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Featured headlines from SpeedwayMedia.com

  • Newgarden Goes Back-to-Back at Indy in Thriller

    Newgarden Goes Back-to-Back at Indy in Thriller

    INDIANAPOLIS (Sunday, May 26, 2024) – It was worth the wait, and then some.

    Josef Newgarden joined the immortals Sunday at Indianapolis Motor Speedway by becoming just the sixth driver to win the Indianapolis 500 presented by Gainbridge in two consecutive years, edging Pato O’Ward in a scintillating race that included the start delayed four hours by a midday rainstorm.

    Two-time NTT INDYCAR SERIES champion Newgarden drove his No. 2 Shell Powering Progress Team Penske Chevrolet to the victory by .3417 of a second over the No. 5 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet of O’Ward, as they swapped the lead four times over the last eight laps.

    “I knew we could win this race again,” Newgarden said. “There’s just no better way to win this race than that. I’ve got to give it up to Pato, as well. He’s an incredibly clean driver. It takes two people to make that work.”

    Newgarden, who started third, became the first repeat winner of “The Greatest Spectacle in Racing” since Helio Castroneves won in 2001 and 2002 for Team Penske. Newgarden also earned the record-extending 20th victory in “The Greatest Spectacle in Racing” for Team Penske.

    The repeat victory delivered a $440,000 bonus to Newgarden from BorgWarner, the sponsor of the winner’s Borg-Warner Trophy.

    Six-time NTT INDYCAR SERIES champion Scott Dixon finished third in the No. 9 PNC Bank Chip Ganassi Racing Honda, followed by Alexander Rossi in the No. 7 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet.

    Reigning series champion Alex Palou rounded out the top five in the No. 10 DHL Chip Ganassi Racing Honda. Just 1.5079 seconds separated the top five cars despite the last 46 laps running caution-free in a frantic finish.

    Christian Rasmussen was the top-finishing rookie, 12th in the No. 33 Ed Carpenter Racing Chevrolet. 2021 NASCAR Cup Series champion Kyle Larson finished 18th in the No. 17 Hendrickcars.com Arrow McLaren Chevrolet in his first “500” start, hampered by a pit road speeding penalty.

    Newgarden celebrated in familiar style for the second straight year, climbing into the crowd in the grandstands adjacent to the Yard of Bricks start-finish line, where he was mobbed by fans.

    It was hard to blame his exuberance, as the victory capped a Month of May in which he was without Team Penske President and strategist Tim Cindric and engineer Luke Mason. They were suspended by Team Penske for the two races this month at IMS after the team’s cars were found to have violated INDYCAR Push-to-Pass rules in the season-opening Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg presented by RP Funding. Jonathan Diuguid and Raul Prados substituted for Cindric and Mason, respectively, this month.

    “They can say whatever they want after this point; I don’t care anymore,” Newgarden said of critics after the violations were discovered. “I’m just so proud of this team. They crushed it. Crushed it. Luke, Tim – they’re not here today, but they’re a huge part of this. I’m just so proud for everybody at Team Penske. That’s the way I wanted to win the thing, right there.”

    There were seven caution periods in the first 117 laps, as the race struggled to find a rhythm. But as the intensity ratcheted in the second half of the 200-lap race, the racing was breathtaking – and clean. There were 32 lead changes alone in the last 70 laps.

    Rookie Kyffin Simpson was the last of the drivers on a different pit sequence to surrender the lead with their final stop, on Lap 184. That set the stage for a phenomenal four-driver scramble for the win between Newgarden, O’Ward, Rossi and Dixon over the closing 15 laps.

    Newgarden took the lead on Lap 193, with O’Ward climbing to second. That set the stage for a series of slingshot passes between the two drivers over the last seven laps.

    O’Ward passed Newgarden on the outside just before the start-finish line as the white flag flew in the air for the final lap. O’Ward stayed out front in Turns 1 and 2 ahead and down the back straightaway, but Newgarden tucked in behind O’Ward’s car and made a daring pass outside of O’Ward in Turn 3 to take the lead for good with the crowd of 330,000 on their feet in rapture.

    “It’s hard to put it into words,” said O’Ward, who also finished second in 2022. “So close again. I put that car through things I never thought it was going to be able to do. Sometimes I said, ‘Aw, that’s it,’ and somehow I came out of the other side of the corner.

    “Oh, man: It’s just so painful when you put so much into it, and then two corners short.”

    It was only the fourth time in Indianapolis 500 history that the race was decided by a last-lap pass. Newgarden also achieved that feat last year by passing Marcus Ericsson on Lap 200.

    This year’s race was a classic, with an event-record 18 of the 33 starters leading at least one lap. NTT P1 Award winner Scott McLaughlin led the most laps, 64, before finishing sixth in the No. 3 Pennzoil Team Penske Chevrolet.

    There also were 649 on-track passes today, the most in the “500” since 2017.

    The next NTT INDYCAR SERIES race is the Chevrolet Detroit Grand Prix presented by Lear on Sunday, June 2 on the streets of Detroit.

