Former Weekly Series champion reunites with longtime supporter of grassroots racing |
| STUART, Va. (July 15, 2025) – Wood Brothers Racing today announced a new partnership with Advance Auto Parts that will see the leading automotive aftermarket parts provider serve as the primary partner for one race with the No. 21 Ford Mustang Dark Horse driven by Josh Berry for the Autotrader EchoPark Automotive 400 at Dover Motor Speedway on July 20. Headquartered in Raleigh, North Carolina, Advance Auto Parts operates nearly 4,300 stores across the United States, with additional locations in Canada, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands, serving both professional installers and do-it-yourself customers. The company also plays a prominent role in supporting grassroots motorsports through its sponsorship of the NASCAR Advance Auto Parts Weekly Series, a program that features NASCAR-sanctioned local tracks throughout the United States and Canada where drivers compete for championships at the track, state, regional and national levels. Over the years, the program has become a vital pipeline for developing talent and growing the sport at the local level. That mission closely aligns with Berry’s path to the NASCAR Cup Series. In 2020, he earned national recognition by capturing the NASCAR Advance Auto Parts Weekly Series championship, a pivotal moment that helped launch his ascent to NASCAR’s top level. “To have Advance Auto Parts on board at Dover is really special to me,” said Berry. “They’ve done so much to support grassroots racing across the country, and I’m proud to have won the Advance Auto Parts Weekly Series championship back in 2020. It means a lot to now represent them at the Cup level with Wood Brothers Racing.” “Advance Auto Parts has been a tremendous supporter in raising the profile of short track racing across the country for the past several years, and this partnership aligns perfectly with Josh’s background,” said Jon Wood, president, Wood Brothers Racing. “He’s a product of the system they’ve supported and continues to represent the values of grassroots racing. We’re proud to have Advance Auto Parts on board the No. 21 car at Dover.” The partnership also reflects Advance Auto Parts’ continued investment in driver development and the future of the sport. “Josh’s journey from the local short tracks to the Cup Series embodies the spirit of what Advance Auto Parts stands for,” said Bruce Starnes, executive vice president and chief merchant, Advance Auto Parts. “We’re proud to support him and to align with one of the most iconic teams in the sport in Wood Brothers Racing.” The No. 21 Advance Auto Parts Ford Mustang Dark Horse will make its on-track debut beginning with Cup Series practice and qualifying at the “Monster Mile” on Saturday, July 19, at 1:35 p.m. ET. Coverage of Sunday’s 400-mile race is scheduled for 2 p.m. ET on TNT. |
Bauman, Daniels All Even as Grand National Championship Brawls Arrive for Short Track at Lucas Oil Speedway
| Mission AFT SuperTwins riders Dallas Daniels (32) and Davis Fisher (67) lead James Ott (19) and Briar Bauman (3) during Practice at the DuQuoin Mile July 5th. [Photo: American Flat Track/Tim Lester] DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (July 15, 2025) – Progressive American Flat Track, sanctioned by AMA Pro Racing, will at last arrive in Wheatland, Missouri, for the inaugural Short Track at Lucas Oil Speedway this Friday, July 18. Back Again for the Very First Time Originally scheduled for early June, inclement weather forced a mid-July return for the Grand National Championship. Everything stated ahead of the postponed round regarding the series’ 20th all-time visit to Missouri still holds true. Progressive AFT will finally make its debut appearance at the spectacular Lucas Oil Speedway, which is well established as a Midwestern mecca of four-wheel dirt track racing. Known as the “Diamond of Dirt Tracks,” Lucas Oil Speedway boasts a 3/8-mile clay oval, a 1.2-mile offroad track, a go-kart circuit, and Lake Lucas for drag-boat racing. The facilities and amenities are equally impressive, making the venue a most deserving setting to play host to the world’s greatest motorcycle dirt track racers on Friday night. Halfway Home and Right Back Where We Started With eight races down and eight races to go, the Mission AFT SuperTwins title fight is currently separated by the second tiebreaker. Prior to the start of the season, there was some concern that the series – which is typically defined by its trademark close-fought title fights – might be forced to take a temporary hiatus from that status. Despite winning a record ten premier-class titles, Jared Mees usually did so in nail-biting fashion, his blowout championship wins in ‘17 and ‘18 being very much the exception. In fact, Mees spent nine of the last eleven years of his career locked in highly competitive and endlessly entertaining championship battles. The last six of those were spent attempting to first fend off Briar Bauman (No. 3 RWR/Parts Plus/Latus Motors Harley-Davidson XG750R) and then later Dallas Daniels (No. 32 Estenson Racing Yamaha MT-07 DT). The introduction of an all-production-based ruleset in 2025 led many to believe that – while the right move for the series for the long term – there could be some short-term pain associated with it coming in the form of the potential dominant pairing of Daniels and his well-developed Yamaha MT-07 DT. That has not been the case. As brilliant as Daniels has been (as evidenced by 21 straight podiums), Bauman has been equally so. Mees’ former foils have found each other and are now actively assembling their own rivalry – one that could potentially define the series for the next decade or so. Just how evenly matched did the Daniels/Yamaha and Bauman/Harley combos prove to be over the season’s opening half? 162 points for Bauman. 162 points for Daniels. Four wins for Bauman. Four wins for Daniels. Beyond that, Bauman currently holds the tiebreaker with three runners-up to Daniels’ two. Meanwhile, Daniels has the slight edge in consistency, with a worst result of third to Bauman’s fifth – the only result for either rider to end up off the box all year long. A look ahead at the eight remaining races suggests an equally fierce second half. It’s easy to project minor advantages for one or the other at specific tracks, but it’s nearly impossible to discern an obvious window for either to shake free of the other. Production Rules Have Proven as Productive as Predicted While Bauman and Daniels have turned this into a two-rider fight at the top of the points standings, there has been plenty of shine to go around, both for other riders and for other manufacturers. While still seeking his first win on the XG750R, Brandon Robinson (No. 44 Mission Roof Systems Harley-Davidson XG750R) has reliably been the third-best rider on the scene, and it seems only a matter of time before he finally puts the #44 Harley on top of the box. James Ott (No. 19 G&G Racing Yamaha MT-07) and Declan Bender (No. 70 Memphis Shades/Corbin/OTB Racing Yamaha MT-07) joined Daniels to complete a Yamaha lock-out of the podium at DuQuoin, proving beyond any shadow of doubt that Daniels and Estenson Racing are not the only ones who can turn the MT-07 into a formidable flat tracker. Worries that KTM would lose relevance in Mission AFT SuperTwins due to the defection of Bauman and Rick Ware Racing to Harley’s camp have shown to be ill-founded as a result of the respective performances of Davis Fisher (No. 67 Rackley Racing/Bob Lanphere’s BMC Racing KTM 790 Duke) and Jarod Vanderkooi (No. 20 Fastrack Racing/Wally Brown Racing KTM 790 Duke). While both riders come into Lucas Oil Speedway looking for a bounce-back effort, they’ve enjoyed some stellar moments early in the days on the KTM. Fisher ranks fourth in the points on the strength of a runner-up, third, and four top-four finishes, while VDK is fifth with a third, a fourth, and a fifth. Trent Lowe (No. 48 American Honda/Progressive Insurance Honda Transalp) has consistently demonstrated the promise of Honda’s entry in the premier class, logging three sixths already in his first-full season of premier-class competition. Dan Bromley (No. 62 Memphis Shades/Vinson Construction Suzuki GSX-8S), meanwhile, has been spectacular on the Suzuki on more than one occasion. While he does have a fourth and a fifth to show for his efforts, he’s flashed podium-caliber speed on the GSX-8S. Max Whale (No. 18 Moto Anatomy X Powered by Royal Enfield 650) has already finished inside the top five in the first half of his first season with Royal Enfield. And like Bromley, Whale has shown there is room for further growth with moments suggesting there is plenty more to come. And don’t forget about Kawasaki. Henry Wiles (No. 911 J&M Logging/Ray C’s Harley-Davidson Kawasaki Ninja 650) put a Ninja on the box at the season opener. And more recently, Dalton Gauthier (No. 79 Racing Unlimited/Parts Bros/D&D Cycles Kawasaki Ninja 650) piloted one to sixth last time out at DuQuoin. Pretty much everyone above should only improve with more time to adapt and dial in their equipment. Eight down and eight to go? Bring it on. Go Party, Go Play, and Go Kart Fans who come out to the track on Friday night will find no shortage of entertainment options beyond just the world-class racing. The Fan Party – complete with a Rider Q&A session – will run from 5:00 p.m. local time right up until Opening Ceremonies at 7:00 p.m. Those in attendance will also have a chance to take advantage of the on-site go-karting, the Diamond Bar, DJ’d music, a multitude of vendors lining the midway, Jumbotron viewing, designated motorcycle parking, and a variety of food and beverage options. Seats, Suites, and Fan Experiences General Admission Grandstand tickets for the Short Track at Lucas Oil Speedway are just $25 (kids 12 and under free with a paid adult ticket), while Reserved Grandstand tickets are available for $40 (all ages). Students can purchase a GA Grandstand ticket for just $20 at the gate the day of the event with a valid ID. There are multiple options to enjoy the facility’s 21 VIP Luxury Suites, starting with an Individual Suite ticket ($99), which includes a private outdoor box seat along with access to the indoor lounge. Private Indoor Suites are available for groups of up to 18 ($2000) and 27 ($3000), both of which include infield group experience with a guided tour of the infield podium and start/finish line, photo op included, and early race viewing from the infield. Also available for purchase is the Opening Ceremonies Trackside Fan Experience ($99), which includes reserved seating, a guided tour of the infield podium and start/finish line, photo op included, and up-close viewing of Opening Ceremonies and a portion of the night’s race action. Finally, fans have the option to purchase the Practice Viewing Trackside Fan Experience as a $25 upgrade to a GA Grandstand or Reserved Grandstand ticket, which provides a guided tour of the infield podium and start/finish line, photo op included, and up-close viewing of a practice session. Visit https://www.tixr.com/groups/americanflattrack/events/2025-lucas-oil-short-track-141381 to reserve your seats today. Gates will open for fans at 3:30 p.m. ET/12:30 p.m. PT with Opening Ceremonies scheduled to begin at 8:00 p.m. ET/5:00 p.m. PT. |
Cruz Pedregon–Seattle Advance
Cruz Pedregon
NHRA – Seattle NHRA Northwest Nationals
Pre-Race Report
Quotes for NHRA – Seattle NHRA Northwest Nationals
Cruz Pedregon, two-time Funny Car World Champion, says:
Seattle marks the midway point of our race season, and it couldn’t come at a better time. Our Snap-on® “Own It” Dodge® Hellcat® is starting to hit its stride. We’re making strong, consistent runs and building momentum. Coming off a top qualifying effort in Norwalk and a semifinal finish, we’re ready to take things even further.
I can’t think of a better place to do that than Seattle. With the track under new ownership and major improvements to the facility, there’s a renewed energy around this event. They’ve even scheduled a late Friday night qualifying session under the lights, which means cooler air, big header flames, and a show the fans won’t forget.
We’d love to be one of the cars that sets the pace that night for the debut of this year’s new “Own It” paint scheme on the Snap-on Dodge. I get to interact with franchisees throughout the season, doing ride-alongs and hosting them in the pit. So, the paint scheme is a shout-out to them and a chance to remind race fans of the opportunity to own a Snap-on franchise.
Seattle, really all of the West Coast races, feels like home to me. Being from Southern California, I always enjoy racing out here. The Pacific Northwest provides great atmospheric conditions for big performance, and the fans here are some of the best. Since they only get to see us once a year, we expect a packed house in the stands and our hospitality area.
We’re focused, confident, and ready to keep climbing. If you can’t catch us live or in person, be sure to check local listings and find us on FS1 or FOX network TV. NHRA.TV is also a great way to catch the action.
Name on the side of Cruz’s car – Snap-on Nitro Franchisee Kevin Hamer
● Featured on the side of Cruz’s Snap-on® “Own It” Dodge® Hellcat® is Nitro Franchisee Kevin Hamer.
● This race weekend will be a first-time meeting for Cruz and Kevin, but Kevin’s no stranger to drag racing. He’s a regular Grudge Racing competitor here at Pacific Raceways.
● Kevin began his career working as an automotive and diesel technician, and he’s been a part of Snap-on for more than a decade.
● He got into the business because the Snap-on franchisee who called on his shop encouraged him to do exactly what Cruz’s “Own It” paint scheme says, and look into owning a franchise for himself.
● As the Nitro Franchisee, Kevin and Cruz will get to talk about all things tools and racing over dinner in Cruz’s pit on Friday after qualifying.
MEYER SISTERS MAKE STRONG RETURN IN IHRA NITRO OUTLAW SERIES DEBUT
Jul 13, 2025 | Featured, Megan Meyer, Race Results, Rachel Meyer
The Meyer sisters made a long-awaited return to Top Alcohol Dragster competition at the opening round of the IHRA Nitro Outlaw Series at Darana Raceway in Hebron, OH, and they wasted no time reminding fans and competitors what they’re capable of.
In her first quarter-mile pass in over two years—and without a single test run—Rachel Meyer clocked a solid 5.42 ET at 252 mph, knocking the dust off in style. Her confidence quickly returned as she improved to a 5.35 ET at 260 mph during Q2.
Megan Meyer came out swinging in Q1 with the quickest and fastest pass of the entire event, running a blistering 5.23 ET at 274 mph. She backed it up with a 5.29 ET at 269 mph during a fun Q2 matchup against Rachel. The sisters had a friendly bet riding on the round: whoever lost had to clean the winner’s car with GUNK engine degreaser—Megan claimed bragging rights and the cleaner car.
Both drivers carried momentum into eliminations. Megan defeated Jeff Chatterson in round one with a 5.31 to his 5.59, while Rachel outran Tom Fox with a 5.33 to 5.43 win. But Mother Nature had other plans. A major rainstorm swept through the facility between rounds, drastically changing the track and weather conditions. Despite valiant efforts, both sisters smoked the tires in round two due to mismatched tune-ups in the new conditions.
“Our focus this weekend was to first have fun, and second win,” said Megan. “We’re doing this for our family, to race together again like the old days. I want to thank the crew who spent their time off from the regular NHRA races to come here and help us have two amazing cars. Without their help none of this would be possible. We didn’t have the outcome we were hoping for, but we know there’s tough competition and they keep us on our toes. We’re always pushing to be better, and we’ll take what we learned into the next race at Milan Dragway in two weeks.”
“IHRA gave us a great track even after all the rain and the on-track incidents,” added Rachel. “The hospitality was top notch, with not one but two racer appreciation dinners, plus ice being delivered every morning. Seriously, thank you guys for everything! I can’t wait to do it again in two weeks and hope we make it to the finals.”
The Meyer sisters will return to the seat at Milan Dragway, July 25–26, for round two of the IHRA Nitro Outlaw Series. Follow their journey on Facebook @RandyMeyerRacing.
