Home Blog Page 255

Alex Popow Returns to Victory Lane with Race 1 Win at Barber

By
Official Release
-
#55 Alex Popow, MLT Motorsports, Dr Michael Thompson MS DDS PPLS,

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (October 18, 2025) – Alex Popow dominated at Barber Motorsports Park to earn his third win in Formula 4 United States Championship (F4 U.S.). After pacing both practices and earning the pole for MLT Motorsports, Popow (No. 55 Dr. Michael Thompson MS DDS PPLS / MLT Motorsports Ligier JS F422) led every lap in an all-green race to take the win with an 11.590-second margin.

Popow remains in a tight battle with Kekai Hauanio (No. 29 N-E-Where Transport / Crosslink Motorsports Ligier JS F422) for the Vice Championship, with the two now separated by just 3.5 points headed into tomorrow’s season finale. Starting third, Hauanio benefitted from a spin by series debutant Zach Fourie (No. 15 Kiwi Motorsport Ligier JS F422) to move into second, but had to hold off the advances of Caleb Campbell (No. 68 Kids Help Phone / Camtacc Properties / Legacy Foundation of Canada / LC Racing Ligier JS F422) and later Clemente Huerta Raab (No. 17 Velox USA / Kiwi Motorsport Ligier JS F422) to claim the runner-up position.

Huerta Raab was one of the biggest movers, gaining three positions throughout the 30-minute race to earn his sixth podium of 2025. Behind him, Fourie, finishing fourth, and Augusto Paschetta (No. 27 Scuderia Buell / Sport West / Bruno Maquinaria / Brapax Ligier JS F422), finishing fifth, earned top-five finishes in their series debut.

Notes of Interest:

  • Alex Popow earned his third win of 2025 with a Race 1 victory at Barber.
  • Finishing second, Kekai Hauanio earned his 12th podium in 16 rounds this year.
  • Alex Popow and Kekai Hauanio will take the fight for the Vice Championship into tomorrow’s final round, with Hauanio edging Popow by 3.5 points.
  • Clemente Huerta Raab finished on the podium for the sixth time this season with a third-place result.
  • Three teams were represented on today’s podium with MLT Motorsports winning, Crosslink Motorsports finishing second and Kiwi Motorsport in third.
  • Already the 2025 F4 U.S. Champion, Cooper Shipman is competing in Formula Regional Americas Championship (FR Americas) this weekend, where he finished third in his series debut on Saturday morning.

“It was a really good race,” said Popow after climbing from the car. “We led from start to finish—I had a great car under me thanks to the MLT crew. I’m really happy to finally be back on top. I’m looking forward to tomorrow to see what we can do.”

F4 U.S. is back on track tomorrow at 12 p.m. CT for the final race of the season. Before the green flag waves, drivers will welcome the fans out to pit lane for a special pre-race fan walk beginning at 11:15 a.m. CT. The race airs live on SPEED SPORT 1 and streams on SpeedTour.TV, with live timing and scoring available on Race Monitor. Additional news and updates from the weekend will be posted on the series’ Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.

Titus Sherlock Clinches Championship, Brady Golan Wins in Race 1 at Barber

By
Official Release
-
#80 Brady Golan, Toney Driver Development, Attire,

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (October 18, 2025) – Brady Golan won the race, but Titus Sherlock is the champion after Formula Regional Americas Championship’s (FR Americas) opening race of the weekend at Barber Motorsports Park. In a race filled will unforeseen challenges and drama, Sherlock (No. 31 Rayne Nutrition / Ronald McDonald House Charities / Crosslink Motorsports Ligier JS F3) kept a strong and steady approach, doing exactly what he needed to do without taking undue risk, to lock in the 2025 Driver Championship title and the $100,000 cash prize that accompanies it. Meanwhile, Golan (No. 80 Attire / Toney Driver Development Ligier JS F3) continued his momentum from the previous round to earn his second win of the 2025 season, climbing atop the podium for the first time since the series’ opening weekend at NOLA Motorsports Park in March.

“I can’t even describe [what this feels like],” said Sherlock after climbing from the car. “It’s just surreal for it to be over; it’s crazy. It’s been such a roller coaster of a season, and weekend. The Crosslink guys did an awesome job. They’ve given me such a fast car the whole weekend—and the whole season. So, it’s all thanks to them. Thanks to my family, my mom, my Uncle Tony and everyone at home watching. I can’t thank you all enough. I knew I had to decide to stay where I was. I was trying to pass Brady [Golan], but he was very quick and I was losing my front tires—I don’t really care about that anymore. It’s fine. I’m just happy to have [the championship] won.”

Notes of Interest:

  • With a runner-up finish in today’s event, Titus Sherlock is the 2025 FR Americas Driver Champion. With the honors, the second-year driver also wins the $100,000 championship-winning cash prize.
  • Titus Sherlock has been competing on PMH’s open-wheel ladder since the 2022 season. Joining Formula 4 United States Championship (F4 U.S.) for the final round at Circuit of The Americas, Sherlock had a best finish of sixth that weekend. He returned to F4 U.S. in 2023, finishing fourth in the year-end point standings and earning two wins. Last year, he graduated to FR Americas where he finished fourth in the point standings with four victories. To date in 2025, he has seven wins.
  • Brady Golan claimed his second FR Americas win in today’s race, climbing atop the podium for the first time since Round 2 at NOLA Motorsports Park.
  • With Golan winning Round 19 at Barber today, Toney Driver Development has three-consecutive FR Americas victories, after Christian Brooks also won Rounds 17 and 18 for the Indiana-based organization.
  • Cooper Shipman finished third in his FR Americas series debut while getting a jump on his 2026 race plans. Having clinched the 2025 F4 U.S. championship, Shipman earned a full scholarship to compete in FR Americas during the 2026 season, including the lease of a Ligier JS F3 car from Ligier Automotive, the lease of an engine from Mountune USA, race tires from Hankook Motorsports and race entries from Parella Motorsports Holdings.