    108th Running of the Indianapolis 500 presented by Gainbridge Results

    INDIANAPOLIS – Results Sunday of the 108th Running of the Indianapolis 500 presented by Gainbridge NTT INDYCAR SERIES event on the 2.5-mile Indianapolis Motor Speedway, with order of finish, starting position in parentheses, driver, engine, laps completed and reason out (if any):

    1. (3) Josef Newgarden, Chevrolet, 200, Running
    2. (8) Pato O’Ward, Chevrolet, 200, Running
    3. (21) Scott Dixon, Honda, 200, Running
    4. (4) Alexander Rossi, Chevrolet, 200, Running
    5. (14) Alex Palou, Honda, 200, Running
    6. (1) Scott McLaughlin, Chevrolet, 200, Running
    7. (11) Kyle Kirkwood, Honda, 200, Running
    8. (6) Santino Ferrucci, Chevrolet, 200, Running
    9. (7) Rinus VeeKay, Chevrolet, 200, Running
    10. (29) Conor Daly, Chevrolet, 200, Running
    11. (15) Callum Ilott, Chevrolet, 200, Running
    12. (24) Christian Rasmussen, Chevrolet, 200, Running
    13. (28) Christian Lundgaard, Honda, 200, Running
    14. (10) Takuma Sato, Honda, 200, Running
    15. (33) Graham Rahal, Honda, 200, Running
    16. (23) Sting Ray Robb, Chevrolet, 200, Running
    17. (17) Ed Carpenter, Chevrolet, 200, Running
    18. (5) Kyle Larson, Chevrolet, 200, Running
    19. (26) Romain Grosjean, Chevrolet, 200, Running
    20. (20) Helio Castroneves, Honda, 200, Running
    21. (18) Kyffin Simpson, Honda, 200, Running
    22. (22) Agustin Canapino, Chevrolet, 199, Running
    23. (13) Colton Herta, Honda, 170, Contact
    24. (2) Will Power, Chevrolet, 145, Contact
    25. (19) Marco Andretti, Honda, 113, Contact
    26. (12) Ryan Hunter-Reay, Chevrolet, 106, Contact
    27. (9) Felix Rosenqvist, Honda, 55, Mechanical
    28. (27) Linus Lundqvist, Honda, 27, Contact
    29. (31) Katherine Legge, Honda, 22, Mechanical
    30. (16) Marcus Armstrong, Honda, 6, Mechanical
    31. (25) Tom Blomqvist, Honda, 0, Contact
    32. (30) Pietro Fittipaldi, Honda, 0, Contact
    33. (32) Marcus Ericsson, Honda, 0, Contact

    Race Statistics
    Winner’s average speed: 167.763 mph
    Time of Race: 2:58:49.4079
    Margin of victory: 0.3417 of a second
    Cautions: 8 for 46 laps
    Lead changes: 49 among 18 drivers

    Lap Leaders:
    McLaughlin, Scott 1 – 23
    Robb, Sting Ray 24 – 26
    Daly, Conor 27 – 31
    Robb, Sting Ray 32
    McLaughlin, Scott 33 – 34
    O’Ward, Pato 35
    Daly, Conor 36 – 42
    McLaughlin, Scott 43 – 48
    Rasmussen, Christian 49
    McLaughlin, Scott 50 – 57
    Daly, Conor 58 – 64
    Robb, Sting Ray 65 – 76
    McLaughlin, Scott 77 – 87
    VeeKay, Rinus 88 – 91
    Rahal, Graham 92
    Lundgaard, Christian 93
    VeeKay, Rinus 94 – 96
    Lundgaard, Christian 97 – 99
    Newgarden, Josef 100 – 112
    McLaughlin, Scott 113 – 125
    Newgarden, Josef 126 – 129
    McLaughlin, Scott 130
    Rossi, Alexander 131
    Ferrucci, Santino 132
    Dixon, Scott 133 – 134
    O’Ward, Pato 135 – 136
    Dixon, Scott 137 – 140
    Daly, Conor 141 – 143
    Robb, Sting Ray 144 – 150
    Dixon, Scott 151 – 154
    O’Ward, Pato 155
    Rossi, Alexander 156 – 159
    O’Ward, Pato 160
    Rossi, Alexander 161 – 163
    O’Ward, Pato 164
    Rossi, Alexander 165
    O’Ward, Pato 166 – 169
    Dixon, Scott 170 – 171
    Palou, Alex 172
    VeeKay, Rinus 173
    Kirkwood, Kyle 174 – 175
    Ilott, Callum 176
    Carpenter, Ed 177 – 179
    Larson, Kyle 180 – 183
    Simpson, Kyffin 184 – 186
    Rossi, Alexander 187
    Newgarden, Josef 188 – 190
    Rossi, Alexander 191 – 192
    Newgarden, Josef 193 – 194
    O’Ward, Pato 195
    Newgarden, Josef 196 – 198
    O’Ward, Pato 199
    Newgarden, Josef 200

    NTT INDYCAR SERIES Point Standings:
    Palou 183, Dixon 163, Power 157, O’Ward 134, Herta 134, McLaughlin 131, Newgarden 122, Rossi 120, Rosenqvist 116, Kirkwood 115, Lundgaard 102, Ferrucci 95, Rahal 87, VeeKay 87, Armstrong 81, Grosjean 79, Lundqvist 73, Simpson 70, Ericsson 68, Canapino 56, Rasmussen 51, Fittipaldi 50, Harvey 47, Blomqvist 46, Robb 46, Ilott 39, Theo Pourchaire 38, Daly 21, Larson 21, Sato 19, Carpenter 14, Luca Ghiotto 14, Castroneves 10, Colin Braun 10, Nolan Siegel 10, Hunter-Reay 6, Andretti 5, Legge 5

  • Ring It Up: Christopher Bell Captures His First Coca-Cola 600 Victory

    Ring It Up: Christopher Bell Captures His First Coca-Cola 600 Victory

    CONCORD, NC (May 26, 2024) – Christopher Bell dominated much of Sunday’s Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway, and was rewarded with the winner’s trophy when the race was declared official after 249 of 400 laps due to inclement weather. The driver of the No. 20 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota led a race-high 90 laps in capturing his second win of the season and eighth of his NASCAR Cup Series career.

