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Why Night Out Groups Book Chauffeur Instead of Uber

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Photo by Bilderboken on Unsplash

Planning a big night out in Charlotte? Whether it’s a birthday celebration, bar crawl, or bachelorette party, one thing is certain: how you get there matters. Sure, you could rely on Uber or Lyft – but more and more groups are choosing chauffeur service instead. And for good reason.

When it comes to a stress-free, stylish, and safe night on the town, private transportation offers clear advantages. Here’s why party groups are ditching the rideshare apps and riding with professional chauffeurs instead.

Reliability Comes First

Let’s face it – Uber is hit or miss on busy nights. Surge pricing, long wait times, and canceled rides are all too common during peak nightlife hours.

With a dedicated event transportation service, you don’t leave your plans up to chance. You’ll have a professional driver ready and waiting according to your schedule, ensuring that your night stays on track – not on pause.

Safety for the Whole Group

Booking a chauffeur service means you know exactly who’s behind the wheel. No last-minute driver changes, no uncomfortable rides, and no uncertainty. You’re in a professionally licensed vehicle with an experienced chauffeur who’s focused on your comfort and safety – especially important when alcohol is involved.

For bachelorette parties or any all-women group, safety and privacy matter – and professional chauffeurs deliver both.

Travel Together, Not in Pieces

One of the biggest frustrations with rideshares is the vehicle size limit. Bigger groups often get split into separate cars, which kills the party mood before it even starts.

With private group transportation, everyone rides together. Whether it’s a luxury SUV, or van – there’s room for the entire crew to enjoy music, conversation, and even pre-party drinks en route.

The Party Starts in the Ride

This isn’t just a way to get from point A to point B. With the right transportation, the ride is part of the experience. Think leather seats, premium sound systems, ambient lighting, and that VIP energy that makes everyone feel special.

It’s perfect for capturing those Insta-worthy group photos before you even hit the first bar.

No Surprise Pricing

Surge pricing on Uber during peak hours can turn a short ride into a big expense. With a professional chauffeur service, you get a flat, upfront rate. No surprises, no hidden fees, no last-minute cancellations.

Why Teleport Limo Is the Preferred Choice in Charlotte

For nightlife groups looking to elevate their experience, Teleport Limo offers premium, personalized service designed around your night. Whether you’re hitting the town, organizing a bar crawl, or celebrating a milestone event, Teleport Limo provides luxury vehicles, vetted drivers, and flexible packages tailored for event transportation and group transportation.

  • Experienced, licensed chauffeurs
  • Clean, insured, luxury vehicles
  • On-time arrival – every time
  • Privacy, comfort, and VIP treatment

If you’re looking to turn a good night into an unforgettable one, Teleport Limo is the way to go.

When planning a big night out, don’t let transportation be an afterthought. With a professional chauffeur service, you get more than just a ride – you get peace of mind, style, and an experience that starts before the first stop and ends long after the last.

Ready to upgrade your next night out? Discover the difference with Teleport Limo – Charlotte’s trusted name in group transportation and luxury event transportation.

LEGACY MOTOR CLUB: SONOMA RACEWAY RACE PREVIEW

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Official Release
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LEGACY MOTOR CLUB: SONOMA RACEWAY PRE-RACE ADVANCE
EVENT: Toyota / Save Mart 350
DATE: July 13, 2025
RACE: NASCAR Cup Series 20 of 36
TRACK: Sonoma (Calif.) Raceway | 1.99-mile, 10-turn street course

CLUB MINUTES:

TNT IN SEASON BRACKET: With two rounds complete in TNT’s In Season Tournament, both LEGACY MOTOR CLUB drivers have advanced to the third round to face each other in an elimination battle. Last weekend, Erik Jones bested his opponent Ricky Stenhouse, Jr. despite a broken toe link after the second stage. Meanwhile, John Hunter Nemechek beat his match-up Chase Elliott in the final laps of the race by finished one spot better than the 2020 NASCAR Cup Series Champion. Now the LEGACY MC teammates will go head-to-head in this Sunday’s Toyota / Save Mart 350 to the final four next weekend at Dover (Del.) Motor Speedway.

PLAYOFF PICTURE WITH SEVEN TO GO: The NASCAR Playoffs kick off on Aug. 31 at Darlington (S.C.) Raceway. Only seven races remain until they begin, and both LEGACY MC drivers are in the hunt to point their way in. Erik Jones has been one of the biggest points movers over the past two months, catapulting himself from 29th in points at Texas Motor Speedway to 17th. He’s currently 50 points below the top-16 cutline. Nemechek is currently 20th in points after a strong couple of races. He’s currently 68 points before the cutline.

DOLLAR TREE VENDOR SPOTLIGHT: Dollar Tree will serve as the primary partner on the No. 43 Toyota Camry XSE, driven by Erik Jones, at Sonoma Raceway. The bold green and white Dollar Tree scheme will hit the track alongside support from vendor partner Mt. Dew, showcasing a strong collaboration for the race weekend across LEGACY MC’s social platforms.

LEGACY LANE: LEGACY MC co-owner Jimmie Johnson has one win, four top five, and seven top 10 finishes in 12 starts at Sonoma Raceway. He has led 85 laps at the 1.99-mile road course. His average finish at Sonoma is 12.4 in 17 starts and won at Sonoma in 2010.

KENSETH AT SONOMA: LEGACY MC competition advisor Matt Kenseth owns 19 NASCAR Cup Series starts at Sonoma. In total, he owns one top-10 with his best finish of eighth in June 2008 at the road course.

NEVER SETTLE: Join ESPN’s Marty Smith and LEGACY MOTOR CLUB’s co-owner Johnson for their weekly podcast, “Never Settle”. The podcast airs live on SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Ch. 90 at 2 p.m. ET every Wednesday and can be downloaded wherever fans source their podcasts. This week’s guest is six-time IndyCar Champion Scott Dixon.

JOHN HUNTER NEMECHEK
NO. 42 MOBIL1 TOYOTA CAMRY XSE
JHN AT SONOMA: John Hunter Nemechek has four starts at Sonoma (Calif.) Raceway across all three NASCAR national series – one in the Cup Series, two in the Xfinity Series, and one in the Truck Series. He finished 8th in the Truck Series race in 2022, followed by a 16th-place result in the 2023 Xfinity race. In 2024, he ran both the Xfinity and Cup races, finishing eighth and 29th, respectively.

ROAD COURSES THIS YEAR: Nemechek’s first road course race of the 2025 season produced a 22nd-place result at the Circuit of the Americas (COTA) in Austin, Texas. The team learned and grew from that race to deliver a career-best Cup Series road course finish of sixth at Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez in Mexico City. Last Sunday’s Grant Park 165 on the Chicago Street Course tested him once again. After qualifying 25th, he battled through multiple challenges and damage to climb to 15th by the checkered flag.

