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Brandon Jones captures final Xfinity pole of 2025 at Phoenix

By
Andrew Kim
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Photo by Ron Olds for SpeedwayMedia.com.

Brandon Jones secured the final pole position of the 2025 NASCAR Xfinity Series season for this year’s championship race and season-finale event at Phoenix Raceway on Saturday, November 1.

The event’s qualifying format consisted of a single-car, impound format, with each competitor cycling once around Phoenix in a bid to record the fastest time.

During the qualifying session, Jones, the eighth-fastest competitor during Friday’s lone practice session, posted a qualifying lap at 130.957 mph in 27.490 seconds. Jones’ lap was enough for the 28-year-old native from Atlanta, Georgia, to claim the top-starting spot for himself and his No. 20 Joe Gibbs Racing (JGR) Toyota Supra team.

With the pole, Jones, who has won twice this season (Darlington Raceway in April and Kansas Speedway in September), notched his second Xfinity Series pole position of the 2025 season and his first at Phoenix and the 14th of his career. Despite being one of four competitors who were eliminated from the Playoffs last weekend and missing the Championship 4 cutline, Jones remains optimistic that he can contend for a victory at a track he once won at in 2020 to cap off a season where he reunited with JGR for the first time in three years.

“We’re certainly as fast as Xfinity mobile today,” Jones said. “I’m so excited to have speed at this last race. We all 100% believe in this No. 20 group that we felt like we should have been in that Final Four. [A] Couple of bad races in that Round of 8 just took us out of contention. We had a lot of momentum after that third place in Martinsville and almost having a shot to make it in on a win.

“We know how much speed I’ve had at this racetrack [Phoenix] as well, so we had high hopes coming into it,” Jones added. I’m hoping I’m the [championship] spoiler today. We’re still fighting for fifth in points, which is a big deal for us. We just need to put [the race] all together, have a great day, execute and hopefully, stand in Victory Lane smiling and thinking that we would have been the ones winning the championship. All in all, these [No. 20] guys did a phenomenal job. I’m excited to go into the race this afternoon.”

Jones will share the front row with teammate Taylor Gray, the latter of whom posted his lap at 130.468 mph in 27.593 seconds and scored his first Xfinity career victory at Martinsville Speedway. Sheldon Creed will line up in third place with a qualifying lap of 130.251 mph in 27.639 seconds.

Meanwhile, rookie Connor Zilisch is the highest-starting Championship 4 finalist and will take the green flag in fourth place. Zilisch, a 10-time race winner in 2025 and a first-time Championship 4 finalist, posted his lap at 130.227 mph in 27.644 seconds. Notably, bBefore qualifying, Zilisch was the fastest competitor during Friday’s practice session.

Justin Allgaier, Zilisch’s Xfinity teammate at JR Motorsports and another Championship 4 finalist, will start in fifth place. He posted the identical lap time and speed as Zilisch. Allgaier is also the reigning Xfinity Series champion and will attempt to become the eighth competitor overall to win back-to-back series titles during the main event later on Saturday. 

Jesse Love, a third Championship 4 finalist in the Xfinity Series, won this year’s season-opening event at Daytona International Speedway while driving for Richard Childress Racing (RCR). He will start in sixth place with a lap of 130.194 mph in 27.651 seconds. Lastly, Carson Kvapil, an Xfinity rookie driving for JR Motorsports, will start in 14th place after a qualifying lap of 129.301 mph in 27.842 seconds. Like Zilisch and Love, Kvapil is a first-time Championship 4 finalist.

Notably, Aric Almirola and Austin Hill, both of whom are contending for the owner’s championship for JGR’s No. 19 Toyota team and RCR’s No. 21 Chevrolet team, qualified seventh and 16th, respectively. In addition, Ryan Sieg, who is piloting the No. 41 Haas Factory Team Ford Mustang entry in place of the suspended Sam Mayer. He qualified in 10th place and he will start behind Nick Sanchez and Dean Thompson. 

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

Qualifying Results:

1. Brandon Jones, 130.957 mph, 27.490 seconds

2. Taylor Gray, 130.468 mph, 27.593 seconds

3. Sheldon Creed, 130.251 mph, 27.639 seconds

4. Connor Zilisch, 130.227 mph, 27.644 seconds

5. Justin Allgaier, 130.227 mph, 27.644 seconds

6. Jesse Love, 130.194 mph, 27.651 seconds

7. Aric Almirola, 130.016 mph, 27.689 seconds

8. Nick Sanchez, 129.730 mph, 27.750 seconds

9. Dean Thompson, 129.515 mph, 27.796 seconds

10. Ryan Sieg, 129.487 mph, 27.802 seconds

11. Jeb Burton, 129.417 mph, 27.817 seconds

12. Harrison Burton, 129.357 mph, 27.830 seconds

13. Justin Bonsignore, 129.338 mph, 27.834 seconds

14. Carson Kvapil, 129.301 mph, 27.842 seconds

15. Corey Day, 129.255 mph, 27.852 seconds

16. Austin Hill, 129.250 mph, 27.853 seconds

17. Kyle Sieg, 129.227 mph, 27.858 seconds

18. Sammy Smith, 129.055 mph, 27.895 seconds

19. Parker Retzlaff, 128.935 mph, 27.921 seconds

20. Brenden Queen, 128.801 mph, 27.950 seconds

21. Christian Eckes, 128.438 mph, 28.029 seconds

22. Connor Mosack, 128.315 mph, 28.056 seconds

23. Blaine Perkins, 128.155 mph, 28.091 seconds

24. Brennan Poole, 128.023 mph, 28.120 seconds

25. Leland Honeyman, 127.669 mph, 28.198 seconds

26. Josh Bilicki, 127.596 mph, 28.214 seconds

27. Anthony Alfredo, 127.380 mph, 28.262 seconds

28. Nick Leitz, 127.312 mph, 28.277 seconds

29. Jeremy Clements, 127.146 mph, 28.314 seconds

30. Ryan Ellis, 127.096 mph, 28.325 seconds

31. Patrick Emerling, 126.850 mph, 28.380 seconds

32. Garrett Smithley, 126.725 mph, 28.408 seconds

33. Daniel Dye, 126.671 mph, 28.420 seconds

34. Stefan Parsons, 126.298 mph, 28.504 seconds

35. Glen Reen, 125.769 mph, 28.624 seconds

36. Joey Gase, 125.716 mph, 28.636 seconds

37. Josh Williams, 124.883 mph, 28.827 seconds

38. Dawson Cram, 124.284 mph, 28.966 seconds

*Bold indicates Championship 4 contenders

The 2025 NASCAR Xfinity Series Championship Race at Phoenix Raceway is scheduled to occur on Saturday, November 1, at 7:30 p.m. ET on the CW Network, MRN and SiriusXM.

Ford Racing Notes and Quotes – Logano’s Phoenix Goal This Weekend is Bittersweet

By
Official Release
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Ford Racing Notes and Quotes
NASCAR Cup Series
Championship Race Media Availability — Phoenix Raceway
Saturday, November 1, 2025

Joey Logano, driver of the No. 22 Shell/Pennzoil Ford Mustang Dark Horse, answered questions from the media before today’s qualifying session.

