CONCORD, NC (June 5, 2026) — Few dirt Late Model drivers of the modern era know the DIRTcar Summer Nationals like Jason Feger, both on and off the track.

As The Hell Tour celebrates its 40th anniversary in 2026, starting with the kickoff at Brownstown Bullring on June 9, the two-time and reigning champion recalls much of its history. First as a youngster in the grandstands at the local Saturday-night speedways of Illinois, and later as a crewmember and driver — now a two-time Series champion and winner of 35 Features on the tour dating back to his first in 2009.

“It’s always been special to me because, as a kid, back then, that’s basically all there was around the Illinois area,” Feger, of Bloomington, IL, said. “The Prairie Dirt Classic was like a $10,000-to-win race, a smaller deal, and there was no Illini 100 or Lucas or Outlaws stuff like that. The Hell Tour races, the ones that came through Illinois, that was your big events for the year. That was it — that handful of events through the Midwest.

“We looked so forward to that time of the summer every year, especially when we had that one really good week, which was like LaSalle, Spoon River, Macon, Farmer City, Fairbury and Danville. It stayed the same for so long, and it was just an amazing week that was. A lot of good memories.”

Starting up his own driving career in the Sportsman ranks in 1996, Feger didn’t turn his first laps in a Late Model until 2002. But he had experienced a bit of the grind of the Hell Tourbefore, having worked as a crewmember for fellow Bloomington native and 11-time Summer Nationals Feature winner, Billy Drake. During that time, Feger built the framework of his mechanical abilities and witnessed Summer Nationals greats like Bob Pierce, Billy Moyer, and Rick Auckland put their talents on display, night after night.

Since then, Feger has become a household name in the Illinois dirt Late Model scene, just trying to do it like those that came before him.

“I think I’m getting old because I’ve probably raced in most of or half of them,” Feger said with a chuckle. “And I was with Billy Drake at a lot of them before that. It’s hard to believe.

“I was a little kid when (Summer Nationals) first came out, and watching those guys, a lot of my heroes do it, is hard to believe it’s been that long. But it’s sustained and still does what it does.”

In making at least one Summer Nationals start in nearly every year of his Late Model career, Feger’s notebook has grown exponentially. But what’s been the biggest thing the Hell Tour has taught him?

“To me, it teaches you how to take care of your equipment,” Feger said. “I’ve tried to preach this to all the other guys — you know when it’s your night and when it’s not your night, and you figure out really quick that it’s really easy to dig yourself a bigger hole.

“When you’re really young and dumb, and you want to work really hard, you can dig a hole and keep getting out of it. But the older you get, the more you don’t like doing that.”

From his three national DIRTcar Late Model points championships, multiple national Late Model series Feature wins, regional Late Model series titles, and two Hell Tour points titles, there’s no question of Feger’s mastery of the Midwest.

Now at 48 years old, he’s had a chance to take a look back on all of those accomplishments. And with his age has come a great deal of invaluable knowledge and experience that keeps him competitive as he celebrates 30 years of his racing career in 2026.

“I feel like we’re older and wiser,” Feger said. “As far as my racecraft, I’m as smart as I’ve ever been. Technically, on the race car, I’m as good as I’ve ever been. I’ve got a really good crew.

“I think we’ve just gotten smarter over the years. I don’t necessarily have to just drive the top anymore; we’ve gotten really good at being able to run the bottom and through the slick and stuff like that. I’m probably not as good on the cushion or in the rough as I once was, but we’re better in a lot of areas.”

Feger will join the DIRTcar Summer Nationals Late Model field in the opening race of the Hell Tour at Brownstown Bullring in Brownstown, IL on Tuesday, June 9. Tickets for the event will be sold at the track on race day.

Feger Reflects on Importance of Summer Nationals With 40th Anniversary Season Ahead

CONCORD, NC (June 5, 2026) — Few dirt Late Model drivers of the modern era know the DIRTcar Summer Nationals like Jason Feger, both on and off the track.

As The Hell Tour celebrates its 40th anniversary in 2026, starting with the kickoff at Brownstown Bullring on June 9, the two-time and reigning champion recalls much of its history. First as a youngster in the grandstands at the local Saturday-night speedways of Illinois, and later as a crewmember and driver — now a two-time Series champion and winner of 35 Features on the tour dating back to his first in 2009.

“It’s always been special to me because, as a kid, back then, that’s basically all there was around the Illinois area,” Feger, of Bloomington, IL, said. “The Prairie Dirt Classic was like a $10,000-to-win race, a smaller deal, and there was no Illini 100 or Lucas or Outlaws stuff like that. The Hell Tour races, the ones that came through Illinois, that was your big events for the year. That was it — that handful of events through the Midwest.

“We looked so forward to that time of the summer every year, especially when we had that one really good week, which was like LaSalle, Spoon River, Macon, Farmer City, Fairbury and Danville. It stayed the same for so long, and it was just an amazing week that was. A lot of good memories.”

Starting up his own driving career in the Sportsman ranks in 1996, Feger didn’t turn his first laps in a Late Model until 2002. But he had experienced a bit of the grind of the Hell Tourbefore, having worked as a crewmember for fellow Bloomington native and 11-time Summer Nationals Feature winner, Billy Drake. During that time, Feger built the framework of his mechanical abilities and witnessed Summer Nationals greats like Bob Pierce, Billy Moyer, and Rick Auckland put their talents on display, night after night.

Since then, Feger has become a household name in the Illinois dirt Late Model scene, just trying to do it like those that came before him.

“I think I’m getting old because I’ve probably raced in most of or half of them,” Feger said with a chuckle. “And I was with Billy Drake at a lot of them before that. It’s hard to believe.

“I was a little kid when (Summer Nationals) first came out, and watching those guys, a lot of my heroes do it, is hard to believe it’s been that long. But it’s sustained and still does what it does.”

In making at least one Summer Nationals start in nearly every year of his Late Model career, Feger’s notebook has grown exponentially. But what’s been the biggest thing the Hell Tour has taught him?

“To me, it teaches you how to take care of your equipment,” Feger said. “I’ve tried to preach this to all the other guys — you know when it’s your night and when it’s not your night, and you figure out really quick that it’s really easy to dig yourself a bigger hole.

“When you’re really young and dumb, and you want to work really hard, you can dig a hole and keep getting out of it. But the older you get, the more you don’t like doing that.”

From his three national DIRTcar Late Model points championships, multiple national Late Model series Feature wins, regional Late Model series titles, and two Hell Tour points titles, there’s no question of Feger’s mastery of the Midwest.

Now at 48 years old, he’s had a chance to take a look back on all of those accomplishments. And with his age has come a great deal of invaluable knowledge and experience that keeps him competitive as he celebrates 30 years of his racing career in 2026.

“I feel like we’re older and wiser,” Feger said. “As far as my racecraft, I’m as smart as I’ve ever been. Technically, on the race car, I’m as good as I’ve ever been. I’ve got a really good crew.

“I think we’ve just gotten smarter over the years. I don’t necessarily have to just drive the top anymore; we’ve gotten really good at being able to run the bottom and through the slick and stuff like that. I’m probably not as good on the cushion or in the rough as I once was, but we’re better in a lot of areas.”

Feger will join the DIRTcar Summer Nationals Late Model field in the opening race of the Hell Tour at Brownstown Bullring in Brownstown, IL on Tuesday, June 9. Tickets for the event will be sold at the track on race day.

If you can’t be at the track, stream every lap live on DIRTVision.

ROSSBURG, OH (June 4, 2026) – Bobby Pierce has spent more than a decade trying to become a Dirt Late Model Dream champion. Thursday night at Eldora Speedway, he took a big step in the right direction.

The two-time and defending champion of the World of Outlaws Late Model Series presented by DIRTVision topped the first of two preliminary nights after wrestling the lead away from Devin Moran in an entertaining battle through traffic.

The win marked Pierce’s first prelim win at the Dream in his 14th start in the event. It puts the Oakwood, IL native in prime position for Heat Race competition on Saturday as he looks to finally add a Dream victory to his Eldora resume that already includes two World 100 wins and two more in the Dirt Track World Championship.

“Eldora was awesome tonight, had a bottom, middle, top,” Pierce said. “Got really skatey in the middle, so the sliders were a lot of fun. We worked hard last night getting the motor changed. Wasn’t really what I wanted for early in the night, but for that racetrack, it was perfect.”

Pierce didn’t have an easy road to the front from the seventh starting spot, but with 50 laps to get there and a healthy cushion to utilize, no one was ruling the No. 32 out. By Lap 12, he was in a podium position, and a Turn 3 slider on Josh Rice seven laps later moved him into second behind Moran. Rice then repaid the favor when Pierce got stuck behind a lap car, and the back-and-forth allowed Tyler Erb to make it a three-way battle for second on the bottom.

After several more laps of position swapping, Pierce finally cleared Rice for second and held onto the spot for good. Moments later, Moran tagged the wall in Turn 2 to lose some momentum, which meant that Pierce was just close enough to sail it off into Turn 3 and slide up in front of the No. 99.

A caution for a cut right-rear tire on Kyle Bronson’s car reset the field, but no one could challenge Pierce for the top spot on the restart. Instead, Erb got by Moran to emerge as Pierce’s biggest threat late in the race, but he never found a way around Pierce and had to settle fro second.

Behind him, Hudson O’Neal crossed the line third ahead of Moran in fourth, while Ricky Thornton Jr. charged up from 20th in the starting order to finish fifth.

UP NEXT: The other half of the Dirt Late Model Dream field will battle in preliminary action on Friday, June 5, which culminates with another 50-lap, $30,000-to-win, Feature. Get your tickets in advance by clicking here.

Pierce Starts Quest for Maiden Dirt Late Model Dream Triumph with Thursday Prelim Win

ROSSBURG, OH (June 4, 2026) – Bobby Pierce has spent more than a decade trying to become a Dirt Late Model Dream champion. Thursday night at Eldora Speedway, he took a big step in the right direction.

The two-time and defending champion of the World of Outlaws Late Model Series presented by DIRTVision topped the first of two preliminary nights after wrestling the lead away from Devin Moran in an entertaining battle through traffic.

The win marked Pierce’s first prelim win at the Dream in his 14th start in the event. It puts the Oakwood, IL native in prime position for Heat Race competition on Saturday as he looks to finally add a Dream victory to his Eldora resume that already includes two World 100 wins and two more in the Dirt Track World Championship.

“Eldora was awesome tonight, had a bottom, middle, top,” Pierce said. “Got really skatey in the middle, so the sliders were a lot of fun. We worked hard last night getting the motor changed. Wasn’t really what I wanted for early in the night, but for that racetrack, it was perfect.”

Pierce didn’t have an easy road to the front from the seventh starting spot, but with 50 laps to get there and a healthy cushion to utilize, no one was ruling the No. 32 out. By Lap 12, he was in a podium position, and a Turn 3 slider on Josh Rice seven laps later moved him into second behind Moran. Rice then repaid the favor when Pierce got stuck behind a lap car, and the back-and-forth allowed Tyler Erb to make it a three-way battle for second on the bottom.

After several more laps of position swapping, Pierce finally cleared Rice for second and held onto the spot for good. Moments later, Moran tagged the wall in Turn 2 to lose some momentum, which meant that Pierce was just close enough to sail it off into Turn 3 and slide up in front of the No. 99.

A caution for a cut right-rear tire on Kyle Bronson’s car reset the field, but no one could challenge Pierce for the top spot on the restart. Instead, Erb got by Moran to emerge as Pierce’s biggest threat late in the race, but he never found a way around Pierce and had to settle fro second.

Behind him, Hudson O’Neal crossed the line third ahead of Moran in fourth, while Ricky Thornton Jr. charged up from 20th in the starting order to finish fifth.

UP NEXT: The other half of the Dirt Late Model Dream field will battle in preliminary action on Friday, June 5, which culminates with another 50-lap, $30,000-to-win, Feature. Get your tickets in advance by clicking here.

Feature (50 Laps): 1. 32-Bobby Pierce[7]; 2. 51-Tyler Erb[12]; 3. 71-Hudson O’Neal[9]; 4. 99-Devin Moran[1]; 5. 20RT-Ricky Thornton Jr[20]; 6. 74X-Ethan Dotson[11]; 7. 11-Josh Rice[5]; 8. 22F-Chris Ferguson[4]; 9. 40B-Kyle Bronson[15]; 10. 58-Garrett Alberson[2]; 11. 388-Jackson Hise[17]; 12. 16-Sam Seawright[3]; 13. 44D-Dalton Cook[21]; 14. 28-Dennis Erb Jr[14]; 15. 60-Dan Ebert[26]; 16. 0-Jake O’Neil[13]; 17. 13D-Dallon Murty[6]; 18. 09-Michael Leach[8]; 19. 9M-Tim McCreadie[10]; 20. 25-Shane Clanton[19]; 21. 13-KC Burdette[23]; 22. 8-Dillon McCowan[22]; 23. 5-Mark Whitener[16]; 24. S21-Seth Daniels[25]; 25. 15-Justin Duty[24]; 26. 55E-Eli Johnson[18]

Kage Tadman (No. 28) holds off Walker Porter (No. 10) during the 2026 ThrottleFest heat race. [Photo: Scott Hunter for AMA Pro Racing]Download high-resolution photo from AMA Pro’s Digital Asset Management system

KICKER AFT Singles Title Fight Intensifies in Tennessee

Kage Tadman (No. 28) holds off Walker Porter (No. 10) during the 2026 ThrottleFest heat race. [Photo: Scott Hunter for AMA Pro Racing]Download high-resolution photo from AMA Pro’s Digital Asset Management system

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (June 4, 2026) – A newly energized KICKER AFT Singles title fight arrives for the Caterpillar Nashville Short Track presented by Memphis Shades, as Progressive American Flat Track, sanctioned by AMA Pro Racing, makes its first-ever visit to Sons of Speed Nashville Short Track in Hohenwald, Tennessee, on Saturday, June 6. Title Fight Reignited Defending KICKER AFT Singles champion Tom Drane (No. 1 Estenson Racing Yamaha YZ450F) comes in fresh off his worst result in nearly two seasons. Of course, the Australian’s worst result was a fifth, a finish that would represent a genuine accomplishment for any number of skilled riders. Despite that relative dip in form, Drane entered ThrottleFest with a 16-point advantage and left leading by the exact same margin.  How? While the difference remained the same, the names under it have changed. Trevor Brunner (No. 21 KMA Racing/March Equipment Yamaha YZ450F) came away even worse than Drane by placing eighth, dropping him down from second to fourth, now 19 points in arrears. Meanwhile, archnemesis Chase Saathoff (No. 88 1st Impressions Race Team Husqvarna FC450) stayed in third but cut his deficit from 20 points to 17 by finishing third at Budds Creek. The big mover, of course, was race winner Kage Tadman (No. 28 American Honda/Mission Foods CRF450R), who leapt up from fourth to second, slashing his gap down from 26 to 16. Drane’s consistent excellence has established him as a dominant figure in the class, and his championship style is akin to an Australian scrub python steadily tightening its grip. However, his uncharacteristically quiet fifth in Maryland provides a ray of hope for his rivals, all of whom will be looking to pounce this weekend.  Talent Travels Tadman scored a couple of landmark achievements at ThrottleFest. He joined Drane as the only other two-race winner this season, while claiming both his first win away from his home state and his first at a Half-Mile. (Incidentally, his career record of one HM victory puts him on par with fellow title hopefuls Saathoff and Brunner). Despite its novelty, the win didn’t come as a major upset. The sort of magic Tadman previously showcased in Ventura and Chico was no fluke, rather merely indicative of what he’s capable of when feeling at home and comfortable. The fact that he was able to do the same at Budds Creek is clear evidence that he’s starting to feel at home and comfortable with Turner Racing and aboard the Honda CRF450R. The possibility that may begin to tap into the full extent of his talent with greater regularity is a scary prospect for his competition, and one that could make Drane’s ongoing title defense a bit more harrowing. As Good as a Win?  Tarren Santero (No. 75 Roof Systems/Vinson Construction Honda CRF450R) currently holds the unofficial title of the most decorated KICKER AFT Singles pilot without a Main Event victory. That’s a semi-dubious distinction that is to simultaneously be worn with pride and shed as quickly as possible.  However, it seems unlikely that a straightforward front-row-to-checkered-flag victory could have done as much good for Santero’s reputation as his crash-to-back-row-to-runner-up result at Budds Creek. The Californian somehow made short work of the world’s elite 450cc riders despite wielding a damaged bike on a one-lined circuit. And one or two more laps might have been all he needed to put Tadman on the victim’s list as well. It was an unquestioned win in terms of his standing among fans and rivals. An actual victory has to be soon in the offing, doesn’t it? The same could be said of a maiden professional podium for Tadman’s teammate, Walker Porter (No. 10 American Honda/Mission Foods CRF450R). The second-year pilot is slowly but surely becoming a fixture at the front. Back-to-back fourths have him on the doorstep and a top three would likely already be his by now with a little better run of fortune. Restart The three-week layoff between ThrottleFest and the Caterpillar Nashville Short Track provides Bradon Pfanders (No. 83 Memphis Shades/Corbin Seats Yamaha YZ450F) and Logan Eisenhard (No. 66 Eisenhard Racing/Pags Powersports KTM 450 SX-F) an opportunity to reset mentally and come in prepared to put once-promising seasons back on track. Both riders came out swinging in ‘26. Eisenhard was one of the heroes of the DAYTONA opener, where he threw down the fastest lap in qualifying, won his heat, and scored a top-five result in Thursday’s Main. Pfanders took his turn in the spotlight the following day, breaking through to claim his maiden Progressive AFT victory. But both come into Tennessee hoping to rediscover that early-season form. It’s been a rough run of late for the two, with Pfanders coming off consecutive finishes of 16th, 16th, and DNS, while Eisenhard hasn’t returned to the top ten since the opener. The speed is there. The results should follow. A chance to go to work at a track that’s new to everyone might just prove the key. Brothers Gotta Hug ThrottleFest delivered a very cool moment involving identical twins Dylan Cunningham (No. 252 Scott Stump/Joel Laub KTM 450 SX-F) and Tyler Cunningham (No. 225 Scott Stump/Joel Laub KTM 450 SX-F). Both Cunninghams have been fighting hard to qualify for a KICKER AFT Singles Main Event since the beginning of the ‘25 season. And following a number of near-misses, Dylan managed to do exactly that with a second-place run in the LCQ at the Budds Creek Half-Mile. No one was more thrilled to see it happen than Tyler, who finished fifth in the LCQ – one spot short of qualifying for the Main himself.  Tyler raced up next to Dylan and pumped his fist in excitement, brushing off whatever disappointment he may have felt to celebrate the accomplishment of his brother.  Dylan made the most of it too – racing his way to a top-ten finish in his first-career KICKER AFT Singles Main Event. And you have to think that only fueled Tyler’s fire that much more. Step Right Up The 1st Impressions Husqvarna pro squad is now three strong with Jett Katarzy (No. 117 1st Impressions Race Team Husqvarna FC450) stepping up to KICKER AFT Singles duty alongside Saathoff and Jack Brucks (No. 113 1st Impressions Race Team Husqvarna FC450). Katarzy certainly looked like he already belonged in just his first event as a professional. He registered impressive times throughout the day and won the LCQ to qualify for a KICKER AFT Singles Main in his very first attempt. At the same time, Katarzy’s immediate success provides some additional motivation for his now-former AFT ProSport 450 rivals, many of whom will look to graduate up to the pro ranks themselves in the not-too-distant future. That list includes Adam Costan-Wood (No. 88 Turner Racing Honda CRF450R) who beat Katarzy to win at Silver Dollar Speedway, along with Bayne Nantz (No. 313 Nantz Bros Racing KTM 450 SX-F) who finished second to him at Ventura Raceway before winning over Costan-Wood at ThrottleFest. The fact that AFT ProSport 450 is already turning a number of promising amateurs into familiar names for Progressive AFT fans and springboarding them into KICKER AFT Singles competition serves as clear evidence that the new category is doing exactly what it was designed to do. The AFT ProSport 450 competitors will have another chance to impress this weekend as the class is set to contest its penultimate round of the ’26 season at the Caterpillar Nashville Short Track. BTR is Back The Caterpillar Nashville Short Track also represents the penultimate round of the 2026 Royal Enfield Build.Train.Race. (BTR) program, now deep into its seventh season of highlighting, celebrating, and encouraging the involvement of women in flat track racing. Emma Gottsch (No. 5 Royal Enfield/Parts Unlimited/Arai/Alpinestars) will look to extend her perfect season following three straight wins to open the year. Despite her unblemished record, however, the victories haven’t all come easily. Triple runner-up Julia Heess (No. 13 Royal Enfield/Parts Unlimited/Arai/Alpinestars) gave Gottsch all she could handle last time out. Meanwhile, Madicela Rodriguez (No. 113 Royal Enfield/Parts Unlimited/Arai/Alpinestars) and Hanna Brewer (No. 39 Royal Enfield/Parts Unlimited/Arai/Alpinestars) have their own fight for third raging as the series prepares to contest the fourth of five 2026 events. Life In the Fast Lane The Caterpillar Nashville Short Track presented by Memphis Shades is a unique collaboration between Progressive AFT and Billy Lane’s Sons of Speed racing series, a vintage flat track competition inspired by the board track racing era of the 1910s and ‘20s. Lane, who will serve as the event’s Grand Marshal, is renowned for his innovative and evocative designs at Choppers Inc, his iconic appearances on “Biker Build Off” and “Monster Garage,” and his passion for pushing the limits of speed and style. With four decades of custom bike building experience behind him, Lane founded Sons of Speed to pay tribute to the daring early years of American motorcycle racing when Harley-Davidson, Indian, Excelsior, and Pope went bar-to-bar on massive wooden board tracks all across the nation. Sons of Speed has exploded in popularity since its 2017 debut, and Progressive American Flat Track fans will have a perfect opportunity to find out why for themselves. The weekend will feature a full slate of Sons of Speed competition featuring the raw power and style of vintage 1000cc V-twins and 750cc American flatheads. The vintage heats are scheduled for Thursday, with the Sons of Speed finals and CTR Mission Showcase event set for Friday to lead into Saturday’s Progressive AFT show. Fans can watch Friday’s CTR races live on FansChoice.tv beginning at 2:00 p.m. ET. Ticket Options Galore Standing Room Only tickets are available for just $37 including fees ($18 for kids 12 and under), while General Admission tickets are $49 ($22.50 for kids), with Reserved Grandstand and Premium Reserved Grandstand seating available for $59 ($26 for kids) and $70 ($31 for kids), respectively. Military/First Responders and Students can purchase tickets for just $30 at the door with valid ID. The Harley-Davidson VIP Experience includes GA seating, a guided tour of the infield podium and start/finish line – photo ops included – a meet-and-greet with the Harley-Davidson riders, and exclusive swag. The H-D VIP Experience is available for $150 ($64 for kids), along with the option to be purchased as a $95 add-on to upgraded seating options. And no matter what ticket option you select, pit access is included, providing fans an opportunity to get an up-close look at the racebikes and meet the riders and their teams. To purchase tickets for the Caterpillar Nashville Short Track presented by Memphis Shades visit https://www.tixr.com/groups/americanflattrack/events/nashville-short-track-186630. Gates will open for fans at 3:30 p.m. ET/12:30 p.m. PT on Saturday with Opening Ceremonies scheduled to begin at 8:00 p.m. ET/5:00 p.m. PT. How to Watch FloRacing For those that can’t catch the live action at the track, FloRacing is the live streaming home of Progressive American Flat Track. Motorsports fans can subscribe to FloRacing to enjoy over 1,000 live motorsports events in 2026. FloSports is available by visiting https://flosports.link/AFT2026 or by downloading the FloSports app on iOS, Android, Apple TV, Roku, Amazon Fire and Chromecast. The Nash FS1 FOX Sports coverage of the Caterpillar Nashville Short Track, featuring in-depth features and thrilling onboard cameras, will premiere on FOX on Saturday, June 13, at 1:00 p.m. ET (10:00 a.m. PT). The full listing of American Flat Track’s television premieres can be found at https://www.americanflattrack.com/events-foxsports.

CHEVROLET IN THE NTT INDYCAR SERIES Bommarito Automotive Group 5001.25-mile, four turn oval Madison, Illinois Race Advance June 6-7, 2026  DETROIT (June, 4, 2025) – The 2026 NTT INDYCAR SERIES season hits the halfway point, with the ninth of 18 rounds, the Bommarito Automotive Group 500, taking place in Madison, Illinois.  A dozen Team Chevy drivers and teams face a fifth straight weekend of points-paying activity under the lights on FOX, at the 1.25-mile, egg-shaped oval in the shadow of the Gateway Arch in St. Louis, Missouri. With seven wins, nine poles, 22 podiums and 1801 laps led, the tricky oval has been kind to Bowtie Brigade in the past. Since the NTT INDYCAR SERIES returned in 2017: Chevrolet-powered drivers have won six of the ten races, including five wins by Josef Newgarden. Chevrolet-powered drivers have won eight of nine (rain washed out qualifying in 2018) contested poles on the 1.25-mile oval.Christian Rasmussen scored his first career podium last year at this event, making it 22 of 36 podiums for Chevrolet-powered drivers since 2017. Josef Newgarden (5), Pato O’Ward (5), Will Power (3), and Scott McLaughlin (2) all have multiple podiums for the Bowtie gang at World Wide Technology Raceway At Gateway. Chevrolet-powered drivers have led 1604 of 2444 laps since 2017, with Josef Newgarden leading 644 circuits.Chevrolet’s Short Oval Success Wins Including George Follmer’s surprise victory in at Phoenix Raceway 1969, and Josef Newgarden’s win on the same track in March, Chevrolet-powered cars have visited victory lane on short ovals 56 times. Twenty five drivers have driven to victory for Team Chevy on short ovals, with one driver winning accounting for a quarter of those wins. Newgarden’s March victory was his 14th on short ovals since his first win at Iowa Speedway in 2016. Seventeen teams have won races with Chevrolet-powered on short ovals with Team Penske collecting 55.3 % (31 of 56) of those wins. Poles  Chevrolet-powered cars have also won 56 poles on short ovals, starting with Jim Hurtubise at Langhorne Speedway through David Malukas’ first career pole at Phoenix Raceway in March.  Eighteen drivers have earned Team Chevy poles on short ovals, with Rick Mears and Will Power tied at 11 each to lead all drivers.A dozen different teams have earned poles for Team Chevy on short ovals, but one stands out in a more dominant fashion than they do for short ovals wins. Team Penske drivers have won 75% (42 of 56) of the short oval poles for Team Chevy, including 86.2% (25 of 29) poles for Chevrolet since the introduction of the 2.2L Twin-Turbo V6 in 2012.  Even better recently Since the introduction of the 2.2L Twin-Turbo V6 in 2012, Chevrolet-powered drivers have dominated on short ovals (Iowa Speedway, Milwaukee Mile, Nashville Superspeedway, Phoenix Raceway and World Wide Technology Raceway At Gateway. In those 15 seasons Team Chevy has: Won 78% (32 of 41) of the racesStarted on 75.6% (31 of 41) of the polesStood on 70.7% (87 of 123) the podiumsLed 77.5% (8141 of 10500) laps  The Corvette E-Ray Pace Car at the Phoenix Raceway in 2026. Pacing the field Leading the field to the green flag for Sunday night’s 325-mile-long Bommarito Automotive Group 500 will be the Corvette E-Ray, featuring eAWD capability, 655horsepower and a lightning-fast 0 to 60mph time of 2.5 seconds.Tune-In Guide Saturday, June 6NTT INDYCAR SERIES Practice #1 – 12:30pm (ET)/11:30am (CT)/10:30am (MT)/9:30am (PT) – FS1/INDYCAR Radio Network/SIRIUSXM 218NTT INDYCAR SERIES Qualifying – 4:30pm (ET)/3:30pm (CT)/2:30pm (MT)/1:30pm (PT) – FS2/INDYCAR Radio Network/SIRIUSXM 218 NTT INDYCAR SERIES Final Practice – 8pm (ET)/7pm (CT)/6pm (MT)/5pm (PT) – FS1/INDYCAR Radio Network/SIRIUSXM 218 Sunday, June 7Bommarito Automotive Group 500 (260 laps)– 9pm (ET)/8pm (CT)/7pm (MT)/6pm (PT) – FOX/INDYCAR Radio Network/SIRIUSXM 218

Pato O’Ward (Arrow McLaren) celebrates on the podium at World Wide Technology Raceway At Gateway in 2025.

