much grip on the bottom then as it did tonight. We weren’t expecting that. We know we have a decent car, so we know what to work on for tomorrow.” Thornton’s Koehler Motorsports Longhorn Chassis, owned by Bobby and Jessica Koehler, is powered by a Cornett Racing Engine. Sponsors include Hoker Trucking, Knight’s Companies, Capital Waste, Coltman Farms Racing, Strange Oval, Certified Inspection Services, SI Towing and Recovery, Sunoco Race Fuels, and D&E Outside Services. Completing the top 10 in the first feature were Dennis Erb Jr., Eddie Carrier Jr., Tyler Erb, Kyle Bronson, and Drake Troutman.

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John Force Racing–Dallas Saturday

October 19, 2026 ARP Trish Leave a comment

Photography: John Force Racing / Auto Imagery / Gary Nastase

PEAK SQUAD TAKES TOP SPOT AT THE METROPLEXDeJoria fourth, Vandergriff sixth and Hart eighth heading into eliminations

Photography: John Force Racing / Auto Imagery / Gary Nastase

PEAK SQUAD TAKES TOP SPOT AT THE METROPLEXDeJoria fourth, Vandergriff sixth and Hart eighth heading into eliminations

ENNIS, Texas (Oct. 17, 2026) – Jack Beckman and the PEAK Chevrolet SS Funny Car team earned their fourth No. 1 Qualifier of the 2026 NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series season and the 37^thof Beckman’s Funny Car career while the three other John Force Racing entries all qualified in the top half of the ladder for Sunday’s first round of eliminations for the Texas NHRA FallNationals at the Texas Motorplex. The PEAK SQUAD secured the top spot with their Friday night run of 3.852 seconds at 330.13 mph. The team also ran 3.885 seconds in Saturday’s second and final qualifying session. Beckman will face No. 16 qualifier Terry Haddock (4.033 seconds at 310.97 mph) in Sunday’s first round of eliminations. Alexis DeJoria had John Force Racing’s most consistent two days of qualifying with three consecutive runs in the 3.80-second range. It was the Bandero Café Chevrolet SS Funny Car team’s Q2 run of 3.873 seconds at 333.09 mph that secured the No. 4 qualifying spot, but they also ran 3.875 seconds in Q3 and 3.878 seconds in Q4. DeJoria will line up against No. 13 qualifier Dave Richards (3.925 seconds at 333.68 mph) in Round 1. Jordan Vandergriff and the Cornwell Tools Chevrolet SS Funny Car team qualified sixth with their Q2 run of 3.881 seconds at 333.83 mph. They also ran 3.889 seconds in Q4. Vandergriff will go head-to-head against No. 11 qualifier Blake Alexander (3.914 seconds at 327.92 mph) in the first round of eliminations. Josh Hart and the Speedmaster Top Fuel team used their Q1 run Friday afternoon of 3.714 seconds at 337.64 mph to take the No. 8 qualifying position and also ran 3.749 seconds in Q4 Sunday afternoon. Hart will match up against No. 9 qualifier Will Smith (3.714 seconds at 335.80 mph) in Round 1. Both drivers made 3.714-second runs but Hart got the higher qualifying position based on going nearly two miles per hour faster. Final eliminations are scheduled for Sun., Oct. 18, beginning at 12 p.m. CT. Quote from Jack Beckman, PEAK Chevrolet SS Funny Car: “Today’s run on a 105-degree racetrack, pound for pound, was the run of the weekend. Today’s run is outstanding, and it probably gives the PEAK SQUAD data for two of the four runs tomorrow. I thought somebody could run an .86 on that last qualifying session. I thought a perfect run would be that, and Dan [Hood] and Tim [Fabrisi, crew chiefs] exceeded that. I just think that was an amazing run relative to conditions. We’ve put ourselves in a position where we have to depend on [points leader Matt Hagan] going out early and that’s always a difficult situation. Now Austin [Prock] had a first-round loss in the Countdown. We’ve had a first-round loss in the Countdown. I’m going to talk to Matt and try to convince him he needs one or two first-round losses in the Countdown because if they don’t do that, we’re going to have a tough time getting around them.” Quote from Alexis DeJoria, Bandero Café Chevrolet SS Funny Car: “We definitely have a bracket car right now. The Bandero Café Chevy ran three straight 3.87-second runs so I’m happy and we are so stoked to race on Sunday. We earned five bonus points today so what can I say? Our car kicks ass in qualifying, and it gives us that much more confidence going into race day.” Quote from Jordan Vandergriff, Cornwell Tools Chevrolet SS Funny Car: “I think both qualifying days for this Cornwell Quality Tools Chevrolet Funny Car were great. In Q1 and Q3, we were testing the waters and found out what we needed. Then, in Q2 and Q4, we executed on what we found out. Running that 3.889 in Q4 felt really good. An elapsed time at that time of day in these conditions was important and to also run a 3.88 last night shows we’re up to the task. We’re ready for race day.” Quote from Josh Hart, Speedmaster Top Fuel Dragster: “I’m very proud of the John Force Racing Speedmaster Top Fuel dragster team this weekend. The work that these guys have put into the race program will pay off.” TV Schedule Television coverage includes qualifying action on FS1 at 11 a.m. ET on Sunday, Oct. 18, leading into eliminations at 3 p.m. ET.

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Chevy Racing–NASCAR–Phoenix–Daniel Suarez

October 19, 2026 ARP Trish Leave a comment

NASCAR Cup Series Phoenix Raceway Team Chevy Driver Quotes October 17, 2026

Daniel Suarez, driver of the No. 7 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet, met with the media in advance of the NASCAR Cup Series practice and qualifying session at Phoenix Raceway.

MEDIA RESOURCES: Photo Gallery | Race Advances Chevrolet Newsroom

NASCAR Cup SeriesPhoenix RacewayTeam Chevy Driver QuotesOctober 17, 2026

Daniel Suarez, driver of the No. 7 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet, met with the media in advance of the NASCAR Cup Series practice and qualifying session at Phoenix Raceway.

