MINERAL WELLS, WV (June 13, 2026) – There was an Illinois feel in the air on Friday night at West Virginia Motor Speedway.

When the 5/8-mile layout was reconfigured into the current 3/8-mile short track, the goal was to create the kind of elbows-up racing found at places like Fairbury Speedway, Farmer City Raceway and other bullrings across the state. The track brought in Chad Bauman, who has handled track prep at Fairbury and other major events, to give them the best possible racing surface.  And when the Feature went green, some of the best from the “Land of Lincoln” were at the front chasing a trophy.

Bobby Pierce, Dennis Erb Jr. and Brandon Sheppard all started in the top four on the first night of the RACEFEST Summer Championship, but they all trailed Martinsville, IN’s Hudson O’Neal on the pole. The “New Deal” led the first half of the 40-lap Feature until Pierce came knocking with a Turn 1 slide job. O’Neal fended off that move and got the lead back, but Pierce tried the same move again the following lap and made it stick.

Moments later, O’Neal’s chances of victory were dashed when he spun while working his way through slower traffic. That moved Erb and Sheppard up to second and third, respectively, setting up the all-Illinois battle to the finish.

The final 10 laps saw Sheppard trade several sliders with Pierce, while Erb gave Pierce everything he could handle running his signature low line. Neither of them could find a way around the No. 32 though, as Pierce pocketed his 10th win of the season with the World of Outlaws Late Model Series presented by DIRTVision, the 52nd of his career and his first at West Virginia.

“The owner [Mike Hurley], I’m pretty sure he told me last night you’ve kind of got to get up on the wheel, and that’s definitely what it was tonight,” Pierce said. “Had to get up on the wheel and get it done, it was a lot of fun. Had some hellacious racing there between Hudson and Brandon and Dennis on the bottom there. I told Dennis before the race, ‘Hey, this is right down your alley, right? It’s on the bottom.’ The top really came in tonight, towards the end I think you probably could have been about anywhere.”

Erb crossed the line in a season-best second ahead of Tyler Erb, who worked his way to third at the finish. Sheppard and Ethan Dotson rounded out the top five.

UP NEXT: The World of Outlaws Late Model Series presented by DIRTVision wraps up the RACEFEST Summer Championship at West Virginia Motor Speedway with the $30,000-to-win finale on Saturday, June 13. Tickets will be available at the gate.

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

RACE NOTES:

Nick Hoffman set the Dirt King Simulators Fastest Hot Lap.

Brandon Sheppard won the Simpson Quick Time Award.

Brandon Sheppard won Heat 1.

Dennis Erb Jr. won STAKT Products Heat 2.

Hudson O’Neal won Keyser Manufacturing Heat 3.

Bobby Pierce won Jarrett Rifles Heat 4.

Ryan Gustin and Brent Larson won the Last Chance Showdowns.

Hudson O’Neal won the Bilstein Pole Award.

Chris Ferguson won the FOX Factory Hard Charger Award.

Trey Mills won the MD3 Rookie of the Race Award.

Dennis Erb Jr. was the WELD Racing Second-Place Finisher.

Tyler Erb was the WIX Filters Third-Place Finisher.

Brandon Sheppard was the ARP Fourth-Place Finisher.

Ethan Dotson was the MSD Fifth-Place Finisher.

Chris Ferguson was the Swift Springs Sixth-Place Finisher.

Tim McCreadie was the Penske Racing Shocks Seventh-Place Finisher.

Drake Troutman was VP Racing Fuels Eighth-Place Finisher.

Nick Hoffman was the Lifeline Ninth-Place Finisher.

Zack Dohm was the COMP Cams 10th-Place Finisher.

Trey Mills was the Quarter Master 11th-Place Finisher.

Eli Johnson was the Cometic Gaskets 12th-Place Finisher.

Brenden Smith was the Quarter Master 13th-Place Finisher.

Tristan Chamberlain was the ARP 14th-Place Finisher.

Eddie Carrier Jr. was the Arizona Sport Shirts 18th-Place Finisher.

Feature (40 Laps): 1. 32-Bobby Pierce[2]; 2. 28-Dennis Erb Jr[3]; 3. 1-Tyler Erb[5]; 4. 1S-Brandon Sheppard[4]; 5. 74X-Ethan Dotson[10]; 6. 22-Chris Ferguson[21]; 7. 9M-Tim McCreadie[7]; 8. 22*-Drake Troutman[8]; 9. 9-Nick Hoffman[13]; 10. 17-Zack Dohm[19]; 11. 14-Trey Mills[9]; 12. 55E-Eli Johnson[23]; 13. 17SS-Brenden Smith[24]; 14. 20TC-Tristan Chamberlain[22]; 15. 19-Dustin Sorensen[20]; 16. 12-Ryan Montgomery[14]; 17. 71R-Rod Conley[26]; 18. 75-Eddie Carrier Jr[6]; 19. 19R-Ryan Gustin[17]; 20. 1Z-Logan Zarin[11]; 21. 11-Josh Rice[12]; 22. 58V-Daulton Wilson[15]; 23. 71-Hudson O’Neal[1]; 24. B1-Brent Larson[18]; 25. 93-Carson Ferguson[16]; 26. 53C-Colten Burdette[25]

Pierce Beats Illinois Foes Sheppard, Erb Jr. in RACEFEST Opener at West Virginia

MINERAL WELLS, WV (June 13, 2026) – There was an Illinois feel in the air on Friday night at West Virginia Motor Speedway.

When the 5/8-mile layout was reconfigured into the current 3/8-mile short track, the goal was to create the kind of elbows-up racing found at places like Fairbury Speedway, Farmer City Raceway and other bullrings across the state. The track brought in Chad Bauman, who has handled track prep at Fairbury and other major events, to give them the best possible racing surface.  And when the Feature went green, some of the best from the “Land of Lincoln” were at the front chasing a trophy.

Bobby Pierce, Dennis Erb Jr. and Brandon Sheppard all started in the top four on the first night of the RACEFEST Summer Championship, but they all trailed Martinsville, IN’s Hudson O’Neal on the pole. The “New Deal” led the first half of the 40-lap Feature until Pierce came knocking with a Turn 1 slide job. O’Neal fended off that move and got the lead back, but Pierce tried the same move again the following lap and made it stick.

Moments later, O’Neal’s chances of victory were dashed when he spun while working his way through slower traffic. That moved Erb and Sheppard up to second and third, respectively, setting up the all-Illinois battle to the finish.

The final 10 laps saw Sheppard trade several sliders with Pierce, while Erb gave Pierce everything he could handle running his signature low line. Neither of them could find a way around the No. 32 though, as Pierce pocketed his 10th win of the season with the World of Outlaws Late Model Series presented by DIRTVision, the 52nd of his career and his first at West Virginia.

“The owner [Mike Hurley], I’m pretty sure he told me last night you’ve kind of got to get up on the wheel, and that’s definitely what it was tonight,” Pierce said. “Had to get up on the wheel and get it done, it was a lot of fun. Had some hellacious racing there between Hudson and Brandon and Dennis on the bottom there. I told Dennis before the race, ‘Hey, this is right down your alley, right? It’s on the bottom.’ The top really came in tonight, towards the end I think you probably could have been about anywhere.”

Erb crossed the line in a season-best second ahead of Tyler Erb, who worked his way to third at the finish. Sheppard and Ethan Dotson rounded out the top five.

UP NEXT: The World of Outlaws Late Model Series presented by DIRTVision wraps up the RACEFEST Summer Championship at West Virginia Motor Speedway with the $30,000-to-win finale on Saturday, June 13. Tickets will be available at the gate.

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

RACE NOTES:

Nick Hoffman set the Dirt King Simulators Fastest Hot Lap.

Brandon Sheppard won the Simpson Quick Time Award.

Brandon Sheppard won Heat 1.

Dennis Erb Jr. won STAKT Products Heat 2.

Hudson O’Neal won Keyser Manufacturing Heat 3.

Bobby Pierce won Jarrett Rifles Heat 4.

Ryan Gustin and Brent Larson won the Last Chance Showdowns.

Hudson O’Neal won the Bilstein Pole Award.

Chris Ferguson won the FOX Factory Hard Charger Award.

Trey Mills won the MD3 Rookie of the Race Award.

Dennis Erb Jr. was the WELD Racing Second-Place Finisher.

Tyler Erb was the WIX Filters Third-Place Finisher.

Brandon Sheppard was the ARP Fourth-Place Finisher.

Ethan Dotson was the MSD Fifth-Place Finisher.

Chris Ferguson was the Swift Springs Sixth-Place Finisher.

Tim McCreadie was the Penske Racing Shocks Seventh-Place Finisher.

Drake Troutman was VP Racing Fuels Eighth-Place Finisher.

Nick Hoffman was the Lifeline Ninth-Place Finisher.

Zack Dohm was the COMP Cams 10th-Place Finisher.

Trey Mills was the Quarter Master 11th-Place Finisher.

Eli Johnson was the Cometic Gaskets 12th-Place Finisher.

Brenden Smith was the Quarter Master 13th-Place Finisher.

Tristan Chamberlain was the ARP 14th-Place Finisher.

Eddie Carrier Jr. was the Arizona Sport Shirts 18th-Place Finisher.

Feature (40 Laps): 1. 32-Bobby Pierce[2]; 2. 28-Dennis Erb Jr[3]; 3. 1-Tyler Erb[5]; 4. 1S-Brandon Sheppard[4]; 5. 74X-Ethan Dotson[10]; 6. 22-Chris Ferguson[21]; 7. 9M-Tim McCreadie[7]; 8. 22*-Drake Troutman[8]; 9. 9-Nick Hoffman[13]; 10. 17-Zack Dohm[19]; 11. 14-Trey Mills[9]; 12. 55E-Eli Johnson[23]; 13. 17SS-Brenden Smith[24]; 14. 20TC-Tristan Chamberlain[22]; 15. 19-Dustin Sorensen[20]; 16. 12-Ryan Montgomery[14]; 17. 71R-Rod Conley[26]; 18. 75-Eddie Carrier Jr[6]; 19. 19R-Ryan Gustin[17]; 20. 1Z-Logan Zarin[11]; 21. 11-Josh Rice[12]; 22. 58V-Daulton Wilson[15]; 23. 71-Hudson O’Neal[1]; 24. B1-Brent Larson[18]; 25. 93-Carson Ferguson[16]; 26. 53C-Colten Burdette[25]

ARTICLE: https://worldofoutlaws.com/latemodels/pierce-beats-illinois-foes-sheppard-erb-jr-in-racefest-opener-at-west-virginia/

The Pennsylvanian comes out on top for his first win of the year after a frantic final few laps

KNOXVILLE, IA (June 12, 2026) – A win was only a matter of time for Brent Marks.

He’s spent the last several weeks racking up close calls. Entering Friday’s Premier Chevy Dealers Clash at Knoxville Raceway, Marks’ stat sheet showed six podiums in the past seven races including five runner-ups but no victories. A mere step away from Victory Lane for the first time in 2026 over and over.

At Knoxville, Marks finally made that elusive final step, and he did it with the World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Cars.

The Myerstown, PA native came out on top of a wild 25-lapper at “The Sprint Car Capital of the World” with a determined drive from eighth. Marks worked his way forward from row four to set himself up for a frantic final sequence.

Right after taking over second from Logan Schuchart on Lap 22, race leader Rico Abreu slowed with an expiring engine to hand the lead to Marks. But Schuchart capitalized with a slide job in Turns 3 and 4 to take the top spot and lead the lap. Marks returned the favor the next time around in the same set of corners with a slider of his own to retake the top spot. Sheldon Haudenschild surged into second on the last lap and nearly made a run for the lead, but Marks held on to put his No. 19 in Victory Lane.

“I was just driving the hell out of the thing,” Marks said. “The car got so good, and it got so grippy that there were times to where it would twitch really bad, and I was fighting it because it had that much grip. What a hell of a run there. Actually, crossing the checkered I think we ran out of fuel. I’m not sure, it just kind of died on me. Hopefully that’s all it was. What a way to get our first win of the year. This is just awesome.”

Marks’ first triumph of 2026 is the 16th of his career with The Greatest Show on Dirt. It’s his second time visiting Knoxville Victory Lane to go along with a 2022 score. He’s the 14th different winner through 28 races in 2026 with the World of Outlaws.

Sheldon Haudenschild brought the KCP Racing No. 18 home second to notch his third consecutive podium and seventh top five in the last eight races.

Logan Schuchart rounded out the podium after contending for the win late aboard the Shark Racing No. 1S.

David Gravel and early leader Aaron Reutzel completed the top five.

NIGHTLY NOTES

Garet Williamson grabbed his third Race//Ready Hottest Lap of the Night in 2026.

Logan Schuchart set Simpson Quick Time for the third time this season.

Heat Races belonged to Logan Schuchart (NOS Energy Drink Heat One), Rico Abreu (TheGreatestStoreonDirt.com Heat Two), Aaron Reutzel (WIX Filters Heat Three), and Brent Marks (Golf Cart Services Heat Four).

The SPA Technique #1 Redraw went to Logan Schuchart.

Schuchart also topped the Toyota Dash.

Garet Williamson won the Micro-Lite Last Chance Showdown.

Cole Macedo marched from 25th to 12th to earn the KSE Racing Products Hard Charger.

Kyle Larson was the Tub O’ Towels Seventh Place Finisher.

Emerson Axsom earned Five Star Bodies Rookie of the Race honors.

Rico Abreu set the ACME Trading Company Fast Lap.

Abreu also took home the Smith Titanium Brake Systems Break of the Race.

UP NEXT: The World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Cars finalize the Premier Chevy Dealers Clash at Knoxville Raceway on Saturday, June 13. For tickets, CLICK HERE.

Where can you watch every World of Outlaws race? Live on DIRTVision.

Where can you see the World of Outlaws in 2026? Click to see the full schedule.

FEATURE RESULTS:

MISSILE ON A MISSION: Marks Charges from Eighth to Knoxville Victory Lane

The Pennsylvanian comes out on top for his first win of the year after a frantic final few laps

KNOXVILLE, IA (June 12, 2026) – A win was only a matter of time for Brent Marks.

He’s spent the last several weeks racking up close calls. Entering Friday’s Premier Chevy Dealers Clash at Knoxville Raceway, Marks’ stat sheet showed six podiums in the past seven races including five runner-ups but no victories. A mere step away from Victory Lane for the first time in 2026 over and over.

At Knoxville, Marks finally made that elusive final step, and he did it with the World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Cars.

The Myerstown, PA native came out on top of a wild 25-lapper at “The Sprint Car Capital of the World” with a determined drive from eighth. Marks worked his way forward from row four to set himself up for a frantic final sequence.

Right after taking over second from Logan Schuchart on Lap 22, race leader Rico Abreu slowed with an expiring engine to hand the lead to Marks. But Schuchart capitalized with a slide job in Turns 3 and 4 to take the top spot and lead the lap. Marks returned the favor the next time around in the same set of corners with a slider of his own to retake the top spot. Sheldon Haudenschild surged into second on the last lap and nearly made a run for the lead, but Marks held on to put his No. 19 in Victory Lane.

“I was just driving the hell out of the thing,” Marks said. “The car got so good, and it got so grippy that there were times to where it would twitch really bad, and I was fighting it because it had that much grip. What a hell of a run there. Actually, crossing the checkered I think we ran out of fuel. I’m not sure, it just kind of died on me. Hopefully that’s all it was. What a way to get our first win of the year. This is just awesome.”

Marks’ first triumph of 2026 is the 16th of his career with The Greatest Show on Dirt. It’s his second time visiting Knoxville Victory Lane to go along with a 2022 score. He’s the 14th different winner through 28 races in 2026 with the World of Outlaws.

Sheldon Haudenschild brought the KCP Racing No. 18 home second to notch his third consecutive podium and seventh top five in the last eight races.

Logan Schuchart rounded out the podium after contending for the win late aboard the Shark Racing No. 1S.

David Gravel and early leader Aaron Reutzel completed the top five.

NIGHTLY NOTES

Garet Williamson grabbed his third Race//Ready Hottest Lap of the Night in 2026.

Logan Schuchart set Simpson Quick Time for the third time this season.

Heat Races belonged to Logan Schuchart (NOS Energy Drink Heat One), Rico Abreu (TheGreatestStoreonDirt.com Heat Two), Aaron Reutzel (WIX Filters Heat Three), and Brent Marks (Golf Cart Services Heat Four).

The SPA Technique #1 Redraw went to Logan Schuchart.

Schuchart also topped the Toyota Dash.

Garet Williamson won the Micro-Lite Last Chance Showdown.

Cole Macedo marched from 25th to 12th to earn the KSE Racing Products Hard Charger.

Kyle Larson was the Tub O’ Towels Seventh Place Finisher.

Emerson Axsom earned Five Star Bodies Rookie of the Race honors.

Rico Abreu set the ACME Trading Company Fast Lap.

Abreu also took home the Smith Titanium Brake Systems Break of the Race.

UP NEXT: The World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Cars finalize the Premier Chevy Dealers Clash at Knoxville Raceway on Saturday, June 13. For tickets, CLICK HERE.

Where can you watch every World of Outlaws race? Live on DIRTVision.

Where can you see the World of Outlaws in 2026? Click to see the full schedule.

FEATURE RESULTS:

NOS Energy Drink Feature (25 Laps): 1. 19-Brent Marks[8]; 2. 18-Sheldon Haudenschild[5]; 3. 1S-Logan Schuchart[1]; 4. 2-David Gravel[11]; 5. 87-Aaron Reutzel[2]; 6. 7BC-Tyler Courtney[16]; 7. 57-Kyle Larson[6]; 8. 5-Brenham Crouch[7]; 9. 83-Michael Kofoid[14]; 10. 41-Carson Macedo[12]; 11. 88-Austin McCarl[9]; 12. 2C-Cole Macedo[25]; 13. 11-Justin Henderson[4]; 14. 15-Donny Schatz[23]; 15. 10-Ryan Timms[17]; 16. 27-Emerson Axsom[18]; 17. 23-Garet Williamson[21]; 18. 21-Brian Brown[15]; 19. 26-Justin Peck[19]; 20. 17-Spencer Bayston[24]; 21. 69K-Daryn Pittman[22]; 22. 6-Kasey Jedrzejek[13]; 23. 7S-Chris Windom[20]; 24. (DNF) 24A-Rico Abreu[3]; 25. (DNF) 55-Kerry Madsen[10]

FRIDAY RECAP – BRISTOLRace 9 of 20

Photography: John Force Racing / Auto Imagery / Gary Nastase

BECKMAN GRABS DELAYED EPPING FUNNY CAR CROWN DURING BRISTOL QUALIFYINGBeckman second in Day 1 of qualifying, Hart sixth, Vandergriff 11th and DeJoria 12th

FRIDAY RECAP – BRISTOLRace 9 of 20

Photography: John Force Racing / Auto Imagery / Gary Nastase

BECKMAN GRABS DELAYED EPPING FUNNY CAR CROWN DURING BRISTOL QUALIFYINGBeckman second in Day 1 of qualifying, Hart sixth, Vandergriff 11th and DeJoria 12th

BRISTOL, Tenn. (June 12, 2026) – It was a double dose of delayed gratification but, after rain rescheduled the Funny Car final in last week’s New England Nationals to today’s second qualifying session during the Super Grip NHRA Thunder Valley Nationals at Bristol Dragway, and then a three-hour rain delay today, Jack Beckman and the PEAK SQUAD earned their first victory of the 2026 NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series season. Beckman grabbed the holeshot (.066 to .083) and the PEAK Chevrolet SS Funny Car streaked to a run of 4.017 seconds at 318.54 mph while his John Force Racing teammate Jordan Vandergriff’s Cornwell Tools Chevrolet SS lost traction before halftrack and slowed to a run of 6.291 seconds at 106.68 mph. It was Beckman’s 38th career NHRA Funny Car event victory, the fifth of his John Force Racing tenure and first since the Route 66 Nationals outside Chicago last May. The PEAK SQUAD had been to two previous finals in 2026, finishing runner-up at the 4-Wide Nationals in Charlotte in April and the Potomac Nationals in Maryland in May. It was Vandergriff’s second final round of the season, having earned his career first NHRA Funny Car event in the Southern Nationals at South Georgia Speedway in early May. The New England Nationals final was the 58th time John Force Racing teammates have lined up against each other in an NHRA final round and the fourth time it happened in the New England Nationals, despite it officially taking place at Bristol Dragway. Beckman’s elapsed time in the Epping final round was good enough for second overall. Vandergriff’s Q1 Friday run of 5.375 seconds at 136.07 mph was good enough for the No. 11 spot while Alexis DeJoria used her Q1 run in the Bandero Café Chevrolet SS Funny Car of 5.455 seconds at 133.67 mph to earn the No. 12 spot in Funny Car. Josh Hart’s Q2 run of 3.815 seconds at 327.03 mph put the Speedmaster Top Fuel Dragster in the No. 6 spot. NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series qualifying on Sat., June 13, will feature the final two rounds at 12:30 and 3 p.m. ET. Final eliminations are scheduled for Sunday, June 7, at 12 p.m. ET. Quote from Jack Beckman, PEAK Chevrolet SS Funny Car: “Before you can be quick, you have to be consistent and to be consistent, you have to be predictable. I think we’re back in that window right now. To get a win like this, it was very gratifying.I wouldn’t have cared if we ran this final round Friday night or next Tuesday. Our PEAK team left with the trophy and that’s all that matters. We hadn’t won in over a year. We had some struggles, but now we’ve made it down the track on 14 of our last 17 runs. That’s the kind of consistency that wins races. I’ve never raced a final round at a completely different venue a week later. I’ve raced late Sundays and Mondays, but never this. It was definitely unique.” Quote from Josh Hart, Speedmaster Top Fuel Dragster: “I was happy with that Q2 run. My crew chief was not but we always want a little bit more on the Speedmaster team so I’m good with that. We all came here to win. That’s what we’re gonna do. We have a lot of new things that we’re trying. We’re testing and we’re pushing as hard as we can to get this car where we know it needs to be, and that’s the fastest car on the planet.” Quote from Jordan Vandergriff, Cornwell Tools Chevrolet SS Funny Car: “It was tough to lose but the silver lining is that our teammate Jack Beckman and the PEAK SQUAD got their first Wally of the season. They all told me they wanted their own diamond Wally so they have it now. But still, looking back into last week, it was still a great overall weekend for the Cornwell Quality Tools Funny Car. Chris Cunningham and Jason Bunker (crew chiefs), and all of my guys made our second final round of the year. It was a strong point day, as well, because we moved into third place. We come here to Bristol with a chance to win the Mission Foods  #2Fast2Tasty Challenge tomorrow and move up in points and get another win here Sunday. My goal is to leave here No. 1.” TV ScheduleTelevision coverage on FS1 includes qualifying action at 8 p.m. ET on Friday, June 12, and 2 p.m. on Sunday, June 14, leading into eliminations at 3 p.m. ET on Sunday on FS1.

LE MANS, FRANCE (June 11, 2026) – For the second consecutive year, Cadillac will start on the front row for the 24 Hours of Le Mans at the Circuit de la Sarthe in Le Mans, France. Will Stevens, co-driver of the No. 12 Cadillac Hertz Team JOTA V-Series.R, who drives with Louis Deletraz and Norman Nato, clocked in with a lap of 3 minutes, 23.078 seconds, just behind pole winner Dries Vanthoor who was .514 of a second ahead. Filipe Albuquerque, who is co-driving the No. 101 Cadillac WTR V-Series.R for Wayne Taylor Racing with Ricky Tayor and Jordan Taylor posted the fifth best time of 3 minutes and 23.778 seconds. Jack Aitken, co-driver of the No. 38 Cadillac Hertz Team JOTA V-Series.R with Earl Bamber and local native Sebastien Bourdais posted a lap time of 3 minutes, 26.865 seconds. Aitken had initially set the fastest lap, but due to a procedural error when leaving the pit lane, that lap time was subsequently deleted and the No. 38 will start 10th in the Hypercar field. The 24 Hours of Le Mans is scheduled for 10 a.m. (EDT) / 4 p.m. (CEST) on Saturday, June 13. Live streaming coverage 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.