The drama started early at Barber with one of the championship contenders unable to fire his car to leave the pre-grid. Entering the weekend second in the standings and just 13.5 points out of the lead, Nicolas Ambiado (No. 55 Velox USA / Kiwi Motorsport Ligier JS F3) was set to have a tough day of competition, rolling off 10th for Race 1. However, when his car wouldn’t fire, the team knew their only hope to stay in the championship hunt was for Sherlock and Bruno Ribeiro (No. 01 Alfa Cem / Kiwi Motorsport Ligier JS F3), the only other drivers in championship contention, to face their own misfortunes.

Ribeiro was poised to have a great day starting from the pole position, while Sherlock was back in fifth after a five grid-spot penalty. The field reverted to a two-by-two rolling start after a competitor stalled on the starting grid, but unfazed by the change, Ribeiro still jumped to the point position as the field rushed toward Turn 1. Behind him, Sherlock immediately launched forward to challenge Cooper Shipman (No. 14 Kiwi Motorsport Ligier JS F3) for third, completing the pass just a few turns later. It was only a few minutes later when Ribeiro encountered issues, dropping back through the field before pulling down the pit lane. With the third-place championship contender also removed from the competition, Sherlock basically just had to make it to the finish line to lock in the championship.

Out front, Golan inherited the lead when Ribeiro slowed his pace, and continued to lead all the way to the finish line. Sherlock never let him get out of his sight, staying positioned to pounce if Golan made even the slightest mistake, but the opportunity never came. As the checkered flag waved, it was Golan in the lead, while Sherlock following in second. Making his FR Americas debut, Cooper Shipman finished third.

“It was a great race,” said Golan after climbing from the car. “Titus [Sherlock] and Cooper [Shipman] both did a wonderful job following. They’re both smart drivers, but I mean—we won. I’m happy. I have to thank the whole Toney Driver Development No. 80 crew—they’ve done a phenomenal job all year, so I’m super happy to get them the win.”

FR Americas will contest their final round of the 2025 season tomorrow at 1:10 p.m. CT. Race 2 of the Barber SpeedTour weekend will air live on SPEED SPORT 1 and stream SpeedTour.TV, while live timing and scoring will be available on the Race Monitor App. Additional news and updates from the weekend will be posted on the series’ Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.

The Kids Were Alright – Racing’s Next Generation Shines in Fall Finale at North Wilkesboro Speedway

By
Official Release
-
Caden Kvapil celebrates after winning Saturday's Crossroads Harley-Davidson 125 zMAX CARS Tour Late Model Stock Car race at North Wilkesboro Speedway. (NWS photo)
  • It was all about the next generation as Caden Kvapil, Keelan Harvick and Luke Baldwin secured victories in Saturday’s season-ending zMAX CARS Tour and SMART Modified Tour events at North Wilkesboro Speedway
  • In the zMAX CARS Tour Late Model Stock Car division, Kvapil picked up the victory in the Crossroads Harley-Davidson 125 after a late-race battle and thrilling final-lap pass for the lead; Landen Lewis secured the 2025 LMSC championship
  • In the Pro Late Model division, Keelan Harvick claimed the victory over Luke Baldwin in the Northwest Automotive 100; Ben Maier claimed the division title
  • Baldwin triumphed in the Frontier 99 SMART Modified Tour powered by Pace-O-Matic season finale to win the series championship

NORTH WILKESBORO, N.C. (Oct. 18, 2025) – The next generation triumphed at North Wilkesboro Speedway on Saturday in the fall finale for the zMAX CARS Tour and SMART Modified Tour powered by Pace-O-Matic. In the Late Model Stock Car season finale, the Crossroads Harley-Davidson 125, second-generation driver Caden Kvapil passed Landon S. Huffman on the final lap in a thrilling finish to cap off the season. Two third-generation drivers, Keelan Harvick and Luke Baldwin, claimed victories in the Pro Late Model Northwest Automotive 100 and Frontier 99 modified race, respectively.

Caden Kvapil Wins Crossroads Harley-Davidson 125, Landen Lewis Claims zMAX CARS Late Model Stock Car Championship

Eighteen-year-old Caden Kvapil, who is the son of 2003 NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series champion Travis Kvapil, picked up the win in the Crossroads Harley-Davidson 125. Kvapil passed Huffman in the final corner to earn his first zMAX CARS Tour Late Model Stock Car victory. Nineteen-year-old Landen Lewis secured the championship with a seventh-place finish.

“I feel like we definitely had the best car,” Kvapil said. “I knew if I got up front in clean air I could drive away. We had a really good car all race and it was just track position that we needed. This has been a long time coming for me to get my first CARS Tour Late Model Stock Car win, especially to get it here at North Wilkesboro, this place is awesome. I can’t thank everybody on this crew that gave me a great car, my dad (Travis Kvapil), (team manager) Bryan (Shaffer) and everybody on the team. It was also awesome to have Kelley (Earnhardt-Miller, team owner) here for my first win.”

Kvapil followed in his brother Carson’s footsteps, the elder brother secured the CARS Tour Late Model Stock Car victory at the historic venue in 2022 during the Race Track Revival.

Luke Baldwin Locks Up Championship with SMART Modified Tour Victory

In a marathon contest, including 11 cautions and several red flag periods, 18-year-old Baldwin emerged victorious over his fellow championship contenders Ryan Newman and Paulie Hartwig III, with a decisive victory in the Frontier 99. Baldwin claimed the lead of the SMART Modified Tour season finale with 24 laps remaining in the event, and held off a hard-charging Brandon Ward to earn the win. Newman finished third, Joey Coulter IV finished fourth and William Lambros finished fifth.