WHAT TO WATCH FOR: All Eyes on Ohio for Brad Doty Classic, Kings Roya
| lA big week in the Buckeye State at Attica and Eldora awaitsATTICA, OH (July 14, 2025) – The World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Series is “Buckeye State” bound for a big week.The Sprint Car world’s entire focus is fixed firmly on Ohio. Race teams are traveling from afar. Race fans have finally reached those vacations requested months ago. Haulers are stocked to capacity. Campers are loaded up. Ohio is the place to be this week.The Greatest Show on Dirt will first invade Attica Raceway Park for the Ohio Logistics Brad Doty Classic presented by dac Vitamins and Minerals on Tuesday, July 15. Doty was once one of the sport’s most promising talents behind the wheel before a 1988 injury halted his career. The Apple Creek, OH native won 18 World of Outlaws Features, including seven in 1987 on his way to a runner-up finish in the points. Doty’s time in the driver’s seat may have ended, but his time in Sprint Car racing has not, as he’s stayed involved through a variety of avenues to contribute to the sport he loves.After “The Doty,” the focus shifts to one of the sport’s crown jewels. Four huge nights of racing at Eldora Speedway will culminate in the 42nd running of the Kings Royal on July 18-19. Earl Baltes’ vision for the event came to life in 1984, and Tony Stewart has continued to push it to new heights. This year’s edition will send the King back to the castle with a record $200,000 in riches, becoming only the fifth Sprint Car race ever to pay at least $200K to the winner. The Knight Before on Friday will also dish out a healthy $25,000 prize.The agenda is simple this week. If you haven’t already, make plans to be within the “Buckeye State” borders.BUY ATTICA TICKETS HERE BUY ELDORA TICKETS HEREWATCH LIVE ON DIRTVisionLet’s look at the week’s top storylines:BDC HISTORY: The Brad Doty Classic is one of Ohio’s most historic events, and Tuesday is set to write the latest chapter.“The Doty” has seen 25 different winners heading into the 37th edition. Donny Schatz’s four victories stand atop the list of the most, but Kyle Larson has been closing in with three wins in the last five runnings. Six competitors have claimed multiple checkered flags, with David Gravel being the most recent as he picked up his second last year.It’s also proven to be an event where the host state shines. Nine of the 25 winners are Ohio natives. Chillicothe’s Danny Smith and Hartford’s Dale Blaney are Buckeyes who have topped multiple events.ATTICA ACES: There are many drivers with plenty of Attica success still looking to tame the Brad Doty Classic.Ohio’s own Sheldon Haudenschild badly wants to add a Brad Doty Classic to his résumé. He’s won at Ohio locally (2013) and twice with the All Star Circuit of Champions (ASCoC).Michael “Buddy” Kofoid has had speed from his very first visit to Attica. He’s competed 26 times at the 1/3-mile dirt track, and a dozen of those trips have led to podiums. Twice he’s topped Attica Features, including one with the World of Outlaws last year.Skylar Gee frequently competed in Ohio prior to going full-time with the World of Outlaws, and his experience includes a trio of local victories, with one as recent as last year. Tuesday will mark his fourth Brad Doty Classic appearance.Fans can also expect many Ohio locals that have won at Attica before, like Cap Henry (Bellevue, OH), Bryce Lucius (Findlay, OH), Craig Mintz (Gibsonburg, OH), and many more to be in action, looking to pull off an upset.THE KING’S CROWNS: It’s only fitting that “The King” Steve Kinser owns the record for the most Kings Royal crowns with six, but his mark is within reach this weekend.Donny Schatz is a six-time Kings Royal champion, and all but one have come since joining Tony Stewart/Curb Agajanian Racing in 2008. He’s the only driver to ever claim the crown three years in a row (2016-2018), and his most recent came in 2023. The Fargo, ND native came close to equaling Kinser last year in spectacular fashion. He charged from 20th and took the lead with less than 10 laps remaining, but couldn’t hold on and settled for second.Schatz’s Eldora success extends well beyond the Kings Royal. He’s won 19 total races at “The Big E.” Six of his last seven Eldora visits have led to podium finishes.BACK-2-BACK?: There’s a new King ready to defend the throne, and his name is David Gravel.The Watertown, CT native spoiled Schatz’s charge a year ago by passing him back and holding on for his first Kings Royal. Gravel became the crown jewel’s 23rd different winner through 41 runnings and banked $175,000 for his efforts.Entering the week, there’s no reason to think Gravel and the Big Game Motorsports team won’t be in contention again. They’ve already won 10 races this season, and Eldora has become one of Gravel’s best tracks. He’s won four of his last six races at the 1/2 mile, and the other two finishes were fourth and second. Overall, he’s got nine Eldora victories, and six of them have come aboard Tod Quiring’s No. 2 with Ohio’s own Cody Jacobs turning the wrenches. Another crown would put Gravel alongside Donny Schatz as only the second driver to claim back-to-back Kings Royals.CAST OF KINGS: Schatz and Gravel aren’t the only former Kings ready to pursue the crown again.King Tyler XXVII: A last lap pass lifted Tyler Walker to the 2011 Kings Royal victory and the biggest moment of his career. The Los Angeles, CA native recently returned to Sprint Car racing, and Ron Rutherford has announced plans to bring Walker back to Eldora this week.King Kerry XXXI: After multiple close calls and heartbreak, Kerry Madsen finally secured the crown in 2014 with Keneric Racing. This year, the “Madman” will head to Eldora with the Vermeer-Madsen Racing team, and together in 2025, they’ve already picked up a pair of World of Outlaws runner-ups.King Brad XXXVI: Grass Valley, CA’s Brad Sweet could become the fifth three-time winner with a victory on Saturday. He and Kasey Kahne Racing won in 2013, and the duo returned to the throne in 2019 when the grand prize was upped to $175,000.King Kyle XXXVII: Kyle Larson took the Silva Motorsports No. 57 to royalty in 2021with a thrilling charge from ninth. The Elk Grove, CA native could join his brother-in-law, Sweet, as the second Californian with multiple Kings Royals titles.King Tyler XXXVIII: The first World of Outlaws win of Tyler Courtney’s career came in the form of the Kings Royal in 2021. He’ll be aboard the Clauson-Marshall Racing/NOS Energy Drink No. 7BC, aiming for another.King Brent XXXIX: Brent Marks made history in 2022 with a lucrative week at Eldora. First, he conquered the Historical Big One on Thursday, and then two days later backed it up with a Kings Royal title. That made the “Myerstown Missile” the first driver in Sprint Car history to pocket a pair of six-figure paydays in the same week. Marks looks to take the crown to Pennsylvanian again this week.NEW ROYALTY: There may be several Kings heading to Eldora in search of sitting atop the throne once more, but there is also a large list of gassers looking to join royalty for the first time.Eldora may be Logan Schuchart’s best track on the circuit, but a Kings Royal is still absent from his résumé. The Hanover, PA native owns six “Big E” victories, including the highest paying race in the sport’s history, the 2023 Eldora Million. His best finish in the crown jewel with Shark Racing is a 2019 runner-up.Carson Macedo has had no problem winning at Eldora in the month of July, but he’s had a little trouble doing so with the crown on the line. All three of his triumphs at the half mile have come during Kings Royal week, just not on the final night. The Jason Johnson Racing driver’s best finale finish is third twice.Just like “The Doty,” the Kings Royal is another important missing piece for Sheldon Haudenschild. His legendary father Jac Haudenschild won it three times. Haudenschild has a pair of Eldora trophies, and he was one spot away from winning one of two Kings Royals in 2021.St. Helena, CA’s Rico Abreu has stood in Eldora Victory Lane on 11 occasions but is yet to sit atop the throne. Four of his Eldora checkered flags have come in World of Outlaws action, including last year’s Knight Before. Abreu narrowly finished second behind Donny Schatz in the 2016 Kings Royal.The list of former Eldora Feature winners that’ll be going after their first Kings Royal doesn’t stop there as Giovanni Scelzi (Fresno, CA), Chris Windom (Canton, IL), Justin Peck (Monrovia, IN), Brady Bacon (Broken Arrow, OK), Aaron Reutzel (Clute, TX), Tim Shaffer (Aliquippa, PA), and more are expected to be in action.THIS WEEKEND AT A GLANCEWHEN AND WHERE Tuesday, July 15 at Attica Raceway Park in Attica, OH Friday-Saturday, July 18-19 at Eldora Speedway in Rossburg, OHON 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/monthCURRENT CHAMPIONSHIP STANDINGS (39/79 Races): 1. David Gravel – Big Game Motorsports No. 2 (5338 PTS) 2. Michael Kofoid – Roth Motorsports No. 83 (-180 PTS) 3. Carson Macedo – Jason Johnson Racing No. 41 (-212 PTS) 4. Logan Schuchart – Shark Racing No. 1S (-286 PTS) 5. Sheldon Haudenschild – Stenhouse Jr.-Marshall Racing No. 17 (-336 PTS) 6. Donny Schatz – Tony Stewart/Curb Agajanian Racing No. 15 (-438 PTS) 7. Giovanni Scelzi – KCP Racing No. 18 (-460 PTS) 8. Bill Balog – B2 Motorsports No. 17B (-636 PTS) 9. Chris Windom – Sides Motorsports No. 7S (-688 PTS) 10. Garet Williamson – Fischer Motorsports No. 23 (-728 PTS)NOS ENERGY DRINK FEATURE WINNERS (13 Drivers): 10 Wins – David Gravel 7 Wins – Michael Kofoid 5 Wins – Carson Macedo 4 Wins – Kyle Larson 2 Wins – Logan Schuchart, Sheldon Haudenschild, Rico Abreu, Bill Balog 1 Win – Christopher Bell, Giovanni Scelzi, Anthony Macri, Brad Sweet, Corey DayFEATURE LAPS LED (24 Drivers): 221 Laps – David Gravel 212 Laps – Michael Kofoid 140 Laps – Carson Macedo 96 Laps – Kyle Larson, Bill Balog 91 Laps – Logan Schuchart 87 Laps – Sheldon Haudenschild 62 Laps – Giovanni Scelzi 52 Laps – Rico Abreu 29 Laps – Anthony Macri 23 Laps – Kerry Madsen 17 Laps – Emerson Axsom, Brad Sweet, Corey Day 16 Laps – Cole Macedo 15 Laps – Spencer Bayston 14 Laps – Dylan Westbrook 12 Laps – Conner Morrell 11 Laps – Jordan Thomas 9 Laps – Sam Hafertepe Jr. 8 Laps – Christopher Bell, Aaron Reutzel 1 Lap – Donny Schatz, Garet WilliamsonSIMPSON PERFORMANCE PRODUCTS QUICKTIME AWARDS (20 Drivers): 11 Quick Times – David Gravel 3 Quick Times – Rico Abreu 2 Quick Times – Logan Schuchart, Sheldon Haudenschild, Carson Macedo, Giovanni Scelzi, Garet Williamson 1 Quick Time – Emerson Axsom, Kyle Larson, Danny Sams III, Anthony Macri, Aaron Reutzel, Michael Kofoid, Chase Dietz, Donny Schatz, Zach Hampton, Tyler Courtney, Austin McCarl, Kerry Madsen, Bill BalogHEAT RACE WINNERS (37 Drivers): 22 Heat Wins – David Gravel 18 Heat Wins – Carson Macedo 13 Heat Wins – Bill Balog 11 Heat Wins – Sheldon Haudenschild, Logan Schuchart 8 Heat Wins – Giovanni Scelzi 6 Heat Wins – Michael Kofoid, Chris Windom 5 Heat Wins – Kyle Larson 4 Heat Wins – Christopher Bell, Anthony Macri, Tyler Courtney, Conner Morrell 3 Heat Wins – Garet Williamson, Brad Sweet 2 Heat Wins – Brian Brown, Jacob Allen, Austin McCarl, Emerson Axsom, Danny Dietrich, Skylar Gee, Rico Abreu, Ryan Timms, Hunter Schuerenberg, Christopher Thram 1 Heat Win – Bryce Lucius, Sam Hafertepe Jr., Donny Schatz, Aaron Reutzel, Tanner Thorson, Zach Hampton, Chase Dietz, Justin Whittall, Danny Sams III, Jy Corbet, Tim Kaeding, Andy PakeTOYOTA DASH APPEARANCES (53 Drivers): 31 Dashes – David Gravel 23 Dashes – Carson Macedo 19 Dashes – Logan Schuchart, Sheldon Haudenschild 16 Dashes – Giovanni Scelzi 15 Dashes – Michael Kofoid, Bill Balog 8 Dashes – Chris Windom 6 Dashes – Emerson Axsom, Anthony Macri 5 Dashes – Brian Brown, Garet Williamson, Donny Schatz, Kyle Larson, Tyler Courtney, Rico Abreu 4 Dashes – Cole Macedo, Conner Morrell, Hunter Schuerenberg, Aaron Reutzel, Brad Sweet 3 Dashes – Christopher Bell, Danny Dietrich, Skylar Gee, Danny Sams III, Austin McCarl, Ryan Timms 2 Dashes – Jacob Allen, Sam Hafertepe Jr., Parker Price-Miller, Christopher Thram, Kelby Watt, Tanner Thorson, Zach Hampton, Kerry Madsen 1 Dash – Justin Peck, Spencer Bayston, Bryce Lucius, Carson McCarl, Brady Bacon, Ashton Torgerson, Lucas Wolfe, Chase Dietz, Justin Whittall, Jordan Thomas, Jonathan Preston, Dylan Westbrook, Cory Turner, Cole Duncan, Tim Kaeding, Justin Henderson, Scotty Thiel, Corey DayMICRO-LITE LAST CHANCE SHOWDOWN WINS (25 Drivers): 3 LCS Wins – Giovanni Scelzi, Garet Williamson 2 LCS Wins – Donny Schatz, Christopher Thram, Ryan Timms, Cole Macedo, Ashton Torgerson, 1 LCS Win – Chris Martin, Anthony Macri, Bryce Lucius, Conner Morrell, Blake Hahn, J.J. Hickle, Zach Hampton, Emerson Axsom, Matt Campbell, Joe Trenca, Darin Naida, Bill Balog, Mark Dobmeier, Tim Kaeding, Hunter Schuerenberg, Chris Windom, Sheldon Haudenschild, Brad Sweet, Brady Bacon, Landon Crawley, Skylar GeeKSE HARD CHARGER AWARDS (22 Drivers): 4 Hard Chargers – Logan Schuchart, Donny Schatz 3 Hard Chargers – Ryan Timms, Chris Windom, Garet Williamson, Cole Macedo 2 Hard Chargers – Skylar Gee, Sheldon Haudenschild, Bill Balog 1 Hard Charger – Zach Hampton, Hunter Schuerenberg, Michael Kofoid, Lance Dewease, Dylan Westbrook, Kalib Henry, Cap Henry, Jade Hastings, Carson Macedo, Tanner Thorson, Rico Abreu, Anthony Macri, Giovanni ScelziPODIUM FINISHES (32 Drivers): 23 Podiums – David Gravel 16 Podiums – Michael Kofoid 14 Podiums – Carson Macedo 8 Podiums – Logan Schuchart, Kyle Larson 7 Podiums – Sheldon Haudenschild 4 Podiums – Bill Balog 3 Podiums – Giovanni Scelzi, Donny Schatz, Anthony Macri, Rico Abreu 2 Podiums – Christopher Bell, Sam Hafertepe Jr., Tyler Courtney, Kerry Madsen 1 Podium – Aaron Reutzel, Jacob Allen, Emerson Axsom, Brady Bacon, Donny Schatz, Cole Macedo, Chase Dietz, Danny Dietrich, Conner Morrell, Dylan Westbrook, Skylar Gee, Chris Windom, Cole Duncan, Brad Sweet, Corey Day, Spencer Bayston, Garet WilliamsonTOP 10 FINISHES (46 Drivers): 38 Top 10s – David Gravel 33 Top 10s – Michael Kofoid 29 Top 10s – Carson Macedo 28 Top 10s – Logan Schuchart 26 Top 10s – Giovanni Scelzi, Sheldon Haudenschild 23 Top 10s – Donny Schatz 20 Top 10s – Bill Balog 15 Top 10s – Chris Windom 12 Top 10s – Garet Williamson 10 Top 10s – Anthony Macri, Brad Sweet, Tyler Courtney 9 Top 10s – Hunter Schuerenberg, Cole Macedo 8 Top 10s – Kyle Larson 7 Top 10s – Emerson Axsom, Rico Abreu 6 Top 10s – Ryan Timms 5 Top 10s – Aaron Reutzel, Skylar Gee 4 Top 10s – Zach Hampton, Kerry Madsen, Tanner Thorson 3 Top 10s – Justin Peck, Parker Price-Miller, Conner Morrell, Austin McCarl, Spencer Bayston, Brady Bacon 2 Top 10s – Christopher Bell, Jacob Allen, Sam Hafertepe Jr., Danny Dietrich, Corey Day, Tim Kaeding 1 Top 10 – Danny Sams III, Brian Brown, Chase Dietz, Freddie Rahmer, Justin Whittall, Troy Wagaman Jr., Jordan Thomas, Dylan Westbrook, Jordan Poirier, Kalib Henry, Cole Duncan, Kelby Watt2025 WORLD OF OUTLAWS SPRINT CAR WINNERS: No. / Day, Date / Track / Location / Winner (Total Wins) 1. Wed, Feb 7 / Volusia Speedway Park / Barberville, FL / Carson Macedo (1) 2. Thurs, Feb 8 / Volusia Speedway Park / Barberville, FL / Christopher Bell (1) 3. Fri, Feb 9 / Volusia Speedway Park / Barberville, FL / Kyle Larson (1) 4. Sat, Feb 10 / Volusia Speedway Park / Barberville, FL / Kyle Larson (2) 5. Sun, March 2 / Volusia Speedway Park / Barberville, FL / David Gravel (1) 6. Mon, March 3 / Volusia Speedway Park / Barberville, FL / David Gravel (2) 7. Fri, March 7 / Talladega Short Track / Eastaboga, AL / Bill Balog (1) 8. Sat, March 8 / Magnolia Motor Speedway / Columbus, MS / David Gravel (3) 9. Fri, March 14 / Kennedale Speedway Park / Kennedale, TX / Giovanni Scelzi (1) 10. Sat, March 15 / Kennedale Speedway Park / Kennedale, TX / Michael Kofoid (1) 11. Fri, March 21 / Cotton Bowl Speedway / Paige, TX / David Gravel (4) 12. Sat, March 22 / Cotton Bowl Speedway / Paige, TX / David Gravel (5) 13. Fri, March 28 / Lawton Speedway / Lawton, OK / Michael Kofoid (2) 14. Fri, April 11 / I-55 Federated Auto Parts Raceway Park / Pevely, MO / Carson Macedo (2) 15. Sat, April 12 / I-55 Federated Auto Parts Raceway Park / Pevely, MO / Logan Schuchart (1) 16. Sat, April 19 / Knoxville Raceway / Knoxville, IA / Rico Abreu (1) 17. Fri, April 25 / Jacksonville Speedway / Jacksonville, IL / Kyle Larson (3) 18. Sat, April 26 / Tri-State Speedway / Haubstadt, IN / Sheldon Haudenschild (1) 19. Fri, May 2 / Eldora Speedway / Rossburg, OH / David Gravel (6) 20. Wed, May 7 / Lincoln Speedway / Abbottstown, PA / Michael Kofoid (3) 21. Sat, May 10 / Williams Grove Speedway / Mechanicsburg, PA / Anthony Macri (1) 22. Wed, May 14 / Ohsweken Speedway / Ohsweken, ON / David Gravel (7) 23. Thurs, May 15 / Ohsweken Speedway / Ohsweken, ON / David Gravel (8) 24. Sat, May 24 / Attica Raceway Park / Attica, OH / Logan Schuchart (2) 25. Mon, May 26 / Atomic Speedway / Chillicothe, OH / Carson Macedo (3) 26. Fri, May 30 / River Cities Speedway / Grand Forks, ND / Michael Kofoid (4) 27. Sat, May 31 / Red River Valley Speedway / West Fargo, ND / Sheldon Haudenschild (2) 28. Wed, June 4 / Jackson Motorplex / Jackson, MN / Carson Macedo (4) 29. Fri, June 6 / Plymouth Dirt Track / Plymouth, WI / Rico Abreu (2) 30. Sat, June 7 / Beaver Dam Raceway / Beaver Dam, WI / Brad Sweet (1) 31. Fri, June 13 / Knoxville Raceway / Knoxville, IA / David Gravel (9) 32. Sat, June 14 / Knoxville Raceway / Knoxville, IA / Corey Day (1) 33. Wed, June 18 / Huset’s Speedway / Brandon, SD / Kyle Larson (4) 34. Thurs, June 19 / Huset’s Speedway / Brandon, SD / Michael Kofoid (5) 35. Fri, June 20 / Huset’s Speedway / Brandon, SD / Bill Balog (2) 36. Sat, June 21 / Huset’s Speedway / Brandon, SD / Michael Kofoid (6) 37. Fri, June 27 / Cedar Lake Speedway / New Richmond, WI / David Gravel (10) 38. Sat, June 28 / Cedar Lake Speedway / New Richmond, WI / Carson Macedo (5) 39. Sat, July 12 / Wilmot Raceway / Wilmot, WI / Michael Kofoid (7)For the complete 2025 schedule, CLICK HERE.ARTICLE: https://worldofoutlaws.com/sprintcars/what-to-watch-for-all-eyes-on-ohio-for-brad-doty-classic-kings-royal/EVENT INFO: https://worldofoutlaws.com/sprintcars/schedule/event-info/?event=4547770, https://worldofoutlaws.com/sprintcars/schedule/event-info/?event=4547729 TRACK INFO: https://worldofoutlaws.com/sprintcars/tracks/?track=Attica%2BRaceway%2BPark, https://worldofoutlaws.com/sprintcars/tracks/?track=Eldora%2BSpeedwayFAN 101: https://about.worldofoutlaws.com/ |
Nick Hoffman Wins Summer Nationals Finale, Jason Feger Clinches Second Overall Title
ORRVILLE, OH — July 13, 2025 — Owning the title as the all-time DIRTcar Summit Racing Equipment Modified Nationals winner, Nick Hoffman has waited since running Late Models in 2018 to visit Victory Lane for the first time.