    Bell was in front of Brad Keselowski when a lightning delay halted the action and forced cars to pit road near the midway point of Stage 3. Rain fell for more than an hour, and high humidity prevented track-drying efforts from resuming the race — which left an appreciative Bell with a career-defining victory in one of NASCAR’s crown-jewel events.

    Keselowski was second when the checkered flag flew with William Byron third, Tyler Reddick fourth and Denny Hamlin fifth. Pole winner Ty Gibbs finished sixth. Chase Elliott, Ross Chastain, Alex Bowman and Josh Berry completed the top 10.

    Kyle Larson’s attempt at competing in the Indianapolis 500 and Coca-Cola 600 on the same day fell by the wayside after a lengthy rain delay at Indianapolis led to Justin Allgaier serving as Larson’s stand-in at Charlotte.

    Larson completed all 500 miles at Indianapolis on his way to an 18th-place finish and the 2021 Coca-Cola 600 winner arrived at Charlotte ready to take over for Allgaier — but weather delays put a halt to the action soon after Larson landed at the speedway. Allgaier took the green flag in Larson’s No. 5 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet, completed all 249 laps of Sunday’s race and was credited with 13th at the finish.

    Byron passed Bell late in Stage 1 to claim the Playoff point for winning the stage. Bell won Stage 2.

    Defending Coca-Cola 600 winner Ryan Blaney crashed out early in Stage 2 and finished 39th.

    CHRISTOPHER BELL, NO. 20 JOE GIBBS RACING TOYOTA (RACE WINNER): “It feels so good. And, really, the last two Coca-Cola 600s I felt like we had the potential to go to Victory Lane and both times we haven’t been able to do it. We’ve really been in a slump the last couple weeks so to come out here and have a banner day at such a high-profile, prestigious event is really big for us. Obviously, it’s a great thing to get stage points and the Playoff points that come with that. It’s a good day, for sure. You could feel the intensity of the race pick up (as Stage 3 began) and people were very aggressive for how early we were in a 600-mile event. I think it’s because everyone knew we were racing to the rain. I’m just very, very proud of this No. 20 group. I’ve been working really hard to get us back to where we need to be and today was a great step in the right direction.”

    JOE GIBBS, NO. 20 JOE GIBBS RACING TOYOTA (WINNING CAR OWNER): “I think all of us, the fans, when you get a packed house like that, you’d like to see it go the whole way, but Mother Nature had other plans. I just appreciate Adam (Stevens), Christopher and the whole team. In pro sports, it’s hard. The hardest thing is staying up there (at the top). We’ve had a hard few weeks. To see the whole team bounce back like this, it’s just a huge deal for us.”

    ADAM STEVENS, NO. 20 Joe Gibbs Racing TOYOTA (WINNING CREW CHIEF): “The size of that storm was big enough that it wasn’t confusing the radar. I think everybody had a pretty good handle on when it was going to get here. But it does change the dynamic of the race. You can’t afford to make a long pit stop if you need to make an adjustment and you can’t afford to put a second can (of fuel) in if you need a second can. You just couldn’t lose track position. It was different, had a different feel to it, a lot more intensity in the front of the pack. I think you saw that on the restarts and (it put) a lot more pressure on the guys on pit road, for sure.”

    BRAD KESELOWSKI, NO. 6 RFK RACING FORD (RUNNER-UP): “We had a car that could win the race. We ran down (Bell) twice, but we didn’t get to see it play out. It slipped through our fingers there. All in all, I’m really happy with our performance. The car was really fast, pit stops were phenomenal, but the weather is what the weather is. We scored good points today. I think we moved up to 10th (in the points standings), which was nice. We were the top Ford but I feel like we had a lot more if we were able to get going again. It was good to be that fast. You want it to count for wins and you don’t want to be a sore loser with second, but we had a car that could win today. We were going as hard as we could.”

    TICKETS:

    Fans can purchase tickets and camping packages to upcoming speedway events by visiting online at www.charlottemotorspeedway.com. Fans can also go to their online account to renew their tickets for the 2025 Coca-Cola 600.

    KEEP TRACK:

    Fans can connect with Charlotte Motor Speedway by following on Twitter and Instagram or becoming a Facebook fan. Keep up with all the latest news and information with the Charlotte Motor Speedway mobile app.

  • All-Charlotte Front Row: Gibbs Tops Byron In Coca-Cola 600 Qualifying

    All-Charlotte Front Row: Gibbs Tops Byron In Coca-Cola 600 Qualifying

    CONCORD, N.C. (May 25, 2024) — Ty Gibbs led a one-two of Charlotte natives in Coca-Cola 600 qualifying on Saturday at Charlotte Motor Speedway. Gibbs scorched Charlotte’s asphalt in the final round of time trials, using a 29.355-second lap averaging 183.955 miles per hour to score his first career NASCAR Cup Series pole by 0.06 seconds over William Byron.

    Gibbs also won the pole for Saturday’s BetMGM 300 NASCAR Xfinity Series event, which saw the Joe Gibbs Racing driver finish ninth in the first 300 miles of his 900-mile racing weekend.

    The remaining 600 miles will see Gibbs leading fellow Charlottean Byron to the green flag for Sunday’s 65th running of one of motorsports’ crown-jewel events. Christopher Bell will roll off third on Sunday with Martin Truex Jr. fourth and Chase Elliott, Saturday’s BetMGM 300 winner, fifth.