“It’s good to be a two-time champ, it has a nice ring to it,” Baldwin said. “Can’t say enough about everyone who has helped me over the years and kept my racing career alive. The modifieds are bad-ass, it’s been in our family, my grandfather raced them and then my dad did and I’m glad to be able to race them too. They’ve always been in our family and they are fun to watch.”

“It was frustrating at times out there,” Baldwin said about all the cautions. “My car was better on the long runs and that actually played into our hands. At the end we put new tires on the car and that really helped us set sail. It’s really cool to win here at North Wilkesboro. As a kid I would drive past here wondering why there was no racing going on and it’s great that Dale Jr. and so many others got behind bringing it back to life. It’s a great track and I love racing here.”

This is Baldwin’s second SMART Modified Tour championship and the first time he’s ridden the elevator to visit North Wilkesboro Speedway’s historic victory lane.

Next Generation of Stars Dominate zMAX CARS Tour Pro Late Model Race

Keelan Harvick triumphed over Luke Baldwin in the Northwest Automotive 100 as the two young guns battled side by side in the final laps. Baldwin led the first 90 laps before the 13-year-old Harvick took the lead, and they gave the crowd a show, fender to fender, with Baldwin ultimately claiming the second finishing position and the 2025 Pro Late Model Owner’s points championship. Connor Jones finished third, and 16-year-old Ben Maier clinched the 2025 zMAX CARS Pro Late Model driver championship, and finished in the fourth position.

“It’s really cool to win here and add my name to the awesome list of people who have won at this track,” Keelan Harvick said. “I found a line on the bottom around three and four and really hooked around the corner and I think that’s what the edge was in passing him. We were even in one and two, but in three and four I could ride the line a little bit better than him.”

“He hit all his marks at a track that’s really hard to finish a pass,” Keelan’s father, 2014 NASCAR Cup champion Kevin Harvick, said. “I’m proud of him for everything that he did out there today.”

This was Keelan Harvick’s fourth win this season in the zMAX Cars Tour Pro Late Models and his first at North Wilkesboro Speedway.

NASCAR Cup Series points racing returns to the .625-mile facility in 2026 for the first time since 1996, July 17-19, with the Window World 400 and a NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series race. Tickets are on sale now.

zMAX CARS Tour Late Model Stock Car Crossroads Harley-Davidson 125 Results

  1. Caden Kvapil
  2. Landon S. Huffman
  3. Parker Eatmon
  4. Connor Hall
  5. Brandon Lopez
  6. Trevor Ward
  7. Landen Lewis
  8. Kade Brown
  9. Lanie Buice
  10. Carson Loftin
  11. Conner Jones
  12. Doug Barnes Jr.
  13. Jamie Caudill
  14. Tyler Reif
  15. Mini Tyrrell
  16. Alex Meggs
  17. Andrew Grady
  18. Chase Burrow
  19. Brandon Pierce
  20. Landon Huffman
  21. Darrick Coomer
  22. Donovan Strauss
  23. Thomas Beane
  24. Blayne Harrison
  25. Chad McCumbee
  26. Dylon Wilson
  27. Tate Fogleman
  28. Ronnie Bassett Jr.

zMAX CARS Tour Pro Late Model Northwest Automotive 100 Results

  1. Keelan Harvick
  2. Luke Baldwin
  3. Conner Jones
  4. Ben Maier
  5. Brandon Lopez
  6. Evan McKnight
  7. Aidan Potter
  8. T.J. DeCaire
  9. Jake Johnson
  10. Treyten Lapcevich
  11. Jade Avedisian
  12. Ksaac Kitzmiller
  13. Dylan Garner
  14. Dusty Garus
  15. Terri Crider
  16. Tyler Reif
  17. Rodney Dowless
  18. Trey Burke
  19. Ashton Higgins
  20. Taylor Hull
  21. Jason Kitzmiller
  22. Taylor Mayhew
  23. Kevin Harvick

SMART Modified Tour Frontier Natural Gas 99 Results

  1. Luke Baldwin
  2. Brandon Ward
  3. Ryan Newman
  4. Joey Coulter IV
  5. William Lambros
  6. Bobby Labonte
  7. Eddie McCarthy
  8. Paulie Hartwig III
  9. Jack Baldwin
  10. Daniel Yates
  11. Carsten DiGiantomasso
  12. Jeremy Gerstner
  13. Brody Jones
  14. Cayden Lapcevich
  15. Jimmy Wallace
  16. Carson Loftin
  17. Melissa Fifield
  18. Burt Myers
  19. Tom Buzze
  20. Anthony Bello
  21. Jake Crum
  22. Norman Newman
  23. Slate Myers
  24. Bryce Bailey
  25. Jonathan Cash
  26. Joey Braun
  27. Carter McMurray
  28. Danny Bohn

MORE INFO: Fans can connect with North Wilkesboro Speedway and get the latest news regarding all events at North Wilkesboro by following on X and Instagram, or becoming a Facebook fan.

Kaulig Racing Race Recap | United Rentals 250

By
Official Release
-

No. 16 Morris-Shea Chevrolet

Start: 3rd
Stage 1 Finish: 16th
Stage 2 Finish: 4th
Finish: 4th

Christian Eckes qualified third for the United Rentals 250, his best qualifying effort of the season. He battled in the top five for the majority of the opening stage, ultimately playing it safe and finishing 16th. Following a late caution in Stage 2, Eckes pitted before restarting 14th with two laps remaining. He drove up to fourth where he finished Stage 2. Eckes topped off with fuel during the second stage break, before starting the final stage on the first row, outside teammate, Daniel Dye. As the field went into overtime following a late-race wreck, Eckes was second coming through the tri-oval on the final lap, ultimately crossing the line fourth in a thrilling finish.

