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Herta Claims Another NTT P1 Award on Streets of Toronto

By
Official Release
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TORONTO (Saturday, July 19, 2025) – Colton Herta gave Andretti Global all the credit for delivering another fast racecar at Exhibition Place, but let’s be honest: The second-generation NTT INDYCAR SERIES driver is wicked quick on this 11-turn, 1.786-mile street circuit.

Herta won the NTT P1 Award for the Ontario Honda Dealers Indy Toronto for the second consecutive year and the third time in four years. Only Dario Franchitti (five) and Sebastien Bourdais (four) have won more poles for this event.

Herta figures to deliver a strong performance in Sunday’s race, too, as he has finished second, third and first in the past three outings. The 90-lap contest is set for noon ET (FOX, FOX Sports app, INDYCAR Radio Network).

“We have a great car here, it’s plain and simple as you see,” Herta said of the No. 26 Gainbridge Honda of Andretti Global w/ Curb-Agajanian that turned the only Firestone Fast Six lap under 1 minute (59.8320 seconds). “I’d like to think (the team’s drivers are) better than everybody else, but the cars are really just that good.

“I think (the cars) make us look really good.”

Herta won his second pole of the season, the other also coming on a street circuit (in last month’s Chevrolet Detroit Grand Prix presented by Lear). He pushed his career pole total to 16, breaking a tie with Tony Kanaan and Juan Pablo Montoya on the all-time list. Herta’s total ranks 21st in history, with Emerson Fittipaldi next on the list with 17.

Herta’s goal now is to win his first race of the season. He won two races last year, including this one.

The surprise of this qualifying session was that Kyle Kirkwood didn’t join Herta on the front row. The teammates had the dominant cars of practice, and they finished 1-2 in last year’s race. But the rear of Kirkwood’s No. 27 Silver Gold Bull Honda slipped out from under him on his final qualifying lap, and he quickly aborted with the hope he’d get another lap. There wasn’t enough time.

“We just gave away a pole, without a doubt,” a disappointed Kirkwood said. “I started the lap and the first time all weekend, I got a huge snap. (The car) has been understeering and the one time I go through (Turn 2) when it matters for pole it bottoms (out) and I have the huge snap. It’s unfortunate.

“It feels like I’m throwing away poles left and right on street courses.”

Kirkwood was in a similar mood in Detroit after he qualified third. However, he recovered to win that race, the second of his street circuit victories this season. He also won the Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach in April. He has three race wins this year.

Series leader Alex Palou of Chip Ganassi Racing qualified second in the No. 10 DHL Chip Ganassi Racing Honda. He holds a 129-point lead over the field with five races remaining as he bids for his third consecutive season championship and fourth in five years. Palou finished fourth in this event last year, and this is one of the circuits where he has not won a race.

Rounding out the top six qualifiers were Marcus Armstrong (No. 66 SiriusXM/Root Insurance Honda of Meyer Shank Racing w/ Curb-Agajanian), Team Penske’s Will Power (No. 12 Verizon Team Penske Chevrolet), Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing’s Graham Rahal (No. 15 United Rentals Honda) and Kirkwood.

Palou’s teammate, Chip Ganassi Racing’s Scott Dixon (No. 9 PNC Bank Chip Ganassi Racing Honda), leads active drivers with four victories at Exhibition Place. Power has three race wins here while teammate Josef Newgarden (No. 2 PPG Team Penske Chevrolet) has two.

Arrow McLaren’s Christian Lundgaard (2023) and Herta (2024) are the other previous Toronto race winners in this 27-car field. The winner at Exhibition Place has come from the pole each of the past two years and three times in the past four years.

This is the fourth and final street race of the season. The last events on the calendar will be held on a pair of road courses (WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca and Portland International Raceway) followed by two oval tracks (The Milwaukee Mile and Nashville Superspeedway).

Chase Elliott secures Cup Series pole at Dover after qualifying canceled

By
Angie Campbell
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Chase Elliott photo by David Myers for SpeedwayMedia.com.

Chase Elliott secured the NASCAR Cup Series pole at Dover Motor Speedway after Saturday’s qualifying session was canceled due to rain.

The Busch Light Pole Award was determined by NASCAR’s qualifying matrix (70% previous race finish and 30% current owner points).

Elliott commented on the importance of the pole and how it reflects on their efforts throughout the season.

“It’s definitely a different pole than normal,” he said. “Saturday has definitely not been a strong suit, so we had to blaze a little different trail to get a pole. At the end of the day, it’s a testament of hard work throughout the year and a good stretch of races, right? It earns you the metric that puts you in a position if it were to rain.

Elliott continued, saying, “It’s a little different vibe, but we’ll take it. We’ll try to take advantage of that first pit stall tomorrow. It’s always a big deal. It’s not something we have a whole bunch of, so we’d like to get in the habit of getting that more often. Hopefully, we’ll have a good day.”

Chase Briscoe, Christopher Bell, Tyler Reddick and William Byron round out the top-five starters for Sunday’s AutoTrader EchoPark Automotive 400.

The AutoTrader EchoPark Automotive 400 will be broadcast at 2 p.m. ET on TNT Sports/truTV and HBO Max with radio coverage provided by PRN Radio, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.

Starting Lineup

12521_STARTROW

Taylor Gray captures third career Xfinity Series pole at Dover

By
Angie Campbell
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Photo by Sean Gardner | Getty Images

Taylor Gray will lead the field to green for the Xfinity Series race at Dover Motor Speedway Saturday afternoon. It is the third career pole for the Joe Gibbs Racing driver.

He was 29th in practice and commented on the adjustments the team made before the qualifying session.

“Unloading off the truck, we just missed some travel stuff a little bit, and we were really hard in the splitter and worked throughout practice to make our car better.” Gray added, “I’m super proud of all my guys at Joe Gibbs Racing, obviously just super proud of the turnaround we had”.

Nick Sanchez will join him on the front row, followed by Connor Zilisch, Brandon Jones, and Ross Chastain to round out the top five.

