Richard Childress, owner of Richard Childress Racing, and Kyle Busch met with the media onsite at Charlotte Motor Speedway to announce that Busch will return to the No. 8 Chevrolet for the 2026 NASCAR Cup Series season.

MEDIA RESOURCES: Photo Gallery | Race AdvancesChevrolet Newsroom

Press Conference Quotes:  Richard, have any comments for the group?“Yeah, we’re really excited. You know, this is extending our contract for another year, and we’re really excited. Kyle has been great to work with. Everybody had questions going in. I love a driver that doesn’t like to lose. We’ve worked hard. We’ve got some exciting things coming up. He and I are both alike in one area – that we don’t like to lose. We want to win races. I still think Kyle will win him a championship, and we’re going to have it at RCR. That’s our plans. We’ve got a lot of new things coming. This car is a lot different. It’s so engineer-driven that we’re stepping our engineering up more. And I’m excited about the future of where we can go. Watching Kyle race and working with him, it’s been a great pleasure. You know, he’s a champion. Here’s the guy that’s won over 200 NASCAR races. His career is not even close to being over.”  Kyle, do you have any comments?“Yeah, certainly. I really want to give thanks to Richard and Judy (Childress) and everyone at RCR for another opportunity to be able to go back and drive the 8 car for next season. Certainly echo Richard’s statements that there’s a lot of things happening behind the scenes. It’s a great place to be, a great place to work, a great atmosphere, and a lot of grit and determination with a lot of people up there in Welcome, North Carolina. We have certainly had our battles. It’s been fun, but yet challenging. It definitely isn’t easy. This sport is very, very tough, very, very close and challenging. Being able to score those wins and compete for those each and every week… we know those areas in which we can improve both behind the wheel, on pit road, in engineering, all of the above. This is just the pinnacle of that, and I hope to continue to build on our successes that we’ve been working towards for the last two years.” How hard have you been working specifically at RCR, whether it be at the shop, behind the wheel simulator, things like that? What’s some of the stuff that you’ve been doing as a driver last season to try to find a little bit of extra speed to try to find that missing piece to finally get back in Victory Lane? “Yeah, I think the speed has been there. More and more we continue to work on that and get that closer to where it’s consistent speed. I feel like there’s times in the race where we do have top speed, but it’s not the whole race. So we’ve got to work on beginning to end and being able to put everything together. So that’s a big part of what you see. A lot of these guys that are winning right now … they’re just good from start to finish. So that’s a big piece of what we’re doing.  As far as the workload, the workload has never been higher. That’s for sure. There’s a lot going on, whether it’s team meetings or meetings with upper management, things like that. Obviously, each week we do our driver debriefs. Each week we’re in the simulator, whether it’s for GM or whether it’s for ourselves and our own race team and trying to factor in much of the simulation and making that better. I would love to be up at the shop a little bit more, I will say, and to be honest that I’m not there as much as I’d like to be. Maybe there’s a step in that time frame that I can work that into my calendar.”  And also to Richard, what’s some of the stuff that you’ve been overseeing that you’ve seen improvements in to get more speed week in, week out with Kyle and Austin (Dillon)? “I’ll just echo everything he said. We’ve got a lot going on. The small details on these cars mean so much. That’s where we’ve got to work more and more and concentrate on those small details. Everything’s so close that the small details make the difference. That’s one of the areas we’re working on.” Is this just picking up the option or is this an extension?“It’s picking up the option for 2026.” Richard, you talk about bringing in engineering and doing certain things. And when we talk to Kyle week in and week out, it just sounds from his perspective that the car is not doing what he’s used to having cars do. He needs the car to perform at a higher level for him to get what he needs out of the car. And I’m just wondering, how do you do that from behind the scenes?“Well, it all boils down to the drivers having their own feel. And we’re working hard to get that feel. The first year, we won three races right out of the bat. We’ve changed a little in our engineering and I think that bit us just a little. But he’s right. We’ve got to get the car the feel that he wants. These cars are different. And once we get that feel he wants, it’s going to be Katie Bar the Door.” You mentioned the option. Has there been conversation about maybe something that’s passed in 2026, and where do those things stand? Richard Childress: “We always wait until we get started the following year, or maybe later this year we’ll be discussing the future. There’s a big future there for Kyle.” Kyle, you get asked this a lot, but is retirement or when that retirement date has started creeping at all about setting in?“No, no, not at all. There’s kind of the vision or the plan, if you will, on being able to race in some Truck races with Brexton alongside him. So obviously, that’s six years from now before he can make that start. That would sort of be an idea of when I would look at stepping aside from Cup Series racing. But, you know, it’s a long ways out.” Kyle, for you, why does this make sense now from your perspective? You’ve mentioned the work going on behind the scenes. What have you seen over the last few years here, and particularly over the offseason and all the changes that have been made behind the scenes that tells you this is all worth it and this is the right place to be for you through 2026?“Well, I think I give a lot of credit to Richard and him believing in me and giving me the opportunity to be able to come over here and have a chance to drive his car. So, for me, rewarding him with that and having the success on the racetrack is paramount. When I first joined, I feel like there were some things that we were doing within the rules at that time that got us some extra speed, and then there was definitely some things that kind of came down that they didn’t like us doing, and so that’s sort of where we’ve lost a little bit, if people are wondering why have we not been able to win like we did in the first 16 races. It’s just a matter of being able to continue to work with the people that are there. It’s a great culture. I enjoy working there, I fit in well there, they enjoy having me there. I will say Austin’s been a fantastic teammate. His demeanor and the way that we’re able to work together, we talk a lot about the same things and describe it in much of the same fashions. But he’s been a really good resource to rely on as well too, so it’s good to have a teammate factor that helps keep you there.” Kyle, you just sort of touched on it. It feels from the outside looking in that this is a really good match where if you get in a tough spot, this is a team that your owner will take off his watch to back you up. Have you had that kind of comfort that this team is truly behind you?“Absolutely. It is a place where I enjoy working with those that are there that I get to work around each and every week, the race team guys and stuff like that. It’s definitely not due to lack of effort, I will say that. There may be some things where we can be a little bit better on here or there, a little bit smarter on here or there. Sometimes it’s not work harder but work smarter, and so we’re definitely finding some of those key points.We had some turning points last season. At Nashville, I remember being a distinct turning point, and then after the summer break being another one that we’ve been able to come out of those a bit stronger, and so we’re continuing to build on those.” There’s a great chance that a number of drivers may be able to make the playoff on points, given how many winners we have at this point, looking at the history of this. How do you feel about being able to break into the top 16 in points? Is that a focus as well as trying to win?“Yeah. We have to be better at stage racing, stage points, gathering stage points. Stage one, stage two, we have to be able to. That’s our weak spot, if there is one that we can certainly pinpoint. You look at the top guys that are at the top of the standings, they’ve got 160 to 180 points, I think, for stage points. I think we’re in the 20s or 30s. Those are 100-point swings plus. If we had 100 points from being able to score points in stages,we’d be eighth in points right now, I think, somewhere in there. So we wouldn’t even be talking about the bubble. So we definitely got to focus more on that, be able to hit on that.” There was a time when I would have thought you didn’t have the patience to help build a team because you wanted to win right away. And yet, you’re the guy people would want there to help build a team. Does Brexton (Busch) figure into any of this looking at staying at Richard Childress Racing? And have you gained now the patience, I guess, to help build this team?“No, I haven’t been Brexton’s agent on negotiating terms for him quite yet. He’s 10 years old. But I will say, and I’m grateful to the fact of Richard and all of our partners that we do have at RCR, that many of them do take an interest in him and see an interest in him. Most notably, Lucas Oil is a part of his racing and stuff. And Morgan & Morgan has picked up on that and put him in a commercial. So, those are really unique situations. Cheddar’s as well, too, helps out on his racing. So, those are really unique situations where those partners are really happy and pleased with him and what he’s doing off the racetrack, so it helps our budget a little bit with his racing, so I’m grateful to that fact.” And Richard, do you see Brexton as someone, ‘I keep Kyle, Kyle helps build the team, Brexton comes along,’… he certainly is doing well.“Yeah, he is, and I did sign him to a contract, a $100 bill when we signed up with Kyle. So I’ve watched him race some and watched him on some of the YouTube stuff or different things that somebody had sent me. I congratulated him when he won the championship in Florida. I texted him and congratulated him on that, and watched him run over at Mill Bridge, he’s a real deal, like this one (his dad).” For Richard, with Amazon Prime releasing the Earnhardt docu-series, what’s it been like for you to see it come to life?“I haven’t seen it yet. I did about a five-hour deal with them. Everyone that I’ve spoken to thinks it’s great.I haven’t seen it. I’ll be watching it. But it’s great to keep his image alive, letting people know the history, going back in time. I think it’s great to have them put out this documentary. I think this is the third one.” For Kyle. Just looking forward to Nashville next week, how do you think the racing has evolved there since we started going in 2021?“I think the racing in Nashville has been really good. I remember years ago, a long time back in the Xfinity days, it was a one-groove racetrack around the bottom of the racetrack. It wasn’t really conducive to a whole lot of side-by-side racing and whatnot. But the last few years it’s really been good there. The track really widens out. There’s guys that are running all the way up at the top groove. So it’s been a good show. So hopefully the fans enjoy it. I hope it’s not too hot next week. Perfect weather here this weekend in Charlotte. So I look forward to Nashville.” Kyle, obviously you’ve won a lot in your career, and this is probably the only wall you’ve had. Has this been humbling at all? And when you do win again, I imagine that Richard Childress Racing is going to have one heck of a party.“Yeah, absolutely. We certainly have a winery and a champagne bistro there that we can get plenty of booze to have a good time. I’m excited for the next win when it is. We want to get back to that as soon as possible. It has been a little bit humbling, I would say. I feel like there’s added times where it’s motivation, and it gets you to have that itch of being able to want to get back to Victory Lane and to work as hard as it possibly needs to be. Trust me, my wife, she sees that as well, too, where I’m gone a little bit more than what I was, and so she’s on the fact of this better be worth it!” Richard, with everything that you’ve done throughout your career, you’ve earned every right to take a vacation for a very long time and not be at the track. Why are you still here? Why are you, why does this matter? You talk about hope to be here in 10 years, but why is this still so important? “Good question, but I think the thing that drives me the hardest is wanting to win that next championship, wanting to win races, and that’s what I’ve always done. I love the race fans. I love what we do. I even love the media believe it or not. No, it’s just me. I wouldn’t know what to do. You can’t hunt for so much. You can’t fish for so much. So I enjoy this. I enjoy every bit of it.” Is there more pressure to get things done? I know in the sport it’s always you can’t get done fast enough. Is there more internal pressure when you get it done?“I wouldn’t call it pressure, but I call it a drive to win. I felt like we let (Kyle) down some last year by not winning a race. There’s things that we’ve changed a lot to try to win. We will win a race this year with him and hopefully Austin as well. We’re working really hard. Like he said, he hit the key point. You’ve got to work smarter, and that’s what we’re trying to do. And I think we’ve got a lot of good things going.”

William Byron, driver of the No. 24 Axalta Camaro ZL1 and the No. 17 HendrickCars.com Camaro SS for Hendrick Motorsports, met with the media in advance of running double duty in the NASCAR Cup and Xfinity Series at Charlotte Motor Speedway.

MEDIA RESOURCES: Photo Gallery | Race AdvancesChevrolet Newsroom

Media Availability Quotes:  These contract negotiations can either go one of two ways, it seems like. Was it pretty straightforward and almost, I don’t want to say a foregone conclusion, but it seems like from the outside, that this would have been a pretty straightforward like ‘we’re just going to get this done, you’re happy, they’re happy, let’s just put a pen to paper’…“Yeah, I mean, it’s definitely like amicable, I feel like, the whole time, and just kind of working through it. But, you know, I definitely wanted to be here, and really for me, just want to focus on winning races. That’s what it’s all about at Hendrick Motorsports, and that’s what I personally enjoy and want to be here to do. So, for me personally, I try to just kind of keep my head down this year and focus. I’m just really happy that it’s done… it’s a bit of a relief, I guess you could say, just to be able to focus on what we’re doing here. We have a lot of goals to accomplish. So, yeah, we’ve had a couple really good years, but at the same time, I think that we all expect to continue to progress as a team and just kind of keep it going. So, yeah, I definitely felt like I was always going to be here. This is my home at Hendrick Motorsports, so it makes the most sense, for sure.” William, how have you seen yourself grown over the period of time that you’ve been at Hendrick Motorsports? Even though you had a really good foundation in Trucks and Xfinity, how have you seen yourself grow on the Cup side?“Yeah, I think I’ve really grown up a lot. I was 20 years old when I got into the Cup Series, and I did not realize how many different facets of the series there are off the track and on the track; performing with your team and the meetings throughout the week to kind of move the ball forward as a group to build faster cars. And yeah, I think that I was really young and raw when I got into the Cup Series. I had the talent, obviously, to do it, but had to have all the right pieces and really learn the cadence of everything. I would say when Chad (Knaus) took over the team, there was a lot of progression with the personnel that we had on the team. That’s really kind of that foundation that stayed there with a lot of the road crew. And then when Rudy (Fugle) came on board, the engineering side of things and the sort of the finishing touches of really putting this team together to be a consistent race-winning team. I think, honestly, when we got rolling in 2023, it just felt different. It felt like we had more speed. It felt like our cars were a lot closer. And then it just, I think, has continued these last couple of years. So, yeah, I think there’s still a lot of room to grow. There’s still room for me to improve my process and just continue to kind of get that system of how I want to do things on the weekend and during the week just to make sure that I’m as fresh as I can be and as prepared as I can be. So, yeah, in the past, we’ve had some periods of time throughout the season where we’ve struggled. I’d like for this year to not have that period at all and just continue to progress forward, and I think that’s what I’ve noticed this year. We’ve had a couple bad finishes or something like that, but I feel like we tend to show up the next week and have really fast cars and have speed. We just have to continue doing that and try to be kind of the standard of the series.” When you stepped into the No. 24 for the first time, obviously there’s big shoes to fill. With this extension through 2029, the expectation is to win races, a championship, maybe more. At what point does the No. 24 become your legacy and you can kind of step away from filling those shoes?“Well, I don’t think it ever changes in that sense because if you look at other sports like the Yankees, the Patriots or whoever, they’re always going to be known for their history, and that’s what you want. You just want to continue to add to that. So, for me, all I can do is try to continue to add to that and bring some new, I guess, flavor and excitement to the No. 24. We have a lot of the same sponsors, you know, like Axalta. The cars look new and different but similar and kind of carry that history, which I love. So, I love being part of a historic car number and being able to, you know, check my new kind of boxes off the list, like hopefully winning the Coca-Cola 600 would be awesome. I think somebody was saying that Jeff (Gordon) was the last one to win the DAYTONA 500 and the Coca-Cola 600 in the same year. So, that would be awesome to kind of add to that legacy, for sure.” How is this contract negotiation different from, say, the first? Because obviously now you’re an unknown quantity then and now you’re an established star in the sport. Was the contract negotiations any different, or how would you describe them from the first contract to this one?“Yeah. So, I guess this is my third because I had sort of my rookie deal that was included in Xfinity, and then my second one was back in 2022. So, I think this one, we’ve definitely won a lot more races since then and sort of become a consistent threat at the front of the field. So, I think just kind of working through that, and all the conversations I think this time around were really positive. The last time around, I was just starting to kind of find my footing in the Cup Series. We had won a couple races that year to start. So, yeah, it’s just — I love being at Hendrick Motorsports. We have all the resources and with that comes a bit of pressure to perform. But I welcome that because I just feel like it’s a home and it’s a place that is just, you know, spotless and has a lot of great people. And so, for me, it’s just kind of business as usual and try to go into the shop, you know, every day that I’m there and continue to kind of move the ball forward as a team.” All four Hendrick Motorsports teams are now in the top-eight points, and it looks like you talk about the ups and falls of the season, but I imagine that you and the team must feel really good about where they’re at right now going into the playoffs and into the future…“Yeah, like Chad (Knaus) sent us some stats this week just of how well we’ve been running as a group. I think that’s true, but at the same time, I think there’s a couple cars out there that are still the fastest every week. Usually one of us is in that mix… a lot of times it’s been Kyle (Larson), sometimes it’s been me, sometimes it’s been Chase (Elliott) or Alex (Bowman). So, yeah, I think for me personally, I still want to chase those couple cars that are, I would say, the standard at some of the different tracks. Like when we go to short tracks, it seems like the No. 20 car and the No. 22, the No. 12 or the No. 11 are really strong. So when we come to the bottom-half, I think Kyle’s been the standard and we’ve been kind of just a notch close to that. So, yeah, I think it’s good. We’re all running really consistent, which is great. That’s very difficult to do. We share notes really well, so I feel like all of our setups are probably really, really close. And in some ways, our driving styles are pretty close, too. This Next Gen era is just becoming all about execution. So, you know, pit road is becoming critical strategy. The difference in first and 10th is really small right now, so trying to figure out that next little notch to be a top-three car, which I feel like we’ve been on the No. 24. But we just got to keep pushing forward.”  You opened up on the docuseries about going to the sports psychologist. I’m just curious in the sense of a long race like this, the tools that you’ve learned, does that help inside the car? Or is that more for outside the car and all the other things? And if it’s helped, how do you feel like it has helped you in particular with this race or other races?“Yeah, I think that my process within the car has stayed really similar the last two and a half years. There’s little tidbits, obviously, that I’ve learned about myself or how to communicate with my team or whatever it is. But I would say, yeah, it’s more probably off the track or out of the car, just sort of the preparation and the process there. So I feel like that’s been really good this week. It’s been a great week, really, just pretty calm and just been able to kind of make sure that I’m prepared for this weekend. There’s still going to be more prep that I have to do once I get in the Xfinity car here in a few minutes, and then run those laps and figure out the difference in the Cup car. There will be some studying overnight, as well. It’s a long weekend for sure, but I feel well prepared for it. I feel like it’s been pretty calm.” Looking forward to Nashville next week, how do you think the has evolved there since we started going to Nashville in 2021?“Well, the resin that they put down seems to really widen the groove. It’s not a super grippy resin when we start out on track, so it takes a little bit of time to kind of get worked in. And the track seems to be really, I would say just slick and greasy to start. And then it seems to kind of grip up a little bit as the rubber goes down. It’s kind of the opposite of Dover with the resin. I feel like Dover, being a concrete track, has a lot of grip to start and then slicks off. And then Nashville seems to kind of continue to move around and maybe gain some grip as you go, or stay the same, but just have more lane options.  So, yeah, Nashville has been kind of OK for us. I feel like the first year, first couple of years we went there, we were super-fast. But then last year we weren’t so good, so just got to keep working on that. It seems like it has some mile-and-a-half characteristics, like the guys who are fast at mile-and-a-halves seem to be pretty strong at Nashville, even though it’s a shorter track. So we’ll see. I think we could run well there. Definitely, the expectation is obviously to go there and try to run top-five and try to compete for a win. So, yeah, I think it’s just a matter of looking at what we did last year and kind of where we need to be better.” I remember when you first started your Cup ride and I think the thing that stands out most is that I saw you walk up to the team and introduce yourself or hang out with the team the first time. I remember thinking — man, he’s really good at this, like he feels so comfortable and it’s so natural, and he’s a young guy going to lead the team. Now you sign this deal, right, several contracts later. But you have a strong crew chief and a strong leadership group. Are you more of a team leader now than you were then, and if you feel now after this contract that you can speak out more, that people would want to hear what you have to say? “Yeah, I was going to say I feel like I always had the sort of positive energy and a feeling around the team that was good and helped everyone stay motivated. But I feel like what I do better now is speaking my mind about the things that we can do as a team to be better and like not sugarcoating. And so just kind of being with the team and just being honest about where we can improve, I think that’s where I try to be better now and that’s what just feels natural. Like I want to, as much as I hold myself accountable for the things I need to do, I just want to be vocal about the things I feel like we could be better. That just goes throughout our whole team. So that’s what it takes to be good at this level, is kind of continue to work on the details and not let those things kind of go by the wayside.” Do you feel like you’re at the level now where you can speak up on things related to NASCAR? You’re becoming one of the drivers who’s been around a long time…“Yeah, I’m in the Drivers Council with Joey (Logano), Christopher (Bell) and Michael McDowell. So, yeah, I enjoy being on that board and kind of talking about some of the things. But when I get to the racetrack, I’m really focused on what I’m doing with my team. That’s kind of what occupies my brain space, is just kind of thinking about what can the No. 24 car do better. So when I get in between these, in between the garage, like I don’t think about that stuff too much, so you’re probably not going to hear me probably talk about issues, you know, when I’m here in the media center and things like that because it’s just not where my head is. But if I feel led to do that, I will. But most of the time, it’s just about how can the car go faster and how can I do better.”

