The two Hoosiers have joined forces as Hampton is set for his debut campaign, and Rose continues to iron out his driving schedule

CONCORD, NC (January 23, 2025) – Bill Rose has tabbed Zach Hampton to pilot his No. 6 machine full-time with the World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Cars in 2025.

Hampton becomes the latest driver in a loaded rookie class as the upcoming season will mark his first with The Greatest Show on Dirt. He joins Cole Macedo, Chris Windom, Garet Williamson, and Skylar Gee in the chase for the Kevin Gobrecht Rookie of the Year.

Knowing he wanted to put someone in the seat as he continues to heal from injuries sustained last year, Rose recently reached out to Hampton. It was fortuitous timing for the Mooresville, IN native as he went from an uncertain future to a shot on Sprint Car racing’s biggest stage.

“I’m actually selling most of my stuff, and I was kind of prepared to be done unless I could drive for someone else but didn’t really have anything in the works,” Hampton explained. “Bill was going to buy a few things like my mule and other small stuff, and we got to talking. It kind of started from there. Then he called me while I was at Chili Bowl and asked if I’d be interested. We talked some more and got a deal worked out that works well for both of us.”

Hampton has plenty of Sprint Car laps under his belt. His 2024 campaign was highlighted by several top 10s in weekly Knoxville Raceway action. In 2023 he picked up an impressive FAST victory in his home state at Circle City Raceway. Now he takes the step up to the demanding World of Outlaws calendar where he’ll face off with the best of the best every night.

“I’m really excited,” Hampton said. “There’s going to be a big learning curve in a lot of areas. I think there’s like 90 races on the schedule, and the most by far I’ve ever done in a year is, I want to say, 52. That’s definitely going to be a big step up, but I think that’ll only help me from a driving standpoint being on the track more and more consistently.”

The opportunity is one that Hampton is motivated to take advantage of. It wasn’t all that long ago that he was selling his equipment without a solid situation ahead. The time is now for Hampton.

“It’s nice that people see potential there and that Bill trusts me not only driving his car but to be a part of this team,” Hampton said. “The drivers are usually kind of the face of it. It means a lot that he trusts me enough in all of those aspects to come race with them.”

While Rose has added Hampton to the team, fans can still expect to see Rose himself behind the wheel. He’s still ironing out the details as he continues to await medical clearance, but with it being his 50^th overall year in racing, Rose has no intentions of only being a crew chief all season.

Hampton and Rose kickoff the 2025 World of Outlaws season at Volusia Speedway Park’s Federated Auto Parts DIRTcar Nationals on Feb. 5-8. For tickets, CLICK HERE.

For the full 2025 schedule, CLICK HERE.

If you can’t make it to the track, catch every lap live on DIRTVision.

ARTICLE: https://worldofoutlaws.com/sprintcars/zach-hampton-joins-bill-rose-racing-for-rookie-world-of-outlaws-season/

Sent on behalf of OTB Racing DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (January 23, 2025) – OTB (On The Box) Racing is thrilled to announce that Brandon Price will return as the team’s primary rider for the 2025 Progressive American Flat Track season in the Mission AFT SuperTwinsclass. After a standout performance in the 2024 season, Price’s return marks an exciting chapter for both the rider and the team as they aim for even greater success in the upcoming year.  Price, a talented and dedicated racer with a history of podium finishes in AFT, has been a vital part of On The Box Racing’s growth. His determination, skill, and passion for the sport have made him a formidable competitor on the track. With a year of experience under their belts, both Price and OTB are ready for a strong and competitive season in 2025.  “We are very excited to have Brandon back for a second year” said Wayne Sody, Team Owner. “I have the upmost confidence in our second year to make a run for the AFT championship. We learned so much from our first year which will put us on a whole new level of competing.”  Brandon Price echoed the sentiment, expressing his enthusiasm for the upcoming season: “I’m pumped to be signing with the OTB Racing team for another year. We made a lot of headway with the Yamaha MT-07s this past season. With being on the same team and on improved equipment, I’m ready to prove I have what it takes to be a contender in the championship race!”  OTB and Price are preparing for a successful 2025 season, with new developments on the bikes, as well as a dedicated team and sponsors. The team consists of Jason Isennock returning as Crew Chief and Mechanic, Wyatt Neal alongside Head Mechanic, Brian Eckhart and Team Manager, Meg Neal.  Supporting this year’s efforts with OTB Racing are Memphis Shades, Corbin, Vinson Construction, Michael Sponseller, Roof Systems, Yamaha Blu Cru, Lisa Niner, Fredericktown Yamaha, Rausch Racing, Lowery Racing, Motion Pro, Glen’s Auto, Small Town Lids, R-Nyne Designs, Vortex Brewing Co, Vortex Racing, Aria Helmets, Earlbeck Gases, Arctic Circle, BCTRA, LP3 Refuse Removal, and Black Hills Powersports.  The 2025 Progressive American Flat Track season will kick off on March 6th and 7th with the first two races in Daytona.  For more updates and behind-the-scenes content, follow OTB Racing on Instagram (@otbracing_) and Facebook (OTB Racing).

The Canadian will follow in the footsteps of his father as he makes his debut season with The Greatest Show on Dirt

CONCORD, NC (January 22, 2025) – Skylar Gee is ready to be a part of The Greatest Show on Dirt.

The 25-year-old out of Leduc, AB, Canada is set for his rookie World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car tour in 2025 aboard the Logan Fenton Racing No. 99. Gee joins Cole Macedo, Chris Windom, and Garet Williamson in the strong class chasing this year’s Kevin Gobrecht Rookie of the Year.

Gee follows in the footsteps of his father, Tim Gee, who competed with the World of Outlaws full-time for multiple seasons in the 1980s and is one of two Canadian-born Feature winners.

“As cliché as it sounds, it’s a dream come true,” Gee said. “Growing up at the racetrack and racing with my dad and everything it’s something I’ve always wanted to do is to go out and race with the World of Outlaws and have that opportunity.”

“We feel that we’re ready for that jump,” team owner Logan Fenton said. “Ultimately, we’re a newer team. This is essentially our third full season. It takes a while to get an organization together like this and especially at the caliber the World of Outlaws demand. We understand there is a different level of commitment from teams at this level and we intend to do just that.”

While 2025 will mark Gee’s debut campaign with the World of Outlaws, he’s far from new to racing with a traveling series.

Back in 2017 and 2018, Gee competed full-time with the American Sprint Car Series (ASCS), finishing eighth and seventh and points and picking up a prestigious Grizzly Nationals victory.

Gee graduated to the 410 Sprint Car touring ranks in 2019 as he took on the All Star Circuit of Champions (ASCoC) for the first time. He nabbed his first Series victory that season at Abbottstown, PA’s Lincoln Speedway, where the World of Outlaws will visit twice in 2025, and came home seventh in points. The next season he again competed full-time, improving to fifth in the standings.

He’s since shifted to a pick and choose schedule in the last few years, competing in roughly 60-70 races per year since 2021. Gee and Fenton joined forces ahead of 2022 and have proven to be a strong pairing, picking up seven wins together all in the state of Ohio.

“Kind of where I felt like our team was trending,” Gee said on why this year was the right one to make the jump. “We made some big races and raced pretty well. We had some good showings, I thought, and it kind of opened some doors for us to be able to do this.”

Now, the combination is hitting the road with the best Sprint Car drivers in the country. Gee and the Logan Fenton Racing crew will tackle the 90-night World of Outlaws calendar as one of the most competitive rookie battles in Series history continues to take shape. The 25-year-old will face off with Macedo, Windom, Williamson, and potentially more as they all look to etch their names in the history book.

“It’s going to be tough,” Gee said of going after Rookie of the Year. “I’ve raced with Cole, Garet, and Chris now for a handful of years. I think we’ve raced around each other enough to understand it’s going to be tough. I think looking at it right now it could go to anybody.”

“I’m really excited to watch and see how that transpires this year as we run with top level teams,” Fenton said. “I think that translates into some interesting racing this year with Cole Macedo, Chris Windom, and Garet Williamson. That’s four guys that are going to give us a really good, close battle. I don’t think there’s one single driver that absolutely blows the other ones out of the water. You’re going to see one of the better Rookie of the Year contentions that we’ve seen in Sprint Car racing in quite a number of years honestly.”

Gee and the Logan Fenton Racing crew begin the 2025 World of Outlaws season at Volusia Speedway Park’s Federated Auto Parts DIRTcar Nationals on Feb. 5-8. For tickets, CLICk HERE.

For the full 2025 schedule, CLICK HERE.

If you can’t make it to the track, catch every lap live on DIRTVision.

Drivers of the three Cadillac V-Series.Rs in final rehearsals for opening show

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (Jan. 22, 2025) – Six test sessions at Daytona International Speedway are in the books with three remaining for the three Cadillac Racing teams and 11 drivers to prepare for the 63rd Rolex 24 At Daytona. Grand Touring Prototype (GTP) qualifications are scheduled for 3:25 p.m. ET Thursday on the 3.56-mile, 12-turn course that incorporates sections of the famous high-banked oval. The No. 31 Whelen Cadillac V-Series.R rode to the 2024 pole with a track-record lap time of 1 minute, 32.656 seconds, and the No. 01 Cadillac V-Series.R completed the front row lockout.

Cadillac Racing will seek its fifth victory since 2017 in the race with an expanded lineup featuring the Nos. 10 and 40 hybrid racecars run by Wayne Taylor Racing and the No. 31 campaigned by Action Express Racing. “Overall, I think we are leaving the Roar excited but know we have a lot more work to do in the few days leading up to the Rolex,” said Jordan Taylor, co-driver of the No. 40 Cadillac V-Series.R.  ”We are super excited to be back with Cadillac. I personally spent my entire career with them other than one year, which was last year, so I feel like I am back with family, a lot of familiar faces. It’s a brand-new car that I love and love to represent, especially being an American driver, so I am excited to get the week started.”

Media ResourcesCadillac Racing information, statistics, photos, history, driver bios and more for the 63rd Rolex 24 At Daytona is available and will be updated throughout the race week.

Cadillac Racing notes leading into the 15-minute qualifying:* The driver roster represents 8 Rolex 24 At Daytona overall victories (6 with Cadillac Racing), 7 FIA WEC Hypercar/LM1 championships, 11 24 Hours of Le Mans overall/class victories, 6 Twelve Hours of Sebring victories (4 with Cadillac Racing), and 3 IMSA/Grand-Am prototype championships. * Four current Cadillac Racing drivers have won the Rolex 24 At Daytona with Cadillac Racing in DPi competition: Kamui Kobayashi (2018, 2019), Ricky Taylor (2017), Filipe Albuquerque (2018), and Jordan Taylor (2017, 2019). * Cadillac Racing won the Rolex 24 At Daytona four consecutive years (2017-2020) and placed first and second in 2017, 2018 and 2019. * Cadillac Racing’s victory in the 2017 Rolex 24 At Daytona was the first of five consecutive victories to start the season and led to the manufacturer, team and driver championships. * The No. 10 Wayne Taylor Racing entry is running the Dallara chassis that won the 2024 Petit Le Mans. The No. 40 Wayne Taylor Racing Cadillac V-Series.R is a new chassis, while the No. 31 Whelen Cadillac V-Series.R was also used in the season-concluding race at Road Atlanta.

See the exciting Cadillac production roster Spectators will have the opportunity for an up-close look at the Cadillac V-Series vehicle lineup at the Cadillac display in the midway at Daytona International Speedway. Hours are 9 a.m.-6 p.m. Friday, 9 a.m.-8 p.m. Saturday and 8 a.m.-2:30 p.m. Sunday.What they’re saying Cadillac Wayne Taylor Racing (No. 10)Ricky Taylor, full season driver: “It was nice to get Kamui and Brendon into the team and getting them used to the car. We all, us drivers, are new to the car and program and the team is new to the Cadillac V-Series.R. So, I think we are just learning what makes the car perform and what knobs we can turn for the setup, what performs well and what doesn’t. We tried all our big changes at the Roar, that way for this week we have an idea of scale of how things work and fine tune for the conditions of the weekend. So, it was overall good.” Filipe Albuquerque, full season driver: “The Roar felt good. We have a lot to do on the car and we got to drive the car in the wet as well. It’s just been learning about the car and all the settings that we can play within this car; it’s a work in progress. Qualifying will be about putting the car in the window as best as possible. In terms of pace, we will have wait to see and we will give it our best.” Will Stevens, IMEC driver: “Overall, the Roar was fairly productive for us. The main objective is to get all the drivers through the car and being comfortable, which I think we achieved. Even having the wet session at the end, I think was a nice bonus to having driven the car in the dry and the wet. I think everyone feels comfortable in all conditions. I’d say that is the biggest box to tick. From a performance point of view, we worked through what we needed to try and learn ahead of race week to make sure we understand more of the new car we have and what it wants and needs to be able to be quick.” Brendon Hartley, Rolex 24 At Daytona driver: “We had a smooth Roar with little to no issues. The team and my teammates did a great job to give me all the info I needed to get up to speed. I’m feeling comfortable in the car and enjoying being back in Daytona. We have a little bit of lap time to find before the 24. We will all be working hard over the next days to see if we can squeeze some more time out of it and also make sure we are as prepared as possible for everything the next days might throw at us.” Cadillac Whelen (No. 31)

Jack Aitken, full season driver: “This past week has gone OK for us. There are a few things on the car which we needed to prove out and we have a couple of guys that are new to the car as well. So, it’s been a lot of ticking boxes. I think Thursday and Friday will be more about finding the performance in the car. The qualifying run, we’ve got half an eye on it, but really our focus will be on the race. We’ve got an eye on the weather as well as it’s pretty hard to say if it’s going to be cold, wet or sunny and we’re having to prepare for all three at the moment.” Earl Bamber, full season driver: “I think it’s been a good build-up from the November test. The cars are super reliable. It’s good to see everyone from GM working with the evo changes that were made. We’ve got a well-handling racecar, so we just have to see where we flush out in qualifying and the race.” Frederik Vesti, IMEC driver: “Being four drivers with quite limited amount of running is something to get used to, but I definitely got some good laps in and I feel very prepared for the race for my first ever GTP race and my first ever race with Cadillac, which is something I’m extremely excited about. We’ve done a lot of work with the car, gone in different directions trying to explore different things ahead of the race. I think we know we have a very solid base with the Whelen Cadillac, and now we just need to sort of fine-tune it and get ready for the race. The conditions might be different to what we had this weekend. So, a bit of fine-tuning before the race will probably be needed, but that’s the same for everyone.”Felipe Drugovich, Rolex 24 At Daytona driver: “The Cadillac car is a pleasure to drive. I think that track is changing every time and there is not much you can see or predict from this testing. It’s just doing our job and trying to improve ourselves. I think in terms of driving or at least the driver’s perspective it is just trying to enjoy the whole experience because it’s the first time for me. It’s a pleasure just to be driving here and driving the Cadillac with this team.” Cadillac Wayne Taylor Racing (No. 40)Jordan Taylor, full season driver: “After the Roar, I feel relatively good. It’s hard to look at the timing sheets. I think everyone is working on their own programs and going through what they need to learn. For us, it was the first time doing proper laps in this car and with two cars ready to go in race prep. We checked off a lot of boxes, which was good. We leave the Roar in a good spot. All the drivers are relatively happy with the car and the balance. We have a new engineer on our car, so getting communication down has been a big part of the Roar. Overall, I think we are leaving the Roar excited but know we have a lot more work to do in the few days leading up to the Rolex. We are super excited to be back with Cadillac. I personally spent my entire career with them other than one year, which was last year, so I feel like I am back with family, a lot of familiar faces. It’s a brand-new car that I love and love to represent, especially being an American driver, so I am excited to get the week started.” Louis Deletraz, full season driver: “The Roar was great. We learned every lap and a lot of conditions – cold, sun and even rain – so we discovered the Cadillac V-Series.R even more. I think in terms of performance it’s hard to see because everyone is having different run plans. It definitely seems like it is not easy for us, but we are great team and have great people with us. We are getting better every night and day, and we have a few more nights until the race, so I am sure we can work it out and be competitive for the race and actually be fighting for something good.” Kamui Kobayashi, Rolex 24 At Daytona driver: “I think being back with WTR and joining the team, we have started working properly as a team here at the Roar. I think as a team we are starting to progressively improve and try to understand what the car needs. Of course, with WTR using the Cadillac for the first time in GTP as well, I think we are still learning it. So far, we need some more work to do on the car this week. I am really happy to be back in the Cadillac with Wayne Taylor Racing again here at Daytona. We have good memories of 2019 and 2020 to win the race and obviously, we have the chance to do it again.”