On Sunday night, the Mooresville, NC driver took his Tye Twarog Racing machine to the breakthrough win in the DIRTcar Summer Nationals Late Models finale at Wayne County Speedway for redemption after losing the same win last year to a flat tire.
Polesitter Trey Mills, front row starter Jason Feger, and 2024 champion Tyler Erb swapped lanes through slide jobs on the opening three laps, with Feger taking the lead as Erb took second, and Mills in third.
Feger held the No. 1 Rocket Chassis at bay until the first caution flew on Lap 14 for a flat right rear tire on Mills’ No. 14JR while racing against Nick Hoffman in third place.
On the restart, Erb attempted a slide job on Feger, but the Bloomington, IL driver kept the lead as Hoffman drove under Erb around Turns 3-4 to take second while Mark Whitener crossed Erb in Turn 1 by driving to the cushion, then slicing to the bottom to outrun him across the backstretch.
At the front, Feger continued to show the way as Hoffman tried to contend for second place and Zack Mitchell in third.
In the closing 15 laps, Hoffman moved up from the bottom lane and found momentum on the top as he made steady gains in the chase towards Feger.
As Feger suffered from an ailing right rear tire, Hoffman’s NOS Energy Drink No. 9 showed the way around the cushion as Mitchell followed behind.
On Lap 35, Feger’s right rear tire came apart as Hoffman, Mitchell, and Ryan Gustin led the field back to the final restart of the Feature.
Hoffman withstood Mitchell’s final attempts at the lead by keeping his Longhorn Chassis glued to the cushion as the “Thrill from Mooresville” captured his first career Hell Tour win.
“Last year, I came here and did that one start at Wayne County, led and got a flat (tire),” Hoffman said. “I kind of knew what not to do, and that kind of same situation happened tonight, where Feger was out front. He ends up getting that flat, and I inherit the lead. I felt like he was going to be a sitting duck late in that race, and it got to be that point where my stuff was still good at the end.
“It’s kind of a relief off your shoulders because there’s a lot of Modified guys that have won both, but for me being the guy that’s won the most Modified races, I got to get one of these Late Model ones.”
Though Feger ended the night in 15th place, Erb finishing 18th gifted the “High Side Hustler” his second career overall title with the Summer Nationals by 93 points, leaving the Buckeye State finale.
While Mitchell finished second to Hoffman, he secured the Week 5 points championship after scoring his first three Summer Nationals wins through six career starts.
Up Next: While the DIRTcar Summer Nationals Late Models season has ended, the DIRTcar Summit Racing Equipment Modified Nationals finish the 2025 campaign at Fairbury Speedway for the Prairie Dirt Classic alongside the World of Outlaws Real American Beer Late Models presented by DIRTVision on Friday-Saturday, July 25-26.
If you can’t make it to the track, you can watch all the action live on DIRTVision – either online or by downloading the DIRTVision App.
Feature (40 Laps): 1. 9H-Nick Hoffman[3]; 2. 57M-Zack Mitchell[12]; 3. 19R-Ryan Gustin[8]; 4. 75-Dillon McCowan[11]; 5. 2-Cody Overton[15]; 6. 157-Mike Marlar[9]; 7. 20TC-Tristan Chamberlain[16]; 8. 74X-Ethan Dotson[17]; 9. 5-Mark Whitener[5]; 10. 14JR-Trey Mills[1]; 11. 20B-Todd Brennan[13]; 12. 5M-Ryan Markham[21]; 13. 1*-Kyle Moore[7]; 14. 31M-Tyler Millwood[19]; 15. 25F-Jason Feger[2]; 16. 99JR-Frank Heckenast Jr[10]; 17. 14C-Corey Conley[18]; 18. 1-Tyler Erb[4]; 19. 10-Nathan Loney[14]; 20. 14-JR Gentry[6]; 21. 29-Christian Hanger[22]; 22. 17SS-Brenden Smith[23]; 23. 51-Devin Shiels[20]
Tyler Nicely Ends Ohio Weekend With Eighth Summit Modified Nationals Score of 2025
As the DIRTcar Summer Nationals Late Models crowned a new champion at Wayne County Speedway, Tyler Nicely padded his points lead in the DIRTcar Summit Racing Equipment Modified Nationals.
The Owensboro, KY local got his third consecutive win of the season on Sunday night after exemplifying his season of dominance over his UMP Modified competitors as the finale at the Prairie Dirt Classic awaits.
On the opening lap, Nicely split through the middle lane as he, Kyle Moore, and Nate Young made up second and third place.
Nicely controlled the pace by running his No. 25 Elite Chassis to the top of the 3/8-mile track’s cushion while Moore and Young spent time battling in second and third place.
As Michael Altobelli joined the mix in the fight for the podium, the three drivers racing each other helped Nicely widen his lead further as Altobelli’s No. 35 took over second place on Lap 13.
When the final caution flag flew on Lap 19, Blue Grass State native outran the field into Turn 1 as Altobelli threw a final passing attempt at Nicely, but was not close enough to the No. 25 to make the move work in his favor. As a result, Nicely drove to his eighth win of the season, and the 19th in his career with the Summit Modified Nationals.
“I mean the main goal was to come out here and win some races,” Nicely said. “We didn’t plan on running the rest of this deal, but after that first week, we figured we’d give it a shot, and it looks like it all paid off. I think this one just put all the pressure off at the PDC. So, we’ll go back home, see my two kids, freshen this thing up a little bit, and be ready to go at Fairbury.”
Up Next: While the DIRTcar Summer Nationals Late Models season has ended, the DIRTcar Summit Racing Equipment Modified Nationals finish the 2025 campaign at Fairbury Speedway for the Prairie Dirt Classic alongside the World of Outlaws Real American Beer Late Models presented by DIRTVision on Friday-Saturday, July 25-26.
If you can’t make it to the track, you can watch all the action live on DIRTVision – either online or by downloading the DIRTVision App.
Feature (25 Laps): 1. 25-Tyler Nicely[2]; 2. 35-Michael Altobelli[5]; 3. 42-Nate Young[1]; 4. 21D-Kyle Moore[3]; 5. 75-Daniel Adam[6]; 6. 463-Daniel Sanchez[12]; 7. 72-Todd Neiheiser[4]; 8. 1-Vincent DePizzo[7]; 9. 36-Caden Alexander[9]; 10. 23B-Ethan Boomsma[21]; 11. 23Z-Austin Self[14]; 12. 60-Jimmy Humphrey[8]; 13. 12-Kevin Davis[18]; 14. 77J-Jaden Ritchea[17]; 15. 18-Doug Hensel[24]; 16. 22G-Jesse Griffitts[16]; 17. 33-Chaz Dawson Jr[19]; 18. 185-Ron Miller[22]; 19. 29M-Milton Smith[25]; 20. 10-Nathan Loney[15]; 21. 5-Ryan Markham[10]; 22. 09-Dan Price[20]; 23. (DNS) 25B-Greg Belyea; 24. (DNS) 98-Timothy Meine; 25. (DNS) 14-Dalton Lane
HUGE PRIZE MONEY ON THE LINE FOR NARC SPRINT CARS AT HOWARD KAEDING CLASSIC THIS WEEKEND
(7/14/25 – Andrew Kunas) Watsonville, CA … One of the most special events of the season for the NARC 410 Sprint Car Series is next when it visits Ocean Speedway in Watsonville, this Friday and Saturday (July 18-19), for the 15th Annual Howard Kaeding Classic.
The event honors the patriarch of the famed Kaeding family that includes his Hall of Fame son Brent, and grandsons Bud and Tim. HK, as he was known to his friends, was a champion racer in his own right, most especially at the old San Jose Speedway where he won several championships and at one point famously won 17 consecutive races. The race saluting the “Campbell Comet” was already a staple in the California 410 sprint car schedule, but this year’s event has taken on special meaning with Howard passing away in February at the age of 92.
Before Howard’s passing, it was already announced that this year’s event would be a two-night show. Now in just the last couple of weeks it was announced that Saturday’s purse will see an increase, with the main event paying $10,000 to win ($1,500 to start A), while Friday’s show pays a neat $5,000 ($750 to start A.) This was made possible by many generous sponsorships from companies with ties to the Kaeding family and the racing community.
WHO TO WATCH
With the added special meaning to the event, not to mention the now five-figure payday on the final night, many of the top drivers on the West Coast will be competing hard for victories.
Reigning “King of the West” Justin Sanders of Aromas won his second Howard Kaeding Classic last year, one of his seven victories on his way to the 2024 NARC title. Sanders has four NARC wins to his credit this season, including a win at Ocean Speedway in May, but is locked in a tight points race atop the standings with former series champion D.J. Netto of Hanford, who is just one point ahead of Sanders. Netto, meanwhile, has never won a Kaeding Classic and would love to add one to his resume.
Of course, no racer out there would love to win this weekend more than brothers Tim and Bud Kaeding, who will be racing with heavy hearts at the race honoring their grandfather. Bud has twice won the HK, picking up wins in 2014 and 2019. Tim picked up his 75th career NARC victory on Saturday at Petaluma Speedway and like his father and grandfather is one of the most accomplished sprint car racers ever from California. He has never won a Howard Kaeding Classic and Tim no doubt wants to get that first one this Saturday.
Fremont’s Shane Golobic, the 2023 Howard Kaeding Classic winner, is expected to compete, along with 2021 winner Sean Becker or Oroville. Tyler Thompson of Harrisburg, Oregon continues his search for his first NARC win but still sits third in points and leads the NARC Rookie of the Year chase. Fresno’s Caeden Steele, a first-time NARC winner in May, had an impressive run at last Saturday’s Petaluma event and will look to build off of that this weekend.
Other drivers expected to race this weekend include two-time series champ Dominic Scelzi of Fresno, Lemoore’s Gauge Garcia, Billy Aton of Benicia, Fresno’s Mariah Ede, Dominic Gorden of Clovis, and Tucson’s Nick Parker.
The Howard Kaeding Classic was first held in 2011 with Evan Suggs picking up the win. NARC great Jonathan Allard won the next two. Kyle Hirst leads all drivers with three wins in the prestigious event. Colby Copeland and current World of Outlaws standout Buddy Kofoid each have single HK victories as well.
FAN INFO
Ocean Speedway is on the Santa Cruz County Fairgrounds, located at 2601 E Lake Ave. Friday’s show will have sport mods and hobby stocks in action also. On Saturday, NARC will be joined by the BCRA/WMR midgets, hobby stocks and modifieds. Qualifying will get underway at 5:30 p.m. with opening ceremonies at approximately 6:00 p.m. The pit gate opens at 2:00 p.m.
After the races on Friday there will be an “After Party” on the track grounds. There will also be the Howard Kaeding Luncheon on Saturday that will see proceeds benefiting the NARC Benevolent Fund. This is all part of the Howard Kaeding Classic weekend at Ocean Speedway.
This weekend’s races are of the “Cooler Weather Tour,” a stretch of races for NARC all taking place at tracks along the California coast and all expecting to have more comfortable coastal temperatures while the California interior bakes in summer heat. July 26th will see NARC make its annual visit to Santa Maria Speedway, before the series returns to Ocean Speedway on August 2nd for the Johnny Key Classic.
Howard Kaeding Classic – Past Winners
2011 – Evan Suggs
2012 – Jonathan Allard
2013 – Jonathan Allard (2)
2014 – Bud Kaeding
2015 – Kyle Hirst
2016 – Kyle Hirst (2)
2017 – Buddy Kofoid
2018 – Colby Copeland
2019 – Bud Kaeding (2)
2020 – Kyle Hirst (3)
2021 – Sean Becker
2022 – Justin Sanders
2023 – Shane Golobic
2024 – Justin Sanders (2)
The NARC 410 Sprint Car Racing Series is also sponsored by Hoosier Racing Tires and Floracing.com. Associate sponsors include Automotive Racing Products (ARP), Beacon Wealth Strategies, Brown & Miller Racing Solutions, Bullet Impressions, Jim Allen Promotions, Kimo’s Tropical Car Wash, Mettec Titanium, MyRacePass, Red Rose Transportation, Tarlton & Son, Wedg High Performance Karts, Williams Roofing, and Winters Performance Products.
