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Spire Motorsports Enjoy Illinois 300 Race Advance

By
Official Release
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  • In 10 previous NASCAR Cup Series starts at World Wide Technology Raceway (WWTR) in Madison, Ill., Spire Motorsports has one top-10 and four top-20 finishes. Carson Hocevar earned the team’s best result in 2024 with an eighth-place effort. Spire Motorsports fields the Nos. 7, 71 and 77 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1s in the Cup Series with Daniel Suárez, Michael McDowell and Hocevar, respectively.
  • The Enjoy Illinois 300 will be televised live on USA Network Sunday, Sept. 13 beginning at 5 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time. The 28th of 36 points-paying races on the 2026 NASCAR Cup Series calendar will also be broadcast live on the Motor Racing Network and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90.

Daniel Suárez – Driver, No. 7 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet Camaro ZL1

  • Daniel Suárez will pilot Spire Motorsports’ No. 7 Freeway Insurance Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 in Sunday’s NASCAR Cup Series Enjoy Illinois 300 at WWTR.
  • Freeway Insurance was established in 1987 and is one of the largest and fastest-growing personal lines insurance brokers in the United States, offering coverage through a “click, call, or come in” approach that connects customers nationwide. The company continually researches, grows, and diversifies its product offerings to stay responsive to the evolving insurance market. Freeway provides a wide range of options—from basic to premium coverage—in auto, truck, commercial vehicle, homeowners, renters, small business, motorcycle, recreational vehicle, fire, and flood insurance. In 2008, Freeway Insurance became part of Confie, the nation’s leading personal lines insurance distribution company. Customers can access Freeway Insurance through neighborhood offices, online at www.freeway.com, or by calling (800) 300-0227.
  • With nine races remaining to determine the 2026 NASCAR Cup Series Champion, Suárez sits 13th after last weekend’s race at Darlington (S.C.) Raceway with 2,041 points, 94 markers behind the leader. He enters Sunday’s race at WWTR with one win, three top-five, seven top-10 and 21 top-20 finishes. Over 27 races this season, he holds a 13.9 average starting position and a 14.9 average finish.
  • The 34-year-old veteran driver finished 21st in the Southern 500 where he started second after qualifying was canceled due to inclement weather and led the opening two circuits. Despite falling two laps down to the leaders while he struggled with handling and mechanical challenges, he stayed the course and raced his way back to the lead lap before the checkered flag.
  • Suárez’s best finish at WWTR came in 2023, when he came home seventh. In four starts at the uniquely configured 1.25-mile Madison, Ill., oval, the 34-year-old driver has one top 10. Last season, he started 26th but was ultimately credited with a 35th-place finish after a Lap-64 incident forced him to retire early from the event.
  • The Monterrey, Mexico native boasts 350 Cup Series starts and has earned three wins, 27 top fives and 82 top 10s in NASCAR’s premier division. He’s led 949 laps and earned three poles since 2017. Suárez has collected checkered flags at Sonoma (Calif.) Raceway (2022), Atlanta Motor Speedway (2024) and Charlotte (N.C.) Motor Speedway (2026).

Daniel Suárez Quote
With a new aero and engine package this year at World Wide Technology Raceway, what are you expecting from the changes?
“I’m excited to get back to World Wide Technology Raceway with a new aero and engine package this year. It’s going to create some unknowns, and we’re excited for the challenge. We’ve been working hard to prepare for the changes, and I think it’s going to be important to adapt quickly. I’ve had some good runs at this track in the past, so hopefully, we can have a strong race. It would be great to put our Freeway Insurance Chevrolet in position to fight for a good finish.”

Ryan Sparks – Crew Chief, No. 7 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet Camaro ZL1

  • Ryan Sparks is the Crew Chief of Spire Motorsports’ No. 7 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 with driver Daniel Suárez in the NASCAR Cup Series.
  • Sparks’ best finish at WWTR came last season, when he guided Justin Haley to a 28th-place finish. He has called four races at the St. Louis-area track in NASCAR’s premier division.
  • The Winston-Salem, N.C., native has called 228 NASCAR Cup Series races, earning one win, seven top-five and 17 top-10 finishes since making his Cup Series debut atop the pit box in 2020.
  • Sparks joined Spire Motorsports in 2021, where he served as both Crew Chief and Competition Director, leading the organization’s competitive and technical efforts. In 2026, Sparks serves in a singular role as crew chief for Daniel Suárez. He brings more than a decade of experience across all three of NASCAR’s national touring series, highlighted by 13 seasons at Richard Childress Racing and contributions to title-winning campaigns in the NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series (2011) and O’Reilly Auto Parts Series (2013).

Michael McDowell – Driver, No. 71 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet Camaro ZL1

  • Michael McDowell will pilot Spire Motorsports’ No. 71 Delaware Life Chevrolet ZL1 in Sunday’s Enjoy Illinois 300.
  • Delaware Life is an insurance and annuity company that empowers financial professionals with a wide array of customizable solutions. A subsidiary of Group 1001 Insurance Holdings LLC, Delaware Life focuses on delivering a seamless experience for advisors. The company understands how important it is to find the right fit for every client, every situation and every individual need. Delaware Life is passionate about equipping advisors with annuities that give their customers peace of mind and a successful future, allowing them to plan with confidence for whatever’s next.
  • McDowell has four starts at WWTR, where he’s earned one pole, one top 10 and led 74 laps.
  • In last season’s visit to WWTR, McDowell started 28th and raced his way to a respectable 14th-place finish.
  • The 2021 Daytona 500 Champion has only finished outside of the top 20 once at WWTR. After starting on the pole and leading 40 laps in 2024, McDowell was left to settle for a 25th-place finish. The 41-year-old has led laps in two-of-four races, pacing the field for 34 laps in 2022 and 40 more in 2024. The two-time Cup Series race winner holds an average starting position of 16.8 at the egg-shaped oval paired with an average finish of 16.3.
  • The Glendale, Ariz. native, competed in two NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series races at WWTR and finished 32nd and 30th in 2009 and 2010, respectively.
  • Last weekend at Darlington Raceway, McDowell started fifth and raced near the front until mechanical issues stalled what looked to be a promising night. Still, the 19-year Cup Series veteran held on to his No. 71 Chevy to bring home a workman-like 17th-place finish.
  • Dating back to New Hampshire Motor Speedway three races ago, the father-of-five has maintained an average finishing position of 12.3, an 11.3 position increase compared to his previous three races (Indianapolis – Richmond).
  • In 27 races this year, McDowell has led 24 laps and logged three top-five and six top-10 finishes. He’s recorded a 15.9 average start, an 18.7 average finish and currently sits 19th in points.