Grandson of ASCS founder Emmett Hahn won back-to-back titles in 2021 and 2022

CONCORD, NC (Jan. 21, 2025) — After spending two seasons away from the full-time 360 Sprint Car ranks, Blake Hahn is returning to the ASCS National Tour in 2025 to chase a third championship.

Hahn, 30, of Sapulpa, OK, won back-to-back National Tour championships in 2021 and 2022 before transitioning his program into a 410-focused operation for the 2023 and 2024 seasons. But the grandson of ASCS founder Emmett Hahn is returning to the nation’s premier 360 Sprint Car tour in 2025 for several reasons, and it starts with coming back home.

“For me, the main answer is family,” Hahn said. “Me growing up around Oklahoma, watching ASCS develop and seeing the trade of hands from my grandpa over to [World Racing Group] — I think it’s going in a great direction. I think everything’s going to continue to grow. Their schedule fits really well with us; it leaves us some opportunity to go and still run some other events with the World of Outlaws and some other people.”

Since his last ASCS title, Hahn has refrained from chasing points championships, opting for pick-and-choose schedules for his 410 efforts. But 2025 will be different. Hahn will pilot his signature yellow/pink Smiley’s Racing Products No. 52 at all 42 races on the ASCS National Tour in search of a third championship, which would tie him with Tim Crawley for third-most all-time.

“I really want to come back and win a championship,” Hahn said. “I want to prove to people that I can get it done. I’ve had people say, ‘Well, you were only able to win it because we didn’t have the heavy hitters there.’

“In my opinion, I think we will have a really good chance to compete for a championship when it’s all said and done.”

In November, Hahn shined with ASCS during championship weekend, recording three-straight top-10 finishes, including a Feature win on Friday night of Fuzzy’s Fall Fling at his home track — Creek County Speedway.

“We ran a good chunk of races with ASCS this year and I felt like, toward the end of the season, we finally picked up to be back where we were when we left off with ASCS,” Hahn said. “There’s a lot of room for improvement, but I feel like we’ve got a good, competitive car. I feel like everybody knows that if we come back, we’ll definitely be in the running for a championship win.”

The National Tour has seen an upgrade in competition since Hahn departed the full-time 360 Sprint Car ranks. Five-time champion Sam Hafertepe Jr. rejoined the points chase in 2024 for the first time since his most recent championship in 2020, as did reigning champion Seth Bergman. The two remained the standout contenders for the points title throughout the season, and Hahn plans on battling both in pursuit of a championship for the first time in 2025.

“I have some experience running with those guys, and I think that’ll help, just going out there and knowing their tendencies,” Hahn said. “When you’re running for a championship, you have to drive a little bit differently. I think people saw that with Seth this year.

“With Seth coming back and trying to back up his championship with another, he’ll definitely be another hard car to beat. But there’s no doubt in my mind we’ve got a car and a team that can compete for a championship.”

2025 will also mark his first season as a member of the full-time roster in the new era of ASCS. World Racing Group (WRG) acquired the organization from the Hahn family in March 2024, ensuring the National Tour’s future in America’s Heartland. Now, under the new leadership of Series Director Lonnie Wheatley, Hahn expressed his appreciation for the presence and resources of WRG and his positive outlook for the future of his family’s creation.

“After seeing my grandpa hand the reins over to them and see what they did in their first year, I think it’s been great,” Hahn said. “I think it’s one of the deals where, building the good platform that they have, it’s only going to continue to grow.

“Obviously, having DIRTVision in their back pocket is a great thing. It’s not only great for the fans, but it’s great for me and my sponsors and getting good exposure. The streaming services have been taking off lately, so it really helps for me to be able to sell to some people across the country that won’t necessarily be at every racetrack but can watch on DIRTVision.”

With the offseason nearing its conclusion, Hahn and his team are deep into preparation for the season opener at Volusia Speedway Park, Jan. 30–Feb. 1. His ultimate goal of a third National Tour championship begins at the Florida 1/2-mile, and he’s ready to make every effort to hoist the new trophy — adorned with a statue of his grandfather — at season’s end.

“A top three is great, but looking at it, I feel like there’s no reason we can’t go out there and win a championship,” Hahn said. “We’ve got a good team in line, and our team hasn’t changed a lot of equipment. We’ve kinda stuck with the same manufacturers, so not a lot has changed.

“I feel like there’s no reason we can’t go out there and compete for a win. I’ll be honest, if it comes down to the end of the year and we’re not standing on top, I’ll be a little bit disappointed.”

Don’t miss Hahn begin his quest for a third ASCS National Tour championship in the 2025 season opener at Volusia Speedway Park during the opening nights of the 54th Federated Auto Parts DIRTcar Nationals — Thursday–Friday, Jan. 30–Feb. 1.

Tickets are available now: CLICK HERE.

If you can’t be there, stream every lap of ASCS action all season long live on DIRTVision.

Volusia Speedway Park welcomes Late Models across three divisions to Barberville, FL for a true Late Model Palooza during the sixth annual DIRTcar Sunshine Nationals.

Local division 602 Late Models and Crate Racin’ USA (CRUSA) 604 Late Models take the track for four nights, Jan. 22-25 – headlined by the World of Outlaws Late Models kicking off their 2025 season.

Read More: WHAT TO WATCH FOR: Sunshine Nationals Set to Open 2025 World of Outlaws Season

Wednesday begins with practice, which allows teams to get reacclimated to the environment of the “World’s Fastest Half Mile.” The 604 Late Models and 602 Late Models will each follow a separate points format throughout the weekend, giving drivers two chances to lock a spot in the finale on Saturday night.

Drivers will qualify with their group ahead of split Features on Thursday and Friday. The 602 Late Models Features offer $1,000 to win, and the Pro Late Models race for $1,500 to win.

The top 20 drivers in each division’s points clinch a position into Saturday night’s Feature. 602 Late Model competitors will battle for the $3,000 top prize, while the 604 Late Model competitors chase $10,000 to conclude the opening race weekend in Florida.

Here are the top storylines to look out for:

Top Jimmy: Standing atop the Crate Racin’ USA Winter Shootout points standings with a Feature win in the Ice Bowl, Phenix City, AL driver Jimmy Thomas holds a mere four-point gap over Sam Seawright, while the top five in Shootout points are within 10 markers of Thomas.

Thomas controlled the opening weekend at the Talladega Short Track by starting on the pole and leading all 40 laps for his first Feature win of 2025. Now, he’ll make his first visit to Volusia Speedway Park to chase more wins and expand his points lead.

New Dawn Arises: There were no repeat Feature winners at Sunshine Nationals in 2024, opening the door for more drivers to add their names to Volusia Speedway Park’s 57-year record books.

Fort Payne, AL native Sam Seawright contended with Brandon Overton and Ashton Winger for the 2024 Hunt the Front Super Dirt Series championship, scoring two wins during the season. He’ll try to take over the CRUSA points lead after the Sunshineweekend.

Hayden Cardwell will visit Volusia Speedway Park for the first time this week as he sits third in the Winter Shootout standings – six points behind the lead. He earned a podium finish during the Ice Bowl – a career-high finish for him.

Where Names Are Made: The 602 Late Model and Pro Late Model divisions became a launching platform for drivers to elevate their racing careers with a win at “The World’s Fastest Half Mile,” since the first Sunshine Nationals event.

Drivers like World of Outlaws Late Model competitors Kyle Bronson and Cody Overton, Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series regular Clay Harris and multi-regional Super Late Model racer Jensen Ford have graduated from the divisions into Super Late Models. And Super DIRTcar Series regular Demetrios Drellos has used the event to expand his racing career, scoring a Pro Late Model win in 2023.

Local Champs Challenge: Mikey Kopka and Kale VanSickle share the honors of being Late Model track champions at Volusia Speedway Park in 2024 while seeking a strong start to their 2025 campaigns in January.

Kopka, of Astor, FL, earned his first 604 Late Model title driving 2022 track champion Joe Kump’s No. 721 Late Model in 2024 – earning seven top-10s, five top fives, and a Feature win at the Emil and Dale Reutimann Memorial. Kopka also won the track’s 602 Late Model championship in 2020.

VanSickle, a 15-year-old out of Jacksonville, FL, won his first Volusia Feature in his fourth career Late Model start in 2023, then added three Feature wins and six top fives through seven races in 2024 to clinch his first track championship at the Barberville, FL facility.

Now, they’ll look to add a Sunshine Nationals victory to their collection. If so, they’ll join St. Augustine, FL native David Showers Jr. as the only previous track champion to win the straw hat given to every Sunshine winner.

Tickets for the DIRTcar Sunshine Nationals are available now:

SUNSHINE NATIONALS TICKETS

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.

Sent on behalf of JCS Racing DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (January 21, 2025) – JCS Racing, with support from Mission Foods and Roof Systems of Dallas, TX, is proud to announce the return of Brandon Robinson as its premier class rider in the Mission AFT SuperTwins class for the 2025 Progressive American Flat Track season. The seasoned competitor will once again don the JCS Racing colors, this time aboard the Harley-Davidson XG750R. The move marks a significant new chapter in Robinson’s illustrious career and underscores JCS Racing’s commitment to competing at the highest level. Robinson, a Pennsylvania native, is no stranger to the AFT circuit. With over a decade of professional racing experience, he has established himself as one of the most consistent and skilled riders in the series. Brandon boasts 16 career Mission AFT SuperTwins wins, 45 podium finishes, and numerous top five championship finishes, making him a perennial contender in the 2025 title fight. This announcement also marks a reunion of sorts for Robinson and the Harley-Davidson brand. From 2017 to 2018, Brandon was a factory rider for Harley-Davidson, where he gained valuable experience and demonstrated his ability to push the iconic brand’s machines to their limits. His familiarity with the Harley-Davidson platform, combined with his extensive track knowledge, positions Robinson as the ideal choice to pilot the Harley-Davidson XG750R to championship success. Wrenching on Robinson’s machines this season will be returning crew chief Ben Evans alongside suspension tech Kayl Kolkman. Brandon Robinson on Rejoining JCS Racing: “I’m beyond excited to rejoin JCS Racing and take on the 2025 season. I’m looking forward to the opportunity to try to become the first rider to secure a premier class victory on the XG750. This is an incredible opportunity to deliver big results, and I’m ready to give it everything I’ve got.” Jerry Stinchfield – JCS Racing Team Owner: “Brandon is not just an exceptional talent but a leader who elevates everyone around him, and we couldn’t be more excited to have him back for 2025. We believe Brandon’s skill and experience will bring out the best in both the bike and the team.” Fans can expect to see Brandon in action as the 2025 Progressive American Flat Track season kicks off on March 6 in Daytona Beach, Florida. The Mission Foods Roof Systems JCS racing Team is also supported by Ben Evans Racing, Liqui Moly, R&B, Arai, Vance & Hines, Underground Suspension, Wildwood, Motion Pro, Alpinestars, Saddlemen, ODI, CTI and WCHA. For updates on Brandon Robinson and JCS Racing’s journey in the 2025 AFT season, follow Brandon on social media (@brob44 / @Brandon Robinson) and visit their official website, https://www.jcsracing.com.

INDIANAPOLIS (January 21, 2025) — The 2nd annual SCAG Power Equipment PRO Superstar Shootout is more than a major league drag racing event. The three-day specialty race at Bradenton Motorsports Park, February 6-8, 2025, will feature a variety of fan engagement activities including a custom car display from Ocala, Florida-based Burnyzz Speed Shop. Owned by Top Fuel team owner and racer Josh Hart, Burnyzz Speed Shop is using the SCAG PRO Superstar Shootout to introduce their custom car and high-performance car business to a national audience.

“I’ll be racing the event for the second year in a row and recently we brought on some new investors to Burnyzz’s with plans for national expansion. Becoming a Premium Sponsor at the SCAG PRO Superstar Shootout was a perfect opportunity to show off some of our killer cars,” said Hart, a multi-time Top Fuel national event winner. “The event is a great way to start the season and begin building momentum for 2025. There are also fans in attendance from across the country that we are looking forward to introducing to Burnyzz.”
 

Burnyzz was founded in 2010 and has grown into an entire city block of everything automotive. The speed shop offers services such as paint and body, vintage and modern full builds, motor swaps, custom interior and existing interior restorations, and dyno tuning. Burnyzz motto is “Quality over Quantity, every time.” Burnyzz is known nationally as Hot Rod Heaven due to its state-of-the-art facilities offering everything a car enthusiast could ask for including a 100,000 sq. ft. auto sales showroom and classic car restoration shop, auto detailing, and a high-tech service center. 

“Having Burnyzz as a Premium Sponsor adds a whole new level to the fan engagement and sponsorship activation for the SCAG PRO Superstar Shootout,” said Scott Woodruff, PRO Board Member. “Josh sees the benefit of the event as a competitor and business owner. It will be cool to see how impressed the fans are with the cars Burnyzz has on display and it will also be a great opportunity for Burnyzz to get in front of new clients.”

Additional announcements including new sponsors and entertainment options are available at www.prosuperstarshootout.com. Tickets can be purchased here.

ABOUT THE PRO SUPERSTAR SHOOTOUT

On February 6-8, 2025, the Professional Racers Owners Organization (PRO) in collaboration with Bradenton Motorsports Park, will host the 2nd annual SCAG Power Equipment PRO Superstar Shootout. The 2024 inaugural event took the motorsports world by storm with incredible side-by-side racing, a unique chip draw elimination format, record-setting speeds and a fan-friendly atmosphere.

CONCORD, NC (Jan. 21, 2025) – Tanner English and Coltman Farms Racing will take their partnership to the national level in 2025 with a full-time campaign on the World of Outlaws Late Models trail.

For Coltman Farms Racing, it will mark the first time the team has chased a championship at the pinnacle of dirt Late Model racing. And for English, 2025 will see the 2022 MD3 Rookie of the Year make his return to The Most Powerful Late Models on the Planet.

The relationship between English and Coltman Farms Racing owner Brett Coltman began at last spring’s Illini 100 as a simple sponsorship agreement. In less than a year, they joined forces to form a team that both sides believe will be a legitimate title contender in 2025.

“I want to race at a high level just like Brett Coltman and everyone at Coltman Farms Racing do,” English said. “I’m hard on myself, but I know I can go out there and win races against the best. That’s what I’m going to try and do each and every night.”

The Coltman Farms Racing brand has become synonymous with the dirt Late Model world over the past several years with their support of several drivers and tours across the region. The goal has always been to grow onto the national scene, and that goal becomes reality this season.

“We’ve been building towards this for a couple years,” Coltman said. “Our entire program has really begun to develop and with the experience Tanner English adds and where we are as a team, the time was right for us to take the next step. We are excited to join the World of Outlaws Late Models. It’s a huge step for our house car program, but it’s one we are ready for.”

English knows what it takes to be successful on tour with the World of Outlaws. His rookie season in 2022 netted him his first three wins and a second-place finish in the final standings.

Season two in 2023 was filled with ones that got away. English finished on the podium nine times – a new single-season high. However, none a win.

English took a step back from a full-time national schedule in 2024, instead making 66 starts across a variety of tours. His first season with Coltman Farms Racing brought three wins – two with the DIRTcar Summer Nationals and one with the Hunt the Front Super Dirt Series – giving the team a head of steam entering their World of Outlaws return.