    Alex Bowman was sixth-quickest in qualifying, followed by Ross Chastain, Tyler Reddick and Michael McDowell.

    Kyle Larson — the first driver since 2014 to attempt to win the Indianapolis 500 and the Coca-Cola 600 on the same day — qualified 10th. Defending Coca-Cola 600 winner Ryan Blaney was 16th.

    NASCAR Hall of Fame inductee Jimmie Johnson qualified 29th for his attempt at a record-tying fifth Coca-Cola 600 victory.

    TY GIBBS, NO. 54 Joe Gibbs Racing TOYOTA (POLE WINNER): “I feel like it was a really easy, clean lap. My car was handling really well, so I just had to be very disciplined. Being able to start up front is really nice and having that first pit stall is great, also. It’s cool to get the pole here for the first time for the Coca-Cola 600 but for me, the biggest thing is winning the race. This is great, but it doesn’t win us the race. It’d be really cool (to win on Sunday). One of my first two (NASCAR Xfinity Series) wins came here in 2021 at my home track.”

  • Gray Holds Off Kvapil, Claims General Tire 150 Victory

    Gray Holds Off Kvapil, Claims General Tire 150 Victory

    CONCORD, N.C. (May 24, 2024) — An early flat tire kept Tanner Gray from dominating Friday’s ARCA Menards Series General Tire 150 at Charlotte Motor Speedway, but it didn’t keep him from winning.

    Gray began Friday by claiming the pole for the NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series’ North Carolina Education Lottery 200 — the second of his career and his second at Charlotte — and kept the momentum going in ARCA competition.

    The drive to victory, however, was not as straightforward as Gray expected. The driver of the No. 18 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota blew a right-rear tire in the opening stages, fell a lap down and fought his way back to the front in the final laps. Gray held off a spirited late-race charge from Carson Kvapil in scoring his first ARCA victory less than an hour before going for his first Truck Series triumph.

    Kvapil had a two-second lead with 20 laps to go in the 100-lap race, but a crash involving Con Nicolopoulos and Mitch Gibson with 15 to go bunched up the field. It also gave Gray a clear pathway to victory: Stay out under the caution period, take the lead, and fend off Kvapil’s No. 82 Pinnacle Racing Group Chevrolet.

    Kvapil closed to within a car length of Gray with five laps to go, but Gray held his nerve and hung onto the lead. Kvapil faded in the final three laps and was forced to settle for second with pole winner Andres Perez third, Will Kimmel fourth and Lavar Scott fifth.

    “To be able to come here and rebound the way we did is really cool,” Gray said. “We fought a little adversity in the beginning, cutting the right-rear (tire) down and going a lap down. To be able to execute a solid race and finish off those last few laps is really cool.

    “Hopefully, we can do it again in the Truck race.”

  • Tanner Gray Rebounds to win ARCA Menards Series race at Charlotte

    Tanner Gray Rebounds to win ARCA Menards Series race at Charlotte

    Tanner Gray won the ARCA Menards Series General Tire 150 at Charlotte Motor Speedway Friday evening after rebounding from a flat tire and going a lap down.

    He started strong, earning his second career pole and his second at Charlotte, in his No. 18 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota. However, on Lap 34 he had to make an unscheduled pit stop due to a flat right-rear tire and went a lap down.

    With 20 laps to go, Carson Kvapil had a two-second lead while Gray had methodically made his way back to the lead lap. Gray caught a break after a crash involving Con Nicolopoulos and Mitch Gibson as most of the lead-lap cars pit with 15 laps remaining in the race.

    When the race resumed, Gray, who had stayed on the track during the caution and was now in the lead, held off Kvapil and won by a margin of 0.939 seconds.

    Andres Perez finished third followed by Will Kimmel in fourth and Lavar Scott in fifth.

    “To be able to come here and rebound the way we did is really cool,” Gray said. “We fought a little adversity in the beginning, cutting the right-rear (tire) down and going a lap down. To be able to execute a solid race and finish off those last few laps is really cool.

    *Note: Gray finished 18th in Friday night’s Truck Series North Carolina Education Lottery 200.

    • Race results:
    Pos.Car No.DriverSponsor, OEMLapsDiff.
    118Tanner GrayJGR Toyota100 –
    282Carson Kvapil*Chevrolet Performace Chevrolet1000.939
    32Andres PerezMax Siegal Inc Chevrolet1002.355
    469Will KimmelWeddington Custom Homes-Accel Hydraulics1005.192
    56Lavar Scott*Max Siegel Inc Chevrolet1005.343
    655Gus DeanDRIVEN Trackside1007.275
    720Dean ThompsonThompson Pipe Group Toyota1007.423
    833Lawless Alan*Auto Parkit Ford1007.817
    997Jason KitzmillerA.L.L Construction Chevrolet1008.342
    109Sebastian AriasBrady IFS Chevrolet10011.265
    1135Greg Van AlstCB Fabricating Ford10011.273
    1225Toni BreidingerCelsius Toyota10012.836
    1310Cody Dennison*Timcast.com Toyota10016.986
    1473Andy JankowiakAcacia Energy Toyota10027.118
    1522Amber BalcaenICON Toyota991 Lap
    1612Ryan Roulette*Bellator Recruiting Academy/VFW Ford982 Laps
    1727Tim RichmondImmigration Law Center Toyota982 Laps
    1815Kris WrightFNB Corporation Toyota973 Laps
    1988A.J. MoyerRivers’s Edge Cottages & RV Park/Ampere EV Chevrolet964 Laps
    2099Michael Maples*Don Ray Petroleum LLC/Maples Motorsports Chevrolet946 Laps
    2157Austin McDaniel*Brother In Law Motorsports Chevrolet9010 Laps
    2206Con NicolopoulosPeterson Motorsports Ford8911 Laps
    2375Hunter Deshautelle*Brother-In-Law Motorsports Chevrolet8713 Laps
    2431Mitch Gibson*C&S Construction & Cabinet Designs Chevrolet7921 Laps
    2503Alex ClubbRace Parts Liquidators Ford4555 Laps
    2648Brad SmithCopraya.com Ford3664 Laps
    2728Connor Mosack*Chevrolet/Silver Hare Development Chevrolet3070 Laps
    2832Christian RoseBlue Wolf Cleaners & Degreasers Ford2872 Laps
    2911Jayson Alexander*Constant Contact Ford2080 Laps
  • Ty Gibbs collects the Xfinity Series pole at Charlotte  