JOEY LOGANO, No. 22 Shell/Pennzoil Ford Mustang Dark Horse – HOW DO YOU EVALUATE THIS SEASON FOR YOU PERSONALLY AND THE 22 TEAM? “Obviously not everything we hoped for. Our goal is to win the championship every year and we fell short of that. Our goals are really high. By the same token, I feel like there were moments of the year we looked really strong. There were moments of the year where we didn’t capitalize on opportunities to win that we could have, and then I look at the playoffs as OK. We didn’t really stack any wins in there, but we were able to work our way into the Round of 8 and be a threat up until the last race in Martinsville. I always say the goal every year when we start the playoffs is to make it 10 weeks of hell. Make sure you have the pressure on you for 10 weeks. Well, we got nine – nine hard weeks. That’s better than six, but it’s not exactly where you want to be. In some cases, you can look at it and say we’ve done a decent job, but on the other hand it’s just not what our expectation is of ourselves. This weekend stings a little bit, if I’m being honest. It hurts to be here and not racing for a championship, but, at the same time, it’s probably good that it hurts because it shows you still care. If it makes you a little angry, it’s probably a good thing and you can use that.”

WE’VE HAD FOUR YEARS WITH THIS RACE CAR. WHAT DRIVER HAS BENEFITTED FROM THIS CAR AND WHAT DRIVER HAS BEEN HINDERED BY IT? “Honestly, I think it’s really helped the younger drivers coming into the sport. I’ve got two parts to that. The other car was very unique. It took years to get your head wrapped around it and when the Next Gen car was introduced all of that knowledge that the experienced guys had got wiped away back to zero. If anything, it was even harder because you had to unlearn a lot of things. Now, there’s still the experience and how to lead your team and all those things that you learned for experience that will always be there and will always help you, but you have to relearn how to restart, how to pass cars, how your car is gonna migrate throughout runs, where the lines are. All of those things you have to unlearn, so if there was a time to be a rookie, it was a few years ago. Now, it’s starting to be to the point where everyone is getting experience together and it’s going ahead. The other piece it obviously helped, is when someone like a Shane van Gisbergen is able to jump into a Cup car and win immediately because it felt like home to him, like a similar car to what he raced. He’s really good, so he would have won in the old car too, but I believe it would have taken a little bit longer for him to get his head wrapped around what the old car was as slick as it was to drive and heavy and just little nuances about it.”

HOW DO YOU THINK THE CITY OF PHOENIX AND THE RACEWAY HAS BEEN AS HOST? “I think it’s been great. I’m sure I’m speaking for all of us, we got so used to finishing the year in Miami, where it was just tradition. We were used to it and when that got ripped away, you were kind of like, ‘I don’t know if I’m gonna like this.’ I’ll be honest, the first couple of years it felt weird being out here, but it honestly has felt like tradition now out here since we’ve done it for so long. As somebody that’s been fortunate enough to win championship in both places, it’s been awesome both ways. I promise, it’s been great. No matter where it is, I don’t think it’s gonna matter. The place is gonna pack out no matter where it is. It’s the championship race, so as long as it has all of that clout behind it, I don’t think it matters where you put it, the fans are gonna show up, but I will say the fans at the racetrack here have been great. The racetrack itself has done a good job of making it feel special. That’s important. It’s only a big deal if you make it a big deal, and I feel like they’ve done a good job of making this race feel like it’s different than all of the other races because it is and it should be.”

THIS IS PROBABLY THE LAST ONE-RACE VERSION OF THE CHAMPIONSHIP. HOW DO YOU THINK THIS FORMAT WILL BE VIEWED YEARS FROM NOW? “I’m sure some day we’ll be in our rocking chairs talking about this and the argument will continue. I think it will just go forever on which one was the best and all these different ways. I don’t know. I was talking to Richard Petty yesterday and he said he won five championships in five different formats. He’s won seven championships, but five of them were in different formats, and I was like, ‘That’s kind of crazy.’ I didn’t even know that, so there’s a certain point where no one is even gonna know. It’s gonna go to whatever the next one is and if you’re a new fan, you’re not even gonna know what this format was. It’s just gonna be a stat. You just know he has seven championships. I don’t even know the ways he’s won it. He was teaching me things I didn’t know. We might know and everyone is gonna have their opinion on it and that’s fine. I will always remember it personally because it’s affected my life in so many ways good and bad – being on the good side and the bad side. I know I’ve never felt pressure like I do during the playoffs and the way this format is. I’ve never felt anything like it. I’m interested and curious to see what the next one is. I don’t know what it is. Your guess is as good as mine. It’s probably better than mine. You probably know. I don’t, but whatever it is is what it will be and I’m gonna have to figure out how to win in that one, too. That’s just the name of the game.”

WHAT DO YOU DO ON MONDAY? RESET OR GO BACK INTO PREPARING FOR NEXT SEASON? “I’ve got to go to the SEMA show and then the banquet, so Monday is not quite normal, but I will say that I think it’s important to take a second and take a breather. Over these last 10 weeks, like I said, it’s a long 10 weeks and it’s important to take a break – maybe a little time to reflect and not that I haven’t already been thinking about it of, ‘OK, what do we do different next year.’ You’ve got to do something different because what we did wasn’t good enough, so you can’t do the same thing and expect a different outcome. We have to look to do some different things and how can we approach things differently. How do we approach race weekend? What do we have to do to be faster on the racetrack? We just have to try to be better because the bottom line is we were not good enough. That’s the fact. There’s no way to hide from that. You can’t make up all these different scenarios on why you weren’t. We weren’t good enough, so we have to identify those weaknesses and figure out what to do to change those, and that will happen really quickly.”

WHAT ADVICE WOULD YOU GIVE HAMLIN AND BYRON SINCE YOU’VE WON TWO CHAMPIONSHIPS HERE? “I don’t know if I’m the one who should be giving advice. Everybody is different. Everybody handles things differently. Everyone handles the weekend differently. I do always laugh and everyone says it’s just another race weekend and it’s just another race because it’s such a load of crap. It’s not. It’s so much more than that. It’s always funny when I hear that, I will say that, but I don’t know. Like I said, everybody is different, but the pressure is real and everybody is different on their teams, too, whether it’s their crew chief and all that, so everyone’s got to do it their own way. I can’t be somebody else. They can’t be me. You’ve got to figure out your own way of doing it. I don’t know if I can give the best advice, but the only thing I know is it’s the opportunity of doing something that will follow you the rest of your life is tomorrow. That day is that day, will happen and the one thing you don’t want is to go to sleep tomorrow night saying, ‘I didn’t think of this,’ or, ‘I should have thought of this and tried a little bit harder here or put a little bit more effort into this and I might have given myself a better chance.’ That’s my biggest fear.”

HOW DO YOU HOPE TO CONTINUE NASCAR’S RICH LEGACY AS A SPORT? “There are so many different phases of my career, just like anybody else in the sport. There’s the driving and active piece and then there’s gonna be at some point when I don’t drive anymore and what does that look like. I don’t know exactly what that will be, but I do know the definition of a true champion is giving back more than you take and this sport has given me a lot. It’s given me everything. It’s been an awesome experience, and I definitely want to leave it better than it was when I got here. I can do a lot of that now while I’m still active and we do that through the driver advisory council a lot. I’m very active in that, but post racing for me, post driving, I’ll be involved. I’ll be around in some way because the people before me did that for me, and I should do that for the next generation.”

HOW MUCH SLACK OR LACK THEREOF WILL YOU GIVE THE CHAMP 4 DRIVERS IF YOU’RE RACING FOR THE WIN? “I think you’re respectful of the situation. I’ve been in the situation right and your senses are just heightened. Like any little thing that happens you’re like, ‘What is that guy doing?’ You’re just fired up in the car a lot more, so you’re respectful of what’s going on, but you still have your race. You still can go out there and try to win the race. You don’t want to get in the middle of what they’ve got going on and be a storyline, but you can go out there and be a spoiler, if you will, where you can go out there and win the race. It’s happened one time before. Only once, but it’s happened and it’s possible to go beat those guys and win the race. It would be bittersweet, I could tell you that much. It would definitely be that, but it would be cool.”