Michael McDowell Quote

How can you continue to build the momentum at WWTR while leaning on the speed you’ve shown in the past?
“World Wide Technology has been a good track for us in the past. We broke a track record and sat on the pole in 2024. Before that, we had a top 10 in 2023. I am confident that we can continue to build on our momentum from the last few weeks. We have had some quality runs and speed, but we haven’t put together a complete race. We were well on our way to a top-10 finish at Darlington (S.C.) Raceway, but we ran into a mechanical failure with under 10-to-go and had to nurse our Delaware Life Chevrolet home. Regardless, I am proud of the progress we’ve made and hoping to capitalize on it this weekend at Gateway.”

Travis Peterson – Crew Chief, No. 71 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet Camaro ZL1

  • Travis Peterson serves as the Crew Chief for driver Michael McDowell and Spire Motorsports’ No. 71 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 in the NASCAR Cup Series.
  • Across 139 starts serving in the crew chief role, Peterson has called eight poles, one win, 10 top-five and 29 top-10 finishes.
  • The West Bend, Wis., native called McDowell’s 2024 pole position at WWTR when the potent duo set a track record of 138.598 mph (32.368 seconds).
  • Paterson called McDowell’s ninth-place finish in the 2023 Enjoy Illinois 300.

Carson Hocevar – Driver, No. 77 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet Camaro ZL1

  • Carson Hocevar will race Spire Motorsports’ No. 77 Spectrum Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 in Sunday’s Enjoy Illinois 300 at WWTR, the second of 10 races in The Chase.
  • Spectrum is a suite of advanced communications services offered by Charter Communications, Inc. (NASDAQ:CHTR), a leading broadband connectivity company available to 58 million homes and small to large businesses across 41 states. Founded in 1993, Charter has evolved from providing cable TV to streaming, and from high-speed Internet to a converged broadband, WiFi and mobile experience. Over the Spectrum Fiber Broadband Network and supported by our 100 percent U.S.-based employees, the Company offers Seamless Connectivity and Entertainment with Spectrum Internet®, Mobile, TV and Voice products. More information can be found at corporate.charter.com.
  • Hocevar and the No. 77 team, along with teammate Daniel Suarez and the No. 7 team, are competing for 2026 NASCAR Cup Series championship honors. The opportunity marks the first appearance in The Chase for Hocevar and the first time a Spire Motorsports team will compete for a Cup Series title. Through the first of 10 races in The Chase, the No. 77 team sits 12th in points, one marker behind 11th.
  • Through 27 races, the Portage, Mich., native has already set career-highs in multiple categories:
  • Season-to-date results of one win, five top fives, nine top 10s
  • 159 laps led
  • 699 points scored
  • 13.0 average start
  • 16.5 average finish
  • The 23-year-old driver has been one of the most improved on the circuit throughout the 2026 campaign. The team’s average starting and finishing positions have each improved by nearly five spots compared to this point in 2025. Hocevar is on pace to improve his average finish by 5.1 positions at the end of the season while his 12th position in the series’ points is an 11-position improvement compared to the end of 2025.
  • In three career NASCAR Cup Series starts at WWTR, Hocevar secured a venue-best eighth-place finish in June 2024. He’s also made four NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series starts at the suburban St. Louis oval where he’s earned one top five and three top 10s, including a fourth-place finish in 2023.
  • On June 4, 2023, 19-year-old Hocevar was called up from the CRAFTSMAN Truck Series to fill in for Spire Motorsports driver Corey LaJoie at WWTR, who. coincidentally, was filling in for Chase Elliott at the same track, on the same weekend. At the time, Hocevar had just earned his first CRAFTSMAN Truck Series win at Texas Motor Speedway and was riding a streak of four-straight top-five finishes. He started 26th and was racing towards the top 10 when a brake failure ended the No. 7 team’s day. Hocevar went on to compete in eight of the last nine Cup Series events in 2023 for LEGACY MOTOR CLUB before signing full-time with Spire Motorsports prior to the 2024 season.
  • Exactly one year prior to his Cup Series debut, during his second year of full-time competition in the CRAFTSMAN Truck Series for Niece Motorsports, Hocevar was running fifth as the field took the white flag for the series’ annual stop at WWTR. Contact with a competitor shuffled him out of position, causing him to sustain significant damage to his race truck, and a broken tibia in his right ankle that required surgery. Hocevar was back behind the wheel just one week later at Sonoma (Calif.) Raceway where went on to earn his first and only CRAFTSMAN Truck Series pole award. He was relieved of his driving chores following Stage 1 by current teammate Daniel Suárez on Lap 11. Suárez recovered from the extended time needed to facilitate the driver change to collect a sixth-place finish, which was ultimately credited to Hocevar.
  • In last Sunday’s Southern 500, Hocevar started 34th after inclement weather washed out Saturday’s qualifying session but rallied to earn an 11th-place finish in Sunday’s 367-lap affair at Darlington Raceway.
  • Hocevar registered his first-career victory earlier this season at Talladega (Ala.) Superspeedway. He survived a late-race restart with three laps remaining and brought home the checkered flag to register Spire Motorsports’ second Cup Series win and first since the 2019 Coke Zero Sugar 400.

Carson Hocevar Quotes
As the site of your Cup Series debut, what does World Wide Technology Raceway mean to you?
“That track means a lot to me. It was a fun day. We were moving forward and running faster lap times than we were running all day when we broke a brake rotor. That place will always kind of hold a dear place in my heart. We’ve had a lot of speed and run well there in both trucks and a Cup car.

“Before the race, one of the other drivers pulled me into his bus and gave me some advice. The advice was how to stay out of the way as a lap car that day. We weren’t very far behind him (on the lead lap) when that happened.”

How do you expect the simple diffuser and 750-horsepower package will change the racing this weekend?
“It is probably going to be harder to stop and change directions, which means it’s probably going to be tighter and will be difficult to get up and go. It is going to be really valuable who can get on the brakes while keeping the car turning so you can stay pointed. Whoever points the earliest and can get back to the throttle straight is going to have a lot of straightaway and will have the power to take advantage of it.”

Luke Lambert – Crew Chief, No. 77 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet Camaro ZL1

  • Luke Lambert is the Crew Chief of Spire Motorsports’ No. 77 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 in the NASCAR Cup Series with driver Carson Hocevar.
  • Lambert is in his third season at Spire Motorsports and fourth with Hocevar. The duo has logged two pole awards, one win, eight top-five and 24 top-10 finishes in 107 races.
  • The 16-year veteran crew chief has called three NASCAR Cup Series events at WWTR, earning a venue-best eighth-place finish with Hocevar in 2024.

About Spire Motorsports …
Spire Motorsports fields full-time entries in the NASCAR Cup Series, NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series and Interstate Batteries High Limit Racing.

The team, co-owned by longtime NASCAR industry executive Jeff Dickerson and TWG Motorsports CEO Dan Towriss, earned its inaugural NASCAR Cup Series victory in its first full season of competition when Justin Haley took the checkered flag in the Coke Zero Sugar 400 at Daytona (Fla.) International Speedway July 7, 2019. Less than three years later, William Byron drove Spire Motorsports’ No. 7 Chevrolet Silverado its first NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series win April 7, 2022, at Martinsville (Va.) Speedway. The team’s most recent victory came May 24, 2026, when Daniel Suárez won the NASCAR Cup Series’ Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte (N.C.) Motor Speedway.

