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Adakonis Masters Hectic Mazda MX-5 Cup Race 2 at Mid-Ohio

By
Official Release
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LEXINGTON, Ohio (June 7, 2026) – After missing out on a podium in Race 1 at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course, Justin Adakonis (No. 23 McCumbee McAleer Racing) knew exactly what he needed to do to capture the Whelen Mazda MX-5 Cup presented by Michelin Race 2 win on Sunday. Rookie Ethan Jacobs (No. 99 JDH Racing) finished second after an intense fight with Adakonis for the win, with polesitter Julian DaCosta (No. 95 BSI Racing) completing the podium.

Now in his second season of Whelen Mazda MX-5 Cup competition, Adakonis scored his second win of the season and this time, it wasn’t behind a safety car.

With 37 cars taking the green flag under sunny skies, the opening laps of the 45-minute race were a little chaotic, but Adakonis had teammate and Saturday’s race winner, Jeremy Fletcher (No. 22 McCumbee McAleer Racing) to work with. By lap five, the duo had moved into the top two spots. When Jacobs joined them, the trio thought it was the appropriate time for a ceasefire. Fletcher, Adakonis and Jacobs calmly pulled away from the field.

It looked like clean sailing for the three drivers until the race’s halfway point when a small bobble from Fletcher caused the group to check up and lose momentum. The lead pack grew to five cars, now joined by DeCosta and Parker DeLong (No. 42 Parker DeLong Racing). The new sense of urgency allowed even more cars to catch them and become a pack of eight.

Moments later, disaster struck, when seventh-place Jared Thomas (No. 96 JTR Motorsports Engineering) went sailing across the grass and into the Turn Four gravel trap. This brought out the race’s only full-course caution.

The race restarted with less than nine minutes to go and now the whole field was in attack mode.

Jacobs made his move, first around Fletcher, then two corners later around Adakonis for the lead. Adakonis got him back the next lap. Jacobs played his cards close to the vest until the white flag came out and he made his move into Turn Four. Adakonis saw it coming, let it happen, and got Jacobs back in Turn Nine.

Jacobs was out of time and passing opportunities. He crossed the line just 0.380-second behind Adakonis.

“I saw him (Jacobs) setting up that one by China Beach (Turn Four) and I thought back to that move I made on Jared [Thomas] at St. Petersburg,” Adakonis said. “I tried to set it up there and then cross him over. I went pretty deep, so I thought he would go in deeper, but he did a great job getting it stopped and turned. I saw him open up out of Turn Nine, so I just kind of stuck in there.”

The runner-up finish matched Jacobs’ career-best MX-5 Cup finish of second at Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta at the end of last season.

“The car felt amazing, so I felt pretty comfortable hanging the outside there,” Jacobs said. “I did it a couple times, and then once you get up on top of that hill after China Beach (Turn Four), you can just kind of put the power down and then take that position over.

“I got a call on the radio saying, ‘next time by is white flag.’ So, I was like, ‘do I pass him now or wait for the white flag lap?’ I waited for the last lap. I thought I had him there, and then he made an amazing move into Thunder Valley (Turn Nine). It was a super clean pass and I can’t really argue with it.”

DaCosta may have started from pole position but ultimately finished third. Still, it was an upgrade from Saturday’s P21 finish.

“Definitely a really interesting start,” DaCosta said. “To be honest I expected it to be a little more calm. I fell back a couple positions there the first couple laps, and to be honest, I was okay with it, because this is one of those tracks where I’m not really sure you want to lead for the whole race, which I was pretty surprised that Jeremy [Fletcher] made that work really well. That kind of changed my mindset toward the end of the race.”

The top five was completed by a pair of rookie teammates: Matt Novak (No. 11 Advanced Autosports) in fourth and Cam Ebben (No. 55 Advanced Autosports) a career-best fifth place.

Logan Stretch (No. 98 Wheels America Racing) had the drive of his life on Sunday. The rookie started from last on the grid after an engine change and worked his way up to 10th at the finish. That 27-position gain made him the Penske Shocking Performance Award winner.

Ellie Gossett (No. 44 BSI Racing) once again took home the prize for highest-finishing female.

Brian Dombroski (No. 40 Rocksteady Racing) earned the Takumi Award for drivers over the age of 40.

The Whelen Mazda MX-5 Cup Championship continues July 10 – 12 at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park. All races are streamed live and archived on the IMSA and RACER YouTube channels.

About: The Whelen Mazda MX-5 Cup presented by Michelin is the signature spec series for Mazda Motorsports. The series has been operated by Andersen Promotions since 2017 and is currently sanctioned by IMSA. Mazda-powered grassroots champions can earn Mazda scholarships for this pro-level series. The Whelen Mazda MX-5 Cup awards more than $1 million in prizes and scholarships.

Find out more at http://www.mx-5cup.com.

Richard Childress reveals 2026 Cup plans for Austin Hill

By
Andrew Kim
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Photo by Tim Jarrold for SpeedwayMedia.com.

Richard Childress, team owner of Richard Childress Racing (RCR), revealed plans to keep Austin Hill as the driver of the No. 33 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 entry for the remainder of the 2026 NASCAR Cup Series season, beginning with this Sunday’s FireKeepers Casino 400 event at Michigan International Speedway.

The news was made by Richard Childress, who held an emotional press conference in the media center at Michigan on June 6, 2026. Childress’ conference occurred more than two weeks after the loss of one of his star competitors, two-time NASCAR Cup Series champion Kyle Busch. Busch, who drove for RCR since the start of the 2023 season through mid-May this season and notched a trio of victories during the 2023 season, died at age 41 on May 21, 2026, due to a severe case of bacterial pneumonia that progressed into sepsis.

In the aftermath of Busch’s death, Austin Hill, who competes for RCR on a full-time basis in the NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series, was selected to pilot Busch’s entry that was renumbered to 33 from 8 as Childress has sole ownership of the number and will reserve it for Busch’s son, Brexton, in the event the latter decides to compete for any organization in NASCAR. Hill has since campaigned in the last two Cup events, the Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway and the Nashville Superspeedway, with the No. 33 entry, finishing 27th in both.

While revealing plans to keep Austin Hill as the driver of the No. 33 entry in the Cup circuit, Childress stood by the decision and took the time to recognize the sponsors that had been affiliated with Busch for supporting the organization and Hill one race per week at a time for the remainder of the 2026 season.

“Mike Verlander, our President, and I were talking about it…We decided that Austin Hill was who we needed to put in [the No. 33 car] at this time,” Childress said. “Our sponsors have been great to work with through this year. Just like we had with Dale [Earnhardt Sr.], the sponsors worked really well with us with that loss. Putting Austin [Hill] in it was a choice that we made for right now.

Initial plans to extend Kyle Busch’s contract to 2027

During Childress’ conference, he revealed that both he and Busch were scheduled to announce a contract extension at the Michigan race weekend, keeping Busch as an RCR Cup competitor for the 2027 season. The duo selected Michigan for the announcement and were planning to make it with the head representatives of GM and Chevrolet, with the manufacturers having their global headquarters in Michigan.

The planned contract extension decision was made as both Childress and Busch had expressed enthusiasm and were optimistic in their level of progression on the track. Although notching an average-finishing result of 22.1 and netting only a single top-10 result through the first 10-scheduled events of the 2026 season, Busch improved his average-finishing result to 14.0 in what would be his final two Cup starts. This included a season-high eighth-place run at Watkins Glen International, and since he had Andy Street replace Jim Pohlman as his crew chief.

“I talked to Kyle Tuesday night, before everything went down Wednesday night and Thursday, and we had a great conversation,” Childress said. “[Busch] said, ‘You give me cars as you gave me the last three weeks and I will make the Chase this year.’ We were that confident. Both of us had a lot of confidence in this team. We haven’t had the year that any of us expected or wanted. We started out like gangbusters, and it just didn’t go as we expected. We’ve had a lot of opportunities, and we just didn’t finish them off.”

As Childress looks ahead to finishing off the 2026 season on a strong note, he took the time to recognize Kyle Busch’s contributions to the organization. These include his involvement in the 2023 season and his historic legacy, accomplishments and lasting impact he implemented towards his family, friends, fellow competitors and the competition.

Photo by John Knittel for SpeedwayMedia.com.

“Kyle Busch will go down in history as one of the greatest drivers there’s ever been,” Childress said. “He’ll be in the Hall of Fame. I’d love to see them put him in it right away. He helped RCR when we needed him [in 2023], came right in, and we won three races the first part of the year.” Childress continued, saying, “he was a man that a lot of people thought was tough to deal with and that we wouldn’t last long, but he was a man that loved this sport. He loved it so much that he wanted to see his family carry it on.”