With their orientation period out of the way, English and Coltman Farms Racing will dive into their first World of Outlaws season together this week at Volusia Speedway Park’s DIRTcar Sunshine Nationals (Jan. 22-25). English has come close to victory before at the “World’s Fastest Half Mile,” as a third-place run in the 2022 Federated Auto Parts DIRTcar Nationals currently stands as his career best result at the track. That’s a mark English said he feels he can beat in 2025 as he looks to start the year off hot.  

“I think it’s attainable to win a race at Speedweeks,” English said. “That’s huge, coming out of Speedweeks with a good points lead. Our goal is to go to Florida and show everyone that Coltman Farms Racing is a championship contender. There is no reason we can’t be, so we just have to go show everyone that we can win races on a big stage.”

The 2025 World of Outlaws Late Models season kicks off with six nights of racing at Volusia Speedway Park, beginning with DIRTcar Sunshine Nationals (Jan. 22-25) followed by Federated Auto Parts DIRTcar Nationals (Feb. 13-15). To find ticket information for both events, click here.

If you can’t make it to the track, stream every lap of the 2025 World of Outlaws Late Models season live on DIRTVision.

CONCORD, NC (Jan. 21, 2025) – Tanner English and Coltman Farms Racing will take their partnership to the national level in 2025 with a full-time campaign on the World of Outlaws Late Models trail.

For Coltman Farms Racing, it will mark the first time the team has chased a championship at the pinnacle of dirt Late Model racing. And for English, 2025 will see the 2022 MD3 Rookie of the Year make his return to The Most Powerful Late Models on the Planet.

The relationship between English and Coltman Farms Racing owner Brett Coltman began at last spring’s Illini 100 as a simple sponsorship agreement. In less than a year, they joined forces to form a team that both sides believe will be a legitimate title contender in 2025.

“I want to race at a high level just like Brett Coltman and everyone at Coltman Farms Racing do,” English said. “I’m hard on myself, but I know I can go out there and win races against the best. That’s what I’m going to try and do each and every night.”

The Coltman Farms Racing brand has become synonymous with the dirt Late Model world over the past several years with their support of several drivers and tours across the region. The goal has always been to grow onto the national scene, and that goal becomes reality this season.

“We’ve been building towards this for a couple years,” Coltman said. “Our entire program has really begun to develop and with the experience Tanner English adds and where we are as a team, the time was right for us to take the next step. We are excited to join the World of Outlaws Late Models. It’s a huge step for our house car program, but it’s one we are ready for.”

English knows what it takes to be successful on tour with the World of Outlaws. His rookie season in 2022 netted him his first three wins and a second-place finish in the final standings.

Season two in 2023 was filled with ones that got away. English finished on the podium nine times – a new single-season high. However, none a win.

English took a step back from a full-time national schedule in 2024, instead making 66 starts across a variety of tours. His first season with Coltman Farms Racing brought three wins – two with the DIRTcar Summer Nationals and one with the Hunt the Front Super Dirt Series – giving the team a head of steam entering their World of Outlaws return.

With their orientation period out of the way, English and Coltman Farms Racing will dive into their first World of Outlaws season together this week at Volusia Speedway Park’s DIRTcar Sunshine Nationals (Jan. 22-25). English has come close to victory before at the “World’s Fastest Half Mile,” as a third-place run in the 2022 Federated Auto Parts DIRTcar Nationals currently stands as his career best result at the track. That’s a mark English said he feels he can beat in 2025 as he looks to start the year off hot.  

“I think it’s attainable to win a race at Speedweeks,” English said. “That’s huge, coming out of Speedweeks with a good points lead. Our goal is to go to Florida and show everyone that Coltman Farms Racing is a championship contender. There is no reason we can’t be, so we just have to go show everyone that we can win races on a big stage.”

The 2025 World of Outlaws Late Models season kicks off with six nights of racing at Volusia Speedway Park, beginning with DIRTcar Sunshine Nationals (Jan. 22-25) followed by Federated Auto Parts DIRTcar Nationals (Feb. 13-15). To find ticket information for both events, click here.

If you can’t make it to the track, stream every lap of the 2025 World of Outlaws Late Models season live on DIRTVision.

• 0.034: As in seconds – the winning margin of victory in Corvette Racing’s 1-2 finish at the 2016 Rolex 24. Up until the 2023 LMP2 finish, it was the closest finish in race history • 1: Rolex 24 class win for AWA; the team won in LMP3 in 2023. Current Corvette factory driver Nico Varrone was part of that lineup • 2: Number of the overall winning Corvette C5-R in the 2001 Rolex 24. Ron Fellows, Johnny O’Connell, Chris Kneifel and Franck Freon completed 656 laps for 2335.36 miles in the winning effort • 4: Rolex 24 wins for Corvette Racing as an entrant (run by Pratt Miller Motorsports): 2001 overall (Ron Fellows/Johnny O’Connell, Kelly Collins, Franck Freon), 2015 GTLM (Antonio Garcia/Jan Magnussen/Ryan Briscoe), 2016 GTLM (Oliver Gavin/Tommy Milner/Marcel Fässler) and 2021 GTLM (Garcia/Jordan Taylor/Nicky Catsburg)

• 5: Number of Corvette Z06 GT3.R entries for the 2024 Rolex 24 – two from Corvette Racing by Pratt Miller Motorsports and one from Trackhouse by TF Sport (GTD PRO) and one each from AWA and DXDT Racing (GTD). It’s the highest number of GT-class Corvettes in the race since 2007 • 7: Corvette factory drivers piloting the Corvette Z06 GT3.R in this year’s race: Antonio Garcia, Alexander Sims, Dani Juncadella, Tommy Milner, Nicky Catsburg, Nico Varrone (Corvette Racing by Pratt Miller) plus Charlie Eastwood (DXDT Racing) • 14: IMSA Manufacturer Championships for Chevrolet and Corvette Racing since 2001

MEDIA ADVISORY:PRESS CONFERENCE ALERT ·      What: Trackhouse by TF Sport/Chevrolet Press conference ·      Who: Four drivers of the No. 91 Trackhouse by TF Sport Corvette Z06 GT3.RTom Ferrier, owner, TF Sport Eric Warren, Executive Director, Global Motorsports Competition for General Motors·      When/Where: Noon Thursday, Deadline room in the Daytona International Speedway Media Center A transcript will be provided following the press conference.

• 27: Tracks at which Corvette Racing has won races – Baltimore, Charlotte Motor Speedway, COTA, Canadian Tire Motorsport Park/Mosport, Daytona, Detroit, Fuji Speedway, Houston, Laguna Seca, Le Mans, Lime Rock, Long Beach, Miami, Mid-Ohio, Monza, Portland, Road America, Road Atlanta, Sebring, Sonoma, St. Petersburg, Texas, Trois Rivieres, Utah, VIR, Washington DC and Watkins Glen • 34: Drivers who have driven Corvette Racing entries at Daytona – Earl Bamber, Justin Bell, Matt Bell, Ryan Briscoe, Nicky Catsburg, Kelly Collins, Dale Earnhardt, Dale Earnhardt Jr., Charlie Eastwood, Marcel Fässler, Ron Fellows, Orey Fidani, Franck Freon, Antonio Garcia, Oliver Gavin, John Heinricy, Daniel Juncadella, Lars Kern, Chris Kneifel, Robin Liddell, Alex Lynn, Jan Magnussen, Anthony Mantella, Thomas Merrill, Tommy Milner, Simon Pagenaud, John Paul Jr., Andy Pilgrim, Mike Rockenfeller, Scott Sharp, Alexander Sims, Marco Sorensen, Nick Tandy, Jordan Taylor and Nico Varrone • 53: Number of drivers in Corvette Racing entries since 1999. DXDT Racing’s Patrick Liddy and Blake McDonald joined the list at Indianapolis in GT World Challenge America • 72: Years since Corvette was introduced to the world on Jan. 17, 1953 in New York City. A total of 300 cars were produced that year • 122: Chevrolet victories across IMSA and NASCAR’s three national series at Daytona International Speedway • 138: Victories worldwide for Corvette Racing – 116 in IMSA, nine at Le Mans, three in the FIA WEC and 10 in GT World Challenge America • 309: Event starts by Corvette Racing entries since 1999, starting with that year’s Rolex 24 At Daytona. No. 300 came in early August 2004 at Road America in IMSA • 62,471: Total number of racing miles completed by Corvette Racing entries at Daytona since 1999 • 398.781.86: Total number of racing miles completed by Corvette Racing since its inception. The program will surpass the 400,000-mile mark at the 2025 Rolex 24 At Daytona by completed 1,218.14 miles – or 343 combined laps by the five Corvettes in the raceCORVETTE RACING HISTORY AT THE ROLEX 241999 – No. 2 Corvette C5-R: Ron Fellows/Chris Kneifel/John Paul Jr. – 3rd in GTSNo. 4 Corvette C5-R: Andy Pilgrim/Scott Sharp/John Heinricy – 12th in GTS  2000 – No. 3 Corvette C5-R: Ron Fellows/Chris Kneifel/Justin Bell – 2nd in GTSNo. 4 Corvette C5-R: Andy Pilgrim/Kelly Collins/Franck Freon – 10th in GTS 2001 – No. 2 Corvette C5-R: Ron Fellows/Johnny O’Connell/Chris Kneifel/Franck Freon – 1st in GTS (overall win)No. 3 Corvette C5-R: Andy Pilgrim/Kelly Collins/Dale Earnhardt/Dale Earnhardt Jr. – 2nd in GTS 2014 – No. 3 Corvette C7.R: Jan Magnussen/Antonio Garcia/Ryan Briscoe – 10th in GTLMNo. 4 Corvette C7.R: Oliver Gavin/Tommy Milner/Robin Liddell – 5th in GTLM 2015 – No. 3 Corvette C7.R: Jan Magnussen/Antonio Garcia/Ryan Briscoe – 1st in GTLM (Magnussen fastest race lap)No. 4 Corvette C7.R: Oliver Gavin/Tommy Milner/Simon Pagenaud – 3rd in GTLM (Gavin pole) 2016 – No. 3 Corvette C7.R: Jan Magnussen/Antonio Garcia/Mike Rockenfeller – 2nd in GTLM (Garcia fastest race lap)No. 4 Corvette C7.R: Oliver Gavin/Tommy Milner/Marcel Fässler – 1st in GTLM (Winner by 0.034 second) 2017 – No. 3 Corvette C7.R: Jan Magnussen/Antonio Garcia/Mike Rockenfeller – 4th in GTLMNo. 4 Corvette C7.R: Oliver Gavin/Tommy Milner/Marcel Fässler – 9th in GTLM 2018 – No. 3 Corvette C7.R: Jan Magnussen/Antonio Garcia/Mike Rockenfeller – 3rd in GTLM (Magnussen pole)No. 4 Corvette C7.R: Oliver Gavin/Tommy Milner/Marcel Fässler – 4th in GTLM 2019 – No. 3 Corvette C7.R: Jan Magnussen/Antonio Garcia/Mike Rockenfeller – 6th in GTLMNo. 4 Corvette C7.R: Oliver Gavin/Tommy Milner/Marcel Fässler – 8th in GTLM 2020 – No. 3 Corvette C8.R: Antonio Garcia/Jordan Taylor/Nicky Catsburg – 4th in GTLMNo. 4 Corvette C8.R: Oliver Gavin/Tommy Milner/Marcel Fässler – 7th in GTLM 2021 – No. 3 Corvette C8.R: Antonio Garcia/Jordan Taylor/Nicky Catsburg – 1st in GTLMNo. 4 Corvette C8.R: Tommy Milner/Nick Tandy/Alexander Sims – 2nd in GTLM 2022 – No. 3 Corvette C8.R: Antonio Garcia/Jordan Taylor/Nicky Catsburg – 6th in GTD PRONo. 4 Corvette C8.R: Tommy Milner/Nick Tandy/Marco Sorensen – 10th in GTD PRO 2023 – No. 3 Corvette C8.R: Antonio Garcia/Jordan Taylor/Tommy Milner – 2nd in GTD PRO 2024 – No. 3 Corvette Z06 GT3.R: Antonio Garcia/Alexander Sims/Daniel Juncadella – 5th in GTD PRONo. 4 Corvette Z06 GT3.R: Tommy Milner/Nicky Catsburg/Earl Bamber – 8th in GTD PRONo. 13 Corvette Z06 GT3.R: Matt Bell/Orey Fidani/Lars Kern/Alex Lynn – 21st in GTDNo. 17 Corvette Z06 GT3.R: Nico Varrone/Anthony Mantella/Thomas Merrill/Charlie Eastwood – 18th in GTD

CONCORD, NC (January 20, 2025) – Eleven weeks removed from the season-ending World of Outlaws World Finals, The Most Powerful Late Models on the Planet are set to awaken from their winter slumber. 

The 2025 World of Outlaws Late Models season will begin at Volusia Speedway Park’s DIRTcar Sunshine Nationals this week with four nights of on-track action, Jan. 22-25. 

Teams will have an opportunity to get their machines dialed in during Wednesday’s practice night ahead of the first green flag of 2025. Thursday and Friday will feature full programs concluding with a 35-lap, $12,000-to-win, main event on both nights. The weekend wraps up on Saturday night with $20,000 on the line in a 50-lap Feature. 

Crate Racin’ USA DIRTcar Pro (604) Late Models and 602 Late Models will join the Outlaws on all four nights, making for a true Late Model Palooza in the “Sunshine State.” 

Here are the top storylines entering the weekend: 

RECLAIMING THE CROWN: Bobby Pierce may have been the winningest driver in dirt Late Model racing in 2024, but he still rolled out of The Dirt Track at Charlotte with a bitter taste in his mouth. 

“The Smooth Operator” entered the final night of the season at the World of Outlaws World Finals with a chance at topping Brandon Sheppard for the title. But a flat right-rear tire midway through the Saturday Feature ended Pierce’s shot at back-to-back World of Outlaws championships. 

Pierce has already come back with a vengeance in 2025, winning four times in five races during his time in New Mexico at the Wild West Shootout to become the only repeat winner in dirt Late Model racing so far this season. 

And much like most tracks on the schedule, Volusia Speedway Park has been good to Pierce over the past few years. The Oakwood, IL native is a four-time winner at the “World’s Fastest Half Mile,” with two of those coming last season in DIRTcar competition. His lone World of Outlaws win in Florida came in the 2023 edition of Federated Auto Parts DIRTcar Nationals with a thrilling last-lap pass over Brandon Overton. 

One of the few things Pierce has never done at Volusia is park his No. 32 machine in Victory Lane during DIRTcar Sunshine Nationals, and he’ll look to check that box this weekend. 

SQUIRREL GETTING HOT: He may not have been in contention for the championship, but Brian Shirley asserted himself as one of the fastest drivers on tour in the closing weeks of 2024. 

The No. 3S team won four times in the final 10 races of the season, including a stretch of six podiums in seven races between Highland Speedway in August and Rocket Raceway Park in September. Those numbers aren’t typically representative of a driver who finished seventh in the final standings, but Shirley spent most of the season playing catch-up after failing to finish in the top five until Thunderhill Raceway in mid-June. 

If the four-time DIRTcar Summer Nationals champion can carry his newfound speed through the entirety of his 2025 campaign, he could become Pierce’s top rival in an Illinois-on-Illinois battle for the championship. That process starts this week at Volusia, a track at which Shirley has yet to score a win at. He has come close though, racking up eight top fives since 2017. 

WELCOME TO THE SHOW: A stout group of first-time Outlaws is set to duke it out for the MD3 Rookie of the Year Award in 2025. 

Bakersfield, CA’s Ethan Dotson is set to tackle the full tour in his second season with South Carolina-based ASD Motorsports. The pairing scored four Late Model wins together across the southeast last fall, as well as a pair of top 10s with the Outlaws at Rocket and Charlotte. 

While Dotson made his Late Model debut at Volusia in 2024, he has amassed plenty of experience and success at the track behind the wheel of a DIRTcar UMP Modified. He took the checkers in the 2022 Emil and Dale Reutimann Memorial, won preliminary Features three nights in a row the following year at DIRTcar Nationals, and collected one more split-field victory last November at the Reutimann. 