NTT INDYCAR SERIES News ConferenceTuesday, June 2, 2026Pato O’WardPress Conference THE MODERATOR: For the third time this season it’s onto an oval for the NTT INDYCAR SERIES. This time return to World Wide Technology Raceway and Sunday’s 10th annual Bommarito Automotive Group 500 presented by Axalta and Valvoline. Coverage begins at 9:00 p.m. Eastern, live on FOX, FOX 1, and INDYCAR Radio powered by OnlyBulls. Second straight year for a primetime FOX race on Sunday. A lot of good stuff for Pato O’Ward in St. Louis. He’s a five-time podium finisher there, including a runner-up finish last year. Finished fourth on the Streets of Detroit just a couple of days ago. Currently sits fifth in the championship. He, of course, drives the No. 5 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet. We welcome in Pato O’Ward. Buenos tardes. Thanks for doing this. PATO O’WARD: Thank you. Buenos tardes a todos. THE MODERATOR: All right. Nothing like going from, let’s think about this, road course, superspeedway, street circuit, and now back to a short oval. Only in the NTT INDYCAR SERIES. You’ve had some success there. How much are you looking forward to getting back to St. Louis this weekend? PATO O’WARD: Every year, man. Every year we look forward to going back to World Wide Technology Raceway. It’s obviously a short oval. I mean, honestly, I know it’s a short oval, but I don’t really consider it as that, because it’s still a very fast oval. It’s always great racing. I mean, the race there last year, I’ll tell you, it’s one of the most impressive with how the cars were able to go side-by-side and stuff like that.So I’m looking forward to it. Night races are always the best. THE MODERATOR: Agreed. Something about how Indy cars really pop under the lights. For you, though, six top-5s this season, a lot of good stuff. We know you want to click off some wins, too. How much does consistency mean to you in the long run versus maybe a win here or there? Just your thoughts on that, and then we’ll open it up for questions. PATO O’WARD: Yeah, the consistency pays off very strongly whenever you start racking up some podiums and wins. We’ve yet to do that this year, but I’d say we’ve done a good amount of what is expected. I would say, of the standard that you expect from Arrow McLaren and myself, is to at least be in the fight in many of these weekends, and we have been. We’re just missing that little bit to actually get a win or a podium, but I think we’re closer. THE MODERATOR: You guys are very much in the fight, no doubt about that. Okay. We’ll open it up to questions. Q.  First of all, Pato, I want to ask, what was with the mariachi band at the shop today? What was that?PATO O’WARD: Mahatma team lunch. They are a personal sponsor of mine, and they like to do this lunch for the team every single year. I think it’s perfect timing right after a pretty hectic month of May and leading us into St. Louis, which obviously is a place that we love to return to. This year is going to be interesting with the new tire and different aero config and stuff like that. Yeah, the mariachis come to the shop every single time Mahatma is here because it’s always a party (smiling). Q.  On a more serious note, after Sunday’s race you made some comments mentioning how you felt like the Chevys were just lacking after Honda had swept that podium. I guess, what did you feel in the cockpit, whether it be there or maybe even at the 500 as well, as far as the engines on the Honda side maybe being more efficient and kind of running smoother than the engines you guys are driving right now?PATO O’WARD: Obviously Honda is a great competitor of ours. Team Chevy has been so helpful to us in honestly everything that we’ve asked from them. I know the weekend was a bit stressful from their side as well with having to change the engines and stuff like that, with some supplier issue. They obviously are working hard to give us what we want and what we need. We’ve had a lot of these meetings that we’ve expressed, not just us at Arrow McLaren, but with the Penske and the ECR guys, of exactly with where we need to keep push and extracting. I think right now Honda’s got the upper hand, but doesn’t mean that we can’t catch up. I mean, it’s always been a pretty good rivalry, and you never know what to expect from every year. I think right now we’re still kind of trying to play catch-up, especially in these street courses where Honda always has been the lead. Q.  Just kind of curious, you talk about you guys lacking a little bit. I mean, obviously I know Indy, talking to you, you talked about brake drag, and there seems to be these little nuances every single weekend. For you, when you look at the program, what is it specifically that you think you guys are lacking that’s just kind of keeping you from fighting for those wins and those podiums?PATO O’WARD: I mean, obviously there’s been a lot of changes, and even if there’s not many changes in your main stand, but there are in mechanics and stuff like that. Just having a lot of rotation of people can bring in some random nuances like you said. Like, it takes time. A team is a collaboration effort of a lot of people. It’s not just one person. Like a driver, one person; like an engineer, one person; like a front-end mechanic. It’s a collaboration between a lot of different hands, a lot of different eyes, a lot of different people. Sometimes it takes some time to kind of gel together and keep gelling together better. But I don’t know, man. I don’t know what it is. We’re obviously still searching for that next step that I believe is going to put us right where we want to be in fighting the big dogs like Penske and Ganassi. Yeah, it’s not easy. It’s not easy to fight against these guys, because they’ve been at the lead ship the last decades and, honestly, forever. We’re fighting up against the best, and that’s where we want to put ourselves in. We’re just actively searching for different opportunities. Q.  I don’t want to be presumptuous here, but do you think any of this was kind of expected, given just the nature of, like you said, the changes within some of the personnel, but also the fact, like, over the offseason you guys moved into a new shop, y’all are still trying to get acclimated, still trying to effectively be able to build things inhouse, and there’s growing pains that kind of come with that?PATO O’WARD: With transformation you can expect some other areas to be maybe a little bit more trouble for a short-term of time. I think right now we are in that transformation, which is why maybe sometimes it can feel a little bit kind of like, Hey, you know, I feel like we’ve gone backwards. Sometimes you got to go backwards in order to go forwards, take a bigger step forward. I think that’s the best way I can explain it. It’s not a lack of effort at all. I know everyone here is working so hard. I know T.K. is pushing so hard along with Zak, and everybody that’s leading this team is working extremely, extremely hard and to give ourselves those opportunities. But we’re also realists, and we understand that some things do take time. Q.  Obviously this is your fifth weekend on track in a row. You spoke about how busy the month of May is. You’ve gone straight to Detroit and you’ve head to another race at Gateway. Where do you stand on the balance of letting the series build momentum off the Indy 500 versus kind of getting a chance enough to decompress after the biggest race of the year?PATO O’WARD: Honestly, I felt a lot of pressure relief, really. I know we still have plenty of championship to go, and that’s where our full focus is on. I mean, this time last year, we’re closer to the lead of the championship versus where we were last year, so that’s a good thing. That’s where we’re going to be trying to catch and to keep on scoring good, strong points. I feel like this weekend in World Wide Technology Raceway, that’s going to be a good opportunity for us. Then in the off weekends that I have, obviously I think either being home or seeing some friends of mine is probably going to be what I’ll end up doing, because it has been a pretty stressful stretch. The 500 always is. It’s just what you expect. Q.  Obviously it’s a unique title because the two corners are completely separate or completely different ends of the track. Setup-wise, how do you approach that? Is it a case of you kind of have to be a bit happy in both? Do you prioritize making one corner really good, sacrificing the other one? From a setup perspective, are you trying to find a balance in prioritizing one, or is there a possibility to get it nailed on both corners?PATO O’WARD: No, you got to get it done in both corners, because you’ve got opportunities to attack people on both ends of the track. Whenever you set up to actually pass someone, you know, your chosen end of the track where maybe your car is stronger than the other guy, you still have to have a good run through the other section, because that’s what’s basically going to give you that opportunity to set it up. THE MODERATOR: 485 on-track passes and a record-tying 254 for position in last year’s race. A lot of action at World Wide Technology Raceway. Q.  Pato, talk about the aero packages and tires and what you are expecting coming up for this race. You mentioned they’re new. What can we as fans expect to see from that?PATO O’WARD: I do know we have that new aero package. We’ve got new tires. Honestly, we didn’t even test, so I don’t know what to expect from this. And I’m kind of going into the weekend just, you know, hoping it’s not too different, because I do think we’ve been strong there. It would be nice to have some things correlate. Yeah, I don’t really know what to see of who is going to be the strongest. I can’t remember who is the one that went to the test, but yeah, I think it does always produce great racing.My only hope is that these changes that they’ve asked for, like, these changes that have been requested for the aero kits on the car, I hope all these changes were to make the racing even better, because I do think, you know, the race last year was pretty good and entertaining. If we can make that even better, I mean, people are going to love it. Q.  Then how do you approach the weekend with those changes that you’re not sure of? How is that going to play out in practice?PATO O’WARD: Going to practice one and trying to learn as much as you can. Yeah, you can’t do much other than that. Q.  Pato, I guess you moved out of San Antonio. How often do you get back, and are you watching any Spurs basketball lately, keeping up with them?PATO O’WARD: Oh, I’ve heard a lot of the Spurs basketball. I haven’t really watched any of the games, but my sister and my brother-in-law are so, so into all that. They were staying at my house for the month of May, so I definitely know that they were pretty pumped to see them being super successful and winning the last game that gives them that entry to whatever it is that the NBA does. But I don’t go back too much during the year, man. I’ve been so busy up here, and we’ve got so many races. My family stays with me for these past few weeks. I know they’re going back next week, but I usually try and stay as much as I can whenever I have those free weeks back, because it is pretty crazy, so… Q.  Another race that’s not that far from Indianapolis, but we’re about halfway through the season. How do you keep a focus on trying to chase down Alex Palou with this series lead?PATO O’WARD: We’ve just got to maximize every weekend, man. They’ve obviously done a way better job than we have pretty much everywhere almost. That obviously isn’t going to cut it if we want to have a shot at the championship. So we need to raise our game, we need to stay focused, and we need to make sure that we not only are maximizing weekends, but when those are maximized weekends, they’ve got to be wins and podiums, because otherwise, I really do think we have no shot. Q.  You’ve been close so far. The race at Indianapolis, you were already there. It seems like things are in place. It’s just hasn’t gone the way you need it to go.PATO O’WARD: Yeah, just hasn’t quite gone the way that we need it to go, but it definitely hasn’t been from not giving maximum effort, because I know that is true on everyone in this team. Q.  Pato, just got one question for you. I’ve been keeping up on a lot of the INDYCAR coverage that David Land has been doing on YouTube, and it got me thinking about a feature he did with you earlier on in the year. I won’t spoil of any of it, because it’s really good, and I encourage everyone to go watch it. But I just wanted to ask you, if you could go back and tell your younger self something about where you are now and how you got here, what would that be?PATO O’WARD: I would tell him that you can only do so much with the cards that you’re dealt. I do think there’s many ways to feel like you’ve gotten a win out of one situation or another without actually having hardware to take home. I think that’s the most important thing that I would say that I’ve learned through my journey. Q.  So this race, it differs from all the others being a night race, but what else makes it so special for you?PATO O’WARD: Oh, I love the night race. I mean, that’s, I think, something that every driver looks forward to, because it looks cool, and it is better for the racing, because everything cools down a bit. The cars really do like that. But beyond that, I just think the nature of that circuit is quite helpful to what these Indy cars like when they’re racing up against each other. Like I mentioned earlier in this press conference, I think it’s so important that these changes that we’ve made to the aero package and what Firestone decides to bring for the weekend is going to be crucial to the racing product. And hopefully that’s been done to, once again, keep improving it, because I feel like every race at this World Wide Technology Raceway circuit keeps getting better and better year after year. Hopefully we can keep that going. Q.  I’m looking at your team in general. They’re in Monaco this weekend for the 1,000th Grand Prix in Formula 1. What’s it like being part of a team with such experience and success in wider motorsports, and also, how does it feel knowing you’re helping them develop that in INDYCAR?PATO O’WARD: I’m a huge and proud Papaya member. I know everyone that’s within the team also feels that way. It’s obviously a huge organization. More than that, it’s also a way to support and see other sides of motorsport that we’re obviously not participating in, but kind of are. So it’s nice to support them and wish them the best this weekend going to Monaco, because I know it’s obviously one that they always want to get. Especially the drivers, I know that’s basically their, almost, Indy 500.Yeah, it’s definitely cool to be part of such a great family. THE MODERATOR: The good news Pato, Monaco will be in the morning. You have plenty of time Sunday night to get to our race. PATO O’WARD: 9 p.m. for us, right? 9 p.m. THE MODERATOR: 9 p.m. eastern, so 8 local time. Q.  Last year at this track it was Conor Daly with whom you had a proper fight for P1. First of all, do you miss him as a force on ovals? Who do you expect your fiercest driver to be in this race?PATO O’WARD: Conor, you can always expect Conor to take the high line before anybody else. He’s obviously somebody that we miss having in the paddock and somebody that you cannot count him out on any restart or anything at an oval, because he always finds his way there. I think this weekend, a lot of the times it’s usual suspects. I think Malukas is going to be extremely strong in that Penske. I think Newgarden, I know he’s injured, but this circuit should be much better than getting through Detroit, so I expect him to be a force.Obviously the Ganassis and the strong Andrettis. There’s plenty of great guys that will always be there with giving you a good fight. I don’t expect just one very strong car. I expect a few. Q.  After Long Beach you say, unfortunately, you must forget the championship, because it’s almost lost it, but the goal was Indy 500. Where is your mind right now? Indy 500 is gone, and right now you have half of the season ahead.PATO O’WARD: Yeah, I mean, obviously we didn’t win the Indy 500, so it’s what we’ve got left. There’s plenty of championship to go. I mean, there’s more championship left than what has been done, and I think there’s a huge opportunity to start scoring some bigger points than what we have to start the year off with. I think this weekend is going to be a big one. Road America has been a hit-or-miss in the past, but I do know we have a test there after Gateway right before the race, which should be helpful for us as well. Honestly, at this time last year I was at a bigger deficit to Palou, so I think this is a move in the right direction. Obviously not giving up on the championship hopes, but also being a realist that we need to up our game, and we need to start winning races and being on the podium if we just want to sniff the fight in this championship. That’s truly what we’re focused on. Sometimes when you’re leading a championship, you can take a fourth and a fifth and just keep up the consistency, because that’s what’s going to let you breathe. But when you haven’t quite had those bigger hit points days in a positive way, that’s what you need to be searching for. We need to execute not with top-5s, but in the races where we know we have a strong car and where we can be good, we need to be driving for that win. THE MODERATOR: Pato, we’ll let you get back to your mariachi band, unless they’ve already taken off for the day.PATO O’WARD: I will (laughing). Thank you very much.

An all-Chevrolet podium of Pato O’Ward (Arrow McLaren), Josef Newgarden (Team Penske) and Will Power (Team Penske) celebrate at World Wide Technology Raceway At Gateway in 2021.

CHEVROLET IN THE NTT INDYCAR SERIESBommarito Automotive Group 5001.25-mile, four turn ovalMadison, IllinoisRace AdvanceJune 6-7, 2026  DETROIT (June, 4, 2025) – The 2026 NTT INDYCAR SERIES season hits the halfway point, with the ninth of 18 rounds, the Bommarito Automotive Group 500, taking place in Madison, Illinois.  A dozen Team Chevy drivers and teams face a fifth straight weekend of points-paying activity under the lights on FOX, at the 1.25-mile, egg-shaped oval in the shadow of the Gateway Arch in St. Louis, Missouri. With seven wins, nine poles, 22 podiums and 1801 laps led, the tricky oval has been kind to Bowtie Brigade in the past. Since the NTT INDYCAR SERIES returned in 2017: Chevrolet-powered drivers have won six of the ten races, including five wins by Josef Newgarden. Chevrolet-powered drivers have won eight of nine (rain washed out qualifying in 2018) contested poles on the 1.25-mile oval.Christian Rasmussen scored his first career podium last year at this event, making it 22 of 36 podiums for Chevrolet-powered drivers since 2017. Josef Newgarden (5), Pato O’Ward (5), Will Power (3), and Scott McLaughlin (2) all have multiple podiums for the Bowtie gang at World Wide Technology Raceway At Gateway. Chevrolet-powered drivers have led 1604 of 2444 laps since 2017, with Josef Newgarden leading 644 circuits.Chevrolet’s Short Oval Success Wins Including George Follmer’s surprise victory in at Phoenix Raceway 1969, and Josef Newgarden’s win on the same track in March, Chevrolet-powered cars have visited victory lane on short ovals 56 times. Twenty five drivers have driven to victory for Team Chevy on short ovals, with one driver winning accounting for a quarter of those wins. Newgarden’s March victory was his 14th on short ovals since his first win at Iowa Speedway in 2016. Seventeen teams have won races with Chevrolet-powered on short ovals with Team Penske collecting 55.3 % (31 of 56) of those wins. Poles  Chevrolet-powered cars have also won 56 poles on short ovals, starting with Jim Hurtubise at Langhorne Speedway through David Malukas’ first career pole at Phoenix Raceway in March.  Eighteen drivers have earned Team Chevy poles on short ovals, with Rick Mears and Will Power tied at 11 each to lead all drivers.A dozen different teams have earned poles for Team Chevy on short ovals, but one stands out in a more dominant fashion than they do for short ovals wins. Team Penske drivers have won 75% (42 of 56) of the short oval poles for Team Chevy, including 86.2% (25 of 29) poles for Chevrolet since the introduction of the 2.2L Twin-Turbo V6 in 2012.  Even better recently Since the introduction of the 2.2L Twin-Turbo V6 in 2012, Chevrolet-powered drivers have dominated on short ovals (Iowa Speedway, Milwaukee Mile, Nashville Superspeedway, Phoenix Raceway and World Wide Technology Raceway At Gateway. In those 15 seasons Team Chevy has: Won 78% (32 of 41) of the racesStarted on 75.6% (31 of 41) of the polesStood on 70.7% (87 of 123) the podiumsLed 77.5% (8141 of 10500) laps  The Corvette E-Ray Pace Car at the Phoenix Raceway in 2026. Pacing the field Leading the field to the green flag for Sunday night’s 325-mile-long Bommarito Automotive Group 500 will be the Corvette E-Ray, featuring eAWD capability, 655horsepower and a lightning-fast 0 to 60mph time of 2.5 seconds.Tune-In Guide Saturday, June 6NTT INDYCAR SERIES Practice #1 – 12:30pm (ET)/11:30am (CT)/10:30am (MT)/9:30am (PT) – FS1/INDYCAR Radio Network/SIRIUSXM 218NTT INDYCAR SERIES Qualifying – 4:30pm (ET)/3:30pm (CT)/2:30pm (MT)/1:30pm (PT) – FS2/INDYCAR Radio Network/SIRIUSXM 218 NTT INDYCAR SERIES Final Practice – 8pm (ET)/7pm (CT)/6pm (MT)/5pm (PT) – FS1/INDYCAR Radio Network/SIRIUSXM 218 Sunday, June 7Bommarito Automotive Group 500 (260 laps)– 9pm (ET)/8pm (CT)/7pm (MT)/6pm (PT) – FOX/INDYCAR Radio Network/SIRIUSXM 218

Pato O’Ward (Arrow McLaren) celebrates on the podium at World Wide Technology Raceway At Gateway in 2025.

NTT INDYCAR SERIES News ConferenceTuesday, June 2, 2026Pato O’WardPress Conference THE MODERATOR: For the third time this season it’s onto an oval for the NTT INDYCAR SERIES. This time return to World Wide Technology Raceway and Sunday’s 10th annual Bommarito Automotive Group 500 presented by Axalta and Valvoline. Coverage begins at 9:00 p.m. Eastern, live on FOX, FOX 1, and INDYCAR Radio powered by OnlyBulls. Second straight year for a primetime FOX race on Sunday. A lot of good stuff for Pato O’Ward in St. Louis. He’s a five-time podium finisher there, including a runner-up finish last year. Finished fourth on the Streets of Detroit just a couple of days ago. Currently sits fifth in the championship. He, of course, drives the No. 5 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet. We welcome in Pato O’Ward. Buenos tardes. Thanks for doing this. PATO O’WARD: Thank you. Buenos tardes a todos. THE MODERATOR: All right. Nothing like going from, let’s think about this, road course, superspeedway, street circuit, and now back to a short oval. Only in the NTT INDYCAR SERIES. You’ve had some success there. How much are you looking forward to getting back to St. Louis this weekend? PATO O’WARD: Every year, man. Every year we look forward to going back to World Wide Technology Raceway. It’s obviously a short oval. I mean, honestly, I know it’s a short oval, but I don’t really consider it as that, because it’s still a very fast oval. It’s always great racing. I mean, the race there last year, I’ll tell you, it’s one of the most impressive with how the cars were able to go side-by-side and stuff like that.So I’m looking forward to it. Night races are always the best. THE MODERATOR: Agreed. Something about how Indy cars really pop under the lights. For you, though, six top-5s this season, a lot of good stuff. We know you want to click off some wins, too. How much does consistency mean to you in the long run versus maybe a win here or there? Just your thoughts on that, and then we’ll open it up for questions. PATO O’WARD: Yeah, the consistency pays off very strongly whenever you start racking up some podiums and wins. We’ve yet to do that this year, but I’d say we’ve done a good amount of what is expected. I would say, of the standard that you expect from Arrow McLaren and myself, is to at least be in the fight in many of these weekends, and we have been. We’re just missing that little bit to actually get a win or a podium, but I think we’re closer. THE MODERATOR: You guys are very much in the fight, no doubt about that. Okay. We’ll open it up to questions. Q.  First of all, Pato, I want to ask, what was with the mariachi band at the shop today? What was that?PATO O’WARD: Mahatma team lunch. They are a personal sponsor of mine, and they like to do this lunch for the team every single year. I think it’s perfect timing right after a pretty hectic month of May and leading us into St. Louis, which obviously is a place that we love to return to. This year is going to be interesting with the new tire and different aero config and stuff like that. Yeah, the mariachis come to the shop every single time Mahatma is here because it’s always a party (smiling). Q.  On a more serious note, after Sunday’s race you made some comments mentioning how you felt like the Chevys were just lacking after Honda had swept that podium. I guess, what did you feel in the cockpit, whether it be there or maybe even at the 500 as well, as far as the engines on the Honda side maybe being more efficient and kind of running smoother than the engines you guys are driving right now?PATO O’WARD: Obviously Honda is a great competitor of ours. Team Chevy has been so helpful to us in honestly everything that we’ve asked from them. I know the weekend was a bit stressful from their side as well with having to change the engines and stuff like that, with some supplier issue. They obviously are working hard to give us what we want and what we need. We’ve had a lot of these meetings that we’ve expressed, not just us at Arrow McLaren, but with the Penske and the ECR guys, of exactly with where we need to keep push and extracting. I think right now Honda’s got the upper hand, but doesn’t mean that we can’t catch up. I mean, it’s always been a pretty good rivalry, and you never know what to expect from every year. I think right now we’re still kind of trying to play catch-up, especially in these street courses where Honda always has been the lead. Q.  Just kind of curious, you talk about you guys lacking a little bit. I mean, obviously I know Indy, talking to you, you talked about brake drag, and there seems to be these little nuances every single weekend. For you, when you look at the program, what is it specifically that you think you guys are lacking that’s just kind of keeping you from fighting for those wins and those podiums?PATO O’WARD: I mean, obviously there’s been a lot of changes, and even if there’s not many changes in your main stand, but there are in mechanics and stuff like that. Just having a lot of rotation of people can bring in some random nuances like you said. Like, it takes time. A team is a collaboration effort of a lot of people. It’s not just one person. Like a driver, one person; like an engineer, one person; like a front-end mechanic. It’s a collaboration between a lot of different hands, a lot of different eyes, a lot of different people. Sometimes it takes some time to kind of gel together and keep gelling together better. But I don’t know, man. I don’t know what it is. We’re obviously still searching for that next step that I believe is going to put us right where we want to be in fighting the big dogs like Penske and Ganassi. Yeah, it’s not easy. It’s not easy to fight against these guys, because they’ve been at the lead ship the last decades and, honestly, forever. We’re fighting up against the best, and that’s where we want to put ourselves in. We’re just actively searching for different opportunities. Q.  I don’t want to be presumptuous here, but do you think any of this was kind of expected, given just the nature of, like you said, the changes within some of the personnel, but also the fact, like, over the offseason you guys moved into a new shop, y’all are still trying to get acclimated, still trying to effectively be able to build things inhouse, and there’s growing pains that kind of come with that?PATO O’WARD: With transformation you can expect some other areas to be maybe a little bit more trouble for a short-term of time. I think right now we are in that transformation, which is why maybe sometimes it can feel a little bit kind of like, Hey, you know, I feel like we’ve gone backwards. Sometimes you got to go backwards in order to go forwards, take a bigger step forward. I think that’s the best way I can explain it. It’s not a lack of effort at all. I know everyone here is working so hard. I know T.K. is pushing so hard along with Zak, and everybody that’s leading this team is working extremely, extremely hard and to give ourselves those opportunities. But we’re also realists, and we understand that some things do take time. Q.  Obviously this is your fifth weekend on track in a row. You spoke about how busy the month of May is. You’ve gone straight to Detroit and you’ve head to another race at Gateway. Where do you stand on the balance of letting the series build momentum off the Indy 500 versus kind of getting a chance enough to decompress after the biggest race of the year?PATO O’WARD: Honestly, I felt a lot of pressure relief, really. I know we still have plenty of championship to go, and that’s where our full focus is on. I mean, this time last year, we’re closer to the lead of the championship versus where we were last year, so that’s a good thing. That’s where we’re going to be trying to catch and to keep on scoring good, strong points. I feel like this weekend in World Wide Technology Raceway, that’s going to be a good opportunity for us. Then in the off weekends that I have, obviously I think either being home or seeing some friends of mine is probably going to be what I’ll end up doing, because it has been a pretty stressful stretch. The 500 always is. It’s just what you expect. Q.  Obviously it’s a unique title because the two corners are completely separate or completely different ends of the track. Setup-wise, how do you approach that? Is it a case of you kind of have to be a bit happy in both? Do you prioritize making one corner really good, sacrificing the other one? From a setup perspective, are you trying to find a balance in prioritizing one, or is there a possibility to get it nailed on both corners?PATO O’WARD: No, you got to get it done in both corners, because you’ve got opportunities to attack people on both ends of the track. Whenever you set up to actually pass someone, you know, your chosen end of the track where maybe your car is stronger than the other guy, you still have to have a good run through the other section, because that’s what’s basically going to give you that opportunity to set it up. THE MODERATOR: 485 on-track passes and a record-tying 254 for position in last year’s race. A lot of action at World Wide Technology Raceway. Q.  Pato, talk about the aero packages and tires and what you are expecting coming up for this race. You mentioned they’re new. What can we as fans expect to see from that?PATO O’WARD: I do know we have that new aero package. We’ve got new tires. Honestly, we didn’t even test, so I don’t know what to expect from this. And I’m kind of going into the weekend just, you know, hoping it’s not too different, because I do think we’ve been strong there. It would be nice to have some things correlate. Yeah, I don’t really know what to see of who is going to be the strongest. I can’t remember who is the one that went to the test, but yeah, I think it does always produce great racing.My only hope is that these changes that they’ve asked for, like, these changes that have been requested for the aero kits on the car, I hope all these changes were to make the racing even better, because I do think, you know, the race last year was pretty good and entertaining. If we can make that even better, I mean, people are going to love it. Q.  Then how do you approach the weekend with those changes that you’re not sure of? How is that going to play out in practice?PATO O’WARD: Going to practice one and trying to learn as much as you can. Yeah, you can’t do much other than that. Q.  Pato, I guess you moved out of San Antonio. How often do you get back, and are you watching any Spurs basketball lately, keeping up with them?PATO O’WARD: Oh, I’ve heard a lot of the Spurs basketball. I haven’t really watched any of the games, but my sister and my brother-in-law are so, so into all that. They were staying at my house for the month of May, so I definitely know that they were pretty pumped to see them being super successful and winning the last game that gives them that entry to whatever it is that the NBA does. But I don’t go back too much during the year, man. I’ve been so busy up here, and we’ve got so many races. My family stays with me for these past few weeks. I know they’re going back next week, but I usually try and stay as much as I can whenever I have those free weeks back, because it is pretty crazy, so… Q.  Another race that’s not that far from Indianapolis, but we’re about halfway through the season. How do you keep a focus on trying to chase down Alex Palou with this series lead?PATO O’WARD: We’ve just got to maximize every weekend, man. They’ve obviously done a way better job than we have pretty much everywhere almost. That obviously isn’t going to cut it if we want to have a shot at the championship. So we need to raise our game, we need to stay focused, and we need to make sure that we not only are maximizing weekends, but when those are maximized weekends, they’ve got to be wins and podiums, because otherwise, I really do think we have no shot. Q.  You’ve been close so far. The race at Indianapolis, you were already there. It seems like things are in place. It’s just hasn’t gone the way you need it to go.PATO O’WARD: Yeah, just hasn’t quite gone the way that we need it to go, but it definitely hasn’t been from not giving maximum effort, because I know that is true on everyone in this team. Q.  Pato, just got one question for you. I’ve been keeping up on a lot of the INDYCAR coverage that David Land has been doing on YouTube, and it got me thinking about a feature he did with you earlier on in the year. I won’t spoil of any of it, because it’s really good, and I encourage everyone to go watch it. But I just wanted to ask you, if you could go back and tell your younger self something about where you are now and how you got here, what would that be?PATO O’WARD: I would tell him that you can only do so much with the cards that you’re dealt. I do think there’s many ways to feel like you’ve gotten a win out of one situation or another without actually having hardware to take home. I think that’s the most important thing that I would say that I’ve learned through my journey. Q.  So this race, it differs from all the others being a night race, but what else makes it so special for you?PATO O’WARD: Oh, I love the night race. I mean, that’s, I think, something that every driver looks forward to, because it looks cool, and it is better for the racing, because everything cools down a bit. The cars really do like that. But beyond that, I just think the nature of that circuit is quite helpful to what these Indy cars like when they’re racing up against each other. Like I mentioned earlier in this press conference, I think it’s so important that these changes that we’ve made to the aero package and what Firestone decides to bring for the weekend is going to be crucial to the racing product. And hopefully that’s been done to, once again, keep improving it, because I feel like every race at this World Wide Technology Raceway circuit keeps getting better and better year after year. Hopefully we can keep that going. Q.  I’m looking at your team in general. They’re in Monaco this weekend for the 1,000th Grand Prix in Formula 1. What’s it like being part of a team with such experience and success in wider motorsports, and also, how does it feel knowing you’re helping them develop that in INDYCAR?PATO O’WARD: I’m a huge and proud Papaya member. I know everyone that’s within the team also feels that way. It’s obviously a huge organization. More than that, it’s also a way to support and see other sides of motorsport that we’re obviously not participating in, but kind of are. So it’s nice to support them and wish them the best this weekend going to Monaco, because I know it’s obviously one that they always want to get. Especially the drivers, I know that’s basically their, almost, Indy 500.Yeah, it’s definitely cool to be part of such a great family. THE MODERATOR: The good news Pato, Monaco will be in the morning. You have plenty of time Sunday night to get to our race. PATO O’WARD: 9 p.m. for us, right? 9 p.m. THE MODERATOR: 9 p.m. eastern, so 8 local time. Q.  Last year at this track it was Conor Daly with whom you had a proper fight for P1. First of all, do you miss him as a force on ovals? Who do you expect your fiercest driver to be in this race?PATO O’WARD: Conor, you can always expect Conor to take the high line before anybody else. He’s obviously somebody that we miss having in the paddock and somebody that you cannot count him out on any restart or anything at an oval, because he always finds his way there. I think this weekend, a lot of the times it’s usual suspects. I think Malukas is going to be extremely strong in that Penske. I think Newgarden, I know he’s injured, but this circuit should be much better than getting through Detroit, so I expect him to be a force.Obviously the Ganassis and the strong Andrettis. There’s plenty of great guys that will always be there with giving you a good fight. I don’t expect just one very strong car. I expect a few. Q.  After Long Beach you say, unfortunately, you must forget the championship, because it’s almost lost it, but the goal was Indy 500. Where is your mind right now? Indy 500 is gone, and right now you have half of the season ahead.PATO O’WARD: Yeah, I mean, obviously we didn’t win the Indy 500, so it’s what we’ve got left. There’s plenty of championship to go. I mean, there’s more championship left than what has been done, and I think there’s a huge opportunity to start scoring some bigger points than what we have to start the year off with. I think this weekend is going to be a big one. Road America has been a hit-or-miss in the past, but I do know we have a test there after Gateway right before the race, which should be helpful for us as well. Honestly, at this time last year I was at a bigger deficit to Palou, so I think this is a move in the right direction. Obviously not giving up on the championship hopes, but also being a realist that we need to up our game, and we need to start winning races and being on the podium if we just want to sniff the fight in this championship. That’s truly what we’re focused on. Sometimes when you’re leading a championship, you can take a fourth and a fifth and just keep up the consistency, because that’s what’s going to let you breathe. But when you haven’t quite had those bigger hit points days in a positive way, that’s what you need to be searching for. We need to execute not with top-5s, but in the races where we know we have a strong car and where we can be good, we need to be driving for that win. THE MODERATOR: Pato, we’ll let you get back to your mariachi band, unless they’ve already taken off for the day.PATO O’WARD: I will (laughing). Thank you very much.

An all-Chevrolet podium of Pato O’Ward (Arrow McLaren), Josef Newgarden (Team Penske) and Will Power (Team Penske) celebrate at World Wide Technology Raceway At Gateway in 2021.

Chevrolet at World Wide Technology Raceway At Gateway General Motors Wins: 8 Chevrolet Wins: 7  2024 – Josef Newgarden – Team Penske2022 – Josef Newgarden – Team Penske2021 – Josef Newgarden – Team Penske2020 Race #2 – Josef Newgarden – Team Penske2018 – Will Power – Team Penske2017 – Josef Newgarden – Team Penske2002 – Gil de Ferran – Team Penske  Oldsmobile Wins: 1 2001 – Al Unser, Jr. – Galles Racing General Motors Poles: 9 Chevrolet Poles: 8 2025 – Will Power – Team Penske2024 – Scott McLaughlin – Team Penske2023 – Scott McLaughlin – Team Penske2022 – Will Power – Team Penske2021 – Will Power – Team Penske2020 Race #1     – Will Power – Team Penske2019 – Josef Newgarden – Team Penske2017 – Will Power – Team Penske2002 – Gil de Ferran – Team Penske Oldsmobile Poles: 1 2001 – Sam Hornish – Panther Racing General Motors Podiums: 25 Chevrolet Podiums 22 Chevrolet driver podiums at World Wide Technology Raceway At Gateway: Josef Newgarden (5), Pato O’Ward (5), Scott McLaughlin (3), Will Power (2), Alex Barron (1), Ed Carpenter (1), Helio Castroneves (1), Gil de Ferran (1), Tony Kanaan (1), Simon Pagenaud (1) and Christian Rasmussen (1) Chevrolet team podiums at World Wide Technology Raceway At Gateway:  Team Penske (13), Arrow McLaren (5), Ed Carpenter Racing (2), A.J. Foyt Racing (1), Blair Racing (1) Oldsmobile Podiums: 3 Oldsmobile driver podiums at World Wide Technology Raceway At Gateway: Mark Dismore (1), Sam Hornish (1) and Al Unser, Jr. (1).  Oldsmobile team podiums at World Wide Technology Raceway At Gateway: Galles Racing (1), Kelley Racing (1), and Panther Racing (1) General Motors Laps Led: 1966 Chevrolet Laps Led: 1801 Chevrolet laps led by driver at World Wide Technology Raceway At Gateway: Josef Newgarden (624), Will Power (450), Pato O’Ward (167), Helio Castroneves (137), Scott McLaughlin (130), Gil de Ferran (81), David Malukas (67), Conor Daly (37), Alex Barron (29), Sebastien Bourdais (18), Simon Pagenaud (14), Alexander Rossi (14), Santino Ferrucci (8), Sting Ray Robb (8), Nolan Siegel (8), Callum Ilott (5), Felipe Giafone (2), Christian Rasmussen (1) and Felix Rosenqvist (1)  Chevrolet laps led by team at World Wide Technology Raceway At Gateway: Team Penske (1436), Arrow McLaren (188), A.J. Foyt Racing (101), Juncos Hollinger Racing (36), Blair Racing (29), Prema Racing (5), ECR (3), Mo Nunn Racing (2) and Carlin (1).  Oldsmobile Laps Led: 165 Oldsmobile laps led by driver at World Wide Technology Raceway At Gateway: Sam Hornish (81), Al Unser, Jr. (75), Mark Dismore (8), and Airton Dare (1) Oldsmobile laps led by team at World Wide Technology Raceway At Gateway: Panther Racing (81), Galles Racing (75), Kelley Racing (8) and Team Xtreme (1) Manufacturer history at World Wide Technology Raceway At Gateway Wins – General Motors (8)Chevrolet (7) – 2024, 2022, 2021, 2020 R2, 2018, 2017, 2002Honda (5) – 2025, 2023, 2020 R1, 2019, 1998Toyota (2) – 2003, 2000Oldsmobile (1) – 2001Ford (1) – 1999Mercedes (1) – 1997 Earned Poles – 16 (in 2018, the field was set by championship points due to weather)General Motors (9)Chevrolet (8) – 2025, 2023, 2022, 2021, 2020 R1, 2019, 2017, 2002Honda (2) – 2020 R2, 1999Toyota (2) – 2003, 2000Oldsmobile (1) – 2001Mercedes (1) – 1998Ford (1) – 1997

Event: FireKeepers Casino 400Date/Time: Sunday, June 7, 2026, 3 p.m. ETLocation: Michigan International Speedway, Brooklyn, MichiganLayout: 2-Mile OvalTV/Radio: Prime Video, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR RadioJosh Berry and the No. 21 Motorcraft/Quick Lane team head to Michigan International Speedway this weekend looking to rebound from a string of tough breaks and capitalize on a track that has historically been one of the Wood Brothers’ strongest venues.In 107 NASCAR Cup Series starts at Michigan, the team has recorded 11 victories, 28 top-five finishes, 41 top-10s and nine poles. The Wood Brothers also earned the distinction of winning the first Cup Series race ever held at Michigan when Cale Yarborough took the checkered flag in the track’s inaugural event in 1969.Berry has made four Cup Series starts at Michigan, highlighted by a 12th-place finish one year ago. After showing solid speed in recent weeks despite results that haven’t reflected their performance, Berry believes the No. 21 team is capable of putting together a strong weekend.“Michigan is a place where I felt like we had a solid run going last year, so I’m looking forward to getting back there,” he said. “The last couple of weeks haven’t gone the way we wanted, but I think we’ve shown more speed than the results indicate.“Hopefully we can put together a clean race, execute all day and get the No. 21 team back where we belong.”He also said he’d like to deliver a strong result for both the Wood Brothers and Ford Motor Company at the manufacturer’s home track.“It’s also a special track for the Wood Brothers with everything they’ve accomplished there over the years,” he said. “And being Ford’s backyard, it would be great to have a strong showing for them this weekend.”Practice for the FireKeepers Casino 400 is scheduled for Saturday at 5 p.m. ET, with qualifying set to follow at 6:10 p.m. ET.Sunday’s 400-mile race is scheduled for 3 p.m. ET, with stage breaks planned for Laps 45 and 120. Prime Video will provide television coverage throughout the weekend.Josh BerryAge: 35 (Oct. 22, 1990)Hometown: Hendersonville, TennesseeCrew Chief: Miles StanleyIG: @joshberry88X: @joshberryAbout Motorcraft® Motorcraft offers a complete line of replacement parts that are recommended by Ford Motor Company. From routine maintenance to under hood repairs, Motorcraft parts offer value with high quality and the right fit at competitive prices. Motorcraft parts are available nationwide at Ford Dealers and Lincoln Retailers, independent distributors and automotive-parts retailers, and are backed by the Service Parts Limited Warranty* of Ford Motor Company. For more information, visit www.motorcraft.com. *See your dealer for limited-warranty details. About Quick Lane® Tire & Auto Center Quick Lane Tire & Auto Center offers extraordinary service for routine maintenance, serving all vehicle makes and models. Quick Lane provides a full menu of automotive services, including tires, oil change and maintenance, brakes, batteries, alternator and electrical system, air conditioning system, cooling system, transmission service, suspension and steering, wheel alignment, belts and hoses, lamps and bulbs and wiper blades plus a thorough vehicle checkup report. Service is performed by expert technicians while you wait at any of nearly 800 locations in the U.S., with evening and weekend hours available and no appointment necessary. For more information about Quick Lane, please visit www.quicklane.com. *See your dealer for limited-warranty details.