In 2026, Spire Motorsports campaigns the Nos. 7, 71 and 77 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1s in the NASCAR Cup Series and the Nos. 7 and 77 Chevrolet Silverado RSTs in the NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series. The Mooresville, N.C., organization also fields the No. 77 410 sprint car in Interstate Batteries High Limit Racing competition.

ARCA Menards Series at Salem Speedway: Spruce 212 Pre-race Notes

By
Official Release
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THE RACE: Spruce 212
THE PLACE: Salem Speedway​​
THE DATE: Saturday, September 12, 2026
THE TIME: 8:00 pm ET
TV: FOX, Live

ARCA Menards Series at Salem Speedway:
Spruce 212 Pre-race Notes

  • For the 112th time since 1955, the ARCA Menards Series returns to southern Indiana to take on the legendary high banks at Salem Speedway in Saturday’s Spruce 212. The race will be the first-ever ARCA Menards Series short track race televised live on over-the-air television, live on FOX, at 8 pm ET.
  • Musco Lighting enhanced Salem Speedway’s light system for the track’s national network television debut. Musco, which recently commenced a project to update and upgrade the entire lighting system at Daytona International Speedway, provided two additional LED light towers to Salem Speedway to ensure the track’s 35-degree corners are well lit once the sun goes down on Saturday night.
  • Series and track officials collaborated to add 12 laps to the traditional race distance to honor the ARCA Menards Series’ 112th visit to Salem Speedway. Despite track being closed for much of the 1980s, Salem has hosted more ARCA Menards Series races than any other in series history.
  • Jake Bollman (No. 20 Nitro Motorsports Toyota) also enhanced his lead in the ARCA Menards Series championship points standings, escaping the dirt at the DuQuoin State Fairgrounds with an eight-point advantage over his teammate Thomas Annunziata (No. 70 JBL Audio Toyota) headed into the Spruce 212. Bollman collected his fourth runner-up finish of the season at DuQuoin but it still looking for his first career ARCA Menards Series victory while Annunziata has won at Lime Rock Park in each of the last two seasons but is looking for his first career series victory on an oval track.
  • Max Reaves (No. 18 Cook Out Toyota) looks to rebound from a 17th-place finish at DuQuoin after his race was cut short 22 laps from the finish due to an accident. The result was the second-worst of his ARCA Menards Series career. Ironically, he’s headed Salem Speedway, where he led for 111 laps last year before being taken out in a crash 27 laps from the finish, resulting in a career-worst 18th-place finish. Despite the uncharacteristic finish in 2025, Reaves has been victorious five times on paved short tracks – Elko Speedway, Madison International Speedway, and Toledo Speedway in 2025 and Berlin Raceway and again at Elko in 2026 – so he enters the Spruce 212 as one of the drivers to beat. Joe Gibbs Racing has won at Salem two times before, both in dominant fashion. The team won in 2019 with Ty Gibbs and again in 2024 with William Sawalich; Gibbs led 196 of the race’s 200 laps while Sawalich led them all.
  • Carson Brown (No. 28 Grizzly Coolers Chevrolet) started his ARCA Menards Series career with a trip to victory lane in his debut race at Phoenix Raceway in March, becoming the 39th driver since 1979 to win in his first career series start. Brown has been a study in consistency since then, racking up three runner-up finishes and four third-place finishes before returning to victory lane last Sunday at DuQuoin. Brown’s only finish outside the top three was a 13th-place finish at the Illinois State Fairgrounds due to a flat right rear tire necessitated an unscheduled pit stop just after the race’s last restart.
  • Both Pinnacle Racing Group drivers on the entry list, Brown and teammate Tristan McKee (No. 77 Spectrum Chevrolet), won in their most recent ARCA Menards Series start. Brown won last Sunday at DuQuoin while McKee took his third checkered flag of the season in his most recent start of the season at Madison International Speedway two races ago. McKee, who became the second-youngest ARCA Menards Series winner when he won in his series debut at Watkins Glen International at 15 years, 4 days of age in 2025, also has wins at Toledo Speedway and Iowa Speedway; additionally, McKee leads the ARCA Menards Series East standings by just one point over Max Reaves with one race remaining at Bristol Motor Speedway on September 17.
  • Isabella Robusto (No. 55 Mobil 1 Toyota) will look to bounce back from a disappointing 14th-place finish at DuQuoin due to overheating issues with another top-five performance at Salem. She finished fifth in her first Salem appearance in 2025, one of 13 career top-five finishes, more than any other female driver in ARCA Menards Series history. Erin Crocker previous held that record with 12.
  • The CR7 Motorsports team will field two entries in the Spruce 212: the team will field Matt Kemp (No. 79 A.L.L. Construction / Carter CAT Chevrolet) and Landon S. Huffman (No. 97 Hoosier Daddy / Hoosier Momma Car Care Products Chevrolet). Huffman, son of Pinnacle Racing Group team manager Shane Huffman, finished third in his most recent start at Chicagoland Speedway in July. He will be substituting for Jason Kitzmiller, who will not compete at Salem despite sitting third in the ARCA Menards Series standings. Kemp will be driving the car normally piloted by Isaac Kitzmiller, reigning ARCA Menards Series East champion.
  • Salem Speedway is the site of the most recent 500-lap race in ARCA Menards Series history. Two 500-lappers were held at Salem, in 1988 and 1989, won by Bob Brevak and Bob Schacht respectively. The 1989 race was a grueling 3 hour, 50 minute affair that had 11 cautions for 109 laps.
  • Chandler Smith holds the ARCA Menards Series track qualifying record at Salem Speedway, set in 2018, at 16.844 seconds/118.618 miles per hour.
  • Tom Hessert III holds the ARCA Menards Series track race record at Salem Speedway, set in 2014, at 95.736 miles per hour.
  • There will be two scheduled breaks at laps 75 and 150. Teams can change tires, add fuel, make any adjustments and repairs at that time. Teams can change tires and add fuel on the same pit stop but cannot do it simultaneously. Any caution flag is an opportunity to pit, but tires can only be changed and fuel may only be added at the two scheduled breaks.
  • ARCA Menards Series races at Salem Speedway have been extended into overtime on 14 previous occasions, the most recent time in 2014 in a race won by Grant Enfinger. Should the race be extended into overtime, there will be unlimited attempts at a two-lap “green-white-checkered” finish. Should the caution be displayed after the white flag has been shown, there will be unlimited attempts at a one-lap “green and white together” finish.
  • The Spruce 212 is set for 8 pm ET on Saturday, September 12. The race will be televised live on FOX. Live timing & scoring data and live race audio will be available on ARCARacing.com; for up-to-the-minute updates please follow @ARCA_Racing on X (formerly known as Twitter).

