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JOEY LOGANO WINS AT NASHVILLE FOLLOWING FIVE OVERTIME RESTARTS

LEBANON, TN – July 1, 2024 – Joey Logano won Sunday’s Ally 400 at Nashville Superspeedway, marking his first points win of the season, 33rd of his career, and his first win at Nashville. The win also marked the first NASCAR Cup Series win for Ford at Nashville and 732nd series win overall for the manufacturer.

“Congratulations to Roger, Tim, Paul, Joey and everyone at Team Penske on the race win at Nashville,” said Doug Yates, President and CEO of Roush Yates Engines. “Paul and Joey were able to maximize fuel throughout the end of the race and five overtime restarts to be in the position to win at the end.”

“A lot of teamwork there. You have to give a lot of credit to our fueler, Nick Hensley, our engine department with Roush Yates building obviously some engines that could also manage fuel really well, and some guts,” commented Logano.

Four Ford Performance drivers started Sunday’s race from the top-10: Stewart-Haas Racing’s Josh Berry in P2, RFK Racing’s Brad Keselowski in P5 and Chris Buescher in P9, along with Team Penske’s Austin Cindric in P10. At lap 136, the race was red-flagged for lightning and rain in the area. Following a one hour and 21-minute weather delay, NASCAR brought out the yellow flag and allowed cars to change tires and refuel before the race restarted. The race went green a few minutes later with 159 laps remaining and 45 laps until the end of Stage 2. A caution on lap 218 of the scheduled 300 lap race allowed teams to pit for tires and fuel, which impacted late race strategy. With 20 laps remaining in the race, Denny Hamlin and Ross Chastain batted for the lead until a caution came out with 2 laps to go, extending the race into overtime. Several more cautions pushed the race into its fourth overtime restart, allowing Team Penske’s Joey Logano and Stewart-Haas Racing’s Chase Briscoe to restart on the front row. Another crash brought out the caution just before Logano took the white flag, triggering the fifth and final restart. Logano started on the inside of the front row with Chase Briscoe on his outside. Logano perfected the final restart as Chase Briscoe’s car ran out of fuel with 1 lap remaining. Logano finished the race 0.068 seconds ahead of second place Zane Smith.

Five Ford Performance drivers finished in the top 10: Stewart-Haas Racing’s Ryan Preece in P4, RFK Racing’s Chris Buescher in P5, Team Penske’s Ryan Blaney in P6, and Stewart-Haas Racing’s Noah Gragson in P10.

The NASCAR Xfinity Series also raced at Nashville Superspeedway on Saturday. Rette Jones Racing’s Noah Gragson finished in P5 along with Stewart-Haas Racing’s Riley Herbst in P6 and Cole Custer in P9.

The NASCAR Cup and Xfinity Series both compete this weekend at the Chicago street course in downtown Chicago, Illinois.
39 CHAMPIONSHIPS – 463 WINS – 432 POLES

About Roush Yates Engines
Roush Yates Engines is a leading-edge engine development company based in Mooresville, NC consisting of two state-of-the-art facilities – Roush Yates Engines and Roush Yates Manufacturing Solutions, a world class AS9100 Rev D/ISO 13485 certified CNC manufacturing facility. The company’s core business includes designing, building and testing purpose-built race engines.

Ford Performance in partnership with Roush Yates Engines is the exclusive engine builder of the NASCAR FR9 Ford V8 engine.

With an unparalleled culture of winning and steeped in rich racing history, Roush Yates Engines continues to follow the company’s vision to lead performance engine innovation and staying true to the company’s mission, provide race winning engines through demonstrated power and performance.

July 1, 2024
Logano Wins Ally 400 Overtime Clash

Joey Logano outlasts field for second career win at Nashville Superspeedway

LEBANON, Tenn. – Joey Logano won a wild Ally 400 NASCAR Cup Series race at Nashville Superspeedway that took a record five overtimes and 31 additional laps to complete.

With his No. 22 Team Penske Ford low on fuel, Logano managed to pull away from the pack in the fifth overtime and as they all charged down the stretch, Logano swerved to block challengers Zane Smith, Tyler Reddick and Ryan Preece at different points on the track and then he led them all across the finish line at the end in dramatic fashion.

“There wasn’t a drop of fuel to spare, my fuel light came on in turn three and that was it, we had just enough fuel to spit and sputter across the line,” said Logano, who started the race in the 26th position. “Tyler (Reddick) had the fastest car at the end, but we were able to stay in front of him. I’ve never been involved in a fuel-mileage race before. This is a big one.”

It was Logano’s first win of the season, first Cup Series win at the 1.33-mile Nashville track and 33rd victory of his career. He said the win qualifies him for the post-season and takes off some of the pressure for he and his team before the NASCAR Playoffs get underway in September.

“It’s been a hard season and being on that cut line, I tell you it sucks,” Logano said. “It’s just not fun. It’s hard and you just want a little bit of relief of the pressure and with seven weeks to go until the playoffs it gives us a chance to breathe for a second and start just kind of working on our car a little bit differently and just sleep better, to be honest with you. I’m proud of this team and proud to be here in victory lane, for sure.”

As the laps winded down in regulation, it appeared that pole-winner Denny Hamlin was going to cruise to victory. He passed then-leader and defending champion Ross Chastain with seven laps to go, and seemed like he was on his way to strumming a Gibson guitar in victory lane.

That’s when all hell broke loose. Noah Gragson and Austin Cindric made slight contact back in the pack sending Cindric’s No. 2 machine into the wall. The field was then bunched up for its first overtime period.

On the first two overtime periods Hamlin also was out front and in position to win but caution flags flew in both after incidents involving Kyle Larson’s No. 5 Chevy that was low on fuel. Hamlin’s No. 11 machine finally ran out of fuel as well, ending his chance to win.

Hamlin said he couldn’t believe his car made it through that many overtimes.

“We were 15 seconds from a win and then we were 10 seconds from a win and then we finished 12th,” Hamlin said with a smile. “That’s just NASCAR Cup Series racing and it’s just part of it.”

Larson said he was racing for the win at the end before his car also ran out of fuel. Remarkably, he was able to get fuel and salvage an eighth place finish.

“I thought my opportunity to give myself a win was to get clean air on the nose,” Larson said. “I just ran in, got tight and drove into Ross. I hate that, for sure. The next restart I just got really out of shape through the gears and, thankfully, didn’t cause a crash on the frontstretch. And then the next one we ran out of fuel and caused that wreck. Hate that for Kyle (Busch). I had no warning.

“Obviously, we knew we were really close on fuel,” Larson continued. “It was going to be a stretch to make it, but I had no low fuel pressure alarm on my dash, so it was a bit surprising. When I went to the throttle, it just never went. I couldn’t really get out of the way either, because we were still to the wall – hadn’t even gotten to the dogleg yet to get out of the way. I’m really, really bummed for (Busch) because he needs the points. Thankfully, we were able to work through the last restarts and get a top 10, but bummed with how it all kind of ended up.”

Second-place finisher Zane Smith nearly became the latest Cup rookie to grab a victory, as he finished second in his No. 77 Spire Motorsports Chevy after starting 36th.

“It’s been a rough, rough year, but this is a great momentum booster, a great confidence booster, all of the above,” Smith said. “So, hopefully we can carry this on. It was awesome to kind of sniff your first Cup win. You don’t ever know if you’re going to have a shot at another Cup win, so you just try to execute the best you can … It just goes to show that everyone is just so dang good in the Cup series.”

Third-place finisher Reddick was visibly dejected after the race, saying he knew he let one get away at the end after running up front all day and moving into position at the end.