Starting Lineup – Xfinity Series at Dover

PosNoDriverTeamTimeSpeed
154Taylor Gray #Operation 300 Toyota23.578152.685
248Nick Sanchez #Big Machine Label Group Chevrolet23.673152.072
388Connor Zilisch #Carolina Carports Chevrolet23.753151.56
420Brandon JonesMenards/Schultz Toyota23.766151.477
59Ross Chastain(i)Acceptance Insurance Chevrolet23.787151.343
619Aric AlmirolaYoung Life Toyota23.794151.299
77Justin AllgaierRegistix Chevrolet23.835151.038
818William Sawalich #Soundgear Toyota23.841151
925Harrison BurtonMorton Buildings Ford23.884150.729
1027Jeb BurtonFasTrack Auto Transport Chevrolet23.889150.697
110Sheldon CreedFriends of Jaclyn Ford23.916150.527
122Jesse LoveWhelen Chevrolet23.927150.458
1341Sam MayerAudibel Ford23.948150.326
141Carson Kvapil #Bass Pro Shops/Clarience Tech Chevrolet23.949150.319
1521Austin HillTitan Risk Solutions Chevrolet23.956150.276
1632Rajah Caruth(i)Events DC Chevrolet24150
178Sammy SmithPilot Chevrolet24.024149.85
1899Matt DiBenedettoViking Motorsports Chevrolet24.024149.85
1939Ryan SiegSci Aps Ford24.135149.161
2026Dean Thompson #Thompson Pipe Group/Legends Toyota24.135149.161
2117Jake FinchHendrickCars.com Chevrolet24.14149.13
2245Lavar ScottMongoose Power Solutions Chevrolet24.192148.81
2344Brennan PooleClark’s/CW & Sons Chevrolet24.205148.73
2431Blaine PerkinsWerner Chevrolet24.206148.723
2570Leland HoneymanLH Construction Chevrolet24.221148.631
2642Anthony AlfredoLanita Specialized Chevrolet24.227148.595
274Parker RetzlaffFix Your Lid Chevrolet24.235148.545
2851Jeremy ClementsBG Crane Services/Alliance Chevrolet24.249148.46
2911Josh WilliamsAlloy Employer Services Chevrolet24.309148.093
3010Daniel Dye #Champion Container Chevrolet24.374147.698
3116Christian Eckes #Campers Inn RV Mobile Medic Chevrolet24.438147.312
3224Ryan TruexNew Jersey State Police Toyota24.441147.293
3391Josh BilickiRita’s Italian Ice ChevroletOwner Points146.843
3471Ryan EllisEnglert/Sila Services ChevroletOwner Points146.753
3528Kyle SiegIMS FordOwner Points146.027
365Kaz Grala(i)Ferguson ChevroletOwner Points145.625
3714Garrett SmithleyCamp Barnes ChevroletOwner Points144.893
387Nick LeitzDexerDry.com ChevroletOwner Points0

CHEVROLET NCS AT DOVER: Chase Elliott Media Availability Quotes

By
Official Release
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NASCAR CUP SERIES
DOVER MOTOR SPEEDWAY
TEAM CHEVY DRIVER QUOTES
JULY 19, 2025

 With precipitation forcing the cancellation of the NASCAR Cup Series practice and qualifying session at Dover Motor Speedway, the starting lineup for tomorrow’s AutoTrader EchoPark Automotive 400 will be set by the rulebook, putting Chase Elliott and the No. 9 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet team on the pole.

Media Availability Quotes:

Chase, what does starting on the front row mean for you and the team?

“It’s definitely a different pole than normal. Saturday has definitely not been a strong suit, so we had to blaze a little different trail to get a pole. At the end of the day, it’s a testament of hard work throughout the year and a good stretch of races, right? It earns you the metric that puts you in a position if it were to rain.

It’s a little different vibe, but we’ll take it. We’ll try to take advantage of that first pit stall tomorrow. It’s always a big deal. It’s not something we have a whole bunch, so we’d like to get in the habit of getting that more often. Hopefully, we’ll have a good day.”

Obviously a new tire for this weekend. What’s the feeling of not having any laps from that tire before the green flag?

“At the moment, I don’t really know because I haven’t spent any time on it.

I think all we can really do at this point is just try and dissect any similarities that the tire this weekend might have to a change that we’ve maybe already seen throughout the year. Really just make your best guess off of the information that you have in front of you with that. I feel like that stuff is always a little bit of an educated guess when you’re coming to these places for the first time.

Hopefully, we hit that right and can have a good day and get going. I’m sure the track being fresh like it is right now and the Xfinity drivers fixing to go run — I’m not sure if we’re expecting any more rain overnight or not, but hopefully there’ll be some rubber down before we start tomorrow. I think that would certainly help concerns as the race gets going, but we’ll see. Last year, we were cording tires within just a handful of laps in practice. It could be an interesting day. We’ll find out.”

Do you feel maybe like the guinea pig being on the pole without practicing qualifying with this? Not to the extreme of the Bristol fiasco where everybody was losing tires so quickly, but do you feel like you’re sort of like it’s a lab rat waiting to feel the green with this? How does the debriefing conversations take place when you’re on the pole like this?

“We didn’t get on track, so I don’t really know that we have anything to debrief, honestly, unless we want to talk about our travel getting up here (laughs). But outside of that, I don’t really think we had a whole bunch going on. I don’t really know other than I just was talking about maybe thinking back to some other races that we’ve had a similar tire; try and take an educated guess on something that we’ve already seen or hope pieces of the puzzle are looking at us somewhere that we can try and pick apart. But outside that, I do feel like it is a little bit of a risk kind of being out front. If you are able to get through one and two well and get clear when you have clean air like that, you’re kind of in the best position to make the most lap time, right? And a lot of times when you’re running fast on a green track on a fresh tire, that typically can lead to issues. So we’ll just have to see… see what this race is like today and how much rubber is left over before we start tomorrow. Kind of eyeball that before we start the race and find a silver lining in there somewhere. Hopefully I’ll be the first one back around to the rubber when everybody gets done running through it one time, so we’ll look at it that way.”

Here at Dover, you’ve had 14 starts and 10 of those you’ve had top-fives. What is it about this place that you like so much? And what is it about this track that you just tend to find that piece of consistency from start to finish in races?

“Yeah, that’s been a popular question throughout the day. I honestly don’t know why the track has suited me throughout my career. Kind of right from the rip, I enjoy coming up here. I ran a truck race here early on in my career, and a few Xfinity races when we raced up here twice a year at that time. So yeah, all those races were just enjoyable. The track is challenging. It’s one of those places that can certainly reach out and get you if you don’t watch it. I’ve always just tried to respect this place as best as I know how and hope that it shows me some respect back, and that’s kind of always been my approach.”

I’m not sure if you’re aware, but 24 straight races here, the pol sitter hasn’t gone on to win. I’m just wondering, does that give you any expectations?

“Thanks a lot… I really appreciate that (laughs).

I mean, no. I guess just hope it’s not 25. That’s about all I can do right now. We’ll try to try to break the streak.

We obviously haven’t put rubber down here since spring of last year, and with the rain and stuff now, are you worried that these conditions are going to make the track a lot different from what you’re used to and kind of shake out your groove?

