The racing action continues this weekend as the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series and XFINITY Series head to Texas Motor Speedway. The Camping World Truck Series is off for the next few weeks but will return May 8 at Kansas.
I’d like to start this week’s column out with well wishes for Steve Byrnes the host of RaceHub on Fox Sports 1. Byrnes posted on Twitter that he had developed some complications during his on-going battle with cancer. Byrnes is one of the nicest on-air celebrities I’ve had the pleasure of meeting
A week of rest, a week of contemplation, a week for those of faith. I so desperately pray that miracles do happen. Pit reporter Steve Byrnes is back in the hospital in his fight against neck and head cancer. He is in the ICU with pneumonia and a blood clot in his lung.
For the first time in the series history, the Verizon IndyCar Series is set to tackle the NOLA Motorsports Park road course. The 2.74-mile, 13 turn road course should prove to be an excellent event for both drivers and fans, based on the speeds shown through pre-season testing.
CFH Racing announced on Tuesday, April 7 that JR Hildebrand will drive the No. 6 Preferred Freezer Services CFH Racing Chevrolet for the Angie’s List Grand Prix of Indianapolis on May 9 and the 99th Running of the Indianapolis 500 on May 24.
As the boys and girl venture on to Fort Worth, it seems apropos for some to seek a resurrection of their hopes on the season. For others, the off weekend did little to help matters from where we left off after Martinsville.
NASCAR has a long standing tradition of strictly prohibiting any manipulation or modifications of tires. But considering the extensive time and effort required to police the teams for this particular infraction, maybe it’s time for NASCAR to consider a change in the rules and allow the use of bleeder valves.
I had a feeling, and so did many others in NASCAR, that the results of the testing on tires confiscated in California would be eye opening, and they were quite eye opening. Joey Logano and Kevin Harvick, the two hottest drivers in NASCAR, had tires that were confiscated by NASCAR officials after the race at Phoenix International Raceway.
Harvick finished eighth at Martinsville, ending his streak of eight consecutive results of second or better. He remains atop the Sprint Cup points standings, 24 ahead of Joey Logano.
It is common for this writer to say I love Martinsville Speedway. Some say it’s because my home is only 150 (give or take) miles from the speedway. Some try to get into my mind and say it’s because it was the first speedway I ever visited, but the truth of the matter is that little paper clip-shaped track is exactly how the whole phenomenon we now call NASCAR started.
In 28 NASCAR Cup Series starts at Martinsville (Va.) Speedway, Spire Motorsports has logged four top-20 finishes. Michael McDowell owns the team's best finish, a 12th-place effort earned in March 2025.
Entering Rounds Three and Four of the 2026 INDY NXT by Firestone season, HMD Motorsports heads to Barber Motorsports Park in Birmingham, Alabama, on March 27–29 focused on contending at the front.