WOULD A WIN HELP CURE THE SORROW OF LAST WEEK OR FRUSTRATING KNOWING WHAT COULD HAVE BEEN? “I think it would be the most frustrating victory of all time (laughing).”

WHICH LOGANO CHILD IS GOING TO BE THE ONE TO FOLLOW IN YOUR FOOTSTEPS AND GO INTO THE RACING WORLD? “I don’t know if any of them will, to be honest with you. Maybe. I’m not gonna force them, I know that. I’m just gonna let them live their life. They see what dad does and if they want to race, great. I know some good avenues to help. If they want to go do something else, that’s good too. All I want them to do is try hard. That’s all that matters to me is effort. I just want to see them digging and grinding to be great. Whatever it is, try to be the best in the world at it no matter what it is. I don’t know what those would be. I will say that my oldest has taken an interest in just driving. It’s literally every day. We sneak out and go drive go-karts and four-wheelers. It’s every single day, which is great because I feel like I’m raising my best friend, so it’s pretty fun. Whatever they want to do is fine with me. We’ll just wait and see.”

IS HE REALLY COMPETITIVE? “Oh, he’s competitive alright. He’s frustrating to race against, believe me. He’s really light and he wrecks me, but he’s just like his old man (laughing).”

Ford Racing Notes and Quotes – Preece Trying to End 2025 Cup Season on Good Note

By
Official Release
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Ford Racing Notes and Quotes
NASCAR Cup Series
Championship Race Media Availability — Phoenix Raceway
Saturday, November 1, 2025

Ryan Preece, driver of the No. 60 Fry’s/Celsius Ford Mustang Dark Horse for RFK Racing, has set personal bests for most top 10 finishes in a season (13) and most top fives (3). He stopped by the infield media center at Phoenix Raceway to talk about his season and what lies ahead.

RYAN PREECE, No. 60 Fry’s/Celsius Ford Mustang Dark Horse – HOW DO YOU FEEL ABOUT 2025? “Honestly, I’m excited on how we’re finishing the season. When we didn’t make the playoffs and a lot of people usually talk about trying different things and kind of throwing away the final 10 races to find a direction for 2026, but I’m proud and happy that we kept trying to build on momentum, and I feel like the past four races we’ve just continued to build that. Martinsville was really strong and I’ve just really enjoyed my time here at RFK and the opportunity between having Kroger and Celsius on the car this weekend, it’s been a lot of fun. We’re definitely looking forward to 2026 and all of the things we can accomplish.”

HOW MANY ROLLS OF INDUSTRIAL SHRINK WRAP DID YOU USE YESTERDAY? “Three. It was pretty good. I don’t even think he’s on his way here yet because there’s one more thing that he might find out this morning, but it was three rolls and I wish somebody could get a video of him trying to cut it off.”

LOOKING AT YESTERDAY’S PRACTICE. ALL OF THE STUFF WE SAW WITH FLAT TIRES, DID THAT APPEAR TO BE AGGRESSIVENESS WITH AIR-PRESSURE? “That’s just teams trying to push the limits, so, yeah, I think it’s just pushing limits. Do I think there’s gonna be problems in the race? That’s on how aggressive you want to be. It’s also not gonna be good if you blow a tire and wreck yourself out of the race, so I think there’s a fine line and we as drivers and teams we know what that line is.”

WHAT WAS A TURNING POINT FOR YOU THIS YEAR? “I feel like every week is a process in learning those things and, for us, I felt like we had some pretty good moments early on in the season and certainly were really consistent, but, for our group, the 60 team, it was trying to find how can we go from being consistently finishing in the top 10 and being a part of the conversation to being faster and running top five and doing those things. Las Vegas about three or four weeks ago was one that I started to find what I’m looking for and Derrick and the guys are doing a great job on giving it to me, so I feel confident. We’re heading down a path and one that I’m excited about, so it’s all really good stuff. For me, I’ve been grinding at this for six years and sometimes you’ve got to keep fighting and swinging and I’m glad that this has been the opportunity that I’ve been really looking for. I have a great group of guys. We talk about it. This team really didn’t come together until mid-January and for how it’s developed and the teamwork and all those things, it’s been truly amazing to be a part of.”

CHRIS SEEMED TO INDICATE YOU’RE EVEN WITH THE PRANKS. HOW FAR WILL THIS GO? “It just depends if he wants to keep going. When he got me the first time and the second time that’s when I knew. When you get me, I’m gonna get you really bad, so it doesn’t matter. It’s almost like if you ram me on the track, I’m gonna make sure I get you pretty good, so the same thing goes with pranks.”

HOW IS THE PREP GOING FOR THE SNOWBALL DERBY? “I’m excited. I actually just fired it up last week before Martinsville. For me, having our son and all the things throughout the year, usually when I get a race car I’ll put it together in three or four weeks. I just constantly think about it and thrash on it. This one, I picked the chassis and the body up in mid-December and it took all the way until the middle of September, October to get it prepared to where it could be fired. Once the season is over I’m ready to be in my race shop and finish setting it up and getting ready to go test down there in two or three weeks. I’m excited about it because, as a race car driver, I think you guys follow along, some like to play golf or like to go do different things away from racing. Racing is my golf game. Typically, if it’s racing a modified, racing a super late model, it doesn’t matter what it is, where it is, it’s something I enjoy doing as well as working on the race cars and building them. I enjoy it, so it’s going well. How the Snowball Derby is gonna go I’m not entirely sure yet because in the past I’ve had Chris Gabehart help me as the crew chief. He’s a really great super late model driver and crew chief as well, so I’m planning on going on down with a group of my friends as well as people that I trust and like racing with, and I’m gonna make the best calls that I can on my race car to make it drive good.”

STATISTICALLY. YOU’RE HAVING YOUR BEST SEASON BUT ALSO SEEMINGLY THE MOST FUN AS WELL. WHY HAS THIS DEAL WITH RFK CLICKED? “So, for me, in the past what I had to be as a race car driver was essentially, not a crew chief, but I had to micro-manage everything outside of driving the race car. I feel like in the final 10-12 races last year, I came to terms that as much as I was trying to help, I was doing more harm. So, coming into the 2025 season I said, ‘OK, I’m gonna focus on the things I need to focus on as a race car driver and trust that the people around me are gonna make great decisions and give me great race cars, and I’ll be able to go show what I’m capable of.’ So, a change in mindset was probably a big piece of that as well as coming over to RFK and seeing what Brad’s been able to help build and continue to build back up of what we can be. We’re all frustrated we didn’t make the playoffs, but there’s a ton of potential between all three of us and I’m excited for that. For me, it was probably a change in mindset as well as a great group of people that came together and are working on accomplishing the goal. That’s probably the biggest thing I can give you.”

CAN YOU LOOK BACK AT DATA FROM LAST YEAR OR TWO YEARS AGO TO HELP SET UP YOUR CAR, OR DO YOU COME THIS WEEKEND AND START FROM ZERO? “That goes back to the part I was talking about. I try to stay out of the setup conversations and some of those discussions. What I’ll say is I’ve been a fan of what Goodyear has been doing with their tire, so as we change I’m sure the setup has to evolve with that, and how you choose to drive the race throughout the course of the run changes as well. So, as much as, yes, you could continue to take previous races and kind of use that as a baseline, you also have to be willing to adapt and change.”

WHAT IS THE BIGGEST THING YOU LEARNED ABOUT BRAD IN YEAR ONE AT RFK? “I didn’t know Brad’s entire story, and it’s one that I’ve grown to appreciate. I think the biggest thing that opened my eyes to him is he’s a forward thinker. He’s not complacent. He’s always looking to continue to improve all aspects of the company. It doesn’t matter if it’s the race cars, the marketing or the hospitality side, he’s a forward thinker and that’s a huge part if you want to be successful on and off the track in racing, so that surprised me a lot. He’s very, very hands on.”