Cadillac powers to front-row start  for second consecutive year at Le Mans LE MANS, FRANCE (June 11, 2026) – For the second consecutive year, Cadillac will start on the front row for the 24 Hours of Le Mans at the Circuit de la Sarthe in Le Mans, France. Will Stevens, co-driver of the No. 12 Cadillac Hertz Team JOTA V-Series.R, who drives with Louis Deletraz and Norman Nato, clocked in with a lap of 3 minutes, 23.078 seconds, just behind pole winner Dries Vanthoor who was .514 of a second ahead. Filipe Albuquerque, who is co-driving the No. 101 Cadillac WTR V-Series.R for Wayne Taylor Racing with Ricky Tayor and Jordan Taylor posted the fifth best time of 3 minutes and 23.778 seconds. Jack Aitken, co-driver of the No. 38 Cadillac Hertz Team JOTA V-Series.R with Earl Bamber and local native Sebastien Bourdais posted a lap time of 3 minutes, 26.865 seconds. Aitken had initially set the fastest lap, but due to a procedural error when leaving the pit lane, that lap time was subsequently deleted and the No. 38 will start 10th in the Hypercar field. The 24 Hours of Le Mans is scheduled for 10 a.m. (EDT) / 4 p.m. (CEST) on Saturday, June 13. Live streaming coverage 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.

What they’re saying No. 12 Cadillac Hertz Team JOTA V-Series.R: Will Stevens: “It was a good day for the team. Thank you to everyone who has been involved in improving the package compared to last year. We know we are in a better position. It’s going to be a very exciting race, and I think it will be a battle. It was a good effort by the team and now we need to have a good rest and get ready for the race.” No. 101 Cadillac Wayne Taylor Racing V-Series.R Filipe Albuquerque: “I think it’s still good. P5, for a 24-hour race, especially at Le Mans. Staying out of trouble is the most important thing here. We have great cars. I think we just did a not ideal strategy. We went with a medium compound when everyone else was on softs. We keep learning. I guess we are the only outliers from WEC. They know how to choose between tires I guess. So, we keep learning. But again, I’m happy with the car, with the team. They did great qualifying always on the top. Again, with top five. And again, the race is long. We have a fast car, so no mistakes for now.” No. 38 Cadillac Hertz Team JOTA V-Series.R: Jack Aitken: “Yeah, unfortunately, the lap was deleted due to a procedural error. However, it does show that we had fantastic pace to be quickest, third quickest and three Cadillacs all in the Hyperpole 2. And, you know, even if we don’t get to start in the pole position, we’re still going to work our way through on the weekend and have shown that we have great pace. The car felt really, really strong. The guys did an amazing job to just improve it step-by-step over the last couple of days. And yeah, to put a lap together like that is always something kind of special and even more at a track like this. So, it was very enjoyable for the 20 minutes that I had the pole. And even now it’s still, you know, still a cool lap to have done.”To download our 2026 Le Mans media materials, please visit: https://tracksideracingnews.egnyte.com/fl/3hRX8hpW9QqY About General MotorsGeneral Motors (NYSE:GM) is driving the future of transportation, leveraging advanced technology to build safer, smarter, and lower emission cars, trucks, and SUVs. GM’s Buick, Cadillac, Chevrolet, and GMC brands offer a broad portfolio of innovative gasoline-powered vehicles and the industry’s widest range of EVs, as we move to an all-electric future.  GM Motorsports, including the Cadillac Formula 1® Team develops and proves advanced technologies in the most demanding environments, accelerating innovation in performance, safety, efficiency, and electrification for its production vehicles. Cadillac Racing is one of the leading manufacturers in the IMSA and FIA World Endurance Championships (WEC). Chevrolet competes in single seaters in the US IndyCar series, and in NASCAR with multiple team partners and drivers. Corvette customer teams compete in GT series across the globe including IMSA and WEC. Learn more at GM.com.

Cadillac Racing Honored with 2026 DHL Sustainable Endurance Award Hypercar program recognized for measurable sustainability actions, operational credibility and community impact at Le Mans

Cadillac Racing Honored with 2026 DHL Sustainable Endurance Award Hypercar program recognized for measurable sustainability actions, operational credibility and community impact at Le Mans

LE MANS, France, June 12, 2026 — Cadillac Racing has been named the winner of the 2026 DHL Sustainable Endurance Award in the Hypercar category, a recognition presented in connection with the 24 Hours of Le Mans by the FIA, ACO and DHL. The award recognizes Cadillac Racing for a sustainability program built on measurable actions across race logistics, hospitality, waste reduction, procurement and community engagement. Cadillac Racing’s submission stood out to the organizers as one of the most complete, structured and measurable dossiers received this year, covering all areas with concrete actions directly tied to Le Mans operations. Among the strongest elements cited by the jury was Cadillac Racing’s operational approach to reducing the environmental impact of race logistics. That included increasing the use of sea freight for Cadillac WTR equipment from 70 percent in 2025 to 90 percent in 2026, using train travel between Paris and Le Mans for U.S.-based staff, implementing road transport from the UK for JOTA, and storing or sourcing equipment locally in Europe where possible. The jury also recognized Cadillac Racing’s hospitality and waste reduction efforts, including reuse of the hospitality structure, installation of energy metering to establish a 2026 baseline, use of LED lighting and efficient appliances, and measures designed to reduce air conditioning demand. Cadillac Racing’s catering program was highlighted for its measurable progress. The average carbon impact per meal was reduced from 7.13 kg CO2e in 2024 to 6.49 kg CO2e in 2026 through menu redesign, reduced beef use, expanded plant-based options, local sourcing and surplus food donations to Les Restos du Cœur. The submission also detailed meaningful progress in reducing single-use plastics, including five BWT water stations, water meters, distribution of 1,000 reusable bottles for fans, elimination of single-use plastic in hospitality, and the avoidance of approximately 4,000 plastic bottles. These initiatives were estimated to save 114.8 kg of plastic and 319.3 kg of CO2. Beyond environmental performance, the jury cited the strength of Cadillac Racing’s broader sustainability approach, including responsible procurement practices, references to environmental and ethical standards, support for women in motorsport and STEAM, and community engagement through its project with Gaston Bachelard School in Le Mans. Accepting the honor on behalf of the team, Keely Bosn from Cadillac Racing said the award reflects the work happening behind the scenes across the organization.“Thank you to the FIA, ACO and DHL for this award. On behalf of Cadillac Racing, we are extremely honored to receive the 2026 Sustainable Endurance Award. “What makes this recognition special is that it celebrates work that happens behind the scenes. While endurance racing is about performance on track, it’s also about continuous improvement in everything we do, including our commitment to the environment and the community. “This award is a true team effort. Thank you to everyone across Cadillac Racing, Wayne Taylor Racing, JOTA, General Motors, our suppliers, and partners who helped make these initiatives a reality.

Pre-race thoughts from Corvette Z06 GT3.R drivers ahead of 24 Hours of Le Mans LE MANS, France (June 12, 2026) – Friday is the proverbial calm before the story at the 24 Hours of Le Mans. All four Chevrolet Corvette Z06 GT3.Rs are undergoing final pre-race preparations in their garages ahead of the annual French endurance classic. The Corvette quartet at the twice-around-the-clock classic is the largest group of Corvettes at Le Mans in 10 years. Although the four cars will start in the back half of the LMGT3 grid, optimism exists the group can race toward the front in the 25-car field. Here are a few thoughts from a collection of 12 drivers that will race through daylight, nighttime and daylight again this weekend…

CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R PRE-RACE DRIVER QUOTES

NICKY CATSBURG, NO. 33 CHEVROLET CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R: “We made some changes to get away from some of the issues we had Wednesday. Toward the end of the last session, I felt competitive and it felt nice. We had the car balance where we want it to be. If that means we are a bit slower, all we can do is find a nice car to drive and deal with it. I have all the trust in the world in the team and in my engineer Tyler (Neff), who is also my engineer in IMSA. I can interfere but they are always smarter than I am! So I’m just going to drive to create a balance that we all like, and I’m sure we will figure it out.”

BEN KEATING, NO. 33 CHEVROLET CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R: “It’s my first race of the WEC season and it’s a double-points race. I’d have to look back a really long way to see when the last time someone won the championship but did not win Le Mans. It hasn’t happened in the last five years or so. So if you asked me to choose, I would choose Le Mans. But I also want to win the championship for the 33 car for my co-drivers, for my team, for Corvette. Since I personally no longer have the opportunity to win the championship, I want to win Le Mans. And if we win Le Mans, I think that will put my teammates, my car, my team and my manufacturer all in the best spot to win the championship.”

CHARLIE EASTWOOD, NO. 34 CHEVROLET CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R: ““I’ve seen firsthand the pace that you find year on year. The biggest thing is you don’t actually really know it. If somebody said to me, ‘Where did you find a half-second from Year One to Year Two, and another half-second from Year Two to Three?’ I literally couldn’t tell them. But it’s just something about having a bit more confidence and a bit more understanding of the importance of the exits and these little bits of bumps here and there. And so many people say, ‘Oh yeah, there are tracks with just loads of straights,’ and I think it’s one of the most complex tracks in the world. And to really nail it at a proper level, it takes a lot of knowledge.”

PETER DEMPSEY, NO. 34 CHEVROLET CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R: “I’ve loved motorsport with every ounce of my body since the day I was born. My dad owned a racing team for 30 years. I now own a race team myself. I don’t enjoy anything else in life. I try to, but it’s just not the same. It’s a dream opportunity to go to an event like this and see all the different events that take place, with the drivers parade and scrutineering and everything. And to get time to interact with the fans, which I’ve kind of been lucky enough to experience… The first two events, there were fans coming up to me with old pictures of me when I was racing back 15 or 20 years ago and wanted autographs on that. So it’s crazy to think that I’ve been out of a seat for as long as I have. And there are still people there that want my autograph from such a long time ago. So get the chance to interact with the fans that come to these, I love it. I absolutely love that part of it.”

MATT BELL, NO. 13 CHEVROLET CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R: “It’s the race. It’s the pinnacle of our sport. Every single series that we take part in, the goal is to win your entry there, and it’s for a reason. Above everything else, it’s the race that I desperately want to win. I’ve stood on the podium one step behind the winner, and it was amazing, but I have more hunger than ever to get on the top step.”

OREY FIDANI, NO. 13 CHEVROLET CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R: “Everybody wants to try to win, but let’s try to at least do better than we did last year. You’re always trying to move forward, not backward. We’ll go out there better prepared than even last year and with a better understanding of the whole event and how it works. All that’s left is to try and get further up the order there.”

BEN GREEN, NO. 2 CHEVROLET CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R: “For me, Le Mans is a track that you never get to drive at unless you race there. I love learning new tracks. I love going to new environments like this. I actually went to Le Mans in I’d say 2013 or around then for a karting championship world final, and we had our end-of-season dinner in one of the rooms overlooking the start line. And it’s crazy to come back around more than 10 years later after something like that and about to be on track racing in the 24 Hours of Le Mans. It’s a pretty surreal experience.”

CORVETTE RACING AT LE MANS: The Final WordsPre-race thoughts from Corvette Z06 GT3.R drivers ahead of 24 Hours of Le Mans LE MANS, France (June 12, 2026) – Friday is the proverbial calm before the story at the 24 Hours of Le Mans. All four Chevrolet Corvette Z06 GT3.Rs are undergoing final pre-race preparations in their garages ahead of the annual French endurance classic. The Corvette quartet at the twice-around-the-clock classic is the largest group of Corvettes at Le Mans in 10 years. Although the four cars will start in the back half of the LMGT3 grid, optimism exists the group can race toward the front in the 25-car field. Here are a few thoughts from a collection of 12 drivers that will race through daylight, nighttime and daylight again this weekend…

CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R PRE-RACE DRIVER QUOTES

NICKY CATSBURG, NO. 33 CHEVROLET CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R: “We made some changes to get away from some of the issues we had Wednesday. Toward the end of the last session, I felt competitive and it felt nice. We had the car balance where we want it to be. If that means we are a bit slower, all we can do is find a nice car to drive and deal with it. I have all the trust in the world in the team and in my engineer Tyler (Neff), who is also my engineer in IMSA. I can interfere but they are always smarter than I am! So I’m just going to drive to create a balance that we all like, and I’m sure we will figure it out.”

BEN KEATING, NO. 33 CHEVROLET CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R: “It’s my first race of the WEC season and it’s a double-points race. I’d have to look back a really long way to see when the last time someone won the championship but did not win Le Mans. It hasn’t happened in the last five years or so. So if you asked me to choose, I would choose Le Mans. But I also want to win the championship for the 33 car for my co-drivers, for my team, for Corvette. Since I personally no longer have the opportunity to win the championship, I want to win Le Mans. And if we win Le Mans, I think that will put my teammates, my car, my team and my manufacturer all in the best spot to win the championship.”

CHARLIE EASTWOOD, NO. 34 CHEVROLET CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R: ““I’ve seen firsthand the pace that you find year on year. The biggest thing is you don’t actually really know it. If somebody said to me, ‘Where did you find a half-second from Year One to Year Two, and another half-second from Year Two to Three?’ I literally couldn’t tell them. But it’s just something about having a bit more confidence and a bit more understanding of the importance of the exits and these little bits of bumps here and there. And so many people say, ‘Oh yeah, there are tracks with just loads of straights,’ and I think it’s one of the most complex tracks in the world. And to really nail it at a proper level, it takes a lot of knowledge.”

PETER DEMPSEY, NO. 34 CHEVROLET CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R: “I’ve loved motorsport with every ounce of my body since the day I was born. My dad owned a racing team for 30 years. I now own a race team myself. I don’t enjoy anything else in life. I try to, but it’s just not the same. It’s a dream opportunity to go to an event like this and see all the different events that take place, with the drivers parade and scrutineering and everything. And to get time to interact with the fans, which I’ve kind of been lucky enough to experience… The first two events, there were fans coming up to me with old pictures of me when I was racing back 15 or 20 years ago and wanted autographs on that. So it’s crazy to think that I’ve been out of a seat for as long as I have. And there are still people there that want my autograph from such a long time ago. So get the chance to interact with the fans that come to these, I love it. I absolutely love that part of it.”

MATT BELL, NO. 13 CHEVROLET CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R: “It’s the race. It’s the pinnacle of our sport. Every single series that we take part in, the goal is to win your entry there, and it’s for a reason. Above everything else, it’s the race that I desperately want to win. I’ve stood on the podium one step behind the winner, and it was amazing, but I have more hunger than ever to get on the top step.”

OREY FIDANI, NO. 13 CHEVROLET CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R: “Everybody wants to try to win, but let’s try to at least do better than we did last year. You’re always trying to move forward, not backward. We’ll go out there better prepared than even last year and with a better understanding of the whole event and how it works. All that’s left is to try and get further up the order there.”

BEN GREEN, NO. 2 CHEVROLET CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R: “For me, Le Mans is a track that you never get to drive at unless you race there. I love learning new tracks. I love going to new environments like this. I actually went to Le Mans in I’d say 2013 or around then for a karting championship world final, and we had our end-of-season dinner in one of the rooms overlooking the start line. And it’s crazy to come back around more than 10 years later after something like that and about to be on track racing in the 24 Hours of Le Mans. It’s a pretty surreal experience.”

CORVETTE RACING au Mans: pensées avant la courseLes impressions des pilotes de la Corvette Z06 GT3.R à l’approche des 24 Heures du Mans de cette année LE MANS, France (le 12 juin 2026) – Ce vendredi, c’est le calme avant la tempête aux 24 Heures du Mans. Les quatre Chevrolet Corvette Z06 GT3.R sont en pleine phase de préparation finale dans leurs boxes avant cette classique française d’endurance. Le quatuor de Corvette engagé dans cette course de 24 heures constitue le contingent le plus important de Corvette au Mans depuis 10 ans. Bien que les quatre voitures s’élancent depuis la deuxième partie de la grille LMGT3, l’optimisme règne quant à la capacité du groupe à remonter vers l’avant du peloton de 25 voitures. Voici quelques réflexions d’une sélection de 12 pilotes qui courront de jour, de nuit, puis de jour à nouveau ce week-end… DÉCLARATIONS DES PILOTES CORVETTE AVANT LA COURSENICKY CATSBURG, CHEVROLET CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R n°33: « Nous avons apporté quelques modifications pour remédier à certains des problèmes rencontrés mercredi. Vers la fin de la dernière séance, je me sentais compétitif et ça faisait du bien. Nous avions trouvé l’équilibre de la voiture que nous recherchions. Si cela signifie que nous sommes un peu plus lents, tout ce que nous pouvons faire, c’est trouver une voiture agréable à piloter et faire avec. J’ai une confiance absolue en l’équipe et en mon ingénieur Tyler (Neff), qui est également mon ingénieur en IMSA. Je peux donner mon avis, mais ils sont toujours plus malins que moi ! Je vais donc simplement piloter pour trouver un équilibre qui nous convienne à tous, et je suis sûr qu’on y arrivera. » BEN KEATING, CHEVROLET CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R n°33: « C’est ma première course de la saison WEC et c’est une épreuve à double points. Il faudrait remonter très loin dans le temps pour trouver la dernière fois où quelqu’un a remporté le championnat sans avoir gagné Le Mans. Cela ne s’est pas produit depuis environ cinq ans. Donc, si vous me demandiez de choisir, je choisirais Le Mans. Mais je veux aussi remporter le championnat pour la voiture n° 33, pour mes coéquipiers, pour mon équipe et pour Corvette. Comme je n’ai plus personnellement la possibilité de remporter le championnat, je veux gagner Le Mans. Et si nous remportons Le Mans, je pense que cela mettra mes coéquipiers, ma voiture, mon équipe et mon constructeur dans la meilleure position pour remporter le championnat. » CHARLIE EASTWOOD, CHEVROLET CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R n°34: « J’ai pu constater de mes propres yeux les progrès réalisés d’année en année. Le plus étonnant, c’est qu’on ne s’en rend pas vraiment compte. Si quelqu’un me demandait : “Où as-tu trouvé un demi-seconde entre la première et la deuxième année, puis une autre demi-seconde entre la deuxième et la troisième ?”, je serais littéralement incapable de lui répondre. Mais c’est simplement une question d’avoir un peu plus confiance en soi et de mieux comprendre l’importance des sorties de virage et de ces petits reliefs ici et là. Et beaucoup de gens disent : « Oh oui, il y a des circuits avec plein de lignes droites », mais je pense que c’est l’un des circuits les plus complexes au monde. Et pour vraiment le maîtriser à un bon niveau, il faut beaucoup de connaissances. » PETER DEMPSEY, CHEVROLET CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R n°34: « J’adore le sport automobile de tout mon cœur depuis le jour où je suis né. Mon père a dirigé une écurie de course pendant 30 ans. Aujourd’hui, j’ai moi-même une écurie. Je n’apprécie rien d’autre dans la vie. J’essaie, mais ce n’est tout simplement pas pareil. C’est une occasion en or de participer à un événement comme celui-ci et de voir toutes les différentes activités qui s’y déroulent, avec le défilé des pilotes, les vérifications techniques et tout le reste. Et d’avoir le temps d’échanger avec les fans, ce que j’ai eu la chance de vivre… Lors des deux premières épreuves, des fans sont venus me voir avec de vieilles photos de moi datant de mes années de course, il y a 15 ou 20 ans, et m’ont demandé des autographes dessus. C’est fou de penser que ça fait si longtemps que je ne suis plus au volant. Et il y a encore des gens qui veulent mon autographe d’il y a si longtemps. Alors avoir la chance d’échanger avec les fans qui viennent à ces événements, j’adore ça. J’adore vraiment cet aspect-là. » MATT BELL, CHEVROLET CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R n°13: « C’est LA course. C’est le summum de notre sport. Dans chaque championnat auquel nous participons, l’objectif est de se qualifier pour cette épreuve, et ce n’est pas sans raison. Plus que tout autre chose, c’est cette course que je veux absolument remporter. Je me suis déjà retrouvé sur le podium, juste derrière le vainqueur, et c’était incroyable, mais j’ai plus que jamais envie de monter sur la plus haute marche. » OREY FIDANI, CHEVROLET CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R n°13: « Tout le monde veut gagner, mais essayons au moins de faire mieux que l’année dernière. On cherche toujours à aller de l’avant, pas à reculer. Nous aborderons cette épreuve mieux préparés que l’année dernière et avec une meilleure compréhension de l’ensemble de la compétition et de son fonctionnement. Il ne nous reste plus qu’à essayer de remonter dans le classement. » BEN GREEN, CHEVROLET CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R n°2: « Pour moi, Le Mans est un circuit sur lequel on ne roule jamais à moins d’y courir. J’adore découvrir de nouveaux circuits. J’adore me rendre dans de nouveaux environnements comme celui-ci. En fait, je suis allé au Mans en 2013, je crois, ou à peu près à cette époque, pour la finale du championnat du monde de karting, et nous avions notre dîner de fin de saison dans l’une des salles donnant sur la ligne de départ. Et c’est fou de revenir plus de 10 ans après un tel événement et d’être sur le point de courir sur ce circuit lors des 24 Heures du Mans. C’est une expérience assez surréaliste. »

Event: Great American Getaway 400Date/Time: Sunday, June 14, 2026, 3 p.m. ETLocation: Pocono Raceway, Long Pond, PennsylvaniaLayout: 2.5-MilesTV/Radio: Prime Video, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR RadioJosh Berry is set to reach a career milestone this Sunday at Pocono Raceway, making his 100th NASCAR Cup Series start when he takes the green flag in the Wood Brothers’ No. 21 Ford Mustang Dark Horse, which will carry the colors of new partner Capgemini.Capgemini is an AI-powered global business and technology transformation partner that helps organizations create tangible business value through AI, technology and people. Capgemini is headquartered in Paris, France, and employs more than 420,000 team members across more than 50 countries and delivers services spanning strategy, technology, design, engineering and business operations. Berry, who has made 51 of his previous 99 starts in a Wood Brothers Ford, said on a teleconference Wednesday that he hasn’t really kept up with how many career starts he’s made.“You hear the 100th race a lot in Cup racing just when they refer to people starting out their careers and the amount of time it takes to get things figured out and get your feet under you,” he said. “So I guess I finally made that and at least have been to victory lane once before that time.“I’ve just been really fortunate to drive for four or five teams throughout the 100 starts, a bunch of different car numbers…. and I’m excited for Pocono.“Honestly, it’s one of my favorite tracks to go to. It’s a really fun place to drive and hopefully we can have us a good weekend.”It was announced Wednesday that Berry will not be returning to the No. 21 car in 2027, but he said that while he’s disappointed to be leaving the team, he vows to do his best to make the most of the remainder of the 2026 season.“First and foremost, we are going to do our best to finish this season strong and leave in a good place,” he said.Practice for the Great American Getaway 400 at the 2.5-mile Pennsylvania track is set for Saturday at 1 p.m. ET, followed by qualifying at 2:10 p.m. ET.Sunday’s 160-lap, 400-mile race on the Tricky Triangle is scheduled to start just after 3 p.m. ET with stage breaks at Laps 30 and 95.Prime Video will carry television coverage all weekend.Josh BerryAge: 35 (Oct. 22, 1990)Hometown: Hendersonville, TennesseeCrew Chief: Miles StanleyIG: @joshberry88X: @joshberryAbout Capgemini Capgemini is an AI-powered global business and technology transformation partner, delivering tangible business value. We imagine the future of organizations and make it real with AI, technology and people. With our strong heritage of nearly 60 years, we are a responsible and diverse group of 420,000 team members in more than 50 countries. We deliver end-to-end services and solutions with our deep industry expertise and strong partner ecosystem, leveraging our capabilities across strategy, technology, design, engineering and business operations. The Group reported 2024 global revenues of €22.1 billion. Make it real | www.capgemini.comTaylor SmithNo. 21 Team and Josh Berrytaylor@woodbrothersracing.com

LOCUST GROVE, AR (June 11, 2026) — Matt Covington has seen this script before. 

Sam Hafertepe Jr. leads the American Sprint Car Series points, while Covington remains on his tail for the title fight entering the summer stretch. 