T-MACK SONOMA STATS: Sunday’s Toyota / Save Mart 350 will be crew chief Travis Mack’s fifth race at Sonoma Raceway. His first outing came in June 2021 with Daniel Suárez, who earned a 12th-place finish. The duo returned in June 2022 to capture the long-awaited victory for the No. 99 team. In June 2023, Mack and Suárez finished 22nd. Then in his last race there in June 2024, Mack scored a sixth-place result with A.J. Allmendinger.

NEMECHEK’S UPWARD TRAJECTORY: Following the FireKeepers Casino 400 at Michigan International Speedway, Nemechek sat 26th in the NASCAR Cup Series point standings. A strong and steady performance throughout the month of June marked a turning point for him and the No. 42 team though. Building momentum with each race, they climbed six positions in the standings and now sit 20th as they head into the Sonoma race weekend with renewed confidence and a clear upward trajectory.

JOHN HUNTER NEMECHEK QUOTE: 
“I don’t have a lot of experience at Sonoma under my belt with only one Cup start. I wrecked around Lap 3 last year from some oil on track getting into Turn 1. Not really a lot to take away but looking forward to going back out there. I’ve been able to run a lot of laps on sim, iRacing, and video games growing up, so hopefully all that prep is good for us this weekend. Our road course program continues to get better each time we’ve run road course this year. Hopefully we have positive momentum coming off Chicago and have a really good No. 42 Mobil 1 Toyota Camry XSE.”

TRAVIS MACK QUOTE: 
“Sonoma is where I got my first win in the Cup series in 2004 with Jeff Gordon and my first win as crew chief in the Cup Series, so I plan to make it our first win with John Hunter. I’m confident in our road course cars. We were sixth in Mexico, we had a top ten or a top five day going at Chicago with potential, and it just didn’t work out due to some damage, but we’re really looking forward to Sonoma.”

ERIK JONES
NO. 43 DOLLAR TREE TOYOTA CAMRY XSE
JONES SONOMA STATS: Sunday’s Toyota / Save Mart 350 will mark Jones’ eighth NASCAR Cup Series start at Sonoma (Calif.) Raceway. In his prior seven starts, Jones earned two top-10s and four top-20s with a best finish of seventh earned in his June 2018 start at the road course. He followed that up in June 2019 with an eighth-place finish and an 11th-place result in June 2021. Jones has one additional start outside of the Cup Series in the NASCAR K&N Pro Series West in June 2018 where he started 13th and finished sixth.

BESHORE AT SONOMA: Crew chief Ben Beshore has been on top of the pit box for four races in the Cup Series at Sonoma. His first two in June 2017 and June 2021 resulted in fifth-place results in both events from Kyle Busch. He went on to finish 30th with Busch in June 2022 and 29th last June with John Hunter Nemechek. He has one race under his belt in the NASCAR Xfinity Series as well with Nemechek, where the team started ninth and finished 16th.

SWAPPING ROLES: Sonoma race weekend will also mark Jones’ debut in the NASCAR Xfinity Series as a spotter. He’s switching roles with his full-time spotter Will Rodgers while the latter gets behind the wheel of the No. 70 car in Saturday’s 79-lap Xfinity Series race. Jones has limited experience as a spotter in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series, but this will be his first in the series where he owns nine victories. Rodgers started spotting for Jones at the beginning of the 2025 season. Saturday’s race will mark Rodger’s ninth Xfinity Series career start.

RODGERS AND JONES SONOMA BATTLE: Jones and his spotter Rodgers only raced against each other twice in their careers on the track. The first was the June 2018 NASCAR K&N Pro Series West race at Sonoma. It was just the second time Jones tackled the track after making his debut in his 2017 rookie season, and he was joined by fellow Cup Series drivers Aric Almirola, Daniel Suarez, and William Byron in the 64-lap race. Rodgers was running a part-time schedule in 2018 but started from the pole for the race while Jones started 13th. By the checkered flag, Rodgers protected his pole position to win the race while Jones rallied for a sixth-place finish.

RUN WITH ME: Jones will join the latest installment of NASCAR’s “Run with Me” social media series this weekend at Sonoma alongside the two people who got him into running – Trevor Bayne and Matt Kenseth. “Run with Me” started at the beginning of the 2025 season with the premise of an interview with drivers while having them run a lap around the track. In the latest installment, the LEGACY MC trio will do a relay-style interview with Bayne starting the interview through the first few turns before handing it off to Kenseth who will then hand it off to Jones to cross the start-finish line. The video will live on NASCAR’s social platforms after filming.

ZIGAZOO CONTEST: As part of his partnership with Zigazoo, Jones launched a competition last weekend for a contest to invite one Zigazoo user and his family to come out to a race this season. In a social post released last Saturday, he challenged young fans to post their own victory celebration on the Zigazoo app for a chance to win a trip to a race and meet Jones. All fans have to do is post their video on the app with the hashtag #ErikJonesVictoryChallenge.

ERIK JONES QUOTE: 
“Sonoma is always fun. It’s been a place that I’ve been to for a long time now. With that, it’s one of the places that I feel comfortable at when making laps. I feel like the tracks lends itself to some good racing – some hard racing – but you’re able to pass and move around to do what you need to do. I always look forward to get out there. It’s a beautiful part of the country and a great time of year to race there. Hopefully we can get ourselves back on track after Chicago.”

BEN BESHORE QUOTE:
“The unique part about Sonoma is that it has a lot of elevation changes with the up-and-down. It’s got more “s” type corners than Chicago instead of the hard-breaking corners. Sonoma is more of a flowy-rhythm track. It’s got more finesse-type sections. After the repave, the track has a lot more grip than it had a few years ago. It used to be really biased toward forward drive and getting the throttle down off the corners, but now it’s gripped up and you can make a lot of grip through the tires. It’s going to be a lot like Chicago from a strategy standpoint to keep your guy out front and keep him out of trouble.”

CLUB APPEARANCES:
Jones will stop by the Toyota merchandise hauler on Sunday, July 13 at 10:25 a.m. local time to sign autographs for fans in the Sonoma Raceway Fan Zone.

Nemechek will visit the NASCAR Classics trackside merchandise rig to sign for fans at 10:15 a.m. local time on Sunday, July 13.

TUNE IN:
Fans can tune in to watch the Toyota / Save Mart 350 at Sonoma Raceway on Sunday, July 13 at 3:30 p.m. ET on TNT, MAX, MRN, and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio (Channel 90).

ABOUT LEGACY MOTOR CLUB: (LEGACY MC) is a premier auto racing organization co-owned by seven-time NASCAR Cup Series champion and 2024 NASCAR Hall of Fame inductee, Jimmie Johnson and Knighthead Capital Management, LLC. Drawing from a rich tradition of success, LEGACY MC is dedicated to pushing the boundaries of motorsport and setting new standards of excellence. The CLUB competes under the Toyota Gazoo Racing banner in the NASCAR Cup Series with the No. 43 Toyota Camry XSE piloted by Erik Jones and the No. 42 Toyota Camry XSE driven by John Hunter Nemechek. Johnson also races on a limited basis in the No. 84 Toyota Camry XSE. With NASCAR legend and Hall of Famer Richard Petty, “The King”, serving as CLUB Ambassador, LEGACY MC blends timeless racing traditions with a new forward-thinking vision. As an inclusive community for motorsport enthusiasts, LEGACY MC honors both its storied past and the promising future of its members, always striving for victory and championship glory at the pinnacle of NASCAR competition.