“I mean, it’s certainly a concern, I think, as you start the race. When you just have unknowns with the tire, I think kind of to expand on some of the earlier questions — yes, I think that there’s definitely an element of concern and just the fact that you don’t have those answers, right? And I think as a race team, you always want to try to have all the answers you can get in front of you before you start the race.

Unfortunately, this is just a circumstance where we’re just simply not going to have that before tomorrow. So it’ll be a little bit of a trial-and-error run throughout the race, and hopefully the error is not too large that we can’t overcome if there is one. Be smart, take advantage of that first pit stall, try to go to work and put together a full race.”

About General Motors

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

Toyota GAZOO Racing – NCS Dover Quotes – Denny Hamlin – 07.19.25

By
Official Release
-

Toyota GAZOO Racing – Denny Hamlin
NASCAR Cup Series Quotes

DOVER, Del. (July 19, 2025) – Joe Gibbs Racing driver Denny Hamlin was made available to the media on Saturday prior to practice for the NASCAR Cup Series race at the Dover Motor Speedway.

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

What are your thoughts on running an open team and are you worried about Tyler Reddick’s contract and being lured away to another team?

“I don’t have any direct comment to that. All I can tell you, and this will be my blanket answer for all questions about this is, if you want answers, you want to understand all of why this is happening, come December 1st. You will get the answers that you are looking for and all will be exposed.”

What is the impact of the Brickyard 400 and what is the strategy of that race?

“There is just so much history at that track. Just the close calls that I’ve had at that one – that is kind of the last big major win that I don’t have on my resume. Leading with six laps to go, blowing a tire back in 2020 – just so many close calls. It is one that I’m highly motivated to run really well at. It is also always been kind of a showcase of driver, team, engine department – kind of everything. You don’t see a whole lot of surprises there – there has been some, but not a whole lot. Maybe a little more in the Next Gen era because qualifying means more, track position means more than it ever has, but generally speaking, nothing takes away from the prestigious of winning at that track. That is just something that is very, very special. The facility has so much history that you just can’t take away – no matter the circumstances or how you win it – you just can’t take away from the prestige of winning at the Brickyard.”

Do you have confidence you can win this weekend? What do you think the tire is going to do?

“That is the only kind of kink – chink in the armor with where does your confidence lay is we do have a different tire combination. I feel like we’ve done a really good job at adapting to that and understanding that this is a tire that we have had on a couple of the intermediates, but overall, I’m very confident. I feel as so, since I’ve changed my style of driving at this track over the last six to seven years, it has worked with all kinds of tires and cars. Yes, still very confident.”

Has anything changed that has made you second guess your decision to file the lawsuit?

“Not a chance.”

Have you talked about running open cars and what it would mean if 41 cars show up?

“December 1st is all that matters. Mark your calendar.”

Is it a big focus on your time?

“I would love to be doing other things. I have a lot going on, but when I get in the car in a few minutes, nothing else is going to matter other than that. I always give my team 110 percent. I always prepare – whether I have side

jobs, side hustles, more kids – that all matters, but I always give my team all the team that I need to make sure when I strap in, I’m 100 percent committed.”

Was there a meeting at 23XI or any message to the team?

“No.”

What has made Joe Gibbs Racing so successful at Dover?

“I think good cars mean a fair amount of it, and the second is – I was really blessed to have Martin Truex as a teammate. He was exceptional at this race track, and really the gold standard. As Jimmie’s (Johnson) success started to tail off, he was the next guy in line that every time we came here, you were going to have to battle him for race wins. Early in my career, I was studying Jimmie. Late in my career, I was studying Martin – those two guys were the guys I changed my style too and it has been better.”

How important would it be to get the regular season championship?

“It is important. It is something that all of the guys that are in contention are really striving for. It is something that – it is an accomplishment that we would all like to have. Obviously, it didn’t take precedence over the birth of my son. If the regular season was all that I cared about, I wouldn’t have missed that race but family has changed my priorities a little bit on that. It is one of the – I don’t know that it is another crown jewel, but it is certainly a crowning accomplishment that we have in our series now that rewards big sample sizes. I think that is why people would view it pretty highly. If you look at the guys that have won it, it has been the guys that have dominated the first 26 races of the season. There have been no flukes, no accidental winners. It is the biggest sample size that we have in the sport, so that is why I think it is the most legitimate.”

How do you feel like the In-Season Challenge went?

“I think it has been successful. I think it has been unfortunate, right, you probably had a lot of the top seeds get knocked out pretty early in it, but overall, I thought the implementation of it has been good. I thought the press around it has been good. We are talking – I think none of the eight had even won a race this year – so while it was kind of an unfortunate thing that you knocked out your top seeds and guys that people were probably counting on to keep their brackets going, I think overall it has been great for the storylines of the drivers that are still in it, and it will matter. I think the only – if I were in charge – it is just tweaking the tracks that it is. I think even the finale next week, you are not going to have a side-by-side battle of your head-to-head guys, just because we are going to a track where we don’t run side-by-side. It is just refine your schedule around – if you keep it – make sure you have these five on race tracks that could create a compelling thing to watch on TV, because even if you have someone who is – next week, if your top two guys are running eighth to 10th – they might as well be a full track apart. It is such a huge buffer on a place like Indy. Overall, I think it has been a good success, and I’m glad that they did implement it.”

What are your thoughts of being an owner to a driver that is still in the running to win the In-Season Challenge?

“I think Tyler (Reddick) probably knows that – it is probably as important to us as it is to him. He was able to win the driver’s regular season last year, and that was a good accomplishment. It was a good milestone for that team. He knows the importance of it and that we want to win it, and he is certainly highly motivated.”

Can you talk about the improvements that Tyler Reddick has made the last three weeks?

“Yeah, he’s closed in – I think he has now passed me in the points. I’ve had a bit of a rough go of it. They are kind of doing what they were doing in the middle of the summer last year where they made that run towards the regular season – while their pace hasn’t been elite, but their finishing hasn’t been elite. They are just executing well, getting the best finishes they can out of their car that day, and that has been the key. Really truthfully, people like him and Chase Elliott making this little run towards the regular season has really been largely due to them not beating themselves, and the rest of us just stepping on it.”

About Toyota

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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.

Toyota GAZOO Racing – NCS Dover Quotes – Tyler Reddick – 07.19.25

By
Official Release
-

Toyota GAZOO Racing – Tyler Reddick
NASCAR Cup Series Quotes

DOVER, Del. (July 19, 2025) – 23XI Racing driver Tyler Reddick was made available to the media on Saturday prior to practice for the NASCAR Cup Series race at the Dover Motor Speedway.