In years past, that story has ended with Covington having to watch Hafertepe or another driver run away with the title. This year, the Glenpool, OK driver wants to flip the script. 

Sitting second in points – 22 points behind Hafertepe – with one win, five top fives and eight top 10s in the first 11 races, including three straight top fives, the veteran is primed to keep his stout run going throughout the summer, starting this weekend at Batesville Motor Speedway, June 13. 

“We’re pretty par for the course if you look at years past,” Covington said. “We’re kind of right where we always are, but I think the real difference is going to be what happens from here forward. Being in the same place we are, it doesn’t sound great because we seem to be pretty decent at running second and third in the championship. We’re hoping to be where we are right now, but the points are real close, and I feel like it depends on where we go from here.” 

Hafertepe’s recent engine issue at Creek County Speedway, helped Covington keep a close points gap, but capitalizing on others’ woes and minimizing his own will be key to determining this year’s champion, he said. 

“It’d be nice to have more of a lead on Sam,” Covington said. “I’ve seen him do it before, but come mid-summer, the guy goes on a tear. I know he and Bergman are capable of doing it. You can go back over 10 years, where he goes on a four-win streak, and that’s in the back of our minds. Sam is not a guy that typically DNFs a lot, and if you took his whole career, he’s not a guy that does so very often.  

“We’ve been good at not taking a DNF; some of that goes back to my sponsorship situation, where we got to be a little more conservative. Because not only are we trying to win the championship, but we’re trying to stay out there all season. We’ve tried to not be so much of a points racer, but at the same time, I know who we’re doing battle with, and we can’t let them get away from us.” 

Covington is the meat in the three-driver points sandwich entering Batesville, with Seth Bergman also in the title hunt, only one point behind Covington. While the Series has not reached the halfway point, the urgency to secure the lead and reach his five-win goal is prominent. 

“The urgency is already there,” Covington admitted. “Sam’s got us by (22) points, and we’re going into mid-summer, which seems to be his part of the year. If I had a 100-point lead at this point, then maybe I’d approach points races a little bit differently. But right now, we have the sense of urgency where we still need to win at least four more Series races to get to our five-win number. We better bring a fast car to Batesville because we need to rack off a few more wins, and they’re not easy to come by. 

“At 81, we didn’t have the car to win, but we put ourselves in a position to win. We’re only going to be able to get away with that so many times before we start falling back to the No. 15H. You don’t want to lose the title from something stupid or taking chances that weren’t necessary, but we’re not in that spot right now. We just need to show up, win, and get in their heads like, ‘Hey, the 95 car is the fastest right now,’ and make these guys think they need to do something different.” 

After Batesville, the Series will close out June with The Big One at Belleville High Banks. While Covington has never won at either facility, he knows the balance of having speed and maneuverability at the tracks, with career-high finishes of third at Batesville (2024) and fourth at Belleville (2025). 

“I think it’s been proven before that if a guy’s car is good, you’re going to be able to drive around some people,” Covington said. “There’s certain conditions that make it tougher than others, so you can’t beat the track position. But it’s not impossible. A guy can have a car with front-running speed, but isn’t maneuverable enough to get through traffic good. 

“Qualifying brought a different element to the Series. We used to do a blank field draw, but you could get stuck in a bad draw, and it’d be damn near impossible to recover. There’s a car that is better in clean air than a car that is maneuverable in traffic, and I hear some of the younger guys struggle with that. Eventually, these guys are going to figure it out, but right now, it’s me, Sam, and Bergman that have it figured out, and it’s why you see us consistently qualifying in the front.” 

Covington will get back to work with the American Sprint Car Series on Saturday, June 13, to chase a $4,000 payday at Batesville. 

Covington Holding ASCS Title Fight Within Reach Entering Summer Stretch LOCUST GROVE, AR (June 11, 2026) — Matt Covington has seen this script before. 

Sam Hafertepe Jr. leads the American Sprint Car Series points, while Covington remains on his tail for the title fight entering the summer stretch. 

In years past, that story has ended with Covington having to watch Hafertepe or another driver run away with the title. This year, the Glenpool, OK driver wants to flip the script. 

Sitting second in points – 22 points behind Hafertepe – with one win, five top fives and eight top 10s in the first 11 races, including three straight top fives, the veteran is primed to keep his stout run going throughout the summer, starting this weekend at Batesville Motor Speedway, June 13. 

“We’re pretty par for the course if you look at years past,” Covington said. “We’re kind of right where we always are, but I think the real difference is going to be what happens from here forward. Being in the same place we are, it doesn’t sound great because we seem to be pretty decent at running second and third in the championship. We’re hoping to be where we are right now, but the points are real close, and I feel like it depends on where we go from here.” 

Hafertepe’s recent engine issue at Creek County Speedway, helped Covington keep a close points gap, but capitalizing on others’ woes and minimizing his own will be key to determining this year’s champion, he said. 

“It’d be nice to have more of a lead on Sam,” Covington said. “I’ve seen him do it before, but come mid-summer, the guy goes on a tear. I know he and Bergman are capable of doing it. You can go back over 10 years, where he goes on a four-win streak, and that’s in the back of our minds. Sam is not a guy that typically DNFs a lot, and if you took his whole career, he’s not a guy that does so very often.  

“We’ve been good at not taking a DNF; some of that goes back to my sponsorship situation, where we got to be a little more conservative. Because not only are we trying to win the championship, but we’re trying to stay out there all season. We’ve tried to not be so much of a points racer, but at the same time, I know who we’re doing battle with, and we can’t let them get away from us.” 

Covington is the meat in the three-driver points sandwich entering Batesville, with Seth Bergman also in the title hunt, only one point behind Covington. While the Series has not reached the halfway point, the urgency to secure the lead and reach his five-win goal is prominent. 

“The urgency is already there,” Covington admitted. “Sam’s got us by (22) points, and we’re going into mid-summer, which seems to be his part of the year. If I had a 100-point lead at this point, then maybe I’d approach points races a little bit differently. But right now, we have the sense of urgency where we still need to win at least four more Series races to get to our five-win number. We better bring a fast car to Batesville because we need to rack off a few more wins, and they’re not easy to come by. 

“At 81, we didn’t have the car to win, but we put ourselves in a position to win. We’re only going to be able to get away with that so many times before we start falling back to the No. 15H. You don’t want to lose the title from something stupid or taking chances that weren’t necessary, but we’re not in that spot right now. We just need to show up, win, and get in their heads like, ‘Hey, the 95 car is the fastest right now,’ and make these guys think they need to do something different.” 

After Batesville, the Series will close out June with The Big One at Belleville High Banks. While Covington has never won at either facility, he knows the balance of having speed and maneuverability at the tracks, with career-high finishes of third at Batesville (2024) and fourth at Belleville (2025). 

“I think it’s been proven before that if a guy’s car is good, you’re going to be able to drive around some people,” Covington said. “There’s certain conditions that make it tougher than others, so you can’t beat the track position. But it’s not impossible. A guy can have a car with front-running speed, but isn’t maneuverable enough to get through traffic good. 

“Qualifying brought a different element to the Series. We used to do a blank field draw, but you could get stuck in a bad draw, and it’d be damn near impossible to recover. There’s a car that is better in clean air than a car that is maneuverable in traffic, and I hear some of the younger guys struggle with that. Eventually, these guys are going to figure it out, but right now, it’s me, Sam, and Bergman that have it figured out, and it’s why you see us consistently qualifying in the front.” 

Covington will get back to work with the American Sprint Car Series on Saturday, June 13, to chase a $4,000 payday at Batesville. 

BATESVILLE INFO

MINERAL WELLS, WV (June 11, 2026) – After more than a decade of trying, Bobby Pierce can finally call himself a Dirt Late Model Dream champion.

Winning the North-South 100 and the World 100 within a month in 2016 at age 19 let the world know the teenager was something special. It didn’t take long for Pierce to start checking off other crown jewels, including the Show-Me 100 in 2017, the Silver Dollar Nationals in 2019 and the USA Nationals in 2023. Then came 2024, when Pierce added the Prairie Dirt Classic – a win that meant more than any to the lifelong Illinois resident – plus the Late Model Knoxville Nationals and the Dirt Track World Championship.

Along the way, the No. 32 team elected to hit the road full-time with the World of Outlaws Late Model Series presented by DIRTVision in 2023, and Pierce has already become a two-time champion and the fourth-winningest driver in the history of the Series.

Even with all that success, Pierce knew his resume wouldn’t be truly complete without Late Model racing’s original six-figure payday. But after charging up from 13th and taking the lead from Brandon Sheppard with 42 laps to go on Saturday night at Eldora Speedway, the “Smooth Operator” finally got to check the box next to the Dream.

“It feels probably about the same as those experiences,” Pierce said. “Obviously, winning my first World, I was so young, I didn’t even know what was going on, to be honest. The second one was really cool because it had been so long. It was like, ‘OK, we got a second one, the first one wasn’t a fluke or something.’ The first Dirt Track World Championship was awesome because of the money, being $100,000-to-win. Just to do it at Eldora, be on the stage yet again, there’s nothing like being on the stage at Eldora.

“The Dream has been a race that, for several, several years, I’ve struggled at the Dream. I would always do really well at the World, even back in the Pierce car days. I would do well at the World, struggle at the Dream. It was just a constant, every year I wouldn’t look forward to this race. And then over the last couple years, we’ve put down some solid finishes, got on the podium year after year after year. I’ll be honest, I wasn’t feeling the most confidence heading into this weekend, but it quickly turned around when we won our prelim race. From then on, it was just make the right calls and hope it happens.”

Pierce certainly isn’t the only one on his crew who recognizes the significance of the achievement. His crew chief and father, Bob Pierce, came close to winning a Dream of his own multiple times in the 1990s before stepping out of the seat to guide his son’s budding career.

In a sport where most drivers who started out racing with their parents eventually moved on to other opportunities that could take them to the next level, every accomplishment of Pierce’s is more meaningful because of how it came with the same family team that he’s been with since his Quarter Midget days 20 years ago.

“[Bob]’s been around forever, and he knows the struggles of racing,” Pierce said. “It’s an up-and-down sport. He’s got more experience at it than I do. For him, to see me win, that feels like a win for him, I know it does. He can kind of puff out his chest and be like, ‘Yeah, I helped set up that car.’ It’s a really good feeling for all of us, my whole family. All of our friends, sponsors and fans that were there to celebrate with us, it’ll be an awesome memory.”

Between the 2024 World 100, back-to-back Dirt Track World Championships in 2024 and 2025 and now the 2026 Dream, Pierce has won four of his last six Eldora crown jewel starts. That’s an incredible statistic on its own, but it’s also part of a larger changing of the guard at the “Big E.”

Throughout its 70-year history, Eldora has tended to favor age and experience over the bright young stars. In recent seasons, the favorites to end up in the top five by the end of 100 laps have included drivers like 42-year-old Jonathan Davenport, 51-year-old Chris Madden and 60-year-old Dale McDowell.

However, Pierce is carrying the flag for a new and youthful wave of Eldora legends. McDowell and Davenport were the only two drivers in the top 10 over the age of 40, and Pierce was one of four in their 20s. Those numbers don’t include Trey Mills, who earned the pole at age 18 before dropping back and finishing 17th in his first Dream Feature start.

“They just know how to get around here, they know how to save their tires,” Pierce said of the advantages the veterans carry at Eldora. “You saw it tonight, so many young generation drivers, like Trey Mills starting on the pole. I started back in 13th, and I just looked through the field, I was like, ‘OK, under 20, in his 20s, in his 20s, in his young 30s, maybe pushing 40, young 20s.’ Everyone was just young. The sport’s going to do pretty good.”

With Eldora in the rearview, Pierce’s next focus is his first visit to the reconfigured West Virginia Motor Speedway (Friday-Saturday, June 12-13) where he’ll look to expand his nine-point lead in the World of Outlaws standings as his quest for a third championship rolls on.

For a driver like Pierce whose success is measured by his crown jewel performance, there’s no better place to get used to crown-jewel-level competition than racing with the World of Outlaws all season long. Between the Blaster 57 Special at Mansfield Speedway and the Dream, all three $100,000-to-win races over the past two weeks have been won by Outlaws in Tyler Erb, Nick Hoffman and Pierce, and the latest DirtonDirt Top 25 rankings have Pierce and Hoffman listed as the top two Late Model drivers in the nation.

As fast as Pierce has climbed through the record books over the past decade, Hoffman has arguably risen to prominence at an even faster pace. It was only three years ago that he was still a Late Model rookie who was often satisfied with midpack results. Hoffman is now closing in on double-digit wins in 2026, has been neck-and-neck with Pierce for the points lead all season and was frustrated to finish third in the Dream. Ask Hoffman, and he’ll tell you that one of the main factors behind his program’s rise to the top is having to keep up with Pierce night after night.

“I grew up with the mentality of you’re only as good as the guys you race against, and I have to race against [Pierce] every single night,” Hoffman said. “He’s been on top of his game for how many years now. So, it’s cool that our points battle is close, and we’re able to come to [Eldora] races, or Lucas races, or whatever and still fight for wins. It ups my program and makes me better as a race car driver.”

The World of Outlaws Late Model Series presented by DIRTVision season continues this weekend at West Virginia Motor Speedway with the RACEFEST Summer Championship (Friday-Saturday, June 12-13). Tickets will be available at the gate.

First Dream In Hand, Pierce’s Chase for Third World of Outlaws Title Ramps Up at West Virginia

MINERAL WELLS, WV (June 11, 2026) – After more than a decade of trying, Bobby Pierce can finally call himself a Dirt Late Model Dream champion.

Winning the North-South 100 and the World 100 within a month in 2016 at age 19 let the world know the teenager was something special. It didn’t take long for Pierce to start checking off other crown jewels, including the Show-Me 100 in 2017, the Silver Dollar Nationals in 2019 and the USA Nationals in 2023. Then came 2024, when Pierce added the Prairie Dirt Classic – a win that meant more than any to the lifelong Illinois resident – plus the Late Model Knoxville Nationals and the Dirt Track World Championship.

Along the way, the No. 32 team elected to hit the road full-time with the World of Outlaws Late Model Series presented by DIRTVision in 2023, and Pierce has already become a two-time champion and the fourth-winningest driver in the history of the Series.

Even with all that success, Pierce knew his resume wouldn’t be truly complete without Late Model racing’s original six-figure payday. But after charging up from 13th and taking the lead from Brandon Sheppard with 42 laps to go on Saturday night at Eldora Speedway, the “Smooth Operator” finally got to check the box next to the Dream.

“It feels probably about the same as those experiences,” Pierce said. “Obviously, winning my first World, I was so young, I didn’t even know what was going on, to be honest. The second one was really cool because it had been so long. It was like, ‘OK, we got a second one, the first one wasn’t a fluke or something.’ The first Dirt Track World Championship was awesome because of the money, being $100,000-to-win. Just to do it at Eldora, be on the stage yet again, there’s nothing like being on the stage at Eldora.

“The Dream has been a race that, for several, several years, I’ve struggled at the Dream. I would always do really well at the World, even back in the Pierce car days. I would do well at the World, struggle at the Dream. It was just a constant, every year I wouldn’t look forward to this race. And then over the last couple years, we’ve put down some solid finishes, got on the podium year after year after year. I’ll be honest, I wasn’t feeling the most confidence heading into this weekend, but it quickly turned around when we won our prelim race. From then on, it was just make the right calls and hope it happens.”

Pierce certainly isn’t the only one on his crew who recognizes the significance of the achievement. His crew chief and father, Bob Pierce, came close to winning a Dream of his own multiple times in the 1990s before stepping out of the seat to guide his son’s budding career.

In a sport where most drivers who started out racing with their parents eventually moved on to other opportunities that could take them to the next level, every accomplishment of Pierce’s is more meaningful because of how it came with the same family team that he’s been with since his Quarter Midget days 20 years ago.

“[Bob]’s been around forever, and he knows the struggles of racing,” Pierce said. “It’s an up-and-down sport. He’s got more experience at it than I do. For him, to see me win, that feels like a win for him, I know it does. He can kind of puff out his chest and be like, ‘Yeah, I helped set up that car.’ It’s a really good feeling for all of us, my whole family. All of our friends, sponsors and fans that were there to celebrate with us, it’ll be an awesome memory.”

Between the 2024 World 100, back-to-back Dirt Track World Championships in 2024 and 2025 and now the 2026 Dream, Pierce has won four of his last six Eldora crown jewel starts. That’s an incredible statistic on its own, but it’s also part of a larger changing of the guard at the “Big E.”

Throughout its 70-year history, Eldora has tended to favor age and experience over the bright young stars. In recent seasons, the favorites to end up in the top five by the end of 100 laps have included drivers like 42-year-old Jonathan Davenport, 51-year-old Chris Madden and 60-year-old Dale McDowell.

However, Pierce is carrying the flag for a new and youthful wave of Eldora legends. McDowell and Davenport were the only two drivers in the top 10 over the age of 40, and Pierce was one of four in their 20s. Those numbers don’t include Trey Mills, who earned the pole at age 18 before dropping back and finishing 17th in his first Dream Feature start.

“They just know how to get around here, they know how to save their tires,” Pierce said of the advantages the veterans carry at Eldora. “You saw it tonight, so many young generation drivers, like Trey Mills starting on the pole. I started back in 13th, and I just looked through the field, I was like, ‘OK, under 20, in his 20s, in his 20s, in his young 30s, maybe pushing 40, young 20s.’ Everyone was just young. The sport’s going to do pretty good.”

With Eldora in the rearview, Pierce’s next focus is his first visit to the reconfigured West Virginia Motor Speedway (Friday-Saturday, June 12-13) where he’ll look to expand his nine-point lead in the World of Outlaws standings as his quest for a third championship rolls on.

For a driver like Pierce whose success is measured by his crown jewel performance, there’s no better place to get used to crown-jewel-level competition than racing with the World of Outlaws all season long. Between the Blaster 57 Special at Mansfield Speedway and the Dream, all three $100,000-to-win races over the past two weeks have been won by Outlaws in Tyler Erb, Nick Hoffman and Pierce, and the latest DirtonDirt Top 25 rankings have Pierce and Hoffman listed as the top two Late Model drivers in the nation.

As fast as Pierce has climbed through the record books over the past decade, Hoffman has arguably risen to prominence at an even faster pace. It was only three years ago that he was still a Late Model rookie who was often satisfied with midpack results. Hoffman is now closing in on double-digit wins in 2026, has been neck-and-neck with Pierce for the points lead all season and was frustrated to finish third in the Dream. Ask Hoffman, and he’ll tell you that one of the main factors behind his program’s rise to the top is having to keep up with Pierce night after night.

“I grew up with the mentality of you’re only as good as the guys you race against, and I have to race against [Pierce] every single night,” Hoffman said. “He’s been on top of his game for how many years now. So, it’s cool that our points battle is close, and we’re able to come to [Eldora] races, or Lucas races, or whatever and still fight for wins. It ups my program and makes me better as a race car driver.”

The World of Outlaws Late Model Series presented by DIRTVision season continues this weekend at West Virginia Motor Speedway with the RACEFEST Summer Championship (Friday-Saturday, June 12-13). Tickets will be available at the gate.

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

CONCORD, NC (June 10, 2026) – Paydays are about to be on the rise for the World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Series.

The Summer of Money is on the horizon. What was the Month of Money has blossomed into a three-month stretch filled by pocket-stuffing races. Bank accounts will be booming as the best Sprint Car drivers in the world battle for life-changing cash.

The World of Outlaws calendar features 14 races paying at least $20,000 to the winner from June 17 through Sept. 19, almost the exact dates that encompass the summer season. The stretch includes four six-figure paydays, including the largest in Series history.

It’s about time for the World of Outlaws to make some hefty deposits.

WATCH EVERY LAP ON DIRTVision

Let’s see where the Summer of Money takes the tour:

Hefty Seed Huset’s Hustle | Huset’s Speedway | June 17-18: The Summer of Money starts in a major way as Brandon, SD’s Huset’s Speedway continues to push our sport to new heights. They’ll host a pair of races paying six figures to the winner in one week. It begins with the Hefty Seed Huset’s Hustle on June 17-18. A $20,000-to-win prelim on Wednesday will set the stage for a $150,000-to-win finale on Thursday.

For tickets and more event information, CLICK HERE.

BillionAuto.com Huset’s High Bank Nationals | Huset’s Speedway | June 19-20: The huge week at Huset’s wraps up on the weekend when the slate is wiped clean for the BillionAuto.com Huset’s High Bank Nationals (June 19-20). It’s another $20,000 up for grabs in the prelim before the focus turns to the largest payday in World of Outlaws history as the teams compete for $300,000. The stakes are raised even more for the drivers that aren’t full-time with the The Greatest Show on Dirt as Huset’s announced a bounty for an extra $100,000 if any of them can win Saturday’s show.

For tickets and more event information, CLICK HERE.

Ohio Logistics Brad Doty Classic presented by dac Vitamins and Minerals | Attica Raceway Park | July 14: Mid-July is the time to head to Ohio as a big week features the Ohio Logistics Brad Doty Classic presented by dac Vitamins and Mineralson Tuesday, July 14, at Attica Raceway Park. This year’s winner will take home a $20,000 check.

For tickets and more event information, CLICK HERE.

Kings Royal | Eldora Speedway | July 17-18: After Attica, the “Buckeye State” stretch continues with a quest for the crown. The 43rd running of the Kings Royal brings the tour to Rossburg, OH’s Eldora Speedway. The Knight Before (July 17) dishes out $25,000 before the teams will battle for $200,000 in riches in the Kings Royal finale on Saturday, July 18. The purse has also been upped to $6,000-to-start for 2026.

For tickets and more event information, CLICK HERE.

Federated Auto Parts Six Nations Showdown | Ohsweken Speedway | July 21-22: The World of Outlaws successfully returned to Canada in 2025, and the summer stretch of 2026 is bringing them north of the border once again. Ontario’s Ohsweken Speedway will host a pair of midweek races with the Federated Auto Parts Six Nations Showdown paying $15,000-to-win on Tuesday before a $20,000-to-win/$1,500-to-start finale on Wednesday.

For tickets and more event information, CLICK HERE.

Empire State Challenge | Weedsport Speedway | July 25-26: New York’s Weedsport Speedway is back to occupying a two-day show on the calendar this season. The Empire State Challenge brings the tour to town for a Saturday-Sunday showdown with a $20,000-to-win/$1,500-to-start Sunday main event.

For tickets and more event information, CLICK HERE.

C&D Rigging Summer Nationals | Williams Grove Speedway | July 31-Aug. 1: It’s always fun when the World of Outlaws and Pennsylvania Posse battle for bragging rights, and adding extra cash makes the rivalry even more interesting. That’s exactly what fans can expect when the two sides square off at Williams Grove Speedway’s C&D Rigging Summer Nationalsfor $20,000, a precursor to the $75,000-to-win J&S Classics National Open at “The Grove” in October as fall begins.

For tickets and more event information, CLICK HERE.

Federated Auto Parts Ironman 55 | I-55 Federated Auto Parts Raceway Park | Aug. 7-8: The Ironman 55 is one of the most demanding and difficult races to win, so it’s only right that a healthy paycheck awaits the winner alongside the iconic dumbbell trophy. This year’s winner will walk out of I-55 Federated Auto Parts Raceway Park $25,000 richer.

For tickets and more event information, CLICK HERE.

NOS Energy Drink Knoxville Nationals presented by Casey’s | Knoxville Raceway | Aug. 12-15: The biggest Sprint Car race in the world also serves up the sport’s biggest purse. The entire Sprint Car world will travel to Knoxville Raceway in mid-August for the 65th running of the NOS Energy Drink Knoxville Nationals presented by Casey’s. A hefty $200,000 check awaits the champion atop an enormously generous payout. It’s $15,000 to simply make the Saturday main event. The Championship Feature alone hands out over $700,000 total.

For tickets and more event information, CLICK HERE.

L.G. Everist Huset’s Shootout | Huset’s Speedway | Sept. 4-6: Huset’s Speedway makes its second appearance during the Summer of Money when the World of Outlaws head back to Brandon, SD on Labor Day weekend. The L.G. Everist Huset’s Shootout grows to three days in 2026 with a pair of $15,000-to-win shows setting the stage for Sunday’s $25,000-to-win finale.