YOU ARE EXPONENTIALLY BETTER THIS SEASON. WHAT IS THE MINDSET YOU CHANGED TO? “My background is modified racing and what I’ll tell you is there has always been some things that I feel I excel at and passing race cars is one of them. That comes from where I’m from in Connecticut. We have a handicap system each week, where if I win one week, I cannot start ahead of 15th the next, and you have to find your way to get to the front. So, there are strengths that I’ve had and there’s weaknesses that I’ve also worked on for myself to make them better. On the flip side, Ryan Preece from 2008 through 2015 was a different race car driver than Ryan Preece was in 2016 to essentially where the mindset is right now. And that was because when I was racing part-time with modifieds I was racing for a guy, he hired me. I was full-time on the race cars. I was the crew chief. I was the driver. I was everything and that was a mindset that I got stuck in for a while, where I was very integrated into the setup, into the air-pressures, into everything that it took to make that car go around the racetrack, and the problem in my eyes when I got to this level is there are people here for that. I don’t need to micro-manage that. When I was racing my modified, there was a plumber, there was an HVAC guy and a buddy who ran an asphalt plant. They were races. The enjoyed racing. They were volunteers, but this wasn’t their job. It was my job and it was my job to manage all of that, and when I came here that’s not my job. My job is not to manage the crew chief, the engineer, the tire guy, every aspect of that race car. My job is to drive the race car, and I think changing the mindset and obviously trusting the people around me that they’re gonna give me a great race car because that’s what it takes. This is truly a team sport. As much as we get a lot of credit. We have to make the great decisions on the racetrack. You have to navigate traffic. You’ve got to execute. You’ve got to do all of those things, but it takes an entire team to go out and succeed.”

IT LOOKED LIKE THE NUMBER ONE PIT BOX WAS REALLY SLICK LAST NIGHT. WHAT ARE THE STALLS LIKE? DO YOU NOTICE A SLICNESS AND WHAT ARE THE CHALLENGES FOR YOU? “I think having the advantage of that stall, typically you don’t have to worry about exiting out of somebody, but there are certain stalls tat are more of a challenge to get in and out of. I’ve noticed that at this track there is definitely an advantage to being other place, but I still think stall number one is probably a massive advantage, but throughout the entire schedule there are tracks that it’s difficult to get in and out of the boxes, and then there are other tracks where it’s easy. That’s just one of the challenges that the team, the pit crew and the drivers, that’s what we face every week.”

SO IT’S NOT UNIFORM ACROSS EVERY TRACK? “You can look at when racetracks are paved. I noticed this at my short track racing level is you go to the northeast, the grip in the asphalt is different than you go in the Southeast and how they pave it and whatever materials they use to lay it down. I don’t know all the details of it, but I can feel a difference depending on which part of the country I’m in, the grip level the car has.”

Niece Motorsports NCTS Race Recap: Phoenix Raceway

By
Official Release
-

NIECE MOTORSPORTS
NCTS RACE RECAP: PHOENIX RACEWAY
Event: NCTS Championship Race (150 laps / 150 miles)
Round: 25 of 25 (Season Finale)
Track: Phoenix Raceway
Location: Avondale, Arizona
Date & Time: Friday, October 31 | 7:30 PM ET

No. 41 McLaren Transport Chevrolet Silverado RST
Driver: Tyler Reif | Crew Chief: Mike Shiplett

Start: 13th
Stage 1: 20th
Stage 2: 13th
Finish: 9th
Driver Points: 51st
Owner Points: 35th

  • Key Takeaway: Tyler Reif impressed in his NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series debut race and capped the night off with a great finish. Reif qualified the highest out of the four Niece Motorsports drivers in 13th and drove into the top-10 in the beginning laps of the race. Navigating through dirty air on older tires, the rookie learned a considerable amount and gained valuable experience. The No. 41 pit crew gained several positions on pit road which allowed him to make moves on late restarts. Crossing the line in ninth, Reif earned respect from his peers following the race.
  • Tyler Reif’s Post-Race Thoughts: “Tonight was really cool; I think coming to a track that I knew really well helped me in my first Truck Series start. We executed in qualifying and through the race all night, and I got in the pit box well. Our delta was positive in the pits up until the last stop where we made a little mistake on my part and the crew’s part, but nothing we could really do about it. That wreck in front of us helped us out, and sometimes luck is more important than skill. We were able to put the restart together on the final overtime and came home P9. I think we probably could have had a little better finish, but definitely nothing to complain about. Thanks to everyone at Niece Motorsports, McLaren Transport, and Chevrolet for making this possible.”

About McLaren Transport: McLaren Transport, a division of DQS Solutions & Staffing, is a leader in automotive logistics, specializing in reliable, safe, and efficient transportation across the U.S. and Canada. Supporting its core transportation services, McLaren also offers warehousing, cross-docking, and supply chain solutions for temperature-sensitive goods. Strategically located near the Gordie Howe International Bridge, the company supports efficient border-crossing for clients across industries. Backed by DQS’s logistics and operational resources, McLaren delivers end-to-end solutions that drive efficiency, strengthen partnerships, and keep the automotive and logistics industry moving forward.

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

Start: 33rd
Stage 1: 22nd
Stage 2: 22nd
Finish: 11th
Driver Points: 17th
Owner Points: 21st

  • Key Takeaway: Matt Mills and the No. 42 team overcame early adversity and recovered to bring home a respectable finish to their season. After having issues in qualifying and having to start from the back of the field, Mills gained track position and kept in the fight. By virtue of two free passes, the team was able to capitalize on late-race chaos to climb through the field. Mills drove his J.F. Electric Chevrolet home to an 11th-place finish.
  • Matt Mills’ Post-Race Thoughts: “We caught a lot of breaks and made our truck better throughout the night. I feel like we didn’t really get to where we wanted it to be, it just felt free for the most part and then it went a little too tight there at the end. But, after not getting a qualifying lap in, we came home with one of our better finishes of the year. We played some survival strategy there, made the truck better, and that is all we can ask for. We took what we could get and made it into a decent run to end the year and go into next year with momentum.”

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

About Utilitra: Utilitra is a woman-owned firm specializing in utility and technology solutions with a diverse team of specialized professionals. Utilitra is committed to solving their client’s unique challenges, whether one expert or a team of experts is needed. By adapting to the needs of their respective industries, Utilitra has built a range of services for their utility and technology partners. See how Utilitra is powering businesses at www.utilitra.com.

No. 44 Telcel Chevrolet Silverado RST
Driver: Andrés Pérez de Lara | Crew Chief: Wally Rogers

Start: 16th
Stage 1: 11th
Stage 2: 11th
Finish: 30th
Driver Points: 16th
Owner Points: 18th

  • Key Takeaway: Andrés Pérez de Lara suffered a violent crash in the season finale at Phoenix Raceway, but was able to walk away unscathed. Pérez de Lara had a solid run throughout the event, and the No. 44 team found speed in the pits. The rookie was positioned to fight for a top-10, but made contact with other competitors late in the race which sent him into the outside wall. Though it was not the result he was looking for to end his rookie campaign, there was no doubt that he proved his worth after changing teams mid-season.
  • Andrés Pérez de Lara’s Post-Race Thoughts: “There was a lot of stuff going on in that restart. We had new tires, and coming into turn three and four with the inside wall, there was a lot going on. I just misjudged what the other drivers were doing, so obviously I have to apologize for that. I need to see a better replay to know what happened there, but inside the truck it felt like that. [It was] definitely a big hit; sorry to my team because I thought it was going to be a good night with the strategy. Thank you to everyone at Niece Motorsports, Telcel, and Chevrolet for everything they do.”