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

About Menards
A family-owned and run company started in 1958, Menards is recognized as the retail home center leader of the Midwest with 236 stores in 15 states.  Menards is truly a one-stop shop for all of your home improvement needs featuring a full-service lumberyard and everything you need to plan a renovation or build a home, garage, cabin, shed, deck, fence or post frame building.  You’ll find a large selection of lumber, roofing, siding, construction blocks, trusses, doors and windows, plus cabinets, appliances, countertops, flooring, lighting, paint, plumbing supplies and more.  To complete the job, Menards has quality hand tools, power tools, fasteners, electrical tools plus storage options and supplies for everyone from the weekend warrior to the pro!
 
Menards has what you need to complete your outdoor projects and keep your yard in tip-top shape including mowers, trimmers, blowers, pressure washers and more, plus a beautiful garden center stocked with plants, shrubs, trees, landscaping tools, grass seed, fertilizer options, outdoor décor and patio furniture.  Menards also has everyday essentials like health & beauty products, housewares, pet and wildlife supplies, automotive items and even groceries.  And at Christmas, an Enchanted Forest display area with impressive trees, lighting, decorations, ornaments, inflatables and more. 
Menards is known for friendly Customer Service and as the place to “Save Big Money” with low prices every day, and sales too!  For more information, please visit Menards.com to learn about our store locations, offerings and services.

About Musco
For more than 50 years, Musco has specialized in sports and large area lighting and technology, designing systems for neighborhood fields, major stadiums and international racecourses. Our solutions have revolutionized sports and entertainment for a variety of venues around the world. Musco’s TLC for LED® technology makes responsible lighting affordable with unmatched light quality, control, reliability, and glare reduction, backed by a long-term parts and labor warranty. To learn more, visit www.musco.com.

Front Row Motorsports: World Wide Technology Raceway NCS Race Advance (Noah Gragson, Todd Gilliland, Zane Smith)

By
Official Release
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Front Row Motorsports
Noah Gragson | Todd Gilliland | Zane Smith
World Wide Technology Raceway NASCAR Cup Series Race Advance

Event Details:

Series: NASCAR Cup Series (NCS)
Track: World Wide Technology Raceway
Track Size / Surface: 1.25-miles / Asphalt
Track Location: Madison, Illinois
Race Date: September 13, 2026
Race Start Time: 3:00 p.m. ET
Race Information: 240 Laps (Stages – 45 / 140 / 240) – 300 Miles
Television: USA
Radio: SiriusXM / MRN

Event Notes:

  • 28th points-paying event of the 2026 NASCAR Cup Series season. 30th on-track event overall this season for the series.
  • First and only NASCAR Cup Series race at World Wide Technology Raceway this season.
  • Second race of The Chase, the NASCAR Cup Series postseason.

No. 4 Team Details

Driver: Noah Gragson

Crew Chief: Grant Hutchens

Primary Sponsor: Long John Silver’s

Standings: 31st

Recent Season Results:

Darlington Raceway (September 6) – 32nd
Daytona International Speedway (August 29) – 26th
New Hampshire Motor Speedway (August 23) – 10th

Driver and Team Event Notes

  • Sunday’s event will be Noah Gragson’s fourth NASCAR Cup Series start at the World Wide Technology Raceway.
  • Gragson has two top-10 finishes at the track in the NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series, finishing ninth in 2017 and 10th in 2018, driving for Kyle Busch Motorsports.

Long John Silver’s Event Notes

  • This will be Long John Silver’s eighth race of the 2026 season with Gragson and the No. 4 Ford Racing team.

No. 34 Team Details

Driver: Todd Gilliland

Crew Chief: Chris Lawson

Primary Sponsor: Ruedebusch Development & Construction

Standings: 22nd

Recent Season Results:

Darlington Raceway (September 6) – 16th
Daytona International Speedway (August 29) – 19th
New Hampshire Motor Speedway (August 23) – 21st

Driver and Team Event Notes

  • This will be Todd Gilliland’s fifth start at the World Wide Technology Raceway in the NASCAR Cup Series.
  • Gilliland has five NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series starts at the 1.25-mile Madison, Illinois, track, earning back-to-back second-place finishes in 2018 and 2019, driving for Kyle Busch Motorsports.

Ruedebusch Development & Construction Event Notes

  • Ruedebusch Development & Construction will join Gilliland and the No. 34 team for the company’s fifth primary race of the season.
  • Ruedebusch has knowledge and experience in all aspects of the commercial real estate field. From locating new rental space for businesses, to finding the perfect piece of land for new corporate headquarters; from the turn-key facility to the architectural and interior design that will best reflect your company’s culture, Ruedebusch helps every step of the way.

No. 38 Team Details

Driver: Zane Smith

Crew Chief: Ryan Bergenty

Primary Sponsor: Speedy Cash

Standings: 24th

Recent Season Results:

  • Darlington Raceway (September 6) – 25th
  • Daytona International Speedway (August 29) – 32nd
  • New Hampshire Motor Speedway (August 23) – 13th

Driver and Team Event Notes

  • This will be Zane Smith’s fourth start at the World Wide Technology Raceway in the NASCAR Cup Series.
  • Smith has five NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series starts at the Illinois track, earning three top-10 and one top-five finishes.

Speedy Cash Event Notes

  • This will be Speedy Cash’s fifth race of the 2026 season with Smith and the No. 38 Ford Racing team.

ABOUT FRONT ROW MOTORSPORTS

Front Row Motorsports (FRM) is a winning organization competing in the NASCAR Cup Series and the NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series. Founded in 2004 by entrepreneur Bob Jenkins, FRM has earned top honors including a 2021 Daytona 500 victory and the 2022 CRAFTSMAN Truck Series championship. Based in Mooresville, N.C., FRM fields the No. 4, No. 34, and No. 38 entries in the NASCAR Cup Series, along with the No. 34 and No. 38 teams in the CRAFTSMAN Truck Series. For more information, visit FrontRowMotorsports.com and follow Front Row Motorsports on social media — X: @Team_FRM, Instagram: @teamfrm, Tik Tok: @Team_FRM, YouTube: @FrontRowNASCAR, and Facebook: facebook.com/FrontRowMotorsports.

TRICON Garage sets driver lineup for No. 1 entry for 2026 Truck owner’s title pursuit

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

TRICON Garage, the reigning NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series’ championship-winning team both on the driver’s and owner’s categories, took to social media to reveal its driver lineup for the No. 1 Toyota Tundra TRD Pro “all-star” entry for this year’s seven-race Chase stretch. The lineup was made as the entry will pursue the 2026 owner’s championship.