DEECELL AFTER DARK LOW QUALIFIER HIGHLIGHTS FRIDAY NIGHT SESSION AT MUCKLESHOOT CASINO RESORT NHRA NORTHWEST NATIONALS

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Official Release
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Popular Friday night session returns to Pacific Raceways, with added bonus money on the line

SEATTLE (July 8, 2025) – After last year’s thrilling first-ever night session for the NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series at Pacific Raceways in Seattle, this year’s encore will be even more memorable thanks to the Deecell Power Systems “After Dark Low Qualifier” bonus.

The bonus money will go to the low qualifiers of the must-see night session on Friday, July 18 in the four professional categories as part of the Muckleshoot Casino Resort NHRA Northwest Nationals.

Pro Stock and Pro Stock Motorcycle will kick off the Deecell “After Dark Low Qualifier” festivities Friday at 8:15 p.m. PT, with the 12,000-horsepower, 340-mph nitro categories taking to the track under the lights at 9:15 p.m. The top qualifier of that session will earn bonus money in each class, with the low qualifier in Top Fuel and Funny Car earning $4,000 each. The Pro Stock low qualifier will get $2,500 and the top qualifier on Friday night in Pro Stock Motorcycle earns $1,500, adding a thrilling incentive to what is expected to be another incredible night session in the Pacific Northwest.

“Partnering with NHRA was a no-brainer for us. We wanted to give back to the racing community, and this award is one way we’re doing it. There’s nothing like watching the professional race teams under the lights in Seattle — it deserves recognition,” said Andrew Moeck, founder of Deecell. “We’ve built Deecell to solve real problems racers face, but it’s also changing the game for the broader transportation industry. This is just another chance to connect with the people we built it for — both at the track and on the road.”

The four Deecell “After Dark Low Qualifier” winners will also take part in an autograph session at 11 a.m. PT on Saturday at the Deecell display at Pacific Raceways.

The Muckleshoot Casino Resort NHRA Northwest Nationals takes place July 18-20, offering three days of unbelievable action, including the Friday night session, three nitro qualifying sessions on Saturday and eliminations on Sunday.

The race will be broadcast on FOX, with elimination coverage on Sunday at 4:30 ET p.m. Last year, Steve Torrence (Top Fuel), Austin Prock (Funny Car), Jeg Coughlin Jr. (Pro Stock) and Chase Van Sant (Pro Stock Motorcycle) all won, while Justin Ashley, Prock, Aaron Stanfield and Gaige Herrera won the Mission #2Fast2Tasty Challenge.

No. 1 qualifiers included Torrence, Prock, Erica Enders in Pro Stock and Herrera. This year, even more will be on the line to qualify at the top, especially under the lights and with a spectacular backdrop on Friday night.

“Introducing the Deecell ’After Dark Low Qualifier’ bonus is a thrilling addition for Seattle’s Friday night session,” NHRA Vice President and Chief Development Officer Brad Gerber said. “Last year’s inaugural nighttime qualifying session was electric and now, with extra money on the line for the quickest run under the lights, we look forward to building on that energy. Deecell’s continued support of NHRA and our racers is very exciting to see and there’s no doubt Pacific Raceways is going to be the place to be on Friday and all weekend.”

The weekend kicks off with $15,000 Mission Foods Machine Tournament at Muckleshoot Casino Resort, where fans can register for free. It’s followed by a fan fest at Auburn Outlets Collection on Thursday, July 17 at 5 p.m. PT. On Saturday following qualifying, race fans can visit Muckleshoot Casino Resort for the official NHRA after-party with live music from 7 p.m.-1 a.m. PT.

Leading the Top Fuel points is motorsports legend and 2024 Rookie of the Year Tony Stewart. Others to watch include Shawn Langdon, Ashley, who has won back-to-back races, Brittany Force and reigning world champion Antron Brown. Defending Funny Car world champ Prock continues to impress with four event wins and the points lead. The star-studded class also includes John Force Racing teammate Jack Beckman, Paul Lee, Matt Hagan, Ron Capps and J.R. Todd.

The Pro Stock ranks has been dominated this season by the KB Titan Racing powerhouse, as reigning champ and points leader Greg Anderson and area native Dallas Glenn have combined for seven wins. Pro Stock Motorcycle is led by reigning champ Herrera, who has three wins in 2025. Six-time champ Matt Smith is second, while Richard Gadson is third. Others to watch will be John Hall, who won in Norwalk, Angie Smith and Van Sant.

Also on the track will be standouts in the Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series. All weekend, fans will be invited to the Nitro Alley Stage, which hosts Nitro School, meet and greets, autograph sessions and more. On Sunday, Seattle race fans can enjoy the special pre-race ceremonies that introduce each driver and includes the fan favorite SealMaster Track Walk, as well as the winner’s circle celebration after racing on Sunday.

As always, fans get a pit pass to the most powerful and sensory-filled motorsports attraction on the planet. Fans can see their favorite teams in action and servicing their cars, get autographs and more. They can also visit NHRA’s Manufacturers Midway, where sponsors and vendors create an exciting atmosphere.

NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series qualifying will feature two rounds of qualifying on Friday, July 18 for the Pro Stock and Pro Stock Motorcycle classes at 6:40 and 8:15 p.m. PT, with Top Fuel and Funny Car taking to the track at 9:15 p.m. PT. On Saturday, July 19, nitro teams will qualify three times at 12:30 p.m., 2:45 p.m. and 5 p.m. Pro Stock and Pro Stock Motorcycle will qualify at 3:45 p.m. and 6:05. Race day begins at 10:30 a.m. PT on Sunday, July 20.

Television coverage includes qualifying action at 10 p.m. ET on Saturday and 2:30 p.m. on Sunday on FS1, leading into eliminations on FOX at 4:30 p.m. ET on Sunday.

Tickets for the 36th annual Muckleshoot Casino Resort NHRA Northwest Nationals are currently on sale at www.NHRA.com/tickets. All children 12 and under will be admitted free in the general admission area with a paid adult. For more information about NHRA, visit www.NHRA.com. For more information on Muckleshoot Casino Resort, visit https://muckleshootcasino.com.

About Deecell Power Systems:

Deecell Power Systems was born out of frustration — and driven by firsthand experience. NHRA drag racer Andrew Moeck spent decades dealing with loud, fuel-hungry generators at the track and on the road. By 2024, he’d had enough. So he built a solution that didn’t just replace generators — it outperformed them.

Deecell’s Solar Power Units (SPUs) deliver reliable, continuous 120V AC power without the fumes, noise, or fuel costs. Designed to dramatically reduce non-drive-time idle in sleeper cabs and power race haulers, fleet trucks, and mobile operations, Deecell keeps A/C, lighting, devices, and workstations running cleanly — even when the engine’s off.