“[Busch]’s legacy will be in history,” Childress added. “He’ll go down as one of the greatest drivers of all time. He’s won over 200 races. All of us are going to miss him. You all are going to miss having him in here after a win.”

The 2026 NASCAR Cup Series season for Richard Childress Racing continues with the FireKeepers Casino 400 at Michigan International Speedway on June 7. The event’s broadcast time is slated for 3 p.m. ET on Prime Video, MRN Radio, SiriusXM and HBO MAX.

From Clinic to Cloud: How Digital Healthcare Is Changing the Game In Dallas

By
SM
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Photo by depositphotos at https://depositphotos.com/

Healthcare in Dallas is at an inflection point. 

The city’s packed with some of the biggest hospital networks in the country, including Medical City, Baylor Scott & White, and UT Southwestern. These aren’t your average health systems. They serve millions across a city that feels more like a web than a grid. Still, when patients try to manage their own care digitally, the experience often does not match the quality of the care itself. Telehealth happens on a platform that feels borrowed rather than built for the purpose.

That gap between clinical quality and digital delivery is where healthcare businesses in Dallas are losing ground right now. A well-built healthcare app does not just digitize paperwork. It restructures the entire patient journey. When that expectation goes unmet, they notice. So do your retention numbers.

This post walks through how experts like TekRevol healthcare app development are closing that gap with healthcare enterprises and founders who are ready to build something that actually reflects the quality of their care for a city as diverse as Dallas. 

The Rising Standard for Telehealth App Experiences

Telehealth earned enormous goodwill a few years ago simply by existing. Patients were grateful just to skip the waiting room. That window has closed.

Today, your patients arrive at a virtual appointment with higher expectations. They want to complete intake forms before the call starts. They want their prescriptions sent automatically after it ends. They want a follow-up message from their care team that arrives without them having to log into a separate portal to find it.

Dallas reflects this shift clearly. The DFW metro has one of the most digitally active patient populations in the country. Younger residents expect consumer-grade experiences. Older patients want simplicity and clarity. Both groups need an app that respects their time and works without confusion.

Patients now compare their healthcare app to their banking app and their grocery delivery app. If your product feels slower or harder to use than those, you will feel it in your retention numbers. That comparison is not unfair. It is just the reality of building digital products in 2025.

This is where digitalization brings real value. TekRevol app developers in Dallas build for a diverse patient base, which requires deliberate UX research and accessibility testing. When those elements are in place from the start, the product you ship actually earns consistent use.

How Fragmented Software Slows Down Healthcare Growth 

Most healthcare businesses do not have a technology problem. They have an integration problem.

Your EHR system sits in one place and your billing platform in another. Your telehealth module lives outside your patient portal entirely. Staff members spend hours each week manually moving data between systems. Patients create duplicate accounts because nothing connects cleanly. The whole operation runs on workarounds that nobody planned for, but everyone depends on.

This fragmentation does not show up as a line item in your budget. It hides inside your overhead. Longer admin hours, slower billing cycles, and higher staff turnover are symptoms of a disconnected tech stack. They are not the inevitable costs of running a healthcare business. They are problems that better architecture solves.

Custom app development addresses this at the foundation. When your systems are designed to communicate from the start, data flows without human intervention. A patient books an appointment, and their intake form populates automatically. A clinician completes a visit, and the billing code is generated without a separate manual entry. Your team focuses on patients instead of processes.

For a clinic group or health-tech startup scaling across the DFW area, the compounding effect of this matters at every stage. A fragmented stack that feels manageable across ten locations becomes genuinely difficult to operate across thirty. Building integration into your architecture early is significantly cheaper than untangling it later.

There is also a staff experience dimension worth considering. Healthcare workers are leaving the industry at high rates across the country. One consistent reason is administrative burden. When your software creates work instead of reducing it, your best people notice. Giving your team tools that actually work is part of retaining them.

HIPAA Compliance Is a Design Decision, Not a Final Step

Most compliance failures in healthcare apps do not come from external attacks. They come from internal design gaps.

A staff member exports a patient report to a personal email account. A session token stays active too long on a shared device at a nursing station. A third-party analytics tool quietly collects more patient data than your privacy policy covers. These are not dramatic breaches. They are quiet ones, and they happen because compliance was treated as a checklist at the end of a build rather than a guiding principle from the beginning.

The distinction matters more than most founders realize. An app that passes a compliance audit at launch can still create liability six months later if the underlying architecture was not built with security in mind. Patches and fixes applied after the fact are more expensive and less reliable than decisions made correctly at the design stage.

TekRevol approaches HIPAA compliance as an architectural commitment. Security reviews happen at each development sprint. Data storage, access permissions, audit logs, and session management are all shaped by regulatory requirements before a single screen goes live. The result is a product that holds up under real scrutiny, not just initial approval.

If you are evaluating development partners right now, ask them one direct question. At which stage of your process does security testing happen? If the answer is “before launch,” that tells you something important.

Security testing woven into each sprint catches problems when they are inexpensive to fix. Security testing done only at the end finds problems when they are not.

Designing Healthcare Apps for a Diverse Patient Population 

Dallas is one of the most diverse cities in the United States, and your patient population reflects that fully.

Language is the most visible dimension of this. Spanish is the first language for a large share of DFW residents. Significant Vietnamese, Arabic, Amharic, and Urdu-speaking communities exist across the metro. An app that offers language support buried three menus deep is not offering language support in any meaningful way. It is offering a legal checkbox. 

Age range is the second dimension. Managing a chronic condition looks very different at 68 than it does at 32. Text size, navigation depth, and the number of steps required to complete a common task; these things matter differently depending on who is holding the phone. Designing for both ends of that range is harder than designing for one, but the patient engagement difference is measurable.

There is a business case here that goes beyond good values. Screen reader compatibility, high-contrast modes, and tap target sizes are not edge case features. For a meaningful share of any patient population, they are the difference between an app that works and one that does not.

App developers in Dallas include user research as a structured part of the development process. They study who will actually use the product and how. That research shapes navigation logic, content hierarchy, and interaction design across the entire app. It is the difference between a product your patients tolerate and one they return to consistently.

Custom Development vs White-Label: Understanding the Real Trade-Off

White-label telehealth platforms have genuine appeal. They deploy quickly. The initial cost looks manageable. For a solo practice exploring digital care for the first time, they can serve as a reasonable starting point.

For a healthcare enterprise or a founder building something meant to scale, the calculation looks different.

White-label platforms grow on the vendor’s timeline. When you need a custom integration with a regional insurance network specific to Texas, you submit a feature request and wait. When a competitor launches a noticeably better patient experience, your ability to respond depends entirely on what your vendor chooses to prioritize next. Your product roadmap belongs to someone else.

Custom development changes that dynamic completely. You own the code. Features ship when your business needs them. Integrations happen on your schedule. Your app scales with your patient volume without requiring structural rebuilds every two years. When regulations change, and in healthcare, they do change regularly, your team can respond directly instead of waiting for a vendor update.

There is also a data ownership dimension that healthcare founders often overlook until it becomes a problem. With a white-label platform, your patient engagement data lives in someone else’s system. With a custom-built product, that data belongs to you. It informs your product decisions, your clinical programs, and your business strategy in ways that a third-party platform simply cannot replicate.

Healthcare businesses that move to custom development at the right stage of growth consistently see stronger outcomes over a three to five-year window. The upfront investment is real. The long-term cost of staying on a white-label platform, measured in lost flexibility, vendor dependency, and constrained growth, tends to be higher.

Starting Your Clinic-to-Cloud Transition

The clearest way to start is to map your current patient journey with fresh eyes.

Follow the path from the moment a patient decides to book an appointment through their post-visit follow-up. Write down every step. Note every place where a staff member is manually bridging a gap between two systems. Note every place where a patient has to repeat information they already provided. That map becomes your product brief, and it will show you exactly where the highest-value improvements are.

From there, the right development partner takes it forward. Experienced healthcare app development companies bring clinical understanding and technical depth to every engagement. The team knows the Dallas market, the regulatory environment, and the patient expectations that come with serving one of the country’s most dynamic metro areas.