MEDIA RESOURCES: Photo Gallery | Race Advances Chevrolet Newsroom

Media Availability Quotes:

First off, Daniel, congratulations on signing with Spire Motorsports for next year. Do you mind just talking about that?“Yeah, I mean I think it was expected, right, for everyone. Obviously, the team has been doing a good job, and you just don’t see every day that you put a team and a driver that were struggling the year before and you put them together and you start just getting results right away. So that was very, very positive. Obviously, we’ve been working a lot throughout the year to make our group better and better, and we have made some progress. We still have obviously a long ways to go from where we want to be, not just as a team on the 7 team, but also as an organization with Spire Motorsports, but I believe that we have the pieces to be able to make great things with this organization. So yeah, happy where we’re at and excited where we’re heading.”   Last year when you signed the deal, I guess the vibe was sort of like, okay, this was a late deal and we’re not really sure how Daniel’s career is going to go. Now having pen to paper, signing the deal, just kind of talk about the difference between this year and last year and how you feel? “Yeah, you know, I had dinner with Jeff Dickerson a while back. It’s been like four months ago when we started having the contract discussions. This deal has been done for a little while. It’s so funny because he made a comment that made me laugh. He said to me — man, last year, you and Spire were like the last two kids in the dance floor that didn’t have a mate, you know, they didn’t have a partner. And we were like, oh, might as well just dance together. I thought it was very funny. And now, obviously, it’s a completely different game, right? Like I can’t remember, I think last year, I was in the high 20s in the points standings and the 7 team were like 30th or something like that. It wasn’t very good, but there was a lot of work that went into it during the off-season.  I have always known what I’m capable of, and I also knew what Spire Motorsports was doing, especially with the 77 and Carson (Hocevar.) So in my mind, I’m like, okay, this group has potential, we just need to put the pieces of the puzzle together. Obviously right now, we’re happy, but not satisfied. We always want more. But if in the beginning of the year, you were telling us, ‘Hey Daniel, this is how the year is going to go — you guys are going to have several top-10s, top-15s, be qualifying up front, win a race, be in The Chase’, we’re going to be pretty happy. But obviously as an organization, we’re greedy people and we always want more. Right now, even though we are competitive, we want more. We want to be able to have a real shot for a championship in the near future. And for that, obviously we have to continue to grow and that’s where we are. But overall, obviously I’m excited. The team is doing a good job, and hopefully we can continue to grow together.”   You talked already right there about Jeff Dickerson and how the relationship started. I’m just curious, how has that relationship evolved now here after signing this new deal?“Yeah, I mean, like I said, a year ago from right now, there were not many options either for me or for him. So in a way we, we took what we had, even though that I saw potential and they also saw previous potential in myself. So right now, it’s a completely different story, right? We are a solid team. The last month, we’ve been finishing in the top-15. We’re a strong team, and that’s not a surprise. If we qualify in the top-five today, I don’t think anyone is going to be surprised. That’s good, but we want more, obviously. We want to continue to put the bar higher and higher. Right now, we’re already having conversations about what we need to do better in the off-season for next year. What are our strengths and weaknesses of this year heading into next year. I believe, like I said, that we have had a strong year, but we want more. Those are the conversations, right? Like, okay, we’re happy where we’re at, but how can we make it even better? To be able to beat the Gibbs, the Penske, the Hendrick cars, we’re going to need one more step or two, so how can we make that next step? Those are the conversations that we’re having now.”
This week, you got to visit three Phoenix schools, which is something that’s very near and dear to your heart. Just tell me a little bit more about that experience and why it’s so important for you to keep doing this.“Yeah, I mean, I’ve been doing this for a while. I’ve been visiting schools for at least five years. And especially I know that I can make a bigger impact in Hispanic schools, right? Because that’s who I am. And listen, winning races, winning championships, being competitive on the racetrack; that’s amazing and that’s my priority. But if I don’t take advantage of my platform and the journey that I have had to get to this point, coming from Mexico, without speaking the language and all these different barriers I’ve had to go through; I feel like it would be a little bit of a waste. So a handful of years ago, I decided to use what I have built to inspire the next generations and to share a little bit of my journey, and that’s what I’ve been doing. You know, like you mentioned, on Thursday, I went to a few schools. Yesterday, I was in the Mexican consulate and there were actually another 40 or 50 students in there from high school. So for me, that’s special. That’s one of those things that I couldn’t do 10 years ago, but I can now, and I have to take advantage of the journey and the story that I have built with time.”   Right now, are you working toward next year, or do you still care about where you finish in points?“Oh, of course I care, Bob (Pockrass). Of course, I care. I would be lying to you if I told you that we’re going to win the championship, right? But I believe that we still have a lot to fight for. I mean, like I said, the last four races, we have finished in the top-15. Is that what we want? No, we want a little bit more than that. But we’re working hard. We’re pushing hard. We’re trying to maximize our potential. I believe that if we do everything right in the next month, I believe that top-10 in points is achievable for us. Very achievable. So we just have to continue to maximize. With that being said, also, I would say 10% of the time that we spend during the week is about what do we need to do as a company to be able to go to the next level? It’s only 10%. It’s not 80%. So this year is still very, very important, and it’s very important for me. I believe that as a driver, you are just as good as your last race, so I want to close this season as strong as possible. And then, we can put full focus into the next.”  Next week is Talladega. What went through your mind when you saw Carson (Hocevar) win his first Cup race and is doing that celebration? Are you surprised? Are you like, this guy is nuts? What was your feeling? What was your reaction to all that and all that’s kind of happened around that guy since?“You know, I was extremely happy for Carson (Hocevar). Extremely happy for the 77 team. Very, very happy for Spire Motorsports. Carson deserved that win. He did a great job. About his celebration, you know, it’s so funny that you asked me that question. I can actually pull some pictures and videos of this, but my very first victory in NASCAR Mexico back around 2010 or 2009. I won in Mexico City at the Hermano Rodriguez, where we raced, and I didn’t know what to do. I knew I was such a small kid that I could drive outside the car, and I did exactly the same thing. I can’t remember if I was going backwards like he was, but on the front straightaway, I was driving and hanging like halfway out (laughs). I thought it was very funny. I only mentioned that to Julia because I wasn’t going to make a big deal, that was his moment. But it was very funny that I did something similar 15 years ago.”   What have you learned from Michael (McDowell) and Carson (Hocevar) as teammates in year one at Spire Motorsports?“I learned that they are extremely different from each other, and I’m not saying that’s a bad thing. They’re just extremely different. And I believe that, honestly, I came to Spire Motorsports at a perfect time because if you think about, Carson (Hocevar) is in his low 20s, I’m in my mid-30s, and Michael is in his low 40s. So we are three different generations, completely different. Sometimes, I felt that the gap was too big between Michael and Carson in the way that they think and the way that they were operating, and I feel like I came into the picture in a perfect moment to kind of like connect the dots and it has worked very well. I believe that I have in me a lot of Michael and I have in me a lot of Carson, as well, so that’s why I feel like I’ve been able to help the entire team to connect the dots. And like I said, I’m not saying that in a bad way. I believe that Michael has a lot of assets and a lot of strengths. The same thing with Carson. But they are different. They’re very, very different. There are a lot of things that Michael does way better than Carson, and there are a lot of things that Carson does way better than Michael. So, for me to be able to learn those things and to be able to communicate with both of them, has been fun.”   With increased horsepower at this track, does it change the way you drive the car and can you feel it? “It doesn’t really change much with the way that you drive the car. You can definitely feel it, but we raced this package earlier this year, so we already have, in a way, experienced what we are going to have. With the way that you shift on the back straightaway, it’s a little bit different now with more horsepower. You’re having to shift to fifth a little bit more, where before, we stayed in fourth a little bit longer. But yeah, I think it’s going to be fun. It’s going to be a little bit warmer tomorrow, it’s supposed to be at least, than the last time we were here, so it should be a fun race.”