“Our No. 16 Morris-Shea Chevy was really good all day. I thought we had a shot at it there at the end, but it just didn’t pan out for us. I hate it for our team, but we can’t be too mad at fourth place.” – Christian Eckes

No. 10 Champion Container Chevrolet

Start: 15th
Stage 1 Finish: 11th
Stage 2 Finish: 9th
Finish: 25th

Daniel Dye qualified 15th for the United Rentals 250. Fighting a slightly free-handling No. 10 Champion Container Chevrolet throughout the opening stage, Dye finished 11th. Following a late caution in Stage 2, Dye pitted for four tires and fuel, before restarting 15th behind teammate, Christian Eckes. He went on to finish ninth and stayed out during the second stage break, taking over the lead to start the final stage. Dye worked with his teammate throughout the final stage, until an overtime-inducing wreck collected Dye, ending his night early. He was scored 25th.

“Our No. 10 Champion Container Chevy was fast, and I felt like we did a good job all day executing as a team. It felt good to lead a couple laps coming to the final stage. Unfortunately, once everything got crazy there at the end, it didn’t shake out for us.” – Daniel Dye

No. 11 Action Industries Chevrolet

Start: 12th
Stage 1 Finish: 36th
Stage 2 Finish: 36th
Finish: 36th

Brenden Queen qualified 12th for the United Rentals 250. Queen was an innocent bystander in a lap-14 crash that ended his race early. He was relegated to a 36th-place finish.

“Not how we hoped our race would end. It seemed like I was in the middle of three wide for most of the first stage there. I felt like we were doing a good job maintaining, and the next thing I know we had nowhere to go and were running into the No. 00 when he was in the wall. The last thing I want to do is wreck the racecar, so it’s tough, but I’m super proud of this Kaulig Racing group and the speed we had in our No. 11 Action Industries Chevy.” – Brenden Queen  
 
About Kaulig Racing

Kaulig Racing™ is a full-time, multi-car NASCAR Cup Series (NCS) and NASCAR Xfinity Series (NXS) team, owned by award winning entrepreneur, Matt Kaulig. Established in 2016, Kaulig Racing™ has earned 27 NXS wins, made the NXS Playoffs consecutively each season since the playoff system started, and won two regular-season championships. In 2021, the team competed in select NCS events, before expanding to a two-car, full-time NCS team in 2022 and adding a third, part-time entry during the 2023 season. Since its first NCS start in 2021, the team has earned two wins. Kaulig Racing is currently fielding two full-time entries in the NCS and continues to field three full-time NXS entries. To learn more about the team, visit kauligracing.com.

RCR NXS Race Recap: Talladega Superspeedway

By
Official Release
-

Jesse Love and the No. 2 Whelen Chevrolet Team Earn Top-10 Finish at Talladega Superspeedway to Keep Them in Championship Hunt

Finish: 10th
Start: 1st
Points: 3rd

“We had to pit for fuel heading into the overtime finish. We’ll never know if it was the right decision or not, but the engine was sputtering so we felt like we had to be safe. We didn’t know if we were going to be able to make a lap without being towed back to pit road. I’m honestly surprised and shocked that the No. 21 had more in the tank than we did because I saved as much gas as I’ve ever saved at a speedway race. We packed it full of fuel from the start. It does kind of stink because I thought we had as good of a car as the No. 21. I think he was more aggressive than I was most of the race today. I let him do a little bit better of a job, but obviously we have a job to do. We didn’t need to beat ourselves today, and we put ourselves in a good spot heading into Martinsville Speedway, 40 points to the good. We’ll focus on earning stage points there and putting us in a good position to battle for a championship in the No. 2 Whelen Chevrolet at Phoenix Raceway.” -Jesse Love

Austin Hill and the No. 2 Bennett Transportation & Logistics Chevrolet Team Capture Fourth Win of 2025 to Back Up Spring Talladega Superspeedway Victory

Finish: 1st
Start: 5th
Points: 9th

“I wasn’t that nervous about running out of fuel on the final restart. Crew chief Chad Haney said we should have two and a half gallons, and I knew I was saving fuel leading the race. We slowed the pace down a lot leading the pack. Nobody was making a move, and I said well, if we get a late-race caution here I will save some more. So I thought that we were going to be close, but I thought that we would make it. I started having fuel pressure issues, so I dropped down to the apron of the track and came up. That’s why I chose the bottom, but really the bottom had been good all day. Man, I cannot thank everyone enough on this No. 21 Chevrolet team, everyone at RCR and the strong ECR engines we have. I would not want to have anything else under the hood. This win means so much with how the last part of my season has gone, and getting knocked out of the NASCAR Playoffs. I knew that I was still in the Owner’s Championship, and that’s one thing I want to do for Richard Childress – get him an Owner’s Championship. If I can’t get the Driver’s Championship, I can at least try to get the Owner’s Championship for RCR. It’s always fun to race at these superspeedways, and to win at Talladega Superspeedway back-to-back in the No. 21 Bennett Transportation & Logistics Chevrolet, that’s something very cool.” -Austin Hill

Austin Hill wins United Rentals 250 at Talladega

By
Angie Campbell
-
Photo by John Knittel for SpeedwayMedia.com

Austin Hill led 48 of the 100 laps and held on to win Saturday’s crash-filled NASCAR Xfinity Series race at Talladega Superspeedway. Hill was low on fuel after a late caution flag, but won in overtime in the United Rentals 250 in the No. 21 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet. The victory earns him a berth in the Championship 4.

This was Hill’s fourth win of the 2025 Xfinity Series season, the 14th of his career, and he also swept this season’s Talladega races.

“Honestly, I wasn’t that nervous, as soon as my crew chief said we should have at least 2.5 gallons,” Hill said. “I knew I was saving fuel while leading. We slowed the pace down a lot, leading the pack, and nobody was really making a move. I thought that we were gonna be close, but I thought we were gonna make it. I started having some fuel pressure issues, dropped to the apron, and it immediately came back up.”