WHEATLAND, MO (May 23, 2025) – Hudson O’Neal remains undefeated at Lucas Oil Speedway in 2025, having secured the win in The Tribute to Don and Billie Gibson on Friday night. O’Neal, who started in sixth place, took the lead from defending multi-time track champion Justin Wells on the 23rd lap, leading the final 18 laps to claim the $10,000 victory.

Ricky Thornton Jr. would squeeze by Jonathan Davenport at the flag stand for second. Davenport was third with Brandon Overton and Devin Moran rounding out the top five drivers.

Wells sprinted to the lead at the start of the 40-lap race until the only caution flag waved with four laps completed when third-place driver Garrett Alberson went off the track and slammed into the turn two wall. Alberson checked out okay, but his car was done for the night. 

On the restart, Wells maintained his lead over Davenport as the two drivers circled the top of the 3/8ths mile oval. O’Neal then got into the mix from his outside third row starting spot, moving to third and then passing Davenport on lap 17 for second.

O’Neal then pressured Wells until he cleared him for the lead on lap 23. Davenport passed Wells a lap later to take second place. O’Neal then pulled away significantly as the race remained caution-free the rest of the way, with Davenport and Thornton managing to close in during the final laps. Thornton went to the outside on the white flag, beating Davenport to the finish line, finishing 1.298 seconds behind O’Neal at the checkered flag.

In Lucas Oil Victory Lane for the 31st time in his career, O’Neal has now won four straight races dating back to April at Lucas Oil Speedway.

“The track was quite a bit different, I felt like tonight versus last night. Jason (Durham) came up with some good ideas right before the feature, and it helped just a little bit more. This thing was awesome to drive. I probably wasn’t as aggressive enough with lapped traffic there as I needed to be. I just got too complacent with that bottom, and I didn’t know, and I was scared to move out there. I didn’t want to give up the lead,” said the Martinsville, Indiana-native.

“I have always enjoyed the Show-Me 100 and hopefully we can enjoy another win here this weekend,” said O’Neal, who won the crown jewel event in 2021. “Our confidence is great right now. In 100 laps compared to these 40 or 45 lappers, there is going to be a lot of comers and goers. The balance of your race car is going to be a lot different whenever you are messing with that much fuel load and everything. We have still got a lot of work to do, it’s a long 100 laps, and with people like Ricky and JD on your heels, it’s tough company.”

Thornton, who was able to clear Davenport on the outside at the finish line, took second from the two-time Show Me 100 winner.

“I would say our confidence level is pretty high for tomorrow night. My car got better as the race went on; it was kind of backwards on how it is. I made one mistake early in the race, and it cost me and allowed Hud to get by. I could race with him after that, and I felt like if it hadn’t been for that, at least I would have had a shot to give myself a chance to win. Congrats to Hud and JD, and I want to thank JD for giving me plenty of room there on the last lap, but he could have easily just moved up and chopped my nose off. My car is really good, so we look forward to tomorrow night.”

Davenport, who ran second for 32 of the 40 laps, was edged out by Thornton at the finish line as he would round out the Big River Steel Podium in third.

“I definitely gained on it from last night. I could finally steer through the center. I was afraid to tighten up the rear tonight, so I tried to free the car up more in the front. I just really moved down one or two laps too late, and I might have gotten in front of Hudson there before he got by me on the bottom. It was weird. I was just telling the guys, there was a lot of oil. The 98 (Wells) was doing a great job his tires just died, but he was throwing so much oil, I didn’t know it at the time I actually thought it was raining and so I’m like if it’s slick up here it’s going to be really slick in the black so that’s really the reason I didn’t want to move down any earlier than I did.”

The winner’s SSI Motorsports, Longhorn Chassis is powered by a Clements Racing Engine and sponsored by Big River Steel, Wheeler Metals, Merrill Bonding Company, Sub-Surface of Indiana, Professional Concrete, Cutting, and Drilling, West Side Tractor Sales, Dyno One Inc., O’Neal’s Salvage and Recycling, Houchens Insurance Group, Indiana USSSA Fast Pitch Softball, Bob and Tammy Burton, BobCat of Batesville, Sunoco Race Fuels, and Bilstein Shocks.

Completing the top ten were Brandon Sheppard, Tyler Stevens, Justin Wells, Tyler Bruening, and Bobby Pierce.

Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series 

Race Summary 

The Tribute to Don and Billie Gibson

Friday, May 23, 2025

Lucas Oil Speedway – Wheatland, MO

Allstar Performance Time Trials

Fast Time Group A: Brandon Overton | 15.361 seconds (Overall)

Fast Time Group B: Garrett Alberson | 15.704 seconds 

Penske Shocks Heat Race #1 Finish (8 Laps, Top 4 Transfer): 1. 98-Justin Wells[3]; 2. 76-Brandon Overton[1]; 3. 99-Devin Moran[5]; 4. 6-Clay Harris[7]; 5. 40B-Kyle Bronson[12]; 6. 8K-Tyler Kuykendall[4]; 7. 1XM-Aaron Marrant[6]; 8. 31C-Cole Henson[8]; 9. 7J-Ryan Johnson[9]; 10. 4X-Dalon Helm[10]; 11. 1K-Richard Kimberling[11]; 12. 50-Kayden Clatt[2]

Summit Racing Products Heat Race #2 Finish (8 Laps, Top 4 Transfer): 1. 49-Jonathan Davenport[1]; 2. 1-Brandon Sheppard[3]; 3. 2T-Tyler Stevens[4]; 4. 22-Daniel Hilsabeck[5]; 5. 93L-Cory Lawler[6]; 6. 79-Donald McIntosh[7]; 7. 21-Chris Wilhite Jr[8]; 8. 157-Mike Marlar[2]; 9. 82-Jace Parmley[9]; 10. 18P-Shannon Parker[10]; 11. 8:05-Robert Hough[11]

Cool-It Thermo-Tec Heat Race #3 Finish (8 Laps, Top 4 Transfer): 1. 58-Garrett Alberson[1]; 2. 71-Hudson O’Neal[2]; 3. 93-Carson Ferguson[5]; 4. 18D-Daulton Wilson[6]; 5. 8-Dillon McCowan[4]; 6. 60-Dan Ebert[3]; 7. 19M-Spencer Hughes[10]; 8. 93M-Mason Oberkramer[8]; 9. 91-Chris Jones[7]; 10. 67-Jimmy Vanzandt[12]; 11. 96-Dalton Imhoff[9]; 12. 65-Jon Binning[11]

Simpson Race Products Heat Race #4 Finish (8 Laps, Top 4 Transfer): 1. 20RT-Ricky Thornton Jr[1]; 2. 16-Tyler Bruening[2]; 3. 32-Bobby Pierce[5]; 4. 97-Cade Dillard[3]; 5. 7-Cole Wells[6]; 6. 1S-Jeremy Shaw[4]; 7. 15-Clay Stuckey[7]; 8. 1/4J-Jaxon Ertel[10]; 9. 1G-Bryan Glaze[9]; 10. S3-Joey Smith[11]; 11. USA1-Chris Hawkins[12]; 12. (DNS) 11-Gordy Gundaker

Fast Shafts B-Main Race #1 Finish (10 Laps, Top 3 Transfer): 1. 8K-Tyler Kuykendall[3]; 2. 1XM-Aaron Marrant[5]; 3. 40B-Kyle Bronson[1]; 4. 79-Donald McIntosh[4]; 5. 157-Mike Marlar[8]; 6. 21-Chris Wilhite Jr[6]; 7. 93L-Cory Lawler[2]; 8. 31C-Cole Henson[7]; 9. 50-Kayden Clatt[15]; 10. 7J-Ryan Johnson[9]; 11. 4X-Dalon Helm[11]; 12. 82-Jace Parmley[10]; 13. 18P-Shannon Parker[12]; 14. 1K-Richard Kimberling[13]; 15. 8:05-Robert Hough[14]

UNOH B-Main Race #2 Finish (10 Laps, Top 3 Transfer): 1 1. 8-Dillon McCowan[1]; 2. 60-Dan Ebert[3]; 3. 91-Chris Jones[9]; 4. 93M-Mason Oberkramer[7]; 5. 19M-Spencer Hughes[5]; 6. 11-Gordy Gundaker[16]; 7. 15-Clay Stuckey[6]; 8. 7-Cole Wells[2]; 9. 1G-Bryan Glaze[10]; 10. 67-Jimmy Vanzandt[11]; 11. 1/4J-Jaxon Ertel[8]; 12. S3-Joey Smith[12]; 13. 65-Jon Binning[15]; 14. 96-Dalton Imhoff[13]; 15. USA1-Chris Hawkins[14]; 16. 1S-Jeremy Shaw[4]

The Tribute to Don and Billie Gibson Feature Finish (40 Laps): 

Pos – Start – Car # – Competitor – Hometown – Pay

1 – 6 – 71 – Hudson O’Neal – Martinsville, IN – $10,800

2 – 4 – 20RT – Ricky Thornton Jr – Chandler, AZ – $6,700

3 – 3 – 49 – Jonathan Davenport – Blairsville, GA – $4,600

4 – 5 – 76 – Brandon Overton – Evans, GA – $3,400

5 – 9 – 99 – Devin Moran – Dresden, OH – $3,500

6 – 7 – 1 – Brandon Sheppard – New Berlin, IL – $3,000

7 – 11 – 2T – Tyler Stevens – Paragould, AR – $2,200

8 – 1 – 98 – Justin Wells – Aurora, MO – $2,200

9 – 8 – 16 – Tyler Bruening – Decorah, IA – $2,050

10 – 12 – 32 – Bobby Pierce – Oakwood, IL – $2,000

11 – 10 – 93 – Carson Ferguson – Lincolnton, NC – $2,300

12 – 15 – 22 – Daniel Hilsabeck – Earlham, IA – $2,200

13 – 16 – 97 – Cade Dillard – Robeline, LA – $1,200

14 – 23 – 79 – Donald McIntosh – Dawsonville, GA – $1,700

15 – 13 – 6 – Clay Harris – Jupiter, FL – $1,650

16 – 14 – 18D – Daulton Wilson – Fayetteville, NC – $1,625

17 – 18 – 8 – Dillon McCowan – Urbana, MO – $900

18 – 17 – 8K – Tyler Kuykendall – Warsaw, MO – $875

19 – 24 – 19M – Spencer Hughes – Meridian, MS – $1,550

20 – 20 – 60 – Dan Ebert – Lake Shore, MN – $1,525

21 – 22 – 91 – Chris Jones – Neelyville, MO – $800

22 – 19 – 1XM – Aaron Marrant – Richmond, MO – $800

23 – 21 – 40B – Kyle Bronson – Brandon, FL – $800

24 – 2 – 58 – Garrett Alberson – Las Cruces, NM – $1,500

Race Statistics  

Entrants: 47

Victory Fuel Pole Sitter: Justin Wells

MD3 Lap Leaders: Justin Wells (Laps 1-22); Hudson O’Neal (23-40)

Hellraizer Jacks Halfway Leader: Justin Wells

Wieland Feature Winner: Hudson O’Neal

Margin of Victory: 1.298 seconds

Coltman Farms Racing Cautions: Garrett Alberson (Lap 4)

Series Provisional: Donald McIntosh, Spencer Hughes

Fast Time Provisional: n/a

Emergency Provisional: n/a

Track Provisional: n/a

Big River Steel Podium Top 3: Hudson O’Neal, Ricky Thornton Jr., Jonathan Davenport

Penske Shocks Top 5: Hudson O’Neal, Ricky Thornton Jr., Jonathan Davenport, Brandon Overton, Devin Moran

PEM 4th Place Feature: Brandon Overton

DMI Rearends 5th Place Feature: Devin Moran

Wilwood Brakes Lucky 7th Place Feature: Tyler Stevens

Wehrs Machine 11th Place Feature: Carson Ferguson

Deatherage Opticians Lucky 13th Place Feature: Cade Dillard

MD3 24th Place Feature: Garrett Alberson

Hoker Trucking Hard Charger of the Race: Donald McIntosh (Advanced 9 Positions) 

MD3 Most Laps Led: Justin Wells (22 Laps)

Sunoco Race for Gas Highest Finisher: Hudson O’Neal

Midwest Sheet Metal Spoiler Challenge Point Leader: Ricky Thornton, Jr.