TYLER REDDICK, No. 45 SiriusXM Toyota Camry XSE, 23XI Racing

What kind of concern do you have being in an open car and your contract?

“Everything related to litigation, charters – I don’t have a comment for at this time. Thank you though.”

What updates do you want on the In-Season Challenge and your match-up with Ty Gibbs?

“The last three weeks I feel like we’ve raced around each other a bunch, so I don’t know if I’m going to need any. I feel like that will continue, especially – I don’t know where I saw the stat somewhere on X – I saw that I think 490 some laps that we’ve ran here, we’ve ran like 490 laps within two or three spots of each other, or something like that. It does feel like every time I’ve been at Dover since Ty (Gibbs) has been in the Cup Series, I can at least see him on the track when I’m making laps, and yeah, last year, I finished directly behind him – so I feel like that is going to continue. I feel like we are going to be around each other a lot this weekend. Hopefully, we will have some good hard racing.”

What is your expectation on the new tire at Dover this weekend?

“I don’t know the exact details – but as far as – I believe it is a right side that we run at some of the intermediate style tracks, but yes, the left side is different. The trend with that has been softer tires that lay more rubber – something that goes along with that is marbling outside of the racing lane, but typically when there is more rubber going down on the race track, it is presenting us with more options on the racing surface, especially a place like this. Even last year, when we ran here, it was laying so much rubber down on the track that it was forcing you, late in the runs, to move around to get away from the rubber build up. I feel like we were having so much of it on corner exit, it reminds me of Martinsville. That would be exciting. That would be good. Certainly, would force you to move around off the bottom if the rubber really builds up like that again, and quite possibly could do more of that. Excited to see what that means here. Typically, I felt like, this race track – the more sun, the more heat it has, all of the stuff we talked about just now increases. I think the more that happens, the more wide the surface gets, the more options we have as drivers as the tires wear out.”

Do you anticipate the track to open up quicker with multiple lanes with the new tires?
“Yeah, I mean, that is a guess. I think practice will be telling to some degree. I felt like in years past, we don’t lay a lot of rubber down in practice, and if this tire does lay rubber in practice, or quite a bit of rubber, I think that will be a sign on how much faster the track will rubber in and how much sooner it will fall off a little bit. That’s my thought.”

What makes this track difficult to qualifying at?

“It is a test of your guts. That is for sure. This place, again in practice, you will go out there and you will have some kind of idea on how fast it could possibly be on a cleanish race track, and by the end of the run, you are kind of driving it like you would do it in the race. You get out of the car and you look at some data, and then you go out and go qualify. You get two laps, but realistically, I think it is going to be one lap, so with that you just have to have good notes, you have to be ready, as soon as you get out of the car to put practice behind you until tomorrow or later in the day after you qualified, because the mind set and the approach and how much harder you have to drive the car on those two laps is an extreme. I feel like it is more extreme here than a lot of the race tracks that we go too for qualifying.”

10 years ago, you won here in the Truck Series. How significant is to have the unique Dover trophy?

“For me personally, it was early in my NASCAR career. It was really cool to get a trophy as unique as that. I’ve been fortunate to win some unique trophies over the years, but that is one for me, running Trucks, that was a big deal. Obviously, having a trophy like that is really cool, but in the Truck Series – it is not the full-size trophy, but it is still a trophy nonetheless, I don’t know. I just felt like the year before, I had some issues I was fighting in the car comfort wise. I was motivated to come back here the next year, 10 years ago, and run good. There is something about this place, the way it races, how creative you have to be in the car, how much you have to search – I just love this race track and would love to take home the full-size trophy on Sunday.”

What are the odds that the three guys named Ty or Tyler in the Cup Series would make the final four of the In-Season Challenge?

“Did John Hunter (Nemechek) change his name to Ty yet? (laughter) Yeah, that is pretty wild. There is a lot of things that have happened throughout this that looking back, you would have thought at some point – and it finally happened last week, you would have thought that at some points there would be teammates matched up, and we finally got that, and yeah, it seems if the first two letters in your name are T and Y, you are going to pretty far in this thing, so yeah, very interesting for sure. I think, myself and other drivers talk about it for sure, it is all about execution these weeks – for the most part, everyone is really close on speed that making the right strategy call or having good restarts, avoiding the chaotic, big losses of track position – all of those things really, really matter, and I feel like the In-Season Tournament really has shown that – the drivers that step up to the plate and get it done, and have that ability or find their way through it. I think for my case, I was fortunate throughout it. At Atlanta, Kyle (Larson) unforuntately, got caught up in it, so I was okay there. I really thought me and (Carson) Hocevar were going to be around each other a lot in Chicago, and then he collected about half the field when he had his issue. Sonoma was a real test. (Ryan) Preece, I think was better than us last week, but it came down to the end of the race. We came in and got tires – he did as well, but he got collected in the chaos. We were able to shoot the gap and get through it. The pressure of being behind the guy you have to beat throughout the day, throughout the race is something that can get to you, so you just have to understand it, put it away and use it to motivate yourself to hopefully get back to him and hopefully battle with him. I feel like me and Ty (Gibbs) will most likely be around each other a lot tomorrow and probably today in practice too.”

Can you talk about racing at Indianapolis Motor Speedway?

“We’ve gotten to race the road course, and I got to race on the oval, the full circuit, a couple years back when I was running Xfinity, so it was really cool last year to get in it, get back to running the two-and-a-half mile track with the Next Gen car and see what that’s like. It was really mind blowing to see some of the tendencies you would have to do with that car to make it through the pack. (Kyle) Larson really used that to his advantage last year, and it is going to be interesting to see how much the field has learned from that and how much they apply what he did to what the field is going to do when we go back. It is fun. We did last year – we had that 50 minute practice – you are going out there on stickers and you are going as fast as you can. It is really exhilarating to nail the lap and get it right at a place like that. It is very unforgiving if you miss it – even in a Cup car.”

Are you having a sense of optimism since you are consistently in the top-10, or is it frustration because you haven’t won a race yet this season?

“I would say that – I think it is fair, I think at some degree that we frustrated that we haven’t won for sure, but we’ve been using it as motivation to keep improving and finding speed and increasing the amount of times that we properly execute throughout the race. We haven’t really backed away from the fact that we haven’t won a race. We are just using it motivate. It is crazy. I feel like three weeks ago we were 120 something points behind William Bryon and a lot of those cars up there, and the last couple of weeks we have closed the gap. Sonoma – we didn’t really make up much ground at all – but we were still able to pass my bossman, Denny (Hamlin), in points. I think we are right on that cusp of being right there of having weeks like we’ve had in the last three weeks. I think we can keep closing in on it. If we keep performing at that level, we will continue to find opportunities to battle for wins and hopefully one of those come our way too.”