ARCA Menards West at Tri-City Raceway: NAPA Auto Parts Greg Biffle Memorial 150 Post-race Notes

By
Official Release
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ARCA Menards West at Tri-City Raceway: NAPA Auto Parts Greg Biffle Memorial 150 Post-Race Notes

  • Cole Denton (No. 71 Jan’s Towing Ford) was the dominant force throughout the day as he was fastest in practice, earned his second Sioux Chief PowerPEX Pole Award in qualifying, and then led most of the NAPA Auto Parts Greg Biffle Memorial 150 to score his second career ARCA Menards Series victory., Denton, from Pascagoula, Mississippi, led 101 of the race’s 150 laps.
  • Denton joins Trevor Huddleston (No. 50 High Point Racing / Racecar Factory Ford) as the only two drivers with multiple ARCA Menards West wins in 2026; Denton won earlier in the season at Tucson Speedway while Huddleston came to Tri-City with a two-race win streak with victories at Shasta Speedway and Colorado National Speedway.
  • Huddleston, the reigning series champion, entered the night with a 20-point lead over fifth-place finisher Mason Massey (No. 19 NAPA Auto Care Chevrolet). Huddleston was the race’s only other leader, gaining a valuable bonus point, and finished second to open his lead in the standings to 24 points with seven races remaining. Huddleston is the only driver to finish among the top five and in the top ten in all six races so far in 2026.
  • Third-place finisher Mia Lovell (No. 15 Pine Health Toyota) had the best race of her fledgling ARCA Menards West career. She started fourth and battled in and among the top five all evening long, racing her way past Robbie Kennealy (No. 1 Jan’s Towing Ford) on the final restart at lap 113 to earn her best career series finish; Kennealy held on to finish fourth. Lovell is the sixth female driver to finish third or better in an ARCA Menards West race in series history, joining Hailie Deegan, Gracie Trotter, Nicole Behar, Julia Landauer, and Isabella Robusto.
  • TJ Moon (No. 41 Jan’s Towing Ford) finished sixth in his ARCA Menards West debut driving a third entry for team owner Jan Qualkenbush. Moon, the 2024 INEX Bandolero national champion, stayed out of the chaos throughout the second half of the race to give the Jan’s Racing team half of the first six finishers.
  • Gavin Ray (No. 7 Jerry Pitts Racing Toyota) finished seventh after starting an uncharacteristic 13th. His six positions gained were the most of anyone in the 16-car starting field.
  • Andrew Chapman (No. 55 High Point Racing / Racecar Factory Ford) finished eighth, the final driver on the lead lap.
  • Strike Mamba Racing finished in the final two positions inside the top ten, with Tyler Tomassi (No. 51 RBR Engineering Chevrolet) in ninth and newcomer Josiah Reaume (No. 72 RBR Engineering Chevrolet) in tenth.
  • Sam Corry (No. 25 Nitro Motorsports Toyota) finished eleventh after being involved in a multi-car pileup in the final turn of the tricky tri-oval layout on lap 109. Corry was able to continue with only damage to the right rear and tail of his Nitro Motorsports entry. Eric Johnson, Jr. (No. 5 Pacific Office Automation Toyota) was also able to continue with heavy damage to the nose and hood of his car, 17 laps off the pace. Two others, Jade Avedisian (No. 13 Central Coast Cabinets Toyota) and Hailie Deegan (No. 16 Columbia Bank Chevrolet) were eliminated in the accident.
  • David Smith (No. 05 Shockwave Marine Suspension Seating Systems Toyota) finished 12th after recovering from a late-race spin off turn two which nearly collected then race-leader Huddleston. Television replays showed Huddleston missing the rear of Smith’s car by inches as it came down the banking and into the infield.
  • ARCA Menards East regular Quinn Davis (No. 77 King Taco / FLAV R PAC / Bulldog Toyota) was named to drive the Joe Nava-owned car early in the week, but was sidelined early with overheating issues; she finished last in the 16-car field with 25 laps completed.
  • The race was run in memory of 19-time NASCAR Cup Series winner, 2002 NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series champion and 2000 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series champion Greg Biffle. Biffle, a two-time Tri-City Raceway champion in the 1990s, perished in an aviation crash in December with his wife Christina, daughter Emma, son Ryder, family friend Craig Wadsworth, pilot Dennis Dutton and his son Jack all lost their lives in the accident last December. Biffle’s long-time friend Adam Vail addressed the sold-out crowd before the race, and several members of the Biffle family were in attendance. Biffle had driven in the ARCA Menards West race at Tri-City Raceway in each of the last two years, finishing ninth in 2024 and third in 2025.
  • The next race for the ARCA Menards West is at Sonoma Raceway on Friday, June 26. The race, set to begin at 6:30 pm ET / 3:30 pm PT, will be streamed live on FloRacing. ARCARacing.com will have live timing & scoring data throughout all on-track activity and live race audio. Follow @ARCA_Racing on X (formerly Twitter) for up-to-the-minute updates.

Aaron Reutzel victorious at Dacotah Speedway with Interstate Batteries High Limit Racing Series

By
Briar Starr
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Photo Courtesy of High Limit Racing

After Friday’s cancellation of the Interstate Batteries High Limit Racing Series, the series headed west to North Dakota to visit Dacotah Speedway for their third stop of the week. Aaron Reutzel scored his seventh career victory in the 2026 season.

“I think I just caught lap cars at a bad time,” Reutzel told Flo Racing. “I knew they were slowing me up. I had guys coming back on the track and getting up over the cushion. You know, they just kept making mistakes in front of me, over and over. I kind of figured, I was really getting slowed up, and I knew the middle of (Turns) 3 and 4 was going to come in. Clean laps is what took. When Brent (Marks) got by me, I finally got some clean lap back and was able to run the top hard like I had been.

“I think his (Brent Marks) middle went away on him in (Turn) 2. I just needed lap cars to quit making mistakes in front of me. That’s what was killing me. Our car was great tonight. I think the four or last five races, I’ve been beating myself with the car getting too tight. Not just doing simple stuff, you know, just trying to get too trick. Tonight, I went back to the basics of what has been good. Yeah, we were really good tonight. It would’ve been nice to see a little bit more of a bottom, just to kind of move around. I’m okay with a cushion like that. It’s fun, but, man, just another great team effort and overall night. Unloading quick time and getting into the dash, just another great night.”

NASCAR Cup Series driver Kyle Larson has won the past three consecutive races this past week on Monday, Wednesday, and Thursday night. While dominant in the series throughout the week, Larson is not competing in tonight’s race due to his Cup Series adventures in Michigan, which almost guarantees a new race winner.

24 Sprint Cars were checked in prior to heat races, and the start time of engine heat was pushed back to 7 p.m./local due to high temperatures.

A tight season-long championship points battle continues into tonight with series veterans Reutzel and Rico Abreu battling back and forth. Following Thursday’s event, Reutzel retook over the points lead from Abreu by one point. Giovanni Scelzi sits third, 35 points back in the Spire Motorsports entry.

Series regular, Hank Davis, announced on his Facebook page today that he wouldn’t be competing in tonight’s due to a family matter, as his wife went into labor and gave birth to a new child. With Davis out, another series regular, Ayrton Gennetten would be filling in instead.

There were three heat races with all cars transferring due to the low car count. In the first heat race, the race went green briefly before the caution flew immediately due to the pace truck not getting off the track in time. Danny Sams III got a great start on Abreu at the drop of the green. Sams III held on to win the first heat race, followed by Abreu, Reutzel, Justin Peck, Gennetten, Gage Pulkrabek, Greg Nikitenko, and Ace Bodenhamer rounded the eight place finishers.

For the second heat, Brent Marks won the heat race. Tanner Thorson was second, Sye Lynch third, Brenham Crouch fourth, Kerry Madsen fifth, Mark Dobmeier sixth, Colton Young seventh, and Tyler Hewitt eighth.

In the third and final heat race, Tanner Holmes got the victory. Tyler Courtney was second, Daison Pursley third, Chase Randall fourth, Scelzi fifth, Jade Hastings sixth, Weston Olson seventh, and Todd Mickelson eighth.

For the dash feature, it was Sams III, Reutzel, Marks, Lynch, Holmes, and Pursley who qualified for the potential pole position. Reutzel won the race to claim the pole. Afterward, it was Lynch, Pursley, Marks, Holmes, and Sams III.

The feature consisted of 30 laps with Reutzel and Lynch on the front row. After the green flag flew, it was Reutzel who held the lead. Lynch, Marks, Pursley, and Thorson were in the top five. The first caution of the night fell at 24 laps to go, which could’ve been for debris. For the restart, it was Reutzel, Lynch, Marks, Pursley, and Thorson again rounding out the top five. The race resumed with 24 laps to go with Reutzel jumping out in front of the leaders. Marks, however, moved up to the second position, passing Lynch. At 15 laps to go, Thorson went to fourth after passing Pursley.

In the meantime, Marks closed in on the race leader, Reutzel. Marks threw a slider and passed Reutzel with 11 laps to go, and took the lead from Reutzel. At eight laps to go, Reutzel began closing the lead gap back down to Marks. Reutzel had a short slider and took the lead with six laps to go. From there, it looked as though Reutzel and his No. 87 Ridge and Sons team were going to take the victory over Marks.

However, a late-race caution flew with two laps to go for the No. 24D of Sams III, who came to a stop on the backstretch as the leaders were coming to the checkered flag. Prior to the last restart, Scelzi gained nine positions after starting 15th and was placed sixth in the running order. With two laps to go, it was Reutzel, Marks, Thorson, Abreu, and Tyler Courtney the top five.