Nick Leitz will drive TRICON’s No. 1 entry in the series’ first two Chase events at Bristol Motor Speedway on September 17 and at Kansas Speedway on September 26. Brent Crews will then take his shot in the No. 1 entry for the next two-scheduled Chase events at Charlotte Motor Speedway on October 9 and at Phoenix Raceway on October 16. Next, Corey Heim returns to compete at Talladega Superspeedway on October 23 and Gavan Boschele will race at Martinsville Speedway on October 30 before Heim caps off the 2026 Truck Series season by competing in the finale at Homestead-Miami Speedway on November 6.

TRICON Garage’s No. 1 Toyota team is ranked in fifth place with 2,055 points in the 2026 Truck Series’ owner’s standings. The No. 1 team is one of 10 teams that will embark on a seven-race stretch to compete for the owner’s title. The team is also one of three fielded by TRICON that is contending for the title, with the entry also competing alongside the Nos. 11 and 17 entries that are piloted by Kaden Honeycutt and Giovanni Ruggiero, respectively. Both Honeycutt and Ruggiero are also contending for the 2026 driver’s championship.

Through 18-scheduled Truck events this season, TRICON’s No. 1 Toyota team that is led by crew chief Jerame Donley has finished in the top-10 mark nine times and has been piloted to Victory Lane twice by Corey Heim at Rockingham Speedway and Michigan International Speedway, respectively. Additional competitors who have piloted the No. 1 entry at least once this season include Leitz, Crews, Boschele, Taylor Gray, Dario Franchitti, William Sawalich, Brandon Jones, Thomas Annunziata and Jimmie Johnson.

The 2026 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series’ Chase commences on September 17 at Bristol Motor Speedway in Bristol, Tennessee, for the UNOH 250. The event’s broadcast time is slated to commence at 8 p.m. ET on FS1, NASCAR Racing Network and SiriusXM.

Ford Racing NASCAR – World Wide Technology Raceway Advance

By
Official Release
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WORLD WIDE TECHNOLOGY RACEWAY

Sunday, September 13 — NASCAR Cup Series, 3 p.m. ET (USA)

The second race in the Chase for the NASCAR Cup Series is set for this weekend at World Wide Technology Raceway, a place where Ford has won twice in the four years that circuit has been on the schedule. Ryan Blaney will be looking to join Team Penske teammates Joey Logano (2022) and Austin Cindric (2024) as winners at the track.

FORD DRIVERS IN THE CHASE

3rd – Ryan Blaney (-16 behind leader Denny Hamlin)
8th – Joey Logano (-72)
11th – Chris Buescher (-88)
14th – Austin Cindric (-102)
15th – Ryan Preece (-104)

PENSKE SUCCESS AT WWTR

Team Penske has enjoyed NASCAR’s stop at World Wide Technology Raceway, winning two of the four events held at the facility and leading 224-of-960 laps (23%) in the four races combined. Joey Logano and Ryan Blaney have each led at least one lap in three of the four races (2022, 2024 and 2025) while Blaney led the second-most laps in 2023 with 83. Overall, the trio has combined for eight Top 10 finishes in 12 starts, including Logano, who has finished no worse than fifth.

Driver: 2022-2023-2024-2025
Joey Logano: 1st-3rd-5th-5th
Ryan Blaney: 4th-6th-24th-4th
Austin Cindric: 11th-13th-1st-19th
BERRY TOP 10 STREAK AT SIX AND COUNTING

Josh Berry’s seventh-place finish in last weekend’s Southern 500 marked his sixth straight Top 10 run, a streak that began in July at Indianapolis Motor Speedway when he was seventh. Since then, he’s been a man on a mission as evidenced by the results below:

Josh Berry Top 10 Streak by Race

Indianapolis – 7th

Iowa – 4th

Richmond – 8th

New Hampshire – 3rd (Led a career-high 73 laps)

Daytona – 9th

Darlington – 7th

LOGANO WINS GATEWAY DEBUT

Just like he did in the inaugural Clash at the Coliseum and Bristol Dirt Race, Joey Logano won the inaugural NASCAR Cup Series race at World Wide Technology Raceway, beating Kyle Busch in a dramatic overtime finish in 2022. Both drivers took turns crossing over each other for the lead on the final lap before Logano made the decisive pass in turn four to claim his second win of the season.

RIGHT PLACE, RIGHT TIME FOR CINDRIC

Austin Cindric was in the right place at the right time, taking advantage of teammate Ryan Blaney running out of gas at the white flag to win the NASCAR Cup Series race in 2024. Cindric, who had not won since capturing the 2022 Daytona 500, was part of a Team Penske trio that was strong all day as he led 53 laps. Blaney appeared in control after outdueling Christopher Bell for the lead, but he ran out of gas just before beginning the final lap, allowing Cindric to inherit the top spot and cruise to his second career victory. Overall, Cindric, Blaney and Joey Logano combined to lead 74 laps while Ford as a whole led 137-of-240 laps.

FORD’S NASCAR CUP SERIES WINNERS AT WWT

2022 – Joey Logano

2024 – Austin Cindric

The Ford Mustang® coupe is America’s best-selling sports car and has a global racing presence. With Mustang-based race cars competing in international sports car competition (GT3 and GT4), NASCAR, NHRA, Formula Drift, in Supercars, at the Pikes Peak International Hill Climb and in its own bespoke regional one-make series – Mustang Cup and Mustang Challenge – the platform has an unprecedented global reach. This weekend, 43 Mustang race cars are scheduled to compete across all active disciplines. Learn more about Mustang at www.FordRacing.com.

BRAD PITT HEADED TO BRISTOL MOTOR SPEEDWAY FOR BASS PRO SHOPS NIGHT RACE

By
Official Release
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Academy Award-winning actor and producer will serve as a Grand Marshal Sept. 19, six days before Paramount Pictures’ Heart of the Beast opens exclusively in theatres

BRISTOL, Tenn. (Sept. 8, 2026) – Brad Pitt is headed to The Last Great Colosseum.

The Academy Award-winning actor and producer will serve as a Grand Marshal alongside Johnny Morris for the Bass Pro Shops Night Race on Saturday, Sept. 19 at Bristol Motor Speedway, bringing one of Hollywood’s most recognizable stars to one of NASCAR’s most iconic nights.

Pitt, whose new Paramount Pictures film Heart of the Beast opens exclusively in theatres Sept. 25, will take part in Bristol’s famed pre-race ceremonies and help give the command to fire engines before the NASCAR Cup Series roars to life under the lights for the third race of the 2026 NASCAR Cup Series Chase.

The appearance also brings together a distinctive Missouri connection. Pitt grew up in Springfield, Missouri — the same city where Johnny Morris founded Bass Pro Shops in 1972. From its Springfield roots, Bass Pro Shops has grown into one of America’s best-known outdoor brands, with a longstanding commitment to supporting America’s service members and their families.