Sébastien Bourdais Q&A June 4th, 2026 – Ahead of the 24 Hours of Le Mans next week, we caught up with hometown hero and Cadillac Hertz Team JOTA driver Sébastien Bourdais.  How old were you when you first attended the Le Mans 24 Hours? What are your memories of it?My first was when I was maybe five or something like that. We always used to go at least to night practice or something to watch the cars. We used to live very close to the Mulsanne corner and Indianapolis and it was always quite interesting to watch from the outside of the track. You had the big braking zones and the brake discs glowing and I remember that well. I was watching this not with the eye of an insider because my dad had not done Le Mans yet at that point, but I pretty much grew up on race tracks and, although the cars were different, it was a familiar environment to me so I was watching it with the eyes of a kid that grew up on the race track.  Your parents attend a lot of your WEC races. How important is having your family around at the races for you?I’m an only child so we’ve always been quite close, and racing is definitely something we share. I don’t necessarily always have the time to spend with them during the race weekends but I always enjoy having them around and to share that passion that has always kind of put us together. You lose more than you win in racing, even if you have an amazing career, but we’ve had a lot of very good memories to celebrate and share and that’s always you know made us a pretty close group. Your father was a racer himself and the two of you even raced at Le Mans one year, albeit in different cars. How much of an influence did he have on your career?My dad raced before I was born and up until 2007. I don’t know how much he influenced me, but he sure made it possible for me because we were not a very wealthy family and thankfully back then it was a lot cheaper than it is now, otherwise I would never have been a race car driver. Through his work, he had a network of friends who had the possibility to help us through my early days, so I wouldn’t be here if my dad had not done everything he’s done for me and my career. He has been instrumental. He’s never raced go-karting or open-wheel so he wasn’t trying to tell me what to do, but he always made sure I was getting what I needed to perform and the people who were capable of helping me achieve that. You’ve raced in arguably the three greatest races in the world (Le Mans, Monaco F1 and the Indy 500). What is it about these races that you think makes them so iconic – the races that everybody wants to win?All of the massive racing events like Le Mans, Monaco, Indy, and to some degree Daytona, Sebring and Nürburgring, have history; that’s the biggest thing. A history of the greatest drivers, teams and cars and that’s what builds legacies and legends. Then it gets to completely different level of magnitude and engagement so when you’re part of these events, it’s not like anything else. Everybody wants to win because you want to be part of that history of the sport that you love so much. There’s a very big pride if you manage to join those legends. For me, Le Mans represents more than any other because I grew up there and raced there many times. I’ve come quite close a few times and it’s one of those races that is extremely difficult to win and, maybe this is the year! What is your greatest sporting achievement to date?It has to be Champ Cars and winning the four championships in a row. I think it was 31 wins and poles in 73 races. The whole experience, the gelling with the team and how much of a family it was and what a group effort it was to sustain that level of domination and how in control in that particular car I was from pretty much the first time I got in it. It was just a perfect formula for my driving style and that will definitely remain the greatest time of my career. I’m quite proud of quite a few things that I’ve done since, but it will definitely remain the one thing in my career that properly stands out. Do you approach preparing for Le Mans differently to other WEC races, if so, how?I don’t think we prep for Le Mans particularly differently to any other race. There is always a lot of work that goes into every WEC event. All the drivers and the entire team is very focused at being competitive at every single one of them. Of course, everybody wants to win Le Mans that extra bit more, but the process essentially is the same. The difference is that the runtime is significantly more at Le Mans so you have a lot more prep with the test day, the test sessions and the multiple qualifying sessions, so by the time you get to a race day you usually feel quite a bit more prepared and ready than sometimes you can be when you’ve done 15 laps.  How have you spent your time between Spa and Le Mans?We had a test session, so went to Silverstone for that two day test. Then I went straight to the sim in Indy, which is a fairly normal process to optimise things. Then we work to come up with the best potential set up. The work never really stops and whether it’s Le Mans or another WEC race, the prep is the same, it’s just preparing for a 24 hour race is always a little bit more, particularly for the team because you need more spares and a few more people as it’s a long week. For the drivers it’s not an easy one, but it’s much harder for the technical team. For my own physical preparation, you carry on through the entire year, you can’t push at the last minute for Le Mans. That race is more about fatigue management more than the physicality itself. If it gets really hot that’s more demanding on the body, so hydration through the week is always critical but I don’t really do anything different.

ROSSBURG, OH (June 3, 2026) – The dirt Late Model world knew ahead of time that the inaugural Blaster 57 Special at Mansfield Speedway was going to be a big weekend. But no one knew quite how big it would become.

Thanks to some unprecedented generosity from the Niss family, drivers competed for two $100,000 paydays on the same weekend for the first time in the history of the World of Outlaws Late Model Series presented by DIRTVision. When it was all set and done, Series regulars Tyler Erb and Nick Hoffman emerged victorious on the biggest nights of their respective careers.

Due to the last-minute nature of the gesture, drivers didn’t realize what was at stake on Friday’s opening night until they were on the track preparing to go green for what they thought was a standard $12,000-to-win Feature. Moments before the field rolled off, race director Mitchell Hedstrom came over the one-way radio with a message Erb in particular will never forget.

“It was just wild,” Erb said of the last-minute purse boost. “Never really heard of anything like that. Wasn’t on my radar that it would ever happen, but you know, it did, and we were in the right position and it worked out.”

Erb was starting on the outside of the front row when he got the news, so his mind was instantly on the prospect of winning $100,000. It was a slightly different story for Hoffman, who was starting sixth with only 40 laps to get to the front.

“It makes you drive way harder,” Hoffman said. “At that point, I’m starting decent, but I don’t want to kill myself, just get out of here with an OK points night, which is how it ended up for me, anyway. I just ended up seventh, and it was just whatever, it was OK. [Saturday], they tell us that, and I’m starting in an even better spot. I feel like I’ve got a better car I set up a little bit different. It was unreal.”

In the moments after their triumphs, both drivers got the chance to thank the one who made it possible. While he preferred to stay behind the scenes for most of the weekend, Dan Niss came down to the frontstretch on both nights to congratulate the winners and take a photo in Victory Lane.

“Obviously, that guy’s got it,” Erb said. “He was just super excited. He loves the community, and that was kind of what he was telling me. Obviously, I’ve never met this guy, I don’t know who he is. It was really cool, super nice guy, super nice family. I really appreciate his wild idea to just throw 88 grand on top of the pot right there last second. Just really cool, really special, happy that I was able to be the best benefactor of it all.”

“He was very gracious to me,” Hoffman added. “He felt like I earned that race and he was proud to give me that extra money and stuff. So, very thankful for him.”

Of course, Mansfield was the first of two huge weeks of racing in the state of Ohio, the second being Eldora Speedway’s Dirt Late Model Dream. Many teams made the 150-mile drive across the state immediately after action concluded at Mansfield, but not Hoffman’s. They had to make the eight-hour tow back to Mooresville, NC to pick up the car built with only one mission – winning at Eldora.

Reserving a car specifically for “The Big E” that otherwise sits in the corner of the shop for 50 weeks a year isn’t a new strategy. It’s one utilized by Hoffman’s close friend, Jonathan Davenport, whose “Eldora car” is arguably the most successful chassis in the history of the sport with three Dream wins, two World 100s and the 2022 Eldora Million under its belt since it rolled out of the Longhorn Chassis shop in 2021.

Hoffman’s “Eldora car” made him the only driver in the sport to finish on the podium in the Dream and the World last year, and his Mansfield victory has him among the favorites to break through for another six-figure payday on Saturday night.

“Definitely way more confident, for sure,” Hoffman said. “Luckily, our car that we ran in both the Dream and the World last year was sitting there pretty much ready to go. We buttoned that thing up on Monday and Tuesday and got over to the racetrack. Super confident, I know our cars are good enough.”

Erb’s recent hot streak is one of a multitude of reasons for him to look forward to Eldora. For one, it has become his home track, as he lives near the Best Performance Motorsports shop in St. Marys, OH, 40 minutes from Eldora. Erb will also unload a tribute wrap honoring Kyle Busch at the Dream, as his ride resembles the No. 51 Super Late Model that “Rowdy” drove to victory in several of the biggest pavement short track races in the nation.

Additionally, a portion of his merchandise revenue this week will be donated to the Future Family Development Program at Texas Children’s Hospital. The gift is a continuation of Erb’s support for the facility where he was once a patient while battling cancer as a child.

“Just trying to bring good to the world,” Erb said. “Same as last year when we did the other wrap [designed by children at the hospital]. You know, we can’t really do the same wrap we did last year, so it was just a perfect play. The things that his [Bundle of Joy Fund] has done is similar, obviously on a larger scale. A lot of bad and hateful stuff goes on in what we do, just trying to bring some light and good to it every night.”

Whether or not Erb crosses his first Eldora crown jewel win off his to-do list on Saturday, his five-race top-10 streak in World of Outlaws competition has him in an enviable position when the season resumes next weekend at West Virginia Motor Speedway. Erb is up to third in points and has built a 40-point gap between himself and Drake Troutman in fourth ahead of Erb’s debut at the newly-reconfigured 3/8-mile, which kicks off the busiest portion of the season with 15 race nights packed into 30 days.

“I’m excited,” Erb said. “I like racing no matter where we go or what we do. It’s a new track, basically, a new experience. We’ll hit it headfirst and see what happens.”

Erb, Hoffman and the rest of the World of Outlaws Late Model Series presented by DIRTVision will continue the 2026 season at West Virginia Motor Speedway on Friday and Saturday, June 12-13. Get your tickets in advance by clicking here.

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

Six-Figure Success Has Erb, Hoffman Rolling Into Eldora, World of Outlaws Summer Stretch

ROSSBURG, OH (June 3, 2026) – The dirt Late Model world knew ahead of time that the inaugural Blaster 57 Special at Mansfield Speedway was going to be a big weekend. But no one knew quite how big it would become.

Thanks to some unprecedented generosity from the Niss family, drivers competed for two $100,000 paydays on the same weekend for the first time in the history of the World of Outlaws Late Model Series presented by DIRTVision. When it was all set and done, Series regulars Tyler Erb and Nick Hoffman emerged victorious on the biggest nights of their respective careers.

Due to the last-minute nature of the gesture, drivers didn’t realize what was at stake on Friday’s opening night until they were on the track preparing to go green for what they thought was a standard $12,000-to-win Feature. Moments before the field rolled off, race director Mitchell Hedstrom came over the one-way radio with a message Erb in particular will never forget.

“It was just wild,” Erb said of the last-minute purse boost. “Never really heard of anything like that. Wasn’t on my radar that it would ever happen, but you know, it did, and we were in the right position and it worked out.”

Erb was starting on the outside of the front row when he got the news, so his mind was instantly on the prospect of winning $100,000. It was a slightly different story for Hoffman, who was starting sixth with only 40 laps to get to the front.

“It makes you drive way harder,” Hoffman said. “At that point, I’m starting decent, but I don’t want to kill myself, just get out of here with an OK points night, which is how it ended up for me, anyway. I just ended up seventh, and it was just whatever, it was OK. [Saturday], they tell us that, and I’m starting in an even better spot. I feel like I’ve got a better car I set up a little bit different. It was unreal.”

In the moments after their triumphs, both drivers got the chance to thank the one who made it possible. While he preferred to stay behind the scenes for most of the weekend, Dan Niss came down to the frontstretch on both nights to congratulate the winners and take a photo in Victory Lane.

“Obviously, that guy’s got it,” Erb said. “He was just super excited. He loves the community, and that was kind of what he was telling me. Obviously, I’ve never met this guy, I don’t know who he is. It was really cool, super nice guy, super nice family. I really appreciate his wild idea to just throw 88 grand on top of the pot right there last second. Just really cool, really special, happy that I was able to be the best benefactor of it all.”

“He was very gracious to me,” Hoffman added. “He felt like I earned that race and he was proud to give me that extra money and stuff. So, very thankful for him.”

Of course, Mansfield was the first of two huge weeks of racing in the state of Ohio, the second being Eldora Speedway’s Dirt Late Model Dream. Many teams made the 150-mile drive across the state immediately after action concluded at Mansfield, but not Hoffman’s. They had to make the eight-hour tow back to Mooresville, NC to pick up the car built with only one mission – winning at Eldora.

Reserving a car specifically for “The Big E” that otherwise sits in the corner of the shop for 50 weeks a year isn’t a new strategy. It’s one utilized by Hoffman’s close friend, Jonathan Davenport, whose “Eldora car” is arguably the most successful chassis in the history of the sport with three Dream wins, two World 100s and the 2022 Eldora Million under its belt since it rolled out of the Longhorn Chassis shop in 2021.

Hoffman’s “Eldora car” made him the only driver in the sport to finish on the podium in the Dream and the World last year, and his Mansfield victory has him among the favorites to break through for another six-figure payday on Saturday night.

“Definitely way more confident, for sure,” Hoffman said. “Luckily, our car that we ran in both the Dream and the World last year was sitting there pretty much ready to go. We buttoned that thing up on Monday and Tuesday and got over to the racetrack. Super confident, I know our cars are good enough.”

Erb’s recent hot streak is one of a multitude of reasons for him to look forward to Eldora. For one, it has become his home track, as he lives near the Best Performance Motorsports shop in St. Marys, OH, 40 minutes from Eldora. Erb will also unload a tribute wrap honoring Kyle Busch at the Dream, as his ride resembles the No. 51 Super Late Model that “Rowdy” drove to victory in several of the biggest pavement short track races in the nation.

Additionally, a portion of his merchandise revenue this week will be donated to the Future Family Development Program at Texas Children’s Hospital. The gift is a continuation of Erb’s support for the facility where he was once a patient while battling cancer as a child.

“Just trying to bring good to the world,” Erb said. “Same as last year when we did the other wrap [designed by children at the hospital]. You know, we can’t really do the same wrap we did last year, so it was just a perfect play. The things that his [Bundle of Joy Fund] has done is similar, obviously on a larger scale. A lot of bad and hateful stuff goes on in what we do, just trying to bring some light and good to it every night.”

Whether or not Erb crosses his first Eldora crown jewel win off his to-do list on Saturday, his five-race top-10 streak in World of Outlaws competition has him in an enviable position when the season resumes next weekend at West Virginia Motor Speedway. Erb is up to third in points and has built a 40-point gap between himself and Drake Troutman in fourth ahead of Erb’s debut at the newly-reconfigured 3/8-mile, which kicks off the busiest portion of the season with 15 race nights packed into 30 days.

“I’m excited,” Erb said. “I like racing no matter where we go or what we do. It’s a new track, basically, a new experience. We’ll hit it headfirst and see what happens.”

Erb, Hoffman and the rest of the World of Outlaws Late Model Series presented by DIRTVision will continue the 2026 season at West Virginia Motor Speedway on Friday and Saturday, June 12-13. Get your tickets in advance by clicking here.

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

ARTICLE: https://worldofoutlaws.com/latemodels/six-figure-success-has-erb-hoffman-rolling-into-eldora-world-of-outlaws-summer-stretch/

Winning design, selected by Josh Berry, to be featured as pit wall banner at IndianapolisSTUART, Va. (June 3, 2026) – Wood Brothers Racing, in partnership with PPG, is excited to announce the return of the Kids Color PPG contest, a fan-favorite initiative designed to engage young racing enthusiasts through creativity and racing tradition.Now open to fans 15 and under, this year’s edition of the contest invites kids to design a custom PPG pit wall banner themed around “America’s Birthday Celebration” in honor of America’s 250th birthday. One lucky winner will have their artwork, selected by Wood Brothers Racing driver Josh Berry, brought to life and displayed as the No. 21 team’s pit wall banner during the Brickyard 400 presented by PPG at Indianapolis Motor Speedway on Sunday, July 26, where Berry will pilot the No. 21 PPG Ford Mustang Dark Horse.In addition to seeing their design featured on pit road at one of NASCAR’s crown jewel events, the winner and their family will also receive a VIP race-day experience at The Racing Capital of the World. The winning entry will additionally receive the race-used pit wall banner and the original artwork as a keepsake.Templates are available for download at WoodBrothersRacing.com and can also be picked up at select locations, including the Wood Brothers Racing Museum, Team Penske Gift Shop and the Wood Brothers/Team Penske merchandise unit in the fan zones at Michigan International Speedway and Pocono Raceway.To enter, participants must complete their design using markers only, take a photo holding their finished template, and post it to Facebook, X or Instagram using the hashtag #KidsColorPPG while tagging Wood Brothers Racing and PPG.The deadline to submit entries is Monday, June 22 at 11:59 p.m. ET. The winning design will be announced the week of July 6 on Wood Brothers Racing social channels, and the winner will be contacted through the same social media platform used to submit their entry.“The Kids Color PPG contest is always a fun program because it gives young fans a chance to feel connected to our team in a creative way,” said Berry. “I’m looking forward to seeing all of the designs and having one of them featured with the No. 21 team at Indianapolis during such a big race weekend.”The complete rundown of the program details can be found below or at WoodBrothersRacing.com.How To EnterDownload or pick up the official template from WoodBrothersRacing.comCreate your design on the printed template using markers onlyHave a parent or guardian take a photo of you holding your finished designPost the photo on Facebook, X or Instagram using the hashtag #KidsColorPPG and tag the accounts listed below:FacebookHashtag: #KidsColorPPGTags: @WoodBrothers21 / @PPGRefinish / @PPGIndustriesX Hashtag: #KidsColorPPGTags: @WoodBrothers21 / @PPGRefinish_NA / @PPGInstagramHashtag: #KidsColorPPGTags: @WoodBrothers21 / @PPGIndustries / @PPGRefinishContest RulesThe deadline to enter is Monday, June 22, 2026, at 11:59 p.m. ETThe contest is open to kids 15 years old and under with permission from a parent or guardianDesigns must be completed using markers only to be eligibleThe winner will be notified through the same social media platform used to submit their entryThe winning design will be publicly announced the week of July 6 on Wood Brothers Racing social media channelsThe winner must mail their original artwork to Wood Brothers Racing for banner productionThe original artwork will be returned to the winner along with the race-used banner and signed diecastWhere To Pick Up A Coloring SheetDownload the template at WoodBrothersRacing.comWood Brothers Racing Museum – 21 Performance Drive, Stuart, VA 24171Team Penske Gift Shop – 200 Penske Way, Mooresville, NC 28115Wood Brothers Racing/Team Penske at-track merchandise hauler – Michigan International Speedway, Pocono Raceway

BROWNSBURG, Ind. (June 3, 2026) – Motivation comes in many forms for many different reasons and Alexis DeJoria sees a centuries-old New England family tie as such motivation for success when she and her John Force Racing Bandero Café Chevrolet SS Funny Car team compete in the June 5-7 NHRA New England Nationals at New England Dragway in Epping, New Hampshire.

NHRA drag racing is a sport defined by revolutions, whether it’s the revolutions per minute (rpm) of a 12,000-horsepower, nitromethane-burning Funny Car engine or the revolutions made by the spinning 36×17.5-inch Goodyear racing slicks during smoky burnouts. But it’s a family tie to revolution DeJoria has that uniquely motivates her to capture her first Funny Car event win under the John Force Racing banner.

DeJoria’s mother’s family came to New England, specifically Rhode Island, in 1638 and, nearly 140 years later, family members fought in the American Revolution. She sees a win this Sunday as a fantastic way, patriotic perhaps, to celebrate the United States’ 250^th anniversary even if it is a month before the nation’s independence celebration.

The 2026 NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series Funny Car point standings after seven of 20 races are: 1. Ron Capps, 540; 2. J.R. Todd, 524; 3. Chad Green, 500; 4. Matt Hagan, 493; 5. Jordan Vandergriff, 485; 6. Alexis DeJoria, 427; 7. Jack Beckman, 412; 8. Spencer Hyde, 370; 9. Austin Prock, 323; 10. Daniel Wilkerson, 264.

Quotes

You consider this one of your home tracks so what does it mean to be racing again at New England Dragway?

“My mother’s family is from Rhode Island so I’ve always considered New England Dragway to be a home track. Her ancestors came to North America in 1638 and fought in the American Revolutionary War, which allowed her to become a member of the prestigious Daughters of the American Revolution. It’s something we take a lot of pride in so it makes racing in Epping that much more special.”

What would it mean to get your first win for John Force Racing at Epping?

“I’ve had some success in the past at New England Dragway, with a runner-up finish in 2014 and a semifinal finish last year. To get the win in this year’s NHRA New England Nationals, which would be my first win for John Force Racing, would be incredibly gratifying and special for many reasons. It’s been a while since we’ve been in the winner’s circle but I know we’ve got what it takes to get back there. I have all the confidence in the world that, on any given Sunday, this John Force Racing Bandero Cafe Chevy SS Funny Car will be the victor.”

Weekend Appearances

DeJoria will be signing autographs at the John Force Racing merchandise trailer in the NHRA Midway on Fri., June 5, from 4-4:30 p.m. ET. She will also participate in an autograph session at the Cornwell Tools display in the NHRA Midway on Sat., June 6, from 10-10:30 a.m. ET.

Track Schedule

NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series qualifying will feature two rounds at 5:30 and 8 p.m. ET on Fri., June 5, with the final two rounds Sat., June 6, at 12:30 and 3 p.m. ET. Final eliminations are scheduled for Sunday, June 7, at 11 a.m. ET.

TV Schedule

Television coverage on FS1 includes a qualifying show Fri., June 5, from 8 – 9:30 p.m. ET, a second qualifying show Sat., June 6, from 10 – 11 p.m. ET, and the eliminations broadcast Sunday, June 7, from 3 – 6 p.m. ET on FOX.

Race Results

Epping	Race Result	Round Wins	Round Loss	Qualified	Event Record
2013 (FC)	1st round		Loss to C. Force	14th	0-1
2014 (FC)	Runner-up	Def. T. Pedregon Def. T. Johnson Jr Def. J. Force	Loss to R. Capps	5th	3-2
2015 (FC)	2nd round	Def. R. Capps	Loss to T. Johnson Jr	8th	4-3
2016 (FC)	1st round		Loss to D. Worsham	10th	4-4
2017 (FC)	1st round		Loss to B. Tasca	11th	4-5
2021 (FC)	1st round		Loss to R. Hight	5th	4-6
2022 (FC)	2nd round	Def. T. Wilkerson	Loss to R. Hight	9th	5-7
2023 (FC)	1st round		Loss to R. Hight	10th	5-8
2024 (FC)	1st round		Loss to C. Green	9th	5-9
2025 (FC)	Semi-finals	Def. R. Capps Def. P. Lee	Loss to J. Todd	6th	7-10

Wins: 0

No. 1 Qualifiers: 0

Round Record: 7-10

2026 Results

DEJORIA HOPES NEW ENGLAND ROOTS PAY DIVIDENDS

BROWNSBURG, Ind. (June 3, 2026) – Motivation comes in many forms for many different reasons and Alexis DeJoria sees a centuries-old New England family tie as such motivation for success when she and her John Force Racing Bandero Café Chevrolet SS Funny Car team compete in the June 5-7 NHRA New England Nationals at New England Dragway in Epping, New Hampshire.

NHRA drag racing is a sport defined by revolutions, whether it’s the revolutions per minute (rpm) of a 12,000-horsepower, nitromethane-burning Funny Car engine or the revolutions made by the spinning 36×17.5-inch Goodyear racing slicks during smoky burnouts. But it’s a family tie to revolution DeJoria has that uniquely motivates her to capture her first Funny Car event win under the John Force Racing banner.

DeJoria’s mother’s family came to New England, specifically Rhode Island, in 1638 and, nearly 140 years later, family members fought in the American Revolution. She sees a win this Sunday as a fantastic way, patriotic perhaps, to celebrate the United States’ 250^th anniversary even if it is a month before the nation’s independence celebration.

The 2026 NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series Funny Car point standings after seven of 20 races are: 1. Ron Capps, 540; 2. J.R. Todd, 524; 3. Chad Green, 500; 4. Matt Hagan, 493; 5. Jordan Vandergriff, 485; 6. Alexis DeJoria, 427; 7. Jack Beckman, 412; 8. Spencer Hyde, 370; 9. Austin Prock, 323; 10. Daniel Wilkerson, 264.

Quotes

You consider this one of your home tracks so what does it mean to be racing again at New England Dragway?

“My mother’s family is from Rhode Island so I’ve always considered New England Dragway to be a home track. Her ancestors came to North America in 1638 and fought in the American Revolutionary War, which allowed her to become a member of the prestigious Daughters of the American Revolution. It’s something we take a lot of pride in so it makes racing in Epping that much more special.”

What would it mean to get your first win for John Force Racing at Epping?

“I’ve had some success in the past at New England Dragway, with a runner-up finish in 2014 and a semifinal finish last year. To get the win in this year’s NHRA New England Nationals, which would be my first win for John Force Racing, would be incredibly gratifying and special for many reasons. It’s been a while since we’ve been in the winner’s circle but I know we’ve got what it takes to get back there. I have all the confidence in the world that, on any given Sunday, this John Force Racing Bandero Cafe Chevy SS Funny Car will be the victor.”

Weekend Appearances

DeJoria will be signing autographs at the John Force Racing merchandise trailer in the NHRA Midway on Fri., June 5, from 4-4:30 p.m. ET. She will also participate in an autograph session at the Cornwell Tools display in the NHRA Midway on Sat., June 6, from 10-10:30 a.m. ET.

Track Schedule

NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series qualifying will feature two rounds at 5:30 and 8 p.m. ET on Fri., June 5, with the final two rounds Sat., June 6, at 12:30 and 3 p.m. ET. Final eliminations are scheduled for Sunday, June 7, at 11 a.m. ET.

TV Schedule

Television coverage on FS1 includes a qualifying show Fri., June 5, from 8 – 9:30 p.m. ET, a second qualifying show Sat., June 6, from 10 – 11 p.m. ET, and the eliminations broadcast Sunday, June 7, from 3 – 6 p.m. ET on FOX.

Race Results

Epping	Race Result	Round Wins	Round Loss	Qualified	Event Record
2013 (FC)	1st round		Loss to C. Force	14th	0-1
2014 (FC)	Runner-up	Def. T. Pedregon Def. T. Johnson Jr Def. J. Force	Loss to R. Capps	5th	3-2
2015 (FC)	2nd round	Def. R. Capps	Loss to T. Johnson Jr	8th	4-3
2016 (FC)	1st round		Loss to D. Worsham	10th	4-4
2017 (FC)	1st round		Loss to B. Tasca	11th	4-5
2021 (FC)	1st round		Loss to R. Hight	5th	4-6
2022 (FC)	2nd round	Def. T. Wilkerson	Loss to R. Hight	9th	5-7
2023 (FC)	1st round		Loss to R. Hight	10th	5-8
2024 (FC)	1st round		Loss to C. Green	9th	5-9
2025 (FC)	Semi-finals	Def. R. Capps Def. P. Lee	Loss to J. Todd	6th	7-10

Wins: 0

No. 1 Qualifiers: 0

Round Record: 7-10

2026 Results

Event	Qualify	Round by Round	Round Record	Points Position
Gainesville	11	Beat Cruz Pedregon, Spencer Hyde, J.R. Todd; lost to Chad Green	3-1	2
Phoenix	12	Lost Jordan Vandergriff	3-2	6
Pomona1	7	Beat Dave Richards; lost to Ron Capps	4-3	7
Charlotte	5	Won 1st Quad; lost 2nd quad	5-4	6
Valdosta	10	Beat Cruz Pedregon, Matt Hagan; lost to J.R. Todd	7-5	6
Chicago	12	Beat Spencer Hyde, Dave Richards, Matt Hagan; lost to Chad Green	10-6	6
Maryland	7	Lost to Ron Capps	10-7	6

sAPULPA, OK (June 3, 2026) — When the American Sprint Car Series visited Benton Speedway on May 8, Ryder Laplante was sitting at home, waiting for the chance to drive a Sprint Car again. 

The week beforehand, the Calcera, OK native, was involved in a violent crash at Texas Motor Speedway that destroyed his No. 88R machine. 

While he climbed out of the car and walked away under his own power, he knew he needed to take a step back to prioritize his health, taking a week of rest while the Series competed in Missouri. 

“Mainly after the crash, I really couldn’t feel my right arm at all for about an hour, then I got feeling back,” Laplante said. “My bicep to my shoulder was really black and purple, I really couldn’t touch or move it for about a week. Then, my head was really foggy, so that’s when I knew I needed to calm down, sit back, and put my health first before I got back in the car again.” 

After two weeks of resting and healing, Laplante returned to the seat at Hunt County Raceway but finished 19th after an early DNF. 

The week after, he visited Southern Oklahoma Speedway with a 305 c.i. engine under the hood and returned to contending for victory. While Laplante led the first half of the night’s Feature, he came home in second place while trying to regain confidence in himself after the injury. 

“It’s taken me some time,” Laplante said. “We raced last week, and I still wasn’t 100% with my head. Mentally, I wasn’t driving the car as I should. We did really good, but I wasn’t Ryder Laplante behind the wheel. So, I’m still trying to get my head right. I’m going back to the gym, getting my routine back, keeping up with my dieting, and doing all that I need to do daily.” 

Laplante will make his return to full-time American Sprint Car Series competition in the Don Swope Classic at Creek County Speedway. The next day, he’ll travel northwest to Kansas for 81 Speedway’s Salute to Service Sprint Car Showdown. 

The 19-year-old “Sooner State” racer has two Micro Sprint wins at “Creekadega” and finished top-10 in the 2025 edition. After Friday, it’ll be the last Series race at a 1/4-mile until Worthington Speedway on July 30, but the challenge of bigger tracks has Laplante unfazed by pressure. 

“My mentality at Creek County is always, if you can come out there and finish the race, that’s a win,” Laplante said. “Anything else is a bonus. It’s a tough track, but we can get a top-10 there. I think we could finish podium or top five really easily. 

“I’m really starting to get comfortable on these high-speed tracks. Me and my dad, our communication is getting better with the car, and our results are showing for it. I’m really starting to favor these fast tracks. I don’t know why. I used to hate them, but it’s good to be excited about.” 

Despite Laplante’s absence at Benton, his sophomore season with the ASCS National Tour has not shown signs of a slump. He earned two top-10s at Volusia Speedway Park and Central Arizona Speedway, sitting seventh place in the points standings through the first nine races. 

“We’ve picked up a lot of speed, and we’ve learned a lot this year,” Laplante said. “Last year was just a rookie year. We were basically in school all of 2025, and I feel like we’re putting down what we learned now. 

“We got eighth at Volusia from the back of the field against the best guys in the world racing 360 Sprint Cars, then we had that sixth place at Case Grande. It’s just about getting back into our rhythm, getting back into the top five in points, then build on from there.” 

Laplante will get back behind the wheel of the Oklahoma Truck Driving Academy No. 88R at Creek County Speedway for the Don Swope Classic on Friday, June 5, and the Salute to Service Sprint Car Showdown at 81 Speedway on Saturday, June 6. The ASCS Sooner Region will join the National Tour for both nights, while the ASCS Gunsmoke Region will tag along for the Saturday event. 

CREEK COUNTY INFO 

81 SPEEDWAY INFO  

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

Ryder Laplante Returns to Daily Routine, Preparing for ASCS National Tour Comeback   SAPULPA, OK (June 3, 2026) — When the American Sprint Car Series visited Benton Speedway on May 8, Ryder Laplante was sitting at home, waiting for the chance to drive a Sprint Car again. 

The week beforehand, the Calcera, OK native, was involved in a violent crash at Texas Motor Speedway that destroyed his No. 88R machine. 

While he climbed out of the car and walked away under his own power, he knew he needed to take a step back to prioritize his health, taking a week of rest while the Series competed in Missouri. 

“Mainly after the crash, I really couldn’t feel my right arm at all for about an hour, then I got feeling back,” Laplante said. “My bicep to my shoulder was really black and purple, I really couldn’t touch or move it for about a week. Then, my head was really foggy, so that’s when I knew I needed to calm down, sit back, and put my health first before I got back in the car again.” 

After two weeks of resting and healing, Laplante returned to the seat at Hunt County Raceway but finished 19th after an early DNF. 

The week after, he visited Southern Oklahoma Speedway with a 305 c.i. engine under the hood and returned to contending for victory. While Laplante led the first half of the night’s Feature, he came home in second place while trying to regain confidence in himself after the injury. 

“It’s taken me some time,” Laplante said. “We raced last week, and I still wasn’t 100% with my head. Mentally, I wasn’t driving the car as I should. We did really good, but I wasn’t Ryder Laplante behind the wheel. So, I’m still trying to get my head right. I’m going back to the gym, getting my routine back, keeping up with my dieting, and doing all that I need to do daily.” 

Laplante will make his return to full-time American Sprint Car Series competition in the Don Swope Classic at Creek County Speedway. The next day, he’ll travel northwest to Kansas for 81 Speedway’s Salute to Service Sprint Car Showdown. 

The 19-year-old “Sooner State” racer has two Micro Sprint wins at “Creekadega” and finished top-10 in the 2025 edition. After Friday, it’ll be the last Series race at a 1/4-mile until Worthington Speedway on July 30, but the challenge of bigger tracks has Laplante unfazed by pressure. 

“My mentality at Creek County is always, if you can come out there and finish the race, that’s a win,” Laplante said. “Anything else is a bonus. It’s a tough track, but we can get a top-10 there. I think we could finish podium or top five really easily. 

“I’m really starting to get comfortable on these high-speed tracks. Me and my dad, our communication is getting better with the car, and our results are showing for it. I’m really starting to favor these fast tracks. I don’t know why. I used to hate them, but it’s good to be excited about.” 

Despite Laplante’s absence at Benton, his sophomore season with the ASCS National Tour has not shown signs of a slump. He earned two top-10s at Volusia Speedway Park and Central Arizona Speedway, sitting seventh place in the points standings through the first nine races. 

“We’ve picked up a lot of speed, and we’ve learned a lot this year,” Laplante said. “Last year was just a rookie year. We were basically in school all of 2025, and I feel like we’re putting down what we learned now. 

“We got eighth at Volusia from the back of the field against the best guys in the world racing 360 Sprint Cars, then we had that sixth place at Case Grande. It’s just about getting back into our rhythm, getting back into the top five in points, then build on from there.” 

Laplante will get back behind the wheel of the Oklahoma Truck Driving Academy No. 88R at Creek County Speedway for the Don Swope Classic on Friday, June 5, and the Salute to Service Sprint Car Showdown at 81 Speedway on Saturday, June 6. The ASCS Sooner Region will join the National Tour for both nights, while the ASCS Gunsmoke Region will tag along for the Saturday event. 