“We got to the 22’s bumper on the last lap and um, he just kicked my (butt),” Reddick said. “We should have won the race. We just didn’t get the job done. We had better tires, pretty much the race was gifted to us. It takes a toll on you, that’s for sure.”

Ryan Preece was thrilled with another solid finish in his No. 41 machine in as many weeks.

“We just kept moving forward, and we had fresher tires,” Preece said. “I’m just really happy with how these guys fought all day. It didn’t look like it was going to be pretty, but another chaotic 10 or 15 laps at the end, and we salvaged a good day. At the end of the day I will take that result and hopefully this will help build some morale. We’ve been trending in that direction. Between last week and this week, it’s positive coming into the summer months.”

Fifth-place Chris Buescher felt like he was in the Twilight Zone out there in all of the overtime sessions.

“We definitely did have a good car, had the ability to run in the top 10 all night, and got stage points; still just frustrated; it was just chaos there at the end,” Buescher said. “I don’t know what in the world happened there at the end; I’ll have to go back and look… We were able to get a top-5 out of it; we just needed laps to pass cars and really just never quite got it there in the last 40 laps of the race. What a day, up and down for us, but everyone regrouped and did a good job at the end.”

Several front-runners fell out of the race as the result of single car spins, including Christopher Bell, who won stages 1 and 2 and led 132 laps in his No. 20 Joe Gibbs Racing machine. His car lost traction with 71 laps remaining in the race and received heavy damage after it impacted the wall in turn 2.

Brad Keselowski also ran up front in both of the first two stages but his car slid out underneath him on lap 244, resulting in a 25th place finish. Chase Elliott also suffered a single car slide coming out of a turn when his No. 9 machine got loose and he posted an 18th place finish.

Ryan Blaney, Bubba Wallace, Larson, Daniel Hemric and Gragson completed the top 10. Defending winner Chastain, who was challenging for a top three finish ultimately finished 33rd after being involved in the restart incident in the first overtime.

NASCAR Cup Series Race – Ally 400
Nashville Superspeedway
Nashville, Tennessee

1. (26) Joey Logano, Ford, 331.
2. (36) Zane Smith #, Chevrolet, 331.
3. (6) Tyler Reddick, Toyota, 331.
4. (22) Ryan Preece, Ford, 331.
5. (9) Chris Buescher, Ford, 331.
6. (18) Ryan Blaney, Ford, 331.
7. (24) Bubba Wallace, Toyota, 331.
8. (4) Kyle Larson, Chevrolet, 331.
9. (37) Daniel Hemric, Chevrolet, 331.
10. (16) Noah Gragson, Ford, 331.
11. (28) AJ Allmendinger(i), Chevrolet, 331.
12. (1) Denny Hamlin, Toyota, 331.
13. (33) Justin Haley, Ford, 331.
14. (12) Alex Bowman, Chevrolet, 331.
15. (10) Austin Cindric, Ford, 331.
16. (15) Carson Hocevar #, Chevrolet, 331.
17. (32) Todd Gilliland, Ford, 331.
18. (13) Chase Elliott, Chevrolet, 331.
19. (7) William Byron, Chevrolet, 331.
20. (21) Corey LaJoie, Chevrolet, 331.
21. (19) Chase Briscoe, Ford, 331.
22. (31) Daniel Suarez, Chevrolet, 331.
23. (8) Ty Gibbs, Toyota, 331.
24. (17) Martin Truex Jr., Toyota, 331.
25. (5) Brad Keselowski, Ford, 330.
26. (2) Josh Berry #, Ford, Accident, 327.
27. (27) Kyle Busch, Chevrolet, Accident, 319.
28. (25) Harrison Burton, Ford, Accident, 312.
29. (29) Corey Heim(i), Toyota, Accident, 312.
30. (23) Ricky Stenhouse Jr., Chevrolet, Accident, 312.
31. (35) John Hunter Nemechek, Toyota, Accident, 306.
32. (11) Austin Dillon, Chevrolet, Accident, 305.
33. (20) Ross Chastain, Chevrolet, Accident, 304.
34. (34) Erik Jones, Toyota, Suspension, 287.
35. (14) Michael McDowell, Ford, Transmission, 239.
36. (3) Christopher Bell, Toyota, Accident, 227.
37. (30) Riley Herbst(i), Ford, Accident, 201.
38. (38) Chad Finchum(i), Ford, Electrical, 132.

Average Speed of Race Winner: 108.298 mph.
Time of Race: 4 Hrs, 3 Mins, 54 Secs. Margin of Victory: 0.068 Seconds.
Caution Flags: 15 for 79 laps.
Lead Changes: 20 among 9 drivers.

Lap Leaders: D. Hamlin 1-16;C. Bell 17-38;T. Gibbs 39-40;T. Reddick 41-45;M. McDowell 46-76;C. Bell 77-92;D. Hamlin 93-117;C. Bell 118-187;T. Reddick 188;C. Bell 189-208;T. Reddick 209-213;C. Bell 214;T. Reddick 215;C. Bell 216-217;T. Reddick 218-221;R. Blaney 222-233;A. Allmendinger(i) 234;R. Blaney 235-248;R. Chastain 249-293;D. Hamlin 294-322;J. Logano 323-331.

Leaders Summary (Driver, Times Lead, Laps Led): Christopher Bell 6 times for 131 laps; Denny Hamlin 3 times for 70 laps; Ross Chastain 1 time for 45 laps; Michael McDowell 1 time for 31 laps; Ryan Blaney 2 times for 26 laps; Tyler Reddick 5 times for 16 laps; Joey Logano 1 time for 9 laps; Ty Gibbs 1 time for 2 laps; AJ Allmendinger(i) 1 time for 1 lap.

Stage 1 Top Ten: 20,11,45,5,6,54,24,17,19,23

Stage 2 Top Ten: 20,45,5,11,6,9,19,12,17,10

— nashvillesuperspeedway.com —

Race Schedule and Tickets
Sunday, Sept. 15
NTT IndyCar Series Big Machine Music City Grand Prix
2 p.m. CT, NBC, Peacock, INDYCAR Live, SiriusXM

Call 866.RACE.TIX to discuss your options with an account representative, or visit nashvillesuperspeedway.com.

Follow Us
Keep track of all of Nashville Superspeedway’s events by following on X and Instagram or becoming a Facebook fan.

About Nashville Superspeedway
Nashville Superspeedway, Middle Tennessee’s racing jewel, is a year-round family-friendly destination in one of the fastest-growing regions in the country. The 1.33-mile D-shaped track with 14 degrees of banking has hosted four NASCAR Cup Series races, 25 NASCAR Xfinity Series races, 17 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series events and eight INDYCAR SERIES contests. The largest concrete-only track in NASCAR, Nashville Superspeedway is owned by Speedway Motorsports.

July 1, 2024
Nemechek Wins NASCAR Xfinity Series Tennessee Lottery 250 Thriller

John Hunter Nemechek held on to win a thrilling Tennessee Lottery 250 NASCAR Xfinity Series race at Nashville Superspeedway

LEBANON, Tenn. — John Hunter Nemechek held on to win a thrilling Tennessee Lottery 250 NASCAR Xfinity Series race Saturday at Nashville Superspeedway as a host of challengers were charging toward him as the race finished.

Nemechek, 27, earned his second win on the season in dramatic fashion by holding off teammate Chandler Smith and Richard Childress Racing teammates Jesse Love and Austin Hill during the final 48-lap, green-flag run.

It was Nemechek’s first win at Nashville and his 11th career Xfinity Series victory in his No. 20 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota.

“I thought we gave the race away there at the start of Stage 3; I asked for an adjustment and probably shouldn’t have,” said Nemechek, who won Stage 2. “Can’t say enough about my team and glad to finally get it done here at Nashville.”

