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Featured Other Series

  • Larson wins the 39th Annual Chili Bowl Nationals

    Larson wins the 39th Annual Chili Bowl Nationals

    Kyle Larson led all 40 laps and won his third Golden Driller trophy during the 39th Annual Chili Bowl Nationals powered by NOS Energy Drink on Saturday night inside the SageNet Center in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Larson, driving the Paul Silva-owned HendrickCars.com/FloRacing No. 1k, may have started from the pole, but it wasn’t an easy win. He was involved in two incidents during the 40-lap Chili Bowl Nationals finale and still managed to hold onto the win in midget car racing’s grandest event.

    “All three are different,” Larson said. “The first one was just a big hurdle to get over mentally I feel like to get a win in here finally. Then the next year meant a lot because we didn’t have the best car that race but we played defense really well.”

    With 17 laps to go, he made contact with Brenham Crouch’s left front tire. Jacob Denney and Crouch got together in front of him, leaving Larson nowhere to go. Larson’s car briefly stalled but quickly re-fired, and Larson continued without even losing the race lead.

    “He was just stopped sideways in front of me,” Larson said. “I just kind of ramped over the left-front of his race car. I just kind of jumped him really. It stalled in mid-air. When it was getting ready to land, I was like, ‘Please, please, please re-fire.’ It re-fired, so I thought I would only get one break, not two.”

    Larson hit the outside wall coming out of Turn 4 with four laps remaining. Larson got his car pointed back in the right direction as the caution flag came out before Daison Pursley could get around him for the race lead.

    Larson held off runner-up second place Daison Pursley, who earned a career-best finish, Shane Golobic in third, Ryan Bernal fourth, and Landon Brooks completed the top five.

    “Tonight, the track was challenging to make a lap by yourself, so when you can win a 40-lap race on a track that challenging, it’s pretty cool.” Larson said.

    Larson, aka “Yung Money,” joined an elite company with his third win. He joins Christopher Bell, Kevin Swindell, and Sammy Swindell, who have won three or more Golden Drillers. Larson’s previous Chili Bowl were back-to-back in 2020 and 2021.

    Christopher Bell started 12th and finished in 10th place.

    The 40th annual Chili Bowl Nationals powered by NOS Energy Drink will be held on January 12-17, 2026, at the SageNet Center at Expo Square. You can follow on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and at https://www.chilibowl.com.

    2025 Chili Bowl Nationals Results

    PositionStartNumberDriver
    111KKyle Larson
    2386Daison Pursley
    3817WShane Golobic
    4987WRyan Bernal
    5257WLandon Brooks
    61471Michael Kofoid
    7439Logan Seavey
    8797Gavin Miller
    9668KEmerson Axsom
    101271WChristopher Bell 
    111541Corey Day
    121629SHank Davis
    132229Tim Buckwalter
    142171KCannon McIntosh
    151723CTyler Courtney
    162381FFrank Flud
    171867WJacob Denney
    181987Justin Grant
    19101CBrenham Crouch
    201126Corbin Rueschenberg
    212456ETyler Edwards
    221397KKale Drake
    23588Tanner Thorson
    24208JJonathan Beason
  • HISTORY IS MADE AT TOLEDO SPEEDWAY; PEREZ BECOMES FIRST FOREIGN-BORN ARCA CHAMPION, SCOTT BECOMES FIRST BLACK ROOKIE OF THE YEAR

    HISTORY IS MADE AT TOLEDO SPEEDWAY; PEREZ BECOMES FIRST FOREIGN-BORN ARCA CHAMPION, SCOTT BECOMES FIRST BLACK ROOKIE OF THE YEAR

    TOLEDO, Oh. (Oct. 5, 2024) – History was made on Saturday as Andres Perez (No. 2 Max Siegel Inc. Chevrolet) became the first foreign-born champion in the 72-season history of the ARCA Menards Series. Perez, from Mexico City, won the title with an incredibly consistent season, scoring ten top-five finishes, including a trio of runner-up finishes, and 17 top-ten finishes in 20 starts.

    He officially locked up the title when he took the green flag in the Owens Corning 200 Presented by CGS Imaging; he finished the final race of the season in sixth.

    Additionally, his Rev Racing teammate Lavar Scott (No. 6 Max Siegel Inc. Chevrolet) finished second in the final standings, earning the series’ Bounty Rookie of the Year award. It marks the first time a Black driver earned the top rookie award and the first time two members of the NASCAR Drive for Diversity Driver Development Program swept the top two positions in the final ARCA Menards Series standings.

    Perez is a second-generation champion, following in the footsteps of his father Ricardo, who earned a multitude of championships in the Super Copa Seat Leon (2011-2013), Ferrari Challenge North America (2014), and Tractocaminoes Freightliner (2015) series.

    His championship is the second ARCA Menards Series drivers title for Rev Racing in the last three years. He also joins former NASCAR Cup Series champion and current playoff contender Kyle Larson and current NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series championship contender Nick Sanchez as drivers to earn a title while driving for Rev Racing; Larson earned the championship in what is now the ARCA Menards Series East in 2012 and Sanchez was the ARCA Menards Series champ in 2022.