O’Reilly Auto Parts Rookie of the Race: Daniel Hilsabeck

Pro Fabrication Headers Fastest Lap of the Race: Justin Wells (Lap 2 | 15.903 seconds)

Slicker Graphics Slickest Move of the Race: Hudson O’Neal

Fresh Roof Hard Luck Award: Garrett Alberson

Outerwears Crew Chief of the Race: Jason Durham

ARP Engine Builder of the Race: Clements Racing Engines

Miller Welders Chassis Builder of the Race: Longhorn Chassis

Dirt Draft Fastest in Hot Laps: Jonathan Davenport (15.358 seconds)

Time of Race: 18 minutes 55 seconds

Big River Steel Chase for the Championship Presented by ARP Point Standings:

Pos – Car # – Competitor – Hometown – Points – Pay

1 – 20RT – Ricky Thornton Jr – Chandler, AZ – 4040 – $226,650

2 – 49 – Jonathan Davenport – Blairsville, GA – 3990 – $158,500

3 – 99 – Devin Moran – Dresden, OH – 3870 – $164,049

4 – 71 – Hudson O’Neal – Martinsville, IN – 3655 – $88,775

5 – 58 – Garrett Alberson – Las Cruces, NM – 3565 – $67,950

6 – 76 – Brandon Overton – Evans, GA – 3460 – $75,400

7 – 1 – Brandon Sheppard – New Berlin, IL – 3455 – $76,300

8 – 18D – Daulton Wilson – Fayetteville, NC – 3170 – $54,425

9 – 93 – Carson Ferguson – Lincolnton, NC – 3050 – $44,925

10 – 79 – Donald McIntosh – Dawsonville, GA – 2865 – $32,600

11 – 22 – Daniel Hilsabeck – Earlham, IA – 2840 – $32,125

12 – 19M – Spencer Hughes – Meridian, MS – 2680 – $33,325

13 – 1T – Tyler Erb – New Waverly, TX – 2595 – $34,000

14 – 60 – Dan Ebert – Lake Shore, MN – 2570 – $24,800

15 – 6 – Clay Harris – Jupiter, FL – 2465 – $25,350

16 – 16 – Tyler Bruening – Decorah, IA – 2385 – $44,550

17 – 93L – Cory Lawler – Hanover, PA – 2260 – $16,825

Saturday Fast Shafts B-Main Race #1 Line-Up (15 Laps, Top 3 Transfer):

Row – Car # – Competitor – Hometown – Car # – Competitor – Hometown

1 – 60 – Dan Ebert – Lake Shore, MN – 157 – Mike Marlar – Winfield, TN

2 – 1XM – Aaron Marrant – Richmond, MO – 40B – Kyle Bronson – Brandon, FL

3 – 7 – Cole Wells – Aurora, MO – 91 – Chris Jones – Neelyville, MO

4 – 50 – Kayden Clatt – Edina, MO – 7J – Ryan Johnson – Aurora, MO

5 – 1/4J – Jaxon Ertel – – 67 – Jimmy Vanzandt – Pleasant Hope, MO

6 – 82 – Jace Parmley – Neosho, MO – 18P – Shannon Parker – Ashdown, AR

7 – 96 – Dalton Imhoff – Jamestown, MO – 1K – Richard Kimberling – Slater, MO

8 – 3W – Brennon Willard – Lebanon, MO – 65 – Jon Binning – Warrensburg, MO

9 – 12 – Scott Crigler – Alton, MO    

Saturday UNOH B-Main Race #2 Line-Up (15 Laps, Top 3 Transfer):

Row – Car # – Competitor – Hometown – Car # – Competitor – Hometown

1 – 19M – Spencer Hughes – Meridian, MS – 6 – Clay Harris – Jupiter, FL

2 – 15 – Clay Stuckey – Shreveport, LA – 8K – Tyler Kuykendall – Warsaw, MO

3 – 93M – Mason Oberkramer – Broseley, MO – 1S – Jeremy Shaw – Millport, AL

4 – 31C – Cole Henson – Russellville, MO – 93L – Cory Lawler – Hanover, PA

5 – 21 – Chris Wilhite Jr – Meeker, OK – 1G – Bryan Glaze – Little Rock, AR

6 – S3 – Joey Smith – West Plains, MO – 4X – Dalon Helm – Lahoma, OK

7 – USA1 – Chris Hawkins – Neosho, MO – 99H – Dylan Hoover – Columbia, MO

8  26P  Glen Powell – Nixa, MO  8:05  Robert Hough – South Coffeyville, OK

Saturday 33rd Annual Lucas Oil Show-Me 100 presented by Missouri Division of Tourism A-Main Line-Up (100 Laps):

Row – Car # – Competitor – Hometown – Car # – Competitor – Hometown

1 – 71 – Hudson O’Neal – Martinsville, IN – 20RT – Ricky Thornton Jr – Chandler, AZ

2 – 49 – Jonathan Davenport – Blairsville, GA – 99 – Devin Moran – Dresden, OH

3 – 1 – Brandon Sheppard – New Berlin, IL – 93 – Carson Ferguson – Lincolnton, NC

4 – 98 – Justin Wells – Aurora, MO – 32 – Bobby Pierce – Oakwood, IL

5 – 58 – Garrett Alberson – Las Cruces, NM – 76 – Brandon Overton – Evans, GA

6 – 97 – Cade Dillard – Robeline, LA – 79 – Donald McIntosh – Dawsonville, GA

7 – 22 – Daniel Hilsabeck – Earlham, IA – 2T – Tyler Stevens – Paragould, AR

8 – 18D – Daulton Wilson – Fayetteville, NC – 16 – Tyler Bruening – Decorah, IA

9 – 11 – Gordy Gundaker – St. Charles, MO – 8 – Dillon McCowan – Urbana, MO

33rd Annual Lucas Oil Show-Me 100 presented by Missouri Division of Tourism Points:

Race – Rank – Car # – Competitor – May 22 – May 23 – Total – Tie Breaker (Fastest Lap from Time Trials)

A1 – 1 – 71 – O’Neal, Hudson – 250 – 250 – 500 – 

A2 – 2 – 20RT – Thornton, Ricky Jr – 210 – 230 – 440 – 

A3 – 3 – 49 – Davenport, Jonathan – 215 – 220 – 435 – 15.356

A4 – 4 – 99 – Moran, Devin – 230 – 205 – 435 – 15.619

A5 – 5 – 1 – Sheppard, Brandon – 190 – 200 – 390 – 

A6 – 6 – 93 – Ferguson, Carson – 200 – 175 – 375 – 15.484

A7 – 7 – 98 – Wells, Justin – 185 – 190 – 375 – 15.624

A8 – 8 – 32 – Pierce, Bobby – 195 – 180 – 375 – 15.782

A9 – 9 – 58 – Alberson, Garrett – 230 – 135 – 365 – 

A10 – 10 – 76 – Overton, Brandon – 125 – 220 – 345 – 15.361

A11 – 11 – 97 – Dillard, Cade – 180 – 165 – 345 – 15.481

A12 – 12 – 79 – McIntosh, Donald – 175 – 160 – 335 – 

A13 – 13 – 22 – Hilsabeck, Daniel – 160 – 170 – 330 – 

A14 – 14 – 2T – Stevens, Tyler – 125 – 195 – 320 – 

A15 – 15 – 18D – Wilson, Daulton – 165 – 150 – 315 – 

A16 – 16 – 16 – Bruening, Tyler – 125 – 185 – 310 – 

A17 – 17 – 11 – Gundaker, Gordy – 170 – 115 – 285 – 

A18 – 18 – 8 – McCowan, Dillon – 135 – 145 – 280 – 15.737

B1 – 19 – 60 – Ebert, Dan – 150 – 130 – 280 – 15.863

B2 – 20 – 19M – Hughes, Spencer – 145 – 135 – 280 – 15.911

B1 – 21 – 157 – Marlar, Mike – 155 – 120 – 275 – 15.536

B2 – 22 – 6 – Harris, Clay – 120 – 155 – 275 – 15.976

B1 – 23 – 1XM – Marrant, Aaron – 125 – 125 – 250 – 

B2 – 24 – 15 – Stuckey, Clay – 130 – 110 – 240 – 15.96

B1 – 25 – 40B – Bronson, Kyle – 115 – 125 – 240 – 16.023

B2 – 26 – 8K – Kuykendall, Tyler – 95 – 140 – 235 – 

B1 – 27 – 7 – Wells, Cole – 120 – 105 – 225  16.151

B2 – 28 – 93M – Oberkramer, Mason – 105 – 120 – 225  16.212

B1 – 29 – 91 – Jones, Chris – 100 – 125 – 225  16.266

B2 – 30 – 1S – Shaw, Jeremy – 140 – 75 – 215  15.488

B1 – 31 – 50 – Clatt, Kayden – 115 – 100 – 215  15.547

B2 – 32 – 31C – Henson, Cole – 105 – 105 – 210  

B1 – 33 – 7J – Johnson, Ryan – 110 – 95 – 205  

B2 – 34 – 93L – Lawler, Cory – 90 – 110 – 200  15.961

B1 – 35 – 1/4J – Ertel, Jaxon – 110 – 90 – 200  16.405

B2 – 36 – 21 – Wilhite, Chris Jr – 85 – 115 – 200  16.427

B1 – 37  67 – Vanzandt, Jimmy – 90 – 95 – 185  

B2 – 38  1G – Glaze, Bryan – 80 – 100 – 180  

B1 – 39  82 – Parmley, Jace – 85 – 85 – 170  

B2 – 40  S3 – Smith, Joey – 75 – 85 – 160  

B1 – 41  18P – Parker, Shannon – 75 – 80 – 155  

B2 – 42  4X – Helm, Dalon – 50 – 90 – 140  

B1 – 43  96 – Imhoff, Dalton – 50 – 75 – 125  16.002

B2 – 44  USA1 – Hawkins, Chris – 50 – 75 – 125  16.973

B1 – 45  1K – Kimberling, Richard – 50 – 75 – 125  17.214

B2 – 46  99H – Hoover, Dylan – 100 –  – 100  

B1 – 47  3W – Willard, Brennon – 95 –  – 95  

B2 – 48  26P – Powell, Glen – 80 –  – 80  16.414

B1 – 49  65 – Binning, Jon –  – 80 – 80  17.264

B2 – 50  8:05 – Hough, Robert –  – 75 – 75  

B1 – 51  12 – Crigler, Scott – 50 –  – 50

• Release
• Photos

May 23, 2025

Speedway, IN
Sunday, May 25, 2025 10 AM ET
Live on Fox

What to Watch for in the Indianapolis 500

• Winning Streak: Honda-powered NTT INDYCAR SERIES teams and drivers have swept the first five races of the 2025 season. Chip Ganassi Racing’s Alex Palou has scored wins at St. Petersburg, Thermal, Barber Motorsports Park and on the road course at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway earlier this month. Andretti Global’s Kyle Kirkwood took victory in the Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach in American Honda’s backyard in April.
• Honda’s Back (Alright!): After a difficult Month of May in 2024—which saw the highest-qualified Honda start in P9—Honda has bounced back in qualifications at the 2025 edition of the race. Takuma Sato of Rahal Letterman Lanigan will be starting on the front row, and five Honda drivers are starting in the top-10; Scott Dixon (P4), Felix Rosenqvist (P5), Alex Palou (P6) And Marcus Ericsson (P9). The performance in qualifying is a testament to the work Honda Racing Corporation USA has put into the engine program since May of last year, giving the Honda-powered teams and drivers their best shot at victory come Sunday.  
• An Electrified (and Electrifying) Race: The excitement of the Indianapolis 500 has a new facet for 2025, as the 109th running of the Greatest Spectacle in Racing will be the first to be hybrid-powered. Introduced in July of 2024, the IndyCar hybrid system was an important part of qualifying for this year’s race, as drivers tried different strategies of regeneration and deployment of the low-voltage system to best give them an advantage in qualifications. How the system is used in race conditions at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway remains to be seen, but the group at HRC US have been working with Honda teams on simulations to best optimize the system.    
• Going for More: Four Honda-powered drivers in this year’s Indianapolis 500 have at least one 500 victory under their belts and will be looking to add to their tally in 2025. Marcus Ericsson (2022) and Scott Dixon (2008) will both be looking for their second victory, Takuma Sato (2017, 2020) will be seeking a third, and Helio Castroneves (2001, 2002, 2009, 2021) will be looking for his history-making fifth Indy 500 win. Helio Castroneves, AJ Foyt, Rick Mears and Al Unser share the all-time record with four 500 wins apiece. 
• Palou Show Plays on: Alex Palou’s quest to win his fourth NTT INDYCAR SERIES championship title in five years is off to a strong start. The Chip Ganassi Racing driver has a lowest finish so far of second—at the Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach, behind Kyle Kirkwood. Palou’s championship lead sits at 97 points over P2 following his four wins and perfect run of podiums to open the year. Notably, a tortoise named Alex Palou also won the Zoopolis 500 at the Indianapolis Zoo earlier this week, giving the Ganassi driver yet another victory in his impressive title defense.

2025 Indianapolis 500 Honda Lineup

Andretti Global	#26 Colton Herta (W) #27 Kyle Kirkwood (W) #28 Marcus Ericsson (I) (W) #98 Marco Andretti (W)
Chip Ganassi Racing	# 8 Kyffin Simpson # 9 Scott Dixon (C) (I) (W) #10 Alex Palou (C) (W)
Dale Coyne Racing	#18 Rinus VeeKay (W)
Meyer Shank Racing	#60 Felix Rosenqvist (W) #66 Marcus Armstrong  #06 Helio Castroneves (I) (W)
Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing	#15 Graham Rahal (W) #30 Devlin DeFrancesco #45 Louis Foster (R) #75 Takuma Sato (I) (W)

C—Series Champion I—Indianapolis 500 winner W—Race Winner R—Series Rookie

Where to Watch

• The 109th running of the Indianapolis 500 will air on Sunday, May 25, 2025 on Fox beginning at 10 AM ET.

HRC US social media content and video links can be found on:

• Instagram
• X 
• LinkedIn
• Facebook
• TikTok 
• YouTube

www.instagram.com/hondaracing_us www.twitter.com/hondaracing_us
www.linkedin.com/showcase/honda-racing-corporation-usa/ www.facebook.com/HondaRacingUS
www.tiktok.com/@hondaracing_us
www.youtube.com/@HondaRacingUS

NASCAR CUP SERIES CHARLOTTE MOTOR SPEEDWAY TEAM CHEVY DRIVER QUOTES MAY 23, 2025

Austin Dillon, driver of the No. 3 Bass Pro Shops/Winchester Camaro ZL1 and the No. 3 Boot Barn Camaro SS for Richard Childress Racing, met with the media in advance of running double duty in the NASCAR Cup and Xfinity Series at Charlotte Motor Speedway.