In the spring, IndyCar was here, as well. They put some stuff on the track, kind of added some more grip maybe with them running. Do you think there’s anything different here with just O’Reilly’s, Trucks and ARCA?“Yeah, I think so. The rubber that the IndyCar guys put down already with those different tires is a little different, but I don’t remember. I don’t think we were affected by that, but the O’Reilly cars may have. I can’t remember how it worked last time here, but I don’t remember us being too affected by that, but the O’Reilly cars definitely did.  I miss those guys, to be honest. I think it’s a lot of fun to have the double with the IndyCar guys. I think it’s a lot of fun to watch those guys and to see them around. Hopefully next year, we can do it again. I think it’s a great thing for them, for us, and for the fans.”  Daniel, you mentioned visiting the three schools here in Phoenix, and then you also went down to the Fan Fest downtown Phoenix. What can we do to bridge the gap to be able to bring more kids to be able to have that experience?“Yeah, first of all, I really want to give a lot of credit to Latasha, the president of Phoenix Raceway, because she does an amazing job. She takes it personal, right? She’s not just the president of Phoenix Raceway, but also she’s from this area, and she’s always willing to go the extra mile to help and support the community. Actually, we gave away hundreds of tickets to the schools that we were at on Thursday for some of those kids to come for the weekend. Things like this, trying to build different platforms and different ways to have these young kids to interact with all the different positions that we have in the sport. That’s something I was telling the kids. I’m very blessed, I’m very fortunate, that I’m one of the faces of the sport as a driver, but there is so many different positions in the sport: from PR, mechanics, engineers, designing, you name it. I can almost guarantee you that there is a position for everything that you can maybe think of. So that’s, I think, something that’s very important, and I feel like we just have to continue to work in building these different mechanisms, different platforms, to give awareness to these young adults, especially from high school and middle school, that are starting to make different decisions on what they want to do in their lives. Like I said, I have a huge amount of respect for Latasha because I truly believe that she does an amazing job with this racetrack and this community to always go the extra mile.”

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chevy Racing–NASCAR–Phoenix–Kyle Larson

October 19, 2026 ARP Trish Leave a comment

NASCAR Cup Series Phoenix Raceway Team Chevy Driver Quotes October 17, 2026

Kyle Larson, driver of the No. 5 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet, met with the media in a panel with fellow Chase contenders, Denny Hamlin and Christopher Bell, in advance of the NASCAR Cup Series practice and qualifying session at Phoenix Raceway.

MEDIA RESOURCES: Photo Gallery | Race Advances Chevrolet Newsroom

NASCAR Cup SeriesPhoenix RacewayTeam Chevy Driver QuotesOctober 17, 2026

MEDIA RESOURCES: Photo Gallery | Race Advances Chevrolet Newsroom

Kye Larson Media Availability Quotes:

You have three JGR drivers and teams on your heels. Which one are you most concerned about? “I would say all of them equally. As Chase (Briscoe) and (Christopher) Bell has proven and Denny (Hamlin) has proven for decades, they can win anywhere at any point. As they said, you just have to limit your bad days, and for us so far, we haven’t had any. I’m not saying that we won’t, so we’re just trying to do what we can to execute to the best of our abilities every week and just try to maximize our days.”

Kyle and Christopher, you guys have been super competitive with each other for long stretches of your career, from dirt tracks to now. Has that competitive relationship evolved or changed at all throughout the years? Is it safe to call it a ‘friendly rivalry’ that might not have quite the bitter edge to it?“I think I’ve said it in other press conferences; nobody’s pushed me more than Christopher (Bell) to become a better racer, so I appreciate that. I think in all forms of sports, there’s always athletes that push athletes, and he’s been the guy to push me to be better because he’s beaten me so much throughout my career. I appreciate the competitive rivalry, for sure. Like he said, we’re different people and hangout with different crowds. We’re just different. You’re always going to have that.”

You’ve been on record numerous times that you suck at Phoenix Raceway, but you’ve finished in the top-five the last four races and third in the last three, so what makes you say that? What constitutes ‘good’ for you? “Well, I think if you would dig through and pull out average speed throughout a race, I think it would show – which I’m pretty blunt I guess with my comments, but why I feel like we suck here. It just hasn’t, historically, been a good track for us from start to finish. We’re able to finish well, but I think that just has a lot to do with team execution. We’ve done that time and time again here, I feel like. In average ranking, we’re probably an eighth to 13th- place car most times we come here. We’ve had a couple decent ones, but never do we come here and we’re the fastest. It’s just been a tough track for us and one that we’ve worked hard to try and find the speed. William (Byron), I feel like, has been the best out of the four Hendrick Motorsports guys here, consistently, but the rest of us are just always searching.”

Obviously we’ve had rain here today, but more importantly, there’s a tremendous amount of cloud cover here today. What are the difficulties with setting up your car for practice in trying to find a feel of the race pace that is going to be presented in a much different way on Sunday? “I don’t know. I think in practice, you’re always trying to find a balance that feels comfortable, and I think that can translate to cool or warm conditions. And then, yeah, obviously it’s going to be a little different in the race, but I think the times that you’re off in practice, no matter what the conditions are going to be like in the race, you’re probably going to be off in the race. If you’re balanced in certain conditions, you’re probably going to be balanced in the other conditions.”

Do you guys think it’s weird that a year ago, this would have been the start of a round and Kyle Larson’s lead would have been wiped out and you (Denny Hamlin) would be the points leader? “I just don’t know why we’re still talking about it because it’s not the format, so it just doesn’t matter. This is what it is now.”