    “We are thrilled to see Rev Racing and Andres win the 2024 Drivers Championship,” said Max Siegel, Rev Racing owner. “As an organization that continues to focus on development and results, it is clear that what we are striving for is working. Two drivers championships in three years is both something we are proud of and will continue to work toward each season. We are thankful to our partners, staff and drivers who stay committed to excellence.”

    Perez kicked his championship run into overdrive with a hot mid-summer stretch that saw him rack up five consecutive top-five finishes, including three runner-up finishes at Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park, Salem Speedway, and Michigan International Speedway in addition to a pair of fifth-place finishes at Berlin Raceway and Elko Speedway.

    “I have grown and learned so much from competing in the ARCA Menards Series these past two years. The racing in Mexico is different than the racing in the US and being able to hone my skills and grow with Rev Racing has been extremely impactful to my development. Being the first AMS Champion from Mexico is an honor and I take pride in representing my country on the track. I’m extremely thankful to Rev Racing, NASCAR Drive for Diversity, Max Siegel, and the entire No. 2 Chevrolet team for this opportunity and for their support.”

    Scott had an equally strong season as his teammate, but a slow start hampered his championship hopes. Scott’s season also heated up with the summer temperatures as he scored a pair of runner-up finishes at Berlin Raceway and Elko Speedway.

    The Elko race was bittersweet, however, as he led 99 of the final 102 laps; he was passed by eventual race winner William Sawalich with three to go but ran side-by-side not wanting to give up a shot at his first career series win. He nosed ahead down the backstretch and into turn three, but Sawalich got back around off the final turn to win by just 0.011 seconds, the second-closest finish in the ARCA Menards Series since the advent of electronic timing.

    Scott completed his first full season in the ARCA Menards Series with a fifth-place run at Toledo Speedway.

    “My debut season in the ARCA Menards Series has been full of lessons on and off the track. Rev Racing’s success this season is a testament to the program and its mission of bringing together people from diverse backgrounds and contending for wins and championships. Being the first Black driver to earn the Bounty Rookie of The Year Award is an honor and while I am the first I know that with programs like Rev Racing, I won’t be the last. A huge thank you to the entire No. 6 team for their hard work this season and for pushing me to always try my hardest and finish the best we can.”

    “We are very proud of the accomplishments both Andres and Lavar achieved on the racetrack in 2024,” said ARCA President Ron Drager. “They both competed at an extremely high level throughout the course of the season and have proven themselves to be worthy of being the ARCA Menards Series champion and rookie of the year.

    “On top of their accomplishments on the track, they have conducted themselves like champions off the track. They are exactly the type of young driver we like to see in the ARCA Menards Series platform, and we look forward to seeing what they do on the track in 2025 and beyond.”

    Perez and Scott will be honored as ARCA Menards Series Champion and Bounty Rookie Challenge Rookie of the Year at the NASCAR Regional Awards Ceremony at the NASCAR Hall of Fame in Uptown Charlotte on Thursday, November 21.

    The 2025 ARCA Menards Series season kicks off with the 62nd annual Daytona ARCA 200 at Daytona International Speedway on Saturday, February 15. The race will be broadcast live on FOX at 1 pm ET and will be carried on select affiliates of the MRN Radio network. For up-to-the-minute news and updates, follow @ARCA_Racing on X (formerly Twitter).

    About ARCA
    The Automobile Racing Club of America (ARCA), founded in 1953 by John and Mildred Marcum in Toledo, Ohio, and acquired by NASCAR in April 2018, is the leading grassroots stock car sanctioning body in the United States. Bridging the gap between NASCAR’s top three national touring series and weekly and regional tour racing all across the country, the organization sanctions over 100 races per year in the ARCA Menards Series, ARCA Menards Series East, ARCA Menards Series West, ASA STARS National Tour, ASA CRA Super Series, ASA Midwest Tour, ASA Southern Super Series plus weekly racing at Toledo and Flat Rock Speedways. For more information about ARCA visit www.arcaracing.com, or follow ARCA on Facebook (@ARCARacing) and Twitter (@ARCA_Racing).

    About Menards
    A family-owned and run company started in 1958, Menards is recognized as the retail home center leader of the Midwest with 236 stores in 15 states. Menards is truly a one-stop shop for all of your home improvement needs featuring a full-service lumberyard and everything you need to plan a renovation or build a home, garage, cabin, shed, deck, fence or post frame building. You’ll find a large selection of lumber, roofing, siding, construction blocks, trusses, doors and windows, plus cabinets, appliances, countertops, flooring, lighting, paint, plumbing supplies and more. To complete the job, Menards has quality hand tools, power tools, fasteners, electrical tools plus storage options and supplies for everyone from the weekend warrior to the pro!

    Menards has what you need to complete your outdoor projects and keep your yard in tip-top shape including mowers, trimmers, blowers, pressure washers and more, plus a beautiful garden center stocked with plants, shrubs, trees, landscaping tools, grass seed, fertilizer options, outdoor décor and patio furniture. Menards also has everyday essentials like health & beauty products, housewares, pet and wildlife supplies, automotive items and even groceries. And at Christmas, an Enchanted Forest display area with impressive trees, lighting, decorations, ornaments, inflatables and more.

    Menards is known for friendly Customer Service and as the place to “Save Big Money” with low prices every day, and sales too! For more information, please visit Menards.com to learn about our store locations, offerings and services.