Part of today’s challenge for the drivers was battling warm summer temperatures and for those who chose not to wear the high-tech cool-body suits, even higher temperatures in the cars. Nemechek said he’s old-school when it comes to racing in the heat.

“I love it when it’s hot out,” Nemechek said. “It separates the men from the boys.”

Nemechek also has an affinity for Nashville, the city where he grew up and learned and perfected his race craft.

“Getting my start at the Fairgrounds, and winning there and now getting a win here at the big track is very special to me,” Nemechek said. “Being able to come to this market for a NASCAR race and putting on a great show for the fans here is really cool.”

Nemechek, who received a beautiful green Gibson guitar for the hard-fought victory, will try to double-up tomorrow during the Ally 400 NASCAR Cup Series race (2:30 p.m. CT, NBC and PRN Radio), where he could add a shiny purple Gibson guitar to his collection. Nemechek will start 35th in row 18 alongside rookie Zane Smith.

Smith rallied to finish second in his No. 81 Toyota, but it was Love who had the fans on their feet as he put on a heck of a show marching all the way through the field.

Love, who finished third after starting last in his red and white No. 2 Chevy, passed a grand total of 69 cars and battled back from several different challenges during the race. He passed an incredible 35 cars during his inspired run to the front.

“I am just proud of everyone at RCR and proud to be a part of a team that doesn’t give up,” an exhausted Love said after the race.

Second-place Smith, who finished just over a second behind Nemecheck said he needed a few more laps to get the job done.

“We got caught up in (Allgaier) and (Gibbs’) scuffle there I’m super proud of everyone at the JGR,” Smith said. “I hate that we got in that mess there cause we could’ve probably made a better run at the win.”

RCR’s Hill, who finished fourth, said he and his teammates couldn’t get the car right where they needed it.

“We fought, it was probably a fourth-place car,” Hill said. “Throughout the race we lost the handle on the car. Everyone at RCR is working really hard. We just have to get a little bit better., I think we will be OK. It’s frustrating to run third and fourth, but it’s still a top-five day. We have to keep our heads up.”

Pole-winner Ty Gibbs finished 20th after winning stage one and finishing fourth in Stage 2. He and Allgaier tangled on Lap 137, ending both drivers’ chances at victory. Allgaier finished eighth.

The other Cup regulars in the race were Noah Gragson, who finished fifth, Tyler Reddick, who finished 14th, and Ross Chastain, who finished 27th.

NASCAR Xfinity Series Race – Tennessee Lottery 250
Nashville Superspeedway
Nashville, Tennessee
Saturday, June 29

(15) John Hunter Nemechek(i), Toyota, 188.
(8) Chandler Smith, Toyota, 188.
(38) Jesse Love #, Chevrolet, 188.
(5) Austin Hill, Chevrolet, 188.
(7) Noah Gragson(i), Ford, 188.
(9) Riley Herbst, Ford, 188.
(4) AJ Allmendinger, Chevrolet, 188.
(6) Justin Allgaier, Chevrolet, 188.
(2) Cole Custer, Ford, 188.
(24) Sam Mayer, Chevrolet, 188.
(3) Ryan Sieg, Ford, 188.
(30) Carson Kvapil, Chevrolet, 188.
(13) Brandon Jones, Chevrolet, 188.
(11) Tyler Reddick(i), Toyota, 188.
(28) Shane Van Gisbergen #, Chevrolet, 188.
(10) Parker Kligerman, Chevrolet, 188.
(21) Parker Retzlaff, Chevrolet, 188.
(17) Anthony Alfredo, Chevrolet, 188.
(19) Jeb Burton, Chevrolet, 188.
(1) Ty Gibbs(i), Toyota, 188.
(18) Brennan Poole, Chevrolet, 188.
(16) Jeremy Clements, Chevrolet, 188.
(23) Ryan Ellis, Chevrolet, 188.
(26) Josh Williams, Chevrolet, 187.
(25) Leland Honeyman #, Chevrolet, 187.
(27) Kyle Sieg, Ford, 187.
(20) Ross Chastain(i), Chevrolet, 187.
(31) Hailie Deegan #, Ford, 187.
(22) Matt DiBenedetto, Ford, 187.
(12) Sammy Smith, Chevrolet, 187.
(29) Kyle Weatherman, Chevrolet, 186.
(37) Logan Bearden, Chevrolet, 185.
(14) Sheldon Creed, Toyota, 185.
(35) Chad Finchum, Ford, 184.
(34) Blaine Perkins, Ford, 184.
(36) Garrett Smithley, Chevrolet, 183.
(32) Dawson Cram(i), Chevrolet, 183.
(33) Patrick Emerling, Chevrolet, 183.

Average Speed of Race Winner: 127.571 mph.

Time of Race: 1 Hrs, 57 Mins, 36 Secs. Margin of Victory: 0.366 Seconds.

Caution Flags: 3 for 17 laps.

Lead Changes: 4 among 3 drivers.

Lap Leaders: T. Gibbs(i) 1-48;C. Custer 49-70;J. Nemechek(i) 71-100;C. Custer 101-142;J. Nemechek(i) 143-188.

Leaders Summary (Driver, Times Lead, Laps Led): John Hunter Nemechek(i) 2 times for 76 laps; Cole Custer 2 times for 64 laps; Ty Gibbs(i) 1 time for 48 laps.

Stage #1 Top Ten: 19,16,9,00,7,30,98,20,81,39

Stage #2 Top Ten: 20,16,00,19,81,30,2,9,7,98

Race Schedule and Tickets

Sunday, June 30
Ally 400 NASCAR Cup Series race
2:30 p.m. CT, NBC, PRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio

Sunday, Sept. 15
NTT IndyCar Series Big Machine Music City Grand Prix
2 p.m. CT, NBC, Peacock, INDYCAR Live, SiriusXM

Call 866.RACE.TIX to discuss your options with an account representative, or visit nashvillesuperspeedway.com. Tickets for children ages 12 and younger are only $10 for Sunday.

Follow Us
Keep track of all of Nashville Superspeedway’s events by following on X and Instagram or becoming a Facebook fan.

About Nashville Superspeedway
Nashville Superspeedway, Middle Tennessee’s racing jewel, is a year-round family-friendly destination in one of the fastest-growing regions in the country. The 1.33-mile D-shaped track with 14 degrees of banking has hosted three NASCAR Cup Series races, 25 NASCAR Xfinity Series races, 17 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series events and eight INDYCAR SERIES contests. The largest concrete-only track in NASCAR, Nashville Superspeedway is owned by Speedway Motorsports.

June 30, 2024
Eckes Dominates Rackley Roofing 200 Craftsman Truck Series Race

Christian Eckes led every lap of the Rackley Roofing 200 at Nashville Superspeedway to score his third win on the season

LEBANON, Tenn. — Christian Eckes led every lap of Friday night’s Rackley Roofing 200 at Nashville Superspeedway to score his third win on the season and make an early statement that he will be one to contend with in the upcoming NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series playoffs.

“This is a badass truck, man,” Eckes said after the race. “I can’t say enough about these (McAnally-Hilgemann Racing) guys. I feel like we should’ve won at Gateway and we came up short there. We were really motivated to get this one.”

Eckes started the race in third place and quickly moved past pole winner Stewart Friesen and second-place starter Grant Enfinger as he exited turn two of the 1.33-mile oval. He led the opening lap in his No. 19 Chevy and never looked back.

“I don’t think I’ve ever done that in any race period,” Eckes said about leading every lap. “To do that is pretty awesome and to have a dominant truck like that is cool and I’m so proud of the effort that the guys on this team are making.”

