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Christian Lundgaard makes gutsy kink pass to win at the Brickyard

By
Tucker White
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INDIANAPOLIS - MAY 9: Christian Lundgaard, driver of the #7 Arrow McLaren Velo Chevrolet, celebrates in victory lane after winning the NTT IndyCar Series Sonsio Grand Prix at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway on May 9, 2026, in Indianapolis. Photo: Walt Kuhn/Penske Entertainment

INDIANAPOLIS — It looked different to Christian Lundgaard inside the car than it did on TV.

“You know, at the end of the day, I’ve been now watching it on the TV screen probably 50 times, but it doesn’t look the same way as what it felt,” he said.

He thought he had maybe one or two chances to pass David Malukas, after the undercut failed to cycle him ahead of Malukas with 20 laps to go.

“I struggled a lot on out laps,” he said. “He seemed to be a little better than I was.”

Romain Grosjean was ahead and slowed down Malukas just enough for him to set up a pass on the outside through Turn 2 through Turn 4. At which point, he went full send, damn the torpedos and pressed the attack.

With a bold pass in the Turns 5 and 6 kink on the backstretch at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, Lundgaard overtook Malukas for the race lead with 18 laps to go and took the checkered flag in the Sonsio Grand Prix.

“It feels awesome right now, and I’m sure I will probably realize tomorrow what really happened today,” he said. “It really wasn’t what I expected waking up this morning. Obviously with qualifying getting pushed to this morning and racing the same day, it’s not really a traditional IndyCar weekend.”

It’s his second career victory in his 74th NTT INDYCAR SERIES start and first of the 2026 season.

David Malukas led a race high 27 laps on his way to a runner-up finish and Graham Rahal rounded out the podium.

“Honestly, I mean it was a good move,” Malukas said. “It was fair play. You know, looking back, I keep seeing this replay just playing over and over again be, which is fantastic. You get to just watch it happen over and over.

“It was a fair play. Looking back, I thought, man, I could have been a lot more aggressive, but in the end there’s an art to knowing when you’ve lost the spot. I ended up just giving out and, look, the thing is, I could have pushed him a little bit wider and then not complete the pass, but we could have had contact, something could have happened, we could have lost a lot of pace and now Rahal is coming in.

“The thing is, if he’s not going to get me that lap, he’s going to get me the next one or the other one after that. He had push-to-pass. We were running out. It was just a matter of attrition. I thought, he’s got it. I might as well do the same move.”

Josef Newgarden and points leader/pole sitter Alex Palou rounded out the top-five.

Scott Dixon rebounded from a Lap 1 wreck to finish sixth. Louis Foster, Dennis Hauger, Kyle Kirkwood and Nolan Siegel round out the top-10.

Christian Lundgaard makes gutsy kink pass to win at the Brickyard

Race summary

Palou led the field to green at 4:59 p.m. Just as the field came up to speed, Rinus VeeKay slammed into the back of another car and destroyed his front wing. Entering Turn 1, Felix Rosenqvist locked up and turned Pato O’Ward. Newgarden got into Dixon and turned him. Then he and Caio Collet rammed into Rosenqvist. For the avoidable contact, race control assessed Rosenqvist a drive-through penalty.

Back to green on Lap 6, race control handed Scott McLaughlin a three-place penalty for blocking Foster. Aside from that, and a piece of debris laying in Turn 9 that came off Malukas’ car, the field settled into a green flag rhythm. Also, another piece of debris fell onto the track in Turn 7. During all this, multiple cars ducked onto pit road to switch onto Firestone reds. A local caution flew on Lap 21 when Alexander Rossi’s car stalled on track on the start/finish line. Only after he exited the car and hopped over the pit wall did the full course caution fly. During the caution, Palou and Kirkwood pitted and handed the lead to Will Power.

Back to green on Lap 27, caution flew for a multi-car incident in Turn 13. Sting Ray Robb locked up and hit O’Ward. Simpson turned inwards to avoid the spinning O’Ward. Rosenqvist clipped him and got airborne briefly. During the caution, Power pitted from the lead and Malukas took over the race lead.

Back to green on Lap 33, Palou kicked off a cycle of green flag stops on Lap 38 and took a set of Firestone reds. Kirkwood responded the following lap by pitting from seventh. His crew had trouble with the right-front tire and Palou cycled out ahead of him. Malukas pitted from the lead on Lap 47. Lundgaard pitted from the lead on Lap 48 and Power cycled back to the lead.

O’Ward kicked off the final cycle of pit stops on Lap 57. Power pitted from the lead on Lap 58. He locked up exiting pit lane and drove outside the blend line area. Thus race control handed him a drive-through penalty for improper pit exit. As the pit cycle played out, Lundgaard cut down the lead to Malukas. On Lap 65, Lundgaard undercut him by pitting on Lap 65. Malukas pit from the lead with 20 laps to go and cycled out ahead of Lundgaard.

With 18 laps to go, Lundgaard pulled to Malukas’ outside and passed him through the backstretch kink to take the race lead and drove on to victory.

Christian Lundgaard makes gutsy kink pass to win at the Brickyard

Nuts and bolts

The race lasted one hour, 55 minutes and 42 seconds, at an average speed of 107.536 mph. There were six lead changes among four different drivers and three cautions for 12 laps.

Palou leaves with a 27-point lead over Kirkwood.

The NTT INDYCAR Series returns to action, May 24, for the Indianapolis 500.

TOYOTA RACING – NOAPS Watkins Glen Post-Race Report – 05.09.26

By
Official Release
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GRAY LEADS THREE TOYOTAS IN THE TOP-SIX AT WATKINS GLEN
Crews scores first stage win, leads the most laps

WATKINS GLEN, NY (May 9, 2026) – Taylor Gray saved just enough gas and crossed the finish line in third to lead Toyota in the NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series race at Watkins Glen International on Saturday. The Kansas-winner moved back inside the top-10 in points with his top-five run.

Brandon Jones finished fifth, his career-best at Watkins Glen. It is his fourth consecutive top-10 finish, and moved him up to a season-best fourth in points.

Toyota Development Driver Brent Crews was impressive throughout the race as he won his first career stage and led a race-high 32 laps before a vibration in the final laps caused his pace to slow down. He was able to hold on to finish sixth – his fifth consecutive top-six finish. Despite missing four races before turning 18 in March, Crews has now moved inside the Chase field as he sits 11th overall.

TOYOTA RACING Post-Race Recap
NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series (NOAPS)
Watkins Glen International
Race 13 of 33 – 200.9 miles, 82 laps

TOYOTA FINISHING POSITIONS

1st, Connor Zilisch*
2nd, Jesse Love*
3rd, TAYLOR GRAY
4th, Ross Chastain*
5th, BRANDON JONES
6th, BRENT CREWS
17th, HARRISON BURTON
30th, GLEN REEN
35th, DEAN THOMPSON
36th, WILLIAM SAWALICH
*non-Toyota driver

TOYOTA QUOTES

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

Finishing Position: 3rd

What were the challenges of saving fuel at the end?

