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BUD LIGHT FOOTBALL ZONE ADDS TO FUN AND ENTERTAINMENT AT POPULAR BMS FAN ZONE DURING AMERICA’S NIGHT RACE WEEKEN

By
Official Release
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BRISTOL, Tenn. (Sept. 7, 2025) – Fans who are planning to attend the Bass Pro Shops Night Race at Bristol Motor Speedway, Sept. 11-13, will be thoroughly entertained throughout each day, and night of the NASCAR Playoff weekend.

There is so much to do in the popular BMS Fan Zone before the racing action on the track heats up, that fans will be revved up for more thrills once the green flag drops for racing each night.

One of the highlights of the weekend will be the Bud Light Football Zone. Guests are invited to a fun Watch Party where college and pro football will be featured all weekend on a large television screen that will be set up in the Welcome Village. And on Saturday, all of you Volunteer fans – or Georgia Bulldog fans – can get ready to pull up to the screen at 3:30 p.m.to cheer on your teams before you head into The Last Great Colosseum for some live NASCAR Playoff action.

Special guests are scheduled to make pre-game visits to get the crowd pumped up for the game on Saturday. So be sure to wear your orange and white or your red and white to enjoy some college football action.

The Bud Light Football Zone will open on Thursday and there will be games on the screen throughout the weekend, including multiple games on Saturday. Bud Light will also have games and prizes for the fans who attend the Watch Party.

“We wanted to make it easy and fun for our fans to cheer on their favorite team during one of their biggest games of the season,” said Drew Bedard, vice president of marketing for Bristol Motor Speedway. “We anticipate this area to be very popular before the racing starts in the Bass Pro Shops Night Race on Saturday. The Watch Party in the Bud Light Football Zone will lead right up to the Crav’n Flavor Pre-Race Concert presented by Food City with Chris Janson and the famed driver introductions. We can’t wait, it’s going to be so much fun.”

Speaking of fun, on Thursday night Tennessee Volunteer DJ Sterl the Pearl will be cranking out the tunes and pumping out the foam during the return of the extremely popular BMS Foam Party presented by JLAB. All the fun starts immediately after the checkered flag drops for the UNOH 200 presented by Ohio Logistics NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series race. Join Sterl and hundreds of fans at the Food City Fan Zone Stage presented by Coke Zero Sugar to rock the night away with some hit tunes and plenty of foamy fun.

On Friday night NASCAR friend Tim Dugger and his band will play some great country music following the Food City 300 NASCAR Xfinity Series Playoff race. Dugger will perform on the Food City Fan Zone Stage starting at approximately 10:30 p.m.

On Saturday the entertainment kicks off with the Trackside Live show at 4 p.m. Hosts Kenny Wallace, John Roberts and Jose Castillo will get the crowd into it by interviewing a bunch of NASCAR drivers and other celebrities. You will want to make sure you are in a good spot at the Food City Fan Zone Stage for this hour- long show.

There is so much to do in the BMS Fan Zone. There are race simulators, inflatables, an Axe Throwing station, driver autograph opportunities at the team souvenir haulers, and the competitive SCC-Bristol Corn Hole Tournament sponsored by the U.S. Army.

Below is a schedule of weekend activities for the Food City Fan Zone Stage presented by Coke Zero Sugar:

Thursday, Sept. 11
11:30 a.m. Connor Jones, Matt Mills, Andres Perez de Lara, Bailey Currey
11:45 a.m. Corey Heim, Tony Breidinger, Gio Ruggerio and Tanner Gray
12:15 p.m. Josh White
12:30 p.m. Rajah Caruth
12:45 p.m. Corey LaJoie
2:45 p.m. Logan Misuraca
10:30 p.m. DJ Sterl the Pearl and the famed BMS Foam Party following the UNOH 200

Friday, Sept. 12
Noon Parker Retzlaff
12:15 p.m. Matt DiBenedetto
12:30 p.m. Anthony Alfredo
12:45 p.m. Richard Petty and Kyle Petty with PVA check presentation
1:30 p.m. Tyler Reddick
1:45 p.m. AJ Allmendinger and Chris Rice
2 p.m. Justin Haley
2:45 p.m. Noah Gragson
3 p.m. Ross Chastain
4:15 p.m. Brennan Poole
5:30 p.m. Dale Earnhardt Jr., Justin Allgaier, Sammy Smith, Connor Zilisch, Carson Kvapil
10:30 p.m. Tim Dugger performs post-race concert following the Food City 300

Saturday, Sept. 13
Noon MRO Sunday Service
12:45 p.m. Mark, Digger and Kelly – Moonshiners
1:50 p.m. Cody Ware
2:30 p.m. Chris Buescher
3:30 p.m. Speedway Children’s Charities BMS Chapter Live Auction
3:50 p.m. Jeff Jarvis from UNOH and Chuck Bills from Ohio Logistics
4 p.m. Trackside Live with Kenny Wallace, John Roberts and Jose Castillo
4:01 p.m. Ricky Stenhouse Jr.
4:15 p.m. Daniel Suarez
4:30 p.m. Ross Chastain

Some of the most memorable moments in NASCAR history have taken place during the Bass Pro Shops Night Race on the super-challenging .533-mile high-banked concrete oval. NASCAR’s best drivers will go doorhandle to doorhandle – NASCAR Playoff style – and only the strongest will survive 500 laps of mayhem and chaos on the iconic short track.