    Ty Gibbs collects the Xfinity Series pole at Charlotte  

    Ty Gibbs will lead the field to the green flag in Saturday’s Xfinity Series BetMGM 300  at Charlotte Motor Speedway after winning the pole Friday with a lap of 177.194 mph in his  No. 20 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota

    “I’m very thankful to run two races and I really have a good time out here,” Gibbs said. “Doing another race this weekend is fun. I always love racing so I always look forward to doing stuff like this.”

    Kyle Busch (176.482 mph) will join Gibbs on the front row as Chandler Smith (176.246), Jesse Love (175.873) and Jeb Burton (175.496) rounded out the top five in the qualifying session.

    Cole Custer will start sixth (175.433), followed by Sheldon Creed (175.433), Austin Hill (175.365 mph), Justin Allgaier (175.160) and Brandon Jones (176.103) to complete the top-10.

    The BetMGM 300  will be broadcast on FOX Saturday afternoon with the green flag set for 1:19 p.m. ET with radio coverage provided by PRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.

    Starting Lineup:

  • INDYCAR ButtKicker iRacing Pro Series To Debut in September

    INDYCAR ButtKicker iRacing Pro Series To Debut in September

    INDIANAPOLIS (Thursday, May 23, 2024) – iRacing, INDYCAR and ButtKicker announced May 23 the creation of the inaugural INDYCAR ButtKicker iRacing Pro Series, set to debut in September.

    With a total prize pool of $50,000, the top open-wheel sim racers in the world will compete starting Sept. 19 in a series that features many of the INDYCAR SERIES’ most exciting venues. Each race will be broadcast live at 8 p.m. ET Thursdays via iRacing social channels and the NTT INDYCAR SERIES YouTube channel and website.

    “The INDYCAR ButtKicker iRacing Pro Series is the latest exciting development in iRacing’s renewed relationship with INDYCAR,” iRacing President Tony Gardner said. “For years, iRacers have clamored for a top INDYCAR eSports series, and with the support of ButtKicker, we’re putting together an awesome inaugural campaign for 2024. We expect fierce competition as top sim racers go for $50,000 in one of our most exciting series yet!”

    The creation of the first INDYCAR-based eSports series for professional sim racers on iRacing comes after a new licensing agreement signed between the two companies earlier this year. The new series joins the iRacing INDY 500, one of iRacing’s most popular special events, as one of the most prominent partnerships between the two brands. It also becomes the latest professional iRacing eSports series to be managed in conjunction with one of the world’s premier racing series, joining efforts with NASCAR, Porsche, the World of Outlaws and more.

    “INDYCAR is pleased to join forces with iRacing and ButtKicker for an all-new pro eSports series later this year, INDYCAR Senior Manager of Marketing Ben Hendricks said. “Kicking off just after the 2024 NTT INDYCAR SERIES champion is crowned on track at Nashville, this new series will bring the excitement of INDYCAR into the virtual world and give our fans a new set of racing heroes to cheer for this fall.”

    Qualifying for the INDYCAR ButtKicker iRacing Pro Series will commence in July and August. More information on the qualifying series and both series schedules will be released in the coming months. For more information on iRacing and for special offers, visit www.iRacing.com.

    “We’re thrilled to partner with INDYCAR and iRacing to launch the inaugural INDYCAR ButtKicker iRacing Pro Series,” said Andrew Luden, head of gaming, The Guitammer Company. “INDYCAR is the pinnacle of open-wheel racing with drivers competing across high-speed ovals to technical street circuits all while driving at the limits of performance.

    “ButtKicker products provide sim racers with true haptic feedback to push their limits, powered by iRacing’s world-class simulation platform. By partnering with INDYCAR and iRacing, the skill, grit and excitement of sim racing at the highest level will reach more fans than ever and highlight how everyone from pros to new sim racers can ‘Drive Better with ButtKicker.’”

    About iRacing

    The world leader in the online racing simulation and gaming market, iRacing was founded in 2003 by Dave Kaemmer, co-founder of Papyrus Design Group, and John Henry, principal owner of the Boston Red Sox and Liverpool Football Club and co-owner of Roush Fenway Racing. iRacing has developed dozens of formal partnerships in the motorsport industry to help create the most authentic racing simulation in the world, including with NASCAR, INDYCAR, the FIA, Mercedes-AMG Petronas F1 Team, and numerous other car manufacturers, tracks, and racing series. Alongside its PC simulation, iRacing owns two additional game studios and produces the official console games of NASCAR (beginning in 2025) and the World of Outlaws, as well as the fantasy off-road racing game ExoCross. Learn more at www.iRacing.com.