“First of all, super proud of everyone at Joe Gibbs Racing, and thank you to TOYOTA RACING, Operation 300 and M-Experiment. It was challenging at times. I was just trying to execute my job inside the car, saving fuel and lifting early, shorting my shifts up to make it to the end. Really proud of Jason Ratcliff (crew chief) for that strategy call. Really good strategy. I felt like straight up we were a fifth-to-seventh place car, but obviously really proud of everyone on the 54 team to be able to score a better finish.”

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

Finishing Position: 5th

Top-five at Watkins Glen. Can you talk about your race?

“Honestly, I’m going to give a lot of that credit to Sam McAuley (crew chief), because that strategy to pit when we did and then to have enough fuel. It is hit or miss, but every once in a while, you get a green flag run, and you get so spread out, and the tire grip got really low there at the end. There wasn’t – from my perspective – so many people saving. Typically, when you have races like that, you know it is going to go green there at the end because people aren’t wanting to be aggressive with each other, so we just maximized our day, really. That’s what I wanted to do. We got stage points in both stages, a really good finish – a career-best here. Thanks to everyone at Pelonis. I think this is their last race of the year, but we had a bunch of them, Menards and Toyota as always. A lot of momentum. We are going into a great track in Dover for us. We are continuing to get better, and our road course stuff is a work a progress for us, but I’m liking what I’m seeing.”

BRENT CREWS, No. 19 WIX Filters Toyota GR Supra, Joe Gibbs Racing

Finishing Position: 6th

Stellar points day, but I know that last stage didn’t go the way you wanted it to. Can you talk about the day as a whole and that last stage?

“The car was great all day. It was cool to have WIX Filters on our Supra. First time having them aboard, the colors looked great out there. I felt like I had an amazing car all day. We were the one to beat. We were better than the 1 (Connor Zilisch) for sure. Just there at the end – that last stop, it was a little slow, then the motor shut off, and I was trying to get it back running. It was shooting flames and all of that stuff, but after that I had a super, super bad vibration. One of the worst ones I’ve ever had – not sure what that was, but really, really slowed down our pace there at the end. Not sure what it was. I know they will look it over and figure out what the issue was and fix it for next time.”

About Toyota

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

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

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

Kucharczyk Breaks Through for First INDY NXT Win at IMS

By
Official Release
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INDIANAPOLIS (Saturday, May 9, 2026) – Tymek Kucharczyk was Mr. Consistency for the first five races of the INDY NXT by Firestone season. But now he’s a winner.

Series rookie Kucharczyk, the first Polish driver to compete in the INDYCAR development series, earned his first career victory by holding off Max Taylor to win Race 2 of the Indianapolis Grand Prix doubleheader Saturday on the Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course.

“What a special day,” Kucharczyk said. “To do it here, coming back to November in my first test in an INDY NXT car, now a winner here at Indy, it’s spectacular. I’m so grateful to my sponsors, to my team. It was a tough race. It was really, really hard to hold Max behind me. He was pushing me for the whole race.”

Kucharczyk was the only driver to record a top-five finish in the first five races this season, but his best was third place, three times. He finished fourth in Race 1 of this doubleheader in mixed conditions Friday.

But Kucharczyk climbed from fifth to the lead after the first two turns on the 14-turn, 2.439-mile circuit, leading all 30 laps in the No. 71 HMD Motorsports car. He took the checkered flag .6273 of a second ahead of Taylor in the No. 28 Susan G. Komen machine of Andretti Global after a taut, race-long duel in the caution-free race.

Enzo Fittipaldi, who won Race 1 Friday, prevailed in an exciting three-way fight over the last 10 laps of the race for the final podium spot in the No. 67 HMD Motorsports machine. Lochie Hughes placed fourth in the No. 26 Andretti Global car, with Alessandro de Tullio rounding out the top five in the No. 14 AJ Foyt Racing entry.

Series leader Nikita Johnson placed sixth in the No. 21 Cape Motorsports Powered by ECR car. Kucharczyk climbed to second in the standings with his win, 11 points behind Johnson.

There were two main flashpoints in the race, which took place under sunny skies in a contrast to the wet conditions at the finish Friday.

The first came at the green flag. Taylor started from pole and went side by side with Josh Pierson’s No. 29 Starchive Andretti entry of Andretti Global, with both cars going wide. Kucharczyk snuck through the opening for the lead, with Taylor clinging to second.

Kucharczyk maintained a gap of six- to seven-tenths of a second for the next 16 laps before the second main incident of the race. Kucharczyk locked his right front wheel braking for Turn 1 on Lap 17, creating a large flat spot on his Firestone Firehawk tire.

“Other than the lockup that I made midway through the race, it was a pretty flawless execution,” Kucharczyk said. “I don’t think we had probably the fastest car on the grid today, but the first lap helped me massively. Max was pushing really hard, so I had to save the Push to Pass at the end, as well. It’s all good. I made it happen, so super, super grateful.”

Taylor pulled to within .4807 of a second on Lap 23, and it appeared the flat spot on his tire may have started to sap speed from Kucharczyk. But the Pole managed his tires and saved enough Push to Pass engine boost to increase the gap to .7830 of a second on Lap 25. He maintained a steady gap to the checkered flag.

“That was everything,” Taylor said of his effort. “I thought we were going to catch him. I messed up on the start, I think. So, something to look over. But still good points, decent points this weekend, and a lot to take away and a lot to improve on if we want to win this championship.”

Taylor is third in the standings, three points behind Kucharczyk and 14 behind Johnson.

The next INDY NXT by Firestone race is the Detroit Grand Prix on Sunday, May 31 on the streets of Detroit.

Shane van Gisbergen wins first Cup pole of 2026 at Watkins Glen

By
Andrew Kim
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WATKINS GLEN, NEW YORK - MAY 09: Shane Van Gisbergen, driver of the #97 Superfile Chevrolet, poses for photos after winning the pole award during qualifying for the NASCAR Cup Series Go Bowling at The Glen at Watkins Glen International on May 09, 2026 in Watkins Glen, New York. (Photo by Sean Gardner/Getty Images).

Shane van Gisbergen flexed his road-course muscles in a big way by notching his first Busch Light Pole Award of the 2026 NASCAR Cup Series season for the Go Bowling at The Glen (Watkins Glen International) on Saturday, May 9.

The event’s qualifying format at Watkins Glen International consisted of a single session. In this session, the field of 38 is given 35 minutes to post the fastest qualifying lap and all competitors qualify simultaneously. At the conclusion of both group sessions, the fastest competitor was awarded the pole position.

Van Gisbergen, was the 11th-fastest competitor in practice earlier on Saturday, and during the qualifying session, he posted his best lap at 123.937 mph in 71.165 seconds. Van Gisbergen’s lap was enough for the three-time Supercars champion from Auckland, New Zealand, to secure the pole position over Michael McDowell.

With the pole, van Gisbergen notched his fifth Cup Series career pole position, all of which have occurred on five distinct road/street course venues. In addition to securing his first Cup pole at The Glen, he also recorded his first pole since Sonoma Raceway in July 2025 and the third pole of the 2026 season for Chevrolet, along with the first for Trackhouse Racing.

