Mobil 1 Corvettes on GTD PRO third row; AWA and DXDT Racing aiming high SEBRING, Fla. (March 14, 2025) – Corvette Racing by Pratt Miller Motorsports’ two Corvette Z06 GT3.Rs will start side-by-side Saturday on the third row of the GTD PRO class for the Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring following qualifying time trials Friday.

Antonio Garcia in the No. 3 Corvette will start fifth alongside teammate Tommy Milner in the No. 4 entry as the Corvette Racing program looks for its 13th program victory in America’s oldest sports car race. Both Pratt Miller Corvettes are running special Mobil 1 liveries this weekend and hope to recapture the magic previous years at the circuit. Garcia’s best lap was a 1:59.897 (112.296 mph) effort in the Corvette he’ll share with Alexander Sims and Daniel Juncadella. The trio was second in class to start the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship season with the Rolex 24 At Daytona. Milner was an eyelash back at 1:59.926 (112.268 mph) in the Z06 GT3.R that he will drive with Nicky Catsburg and Nico Varrone – all three previous winners at Sebring in either IMSA or FIA World Endurance Championship competition. In GTD, Salih Yoluc was the quickest Corvette driver with a 2:01.814 (110.538 mph) in DXDT Racing’s No. 36 Z06 GT3.R, just ahead of AWA’s Orey Fidani in the No. 13 Corvette at 2:02.274 (110.113 mph). Although both entries were down the order in class, they will have an advantage in the race as most teams elected to qualify their Pro-level drivers in the session. With the expected number of safety car periods, Both DXDT and AWA will be able to run their higher-ranked drivers against the Bronze drivers from other entrants. The momentum of the second-year Corvette Z06 GT3.R program is sky-high even after only two months of racing. At Daytona, AWA captured a landmark first 24-hour win for the Corvette in GTD, the No. 3 Corvette from Pratt Miller Motorsports finished second in GTD PRO and the No. 4 sister Corvette led seven times in class. In addition, the Corvette GT3 won in FIA World Endurance Championship competition for the first time with TF Sport taking the LM GT3 class victory with Juncadella as part of the driving lineup. The Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring is scheduled for 10:10 a.m. ET on Saturday, March 15. The race will air live flag-to-flag on Peacock in the United States and YouTube outside the U.S. beginning at 10 a.m. ET. IMSA Radio will have the race call on XM 206, SiriusXM Online 996, 99.9 FM in Sebring and 107.9 FM at the circuit.

SELECT CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R QUALIFYING DRIVER QUOTESANTONIO GARCIA, NO. 3 CHEVROLET CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R: “It’s not bad when you are involved in the fight for pole, for sure. So it’s not that I wasn’t going for it. I definitely liked the times we were able to start from that position, but today we probably didn’t have the ultimate pace against the cars ahead of us. But I would say car balance isn’t bad, so we kept working throughout yesterday and I think we made progress last night. It was improving, and maybe we tried a few other things in qualifying just to validate or discard toward the race. So even if the car wasn’t what I wanted it to be, I think it gave us that good information for tomorrow. I’m still happy with that. It’s not the front row. It’s the third row but I’m sure we can still win this race from there.”

TOMMY MILNER, NO. 4 CHEVROLET CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R: “Qualifying was okay. I would say probably are kind of close to everybody except really the Ferrari and the Porsche. I had a feeling just based on practice that we don’t have the ultimate pace of the other guys. We’re super heavy, so that doesn’t usually bode well for tire wear either, so we’ve been put in a box here that’s not ideal. But obviously, we’ve been in this situation multiple times, so we’ll do our best, work on the strategy and things like that toward the race. Last night was important. That’s when all the magic happens… Sebring at nighttime, good and bad. I thought our Corvette was decent last night but it’s also hard to gauge against what everybody else does with tires and things like that. They have such an impact on your pace. To be honest I feel like we certainly don’t have the fastest car and probably not even really the second- or third-fastest car. We’re down a little bit on pace. But from our side, the car feels good generally. We have a little bit of work to do, but we’re not far off. So yeah, I think for us it’s going be a strategy race tomorrow.”

OREY FIDANI, NO. 13 CHEVROLET CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R: “I’m happy with the car and the session. I think I had a little bit more left in the tank. The car just had a tad bit of understeer, so I couldn’t put it together at the end of the session. But we have a good car that will only get better once it cools down.”

CORVETTE RACING AT SEBRING: By the Numbers• 1: As in one manufacturer and one model of car for the 27th year at Sebring: Chevrolet and the Corvette• 2: Number of wins for the Corvette Z06 GT3.R already in 2025 – the Rolex 24 At Daytona in the GTD class for AWA and the FIA WEC’s 1812 Km of Qatar for TF Sport in LM GT3• 3: Tracks where Corvette Racing has competed in each of its previous 26 years: Sebring, WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca and Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta.• 4: Sebring race wins for Antonio Garcia – the most among drivers entered in this year’s 12 Hours• 4: GT class pole positions at Sebring for Oliver Gavin and Ron Fellows, tied for most in event history• 8: Sebring victories – a race record – for Johnny O’Connell, a Sebring Hall of Famer who drove for Corvette Racing from 2001-10. It includes one overall and seven class wins• 14: Number of Sebring victories for Corvette Racing – the most of any venue in program history. Twelve of those have come in the 12 Hours, including 2022 in GTD PRO• 14: Manufacturer Championships for Chevrolet and Corvette Racing since 2001• 28: Tracks at which Corvette Racing has won races – Baltimore, Charlotte Motor Speedway, COTA, Canadian Tire Motorsport Park/Mosport, Daytona, Detroit, Houston, Laguna Seca, Le Mans, Lime Rock, Long Beach, Lusail International Circuit (Qatar), Miami, Mid-Ohio, Monza, Portimão, Portland, Road America, Road Atlanta, Sebring, Sonoma, St. Petersburg, Texas, Trois Rivieres, Utah, VIR, Washington DC and Watkins Glen• 60: Number of drivers in Corvette Racing entries since 1999. TF Sport’s Jonny Edgar joined the list at the FIA WEC”s 1812 Km of Qatar in a race-winning effort• 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• 140: Victories worldwide for Corvette Racing – 117 in IMSA, nine at Le Mans, four in the FIA WEC and 10 in GT World Challenge America• 311: 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• 59,092.16: Total number of racing miles completed by Corvette Racing entries at Sebring since 1999. The program will eclipse the 60,000-mile mark when the four Corvettes combine to complete 243 laps• 410,323.38: Total number of racing miles completed by Corvette Racing entries since 1999. To put that in perspective, Corvette Racing is more than halfway to the distance traveled by Apollo 13 – the longest manned spaceflight in history: 622,268 miles Corvette Racing at Sebring International Raceway (wins in bold)1999 – No. 3 Corvette C5-R: Ron Fellows/Chris Kneifel/John Paul Jr. – 4th in GTS (Fellows pole)No. 4 Corvette C5-R: Andy Pilgrim/Scott Sharp/John Heinricy – 7th in GTS (Pilgrim fastest race lap)  2000 – No. 3 Corvette C5-R: Ron Fellows/Chris Kneifel/Justin Bell – 6th in GTS (Fellows pole)No. 4 Corvette C5-R: Andy Pilgrim/Kelly Collins/Franck Freon – 5th in GTS 2001 – No. 3 Corvette C5-R: Ron Fellows/Johnny O’Connell/Chris Kneifel – 3rd in GTSNo. 4 Corvette C5-R: Andy Pilgrim/Kelly Collins/Franck Freon – 2nd in GTS 2002 – No. 3 Corvette C5-R: Ron Fellows/Johnny O’Connell/Oliver Gavin – 1st in GTS (Fellows pole)No. 4 Corvette C5-R: Andy Pilgrim/Kelly Collins/Franck Freon – 4th in GTS 2003 – No. 3 Corvette C5-R: Ron Fellows/Johnny O’Connell/Franck Freon – 1st in GTSNo. 4 Corvette C5-R: Oliver Gavin/Kelly Collins/Andy Pilgrim – 3rd in GTS (Gavin pole) 2004 – No. 3 Corvette C5-R: Ron Fellows/Johnny O’Connell/Max Papis – 1st in GTS (Fellows pole)No. 4 Corvette C5-R: Olivier Beretta/Oliver Gavin/Jan Magnussen – 6th in GTS (Gavin fastest race lap) 2005 – No. 3 Corvette C6.R: Ron Fellows/Johnny O’Connell/Max Papis – 2nd in GT1No. 4 Corvette C6.R: Olivier Beretta/Oliver Gavin/Jan Magnussen – 3rd in GT1 2006 – No. 3 Corvette C6.R: Ron Fellows/Johnny O’Connell/Max Papis – 4th in GT1No. 4 Corvette C6.R: Olivier Beretta/Oliver Gavin/Jan Magnussen – 1st in GT1 2007 – No. 3 Corvette C6.R: Ron Fellows/Johnny O’Connell/Jan Magnussen – 2nd in GT1 (Magnussen pole, fastest race lap)No. 4 Corvette C6.R: Olivier Beretta/Oliver Gavin/Max Papis – 1st in GT1 2008 – No. 3 Corvette C6.R: Ron Fellows/Johnny O’Connell/Jan Magnussen – 1st in GT1No. 4 Corvette C6.R: Olivier Beretta/Oliver Gavin/Max Papis – 2nd in GT1 (Gavin fastest race lap) 2009 – No. 3 Corvette C6.R: Jan Magnussen/Johnny O’Connell/Antonio Garcia – 1st in GT1No. 4 Corvette C6.R: Olivier Beretta/Oliver Gavin/Marcel Fässler – 2nd in GT1 (Gavin pole, fastest race lap) 2010No. 3 Corvette C6.R: Jan Magnussen/Johnny O’Connell/Antonio Garcia – 8th in GT2No. 4 Corvette C6.R: Olivier Beretta/Oliver Gavin/Emmanuel Collard – 9th in GT2 2011 – No. 3 Corvette C6.R: Olivier Beretta/Tommy Milner/Antonio Garcia – 3rd in GTNo. 4 Corvette C6.R: Oliver Gavin/Jan Magnussen/Richard Westbrook – 4th in GT 2012 – No. 3 Corvette C6.R: Jan Magnussen/Antonio Garcia/Jordan Taylor – 2nd in GT (Magnussen pole)No. 4 Corvette C6.R: Oliver Gavin/Tommy Milner/Richard Westbrook – 3rd in GT 2013 – No. 3 Corvette C6.R: Jan Magnussen/Antonio Garcia/Jordan Taylor – 11th in GTNo. 4 Corvette C6.R: Oliver Gavin/Tommy Milner/Richard Westbrook – 1st in GT 2014 – No. 3 Corvette C7.R: Jan Magnussen/Antonio Garcia/Ryan Briscoe – 8th in GTLMNo. 4 Corvette C7.R: Oliver Gavin/Tommy Milner/Robin Liddell – 6th in GTLM (Gavin fastest race lap) 2015 – No. 3 Corvette C7.R: Jan Magnussen/Antonio Garcia/Ryan Briscoe – 1st in GTLM (Daytona/Sebring double)No. 4 Corvette C7.R: Oliver Gavin/Tommy Milner/Simon Pagenaud – 9th in GTLM 2016 – No. 3 Corvette C7.R: Jan Magnussen/Antonio Garcia/Mike Rockenfeller – 9th in GTLMNo. 4 Corvette C7.R: Oliver Gavin/Tommy Milner/Marcel Fässler – 1st in GTLM (10th Sebring team win; Daytona/Sebring double) 2017 – No. 3 Corvette C7.R: Jan Magnussen/Antonio Garcia/Mike Rockenfeller – 1st in GTLM (3rd straight Sebring team win)No. 4 Corvette C7.R: Oliver Gavin/Tommy Milner/Marcel Fässler – 10th in GTLM 2018 – No. 3 Corvette C7.R: Jan Magnussen/Antonio Garcia/Mike Rockenfeller – 8th in GTLMNo. 4 Corvette C7.R: Oliver Gavin/Tommy Milner/Marcel Fässler – 6th in GTLM 2019 – No. 3 Corvette C7.R: Jan Magnussen/Antonio Garcia/Mike Rockenfeller – 3rd in GTLMNo. 4 Corvette C7.R: Oliver Gavin/Tommy Milner/Marcel Fässler – 8th in GTLMNo. 63 Corvette C7.R: Jan Magnussen/Antonio Garcia/Mike Rockenfeller – 8th in GTE Pro (FIA WEC) 2020* – No. 3 Corvette C8.R: Antonio Garcia/Jordan Taylor – 2nd in GTLM (Taylor pole)No. 4 Corvette C8.R: Oliver Gavin/Tommy Milner – 1st in GTLM 2020 – No. 3 Corvette C8.R: Antonio Garcia/Jordan Taylor/Nicky Catsburg – 5th in GTLM (Garcia pole, Catsburg fastest race lap)No. 4 Corvette C8.R: Oliver Gavin/Tommy Milner/Marcel Fässler – 6th in GTLM 2021 – No. 3 Corvette C8.R: Antonio Garcia/Jordan Taylor/Nicky Catsburg – 4th in GTLM (Taylor pole, Garcia fastest race lap)No. 4 Corvette C8.R: Tommy Milner/Nick Tandy/Alexander Sims – 5th in GTLM 2022 – No. 3 Corvette C8.R: Antonio Garcia/Jordan Taylor/Nicky Catsburg – 1st in GTD PRO (IMSA)No. 64 Corvette C8.R: Tommy Milner/Nick Tandy – 2nd in GTE PRO (FIA WEC) 2023 – No. 3 Corvette C8.R: Antonio Garcia/Jordan Taylor/Tommy Milner – 5th in GTD PRO (IMSA)No. 33 Corvette C8.R: Nicky Catsburg/Ben Keating/Nico Varrone – 1st in GTE Am (FIA WEC) 2024 – No. 3 Corvette Z06 GT3.R: Antonio Garcia/Alexander Sims/Daniel Juncadella – 10th in GTD PRONo. 4 Corvette Z06 GT3.R: Tommy Milner/Nicky Catsburg/Earl Bamber – 11th in GTD PRONo. 13 Corvette Z06 GT3.R: Matt Bell/Orey Fidani/Lars Kern – 9th in GTDNo. 17 Corvette Z06 GT3.R: Nico Varrone/Anthony Mantella/Thomas Merrill – 22nd in GTD * Two-hour, 40-minute race