  • Alex Palou: 2024 NTT IndyCar Series Champion

    Alex Palou: 2024 NTT IndyCar Series Champion

    A year after joining an exclusive club of 28 competitors to record multiple championships in the NTT INDYCAR SERIES division, Alex Palou elevated his status to another exclusive club, this time comprised of 13 names who have recorded three or more championships in IndyCar at the conclusion of an eventful and strong 2024 season.

    Palou, a native of Sant Antoni de Vilamajor, Spain, muscled through a season that was highlighted with two race victories, six podiums, three poles, 263 laps led and an average-finishing result of 6.5 throughout the 17-race schedule. Despite finishing outside the top-10 mark during the final two-scheduled events of the season, including an 11th-place run during the season-finale event at Nashville Superspeedway, Palou was not overthrown by a pair of Team Penske competitors (Scott McLaughlin and Will Power) serving as his title rivals as he wrapped up the big crown by 31 points.

    The start of the 2024 season featured an overhaul to Palou’s No. 10 Chip Ganassi Racing (CGR) Dallara-Honda livery as DHL ended its dozen-year partnership with Andretti Global by joining forces with CGR to serve as a primary sponsor for Palou. By then, the Spaniard was coming off his dominant season to date, where he won his second IndyCar championship and notched career-high season stats in race victories (five), podiums (10) and laps led (379) along with a personal-best average-finishing result of 3.7.

    When the 2024 season commenced at the Streets of St. Petersburg for the Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg during the second weekend of March, Palou kicked off his quest to win his third IndyCar title by initially finishing in sixth place. He would later be promoted to fourth place amid a massive penalty and disqualification layout levied on Team Penske and its race-winning competitor Josef Newgarden along with third-place finisher Scott McLaughlin due to both violating the IndyCar’s “Push to Pass” parameters.

    Then during IndyCar’s inaugural $1 Million Challenge at The Thermal Club in Thermal, California, in late March, Palou capped off a dominant weekend where he was the fastest competitor during the event’s practice sessions and led all the laps during both his heat event and the main event to win. He would proceed to notch his first podium result of the season at the Streets of Long Beach and finish fifth at Barber Motorsports Park, the site where he achieved his maiden IndyCar victory in 2021.

    Palou then commenced the series’ month of May competition at Indianapolis Motor Speedway by notching his first points-paying victory of the 2024 season in the Sonsio Grand Prix at Indianapolis’ Road Course venue. The victory was enough for him to assume the points lead for the first time of the season. After qualifying in 14th place for the 108th running of the Indianapolis 500, Palou would proceed to finish in fifth place during the main event.

    Despite stumbling to a 16th-place result during the following Grand Prix weekend at the Streets of Detroit which caused him to lose the championship lead, Palou responded with three consecutive top-four runs that allowed him to reassume the lead. Mired within the three-race span was his second victory of the season in the Firestone Grand Prix of Monterey at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca, which marked his second victory at the venue overall.

    The series’ doubleheader feature at Iowa Speedway that occurred during the second weekend of July featured mixed results for Palou, who wrecked out of the first event and was strapped with his first DNF of the season in 23rd place. Initially having his points lead decrease from 48 to 37, the Spaniard would lose another two points during the second Iowa feature of the weekend despite rallying to finish second behind Will Power.

    Over his next four starts, Palou finished no lower than fifth while he picked up another podium result by finishing second at Portland International Raceway in late August. Despite Power winning at Portland during the four-race stretch, Palou both increased and maintained his points lead to 43 points.

    Then after finishing 19th during the second of a Milwaukee Mile doubleheader feature in late August, Palou had his points lead cut to 10 points over Power as Scott McLaughlin, Power’s teammate, kept himself within the championship game after he won the second Milwaukee feature. Despite qualifying in 24th place for the season-finale event at Nashville Superspeedway, where he started 20 spots behind Power and 15 spots behind McLaughlin, Palou quickly took care of early business by mathematically eliminating McLaughlin from title contention by starting the race.

    Then on Lap 13 of 206 of the finale, Power’s hopes for a third IndyCar championship and second in three seasons evaporated due to the Australian making an unscheduled pit stop under green to have a lap belt adjusted as he lost multiple laps in the process. Despite continuing, Power could only work his way up to 24th place in the final running order as he was trapped eight laps down. For Palou, he cruised his No. 10 DHL Honda entry to an 11th-place run, which was enough to wrap up the title by 31 points over Colton Herta, who leap-frogged McLaughlin and Power to end up a career-best second place in the final standings.

    Despite being aware of Power’s early issues, Palou did not hesitate nor let off the throttle for the remainder of the event on the track as he maximized all opportunities to cap off his championship season on a strong note.

    “We just had to keep on going,” Palou said on NBC. “I have to thank everybody working on the 10 car. Everybody at [Chip Ganassi Racing] back at the shop. Super proud. It’s been an amazing year and I’m happy we got the championship back home.”

    With his accomplishment, Palou, who became the first Spaniard to win an IndyCar title in 2021, became the first competitor to achieve three IndyCar championships and the first to defend a title since Dario Franchitti last made both accomplishments in 2011. Palou also delivered the fourth IndyCar drivers’ championship for Honda over the last six seasons and the 16th IndyCar title overall for Chip Ganassi Racing, which places the organization one title away from tying Team Penske for the most all-time at 17.