In the process of winning, Eckes also pocketed the $50,000 bonus for winning the final leg of the three designated events in the lucrative Triple Truck Challenge. Eckes, who also won a blue custom Gibson guitar to commemorate the victory, says the money and custom trophy are very cool, but winning for him is the main thing.

“I’m more excited about the win,” Eckes said. “This was our worse racetrack last year so that made this win extra special. It shows everything about our owner and the team.”

Eckes-teammate Dye was pumped about his second-place finish in his No. 43 Chevy and title-contender Corey Heim was third in his 11 TRICON Garage truck.

“It’s great to see Daniel running so well,” Eckes said. “He gave me a little run for the money there. The 11 seemed to have the most pace for us overall, and he pushed us hard through the night.”

Heim was dejected after a tough night.

“I don’t know that we were better than the 19, but it was hard to tell when we got in dirty air,” Heim said. “This is by far the worst I’ve felt in dirty air in a while in a truck race. I feel like the 43 was kind of in the way and we were a lot better. We just couldn’t pass; the groove never widened out. If you put the 19 back a spot or two I think we could have raced for it, but at the end of the day, we finished third and that’s that.”

Dye was thrilled with his career-best effort.

“Confidence is so important when you are driving a race car,” Dye said. “Christian drove away, but at the end I feel like we were running similar speeds. Our team made good changes and worked really well together. What a crazy feeling. Just how cool it is that my name is on the jumbotron for qualifying. I’m close to crying, but I didn’t win. I have to save the tears for when I win.”

FOX television personality and retired Cup Series driver Clint Bowyer started 11th but finished 17th after getting caught up in a fender-bender during Stage 1 of the race in the No. 7 Spire Motorsports Chevy.

“We fought loose the whole time. It’s that same old story, we would fix something and it would hurt something else,” Bowyer said. “They all checked up and I crashed. It’s as simple as that. I don’t know what happened, but I will be back. There is no way in hell I’m ending on that note.”

Frankie Muniz, star of various popular television shows including “Malcolm in the Middle” made his Craftsman Truck Series debut in the race and completed 130 of the 150-lap race at the controls of his No. 22 Ford Performance Ford to finish 31st in the final order.

“It’s been a frustrating year for me, but this is the first time this year I feel like I had a lot of fun in the truck, even though we did have an issue,” Muniz said. “Some people went through the grass and I had a ton of stuff on my grill. My water temp was 300, so we came in. It took forever to get it cooled down. We went down a bunch of laps. I found myself in that position, ‘how hard do you push?’ We’re 19 laps down and they’re kind of saying ‘push,’ but I didn’t want to wreck it or ruin somebody else’s race when we were kind of out of it. This was a lot of fun. That’s what it was about. Sure, on paper it probably doesn’t look like it was great. I don’t even know where I finished. It doesn’t matter. It’s what I needed, to kind of run with people. I was battling people most of the race. That felt good, just to feel like I still could run with other guys.”

Rajah Caruth finished fourth and was followed by Tyler Ankrum, Enfinger, Ben Rhodes, Matt Mills, Ty Majeski and Jake Garcia in the top 10.

Saturday’s schedule includes qualifying for the NASCAR Cup Series Ally 400, and the Tennessee Lottery 250 NASCAR Xfinity Series race is scheduled to take the green flag at 4 p.m. CT. On Sunday, the Ally 400 NASCAR Cup Series race will begin at 2:30 p.m. CT.

NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series Race – Rackley Roofing 200
Nashville Superspeedway
Nashville, Tennessee
Friday, June 28
(3) Christian Eckes, Chevrolet, 150.
(9) Daniel Dye, Chevrolet, 150.
(7) Corey Heim, Toyota, 150.
(5) Rajah Caruth, Chevrolet, 150.
(14) Tyler Ankrum, Chevrolet, 150.
(2) Grant Enfinger, Chevrolet, 150.
(26) Ben Rhodes, Ford, 150.
(36) Matt Mills, Chevrolet, 150.
(4) Ty Majeski, Ford, 150.
(17) Jake Garcia, Ford, 150.
(1) Stewart Friesen, Toyota, 150.
(21) Conner Jones, Ford, 150.
(33) Nick Sanchez, Chevrolet, 150.
(34) Tanner Gray, Toyota, 150.
(35) Ty Dillon, Chevrolet, 150.
(15) Jack Wood, Chevrolet, 150.
(11) Clint Bowyer, Chevrolet, 150.
(16) Dawson Sutton, Chevrolet, 150.
(12) Brenden Queen, Toyota, 150.
(24) Dawson Cram, Chevrolet, 150.
(10) Chase Purdy, Chevrolet, 149.
(23) Spencer Boyd, Chevrolet, 149.
(19) Matt Crafton, Ford, 148.
(22) Lawless Alan, Ford, 148.
(6) Layne Riggs #, Ford, 148.
(13) Stefan Parsons, Chevrolet, 148.
(25) Timmy Hill, Toyota, 147.
(29) Dean Thompson, Toyota, 146.
(20) Bayley Currey, Chevrolet, 146.
(31) Akinori Ogata, Chevrolet, 144.
(32) Frankie Muniz, Ford, 130.
(27) Mason Massey, Chevrolet, Brakes, 94.
(8) Kaden Honeycutt, Chevrolet, 84.
(18) Taylor Gray, Toyota, Accident, 53.
(28) Mason Maggio, Ford, Mechanical, 40.
(30) Bret Holmes, Chevrolet, Accident, 10.

Average Speed of Race Winner: 101.829 mph.

Time of Race: 1 Hrs, 57 Mins, 33 Secs. Margin of Victory: 2.028 Seconds.

Caution Flags: 7 for 42 laps.

Lead Changes: 1 among 1 drivers.

Lap Leaders: S. Friesen 0;C. Eckes 1-150.

Leaders Summary (Driver, Times Lead, Laps Led): Christian Eckes 1 time for 150 laps.

Stage #1 Top Ten: 19,38,11,9,43,71,52,98,7,18

Stage #2 Top Ten: 19,11,71,43,9,99,52,88,18,98

— nashvillesuperspeedway.com —

Race Schedule and Tickets
Saturday, June 29
Tennessee Lottery 250 NASCAR Xfinity Series race
4 p.m. CT, USA, PRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio

Sunday, June 30
Ally 400 NASCAR Cup Series race
2:30 p.m. CT, NBC, PRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio

Sunday, Sept. 15
NTT IndyCar Series Big Machine Music City Grand Prix
2 p.m. CT, NBC, Peacock, INDYCAR Live, SiriusXM

Call 866.RACE.TIX to discuss your options with an account representative, or visit nashvillesuperspeedway.com. Tickets for children ages 12 and younger (with a paying adult) are free for the NASCAR races on Friday and Saturday and are only $10 for Sunday.

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Keep track of all of Nashville Superspeedway’s events by following on X and Instagram or becoming a Facebook fan.

About Nashville Superspeedway
Nashville Superspeedway, Middle Tennessee’s racing jewel, is a year-round family-friendly destination in one of the fastest-growing regions in the country. The 1.33-mile D-shaped track with 14 degrees of banking has hosted three NASCAR Cup Series races, 24 NASCAR Xfinity Series races, 17 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series events and eight INDYCAR SERIES contests. The largest concrete-only track in NASCAR, Nashville Superspeedway is owned by Speedway Motorsports.

June 29, 2024
FUNNY CAR CHAMP MATT HAGAN NOMINATED FOR ESPYS BEST DRIVER AWARD

INDIANAPOLIS (June 26, 2024) – Reigning NHRA Funny Car world champion Matt Hagan has been nominated for the 2024 ESPYS Best Driver Award for his stellar performance during a standout 2023 NHRA championship season.

Hagan picked up his fourth career title and the first-ever NHRA world championship for Tony Stewart Racing in his 11,000-horsepower TSR Direct Connection Dodge//SRT Hellcat.