About Telcel: Telcel is Mexico’s leading telecommunications company, providing nationwide coverage, cutting-edge mobile connectivity, and high-speed internet services to millions of users. With over 30 years of experience, Telcel continues to innovate in digital communication, offering solutions that keep people connected anytime, anywhere.

No. 45 DQS Solutions & Staffing Chevrolet Silverado RST
Driver: Bayley Currey | Crew Chief: Phil Gould

Start: 17th
Stage 1: 13th
Stage 2: 13th
Finish: 27th
Driver Points: 22nd
Owner Points: 13th

  • Key Takeaway: Bayley Currey and the No. 45 team were swept away in a late-race crash with teammate, Andrés Pérez de Lara, and others at Phoenix. Currey ran just outside the top-10 for the majority of the night, and looked to end his season on a high note. The DQS Solutions & Staffing pit crew made big gains on pit road all race long, and enabled Currey to contend up front. Unfortunately, the damage was too severe to allow the team to finish the race, and Currey would be scored in 27th-place.
  • Bayley Currey’s Post-Race Thoughts: “We had a good truck tonight, but that was just an unfortunate turn of events. We came in to put tires on and made good adjustments right before the end, but just didn’t get to see them. That’s part of it, that’s racing, man. A mistake happened and we just got caught up. Huge thank you to everyone at Niece Motorsports, DQS Solutions & Staffing, J.F. Electric, Precision Vehicle Logistics, and everyone that’s a part of this team. These No. 45 guys brought me a good truck this weekend. It’s a sucky way to end the season since I get to think about it all the way until Daytona, but we’ll go home and work on our stuff a bit, and maybe run some fun stuff over the off-season.”

About DQS Solutions & Staffing: Guided by a mission to achieve excellence and adaptability, DQS partners with clients to create custom solutions that address unique business challenges. Recognized as Michigan’s fastest-growing company and #22 in the nation on the Inc. 5000 list, DQS drives industry growth while giving back through its nonprofit, Foundation for Pops, and partnerships like the River Rouge School District.
About Niece Motorsports: Niece Motorsports is a professional auto racing team that has competed in the NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series (NCTS) since 2016. Founded by United States Marine Corps Veteran Al Niece, the team is owned by Josh Morris of DQS Solutions and Staffing and the Fowler Family of J.F. Electric and Utilitra. At its 80,000 sq. ft. headquarters in Salisbury, NC, Niece Motorsports is a full-service race vehicle build shop as well as a customizable fabrication shop for any manufacturing needs.

Follow the Team: To keep up to date with the latest team news, visit niecemotorsports.com or connect on Facebook and Instagram (@NieceMotorsports) as well as X (@NieceMotorsport).

HEIM WINS FIRST TRUCK SERIES CHAMPIONSHIP

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Official Release
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The Toyota Development Driver breaks additional records on his way to a record-breaking night

AVONDALE, Ariz. (October 31, 2025) – Corey Heim concluded his dominate season with another victory – his record-setting 12th – as the Toyota Development Driver won his first Truck Series championship. During the night, Heim became the first driver in series history to lead at least one lap in every race this season, along with taking over the all-time single season laps led record.

Fellow Toyota driver Kaden Honeycutt had a stellar night as well as he drove from the back of the pack to finish third and finish third in the overall point standings.

Gio Ruggiero, despite being taken out in an accident this evening, was named the season-long Rookie of the Year.

Toyota GAZOO Racing Post-Race Recap
NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series (NCTS)
Phoenix Raceway
Race 25 of 25 – 150 Miles, 150 Laps

TOYOTA FINISHING POSITIONS

1st, COREY HEIM
2nd, Ty Majeski*
3rd, KADEN HONEYCUTT
4th, Layne Riggs*
5th, Rajah Caruth*
18th, GREG VAN ALST
21st, TANNER GRAY
23rd, COLE BUTCHER
25th, TONI BREIDINGER
28th, BRENT CREWS
31st, GIO RUGGIERO
*non-Toyota driver

TOYOTA QUOTES

COREY HEIM, No. 11 Safelite Toyota Tundra TRD Pro, TRICON Garage

Finishing Position: 1st

What does this mean to you?

“I just am so grateful to be where I’m at. So thankful for the TRICON Garage, Toyota taking a chance on me years ago, Safelite, Mobil 1, Yahoo, Celsius, for every bit of their support. I was so stressed out ever since we went to the ROVAL. I’ve been, like, so terrible to talk to as a person, so stressed out. This is just such a relief, to say the least. So thankful for everybody. There’s so many names I could go through, Trevor (Bayne, Competition Mentor, TRD) and Blake (Koch, Competition Mentor, TRD) for all my prep work, 23XI for everything they do for me on the development side. There’s such a long list. Thankful for everybody involved.“

KADEN HONEYCUTT, No. 52 Halmar International Toyota Tundra TRD Pro, Halmar-Friesen Racing

Finishing Position: 3rd

How will you reflect on this experience?

“I don’t think it can be anything but good honestly. Just thank you to Stewart (Friesen), everyone at HFR (Halmar-Friesen Racing), Toyota, Halmar, everyone that gave me the chance to be here tonight honestly. We had a good truck. The initial start is what it is. Ultimately didn’t change how we finished. With our speed, we were able to get back up there, fight the two in the end. The last restart, the only thing I had a chance at is if him and Corey (Heim) got together and we could have been three on the bottom into (turn) three. Ultimately didn’t happen. Didn’t have the balance we needed there to fight for it. Like I said, this run was for Stewart (Friesen), this whole team. Definitely nothing to hang my head about for sure. My goal when I signed up this year was to at least be here. We did that. Definitely was a crazy journey to be here. Thanks to everybody that has been supporting me and been in my corner. Looking forward to next year, and hopefully have Stewart (Friesen) back in the seat where he belongs with this team.”

GIO RUGGIERO, No. 17 JBL Toyota Tundra TRD Pro, TRICON Garage

Finishing Position: 31st

What happened to take you out of the race early?

“I just saw the wall honestly. I think I was top of three there getting into turn three and whoever was on the bottom just came up and cleaned us out. I don’t know if they had a flat tire or hit the inside wall. Just unfortunate. We had an okay day going. Just sucks we couldn’t close out the season with another top 10.”

About Toyota

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

Toyota directly employs nearly 64,000 people in North America who have contributed to the design, engineering, and assembly of nearly 49 million cars and trucks at our 14 manufacturing plants. In 2025, Toyota’s plant in North Carolina began to assemble automotive batteries for electrified vehicles.

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

Corey Heim Wins First NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series Championship

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Official Release
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AVONDALE, Ariz. (Oct. 31, 2025) – Toyota Development Driver, Corey Heim, won the 2025 NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series (NCTS) championship after winning Friday night in the season finale at Phoenix Raceway. This is the first championship in the Toyota Development Driver’s young career and marks Toyota’s 10th driver’s title in the Truck Series.

Heim and his No. 11 Toyota Tundra TRD Pro TRICON Garage team captured 12 victories enroute to the 2025 Truck Series championship, a Truck Series record for most wins in a single season. He was also crowned the 2025 Truck Series regular season champion, marking the second time in his career he’s earned the honor.

