All posts by ARP Trish

BUDDY HULL PUSHING PAST POMONA

POMONA, CALIF. (March 30, 2025) — The 65th annual Lucas Oil NHRA Winternationals at In-N-Out Burger Pomona Dragstrip proved to be one of the most competitive Funny Car qualifying fields that has ever been seen. Out of a crowded 19-car field, they were only one car away from history being made, with all 16 cars that qualified for Sunday making 3-second runs. Buddy Hull, the driver for Jim Dunn Racing, wanted to be the final piece of that historic puzzle, but it wasn’t quite in the cards this weekend. 

“Overall, we had a good weekend,” said Hull. “The unfortunate side was our race car did not make it down the track, A to B successfully. It was tough because the conditions were so good. The track and air was incredible. It offered up a situation where every run had to be throwdown. We wanted to be one of the 15 cars that made a 3-second run, but we’re just not there yet. We were very close and everyone is working very hard. These race cars are just very tough sometimes when the conditions are exceptional. Everyone who got into race day definitely earned it.”


Buddy Hull and Mooneyes Funny Car wowed the fans at NHRA Winternationals, photo credit Krista Zivcic Photography

Hull had to battle through qualifying, with his best run coming during the fourth session, when he made a 4.340 second, 280.31 MPH pass. This unfortunately was not enough for him to qualify on race day. He made the best of the situation on Sunday when he joined Jason Galvin and David Freiburger in the announcing booth during the first round of Funny Car eliminations.

The 2025 Winternationals will be memorable for Hull and Jim Dunn Racing for its’ off-track action. The NHRA and FOX spent quite a bit of time in the Jim Dunn Racing pits celebrating Jim Dunn’s 91st birthday, as well as when Hull hosted several live demonstrations during the NHRA’s Nitro School. There was also extra attention on the team while they ran a special 75th anniversary Mooneyes livery, commemorating important milestones for the team and iconic sponsor. Hull spent a lot of time with fans signing autographs, answering questions and taking photos.  

“The highlight for the Winternationals for me was the fans,” said Hull. “NHRA fans are incredible. They have once again proven that they’re the most loyal fans in all of motorsports, and that’s just a fact. Other highlights included celebrating 75 years of Jim Dunn Racing and Mooneyes, as well as Jim’s 91st birthday on Friday. I’m hopeful for more on-track highlights when we get to the Four-Wide Nationals in Vegas in a couple of weeks.” 

Hull and the Jim Dunn Racing team will be back in competition at the NHRA Four-Wide Nationals on April 11-13 at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. There will be two qualifying sessions on Friday, April 11 and two qualifying sessions on Saturday, April 12. For tickets or more information on the NHRA Four-Wide Nationals visit nhra.com.

Qualifying Results
Q1: 4.685 sec, 180.65 mph; Qual. 13
Q2: 9.643 sec, 73.76 mph; Qual. 16
Q3: 4.883 sec, 167.63 mph; Qual. 18
Q4: 4.340 sec, 280.31 mph; Qual. 19
Bonus Points: 0

Mission Foods Drag Racing Series – Funny Car Points
1. Jack Beckman    271
2. Paul Lee        212
3. Matt Hagan        197
4. Chad Green        194
5. Austin Prock    171
6. Ron Capps        164
7. Dan Wilkerson    160
8. Bob Tasca III        153
9. Cruz Pedregon    141
10. Alexis DeJoria    139
11. Blake Alexander    133
12. J.R. Todd        119
13. Bobby Bode    118
14. Buddy Hull    93
15. Spencer Hyde    81

Elliott Leads Chevrolet with Top-Five Finish at Martinsville Speedway

NASCAR CUP SERIES MARTINSVILLE SPEEDWAY TEAM CHEVY POST-RACE REPORTMARCH 30, 2025
TEAM CHEVY UNOFFICIAL TOP-10 RESULTS: POS.     DRIVER4th – Chase Elliott5th – Kyle Larson6th – Ross ChastainMEDIA RESOURCES: Photo Gallery | Race AdvancesChevrolet Newsroom
·       Proving to be a contender throughout the day, it was Chase Elliott and the No. 9 NAPA Auto Parts Chevrolet team that led Chevrolet to the checkered flag at Martinsville Speedway – turning in a fourth-place result in the Cook Out 400. The result marks Elliott’s 13th top-10 finish in NASCAR’s top division at Martinsville Speedway – his most top-10 finishes among the series’ active tracks. The fourth-place finish matches Elliott’s season-best result with seven points-paying races complete.  ·       Elliott led Chevrolet to three top-six finishes at the conclusion of the 400-lap race, with the Dawsonville, Georgia, native leading his Hendrick Motorsports teammate, Kyle Larson, and the No. 5 HendrickCars.com Chevrolet team in fifth, and Ross Chastain and the No. 1 Choice Privileges Chevrolet team in sixth.  ·       It was a disappointing day for the NASCAR Cup Series’ points leader, William Byron, and the No. 24 Liberty University Chevrolet team. Running in the top-10 early in the race, the team was faced with an issue on the right-front during the first pit stop of the day. Continuing to fight all day long, the Charlotte, North Carolina, native will leave Martinsville Speedway with a 22nd-place finish but has maintained the points lead for the sixth consecutive week. 
Chevrolet’s all-time NASCAR Cup Series statistics at Martinsville Speedway: 
Wins: 61Poles: 56Top-Fives: 282Top-10s: 535Chevrolet’s season statistics with seven NASCAR Cup Series races complete: 
Wins: 2Poles: 3Top-Fives: 15Top 10s: 32
UP NEXT: The 2025 NASCAR Cup Series season continues at Darlington Raceway with the Goodyear 400 on Sunday, April 6, at 3 P.M. ET. Live coverage can be found on FS1, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90.
Post-Race Driver Quotes:Ross Chastain, No. 1 Trackhouse Racing ChevroletFinished: 6th “It was a good day for our Choice Privileges Chevrolet. Phil made good adjustments throughout the race and got the handling much better on the car as we went. We’ll take a sixth-place finish and go on to one of my favorite tracks next week at Darlington.”

Kyle Larson, No. 5 Hendrick Motorsports ChevroletFinished: 5th What more did you need to contend for the win? “I think just track position. We maybe could have called the second stage a little bit different.. maybe potentially the first stage, too. But yeah, I don’t know. I think maybe if I could have gotten to the lead, I would have stayed in the top two or three. I feel like everyone’s cars are really equal. The No. 11 (Denny Hamlin), I’m sure his car is equal, as well, but he’s just a really good short-track racer. He can keep the tires on it and get through track position really well.” Did you feel like, if you could have gotten out front, that it would have helped your cause? “Yeah, for sure. Track position is so important. It’s so hard to pass here. I don’t know if I would have looked as good as Denny (Hamlin), but I feel like I was equal to my teammate, the No. 9 (Chase Elliott). He looked strong, and I feel like we would have been too.”

Chase Elliott, No. 9 Hendrick Motorsports ChevroletFinished: 4th You said yesterday that you had to get your game together in qualifying to help you out throughout the weekend. You really had an impressive run today. “Yeah, it was better, for sure. We got a little behind there. I wish I could have gotten Denny (Hamlin) in the second stage. We really, really needed control there. When you get into the second-half of these races, it just gets so hard to make ground up. You saw that with Christopher (Bell) pressuring Denny. It just means a lot to have control, and unfortunately I couldn’t get that back for us. But overall, it was a really good effort by this No. 9 NAPA Auto Parts Chevrolet team. We had a really good Chevy today, but we just need a little bit more.” You had a good points day, as well. You led 42 laps, and you had only led two laps up to this point. Does it feel good to just be back on the horse again? “Yeah, we’ll see how the next couple of weeks go. But it was definitely nice to have a good day here today.”

Ty Dillon, No. 10 Kaulig Racing ChevroletFinished: 15th “I’m really happy with our performance today. Our Mark III Camaro was solid in practice and we built off that. We had a decent qualifying run, just the result didn’t really show the potential we had in the car. I think as a team we were just really patient and focused on executing and not taking ourselves out of the race. We knew we had a decent enough car to get back up there and Andrew (Dickeson, crew chief) made a good call giving us an advantage there at the end on tires to battle back to the top 15. I’m just proud of our effort to bounce back. We worked really hard last week and the result didn’t show. This week to have a really good effort and to get the result this week was really good, so happy all
 around.”

Michael McDowell, No. 71 Spire Motorsports ChevroletFinished: 12th“It was a solid day at Martinsville Speedway for the No. 71 Rockingham Speedway Chevrolet team. Not a great day, but a solid day. We fought really hard and made good adjustments. We just needed a little bit more firing off there at the end. Our long run speed was decent.  But all-in-all, happy we had good execution this weekend. We had good pit stops. My guys were great today on pit road. We kind of ran in that top-12 to 15 all day. We qualified 15th and finished 12th. It was just kind of a working day. Not the best day but not the worst. We’ll keep building here at Spire Motorsports.” 

LANGDON EXTENDS TOP FUEL POINTS LEAD AFTER SEMIFINALS RUN AT POMONA

POMONA, Calif. (March 30, 2025) – Shawn Langdon advanced the farthest of Team Toyota in Sunday afternoon’s NHRA Winternationals at In-N-Out Pomona Dragstrip, making the semifinals in Top Fuel. Langdon, who won the Mission Foods #2Fast2Tasty Challenge on Saturday, had two solid runs to begin eliminations, including a 3.668 elapsed time in round one, before falling to Tony Stewart in the semifinals. Langdon’s effort on Sunday helped him extend his Top Fuel points lead heading to Las Vegas in two weeks. 

Doug Kalitta was the other Toyota Top Fuel Dragster to advance out of the first round, running a career-best speed in round one of 338.34 mph.

The Toyota GR Supra Funny Cars of Ron Capps, J.R. Todd and Bobby Bode were eliminated in round one on Sunday.

The NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series returns to action in two weeks at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway for the Four-Wide Nationals.

Toyota Post-Race Recap

NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series

In-N-Out Burger Pomona Dragstrip

NHRA Winternationals

Race 3 of 20

TOYOTA TOP FUEL FINISHING POSITIONS 

NameCarFinal ResultRound-by-Round
Shawn LangdonKalitta Air Careers Toyota Top Fuel DragsterSemifinalsW (3.668) v. I. Zetterstrom (3.806) W (3.691) v. J. Hart (11.965) L (3.835) v. T. Stewart (3.723)
Doug KalittaMac Tools Toyota Top Fuel DragsterSecond RoundW (3.660) v. S. Palmer (3.852) L (4.456) v. T. Stewart (3.702)
Steve TorrenceCAPCO Contractors Toyota Top Fuel DragsterFirst RoundL (Red light violation) v. J. Salinas (3.716)
Justin AshleySCAG Power Equipment Toyota Top Fuel DragsterFirst RoundL (4.536) v. J. Hart (3.675)
Antron BrownMatco Tools Toyota Top Fuel DragsterFirst RoundL (5.253) v. T. Stewart (3.713)

TOYOTA FUNNY CAR FINISHING POSITIONS 

NameCarFinal ResultRound-by-Round
J.R. ToddDHL Toyota GR Supra Funny CarFirst RoundL (4.621) v. D. Wilkerson (4. 165)
Ron CappsNAPA Auto Care Toyota GR Supra Funny CarFirst RoundL (4.989) v. S. Hyde (3.886)
Bobby BodeDC Motorsports Toyota GR Supra Funny CarFirst RoundL (3.883) v. P. Lee (3.842)

*= Non-Toyota driver

TOYOTA QUOTES

SHAWN LANGDON, Kalitta Air Careers Toyota Top Fuel Dragster, Kalitta Motorsports

TF Final Result: Semifinals

How would you assess your day today at Pomona?