Winona, MN’s Jake Timm is looking to take the Rookie of the Year trophy back to Minnesota for the second-straight year after Dustin Sorensen claimed last year’s honors. The Modified standout will be turning his first laps around Volusia in any vehicle this week, much like he will be at many tracks on the east coast. 

Daniel Adam is set to begin his first World of Outlaws tour with his Volusia debut as well. The North Carolinian relocated to Illinois last year and spent last season competing across the Midwest, including a partial Hell Tour season. Adam collected his first Super Late Model win in August at a MARS event at Tri-City Speedway, where the Outlaws will compete for two nights in September. 

Daniel Hilsabeck planned on making 2024 his rookie year with The Most Powerful Late Models on the Planet, but a broken wrist suffered in a crash at Brownstown Speedway kept him out of the seat for two months and ended his bid. The Iowan will be back for more in 2025 starting at Volusia, where he will be aiming to make his first full-field Feature in his second year competing at the track.  

SOPHOMORE SENSATIONS: In addition to the talented rookie class, several drivers will be looking to build on their freshman seasons and continue climbing the Series pecking order in 2025. 

Senoia, GA’s Ashton Winger was the top rookie in 2020, but with that season being heavily altered by the pandemic, 2025 will be the first time he’s taken on the full 57-race grind. Since that maiden campaign, Winger has spent his summers on the road with the DIRTcar Summer Nationals, earning the 2023 championship and 14 Feature wins to his credit. 

Winger enters the year hot off a 2024 season that included five Super Late Model wins between the Hell Tour, Spring Nationals, Clarksville Speedway’s Toilet Bowl Classic and the Fall Classic at Whynot Motorsports Park. 

Reigning Rookie of the Year Dustin Sorensen will be back on the road with the Outlaws as he chases his maiden Series victory. In his first crack at Volusia last year, Sorensen collected his first Late Model top 10 and won twice in DIRTcar UMP Modified action at DIRTcar Nationals.  

Cody Overton will be looking to improve on last year’s 13th-place points finish in his second year on tour with Tri-Star Promotions. He’ll roll into Volusia with a new-look No. 2 machine as he goes for his first win at the track since a 602 Late Model triumph in 2020. 

Once again, holding the title of the youngest full-time Outlaw, 17-year-old Tristan Chamberlain is back for his second season with the Series piloting the Wane Gibson-owned No. 20TC. “Tricky Tristan” picked up his first World of Outlaws podium in the closing stages of 2024 at Rocket, and he’ll look to carry that momentum into the opening weeks of 2025 in his second outing at Volusia. 

FLORIDA FAVORITES: The list of names to keep an eye on at Volusia would not be complete without “The Thrill From Mooresville” Nick Hoffman.  

The driver of the Tye Twarog-owned No. 9 won his first Late Model race in Barberville last season, but that’s merely the tip of his career iceberg there. Hoffman has won 22 times in a Modified at Volusia, including two Reutimann Memorials in 2021 and 2023. 

Brandon, FL’s Kyle Bronson is always a threat when the Outlaws roll into his home state, and the Sunshine Nationals have been especially kind to him. Bronson’s lone World of Outlaws win at Volusia came in the 2021 running of the race, and he’s a five-time winner in the DIRTcar Pro Late Model division, including a weekend sweep in 2020. 

WHEN AND WHERE: 

Thursday-Saturday, Jan. 22-25 at Volusia Speedway Park in Barberville, FL 

2025 WORLD OF OUTLAWS LATE MODELS SCHEDULE
Wednesday, Jan. 22 / Volusia Speedway Park / Barberville, FL (Practice)
Thursday, Jan. 23 / Volusia Speedway Park / Barberville, FL
Friday, Jan. 24 / Volusia Speedway Park / Barberville, FL
Saturday, Jan. 25 / Volusia Speedway Park / Barberville, FL
Thursday, Feb. 13 / Volusia Speedway Park / Barberville, FL
Friday, Feb. 14 / Volusia Speedway Park / Barberville, FL
Saturday, Feb. 15 / Volusia Speedway Park / Barberville, FL
Friday, Mar. 14 / Smoky Mountain Speedway / Maryville, TN
Saturday, Mar. 15 / Smoky Mountain Speedway / Maryville, TN
Friday, Mar. 21 / Swainsboro Raceway / Swainsboro, GA
Saturday, Mar. 22 / Swainsboro Raceway / Swainsboro, GA
Friday, Apr. 4 / Atomic Speedway / Chillicothe, OH
Saturday, Apr. 5 / Atomic Speedway / Chillicothe, OH
Thursday, Apr. 10 / Farmer City Raceway / Farmer City, IL (Practice)
Friday, Apr. 11 / Farmer City Raceway / Farmer City, IL
Saturday, Apr. 12 / Farmer City Raceway / Farmer City, IL
Friday, Apr. 25 / Talladega Short Track / Eastaboga, AL
Saturday, Apr. 26 / Talladega Short Track / Eastaboga, AL
Thursday, May 1 / Mississippi Thunder Speedway / Fountain City, WI
Friday, May 2 / Mississippi Thunder Speedway / Fountain City, WI
Saturday, May 3 / Mississippi Thunder Speedway / Fountain City, WI
Thursday, May 15 / Raceway 7 / Conneaut, OH
Friday, May 16 / Marion Center Raceway / Marion Center, PA
Saturday, May 17 / Marion Center Raceway / Marion Center, PA
Sunday, May 18 / Bedford Speedway / Bedford, PA
Friday, June 20 / Federated Auto Parts Raceway at I-55 / Pevely, MO
Saturday, June 21 / Federated Auto Parts Raceway at I-55 / Pevely, MO
Monday, June 23 / Independence Motor Speedway / Independence, IA
Thursday, June 26 / I-94 EMR Speedway / Fergus Falls, MN
Friday, June 27 / River Cities Speedway / Grand Forks, ND
Saturday, June 28 / Norman County Raceway / Ada, MN
Sunday, June 29 / Nodak Speedway / Minot, ND
Thursday, July 3 / Deer Creek Speedway / Spring Valley, MN
Friday, July 4 / Deer Creek Speedway / Spring Valley, MN
Saturday, July 5 / Deer Creek Speedway / Spring Valley, MN
Friday, July 11 / Sharon Speedway / Hartford, OH
Saturday, July 12 / Sharon Speedway / Hartford, OH
Friday, July 25 / Fairbury Speedway / Fairbury, IL
Saturday, July 26 / Fairbury Speedway / Fairbury, IL
Monday, July 28 / Wilmot Raceway / Wilmot, WI
Thursday, July 31 / Cedar Lake Speedway / New Richmond, WI
Friday, Aug. 1 / Cedar Lake Speedway / New Richmond, WI
Saturday, Aug. 2 / Cedar Lake Speedway / New Richmond, WI
Wednesday, Aug. 13 / Highland Speedway / Highland, IL
Thursday, Aug. 14 / Spoon River Speedway / Lewistown, IL
Friday, Aug. 15 / Maquoketa Speedway / Maquoketa, IA
Saturday, Aug. 16 / Maquoketa Speedway / Maquoketa, IA
Friday, Aug. 22 / Arrowhead Speedway / Colcord, OK
Saturday, Aug. 23 / Arrowhead Speedway / Colcord, OK
Friday, Sept. 12 / Needmore Speedway / Norman Park, GA
Saturday, Sept. 13 / Senoia Raceway / Senoia, GA
Friday, Sept. 26 / Tri-City Speedway / Granite City, IL
Saturday, Sept. 27 / Tri-City Speedway / Granite City, IL
Friday, Oct. 3 / Humboldt Speedway / Humboldt, KS
Saturday, Oct. 4 / 81 Speedway / Wichita, KS
Friday, Oct. 10 / Boothill Speedway / Greenwood, LA
Saturday, Oct. 11 / Boothill Speedway / Greenwood, LA
Wednesday, Nov. 5 / The Dirt Track at Charlotte / Concord, NC
Thursday, Nov. 6 / The Dirt Track at Charlotte / Concord, NC
Friday, Nov. 7 / The Dirt Track at Charlotte / Concord, NC
Saturday, Nov. 8 / The Dirt Track at Charlotte / Concord, NC

ARTICLE: https://worldofoutlaws.com/latemodels/what-to-watch-for-sunshine-nationals-set-to-open-2025-world-of-outlaws-season/

EVENT INFO: https://worldofoutlaws.com/latemodels/schedule/event-info/?event=6319
TRACK INFO: https://volusiaspeedwaypark.com/

FAN 101: https://about.worldofoutlaws.com/

Group of five Corvette Z06 GT3.Rs wrap up three days of Roar testing DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (January 19, 2025) – The group of five Chevrolet Corvette Z06 GT3.Rs set for the season-opening Rolex 24 At Daytona completed their three days of testing at Daytona International Speedway on Sunday with the four teams focused ahead to next weekend’s twice-around-the-clock classic. The Rolex 24 marks the start of the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship and the second season of the Corvette Z06 GT3.R program. After claiming 11 race wins and the IMSA Michelin Endurance Cup Manufacturers Championship in GTD PRO during 2024, optimism is high heading into Daytona.

The five Corvettes combined to complete 980 laps for nearly 3,500 miles – valuable track time considering there are only three practice sessions and qualifying across Thursday and Friday of the coming week before the green flag falls Saturday. The gaps in both GTD PRO and GTD were razor-thin with all five of the Z06 GT3.Rs well entrenched in the top-10 of their respective classes.  Antonio Garcia set the pace among the GTD PRO Corvettes with the fourth-fastest time across the weekend – 1:48.242 (118.401 mph) during Saturday afternoon’s running.

CORVETTE RACING MEDIA INFO Corvette Racing media information for 2025 is updated and available heading into the Rolex 24 At Daytona. Materials include Corvette Racing event advance and quotes, Corvette Racing stats and figures, Corvette Z06 GT3.R racecar comparisons, Corvette Racing Fast Facts, factory driver biographies and Corvette Racing photography, among other items.

In GTD, AWA’s Matt Bell put the No. 13 Corvette fifth class with a 1:48.169 (118.481 mph) in Friday’s opening test for the quickest Corvette lap of the weekend. GTD PRO Corvette Z06 GT3.R Weekend Fast Times· No. 3 Corvette – Corvette Racing by Pratt Miller Motorsports – Antonio Garcia, Alexander Sims, Dani Juncadella – 1:48.242 (118.401 mph) – fourth-fastest in class· No. 4 Corvette – Corvette Racing by Pratt Miller Motorsports – Tommy Milner, Nicky Catsburg, Nico Varrone – 1:48.515 (118.103 mph) – 10th-fastest in class· No. 91 Corvette – Trackhouse by TF Sport – Ben Keating, Scott McLaughlin, Shane van Gisbergen, Connor Zilisch – 1:48.435 (118.190 mph) – ninth-fastest in class GTD Corvette Z06 GT3.R Weekend Fast Times· No. 13 Corvette – AWA – Matt Bell, Orey Fidani, Lars Kern, Marvin Kirchhöfer – 1:48.169 (118.481 mph) – fifth-fastest in class· No. 36 Corvette – DXDT Racing – Charlie Eastwood, Pipo Derani, Alec Udell, Salih Yoluc – 1:48.389 (118.240 mph) – 10th fastest in class This year’s group marks the largest number of production-based racing Corvettes in the race since 2007. The Corvette Racing brand has a deep history at the Rolex 24 and includes four GT class victories – one of those an overall win in 2001. In addition, Corvette’s successes at Daytona have bolstered Chevrolet’s impressive record of 122 wins at the circuit across IMSA and NASCAR’s national series. Corvette Racing performance and powertrain engineers made significant improvements to the Z06 GT3.R throughout its first season of competition. Much of the work focused on optimizing performance and enhancing the Corvette’s reliability. The outright pace of the Corvette GT3 is evident with 12 pole positions across three series in 2024, and the reliability took huge steps forward in the second half of the year. The Rolex 24 goes green at 1:40 p.m. ET on Saturday, January 25 with qualifying on Thursday, January 23. The race will feature live television segments on NBC and USA and flag-to-flag coverage on Peacock in the U.S., and IMSA.com for international viewers. JESSICA DANE, CORVETTE RACING PROGRAM MANAGER: “From our side, things throughout the Roar were as positive as we could have hoped. All five Corvettes ran without any significant issue during the three days in a variety of conditions. The feedback from the teams has been good and valuable for our collective group. Our goal now is to take that input and what we saw in the data to help the group be in the best possible spot for Thursday’s practice and qualifying, and then ultimately the race.”

SELECT CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R DRIVER QUOTESANTONIO GARCIA, NO. 3 OSHKOSH / MOBIL 1 CHEVROLET CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R: “The most important thing from this weekend is definitely miles. You need miles and go toward your program for the race. For this race as always, it doesn’t really matter where you start. At some point, you’re going to cycle to the back of the field and then back to the front with the yellows. Unlike Le Mans where you have to be up front from Lap One, here you can sit back a little bit and stay out of trouble. But you need to know as much as possible your setups, how to react to track changes and different approaches. That was the goal last year, and we learned more about that this year.“The GT class splits will be something that helps the overall racing this year. It was always a strange feeling where you were mixing fights in two different classes. I don’t think the GTD cars wanted us in that, so it’s nice that we are split now so we can have our own race and not interfere with each other. This is a good step forward.” TOMMY MILNER, NO. 4 OSHKOSH / MOBIL 1 CHEVROLET CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R: “This is the first opportunity in the offseason after the guys have had a chance to look at everything, to come with some new setup options and ideas. There were things that can be tidied up through the experience of last year. It’s the first chance to prove those things. Then it’s about miles, getting all three guys in the car and getting new guys who are on the team comfortable in their positions. You try to get yourself as prepared as possible not just for the Rolex but for the season. With Nico joining the team, it gives him a good chance to get comfortable again with the team and engineers, do some driver change practices and all that kind of stuff. It’s all a little bit of housekeeping things that you need to do and an opportunity to work on the car to make sure we have our Corvette as strong as we can have it coming into the race.” MATT BELL, NO. 13 SABELT / SONIC / PROJEKT CHEVROLET CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R: “It’s like a different planet compared to last year. The team is a better spot, the Corvette is in a better spot and the team is in a better spot with the car. It’s hugely positive on that side of things. I feel like we feel as well-prepared as we have been coming here, even the year we won it. From a preparation standpoint, I think we are as good as you could possibly get going into the Rolex 24.” MARVIN KIRCHÖFFER, NO. 13 SABELT / SONIC / PROJEKT CHEVROLET CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R: “I’m still figuring out the car a little bit because it is still new to me. But I’m generally quite impressed with it. The team is really helping me along, and my teammates are giving great advice to help me get up to speed. Overall I’m very impressed by AWA. They are doing a great job giving me all the information and also from the operational side. From Corvette Racing and Pratt Miller, I’ve found it very interesting and very professional. I’m not really used to that, having these kinds of meetings. It’s very good for the teams, very good for the brand and very good to have everyone on the same page. Obviously this gives you the best ingredients to have a strong Rolex 24.“Confidence is one of the most important things – feeling confident with the car, feeling confident with the procedures. This race is about minimizing mistakes and errors. So it’s not ultimately about having the fastest car and fastest drivers. It’s about minimizing those errors and mistakes. I can see here that this is down to Chevy as the manufacturer, Pratt Miller and obviously the team side with AWA. All these three are working very, very well together and the communication is very good.” CHARLIE EASTWOOD, NO. 36 MOBIL 1 / SuCo CHEVROLET CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R: “We’re on-track with things. DXDT Racing, although its their first full-season IMSA race, they’ve got a lot of great people that have done a lot of IMSA races, especially this one. One of our guys, this is his 42nd Daytona! But then we also have the likes of Bryan Sellers, who has been amazing to work with and is teaching us a lot. We’re on top of the strategy side and are trying to put us on the right side of all the scenarios of what can potentially go wrong in the race or lose you the race… whether that’s doing tricky pit stops, managing the tires and managing the race itself. Twenty hours of the race will be making sure we have a clean car for the end. Hopefully we have enough pace to be there at the end.“You definitely wouldn’t think this their first race in IMSA, I’ll guarantee you that. It’s a really, really nice bunch to work with, which helps because there are no egos or wrong-doings within the team. To have that attitude in that we’re all still learning in individual ways. Everything is going as well as it can at the minute.” PIPO DERANI, NO. 36 MOBIL 1 / SuCo CHEVROLET CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R: “Having the test in November was very useful for me so I got here knowing what to expect. It had been more than five years since I last drove a GT car. You don’t know what to expect. Then you have your first day in the car, then you second day and then things start coming back. You tweak your driving a little bit and start getting better and better. We’ve gone through that phase now. The team has been very supportive and especially Charlie with his experience in the Corvette. I got up to speed quicker than I thought I would, so that’s positive. It’s all about learning the maximum amount for next week.” SCOTT McLAUGHLIN, NO. 91 WEATHERTECH CHEVROLET CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R: “Things have been pretty simple so far. Learning the ABS and electronics has been the biggest thing. It’s been a long, long time since I’ve driven a car with electronics like this. Understanding and putting your trust in those is difficult, especially for myself. But you get into a flow reasonably quickly. So yeah, it’s all been good.“The simulator session (before the Roar) was incredible. Having that opportunity to do that work, I’m very thankful for that now. The way that Chevrolet has integrated us from a part-timers perspective, they’ve treated us like we are full-time. They’ve been great and the Corvette drivers have been great. I’ve texted back and forth with Dani Juncadella a couple of times, and he’s been awesome. It’s what I’m used to in IndyCar. The Team Chevy family is full of good people.” SHANE VAN GISBERGEN, NO. 91 WEATHERTECH CHEVROLET CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R: “This event hasn’t changed a lot since I was here last. It’s still the same and has got a nice vibe. It’s awesome to be here with such a cool car. The Corvette is really easy to drive, but of course we want to make it faster which makes it harder to drive. So it’s been great to be back here. I wouldn’t say the race is about luck. It’s about getting all the little things right… preparation, making sure all the drivers are comfortable, making sure the team gets everything right. There are so many factors that go into getting a good result at a race like this. We just have to make sure everything is right.”

