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Power Breaks Penske Drought at Portland; Palou Claims Fourth Season Title

By
Official Release
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PORTLAND, Ore. (Sunday, Aug. 10, 2025) – Will Power staked his claim to continue with Team Penske while Alex Palou secured his spot among the legends of the INDYCAR SERIES after a scintillating BITNILE.COM Grand Prix of Portland presented by askROI on Sunday at Portland International Raceway.

Power earned his first victory of the season and the first this year for Team Penske – helping the legendary team avoid its first winless season since 1999 – in the No. 12 Verizon Team Penske Chevrolet. Power, who does not have a contract with Team Penske next season, finished 1.5388 seconds ahead of NTT P1 Award winner Christian Lundgaard in the No. 7 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet. It was the 45th victory of Power’s legendary INDYCAR SERIES career.

“I think it’s just a big win for the whole team,” Power said. “We’ve had a rough year, and it’s not really because we’ve been off the pace. It’s just been unfortunate circumstances. It was a good, hard-fought win.

“Stoked. I’ve had a great career with Verizon and Penske, so I’ve really, really enjoyed winning for the guys and everyone I’ve worked with for a long time. It’s awesome.”

Palou finished third in the No. 10 DHL Chip Ganassi Racing Honda to clinch his fourth NTT INDYCAR SERIES championship and third straight series title, joining Ted Horn (1946-48), Sebastien Bourdais (2004-07) and Dario Franchitti (2009-11) as the only drivers to achieve a three-peat. Palou’s fourth Astor Challenge Cup in the last five seasons tied him with Mario Andretti, Bourdais and Franchitti for third on the all-time championship list, behind only A.J. Foyt (seven) and Scott Dixon (six).

It also was the 17th series championship for Chip Ganassi Racing, tying it with Team Penske for the most titles in INDYCAR SERIES history.

“It’s unbelievable; it’s crazy,” Palou said. “I couldn’t be happier right now. This has been an amazing season, an amazing five years with CGR. I have no words to describe how grateful I am to everybody at CGR. I cannot wait for more.”

Graham Rahal finished a season-best fourth in the No. 15 Hendrickson International Honda of Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing, while Alexander Rossi rounded out the top five also with a season-best result in the No. 20 Java House ECR Chevrolet.

A race of divergent tire strategies in the first half converged into a spellbinding tussle between Power, Lundgaard and Palou over the last 30 laps after all three drivers made their final pit stops.

Power started the 110-lap race from the third starting spot on Firestone Firehawk alternate tires, while pole winner Lundgaard began in seventh – on Firestone primary tires – due to a six-grid spot penalty for an unapproved engine change. Palou also started on the harder, more durable Firestone primary tires from fifth on the grid.

Two-time series champion Power and Team Penske opted to use the softer, more grippy but less durable Firestone alternate tires for his first two fuel stints, choosing to try to run away from the 27-car field and hide before needing to run the primary tire – as required by series rules — and a used set of alternate tires to finish the race.

The strategy helped Power build a 20-second lead over Palou by Lap 51. But then Power pitted at the end of Lap 61 for the slower primary tires, and the chase was on for Lundgaard and Palou.

By Lap 74, Lundgaard had closed to within 1.1 seconds of Power. Palou was nine seconds back but fortified with nearly double the amount of Push to Pass overtake time as his two rivals up the track.

Lundgaard made his final stop at the end of Lap 79, taking on a fresh set of Firestone alternate tires. Power stopped for the last time a lap later, with used Firestone alternates fastened to his wheels. Palou made his final stop at the end of Lap 82, taking on fresh Firestone alternate tires like Lundgaard.

Rahal, on an alternate tire strategy, pitted from the lead at the end of Lap 84. That put Power, Lundgaard and Palou in the top three spots.

It was go time. Game on.

By Lap 96, just .851 of a second separated the top three as cars on the tail end of the lead lap created speed-sapping turbulence for leader Power. Palou briefly passed Lundgaard for second on Lap 97, but the Dane fought back to regain the spot quickly on the same lap.

On Lap 107, Palou went off course and into the grass surrounding the 12-turn, 1.964-mile circuit while trying again to pass Lundgaard for second and perhaps make a run at Power. That dustup let Power pull away, and he led by 1.8018 seconds after Lap 108 and maintained a gap to the checkered flag.

Power, 44, basked in the joy of returning to victory lane and reminding the NTT INDYCAR SERIES he thinks he’s more than good enough to merit a new contract from Team Penske or another team in the paddock.

“I won three races last year,” Power said. “If you’re a team, if you’re waiting on me to know if I’m good enough, I don’t know what you’re thinking.”

Pato O’Ward was the only driver who could have delayed Palou’s coronation, entering this race 121 points behind. O’Ward, who started from the pole, needed to close the gap to at least 107 points. But his chances ended on Lap 21 due to an electrical problem in his No. 5 Arrow McLaren that forced a lengthy repair in the pits. O’Ward finished 25th, 10 laps down.