In the NASCAR Cup Series Bass Pro Shops Night Race (Sept. 13, 7:30 p.m. USA Network and PRN Radio), you’ll get to see all of your favorite drivers racing hard to advance in the Playoffs, including recent Night Race winners Denny Hamlin and Kyle Larson, fan-favorites Chase Elliott and Ryan Blaney, as well as top contenders William Byron, Tyler Reddick, Christopher Bell, Chase Briscoe and Ross Chastain, and veteran drivers Kyle Busch and Joey Logano.

Sparks are sure to fly in the Food City 300, as NASCAR Xfinity Series favorites Justin Allgaier, Austin Hill, Brandon Jones, Connor Zilisch, Jesse Love, Sam Mayer and Sheldon Creed will be trying to get off to a great start in the Round of 12 Playoffs (Sept. 12, 7:30 p.m., The CW and PRN Radio).

In the Craftsman Truck Series, Daniel Hemric, Corey Heim, Rajah Caruth, defending winner Layne Riggs, spring Bristol winner Chandler Smith and veteran challengers Ben Rhodes and Grant Enfinger will be among the talented drivers battling for the victory Thursday night in the UNOH 200 presented by Ohio Logistics. The race is round two in the Round of 10 Playoffs (Sept. 11, 8 p.m., FS1 and PRN Radio). ARCA Menard Series rising stars, including fan-favorite Cleetus McFarland, also will take on the challenging half-mile bullring in the Bush’s Beans 200 as part of a Thursday night doubleheader (Sept. 11, 5:30 p.m., FS1).

To purchase tickets please visit the Bristol Motor Speedway website ticket page, or call the BMS Ticket Sales Center at (866) 415-4158.

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 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 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 Thunder Valley Nationals, and the dragway can transform into the Thunder Valley Amphitheatre for 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.

RCR NXS Race Recap: World Wide Technology Raceway

By
Official Release
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Jesse Love and the No. 2 Whelen Chevrolet Team Capture Top-5 Result at World Wide Technology Raceway to Enter the Playoffs Ranked Fourth

Finish: 5th
Start: 18th
Points: 4th

“We had a pretty good No. 2 Whelen Chevrolet. It was a good weekend for us. We had top-three pace most of the day. We let the No. 18 get into our inside, and we can’t let that happen. So that was a bummer. I feel like if we didn’t have that happen, we probably would have run second. The restarts at the end when the yellows came out didn’t really go our way. I’m not really sure if I put too much importance or emphasis on things that maybe didn’t matter at the end, and maybe we should have focused on some other things, but regardless, I feel like we did a good job this weekend. We didn’t qualify the greatest and we just put our heads down and continued to focus on the task at hand. I’m proud of the team for that and obviously we’re in a pretty decent spot heading to Bristol.” -Jesse Love

Austin Hill and the No. 21 Bennett Transportation & Logistics Chevrolet Team Rebound for 12th-Place Effort at World Wide Technology Raceway

Finish: 12th
Start: 9th
Points: 5th

“Our Bennett Transportation & Logistics Chevrolet was good the middle to end of a longer run, but we just missed it on the short run. We made a lot of adjustments, and I tried to do a few things differently inside the car to see if it would help our short run speed. Whether it was working my tires in a different way or messing with the brake bias. For the first 10 or so laps, we missed the mark, and then a light switch would flip, and we would be a top-three car. At that point, the other guys were getting too far ahead, and it was hard to make up the lost ground. It’s back to the drawing board to figure out what other teams are doing to fire off as good as they are. Overall, we rebounded to finish 12th and I’m looking forward to getting the Playoffs started next week.” -Austin Hill

Kaulig Racing Race Recap | Nu Way 200

By
Official Release
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No. 16 Celsius Chevrolet

Start: 10th
Stage 1 Finish: 10th
Stage 2 Finish: 8th
Finish: 3rd

Firing off slightly free, Christian Eckes focused on the long run ability of the No. 16 and finished the opening stage in 10th place. Following a pit road mishap, he started the second stage from 16th place. It took Eckes only seven laps to make his way back up to 11th place, firing off much better in the second stage. With speeds similar to the top-three cars, he continued the charge forward to finish Stage 2 in eighth place. Following a late-race caution, Eckes had his best restart of the race, going from sixth to third with 12 laps remaining to match his career-best finish of third.