    About The Guitammaer Company

    For over 20 years The Guitammer Company’s’ ButtKicker® brand products have been trusted worldwide to provide innovative and immersive tactile feedback. The award-winning line of ButtKicker brand haptic transducers let users feel low-frequency sound (bass). ButtKicker products’ patented design makes them musically accurate, powerful, and virtually indestructible.ButtKicker products are used PC and Console Gamers, used and endorsed by professional race drivers, and sim racers worldwide. ButtKicker products are also used by entertainment and theater companies in movie theaters and attractions, by world-famous musicians, in home theaters, and more. Feel the immersion – it’s Better with ButtKicker.

  • NASCAR Announces NASCAR Hall of Fame Class of 2025, Landmark Award

    NASCAR Announces NASCAR Hall of Fame Class of 2025, Landmark Award

    Rudd, Edwards, Moody Comprise Hall’s 15th Class

    DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (May 21, 2025) – NASCAR announced today that Ricky Rudd, Carl Edwards and Ralph Moody have been selected as members of the NASCAR Hall of Fame Class of 2025. In addition, Dr. Dean Sicking was named the recipient of the Landmark Award for Outstanding Contributions to NASCAR.

    The members of the NASCAR Hall of Fame Voting Panel met today in an in-person closed session at the Charlotte Convention Center to debate and vote upon the 15 nominees for the induction class of 2025 and the five nominees for the Landmark Award.

    Ten nominees appeared on the Modern Era ballot, which was selected by the traditional Nominating Committee. The same committee selected the five Landmark Award nominees. The Pioneer ballot, which included five nominees whose careers began in 1965 or earlier, was selected by the Honors Committee. Beginning with the Class of 2021, each Hall of Fame class features two inductees from the Modern Era ballot and one from the Pioneer ballot.

    The Class of 2025 was determined by votes cast by the Voting Panel, including representatives from NASCAR, the NASCAR Hall of Fame, track owners from major facilities and historic short tracks, media members, manufacturer representatives, competitors (drivers, owners, crew chiefs), recognized industry leaders, a nationwide fan vote conducted through NASCAR.com and the last two NASCAR Cup Series champions (Chase Elliott and Kyle Larson). In all, 62 votes were cast, with two additional Voting Panel members recused from voting as potential nominees for induction (Jeff Burton and Ricky Rudd). The accounting firm of EY presided over the tabulation of the votes.

    Rudd received 87% of the Modern Era ballot votes, Edwards received 52%. Harry Gant finished third, followed by Jeff Burton and Harry Hyde. Ralph Moody received 60% of the Pioneer ballot votes. Ray Hendrick finished second.

    Results for the NASCAR.com Fan Vote were: Ray Hendrick (Pioneer); Carl Edwards and Harry Gant (Modern Era).

    The two inductees came from a group of 10 nominees that included: Greg Biffle, Neil Bonnett, Tim Brewer, Jeff Burton, Randy Dorton, Carl Edwards, Harry Gant, Harry Hyde, Ricky Rudd and Jack Sprague.

    Nominees for the Pioneer Ballot included: Ray Hendrick, Banjo Matthews, Ralph Moody, Larry Phillips, Bob Welborn.

    Nominees for the Landmark Award included Alvin Hawkins, Lesa France Kennedy, Dr. Joseph Mattioli, Les Richter, Dr. Dean Sicking.

    The Class of 2025 Induction Ceremony is set for Friday, Feb. 7, 2025 at the NASCAR Hall of Fame and Charlotte Convention Center in Charlotte, North Carolina. Tickets for the Induction Ceremony will be available later this month on NASCARHall.com.

    Class of 2025 Inductees:

    Ricky Rudd

    Tough. As. Nails. There is no other way to describe Ricky Rudd. Known as NASCAR’s Ironman for more than a decade, the Virginia native held the Cup Series record for consecutive starts (788) before Jeff Gordon broke it in 2015. His 906 series starts rank second to Richard Petty’s 1,185. During his 32-year Cup Series career, Rudd posted 23 wins, 194 top fives, 374 top 10s (seventh all-time) and 29 poles. One of the few successful driver / owners in the modern era, Rudd won six races for his Rudd Performance Motorsports team he operated from 1994-99, including the 1997 Brickyard 400. Rudd, the 1977 Cup Series Rookie of the Year, earned a best points finish of second in 1991. He scored at least one win in 16 consecutive seasons (198398), which is tied for the third-longest streak in Cup Series history. Rudd was named one of NASCAR’s 75 Greatest Drivers.

    Carl Edwards

    “If you’re looking for a driver, you’re looking for me.” Working as a substitute teacher while chasing his racing career, Edwards would hand out business cards with that phrase. His persistent efforts led him to Roush Fenway Keselowski Racing and ultimately a NASCAR national series career that featured 72 victories – each usually capped by a celebratory backflip. Edwards’ quick Truck Series success earned him full-time rides in both the Cup and Xfinity Series in 2005. He won his first races in each series during an early season weekend sweep at Atlanta Motor Speedway and never looked back. Edwards finished in the top two in the Xfinity Series standings five straight years, including his 2007 championship, and amassed 38 wins over seven full seasons. Over 13 years in the Cup Series, he won 28 races, including the Coca-Cola 600 and Southern 500, both in 2015. He was the championship runner-up twice, including the closest finish in NASCAR history, losing by tiebreaker in 2011. Edwards was named one of NASCAR’s 75 Greatest Drivers.