“We had high expectations of winning today, but obviously, all in all, it was a great weekend for Kalitta Air, DAYCO, Revchem, SealMaster and Toyota. We made it to the semifinals, had back-to-back Mission Foods #2Fast2Tasty challenge wins and Doug (Kalitta) won the Callout (Top Fuel All-Star Callout). Team Kalitta leaves Pomona first and second in (the) points, so we have no complaints. We had a little bit of misfortune there in the semifinals dropping the cylinder at the step, but we’ll get that fixed and head to (Las) Vegas. It’s a great time to be at Kalitta Motorsports, and we’re ready to go to Las Vegas.”

# # #

NARC HEAD TO OCEAN SPEEDWAY ON FRIDAY FOR THE SPRINT CAR “SPRING FLING” RACE

(3/31/25 – Andrew Kunas) Watsonville, CA … After a few weeks off, the NARC 410 Sprint Car Series returns to action when it opens the month of April with a Friday night showdown at Ocean Speedway on April 4th.

Friday’s Spring Fling is the first of a series-high five races scheduled at the ¼-mile Watsonville, California clay oval, which has long been a staple on the NARC tour. This comes after just one NARC race was held in Watsonville last year, when eventual series champion Justin Sanders picked up the big Howard Kaeding Classic victory in July. In 2025, race fans in the Monterey Bay area will be treated to much more winged 410 sprint car action, and it begins Friday night.

NARC was scheduled to also race this Saturday, April 5th at the Stockton Dirt Track, where the series opened its season on March 8th, but a recent electrical fire at the San Joaquin Fairgrounds has left the facility unsafe to use for at least the next couple of weeks, forcing the cancellation of Saturday’s event.

Hanford driver D.J. Netto, with his win at Stockton in March, is the NARC points leader going into Friday’s event with a four-point advantage over Shane Golobic of Fremont. Netto knows Ocean Speedway well as he is also a former feature winner there aboard the Netto Ag No. 88n. Golobic and the Matt Wood Racing No. 17w team should be competitive at Ocean Speedway as well, as they were Howard Kaeding Classic winners in Watsonville just two years ago.

Justin Sanders and the Mittry Motorsports No. 2x team is also looking to bounce back in a big way after his untimely spin out while running second in the season opening race at Stockton. Sanders was battling hard, trying to pass Netto for the lead in traffic, when he spun out as he tried to pass a lapped car. He eventually finished 15th and is looking for an immediate turnaround with his Mittry Motorsports team.

WHO TO WATCH

One driver that many fans will be keeping an eye on this weekend is Kaleb Montgomery. The young Templeton, California driver turned in a solid performance in the NARC season opener, driving from 15th to finish fourth in the main event at Stockton. Just a couple of weeks later, Montgomery turned a lot of eyes by making the dash and then turned in an impressive fifth place finish in the main event with the High Limit Racing series at Perris Auto Speedway. The strong runs have Montgomery feeling confident as he pursues his first NARC victory aboard his Montgomery Racing No. 3.

A change in philosophy by Montgomery may be a factor as well. “I’m just having fun with my family,” Montgomery said last week. “I traded my goals in a race night for standards, and as long as I meet my standards, (I believe) the wins will come.”

Another driver and team due to hit it big is Jacksonville, Oregon’s Tanner Holmes and the Tarlton Motorsports No. 21 team, who are running a partial schedule together. After difficulties in the NARC season opener at Stockton, the team found success during High Limit’s run through California in March, with Holmes earning fourth and fifth place finishes at Thunderbowl Raceway and Kevin Harvick’s Kern Raceway, respectively, and then running second place most of the way at Perris Auto Speedway before losing a right rear tire on a rubber down track. The Tarlton Motorsports team has long been no stranger to success with NARC, winning the series titles in 2015 and 2016, and nearly won the NARC title last year with Cole Macedo (now on the World of Outlaws tour.)

A full field of sprint car teams are expected to fill the pit area.  Other drivers expected to compete on Friday night include Roseville’s Sean Becker, Tim Kaeding of San Jose, Oakley’s Dylan Bloomfield, Tanner Carrick of Lincoln, Clovis drivers Dominic Gorden and Mariah Ede, Bud Kaeding of Campbell, Arizona driver Ashton Torgerson, Landon Brooks from Rio Oso, Tyler Thompson from Oregon, Lemoore’s Caeden Steele, Gauge Garcia of Fresno, Benicia’s Billy Aton and many more.

FAN INFO

Friday’s event at Ocean Speedway will see IMCA sport mods, hobby stocks and the South Bay Dwarf Cars on the card with NARC. Front gates open at 4:30pm, qualifying begins at 6:00 p.m., followed by racing at 7:00 pm.

Fans who cannot make it in person can watch live on www.floracing.com. FloRacing livestreams all NARC shows.

ABOUT NARC

The Northern Auto Racing Club is the premier 410-winged sprint car series in the western United States. Since 1960, the traveling organization has thrilled fans at dirt tracks up and down the West Coast and crowned a “King of the West” champion. For more information on the NARC 410 sprint car series, including race results, points standings, and upcoming events, go towww.narc410.com.   You can also follow on various social media platforms.

The NARC 410 Sprint Car Racing Series is also sponsored by Hoosier Racing Tires and Floracing.com. Associate sponsors include Automotive Racing Products (ARP), Beacon Wealth Strategies, Brown & Miller Racing Solutions, Bullet Impressions, Jim Allen Promotions, Kimo’s Tropical Car Wash, Mettec Titanium, MyRacePass, Red Rose Transportation, Tarlton & Son, Wedg High Performance Karts, Williams Roofing, and Winters Performance Products.

2025 NARC 410 SPRINT CARS SERIES

(AFTER ONE RACE IN 28-RACE SERIES – 3/31/25)

  1. DJ Netto, Hanford – 143
  2. Shane Golobic, Fremont – 139
  3. Sean Becker, Roseville – 138
  4. Kaleb Montgomery, Templeton – 137
  5. Andy Forsberg, Auburn – 136
  6. Tim Kaeding, San Jose – 135
  7. Dylan Bloomfield, Oakley – 134
  8. Tanner Carrick, Lincoln – 133
  9. Billy Aton, Benicia – 132
  10. Dominic Gorden, Clovis – 131
  11. Chance Grasty, Suisun City – 130
  12. John Clark, Windsor – 129
  13. Tanner Holmes, Jacksonville, OR – 128
  14. Max Mittry, Redding – 127
  15. Justin Sanders, Aromas – 126
  16. Bud Kaeding, Campbell – 125
  17. Ashton Torgerson, Glendale, AZ (R) – 124
  18. Tyler Thompson, Jacksonville, OR – 123
  19. Miriah Ede, Clovis (R) – 122
  20. Gauge Garcia, Lemoore – 121
  21. Bill Smith, Sparks, NV – 120
  22. Bill Wagner, Camano Island, WA – 119
  23. Jarrett Soares, Gilroy – 118
  24. Caeden Steele, Fresno (R) – 117
  25. Angelique Bell, Sacramento – 116

UPCOMING EVENTS: 
April 12 – Silver Dollar Speedway – $10,000 to win Mini-Gold Cup
April 26 – Thunderbowl Raceway – Chris & Brian Faria Memorial
May 10 – Antioch Speedway – Contra Costa County Clash
May 16 – Ocean Speedway – Salute to First Responders
May 17 – Thunderbowl Raceway – Morrie Williams Memorial Twin 20’s

Bauman Headlines Historic Harley-Davidson 1-2 at Senoia Short Track

(Pictured: Briar Bauman #3 and Chase Saathoff #88) DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (March 29, 2025) – History was made in Saturday night’s Yamaha Senoia Short Track when Briar Bauman (No. 3 RWR/Parts Plus/Latus Motors Harley-Davidson XG750R) hustled the Harley-Davidson XG750R to its maiden Mission AFT SuperTwins victory.  Bauman twice teased that possibility earlier this month at the 2025 Progressive American Flat Track double season opener, sanctioned by AMA Pro Racing, but he still somehow managed to pull it off in stunning fashion at Senoia Raceway in Senoia, Georgia.  In fact, Bauman appeared out of sorts prior to the Main Event, finishing an uncharacteristic fifth in his heat race, while title leader Dallas Daniels (No. 32 Estenson Racing Yamaha MT-07 DT) and fast qualifier Jarod VanDerKooi (No. 20 Fastrack Racing/Wally Brown Racing KTM 790 Duke) stole away the pre-race the momentum.  But as it played out, the Main delivered non-stop drama that actually started prior the race itself. VanDerKooi went from pole position to the back of the grid – along with Brandon Price (No. 92 Memphis Shades/Vinson Construction/OTBR Yamaha MT-07), Henry Wiles (No. 911 J&M Logging/Ray C’s Harley-Davidson Kawasaki Ninja 650), and Billy Ross (No. 29 Mission Foods/Roof Systems Kawasaki Ninja 650) – after arriving late to the staging area.  That development resulted in a frantic opening several laps in which Daniels, Brandon Robinson (No. 44 Mission Roof Systems Harley-Davidson XG750R), and Davis Fisher (No. 67 Rackley Racing/Bob Lanphere’s BMC Racing KTM 790 Duke) ran three wide in their clash for the lead, followed closely by an on-form James Ott (No. 19 G&G Racing Yamaha MT-07)… and soon enough, a charging VanDerKooi.  Right around the time the race hit the halfway point, Robinson took command. And then with three minutes to go, Bauman made his move. Lurking just behind the leaders to that point, the two-time Grand National Champion snaked his way up to second before making a strike for first with less than two laps remaining.  Robinson reactively countered but Bauman was better positioned and reasserted his claim. All the while, Daniels was in their immediate wake, desperately seeking a way around both Harleys at Yamaha’s home round.  Ultimately, Bauman edged Robinson at the stripe to take the XG750R – which originally debuted back in 2016 – to its first-ever premier class victory with an emphatic 1-2 finish.  Bauman was understandably ecstatic afterward. He said, “It’s so much, right? It means the world to me, to my Rick Ware Racing/Parts Plus/Latus Motors team. It means so much to Dave (Zanotti) and Michelle (Disalvo) and everyone behind us. I struggled in our heat race pretty badly, but the whole group came together and said, ‘Hey, what do we need to do to make this thing better?’   “This means so much to me, and it means so much to my family. And, like I said, I have a phenomenal team.”  Daniels came up 0.028 seconds short of breaking up the Harley first and second but still managed to up his record-breaking podium streak to 16 in the attempt. Fisher finished fourth another half-second behind Daniels, while VanDerKooi ended his blitz up through the field in fifth.  Trent Lowe (No. 48 American Honda/Progressive Insurance Honda Transalp) continued his rather seamless transition to Mission AFT SuperTwins competition and the Honda Transalp with a fine sixth only two seconds removed from the win.  Ott followed him home in seventh with Dan Bromley (No. 62 Memphis Shades/Vinson Construction Suzuki GSX-8S), Price, and Max Whale (No. 18 Moto Anatomy X Powered by Royal Enfield 650) completing the top ten.  Daniels continues to lead the early-season championship chase but only by a single point over Bauman (62-61). Robinson and Fisher are tied for third at 44.  AFT Singles presented by KICKER  While the season opener in Daytona effectively served as a recap of the past three years of AFT Singles presented by KICKER domination by triple champion Kody Kopp (No. 1 Bob Lanphere/KTM/Fastrack Racing KTM 450 SX-F), the Senoia Short Track properly set the stage for the season ahead.  What it delivered was what was widely expected – a showdown featuring preseason title favorites Chase Saathoff (No. 88 RWR/Parts Plus Honda CRF450R) and Tom Drane (No. 59 Estenson Racing Yamaha YZ450F) – but it took the entire day and a portion of the Main to arrive at that inevitability.   The front row was held down by just two riders – Aidan RoosEvans (No. 26 FRA Trust/ATV’s and More Yamaha YZ450F) and Tyler Raggio (No. 55 Raggio/Sluggo/Unsettled Racing KTM 450 SX-F) – after heat race winners Dalton Gauthier (No. 79 D&D Certified Racing KTM 450 SX-F) and Bradon Pfanders (No. 83 Hannum’s HD/Pfanders Racing KTM 450 SX-F) were unable to participate after colliding while running 1st and 2nd in the AFT Singles 1st Impressions Challenge.   RoosEvans and Raggio shot off into the lead and took full advantage of their turn in the spotlight, at least until Drane and Saathoff finally came good when it mattered the most.  Saathoff utilized a high line to work his way from Row 3 and into the lead less than two minutes into the Main. Aussie Drane forced his way through to prevent his rival from executing his planned escape. The Estenson Racing star then spent the remainder of the race showing the Rick Ware Racing ace his front wheel, but he could never quite make the inside angle stick.  Saathoff took the checkered flag by 0.312 seconds over Drane to earn his first career Short Track win and become just the fifth rider in AFT Singles history to complete the class Grand Slam.  He said, “I struggled all day long out here, and I told (Crew Chief) Bryan (Bigelow) before that Main Event, ‘Dude, I might be on the third row, but if you fix the problems that I’m having, it’s a guaranteed win.’ And I never think like that; I’m very humble about that type of stuff, but I definitely let the dog off the leash in the Main.”  Despite falling short of his bid to win, Drane took his ninth consecutive podium, most ever in the class.  Completing a podium stacked three deep with significance was Evan Renshaw (No. 65 1st Impressions Race Team Husqvarna FC450), who sailed his way from 12th to 3rd thanks to an adventurous high line to secure his first-career pro podium.  Meanwhile, RoosEvans equaled his career best AFT Singles finish in fourth, matching the result he claimed here one year ago.  Trevor Brunner (No. 21 American Honda/Mission Foods CRF450R) took fifth, followed by Declan Bender (No. 70 1st Impressions Race Team Husqvarna FC450), who impressed mightily in last-minute substitute duty filling in for Chad Cose (No. 49 1st Impressions Race Team Husqvarna FC450).  Jared Lowe (No. 63 Big R/Little Debbie Racing Honda CRF450R), Raggio, Evan Kelleher (No. 31 Schaeffer’s Motorsports KTM 450 SX-F), and Hunter Bauer (No. 24 Vinson Construction/Reel Medics Yamaha YZ450F) rounded out the top ten.  Drane now leads the championship with 54 points, followed by Senoia winner Saathoff. Kopp continues to hold down third at 46 despite making his roadracing debut in Texas today.  Next Up:  The world’s premier dirt track motorcycle racing series continues its run of six consecutive Short Tracks to open the 2025 season on Saturday, April 26, with its return to scenic Ventura, California, for the Ventura Short Track at Ventura Raceway. Visit https://www.americanflattrack.com/events/2025/view/ventura-short-track-2025 to secure your tickets today.  For those that can’t catch the live action from the circuit, FloRacing is the live streaming home of Progressive AFT. Sign up now and catch every second of on-track action starting with Practice & Qualifying and ending with the Victory Podium at the end of the night at https://flosports.link/aft.  FOX Sports coverage of the Yamaha Senoia Short Track, featuring in-depth features and thrilling onboard cameras, will premiere on FS1 on Sunday, April 6, at 10:00 a.m. ET (7:00 a.m. PT).  