Were the last three races track specific success?

“It’s Atlanta, and Chicago. I don’t know – I know that Shane (Van Gisbergen) is really good at street courses, and there is a number of guys good at road courses, but something about the way you get around Chicago works for me. I’ve been fast every time we’ve been there. For us to have the speed that we did in Chicago is good, but yeah, Sonoma for us was a weekend where we didn’t have the speed that we wanted, we thought our car drove good, but we were able to put tires on and get the finish. I think this weekend will be really important. We’ve been working really hard the last two months to figure out what we are missing and get some of that speed back, and I think it will be a really important test to see how much progress we’ve made on that. This is a place where yes, you’ve got to run a smooth, clean race. It is easy to make a mistake and get yourself out of it, but we definitely want to unload in practice here today and be top-five on pace for sure.”

What would it mean to you to win a million dollars?

“It would be great. I feel like I’m too busy to think about what I would even do with it, but nonetheless it would be great to have and once I have some free time, maybe if I get some free time during the week, I can think about what I would spend it on, but if anything, you can just put it away and maybe have some fun with the money during the off-season.”

Any chance it might get you back into a dirt car?

“Much less would get me back in the dirt car, that is for sure. It is a tricky balance. I love dirt racing. I always have. That is what got me going in racing. It just a difficult balance. I want to make sure I’ve giving my team, my crew everything I can to be prepared. I think it is really important to do all you can during the week to be prepared, so right now, to able to disappear a night or two a week to go race dirt doesn’t make the most sense, and I’m hoping here soon – I keep saying it – I feel like one day I will just do it. I will be able to do that at some point, but as of right now, it doesn’t look like it is happening.”

Do you think NASCAR made the right choice on the tracks for the In-Season Challenge?

“I don’t think there is a wrong choice, honestly. Yes. I think the tracks that we went too had a sense of some unpredictability to it. They could have done it anywhere, but certainly, the tracks that they chose added to that chaos certainly. Getting going, I felt like Sonoma was kind of the first race in this tournament where it should play out, somewhat naturally, but you still did have a lot of movers late in the race with those restarts. I’m good with it either way. Whatever tracks they want to choose, I’m all for it. It’s been fun, and I’ve enjoyed it.”

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 AT DOVER: Kyle Busch Media Availability Quotes

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Official Release
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NASCAR CUP SERIES
DOVER MOTOR SPEEDWAY
TEAM CHEVY DRIVER QUOTES
JULY 19, 2025

 Kyle Busch, driver of the No. 8 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet, met with the media in advance of the NASCAR Cup Series practice and qualifying session at Dover Motor Speedway.

Media Availability Quotes:

Can you talk about the initiative at Dover Air Force Base this week?

“Yeah, Cheddar’s has a special promotion for red, white, and blue. We wanted to give honor to the service members that are over here at Dover Air Force Base, with Dover being the next race on the Cheddar’s calendar. And so, Cheddar’s has painted their car red, white, and blue for this weekend, also in honor of veterans that have or do work at Cheddar’s. There are 67 names on the decklid this weekend, and we’re here to honor those, but also paid a visit over to the military base to help honor some more that were over there.”

What was your take from the visit?

“It’s always enjoyable to be able to go and spend some time with our service members — their passion for the sport and watching us go around the racetrack on Sunday’s. It was really, really cool to just spend some time with them; sign some autographs and take some pictures. There was a foreign exchange student group that was there as well, too, that got to spend some time checking out the race car and looking around on that.

It was a really good piece by Cheddar’s. We appreciate them serving lunch for everyone, as well. They made it a good time for everyone.”

Throughout your career here (at Dover Motor Speedway), you’ve had a bunch of wins, but you’ve also had a bunch of DNFs. Here at the Monster Mile, just how hard is it to stay out of trouble?

“That question started really rough, by the way (laughs). I mean, I would probably venture to say that I’ve had a bunch of wins at a lot of tracks and also a bunch of DNFs at a lot of tracks. So I think you have feast or famine just about everywhere.

You know, here at Dover, winning three times has certainly been the highlight, and we’ve had some really, really good runs as well, too, of being close to winning. I remember that time when I was so close with the 5 car and finishing second at Jimmie Johnson… right up his tailpipe and was told to leave him alone and let him win the race (laughs). So, you know, it’s just been a great track for me over the years. Same as Richmond, Bristol, a bunch of places. It’s a great place to race. It’s fun. It’s really challenging, but yet lends itself to really good drivers and really good cars.

Looking at the weekend last year, Dover was obviously one of your best runs of the season. You got the pole and you finished top-five. Is there anything that can be taken from that, even though it was an April race compared to July now, the new tire compound… there are a lot of differences, but is there anything you can take from last year’s run to help you?

“I would say that you take everything that you did use last year because it was good for you, and you try to just look at all of that and try to replicate that as much as you can without knowing anything about the tire with no tire test being here, no wheel force test being here, anything like that. We’re all sort of up in the air on exactly what that’s going to be. So you might as well just copy and paste last year; go out there on the racetrack and hope that it suits your race car again this year like it did last year.”

You’re the winningest active driver here at Dover with three wins. That means you got three ‘Miles the Monster’ trophies. I’m curious what it was like, if you can reflect back, what it was like winning that first trophy here, and if that ‘Miles the Monster’ trophy is one of the more sought after as a driver?

“I think it’s so hard to win races anymore, honestly, that you just take any one that you can get. It doesn’t matter if it’s here at Dover, Martinsville, Phoenix or wherever. You certainly will just want to win the race. There’s definitely some cool trophies that are out there, Dover being one of those with the cool Monster trophy that you get. That’s a special piece. I always looked up to that trophy. I was able to win a couple of Truck ones, a couple of Xfinity ones, but then finally was able to capture the big one with a Sunday win for my first time. They’re all special and they all mean a lot, but this place is very tough, especially in that era going up against Jimmie Johnson. It was really hard to get those trophies as he was hoarding them all.”

Last year there was a lot of talk about after this race, should people get rid of the mirrors? Should NASCAR take the mirrors away from you guys because this is a track where aero-blocking is so prevalent, as Denny (Hamlin) did to (Kyle) Larson last year. What’s your stance on the mirror… do you want it in the cars? Do you want to get rid of it?