2025 NARC 410 SPRINT CARS SERIES
(AFTER 16 EVENTS IN 27-RACE SERIES – 7/13/25)
- DJ Netto, Hanford – 2029
- Justin Sanders, Aromas – 2028
- Tyler Thompson, Harrisburg, OR (R) – 2012
- Bud Kaeding, Campbell – 2004
- Sean Becker, Roseville – 1997
- Dominic Gorden, Clovis – 1983
- Gauge Garcia, Lemoore – 1959
- Mariah Ede, Fresno (R) – 1913
- Caeden Steele, Fresno – 1832
- Dominic Scelzi, Fresno – 1772
- Tanner Holmes, Jacksonville, OR – 1760
- Billy Aton, Benicia – 1515
- Landon Brooks, Rio Oso – 1478
- Max Mittry, Redding – 1437
- Nick Parker, Tucson, AX – 1317
- Shane Golobic, Fremont – 1260
- John Clark, Windsor – 1234
- James McFadden, Alice Springs, NT, AUS – 1004
- Jess Schlotfeldt, Arlington, WA – 972
- Levi Klatt, Langley, BC – 914
Upcoming Events
July 18 – Ocean Speedway – Watsonville, CA (Howard Kaeding Classic – Night 1, $5,000 to win)
July 19 – Ocean Speedway – Watsonville, CA ($10,000 to win Howard Kaeding Classic)
July 26 – Santa Maria Speedway – Nipomo, CA
August 2 – Ocean Speedway – Watsonville, CA (Johnny Key Classic)
August 30 – Calistoga Speedway – Calistoga, CA (Louie Vermeil Classic – Night 1)
August 31 – Calistoga Speedway – Calistoga, CA (Louie Vermeil Classic – Night 2)
NARC 2025 Winners
March 8 – D.J. Netto at Stockton Dirt Track (Salute to Leroy Van Connett)
April 12 – Justin Sanders at Silver Dollar Speedway (Mini Gold Cup)
May 10 – D.J. Netto at Antioch Speedway (Contra Costa County Clash)
May 16 – Justin Sanders at Ocean Speedway
May 17 – Tanner Holmes (Race 1) & Caeden Steele (Race 2) at Thunderbowl Raceway (Morrie Williams Memorial)
May 31 – Dominic Gorden at Placerville Speedway (Dave Bradway Jr Memorial)
June 7 – Justin Sanders at Silver Dollar Speedway (David Tarter Memorial)
June 11 – James McFadden at Southern Oregon Speedway
June 12 – James McFadden at Douglas County Dirt Track
June 13 – Jesse Schlotfeldt at Cottage Grove Speedway
June 14 – James McFadden at Willamette Speedway
June 15 – James McFadden at Grays Harbor Raceway (Timber Cup)
June 19 – Levi Klatt at Skagit Speedway (Super Dirt Cup – Night 1)
June 20 – Justin Sanders at Skagit Speedway (Super Dirt Cup – Night 2)
June 21 – Trey Starks at Skagit Speedway (Super Dirt Cup finale)
July 12 – Tim Kaeding at Petaluma Speedway (Dave Lindt Memorial)
CORVETTE RACING AT SĀO PAULO: Another TF Corvette Podium
| Runner-up LMGT3 finish in Brazil for No. 81 Z06 GT3.R as both Corvettes take points SĀO PAULO, Brazil (July 13, 2025) – TF Sport’s Chevrolet Corvette Z06 GT3.R program continued its strong momentum Sunday with a runner-up LMGT3 class finish for the No. 81 Corvette of Charlie Eastwood, Rui Andrade and Tom Van Rompuy at the Six Hours of Sāo Paulo. |
| JONNY EDGAR, NO. 33 CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R – FINISHED SEVENTH IN LMGT3: “It was a tough day for us with some penalties that hurt our race. But the car felt great to drive and I am happy we still scored some points for the championship. The end for me was very tough on very old tires trying to defend from cars on newer ones. So I was happy to be able to hold the McLaren behind at the end. The whole team did a great job all weekend like they always do. We will take these points and move to COTA and try to move back up in the championship.” |
CORVETTE RACING AT SĀO PAULO: Another TF Corvette PODIUM
| Runner-up LMGT3 finish in Brazil for No. 81 Z06 GT3.R as both Corvettes take points SĀO PAULO, Brazil (July 13, 2025) – TF Sport’s Chevrolet Corvette Z06 GT3.R program continued its strong momentum Sunday with a runner-up LMGT3 class finish for the No. 81 Corvette of Charlie Eastwood, Rui Andrade and Tom Van Rompuy at the Six Hours of Sāo Paulo. |
CORVETTE RACING AT CTMP: Runner-Up for No. 4 PMM Corvette
| Luck goes the way of Milner, Catsburg for second place in GTD PRO BOWMANVILLE, Ontario (July 13, 2025) – Tommy Milner, Nicky Catsburg and the No. 4 Corvette Z06 GT3.R team gambled and won on strategy Sunday on the way to a second-place GTD PRO finish in the Chevrolet Grand Prix at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park. |
| ROBERT WICKENS, NO. 36 CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R – FINISHED FOURTH IN GTD: “Overall, a pretty good day for us at DXDT Racing. Gutted we didn’t make it on the podium, but I thought as a team we executed a near flawless race. So to come away with a top-five finish, first one of the year for me in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship and my first top-five with Corvette, I think we can hold our heads high. And I think we have a lot of momentum moving forward to my next race in Road America in a couple weeks time.”The Corvette Z06 GT3.R was amazing to drive at my home race. Sometimes I’m still having to pinch myself that I got to have such a cool experience. So all in all, thank you to all the fans who came out and supported us over the weekend, bared the weather, and we ended up getting a perfect sunny day in the end. So all in all, a great day.” |
Van Gisbergen Dominates at Sonoma Raceway; Drives Chevrolet to Three-Straight Road Course Triumphs
| NASCAR CUP SERIES SONOMA RACEWAY TEAM CHEVY POST-RACE REPORT JULY 13, 2025 |
| MEDIA RESOURCES: Photo Gallery | Race AdvancesChevrolet Newsroom |
| · Chevrolet’s road course streak continued during NASCAR’s annual trip out west to Sonoma Raceway. In yet another dominating display on left- and right-hand turns, Shane van Gisbergen piloted his No. 88 Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet to back-to-back trips to victory lane – taking the checkered flag in the Toyota / Save Mart 350 to become the series’ fourth three-time winner in NASCAR’s top division this season. · With fellow Team Chevy driver, Connor Zilisch, picking up the win in yesterday’s NASCAR Xfinity Series race, Chevrolet now owns three-straight doubleheader weekend sweeps on road courses in NASCAR’s top-two divisions – dating back to Shane van Gisbergen (NCS) and Daniel Suarez’s (NXS) triumphs in Mexico City. · For the second consecutive weekend, Trackhouse Racing’s Shane van Gisbergen led the NASCAR Cup Series field to the green flag from the pole position. The road course ace set sail on the opening lap in his No. 88 Chevrolet – building an early two-second margin by the halfway point of the opening stage. Van Gisbergen was one of the handful of lead pack drivers fighting left-rear grip in the closing laps of the stage. With pit strategy coming into play, crew chief Stephen Doran made the call to flip the stage – bringing his driver to pit road with three laps to go for the team’s first scheduled stop. Van Gisbergen ultimately cycled back up to the second position to take the first green-white checkered flag. · With an all-Chevrolet front-row for the start of Stage Two, Van Gisbergen regained the top position and paced the field throughout the stage – only giving up the lead to flip the stage on pit strategy. But the 36-year-old New Zealand still managed to power his Trackhouse Racing-prepared Chevrolet back to the lead to conclude a Team Chevy stage win sweep at the Northern California circuit. · With a 55-lap run on deck for the final stage of the race, Van Gisbergen lined up on the front-row once again and settled back into the top position. Continuing to put his road course skills on full display, Van Gisbergen went on to bring his laps led tally to 97 on the day en route to his third victory of the season. |
| TEAM CHEVY UNOFFICIAL TOP-10 RESULTS: POS. DRIVER1st – Shane van Gisbergen3rd – Chase Elliott4th – Michael McDowell8th – William Byron10th – Kyle Busch  Chevrolet’s season statistics with 20 NASCAR Cup Series races complete: Wins: 9Poles: 10Top-Fives: 40Top 10s: 81Stage Wins: 19 |
| UP NEXT: The 2025 NASCAR Cup Series season continues at Dover Motor Speedway with the AutoTrader EchoPark Automotive 400 on Sunday, July 20, at 2 p.m. ET. Live coverage can be found on TNT, PRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90. |
| Post-Race Driver Quotes: Austin Dillon, No. 3 Richard Childress Racing ChevroletFinished: 21st“It was a hard battle for the No. 3 Bass Pro Shops / Winchester Chevrolet team. We didn’t really have a lot of speed this weekend, but we did make it better. We made some adjustments mid-race, and then those cautions came out. I had to go through the grass and lost around 15 spots. We got a couple back there at the end, but it’s not what we wanted. We’ll keep digging. We’ve had some good Chevrolet’s the last couple of weekends. Unfortunately, this week, we weren’t as good as we’ve been, but we’ll get better.” Kyle Busch, No. 8 Richard Childress Racing ChevroletFinished: 10th“We had to come from behind all day with our zone Chevrolet. On the initial start, our car had no drive or rear lateral any direction. After falling to the back, Randall (Burnett) and the guys made the call for major chassis adjustments to get the rears working. Those adjustments definitely helped, just wished I could have had that same adjustment again without giving up the track position. We kept working on the balance and in Stage 3, the car was the best it had been. It was simply avoiding wrecks at the end. Proud of the No. 8 team for pushing through and getting a top-10 finish.” Chase Elliott, No. 9 Hendrick Motorsports ChevroletFinished: 3rd“I’m not sure if there was dirt across the track or what, but it happened a couple of times throughout the day. I was obviously pushing really hard. I just got sliding and ran out of road, but I don’t know that it would have been enough anyways, to be honest. I wasn’t near as good that run than the run before. I’m not really sure why that was, but the call by Alan (Gustafson, crew chief) was great. It was nice to be on offense and give ourselves a shot. I wish I could have made it happen there. I was trying, but I just couldn’t get going like we needed to there at the end. We had a really fast No. 9 NAPA Chevrolet all day. I thought we were really solid. We probably needed a little bit more to get Shane (Van Gisbergen) and Chase (Briscoe).” Ty Dillon, No. 10 Kaulig Racing ChevroletFinished: 17th“It was a rough couple of laps there. Alex (Bowman) and I race really clean. I told him – man, if it wasn’t for the million dollars, I probably wouldn’t have done that, but I had to. It’s been an incredible run for this No. 10 Kaulig Racing Chevrolet team. We’ve worked so hard for this opportunity. I can’t thank Matt Kaulig, Chris Rice, Ty Norris and Kaulig Racing for giving me the opportunity to shine again. I’ve worked so hard to get here and I’m just grateful. All of our partners that are on board, this has just been so much fun. We’re going to give it all we’ve got at Dover; put pressure on the guys. I think you’ve seen through this that our team doesn’t quit. I saw the No. 48 there at the end, and I knew it was our opportunity to race hard and go get him. Just proud of this team’s effort.” Michael McDowell, No. 71 Spire Motorsports ChevroletFinished: 4th“We needed a little bit more pace out of our No. 71 Gainbridge Chevrolet. We had Project Zin on the car today, which was really cool. Qualifying really hurt us. I think we had decent pace, but we weren’t fast enough to get around the good cars. We got off strategy there, and that didn’t work. Thankfully, we caught a caution and we were able to tires on our Chevrolet and fight our way back. We salvaged a top-five day, but that’s not what we need. We all know what we need to do, and we just weren’t quite good enough to do it today. But this is part of the process. You have good weeks and bad weeks. Last weekend (at Chicago), we had a car that could win. Today, we were a little off. We’ll keep building on it.” Shane van Gisbergen, No. 88 Trackhouse Racing ChevroletFinished: 1st“This is amazing. This is why we go racing. I had a great time. It’s awesome to have Red Bull on the car this weekend. Trackhouse Racing gave me a great Chevrolet again. What a great couple of weeks! Just to execute, make no mistakes, have great pit stops, great strategy and be able to hold them off there at the end – it’s incredible. Chase (Briscoe) was driving really well. We had a lot of fun there.” How much have you worked on restarts because you were flawless there with the multiple restarts at the end? “Yeah, on the last restart, I thought he (Chase Briscoe) jumped a little bit. I was just trying to do what I could to get in position in turn two. That last one, I had to give him a bit of rub, but that was it. I’m just over the moon.” You have three wins this season. Is that beyond your dreams?“I don’t dream about that stuff.. that’s why we work hard – to repay and reward everyone that helps make this happen. It was a tough start to the season, but we’re getting better and better. To win three NASCAR Cup Series races is unbelievable.” |
CORVETTE RACING AT CTMP: Runner-Up for No. 4 PMM Corvette
| Luck goes the way of Milner, Catsburg for second place in GTD PRO BOWMANVILLE, Ontario (July 13, 2025) – Tommy Milner, Nicky Catsburg and the No. 4 Corvette Z06 GT3.R team gambled and won on strategy Sunday on the way to a second-place GTD PRO finish in the Chevrolet Grand Prix at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park. |
| ROBERT WICKENS, NO. 36 CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R – FINISHED FOURTH IN GTD: “Overall, a pretty good day for us at DXDT Racing. Gutted we didn’t make it on the podium, but I thought as a team we executed a near flawless race. So to come away with a top-five finish, first one of the year for me in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship and my first top-five with Corvette, I think we can hold our heads high. And I think we have a lot of momentum moving forward to my next race in Road America in a couple weeks time.”The Corvette Z06 GT3.R was amazing to drive at my home race. Sometimes I’m still having to pinch myself that I got to have such a cool experience. So all in all, thank you to all the fans who came out and supported us over the weekend, bared the weather, and we ended up getting a perfect sunny day in the end. So all in all, a great day.” |
Honda sweeps Iowa Race 2 podium
July 13, 2025
- Alex Palou leads Honda podium sweep in Farm to Finish 275 at Iowa Speedway
- Palou’s Chip Ganassi Racing teammate, Scott Dixon, finishes second
- Marcus Armstrong rounds out the all-Honda podium in his Meyer Shank Racing machine
NEWTON, IA – Honda scored their first podium sweep of the 2025 NTT INDYCAR SERIES season and 11th win in 12 races with championship leader Alex Palou taking the victory from pole in the Farm to Finish 275 at Iowa Speedway—the second race of Sukup INDYCAR Race Weekend.
The win is Palou’s seventh victory of 2025, meaning the #10 Chip Ganassi Racing driver has scored victory on all four of the primary circuit types IndyCar races on this season—street circuits (St. Pete), road courses (Thermal, Barber, Indy GP, Road America), speedways (Indianapolis 500), and today’s victory on the short oval at Iowa, his first-career short oval win.
The result extends Palou’s championship lead to 129 points over second place, 515-386.
Scott Dixon made it a Chip Ganassi Racing 1-2. A string of good finishes, including the win the last time out at Mid-Ohio and today’s second place in Iowa has moved Dixon from fifth in the championship standings to third in just two weekends.
Meyer Shank Racing’s Marcus Armstrong rounded out the Honda podium sweep, scoring his first podium since joining the MSR team in 2025.
Armstrong’s Meyer Shank Racing teammate, Felix Rosenqvist finished seventh after starting on the front row, and the Dale Coyne Racing duo of Jacob Abel and Rinus VeeKay drove from the back of the field to finish 11th and 12th respectively. The P11 result is a career-best finish for Abel in his rookie campaign in IndyCar.
Honda has won all but one race in 2025, taking the first 10 races in a row in addition to today’s podium lockout. Honda leads Chevrolet by 208 points, 1147-939.
Farm to Finish 275 Honda Race Results
- 1st Alex Palou
- 2nd Scott Dixon
- 3rd Marcus Armstrong
- 7th Felix Rosenqvist
- 11th Jacob Abel-R
- 12th Rinus VeeKay
- 13th Kyffin Simpson
- 14th Louis Foster-R
- 18th Kyle Kirkwood
- 19th Graham Rahal
- 20th Colton Herta
- 22nd Marcus Ericsson
- 25th Devlin DeFrancesco
Chip Ganassi Racing Honda
Chip Ganassi Racing Honda
Meyer Shank Racing Honda
Meyer Shank Racing Honda
Dale Coyne Racing Honda
Dale Coyne Racing Honda
Chip Ganassi Racing Honda
Rahal Letterman Lanigan Honda
Andretti Global Honda
Rahal Letterman Lanigan Honda
Andretti Global Honda – Not running, contact
Andretti Global Honda – Not running, contactRahal Letterman Lanigan Honda – Not running, contact
R – Rookie
Quotes
Alex Palou (#10 Chip Ganassi Racing Honda) finished first: “Number one! First win on a short oval. And it was just an amazing day for us, starting on pole, leading a lot of laps. And it’s huge that it’s the first time in the year that we got a 1-2-3 for Honda. It’s amazing to get that 1-2 for the team, 1-2-3 for Honda. We had all the power we needed today. We got a little help by the last yellow there, but we were already running third. But it’s been an amazing weekend here for us and I cannot wait for the next one.”
Scott Dixon (#9 Chip Ganassi Racing Honda) finished second: “It was a great day. Ours was a little difficult, we kind of threw the kitchen sink at it to start with. Yesterday, on the high line, we weren’t super happy, so we used it as a bit of a test session to get everything dialed in. Today, of course with Honda and HRC, the fuel mileage was crazy good and we could dictate what we wanted to do with strategy. It’s always nice to have those options in your back pocket. It worked out well for us! Congrats to Alex and congrats to Honda!”
Marcus Armstrong (#66 Meyer Shank Racing Honda) finished third: “I’m happy about that one! We’ve been saving fuel for two days now and we finally caught the yellow there at the end. Good to follow the two Honda boys home there as well—Alex and Scott. We’re just gaining momentum and I’m really happy with how our #66 crew was on pit lane today.”
Kelvin Fu (Vice President, Honda Racing Corporation USA): “Amazing Honda sweep here in Iowa. This is our first win here since 2018, and we’ve worked hard on our short oval package to get back in victory lane. Credit to everybody at HRC for not giving up and pushing through. Today was a combination of great driving, great strategy and great fuel economy to get us this result. Congrats to Alex on continuing an amazing season, and to Scott and Marcus for incredible results today.”
Next
The NTT INDYCAR SERIES heads north of border for the Ontario Honda Dealers Honda Indy 200 on the streets of Toronto July 18-20.