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Cadillac Hertz Team JOTA qualify P5 and P10 in Barcelona

October 19, 2026 ARP Trish Leave a comment

What they’re saying:No.12 Cadillac Hertz Team JOTA, Will Stevens: “Overall, a pretty solid session. There were a few bits and pieces we could have tidied up, but I feel like the half a second or six tenths we needed to get pole today was probably a little out of reach. We pretty much maximised what we had, so it was a solid result and a good starting position for tomorrow. It looks like we’ll have pretty mixed conditions, especially at the start of the race, when it’s quite likely to be wet. Starting up at the sharp end just makes things that little bit cleaner for the race start. We’ve made good progress so far, we’ll be looking to keep that going tomorrow.” No.38 Cadillac Hertz Team JOTA, Jack Aitken: “On the No. 38 side, we didn’t manage to get a clean lap in during Hyperpole, so we couldn’t really show what we were capable of, which is a shame. But it’s a long race tomorrow and the No. 12 is starting from a decent position, so we’ll work on our plans tonight and see what we can do.”

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CORVETTE RACING AT BARCELONA: No. 33 Starts Season-Best P4

October 19, 2026 ARP Trish Leave a comment

Both TF Sport Corvette GT3s advance to Hyperpole for first time this year BARCELONA, Catalunya, Spain (October 17, 2026) – TF Sport’s two Chevrolet Corvette Z06 GT3.Rs will start from the second and fifth rows of the LMGT3 grid Sunday for the Six Hours of Barcelona presented by Visit Qatar and the first race there for the FIA World Endurance Championship.

For the first time this year, both Corvettes advanced to the 10-minute Hyperpole session with Jonny Edgar setting the fastest lap among the TF Sport drivers – 1:41.447 (102.713 mph). The class Drivers Championship leader will team again with Nicky Catsburg and Ben Keating, who advanced out of Q1 and into the 10-minute Hyperpole session for the first time this year. The No. 34 Racing Team Turkey by TF entry of Charlie Eastwood, Salih Yoluc and Peter Dempsey was the quickest of the two Corvettes in Saturday’s Q1 thanks to Dempsey’s lap of 1:42.082 (102.029 mph). Yoluc, who drove in Hyperpole, will take the start in the red Corvette in Sunday’s race. After struggling with pace during Friday’s two free practice sessions, the No. 33 team made a setup change to help front-end compliance and bring it into a similar window of the sister Corvette, which made all the difference in qualifying. The Hyperpole appearance for the No. 33 was a pleasant turn of events, but qualifying outside the top-10 has meant little as the trio has moved forward in previous races and scored points in five of them – tied for most in the class.That consistency plus a win at the 24 Hours of Le Mans has put the No. 33 Corvette on the cusp of clinching the LMGT3 Teams Championship. If the trio finishes more than 26 points ahead of their closest competitor coming out of the race, then the No. 33 TF Corvette squad will clinch the championship with one race to go. The Drivers title will officially go to the season finale at Monza as Edgar leads by two points over Catsburg and 22 over Keating. Not far behind is the No. 34 Corvette squad, which has a class victory at Brazil and third-place finish at Fuji to its credit. Those results have lifted the No. 34 to third in the Teams standings and the three drivers to fifth in Drivers points. Despite the dry and warm conditions in qualifying Saturday, rain in the forecast for Sunday gives additional hope to the Corvette camp, with all six drivers confident in the wet setup and performance of the Z06 GT3.R. Both cars were quick during a damp final practice session at Fuji in the previous WEC round before qualifying was washed out. The Six Hours of Barcelona presented by Visit Qatar for the FIA World Endurance Championship is scheduled for noon CET / 6 a.m. ET on Sunday. Live streaming coverage of the race plus timing and scoring is available through a subscription on FIA WEC Plus with additional live streaming on the HBO Max app in the U.S. Radio Le Mans also will provide live streaming audio coverage as well.

CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R POST-QUALIFYING DRIVER QUOTES

JONNY EDGAR, NO. 33 CHEVROLET CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R: “It’s been a much better day. Yesterday was really difficult for us generally compared to the sister car. We seemed to really struggle for pace and were missing a few tenths. We made some changes based on our feelings and already in FP3 the car was much better. All three of us were way happier with the balance, and we also seemed much faster. Ben did a great job of getting us into Hyperpole for the time this year, which is really nice. Going into my session I didn’t know fully what to expect. I haven’t done qualifying in over a year. I knew here the tire deg is pretty big so I expected the laptime to come in the first or second push lap. The first lap I did was pretty good and the second was basically the same time. So everyone did a great job. The car was massively improved, and I was happy with my lap. I don’t think there was much time left in it. A big improvement from where we were yesterday, which was nice. Whenever we have a tough day, we seem to be able to turn it around. We did the same in Fuji so that’s very positive. I’m looking forward to the race. It’s the best starting position I’ve had in the two years I’ve driven with Ben, which is quite cool.”(Outlook for a wet race?) “In the rain or dry, starting at the front helps. You’re in a better track position, especially if it’s wet you can see better. But I think the plan stays the same: no mistakes, have a clean race, drive as fast as we can. In Fuji we seemed to have a good car in the rain and today it was good in the dry. I think in any conditions we should be pretty good. We’ll try to score as many points as we can for the championship.”

BEN KEATING, NO. 33 CHEVROLET CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R: “I can’t remember what my mock qualifying time was yesterday, but I think I’m close to two seconds a lap faster than yesterday. Yesterday I was very frustrated. Kudos to the team. Tyler (Neff, race engineer) did an amazing job of studying the data last night and figuring out what was causing our issues. The car feels so much better today. All racecars like a cool track. This morning I did a qualy sim, and I’m really glad I did but it was very different. I’m learning how to bring the tires in properly at this specific track because it’s very different from most tracks we go to. I feel like I learned a lot and that I executed well.“It’s extremely tight. I think I did a 43.3 first to put me in P2, which was already a tenth quicker than my mock qualy in practice. With the heat of the day I thought that would be pretty good. I pushed for another lap and did a 43.1 and was still P2 at the time and had no doubt that was going to be good enough. On the next lap I did a 42.9 that put me in P4 at the checkered flag. I was shocked to look at the timing screen to see that my 43.1 would have put me out of Hyperpole. From fourth to 12th is only three-tenths of a second. That’s extremely tight, especially when you consider that every car out there had their Bronze driver in there. You get a little bit of a mix of drivers, and I’m just thrilled. It’s my first Hyperpole of the entire season. I’m grateful to be where we are and proud of Jonny for giving us a P4 starting position. It’s far and away the best starting position we’ve had all year.”