MEDIA RESOURCES: Photo Gallery | Race AdvancesChevrolet Newsroom

Media Availability Quotes:  Austin, this weekend is going to be your first time back in the Xfinity car since 2023. You have 600 miles coming up on Sunday. Mentally, where’s your head at? “I’m excited to get a Xfinity car… a RCR Xfinity car, especially. You know, they’ve been very fast this season and they’ve always been known for ECR engines, so I’m pumped to get in the No. 3 Boot Barn Chevy and have some fun at a place that I’ve had some success at in the Xfinity series. So hopefully I can bring something to Jesse (Love) and Austin (Hill) this weekend on Saturday. It also gives me some momentum for Sunday.” This is my first question in the media center, so we’re going to deliver the sport to a lot of new people. All the tickets are sold out — 50 states, 14 countries, all these people are coming and new folks on Prime. The thing we’ve been talking about is the 600, like how difficult it is. So my question is two parts — physical preparation, as the car transitions and then how do you deal with the intensity of this race and keeping your head in the game? So the whole prep for 600 miles, I guess… “Yeah, for sure. So this weekend, obviously I’ve got the Coca-Cola 600 and the laps on Saturday. So definitely started a little bit earlier preparing during the week on, you know, my food, my hydration, doing my job to know that I’ll be prepared for both days. Just kind of building up to that Sunday because you know you have not only 600 miles, but that morning’s pretty busy throughout the day with meeting with sponsors and our partners that come to this race. It’s very important to a lot of our partners. And then it’s going to be warm. Obviously, this is one of the most mentally grueling races we have. And the track’s not smooth.. it’s rough, so I think you prep your seat well for this race too. I changed that two years ago when we went to this car because we’re already on the stops. I remember the first time in the Next Gen car here, it was awful under caution, even just head rattling around in there. So I tried to make our foam a little different around our head rest, which helps. But yeah, I think you just start that preparation a little bit earlier than you would on any other given weekend.” Austin, this week, obviously, the Earnhardt documentary premiered on Prime Video. As the only other driver of the No. 3 car since Dale’s passing, what connections have you had to the Earnhardt family, to obviously, you know, with your grandfather as well? And as this documentary has come back out, what has your reaction to it been?“Yeah, I didn’t get to go to the premiere, so I haven’t really seen the new documentary, but I’m excited to see it. I know my grandfather’s part of it. And, you know, I try to tune in to every one of the documentaries that have been made on Dale because you hear new, fun stories about his life and the way he was larger than life. And so for me, just being able to continue driving the No. 3 has been so special; seeing Earnhardt fans out at the track and being able to keep the number on the track is very important. I think trying to deliver another victory lane is — every time I get in a race car, that’s what I’m focused on because Dale was synonymous with winning. You know, he was a winner every weekend on or off the track. It’s pretty cool and looking forward to getting to see that. I know that seeing (Dale Earnhardt) Jr. and Kelley last night at the premiere, it looked really, really fun. I’m excited to watch it. The Earnhardt legacy is so special, and just being a part of it in the No. 3 and getting to carry it on at NASCAR is fun.”  Can you just address the Xfinity program and the success that they’ve had? Over the years, you’ve raced for them and you’ve raced for the truck when you guys had a truck program, but they’ve really knocked it out of the park in the last two years.“Yeah, you know, I feel like RCR has done a very good job of dominating in the Truck Series and the Xfinity Series. I think it comes back to the employees that we’ve had for a very long time — the faces that I had when I was in the Xfinity Series, and the faces I had when I was in the Truck Series are still there. Some have even left and then come back. Those guys are just known for speed, so I think that core group is what’s important and why those cars are extremely fast. And I know looking back, if I knew what I knew now, I would love to be in my trucks again. I’d love to be in my Xfinity cars again. I feel like I could go out there and win 10 race seasons with the experience I have in the Cup level. But that’s the reason why you keep moving and gaining experience in the Cup Series is just a whole other level.  So I’m excited to get back in the Xfinity car. It has been two years, so I just want to make sure I get to the gears clean the first time because it’s not just back and forth like we have every Sunday… got that H-pattern again. So we’ll have fun with that and try to go win a race in our No. 3 Boot Barn Chevy.”  What do you remember about your Coca Cola 600 win?“I remember the final restart and Justin Alexander just saying — Hey, look, we need to do a good job saving here… go as much as you can. But in the back of your mind, be thinking about saving because it could go green and that could be our shot. Jimmie Johnson passed me at the beginning of the run, and I paced myself off of Jimmie. He went a little harder at the first quarter of the run, which ended up being the race to the end… myself and Jimmie. And I remember watching so many laps down in turn one of Jimmie Johnson dominating the competition here, and he had a distinct line of how he wrapped exit of turn two. As we are both trying to save fuel and race to the end, it was just like — Oh my gosh, is this really happening? And then off of turn two, a corner that I always loved watching him run, he ran out of gas and we blew by. And then it was just two more laps or three more laps that I needed to keep it in gear, and we were able to come home and get a victory and celebrate with all our friends and family here in Charlotte, which was awesome.” When you’re walking around today at Charlotte Motor Speedway, what does this event mean for the city of Charlotte and just this area?“Well, I actually went and got my haircut this morning at the barbershop and he said one of his customers asked — Hey, what’s something very good I can do for my daughter on Memorial Day weekend to let her, you know, experience, you know, America. And he was like — well, you know, the Coca-Cola 600… there’s going to be tanks, helicopters, a flyover, the national anthem, race cars. There’s nothing more patriotic in America than the Coke 600 weekend Charlotte Motor Speedway is Memorial Day weekend to me. That’s all I know from growing up, but I mean, getting to see the military branches all represented out here on one weekend. And then we rip around the track. The Indianapolis 500 will be on the big screen on the backstretch. It’s just a great day.” In your career, what does it mean to win a race like this, and how much does this one mean in particular? “I mean, it means a little more than the rest. All of them mean a lot. They take you to the playoffs. Every win matters, but this one is home. We want to win at home. You know, if our PBR teams are playing, we want to win our home game. This is a home match, so we want to win this.” Austin, what have you guys done right lately to get some of the performances, and what more you still need to do to further elevate that?“I think during the off-season, we did a good job of bringing a better product to the track. I think from an urgency standpoint, there’s more urgency within both teams. I think my team, especially, has done a good job with the urgency of how we go about things. And then communication from myself to (Richard) Boswell has been decent, but we’re still learning. So there’s a little bit of that going on. I think from what you asked, what we’re not doing as good as we could, I’d say we are figuring each other out as we go, but it’s probably one of the fastest ‘figuring it out’ I’ve been a part of. So it’s a good pace compared to when I’ve had a different crew chief or whatnot. And it’s just a balance. Like I know the race cars — like I get frustrated a little bit because I know the race car is capable now with the speed that we’re bringing… I at least feel that way. But the car will be handling just a couple numbers off of what it needs to be. I can see the group of cars that I need to be in, and I can’t get there because I’m either too loose… mostly been too loose, truthfully. We’ve missed on the loose side probably for the last two or three weeks. The week of Kansas, we had three straight top-10s, and we got to Kansas and I’m running like 15th and I’m frustrated because we’re still too loose. And I came to the radio, I was like — guys, I’ve been patient with the car balance. And in their mind, like we finished top-10 last three weeks, what do you mean you’ve been patient? Like it’s been good, but it’s just right here. Hopefully this weekend, we’ve kind of focused a little different direction on coming here, closer to where we were at the beginning of the year at Las Vegas. I thought we hit our balance really well there, but unfortunately, got in a wreck. We’re passing more cars than we have in the last three years this year… I would say the No. 3 car is.  I mean, if you look at passing metrics, I’ve had the capability to pass a lot. Even at North Wilkesboro, in the All-Star Race, I drove up to seventh in that race. The cautions and stuff came out and you get put in the wrong lines, but you know, as far as being able to pass, I’ve had a good season of that.”  You referenced the urgency this year compared to last year. Can you further define or explain what you mean by urgency? Because I think it’s easy to say — well, look, every race is important. Everybody should be focused. So when you’re talking about the urgency, what do you mean?“Yeah, what I mean by urgency is more like — if there is something that we can do better, it is getting done faster. It’s not like — oh, we’ll figure it out the next week. It’s — hey, how can we accomplish this now? Or this is very important to us, let’s get this done right this time around. It’s not like — well, let’s go look at it and it’ll work, you know, two weeks from now, or when we can get to it, we’ll get to it. Now it’s more of urgency to get things done that we think have juice in them. if it’s worth the squeeze, we’re going to squeeze all out and try and get it as fast as possible.  And that’s from the car side, to the driver’s side, to the crew chief’s side… all of it.”  Looking ahead to Mexico City, because of the high elevation, is there anything extra that an athlete like you have to do to do to prepare for that? And again, I know you’re about ready, but right 900 miles here, but just the high elevation, what it does to the body and how you better prepare, if there’s anything you can do for that for Mexico.“Yeah, it’s pretty interesting. You know, I thought for Mexico, the biggest thing would be the heat factor of that race. I hadn’t really thought about the elevation. I mean, I know what it does to the engines. They don’t run as good, from a horsepower perspective. But no, I haven’t really thought about that, like oxygen-wise. I haven’t really taken that into consideration. But I mean, I think I feel like I do a good job of pushing myself during the week and in the heat playing different types of sports to stay ready for those things. So I think I’ll be fine, but I probably need to prepare for Mexico City like I was coming here… you know, take the four days before instead of like two to three days out, maybe two days out, really. For the 600, I mean, I started four days, five days before. So Mexico city probably needs to be looked at like that, especially the first time without any knowledge of it. And also, Kyle Busch has been there, so that’s a good person I can lean on when he went for the Xfinity race. I haven’t really heard him mention anything of how that went when he was there. I’d say the cars were hotter then, from a cool shirt perspective and air condition.”  It’s been eight years since that first win in the Coke 600, but you mentioned three top-10s the last four weeks. Do you feel like this team is on the upswing that it needs to be, or at least is starting that process and how juiced, if so, does that make you to feel like maybe this can be the year to get another 600?“Yeah, I feel like as a driver, I always give myself shots at these big races to be in the hunt. Even if we’re a, you know, 15th-place car, I do a pretty good job of trying to get to the end of these things. Getting to the end is almost the top-10 here, you know, automatically. So, I mean, when I say that, you got to do a good job throughout the race to be on the lead lap and do your job. But if you give me a car that’s a top-10 car from the start of the weekend, I feel like our odds are much greater. So that’s what we’ve got to be focused on. When we unload for practice and if we qualify good, it’s going to put us in a really good spot. A lot of things happen over 600 miles. I was very close to being a two-time champion in this race. I wrecked off a turn four. And in that race, we weren’t the fastest car. We got tires at the right time. I made a heck of a restart through one and two and tried to get a little too much through three and four. It all broke loose off of four over there… the No. 11, myself and the No. 5.  So looking back, that’s one of the ones I kick myself over – like when you think about races over time, that one is the one because I think if I would have given up like a car length and wrapped turn four, I would have had four tires to make it work through one and two for one more lap. So that’s one that it was so close, but hopefully we get that opportunity again and we capitalize on it. And yeah, the momentum from this whole year, I feel good about coming here. I think we can have a good weekend.” I was talking to Keith Rodden on Wednesday and he said that with the differences in the cars, when you guys drop back to Xfinity series, there’s nothing really to gain other than just showing your love of the game. And I was just curious, you know, a couple of years away from the Xfinity Series, why was Charlotte and right now the right time for you to come back and play around a little bit?“Well we have an awesome partner in Boot Barn that likes this market also, and it happens to be probably one of my best tracks. You know, I swept the Xfinity Races, I don’t know what year that was. And it’s your home field, man. Like I love doing it in front of my family and friends.  I would say it’s not — like when Keith (Rodden)says that, I also think there’s an advantage to getting laps before we start practice. So like, even though the car does drive completely different, setups aren’t going to matter, air pressure, none of that, but the first moment you hit the track and I can see it visually, there’s a gain to when I get in the Cup car, as long as I don’t take some of my habits from the Xfinity car to the Cup car, which means the driving style is totally different. But visually, I should have a little more confidence. I’ve run thousands of laps here, but just from an edge of everybody else is going to be hitting turn one with less time on it that day, there’s an advantage, I think, to seeing the track for the first time. I think they did some stuff with the PJ-1, so any of that type of thing I can take will be a little bit advantage for the first-half of practice, and then after that, I’d say for qualifying, everybody’s on the same page by then.” You mentioned Kyle Busch.. what has he been like as a teammate? I mean, just kind of overall the last couple years and maybe specifically this year as you guys are kind of restructuring things and moving forward, and what he’s brought to the organization.“Yeah, I feel like he gives you what you expect, which is that he’s a hard worker. He’s a fiery. He wants the best for the cars. He wants to get to victory lane constantly and will push everyone to figure out how to make that happen, even himself on the track. But as far as being in the meetings with him after practice and, you know, on Monday’s and the debriefs, he’s very helpful. You know, he asks good questions at the right time about what your car is doing and he provides information that you can make your car better off of. So from that standpoint, you couldn’t ask for a more helpful teammate when it comes to his knowledge of the game and what he is providing from an informational standpoint.”

INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. (MAY 23, 2025) – The Indianapolis 500 is rich with tradition, which includes the Miller Lite Carb Day. As the final opportunity to finalize car setup ahead of the Indianapolis 500, Friday’s two-hour practice session is always filled with drama and nervous anticipation. But no one on the Dryer & Reinbold/Cusick Motorsports team could have foreseen the roller coaster of emotions the day would bring – from topping the speed charts to an on-board fire that saw team members immediately mobilize to prepare for Sunday’s 200-lap challenge. 2012 Indy 500 winner Ryan Hunter-Reay placed the No. 23 DRR/Cusick Wedbush Securities Chevrolet P1 early in the session. But after 33 laps, Hunter-Reay felt cold liquid and saw smoke in the cockpit. In a heads up move, he brought the car to the end of pit lane, near fire personnel and his team – but not in the team pit box, where only the refueler would be wearing a fire suit.

“The liquid I felt could have been fire-retardant after I hit the fire bottle (the on-board fire suppression system), but it just started smoking more and more,” said Hunter Reay. “It really caught my attention when I was in 4th gear and the cockpit started filling up with smoke. I just kept going, trying to keep the air speed up, and to get back to pit lane where there would be more help. I stopped short of the pit boxes and then I looked like Ace Ventura jumping out. We’re still analyzing how much damage has been done.” Meanwhile, the No. 24 DRR Cusick INVST Chevrolet driven by Jack Harvey continued to work on setup and traffic management through 49 (relatively) drama free laps.

“We pretty much did everything we were hoping to,” said Harvey. “We were able to re-baseline car after all the work the team did this week, and I think it shows that we’re in a good window. What happened to Ryan is super unfortunate, but I know the team has the back-up car ready to go. I told the guys, whatever you need, just send guys from the 24 car to go and help. “The wind was quite strong today; I definitely had a couple of moments coming out of Turn One. But all the way around, I think we’re in a good window –even with the wind, we can be good on different ends of the track and still be quite happy. We’re as confident as we can be going into the race, whilst having a ton of respect for IMS. That’s what I’m really feeling right now.” At the checkered flag, Hunter-Reay had set the 11th best speed of the session at 223.525, with Harvey just behind in 12th at 233.515 mph.

CHEVROLET IN NTT INDYCAR SERIESINDIANAPOLIS 500INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANATEAM CHEVY CARB DAY REPORTFRIDAY, MAY 23, 2025. Next up is the “Greatest Spectacle In Racing” The final tune-up for Sunday’s 109th Running of the Indianapolis 500, a two-hour ‘Carb Day’ practice, ended with two-time race defending winner and Chevrolet-powered Josef Newgarden driving the No. 2 Shell V-Power NiTRO+ Team Penske Chevrolet led all drivers with a fastest lap of 225.687mph. His teammate Will Power in the No. 12 Verizon Team Penske Chevrolet, Pato O’Ward in the No. 5 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet, David Malukas in the No. 4 Clarience Technologies A.J. Foyt Racing Chevrolet and Conor Daly in the No. 76 Juncos Hollinger Racing Chevrolet also ended Friday’s practice in the top 10. The 18 Team Chevy drivers completed 1007 laps, while the whole field turned 1972 laps. Pole sitter Robert Shwartzman in the No. 83 PREMA Racing Chevrolet and Scott McLaughlin in the No. 3 Pennzoil Team Penske Chevrolet were the busiest Chevrolet-powered drivers, completing 85 circuits of the iconic 2.5-mile oval. The next Team Chevy driver to win the ‘Greatest Spectacle In Racing’ will be the 14th Chevrolet-powered driver to win the Indianapolis 500. Television coverage for the 109th Indianapolis 500 in the U.S.A. on Sunday, May 25, will be available on FOX, FOX Deportes and the FOX Sports app beginning with pre-race coverage at 10 a.m.(ET), with the green flag flying at 12:45 p.m. International viewers car find viewing options here. INDYCAR Radio Network begins coverage at 10 a.m. and can be found on SiriusXM 218 or one of many local INDYCAR Radio affiliates.  Indianapolis 500 Carb Day Practice Speeds

WHAT THEY’RE SAYING INDIANAPOLIS 500 CARB DAY (QUOTES)  A.J. Foyt Enterprises David Malukas, No. 4 Clarience Technologies Chevrolet: “Carb day is finished up for us. Wow! It was another really good session. We’ve got one more to go on Sunday and it’s going to be a perfect month for us here in May. Really, really happy. We had another set up that we wanted to try. We had some issues to figure out in the first twenty minutes of the run. After that, the ten-lap average was really strong. The 20-lap average was right there in the top five cars. I think we’re going to be right there when we need it to be. It all comes down to a good Clarience Technologies Chevrolet and the guys.” Santino Ferrucci, No. 14 Homes For Our Troops Chevrolet: “Solid day for Carb Day. Finally found a really good direction with the car and the balance. Definitely a couple changes to make going into Sunday’s race but all in all, I feel very confident in our 14 crew and Homes For Our Troops Chevy.” DRR-Cusick Mostorsports Ryan Hunter-Reay, No.23 DRR CUSICK WEDBUSH SECURITIES Chevrolet: “All in all, we had a good day on the track. It was productive and we made some good changes with the race car. Then I left the pits, and we left some fire on the ground. Then, all of a sudden in the acceleration lane, I had bunch of fluid all over me and a lot of smoke. I did my best to get the car back to pit lane. We are still looking for answers of what the cause was. We are analyzing how much damage has been done right now. I jumped out of the car pretty quickly. We have to see what happened and the amount of damage. But I was pleased with the car on the track.” Jack Harvey, No. 24 DRR CUSICK INVST Chevrolet: “We had pretty much everything that we wanted to today. We rebase lined the car after being rebuilt the last few days. I think we are in a good window with the race car. We tried one change, and it wasn’t as good. It was very unfortunate for Ryan and his guys on the No. 23 car. There will be a lot of hours now to rebuild that car for the race. It’s a tough one and we will ask our No. 24 guys to help get that car ready for Sunday too. Wind was different today from Monday’s practice. The wind was quite strong and different from earlier in the week. I had a couple of moments in turn one with the wind. That is unusual since turn two is more affected by the wind normally. I am as confident as you can be going into the race with this car at IMS. The DRR/Cusick Motorsports team has put together a solid package for us on race car. We will see how the race develops if we need to make many changes as the race goes one. Right now, I like our setup.” Team Penske Josef Newgarden, No. 2 Shell V-Power NiTRO+ Team Penske Chevrolet: “Good final run here. Excited to check the car off again and work with the team. I’m really excited for Sunday. The main show. Everything we work for. I can’t wait to get back on track with Team Chevy and our entire group.”  Scott McLaughlin, No. 3 Pennzoil Team Penske Chevrolet: “A really good final practice for us. We’ve got a really good balance with the car and this backup car feels exactly like the last one. We played with some fuel savings and got through a lot of things. We’re in a good spot.” Will Power, No. 12 Verizon Team Penske Chevrolet: “As far as the engine goes, we were all good. The track changed and the wind changed, which will be different again on race day. Probably some minor changes to the car and then go.”

Presented by Motorcraft, new yearlong exhibit spotlights NASCAR’s longest-running team

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (May 23, 2025) – Wood Brothers Racing and the NASCAR Hall of Fame have partnered to debut a new exhibit, “Wood Brothers 75 Years: A Family Legacy.” The display, presented by Motorcraft, opens to the public today, Friday, May 23, in the Great Hall and will remain on view for one year. The exhibit features 54 artifacts spanning the team’s 75-year history, including a trophy and a crew shirt from each of the eight decades in which the team has celebrated a race win. Five race cars are also on view, alongside three custom vehicles hand-built by Leonard Wood between 1947 and 2022. The exhibit includes 111 photographs and six 65-inch video monitors, plus a striking video wall made up of three connected panels that stretch 80 inches tall and 150 inches wide. “Wood Brothers Racing is synonymous with NASCAR racing. Their 75 years of competition and 101 Cup Series victories have established them as one of the elite organizations in NASCAR history,” said NASCAR Hall of Fame Executive Director Winston Kelley. “Commonly referred to as ‘The Legendary Wood Brothers,’ this moniker is a tribute to their extensive contributions both on and off the racetrack, highlighted by their genuine humility and the unilateral respect they have garnered throughout the NASCAR industry and fan base. “I continue to be amazed at how the entire family has worked so seamlessly and been supportive of one another through 75 years, over three generations, with a fourth generation coming along. This rich legacy is a testament to Wood Brothers founder Glenn Wood and his wife and family matriarch Bernece Wood. The NASCAR Hall of Fame is truly honored to be a part of celebrating this milestone in their family’s storied history.” The Wood family worked closely with the NASCAR Hall of Fame staff to help curate the exhibit, selecting pieces that reflect both the personal and professional moments that have defined their journey. “For our family, the NASCAR Hall of Fame has always meant so much to us, so to have an exhibit that tells our story in this space is truly special,” said team co-owners Eddie and Len Wood. “It’s humbling to look back at everything our parents and this team accomplished, and to know that fans will get to experience those memories here, alongside so many of the sport’s greats, means a lot to all of us.” On Thursday evening, members of the Wood family, team personnel and close friends gathered for a private preview of the exhibit ahead of its public debut. The yearlong display is part of the team’s broader 75th anniversary celebration, which includes special throwback schemes, digital content and more activities throughout the 2025 season.

GARDEN CITY, KS (May 23, 2025) – One of the oldest running dirt Midget associations will meet with the newest for the first time at Airport Raceway for the Midget Roundup, May 23-25.