HRC US social media content and video links can be found on:
Cadillac at São Paulo: Historic victory
| Nos. 12, 38 Cadillac Hertz Team JOTA V-Series.Rs finish 1st and 2nd in WEC raceSAO PAULO, Brazil (July 13, 2025) – A month ago, it was pole at Le Mans. Today, it’s victory at Sāo Paulo. The milestones are historic firsts and statements of first-year Cadillac Hertz Team JOTA’s arrival among the Hypercar elite programs in the FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC). |
| Media resources* Photos for editorial use | * Cadillac 2025 WEC stats | * Cadillac all-stime stats |
| What they’re saying |
| Keely Bosn, Cadillac Racing program manager: “Today, Cadillac showed real grit and pace. Securing a 1‑2 finish at Interlagos is a statement. The No. 12 led the way, with the No. 38 right behind, proving the strength of our team and cars. This kind of consistency only comes from world-class engineering and well-executed strategies. It wasn’t just a win on the track — it was a win in the garage, in the data room, and in every detail of our race prep this season. A magnificent day for Cadillac Hertz Team JOTA in Brazil.” Sam Hignett, co-founder and director: “It’s a fantastic start. Five races in, to have a first and second in the Brazil WEC six hours is great. It’s very important that we acknowledge, you know, there are six guys driving cars, did an amazing job. The team on the ground here did an amazing job. But there’s hundreds of people behind the scenes at JOTA, at GM, Cadillac, Dallara. All this credit needs to go to them as well, because without them we wouldn’t be where we are today. The Spa victory is special because it was our first win. We had a huge dose of luck, which enabled the win at Spa. This, we genuinely won on pace. To not only win it, but finish second as well, it was fantastic.” David Clark, co-founder and director: “After an incredible qualifying in Le mans with a historic front row lockout and very convincing qualifying yesterday in Brazil, the 1-2 finish today in Sao Paulo is absolute testimony to the phenomenal teamwork of everyone at Cadillac Hertz Team JOTA. Sam and I could not be prouder of every single individual who has contributed to this breathtaking performance. Without doubt, our huge gratitude goes to General Motors, Cadillac for their trust in us. And a special thank you to our partners at Knighthead, Hertz, Mobil 1, and the whole JOTA family. Their passion and belief in us has been rewarded today. To be the first team to win with two manufacturers in a little over a year is also a huge honor and a clear indicator that we’re getting something very right. It genuinely doesn’t get any better than this.” No. 12 Cadillac Hertz Team JOTA V-Series.R |
 Alex Lynn: “Honestly, this is now year number three of me racing this car and year number four of driving it. And, personally, it’s a huge sense of satisfaction. You know, it’s been a huge journey with Cadillac and to finally win a race of the WEC Championship is special. It’s been a lot of hours driving the car and a lot of hours working on it and it means everything.”Norman Nato: It’s honestly quite impressive, like the progress we’re doing. Since Imola, we keep improving. Fourth at Le Mans was good; obviously, we want more. Le Mans was already quite a strong performance for such a new team that we are in today. One, two, with the two Cadillacs and first win for myself as well. Cadillac and JOTA have been working on this car for already some years and for everyone involved in this; to have this kind of moment today is special It’s just the beginning. We’re going to keep pushing, but big thanks for everyone. We’re going to enjoy this one.” Will Stevens: “Honestly, it’s just amazing for everyone in this program. Obviously, to get Cadillac’s first win for us in the 12 car is pretty special. But, obviously, for us as JOTA as well and carrying on the tradition of getting wins every year, I think super special. So, this is only the beginning of a long program we have together. A goal for this year was to obviously make sure we win a race, but we have even bigger aspirations to keep on winning races and tick off the big boxes that we want to take in this program. So very special.” No. 38 Cadillac Hertz Team JOTA V-Series.R Earl Bamber: “I think for the program, what everyone’s worked for, since the very beginning in 2022, and what is it, now to get our first one-two in the WEC – and a first for Cadillac — and so it’s a proud moment for everyone. We’ve had a tough season on the 38 car, so to get second place is great and it’s amazing job by the 12 guys.” Sebastien Bourdais: “Just really happy for the boys, for the team, for Hertz and obviously for Cadillac and everybody involved because it’s been a lot of work and it’s the first time that we kind of came together in the race. It’s definitely a good feeling. Earl did an amazing job and then Jensen did as well. And then, when I got in the car, I really got into a really, really poor sequence of traffic and lapped cars and it was really difficult. I think I really hurt the tires just in dirty air in general, and then I really struggled to get into a rhythm. It was a really hard battle, but we got it done and got our first podium.” Jenson Button: “It’s been a very emotional year in terms of a roller coaster, but to finally get a one-two for this amazing team is special. Really proud of everyone. They’ve worked so hard. The partnership between JOTA and Cadillac just shows how we’ve gelled and we’re one big family. Well done to the 12 car for the win … untouchable. But I enjoyed it out there. The car worked really well and it’s the best cars I’ve had all year. So, long may it continue and congratulations to Cadillac and Hertz Team JOTA.” |
Kosiski Family 53 Boasts $25,053 on Tuesday at Shelby County
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| BATAVIA, Ohio (July 13, 2025) – Shelby County Speedway once again honors the Kosiski family with the 2nd Annual Kosiski Family 53 on Tuesday, July 15. The event will feature a big purse increase in 2025, with a $25,053 winner’s share. A full schedule of Dirt Draft Hot Laps, Allstar Performance Time Trials, Heat Races, B-Mains is planned, leading up to the 53-lap main event. The IMCA Late Models will join the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series presented by FloRacing. The pit gate at Shelby County Speedway will open at 4:00 PM. The general admission gate will open at 4:30 PM. Hot Laps begin at 6:30 PM. Shelby County Speedway is a 1/3-mile oval located on the Shelby County Fairgrounds in Harlan, Iowa. To find more information about Shelby County Speedway or purchase tickets in advance, visit www.racescs.com. Jonathan Davenport now holds a 30-point advantage over Ricky Thornton Jr. in the Big River Steel Chase for the Championship presented by ARP standings. Hudson O’Neal has moved to third, followed by Devin Moran and Garrett Alberson, completing the top five. Donald McIntosh leads the O’Reilly Auto Parts Rookie of the Year chase by 50 points over Daniel Hilsabeck. Dan Ebert is third. For the latest news, results, championship standings, and more about the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series presented by FloRacing, please visit www.lucasdirt.com. Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series Purse:1. $25,053, 2. $10,000, 3. $6,000, 4. $4,000, 5. $3,500, 6. $2,700, 7. $2,500, 8. $2,300, 9. $2,200, 10. $2,100, 11. $2,000, 12. $1,900, 13. $1,800, 14. $1,700, 15. $1,600, 16. $1,500, 17. $1,500, 18. $1,500, 19. $1,500, 20. $1,500, 21. $1,500, 22. $1,500, 23. $1,500, 24. $1,500 = $82,853 Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series Tire Rule:Left Rear/Fronts – Hoosier (90) NLMT2, (90) NLMT3Right Rear – Hoosier (92) NLMT3, (92) NLMT4 |
NO. 75! TIM KAEDING BAGS NARC DAVE LINDT MEMORIAL AT PETALUMA
7/12/25 – Andrew Kunas) Petaluma, CA … Tim Kaeding still knows how to win races. The former NARC champion and future Sprint Car Hall of Famer added to his already impressive resume, picking up $5,200 when he won the 2nd Annual Dave Lindt Memorial Saturday at Petaluma Speedway.
It was a triumphant return home to California for Kaeding, who had raced out in the Midwest the last several weeks. Saturday’s win was his 75th career NARC King of the West feature victory, second on the all-time win list.
Kaeding, starting on the front row, did not fare well on the initial attempt to start the 30-lap feature, pulling a small wheelstand off Turn 4 and then bicycling some in Turns 1 and 2 as fellow front row start Caeden Steele took the lead. The caution flag came out, however, for a car stopping on the front stretch, forcing a do over. Kaeding, the experienced veteran sprint car racer, learned from his mistake and took full advantage of the second opportunity and grabbed the lead on the next start attempt.
From there, on a typically fast and hooked up Petaluma track, Kaeding led all 30 laps aboard the Emadco Disposal-sponsored Williams Motorsports No. 0 Maxwill-powered Maxim. In addition to the top prize, Kaeding secured $300 in lap money from METTEC Titanium for leading every circuit. Lapped traffic was difficult at times, but Kaeding was able to navigate, making moves when he needed to as he knew there were fast cars chasing him.
In the winner’s circle, Kaeding showed he still enjoyed winning races, no matter how many times he’s done it in any series, as he climbed up the back of his car and greeted the fans. He expressed gratitude to the Williams Motorsports team for putting the car together for him, and also for being able to race in Dave Lindt’s memory on Saturday, having raced with him before.
Steele on one restart was almost able to challenge Kaeding for the lead but struggled to turn in consistent laps on the challenging surface and couldn’t keep pace. Behind him, D.J. Netto and Justin Sanders, who entered the night tied for the NARC points lead, started alongside each other in the second row and frequently raced with each other for positions in the Top 5 – and for the points lead – throughout the event. Netto eventually got around Steele for second place, and Sanders followed.
Netto would pursue Kaeding for a time but could not get to him as they raced through traffic, and would finish second aboard the Penny Newman Grain-sponsored Netto Ag No. 88n Rider-powered KPC, while Sanders took third aboard the Yuba Sutter Aviation-sponsored Mittry Motorsports No. 2x Fisher-powered KPC. That resulted in Netto regaining the NARC points lead by a single point, unofficially.
After running second most of the race, Steele finished fourth in the Tarlton & Son-sponsored BCCR No. 21 Shark-powered Maxim. Tyler Thompson finished fifth aboard the HAM Construction-sponsored Main Motorsports No. 35km Kistler-Maxim, and that unofficially put him back into third place in the point standings. Kansas visitor Jace Park was sixth. Gauge Garcia earned another Williams Roofing Hard Charger nod, coming from 15th to finish seventh. Mariah Ede, Nick Parker and Dominic Gorden rounded out the Top 10.
Heat races earlier in the evening were won by Netto, Tim Kaeding and Steele. Kaeding won the Beacon Wealth Strategies Dash over Steele to secure the pole position for the main event. Sean Becker, winner of last year’s inaugural Dave Lindt Memorial, paced the field in Automotive Racing Productions Qualifying, touring the 3/8-mile clay oval in 12.719 seconds.
Hoosier Racing Tires Feature (30 laps): 1. 0 Tim Kaeding (1), 2. 88n D.J. Netto (4), 3. 2x Justin Sanders (3), 4. 121 Caeden Steele (2), 5. 35km Tyler Thompson (5), 6. 10x Jace Park (9), 7. 2k Gauge Garcia (15), 8. 14 Mariah Ede (8), 9. 15 Nick Parker (11), 10. 10 Dominic Gorden (12), 11. 83v Dylan Bloomfield (7), 12. 17 Colby Copeland (13), 13. 9 Dustin Freitas (17), 14. 12j John Clark (16), 15. 7b Sean Becker (6), 16. 29 Bud Kaeding (10), 17. 551 Angelique Bell (18), 18. 26 Billy Aton (14).
METTEC Titanium Lap Leaders: Tim Kaeding 1-30
Williams Roofing Hard Charger: 2k Gauge Garcia, 15th to 7th (+8)
Automotive Racing Products Fast Qualifier (18 cars): 7b Sean Becker, 12.719 seconds
Brown & Miller Racing Solutions Heat 1 (8 laps): 1. 88n D.J. Netto, 2. 83v Dylan Bloomfield, 3. 29 Bud Kaeding, 4. 7b Sean Becker, 5. 26 Billy Aton, 6. 12j John Clark.
Kimo’s Tropical Car Wash Heat 2 (8 laps): 1. 0 Tim Kaeding, 2. 14 Mariah Ede, 3. 35km Tyler Thompson, 4. 10 Dominic Gorden, 5. 2k Gauge Garcia, 6. 9 Dustin Freitas.
WEDG High Performance Karts Heat 3 (8 laps): 1. 121 Caeden Steele, 2. 10x Jace Park, 3. 15 Nick Parker, 4. 2x Justin Sanders, 5. 17 Colby Copeland, 6. 551 Angelique Bell.
Beacon Wealth Strategies – Raymond James Trophy Dash (6 laps): 1. 0 Tim Kaeding, 2. 121 Caeden Steele, 3. 2x Justin Sanders, 4. 88n D.J. Netto, 5. 35km Tyler Thompson, 6. 7b Sean Becker.
Zack Mitchell Wins Birthday Race at Oakshade for Third Career Hell Tour Win
WAUSEON, OH — July 12, 2025 — Zack Mitchell’s Week 5 has shown immediate success with the Coltman Farms Racing crew as he drove towards his first staple DIRTcar Summer National Late Models win in his fifth career start.
The Enoree, SC driver dominated the front at Oakshade Raceway after setting the night’s Quick Time, won his Heat race, and drove to his third flag-to-flag win with the Hell Tour.
Mitchell began the 40-lap Feature as the polesitter and took the conductor’s role, with Trey Mills in second and 2025 overall title contender Tyler Erb in third place.
While the Palmetto State driver continued to show the way, lapped traffic put his lead in jeopardy as Mills and Erb tightened the gap down to 0.4 seconds. Mitchell‘s No. 57 Longhorn Chassis had to muscle through the cars by forcing them up the racetrack to stop the other two from making a pass.
When the second pack of lapped cars approached the leaders, Mitchell took the risk of going to the middle line and kept his Late Model stuck to the line while Mills followed behind.
Though Erb was comfortably in third place through the majority of the 40-lap Feature, he had a second battle on his hands as overall points leader Jason Feger worked up into the top five after starting in 10th place to chase down the leaders.
When the caution waved with three laps to go, Feger sat in fifth as he strategized a last-gasp opportunity to keep Erb at bay for the win and a wider points gap in his favor.
Feger drove up to the cushion as the green flag waved while the field stayed at the bottom of the track. Entering Turn 1, Erb slipped up into Feger’s line as the two made contact through Turn 2. Erb spun to the bottom of the track and collected fourth-place Colten Burdette in the process. The moment ended the Texan’s hopes of a prime points night in the Hell Tour’s penultimate event.
Erb and Burdette’s incident gifted the Bloomington, IL driver third-place positioning ahead of the final restart of the race. Mitchell ran away from Mills as he got to celebrate his first Birthday Race triumph.
“I was just trying to stay pinned around that bottom,” Mitchell said. “I didn’t know where Trey was, but I’m sure he was right up there on me, and I appreciate him racing me clean. Car was phenomenal. I couldn’t get through that hole down (in Turn 1) the last few laps. But, it feels good to get another win, and hopefully we can get another one around our week off.”
Feger’s finish helped gift the No. 25 a 90-point lead, with Erb finishing in 20th place. With the Jacksonville, FL teenager of Mills finishing second, he retains the Week 5 points lead over Mitchell by 11 points, leaving Saturday night at Oakshade.
Up Next: The DIRTcar Summer Nationals Late Models campaign of 2025 concludes on Sunday night as the DIRTcar Summit Racing Equipment Modified Nationals join the Hell Tour for the finale at Wayne County Speedway on Sunday, July 13.
If you can’t make it to the track, you can watch all the action live on DIRTVision – either online or by downloading the DIRTVision App.
Feature (40 Laps): 1. 57-Zack Mitchell[1]; 2. 14JR-Trey Mills[2]; 3. 25F-Jason Feger[10]; 4. 55-Eli Johnson[3]; 5. 75-Dillon McCowan[8]; 6. 91-Rusty Schlenk[12]; 7. 1N-Casey Noonan[7]; 8. 46-Colin Shipley[16]; 9. 17SS-Brenden Smith[9]; 10. 31M-Tyler Millwood[19]; 11. 5-Mark Whitener[14]; 12. 06-Jake Rendel[20]; 13. 17SR-Brody Smith[13]; 14. 71R-Rod Conley[15]; 15. 75M-Dusty Moore[24]; 16. 57K-Steve Kester[21]; 17. 53L-Colten Burdette[4]; 18. 18B-Chase Burda[18]; 19. 51-Devin Shiels[6]; 20. 1-Tyler Erb[5]; 21. 8-Rob Anderzack[23]; 22. (DNF) 29-Christian Hanger[22]; 23. (DNF) 38-Thomas Hunziker[17]; 24. (DNF) 3M-Matt Miller[11]
Tyler Nicely Takes Summit Modified Nationals Points Lead, Seventh Win of 2025 at Oakshade
Tyler Nicely is back on top.
The 2023 DIRTcar Summit Racing Equipment Modified Nationals champ orchestrated the night at Oakshade Raceway on Saturday night as he flew to his seventh win of the tour in 2025.
The Owensboro, KY native got the 25-lap Feature started from the Pole Position as Thursday winner Michael Ledford ran behind in second place.
When Nicely began to set the pace around the 3/8-mile track around the bottom lane, Ledford kept Nicely within a one-second gap as the two drivers expanded their distance away from third-place Daniel Adam to over eight seconds.
When Nicely approached the lap traffic ahead of him, he did not feel any pressure from Ledford as he managed to drive towards the middle lane and use it to pass the lappers around him.
Ledford attempted a final charge towards Nicely as the checkered flag was in sight, but he could not stop Nicely from scoring the 18th win of his Summit Modified Nationals career, and his first Birthday Race triumph. His dominant night at Oakshade gave him the points lead by 26 points over Trevor Neville heading into the final three tour races of 2025.
“Business as always,” Nicely said. “I’ve been saying we got a good group of guys with me. Just go over this thing, make sure nothing’s gonna fall off tomorrow. We’re all having a blast out here, going up and down the road with (Tyler Erb) is fun.”
Up Next: The DIRTcar Summer Nationals Late Models campaign of 2025 concludes on Sunday night as the DIRTcar Summit Racing Equipment Modified Nationals join the Hell Tour for the finale at Wayne County Speedway on Sunday, July 13.
If you can’t make it to the track, you can watch all the action live on DIRTVision – either online or by downloading the DIRTVision App.
Feature (25 Laps): 1. 25-Tyler Nicely[1]; 2. 4-Michael Ledford[3]; 3. 75-Daniel Adam[2]; 4. 43-Mark Anderson[4]; 5. 14-Dalton Lane[8]; 6. 21C-Drew Charlson[5]; 7. 60-Shannon Fisk[7]; 8. 42-Nate Young[11]; 9. 74M-Manix Furqueron[9]; 10. B4U-Brad Eitniear[6]; 11. 12M-John McClure[13]; 12. 14T-Mario Toniolo[10]; 13. 32-Scott Boyd Jr[12]; 14. 23B-Ethan Boomsma[14]; 15. 313-Clayton Smith[16]; 16. 74D-Craig Dippman[19]; 17. 09-Dan Price[17]; 18. 21-Roger South[15]; 19. 31J-Ray Jackson[18]; 20. (DNS) 52-John Haynes
BADGER BEATDOWN: Kofoid Leads Every Wilmot Lap for Badger 40 Victory
The Californian fends off David Gravel’s late charge to secure his first Wilmot checkered flag
WILMOT, WI (June 12, 2025) – There’s no driver hotter on the World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Series tour than Michael “Buddy” Kofoid right now.
It began with a major week at Huset’s Speedway where Kofoid finished on the podium all four nights of the Huset’s High Bank Nationals and won a pair of six-figure paydays, becoming only the third driver to do so in one week.
He and the Roth Motorsports crew followed that with two third place runs at Cedar Lake Speedway. An off weekend for the Fourth of July came next, but Kofoid and company didn’t let the summer break cool them off.
They rolled into Wisconsin’s Wilmot Raceway Saturday night and delivered yet another statement. Kofoid started on the pole of the Larry Hillerud Memorial Badger 40 and led every single circuit. Defending Series champion David Gravel offered up a couple challenges, but it wasn’t enough as Kofoid held on and kept the hot streak rolling with another checkered flag.
“We wouldn’t be standing up here having speed like this if it wasn’t for Dylan (Buswell), Nate (Knotts), and Gage (Tyra),” Kofoid said of his crew. “They work incredibly hard, and I feel like atmosphere-wise it’s been the best atmosphere and the most fun I’ve had in my career, and that’s all due to them and everyone above us that puts us here.
“I was kind of scratching my head under that yellow like, ‘Man, I don’t know where to be,’ just because there were 10 different things you could do. I was just sticking to what I felt was working for me which was driving across and trying to cut (Turn) 1 really short. Then I kind of gave up on the top in (Turn) 3 and was driving across. I don’t know if that was better or not, but I felt like that helped us finish off the race.”