“We came up a little short of a win and a spot in the playoffs, but our No. 16 Celsius Chevy was super fast on the long runs, especially late in the race. We kind of lost the handling and got it back there that last run; we just didn’t quite have enough. We’ve still got quite a few races left this season to continue improving, so we will get ready for Bristol.” – Christian Eckes

No. 11 Action Industries Chevrolet

Start: 17th
Stage 1 Finish: 13th
Stage 2 Finish: 14th
Finish: 7th

During the opening stage of the Nu Way 200, Daniel Hemric gained four spots to finish 13th. Following a quiet second stage, he sat 15th to start Stage 3. On the move to start the final stage, Hemric quickly tracked down the top 10 by lap 91. When a caution came out with 51 laps remaining, the team called Hemric to pit road for tires, fuel, and a double adjustment, hoping for more entry stability in the No. 11 Chevy. The changes proved to be what Hemric needed, as he wasted no time finding the top 10 once again, eventually finishing seventh.

“It was fun to get that call to come back to drive the No. 11 Action Industries Chevy. I appreciate Matt Kaulig, Chris Rice, and everyone that allowed this to come together. I feel like we made the right adjustments towards the end there – just a little too late to really contend. Overall, we earned a decent result and had fun doing it.” – Daniel Hemric

No. 10 Race to Stop Suicide Chevrolet

Start: 11th
Stage 1 Finish: 17th
Stage 2 Finish: 16th
Finish: 10th

Lacking drive in the No. 10 Race to Stop Suicide Chevrolet, Daniel Dye fell to 17th by the end of the opening stage. The team made multiple adjustments during the first stage break and started Stage 2 from 20th place. Dye fired off much stronger in the second stage, finishing 16th. Following a late-race caution in Stage 3, Dye narrowly avoided chaos and sat in the top 10 as the field went back to green with 26 laps remaining. He went on to finish 10th, his eighth top-10 finish of the season.

“It was generally a pretty decent day for us. We got a little behind on some changes and had to fight a little harder than we wanted to there at the end, but ultimately made our way into the top 10 in our No. Race to Stop Suicide Chevy. We had a great day raising awareness for suicide prevention awareness month and handing out Race to Stop Suicide wristbands to the garage. It was a cool moment to see my friend Connor [Zilisch] wearing one in victory lane.” – Daniel Dye

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.

SAWALICH MATCHES CAREER-BEST, NEARLY DRIVES TO FIRST VICTORY AT GATEWAY

By
Official Release
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Taylor Gray joins Brandon Jones in NASCAR Xfinity Series Playoffs

MADISON, Ill. (September 6, 2025) – William Sawalich nearly drove to his first NASCAR Xfinity Series victory as the Minnesota-native earned his second straight runner-up finish to lead Toyota in the NASCAR Xfinity Series race at World Wide Technology Raceway at Gateway. It was a strong night overall for Team Toyota with three Toyota GR Supras in the top-six finishers – Sawalich, Brandon Jones (fourth) and Aric Almirola (sixth).

Taylor Gray battled back being involved in a late-race incident to finish 17th. The Toyota Development Driver clinched a Playoff berth with the finish and will join his teammate Brandon Jones in the Round of 12 next weekend at Bristol Motor Speedway.

Toyota GAZOO Racing Post-Race Recap
NASCAR Xfinity Series (NXS)
World Wide Technology Raceway at Gateway
Race 26 of 33 – 200 miles, 160 laps

TOYOTA FINISHING POSITIONS

1st, Connor Zilisch*
2nd, WILLIAM SAWALICH
3rd, Christian Eckes*
4th, BRANDON JONES
5th, Jesse Love*
6th, ARIC ALMIROLA
16th, DEAN THOMPSON
17th, TAYLOR GRAY
31st, GLEN REEN
*non-Toyota driver

TOYOTA QUOTES

WILLIAM SAWALICH, No. 18 SoundGear Toyota GR Supra, Joe Gibbs Racing

Finishing Position: 2nd

What more did you need?

“That 88 (Connor Zilisch) car was pretty dang good tonight, just like everywhere else. I don’t know where we could have had some more. Compared to everyone else, we were turning pretty good – just didn’t have the raw speed like he had. We had a good SoundGear GR Supra. It was as fast as Xfinity Mobile. I can’t thank the guys enough. We made a good effort, and we are going to keep trying.”

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

Finishing Position: 4th

How important is a solid run tonight to kick off the Playoff push?