The Series rookie grabbed a personal-best World of Outlaws finish at Magnolia during what’s been a strong beginningKENNEDALE, TX (March 13, 2025) – Not long ago, Zach Hampton was selling his equipment, unsure of the direction of his Sprint Car career. He knew there was a chance he might not be in a Sprint Car in 2025, but how quickly things can change.Hampton linked with Bill Rose Racing for his debut season with the World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Cars, and he’s fresh off a run that put his six fellow rookies on notice.Saturday at Magnolia Motor Speedway began on a low note for the Mooresville, IN native as rear-end troubles knocked him out of the Heat Race, but it was all up from there. He started last in the Last Chance Showdown and advanced to fourth to transfer. Then, in the Feature, he took the No. 6 all the way from 22nd to seventh for his first top 10 with The Greatest Show on Dirt. A run that has Hampton even more ready for the tour’s next stop this weekend in Texas at Kennedale Speedway Park.“It obviously feels great,” Hampton said. “It’s a huge confidence boost for both Bill and I. I feel like we were progressively getting better every night leading up to that. I don’t think either of us expected that run, especially after blowing up a rear-end in the Heat Race then going from the back of the LCS to a transfer. We were decent in the LCS but nothing crazy. It all just kind of went my way in the Feature.”The night marked a culmination of recent strides Hampton and Rose have made. It’s a dynamic both sides are still adjusting to. Injuries in recent years have forced Rose into a crew chief role from time to time, but his experience behind the wheel still far outweighs his time only on the wrenches. For Hampton, he’s accustomed to driving and calling his own shots, so he’s still finding the fine line of how much feedback to offer Rose on the car’s direction.“It’s definitely different,” Hampton said. “I’ve been doing it the last couple years and my first two years on my own. It’s a big learning curve, I think, for Bill transitioning from mostly a driver to a crew chief. And it’s a big change for me to go from both to just focusing on being the driver, not having the input on what changes we make.”Even with those challenges, there’s another side that’s greatly benefitted Hampton. Not having to worry about setting up the car and the day-today maintenance has kept him sharp. He can get a little extra sleep. He can focus on one job and one job only – driving the race car.“It’s an insane amount of pressure lifted,” Hampton noted. “It’s definitely weird even throughout the week and in between nights. Unless something happens and they need me like when we blew up the rear-end I’m there to help, but on the normal operations I’m not working on it. I can sleep in a little bit later. Drivers get hate for that, but there’s no need to be up at 7 a.m. So, being able to sleep in a little bit later, be less tired at the end of the night, and just not have to have all those other thoughts and so much going on, it makes it so much easier.”Hampton also had a little fun on social media after Saturday’s charge. He opened X (formerly Twitter) to share his thoughts and couldn’t help but note his “haters have been uncharacteristically quiet lately.”Like many racers, Hampton is one who’s faced criticism online. But his run over the weekend brought overwhelming support.“It absolutely can be pretty brutal,” Hampton admitted. “I would say I read a lot even when there’s negative stuff only because I’m pretty good at going, ‘This person is either fake, or they rarely know what they’re talking about.’ It can be brutal, and nobody wants to read that stuff about themselves, but the positivity was definitely nice to read. It’s always nice to have a little bit of affirmation, support, or positivity from other people feeling happy for myself or for Bill and I. It’s always nice to have a little bit on the outside, especially in a place that’s usually a lot more dark and gloomy.”Looking ahead, Hampton isn’t getting ahead of himself. The personal-best run with the World of Outlaws was nice, but there’s a long season ahead. He doesn’t want Magnolia to be the highlight of his season. He wants a year defined by progression with many moments to be proud of.“It’s definitely exciting, and I’m looking forward to it and happy with the progress we’ve made,” Hampton said. “But I think we’ve got to keep doing what we have been doing, which is just trying to improve even just one thing every night, whether it’s on the track or with the trailer organization or preparedness. I think if we can make one thing better every night, then we can keep trending in the right direction and by the end of the year we can have a better foundation.”Hampton’s rookie World of Outlaws campaign continues with a two-week trip to Texas beginning with this weekend’s Cowtown Classic (March 14-15) at Kennedale Speedway Park. Then it’s south to Paige, TX’s Cotton Bowl Speedway for the Federated Auto Parts Texas Two-Step on March 21-22. For tickets, CLICK HERE.For the complete 2025 schedule, CLICK HERE.If you can’t make it to the track, catch every lap live on DIRTVision.ARTICLE: https://worldofoutlaws.com/sprintcars/one-thing-better-zach-hampton-on-impressive-start-team-dynamic-silencing-critics/EVENT INFO: https://worldofoutlaws.com/sprintcars/schedule/event-info/?event=4547713 TRACK INFO: https://worldofoutlaws.com/sprintcars/tracks/?track=Kennedale%2BSpeedway%2BParkFAN 101: https://about.worldofoutlaws.com/

Force Looking Forward to Addressing New Challenges as Team Owner

BROWNSBURG, Ind. (March 13, 2025) – Robert Hight confirmed Thursday that he is stepping down as President of John Force Racing, confident that the company is in capable hands moving forward. “I had 30 great years at JFR,” Hight said. “But being out of the car last year made me realize there are other things I want to do, especially with my wife Leslie and my family.  John opened so many doors for me and I’m just glad I was there to help him and the company through everything that happened last year.” The 55-year-old Hight began his career as a crew member on Force’s championship-winning Funny Car in 1995. Later he was the Facilities Manager at JFR before becoming the company’s first designated test driver in 2004. He made his competitive driving debut in 2005, winning in just his fourth career start. Force promoted him to company president in 2011.   Driving primarily for crew chief Jimmy Prock, Hight won 65 tour events and Funny Car World Championships in 2009, 2017 and 2019. He was runner-up to Matt Hagan in his final season (2023) before being sidelined with a medical issue in 2024. The driver who replaced him, Prock’s youngest son Austin, won the championship last season. “Family is everything,” Force said. “So as much as I’ll miss Robert, I understand that he has some other things he wants to do. He was a big part of the success of John Force Racing for more than 25 years. I love him and I wish him well in whatever he decides to do. Down the line, we’ll name a new President, but right now we’ve got a great team in place and I’m looking forward to working closer with everyone.   “We just signed new deals with PEAK, Cornwell Tools and HendrickCars.com,” said the Hall of Fame team owner and driver. “And I’m really excited about being back at the track with all of them, with our race teams and with all our other partners including Chevrolet and Monster. “Jimmy and Thomas Prock, Nate Hildahl, my son-in-law Daniel Hood, Chris Cunningham, Tim Fabrisi, David Grubnic and John Collins. That’s our brain trust,” Force said. “They run the race cars, but they also work with Sam Fabiano at Force American Made, our company in Brownsburg (Ind.) that makes all our parts, everything from chassis to engine blocks to cylinder heads to superchargers. It’s why we stay on top.  “With Robert leaving, Bob McAleer will be my go-to guy,” Force said, referring to JFR’s Brownsburg-based Director of Business Operations. “He already works closely with our partners. Now, he’ll be working with me a lot more, and with the brain trust, to keep this machine firing on all cylinders.”

The North Pole Nightmare drives by Macedo and survives Gravel’s late charge for popular victory

EASTABOGA, AL (March 7, 2025) – There might’ve been small earthquakes registered on the Richter scale in Alaska and Wisconsin on Friday night thanks to Bill Balog.

Balog did it. He finally made his way back to World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Victory Lane at Talladega Short Track, and the entire sport united in joy for the 45-year-old. Not a single fan disapproved. Not a single competitor wasn’t happy for their fellow driver.

After snowmobile racing in his youth and not getting in a Sprint Car until 20 years old, the Hartland, WI resident by way of North Pole, AK scratched and clawed and built a career in the sport. He racked up 10 Interstate Racing Association (IRA) titles and made the choice last year to join The Greatest Show on Dirt. This win was a culmination of that decision.

Sure, he had a previous World of Outlaws win under his belt, but that was as a local defending home turf in 2016 at Beaver Dam Raceway. This was in unfamiliar territory. Balog had just one prior Talladega race on his résumé. This was charging forward from fourth. This was holding off defending Series champion David Gravel. This win was everything.

“It’s unbelievable,” Balog said. “I can’t tell you how hard these things are to win. I’ve been doing this a long time, on and off with the Outlaws and stuff. Just unbelievable. We had a great car. We made the right decisions. I didn’t think we were quite good enough there a couple times throughout the night in the Heat Race and Dash. So, we did a couple things we do at other tracks with similar shapes.”

The “North Pole Nightmare” had to earn this victory by giving everything he had behind the wheel. A hungry Cole Macedo led the field to green in search of his first World of Outlaws win. Sprint Car titans Logan Schuchart and Carson Macedo started ahead of Balog in second and third. He wheeled his way by all of them by Lap 17 after a thrilling duel with Cole Macedo to secure the top spot.

But it was far from over. Gravel and his Big Game Motorsports team are at the top of the sport right now, and the No. 2 grabbed the runner-up spot on Lap 23, but Balog couldn’t be rattled. He stayed smooth, hit his marks, and held off the champion for his first World of Outlaws win in 3,177 days.

“I think we were just a little bit better kind of there through the middle,” Balog said of the early battle with Macedo. “He wasn’t going to cut under me. We were just really good on entry and could kind of baby it through the middle, and with our HP Engine, we could step on the gas and it would just go. It was awesome.”

Gravel settled for the runner-up spot as he and the Tod Quiring-owned team continue their early season tear. The Watertown, CT native has been on the podium in six of this season’s seven races, and the one time he wasn’t he finished fourth. His average finish is 2.29.

“I saw Bill move up the racetrack, and it worked out really well for him,” Gravel said. “Everybody was just around the bottom, so I tried it as well and got a couple guys. Man, those two lapped cars were hitting the bottom just good enough that I couldn’t clear them. Once I got clear of them, it seemed like the track kind of cleaned up and was officially one lane on the bottom. I felt like when Bill made those moves the track was still multiple grooves. We were just a little too late.”

Completing the podium was Logan Schuchart and the Shark Racing crew. They continue to piece together the foundations of a bounce back campaign after a subpar 2024. The third place effort marked their fourth podium of 2025, which already surpassed the total they had all of last year.

“It’s nice to be in the mix running around there with Cole for a little bit,” Schuchart said. “I knew I probably wasn’t going to get him in open air, but I was hoping once we got to traffic I could move around a little bit. That restart when Bill drove around the outside of me in (Turns) 3 and 4, I knew he was really good because he was floating the middle of (Turns) 1 and 2. I think I tried it one lap, tried to get the wing back a little bit and float the middle, and I definitely didn’t feel the same way that he looked.”

Brothers Cole Macedo and Carson Macedo completed the top five.

Chris Windom earned his second consecutive KSE Racing Hard Charger.

David Gravel claimed his third consecutive Simpson Quick Time in Honest Abe Roofing Qualifying.

NOS Energy Drink Heats One and Two belonged to David Gravel and Carson Macedo. WIX Filters Heat Three went to Bill Balog.

Cole Macedo topped the Toyota Dash after receiving the SPA Technique #1 Redraw.

Giovanni Scelzi won the Micro-Lite Last Chance Showdown.

The Smith Titanium Brake Systems Break of the Race went to Chelby Hinton.

UP NEXT: The World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Cars complete a weekend in the “Dirty South” on Saturday, March 8 at Columbus, MS’s Magnolia Motor Speedway. For tickets, CLICK HERE.

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

FEATURE RESULTS:

NOS Energy Drink Feature (35 Laps): 1. 17B-Bill Balog[4]; 2. 2-David Gravel[5]; 3. 1S-Logan Schuchart[2]; 4. 2C-Cole Macedo[1]; 5. 41-Carson Macedo[3]; 6. 15-Donny Schatz[8]; 7. 83-Michael Kofoid[7]; 8. 14-Spencer Bayston[6]; 9. 55-Hunter Schuerenberg[9]; 10. 99-Skylar Gee[10]; 11. 19-Brent Marks[15]; 12. 17-Sheldon Haudenschild[13]; 13. 23-Garet Williamson[11]; 14. 6-Zach Hampton[16]; 15. 9-Kasey Kahne[12]; 16. 7S-Chris Windom[22]; 17. 39M-Anthony Macri[14]; 18. 28M-Conner Morrell[20]; 19. 18-Giovanni Scelzi[19]; 20. 88-Austin McCarl[23]; 21. 32-Bryce Lucius[17]; 22. 73-Logan Julien[24]; 23. 40-Howard Moore[18]; 24. G6-Chelby Hinton[21]

(Pictured: Dallas Daniels #32 and Briar Bauman #3) DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (March 7, 2025) – Dallas Daniels (No. 32 Estenson Racing Yamaha MT-07 DT) opened his 2025 Grand National Championship campaign in perfect double-victory fashion by completing the Royal Enfield Short Track at DAYTONA I & II sweep on Friday night. However, he was forced to do so in a manner that yet again promised an incredible Progressive American Flat Track season, sanctioned by AMA Pro Racing, to come.  After stealing Thursday’s victory from Briar Bauman (No. 3 RWR/Parts Plus/Latus Motors Harley-Davidson XG750R) despite struggling pretty much all day long, Daniels was more in his expected Mission AFT SuperTwins title favorite form throughout Friday’s program.  Daniels continued that trend by breaking free early in the Main Event while Bauman found himself caught up in a four-rider melee that also included Henry Wiles (No. 911 J&M Logging/Ray C’s Harley-Davidson Kawasaki Ninja 650), Sammy Halbert (No. 69 OnlyFans/Castrol Kawasaki Ninja 650), and Davis Fisher (No. 67 Rackley Racing/Bob Lanphere’s BMC Racing KTM 790 Duke).  By the time Bauman established himself in second, Daniels had a cushion of nearly 1.4 seconds at the front. But just when Bauman started to whittle away at that advantage, he was forced to play defense after Fisher came charging up in third. That chase/defend accordion continued to play out in both directions, with Bauman freed up again when Wiles closed on Fisher from fourth.  But Bauman’s golden opportunity to give the XG750R its maiden premier-class win didn’t come until the leaders hit traffic – the exact situation that cost him Thursday’s win with their positioned swapped.   And in fact, the RWR star managed to momentarily grab the lead with just 20 seconds remaining on the clock. However, his Estenson Racing Yamaha-mounted rival countered in the very next turn and managed to hold his adversary at bay over the final two laps to prevent the reversal of fortunes.  Daniels said, “Man, I thought last night was the toughest I ever had to ride, but I think tonight beat that. I had a really good night going – won the heat race, won the (Mission #2Fast2Tasty Challenge). I was feeling really good. I got a really good start and was out front. But I could just feel the pressure coming in. I was keeping an eye out, and I knew he was getting closer and closer… It was just such a nailbiter. Brian rode a hell of a race, gave me a good battle, and it was super fun.”  Fisher came home in third, equaling his ‘24 podium total in the season’s opening week. Combined with his Thursday fourth, Daytona proved a seamless transition for Fisher who was expected to take more time to come to grips with his Rackley Racing KTM after spending the previous seven seasons on an Indian.  The experienced duo of Wiles and Halbert earned fourth and fifth, respectively, pushing down a handful of strong title contenders in the process. That list was headlined by Brandon Robinson (No. 44 Mission Roof Systems Harley-Davidson XG750R), who took sixth, and Jarod VanDerKooi (No. 20 Fastrack Racing/Wally Brown Racing KTM 790 Duke), who finished seventh.  Dan Bromley (No. 62 Memphis Shades/Vinson Construction Suzuki GSX-8S) returned to action after suffering a laceration to his foot on Thursday and did so most impressively with an eighth-place result aboard his Suzuki.   Meanwhile, Trent Lowe (No. 48 American Honda/Progressive Insurance Honda Transalp) and Max Whale (No. 18 Moto Anatomy X Powered by Royal Enfield 650) made it a remarkable seven different manufacturers in the race’s top ten as the premier class’ new production-only ruleset shine in their debut.  Daniels has the early title advantage following Rounds 1 & 2 after grabbing the maximum of 46 points in Daytona. He’s followed by Bauman at 38 with Fisher and Wiles locked even in third at 30.  AFT Singles presented by KICKER  24 hours spent by the field hoping to find a solution to combat the Thursday form of reigning-but-not-defending AFT Singles presented by KICKER champion Kody Kopp (No. 1 Bob Lanphere/KTM/Fastrack Racing KTM 450 SX-F) ultimately proved fruitless. In fact, the class’ three-time champ was even more dominant on Friday night.  An increase in the level of difficulty with the track’s surface and visibility only served to widen the margin separating Kopp from his would-be challengers. Operating on another level, the new Talent Cup competitor was quite easily the fastest rider in every practice and qualifying session and then won both his heat and the 1st Impressions AFT Singles Challenge going away.  The only hitch in his evening was a shock crash he suffered while working the sighting lap ahead of the Main Event. No worries – Kopp popped back up, straightened out his handlebars, grabbed the holeshot, and pulled an immediate gap at the front.  Up by 1.5 seconds in the race’s opening minute, Kopp continued to pile it before finally taking the checkered flag with nearly five seconds in hand.  Already the all-time winningest rider in AFT Singles history, Kopp came into the week with 21 wins to his name and leaves Daytona with a career tally of 23. That puts him four victories up on second-ranked Shayna Texter-Bauman and a full ten ahead of the next closest riders (premier-class ace Daniels and ‘19 class champ Gauthier).  Five of those wins came here in Daytona. After earning the latest of those triumphs, he said, “I’ve never won a race after crashing on the sight lap! There’s a first for everything. That start was hectic because my lever was bent to the moon, so I couldn’t really feel anything. But we straightened it out and went for it. I couldn’t ask for a better week to come back and have some fun with the boys. Now it’s time to go lean on the asphalt and keep learning over there.”  Even beyond Kopp’s runaway, the contest was a rather processional one; the entire top five – Chase Saathoff (No. 88 RWR/Parts Plus Honda CRF450R), Tom Drane (No. 59 Estenson Racing Yamaha YZ450F), Dalton Gauthier (No. 79 D&D Certified Racing KTM 450 SX-F), and Bradon Pfanders (No. 83 Hannum’s HD/Pfanders Racing KTM 450 SX-F) – ran their own races pretty much throughout.  There was more significant (and more typical) fighting further down the field. Tyler Raggio (No. 55 Raggio/Sluggo/Unsettled Racing KTM 450 SX-F) held off Trevor Brunner (No. 21 American Honda/Mission Foods CRF450R), while Tarren Santero (No. 75 Mission Roof Systems Honda CRF450R) slashed his way up from the back of the field after being forced to burn his provisional start in the season’s opening week.  Evan Renshaw (No. 65 1st Impressions Race Team Husqvarna FC450) was the final rider remaining on the lead lap in ninth, while rookie Ethan Kitchen (No. 105 Lucky Thumb M/C Yamaha YZ450F) rounded out the top ten.  Even though Kopp technically leads with a perfect 46-point opener, the effective title lead falls to Drane, who put together a solid effort to open his ‘25 title campaign with 35 points. Gauthier is next with 30, one point up on championship hopeful Saathoff at 29.  Meanwhile, in the Royal Enfield Build. Train. Race. (BTR) Main Event, Taia Little (No. 11 Royal Enfield/Parts Unlimited) got her revenge in the rematch, narrowly fending off Thursday winner Emma Gottsch (No. 5 Royal Enfield/Parts Unlimited) to take the checkered flag first. Mya Maffei (No. 28 Royal Enfield) completed the podium in third.  Next Up:  The 2025 Progressive American Flat Track season will resume in three weeks’ time with the Yamaha Senoia Short Trackon Saturday, March 29 at Senoia Raceway in Senoia, Georgia. Visit https://www.tixr.com/groups/americanflattrack/events/senoia-short-track-122449 to secure your tickets today.  For those that can’t catch the live action from the circuit, FloRacing is the live streaming home of Progressive AFT. Sign up now and catch every second of on-track action starting with Practice & Qualifying and ending with the Victory Podium at the end of the night at https://flosports.link/aft.