    Palou joins Louis Meyer, Ted Horn, Jimmy Bryan, Rick Mears, Al Unser, Bobby Rahal and Sam Hornish Jr. as competitors to currently have three IndyCar championships. The Spaniard is one away from tying Mario Andretti, Sebastien Bourdais and Franchitti for the third-most IndyCar titles all-time at four.

    Despite being pleased with adding another IndyCar championship to his resume, Palou sets his sights on being more competitive which would enable him to win more races compared to this season while also defending his crown.

    “What a year,” Palou said on the championship stage. “I think we’ve been really close. Just didn’t maximize in some places. We’ll learn from what we can improve from this year and hopefully next year, we can do it.”

    Palou’s 2024 IndyCar championship received high praise from team owner Chip Ganassi, whom Palou steered with to his 11 current victories and three championships in IndyCar since they first joined forces at the start of the 2021 season.

    “[Palou] never broke a sweat,” Ganassi said. “Just unbelievable [with] the way he drives. The way he came into our team a few years ago down in Alabama. Won his first race out. It’s been smooth sailing since. [The team] like winning. It helps.”

    With the NTT IndyCar Series’ teams and competitors entering an off-season period, Alex Palou’s quest to both win his fourth INDYCAR championship and defend his title is scheduled to commence at the Streets of St. Petersburg for the Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg on March 2, 2025. While the event will be aired on FOX, the event’s start time remains to be determined.

  • McLaughlin and Power fulfill dreams with first oval victories during IndyCar’s Doubleheader Features at Iowa

    McLaughlin and Power fulfill dreams with first oval victories during IndyCar’s Doubleheader Features at Iowa

    For a second consecutive season, Team Penske swept the annual NTT IndyCar Series’ doubleheader weekend races at Iowa Speedway between July 13-14.

    On this occasion, however, it was not this year’s two-time Indianapolis 500 champion Josef Newgarden who swept both races compared to the 2023 season. It was his teammates Scott McLaughlin and Will Power who each fulfilled equated dreams of their own by winning at Iowa for the first time in their IndyCar careers.

    The action commenced on Saturday evening, where McLaughlin, who started alongside pole-sitter Colton Herta for the first of two Iowa weekend events, received quick service from his No. 3 team to beat Herta off of pit road first amid a caution period on Lap 84. From there, McLaughlin, who fended off Herta during the following restart period on Lap 92, never relinquished the lead as he proceeded to survive through four caution periods and fend off Pato O’Ward in a 12-lap shootout to win for the first time on an oval circuit.

    Overall, McLaughlin, who led the final 164 of 250-scheduled laps in his No. 3 XPEL/Team Penske Dallara-Chevrolet, notched his sixth career victory in the IndyCar circuit, his second of the 2024 season and first since winning at Barber Motorsports Park in April. The Iowa victory reignited McLaughlin’s quest to contend for this year’s IndyCar championship as he also continues to rally from the disqualification during the season-opening Grand Prix of St. Petersburg due to him and teammate Newgarden manipulating the ECU software that enabled them to use the push to pass on restarts.

    Photo by Ron Olds for SpeedwayMedia.com.

    “What got [the win] done tonight was the pit stops [by] the team,” McLaughlin, who also won the pole position for the 2024 Indianapolis 500, said on the frontstretch following Saturday’s race. “[The pit crew] got me out in front of [Colton] Herta there and then we showed our pace. That’s a big deal today. Man, I’ve been working for that for a couple of years. It takes a lot of hard work. I never was going to call myself an IndyCar driver until I won on an oval [circuit]. So, I’m going to call myself an IndyCar driver now. Hopefully, the floodgates open. We bloody need them to because we’re fairly behind in the championship, but we’ll see how we go.”

    The following day, McLaughlin, who won the pole position for the second Iowa event, stormed out of the gate when the green flag waved and proceeded to lead the first 94 laps. Then after McLaughlin pitted from the lead on Lap 95, where a cycle of green flag pit stops had commenced, the race changed as the caution flew on Lap 101 due to Agustin Canapino coming to a stop in the backstretch. By then, Alex Palou, the reigning IndyCar champion, had just entered pit road and serviced his No. 10 DHL Dallara-Honda, where he was then able to blend back onto the track as the race leader. McLaughlin, meanwhile, was shuffled back to third place as teammate Will Power, who had also not yet pitted, moved his No. 12 Verizon/Team Penske Dallara-Chevrolet into second place.

    Once the race restarted under green on Lap 113, Power, who spent a majority of the event’s remainder trailing Palou while managing to lead eight laps in the process and conserving fuel in the process, capitalized on his final green flag pit stop that lasted only 5.8 seconds with 45 laps remaining to blend back onto the track in front of Palou, who pitted a lap earlier but emerged with a pit time of 6.3 seconds.

    From there, Power, who officially returned to the lead on Lap 209 after rookie Linus Lundqvist pitted, fended off a late charge from Palou towards the event’s conclusion on Lap 250 as he beat Palou to the checkered flag by three-tenths of a second for his first elusive victory at Iowa in the IndyCar circuit.

    Power took the checkered flag just before a harrowing four-car wreck erupted on the backstretch that resulted with Sting Ray Robb going airborne, flipping twice and sliding on his roof after he hit Alexander Rossi, who had run out of fuel, as Ed Carpenter and Kyle Kirkwood were also involved.