NICKY CATSBURG, NO. 33 CHEVROLET CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R: “Tire deg is a big issue for everyone. We’re probably pretty good at it so hopefully it’s something we can use to our advantage. We are on the medium compound whereas in ELMS the team ran the hard compound. I feel like it’s just out of the window. There’s massive deg compared to what we normally so we will have to find a setup and a way to keep the tires alive. ”I was actually using AI to fine the last time I was here, and it was awhile ago! I definitely have not driven the last sector the way it is now. But I have driven the last two corners back in 2007 or something in a Seat front-wheel drive, so that’s a bit far away from the Corvette! It’s a lot of fun. The track is great. The only thing is the state of the asphalt. There’s so much deg which kind of makes it less fun. Luckily now in this last practice we’ve really found something good on the car so I feel like everyone will be a bit happier today. (The rain) changes things for sure. I hope it rains. We haven’t really had a proper rain race yet. I think we’ll be good in the wet so I’ll be dancing tonight.”

PETER DEMPSEY, NO. 34 CHEVROLET CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R: “First off, congrats to Ben and the 33 car. He did a phenomenal job to get them into their first Hyperpole of the year. It allows them to start a bit closer to the front than normal, which is great for the team. For us, I’m happy with my qualifying. It was my first qualifying sim of the weekend so I definitely left a bit on the table. But I did the job I needed to do to get into Hyperpole and give Salih a run at it there. Overall I’m pretty happy. We’ll see what the weather brings tomorrow.(Key to changing mindset of dry practice and qualifying vs. a rain race) “Not too much really. Just don’t overthink it and deal with what conditions the weather gives us to maximize our day. If that’s first or 10th, it is what it is. We just need to get the most out of it. I raced here in the rain two weeks ago in GT World Challenge so I think that will give me a bit of an advantage if it’s the first session in the wet for everybody. Hopefully I can push us through our stints and give Charlie the car in a good position to finish the race.”

CORVETTE RACING AT BARCELONA: No. 33 Starts Season-Best P4Both TF Sport Corvette GT3s advance to Hyperpole for first time this year BARCELONA, Catalunya, Spain (October 17, 2026) – TF Sport’s two Chevrolet Corvette Z06 GT3.Rs will start from the second and fifth rows of the LMGT3 grid Sunday for the Six Hours of Barcelona presented by Visit Qatar and the first race there for the FIA World Endurance Championship.

CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R POST-QUALIFYING DRIVER QUOTES

CHARLIE EASTWOOD, NO. 34 CHEVROLET CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R: “In ELMS this year we ran the hard Goodyear, which is probably quite a bit more suited to Barcelona with these track temps. For us, we want there to be the most tire deg as possible. The Corvette… there’s nobody better on it. Even if we miss a bit on pace and time in the early laps, we gain it back at the end of a stint. It’s gone pretty well. We were strong out of the box with P3 in FP1. It’s hard to get a feel on everyone’s tire strategy. It seems like some are using more tires than normal due to the rain that’s going to come Sunday and things like that. It’s tricky to get an understanding but we’re in a good spot.”(Racing on rain tires) “I raced them in Austin and I raced on them in at Silverstone in ELMS, and the car was really good there. We’re kind of on the balanced side where it normally goes to understeer in the wet so we definitely have that in the back of our mind that we want it to be a bit on edge so then if it does rain then it will be really good. There’s plenty for the smarter people to think about.(Advantage of racing at Barcelona in ELMS) “It always helps, and Peter was here in GT World Challenge a couple of weeks ago. It’s a different tire but he put on an unbelievable performance. We’re in a really good spot as a team and a lineup to capitalize if it does rain.”

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DON’T CALL IT A COMEBACK: Giovanni Scelzi Wins Texas Thriller, Puts Championship Pressure on Rico Abreu

October 19, 2026 ARP Trish Leave a comment

Abreu & TSR Lead Scelzi & Spire by 36pts Entering Saturday’s Championship Finale at Texas Motor Speedway

DON’T CALL IT A COMEBACK: Giovanni Scelzi Wins Texas Thriller, Puts Championship Pressure on Rico Abreu
Abreu & TSR Lead Scelzi & Spire by 36pts Entering Saturday’s Championship Finale at Texas Motor Speedway

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Cadillac Racing announces 2027 IMSA GTP driver roster

October 15, 2026 ARP Trish Leave a comment

Media Resources: Images | Media Advances | Cadillac Newsroom

DETROIT (October 15, 2026) – Cadillac Racing, the reigning IMSA manufacturer champion, will enter the 2027 IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship with a championship-winning foundation and a deep, experienced driver lineup across three Cadillac V-Series.Rs.
As Cadillac begins its fifth year of IMSA GTP competition, the program will pair the continuity of its proven full-season combinations with the strength and versatility of its endurance-race drivers. The 2027 roster is positioned to carry the momentum of a historic 2026 campaign into the season-opening Rolex 24 At Daytona and the full IMSA GTP schedule.
Cadillac Racing’s 2027 IMSA GTP driver roster: Cadillac Whelen (No. 31)· Jack Aitken, Frederik Vesti (season)· Earl Bamber (endurance races) Cadillac Wayne Taylor Racing (No. 10)· Ricky Taylor, Filipe Albuquerque (season)· Will Stevens (endurance races)Cadillac Wayne Taylor Racing (No. 40)· Jordan Taylor, Louis Deletraz (season)· Norman Nato (endurance races) The fourth driver for Action Express Racing in the Rolex 24 at Daytona will be announced at a later date. “We are proud to carry the momentum of our championship-winning 2026 season into 2027 with a driver lineup that combines proven IMSA experience, championship-caliber performance and the depth required to compete across the full GTP schedule,” said Eric Warren, Vice President, Global Motorsports Competition for General Motors. “Our three Cadillac V-Series.R programs have demonstrated remarkable consistency and pace, and this roster gives each team a strong platform for the 2027 season. The goal is clear: defend our titles, continue building on Cadillac’s endurance racing legacy and pursue success at every round, beginning with the Rolex 24 At Daytona.”

Cadillac won the 2026 IMSA Manufacturer title, while the No. 31 Whelen Cadillac V-Series.R secured the IMSA team title and Jack Aitken earned the IMSA GTP driver title. Cadillac Racing has stood on the podium in 11 consecutive races, dating back to Sept. 21, 2025, at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. During that stretch, Action Express Racing won four races and Wayne Taylor Racing scored one victory. In 2026 Cadillac recorded four poles, 11 podium finishes, and three wins. Since joining IMSA prototype competition in 2017, Cadillac Racing has totaled 36 IMSA DPi/GTP victories – the most of any manufacturer – and 115 podium finishes, including 31 in GTP and 84 in DPi.