Palou wasn’t the only season title winner today; Honda clinched the INDYCAR SERIES manufacturers’ championship.

There are two races left in the 2025 season, both on oval tracks. The next race is the Snap-on Milwaukee Mile 250 on Sunday, Aug. 24 in Milwaukee.

Shane van Gisbergen claims fourth road course win of 2025 at Watkins Glen

By
Angie Campbell
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Shane van Gisbergen wins at Watkins Glen. Photo by Mike Biskupski for SpeedwayMedia.com.

Shane van Gisbergen captured his fourth consecutive road-course victory in the NASCAR Cup Series (NCS) Go Bowling at The Glen on Sunday at Watkins Glen International. It was also his fifth career win in the series and his first win at the 2.45-mile track.

“It’s amazing. Thank you to Trackhouse, Chevrolet, WeatherTech – all of our partners. To get four of these is very, very special,” a smiling Van Gisbergen said.

“The day went flawlessly, and I can’t believe it. Really enjoyed it. It ain’t going to be easy (in the playoffs), that’s for sure. The first round, there’s some very difficult left-handed tracks for me, but I’m getting better at it, and I’m enjoying myself.”

He was dominant throughout the race in the No. 88 Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet, showcasing his expertise on road courses. Van Gisbergen led 38 of 90 laps during the Go Bowling at The Glen and won by a margin of 11.116 seconds. He has won four of the five NASCAR Cup Series road-course races on the schedule this season.

Photo by Patrick Sue-Chan for SpeedwayMedia.com

Van Gisbergen also joins an elite club, with Chase Elliott and Jeff Gordon as the only drivers to win four consecutive NASCAR Cup Series races on road or street courses. Van Gisbergen now only trails Elliott (7) and Kyle Larson (6) among active drivers on street or road course wins in only 38 career NCS starts.

Christopher Bell passed Chris Buescher on the final lap to finish in second place.

“Happy, yeah. I’m thrilled. We’ve been struggling a little bit to find a rhythm. I feel like the car has been good, but executing the races has been tough for us. Really awesome to have a good day. Frustrated to get our butts kicked by the 88 (Shane van Gisbergen) car. He’s doing a really good job. That team has it going on. We need to find a little bit more, but certainly happy. It was a good day for DEWALT Camry,” Bell said.

Buescher held on for third, William Byron finished fourth, and Chase Briscoe rounded out the top-5 finishers.

“Yeah, it was really tough there at the end. To have to run 18 laps on those tires in practice was difficult, and then to put 36 laps on them, I was just hanging on there at the end. I learned a lot there at the end, just with how to conserve for the next time. The last 10 laps were really difficult, but glad we could get a top-five finish,” Byron said.

“That restart just didn’t go our way and we lost a lot of track position and obviously were able to play the long game there in the end and come home top-five. Overall, a good solid finish in a fast Bass Pro Shops Camry. We will go on to Richmond and see what we can do,” Briscoe said.

Polesitter Ryan Blaney, who led 35 laps, finished in sixth.

“Decent day for our Ford Mustang. We led early and settled into second,” Blaney said. He continued, “We had a little different strategy than the 88 [Shane Van Gisbergen] and it was kind of a split deal. We lost a little bit of pace at the end of the day. The last run, the track changed a little bit and I got too tight and faded to sixth. Overall, a really good weekend. A great showing for our group and hopefully we learned something for the ROVAL.”

Notably, two-time Watkins Glen winner Kyle Larson had brake issues early on and finished 39th.

The race featured three caution flags for eight laps, and eight lead changes among six drivers.

After Watkins Glen International, William Byron leads the series standings by 42 points over Chase Elliott, 81 points over Denny Hamlin, and 85 points over Christopher Bell and Kyle Larson.

Two races remain before the 16-driver field for the NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs is determined. The NASCAR Cup Series heads to Richmond Raceway for the Cook Out 400 on Saturday, August 16th at 7:30 pm ET on USA.

*The post-race inspection was clear with no issues.

NASCAR Cup Series Race Number 24

Race Results for the Go Bowling at The Glen – Sunday, August 10, 2025
Watkins Glen International – Watkins Glen, NY – 2.45 – Mile Road