Marks tried throwing a slider for the race lead, but ultimately came up short. Reutzel would prevail and ultimately come home with the victory by 0.991 seconds over Marks. Thorson, Abreu, and Courtney rounded out your top five. Afterward, it was Holmes, Scelzi, Pursley, Randall, and Lynch the Top 10.

After holding off Marks, Reutzel remained focused and still had the top spot.

“I told myself to calm the hell down and quit being stupid,” he said to Flo Racing. “I bout crashed over there twice, just trying to get back them. You know, the one time, I had a run, I really just leaned on it and really just let it hang out. I thought, I was coming into the grandstands for a second. I finally got it under control, and finally, I just said just ‘calm down.’ I feel like, we had a good enough car to get them back. I just calmed down and make sure not to make mistakes. If you could get off of (Turn) 2 and not get bobbled up, you gain so much straightaway speed. Just trying to keep myself calm. You know, racing for points as well. I can’t get them back, settle for second because we had a really shitty stretch here. So, I need to start getting some points back on these guys.”

Following the race, Reutzel now leads Abreu by 13 points in the season long championship points standings and by 53 points over Scelzi.

Official Race Results Following Dacotah Speedway

  1. Aaron Reutzel
  2. Brent Marks
  3. Tanner Thorson
  4. Rico Abreu
  5. Tyler Courtney
  6. Tanner Holmes
  7. Giovanni Scelzi
  8. Daison Pursley
  9. Chase Randall
  10. Sye Lynch
  11. Brenham Crouch
  12. Kerry Madsen
  13. Justin Peck
  14. Mark Dobmeier
  15. Ayrton Gennetten
  16. Weston Olson
  17. Greg Nikitenko
  18. Danny Sams III
  19. Colton Young
  20. Jade Hastings
  21. Gage Pulkrabek
  22. Todd Mickelson
  23. Tyler Hewitt
  24. Ace Bodenhamer

Up Next – The next race for the Interstate Batteries High Limit Racing Series is scheduled for Tuesday night, June 9 at Eagle Raceway, live on Flo Racing.

Jett Lawrence Returns to Dominant Form at Hangtown for First Pro Motocross Championship Victory of the Season

By
Official Release
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Levi Kitchen’s Consistency Ends 13-Race Winless Drought in 250SMX Class

RANCHO CORDOVA, Calif. (June 6, 2026) – The oldest race in American motocross was the site for Round 19 of the 2026 Monster Energy SMX World Championship, as the Pro Motocross Championship, sanctioned by AMA Pro Racing, traveled to the shadow of the California capital for the 57th running of the iconic Coker Pump Hangtown Motocross Classic. A challenging racetrack, combined with near-perfect weather conditions was a recipe for another compelling afternoon of racing that saw a return to dominant form for Honda HRC Progressive’s Jett Lawrence, the reigning Pro Motocross and SMX World Champion who swept the 450SMX Class motos and has seemingly fast-tracked his comeback from a major offseason ankle injury. In the 250SMX Class, the unpredictability of the wide-open division was once again on display as Monster Energy Pro Circuit Kawasaki’s Levi Kitchen grabbed his first win since the 2024 season.

450SMX Class

Timed Qualifying

  • Premier class rookie Haiden Deegan [#38] paced the first session aboard his Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing machine, but it was Jett Lawrence [#1] who made a statement when he laid down the fastest overall lap in the second session and became the lone rider to put in a sub 1:50 lap time. Lawrence’s 1:49.886 edged out Deegan’s 1:50.389 by a half second.

Moto 1 [30 Minutes + 2 Laps]

  • The first premier class moto of the day kicked off with Lawrence out front for his first holeshot of the year ahead of Deegan and Honda HRC Progressive’s Hunter Lawrence [#96], the championship leader. Behind them, Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Jorge Prado [#26] slotted into fourth.
  • The top three settled in through the opening 10 minutes of the moto, with Jett Lawrence managing about a four-second advantage over Deegan and Hunter Lawrence.
  • Jett continued to build on his lead and pushed it to the cusp of double digits, which left the fight for second to be decided between Deegan and Hunter Lawrence. The elder Lawrence kept the rookie within reach and as the moto dipped into its final five minutes Lawrence went on the attack. He made a quick pass around Deegan and proceeded to sprint away.
  • Out front, Jett Lawrence completed an impressive wire-to-wire performance to take his first moto win by 7.7 seconds over his brother. Deegan earned his first career moto podium in third, followed by Troy Lee Designs Red Bull Ducati Factory Racing’s Dylan Ferrandis [#14] in fourth and Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing’s RJ Hampshire [#24] in fifth. 
  • Prado, who ran fourth almost the entire moto, appeared to have a chance at challenging Deegan for third, but lost power on his KTM just prior to the final lap and was forced to settle for 36th place.

Moto 2 [30 Minutes + 2 Laps]

  • The final moto of the afternoon was halted early when a red flag stopped the race for a downed rider, which necessitated a restart. When racing resumed with a second gate drop it was the Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing machine of Cooper Webb [#2] out front ahead of the Lawrences with the holeshot. Jett Lawrence was able to make quick work to seize control of the lead as Webb engaged in a brief battle with Hunter Lawrence before the Honda rider solidified his hold of second.
  • The Lawrences were soon able to establish a gap over the rest of the field as Webb lost third to Monster Energy Kawasaki’s Chase Sexton [#4].
  • Deeper in the top 10, Deegan battled his way forward from an 11th-place start and methodically started to pick off riders to move into the top five within the first 10 minutes of the moto.
  • Soon enough it appeared as though the battle for the win was going to come down to the Australian siblings, who moved out to a double-digit margin over Sexton. The Lawrences traded bursts of momentum throughout different parts of the racetrack, with the separation between them hovering around a second. Meanwhile, Deegan stormed past Sexton for third.
  • As the race approached the halfway point Hunter Lawrence started to apply pressure on Jett and appeared to be gearing up for an attack for the lead. However, Jett countered with a sudden sprint and soon the lead went from less than a second to nearly four seconds in the span of a few laps. Jett added to his advantage as the moto continued.
  • Jett Lawrence wrapped up a sweep of the motos by a margin of 6.8 seconds over Hunter, with Deegan well back in third.

Overall

  • Despite his ongoing recovery that has left him competing at less than 100 percent, Jett Lawrence returned to the level that’s become custom for the Australian. His dominant 1-1 effort, the 19th of his career, brought him a milestone 25th premier class win in his 29th start.
  • Hunter Lawrence backed up his own 1-1 performance last weekend with an impressive 2-2 effort to give Honda its first 1-2 finish of the season.
  • Deegan’s first premier class podium was a quiet one, as he secured 3-3 finishes mostly riding by himself. Nevertheless, the highly touted rookie landed on the box in just his second start.
  • Hunter Lawrence maintains his hold of the points lead, which now sits at six points over Jett. Deegan moved into third, 19 points out of the lead.

Results & Standings

450SMX Class Overall Results (Moto Finish // Points)

  1. Jett Lawrence, Landsborough, Qld., Australia, Honda (1-1 // 50)
  2. Hunter Lawrence, Landsborough, Qld., Australia, Honda (2-2 // 4)
  3. Haiden Deegan, Temecula, Calif., Yamaha (3-3 // 40)
  4. Dylan Ferrandis, Avignon, France, Ducati (4-6 // 34)
  5. Garrett Marchbanks, Coalville, Utah, Kawasaki (6-5 // 33)
  6. RJ Hampshire, Hudson, Fla., Husqvarna (5-7 // 32)
  7. Chase Sexton, La Moille, Ill., Kawasaki (11-4 // 29)
  8. Cooper Webb, Newport, N.C., Yamaha (9-9 // 26)
  9. Mikkel Haarup, Silkeborg, Denmark, Triumph (7-12 // 25)
  10. Justin Barcia, Monroe, N.Y., Ducati (10-10 // 24)

450SMX Class Championship Standings (Race 2 of 11)

  1. Hunter Lawrence, Landsborough, Qld., Australia, Honda – 94
  2. Jett Lawrence, Landsborough, Qld., Australia, Honda – 88
  3. Haiden Deegan, Temecula, Calif., Yamaha – 75
  4. RJ Hampshire, Hudson, Fla., Husqvarna – 63
  5. Chase Sexton, La Moille, Ill., Kawasaki – 61
  6. Dylan Ferrandis, Avignon, France, Ducati – 59
  7. Jorge Prado, Lugo, Galicia, Spain, KTM – 53
  8. Justin Cooper, Cold Spring Harbor, N.Y., Yamaha – 50
  9. Garrett Marchbanks, Coalville, Utah, Kawasaki – 47
  10. Mikkel Haarup, Silkeborg, Denmark, Triumph – 45

SMX World Championship Regular Season Standings (Round 19 of 28)

  1. Hunter Lawrence, Landsborough, Qld., Australia, Honda – 440
  2. Cooper Webb, Newport, N.C., Yamaha – 359
  3. Ken Roczen, Mattstedt, Germany, Suzuki – 349
  4. Justin Cooper, Cold Spring Harbor, N.Y., Yamaha – 323
  5. Chase Sexton, La Moille, Ill., Kawasaki – 298
  6. Eli Tomac, Cortez, Colo., KTM – 275
  7. Jorge Prado, Lugo, Galicia, Spain, KTM – 242
  8. Dylan Ferrandis, Avignon, France, Ducati – 235
  9. Malcolm Stewart, Haines City, Fla., Husqvarna – 214
  10. Christian Craig, El Cajon, Calif., Honda – 197

Quotes

1st Place – Jett Lawrence | #1 Team Honda HRC Progressive (1-1)
“I knew if I picked a fast pace early that Hunter would be right there with me and would make it a lot harder. I chose [instead] to get a better flow for about 15 minutes and then decided to push for a quick sprint to try and mess up his rhythm, and it worked. It’s good to be back up here with a 1-1.”
 