In Heart of the Beast, Pitt stars as Special Forces officer James Belmont, who survives a harrowing plane crash with his combat dog, Odin, only to find the pair stranded deep in the Alaskan wilderness and forced into a brutal fight for survival. Directed by David Ayer, the intense adventure thriller also stars J.K. Simmons and Anna Lambe, with Pitt also serving as a producer. Heart of the Beast tickets are on sale now; log on to www.heartofthebeastmovie.com for more information.

The film’s themes of courage, loyalty and survival provide a fitting connection to a Bass Pro Shops Night Race weekend that traditionally uses one of NASCAR’s biggest stages to honor members of the United States military, veterans, first responders and community heroes.

“It’s pretty special to welcome our fellow Springfield, Missouri, native to Bristol for the Bass Pro Shops Night Race,” said Bass Pro Shops founder Johnny Morris. “So many people still remember Brad’s role in A River Runs Through It, a film that helped inspire a deeper appreciation for fly-fishing and the importance of conserving the rivers and wild places that make those experiences possible. This race is one of the most exciting nights in sports, and we’re proud to have Brad join us as we salute conservation and honor the brave veterans, first responders and the men and women who serve our country and communities.”

On the track, the stakes will be just as intense. The 500-lap Bass Pro Shops Night Race is the third race in NASCAR’s 10-race Chase for the Cup Series championship. With every position and every point carrying added weight on the road to the title, Bristol’s tight confines and relentless traffic are poised to turn up the pressure on the sport’s championship contenders.

Few venues magnify that pressure like Bristol’s 0.533-mile concrete oval. The steep high banks, close-quarters racing and thunderous roar of NASCAR engines under the lights create one of the most captivating atmospheres in motorsports — a place where momentum can change in an instant and tempers can flare just as quickly.

“There’s nothing quite like the Bass Pro Shops Night Race under the lights at Bristol, and having Brad Pitt join us makes an already special night even bigger,” said Jerry Caldwell, president and general manager of Bristol Motor Speedway. “We’re excited to welcome Brad to The Last Great Colosseum where he can experience the unmatched energy of one of NASCAR’s most-storied crown jewel events.”

The Bass Pro Shops Night Race begins at 7:30 p.m. ET on Saturday, Sept. 19. Fans can secure tickets and find complete race-weekend information at BristolMotorSpeedway.com.

ABOUT HEART OF THE BEAST

Paramount Pictures presents, in association with Domain Entertainment and Gulfstream Pictures, Heart of the Beast, a film by David Ayer starring Brad Pitt, J.K. Simmons and Anna Lambe. After a harrowing plane crash, Special Forces officer James Belmont (Pitt) and his combat dog, Odin, find themselves stranded deep in the Alaskan wilderness. Together, they are forced into a brutal fight for survival against the elements. The film explores the unbreakable bond between a man and his best friend as they face their greatest battle yet. Heart of the Beast opens exclusively in theatres Sept. 25, 2026.

About Bristol Motor Speedway
Bristol Motor Speedway, known as The Last Great Colosseum, sits in the mountains of Northeast Tennessee near the Virginia state line. The 0.533-mile concrete oval, with 28-degree banking, hosts two major NASCAR Cup Series weekends each year, the tradition-rich Food City 500 and the crown jewel Bass Pro Shops Night Race. The venue has staged iconic moments such as the 2016 Pilot Flying J Battle at Bristol football game between the University of Tennessee and Virginia Tech (NCAA-record 156,990 fans), the 2025 MLB Speedway Classic between the Atlanta Braves and Cincinnati Reds (MLB regular-season record crowd of 91,032), the 2020 NASCAR All-Star Race, the rebirth of NASCAR Cup Series racing on dirt from 2021–2023 and sold-out concerts for Morgan Wallen and Kenny Chesney. Fans enjoy Colossus TV, the world’s largest outdoor center-hung four-sided screen video board. The adjacent Bristol Dragway is the home to the NHRA Super Grip Thunder Valley Nationals, and the dragway can transform into the Thunder Valley Amphitheatre for music concerts. Opened in 1961 and acquired by Speedway Motorsports in 1996, Bristol remains one of America’s most unique and versatile sports and entertainment destinations. For more information, please visit www.bristolmotorspeedway.com.

Ryan Preece rallies for top-10 result in first Chase run at Darlington

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

Ryan Preece battled his way to a 10th-place result in his first Chase event as a Chase contender following the 2026 Cook Out Southern 500 at Darlington Raceway on Sunday, September 6.

The 2013 NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour champion from Berlin, Connecticut, took the green flag from third place and spent the entire first stage period racing in the top-10 mark. At the conclusion of the first stage period, Preece racked up four stage points by settling in seventh place.

Prior to the start of the second stage period, Preece’s Chase run at the front took an early hit when he made a second trip to pit road to have the wheels on his No. 60 Consumer Cellular/Roush Fenway Keselowski Racing Ford Mustang Dark Horse entry inspected and tightened. Mired outside the top-20 mark for the stage’s remainder, he was the first competitor scored a lap down in 20th place when the second stage period concluded, but he was the recipient of the free pass to cycle back on the lead lap prior to the third and final stage period that commenced with 130 laps remaining. 

With Preece managing to remain on the lead lap and within the midregion of the top-20 mark on the track, he managed to carve back up within the top-15 mark with less than 80 laps remaining. After being as high as 12th place on the track while the laps dwindled, Preece was one of four Chasers along with Kyle Larson, Austin Cindric and Joey Logano who elected to remain on the track while the rest of the field pitted for tires and fuel amid a caution that flew with 33 laps remaining.

During a 24-lap shootout, Preece quickly dropped back wihtin the top-10 mark, but he managed to retain 10th place on the leaderboard when he took the checkered flag. As a result, Preece notched his first-ever top-10 result at Darlington Raceway in a Cup Series entry and his eighth top-10 result of the 2026 season. Despite seeking more on the track, Preece was left satisfied with his result.

“It was a good night,” Preece said. “I’ll take a 10th. For starting upfront and really working on it all day, those are the nights that we just need to take tonight and figure out what can make us better for next week. It was tough, it wasn’t easy.”

Preece, who combined with the 10th-place result following the late strategic call to remain on the track with worn tires and seven stage points from the first stage period, only gained a single spot in the Chase standings from 16th to 15th. Nevertheless, he sets his focus on the remaining nine Chase events, starting with next weekend’s second Chase event at World Wide Technology Raceway, to charge forward towards his championship hopes and contend for additional race victories with his regular-season finale win at Daytona International Speedway in mid-August.

“It was definitely a team effort,” Preece said on the USA Network. “I thought the Consumer Cellular Ford Mustang was good, but not phenomenal. [Crew chief] Derrick [Finley] and everybody, they just kept trying to make it better. Some nights, you got to persevere like this. Just keep clipping away. Nine more [Chase races], and I feel good about Gateway. Looking forward to it.”

Ryan Preece’s 2026 Chase for the NASCAR Cup Series championship resumes next Sunday, September 6, at World Wide Technology Raceway for the Enjoy Illinois 300. The event’s broadcast time is slated to commence at 3 p.m. ET on USA Network, MRN Radio, SiriusXM and HBO MAX.