To find out more about Deecell visit www.deecell.com.

About Muckleshoot Casino Resort

The Muckleshoot Casino Resort, celebrated as the “Biggest and Best in the Northwest,” has just become even more impressive with the unveiling of their new hotel tower. This exciting expansion features 401 elegant guestrooms, a more expansive casino floor, a serene indoor pool, a luxurious spa, and the exquisite rooftop steakhouse, Smoke & Cedar. From here, guests can indulge in breathtaking views of Mt. Rainier, the Olympic Mountain range, and the Seattle skyline. As one of Washington’s premier casino gaming destinations, Muckleshoot Casino offers the largest selection of games in the state, with over 3,500 machines, an array of table games, and one of the most extensive smoke-free gaming areas in the region. Muckleshoot Casino also tantalizes the taste buds with a variety of dining options that take guests on a culinary adventure around the world and provides world-class entertainment at the Muckleshoot Events Center and Galaxy! Guests can enjoy additional perks like complimentary valet service, Wi-Fi, covered parking, and electric vehicle charging stations, making every visit even more convenient and enjoyable.

· https://muckleshootcasino.com/

About Muckleshoot Indian Tribe

The Muckleshoot Indian Tribe is composed of descendants of the Native people who inhabited the Duwamish and Upper Puyallup watersheds of central Puget Sound for thousands of years before non-Indian settlement. The word, Muckleshoot, is derived from the Native name for the prairie on which the tribe’s reservation was established in 1857. Today, the Muckleshoot Indian Tribe is a major contributor to the local economy and community providing resources to other governments, schools, nonprofits, and churches throughout Washington. The benefits of the Muckleshoot Tribe’s economic revival go well beyond financial contributions. From landmark agreements protecting fish and wildlife habitats and innovative educational programming to hundreds of partnerships with organizations serving those in need throughout the state, the Muckleshoot Tribe is committed to improving the quality of life of its citizens, neighbors and work force while preserving its culture and laying the groundwork for a bright future.

· https://www.muckleshoot.nsn.us/

About Mission Foods

MISSION®, owned by GRUMA, S.A.B. de C.V., is the world’s leading brand for tortillas and wraps. MISSION® is also globally renowned for flatbreads, dips, salsas and Mexican food products. With presence in over 112 countries, MISSION® products are suited to the lifestyles and the local tastes of each country. With innovation and customer needs in mind, MISSION® focuses on the highest quality, authentic flavors, and providing healthy options that families and friends can enjoy together. For more information, please visit https://www.missionfoods.com/

About NHRA

NHRA is the primary sanctioning body for the sport of drag racing in the United States. NHRA presents 20 national events featuring the NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series and NHRA Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series, as well as the Congruity NHRA Pro Mod Drag Racing Series, NHRA Flexjet Factory Stock Showdown™, NHRA Holley EFI Factory X and Johnson’s Horsepowered Garage NHRA Mountain Motor Pro Stock at select national events. NHRA provides competition opportunities for drivers of all levels in the NHRA Summit Racing Series and NHRA Street Legal™. NHRA also offers the NHRA Jr. Street® program for teens and the Summit Racing Jr. Drag Racing League® for youth ages 5 to 17. With more than 100 Member Tracks, NHRA allows racers to compete at a variety of locations nationally and internationally. NHRA’s Youth and Education Services® (YES) Program reaches over 30,000 students annually to ignite their interest in automotive and racing related careers. NHRA’s streaming service, NHRA.tv®, allows fans to view all NHRA national events as well as exclusive features of the sport. In addition, NHRA owns and operates three racing facilities: Gainesville Raceway in Florida; Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park; and In-N-Out Burger Pomona Dragstrip in Southern California. For more information, log on to www.NHRA.com, or visit the official NHRA pages on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and YouTube.

ALEX LABBÈ REUNITES WITH SONOMA AVIATION AT SONOMA RACEWAY

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Official Release
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MOORESVILLE, NC, July 8, 2025 – NASCAR driver Alex Labbé today announced that he and Sonoma Aviation are once again partnering for the NASCAR Xfinity Series race at Sonoma Raceway. The Sonoma Aviation livery will be displayed on the No. 07 of SS-GreenLight Racing.

“We’re proud to support Alex Labbé for the second year in a row at Sonoma Raceway,” said Jeremy Epperson, President of Sonoma Aviation. “His determination and skill on the track reflect the same approach we hold at Sonoma Aviation—precision, performance, and passion. Partnering with Alex again for the Xfinity race is an exciting opportunity to connect with fans and showcase our commitment to excellence in aviation and motorsports.”

Sonoma Aviation provides exceptional aircraft flight support with Sonoma Jet Center at the Charles M. Schulz – Sonoma County Airport in Santa Rosa, CA and Carlsbad Jet Center at the McClellan-Palomar Airport in Carlsbad, CA. By staying true to its values of safety, teamwork, hospitality, community, innovation and sustainability, Sonoma Aviation is known throughout the aviation industry for its dedicated professionals who truly care about their clients, their communities and their teams. 

“I’m stoked to partner with Sonoma Aviation again,” said Labbé. “We had good speed there last year. I’ll be coming off the Chicago Street Course race, so I plan to build on that momentum for another strong finish.”

The Pit Boss / FoodMaxx 250 (79 laps | 156.95 miles) is the 19th of 33 NASCAR Xfinity Series races on the 2025 schedule. Practice begins on Friday, July 11 from 1:05 – 1:55 p.m. Qualifying immediately follows at 2:10 p.m. The field is set to take the green flag on Saturday, July 12 shortly after 1:30 p.m. with live coverage on The CW, the Performance Racing Network (Radio), and SiriusXM NASCAR Channel 90. All times are Pacific Daylight Time.

For more information on Alex Labbe, visit https://alexlabberacing.com/ or follow him on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/AlexLabbe36), X (https://x.com/AlexLabbe36) or Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/alexlabbe36).

For more information on Sonoma Aviation, visit https://sonomaaviation.com/.