Kofoid has now topped three of the last six races contest by The Greatest Show on Dirt. The Series sophomore’s seventh victory of 2025 already equals the mark he established last year during his rookie campaign. His first at Wilmot makes the 23-year-old the eighth different driver to win at the “Badger State” track. The 17th overall of Kofoid’s World of Outlaws career tied him with Kraig Kinser and Johnny Herrera for 35th all-time.
David Gravel came home second after throwing everything he had at Kofoid in the latter stages of the race. He fired a slider that came up just a tad short and look poised to make a late run before the yellow flag flew with two laps remaining. The Watertown, CT native closed on Kofoid coming to the white flag after the restart, but a final lap mistake sealed a runner-up fate for the Big Game Motorsports team.
“It definitely hurt our chances a little bit,” Gravel said of the final yellow. “But truly I had a shot on the green-white-checkered. I got a bad start, got through (Turns) 1 and 2 good, and then Buddy struggled through (Turns) 3 and 4 coming to the white. I tried to run the bottom and grab the moisture down low off of (Turn) 2, and about half the time I could do it and half I couldn’t, and that was a time that I missed it. That was a race car capable of winning tonight. Man, when I threw the slider in (Turns) 1 and 2, I swear I cleared him and there was no way he was getting back around me, and then he just probably closed his eyes, prayed, and went wide open around the cushion and got back around me.”
Carson Macedo brought the Jason Johnson Racing No. 41 home third for his third consecutive podium finish as he continues to rebound after a tough week at Huset’s in late June. The Lemoore, CA native overcame restart problems to secure a strong finish.
“I was just getting really bad starts,” Macedo said. “My angle was so bad off of (Turn) 4 when I’d start behind Buddy on the bottom. He’d take off pretty early, which I would’ve too, but where I was at I had to turn twice and then exit right around that tire then I’d just be spinning down the frontstretch and be in trouble getting into (Turn) 1 almost every start.”
Chris Windom and Logan Schuchart completed the top five.
Giovanni Scelzi took the KCP Racing No. 18 from 16th to 11th to earn the KSE Racing Products Hard Charger.
Bill Balog claimed his first Simpson Quick Time of 2025 in Honest Abe Roofing Qualifying.
Heat Races belonged to Bill Balog (NOS Energy Drink Heat One), Buddy Kofoid (Real American Beer Heat Two), and Chris Windom (WIX Filters Heat Three).
The SPATechnique #1 Redraw went to Carson Macedo for the third race in a row.
Buddy Kofoid topped the Toyota Dash.
Skylar Gee won the Micro-Lite Last Chance Showdown.
The Smith Titanium Brake Systems Break of the Race went to Hunter Schuerenberg.
UP NEXT: The World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Cars head to Ohio for a major week of racing. It begins with the Ohio Logistics Brad Doty Classic presented by dac Vitamins and Minerals at Attica Raceway Park on Tuesday, July 15. For tickets, CLICK HERE. Then it’s over to Rossburg, OH’s Eldora Speedway for the 42nd running of the Kings Royal (July 18-19) with the champion banking a record $200,000. 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 (40 Laps): 1. 83-Michael Kofoid[1]; 2. 2-David Gravel[2]; 3. 41-Carson Macedo[3]; 4. 7S-Chris Windom[5]; 5. 1S-Logan Schuchart[7]; 6. 17B-Bill Balog[6]; 7. 21H-Brady Bacon[10]; 8. 15-Donny Schatz[9]; 9. 2C-Cole Macedo[13]; 10. 17-Sheldon Haudenschild[4]; 11. 18-Giovanni Scelzi[16]; 12. 23-Garet Williamson[8]; 13. 6-Zach Hampton[17]; 14. 28M-Conner Morrell[14]; 15. 3N-Jake Neuman[11]; 16. 15K-Creed Kemenah[15]; 17. 79-Blake Nimee[20]; 18. 99-Skylar Gee[19]; 19. 87A-Austin Hartmann[24]; 20. 10V-Matt VanderVere[21]; 21. 13-CJ Malueg[23]; 22. 65-Jordan Goldesberry[18]; 23. 55-Hunter Schuerenberg[12]; 24. 43-Jereme Schroeder[22]
Sheppard Wins First Career Diamond Nationals at Lucas Oil Speedway
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| WHEATLAND, MO (July 12, 2025) – Brandon Sheppard started sixth and passed race leader Gordy Gundaker on lap 15 to win the 19th Annual CMH Diamond Nationals presented by Wieland on Saturday night at Lucas Oil Speedway. Sheppard’s win was his second of the season with the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series presented by FloRacing, and it allowed him to tie with Josh Richards for 8th place on the all-time series wins list, now with 34 wins. Once in front, Sheppard dominated the rest of the race, which was slowed only by one caution. Sheppard won by an impressive 3.775 seconds to become the 12th different winner in the event’s history. Hudson O’Neal, who started alongside Sheppard in row three, finished second, with Ricky Thornton Jr. rounding out the Big River Steel Podium in third. The rest of the top five included defending track champion Justin Wells and Garrett Alberson, who started 17th. Gundaker, who started from the Victory Fuel Pole, took the lead at the beginning of the race and held the top spot for the first 14 laps until the only caution of the race was called. Gundaker, aiming for the biggest win of his career and his first Lucas Oil victory, saw Sheppard pass him on the lap 15 restart. From that point on, Sheppard dominated the rest of the race, leading the final 36 laps unchallenged. “This place has haunted me in my dreams many times. We finished second at the Show-Me in 2021. I’ve performed well here before. The track is very tricky and hit or miss. It requires different skills than your average race track. We’re still figuring out this new car. We’re improving our consistency by trying different things each night and building on a program we’ve grown to be good at here,” said the New Berlin, Illinois native. “Getting a win here really shows where we stand as a team. I appreciate all the fans for sticking it out. I know it looked sketchy all day from the south, but somehow we dodged the gap, and it missed us. We definitely got lucky with the weather. Wheatland was an awesome track both nights this weekend.” O’Neal, who entered the weekend with four wins in five appearances at Lucas Oil Speedway, finished in second after moving up to that position on lap 27. “I think I got to overdriving a little bit,” as O’Neal was asked about getting sideways near the end of the race. “I felt like I was okay, and if I could pass some of those guys, I might be able to close the gap (on Sheppard) a little bit. I was driving a bit too hard and jumped the cushion down there, almost at the opening, turned pretty sharply. I was wide open trying to get back over the banking. I think I got tired a little early, and Sheppard got too big of a lead without a caution right then, so I couldn’t close in on him.” Thornton, who won the previous night at Wheatland, outdueled Wells in the final laps as he survived a back-and-forth battle to finish on the Big River Steel Podium. “I felt like I was pretty good. I was a little too tight early, but once it finally slowed down, I felt really good. Hats off to the track crew. I think this race, the Show-Me, is probably the best this place has raced in a long time. I know they have been working hard to improve this place. The High Limit race here was really good too. I felt like I needed to be a lot better — I mean significantly better — to beat Brandon. He was in a league of his own tonight. I believe he got by me on lap two or three, and after that, I never really saw him.” The winner’s Mark Richards Racing, Rocket Chassis is powered by a Durham Racing Engine and sponsored Valvoline, Seubert Calf Ranches, Franklin Enterprises, Petroff Towing, Gunter’s Honey, Performance Grading, Ace Metal Works, Sunoco Race Fuels, Collins Brothers Towing, Stiles Marine and Maintenance, Rocket 1 Pre-Owned Motors. Completing the top ten were Daulton Wilson, Gordy Gundaker, Jonathan Davenport, Brandon Overton, and Kayden Clatt. Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series Race Summary 19th Annual CMH Diamond Nationals presented by Wieland | Night 2Saturday, July 12, 2025Lucas Oil Speedway – Wheatland, MO Allstar Performance Time TrialsFast Time Group A: Jonathan Davenport | 15.049 seconds (Overall)Fast Time Group B: Brandon Overton | 15.266 seconds Penske Shocks Heat Race #1 Finish (8 Laps, Top 4 Transfer): 1. 11-Gordy Gundaker[3]; 2. 71-Hudson O’Neal[5]; 3. 98-Justin Wells[4]; 4. 1XM-Aaron Marrant[2]; 5. 58-Garrett Alberson[6]; 6. 0-Jake O’Neil[7]; 7. 65-Jon Binning[8]; 8. 4W-Tyler Wolff[9]; 9. 49-Jonathan Davenport[1] Summit Racing Products Heat Race #2 Finish (8 Laps, Top 4 Transfer): 1. 19M-Spencer Hughes[2]; 2. 18D-Daulton Wilson[4]; 3. 8K-Tyler Kuykendall[1]; 4. 50-Kayden Clatt[3]; 5. 11T-Trevor Gundaker[6]; 6. 93-Carson Ferguson[5]; 7. 7J-Ryan Johnson[8]; 8. 60-Dan Ebert[7] Cool-It Thermo-Tec Heat Race #3 Finish (8 Laps, Top 4 Transfer): 1. 76-Brandon Overton[1]; 2. 1-Brandon Sheppard[2]; 3. 99-Devin Moran[3]; 4. 56-Tony Jackson Jr[4]; 5. 1/4J-Jaxon Ertel[5]; 6. 79-Donald McIntosh[6]; 7. 15L-Payton Looney[7]; 8. 805-Rob Hough[9]; 9. (DNS) 3W-Brennon Willard Simpson Race Products Heat Race #4 Finish (8 Laps, Top 4 Transfer): 1. 20RT-Ricky Thornton Jr[1]; 2. 97-Cade Dillard[3]; 3. 96-Dalton Imhoff[2]; 4. 22-Daniel Hilsabeck[4]; 5. 93L-Cory Lawler[5]; 6. 6-Clay Harris[6]; 7. 87-Darron Fuqua[7]; 8. 15-Clay Stuckey[8] Fast Shafts B-Main Race #1 Finish (8 Laps, Top 3 Transfer): 1. 58-Garrett Alberson[1]; 2. 11T-Trevor Gundaker[2]; 3. 93-Carson Ferguson[4]; 4. 0-Jake O’Neil[3]; 5. 4W-Tyler Wolff[7]; 6. 7J-Ryan Johnson[6]; 7. 60-Dan Ebert[8]; 8. 65-Jon Binning[5]; 9. 49-Jonathan Davenport[9] UNOH B-Main Race #2 Finish (8 Laps, Top 3 Transfer): 1. 1/4J-Jaxon Ertel[1]; 2. 79-Donald McIntosh[3]; 3. 93L-Cory Lawler[2]; 4. 6-Clay Harris[4]; 5. 15L-Payton Looney[5]; 6. 87-Darron Fuqua[6]; 7. 15-Clay Stuckey[8]; 8. 805-Rob Hough[7]; 9. (DNS) 3W-Brennon Willard 19th Annual CMH Diamond Nationals presented by Wieland | Night 2 Feature Finish(50 Laps): Pos – Start – Car # – Competitor – Hometown – Pay1 – 6 – 1 – Brandon Sheppard – New Berlin, IL – $25,8002 – 5 – 71 – Hudson O’Neal – Martinsville, IN – $10,8003 – 4 – 20RT – Ricky Thornton Jr – Chandler, AZ – $7,1004 – 9 – 98 – Justin Wells – Aurora, MO – $4,0005 – 17 – 58 – Garrett Alberson – Las Cruces, NM – $4,2006 – 7 – 18D – Daulton Wilson – Fayetteville, NC – $3,4007 – 1 – 11 – Gordy Gundaker – St. Charles, MO – $2,5008 – 23 – 49 – Jonathan Davenport – Blairsville, GA – $3,5009 – 2 – 76 – Brandon Overton – Evans, GA – $2,90010 – 15 – 50 – Kayden Clatt – Edina, MO – $2,10011 – 8 – 97 – Cade Dillard – Robeline, LA – $2,00012 – 25 – 6 – Clay Harris – Jupiter, FL – $1,20013 – 3 – 19M – Spencer Hughes – Meridian, MS – $2,50014 – 21 – 93 – Carson Ferguson – Lincolnton, NC – $2,40015 – 10 – 99 – Devin Moran – Dresden, OH – $2,60016 – 19 – 11T – Trevor Gundaker – St. Charles, MO – $1,50017 – 16 – 22 – Daniel Hilsabeck – Earlham, IA – $2,30018 – 13 – 1XM – Aaron Marrant – Richmond, MO – $1,50019 – 24 – 60 – Dan Ebert – Lake Shore, MN – $2,20020 – 11 – 8K – Tyler Kuykendall – Warsaw, MO – $1,50021 – 22 – 93L – Cory Lawler – Hanover, PA – $2,20022 – 20 – 79 – Donald McIntosh – Dawsonville, GA – $2,20023 – 12 – 96 – Dalton Imhoff – Jamestown, MO – $1,50024 – 18 – 1/4J – Jaxon Ertel – Neosho, MO – $1,50025 – 14 – 56 – Tony Jackson Jr – Lebanon, MO – $1,500 Race Statistics Entrants: 34Victory Fuel Pole Sitter: Gordy GundakerMD3 Lap Leaders: Gordy Gundaker (1-14), Brandon Sheppard (15-50)Hellraizer Jacks Halfway Leader: Brandon SheppardWieland Feature Winner: Brandon SheppardMargin of Victory: 3.775 secondsColtman Farms Racing Cautions: Donald McIntosh (Lap 14)Series Provisionals: Jonathan Davenport, Dan EbertFast Time Provisional: n/aEmergency Provisional: Clay HarrisTrack Provisional: n/aBig River Steel Podium Top 3: Brandon Sheppard, Hudson O’Neal, Ricky Thornton Jr.Penske Shocks Top 5: Brandon Sheppard, Hudson O’Neal, Ricky Thornton Jr., Justin Wells, Garrett AlbersonPEM 4th Place Feature: Justin WellsDMI Rearends 5th Place Feature: Garrett AlbersonWilwood Brakes Lucky 7th Place Feature: Gordy GundakerWehrs Machine 11th Place Feature: Cade DillardDeatherage Opticians Lucky 13th Place Feature: Spencer HughesMD3 24th Place Feature: Jaxon ErtelHoker Trucking Hard Charger of the Race: Jonathan Davenport (Advanced 15 Positions)MD3 Most Laps Led: Brandon Sheppard (36 Laps)Sunoco Race for Gas Highest Finisher: Brandon SheppardMidwest Sheet Metal Spoiler Challenge Point Leader: Jonathan DavenportO’Reilly Auto Parts Rookie of the Race: Daniel HilsabeckPro Fabrication Headers Fastest Lap of the Race: Brandon Sheppard | Lap 18 | 15.504 secondsSlicker Graphics Slickest Move of the Race: Brandon SheppardFresh Roof Hard Luck Award: Jonathan DavenportOuterwears Crew Chief of the Race: Danny WhiteARP Engine Builder of the Race: Durham Racing EnginesMiller Welders Chassis Builder of the Race: Rocket ChassisDirt Draft Fastest in Hot Laps: Tony Jackson Jr. | 15.724 secondsTime of Race: 17 minutes 14 seconds Big River Steel Chase for the Championship Presented by ARP Point Standings:Pos – Car # – Competitor – Hometown – Points – Pay1 – 49 – Jonathan Davenport – Blairsville, GA – 5485 – $261,9002 – 20RT – Ricky Thornton Jr – Chandler, AZ – 5455 – $288,6503 – 71 – Hudson O’Neal – Martinsville, IN – 5175 – $157,2754 – 99 – Devin Moran – Dresden, OH – 5135 – $193,0495 – 58 – Garrett Alberson – Las Cruces, NM – 4975 – $118,5506 – 1 – Brandon Sheppard – New Berlin, IL – 4895 – $148,3007 – 76 – Brandon Overton – Evans, GA – 4760 – $101,6008 – 18D – Daulton Wilson – Fayetteville, NC – 4505 – $83,7259 – 93 – Carson Ferguson – Lincolnton, NC – 4275 – $70,32510 – 79 – Donald McIntosh – Dawsonville, GA – 4085 – $56,20011 – 22 – Daniel Hilsabeck – Earlham, IA – 4000 – $52,02512 – 19M – Spencer Hughes – Meridian, MS – 3725 – $50,12513 – 60 – Dan Ebert – Lake Shore, MN – 3660 – $42,90014 – 6 – Clay Harris – Jupiter, FL – 3565 – $44,65015 – 93L – Cory Lawler – Hanover, PA – 3235 – $32,925 |
PATO O’WARD TAKES CHEVROLET TO VICTORY LANE IN IOWA RACE NO. 1
Team Chevy Drivers Sweep Podium and Score Seven of Top-Eight in Finishing Order
NEWTON, IOWA (July 12,2025) – Pato O’Ward took his No. 5 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet to Iowa Speedway Victory Lane to score his first win of the season, his second at the .875-mile track and the eighth of his NTT INDYCAR SERIES career. He led 33 of the 275 laps in today’s race, the first of the Sukup INDYCAR Race Weekend doubleheader.
O’Ward’s win of the SYNK 275 is the first of the season for Chevrolet and the 14th for the Bowtie Brand on the Iowa D-shaped oval. He now sits second in the standings, 105 points down to leader Alex Palou.
Chevrolet drivers swept the podium with Josef Newgarden bringing his No. 2 Astemo Team Penske Chevy to the checkered flag in the runner-up spot, his ninth podium at Iowa. Teammate Will Power, No. 12 Verizon Chevrolet completed the podium in third place, his seventh time on an Iowa podium.