Bubba Wallace posts strong top-10 result in first Chase event at Darlington

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

Bubba Wallace commenced his third career Chase run with a strong eighth-place result along with a chunk of stage points following the 2026 Cook Out Southern 500 at Darlington Raceway on Sunday, September 6.

The 2025 Brickyard 400 champion from Mobile, Alabama, took the green flag from 17th place and spent the early portions methodically carving his way up towards the top-15 and top-10 marks. Following a strategic call to pit later than a majority of the front-runners, Wallace, who had at least five laps of fresher tires than the competition, motored his No. 23 Xfinity/23XI Racing Toyota Camry XSE entry up as high as second place on the track before the first stage’s conclusion. By then, he accumulated nine stage points.

In the opening laps of the second stage period, Wallace had his teammate Tyler Reddick within his sights for the lead as the former was mired in the runner-up spot. Then during another cycle of green flag pit stops that commenced just past the Lap 140 mark, Wallace opted to pit a lap after Reddick pitted. This allowed the former to make up the deficit he had to reel in, overtake Reddick on the track and cycle to the lead on Lap 155. Wallace led the next 32 laps before he ignited another cycle of green flag pit stops by being the first to pit on Lap 186. By the time Wallace blended back on the racetrack, he was outdueled by four competitors on tire advantages and settled in fifth place at the second stage’s conclusion, which still awarded the No. 23 driver six stage points.

During the start of the third and final stage period, Wallace trailed Kyle Larson from the runner-up spot in the early portions. As the event shifted into nighttime racing, Wallace began to lose ground of the lead and he even slipped outside of the top-10 mark while the laps dwindled. During an extensive caution period that first flew with 52 laps remaining, Wallace navigated his way back into the top 10 in eighth place following a pit stop with the field during the caution. Ultimately, he navigated his way through two late-race restarts, including the final one with 24 laps remaining, to claim eighth place when the checkered flag flew.

With the result, Wallace notched his sixth top-10 result in a Cup event at Darlington and his 12th top-10 result of the 2026 season. The 38 total laps Wallace led during the event are the most he has led in a Cup event at Darlington, overall. The on-track performance and result left Wallace satisfied amid the humid temperatures that lingered from daytime to nighttime and the latter period that prevented Wallace from remaining out in front to contend for the victory.

“[I had] Just a really good clean day,” Wallace said on USA Network. “Pleasantly pleased with how our Xfinity Toyota Camry was in the daytime. And then nighttime, we just got too tight and we were just OK. I hate that we gave up a little bit of pace there in the end, but all in all, come out of here with a solid effort, good points day. It was fun running up front with Tyler [Reddick]. Great for 23XI [Racing].” 

“This place is one of a kind,” Wallace added. “It’s so unique. Hit the reset button. Look forward to Gateway. Lot of pace there. Looking forward to that.”

Prior to this year’s Southern 500, Wallace was ranked in 13th place in the 2026 Chase standings with 2,010 points. After the event, he utilized his overall eighth-place run and 15 stage points notched between the first two stage periods to gain three spots in the standings to 10th place. With the first Chase event of the 2026 NASCAR Cup Series season in the recordbooks, Wallace sets his sights on maintaining his momentum from Darlington to be in championship contention throughout the remaining nine postseason events.

“[There is a] Long way to go [in the Chase],” Wallace said. “We know what we’re capable of when we can have clean races like tonight. It’s easier to work on cars and give better feedback when we have clean races. So, keep doing that and wherever we end up, we end up.”

Bubba Wallace’s 2026 Chase for the NASCAR Cup Series championship resumes next Sunday, September 6, at World Wide Technology Raceway for the Enjoy Illinois 300. The event’s broadcast time is slated to commence at 3 p.m. ET on USA Network, MRN Radio, SiriusXM and HBO MAX.

Jim Dunn Racing – Indianapolis Event Recap for the NHRA U.S. Nationals

By
Official Release
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Photo credit: Auto Imagery

Jeff Arend
Blaze Exhaust Probes Funny Car Driver for Jim Dunn Racing
72nd Annual Cornwell Quality Tools NHRA U.S. Nationals
Sept. 2-7 | Indianapolis

Event Recap

Jeff Arend, driver of the Jim Dunn Racing Blaze Exhaust Probes Funny Car:

  • Earned No. 12 provisional qualifying position in Q1 on Friday (4.135 ET at 300.66 mph)
  • Fell to No. 14 provisional qualifying position based off of Friday’s Q1 run. In Q2 on Saturday, Arend ran a 5.130 ET at 150.13 mph.
  • Maintained No. 14 provisional qualifying position in Q3 on Saturday (4.076 ET at 303.78 mph)
  • Maintained No. 14 provisional qualifying position based off of Saturday’s Q3 run. In Q4 on Sunday, Arend ran a 4.654 ET at 182.03 mph.
  • Secured No. 14 qualifying position based off of Saturday’s Q3 run. The team elected to not make a qualifying run in Q5 on Sunday.
  • Eliminated following Round 1 on Monday:
  • Round 1: 4.019 ET at 320.28 mph, lost to Jack Beckman (3.885 ET at 328.94 mph)

Notes of Interest

Arend represented Blaze Exhaust Probes this weekend in Indianapolis. Blaze Technical Services was founded in 1996 by Ralph and Candy Hickman in Northeast Ohio. They are a leading full-service temperature sensor manufacturer that offers solutions for even the most demanding applications. Their reputation for creating the most rugged industrial temperature sensors and high temperature thermocouple assemblies has made them a top choice in the industry. Being ISO 9001 certified since 2003 reflects their commitment to producing only the highest quality products, including their popular exhaust gas temperature probes and other industrial temperature sensors. They also specialize in high temperature thermocouple designs that perform reliably in extreme conditions, including High-temperature aerospace sensors and Soil temperature monitoring setups. They are dedicated to delivering quality products on time and at a fair price. Additionally, they document all products with CAD drawings to make future changes or reordering easy, and can provide certification on request. Their Blaze Technical Services temperature solutions are trusted by professionals across a wide range of industries.
Jim Dunn Racing earned a career-best speed of 320 miles per hour during Round 1 of eliminations on Monday.
The U.S. Nationals marked the conclusion of the NHRA’s regular season, prior to the Countdown to the Championship, where Arend finished 14th in points.

Jeff Arend, Driver of the Jim Dunn Racing Blaze Exhaust Probes Funny Car

“Jim (Dunn) had to be happy seeing the 320 miles per hour (mph) on the score board. We have been talking about it for a little while. The car has been coming around well. But, the track conditions at Indy are tricky and the car didn’t respond like we had wanted. It was really great to qualify where we did and be able to sit out the last qualifying session. This is the biggest race of the year, so it was nice to be able to qualify No. 14. I joked Jim that I saw the smile on his face. 320 mph is our career best run, so that is awesome.”