RFK Advance | Sonoma

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Official Release
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Sonoma Event Info:
Date: Sunday, July 13
Time: 3:30 p.m. ET
Series: NASCAR Cup Series (NCS)
Location: Sonoma, Calif.
Format: 110 Laps, 218.9 Miles, Stages: 25-55-110
TV: TNT
Radio: PRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio (Channel 90)

Weekend Schedule:
Saturday: 1:35 p.m. ET Cup Practice (TruTV, PRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio)
Saturday: 2:40 p.m. ET, Cup Qualifying (TruTV, PRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio)
Sunday: 3:30 p.m. ET, Cup Race (TNT, PRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio)

Pace Laps:

  • Sonoma Raceway hosts points race No. 20 this weekend as the Cup Series heads West for its annual summer date on the 12-turn road course.
  • Chris Buescher leads the Cup Series this season with an average starting position of 10.2, anchored by 10 starts inside the top 10.
  • Ryan Preece has five top-10 finishes over his last eight races, including at the Chicago Street Course last weekend (7th).
  • The NASCAR In-Season Tournament continues this weekend at Sonoma, with one RFK Ford advancing into the “Elite 8”. The third-round matchup is as follows:
  • No. 15 Ryan Preece vs. No. 23 Tyler Reddick

6 Team Info:
Driver: Brad Keselowski
Crew Chief: Jeremy Bullins
Partner: Castrol

17 Team Info:
Driver: Chris Buescher
Crew Chief: Scott Graves
Partner: BuildSubmarines.com

60 Team Info:
Driver: Ryan Preece
Crew Chief: Derrick Finley
Partner: Body Guard

Keselowski at Sonoma
Starts: 14
Wins: —
Top-10s: 3
Poles: —

  • Keselowski makes his 15th Cup start in Sonoma this weekend, where in 14 starts prior he has three top-10s and a 15.9 average finish.
  • His best-career finish at the 12-turn course came in 2017 when he ran third. Most recently he finished 13th in 2024, and 16th in 2023.
  • Keselowski has three top-10 qualifying efforts with a best of ninth in 2021, and an average of 18.8.

Buescher at Sonoma
Starts: 8
Wins: —
Top-10s: 3
Poles: —

  • Buescher is in line for his ninth Cup start from Sonoma on Sunday, where he’s fresh off three consecutive top five results. He finished third in this race a season ago, ran fourth in 2023, and came home in second in 2022.
  • He also has qualified inside the top 10 in two of the last three races, with five efforts of 12th or better in his eight starts.
  • In his Cup career, Buescher has a 12.7 average finish on road courses with 16 top 10s in 38 starts.

Preece at Sonoma
Starts: 4
Wins: —
Top-10s: —
Poles: —

  • Preece makes his fifth Cup start at Sonoma where he has best finish of 13th in 2023. He carries an average finish of 20.3 into this weekend’s event, his second highest of any road course on the schedule.
  • He holds an average starting position of 24.8, including a P20 starting spot in his debut race.
  • Across 24 career races on road courses, Preece has three top 10s and a 22.1 average finish.

RFK Historically at Sonoma
Cup Wins: 2 (Mark Martin, 1997; Carl Edwards, 2014)

  • Looking for the Hat Trick in the ‘Golden State’: In 113 NCS starts at Sonoma, RFK has recorded two wins, 17 top-five finishes, 38 top-10 finishes and has led 313 laps. Former RFK driver Carl Edwards earned the organization’s most recent victory at the road course in 2014.
  • Hasta La Vista Baby: RFK has left the California road course victorious on two occasions in the NCS with former drivers Mark Martin and Carl Edwards. Martin earned the victory in 1997 after starting from the pole and leading 69 laps, while Edwards started fourth and led 26 laps in the 2014 running of this event.
  • RFK on the Road: As an organization, RFK has made 249 starts on road courses in the Cup Series with five wins, 87 top 10s and 41 finishes inside the top five with a 17.4 average finish.

RFK Sonoma Wins

1997 Martin Cup

1997 Ruttman Truck

2014 Edwards Cup

Last Time Out & Where They Stand
Chicago: Preece 7th; Buescher 18th; Keselowski 37th.

Points Standings (17: 15th, 60: 17th, 6: 28th): Buescher sits 35 points above the cutline while Preece remains just two points behind Bubba Wallace for the final playoff spot. Keselowski stayed in 28th after an early-lap incident at Chicago.

Ford Performance NASCAR – 2025 Sonoma Advance

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SONOMA

Saturday, July 12 — NASCAR Xfinity Series, 4:30 p.m. ET (CW)
Sunday, July 13 — NASCAR Cup Series, 3:30 p.m. ET (TNT)

After running on the streets of Chicago last weekend, the NASCAR Cup and NASCAR Xfinity Series return to the road as Sonoma Raceway hosts its annual event on Saturday and Sunday. Ford drivers Ryan Preece and Zane Smith will be looking to advance in the In-Season Challenge on the Cup side while Ford’s Xfinity drivers continue their march toward the postseason.

PREECE HAVING CAREER YEAR

Ryan Preece is in the midst of his best NASCAR Cup Series season as he comes off a Ford-best seventh-place finish in Chicago. Preece, who is in his sixth year running a full-time schedule, goes into Sunday’s road course race at Sonoma Raceway with five top-10 efforts in the last eight races. Overall, the Connecticut native has eight top-10 runs this season, which is three more than his previous single-season high of five that he set last year with Stewart-Haas Racing. This weekend will be the fifth time Preece has started a Cup race at Sonoma. His best finish came two years ago when he was 13th.

IN-SEASON CHALLENGE UPDATE

Two Ford drivers remain alive as the inaugural In-Season Challenge reaches the quarterfinal round this weekend at Sonoma Raceway. Ryan Preece, who eliminated fellow Ford driver Noah Gragson in the Round of 16, will be matched against Tyler Reddick. Zane Smith, who saw his run continue after he edged Chris Buescher by four spots in Chicago, will face Ty Gibbs with a berth in the semifinals on the line.

HALL OF FAME TIES

Ford has won eight times at Sonoma and the one thing all of those winners have in common is that their owners are members of the NASCAR Hall of Fame. Robert Yates (Class of 2018) won this event three times (Davey Allison, 1991; Ernie Irvan, 1994; and Ricky Rudd, 2002), while Jack Roush (Class of 2019) has two victories (Mark Martin, 1997 and Carl Edwards, 2014). Bud Moore (Class of 2011) took Geoffrey Bodine to Victory Lane in 1993 while Roger Penske (Class of 2019) did the same with Rusty Wallace in 1996 and Tony Stewart (Class of 2020) with Kevin Harvick in 2017.

JOEY LOGANO: DO YOU LIKE HAVING ROAD COURSE RACES BUNCHED TOGETHER OR WOULD YOU RATHER HAVE THEM SPREAD OUT? “We’ve got to do them, so I’m kind of good either way. I just think in the playoffs you need to have a good mixture of racetracks throughout the 10 weeks, but the other regular season races, I mean, if we’re gonna do them, then I don’t really care. Whatever works best for the schedule and weather and fans and that type of stuff is fine with me.”

RYAN BLANEY: “I don’t think it’s any more difficult than going different places week to week. Whether it’s road course to oval or road course to road course, you just understand the schedule and you know what to do and you understand the flow of it. I think it’s actually nicer that we can go two road courses in a row because it just keeps you in that mindset of a road course. Every track layout is different no matter what it is, so that’s already difficult, but I think it’s actually better just staying in that mindset for a couple of weeks.”

CHRIS BUESCHER: “We talk about momentum in our sport all the time and while it’s made up in some people’s minds, it works more times than not and, to me, it means that if you can get momentum on your side for these early road courses, then I think it can carry over into Sonoma and the Glen as well. So, I’m curious to see how it all plays out. We’ll kind of get some feedback from the industry and from our fans and see where their mind is at, but I’m on board right now.”