What they’re saying: Gary Nelson, general manager, Action Express Racing: “We are very pleased with our driver lineup, and we kept it the same for 2027 with the only change being Fred moving to full time and Earl doing the endurance races. We think so highly of all three guys, and they delivered a championship for the No. 31 Whelen Cadillac. We are looking forward to defending our championships and I can’t think of a better way to do that than a great run in the 2027 Rolex 24 at Daytona.” No. 31 Whelen Cadillac V-Series.R: Jack Aitken: “I’m thrilled to return to IMSA with Whelen Cadillac to defend our titles. We’ve built something pretty special over the last few years here and we know the competition will be just as fierce as ever, so I’m already looking forward to Daytona and a chance to pick up where we left off. Continuity on the driver lineup with Fred and Earl is great as we’ve got a fantastic chemistry between us, and seeing Fred step up to more racing this year will be fun as well.” Earl Bamber: “Can’t wait to return to the No. 31 Whelen Cadillac next year. I think what we’ve built over the last two seasons is something super, super special, and it just really thrills the team to get another IMSA championship, and also Jack, his first IMSA championship. And now it’s all eyes forward to the big one for us, which is Daytona, where we’re trying to get Cadillac and Whelan, their first win in the GDP era at Daytona.” Frederik Vesti: “Very excited for the 2027 season. Obviously, 2026 was an incredible year altogether. I really enjoyed my time on the team. Just so proud of all of us and everyone, mechanics, engineers, drivers, we’ve done an amazing job. But looking into 2027, I’m very motivated and very excited to be back with Action Express, but in a full-time capacity doing all nine rounds of IMSA. That’s always been part of the plan with the Whelen Cadillac team, a few learning years and then finally stepping up to fight for the championship, which I can’t wait. We are keeping consistency in the team, which means a lot to me. I think we are by far the strongest driver line up on the grid and I’m looking forward to continuing that journey. So yeah, thank you to Gary Nelson, the whole Action Express team, and of course, GM and Whelen Cadillac for the extension and very excited for the future.”

Wayne Taylor, owner, Wayne Taylor Racing: “Continuity is key and I’m excited to be returning in 2027 with the same driver lineup. Delighted to welcome Norman Nato back in the No. 40 cockpit and will lean on the knowledge that he will bring to us from WEC. Given our win and double podium at Road America and additional podiums at Detroit and Petit, I feel confident that we have the right mix of drivers and am excited to go testing.” No. 10 Cadillac Wayne Taylor Racing V-Series.R: Ricky Taylor: “Continuity and consistency within the Cadillac Racing GTP stable has been critical to our progress with the car. Being able to share drivers across programs while building a relationship over multiple seasons has really helped us to build step by step and learn across programs.” Filipe Albuquerque: “I just love the idea of continuing with Cadillac. If there is something a driver wants to feel is the full commitment from the manufacturer he works for. When I am on track, I give my 100 percent and I know Cadillac is doing the same. The programs they are involved shows that commitment. It will be my seventh year with the brand, and I could not be happier. This off season will be used to evolve and aim for more wins in 2027.” Will Stevens: “Having continuity within a team’s lineup is crucial to building long term success as nothing makes you feel more prepared than arriving in Daytona at the start of a new year and already knowing everyone withing the program and all the finer details that takes time to learn so when we hit the track we can just focus on performance. When you have everyone working united in the same direction over the winter break that is the recipe for success and I really feel 2027 is going to be a special year.”No. 40 Cadillac Wayne Taylor Racing V-Series.R: Jordan Taylor: “We have grown together so much over the last two years with our driver lineups. It really feels like one big team even though when we hit the track we are in two different cars. It’s a tough task in sports car racing to find a group of drivers that can take their egos out of the equation and put the team first and that’s exactly what we have with our lineup. Everyone is here to win and will do whatever is needed to get to victory lane. It’s been great working with Louis these past few years. We have really found a great way to work with each other to not just get the most out of ourselves, but the team as well. I am very confident heading into 2027.”Louis Deletraz: “In endurance racing, every detail matters. Continuity and team dynamics is very important and it’s great that we can have exactly that for 2027 at Cadillac Wayne Taylor Racing. The one team approach has worked well this year and I’m glad we can keep working together as a three-car effort in IMSA. We push each other and learn every weekend that way.”
Norman Nato: “It is very important to have consistency in a team. It’s all about details at this level of performance. Having a mix of very experienced drivers in IMSA and WEC allow us to extract the best from both championships and make our package and time behind the wheel of the Cadillac V series more efficient. WTR is a very experienced team, the atmosphere within the team is amazing, drivers get along very well which is something you don’t always find in a team. We will definitely use this strength as a team to make the best usage of our package and make Cadillac WTR shine. Thank you to Cadillac and WTR for their trust.”

Cadillac Racing announces 2027 IMSA GTP driver roster

Media Resources: Images | Media Advances | Cadillac Newsroom

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Wood Brothers Racing–Phoenix Advance

October 15, 2026 ARP Trish Leave a comment

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Closing Stretch at Modoc, Charlotte Users In New Era for Carolina Late Model Racing

October 14, 2026 ARP Trish Leave a comment

MODOC, SC (October 14, 2026) – For the 20th consecutive year, the World of Outlaws Late Model Series presented by DIRTVision will conclude the season in the Carolinas – with an added twist.

New in 2026 is a visit to Modoc Speedway for the Modoc 100 on Friday and Saturday, Oct. 23-24. The inaugural Modoc event has become the lead-in to the annual finale at The Dirt Track at Charlotte as part of Dave Smith Motors World of Outlaws World Finals, Wednesday-Saturday, Nov. 4-7.

The greater Charlotte area has been the center of the full-fendered racing universe for eight decades, dating back to the moonshine-running era in the 1940s. Dirt tracks popped up all over the region in the years that followed, and while several were later paved alongside the rise of NASCAR, many have stayed true to their dirt roots to this day. The result is one of the strongest dirt Late Model scenes in the nation, and one that the World of Outlaws have played an important role in for the past two decades.

Here’s a look at the Carolina tracks that have been part of World of Outlaws history:

The Dirt Track at Charlotte: In the late 1990s, Bruton Smith and the team at Charlotte Motor Speedway wanted to expand the facility’s motorsports offerings beyond the 1.5-mile oval that opened in 1960. Their vision became public in 1999 when the announcement was made that a dirt track would be constructed on the opposite side of Highway 29 from the NASCAR oval.