Photography: John Force Racing / Auto Imagery / Gary Nastase

BECKMAN GETS PROVISIONAL NO. 1 IN PEAK CHEVYBrittany Takes Monster Energy to No. 6; Prock 15th After First Day at Gainesville

GAINESVILLE, Fla. (March 7, 2025) – Racing on the track that is home to Frank Hawley’s Drag Racing School for whom he has been a driving instructor for more than 20 years, Jack Beckman drove the PEAK Antifreeze and Coolant Chevrolet SS to a best time of 3.832 seconds at 334.65 miles per hour Friday to claim the provisional No. 1 qualifying position for Sunday’s 56th annual NHRA Gatornationals. Teammate Austin Prock, the reigning NHRA Mission Foods Funny Car Champion and Gainesville track record holder at 3.820 seconds, struggled mightily and finished the first day in the No. 15 position in his national record-holding Cornwell Tools Chevy SS at a pedestrian 4.231 seconds at 206.10 mph. Prock, who begins defense of his Mission Foods Funny Car Championship on the same track on which his grandfather, Tom, was the Funny Car runner-up at the 1975 Gatornationals, will have two opportunities on Saturday to improve his starting position. “When the season ended last year, I wasn’t sure if I’d be back,” Beckman said of his status after subbing in for an injured John Force over the last eight races of the 2024 season. “I thought I’d get the nod, but I wasn’t sure (so) I can’t put into words how awesome it is to be strapped into John Force’s PEAK Funny Car and have John walk by and give you a thumbs up before they fire it up. I am unbelievably lucky. “Tonight, there was a part of me that expected to see someone run 3.81,” said the 35-time Funny Car winner. “But I’m happy with a 3.83. We were low of both sessions in completely different conditions.”   Riding a wave of momentum generated in a jaw-dropping performance during pre-race testing, two-time Top Fuel World Champion Brittany Force drove her Monster Energy dragster to the provisional No. 6 qualifying position on the first day at 3.696 seconds, 331.77 mph. After throwing down the gauntlet in Wednesday testing when she accelerated to 302.69 miles per hour in the first 660 feet, the fastest speed ever at that distance, Brittany was slightly less spectacular on Friday but still will be one of the favorites in Saturday’s fourth Right Trailers All-Star Top Fuel Callout, a bonus race in which she was runner-up in both 2022 and 2024. She will oppose Justin Ashley in the first round. “We got two qualifying runs in today,” said the 17-time tour winner and former Rookie-of-the-Year. “Our first run put us third. That last run, the track was tricky (and) we didn’t get down (so) we’re currently sitting sixth. But we got one good run under our belt. We get two more qualifying, getting ready-for-race day runs Saturday, potentially three with the Right Trailers All-Star Callout, before we go into racing on Sunday.” Prock appeared to be on his way to besting Beckman’s pacesetting time of 3.873 seconds in the first round of qualifying when his Cornwell Chevy suffered a broken rear end that cost him five penalty points and precipitated a two-hour long cleanup effort on the part of the NHRA Safety Safari. “Tough day at the racetrack,” Prock said. “We had a pretty significant failure that was totally out of our control in Q1. The car was flying, we were going to have about four hundredths on the field if it would have made it, but the rear end let go and I’m lucky I’m safe.  “Everything that the NHRA has done, and Force American Made (has done) to make these cars safer back there definitely helps. I got out lucky there. It could have been much worse,” said the eight-time Funny Car winner and former NHRA Rookie-of-the-Year (2019).  “I’m just happy to be OK after that. Obviously, we had a lot of work to do in between rounds and NHRA had a lot of work to do to the racetrack as well,” said the man who began his driving career in oval racing. “We got the racecar all bolted back together and everything was functioning properly (but) when you get put in a situation like that where you kind of have to lay up, we wanted to make sure it went (down the track) so we slowed it up and it was just too much.” Racing full-time for the first time since 2020, Beckman is hoping to get his second career win at Gainesville (he won in 2018) and secure his third victory since taking over the controls of the PEAK Chevy last August in relief of the team’s founder who continues to provide moral support to his sponsors and teams while recovering from the Traumatic Brain Injury he suffered in a crash at Richmond, Va.   Driving a PEAK performer prepared by Daniel Hood, Chris Cunningham and a crew led by Tim Fabrisi, Beckman has won two of his last four starts including the 2024 season-ending In-N-Out Finals in Pomona, Calif.   “It’s pretty cool to be sitting No. 1 on Friday night,” said the U.S. Air Force veteran and cancer survivor. “Interesting deal. New visor, new helmet. I pull up there and the right side of the windshield is fogging up. I can’t see the pre-stage and stage lights. Everything is a haze. I flip my visor up and I’m like ‘ah, well it’s the visor.’   “So, you breathe in, breathe out, Frank Hawley school stuff. I put my visor down, I’m rolling in and I pre-stage and it starts fogging again and I’m like, well ‘Dan (Wilkerson) is already staged, I’m not going to hang him out,’” he recalled. “So, I went in and every time this PEAK squad sticks this car right down the lane. Piece of cake.”

NASCAR CUP SERIES PHOENIX RACEWAY TEAM CHEVY DRIVER QUOTES MARCH 7, 2025

Katherine Legge met with the media onsite at Phoenix Raceway in advance of her NASCAR Cup Series debut in Sunday’s Shriners Children’s 500.

MEDIA RESOURCES: Photo Gallery | Race AdvancesChevrolet Newsroom

Media Availability Quotes: What are you looking to accomplish as we get set for practice and qualifying, and the race?“Thank you for having me, first. Second, I don’t think it’s been a very long lead up. It’s been a very intense lead up. I’ve literally known about doing this race for about 10 days, maybe. I sat with the NASCAR folks in Atlanta and asked them what I needed to do in order to be licensed in NASCAR. I have to start on a short track, and so here I am. Very happy to be here. Very happy that BJ (McLeod) and Live Fast gave me the opportunity. I’ve spent the majority of the week in North Carolina driving the simulator. RCR was kind enough to let me on their static sim, and Chevy was kind enough to put me in the DIL, the motion sim. Hendrick was really cool. They let me do pit stop practice and Kaulig has been super awesome, so I feel well-supported and as prepared as I possibly can having never driven on an oval like this, a NextGen car. I’ve done a handful of stock car races in my career, so I feel like I’m either going to sink or swim, but everybody has given me the best possible opportunity to go out there and do a good job.” Talk about your love of racing and where it comes from…“I don’t know where it comes from but it’s definitely inherent in me. I grew up racing go karts. I wanted to be a Formula 1 driver, but then I ended up in open wheel and found a love for Sportscar racing. I loved doing the Xfinity races I did and wanted to do more stock car racing. I got the opportunity to do the Chili Bowl, so I did it. It was really cool. It was a really cool experience. I figured the more things I do, the better I’ll become. Everything teaches you something, but I do feel I have one of the most diverse careers in racing. Literally, you name it, I’ve driven it. I’ve driven Formula E. I’ve driven prototypes. I’ve driven so many different forms of racing. I feel like this is the one I really wanted to do that’s eluded me. I just love it. It’s in my blood. I think, you know how they say your job should not be your identity? Well, this is 100 percent my identity. I’m just a racing driver. I don’t know where I’d be without it. I love it so much. I love everything about it. I love the driving. I love the comradery. I love the competition with everybody else. I love the competition with yourself. I love the technical elements of it and figuring out what to do to make your race car go fast. I love the strategy. Literally every aspect of it makes me want to get out of bed in the morning. I just love it.” Talk about not making your debut on a road course, or if that’s been discussed?“Yes. I think I would’ve felt a whole different level of comfort if I had been at COTA this past weekend. We spoke about it; it was just really tough to get it done in the timeframe. So, we were in Atlanta and NASCAR said you could do COTA or Phoenix. I was like COTA, COTA would be great, but there was just no way to get everything done and get the car ready for COTA. Unfortunately, that didn’t happen, but fortunately here I am at Phoenix.” What does the preparations you’ve made in the time you’ve had do to your expectations?“I think expectations aside, if I can tell you what my goals and hopes are. That’s basically finish all of the laps. I want to do a good job and minimizing mistakes because everybody makes mistakes, but I really want to minimize them. I want to stay out of trouble and show respect and prove that I belong. I think if I do those things, I think I will get the opportunity to do more.” Do you see yourself running more races this year? Is that the ultimate goal?“That would be awesome, yeah. I would love to do that. I don’t think that we have any expectation that we’re going to go out and be competitive. I think if we finish anything but last, that would be a win for us honestly because I don’t have the experience that any of these guys have. I don’t have the car at the moment that’s capable of going and running up in front, so hopefully we can develop me and the car and everything else at the same time and we can get there.” In talking more of doing these races, does that mean INDYCAR is off the table this year, or the Indy 500?“Nope. It doesn’t mean that. I would say that I’m hopeful to do more INDYCAR races.” Indy 500?“I would love to. Let’s see.” You’re the first female driver in Cup since Danica (Patrick). Is there any sense of pride?“It’s disappointing that there aren’t more women in INDYCAR, NASCAR, Cup. (In) Sportscars, there’s really been kind of a gap. There was Sarah Fisher and Danica (Patrick) and me and Simona (de Silvestro) and a bunch of good drivers in that era. Then there’s been this gap, this lull, and so when I stop racing, or maybe alongside it but definitely focused when I want to stop racing, I’d love to bring up the next generation. I think there’s only a handful of us that have those shared, lived experiences, and I think that my experience might be valuable in helping them navigate it. Everybody says, ‘What’s it like to be a girl in racing?’ and I don’t know, because I only have my own experience. I don’t know what it’s like to be a boy in racing. So, I know what my journey has been, and I know that it’s gone for me, and it’s gone against me, and I know where the struggles are. I know mentally what you have to do to overcome those struggles, and so, I think, to me it just is I would much rather people just saw me as another racecar driver on merit, but that’s not reality and I’m not immune or blind to the fact it has helped me in ways too. I’m just going to go out there and be Katherine and do the very best that I can.” It’s a tough balance in earning respect and getting experience for yourself. How do you balance those two things?“That is one of my main concerns, I would say. I want to be respectful of the leaders and stay out of the way, because it’s going to happen inevitably. But I also am worried once you get out of the rhythm and you have people constantly passing you, then you’re always going slower. You’re never going at your limit, so you don’t really get to feel what the actual race is like. I don’t know yet. We’ve gone over it, saying stay in the second lane, let them go underneath you. I’ve got a great spotter. I haven’t met him yet, but apparently, he’s awesome, (David) Pepper. I think that will be a challenge. I will say this, and it will go for every form of motorsport – the guys at the back are working way harder than the guys at the front. Because the cars that you get when you’re in a Penske or a Ganassi in INDYCAR, whatever it may be over here that’s uber-competitive, it’s so much easier to be at the front than it is to be at the back. I know that a lot of them have paid their dues by driving in that position, and so that I think that they will respect that if I respect what they’re trying to achieve too.” Talk more about the quick process from Atlanta to here, and when you talk about trying to get comfortable and get the experience, would it have made sense or why is it so important to be here as opposed to maybe later in the month like at Martinsville?“That’s a great question. There is absolutely no reason however, when I talk to other drivers and teams in NASCAR and people that were helping me, they said this is the best track for me to learn at and going to somewhere like Martinsville would be terrifying. I don’t know whether that’s true or not, but I take their advice, right? I don’t know what I don’t know, so when someone says to me, then I do what I’m told.” Have you met BJ (McLeod) and Jessica or what do you think of them?“Such a good dude. They’re both awesome people. I mean, they hustle, and you have to respect their love for the sport, and they want it so badly. They do everything they can to be here, and I think that that kind of embodies how I feel about it sometimes too. You don’t always have the money or the equipment, but you love racing so you do what you can and try and build on that and improve. I think he’s the same.” Was there any inclination with this being Women’s History Month and we’ve got to get this going for March?“No. You know what? I’m going to admit this now and I probably shouldn’t use these words, but I’m going to anyway. I said, ‘Oh, I’m going to fly under the radar for my first Cup race,’ right? Nobody is going to notice. We’ll be in the back. We’ll chill. We’ll get NASCAR permission and then someone said ‘Oh, it’s International Women’s Day Saturday.” There’s no way I’m flying under the radar. No, we did not take that into consideration and here I am in front of you guys.” On your meeting at Cosworth and where you are now…“I think when you want something badly enough, you find a way to make it happen, and so I think I just kind of clawed and tried and did everything I could to get as many opportunities as I could. I’ve honestly driven some really bad cars that I probably shouldn’t have driven. I nicknamed one the car ‘almost certain death.’ You have to do what you have to do to get here. My father’s not well here but wishes he was, but we didn’t have a million dollars to spend on the best teams and the best equipment and working our way through the ranks to showcase my talent. I had to do a bit of everything, and sometimes it worked out and sometimes it didn’t. I never had a backup plan. I always had to go from opportunity to opportunity and make the most of it. My whole career, my whole life has been that kind of rollercoaster. You know what? I honestly wouldn’t have it any other way. I think when it’s hard, you appreciate it so much more. If you really had to dig in and work through it, then it means so much to you. I’ve had a hell of a life and a hell of a career so far, and I sit here ready to go run a Cup race. I’m such a dork. I did a picture of the garage with my name on it because it’s so cool. I’m grateful for the journey I’ve had, and I wake up every morning realizing how lucky I am” You mentioned this track is so unique. What makes is so unique for someone who hasn’t run here before or run a Gen 7 car before?“I think you’ll need to ask me that after a run on the track because I don’t know but I can tell you from the sim, it’s very different from one end to the other. I’ve got a couple of friends in NASCAR, luckily. I’ve been friends with AJ Allmendinger for 20 years. We ran Champ Car back in the day, and I’ve got a good friend in Andy Lally who lives just down the road from me. So, I’ve made both of them try and teach me everything they know in the space of 20 minutes and sit and watch video and watch in-car and old races. They’ve both said how awesome this track is, and how the different grooves develop over the race. Andy was also talking about the black stuff they put down around the outside they’re not going to do this time, I’m not sure. There’s the dogleg that you can cut as well, and all the things. It’s just a really unique place and it’s a really cool setting. The racing is always so good here. It’s a place where I can move out of the way, right, if I need to. So, I think that’s important. It’s wide. Hopefully, sunny.” Have you, or do you, know many of the other competitors? Is there anyone you might seek out?“It may not seem like it, but I’m kind of shy. I’m not like the person who just goes off and says ‘Hey, whoever you are, I’m Katherine.’ It’s like my first day at school, you know? It’s like if you’re starting a new job, but it’s doing the job that you’ve been doing for a long time but it’s in a new environment. You have to figure out who your coworkers are, make friends, and you have to figure out where the bathrooms are. Where’s credentials? I have no idea where it is coming in here. It’s all the auxiliary stuff that I don’t know that I don’t know. Everybody has been so friendly, so nice. It’s been such a really cool, supportive paddock, honestly. So many have been helping me this week. It’s made my heart very happy. I’m sure I’ll meet the other drivers, and hopefully, they’re receptive to me. I’m not sure what to expect, so there’s a certain level of apprehension that goes with that.”