    With the victory, Power, a two-time IndyCar champion and the 2018 Indianapolis 500 champion, notched his 43rd career win in the IndyCar circuit, which moved him solely into fourth place on the all-time IndyCar wins list and left him nine victories shy of tying Mario Andretti for the third-most victories. It was also Power’s first victory since winning at Road America four races ago in June and his first on an oval circuit since he won at Pocono Raceway in August 2019.

    Photo by Travis Hinkle | IMS Photo.

    “Massive fuel [saving was the key],” Power said on the frontstretch following Sunday’s race. “Honestly, just sitting in the pack. I had a really good car, a really fast car, so I sat back and used that pace to save fuel and get a massive [fuel] number. I knew once all those [leaders] pulled in [to pit], I could go hard and then, we caught a yellow. That was sort of the thing we were hoping for, to get one of those yellows to put us to the front. Then we were able to get better fuel mileage behind Palou and go a lap longer than him and then jump in. I’ve been trying to win this race for years [and] years. So, [I’m] over the moon. The guys did a great job. I felt really bad from yesterday when I accidentally buttoned off from the pit speed limit and ruined our day. We were right in the game…We’re still pushing and getting it done.”

    In a span of two races at Iowa, Power went from trailing the points lead by 48 points to decreasing his deficit to 43 and 35 as he retains second place in the championship standings behind points leader Alex Palou. Teammate McLaughlin, who finished in third place during the second Iowa event on Sunday, gained 40 points in two days as he now trails the points lead by 65 points while he is situated in fifth place in the standings.

    Meanwhile, Palou, who is still pursuing his first oval victory in the IndyCar circuit, rallied from wrecking out in the first Iowa event to rack up his fifth podium result of the 2024 season and retain the points lead with six events remaining on this year’s schedule.

    “It was a good weekend,” Palou, driver of the No. 10 DHL/Chip Ganassi Racing Dallara-Honda, said. “Yesterday was a terrible day for us. Just made too many mistakes, but [I] rebounded today. Almost got the win. Solid P2. Looking forward to Toronto next week. It was, overall, a really good weekend.”

    Pato O’Ward, who finished second and sixth, respectively, during the Iowa doubleheader features, is ranked in third place in the driver’s standings with a 52-point deficit despite achieving a resurgent victory a week ago at the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course. Meanwhile, Scott Dixon, who finished in fourth place during both Iowa events, is scored in fourth place in the standings as he trails teammate Palou by 57 points.

    Next on the 2024 NTT INDYCAR Series schedule is the series’ annual trip north of the border to the Streets of Toronto, Canada, for the Ontario Honda Dealers Indy Toronto. The event is scheduled to occur next Sunday, July 21, and air at 1 p.m. ET on Peacock.

  • Power Climbs Through Field, Finally Wins at Iowa Speedway

    Power Climbs Through Field, Finally Wins at Iowa Speedway

    NEWTON, Iowa (Sunday, July 14, 2024) – Add Iowa Speedway to the list of tracks where Will Power has won an NTT INDYCAR SERIES race.

    Power put that one on his impressive list with a victory in Sunday’s Hy-Vee One Step 250 presented by Gatorade. In doing so, Team Penske’s two-time series champion pushed his career race win total to 43, giving him sole possession of fourth place in the sport’s history. Power tied Michael Andretti’s career total last month with a victory at Road America.

    Sunday’s race was Power’s 19th attempt at the short oval east of Des Moines, Iowa. He had won an event-leading seven poles, but finishing second on four occasions, including last year, had been his best race result. His last oval-track victory was nearly five years ago at Pocono Raceway. He now has 10 career oval wins.

    “I’ve been trying to win this race for years (and) years,” said Power, who started deep in the 27-car field due to brushing the wall in Saturday’s qualifying session. “So, I’m over the moon (happy).”

    Power, 43, drove from the 22nd starting position and then received quick service from his No. 12 Verizon Business Team Penske Chevrolet crew to beat series leader Alex Palou during the final exchange of pit stops under green conditions. Power’s time advantage over Palou in that sequence was about nine-tenths of a second, according to information collected by NTT DATA.

    The separation between Power and Palou at the finish line was .3915 of a second.

    Team Penske’s Scott McLaughlin, the winner of Saturday night’s Hy-Vee Homefront 250 presented by Instacart, finished third. He led the race’s first 94 laps to push his two-night consecutive laps led total to 259.

    McLaughlin lost Sunday’s lead when a caution came out on Lap 101 for Agustin Canapino’s stalled car in Turn 2. As Palou was on pit road at the time and Power hadn’t yet made his scheduled stop, those two drivers cycled to the front, pushing McLaughlin back to third.

    Power rode behind Palou for 104 of the next 114 laps before overtaking him on the second pit stop. That was the difference in the race’s outcome on a sunny and hot Midwestern afternoon.

    “Massive fuel (saving),” Power said of how he moved up through the field. “Honestly, (I was) just sitting in the pack. I had a really good car – a really fast car – so I sat back and used that pace to save fuel and get a massive (fuel) number.

    “I knew once all those (frontrunners) pulled in (for pit service) I could go hard, and then we caught a yellow. That was sort of the thing we were hoping for, to get one of those yellows to put us to the front. Then we were able to get better fuel mileage behind Palou and go a lap longer than him and then jump in (to the pits).”