“With how the last half of my season has went, with everything that’s went on, and getting knocked out of the Playoffs. I knew I was still in the owner’s championship. That’s one thing I want to do for that man right there, Richard Childress. If I can’t get the drivers (championship), we at least gotta get the owner’s. So special, always fun to be on these superspeedways,” Hill added.

Carson Kvapil was the highest-finishing rookie in second, followed by Justin Allgaier, Christian Eckes, and Caesar Bacarella to round out the top five. Blaine Perkins, Parker Retzlaff, Leland Honeyman, Sammy Smith and Jesse Love completed the top 10.

Kvapill was disappointed that he couldn’t capture the win, but pleased that he is currently above the cutline for the Playoffs.

“I’m excited,” Kvapil said. “Obviously, I’d rather be locked [in] on the screen over there, than +11, but from being -22 going into the weekend to +11, I’m a lot happier with it.”

Eckes was also hoping for a win, but was satisfied with his fourth-place finish.

“Our No. 16 Morris-Shea Chevy was really good all day,” Eckes said. “I thought we had a shot at it there at the end, but it just didn’t pan out for us. I hate it for our team, but we can’t be too mad at fourth place.”

Connor Zilisch’s streak of 18 consecutive top-five finishes came to an end at Talladega. He was involved in a crash that resulted in a flat tire during the final stage. He finished 23rd. It was the first time he has not finished in the top five since the Talladega spring race.

Joe Gibbs Racing’s William Sawalich was also caught up in the crash and was transported to a local hospital for further evaluation.

The race featured five caution flags for 22 laps, and 17 lead changes among 10 drivers.

After Talladega, Connor Zilisch leads the Xfinity series standings by seven points over Justin Allgaier, 43 points over Jesse Love, 72 points over Carson Kvapil, 83 points over Sammy Smith, 92 points over Brandon Jones, 94 points over Sam Mayer, and 113 points over Sheldon Creed.

Next weekend, the Xfinity Series travels to Martinsville Speedway for the Round of 8 elimination race at 7:30 p.m. ET. It will be broadcast on The CW with radio coverage provided by MRN Radio and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.

Standings

PosDriverNoPointsBehindNextRace WinsStage WinsPlayoff Pts
1Connor Zilisch # (P)88314500101171
2Justin Allgaier (P)73138-7731338
3Jesse Love (P)23102-43361214
4Carson Kvapil # (P)13073-7229015
5Sammy Smith (P)83062-8311139
6Brandon Jones (P)203053-9292318
7Sam Mayer (P)413051-9421316
8Sheldon Creed (P)03032-11319013

Race Results

NASCAR Xfinity Series Race Number 31
Race Results for the United Rentals 250 – Saturday, October 18, 2025
Talladega Superspeedway – Talladega, AL – 2.66 – Mile Paved

PosStNoDriverTeamLapsS1S2S3PointsStatus
1521Austin Hill (P)Bennett Transportation Chevrolet10011060Running
241Carson Kvapil (P)Bass Pro Shops/Clarience Tech Chevrolet10093045Running
387Justin Allgaier (P)BRANDT Chevrolet10022052Running
4316Christian EckesMorris-Shea Bridge Co Inc Chevrolet10004040Running
5255Caesar BacarellaMongoose Power Solutions Chevrolet10000032Running
61431Blaine PerkinsWERNER Chevrolet10070035Running
7244Parker RetzlaffEvery Man Jack Chevrolet10000030Running
82970Leland HoneymanWawa Chevrolet10000029Running
9118Sammy Smith (P)Pilot Chevrolet10068036Running
1012Jesse Love (P)Whelen Chevrolet10036040Running
11287Nick LeitzFirman Chevrolet10000026Running
123314Garrett SmithleyThermoTech Chevrolet10000025Running
133025Harrison BurtonDEX Imaging Ford10000024Running
143145Josh WilliamsAlloy Employer Services Chevrolet10000024Running
153528Kyle SiegBig House Construction Ford10000022Running
163653Joey GaseDonate Life Alabama Chevrolet10000021Running
17627Jeb BurtonSportsman Channel Chevrolet100010021Running
183235David StarrTo Rescue The American Spirit Chevrolet10000019Running
193444Brennan PooleClarks Directional Boring Chevrolet10000018Running
202048Nick SanchezCaroline Jones No Tellin Chevrolet10005023Running
213774Carson WareCosta Oil Filters Chevrolet10000016Running
221991Mason MaggioDenssi Energy Pouches Chevrolet9900015Running
23788Connor Zilisch (P)First Bank of Alabama Chevrolet9740021Running
24919Aric Almirola (P)Young Life Toyota9257023Accident
251510Daniel DyeChampion Container Chevrolet9209014Accident
261020Brandon Jones (P)Menards/Little Hugs Toyota8400011Running
272271Ryan EllisTablo Chevrolet4900010Radiator
281899Connor Mosack(i)Apave Chevrolet440000Accident
291726Dean ThompsonAssured Partners/TPG Toyota4480011Accident
30218William SawalichSoundgear Toyota4410008Accident
313854Taylor GrayOperation 300 Toyota410006Rear Gear
322632Jordan AndersonBommarito Automotive Group Chevrolet190005Accident
332742Anthony AlfredoBotticelli Chevrolet170004Accident
34160Sheldon Creed (P)Road Ranger Ford150003Accident
352339Ryan SiegSci Aps Ford150002Accident
361211Brenden QueenAction Industries Chevrolet150001Accident
372151Jeremy ClementsAll South Electrical Chevrolet150001Accident
381341Sam Mayer (P)Audibel Ford150001DVP

Up Next:

The NASCAR Xfinity series heads to Martinsville Speedway for the IAA and Ritchie Bros. 250 on Saturday, October 25th at 7:30 pm ET on the CW Network.