The Rocky Mountain Midget Racing Association (RMMRA), founded in 1940, has partnered with the Xtreme Outlaw Midget Series presented by Toyota – founded in 2022 – to bring Kansas one of its biggest Midget events of the year.

“With (the RMMRA) being that old and [Xtreme] being that new, it’s exciting,” said Mark Hamilton, RMMRA president. “It’s exciting to see the oldest still running, and the newest have something fun to do. I think it’s going to be great for both of our clubs.”

Midget racing’s rising popularity in the 1930s led to the birth of various clubs in the Colorado/Kansas/Nebraska region. However, the growth of various clubs also led to smaller car counts for some and unstable clubs. In an attempt to stabilize Midget racing in the area and help it grow, Lloyd Axel and Roy Leslie led the charge in forming the Rocky Mountain Midget Racing Association in 1940. Aside from a couple of hiatuses, mainly during World War II, the club has been active ever since, crowning hundreds of winners and 25 champions.

During their more than 80-year history, the Midget Roundup at Airport Raceway in Garden City, KS has been one of the group’s most coveted events.

“We’ve had that event since 1997,” Hamilton said. “It went away for a few years. Between (Airport Raceway promoter) Jack Crook and the RMMRA, we’ve been trying to put on the Roundup for almost 20 years. We hold it as a big tradition, and I know Jack does as well.

“It’s one of our most favorite tracks to race at. The track is great, and Jack is a great promoter. A great friend as well. We just want to continue that legacy, really. Joining up with Xtreme… I think is going to open up some doors. I think it’ll be a good thing.”

The RMMRA also played a key role in making sure Midget racing stayed alive in the Garden City area. When Crook stepped away from ownership of Airport Raceway for about 15 years, those who managed the track removed Midget racing from the schedule. But when Crook returned as the sole promoter, his first goal was to bring Midget racing back to the area and the RMMRA answered the call.

Since then, the Midget Roundup has not only been a big event for the RMMRA, but also an important event for Midget racing in the area.

“As far as keeping the Midget series alive, they’ve been the backbone,” Crook said. “Without those guys, I wouldn’t have kept running Midgets. They are still what I call old school… a club. I have good relations with all their club presidents. With those guys, I appreciate them, and I know they do us as well.”

The Midget Roundup normally saw about a 20-car entry list, with just the RMMRA alone. Now, with the addition of the Xtreme Outlaw Midget Series to the event, both groups expect a healthy car count, loaded with the top talent from both series – ranging from 14 years old with Xtreme to 60 years old with the RMMRA.

“There’s a lot of important history with the Rocky Mountain Midget Racing Association and Airport Raceway, which makes it exciting for the Xtreme Outlaw Midget Series to be a part of the Midget Roundup and help support their efforts of promoting Midget racing in the area,” said Tyler Bachman, Xtreme Outlaw Midget Series Director. “We’re confident it will be a great show with the level of talent both series are bringing.”

Set to compete in the Roundup are Xtreme drivers like reigning champion Cannon McIntosh, current points leader Jacob Denney and multi-time Series winner Chase McDermand, and RMMRA competitors like 13-time champion Keith Rauch – driving one of Hamilton’s cars – 14-time RMMRA winner Jake Bubak, and American Sprint Car Series regular Kyler Johnson.

Hamilton will also be in his own car for the event. He’s been the president of RMMRA for three years and has been racing with the group since 2014. His take on 1/6-mile Airport Raceway is “it’s fast.”

“You have to have some racecraft to get around that thing,” he said. “It’s a bullring, honestly. It’s elbows up the whole way.”

The three-day event will bring the oldest and newest series together with an open practice Friday night before they compete for a $4,000 payday on Saturday and a $5,000 top prize on Sunday.

Xtreme and RMMRA teams will also be treated to a cookout Saturday night, sponsored by Honest Abe Roofing, with nearly $6,000 in prizes to give away from CSI Shocks ($500 in product) DIRTVision (annual FASTPASS), DMI ($1,000 in product), Driven Midwest, FK Rod Ends (four complete sets of rod ends), FK Shocks, Sharp Advantage (two knee guards), Ultra Shield Race Products (three boxes of tare-offs), VP Fuels (one set of fuel jugs), and Wilwood Brakes (complete Midget brake package).

Get your tickets now by CLICKING HERE. Get $5 off your ticket when using code MCINTOSH71K.

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

NTT INDYCAR SERIES News Conference

Friday, May 23, 2025

Indianapolis, Indiana, USA

Arrow McLaren

THE MODERATOR: Good morning, and happy Carb Day. Holy cow, we have made it to race weekend! I’m utterly impressed that you guys made it here on time.

Moving on, I’ve probably milked these cow jokes enough, but glad to have these four Arrow McLaren teammates here. We’ll spend about 10 minutes doing press conference style and then we’ll go into scrum style for another 10 minutes.

We’ll go ahead and get started. Pato O’Ward will roll off third in the front row to get started this weekend, Christian rolling off eighth, Kyle Larson in 19th and rookie for the race Nolan Siegel in 24th.

What has been your highlight of the month of May so far?

PATO O’WARD: Milking a cow this morning. Woke up for some morning milking, and it was a really cool experience.

CHRISTIAN LUNDGAARD: I think my best experience was listening to what he just said.

KYLE LARSON: I was going to say the same thing.

NOLAN SIEGEL: Mine is yet to come. It’s going to be when they let me do something involved with the Wienie 500 like waving the green flag.

PATO O’WARD: Drivers, start your wieners! (Laughter.)

Q.  It’s two different kind of cars, Formula 1 and INDYCAR. Nevertheless, are there some engineering cooperation between your two teams from England to America? During the off-season INDYCAR is now finished quite early after German standard. Is there any sorts of plans for McLaren to give the Formula 1 guys to give some possibility to drive an INDYCAR and vice versa, INDYCAR driver in a Formula 1 car?

THE MODERATOR: I think the first question, Pato, you’ve been over and the reserve driver for the F1 so if you don’t mind sharing how McLaren, F1 and INDYCAR overlap.

PATO O’WARD: Yeah, so with both being open wheel, there is certain things that can be learned from one to another, but it would be a lot less than you think because Formula 1 is a constructor’s championship; you obviously create the car. In INDYCAR it’s more spec.

I do think a lot of the development that actually goes on in INDYCAR isn’t really looked through in so much depth in Formula 1 because what we focus on is parts that — well, that are aero usually, it’s just so aero dependent and focused.

I will say there’s been some crossover from marketing people, from engineering, as well, especially for this weekend and for the 500. There’s a lot of people from the UK that came here to help over here. There is some overlap.

But I wouldn’t say it’s for every weekend. I would say just more select events.

There’s obviously some things that you can learn from one to another, but I would say it’s a lot less than what people think because they don’t translate to each other.

THE MODERATOR: On your second question, I think we’ll let Zak answer that at some point. No immediate plans for the crossover from the F1 guys over here, but never say never. He’ll answer at some point, I’m sure. Right now we’re focused on Kyle as our fourth driver.

Q.  Christian, there’s a lot of talk about the pushing that you are doing in performance against Pato. Do you feel like this is — how do you describe how that helps the team going up?

CHRISTIAN LUNDGAARD: Yeah, I mean, to me, I assume Pato would agree with this, to me it’s very simple. I never came into this team to take Pato’s space. I came here to try to improve the overall package. The only feedback that I’ve been given is it’s going in the right direction, and at the end of the day, we both want to beat each other, but we also want to beat everybody else. I think that’s what we’re really focused on is we’re picking our battles, and I think there is huge respect between the two of us on the track and even off the track.

We want to help and improve the package as a team, and one car is going to be stronger one race and the other is going to be stronger in another race, and I think we’re at peace with that, and I think we’ve seen it already.

I think both of us will be happy to be fighting each other for wins at every single race.

Q.  Nolan, I think also the improvement in the team is seen in your side of the garage. What do you describe as the dynamic in the group that you feel like the team is changing after your first year and this year?

NOLAN SIEGEL: Yeah, well, on my side, obviously, I have a bit more learning to do than these guys. We’re coming up to a stretch of races that I did last year, and I think that that’ll be much easier for me in a sense going back to places that I’ve been before, and that’ll be a bit of a change. I think there’s been a big improvement on my side just coming off of races that I haven’t been to before. There’s just a big learning curve.

But no, I feel like we’ve done a good job and the qualifying performance has been good. We’ve had strong races, and it’s just kind of starting to come together. I think results will follow.

On the team side, we changed a lot this off-season. Obviously TK being a team principal now, the 6 car group, core group, changed a lot over the offseason, and I think there have been a lot of really positive changes, and we’ve made a huge amount of progress as a group. Like Christian is saying, I think there’s been progress on the car. I think there’s also been progress on kind of all sides of the team, whether even not necessarily car performance related sides of the team.On the outside, it looks like a lot of changes that might be scary, but I think they’ve been really, really positive, and that’s showing in the performance.

Q.  Kyle, I’m sure you’ve probably been asked this, but what has the support been like? How has that made you feel kind of getting the support from the NASCAR side, from whether it be drivers that are reaching out to you, and also, on the converse of that, being here, the INDYCAR fans that are so supportive of you doing this milestone?

KYLE LARSON: Yeah, I think everybody can respect somebody doing the double, so it does — I notice the support, and from the fans especially probably more than anything.

Yeah, it always makes you feel good that you feel like there’s a large amount of people cheering you on.

So yeah, hopefully we can just make everybody proud this weekend and do a good job in both races and just try our best.

Q.  Have you spoken with Tony Stewart or any of those guys at all or not really necessarily?

KYLE LARSON: I talked to Tony on the phone the other day mostly just because he’s getting in the broadcast booth on Sunday so he was checking in to see how things were going and what may be different than last year and stuff like that. It was good to catch up with him. I haven’t talked to him in a while, so it was good to chat on the phone.

Q.  Pato, as you enter this race on Sunday, where do you feel like you guys’ race car package is from where you guys have had it the last couple years?

PATO O’WARD: We’ve still got work to do, I would say. I don’t think that we’re as far along as we have been in years past. I do think we nailed it in qualifying. At least with my car I was pretty happy with it, as happy as I’ve ever been for 500 qualifying. But for the race car it’s been a bit more of a challenge. Today’s two hours are going to be really important to kind of dialing her in.

But I don’t think we’re far away, but we’re definitely not — I don’t see, at least my car, was even close to some of the other stronger cars that I’ve seen, where it’s like, ooh — I feel like there’s a bigger difference from strong cars to average to, like, weak cars this year. It seems like the change is quite a bit more than years past. Yeah, just trying to get a little bit better and a bit more comfortable.

Q.  Kyle, do you feel like this year is less attention and spotlight on your attempt than last year?

KYLE LARSON: Yeah, I actually like that a lot. I feel like I get a lot of attention in everything that I do and race, and I don’t really like that because I feel like it takes away from the spotlight of others. This year has been better because I feel like I’ve kind of flown under the radar a little bit more. Not really under the radar, still obviously an important thing, and I have still gotten a lot of coverage. 

But last year I felt, like, crazy.

It’s been good. It’s been more normal, and I like it that way.

Q.  How much is it the Pato effect? You don’t have anyone like that in NASCAR to take some of that attention away from you.

KYLE LARSON: Yeah, we’re all pretty vanilla at Hendrick, but he’s not. I feel like most of the INDYCAR garage, though, has got good personalities, so we need more guys like Pato in NASCAR.

Q.  Pato, I did not wake up to see you milk the cow, so tell us how you enjoyed your experience.

KYLE LARSON: He loved it.

PATO O’WARD: I really did. The experience was great. Woke up, excited to wake up to milk a cow. Quite interesting. Very warm, you know, gotta warm her up. Her name was Rihanna. Yeah, she was fabulous. Did you see a video at least? You’ll see, first try.

THE MODERATOR: We will split up into scrums and then Tony Kanaan will also join. We’ve got about 10 minutes before the guys have to get off to the drivers’ meeting.

CHEVROLET IN NTT INDYCAR SERIES THE 109TH RUNNING OF THE INDIANAPOLIS 500 INDIANAPOLIS MOTOR SPEEDWAY INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA TEAM CHEVY RACE ADVANCE DETROIT (May 22, 2025) The 109th Running of the Indianapolis 500 provides Chevrolet with the biggest stage in racing to showcase its engineering development and performance on the biggest stage in American Motorsports.   Chevrolet engineers and their technical partner’s hard work over the off-season paid off with a pair of Chevrolet-powered drivers on the front row and five more Team Chevy drivers in the first four rows. Rookie Robert Shwartzman in the No. 83 PREMA Racing Chevrolet, a surprise pole winner, is joined on the outside of the front row by The No. 5 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet driven by Pato O’Ward. The Mexican driver has come up just short, finishing second in two of the last three ‘Greatest Spectacles In Racing,’ and is hungry to add his face to the Borg-Warner Trophy. “Congratulations to Robert Shwartzman and PREMA Racing on winning the pole for the Indianapolis 500,” said Mark Stielow, Director Motorsport Competition Engineering – General Motors. “As a rookie driver and team, this is a major accomplishment. We are excited to have Pato O’Ward also qualifying on the front row to give Chevrolet two strong drivers up front when the green flag flies, and all 18 Chevy-powered cars qualified into the 33-car field.” All 18 Chevrolet-powered drivers entered for this year’s Indianapolis 500 qualified, the most Gold Bowtie adorned starters for the “Greatest Spectacle In Racing” since 2002. That year, 26 drivers, including the winner Helio Castroneves and nine of the top ten finishers, were a part of Team Chevy.   “The major goal for Chevrolet is still ahead of us – winning the Greatest Spectacle in Racing,” continued Stielow. “Every year, winning the Indianapolis 500 is one of our primary goals, and our Chevrolet engineering group has worked tirelessly with our teams and technical partners at Ilmor to give the Team Chevy drivers their best opportunity to win the biggest race in the world. To see the Borg Warner Trophy with the wreath, the milk and the amazing Corvette ZR1 pace car awarded to a Chevrolet driver is the ultimate result. We are well prepared for ‘Drivers Start Your Engine’ on Sunday.” Also new this year, teams and drivers are learning how to maximize the benefit of the hybrid power at the Speedway. Using a supercapacitor to store energy, drivers will have manual and automatic options to deploy the additional 60 horsepower, adding a new wrinkle to the “Greatest Spectacle In Racing.” During practice and qualifying, unique challenges presented to the teams in the quest for optimal performance. The Team Chevy squad’s 18 drivers represent a mix of experience – half of the Indianapolis 500 winners in the field, with Josef Newgarden (2023 & 2024) behind the wheel of the No. 2 Shell V-Power NiTRO+ Team Penske Chevrolet, Ryan Hunter-Reay (2014) driving the No. 23 DRR CUSICK WEDBUSH SECURITIES Chevrolet, Will Power (2018) in the No. 12 Verizon Team Penske Chevrolet, and Alexander Rossi (2016) piloting the No. 20 ECR Java House Chevrolet, – along with youth – rookies Schwartzman and Nolan Siegel driving the No. 6 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet are joined by seven other drivers that have made less than five Indianapolis 500 starts. The 18 Chevrolet-powered drivers feature 121 starts, five wins, four poles, 49 top ten finishes and 909 laps led in the ‘Greatest Spectacle In Racing.’ Newgarden, one of the Indianapolis 500 winners on Team Chevy, is looking for a record-breaking third straight Indianapolis 500 victory, something Helio Castroneves, Mauri Rose, Wilbur Shaw, Bill Vukovich, and Al Unser, Sr., the other back-to-back winners, have failed to accomplish.  For the second straight year, Kyle Larson will be wearing a gold Bowtie in both races for his attempt at the “double,” racing all 1,100 miles on Sunday. Larson will start inside the seventh row in the No. 17 HendrickCars.com Arrow McLaren Chevrolet in his second Indianapolis 500, after completing all 500 miles and running inside the top ten for two-thirds of last year’s race. Two quick helicopter rides sandwich a flight from Indianapolis to Charlotte, where the Californian will climb in the No. 5 HendrickCars.com Hendrick 1100 Chevrolet for the NASCAR Cup Series’ longest race of the year, the 66th Annual Coca-Cola 600. The 2025 Chevrolet Corvette ZR1 will pace the traditional 33 starters to the green flag of the 109th Indianapolis 500 presented by Gainbridge, marking the 36th time a Chevrolet has held that honor.  The 2025 Corvette ZR1, capable of 233mph, the highest top speed of any car ever made in America by an auto manufacturer, is the 22nd Corvette to pace the field, which started on the 25th Anniversary of the iconic symbol of American speed in 1978. The 5.5L twin-turbo V8 delivers 1,064 horsepower at 7000 rpm, the most powerful V8 ever produced in America by an auto manufacturer, allowing the fastest Corvette produced to complete zero to 60mph in 2.3 seconds and zipping through the quarter mile in 9.6 seconds at 150mph.  Pro Hall of Fame member and longtime “FOX NFL Sunday” analyst Michael Strahan is the honorary Pace Car driver for the “Greatest Spectacle In Racing.”

Rapid Robert Unexpected pole winner Robert Shwartzman, the driver of the No. 83 PREMA Racing, has an impressive racing resume, spending the last three years as a test and reserve driver in Formula One, winning one WEC race in the Hypercar class after an outstanding junior formula open-wheel career in Europe. Mostly driving for PREMA Racing, the Israeli-born driver won six FIA Formula 2 races, the 2019 FIA Formula 3 championship and more than ten races in the series below that.