TOYOTA FAST FACTS

  • Heim’s 12 victories came at Daytona International Speedway (February), Las Vegas Motor Speedway (March), Texas Motor Speedway (May), Charlotte Motor Speedway (May), Lime Rock Park (June), Watkins Glen International (August), Richmond Raceway (August), Darlington Raceway (August), New Hampshire Motor Speedway (September), the Charlotte ROVAL (October), Martinsville Speedway (October) and Phoenix Raceway (October).
  • Heim had a stretch in the late summer and early fall where he won three consecutive races, as well as seven wins in 10 races, and was responsible for all but two of Toyota’s Truck Series wins this season.
  • Heim earned 19 top-fives, 21 top-10s and seven pole positions, and set Truck Series records for stage points in a regular season (65) and stage wins over the course of a full season (23).
  • With his win at Phoenix Raceway this evening, Heim now has 23 Truck Series victories – which places him second all-time in Toyota’s history (Kyle Busch – 56).
  • Heim led more than 1,500 laps throughout the season, setting a new single-season Truck Series record.
  • Heim made his third consecutive Championship 4 appearance this season.
  • 2025 was Heim’s fifth season competing in the Truck Series, and third full-time campaign with TRICON Garage. Last season, Heim captured six wins en-route to a Championship 4 appearance, where he finished second in the points standings. In 2023, Heim won the regular season championship off three wins and advanced to the Championship 4. In 2022, he won Rookie of the Year honors after a two-win season in 16 starts.
  • Heim also continued his development deal with 23XI Racing in the NASCAR Cup Series, where he made four starts on the season, now at seven in his young career. His last appearance came at Bristol Motor Speedway where he captured his first career top-10 result in the famed Bristol night race, finishing in the sixth position.
  • Heim also started three Xfinity Series races with Toyota and Sam Hunt Racing this season, now at 20 overall in his career. His best finish of the season came at Bristol Motor Speedway (eighth).
  • The 23-year-old Georgia native is the eighth Tundra driver to win a championship. He joins the likes of Ben Rhodes (2021), Brett Moffitt (2018), Christopher Bell (2017), Erik Jones (2015), Matt Crafton (2013 and 2014), Todd Bodine (2006 and 2010) and Johnny Benson (2008), who have also captured Truck Series titles for Toyota.
  • Toyota has scored a total of 248 victories since joining NCTS competition in 2004. It also captured its 14th Truck Series Manufacturers’ Championship this season.

TOYOTA QUOTES

COREY HEIM, No. 11 Safelite Toyota Tundra, TRICON Garage

“I just am so grateful to be where I’m at. So thankful for the TRICON Garage, Toyota taking a chance on me years ago, Safelite, Mobil 1, Yahoo, Celsius, for every bit of their support. I was so stressed out ever since we went to the ROVAL. I’ve been, like, so terrible to talk to as a person, so stressed out. This is just such a relief, to say the least. So thankful for everybody. There’s so many names I could go through, Trevor (Bayne, Competition Mentor, TRD) and Blake (Koch, Competition Mentor, TRD) for all my prep work, 23XI for everything they do for me on the development side. There’s such a long list. Thankful for everybody involved.“

PAUL DOLESHAL, general manager, motorsports and sponsorships, Toyota Motor North America (TMNA)

“This is a proud night for Corey, his family, TRICON Garage and everyone associated with Toyota GAZOO Racing and TRD, U.S.A. It goes without saying how special of a talent Corey Heim is and to etch his name into NASCAR history with this championship is special and we’re thrilled to be a part of it. We look forward to celebrating more wins and championships with Corey behind the wheel of a Toyota for years to come.”

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 32 electrified options.

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

NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series Championship Race Post-Race Quotes

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Official Release
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Ford Racing Notes and Quotes
NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series
Championship Race — Phoenix Raceway
Friday, October 31, 2025

Ford Finishing Results:

2nd – Ty Majeski
4th – Layne Riggs
6th – Jake Garcia
8th – Chandler Smith
13th – Matt Crafton
16th – Luke Baldwin
19th – Frankie Muniz
20th – Clayton Green
29th – Ben Rhodes
32nd – Mason Maggio

TY MAJESKI, No. 98 Soda Sense/Curb Records Ford F-150 – “Obviously, we had a couple of shots at it. The 11 was just a little bit too good tonight for us to overcome. I thought at portions of the race and portions of the run I could pace him and maybe even be a little bit better, but just never could get the restart I needed to get the gap I needed to fend him off long enough to take advantage of the strong portion of the run of our truck. He did a good job of executing all night. I feel like we did too, it was just not quite enough.”

HOW MUCH FIGHT IS IN THIS TEAM? “We obviously had a rough season in the beginning of the year. It was a tale of two seasons. We had a very stern meeting with ourselves in early June and we looked each other in the eye and said, ‘We’re champions. We deserve to be here,’ and we got our season turned around. We went on a streak of now 12 top 10s in a row, nine of them being top fives, and felt like we were poised to defend our title tonight. We were in position to do that, but just a little bit short.”

LAYNE RIGGS, No. 34 Love’s RV Stop Ford F-150 – “I really hated to see that caution, that’s for sure. Leading the race at the end there and looking in the mirror and seeing all of the Championship 4 guys behind us and I was like, ‘Man, if we were in the driver’s, we could win this thing,’ and then the caution comes out. I was like, ‘Oh, great.’ I had no clue we were gonna pit. They were like, ‘pit, pit, pit,’ and it caught me off guard. I didn’t think anybody was gonna pit. We came down and really just fumbled that last pit stop. We only took two tires and we still lost six positions, so that didn’t put us on an even enough playing field to even try to contend for it there at the end, but congrats to Corey winning this championship. He’s obviously the most deserving driver of the year. It’s good for the sport for him to win considering all of his success this season, but that was tough. I definitley learned a lot today. I knew how we needed to trend to be better at the end of these races, especially at this racetrack, but we were so close to a win.”

YOU HAD A GREAT DRIVE FROM THE BACK. HOW WAS THAT? “It was a great F-150. It was fun. I enjoyed driving from the rear of the field through everybody. I pretty much passed everybody on the racetrack. I really had a great truck today. Thank you to Front Row Motorsports and Ford Racing for their fight. I know we had a pretty rough day today and having to start in the rear, but doing the opposite of the leaders got us the lead and we were just trying to manage my tires out front. I really didn’t want to see that last caution, but it’s really tough. Congratulations to Corey. He’s a deserving driver. It’s good for the sport and the series for him to win this championship, but I’m just hopeful that we do change the format next year considering how close it was to our fingertips if we would have been in the driver’s (championship), and how quickly it can get stripped away in just a few minutes after a whole season of work.”

BEN RHODES, No. 99 Campers Inn RV Ford F-150 – “I’m OK. That was definitely one of the harder hits I’ve had in a long time. I wasn’t expecting it. I just watched the replay and I was pretty well just doing my own thing and just get wiped out. I hate it for Campers Inn. They had a good presence out here with some good guests. We didn’t have the necessary pace that we needed all night, but we were making adjustments to fire off better on the restarts to try to pick them up. Phoenix usually, more times than not, can turn into a restart race at the end. We were kind of hoping that would be the case for us as we were making adjustments for short run speed, so unfortunate we didn’t get to capitalize on those adjustments with our F-150, but we’ve got notes to work on.”

How Streaming Technology Is Transforming the Way Fans Watch Sports in 2025

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SM
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Photo by depositphotos at https://depositphotos.com/

Sports entertainment has entered a new era. Millions of fans have ditched cable and satellite for streaming. They want flexibility, HD quality, and access to every match at any time. The technology driving this revolution is IPTV — Internet Protocol Television.

The Shift From Cable to Connected Sports

Instead of being tied to fixed schedules, sports fans now watch live events through IPTV subscriptions on Smart TVs, laptops, and phones. The service uses internet delivery instead of broadcast signals, making it faster, more flexible, and far more affordable.

In the Nordic region, IPTV is booming. Swedish households are switching rapidly, looking for services that deliver stable HD/4K streams without lag. IPTV combines the best of both worlds — live content and on-demand convenience.