Scott McLaughlin had to start 27th in the field after an incident on his qualifying out lap that resulted in his No. 3 XPEL Team Penske Chevrolet making hard contact with the turn two wall. The winner of the 2024 Iowa race one drove through the field to finish fourth. McLaughlin made 24 on-track passes in his quest to score a solid finish
- Christian Rasmussen, No. 21 Splenda Ed Carpenter Racing Chevrolet, drove from the 19th starting spot to finish sixth, also making 24 on-track passes
- Conor Daly piloted the No. 76 Juncos Hollinger Racing Chevrolet to seventh in the final finishing order
- Santino Ferrucci completed the seven Chevrolet powered drivers in the top-eight bringing the No. 14 Sexton Properties AJ Foyt Racing Chevrolet across the finish line in eighth place
- Chevrolet has led an amazing 4,099 at Iowa Speedway with Newgarden leading the way with 2,079 led including 232 today after starting on the pole
- Race Two of the Sukup INDYCAR Race Weekend at Iowa Speedway – The Farm To Finish 275 (275 laps) – is scheduled to start at 1pm (ET)/ noon (CT)/11am (MT)/10am (PT) and will be broadcast on FOX/INDYCAR Radio Network/SIRIUSXM 218.
DRIVER POST RACE QUOTES
PATO O’WARD, NO. 5 ARROW MCLAREN CHEVROLET, RACE WINNER:
“This is great we’ve been waiting for this one for over a year. My 50th race was also a win here in Iowa and that’s the only other thing I have here so it’s a cool story. Great job by the Arrow McLaren guys and gals. This Chevy powered machine was, I think it’s 1-2-3 right? 1-2-3 Chevy podium. I think it was about and I’m super happy I’m the Chevy guy that gave them their first win this year.
Josef is the master at these races, he rules around here so I knew that we had to be spot on and I had to be so precise on the in laps to beat him at his own game. This is awesome and we have another chance tomorrow, it would be really awesome to double up.
How did you hold him back
I mean we’ve had so many duels, Josef and I, but he usually, he’s a percentage that comes out on top more. I said that today is the day that changes, so racing out there and you know I had a lot of fun making that that outside groove work whenever we were 4th and 5th and as soon as we were behind him, we just kind of this positioned ourselves to get it done.”
JOSEF NEWGARDEN, NO. 2 ASTEMO TEAM PENSKE CHEVROLET, FINISHED 2ND:
“O’Ward got track position, it was a simple as that. My car was quick, and Team Chevy did a great job Finally got a win for Team Chevy is a big deal. They should have had way more on the year, so good to finally get one.”
WILL POWER, NO. 12 VERZON TEAM PENSKE CHEVROLET, FINISHED 3RD:
“We’ve always had the speed. Just a very smooth day I would say. Some good racing out as the second lane came in, which is awesome. I think everyone should thank Conor Daly for bringing it in, or at least showing us how to do it. Him and Ferruci rolled that outside really well. I just watched Connor do it I’m like oh OK, so he taught me that. It was a solid day, I’m really happy to have a smooth day with no problems. That’s what I got and hopefully tomorrow you can go for the win.”
SCOTT MCLAUGHLIN, NO. 3 XPEL TEAM PENSKE CHEVROLET, FINISHED 4TH:
“Oh, man, it’s huge. I don’t know how many people saw, but the amount of people, that not only work on the No. 3 car, but the No. 2 and the No. 12, It was just a huge team effort to get back in the race. I know I was talking to some drivers, and some teams may not have even been able to do that, so it’s a proud moment for us. Proud moment for me. After the last few months, it’s just nice to have a decent result, but the problem is we’ve do it again tomorrow, but I think we can. The car was really good. I would rip the bottom. I would rip whatever lane I wanted, So, I put a lot of trust in it. I put trust in it because the guys are so good, you know, and just really proud of everyone, and everyone on the XPEL Chevy.”
CHRISTIAN RASMUSSEN, NO. 21 SPLENDA ED CARPENTER RACING CHEVROLET, FINISHED 6TH:
“Done with the first race at Iowa Speedway! Finished P6 after starting P19, a good result. We just steadily moved our way through the field from the beginning to the end. I had one exciting moment with probably the biggest drift I’ve ever done on an oval and still saved it! Thankfully, we got through it and the good thing is we get to do it all over again! We are starting a little farther up tomorrow so maybe we can have an even better day!”
CONOR DALY, NO. 76 JUNCOS HOLLINGR RACING CHEVROLET, FINISHED 7TH:
“Honestly, I was really happy with the Chevy, the whole day. Really appreciate the team’s work on giving me a fast car. I just struggled a little bit in the middle of the race. myself, just with what was going on, not car related, just driver related. But, it was good to get a last restart in to get one more spot. But yeah, just lost a little bit in that first pit exchange because we had a tough in, but, you know, car was still really fast. We’ve just got a fine tune a few things for tomorrow, and I think we’ll have a shot at it.”
SANTINO FERRUCCI, NO. 14 SEXTON PROPERTIES AJ FOYT RACING CHEVROLET, FINISHED 8TH:
“”Tough, tough day. Honestly, i thought we had a much better race car than we did, just based off our practice, but as it turned out, we were incredibly tight and just trying to battle that. You can only do so much, you’re max-tooling in the car. you can only put so much front wing in before you tip it over. So, hands tied but happy to come home with a top-10 and ready to make some overnight changes and get back after it tomorrow.”
DAVID MALUKAS, NO. 4 CLARIENCE AJ FOYT RACING CHEVROLET, FINISHED 12Th:
“We missed the mark on the setup when we first went out, so it was a little bit of a survival and then the yellow came out for the first stop. So we decided not to do any changes with the wing, just not to change the balance. But we were going backwards. and fell back to 17th. On the next stop, we were able to do the turns of wing and the car just kicked alive and we worked our way from 17th up to 12th. With the rain and the tornado, it cut our sessions even shorter. We didn’t do the testing here that everybody else did. So, I think that showed there and we missed the mark on where the car needed to be by the end of a race stint. But we learned, so thankfully, we have another race going tomorrow.”
ROBERT SHWARTZMAN, NO. 83 PREMA RACING CHEVROLET, FINISHED 20TH:
“I think we had a pretty good qualifying with what we had. The balance was not perfect, but overall, the car was quick, and I was quite happy with what we had with the short time we had to get everything ready. In today’s race, I really struggled with the car balance; it was really difficult to drive. I had a few moments where I was close to losing the car and putting it in the wall, but I managed to keep it alive. We need to analyse overnight to see what changes we can make for tomorrow’s race, where we start from a promising grid position.”
STING RAY ROBB, NO. 77 UNCOS HOLLINGER RACING CHEVROLET, FINISHED 22ND:
“Race one was a bit more chaotic than I think that we would all like, but nonetheless, we brought it back all four wheels attached to the car, with some learning to do as well. I think that we can get some good reset for tomorrow for Race 2. I feel like we have a good data from today that we can apply and really overall, I think that it’s an okay day. It’s not the result that we wanted, but with the result of Connor finishing inside the top 10. I think that’s very good for the team and for everyone involved. And so we can go into tomorrow with a lot of confidence.”
CALLUM ILLOT, NO. 90 PREMA RACING CHEVROLET, 23RD DNF CONTACT:
“We had a really fast car but it was just not a good day in the pitlane. We were slow and also very unlucky with the timing of our second pitstop early on, which put us the only car laps down. We raced back through, but I managed to take too much risk with the pace increase and it didn’t end very well. We have another race for tomorrow and the positive is that the pace looks good.”
NOLAN SIEGEL, NO. 6 ARROW MCLAREN CHEVROLET, 24TH DNF CONTACT:
“It was a little weird from the time I left pit lane and had a lot of oversteer up until then and then I don’t know I just lost it in the middle of (Turn) ¾. I was pushing hard. There’s not much more to it. It was a big hit. I’m fine.
You and Kyle have been really gelling
It’s been great. I think Kyle’s doing a great job it’s been great working with him, obviously we haven’t had a ton of time to work together, but I really enjoying working with him so far. I think that was a great race from his side, from the strategy side and I think we were in position to I don’t know where we’re sitting, but it was unfortunate for it to end like that but we’re in a good spot.”
POST RACE PRESS CONFERENCE TRANSCRIPTS:
PATO O’WARD
TONY KANAAN
JOSEF NEWGARDEN
WILL POWER
THE MODERATOR: Now joined by the champion of the Synk 275 powered by Sukup in Pato O’Ward, who led 33 of the 257 laps this afternoon, driver of the No. 5 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet, his first win of the season, Chevy’s first win as well as mentioned, eighth career win, second here at Iowa. The first win at Iowa came on your 50th start. This came on your 100th start. Your thoughts about win No. 1 this season for you.
PATO O’WARD: Yeah. First time I do a repeat at a track, so that’s a cool milestone for myself. Super happy for, first of all, all the guys and gals at Arrow McLaren. We’ve been working really hard. But the guy we’re chasing down keeps winning a bunch of them.
Also very happy for Team Chevy. This was important and very deserving for Team Chevy. I’m glad it was an all-Chevy podium.
Yeah, for my race, I started getting creative. They’re just such long races. There’s time to get your car in the window, start getting creative on where you want to place it. So yeah, we got moving in that second restart, and as soon as I got to Josef, he’s one of the guys that when you’re behind him, he tries to outsmart you, definitely. He’s been running ovals for more than I’ve been in the series. That experience only comes with laps, and he’s also very strong here, so I knew that we had to be perfect.
We capitalized on that in lap. I think I went a little bit over the limit and risked a bit more than I was planning to, but all in all, it actually worked out because he was right on our gearbox on that 3 and 4 when we came out. Yeah, great pit stop, and did my job to secure us that overcut, and that’s pretty much what gave us the win today.
THE MODERATOR: The difference was between you and Josef just over two-tenths which was the closest finish at Iowa since 2012 when Ryan Hunter-Reay defeated Marco Andretti.
Q. I saw this stat on social media. I haven’t been able to fact check it myself, but it sounds right. You’ve had 16 runner-up finishes in your career and seven of those have been in races that Josef Newgarden has won. In those moments, I think of the Indy 500 a year ago, I think of Texas 2023. What have you taken away from those late-race battles, particularly on ovals, with Josef, and was there anything that you did tonight that you would say kind of came from some of those learnings?
PATO O’WARD: I mean, he’s the guy that I’ve been most around, especially to win races. If it wasn’t for him, I would have a lot more wins. But he’s a tough competitor. I think this year for him has been quite different to what it’s been in the past. I see him very differently, to be honest, like his attitude and everything is definitely not the Josef that I’ve always praised, I would say.
But I’ve studied him. I know how to race him. He gets what he gives. If he was flirting with fire there, then that’s what he got, and that’s what I was going to give him because you get to these points in your career, and for me especially today when I was behind him, I said, today is the day that’s going to change because obviously he’s got a lot more experience than I do, but I think over the years, I’ve grown to realize that I’m pretty handy, at least in certain ovals, and I believe our package is very strong, and it’s important to capitalize when we can get those wins.
We were super close in Gateway and we’ve been so close there, and now here, we’ve won here before, but it was kind of given to us when Josef had a failure there that 50th race for me that I won here. I said, you know what, today we’re going to — I knew I had all the pieces in place to outright beat him at his own game. Yeah, that’s what we did today, and it obviously is a great feeling to go into tomorrow and know that we’ve got a car that we can fight our way forward and battle our way and see what we can make happen.
Q. Of the kind of three late-race moments that I think you guys were probably closest together, when you blended out in front of him on the last pit stop and then the final two restarts, which of those did you feel like he was closest to being able to pass you, and as you think back on whichever moment that is, what did you do specifically just to make sure that you held him back?
PATO O’WARD: Those Penske cars were running quite a bit higher than I was, so when I kind of made my way through the guys, when I was fifth, I think, in line, fourth or fifth in line that second restart, I feel like I kind of started the trend.
I think Conor started it, and then I followed. Then I could tell he was watching when I was behind him, and then I saw him start exploring.
Then I think — I don’t know if it was maybe 40 laps to go or so, Power was coming quick. He was running really high. With new tires, you can run a lot higher than I thought. I think tomorrow — with now a race under our belt, people are going to try to get a little bit more confident up there and see if they can make it work.
But yeah, it felt very reminiscent of Conor and I in Gateway where you can hold that outside line pretty much almost as fast as the guy down low and you can just stay there and see what you can come up with.
Yeah, I think the closest he was was probably when we came out of the pits where we’re still coming up to speed. He’s coming fifth, sixth gear and we’re just coming third, fourth, and we’re trying to spool up. But we got it done.
Q. I don’t know if you’ve seen the points yet. You’ve still got a ways to go to get to Alex, but you trimmed off —
PATO O’WARD: Let me guess, still over 100 points.
Q. Just barely. 125 come into the weekend, it’s 105 right now. You’ve got another chance to go out there and potentially sweep the weekend tomorrow and chip away at that even more. Does it still at this moment in time still feel like it’s possible, or do I need to wait to ask you tomorrow?
PATO O’WARD: In racing, anything is possible. There’s been some weird, weird stuff that happens. I think if weird stuff happens even more in INDYCAR, that makes sense.
But the guy just doesn’t have any bad races, and a bad race for him is like fifth. Otherwise he’s on the podium.
We’ve just got to keep chipping away at it. I’ve been as consistent as I’ve ever been. I feel like I’ve been laying low, and that usually means you’re staying out of trouble. But it’s tough to be podium contention and qualifying, top 3 every single weekend.
This year for me, qualifying specifically, it’s been horrible. I find my ways in recovery drives like almost every weekend, which it’s fun to try and do it when you know you’ve got a car that can go it, AKA Mid-Ohio, but there’s other scenarios where you’re like, we’ve really got nothing to fight with, and that’s where you’re just like — you’re just hoping that you stay out of trouble and you try and capitalize on people’s mistakes when people are making mistakes.
I think the name of the game for us this year has been really the consistency that we’ve had but also capitalize when you need to, and I think today was an important day to be able to do that.
Tomorrow we’re starting a little bit further back, but seeing how the restarts are working and that second lane, I think we can make our way forward and start getting the leaders a little bit nervous.
I’ve never doubled up. I know we’ve only got one double weekend this year. There’s a few drivers that have in the grid, so I’d love to be a part of that list.
Q. There’s been a lot of — Tony was up there saying Chevrolet needed this and the team needed this, but I’m curious, how bad did Pato O’Ward need this?
PATO O’WARD: How bad did I need it? I wanted it. I wouldn’t necessarily say if I didn’t get it, it was going to be the end of the world. We’ve been chipping away at it. If it wasn’t a win, I think it was going to be a second.
I don’t know how many seconds I have this year, three or four — three? Whatever. Number one looks and feels much better.
I’m glad that — I was pretty determined to be the first one that kind of broke through for Chevy. I wanted to do that at Mid-Ohio, but we weren’t able to do that. So I said, you know what, I think Iowa is going to be a great place to go capitalize.
We don’t just one want. We want more. But it’s a great start to have our first.
Q. Kit didn’t follow through with the pinky swear and come to Victory Lane, so does he still need to —
PATO O’WARD: Yeah, yeah, I told him, and Emma was like, I’m going to bring him to the podium if you win. But no. Maybe he’s sleeping or something. No, he’s such a good kid, so much energy. So much energy. I spent a lot of time with him at the bus when we did the parade at the 500, and yeah, Scott is like, you want him? Great kid. He looks like a ball of energy and a lot of fun. Great family.
Q. Were you a little surprised when Josef Newgarden dived in first before you into the pit stops in the final stint?
PATO O’WARD: No. I was saving more fuel than he was. I know he was on defense mode for a while there. But he was stuck. He was looking for clear track, which he did get. But wasn’t enough to get us.
Q. Out of the pit stops, I saw there was a couple bobbles coming through the gears there. Were you a little afraid of the same situation happening in practice earlier, that you were about to spin it trying to get to the lead?
PATO O’WARD: Me spin? In the exit from the pit lane? I was pushing. Oh, man, the apron was super busy. Oh, yes, I was pushing. That’s what you have to do, man. When you’re racing a guy like that with so much experience, you just know that he’s going to to try — you know he’s trying to do that, so you just got to do that and go better.
But yeah, I knew the objective in hand, and I did it.
Q. What was going through your mind when the red flag came out and you had to sit in pit lane?
PATO O’WARD: Nothing, really.
Q. You weren’t worried about the restart? You weren’t thinking about the restart?
PATO O’WARD: No, because it was going to be the same if we had a restart earlier and no red flag. It was going to be the same story. No, but I had VeeKay behind me. But anyways, I knew what I had to do.
Q. Pato, you said on the FOX broadcast that you wanted to turn the tables on Josef. Do you feel like you usurped the king of corn country?
PATO O’WARD: Yeah, he was poised to get another win. He’s dominated here. But like I said, we’ve had a lot of battles, a lot of one and twos, and a lot of those one and twos, I’ve been two. It’s just way nicer and a way better feeling when you’re number one.
Yeah, I know how to race him. He’s probably the guy that I know how he races the most and the one that I’ve studied the most because he’s the one that I’ve been behind the most. Yeah, pretty straightforward really.
THE MODERATOR: As promised, we have joined by Tony Kanaan, team principal of Arrow McLaren as the team celebrates their 26th win in the NTT INDYCAR Series. It was a pretty thrilling race, Tony. Your thoughts from the pit stand.
TONY KANAAN: You want to know? I’m not a very good spectator. It’s nerve-racking, actually, checking on Nolan that was at the medical center at the time and red flag and so on. I did not watch the last three laps. So I could never blame my mother for some watching my races anymore. I texted her right after the race and said I am sorry, for 40 years I made fun of you; today I was you.
Q. Obviously it was a team win for Pato and the 5 and a good pit stop to get ahead of the 2.
TONY KANAAN: Yeah, obviously a tough place to pass. We had to do something, and then Pato — it was all Pato there on the out lap, so the guys did a great job, and then once Pato got in the front, I knew it was going to be hard fought for Josef.