The 25-year-old joins Teo Fabi (1983) and Walt Faulkner (1950) as only the third rookie to earn the pole for the Indianapolis 500 and is the only driver to accomplish the unlikely feat in his first-ever oval race.Shwartzman’s first lap pace during the three portions of qualifying was impressive. The rookie had the second-fastest lap on Saturday at 233.320mph and the fastest laps during the Fast 12 (233.166mph) and Firestone Fast Six (233.173).Ryan Briscoe won the first Indianapolis 500 pole in the twin-turbo 2.2L era of the NTT INDYCAR SERIES competition with Chevrolet power. This year, Briscoe is the Sporting Director for PREMA Racing, who, with Shwarztman, won the first Indianapolis 500 pole in the hybrid twin-turbo 2.2L era. Shwartzman is the first Israeli-born driver to qualify for the Indianapolis 500.The No. 83 PREMA Racing crew is a mix of experienced INDYCAR hands, newcomers from Europe, and one race engineer using vacation time from his full-time gig. That includes Nina Cheikh, Ilmor INDYCAR Trackside Support Engineer and Andrea Preacher, General Motors Trackside Engineer.  Television coverage for the 109th Indianapolis 500 in the U.S.A. will be available on FOX, FOX Deportes and the FOX Sports app beginning with pre-race coverage at 10 a.m.(ET), with the green flag flying at 12:45 p.m. International viewers car find viewing options here. INDYCAR Radio Network begins coverage at 10 a.m. and can be found on SiriusXM 218 or one of many local INDYCAR Radio affiliates. Chevrolet at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Wins: 13 2024 – Josef Newgarden – Team Penske2023 – Josef Newgarden – Team Penske2019 – Simon Pagenaud – Team Penske2018 – Simon Pagenaud – Team Penske2015 – Juan Montoya – Team Penske2013 – Tony Kanaan – KV Racing Technology-SH Racing2002 – Helio Castroneves – Team Penske1993 – Emerson Fittipaldi – Team Penske1992 – Al Unser, Jr. – Galles/Kraco1991 – Rick Mears – Team Penske1990 – Arie Luyendyk – Doug Shierson Racing1989 – Emerson Fittipaldi – Team Penske1988 – Rick Mears – Team Penske Poles: 14 2025 – Robert Shwartzman – PREMA Racing2024 – Scott McLaughlin – Team Penske2019 – Simon Pagenaud – Team Penske2018 – Ed Carpenter – Ed Carpenter Racing2015 – Scott Dixon – Chip Ganassi Racing2014 – Ed Carpenter – Ed Carpenter Racing2013 – Ed Carpenter – Ed Carpenter Racing2012 – Ryan Briscoe – Team Penske2002 – Bruno Junqueira – Chip Ganassi Racing1991 – Rick Mears – Team Penske1990 – Emerson Fittipaldi – Team Penske1989 – Rick Mears – Team Penske1988 – Rick Mears – Team Penske1987 – Mario Andretti – Newman Haas Racing Podiums: (2.2L V6 Era since 2012): 19Drivers: Josef Newgarden (3 – 2024, 2023, and 2016), Helio Castroneves (2 – 2017 & 2014), Tony Kanaan (2 – 2013 & 2012), Pato O’Ward (2 – 2024 & 2022), Simon Pagenaud (2 – 2021 & 2019), Will Power (2 – 2018 & 2015), Ed Carpenter (2018), Santino Ferrucci (2023), Ryan Hunter-Reay (2013), Charlie Kimball (2015), Juan Montoya (2015), and Carlos Munoz (2013)Teams: Team Penske (9 – 2024, 2023, 2021, 2019, 2018, 2017, 2015 [2], 2014), Andretti Global (2 – 2013 [2]), Arrow McLaren (2 – 2024, 2022), Ed Carpenter Racing (2 – 2018 & 2016), KV Racing Technology w/SH (2 – 2013 & 2012), A.J. Foyt Racing (2023), and Chip Ganassi Racing (2015) Laps Led: (2.2L V6 Era since 2012): 1442 Drivers: Simon Pagenaud (169), Will Power (140), Ed Carpenter (137), Tony Kanaan (114), Pato O’Ward (93), Marco Andretti (90), Scott Dixon (87), Helio Castroneves (74), Conor Daly (69), Josef Newgarden (69), Scott McLaughlin (66), Rinus VeeKay (65), Felix Rosenqvist (47), Ryan Hunter-Reay (34), Juan Montoya (26), Carlos Munoz (12), AJ Allmendinger (23), Sting Ray Robb (23), Alexander Rossi (16), Ryan Briscoe (15), Santino Ferrucci (15), Charlie Kimball (10), J.R. Hildebrand (8), James Hinchcliffe (7), Spencer Pigot (7), Callum Ilott (6), EJ Viso (5), Oliver Askew (4), Sage Karam (4), Kyle Larson (4), Rubens Barrichello (2), and Townsend Bell (1)Teams: Team Penske (568), Ed Carpenter Racing (278), Arrow McLaren (165), Chip Ganassi Racing (147), Andretti Global (140), A.J. Foyt Racing (57), KV Racing Technology (47), Dreyer & Reinbold Racing (34), Juncos Hollinger Racing (5), and Panther Racing (1) 2025 NTT INDYCAR SERIES CHEVROLET BY THE NUMBERS344: Podiums in the NTT INDYCAR SERIES since 2012. 221: NTT INDYCAR SERIES races as a twin-turbo V6 engine supplier since 2012.122: Wins in the NTT INDYCAR SERIES since 2012. 139: Earned poles since 2012. Chevrolet holds 144 poles awards in total with five recorded based on points due to weathe107: Poles by Team Penske, the most of any Chevrolet powered team since 201285: Wins by Team Penske, the most of any Chevrolet powered team since 201247: Poles by Will Power since 2012, the most by any Chevrolet powered driver31: wins by Josef Newgarden since 2012, the most by any Chevrolet powered driver19: historical Driver Championships, including seven since 2012. 9: Manufacturer Championships since 2018: podiums in 2025

WHEATLAND, MO (May 22, 2025) – Hudson O’Neal returned to Lucas Oil Speedway on Thursday night and came home with his third consecutive win at the “Diamond of Dirt Tracks,” clinching the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series presented by FloRacing “Cowboy Classic” to kick off the 33rd Annual Show-Me 100 weekend. O’Neal, who collected $27,000 in winnings by sweeping the “Spring Shootout” in April, took the lead on lap 33 and went on to win his 30th career Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series event by 1.335 seconds over Devin Moran, who started in 12th position. Garrett Alberson, who led the first 32 laps of the race, rounded out the Big River Steel Podium in third. Ricky Thornton Jr. finished fourth, while Jonathan Davenport placed fifth. In Lucas Oil Victory Lane for the first time this season, the 2021 Show-Me 100 Champion started in third place, fell back to sixth at one point, but recovered to secure his fourth win overall in 2025, taking the lead with 12 laps remaining in the 45-lap main event. “I got to second there right before one of those restarts and the top was still pretty dominate and I was like man I need to get to the top down here in one and two and I’ll be danged if I didn’t drive off in there and run right over the banking and fell to fifth or sixth. I didn’t know if I was going to win it, but I was determined to run in the top three, and now I had to battle to get back there. The restarts just fell our way, we got some good breaks right through there and were able to show how good our race car was down there on the bottom. This place put on a heck of a show tonight. We raced all over it.” Moran, who started on the outside of row number six, was in the thick of things near the end of the race and came home in second at the finish. “It definitely wasn’t as easy as it might have looked, you know, I feel like we were horrible all night, just awful qualifying, and in the heat, everybody worked really hard, and we had a lot better car in the feature. I was trying to make that top in three and four work a little bit more, to get that little bit of a run that I could underneath of them, but it just didn’t work out. The car just kept getting better and better as the race went on.” Alberson, once again, was denied his first series win of the season. He was untouchable in the early part of the race but ultimately fell to O’Neal on lap 33 and then to Moran on the final lap. “I guess maybe I should have protected that bottom a little bit longer or something. It’s so hard to judge the pace of these things, it really is. I mean Hudson, Devin, Ricky, and Davenport, these guys are so good and playing off of your weaknesses and stuff like that. I just have to get better at it. The car is really great, and it’s a great place to start the weekend at.”  The winner’s SSI Motorsports, Longhorn Chassis is powered by a Clements Racing Engine Big River Steel, Wheeler Metals, Merrill Bonding Company, Sub-Surface of Indiana, Professional Concrete, Cutting, and Drilling, West Side Tractor Sales, Dyno One Inc., O’Neal’s Salvage and Recycling, Bob and Tammy Burton, Indiana USSSA Fast Pitch Softball, Houchens Insurance Group, Bilstein Shocks, Sunoco Race Fuels, and BobCat of Batesville. Completing the top ten were Carson Ferguson, Bobby Pierce, Brandon Sheppard, Justin Wells, and Cade Dillard. Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series Race Summary 12th Annual Cowboy ClassicThursday, May 22, 2025Lucas Oil Speedway – Wheatland, MO Allstar Performance Time TrialsFast Time Group A: Garrett Alberson | 15.191 seconds (Overall)Fast Time Group B: Jonathan Davenport | 15.356 seconds  Penske Shocks Heat Race #1 Finish (8 Laps, Top 3 Transfer): 1. 58-Garrett Alberson[1]; 2. 97-Cade Dillard[2]; 3. 8-Dillon McCowan[3]; 4. 15-Clay Stuckey[5]; 5. 60-Dan Ebert[4]; 6. 18D-Daulton Wilson[6]; 7. 93M-Mason Oberkramer[7]; 8. 3W-Brennon Willard[8]; 9. 1K-Richard Kimberling[9] Summit Racing Products Heat Race #2 Finish (8 Laps, Top 3 Transfer): 1. 71-Hudson O’Neal[1]; 2. 93-Carson Ferguson[2]; 3. 32-Bobby Pierce[3]; 4. 50-Kayden Clatt[6]; 5. 99H-Dylan Hoover[5]; 6. 7J-Ryan Johnson[4]; 7. 82-Jace Parmley[8]; 8. (DNS) 12-Scott Crigler Cool-It Thermo-Tec Heat Race #3 Finish (8 Laps, Top 3 Transfer): 1. 20RT-Ricky Thornton Jr[1]; 2. 1S-Jeremy Shaw[2]; 3. 2T-Tyler Stevens[3]; 4. 7-Cole Wells[6]; 5. 96-Dalton Imhoff[5]; 6. 19M-Spencer Hughes[4]; 7. 67-Jimmy Vanzandt[8]; 8. 26P-Glen Powell[7] Simpson Race Products Heat Race #4 Finish (8 Laps, Top 3 Transfer): 1. 49-Jonathan Davenport[1]; 2. 157-Mike Marlar[2]; 3. 11-Gordy Gundaker[3]; 4. 22-Daniel Hilsabeck[4]; 5. 40B-Kyle Bronson[5]; 6. 31C-Cole Henson[6]; 7. S3-Joey Smith[7]; 8. 18P-Shannon Parker[8] Lucas Oil Products Heat Race #5 Finish (8 Laps, Top 3 Transfer): 1. 76-Brandon Overton[2]; 2. 1-Brandon Sheppard[1]; 3. 98-Justin Wells[3]; 4. 79-Donald McIntosh[5]; 5. 21-Chris Wilhite Jr[7]; 6. 1G-Bryan Glaze[6]; 7. 93L-Cory Lawler[4]; 8. USA1-Chris Hawkins[8] Lucas Oil Products Heat Race #6 Finish (8 Laps, Top 3 Transfer): 1. 16-Tyler Bruening[1]; 2. 99-Devin Moran[2]; 3. 1XM-Aaron Marrant[3]; 4. 6-Clay Harris[4]; 5. 1/4J-Jaxon Ertel[6]; 6. 8K-Tyler Kuykendall[8]; 7. 91-Chris Jones[7]; 8. 4X-Dalon Helm[5] Fast Shafts B-Main Race #1 Finish (10 Laps, Top 2 Transfer): 1. 15-Clay Stuckey[1]; 2. 19M-Spencer Hughes[9]; 3. 7-Cole Wells[3]; 4. 60-Dan Ebert[4]; 5. 50-Kayden Clatt[2]; 6. 18D-Daulton Wilson[7]; 7. 7J-Ryan Johnson[8]; 8. 93M-Mason Oberkramer[10]; 9. 99H-Dylan Hoover[5]; 10. 3W-Brennon Willard[13]; 11. 67-Jimmy Vanzandt[12]; 12. 82-Jace Parmley[11]; 13. 26P-Glen Powell[15]; 14. (DNS) 96-Dalton Imhoff; 15. (DNS) 12-Scott Crigler; 16. (DNS) 1K-Richard Kimberling UNOH B-Main Race #2 Finish (10 Laps, Top 2 Transfer): 1. 22-Daniel Hilsabeck[1]; 2. 79-Donald McIntosh[2]; 3. 6-Clay Harris[3]; 4. 40B-Kyle Bronson[4]; 5. 1/4J-Jaxon Ertel[6]; 6. 31C-Cole Henson[7]; 7. 91-Chris Jones[12]; 8. 8K-Tyler Kuykendall[9]; 9. 93L-Cory Lawler[11]; 10. 21-Chris Wilhite Jr[5]; 11. 1G-Bryan Glaze[8]; 12. S3-Joey Smith[10]; 13. 18P-Shannon Parker[13]; 14. (DNS) USA1-Chris Hawkins; 15. (DNS) 4X-Dalon Helm 12th Annual Cowboy Classic Feature Finish (45 Laps): Pos – Start – Car # – Competitor – Hometown – Pay1 – 3 – 71 – Hudson O’Neal – Martinsville, IN – $10,0002 – 12 – 99 – Devin Moran – Dresden, OH – $5,5003 – 1 – 58 – Garrett Alberson – Las Cruces, NM – $3,6004 – 5 – 20RT – Ricky Thornton Jr – Chandler, AZ – $2,8005 – 2 – 49 – Jonathan Davenport – Blairsville, GA – $2,5006 – 9 – 93 – Carson Ferguson – Lincolnton, NC – $2,3007 – 15 – 32 – Bobby Pierce – Oakwood, IL – $2,2008 – 10 – 1 – Brandon Sheppard – New Berlin, IL – $2,1009 – 16 – 98 – Justin Wells – Aurora, MO – $2,05010 – 7 – 97 – Cade Dillard – Robeline, LA – $2,00011 – 22 – 79 – Donald McIntosh – Dawsonville, GA – $1,70012 – 14 – 11 – Gordy Gundaker – St. Charles, MO – $1,40013 – 23 – 18D – Daulton Wilson – Fayetteville, NC – $1,20014 – 20 – 22 – Daniel Hilsabeck – Earlham, IA – $1,00015 – 8 – 157 – Mike Marlar – Winfield, TN – $95016 – 24 – 60 – Dan Ebert – Lake Shore, MN – $92517 – 21 – 19M – Spencer Hughes – Meridian, MS – $90018 – 11 – 1S – Jeremy Shaw – Millport, AL – $87519 – 13 – 8 – Dillon McCowan – Urbana, MO – $85020 – 19 – 15 – Clay Stuckey – Shreveport, LA – $82521 – 18 – 1XM – Aaron Marrant – Richmond, MO – $80022 – 17 – 2T – Tyler Stevens – Paragould, AR – $80023 – 6 – 16 – Tyler Bruening – Decorah, IA – $80024 – 4 – 76 – Brandon Overton – Evans, GA – $800 Race Statistics  Entrants: 49Victory Fuel Pole Sitter: Garrett AlbersonMD3 Lap Leaders: Garrett Alberson (Laps 1-32); Hudson O’Neal (Laps 33-45)Hellraizer Jacks Halfway Leader: Garrett AlbersonWieland Feature Winner: Hudson O’NealMargin of Victory: 1.334 secondsColtman Farms Racing Cautions: Brandon Overton (Lap 3); Mike Marlar, Cade Dillard (Lap 7); Tyler Bruening (Lap 19); Tyler Stevens (Lap 24)Series Provisional: Daulton Wilson; Dan EbertFast Time Provisional: n/aEmergency Provisional: n/aTrack Provisional: n/aBig River Steel Podium Top 3: Hudson O’Neal, Devin Moran, Garrett AlbersonPenske Shocks Top 5: Hudson O’Neal, Devin Moran, Garrett Alberson, Ricky Thornton, Jr., Jonathn DavenportPEM 4th Place Feature: Ricky Thornton, Jr.DMI Rearends 5th Place Feature: Jonathan DavenportWilwood Brakes Lucky 7th Place Feature: Bobby PierceWehrs Machine 11th Place Feature: Donald McIntoshDeatherage Opticians Lucky 13th Place Feature: Daulton WilsonMD3 24th Place Feature: Brandon OvertonHoker Trucking Hard Charger of the Race: Donald McIntosh (Advanced 11 Positions) MD3 Most Laps Led: Garrett Alberson (32 Laps)Sunoco Race for Gas Highest Finisher: Hudson O’NealMidwest Sheet Metal Spoiler Challenge Point Leader: Ricky Thornton, Jr.O’Reilly Auto Parts Rookie of the Race: Donald McIntoshPro Fabrication Headers Fastest Lap of the Race: Garrett Alberson (Lap 4 | 15.514 seconds)Slicker Graphics Slickest Move of the Race: Hudson O’NealFresh Roof Hard Luck Award: Brandon OvertonOuterwears Crew Chief of the Race: Jason DurhamARP Engine Builder of the Race: Clements Racing EnginesMiller Welders Chassis Builder of the Race: Longhorn ChassisDirt Draft Fastest in Hot Laps: Jonathan Davenport (15.1830 seconds)Time of Race: 23 minutes 46 seconds Big River Steel Chase for the Championship Presented by ARP Point Standings:Pos – Car # – Competitor – Hometown – Points – Pay1 – 20RT – Ricky Thornton Jr – Chandler, AZ – 3810 – $219,9502 – 49 – Jonathan Davenport – Blairsville, GA – 3770 – $153,9003 – 99 – Devin Moran – Dresden, OH – 3665 – $160,5494 – 58 – Garrett Alberson – Las Cruces, NM – 3430 – $66,4505 – 71 – Hudson O’Neal – Martinsville, IN – 3405 – $77,9756 – 1 – Brandon Sheppard – New Berlin, IL – 3255 – $73,3007 – 76 – Brandon Overton – Evans, GA – 3240 – $72,0008 – 18D – Daulton Wilson – Fayetteville, NC – 3020 – $52,8009 – 93 – Carson Ferguson – Lincolnton, NC – 2875 – $42,62510 – 79 – Donald McIntosh – Dawsonville, GA – 2705 – $30,90011 – 22 – Daniel Hilsabeck – Earlham, IA – 2670 – $29,92512 – 1T – Tyler Erb – New Waverly, TX – 2595 – $34,00013 – 19M – Spencer Hughes – Meridian, MS – 2545 – $31,77514 – 60 – Dan Ebert – Lake Shore, MN – 2440 – $23,27515 – 6 – Clay Harris – Jupiter, FL – 2310 – $23,70016 – 16 – Tyler Bruening – Decorah, IA – 2200 – $42,50017 – 93L – Cory Lawler – Hanover, PA – 2150 – $16,025

Fifteenth annual Steve King Memorial goes green next Saturday, May 31

CONCORD, NC (May 22, 2025) — The American Sprint Car Series (ASCS) will help honor one of Kansas’ most loved local racers when it returns to Dodge City Raceway Park for the Steve King Memorial on Saturday, May 31.