Real Stream IPTV – A New Standard for Sports Streaming

One company leading this change is Real Stream IPTV, widely considered the best IPTV service in Sweden. Designed for demanding sports fans, it provides more than 12,000 channels, movies, and live events — including Premier League, UFC, Formula 1, and more.

Real Stream IPTV runs on a Nordic-optimized network, offering 99 % uptime and zero buffering, even during major matches. Their easy interface, Swedish support, and flexible plans make them the clear choice for fans who value quality.

Why Sports Fans Are Switching to IPTV

The appeal is simple: IPTV gives total control. You can pause a live race, rewind a highlight, or watch on multiple screens.
Traditional TV limits what you see and when you see it. IPTV frees the experience.

For motorsport followers, that’s game-changing — every lap, every replay, always available. With improved compression and European server coverage, providers like Real Stream IPTV deliver ultra-smooth performance even on mobile networks.

Nordic IPTV Means Quality and Reliability

The Nordic market stands out for innovation. Companies like Real Stream IPTV invest in top-tier infrastructure and advanced encoding for stable, high-quality streaming.
This makes Nordic IPTV a symbol of trust — strong signals, clean visuals, and a secure platform. Swedish customers enjoy both local and international content, from SVT and TV4 to global sports and film networks.

Picking the Best IPTV Subscription in 2025

Choosing the right IPTV subscription comes down to four things: channel variety, streaming quality, stability, and fair pricing.
Real Stream IPTV scores high across the board. You can choose between a one-month trial, a 6-month plan with bonus time, or a full-year package with six extra months free — all including Swedish support and regular updates.

Unlike many providers, Real Stream IPTV has no hidden fees and transparent pricing. The focus is on long-term service, not short-term sales.

The Future of Sports Streaming

2025 marks the tipping point. Fans expect freedom, clarity, and control — and IPTV delivers it. The line between television and the internet has blurred, creating a new digital experience where every game, race, and event is just one click away.

Real Stream IPTV represents the future of Nordic sports entertainment: reliable, affordable, and built for modern fans who won’t settle for less.

If you’re ready to experience the next generation of sports viewing, visit Real Stream IPTV today and discover why it’s ranked among the best IPTV platforms in Sweden and Europe.

B. FORCE, PROCK, REED & HERRERA GET PROVISIONAL NO. 1 POSITIONS AT DODGE NHRA NEVADA NATIONALS

By
Official Release
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LAS VEGAS (Oct. 31, 2025) – Making her last appearance at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, two-time Top Fuel world champion Brittany Force made the fastest run in track history on Friday, taking the provisional No. 1 spot at the 25th annual Dodge NHRA Nevada Nationals powered by Direct Connection.

Austin Prock (Funny Car), Cory Reed (Pro Stock) and Gaige Herrera (Pro Stock Motorcycle) are also the provisional No. 1 qualifiers at the 19th of 20 races during the 2025 NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series season and the fifth of six races in the Countdown to the Championship playoffs.

Force, who will retire from full-time racing at the end of the season, went to the top with her run of 3.697-seconds at 338.85 mph in her 12,000-horsepower Chevrolet Accessories dragster, setting the track speed record and winning the $3,500 “Ted Wiens Trick or Traction Award” in the process.

If it holds, it would be the sixth No. 1 of the season for Force, who is also the defending event winner. As her full-time career is down to the final two races, the Top Fuel star is after one more shining moment in Las Vegas.

“That was the killer run,” Force said. “But all day, it’s been great for our team. We’ve been hitting our numbers exactly what we wanted to do, and that .69 was what we were aiming to do. So, to go No. 1, we’re very proud of it and it took every single one of our guys to do it.

“Las Vegas is one of my favorite race tracks. We’ve been really successful here in the past. We won here last year, but we want to end strong. It’s weird to think about [pending retirement] and honestly, I’m trying just to focus on Vegas this weekend, really being in the moment, being in the moment with my team, enjoying it all.”

Points leader Doug Kalitta is second with a 3.711 at 337.24 and Shawn Langdon is third 3.715 at 336.57.

In Funny Car, points leader Austin Prock continued to rule The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, making the quickest run in both sessions and winning the $3,500 “Ted Wiens Trick or Traction Award” with an impressive run of 3.895 at 334.48 in his 12,000-horsepower Cornwell Tools Chevrolet SS.

It puts the reigning champ on track to qualify No. 1 for the seventh time this season as he aims to inch closer to a second straight world championship as well. Las Vegas has been an ideal place for Prock in recent years, as he’s looking for his third straight win at the facility and a Las Vegas sweep this year. He slipped past Matt Hagan, who is second in points, to take the top spot on Friday and has no plans on letting up this weekend.

“We couldn’t ask for a better start. We came in here looking for more points, so No. 1 qualifier, low E.T. of both rounds, you can’t ask for any more than that out of this team,” Prock said.

“We’ve had a lot of success here, and when you come into a place where you’re comfortable and you know your package works well, it’s exciting, especially in the Countdown. We have another opportunity to [almost] lock this championship up again this weekend, like we did last year, and we want to do that. The Countdown is so stressful, and it’s a hell of a lot less stressful if you can go into Pomona and breathe.”

Hagan is second after a run of 3.897 at 329.75 and rookie Spencer Hyde is third thanks to a 3.917 at 324.75.

Pro Stock’s Cory Reed made a standout run to close out Friday’s qualifying and is now on track to clinch his first career No. 1 spot after going 6.597 at 206.32 in his J&A Service Chevrolet Camaro. It also handed Reed the $2,000 bonus for the “Ted Wiens Trick or Traction Award, adding another accomplishment during what’s been a banner season.

He picked up his first career Pro Stock win earlier this year in Norwalk and has been a consistent performer throughout, currently sitting fifth in points. He qualified third in St. Louis and then second in Dallas, and now has an opportunity to do one spot better and pick up his first career top qualifier.

“It’d be nice to knock [the first low qualifier] out and get it done with. It’ll be tough, though,” Reed said. “I mean, Erica [Enders] is going fast again, and she always does well here. Then, obviously me and Greg [Anderson] are really equal and tight, so we’ll see what tomorrow brings. Hopefully the weather gets really [crappy].

“I need some momentum. I want to move forward in the championship, not backwards, so that part’s been kind of a bummer the last couple of weeks, but I’ve been hanging out with Dallas [Glenn] a lot and he’s been rubbing off on me, so I think it’s good.”

Anderson is second with a 6.598 at 206.23 and Enders, who has an NHRA-record 10 wins in Las Vegas, is third after going 6.606 at 208.14. Points leader Glenn is fifth with a 6.611 at 206.13.

Needing a big weekend to close the gap on his Pro Stock Motorcycle teammate, Gaige Herrera got off to a stellar start on Friday in Las Vegas, making the quickest run in both sessions, including a 6.800 at 199.17 on his RevZilla/Motul/Vance & Hines Suzuki. That handed Herrera the $1,000 “Ted Wiens Trick or Traction Award” and puts the back-to-back world champ on track for his eighth No. 1 in 2025.

Herrera entered the weekend 72 points behind teammate Richard Gadson, who has had a brilliant run in the Countdown to the Championship. Gadson is seeking his first world title, but Herrera closed the gap by taking the majority of bonus points on Friday, setting up what could be a marquee duel between teammates the rest of the way.

“Yeah, I’m definitely very happy with the start of the weekend,” Herrera said. “To be able to get those extra little bonus points, and then the $1,000 [Ted Wiens Complete Auto Service] check just adds to it.

“I’m just going out there, trying to do my best consistency-wise. As a rider, I’m trying to hit my shift points and I had two good lights, so I feel like I’m kind of back to where I used to be. Hopefully, I can carry it through the rest of the weekend.”