TOYOTA DRIVERS INVOLVED IN MULTIPLE INCIDENTS IN XFINITY RACE AT TALLADEGA

By
Official Release
-

TALLADEGA, Ala. (October 18, 2025) – Aric Almirola was the top-finishing Toyota driver in 24th-place after all the GR Supra drivers were involved in accidents during Saturday’s NASCAR Xfinity Series (NXS) race at Talladega Superspeedway.

Brandon Jones, Toyota’s remaining Playoff driver, was involved in an early incident, but his Joe Gibbs Racing team repaired his GR Supra and he made up some positions to cross the finish line in 26th place. Jones sits sixth in the point standings and is 20 points out of the Championship 4 heading into Martinsville Speedway.

Toyota GAZOO Racing Post-Race Recap
NASCAR Xfinity Series (NXS)
Talladega Superspeedway
Race 31 of 33 – 250.04 miles, 94 laps

TOYOTA FINISHING POSITIONS

1st, Austin Hill*
2nd, Carson Kvapil*
3rd, Justin Allgaier*
4th, Christian Eckes*
5th, Caesar Bacarella*
24th, ARIC ALMIROLA
26th, BRANDON JONES
29th, DEAN THOMPSON
30th, WILLIAM SAWALICH
31st, TAYLOR GRAY
*non-Toyota driver

TOYOTA QUOTES

BRANDON JONES, No. 20 Menards/Little Hugs Toyota GR Supra, Joe Gibbs Racing

Finishing Position: 26th

Can you talk about your race and what your JGR team was able to do to get you back on track?

“This was a team effort today, that’s for sure. I was happy that nobody gave up on it. That’s easy to do when you get wrecked out early. A lot of damage obviously – it’s pretty torn up. They did a good job of kind of continuing to not get too panicked and just look at the task at hand and figure out what the next goal was after that happened. That’s the problem with this place. I can’t really point out anything that I did wrong. I wasn’t changing lanes like crazy. It was still early on and I kind of liked where I was at in the middle. Just a product of this racing unfortunately. We’ll go to Martinsville. I think it’s got to be our top three best tracks that the 20 team can compete at, and I can compete at. I like our chances going into it. I wish Las Vegas and this one would’ve gone a little bit differently, but there’s going to be a storyline at the end of this thing and there’s going to be somebody that gets in off of a win. I feel like our team is capable of doing it.”

DEAN THOMPSON, No. 26 Assured Partners/Thompson Pipe Group Toyota GR Supra, Sam Hunt Racing

Finishing Position: 29th

What did you see from your seat that took you out of the race early?

“Just real aggressive driving. I just hate it for my 26 guys, Assured Partners and Thompson Pipe Group. We had that car pretty much all year. It was great car, so it sucks that’s the way it ended. I’m proud of the effort my guys put forward and hopefully we’ll have a good day in Martinsville.”

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 nearly 49 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.

Ford Racing Notes and Quotes – Talladega Xfinity Series Post-Race Quotes

By
Official Release
-

Ford Racing Notes and Quotes
NASCAR Xfinity Series
United Rentals 250 – Talladega Superspeedway
Saturday, October 18, 2025

Ford Finishing Order:

13th – Harrison Burton
15th – Ryan Sieg
34th – Sheldon Creed
35th – Ryan Sieg
38th – Sam Mayer

An early race incident at Talladega Superspeedway had a major impact on Ford’s hopes for a NASCAR Xfinity Series championship. Four of the five Ford Dark Horse entries in today’s United Rentals 250 were involved in a lap 15 multicar crash. Included were Ford’s two playoff contenders, Sam Mayer and Sheldon Creed as well as Harrison Burton and Ryan Sieg. As a result, Creed, Mayer and Sieg were all forced to retire from the race. Burton’s No. 26 Ford was damaged in the incident but continued to finish 13th, two positions ahead of Kyle Sieg in 15th. Mayer and Creed will have one race remaining in the Round of 8 to lock themselves into the Championship 4. The next race is scheduled for Sunday, October 26 at Martinsville Speedway.

SAM MAYER, No. 41 Audibel Ford Mustang Dark Horse – WHAT DID YOU SEE DURING THE WRECK? “Honestly, I didn’t see a whole lot. It was a weird wreck. Everyone got together and I saw a clear path out and I was gonna be okay and then someone came down off the wall, so it was just unfortunate. Obviously, everyone did a really good job on the Haas No. 41 car, the Audibel Ford Mustang was really good. We were making our way through the field and we were gonna be good. I was kind of just switching lanes and seeing which one was better. The lanes and the runs were weird today so far, everyone was kind of getting antsy and ready to go. It’s not been a very good day for everybody, but a huge shoutout for Haas for trying to get us back out there.” WHAT’S THE APPROACH GOING INTO MARTINSVILLE? “I have a space in my house for a grandfather clock, so I might as well fill it up.” WHAT ARE YOU WILLING TO DO TO WIN? “I’m not an idiot. We see some good bump and runs at Martinsville and some really bad bump and runs at Martinsville that you can’t even call bump and runs. I don’t want to do that. So I’m gonna go there, be a man of honor, and give it all she has, that’s for sure.”

SHELDON CREED, No. 00 Road Ranger Ford Mustang Dark Horse – HOW DID YOU SEE THE INCIDENT? “The No. 27 got me free on the entry of the tri-oval and then for whatever reason, he shot up the racetrack and got the No. 20 in the left rear and then got me.” HOW DIRE IS YOUR POINTS SITUATION GOING INTO MARTINSVILLE? “It becomes a must win now. We were hoping to have a good day and our car was fast and we had a chance to be in all three lanes there and get close to the top five. I hate that we don’t get to fight for the rest of the day and at least give ourselves a chance of winning.” DID THE CARS IN FRONT OF YOU FEEL SQUIRRELY? “A little bit. I didn’t think it was terrible but it felt pretty normal, I’m not sure why he went up the track.”