Van Gisbergen, who is currently campaigning in his sophomore season in the Cup Series division, is currently ranked in 19th place in the 2026 driver’s standings and he trails the top-16 cutline to be in Chase contention by 27 points. Having scored two top-10 results and an average-finishing result of 21.0 through 11 Cup events in 2026, van Gisbergen will strive to contend for his first victory of this season and reignite his road course magic after winning five times in 2025. After finishing in third place during Friday’s Craftsman Truck Series event at The Glen, van Gisbergen is also competing in Saturday’s O’Reilly Auto Parts Series event at The Glen with JR Motorsports as he strives to sweep both the O’Reilly and Cup main events.

“The [No. 97] guys did a good job tuning [the car] what I needed for the one lap,” van Gisbergen, who is striving for rear tire grip for Sunday’s main event, said. “The Superfile Chevy was really good, but all Trackhouse [Racing] cars in the top five as well. We got some good cars here this weekend and hopefully, we can capitalize on that tomorrow.”

Van Gisbergen will share the front row with Michael McDowell, the latter of whom clocked in his fastest lap at 123.488 mph in 71.424 seconds. Sunday’s Cup event at The Glen will mark McDowell’s first time starting on the front row in 2026.

Austin Cindric (fastest during Saturday’s practice), Ross Chastain and rookie Connor Zilisch, the latter two are teammates with van Gisbergen at Trackhouse Racing, will start in the top five, respectively. Joey Logano, Ryan Blaney, Christopher Bell, Chase Briscoe and Ty Gibbs completed the top-10 starting grid, respectively.

With 38 competitors vying for 38 starting spots, all made the main event.

Watkins Glen – Qualifying Position, Best Speed, Best Time:

  1. Shane van Gisbergen, 123.937 mph, 71.165 seconds
  2. Michael McDowell, 123.488 mph, 71.424 seconds
  3. Austin Cindric, 123.452 mph, 71.445 seconds
  4. Ross Chastain, 123.445 mph, 71.449 seconds
  5. Connor Zilisch, 123.386 mph, 71.483 seconds
  6. Joey Logano, 123.319 mph, 71.522 seconds
  7. Ryan Blaney, 123.317 mph, 71.523 seconds
  8. Christopher Bell, 123.215 mph, 71.582 seconds
  9. Chase Briscoe, 123.214 mph, 71.583 seconds
  10. Ty Gibbs, 123.159 mph, 71.615 seconds
  11. Carson Hocevar, 123.150 mph, 71.620 seconds
  12. AJ Allmendinger, 123.092 mph, 71.654 seconds
  13. William Byron, 123.074 mph, 71.664 seconds
  14. Chris Buescher, 123.067 mph, 71.668 seconds
  15. Tyler Reddick, 123.014 mph, 71.699 seconds
  16. Daniel Suarez, 122.973 mph, 71.723 seconds
  17. John Hunter Nemechek, 122.946 mph, 71.739 seconds
  18. Bubba Wallace, 122.918 mph, 71.755 seconds
  19. Cole Custer, 122.761 mph, 71.847 seconds
  20. Denny Hamlin, 122.749 mph, 71.854 seconds
  21. Kyle Busch, 122.687 mph, 71.890 seconds
  22. Todd Gilliland, 122.600 mph, 71.941 seconds
  23. Kyle Larson, 122.566 mph, 71.961 seconds
  24. Erik Jones, 122.548 mph, 71.972 seconds
  25. Austin Dillon, 122.502 mph, 71.999 seconds
  26. Brad Keselowski, 122.398 mph, 72.060 seconds
  27. Chase Elliott, 122.386 mph, 72.067 seconds
  28. Alex Bowman, 122.339 mph, 72.095 seconds
  29. Ricky Stenhouse Jr., 122.293 mph, 72.122 seconds
  30. Ryan Preece, 122.289 mph, 72.124 seconds
  31. Ty Dillon, 122.249 mph, 72.148 seconds
  32. Riley Herbst, 122.059 mph, 72.260 seconds
  33. Zane Smith, 122.052 mph, 72.264 seconds
  34. Josh Berry, 121.464 mph, 72.614 seconds
  35. Noah Gragson, 121.426 mph, 72.637 seconds
  36. Cody Ware, 120.493 mph, 73.199 seconds
  37. Josh Bilicki, 119.044 mph, 74.090 seconds
  38. Katherine Legge, 115.299 mph, 76.497 seconds

The 2026 Go Bowling at The Glen is scheduled for Sunday, May 10, and will air at 3 p.m. ET on FS1, MRN Radio, SiriusXM and HBO MAX.

RFK Racing’s Buescher, Preece Prepared to Take on Watkins Glen

By
Official Release
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Ford Racing Notes and Quotes
NASCAR Cup Series
Go Bowling at The Glen Media Availability – Watkins Glen International
Saturday, May 9, 2026

Ford Racing drivers Chris Buescher and Ryan Preece stopped by the Watkins Glen International infield media center this morning to talk about tomorrow’s scheduled NASCAR Cup Series race. Returning to the site of his 2024 victory, Buescher enters his 11th career Cup start at Watkins Glen, while Preece marks his sixth start at the track.

CHRIS BUESCHER, No. 17 BuildSubmarines.com Ford Mustang Dark Horse – AS A PAST WINNER, WHAT DOES IT TAKE TO BE SUCCESSFUL HERE AND UNDER THESE CONDITIONS? “Sorry, I was watching them make laps in the wet. It’s not been raining for ‘how many’ hours now, and there’s a little bit of a dry groove rolling in. It’s so cold. Usually, it would be completely dry all the way around it, and you wouldn’t be chasing the moisture on the straightaways. There is a handful of dry racetrack, and speeds are definitely picking up. I think that the weather looks okay for the rest of our day, where we’ll have a pretty normal practice and qualifying. I’m excited to get on track. This is my favorite road course that we come to. I’ve loved this place for a very long time. I’m excited to be back. We got to come up here the other week, talking about this weekend, and looking forward to it. The weather was kind of like this, and we all kind of joked that surely it would turn around. It hasn’t done it quite yet, but Sunday looks like it’s straightening out pretty decently. I just want to say how thankful we are to all the fans that have come out, and braved the weather and conditions. I’m sure a lot of people parked where they could and not where they wanted to be. I appreciate everyone sticking that out with us, because I think we’re going to have some great racing this weekend. I certainly hope that we don’t have to mess with wet conditions. I don’t really enjoy that. Talking with Brad [Keselowski], we’ve had experiences in wet conditions through the years, and he always brings up Montreal from 2009. I bring up COTA (Circuit of The Americas). Probably the dumbest thing that I’ve ever done in a racecar was run down the backstretch at COTA at 140 – 150 miles-per-hour (mph) with absolutely zero vision… and we drove Crown Vics (Ford Crown Victoria) around Talladega this year at 160 mph. I think that says something. I think this is all my round-about way of saying that I don’t enjoy rain racing, but we are excited to have a little bit of a challenge with the conditions. It’s damp without being wet, and I think that’s the kind of idea we strive for. We’re okay racing in damp conditions and can adapt. But when there’s standing water with a 13/14-inch wide tire –I think the rain tires are even wider – it’s just going to hydroplane. I know everyone has had that happen on the road, and it’s not comfortable. It’s less so with triple-digit speed numbers.”