WAYNESVILLE, GA (January 17, 2025) – On lap 42, Tyler Bruening reclaimed the lead from Daulton Wilson and pulled away in the closing laps for his first career win in the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series presented by FloRacing, during the opening night of the Super Bowl of Racing at Golden Isles Speedway on Friday night. The Decorah, Iowa native led the first six laps before giving the lead to Wilson, who maintained his position until he had to slow down for a car that was crosswise in front of him on lap 41. Though Bruening had dropped to third, he regained speed in the final laps, overtaking Wilson to become the 93rd different winner in the 21-year history of the series.  Jonathan Davenport passed Brandon Overton in the final laps to secure second place. Overton finished third, with Devin Moran and Brian Shirley completing the top five drivers. Not only was it Lucas Oil Victory Lane for the first time in his career, but it was also Bruening’s first-ever win in a national touring series event. “I can’t describe it,” said an emotional Bruening after earning his win. “It’s the hardest thing I have ever done. Those guys [Wilson and Overton] got by me. We had a good hot rod all night; everything was a first for me tonight. I set a new track record; I have never done that before. I won a heat against some of the best in the business. I drove my butt off in the feature. My emotions are high; I don’t know what to say. I am on the verge of just breaking down here. Oh man, I can’t tell you how hard it’s been. The ups and downs, how difficult this sport is, and how good everybody really is.” “I am so blessed to wheel this hot rod here tonight. We’ve been through a lot. We have worked our butt off, and I couldn’t be prouder. My crew chief Zeb [Holksevick] deserves this. My mom, my sister, and my brother, watch me every night.” Davenport, who started in ninth place, came to life late in the race to secure the runner-up spot behind Bruening. “That’s awesome for Tyler to win. I saw he fell back, and then he got rolling on the top, so he did a great job keeping his composure and finding a new line. Congratulations to him. I stole one from him a couple of years ago at Knoxville. I had that in the back of my mind. Thanks to my guys, we had a good car there, we just needed a little bit more. I am never satisfied and think I can be a little better. I know some things we need to work on. We always run well here but haven’t won in a while. It’s really tough.” In his return to the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series presented by FloRacing this year in the Longhorn Factory Car, Overton rounded out the Big River Steel Podium in third. “I was content to running second to Daulton. I knew he had a 2 compound on and I was thinking this is Brunswick. The bottom is going to clean up, we are going to single file and he’ll start backing up, and then all of a sudden here comes Bruening blowing by. What do you do? It’s the first night; I am so excited for this year. We run in the top three of a Lucas Oil race. We have so much more room to go.” The winner’s Greg Bruening-owned Skyline Motorsports Longhorn Chassis is powered by a Clements Racing Engine and sponsored by Quick Supply Company, Truck Country, Olson Explosives, Bilstein Shocks, Bruening Rock Products, and Brown’s Heavy Equipment. Completing the top ten were Jimmy Owens, Brandon Sheppard, Max Blair, Garrett Alberson, and Daulton Wilson. Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series Race Summary Super Bowl of Racing | Night 1Friday, January 17, 2025Golden Isles Speedway – Brunswick, GA Allstar Performance Time TrialsFast Time Group A: Tyler Bruening | 14.687 seconds (overall)Fast Time Group B: Ryan Gustin | 14.711 seconds  Penske Shocks Heat Race #1 Finish (8 Laps, Top 4 Transfer): 1. 16-Tyler Bruening[1]; 2. 76-Brandon Overton[5]; 3. 49-Jonathan Davenport[3]; 4. 28-Dennis Erb Jr[9]; 5. 2-Cody Overton[4]; 6. 7-Ross Robinson[10]; 7. 1-Brandon Sheppard[2]; 8. 60-Dan Ebert[8]; 9. 23-Beckham Malone[6]; 10. 388-Jackson Hise[11]; 11. 22-Daniel Hilsabeck[7] Summit Racing Products Heat Race #2 Finish (8 Laps, Top 4 Transfer): 1. 18D-Daulton Wilson[1]; 2. 93-Carson Ferguson[4]; 3. 71-Hudson O’Neal[5]; 4. 74X-Ethan Dotson[7]; 5. 20RT-Ricky Thornton Jr[2]; 6. 19M-Spencer Hughes[8]; 7. 76N-Blair Nothdurft[6]; 8. 44-Chris Madden[9]; 9. 20-Jimmy Owens[3]; 10. 14-Haiden Cowan[10]; 11. (DNS) 99B-Boom BriggsCool-It Thermo-Tec Heat Race #3 Finish (8 Laps, Top 4 Transfer): 1. 19R-Ryan Gustin[1]; 2. 3S-Brian Shirley[2]; 3. 22*-Drake Troutman[4]; 4. 40B-Kyle Bronson[6]; 5. 1T-Tyler Erb[3]; 6. 10-Garrett Smith[5]; 7. 17SS-Brenden Smith[8]; 8. 111R-Steven Roberts[9]; 9. 9Y-Levi Yetter[7]; 10. 93L-Cory Lawler[10]; 11. 51-Chad Tuten[11] Simpson Race Products Heat Race #4 Finish (8 Laps, Top 4 Transfer): 1. 99-Devin Moran[2]; 2. 58-Garrett Alberson[1]; 3. 111-Max Blair[3]; 4. 09-Michael Leach[5]; 5. 9-Tim McCreadie[4]; 6. 5-Mark Whitener[8]; 7. 6-Clay Harris[9]; 8. 81J-Jack Riggs[6]; 9. 59-Trey Mills[7]; 10. 79-Donald McIntosh[10]; 11. 17Z-Seth Zacharias[11] Fast Shafts B-Main Race #1 Finish (10 Laps, Top 3 Transfer): 1. 2-Cody Overton[1]; 2. 1-Brandon Sheppard[5]; 3. 20RT-Ricky Thornton Jr[2]; 4. 19M-Spencer Hughes[4]; 5. 20-Jimmy Owens[10]; 6. 60-Dan Ebert[7]; 7. 76N-Blair Nothdurft[6]; 8. 7-Ross Robinson[3]; 9. 44-Chris Madden[8]; 10. 23-Beckham Malone[9]; 11. 22-Daniel Hilsabeck[13]; 12. 14-Haiden Cowan[12]; 13. 388-Jackson Hise[11]; 14. (DNS) 99B-Boom Briggs UNOH B-Main Race #2 Finish (10 Laps, Top 3 Transfer): 1. 9-Tim McCreadie[2]; 2. 1T-Tyler Erb[1]; 3. 5-Mark Whitener[4]; 4. 10-Garrett Smith[3]; 5. 81J-Jack Riggs[8]; 6. 17SS-Brenden Smith[5]; 7. 6-Clay Harris[6]; 8. 79-Donald McIntosh[12]; 9. 93L-Cory Lawler[11]; 10. 59-Trey Mills[10]; 11. 9Y-Levi Yetter[9]; 12. 17Z-Seth Zacharias[14]; 13. 111R-Steven Roberts[7]; 14. 51-Chad Tuten[13] Super Bowl of Racing | Night 1 Feature Finish (50 Laps): Pos – Start – Car # – Competitor – Hometown – Pay1 – 1 – 16 – Tyler Bruening – Decorah, IA – $12,0002 – 9 – 49 – Jonathan Davenport – Blairsville, GA – $6,0003 – 5 – 76 – Brandon Overton – Evans, GA – $3,5004 – 4 – 99 – Devin Moran – Dresden, OH – $2,8005 – 6 – 3S – Brian Shirley – Chatham, IL – $2,5006 – 23 – 20 – Jimmy Owens – Newport, TN – $2,3007 – 19 – 1 – Brandon Sheppard – New Berlin, IL – $2,2008 – 12 – 111 – Max Blair – Centerville, PA – $2,1009 – 8 – 58 – Garrett Alberson – Las Cruces, NM – $2,05010 – 3 – 18D – Daulton Wilson – Fayetteville, NC – $2,00011 – 20 – 1T – Tyler Erb – New Waverly, TX – $1,60012 – 13 – 28 – Dennis Erb Jr – Carpentersville, IL – $1,40013 – 10 – 22* – Drake Troutman – Hyndman, PA – $1,20014 – 14 – 40B – Kyle Bronson – Brandon, FL – $1,10015 – 15 – 74X – Ethan Dotson – Bakersfield, CA – $1,05016 – 7 – 93 – Carson Ferguson – Lincolnton, NC – $1,00017 – 27 – 60 – Dan Ebert – Lake Shore, MN – $10018 – 18 – 9 – Tim McCreadie – Watertown, NY – $1,00019 – 24 – 7 – Ross Robinson – Georgetown, DE – $1,00020 – 16 – 9 – Michael Leach – Sun River, MT – $1,00021 – 22 – 5 – Mark Whitener – Middleburg, FL – $1,00022 – 21 – 20RT – Ricky Thornton Jr – Chandler, AZ – $1,00023 – 25 – 6 – Clay Harris – Jupiter, FL – $10024 – 11 – 71 – Hudson O’Neal – Martinsville, IN – $1,00025 – 26 – 17SS – Brenden Smith – Dade City, FL – $10026 – 28 – 79 – Donald McIntosh – Dawsonville, GA – $10027 – 17 – 2 – Cody Overton – Thomson, GA – $1,00028 – 2 – 19R – Ryan Gustin – Marshalltown, IA – $1,000 Race Statistics  Entrants: 44Victory Fuel Pole Sitter: Tyler BrueningLap Leaders: Tyler Bruening (Laps 1-6); Daulton Wilson (Laps 7-41); Tyler Bruening (Laps 42-50)Wieland Feature Winner: Tyler BrueningMargin of Victory: 1.134 seconds Coltman Farms Racing Cautions: Donald McIntosh (Lap 6); Ryan Gustin (Lap 12); Donald McIntosh (Lap 19); Ross Robinson (Lap 45) Series Provisionals: Jimmy Owens; Ross RobinsonFast Time Provisional: n/aEmergency Provisionals: Clay Harris; Brenden Smith; Dan Ebert; Donald McIntoshTrack Provisional: n/aBig River Steel Podium Top 3: Tyler Bruening, Jonathan Davenport, Brandon OvertonPenske Shocks Top 5: Tyler Bruening, Jonathan Davenport, Brandon Overton, Devin Moran, Brian ShirleyHoker Trucking Hard Charger of the Race: Jimmy Owens (Advanced 17 Positions) Wilwood Brakes Lucky 7th Place Feature: Brandon SheppardDeatherage Opticians Lucky 13th Place Feature: Dennis Erb, Jr.MD3 Most Laps Led: Daulton Wilson (35 Laps) Sunoco Race for Gas Highest Finisher: Jimmy OwensMidwest Sheet Metal Spoiler Challenge Point Leader: Ricky Thornton, Jr. Fastest Lap of the Race: Tyler Bruening (Lap 5 | 15.227 seconds)Slicker Graphics Slickest Move of the Race: Tyler BrueningHard Luck Award: Daulton WilsonOuterwears Crew Chief of the Race: Zeb Holkesvik (Tyler Bruening)ARP Engine Builder of the Race: Clements Racing EnginesMiller Welders Chassis Builder of the Race: Longhorn ChassisDirt Draft Fastest in Hot Laps: Brian Shirley (14.924 seconds)Time of Race: 25 minutes 49 seconds Big River Steel Chase for the Championship Presented by ARP Point Standings:Pos – Car # – Competitor – Hometown – Points – Pay1 – 16 – Tyler Bruening – Decorah, IA – 260 – $12,0002 – 49 – Jonathan Davenport – Blairsville, GA – 230 – $6,0003 – 76 – Brandon Overton – Evans, GA – 220 – $3,5004 – 99 – Devin Moran – Dresden, OH – 210 – $2,8005 – 3S – Brian Shirley – Chatham, IL – 205 – $2,5006 – 20 – Jimmy Owens – Newport, TN – 200 – $2,3007 – 1 – Brandon Sheppard – New Berlin, IL – 195 – $2,2008 – 111 – Max Blair – Centerville, PA – 190 – $2,1009 – 58 – Garrett Alberson – Las Cruces, NM – 185 – $2,05010 – 18D – Daulton Wilson – Fayetteville, NC – 180 – $2,00011 – 1T – Tyler Erb – New Waverly, TX – 175 – $1,60012 – 28 – Dennis Erb Jr – Carpentersville, IL – 170 – $1,40013 – 22* – Drake Troutman – Hyndman, PA – 165 – $1,20014 – 40B – Kyle Bronson – Brandon, FL – 160 – $1,10015 – 74X – Ethan Dotson – Bakersfield, CA – 155 – $1,05016 – 93 – Carson Ferguson – Lincolnton, NC – 150 – $1,00017 – 60 – Dan Ebert – Lake Shore, MN – 145 – $10018 – 9 – Tim McCreadie – Watertown, NY – 140 – $1,00019 – 19R – Ryan Gustin – Marshalltown, IA – 135 – $1,00020 – 7 – Ross Robinson – Georgetown, DE – 135 – $1,00021 – 9 – Michael Leach – Sun River, MT – 130 – $1,00022 – 79 – Donald McIntosh – Dawsonville, GA – 125 – $10023 – 5 – Mark Whitener – Middleburg, FL – 125 – $1,00024 – 71 – Hudson O’Neal – Martinsville, IN – 125 – $1,00025 – 2 – Cody Overton – Thomson, GA – 125 – $1,00026 – 20RT – Ricky Thornton Jr – Chandler, AZ – 125 – $1,00027 – 6 – Clay Harris – Jupiter, FL – 125 – $10028 – 17SS – Brenden Smith – Dade City, FL – 125 – $10029 – 19M – Spencer Hughes – Meridian, MS – 120 – $10030 – 10 – Garrett Smith – Madison, GA – 120 – $10031 – 76N – Blair Nothdurft – Renner, SD – 115 – $10032 – 81J – Jack Riggs – Nolensville, TN – 115 – $10033 – 44 – Chris Madden – Gray Court, SC – 110 – $10034 – 93L – Cory Lawler – Hanover, PA – 110 – $10035 – 23 – Beckham Malone – Rock Hill, SC – 105 – $10036 – 59 – Trey Mills – St. Augustine, FL – 105 – $10037 – 22 – Daniel Hilsabeck – Earlham, IA – 100 – $10038 – 9Y – Levi Yetter – Cabot, PA – 100 – $10039 – 14 – Haiden Cowan – Rincon, GA – 95 – $10040 – 17Z – Seth Zacharias – Vestal, NY – 95 – $10041 – 388 – Jackson Hise – Ocala, FL – 90 – $10042 – 111R – Steven Roberts – Sylvester, GA – 90 – $10043 – 51 – Chad Tuten – Blackshear, GA – 85 – $10044 – 99B – Boom Briggs – Bear Lake, PA – 50 – $0

CONCORD, NC (January 17, 2025) – Ashton Winger won’t be a rookie when he returns to the World of Outlaws Late Models full-time in 2025, but he said it’ll still feel like his first year.