RYAN PREECE: “I’m a big fan of having back-to-back road courses. I feel like after Mexico we’ve been really good. We were good at COTA in the race and then transferred that to Mexico. I feel really confident about where our team is at as far as continuing to build and the direction we’re heading for road courses. Some people look at road courses as a wild card where you don’t really know what you could have. I look at it as an opportunity to attack.”

EDWARDS NETS FIRST ROAD COURSE WIN

Recent NASCAR Hall of Fame inductee Carl Edwards held off Jeff Gordon on the final lap to post the first road win of his NCS career in 2014 with car owner Jack Roush. He did it thanks to a two-stop strategy and a timely caution. Edwards had just pitted on lap 70 when NASCAR threw a caution for debris one lap later. While most of the field decided to pit for new tires, Edwards and fellow Ford driver Marcos Ambrose stayed out and gained the necessary track position that put both in position to win. Ambrose took the lead from Clint Bowyer on lap 81 and brought Edwards with him, but another restart with 25 to go saw Ambrose and Edwards sharing the front row. Edwards got the jump and took the lead, which he never surrendered, although a hard-charging Gordon made it interesting on the final lap.

RUDD RUCKUS

When Ford took the checkered flag at Sonoma Raceway for the first time it came in controversial fashion. That’s because Davey Allison, the man credited with winning the Banquet Frozen Foods 300 in 1991, was sent spinning by Ricky Rudd as they were approaching the white flag. Even though Rudd, one of the most recent inductees into the NASCAR Hall of Fame, ended up crossing the finish line first, he received the black flag from NASCAR for rough driving and awarded Allison with the trophy. The win was Allison’s first and only one on a road course and snapped an eight-race streak that had seen either Rudd or Rusty Wallace in Victory Lane at Watkins Glen International or Sonoma Raceway.

MAYER AND CREED DO IT AGAIN

The Haas Factory Team duo of Sheldon Creed and Sam Mayer have come out of the box strong in their first season with the new organization. Even though both drivers are still looking for their first win of the year, they have been consistently in the mix as evidenced by last week’s race in Chicago. Creed led nine laps and won the second stage before finishing third while Mayer ended up eighth. That represented the sixth time both drivers have finished in the top 10 of the same race (Daytona, Las Vegas, Homestead, Martinsville, Nashville and Chicago). Mayer, who is a Ford-best third in the series point standings, comes to Sonoma after a third-place finish a year ago. Creed, who is eighth in points, was the runner-up in this event last season.

FORD’S NASCAR CUP SERIES WINNERS

AT SONOMA

1991 – Davey Allison

1993 – Geoffrey Bodine

1994 – Ernie Irvan

1996 – Rusty Wallace

1997 – Mark Martin

2002 – Ricky Rudd

2014 – Carl Edwards

2017 – Kevin Harvick

FORD’S NASCAR XFINITY SERIES WINNERS AT SONOMA

2023 – Aric Almirola

The Ford Mustang, celebrating its 61st anniversary in 2025, is the world’s best selling sports car. It is also one of the planet’s most popular race cars. With Mustang-based race cars competing in international sports car competition (GT3 and GT4), NASCAR, NHRA, Formula Drift, in Australian Supercars, at the Pikes Peak International Hill Climb and in its own bespoke one-make series – Mustang Cup and Mustang Challenge – the platform has an unprecedented global reach. This weekend, 38 Mustang race cars are scheduled to race across all disciplines. Learn more at FordPerformance.com.

Hertz to Sponsor John Hunter Nemechek and the No. 42 LEGACY MOTOR CLUB Toyota at Dover

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Partnership Expands Knighthead’s Motorsport Footprint, Linking NASCAR and WEC Programs

STATESVILLE, N.C. (July 8, 2025)  –  LEGACY MOTOR CLUB announced today that Hertz, one of the world’s largest mobility solutions providers, will serve as the primary sponsor of John Hunter Nemechek’s No. 42 Toyota Camry XSE for the NASCAR Cup Series race at Dover Motor Speedway on July 20. The announcement marks another chapter in the evolving partnership between LEGACY MOTOR CLUB and team co-owner Knighthead Capital Management, LLC, on behalf of its investors, which also co-owns Cadillac Hertz Team JOTA racing team in the FIA World Endurance Championship (“WEC”).

The iconic black-and-gold Hertz livery will make its NASCAR return on the high-banked concrete mile at Dover—known as the “Monster Mile”— bringing international motorsports synergy under the Knighthead umbrella. Hertz Car Sales – which offers thousands of well-maintained, high-quality used vehicles online and in person at more than 40 locations nationwide – also will be featured prominently on the racecar.

“We’re excited to see Hertz and Hertz Car Sales on the No. 42 this summer at Dover,” said John Hunter Nemechek, driver of the LEGACY MOTOR CLUB Toyota. “It’s awesome to represent such a recognizable global brand, and even more special knowing it ties into the broader Knighthead motorsport vision that spans NASCAR and endurance racing.”

Hertz’s entry into the NASCAR Cup Series complements its sponsorship of Cadillac Hertz Team JOTA’s No. 12 and No. 38 Cadillacs in the WEC. This cross-series sponsorship strategy, backed by Knighthead, exemplifies a global approach to brand visibility and performance alignment across premier racing platforms.

“Hertz has a proud legacy in motorsports and we’re excited to expand our presence by partnering with LEGACY MOTOR CLUB and John Hunter Nemechek for the NASCAR Cup Series race at Dover,” said Gil West, Hertz Chief Executive Officer. “This collaboration not only highlights our iconic brand on one of racing’s biggest stages, but also showcases Hertz Car Sales as a trusted source of high-quality used vehicles. It’s an exciting opportunity to connect with fans and customers through the thrill of racing.”

Fans will get their first look at the Hertz-branded No. 42 Toyota Camry XSE during practice and qualifying at Dover on July 19, with race coverage airing nationally on TNT Sports.

About Hertz
Hertz Global Holdings, Inc. is one of the world’s leading car rental and mobility solutions providers. Its subsidiaries, including The Hertz Corporation, and licensees operate the Hertz, Dollar, Thrifty, and Firefly vehicle rental brands, with more than 11,000 rental locations in 160 countries around the globe. The Company also operates the Hertz Car Sales brand, which offers a range of quality, competitively priced used cars for sale online and at locations across the United States, and the Hertz 24/7 car-sharing business in Europe. For more information about Hertz, visit www.hertz.com.

About Knighthead Capital Management LLC
Knighthead Capital Management, LLC was co-founded in 2008 by Tom Wagner  and  Ara Cohen and has grown to become a diversified asset management platform with an experienced team of investment professionals, specializing in fundamental analysis, operational and financial turnarounds and risk management. Knighthead’s long-term objective is to generate attractive risk-adjusted returns for its clients while emphasizing the preservation of capital. Knighthead manages assets across a variety of investment vehicles including insurance asset management, real estate lending, and closed and open-ended vehicles.