HOW WILL THE COOLER CONDITIONS AFFECT THE RACING? “We had a tire here last year that had some significant fall-off at the very tail-end of a run. It’s the same tire for this go-around. It was a lot more, but we also have horsepower. Is it enough to offset it? Maybe. I don’t have that answer yet. We’ve wondered if it would just flatline because of the extra power or if the temperature is significant enough to hold long-run speed in the tire for longer. I suspect that might be the case because that is a significant temperature change, especially if the sun isn’t out. If we don’t get the solar radiation from the racetrack, then the track stays that much cooler. You’ll be looking at it not falling off as much, even with the extra horsepower. Nine-hundered horsepower might make it fall off in this cold weather… 1,100? Now, we’re going somewhere…”

IS SHANE VAN GISBERGEN (SVG) STILL THE STANDARD FOR ROAD COURSE RACES IN NASCAR? “SVG has come into the NASCAR world and has instantly shown to be an exceptional talent. Very specifically, we’ve seen it with road races right from the get-go. That’s been a benchmark for the entire garage. There have been a handful of racetracks, and Watkins Glen is one that I feel like everyone has run so much over the years. We’re all closer here. But, we’ve been to new racetracks and we realized that we had some work to do. I’ll stray a bit here… I was probably 13 or 14 years old racing Legends cars. We were traveling a lot outside of Texas because we got comfortable. We could win every week in Texas. We needed to move around, be in front of different people and experience new racetracks. I swear every time zone east that we went to, they were two-tenths faster. It made us realize that we had work to do, and what we thought was good enough, wasn’t. That’s the long-winded way of saying that we still have work to do. Everyone has been studying and playing catch up, and we have put a tremendous amount of work into our road race program. All three teams at RFK being able to dive in, share data on all of us to figure out what works on these racetracks. Watkins Glen is a completely different road course than anywhere else we go to. In the sense that we’ve been able to win a race here, we’ve been able to run really well the last handful of times and cover different strategies which we talk about in-house a little more. If we’re going to have stages being flipped, then we don’t want all three cars on the exact same plan in case there is an untimely caution that either none of us will benefit from or all of us will. Ultimately, you like to cover all your bases. I always feel comfortable coming into Watkins Glen. I’ve been fast here since the first Cup race. We were really decent with Front Row [Motorsports] back then. Crazier things have happened, but finding more neutrals into the Bus Stop did not go well in my inaugural race here. It’s been a good track for us, and we’ll have a legitimate chance to win here with our race cars this weekend.”

WHAT ARE YOUR THOUGHTS ABOUT EXTENDING THIS RACE FROM 90 TO 100 LAPS, AND HOW WILL A LONGER STAGE 2 INFLUENCE STRATEGY? “We went to Talladega with a massive overhaul of stages, and we’ve seen a bunch of different strategies – three, four different strategies play out. It changed that side of the race pretty significantly. While the end product may not have been what we ultimately all wanted, the strategy side of things made everybody think and try something new. Is 10 laps enough in the stages to stir things up here? Maybe. Probably not to that extent, but it will at least encourage everybody to take a step back, look at it, and maybe see some varying strategies from those willing to take chances for what we don’t have data for yet. Maybe that makes some more movement through the field. As long as we come out on the good side of that, I’ll be happy about it.”

RYAN PREECE, No. 60 Mohawk Northeast Inc. Ford Mustang Dark Horse – WHAT’S YOUR REACTION TO THE PENALTY THIS WEEK? “Honestly, I’m a bit surprised. I’m thankful that NASCAR has an appeals process, so I feel like I can be heard and let that process play out.”

WAS THERE A CONVERSATION WITH NASCAR, EXPLAINING ITS POSITION AND YOURS? “I was on my mower, mowing my lawn at about 4:30 p.m. in an area that does not have great signal. I just saw that I had a missed call, so when I made the call back, I found out that I had a penalty. At that point, I’m thankful for RFK, for Chip [Bowers] and everyone there for their support. I’m thankful for having Chris and Brad [Keselowski] as teammates and for them being the great teammates that they are. I’m excited to go through the appeals process. At least I can feel like I can go through it and share my side.”

DID YOU REACH OUT TO TY GIBBS? “There is nothing right now, until after an appeals process.”

WILL YOU BE MORE HESITANT ON THE RADIO MOVING FORWARD IF YOU DO NOT WIN THE APPEAL? “At the beginning of the season, we were encouraged to be ourselves. I’m not going to change being myself, but what I can say is that I’m excited for the appeals process, and I look forward to going through that.”

HOW WILL THE COOLER CONDITIONS AFFECT THE RACING? “I echo Chris in that regard. We might be surprised having that little bit of extra horsepower. It might create a little bit more tire heat, which will make them a little bit more of a handful. I just think there are a lot of unanswered questions at this point. I like the direction for what we’re trying to do – create fall-off. If we can keep creeping up on that to where tire fall-off beats fuel load in the racecar, then you’re going to see a lot more strategy play out. My focus this week, preparing for Watkins Glen, is keeping up with this guy (Buescher), because he’s a road course ringer himself. I’ve enjoyed studying what he does in an RFK car and being what we strive to be. Hopefully, that’s trying to put one of these cars in victory lane this weekend, and make Jack Roush and everyone at the RFK Racing company proud.”

HOW SIGNIFICANT, FINANCIALLY, IS THIS PENALTY TO YOU? “I’m feeling pretty good about the appeals process and not having to deal with that. But, that is a substantial amount of money.”

WHAT ARE YOUR THOUGHTS ABOUT EXTENDING THIS RACE FROM 90 TO 100 LAPS, AND HOW WILL A LONGER STAGE 2 INFLUENCE STRATEGY? “To me, that last stage is longer. It kind of breaks up when you’re pitting and when you’re not pitting. If you look at last year’s race, even at like Lap 85 you started to see people hit this peak and really fall. Having that extra 10 laps is only going to magnify that. If you choose to short pit, try to make time by not having traffic to get clean air, it’s a risk. The risk is that you’ll have to go that much extra on tires and potentially have that peak fall off when it happens. I’m happy because it’s more important to make the tires fall off than fuel. A lot of us pit and can make it on fuel. It’d be nice to start having to pit because the hard tires are going to continue falling off, and we need to come in for a set. I’ve liked the direction that Goodyear has been going in over the past year-and-a-half, hearing us race car drivers. I think the fans see the product there. I feel pretty good about it.”

WHAT HAVE YOU LEARNED FROM CHRIS BUESCHER TO HELP GUIDE YOU THROUGH ROAD COURSE RACES? “Well, when people kick your butt on road courses, it kind of forces you to be better. I have no problem going to work, thinking I’m not good enough. Actually, I enjoy that. When you look around for road racing, I look at SVG, AJ Allmandinger – I look at Chris. Then we go to intermediates. There are certain drivers that things just suit their styles. My short track racing background suits the road racing style, but from a speed perspective, there’s a lot of things I can do better as a racer, and I continue to try to do better. The goal for me here this weekend is qualifying in the Top-15, Top-10. It’s a big goal, but I feel like we can, which is going to give us options going into the race. Once we get racing, I feel really good about my racecraft and what we do there. I enjoy the challenge. I’m not scared of a challenge. I look forward to Watkins Glen, because this is a racetrack that I haven’t been racing all my life, but I grew up playing it on videogames. So, I feel like I got a lot of laps around here. I’m just trying to be better.”