His maiden voyage with the Series came in 2020, which saw the schedule marred by the pandemic. Now, with a nearly 60-race schedule ahead, Winger said he’s excited to finally experience a complete season with The Most Powerful Late Models on the Planet.

“I ran it back in 2020, but it was such a weird year. We went to Florida and then Smoky Mountain and then literally sat around for two months,” Winger said. “I’ve always been a believer in just getting out and racing. That year, we really didn’t get to do that. So, I know I did it in 2020, but this really feels like the first year that I’m actually going to do it.”

In the years since, Winger has stuck to his motto of racing as much as possible by making stops at several Midwest and Southeast events and running two full seasons on the DIRTcar Summer Nationals trail. His 2023 Hell Tour campaign culminated with the Series championship.

Winger said he’s hoping that experience will translate into more successful nights in those regions with the World of Outlaws.

“As far as the Outlaws go, they go to a few more places around home like Swainsboro, Needmore, Talladega. I mean, I was probably going to be at those races anyway,” Winger said. “They go to a fair amount in the Midwest too, and that’s kind of where I’ve made it a point to go try and race. It’s probably my favorite part of the country to go race.”

The schedule isn’t Winger’s only reason to be optimistic heading into the season though – there’s a night and day difference in his level of preparedness compared to his last World of Outlaws effort. In 2020, Winger ran the second half of the season with a pickup truck for a hauler and one chassis, yet he still managed to score a Feature win at Cedar Lake Speedway and the Rookie of the Year Award.

With more funding, more parts and more experience at his disposal, Winger sees no reason why he can’t be a nightly contender in 2025.

“We really wanted to do it last year but didn’t really feel like we had all of our ducks in a row to go do it,” Winger said. “The problem is, if you don’t go in guns blazing, ready to go every night, you get yourself in a hole. Even if we do leave Florida in a hole, it would feel better to me to be prepared to actually do it rather than going halfway. I just felt like it was the right time. Honestly, I felt like the best I’m ever going to be is racing the best guys every night, so that’s what I probably look forward to the most.”

Winger’s first test as a full-time Outlaw will come as soon as the green flag drops next week at Volusia Speedway Park’s DIRTcar Sunshine Nationals (Jan. 22-25). Even though he’s a winner at the “World’s Fastest Half Mile,” Winger said he’s never been able to truly get comfortable at the facility but hopes this will be the year he cracks the code.

“I know I won there two years ago, but it was kind of rough and wide open and the racetrack usually isn’t like that,” Winger said. “I really think it’s more me than anything. I’ve been in all types of car brands and all kinds of stuff there and I really don’t think I’ve grasped a hold of that place. Just not really ever comfortable there. But either way, I’m excited for it. Really just ready to get to racing.”

The 2025 World of Outlaws Late Models season begins with six nights of racing at Volusia Speedway Park, beginning with DIRTcar Sunshine Nationals (Jan. 22-25) followed by Federated Auto Parts DIRTcar Nationals (Feb. 13-15). To find ticket information for both events, click here.

If you can’t make it to the track, stream every lap of the 2025 World of Outlaws Late Models season live on DIRTVision.

CONCORD, NC (January 17, 2025) – Tyler “Teddy” Edwards is ready to translate racing lessons into success approaching his second year with the Xtreme Outlaw Midget Series presented by Toyota in 2025.

The Salina, OK native will again pilot the No. 56 for Mounce/Stout Motorsports during the 27-race season. This time with a better understanding of his car’s setup and the team that surrounds him.

“I feel like we’ve learned a lot in the whole year,” Edwards said. “There were a lot of different racetracks that I get to go back to and some new ones. I think the biggest thing is that our notebook is thicker for how I like to drive, what I like out of a racecar, and Jay got that figured out. So, I feel like we’re gonna have a really good year. I think we should be competing for wins anyway, and I know we were close, but I wanna win a couple of races this year and be in the mix for points.”

The 31-year-old racer made his presence on the Xtreme Outlaw Midget circuit for the first time in 2024, driving to seven top-10 finishes and a season-high fourth-place finish at Atomic Speedway – earning him a ninth-place points finish.

With a full year of national Midget racing completed, Edwards said he is more comfortable than ever in a Midget encompassing a well-rounded understanding of the tracks the Series is visiting in the new season.

“One hundred percent way more comfortable,” Edwards said. “With the racetracks, not knowing any is a big deal. Now that I’ve raced at all these places, we’re gonna be good I feel like anyways. Knowing (the tracks) is really the biggest thing on how to approach setup stuff for most of these nights. I won’t have a sophomore slump, that’s for sure.”

Building from rookie experience on a national Midget schedule, Edwards knows he can do more inside the car to help him stay competitive through an event with his Mounce/Stout team.

“Really, it’s car control,” Edwards said. “I feel like I have really good car control as it is, but some nights it’s about the right adjustments in the cockpit to compensate for my car control. That’s about it. We’re right there with them. I think if we’ve got everything lined up with the right people around us, we’ll be in the mix.”

Edwards’ car owner, Jay Mounce, said he’s optimistic about seeing his driver continue to gain confidence with the Xtreme Outlaw Midgets, giving Edwards a chance to visit Victory Lane for the first time with his team.

“I think Teddy’s going to be much better this year after having the whole season under his belt,” Mounce said. “Last year, he felt more confident than he really was, and it was not knowing what to expect. Even coming into a week like the Chili Bowl, he’s gas, he’s ready to rock and roll.”

Mounce has seen what top-level performance looks like, as his former driver Chase McDermand won six Series Features for Mounce/Stout Motorsports in the 2023 Xtreme Outlaw Midgets season, finishing fifth in points.

Knowing that 2024 was a growing year for the program, Mounce has high hopes that Edwards will show what they have been building toward with more races behind the wheel of his race car.

“We’ve had some really good guys come through our program and end up in a lot better places than we could have gotten them to this point,” Mounce said. “We knew that we were in for a growing year because we didn’t have anybody that had raced through Midgets up to (2024) at all, it was more Micros or Sprint Cars.

“Ted could have finished on the podium a couple of nights last year, but one thing or another kept us back from doing so. He’s had some success, and I feel like going into the second year with confidence and getting another opportunity to build on what he’s learned last year, he’s gonna show some success this year.”

From the season-opening race at Farmer City Raceway to the season finale at Millbridge Speedway, Mounce said he enjoys the family-oriented atmosphere of the Xtreme Outlaw Midgets that makes traveling for the Tulsa, OK-based team worth every second of his time.

“I think (Xtreme) is the best deal going right now,” Mounce said. “I feel like everybody’s part of the team, whether we’re car owners or drivers or crew members or Xtreme employees, it’s more family-oriented than it is at some of the other levels. Everybody gets treated the same and that makes it easier for me with as many cars as we try to bring.”

Edwards enters his second season with the Xtreme Outlaw Midget Series presented by Toyota at Farmer City Raceway’s Illini 100 on Thursday-Saturday, April 10-12. Tickets for the event are on sale now:

FARMER CITY TICKETS

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.

CONCORD, NC (January 16, 2025) – 

Jake Timm is set to become the latest driver in a long line of Modified stalwarts to take their talents to the World of Outlaws Late Models.

The Winona, MN driver is turning his full focus to Super Late Model racing in 2025, throwing his hat into the ring for this season’s MD3 Rookie of the Year Award.

“We really wanted to do a lot more Late Model racing a couple years ago, but we had some bad luck with engines that kind of knocked us back a step,” Timm said. “We raced Modifieds last year and kind of set the Late Model aside a little bit. Had a pretty good year there. Kind of built our program back up a little bit along with some of our sponsors stepping up, it just made it possible for us this year. Definitely been in the works for two or three years now.”

If a Modified driver from southern Minnesota diving into full-time Late Model racing with the World of Outlaws sounds like a familiar story, it should – Dustin Sorensen did exactly that in 2024.

Sorensen finished his freshman year with The Most Powerful Late Models on the Planet with a commendable five top fives and a top 10 points finish, enough to claim last season’s Rookie of the Year crown. Not only does Timm now have a roadmap to follow, he also has the chance to renew a friendly rivalry at the pinnacle of dirt Late Model racing.

“Me and Dustin have known each other forever,” Timm said. “We both raced Slingshots, then B-Mods, then Modifieds at Mississippi Thunder (Speedway) and Deer Creek (Speedway) weekly. So, we’ve raced together our entire lives. We’re good friends, we’ve raced together for a long time, and it’s always been slide jobs, always clean.

“Going back beyond that, his dad and my dad raced against each other the same way, just Friday and Saturday, every weekend against each other in Modifieds. So, it’s been a generational thing, and it’s been really fun to grow together. It’s going to be pretty cool to race side-by-side again on the World of Outlaws. Both of us have dreamed of being at this level, so it’s pretty cool.”

Timm may be new to the World of Outlaws, but he is no stranger to traveling the country racing for big money each weekend. He spent 2024 racing for the United States Modified Touring Series championship, earning wins at Humboldt Speedway, Cedar Lake Speedway and Deer Creek Speedway – three facilities Timm will return to in 2025 with the Series.

“It provides a stepping stone,” Timm said. “I’ve kind of spent my career there the last two or three years racing Modifieds and last year was the first year I actually followed it full-time. Without having something like that where you can get a point fund check at the end of the year and race for good money all the time, I wouldn’t have been able to build my program up enough to race Late Models. There’s a lot of good drivers at that level. You learn to race aggressively and race smart and all that as well. So, it’s definitely a good stepping stone.”

Timm has finished top 10 four times in his scattered World of Outlaws appearances over the past six years, with three of them coming at his home track of Mississippi Thunder Speedway. Timm knows he’s in for a challenge competing at so many new tracks for the first time, but he’s also looking forward to the prospect of defending his home turf against the best Late Model drivers in the nation.

“Fountain City, Deer Creek and Cedar Lake are definitely my three most raced at tracks in my career, so I definitely feel pretty comfortable going to those three,” Timm said. “I know there’s going to be a lot of new tracks that we go to in a lot of new areas. I’ve never raced in Pennsylvania or really anywhere on the east coast, Florida, all that is going to be new to us. But I’m definitely excited, I know there’s a lot of good tracks out there. Definitely looking forward to it.”

Bringing the top rookie honors back to Minnesota for the second-straight year would be an ideal end to the season for the No. 49 team, but they’re also keeping their expectations in check for now. As the saying goes – in order to finish first, first you must finish.

“First and foremost, finish the season and do the best we can,” Timm said. “I really just want to make all the races. Top 10s would be great, top fives too. I almost won a qualifier at Mississippi Thunder a couple years ago, so it would be really cool to pull off a win, but I also know how hard it is. Those guys are tough to beat, so we’ll just do the best we can.”

Timm will kick off his first World of Outlaws Late Models season with six nights of racing at Volusia Speedway Park, beginning with DIRTcar Sunshine Nationals (Jan. 22-25) followed by Federated Auto Parts DIRTcar Nationals (Feb. 13-15). To find ticket information for both events, click here.

If you can’t make it to the track, stream every lap of the 2025 World of Outlaws Late Models season live on DIRTVision.

Cadillac Racing heads to the Roar with expanded, championship-winning lineup

DETROIT (Jan. 16, 2025) – Cadillac Racing, in conjunction with Cadillac Wayne Taylor Racing and Cadillac Whelen, revealed the liveries of its three Grand Touring Prototype (GTP) racecars that will contest the 2025 IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship season. The nine-race calendar begins this week with the Roar Before the 24 leading into the 63rd Rolex 24 At Daytona on January 25-26.

Cadillac Racing, which has won North America’s premier endurance race four times since 2017, welcomes the return of Wayne Taylor Racing to the program with the Nos. 10 and 40 racecars and welcomes back for another season Action Express Racing to campaign the No. 31 prototype. The championship-winning teams have aligned with major primary sponsors for the GTP entries.

“I am so looking forward to kicking off the season with Cadillac and our corporate partner at DEX (DEX Imaging),” team owner Wayne Taylor said. “I feel so fortunate to have their support and to have pulled together this two-car program in such a short period of time. The No. 10 and No. 40 DEX Cadillac cars look spectacular. I can’t wait for the fans to see them up close this weekend. Daytona sets the tone for the season and we are looking for strong results from our team.”U.S.-based Whelen Engineering has extended through 2027 its collaboration with Action Express Racing, which enters its 14th year running a GM prototype in IMSA. Since 1952, Whelen Engineering has been a proud ally and supporter of our nation’s first responders. Whelen provides the high-quality, reliable products, and technology needed to aid them in their critical missions — from warning lights to white illumination, sirens, controllers and software.”We’re thrilled to continue our long-standing relationship with Cadillac and Action Express Racing in the IMSA GTP class,” said Sonny Whelen, Executive Vice President of Whelen Engineering. “For eight years, this partnership has been built on shared innovation, passion, and excellence. After an incredible championship season in 2023, we are eager to return to championship form in 2025 and showcase the teamwork and cutting-edge performance that define this exceptional venture. As always, we’re grateful to Cadillac and AXR for their continued collaboration and can’t wait to see what the next three years have in store.”Media resources: Reveal gallery | Roar media guide | Storylines/story ideas | Driver quotes For more than a century, racing has provided a testbed for Cadillac to transfer knowledge and technology between racecars and production vehicles, as well as a way to build a fanbase for the brand around the world. The Cadillac V-Series.R, powered by the purpose-built 5.5-liter DPOHC V8 engine, marks the third-generation Cadillac prototype racecar and the brand’s first hybrid electrified race car. Codeveloped by Cadillac Design, Cadillac Racing and chassis constructor Dallara, the racecar represents the fifth generation of the V-Series, incorporating key Cadillac V-Series production car design elements such as vertical lighting and floating blades. Cadillac Racing has amassed four Manufacturer Championships and five IMSA Michelin Endurance Cup Manufacturer Championships since entering prototype competition in 2017.