NASCAR CUP SERIESPHOENIX RACEWAYTEAM CHEVY DRIVER QUOTESMARCH 7, 2025

Katherine Legge met with the media onsite at Phoenix Raceway in advance of her NASCAR Cup Series debut in Sunday’s Shriners Children’s 500.

MEDIA RESOURCES: Photo Gallery | Race AdvancesChevrolet Newsroom

Media Availability Quotes: What are you looking to accomplish as we get set for practice and qualifying, and the race?“Thank you for having me, first. Second, I don’t think it’s been a very long lead up. It’s been a very intense lead up. I’ve literally known about doing this race for about 10 days, maybe. I sat with the NASCAR folks in Atlanta and asked them what I needed to do in order to be licensed in NASCAR. I have to start on a short track, and so here I am. Very happy to be here. Very happy that BJ (McLeod) and Live Fast gave me the opportunity. I’ve spent the majority of the week in North Carolina driving the simulator. RCR was kind enough to let me on their static sim, and Chevy was kind enough to put me in the DIL, the motion sim. Hendrick was really cool. They let me do pit stop practice and Kaulig has been super awesome, so I feel well-supported and as prepared as I possibly can having never driven on an oval like this, a NextGen car. I’ve done a handful of stock car races in my career, so I feel like I’m either going to sink or swim, but everybody has given me the best possible opportunity to go out there and do a good job.” Talk about your love of racing and where it comes from…“I don’t know where it comes from but it’s definitely inherent in me. I grew up racing go karts. I wanted to be a Formula 1 driver, but then I ended up in open wheel and found a love for Sportscar racing. I loved doing the Xfinity races I did and wanted to do more stock car racing. I got the opportunity to do the Chili Bowl, so I did it. It was really cool. It was a really cool experience. I figured the more things I do, the better I’ll become. Everything teaches you something, but I do feel I have one of the most diverse careers in racing. Literally, you name it, I’ve driven it. I’ve driven Formula E. I’ve driven prototypes. I’ve driven so many different forms of racing. I feel like this is the one I really wanted to do that’s eluded me. I just love it. It’s in my blood. I think, you know how they say your job should not be your identity? Well, this is 100 percent my identity. I’m just a racing driver. I don’t know where I’d be without it. I love it so much. I love everything about it. I love the driving. I love the comradery. I love the competition with everybody else. I love the competition with yourself. I love the technical elements of it and figuring out what to do to make your race car go fast. I love the strategy. Literally every aspect of it makes me want to get out of bed in the morning. I just love it.” Talk about not making your debut on a road course, or if that’s been discussed?“Yes. I think I would’ve felt a whole different level of comfort if I had been at COTA this past weekend. We spoke about it; it was just really tough to get it done in the timeframe. So, we were in Atlanta and NASCAR said you could do COTA or Phoenix. I was like COTA, COTA would be great, but there was just no way to get everything done and get the car ready for COTA. Unfortunately, that didn’t happen, but fortunately here I am at Phoenix.” What does the preparations you’ve made in the time you’ve had do to your expectations?“I think expectations aside, if I can tell you what my goals and hopes are. That’s basically finish all of the laps. I want to do a good job and minimizing mistakes because everybody makes mistakes, but I really want to minimize them. I want to stay out of trouble and show respect and prove that I belong. I think if I do those things, I think I will get the opportunity to do more.” Do you see yourself running more races this year? Is that the ultimate goal?“That would be awesome, yeah. I would love to do that. I don’t think that we have any expectation that we’re going to go out and be competitive. I think if we finish anything but last, that would be a win for us honestly because I don’t have the experience that any of these guys have. I don’t have the car at the moment that’s capable of going and running up in front, so hopefully we can develop me and the car and everything else at the same time and we can get there.” In talking more of doing these races, does that mean INDYCAR is off the table this year, or the Indy 500?“Nope. It doesn’t mean that. I would say that I’m hopeful to do more INDYCAR races.” Indy 500?“I would love to. Let’s see.” You’re the first female driver in Cup since Danica (Patrick). Is there any sense of pride?“It’s disappointing that there aren’t more women in INDYCAR, NASCAR, Cup. (In) Sportscars, there’s really been kind of a gap. There was Sarah Fisher and Danica (Patrick) and me and Simona (de Silvestro) and a bunch of good drivers in that era. Then there’s been this gap, this lull, and so when I stop racing, or maybe alongside it but definitely focused when I want to stop racing, I’d love to bring up the next generation. I think there’s only a handful of us that have those shared, lived experiences, and I think that my experience might be valuable in helping them navigate it. Everybody says, ‘What’s it like to be a girl in racing?’ and I don’t know, because I only have my own experience. I don’t know what it’s like to be a boy in racing. So, I know what my journey has been, and I know that it’s gone for me, and it’s gone against me, and I know where the struggles are. I know mentally what you have to do to overcome those struggles, and so, I think, to me it just is I would much rather people just saw me as another racecar driver on merit, but that’s not reality and I’m not immune or blind to the fact it has helped me in ways too. I’m just going to go out there and be Katherine and do the very best that I can.” It’s a tough balance in earning respect and getting experience for yourself. How do you balance those two things?“That is one of my main concerns, I would say. I want to be respectful of the leaders and stay out of the way, because it’s going to happen inevitably. But I also am worried once you get out of the rhythm and you have people constantly passing you, then you’re always going slower. You’re never going at your limit, so you don’t really get to feel what the actual race is like. I don’t know yet. We’ve gone over it, saying stay in the second lane, let them go underneath you. I’ve got a great spotter. I haven’t met him yet, but apparently, he’s awesome, (David) Pepper. I think that will be a challenge. I will say this, and it will go for every form of motorsport – the guys at the back are working way harder than the guys at the front. Because the cars that you get when you’re in a Penske or a Ganassi in INDYCAR, whatever it may be over here that’s uber-competitive, it’s so much easier to be at the front than it is to be at the back. I know that a lot of them have paid their dues by driving in that position, and so that I think that they will respect that if I respect what they’re trying to achieve too.” Talk more about the quick process from Atlanta to here, and when you talk about trying to get comfortable and get the experience, would it have made sense or why is it so important to be here as opposed to maybe later in the month like at Martinsville?“That’s a great question. There is absolutely no reason however, when I talk to other drivers and teams in NASCAR and people that were helping me, they said this is the best track for me to learn at and going to somewhere like Martinsville would be terrifying. I don’t know whether that’s true or not, but I take their advice, right? I don’t know what I don’t know, so when someone says to me, then I do what I’m told.” Have you met BJ (McLeod) and Jessica or what do you think of them?“Such a good dude. They’re both awesome people. I mean, they hustle, and you have to respect their love for the sport, and they want it so badly. They do everything they can to be here, and I think that that kind of embodies how I feel about it sometimes too. You don’t always have the money or the equipment, but you love racing so you do what you can and try and build on that and improve. I think he’s the same.” Was there any inclination with this being Women’s History Month and we’ve got to get this going for March?“No. You know what? I’m going to admit this now and I probably shouldn’t use these words, but I’m going to anyway. I said, ‘Oh, I’m going to fly under the radar for my first Cup race,’ right? Nobody is going to notice. We’ll be in the back. We’ll chill. We’ll get NASCAR permission and then someone said ‘Oh, it’s International Women’s Day Saturday.” There’s no way I’m flying under the radar. No, we did not take that into consideration and here I am in front of you guys.” On your meeting at Cosworth and where you are now…“I think when you want something badly enough, you find a way to make it happen, and so I think I just kind of clawed and tried and did everything I could to get as many opportunities as I could. I’ve honestly driven some really bad cars that I probably shouldn’t have driven. I nicknamed one the car ‘almost certain death.’ You have to do what you have to do to get here. My father’s not well here but wishes he was, but we didn’t have a million dollars to spend on the best teams and the best equipment and working our way through the ranks to showcase my talent. I had to do a bit of everything, and sometimes it worked out and sometimes it didn’t. I never had a backup plan. I always had to go from opportunity to opportunity and make the most of it. My whole career, my whole life has been that kind of rollercoaster. You know what? I honestly wouldn’t have it any other way. I think when it’s hard, you appreciate it so much more. If you really had to dig in and work through it, then it means so much to you. I’ve had a hell of a life and a hell of a career so far, and I sit here ready to go run a Cup race. I’m such a dork. I did a picture of the garage with my name on it because it’s so cool. I’m grateful for the journey I’ve had, and I wake up every morning realizing how lucky I am” You mentioned this track is so unique. What makes is so unique for someone who hasn’t run here before or run a Gen 7 car before?“I think you’ll need to ask me that after a run on the track because I don’t know but I can tell you from the sim, it’s very different from one end to the other. I’ve got a couple of friends in NASCAR, luckily. I’ve been friends with AJ Allmendinger for 20 years. We ran Champ Car back in the day, and I’ve got a good friend in Andy Lally who lives just down the road from me. So, I’ve made both of them try and teach me everything they know in the space of 20 minutes and sit and watch video and watch in-car and old races. They’ve both said how awesome this track is, and how the different grooves develop over the race. Andy was also talking about the black stuff they put down around the outside they’re not going to do this time, I’m not sure. There’s the dogleg that you can cut as well, and all the things. It’s just a really unique place and it’s a really cool setting. The racing is always so good here. It’s a place where I can move out of the way, right, if I need to. So, I think that’s important. It’s wide. Hopefully, sunny.” Have you, or do you, know many of the other competitors? Is there anyone you might seek out?“It may not seem like it, but I’m kind of shy. I’m not like the person who just goes off and says ‘Hey, whoever you are, I’m Katherine.’ It’s like my first day at school, you know? It’s like if you’re starting a new job, but it’s doing the job that you’ve been doing for a long time but it’s in a new environment. You have to figure out who your coworkers are, make friends, and you have to figure out where the bathrooms are. Where’s credentials? I have no idea where it is coming in here. It’s all the auxiliary stuff that I don’t know that I don’t know. Everybody has been so friendly, so nice. It’s been such a really cool, supportive paddock, honestly. So many have been helping me this week. It’s made my heart very happy. I’m sure I’ll meet the other drivers, and hopefully, they’re receptive to me. I’m not sure what to expect, so there’s a certain level of apprehension that goes with that.”

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CONCORD, NC (March 7, 2025) — While his fellow high school classmates are spending their summers vacationing, hanging with friends and playing stick-and-ball sports, Garrett Benson will be on the nightly grind racing against the best 360 Sprint Car drivers in the country.

Benson, 14, of Concordia, MO, will join the American Sprint Car Series (ASCS) National Tour roster for 2025, driving the Nathan Benson Motorsports, SPEC Racing Engines-powered J&J Chassis No. 2B. Fourteen years of age is young to be doing anything at the national level, but it’s a challenge Benson has no fear in taking on after showing strong potential in his first career starts with the Tour last year.

“We had a lot of speed and that has encouraged us to take on this next big step,” Benson said. “We know it’s going to be a challenge, but we’re just trying to gain as much experience as possible.”

In three appearances with the Tour in 2024, Benson improved each time, culminating with a starting spot on the outside pole for the main event at Arrowhead Speedway in September. Though he completed only the first three laps after a rollover crash in Turn 4 ended his night, he was pleased with how competitive he was early in the night, and took away several lessons that he’ll use in his rookie campaign this year.

“It was very encouraging to have the speed at Arrowhead, especially the second night,” Benson said. “But it was also disappointing when got upside down there, tore up our equipment and some of the other drivers’ equipment. That was unfortunate, but it gave us a lot of hope, and we’re definitely not discouraged from that wreck. It just encouraged us because we obviously have the speed, it’s just gonna take some time to put all the pieces together.”

Benson is a graduate of the Micro Sprint ranks, having worked his way through the Junior, Restricted and 600cc divisions in the late 2010s through the 2023 season. 2023 also marked his debut in a 305 Sprint Car, which paved the way for his 360 Sprint Car debut with ASCS last season.

“We kinda started out slow, we got our feet wet, and we had a lot of people come together to help us,” Benson said. “We bought a couple old engines and just kinda got racing around locally. Toward the end of the season, we ran with ASCS. We didn’t know what to expect going in, we just wanted to complete all the laps and earn the respect of the other competitors and have a good run.”

Three races with ASCS was all it took for the Benson team to pick out their new home for racing in 2025. Now under the new direction of World Racing Group (WRG), the benefits and resources WRG brings to the organization also played a role in their decision.

“In the past years with Micros, we’ve ran with a national tour that we really enjoy, and it’s really nice to have the structure of a schedule to follow,” Benson said. “That’s another reason we’re going with ASCS — to have that structure of tow money and a points fund, and also the [exposure] from DIRTVision is very important, and led us into the decision of jumping on the Tour.”

While joining the full-time 360 Sprint Car ranks is his newest venture, it is not his final destination. Like several ASCS stars who graduated to the World of Outlaws, Benson has goals of climbing the ranks of Sprint Car racing.

“I’ve always dreamed of racing with the World of Outlaws, and that’s still my dream,” Benson said. “Running with our family team, we’ve had a lot of great people behind us that have led us to the spot we’re at now. I think we can have a good year and get some more [attention] and hopefully pick up some sponsors along the way and keep building up our program.”