Rajah Caruth awarded pole position for O’Reilly event at Watkins Glen

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

Rajah Caruth has been awarded the pole position for the NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series’ Mission 200 at The Glen (Watkins Glen International) on Saturday, May 9.

The event’s starting lineup was initially going to be determined through an on-track qualifying session that would split the field of 38 into two-timed qualifying groups, and the competitor who posted the fastest lap between the two groups would be awarded the pole position.

Saturday’s qualifying session was canceled, however, due to rain and the course being hampered by wet conditions. As a result, the lineup was determined through a qualifying metric formula from the NASCAR rulebook. The formula evaluated competitors’ results from the most recent O’Reilly Auto Parts Series event and the current owner’s standings.

This resulted in Caruth being awarded the pole position as his entry, the No. 88 HendrickCars.com Chevrolet Camaro entry from JR Motorsports, is coming off a victory last weekend at Texas Motor Speedway despite the entry being piloted by Kyle Larson. The No. 88 entry is ranked in second place in the 2026 owner’s standings.

For Saturday’s main event at The Glen, Caruth will start on the front row for an O’Reilly event for a second time this season. He previously started in second place and on the front row alongside teammate Justin Allgaier at Martinsville Speedway in mid-March after that event was also determined through a qualifying metric formula.

Caruth is currently ranked in 15th place in the 2026 driver’s standings as he is navigating his first full-time O’Reilly season of competition between JR Motorsports’ No. 88 Chevrolet entry and Jordan Anderson Racing’s No. 32 Chevrolet entry. He has made 34 previous starts in the O’Reilly division as he continues the pursuit of his first victory.

Speaking of Allgaier, Caruth will share the front row with the latter. Allgaier, who is leading the O’Reilly standings in both the driver’s and owner’s standings. is coming off a runner-up result from last Saturday’s event at Texas.

Sheldon Creed, rookie Brent Crews (the fastest during Saturday’s practice session) and Sam Mayer will start in the top five, respectively. Parker Retzlaff, Brandon Jones, Jesse Love, Austin Hill and Sammy Smith will start in the top 10, respectively.

With 38 competitors vying for 38 starting spots, all made the main event.

Watkins Glen – Starting lineup:

  1. Rajah Caruth
  2. Justin Allgaier
  3. Sheldon Creed
  4. Brent Crews
  5. Sam Mayer
  6. Parker Retzlaff
  7. Brandon Jones
  8. Jesse Love
  9. Austin Hill
  10. Sammy Smith
  11. Jeremy Clements
  12. Shane van Gisbergen
  13. Ryan Sieg
  14. William Sawalich
  15. Anthony Alfredo
  16. Dean Thompson
  17. Connor Zilisch
  18. Brennan Poole
  19. Patrick Staropoli
  20. Lavar Scott
  21. Alex Guenette
  22. Harrison Burton
  23. Jeb Burton
  24. Blaine Perkins
  25. Taylor Gray
  26. Josh Bilicki
  27. Corey Day
  28. Ryan Ellis
  29. Ross Chastain
  30. Alex Labbe
  31. Derek White
  32. Glen Reen
  33. Kyle Sieg
  34. Carson Kvapil
  35. Austin Green
  36. Will Rodgers
  37. Matt Wilson
  38. Preston Pardus

The 2026 Mission 200 at The Glen is scheduled to occur on Saturday, May 9, and air at 4 p.m. ET on the CW Network, MRN Radio and SiriusXM.

Alex Palou wins pole for 2026 Sonsio Grand Prix on IMS Road Course

By
Andrew Kim
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Photo by Chris Owens (Penske Entertainment).

INDIANAPOLIS – Alex Palou remains undefeated leading up to this year’s Sonsio Grand Prix at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway (IMS) Road Course as he secured the NTT P1 Award for the event on Saturday, May 9.

The event’s starting lineup was determined through an on-track qualifying session. It was postponed to Saturday after heavy rain canceled the session o Friday, May 8.

The qualifying session was divided into three segments. The first segment split the field of 25 competitors into two groups. Each group had 10 minutes to post a qualifying lap. At the conclusion of the first qualifying session, the six fastest competitors from each group transferred to a second session.

During the first session, Kyle Kirkwood, Scott Dixon, Pato O’Ward, Graham Rahal, Josef Newgarden and Caio Collet transferred to the second round from the first group. Alex Palou, David Malukas, Felix Rosenqvist, Louis Foster, Romain Grosjean and Christian Lundgaard transferred from the second group.

Meanwhile, the following drivers did not transfer to the second round. They included Alexander Rossi, Marcus Ericsson, Santino Ferrucci, Nolan Siegel, Scott McLaughlin, Mick Schumacher, Christian Rasmussen, Marcus Armstrong, Rinus VeeKay, Kyffin Simpson, Sting Ray Robb, Dennis Hauger and Will Powe. These drivers started 13th through 25th, respectively.

The second segment featured the 12 competitors who transferred from the first round. Each driverhad 10 minutes to post a qualifying lap simultaneously. Only the six fastest competitors transferred to the third and final round (“Firestone Fast 6”). During this session, Palou, O’Ward, Lundgaard, Rosenqvist, Foster and Malukas transferred to the Firestone Fast 6 rounds. Rahal, Dixon, Krikwood, Newgarden, Grosjean and Collet did not. The latter six started seventh through 12th, respectively.

The Firestone Fast 6 session featured the final six qualifiers who transferred from the second round with only six minutes to post a qualifying lap simultaneously. The competitor who posted the fastest lap was awarded the pole position. During this session, Palou drove his No. 10 DHL/Chip Ganassi Racing Dallara-Honda entry to a pole-winning lap at 125.886 in 1:09.7487 with seconds remaining in the final session.

With the pole, Palou, the reigning NTT INDYCAR SERIES champion who was the fastest competitor during the event’s two practice sessions on Friday and maintained pace from Friday’s cool, slick conditions to Saturday’s warm conditions, became the first competitor to win the pole position on the IMS Road Course for three consecutive years. He also achieved his second pole of the 2026 INDYCAR season and his first since Barber Motorsports Park in mid-March and the 14th of his career.

With the pole secured, Palou, the current championship points leader, will attempt to become the first-ever competitor to win at the IMS Road Course for a fourth consecutive time as he has won this event over the previous three seasons.

“It’s tough to get the car in good windows like these guys have been doing,” Palou said on FS1. “It’s a lot of work that everybody’s putting behind at Chip Ganassi Racing. Very happy to get that No. 10 [Honda] on the pole once again here. It feels really, really good. The car was amazing. I think not everybody was running on the new alternates [tires]. I know we’re gonna be on a small disadvantage on the race, but still happy that we start on the front row. We’ll see if we can win with that No. 10 [Honda].”