2nd Place – Hunter Lawrence | #96 Team Honda HRC Progressive (2-2)
“It’s harder racing against Jett [Lawrence]. He’s my toughest competitor. It got to a point where I was going to take the time to reset and make a push, but he decided to do a sprint and gapped me. Still a solid result. It was a tough track today, so I’m happy.”
 
3rd Place – Haiden Deegan | #38 Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing (3-3)
“That was good today. I just want to get better and better each weekend. That’s the goal, just keep progressing with each moto and just try to be there. We’ll go back, put in the work, and try again next weekend.”

450SMX Class Highlights

250SMX Class

Timed Qualifying

  • It was Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing’s Ryder DiFrancesco [#34] who made the first statement in the opening session, but he was surpassed by Monster Energy Pro Circuit Kawasaki’s Seth Hammaker [#10], the championship leader, in the second session. Hammaker’s 1:52.621 edged out DiFrancesco’s 1:52.871 by a couple tenths in the combined results.

Moto 1 [30 Minutes + 2 Laps]

  • The first moto of the afternoon got underway with Hammaker leading the field to the holeshot ahead of the Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing duo of Cole Davies [#37] and Landen Gordon [#180]. As the leaders navigated the opening lap, Davies went down and remounted in 10th. That moved Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Julien Beaumer [#13] into second and Monster Energy Pro Circuit Kawasaki’s Nick Romano [#141] into third.
  • Hammaker settled into the lead and built a multi-second advantage after the first five minutes. Beaumer also settled into second as the battle for third unfolded between Romano and Honda HRC Progressive’s Jo Shimoda [#30], the reigning SMX World Champion. After a lengthy fight, Shimoda wrestled the position away from Romano.
  • As the moto surpassed the halfway point the top three strengthened their respective holds on the podium spots, but no one on the track was running faster than Kitchen [#47], who started outside the top 10 and fought all the way up to fourth place.
  • Inside the final 10 minutes the fight for second heated up between Beaumer and Shimoda, while Kitchen closed in from fourth. The Japanese rider showed patience and pulled the trigger on a pass for second. Mere moments later Kitchen made the pass for third and then carried on, getting by Shimoda for second. At this point, Hammaker sat 11 seconds clear of the field.
  • While Kitchen was able to gain ground on Hammaker, the deficit was too much to overcome as the points leader won his second consecutive moto by a margin of 7.2 seconds over his teammate. Shimoda finished in a distant third, with Beaumer fourth and Honda HRC Progressive’s Chance Hymas [#29] fifth.

Moto 2 [30 Minutes + 2 Laps]

  • Drama unfolded to begin the second moto as a massive crash unfolded in the first turn with Hammaker at the center of it after contact created a chain reaction that collected a large group of riders. Hammaker eventually remounted and began the race deep in the top 30.
  • The moto holeshot ultimately went to 5.11 Triumph Factory Racing rookie Deacon Denno [#199] just ahead of Davies and his Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing teammate Caden Dudney [#82]. A torrid opening phase of the moto saw Davies grab hold of the lead ahead of Romano in second, with Dudney settling into third.
  • After starting eighth Kitchen mounted a charge to the front. He showed tremendous pace early, which allowed him to make quick passes up to fourth, well within striking distance of the top three. He soon made the move around Denno for third and then got by Romano for second. With a little more than 20 minutes left in the moto, he faced a double-digit deficit to Davies.
  • As the leaders settled in through the middle of the moto, the attention shifted to Hammaker and his recovery from the first-turn crash. He did well to claw his way up the running order and had made his way into the top 15 by the halfway point of the race.
  • Back up front, Davies’ lead over Kitchen stabilized but the battle for third heated up between Beaumer and Romano, with the KTM rider able to make the pass. Behind them, Hammaker continued his forward push and broke into the top 10, which carried major implications in the overall standings.
  • Davies went unchallenged throughout the entirety of the race and cruised to the second moto win of his career by a margin of 9.3 seconds over Kitchen, followed by Beaumer in third. Hammaker capped off a valiant come-from-behind effort in ninth.

Overall

  • Another afternoon of fluctuating results throughout the field easily landed Kitchen atop the overall podium for the fourth win of his career following a consistent 2-2 afternoon. It’s his first win since the 2024 Budds Creek National, ending a 13-race winless drought.
  • Beaumer broke through for his first career podium finish with a runner-up performance after a 4-3 effort. He’s already the fourth different rider to capture a maiden podium finish through the first two races.
  • Hammaker’s resilience placed him in a tie with Beaumer, but he ultimately settled for third (1-9) to secure back-to-back podiums to open the season. 
  • Hammaker’s gritty performance also helped him maintain his hold of the points lead, which decreased to seven points over Kitchen. Beaumer moved into third, 14 points out of the lead.

Results & Standings

250SMX Class Overall Results (Moto Finishes // Points)

  1. Levi Kitchen, Washougal, Wash., Kawasaki (2-2 // 44)
  2. Julien Beaumer, Lake Havasu City, Ariz., KTM (4-3 // 38)
  3. Seth Hammaker, Bainbridge, Pa., Kawasaki (1-9 // 38)
  4. Cole Davies, Waitoki, New Zealand, Yamaha (11-1// 36)
  5. Jo Shimoda, Suzuka, Japan, Honda (3-6 // 36)
  6. Nick Romano, Bayside, N.Y., Kawasaki (7-4 // 33)
  7. Max Vohland, Sacramento, Calif., Yamaha (9-5 // 30)
  8. Chance Hymas, Pocatello, Idaho, Honda (5-12 // 27)
  9. Carson Mumford, Simi Valley, Calif., KTM (8-11 // 25)
  10. Kayden Minear, Perth, Western Australia, Yamaha (6-13 // 25)

250SMX Class Championship Standings (Race 2 of 11)

  1. Seth Hammaker, Bainbridge, Pa., Kawasaki – 85
  2. Levi Kitchen, Washougal, Wash., Kawasaki – 78
  3. Julien Beaumer, Lake Havasu City, Ariz., KTM – 71
  4. Cole Davies, Waitoki, New Zealand, Yamaha – 70
  5. Jo Shimoda, Suzuka, Japan, Honda – 69
  6. Nick Romano, Bayside, N.Y., Kawasaki – 61
  7. Chance Hymas, Pocatello, Idaho, Honda – 56
  8. Max Vohland, Sacramento, Calif., Yamaha – 49
  9. Carson Mumford, Simi Valley, Calif., KTM – 48
  10. Ryder DiFrancesco, Bakersfield, Calif., Husqvarna – 47

SMX World Championship Regular Season Standings (Round 19 of 28)

  1. Cole Davies, Waitoki, New Zealand, Yamaha – 301
  2. Seth Hammaker, Bainbridge, Pa., Kawasaki – 265
  3. Levi Kitchen, Washougal, Wash., Kawasaki – 255
  4. Haiden Deegan, Temecula, Calif., Yamaha – 233
  5. Ryder DiFrancesco, Bakersfield, Calif., Husqvarna – 211
  6. Max Vohland, Sacramento, Calif., Yamaha – 195
  7. Daxton Bennick, Morganton, N.C., Husqvarna – 184
  8. Jo Shimoda, Suzuka, Japan, Honda – 169
  9. Max Anstie, Newbury, England, Yamaha – 168
  10. Nate Thrasher, Livingston, Tenn., Yamaha – 158

Quotes

1st Place – Levi Kitchen | #47 Monster Energy Pro Circuit Kawasaki (2-2)
“Luck was on my side today. I stayed out of the carnage [in Moto 2] and just tried to get around it all. There was a massive gap to the lead [once I got to second] so I didn’t want to risk pushing too hard. It’s been a long time since I won so it feels good. I just want to keep the momentum going.”
 