Next Up
The next event on the NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series schedule is the Dodge NHRA Great Lakes Nationals presented by MOPAR September 18-20 at US 131 Motorsports Park in Martin, Michigan. However, Jim Dunn Racing has elected to sit out the next three NHRA events, so their next on-track appearance will be the Texas NHRA FallNationals October 16-18 at Texas Motorplex in Ennis, Texas.

How to Restore Old Photos From the Track Before the Details Are Gone

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

Old trackside photos, faded race day prints, scratched negatives pulled from decades of race coverage, lose a little more detail every year. Knowing that restoration is possible doesn’t actually fix a single one of them sitting in a box or a folder right now.

Why Old Race Photos Fade Faster Than People Expect

Print photography, early digital files, and scanned negatives all degrade in different ways, and most race archives hold a mix of all three without anyone tracking which ones are closest to becoming unreadable.

A print left in a garage or a scrapbook fades and yellows over years. An early digital file saved at low resolution never had much detail to begin with. A negative stored without proper sleeves picks up scratches and dust with every handling. None of these problems show up all at once, they compound quietly until someone finally goes looking for a specific photo and finds it barely usable.

Why Scanning a Damaged Photo Doesn’t Actually Restore It

Scanning at a higher resolution captures more of what’s left on the original, but it doesn’t fix a crease, a water stain, or faded color, it just makes the existing damage more visible at a larger size.

Running a scratched negative through a high-resolution scanner produces a bigger file with the same scratches, just easier to see now. The issue was never resolution. A sharper scan of a damaged photo is still a damaged photo, only bigger.

Why Manual Restoration Was Never Practical for a Full Archive

Restoring a single photo by hand in traditional editing software, cloning out damage, correcting faded color, rebuilding a torn corner, takes real skill and real time, which doesn’t scale to a race team or outlet holding thousands of images across decades of coverage.

Spending hours manually restoring one photo makes sense for a handful of irreplaceable shots. It doesn’t make sense for an archive with hundreds or thousands of images spanning multiple decades of race weekends. That’s exactly the gap that leaves most old race photography technically preserved and functionally unusable.

Why Most Archives Just Accept the Loss

Without a practical way to restore damaged photos at scale, most organizations quietly let the oldest and most degraded images stay exactly as damaged as they found them.

Digitizing an archive and calling it preserved isn’t the same as actually being able to use those images again. A scanned but still faded, torn, or scratched photo sits in a folder looking technically saved while remaining practically unusable for anything beyond a quick reference.

How the AI Image Generator Restores What the Archive Was Losing

Higgsfield, an AI image generator built on multiple underlying models including Nano Banana Pro, GPT Image, Seedream, FLUX, and Kling O1, takes a damaged photo and the specific issue with it, fading, tears, water damage, low original resolution, and rebuilds the image around restoring that input, without hours of manual cloning and color correction. That matters for archival race photography specifically, since one model might handle rebuilding fine detail on a car livery convincingly while another handles correcting faded color or reconstructing a torn section, depending on what actually damaged the original.

Generation happens natively at 2K resolution with intelligent 4K refinement on output, useful for a restored photo that gets reprinted, displayed, or reused in coverage instead of staying a low-resolution scan. A feature called Soul ID keeps recognizable details, a driver’s face, a car’s livery, consistent across multiple restored versions, relevant for anyone restoring a series of related photos from the same race weekend. Non-destructive editing through Nano Banana Pro Inpaint allows one detail, a torn corner, a water stain, a faded section, to be rebuilt after the fact without regenerating the rest of the photo.

How This Actually Works From a Damaged Original

Someone inputs the damaged photo along with the specific issue, faded color, a tear, missing detail from age, and the tool rebuilds the image around fixing that exact input rather than applying a generic sharpening filter.

Instead of manually cloning out decades of damage one photo at a time, someone describes exactly what’s wrong with the original and the tool generates a restored version built around that description. That’s a meaningfully faster result than restoring an entire archive by hand.

Why Old Race Footage Has the Same Problem

Archival race footage, old broadcast clips, and early digital video from past decades degrade the same way old photos do, and increasingly it’s part of the same restoration conversation as the photo archive sitting alongside it.

A broadcast clip recorded on older equipment, a compressed digital transfer, or footage that’s simply aged in storage tends to look noticeably rougher than anything filmed with current equipment. That gap matters for any outlet building a retrospective or anniversary piece, decades old footage sitting next to modern race coverage breaks the visual consistency of the whole piece.

How the AI Video Upscaler Restores Old Race Footage

Old broadcast clips and archival race footage get a second life through the same platform, applying super resolution, denoising, and stabilization so the AI video upscaler output holds up next to current coverage in the same retrospective or highlight piece. That’s a meaningfully different result than simply resizing the same clip and hoping it reads as sharper on a bigger screen.

What a Complete Archive Restoration Workflow Looks Like

Restoring the photos first, then cleaning up whatever old footage sits alongside them in the same archive, turns a box of fading prints and scratched negatives into material that’s actually usable again.

Speedwaymedia’s own photo archive is exactly the kind of collection that benefits from this next step, decades of race coverage that stays genuinely useful only as long as the images in it hold up. Restoring the photo the moment the damage is identified, then cleaning up whatever older footage sits in the same archive, rounds out a workflow that used to mean accepting that the oldest material would just keep degrading.

What to Check Before Trusting an AI Tool With Archival Material

Prioritize an honest free tier, consistency across repeated restorations of related photos, and no steep learning curve, since most people handling an archive want a practical restoration workflow, not a drawn out design project.

A tool that produces one impressive demo restoration but generates a noticeably different looking result the second time around, or locks meaningful use behind a paywall before someone can judge real output quality, doesn’t hold up for anyone restoring more than a handful of photos. The tools worth using are the ones that keep producing accurate, consistent restorations generation after generation, not just on a single lucky result.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is there a free way to try an AI image generator for photo restoration?

Most platforms offer a usable free tier with daily generation credits, enough to test real output quality on a specific damaged photo before committing to a paid plan.

Can the tool keep a driver’s face or a car’s livery accurate during restoration?

Comparing outputs across several underlying models tends to produce more convincing, accurate results, since a single model may default to one generic style rather than reliably preserving specific recognizable details.

Does video upscaling work on old broadcast footage?

Yes, though extremely degraded or low bitrate source material has a lower ceiling for how much detail can realistically be reconstructed compared to footage that’s only mildly compressed.

Does this replace properly archiving the original photo or negative?

Not necessarily. A restored version works well for actually using an image again, but the original print or negative still holds historical value a digital restoration doesn’t fully replace.

How is this different from a standard photo scan?

A scan captures more detail from whatever is left on a damaged original, while an AI image generator rebuilds the parts that faded, tore, or degraded entirely, producing a usable result rather than just a bigger version of the same damage.

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