PosStNoDriverTeamLapsS1S2S3PointsStatus
1288Shane Van GisbergenWeatherTech Chevrolet9080043Running
2920Christopher BellDEWALT Toyota9003043Running
31217Chris BuescherBuildSubmarines.com Ford9010044Running
41024William ByronRaptor Chevrolet9002042Running
5319Chase BriscoeBass Pro Shops Toyota9090034Running
6112Ryan BlaneyMenards/Richmond Water Heaters Ford9071045Running
71999Daniel SuarezFreeway Insurance Chevrolet9000030Running
81523Bubba WallaceMcDonald’s Toyota9000029Running
92145Tyler ReddickThe Beast Toyota9000028Running
1041Ross ChastainBusch Light Chevrolet9000027Running
111816AJ AllmendingerGrizzly Nicotine Pouches Chevrolet9004033Running
122943Erik JonesFamily Dollar Toyota9000025Running
131760Ryan PreeceMohawk Northeast Inc. Ford90310033Running
141122Joey LoganoShell Pennzoil Ford9000023Running
15253Austin DillonBreztri Chevrolet9000022Running
16132Austin CindricSnap on Ford9000021Running
173338Zane SmithLong John Silver’s Ford9000020Running
18877Carson HocevarDelaware Life Chevrolet9000019Running
19671Michael McDowellGo Bowling Chevrolet9000018Running
20748Alex BowmanAlly Chevrolet9027030Running
21354Noah GragsonA&W Root Beer Ford9000016Running
2258Kyle Buschzone/Fastrac Chevrolet9000015Running
233447Ricky Stenhouse Jr.Real American Beer Chevrolet9068022Running
242835Riley HerbstMonster Energy Zero Sugar Toyota9006018Running
252211Denny HamlinProgressive Toyota9000012Running
26209Chase ElliottNAPA Auto Parts Chevrolet9040018Running
27237Justin HaleyGainbridge Chevrolet9000010Running
282734Todd GillilandOverplay Ford900009Running
293651Cody WareEvel Knievel Museum Ford9010009Running
303210Ty DillonSea Best Chevrolet900007Running
31166Brad KeselowskiNexlizet Ford9005012Running
323042John Hunter NemechekMobil 1 Toyota9050011Running
331454Ty GibbsMonster Energy Toyota900906Running
343141Cole CusterHaasTooling.com Ford900003Running
352421Josh BerryFreightliner Ford900002Running
363778Katherine LeggeDesnuda Chevrolet890001Running
373966Josh Bilicki(i)Southern Tier Security Ford890000Running
383844JJ Yeley(i)Syracuse Football NIL Chevrolet890000Running
39265Kyle LarsonHendrickCars.com Chevrolet750002Running

Will Power holds off Christian Lundgaard to win at Portland, Alex Palou wins title

By
Tucker White
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PORTLAND, Ore - AUG. 10: Will Power, driver of the #12 Team Penske Chevrolet, celebrates in victory lane after winning the BITNILE.com Grand Prix of Portland at Portland International Raceway on August 10, 2025, in Portland, Oregon. Photo: James Black/Penske Entertainment

Team Penske last went winless in 1999, and it will remain that way for another year.

Will Power, on used Firestone reds, held off a hard-charging Christian Lundgaard and Alex Palou in the final 20 laps to score the victory at Portland International Raceway.

“Yeah, it was a nice day because I got to push as hard as I could for the whole race, which usually that’s fuel save,” he said. “I was glad my engineer picked that strategy. He was going to pit me. Then he said to stay out, to be a leader. Had faith that I’d had a lot of pace.

“Yeah, it’s a Team Penske-type day, man. When we’re put in the position, we can win. It’s obviously been a rough year on many fronts. Yeah, very nice to get a win.”

It’s his 45th career victory in 318 NTT IndyCar Series starts and first of the 2025 season.

Lundgaard, on new Firestone reds, couldn’t catch and overtake Power in the closing laps and brought his No. 7 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet home to a runner-up finish. Thanks to early mechanical problems by Pato O’Ward, Palou clinched the 2025 NTT INDYCAR SERIES championship with a third-place finish.

“Yeah, it sucks finishing second twice,” Lundgaard said. “No, at the end of the day I’m happy to be in the situation that we’ve been in on the 7 car this weekend. We’ve shown so much pace all weekend. We’re fastest in practice one, seventh in practice two, pole on the race. Obviously had our grid penalty, still raced our way up to second.

“I think there’s only things to be proud of considering where the team was last year. We were first and second in qualifying. Last year none of the cars transferred through Q1. The trajectory the team is on is only upward and I’m excited for the years to come.”

“I’m so glad that we got it,” Palou said. “That was one of the two goals that we had this season and I’m happy that we got it this year again, three years in a row. It’s amazing the work that these two persons do to put an amazing team together that gives us a chance to win every single weekend and fight for every single championship.

“It’s been amazing. This year has been even more than magical with the 500, with so many wins. Today we wanted a win, as well. We gave everything that we had on track. It didn’t work.

“But yeah, super happy.”

Graham Rahal and Alexander Rossi rounded out the top-five.

Callum Ilott, Scott McLaughlin, Marcus Armstrong, Felix Rosenqvist and Colton Herta rounded out the top-10.

Will Power holds off Christian Lundgaard to win at Portland, Alex Palou wins title

Race summary

O’Ward led the field to green at 3:37 p.m. ET. Caution flew on Lap 3 when Santino Ferrucci got loose exiting Turn 12 and hit the outer pit wall.

Back to green on Lap 8, caution flew the same lap for debris on track.