2nd Place – Julien Beaumer | #13 Red Bull KTM Factory Racing (4-3)
“I didn’t think I’d be up here this quick [coming back from injury]. There were a lot of long nights, but this result shows it was all worth it. I can’t thank my team enough for sticking behind me and supporting me the whole way and giving me an incredible bike to ride.”
 
3rd Place – Seth Hammaker | #10 Monster Energy Pro Circuit Kawasaki (1-9)
“Those first couple laps [after the crash] were hectic coming through the pack. I tried to just be patient and knew that if I could get into the top 10 that I’d have a chance at the podium. It definitely could have been worse, but we survived. All in all, it feels good to still be up here on the box.”

250SMX Class Highlights

The 2026 Pro Motocross Championship will continue next Saturday, June 13, with Round 20 of the SMX World Championship regular season from Colorado’s Thunder Valley Motocross Park. The mile-high challenge of the Toyota Thunder Valley National Presented by American Petroleum Institute will serve as the summer network television premiere on NBC, with live coverage beginning at 10 a.m. PT / 1 p.m. ET. Additionally, the race will be shown live in its entirety on Peacock, beginning with Race Day Live at 9 a.m. PT / 12 p.m. ET, followed by coverage of the motos at 12 p.m. PT / 3 p.m. ET.

For information about the Monster Energy SMX World Championship, please visit www.SuperMotocross.com and be sure to follow all of the new SMX social media channels for exclusive content and additional information on the latest news:
Instagram: @supermotocross
Facebook: @supermotocross
X: @supermotocross
YouTube: @supermotocross
TikTok: @supermotocross

About the Monster Energy SMX World Championship:
The Monster Energy SMX World Championship™ is the premier off-road motorcycle racing series in the world that combines the technical precision of stadium racing with the all-out speed and endurance of outdoor racing. Created in 2022, the Monster Energy SMX World Championship Series combines the Monster Energy AMA Supercross Championship and the AMA Pro Motocross Championship into a 28-round regular season that culminates with the season-ending SMX World Championship Playoffs.
Visit SuperMotocross.com for more information.

About Pro Motocross Championship:
The Pro Motocross Championship features the world’s fastest outdoor motocross racers, competing aboard homologated bikes from one of seven competing manufacturers on a collection of the roughest, toughest tracks on the planet. Racing takes place each Saturday afternoon, with competition divided into two classes: one for 250cc machines, and one for 450cc machines. MX Sports Pro Racing, the industry leader in off-road powersports event production, manages the Pro Motocross Championship.
For more information, visit ProMotocross.com.

About Monster Energy AMA Supercross Championship:
Monster Energy AMA Supercross is the most competitive and highest-profile off-road motorcycle racing championship on the planet. Founded in America and sanctioned by the American Motorcyclist Association (AMA) since 1974. Over 17 weeks, Supercross attracts some of the largest and most impressive crowds inside the most recognizable and prestigious stadiums in North America to race in front of nearly one million live fans and broadcast to millions more worldwide.
For more information, visit SupercrossLIVE.com.

About MX Sports Pro Racing, Inc.:
MX Sports Pro Racing, Inc., manages and produces the world’s premier motocross racing series – the Pro Motocross Championship, sanctioned by AMA Pro Racing. MX Sports Pro Racing is an industry leader in off-road powersport event production and management, its mission is to showcase the sport of professional motocross competition at events throughout the United States. Through its various racing properties, partnerships and affiliates, MX Sports Pro Racing, Inc., organizes events for thousands of action sports athletes each year and attracts millions of motorsports spectators.
Visit MXSportsProRacing.com for more information.

About Feld Motor Sports, Inc.:
Feld Motor Sports, Inc. is the worldwide leader in producing and presenting specialized arena and stadium-based motorsports entertainment. Properties include Monster Jam®, Monster Energy AMA Supercross, and the Monster Energy SMX World Championship. Feld Motor Sports, Inc. is a subsidiary of Feld Entertainment, Inc.
Visit monsterjam.com, SupercrossLIVE.com, and feldentertainment.com for more information.

TOYOTA RACING – NCS Michigan Quotes – Denny Hamlin – 06.06.26

By
Official Release
-

TOYOTA RACING – Denny Hamlin
NASCAR Cup Series Quotes

BROOKLYN, Mich. (June 6, 2026) – Joe Gibbs Racing driver Denny Hamlin was made available to the media on Saturday after winning the pole for the NASCAR Cup Series race at Michigan International Speedway.

Hamlin has won the pole for the second time this season (Martinsville). He also started first last weekend at Nashville Superspeedway on the metric. It is his 50th career pole, and second at Michigan (2018).

Hamlin had a flat tire in practice, and his team will make repairs to his Camry overnight, so he will start from the back for the start of tomorrow’s race.

DENNY HAMLIN, No. 11 National Debt Relief Toyota Camry XSE, Joe Gibbs Racing

Can you talk about what it means to you to earn your 50th career pole?

“Yeah, it feels good. It was certainly a little unexpected, considering the adversity we had during practice and knowing that my car wasn’t going to be quite optimized to where we expected it to be. Over the last few weeks with the rain outs, I thought that it was kind of taking away opportunities for us to get to the 50. I knew that the next one was that milestone. Glad we were able to get it done and certainly, get that number one pit stall and just kind of see where things go. We’re going to have to come from the back tomorrow and that’s going to be a challenge in itself. Certainly, this racetrack with the long green flag runs that you get. We’re going to have to have good restarts and we’re going to have to have the race play out just right.”

Did you ever think you would be in position to tie Ryan Newman with a number of poles?

“No, I mean, took me probably more starts to do it? (laughter) A little bit longer career there, so that certainly is an advantage, I think, a longer career. I’m not really sure, but, no, not really. I mean, he was the king of qualifying for such a long time. So, I didn’t know that he’s kind of next up on the list and certainly would be awesome to just keep it going. At least lets me know I can get some one lap speed out of the car anyway.”

How did the flat tire effect the underbody?

“Yeah, I was just trying to see how much we drug off. I’m trying to eyeball it. They got much better instruments to be able to tell, but I could visually see that mine had drug in spots that – everyone kind of drags, when you go in practice, you drag a little bit, but then I saw that mine was significant compared to cars that hadn’t had a flat, so I knew that that was not good. I basically shrug my shoulders to say, there’s nothing we can do about it. It’s screwed.”

Do you feel like you can work your way through the field?

“I mean, yes and no. I mean, if the cautions can fall at the right times, yes, as long as I get decent restarts, yes, but again, we’re going to have to get lucky in a few spots, I think. The race is long and you can certainly do it. It’s not unachievable, but also sometimes when you’re in the back, it gives you an opportunity to do, if there’s an early caution to do a different strategy to get up there later on. If anything, I was just trying to get a decent pit stall for tomorrow and I was very surprised when it was good enough, especially it was much lifting as I felt like I had during that qualifying session. It ain’t going to be easy. I know, if you look at last week, that all seemed easy, but things really fell our way, and they’re going to have to again this weekend.”

Can you take us back to your first career win at Pocono?

“Most of my memories come from rewatching the highlights. There are moments I do remember coming through the field. I remember the shock of when I went into the tunnel turn and spun out, blew that left rear. Back then, I’m kind of ignorant to know, well, what does that do to the car? I just kept driving it to its same capability. Truthfully back then when you had that kind of damage, it was actually a decent thing, for performance. It allowed me to really just be fast and I just remember, the biggest thing I remember is coming back through the pack so quickly that everyone would just pull over when I got near them, thinking about how different the racing is today, like it certainly would have been impossible today. It was such a great day and certainly felt like it was a big confidence boost and then we went back there, back then, we went back to that track like five, six weeks later or something like that and were able to dominate. It just gave me a ton of confidence every time I go into Pocono just because of that moment.”

Do you have to be patient or more aggressive tomorrow with your situation?

“Depends on the situation, and it also depends on how the race is playing out. So I think I go into it being patient because I don’t know what future cautions might fall that might help us, and then I didn’t need to be aggressive and put myself in bad spots to start. So, I’ll definitely start on the patient side, and then depending on how the race falls, where I’m at, at a certain time, then I might ramp up the aggression from there on, but I think patience is the right way to start this thing.”

With the point situation you are in, does that give you more time to be patient or does it not matter with your task is?

“I think it matters because it certainly is going to make it hard for us to get any first stage points. The guys that we were that are first and third are inside the top 10. I think that we’ll probably lose some there, but if you can somehow figure out a way to win the race, you get that jump back. So, I’m playing to win the race. I certainly don’t think that we’re going to play this thing to try to go get stage points or we feel good enough that if we get our car optimized, get the back of the car fixed back where it was. We’ll be good enough to win the race on merit and, if we lose out on stage points, then we got unlucky and we caused a tire to go flat. So that’s on us.”