About LEGACY MOTOR CLUB: LEGACY MC is a premier auto racing organization co-owned by seven-time NASCAR Cup Series champion and 2024 NASCAR Hall of Fame inductee, Jimmie Johnson and Knighthead Capital Management, LLC. Drawing from a rich tradition of success, LEGACY MC is dedicated to pushing the boundaries of motorsport and setting new standards of excellence. The CLUB competes under the Toyota Gazoo Racing banner in the NASCAR Cup Series with the No. 43 Toyota Camry XSE piloted by Erik Jones and the No. 42 Toyota Camry XSE driven by John Hunter Nemechek. Johnson also races on a limited basis in the No. 84 Toyota Camry XSE. With NASCAR legend and Hall of Famer Richard Petty, “The King”, serving as CLUB Ambassador, LEGACY MC blends timeless racing traditions with a new forward-thinking vision. As an inclusive community for motorsport enthusiasts, LEGACY MC honors both its storied past and the promising future of its members, always striving for victory and championship glory at the pinnacle of NASCAR competition.

CORVETTE RACING AT SĀO PAULO: Full Push

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Pair of TF Sport Corvettes in thick of LMGT3 title picture following Le Mans

DETROIT (July 8, 2025) – The Chevrolet Corvette Z06 GT3.R and TF Sport enter the second half of the FIA World Endurance Championship this weekend with solid momentum and both racecars in title contention as the series shifts to South America.

The Six Hours of Sāo Paulo is the fifth round of the FIA WEC and first event after the 24 Hours of Le Mans. It also is the resumption of a tight fight in the LMGT3 with each of the second-year Corvette GT3s looking to contend not just for a race win but also moving up in the Drivers and Teams championship standings:

No. 33 TF Sport Corvette Z06 GT3.R

The trio of Daniel Juncadella, Jonny Edgar and Ben Keating sit third in points on the strength of their season-opening race win at Qatar. Of the three, only Juncadella has raced at Sāo Paulo and his debut at the circuit came last year.

Following the victory at Qatar and subsequent championship lead, the No. 33 Corvette was the heaviest car at both Imola and Spa-Francorchamps by more than 50 pounds. Much of that success ballast comes off for Sāo Paulo, which gives the 33 side of the TF Sport garage optimism for its first Hyperpole appearance of the season and a return to the class podium.

No. 81 TF Sport Corvette Z06 GT3.R

Charlie Eastwood, Rui Andrade and Tom Van Rompuy broke through at Le Mans for a third-place LMGT3 finish and their first podium result of the year. The No. 81 Corvette squad jumped up to sixth in points to give TF Sport two cars that can contend for the race win and podium in Brazil.

Of note, Van Rompuy has advanced the No. 81 Corvette into the LMGT3 Hyperpole session in three of four races this year. Meanwhile Eastwood and Andrade are coming off a thrilling victory in Sunday’s Four Hours of Imola in TF Sport’s European Le Mans Series Corvette entry with Hiroshi Koizumi – the first win for Corvette Racing in that championship.

The Six Hours of Sāo Paulo is scheduled for 10:30 a.m. ET on Sunday, July 13. Full live streaming coverage of Free Practice 3, qualifying and the race will be available on the FIA WEC app and the MAX app in the United States.

TF SPORT PRE-EVENT QUOTES

DANIEL JUNCADELLA, NO. 33 CHEVROLET CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R: “The good news is we are going to lose a lot of weight. We have a gluten-free diet going to Sāo Paulo! Which is nice because we have been heavy all year. We are still third in the championship, which is fantastic after a difficult Le Mans. I think the second half of the year we will be strong and will be fighting to get back to where we belong.”

JONNY EDGAR, NO. 33 CHEVROLET CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R: “This will be my first time to Brazil, so it’s a new track for me and Ben. We’ll try to learn it as quickly as possible. Luckily, Dani has been there so I’m sure he will be able to help us a lot. I’m sure he’ll be able to help us a lot. It’ll be nice to have as much success ballast. Obviously it’s nice to have it because you’ve obviously won something! But I think we’ll have a tiny bit from our championship position, but much less than previous races. So I think that should be helpful. Hopefully we can have another good weekend and score as many points as we can.”

BEN KEATING, NO. 33 CHEVROLET CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R: “My main goal is to win the championship, and we are still in that hunt for sure. For the last several races, we’ve been carrying around so much success ballast. I’m glad to know that the two people in front of us in the championship are now going to be very heavy. And we’re going to be considerably lighter. I’ve never been to Sāo Paulo. But I’ve spent a lot of time on my simulator and learning it. So I’m looking forward to being back toward the front.”

CHARLIE EASTWOOD, NO. 81 CHEVROLET CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R: “Coming off Le Mans, we’re really optimistic about Sāo Paulo. The truck’s been resurfaced, so it might be quite different. We just need to keep doing what we are doing and hopefully we have a bit more pace in the Corvette. So we are looking forward to it. Hopefully like last year we can finish the year super-strong. We’re up to P6 in the championship after Le Mans and hopefully we can keep pushing forward with that.”

RUI ANDRADE, NO. 81 CHEVROLET CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R: “It’s really encouraging to come into Brazil after our podium at Le Mans. Our confidence is at an all-time high right now as we are going into some tracks where I feel we were strong last year. It starts at Sāo Paulo where we learned a lot in our first time there with the Corvette. The car already was fairly quick and competitive last year and I hope we have more of the same this time around.”

TOM VAN ROMPUY, NO. 81 CHEVROLET CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R: “We have really good momentum after Le Mans. Now we take that to Sao Paulo, which is a track I discovered for the first time last year. I think we should go along fairly well there. The team is operating at a high level on both sides of the garage. All season, the driving has been very, very good to go along with the strategy and pit stops. Let’s see if we can continue that this weekend.”

2025 FIA World Endurance Championship Points

LMGT3 Drivers Standings

  1. Riccardo Pera/Richard Lietz/Ryan Hardwick – 81
  2. Alessio Rovera/Francois Heriau/Simon Mann – 76
  3. Ben Keating/Daniel Juncadella/Jonny Edgar – 60
  4. Ian James/Mattia Drudi/Zacharie Robichon – 47
  5. Arnold Robin/Finn Gehrsitz – 38
  6. Charlie Eastwood/Rui Andrade/Tom Van Rompuy – 38

LMGT3 Teams Standings

  1. No. 92 Manthey 1ST Phorm – 81
  2. No. 21 Vista AF Corse – 76
  3. No. 33 TF Sport – 60
  4. No. 27 Heart of Racing Team – 47
  5. No. 78 Akkodis ASP Team – 38
  6. No. 81 TF Sport – 38

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.

Eckes, Sawalich, and Bryson Lead Stacked Sonoma ARCA Menards Series West Entry List

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TEMPERANCE, Mich. (July 7, 2025) – Former ARCA Menards Series champion Christian Eckes and two-time ARCA Menards Series East titlist William Sawalich lead the entry list for Friday’s ARCA Menards Series West General Tire 200 at Sonoma Raceway. The ARCA Menards Series platform former champions will be joined by a stacked list of drivers that includes road racing ringers from around the world in addition to the drivers competing for the 2025 series championship.