For now, Benson will turn to racing some of the heroes he watched growing up around Western Missouri, including Series champions Seth Bergman, Blake Hahn, Sam Hafertepe Jr. and Jason Martin and try to gain respect from all of his new competitors.

“It’s crazy to think growing up, you watch the World of Outlaws or 360 racing, we have quite a few local tracks around us, and when the National Tour would come into town, we’d always watch them,” Benson said. “It’s just cool to race with those guys, and it’s a dream come true. You’re racing with the best 360 drivers in the country, so it’s a challenge, and I think we’re up to it.”

Benson begins his rookie ASCS National Tour campaign in the next event at Salina Highbanks Speedway in Salina, OK on Saturday, April 12, with additional support from Engler Machine & Tool, Don’s Diesel, Quality Traffic Control, Helt’s Turf Farms, DDI Fabrication, Schure Built Suspension, Porter Steel Buildings, and S&W Line Contracting. Tickets for the event will be on sale at the gate on race day.

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

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (March 6, 2025) – The first Progressive American Flat Track, sanctioned by AMA Pro Racing, round of the post-Jared Mees era saw preseason Mission AFT SuperTwins title favorite Dallas Daniels (No. 32 Estenson Racing Yamaha MT-07 DT) do what many expected and claim victory under the lights of the Flat Track at Daytona International Speedway in Thursday’s season-opening Royal Enfield Short Track at DAYTONA I.   How it was achieved, however, came as a genuine surprise.   In fact, it was anything but a day of domination for Daniels, despite the fact that he’d won three of the previous four Main Events at the venue. If anything, the Estenson Racing ace was relatively quiet throughout practice and qualifying, starting the Main Event from Row 2 after failing to qualify for the Mission #2Fast2Tasty Challenge.  Instead, the star of the show for all but the final minute of the Main Event was Briar Bauman (No. 3 RWR/Parts Plus/Latus Motors Harley-Davidson XG750R), who appeared on the verge of guiding the Harley-Davidson XG750R to its maiden premier-class victory.  New to the bike but reunited with crew chief Dave Zanotti and mechanic Michelle Disalvo at Rick Ware Racing, Bauman was smooth and in control on a very tricky track. He put his name atop the charts during practice, qualifying, and the Mission #2Fast2Tasty Challenge, before storming off into the lead at the start of the Main.  Daniels showed renewed signs of life as soon as the race that mattered most got underway, diving under front-row qualifiers Davis Fisher (No. 67 Rackley Racing/Bob Lanphere’s BMC Racing KTM 790 Duke), Henry Wiles (No. 911 J&M Logging/Ray C’s Harley-Davidson Kawasaki Ninja 650), and Brandon Robinson (No. 44 Mission Roof Systems Harley-Davidson XG750R) in rapid succession to move into second  However, even with clear air in front of him, Daniels didn’t appear to have the measure of Bauman, who stretched the gap out to over a second deep into the contest. That all changed as the two encountered lapped traffic, which allowed the Yamaha pilot to erase the distance and then execute a pass for the lead with just 35 seconds remaining on the clock.  A rare bobble on Bauman’s part then provided Daniels with the breathing space he needed to make it four wins in his last five tries in Daytona Beach.   The victory also marked Daniels first win since before the training accident that ended his title chances a season ago.  He said, “I hate that everybody has to hear my sob story again, ‘I broke my leg leading the championship (last year).’ I mean, it sucked. It sucked so bad. It sucked so bad for me, but even more for the team. It’s one of those things when you’re lying at home, and you wonder if you’ll ever be able to do it again. Even though I was on the podium those last three races, you still wonder.   “And then I show up here at Daytona – a place that I love and do well at usually – and I was just on the struggle bus all day long. No matter what changes we made, I just could not get comfortable. But my team… this win is because of the team. They just kept working and kept working. When I went out there for that warm-up lap, I knew I had something for them. But how impressive was Briar? The dude gets on a different bike that has never won, and he was the toughest competition. He’s going to be tough all year.”  Third place went to 40-year-old Wiles, who was brandishing the unfamiliar #911 instead of his usual #17, which was unavailable to him due to not competing last season. The time away didn’t steal any of his speed or aggression, a fact he proved convincingly while overcoming Fisher in an intense mid-race scrap for the final podium position.  Still, Fisher held on for a strong fourth-place debut on the KTM, while Robinson made it two XGs in the top five.  Brandon Price (No. 92 Memphis Shades/Vinson Construction/OTBR Yamaha MT-07), who finished as the runner-up in last year’s opener, came home sixth. Meanwhile, Jarod VanDerKooi (No. 20 Fastrack Racing/Wally Brown Racing KTM 790 Duke), Trent Lowe (No. 48 American Honda/Progressive Insurance Honda Transalp), Max Whale (No. 18 Moto Anatomy X Powered by Royal Enfield 650), and James Ott (No. 19 G&G Racing Yamaha MT-07) finished seventh through tenth, respectively.  Those results meant that six different makes of equipment (Yamaha, Harley-Davidson, Kawasaki, KTM, Honda, and Royal Enfield) were represented in the top ten in the first race featuring the new all-production based ruleset. A seventh (Suzuki), clocked the second fastest time in practice before a promising event met a premature end for Dan Bromley (No. 62 Memphis Shades/Vinson Construction Suzuki GSX-8S), who was unable to compete after suffering a deep cut that required medical attention.  AFT Singles presented by KICKER  Not that any of them needed it, but three-time AFT Singles presented by KICKER king Kody Kopp (No. 1 Bob Lanphere/KTM/Fastrack Racing KTM 450 SX-F) provided the class’ current crop of championship hopefuls a reminder of exactly whose #1 plate they were chasing.  While Kopp is committed to proving himself a national-caliber roadracer this season, his talents on dirt remain elite. With an open weekend in his preseason pavement prep, Kopp pulled together a last-minute effort to participate in the Progressive AFT opener and didn’t miss a beat.  A less-than-ideal start allowed Kopp to underline that message as he worked his way past the up-and-coming Tarren Santero (No. 75 Mission Roof Systems Honda CRF450R), ‘24 title rival Tom Drane (No. 59 Estenson Racing Yamaha YZ450F), and finally ‘19 class champ Dalton Gauthier (No. 79 D&D Certified Racing KTM 450 SX-F) on his way to the front.  Once there, Kopp set sail en route to his fourth career triumph in Daytona. However, his eventual trip to the top step of the podium was momentarily delayed due to a late-race red flag.   That stoppage could be traced all the way back to a disastrous start saw title hopeful Chase Saathoff (No. 88 RWR/Parts Plus Honda CRF450R) left standing still at the green light with his arms waving while the rest of the grid powered by. His subsequent charge up through the field eventually saw him clash with Chad Cose (No. 49 1st Impressions Race Team Husqvarna FC450), leaving both riders on the ground.  Kopp survived the staggered restart without suffering any unwanted drama, while Drane managed to steal second from Gauthier in the shuffle.  After the race, Kopp said, “It feels awesome. I just can’t stay away from it. I’m transitioning to roadracing, and it’s a big step. It’s challenging, and I’m really excited about the challenge. But I couldn’t stay away. I live 15 minutes away from here now, and Bob Lanphere wanted to put this thing together, and we got it done. Huge thanks to Bob, and Kenny (Roberts) and Arney (Wick) from my roadrace program for giving me the go ahead to do this.”  Fourth was taken by the returning Trevor Brunner (No. 21 American Honda/Mission Foods CRF450R), who edged young Bradon Pfanders (No. 83 Hannum’s HD/Pfanders Racing KTM 450 SX-F) and Santero for the position.  Evan Renshaw (No. 65 1st Impressions Race Team Husqvarna FC450) finished seventh in his first race with 1st Impressions Husqvarna while Saathoff managed to slash his way up to eighth to salvage a decent result after being forced to restart from the back of the grid.   Aidan RoosEvans (No. 26 FRA Trust/ATV’s and More Yamaha YZ450F) and Jared Lowe (No. 63 BigR/Little Debbie Racing Honda CRF450R) rounded out the top ten.  Earlier in the evening, Emma Gottsch (No. 5 Royal Enfield/Parts Unlimited) opened the Main Event program with a victorious performance in her Royal Enfield Build. Train. Race. debut. She was flanked on the podium by Taia Little (No. 11 Royal Enfield/Parts Unlimited) and Mallory McGill (No. 58 Royal Enfield/Parts Unlimited).

GAINESVILLE, Fla. — CompetitionPlus.com and Masters Entertainment Group will partner for the fourth consecutive year to livestream the 2025 International Drag Racing Hall of Fame ceremonies on March 6, 2025. The livestream will begin at 8 p.m. ET on CompetitionPlus.com.
 
Bobby Bennett, founder of CompetitionPlus.com, highlighted the growth of their partnership with Masters Entertainment since 2022. “We spend so many hours ensuring drag racing’s history is chronicled in the best possible way, and to be able to partner with Ted Jones and Dave Dobson to present those who have made an indelible impact goes beyond being proud,” Bennett said.


He added, “I always believe this event is a great way to kick off the season, and we are honored to present it for free to our readers.”

Dave Dobson, vice president and producer/director of Masters Entertainment Group’s Hall of Fame coverage , praised the detail with which his team presents the ceremony. 

“This has been a win-win opportunity for both Masters Entertainment Group and CompetitionPlus.com, and one we are proud to be a part of,” Dobson said.

The International Drag Racing Hall of Fame will induct 10 new members on March 6 during a ceremony at the Hilton University of Florida Conference Center.

Inductees include Pro Stock Motorcycle legends Terry Vance and Byron Hines, former Top Fuel and Funny Car champion Gary Scelzi, nitro team owner and driver Jim Head, and racetrack owner Charlie Allen. Pioneers Jay Howell and Gary Dyer, NHRA National Dragster Editor Phil Burgess, racetrack owner Debbie Bader, and Paul Sergi will also be honored alongside the Class of 2025 inductees.

The Hall of Fame, established in 1991 by drag racing legend Don Garlits, continues to celebrate the contributions of individuals who have made impacts in the sport. The event is presented by Wynn’s.

Subscribe to CompetitionPlusTV’s YouTube channel (https://www.youtube.com/@CompetitionPlusTV) where race fans can subscribe for FREE and watch the full broadcast, as well as access decades of rare drag racing content as well as original programming. 

CONCORD, NC (March 5, 2025) — As one of 360 Sprint Car racing’s youngest drivers, Brady Baker shined on multiple occasions last season with the American Sprint Car Series (ASCS) National Tour. This year, he’ll try to do that as a full-time competitor.

The 17-year-old from Alexander, AR, posted four podium finishes in 10 Feature starts with the Tour in 2024 with a best finish of second to 2023 champion Jason Martin at Arrowhead Speedway in September. Though he has only a few years’ experience in the seat of a 360 Sprint Car and is half the age of the majority of the ASCS veterans, Baker has never let that scare him from competing with the best on the national circuit.

It’s that fearlessness and tenacity that drove him to make the decision to join the ASCS National Tour roster for his rookie campaign.

“We had a few good runs last year with [the Tour],” Baker said. “I had four podiums, a few Quick Time (awards). I made it into the Dash several times. Me and my dad were talking, and I’m so close to being 18 and almost being able to hit the road. This is kinda like my rookie year getting ready for it. I’m about to graduate high school, and I’ll be ready to go after that.”

Even before that shining moment, Baker was proving his worth against the best in the sport, claiming the pole position for the main event and finished third in the season opener at Super Bee Speedway in Louisiana. Later in the year, he posted third-place runs at RPM Speedway in Texas and at Creek County Speedway in Oklahoma — the home of ASCS — highlighting his potential for 2025.

“I got so close last year so many times and just never could make it happen,” he said. “Hopefully, my day is coming.”

Baker has already contested the opening three rounds of competition this year at Volusia Speedway Park against a strong field of 410 invaders and the 360 giants he’ll race on the National Tour this year. Though it was not his first time racing champions like Martin, Blake Hahn and Sam Hafertepe Jr., it’s still a surreal experience.

“It’s absolutely incredible to be able to race them; they were my heroes growing up,” Baker said. “Competition level for 360s, I feel like is growing back; it was kinda dying. Hahn coming back, Hafertepe coming back — it’s really helping it grow. I’m proud to see it happen and I can’t wait to join them.”

Like so many of today’s rising open-wheel talents, Baker is a goal-driven racer and has a few things he’d like to see done by the end of the season.

“I’d like to see at least one National Tour win,” Baker said. “Racing with them — some of the best 360 drivers in the country — I’d like to be able to be top five in points. I know that’s gonna be really hard, but that’s my goal.”

Baker continues his rookie ASCS National Tour campaign aboard the Mid-State Golf Cars, Scott Baylor Racing Engines-powered Lawson chassis No. 71 in the next event — Salina Highbanks Speedway in Salina, OK on Saturday, April 12.

Tickets for the event will be on sale at the gate on race day. If you can’t make it to the track, stream every lap live with a subscription to DIRTVision.

ARTICLE: https://ascsracing.com/news/brady-baker-begins-rookie-season-on-ascs-national-tour-full-time-roster/FAN 101: https://about.dirtcar.com/

The 2025 west coast swing will kick off this weekend, with the NASCAR Cup and Xfinity Series taking on the first stop of Phoenix Raceway.

MEDIA RESOURCES: Photo Gallery | Race AdvancesChevrolet Newsroom

The two-day event will get underway with the Xfinity Series in Saturday’s GOVX 200, where Chevrolet drivers will look to keep the Bowtie brand undefeated following three-straight trips to victory lane to start the season. The weekend will conclude with NASCAR’s top division in Sunday’s Shriners Children’s 500. Part two of the trip out west will see the Craftsman Truck Series rejoin the action for a tripleheader weekend at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.  CHEVROLET AT PHOENIX RACEWAY:

The NASCAR Cup Series has a 57-race history at Phoenix Raceway, with Chevrolet pacing the series with 27 all-time victories at the one-mile Arizona venue. The Bowtie brand made its first trip to victory lane in just the series’ third appearance at the track with NASCAR Hall of Famer Dale Earnhardt, Sr. (Nov. 1990). Chevrolet’s winning record at the track includes a streak of 10-straight triumphs logged between Nov. 2005 and April 2010 – a record that still stands today. The manufacturer’s driver lineup sees five past Phoenix winners, with Kyle Busch topping that list with three career wins at the track (second-best among all active drivers). Hendrick Motorsports’ Chase Elliott and Kyle Larson have one win a piece to their names, with each of those victories leading to their respective championship titles. Most recently, it was William Byron and Ross Chastain that tallied a win under the Chevrolet banner at Phoenix Raceway – delivering the manufacturer a season sweep at the track in 2023.

The NASCAR Xfinity Series saw the addition of Phoenix Raceway added to its schedule in Nov. 1999 – a series debut that saw career Chevrolet driver, Jeff Gordon, take the victory. In 46 races, seven different drivers have earned a combined nine victories at the track with Chevrolet – most recently in March 2022 alongside JR Motorsports with Noah Gragson behind the wheel. Just four full-time Xfinity Series competitors have found victory lane at Phoenix Raceway, with reigning champion, Justin Allgaier, leading the way as the series’ only active two-time winner at the track (March 2017; Nov. 2019).

LEGGE SET FOR CUP SERIES DEBUTFor the second consecutive weekend, Chevrolet will see a first-time competitor in NASCAR’s top division. Katherine Legge is set to make her NASCAR Cup Series debut this weekend – piloting the No. 78 Chevrolet entry for Live Fast Motorsports. Legge’s debut will go down in series’ history as the first time in seven years that a female has competed in NASCAR’s top division. The 44-year-old England native will become just the second female driver in series’ history to compete at Phoenix Raceway – joining Danica Patrick, who has 11 career Cup Series starts at the track.  Legge has previously tallied five career NASCAR Xfinity Series starts, with her most recent coming at Road America in 2023. Her racing resume expands across a variety of racing disciplines, including 19 starts in the NTT INDYCAR Series – four of which have come in the Indianapolis 500. She has also made 92 starts in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship – earning four wins, 11 podium finishes and two poles.