John Force Racing–SATURDAY RECAP – Pomona 1Race 3 of 20

Photography: John Force Racing / Auto Imagery / Gary Nastase
BRITTANY, PROCK QUALIFY NO. 1 AT WINTERNATIONALSBeckman Wins Mission Foods 2Fast/2Tasty Challenge; Starts No. 4 in Funny Car
POMONA, Calif., March 29, 2025 – Despite frustrating losses in the first round of Saturday’s Mission Foods 2Fast/2Tasty Challenge, two-time Top Fuel World Champion Brittany Force and reigning Funny Car World Champ Austin Prock will start Sunday’s 65th annual Lucas Oil Winternationals from the No. 1 qualifying position in their respective categories.
Force put her Monster Energy Dragster on the drag racing equivalent of the pole for the seventh time in her last nine appearances at In-N-Out Burger Pomona Dragstrip and for the fifth time in the last six years at the Winternationals with a best of 3.646 seconds at 334.82 miles per hour. 
Pursuing her first victory in the Winternationals, an event in which she made her pro debut in 2013, the 38-year-old daughter of Hall of Fame driver and team owner John Force will oppose No. 14 qualifier Steve Chrisman in round one with the winner getting a bye into the semifinals. 
“We’ve had some really strong performance,” Force said. “We earned a No. 1 qualifier, we went 3.64 twice (on Friday), and today we went 3.69 at 338 miles-an-hour (just a tick off her track and NHRA national record of 338.94 mph). “I love this place,” said the 17-time tour winner. “It’s just home for me. I grew up out here at this racetrack and in these stands. You just have that good feeling coming out here and we want to do well. My whole family’s out here, I’ve had all my friends this weekend, popping in and out, and it’s just our home racetrack, so we want to finish strong.”
It will be Brittany’s 53rd No. 1 start, her 43rd since David Grubnic came on board as crew chief in 2019. Notably, this will be the seventh time in her last nine appearances that the second youngest of Force’s racing daughters has started from the No. 1 position at the iconic Los Angeles County Fairgrounds track she calls home and the fifth time she’s done so in the last six years at the Winternationals.
Meanwhile, after losing to teammate Jack Beckman in the 2Fast/2Tasty Challenge he dominated a year ago, Prock took his Cornwell Tools Chevrolet SS to the top of the Funny Car ladder on his final qualifying attempt with a jaw-dropping 3.816 seconds at 338.26 mph, the best numbers in event history and just a tick or two off the track records he set in last November’s In-N-Out Finals (3.804 and 341.68 mph).
“Our race car hasn’t run bad all year long,” said the man who last year qualified No. 1 at 15 of 20 events en route to the championship. “It’s just things haven’t been really going our way like they did last year. We’ve been trying to (run those numbers) all weekend long and just been tickling the thing. I’m really proud of how diligent everybody’s been working and making progress each run and just getting it from A to B. “The boys were high-fiving before we even got in the water box (on Saturday’s final run), like they knew, it was either going to be hero or zero, and we ended up on the good end of it,” said the eight-time Funny Car winner. “I’m really proud of John Force Racing and John Force is so proud right now of the whole team.”
It’s the 17th time JFR drivers have qualified No.1 in both categories. The last time was last October when Brittany and Prock set the pace at the Texas Fall Nationals in Dallas.
As for Beckman, he won the 2Fast/2Tasty Challenge in his very first appearance, beating Paul Lee for the cash and bonus points with a time of 3.831 seconds at 330.72 mph. That was good enough to secure the No. 4 qualifying position and a first-round match with Funny Car rookie Spencer Hyde.
Looking to extend his winning streak (he’s won his last three starts at In-N-Out Pomona Dragstrip), the 58-year-old former World Champion in both Super Comp (2003) and Funny Car (2012) once again earned qualifying bonus points in every session, as he did in the two previous races at Gainesville, Fla., and Phoenix.
“These conditions are A-plus-plus, as good as it gets out there,” said the cancer survivor and U.S. Air Force veteran. “The issue when the track gets this good is the crew chiefs don’t have much data. We know what to do when the track gets good, but when the track gets great, you can count on one hand, typically, the number of runs a year you get when the track is phenomenal. In all likelihood, all the runs tomorrow are going to be in those type of conditions.”

TOYOTA, KALITTA MOTORSPORTS SWEEP TOP FUEL CHALLENGES AT POMONA

Kalitta wins Top-Fuel Callout; Langdon wins #2Fast2Tasty Challenge

POMONA, Calif. (March 29, 2025) – Though they did not claim the top qualifying spot for the NHRA Winternationals at In-N-Out Pomona Dragstrip, Team Toyota had a very successful two days of qualifying in Top Fuel. Both days had high stakes involved with the postponed All-Star Callout on Friday and Mission Foods #2Fast2Tasty Challenge on Saturday. In the callout, Doug Kalitta captured victory and the bonus money that comes with it, posting a 3.657 elapsed time in the finals, which also gave him the No. 2 seed for tomorrow’s eliminations.

On Saturday, it was Shawn Langdon’s turn to contribute as he defeated Kalitta in the finals of the #2Fast2Tasty Challenge, his second consecutive challenge win after also being triumphant in Phoenix. Langdon posted a 3.662 time and 338.68 mph speed – the fastest of the weekend – to earn the No. 3 seed for tomorrow. Langdon goes for his second straight victory after winning the Arizona Nationals last weekend in Phoenix.

A week after walking away from an on-track accident, Ron Capps powered his NAPA Auto Care Toyota GR Supra to the No. 3 qualifier in Funny Car. Capps had an excellent two sessions on Friday, including a 3.830 elapsed time in the evening. His Toyota teammates, J.R. Todd and Bobby Bode will be the seventh and 15th seeds for tomorrow’s eliminations.

The NHRA Winternationals from In-N-Out Burger Pomona Dragstrip begin at 2 p.m. EST with live TV coverage beginning at 6:30 p.m. EST on FS1.

Toyota Post-Qualifying Recap

NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series

In-N-Out Burger Pomona Dragstrip

NHRA Winternationals

Race 3 of 20

TOYOTA TOP FUEL QUALIFYING POSITIONS

NameCarQualifying PositionFirst Round Opponent
Brittany Force*Monster Energy Chevrolet Top Fuel Dragster1st*S. Chrisman
Doug KalittaMac Tools Toyota Top Fuel Dragster2ndS. Palmer
Shawn LangdonKalitta Air Careers Toyota Top Fuel Dragster3rdI. Zetterstrom
Steve TorrenceCAPCO Contractors Toyota Top Fuel Dragster 4thJ. Salinas
Antron BrownMatco Tools Toyota Top Fuel Dragster7thT. Stewart
Justin AshleySCAG Power Equipment Toyota Top Fuel Dragster9thJ. Hart

TOYOTA FUNNY CAR QUALIFYING POSITIONS 

NameCarQualifying PositionFirst Round Opponent
Austin Prock*Cornwell Tools Chevrolet Funny Car1st*B. Alexander
Ron CappsNAPA Auto Care Toyota GR Supra Funny Car3rdS. Hyde
J.R. ToddDHL Toyota GR Supra Funny Car7thD. Wilkerson
Bobby BodeDC Motorsports Toyota GR Supra Funny Car15thP. Lee

*non-Toyota driver

TOYOTA QUOTES

DOUG KALITTA, Mac Tools Toyota Top Fuel Dragster, Kalitta Motorsports

TF Qualifying Result: 2nd

Where did you and the team find that performance to win the All-Star callout?

“The guys gave me a great car – to be able to run that 3.65 after watching Brittany (Force) run the 3.64 a couple times was big. I knew we had that run in us, and I’m glad we were able to do it. I’m pretty fortunate for sure to have Alan (Johnson, crew chief), Mac Tools, Future Energy Solutions, SealMaster, Toyota and all the guys that help us with what we’re doing. We tried to run this event (the Callout) in Gainesville, but there’s no better place to bring it to than here (Pomona). I love running this place, and we’re just glad to get by Brittney, Antron (Brown) and Clay (Millican) – it was a fun day for sure. It’s been a while since we’ve raced on a Friday, so that was pretty cool with all the guys that were in it.”

SHAWN LANGDON, Kalitta Air Careers Toyota Top Fuel Dragster, Kalitta Motorsports

TF Qualifying Result: 3rd

With this challenge win, why does everything seem to be clicking for your team right now?

“This Kalitta Air Careers Toyota team is just rolling right now. The way this car was running in Phoenix carried right over to this weekend. It’s honestly a great feeling to come back from a run and see the smile on Connie’s (Kalitta, team owner) face and the smiles on the guy’s faces. All their hard work is paying off. We had a rough couple of years, brought Brian (Husen, crew chief) on board last year, and started to see some good results initially. And then we were in the thick of it for majority of the year but kind of just missed the championship. We came out this year on fire again, and it feels like – between Doug’s (Kalitta) team and our team, one or the other’s getting there, right? It’s a great time to be a part of Team Kalitta.”