The original blueprints included a 3/8-mile layout, but plans were changed to the eventual 4/10-mile size during construction. The Dirt Track at Charlotte was completed in the spring of 2000, with the inaugural event being a World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Series doubleheader on Memorial Day weekend prior to the Coca-Cola 600.

It wouldn’t be long until the Late Model contingent got their first taste of the state-of-the-art Charlotte facility. The Hav-A-Tampa Series made two stops at Charlotte in 2000, with Scott Bloomquist winning on July 3 and Dan Schlieper taking the checkers on Sept. 23.

Several other touring series added Charlotte to their schedules in the years that followed – the Southern All Stars being the most frequent visitor – prior to the arrival of the World of Outlaws in 2007 for the first edition of World Finals. The new event created a combined championship weekend for the Late Model and Sprint Car communities, as well as the Super DIRTcar Series beginning in 2010.

World Finals has since grown into a premier staple of the World of Outlaws schedule, consistently featuring one of the largest car counts of the season. In the 19-year history of the event, no one has had more success than Jonathan Davenport, who won twice in 2025 to surpass Jimmy Owens as the winningest Late Model driver in World Finals history. Davenport’s eight victories place him second on the World Finals wins list across all three divisions, trailing only Donny Schatz with nine.

For a few years in the 2000s, World Finals wasn’t Charlotte’s only major World of Outlaws event. The Series also visited in the spring for the Colossal 100, an event won by Bloomquist (2007), Steve Francis (2008) and Earl Pearson Jr. (2009) before the race was discontinued.

Cherokee Speedway: Ask anyone to think about Late Model racing in the Carolinas, and there’s a good chance that Cherokee Speedway is one of the first things that comes to mind.

“The Place Your Mama Warned You About” has become one of the most widely known tracks in the sport since opening in 1957. Nearly every national and Southeast regional Late Model tour has made plenty of stops at the 3/8-mile in Gaffney, SC, including the World of Outlaws, starting in 2017.

Much like many other southeastern red-dirt ovals, Brandon Overton has been dominant in Series action at Cherokee, winning four of the nine World of Outlaws races held there. A pair of South Carolinians have also won their first Series race at Cherokee, those being Ross Bailes in 2019 and Michael Brown in 2022.

Cherokee has remained a hotbed for Super Late Model racing since their most recent World of Outlaws race four years ago, with their biggest event being the Blue-Gray 100 every fall. This year’s race is set for Sunday, Oct. 25, the day after the World of Outlaws event at Modoc, creating a tripleheader race weekend in the “Palmetto State.”

Fayetteville Motor Speedway: The lone track in eastern North Carolina that has hosted World of Outlaws racing is Fayetteville Motor Speedway, which appeared on the schedule eight times between 2008 and 2018.

The 5/16-mile oval maintained plenty of parity in Series action with seven different winners in eight races, with Josh Richards being the only repeat winner. Fayetteville is also the home track of current World of Outlaws regular Daulton Wilson, a former track champion in the Pure Stock division.

Following their final World of Outlaws race in 2018, Fayetteville continued to host regional and local racing until its closure at the end of the 2025 season.

Lancaster Motor Speedway: A hub of local and regional Late Model racing for almost 70 years, Lancaster Motor Speedway has a pair of World of Outlaws races in its history books from 2019 and 2020.

In the inaugural event, a blown right-rear tire for Lancaster, SC native Ben Watkins on Lap 20 of 50 handed the lead to Brandon Sheppard, who never looked back. Then on Labor Day weekend in 2020, Overton broke away to a lead of more than three seconds for his fourth-straight World of Outlaws win.

The track continues to host regional Super Late Model racing regularly, and Watkins is riding a six-race Carolina Clash win streak at his home track dating back to 2022.

311 Motor Speedway: No one misses 311 Motor Speedway’s spot on the World of Outlaws schedule more than Tim McCreadie.

The Watertown, NY native won both Series visits to Pine Hall, NC in 2012 and 2013, with both victories snapping a long winless streak lasting nearly a year. McCreadie is one of many big names with 311 wins on their resume alongside Bloomquist, Davenport, Overton, Dale McDowell and even NASCAR Cup Series driver Austin Dillon, who won a pair of Carolina Clash Super Late Model Series races there in 2010.

While 311 has sat dormant since 2021, efforts have been made in the past year to potentially reopen the track.

Friendship Motor Speedway: The other dirt track in the North Carolina foothills is Friendship Motor Speedway, sitting 50 miles west of 311 in Elkin, NC.

Opening as a dirt track in 1982, Friendship spent a few seasons hosting pavement racing from 2003 to 2007 before returning to dirt for the 2008 season. Seven years later, Friendship welcomed the World of Outlaws for the first time in 2015 when North Carolina native Chris Ferguson collected his first Series win.

The event appeared to be a one-and-done until 2023, when the track was purchased by Bobby and Jessica Koehler of nearby Mt. Airy, NC, renamed Ultimate Motorsports Park and added to the World of Outlaws schedule on Memorial Day weekend in 2024. Bailes and Bobby Pierce split a pair of split-field Friday Features before Saturday’s main event was canceled due to rain.

When the Koehler family ended their operation of the track to focus on their other businesses, Ultimate Towing & Recovery and Koehler Motorsports, local businessman Chuck Melton stepped in to purchase the facility. The track’s original name was restored for 2026, and Friendship has become one of the few tracks in the southeast to run Super Late Models as part of its weekly racing program.

Carolina Speedway: One of the oldest continuously-operating tracks in the region, Carolina Speedway opened in 1961 under the management of Humpy Wheeler, who got his start in race promotion at Carolina before going on to become the general manager of Charlotte Motor Speedway.

After hosting a handful of Hav-A-Tampa shows in the early 1990s, the Gastonia, NC oval got its lone modern-era national-touring event in 2016. The trophy went to Richards, who fended off Chub Frank and Rick Eckert for his fifth of 18 wins that season.