This is the first time Hagan has been nominated for the illustrious Best Driver Award, as Hagan entered select Funny Car company in 2023 with his fourth world title. With the championship, Hagan joined legends John Force, Kenny Bernstein and Don Prudhomme as the only Funny Car drivers in NHRA history with four or more world titles. He also gave Tony Stewart Racing its first world title in just its second year.

“I’m blown away to be nominated for the ESPYS,” Hagan said. “It just goes show what you can do when you’re surrounded by a great group of guys who are motivated and work hard. It takes a small army to do what we do, and it does take everyone. It’s a huge opportunity, but it’s not just me, it’s the entire team.

“It’s a humbling sport and it’s a humbling car to drive, and this is a group that just works hard. We’re thankful for all the fans who support us and hopefully they’ll go out and vote for us, but at the end of the day, I’m just very honored to be nominated.”

Fans can click here to vote for Hagan, who is again a championship contender during the 2024 NHRA Mission Series Drag Racing Series season. Voting is open until 5 p.m. ET Thursday, July 11, three hours before the ESPYS will air at 8 p.m. ET on ABC.

Hagan enjoyed an incredible 2023 season in the Funny Car ranks, picking up six victories and advancing to eight final rounds in the loaded category. He held the points lead for the bulk of the regular season and then got hot at a key time in the Countdown to the Championship, winning back-to-back playoff races in St. Louis and Dallas to take the points lead for good.

Other highlights of his banner title season included victories at Gainesville, Pomona 1 and Denver, as well as qualifying No. 1 at Bandimere Speedway. This year, Hagan recorded another milestone, earning his 50th career Funny Car win at the four-wide race in Charlotte, joining Force, Ron Capps and Robert Hight as the only drivers in Funny Car history with 50 or more wins. Hagan and Force are the only Funny Car drivers with four or more world titles and 50 or more wins. Hagan also earned his 51st career victory last month in Chicago and is currently third in points.

Joining Hagan on the ESPY Best Driver ballot is NASCAR’s Ryan Blaney, IndyCar’s Alex Palou and Formula One’s Max Verstappen.

About Mission Foods

MISSION®, owned by GRUMA, S.A.B. de C.V., is the world’s leading brand for tortillas and wraps. MISSION® is also globally renowned for flatbreads, dips, salsas and Mexican food products. With presence in over 112 countries, MISSION® products are suited to the lifestyles and the local tastes of each country. With innovation and customer needs in mind, MISSION® focuses on the highest quality, authentic flavors, and providing healthy options that families and friends can enjoy together. For more information, please visit https://www.missionfoods.com/

About NHRA

NHRA is the primary sanctioning body for the sport of drag racing in the United States. NHRA presents 20 national events featuring the NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series and NHRA Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series, as well as the Congruity NHRA Pro Mod Drag Racing Series presented by LearnEV+, NHRA Flexjet Factory Stock Showdown™, NHRA Holley EFI Factory X and Johnson’s Horsepowered Garage NHRA Mountain Motor Pro Stock at select national events. NHRA provides competition opportunities for drivers of all levels in the NHRA Summit Racing Series and NHRA Street Legal™. NHRA also offers the NHRA Jr. Street® program for teens and the Summit Racing Jr. Drag Racing League® for youth ages 5 to 17. With 110 Member Tracks, NHRA allows racers to compete at a variety of locations nationally and internationally. NHRA’s Youth and Education Services® (YES) Program reaches over 30,000 students annually to ignite their interest in automotive and racing related careers. NHRA’s streaming service, NHRA.tv®, allows fans to view all NHRA national events as well as exclusive features of the sport. In addition, NHRA owns and operates three racing facilities: Gainesville Raceway in Florida; Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park; and In-N-Out Burger Pomona Dragstrip in Southern California. For more information, log on to www.NHRA.com, or visit the official NHRA pages on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and YouTube.

June 26, 2024
VALVOLINE™ GLOBAL OPERATIONS EXPANDS PARTNERSHIP WITH HENDRICK MOTORSPORTS THROUGH 2029

INVESTMENT GROWS SPONSORSHIP OF WILLIAM BYRON, NO. 24 TEAM

CONCORD, N.C. (June 26, 2024) – Valvoline Global, a worldwide leader in automotive and industrial solutions creating future-ready products and best-in-class services for partners around the globe, has expanded and extended its strategic partnership with 14-time NASCAR Cup Series champions Hendrick Motorsports through 2029.

The extension will deepen the marketing and technical collaboration between the two organizations to maximize performance on and off the track. In addition to elevating Valvoline’s brand exposure, the relationship will focus on engineering innovation and the development of specialized solutions for Hendrick Motorsports tailored to the rigorous demands of NASCAR racing.

Notably, Valvoline will grow its partnership platform by appearing as a primary sponsor of the No. 24 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 of driver William Byron in eight Cup Series races in 2024 and six each year from 2025-2029. It will also continue as a three-race primary sponsor of Kyle Larson’s No. 5 Chevrolet through 2029.

“Valvoline has been the Official Lubricants Partner of Hendrick Motorsports for over a decade with its products used in the team’s Chevrolet racing engines since 2014,” said Jamal Muashsher, president and chief executive officer, Valvoline Global Operations. “We are thrilled to announce this extension and enhancement of our partnership. This collaboration represents the blend of two iconic, trusted brands driven by a shared passion for excellence and winning performance. Together, we look forward to pushing the boundaries of innovation and continuing to dominate the racetrack with our cutting-edge lubricant solutions and this world class team. Our continued alliance with Hendrick Motorsports reaffirms our commitment to delivering unmatched quality and technology to all drivers and fans alike.”

Valvoline will also continue as a full-season associate sponsor of the four-car Hendrick Motorsports stable, which includes 2020 NASCAR champion Chase Elliott and seven-time race winner Alex Bowman. The team has won three Cup Series titles (2016, 2020 and 2021) since it began using Valvoline products in its racing engines in 2014.

“We’re privileged to expand our incredible relationship with Valvoline,” said Rick Hendrick, owner of Hendrick Motorsports. “They raise the bar each season, from the elite performance of the products in our race cars to the fan-favorite Valvoline paint scheme designs. William has quickly become a bona fide star in our sport, and I believe he’s just scratching the surface of what’s possible. He and Kyle are champions and proven winners, and we’re proud to have Valvoline as a primary sponsor of both of their teams. We look forward to many more victories together.”

Byron, 26, is one of NASCAR’s top drivers. In 2024, he has already registered three wins in 18 Cup Series races, including his first career DAYTONA 500 victory. Last season, he finished third in the final standings with a series-leading six wins, along with personal-best totals in top-five finishes (15), top-10s (21) and laps led (1,016). The Charlotte, North Carolina, native also made history by collecting Hendrick Motorsports’ milestone 300th Cup Series victory.

“Valvoline is such an iconic brand in racing,” Byron said. “I’m excited to carry their colors more often and continue to fight for wins with their brand on board. It has been a fun couple of years getting Valvoline to victory lane and we plan to do it more in the future.”

ABOUT VALVOLINE™ GLOBAL OPERATIONS:
Valvoline Global is a worldwide leader in automotive and industrial solutions, creating future-ready products and best-in-class services for partners around the globe. Established in 1866, the company introduced the world’s first branded motor oil and developed strong brand recognition and customer satisfaction ratings across multiple product channels. With sales in more than 140 countries and territories, Valvoline Global’s solutions are available for every engine and drivetrain, including high-mileage and heavy-duty vehicles, offered at more than 80,000 locations. Valvoline Global is powering the future of mobility through innovative solutions for vehicles with electric, hybrid and internal combustion powertrains – and the company will continue to solve for global automotive and industrial challenges as it moves forward. To learn more, visit ValvolineGlobal.com.