RON CAPPS, NAPA Auto Care Toyota GR Supra Funny Car, Ron Capps Motorsports

FC Qualifying Result: 3rd

How would you assess these first two days and for race day tomorrow?

“Oh my gosh! If you wouldn’t have known what happened last weekend (accident in Phoenix), it would seem like a normal weekend for our NAPA Auto Care Toyota GR Supra team. It’s a strange situation as there’s so much drama in rebuilding cars and the guys barely got any sleep all week to put together two great race cars – one being three-years-old (Capps’ 2022 Funny Car world championship car) that unloaded and went to No. 1 and stayed there, and we had a good chance at stealing it back (on Saturday). Ended up P3 with a great race car, in Pomona, one of the most historic race tracks and really, being one of the big ones to win (at). I feel like we have a really good race car. We always do, but, again, if you didn’t know what happened last week, you wouldn’t even know. I’m proud of the guys. It’s going to be a lot of fun tomorrow. Going to be cool conditions, overcast and probably quicker times than what we saw in qualifying which is insane to think. It’s going to be a lot of fun!”

Berry Qualifies 14th at Martinsville

Another Saturday, another solid qualifying effort by Josh Berry and the No. 21 Motorcraft/Quick Lane team. Berry earned the 14th starting spot for Sunday’s Cook Out 400 at Martinsville Speedway with a lap at 95.545 miles per hour in qualifying Saturday afternoon. It’s the fifth time in seven qualifying sessions this season that Berry has been 14th or better.As has become the norm for Berry and the Motorcraft/Quick Lane team, there was a significant increase in speed from practice to qualifying. In practice at Martinsville, Berry was 31st fastest with a best lap at 92.928 mph, which came on the fifth of the 45 laps he ran in the session. Among drivers who ran 10 consecutive green flag laps he was 22nd, averaging 92.584 mph from the third through the 12th lap he ran.Sunday’s 400-lap, 210.4-mile, race is scheduled to get the green flag just after 3 p.m. with TV coverage on FOX Sports 1. Stage breaks are planned for Laps 80 and 180.

John Force Racing–FRIDAY RECAP – Pomona 1 Race 3 of 20

Photography: John Force Racing / Auto Imagery / Gary Nastase
BRITTANY STREAKS TO PROVISIONAL NO. 1 AT POMONAProck Second, Beckman Third in Winternationals Funny Car Qualifying
POMONA, Calif., March 28, 2025 – Denied a Friday victory in the final round of the relocated Right Trailers All-Star Callout, Brittany Force still managed to drive her Monster Energy Top Fuel dragster to the provisional No. 1 qualifying position for Sunday’s 65th annual Lucas Oil NHRA Winternationals at In-N-Out Burger Pomona Dragstrip.
In the Funny Car division, reigning World Champion Austin Prock was second after the first two of four qualifying sessions in his Cornwell Tools Chevrolet SS, one position ahead of teammate Jack Beckman, who ran his streak to eight consecutive qualifying sessions with at least one bonus point at the wheel of the PEAK Antifreeze and Coolant Chevy. 
“It was a nice run,” Prock said of his 3.837 second effort at 333.28 miles per hour. “This Cornwell Tools / Hendrickcars.com Chevrolet SS is heading in the right direction. We’ve been struggling a little bit with these cooler track conditions (but) made some progress today.”
Prock, who is seeking his first No. 1 start of the season after qualifying No. 1 in 15 of 20 races a year ago, believes the best is yet to come. 
“It still has a bunch more left in it,” he said. “And the conditions are going to be similar all weekend long, so we’ll just keep picking away at it but (this was) definitely a good way to end the day.”
Brittany Force raced to times of 3.646 and 3.641 seconds in the first two rounds of the Callout and officially became the third member of the 300 mile per hour to the 1/8th mile club Friday in Pomona. In doing so, she set the fastest speed at that distance at 301.67 miles per hour during round one but was eventually beaten in the final round by 2023 World Champion Doug Kalitta. She and Kalitta left the starting line in unison with matching .053 reaction times before her potent Monster slowed to 3.764 seconds at only 293.47 mph in the final.
“This is my home track, and we want to do well here,” said the 17-time tour winner who now is within reach of her 53rd career No. 1 start. “But, you know, we go right into this All-Star Call-out. There’s a lot on the line and we wanted to win this thing but it’s tough because those are qualifying runs.  
“Unfortunately, we got beat in the (Callout) final,” she said. “We put two 3.64s on the board but, in the final, I thought it had cylinders out. It moved around a little and just before the 1,000 foot, it started smoking and it jolted me forward in the car. So, I thought (Crew chief David) Grubnic shut me off, which he didn’t. I’m guessing pan pressure automatically shut me off, so I had no power.” 
It was the two-time World Champion’s third runner-up finish in the last four years in the Top Fuel bonus race, which was moved to Pomona from Gainesville, Fla., because of weather.
The second round of the Callout, in which Force recorded her quickest time while also running 300 miles per hour to the 1/8thmile once again, did not count toward Winternationals qualifying which continues Saturday with two final sessions that will set the starting fields in Top Fuel, Funny Car and Pro Stock.
As for Beckman, who has won his last three starts at his home track, it was more of the consistency his PEAK Chevy has shown all season long with times of 3.868 and 3.855.
“Another great Friday for the PEAK Chevy,” he said. “Every single qualifying run this year; we’ve been a top three car. Anybody that says they don’t count points, they’re either lying or they’re bad at math. We’re always counting points. It’s too early in the season for it to really matter, but we’re trying to get every one we can. 
“Case and point: we came into this race two points out of the lead. We are now the Funny Car points leader with the three bonus points that we earned and those are the ones that might decide a position or a championship at the end of the year,” said the two-time World Champion and 35-time Mission Foods tour winner.
“And we’re going to be even faster tomorrow,” he predicted. “On Q1, we actually backed it down a little bit to make sure we got down the track. On Q2, we were just too slow early (in the run). We can fix that for tomorrow in my first Mission Food 2Fast2Tasty challenge race within a race. I got my teammate Austin.  It’s going to be for bragging rights both on the win light and on the time slips and I’m looking forward to another great Saturday.”

Chevy RACING–NASCAR– Martinsville–William Byron


NASCAR CUP SERIES MARTINSVILLE SPEEDWAY TEAM CHEVY DRIVER QUOTES MARCH 29, 2025
William Byron, driver of the No. 24 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet, met with the media in advance of the NASCAR Cup Series’ practice and qualifying session at Martinsville Speedway. MEDIA RESOURCES: Photo Gallery | Race AdvancesChevrolet Newsroom
Media Availability Quotes: 
Hendrick Motorsports has won three straight races here. The fall race has been a different story for the organization. Is there a difference between spring and fall races here that is the difference between you guys winning and losing?“Yeah, I think typically there’s been a new tire going into the fall, so I don’t feel like we’ve had a repeat tire here at Martinsville in the Next Gen era. That’s really allowed us to hone in on our setup. So, yeah, that’s been, I feel like, part of the equation. And then, honestly, just the speed equation. I feel like we’ve been a step off in the fall. It seems like in the spring, everyone’s fairly even in the top five. The Gibbs cars can be pretty strong, and Penske is kind of not as strong in the spring, it seems like. And then they obviously get a lot better in the fall. So I don’t know. Based on how things are going lately, I feel like Penske’s going to be really good this weekend, and it’ll probably be a battle between all the top organizations. No tire change, so I think you’ll probably see the normal players that you saw in the fall.” Looking ahead to Darlington, how do you get yourself in the middle space to race that track, not be too aggressive and make sure you get to the end when it really counts?“Yeah, I think that over-aggression’s kind of overblown at Darlington. Especially with this car, you can be pretty aggressive. It’s just — I don’t know, I think you’ve got to be aggressive at Darlington now to get clean air and to stay up towards the front. So yeah, you’ve got to be good on the long run. So however you manage that, whether that’s setup or driver inputs, you just have to be good on the long run. But yeah, you can’t really afford to just kind of ride around in this car at Darlington anymore. It’s going to be a lot like Homestead, where you’ve got to run the fence and be good at all the different lanes.” At what point of the season do you start assessing who’s a legitimate contender in the regular season championship? Is it too early or are we still kind of waiting for the stretch?“Yeah, I’d say get to July probably and kind of figure out who’s close in points. I think the last few years, we’ve kind of seen that guys within 40 points can kind of make a charge and win the regular season. So honestly, for us, it’s just you’ve got to put a lot of stage wins together. You’ve got to put a lot of race wins together. So yeah, it’s whoever’s going to break out and win multiple races. Obviously Bell’s already done that, but they’ve been kind of up and down, inconsistent. So yeah, I think it’s whoever gets a lot of stage points, stage wins, and then race wins.. whoever kind of starts racking them up.”  How hard is it for you to find patience here in Martinsville to put your car in victory lane?“Yeah, I mean it’s kind of the same answer I gave about Darlington. You’ve got to be patient mentally, but physically on the track, I think it’s a little bit different. So yeah, I think just taking care of the components of the car.. making sure that you don’t get any major damage. These cars are really tough though, so you’ve just got to watch for stack-ups and things like that. But when it comes to passing, you’ve got to really kind of wear the guy in front of you down. So there’s no other way to do that than just be aggressive.” Narrow pit road last week, narrow pit road this week, tight pit road at Darlington. It seems like there have been some more incidences on pit road. Maybe you see it differently, but I’m just curious what you’re seeing on pit road and the challenges, especially at these places where it’s a narrow pit road and trying to avoid contact and just trying to keep your car clean? “Well, so I think a couple things are happening. I think pit road is more competitive than it’s ever been. So I feel like the rolling time is more of the equation than the pit stop by percentage amount of time. So everyone’s getting super aggressive with rolling time.. clearing out to a lane. If you can get to the outside lane, that’s a huge key because you’ve got guys merging coming off. But, yeah, we’ve just been to some tight pit roads, I would say, recently, and the pit stops are all super close in timing. Like an 8.5 is top of the board, best pit stop you can have, and then a 9.5 is like a middle of the road to a slow stop. So I think you’re just seeing a lot of aggression because the pit stops are so fast and everyone is getting kind of cleared into — like you can have a decent or a slow stop and you might lose three or four spots because everyone’s in a really close pile. So, yeah, I think that’s part of it.”  William, you’re in the points lead. You’ve been fast in every race. How difficult is it to keep that hot hand going, especially in this Next Gen car? And also considering that nearly two-thirds of your wins have come with the first eight races?“Yeah, I mean, I think we’ve been traditionally strong at the beginning and the end of the season. It seems like we kind of have a lull in the middle. Obviously we’re trying not to do that this year, so I feel like this is a good start. We’ve been really consistent. Even if you looked at the years that we’ve won races traditionally in the spring, we’ve been very consistent. This year we’ve been super consistent, just looking for a little bit more pace in the end of the race. So I think for us, we just have to continue to focus on our notebook throughout the weekend; what we can do to perfect the end of the race. We’ve had three weeks in a row that we haven’t restarted at the front. At the beginning of stage three, we’ve had some sort of issue, whether it’s speeding, cautions or a strategy thing didn’t work out. We have not had smooth races, but we’ve been able to overcome, and I think that’s where I see our team — our maturity is being able to overcome setbacks. So if we can do that all year, we’re going to probably be up there in the points the entire time and not have sort of those down stretches that we’ve had in the past. Like I said, hopefully this weekend we can just perfect start to finish this weekend. Typically our guys do a really good job starting the weekend with a close balance, and we just got to keep that going throughout the weekend.” In the last 13 races, Hendrick Motorsports has won five, leading all the other major teams with victories, but historically Hendrick as an organization just seems to do well here. What do you attribute that to? “Yeah, it’s kind of the age-old question. I think for us, it’s just good preparation, good engines, good brakes, good teamwork. I think all those thing — you can’t win here if you don’t have all the pieces of the puzzle, and that’s why this place is so tough. You have to have good pit stops, good car, good execution. So it just takes everything. I think Hendrick Motorsports has, I feel like, the best teams out there to do that. I think we unload with good cars that are in the ballpark, and we’re just able to work from there to have a really successful weekend. So even the years we’ve been off, we’ve been able to execute our way to wins. I think Kyle (Larson) won here with a two-tire call, and a couple other times we’ve been able to kind of track position our way forward. So, yeah, I think it just takes the whole team.”  William. I’ve got to ask you sort of a two-part question. Number one, you know, you’ve had success here with the wins. Is there one win that you like stronger than any other? And also, where do you have your grandfather clocks?“Yeah, all the wins here are really special. I’ve been fortunate enough to win three clocks, and I feel like the biggest thing is every one is special for different reasons. The one in 2022 is special for my family, and then the one last year was special for the Hendrick family. So I just feel like every time you win here, it’s just a really big deal. You know, the fans are right there in front of you. It’s really up close, and I feel like there’s just a lot of energy and excitement around the wins here. My clocks are in my house, and, yeah, it’s cool to look at those every now and then and kind of remember what those moments were like. But hopefully we win some more.” Do you come in here at all remembering the longest 28 minutes of your life, if they were the longest 28 minutes of your life? “Yeah, yeah ,they were. You know, it’s funny you say that because I hadn’t thought about it much at all, and then I went out for the truck race, and my pit stall was right around pit stall six, and it triggered a memory.. a scar tissue. So, yeah, last fall was wild, for sure. Yeah, I feel like there’s parts of that race you just block out and just, I don’t know, it’s just hopefully we can make better memories here this year, for sure.”  So you mentioned the change in tires over the years. This will be the third race counting Bowman Gray that you’ve run on a specific tire setup. I was curious, with the different temperature changes, do you kind of have a handle on what to expect tomorrow?“I hope so. I mean, I think we ran this tire at Bowman Gray. We had some issues there, but, yeah, I hope so. We can hopefully dial in some of the things that we need to have with this tire, but last fall was good on this tire. A lot of wear, and obviously like the clumping and the marbling of the tire, so just interested to see how that changes the groove, and the track’s been laying a lot of rubber this weekend. I think the kind of core temperature of the concrete is pretty warm this weekend. It’s not getting super cold overnight, so I feel like that’s helping lay rubber. So, yeah, I think you’re going to see — like I said, I think you’re going to see a really similar race to the fall, and hopefully we’ve just made those improvements where we can be right there.”
 