Back to green on Lap 11, caution flew on Lap 14 when Christian Rasmussen turned Conor Daly in Turn 11 and sent him into the tire barrier. Will Power stayed out to take the race lead.

Back to green on Lap 21, O’Ward suffered an electrical failure on the backstretch. Which put him eight laps down as the team fixed the issue on pit road. Power pit from the lead on Lap 35. Josef Newgarden pit from the lead on Lap 38. Which handed the lead to Graham Rahal, who pitted under the first caution. He pit from the lead on Lap 41, and the lead cycled back to Power.

Power pit from the lead on Lap 61 and took new Firestone blacks. Alex Palou pit from the lead on Lap 64. Rahal pit from the lead on Lap 69 and Power cycled back to the lead.

Christian Lundgaard kicked off the final cycle of green flag stops when he pit from second for fuel and a new set of Firestone reds. Power pit from the lead on Lap 80 for a used set of Firestone reds. Palou pit from the lead on Lap 82 and took a new set of Firestone reds. Rahal pit from the lead with 24 laps to go and Power cycled back to the lead.

With 16 laps to go, Power held a 0.750 second lead over Lundgaard and a 1.3 second lead over Palou in third. With 15 to go, the gap shrank to half a second over Lundgaard and under a second over Palou. With 13 to go, Palou overtook Lundgaard for second in Turn 6, but couldn’t hold onto the position. As a result, Power pulled away to 0.717 seconds over Lundgaard and 1.296 over Palou. With 11 laps to go, Palou officially clinched the 2025 NTT INDYCAR Series championship.

With nine laps to go, Power held a 0.623 second lead over Lundgaard and a one second lead over Palou. After running multiple laps behind, Power overtook and put Marcus Ericsson a lap down. With seven to go, Power pulled to a one second lead over Lundgaard and a 1.5 second lead over Palou.

Palou made a move to the outside of Lundgaard in Turn 6, but ran through the grass. This gave Power breathing room, as he drove on to victory.

Will Power holds off Christian Lundgaard to win at Portland, Alex Palou wins title

What else happened

Scott Dixon turned Newgarden in Turn 2 with 27 laps to go. He received a drive-through penalty for avoidable contact.

Will Power holds off Christian Lundgaard to win at Portland, Alex Palou wins title

Nuts and bolts

The race lasted two hours, one minute and six seconds, at an average speed of 107.038 mph. There were 11 lead changes among five different drivers and three cautions for 11 laps.

The NTT IndyCar Series returns to action on August 24 at the Milwaukee Mile.

Early Incident Relegates Berry to 35th at Watkins Glen

By
Official Release
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An early setback in Sunday’s Go Bowling at The Glen at Watkins Glen International left Josh Berry and the No. 21 Freightliner team with a frustrating 35th-place finish after starting 24th.

Just after the start of Stage 2 in the 90-lap race on the fast road course in upstate New York, Berry was running behind Chase Elliott, who slowed to make a green-flag pit stop. The cars behind Berry didn’t check up in time, making contact that sent the Freightliner Ford Mustang into the steel barrier.

The caution eventually flew for debris from Berry’s car, and Berry lost a lap. The team made repairs to the front splitter and left-rear quarter panel before sending Berry back out, still one lap down.

Berry ended Stage 2 in 38th but was the first car a lap down, earning the free pass to return to the lead lap. Restarting from the rear to open the final stage, he posted competitive lap times, but opportunities to regain track position were scarce. The only caution all afternoon outside of the Stage breaks came for Berry’s earlier incident, eliminating any chance for a yellow-flag strategy to work in his favor.

Berry and the Wood Brothers team will regroup and turn their focus to Saturday night’s Cook Out 400 at Richmond Raceway.

About Freightliner Trucks
Freightliner Trucks is a brand of Daimler Truck North America LLC (DTNA), headquartered in Portland, Oregon. With 80 years of experience, Freightliner produces and markets medium-duty and heavy-duty trucks as the leading heavy-duty truck brand in North America. DTNA is a subsidiary of Daimler Truck Holding AG (DTG), one of the world’s leading commercial vehicle manufacturers. More information is available at www.Freightliner.com.

About Daimler Truck North America
Daimler Truck North America LLC, headquartered in Portland, Oregon, is a leading provider of comprehensive products, services and technologies for the commercial transportation industry. Daimler Truck North America LLC designs, engineers, manufactures and markets medium- and heavy-duty trucks, school buses, vehicle chassis and their associated technologies and components under the Freightliner, Western Star, Thomas Built Buses, inc., Freightliner Custom Chassis Corporation, Detroit Diesel Corporation and associated brands. Daimler Truck North America LLC is a subsidiary of Daimler Truck Holding AG (DTG), one of the world’s leading commercial vehicle manufacturers.