™ Trademark, Valvoline Global or its subsidiaries, registered in various countries.

ABOUT HENDRICK MOTORSPORTS:
Founded by Rick Hendrick in 1984, Hendrick Motorsports is leading team NASCAR Cup Series wins history. At the sport’s premier level, the organization holds the all-time records in every major statistical category, including championships (14), points-paying race victories (308) and laps led (more than 80,000). It has registered at least one race win in a record 40 different seasons, including an active streak of 39 in a row (1986-2024). Celebrating its 40th anniversary in 2024, the team fields four full-time Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 entries in the NASCAR Cup Series with drivers Alex Bowman, William Byron, Chase Elliott and Kyle Larson. Headquartered on more than 100 acres in Concord, North Carolina, Hendrick Motorsports employs approximately 600 people. For more information, please visit HendrickMotorsports.com or interact on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok and X.

June 26, 2024
Palou Extends Mastery of Monterey, Takes Points Lead
MONTEREY, Calif. (Sunday, June 23, 2024) – Amid varying fuel and tire strategies and numerous restarts, one truth emerged again Sunday in the Firestone Grand Prix of Monterey: Alex Palou is almost untouchable lately at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca.

Palou earned his second victory in the last three years at the Northern California circuit, taking the NTT INDYCAR SERIES championship lead with his second victory of the season in the No. 10 DHL Chip Ganassi Racing Honda. Two-time and reigning series champion Palou, who started from the pole, beat Colton Herta’s No. 26 Gainbridge Honda of Andretti Global with Curb-Agajanian to the finish by 1.9780 seconds.

“It was a chaotic race, man,” Palou said. “We didn’t do a very good job on the starts and those restarts at the beginning. The strategy was a bit risky for the position we were in, but we knew we had the pace, and we just had to execute.”

Palou’s victory continued an impressive string of results at this track. Besides the victory today and in 2022, Palou finished second here in 2021 and third in 2023.

Alexander Rossi finished a season-best third in the No. 7 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet. Romain Grosjean placed fourth in the No. 77 Juncos Hollinger Racing Chevrolet, the best NTT INDYCAR SERIES finish ever for that team. Kyle Kirkwood rounded out the top five in the No. 27 AutoNation Honda of Andretti Global.

Palou jumped to a 23-point lead in the series standings over Will Power, who finished seventh in the No. 12 Verizon Business Team Penske Chevrolet. Power led Palou by five points entering this race, the eighth of 17 on the 2024 schedule.

Two distinct tire strategies emerged early in the 95-lap race, as there was no clear consensus up and down pit lane about whether primary or alternate Firestone Firehawk tires were the fastest and preferred rubber over the length of a fuel stint.

Fuel and tire strategies first diverged in stark fashion on Lap 36. The first of five caution periods was triggered when rookie Luca Ghiotto went off track into the tire barrier in Turn 4 in the No. 51 GAV Air Technology Honda of Dale Coyne Racing.

Rossi was leading during that incident and pulled a train of leading cars down pit lane under yellow on Lap 37, that pack of early-pitting cars including Herta, early leader Kirkwood, Scott Dixon and Power. But 13 drivers, including Palou, decided to stay out.

Palou discussed that call over the radio with strategist Barry Wanser during the caution period, wondering if it was the right move.

“At that time, I doubted (the strategy) a little bit,” Palou said. “I didn’t know if my radio was working or not. But everything was fine. I’m sorry I didn’t have that trust, that belief in his call during those 10 or 20 seconds, but overall an amazing job for the Ganassi team.”

Palou stayed out front from that point until he made his second pit stop on Lap 56, handing the lead to Herta and taking Firestone’s alternate, red-sidewall tires for the first time, deeper into the race than any other driver.

Herta made his final stop on Lap 67, along with Rossi. Once again, Wanser instructed Palou to stay on track on the fast Firestone alternate tires, trying to build upon his lead of nearly three seconds.

Palou made his last stop on Lap 70, along with Grosjean, and took on used Firestone primary tires. Josef Newgarden cycled to the lead at that point in the No. 2 Hitachi Team Penske Chevrolet.

But Palou took the lead for good when Newgarden made his final stop on Lap 75.

Still, the last 20 laps were not a stroll through the picturesque, 11-turn, 2.238-mile circuit, as Palou had to endure restarts after three caution periods during that span.

“Too intense there at the end with those restarts, but an amazing win for the No. 10 DHL car,” Palou said.

Palou pulled away cleanly on each restart, building a lead as large as four seconds over Herta when Jack Harvey pulled his No. 18 Dale Coyne Racing Honda off track near the start-finish line with a mechanical problem, triggering the penultimate caution.

On the ensuing restart on Lap 85, Palou built a gap of 1.6 seconds by Lap 87 when Agustin Canapino’s contact with Kyffin Simpson’s No. 4 Journie Rewards Chip Ganassi Racing Honda cut Simpson’s rear tire exiting Turn 5, forcing him into a spin. The trailing No. 15 Mobil 1 Honda driven by Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing’s Graham Rahal had nowhere to go in thick traffic and made contact with Simpson. Both cars ended up in the gravel, with Rahal making contact with the wall. Both drivers were unhurt, and Canapino was penalized for avoidable contact.

Herta had one final shot at Palou on the restart on Lap 91, but once again Palou pulled away, building a gap of 1.1 seconds after one lap.

“It’s a good result,” California native Herta said. “We chose the strategy that we did, and we did a really good job with what we chose. It hurts not to win here, but we have to be happy with second place here.”

The next NTT INDYCAR SERIES race is The Honda Indy 200 at Mid-Ohio Presented by the 2025 Civic Hybrid on Sunday, July 7 at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course. That event marks the dawn of a new era for the series, as the hybrid power unit will make its race debut after months of extensive, successful testing.

Firestone Grand Prix of Monterey Race Results

MONTEREY, Calif. (Sunday, June 23, 2024) – Results Sunday of the Firestone Grand Prix of Monterey NTT INDYCAR SERIES event on the 2.238-mile WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca, with order of finish, starting position in parentheses, driver, engine, laps completed and reason out (if any):
1. (1) Alex Palou, Honda, 95, Running
2. (4) Colton Herta, Honda, 95, Running
3. (5) Alexander Rossi, Chevrolet, 95, Running
4. (8) Romain Grosjean, Chevrolet, 95, Running
5. (2) Kyle Kirkwood, Honda, 95, Running
6. (10) Scott Dixon, Honda, 95, Running
7. (15) Will Power, Chevrolet, 95, Running
8. (9) Pato O’Ward, Chevrolet, 95, Running
9. (17) Santino Ferrucci, Chevrolet, 95, Running
10. (18) Marcus Ericsson, Honda, 95, Running
11. (3) Felix Rosenqvist, Honda, 95, Running
12. (23) Nolan Siegel, Chevrolet, 95, Running
13. (21) Christian Rasmussen, Chevrolet, 95, Running
14. (24) Pietro Fittipaldi, Honda, 95, Running
15. (6) Christian Lundgaard, Honda, 95, Running
16. (12) David Malukas, Honda, 95, Running
17. (16) Linus Lundqvist, Honda, 95, Running
18. (13) Agustin Canapino, Chevrolet, 95, Running
19. (14) Josef Newgarden, Chevrolet, 95, Running
20. (25) Sting Ray Robb, Chevrolet, 94, Running
21. (7) Scott McLaughlin, Chevrolet, 93, Running
22. (11) Marcus Armstrong, Honda, 93, Running
23. (22) Kyffin Simpson, Honda, 86, Contact
24. (19) Graham Rahal, Honda, 86, Contact
25. (26) Jack Harvey, Honda, 82, Mechanical
26. (20) Rinus VeeKay, Chevrolet, 71, Mechanical
27. (27) Luca Ghiotto, Honda, 34, Contact
Race Statistics
Winner’s average speed: 102.740 mph
Time of Race: 02:04:09.8545
Margin of victory: 1.9780 seconds
Cautions: 14
Lead changes: 7 among 5 drivers