“Our group needed this, I think. We’ve had a lot of speed this entire year. It just seems like at the end of these races – you see how chaotic it gets there in the end, we don’t come away with a clean Supra, but at least a top-five. We had a lot of guests from Pennington come this weekend, so I’m excited to get them at top-five. All-in-all, I’m happy with a top-five, but I want to be a couple spots better, but right now our group is really locked in, which is a nice thing, coming up on one of our best race tracks at Bristol – I think as a whole, as a company, we are really, really solid there. This is great momentum. We had a really solid day put together. It is hard to be angry when that happens.”

TAYLOR GRAY, No. 54 Operation 300 Toyota GR Supra, Joe Gibbs Racing

Finishing Position: 17th

What has to change before we get to Bristol?

“I think just executing. There have been a lot of races where we have been in contention to win with our Operation 300 GR Supra and we just haven’t executed and closed the deal out. Just focusing, and emphasizing the execution of these races and closing them out. Tonight was not our best night in terms of how we ran. We definitely struggled. We definitely weren’t as fast as Xfinity Mobile, but just have to be better in terms of execution and closing these races out.”

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.

ZILISCH WINS NU WAY 200 SAUCED BY BLUES HOG, NASCAR XFINITY SERIES REGULAR-SEASON TITLE

By
Official Release
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JR Motorsports rookie Connor Zilisch celebrates his ninth win in Victory Lane after taking Saturday’s Nu Way 200 Sauced by Blues Hog NASCAR Xfinity Series race at World Wide Technology Raceway. Photo credit: World Wide Technology Raceway.
  • JR Motorsports rookie Connor Zilisch captures his ninth win of the season to secure the NASCAR Xfinity Series regular-season crown.
  • Regular-season finale sets the 12-driver field for the upcoming Xfinity Series Playoffs.

MADISON, Ill. (Sept. 6, 2025) – The Zilisch Express made yet another stop at Victory Lane station.

Rookie phenom Connor Zilisch of JR Motorsports earned his fourth consecutive victory from the pole en route to clinching the NASCAR Xfinity Series regular-season title in Saturday night’s Nu Way 200 Sauced by Blues Hog at World Wide Technology Raceway.

Zilisch led four times for a race-high 121 laps to win by 1.506 seconds over runner-up William Sawalich of Joe Gibbs Racing, who needed the victory to make the playoffs. The win was a series rookie record ninth for Zilisch, who claimed the regular-season title by 53 points over teammate Justin Allgaier and gained 15 valuable bonus playoff points as a result.

“That one was stressful. Man, that’s awesome! Four in a row,” Zilisch said. “This is going to be tough to keep up, honestly. It’s rare that you can go on a run like this.

“Every week I show up thinking, man, this is going to be the weekend that we just go run eighth and aren’t great. But every weekend we show up and we’re a winning race car and my pit crew executes, my team executes and everybody does their job, and we end up doing burnouts on the frontstretch.”

The 160-lap, 200-mile regular-season finale determined the final three berths for the 12-driver Xfinity Series Playoffs field. Sheldon Creed of the Haas Factory Team, Taylor Gray of Joe Gibbs Racing and Harrison Burton of AM Racing earn the spots based off their points standings. They join race winners Zilisch, Allgaier, Sam Mayer of the Haas Factory Team, Jesse Love of Richard Childress Racing, Austin Hill of RCR, Brandon Jones of Joe Gibbs Racing, Sammy Smith of JR Motorsports and Nick Sanchez of Big Machine Racing along with JR Motorsports’ Carson Kvapil, who clinched a spot last week on points.

JR Motorsports took the opening two stages with Zilisch winning the first and Allgaier the second. Zilisch grabbed control in the final stage, but had to fend off late challenges on restarts as a result of three caution flags coming in the final 31 laps. The big one came on Lap 136 when 10 cars were involved in a Turn 1 incident and the last from Laps 144-148 for debris on the frontstretch.

Joe Gibbs Racing driver Aric Almirola, who finished sixth, put up a brief challenge by taking the lead on the opening lap after the restart. Zilisch, however, regained the lead on the ensuing lap and led the final 12 to victory.

The opening Xfinity Series Playoffs Round of 12 opens Friday at Bristol Motor Speedway with Zilisch as the top seed.