“I mean, us talking about it isn’t going to change anything, right? But I would say that if you run the mirror, you don’t get a spotter. If you want a spotter, then you don’t get the mirror, the camera. So, pick one.”

What would you pick?

“I would pick the spotter over the mirror.”

With NASCAR combining now the practice session for everybody getting out there for 50 minutes, is that a benefit to have everybody on track at the same time, and even when it comes to being able to evaluate where everybody stacks up?

“I must be really stupid because I was scratching my head on why. What are we doing? But then I thought — well if it rains, which I guess we’re worried about some sort of weather that’s not here, that one group gets practice and the other doesn’t. So if the track is just open, everybody can go. So if you miss out, you miss out. It’s your own fault. So I think that’s really the only reason why it happened that way.

We don’t have enough tires. We have probably 10 minutes of tire and we have a 50-minute sessions. So you’re going to have to be mindful of just — if you go out and run five laps and come in and look for an adjustment, go out and run five laps, come in and look for an adjustment. But if you want to go out there and make a long run, like we all typically do at all of these big places, then you’re going to go until you feel like you shouldn’t go any further and you’ll be done on your first set, your only set.”

You’ve had two good finishes in a row. How much are you looking at the points with six races left in the regular season?

“Yeah, I mean, you’re obviously looking at it every week. I think we leave probably the fifth race of the year looking at points like where we’re at and what are we doing? But honestly, points take care of themselves when you run good. Results are what matters. Being able to get stage points and being able to get good finishes will all equate to higher point totals and you not having to look at the sheet. So obviously with a ‘win and you’re in’, you really don’t have to pay any attention to it.

That’s certainly on our radar right now. We’ve had a couple of good weeks where we’ve made up some of the deficit. I feel like there is potential and opportunity for us to continue that way, and we want to continue to climb that way and put ourselves above the cut for making the playoffs.”

About General Motors

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

Berry Looking to Add Cup Trophy This Weekend at Dover

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Official Release
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Ford Performance Notes and Quotes
NASCAR Cup Series
Dover Media Availability
Saturday, July 19, 2025

Josh Berry, driver of the No. 21 Advance Auto Parts Ford Mustang Dark Horse for Wood Brothers Racing, has a spot secured in the playoffs after his victory earlier this year at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. He stopped by the infield media center at Dover Motor Speedway to talk about this weekend’s race and the upcoming postseason.

JOSH BERRY, No. 21 Advance Auto Parts Ford Mustang Dark Horse – YOU HAVE ADVANCE AUTO PARTS ON THE CAR THIS WEEKEND. CAN YOU TELL US ABOUT IT? “It’s really cool to have Advance Auto Parts on board this weekend, obviously the tie-in with the weekly series national championship I won in 2020. That was the first Advance Auto Parts Weekly Series national championship, so it’s super cool to have them on the car this weekend. It reminds me of those times that I look back on very fondly. We’re at a great track and hopefully we can have a good weekend for them.”

YOU’VE WON HERE IN XFINITY AND MADE YOUR CUP DEBUT HERE. HOW DO YOU SAY YOUR CAREER HAS PROGRESSED SINCE THEN, AND WHAT CAN YOU TAKE FROM YOUR PREVIOUS RACES HERE THAT CAN HELP THIS WEEKEND? “Obviously, this is a place that I’ve had a lot of fun coming to, making my Cup debut. It’s always really special and I’ve had really good results here in the Xfinity Series. Obviously, getting that win and two second places with JRM, so this is a place I’ve always enjoyed coming to and I really love the racetrack. I’m excited to be here this weekend and hopefully we can continue that on with the 21 car.”

WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO WIN A MILES THE MONSTER TROPHY? “It was super cool. The first time I came here was 2021 and with no practice or qualifying we ran second in the ARCA race, second in the Xfinity race, won the Dash 4 Cash and realized I was that close to winning it, so that made me want it that much more, so to win it the next year was really cool and it’s an awesome trophy. It’s right there front-and-center in my living room. It’s really cool coming here and racing here.”

ONLY ONE TOP 10 SINCE THE VEGAS WIN. WHERE IS THE TEAM RIGHT NOW WITH SIX RACES TO GO IN THE REGULAR SEASON? “Obviously, we’d love to have some better results. We’ve had some bad luck here and there, some mistakes that have taken us out of good finishes, but I still feel like we have a lot of good tracks coming up. Here, I feel good about. Richmond, Iowa, those are places I ran good last year, and even the first round of the playoffs I think are three good tracks for us. We’ve been right there. We definitely need to get a little bit better, execute a little bit better, but I’m not necessarily panicked or anything at this point. It’s good to have the win in the bank and we’ll just keep trying to get better and hopefully hit our stride when the playoffs start.”

YOU GOT INTO JONES AND HOCEVAR LAST WEEK. WHAT WAS YOUR VIEW OF THOSE TWO INCIDENTS? “The 43 was a restart at turn seven. Obviously, we’re all jammed up into each other . The 4 car was on my right and kind of clipped me, and we just all got bottle-necked up and he got turned around . The 77 was a complete mistake on my part. I laid off at the bottom of one. I was trying to time it to where I could get up beside Carson and follow the 45 through and was just too fast to the top of the hill, got too far left and ran into Carson and knocked him off the track. It’s unfortunate. Obviously, I hate it for those guys. I tried calling Carson Monday and sent him a next, but never heard anything back. I did talk to Luke Monday morning to apologize to those guys and it’s just part of racing. We were on old tires and, for me, probably just trying a little too hard in that situation.”

CAN YOU TALK ABOUT THE NOSTALGIA OF THE BRICKYARD 400 NEXT WEEK? “It’s awesome going back to the Brickyard. It’s such an iconic facility for sure and it’s a crown jewel event that we all really look forward to, so it’s always really special getting to race in Indianapolis. I’m excited to go there next week with the Wood Brothers and hopefully we can have a solid race and a good result.”

ANY CONCERN THAT HOCEVAR HASN’T RESPONDED TO YOU, AND WHAT IS THE FOCUS IN PRACTICE TODAY? “Everybody handles things differently in those situations. Obviously, the contact at the end of that race opens the door for retaliation. If he decides to act on that, I gave him that opportunity. That’s part of racing. I’ve been doing this a long time. I’m 34 years old now and I’ve seen a lot. Like I said, it is what it is at this point and whatever happens we’ll move on from it. As for today, we’ve got one 50-minute session now, so that will be interesting having all the cars out on the track at the same time. The track should rubber up pretty well and hopefully give us a good read for tomorrow. Hopefully, it’s just gonna be about finding a good balance on our car and qualifying well and setting us up good for tomorrow.”