About Wood Brothers Racing
Founded in 1950 by Hall of Famer Glenn Wood in Stuart, Virginia, Wood Brothers Racing holds a special place in NASCAR history as the sport’s longest-running team. Over eight decades, the team has earned 101 victories in the NASCAR Cup Series, along with 120 poles, and remains proud of its longstanding relationship with Ford Motor Company, fielding only Ford products since its inception. Glenn’s brother, Leonard Wood, played a key role in shaping modern racing by developing the techniques behind today’s pit stops. With a rich legacy rooted in innovation and tradition, Wood Brothers Racing continues to honor its heritage while adapting for the future as it competes in NASCAR’s premier series with Josh Berry.

Rick Ware Racing: Go Bowling at The Glen from Watkins Glen

By
Official Release
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RICK WARE RACING
Go Bowling at The Glen
Date: Aug. 10, 2025
Event: Go Bowling at The Glen (Round 24 of 36)
Series: NASCAR Cup Series
Location: Watkins Glen (N.Y.) International (2.45-mile, seven-turn road course)
Format: 90 laps, broken into three stages (20 laps/20 laps/50 laps)

Race Winner: Shane van Gisbergen of Trackhouse Racing (Chevrolet)
Stage 1 Winner: Chris Buescher of RFK Racing (Ford)
Stage 2 Winner: Ryan Blaney of Team Penske (Ford)

RWR Finish:

● Cody Ware (Started 36th, Finished 29th / Running, completed 90 of 90 laps)

RWR Points:

● Cody Ware (36th with 163 points)

RWR Notes:

● Ware finished 10th in Stage 1 to earn one bonus point.

Race Notes:

● Shane van Gisbergen won the Go Bowling at The Glen to score his fifth career NASCAR Cup Series victory, his fourth of the season and his first at Watkins Glen. His margin over second-place Christopher Bell was 11.116 seconds.

● There were three caution periods for a total of eight laps.

● All but four of the 39 drivers in the race finished on the lead lap.

● William Byron remains the championship leader after Watkins Glen with a 42-point advantage over second-place Chase Elliott.

Sound Bites:

“I was really happy with the balance adjustments we made throughout the day. Really proud of our RWR bunch and our Evel Knievel Museum Ford Mustang. We’ll just keep digging and get after it at Richmond.” – Cody Ware, driver of the No. 51 Evel Knievel Museum Ford Mustang Dark Horse

Next Up:

The next event on the NASCAR Cup Series schedule is the Cook Out 400 on Saturday, Aug. 16 at Richmond (Va.) Raceway. The race begins at 7:30 p.m. EDT with live coverage provided by USA and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.

RCR NCS Race Recap: Watkins Glen International

By
Official Release
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Austin Dillon and the No. 3 BREZTRI AEROSPHERE (budesonide, glycopyrrolate, and formoterol fumarate) ® Chevrolet Drive Through the Field for Top-15 Result at Watkins Glen International

Finish: 15th
Start: 25th
Points: 28th

“15th-place finish for our BREZTRI AEROSPHERE® (budesonide, glycopyrrolate, and formoterol fumarate) Chevrolet. Solid day at a road course for us. Watkins Glen International is probably my least favorite track we go to all year, so being able to fight for that finish and run right outside the top-10 towards the end is big for our No. 3 team. Our tires just gave up there in the closing laps. The guys did a great job on strategy, and our pit crew did awesome each stop. We will build off this good run going into Richmond.” -Austin Dillon

Following Top-5 Qualifying Effort, Kyle Busch and the No. 8 zone Chevrolet Finish Inside the Top-25 After On-Track Contact Mid-Race at Watkins Glen International

Finish: 22nd
Start: 5th
Points: 15th

“It was good to qualify in the top-five this weekend and our ECR engines showed a lot of power. The No. 8 zone Chevrolet was one of the fastest cars on the track through the first two stages and we were running at the front. We lost a lot of track position at roughly the halfway point after on track contact and worked to make it back up and finished inside the top-25. Now we’ll focus on Richmond and racing our way into the playoffs.” -Kyle Busch

Buescher’s Third Place Leads Ford Mustangs at Watkins Glen NASCAR Cup Round

By
Official Release
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Ford Performance Notes and Quotes
NASCAR Cup Series
Go Bowling at The Glen — Watkins Glen International
Sunday, August 10, 2025

Ford Unofficial Finishing Order

3rd – Chris Buescher
6th – Ryan Blaney
13th – Ryan Preece
14th – Joey Logano
16th – Austin Cindric
17th – Zane Smith
21st – Noah Gragson
28th – Todd Gilliland
29th – Cody Ware
31st – Brad Keselowski
34th – Cole Custer
35th – Josh Berry
37th – Josh Bilicki

CHRIS BUESCHER, No. 17 BuildSubmarines.com Ford Mustang Dark Horse – “The speed we had in this BuildSubmarines.com Ford Mustang was good out here at Watkins Glen. I am really proud of everybody. It was great execution all day. We were able to get a stage win there and still in the hunt [for the win] really. I had a couple more laps on my tires and I used the rears up really hard trying to get by a few cars there. At the end of the day it is a really solid run. We are greedy. We want more.”