For tickets and more event information, CLICK HERE.

Dennis Roth Classic | Stockton Dirt Track | Sept. 18-19: The Summer of Money wraps up on the West Coast when the World of Outlaws honor one of the sport’s most dedicated car owners. The Roth Motorsports No. 83 has become an iconic ride since Dennis and Teresa Roth unleashed a Sprint Car team more than three decades ago, so it’s only right that Stockton Dirt Track’s Dennis Roth Classic features a meaty $83,000 payday on the menu.

SUMMER OF MONEY: Lucrative Stretch Awaits the World of Outlaws Sprint Cars

CONCORD, NC (June 10, 2026) – Paydays are about to be on the rise for the World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Series.

The Summer of Money is on the horizon. What was the Month of Money has blossomed into a three-month stretch filled by pocket-stuffing races. Bank accounts will be booming as the best Sprint Car drivers in the world battle for life-changing cash.

The World of Outlaws calendar features 14 races paying at least $20,000 to the winner from June 17 through Sept. 19, almost the exact dates that encompass the summer season. The stretch includes four six-figure paydays, including the largest in Series history.

It’s about time for the World of Outlaws to make some hefty deposits.

WATCH EVERY LAP ON DIRTVision

Let’s see where the Summer of Money takes the tour:

Hefty Seed Huset’s Hustle | Huset’s Speedway | June 17-18: The Summer of Money starts in a major way as Brandon, SD’s Huset’s Speedway continues to push our sport to new heights. They’ll host a pair of races paying six figures to the winner in one week. It begins with the Hefty Seed Huset’s Hustle on June 17-18. A $20,000-to-win prelim on Wednesday will set the stage for a $150,000-to-win finale on Thursday.

For tickets and more event information, CLICK HERE.

BillionAuto.com Huset’s High Bank Nationals | Huset’s Speedway | June 19-20: The huge week at Huset’s wraps up on the weekend when the slate is wiped clean for the BillionAuto.com Huset’s High Bank Nationals (June 19-20). It’s another $20,000 up for grabs in the prelim before the focus turns to the largest payday in World of Outlaws history as the teams compete for $300,000. The stakes are raised even more for the drivers that aren’t full-time with the The Greatest Show on Dirt as Huset’s announced a bounty for an extra $100,000 if any of them can win Saturday’s show.

For tickets and more event information, CLICK HERE.

Ohio Logistics Brad Doty Classic presented by dac Vitamins and Minerals | Attica Raceway Park | July 14: Mid-July is the time to head to Ohio as a big week features the Ohio Logistics Brad Doty Classic presented by dac Vitamins and Mineralson Tuesday, July 14, at Attica Raceway Park. This year’s winner will take home a $20,000 check.

For tickets and more event information, CLICK HERE.

Kings Royal | Eldora Speedway | July 17-18: After Attica, the “Buckeye State” stretch continues with a quest for the crown. The 43rd running of the Kings Royal brings the tour to Rossburg, OH’s Eldora Speedway. The Knight Before (July 17) dishes out $25,000 before the teams will battle for $200,000 in riches in the Kings Royal finale on Saturday, July 18. The purse has also been upped to $6,000-to-start for 2026.

For tickets and more event information, CLICK HERE.

Federated Auto Parts Six Nations Showdown | Ohsweken Speedway | July 21-22: The World of Outlaws successfully returned to Canada in 2025, and the summer stretch of 2026 is bringing them north of the border once again. Ontario’s Ohsweken Speedway will host a pair of midweek races with the Federated Auto Parts Six Nations Showdown paying $15,000-to-win on Tuesday before a $20,000-to-win/$1,500-to-start finale on Wednesday.

For tickets and more event information, CLICK HERE.

Empire State Challenge | Weedsport Speedway | July 25-26: New York’s Weedsport Speedway is back to occupying a two-day show on the calendar this season. The Empire State Challenge brings the tour to town for a Saturday-Sunday showdown with a $20,000-to-win/$1,500-to-start Sunday main event.

For tickets and more event information, CLICK HERE.

C&D Rigging Summer Nationals | Williams Grove Speedway | July 31-Aug. 1: It’s always fun when the World of Outlaws and Pennsylvania Posse battle for bragging rights, and adding extra cash makes the rivalry even more interesting. That’s exactly what fans can expect when the two sides square off at Williams Grove Speedway’s C&D Rigging Summer Nationalsfor $20,000, a precursor to the $75,000-to-win J&S Classics National Open at “The Grove” in October as fall begins.

For tickets and more event information, CLICK HERE.

Federated Auto Parts Ironman 55 | I-55 Federated Auto Parts Raceway Park | Aug. 7-8: The Ironman 55 is one of the most demanding and difficult races to win, so it’s only right that a healthy paycheck awaits the winner alongside the iconic dumbbell trophy. This year’s winner will walk out of I-55 Federated Auto Parts Raceway Park $25,000 richer.

For tickets and more event information, CLICK HERE.

NOS Energy Drink Knoxville Nationals presented by Casey’s | Knoxville Raceway | Aug. 12-15: The biggest Sprint Car race in the world also serves up the sport’s biggest purse. The entire Sprint Car world will travel to Knoxville Raceway in mid-August for the 65th running of the NOS Energy Drink Knoxville Nationals presented by Casey’s. A hefty $200,000 check awaits the champion atop an enormously generous payout. It’s $15,000 to simply make the Saturday main event. The Championship Feature alone hands out over $700,000 total.

For tickets and more event information, CLICK HERE.

L.G. Everist Huset’s Shootout | Huset’s Speedway | Sept. 4-6: Huset’s Speedway makes its second appearance during the Summer of Money when the World of Outlaws head back to Brandon, SD on Labor Day weekend. The L.G. Everist Huset’s Shootout grows to three days in 2026 with a pair of $15,000-to-win shows setting the stage for Sunday’s $25,000-to-win finale.

For tickets and more event information, CLICK HERE.

Dennis Roth Classic | Stockton Dirt Track | Sept. 18-19: The Summer of Money wraps up on the West Coast when the World of Outlaws honor one of the sport’s most dedicated car owners. The Roth Motorsports No. 83 has become an iconic ride since Dennis and Teresa Roth unleashed a Sprint Car team more than three decades ago, so it’s only right that Stockton Dirt Track’s Dennis Roth Classic features a meaty $83,000 payday on the menu.

For tickets and more event information, CLICK HERE.

LE MANS, FRANCE (June 10, 2026) – Cadillac placed a solid second, third and fifth in preliminary qualifying for the 94th running of the 24 Hours of Le Mans at the Circuit de la Sarthe in Le Mans, France. Louis Deletraz, driver of No. 12 Cadillac Hertz Team JOTA V-Series.R, who co-drives with Will Stevens and Norman Nato, was second with a time of 3 minutes and 23.148 seconds. He was just .013 seconds behind the lead car of Alpine Endurance Team. Jordan Taylor, who is co-driving the No. 101 Cadillac WTR V-Series.R for Wayne Taylor Racing with Ricky Tayor and Filipe Albuquerque posted the third best time of 3 minutes and 23.323 seconds. Local native Sebastien Bourdais, driver of the No. 38 Cadillac Hertz Team JOTA V-Series.R with Earl Bamber and Jack Aitken, was fifth with a lap of 3 minutes and 23.485 seconds. The top 15 cars, including all three Cadillacs, advance to the second round of qualifying which takes place at 9:40 pm (CEST) on Thursday, June 11.

Cadillac puts three cars in top five of preliminary qualifying  LE MANS, FRANCE (June 10, 2026) – Cadillac placed a solid second, third and fifth in preliminary qualifying for the 94th running of the 24 Hours of Le Mans at the Circuit de la Sarthe in Le Mans, France. Louis Deletraz, driver of No. 12 Cadillac Hertz Team JOTA V-Series.R, who co-drives with Will Stevens and Norman Nato, was second with a time of 3 minutes and 23.148 seconds. He was just .013 seconds behind the lead car of Alpine Endurance Team. Jordan Taylor, who is co-driving the No. 101 Cadillac WTR V-Series.R for Wayne Taylor Racing with Ricky Tayor and Filipe Albuquerque posted the third best time of 3 minutes and 23.323 seconds. Local native Sebastien Bourdais, driver of the No. 38 Cadillac Hertz Team JOTA V-Series.R with Earl Bamber and Jack Aitken, was fifth with a lap of 3 minutes and 23.485 seconds. The top 15 cars, including all three Cadillacs, advance to the second round of qualifying which takes place at 9:40 pm (CEST) on Thursday, June 11.

What they’re saying No. 12 Cadillac Hertz Team JOTA V-Series.R:Louis Deletraz“It was a great qualifying here at Le Mans. Running here with low fuel and new tyres is always the best, it was a lot of fun! The car felt good and we were P2, so very close. Qualifying doesn’t mean much here, but I’m happy to be up front. It means the car is competitive and the whole team did a good job. Now we can continue working on our race car and pushing for the race weekend, because all we want to do is win on Sunday.” No. 101 Cadillac Wayne Taylor Racing V-Series.RJordan Taylor, Co-driver, No. 101 Cadillac WTR V-Series.R“Obviously a good qualifying. We are third so that is nice. It’s actually my first time qualifying at Le Mans, so I was nervous going in, but I knew all three Cadillacs seemed strong in practice and I had a clean lap. The goal today was to move on in the top 15, but it was nice to put in a good lap to give everyone a good confidence booster and build up the momentum in the week. This just moves us on to the next qualifying, but the big thing is race day and hopefully we can get a good starting position to stay out of trouble and have good race pace come Saturday and Sunday.” No. 38 Cadillac Hertz Team JOTA V-Series.R:Sebastien Bourdais: “Day one of qualifying done and the main objective was accomplished. It wasn’t the cleanest of the runs, but we secured what we were looking for, and all three Cadillac are through so I’m happy about that.”

STUART, Va. (June 10, 2026) – Wood Brothers Racing, the longest-running active team competing in NASCAR, confirmed today that it will not exercise its option with driver Josh Berry for the 2027 NASCAR Cup Series season. Currently in his second year with the team, Berry will continue to race the No. 21 Ford Mustang Dark Horse through the balance of the 2026 season. Wood Brothers Racing will announce the new driver of the No. 21 Ford Mustang Dark Horse for the 2027 Cup Series season in the near future.“We thank Josh Berry for all he’s done for Wood Brothers Racing and our partners over the last two seasons. Josh has been a great teammate and we look forward to a strong finish to this season. We wish Josh all the best moving forward. We will announce who will be driving the No. 21 Ford Mustang Dark Horse in 2027 soon and we are excited for what lies ahead for Wood Brothers Racing.”

MEDIA RESOURCES: Photo Gallery | Race AdvancesChevrolet Newsroom

The next stop on the 2026 schedule will see the NASCAR Cup and O’Reilly Auto Parts Series tackle the track most famously known as the “Tricky Triangle” – Pocono Raceway. Nestled in the mountains of Pennsylvania, the 2.5-mile, three-turn circuit is steeped in stock car tradition, including playing host for NASCAR’s premier series for over 50 years. Fresh off its first off-weekend of the season, the O’Reilly Series will resume its regular season schedule on Saturday with the MillerTech Battery 250 presented by KOA. The Cup Series will culminate the doubleheader weekend in Sunday’s Great American Getaway 400 presented by VISITPA – the series’ 16th points-paying race of the season.

Chevrolet at the “Tricky Triangle”: In the NASCAR Cup Series 92-race history at Pocono Raceway, Chevrolet leads the series with 34 all-time victories – sitting just shy of a double-digit advantage over the next leading manufacturer, Ford, with 25 wins. In over 50 years of competition at the “Tricky Triangle”, 41 different drivers have visited victory lane in NASCAR’s premier series, with Benny Parsons becoming the first driver to win under the Chevrolet banner at the track in July 1977. Among the drivers entered in Sunday’s race are eight past Pocono winners, including Chevrolet’s two most recent winners at the track with Hendrick Motorsports’ Chase Elliott (2022) and Alex Bowman (2021).

STEADY IN THE STANDINGSA strong day in “Motor City” saw the NASCAR Cup Series reigning champion, Kyle Larson, and the No. 5 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet team earn its fifth top-five finish of the season. The effort culminated with a strong points day, including a pair of top-seven results in each stage to maintain his sixth position in the rankings heading into the Pocono race weekend. While he’s still looking to post his first Pocono triumph, the “Tricky Triangle” has turned into a rather strong track, statistically, for the California native. In 18 career Cup Series starts at the track, Larson has produced an average finish of 11.5 – enough to rank him fourth-best in the field. He’s also accumulated 10 top-10 finishes, five of which have come in his past seven appearances at the track.

HOCEVAR CONTINUING TO COLLECT CAREER STATSCompeting in just his third full-time campaign in NASCAR’s premier series, Carson Hocevar is continuing to build upon an already career season. A visit to his home track of Michigan International Speedway saw the Spire Motorsports driver start the weekend by earning his second front-row qualifying effort of the season. The Portage, Michigan, native went on to tally top-seven points in each stage and 21 laps led en route to a top-five finish. Putting together a 45-point day, second just behind the race winner, Hocevar made yet another two-position gain in the points standings to seventh and just one point shy of a triple-digit cushion over the cutline. Hocevar has scored four top-five finishes thus far this season, already surpassing his career total during the 15-race stretch.

TARGETING TWENTY TRIUMPHSAmong the 26 different organizations that have earned a NASCAR Cup Series victory at Pocono Raceway, Hendrick Motorsports leads the way with 19 all-time victories – all of which have been recorded under the Chevrolet banner. NASCAR Hall of Famer, Jeff Gordon, contributed to six of those triumphs – a feat that also places him second on the series’ all-time wins list at the track. Hendrick Motorsports’ two most recent trips to victory lane at the track came with a pair of its current drivers including Alex Bowman in 2021, with Chase Elliott following suit the next year in the debut season of the Next Gen car (2022).

REGULAR SEASON RESUMES FOR THE O’REILLY SERIESAfter a grueling 16-race stretch to open the season, the NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series will make its return to the track from its first idle weekend to face the “Tricky Triangle”. The 2026 campaign has fared well for the Bowtie brand thus far with eight drivers earning a combined 14 trips to victory lane. From a points perspective, the manufacturer will head into the series’ next stretch of races with eight of the top-10 positions in the standings – led by the 2024 champion and series veteran, Justin Allgaier. His numbers already this season makes him an arguable favorite for the shot at another championship title. On top of his 179-point lead over the series reigning champion, Jesse Love, the Illinois native paces the field in every major statistical category including: four wins, which doubles the second-highest, Corey Day, 422 laps led, 11 top-fives, 13 top-10s and 225 stage points earned.

PAST POCONO WINNERSThe NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series has a much shorter history at the “Tricky Triangle”, with the track first welcoming the second-level series 10 years ago – an event that saw now two-time Cup Series champion, Kyle Larson, drive Chevrolet to the inaugural race win. The Bowtie brand has visited victory lane four times throughout that tenure, including the most recent event in June 2025 when Connor Zilisch, under the leadership of interim crew chief and car owner, Dale Earnhardt Jr., drove to his first career oval victory in the NASCAR national ranks.  Attempting to defend his race winning title, Zilisch will return to the JR Motorsports camp this weekend to pilot the Rodney Childers-led No. 1 Chevrolet. The North Carolina native is one of three past Pocono winners entered in Saturday’s event, joining the likes of fellow Team Chevy drivers Austin Hill (one win; 2023) and Cole Custer (two wins; 2019 and 2024).

BOWTIE BULLETS:·        Chevrolet will serve as the official pace vehicle for the doubleheader weekend at Pocono Raceway, with the Corvette Stingray pacing the NASCAR Cup and O’Reilly Auto Parts Series in their respective events.  ·        Victories by active Chevrolet drivers in the NASCAR Cup Series at Pocono Raceway:    Chase Elliott – one win (2022)Alex Bowman – one win (2021) ·        In 92 NASCAR Cup Series races held at Pocono Raceway, Chevrolet has recorded 34 victories and 35 poles – both of which are series-leading records.  ·        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 159 points-paying races in the NASCAR Cup Series Next Gen era, Chevrolet leads all manufacturers with 72 victories – a winning percentage of 45.3%.  ·        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 Pocono Raceway, which features a variety of vehicles including: Blazer EV SS, Silverado 1500 TB, Traverse Z71, Corvette Stingray, Silverado EV TB, Equinox RS, Colorado Z71, Tahoe Premier, 1973 Laguna, NASCAR Cup Series Camaro ZL1 show car. Chevrolet Display Hours of Operation:Friday, June 12: 12:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m. Saturday, June 13: 8:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.  Sunday, June 14:: 8:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.   Team Chevy Driver Appearances at the Display:Saturday, June 13Ricky Stenhouse Jr.: 11:00 a.m. – 11:15 a.m. Justin Allgaier and Sammy Smith: 1:00 p.m. – 1:15 p.m.Jesse Love: 1:25 p.m. – 1:40 p.m. Corey Day: 1:45 p.m. – 1:55 p.m.Carson Kvapil: 2:30 p.m. – 2:45 p.m. Sunday, June 14Ross Chastain: 10:55 a.m. – 11:10 a.m. Alex Bowman: 11:10 a.m. – 11:25 a.m. Cody Ware: 11:25 a.m. – 11:40 a.m. Austin Dillon: 12:00 p.m. – 12:15 p.m. Michael McDowell: 12:30 p.m. – 12:45 p.m.

TUNE-IN:NASCAR Cup Series Great American Getaway 400 presented by VISITPASunday, June 14, at 3 p.m. ETAmazon Prime, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90 NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts SeriesMillerTech Battery 250 presented by KOASaturday, June 13, at 4 p.m. ETCW, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90

QUOTABLE QUOTES:Daniel Suarez, No. 7 Spire Motorsports ChevroletPocono Raceway has been a good track for you in the past. You won the pole in 2018 and have several solid finishes. What are you looking forward to heading into this weekend?“Pocono is a really unique and challenging track. The speeds are very high, and with three completely different corners, it’s hard to put together a perfect lap. You’re always trying to find a balance, because what works in one turn might hurt you in the next. That’s what makes it such a tough place, but also a fun one to race. I feel like we’ve been bringing competitive cars lately and improving each week, and that’s given us good momentum. The team has been working hard, and I’m looking forward to getting to Pocono, continuing that progress and seeing what we can do.”   Ty Dillon, No. 10 Kaulig Racing ChevroletIs this an important weekend for you and your team as you race for a spot and seeding in the NASCAR In-Season Challenge?“Having a solid run at Pocono this weekend is massive, whether it’s gaining positions in the In-Season Challenge or just making sure we’re in it. Being one of the biggest stories in 2025 — if not the biggest — in the in-season tournament, we want to make sure we’re back competing in it and giving ourselves a shot when we get to Sonoma.” Sonoma is one of the tracks where we created one of the most fun storylines, moving Alex Bowman on the last lap to advance. If there’s any team and driver that believes anything can happen in that tournament, it’s certainly us. As long as we’re in it, we feel like we can make it to the end and hopefully beat one more driver this year.” Describe Pocono Raceway…“Pocono is probably our most unique track. It has three corners, all with different banking angles and different shapes. It’s really tough to get all three of them set up perfectly.” Away from the track, it’s a pretty cool place. One of the things I like most about Pocono Raceway is the family atmosphere. The infield has lots of entertainment, dog parks and just a lot of fun things to do.”   AJ Allmendinger, No. 16 Kaulig Racing ChevroletIs there anything from Michigan that you can carry into Pocono or anything from the Indy test?“We can take some of what we learned from the Indy (Indianapolis Motor Speedway) test, especially a few of the things we were able to try. It’s not going to correlate perfectly, but in our situation, any information we can gain from a test is valuable since it’s really the only opportunity we have to experiment. Without SIM or anything really, we have to take advantage of the opportunity and try different things. I think we can apply some of what we learned there. It was a good test.” What’s the biggest challenge drivers face at Pocono?“It’s about getting your car through the bumps there and, you know, it’s so hard because you want to run this car as low as you can for downforce. But if it starts touching the bump stops, I mean, it’s evil. You just carry so much speed in. It’s not like the old car or the O’Reilly Auto Parts Series car or even a truck where it’s like, it starts to slide and you just kind of drive into it. If it steps out, I’d say at least 80% or 85% of the time, you don’t catch it and you hit big there.” There’s also got to be some give and take, but everybody’s just super aggressive. If the guy leans on you or doesn’t want to give any room, it’s a challenge. There’s not much give and take now. The field is so close and it’s so hard to pass that if you lose that spot or maybe it checks you up, you may lose another spot that could kill your run.”   Ricky Stenhouse Jr., No. 47 Hyak Motorsports Chevrolet“Pocono is always a tough place because every corner is so different, but we’ve been building good momentum lately. Hopefully we can keep that going this weekend and have a solid run with Pylon Aviation back on the car.”   Cody Ware, No. 51 Rick Ware Racing ChevroletWhat makes a lap at Pocono so challenging?  “You’ve got three wildly different corners for all three turns of the racetrack. You have a kind of traditional, almost mile-and-a-half-type of high-banked turn one. You have a super-high-commitment, very fast but sharp, very bumpy turn two, and then turn three is a very flat, long, sweeping corner, and how you get through three, off of turn three basically just dictates how your whole lap’s going to go because that carries you onto the longest straightaway that we have on the schedule.” Everyone seems to talk about the tunnel turn, in particular. What makes it so difficult to navigate?“It’s everything. It’s a corner where we’re downshifting, so we’re grabbing gears. We’re having to make a lot of very quick adjustments as we get in turn two. The bumps unload and upset the car a lot, but at the same time, turn two is a lot of times a great passing opportunity. So having to be very aggressive and try to set up passes through the most difficult part of the racetrack makes for a pretty challenging corner.” How big of a role do aerodynamics play at Pocono?“You’re doing a lot of drafting, a lot of strategy. You see a lot of just trying to stay in line, getting sucked up to the car in front of you, timing your passes well. You’ve got to really think about and play your cards right on when you’re going to get out of line and get that clean air and make those moves. But aero is extremely important. Your balance through (turns) one and two is very aero-dependent, especially when you have to run the car as free as you do to get the car rotating well through turn two. So trying to find that balance of what’s comfortable and what’s fast can be very tough because typically you’re going to be setting up the best balance that you possibly can for turn three and just trying to make do with that through turns one and two.” Do you concede other corners of the track to put an emphasis on turn three so you get off that corner and pull down that long straightaway?“Absolutely. I’d say that setting up and prioritizing what you need to make the best run possible off turn three is going to be paramount to make sure that we have the best race that we can have there. You think turn one is kind of on its own little island, but turns two and three – you get shot out of turn two very quickly and into turn three, so they do affect each other a lot more. Turn one is kind of on its own little island over there by itself, so I think a lot of times you’re going to make sure that you’re making some consolations to get the best turn three every lap, especially in race conditions.”   Michael McDowell, No. 71 Spire Motorsports ChevroletThe next few tracks play to your strengths, Pocono and a few road courses. What do you need this weekend to regroup after a tough day at Michigan?“I always look forward to Pocono. It is a great atmosphere. When it comes to racing, Pocono is pretty technical and unique given how narrow the track gets over the tunnel turn. So, getting though there is important because you can lose track position if you’re not aggressive enough and then it is important to be able to keep your speed in Turn 3 to set up a good passing zone on the frontstretch. Pocono has been a place where we’ve had good speed, and we didn’t get the result we deserved but I’m optimistic with the speed we have in 2026. This weekend is a place where we need to have a solid day to set us up for success at Coronado and Sonoma.”   Carson Hocevar, No. 77 Spire Motorsports ChevroletComing off a strong showing at Michigan, how do you carry that momentum into Pocono this weekend?“I obviously wanted to finish better last week, but it just shows our expectations for our team. We have been really fast on the intermediates and bigger tracks. Coming off a good finish, you get a little bit of momentum to carry through the week until you get to the racetrack. We qualified third last year and ran up front for most of the race, so we expect to be up there again this weekend.”   Connor Zilisch, No. 88 Trackhouse Racing ChevroletDo you think Pocono drives like a road course?“Pocono is a place that I really like and I get to do double duty this weekend with Roto-Rooter on both cars this weekend so I’m excited. It’s somewhat true that Pocono drives like a road course. You have to drive all three corners differently, which is a little untraditional, and when I say differently, I mean polar opposite. All three corners are very different. I’d consider it closer to being like an oval than a road course but some of the tendencies do apply.” What is the most important turn at Pocono?“I would say getting off Turn 3 is most important because that leads onto the longest straightaway and it opens up some passing opportunity. You can kind of struggle a little bit in the Tunnel Turn (Turn 2) if you can make it back in Turn 3. It’s very hard to pass out of the Tunnel Turn especially in a Cup car with the air deficiencies and just how hard it is to pass. I feel like if you can get off of three and get some runs on guys from the top, make something happen, that’s the best way to do it.” You won the O’Reilly Auto Parts Series race last year at Pocono. What do you remember most about that day?“That day was awesome and the part I remember the most was Dale Jr. having his family there. His daughters got to see victory lane for the first time and honestly that was the coolest part of the day. Seeing the joy that he had bringing his daughters and Amy to victory lane was awesome.”