I’ve been in that position before. I’ve lost this race in the last five laps to Hunter-Reay, so I was just watching Newgarden on the podium. It was the same face I had when I lost to Hunter-Reay.
But it feels good. Obviously Chevy needed this. I think the series needed this as far as Palou is doing a great job, but we wanted to break that, and as a team, for me, everybody back home, especially the F1 team doing so well, Zac was looking at me like, I think it’s you.
I texted him today, it’s not me. But happy for the team and happy for Pato for sure.
Q. Tony, were you not watching the last couple laps because you were still involved with Nolan or because you were too nervous to watch and figure out how —
TONY KANAAN: I can use the first one, but no, I was in the timing stand with Moyer and Hunter, and I just sat down just because I couldn’t watch. No, I was not with Nolan.
Q. I know Team Chevy has been looking for that first win. You guys have been carrying the mantle in terms of the podiums you’ve had where your top 2 drivers are positioned in the championship, overtaking Team Penske this year. How important was it to get that first win for Team Chevy this year?
TONY KANAAN: I mean, as a team, we’re chasing a championship, but also we get so much support from Chevy that it was not getting any easier for us every race to have a Honda win.
For me, it was a matter of we’ve got to do it. Obviously I wanted a Chevy to win. Most likely I want us to win. It came down to that.
But for me, we kept looking around. This is what we’re doing. What can we do to try to beat those guys? Last race we played three different strategies of three cars, the strong cars we had to try to, and they still managed to get us.
It was good. I think coming to an oval, we kind of knew the Penskes are going to be strong, especially here. Newgarden has been dominating the ovals for the past few years. It was kind of a little easier to say I think we’re going to get that win, and that we did.
Q. I know you were on the Nolan stand and probably watching him a lot and kind of focus on that, but as the laps are winding down, Pato is sitting right there with Josef, it seemed like it was especially up toward the front, pretty difficult to make a pass for that one-two spot. I don’t think we saw that on track at all today. What was going through your head? Did you feel like there was going to be an opportunity for Pato to pass if that exchange didn’t happen? What were your nerves going into the final 50 laps or so?
TONY KANAAN: I’m on the 6 timing stand, but I had a scanner so we actually can communicate. Pato said the only way I’m going to pass this guy is if you guys pull something out in the pits or on the pit sequence or if it had gone yellow maybe he would have tried.
Obviously the guys did an awesome job with the pit stop. Pato knew what he needed to do. Newgarden for some reason decided to pit when he pit, we stayed out and Pato pushed as much as he could to close that gap and then on the sequence we ended up beating him out.
I think one thing that people don’t take into consideration, if you guys notice, Pato spun this morning coming out of the pits because he was trying to leave as fast as he could, and I think he found the limit, and today he won the race. It was all him today on that pass. The guys did the job they needed to do, but we needed him to come out of the pits as fast as he could, and that was it.
Q. TK, what were you thinking throughout the course of the race? Seemed like Pato obviously looked like he could get by a couple guys during the duration of the race. What did you think of the passing today compared to last season?
TONY KANAAN: The race was as tough as last year. I think this race was better last year. At some point we got actually a two-lane race. I think at some point when one guy went up there and then the spotter started telling people, hey, that’s working, it came up.
It was tough to pass. If you look at the guys in the front, it was just a waiting game. But they’re getting some pretty good positions on the restarts and then you’d just sit there and wait. But to me it’s INDYCAR racing. In comparison to last year, I think it was a better race.
Q. So many drivers in the INDYCAR Series have gotten a win in their 100th start. How much does it mean to you to be a part of Pato’s win in his 100th?
TONY KANAAN: Oh, it means a lot to me. It’s my first win. This kid is unbelievable. I’ve been a fan of Pato even before I was here. We’ve been through quite a bit in the past three years, and I’m a big supporter. We’re here to win, and he has this team around him, and he delivers when it needs to be delivered. I’m not going to keep talking about him. Glad that I’m part of this.
Q. Mr. Tony, you remember Adrián Fernández, Mario Dominguez, Bernard Jourdain. How do you feel remembering these racers with Pato O’Ward?
TONY KANAAN: I don’t disrespect my old Mexican friends, but Pato is Pato. Obviously this is the era of social media. But watching every race, how popular he is and how much he has behind him from his own country, it’s pretty cool to see.
Obviously I had a little bit of a small part of experiencing that myself, and then Pato comes along and makes you feel like you don’t have that many fans. (Laughter.)
He put me back in my place pretty quick. But obviously it’s generations. I think with Adrián just started all that, no different than Emerson starting for the Brazilians. Hopefully we will keep growing that fan base. When Pato doesn’t win, I get a lot of complaints in Spanish on my own social media. They blame me quite a bit. Hopefully today I kept the Mexicans happy. (Laughter.)
THE MODERATOR: Wrapping up today’s Synk 275 powered by Sukup, Josef Newgarden has joined us, who led 232 laps today of the 275, driver of the No. 2 Astemo Penske Chevrolet, best finish of the season, second podium here of 2025, 60th of his career, which ties him with Johnny Rutherford for 17th on the all-time list.
Josef, take us through the day, please, with your best finish of 2025, but I’m sure you wanted one more.
JOSEF NEWGARDEN: Yeah, it was okay. Our car was really good. Team did an amazing job. Been good all weekend. Really proud of the Astemo car we put out there. Team Chevy did amazing. It was great to see them get a result. They’ve really deserved one all year. Yeah, that’s that.
Q. It’s a Chevy one-two-three, so good stuff from the bowtie brand. Also joining us, Will Power, who led three laps this afternoon, driver of the No. 12 Verizon Team Penske Chevrolet, matching his best finish of the season, now 107 career podiums, which is, of course, still fourth on the all-time list.
A lot of good action out there, Will. What did you think of the race?
WILL POWER: Yeah, I really enjoyed it. It was sort of one and a half lanes. Conor Daly kind of showed us the way when he just rolled the outside and showed that he could go there, so then you start going there, and there was grip. Yeah, worked on people a lot. Worked on two Ganassi guys and then can’t even remember the rest. But it was fun.
Q. You hate to see cautions, but a lot of two-by-two action.
WILL POWER: Yeah, that actually helped rubber it in. Restarts definitely help big time.
Q. Josef, I know very close to the line, had a great day all day, but what does it mean for both of you to get this result for you, for you, for Power and for McLaughlin to all finish up there and battle so close to the lead?
JOSEF NEWGARDEN: Yeah, I think it was just a clean day for the most part. We’ve just struggled to have clean days; one thing has happened or another, and today was mostly pretty okay.
WILL POWER: No strange issues.
Q. What does it mean for you going into tomorrow? Obviously y’all showed — Chevrolet finally showed strength on the track, finally beating the Honda. I know it was Pato O’Ward, but how much confidence does that bring you going into tomorrow?
JOSEF NEWGARDEN: I don’t think they finally showed strength; I think they just finally got a result is what I would say for Chevrolet.
WILL POWER: Yeah. We’ve been there.
JOSEF NEWGARDEN: It’s the truth. Anybody who’s been watching would know.
WILL POWER: We had plenty of potential to win a race all year. It was just a strange year.
Q. Josef, on those last 20 laps and the last two restarts, did you need Pato to make a mistake or was there anything you could do?
JOSEF NEWGARDEN: No. I mean, he pushed me up in 3 in the restart when I had a good run. You’re going for the win, so I almost — I can’t fault him. But with this package I was flat out. Couldn’t do anything different. He got position, and that was that.
Q. Did you think you had a shot to pass him when you came out of the pits? Looked like you got right up to him.
JOSEF NEWGARDEN: Yeah, if we were just a little quicker, then we do. It takes one little bobble.
Q. Will, you were battling with Scott there toward the end, probably both knowing that you need to be smart and also knowing, I’m sure, you guys both just really badly wanted to get a win here or move up and gain a spot and put yourself in the right position. How did you manage and deal with that battle with him down the stretch?
WILL POWER: I was hoping it wouldn’t be close. It was good on the first restart. I was like, good, I’ve got a gap. You don’t want to have any issues when you’ve got three team cars in a row. You just kind of want to finish there, considering the season we’ve had.
But I think — I’m sure he was thinking the same. He’s come all the way from the back of the field. To be where he was is pretty impressive. I think he’s going to be pretty happy with where he was.
Yeah, always difficult with a teammate. You don’t want to cause him a problem. Even tougher if you’re going for the win. You don’t want to — the last thing we want at this point with the season we’ve had.
Q. Josef, between the last pit stop when Pato was blending out just barely ahead of you, between that moment, then the two restarts at the very end, which of those did you feel like maybe you had the best chance or maybe the closest moment to be able to pass him back and take the lead back?
JOSEF NEWGARDEN: We just needed to maintain position. That was going to be the key.
Q. Speaking of teammates, Scotty Mac came all the way from the back, fourth place finish from 27th. That’s pretty impressive. When you think about that two-three-four finish for Team Penske even though you didn’t win? You’ve still got to walk away feeling pretty good that you’re getting the program back in the right direction.
WILL POWER: Oh, man, I was stoked to get a podium. I really was. Wins are nice, but considering what’s been going on, just top 5 would have been good. Just finish the bloody race, get some points. Crying out loud, we have such potential every week. Just to leave so much on the table in the last few races has been really disappointing. Just nice to have a solid result and build on it tomorrow.
JOSEF NEWGARDEN: Tremendous for the group. Very good.
Q. Will, specifically about Scotty, what did you think? You’ve had some pretty good moves through the field before in your career. He said he went high when nobody else would because in order to do that you’ve got to do what the other drivers aren’t.
WILL POWER: It didn’t surprise me actually when I saw him there. I was like, man, that’s awesome, but not really surprised, and especially after a big shun. It’s not nice to get back in that thing and trust the rear straight off the bat, but that’s a big recovery right there. Good for him.
Q. Josef, you kind of mentioned the package. I’m going to ask it bluntly. Do you think there’s a possibility or a scenario where we could seen an on-track lead change tomorrow, or is it all going to be on the pit sequence?
JOSEF NEWGARDEN: No, I think throughout a sequence you will. In 10, 15 laps you won’t. Certainly not like at the end of this race. But through sequencing if there’s a car that’s faster than the leader, I think you can get by him, yeah, for sure.
Q. It seemed like in lap traffic today it seemed like you were picking your spots. Could you make more passes in lap traffic than you were showing, or was that kind of a decision to hold position and knowing that it was really tough to pass for second?
JOSEF NEWGARDEN: Yeah, I was just kind of managing risk today. A day like today going, I wish I would have done a little bit more. But we’ve got tomorrow, so we’ll see what we can bring.
Q. Will, you mentioned the track is kind of one and a half lanes right now. It seems as the race improved, that second lane got better and better. What can we expect tomorrow from that?
WILL POWER: Actually probably a true two lanes now. You can put your tires just on that black seam, maybe a little higher, which is two lanes.
Yeah, you need just half a car and you can start working someone, especially if they’ve got someone in front of them. Yeah, that’s how I got past the guys I had to get past. Yeah, it was good. Much better than last year. It really was.
Q. Will, you mentioned a couple of weeks ago at one of the press conferences, I think it was at Road America, about the changes in the downforce levels at this track and how you thought it could be a lot more physical. Did that actually play out in the race, or was it similar to last year?
WILL POWER: It wasn’t initially when everyone was just saving fuel going slow, but once we started hammering, it got physical. Like at the end there, man, oh, my God, big arm pump just trying to hold on.
It was nice when it went yellow, you could open your hands, shake them out a bit. Your grip, when I came to pit, I could hardly pull the paddle and press the neutral button. It was very difficult for me because you had so much arm pump. It got pretty hard, and I think it’ll be harder tomorrow. More grip, people have better cars. Yeah, and it’ll be a more hectic race because everyone knows there’s two lanes, so you’re never going to sit back and save fuel, you’re going to try and pass.
Q. Because of the fact that the track has now got some rubber on after the rain, will that second lane really become a true second lane?
WILL POWER: Yeah, it’s rubbered in. It could actually help the race tomorrow. It will already be rubbered in. Everyone will have seen that you can run two lanes. Everyone will run two lanes, so essentially it will be just better racing. Sometimes everyone’s car improves, and that sort of stops a bit of passing, but yeah, looking forward to it.
Q. Following up on that last question, during the FOX broadcast, FOX interviewed Pato during the red flag and he said that the second lane was working. He was worried you would catch him, Josef. Any feedback you can give about whether that second lane was working in your opinion?
JOSEF NEWGARDEN: It’s in. It’s working. Yeah, we were using it. It’s come in.
WILL POWER: Josef loves to answer questions at the moment. He’s seething. Seething. He didn’t win. He was close, man. I saw it. I was like, he’s going to get him. He’s going to get him on the outside. But he moved him up a little. Yeah, it was — yeah, second lane, I think tomorrow will be really in.
Q. Will, if you can follow up, we might ask the same question after tomorrow’s race, but there’s been so much speculation about the future of this date heading into this weekend because that second lane didn’t work last year. If the racing starts to get back to something that we’ve seen in the past, could that mean good things for the future of INDYCAR here?
WILL POWER: I think it will be all about the numbers, how many people they got here. I think they want to go to places that have big crowds and successful events. I think it’ll be all about that.
Chevrolet at the Iowa Speedway
Chevrolet wins at Iowa Speedway: 14
· 2025 Race #1 – Pato O’Ward -Arrow McLaren
· 2024 Race #1 – Scott McLaughlin – Team Penske
· 2023 Race #2 – Josef Newgarden – Team Penske
· 2023 Race #1 – Josef Newgarden – Team Penske
· 2022 Race #2 – Pato O’Ward – Arrow McLaren
· 2022 Race #1 – Josef Newgarden – Team Penske
· 2020 Race #2 – Josef Newgarden – Team Penske
· 2020 Race #1 – Simon Pagenaud – Team Penske
· 2019 – Josef Newgarden – Team Penske
· 2017 – Helio Castroneves – Team Penske
· 2016 – Josef Newgarden – Ed Carpenter Racing
· 2013 – James Hinchcliffe – Andretti Global
· 2012 – Ryan Hunter-Reay – Andretti Global
Chevrolet poles at Iowa Speedway: 15
· 2025 Race #1 – Josef Newgarden
· 2024 Race #2 – Scott McLaughlin – Team Penske
· 2023 Race #2 – Will Power – Team Penske
· 2023 Race #1 – Will Power – Team Penske
· 2022 Race #2 – Will Power – Team Penske
· 2022 Race #1 – Will Power – Team Penske
· 2020 Race #2 – Josef Newgarden – Team Penske
· 2020 Race #1 – Conor Daly – Carlin
· 2019 – Simon Pagenaud – Team Penske
· 2018 – Will Power – Team Penske
· 2017 – Will Power – Team Penske
· 2016 – Simon Pagenaud – Team Penske
· 2015 – Helio Castroneves – Team Penske
· 2014 – Scott Dixon – Chip Ganassi Racing
· 2013 – Helio Castroneves – Team Penske
Chevrolet Podiums at Iowa Speedway: 39
Chevrolet podiums at the Iowa Speedway by driver: Josef Newgarden (9), Will Power (7), Pato O’Ward (5), Scott McLaughlin (4), Tony Kanaan (3), Ryan Hunter-Reay (2), Marco Andretti (1), Oliver Askew (1), Helio Castroneves (1), Scott Dixon (1), JR Hildebrand (1), James Hinchcliffe (1), Sage Karam (1), Simon Pagenaud (1), and Spencer Pigot (1).
Chevrolet podiums at the Iowa Speedway by team: Team Penske (20), Arrow McLaren (6), Andretti Global (4), Chip Ganassi Racing (4), Ed Carpenter Racing (4) and KV Racing Technology (1).
Chevrolet Laps Led at Iowa Speedway: 4,099
Chevrolet laps led at Iowa Speedway by driver: Josef Newgarden (2079), Helio Castroneves (434), Will Power (403), Tony Kanaan (317), Scott McLaughlin (260), James Hinchcliffe (245), Pato O’Ward (130), Simon Pagenaud (97), JR Hildebrand (38), Ed Carpenter (20), Scott Dixon (18), Conor Daly (17), Ryan Hunter-Reay (15), Oliver Askew (10), Sebastien Bourdais (6), Marco Andretti (3), Ryan Briscoe (2), Max Chilton (2), Felix Rosenqvist (2) and Rubens Barichello (1).
Chevrolet laps led at Iowa Speedway by team: Team Penske (2844), Ed Carpenter (451), Chip Ganassi Racing (337), Andretti Global (263), Arrow McLaren (140), Carlin (17), and KV Racing Technology (7).
Chevrolet On Short Ovals – All-time wins
Manufacturer History at Iowa Speedway
Wins (with competition)
14 – Chevrolet (2025 Race #1, 2024 Race #2, 2024 Race #1, 2023 Race #2, 2023 Race #1, 2022 Race #2, 2022 Race #1, 2020 Race #2, 2020 Race #1, 2019, 2017, 2016, 2013, 2012)
3 – Honda (2018, 2014, 2014)
Poles (with competition)
15 – Chevrolet (2025 Race #1, 2024 Race #2, 2023 Race #2, 2023 Race #1, 2022 Race #2, 2022 Race #1, 2020 Race #2, 2020 Race #1, 2019, 2018, 2017, 2016, 2015, 2016, 2013)
2 – Honda (2024 Race #1, 2012)
Historical Chevrolet Information
INDYCAR SERIES Manufacturer Championships (since 1979)
Chevrolet-Powered Wins in the Twin-Turbo 2.2L V6 Era (2012-present)
Chevrolet-Powered Wins (All-time)