Lap Leaders:
Kirkwood, Kyle 1 – 24
Palou, Alex 25 – 26
Rossi, Alexander 27 – 36
Palou, Alex 37 – 55
Herta, Colton 56 – 63
Palou, Alex 64 – 69
Newgarden, Josef 70 – 74
Palou, Alex 75 – 95

NTT INDYCAR SERIES Point Standings:
Palou 285, Power 262, Dixon 253, Herta 217, Kirkwood 210, O’Ward 208, Rossi 198, McLaughlin 188, Newgarden 181, Rosenqvist 176, Lundgaard 156, Ferrucci 154, Ericsson 150, Grosjean 144, Armstrong 129, Rahal 127, VeeKay 114, Lundqvist 113, Fittipaldi 97, Simpson 88, Canapino 86, Rasmussen 82, Robb 78, Pourchaire 75, Harvey 70, Blomqvist 46, Ilott 39, Siegel 35, Ghiotto 27, Castroneves 26, Daly 21, Larson 21, Sato 19, Malukas 14, Carpenter 14, Vautier 12, Braun 10, Hunter-Reay 6, Andretti 5, Legge 5, Siegel 5
June 24, 2024
Christopher Bell Completes “Magical” Weekend at New Hampshire with Victory in USA TODAY 301 NASCAR Cup Series Race

Christopher Bell earns his second race win of the weekend to complete the New Hampshire sweep with a USA TODAY 301 victory.

LOUDON, N.H. – Christopher Bell celebrated a wet and wild weekend at “The Magic Mile” with his second overtime victory in as many days in a history-making USA TODAY 301 NASCAR Cup Series (NCS) race on Sunday.

As darkness overtook New Hampshire Motor Speedway (NHMS), Bell’s victory lane celebration lit up New England’s home for NASCAR as the 29-year-old from Norman, Okla. celebrated with not only Loudon the Lobster but a broom to mark his weekend sweep after winning the SciAps 200 NASCAR Xfinity Series (NXS) race on Saturday.

“It feels like we’re hitting our stride,” said Bell, who now sits just one point behind Kyle Larson in NASCAR’s playoff standings after his third victory of the season and ninth of his career. “I’m excited about what’s to come.”

It was Joe Gibbs Racing’s third straight NHMS NCS victory after Martin Truex Jr. won in 2023 and Bell’s first Cup win at “The Magic Mile” in 2022. All told, Bell has won seven of his 11 NHMS starts across NASCAR’s top three national touring series, including two in the NCS.

Driving the No. 20 Toyota, Bell beat runner-up Chase Briscoe to the Granite Stripe start-finish line by 1.104 seconds following a green-white-checkered restart. Briscoe’s Stewart-Haas Racing teammate Josh Berry was third, followed by Kyle Larson in fourth and Chris Buescher in fifth.

Wet-weather tires specifically designed for racing on damp surfaces were used for the first time in the middle of a NCS race on an oval track after a red flag stoppage for rain showers for more than two hours with 219 laps complete.

“It was so fun to get to experience that run of 80 or so laps in those conditions,” said Bell, who was ninth entering the red flag period. “It ended up being a good show and made it different. Nobody knew what to expect or what to do and hopefully it was entertaining.”

Richmond’s race in March began with 41 laps on wet-weather tires. The final 86 laps at New Hampshire featured the unique grooved rubber.

“What a whirlwind,” Briscoe said. “What an awesome recovery. The rain definitely helped us. We had a couple good restarts. We needed a good turnaround day and it definitely didn’t start that way but I am glad that it ended up that way for sure.”

Bell was able to consistently hold off all challengers after grabbing the lead on lap 242, heading the final 64 laps and a race-high 149 total. With his fellow competitors looking for any advantage on all parts of the racing surface, Bell stayed clean as six caution flags flew after the wet-weather tires were added.

“I really was surprised to see people [racing] on the apron,” said Adam Stevens, Bell’s crew chief. “It seemed like everyone could find a line that worked for whatever balance they had. This track has so much character and tasks the driver with finding the best lines.”

“I don’t think any of us will forget this race,” added Joe Gibbs, Bell’s car owner. “I think Christopher is gifted. It’s great to see him get the success he deserves.”

Among New England natives, Ryan Preece from Berlin, Conn., was 11th, Boston native Kaz Grala finished 22nd and Joey Logano, from Middletown, Conn., placed three laps down in 32nd.

Other notable finishes included Tyler Reddick (53 laps led) in sixth, who would have been the victor if the race had been called during the red-flag stoppage, Martin Truex Jr. in ninth, who was making his last NHMS start as a full-time NCS driver and Chase Elliott in 18th, who led the race’s first 41 laps.

Bell completed the 305 laps (322.69 miles) in three hours, 48 minutes and 14 seconds for an average speed of 84.832 mph. Five drivers exchanged the lead six times, with 14 caution periods taking up 85 laps. Bell won the first stage while his Joe Gibbs Racing teammate Denny Hamlin won the second stage before slipping to 24th place.

“This race had everything,” NBC Sports analyst Steve Letarte noted after the checkered flag fell and Bell celebrated in front of thousands of New Hampshire fans who stuck it out through the wet weather. “I don’t even know where to start.”

Tickets:

Fans can renew their tickets for the 2025 NCS race at NHMS.com. The official 2025 NCS schedule, including their annual stop in New England, will be released later this year.

Follow Us:

Keep track of all of New Hampshire Motor Speedway’s events by following on Facebook (@NHMotorSpeedway), Twitter (@NHMS) and Instagram (@NHMS). Keep up with all the latest information on the speedway website (NHMS.com) and mobile app.

June 24, 2024
Bell Rings in Another “Magic Mile” Triumph in the SciAps 200 NASCAR Xfinity Series Race

Christopher Bell earns his fourth New Hampshire NASCAR Xfinity Series win in his fourth start and looks to make a second trip to victory lane after Sunday’s USA TODAY 301 NASCAR Cup Series race.

LOUDON, N.H. – Make it four for four at “The Magic Mile” for one of America’s best talents behind the wheel.

Christopher Bell, in a spot start inside the No. 20 Toyota for Joe Gibbs Racing, won his fourth NASCAR Xfinity Series (NXS) race in four starts at New Hampshire Motor Speedway (NHMS) with an overtime victory in the SciAps 200 on Saturday afternoon.

On the final lap of a green-white-checkered finish, Sheldon Creed was in the middle and just ahead of Bell to the inside and Cole Custer to the outside as the trio crossed the Granite Stripe start-finish line. Bell inched ahead entering turn one and began to pull away along the backstretch for an eventual quarter-of-a-second (.254) victory over Creed, his JGR teammate.

“We got really lucky there,” said Bell after completing the first final lap pass for a victory in an NXS race at New Hampshire. “I feel so bad for Sheldon. He’s really been close to winning one of these things. Coming to the white flag, he got Cole loose and gave room to me. I was just really fortunate.”

The 29-year-old from Norman, Okla. will try to complete a double-victory weekend on Sunday in the USA TODAY 301 NASCAR Cup Series (NCS) race at 2 p.m.

“It’s just enjoyable to go out there and race and drive these cars,” said Bell, who earned his 18th career NXS victory after leading 43 laps. “You can slide these cars around and it’s fun on a lot of different levels. Winning is hard and everything has to go right to win. Today everything didn’t go right and we still snuck one out.”