TEAM CHEVY ADVANCEPocono RacewayJune 13-14, 2026

MEDIA RESOURCES: Photo Gallery | Race AdvancesChevrolet Newsroom

The next stop on the 2026 schedule will see the NASCAR Cup and O’Reilly Auto Parts Series tackle the track most famously known as the “Tricky Triangle” – Pocono Raceway. Nestled in the mountains of Pennsylvania, the 2.5-mile, three-turn circuit is steeped in stock car tradition, including playing host for NASCAR’s premier series for over 50 years. Fresh off its first off-weekend of the season, the O’Reilly Series will resume its regular season schedule on Saturday with the MillerTech Battery 250 presented by KOA. The Cup Series will culminate the doubleheader weekend in Sunday’s Great American Getaway 400 presented by VISITPA – the series’ 16th points-paying race of the season.

Chevrolet at the “Tricky Triangle”: In the NASCAR Cup Series 92-race history at Pocono Raceway, Chevrolet leads the series with 34 all-time victories – sitting just shy of a double-digit advantage over the next leading manufacturer, Ford, with 25 wins. In over 50 years of competition at the “Tricky Triangle”, 41 different drivers have visited victory lane in NASCAR’s premier series, with Benny Parsons becoming the first driver to win under the Chevrolet banner at the track in July 1977. Among the drivers entered in Sunday’s race are eight past Pocono winners, including Chevrolet’s two most recent winners at the track with Hendrick Motorsports’ Chase Elliott (2022) and Alex Bowman (2021).

STEADY IN THE STANDINGSA strong day in “Motor City” saw the NASCAR Cup Series reigning champion, Kyle Larson, and the No. 5 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet team earn its fifth top-five finish of the season. The effort culminated with a strong points day, including a pair of top-seven results in each stage to maintain his sixth position in the rankings heading into the Pocono race weekend. While he’s still looking to post his first Pocono triumph, the “Tricky Triangle” has turned into a rather strong track, statistically, for the California native. In 18 career Cup Series starts at the track, Larson has produced an average finish of 11.5 – enough to rank him fourth-best in the field. He’s also accumulated 10 top-10 finishes, five of which have come in his past seven appearances at the track.

HOCEVAR CONTINUING TO COLLECT CAREER STATSCompeting in just his third full-time campaign in NASCAR’s premier series, Carson Hocevar is continuing to build upon an already career season. A visit to his home track of Michigan International Speedway saw the Spire Motorsports driver start the weekend by earning his second front-row qualifying effort of the season. The Portage, Michigan, native went on to tally top-seven points in each stage and 21 laps led en route to a top-five finish. Putting together a 45-point day, second just behind the race winner, Hocevar made yet another two-position gain in the points standings to seventh and just one point shy of a triple-digit cushion over the cutline. Hocevar has scored four top-five finishes thus far this season, already surpassing his career total during the 15-race stretch.

TARGETING TWENTY TRIUMPHSAmong the 26 different organizations that have earned a NASCAR Cup Series victory at Pocono Raceway, Hendrick Motorsports leads the way with 19 all-time victories – all of which have been recorded under the Chevrolet banner. NASCAR Hall of Famer, Jeff Gordon, contributed to six of those triumphs – a feat that also places him second on the series’ all-time wins list at the track. Hendrick Motorsports’ two most recent trips to victory lane at the track came with a pair of its current drivers including Alex Bowman in 2021, with Chase Elliott following suit the next year in the debut season of the Next Gen car (2022).

REGULAR SEASON RESUMES FOR THE O’REILLY SERIESAfter a grueling 16-race stretch to open the season, the NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series will make its return to the track from its first idle weekend to face the “Tricky Triangle”. The 2026 campaign has fared well for the Bowtie brand thus far with eight drivers earning a combined 14 trips to victory lane. From a points perspective, the manufacturer will head into the series’ next stretch of races with eight of the top-10 positions in the standings – led by the 2024 champion and series veteran, Justin Allgaier. His numbers already this season makes him an arguable favorite for the shot at another championship title. On top of his 179-point lead over the series reigning champion, Jesse Love, the Illinois native paces the field in every major statistical category including: four wins, which doubles the second-highest, Corey Day, 422 laps led, 11 top-fives, 13 top-10s and 225 stage points earned.

PAST POCONO WINNERSThe NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series has a much shorter history at the “Tricky Triangle”, with the track first welcoming the second-level series 10 years ago – an event that saw now two-time Cup Series champion, Kyle Larson, drive Chevrolet to the inaugural race win. The Bowtie brand has visited victory lane four times throughout that tenure, including the most recent event in June 2025 when Connor Zilisch, under the leadership of interim crew chief and car owner, Dale Earnhardt Jr., drove to his first career oval victory in the NASCAR national ranks.  Attempting to defend his race winning title, Zilisch will return to the JR Motorsports camp this weekend to pilot the Rodney Childers-led No. 1 Chevrolet. The North Carolina native is one of three past Pocono winners entered in Saturday’s event, joining the likes of fellow Team Chevy drivers Austin Hill (one win; 2023) and Cole Custer (two wins; 2019 and 2024).

BOWTIE BULLETS:·        Chevrolet will serve as the official pace vehicle for the doubleheader weekend at Pocono Raceway, with the Corvette Stingray pacing the NASCAR Cup and O’Reilly Auto Parts Series in their respective events.  ·        Victories by active Chevrolet drivers in the NASCAR Cup Series at Pocono Raceway:    Chase Elliott – one win (2022)Alex Bowman – one win (2021) ·        In 92 NASCAR Cup Series races held at Pocono Raceway, Chevrolet has recorded 34 victories and 35 poles – both of which are series-leading records.  ·        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 159 points-paying races in the NASCAR Cup Series Next Gen era, Chevrolet leads all manufacturers with 72 victories – a winning percentage of 45.3%.  ·        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 Pocono Raceway, which features a variety of vehicles including: Blazer EV SS, Silverado 1500 TB, Traverse Z71, Corvette Stingray, Silverado EV TB, Equinox RS, Colorado Z71, Tahoe Premier, 1973 Laguna, NASCAR Cup Series Camaro ZL1 show car. Chevrolet Display Hours of Operation:Friday, June 12: 12:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m. Saturday, June 13: 8:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.  Sunday, June 14:: 8:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.   Team Chevy Driver Appearances at the Display:Saturday, June 13Ricky Stenhouse Jr.: 11:00 a.m. – 11:15 a.m. Justin Allgaier and Sammy Smith: 1:00 p.m. – 1:15 p.m.Jesse Love: 1:25 p.m. – 1:40 p.m. Corey Day: 1:45 p.m. – 1:55 p.m.Carson Kvapil: 2:30 p.m. – 2:45 p.m. Sunday, June 14Ross Chastain: 10:55 a.m. – 11:10 a.m. Alex Bowman: 11:10 a.m. – 11:25 a.m. Cody Ware: 11:25 a.m. – 11:40 a.m. Austin Dillon: 12:00 p.m. – 12:15 p.m. Michael McDowell: 12:30 p.m. – 12:45 p.m.

TUNE-IN:NASCAR Cup Series Great American Getaway 400 presented by VISITPASunday, June 14, at 3 p.m. ETAmazon Prime, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90 NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts SeriesMillerTech Battery 250 presented by KOASaturday, June 13, at 4 p.m. ETCW, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90

QUOTABLE QUOTES:Daniel Suarez, No. 7 Spire Motorsports ChevroletPocono Raceway has been a good track for you in the past. You won the pole in 2018 and have several solid finishes. What are you looking forward to heading into this weekend?“Pocono is a really unique and challenging track. The speeds are very high, and with three completely different corners, it’s hard to put together a perfect lap. You’re always trying to find a balance, because what works in one turn might hurt you in the next. That’s what makes it such a tough place, but also a fun one to race. I feel like we’ve been bringing competitive cars lately and improving each week, and that’s given us good momentum. The team has been working hard, and I’m looking forward to getting to Pocono, continuing that progress and seeing what we can do.”   Ty Dillon, No. 10 Kaulig Racing ChevroletIs this an important weekend for you and your team as you race for a spot and seeding in the NASCAR In-Season Challenge?“Having a solid run at Pocono this weekend is massive, whether it’s gaining positions in the In-Season Challenge or just making sure we’re in it. Being one of the biggest stories in 2025 — if not the biggest — in the in-season tournament, we want to make sure we’re back competing in it and giving ourselves a shot when we get to Sonoma.” Sonoma is one of the tracks where we created one of the most fun storylines, moving Alex Bowman on the last lap to advance. If there’s any team and driver that believes anything can happen in that tournament, it’s certainly us. As long as we’re in it, we feel like we can make it to the end and hopefully beat one more driver this year.” Describe Pocono Raceway…“Pocono is probably our most unique track. It has three corners, all with different banking angles and different shapes. It’s really tough to get all three of them set up perfectly.” Away from the track, it’s a pretty cool place. One of the things I like most about Pocono Raceway is the family atmosphere. The infield has lots of entertainment, dog parks and just a lot of fun things to do.”   AJ Allmendinger, No. 16 Kaulig Racing ChevroletIs there anything from Michigan that you can carry into Pocono or anything from the Indy test?“We can take some of what we learned from the Indy (Indianapolis Motor Speedway) test, especially a few of the things we were able to try. It’s not going to correlate perfectly, but in our situation, any information we can gain from a test is valuable since it’s really the only opportunity we have to experiment. Without SIM or anything really, we have to take advantage of the opportunity and try different things. I think we can apply some of what we learned there. It was a good test.” What’s the biggest challenge drivers face at Pocono?“It’s about getting your car through the bumps there and, you know, it’s so hard because you want to run this car as low as you can for downforce. But if it starts touching the bump stops, I mean, it’s evil. You just carry so much speed in. It’s not like the old car or the O’Reilly Auto Parts Series car or even a truck where it’s like, it starts to slide and you just kind of drive into it. If it steps out, I’d say at least 80% or 85% of the time, you don’t catch it and you hit big there.” There’s also got to be some give and take, but everybody’s just super aggressive. If the guy leans on you or doesn’t want to give any room, it’s a challenge. There’s not much give and take now. The field is so close and it’s so hard to pass that if you lose that spot or maybe it checks you up, you may lose another spot that could kill your run.”   Ricky Stenhouse Jr., No. 47 Hyak Motorsports Chevrolet“Pocono is always a tough place because every corner is so different, but we’ve been building good momentum lately. Hopefully we can keep that going this weekend and have a solid run with Pylon Aviation back on the car.”   Cody Ware, No. 51 Rick Ware Racing ChevroletWhat makes a lap at Pocono so challenging?  “You’ve got three wildly different corners for all three turns of the racetrack. You have a kind of traditional, almost mile-and-a-half-type of high-banked turn one. You have a super-high-commitment, very fast but sharp, very bumpy turn two, and then turn three is a very flat, long, sweeping corner, and how you get through three, off of turn three basically just dictates how your whole lap’s going to go because that carries you onto the longest straightaway that we have on the schedule.” Everyone seems to talk about the tunnel turn, in particular. What makes it so difficult to navigate?“It’s everything. It’s a corner where we’re downshifting, so we’re grabbing gears. We’re having to make a lot of very quick adjustments as we get in turn two. The bumps unload and upset the car a lot, but at the same time, turn two is a lot of times a great passing opportunity. So having to be very aggressive and try to set up passes through the most difficult part of the racetrack makes for a pretty challenging corner.” How big of a role do aerodynamics play at Pocono?“You’re doing a lot of drafting, a lot of strategy. You see a lot of just trying to stay in line, getting sucked up to the car in front of you, timing your passes well. You’ve got to really think about and play your cards right on when you’re going to get out of line and get that clean air and make those moves. But aero is extremely important. Your balance through (turns) one and two is very aero-dependent, especially when you have to run the car as free as you do to get the car rotating well through turn two. So trying to find that balance of what’s comfortable and what’s fast can be very tough because typically you’re going to be setting up the best balance that you possibly can for turn three and just trying to make do with that through turns one and two.” Do you concede other corners of the track to put an emphasis on turn three so you get off that corner and pull down that long straightaway?“Absolutely. I’d say that setting up and prioritizing what you need to make the best run possible off turn three is going to be paramount to make sure that we have the best race that we can have there. You think turn one is kind of on its own little island, but turns two and three – you get shot out of turn two very quickly and into turn three, so they do affect each other a lot more. Turn one is kind of on its own little island over there by itself, so I think a lot of times you’re going to make sure that you’re making some consolations to get the best turn three every lap, especially in race conditions.”   Michael McDowell, No. 71 Spire Motorsports ChevroletThe next few tracks play to your strengths, Pocono and a few road courses. What do you need this weekend to regroup after a tough day at Michigan?“I always look forward to Pocono. It is a great atmosphere. When it comes to racing, Pocono is pretty technical and unique given how narrow the track gets over the tunnel turn. So, getting though there is important because you can lose track position if you’re not aggressive enough and then it is important to be able to keep your speed in Turn 3 to set up a good passing zone on the frontstretch. Pocono has been a place where we’ve had good speed, and we didn’t get the result we deserved but I’m optimistic with the speed we have in 2026. This weekend is a place where we need to have a solid day to set us up for success at Coronado and Sonoma.”   Carson Hocevar, No. 77 Spire Motorsports ChevroletComing off a strong showing at Michigan, how do you carry that momentum into Pocono this weekend?“I obviously wanted to finish better last week, but it just shows our expectations for our team. We have been really fast on the intermediates and bigger tracks. Coming off a good finish, you get a little bit of momentum to carry through the week until you get to the racetrack. We qualified third last year and ran up front for most of the race, so we expect to be up there again this weekend.”   Connor Zilisch, No. 88 Trackhouse Racing ChevroletDo you think Pocono drives like a road course?“Pocono is a place that I really like and I get to do double duty this weekend with Roto-Rooter on both cars this weekend so I’m excited. It’s somewhat true that Pocono drives like a road course. You have to drive all three corners differently, which is a little untraditional, and when I say differently, I mean polar opposite. All three corners are very different. I’d consider it closer to being like an oval than a road course but some of the tendencies do apply.” What is the most important turn at Pocono?“I would say getting off Turn 3 is most important because that leads onto the longest straightaway and it opens up some passing opportunity. You can kind of struggle a little bit in the Tunnel Turn (Turn 2) if you can make it back in Turn 3. It’s very hard to pass out of the Tunnel Turn especially in a Cup car with the air deficiencies and just how hard it is to pass. I feel like if you can get off of three and get some runs on guys from the top, make something happen, that’s the best way to do it.” You won the O’Reilly Auto Parts Series race last year at Pocono. What do you remember most about that day?“That day was awesome and the part I remember the most was Dale Jr. having his family there. His daughters got to see victory lane for the first time and honestly that was the coolest part of the day. Seeing the joy that he had bringing his daughters and Amy to victory lane was awesome.”

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: 1,251Top-Fives: 28Top-10s: 54Stage Wins: 13 CHEVROLET IN NASCAR CUMULATIVE STATISTICS:Total Chevrolet race wins: 886 (1949 to date)Poles won to date: 769Laps led to date: 257,985Top-fives to date: 4,464Top-10s to date: 9,205                                                                                                          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: 212

  
BRISTOL, Tenn. (June 10, 2026) – The Flexjet Factory Stock Showdown series will roll into Bristol Dragway this weekend, June 12-14, with history on the line for points leader Jonathan Allegrucci and his Ford Mustang Cobra Jet. The driver from Scott Township, Pa., is looking to win his third consecutive race in a row in the ultra-competitive factory stock class. Through the first three races, the drivers wheeling Cobra Jets, Chevrolet COPO Camaros and Dodge Challenger Drag Paks have battled it out on tracks across the country. This weekend’s Super Grip Thunder Valley Nationals will be another test for Allegrucci who is on a hot streak but was almost faced with a tough decision heading into this weekend.
 
“This is by far our best racing streak we have had. This stretch has been great,” said Allegrucci. “We had a lot of things going on at home too that are good. We are only coming to Bristol because we had our baby early. We were supposed to be in the hospital this Wednesday, delivering the baby, which meant no Bristol, but he must have heard us all talking about him and he came earlier. Everything’s good with mom and the new baby so we are going racing.”

 Jonathan Allegrucci is looking to win three Flexjet Factory Stock Showdown races in a row this weekend at Bristol Dragway, photo credit Auto Imagery/Gary Nastase

The last time a driver won three Flexjet Factory Stock Showdown races in a row was current Top Fuel driver Leah Pruett, who drove her Dodge Challenger Drag Pak to three straight wins to close out the 2018 season and clinch her world championship in the factory stock class before moving into Top Fuel. Allegrucci is enjoying this run but also trying to stay focused on the task at hand.
 
“I don’t know that I would call it pressure,” said Allegrucci. “You start feeling you are running well and you almost start to expect it a little. We’ve been doing this for a long time, and it took a while to get that first win. You just can’t take it for granted. If three in a row doesn’t happen, it’s okay. Hearing that when Leah did it, she also won the championship is a good sign if we could pull it off.”
 
He will face tough competition from 2025 Bristol Flexjet Factory Stock Showdown winner and two-time world champion Mark Pawuk. Pawuk has been racing a new car this season and has shown flashes of success. Heading to historic Bristol Dragway has the Ohio-based driver excited and ready to get back into the winner’s circle with his Empaco-backed Dodge Charger Hustle Stuff Drag Pak.
 
“It has been very cool to be the first to run the new ‘26 Dodge Charger,” said Pawuk. “It’s their platform for the future. For me to be a part of that has been a real honor. We’ve had our struggles, but my team is working with the group of Dodge engineers who are working to get this thing turned around. It’s a brand new race car. It’s totally different than everything that’s run out there. It’s got a longer wheelbase and it’s a wider race car. It’s just going to take time to get it figured out. But long term I think it’s going to be a very competitive car.”

Pawuk has a long history at Bristol Dragway going back decades to when the track was sanctioned by the International Hot Rod Association (IHRA) and as a Pro Stock competitor in the NHRA. For years, victory eluded Pawuk. Last year as Pawuk was chasing his second Flexjet Factory Stock Showdown Series world championship things fell into place and the veteran driver took advantage of a victorious weekend.

Mark Pawuk will be looking to get back on the winning track at the Thunder Valley Nationals this weekend,
photo credit Auto Imagery/Gary Nastase

Allegrucci Goes for Three in a Row in Bristol; 
Pawuk Looks to Get Back on Track

  
BRISTOL, Tenn. (June 10, 2026) – The Flexjet Factory Stock Showdown series will roll into Bristol Dragway this weekend, June 12-14, with history on the line for points leader Jonathan Allegrucci and his Ford Mustang Cobra Jet. The driver from Scott Township, Pa., is looking to win his third consecutive race in a row in the ultra-competitive factory stock class. Through the first three races, the drivers wheeling Cobra Jets, Chevrolet COPO Camaros and Dodge Challenger Drag Paks have battled it out on tracks across the country. This weekend’s Super Grip Thunder Valley Nationals will be another test for Allegrucci who is on a hot streak but was almost faced with a tough decision heading into this weekend.
 
“This is by far our best racing streak we have had. This stretch has been great,” said Allegrucci. “We had a lot of things going on at home too that are good. We are only coming to Bristol because we had our baby early. We were supposed to be in the hospital this Wednesday, delivering the baby, which meant no Bristol, but he must have heard us all talking about him and he came earlier. Everything’s good with mom and the new baby so we are going racing.”

 Jonathan Allegrucci is looking to win three Flexjet Factory Stock Showdown races in a row this weekend at Bristol Dragway, photo credit Auto Imagery/Gary Nastase

The last time a driver won three Flexjet Factory Stock Showdown races in a row was current Top Fuel driver Leah Pruett, who drove her Dodge Challenger Drag Pak to three straight wins to close out the 2018 season and clinch her world championship in the factory stock class before moving into Top Fuel. Allegrucci is enjoying this run but also trying to stay focused on the task at hand.
 
“I don’t know that I would call it pressure,” said Allegrucci. “You start feeling you are running well and you almost start to expect it a little. We’ve been doing this for a long time, and it took a while to get that first win. You just can’t take it for granted. If three in a row doesn’t happen, it’s okay. Hearing that when Leah did it, she also won the championship is a good sign if we could pull it off.”
 
He will face tough competition from 2025 Bristol Flexjet Factory Stock Showdown winner and two-time world champion Mark Pawuk. Pawuk has been racing a new car this season and has shown flashes of success. Heading to historic Bristol Dragway has the Ohio-based driver excited and ready to get back into the winner’s circle with his Empaco-backed Dodge Charger Hustle Stuff Drag Pak.
 
“It has been very cool to be the first to run the new ‘26 Dodge Charger,” said Pawuk. “It’s their platform for the future. For me to be a part of that has been a real honor. We’ve had our struggles, but my team is working with the group of Dodge engineers who are working to get this thing turned around. It’s a brand new race car. It’s totally different than everything that’s run out there. It’s got a longer wheelbase and it’s a wider race car. It’s just going to take time to get it figured out. But long term I think it’s going to be a very competitive car.”

Pawuk has a long history at Bristol Dragway going back decades to when the track was sanctioned by the International Hot Rod Association (IHRA) and as a Pro Stock competitor in the NHRA. For years, victory eluded Pawuk. Last year as Pawuk was chasing his second Flexjet Factory Stock Showdown Series world championship things fell into place and the veteran driver took advantage of a victorious weekend.

Mark Pawuk will be looking to get back on the winning track at the Thunder Valley Nationals this weekend,
photo credit Auto Imagery/Gary Nastase

“I started racing in Bristol early in my career, and I never ran good there,” said Pawuk. “I think I got to the semifinals one time in Pro Stock. Last year Bristol was kind of a jumpstart for me. We won Bristol and Norwalk back-to-back and that got me back into the championship. I’ve always loved that place. It’s a beautiful area. I would love nothing more than to get my Dodge Charger back in the winner’s circle this weekend.”

Allegrucci is also ready to take on the challenge of winning again with a new rules package. The NHRA Technical Department announced they are allowing the Dodge Charger competitors to increase the supercharger overdrive by changing the upper supercharger pulley. Throughout the season the NHRA regularly adjusts the rules across all classes of competitors to create parity across all classes. 
 
“There’s been some rule changes, but I’m not gonna lie, I think they were needed,” said Allegrucci. “We all want good close racing. It’s got to be the combination of the car, the crew and the driver all working together. I feel good heading to Bristol.”

The Flexjet bounty will double to $2,000 during the Thunder Valley Nationals with back-to-back winner Allegrucci trying to push the bounty to $3,000 after this race by continuing his hot streak.
 
Qualifying will get underway on Friday for the Flexjet Factory Stock Showdown Series at 2:15 p.m. and 4:15 p.m. On Saturday one more round of qualifying at 11:15 a.m. will set the 16-car field. The Fords, Chevrolets and Dodges will roll into the first round of eliminations on Saturday evening and wrap up with three more elimination rounds on Sunday. For information on the Supergrip Thunder Valley Nationals visit www.nhra.com.
 