CAT AND MOUSE: Kofoid Holds Off Macedo in Traffic for Lawton Victory

The 23-year-old makes it a dozen career wins by topping his Lawton debutLAWTON, OK (March 28, 2025) – The box score is going to show Michael “Buddy” Kofoid led every lap of Friday’s Sooner State Showdown at Lawton Speedway, but it was far from an easy cruise to victory.The Roth Motorsports pilot had to survive a flurry of attacks from fellow Californian Carson Macedo. The driver of the Jason Johnson Racing No. 41 threw absolutely everything he had at him for all 35 laps. He tried to roll the bottom around the No. 83. He threw sliders. He tried to rip the top around him, but Kofoid got up on the wheel for each and every challenge.When the checkered flag flew, Kofoid crossed with just under a one second advantage for his second World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car win of 2025.“Coming, I think, to two (laps) to go, I thought I almost gave it away, just got super tight. The 41, they were really good,” Kofoid said. “They were there the whole race. I could see him and hear him. I think there’s probably a little bit we need to work on, but I think a track like that and being able to move around kind of worked into my wheelhouse. I just want to thank Dylan, Nate, and John for their incredibly hard work and getting me comfortable and better every race.”Kofoid became the third multi-time winner of 2025 with The Greatest Show on Dirt, joining David Gravel (five wins) and Kyle Larson (two wins). He’s one for one at Lawton as Friday marked his debut at the Oklahoma oval. The Penngrove, CA native became the seventh different Lawton victor through 11 races of World of Outlaws competition.The trip to Victory Lane was the latest piece of evidence to support Kofoid and the Roth crew resembling their latter half of 2024 selves. After some early struggles, they’ve now strung together four consecutive top two finishes and 10 straight top 10s.“I feel like we’re rolling pretty good,” Kofoid said. “I don’t want to say something and jinx myself. This car has been proven to be really good for us. This is just what we had to finish last year when we won Huset’s (High Bank Nationals) all the way up through Charlotte (World Finals). It’s just something that works for Dylan and I and something that for him, when he works on it, it just works out for me with what I’m telling him he can usually give me what I need. This car has just been really good to us, and I hope we can just keep the momentum rolling.”After pressuring Kofoid from green to checkered, Carson Macedo settled for the runner-up spot in the Jason Johnson Racing machine. He was confident he had the superior ride but simply couldn’t find the right opportunity to capitalize.“I don’t think I needed anymore. I think my car was phenomenal. I think I had the best car on the track,” Macedo said. “I felt just solid anywhere I went, especially down in (Turns) 1 and 2. I could squeeze and grab the bottom really nice and get a lot of squeeze down the backstretch and had a lot of speed. But he just did a really good job. I just kept thinking, ‘Be patient. He’s going to miss it eventually here. Bide your time.’ I could see the lap count. Man, he just never really missed it. I think maybe twice he actually slipped up off of it just a little bit, and I could get to his left rear and then naturally he’s battling for the win, so he’d turn left and squeeze me down the backstretch. My options were kind of limited getting into (Turn) 3. He did a good job.”Emerson Axsom put together a late charge to make his way onto the final step of the podium. The Franklin, IN native snuck around David Gravel’s outside to take third and nearly swiped second from Macedo coming to the checkered. A third place effort made it three career World of Outlaws top threes for Axsom.“I think I just started deep enough that I could try some stuff,” Axsom said. “Lapped cars kind of forced me to move around in (Turns) 1 and 2 and was able to kind of be one of the first guys to find it. Our stuff is really good.”David Gravel and Sheldon Haudenschild completed the top five.A 22nd to 12th run gave Ryan Timms his third KSE Racing Hard Charger of 2025.David Gravel claimed his eighth Simpson Quick Time of the year and the 130th of his career in Honest Abe Roofing Qualifying.NOS Energy Drink Heat One went to Logan Schuchart. TheGreatestStoreonDirt.com Heat Two went to Buddy Kofoid. WIX Filters Heat Three went to Bill Balog.Buddy Kofoid topped the Toyota Dash.Bill Balog got the SPA Technique #1 RedrawBlake Hahn won the Micro-Lite Last Chance Showdown.The Smith Titanium Brake Systems Break of the Race went to Cole Macedo.UP NEXT: The World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Cars make their only Kansas stop of 2025 with a trip to Wichita’s 81 Speedway on Saturday, March 29. For tickets, CLICK HERE.For the complete 2025 schedule, CLICK HERE.If you can’t make it to the track, catch every lap live on DIRTVision.FEATURE RESULTS:NOS Energy Drink Feature (35 Laps): 1. 83-Michael Kofoid[1]; 2. 41-Carson Macedo[3]; 3. 27-Emerson Axsom[6]; 4. 2-David Gravel[4]; 5. 17-Sheldon Haudenschild[8]; 6. 1S-Logan Schuchart[5]; 7. 17B-Bill Balog[2]; 8. 18-Giovanni Scelzi[9]; 9. 7S-Chris Windom[11]; 10. 15-Donny Schatz[15]; 11. 23-Garet Williamson[10]; 12. 10-Ryan Timms[22]; 13. 2KS-Cory Eliason[14]; 14. 99-Skylar Gee[13]; 15. 21-Brian Brown[7]; 16. 55-Hunter Schuerenberg[20]; 17. 52-Blake Hahn[19]; 18. 28M-Conner Morrell[12]; 19. 73-Logan Julien[24]; 20. 6K-Kaleb Johnson[16]; 21. 40-Howard Moore[23]; 22. 45X-Jace Park[17]; 23. 2C-Cole Macedo[21]; 24. 24T-Christopher Thram[18]For complete results, CLICK HERE.ARTICLE: https://worldofoutlaws.com/sprintcars/cat-and-mouse-kofoid-holds-off-macedo-in-traffic-for-lawton-victory/EVENT INFO: https://worldofoutlaws.com/sprintcars/schedule/event-info/?event=4547717
TRACK INFO: https://worldofoutlaws.com/sprintcars/tracks/?track=Lawton%2BSpeedway
FAN 101: https://about.worldofoutlaws.com/

21 Team Looking for Short Track Success at Martinsville

Josh Berry and the No. 21 Motorcraft/Quick Lane team have had some recent success on intermediate tracks, including a win at Las Vegas. But as they head to the Wood Brothers’ home track, the half-mile Martinsville Speedway, for Sunday’s Cook Out 400, they’re hoping to remind everyone that they’re also a formidable competitor on short tracks.“We’re definitely optimistic heading into Martinsville,” said crew chief Miles Stanley. “When you look at the schedule at the start of the year, you tend to put pins in a few races where you feel you’ll have a strong shot, and Martinsville is one of those for us. I’m really looking forward to it.“We’ve gathered a lot of solid information and feel like there’s a good foundation to build on, especially after our run at Bowman Gray earlier this season. It’s not identical, but the package is very similar.”In the season-opening, non-points Clash on the quarter mile oval at Bowman Gray Stadium, Berry started 13th in the 75-lap Last Chance Qualifier, drove into the lead for six laps then finished second to secure a starting spot in the main event. In that 200 lapper, he drove from 22nd to 13th despite damage to the Motorcraft/Quick Lane Mustang from aggressive racing in the Qualifier.Stanley said he’s hoping to keep the Motorcraft/Quick Lane Mustang Dark Horse among the frontrunners, as it has been throughout the start of the 2025 season. “The goal is to keep the team’s confidence up and continue building momentum in the right direction,” he said.Practice for the Cook Out 400 is set for Saturday at 2 p.m. Eastern Time to be followed by qualifying at 3:10. Amazon Prime will carry the live TV coverage. Sunday’s 210.4-mile, 400-lap race is scheduled to get the green flag just after 3 p.m. with TV coverage on FOX Sports 1. Stage breaks are planned for Laps 80 and 180.

TRACK TALK: Hafertepe, Hahn, Martin Boast Racing at Salina Highbanks

National Tour resumes racing at popular Oklahoma track April 12, live on DIRTVision

SALINA, OK (March 25, 2025) — High speeds. High intensity. And of course, high banks. This is Salina Highbanks Speedway.

The American Sprint Car Series (ASCS) National Tour is set for action at the Oklahoma 3/8-mile dirt oval on Saturday, April 12, marking the Tour’s first event since the season opener at Volusia Speedway Park in January. A 30-lap, $4,000-to-win, main event will highlight the night’s program.

Since its inception in 1992, the ASCS National Tour has made 13 appearances in Salina, producing nine different winners. The last three — Sam Hafertepe Jr. (2014), Blake Hahn (2015) and Jason Martin (2023) — will all make their return to the venue April 12 as part of this year’s 16-car full-time roster and took some time to share their past experiences racing the signature Oklahoma dirt track.

Tickets to see the ASCS National Tour on April 12 will be sold at the track on race day. If you can’t be there to watch in person, stream every lap live on DIRTVision.

What’s the first thing that comes to mind when you think of Salina Highbanks?

Hafertepe: The name kinda sells it. High banks, fast. Honestly, it’s really close to where my wife’s from, so it’s kind of like a second home. We’ve got a lot of family up there. It’s a super-fast place. It’s a 3/8-mile, but it races like a half mile.

Hahn: For me, it’s close to home. I don’t have a whole lot of tracks around here that we get to race at that are real close to home, and [Salina] is one of them. It’s nice, I get to see a bunch of my friends and family out there typically when it’s a race like that. That’s one big thing. It’s got a lot of high-speed, too. I think of high speed, especially after going there with the 410 and seeing how much speed those things carry.