THREE-FOR-THREEConnor Zilisch was able to keep Chevrolet undefeated in the NASCAR Xfinity Series this season by earning the victory and an early ticket into the series’ playoffs at Circuit of The Americas last weekend. The victory – his second in just seven career starts in the series – didn’t come easy for the rising star. To no surprise, the 18-year-old Mooresville, North Carolina, native started his trip to Texas by earning the pole position for Saturday’s event. But the race quickly became an uphill battle when Zilisch was forced to start at the tail end of the field due to a penalty endured at the end of the first stage for pitting under an untimely caution. Battling back through the field, Zilisch went on to tally a race-high 26 laps led en route to the victory. Zilisch is the third different Chevrolet driver to reach victory lane in the series this season, with Richard Childress Racing teammates, Austin Hill and Jesse Love, each claiming a playoff berth in the series’ first two events of the season.

BYRON, HILL ON TOPHeading into the doubleheader weekend, Chevrolet sits atop the driver points standings in both the NASCAR Cup and Xfinity Series.

Reigning DAYTONA 500 champion, William Byron, came just short of a repeat trip to victory lane last weekend at Circuit of The Americas – ultimately taking the checked flag in the runner-up position. The 27-year-old Charlotte, North Carolina, native was one of just six drivers to earn points in both stages at the Austin, Texas, circuit. With his second top-five finish of the season, Byron was able to move to the top of the points standings with a two-point lead over former champion Ryan Blaney. In the Next Gen era at Phoenix Raceway, Byron has collected a victory (March 2023) and four top-six finishes.

Coming off a fourth-place finish at Circuit of The Americas, Richard Childress Racing’s Austin Hill was able to maintain the points lead – heading into the first stop of the west coast swing with a 13-point advantage over second-place Jesse Love. The 30-year-old Winston, Georgia, native quickly rebounded from a disappointing season-opener with a dominating performance at his home track of Atlanta Motor Speedway – a race that ended with a trip to victory lane and the series’ second ticket into the playoffs. With a fourth-place finish last weekend, Hill is one of just two drivers that has a pair of top-fives to his name thus far this season. Hill has just six career Xfinity Series starts at Phoenix Raceway, but he has earned top-10 finishes in all but one of those races, including a career-high fourth-place finish in the series’ spring race at the track last season.

BOWTIE BULLETS:·       Chevrolet will pace the field in the doubleheader weekend at Phoenix Raceway, with the Corvette Stingray leading both the NASCAR Cup and Xfinity Series to the green flag in their respective events.  ·       Active Chevrolet drivers with a NASCAR Cup Series win at Phoenix Raceway:   Kyle Busch – three wins (2019, 2018, 2005)Ross Chastain – one win (2023)William Byron – one win (2023)Kyle Larson – one win (2021)Chase Elliott – one win (2020) ·       In 57 NASCAR Cup Series races held at Phoenix Raceway, Chevrolet has recorded a series-leading 27 victories – including a sweep of the 2023 events with William Byron (March) and Ross Chastain (November). ·       Among Chevrolet’s series-leading 27 NASCAR Cup Series victories at Phoenix Raceway includes a record-setting streak of 10 straight –  recorded by six different drivers between 2005-2010.  ·       In 111 points-paying races in the Next Gen era, Chevrolet leads all manufacturers with 53 victories – a winning percentage of 47.4%.  ·       With its 43 NASCAR Cup Series Manufacturer Championships, 33 NASCAR Cup Series Driver Championships, and 867 all-time NASCAR Cup Series wins, Chevrolet continues to hold the title as the winningest brand in NASCAR Cup Series history.

TUNE-IN:NASCAR Cup Series Shriners Children’s 500Sunday, March 9, at 3:30 p.m. ET(FS1, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90) NASCAR Xfinity SeriesGOVX 200Saturday, March 8, at 5 p.m. ET(CW, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90)

QUOTABLE QUOTES:Ross Chastain, No. 1 Trackhouse Racing ChevroletWhat do you think about the option tire at Phoenix?“I don’t have any thoughts on it yet until I run it at the track, so time will tell.” It was announced a few weeks ago that Kubota extended their partnership with Trackhouse, how does that feel?“It’s a great feeling when a sponsor sees the value in the partnership. It’s especially great that Kubota is so authentic to who I am, and my background in agriculture. I’ve really enjoyed the partnership and I’m looking forward to the years to come. This weekend at Phoenix is the first race this season with the Kubota scheme on the car and it includes their Orange Days annual sale event. It’s a great time to buy a Kubota, I know that much!”   Austin Dillon, No. 3 Richard Childress Racing ChevroletWhat are your thoughts on racing at Phoenix Raceway this weekend?“Phoenix Raceway is a tough track that has seen changes over the years, and I think it’s made the track more challenging, which makes it fun for drivers. Phoenix is one of those places where you hit it or don’t, so we will need to get our Chevrolet dialed in on Saturday. Pit stops are going to be key here. The pit road is tight; getting in and out of the stall clean can put us in a good track position. The restarts are wild, sometimes we will run three, four, and fine wide getting into turn one. On Sunday, Phoenix Raceway could be a good place for the No. 3 Bass Pro Shops/ Winchester Chevrolet team to come out with a top 10”   Justin Haley, No. 7 Spire Motorsports ChevroletWhat are your thoughts on Phoenix?“Phoenix is always a fan favorite and that makes it fun for the driver. The track is so difficult and it’s tough to have a well-balanced car in all four corners and throughout the race. It keeps you guessing all weekend. I competed in the No. 7 at Phoenix last fall with Spire, so I’m excited to use what we’ve learned since then and continue building momentum.”   Kyle Busch, No. 8 Richard Childress Racing ChevroletWe’ve got the two tire combinations. We got the primary tire, a little bit harder tire, and an option tire, softer tire, two sets for the race. Do you like this option of having two different types of tires? I think we all kind of feel like it’s a little bit of a science project to see what they can carry back there in November, but do you like doing this?“Yeah, I don’t mind it. You know, I think throwing a little bit different stuff out there to kind of see how it works and what it works like in competition because testing it versus racing it is entirely different. I liked how the race went at Richmond. I thought it was kind of cool to kind of see, you know, green flag pit stops and guys coming out on different tires and how you ran those tires and how you were able to preserve the tire or get your positions when you wanted to get your positions to kind of get yourself further up in the running order. So, I didn’t mind it. I think playing with that again here for Phoenix is a good idea to kind of see where we need to be and what we need to come back with for the fall for the championship race. But, you know, what was interesting last year is we ran a more traditional shared setup with all the Chevy group guys at Richmond, and we were going to run, I think we were in third or fourth or something like that. We were okay, and Austin ran kind of an off-the-wall different setup, and he was not very good on the control tires, but he was really good on the soft tires, where I felt opposite with that. I felt really good on the control tires and not so good on the soft tires. So, we’re trying to take the notes of both of those things and kind of mirror them together as much as you can to then be able to go out there and be good on both sets. So, I think that’s what everybody pulled from last year and how they’re going to attack this race.” You sit ninth in the points. Where do you feel like you guys are at maybe compared to a year ago or maybe where 2024 ended?“Yeah, I would like to think we’re ahead of the game there. We’re in a better spot or in a better position. You know, we had some good hires over the off season, some good engineers and some good people from other teams to kind of up our performance. Obviously, anytime you do that and you chase good people, that’s what you’re going for, right? You’re going for the performance that they can bring to the table. So fresh ideas, different things and whatnot. But also just, you know, the, the way Randall and I have worked over the years, we’ve, we’ve been able to do all we feel like we could do and get our balances with our race cars as close as we can get them at the racetracks. And they just weren’t fast enough, you know, but, two super speedways, which I feel like RCR has always had superspeedway speed since I’ve been there with this new next gen and it we’ve had opportunities to win those races. I feel like we’ve given more away maybe than we’ve won for sure. But you know, going to being in the top three in position to win the 500 and getting crashed out there was definitely a bummer. You know, just wish that race could have played out the last 15 laps to the end and seeing how everybody would have stacked up. And then, you know, Atlanta, we were fortunate enough to kind of miss some of those wrecks that happened a little bit in front of us there. But again, we were, we were the leader there late, I think within the last 20 laps, we led some laps and we restarted up front and we just didn’t quite have when it seemed like when it was a Ford pushing a Chevy or vice versa, you know, when you can keep those Ford separated, you had a better shot of being able to race in the top four spots and race for a win. But then once two of the Ford’s got together, it seemed to streamline that line and they were able to kind of get ahead of us a little bit. So we got shuffled back a little bit. But again, you know, decent speed there to be able to go for a win. And then code obviously felt really good to race up front and lead those laps and be there like that. I think that’s all really good, right? So hats off to RCR, ECR engines, everybody in Welcome, North Carolina for working as hard as they do and busting their butts as hard as they do and putting in the grit and you know, those men and women there certainly have more grit than anybody. They’re not going to outwork us. That’s for sure. But I think the next test is definitely going to be the next two weeks going to Phoenix, the short track, a place where we kind of struggled as of late to see how we can turn that program around. I feel like a legit top-10 run and top-10 finish there would be a win for us right now. And just trying to turn that table, get a good feeling racecar and a good car that we could drive and have speed with. And then going back to Vegas, you know, a place where it’s home for me and I’d really love to win there and run well there. We were fast there last year and we’d love to repeat that speed to go race for a win there.”   Ty Dillon, No. 10 Kaulig Racing Chevrolet“Phoenix is a racetrack that I might have the most experience of any racetrack. I ran a lot of K&N West races there early in my career, so I’ve raced there a lot. It’s a track that I’ve always had a good, natural feel around. When they repaved it and changed the location of the start finish line, it changed a little bit for me, but still a place that I look at as an opportunity because I feel very confident in how to navigate the racetrack. Phoenix kicks off our first run of normal tracks that you see in the meat of our season, and I’m excited to see where we stand there.”   AJ Allmendinger, No. 16 Kaulig Racing Chevrolet“Phoenix has been a difficult track for us on both the Xfinity and Cup side. It will be the first true oval test of all the new ideas and hard work that were put in over the off season so I’m looking forward to getting on-track with the opportunity to be better than we have in the past. Expectation wise, I think if we can run inside the top 20, that would be a really good run there.”    Michael McDowell, No. 71 Spire Motorsports ChevroletWhat is it like returning home and racing in front of so many family members and friends?“Any time you get to race in front of your hometown crowd, it’s fun. It’s great to see friends and family and catch up. It’s a long season, so having an opportunity to go home and see everybody is fun. The season is off to a pretty good start. We haven’t gotten all we wanted, but we’ve managed the races well and got ourselves sitting pretty good in the points. Our team is building some really great momentum.” What is your anticipation like for this weekend’s events at Phoenix?“It’s the first short track of the year, so no different than these first few races. This weekend, we will see where we end up and how we unload with a new car and package, which is almost a new kind of direction. Phoenix has been good for me in the past, but we are going into a new season with a new team with fresh eyes and outlook. I am looking forward to having a 45-minute practice, which will be great to run through some of the things we want to work on and get comfortable with our Workforce Chevrolet and the new package. I will enjoy the weekend and try to keep this momentum going. It has been a good start to the year, and we want to keep the momentum up through the West Coast swing. We know every week is a new challenge and opportunity, and so far, we’ve made the most of them.”   Carson Hocevar, No. 77 Spire Motorsports ChevroletThe No. 77 Spire Motorsports team has had a strong start to the season. How do you keep that going as the series moves on to a short track and an intermediate track in the coming weeks?“This is where the real test starts and where we’ll see how we stack up against the other teams. We’ve shown that Spire Motorsports is committed to doing better and I think this past weekend at COTA, where all three of us were running in the top-half of the field, was a really good race for us. We’re improving as an organization and it’ll be interesting to see how that continues through the next few races.”   Shane van Gisbergen, No. 88 Trackhouse Racing ChevroletYour development on ovals has progressed so quickly. Is there anyone that you try to learn from? How has the process of learning to race on ovals been for you?“I learn from everyone. I study as much as I can and I’ve had some good teachers. I had Marcos Ambrose a lot last year and Kevin Harvick and I talk with Kevin this year whenever I need him. There is nothing like this type of racing anywhere in the world on ovals. Every week, even Atlanta a couple of weekends ago, I was learning something every lap. You just have to keep your eyes open and keep learning and trying to evolve. It’s easy to forget these guys have done that type of racing since they were kids. There are some guys that I’m two seconds a lap quicker than around a road course, but on an oval, they are unbelievable.” Being full-time at Trackhouse now, what is it like working with Justin (Marks, Founder of Trackhouse Racing) behind the scenes?“Even though I was racing fulltime Xfinity last year, I still spent a lot of time and spoke to him quite a lot. He is such a forward-thinking person and it’s amazing with how in tune with he is with everything and how good of a person he is too. I’m truly enjoying my time at Trackhouse, surrounded by Justin and my teammates.”   Daniel Suarez, No. 99 Trackhouse Racing ChevroletAre you excited about the return of Daniel’s Amigos to the track this weekend?“I always look forward to Amigos. Coca-Cola and NASCAR work with the track and put on a great event. It’s a lot of fun for the guests and it’s always fun for me. Whenever we host the Amigos it makes me feel like I am at home. It’s also fun to bring people to the track for the first time. NASCAR in person is a cool experience and I hope this allows them to see what a fun sport we have. It’s fun to spend time with them in the morning and here their stories and impressions of NASCAR. It’s easy to find them in the stands too. I hope we can give them a lot to cheer about this weekend.” Do you get extra motivated racing in the West?“Yeah, of course. I think that every time that I come to the west coast to Las Vegas, Sonoma, and when we ran Auto Club Speedway it was very, very big. Phoenix and Los Angeles – it’s amazing to feel an incredible amount of support from the Latino community, and I feel very, very proud to be the face of this community in the Cup Series. We embrace it and I’m very happy that the race tracks embrace it with us.” Connor Zilisch, No. 88 JR Motorsports ChevroletHow much did you learn in your first NXS race at Phoenix last fall?“Phoenix is a place that I’ve already been to once before and I’m excited to go back there with the experience that I have. I made a mistake in qualifying there last year that I’ll learn from. It was definitely helpful for me to get those laps. Phoenix is a crucial race on our schedule because it’s the last race of the championship. I’m excited to go back there this weekend and build on our fourth-place finish there last fall.”   The restarts at Phoenix are intense with three and sometimes four-wide racing. How do you manage that?“With how wide that track is, there is a lot you can do on restarts and that’s very challenging. I’m going to go back and look at my notes and watch races to see what works best because restarts are crucial at Phoenix.”