KALITTA, TODD, ANDERSON & HALL ROLL TO PROVISIONAL NO. 1 SPOTS AT MUCKLESHOOT CASINO RESORT NHRA NORTHWEST NATIONALS

By
Official Release
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SEATTLE (July 18, 2025) – Top Fuel’s Doug Kalitta just missed out on the track record on Friday at Pacific Raceways, taking the provisional No. 1 spot under the lights at the Muckleshoot Casino Resort NHRA Northwest Nationals.

J.R. Todd (Funny Car), Greg Anderson (Pro Stock) and Matt Smith (Pro Stock Motorcycle) are also the provisional No. 1 qualifiers at the 11th of 20 races during the 2025 NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series season, with each also claiming the Deecell Power Systems “After Dark Low Qualifier” award.

Kalitta went 3.671-seconds at 335.90 mph in his 12,000-horsepower Mac Tools dragster, just missing the track record of 3.670 he set a year ago. But it was plenty good enough to take the No. 1 spot, giving him the $4,000 Deecell “After Dark Low Qualifier” award. Should that hold, Kalitta would earn his sixth No. 1 qualifier this year and continue his torrid qualifying pace.

What the veteran would enjoy even more is his first victory of the season, something he hopes can come together in ideal weather conditions this weekend in Seattle.

“The conditions were good, and I was really hopeful that my car would go out there and run a good number,” Kalitta said. “We were making a lot of changes back in the staging lanes because people were smoking the tires. I wasn’t sure if they backed the thing down or what but when the thing left, I could tell it was really running. I wasn’t sure what it ran, but I was pretty definitely pleased to hear what we ended up with.

“I’m sure they’ll be gunning for that tomorrow because it’s definitely within reach with what the conditions probably will be for tomorrow. I’m just real fortunate Alan [Johnson, crew chief] and Mac [Savage] and my whole team because they can throw down with the best of them.”

Teammate Shawn Langdon is second with a 3.689 at 332.92 and Brittany Force is third with a 3.703 at a track-record 340.47.

In Funny Car, J.R. Todd made the most of the one nitro session on Friday at Pacific Raceways, taking the top position with a run of 3.901 at 329.26 in his 12,000-horsepower DHL Toyota GR Supra. Todd was one of only two drivers in the category to make a three-second run, as teams struggled under the lights.

But Todd wasn’t one of them, making a clean pass and claiming the $4,000 Deecell “After Dark Low Qualifier” award. Should that hold, Todd would pick up his first No. 1 qualifier of the year and the 15th in his career. On Saturday, the nitro teams will get three qualifying conditions in more great conditions as Todd and his Kalitta Motorsports team look to keep improving.

“From the time I hit the gas, a whole sequence of events happened. It picked the front end up pretty good. I must have had it pointed right, so I snatch it back left, and then goes out there and quivers the tires a little bit,” Todd said. “Once that happens, it kind of like it puts you behind, then there’s a pretty good bump out there, so I’m just steering the thing all over the place. I definitely did not expect it to make it, but it did.

“There’s no reason we shouldn’t be running mid- to high-80s tomorrow during the day, which that usually doesn’t happen on Saturday at most places. It’s got me excited.”

Chad Green is currently second with 3.928 at 329.75 and Austin Prock is third after a run of 5.580 at 160.46.

With ideal conditions on Friday, Pro Stock’s Greg Anderson and Dallas Glenn put on a thrilling show, trading track records during each qualifying session. Glenn set it to start the day and Anderson finished it off with a massive 6.472 at 211.13 in his HendrickCars.com Chevrolet Camaro to take the No. 1 spot and win the $2,500 Deecell “After Dark Low Qualifier” award.

In a terrific side-by-side pairing, Glenn went 6.479, just missing on slipping past Anderson at his home track. It was another stellar duel between the two drivers who have dominated the class in 2025. For Anderson, who has four wins this season, it’s now a chance to qualifying No. 1 for the first time this season and the 137th time in his incredible career.

“Two great runs for both of us. We’re certainly not disappointed either way. It worked out because guys are just doing a fantastic job with the race cars,” Anderson said. “They spent a lot of time over the last couple weeks testing Dallas’ car, and obviously they’re better. They got happier in the first 60 feet, which is where it was kind of behind mine before.

“Getting the track record is definitely cool, but sometimes that low E.T. doesn’t win a race. I’ve shown that before, but I’d certainly rather have the fastest race car. It appears that either Dallas or I have that right now, so that’s a good feeling but it doesn’t guarantee anything. There’s a lot of guys that can win on that starting line on Sunday.”

Following Glenn in third is Greg Stanfield, as he dipped into the 6.40s as well with a run of 6.493 at 210.31.

Fresh off his victory in Norwalk, John Hall is on the verge of a massive moment in his Pro Stock Motorcycle career after going a career-best 6.717 at 201.76 on his American Rebel Beer Buell on Friday at Pacific Raceways. Should that hold, the veteran would earn his first career No. 1 qualifier, just weeks after getting his first victory in 12 years with his triumph in Norwalk.

On Friday, the run was good enough to win the $1,500 and the Deecell “After Low Qualifier” award, which was certainly good enough for the first day of racing for Hall. He posted a pair of strong runs as he looks to keep rolling after his huge victory last month.

“I could have probably gone close to that in the first round, but I screwed up, so we knew it had power, we knew it was fast, and I just went out there and did it,” Hall said. “I knew the air was good. I knew the tune-up was going to be good. I think I got every bit of it on that run.

“Matt and Angie [Smith] have done a lot of work and a lot of research. This bike just wasn’t running in the beginning of the season. They couldn’t figure out why. They spent a lot of time and money and effort to get this bike to where it is, and now it’s fast, obviously.”

Gaige Herrera is currently second after going 6.721 at 201.76 and Matt Smith’s 6.733 at 201.88 has him third.

Qualifying continues at 12:30 p.m. PT on Saturday at the Muckleshoot Casino Resort NHRA Northwest Nationals at Pacific Raceways.

KENT, Wash. — Friday’s results after the first of four rounds of Top Fuel and Funny Car qualifying and the first two of four rounds of for the 36th annual Muckleshoot Casino Resort NHRA Northwest Nationals at Pacific Raceways, 11th of 20 events in the NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series.

Qualifying will continue Saturday for Sunday’s final eliminations.