CREEK COUNTY INFO 

81 SPEEDWAY INFO  

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

ARTICLE:https://ascsracing.com/news/ryder-laplante-returns-to-daily-routine-preparing-for-ascs-national-tour-comeback/

TEAM CHEVY ADVANCE Michigan International SpeedwayJune 6-7, 2026

MEDIA RESOURCES: Photo Gallery | Race AdvancesChevrolet Newsroom

NASCAR will make its annual appearance in “Motor City” this weekend as two of the sport’s national divisions, the Cup and Craftsman Truck Series, are set to take on the two-mile oval of Michigan International Speedway. Located just outside of Detroit, the home of General Motorsports’ headquarters, Michigan International Speedway has an over five-decade long history with NASCAR – a timespan that has seen Chevrolet collect 50 victories across the sport’s national touring series at the track. Michigan International Speedway will welcome back the Truck Series for the 23rd time in history, with each of Chevrolet’s entrants looking for their first victory at the track in Saturday’s DQS Solutions & Staffing 250. Among the manufacturer’s full-time drivers includes special appearances by three Team Chevy Cup Series regulars – Ricky Stenhouse Jr., Ross Chastain and Carson Hocevar – as well as Cleetus McFarland, who will reunite with Niece Motorsports for his second career start in the division. On Sunday, Chevrolet’s Cup Series drivers and teams will compete for the coveted Michigan Heritage Trophy in the FireKeepers Casino 400. The series’ reigning champion, Kyle Larson, will represent the Bowtie brand on the elite list of just seven active past Michigan winners.

Heritage Trophy History: An additional honor will be up for grabs at the conclusion of Sunday’s 400-mile event – the prestigious Michigan Heritage Trophy. Exclusive to Michigan International Speedway, the award was introduced to the series during the 2013 season to recognize the winning manufacturer of each NASCAR Cup Series race. Since its debut, Chevrolet has brought the Michigan Heritage Trophy back to Detroit six times. Jimmie Johnson delivered Chevrolet its first trophy in June 2014, with Jeff Gordon (Aug. 2014) and Kurt Busch (June 2015) adding a pair of victories to extend the Bowtie brand’s streak to three-straight. The honors returned to Chevrolet in Aug. 2016 when Kyle Larson drove the No. 42 Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet to the win – his first in NASCAR’s top division – going on to make it three-in-a-row with a sweep of the 2017 events.

THE START OF A CHAMPIONSHIP CAREERA visit to Michigan International Speedway during the 2016 season saw Kyle Larson break through as a first-time winner in NASCAR’s top division, with the Team Chevy driver joining NASCAR Hall of famer, Dale Jarrett, as one of just two drivers in history to earn their first career victory at the track. Going on to sweep both Michigan races the following season, Larson heads into the weekend as the series’ winningest active driver at the track with three career victories to his name. In his 17 career starts at the track, Larson’s three wins have been accompanied by eight top-five and 10 top-10 finishes, including an impressive stretch of results no worse than seventh in five of the last six races. While a last-lap misfortune stripped away a deserving finish for the No. 5 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet team at Nashville Superspeedway last weekend, the strength of the reigning champions still prevailed with a runner-up finish in Stage One and 56 laps led – just one short of the race winner Denny Hamlin – to maintain the sixth position in the points standings.

MOMENTUM BUILDING IN MICHIGANLate night chaos in “Music City” saw a pair of Team Chevy drivers come home with season-high results and a boost of momentum for the upcoming Michigan race weekend.

For the second time this season, Ricky Stenhouse Jr. and the No. 47 Hyak Motorsports team earned the spot as the best finishing Chevrolet. With a four-tire call by veteran crew chief, Mike Kelley, to set up for a four-lap dash to the finish, Stenhouse Jr. made an impressive charge from 13th to fourth to earn the team’s best intermediate oval finish of the season. The night ended with an accumulation of 41 points – the second highest of the race behind the race winner Denny Hamlin – to move the team up three positions in the standings to start the second-half of the regular season.

Shane van Gisbergen continues to impress in his progression on the oval tracks. Battling within the top-10 through much of the race, the New Zealand native took the checkered flag in the fifth position to earn his season-high, and career-best, result on a traditional oval track. The showing extended a stellar stretch for the No. 97 Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet team – earning an average finish of 5.67 over the last three races, which is the second-best in the series behind the points leader, Tyler Reddick.

BRYON READY TO REBOUND William Byron and the No. 24 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet team have earned runner-up finishes in two of the last five NASCAR Cup Series races at Michigan International Speedway. But it was one year ago that the North Carolina native came just short of his first Michigan triumph when late-race fuel mileage woes took the team out of contention. Despite the finishing result, Byron’s overall performance throughout the race proves the driver will be one to watch in Sunday’s event. In the 2025 race, Byron turned a fourth-place starting spot into a pair of top-two stage finishes en route to a race-high 98 laps led.

ENFINGER EYEING OPPORTUNITY CR7 Motorsports’ Grant Enfinger left Nashville Superspeedway with a strong four position gain in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series points standings, with the Alabama native heading to a track where he’s built a stout resume. When the series returned to the Irish Hills last season after a five-year hiatus, Enfinger came just one spot short of a trip to victory lane, ultimately leading Chevrolet with a runner-up finish. With the result, the veteran driver has finished no worse than eighth in five of his six career starts at the track. The No. 9 Chevrolet team is also coming off one of their best performances on pit road of the season, with the team’s veteran pit crew topping the speed chart in “Music City” with the best average four-tire pit stop time of 14.16 seconds.

BOWTIE BULLETS:·        Chevrolet will serve as the official pace vehicle for the doubleheader weekend at Michigan International Speedway, with the Corvette Stingray pacing the NASCAR Cup Series and the Silverado RST pacing the Craftsman Truck Series. ·        Victories by active Chevrolet drivers in the NASCAR Cup Series at Michigan International Speedway:  Kyle Larson – three wins (2016, 2017 sweep) ·        In 108 NASCAR Cup Series races held at Michigan International Speedway, Chevrolet has recorded 26 victories and 27 poles. ·        Since the Michigan Heritage Trophy was introduced to the series in 2013, Chevrolet has taken the honor six times, with the last three courtesy of Kyle Larson’s three-peat (Aug. 2016, 2017 sweep).  ·        Daniel Suarez’s Coca-Cola 600 win marked Chevrolet’s fourth consecutive trip to victory lane in NASCAR’s premier series, setting the season record for the longest points-paying win streak by a single manufacturer.  ·        At Talladega Superspeedway, Chevrolet tallied six top-10 finishes, marking the second time this season a manufacturer has placed six cars in the top-10 of a Cup Series event. The Bowtie brand took it one step further by achieving the highest representation of different organizations within those results with five Chevrolet organizations placing drivers in the top-10.  ·        With seven-straight victories to start the 2026 NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series season, Chevrolet set the record for the longest season-opening streak by a single manufacturer in the division’s history.  ·        In 158 points-paying races in the NASCAR Cup Series Next Gen era, Chevrolet leads all manufacturers with 72 victories – a winning percentage of 45.6%.  ·        Chevrolet is coming off its 29th all-time sweep of the NASCAR Cup Series championship titles – capturing its 34th driver championship and 44th, and fifth consecutive, manufacturer championship in 2025.  ·        With its 44 NASCAR Cup Series manufacturer championships, 34 NASCAR Cup Series driver championships, and 886 all-time NASCAR Cup Series wins, Chevrolet continues to hold the title as the winningest brand in NASCAR Cup Series history. FOR THE FANS: Fans can visit the Team Chevy Racing Display in the Fan Midway at Michigan International Speedway, which features a variety of vehicles including: Silverado 1500 ZR2, Silverado 2500 ZR2, Colorado Trail Boss, Silverado EV RST, Traverse Z71, Tahoe Z71, Equinox RS, Corvette Grand Sport, Next Gen Camaro ZL1 Show Car, 1973 Laguna. Chevrolet Display Hours of Operation:Friday, June 5: 12:30 p.m. – 5:00 p.m. Saturday, June 6: 7:30 a.m. – 1:30 p.m.  Sunday, June 7:: 9:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m.   Team Chevy Driver Appearances at the Display:Saturday, June 6Grant Enfinger: 12:00 p.m. – 12:15 p.m. Andres Perez de Lara: 12:15 p.m. – 12:30 p.m. Sunday, June 7Daniel Suarez: 10:45 a.m. – 11:00 a.m. Carson Hocevar: 11:00 a.m. – 11:15 a.m. Ricky Stenhouse Jr.: 11:15 a.m. – 11:30 a.m. Connor Zilisch: 11:30 a.m. – 11:45 a.m. Cole Custer: 11:45 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. William Byron: 12:00 p.m. – 12:15 p.m.

TUNE-IN:NASCAR Cup Series FireKeepers Casino 400Sunday, June 7, at 3 p.m. ETAmazon Prime, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90  NASCAR Craftsman Truck SeriesDQS Solutions & Staffing 250 powered by Precision Vehicle LogisticsSaturday, June 6, at 1:30 p.m. ETFS1, NASCAR Racing Network and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90

QUOTABLE QUOTES:Ross Chastain, No. 1 Trackhouse Racing ChevroletThe best you’ve finished at Michigan is sixth, which came in your last race. What’s something you can do or the team can do to get you into the top-five? “Yeah, the balance and the pitch of the car, getting that set and having that right when we unload plus qualifying well for sure. We can watch other drivers’ commitment level. The team can make adjustments to the car with air pressure and things right before we qualify, based on our teammates. It starts with a good metric score, which rolls into a good qualifying effort after a good practice session and then go race. I’ve taken us out of the shot to win there by crashing on a pit cycle when I didn’t need to. Avoiding that would be top of mind for me as well.” Michigan is your final double duty race when it comes to the Craftsman Truck Series. How do you feel about that and why do you continue to race in the other series?“I wish I could race more Truck series races. I love the series and I like to take any opportunity I can to get behind the wheel and get more laps during a race weekend. For me personally, I feel like running the other series makes me a better driver in the Cup car. I get more reps and I think that’s good for me. Unfortunately, NASCAR has a limit on the number we can race, but I’m going to take advantage and run every race I can. I still have three more O’Reilly Auto Parts Series races this year, so I’m looking forward to those.” Daniel Suarez, No. 7 Spire Motorsports ChevroletWhat do you enjoy most about racing at Michigan and how do you prepare for it each year?“I have lots of good memories at Michigan. I enjoy the track and how fast it is, how wide it is, and how many different lines you can run. It really lets you be aggressive, but you also have to be smart with tire management and track position. This place has been good to me in the past, and it’s definitely one I look forward to every time we come back. The fans are incredible, the atmosphere is electric and the racing is always exciting. When everything clicks – the car, the strategy, and the team – you can really make a statement. I’m always looking to build on those past experiences and push for another strong performance this weekend.”   Ty Dillon, No. 10 Kaulig Racing ChevroletWhat are your thoughts after last week’s strong run by both Kaulig Racing cars?“I’m really proud of everyone at Kaulig Racing. We overcame a lot Sunday night at Nashville Superspeedway and still got our best finish of the season. It would have been easy for everyone to give up when we were two laps down, but we didn’t, and it paid off. Kaulig Racing is working hard. Everyone knows the challenges we face, but that’s not stopping us from giving the best effort we can every day. A 12th-place finish isn’t our goal, but it shows our progress. We want better for Matt Kaulig, our sponsors and everyone who supports us. We’re digging. We’re fighters. We don’t give up no matter what comes our way, and I feel like our team is building. So, we’re learning, improving, and now it is on to Michigan with a little bit of momentum.”   AJ Allmendinger, No. 16 Kaulig Racing ChevroletWhat are your thoughts on Michigan and the test at Indy this week?“The last couple years at Michigan, we’ve had a had a decent balance and we ran okay there last year. It’s just track position oriented and restarts are important, depending on what lane you get in. In qualifying, you’re about wide open, if not totally wide open. It’s just a fast race track where balance is really key there. We’re testing this week in Indy (at Indianapolis Motor Speedway) and we’re hoping to learn some things that we can carry over to Michigan. It’s the same mindset where we are trying to learn each weekend.”   Ricky Stenhouse Jr., No. 47 Hyak Motorsports Chevrolet“Nashville was a great step forward for our whole team, and coming away with a fourth-place finish definitely gives us something to build on heading into Michigan. The guys at the shop have been working hard and we’ve started putting together some strong runs lately. Michigan is a place where speed matters a lot, and with Pylon Aviation on board, we’re looking forward to carrying that momentum into another solid weekend for the No. 47 team.”   Cody Ware, No. 51 Rick Ware Racing Chevrolet“Michigan is about as fast as it gets. You’re just about wide-open, and completely wide open when your car’s right and the track conditions are right. It takes a mega-level of commitment to keep your foot to the floor. You’ve got to tell yourself not to lift when you really want to going into the corner.”   Michael McDowell, No. 71 Spire Motorsports ChevroletWhat do you look for in your race car at Michigan?“Michigan is always a track I look forward to. It’s one of those places where you really get a sense for where everyone stacks up from a performance standpoint. With the speed we’ve had over the last month at Spire Motorsports, especially on the intermediate and larger tracks, I’m excited about what we can do this weekend. The horsepower from the Hendrick engine shop has been a huge help for us this year, and Michigan is a place where that can really make a difference. It’s a fast track with plenty of downforce and being efficient aerodynamically while maximizing horsepower is going to be key all weekend. It feels like there is nowhere to hide, and everything gets amplified. Since Watkins Glen, we have started to get back on the right track. I think we could have two more top-10 finishes. We have the speed and momentum is building for our No. 71 group. So, a good clean race in Michigan with Garner Trucking will be great for us heading into this next four-race stretch.”   Carson Hocevar, No. 77 Spire Motorsports ChevroletWhat do you remember about taking the lead late in the race last year, and how do you use that as motivation for this weekend?“I remember that moment last year really well. I got to (Kyle) Larson’s right rear, and I knew he lost a lot of momentum from it so I shot out to the lead. I always have tunnel vision while racing. The sky could turn purple and I’d have no idea. But for some reason, I actually looked in the stands when I was coming off of Turn 4. It is a really long straightaway, and I remember seeing so many of them jumping up and cheering. It’s definitely one of the coolest racing memories I have – one I will cherish for a long time. Michigan is somewhere I am really comfortable and we have shown we have the speed to compete up front. Hopefully I can give all the Michigan fans something to cheer for on Sunday.” Zeigler returns to the No. 77 this week for their first points race of the year. What does it mean to have a Michigan-based company on your car for your home race?“Harold, Aaron and the whole Zeigler family have been really great to me. The Zeigler headquarters is actually just a few miles down the road from where I grew up in Kalamazoo and remember passing it all the time when I was a kid. When you represent the Zeigler family and Zeigler Auto Group, you feel like you are representing the Kalamazoo and Portage areas. Could be a really special day if we can get it done.”   Connor Zilisch, No. 88 Trackhouse Racing ChevroletWhat are your thoughts entering this week’s race at Michigan?“I’m excited to go to Michigan again. The first time I went there was in an ARCA car and we were able to get the win. It’s a fun track, really fast and really big. I’m really looking forward to going to Michigan with Trackhouse in a Next Gen Cup car and try to figure it out as fast as I can. It’s awesome to have WeatherTech back on board. We have won a lot of races together. This is our first race in the Cup Series together so I’m looking forward to having them back as a partner.” What do you remember about the ARCA race from a couple of years ago?“The ARCA cars were wide open there. I was leading the race and holding it wide open and not having to do too much. This will be my first time getting to experience Michigan where the racetrack is actually a little bit tricky. I’m looking forward to it and it’s my first time there in anything except an ARCA car so I’m going to have a lot to learn when we show up. Hopefully qualifying doesn’t get rained out like it has been in the past few weeks and I can give myself a chance to start in a better spot. I definitely have a lot to learn going to Michigan.” Shane van Gisbergen, No. 97 Trackhouse Racing ChevroletWhat are your thoughts on Michigan International Speedway?“It’s alright, it’s a super-fast track. Hopefully we just keep showing improvement and keep some momentum going. It’s been great for our points the last few weeks. We just have to keep that going.” Is this No. 97 team going in the right direction?“It definitely feels like it! We had a bad couple of months, but it feels like it’s definitely turned around the last couple of weeks. It’s a real momentum based sport and confidence based as well. We just need to keep that going and lift our teammates up with us. If we are all running good, it will really help the whole team.” The last two weeks, you’ve qualified in the top 10. Does that prove how important track position is? “It’s 100% proven, two weeks in a row, you start up front, you run up front, stay there and it gives you more options. That’s really the answer. So, I’m sure we will have a proper qualifying this weekend, we just need to make sure we get it right on our qualifying lap.” Overall, though, with being at the front more frequently, where have you seen the biggest improvement?“I think it’s always just time and always learning stuff. The further up front you are, the better people race you, as well, so that’s always nice. It’s a real dogfight in the back, so getting away from that is a nice break. I think it really shows the importance of qualifying, getting up front, making no mistakes, and you can stay out there all day.”

TEAM CHEVY ADVANCEMichigan International SpeedwayJune 6-7, 2026

MEDIA RESOURCES: Photo Gallery | Race AdvancesChevrolet Newsroom

NASCAR will make its annual appearance in “Motor City” this weekend as two of the sport’s national divisions, the Cup and Craftsman Truck Series, are set to take on the two-mile oval of Michigan International Speedway. Located just outside of Detroit, the home of General Motorsports’ headquarters, Michigan International Speedway has an over five-decade long history with NASCAR – a timespan that has seen Chevrolet collect 50 victories across the sport’s national touring series at the track. Michigan International Speedway will welcome back the Truck Series for the 23rd time in history, with each of Chevrolet’s entrants looking for their first victory at the track in Saturday’s DQS Solutions & Staffing 250. Among the manufacturer’s full-time drivers includes special appearances by three Team Chevy Cup Series regulars – Ricky Stenhouse Jr., Ross Chastain and Carson Hocevar – as well as Cleetus McFarland, who will reunite with Niece Motorsports for his second career start in the division. On Sunday, Chevrolet’s Cup Series drivers and teams will compete for the coveted Michigan Heritage Trophy in the FireKeepers Casino 400. The series’ reigning champion, Kyle Larson, will represent the Bowtie brand on the elite list of just seven active past Michigan winners.

Heritage Trophy History: An additional honor will be up for grabs at the conclusion of Sunday’s 400-mile event – the prestigious Michigan Heritage Trophy. Exclusive to Michigan International Speedway, the award was introduced to the series during the 2013 season to recognize the winning manufacturer of each NASCAR Cup Series race. Since its debut, Chevrolet has brought the Michigan Heritage Trophy back to Detroit six times. Jimmie Johnson delivered Chevrolet its first trophy in June 2014, with Jeff Gordon (Aug. 2014) and Kurt Busch (June 2015) adding a pair of victories to extend the Bowtie brand’s streak to three-straight. The honors returned to Chevrolet in Aug. 2016 when Kyle Larson drove the No. 42 Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet to the win – his first in NASCAR’s top division – going on to make it three-in-a-row with a sweep of the 2017 events.

THE START OF A CHAMPIONSHIP CAREERA visit to Michigan International Speedway during the 2016 season saw Kyle Larson break through as a first-time winner in NASCAR’s top division, with the Team Chevy driver joining NASCAR Hall of famer, Dale Jarrett, as one of just two drivers in history to earn their first career victory at the track. Going on to sweep both Michigan races the following season, Larson heads into the weekend as the series’ winningest active driver at the track with three career victories to his name. In his 17 career starts at the track, Larson’s three wins have been accompanied by eight top-five and 10 top-10 finishes, including an impressive stretch of results no worse than seventh in five of the last six races. While a last-lap misfortune stripped away a deserving finish for the No. 5 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet team at Nashville Superspeedway last weekend, the strength of the reigning champions still prevailed with a runner-up finish in Stage One and 56 laps led – just one short of the race winner Denny Hamlin – to maintain the sixth position in the points standings.

MOMENTUM BUILDING IN MICHIGANLate night chaos in “Music City” saw a pair of Team Chevy drivers come home with season-high results and a boost of momentum for the upcoming Michigan race weekend.

For the second time this season, Ricky Stenhouse Jr. and the No. 47 Hyak Motorsports team earned the spot as the best finishing Chevrolet. With a four-tire call by veteran crew chief, Mike Kelley, to set up for a four-lap dash to the finish, Stenhouse Jr. made an impressive charge from 13th to fourth to earn the team’s best intermediate oval finish of the season. The night ended with an accumulation of 41 points – the second highest of the race behind the race winner Denny Hamlin – to move the team up three positions in the standings to start the second-half of the regular season.

Shane van Gisbergen continues to impress in his progression on the oval tracks. Battling within the top-10 through much of the race, the New Zealand native took the checkered flag in the fifth position to earn his season-high, and career-best, result on a traditional oval track. The showing extended a stellar stretch for the No. 97 Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet team – earning an average finish of 5.67 over the last three races, which is the second-best in the series behind the points leader, Tyler Reddick.

BRYON READY TO REBOUND William Byron and the No. 24 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet team have earned runner-up finishes in two of the last five NASCAR Cup Series races at Michigan International Speedway. But it was one year ago that the North Carolina native came just short of his first Michigan triumph when late-race fuel mileage woes took the team out of contention. Despite the finishing result, Byron’s overall performance throughout the race proves the driver will be one to watch in Sunday’s event. In the 2025 race, Byron turned a fourth-place starting spot into a pair of top-two stage finishes en route to a race-high 98 laps led.

ENFINGER EYEING OPPORTUNITY CR7 Motorsports’ Grant Enfinger left Nashville Superspeedway with a strong four position gain in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series points standings, with the Alabama native heading to a track where he’s built a stout resume. When the series returned to the Irish Hills last season after a five-year hiatus, Enfinger came just one spot short of a trip to victory lane, ultimately leading Chevrolet with a runner-up finish. With the result, the veteran driver has finished no worse than eighth in five of his six career starts at the track. The No. 9 Chevrolet team is also coming off one of their best performances on pit road of the season, with the team’s veteran pit crew topping the speed chart in “Music City” with the best average four-tire pit stop time of 14.16 seconds.

BOWTIE BULLETS:·        Chevrolet will serve as the official pace vehicle for the doubleheader weekend at Michigan International Speedway, with the Corvette Stingray pacing the NASCAR Cup Series and the Silverado RST pacing the Craftsman Truck Series. ·        Victories by active Chevrolet drivers in the NASCAR Cup Series at Michigan International Speedway:  Kyle Larson – three wins (2016, 2017 sweep) ·        In 108 NASCAR Cup Series races held at Michigan International Speedway, Chevrolet has recorded 26 victories and 27 poles. ·        Since the Michigan Heritage Trophy was introduced to the series in 2013, Chevrolet has taken the honor six times, with the last three courtesy of Kyle Larson’s three-peat (Aug. 2016, 2017 sweep).  ·        Daniel Suarez’s Coca-Cola 600 win marked Chevrolet’s fourth consecutive trip to victory lane in NASCAR’s premier series, setting the season record for the longest points-paying win streak by a single manufacturer.  ·        At Talladega Superspeedway, Chevrolet tallied six top-10 finishes, marking the second time this season a manufacturer has placed six cars in the top-10 of a Cup Series event. The Bowtie brand took it one step further by achieving the highest representation of different organizations within those results with five Chevrolet organizations placing drivers in the top-10.  ·        With seven-straight victories to start the 2026 NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series season, Chevrolet set the record for the longest season-opening streak by a single manufacturer in the division’s history.  ·        In 158 points-paying races in the NASCAR Cup Series Next Gen era, Chevrolet leads all manufacturers with 72 victories – a winning percentage of 45.6%.  ·        Chevrolet is coming off its 29th all-time sweep of the NASCAR Cup Series championship titles – capturing its 34th driver championship and 44th, and fifth consecutive, manufacturer championship in 2025.  ·        With its 44 NASCAR Cup Series manufacturer championships, 34 NASCAR Cup Series driver championships, and 886 all-time NASCAR Cup Series wins, Chevrolet continues to hold the title as the winningest brand in NASCAR Cup Series history. FOR THE FANS: Fans can visit the Team Chevy Racing Display in the Fan Midway at Michigan International Speedway, which features a variety of vehicles including: Silverado 1500 ZR2, Silverado 2500 ZR2, Colorado Trail Boss, Silverado EV RST, Traverse Z71, Tahoe Z71, Equinox RS, Corvette Grand Sport, Next Gen Camaro ZL1 Show Car, 1973 Laguna. Chevrolet Display Hours of Operation:Friday, June 5: 12:30 p.m. – 5:00 p.m. Saturday, June 6: 7:30 a.m. – 1:30 p.m.  Sunday, June 7:: 9:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m.   Team Chevy Driver Appearances at the Display:Saturday, June 6Grant Enfinger: 12:00 p.m. – 12:15 p.m. Andres Perez de Lara: 12:15 p.m. – 12:30 p.m. Sunday, June 7Daniel Suarez: 10:45 a.m. – 11:00 a.m. Carson Hocevar: 11:00 a.m. – 11:15 a.m. Ricky Stenhouse Jr.: 11:15 a.m. – 11:30 a.m. Connor Zilisch: 11:30 a.m. – 11:45 a.m. Cole Custer: 11:45 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. William Byron: 12:00 p.m. – 12:15 p.m.

TUNE-IN:NASCAR Cup Series FireKeepers Casino 400Sunday, June 7, at 3 p.m. ETAmazon Prime, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90  NASCAR Craftsman Truck SeriesDQS Solutions & Staffing 250 powered by Precision Vehicle LogisticsSaturday, June 6, at 1:30 p.m. ETFS1, NASCAR Racing Network and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90

QUOTABLE QUOTES:Ross Chastain, No. 1 Trackhouse Racing ChevroletThe best you’ve finished at Michigan is sixth, which came in your last race. What’s something you can do or the team can do to get you into the top-five? “Yeah, the balance and the pitch of the car, getting that set and having that right when we unload plus qualifying well for sure. We can watch other drivers’ commitment level. The team can make adjustments to the car with air pressure and things right before we qualify, based on our teammates. It starts with a good metric score, which rolls into a good qualifying effort after a good practice session and then go race. I’ve taken us out of the shot to win there by crashing on a pit cycle when I didn’t need to. Avoiding that would be top of mind for me as well.” Michigan is your final double duty race when it comes to the Craftsman Truck Series. How do you feel about that and why do you continue to race in the other series?“I wish I could race more Truck series races. I love the series and I like to take any opportunity I can to get behind the wheel and get more laps during a race weekend. For me personally, I feel like running the other series makes me a better driver in the Cup car. I get more reps and I think that’s good for me. Unfortunately, NASCAR has a limit on the number we can race, but I’m going to take advantage and run every race I can. I still have three more O’Reilly Auto Parts Series races this year, so I’m looking forward to those.” Daniel Suarez, No. 7 Spire Motorsports ChevroletWhat do you enjoy most about racing at Michigan and how do you prepare for it each year?“I have lots of good memories at Michigan. I enjoy the track and how fast it is, how wide it is, and how many different lines you can run. It really lets you be aggressive, but you also have to be smart with tire management and track position. This place has been good to me in the past, and it’s definitely one I look forward to every time we come back. The fans are incredible, the atmosphere is electric and the racing is always exciting. When everything clicks – the car, the strategy, and the team – you can really make a statement. I’m always looking to build on those past experiences and push for another strong performance this weekend.”   Ty Dillon, No. 10 Kaulig Racing ChevroletWhat are your thoughts after last week’s strong run by both Kaulig Racing cars?“I’m really proud of everyone at Kaulig Racing. We overcame a lot Sunday night at Nashville Superspeedway and still got our best finish of the season. It would have been easy for everyone to give up when we were two laps down, but we didn’t, and it paid off. Kaulig Racing is working hard. Everyone knows the challenges we face, but that’s not stopping us from giving the best effort we can every day. A 12th-place finish isn’t our goal, but it shows our progress. We want better for Matt Kaulig, our sponsors and everyone who supports us. We’re digging. We’re fighters. We don’t give up no matter what comes our way, and I feel like our team is building. So, we’re learning, improving, and now it is on to Michigan with a little bit of momentum.”   AJ Allmendinger, No. 16 Kaulig Racing ChevroletWhat are your thoughts on Michigan and the test at Indy this week?“The last couple years at Michigan, we’ve had a had a decent balance and we ran okay there last year. It’s just track position oriented and restarts are important, depending on what lane you get in. In qualifying, you’re about wide open, if not totally wide open. It’s just a fast race track where balance is really key there. We’re testing this week in Indy (at Indianapolis Motor Speedway) and we’re hoping to learn some things that we can carry over to Michigan. It’s the same mindset where we are trying to learn each weekend.”   Ricky Stenhouse Jr., No. 47 Hyak Motorsports Chevrolet“Nashville was a great step forward for our whole team, and coming away with a fourth-place finish definitely gives us something to build on heading into Michigan. The guys at the shop have been working hard and we’ve started putting together some strong runs lately. Michigan is a place where speed matters a lot, and with Pylon Aviation on board, we’re looking forward to carrying that momentum into another solid weekend for the No. 47 team.”   Cody Ware, No. 51 Rick Ware Racing Chevrolet“Michigan is about as fast as it gets. You’re just about wide-open, and completely wide open when your car’s right and the track conditions are right. It takes a mega-level of commitment to keep your foot to the floor. You’ve got to tell yourself not to lift when you really want to going into the corner.”   Michael McDowell, No. 71 Spire Motorsports ChevroletWhat do you look for in your race car at Michigan?“Michigan is always a track I look forward to. It’s one of those places where you really get a sense for where everyone stacks up from a performance standpoint. With the speed we’ve had over the last month at Spire Motorsports, especially on the intermediate and larger tracks, I’m excited about what we can do this weekend. The horsepower from the Hendrick engine shop has been a huge help for us this year, and Michigan is a place where that can really make a difference. It’s a fast track with plenty of downforce and being efficient aerodynamically while maximizing horsepower is going to be key all weekend. It feels like there is nowhere to hide, and everything gets amplified. Since Watkins Glen, we have started to get back on the right track. I think we could have two more top-10 finishes. We have the speed and momentum is building for our No. 71 group. So, a good clean race in Michigan with Garner Trucking will be great for us heading into this next four-race stretch.”   Carson Hocevar, No. 77 Spire Motorsports ChevroletWhat do you remember about taking the lead late in the race last year, and how do you use that as motivation for this weekend?“I remember that moment last year really well. I got to (Kyle) Larson’s right rear, and I knew he lost a lot of momentum from it so I shot out to the lead. I always have tunnel vision while racing. The sky could turn purple and I’d have no idea. But for some reason, I actually looked in the stands when I was coming off of Turn 4. It is a really long straightaway, and I remember seeing so many of them jumping up and cheering. It’s definitely one of the coolest racing memories I have – one I will cherish for a long time. Michigan is somewhere I am really comfortable and we have shown we have the speed to compete up front. Hopefully I can give all the Michigan fans something to cheer for on Sunday.” Zeigler returns to the No. 77 this week for their first points race of the year. What does it mean to have a Michigan-based company on your car for your home race?“Harold, Aaron and the whole Zeigler family have been really great to me. The Zeigler headquarters is actually just a few miles down the road from where I grew up in Kalamazoo and remember passing it all the time when I was a kid. When you represent the Zeigler family and Zeigler Auto Group, you feel like you are representing the Kalamazoo and Portage areas. Could be a really special day if we can get it done.”   Connor Zilisch, No. 88 Trackhouse Racing ChevroletWhat are your thoughts entering this week’s race at Michigan?“I’m excited to go to Michigan again. The first time I went there was in an ARCA car and we were able to get the win. It’s a fun track, really fast and really big. I’m really looking forward to going to Michigan with Trackhouse in a Next Gen Cup car and try to figure it out as fast as I can. It’s awesome to have WeatherTech back on board. We have won a lot of races together. This is our first race in the Cup Series together so I’m looking forward to having them back as a partner.” What do you remember about the ARCA race from a couple of years ago?“The ARCA cars were wide open there. I was leading the race and holding it wide open and not having to do too much. This will be my first time getting to experience Michigan where the racetrack is actually a little bit tricky. I’m looking forward to it and it’s my first time there in anything except an ARCA car so I’m going to have a lot to learn when we show up. Hopefully qualifying doesn’t get rained out like it has been in the past few weeks and I can give myself a chance to start in a better spot. I definitely have a lot to learn going to Michigan.” Shane van Gisbergen, No. 97 Trackhouse Racing ChevroletWhat are your thoughts on Michigan International Speedway?“It’s alright, it’s a super-fast track. Hopefully we just keep showing improvement and keep some momentum going. It’s been great for our points the last few weeks. We just have to keep that going.” Is this No. 97 team going in the right direction?“It definitely feels like it! We had a bad couple of months, but it feels like it’s definitely turned around the last couple of weeks. It’s a real momentum based sport and confidence based as well. We just need to keep that going and lift our teammates up with us. If we are all running good, it will really help the whole team.” The last two weeks, you’ve qualified in the top 10. Does that prove how important track position is? “It’s 100% proven, two weeks in a row, you start up front, you run up front, stay there and it gives you more options. That’s really the answer. So, I’m sure we will have a proper qualifying this weekend, we just need to make sure we get it right on our qualifying lap.” Overall, though, with being at the front more frequently, where have you seen the biggest improvement?“I think it’s always just time and always learning stuff. The further up front you are, the better people race you, as well, so that’s always nice. It’s a real dogfight in the back, so getting away from that is a nice break. I think it really shows the importance of qualifying, getting up front, making no mistakes, and you can stay out there all day.”

Chevrolet NASCAR Cup Series Statistics Manufacturer Championships:Total (1949-2025): 44First title for Chevrolet: 1958Highest number of consecutive titles: 13 (2003-15)Most recent: 2025 Years Won: 1958, 1959, 1960, 1961, 1972, 1973, 1974, 1976, 1977, 1978, 1979, 1980, 1983, 1984, 1985, 1986, 1987, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1991, 1993, 1995, 1996, 1998, 2001, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024, 2025 Driver Championships:Total (1949-2025): 34First Chevrolet champion: Buck Baker (1957)Highest number of consecutive titles: 7 (2005-11)Most recent: Kyle Larson (2025)Driver and Manufacturer Championship Sweeps: 29 Years Won: 1957, 1960, 1961, 1973, 1976, 1977, 1979, 1980, 1984, 1985, 1986, 1987, 1990, 1991, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 2001, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2013, 2014, 2016, 2020, 2021, 2025 Event Victories:Record for total race wins in single season: 26 (2007)                2026 STATISTICS:                                                                                                    Wins: 5Poles: 3Laps Led: 1,139Top-Fives: 26Top-10s: 51Stage Wins: 12 CHEVROLET IN NASCAR CUMULATIVE STATISTICS:Total Chevrolet race wins: 886 (1949 to date)Poles won to date: 769Laps led to date: 257,873Top-fives to date: 4,462Top-10s to date: 9,202                                                                                                          Total NASCAR Cup Wins by Corporation, 1949 to Date:                    General Motors: 1,220           Chevrolet: 886           Pontiac: 154           Oldsmobile: 115           Buick: 65            Ford: 848                                                                                          Ford: 748           Mercury: 96           Lincoln: 4            Fiat Chrysler Automobiles: 467           Dodge: 217           Plymouth: 191           Chrysler: 59            Toyota: 211

Inside Line Promotions – WATSONVILLE, Calif. (June 3, 2026) – Dominic Scelzi recorded two more feature victories and four top-five finishes in the month of May.