Martin: It’s exactly like the name says — it’s really high-banked, high-speed type of racetrack. It’s typically slick, so it’s something that takes a lot of… your race car has to be pretty good to make speed, for one. But the track changes throughout the race quite a bit. It can go from really fast and heavy early in the night, then it can go to slick and really hard to get ahold of. And then, it can grip-up and really start taking rubber at times, too.

It’s a really fun racetrack; I always enjoy racing there. We’ve had really good success there — the first time we went there, we won. It really suits my driving style and the way our race cars work, and our Don Ott Engines run well there, so I’m looking forward to going back.

You’ve won at Salina Highbanks with the National Tour in the past. What do you remember from that night?

Hafertepe: In 2014, I thought we had a lot of speed that year. We were really quick, just never could put it all together. But Salina was one of those tracks that was right up our alley — super fast, wide, a place where I could keep a lot of speed, and I feel like that’s one of our strengths.

Hahn: My first National [Tour] win was there actually, so it was pretty memorable. It was a good night for us. The track actually took rubber about eight or 10 laps to go, and I think we pretty much led the whole thing. So, it was a good night for us to go run close to home. We had some family and friends out there, my grandma and grandpa were out there for our first national win, so it was a pretty big moment for us. It kinda opened the door for us to be able to pick off some more wins. The first one is so hard to come by, and to finally get that first one was good.

Martin: I felt like we were the fastest car all night long. We were quick time or right there at the top in our Qualifying group, and won our Heat Race, which was really good. The Feature, I think Blake Hahn got out to the lead early in the night and ended up driving off the top of the racetrack in traffic and kinda handed the lead over, but it was kind of a matter of time, I felt like. We were good enough that we were gonna drive by him pretty quickly.

Can you describe the speed and the banking of the track for someone who’s never experienced it?

Hafertepe: I would say Salina is one of the most… there’s a handful of other tracks that may be a little more banked than Salina, but even the straightaways are super banked. Some tracks have flatter straightaways, higher banked corners and have the transition into the corner because the bank changes. But Salina seems to hold the bank quite a bit all the way around.

It’s one of those places where you’re running into the bank and trying to keep as much speed as you can. The car will tend to get on the right-front sometimes because of running into the bank as well.

Hahn: When we go there, it’s kind of different than what we’re used to, typically. It holds you in there. There’s a lot of high speed, and you don’t have to roll out of the throttle on entry like you would at a lot of the smaller tracks like Creek County or Tulsa Speedway. To be able to go there and have that high speed on kind of a smaller track typically produces some good racing.

Martin: At Salina, it’s one of those places where you really feel the G-forces because of the banking. You don’t slow down much in the corners, where at some places, you’ll actually slow down. So, it’d be like running down the interstate at 120 or 130 miles-an-hour and having to get off the interchange and go back the other way and not slowing down.

It just puts a lot of exertion on your body. It is one of those physically demanding places. I do remember there was a lot of guys that were complaining they were wore out and their head dragging over in the seat.

How differently do you set up the car to handle the speed and banking of Salina compared to a smaller, flatter track?

Hafertepe: For most guys they’ll definitely have to do some stuff to keep themselves off the right-front, because when you’re running into that bank, it’s easy to get down on the right-front, and also on the right-rear. The transition when you go from the straightaway to the corner, just hitting that bank, it’ll tend to get the car on the right side.

I would say it’s more not necessarily things you have to do to your race car to get it to handle that place. There are subtle things that we do, but I think mainly it’s how you’re driving and how you attack the corners is the main adjustment you have to make.

Hahn: We don’t change a whole lot. Our setup kinda suits that track, so we seem to have good speed right out of the box when we go there. Typically, we change a few things on like a Knoxville or some half-miles like that, but with [Salina] being pretty small, we kinda keep the small track stuff going on and just do what we normally do.

Martin: It’s just a matter of the different size stagger you got on the car. On a little 1/4-mile, it takes a lot of stagger to get the thing to turn. You can get down to nine or 10 inches of stagger at Salina whenever it gets slick. You’re just trying to make the thing roll as free as you can and as straight as you can.

Why should people come and see the ASCS National Tour race at Salina?

Hafertepe: It’s a really great place for ASCS to start. It’s right outside Tulsa, where ASCS was born. I wouldn’t say Salina has a lot of (ASCS) history to it, but just being able to race around the Tulsa area to kick off the ASCS season is a huge thing. You can’t pass up a place that has the speed like Salina does. A Sprint Car on a track like that does a lot of amazing things and I think the number one thing that attracts people to Sprint Cars is speed. If you want to see speed, Salina Highbanks is it.

Hahn: We get to showcase the National Tour in Oklahoma, and there’s a lot of good drivers on Tour this year and a bunch of rookies that are looking to go run this year. I think a lot of fans enjoy seeing Sprint Cars. We don’t get a whole lot of Sprint Car racing around here, especially at Salina. I think a lot of fans should show up just to see the high speeds and see what kind of action they produce.

Martin: It’s going to be a Saturday night in the first half of April and there’s probably not a lot going on when the weather’s just now starting to warm up, so that would be a good time to get the family out and see some good racing. It’s one of the fastest places in this part of the country, and you won’t see much better racing.

THE MONTH AHEAD: Trio of Marquee Events on Tap for World of Outlaws in April

CONCORD, NC (March 25, 2025) – The 2025 season is in full swing, and several regions are set to welcome the World of Outlaws Late Models for the first time this year.

The April calendar will see The Most Powerful Late Models on the Planet leave the southeast for a weekend in Ohio before making a swing through the Midwest and ending the month back in the deep south.

Here’s a look at what’s ahead:

Atomic Speedway | Fireball 50 (April 4-5): Chillicothe, OH’s Atomic Speedway has been a staple of the World of Outlaws calendar since the Series’ infancy, and the tradition continues with next weekend’s Fireball 50.

The first visit to the southern Ohio 3/8-mile came in the second season of the Series in 1989 in a contest won by that season’s eventual champion, Billy Moyer. Sixteen years later in 2005 – season two of the revived tour – Jackie Boggs won his third and final World of Outlaws race in the return trip to Atomic.

Fourteen more Series races have been held at Atomic in the years since. The list of winners includes Late Model legends such as Tim McCreadie and Chub Frank, as well as current title contenders Bobby Pierce and Ryan Gustin. Pierce enters the race looking to join Tyler Erb as the second driver to win three times at Atomic, while Gustin aims to go back-to-back at the track and with the Series after winning last August and at Swainsboro Raceway last Saturday.

This year’s event will be co-sanctioned with the American Late Model Iron Man Series, bringing together the top Late Model teams from the Ohio Valley and beyond to battle the Outlaws next weekend.

For tickets and other event information, click here.

Farmer City Raceway | Illini 100 (April 10-12): When the dust settles at Atomic, the Series will pack up and head west to Illinois for the first Midwest bullring battle of the season.

Action gets underway at Farmer City with a practice night on Thursday, April 10, before a pair of full programs on Friday and Saturday, April 11-12. In addition to the Late Models, the event will also play host to the season opener for the Xtreme Outlaw Midget Series presented by Toyota.

The first major dirt Late Model event in the Land of Lincoln has historically been very kind to the locals. The last nine Farmer City victories have been split by Brandon SheppardBrian Shirley, Mike Spatola, Pierce and Nick Hoffman – who called Belleville, IL home prior to moving to North Carolina. Josh Richards was the last outsider to win at the track, delivering a weekend sweep in 2016.

Farmer City has earned the reputation of being one of the most thrilling tracks on the schedule, particularly following last year’s side-by-side, door-banging finish between Hoffman and Pierce.

For tickets and other event information, click here.

Talladega Short Track | Alabama Gang 100 (April 25-26): Some would call racing under the lights at Talladega a NASCAR fan’s dream. We call it the Alabama Gang 100.

The weekend at the Talladega Short Track kicks off with a $12,000-to-win lid lifter on Friday night. Then, on Saturday, roughly an hour after the end of the NASCAR Xfinity Series race across the street, the best Late Model drivers in the nation will battle for the first $50,000 payday of the year.

Brandon Overton won the inaugural edition of the race honoring racing legends Bobby Allison, Donnie Allison and Red Farmer in 2023. The rest of the field will be looking to join him as a World of Outlaws winner at the track, including past Talladega Late Model victors like Gustin, McCreadie, Jimmy OwensEthan Dotson and Ashton Winger.

The Late Models will be joined on both nights by the winged warriors of the United Sprint Car Series, giving both open-wheel and fendered fans reason to circle the event on their calendar.

For more event information, click here.

If you can’t make it to the track, stream every lap in April and all season long on DIRTVision.

Dominic Scelzi Produces Trio of Top 10s to Open Season With High Limit Racing

Inside Line Promotions – PERRIS, Calif. (March 25, 2025) – Dominic Scelzi passed a lot of race cars during the first four races of the Kubota High Limit Racing season.

Scelzi gained 10 positions – tied for the third most – en route to a ninth-place result on March 15 at The Dirt Track at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. Last Wednesday, he moved forward 11 positions – the second most – before placing 12th at Thunderbowl Raceway. Two nights later, Scelzi drove by a dozen drivers during a ninth-place outing at Kevin Harvick’s Kern Raceway. He capped the busy eight-day stretch with another ninth-place showing on Saturday at Perris Auto Speedway.

“This is the best I’ve felt in a couple of years,” he said. “I just have some things I need to clean up in qualifying so that we aren’t starting so far back. We’ve had great speed in the car and I feel great. If we can improve qualifying we will start closer toward the front to give ourselves a shot to win.”

Scelzi’s charge from 19th to ninth at The Dirt Track at Las Vegas Motor Speedway in Las Vegas tied his career-best result at the track. It also kicked off four main events of moving forward as Scelzi finished with 37 positions gained during the busy week.

The strong start to the season ranks Scelzi fifth in the High Limit Racing championship standings. He is one of only six drivers to produce at least three top 10s during the first four races of the High Limit Racing season.

“It feels great to have that consistency to start the season,” he said. “I’m looking forward to when High Limit Racing comes back to the West Coast in August.”

Next for Scelzi is the Sprint Car Challenge Tour race this Saturday at Placerville Speedway in Placerville, Calif.

QUICK RESULTS –

March 15 – The Dirt Track at Las Vegas Motor Speedway in Las Vegas, Nev. – Qualifying: 12; Heat race: 5 (6); Feature: 9 (19).

March 19 – Thunderbowl Raceway in Tulare, Calif. – Qualifying: 3; Heat race: 7 (1); B Main: 3 (2); Feature: 12 (23).

March 21 – Kevin Harvick’s Kern Raceway in Bakersfield, Calif. – Qualifying: 13; Heat race: 6 (7); B Main: 1 (3); Feature: 9 (21).

March 22 – Perris Auto Speedway in Perris, Calif. – Qualifying: 15; Heat race: 4 (5); Feature: 9 (13).

SEASON STATS –

4 races, 0 wins, 0 top fives, 3 top 10s, 4 top 15s, 4 top 20s

UP NEXT –

Saturday at Placerville Speedway in Placerville, Calif., with the Sprint Car Challenge Tour

MEDIA LINKS –

Website: http://www.DominicScelziRacing.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Scelzi41

X: http://www.x.com/DominicScelzi

DIRTVision to Broadcast Kyle Busch, Brexton Busch First Head-to-Head at Millbridge

SAILSBURY, NC (March 25, 2025) – NASCAR Cup Series champion Kyle Busch will race against his 9-year-old son Brexton for the first time ever at Millbridge Speedway on Wednesday, March 26 – and every lap of it will be live on DIRTVision.

The father-son duo will compete in the 600 Winged Micros division during the first Wednesday Series event of the season.

“I finally get to race against my dad!” Brexton wrote on X. “He’s not ready.”

Last year, Kyle Busch earned the track championship in the Wednesday Series Winged Micro division and Brexton won the track championship in the Restricted Micro division.