Palou will share the front row with Pato O’Ward, the latter of whom posted the second-fastest lap at 124.906 mph in 1:10.2962 in his No. 5 Arrow McLaren Dallara-Chevrolet entry. O’Ward, who started on the pole at the IMS Road Course in 2021, secured his eighth front row start for the event. Having finished in the runner-up spot to Palou in the Sonsio Grand Prix a year ago, O’Ward will strive for both his first victory in the event and his first of the 2026 season.

Felix Rosenqvist, Christian Lundgaard, David Malukas and Louis Foster, all of whom transferred to the Firestone Fast 6, will start from third to sixth, respectively.

Qualifying position, Best time, Best speed:

  1. Alex Palou, 1:09.7487, 125.886 mph
  2. Pato O’Ward, 1:10.2962, 124.906 mph
  3. Felix Rosenqvist, 1:10.4548, 124.625 mph
  4. Christian Lundgaard, 1:10.4751, 124.589 mph
  5. David Malukas, 1:10.5660, 124.428 mph
  6. Louis Foster, 1:10.9404, 123.772 mph
  7. Graham Rahal, 1:10.4042, 124.714 mph
  8. Scott Dixon, 1:10.4142, 124.696 mph
  9. Kyle Kirkwood, 1:10.4189, 124.688 mph
  10. Josef Newgarden, 1:10.4938, 124.556 mph
  11. Romain Grosjean, 1:10.4981, 124.548 mph
  12. Caio Collet, 1:10.6299, 124.316 mph
  13. Alexander Rossi, 1:10.7736, 124.063 mph
  14. Marcus Ericsson, 1:10.3765, 124.763 mph
  15. Santino Ferrucci, 1:10.8113, 123.997 mph
  16. Nolan Siegel, 1:10.4288, 124.671 mph
  17. Scott McLaughlin, 1:10.8281, 123.968 mph
  18. Mick Schumacher, 1:10.4487, 124.635 mph
  19. Christian Rasmussen, 1:10.8877, 123.864 mph
  20. Marcus Armstrong, 1:10.4742, 124.590 mph
  21. Rinus VeeKay, 1:11.0611, 123.561 mph
  22. Kyffin Simpson, 1:10.4751, 124.589 mph
  23. Sting Ray Robb, 1:11.2029, 123.315 mph
  24. Dennis Hauger, 1:10.5163, 124.516 mph
  25. Will Power, 1:10.5701, 124.421 mph

The 2026 Sonsio Grand Prix at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Road Course is scheduled to occur on Saturday, May 9, and air at 4:30 p.m. ET on FOX.

How to Style Essentials Hoodie for Everyday Fashion

By
SM
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Everyday fashion needs comfort and simple styling. People prefer outfits that feel easy daily. An Essentials Hoodie helps create relaxed outfits quickly. It blends comfort with modern street fashion trends. Many people choose the hoodie for daily use. It suits work and casual plans easily. Soft fabric makes it comfortable all day. The design stays simple and attractive always. You can mix it with many outfits easily. This hoodie works well in every season. Your hoodie becomes a key wardrobe item. It helps you build stylish daily looks easily. It saves time while getting ready daily. Many people trust it for quick outfits. It offers balance between comfort and trend. This makes it a must have fashion piece.

Choosing The Perfect Fit For Essentials Hoodie Style

Fit is very important in daily styling. A good fit improves your full outfit look. An essentials hoodie should feel relaxed and neat. Oversized styles give a modern street look. Slim fit creates a clean daily appearance. The fear of god essentials hoodie offers balanced fits. It suits both casual and trendy styles. Try different sizes for best comfort daily. Your hoodie should match your body shape. A perfect fit builds confidence quickly. It also improves your overall fashion sense. Choose wisely for daily wear success. Avoid too tight or too loose fits. Balance is key for a clean look. Try outfits in front of a mirror. This helps you pick the best size. Good fit enhances your personality daily.

Pairing Essentials Hoodie With Essential Hoodie And Jeans

Jeans and hoodies create a timeless style. This outfit works well for everyday fashion. An essentials hoodie looks great with denim jeans. Blue jeans give a simple casual look. Black jeans create a sharper outfit style. Many people love Essential Hoodie with jeans. It adds a modern streetwear feel easily. Sneakers complete this outfit in a simple way. This look fits all age groups well. Your hoodie becomes the main style piece. It keeps your outfit fresh and balanced. Try different jeans styles for variation. Ripped jeans add bold streetwear vibes. Straight jeans offer a classic clean look. This combo suits daily activities perfectly. It keeps your style effortless and trendy always.

Layering Looks With Essentials Fear Of God Hoodie

Layering helps create stylish outfit combinations. It adds depth and interest to fashion. An essentials hoodie works well under jackets. Denim jackets create a cool street look. Bomber jackets give a modern touch. The essentials fear of god hoodie fits layering perfectly. It keeps you warm and stylish daily. Choose neutral colors for better layering balance. Dark tones create strong fashion impact. Light tones give fresh and clean looks. Your hoodie becomes more versatile here. Try mixing textures for better styling. Cotton and denim create strong contrast. Layering also works for seasonal changes. It helps you stay comfortable all day. This method improves your fashion creativity daily.

Best Footwear For Essentials Hoodie Fear Of God Outfits

Footwear plays a big role in fashion. Shoes complete your outfit in a strong way. An essentials hoodie pairs well with sneakers daily. White sneakers give a clean and simple look. Black sneakers add bold style to outfits. Many prefer essentials hoodie fear of god combinations. Boots also work well in winter outfits. Choose shoes based on comfort and style. Your Essential Hoodies looks better with right shoes. Good footwear improves your full outfit quickly. Try casual and sporty shoe styles. Each choice creates a different vibe. Running shoes add comfort for long days. Classic sneakers keep your look timeless. Your outfit becomes more stylish with right footwear.

Streetwear Inspiration Using Essentials Hoodies

Streetwear fashion is very popular today. It focuses on comfort and bold styling. An essentials hoodie fits streetwear style perfectly. Pair it with cargo pants for best look. Loose pants create relaxed outfit vibes. The essentials hoodies trend is growing fast worldwide. Add caps to enhance street style appearance. Sunglasses also improve your overall look. Keep colors simple for better styling results. Your hoodie becomes a statement piece. It shows your fashion sense clearly. Try oversized fits for stronger street style. Mix neutral and bold pieces carefully. This style allows creative outfit choices. It suits young and modern fashion lovers.

Color Matching Tips For Essential Hoodie Looks

Color choice affects your overall fashion style. Neutral colors are easy to match daily. An essentials hoodie in grey looks versatile. Black color creates a strong fashion vibe. White gives a fresh and clean feel. Many choose hoodie in soft tones. Match pants with similar color shades. Avoid mixing too many bright colors together. Keep your outfit simple and balanced. Your hoodie stands out with good colors. Smart color choices improve your daily style. Try earth tones for a natural look. Soft shades create a calm outfit feel. Bright colors should be used carefully. Balance is important for good styling results.