The biggest triumph occurred on May 2 at Santa Maria Speedway in Santa Maria, Calif., where Scelzi qualified fifth quickest, won a heat race and placed second in the dash before he captured his first NARC King of the West Sprint Car Series triumph since June 2024.

“I felt like we did everything we needed to do and things went our way,” he said. “We ran second the first half of the race and then we started to pressure the leader. Once we got into traffic, he misjudged a car and got upside down. We inherited the lead and took advantage. It was a great night for us.”

Scelzi backed it up with a victory six days later at Silver Dollar Speedway in Chico, Calif. It marked his first time with back-to-back wins since August 2023.

“We ran second for the first six or seven laps,” he said. “I was able to get by (Sean) Becker down the back straightaway. He closed the door into turn three and missed the bottom. I was able nail the bottom to drive into the lead off turn four. I felt really good all night and was able to make the most of it.”

Scelzi also produced a fourth-place finish at Watsonville Speedway on May 15 and a fifth-place result at Thunderbowl Raceway in Tulare, Calif., on May 16. He capped the month last Friday by racing from last to 14^th place in the NARC King of the West Sprint Car Series main event to garner the Hard Charger Award for passing the most cars.

“All in all, I’m happy with the speed we carried throughout the month,” he said. “The high point was the two wins. The low points were a couple of bad finishes with the majority of them coming from part failures and issues like that. I think this month showed we have the speed to contend for wins, but we also have areas where we can improve.”

Up next for Scelzi is a NARC King of the West Sprint Car Series race this Saturday at Silver Dollar Speedway before he heads to Oregon, Washington and Montana for 10 races with the NARC King of the West Sprint Car Series and Interstate Batteries High Limit Racing during the following three weeks.

“I think we’re on the right foot,” he said. “With the car, I feel well rounded and where we need to be. It’s a matter of qualifying well to put ourselves in position. Last year we ended up second during the NARC Speedweek deal. Overall, we were pretty strong. I expect the same and to be competitive.”

QUICK RESULTS –

May 1 – Watsonville Speedway in Watsonville, Calif. – Qualifying: 8; Heat race: 2 (2); Feature: 20 (8). 

May 2 – Santa Maria Speedway in Santa Maria, Calif. – Qualifying: 5; Heat race: 1 (1); Dash: 2 (4); Feature: 1 (2). 

May 8 – Silver Dollar Speedway in Chico, Calif. – Qualifying: 3; Heat race: 3 (4); Feature: 1 (2). 

May 9 – Silver Dollar Speedway in Chico, Calif. – Qualifying: 15; Heat race: 3 (3); Feature: 18 (11). 

May 15 – Watsonville Speedway in Watsonville, Calif. – Qualifying: 10; Heat race: 4 (5); Feature: 4 (8). 

May 16 – Thunderbowl Raceway in Tulare, Calif. – Qualifying: 6; Heat race: 2 (1); Feature: 5 (8). 

May 29 – Watsonville Speedway in Watsonville, Calif. – Qualifying: 11; Heat race: DNF (3); Feature: 14 (23). 

SEASON STATS –

10 races, 3 wins, 7 top fives, 7 top 10s, 8 top 15s, 10 top 20s

UP NEXT –

Dominic Scelzi Highlights May With Back-to-Back Trips to Victory Lane 

Inside Line Promotions – WATSONVILLE, Calif. (June 3, 2026) – Dominic Scelzi recorded two more feature victories and four top-five finishes in the month of May.

The biggest triumph occurred on May 2 at Santa Maria Speedway in Santa Maria, Calif., where Scelzi qualified fifth quickest, won a heat race and placed second in the dash before he captured his first NARC King of the West Sprint Car Series triumph since June 2024.

“I felt like we did everything we needed to do and things went our way,” he said. “We ran second the first half of the race and then we started to pressure the leader. Once we got into traffic, he misjudged a car and got upside down. We inherited the lead and took advantage. It was a great night for us.”

Scelzi backed it up with a victory six days later at Silver Dollar Speedway in Chico, Calif. It marked his first time with back-to-back wins since August 2023.

“We ran second for the first six or seven laps,” he said. “I was able to get by (Sean) Becker down the back straightaway. He closed the door into turn three and missed the bottom. I was able nail the bottom to drive into the lead off turn four. I felt really good all night and was able to make the most of it.”

Scelzi also produced a fourth-place finish at Watsonville Speedway on May 15 and a fifth-place result at Thunderbowl Raceway in Tulare, Calif., on May 16. He capped the month last Friday by racing from last to 14^th place in the NARC King of the West Sprint Car Series main event to garner the Hard Charger Award for passing the most cars.

“All in all, I’m happy with the speed we carried throughout the month,” he said. “The high point was the two wins. The low points were a couple of bad finishes with the majority of them coming from part failures and issues like that. I think this month showed we have the speed to contend for wins, but we also have areas where we can improve.”

Up next for Scelzi is a NARC King of the West Sprint Car Series race this Saturday at Silver Dollar Speedway before he heads to Oregon, Washington and Montana for 10 races with the NARC King of the West Sprint Car Series and Interstate Batteries High Limit Racing during the following three weeks.

“I think we’re on the right foot,” he said. “With the car, I feel well rounded and where we need to be. It’s a matter of qualifying well to put ourselves in position. Last year we ended up second during the NARC Speedweek deal. Overall, we were pretty strong. I expect the same and to be competitive.”

QUICK RESULTS –

May 1 – Watsonville Speedway in Watsonville, Calif. – Qualifying: 8; Heat race: 2 (2); Feature: 20 (8). 

May 2 – Santa Maria Speedway in Santa Maria, Calif. – Qualifying: 5; Heat race: 1 (1); Dash: 2 (4); Feature: 1 (2). 

May 8 – Silver Dollar Speedway in Chico, Calif. – Qualifying: 3; Heat race: 3 (4); Feature: 1 (2). 

May 9 – Silver Dollar Speedway in Chico, Calif. – Qualifying: 15; Heat race: 3 (3); Feature: 18 (11). 

May 15 – Watsonville Speedway in Watsonville, Calif. – Qualifying: 10; Heat race: 4 (5); Feature: 4 (8). 

May 16 – Thunderbowl Raceway in Tulare, Calif. – Qualifying: 6; Heat race: 2 (1); Feature: 5 (8). 

May 29 – Watsonville Speedway in Watsonville, Calif. – Qualifying: 11; Heat race: DNF (3); Feature: 14 (23). 

SEASON STATS –

10 races, 3 wins, 7 top fives, 7 top 10s, 8 top 15s, 10 top 20s

UP NEXT –

Saturday at Silver Dollar Speedway in Chico, Calif., with the NARC King of the West Sprint Car Series

Chad Cose (No. 49) chases Briar Bauman (No. 3) during the 2026 ThrottleFest heat race. [Photo: Scott Hunter for AMA Pro Racing]Download high-resolution photo from AMA Pro’s Digital Asset Management system

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (June 3, 2026) – The 2026 Progressive American Flat Track season, sanctioned by AMA Pro Racing, resumes this weekend with the inaugural Caterpillar Nashville Short Track presented by Memphis Shades at Sons of Speed Nashville Short Track in Hohenwald, Tennessee, this Saturday, June 6.  It’s not just the first-ever stop at the venue formerly known as Tennessee National Raceway, this weekend will mark the Grand National Championship’s first visit to the Volunteer State in 17 years. It’s a welcome return for America’s Original Extreme Sport® considering the state’s proud motorsports heritage along with its extensive collection of some of the finest motorcycle roads to be found anywhere in the nation.  Meeting the Moment The early-season advantages that Mission AFT SuperTwins points leader Kody Kopp (No. 12 Latus Motors Racing Harley-Davidson XG750R) and reigning Grand National Champion Dallas Daniels (No. 1 Estenson Racing Yamaha MT-07) stacked up on Briar Bauman (No. 3 RWR/Jacob Construction/Parts Plus Harley-Davidson XG750R) have nearly vanished.   What had been point differences of 26 and 22 in favor of Kopp and Daniels, respectively, now stand at just nine and two.  Bauman has completely flipped the script with his recent run of form and must be considered the pre-race favorite heading into any given round shorter than a Mile until proven otherwise. He comes into this weekend with three consecutive wins in tow, a streak that has elevated him into a tie for sixth all-time on the career wins list alongside Kenny Coolbeth, Jr., at 37. And he’s quickly zeroing in on the top five with the legendary Ricky Graham now just two wins away.  Don’t expect Bauman to ease up now. The Caterpillar Nashville Short Track stands as the sixth of seven STs on the calendar, and the Rick Ware Racing star has dominated the discipline as of late.   With 13 Short Track wins to his name, Bauman boasts four more than any other rider in Grand National Championship history. That unprecedented tally has been assembled in large part since first throwing his leg over the Harley-Davidson XG750R at the start of 2025, having won eight of the last 11 STs dating back to early last season.  While momentum is quite obviously on Bauman’s side, the padding Kopp and Daniels earned over the opening three rounds served its purpose, as Bauman still ranks third even with three successive wins on his side.   They will have used the extended layoff granted with the rescheduling of the Appalachian Harley-Davidson Williams Grove Half-Mile to regroup and reset. And this weekend in Nashville represents an ideal opportunity to meet the challenge that’s been presented. It’s new to all involved – a stark contrast to Williams Grove where Bauman has shined in previous stops – making it as good a place as any to make a stand.  All Aboard “Freight Train” Logan McGrane (No. 14 Schaffers MotorSports/RVR KTM 790 Duke) has been on an upward trajectory this season, boasting both his career-best Progressive AFT Main Event finish (eighth at the Ventura ST) and a top-ten Mission AFT SuperTwins championship ranking.  McGrane stepped up to the premier class in 2024 with relatively little Progressive AFT experience under his belt, having qualified for just four KICKER AFT Singles Mains with no top-ten finishes.  That doesn’t mean he was lacking professional race experience or success, however, considering that McGrane is a four-time World Championship ICE Racing Series champ.  Ironically, McGrane may have enjoyed his biggest leap yet in terms of the average fan’s estimation of his abilities despite leaving Budds Creek with a 14-place finish – his worst Main Event result of the ‘26 season.  By the time the Main Event rolled around, he’d already won – literally and figuratively. McGrane accomplished that by earning a front-row grid position and entry in the Mission #2Fast2Tasty Challenge. Once there, he didn’t back down despite lining up next to Daniels, Bauman, and long-time multi-class ace Chad Cose (No. 49 Parker Racing/Pro Roofing Yamaha MT-07). The opposite in fact – McGrane stormed past Daniels to claim the upset win, and then turned around to let ‘em know.  Besides bolstering his own reputation, McGrane also did well to honor the memory of a fellow Pennsylvanian, the late Ryan Varnes, whose legacy he represents on the RVR KTM 790 Duke.  VDK Jarod VanDerKooi (No. 20 Mission Roof Systems Harley-Davidson XG750R) will be back in the mix this weekend after making his season debut at Budds Creek where he rode in place of the injured Brandon Robinson on the Mission Roof Systems Harley.  Despite his absence to start the season, few have forgotten about VanDerKooi’s skills. Those few who did were reminded at Budds Creek, even if somewhat obscured by rust and mechanical misfortune.   Until getting struck down by a late-race bike issue, “VDK” was all set for a sixth-place ride despite still in the process of shaking things down.   With some more seat time and a bit more luck, a return to the podium is not beyond his reach.   The Roller Coaster Nine points separate first from third in the Mission AFT SuperTwins points. 43 points separate third from fourth.  That difference is largely down not to outright speed but consistency.  Consider the following collection of premier-class contenders:

Trent Lowe (No. 48 American Honda/Mission Foods Honda CB750 Hornet) Davis Fisher (No. 67 Rackley Racing/Bob Lanphere’s BMC Racing KTM 790 Duke) Aidan RoosEvans (No. 26 FRA Trust Advisors Harley-Davidson XG750R) Ben Lowe (No. 25 Rackley Racing/Roof Systems KTM 790 Duke) Hunter Bauer (No. 24 G&G Racing Yamaha MT-07) Chad Cose (No. 49 Parker Racing/Pro Roofing Yamaha MT-07)

Progressive AFT Returns to Tennessee Ready for Battle

Chad Cose (No. 49) chases Briar Bauman (No. 3) during the 2026 ThrottleFest heat race. [Photo: Scott Hunter for AMA Pro Racing]Download high-resolution photo from AMA Pro’s Digital Asset Management system

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (June 3, 2026) – The 2026 Progressive American Flat Track season, sanctioned by AMA Pro Racing, resumes this weekend with the inaugural Caterpillar Nashville Short Track presented by Memphis Shades at Sons of Speed Nashville Short Track in Hohenwald, Tennessee, this Saturday, June 6.  It’s not just the first-ever stop at the venue formerly known as Tennessee National Raceway, this weekend will mark the Grand National Championship’s first visit to the Volunteer State in 17 years. It’s a welcome return for America’s Original Extreme Sport® considering the state’s proud motorsports heritage along with its extensive collection of some of the finest motorcycle roads to be found anywhere in the nation.  Meeting the Moment The early-season advantages that Mission AFT SuperTwins points leader Kody Kopp (No. 12 Latus Motors Racing Harley-Davidson XG750R) and reigning Grand National Champion Dallas Daniels (No. 1 Estenson Racing Yamaha MT-07) stacked up on Briar Bauman (No. 3 RWR/Jacob Construction/Parts Plus Harley-Davidson XG750R) have nearly vanished.   What had been point differences of 26 and 22 in favor of Kopp and Daniels, respectively, now stand at just nine and two.  Bauman has completely flipped the script with his recent run of form and must be considered the pre-race favorite heading into any given round shorter than a Mile until proven otherwise. He comes into this weekend with three consecutive wins in tow, a streak that has elevated him into a tie for sixth all-time on the career wins list alongside Kenny Coolbeth, Jr., at 37. And he’s quickly zeroing in on the top five with the legendary Ricky Graham now just two wins away.  Don’t expect Bauman to ease up now. The Caterpillar Nashville Short Track stands as the sixth of seven STs on the calendar, and the Rick Ware Racing star has dominated the discipline as of late.   With 13 Short Track wins to his name, Bauman boasts four more than any other rider in Grand National Championship history. That unprecedented tally has been assembled in large part since first throwing his leg over the Harley-Davidson XG750R at the start of 2025, having won eight of the last 11 STs dating back to early last season.  While momentum is quite obviously on Bauman’s side, the padding Kopp and Daniels earned over the opening three rounds served its purpose, as Bauman still ranks third even with three successive wins on his side.   They will have used the extended layoff granted with the rescheduling of the Appalachian Harley-Davidson Williams Grove Half-Mile to regroup and reset. And this weekend in Nashville represents an ideal opportunity to meet the challenge that’s been presented. It’s new to all involved – a stark contrast to Williams Grove where Bauman has shined in previous stops – making it as good a place as any to make a stand.  All Aboard “Freight Train” Logan McGrane (No. 14 Schaffers MotorSports/RVR KTM 790 Duke) has been on an upward trajectory this season, boasting both his career-best Progressive AFT Main Event finish (eighth at the Ventura ST) and a top-ten Mission AFT SuperTwins championship ranking.  McGrane stepped up to the premier class in 2024 with relatively little Progressive AFT experience under his belt, having qualified for just four KICKER AFT Singles Mains with no top-ten finishes.  That doesn’t mean he was lacking professional race experience or success, however, considering that McGrane is a four-time World Championship ICE Racing Series champ.  Ironically, McGrane may have enjoyed his biggest leap yet in terms of the average fan’s estimation of his abilities despite leaving Budds Creek with a 14-place finish – his worst Main Event result of the ‘26 season.  By the time the Main Event rolled around, he’d already won – literally and figuratively. McGrane accomplished that by earning a front-row grid position and entry in the Mission #2Fast2Tasty Challenge. Once there, he didn’t back down despite lining up next to Daniels, Bauman, and long-time multi-class ace Chad Cose (No. 49 Parker Racing/Pro Roofing Yamaha MT-07). The opposite in fact – McGrane stormed past Daniels to claim the upset win, and then turned around to let ‘em know.  Besides bolstering his own reputation, McGrane also did well to honor the memory of a fellow Pennsylvanian, the late Ryan Varnes, whose legacy he represents on the RVR KTM 790 Duke.  VDK Jarod VanDerKooi (No. 20 Mission Roof Systems Harley-Davidson XG750R) will be back in the mix this weekend after making his season debut at Budds Creek where he rode in place of the injured Brandon Robinson on the Mission Roof Systems Harley.  Despite his absence to start the season, few have forgotten about VanDerKooi’s skills. Those few who did were reminded at Budds Creek, even if somewhat obscured by rust and mechanical misfortune.   Until getting struck down by a late-race bike issue, “VDK” was all set for a sixth-place ride despite still in the process of shaking things down.   With some more seat time and a bit more luck, a return to the podium is not beyond his reach.   The Roller Coaster Nine points separate first from third in the Mission AFT SuperTwins points. 43 points separate third from fourth.  That difference is largely down not to outright speed but consistency.  Consider the following collection of premier-class contenders:

Trent Lowe (No. 48 American Honda/Mission Foods Honda CB750 Hornet) Davis Fisher (No. 67 Rackley Racing/Bob Lanphere’s BMC Racing KTM 790 Duke) Aidan RoosEvans (No. 26 FRA Trust Advisors Harley-Davidson XG750R) Ben Lowe (No. 25 Rackley Racing/Roof Systems KTM 790 Duke) Hunter Bauer (No. 24 G&G Racing Yamaha MT-07) Chad Cose (No. 49 Parker Racing/Pro Roofing Yamaha MT-07)

All six of them have finished inside the top five this year, with podiums for Fisher, RoosEvans, and Cose.  On the flipside, all six have also finished outside the top ten or failed to qualify for a Main Event. Those swings have arguably been most pronounced in the case of Fisher – who is routinely as quick as Kopp, Daniels, and Bauman but also burdened by a pair of 15th-place finishes, multiple trips to the LCQ, and without a remaining provisional start.  And what about Cose? His best finish of the season was a 13th until he blasted his way to third last time out to pick up his first premier-class podium since achieving his first-ever premier-class podium some eight seasons back.  The depth of talent lining the Mission AFT SuperTwins grid this season has created the conditions that have led to increased volatility. Even making the Main can be a struggle, let alone breaking into the top ten.  Regardless, the top three are out of sight at this point. It would take some massive happenings indeed for anyone else to work their way into genuine Grand National Championship contention. However, fourth is ripe for the taking should any of the above manage to start stringing together strong results with increased frequency.  Life In the Fast Lane The Caterpillar Nashville Short Track presented by Memphis Shades is a unique collaboration between Progressive AFT and Billy Lane’s Sons of Speed racing series, a vintage flat track competition inspired by the board track racing era of the 1910s and ‘20s.   Lane – who will serve as the event’s Grand Marshal – is renowned for his innovative and evocative designs at Choppers Inc, his iconic appearances on “Biker Build Off” and “Monster Garage,” and his passion for pushing the limits of speed and style.   With four decades of custom bike building experience behind him, Lane founded Sons of Speed to pay tribute to the daring early years of American motorcycle racing when Harley-Davidson, Indian, Excelsior, and Pope went bar-to-bar on massive wooden board tracks all across the nation.  Sons of Speed has exploded in popularity since its 2017 debut, and Progressive American Flat Track fans will have a perfect opportunity to find out why for themselves.  The weekend will feature a full slate of Sons of Speed competition featuring the raw power and style of vintage 1000cc V-twins and 750cc American flatheads. The vintage heats are scheduled for Thursday with finals on Friday ahead of Saturday’s Progressive AFT action.  Ticket Options Galore Standing Room Only tickets are available for just $37 including fees ($18 for kids 12 and under), while General Admission tickets are $49 ($22.50 for kids), with Reserved Grandstand and Premium Reserved Grandstand seating available for $59 ($26 for kids) and $70 ($31 for kids), respectively.  Military/First Responders and Students can purchase tickets for just $30 at the door with valid ID.  The Harley-Davidson VIP Experience includes GA seating, a guided tour of the infield podium and start/finish line – photo ops included – a meet-and-greet with the Harley-Davidson riders, and exclusive swag. The H-D VIP Experience is available for $150 ($64 for kids), along with the option to be purchased as a $95 add-on to upgraded seating options.  And no matter what ticket option you select, pit access is included, providing fans an opportunity to get an up-close look at the racebikes and meet the riders and their teams.  To purchase tickets for the Caterpillar Nashville Short Track presented by Memphis Shades visithttps://www.tixr.com/groups/americanflattrack/events/nashville-short-track-186630.  Gates will open for fans at 3:30 p.m. ET/12:30 p.m. PT on Saturday with Opening Ceremonies scheduled to begin at 8:00 p.m. ET/5:00 p.m. PT.  How to Watch FloRacingFor those that can’t catch the live action at the track, FloRacing is the live streaming home of Progressive American Flat Track. Motorsports fans can subscribe to FloRacing to enjoy over 1,000 live motorsports events in 2026. FloSports is available by visitinghttps://flosports.link/AFT2026 or by downloading the FloSports app on iOS, Android, Apple TV, Roku, Amazon Fire and Chromecast.  This weekend’s livestream will also be available for FREE on the FloRacing 24/7 channel, which you can watch on Prime Video, Roku Channel, and Fubo. FS1FOX Sports coverage of the Caterpillar Nashville Short Track, featuring in-depth features and thrilling onboard cameras, will premiere on FS1 on Saturday, June 13, at 1:00 p.m. ET (10:00 a.m. PT). The full listing of American Flat Track’s television premieres can be found at https://www.americanflattrack.com/events-foxsports.

Quartet of Corvettes seek to extend program’s winning history at French classic DETROIT (June 3, 2026) – Chevrolet and Corvette Racing will look to extend its run of success at the 24 Hours of Le Mans with four Chevrolet Corvette Z06 GT3.Rs that will contest the famed French endurance race on June 13-14. The Corvette quartet at the twice-around-the-clock classic is the largest group of Corvettes at Le Mans in a decade, and all are under the Corvette Racing umbrella. The program has a stellar record at the race with nine class victories – the most recent coming in 2023. The GT3-spec Corvette finished third in class at Le Mans in 2025, its first podium in the race since its 2024 debut.

The Corvette lineup includes three cars from TF Sport – including its two FIA World Endurance Championship entries plus a third that will feature drivers and crew from Johor Motorsports Racing. The fourth Corvette is from 13 Autosport, which is back at Le Mans after winning a second consecutive Bob Akin Award in the 2025 IMSA season.  All four entries will take part in Sunday’s Test Day, which is the first time for the field to run on the 8.48-mile circuit since the end of last year’s race. The lineup:

Corvette Racing Media Resources Documents | Statistics | Photos | Factory Driver Bios | Chevrolet NewsroomLe Mans Driver Q&As: English | French

· No. 33 TF Sport Corvette Z06 GT3.R: Nicky Catsburg/Jonny Edgar/Ben Keating· No. 34 Racing Team Turkey by TF Corvette Z06 GT3.R: Charlie Eastwood/Salih Yoluc/Peter Dempsey· No. 2 TF Sport Corvette Z06 GT3.R: Ben Green/Lorcan Hanafin/HH Prince Jefri Ibrahim· No. 13 13 Autosport Corvette Z06 GT3.R: Matt Bell/Orey Fidani/Lars Kern TF Sport’s No. 33 and No. 34 Corvettes hope to use a Le Mans victory or podium to propel up the FIA WEC LMGT3 championship standings. The 24 Hours is a double-points race, and success there usually bodes well. Every LMGT3 championship winner since 2021 has won in class at Le Mans. Catsburg, Edgar and Blake McDonald – subbing for an injured Keating in the first two events – are fourth in points on the strength of a runner-up finish in the season-opening race at Imola. Meanwhile, the No. 34 trio finished ninth in the most recent race at Spa-Francorchamps to score its first championship points of the season. The No. 2 TF Sport Corvette is the result of the team claiming the 2025 European Le Mans Series championship. Of the three drivers, only Hanafin has raced at Le Mans although his two teammates have extensive experience in the Corvette at races like the Spa 24 Hours and Bathurst 12 Hours, where they were Pro-Am runners-up in February. 13 Autosport placed 10th in its Le Mans debut a year ago. The striking Canadian red Corvette was an instant hit with fans, and the driver lineup is the same as in 2025. The 24 Hours of Le Mans is scheduled for 10 a.m. ET / 4 p.m. CET on Saturday, June 13. Live streaming coverage of all on-track sessions – including qualifying and Hyperpole – plus timing and scoring is available through a subscription on FIA WEC Plus with additional live streaming on the HBO Max app in the U.S. Radio Le Mans also will provide live streaming audio coverage of all sessions as well.

CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R PRE-EVENT DRIVER QUOTES

NICKY CATSBURG, NO. 33 CHEVROLET CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R: “The last time (in a Corvette at Le Mans) it worked out well! 2023 is the last time I raced there in a Corvette. I have raced the years in between in a prototype. So I feel like I’m still up to date with the track and so on. But it’s been a few years since I’ve been there with Corvette. I haven’t been there yet in a GT3-spec car, so that’s going to be new. But it’s something I’m really, really looking forward to. So let’s see.”(What makes Le Mans special?) “Le Mans is simply the most prestigious endurance race out there. And I always like the moment before the weekend when we all get to go to the drivers briefing. It’s just one big room and it’s just a collection of all motorsport legends… former legends, current legends, the who’s who of motorsport. I always feel very proud to be a part of that.”

BEN KEATING, NO. 33 CHEVROLET CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R: “One step at a time, one day at a time. You know what? All I need to worry about right now is trying to win Le Mans. I’ve often said that every car in this race is a long shot, and I still feel that way. But there are even more variables this year than normal to me. Just because of my elbow and this is my first time to be in this car, in this specific chassis. We were missing a little something last year. I’ve done a lot of work in the offseason to try to help find it. I would say I go into Le Mans with a lot of anticipation that hopefully we can be competitive. Hopefully, we can have a clean race and everybody that drives around us keeps their head on straight and doesn’t wreck into us. If we can have a reliable car and a clean car for the full 24 hours, then I think that we have a pretty good chance.”

CHARLIE EASTWOOD, NO. 34 CHEVROLET CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R: “We do need to just start getting some proper results, and no better place for it than Le Mans. The Corvette’s always so good there. It’s been great the last two years, and it’s a great chance for us to get 50 points and a nice trophy. Obviously, the good thing on my side is I can literally do half of the race… up to 12 hours of it. So I am doing everything I can to get myself ready for those long stints, lack of sleep and try to manage the adrenaline so that you are not completely busted after a couple of stints, but I like the challenge. I did it last year. We obviously got a podium, which was great. That’s three of the last four starts at Le Mans for me with one being a win. The record there is going pretty well. But I’d like to get another win on the board, and I don’t see a reason why we can’t.”

PETER DEMPSEY, NO. 34 CHEVROLET CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R: “I think we’re going there in the mindset that, hopefully, it’s our strongest race of the year, and we can try to get a result for the two cars. Obviously, we want to win and so do our teammates. But if he can get two of them on a podium together, I think that would be a huge success. I think that’s our goal. We’ve been building all year to be ready to perform for 24 hours, and then after that you worry about the rest of the year. But we’ve been building, I think, at a good rate over the last first two events to go there and perform. And I think the team is ready for it.”

MATT BELL, NO. 13 CHEVROLET CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R: “It wasn’t my first one last year, but it was all the team’s. I would say they were leaning on me for my experience and advice on how to approach a lot of things and also specific things to focus on.“Now I am seeing everybody go, ‘Right. Let’s go and grab this by the horns.’ Which is exactly the response that I kind of thought a competitive team like we have would go back with. It’s actually been really a joy to watch everybody go through that process and analyze what we all did and what we can do better. There is certainly a lot of hunger in the team.”

OREY FIDANI, NO. 13 CHEVROLET CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R: “(Le Mans in 2025) definitely exceeded my expectations. You hear about it, but till you actually go and experience it, it’s two different stories. It’s absolutely in a world of its own. I was dumbfounded; my head was on a swivel and I was just taking everything in. It’s absolutely amazing.“For me, there’s a better understanding of things like the slow zones and learning all that. I think we got one or two penalties because of that last year. It’s one thing looking at them on a map, and it’s another thing looking at them at speed at 300 kph. So now I have a better understanding of where those are, the rules and the procedures. Hopefully we can eliminate those penalties because I mean, it’s tough. Once you fall behind there, you never get it back.”

BEN GREEN, NO. 2 CHEVROLET CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R: “It’s always been the dream to go to Le Mans. I think it’s every endurance or GT driver’s dream. I had some chances before that never came off, and now it’s fantastic obviously to join with Prince Jefri and Johor Racing to go to Le Mans in the Corvette. It’s going to be a fantastic week or two weeks even. I’m really looking forward to it.”

HH PRINCE JEFRI IBRAHIM, NO. 2 CHEVROLET CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R: “The Le Mans 24 Hours is a race that I’ve always wanted to do, a race that I’ve always wanted JMR to compete in. It took us seven years to get here, and finally it’s happening. Unlike some of our previous endurance races, this time we have two other categories racing together at the same race. That will be the challenge of having those other cars around you as well. And it’s an iconic track, so I can’t wait to see how we go there.”

In Her Own Words: Andrea Hidalgo, Corvette Racing Program Manager

How have the first six months on the job been for you?“It’s been really busy but also really exciting. Luckily I came into this role already familiar with the Corvette Z06 GT3.R and with many of the teams and drivers. My past experience was mainly in the FIA World Endurance Championship and IMSA, so I’ve been learning more about how some of the other series operate. I’ve been to races in both championships plus the Paul Ricard round for GT World Challenge Europe round. Each race has been eye-opening in seeing how much fan engagement there is and the crowd turnout. In my past role, I was mainly based in and around the garage with the cars and crews. Now I’m learning more about the world outside of the garages – the championship organizers, the drivers, team managers, press, media and of course the fans. It’s all been very educational and very rewarding.”

Having spent time as powertrain support on the factory team and then with TF Sport, is there a sense of pride that comes with leading the Corvette Racing program?“Absolutely. There is so much history in Corvette Racing, and there is definitely a sense of pride and gratitude that comes with being able to lead this program. I was extremely fortunate to have been able to contribute to our Le Mans win in 2023, then help develop and launch the GT3 program. So now the opportunity to lead the program is an amazing one. I care deeply about Corvette Racing and its relevance to the road car, as well as its legacy of success in motorsports.” We’re now on to Le Mans. What is the outlook for the four Corvettes in the race?“It’s a big opportunity for us to support four Corvette GT3s in this year’s race. This is our third year there with the Z06 GT3.R, but we know that Le Mans is a race that never gets easier. Much of that is because the quality of the teams and manufacturers keeps rising year after year. That places extra importance on the preparation that our group does to assist each of our teams. Our Corvette Racing factory drivers are contributing as well via sessions in our Driver-in-the-Loop simulator. All of that data and feedback informs our pre-race recommendations for TF Sport’s three cars plus 13 Autosport’s entry. Then it comes down to the execution by each of the crews, engineers and drivers. Each team has proven they can win races, and we will be there in full force to support them in this year’s quest.” What makes Le Mans special to you?“Le Mans has always been the biggest race of the year, and competing there was one of the reasons Corvette Racing began. For me personally, Le Mans represents the pinnacle of endurance racing and all the emotion that comes with it. There was nothing like winning the race in 2023 – it was the highlight of my career – and there is nothing that hurt like the end of the 2022 race – it’s something I never want to repeat. Plus there is everything else that makes Le Mans special: the history, the circuit, Le Pesage, the parade through the town and the electricity that fills the paddock and city leading up to the race. There is nothing like it and I am so excited to get back this year.”