    Ralph Moody

    For Massachusetts native Ralph Moody, it all started with a Motel T Ford he built in 1935 and raced on nights and weekends. After driving a tank under the command of General George S. Patton in World War II, he moved to Florida in 1949 so he could race year-round. Moody won five NASCAR Cup Series races from 1956-57. The mechanically skilled Moody paired with business-minded John Holman to form Holman-Moody Racing in 1957, forming the foundation of a powerhouse NASCAR team. Holman-Moody competed from 1957-73 winning consecutive championships with David Pearson (1968-69) and taking the checkered flag with Mario Andretti at the 1967 Daytona 500. Some of the sport’s most legendary figures piloted cars owned by Holman-Moody Racing, including NASCAR Hall of Famers Joe Weatherly, Fred Lorenzen, Fireball Roberts, Bobby Allison and Pearson. Overall, the Holman-Moody partnership earned 96 wins and 83 poles in 525 premier starts.

    Landmark Award for Outstanding Contributions to NASCAR:

    Dr. Dean Sicking

    The impact Dr. Dean Sicking has made in keeping drivers safe cannot be overstated. Sicking is best known as an inventor of the SAFER (Steel and Foam Energy Reduction) barrier, an advancement that has saved countless lives over the past 20 years. Following the death of Dale Earnhardt in 2001, NASCAR partnered with Sicking and the Midwest Roadside Safety Facility at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln to better understand the circumstances and help prevent future tragedies — a partnership that remains in place today. In addition to designing the SAFER barrier, Sicking studied each track’s incident history and helped implement a plan to cover the most dangerous areas immediately. Currently, all NASCAR national series race tracks feature SAFER barriers. For his efforts, Sicking was named winner of the Bill France Award of Excellence in 2003 and was awarded the National Medal of Technology and Innovation by President George W. Bush in 2005.

    About NASCAR

    The National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing (NASCAR) is the sanctioning body for the No. 1 form of motorsports in the United States and owner of 14 of the nation’s major motorsports entertainment facilities. NASCAR sanctions races in three national series (NASCAR Cup Series™, NASCAR Xfinity Series™, and NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series™), four international series (NASCAR Brasil Sprint Race, NASCAR Canada Series, NASCAR Mexico Series, NASCAR Whelen Euro Series), four regional series (ARCA Menards Series, ARCA Menards Series East & West and the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour) and a local grassroots series (NASCAR Advance Auto Parts Weekly Series). The International Motor Sports Association™ (IMSA®) governs the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship™, the premier U.S. sports car series. NASCAR also owns Motor Racing Network, Racing Electronics, and ONE DAYTONA. Based in Daytona Beach, Florida, with offices in five cities across North America, NASCAR sanctions more than 1,200 races annually in 11 countries and more than 30 U.S. states.

    For more information visit www.NASCAR.com and www.IMSA.com, and follow NASCAR on Instagram, YouTube, Facebook, X and Snapchat.

    About the NASCAR Hall of Fame

    Conveniently located in Uptown Charlotte, North Carolina, the 150,000-square-foot NASCAR Hall of Fame is an interactive entertainment attraction honoring the history and heritage of NASCAR. The high-tech venue, designed to educate and entertain race fans and non-fans alike, opened May 11, 2010, and includes artifacts, hands-on exhibits, a 278-person state-of-the-art theater, Hall of Honor, Buffalo Wild Wings restaurant, NASCAR Hall of Fame Gear Shop and NASCAR Productions-operated broadcast studio. The venue is open 10 a.m. – 6 p.m. seven days a week and has an attached parking garage on Brevard Street. The five-acre site also includes a privately developed 19-story office tower and 102,000-square-foot expansion to the Charlotte Convention Center, highlighted by a 40,000-square-foot ballroom. The NASCAR Hall of Fame is owned by the City of Charlotte, licensed by NASCAR and operated by the Charlotte Regional Visitors Authority. Learn more at nascarhall.com.

  • One of the Most Prolific Home Run Hitters in Baseball History To Lead NTT INDYCAR SERIES Field to Green

    One of the Most Prolific Home Run Hitters in Baseball History To Lead NTT INDYCAR SERIES Field to Green

    INDIANAPOLIS (Monday, May 20, 2024) – Baseball Hall of Fame inductee Ken Griffey Jr. has been named honorary Pace Car driver for the 108th Indianapolis 500 presented by Gainbridge on Sunday, May 26.

    Griffey will drive the 2024 Chevrolet Corvette E-Ray and lead the field of 33 drivers to the start of “The Greatest Spectacle in Racing.”

    “Driving the Pace Car and leading the field to start the Indy 500 is one of the coolest experiences,” Griffey said. “I came to the track a few years ago as a photographer and look forward to seeing the race from a different perspective.”

    Known as “Junior” and “The Kid,” Griffey played 22 years as an outfielder in the Major League Baseball (MLB). He spent the majority of his career with the Seattle Mariners and Cincinnati Reds, with a short stint with the Chicago White Sox.

    The first overall pick in the 1987 draft and a 13-time All-Star, Griffey is one of the most prolific home run hitters in baseball history. His 630 home runs rank as the seventh-most in MLB history. Griffey was also an exceptional defender and won 10 Gold Glove Awards in center field. He is tied for the record of most consecutive games with a home run (eight, with Don Mattingly and Dale Long).

    One of only 31 players in baseball history to have appeared in major league games in four different calendar decades, Griffey was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 2016. He received 99.32 percent of the vote, breaking pitcher Tom Seaver’s record of 98.84 percent, which had stood for 24 years. He also was inducted into both the Mariners Hall of Fame and the Reds Hall of Fame.