About World Wide Technology Raceway

World Wide Technology Raceway (WWTR) is the home of NASCAR, INDYCAR and NHRA racing in St. Louis’ Metro East region. Located just five minutes from downtown St. Louis and covering 700 acres, WWTR is the largest outdoor entertainment facility in the area. WWTR’s facilities include a 1.25-mile superspeedway; 1/4-mile drag strip; 2.0-mile road course; the Gateway Kartplex state-of-the-art karting facility; and the adjacent Gateway National Golf Links. WWTR and Owner & CEO Curtis Francois have been recognized with several awards, including: 2023 St. Louis Sports Hall of Fame induction; 2023 Innovation in Philanthropy Award by the St. Louis Business Journal; 2022 Explore St. Louis Hospitality Hero Recognition; 2022 Best in Show and Best Event & Festival from the Illinois Governor’s Conference on Tourism; 2021 Comcast Community Champion of the Year; 2021 Jack Buck Award; 2020 NASCAR Drive for Diversity Track Award; 2018 Innovator Award from the St. Louis Convention & Visitors Commission; 2017 Outstanding Facility of the Year Award from the Race Track Business Conference; and the 2017 Spirit of St. Louis Award from the St. Louis Attractions Association. Our mission: We are committed to making a difference in our community, while providing first-class entertainment and memories that last a lifetime.

Connor Zilisch wins Xfinity race at Gateway and regular season championship

By
Angie Campbell
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Connor Zilisch, driver of the #88 WeatherTech Chevrolet, takes the checkered flag to win the NASCAR Xfinity Series Nu Way 200 Sauced by Blues Hog at WWT Raceway on September 06, 2025 in Madison, Illinois. (Photo by Chris Graythen/Getty Images)

Connor Zilisch won the NASCAR Xfinity Series race at World Wide Technology Raceway (Gateway) by 1.506 seconds over William Sawalich. It was his ninth win of the season and earned him the Regular Season championship. He dominated the race, leading four times for 121 of 160 laps.

Looking ahead to the Playoffs, Zilisch said, “This is going to be tough to keep up. It’s rare that you can go on a run like this, and every week I show up and think that this is the weekend where we just go and run eighth, and just aren’t great.

“But every week we show up and have a winning race car, my pit crew executes, my team executes, everybody does their jobs and we end up doing burnouts on the front stretch. And, he continued, “This is the most wins JR Motorsports has ever had in a year, so it’s really cool to do that as well.”

The victory sets a new record for JR Motorsports with 16 wins in a season and Zilisch is also just one of only three drivers who have won four straight races in the series, joining the ranks of Sam Ard and Noah Gragson

Christian Eckes, Brandon Jones, and Jesse Love completed the top five at Gateway. Aric Almirola, Daniel Hemric, Parker Retzlaff, Corey Day, and Daniel Dye rounded out the top-10.

Drivers who will participate in the playoffs based on wins are Zilisch (9), Justin Allgaier (3), Austin Hill (3), Sam Mayer (1), Jesse Love (1), Brandon Jones (1), Sammy Smith (1), and Nick Sanchez (1).

Taylor Gray, Harrison Burton, Travis Kvapil, and Sheldon Creed secured Playoff spots based on points.

Xfinity Series Points Standings after Gateway

PosDriverNoPointsBehindNext
1Connor Zilisch88206400
2Justin Allgaier72035-2929
3Sam Mayer412016-4819
4Jesse Love22013-513
5Brandon Jones202013-510
6Sammy Smith82009-554
7Nick Sanchez482006-583
8Carson Kvapil12005-591
9Taylor Gray542005-590
10Sheldon Creed02003-612
11Harrison Burton252002-621
12Austin Hill212000-642

The Xfinity Series Playoffs Round of 12 will begin Friday, September 12th, at Bristol Motor Speedway.

Race Results:

NASCAR Xfinity Series Race Number 26
Race Results for the Nu Way 200 Sauced by Blues Hog – Saturday, September 6, 2025
World Wide Technology Raceway – Madison, IL – 1.25 – Mile Paved