2026 FIA World Endurance Championship PointsLMGT3 Drivers Standings1. Riccardo Pera/Richard Lietz/Yasser Shahin – 302. Antares Au/Marvin Kirchhöfer/Thomas Fleming – 263. Anthony McIntosh/Dan Harper/Parker Thompson – 254. Blake McDonald/Jonny Edgar/Nicky Catsburg – 225. Alessio Rovera/Francois Heriau/Simon Mann – 2013. Charlie Eastwood/Peter Dempsey/Salih Yoluc – 2 LMGT3 Teams Standings1. No. 92 The Bend Manthey – 302. No. 10 Garage 59 – 263. No. 69 Team WRT – 254. No. 33 TF Sport – 225. No. 21 Vista AF Corse – 1013. No. 34 Racing Team Turkey by TF – 2 Corvette Racing at the 24 Hours of Le Mans (wins in bold)2000 – No. 63 Corvette C5-R: Ron Fellows/Chris Kneifel/Justin Bell – 4th in GTSNo. 64 Corvette C5-R: Andy Pilgrim/Kelly Collins/Franck Freon – 3rd in GTS 2001 – No. 63 Corvette C5-R: Ron Fellows/Johnny O’Connell/Scott Pruett – 1st in GTSNo. 64 Corvette C5-R: Andy Pilgrim/Kelly Collins/Franck Freon – 2nd in GTS 2002 – No. 63 Corvette C5-R: Ron Fellows/Johnny O’Connell/Oliver Gavin – 1st in GTSNo. 64 Corvette C5-R: Andy Pilgrim/Kelly Collins/Franck Freon – 2nd in GTS 2003 – No. 53 Corvette C5-R: Ron Fellows/Johnny O’Connell/Franck Freon – 3rd in GTSNo. 50 Corvette C5-R: Oliver Gavin/Kelly Collins/Andy Pilgrim – 2nd in GTS 2004 – No. 63 Corvette C5-R: Ron Fellows/Johnny O’Connell/Max Papis – 2nd in GTSNo. 64 Corvette C5-R: Olivier Beretta/Oliver Gavin/Jan Magnussen – 1st in GTS  2005 – No. 63 Corvette C6.R: Ron Fellows/Johnny O’Connell/Max Papis – 2nd in GT1No. 64 Corvette C6.R: Olivier Beretta/Oliver Gavin/Jan Magnussen – 1st in GT1 2006 – No. 63 Corvette C6.R: Ron Fellows/Johnny O’Connell/Max Papis – 7th in GT1No. 64 Corvette C6.R: Olivier Beretta/Oliver Gavin/Jan Magnussen – 1st in GT1 2007 – No. 63 Corvette C6.R: Ron Fellows/Johnny O’Connell/Jan Magnussen – 2nd in GT1No. 64 Corvette C6.R: Olivier Beretta/Oliver Gavin/Max Papis – 14th in GT1 2008 – No. 63 Corvette C6.R: Ron Fellows/Johnny O’Connell/Jan Magnussen – 2nd in GT1No. 64 Corvette C6.R: Olivier Beretta/Oliver Gavin/Max Papis – 3rd in GT1 2009 – No. 63 Corvette C6.R: Jan Magnussen/Johnny O’Connell/Antonio Garcia – 1st in GT1No. 64 Corvette C6.R: Olivier Beretta/Oliver Gavin/Marcel Fässler – 4th in GT1 2010 – No. 63 Corvette C6.R: Jan Magnussen/Johnny O’Connell/Antonio Garcia – 12th in GT2 (DNF)No. 64 Corvette C6.R: Olivier Beretta/Oliver Gavin/Emmanuel Collard – 10th in GT2 (DNF) 2011 – No. 73 Corvette C6.R: Olivier Beretta/Tommy Milner/Antonio Garcia – 1st in GTE ProNo. 74 Corvette C6.R: Oliver Gavin/Jan Magnussen/Richard Westbrook – 14th in GTE Pro (DNF) 2012 – No. 73 Corvette C6.R: Jan Magnussen/Antonio Garcia/Jordan Taylor – 5th in GTE ProNo. 74 Corvette C6.R: Oliver Gavin/Tommy Milner/Richard Westbrook – 6th in GTE Pro 2013 – No. 73 Corvette C6.R: Jan Magnussen/Antonio Garcia/Jordan Taylor – 4th in GTE ProNo. 74 Corvette C6.R: Oliver Gavin/Tommy Milner/Richard Westbrook – 7th in GTE Pro 2014 – No. 73 Corvette C7.R: Jan Magnussen/Antonio Garcia/Jordan Taylor – 2nd in GTE ProNo. 74 Corvette C7.R: Oliver Gavin/Tommy Milner/Richard Westbrook – 4th in GTE Pro 2015 – No. 63 Corvette C7.R: Jan Magnussen/Antonio Garcia/Ryan Briscoe – DNS (Qualifying crash)No. 64 Corvette C7.R: Oliver Gavin/Tommy Milner/Jordan Taylor – 1st in GTE Pro 2016 – No. 63 Corvette C7.R: Jan Magnussen/Antonio Garcia/Ricky Taylor – 7th in GTE ProNo. 64 Corvette C7.R: Oliver Gavin/Tommy Milner/Jordan Taylor – 10th in GTE Pro (DNF) 2017 – No. 63 Corvette C7.R: Jan Magnussen/Antonio Garcia/Jordan Taylor – 3rd in GTE ProNo. 64 Corvette C7.R: Oliver Gavin/Tommy Milner/Marcel Fässler – 8th in GTLM 2018 – No. 63 Corvette C7.R: Jan Magnussen/Antonio Garcia/Mike Rockenfeller – 4th in GTE ProNo. 64 Corvette C7.R: Oliver Gavin/Tommy Milner/Marcel Fässler – 15th in GTE Pro (DNF) 2019 – No. 63 Corvette C7.R: Jan Magnussen/Antonio Garcia/Mike Rockenfeller – 8th in GTE ProNo. 64 Corvette C7.R: Oliver Gavin/Tommy Milner/Marcel Fässler – 16th in GTE Pro (DNF) 2021 – No. 63 Corvette C8.R: Antonio Garcia/Jordan Taylor/Nicky Catsburg – 2nd in GTE ProNo. 64 Corvette C8.R: Tommy Milner/Nick Tandy/Alexander Sims – 6th in GTE Pro 2022 – No. 63 Corvette C8.R: Antonio Garcia/Jordan Taylor/Nicky Catsburg – 7th in GTE Pro (DNF)No. 64 Corvette C8.R: Tommy Milner/Nick Tandy/Alexander Sims – 6th in GTE Pro (DNF) 2023 – No. 33 Corvette C8.R: Nicky Catsburg/Ben Keating/Nico Varrone – 1st in GTE Am (Keating pole, Varrone fastest race lap) 2024 – No. 81 Corvette Z06 GT3.R: Charlie Eastwood/Rui Andrade/Tom Van Rompuy – 15th in LMGT3No. 82 Corvette Z06 GT3.R: Daniel Juncadella/Sebastien Baud/Hiroshi Koizumi – 11th in LMGT3 2025 – No. 13 Corvette Z06 GT3.R: Matt Bell/Orey Fidani/Lars Kern – 10th in LMGT3No. 33 Corvette Z06 GT3.R: Daniel Juncadella/Jonny Edgar/Ben Keating – 7th in LMGT3No. 81 Corvette Z06 GT3.R: Charlie Eastwood/Rui Andrade/Tom Van Rompuy – 3rd in LMGT3

CORVETTE RACING AT LE MANS: A Fantastic Four!Quartet of Corvettes seek to extend program’s winning history at French classic DETROIT (June 3, 2026) – Chevrolet and Corvette Racing will look to extend its run of success at the 24 Hours of Le Mans with four Chevrolet Corvette Z06 GT3.Rs that will contest the famed French endurance race on June 13-14. The Corvette quartet at the twice-around-the-clock classic is the largest group of Corvettes at Le Mans in a decade, and all are under the Corvette Racing umbrella. The program has a stellar record at the race with nine class victories – the most recent coming in 2023. The GT3-spec Corvette finished third in class at Le Mans in 2025, its first podium in the race since its 2024 debut.

The Corvette lineup includes three cars from TF Sport – including its two FIA World Endurance Championship entries plus a third that will feature drivers and crew from Johor Motorsports Racing. The fourth Corvette is from 13 Autosport, which is back at Le Mans after winning a second consecutive Bob Akin Award in the 2025 IMSA season.  All four entries will take part in Sunday’s Test Day, which is the first time for the field to run on the 8.48-mile circuit since the end of last year’s race. The lineup:

Corvette Racing Media Resources Documents | Statistics | Photos | Factory Driver Bios | Chevrolet NewsroomLe Mans Driver Q&As: English | French

· No. 33 TF Sport Corvette Z06 GT3.R: Nicky Catsburg/Jonny Edgar/Ben Keating· No. 34 Racing Team Turkey by TF Corvette Z06 GT3.R: Charlie Eastwood/Salih Yoluc/Peter Dempsey· No. 2 TF Sport Corvette Z06 GT3.R: Ben Green/Lorcan Hanafin/HH Prince Jefri Ibrahim· No. 13 13 Autosport Corvette Z06 GT3.R: Matt Bell/Orey Fidani/Lars Kern TF Sport’s No. 33 and No. 34 Corvettes hope to use a Le Mans victory or podium to propel up the FIA WEC LMGT3 championship standings. The 24 Hours is a double-points race, and success there usually bodes well. Every LMGT3 championship winner since 2021 has won in class at Le Mans. Catsburg, Edgar and Blake McDonald – subbing for an injured Keating in the first two events – are fourth in points on the strength of a runner-up finish in the season-opening race at Imola. Meanwhile, the No. 34 trio finished ninth in the most recent race at Spa-Francorchamps to score its first championship points of the season. The No. 2 TF Sport Corvette is the result of the team claiming the 2025 European Le Mans Series championship. Of the three drivers, only Hanafin has raced at Le Mans although his two teammates have extensive experience in the Corvette at races like the Spa 24 Hours and Bathurst 12 Hours, where they were Pro-Am runners-up in February. 13 Autosport placed 10th in its Le Mans debut a year ago. The striking Canadian red Corvette was an instant hit with fans, and the driver lineup is the same as in 2025. The 24 Hours of Le Mans is scheduled for 10 a.m. ET / 4 p.m. CET on Saturday, June 13. Live streaming coverage of all on-track sessions – including qualifying and Hyperpole – plus timing and scoring is available through a subscription on FIA WEC Plus with additional live streaming on the HBO Max app in the U.S. Radio Le Mans also will provide live streaming audio coverage of all sessions as well.

CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R PRE-EVENT DRIVER QUOTES

NICKY CATSBURG, NO. 33 CHEVROLET CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R: “The last time (in a Corvette at Le Mans) it worked out well! 2023 is the last time I raced there in a Corvette. I have raced the years in between in a prototype. So I feel like I’m still up to date with the track and so on. But it’s been a few years since I’ve been there with Corvette. I haven’t been there yet in a GT3-spec car, so that’s going to be new. But it’s something I’m really, really looking forward to. So let’s see.”(What makes Le Mans special?) “Le Mans is simply the most prestigious endurance race out there. And I always like the moment before the weekend when we all get to go to the drivers briefing. It’s just one big room and it’s just a collection of all motorsport legends… former legends, current legends, the who’s who of motorsport. I always feel very proud to be a part of that.”

BEN KEATING, NO. 33 CHEVROLET CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R: “One step at a time, one day at a time. You know what? All I need to worry about right now is trying to win Le Mans. I’ve often said that every car in this race is a long shot, and I still feel that way. But there are even more variables this year than normal to me. Just because of my elbow and this is my first time to be in this car, in this specific chassis. We were missing a little something last year. I’ve done a lot of work in the offseason to try to help find it. I would say I go into Le Mans with a lot of anticipation that hopefully we can be competitive. Hopefully, we can have a clean race and everybody that drives around us keeps their head on straight and doesn’t wreck into us. If we can have a reliable car and a clean car for the full 24 hours, then I think that we have a pretty good chance.”

CHARLIE EASTWOOD, NO. 34 CHEVROLET CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R: “We do need to just start getting some proper results, and no better place for it than Le Mans. The Corvette’s always so good there. It’s been great the last two years, and it’s a great chance for us to get 50 points and a nice trophy. Obviously, the good thing on my side is I can literally do half of the race… up to 12 hours of it. So I am doing everything I can to get myself ready for those long stints, lack of sleep and try to manage the adrenaline so that you are not completely busted after a couple of stints, but I like the challenge. I did it last year. We obviously got a podium, which was great. That’s three of the last four starts at Le Mans for me with one being a win. The record there is going pretty well. But I’d like to get another win on the board, and I don’t see a reason why we can’t.”

PETER DEMPSEY, NO. 34 CHEVROLET CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R: “I think we’re going there in the mindset that, hopefully, it’s our strongest race of the year, and we can try to get a result for the two cars. Obviously, we want to win and so do our teammates. But if he can get two of them on a podium together, I think that would be a huge success. I think that’s our goal. We’ve been building all year to be ready to perform for 24 hours, and then after that you worry about the rest of the year. But we’ve been building, I think, at a good rate over the last first two events to go there and perform. And I think the team is ready for it.”

MATT BELL, NO. 13 CHEVROLET CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R: “It wasn’t my first one last year, but it was all the team’s. I would say they were leaning on me for my experience and advice on how to approach a lot of things and also specific things to focus on.“Now I am seeing everybody go, ‘Right. Let’s go and grab this by the horns.’ Which is exactly the response that I kind of thought a competitive team like we have would go back with. It’s actually been really a joy to watch everybody go through that process and analyze what we all did and what we can do better. There is certainly a lot of hunger in the team.”

OREY FIDANI, NO. 13 CHEVROLET CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R: “(Le Mans in 2025) definitely exceeded my expectations. You hear about it, but till you actually go and experience it, it’s two different stories. It’s absolutely in a world of its own. I was dumbfounded; my head was on a swivel and I was just taking everything in. It’s absolutely amazing.“For me, there’s a better understanding of things like the slow zones and learning all that. I think we got one or two penalties because of that last year. It’s one thing looking at them on a map, and it’s another thing looking at them at speed at 300 kph. So now I have a better understanding of where those are, the rules and the procedures. Hopefully we can eliminate those penalties because I mean, it’s tough. Once you fall behind there, you never get it back.”

BEN GREEN, NO. 2 CHEVROLET CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R: “It’s always been the dream to go to Le Mans. I think it’s every endurance or GT driver’s dream. I had some chances before that never came off, and now it’s fantastic obviously to join with Prince Jefri and Johor Racing to go to Le Mans in the Corvette. It’s going to be a fantastic week or two weeks even. I’m really looking forward to it.”

HH PRINCE JEFRI IBRAHIM, NO. 2 CHEVROLET CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R: “The Le Mans 24 Hours is a race that I’ve always wanted to do, a race that I’ve always wanted JMR to compete in. It took us seven years to get here, and finally it’s happening. Unlike some of our previous endurance races, this time we have two other categories racing together at the same race. That will be the challenge of having those other cars around you as well. And it’s an iconic track, so I can’t wait to see how we go there.”

In Her Own Words: Andrea Hidalgo, Corvette Racing Program Manager

How have the first six months on the job been for you?“It’s been really busy but also really exciting. Luckily I came into this role already familiar with the Corvette Z06 GT3.R and with many of the teams and drivers. My past experience was mainly in the FIA World Endurance Championship and IMSA, so I’ve been learning more about how some of the other series operate. I’ve been to races in both championships plus the Paul Ricard round for GT World Challenge Europe round. Each race has been eye-opening in seeing how much fan engagement there is and the crowd turnout. In my past role, I was mainly based in and around the garage with the cars and crews. Now I’m learning more about the world outside of the garages – the championship organizers, the drivers, team managers, press, media and of course the fans. It’s all been very educational and very rewarding.”

Having spent time as powertrain support on the factory team and then with TF Sport, is there a sense of pride that comes with leading the Corvette Racing program?“Absolutely. There is so much history in Corvette Racing, and there is definitely a sense of pride and gratitude that comes with being able to lead this program. I was extremely fortunate to have been able to contribute to our Le Mans win in 2023, then help develop and launch the GT3 program. So now the opportunity to lead the program is an amazing one. I care deeply about Corvette Racing and its relevance to the road car, as well as its legacy of success in motorsports.” We’re now on to Le Mans. What is the outlook for the four Corvettes in the race?“It’s a big opportunity for us to support four Corvette GT3s in this year’s race. This is our third year there with the Z06 GT3.R, but we know that Le Mans is a race that never gets easier. Much of that is because the quality of the teams and manufacturers keeps rising year after year. That places extra importance on the preparation that our group does to assist each of our teams. Our Corvette Racing factory drivers are contributing as well via sessions in our Driver-in-the-Loop simulator. All of that data and feedback informs our pre-race recommendations for TF Sport’s three cars plus 13 Autosport’s entry. Then it comes down to the execution by each of the crews, engineers and drivers. Each team has proven they can win races, and we will be there in full force to support them in this year’s quest.” What makes Le Mans special to you?“Le Mans has always been the biggest race of the year, and competing there was one of the reasons Corvette Racing began. For me personally, Le Mans represents the pinnacle of endurance racing and all the emotion that comes with it. There was nothing like winning the race in 2023 – it was the highlight of my career – and there is nothing that hurt like the end of the 2022 race – it’s something I never want to repeat. Plus there is everything else that makes Le Mans special: the history, the circuit, Le Pesage, the parade through the town and the electricity that fills the paddock and city leading up to the race. There is nothing like it and I am so excited to get back this year.”

2026 FIA World Endurance Championship PointsLMGT3 Drivers Standings1. Riccardo Pera/Richard Lietz/Yasser Shahin – 302. Antares Au/Marvin Kirchhöfer/Thomas Fleming – 263. Anthony McIntosh/Dan Harper/Parker Thompson – 254. Blake McDonald/Jonny Edgar/Nicky Catsburg – 225. Alessio Rovera/Francois Heriau/Simon Mann – 2013. Charlie Eastwood/Peter Dempsey/Salih Yoluc – 2 LMGT3 Teams Standings1. No. 92 The Bend Manthey – 302. No. 10 Garage 59 – 263. No. 69 Team WRT – 254. No. 33 TF Sport – 225. No. 21 Vista AF Corse – 1013. No. 34 Racing Team Turkey by TF – 2 Corvette Racing at the 24 Hours of Le Mans (wins in bold)2000 – No. 63 Corvette C5-R: Ron Fellows/Chris Kneifel/Justin Bell – 4th in GTSNo. 64 Corvette C5-R: Andy Pilgrim/Kelly Collins/Franck Freon – 3rd in GTS 2001 – No. 63 Corvette C5-R: Ron Fellows/Johnny O’Connell/Scott Pruett – 1st in GTSNo. 64 Corvette C5-R: Andy Pilgrim/Kelly Collins/Franck Freon – 2nd in GTS 2002 – No. 63 Corvette C5-R: Ron Fellows/Johnny O’Connell/Oliver Gavin – 1st in GTSNo. 64 Corvette C5-R: Andy Pilgrim/Kelly Collins/Franck Freon – 2nd in GTS 2003 – No. 53 Corvette C5-R: Ron Fellows/Johnny O’Connell/Franck Freon – 3rd in GTSNo. 50 Corvette C5-R: Oliver Gavin/Kelly Collins/Andy Pilgrim – 2nd in GTS 2004 – No. 63 Corvette C5-R: Ron Fellows/Johnny O’Connell/Max Papis – 2nd in GTSNo. 64 Corvette C5-R: Olivier Beretta/Oliver Gavin/Jan Magnussen – 1st in GTS  2005 – No. 63 Corvette C6.R: Ron Fellows/Johnny O’Connell/Max Papis – 2nd in GT1No. 64 Corvette C6.R: Olivier Beretta/Oliver Gavin/Jan Magnussen – 1st in GT1 2006 – No. 63 Corvette C6.R: Ron Fellows/Johnny O’Connell/Max Papis – 7th in GT1No. 64 Corvette C6.R: Olivier Beretta/Oliver Gavin/Jan Magnussen – 1st in GT1 2007 – No. 63 Corvette C6.R: Ron Fellows/Johnny O’Connell/Jan Magnussen – 2nd in GT1No. 64 Corvette C6.R: Olivier Beretta/Oliver Gavin/Max Papis – 14th in GT1 2008 – No. 63 Corvette C6.R: Ron Fellows/Johnny O’Connell/Jan Magnussen – 2nd in GT1No. 64 Corvette C6.R: Olivier Beretta/Oliver Gavin/Max Papis – 3rd in GT1 2009 – No. 63 Corvette C6.R: Jan Magnussen/Johnny O’Connell/Antonio Garcia – 1st in GT1No. 64 Corvette C6.R: Olivier Beretta/Oliver Gavin/Marcel Fässler – 4th in GT1 2010 – No. 63 Corvette C6.R: Jan Magnussen/Johnny O’Connell/Antonio Garcia – 12th in GT2 (DNF)No. 64 Corvette C6.R: Olivier Beretta/Oliver Gavin/Emmanuel Collard – 10th in GT2 (DNF) 2011 – No. 73 Corvette C6.R: Olivier Beretta/Tommy Milner/Antonio Garcia – 1st in GTE ProNo. 74 Corvette C6.R: Oliver Gavin/Jan Magnussen/Richard Westbrook – 14th in GTE Pro (DNF) 2012 – No. 73 Corvette C6.R: Jan Magnussen/Antonio Garcia/Jordan Taylor – 5th in GTE ProNo. 74 Corvette C6.R: Oliver Gavin/Tommy Milner/Richard Westbrook – 6th in GTE Pro 2013 – No. 73 Corvette C6.R: Jan Magnussen/Antonio Garcia/Jordan Taylor – 4th in GTE ProNo. 74 Corvette C6.R: Oliver Gavin/Tommy Milner/Richard Westbrook – 7th in GTE Pro 2014 – No. 73 Corvette C7.R: Jan Magnussen/Antonio Garcia/Jordan Taylor – 2nd in GTE ProNo. 74 Corvette C7.R: Oliver Gavin/Tommy Milner/Richard Westbrook – 4th in GTE Pro 2015 – No. 63 Corvette C7.R: Jan Magnussen/Antonio Garcia/Ryan Briscoe – DNS (Qualifying crash)No. 64 Corvette C7.R: Oliver Gavin/Tommy Milner/Jordan Taylor – 1st in GTE Pro 2016 – No. 63 Corvette C7.R: Jan Magnussen/Antonio Garcia/Ricky Taylor – 7th in GTE ProNo. 64 Corvette C7.R: Oliver Gavin/Tommy Milner/Jordan Taylor – 10th in GTE Pro (DNF) 2017 – No. 63 Corvette C7.R: Jan Magnussen/Antonio Garcia/Jordan Taylor – 3rd in GTE ProNo. 64 Corvette C7.R: Oliver Gavin/Tommy Milner/Marcel Fässler – 8th in GTLM 2018 – No. 63 Corvette C7.R: Jan Magnussen/Antonio Garcia/Mike Rockenfeller – 4th in GTE ProNo. 64 Corvette C7.R: Oliver Gavin/Tommy Milner/Marcel Fässler – 15th in GTE Pro (DNF) 2019 – No. 63 Corvette C7.R: Jan Magnussen/Antonio Garcia/Mike Rockenfeller – 8th in GTE ProNo. 64 Corvette C7.R: Oliver Gavin/Tommy Milner/Marcel Fässler – 16th in GTE Pro (DNF) 2021 – No. 63 Corvette C8.R: Antonio Garcia/Jordan Taylor/Nicky Catsburg – 2nd in GTE ProNo. 64 Corvette C8.R: Tommy Milner/Nick Tandy/Alexander Sims – 6th in GTE Pro 2022 – No. 63 Corvette C8.R: Antonio Garcia/Jordan Taylor/Nicky Catsburg – 7th in GTE Pro (DNF)No. 64 Corvette C8.R: Tommy Milner/Nick Tandy/Alexander Sims – 6th in GTE Pro (DNF) 2023 – No. 33 Corvette C8.R: Nicky Catsburg/Ben Keating/Nico Varrone – 1st in GTE Am (Keating pole, Varrone fastest race lap) 2024 – No. 81 Corvette Z06 GT3.R: Charlie Eastwood/Rui Andrade/Tom Van Rompuy – 15th in LMGT3No. 82 Corvette Z06 GT3.R: Daniel Juncadella/Sebastien Baud/Hiroshi Koizumi – 11th in LMGT3 2025 – No. 13 Corvette Z06 GT3.R: Matt Bell/Orey Fidani/Lars Kern – 10th in LMGT3No. 33 Corvette Z06 GT3.R: Daniel Juncadella/Jonny Edgar/Ben Keating – 7th in LMGT3No. 81 Corvette Z06 GT3.R: Charlie Eastwood/Rui Andrade/Tom Van Rompuy – 3rd in LMGT3

HARTFORD, MI (June 2, 2026) – The World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Series is gearing up for a full weekend of action with three races at three different tracks in three nights.

First on the agenda is a highly anticipated return to Michigan. The tour hasn’t crossed into the state’s border since 2019, but that’ll change on Friday, June 5, when Hartford Speedway takes center stage for the Pure Michigan Showdown.

Then, it’s around the southern rim of Lake Michigan and up to Wisconsin’s Plymouth Dirt Track on Saturday, June 6, for the Cheese Town Showdown. The World of Outlaws returned to the “Badger State” track in thrilling fashion a year ago after two decades away.

Finalizing the weekend is a Sunday, June 7, stop at Sun Prairie, WI’s Angell Park Speedway. It’ll be a special night as the tour honors the man responsible for the World of Outlaws with the Ted Johnson Memorial Race at the track where he fell in love with the sport.

A tripleheader at three dirt tracks awaits. The Greatest Show on Dirt is ready to log some miles this weekend.

BUY HARTFORD TICKETS HERE
BUY PLYMOUTH TICKETS HERE
BUY ANGELL PARK TICKETS HERE

WATCH LIVE ON DIRTVision

Let’s look at the top stories to watch:

NIGHTMARE’S HOME

Few fanbases appreciate a local hero the way Wisconsin loves Bill Balog. His route is a bit unconventional in spending multiple decades racing on a primarily local basis before deciding to hit the road with the World of Outlaws. He amassed a huge following in the “Badger State” over that time, and they’re always eager to welcome him to familiar territory.

The numbers are enormous for Balog at both Wisconsin tracks ahead. He’s won a whopping 20 times at Plymouth with the Interstate Racing Association (IRA). Two of those were co-sanctioned events with the All Star Circuit of Champions (ASCoC). Balog was seventh at last year’s Cheese Town Showdown. His versatility has been on display at Angell Park with 16 victories spread across Wing Sprint Cars, Non-Wing Sprint Cars, and Midgets.

Balog heads home still chasing his first checkered flag of the season. He’s been close with laps led at multiple races and a Kennedale Speedway Park runner-up. History says don’t be surprised if he’s in contention this weekend.

MIGHTY IN MICHIGAN

There’s only one driver on the tour currently with a World of Outlaws win at Hartford, and it’s the two-time and defending champion, David Gravel.

The Watertown, CT native took the CJB Motorsports No. 5 to Victory Lane in 2017. He backed that up two years later in a different ride, the Jason Johnson Racing No. 41, by being the last of a three-leader thriller at Hartford. That made him the first and only competitor to top consecutive visits.

Friday will be Gravel’s first visit to the “Great Lakes State” since climbing aboard the Big Game Motorsports No. 2, but the team itself finished on the podium at Hartford in 2011 with Craig Dollansky. Gravel enters the weekend atop the standings with a 114-point advantage.

UNDEFEATED

Sheldon Haudenschild will put his perfect Angell Park record on the line Sunday at Angell Park.

He debuted at the 1/3 mile during a 2014 IRA race aboard Chris Hartnell’s No. 48H and got the job done. The Wooster, OH native didn’t return for 11 years, but once he did, the result was the same as he steered the Stenhouse Jr./Marshall Racing No. 17 from third to the front. He’ll aim to make it three wins in three rides Sunday as he makes the trip with the KCP Racing crew.

Recent weeks have produced a stretch of consistency for Haudenschild in the NOS Energy Drink No. 18. He’s bagged six top fives in the last eight races, including a pair of runner-up results. He and Donny Schatz have traded the fourth spot in points several times this year, and Haudenschild’s May speed has given him the advantage by six markers entering June.

SUN PRAIRIE SPEED

Haudenschild might be the only one with a perfect record at Angell Park, but he’s not the lone World of Outlaws competitor to find some speed in Sun Prairie, WI.

Donny Schatz’s first visit to Angell Park ended in Victory Lane. He claimed the World of Outlaws debut at the oval in 2016 aboard the Tony Stewart/Curb-Agajanian Racing No. 15 and will head there this Sunday in the CJB Motorsports No. 15.

Before his time on the World of Outlaws tour began, Carson Macedo topped a POWRi Midget race at Angell Park a decade ago. His best Sprint Car result there is seventh at a 2016 IRA race aboard Jimmy Davies’ No. 99X. Macedo enters the weekend as the most recent Series winner, courtesy of charging from ninth to the checkered flag at River Cities Speedway on Friday.

SUMMER OF MONEY LOOMS

The time is now for World of Outlaws teams to make sure their cars are firing on all cylinders.

The beginning of the “Summer of Money” is less than three weeks away. What began as the Month of Money has evolved into a three-month stretch filled by pocket-stuffing races. From June 17 through Sept. 19, the teams will tackle 14 races that send the winner home with at least $20,000. Four of them serve up a six-figure payday, including the largest in Series history, the $300,000-to-win finale of the BillionAuto.com Huset’s High Bank Nationals on June 20. That’s part of a massive week at Huset’s Speedway that also boasts the $150,000-to-win Hefty Seed Huset’s Hustle on June 18.

The stretch also features the $200,000-to-win Kings Royal at Eldora Speedway (July 17-18) and the $200,000-to-win NOS Energy Drink Knoxville Nationals presented by Casey’s at Knoxville Raceway (Aug. 12-15). It’s punctuated by the $83,000-to-win Dennis Roth Classic at California’s Stockton Dirt Track (Sept. 18-19).

This is life-changing money on the line as the sport of Sprint Car racing continues to reach new heights.

THIS WEEKEND AT A GLANCE

WHEN AND WHERE 
Friday, June 5 at Hartford Speedway in Hartford, MI
Saturday, June 6 at Plymouth Dirt Track in Plymouth, WI
Sunday, June 7 at Angell Park Speedway in Sun Prairie, WI

AROUND THE TURN
Friday-Saturday, June 12-13 at Knoxville Raceway in Knoxville, IA (TICKETS)

CURRENT CHAMPIONSHIP STANDINGS (25/84 Races):
1. David Gravel – Big Game Motorsports No. 2 (3510 PTS)
2. Carson Macedo – Jason Johnson Racing No. 41 (-114 PTS)
3. Michael Kofoid – Roth Motorsports No. 83 (-126 PTS)
4. Sheldon Haudenschild – KCP Racing No. 18 (-194 PTS)
5. Donny Schatz – CJB Motorsports No. 15 (-200 PTS)
6. Logan Schuchart – Shark Racing No. 1S (-270 PTS)
7. Garet Williamson – Fischer Motorsports No. 23 (-434 PTS)
8. Cole Macedo – TwoC Racing No. 2C (-460 PTS)
9. Chris Windom – Sides Motorsports No. 7S (-520 PTS)
10. Spencer Bayston – Stenhouse Jr./Marshall Racing No. 17 (-538 PTS)

NOS ENERGY DRINK FEATURE WINNERS (13 Drivers):
6 Wins – Michael Kofoid
5 Wins – David Gravel
3 Wins – Carson Macedo
2 Wins – Anthony Macri
1 Win – Spencer Bayston, Sheldon Haudenschild, Donny Schatz, Tyler Courtney, Brad Sweet, Kasey Kahne, Rico Abreu, Logan Schuchart, Aaron Reutzel

FEATURE LAPS LED (22 Drivers):
148 Laps Led – David Gravel
137 Laps Led – Michael Kofoid
69 Laps Led – Carson Macedo
44 Laps Led – Bill Balog
40 Laps Led – Anthony Macri
37 Laps Led – Tyler Courtney, Aaron Reutzel
35 Laps Led – Donny Schatz
33 Laps Led – Brady Bacon
28 Laps Led – Ryan Timms
26 Laps Led – Sheldon Haudenschild
25 Laps Led – Brad Sweet, Kasey Kahne
21 Laps Led – Kasey Jedrzejek
20 Laps Led – Logan Schuchart
17 Laps Led – Spencer Bayston
15 Laps Led – Rico Abreu
11 Laps Led – Giovanni Scelzi
10 Laps Led – Cole Macedo
7 Laps Led – Brian Brown
6 Laps Led – Brock Zearfoss
1 Lap Led – Christopher ThramPODIUM FINISHES (25 Drivers):
14 Podiums – David Gravel
11 Podiums – Carson Macedo
10 Podiums – Michael Kofoid
5 Podiums – Sheldon Haudenschild
4 Podiums – Donny Schatz
3 Podiums – Anthony Macri, Ryan Timms, Spencer Bayston, Rico Abreu
2 Podiums – Brady Bacon, Cole Macedo, Aaron Reutzel
1 Podium – Ashton Torgerson, Bill Balog, Scott Bogucki, Tyler Courtney, Emerson Axsom, Brad Sweet, Chase Dietz, Kasey Kahne, Justin Whittall, Troy Wagaman Jr., Giovanni Scelzi, Logan Schuchart, Kasey Jedrzejek

SIMPSON PERFORMANCE PRODUCTS QUICKTIME AWARDS (13 Drivers):
10 Quick Times – David Gravel
3 Quick Times – Sheldon Haudenschild
2 Quick Times – Logan Schuchart
1 Quick Time – Ashton Torgerson, Kasey Jedrzejek, Brady Bacon, Will Armitage, Michael Kofoid, J.J. Hickle, Brian Brown, Danny Dietrich, Rico Abreu, Aaron Reutzel

HEAT RACE WINNERS (32 Drivers):
18 Heat Wins – David Gravel
12 Heat Wins – Sheldon Haudenschild
7 Heat Wins – Carson Macedo
6 Heat Wins – Bill Balog
5 Heat Wins – Logan Schuchart
4 Heat Wins – Michael Kofoid, Donny Schatz
3 Heat Wins – Ashton Torgerson, Emerson Axsom, Rico Abreu, Cole Macedo
2 Heat Wins – Anthony Macri, Chase Dietz, Kasey Kahne, Aaron Reutzel, Kasey Jedrzejek
1 Heat Win – Chase Dietz, Justin Peck, Tanner Holmes, Scotty Thiel, Will Armitage, Rees Moran, Tyler Courtney, Brent Marks, Brian Brown, Danny Dietrich, Justin Whittall, Chad Trout, Giovanni Scelzi, Joel Myers Jr., Spencer Bayston, Austin McCarl, Andy Pake

TOYOTA DASH APPEARANCES (54 Drivers):
21 Dashes – David Gravel
19 Dashes – Sheldon Haudenschild
15 Dashes – Michael Kofoid
9 Dashes – Carson Macedo
8 Dashes – Bill Balog
6 Dashes – Ashton Torgerson, Emerson Axsom, Logan Schuchart, Donny Schatz, Cole Macedo, Garet Williamson
5 Dashes – Kasey Jedrzejek
4 Dashes – Anthony Macri, Ryan Timms, Rico Abreu, Aaron Reutzel
3 Dashes – Brent Marks, Kerry Madsen, Chase Dietz, Tanner Holmes, Brian Brown, Spencer Bayston
2 Dashes – Scotty Thiel, Chris Windom, Kasey Kahne, Troy Wagaman Jr., Brady Bacon, Will Armitage, J.J. Hickle, Justin Henderson, Austin McCarl
1 Dash – Justin Peck, Parker Price-Miller, Brock Zearfoss, Bryce Lucius, Christopher Thram, Sam Hafertepe Jr., Rees Moran, Bryce Norris, Tyler Courtney, Brad Sweet, Danny Dietrich, Logan Rumsey, Daryn Pittman, Kody Hartlaub, Freddie Rahmer, Justin Whittall, Chad Trout, Brenham Crouch, Giovanni Scelzi, Joel Myers Jr., Joe B. Miller, Conner Morrell, Andy Pake

MICRO-LITE LAST CHANCE SHOWDOWN WINS (18 Drivers):
3 LCS Wins – Donny Schatz
2 LCS Wins – Michael Kofoid, Chris Windom, Garet Williamson, Spencer Bayston
1 LCS Wins – Cameron Martin, Bill Balog, Blake Hahn, Landon Crawley, Bryce Norris, Giovanni Scelzi, Logan Schuchart, Doug Hammaker, Daryn Pittman, Kerry Madsen, Skylar Gee, Justin Henderson, Emerson Axsom

KSE HARD CHARGER AWARDS (15 Drivers):
5 Hard Chargers – Carson Macedo
3 Hard Chargers – Donny Schatz
2 Hard Chargers – Garet Williamson, Michael Kofoid, Spencer Bayston, Chris Windom
1 Hard Charger – Giovanni Scelzi, Ryan Timms, Logan Schuchart, Brady Bacon, Sheldon Haudenschild, Tyler Ross, Cameron Smith, David Gravel, Emerson Axsom