    “Every baseball fan knows Ken Griffey Jr.,” IMS President J. Douglas Boles said. “Two legends will come together as Griffey hops into the Corvette E-Ray to lead the field at the Racing Capital of the World.”

    Corvette has paced “The Greatest Spectacle in Racing” more times than any car. The 2024 race marks the 35th time for Chevrolet to pace dating back to 1948 and the 21st time overall and since 1978 for America’s favorite sports car.

    The 108th Indianapolis 500 presented by Gainbridge is scheduled for Sunday, May 26. Visit IMS.com for tickets and more information on all Month of May events and activities at IMS.

  • Million-Dollar Sunday: Logano Speeds To Second NASCAR All-Star Race Victory

    Million-Dollar Sunday: Logano Speeds To Second NASCAR All-Star Race Victory

    NORTH WILKESBORO, N.C. (May 19, 2024) — If two or three drivers could hang with Joey Logano in Sunday’s NASCAR All-Star Race at North Wilkesboro Speedway, there were none who could out-run him.

    Logano started Sunday’s 200-lap race from the pole and withstood challenges from Chris Buescher, Christopher Bell and Denny Hamlin en route to his first NASCAR Cup Series win of any kind since March 19, 2023, at Atlanta Motor Speedway. The result capped off a dream Sunday for Team Penske, who qualified 1-2-3 at the Indianapolis 500 in the afternoon and added a million-dollar All-Star Race winner’s prize at night.

    Hamlin finished second with Buescher third and Kyle Larson fourth. Larson flew to North Wilkesboro after he qualified fifth at Indianapolis Motor Speedway earlier in the day. The defending All-Star Race winner had to start last in the 20-car field and wasn’t a factor until the final 50 laps, when he pitted for the soft, red-badged Goodyear tires brought to the event to give teams an additional strategy option.

    Larson gave up seventh place to take on a set of soft tires, and needed only six laps to jump from 12th to third. His bid for an unexpected victory fell short when he couldn’t clear Hamlin for second, and ultimately lost third to Buescher in the closing laps. Larson and defending NASCAR Cup Series champion Ryan Blaney completed the top five.

    Logano led an All-Star Race-record 199 of 200 laps in securing his first All-Star Race victory since 2016.

    Bubba Wallace finished sixth with Ross Chastain seventh and Chase Elliott eighth. Martin Truex Jr. and Michael McDowell rounded out the top 10. Bell, whose Toyota slid up into Logano’s Ford as the two raced side-by-side for the lead on Lap 113, faded from contention soon after and ended up 17th at the finish.

    The race was slowed by two organic caution periods: on Lap 2 for Ricky Stenhouse Jr.’s crash after contact with Kyle Busch, and on Lap 117 — when Busch nudged Ty Gibbs into a spin in Turn 2.

    Sunday’s race marked the first night-time race on North Wilkesboro’s brand-new pavement. The zMAX CARS Tour and the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour will race on the 0.625-mile oval prior to the return of the NASCAR All-Star Race May 16-18, 2025.

    JOEY LOGANO, NO. 22 TEAM PENSKE FORD (RACE WINNER): “It feels good. It’s funny, because the first thing going through your mind is, ‘Gosh, I wish this counted for points.’ But a million bucks, that’s a lot of money. We had a great weekend. We learned a lot at the test (in March) I ran 800 laps over two days. I thought when we got here this weekend, that it’d be a single-groove track like most repaves, but they did a fantastic job with this one. You could race all over the race track. The fact they made a race track that’s not a single-groove is a major success. To see guys racing three-wide was crazy.”

    PAUL WOLFE, NO. 22 TEAM PENSKE FORD (WINNING CREW CHIEF): “You had to have a really well-balanced car to make (the soft tires) work for the whole race, and we had a well-balanced car. Hopefully, tonight was a good boost for everybody. It wasn’t a points race and it didn’t lock us into the Playoffs, but it showed we could put together a weekend like this from qualifying through the race. We didn’t do anything super-fast (in qualifying), but Joey did a good job, the pit crew had a solid stop and that’s what it took to get that track position today and control the race from there.”

    DENNY HAMLIN, NO. 11 Joe Gibbs Racing TOYOTA (RUNNER-UP): “It would’ve been really tough to get around (Logano) without really just knocking him out of the way (on the final restart). Maybe it’s coulda-woulda-shoulda, but I thought I’d have a little more time. I thought the tires would fall off a little bit more to give us an advantage late in the run, but we just kept hanging on there. I think we ran, on the last lap, an 18.60. It’s incredible how well the tires hold up. It’s live and learn. Certainly, coming in second, I don’t think it pays anything, but at least we had some fun today.”

    CHRIS BUESCHER, NO. 17 RFK RACING FORD (THIRD PLACE): “There at the end, it just took too long to get around (Larson). It’s a good night on a night where only one position matters. I’m proud of the group. I’m pumped for the Coke 600 next week. Last year we led laps there and had a stage win at a time when we weren’t hitting our stride. Tonight, we needed two more (positions), but we’ve got good momentum. It was a really strong night for us overall.”

    TICKETS:
    Tickets and camping for the 2025 NASCAR All-Star Race weekend can be purchased online by visiting www.NorthWilkesboroSpeedway.com.

    MORE INFO:
    Fans can connect with North Wilkesboro Speedway and get the latest news regarding NASCAR All-Star week and North Wilkesboro Speedway by following on X and Instagram or becoming a Facebook fan.