PosStNoDriverTeamLapsS1S2S3PointsStatus
1188Connor ZilischWeatherTech Chevrolet16013059Running
2318William SawalichSoundgear Toyota16034050Running
31016Christian EckesCelsius Chevrolet160108038Running
41220Brandon JonesMenards/Pennington Toyota16007037Running
5182Jesse LoveWhelen Chevrolet16085041Running
6719Aric AlmirolaYoung Life Toyota16022049Running
71711Daniel Hemric(i)Action Industries Chevrolet1600000Running
8264Parker RetzlaffAdvion Chevrolet16000029Running
91617Corey DayHendrickCars.com Chevrolet16000028Running
101110Daniel DyeRace to Stop Suicide Chevrolet16000027Running
112399Matt DiBenedettoIBEW Chevrolet16000026Running
12921Austin HillBennett Transportation Chevrolet16076034Running
132142Anthony AlfredoBotticelli Chevrolet16000024Running
142744Brennan PooleARS Construction Chevrolet16000023Running
153151Jeremy ClementsAlliance Driveway Solutions Chevrolet16000022Running
163026Dean ThompsonToyota Genuine Parts Toyota16000021Running
17554Taylor GrayOperation 300 Toyota16090022Running
183271Ryan EllisAnew Transport x ROSCH Chevrolet16000019Running
193645Lavar ScottFoxxtecca Chevrolet16000018Running
202970Thomas AnnunziataBayshore Mortgage Chevrolet16000017Running
213791Matt Mills(i)J.F. Electric Chevrolet1600000Running
22625Harrison BurtonDEX Imaging/Dead On Tools Ford16000015Running
232531Blaine PerkinsBommarito Automotive Group Chevrolet16000014Running
242028Kyle SiegSustainachem Ford16000013Running
25248Nick SanchezBig Machine Label Group Chevrolet16059020Running
263853Joey GaseMid-America Transplant Chevrolet16000011Running
271339Ryan SiegSci Aps Ford16000010Running
28147Justin AllgaierBRANDT Chevrolet16041026Running
29347Nick LeitzCamion/Kaplan Liquid Solutions Chevrolet1600008Running
30150Sheldon CreedRoad Ranger Ford1580007Running
313535Glen ReenToyota1580006Running
323314Garrett SmithleyOver The Wall/Knight Fire Protection Chevrolet1580005Running
33228Sammy SmithPilot Chevrolet1570004Running
342476Kole RazCyclum Next Gen Travel Centers Ford1450003Running
35441Sam MayerAudibel Ford13461008Accident
361927Jeb BurtonOnder Law Injury Attorneys Chevrolet1090001Accident
3781Carson KvapilBass Pro Shops/Claritence Tech Chevrolet380001Engine
382832Jordan AndersonVolpi Chevrolet330001Accident

HAMLIN WINS NASCAR CUP SERIES POLE FOR ENJOY ILLINOIS 300 ROUND OF 16 PLAYOFF RACE

By
Official Release
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Hamlin establishes track qualifying record as the Joe Gibbs Racing driver wins his second consecutive playoff pole position.

Playoff drivers take the top nine qualifying positions for Sunday’s Enjoy Illinois 300.

MADISON, Ill. (Sept. 6, 2025) – Joe Gibbs Racing driver Denny Hamlin earned his second consecutive NASCAR Cup Series Playoff pole in record fashion during Saturday’s qualifying for the Enjoy Illinois 300 at World Wide Technology Raceway.

Hamlin posted a lap of 139.190 miles per hour (32.330 seconds) on the 1.25-mile oval to establish the track qualifying record that was previously set by Michael McDowell last season (138.598 mph).

Hamlin has now taken both Busch Light poles in the Round of 16 – his previous one came last week at Darlington Raceway – and will lead the 36-car field to the green for Sunday’s Enjoy Illinois 300 beginning at 2 p.m. CT (TV: USA Network, Radio: MRN, SiriusXM). The pole was his third on the season and 46th of his Cup Series career.

“Very similar to last week, we were able to make some great adjustments from where we were in practice,” said Hamlin, who was 17th fastest in practice. “There’s so much that’s different from practice to qualifying when you’re going for one lap. They gave me all the adjustments that I needed to have a really good handling car, and we were able to capitalize on it.”

Joining Hamlin on the front row is fellow Playoff driver Kyle Larson of Hendrick Motorsports, who missed the pole by .021 of a second with his lap of 139.099 mph/32.351 secs.

A front-row start could come with a significant advantage as the last two winners – Kyle Busch in 2023 and Austin Cindric last season – started there and all three winners (Joey Logano was the other in ’22) have qualified among the top seven.

Hamlin and Larson led a playoff driver qualifying parade where they secured the top nine starting positions and 13 of the top 15. They were followed by Chase Briscoe of Joe Gibbs Racing (3rd, 138.902 mph), Ross Chastain of Trackhouse Racing (4th, 138.855 mph), Ryan Blaney of Team Penske (5th, 138.752 mph), William Byron of Hendrick Motorsports (6th, 138.602 mph), Tyler Reddick of 23XI Racing (7th, 138.457 mph), Christopher Bell of Joe Gibbs Racing (8th, 138.410 mph) and Cindric of Team Penske (9th, 138.160 mph). The only non-playoff driver to crack the top 10 was Zane Smith of Front Row Motorsports (137.724 mph).

Playoff drivers Josh Berry of Wood Brothers Racing, Logano of Team Penske, Bubba Wallace of 23XI Racing and Austin Dillon of Richard Childress Racing were 12th through 15th, respectively. Shane van Gisbergen of Trackhouse Racing was 18th, Chase Elliott of Hendrick Motorsports 19th and teammate Alex Bowman 25th to round out the 16 playoff drivers.