    Said McLaughlin: “We probably caught the caution at the wrong time, (but) first and third (in the two races), I’ll take that.”

    Dixon finished fourth in the No. 9 PNC Bank Chip Ganassi Racing while Colton Herta fifth in the No. 26 Gainbridge Honda of Andretti Global w/Curb-Agajanian.

    With the victory, Power cut Palou’s lead in the standings to 35 points with six races remaining.

    As Power and Palou were crossing the finish line, a multicar crash coming off Turn 2 occurred. Sting Ray Robb ran over the back of Alexander Rossi’s car, vaulting Robb’s car high in the air vertically. Behind them, Ed Carpenter and Kyle Kirkwood spun and with Rossi, they ended up against the inside retaining wall with Carpenter’s car on top of Kirkwood’s.

    Rossi, Kirkwood and Carpenter safely climbed from their damaged cars. Robb gave two thumbs up before being transported to a local hospital as a precaution for further evaluation.

    Practice for the 12th race of the season, the Ontario Honda Dealers Indy Toronto, begins Friday at 3 p.m. ET at Exhibition Place in Toronto. Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing’s Christian Lundgaard earned his first series race victory last year on the temporary street circuit.

    Sunday’s 85-lap race will air live on Peacock and the INDYCAR Radio Network.

    Hy-Vee One Step 250 presented by Gatorade Race Results

    NEWTON, Iowa (Sunday, July 14, 2024) – Results Sunday of the Hy-Vee One Step 250 presented by Gatorade NTT INDYCAR SERIES event on the 0.894-mile Iowa Speedway, with order of finish, starting position in parentheses, driver, engine, laps completed and reason out (if any):

    1. (22) Will Power, Chevrolet, 250, Running
    2. (2) Alex Palou, Honda, 250, Running
    3. (1) Scott McLaughlin, Chevrolet, 250, Running
    4. (3) Scott Dixon, Honda, 250, Running
    5. (4) Colton Herta, Honda, 250, Running
    6. (7) Pato O’Ward, Chevrolet, 250, Running
    7. (14) Josef Newgarden, Chevrolet, 250, Running
    8. (8) Graham Rahal, Honda, 250, Running
    9. (15) Rinus VeeKay, Chevrolet, 250, Running
    10. (16) Romain Grosjean, Chevrolet, 250, Running
    11. (19) Santino Ferrucci, Chevrolet, 250, Running
    12. (13) Linus Lundqvist, Honda, 250, Running
    13. (9) David Malukas, Honda, 250, Running
    14. (11) Nolan Siegel, Chevrolet, 250, Running
    15. (6) Alexander Rossi, Chevrolet, 249, Contact
    16. (12) Kyle Kirkwood, Honda, 249, Contact
    17. (18) Christian Lundgaard, Honda, 249, Running
    18. (23) Kyffin Simpson, Honda, 249, Running
    19. (25) Marcus Armstrong, Honda, 249, Running
    20. (17) Pietro Fittipaldi, Honda, 249, Running
    21. (20) Sting Ray Robb, Chevrolet, 248, Contact
    22. (26) Ed Carpenter, Chevrolet, 248, Contact
    23. (21) Marcus Ericsson, Honda, 248, Running
    24. (24) Katherine Legge, Honda, 248, Running
    25. (10) Agustin Canapino, Chevrolet, 221, Mechanical
    26. (5) Felix Rosenqvist, Honda, 184, Mechanical
    27. (27) Conor Daly, Honda, 140, Mechanical

    Race Statistics
    Winner’s average speed: 154.768 mph
    Time of Race: 01:26:38.7472
    Margin of victory: 0.3915 of a second
    Cautions: 12 laps
    Lead changes: 6 among 4 drivers

    Lap Leaders:
    McLaughlin, Scott 1 – 94
    Palou, Alex 95 – 100
    Power, Will 101 – 106
    Palou, Alex 107 – 203
    Power, Will 204 – 205
    Lundqvist, Linus 206 – 208
    Power, Will 209 – 250

    NTT INDYCAR SERIES Point Standings:
    Palou 379, Power 344, O’Ward 327, Dixon 322, McLaughlin 315, Herta 299, Kirkwood 274, Rossi 265, Newgarden 247, Ferrucci 221, Rosenqvist 219, Ericsson 209, Lundgaard 203, Rahal 177, Grosjean 177, VeeKay 177, Armstrong 173, Lundqvist 156, Simpson 125, Fittipaldi 124, Robb 116, Rasmussen 104, Canapino 104, Harvey 80, Siegel 79, Pourchaire 75, Malukas 54, Blomqvist 46, Ilott 39, Carpenter 32, Ghiotto 27, Castroneves 26, Daly 26, Legge 24, Larson 21, Sato 19, Sowery 17, Vautier 12, Braun 10, Hunter-Reay 6, Andretti 5

  • 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
  • McLaughlin saves season with dominant drive in Alabama

    McLaughlin saves season with dominant drive in Alabama

    On Wednesday, Scott McLaughlin learned he lost his second-place finish in the Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg, for push-to-pass violations by Team Penske. As a result, he fell to last in NTT INDYCAR SERIES points.

    “We took the penalty, as we said at the start of the week,” he said. “It was black and white. You move on.”

    Fast-forward to Sunday, McLaughlin dominated the field to win in Alabama.