The younger Busch has already scored a major win in the Micro ranks this year, taking home a Tulsa Shootout Golden Driller after winning the Junior Sprints A-Main.

Racing against Brexton has been a dream of Kyle’s for a while, as he’s shared his hopes of one day racing against his son in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series. But for now, he’ll get to do so at the 1/6-mile Millbridge Speedway in Salisbury, NC.

The Wednesday Series opener features 600 Non-Winged Micros, 600 Winged Micros, Intermediates, Restricted Micros and Buggies. DIRTVision’s broadcast will go live at 6:15 p.m. (ET) when Hot Laps start. To watch the full broadcast, click here.

Along with Wednesday night’s event, you can watch every race from Millbridge Speedway live on DIRTVision – in addition to the World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Cars, World of Outlaws Late Models, Super DIRTcar Series, American Sprint Car Series National Tour, Xtreme Outlaw Midget Series presented by Toyota, 500 Sprint Car Tour and weekly racing from several tracks.

WHAT TO WATCH FOR: Midwest Stretch Begins with Lawton, 81 Weekend for World of Outlaws

The tour returns to Lawton for the first time since 2021 before a third straight year at 81

LAWTON, OK (March 25, 2025) – The Texas trip is complete, and the World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Cars are set to head to America’s Heartland.

The Greatest Show on Dirt will call the Midwest home for a six-week stretch, and it all begins this weekend. First up is a return to Oklahoma’s Lawton Speedway on Friday, March 28. The tour last made a trip to the “Sooner State” oval four years ago. Then it’s an overnight drive up I-35 to Kansas as the World of Outlaws visit Wichita’s 81 Speedway for the third consecutive season.

Lawton was a part of the inaugural World of Outlaws campaign in 1978. The first Series event at the track south of Oklahoma City belonged to the “Ohio Traveler” Rick Ferkel. It was a staple of the early years until a long hiatus after 1985 before the World of Outlaws came back in 2020. The 1980 season was when 81 Speedway first appeared on the schedule, and it was Sammy Swindell claiming not only the debut, but the first five visits to the track.

BUY LAWTON TICKETS HERE
BUY 81 TICKETS HERE

WATCH LIVE ON DIRTVision

Let’s look at the top stories to watch this weekend:

THE HOT HAND: The leading storyline of 2025 continues to be David Gravel’s unshakeable excellence with Big Game Motorsports.

Gravel has won five of the last eight races this year and set Simpson Quick Time, including a pair of new track records, in six of the last seven. Overall, the defending champion is yet to miss the top five in Tod Quiring’s No. 2 and owns an absurd average finish of 2.17 through a dozen races. He’s built an 82-point advantage in his quest for back-to-back titles.

This weekend, Gravel heads to a pair of tracks where he’s yet to visit Victory Lane. His two previous visits to Lawton led to a pair of top fives with a best of third in 2020 aboard the Jason Johnson Racing No. 41. Over at 81 Speedway, Gravel hasn’t missed the podium with two third-place finishes in 2017 and 2023 before improving to runner-up last season.

LAWTON LASHING: There’s one man especially happy to see Lawton back on the schedule, and his name is Carson Macedo.

The most recent visit four years ago belonged to Macedo during his first year with Jason Johnson Racing. He drove from third to the lead in six laps and pulled away for a dominant victory, stretching his advantage above five seconds when the checkered flag flew. That win makes him the lone full-time World of Outlaws competitor this season that’s won at Lawton.

Macedo rolls into Lawton looking to erase some of the gap that sits between himself and Gravel atop the standings. The No. 41 boasts a 5.08 average finish so far this year, which recent history says is roughly enough to win a championship, but the No. 2 has simply been a tick faster.

ONE WICHITA WINNER: Like Lawton, there’s only one former 81 Speedway winner among the 2025 roster of full-time World of Outlaws, and to no surprise it’s the 10-time Series champion Donny Schatz.

The Fargo, ND driver topped two straight visits separated by 11 years to the Kansas oval. First, it was his family’s No. 15 machine in 2006 on the route to his first championship, and then in 2017 he took the Tony Stewart/Curb Agajanian Racing ride to an 81 Speedway victory en route to his ninth title. His two triumphs have him alongside Sammy Swindell (six wins) and Rico Abreu (two wins) as one of three multi-time winners at 81. Schatz has also been on the podium there twice more with third-place efforts in 2004 and last year.

Schatz heads to Lawton and 81 on the heels of an up and down weekend in Texas. He picked up his first top five of 2025 on Friday at Cotton Bowl Speedway before axle issues dealt him a DNF on Saturday.

SETTLING IN: Volusia served up some struggles to start the year for several potent teams, but a pair have righted the ship over the last several weeks and are starting to resemble the contenders we’re accustomed to.

Michael “Buddy” Kofoid and Roth Motorsports clicked during the latter half of 2024 and went on a memorable run to close out the season, but the momentum didn’t quite carry into the start of 2025. The Penngrove, CA native has turned things around quickly with three consecutive top two finishes including his first win of the year at Kennedale. He’ll make his Lawton debut on Friday before getting his third look at 81 the next night. Kofoid came home fifth at 81 lasts year.

The first seven races of 2025 brought just one top five for Sheldon Haudenschild, but in the five races since he’s missed the top five only once with a 4.4 average finish over the stretch. The NOS Energy Drink driver appears poised to break through for his first victory of the season in the Stenhouse Jr.-Marshall Racing No. 17. His best outing at both Lawton and 81 is fourth.

WAYNE’S WORLD: TwoC Racing’s Cole Macedo may be debuting on both tracks on this weekend’s agenda, but he’ll have plenty of experience guiding him on the wrenches.

Former driver of the No. 2C turned crew chief, Wayne Johnson, has many laps at Lawton and 81 Speedway. The Oklahoma City, OK native spent much of his career behind the wheel in and around the Midwest. Johnson owns a handful of Lawton wins including a trio with the American Sprint Car Series (ASCS). He’s also won at 81, beating the National Championship Racing Association (NCRA) Sprint Cars in 2001 and 2019.

After a rough start at DIRTcar Nationals, Macedo continues to claw his way toward the top of the Kevin Gobrecht Rookie of the Year fight with Johnson calling the shots. The Lemoore, CA native is fresh off a strong Cotton Bowl trip with finishes of ninth and seventh, making it top 10s in half of his last eight races. Macedo is currently fourth in the rookie battle, 46 markers behind leader Garet Williamson.

THIS WEEKEND AT A GLANCE

WHEN AND WHERE 
Friday, March 28 at Lawton Speedway in Lawton, OK
Saturday, March 29 at 81 Speedway in Wichita, KS

ON THE INTERNET
World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Series
X – @WorldofOutlaws
Instagram – @WoOSprint
Facebook – Facebook.com/WorldofOutlawsSprintCarSeries
YouTube – Youtube.com/WorldofOutlaws
DIRTVision – DIRTVision.com – Platinum annual FAST PASS for $299 or monthly FAST PASS for $39/month

CURRENT CHAMPIONSHIP STANDINGS (12/89 Races):
1. David Gravel – Big Game Motorsports No. 2 (1702 PTS)
2. Carson Macedo – Jason Johnson Racing No. 41 (-82 PTS)
2. Logan Schuchart – Shark Racing No. 1S (-84 PTS)
4. Michael Kofoid – Roth Motorsports No. 83 (-114 PTS)
5. Sheldon Haudenschild – Stenhouse Jr.-Marshall Racing No. 17 (-164 PTS)
6. Donny Schatz – Tony Stewart/Curb Agajanian Racing No. 15 (-200 PTS)
7. Giovanni Scelzi – KCP Racing No. 18 (-208 PTS)
8. Bill Balog – B2 Motorsports No. 17B (-236 PTS)
9. Garet Williamson – Fischer Motorsports No. 23 (-282 PTS)
10. Chris Windom – Sides Motorsports No. 7S (-286 PTS)

NOS ENERGY DRINK FEATURE WINNERS (7 Drivers): 
5 Wins – David Gravel
2 Wins – Kyle Larson
1 Win – Carson Macedo, Christopher Bell, Bill Balog, Giovanni Scelzi, Michael Kofoid

FEATURE LAPS LED (10 Drivers):
126 Laps – David Gravel
51 Laps – Kyle Larson
39 Laps – Giovanni Scelzi
30 Laps – Michael Kofoid
25 Laps – Carson Macedo
19 Laps – Bill Balog
17 Laps – Emerson Axsom
16 Laps – Cole Macedo
9 Laps – Sam Hafertepe Jr.
8 Laps – Christopher Bell

SIMPSON PERFORMANCE PRODUCTS QUICKTIME AWARDS (6 Drivers):
7 Quick Times – David Gravel
1 Quick Time – Emerson Axsom, Kyle Larson, Danny Sams III, Logan Schuchart, Anthony Macri

HEAT RACE WINNERS (19 Drivers): 
8 Heat Wins – David Gravel
6 Heat Wins – Carson Macedo
4 Heat Wins – Sheldon Haudenschild 
3 Heat Wins – Christopher Bell, Kyle Larson, Bill Balog
2 Heat Wins – Logan Schuchart, Brian Brown, Jacob Allen
1 Heat Win – Emerson Axsom, Hunter Schuerenberg, Austin McCarl, Anthony Macri, Garet Williamson, Bryce Lucius, Sam Hafertepe Jr., Conner Morrell, Michael Kofoid, Donny Schatz

TOYOTA DASH APPEARANCES (30 Drivers):
11 Dashes – David Gravel
10 Dashes – Logan Schuchart
8 Dashes – Carson Macedo
5 Dashes – Bill Balog, Sheldon Haudenschild, Michael Kofoid
4 Dashes – Brian Brown, Emerson Axsom, Giovanni Scelzi
3 Dashes – Christopher Bell, Kyle Larson, Garet Williamson
2 Dashes – Danny Sams III, Jacob Allen, Cole Macedo, Anthony Macri, Sam Hafertepe Jr.
1 Dash – Justin Peck, Brad Sweet, Ryan Timms, Tyler Courtney, Parker Price-Miller, Aaron Reutzel, Hunter Schuerenberg, Spencer Bayston, Austin McCarl, Conner Morrell, Bryce Lucius, Christopher Thram, Donny Schatz

MICRO-LITE LAST CHANCE SHOWDOWN WINS (9 Drivers):
2 LCS Wins – Giovanni Scelzi, Donny Schatz, Christopher Thram
1 LCS Win – Ryan Timms, Garet Williamson, Chris Martin, Anthony Macri, Bryce Lucius, Conner Morrell

KSE HARD CHARGER AWARDS (9 Drivers):
2 Hard Chargers – Ryan Timms, Chris Windom, Skylar Gee
1 Hard Charger – Donny Schatz, Logan Schuchart, Cole Macedo, Zach Hampton, Bill Balog, Garet Williamson

PODIUM FINISHES (12 Drivers):
10 Podiums – David Gravel
4 Podiums – Kyle Larson, Logan Schuchart, Carson Macedo
3 Podiums – Giovanni Scelzi, Michael Kofoid
2 Podiums – Christopher Bell, Sam Hafertepe Jr.
1 Podium – Aaron Reutzel, Jacob Allen, Bill Balog, Sheldon Haudenschild

TOP 10 FINISHES (30 Drivers): 
12 Top 10s – David Gravel
11 Top 10s – Carson Macedo, Logan Schuchart
9 Top 10s – Michael Kofoid
7 Top 10s – Donny Schatz, Sheldon Haudenschild
6 Top 10s – Giovanni Scelzi
5 Top 10s – Bill Balog
4 Top 10s – Kyle Larson, Cole Macedo, Chris Windom, Hunter Schuerenberg
3 Top 10s – Ryan Timms, Brad Sweet, Tyler Courtney, Justin Peck, Anthony Macri, Emerson Axsom
2 Top 10s – Christopher Bell, Aaron Reutzel, Jacob Allen, Spencer Bayston, Garet Williamson, Sam Hafertepe Jr.
1 Top 10 – Danny Sams III, Brian Brown, Parker Price-Miller, Skylar Gee, Zach Hampton, Conner Morrell

2025 WORLD OF OUTLAWS SPRINT CAR WINNERS:
No. / Day, Date / Track / Location / Winner (Total Wins)
1. Wed, Feb 7 / Volusia Speedway Park / Barberville, FL / Carson Macedo (1)
2. Thurs, Feb 8 / Volusia Speedway Park / Barberville, FL / Christopher Bell (1)
3. Fri, Feb 9 / Volusia Speedway Park / Barberville, FL / Kyle Larson (1)
4. Sat, Feb 10 / Volusia Speedway Park / Barberville, FL / Kyle Larson (2)
5. Sun, March 2 / Volusia Speedway Park / Barberville, FL / David Gravel (1)
6. Mon, March 3 / Volusia Speedway Park / Barberville, FL / David Gravel (2)
7. Fri, March 7 / Talladega Short Track / Eastaboga, AL / Bill Balog (1)
8. Sat, March 8 / Magnolia Motor Speedway / Columbus, MS / David Gravel (3)
9. Fri, March 14 / Kennedale Speedway Park / Kennedale, TX / Giovanni Scelzi (1)
10. Sat, March 15 / Kennedale Speedway Park / Kennedale, TX / Michael Kofoid (1)
11. Fri, March 21 / Cotton Bowl Speedway / Paige, TX / David Gravel (4)
12. Sat, March 21 / Cotton Bowl Speedway / Paige, TX / David Gravel (5)

For the complete 2025 schedule, CLICK HERE.