Top Fuel — 1. Doug Kalitta, 3.671 seconds, 335.90 mph; 2. Shawn Langdon, 3.689, 332.92; 3. Brittany Force, 3.703, 340.47; 4. Clay Millican, 3.708, 331.12; 5. Shawn Reed, 4.140, 277.09; 6. Antron Brown, 5.993, 113.31; 7. Josh Hart, 6.385, 100.03; 8. Tony Stewart, 6.439, 93.60; 9. Justin Ashley, 8.761, 75.40; 10. Cameron Ferre, 8.895, 83.80; 11. Ida Zetterstrom, 13.114, 68.89.

Funny Car — 1. J.R. Todd, Toyota GR Supra, 3.901, 329.26; 2. Chad Green, Ford Mustang, 3.928, 329.75; 3. Austin Prock, Chevy Camaro, 5.580, 160.46; 4. Daniel Wilkerson, Mustang, 6.691, 96.66; 5. Bob Tasca III, Mustang, 6.912, 91.85; 6. Ron Capps, GR Supra, 7.131, 95.11; 7. Hunter Green, Dodge Charger, 7.404, 89.22; 8. Dave Richards, Mustang, 7.443, 100.09; 9. Paul Lee, Charger, 7.501, 79.85; 10. Cruz Pedregon, Charger, 7.599, 90.09; 11. Matt Hagan, Charger, 7.713, 87.10; 12. Jack Beckman, Camaro, 8.402, 84.00; 13. Alexis DeJoria, Charger, 8.454, 81.25; 14. Buddy Hull, Charger, 8.576, 74.20; 15. Jeff Diehl, Toyota Camry, 8.725, 71.97; 16. Spencer Hyde, Mustang, 26.571, 67.12.

Not Qualified: 17. Dylan Winefsky, broke.

Pro Stock — 1. Greg Anderson, Chevy Camaro, 6.472, 211.20; 2. Dallas Glenn, Camaro, 6.479, 211.89; 3. Greg Stanfield, Camaro, 6.493, 210.31; 4. Cody Coughlin, Camaro, 6.511, 210.54; 5. Deric Kramer, Camaro, 6.512, 209.92; 6. Aaron Stanfield, Camaro, 6.522, 210.83; 7. Jeg Coughlin, Camaro, 6.523, 210.08; 8. Cory Reed, Camaro, 6.543, 210.47; 9. Chris McGaha, Camaro, 6.545, 210.90; 10. Matt Latino, Camaro, 6.548, 210.47; 11. Mason McGaha, Camaro, 6.562, 209.52; 12. Erica Enders, Camaro, 6.576, 210.44; 13. Kenny Delco, Camaro, 6.592, 208.46; 14. Matt Hartford, Camaro, 6.719, 207.11; 15. Joey Grose, Camaro, 7.260, 187.50; 16. Troy Coughlin Jr., Camaro, 9.434, 97.57.

Pro Stock Motorcycle — 1. John Hall, Beull, 6.717, 201.76; 2. Gaige Herrera, Suzuki, 6.721, 201.07; 3. Matt Smith, Buell, 6.733, 202.21; 4. Richard Gadson, Suzuki, 6.735, 199.73; 5. Jianna Evaristo, Buell, 6.774, 197.80; 6. Angie Smith, Buell, 6.789, 200.29; 7. Chase Van Sant, Suzuki, 6.846, 197.94; 8. Chris Bostick, Suzuki, 6.854, 194.27.

Ryan Preece Delivers Popular Victory to Home Track Crowd in New England 900

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Official Release
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Berlin, CT Native Picks Up 38th Career Stafford Motor Speedway Win

STAFFORD SPRINGS, CT (July 18, 2025) – Ryan Preece put on a show for his hometown crowd as he returned to Stafford Motor Speedway victorious in Friday’s New England 900. Preece raced his way from the 15th starting position to claim a thrilling victory in the exhibition event organized by Cleetus McFarland and the Freedom Factory.

“That was the most fun I’ve had in a race car in a very long time,” said Preece.

The 90-lap event was part thrill show, part race, as each competitor piloted modified Crown Victoria Fords equipped with nitrous-oxide boosters. Lights on the rear decklids of each car flashed when the nitrous was engaged, and it was clear Preece and Greg Biffle were using it as they battled for the win.

“I didn’t realize that when you hit it, it shows on the trunk strobe light when you’re using it. So, I think everybody knew how much I was using it,” Preece said. “It was a lot of fun. It was cool. It was a little push-to-pass.”

Preece needed the nitrous as the intensity ratcheted up on lap 72 of the 90-lap race, when Biffle restarted on the outside of Preece on the front row. Biffle got the initial jump, but Preece charged back, reclaiming the lead. That clash continued throughout the remaining laps.

Another restart on lap 77 gave Biffle another chance, and he was up for the challenge. The two raced side by side for a full lap before Preece hit the nitrous to pull away. Biffle, however, remained within striking distance. With eight laps remaining, Biffle dove to the bottom of Preece in turn one and overtook him on the backstretch.

As the laps wound down, both drivers repeatedly engaged the nitrous button. Biffle could not shake Preece, who was locked to his rear bumper. With the white flag waving, the leaders encountered lap traffic in the final set of turns. Preece seized the opportunity, dove to the bottom in turns three and four, and muscled his way under Biffle, taking the lead and holding on for the win.

“It was all about having fun. At the end, we had to do the old NASCAR—rubbing is racing—and put on a show for everyone,” explained Preece.

The win marked the 38th Stafford victory for Preece, who hails from nearby Berlin, CT.

“To be able to race with these guys at my home track—a place that has made me who I am as a race car driver—is really special,” Preece added. “To have my daughter here, my family, my in-laws, my dad, and everybody here… it’s my hometown crowd, so it’s awesome.”

Preece returns to NASCAR action Saturday and Sunday at Dover Motor Speedway.

About RFK Racing
RFK Racing, in its 38th season in 2025, features an ownership lineup pairing one of the sport’s most iconic names, Jack Roush, along with NASCAR Champion Brad Keselowski and Fenway Sports Group owner John Henry. Roush initially founded the team in 1988, and it has since become one of the most successful racing operations in the world, propelling him to be the first NASCAR owner to amass 300 wins and capturing eight championships, including back-to-back NASCAR Cup titles in 2003 and 2004. Keselowski, a former owner in the NASCAR Truck Series, is the 2012 NASCAR Cup Series Champion. In 2007, Roush partnered with Henry, who also owns Major League Baseball’s Boston Red Sox, English Premier League’s Liverpool F.C., and the NHL’s Pittsburgh Penguins, to form Roush Fenway Racing. Off the track, RFK is a leader and proven winner in NASCAR marketing solutions, having produced multiple award-winning social media, digital content, and experiential marketing campaigns. Visit rfkracing.com and follow the team on all social platforms @rfkracing.

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