Chevrolet NASCAR Cup Series Statistics Manufacturers Championships:Total (1949-2024): 43First title for Chevrolet: 1958Highest number of consecutive titles: 13 (2003-15)Most recent: 2024 Years Won: 1958, 1959, 1960, 1961, 1972, 1973, 1974, 1976, 1977, 1978, 1979, 1980, 1983, 1984, 1985, 1986, 1987, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1991, 1993, 1995, 1996, 1998, 2001, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024 Drivers Championships:Total (1949-2024): 33First Chevrolet champion: Buck Baker (1957)Highest number of consecutive titles: 7 (2005-11)Most recent: Kyle Larson (2021) Years Won: 1957, 1960, 1961, 1973, 1976, 1977, 1979, 1980, 1984, 1985, 1986, 1987, 1990, 1991, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 2001, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2013, 2014, 2016, 2020, 2021 Event Victories:Record for total race wins in single season: 26 (2007)                2025 STATISTICS:                                                                                                    Wins: 1Poles: 0Laps Led: 167Top-Fives: 7Top-10s: 13Stage Wins: 1 CHEVROLET IN NASCAR CUMULATIVE STATISTICS:Total Chevrolet race wins: 867 (1949 to date)Poles won to date: 753Laps led to date: 252,878Top-fives to date: 4,376Top-10s to date: 9,020                                                                                                          Total NASCAR Cup Wins by Corporation, 1949 to Date:                    General Motors: 1,201           Chevrolet: 867           Pontiac: 154           Oldsmobile: 115           Buick: 65            Ford: 840                                                                                        Ford: 740           Mercury: 96           Lincoln: 4            Fiat Chrysler Automobiles: 467           Dodge: 217           Plymouth: 191           Chrysler: 59            Toyota: 191

GAINESVILLE, FL (March 5, 2025) — 2022 NHRA Rookie of the Year Camrie Caruso will be at the Amalie Motor Oil NHRA Gatornationals, but the multi-time Pro Stock winner will not be dropping the hammer in competition. The rising star in the NHRA bounced back from an early season crash at the 2024 Arizona Nationals that sidelined her with a broken leg for most of the 2024 NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series season, despite having plans to compete full-time. Unforeseen circumstances have Caruso looking at options to add more wins and a Pro Stock championship in 2025. “We had a solid plan for 2025 with F6 Motorsports and then some things changed that were beyond my control,” said Caruso, who has raced at every level of the NHRA. “My goal is to talk with some people at the Gatornationals and take some time over the next few weeks to get a long-term plan together. I have serious marketing relationships that want to be a part of the NHRA.” Caruso took the win at the 2023 Pro Stock Allstar Callout in Chicago, photo courtesy of NHRA/National DragsterCaruso has represented a wide range of non-traditional sponsors throughout her career including Florida-based companies like True Brand and Big Jeff Audio. Heading into the 2025 NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series season Caruso will be on-site throughout the weekend signing autographs for fans. On race day she will be a special guest on the NHRA stage talking about the elimination rounds in Pro Stock.

LONG BEACH, CA (March 5, 2025) — You can call Buddy Hull many things, a Funny Car driver, a business owner, a husband and father, among other things. But one thing you can’t call him anymore is a rookie. The driver for Jim Dunn Racing is setting out for his second season behind a nitro Funny Car at the AMALIE Motor Oil NHRA Gatornationals at Gainesville Raceway, March 6-9. With one full-time season of racing underneath his belt, he’s ready to attack the 2025 NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series season with a vengeance driving the True Brand/Tillamook Funny Car. 

“I’ll always look at my 2024 season fondly,” said Hull. “It was the year that the legendary Big Jim Dunn took a chance on me, and I made the leap from driving a Top Fuel dragster to a nitro Funny Car. That in and of itself was a dream come true. And then to hit other highlights, like winning my first round of racing at the historic U.S. Nationals, launching my show ‘Talkin’ Funny Cars with Buddy Hull’ on the NHRA FAST Channel, and bringing my newborn son, Maverick, out to the track for the first time. It was a great first Funny Car season, so I want to keep that momentum going and make my second season even better, on and off the track.”


Hull has many goals for the 2025 season, and while he knows the 20-race season is a marathon and not a sprint, he acknowledges how important it is to have a good showing at the first race of the year.

“My biggest goal for the season is I want to finish in the Top 10,” said Hull. “The Funny Car class is more competitive than ever before, so I know this won’t be an easy task. But I truly believe that we have the right team in Jim Dunn Racing to make this happen.”

One of those partners is True Brand, the primary sponsor of the Jim Dunn Racing Funny Car for the Gatornationals. True Brand came on as a Jim Dunn Racing sponsor in 2024, and the sponsorship was so successful that this year they have decided to expand their program. 

True Brand performance additives and treatments can be used in all types of engines, fuel systems, gear/transmissions, and hydraulic systems. Since 1976, True Brand products have been used in the automotive, phosphate, citrus, railroad, steel, coal, and entertainment industries. True Brand has grown to more than 100 employees and more than 50 distributors around the world. Over the years, they have been fortunate enough to partner with and be the supplier of choice for companies such as Disney, Busch Gardens, Firestone, Goodyear, Jiffy Lube, Tires Plus, Tire Kingdom, Southeast Toyota U.S.A., Toyota of Japan, and Mazda of Japan.

“We could not do what we do without incredible sponsors like True Brand,” said Hull. “It’s an honor to represent their brand and provide them with the best possible at-track experience. When they expressed that they were interested in doing even more with Jim Dunn Racing in 2025, that was such a vote of confidence in our program, and what they believe we can do this season.”

In addition to True Brand, Hull will also represent season-long sponsors Lescure Mechanical Services, Mooneyes, Blaze Exhaust Probes, KGC Construction, Vertex Roofers and General Contractors, Crow Safety, Koppl Pipeline Services, USD and Wiley X. 

Always one to be busy on and off the track, Hull will also be participating the Burnyzz FanFest on Wednesday from 6-9 p.m. Fans can also plan to catch Hull on the NHRA Stage with Hannah Rickards for New Fan Orientation on Saturday at 11:15 a.m. And on Thursday morning, Hull will be joining in a charity fishing experience benefiting the Darrell Gwynn Foundation with retired drag racer and paraplegic Darrell Gwynn. The drivers will take off from Kate Barnes Park, in the Gainesville area and spend the morning talking racing and what the Gatornationals means to their respective careers

“I am a blessed man to be able to do what I do,” said Hull. “So anytime I can spend time with fans, give back to charity or serve as an ambassador for the sport, I am going to do that. Going over 320 mph is cool and all, but it’s all the other aspects of this sport, the stuff that involves the people, that makes it all worthwhile. Me and Jim Dunn Racing have a lot of people in our corner supporting us, and this weekend in Florida is just the start of making them proud in 2025.”  

Hull and the Jim Dunn Racing team will be on track for the first time this season with two qualifying runs on Friday, March 7 and then two more qualifying runs on March 8 at Gainesville Raceway. The top 16 quickest Funny Cars will battle it out for the Wally and a special Gatornationals trophy starting on Sunday, March 9 at 11 a.m. ET with the first round of eliminations live on FS1. For tickets or more information on the NHRA Gatornationals visit nhra.com. 

OCALA, FL (March 5, 2025) —- Top Fuel team owner and driver Josh Hart has always kept a positive attitude even when times were tough. The fifth-year pro will be campaigning the R+L Carriers Top Fuel dragster at this weekend’s historic NHRA Gatornationals and for the businessman from Ocala, Florida, the pursuit of his first Top Fuel world championship is another goal in a long list of successes. Nearly two decades ago, with only $300 he started a mobile car detailing business with his wife Brittanie, and they built that business into multiple successful business ventures. He won his first professional Top Fuel NHRA national event at the 2021 NHRA Gatornationals and he won the first big money Top Fuel specialty race he ever competed in, the 2023 Pep Boys All-Star Top Fuel Callout. He is once again focusing his “Anything’s Possible” mantra on the 2025 NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series and the run for the world championship.

“I am very focused and excited to get this season started,” said Hart, a multi-time national event winner. “We made some changes over the offseason that have already started to pay off. We added Jason McCulloch to the team to work with crew chief Ron Douglas and we have some new crew guys. I think we will be ready to go for the Gatornationals and I would love to start the season with another win. We came close a few weeks ago in Bradenton.”


Hart along with a host of top NHRA teams participated in the 2nd annual SCAG Power Equipment PRO Superstar Shootout at Bradenton Motorsports Park the first weekend of February. The specialty race pitted the top full-time Top Fuel and Funny Cars in an eight-car qualified field shootout following two days of qualifying. Hart raced to the final round losing a close race to Shawn Reed. His R+L Carriers Top Fuel dragster was flawless on race day and that performance has Hart and the entire team very motivated for more success at Gainesville Raceway.

“The PRO Superstar Shootout was a lot of fun,” said Hart. “We went some rounds and that was a close race in the final with Shawn. I think it showed that this R+L Carriers team will be a threat every race and we are going to work to get even better. Our performance numbers were very quick in the warmer conditions and now we are working on getting quicker and faster when it cools off. We are planning to try and get some runs in testing before the Gatornationals but either way we will be ready when qualifying starts on Friday.”

Hart has had success at Gainesville Raceway winning his first Top Fuel national event in 2021 and then winning the big money specialty race, the Pep Boys Allstar Top Fuel Callout in 2023. Last year as the No. 12 qualifier he upset Tony Schumacher in the first round and bowed out in the quarterfinals to 2024 NHRA world champion Antron Brown.

Before the on-track action starts the Harts and their team members at Burnyzz Speed Shop in Ocala will host the 3rd annual Burnyzz Speed Shop Fanfest and Car Show on Wednesday night. The free event has become the must-attend fan event leading up to the Gatornationals with over three dozen NHRA professional drivers as well as a host of former Gatornationals winners including Big Daddy Don Garlits, Frank Hawley and driver turned crew chief David Grubnic in attendance signing autographs for fans. A complete list of drivers scheduled to attend can be found here. There will also be hundreds of classic cars on display along with a live band, food trucks and all sorts of activities for kids. 

“The Fanfest has become a fun event for everyone at Burnyzz Speed Shop to host,” said Brittanie Hart, co-owner of Burnyzz Speed Shop. “We do multiple car shows throughout the year to raise money for local charities. This is our first year that we’ve had a sponsor for the event. Citizens First Bank reached out, and they just thought that it was such a great event, so they wanted to be a part of it. We have a different charity this year.”

“We try to choose a different one each year that we put on this event. So, all funds we raise will be donated to EARS, a local endangered animal sanctuary. We’ll have a live band, about eight food trucks, balloon animals, face painting, and tons of cool cars. There will be handmade trophies for the car show. It should be a lot of fun.”

Hart will turn his attention to the race on Friday with two qualifying runs. On Saturday the R+L Carriers Top Fuel team will get two more qualifying sessions to grab as high a spot in the 16-car qualified field. Final eliminations will begin on Sunday at 11 a.m. ET with the race being televised nationally on FS1. For more information about the race or to purchase tickets visit www.nhra.

The Series returns to both southern tracks after a one-year absence from each

EASTABOGA, AL (March 5, 2025) – The Greatest Show on Dirt sets its sights on the “Dirty South” this weekend.

The country’s best Sprint Car teams have left the “Sunshine State” with Alabama and Mississippi in their sights. First up, the World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Cars make a stop at Eastaboga AL’s Talladega Short Track on Friday, March 7. The bullring is a tad shorter but just as intense as it’s 2.66-mile neighbor down the street, the Talladega Superspeedway. Then, it’s over to Magnolia Motor Speedway in Columbus, MS on Saturday, March 8.

It’ll be the 13th visit in Series history to Talladega while “The Mag” welcomes the World of Outlaws for just the third time. For both states on the agenda, it’s the only time each will host the Series in 2025.

BUY TALLADEGA TICKETS HERE
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WATCH LIVE ON DIRTVision

Let’s look at the southern weekend’s top storylines:

HITTING THE ROAD: The first six races of the season kept the World of Outlaws firmly fixed in Florida, but now the real grind is set to begin.

The southern trip ahead marks the first of 17 consecutive weekends of action. The tour will visit five states before the month of March concludes.

During the upcoming stretch of non-stop Sprint Car racing the month of May features 13 races at 10 tracks, including a trip to Canada. Half miles, bullrings and everything in between await the nation’s top Sprint Car talent.

FEELS LIKE THE FIRST TIME: Fourteen years ago, Jason Meyers was at the height of his career – the reigning World of Outlaws champion on his way to another title and amid a five-race winning streak. But a 19-year-old Connecticut kid brought the streak to a halt.

David Gravel bested Meyers in a duel at Talladega to bag his first Series victory. It became the first of many as the Watertown, CT native now owns 105 (tied seventh most all-time) and returns to the Alabama oval carrying the title of defending champion.

His two most recent victories came earlier this week when Gravel swept Volusia’s Bike Week Jamboree. He and the Big Game Motorsports team have five podiums and no finish worse than fourth through six races in 2025. Gravel goes for his second Talladega triumph on Friday, as well as his first ever three-race win streak with the World of Outlaws.

NEW RIDE, SAME RESULT?: Two seasons ago Michael “Buddy” Kofoid was still making a name for himself on the national Sprint Car scene. He’d come from a promising start in California before, focusing heavily on Midgets in 2020-2022, leading to consecutive USAC championships in 2021 and 2022.

Kofoid’s attention turned back to a primary Sprint Car focus in 2023. The Penngrove, CA native already had one World of Outlaws win under his belt (2022 at Huset’s Speedway) and steered to another at Talladega in March of 2023.

That win came with CMS Racing, and this weekend the 23-year-old heads back to ‘Dega amid his sophomore World of Outlaws season aboard the Roth Motorsports No. 83. He’s now fully established himself as one of the sport’s top stars after one of the best rookie campaigns ever in 2024.

THE MAN AT THE MAG: It’s tough to top Sheldon’s Haudenschild’s record at Magnolia.

The Wooster, OH native topped the Series debut back in 2021. He followed that up by leading nine laps in 2023 before ultimately bringing the Stenhouse Jr.-Marshall Racing ride home with a podium. Haudenschild’s average finish in two starts is second.

He’ll be in search of similar speed this weekend as it’s been an up and down ninth season on tour so far. The last four races have led to finishes of ninth, 20th, fourth and 15th. Haudenschild currently sits seventh in points.

SEASONED SCHATZ: There’s one driver among the full-time 2025 World of Outlaws roster that has competed in every Series race at both Talladega and Magnolia, and to no surprise his name is Donny Schatz.

The 10-time Series champion will have the experience advantage when the tour rolls into ‘Dega on Friday. He’s been in all 12 Features the facility has hosted. Schatz is still after his first win there, but he’s peaked at second twice (2002 & 2011), and he’s been in the top five in half of his appearances. His team, Tony Stewart/Curb Agajanian Racing, has won three times at Talladega with Danny Lasoski behind the wheel. Over at Magnolia, consistency has also been the story for the Fargo, ND driver. His two outings have led to a pair of fourth-place finishes.

Schatz’s 2025 has unfolded similar to last year so far. He’s already passed 42 cars through six Features, averaging advancing seven positions per main event. The charges have led him to four top 10s and sitting fourth in points.

LEADING THE ROOKIES: The 2025 Kevin Gobrecht Rookie of the Year battle welcomed plenty of attention as the season began. Six rookies signed on, and the tour has since added another with Conner Morrell throwing his name into the mix before Bike Week. So far, it’s Chris Windom leading the way.

After recently welcoming his first child, Waylon, to the world, the USAC Triple Crown champion delivered a pair of impressive drives earlier this week. Windom narrowly missed the Toyota Dash on Sunday before finishing eighth in the Feature. The following night, he wheeled the Sides Motorsports No. 7S from 22nd to 10th. Those results coupled with his DIRTcar Nationals efforts have him 10th in overall points and atop the rookie standings. The Canton, IL native will debut at both Talladega and Magnolia this weekend.

Behind Windom, it’s a 22-point gap back to his closest challenger Garet Williamson. Then, 16 points behind him is Hunter Schuerenberg. The two have previous laps at Talladega and Magnolia in World of Outlaws competition.