Creed finished second for the 10th time in his NXS career with Custer in third, Justin Allgaier in fourth and Carson Kvapil fifth in his NHMS debut. Creed nudged Custer out of the lead in turn four of the next-to-last lap to get the lead but left a small window open for Bell on the final circuit.

“I’m running out of ways to lose them but happy for another good run,” Creed said. “Obviously [Bell] got a good run. We’ve been in the hunt the last four weeks. Every week that we can run top-five and be in contention, that’s all you can ask for.”

It was an unusual start for the full field as NASCAR allowed teams to go to wet weather tires for the drop of the green flag with the 1.058-mile asphalt oval damp from earlier rain. It was the first time in NXS history rain tires were used on an oval track. The field was slightly slower with the rain tires in place and some blisters appeared on the used rubber.

Ten laps in NASCAR threw a competition caution mandating that the teams go back to slick tires, the regular setup the drivers are familiar with.

Custer, who started in position one after qualifying was rained out, led all 10 laps while the field was driving with wet weather tires and led a race-high 114 overall.

“That was hard racing at the end,” said Custer, the defending NXS champion who is still seeking his first victory of the season. “I felt like we had that one. We had the best car all day and to have it ripped away with one lap to go is just heartbreaking. That was one of the best cars I’ve had in the Xfinity Series. We just have to keep knocking on the door. I tried to protect the bottom in turns one and two [at the end]. It just sucks to have it ripped away with two laps to go. It’s just brutal.”

Justin Bonsignore, who won the Mohegan Sun 100 NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour race earlier on Saturday, ran in the top 10 for much of the race until spinning out on a late restart following a bump from a competitor and eventually finished 23rd.

“We had a good pace all day long,” Bonsignore said. “We were right there. It’s tough on these late race restarts and everyone gets crazy. It was a really cool experience and hopefully we can put some stuff together and do some more. I was learning every single lap.”

Among other notable finishers, NCS star Alex Bowman finished ninth, A.J. Allmendinger was 11th and stage one winner Sam Mayer was 20th.

Bell, who also was the stage two winner, completed the 203 laps (214.774 miles) in two hours, 35 minutes and 21 seconds for an average speed of 82.951 mph. Ten drivers exchanged the lead 15 times with 11 caution periods taking up 58 laps.

For the latest schedules and updates, follow New Hampshire Motor Speedway social media or visit NHMS.com/Events/NASCAR-Cup-Series/Schedule/.

Tickets:

Sunday’s USA TODAY 301 NASCAR Cup Series (NCS) race tickets start at just $64 for adults and $10 for kids 12 and under. Further details can be found on the NHMS website or by calling 833-4LOUDON.

Follow Us:

Keep track of all of New Hampshire Motor Speedway’s events by following on Facebook (@NHMotorSpeedway), Twitter (@NHMS) and Instagram (@NHMS). Keep up with all the latest information on the speedway website (NHMS.com) and mobile app.

June 23, 2024
Foster Stays Hot, Drives into Title Tie with Laguna Seca Win
MONTEREY, Calif. (Saturday, June 22, 2024) – Louis Foster took a piece of the INDY NXT by Firestone championship lead after a dominant victory Saturday in the first race of the Grand Prix of Monterey doubleheader at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca.

Foster earned his third victory in the last four races in the No. 26 Copart/Novara Technologies car fielded by Andretti Global, pulling even with Jacob Abel in the standings with 291 points.

“The team gave me a good car,” Foster said. “I was able to just keep pushing. I was managing tires, but they didn’t need much management, to be honest with you. Super happy.”

British driver Foster will try to build a championship lead Sunday in Race 2 of the final doubleheader of the season for the INDYCAR development series, with live coverage starting at 3:55 p.m. ET on Peacock and the INDYCAR Radio Network. He has outscored Abel by 30 points overall in the last five races.

Pole sitter Foster beat rookie Caio Collet’s No. 18 HMD Motorsports car to the finish by 8.2445 seconds, easily the largest margin of victory through seven races this season. Collet, who started second, tied his career-best finish set earlier this month on the streets of Detroit.

“I think Louis, he’s on his own world today,” Collet said. “Hopefully we can improve a bit for tomorrow. I think we have some work to do to catch him up. Big congrats to him. There was nothing any of us could do today. We’ll keep pushing for tomorrow.”

Jacob Abel salvaged championship points by finishing third in the No. 51 Abel Construction machine fielded by Abel Motorsports. Yuven Sundaramoorthy earned a career-best fourth place in the No. 22 S Team/Abel Motorsports car, just missing his first career podium due to an incident in the final corner of the race.

James Roe rounded out the top five in the No. 29 Topcon car of Andretti Global.

Foster toyed with the 20-car field after starting from the pole. He built a lead of two seconds before the only caution flag of the race flew on Lap 6 when rookie Jack William Miller made contact with the barrier in Turn 5 in the No. 40 Patterson Dental Haven Go by SAAM car fielded by Miller Vinatieri Motorsports.

It took little time for Foster to rocket from the field on the restart on Lap 8. He boosted his lead to 3.7 seconds by Lap 16 and 5.6 seconds by Lap 25 despite rarely touching the Push to Pass button on his steering wheel during the entire 35-lap race.

There still was drama over the closing laps despite Foster’s dominance.

Sundaramoorthy dove under teammate Abel with a muscular move in the famous “Corkscrew” turn complex to take third place on Lap 34. But in the final corner of the last lap, Sundaramoorthy and the No. 76 Juncos Hollinger Racing car of Lindsay Brewer made contact as Sundaramoothy was attempting to lap his fellow series rookie, forcing Sundaramoorthy to limp across the finish in fourth with a damaged right front wheel.

Abel snuck past the incident between Sundaramoorthy and Brewer to secure his sixth podium finish in seven starts this season.

“Yuven made a good move on me,” Abel said. “It was very aggressive – a little bit more aggressive than I probably thought he was going to be to me. It was a clean move, nonetheless. I feel a little bit bad for him. He just made a mistake in the last corner there. We’ll take it, anyways, and move forward to tomorrow.”

INDY NXT by Firestone Grand Prix of Monterey
Race 1 Results

MONTEREY, Calif. (Saturday, June 22, 2024) – Results Saturday of the INDY NXT by Firestone Grand Prix of Monterey Race 1 event on the 2.238-mile WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca, with order of finish, starting position in parentheses, driver, laps completed and reason out (if any):
1. (1) Louis Foster, 35, Running
2. (2) Caio Collet, 35, Running
3. (4) Jacob Abel, 35, Running
4. (6) Yuven Sundaramoorthy, 35, Running
5. (7) James Roe, 35, Running
6. (8) Myles Rowe, 35, Running
7. (5) Christian Bogle, 35, Running
8. (13) Christian Brooks, 35, Running
9. (12) Jamie Chadwick, 35, Running
10. (10) Jack William Miller, 35, Running
11. (15) Salvador de Alba Jr., 35, Running
12. (14) Callum Hedge, 35, Running
13. (11) Josh Pierson, 35, Running
14. (3) Reece Gold, 35, Running
15. (17) Jonathan Browne, 35, Running
16. (9) Bryce Aron, 34, Running
17. (19) Lindsay Brewer, 34, Running
18. (20) Ricardo Escotto, 34, Running
19. (18) Niels Koolen, 33, Running
20. (16) Nolan Allaer, 14, Mechanical
Race Statistics
Winners average speed: 103.584 mph
Time of Race: 00:45:22.3195
Margin of victory: 8.2445 seconds
Cautions: 2
Lead changes: 0

Lap Leaders:
Foster, Louis 1 – 35
June 22, 2024