CHEVROLET NCS: McDowell Tops Final Round of Qualifying to Claim Pole Position at Talladega Superspeedway

By
Official Release
-

NASCAR Cup Series
Talladega Superspeedway
Round of Eight: Race Two
Team Chevy Post-Qualifying Report
October 18, 2025

McDowell Tops Final Round of Qualifying to Claim Pole Position at Talladega Superspeedway

  • At the conclusion of the final round of qualifying, it was Spire Motorsports’ Michael McDowell that topped the speed chart to claim the pole position for the NASCAR Cup Series YellaWood 500 at Talladega Superspeedway. McDowell set the pole-winning pace with a lap time of 52.481 seconds, at 182.466 mph, around the 2.66-mile Alabama venue to claim his second pole of the 2025 season.
  • McDowell, who now leads the series’ active drivers with three career pole wins at Talladega Superspeedway, delivered Chevrolet its 12th NASCAR Cup Series pole of the season – earned by seven drivers representing four different Chevrolet organizations.

Team Chevy Unofficial Top-10 Starting Lineup

Pos. Driver
1st – Michael McDowell
3rd – Kyle Busch

Chevrolet’s statistics heading into the 34th NASCAR Cup Series race of the season:

Wins: 14
Poles: 12
Top-Fives: 61
Top 10s: 135
Stage Wins: 25

Michael McDowell, No. 71 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet – Pole Winner Quotes

McDowell on his pole-winning lap:

“For qualifying at Talladega (Superspeedway), there’s not a whole lot the driver does but try not to make any mistakes. But more than anything, I talked about it before I went out there, Daytona got rained out for qualifying and we were looking forward to seeing where our car was at and if we’ve made any gains from the first-two superspeedway races. We didn’t really know where we’re at today, just because we didn’t have that baseline at Daytona. But yeah, really proud of the effort from everybody at Spyro Motorsports. We’ve worked really hard to find some speed, and everybody at the Hendrick Engine Shop, as well, just trying to catch-up on these superspeedway’s. Having a fast car is important. Being able to lead lanes and control lanes, you have to have speed to do that, so the pole is awesome. But more importantly, just knowing you got a fast car going into the race tomorrow.”

What was the difference between your two laps? You had a pretty dramatic improvement from the first to the second…

“Yeah, without giving away too much, our first lap was good. We felt like we probably had a little bit more room to get a bit more speed out of it with some adjustments, and we were able to do that. A lot of times, you sort of nail it that first time and you’re afraid to do too much more because you can make it worse. We felt like we had a little bit more room to go, which is a chance because without practice, you just don’t know what’s too much. But we knew that we were close. Like anytime you’re in that top-five or six, you’re close. So for us, we are about a tenth off of the best car and we felt like if we left it the same, we’re weren’t going to have a shot, so we might as well go a little bit and see if we can gain some more.”

Do you have a car that can do everything you need to do to keep the lead? I

“I hope so. I’ll tell you tomorrow. We’ve talked about that a little bit before. For me, I’ve sat on a lot of these poles now, and I don’t feel like it’s taken away from my car’s ability to race. I haven’t felt like I’ve been at that compromise cross-point yet, so I hope so. You don’t know until you know. Even though I haven’t had the results here the last couple years, I’ve been really close to getting to the checkered flag. I’ve led coming to the white flag a few times. And so yeah, I think that it hasn’t hurt my ability to move and make moves and take a push and be pushed. But you know, that’s the first time I’ve been in the No. 71, in a Chevy and in this spot, so I’ll learn a lot more tomorrow. But I felt like our speed at Daytona was good and our cars took pushes, pushed well and raced well, so I’m not nervous going into it at all now.”

There are not many Chevrolet’s up toward the front. You have Kyle Busch behind you. I’m guessing he’ll start right behind you, so how much have you worked with Kyle in this type of racing? How do you maybe make that work to keep you guys controlling the lane, at least?

“Yeah, for sure. Both of us have been doing it a long time, so I’ve worked with Kyle a lot. On superspeedway’s, more than anything, you just build trust of knowing how aggressive to be; when to be aggressive, when to take those big pushes and when not to. You sort of build that rhythm on-track with the handling that you have that day. There is some chemistry between drivers, for sure. But I’ve worked with Kyle before and he’s got a really fast car, as well. I sort of thought that he was going to be the one that could beat us there as he went out, just because he’s a bit quicker. I felt like we hit it well where the wind was changing quite a bit in the qualifying session and the sun was coming a little bit in and out. It’s not a huge deal here, but the wind is a big deal. I felt like he was probably the closest condition-to-condition. We were just able to pick up a little bit more that last run.

Obviously, we’ll have two fast Chevy’s up there, but it won’t be long. Everything cycles around. As you guys know, there’s an element of fuel mileage and getting into your window and getting into the right lap window that you want to be in. So eventually, we’re going to be all bunched together three and four wide, and you’ll be close to your neighbors and your friends.

So yeah, I think that more than anything, it’s just trying to keep the control early on and get through that first cycle and have the control going into the end of the first stage.”

About General Motors

General Motors (NYSE:GM) is driving the future of transportation, leveraging advanced technology to build safer, smarter, and lower emission cars, trucks, and SUVs. GM’s Buick, Cadillac, Chevrolet, and GMC brands offer a broad portfolio of innovative gasoline-powered vehicles and the industry’s widest range of EVs, as we move to an all-electric future. Learn more at GM.com.

Michael McDowell notches second Cup pole of 2025 at Talladega

By
Andrew Kim
-
Photo by John Knittel for SpeedwayMedia.com.

Michael McDowell captured the Busch Light Pole Award for the YellaWood 500 at Talladega Superspeedway on Saturday, October 18.