RYAN BLANEY, No. 12 Menards/Richmond Ford Mustang Dark Horse – “Decent day for our Ford Mustang. We led early and settled into second. We had a little different strategy than the 88 [Shane Van Gisbergen] and it was kind of a split deal. We lost a little bit of pace at the end of the day. The last run, the track changed a little bit and I got too tight and faded to sixth. Overall, a really good weekend. A great showing for our group and hopefully we learned something for the ROVAL.”

Toyota GAZOO Racing – NCS Watkins Glen Post-Race Report – 08.10.25

By
Official Release
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BELL LEADS FOUR TOP-10 CAMRYS IN WATKINS GLEN
Briscoe earns career-high 10th top-five finish; 23XI places two in the top-10

WATKINS GLEN, NY (August 10, 2025) – Christopher Bell led Toyota with a runner- up finish in the NASCAR Cup Series race from Watkins Glen International on Saturday afternoon.

Bell was one of four Toyota drivers inside the top-10 finishers. His Joe Gibbs Racing teammate, Chase Briscoe, earned his career-high 10th top-five finish with still 12 races to go in the season, while 23XI Racing’s Bubba Wallace and Tyler Reddick finished in eighth and ninth.

With today’s results, Reddick nearly clinched a Playoff berth on points. The California-native will look to lock up Toyota’s fifth Playoff berth at Richmond Raceway next Saturday.

Toyota GAZOO Racing Post-Race Recap
NASCAR Cup Series (NCS)
Watkins Glen International
Race 24 of 36 – 220.5 miles, 90 laps

TOYOTA FINISHING POSITIONS

1st, Shane van Gisbergen*
2nd, CHRISTOPHER BELL
3rd, Chris Buescher*
4th, William Bryon*
5th, CHASE BRISCOE
8th, BUBBA WALLACE
9th, TYLER REDDICK
12th, ERIK JONES
24th, RILEY HERBST
25th, DENNY HAMLIN
32nd, JOHN HUNTER NEMECHEK
33rd, TY GIBBS
*non-Toyota driver

TOYOTA QUOTES

CHRISTOPHER BELL, No. 20 DEWALT Toyota Camry XSE, Joe Gibbs Racing

Finishing Position: 2nd

Do you walk away from this race happy?

“Happy, yeah. I’m thrilled. We’ve been struggling a little bit to find a rhythm. I feel like the car has been good, but executing the races has been tough for us. Really awesome to have a good day. Frustrated to get our butts kicked by the 88 (Shane van Gisbergen) car. He’s doing a really good job. That team has it going on. We need to find a little bit more, but certainly happy. It was a good day for DEWALT Camry.”

CHASE BRISCOE, No. 19 Bass Pro Shops Toyota Camry XSE, Joe Gibbs Racing

Finishing Position: 5th

What ultimately was the difference today?

“I guess it would have been that final stage, just strategy kind of got flipped. The 88 (Shane van Gisbergen) and the 1 (Ross Chastain) and myself kind of started right there in the mid pack. The restart didn’t go me or the 1’s way, the 88 was able to get five spots ahead of us before of us on the first lap and kept pulling further and further away. I thought our car was – I don’t know what the 88 had – but I thought we were probably the second-best race car. That restart just didn’t go our way and we lost a lot of track position and obviously was able to play the long game there in the end and come home top-five. Overall, a good solid finish in a fast Bass Pro Shops Camry. We will go onto Richmond and see what we can do.”

BUBBA WALLACE, No. 23 McDonald’s Toyota Camry XSE, 23XI Racing

Finishing Position: 8th

First top-10 at Watkins Glen. How was your race?

“Indy was life changing, right? It allowed me to come here and not harp on all of the mistakes that I usually make at a road course and figure out how to make less. I think we did that. I don’t think our car was capable of winning at all, but 10th to 12th place is where we determined our team is a couple months ago, and we exceeded that, so that’s a win. I appreciate everyone on this McDonaldland Toyota Camry. It looked good. My suit was the best one in the game. All around fun weekend. The big boss was here. MJ (Michael Jordan, co-owner, 23XI Racing) was here, so good to get him a couple of top-10s.”

TYLER REDDICK, No. 45 The Beast Unleashed Toyota Camry XSE, 23XI Racing

Finishing Position: 9th

Do you feel like the improvement of the road course program showed today?

“No, not really. We were still struggling honestly. Everyone on the No. 45 Beast Toyota Camry did a good job executing strategy. We faded pretty hard at the end there. It was good that it worked out and we were able to get a top-10 out of it, but yeah, we didn’t qualify good, and we couldn’t make any progress at the start. So very fortunate, but overall good points day.”