ACME FASTEST LAP AWARDS (16 Drivers):
4 Fastest Laps – Michael Kofoid
2 Fastest Laps – Bill Balog, David Gravel, Brady Bacon, Carson Macedo, Aaron Reutzel, Kasey Jedrzejek
1 Fastest Lap – Anthony Macri, Brock Zearfoss, Sheldon Haudenschild, Cole Macedo, Ryan Timms, Brad Sweet, Kelby Watt, Kasey Kahne, Giovanni Scelzi

RACE READY CLOTHING HOTTEST LAP OF THE NIGHT AWARDS (13 Drivers):
7 Hottest Laps – David Gravel
3 Hottest Laps – Michael Kofoid, Sheldon Haudenschild
2 Hottest Laps – Logan Schuchart, Garet Williamson
1 Hottest Lap – Austin McCarl, Brent Marks, Cole Macedo, Emerson Axsom, Tyler Courtney, Ryan Timms, Daryn Pittman, Giovanni Scelzi

2026 WORLD OF OUTLAWS SPRINT CAR SCHEDULE & WINNERS:
Day, Date / Track / Location / Winner
Wed, Feb 4 / Volusia Speedway Park / Barberville, FL / Spencer Bayston (1)
Fri, Feb 6 / Volusia Speedway Park / Barberville, FL / Michael Kofoid (1)
Sat, Feb 7 / Volusia Speedway Park / Barberville, FL / Anthony Macri (1)
Sun, March 1 / Volusia Speedway Park / Barberville, FL / Sheldon Haudenschild (1)
Mon, March 2 / Volusia Speedway Park / Barberville, FL / Anthony Macri (2)
Fri, March 6 / Talladega Short Track / Eastaboga, AL / Donny Schatz (1)
Fri, March 13 / Kennedale Speedway Park / Kennedale, TX / David Gravel (1)
Fri, March 20 / Lawton Speedway / Lawton, OK / David Gravel (2)
Sat, March 21 / Creek County Speedway / Sapulpa, OK / David Gravel (3)
Fri, March 27 / US 36 Raceway / Osborn, MO / Carson Macedo (1)
Sat, March 28 / 81 Speedway / Park City, KS / Michael Kofoid (2)
Fri, April 10 / I-55 Federated Auto Parts Raceway Park / Pevely, MO / Michael Kofoid (3)
Sat, April 11 / I-55 Federated Auto Parts Raceway Park / Pevely, MO / Michael Kofoid (4)
Sun, April 19 / Tri-State Speedway / Haubstadt, IN / Tyler Courtney (1)
Fri, April 24 / Knoxville Raceway / Knoxville, IA / Brad Sweet (1)
Sat, April 25 / Knoxville Raceway / Knoxville, IA / David Gravel (4)
Tues, May 5 / Lincoln Speedway / Abbottstown, PA / Michael Kofoid (5)
Fri, May 8 / Williams Grove Speedway / Mechanicsburg, PA / Kasey Kahne (1)
Sat, May 9 / Williams Grove Speedway / Mechanicsburg, PA / David Gravel (5)
Fri, May 15 / Eldora Speedway / Rossburg, OH / Rico Abreu (1)
Sat, May 16 / Eldora Speedway / Rossburg, OH / Logan Schuchart (1)
Tues, May 19 / Jacksonville Speedway / Jacksonville, IL / Carson Macedo (2)
Sat, May 23 / Knoxville Raceway / Knoxville, IA / Aaron Reutzel (1)
Mon, May 25 / Huset’s Speedway / Brandon, SD / Michael Kofoid (6)
Fri, May 29 / River Cities Speedway / Grand Forks, ND / Carson Macedo (3)
Fri, June 5 / Hartford Speedway / Hartford, MI
Sat, June 6 / Plymouth Dirt Track / Plymouth, WI
Sun, June 7 / Angell Park Speedway / Sun Prairie, WI
Fri, June 12 / Knoxville Raceway / Knoxville, IA
Sat, June 13 / Knoxville Raceway / Knoxville, IA
Wed, June 17 / Huset’s Speedway / Brandon, SD
Thurs, June 18 / Huset’s Speedway / Brandon, SD
Fri, June 19 / Huset’s Speedway / Brandon, SD
Sat, June 20 / Huset’s Speedway / Brandon, SD
Fri, June 26 / Cedar Lake Speedway / New Richmond, WI
Sat, June 27 / Cedar Lake Speedway / New Richmond, WI
Fri, July 10 / Wilmot Raceway / Wilmot, WI
Sat, July 11 / Wilmot Raceway / Wilmot, WI
Tues, July 14 / Attica Raceway Park / Attica, OH
Fri, July 17 / Eldora Speedway / Rossburg, OH
Sat, July 18 / Eldora Speedway / Rossburg, OH
Tues, July 21 / Ohsweken Speedway / Ohsweken, ON, Canada
Wed, July 22 / Ohsweken Speedway / Ohsweken, ON, Canada
Sat, July 25 / Weedsport Speedway / Weedsport, NY
Sun, July 26 / Weedsport Speedway / Weedsport, NY
Wed, July 29 / BAPS Motor Speedway / York Haven, PA
Fri, July 31 / Williams Grove Speedway / Mechanicsburg, PA
Sat, Aug 1 / Williams Grove Speedway / Mechanicsburg, PA
Fri, Aug 7 / I-55 Federated Auto Parts Raceway Park / Pevely, MO
Sat, Aug 8 / I-55 Federated Auto Parts Raceway Park / Pevely, MO
Wed, Aug 12 / Knoxville Raceway / Knoxville, IA*
Thurs, Aug 13 / Knoxville Raceway / Knoxville, IA*
Fri, Aug 14 / Knoxville Raceway / Knoxville, IA*
Sat, Aug 15 / Knoxville Raceway / Knoxville, IA
Fri, Aug 21 / Ogilvie Raceway / Ogilvie, MN
Sat, Aug 22 / Jackson Motorplex / Jackson, MN
Fri, Aug 28 / River Cities Speedway / Grand Forks, ND
Sat, Aug 29 / Red River Valley Speedway / West Fargo, ND
Sun, Aug 30 / Nodak Speedway / Minot, ND
Fri, Sept 4 / Huset’s Speedway / Brandon, SD
Sat, Sept 5 / Huset’s Speedway / Brandon, SD
Sun, Sept 6 / Huset’s Speedway / Brandon, SD
Fri, Sept 11 / Belleville High Banks / Belleville, KS
Sat, Sept 12 / Dodge City Raceway Park / Dodge City, KS
Mon, Sept 14 / El Paso County Raceway / Calhan, CO
Fri, Sept 18 / Stockton Dirt Track / Stockton, CA
Sat, Sept 19 / Stockton Dirt Track / Stockton, CA
Tues, Sept 22 / Kings Speedway / Hanford, CA
Fri, Sept 25 / Bakersfield Speedway at Kevin Harvick’s Kern Raceway / Bakersfield, CA
Sat, Sept 26 / Ventura Raceway / Ventura, CA
Fri, Oct 2 / Williams Grove Speedway / Mechanicsburg, PA
Sat, Oct 3 / Williams Grove Speedway / Mechanicsburg, PA
Thurs, Oct 8 / Millstream Speedway / Findlay, OH
Fri, Oct 9 / Mansfield Speedway / Mansfield, OH
Sat, Oct 10 / Sharon Speedway / Hartford, OH
Fri, Oct 16 / Lincoln Park Speedway / Putnamville, IN
Sat, Oct 17 / TBA
Fri, Oct 23 / Texarkana 67 Speedway / Texarkana, AR
Sat, Oct 24 / Texarkana 67 Speedway / Texarkana, AR
Wed, Nov 4 / The Dirt Track at Charlotte / Concord, NC
Thurs, Nov 5 / The Dirt Track at Charlotte / Concord, NC
Fri, Nov 6 / The Dirt Track at Charlotte / Concord, NC
Sat, Nov 7 / The Dirt Track at Charlotte / Concord, NC

*denotes unofficial split-field prelim race.

TOP FIVE STORYLINES: Three Tracks in Three Nights Open Major Month of June

HARTFORD, MI (June 2, 2026) – The World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Series is gearing up for a full weekend of action with three races at three different tracks in three nights.

First on the agenda is a highly anticipated return to Michigan. The tour hasn’t crossed into the state’s border since 2019, but that’ll change on Friday, June 5, when Hartford Speedway takes center stage for the Pure Michigan Showdown.

Then, it’s around the southern rim of Lake Michigan and up to Wisconsin’s Plymouth Dirt Track on Saturday, June 6, for the Cheese Town Showdown. The World of Outlaws returned to the “Badger State” track in thrilling fashion a year ago after two decades away.

Finalizing the weekend is a Sunday, June 7, stop at Sun Prairie, WI’s Angell Park Speedway. It’ll be a special night as the tour honors the man responsible for the World of Outlaws with the Ted Johnson Memorial Race at the track where he fell in love with the sport.

A tripleheader at three dirt tracks awaits. The Greatest Show on Dirt is ready to log some miles this weekend.

BUY HARTFORD TICKETS HERE
BUY PLYMOUTH TICKETS HERE
BUY ANGELL PARK TICKETS HERE

WATCH LIVE ON DIRTVision

Let’s look at the top stories to watch:

NIGHTMARE’S HOME

Few fanbases appreciate a local hero the way Wisconsin loves Bill Balog. His route is a bit unconventional in spending multiple decades racing on a primarily local basis before deciding to hit the road with the World of Outlaws. He amassed a huge following in the “Badger State” over that time, and they’re always eager to welcome him to familiar territory.

The numbers are enormous for Balog at both Wisconsin tracks ahead. He’s won a whopping 20 times at Plymouth with the Interstate Racing Association (IRA). Two of those were co-sanctioned events with the All Star Circuit of Champions (ASCoC). Balog was seventh at last year’s Cheese Town Showdown. His versatility has been on display at Angell Park with 16 victories spread across Wing Sprint Cars, Non-Wing Sprint Cars, and Midgets.

Balog heads home still chasing his first checkered flag of the season. He’s been close with laps led at multiple races and a Kennedale Speedway Park runner-up. History says don’t be surprised if he’s in contention this weekend.

MIGHTY IN MICHIGAN

There’s only one driver on the tour currently with a World of Outlaws win at Hartford, and it’s the two-time and defending champion, David Gravel.

The Watertown, CT native took the CJB Motorsports No. 5 to Victory Lane in 2017. He backed that up two years later in a different ride, the Jason Johnson Racing No. 41, by being the last of a three-leader thriller at Hartford. That made him the first and only competitor to top consecutive visits.

Friday will be Gravel’s first visit to the “Great Lakes State” since climbing aboard the Big Game Motorsports No. 2, but the team itself finished on the podium at Hartford in 2011 with Craig Dollansky. Gravel enters the weekend atop the standings with a 114-point advantage.

UNDEFEATED

Sheldon Haudenschild will put his perfect Angell Park record on the line Sunday at Angell Park.

He debuted at the 1/3 mile during a 2014 IRA race aboard Chris Hartnell’s No. 48H and got the job done. The Wooster, OH native didn’t return for 11 years, but once he did, the result was the same as he steered the Stenhouse Jr./Marshall Racing No. 17 from third to the front. He’ll aim to make it three wins in three rides Sunday as he makes the trip with the KCP Racing crew.

Recent weeks have produced a stretch of consistency for Haudenschild in the NOS Energy Drink No. 18. He’s bagged six top fives in the last eight races, including a pair of runner-up results. He and Donny Schatz have traded the fourth spot in points several times this year, and Haudenschild’s May speed has given him the advantage by six markers entering June.

SUN PRAIRIE SPEED

Haudenschild might be the only one with a perfect record at Angell Park, but he’s not the lone World of Outlaws competitor to find some speed in Sun Prairie, WI.

Donny Schatz’s first visit to Angell Park ended in Victory Lane. He claimed the World of Outlaws debut at the oval in 2016 aboard the Tony Stewart/Curb-Agajanian Racing No. 15 and will head there this Sunday in the CJB Motorsports No. 15.

Before his time on the World of Outlaws tour began, Carson Macedo topped a POWRi Midget race at Angell Park a decade ago. His best Sprint Car result there is seventh at a 2016 IRA race aboard Jimmy Davies’ No. 99X. Macedo enters the weekend as the most recent Series winner, courtesy of charging from ninth to the checkered flag at River Cities Speedway on Friday.

SUMMER OF MONEY LOOMS

The time is now for World of Outlaws teams to make sure their cars are firing on all cylinders.

The beginning of the “Summer of Money” is less than three weeks away. What began as the Month of Money has evolved into a three-month stretch filled by pocket-stuffing races. From June 17 through Sept. 19, the teams will tackle 14 races that send the winner home with at least $20,000. Four of them serve up a six-figure payday, including the largest in Series history, the $300,000-to-win finale of the BillionAuto.com Huset’s High Bank Nationals on June 20. That’s part of a massive week at Huset’s Speedway that also boasts the $150,000-to-win Hefty Seed Huset’s Hustle on June 18.

The stretch also features the $200,000-to-win Kings Royal at Eldora Speedway (July 17-18) and the $200,000-to-win NOS Energy Drink Knoxville Nationals presented by Casey’s at Knoxville Raceway (Aug. 12-15). It’s punctuated by the $83,000-to-win Dennis Roth Classic at California’s Stockton Dirt Track (Sept. 18-19).

This is life-changing money on the line as the sport of Sprint Car racing continues to reach new heights.

THIS WEEKEND AT A GLANCE

WHEN AND WHERE 
Friday, June 5 at Hartford Speedway in Hartford, MI
Saturday, June 6 at Plymouth Dirt Track in Plymouth, WI
Sunday, June 7 at Angell Park Speedway in Sun Prairie, WI

AROUND THE TURN
Friday-Saturday, June 12-13 at Knoxville Raceway in Knoxville, IA (TICKETS)

CURRENT CHAMPIONSHIP STANDINGS (25/84 Races):
1. David Gravel – Big Game Motorsports No. 2 (3510 PTS)
2. Carson Macedo – Jason Johnson Racing No. 41 (-114 PTS)
3. Michael Kofoid – Roth Motorsports No. 83 (-126 PTS)
4. Sheldon Haudenschild – KCP Racing No. 18 (-194 PTS)
5. Donny Schatz – CJB Motorsports No. 15 (-200 PTS)
6. Logan Schuchart – Shark Racing No. 1S (-270 PTS)
7. Garet Williamson – Fischer Motorsports No. 23 (-434 PTS)
8. Cole Macedo – TwoC Racing No. 2C (-460 PTS)
9. Chris Windom – Sides Motorsports No. 7S (-520 PTS)
10. Spencer Bayston – Stenhouse Jr./Marshall Racing No. 17 (-538 PTS)

NOS ENERGY DRINK FEATURE WINNERS (13 Drivers):
6 Wins – Michael Kofoid
5 Wins – David Gravel
3 Wins – Carson Macedo
2 Wins – Anthony Macri
1 Win – Spencer Bayston, Sheldon Haudenschild, Donny Schatz, Tyler Courtney, Brad Sweet, Kasey Kahne, Rico Abreu, Logan Schuchart, Aaron Reutzel

FEATURE LAPS LED (22 Drivers):
148 Laps Led – David Gravel
137 Laps Led – Michael Kofoid
69 Laps Led – Carson Macedo
44 Laps Led – Bill Balog
40 Laps Led – Anthony Macri
37 Laps Led – Tyler Courtney, Aaron Reutzel
35 Laps Led – Donny Schatz
33 Laps Led – Brady Bacon
28 Laps Led – Ryan Timms
26 Laps Led – Sheldon Haudenschild
25 Laps Led – Brad Sweet, Kasey Kahne
21 Laps Led – Kasey Jedrzejek
20 Laps Led – Logan Schuchart
17 Laps Led – Spencer Bayston
15 Laps Led – Rico Abreu
11 Laps Led – Giovanni Scelzi
10 Laps Led – Cole Macedo
7 Laps Led – Brian Brown
6 Laps Led – Brock Zearfoss
1 Lap Led – Christopher ThramPODIUM FINISHES (25 Drivers):
14 Podiums – David Gravel
11 Podiums – Carson Macedo
10 Podiums – Michael Kofoid
5 Podiums – Sheldon Haudenschild
4 Podiums – Donny Schatz
3 Podiums – Anthony Macri, Ryan Timms, Spencer Bayston, Rico Abreu
2 Podiums – Brady Bacon, Cole Macedo, Aaron Reutzel
1 Podium – Ashton Torgerson, Bill Balog, Scott Bogucki, Tyler Courtney, Emerson Axsom, Brad Sweet, Chase Dietz, Kasey Kahne, Justin Whittall, Troy Wagaman Jr., Giovanni Scelzi, Logan Schuchart, Kasey Jedrzejek

SIMPSON PERFORMANCE PRODUCTS QUICKTIME AWARDS (13 Drivers):
10 Quick Times – David Gravel
3 Quick Times – Sheldon Haudenschild
2 Quick Times – Logan Schuchart
1 Quick Time – Ashton Torgerson, Kasey Jedrzejek, Brady Bacon, Will Armitage, Michael Kofoid, J.J. Hickle, Brian Brown, Danny Dietrich, Rico Abreu, Aaron Reutzel

HEAT RACE WINNERS (32 Drivers):
18 Heat Wins – David Gravel
12 Heat Wins – Sheldon Haudenschild
7 Heat Wins – Carson Macedo
6 Heat Wins – Bill Balog
5 Heat Wins – Logan Schuchart
4 Heat Wins – Michael Kofoid, Donny Schatz
3 Heat Wins – Ashton Torgerson, Emerson Axsom, Rico Abreu, Cole Macedo
2 Heat Wins – Anthony Macri, Chase Dietz, Kasey Kahne, Aaron Reutzel, Kasey Jedrzejek
1 Heat Win – Chase Dietz, Justin Peck, Tanner Holmes, Scotty Thiel, Will Armitage, Rees Moran, Tyler Courtney, Brent Marks, Brian Brown, Danny Dietrich, Justin Whittall, Chad Trout, Giovanni Scelzi, Joel Myers Jr., Spencer Bayston, Austin McCarl, Andy Pake

TOYOTA DASH APPEARANCES (54 Drivers):
21 Dashes – David Gravel
19 Dashes – Sheldon Haudenschild
15 Dashes – Michael Kofoid
9 Dashes – Carson Macedo
8 Dashes – Bill Balog
6 Dashes – Ashton Torgerson, Emerson Axsom, Logan Schuchart, Donny Schatz, Cole Macedo, Garet Williamson
5 Dashes – Kasey Jedrzejek
4 Dashes – Anthony Macri, Ryan Timms, Rico Abreu, Aaron Reutzel
3 Dashes – Brent Marks, Kerry Madsen, Chase Dietz, Tanner Holmes, Brian Brown, Spencer Bayston
2 Dashes – Scotty Thiel, Chris Windom, Kasey Kahne, Troy Wagaman Jr., Brady Bacon, Will Armitage, J.J. Hickle, Justin Henderson, Austin McCarl
1 Dash – Justin Peck, Parker Price-Miller, Brock Zearfoss, Bryce Lucius, Christopher Thram, Sam Hafertepe Jr., Rees Moran, Bryce Norris, Tyler Courtney, Brad Sweet, Danny Dietrich, Logan Rumsey, Daryn Pittman, Kody Hartlaub, Freddie Rahmer, Justin Whittall, Chad Trout, Brenham Crouch, Giovanni Scelzi, Joel Myers Jr., Joe B. Miller, Conner Morrell, Andy Pake

MICRO-LITE LAST CHANCE SHOWDOWN WINS (18 Drivers):
3 LCS Wins – Donny Schatz
2 LCS Wins – Michael Kofoid, Chris Windom, Garet Williamson, Spencer Bayston
1 LCS Wins – Cameron Martin, Bill Balog, Blake Hahn, Landon Crawley, Bryce Norris, Giovanni Scelzi, Logan Schuchart, Doug Hammaker, Daryn Pittman, Kerry Madsen, Skylar Gee, Justin Henderson, Emerson Axsom

KSE HARD CHARGER AWARDS (15 Drivers):
5 Hard Chargers – Carson Macedo
3 Hard Chargers – Donny Schatz
2 Hard Chargers – Garet Williamson, Michael Kofoid, Spencer Bayston, Chris Windom
1 Hard Charger – Giovanni Scelzi, Ryan Timms, Logan Schuchart, Brady Bacon, Sheldon Haudenschild, Tyler Ross, Cameron Smith, David Gravel, Emerson Axsom

ACME FASTEST LAP AWARDS (16 Drivers):
4 Fastest Laps – Michael Kofoid
2 Fastest Laps – Bill Balog, David Gravel, Brady Bacon, Carson Macedo, Aaron Reutzel, Kasey Jedrzejek
1 Fastest Lap – Anthony Macri, Brock Zearfoss, Sheldon Haudenschild, Cole Macedo, Ryan Timms, Brad Sweet, Kelby Watt, Kasey Kahne, Giovanni Scelzi

RACE READY CLOTHING HOTTEST LAP OF THE NIGHT AWARDS (13 Drivers):
7 Hottest Laps – David Gravel
3 Hottest Laps – Michael Kofoid, Sheldon Haudenschild
2 Hottest Laps – Logan Schuchart, Garet Williamson
1 Hottest Lap – Austin McCarl, Brent Marks, Cole Macedo, Emerson Axsom, Tyler Courtney, Ryan Timms, Daryn Pittman, Giovanni Scelzi

2026 WORLD OF OUTLAWS SPRINT CAR SCHEDULE & WINNERS:
Day, Date / Track / Location / Winner
Wed, Feb 4 / Volusia Speedway Park / Barberville, FL / Spencer Bayston (1)
Fri, Feb 6 / Volusia Speedway Park / Barberville, FL / Michael Kofoid (1)
Sat, Feb 7 / Volusia Speedway Park / Barberville, FL / Anthony Macri (1)
Sun, March 1 / Volusia Speedway Park / Barberville, FL / Sheldon Haudenschild (1)
Mon, March 2 / Volusia Speedway Park / Barberville, FL / Anthony Macri (2)
Fri, March 6 / Talladega Short Track / Eastaboga, AL / Donny Schatz (1)
Fri, March 13 / Kennedale Speedway Park / Kennedale, TX / David Gravel (1)
Fri, March 20 / Lawton Speedway / Lawton, OK / David Gravel (2)
Sat, March 21 / Creek County Speedway / Sapulpa, OK / David Gravel (3)
Fri, March 27 / US 36 Raceway / Osborn, MO / Carson Macedo (1)
Sat, March 28 / 81 Speedway / Park City, KS / Michael Kofoid (2)
Fri, April 10 / I-55 Federated Auto Parts Raceway Park / Pevely, MO / Michael Kofoid (3)
Sat, April 11 / I-55 Federated Auto Parts Raceway Park / Pevely, MO / Michael Kofoid (4)
Sun, April 19 / Tri-State Speedway / Haubstadt, IN / Tyler Courtney (1)
Fri, April 24 / Knoxville Raceway / Knoxville, IA / Brad Sweet (1)
Sat, April 25 / Knoxville Raceway / Knoxville, IA / David Gravel (4)
Tues, May 5 / Lincoln Speedway / Abbottstown, PA / Michael Kofoid (5)
Fri, May 8 / Williams Grove Speedway / Mechanicsburg, PA / Kasey Kahne (1)
Sat, May 9 / Williams Grove Speedway / Mechanicsburg, PA / David Gravel (5)
Fri, May 15 / Eldora Speedway / Rossburg, OH / Rico Abreu (1)
Sat, May 16 / Eldora Speedway / Rossburg, OH / Logan Schuchart (1)
Tues, May 19 / Jacksonville Speedway / Jacksonville, IL / Carson Macedo (2)
Sat, May 23 / Knoxville Raceway / Knoxville, IA / Aaron Reutzel (1)
Mon, May 25 / Huset’s Speedway / Brandon, SD / Michael Kofoid (6)
Fri, May 29 / River Cities Speedway / Grand Forks, ND / Carson Macedo (3)
Fri, June 5 / Hartford Speedway / Hartford, MI
Sat, June 6 / Plymouth Dirt Track / Plymouth, WI
Sun, June 7 / Angell Park Speedway / Sun Prairie, WI
Fri, June 12 / Knoxville Raceway / Knoxville, IA
Sat, June 13 / Knoxville Raceway / Knoxville, IA
Wed, June 17 / Huset’s Speedway / Brandon, SD
Thurs, June 18 / Huset’s Speedway / Brandon, SD
Fri, June 19 / Huset’s Speedway / Brandon, SD
Sat, June 20 / Huset’s Speedway / Brandon, SD
Fri, June 26 / Cedar Lake Speedway / New Richmond, WI
Sat, June 27 / Cedar Lake Speedway / New Richmond, WI
Fri, July 10 / Wilmot Raceway / Wilmot, WI
Sat, July 11 / Wilmot Raceway / Wilmot, WI
Tues, July 14 / Attica Raceway Park / Attica, OH
Fri, July 17 / Eldora Speedway / Rossburg, OH
Sat, July 18 / Eldora Speedway / Rossburg, OH
Tues, July 21 / Ohsweken Speedway / Ohsweken, ON, Canada
Wed, July 22 / Ohsweken Speedway / Ohsweken, ON, Canada
Sat, July 25 / Weedsport Speedway / Weedsport, NY
Sun, July 26 / Weedsport Speedway / Weedsport, NY
Wed, July 29 / BAPS Motor Speedway / York Haven, PA
Fri, July 31 / Williams Grove Speedway / Mechanicsburg, PA
Sat, Aug 1 / Williams Grove Speedway / Mechanicsburg, PA
Fri, Aug 7 / I-55 Federated Auto Parts Raceway Park / Pevely, MO
Sat, Aug 8 / I-55 Federated Auto Parts Raceway Park / Pevely, MO
Wed, Aug 12 / Knoxville Raceway / Knoxville, IA*
Thurs, Aug 13 / Knoxville Raceway / Knoxville, IA*
Fri, Aug 14 / Knoxville Raceway / Knoxville, IA*
Sat, Aug 15 / Knoxville Raceway / Knoxville, IA
Fri, Aug 21 / Ogilvie Raceway / Ogilvie, MN
Sat, Aug 22 / Jackson Motorplex / Jackson, MN
Fri, Aug 28 / River Cities Speedway / Grand Forks, ND
Sat, Aug 29 / Red River Valley Speedway / West Fargo, ND
Sun, Aug 30 / Nodak Speedway / Minot, ND
Fri, Sept 4 / Huset’s Speedway / Brandon, SD
Sat, Sept 5 / Huset’s Speedway / Brandon, SD
Sun, Sept 6 / Huset’s Speedway / Brandon, SD
Fri, Sept 11 / Belleville High Banks / Belleville, KS
Sat, Sept 12 / Dodge City Raceway Park / Dodge City, KS
Mon, Sept 14 / El Paso County Raceway / Calhan, CO
Fri, Sept 18 / Stockton Dirt Track / Stockton, CA
Sat, Sept 19 / Stockton Dirt Track / Stockton, CA
Tues, Sept 22 / Kings Speedway / Hanford, CA
Fri, Sept 25 / Bakersfield Speedway at Kevin Harvick’s Kern Raceway / Bakersfield, CA
Sat, Sept 26 / Ventura Raceway / Ventura, CA
Fri, Oct 2 / Williams Grove Speedway / Mechanicsburg, PA
Sat, Oct 3 / Williams Grove Speedway / Mechanicsburg, PA
Thurs, Oct 8 / Millstream Speedway / Findlay, OH
Fri, Oct 9 / Mansfield Speedway / Mansfield, OH
Sat, Oct 10 / Sharon Speedway / Hartford, OH
Fri, Oct 16 / Lincoln Park Speedway / Putnamville, IN
Sat, Oct 17 / TBA
Fri, Oct 23 / Texarkana 67 Speedway / Texarkana, AR
Sat, Oct 24 / Texarkana 67 Speedway / Texarkana, AR
Wed, Nov 4 / The Dirt Track at Charlotte / Concord, NC
Thurs, Nov 5 / The Dirt Track at Charlotte / Concord, NC
Fri, Nov 6 / The Dirt Track at Charlotte / Concord, NC
Sat, Nov 7 / The Dirt Track at Charlotte / Concord, NC

*denotes unofficial split-field prelim race.

ARTICLE: https://worldofoutlaws.com/sprintcars/top-five-storylines-three-tracks-in-three-nights-open-major-month-of-june/

Jun 1, 2026 | Featured, Race Results

Randy Meyer Racing made a strong first appearance at the inagural NHRA Potomac Nationals at Maryland International Raceway in Mechanicsville, Maryland, with Gary Pritchett driving to a runner-up finish in Top Alcohol Dragster competition while teammate Matt Cummings qualified for race day.

Pritchett qualified the Hoopes Fire Prevention, Hedinger’s Equipment, and NGK Spark Plugs & Ignition Coils-backed dragster in the No. 5 position with a strong 5.267-second pass at 276.58 MPH. Cummings secured the No. 7 spot in the GUNK dragster with a 5.309 ET at 271.95 MPH.

In the opening round of eliminations, Cummings faced Jackie Fricke. Cummings gained the starting line advantage but encountered tire shake early in the run and was forced to click the car off. Fricke stayed planted down the groove and advanced to the next round.

NHRA Potomac Nationals presented by JEGS

On the other side of the ladder, Pritchett squared off against legendary drag racer Angelle Sampey in the first elimination matchup between the two drivers. Sampey left first, but Pritchett made up the difference by the 330-foot mark and never looked back, taking a narrow victory with a 5.270 at 271.95 MPH over Sampey’s 5.293 at 271.90 MPH. The margin of victory was just .011 seconds — approximately four feet at the finish line.

Pritchett continued his momentum into the second round on Sunday against Richard Bourke, once again using a starting line advantage to control the race from start to finish. The Randy Meyer Racing driver laid down the quickest and fastest pass of his career, running an impressive 5.210 at 276.75 MPH to defeat Bourke’s 5.248 at 273.05 MPH.

The semifinal matchup proved to be another thriller as Pritchett faced off against Jamie Noonan. Pritchett delivered a stellar .009 reaction time and used the holeshot advantage to hold off the quicker elapsed time from Noonan. Pritchett’s 5.261 at 276.92 MPH edged out Noonan’s quicker 5.216 at 278.06 MPH, sending the Randy Meyer Racing entry to the final round with lane choice.

NHRA Potomac Nationals presented by JEGS

In the final, Pritchett matched up against Jackie Fricke. Fricke gained the starting line advantage and never surrendered it, while Pritchett encountered tire smoke off the starting line. Despite pedaling the car multiple times in an attempt to recover, the dragster was unable to regain traction, and Pritchett coasted to an 11-second pass to finish as the runner-up.

“Not the outcome we were looking for, but still a special weekend for us and the Randy Meyer Racing team,” said Pritchett. “Proud to bring home a Runner-Up finish at a place that feels like home. We had some incredible close races all weekend. Congrats to Jackie and the team on the win. I’m looking forward to getting back to Maryland International Raceway next year.”

Gary Pritchett Drives Randy Meyer Racing to Runner-Up Finish at NHRA Potomac Nationals

Jun 1, 2026 | Featured, Race Results

Randy Meyer Racing made a strong first appearance at the inagural NHRA Potomac Nationals at Maryland International Raceway in Mechanicsville, Maryland, with Gary Pritchett driving to a runner-up finish in Top Alcohol Dragster competition while teammate Matt Cummings qualified for race day.

Pritchett qualified the Hoopes Fire Prevention, Hedinger’s Equipment, and NGK Spark Plugs & Ignition Coils-backed dragster in the No. 5 position with a strong 5.267-second pass at 276.58 MPH. Cummings secured the No. 7 spot in the GUNK dragster with a 5.309 ET at 271.95 MPH.

In the opening round of eliminations, Cummings faced Jackie Fricke. Cummings gained the starting line advantage but encountered tire shake early in the run and was forced to click the car off. Fricke stayed planted down the groove and advanced to the next round.

NHRA Potomac Nationals presented by JEGS

On the other side of the ladder, Pritchett squared off against legendary drag racer Angelle Sampey in the first elimination matchup between the two drivers. Sampey left first, but Pritchett made up the difference by the 330-foot mark and never looked back, taking a narrow victory with a 5.270 at 271.95 MPH over Sampey’s 5.293 at 271.90 MPH. The margin of victory was just .011 seconds — approximately four feet at the finish line.

Pritchett continued his momentum into the second round on Sunday against Richard Bourke, once again using a starting line advantage to control the race from start to finish. The Randy Meyer Racing driver laid down the quickest and fastest pass of his career, running an impressive 5.210 at 276.75 MPH to defeat Bourke’s 5.248 at 273.05 MPH.

The semifinal matchup proved to be another thriller as Pritchett faced off against Jamie Noonan. Pritchett delivered a stellar .009 reaction time and used the holeshot advantage to hold off the quicker elapsed time from Noonan. Pritchett’s 5.261 at 276.92 MPH edged out Noonan’s quicker 5.216 at 278.06 MPH, sending the Randy Meyer Racing entry to the final round with lane choice.

NHRA Potomac Nationals presented by JEGS

In the final, Pritchett matched up against Jackie Fricke. Fricke gained the starting line advantage and never surrendered it, while Pritchett encountered tire smoke off the starting line. Despite pedaling the car multiple times in an attempt to recover, the dragster was unable to regain traction, and Pritchett coasted to an 11-second pass to finish as the runner-up.

“Not the outcome we were looking for, but still a special weekend for us and the Randy Meyer Racing team,” said Pritchett. “Proud to bring home a Runner-Up finish at a place that feels like home. We had some incredible close races all weekend. Congrats to Jackie and the team on the win. I’m looking forward to getting back to Maryland International Raceway next year.”

The runner-up finish continues an impressive stretch for Pritchett with Randy Meyer Racing, further adding to an already successful partnership between driver and team.

MATTOON, IL (June 2, 2026) — For the first time in track history, Coles County Speedway will host the DIRTcar Summer Nationals Late Models and DIRTcar Summit Racing Equipment Modified Nationals in a one-night-only showdown on Friday, June 12.

This event replaces the originally scheduled event at Tri-City Speedway in Pontoon Beach, IL.

With Tri-City Speedway not set to be ready in time, the Gundaker family has kept the best interest of drivers, teams and fans in mind in reaching an agreement with Coles County Speedway to shift all operations of the event to the neighbor facility.

Coles County will award the first $10,000 check of the season to the winner of the 40-lap Late Model Feature, while the 25-lap Modified Feature winner will pocket $1,500.