Eckes, the 2019 ARCA Menards Series champion, has joined Kaulig Racing and made the leap into the NASCAR Xfinity Series in 2025. Eckes won seven times on a variety of tracks in the ARCA Menards Series, including four on his way to the championship. He scored wins at Salem Speedway, Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park, and Nashville Fairgrounds Speedway, the dirt miles at the Illinois State Fairgrounds and DuQuoin State Fairgrounds, the mile-and-a-half Kansas Speedway, and the 2.5-mile Pocono Raceway over the course of his ARCA Menards Series career. He has nine career NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series victories, including four on his way to second in the series championship standings in 2024 driving for McAnally-Hilgemann Racing.

While winless on road courses, Eckes has proven strong on the twisty circuits scoring a then career-best NASCAR XFINITY Series finish of fourth, in his first start at Autodromo Hermanos Rodgriguez in Mexico City.

Eckes will rejoin team owner Bill McAnally for Friday’s romp through California wine country. He is currently 15th in the XFINITY Series standings with three top-five and seven top-ten finishes.

Sawalich, the 2023 and 2024 ARCA Menards Series East champion, has proven to be strong on road courses in his career throughout the ARCA Menards Series platform. With a total of 23 series wins across the platform, Sawalich won in the ARCA Menards Series at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course in 2022 and matched it with an ARCA Menards Series West victory at Portland International Raceway in 2024.

Sawalich is competing in the NASCAR XFINITY Series full-time for Joe Gibbs Racing in 2024; he’s currently 25th in the series standings with three top-ten finishes including a career-best sixth in Mexico City.

Sprint car ace Corey Day returns to the ARCA Menards Series platform for the first time since a tenth-place finish at Phoenix Raceway in March. The protégé of NASCAR Cup Series champion Kyle Larson, Day has had a busy schedule in 2025, making starts in the NASCAR XFINITY Series, Craftsman Truck Series and ARCA Menards Series in addition to chasing the Kubota High Limit Sprint Car Series. In ten High Limit feature appearances, the Hendrick Motorsports development driver scored wins in March at Las Vegas Motor Speedway and in May at Tri City Speedway.

The race at Sonoma will be Day’s first-ever stock car start on a road course.

Twenty-four year-old Kaylee Bryson will make her ARCA Menards Series platform debut at Sonoma Raceway, driving for the team that won the 2023 ARCA Menards Series West owner’s championship led by veteran crew chief Bruce Cook. Bryson won the Trans-Am Series SGT class championship in 2024 with victories at NOLA Motorsports Park, Canadian Tire Motorsports Park, and Virginia International Raceway. In addition to her road course success, she also became the first female driver in USAC history to score a win in the Silver Crown Series with a dominant performance at the Belleville Highbanks in Kansas.

Alon Day, from Ashdod, Israel, will make his second ARCA Menards Series platform start of 2025 with Venturini Motorsports at Sonoma; he finished second two weeks ago in the ARCA Menards Series race at Lime Rock Park in his platform debut. Other notables include NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series regular Jack Wood in a second Bill McAnally Racing entry, former ARCA Menards Series East road course winners Dale Quarterley and Will Rodgers, who also has a West win at Sonoma in 2018, and Sigma Performance Services teammates Spencer Gallagher and Tyler Reif, who drove to the 2024 ARCA Menards Series West owners championship with Central Coast Racing. SPS won at Sonoma in 2024 with Xfinity Series regular Sam Mayer at the wheel.

The battle for the ARCA Menards Series West championship will resume through the rolling hills of Sonoma County, with Trevor Huddleston leading Tanner Reif by nine points after five of 12 races. Huddleston has a pair of victories at his home track, Kevin Harvick’s Kern Raceway, while Reif scored his first win of the season at Tucson Speedway in April. Kyle Keller, is third in the standings with a trio or runner-up finishes, and Eric Johnson, Jr. and Robbie Kennealy, Keller’s teammate for owner Jan Qualkenbush, within striking distance of the lead.

The full entry list for the General Tire 200 will be released in the coming days.

The race will be simulcast on FloRacing and NASCAR’s new free streaming platform, The NASCAR Channel on Tubi and Amazon Prime Video starting at 6:30 pm ET / 3:30 pm PT.

For complete event information, including live timing and scoring data for all on-track sessions and live race audio, please visit ARCARacing.com. For up-to-the-minute updates, follow @ARCA_Racing on X (formerly Twitter).

Whelen Mazda MX-5 Cup Unveils 2026 Schedule

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For its 21st season of racing, the Whelen Mazda MX-5 Cup presented by Michelin will continue to visit legendary racetracks across North America.

Maintaining a roster of all-star tracks with events that support both the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship as well as INDYCAR weekends, the 2026 Whelen Mazda MX-5 Cup schedule changes only slightly from the 2025 version, as the series makes a return to the iconic Indianapolis Motor Speedway in September, displacing a return to Barber Motorsports Park.

“With our 2026 schedule, I believe we’ve addressed the primary needs of our competitors,” Mazda Motorsports Senior Manager Jonathan Applegate said. “The MX-5 Cup paddock values consistency, budget considerations, and world-class tracks that put a lot of eyes on their sponsors. The addition of Indianapolis to the 2026 schedule will definitely be a welcomed modification.”

As has been tradition since Mazda MX-5 Cup became part of the IMSA family, the 2026 season will kick off at Daytona International Speedway, January 21 – 23.

The series stays in Florida for Rounds 3 and 4 with another trip to the streets of St. Petersburg, February 27 – March 1. This is the sole event on the 2026 schedule that will be with the NTT IndyCar Series.

Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course consistently produces some of the best MX-5 Cup racing, so naturally the series is back June 5 – 7 as part of the IMSA-hosted event weekend.

Later this week, MX-5 Cup rolls into Ontario to race at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park, which it will do again in 2026, July 10 – 12.

August brings the traditional trip to VIRginia International Raceway, August 20 – 23.

Then comes the Indy road course, Sept 18-20. MX-5 Cup last raced at Indy in 2017.

The 2026 season comes to a close at Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta for the sixth year in-a-row. A new champion will be crowned following the final two races, October 1-3.

2026 Whelen Mazda MX-5 Cup presented by Michelin Schedule

Date Track
Jan. 21 – 23 Daytona International Speedway
Feb. 21 – March 1 St. Petersburg Street Course (with IndyCar)
June 5 – 7 Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course
July 10 – 12 Canadian Tire Motorsport Park
Aug. 20 – 23 VIRginia International Raceway
Sept. 18 – 20 Indianapolis Motor Speedway Road Course
Oct. 1 – 3 Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta
*All events are doubleheaders

About: The Whelen Mazda MX-5 Cup presented by Michelin is the signature spec series for Mazda Motorsports. The series has been operated by Andersen Promotions since 2017 and is currently sanctioned by IMSA. Mazda-powered grassroots champions can earn Mazda scholarships for this pro-level series. The Whelen Mazda MX-5 Cup awards more than $1 million in prizes and scholarships.

Find out more at http://www.mx-5cup.com.

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