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 spring 2025, Toyota’s plant in North Carolina will begin to manufacture automotive batteries for electrified vehicles. With more electrified vehicles on the road than any other automaker, Toyota currently offers 31 electrified options.

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

CHEVROLET NCS: Van Gisbergen Collects Fourth-Straight Road Course Win at Watkins Glen

By
Official Release
-

NASCAR CUP SERIES
WATKINS GLEN INTERNATIONAL
TEAM CHEVY POST-RACE REPORT
AUGUST 10, 2025

Van Gisbergen Collects Fourth-Straight Road Course Win at Watkins Glen

  • Shane van Gisbergen made yet another statement in NASCAR history – driving his No. 88 Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet to his fourth-straight road course win in NASCAR’s top division. The 36-year-old Auckland, New Zealand, native is just the third different driver to accomplish the feat – joining the company of fellow Team Chevy driver, Chase Elliott, and career Chevrolet driver, Jeff Gordon.
  • Van Gisbergen’s victory – Chevrolet’s 23rd all-time at Watkins Glen and 11th thus far this season – brings the Trackhouse Racing driver to a tie for the title as the winningest driver in NASCAR’s top division with 24 races complete.
  • With a 42-point day en route to his ninth top-five finish of the season, William Byron and the No. 24 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet team built their points lead to a 42-point cushion over teammate, Chase Elliott, heading into the penultimate race of the NASCAR Cup Series regular season.
  • In pursuit of his fourth consecutive road course win in NASCAR’s top division, Shane van Gisbergen led the field to the green flag at Watkins Glen International from a front-row starting position. The road racing ace settled into the runner-up position behind polesitter, Ryan Blaney, on the opening lap – keeping the No. 12 in near sight throughout Stage One before surrounding the track position with three laps to go to flip the stage. Looking to capitalize on track position for stage points, Alex Bowman and the No. 48 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet team cycled up into the second position to lead Team Chevy to the first green-white checkered flag of the race.
  • A disappointing qualifying effort carried into a dismal start to the No. 5 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet team’s attempt at becoming a three-time Watkins Glen winner when the team suffered a brake line failure on lap seven. Quickly going to work to make repairs, Larson was able to rejoin the field to start Stage Two.
  • Taking the green flag for Stage Two from the fifth position, it took just five laps around the upstate New York circuit for Shane van Gisbergen to find his way to the top position in his No. 88 Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet. Opting to flip the stage once again, Van Gisbergen found his spot in the 12th position to begin the final 46 laps of the race.
  • To no surprise, it was a quick march up the field for the 36-year-old Auckland, New Zealand, native – ultimately taking the lead from then-race leader Ryan Blaney at the 54-lap marker. With a green-flag pit cycle getting underway at the halfway point of the final stage, crew chief Stephen Doran called Van Gisbergen to pit road with 27 laps to go in the race. Returning to the circuit, Van Gisbergen led the pack of cars that had already pitted – finding himself in the runner-up position when the race hit 20 laps to go. Then race leader, Brad Keselowski, made the turn to pit road for his final scheduled stop with 16 laps remaining – moving the No. 88 Chevrolet to the lead en route to the team’s fourth trip to victory lane in NASCAR’s top division this season.

TEAM CHEVY UNOFFICIAL TOP-10 RESULTS:
POS. DRIVER

1st – Shane van Gisbergen
4th – William Byron
7th – Daniel Suarez
10th – Ross Chastain

Chevrolet’s season statistics with 24 NASCAR Cup Series races complete:

Wins: 11
Poles: 10
Top-Fives: 48
Top 10s: 103
Stage Wins: 20

UP NEXT: The 2025 NASCAR Cup Series season continues at Richmond Raceway with the Cook Out 400 on Saturday, August 16, at 7:30 p.m. ET. Live coverage can be found on the USA Network, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90.
Post-Race Driver Quotes:

Austin Dillon, No. 3 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet

Finished: 15th

“15th-place finish for our BREZTRI AEROSPHERE® (budesonide, glycopyrrolate, and formoterol fumarate) Chevrolet. Solid day at a road course for us. Watkins Glen International is probably my least favorite track we go to all year, so being able to fight for that finish and run right outside the top-10 towards the end is big for our No. 3 team. Our tires just gave up there in the closing laps. The guys did a great job on strategy, and our pit crew did awesome each stop. We will build off this good run going into Richmond.”

Kyle Busch, No. 8 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet

Finished: 22nd

“It was good to qualify in the top-five this weekend and our ECR engines showed a lot of power. The No. 8 zone Chevrolet was one of the fastest cars on the track through the first two stages and we were running at the front. We lost lot of track position at roughly the halfway point after on track contact and worked to make it back up and finished inside the top-25. Now we’ll focus on Richmond and racing our way into the playoffs.”

William Byron, No. 24 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet

Finished: 4th

There were a lot of strategies today. What was this race like from the driver’s seat with managing tires and all of the variables that were given to you?