THIS WEEKEND AT A GLANCE

WHEN AND WHERE 
Friday, March 7 at Talladega Short Track in Eastaboga, AL
Saturday, March 8 at Magnolia Motor Speedway in Columbus, MS

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

CURRENT CHAMPIONSHIP STANDINGS (6/89 Races):
1. David Gravel – Big Game Motorsports No. 2 (820 PTS)
2. Logan Schuchart – Shark Racing No. 1S (-44 PTS)
3. Carson Macedo – Jason Johnson Racing No. 41 (-46 PTS)
4. Donny Schatz – Tony Stewart/Curb Agajanian Racing No. 15 (-82 PTS)
5. Michael Kofoid – Roth Motorsports No. 83 (-82 PTS)
6. Jacob Allen – Shark Racing No. 1A (-98 PTS)
7. Sheldon Haudenschild – Stenhouse Jr.-Marshall Racing No. 17 (-114 PTS)
8. Bill Balog – B2 Motorsports No. 17B (-122 PTS)
9. Giovanni Scelzi – KCP Racing No. 18 (-128 PTS)
10. Chris Windom – Sides Motorsports No. 7S (-146 PTS)

NOS ENERGY DRINK FEATURE WINNERS (3 Drivers): 
2 Wins – Kyle Larson, David Gravel
1 Win – Carson Macedo, Christopher Bell

FEATURE LAPS LED (6 Drivers):
51 Laps – Kyle Larson
40 Laps – David Gravel
25 Laps – Carson Macedo
17 Laps – Emerson Axsom
14 Laps – Giovanni Scelzi
8 Laps – Christopher Bell

SIMPSON PERFORMANCE PRODUCTS QUICKTIME AWARDS (5 Drivers):
2 Quick Times – David Gravel
1 Quick Time – Emerson Axsom, Kyle Larson, Danny Sams III, Logan Schuchart

HEAT RACE WINNERS (11 Drivers): 
4 Heat Wins – Carson Macedo
3 Heat Wins – Christopher Bell, Kyle Larson, David Gravel
2 Heat Wins – Logan Schuchart, Brian Brown, Bill Balog, Jacob Allen
1 Heat Win – Emerson Axsom, Sheldon Haudenschild, Hunter Schuerenberg

TOYOTA DASH APPEARANCES (22 Drivers):
5 Dashes – David Gravel, Carson Macedo, Logan Schuchart
4 Dashes – Brian Brown
3 Dashes – Christopher Bell, Kyle Larson, Emerson Axsom, Bill Balog
2 Dashes – Michael Kofoid, Danny Sams III, Jacob Allen
1 Dash – Justin Peck, Brad Sweet, Ryan Timms, Tyler Courtney, Parker Price-Miller, Sheldon Haudenschild, Aaron Reutzel, Garet Williamson, Gio Scelzi, Hunter Schuerenberg, Cole Macedo

MICRO-LITE LAST CHANCE SHOWDOWN WINS (6 Drivers):
1 LCS Win – Donny Schatz, Ryan Timms, Giovanni Scelzi, Garet Williamson, Chris Martin, Anthony Macri

KSE HARD CHARGER AWARDS (5 Drivers):
2 Hard Chargers – Ryan Timms
1 Hard Charger – Donny Schatz, Logan Schuchart, Cole Macedo, Chris Windom

PODIUM FINISHES (8 Drivers):
5 Podiums – David Gravel
4 Podiums – Kyle Larson
3 Podiums – Logan Schuchart
2 Podiums – Christopher Bell
1 Podium – Carson Macedo, Aaron Reutzel, Jacob Allen, Giovanni Scelzi

TOP 10 FINISHES (24 Drivers): 
6 Top 10s – David Gravel
5 Top 10s – Carson Macedo, Logan Schuchart
4 Top 10s – Kyle Larson, Donny Schatz
3 Top 10s – Ryan Timms, Brad Sweet, Tyler Courtney, Justin Peck, Michael Kofoid
2 Top 10s – Christopher Bell, Bill Balog, Aaron Reutzel, Chris Windom, Giovanni Scelzi, Jacob Allen, Sheldon Haudenschild
1 Top 10 – Danny Sams III, Brian Brown, Parker Price-Miller, Anthony Macri, Cole Macedo, Hunter Schuerenberg, Spencer Bayston

2025 WORLD OF OUTLAWS SPRINT CAR WINNERS:
No. / Day, Date / Track / Location / Winner (Total Wins)
1. Wed, Feb 7 / Volusia Speedway Park / Barberville, FL / Carson Macedo (1)
2. Thurs, Feb 8 / Volusia Speedway Park / Barberville, FL / Christopher Bell (1)
3. Fri, Feb 9 / Volusia Speedway Park / Barberville, FL / Kyle Larson (1)
4. Sat, Feb 10 / Volusia Speedway Park / Barberville, FL / Kyle Larson (2)
5. Sun, March 2 / Volusia Speedway Park / Barberville, FL / David Gravel (1)
6. Mon, March 3 / Volusia Speedway Park / Barberville, FL / David Gravel (2)

For the complete 2025 schedule, CLICK HERE.

CONCORD, NC (March 5, 2025) – At the end of the 2024 season, all Drake Troutman was looking for was a chance.

The former DIRTcar UMP Modified standout had what he needed to get up and down the road with his own No. 7 Late Model team, but he was still in search of an opportunity to become a legitimate contender on the national stage. Then came the call from G.R. Smith.

“Last year, I ran my own deal strictly off sponsorship and I couldn’t continue to do that anymore,” Troutman said. “That was one of those deals where we just tried to get through last year to turn some heads and hopefully get a ride. I’m really fortunate that G.R. reached out to me and gave me this awesome opportunity.

“I don’t really have an option but to make it a long-term relationship. Now that we’re in this deal together, I feel like I’m a really loyal person and I like to have things long-term. I don’t like to be hopping around. Me and G.R. have been clicking really good together, he’s been awesome to work with and he’s given me everything I need to go out and compete on a national level.”

Once the deal was done, Smith and Troutman set their sights on a MD3 Rookie of the Year Award run with the World of Outlaws Late Models, which kicked off with a pair of events in the “Sunshine State” at Volusia Speedway Park.

Troutman is a winner at the “World’s Fastest Half Mile” in Modified action but had a personal best of 18th in six Outlaw appearances at Volusia prior to 2025. However, finishes of sixth and 15th at DIRTcar Sunshine Nationals made it seem like Troutman was on the right track, giving him reason for optimism going into Federated Auto Parts DIRTcar Nationals.

The six-night stretch didn’t start off how the No. 22* team were hoping, though. Troutman missed the Feature on Monday’s opening night of DIRTcar Late Model competition and failed to crack the top 10 in the next four nights.

Entering Saturday’s finale, Troutman’s only goal was to bring the car home in one piece and move on to the next stop on tour. But as the night progressed, he realized he was capable of much more than that.

“We sucked so bad all week, every year I go down there, I don’t know what I need to do to be better,” Troutman said. “I was pretty frustrated. We just kind of threw the kitchen sink at it the last night and it all worked out.”

A solid Qualifying run put Troutman on the pole of his Heat Race. After leading all eight laps of that contest to make the Redraw, Troutman pulled the top spot for the 50-lap main event.

The Hyndman, PA native quickly pulled out to a five-second advantage over the field, and it looked like Troutman had one hand on his first World of Outlaws trophy. The only problem? The driver trailing him was Jonathan Davenport, who’d finished second in three of his last four World of Outlaws starts and already won at Volusia earlier in the week.

“Superman” made quick work of the gap between he and Troutman and passed him with 11 to go to add another Gator to his trophy case. While the win may have slipped through Troutman’s fingers, his runner-up against one of the toughest fields the World of Outlaws face all season proved to the rest of the world what he knew from the start – the Team22 Motorsports squad could be a contender against the best.

“The track was more to my liking that night, I’m not really good whenever it’s wide open, stand on it and pray to God it turns,” Troutman said. “As soon as you get done Qualifying, that’s going to tell you how your night goes for the most part. Especially on a track like that, it can be pretty hard to pass sometimes, and the air plays a huge factor in that place. I knew after Qualifying we could win the Heat Race, and if you start up front, you’ve got a pretty good shot. At that point, it’s up to you and making sure everything on the car stays together.”

After ending the week on a high note, the team’s focus shifted toward preparing for the spring slate of racing, which begins next weekend at Smoky Mountain Speedway with the Tennessee Tipoff. But in the break between events, Troutman has been getting up to speed at several tracks he’ll return to later in the year with the Outlaws, including Swainsboro Raceway, which hosts The Most Powerful Late Models on the Planet on March 21-22.

In his Swainsboro debut with the Spring Nationals Series, Troutman instantly became the class of the field by claiming the Feature pole. He settled into second behind Team22 teammate Chris Madden early on but fell back to sixth after clipping an infield tractor tire and damaging the left-front corner of the car.

Nevertheless, the night gave him a solid baseline to build on later this month, as well as an idea of what not to do come race time.

“It was one of the better racetracks we’ve raced on all year,” Troutman said. “I’m excited to go back there, I thought it raced really well. The track guys did a good job of prepping the track there before the Feature to give us a good, racey racetrack. I think we’ve got a pretty good car there, I’ve just got to do better behind the wheel. I mean, I knocked the left-front out on Lap 15 or so, that stuff’s on me that I need to eliminate.”

One night later, Troutman laid down another top-15 showing in his first trip to Senoia Raceway, which will welcome the World of Outlaws for the Billy Clanton Classic on Sept. 13. This weekend, Troutman plans to head to Boothill Speedway in Louisiana to get some laps with the COMP Cams Super Dirt Series ahead of the $50,000-to-win Bayou Classic with the World of Outlaws, Oct. 10-11.

From there, Troutman will head back north to Tennessee for his second trip to the newly-reconfigured Smoky Mountain. While there’s room for improvement from his finishes of 20th and 26th in last year’s Mountain Moonshine Classic, Troutman is confident in his chances of success this time around.

“That was a pretty fun racetrack too,” Troutman said. “It’s all about going to these places and building notebooks. That’s going to be a newer challenge for us this year, we haven’t really raced at a whole lot of the Outlaw tracks. But in the long run it makes us better, and we’re excited.”

Troutman and the rest of the World of Outlaws Late Models will head to Maryville, TN for the Tennessee Tipoff at Smoky Mountain Speedway on Friday and Saturday, March 14-15.

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Photography: John Force Racing / Gary Nastase / Auto Imagery

GAINESVILLE, Fla. (March 5, 2025) – On the track on which she won her very first NHRA national event, Brittany Force hopes to take the first steps toward securing a record-tying third World Championship this week when she drives her Monster Energy Chevrolet in pursuit of the Top Fuel championship in the 56th annual NHRA Gatornationals at Gainesville Raceway.

Coming off a victory in last October’s NHRA Nevada Nationals at Las Vegas and energized by a strong performance in last month’s pre-season PRO Superstar Shootout at Bradenton, Fla., the newly married 38-year-old can’t wait to start racing once again for a championship she won in 2017 and again in 2022.

“I’m excited to get this season started at the Gatornationals,” she said. “After testing in Bradenton with David Grubnic, John Collins and the rest of this Monster Energy team, I feel we have a very strong group. 

“We have four new guys on the team and other guys in new positions. Changing up crew and jobs is a challenge, but I feel we got into a solid routine pretty quickly during testing,” said the 17-time tour winner. “We need to start our season strong (by) qualifying top five and going rounds on race day.”

The significance of a third title is that it would tie Force with Hall of Famer Shirley Muldowney for the most championships by a woman in either of the NHRA’s two signature classes – Top Fuel and Funny Car. In fact, she and Muldowney are the only women to have prevailed in either of those categories. 

The second youngest of John Force’s drag racing daughters and the only one who chose not to follow her father into a Funny Car class in which he has won a record 157 events and 16 championships, Brittany was rewarded with a Rookie-of-the-Year nod in 2013 although it would be three more years before she would win the first of her 17 “Wally” winner’s trophies at the 2016 Gatornationals.

After claiming the 2017 championship in a car prepared by Alan Johnson and Brian Husen, the graduate of Cal State-Fullerton earned her second with Grubnic, himself a former Gatornationals Top Fuel winner as a driver (2006). It has been Grubnic’s tuning expertise, in recent collaboration with Collins, that has made her car the acknowledged Monster of the Mission Series.

In addition to setting the current NHRA national records for both time and speed (3.623 seconds, 338.94 miles per hour), she raised the Gainesville Raceway speed record to its current 337.75 mph en route to her 2016 victory and is the record holder for time, speed, or both, at 11 other series’ venues.   

At Bradenton, she qualified third and upended 2023 NHRA World Champ Doug Kalitta in the opening round before a narrow starting line disadvantage made her slightly quicker 3.752 a semifinal loser to eventual race winner Shawn Reed’s 3.768.

“We had one of the top-running cars and we should have turned on the win light in the semifinals,” she said. “I was a little slow off the light, but that’s something I can fix. I’m pumped with this new group (four new crew members joined the team this year) and excited to see what we can accomplish.”

Surprisingly, despite all her success, including the fact that she is one of only a handful of drivers to have started as many as 50 NHRA tour events from the No. 1 qualifying position, one thing she has not yet checked off her to-do list is a bonus race victory. Runner-up in 2022 and 2024 in what now is the Right Trailers All-Star Callout, she gets another shot this week in a race held in conjunction with the Gatornationals.

Photography: John Force Racing / Gary Nastase / Auto Imagery

GAINESVILLE, Fla. (March 5, 2025) – With his eye on a racing milestone and his mind on new experiences, Jack Beckman returns to full-time competition on the Mission Foods tour this week when he drives John Force’s PEAK Antifreeze and Coolant Chevrolet SS in a bid for the Funny Car title at the 56th annual NHRA Gatornationals at Gainesville Raceway.

“For the first time in five years, I will be racing the entire season,” said the 58-year-old Californian. “(And) things have changed noticeably in those five years, meaning several upcoming ‘firsts’ for me. 

“We now begin the season at the Gatornationals, something I have never done,” he said, referencing the 60-odd years during which the series began in California with the Winternationals. “Then, there’s the fact that the tour has streamlined down to 20 events from the 24 that I had become accustomed to (and) testing is now allowed just two days prior to racing. 

“Plus, I’ve never participated in the Mission Foods #2Fast2Tasty NHRA Challenge program and Gainesville is my first opportunity to do so. That’s a lot to take in,” he said.

Nevertheless, the widely respected driving instructor and cancer survivor admits that as much as he is looking forward to all of those first-time experiences, he is even more focused on a couple other numbers.

“I am most looking forward to a second win at the historic ‘Gators (he won the race in 2018 while driving for Schumacher Racing) and to the start of what I hope will be my second Funny Car championship (after initially hoisting the trophy in 2012). 

“But I also have my eyes on a much bigger number and that’s 300,” he said. “JFR has won 299 Funny Car races and either Austin Prock’s Cornwell Tools team or my PEAK Antifreeze and Coolant team will put a Chevy SS in the history books with that next win. So, Chris Cunningham, Tim Fabrisi, Daniel Hood, myself and the rest of the PEAK squad have plenty of incentive to make the ‘Gators great.”

Summoned out of retirement last season to fill-in for an injured Force, “Fast Jack” earned a full-time ride on the strength of two wins in just eight starts and a second place points finish behind Prock.

It’s an opportunity he thought had passed him by after a lack of sponsorship sent him to the sidelines at the end of a 2020 season in which he finished third in the driver standing. Without a ride, the U.S. Air Force veteran returned to his “day job” as an elevator repairman.

“I went back to work at Schindler Elevator on November 9, 2020, after 22 years away, and expected to stay there,” he said. Then came the call from JFR President Robert Hight that put him back in a race car for the last three months of the 2024 season.

Driving the Chevy in which Force had won twice before suffering injuries in a 300 mile per hour crash in Richmond, Va., Beckman raised the trophy at World Wide Technology Raceway in Madison, Ill., just across the river from St. Louis, and then applied an exclamation point with a victory in an all-JFR final round in the season-ending In-N-Out Burger Finals on his home track.