NASCAR CUP SERIES TEAM CHEVY PRESS CONF. TRANSCRIPT JANUARY 15, 2025

Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Kelley Earnhardt Miller, co-owners of JR Motorsports; Chris Stapleton, 10-time Grammy Award-winning singer, songwriter and musician; and Justin Allgaier, 2024 NASCAR Xfinity Series Champion; met with the media to announce that they will join forces to field the Chevrolet organization’s inaugural entry in the NASCAR Cup Series in the 2025 Daytona 500.  Media Availability Quotes:

MODERATOR: We are joined by some great guests with Dale Earnhardt Jr., Kelley Earnhardt Miller, Justin Allgaier and Chris Stapleton. Dale, in the interest of time, I will kick it over to you. Obviously a big day for JR Motorsports with a big announcement today. Explain to us how all of this came together. Dale Earnhardt Jr: “Yeah, thanks for joining us. We spent the whole day here at Whiskey River out on our property; capturing a lot of content, talking to Chris (Stapleton) and Justin (Allgaier), and visiting withKelley. There’s been a lot of work that went into putting this program together; designing a race car, logistics, and our roster of mechanics and all the people that we will need to go to the racetrack. Buying our race car and putting it together, it’s been a lot of fun.. a lot of work. But we’re now starting to get a dose of reality and get to know each other, right? It’s really the first time me and Chris have been around each other, so really enjoyed the day. I can’t wait to see the reaction on social media. We know we have a lot of people that follow JR Motorsports and pull for our success, and we’re excited to see how they all feel about the Daytona 500 and us having an entry.”  Justin, for you, obviously winning the NASCAR Xfinity Series Championship in November and now the opportunity to run the Daytona 500 in 2025 – I would have to say, you’ve had a great winter. Tell us a little bit about your outlook as this opportunity came together and you get the chance to pilot the car. Justin Allgaier: “I mean, obviously, it’s an amazing opportunity to win the championship last year and to kind of finally check a box that we’ve tried to check at JR Motorsports for so long with myself and with the team. And, you know, when I got brought into the office to discuss this, I thought I was being called to the principal’s office, to be honest with you at first. I wasn’t really sure what to expect. When they were explaining some of the process about it, I kind of didn’t put myself in the position of them offering me the job to drive the car. I just thought they were kind of filling me in on what the plans were for JR Motorsports. And so when the opportunity was presented to obviously drive the car and to be a part of the foray for JR Motorsports in the Cup Series – I mean, that’s a big opportunity. I take a lot of pressure on myself in that moment to see this organization compete on the grand scale of the Cup Series.. something that I am surprised that has never come to fruition before this point. But then to add somebody like Chris Stapleton and Traveller’s Whiskey into this –  to see how involved Chris has been in this process and how much passion he’s had. I mean, really, in the conversations of what’s going back and forth between him and the team, and then just today to see his passion for this, is really, really cool for me and something that I’m not taking lightly. I know that it’s going to be a stacked field at the racetrack. There’s a lotof open cars trying to battle for a few spots. But, you know, this is.. as somebody that’s been a part of the Cup Series, it’s great to get back. But this is a lot bigger than that for me. This is about seeing JRMotorsports make this transition for this race. And, you know, who knows if there will ever be another JR Motorsports Cup Series entry. But regardless, there will always be one ‘first’, and this is obviously something that’s really, really important to all of us.” Chris, for you, just tell us a little bit of what it means to you to be able to bring your whiskey brand to put on a car in conjunction with Dale Earnhardt Jr. and the relationship you guys have. Tell us a little bit about how that came together from your perspective and being able to see that brand on the race track.Chris Stapleton: “I’m not sure it’s fully sunk in. But yeah, it’s one of these things that you kind of think about.. what’s the coolest thing we could do with the whiskey brand? Well, maybe we should put it on a race car. And I happen to know Rick Hendrick, and Rick kind of hooked me up with Dale (Earnhardt Jr.). This opportunity came up and I was like – well, we’ve got to do that. So I went and talked to my partners in the whiskey and I said – hey, we’ve got to make this happen.. let’s make this happen. And they agreed. This is the best possible way that we could, you know, introduce our brand to the fans of the sport. And beyond that, I just think it’s super cool to see it on the car. You know, selfishly, I think that’s one of the things I wanted out of it the most, is just to see this thing happen. And now, like Dale said, a lot of realities are setting in like – oh, we’re entering a car in the Daytona 500 all of a sudden, and it’s just going to be a lot of fun. I’m excited to see what happens and, you know, enjoy just the whole thing.. the experience of it.”  A question for all of you. First, I want to know why Justin Allgaier? I mean, obviously, there’s a lot of drivers within the JRM camp, and now it’s out of the JRM camp. So, why isJustin the guy?Dale Earnhardt Jr: “For me, there’s a lot of layers to this. Obviously JR Motorsports, myself and Kelley (Earnhardt Miller) entering a Cup car in any race is a big deal for us. But this is also a bit of a continuation, at least for me personally, of celebrating Justin’s (Allgaier) championship – achieving a goal that, like you said, we’ve been after for a long time. We’ve came so close and we’ve had some really, really tough, heartbreaking moments, but it’s really strengthened our bond and partnership. And so when we were starting to talk about doing this, I think me and Kelley both knew that we had to consider Justin as the driver. And as all of that played out toward the end of last year, it was a no-brainer that that was what we needed to do. I want to let Kelley speak to this, too, because she’s probably more aware of this than I am.. but with Traveller, we want them to have a great experience. We know what Justin’s capable of doing outside of the car, as well as inside the car. And so we know that as a driver and through marketing engagement, that Justin will make sure this is a great experience for Traveller, Chris and his team.”  Kelley Earnhardt Miller: “Yeah, speaking to that part of it – you know, not only just having your brand on the car, but we want to make sure it’s a great marketing opportunity for the brand.. for the brand togrow and for the fan base to get acquainted with the Traveller brand. And so as Dale alluded to – Justin being with our organization so long, he just goes above and beyond anything that’s asked or not asked. He’s always there for his partners. He’s there for our team partners. And so we know that Justin will do a great job, not only around the Daytona 500 when we get the opportunity to get out there and attempt to qualify, but really all year long, for this partnership and what it means to the Traveller brand. We’re just excited that Justin was our guy and that he said ‘yes’ the day that we brought him into the principal’s office.”  Justin, we talked a lot last year, last November, about whether or not the championship wassomething that you could have ended your career having or not. And I’mcurious, how much did you think at this stage of your career about your twoDaytona 500 starts? Did you feel like you needed to have a Daytona 500 start with a quality team,quality people, to make your career feel complete? Justin Allgaier: “You know, I don’t know. I think for me, the interesting part of this is that I’m probably more excited about what I said earlier with this being JR Motorsports’ first Cup Series start. I love where I’m at. I love being a part of this organization and the people that I’m around. Dale, Kelley and L.W. are obviously the face and the upfront part of it, but it goes all the way through the organization; all the employees.. all the men and women that are part of it. You know, as large as our group has gotten, it’s still a family and it’s still the family feel. And I feel like, you know, with what Chris has brought with Traveller’s Whiskey, that feel is the same, right? It’s about just enjoying the experiences; being in the moment and kind of living present in the moment. This is something, for me, that’s really, really cool. And, you know, the championship last year was awesome, but I had conceded to the fact that I wasn’t really sure that that was ever going to happen. When we finally pulled it off, it was like – man, that’s a really cool, big moment. Seeing the excitement of our entire group at the shop was a big deal. And so this just takes that the next step further and I’m really proud to represent not only JR Motorsports, but the Traveller’s Whiskey brand. And like I said, we have our work cut out for us to even make the race, but there will be nothing cooler than if we can line up on Sunday. I told Chris already that the thing that I’m looking forward to the most, the thing that I miss the most, is the flyover and those chills of the pre-race moment of that event. There’s nothing like it in our sport. I stick around every year for Sunday and walk pit road and think about the days that I was there racing it. I don’t have to do that this year, hopefully. I can hopefully be there in a fire suit and getting my focus on for the race, and that’s really something that’s important for me.”  This is a pretty cool deal. Dale, you kind of touched on it in your last response, but canyou just kind of express what this means to have your entry in the Daytona 500? I know that this race means so much to you on so many levels.. Dale Earnhardt Jr: “Yeah, I still don’t feel like that. Like Chris said, I still feel like it’s still sinking in. I did tell Kelley that I wanted to be present for all the moments. And so from the moment we started to, you know, select the chassis and purchase the car; start to build, find the components, and get the components. And even going through that with NASCAR and understanding that whole process is really unique and new, compared to how things work in the Xfinity Series. So I want to be involved or at least a witness to everything. I’m going to be on pit road when the car is pushed out for qualifying. I’ll be there when it’s going out for practice. I’ll be there when they unload it on Wednesday at the racetrack. I want to go through tech. I   want to see everything. I don’t know what’s realistic because there will be some other obligations, but I’m approaching this like it’s a one and only opportunity.. a dream come true. I told Kelley that I want her there for all of it, as well, because we’ve done this together from the start. This was something that we really waited for the right moment, and Chris and his brand, Traveller and their excitement around it feels nice and genuine. They’re experiencing it for the first time, as well. So yeah, we’re all kind of going through that.”  Chris Stapleton: “There’s a lot of synergy in that way, I think.” Dale Earnhardt Jr: “Exactly, so it’s really cool. It’s hard to put it into words right now, but I think to Justin’s point –  I told him, if we’re fortunate enough for everything to go well and we can be there on the grid for the 500, that pre-race moment is going to be very emotional, and really, really cool. So, you know, once it’s on the grid, it’s out of my hands, but getting it there is going to be a lot of fun.”  Kelley, if I could just follow up and get your answer to that question and what it means to you to be a part of this endeavor from the Earnhardt family side of things.Kelley Earnhardt Miller: “Yeah, I can’t really sum it up any better than Dale did. You know, we talked about the opportunity. We’ve been talking about the opportunity to be in the Cup Series. And obviously, we’re a family of racers. This is our life. This is our passion. And so to be able to have a Cup entry at the Daytona 500 –  a place that’s really special to us.. a place where the Earnhardt’s have had a lot of history and a lot of success with both my dad and Dale – you know, it’s just really kind of full circle. This is the perfect situation, the right moment, as Chris said. So we’re just pretty thankful and glad to be here.”  Chris, when you look at being teamed up with this legendary family.. forget about the business side of it. What does that mean to you, personally? Chris Stapleton: “More things that aren’t really sinking in. You set out to do things and you meet people sometimes, and these are good people, beyond just being Earnhardt’s. It’s very important to meto be in business with good people. I love that we’ve built something together, even though we’ve had this short period of time to do this thing in. I’m so grateful that they were willing to let me participate in the world just a small bit. And it really is, you know, it’s one of those surreal things that you get to experience.. once in a lifetime. Like I said, they don’t know.. they said they don’t know; it might be the only one we ever get a piece of, you know, or get to sit there and… It’s stuff you dream up that doesn’t happen, you know? And this is one of them. This is one of them. It’s one of those moments. Today has felt like, particularly with the car reveal, it became so real when the sheet came off the car. I was like – oh, this is not a napkin drawing anymore, or some ‘pie in the sky’ idea that we think would be cool. This is something we’re really going for and really trying to do, and I’m thrilled to be rolling the dice and taking the risk with them. I think it’s a wonderful energy. There’s great energy around it, for me.”  Justin Allgaier: “It’s also surreal to be sitting next to a legend in the music industry, right? You know, I mean, I see these guys (Dale and Kelley) all the time, and they’re amazing and they’re legends in the sport. But to have all of this is – I’m still pinching myself, to be honest with you.”  As you guys have built JR Motorsports and done this in kind of your own way, and obviously, Dale, you had your career in your own right and a lot of fans have followed you because they followed your dad. Going into the Cup Series for the first time, was there ever a sense that you wanted to do it for yourselves, you wanted to do it for the company, but you also wanted to do it for those fans that have stuck by you guys and the Earnhardt’s for so long? What do you think your dad would think about this?Dale Earnhardt Jr: “Well, I hope that he’d be excited about it. I’m sure he would have told us how we should have done it differently (laughs). But, you know, he was also always very supportive. So I think he would be excited about this. I do feel a bit of an obligation with our connection to the fan base. I do feel that obligation to like achieve and have milestones as an owner. And so yeah, you’ve heard the rumblings over the years that fans are excited or hopeful of a potential Cup opportunity for us. And so yeah, there’s pressure not only on me and Kelley — Kelley said it the best the other day.. she’s like we’re a family, and we race and racing is what we do. We’re always going to race. And you know, we find a way to get to the racetrack and compete because that’s what we’ve always done and what we want to do. We’ve always wanted to race in the Cup Series, we were just waiting on the right pieces to fall into place. For our fans, there will be some pressure to go out there and get the car in the field; get it on the grid so that we can all enjoy this.”   When you guys have done things, it’s always been the No. 8, 88 or 3 with those connections. The No. 40, obviously with the connection to the sponsor, how cool is it going to be to kind of do something a little bit different? Dale Earnhardt Jr: “I’ll let Chris talk a little bit about this, but Justin mentioned this – Chris was very involved and he knows what he likes. He knows what he wants this brand to be become and what they’re creating with Traveller. And so we were more than excited to allow them all of the creative influences that they wanted; to be able to have the race car on the racetrack that they want. As a traditionalist and someone that is a bit of a history buff, I was a bit surprised about how I felt about this because I didn’t mind what the number was. I was just hopeful to be able to put it together and get it on the racetrack. And the fact that there’s a connection for Chris and his team to the number makes it matter to me.”  Chris Stapleton: “Well really, the number – obviously Traveller Whiskey is blend number 40. We tried over 50 different blends before we picked the blend that goes in the bottle. I didn’t really know how much it was really, not necessarily a problem – but when I said can it be No. 40.. I was kind of throwing it out in the air, like will we have to check to see if we can have that? And I’m just like – oh, okay, yeah, it’s cool. But it really worked out for, you know, I think it’s a nice synergy to have that cue. I like Easter eggs and things like that on bottles and now on a car. And I wanted the car to also look like JR Motorsports, but also Traveller Whiskey. I wanted it to really look like both of those things, and I think we achieved that with what we did with the car. That was really my goal.”  Can you give more insight on bringing Greg Ives on board for this? I know you guys have a history together and you’ve both won at Daytona, but what else went into that business decision? Dale Earnhardt Jr: “I saw how many times he’s qualified a car on the front row at Daytona (laughs). I’m like, do you have any magic left, Greg? Let’s go to the track and see what we can do.  But you know, I think being an open car, there’s some challenges to get into the field. It won’t be easy. There will be some very tough competition. I was confident that Greg understood, better than anybody, the things that we would all need to gather into place to go there with the best opportunity we could. And me and him are just really great friends, and I just trust him wholeheartedly with his decisions. And I don’t think he’ll be too annoyed with me standing over his shoulder throughout the whole process and asking him all kinds of silly questions. That went into the thought process, as well. He’s got a great track record, in terms of qualifying, and that hopefully can be a big assist for us.”  Justin Allgaier: “I think a follow-up on that too is that – you know, Greg has been on the Xfinity Series car for Hendrick Motorsports on the No. 17. We have a really good working relationship with him back-and-forth on the Xfinity Series side. He actually came to us for some help whenever they started running the No. 17 car. Greg has gotten to work really closely with all of our crew chiefs and all of our drivers, and he’s got a really good understanding – I mean, he was a championship crew chief at JR Motorsports. He understands the business really, really well, and I think that gives some comfort when you look at trying to assemble people for this organization and for what we’re trying to accomplish. It gives that little bit of comfort that I think makes a big difference. Dale’s got a comfort. I’ve got a comfort. And I’m sure Kelley has a comfort. Chris, he doesn’t know yet..” Chris Stapleton: “I have comfort because they have comfort (laughs).”  Justin Allgaier: “When we got the news about Greg, it was really, really cool because I think he’s a great person to have on the box for the race.”  Dale Earnhardt Jr: “I’ll say this too about Greg – he worked at JR Motorsports for a while and was the crew chief on my car. But over the course of the last several years, there’s been moments where we’ve brought him into the building at JR Motorsports.. we were struggling a little bit in certain particular years and he came in to be an advisor for us and take a bit of a 40,000 feet view of what we’re doing to help us find ways to get ourselves back on track. So we utilize Greg all the time and his expertise has been beneficial to JR Motorsports, even over the past recent years, to try and continue our success.”  Justin, Dale referenced the challenge of making the Daytona 500. If you do have to race into the event through the Duels, with this being such a huge stand for JR Motorsports, can you kind of take me through what the emotions will be like.. trying to not just make the race, but keeping the car clean to get to Sunday? Justin Allgaier: “We’ve had a lot of pressure.. Phoenix is a great example of what not to do in those moments (laughs). But I think one of the things for me that’s been important – Greg and I have talked about this, and we’ve talked about this internally – but I think your mindset has to be to try and go qualify. That has to be number one. That’s the easiest way to do it because then you can race the Duels in a different capacity. You can allow yourself to do a little bit more learning. You can work on some of the things that are going to be key for the race. You can work on some setups, balance changes and things like that. If you don’t qualify in and you have to race your way in through the Duels, I think your mindset changes. You know, we’re all understanding of what can happen in the Duels. I mean, we can have something happen coming to the green.. anytime in those races. We’ve seen it time and time again. I remember watching last year with Jimmie Johnson trying to race his way in – I remember thinking to myself that if I were ever in that position and you know you’re going to have to go for it, you just kind of have to lay caution to the wind and you’re going to have to go and try to see what you can accomplish.  Number one, I have a great mentor in superspeedway racing. Number two, we’ve had success on superspeedways in the past. We’ve won at Daytona, not this past summer but the summer before, in the Xfinity Series. So I think there are things that we have going for us in that capacity, but it’s not lost on me how much pressure there is in this. L.W., who’s sitting off camera here, he told me to just go focus on doing all that we can do. But I do take a lot of pride in this process and what that’s going to look like. I have to do a lot more homework before Daytona. I have to understand the drivers. Watching footage from practice is going to be important. Looking back on SMT data from past races. Watch how drivers made their way in. I look at pit road.. that could equally be the difference maker in whether we make the race or not. There’s a lot that goes into this. We still have to try and go win in the Xfinity Series.. that’s first and foremost on what we have, too. A lot of effort and time goes into this, but I look at who’s assembled and I look at the whole process – it just feels right. As Chris has already said, it just feels right. I feel like if there’s ever an opportunity to do this, it’s definitely this year.” What’s it going to be like to see that car on the track for the first time? Are you going to be nervous? Are you going to be excited? Have you kind of imagined what it’s going to be like? Chris Stapleton: “I have nothing to compare it to, so I imagine I’m going to be excited and then maybe nervous. I don’t know.. these guys are kind of laughing because (inaudible).. it looks like one thing on paper, but it’s another thing when it’s sitting out here in front of the building. And then it looks like a whole other thing when it’s out on the track. I think they’re speculating what is going to happen when I see that. I don’t know.. I really don’t know. We’ll have to take bets or something (laughs).” In terms of the business and racing sides, what aspects are going to be most important to you or what will you go back to review everything from this process? Dale Earnhardt Jr: “Well, I think – you know, obviously, this is a tough one to answer because you would hope fans would understand the answer to this question. Performing on the racetrack is absolutely important. We do want to go and win the pole and win the race every time we show up. But given the circumstances and Chris and Traveller have trusted us with their brand and to go represent them well – I think at the end of the day, I want them to be happy with the experience and be glad that they did it and did it with us. And so that’s probably the first thing that you want to feel on Monday morning after the Daytona 500. Everything else is secondary to that. We want to go race well and do well. We’re definitely going to be thinking about that very thing all weekend long as we go through the process of qualifying, practicing and so forth. But in the end, none of that matters if Traveller doesn’t enjoy the experience and Chris doesn’t enjoy the experience because that partnership is how this comes together. I think that Kelley and I are both extremely confident in our people at JR Motorsports that they will deliver, and we chose the right driver to make sure those boxes are checked for our partners. And so that’s probably the most important thing. And then again, yeah – going and racing.. going and running well.”  Chris, you have that friendship with Rick Hendrick dating back a few years, but do your ties with NASCAR kind of date back beyond that? What does that kind of look like? Chris Stapleton: “You know, it would be a waste of time for me to sit here and talk about racing when you have these people sitting here that can do it so well. One time, I sat in on a major league baseball hitting meeting, and they were going through all these things that I had no idea went into it. That’s how I felt like hearing these guys talk about what needs to happen for this to happen.  I’m excited to partner with them and to kind of build off of what Dale was saying – I’m so pleased that you want us to be happy, but we’re already happy as partners with what we’re doing. Everything that I’ve ever dreamed this could be is happening right now. And now I want you guys to go out and do what you do. That’s what I want you thinking about.. doing what you do. I love to see great people being pros at what they do, and that’s what this is right now. It’s going to happen. It’s going to look good. It’s going to feel good. Just entering the track to qualify, that’s going to feel good, and that’s what I’m looking for out of it.”  Dale, when was the first time you guys started talking about this deal, and when did it start feeling like it could be a reality? Dale Earnhardt Jr: “I hope Kelley has a better memory than I do..” Kelley Earnhart: “July.. So yeah, we were presented with the opportunity, like Chris had alluded to his friendship with Mr. Hendrick, and this was something they had interest in doing. We were able to put all of our heads together on the marketing side. I have to give a big kudos to my team at JR Motorsports for working with their team; understanding what kind of objectives had in this process and putting together a plan that they liked and that they felt would work for their brand to bring this all together. You know, we’ve been working on it since the summer. Not a long time, but not too short of a time. We’re here and we’re excited to make it happen in February.”