Race-by-Race History
April 21, 2007 – The Dirt Track at Charlotte – Scott Bloomquist
Oct. 10, 2007 – The Dirt Track at Charlotte – Shannon Babb
Nov. 2, 2007 – The Dirt Track at Charlotte – Scott Bloomquist
Nov. 3, 2007 – The Dirt Track at Charlotte – Donnie Moran
April 19, 2008 – The Dirt Track at Charlotte – Steve Francis
Oct. 7, 2008 – Fayetteville Motor Speedway – Josh Richards
Oct. 29, 2008 – The Dirt Track at Charlotte – Chris Madden
Oct. 31, 2008 – The Dirt Track at Charlotte – Scott Bloomquist
Nov. 1, 2008 – The Dirt Track at Charlotte – Josh Richards
March 29, 2009 – The Dirt Track at Charlotte – Earl Pearson Jr.
April 17, 2009 – Fayetteville Motor Speedway – Jeff Smith
Nov. 5, 2009 – The Dirt Track at Charlotte – Josh Richards
Nov. 6, 2009 – The Dirt Track at Charlotte – Scott Bloomquist
Nov. 7, 2009 – The Dirt Track at Charlotte – Jimmy Owens
April 30, 2010 – Fayetteville Motor Speedway – Josh Richards
Oct. 13, 2010 – The Dirt Track at Charlotte – Josh Richards
Nov. 6, 2010 – The Dirt Track at Charlotte – Jimmy Owens
Nov. 6, 2010 – The Dirt Track at Charlotte – Jonathan Davenport
Oct. 12, 2011 – The Dirt Track at Charlotte – Josh Richards
Nov. 4, 2011 – The Dirt Track at Charlotte – Jonathan Davenport
Nov. 5, 2011 – The Dirt Track at Charlotte – Jimmy Owens
May 4, 2012 – 311 Motor Speedway – Tim McCreadie
Oct. 10, 2012 – The Dirt Track at Charlotte – Rick Eckert
Nov. 2, 2012 – The Dirt Track at Charlotte – Jimmy Owens
Nov. 3, 2012 – The Dirt Track at Charlotte – Jimmy Owens
April 20, 2013 – 311 Motor Speedway – Tim McCreadie
Nov. 8, 2013 – The Dirt Track at Charlotte – Darrell Lanigan
Nov. 9, 2013 – The Dirt Track at Charlotte – Josh Richards
May 2, 2014 – Fayetteville Motor Speedway – Darrell Lanigan
Nov. 7, 2014 – The Dirt Track at Charlotte – Darrell Lanigan
Nov. 8, 2014 – The Dirt Track at Charlotte – Jimmy Owens
May 1, 2015 – Friendship Motor Speedway – Chris Ferguson
May 2, 2015 – Fayetteville Motor Speedway – Chris Ferguson
Nov. 6, 2015 – The Dirt Track at Charotte – Brandon Sheppard
Nov. 8, 2015 – The Dirt Track at Charlotte – Jonathan Davenport
April 29, 2016 – Carolina Speedway – Josh Richards
April 30, 2016 – Fayetteville Motor Speedway – Brian Shirley
Oct. 28, 2016 – The Dirt Track at Charlotte – Josh Richards
Oct. 29, 2016 – The Dirt Track at Charlotte – Chris Madden
May 5, 2017 – Cherokee Speedway – Shane Clanton
May 6, 2017 – Fayetteville Motor Speedway – Brandon Sheppard
Nov. 3, 2017 – The Dirt Track at Charlotte – Brandon Sheppard
Nov. 4, 2017 – The Dirt Track at Charlotte – Dennis Erb Jr.
May 4, 2018 – Cherokee Speedway – Mike Marlar
May 12, 2018 – Fayetteville Motor Speedway – Jimmy Owens
Nov. 3, 2018 – The Dirt Track at Charlotte – Brandon Sheppard
Nov. 3, 2018 – The Dirt Track at Charlotte – Scott Bloomquist
May 3, 2019 – Cherokee Speedway – Ross Bailes
June 1, 2019 – Lancaster Motor Speedway – Brandon Sheppard
Oct. 4, 2019 – Cherokee Speedway – Brandon Overton
Nov. 8, 2019 – The Dirt Track at Charlotte – Chris Madden
Nov. 9, 2019 – The Dirt Track at Charlotte – Jimmy Owens
Sept. 5, 2020 – Lancaster Motor Speedway – Brandon Overton
Oct. 2, 2020 – Cherokee Speedway – Brandon Overton
Nov. 4, 2020 – The Dirt Track at Charlotte – Brandon Overton
Nov. 5, 2020 – The Dirt Track at Charlotte – Tim McCreadie
Sept. 2, 2021 – Cherokee Speedway – Brandon Overton
Oct. 1, 2021 – Cherokee Speedway – Brandon Overton
Nov. 5, 2021 – The Dirt Track at Charlotte – Jonathan Davenport
Nov. 6, 2021 – The Dirt Track at Charlotte – Jonathan Davenport
March 25, 2022 – Cherokee Speedway – Michael Brown
March 26, 2022 – Cherokee Speedway – Max Blair
Nov. 2, 2022 – The Dirt Track at Charlotte – Mike Marlar
Nov. 3, 2022 – The Dirt Track at Charlotte – Tanner English
Nov. 5, 2022 – The Dirt Track at Charlotte – Jonathan Davenport
Nov. 2, 2023 – The Dirt Track at Charlotte – Mike Marlar
Nov. 3, 2023 – The Dirt Track at Charlotte – Ricky Thornton Jr.
Nov. 4, 2023 – The Dirt Track at Charlotte – Ricky Thornton Jr.
Nov. 7, 2024 – The Dirt Track at Charlotte – Ricky Thornton Jr.
Nov. 8, 2024 – The Dirt Track at Charlotte – Bobby Pierce
Nov. 9, 2024 – The Dirt Track at Charlotte – Chris Madden
Nov. 6, 2025 – The Dirt Track at Charlotte – Hudson O’Neal
Nov. 7, 2025 – The Dirt Track at Charlotte – Jonathan Davenport
Nov. 8, 2025 – The Dirt Track at Charlotte – Jonathan Davenport

World of Outlaws Winners from the Carolinas
Chris Madden – Gray Court, SC – 40
Nick Hoffman – Mooresville, NC – 19
Chris Ferguson – Mt. Holly, NC – 2
Kyle Strickler – Mooresville, NC – 2
Jeff Smith – Dallas, NC – 1
Ross Bailes – Clover, SC – 1
Zack Mitchell – Enoree, SC – 1
Ben Watkins – Lancaster, SC – 1
Michael Brown – Lancaster, SC – 1
Daulton Wilson – Fayetteville, NC – 1

The World of Outlaws Late Model Series presented by DIRTVision will wrap up the 2026 season with the Modoc 100 at Modoc Speedway (Friday-Saturday, Oct. 23-24), followed by the Dave Smith Motors World of Outlaws World Finals (Wednesday-Saturday, Nov. 4-7).

Get tickets in advance for both events by clicking here. Get free pit passes to World Finals by purchasing a two-day pass by Friday, Oct. 16.

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

Closing Stretch at Modoc, Charlotte Users In New Era for Carolina Late Model Racing