Were you surprised that you got the pole with the damage?

“Truthfully was very surprised. I had a little mini lift and turn three and four coming to the green. That affects everything from start-finish line all the way to turn two and three. I tried to run up the racetrack, tried to get a little more momentum, but I felt right from the beginning that our car did not have quite the grip that it had in practice, but the conditions were as good for me that it possibly was for anyone else. I had the coolest racetrack. I was surprised to see the time on the dash when I crossed the line. I thought I was shooting for – I thought that was probably like a P 8 to P10 executed lap on my part. The car had a decent enough speed chunk in it.”

What has made you so good in qualifying over the last few years?

“Looking at so much information, figuring out, when Chase (Briscoe) got the pole last year, I think we were second or third, just looking at the little things that he did a little bit better than I did in qualifying. So just always looking at that stuff to try to gain hundredth here and there, and that’s usually the difference.”

Are restarts something that is eating at you? Do you feel like that is the weakness on your team right now?

“The obvious answer is yes. That’s where I feel, generally, where there’s the most to be gained, where I think that we’re the most vulnerable. If I can get that in a better spot by the time we get to the Chase, then I’m certainly going to feel better about things because the racetracks, the way they play out in the last 10, I mean, these things can come out to shootouts, and you can’t spit up five spots on, on a late race restart and give up those points. So especially when the 45 (Tyler Reddick) and Ryan (Blaney), those guys, that’s what their strengths are. So, I can’t afford to have that be such a weakness.”

Do you feel like you have to really knock out some solid finishes the next two weeks with back-to-back road courses coming up?

“Yeah, I mean, this is the tracks that we need to win races and make hay at. We’re going to go into San Diego and Sonoma, and it’s like, give me 15th, I won’t run the race. Just award that now, I won’t go. I think that’s just the reality. I’m just far too old to spend a lot of time working on that to get better at this point in my career. It’s better if I just focus my resources on winning at the tracks that I am strong at and just understand that those four to five races we are just going to be average, but if we can make it up, by winning tracks like this, on a regular occasion, it’s still a good path to a championship.”

I’ve heard they’ve added more corner workers. Is that a good thing?

“Which is good because, I mean, this track is massive in size, right? It’s got so many different corners and twists, and certainly, you’re going to think that this thing’s going to have walls on both sides because things can get hidden pretty easily. Corners can get disguised and you end up missing a car sitting there. It’s good that they’re putting more resources to that because we certainly need it on the road courses.”

What does it mean to join the 50 win, 50 pole club?

“That’s awesome. I mean, I don’t know, those are legends and then there’s me (laughter).”

About Toyota

Toyota (NYSE:TM) has been a part of the cultural fabric in North America for nearly 70 years, and is committed to advancing sustainable, next-generation mobility through our Toyota and Lexus brands, plus our more than 1,800 dealerships.

Toyota directly employs nearly 64,000 people in North America who have contributed to the design, engineering, and assembly of over 50 million cars and trucks at our 14 manufacturing plants. In 2025, Toyota’s plant in North Carolina began to assemble automotive batteries for electrified vehicles.

For more information about Toyota, visit www.ToyotaNewsroom.com.

Hughes Feels Momentum After Winning Pole at WWTR

By
Official Release
-

MADISON, Ill. (Saturday, June 6, 2026) – Lochie Hughes needed this.

Series veteran Hughes earned his third career pole and first this season for the INDY NXT by Firestone at World Wide Technology Raceway on Saturday, turning a two-lap average of 162.578 mph in the No. 26 Andretti Global entry. It was his first pole on an oval track.

Australian Hughes entered the season as the top returnee to the INDYCAR development series after finishing third as a rookie with Andretti Global, with two victories and two poles. But he has struggled in his sophomore season, with a second-place finish at the Indianapolis Grand Prix his sole podium finish. He is fifth in the standings entering this event, 90 points behind leader Enzo Fittipaldi.

“I think I just left the tiniest bit of margin out there, so I was a little bit nervous because I knew probably could have gone a bit quicker. But it was a really good two laps. It’s so easy to overdo it, as well.

“I’m happy. It’s been a rough start to the year. My mind has been a bit like a pretzel, so I’m relieved to have a pole position. Hopefully we can back it up with a win. That’s what we need. But this is nice. It’s some momentum going the right way.”

Live coverage of the 75-lap race on the asymmetrical, 1.25-mile oval – the first oval event of the season for the series – starts at 5:30 p.m. ET Sunday on FS1, FOX One and INDYCAR Radio powered by OnlyBulls.

Rookie Alessandro de Tullio continued his strong qualifying performance this season by taking the outside spot on the front row at 162.363 in the No. 14 AJ Foyt Racing machine. De Tullio has five poles and two second-place qualifying performances in eight starts this season.

Andretti Global drivers swept the second row to give the team three of the top four qualifying spots. Max Taylor qualified third with his run of 162.212 in the No. 28 Susan G. Komen entry, while Josh Pierson was fourth at 161.676 in the No. 29 Starchive Andretti car.

Rookie Nikita Johnson qualified fifth at 161.652 in the No. 21 Cape Motorsports Powered by ECR car, while fellow rookie Tymek Kucharczyk completed the third row at 161.494 in the No. 71 HMD Motorsports machine.

The race could feature plenty of drama and action due to the series leader and arguably its fastest driver on ovals starting from the back.

Series leader Enzo Fittipaldi forfeited his guaranteed qualifying attempt due to a mechanical problem while rolling out for qualifying that prevented the No. 67 HMD Motorsports entry from going through pre-qualifying technical inspection. He will start 23rd in the 24-car field after leading pre-qualifying practice earlier today.

Myles Rowe, winner of two oval races last season, will start 24th after he lost his qualifying run in the No. 99 Abel Motorsports with Force Indy car for failure to follow the direction of INDYCAR. Rowe continued on a third flying lap after taking the checkered for his two-lap run of 162.560, which would have placed him second on the starting grid Sunday.

“We’ve been having radio issues for a good portion of the season,” Rowe said. “I just didn’t hear the call for the checkered. I’m obviously not trying to do anything to put anybody in danger or anything like that.”

Emotional Mazda MX-5 Cup Win for Fletcher at Mid-Ohio

By
Official Release
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LEXINGTON, Ohio (June 6, 2026) – The last time 2025 series champion Jeremy Fletcher (No. 22 McCumbee McAleer Racing) took to the track with Whelen Mazda MX-5 Cup presented by Michelin, his race ended only a few corners after the green flag. Saturday, at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course, Fletcher bounced back in a big way, winning an exhilarating Round Five race. He was joined on the podium by the two series champions preceding him: Jared Thomas (No. 96 JTR Motorsports Engineering) and Gresham Wagner (No. 5 JTR Motorsports Engineering).

It’s been tough times for Fletcher both on and off track lately. His last race ended in the wall on the Streets of St. Pete and since then he’s dealt with family medical issues and a blown engine in Friday afternoon practice. Winning Saturday’s race at Mid-Ohio was just what he needed.

“Shortly after St. Pete, my grandma ended up having to get her leg amputated, so this is the first race she’s missed in 15 years,” Fletcher said. “Our dog of about 10 years died a couple days ago too, so we needed this to boost the spirits. Luckily the McCumbee McAleer guys have been like a family. My car chief Dalton Dow, always yelling at me on the radio, telling me what I need to do. My grandpa, keeping himself together mentally and being able to show up here. We had so many problems in practice. I think we did about five laps yesterday and this morning, go out there and qualify second.”

Fletcher lined up second on the 38-car grid, alongside his teammate Justin Adakonis (No. 23 McCumbee McAleer Racing), who earned the pole earlier in the day on a wet track. Having a teammate to work with is always a good thing in Whelen Mazda MX-5 Cup, but unfortunately for the MMR pair, they had another team pairing behind them with Thomas and Wagner.

The entire Mazda MX-5 Cup field was nose-to-tail in the opening laps. Then, Ethan Jacobs (No. 99 JDH Racing) was on the scene to break up the teammate party up front. With the squabbling among those top five, Fletcher got shuffled back all the way to eighth at one point.

As Fletcher worked his way back to the leaders, Adakonis was falling, losing positions and the MMR teammates were together once again, just in time for the race’s only full-course yellow, for a car stuck in the gravel at Turn 2.

On the restart, the JTR and MMR teammates were locked in battle again, and just like the start of the race, Jacobs was eager to break up the teammates again.

Wagner was leading with teammate Thomas as a tail-gunner. Behind them it was the same, with Fletcher leading Adakonis, who was trying to fend off Jacobs and Nathan Nicholson (No. 56 Advanced Autosports).