CHEVROLET IN NTT INDYCAR SERIES INDYCAR CONTENT DAYS INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA PRESS CONFERENCE TRANSCRIPT JANUARY 15, 2025 WILL POWER, driver of the No. 12 Team Penske Chevrolet, met with the media at the NTT INDYCAR SERIES Content Days in Indianapolis, Indiana. Press Conference Transcript: THE MODERATOR: Wrapping up content days 2025 with Will Power, back in the No. 12 Verizon Team Penske Chevrolet, beginning his 21st year of association in the NTT INDYCAR Series; three more wins last year gives him 44 for his career, along with his record 70 pole positions and two INDYCAR Series championships. Here’s to 2025. Q. What are the expectations for 2025?WILL POWER: The expectations, yeah, based on the performance the second half, really most of the season last year were very strong. A very disappointing end, obviously, there to drop back a couple in the championship standings. Yeah, very determined to come back and have a strong 2025. I think we’ll have the car, engine, package to do it, and I think Penske is in a very good spot right now. Obviously everyone goes back and works on their stuff. I’m sure Honda has gone away and worked, and Chevy has, also, and other teams. Obviously Colton seemed very strong last year. I think Andretti will be strong. I think McLaren will be strong. They’ve got Lundgaard there now with Pato, so that’s two very strong guys, as well. It will be a tough year, as it is, and that’s why I enjoy it. I love that stuff. Q. The Verizon car has got a little different look, clearly, this year.WILL POWER: Yeah, I love it, man. I love the look. It’s nice and bright, and it’s cool they keep coming up with different liveries each year and get to try something new. Q. It’ll look good in Victory Lane, too.WILL POWER: It’ll look very good in Victory Lane. Q. You were ahead of the curve on the FOX Sports promotions in that your car got unveiled on FOX’s NFL Sunday. Just to be able to have that type of platform which is how many millions of people tune in to FOX NFL Sunday, how valuable is that to you, and is that when you realized these guys are really invested?WILL POWER: It’s great to see what FOX has been doing. You look at that commercial with Josef, the unveiling of the Verizon car, they’re serious. They’re advertising us before NFL games. I don’t know the numbers, but you can tell they are serious about making our series big and doing a great job, and I think it’s everything that we needed. Just really, really happy to have FOX on board, to be on all network races, similar times. Yeah, I think similar place, same times, all the stuff that INDYCAR has needed. And yeah, just watching it all, it’s such a difference even from five years ago, but just having been around the series so long, it’s so great to see. Q. Scott Dixon and you are both performance level, competition level, still right there, top of your game, and to be able to sustain that through the ages that both of you are, just how impressive is that?WILL POWER: It’s not just — so about being impressive, it’s like necessary. You’re certainly not sticking around if you’re not doing that. You’d better turn up or else she’s over. That’s just the way it is. But I love it. I love the competition. I love the preparation. I love finding new little details and things to be better every year. Yeah, it’s kind of funny you get to this point in your career and I feel you’re at your absolute best as far as putting a whole series together, weekend together, races together. You kind of have the same speed that you had but you don’t really build on speed. I think it’s just a natural thing that you have. But the whole other package takes a long time to get unless you’re Palou, like some of those guys that just mature, and they work that out very early. Q. I know the off-season after the 2023 season you were incredibly busy doing all sorts of testing, helping out with development of the hybrid. How different has this off-season that we’ve just nearly undergone been for you? Has it been a lot more low key? What have you been up to since you were on the racetrack in Nashville?WILL POWER: Yeah, it’s been nothing like last off-season, like you say. I think they’ve restricted testing too much. To just have one day before we start racing I think is too far — I feel like we should at least have sort of three days spaced out or something like that. You know, all you can do is get as fit as you can and sort of do all the homework you can do without driving a car really, without driving INDYCARs. Obviously there’s other things you can do. We have the simulator and so on that you can do work on. But yeah, it’s hard. It’s the same for everyone. It is. Except for the guys that are just coming in, and they probably get a little bit more testing. But yeah, it’s just the way pretty much all of motorsports has headed to save costs. Running a simulator is also — yeah, I think if you’re spending a lot of money on a sim, it would be nice just to spend some of that on actual true track testing. Q. I don’t want to assume this, but I know there’s been a lot of talk about what you may be doing beyond 2025. Was it specifically important to get that settled and have someone else deal with that for you as you enter a 2025 contract year with Team Penske, which I think we all know could get — typically gets taken care of fairly early in the season?WILL POWER: Yeah, some of that. Maybe I should have had a manager a long time ago. I think it’s just generally now, every driver has one. It’s just what drivers — drivers focus on what they do, and they have a guy taking care of even business stuff for you. It’s many things, yeah. Q. Helio is going to be running the 500 and of course has a provisional for that now. Is that something you want to do in the future given your partnership with Penske knowing you’re guaranteed for a spot now if you’d like to?WILL POWER: For what? Q. The Daytona 500.WILL POWER: Yeah, I mean, certainly open to any of those things that I haven’t done, yeah, to do at some point. It’s not really on my radar at present. I’m so focused on just specifically INDYCAR, to be ultra competitive at that. Some of that stuff I really like to watch and would love to do. Q. Talking about Josef going for three in a row, Alex going for three in a row, you’re also going for three championships. You’re the only one not named Alex Palou to win a championship since 2021, and we talked in Nashville and thought you maybe you should’ve been a little more conservative in areas, but you were going to go back and look at it. What is your thought process as we get closer to the season? How do you temper that aggression? Do you try to go back to that blueprint from your last championship or do you have to be aggressive to win this thing still?WILL POWER: It’s that sweet spot of a balance. Definitely when I look at some of those moves, when I think about Toronto, that was just worth sitting there. There’s no question in my mind. The thing that sort of suckered me into doing something like that is I had done that move multiple times even in that race because people have to brake a bit early and you’re kind of put in a position where they have to lift out. But that’s that sweet spot where you’re sitting in fifth and Palou is behind you at that point, you should be sitting there. That was a mistake. They’re the things that you’ve got to weigh up. It’s just walking that tightrope perfectly. I think if you’re too conservative in this current field you won’t get the performance you need to get the points. The field is too stacked. There will be too many people filling those gaps where you’ve just sort of let off a little bit. It’s become harder to put that together. But yeah, I would say for our speed in the second half or the last quarter of the season, we had the potential to win like three more races or something, and it just didn’t happen. I would say Palou didn’t have the outright speed and performance that those guys were sort of a little bit on the back foot, and it was sort of there for us as a team for the taking. We didn’t do it, and the team provided everything we needed to do that, and it didn’t happen. So yeah, certainly reflecting on that stuff. Q. Last year is also the first year you didn’t win a pole. A couple years ago you didn’t get a win and then you stormed back. I know it’s just a pole but also that’s an extra championship point. How important is it to get back to winning poles this coming season?WILL POWER: Yeah, I think you put yourself in a great position if you win poles. You qualify in the top 6, you put yourself in a really good position. I wasn’t heavily focused on that. I really wasn’t. In some respects I didn’t want to get poles on ovals because I think it kind of in some ways hurts you a little bit at times, just being out front in nice clean air. Car feels great, then you get put back and it takes you another sort of stint to get your head around a car in dirty air. So there’s some good and bad in that. But for sure on road courses qualifying at the very front is a big deal, which I was sort of getting more top 6s than ’23. But yeah, it’s hard to get poles these days. It really is. No one is like pumping out multi-poles in a year anymore. It’s very difficult. Very race focused. I have been more recently. But yeah, you can’t — like I said, you can say all these things, but you cannot leave anything on the table in this series anymore. There’s no place where you can go, well, be a bit conservative here; those positions will be filled anytime you are basically. Q. I know you mentioned doing Le Mans at some point —WILL POWER: Yeah. Q. But your INDYCAR performance was still really good. What is the timeline for you? Do you want to keep doing INDYCAR as long as you can?WILL POWER: I think I could be absolutely competitive for another five years if I wanted. Q. Is that the goal then to keep doing INDYCAR?WILL POWER: It’s absolutely the goal, yeah, to definitely keep rolling while I’m really competitive. I was like very competitive last year. I won three races and seven podiums. No one else in the field but McLaughlin did that. So I’m still performance really high. Yeah, if I wasn’t performing, I wouldn’t want to do it. I’m still learning. It’s crazy, but you’re still learning stuff. Q. Your longevity as a driver speaks for itself, the tremendous success you’ve had and continue to have. I can’t remember a time, though, when you weren’t driving for Verizon. The relationship, talk about what that’s been like for you individually, not just for Team Penske, and how proud you must be of that.WILL POWER: Yeah, I feel like I’ve been very fortunate in that respect, to have kept Verizon as a sponsor for — I think we’re for 16 years now. Yeah, it’s hard to do that in this sport, and there’s been a couple of different CEOs in that time. I’ve ended up having good relationships with all of them and sort of keeping them engaged in racing. Yeah, I think a lot of that is the team that I drive for. Roger is a class act, obviously, and an organization that is sponsored like that would want to be associated with — when I look at it, for me signing with Penske full time in 2010 or getting my foot in the door in 2009 was just a pivotal moment in my career. Just set me up to be able to have these performances and keep a sponsor like Verizon for that long. Yeah, I’m certainly reflective of how fortunate I am of being in a situation of driving for a team that will give you a car, that can win week in and week out and keeping that sponsor for that long. Yeah, pretty cool. I can’t be more thankful to Roger for giving me the chance that he’s given me over the years. Q. Will, it sounds like you’re really passionate about Le Mans. Has that been a key reason for the management change? It seems like you’re super keen to get over there and try and win that race.WILL POWER: Yeah, I would love to have a shot at winning that race. I’ve won the Indy 500, and when I think about those sort of opportunities, someone like Fernando Alonso certainly has a lot of good contacts in Europe. Yeah, it’s a very cool event that I haven’t been able to do yet. It’s definitely, definitely on the radar. Q. I know you said you intend to continue in INDYCAR for another five or so years. Are you happy at Team Penske, and is that where you would like to do that? From the outside I can’t see you driving for another team, but what are your hopes and how do you hope that plays out?WILL POWER: Yeah, like I said, I’ve been very lucky to drive for a team like Penske. There isn’t a better team in the series right now. The performance and the crews you’re given, everything. That’s ultimately the goal. Q. As a multi-time winner and two-time champion, presumably it is your right to call the shots as to when you wish to end your career, right?WILL POWER: Well, yeah, I mean, if I understand your question, it isn’t my choice, obviously, because I don’t own the team. It always become complicated. Obviously a lot of things that play into that. But at the end of the day if you’re winning races and you’re very strong, that’s the best defense you have against any of that stuff. Honestly, the way I performed last year, if you did the same this year — winning three races in a season in INDYCAR now is very, very difficult. The champion only won two, I believe. That’s difficult to do, and if you’re doing that, you probably should be driving in that series. You deserve a seat. Q. Verizon must have been fairly pleased with their results with you over the last however many years, 15?WILL POWER: Yeah, I’ve had some — yep. Won a 500, a couple of championships, a lot of races, a lot of poles. I’ve kept those guys on board, and I think companies like that want winners. Obviously being associated with Roger Penske, and well, and that organization is a big part of it, too.