The event’s qualifying format consisted of a single-vehicle, two-round impound format. Within this format, each of the 40 competitors entered to compete in the event cycled around Talladega to post a single lap. Afterward, the top-10 fastest competitors from the first round transferred to a second single-vehicle round and contested for the pole position.

During the first qualifying round, McDowell posted the fifth-fastest lap at 181.832 mph in 52.664 seconds, which was enough for him to be among 10 competitors who transferred to the second round. During the final round, the Glendale, Arizona, native posted a pole-winning lap at 182.466 mph in 52.481 seconds.

With the pole, McDowell, driver of the No. 71 Chevrolet entry for Spire Motorsports, notched his eighth NASCAR Cup Series career pole. It was also his third at Talladega, his sixth on a superspeedway venue and his second of the 2025 season. McDowell’s Talladega pole for the Chevrolet nameplate also snapped Ford’s recent dominance of notching Cup poles over the previous three superspeedway venues throughout this season.

“It’s something that we’ve been working really hard at at Spire Motorsports. Just getting more speed in our superseedway cars,” McDowell said. “To get a pole is awesome. I think everything went right. It’s no secret. The Fords have been kicking our butts at these [superspeedway venues]. We feel like we had some areas that we needed to gain. I felt like we gained them. To be sitting here with a pole is awesome. Hats off to everyone at Chevy and everyone at Spire Motorsports working really hard. It’s not a win, but we’ll take it. It’s awesome.” 

McDowell will share the front row with Chase Briscoe, a 2025 Cup Series Playoff contender. Briscoe, who was the fastest competitor during the first qualifying round at 182.251 mph in 52.543 seconds, posted a qualifying lap of 182.466 mph in 52.481 seconds during the second round.  Despite falling one spot short of capturing his eighth Cup pole of the 2025 season, Briscoe will have an advantageous start amongst his seven Playoff rivals entering Sunday’s second Round of 8 event. Currently, Briscoe is 15 points above the top-four cutline to make the Championship 4 round.

Non-Playoff contenders Kyle Busch, Austin Cindric and Ryan Preece will start in the top five, respectively. Josh Berry, another non-Playoff contender, qualified in sixth place ahead of Playoff contenders Christopher Bell and Ryan Blaney. Riley Herbst and Bubba Wallace completed the top-10 starting grid.

With only three of eight Playoff contenders qualifying in the top 10, the remaining contenders that include William Byron, Joey Logano, Denny Hamlin, Kyle Larson and Chase Elliott qualified 13th, 16th, 17th, 19th and 25th, respectively. Currently, Hamlin is the only Playoff contender who has qualified for the Championship 4 round after winning last weekend’s Round of 8 opener at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. Briscoe, Larson and Bell are above the cutline while Byron, Elliott, Logano and Blaney trail.

With 40 competitors vying for 40 starting spots, all of the entered competitors made the event.

Qualifying position, Best speed, Best time:

1. Michael McDowell, 182.466 mph, 52.481 seconds

2. Chase Briscoe, 182.400 mph, 52.500 seconds

3. Kyle Busch, 182.199 mph, 52.558 seconds

4. Austin Cindric, 182.181 mph, 52.563 seconds

5. Ryan Preece, 182.116 mph, 52.582 seconds

6. Josh Berry, 182.005 mph, 52.614 seconds

7. Christopher Bell, 181.846 mph, 52.660 seconds

8. Ryan Blaney, 181.780 mph, 52.679 seconds

9. Riley Herbst, 181.735 mph, 52.692 seconds

10. Bubba Wallace, 181.728 mph, 52.694 seconds

11. Alex Bowman, 181.470 mph, 52.769 seconds

12. Cole Custer, 181.456 mph, 52.773 seconds

13. William Byron, 181.453 mph, 52.774 seconds

14. Chris Buescher, 181.357 mph, 52.802 seconds

15. Tyler Reddick, 181.329 mph, 52.810 seconds

16. Joey Logano, 181.298 mph, 52.819 seconds

17. Denny Hamlin, 181.292 mph, 52.821 seconds

18. Ty Gibbs, 181.178 mph, 52.854 seconds

19. Kyle Larson, 181.120 mph, 52.871 seconds

20. Brad Keselowski, 181.058 mph, 52.889 seconds

21. Austin Dillon, 180.959 mph, 52.918 seconds

22. Justin Haley, 180.894 mph, 52.937 seconds

23. Zane Smith, 180.867 mph, 52.945 seconds

24. Ross Chastain, 180.833 mph, 52.955 seconds

25. Chase Elliott, 180.819 mph, 52.959 seconds

26. Daniel Suarez, 180.744 mph, 52.981 seconds

27. Todd Gilliland, 180.693 mph, 52.996 seconds

28. John Hunter Nemechek, 180.679 mph, 53 seconds

29. Ty Dillon, 180.649 mph, 53.009 seconds

30. Erik Jones, 180.604 mph, 53.022 seconds

31. Shane van Gisbergen, 180.346 mph, 53.098 seconds

32. Carson Hocevar, 180.295 mph, 53.113 seconds

33. Austin Hill, 180.288 mph, 53.115 seconds

34. AJ Allmendinger, 180.264 mph, 53.122 seconds

35. Cody Ware, 179.848 mph, 53.245 seconds

36. Noah Gragson, 179.571 mph, 53.327 seconds

37. Ricky Stenhouse Jr., 179.225 mph, 53.430 seconds

38. Anthony Alfredo, 179.048 mph, 53.430 seconds

39. BJ McLeod, 178.550 mph, 53.632 seconds

40. Casey Mears, 177.564 mph, 53.930 seconds

*Bold indicates Playoff contenders

The 2025 YellaWood 500 at Talladega Superspeedway is scheduled to occur on Sunday, October 19, and air at 2 p.m. ET on NBC, MRN Radio, SiriusXM and HBO Max.

1...254255256...6,639Page 255 of 6,639