Third Time’s a Charm? Gear Up for Round 3 at Yamaha Senoia Short Track, Where Past Visits Foretold Grand National Championship Battles

(Pictured: Briar Bauman #3, Dallas Daniels #32, Brandon Robinson #44; Photo Credit: American Flat Track/Tim Lester)

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (March 25, 2025) – The 2025 Progressive American Flat Track season, sanctioned by AMA Pro Racing, resumes this Saturday, March 29, with the third annual Yamaha Senoia Short Track at Senoia Raceway in Senoia, Georgia.

Third Time’s a Charm?

The two prior stops at Senoia Raceway served as microcosmic previews of the Grand National Championship battles to come.

On both of those occasions – just as he will again this year – Dallas Daniels (No. 32 Estenson Racing Yamaha MT-07 DT) came into Yamaha’s home round riding high after a spectacular Daytona double opener.

In 2023, Daniels fought back and forth with reigning Mission AFT SupertTwins king Jared Mees throughout only to be edged at the stripe. And in the 2024 rematch, Daniels claimed the early advantage only to see Mees take control and pull free by the end.

While those battles also served as neat little summaries of their respective ‘23 and ‘24 title clashes, it remains to be seen if the Yamaha Senoia Short Track will retain its predictive powers in Mees’ absence.

Daniels no doubt hopes it does, only this time in overwhelming favor.

Title sponsor Yamaha is still seeking its first victory in either class at Senoia. However, that’s not to suggest the manufacturer hasn’t been able to protect its home turf altogether since Yamaha Motor Corporation relocated its USA headquarters from California to the greater Atlanta area in late 2018.

While shut out from the podium in the 2019 Yamaha Atlanta Short Track at Dixie Speedway in Woodstock, Georgia, Yamaha fared considerably better in the 2020 doubleheader return, where Daniels doubled up in AFT Singles presented by KICKER competition and  claimed top honors in the second AFT Production Twins Main.

That was only a taste of what was to come in 2021; Yamaha cleaned up at the Yamaha Atlanta Super TT in a manner rarely seen at a single round. Armed with two of the modern era’s greatest TT riders, Yamaha won all three Main Events courtesy of maestros JD Beach (Mission AFT SuperTwins) and Daniels (AFT Singles and AFT Production Twins).

If that wasn’t enough, Mikey Rush made it an Estenson Racing Yamaha 1-2 in 450cc action while then Yamaha-mounted Dan Bromley joined Daniels on the AFT Production Twins podium.

Yamaha comes into this weekend’s Senoia Short Track with similar potential, boasting last year’s race and championship runners-up in both classes with parallel goals of claiming vacated thrones.

So now it’s up to Daniels and teammate Tom Drane (No. 59 Estenson Racing Yamaha YZ450F) to properly set the tone for the season in the friendly confines of Senoia Raceway.

Read the full story HERE.

Randy Meyer Racing Brings on Young Gun McKenna Bold for 2025 NHRA Season

Mar 18, 2025 | Featured, Pre-Race Releases, Special Announcements

Randy Meyer Racing is thrilled to welcome rising star McKenna Bold to the team for the 2025 NHRA season. Bold will make her highly anticipated Top Alcohol Dragster debut stepping onto the national stage at the NHRA Winternationals in Pomona, California, on March 27-30.

“Driving for Randy Meyer Racing has been my dream since I was 17,” said Bold. “I wanted to move up earlier, but with Megan Meyer’s guidance, I focused on getting as much seat time in Top Dragster as possible first. Now, I’m ready to take the next step, and there’s no better team than one that has won four of the last six world championships. I want to win in this sport, and joining Randy’s team is the first step in making that happen.”

Randy Meyer, owner of Randy Meyer Racing, is excited to see what Bold brings to the team. “McKenna has proven herself as a talented and disciplined driver, and we are happy to have her join our program,” Meyer said. “Her experience and passion for the sport make her a great fit for our team, and we’re looking forward to seeing her develop in the Top Alcohol Dragster ranks.”

Randy Meyer Racing enters the 2025 season following a dominant 2024 campaign, securing 10 wins and continuing its legacy as one of NHRA’s most elite Top Alcohol Dragster teams. With the addition of McKenna Bold and fellow new driver Matt Cummings, the team is poised for another standout year.

Bold’s love for racing was practically built into her DNA. Her father began racing in the ‘80s, and she grew up immersed in the sport, making her competitive debut at just eight years old in Jr. Dragster. Over the years, she built an impressive resume, qualifying for the Memphis World Finals, winning her division, earning a points championship, and collecting multiple event wins.

When she aged out of the Junior Dragster ranks, her family purchased a Mullis Top Dragster, and she competed full-time in 2018, winning two Wallys, two big-dollar races, earning Rookie of the Year, and finishing third in the Cash is King points standings. Since 2019, she has shared the dragster with her father, continuing to race part-time while pursuing her education. Over the years, she added another seven wins to her resume and finished second overall in the 2024 Heavy Metal Mayhem Bracket Racing Series.

“My number one goal is to bring home Wallys and help RMR add another championship to their collection,” Bold said. “On a personal level, I want to sharpen my reaction times and make sure I never let my team down. They’re giving me a car capable of winning, and I want to make sure I do my part behind the wheel.”

Fans won’t want to miss McKenna Bold’s highly anticipated Top Alcohol Dragster debut at Pomona’s legendary Winternationals on March 27-30. Watch it all unfold live on NHRA.tv, with broadcast airing on FS2 and FS1, and follow Randy Meyer Racing on Facebook for behind-the-scenes updates.

How Summer Nationals Has Built, Molded Dirt Racing’s Top Stars: Part III

Brandon Sheppard, Brian Shirley, Bobby Pierce, and Tyler Erb reminisce about importance of first wins with the Summer Nationals 

CONCORD, NC — March 24, 2025 — Drivers never forget their first win. Especially their first with the DIRTcar Summer Nationals. 

It’s a different euphoria. It may mark a driver’s first Super Late Model victory. It may mark the start of their national recognition. Or it could even mark a resurgence in their career. 

In Part I of this series, multiple Summer Nationals champions talked about their path to the Hell Tour. In Part II, they talked about what it takes to be successful on the tour. Here, Brandon Sheppard, Brian Shirley, Bobby Pierce and Tyler Erb highlight the importance of winning with the Summer Nationals. 

Series of Firsts 

The DIRTcar Summer Nationals has seen its past champions go through extreme efforts to win, then use that experience to improve at certain events and racetracks. 

Brian Shirley recalls a moment in 2012 when he was involved in an accident at LaSalle Speedway. He worked all night on fixing his race car and won the next day at Macon Speedway, en route to his first Hell Tour championship. 

“You learn about yourself and life on the tour,” Shirley said. “You learn whether you cannot give up. A lot of people start (Summer Nationals), and it all depends on what obligations and day-to-day things that make them choose to stay on it or not. For us, there’s a certain part of time where you gotta dig deep and find yourself to understand that you gotta make it through the night or move onto the next day. 

“One of the early years where we won the championship, we had worked, shit, all night on a racecar, and there’s a lot of willpower and a lot of things that just don’t come easy. Like being able to fix a race car through the night, drive to the next racetrack, and when you’re able to win, there’s so much gratification from not giving up.” 

Brandon Sheppard claims his 2013 championship run was the toughest challenge of his life at 20 years old and is grateful for the chance to find himself while racing for a title against future Illinois rival Bobby Pierce. 

Sheppard moved up to the national Late Model ranks and never looked back by becoming an all-time winningest driver with the World of Outlaws Late Model Series, earning the most Feature wins (86) and championships (2017, 2019-2021, 2024). 

“That was probably the toughest thing I ever did in my life,” Sheppard said about running the Hell Tour. “We had a tough battle with Bobby (Pierce) that year, and a lot of good drivers beating us and running up and down the road together. That was a lot of fun, but that was a grind, and it came down to the last night. I remember we broke the gear in the last night’s Feature and won by a few points, so I was stressed out the whole time.  

“Wild times, 20-years-old, I found out my girlfriend at the time was pregnant with my first son. It turned out to be a whole lot of good opportunities, and I give Summer Nationals a lot of credit for some of that because I met most of the people I consider friends today, and that’s where I got recognized in my career. I hope to get to a few of them again this year, and maybe before I retire, run it again a time or two.” 

Though he finished second to Sheppard in points, Pierce had a career-defining 2013 when he won his first four Hell Tour Features at Lincoln Speedway, Jacksonville Speedway, Kankakee County Speedway and 34 Raceway.  

Pierce said the wins and time on the track helped him improve at facilities like Eldora Speedway and stand out as core memories for the five-time champion. 

“My first win at Lincoln, that was $10K to win, and I did it on the bottom,” Pierce said. “I just hugged it down low, super slow, drag racing off the bottom. That was when I was 16, and I won at (LaSalle) a few days later, then I won at (Kankakee). That was kind of a moment where I was noticed more, like a national scene. That was a turning point in my career with how it gave me some confidence to go and win other races and compete.  

“In 2013, I didn’t make the (Dirt Late Model) Dream Feature, then we came back in September and sat on the pole for the World 100, led some laps, and ended up finishing fourth. I feel like the Summer Nationals make you better when you’re racing all the time like that. Everyone gets in the routine more and it’s a muscle memory thing too. When you’re racing every night, it’s like riding a bike.” 

Tyler Erb wanted to start the first week of the 2024 Summer Nationals on a high note if he was committed to racing the full slate. “Terbo” won the first four Feature races of the season, clinched the Week 1 championship, and knew where his calling was. 

“I think we just work better under stress,” Erb said. “Where we thrive, I think more when we don’t have to sit there and think about it. You just gotta keep racing and I knew we needed to be good off the start if we were even gonna attempt it, and we won every race of the first week. That lit a fire and gave everyone some belief that we can definitely do it and conquer it. 

“I think it made me realize that was the conditions I thrive in, and our team does really well in it, so I’m glad I finally did it. I’ve always loved the Hell Tour and wanted to run it, so to be able to do it just verified my mind like ‘Yeah, I might have been right the whole time. This is what I should be doing.’” 

You can see these former champions participate in various DIRTcar Summer Nationals races in 2025. To view the full schedule and purchase tickets, CLICK HERE

The 2025 schedule has drivers set for a challenging 31 races in 34 days. 

Read More: 2025 SCHEDULE: 40th Summer Nationals Tour Holds 30 Races in 33 Days 

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