Flexjet Bounty Program
Gatornationals (Gainesville, Fla.)
$1,000 bounty collected by Jonathan Allegrucci, defeated Mark Pawuk (2025 Flexjet world champion)
 
NHRA 4-Wide Nationals (Charlotte, N. C.)
$1,000 bounty collected by Raymond Nash, defeated Ricky Hord (2026 Gatornationals winner)
 
Gerber Collision & Glass Route 66 Nationals (Chicago, Illinois)
$1,000 bounty was not claimed with Allegrucci’s victory
 
2026 Flexjet Factory Stock Showdown Results
Gainesville – Ricky Hord, winner; David Janac, runner-up
Charlotte – Jonathan Allegrucci, winner; Jason Dietsch, runner-up
Chicago – Jonathan Allegrucci, winner; Jason Dietsch, runner-up
 
Flexjet Factory Stock Showdown Point Standings
 
1. Jonathan Allegrucci       313
2. Raymond Nash             241
3. Richard Hord                 224
4. Jason Dietsch                209
5. David Davies II              183
6. Lee Hartman                 181
7. David Janac                  178
8. Doug Duell                    157
9T. Scott Libersher            142
9T. Richard Bierie              142
11. Matthew Hartman        136
 
2026 Flexjet Factory Stock Showdown Schedule
 
June 25-28: 20th annual Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Nationals, Norwalk, Ohio
 
Sept. 2-7: 72nd annual Cornwell Quality Tools NHRA U.S. Nationals, Indianapolis
 
Sept. 17-20: Inaugural Dodge NHRA Great Lake Nationals, Martin, Mich.
 
Oct. 2-4: 15th annual NAPA Auto Parts NHRA Midwest Nationals, St. Louis
 
Oct. 14-18: 41st annual Texas NHRA Fall Nationals, Dallas
 

BROWNSTOWN, IL (June 9, 2026) — Some people are happy with their legacy. Others strive to add to it.That’s exactly what Shannon Babb did Tuesday night in the DIRTcar Summer Nationals’ 40th anniversary season opener at Brownstown Bullring.Babb, the four-time Summer Nationals champion from Moweaqua, IL, wired the cushion and led all 30 laps to pick up career Feature win No. 103 in his illustrious Hell Tour career, extending his margin as the series’ all-time winningest driver.“It sounds crazy, doesn’t it? We’ve been racing for a long time, and I guess that’s how we racked up so many,” Babb said. “Hell, we’ve lost twice as many, you know. I’m glad we can say we’ve learned a few things along the way. These little tracks like this, I just always loved them. It’s kind of like a Saturday night race.”The green flag flew on the kickoff for the DIRTcar Summer Nationals, and early on, it was Babb who found the cushion first and used the outside lane to propel him to the lead before a Lap 1 caution for a pileup in turn two stopped the field.On the restart, Babb found his groove on the top line as Frank Heckenast Jr. and Tanner English battled for second behind him.As Babb entered lap traffic, a Lap 13 caution for a slowing Adam Tischauser stacked the field together.The restart gave English an opportunity to pounce, as he found speed on the cushion and tracked down Babb over the next several laps. The Benton, KY-driver pulled even with Babb’s No. 18 with a deep dive down low through Turns 3 and 4 on Lap 23, but Babb wasn’t going to be denied, using the high-side momentum to his advantage off Turn 4 to maintain the top spot.Babb then did what he had done all race long, working the cushion enroute to his third career DIRTcar Summer Nationals win at Brownstown.“Tonight we were good enough to be on the front row of the heat, to get that job done, and luckily I drew the front row outside, and that makes my job easier,” Babb said. “It wasn’t rough; the first guy to the cushion wins. Luckily, tonight, I was there.”English held strong behind Babb to bag a runner-up finish, and Heckenast crossed the line in third. Sun River, MT-native Michael Leach drove from sixth to a fourth-place finish while Daryn Klein completed the top five.UP NEXTThe DIRTcar Summer Nationals Late Models take on Kankakee County Speedway in Kankakee, IL, on Wednesday, June 10. Tickets for the event will be sold at the track.How can you watch the DIRTcar Summer Nationals? Every race is streamed live on DIRTVision.Feature (30 Laps): 1. 18-Shannon Babb[2]; 2. 96-Tanner English[4]; 3. 99JR-Frank Heckenast Jr[1]; 4. 09-Michael Leach[6]; 5. 10K-Daryn Klein[7]; 6. 25F-Jason Feger[19]; 7. 4G-Bob Gardner[15]; 8. 388-Jackson Hise[8]; 9. 38J-Jake Little[17]; 10. 10J-Jordan Bauer[12]; 11. 17SR-Brody Smith[22]; 12. 20B-Todd Brennan[16]; 13. 21B-Rich Bell[20]; 14. 75A-Daniel Adam[9]; 15. 15-Clay Stuckey[11]; 16. 74-Mitch McGrath[18]; 17. T4-Adam Tischhauser[14]; 18. 32M-Cody Maguire[21]; 19. 51B-Brandon Carpenter[5]; 20. 50K-Kayden Clatt[13]; 21. 05-Tyler Leach[3]; 22. 33-Mike Harrison[10] Jacob Steinkoenig Wins First Career Summit Modified Feature at BrownstownA dream came true for an Illinois native Tuesday night at Brownstown Bullring.Jacob Steinkoenig became the 89th different driver to win a DIRTcar Summit Racing Equipment Modified Nationals Feature in an exciting battle to open the 2026 season.The 25-lap Feature went green with Treb Jacoby and Brayden Doyle leading the field to green. Jacoby led the opening lap with Doyle and third place Kenny Wallace directly behind them.The lead trio went three wide in turn two with Doyle emerging ahead. It didn’t last long, however, as Doyle hit the cushion and got a head of steam down the front stretch to clear Jacoby on Lap 5.A caution on Lap 6 bunched the field up and allowed fifth-running Steinkoenig to enter the picture.Steinkoenig got the best of a three-wide battle for third between he, Wallace and Ray Bollinger, and then set his sights on the lead duo of Doyle and Jacoby.Another caution on Lap 7 again bunched up the field. The ensuing restart saw contact between Bollinger and Jacoby which sent Jacoby spinning down the front stretch, ending his hopes of a Summit Modified triumph.Steinkoenig seized the opportunity on the restart, diving under Doyle in Turn 1 and clearing him after a slight bobble on the cushion in Turn 2. From there, the battle for the lead was on between the top three cars of Steinkoenig, Doyle and Bollinger.Bollinger was able to get underneath Steinkoenig and cleared the Highland, IL-driver on Lap 15 before Steinkoenig battled back on the cushion to retake the lead on Lap 16.Steinkoenig then entered lap traffic and pulled away, leading the final eight laps to win his first career DIRTcar Summit Racing Equipment Modified Nationals Feature.“It’s been one of the most prestigious races in the area for years,” Steinkoenig said. “Everyone dreams to win a Summer Nationals Hell Tour race, and I am extremely grateful to have finally accomplished that. Just had to keep chomping at the bit, and I wasn’t getting up there and beating my car up in the cushion. I was just up there, with a lot of momentum around this place.”Ray Bollinger finished second, Kenny Wallace fended off multiple challengers and finished third, Rick Conoyer fourth, and Zeke McKenzie advanced five positions to finish fifth.UP NEXTThe DIRTcar Summit Racing Equipment Modified Nationals heads to Kankakee County Speedway in Kankakee, IL, on Wednesday, June 10th alongside the DIRTcar Summer Nationals Late Models.How can you watch the DIRTcar Summer Nationals? Every race is streamed live on DIRTVision. Feature (25 Laps): 1. 24S-Jacob Steinkoenig[5]; 2. 77-Ray Bollinger[7]; 3. 36-Kenny Wallace[3]; 4. 14C-Rick Conoyer[6]; 5. 24-Zeke McKenzie[10]; 6. 2-Brayden Doyle[2]; 7. 1H-Ben Harmon[11]; 8. 01-Jeremy Nichols[8]; 9. 74-James Hileman[14]; 10. 15H-Jeff Hamby[15]; 11. 150-Collin Alexander[17]; 12. 22W-Wade Wenthe[16]; 13. 11-Jason Brennan[18]; 14. J82-Treb Jacoby[1]; 15. 15-Chris Smith[12]; 16. 88L-Christian Lee[19]; 17. 96C-Marshall Call[21]; 18. 88-Chris Bolyard[22]; 19. 14-Dalton Lane[4]; 20. 4G-Paul Schrempf Jr[20]; 21. 99-Justin Haley[13]; 22. 29J-Jordan Wever[9]Photo Credit: Tim HuntARTICLE: https://dirtcarsummernationals.com/recaps/shannon-babb-gets-summer-nationals-career-win-no-103-in-season-opener-at-brownstown/, https://dirtcarsummernationals.com/recaps/jacob-steinkoenig-wins-1st-career-summit-modified-feature-at-brownstown/EVENT INFO: https://dirtcarsummernationals.com/schedule/event-info/?event=4549553 TRACK INFO: https://www.brownstownbullring.com/FAN 101: https://about.dirtcar.com/

DIRTcar Summer Nationals is brought to fans by many important sponsors and partners. Official partners include, Arizona Sport Shirts/Gotta Race, DIRTVision (Official Live Broadcast Partner), Hoosier Racing Tire (Official Tire), iRacing (Official Online Racing Game), Racing Electronics (Official Radio Supplier), SIS Insurance (Official Insurance Provider), Summit Racing Equipment, VP Racing (Official Racing Fuel).  Also supported by : AMKUS, ARP (Automotive Racing Products), Beyea Custom Headers, COMP Cams, ESI Equipment – FIREBULL, Fox Factory, Indiana Decal Company, Intercomp, MD3, MSD, Quarter Master, Wieland (Exclusive Racing Aluminum), and Xceldyne.Summit Modified Nationals is brought to fans by many important sponsors and partners. Official partners include, Summit Racing Equipment, Arizona Sport Shirts/Gotta Race, DIRTVision (Official Live Broadcast Partner), Hoosier Racing Tire (Official Tire), iRacing (Official Online Racing Game), Racing Electronics (Official Radio Supplier), SIS Insurance (Official Insurance Provider), VP Racing (Official Racing Fuel).  Also supported by : AMKUS, ARP (Automotive Racing Products), Bassett Racing Wheel, Bell Helmets, Beyea Custom Headers, COMP Cams, Fast Shafts, ESI Equipment – FIREBULL, Fox Factory, Indiana Decal Company, Intercomp, Jerovetz Motorsports Shock Service, KSE Racing Products, MSD, Multi Fire X, Schoenfeld Headers, Simpson Performance Products, Swift Springs, Velocita USA, Wieland (Exclusive Racing Aluminum), and Xceldyne.

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Shannon Babb Gets Summer Nationals Career Win No. 103 in Season Opener at BrownstownBROWNSTOWN, IL (June 9, 2026) — Some people are happy with their legacy. Others strive to add to it.That’s exactly what Shannon Babb did Tuesday night in the DIRTcar Summer Nationals’ 40th anniversary season opener at Brownstown Bullring.Babb, the four-time Summer Nationals champion from Moweaqua, IL, wired the cushion and led all 30 laps to pick up career Feature win No. 103 in his illustrious Hell Tour career, extending his margin as the series’ all-time winningest driver.“It sounds crazy, doesn’t it? We’ve been racing for a long time, and I guess that’s how we racked up so many,” Babb said. “Hell, we’ve lost twice as many, you know. I’m glad we can say we’ve learned a few things along the way. These little tracks like this, I just always loved them. It’s kind of like a Saturday night race.”The green flag flew on the kickoff for the DIRTcar Summer Nationals, and early on, it was Babb who found the cushion first and used the outside lane to propel him to the lead before a Lap 1 caution for a pileup in turn two stopped the field.On the restart, Babb found his groove on the top line as Frank Heckenast Jr. and Tanner English battled for second behind him.As Babb entered lap traffic, a Lap 13 caution for a slowing Adam Tischauser stacked the field together.The restart gave English an opportunity to pounce, as he found speed on the cushion and tracked down Babb over the next several laps. The Benton, KY-driver pulled even with Babb’s No. 18 with a deep dive down low through Turns 3 and 4 on Lap 23, but Babb wasn’t going to be denied, using the high-side momentum to his advantage off Turn 4 to maintain the top spot.Babb then did what he had done all race long, working the cushion enroute to his third career DIRTcar Summer Nationals win at Brownstown.“Tonight we were good enough to be on the front row of the heat, to get that job done, and luckily I drew the front row outside, and that makes my job easier,” Babb said. “It wasn’t rough; the first guy to the cushion wins. Luckily, tonight, I was there.”English held strong behind Babb to bag a runner-up finish, and Heckenast crossed the line in third. Sun River, MT-native Michael Leach drove from sixth to a fourth-place finish while Daryn Klein completed the top five.UP NEXTThe DIRTcar Summer Nationals Late Models take on Kankakee County Speedway in Kankakee, IL, on Wednesday, June 10. Tickets for the event will be sold at the track.How can you watch the DIRTcar Summer Nationals? Every race is streamed live on DIRTVision.Feature (30 Laps): 1. 18-Shannon Babb[2]; 2. 96-Tanner English[4]; 3. 99JR-Frank Heckenast Jr[1]; 4. 09-Michael Leach[6]; 5. 10K-Daryn Klein[7]; 6. 25F-Jason Feger[19]; 7. 4G-Bob Gardner[15]; 8. 388-Jackson Hise[8]; 9. 38J-Jake Little[17]; 10. 10J-Jordan Bauer[12]; 11. 17SR-Brody Smith[22]; 12. 20B-Todd Brennan[16]; 13. 21B-Rich Bell[20]; 14. 75A-Daniel Adam[9]; 15. 15-Clay Stuckey[11]; 16. 74-Mitch McGrath[18]; 17. T4-Adam Tischhauser[14]; 18. 32M-Cody Maguire[21]; 19. 51B-Brandon Carpenter[5]; 20. 50K-Kayden Clatt[13]; 21. 05-Tyler Leach[3]; 22. 33-Mike Harrison[10] Jacob Steinkoenig Wins First Career Summit Modified Feature at BrownstownA dream came true for an Illinois native Tuesday night at Brownstown Bullring.Jacob Steinkoenig became the 89th different driver to win a DIRTcar Summit Racing Equipment Modified Nationals Feature in an exciting battle to open the 2026 season.The 25-lap Feature went green with Treb Jacoby and Brayden Doyle leading the field to green. Jacoby led the opening lap with Doyle and third place Kenny Wallace directly behind them.The lead trio went three wide in turn two with Doyle emerging ahead. It didn’t last long, however, as Doyle hit the cushion and got a head of steam down the front stretch to clear Jacoby on Lap 5.A caution on Lap 6 bunched the field up and allowed fifth-running Steinkoenig to enter the picture.Steinkoenig got the best of a three-wide battle for third between he, Wallace and Ray Bollinger, and then set his sights on the lead duo of Doyle and Jacoby.Another caution on Lap 7 again bunched up the field. The ensuing restart saw contact between Bollinger and Jacoby which sent Jacoby spinning down the front stretch, ending his hopes of a Summit Modified triumph.Steinkoenig seized the opportunity on the restart, diving under Doyle in Turn 1 and clearing him after a slight bobble on the cushion in Turn 2. From there, the battle for the lead was on between the top three cars of Steinkoenig, Doyle and Bollinger.Bollinger was able to get underneath Steinkoenig and cleared the Highland, IL-driver on Lap 15 before Steinkoenig battled back on the cushion to retake the lead on Lap 16.Steinkoenig then entered lap traffic and pulled away, leading the final eight laps to win his first career DIRTcar Summit Racing Equipment Modified Nationals Feature.“It’s been one of the most prestigious races in the area for years,” Steinkoenig said. “Everyone dreams to win a Summer Nationals Hell Tour race, and I am extremely grateful to have finally accomplished that. Just had to keep chomping at the bit, and I wasn’t getting up there and beating my car up in the cushion. I was just up there, with a lot of momentum around this place.”Ray Bollinger finished second, Kenny Wallace fended off multiple challengers and finished third, Rick Conoyer fourth, and Zeke McKenzie advanced five positions to finish fifth.UP NEXTThe DIRTcar Summit Racing Equipment Modified Nationals heads to Kankakee County Speedway in Kankakee, IL, on Wednesday, June 10th alongside the DIRTcar Summer Nationals Late Models.How can you watch the DIRTcar Summer Nationals? Every race is streamed live on DIRTVision. Feature (25 Laps): 1. 24S-Jacob Steinkoenig[5]; 2. 77-Ray Bollinger[7]; 3. 36-Kenny Wallace[3]; 4. 14C-Rick Conoyer[6]; 5. 24-Zeke McKenzie[10]; 6. 2-Brayden Doyle[2]; 7. 1H-Ben Harmon[11]; 8. 01-Jeremy Nichols[8]; 9. 74-James Hileman[14]; 10. 15H-Jeff Hamby[15]; 11. 150-Collin Alexander[17]; 12. 22W-Wade Wenthe[16]; 13. 11-Jason Brennan[18]; 14. J82-Treb Jacoby[1]; 15. 15-Chris Smith[12]; 16. 88L-Christian Lee[19]; 17. 96C-Marshall Call[21]; 18. 88-Chris Bolyard[22]; 19. 14-Dalton Lane[4]; 20. 4G-Paul Schrempf Jr[20]; 21. 99-Justin Haley[13]; 22. 29J-Jordan Wever[9]Photo Credit: Tim HuntARTICLE: https://dirtcarsummernationals.com/recaps/shannon-babb-gets-summer-nationals-career-win-no-103-in-season-opener-at-brownstown/, https://dirtcarsummernationals.com/recaps/jacob-steinkoenig-wins-1st-career-summit-modified-feature-at-brownstown/EVENT INFO: https://dirtcarsummernationals.com/schedule/event-info/?event=4549553 TRACK INFO: https://www.brownstownbullring.com/FAN 101: https://about.dirtcar.com/

DIRTcar Summer Nationals is brought to fans by many important sponsors and partners. Official partners include, Arizona Sport Shirts/Gotta Race, DIRTVision (Official Live Broadcast Partner), Hoosier Racing Tire (Official Tire), iRacing (Official Online Racing Game), Racing Electronics (Official Radio Supplier), SIS Insurance (Official Insurance Provider), Summit Racing Equipment, VP Racing (Official Racing Fuel).  Also supported by : AMKUS, ARP (Automotive Racing Products), Beyea Custom Headers, COMP Cams, ESI Equipment – FIREBULL, Fox Factory, Indiana Decal Company, Intercomp, MD3, MSD, Quarter Master, Wieland (Exclusive Racing Aluminum), and Xceldyne.Summit Modified Nationals is brought to fans by many important sponsors and partners. Official partners include, Summit Racing Equipment, Arizona Sport Shirts/Gotta Race, DIRTVision (Official Live Broadcast Partner), Hoosier Racing Tire (Official Tire), iRacing (Official Online Racing Game), Racing Electronics (Official Radio Supplier), SIS Insurance (Official Insurance Provider), VP Racing (Official Racing Fuel).  Also supported by : AMKUS, ARP (Automotive Racing Products), Bassett Racing Wheel, Bell Helmets, Beyea Custom Headers, COMP Cams, Fast Shafts, ESI Equipment – FIREBULL, Fox Factory, Indiana Decal Company, Intercomp, Jerovetz Motorsports Shock Service, KSE Racing Products, MSD, Multi Fire X, Schoenfeld Headers, Simpson Performance Products, Swift Springs, Velocita USA, Wieland (Exclusive Racing Aluminum), and Xceldyne.

This email was sent to trishyunick@me.com
DIRTcar Racing, 7575 Westwinds Blvd Suite D, Concord, NC 28027, United States
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MINERAL WELLS, WV (June 9, 2026) – “Mountain State” fans rejoice, because The Most Powerful Late Models on the Planet are bringing the thunder back to the hills of West Virginia.

The World of Outlaws Late Model Series presented by DIRTVision has contested 16 races across three different tracks in the state – I-77 Raceway Park, Tyler County Speedway, and West Virginia Motor Speedway (WVMS). The latter is the site of this weekend’s action, although it now looks nothing like it did when the World of Outlaws were last there in 2013.

After an eight-year closure, the 5/8-mile WVMS reopened in 2021 and operated through 2023 until the facility went on hiatus once again. Soon after, the decision was made to reconstruct the track into a 3/8-mile layout with the goal of producing better racing for fans while not punishing racers’ equipment to the extent of the old layout.

West Virginia has received praise from both groups at the regional events they’ve hosted since reopening in October 2025 ahead of the track’s return to the national spotlight this weekend. The return of the RACEFEST Summer Championship will include two nights of racing co-sanctioned by the World of Outlaws and the Valvoline American Late Model Iron Man Series, with $12,000 up for grabs on Friday, June 12, ahead of the $30,000-to-win finale on Saturday, June 13.

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WATCH LIVE ON DIRTVISION

Here are this week’s top storylines:

DREAM COME TRUE: At long last, Bobby Pierce is heading to West Virginia with a new line on his resume – Dirt Late Model Dream champion.

For the driver with two World of Outlaws championships, two World 100 victories, a Prairie Dirt Classic title, and wins in nearly every other marquee event the sport has to offer, the Dream was the biggest hole in his trophy cabinet that still needed filling. With that accomplishment out of the way, Pierce’s focus will now turn back to his tight battle for a third World of Outlaws title.

The man sitting only nine points behind him, Nick Hoffman, has remained right with Pierce in recent weeks. He came home third in the Dream, one week after collecting a $100,000 payday of his own one week prior at Mansfield Speedway. RACEFEST is another event with no clear favorite between the two, as neither of them have turned a lap on the new layout. Pierce has been to Mineral Wells once before in memorable fashion, as he drove Austin Hubbard’s backup car to a 13th-place finish in 2013 after his hauler broke down on the way to the track.

NIGHT TO REMEMBER: Before Pierce made his way to the front at Eldora Speedway and rolled into Victory Lane, another Outlaw was busy putting on a show.

MD3 Rookie of the Year candidate Trey Mills held off Devin Moran in his Heat Race to earn the pole on one of the sport’s biggest nights. The 18-year-old held his own once the green flag flew in the Feature, leading the first 24 laps of the 100-lap contest. But the monumental upset wasn’t meant to be, as Mills lost the lead to Brandon Sheppard and eventually faded to 17th at the finish.

That level of success in his first Eldora crown jewel start was enough for Mills to make plenty of new fans and build his own confidence on his rise to Late Model stardom. While he’ll continue to chase his first national victory this weekend in his first appearance at West Virginia, Mills has a close points battle to think about as well. He recently overtook Dennis Erb Jr. for the last spot in the top 10, but Erb remains 27 points back with plenty of time left to make a run.

HEATING UP: With 15 World of Outlaws races coming up over the next five weeks, early summer is the perfect time for a team to start heating up. And that’s exactly what Tyler Erb and Best Performance Motorsports are doing.

“Terbo” made headlines for his career-high $100,000 win at Mansfield, but that win should have come as no surprise. In the last 13 World of Outlaws races dating back to Farmer City Raceway on April 10, Erb has only missed the top 10 once, with seven of those starts being top fives. Outside of Series competition, Erb won an Iron Man Series race at I-96 on May 22, and was running as high as second in the Dream until a flat left-rear tire with 21 laps to go ended his chance at Eldora glory.

That consistency has Erb up to third in points entering RACEFEST. While the gap to Pierce and Hoffman at the top is more than 200 points, Erb also has a 40-point cushion between himself and his closest challenger in Drake Troutman.

Much like most drivers competing this weekend, Erb has never seen the new-and-improved WVMS. He’ll be looking for similar results to the ones he had on the old layout, which included a pair of Historic 100 top 10s in 2021 and 2022.

A LEG UP: Speaking of Troutman, the Pennsylvanian is both the only Series regular to race on the new West Virginia configuration and the only one to win on it.

Upon loading up after the final night of the Dairyland Showdown at Mississippi Thunder Speedway on May 2, the G.R. Smith Motorsports team hit the road for a 13-hour drive to West Virginia for the Mark Balzano Memorial the next day. If Troutman was sleep deprived, he didn’t show it, as he set Quick Time, won his Heat Race and led all 40 laps of the Feature.