    He led a race high of 59 laps to win the Children’s of Alabama Indy Grand Prix for the second year in a row, and the fifth time in his career. He built up a large enough gap to pit on Lap 75 and exit pit road ahead of Alex Palou. A caution with five laps to go gave Palou and the field another chance, but nobody had the goods to overtake McLaughlin on the final restart with two laps to go.

    “We did what we thought we could do,” he said. “It was execution. Like, probably one of the most I guess you could say so proud of the execution, the way that the team, particularly on the three cars, stuck together. We just kind of kept executing. That’s our word for the rest of the year. Keep knocking ’em out. Points are points. Points are imaginary things. You just, like, get them. It’s a reward at the end of the race.

    “It’s about executing. The higher you finish, the more points you get. Ultimately it’s a bonus at the end of the season. We’re here to just take it race by race and see what happens towards the end.”

    Teammate, Will Power, who lost 10 points in Wednesday’s penalty announcement, brought his No. 12 Team Penske Chevrolet home to a runner-up finish. INDYCAR rookie, Linus Lundqvist, passed Palou for third on Lap 79. For a moment, he thought he could pass Power in Turn 5. To no avail.

    “I think these guys were obviously the pace of the field today,” he said. “I was able to hold off fairly easily from Palou. I think he still had some fuel saving or old tires.”

    Felix Rosenqvist and Palou rounded out the top-five.

    Christian Lundgaard, Santino Ferrucci, Colton Herta, Marcus Armstrong and Kyle Kirkwood rounded out the top-10.

    Race summary

    McLaughlin led the field to green at 1:40 p.m. ET. A three-car incident in Turn 1 set the tone for the day. For which Rinus VeeKay served a pass-through penalty, for avoidable contact. I counted at least six times one car touched another, over the course of 90 laps.

    McLaughlin pitted from the lead on Lap 28. Palou followed suite, two laps later. Followed by Rosenqvist on Lap 31 and Ferrucci on Lap 36. McLaughlin cycled back to the lead on Lap 37.

    Alexander Rossi lost a wheel exiting pit road on Lap 44. Which brought out a caution. Running on a three-stop strategy, Palou stayed out during the caution to retake the lead. When Sting Ray Robb plowed into the Turn 1 tire barrier on Lap 55, Ferrucci stayed out to inherit the lead. It was a lucky break for McLaughlin, who was “probably on the backfoot” when the caution flew.

    “That was a way of us getting back to the point where these other guys had to take the fuel and hope they made the fuel,” he said.

    After Ferrucci pitted on Lap 66 and Lundqvist on Lap 70, McLaughlin built a roughly 30-second gap to Palou. When he pitted on Lap 75, he exited ahead of Palou.

    Aside from Christian Rasmussen’s stall in Turn 14 with five laps to go, it was McLaughlin’s race to lose.

    What else happened

    File under “Well that happened.”

    On Lap 53, a mannequin named Georgina fell off the bridge before the entry to Turn 7 and partially onto the track. Which Luca Ghiotto clipped. In a sports league where fans tape up beer cans to make a beer tower on Carb Day at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, nothing compares to this. Hell, I once saw a bat fly around the media center at Bristol Motor Speedway, and that was less bizarre than any of this.

    Nuts and bolts

    The race lasted one hour, 56 minutes and 45 seconds, at an average speed of 106.369 mph. There were 10 lead changes among six different drivers and four cautions for 15 laps.

    Herta leaves Barber Motorsports Park as the points leader.

  • Getting to know ARCA Menards Series driver, Alex Clubb

    Getting to know ARCA Menards Series driver, Alex Clubb

    I recently had the opportunity to sit down with Alex Clubb, owner and driver of the No. 03 Ford Fusion, and it offered me a glimpse of Clubb’s busy life.

    I went all the way back to the beginning to find out what had inspired the 33-year-old to get into racing. Like so many drivers, it started with family. His grandfather and his father, Brian Clubb, raced at their local track in the late model division. Clubb got his start driving at the same track, and he quickly moved up until he was at the top level of late models.

    When he was 22 years old, he discovered the ARCA Menards Series, where he has been racing since 2015. This is his first full-time year in the Series, although he seems like a seasoned veteran. Clubb is a throwback to the days of Alan Kulwicki, as he pretty much does it all. He hauls his own cars, works on them, and drives them too, while his father serves as his crew chief.

    He competes with 1/10th of the budget that the other drivers have. And while he’s driving, he’s learning quite a bit on the track, including who may be loose, who to be leery of, and the experience that only time in the seat can give you.

    Don’t think for a second that Clubb is just sitting around waiting for the next race. He is also dedicated to his community.

    “If you want something changed,” he told me, “You be the change.“

    He is the third ward Alderman in his hometown and is also running for Mayor, although he’s not sure he will win. He also runs and operates A.Clubb Lawn Care and Landscaping, Inc.

    Much to my surprise Clubb’s wife, Ashlee, isn’t into racing, but his son, 3-year-old Parker, seems to have the racing gene too. As for Kennedy, his four-month-old daughter; we will have to wait and see.

  • The White Zone: Yeah, this race wasn’t good

    The White Zone: Yeah, this race wasn’t good

    EDITOR’S NOTE: A previous version of this story used the headline “The White Zone: Yeah, this race sucked.” After discussing it with Tucker, he understood this was too mean-spirited of a title. Furthermore, he rewrote several paragraphs for the same reason.

    ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — Even IndyCar puts on lackluster races.

    I’ve worked enough NTT INDYCAR SERIES races to know what makes a good race. You won’t see bumping and banging, and multiple on-track lead changes like NASCAR. And if you understand and accept that, there’s a lot of fun to have with IndyCar. Which, in my opinion, is more strategy-heavy than NASCAR.

    But just like NASCAR, INDYCAR has doldrum days.

    All weekend, I heard beat writers and even NBC take potshots at Formula 1 for how stale and boring its product is (and rightfully so). Now by no means was Sunday’s Firestone Grand Prix of St. Pete near the level of the Max Verstappen Invitational.

    But it had some elements of it.

    Josef Newgarden led 92 of 100 laps and won by a margin of roughly eight seconds. All the lead changes happened during pit stops. Three times, a driver braked wrong, overran a corner and a caution flew. In one case, Romain Grosjean clipped Linus Lundqvist in Turn 10 and put him in the tire barrier (for which, he served a pass-through penalty).

    Outside of that, Sunday’s race didn’t give me much to discuss.

    Look, there was a lot of good from this weekend. This race drew an insanely huge crowd, which crowded pit road, pre-race. I found it more difficult than normal to move my way through the sea of people. Furthermore, St. Pete is an amazingly intimate venue. Everything’s centralized to an excellent walking distance radius of the deadline room and once you figure out the basic layout, it’s insanely easy to navigate.

    Would I come here to cover a race, again? ABSOLUTELY!

    Moreover, this race was probably an outlier.

    For now, however, the kickoff to the 2024 season could’ve been better.

    That’s my view, for what it’s worth.

  • Siegel Produces Command Performance in St. Petersburg Win

    Siegel Produces Command Performance in St. Petersburg Win

    ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (Sunday, March 10, 2024) – Nolan Siegel made a championship statement in the first race of the 2024 INDY NXT by Firestone season.

    The 19-year-old HMD Motorsports driver, who started the INDY NXT by Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg from the pole, was never seriously challenged in leading all 45 laps.

    Siegel masterfully executed the start of the race, then handled a pair of late restarts to score his third career series victory and third win in the past 11 races. His final margin over Jacob Abel was 1.3959 seconds, but he led by nearly seven seconds before the first caution occurred.

    Best of all, Siegel looked the part of the driver signed for four NTT INDYCAR SERIES races this season by Dale Coyne Racing, including the 108th Indianapolis 500 presented by Gainbridge, and, of course, a title favorite in this series.

    “It feels amazing,” the driver of the No. 39 HMD Motorsports entry said in victory lane. “We’ve worked hard for this. First (series) pole this weekend, led every lap. (I) should have won here last year – I made a mistake and redeemed myself today.

    “The car was fantastic; the pace was there. It made it easy to drive. I’m so happy to start the season this way.”

    Even Siegel acknowledged what this domination means for the rest of the INDY NXT by Firestone season. Now, the field is chasing him.

    “I think it’s definitely making a statement,” he said. “We’re going to be the car to beat this season and I’d like to keep it up front as much as possible all the way throughout the year.”

    For the weekend performance, Siegel earned the maximum number of points – 54 – and will take a 14-point lead over Abel heading to the next race, the INDY NXT by Firestone Grand Prix of Alabama on Sunday, April 28. Between now and then Siegel will drive Dale Coyne Racing’s No. 18 Honda in the NTT INDYCAR SERIES’ $1 Million Challenge at The Thermal Club in Southern California on Sunday, March 24.

    Abel was left to ponder what could have been. This second-place finish in the No. 51 Abel Construction machine was his third such result over the past two seasons, including following Siegel to the finish line last June at Road America. But Abel also deftly held back Louis Foster, another of the season’s championship favorites, in a spirited late-race, three-car battle for the podium positions behind Siegel.

    Foster, who drives the No. 26 Copart/Novara Technologies entry of Andretti Global, finished third, with series rookie Michael d’Orlando grabbing fourth. D’Orlando was only four days removed from signing to drive the No. 3 Andretti Cape INDY NXT entry.

    The season began relatively smoothly, with the first lap of the race nearly clean until Josh Pierson tried an inside pass of Jamie Chadwick entering Turn 13. Chadwick got the worst of the contact and was pushed wide in the No. 28 VEXT entry of Andretti Global. Pierson continued in the No. 14 HMD Motorsports car but was penalized for avoidable contact.

    Siegel had his largest lead with 13 laps to go when rookie Bryce Aron hit the wall with Andretti Global’s No. 27 Jaguar Land Rover Chesterfield machine in Turn 10. That brought out the race’s first caution.

    The second stoppage came four laps later when series newcomer Jack William Miller, the son of former NTT INDYCAR SERIES driver Dr. Jack Miller, bounced off the Turn 3 wall with the left side of the No. 40 Patterson Dental Haven Go by SAAM entry of Miller Vinatieri Motorsports entry. Neither he nor Aron was injured.

    Reece Gold rounded out the top five in the No. 10 HMD Motorsports entry after being penalized three positions for improperly moving out of line at the start of the race. The field featured 21 car-and-driver combinations, the largest for a series-opening race since 2009.