This year marks the 15th running of the event, which honors Steve King and his family’s contributions to the sport. The Dodge City, KS track has hosted the Memorial for eight of its 14 previous editions and presents a $4,000-to-win main event for the best 360 Sprint Car drivers in the country this year.

Kansas’ premier dirt track hosts several special events every season, but the Steve King Memorial stands out among all the others.

“Steve was a local legend in our area,” said Kyler Fetters, Dodge City track promoter and Steve King Foundation President. “Everybody, when they think 360 racing, they think Steve King in our area. If it wasn’t Steve King, it was Garry Lee Maier, but Steve was right behind Garry in everybody’s eyes when it came to 360 racing.

“Steve was just a great guy. He was always a pleasure to be around at the racetrack. Never had a bad thing to say, and very well looked up to amongst his peers.”

King was a second-generation Sprint Car driver from Jetmore, KS, who spent 18 seasons behind the wheel in his lifetime. King primarily raced the local and regional 360 Sprint Car circuits, most notably winning the 2002 and 2003 points championships with the National Championship Racing Association (NCRA).

However, King’s rising career was cut short after he succumbed to injuries suffered in a crash at the 2006 Knoxville Nationals. After his passing, the King family established the Steve King Foundation, which helps “provide assistance to race car drivers, pit crew members, racing officials and track operations personnel or the immediate families of those individuals who are involved in dirt track racing and are seriously ill, severely injured or have been killed,” according to the organization’s website.

It’s not every day a grieving family finds the strength to turn unthinkable loss into invaluable gain for an entire community. But that’s what the King family wanted, and that’s what they did.

“The generosity of the racing community was overwhelming,” said Danette King Amstein, Steve King’s sister. “It was so appreciated, but it was also just overwhelming, and we asked, ‘How do we best use these funds to help racing families?’

“The donations were coming in, and at the same time, we were learning there really wasn’t a national mechanism to help families that were in the same position that we were in.”

As of 2025, the Steve King Foundation has given more than $550,000 to over 240 racing families in their time of need.

“It’s a great organization that helps not only racers, and not a lot of people realize this, but if you’re a crew member of family of a crew member that is involved in racing, we can help out with that,” Fetters said. “Whether it be a broken arm, a vehicle crash, a motorsports accident — really anything, as long as you’re involved in racing, especially open-wheel, we try to do the best we can.”

Less than one year after King’s accident, his family partnered with Dodge City Raceway Park for the first edition of the Steve King Memorial. Nebraska racer Don Droud Jr. took the checkered flag in the inaugural event — a 360 Sprint Car race sanctioned by the former ASCS Rocky Mountain Region.

The event moved to King’s home track — Jetmore Motorplex (later renamed Great American Dirt Track) — for the second running under the United Rebel Sprint Series (URSS) in 2008. The event stayed in Jetmore for the next five years until the track’s closing in 2013, then pivoted back to its current home in Dodge City in 2014.

The event was revived in 2021 after a four-year break and is now back under ASCS sanctioning — a vital part to the event’s future success.

“As far as 360 racing goes, we’re tickled to bring the American Sprint Car Series back to Western Kansas,” Fetters said. “Several years ago, I brought them back to WaKeeney when I was promoting the racetrack there. It had been 20-something years since they had been to WaKeeney. Then, when I took over Dodge City, it had been a 12-year hiatus since they had been back to Dodge City.

“I feel really proud to be bringing back ASCS to our area. It’s probably, bar-none, the best 360 drivers in the nation racing.”

“We’ve been blessed with a lot of fans that, at this point, didn’t know Steve but know the story, and want to come see good racing,” King Amstein said. “While it’s changed tracks from Jetmore to Dodge, it’s certainly been an event that we look forward to because it brings good competition to the area. That brings everyone out to support the Foundation and to remember Steve.”

The Steve King Memorial is part of an ASCS Kansas doubleheader weekend with the Series first visiting Salt City Speedway in Hutchinson, KS on Friday, May 30. Tickets are available online now.

Tickets to see the American Sprint Car Series in the 15th running of the Steve King Memorial at Dodge City Raceway Park will be sold at the gate on race day.

 If you can’t be there to watch in person, stream every lap live on DIRTVision.

NTT INDYCAR SERIES News ConferenceThursday May 22, 2025Indianapolis, Indiana, USASantino Ferrucci – A.J. Foyt RacingStarts 15th THE MODERATOR: Santino, how would you describe your month or two weeks of May? SANTINO FERRUCCI: I don’t know if I want to summarize my month (smiling). It’s been a lot. I really feel for my crew, who have probably split the car now eight times, which you’re only really supposed to do three. I feel really bad for those guys. They’ve been working really hard to give me a really, really solid race car. Monday practice was the first time we got to really be out there racing in the pack. I felt really competitive. Was able to pass a bunch of people, especially in the train. Couple small changes we want to do for Friday’s practice. Hope that everything is the same once we put it back together for the weekend. Q. Santino, INDYCAR season is finished after the European standard relatively early by the end of August. A couple of years ago you did some NASCAR stuff. Are you planning to do similar things the rest of the year to stay sharp? SANTINO FERRUCCI: I’d like to. I don’t have anything currently on my schedule. The only thing past INDYCAR that I have is the Chili Bowl, which I’ll be back again for. As everybody knows, I love my dirt racing. If I could figure something out over there once our season is over and my job is complete here at INDYCAR, then yeah, definitely. Q. Santino, you’re always up in the front of this race leading. How do you think the race is going to run with the hybrid, the conditions? SANTINO FERRUCCI: I think conditions… Even having the hybrid in the car, it makes it a little bit more free on the entry, which is one thing. Everybody is kind of fighting the same things, free in, pushy off. At the end of the day, the biggest thing that affects our racing other than downforce is the tires. If the tires are wearing really good or wearing out too aggressively or not wearing at all, really have a big impact on our racing. From what I can tell, it’s going to be pretty decent. The weather is going to help us. When it gets really hot and you can’t follow and you have as much downforce on as you possibly can. Gets cool like this, we can trim the cars out, not run wickers on the rear and get a lot closer. It’ll also allow the track to run two lanes, which is nice. Two lanes at the start, not two lanes throughout. I think it should be pretty good. If we get a nice 65-, 70-degree day, a little bit overcast, even for the fans that don’t want to be sunburnt, it will probably be good for everybody.Q.  Santino, how do you think the personnel changes at Team Penske could impact the technical alliance that you have? SANTINO FERRUCCI: To be honest with you, I don’t know. I mean, like I said, I drive for AJ Foyt. For us, I mean, our focus is to win the 500. Nothing’s changed for us. Seriously, nothing’s changed under our roof. Yeah, no, we still operate at two totally different teams in that respect. Like I said, it’s a bummer to see that happen. I think those are all fantastic people that have worked really hard to get to where they are today. It’s sad to see that happen in today’s world of motorsports.Yeah, no, that’s all I got. Q.  Rookie on pole who has never been on pole in an INDYCAR race, let alone an oval. How do you navigate the start? SANTINO FERRUCCI: Pretty cool. I’m not going to lie, it’s pretty cool. You have a brand-new team, a driver that I’ve raced with growing up in Europe. So I’ve known him a long time. All in all, something of history. Cool to see. Not just as a competitor, but as a fan of this beautiful race. Now, I think does he trust his spotters? I hope so. Next to him you have probably one of the most talented people around this place starting it off, too.  Then Pato, as well, who has done amazing here. I think, yeah, it’s going to be entertaining. Q. Santino, third year for you driving for AJ Foyt. Is there any extra pressure on you to perform well here? SANTINO FERRUCCI: Yeah, I mean, A.J. has won it four. He won it once as a team owner as well. I would love to give him his sixth 500 win. Obviously it’s been a few years since the team has won. I brought them back a pole last year. I’ve come very close to winning this event in ’23 with them. I feel really confident in our abilities this year. I think this is going to be one of better shots I’ve had at it, too. It’s all about maximizing on race day. Driving and spending time with A.J. in the pits is unbelievable. You can’t even put into words what it’s like to just sit in the garage with him, especially during one of the days like Monday to where you have a lot of time on your hands before you go out for two hours of practice. Him telling stories back in the day, talking about the car, explaining to him the feeling of what I have, what we were doing in engineering, hearing his opinions and thoughts. It’s almost crazy to think that someone, when A.J. drove, he only retired in the early ’90s, that his car, what he would do with the setup, to what we’re doing in engineering really lines up pretty well. It’s pretty spectacular. It’s just a joy to be around him, and try to cherish all those moments while I can. THE MODERATOR: Do you have a favorite A.J. story? SANTINO FERRUCCI: Not one that I’d like to share. THE MODERATOR: We asked Malukas the same thing… GRAHAM RAHAL: No stories (laughter). SANTINO FERRUCCI: They’re all in the book. If you want to hear about the stories, read the book. I’m telling you, read the book.

NTT INDYCAR SERIES News Conference

Thursday May 22, 2025

Indianapolis, Indiana, USA

Pato O’Ward – Arrow McLaren

Starts 3rd

THE MODERATOR: Pato, I’m sure you’re champing at the bit, ready to get going tomorrow. What do you hope to learn?

PATO O’WARD: Yeah, obviously two more hours to get the car into a nice window, best window that you can going into the race.

Yeah, just looking forward to seeing everybody back at the Speedway. It’s going to be a sold-out event, nuts. The vibes are going to be cool. Yeah, just really ready to just be done and dusted with this. It’s been a long month (smiling).

It’s been a smooth one so far.

Q. Pato, we know how bad you want to win the Indianapolis 500. This year you’ve displayed a lot of inner peace and confidence. Do you feel a lot more confident here than in the past?

PATO O’WARD: I mean, I’m just calm. It’s such a long race, man. It’s like three hours long or something. You got to be there in the end just to even have a shot.

That’s pretty much how I approach it all the time. You have to be there in the last stint. When you get to the last stint, you got to be there five laps to go, four laps to go. It can end in a split of a second. But it also can turn around quite quickly and you can have a shot.

Every 500 is different. Taku has done more than me, but I think he can agree none of them are the same. Knowledge is priceless. If you’re obviously in a similar situation to the past, you can pick and choose what you’re going to do.

They’re all different, man. This year with the hybrid, the cars have been so on the edge. Some guys are driving insane in practice. I mean, last year in the race I was shocked with how some guys were driving in lap 15.

Yeah, I think it’s safe to say you never know what to expect. Just be ready for anything.

Q. Pato, with what’s come out over the last 48 hours about Newgarden’s car from a year ago, do you wonder whether he could have passed you, whether it made a difference in passing you on the last lap?

PATO O’WARD: You know what, whatever it was, I would have never wanted to win an Indy 500 a year later just because one car got caught being illegal, whatever. I truly believe Josef won that race. He timed it better than I did. I want to be able to experience what any Indy 500 winner gets to experience, the whole schnaz, the energy. That’s ultimately what makes the experience to the next level, just being an Indy 500 winner.

I know how to position myself to be in a chance to win. I believe I have the team behind me able to do that.

Starting on the front row, best starting position I’ve ever had, we’ll see what we can do on Sunday.

Q. How was it milking that cow?

PATO O’WARD: I’m jealous. I wanted to do that. I’ve never milked a cow.

ROBERT SHWARTZMAN: That’s maybe what you need to have a proper good luck for winning the Indy 500. The woman, she came to me and said, The people who didn’t milk the cow, they never won Indy 500, and they were like DNF. It’s a bad luck. Whoever milk the cow. Alexander Rossi did it. He won the 500. You have to milk the cow.

PATO O’WARD: I’m going find a cow, and I’m going to milk it tonight.

TAKUMA SATO: I didn’t do that. There are some other ways you can get away with that (smiling).

ROBERT SHWARTZMAN: You can always ask for milking a cow. Maybe next year ask for it.

PATO O’WARD: Get my own cow.

ROBERT SHWARTZMAN: The cow name was Indy. I got to meet her. She was very calm and cute. First you need to pet her a bit, get comfy with her.

As I said, try next year. Whenever I came to her, she was ready. She explain to me the technique. It was working well.

Again, I don’t know. I don’t know how it works there. But it was a lot of fun. It was good. It was good.

PATO O’WARD: Did you try it?

ROBERT SHWARTZMAN: The milk? No, I didn’t try it, man.

The Californian is up to second in points with familiar territory ahead

ATTICA, OH (May 22, 2025) – Michael “Buddy” Kofoid might be from Penngrove, CA, but Ohio is a home away from home.

The 23-year-old cut his teeth on the bullrings of the “Golden State,” but he didn’t go right from the West Coast to stardom with the World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Series. There were a couple more stepping stones along the way, including an important stint in the “Buckeye State.”

Kofoid’s efforts in California earned him seat time in Ed Neumeister’s No. 11N toward the end of 2018 with the Linder family overseeing the operation. His first weekend in the car resulted in finishes of fourth and second at Fremont Speedway. The next year, Kofoid moved across the country to Ohio and in with the Linder family for a full season in Neumeister’s Sprint Car.

The pairing picked up four wins in 2019, including one with the All Star Circuit of Champions at Wayne County Speedway. The focus shifted to full-time USAC National Midget racing in 2020 before ultimately making his way to the World of Outlaws in 2024. It may have been brief, but the period spent primarily in Ohio is a time Kofoid holds close to heart.

“That Attica, Fremont area in northwest Ohio is pretty much the most home-type feeling I get not being in California because of the scenery and the familiarity of the area and the tracks,” Kofoid said. “But also, people make a place feel like home, and that’s really a credit to the Linders, the Neumeisters, the Brooks, and everyone involved with that. My first race with the Linders was 2018, so it’s going on seven years now. Everyone there has been really good to me and welcoming.”

The Memorial Day weekend ahead features an all-Ohio agenda for The Greatest Show on Dirt. It’s three nights at three different racetracks as Attica Raceway Park (May 23), Sharon Speedway (May 24), and Atomic Speedway (May 26) make for a big weekend in the “Buckeye State.”

Kofoid heads into the stretch having just taken over the second spot in points. After a somewhat slow start to 2025 riddled by misfortune, Kofoid and the Roth Motorsports crew are rolling with a 5.5 average finish in the last 16 races, including a trio of victories. After their strong conclusion to 2024, many expected Kofoid and company to be in this season’s title fight. Defending champion David Gravel still holds a healthy lead, but the No. 83 is now one spot behind him. And while the recent results have been strong, Kofoid is focused on where they can improve to have a chance at catching Gravel.

“It’s a good feeling for sure to see your name up there and see your face in the top three,” Kofoid said. “There’s still plenty of work to be done, and I feel like there’s some things that I could’ve done better even already this year. I think there’s some things that we can improve on to be similar if not better than how we ended last year.”

One area Kofoid knows they can perform better is Qualifying. It’s one of the most important times of a race night. It sets the tone. Two laps where tenths and even hundredths of a second can dictate the entire trajectory of an event. Kofoid’s average Qualifying result of 7.78 ranks sixth among full-time drivers. Meanwhile, Gravel’s Series-leading 2.61 average has been crucial in allowing him to build a healthy advantage.

“That tenth (of a second) that’ll get you in the top three or four, which is on the front row of a Heat Race, is the hardest tenth to find,” Kofoid said. “To me, it’s kind of similar to what I call finding that last 10 percent. Last year, I felt like I learned how to close out races a lot more, and to me, that was the last 10 percent of the day. Qualifying is almost like the first 10 percent, but it’s a crucial 10 percent, finding that little bit that, and it can make or break your night.”

The weekend ahead serves up three chances in familiar territory for Kofoid to work on making up some points on Gravel. Attica is an especially prime opportunity as he won there a year ago with a thrilling last-lap pass over fellow “Linderville” product Carson Macedo. A moment that truly made Kofoid feel at home despite being thousands of miles from California.