Limited tickets remain for the Enjoy Illinois 300 NASCAR Cup Series Playoff Round of 16 race and are available by visiting www.wwtraceway.com.

About World Wide Technology Raceway

World Wide Technology Raceway (WWTR) is the home of NASCAR, INDYCAR and NHRA racing in St. Louis’ Metro East region. Located just five minutes from downtown St. Louis and covering 700 acres, WWTR is the largest outdoor entertainment facility in the area. WWTR’s facilities include a 1.25-mile superspeedway; 1/4-mile drag strip; 2.0-mile road course; the Gateway Kartplex state-of-the-art karting facility; and the adjacent Gateway National Golf Links. WWTR and Owner & CEO Curtis Francois have been recognized with several awards, including: 2023 St. Louis Sports Hall of Fame induction; 2023 Innovation in Philanthropy Award by the St. Louis Business Journal; 2022 Explore St. Louis Hospitality Hero Recognition; 2022 Best in Show and Best Event & Festival from the Illinois Governor’s Conference on Tourism; 2021 Comcast Community Champion of the Year; 2021 Jack Buck Award; 2020 NASCAR Drive for Diversity Track Award; 2018 Innovator Award from the St. Louis Convention & Visitors Commission; 2017 Outstanding Facility of the Year Award from the Race Track Business Conference; and the 2017 Spirit of St. Louis Award from the St. Louis Attractions Association. Our mission: We are committed to making a difference in our community, while providing first-class entertainment and memories that last a lifetime.

Denny Hamln tops qualifying at Gateway, captures second consecutive pole

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

Denny Hamlin won the Busch Light Pole Award after posting the fastest lap during NASCAR Cup Series qualifying at World Wide Technology Raceway at Gateway.

It’s the third pole this season for the Joe Gibbs Racing driver, his second straight in the playoffs and his 46th career pole in the series.

Hamlin explained the complexities of transitioning from practice to qualifying.

“We were able to, very similarly to last week, make some great adjustments from where we were in practice – and again, there is so much that is different from practice to qualifying when you are going for one lap,” Hamlin said.

“Air pressures at a track like this is dramatically different, certainly, the intensity from which I drive is a lot different in practice than qualifying. They gave me all of the adjustments that I needed to have a really good-handling car there and we were able to capitalize on it.”

Hendrick Motorsports driver Kyle Larson will join Hamlin on the front row. Chase Briscoe, winner of last week’s Cup Series race at Darlington, will start third. Ross Chastain and Ryan Blaney completed the top five fastest drivers during the qualifying session.

Sunday’s Enjoy Illinois 300 will be broadcast at 3 p.m. ET on the USA Network with additional coverage provided by MRN Radio, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio and the NBC Sports App. 

Starting Lineup at Gateway: (P=Playoff Drivers)

  1. No. 11 Denny Hamlin (P)
  2. No. 5 Kyle Larson (P)
  3. No. 19 Chase Briscoe (P)
  4. No. 1 Ross Chastain (P)
  5. No. 12 Ryan Blaney (P)
  6. No. 24 William Byron (P)
  7. No. 45 Tyler Reddick (P)
  8. No. 20 Christopher Bell (P)
  9. No. 2 Austin Cindric (P)
  10. No. 38 Zane Smith
  11. No. 17 Chris Buescher
  12. No. 21 Josh Berry (P)
  13. No. 22 Joey Logano (P)
  14. No. 23 Bubba Wallace (P)
  15. No. 3 Austin Dillon (P)
  16. No. 43 Erik Jones
  17. No. 16 A.J. Allmendinger
  18. No. 88 Shane van Gisbergen (P)
  19. No. 9 Chase Elliott (P)
  20. No. 42 John Hunter Nemechek
  21. No. 54 Ty Gibbs
  22. No. 8 Kyle Busch
  23. No. 6 Brad Keselowski
  24. No. 4 Noah Gragson
  25. No. 48 Alex Bowman (P)
  26. No. 99 Daniel Suarez
  27. No. 77 Carson Hocevar
  28. No. 71 Michael McDowell
  29. No. 41 Cole Custer
  30. No. 34 Todd Gilliland
  31. No. 7 Justin Haley
  32. No. 60 Ryan Preece
  33. No. 35 Riley Herbst
  34. No. 47 Ricky Stenhouse Jr.
  35. No. 10 Ty Dillon
  36. No. 51 Cody Ware

Toyota GAZOO Racing – NCS Gateway Quotes – Denny Hamlin (pole) – 09.06.25

By
Official Release
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Toyota GAZOO Racing – Denny Hamlin
NASCAR Cup Series Quotes

MADISON, Ill. (September 6, 2025) – Joe Gibbs Racing driver Denny Hamlin was made available to the media on Saturday after winning the pole for the NASCAR Cup Series race at World Wide Technology Raceway at Gateway.