Fletcher took the lead with six laps to go. Thomas and Wagner took turns trying to get around him, but neither were successful and Fletcher became the first repeat winner of the season over Thomas by just 0.119-second.

“Luckily, just a little rough housing, and we got it done,” said Fletcher. “The three of us have won the last five championships, so definitely those guys know what they’re doing. I feel like we can all race respectful to each other and always put on a good show.”

Thomas and Wagner are both two-time champions with massive amounts of experience. This is the first season as teammates and they have plenty of respect for each other, which makes racing together a lot of fun.

“It’s always better when you’re racing with somebody that you know that you can predict what they’re going to do and know they won’t do something crazy,” Thomas said.

“Being from Indiana, this is like a home track for me,” Thomas added. “I don’t know if I have any more experience over anybody else, but I definitely feel comfortable here. I’ve seen about everything that can happen. So, from my notebook, that just helps with experience.”

Wagner led the most laps and completed the podium.

“During the race, you can definitely look in your mirror, see your teammate, and then kind of race things a little bit different, and control things a bit more,” Wagner said of racing with his teammate. “It’s still tricky when it comes to end, because everybody kind of has their own idea of what’s going to happen, and as soon as one variable kind of gets thrown into it, you know, you can’t wait to wait around for anybody, so I wish that that finish would have gone slightly differently. I wish we could have maybe jumped Jeremy [Fletcher], but I just lost my momentum out of the Keyhole, and Jared [Thomas] had to go with the run he had going, so that’s how to do it up today.”

As hard as he tried, Jacobs couldn’t break up the teammate parade up front and ended up finishing just shy of the podium. He was the highest finishing rookie.

After starting from pole, Adakonis ended the day in fifth.

Ethan Lampe (No. 31 Advanced Autosports) won the Penske Shocking Performance Award for advancing 14 positions during the 45-minute race.

Ellie Gossett (No. 77 BSI Racing) was awarded the highest finishing female award, and Christian Hodneland (No. 32 BSI Racing) took home the Takumi Award for drivers over the age of 40.

Sunday’s Round Six race is slated for 10:10am ET with live streaming on the IMSA and RACER YouTube Channels.

About: The Whelen Mazda MX-5 Cup presented by Michelin is the signature spec series for Mazda Motorsports. The series has been operated by Andersen Promotions since 2017 and is currently sanctioned by IMSA. Mazda-powered grassroots champions can earn Mazda scholarships for this pro-level series. The Whelen Mazda MX-5 Cup awards more than $1 million in prizes and scholarships.

Find out more at http://www.mx-5cup.com.

Denny Hamlin claims 50th Cup career pole at Michigan

By
Andrew Kim
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Photo by Patrick Sue-Chan for SpeedwayMedia.com.

Denny Hamlin spoiled Carson Hocevar’s homecoming at the very last second by snatching the Busch Light Pole Award for the FireKeepers Casino 400 at Michigan International Speedway on Saturday, June 7.

The event’s starting lineup was determined through an on-track qualifying session that consisted of a single-truck, single-lap qualifying format. During the session, each of the competitors vying for starting spots cycled around Michigan International Speedway once to post the fastest lap amongst one another. The competitor who posted the single fastest lap was awarded the pole position.

In Saturday’s qualifying session, Hamlin, who was the fifth-fastest competitor in Saturday’s practice session and rallied from having a flat left-rear tire that damaged the bottom side of his entry, which stalled him while he was trying to nurse his entry back to pit road, in practice, was the 37th and final competitor to post a qualifying lap. During his session, he posted a lap at 195.117 mph in 36.901 seconds. Hamlin’s lap was enough for the three-time Daytona 500 champion from Chesterfield, Virginia, to knock Hocevar off the top of the qualifying charts and achieve the pole

With the pole, Hamlin, driver of the No. 11 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota Camry XSE entry for a 26th consecutive year, notched his 50th career pole in the NASCAR Cup Series division and became the 10th competitor overall to achieve the feat of reaching at least 50 poles in NASCAR’s premier series. Hamlin’s 2026 Michigan pole was also his second at the Irish Hills and his second of this season.

“[The No. 11 team] did a great job accounting for the damage on the bottom side,” Hamlin said. “They rebalanced [the car]. It was a handful. It was all I wanted, certainly, but hats off to this whole National Debt Toyota team. That was surprising. I remember being at Richmond way back in [2006] or so, [2007]. Just trying to get a pole at my home track. I get it. I feel like that sorry for [Hocevar].”

Hamlin would have shared the front row with Carson Hocevar, but the former will drop towards the tail end of the field for Sunday’s main event as his No. 11 team will repair the pole-winning entry. Nevertheless, Hamlin, who rallied from serving a drive-through penalty at the start of last weekend’s event at Nashville Superspeedway to win and who also won last year’s Michigan event, will attempt to double down with a second consecutive victory in recent weeks.

As Hamlin drops towards the tail end of the field, Hocevar, a Portage, Michigan native, will lead the field to the event’s start as he starts on the front row for a second time in a Cup event in 2026. Hocevar, who was the 10th-fastest competitor in practice, posted his single lap at 195.022 mph in 36.919 seconds. Still, he was left dejected after being beaten for the pole by Hamlin at the last second.

“I mean, I know it’s just qualifying, but damn, I didn’t know I wanted [the pole],” Hocevar said. “I know I wanted it this much here, but it just means a lot for so many reasons.”

Photo by Patrick Sue-Chan for SpeedwayMedia.com.

Tyler Reddick, Ty Gibbs and Chase Briscoe qualified in the top five, respectively. Chase Elliott, Kyle Larson, Christopher Bell, William Byron and Erik Jones completed the top-10 starting lineup, respectively.

Notably, Josh Berry will also start towards the tail end of the field after he spun and flat-spotted his tires through Turns 3 and 4 while he attempted to post a qualifying lap.

With 37 competitors vying for 37 starting spots, all made the main event.

Michigan – Qualifying Position, Best Speed, Best Time:

  1. Denny Hamlin, 195.117 mph, 36.901 seconds
  2. Carson Hocevar, 195.022 mph, 36.919 seconds
  3. Tyler Reddick, 194.969 mph, 36.929 seconds
  4. Ty Gibbs, 194.842 mph, 36.953 seconds
  5. Chase Briscoe, 194.826 mph, 36.956 seconds
  6. Chase Elliott, 194.816 mph, 36.958 seconds
  7. Kyle Larson, 194.768 mph, 36.967 seconds
  8. Christopher Bell, 194.579 mph, 37.003 seconds
  9. William Byron, 194.395 mph, 37.038 seconds
  10. Erik Jones, 194.122 mph, 37.090 seconds
  11. Daniel Suarez, 193.960 mph, 37.121 seconds
  12. Riley Herbst, 193.929 mph, 37.127 seconds
  13. Bubba Wallace, 193.898 mph, 37.133 seconds
  14. Chris Buescher, 193.621 mph, 37.186 seconds
  15. Cole Custer, 193.522 mph, 37.205 seconds
  16. Zane Smith, 193.481 mph, 37.213 seconds
  17. John Hunter Nemechek, 193.340 mph, 37.240 seconds
  18. Joey Logano, 193.252 mph, 37.257 seconds
  19. Ryan Blaney, 193.247 mph, 37.258 seconds
  20. Michael McDowell, 193.149 mph, 37.277 seconds
  21. Austin Dillon, 193.149 mph, 37.277 seconds
  22. Noah Gragson, 192.818 mph, 37.341 seconds
  23. Ricky Stenhouse Jr., 192.812 mph, 37.342 seconds
  24. Ty Dillon, 192.472 mph, 37.408 seconds
  25. AJ Allmendinger, 192.220 mph, 37.457 seconds
  26. Brad Keselowski, 192.123 mph, 37.476 seconds
  27. Ryan Preece, 191.739 mph, 37.551 seconds
  28. Austin Hill, 191.729 mph, 37.553 seconds
  29. Alex Bowman, 191.688 mph, 37.561 seconds
  30. Shane van Gisbergen, 191.683 mph, 37.562 seconds
  31. Austin Cindric, 191.149 mph, 37.667 seconds
  32. Ross Chastain, 191.032 mph, 37.690 seconds
  33. Cody Ware, 190.905 mph, 37.715 seconds
  34. Connor Zilisch, 190.880 mph, 37.720 seconds
  35. Todd Gilliland, 190.830 mph, 37.730 seconds
  36. JJ Yeley, 186.674 mph, 38.570 seconds
  37. Josh Berry, 0.000 mph, 0.000 seconds

The 2026 FireKeepers Casino 400 at Michigan International Speedway is scheduled to occur on Sunday, June 7 at 3 p.m. ET on Prime Video, MRN Radio, SiriusXM and HBO MAX.

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