“When we won last year at Attica, it was cool to see the crowd rally for me,” Kofoid recalled. “You feel like one of their own even though you’re not from that area. I think when you’re involved with great people, great things happen. It gives you the want and the drive to come back and the excitement to be in that area, and that’s what I feel.”

Kofoid and the Roth team take on Attica Raceway Park (May 23), Sharon Speedway (May 24), and Atomic Speedway (May 26) this weekend. For tickets, CLICK HERE.

For the entire 2025 World of Outlaws schedule, CLICK HERE.

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

ARTICLE: https://worldofoutlaws.com/uncategorized/home-away-from-home-kofoid-on-the-rise-entering-ohio-weekend/

NTT INDYCAR SERIES News Conference

Thursday May 22, 2025

Indianapolis, Indiana, USA

David Malukas – A.J. Foyt Racingf

Starts 7th

THE MODERATOR: David, how much are you looking forward getting back in the car for Sunday?

DAVID MALUKAS: Yeah, it feels really good. We’ve had a lot of really hot days to start off this month. I think the car is going to have a big transition coming for Friday. Very excited to get back into it and learn more on the setup heading for the race since it’s going to be cooler temperatures. Got one more, but it’s going to be a very important session for us.

Q. Do you guys go through and talk about family that’s here this weekend, having your support system here?

DAVID MALUKAS: Yeah, I guess I’ll start.

I have actually a lot of my friends, ’cause in my growing-up years, going through puberty, I actually grew up in England. I spent a few years there. That’s kind of where I had the interest in soccer, football, what it’s called internationally. A lot of my friends from England are going to be coming over. It’s actually their first time coming to the States.

Obviously my girlfriend is going to be coming, my family, my sister. It’s kind of going to be a good family reunion at the same time.

Q. David, I’ve lived in Chicago the past couple years, so I have to ask, with you being from Chicago, fans are always looking for new Chicago-born athletes to embrace. Does the notoriety that would come with being an Indy 500 champion provide you with any additional motivation?

DAVID MALUKAS: Yeah, of course. I mean, we also have a few Chicagoans on the car. My mechanic Nick, as well. We always are having that cheer of the Chicagoan home.

A fan also gave me a Chicago flag, so we’re going to have that hung up leading up to the 500 in the garage, too. There’s definitely that city strength that we have.

It would be very cool to bring that home, to go back to Chicago. I would love to do that.

Q. David, there’s very little history anymore of the old Indy 500 and the new Indy 500 in the sense of historical figures like AJ Foyt. When you were a kid, with all due respect, what did you know about AJ Foyt? How is it different racing for somebody like him as opposed to some of the other leadership you’ve had?

DAVID MALUKAS: I think growing up, I always had that period that I wanted to be a part of history in some way. Those deep thoughts, what is the point of life. For me it was in that perspective. Growing up I always used to watch racing from INDYCAR, F1, NASCAR. I got heavily involved in it at a young age. Me and my dad would always go on the weekends.

To be here at the Indy 500, this is already a dream of mine, of course. To do it with my name side by side with AJ Foyt Racing, probably one of the most historical drivers when it comes to a big name. You say that name anywhere, people will know of it. To have my name side by side, I don’t think there’s any way better to be a part of history and achieve what my dreams are.

THE MODERATOR: Ice cream is not bad in the garage, too?

DAVID MALUKAS: Very good ice cream. I think the Drumsticks are the favorite. I see a lot of those.

Q. Starting seventh and eighth, how much encouragement does it give for both of you leading up to Sunday’s main event?

DAVID MALUKAS: Yeah, I mean, I’m really excited. Like Marcus said earlier, this is a really good starting row, row 3. It’s where we want to be.

I was talking to A.J. as well previously. He said he won a race from the seventh position at some point. I feel like it’s a very good spot, especially coming from the previous years. The team is very strong. It’s a very good car. Our traffic running has been impressive. I’m very excited heading into Sunday.

Q. David, I’m fascinated about your background in England, where you grew up, why you were there.

DAVID MALUKAS: Yeah, for my karting years I lived there. If you’re familiar with the area, you’re going to be surprised. I actually lived most of my time in Grimsby, and then partly in Leeds, Manchester, and London. So I’ve been a little bit from middle to south, but kind of all over through there.

Q. David, has A.J. given you any advice?

DAVID MALUKAS: He’s given me a lot of good stories from his past races and events that have happened to him.

When it comes to advice, I mean, it’s so hard to give advice for the 500. Things kind of just happen as it is. I think it’s just as anybody always says, it’s a long race, so just keep the head down and don’t do anything too silly to start and save it for the end.

THE MODERATOR: What’s your favorite Foyt story?

DAVID MALUKAS: I can’t say any stories.

THE MODERATOR: None at all?

DAVID MALUKAS: Absolutely not, no.

NTT INDYCAR SERIES News Conference

Thursday May 22, 2025

Indianapolis, Indiana, USA

Christian Lundgaard – Arrow McLaren

Starts 8th

THE MODERATOR: Christian, what about you guys, what do you expect the conditions to do to your car?

CHRISTIAN LUNDGAARD: Yeah, I feel like we’ve been very conscious about this kind of the entire month, what does the car need for certain conditions. If it’s colder, if it’s warmer… I feel like we have a pretty good idea, pretty good baseline for any condition possible.

Obviously we haven’t really prepared for the rain. I don’t think any of us have. But no, I think we’ll be good. I think we’ve been good so far this month. We get another go at it tomorrow, then we’ll be ready for race day.

Q. Do you guys go through and talk about family that’s here this weekend, having your support system here?

CHRISTIAN LUNDGAARD: I think Marcus and I were just talking about it prior to the press conference here, who is filling up the house at home while we’re staying at the track.

My entire family will be here. It will be the first time my brother will be here for the 500. Pretty excited for him. I got some friends here, as well. The girlfriend’s family is from around here, so they’ve been here before. I think they’ll get a little different view, more from the inside.

So yeah…

Q. How was your day yesterday with Bubba Watson?

CHRISTIAN LUNDGAARD: It was pretty cool. We ended up chipping marshmallows in each other’s mouths. I only stayed on the side with the club. Kyle got to try to catch one of Bubba’s chips. It was a cool experience.

As we all know, he’s a lefty. He took Scotty Mac’s driver and hit it over the snake pit as a left-hander. Obviously we know Scott is a right-hander. It was pretty cool to see what he’s capable of doing.

It was a cool experience just to kind of get to pick his brain a little bit. I brought my girlfriend around. Obviously she’s a golfer. I know she tried to pick his brain a little bit on what his best shot he ever hit. I was expecting it to be the one out of the woods at Augusta. Interestingly enough he said it was a tee shot at Augusta on the same final round. Didn’t stand up to his eye, hit the shot he wanted to, it worked out. I thought that was an interesting question.

Q. How does it help to talk with another professional athlete helping you with your approach to racing?

CHRISTIAN LUNDGAARD: I mean, first of all, he’s a lot better at golf than I am. That’s for sure. Again, I know he’s self-taught. He’s never taken a golf lesson in his entire life. At the end of the day I feel like it’s the same way I grew up. Even though I had a dad that used to race, but you have to go out there and learn by doing.

I saw a little familiarity in that. It’s just kind of learning. It’s always fun to pick athletes’ brains on how they approach things. Obviously when you reach a certain level, do you feel the same kind of pressure in this situation that I do. How do you approach it, and what is your thought process, how do you get away from it.

I know when you’re over the ball in golf, the lie is never going to be the same shot by shot, where for us the corners don’t change. Yes, the wind changes, but the corner doesn’t. Obviously the car doesn’t change from corner to corner.

I always find it kind of interesting to ask those questions.

Q. Starting seventh and eighth, how much encouragement does it give for both of you leading up to Sunday’s main event?

CHRISTIAN LUNDGAARD: Yeah, I mean, I think ultimately you want to start the race as far forward as you can from the get-go. It’s a little bit of a different situation from what I’ve previously been in. Quite excited for that.

I know the Arrow McLaren cars were around this area last year. At least I have a lot of good video and information to look at. At the end of the day, as Marcus said, it’s a good place to start. Again, we’re around the cars. We want to fight. Let the fight kind of start early on and make sure we all get to the end.

Q. Christian, you have T.K. with you, you have the videos, good teammates to lean on. What kind of adjustments have you made, if any, to your driving style on the oval?

CHRISTIAN LUNDGAARD: I don’t think the driving style is particularly different. I think there is a lot of the same things going on. I mean, in my opinion, I knew going into this year that I was going to be in a car that was naturally faster. I think I have a lot to learn just from understanding and racing different people than what I’m used to.

I’m starting 20 positions further up this year than I was last year, which is obviously a massive gain. But at the end of the day, it’s the same for road courses and street courses. You can have a bad qualifying but still race your way to the front, depending on how the race goes.

I know I’m in a car that’s fast enough to win the race. I just have to put myself in the right situation at the right time and learn from the other drivers. I have that. I mean, Pato has been fighting for the race win the past few years going into the leading laps. I have all the information I need. I just need to take advantage of it.

Q. What is the best advice T.K. has given you?

CHRISTIAN LUNDGAARD: Take it as it comes.

NTT INDYCAR SERIES News Conference

Thursday May 22, 2025

Indianapolis, Indiana, USA

Scott McLaughlin – Team Penske 

Starts 10th

Q.  Scott, we haven’t heard much from you since your crash on Sunday, whole bunch of stuff happened with your team, you lost your strategist. How are you feeling? Where are you at in all of this?

SCOTT McLAUGHLIN: Ultimately, those three guys are friends of mine and have done a tremendous amount in my career to get me to this point. I guess you could say there’s a sadness from my perspective.

At the end of the day I drive for Roger Penske. I respect the decision. I understand the decision. We move forward. I think I’m disappointed in some of my peers and people in this room, just how it was taken out of proportion in some ways.

At the same time, I think people forget just what Roger’s done for this sport in general, and that definitely gets thrown to the side a little bit, which I find a hard time not being passionate about that.

But ultimately what’s done is done. This happened. We have to move forward. The penalties are accepted. Personally I think I had the fastest car, I put it in the fence. I didn’t have what was said. Smart people in this paddock know there was no gain with that, you know?

It’s frustrating that this is blown up like it has and it’s cost three people that I’m very close with their jobs. But overall, my view on it right now is just to focus forward and win Roger his 21st.

I tell you what, there’s that much motivation in our garage, within the team, within my stand. I’m excited to work with Ben even closer than I have before. I think we’ve got amazing people coming in from a substitute perspective helping us out, Jonathan Diuguid, Raul Prados, people that have won this race before.

Yeah, you haven’t heard from me because I wanted the chance to just say that. I’m not really going to speak too much more on that.

Q.  Scott, you were talking about your peers.

SCOTT McLAUGHLIN: I’m not calling anyone out, Bob. I’m not.

Q.  There are people out there who are pointing things out.

SCOTT McLAUGHLIN: There are. There are.

Q.  We heard that people told INDYCAR to look at it. Does that make you angry? If you saw something on somebody else’s car…

SCOTT McLAUGHLIN: That’s part of the game, I get it. It’s not the that part. That’s racing. That’s how it is.

It’s just I guess I’m disappointed with how Roger’s name has been thrown through the mud, his integrity, our team, the people on the floor, the people that spend hours away from their families trying to build these cars. Basically they’re being thrown to the mud. I take that personally.

Yeah, yeah…

Q.  Scott, you and Ed just made a wager for the Knicks/Pacers series.

ALEXANDER ROSSI: How did that go last night?

SCOTT McLAUGHLIN: Real bad. We lost the unloseable.

We had a good wager. I don’t know how Ed is behind Rossi and Rasmussen, but — Edsters, are they called? I have to buy the equivalent — if the Pacers win in six games — if they win in seven, the bet is off, or I win — I have to buy the equivalent up to 2500 bucks of his milk. What is it?

ALEXANDER ROSSI: Coffee. Java.

SCOTT McLAUGHLIN: But, yeah, I’m going to do that.

ALEXANDER ROSSI: What’s funny, I don’t think 2500 will get him there.

SCOTT McLAUGHLIN: That’s why I capped it. Then the other way, if the Pacers win in seven, or Knicks, which I think will happen, we have to figure it out, but buy some steaks from Good Ranchers maybe, donate to charity, I don’t know. No one gets much out of this, apart from maybe Ed’s reputation.

Q: About someone moving a port-a-potty in front of his bus door

SCOTT McLAUGHLIN: The port-a-potty — I was actually out for dinner. I’m not happy about that, by the way. Whoever did that pissed me off again. It’s been a wild couple days. I’m ready to go. Ready to swing.

The porta-potty blocked the door to get in my bus. I was worried for Karly and my daughter. I respect the prank game, but they got to think a little bit. Whoever it is, they’re going to go down hard (smiling).

Q.  (No microphone.)

SCOTT McLAUGHLIN: I moved it myself. You should have seen me out there just pushing this sloshy little porta-potty around. And moving my golf cart. I thought it was someone else. I parked the golf cart next to their bus, said person, and left the reverse light on. It was, like, 11:30 at night. They had to come out and turn it off. Which they did. It was funny. I saw them do it at the time.

Q.  (No microphone.)

SCOTT McLAUGHLIN: Yes, yes. It’s a guy that said goodnight to everyone. I thought straightaway it was him. I don’t think it was. Seems too lame for Colton. He was hanging out with us on Monday night.

CONOR DALY: Colton said earlier he was waiting for someone to play a prank on him.

Q.  I’m curious, the verbiage, with somebody else new on a timing stand, is that something you want to get down in tomorrow’s practice, or is that something where it’s already down and you’re on the same page?

SCOTT McLAUGHLIN: No, we’re good. Me and Benny have known each other for a long, long time now. He’s one of my best friends. It sounds crazy, but we play a lot of video games together, we talk together all the time, we hang out. I’m excited to work with Ben. Even on test days he takes over that part of the role. It’s not an unknown voice that I’m hearing.

Q.  Scott, you’re in the team backup car, if memory serves. The team spends months building these cars. In theory the backup car shouldn’t be as primed as the prime cars. Do you feel like it’s going to be close to what you originally had or too far off?

SCOTT McLAUGHLIN: No, it’s right there. It’s a brand-new car, brand-new chassis, brand-new speedway car. It’s a purpose-built speedway car. 

Unfortunately in the circumstance we have a crash like this, we had a car like that ready to go. Just bolted my race motor, all the race uprights, everything that I had one earlier in practice.

Honestly Monday felt very close. We just had a couple things not quite at upright that affected some setup and stuff. Ironed that out, had a good week to prepare, and things should be just as fast.

Q.  Scott, you said you’re determined, you’re motivated if you got the fastest car that should have won the pole, probably would have happened. You’re going to race your way up to the front. How long do you think it will be before the 2 and 12 will be able to get up there with you?

SCOTT McLAUGHLIN: I’m not taking for granted. It’s going to be a tough race regardless. I know we have fast cars. Everyone feels that way, as well.

I don’t know. For me, I’m not worried about their race. I’m focused on my own. 

But we know what we need to do to sort of keep ourselves in the game. I’ve said it all month. It’s been so nice to be able to come into a month where I was up the front a little further than I had been in my career. I understand the cadence a little bit more, you could say.

But yeah, not really focused on what they’re doing. I’m just focused on myself.

NTT INDYCAR SERIES News Conference

Thursday May 22, 2025

Indianapolis, Indiana, USA

Alexander Rossi 

Starts 12th

THE MODERATOR: We will start with row 4. Starting 12th, the 2016 winner the Indianapolis 500, Alexander Rossi. Starting 10th, seven-time winner in the NTT INDYCAR SERIES, Scott McLaughlin. We’re waiting on Conor Daly.

Rossi, I was here for your first win as a rookie, with a new team this year, rookie on the pole. Number two this year.

ALEXANDER ROSSI: I hope so. What I’ve explained to quite a few people throughout this month is when you feel all of the emotions of this place, the heartbreak and the close calls, as well as the good moments, it really just continues to increase your desire to be successful here.

You think each year that, like, Okay, I’ve reached the most that I could want to win this race. Then you come back and you go through the whole process again and you get a glimpse of you have a good team a good package, a good opportunity, and you can’t help but imagine what it would be like to do it again.

Yeah, I mean, I think it was a long time ago at this point. We’ve come very close multiple times since then. I think we have as good a shot as any this year to try to get number two.

Q. Because you won it so soon, do you look back at it now and kind of relish and cherish and appreciate it even more?

ALEXANDER ROSSI: I think it’s hard for any athlete to in the moment, right, because you’re so focused on trying to get better, trying to improve yourself, it’s very hard to look back and, for lack of a better term, relax and reminisce about the good moments.

You so often think about the ones that got away more than you think about the one where it all actually worked out.

Yes, you see clips that bring you back. There’s memorabilia that I have in my house that you take a moment. Ultimately you’re always focused ahead and trying to figure out how you can get back to that point for a second time.

Q. You’ve been doing this for a while. First sellout in decades. There’s a lot of energy in Indy right now. How does it compare to years past? How excited are you for Sunday?

CONOR DALY: He won that one last time it was sold out, so he can start.

ALEXANDER ROSSI: Yeah, just waiting for it to sell out again so I could drink more milk.

It’s amazing. I think INDYCAR as a whole has been on a pretty amazing trajectory since I joined in 2016. This race in particular. Every year, Doug would talk about, when we started in ’17, it’s been the most amount of tickets we’ve sold other than the 100th running. Finally we’re at as many tickets as the 100th running. It’s not an anniversary event.

I think a lot of people that came in ’16 were there because they wanted to be there for the 100ths. I think it just shows the appetite that everyone has for INDYCAR, for the Indy 500.

As Scott said, it’s a representation of what’s been done by the leadership to get to this point.