This is Hamlin’s second consecutive pole to open the Playoffs and third this season (Pocono, Darlington). This is Toyota’s first pole at World Wide Technology Raceway at Gateway.

DENNY HAMLIN, No. 11 Progressive Toyota Camry XSE, Joe Gibbs Racing

Can you talk us through your qualifying lap?

“We were able to, very similarly to last week, make some great adjustments from where we were in practice – and again, there is so much that is different from practice to qualifying when you are going for one lap – air pressures at a track like this is dramatically different, certainly, the intensity from which I drive is a lot different in practice than qualifying. They gave me all of the adjustments that I needed to have a really good handling car there and we were able to capitalize on it.”

Could you tell much of a difference with this tire?

“It wasn’t a ton different, truthfully. Obviously, the stagger was the biggest thing that changed in this tire, or this combination coming to this track, but truthfully, over the last year, the teams offset that difference with their setups, and I feel as though, I couldn’t have told you one way over the another. It was not as dramatic as some of the tire changes that we’ve had at other race tracks.”

Do you have a pole goal like you have a race win goal?

“I don’t. It seems like more than I’ve actually had, but if you do this long enough, your odds will go up to have more. I couldn’t tell you where 10th is or fifth is, or anything like that, but it certainly is a statistical category that they will keep track of when they are listing your career accomplishments, so I appreciate moving that tally up.”

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.

Rain creates tricky qualifying for Cadillac

By
Official Release
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Cadillac Hertz Team JOTA Hypercars miss out on Hyperpole at COTA

AUSTIN, Texas (Sept. 6, 2025) – Cadillac Hertz Team JOTA’s pole run in the FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC) ended at two impressive races.

With a persistent drizzle creating tricky conditions for the 18-car Hypercar field on the already challenging 5.513-kilometer (3.426-mile), 20-turn Circuit of the Americas course, the No. 38 Cadillac Hertz Team JOTA V-Series.R qualified 16th and the No. 12 Cadillac Hertz Team JOTA V-Series.R driven by Alex Lynn qualified 17th for Sunday’s six-hour Lone Star Le Mans.

Lynn had earned the pole the past two races and teamed with Norman Nato and Will Stevens to secure Cadillac Racing’s maiden WEC victory in mid-July at Interlagos. The No. 12 Cadillac Hertz Team JOTA V-Series.R had also advanced to the 10-car Hyperpole in each of the previous five races, qualifying four times in the top five.

Still, Cadillac enters the sixth of eight rounds of WEC competition in second place in the Manufacturers Championship and the No. 12 Cadillac Hertz Team JOTA V-Series.R roster is third in the Drivers Championship standings. A solid points day for both entries to remain in the title hunt is the objective.

The 12-minute qualifying was declared wet by Race Control and lap times were well off the pace of the three free practice sessions on a dry, hot racing surface as all the Hypercars left pit lane on Michelin slicks. The No. 12 Cadillac Hertz Team JOTA V-Series.R paced the field in the initial free practice session Friday at 1 minute, 53.584 seconds.

Lynn brought the No. 12 entry to pit lane for rain tires with 5:40 left in the session and Bamber followed two laps later. But both drivers ran out of time to record a lap quick enough to crack the top 10 and move on to Hyperpole.

The No. 83 Ferrari 499P registered a best lap of 1:57.655 in the shootout to earn the pole.

Notes: The No. 12 hybrid racecar has scored points in every race, including fifth, fourth and first the past three outings. … The No. 38 Cadillac Hertz Team JOTA V-Series.R, which recorded the runner-up finish in Brazil with Bamber, Sebastien Bourdais and Jenson Button behind the wheel, has advanced to Hyperpole in four of the six races. … The race marks the 50th in the WEC for Lynn, whose birthday is September 17. … In 2024, Cadillac Racing’s lone Hypercar entry qualified third and finished a season-high fourth at COTA. … Bamber is a two-time winner at COTA (IMSA GTLM in 2016 and WEC LMP1 in 2017).

The race will be telecast in the U.S. on MotorTrend, the MAX app, FIA WEC app and broadcast on Radio Le Mans. Additionally, streaming from the cockpit of the Nos. 12 and 38 Cadillac Hertz Team JOTA V-Series.Rs will be available HERE.

What they’re saying

Dieter Gass, team principal: “Not a great session for us. The conditions were right between wet and dry tires. We know that compared to the opposition we struggle with tire warming, therefore we decided to commit to wets at one point in the session. Unfortunately, from that point onwards, the track seemed to improve slightly, which favored slick tires and put us down to the bottom of the classification. Not our day.”

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.

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