The weeks since then have been fruitful, as Troutman has finished in the top five in five of his last 11 World of Outlaws starts as he continues his pursuit of his first Series win of 2026.

MOUNTAIN MEN: West Virginia is home to plenty of people who have shaped the history of Late Model racing, and many of them will be in attendance this weekend looking to defend their state’s signature track.

Located 80 miles west of Mineral Wells is Shinnston, WV, home of Mark Richards and the winningest chassis manufacturer in the history of the sport, Rocket Chassis. Richards’ Rocket1 Racing team won the last World of Outlaws race at West Virginia in 2013 with son Josh behind the wheel, and the team will be back for RACEFEST with Brandon Sheppard in the seat.

Rocket isn’t the only West Virginia-based chassis brand producing Late Models, as Kryptonite Race Cars is based seven miles from the track in Parkersburg, WV. Kryptonite founder Freddie Carpenter will be in action in his No. C4 at the place where he’s finished on the podium in all three Late Model races contested on the new 3/8-mile configuration.

Joining him this weekend will be his son, Tyler, the driver best known for his pair of Gateway Dirt Nationals victories in 2019 and 2021. The younger Carpenter knows how to win outdoors as well, and he has done so in regional action this year at Ohio Valley Speedway, Tyler County Speedway, Muskingum County Speedway, Elkins Raceway and WVMS, where he beat the Ohio Valley Late Model Dirt Series on April 11.

Other “Mountain State” standouts expected to attend include Zack Dohm, Ryan Montgomery and Colten Burdette, plus national stars Hudson O’Neal, Devin Moran, Dan Ebert and more.

WHEN AND WHERE:
Friday-Saturday, June 12-13, at West Virginia Motor Speedway in Mineral Wells, WV

CURRENT POINT STANDINGS:
1. Bobby Pierce (3775 points)
2. Nick Hoffman (-9)
3. Tyler Erb (-229)
4. Drake Troutman (-269)
5. Tim McCreadie (-292)
6. Ryan Gustin (-304)
7. Ethan Dotson (-357)
8. Daulton Wilson (-365)
9. Dustin Sorensen (-427)
10. Trey Mills (-495)

FEATURE WINNERS (11):
Bobby Pierce – 9
Nick Hoffman – 6
Tim McCreadie – 2
Brandon Sheppard – 2
Hudson O’Neal – 2
Tyler Erb – 1
Ryan Gustin – 1
Chris Madden – 1
Ricky Thornton Jr. – 1
Mason Zeigler – 1
Mike Marlar – 1

FEATURE TOP FIVES (25):
Nick Hoffman – 23
Bobby Pierce – 19
Tyler Erb – 11
Tim McCreadie – 9
Drake Troutman – 9
Ryan Gustin – 8
Brandon Sheppard – 7
Daulton Wilson – 7
Hudson O’Neal – 6
Chris Madden – 5
Ricky Thornton Jr. – 5
Ethan Dotson – 4
Jonathan Davenport – 4
Mason Zeigler – 2
Dennis Erb Jr. – 2
Dustin Sorensen – 2
Dale McDowell – 2
Brandon Overton – 2
Ashton Winger – 2
Mike Marlar – 1
Max Blair – 1
Brent Larson – 1
Josh Rice – 1
Trey Mills – 1
Garrett Alberson – 1

FEATURE LAPS LED (21):
Bobby Pierce – 228
Nick Hoffman – 190
Drake Troutman – 99
Brandon Sheppard – 78
Ryan Gustin – 73
Chris Madden – 73
Daulton Wilson – 66
Hudson O’Neal – 47
Tim McCreadie – 46
Garrett Alberson – 46
Jonathan Davenport – 45
Ricky Thornton Jr. – 41
Tyler Erb – 40
Mike Marlar – 39
Mason Zeigler – 24
Ashton Winger – 22
Ethan Dotson – 12
Brandon Overton – 12
Michael Leach – 10
Sam Seawright – 5
Dale McDowell – 4

BILSTEIN POLE AWARDS (16):
Nick Hoffman – 6
Ricky Thornton Jr. – 3
Drake Troutman – 3
Chris Madden – 2
Daulton Wilson – 2
Tim McCreadie – 1
Ryan Gustin – 1
Ethan Dotson – 1
Jonathan Davenport – 1
Dustin Sorensen – 1
Brandon Overton – 1
Ashton Winger – 1
Garrett Alberson – 1
Tristan Chamberlain – 1
Sam Seawright – 1
Michael Leach – 1

SIMPSON QUICK TIME AWARDS (15):
Nick Hoffman – 7
Chris Madden – 5
Bobby Pierce – 2
Tim McCreadie – 2
Michael Leach – 2
Brandon Sheppard – 1
Hudson O’Neal – 1
Tyler Erb – 1
Drake Troutman – 1
Ethan Dotson – 1
Jonathan Davenport – 1
Brandon Overton – 1
Brent Larson – 1
Cody Overton – 1
Sam Seawright – 1

HEAT RACE WINS (37):
Nick Hoffman – 16
Bobby Pierce – 11
Tyler Erb – 8
Ryan Gustin – 7
Chris Madden – 7
Drake Troutman – 6
Ricky Thornton Jr. – 5
Brandon Sheppard – 4
Hudson O’Neal – 4
Daulton Wilson – 4
Brandon Overton – 4
Tim McCreadie – 3
Mason Zeigler – 3
Jonathan Davenport – 3
Ethan Dotson – 2
Dustin Sorensen – 2
Trey Mills – 2
Tristan Chamberlain – 2
Michael Leach – 2
Jared Miley – 2
Mike Marlar – 1
Dennis Erb Jr. – 1
Dale McDowell – 1
Ashton Winger – 1
Brent Larson – 1
Josh Rice – 1
Garrett Alberson – 1
Donald McIntosh – 1
Blair Nothdurft – 1
Logan Zarin – 1
Cody Overton – 1
Dan Ebert – 1
Austin Smith – 1
Sam Seawright – 1
Dallon Murty – 1
Devin Moran – 1
Lane Snook – 1

LAST CHANCE SHOWDOWN WINS (33):
Ethan Dotson – 4
Daulton Wilson – 3
Dennis Erb Jr. – 3
Josh Rice – 3
Logan Zarin – 3
Bobby Pierce – 2
Drake Troutman – 2
Dustin Sorensen – 2
Trey Mills – 2
Tristan Chamberlain – 2
Dallon Murty – 2
Tim McCreadie – 1
Ryan Gustin – 1
Ricky Thornton Jr. – 1
Cory Hedgecock – 1
Jake Timm – 1
Cody Overton – 1
Dan Ebert – 1
Michael Leach – 1
Carson Ferguson – 1
Luke Morey – 1
Dalton Cook – 1
Shane Clanton – 1
Michael Page – 1
Jason Feger – 1
Brian Shirley – 1
Derrick Stewart – 1
Chad Simpson – 1
Chris Simpson – 1
Dylan Thornton – 1
Nick Davis – 1
Dylan Yoder – 1
Lincoln Smith – 1

TOP FIVE STORYLINES: Country Roads Take World of Outlaws to Revamped West Virginia Motor Speedway

MINERAL WELLS, WV (June 9, 2026) – “Mountain State” fans rejoice, because The Most Powerful Late Models on the Planet are bringing the thunder back to the hills of West Virginia.

The World of Outlaws Late Model Series presented by DIRTVision has contested 16 races across three different tracks in the state – I-77 Raceway Park, Tyler County Speedway, and West Virginia Motor Speedway (WVMS). The latter is the site of this weekend’s action, although it now looks nothing like it did when the World of Outlaws were last there in 2013.

After an eight-year closure, the 5/8-mile WVMS reopened in 2021 and operated through 2023 until the facility went on hiatus once again. Soon after, the decision was made to reconstruct the track into a 3/8-mile layout with the goal of producing better racing for fans while not punishing racers’ equipment to the extent of the old layout.

West Virginia has received praise from both groups at the regional events they’ve hosted since reopening in October 2025 ahead of the track’s return to the national spotlight this weekend. The return of the RACEFEST Summer Championship will include two nights of racing co-sanctioned by the World of Outlaws and the Valvoline American Late Model Iron Man Series, with $12,000 up for grabs on Friday, June 12, ahead of the $30,000-to-win finale on Saturday, June 13.

GET TICKETS

WATCH LIVE ON DIRTVISION

Here are this week’s top storylines:

DREAM COME TRUE: At long last, Bobby Pierce is heading to West Virginia with a new line on his resume – Dirt Late Model Dream champion.

For the driver with two World of Outlaws championships, two World 100 victories, a Prairie Dirt Classic title, and wins in nearly every other marquee event the sport has to offer, the Dream was the biggest hole in his trophy cabinet that still needed filling. With that accomplishment out of the way, Pierce’s focus will now turn back to his tight battle for a third World of Outlaws title.

The man sitting only nine points behind him, Nick Hoffman, has remained right with Pierce in recent weeks. He came home third in the Dream, one week after collecting a $100,000 payday of his own one week prior at Mansfield Speedway. RACEFEST is another event with no clear favorite between the two, as neither of them have turned a lap on the new layout. Pierce has been to Mineral Wells once before in memorable fashion, as he drove Austin Hubbard’s backup car to a 13th-place finish in 2013 after his hauler broke down on the way to the track.

NIGHT TO REMEMBER: Before Pierce made his way to the front at Eldora Speedway and rolled into Victory Lane, another Outlaw was busy putting on a show.

MD3 Rookie of the Year candidate Trey Mills held off Devin Moran in his Heat Race to earn the pole on one of the sport’s biggest nights. The 18-year-old held his own once the green flag flew in the Feature, leading the first 24 laps of the 100-lap contest. But the monumental upset wasn’t meant to be, as Mills lost the lead to Brandon Sheppard and eventually faded to 17th at the finish.

That level of success in his first Eldora crown jewel start was enough for Mills to make plenty of new fans and build his own confidence on his rise to Late Model stardom. While he’ll continue to chase his first national victory this weekend in his first appearance at West Virginia, Mills has a close points battle to think about as well. He recently overtook Dennis Erb Jr. for the last spot in the top 10, but Erb remains 27 points back with plenty of time left to make a run.

HEATING UP: With 15 World of Outlaws races coming up over the next five weeks, early summer is the perfect time for a team to start heating up. And that’s exactly what Tyler Erb and Best Performance Motorsports are doing.

“Terbo” made headlines for his career-high $100,000 win at Mansfield, but that win should have come as no surprise. In the last 13 World of Outlaws races dating back to Farmer City Raceway on April 10, Erb has only missed the top 10 once, with seven of those starts being top fives. Outside of Series competition, Erb won an Iron Man Series race at I-96 on May 22, and was running as high as second in the Dream until a flat left-rear tire with 21 laps to go ended his chance at Eldora glory.

That consistency has Erb up to third in points entering RACEFEST. While the gap to Pierce and Hoffman at the top is more than 200 points, Erb also has a 40-point cushion between himself and his closest challenger in Drake Troutman.

Much like most drivers competing this weekend, Erb has never seen the new-and-improved WVMS. He’ll be looking for similar results to the ones he had on the old layout, which included a pair of Historic 100 top 10s in 2021 and 2022.

A LEG UP: Speaking of Troutman, the Pennsylvanian is both the only Series regular to race on the new West Virginia configuration and the only one to win on it.

Upon loading up after the final night of the Dairyland Showdown at Mississippi Thunder Speedway on May 2, the G.R. Smith Motorsports team hit the road for a 13-hour drive to West Virginia for the Mark Balzano Memorial the next day. If Troutman was sleep deprived, he didn’t show it, as he set Quick Time, won his Heat Race and led all 40 laps of the Feature.

The weeks since then have been fruitful, as Troutman has finished in the top five in five of his last 11 World of Outlaws starts as he continues his pursuit of his first Series win of 2026.

MOUNTAIN MEN: West Virginia is home to plenty of people who have shaped the history of Late Model racing, and many of them will be in attendance this weekend looking to defend their state’s signature track.

Located 80 miles west of Mineral Wells is Shinnston, WV, home of Mark Richards and the winningest chassis manufacturer in the history of the sport, Rocket Chassis. Richards’ Rocket1 Racing team won the last World of Outlaws race at West Virginia in 2013 with son Josh behind the wheel, and the team will be back for RACEFEST with Brandon Sheppard in the seat.

Rocket isn’t the only West Virginia-based chassis brand producing Late Models, as Kryptonite Race Cars is based seven miles from the track in Parkersburg, WV. Kryptonite founder Freddie Carpenter will be in action in his No. C4 at the place where he’s finished on the podium in all three Late Model races contested on the new 3/8-mile configuration.

Joining him this weekend will be his son, Tyler, the driver best known for his pair of Gateway Dirt Nationals victories in 2019 and 2021. The younger Carpenter knows how to win outdoors as well, and he has done so in regional action this year at Ohio Valley Speedway, Tyler County Speedway, Muskingum County Speedway, Elkins Raceway and WVMS, where he beat the Ohio Valley Late Model Dirt Series on April 11.

Other “Mountain State” standouts expected to attend include Zack Dohm, Ryan Montgomery and Colten Burdette, plus national stars Hudson O’Neal, Devin Moran, Dan Ebert and more.

WHEN AND WHERE:
Friday-Saturday, June 12-13, at West Virginia Motor Speedway in Mineral Wells, WV

CURRENT POINT STANDINGS:
1. Bobby Pierce (3775 points)
2. Nick Hoffman (-9)
3. Tyler Erb (-229)
4. Drake Troutman (-269)
5. Tim McCreadie (-292)
6. Ryan Gustin (-304)
7. Ethan Dotson (-357)
8. Daulton Wilson (-365)
9. Dustin Sorensen (-427)
10. Trey Mills (-495)

FEATURE WINNERS (11):
Bobby Pierce – 9
Nick Hoffman – 6
Tim McCreadie – 2
Brandon Sheppard – 2
Hudson O’Neal – 2
Tyler Erb – 1
Ryan Gustin – 1
Chris Madden – 1
Ricky Thornton Jr. – 1
Mason Zeigler – 1
Mike Marlar – 1

FEATURE TOP FIVES (25):
Nick Hoffman – 23
Bobby Pierce – 19
Tyler Erb – 11
Tim McCreadie – 9
Drake Troutman – 9
Ryan Gustin – 8
Brandon Sheppard – 7
Daulton Wilson – 7
Hudson O’Neal – 6
Chris Madden – 5
Ricky Thornton Jr. – 5
Ethan Dotson – 4
Jonathan Davenport – 4
Mason Zeigler – 2
Dennis Erb Jr. – 2
Dustin Sorensen – 2
Dale McDowell – 2
Brandon Overton – 2
Ashton Winger – 2
Mike Marlar – 1
Max Blair – 1
Brent Larson – 1
Josh Rice – 1
Trey Mills – 1
Garrett Alberson – 1

FEATURE LAPS LED (21):
Bobby Pierce – 228
Nick Hoffman – 190
Drake Troutman – 99
Brandon Sheppard – 78
Ryan Gustin – 73
Chris Madden – 73
Daulton Wilson – 66
Hudson O’Neal – 47
Tim McCreadie – 46
Garrett Alberson – 46
Jonathan Davenport – 45
Ricky Thornton Jr. – 41
Tyler Erb – 40
Mike Marlar – 39
Mason Zeigler – 24
Ashton Winger – 22
Ethan Dotson – 12
Brandon Overton – 12
Michael Leach – 10
Sam Seawright – 5
Dale McDowell – 4

BILSTEIN POLE AWARDS (16):
Nick Hoffman – 6
Ricky Thornton Jr. – 3
Drake Troutman – 3
Chris Madden – 2
Daulton Wilson – 2
Tim McCreadie – 1
Ryan Gustin – 1
Ethan Dotson – 1
Jonathan Davenport – 1
Dustin Sorensen – 1
Brandon Overton – 1
Ashton Winger – 1
Garrett Alberson – 1
Tristan Chamberlain – 1
Sam Seawright – 1
Michael Leach – 1

SIMPSON QUICK TIME AWARDS (15):
Nick Hoffman – 7
Chris Madden – 5
Bobby Pierce – 2
Tim McCreadie – 2
Michael Leach – 2
Brandon Sheppard – 1
Hudson O’Neal – 1
Tyler Erb – 1
Drake Troutman – 1
Ethan Dotson – 1
Jonathan Davenport – 1
Brandon Overton – 1
Brent Larson – 1
Cody Overton – 1
Sam Seawright – 1

HEAT RACE WINS (37):
Nick Hoffman – 16
Bobby Pierce – 11
Tyler Erb – 8
Ryan Gustin – 7
Chris Madden – 7
Drake Troutman – 6
Ricky Thornton Jr. – 5
Brandon Sheppard – 4
Hudson O’Neal – 4
Daulton Wilson – 4
Brandon Overton – 4
Tim McCreadie – 3
Mason Zeigler – 3
Jonathan Davenport – 3
Ethan Dotson – 2
Dustin Sorensen – 2
Trey Mills – 2
Tristan Chamberlain – 2
Michael Leach – 2
Jared Miley – 2
Mike Marlar – 1
Dennis Erb Jr. – 1
Dale McDowell – 1
Ashton Winger – 1
Brent Larson – 1
Josh Rice – 1
Garrett Alberson – 1
Donald McIntosh – 1
Blair Nothdurft – 1
Logan Zarin – 1
Cody Overton – 1
Dan Ebert – 1
Austin Smith – 1
Sam Seawright – 1
Dallon Murty – 1
Devin Moran – 1
Lane Snook – 1

LAST CHANCE SHOWDOWN WINS (33):
Ethan Dotson – 4
Daulton Wilson – 3
Dennis Erb Jr. – 3
Josh Rice – 3
Logan Zarin – 3
Bobby Pierce – 2
Drake Troutman – 2
Dustin Sorensen – 2
Trey Mills – 2
Tristan Chamberlain – 2
Dallon Murty – 2
Tim McCreadie – 1
Ryan Gustin – 1
Ricky Thornton Jr. – 1
Cory Hedgecock – 1
Jake Timm – 1
Cody Overton – 1
Dan Ebert – 1
Michael Leach – 1
Carson Ferguson – 1
Luke Morey – 1
Dalton Cook – 1
Shane Clanton – 1
Michael Page – 1
Jason Feger – 1
Brian Shirley – 1
Derrick Stewart – 1
Chad Simpson – 1
Chris Simpson – 1
Dylan Thornton – 1
Nick Davis – 1
Dylan Yoder – 1
Lincoln Smith – 1

2026 WORLD OF OUTLAWS LATE MODEL SERIES PRESENTED BY DIRTVISION SCHEDULE
Wednesday, Jan. 21 / Volusia Speedway Park / Barberville, FL (Practice)
Thursday, Jan. 22 / Volusia Speedway Park / Barberville, FL / Chris Madden (1)
Friday, Jan. 23 / Volusia Speedway Park / Barberville, FL / Hudson O’Neal (1)
Saturday, Jan. 24 / Volusia Speedway Park / Barberville, FL / Tim McCreadie (1)
Thursday, Feb. 12 / Volusia Speedway Park / Barberville, FL / Nick Hoffman (1)
Friday, Feb. 13 / Volusia Speedway Park / Barberville, FL / Nick Hoffman (2)
Saturday, Feb. 14 / Volusia Speedway Park / Barberville, FL / Brandon Sheppard (1)
Thursday, Feb. 19 / Hendry County Motorsports Park / Clewiston, FL (Practice)
Friday, Feb. 20 / Hendry County Motorsports Park / Clewiston, FL / Bobby Pierce (1)
Saturday, Feb. 21 / Hendry County Motorsports Park / Clewiston, FL / Nick Hoffman (3)
Friday, March 13 / Volunteer Speedway / Bulls Gap, TN / Mike Marlar (1)
Saturday, March 14 / Smoky Mountain Speedway / Maryville, TN / Bobby Pierce (2)
Thursday, March 19 / Magnolia Motor Speedway / Columbus, MS (Practice)
Friday, March 20 / Magnolia Motor Speedway / Columbus, MS / Bobby Pierce (3)
Saturday, March 21 / Magnolia Motor Speedway / Columbus, MS / Hudson O’Neal (2)
Friday, March 27 / East Alabama Motor Speedway / Phenix City, AL / Nick Hoffman (4)
Saturday, March 28 / Senoia Raceway / Senoia, GA / Bobby Pierce (4)
Thursday, April 9 / Farmer City Raceway / Farmer City, IL (Practice)
Friday, April 10 / Farmer City Raceway / Farmer City, IL / Brandon Sheppard (2)
Saturday, April 11 / Farmer City Raceway / Farmer City, IL / Bobby Pierce (5)
Tuesday, April 28 / Independence Motor Speedway / Independence, IA / Bobby Pierce (6)
Thursday, April 30 / Mississippi Thunder Speedway / Fountain City, WI / Bobby Pierce (7)
Friday, May 1 / Mississippi Thunder Speedway / Fountain City, WI / Nick Hoffman (5)
Saturday, May 2 / Mississippi Thunder Speedway / Fountain City, WI / Ryan Gustin (1)
Wednesday, May 13 / Georgetown Speedway / Georgetown, DE / Bobby Pierce (8)
Thursday, May 14 / Selinsgrove Speedway / Selinsgrove, PA / Tim McCreadie (2)
Sunday, May 17 / Bedford Speedway / Bedford, PA / Mason Zeigler (1)
Wednesday, May 27 / Marion Center Raceway / Marion Center, PA / Bobby Pierce (9)
Thursday, May 28 / Wayne County Speedway / Orrville, OH / Ricky Thornton Jr. (1)
Friday, May 29 / Mansfield Speedway / Mansfield, OH / Tyler Erb (1)
Saturday, May 30 / Mansfield Speedway / Mansfield, OH / Nick Hoffman (6)
Friday, June 12 / West Virginia Motor Speedway / Mineral Wells, WV
Saturday, June 13 / West Virginia Motor Speedway / Mineral Wells, WV
Friday, June 19 / 141 Speedway / Maribel, WI
Saturday, June 20 / 141 Speedway / Maribel, WI
Monday, June 22 / Ogilvie Raceway / Ogilvie, MN
Wednesday, June 24 / I-94 emr Speedway / Fergus Falls, MN
Friday, June 26 / River Cities Speedway / Grand Forks, ND
Sunday, June 28 / Nodak Speedway / Minot, ND
Tuesday, June 30 / Norman County Raceway / Ada, MN
Thursday, July 2 / Deer Creek Speedway / Spring Valley, MN
Friday, July 3 / Deer Creek Speedway / Spring Valley, MN
Saturday, July 4 / Deer Creek Speedway / Spring Valley, MN
Wednesday, July 8 / Stateline Speedway / Busti, NY
Friday, July 10 / Sharon Speedway / Hartford, OH
Saturday, July 11 / Sharon Speedway / Hartford, OH
Friday, July 24 / Fairbury Speedway / Fairbury, IL
Saturday, July 25 / Fairbury Speedway / Fairbury, IL
Thursday, July 30 / Cedar Lake Speedway / New Richmond, WI
Friday, July 31 / Cedar Lake Speedway / New Richmond, WI
Saturday, Aug. 1 / Cedar Lake Speedway / New Richmond, WI
Thursday, Aug. 20 / Maquoketa Speedway / Maquoketa, IA (Practice)
Friday, Aug. 21 / Maquoketa Speedway / Maquoketa, IA
Saturday, Aug. 22 / Maquoketa Speedway / Maquoketa, IA
Wednesday, Aug. 26 / Southern Iowa Speedway / Oskaloosa, IA
Friday, Aug, 28 / Adams County Speedway / Corning, IA
Saturday, Aug. 29 / Shelby County Speedway / Harlan, IA
Friday, Sept. 25 / I-55 Federated Auto Parts Raceway Park / Pevely, MO
Saturday, Sept. 26 / I-55 Federated Auto Parts Raceway Park / Pevely, MO
Friday, Oct. 2 / Boothill Speedway / Greenwood, LA
Saturday, Oct. 3 / Boothill Speedway / Greenwood, LA
Friday, Oct. 23 / Modoc Speedway / Modoc, SC
Saturday, Oct. 24 / Modoc Speedway / Modoc, SC
Wednesday, Nov. 4 / The Dirt Track at Charlotte / Concord, NC
Thursday, Nov. 5 / The Dirt Track at Charlotte / Concord, NC
Friday, Nov. 6 / The Dirt Track at Charlotte / Concord, NC
Saturday, Nov. 7 / The Dirt Track at Charlotte / Concord, NC

LOCUST GROVE, AR (June 9, 2026) — The American Sprint Car Series is back in the state where it all started. 