Accessories To Style Fear Of God Essentials Hoodie

Accessories help enhance your outfit easily. Small details create a big fashion impact. An essentials hoodie looks better with simple accessories. Caps add a cool streetwear touch. Watches give a classy and clean look. The fear of god essentials hoodie pairs well here. Bags also improve your outfit style. Avoid heavy accessories for daily wear. Keep your look simple and neat. Your hoodie becomes more stylish. Try minimal jewelry for a modern touch. Sunglasses can improve your fashion instantly. Choose items that match your outfit tone. Accessories should not overpower your style. They should support your overall appearance.

Seasonal Styling With Essentials Hoodie

Fashion changes with seasons every year. You should adjust outfits based on weather. An essentials hoodie works in all seasons. In winter use heavy layers for warmth. In summer choose light fabric hoodies. The essentials fear of god hoodie suits all climates. Use light layers during warm days. Use thick layers in cold weather. Your hoodie stays useful all year. It adapts easily to different seasons. Choose colors based on seasonal trends. Light shades work well in summer days. Dark shades suit winter fashion better. This makes your outfit more balanced. Seasonal styling improves comfort and appearance daily.

Build Confidence With Essentials Hoodie Outfits

Confidence improves your overall fashion style. Your attitude shapes your daily look. An essentials hoodie looks best with confidence. Wear your outfit with a positive mindset. The essentials hoodies trend supports bold looks. Do not copy every fashion trend blindly. Create your own unique style identity. Your Essentials Hoodies reflects your personality. Stand strong and feel confident always. Fashion is about comfort and expression. Your look becomes powerful with confidence daily. Practice styling to improve your fashion sense. Try new looks without fear daily. Confidence makes every outfit more attractive. It helps you stand out easily.

GMG Racing and Kyle Washington Bring Two Championship Battles to Sebring SRO Weekend

By
Official Release
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  • Kyle Washington and Tom Sargent Second in GT World Challenge America Powered by AWS Pro-Am Championship Standings in the No. 32 GMG Racing Porsche 911 GT3 R Evo
  • Washington in Early-Season GT America Powered by AWS Title Contention in the Sister No. 32 GMG Racing Porsche 911 GT3 R Evo

SEBRING, Florida (March 8, 2026) – GMG Racing and longtime team driver Kyle Washington have move to the forefront of two SRO America season championships heading into the third SRO America event of 2026 this weekend at Sebring International Raceway. With a victory in the season-opening GT World Challenge America powered by AWS race at Sonoma in March, and a fourth place finish two weeks ago at Circuit of The Americas (COTA), Washington and third-year co-driver Tom Sargent are second in the Pro-Am division in the No. 32 GMG Racing Porsche 911 GT3 R Evo with 37 points, just six shy of the class leaders.

Additionally, Washington has moved into championship contention for the second straight year in the single-driver GT America powered by AWS sprint race series. He secured his second runner-up finish of the four-race season to date in Sunday’s final 40-minute GT America race at COTA in the sister No. 32 GMG Racing Porsche 911 GT3 R Evo. Heading into this weekend’s GT America doubleheader at Sebring, Washington is second in the GT America championship with 48 points.

“It’s still early in the season, and we are not going look too far ahead, but the third race weekend of the year is typically when you take your first glance at the points situation,” said GMG Racing Founder and Principal James Sofronas. “It is good to be in the position we and Kyle are in, but it is still one race at a time and really about maximizing our performance in not only every race but every session for the rest of the season. The GMG Racing team is executing at a winning level, and our cars have been the fastest Porsches in both GT World Challenge and GT America this season so far. The drivers and team have another hot and challenging weekend ahead, but they will handle it like they always do and once again deliver top preparation and support for both Kyle and Tom.”

Washington won the weekend’s second GT America race at Sebring last year, a flag-to-flag victory from the pole by 7.591 seconds over current points leader and former GT America series champion Memo Gidley.

“We did well here last year, so a repeat would be nice,” Washington said. “We have big expectations, but you know, I really like this place. It’s rough. It feels like off-road, which I love, but it feels more like I am in my Trophy Truck than a sports car on this track! The team is doing great. With the leadership of our engineer Rudy, Tom directing on what the car needs and all the guys coming all the way over from Europe every couple of weeks and just working their asses off, they are all making it happen. Everyone together just gets us faster and faster.”

Following morning qualifying, Saturday’s first race will be the opening GT America 40-mintue sprint at 3:35 p.m. EDT. The weekend’s featured GT World Challenge America three-hour is a race into twilight from 5 – 8 p.m. EDT. All qualifying and races from Sebring can be viewed live on SRO RaceControl powered by Vbrick, the GTWorld YouTube channel and SRO Motorsports Twitch.

About GMG Racing: Founded in 2001, GMG Racing quickly established itself as North America’s premier performance tuning facility. What began as a small 1,200 sq. ft. shop, maintaining two race cars, has grown into a state-of-the-art performance tuning, racing and service facility relocated last year to The Thermal Club and a 28,000 sq. ft. trackside motorsports facility. The staff, attention to detail and passion are what make GMG the choice of professionals and enthusiasts worldwide. GMG, in its early years, was located directly across the street from Porsche Motorsport North America (PMNA). This close proximity allowed GMG to build a strong relationship with the legendary racing brand which has helped the company support its customers to the highest level possible. We have since won several Championships, not only with Porsche, but with Audi, Lamborghini, Aston Martin and McLaren. From club racing to Sebring, Daytona, Spa, Montreal, COTA and The Thermal Club, GMG can take you as far as you want to go. More information can be found at www.gmgracing.com.

2026 Niece Motorsports NCTS Race Recap: Watkins Glen International

By
Official Release
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NIECE MOTORSPORTS
NCTS RACE RECAP: WATKINS GLEN INTERNATIONAL

Event: Bully Hill Vineyards 167 at The Glen (72 laps / 167.4 miles)
Round: 8 of 25 (Regular Season)
Track: Watkins Glen International
Location: Watkins Glen, New York
Date & Time: Friday, May 8 | 4:30 PM ET

No. 4 Circle B Motorsports Auctions Chevrolet Silverado RST
Driver: Shane van Gisbergen | Crew Chief: Mike Shiplett

Start: 8th
Stage 1: 29th
Stage 2: 6th

Finish: 3rd
Driver Points: N/A
Owner Points: 31st

  • Key Takeaway: Shane van Gisbergen and the Circle B Motorsports Auctions team fought hard and battled for the win in Watkins Glen. After starting in eighth, van Gisbergen and team flipped the first stage to set up for a good position in stage two. The No. 4 finished the second stage in sixth-place, and worked on a plan to make the most out of the finish. Once he got back into the top-10, van Gisbergen pitted late to take on fresh tires. He narrowly avoided late-race carnage to advance through the field. Thanks to some daring passes on the final restart, van Gisbergen rounded out the podium in third-place.
  • Shane van Gisbergen’s Post-Race Thoughts: “Unfortunately, we didn’t have the speed today but it wasn’t because of lack of effort. Worked on my Chevy all race and got it better, and there at the end was on fresher tires and put myself in some good spots to get up the field. Thanks to Niece Motorsports and Circle B, we gave it a good go and ended up with a pretty good result. I had a lot of fun, thanks to the Niece guys for having me!”