Tickets for the event will be sold at the track on race day. If you can’t be there, stream every lap live on DIRTVision.

Coles County Speedway Replaces Tri-City Speedway on Summer Nationals Slate June 12

MATTOON, IL (June 2, 2026) — For the first time in track history, Coles County Speedway will host the DIRTcar Summer Nationals Late Models and DIRTcar Summit Racing Equipment Modified Nationals in a one-night-only showdown on Friday, June 12.

This event replaces the originally scheduled event at Tri-City Speedway in Pontoon Beach, IL.

With Tri-City Speedway not set to be ready in time, the Gundaker family has kept the best interest of drivers, teams and fans in mind in reaching an agreement with Coles County Speedway to shift all operations of the event to the neighbor facility.

Coles County will award the first $10,000 check of the season to the winner of the 40-lap Late Model Feature, while the 25-lap Modified Feature winner will pocket $1,500.

Tickets for the event will be sold at the track on race day. If you can’t be there, stream every lap live on DIRTVision.

ARTICLE: https://dirtcarsummernationals.com/news/coles-county-speedway-replaces-tri-city-speedway-on-summer-nationals-slate-june-12/

The ASCS National Tour will visit Creek County Speedway for the first time in 2026 for the Don Swope Classic with the ASCS Sooner Region on Friday, June 5. 

On Saturday, both tours will travel 190 miles northwest to Park City, KS, to join the ASCS Gunsmoke Region for the Salute to Service Sprint Car Showdown at 81 Speedway. 

Drivers will chase a $4,000-to-win payday both nights. Tickets for both events will be sold at the track on race day. 

CREEK COUNTY INFO 

81 SPEEDWAY INFO 

WATCH ON DIRTVISION 

Here are the top storylines to look for: 

Repeat Sweep? – Sam Hafertepe Jr. enjoyed his visits to both tracks on the weekend’s slate in 2025, winning the Don Swope Classic and a September visit to 81 Speedway. 

The National Tour points leader has the most wins of any driver at the “Sooner State” facility with six and is tied with Jason Martin for the most at 81 with back-to-back Feature triumphs in 2024 and 2025. 

Success at Creek County has helped the Sunnyvale, TX, racer reach the Series championship multiple times. His Feature wins at the bullring in 2016, 2018-19, and 2025 helped lead him to hoist the Emmett Hahn Trophy at year’s end. 

Podium Standoff – Matt Covington and Seth Bergman have seen similar avenues towards earning a podium spot in the Series standings. Still, both drivers are chasing a second Feature win in the year to reach Hafertepe for the top spot. 

Covington has finished in the top-10 in every Feature since the opening night of the Sonoran Clash, including three podiums and his first win of the year on the second night at Central Arizona Raceway. The Glenpool, OK, racer’s night at Benton Speedway saw him rally from an early incident to finish third. 

Bergman had to go back to the drawing board after a sluggish start at Federated Auto Parts DIRTcar Nationals. The refresh paid dividends for the No. 23 Oklahoma Chillers Sprint Car with four straight top-10 finishes at Central Arizona, two straight podium finishes, and his first win of the year at Benton. 

Growing Pains – Kyler Johnson’s fourth-place standing is the highest he has ever been with the National Tour. Entering Creek County and 81, he’ll be seeking redemption from his 24th-place finish during the last Series race at Benton. 

A broken O-ring in the engine’s barrel valve at Benton ended Johnson’s night before he could even compete in the event. In his first race after visiting Missouri, Johnson dominated the night at Phillips County Raceway to score his first win of 2026 with the ASCS Western Plains and Gunsmoke Regions. 

While the Quinter, KS driver is hunting his first top-10 at Creek County since 2023, 81 stores the memories of his first United Rebel Sprint Series win and first National Tour podium. He’ll look to make the weekend the sight of his first career Series win. 

Honoring Don – The Friday showcase at Creek County Speedway honors Don Swope – a close friend of Emmett Hahn and one of the most respected construction workers who transformed the SageNet Center into the home of the Chili Bowl Nationals and Tulsa Shootout. 

Swope passed away from cancer in 2020, and the event was formed in 2021 to honor his contributions to the Tulsa, OK, racing scene. In the inaugural Feature, 14-year-old Ryan Timms held off Michael Faccinto for his third-career Series win. 

Sam Hafertepe Jr. has controlled the Don Swope Classic the last two seasons with wins in 2024 and 2025. The last time the Series visited “Creekadega,” Blake Hahn and Zach Daum closed the season with triumphs in the Fuzzy’s Fall Fling. 

Regional Clashes – The National Tour will be accompanied by the ASCS Sooner Region at Creek County and 81, while the ASCS Gunsmoke Region will join both tours for the Saturday in Park City, KS. 

The Sooner Region opened its 2026 season with the Series in April at Salina Highbanks Speedway and saw Chris Martin claim the win. Gunsmoke began their championship hunt in May with Ryder McCutcheon driving to the win at Dodge City Raceway Park.  

When Gunsmoke and the ASCS Western Plains Region raced together at Phillips County Speedway on Memorial Day weekend, National Tour regular Kyler Johnson captured the win. 

THIS WEEKEND AT A GLANCE 

WHEN AND WHERE 

Friday, June 5, at Creek County Speedway in Sapulpa, OK 

Saturday, June 6, at 81 Speedway in Park City, KS 

AROUND THE CORNER 

Saturday, June 13, at Batesville Motor Speedway in Batesville, AR 

CURRENT TOP-10 STANDINGS 

1. Sam Hafertepe Jr. (919pts) 
2. Matt Covington (-44)
3. Seth Bergman (-65)
4. Kyler Johnson (-126)
5. Whit Gastineau (-167)
6. Brogan Carder (-240)
7. Ryder Laplante(-249) 
8. Austyn Gossel(-252) 
9. Terry Easum (-279)
10. Cole Schroeder (-296)

FEATURE WINNERS (7 Drivers) 

2 wins – Justin Peck, Tyler Courtney 

1 win – Seth Bergman, Chris Martin, Brady Bacon, Levi Hillier, Matt Covington 

FEATURE LAPS LED (14 Drivers) 

52 laps – Justin Peck 

30 laps – Levi Hillier 

23 laps – Sam Hafertepe Jr. 

22 laps – Chris Martin 

21 laps – Austin McCarl 

19 laps – Matt Covington 

18 laps – Brady Bacon 

16 laps – Cameron Martin 

13 laps – Brian Brown 

10 laps – Kyler Johnson 

7 laps – Cole Macedo 

6 laps – Tyler Courtney 

5 laps – Seth Bergman 

3 laps – Sean McClelland 

QUICK TIME AWARDS (5 Drivers) 

4 awards – Sam Hafertepe Jr 

1 award – Howard Moore, Chris Martin, Levi Hillier, Kyler Johnson 

HEAT RACE WINNERS (23 Drivers) 

4 wins – Matt Covington 

2 wins – Seth Bergman, Whit Gastineau, Chris Martin, Sam Hafertepe Jr, Justin Peck 

1 win – Jordan Mallett, Sean McClelland, Garrett Benson, Cam Martin, Brady Bacon, Tyler Clem, Emerson Axsom, Brian Brown, Cole Macedo, Garen Linder, Colby Copeland, Nick Parker, Hank Davis, Ryder Laplante, JJ Hickle, Kyler Johnson, Alex Hill 

DASH STARTS (29 Drivers) 

7 starts – Sam Hafertepe Jr 

5 starts – Kyler Johnson, Matt Covington 

4 starts – Whit Gastineau, Levi Hillier 

3 starts – Chris Martin, Tyler Courtney, Brian Brown, Justin Peck 

2 starts – Camerson Martin, Seth Bergman, Emerson Axsom, Austin McCarl, Brady Bacon, Davie Franek 

1 start – Jordan Mallett, Howard Moore, Paul Solomon, Garrett Benson, Brock Zearfoss, Cole Macedo, Tyler Clem, Hank Davis, Ryder Laplante, Nick Parker, Colby Copeland, Garen Linder, JJ Hickle, Alex Hill 

SMITH TITANIUM LAST CHANCE SHOWDOWN WINNERS (7 Drivers) 

2 wins – Braxton Weger 

1 win – DJ Christie, Matt Covington, Tyler Clem, Whit Gastineau, Sterling Cling, Gage Montgomery 

HARD CHARGER AWARDS (9 Drivers) 

1 award – Seth Bergman, Ryder Laplante, Brady Bacon, Cole Macedo, Sam Hafertepe Jr., DJ Netto, Whit Gastineau, Brogan Carder, Joe B. Miller 

PODIUM FINISHES (15 Drivers) 

4 podiums – Sam Hafertepe Jr. 

3 podiums – Justin Peck, Matt Covington 

2 podiums – Seth Bergman, Tyler Courtney, Brady Bacon, Austin McCarl, Levi Hillier 

1 podium – Jordan Mallett, Chris Martin, Cole Macedo, Emerson Axsom, Brock Zearfoss, Kyler Johnson, JJ Hickle 

2026 AMERICAN SPRINT CAR SERIES SCHEDULE + WINNERS 

Date / Track / City, State / Winner (Total Wins) 

1. Thu, Jan. 29 / Volusia Speedway Park /Barberville, FL / Tyler Courtney
2. Fri, Jan. 30 / Volusia Speedway Park /Barberville, FL / Tyler Courtney (2)
3. Mon, Feb. 2 / Volusia Speedway Park /Barberville, FL / Brady Bacon
4. Sat, Feb. 21 / Central Arizona Raceway / Casa Grande, AZ / Justin Peck
5. Sun, Feb. 21 / Central Arizona Raceway / Casa Grande, AZ / Matt Covington
6. Sat, Feb. 28 / Central Arizona Raceway / Casa Grande, AZ / Justin Peck (2)
7. Sun, Mar. 1 / Central Arizona Raceway / Casa Grande, AZ / Levi Hillier
8. Sat, Apr. 11 / Salina Highbanks Speedway / Salina, OK / Chris Martin 
9. Fri, May 8 / Benton Speedway / Benton, MO / Seth Bergman

TOP FIVE STORYLINES: Doubleheader Across OK, KS Awaits Multiple ASCS Divisions  SAPULPA, OK (June 2, 2026) — The American Sprint Car Series is back in the Great Plains for a two-state weekend against two ASCS regional campaigns. 

The ASCS National Tour will visit Creek County Speedway for the first time in 2026 for the Don Swope Classic with the ASCS Sooner Region on Friday, June 5. 

On Saturday, both tours will travel 190 miles northwest to Park City, KS, to join the ASCS Gunsmoke Region for the Salute to Service Sprint Car Showdown at 81 Speedway. 

Drivers will chase a $4,000-to-win payday both nights. Tickets for both events will be sold at the track on race day. 

CREEK COUNTY INFO 

81 SPEEDWAY INFO 

WATCH ON DIRTVISION 

Here are the top storylines to look for: 

Repeat Sweep? – Sam Hafertepe Jr. enjoyed his visits to both tracks on the weekend’s slate in 2025, winning the Don Swope Classic and a September visit to 81 Speedway. 

The National Tour points leader has the most wins of any driver at the “Sooner State” facility with six and is tied with Jason Martin for the most at 81 with back-to-back Feature triumphs in 2024 and 2025. 

Success at Creek County has helped the Sunnyvale, TX, racer reach the Series championship multiple times. His Feature wins at the bullring in 2016, 2018-19, and 2025 helped lead him to hoist the Emmett Hahn Trophy at year’s end. 

Podium Standoff – Matt Covington and Seth Bergman have seen similar avenues towards earning a podium spot in the Series standings. Still, both drivers are chasing a second Feature win in the year to reach Hafertepe for the top spot. 

Covington has finished in the top-10 in every Feature since the opening night of the Sonoran Clash, including three podiums and his first win of the year on the second night at Central Arizona Raceway. The Glenpool, OK, racer’s night at Benton Speedway saw him rally from an early incident to finish third. 

Bergman had to go back to the drawing board after a sluggish start at Federated Auto Parts DIRTcar Nationals. The refresh paid dividends for the No. 23 Oklahoma Chillers Sprint Car with four straight top-10 finishes at Central Arizona, two straight podium finishes, and his first win of the year at Benton. 

Growing Pains – Kyler Johnson’s fourth-place standing is the highest he has ever been with the National Tour. Entering Creek County and 81, he’ll be seeking redemption from his 24th-place finish during the last Series race at Benton. 

A broken O-ring in the engine’s barrel valve at Benton ended Johnson’s night before he could even compete in the event. In his first race after visiting Missouri, Johnson dominated the night at Phillips County Raceway to score his first win of 2026 with the ASCS Western Plains and Gunsmoke Regions. 

While the Quinter, KS driver is hunting his first top-10 at Creek County since 2023, 81 stores the memories of his first United Rebel Sprint Series win and first National Tour podium. He’ll look to make the weekend the sight of his first career Series win. 

Honoring Don – The Friday showcase at Creek County Speedway honors Don Swope – a close friend of Emmett Hahn and one of the most respected construction workers who transformed the SageNet Center into the home of the Chili Bowl Nationals and Tulsa Shootout. 

Swope passed away from cancer in 2020, and the event was formed in 2021 to honor his contributions to the Tulsa, OK, racing scene. In the inaugural Feature, 14-year-old Ryan Timms held off Michael Faccinto for his third-career Series win. 

Sam Hafertepe Jr. has controlled the Don Swope Classic the last two seasons with wins in 2024 and 2025. The last time the Series visited “Creekadega,” Blake Hahn and Zach Daum closed the season with triumphs in the Fuzzy’s Fall Fling. 

Regional Clashes – The National Tour will be accompanied by the ASCS Sooner Region at Creek County and 81, while the ASCS Gunsmoke Region will join both tours for the Saturday in Park City, KS. 

The Sooner Region opened its 2026 season with the Series in April at Salina Highbanks Speedway and saw Chris Martin claim the win. Gunsmoke began their championship hunt in May with Ryder McCutcheon driving to the win at Dodge City Raceway Park.  

When Gunsmoke and the ASCS Western Plains Region raced together at Phillips County Speedway on Memorial Day weekend, National Tour regular Kyler Johnson captured the win. 

THIS WEEKEND AT A GLANCE 

WHEN AND WHERE 

Friday, June 5, at Creek County Speedway in Sapulpa, OK 

Saturday, June 6, at 81 Speedway in Park City, KS 

AROUND THE CORNER 

Saturday, June 13, at Batesville Motor Speedway in Batesville, AR 

CURRENT TOP-10 STANDINGS 

1. Sam Hafertepe Jr. (919pts) 
2. Matt Covington (-44)
3. Seth Bergman (-65)
4. Kyler Johnson (-126)
5. Whit Gastineau (-167)
6. Brogan Carder (-240)
7. Ryder Laplante(-249) 
8. Austyn Gossel(-252) 
9. Terry Easum (-279)
10. Cole Schroeder (-296)

FEATURE WINNERS (7 Drivers) 

2 wins – Justin Peck, Tyler Courtney 

1 win – Seth Bergman, Chris Martin, Brady Bacon, Levi Hillier, Matt Covington 

FEATURE LAPS LED (14 Drivers) 

52 laps – Justin Peck 

30 laps – Levi Hillier 

23 laps – Sam Hafertepe Jr. 

22 laps – Chris Martin 

21 laps – Austin McCarl 

19 laps – Matt Covington 

18 laps – Brady Bacon 

16 laps – Cameron Martin 

13 laps – Brian Brown 

10 laps – Kyler Johnson 

7 laps – Cole Macedo 

6 laps – Tyler Courtney 

5 laps – Seth Bergman 

3 laps – Sean McClelland 

QUICK TIME AWARDS (5 Drivers) 

4 awards – Sam Hafertepe Jr 

1 award – Howard Moore, Chris Martin, Levi Hillier, Kyler Johnson 

HEAT RACE WINNERS (23 Drivers) 

4 wins – Matt Covington 

2 wins – Seth Bergman, Whit Gastineau, Chris Martin, Sam Hafertepe Jr, Justin Peck 

1 win – Jordan Mallett, Sean McClelland, Garrett Benson, Cam Martin, Brady Bacon, Tyler Clem, Emerson Axsom, Brian Brown, Cole Macedo, Garen Linder, Colby Copeland, Nick Parker, Hank Davis, Ryder Laplante, JJ Hickle, Kyler Johnson, Alex Hill 

DASH STARTS (29 Drivers) 

7 starts – Sam Hafertepe Jr 

5 starts – Kyler Johnson, Matt Covington 

4 starts – Whit Gastineau, Levi Hillier 

3 starts – Chris Martin, Tyler Courtney, Brian Brown, Justin Peck 

2 starts – Camerson Martin, Seth Bergman, Emerson Axsom, Austin McCarl, Brady Bacon, Davie Franek 

1 start – Jordan Mallett, Howard Moore, Paul Solomon, Garrett Benson, Brock Zearfoss, Cole Macedo, Tyler Clem, Hank Davis, Ryder Laplante, Nick Parker, Colby Copeland, Garen Linder, JJ Hickle, Alex Hill 

SMITH TITANIUM LAST CHANCE SHOWDOWN WINNERS (7 Drivers) 

2 wins – Braxton Weger 

1 win – DJ Christie, Matt Covington, Tyler Clem, Whit Gastineau, Sterling Cling, Gage Montgomery 

HARD CHARGER AWARDS (9 Drivers) 

1 award – Seth Bergman, Ryder Laplante, Brady Bacon, Cole Macedo, Sam Hafertepe Jr., DJ Netto, Whit Gastineau, Brogan Carder, Joe B. Miller 

PODIUM FINISHES (15 Drivers) 

4 podiums – Sam Hafertepe Jr. 

3 podiums – Justin Peck, Matt Covington 

2 podiums – Seth Bergman, Tyler Courtney, Brady Bacon, Austin McCarl, Levi Hillier 

1 podium – Jordan Mallett, Chris Martin, Cole Macedo, Emerson Axsom, Brock Zearfoss, Kyler Johnson, JJ Hickle 

2026 AMERICAN SPRINT CAR SERIES SCHEDULE + WINNERS 

Date / Track / City, State / Winner (Total Wins) 

1. Thu, Jan. 29 / Volusia Speedway Park /Barberville, FL / Tyler Courtney
2. Fri, Jan. 30 / Volusia Speedway Park /Barberville, FL / Tyler Courtney (2)
3. Mon, Feb. 2 / Volusia Speedway Park /Barberville, FL / Brady Bacon
4. Sat, Feb. 21 / Central Arizona Raceway / Casa Grande, AZ / Justin Peck
5. Sun, Feb. 21 / Central Arizona Raceway / Casa Grande, AZ / Matt Covington
6. Sat, Feb. 28 / Central Arizona Raceway / Casa Grande, AZ / Justin Peck (2)
7. Sun, Mar. 1 / Central Arizona Raceway / Casa Grande, AZ / Levi Hillier
8. Sat, Apr. 11 / Salina Highbanks Speedway / Salina, OK / Chris Martin 
9. Fri, May 8 / Benton Speedway / Benton, MO / Seth Bergman

ARTICLE:https://ascsracing.com/what-to-watch-for/top-five-storylines-doubleheader-across-ok-ks-awaits-multiple-ascs-divisions/

June 2nd, 2026 – There are big automobile races throughout the world, but one race matters more than anything to Cadillac Racing – the 24 Hours of Le Mans.  The 94th edition will take place on June 13-14 at the Circuit de la Sarthe in Le Mans, France, and Cadillac Racing is bringing three cars and nine of the most experienced drivers in the world to the legendary endurance race.  Cadillac Hertz Team JOTA will lead the manufacturer’s charge with its two entries for the FIA World Endurance Championship: the No. 12 Cadillac Hertz Team JOTA V-Series.R driven by Will Stevens, Norman Nato and Louis Deletraz, plus the No. 38 Cadillac Hertz Team JOTA V-Series.R driven by Le Mans native Sebastien Bourdais, Earl Bamber and Jack Aitken.  They will be joined by IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship team Cadillac Wayne Taylor Racing, which will field the No. 101 V-Series.R driven by Ricky Taylor, Jordan Taylor and Filipe Albuquerque.  Cadillac Racing returns to Le Mans after last year’s edition, when it became the first American manufacturer since 1967 to sweep the front row at Le Mans with Cadillac Hertz Team JOTA securing Pole Position and P2.  The pole was the first for Cadillac at Le Mans, coming 75 years after its first Le Mans appearance in 1950 with a pair of Cadillac Coupe DeVille Series 61s, one mostly stock and another modified with a low-profile aluminum body nicknamed “Le Monstre.”  This year the program is targeting a competitive showing to show the strength of Cadillac Racing. To assist in the preparations, Cadillac Hertz Team JOTA tested in mid-May at the high-speed Silverstone Circuit.  For 2026, the aero configuration has been upgraded to improve competitiveness in race traffic. The most visually apparent is the rear wing height being much lower than the 2025 Cadillac V-Series.R. Also new for this year is a brake package that aligns suppliers and technology to the Cadillac CT5-V Blackwing road car. Albuquerque (2020 LMP2), Bamber (2015 and 2017 overall), Bourdais (2016 LMGTE Pro), Stevens (2022 LMP2 and 2017 LMGTE Am) and Taylor (2015 GTE Pro) have all won at Le Mans in their careers but they, along with their Cadillac teammates, are determined to put Cadillac Racing in contention at Le Mans.

Cadillac returns to Le Mans with eyes on endurance classic June 2nd, 2026 – There are big automobile races throughout the world, but one race matters more than anything to Cadillac Racing – the 24 Hours of Le Mans.  The 94th edition will take place on June 13-14 at the Circuit de la Sarthe in Le Mans, France, and Cadillac Racing is bringing three cars and nine of the most experienced drivers in the world to the legendary endurance race.  Cadillac Hertz Team JOTA will lead the manufacturer’s charge with its two entries for the FIA World Endurance Championship: the No. 12 Cadillac Hertz Team JOTA V-Series.R driven by Will Stevens, Norman Nato and Louis Deletraz, plus the No. 38 Cadillac Hertz Team JOTA V-Series.R driven by Le Mans native Sebastien Bourdais, Earl Bamber and Jack Aitken.  They will be joined by IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship team Cadillac Wayne Taylor Racing, which will field the No. 101 V-Series.R driven by Ricky Taylor, Jordan Taylor and Filipe Albuquerque.  Cadillac Racing returns to Le Mans after last year’s edition, when it became the first American manufacturer since 1967 to sweep the front row at Le Mans with Cadillac Hertz Team JOTA securing Pole Position and P2.  The pole was the first for Cadillac at Le Mans, coming 75 years after its first Le Mans appearance in 1950 with a pair of Cadillac Coupe DeVille Series 61s, one mostly stock and another modified with a low-profile aluminum body nicknamed “Le Monstre.”  This year the program is targeting a competitive showing to show the strength of Cadillac Racing. To assist in the preparations, Cadillac Hertz Team JOTA tested in mid-May at the high-speed Silverstone Circuit.  For 2026, the aero configuration has been upgraded to improve competitiveness in race traffic. The most visually apparent is the rear wing height being much lower than the 2025 Cadillac V-Series.R. Also new for this year is a brake package that aligns suppliers and technology to the Cadillac CT5-V Blackwing road car. Albuquerque (2020 LMP2), Bamber (2015 and 2017 overall), Bourdais (2016 LMGTE Pro), Stevens (2022 LMP2 and 2017 LMGTE Am) and Taylor (2015 GTE Pro) have all won at Le Mans in their careers but they, along with their Cadillac teammates, are determined to put Cadillac Racing in contention at Le Mans.

What they’re saying No. 12 Cadillac Hertz Team JOTA V-Series.R:Will Stevens: “Really looking forward to returning to Le Mans this year. We come off the back of a strong showing last year. We knew the areas we needed to work on and we have had 12 months to work on them. We feel well prepared to get on the streets of Le Mans and see where we stack up compared to the other teams. It’s always a special event and nothing comes close, so let’s hope my 11th time going to Le Mans can be a special one.” Norman Nato: “Very excited to say it’s the Le Mans 24 Hours coming next. Pole position and a fourth-place last year was a great debut for the first time together as Cadillac Hertz Team JOTA. The team has worked hard and brought updates this season which has shown in the strong pace this year. The level in WEC is extremely high, there are a lot of good cars and drivers, so it will be for sure a very cool fight and a great show for the fans. See you in Le Mans!” Louis Deletraz: “I’m excited to be in the No. 12 Cadillac Hertz Team JOTA for the Le Mans 24 Hours. Spa and the test at Silverstone have been a great preparation for us. I got to know the team and learn the way they work, and we are well prepared for the race. Le Mans is obviously a very important event for us, an iconic race that everyone wants to win. I can’t wait to drive the Cadillac on the streets of Le Mans.” No. 38 Cadillac Hertz Team JOTA V-Series.RSebastien Bourdais: “The big one is coming, so there is lots of preparation from the entire team and JOTA and Cadillac. It’s been a colossal effort to get everything ready, and it was good to have that test session in Silverstone. We keep learning every time we are on track about the new aero kit to try to optimize our performance with the car. Hats off to everybody; they’ve done really, really well. Now it’s time to see what we really have going toward Le Mans. I think we are all excited but at the same time a little bit apprehensive because obviously when you put in so much effort with so many people, you really hope that the work gets rewarded. But quite excited and looking forward to the big one of the year.” Earl Bamber: “Obviously the next one is the big one coming up. The Cadillac team has done an amazing job on preparation. The Silverstone test was really successful and now it’s all eyes forward to Le Mans. There has been huge amount of work on the new body and new kit for this season and the team on the 38 side have really high hopes. I think the JOTA cars have done a good job and now it’s about execution and going to the race week and we are really excited.” Jack Aitken: “Le Mans is one of the crunch moments of the season, and an absolute highlight. I’m always excited to get there and start the race week, but am also keen to go to the race for the first time as part of a season-long effort. With the crew around me and the experience gained over the last few years with Cadillac, I’m sure we’ll be up to the challenge and put our car in the mix.” No. 101 Cadillac Wayne Taylor Racing V-Series.RRicky Taylor: “Personally, I just want to focus on doing my best in the car. Last year you can see how detailed everything must be throughout the race week and going into the second year in the top class, I hope to narrow down all the details that I can control and perform at my best. For the Cadillac WTR team, I think it is a lot of the same: details and execution is key. Le Mans is so different to the style of racing we do in IMSA, so we will be much better prepared for our second year. For the test day, I hope we can run as many laps as possible. I think the track will evolve a lot and gaining confidence through laps before the official race week is always a measured approach. JOTA has been a great partner along with the Cadillac engineering team. I feel this year we have a better understanding of the car and JOTA is an amazing reference for what it takes to be successful in Le Mans.”  Jordan Taylor: “I am so excited to go back to Le Mans for our second shot at it. I think we all knew last year how big of an uphill battle it was going to be with it being our first time there as a team. We definitely made progress over the two weeks, but I feel like we are so much better prepared with an extra year of preparation. Personally, I really enjoyed driving the car there. It was my first time at Le Mans in a prototype, so I’m excited to build on what I learned there last year. The Test Day always goes by so quickly. We obviously learned a lot there last year, but we, as a team, have had a year to digest and go through everything that we learned over those two weeks, so we will have a nice list of items to work through. The track always changes so much over the week, so it’s important not to get too caught up in lap times that day, but more focus on running through all of our protocols, systems checks, and get comfortable being back in France. The relationship with JOTA has been seamless over the past year. There is constant communication back and forth between the teams. If we learn something in IMSA, we send that info over to them for WEC and vice versa. We are all very motivated heading back to Le Mans this year. We didn’t have the best showing there last year, but I feel very confident in what we’ve learned these past 12 months.” Filipe Albuquerque: “Even though it will be my 13th time at Le Mans, I never take it for granted. I am really happy to get to do this race again and with such a great brand like Cadillac, and on top of that with WTR, Ricky and Jordan. I could not ask for more. I know this race very well but at the same time I never stop learning. So, my goal will be to do our best as a team and learn with JOTA as our teammates because setting up the car in WEC is very different than IMSA. The pre-test is to simply do as many laps as we can. These cars are complicated, we have a lot of settings on the steering wheel, and with a 13.6km track that’s a lot. To be trouble free and have things run as smoothly as possible would be the aim. Working together with JOTA has been great. We had some of their engineers in Daytona to speed up with the joker we have in the car, and I am sure we will learn a lot together in Le Mans again.”    An Interview with Jeromy Moore, Chief Engineer – Cadillac LMDh: What are the key differences between the 2025 and 2026 Cadillac?“For this year we redesigned the aero package to improve our ability to follow cars closely with less loss of downforce than the previous aero package. We also changed brake supplier which aligns with what is used on our CT5-V Blackwing road cars.”  How has it been specifically aero-tweaked for Le Mans?“Le Mans is a very drag-sensitive track with the long straights and high top speeds, but also downforce is important in the high-speed Porsche Curves. We can’t make specific bodywork configurations track to track so what we take to Le Mans is what we use throughout the rest of the WEC season. We will optimize the performance of the car for Le Mans with specific mechanical setups to position the car to make it as fast in the straights as possible yet maintain the cornering speeds required to be competitive through the Porsche Curves and other high-speed corners of the track.” How does the Le Mans-specific aero of the car influence the outcome of other races?“As we have just one aero configuration for the whole season what we choose affects all tracks. We targeted to have an aero config that can be competitive at all tracks but of course Le Mans has a high priority. Generally, the homologation window set by the FIA/ ACO/ IMSA is quite small, such that there are no big compromises from one track to the next but as the competition is tight it is down to these small details.” Where will the benefit transpire most? “We should be more competitive in traffic and so lap times should be improved from last year as we have traffic every lap there. We hope to be more competitive in top speeds also.” How does the fact that Le Mans is run on public roads, with a higher abrasiveness, influence race strategies?“Le Mans is one of the ‘kinder’ circuits to the tires due to the long straights and less high energy corners per km to other tracks. Cars can generally run up to three stints on tires whereas some other circuits a double-stint is tricky.” Can a sim take in all the factors which make Le Mans so unique?“It is hard to fully simulate what we get during the 24 Hours of Le Mans. The track changes throughout the event with grip building up as the road is cleaned and rubber is put down from the cars. The simulator is a vital tool for preparation but nothing can match testing and racing on the real circuit.” How many hours of sim did the drivers/engineers put in all together to prepare for this year’s Le Mans?“Generally, we test in the sim before and after each event throughout the year to keep improving our correlation of the model and our understanding of the car and tires. Leading into Le Mans we have been in the simulator for four days working on setups and driver preparation. As on track testing is limited by regulation, virtual testing has never been more important.”  Facts & Stats – Cadillac Racing at Le Mans 2025-2023 2025:Fourth (No. 12 Cadillac Hertz Team JOTA V-Series.R) start first – Alex Lynn, Norman Nato, Will StevensSeventh (No. 38 Cadillac Hertz Team JOTA V-Series.R) start second – Earl Bamber, Sebastien Bourdais, Jenson ButtonRetired (No. 101 Cadillac Wayne Taylor Racing V-Series.R) start 14th – Ricky Taylor, Jordan Taylor, Filipe AlbuquerqueRetired (No. 311 Whelen Cadillac V-Series.R) start eighth – Jack Aitken, Felipe Drugovich, Frederik Vesti 2024: Seventh (No. 2 Cadillac V-Series.R ) qualified second/start seventh – Earl Bamber, Alex Lynn, Alex PalouDNF (No. 3 Cadillac V-Series.R) qualified third/start second – Sebastien Bourdais, Renger van der Zande, Scott Dixon29th overall/15th in class (No. 311 Whelen Cadillac V-Series.R) start 18th – Pipo Derani, Jack Aitken, Felipe Drugovich 2023: Third (No. 2 Cadillac V-Series.R) start sixth — Earl Bamber, Alex Lynn, Richard WestbrookFourth (No. 3 Cadillac V-Series.R) start eighth — Sebastien Bourdais, Renger van der Zande, Scott Dixon17th overall/10th in class (No. 311 Whelen Cadillac V-Series.R) start 13th — Pipo Derani, Jack Aitken, Alexander Sims

Event: Cracker Barrel 400

Location: Nashville Superspeedway, Lebanon, Tennessee 

Date: Sunday, May 31, 2026

Start: 33rd

Finish: 31st

Josh Berry and the No. 21 eero Ford Mustang Dark Horse team overcame a challenging starting position and showed steady improvement throughout Sunday night’s Cracker Barrel 400 at Nashville Superspeedway before a late-race incident cut their evening short.

After inclement weather forced the cancellation of qualifying, the starting lineup was set according to the NASCAR rulebook, leaving Berry to start 33rd in the 300-lap event at his home track.

Rain also delayed the start of the race, but once the green flag waved, Berry and the No. 21 team focused on improving the balance of their eero Ford Mustang Dark Horse and gaining track position. Berry finished Stage 1 in 28th place before advancing to 23rd at the conclusion of Stage 2.

The Hendersonville, Tennessee, native continued to work his way forward during the final stage and broke into the top 20 before trouble struck on Lap 214. An incident ahead caused traffic to stack up entering the corner, leaving Berry with little room to avoid contact. The No. 21 sustained significant front-end damage after making contact with John Hunter Nemechek’s car, ending the team’s chances for a stronger finish.

Berry was credited with a 31st-place result, marking the second consecutive week that an accident prevented the team from capitalizing on a competitive race car.

Event: Cracker Barrel 400

Location: Nashville Superspeedway, Lebanon, Tennessee 

Date: Sunday, May 31, 2026

Start: 33rd

Finish: 31st

Josh Berry and the No. 21 eero Ford Mustang Dark Horse team overcame a challenging starting position and showed steady improvement throughout Sunday night’s Cracker Barrel 400 at Nashville Superspeedway before a late-race incident cut their evening short.

After inclement weather forced the cancellation of qualifying, the starting lineup was set according to the NASCAR rulebook, leaving Berry to start 33rd in the 300-lap event at his home track.

Rain also delayed the start of the race, but once the green flag waved, Berry and the No. 21 team focused on improving the balance of their eero Ford Mustang Dark Horse and gaining track position. Berry finished Stage 1 in 28th place before advancing to 23rd at the conclusion of Stage 2.

The Hendersonville, Tennessee, native continued to work his way forward during the final stage and broke into the top 20 before trouble struck on Lap 214. An incident ahead caused traffic to stack up entering the corner, leaving Berry with little room to avoid contact. The No. 21 sustained significant front-end damage after making contact with John Hunter Nemechek’s car, ending the team’s chances for a stronger finish.

Berry was credited with a 31st-place result, marking the second consecutive week that an accident prevented the team from capitalizing on a competitive race car.

Next up for Berry and the Wood Brothers Racing team is the FireKeepers Casino 400 at Michigan International Speedway.