The top drivers of 360 Sprint Car racing travel to Arkansas, which first welcomed the Series in 1993, for a Saturday night duel at Locust Grove’s Batesville Motor Speedway on June 13. The high-banked 3/8-mile will see drivers contest for a $4,000 payday. 

Grandstand gates open at 5 p.m. CT, and Hot Laps will commence at 7:30 p.m. Tickets will be available to purchase at the track on Saturday.

BATESVILLE INFO 

WATCH ON DIRTVISION 

Here are the top storylines to look for: 

Back Home Again – “The Natural State” was the first state to welcome the American Sprint Car Series with its introductory race at I-30 Speedway in 1993. 

Batesville hosted the Series for the first time in 1996, with Mike Ward winning the first two races. The track hosted the National Tour from 1999 to 2004, and there was a 17-year wait before it returned to the annual schedule in 2021. 

Ward, Gary Wright, and Tim Crawley own the most Series wins at the track with three apiece. Last year, two-time Series champion Blake Hahn drove to Victory Lane at the 3/8-mile for the first time.  

Needing A Spark – As the American Sprint Car Series reaches the second quarter of the 2026 season, Sam Hafertepe Jr. needs a pitch of momentum to contain his points lead at Batesville. 

Hafertepe has held the point lead for most of the season, but his last few starts have caused him to lose a little grip. At Benton, he was leading until contact with a lapped car forced him to settle for ninth. Then, at Creek County, he suffered an engine issue halfway through the Feature while running in third place. 

While he recovered at 81 Speedway with a runner-up finish to keep the lead (22 points over Matt Covington), he’s looking for luck to turn his direction at Batesville. The six-time Series champion has finished second and fifth, respectively, in his last two track appearances. 

Striking Distance – Matt Covington has been one of the most consistent drivers in the last eight races, earning an average finish of 4.8. He was the first full-time driver to win this year and has scored eight top 10 finishes in a row, including three top fives in the last three races. 

Those results have helped him close in on Hafertepe’s points lead, currently 22 points back. 

That streak could continue this weekend as the Glenpool, OK native has never finished worse than ninth in four starts at Batesville. He earned top five in his 2021 debut at the track and a podium in 2024. 

Grind Never Stops – Seth Bergman’s recent strong runs, including a win last weekend, have him back in the fight for his second Series title – sitting 23 points back from the lead. 

The 2024 Series champion has proven to be the hottest driver on the circuit by maintaining a streak of five consecutive top fives, including wins at Benton Speedway and 81 Speedway. 

While the Snohomish, WA driver finished 18th in his 2025 visit, he owns the track record (12.429 sec.) and finished in the top five at the Arkansas facility during his championship season. Winning on Saturday will make him the first three-time winner in the 2026 campaign. 

Every Point Matters – After 11 races, ASCS enters Batesville with points battles throughout the top 10 in points. 

The top three are separated by 23 points. Behind them, fourth-place Kyler Johnson and fifth-place Whit Gastineau sit three points apart. Sixth through eighth sees Brogan Carder, Ryder Laplante, and Austyn Gossel separated by 28 points. Then, six markers split Terry Easum and Cole Schroeder to determine ninth and 10th. 

Eight drivers are still hunting for their first win this season, and among them (Johnson, Carder, Laplante, Gossel, and Schroeder) are looking for their first overall Series win. 

THIS WEEKEND AT A GLANCE

WHEN AND WHERE 

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

AROUND THE CORNER 

Friday-Saturday, June 26-27, at Belleville High Banks in Belleville, KS 

CURRENT TOP-10 STANDINGS 

1. Sam Hafertepe Jr. (1157pts) 
2. Matt Covington (-22)
3. Seth Bergman (-23)
4. Kyler Johnson (-163)
5. Whit Gastineau (-166)
6. Brogan Carder (-260)
7. Ryder Laplante(-268) 
8. Austyn Gossel(-288) 
9. Terry Easum (-305)
10. Cole Schroeder (-311)

FEATURE WINNERS (8 Drivers) 

2 wins – Seth Bergman, Justin Peck, Tyler Courtney 

1 win – Blake Hahn, Chris Martin, Brady Bacon, Levi Hillier, Matt Covington 

FEATURE LAPS LED (16 Drivers) 

52 laps – Justin Peck 

30 laps – Levi Hillier, Blake Hahn 

23 laps – Sam Hafertepe Jr. 

22 laps – Chris Martin 

21 laps – Austin McCarl 

20 laps – Seth Bergman 

19 laps – Matt Covington 

18 laps – Brady Bacon 

16 laps – Cameron Martin 

13 laps – Brian Brown 

10 laps – Kyler Johnson 

9 laps – Whit Gastineau 

7 laps – Cole Macedo 

6 laps – Tyler Courtney 

3 laps – Sean McClelland 

QUICK TIME AWARDS (5 Drivers) 

5 awards – Sam Hafertepe Jr 

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

HEAT RACE WINNERS (23 Drivers) 

4 wins – Matt Covington 

3 wins – Sam Hafertepe Jr, Whit Gastineau 

2 wins – Seth Bergman, Chris Martin, 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, Jeremy Campbell, Blake Hahn, Kade Morton, Alex Sewell 

DASH STARTS (34 Drivers) 

9 starts – Sam Hafertepe Jr 

7 starts – Matt Covington 

5 starts – Kyler Johnson, Whit Gastineau 

4 starts – Levi Hillier, Seth Bergman 

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

2 starts – Camerson Martin, 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, Blake Hahn, Alex Sewell, Kade Morton, Jeremy Campbell, Bryant Wiedeman 

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 (11 Drivers) 

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

PODIUM FINISHES (18 Drivers) 

5 podiums – Sam Hafertepe Jr. 

4 podiums – Matt Covington 

3 podiums – Justin Peck, Seth Bergman 

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

1 podium – Cole Macedo, Emerson Axsom, Brock Zearfoss, Kyler Johnson, JJ Hickle, Jordan Mallett, Chris Martin, Blake Hahn, Alex Sewell, Whit Gastineau 

2026 AMERICAN SPRINT CAR SERIES SCHEDULE + WINNERS 

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

TOP FIVE STORYLINES: Covington, Bergman Continue Hunt For Hafertepe’s Top Spot at Batesville LOCUST GROVE, AR (June 9, 2026) — The American Sprint Car Series is back in the state where it all started. 

The top drivers of 360 Sprint Car racing travel to Arkansas, which first welcomed the Series in 1993, for a Saturday night duel at Locust Grove’s Batesville Motor Speedway on June 13. The high-banked 3/8-mile will see drivers contest for a $4,000 payday. 

Grandstand gates open at 5 p.m. CT, and Hot Laps will commence at 7:30 p.m. Tickets will be available to purchase at the track on Saturday.

BATESVILLE INFO 

WATCH ON DIRTVISION 

Here are the top storylines to look for: 

Back Home Again – “The Natural State” was the first state to welcome the American Sprint Car Series with its introductory race at I-30 Speedway in 1993. 

Batesville hosted the Series for the first time in 1996, with Mike Ward winning the first two races. The track hosted the National Tour from 1999 to 2004, and there was a 17-year wait before it returned to the annual schedule in 2021. 

Ward, Gary Wright, and Tim Crawley own the most Series wins at the track with three apiece. Last year, two-time Series champion Blake Hahn drove to Victory Lane at the 3/8-mile for the first time.  

Needing A Spark – As the American Sprint Car Series reaches the second quarter of the 2026 season, Sam Hafertepe Jr. needs a pitch of momentum to contain his points lead at Batesville. 

Hafertepe has held the point lead for most of the season, but his last few starts have caused him to lose a little grip. At Benton, he was leading until contact with a lapped car forced him to settle for ninth. Then, at Creek County, he suffered an engine issue halfway through the Feature while running in third place. 

While he recovered at 81 Speedway with a runner-up finish to keep the lead (22 points over Matt Covington), he’s looking for luck to turn his direction at Batesville. The six-time Series champion has finished second and fifth, respectively, in his last two track appearances. 

Striking Distance – Matt Covington has been one of the most consistent drivers in the last eight races, earning an average finish of 4.8. He was the first full-time driver to win this year and has scored eight top 10 finishes in a row, including three top fives in the last three races. 

Those results have helped him close in on Hafertepe’s points lead, currently 22 points back. 

That streak could continue this weekend as the Glenpool, OK native has never finished worse than ninth in four starts at Batesville. He earned top five in his 2021 debut at the track and a podium in 2024. 

Grind Never Stops – Seth Bergman’s recent strong runs, including a win last weekend, have him back in the fight for his second Series title – sitting 23 points back from the lead. 

The 2024 Series champion has proven to be the hottest driver on the circuit by maintaining a streak of five consecutive top fives, including wins at Benton Speedway and 81 Speedway. 

While the Snohomish, WA driver finished 18th in his 2025 visit, he owns the track record (12.429 sec.) and finished in the top five at the Arkansas facility during his championship season. Winning on Saturday will make him the first three-time winner in the 2026 campaign. 

Every Point Matters – After 11 races, ASCS enters Batesville with points battles throughout the top 10 in points. 

The top three are separated by 23 points. Behind them, fourth-place Kyler Johnson and fifth-place Whit Gastineau sit three points apart. Sixth through eighth sees Brogan Carder, Ryder Laplante, and Austyn Gossel separated by 28 points. Then, six markers split Terry Easum and Cole Schroeder to determine ninth and 10th. 

Eight drivers are still hunting for their first win this season, and among them (Johnson, Carder, Laplante, Gossel, and Schroeder) are looking for their first overall Series win. 

THIS WEEKEND AT A GLANCE

WHEN AND WHERE 

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

AROUND THE CORNER 

Friday-Saturday, June 26-27, at Belleville High Banks in Belleville, KS 

CURRENT TOP-10 STANDINGS 

1. Sam Hafertepe Jr. (1157pts) 
2. Matt Covington (-22)
3. Seth Bergman (-23)
4. Kyler Johnson (-163)
5. Whit Gastineau (-166)
6. Brogan Carder (-260)
7. Ryder Laplante(-268) 
8. Austyn Gossel(-288) 
9. Terry Easum (-305)
10. Cole Schroeder (-311)

FEATURE WINNERS (8 Drivers) 

2 wins – Seth Bergman, Justin Peck, Tyler Courtney 

1 win – Blake Hahn, Chris Martin, Brady Bacon, Levi Hillier, Matt Covington 

FEATURE LAPS LED (16 Drivers) 

52 laps – Justin Peck 

30 laps – Levi Hillier, Blake Hahn 

23 laps – Sam Hafertepe Jr. 

22 laps – Chris Martin 

21 laps – Austin McCarl 

20 laps – Seth Bergman 

19 laps – Matt Covington 

18 laps – Brady Bacon 

16 laps – Cameron Martin 

13 laps – Brian Brown 

10 laps – Kyler Johnson 

9 laps – Whit Gastineau 

7 laps – Cole Macedo 

6 laps – Tyler Courtney 

3 laps – Sean McClelland 

QUICK TIME AWARDS (5 Drivers) 

5 awards – Sam Hafertepe Jr 

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

HEAT RACE WINNERS (23 Drivers) 

4 wins – Matt Covington 

3 wins – Sam Hafertepe Jr, Whit Gastineau 

2 wins – Seth Bergman, Chris Martin, 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, Jeremy Campbell, Blake Hahn, Kade Morton, Alex Sewell 

DASH STARTS (34 Drivers) 

9 starts – Sam Hafertepe Jr 

7 starts – Matt Covington 

5 starts – Kyler Johnson, Whit Gastineau 

4 starts – Levi Hillier, Seth Bergman 

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

2 starts – Camerson Martin, 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, Blake Hahn, Alex Sewell, Kade Morton, Jeremy Campbell, Bryant Wiedeman 

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 (11 Drivers) 

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

PODIUM FINISHES (18 Drivers) 

5 podiums – Sam Hafertepe Jr. 

4 podiums – Matt Covington 

3 podiums – Justin Peck, Seth Bergman 

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

1 podium – Cole Macedo, Emerson Axsom, Brock Zearfoss, Kyler Johnson, JJ Hickle, Jordan Mallett, Chris Martin, Blake Hahn, Alex Sewell, Whit Gastineau 

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
10.  Fri, June 5 / Creek County Speedway / Sapulpa, OK / Blake Hahn
11. Sat, June 6 / 81 Speedway / Park City, KS / Seth Bergman (2)

Experience Butler County Named Presenting Sponsor of the Firecracker 100 at Lernerville

BATAVIA, Ohio (June 09, 2026) – Lernerville Speedway is proud to announce that Experience Butler County, Pennsylvania has been named the presenting sponsor of the prestigious Firecracker 100, one of the premier dirt late model events in the nation. Scheduled for June 25-27, the Firecracker 100 annually attracts thousands of spectators and competitors to Lernerville Speedway, generating significant economic impact for local businesses, hotels, restaurants, and attractions throughout Butler County. “Partnering with Experience Butler County is a natural fit for the Firecracker 100,” said the Tomson family, owners of Lernerville Speedway. “This event has long served as a destination for race fans nationwide, and Experience Butler County shares our commitment to highlighting everything that makes this region special. Together, we’re creating an even greater experience for visitors while supporting local tourism and economic growth.” Since its inception, the Firecracker 100 has established itself as one of dirt racing’s crown jewel events, drawing many of the sport’s biggest stars and delivering unforgettable competition on Lernerville Speedway’s historic 4/10-mile dirt oval. Fans attending the Firecracker 100 presented by Experience Butler County on June 25-27 will have opportunities to explore the area’s vibrant communities, outdoor recreation, shopping destinations, breweries, restaurants, and family-friendly attractions while enjoying one of the most anticipated weekends on the dirt racing calendar. Additional event information, ticket details, and schedules can be found at Lernerville.com. For the latest news, results, and championship standings from the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series presented by FloRacing, please visit LucasDirt.com.

 

DALLAS (June 9, 2026) — To commemorate the one-year anniversary of 6-time Pro Stock world champion Greg Anderson’s historic 1,000^th round win at the 2025 Super Grip NHRA Thunder Valley Nationals, the 1000 Round Win Clubis sponsoring
Drag Race Bracket Bonanza (DRBB) for the Thunder Valley Nationals this weekend. The free-to-play bracket game that has become a weekly destination for drag racing fans across the country. Anderson joined John Force as the second member of the 1000 Round Win Club, which is arguably the most exclusive achievement club in motorsports, last year in Bristol when he defeated David Cuadra in the semifinals.

 
“This is the combination of two of my passion projects, Drag Race Bracket Bonanza and the 1000 Round Win Club,” said DRBB creator and Werner Communications president Elon Werner. “This is the perfect time to celebrate Greg’s amazing accomplishment and tie in one of the most fun fan engagement games in drag racing. Bristol is one of our most popular races for Drag Race Bracket Bonanza and we have some special announcements tied to this sponsorship.”

 Greg Anderson with the symbolic 1000 Round Win Goodyear tires joined John Force as the second member of the 1000 Round Win Club in Bristol last year, photo credit Werner Communications

The 1000 Round Win Club recognizes the elite of the elite in NHRA drag racing. Turning on 1,000 win lights is a testament to more than just longevity, it represents dominance, excellence and perseverance which are the cornerstones of the 1000 Round Win Club.
 
Anderson and Force each received framed certificates of membership prior to the 2025 NHRA champion’s banquet. The certificates highlighted the spirit of what it means to be a member of the 1000 Round Win Club. 

“This remarkable milestone places you amongst the elite of elite in motorsports. The world of motorsports celebrates this achievement with you and your team, as it is a testament to your enduring excellence, perseverance and legendary career.”

1000 ROUND WIN CLUB SPONSORS
DRAG RACE BRACKET BONANZA IN BRISTOL 

DALLAS (June 9, 2026) — To commemorate the one-year anniversary of 6-time Pro Stock world champion Greg Anderson’s historic 1,000^th round win at the 2025 Super Grip NHRA Thunder Valley Nationals, the 1000 Round Win Clubis sponsoring
Drag Race Bracket Bonanza (DRBB) for the Thunder Valley Nationals this weekend. The free-to-play bracket game that has become a weekly destination for drag racing fans across the country. Anderson joined John Force as the second member of the 1000 Round Win Club, which is arguably the most exclusive achievement club in motorsports, last year in Bristol when he defeated David Cuadra in the semifinals.

 
“This is the combination of two of my passion projects, Drag Race Bracket Bonanza and the 1000 Round Win Club,” said DRBB creator and Werner Communications president Elon Werner. “This is the perfect time to celebrate Greg’s amazing accomplishment and tie in one of the most fun fan engagement games in drag racing. Bristol is one of our most popular races for Drag Race Bracket Bonanza and we have some special announcements tied to this sponsorship.”

 Greg Anderson with the symbolic 1000 Round Win Goodyear tires joined John Force as the second member of the 1000 Round Win Club in Bristol last year, photo credit Werner Communications

The 1000 Round Win Club recognizes the elite of the elite in NHRA drag racing. Turning on 1,000 win lights is a testament to more than just longevity, it represents dominance, excellence and perseverance which are the cornerstones of the 1000 Round Win Club.
 
Anderson and Force each received framed certificates of membership prior to the 2025 NHRA champion’s banquet. The certificates highlighted the spirit of what it means to be a member of the 1000 Round Win Club. 

“This remarkable milestone places you amongst the elite of elite in motorsports. The world of motorsports celebrates this achievement with you and your team, as it is a testament to your enduring excellence, perseverance and legendary career.”

Force, who ultimately won 1,460 rounds, was the first driver to achieve this milestone when he won his 1,000^th round of NHRA professional racing on May 4, 2008, during the 12th annual O’Reilly NHRA Midwest Nationals presented by Castrol at World Wide Technology Raceway in Madison, Illinois. Anderson joined Force when he turned on his 1,000^thround win light of NHRA professional racing on June 8, 2025, and to date has won 1,040 rounds.

A QUICK LOOK BACK (SO FAR)

We’ve travelled around the world, had so many epic experiences – and we’re only halfway through 2026. Here’s the story so far.

From spontaneous travels to epic core memory experiences, 2026 has been been a full-time adventure. We’ve collected passport stamps, questioned sleep schedules, and we’ve even hosted our own event. And the craziest part? We’re only halfway through the year. Here’s the chaos so far.

We kicked off the year with a bucket list moment to visiting Tokyo Auto Salon for the first time, Baggsy celebrated a decade of working with Liberty Walk’s mastermind Wataru Kato and caught up with the Drift King himself Keiichi Tsuchiya.After Japan, we casually squeezed in a trip to Australia. We were stoked to be at the Keep it Reet Friday Night Drifts event at Melbourne’s Calder Park and it’s always great hanging out with Jason Ferron and Mitch Pullen. Big drift energy, unreal crowds and solid laps – we love to see it. Laying 11s at the Mount Panorama circuit during the Bathurst 12 Hour weekend certainly wasn’t on our bingo cards. We’re not even sure if it was on Baggsy’s!

The journey then took us to Sweden, taking both the GT86 and PS13 out for absolute Monster of a party on ice. Eighteen years of drifting and Baggsy never once driven on an ice lake… so we fixed that with the help of some serious company: Petter Solberg, Oliver Solberg and Lando Norris.

Somewhere in the middle of all the chaos Baggsy made his way back to Australia to be a part of a special filming project with Oscar Piastri for Sky F1 and Monster Energy. Meanwhile the SB Motorsport team with Shane Lynch taught Kaleb Cooper how to drift.

Over a hundred drifters descended upon Anglesey Circuit for the Spring Drift Matsuri Easter weekender. This was hands down the best way a drifter can spend their Easter holiday, it was such a vibe.  Shortly after, Baggsy was beyond proud to announce his new drift car project, the Toyota GR Corolla. Now we just need to fit 1,000HP into it… somehow. Japfest at the Silverstone National Circuit never fails to disappoint. Drifting at the home of British motorsport just hits different.

The SB13 shop team have been flat out with fresh merchandise and designs. They launched the latest Initiate Show event merch at Goodwood Motor Circuit and now it’s online at SB13.shop – check it out and grab yours now 👇🏼

In May we hosted the second ever Initiate Show. Call us biased, but it was EPIC. A full-on drift competition, FMX displays, a snowmobile doing flips in the air (yep you read that right), a mega display of cars with the SONAX Showcase and so many more activities for the family – it was a day to remember! All signed off with a demo from Baggsy himself. We couldn’t have been happier with how the day went – it was full of action, smiles and memories.

And now we’re back, fresh from Tuning World Bodensee, Messe Friedrichshafen southern Germany where we had a blast speaking to all the fans and checking out the insane show cars while Baggsy had a wild time sending the GT86 around the arena.

A QUICK LOOK BACK (SO FAR)

We’ve travelled around the world, had so many epic experiences – and we’re only halfway through 2026. Here’s the story so far.

From spontaneous travels to epic core memory experiences, 2026 has been been a full-time adventure. We’ve collected passport stamps, questioned sleep schedules, and we’ve even hosted our own event. And the craziest part? We’re only halfway through the year. Here’s the chaos so far.

We kicked off the year with a bucket list moment to visiting Tokyo Auto Salon for the first time, Baggsy celebrated a decade of working with Liberty Walk’s mastermind Wataru Kato and caught up with the Drift King himself Keiichi Tsuchiya.After Japan, we casually squeezed in a trip to Australia. We were stoked to be at the Keep it Reet Friday Night Drifts event at Melbourne’s Calder Park and it’s always great hanging out with Jason Ferron and Mitch Pullen. Big drift energy, unreal crowds and solid laps – we love to see it. Laying 11s at the Mount Panorama circuit during the Bathurst 12 Hour weekend certainly wasn’t on our bingo cards. We’re not even sure if it was on Baggsy’s!

The journey then took us to Sweden, taking both the GT86 and PS13 out for absolute Monster of a party on ice. Eighteen years of drifting and Baggsy never once driven on an ice lake… so we fixed that with the help of some serious company: Petter Solberg, Oliver Solberg and Lando Norris.

Somewhere in the middle of all the chaos Baggsy made his way back to Australia to be a part of a special filming project with Oscar Piastri for Sky F1 and Monster Energy. Meanwhile the SB Motorsport team with Shane Lynch taught Kaleb Cooper how to drift.

Over a hundred drifters descended upon Anglesey Circuit for the Spring Drift Matsuri Easter weekender. This was hands down the best way a drifter can spend their Easter holiday, it was such a vibe.  Shortly after, Baggsy was beyond proud to announce his new drift car project, the Toyota GR Corolla. Now we just need to fit 1,000HP into it… somehow. Japfest at the Silverstone National Circuit never fails to disappoint. Drifting at the home of British motorsport just hits different.

The SB13 shop team have been flat out with fresh merchandise and designs. They launched the latest Initiate Show event merch at Goodwood Motor Circuit and now it’s online at SB13.shop – check it out and grab yours now 👇🏼

In May we hosted the second ever Initiate Show. Call us biased, but it was EPIC. A full-on drift competition, FMX displays, a snowmobile doing flips in the air (yep you read that right), a mega display of cars with the SONAX Showcase and so many more activities for the family – it was a day to remember! All signed off with a demo from Baggsy himself. We couldn’t have been happier with how the day went – it was full of action, smiles and memories.

And now we’re back, fresh from Tuning World Bodensee, Messe Friedrichshafen southern Germany where we had a blast speaking to all the fans and checking out the insane show cars while Baggsy had a wild time sending the GT86 around the arena.

And there we have it, it’s been a pretty insane 2026 half-time recap. A packed schedule like this wouldn’t be possible without the support of our partners and sponsors, we have the best group who share our vision and help make the seemingly unrealistic, possible. So it’s box-box for fresh tyres, all the cars are getting refuelled and a check-over and we’ll be back out for the second half of the year. Where will you catch Baggsy and SB Motorsport next?