About Circle B Diecast: Circle B Diecast, originally known as Plan B Sales, was founded in 2010 and started as a Lionel die-cast and Chase Authentics apparel wholesale distributor. The Concord, N.C. based company has grown into the largest independent racing collectibles distributor in the United States. Circle B Diecast offers both retail and wholesale customers a vast array of products through their website, www.circlebdiecast.com.

No. 42 J.F. Electric Chevrolet Silverado RST
Driver: Tyler Reif | Crew Chief: Landon Polinski

Start: 20th
Stage 1: 14th
Stage 2: 9th

Finish: 14th
Driver Points: 27th
Owner Points: 26th

  • Key Takeaway: Tyler Reif and the J.F. Electric team had a strong run going in Watkins Glen and came home with a top-15 finish. Reif qualified in 20th, but had to start from the tail of the field after the team changed the brake pads and rotors on his truck. The rookie made ground and passed several trucks throughout the day, proving his race craft and raw pace. On a late restart, Reif lined up inside the top-10, but sustained heavy damage after picking up contact from other trucks. The No. 42 team made repairs and kept Reif in the hunt despite the damage. He crossed the finish line in 14th-place.
  • Tyler Reif’s Post-Race Thoughts: “We had a bunch of speed today and were really consistent. We had a great long-run truck, but I think we just battled being a little tight in the right-handers. We were super good on the lefts, but just needed to free it up a little more. It kind of sucks having a bunch of veterans racing like rookies almost. It’s definitely unfortunate; I wish we could have kept it clean for one race. We had another top-10 run stripped away from our guys. I’m proud of all the work they did and proud of the speed we had on our J.F. Electric Chevy. We’ll get it soon.”

About J.F. Electric: J.F. Electric is an electrical contractor that provides engineering expertise, backed by construction and installation know-how in a diverse range of service offerings, from utilities and commercial projects, to industrial and telecommunications customers. When having a long family history in an industry, a company not only builds on its knowledge and experience, it takes pride in cultivating a solid understanding of client needs, all the while nurturing strong relationships with its employees. Evolving through five generations of the Fowler family, J.F. Electric has matured into a well-managed and thoughtfully diversified electrical contractor which is poised to continue its growth and expansion into the future.

No. 44 BLAC / GoKartMania Academy Chevrolet Silverado RST
Driver: Andres Perez de Lara | Crew Chief: Wally Rogers

Start: 22nd
Stage 1: 7th
Stage 2: 5th

Finish: 13th
Driver Points: 15th
Owner Points: 22nd

  • Key Takeaway: Andrés Pérez de Lara and the BLAC / GoKartMania Academy team brought a super fast truck to Watkins Glen. Though he started in 22nd, Pérez de Lara was quick in the race and advanced his position at a rapid pace. The sophomore driver scored much-needed points in both stages. While running inside the top-10 late, the No. 44 Silverado was clipped in an incident which prompted an untimely pit stop. Pérez de Lara recovered at the finish, and came home in 13th-place.
  • Andrés Pérez de Lara’s Post-Race Thoughts: “I’m just frustrated to have another good day go wrong. We were involved another crash that wasn’t our fault yet again. But on the bright side, we had the speed today. I hope we can get some better results on the road courses. We have the pace, but just need to execute. More than anything, we need to have better luck on our side. Thanks to all of the No. 44 guys for their hard work this weekend.”

About BLAC: BLAC is a technology and logistics company specializing in real-time tracking, asset visibility, and intelligent monitoring solutions for transportation, providing also location and condition data in real time for all shipments in the entire supply chain operations. With operations and coverage at an international level, BLAC provides advanced tracking technology designed to help companies reduce risk, improve operational control, and protect high-value cargo through real-time visibility and smart alert systems.

Through its innovative platform and 24/7 monitoring capabilities, BLAC supports businesses across multiple industries with scalable solutions focused on logistics security, transportation efficiency, and asset recovery. With years of experience in GPS tracking, supply chain visibility, and transportation security, BLAC continues to position itself as a trusted technology partner for companies seeking smarter and safer logistics operations.

About GoKartMania: GoKartMania is Mexico’s leading indoor go-kart track, a 100% Mexican company with a global presence. Our karts are of European origin and feature the most precise timing system. At GoKartMania, you’ll find activities for the whole family and a wide variety of race formats and activities.

We’re the ideal place for both beginners and seasoned motorsport enthusiasts. From a fun-filled, adrenaline-fueled afternoon with the family to competing in high-level series and championships, including position races, knockout format, endurance races, and karting clinics. We also offer birthday parties, team building activities, product launches, and much more.

No. 45 Protect Your Melon New York Chevrolet Silverado RST
Driver: Ross Chastain | Crew Chief: Phil Gould

Start: 33rd
Stage 1: 6th
Stage 2: 20th

Finish: 28th
Driver Points: N/A
Owner Points: 6th

  • Key Takeaway: Ross Chastain and the Protect Your Melon team fought for the race win in Watkins Glen, but were unable to see the end of the race. Chastain started from the rear of the field after discovering an electrical issue in qualifying, but it did not take his team long to strategize a way to get to the front of the field. After finishing sixth in stage one, the No. 45 team elected to flip the second stage to gain track position. Chastain took the lead for a total of 17 laps in the final stage and was controlling the race when he was dealt an costly restart violation penalty. While he was working his way through the field, contact from another competitor sent Chastain careening hard into the wall, resulting in a disappointing 28th-place finish.
  • Ross Chastain’s Post-Race Thoughts:

Interviewer: Well Ross, today ends early when you were caught up in a wreck near the back of the pack, but I imagine more of the frustration was on that restart violation.

“Yeah, I haven’t seen a replay, but if they said I went early, then I’m pretty sure I did.”

Interviewer: What is your thought overall on the day and what you were able to do when you had a chance earlier in the race to go for the win?

“Yeah, Phil Gould and our Protect Your Melon Chevy, we definitely went aggressive on the strategy and we needed those cautions that we got. We found a grounding issue with a lack of a crimp on a wire earlier in qualifying, but it was an incredible effort by Niece Motorsports to bring a couple new trucks here to the track for a couple of us drivers. I just mis-executed. I mean, I completely failed on that restart by going early. I crossed the line and went on the wrong line, clearly. That hurts, and then to double down, I tear it up back for 20th. Very humbling day here.”

About The New York State Governor’s Traffic Safety Committee: The New York State Governor’s Traffic Safety Committee (GTSC) coordinates traffic safety activities in the state and shares useful, timely information about traffic safety and the state’s highway safety grant program.

The Committee is comprised of thirteen agencies who have missions related to transportation and safety. The GTSC is chaired by the Commissioner of the Department of Motor Vehicles and acts as the state’s official liaison with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

About Niece Motorsports: Niece Motorsports is a professional auto racing team that has competed in the NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series since 2016. The team is owned by Josh Morris of DQS Solutions and Staffing and the Fowler Family of J.F. Electric and Utilitra, and was founded by United States Marine Corps Veteran Al Niece. At its 80,000 sq. ft. headquarters in Salisbury, NC, Niece Motorsports is a full-service race vehicle build shop as well as a customizable fabrication shop for any manufacturing needs.

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