“Yeah, it was really tough there at the end. To have to run 18 laps on those tires in practice was difficult, and then to put 36 laps on them, I was just hanging on there at the end. I learned a lot there at the end, just with how to conserve for the next time. The last 10 laps were really difficult, but glad we could get a top-five finish.”

What is the outlook now for the No. 24 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet team with two races to go in the regular season?

“I think we had a pretty good points day. The first stage didn’t go probably how we anticipated. I got really loose across the carousel and almost spun out. And then after that, I think we did a good job. We had a good strategy – the one stop ended up being really good. We were able to have some decent pace and it just worked out.”

Shane van Gisbergen, No. 88 Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet

Finished: 1st

What were the challenges today and how did it unfold from the driver’s seat?

“Well, the No. 12 car was amazing. He was really good at the start; driving well and I couldn’t pass him. Then all the strategies happened through Stage Two. I think it was that restart in the final stage that got me up closer to the front and we could run a bit longer.

It’s amazing. Thank you to Trackhouse, Chevrolet, WeatherTech – all of our partners. To get four of these is very, very special.”

What are you going to do to prepare with a few weeks remaining before the playoffs starts?

“That is amazing, isn’t it? Obviously, Richmond is a track we need to build on – it’s kind of like Iowa, where we made some big progress. Then Daytona, we’ll see how we end up. I really think we are building, but we have got a lot more to go. It’s just a special moment here.”

Daniel Suarez, No. 99 Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet

Finished: 7th

“It feels nice to get a good finish for this No. 99 Freeway Insurance Chevrolet team. For the last couple of months, I feel like we’ve had decent, top-10 speed. We just haven’t been able to execute. Today, we were able to execute a decent race. This team did a good job all day. Our Chevrolet was pretty good – I don’t know if it was good enough to win, but it was good enough to be fighting in the top-10 and that’s where we ended up.”

What is it about Watkins Glen that suits you so well?

“I’m not sure. This place (Watkins Glen International) has been good to me in the past. Like Iowa (Speedway) and Indianapolis (Motor Speedway), there’s been a lot of tracks that have been good to me in the past. We’ve just had a lot of accidents and things happen that were out of our control. Hopefully we can carry this momentum into the next couple of races and get a win.”

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Hauger Pads Points Lead with Dominant Portland Victory

By
Official Release
-

PORTLAND, Ore. (Sunday, Aug. 10, 2025) – Dennis Hauger gave himself some breathing room in the race for the INDY NXT by Firestone championship Sunday, beating rival Caio Collet to the finish to win the Grand Prix of Portland at Portland International Raceway.

Rookie Hauger expanded his lead in the INDYCAR development series to 54 points – essentially one race – over Collet with two races to go this season, both on ovals at Milwaukee (Aug. 24) and Nashville (Aug. 31). He drove his No. 28 Nammo car fielded by Andretti Global to victory over the No. 76 HMD Motorsports machine of Collet by .9353 of a second.

It was Hauger’s sixth win of the season but just his second since early June after he started the year by winning four of the first five races. Hauger clinched the series Rookie of the Year title with the victory, but his eyes are on a bigger prize.

“It’s a great day for the championship,” Hauger said. “An awesome day – back on top. Hopefully we can have a good weekend in Milwaukee and clinch the title there, as well.”

Myles Rowe finished third in the No. 99 Abel/Force Indy entry, his fifth podium result of the season. Teammate Callum Hedge placed fourth in the No. 17 Abel Motorsports machine.

Salvador de Alba rounded out the top five in the No. 27 Grupo Indi car of Andretti Global as the Andretti and Abel teams both welcomed two drivers in the top five.

As usual on the 12-turn, 1.964-mile PIR circuit, the tricky Turn 1-2 complex played a pivotal role in deciding the outcome.

Pole sitter Collet led the field to the start, with fellow front-row starter Rowe threatening him on the outside heading into Turn 1 after the green flag. Collet eased to the left to parry Rowe’s move, leaving an opening to the inside.

Hauger, who started third, pounced on that gap and was helped when both Collet and Rowe braked a bit too deeply into Turn 1 and ran wide. Hauger drove around Collet in Turn 2 for a lead he would never surrender, pacing all 35 laps.

“I was looking at Myles, and I think we both ended up a little bit deep (in Turn 1),” Collet said. “I didn’t see Dennis coming on the outside. I just misjudged it and gave Dennis the opportunity for a great move.

“I did a mistake at the most crucial part of the championship, so very frustrating for myself. But we’ll keep pushing.”

Hauger then managed the gap for the rest of the race under sunny Pacific Northwest skies, keeping Collet at bay ranging from one-half to nine-tenths of a second. Hauger also deftly used his Push to Pass power boost system to resist every charge by Collet.

The next race – and the penultimate race of the season – is INDY NXT by Firestone at the Milwaukee Mile on Sunday, Aug. 24. Hauger and Collet remain the only drivers eligible to win the season championship.

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