Angie Smith is in the second spot with a run of 6.824 at 198.82 and Gadson is third after going 6.834 at 198.06.

Qualifying continues at 12 p.m. PT on Saturday at the Dodge NHRA Nevada Nationals powered by Direct Connection at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.

LAS VEGAS — Friday’s results after the first two of four rounds of qualifying for the 25th annual Dodge NHRA Nevada Nationals powered by Direct Connection at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, 19th of 20 events in the NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series. Qualifying will continue Saturday for Sunday’s final eliminations.

Top Fuel — 1. Brittany Force, 3.697 seconds, 338.85 mph; 2. Doug Kalitta, 3.711, 337.24; 3. Shawn Langdon, 3.715, 336.57; 4. Shawn Reed, 3.737, 329.10; 5. Tony Stewart, 3.741, 330.72; 6. Justin Ashley, 3.744, 333.41; 7. Antron Brown, 3.750, 333.16; 8. Clay Millican, 3.771, 331.28; 9. Dan Mercier, 3.795, 326.95; 10. Josh Hart, 3.811, 329.26; 11. Rob Passey, 4.278, 227.46; 12. Tony Schumacher, 4.434, 181.06; 13. Kelly Harper, 4.684, 162.14.

Funny Car — 1. Austin Prock, Chevy Camaro, 3.895, 334.48; 2. Matt Hagan, Dodge Charger, 3.897, 329.75; 3. Spencer Hyde, Ford Mustang, 3.917, 324.75; 4. Ron Capps, Toyota GR Supra, 3.919, 329.91; 5. Daniel Wilkerson, Mustang, 3.919, 329.02; 6. J.R. Todd, GR Supra, 3.930, 329.10; 7. Jack Beckman, Camaro, 3.937, 330.47; 8. Alexis DeJoria, Charger, 3.938, 328.78; 9. Paul Lee, Charger, 3.950, 327.66; 10. Bob Tasca III, Mustang, 3.962, 330.15; 11. Chad Green, Mustang, 3.974, 321.42; 12. Del Worsham, Toyota Supra, 3.980, 300.13; 13. Blake Alexander, Charger, 3.990, 314.90; 14. Cruz Pedregon, Charger, 4.014, 314.02; 15. Jason Rupert, Mustang, 4.025, 312.21; 16. Tim Gibbons, Mustang, 4.140, 271.46.

Not Qualified: 17. Dylan Winefsky, 4.279, 279.50; 18. Dave Richards, 4.541, 193.40; 19. Jeff Diehl, 4.713, 178.54; 20. Buddy Hull, 5.042, 144.98; 21. Chris Morel, 7.890, 82.80.

Pro Stock — 1. Cory Reed, Chevy Camaro, 6.597, 206.32; 2. Greg Anderson, Camaro, 6.598, 206.23; 3. Erica Enders, Camaro, 6.606, 208.14; 4. Aaron Stanfield, Camaro, 6.608, 207.88; 5. Dallas Glenn, Camaro, 6.611, 206.13; 6. Matt Latino, Camaro, 6.614, 206.39; 7. Greg Stanfield, Camaro, 6.616, 207.50; 8. Jeg Coughlin, Camaro, 6.618, 207.46; 9. Deric Kramer, Camaro, 6.619, 206.48; 10. Eric Latino, Camaro, 6.624, 205.38; 11. Fernando Cuadra Jr., Camaro, 6.628, 206.54; 12. Matt Hartford, Camaro, 6.633, 207.18; 13. Dave Connolly, Camaro, 6.637, 206.48; 14. Troy Coughlin Jr., Camaro, 6.645, 207.11; 15. Cristian Cuadra, Ford Mustang, 6.647, 206.89; 16. David Cuadra, Camaro, 6.650, 206.99.

Not Qualified: 17. Chris McGaha, 6.657, 207.98; 18. Chris Vang, 6.660, 203.68; 19. Kenny

Delco, 6.664, 205.38; 20. Mason McGaha, 6.665, 207.24; 21. Joey Grose, 6.779, 203.12.

Pro Stock Motorcycle — 1. Gaige Herrera, Suzuki, 6.800, 199.17; 2. Angie Smith, Buell, 6.824, 198.82; 3. Richard Gadson, Suzuki, 6.834, 198.06; 4. John Hall, Beull, 6.836, 199.02; 5. Matt Smith, Buell, 6.855, 199.23; 6. Ryan Oehler, EBR, 6.872, 195.14; 7. Brayden Davis, Suzuki, 6.875, 198.50; 8. Jianna Evaristo, Buell, 6.887, 197.86; 9. Clayton Howey, Suzuki, 6.894, 195.53; 10. Chase Van Sant, Suzuki, 6.942, 195.76; 11. Kelly Clontz, Suzuki, 6.950, 195.59; 12. Chris Bostick, Suzuki, 6.975, 190.81; 13. Freddie Camarena, Suzuki, 6.995, 195.25; 14. Karen Stoffer, Suzuki, 7.016, 189.02; 15. Marc Ingwersen, EBR, 7.145, 190.27; 16. Kahea Woods, Suzuki, 7.188, 186.23.

Not Qualified: 17. Steve Johnson, 7.901, 120.93.

5 Common Questions to Ask a Car Accident Lawyer Before Hiring

By
SM
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In a car accident case, choosing the right lawyer may be a critical factor in the outcome of your recovery and compensation. The right car accident lawyer will help guide you through insurance settlements, medical expenses, and legal documents. Asking the right questions before hiring one will help you choose someone experienced and trustworthy.

Richardson, Texas, is a lively city just north of Dallas. It has heavy traffic and a growing population, which can increase the likelihood of traffic accidents. If you get involved in a car accident there, talking to a qualified car accident attorney in Richardson, TX can help you to understand your rights and the legal options.

In this guide, we will look at common questions to ask a car accident lawyer before hiring.

1. How Much Experience Do You Have with Car Accident Cases?

This is one of the first questions you need to ask any lawyer. Experience contributes significantly to the success of any case. Lawyers that have handled car accidents over the years are more skilled in negotiating settlements and anticipating insurance tricks.

Experienced personal injury attorneys usually get higher settlements than those with little or no experience. This is because they are aware of what will enhance a case and how to make their argument in court. 

2. What Is Your Success Rate with Car Accident Claims?

The success rate of a lawyer might reveal a lot about their competence level. Ask about the number of cases they have won or solved successfully. The fact that a lawyer has high success rates frequently shows their capacity to build solid arguments and negotiate reasonable compensation.

However, keep in mind that not all cases are the same. Even seasoned attorneys cannot be sure of results, but their record provides you with the assurance that they understand what works most effectively.

3. How Do You Charge for Your Services?

A majority of car accident attorneys operate on a contingent fee basis. This means that they are only paid when you win or recover your case. This has proven to be a standard and risk-free payment method for clients.

The standard commission is approximately 30-40% of your settlement, although this should always be clarified in advance. One should also inquire whether there are any additional fees, such as charges for expert witnesses or court costs. 

4. How Will You Approach My Case?

Every attorney has a unique strategy and approach. Some would be interested in quick settlements while others would want to build a stronger case to be tried when necessary. It is important to ask how your lawyer intends to investigate your accident, collect evidence, and handle the insurance company.

This question will help you know whether the lawyer’s approach is in line with your goals. You want a lawyer who cares about speed as well as fairness rather than getting quick settlements.

5. What Is My Car Accident Case Worth?

No lawyer can give an exact amount, although he can give a rough estimate depending on your expenses, injuries, and loss of income. It may also be necessary to ask about what might increase or decrease the value of your claim. An open lawyer will make this clear without any unrealistic promises.

The right lawyer may also take into account factors such as emotional distress and destruction of property in determining the worth of your claim. This gives you an idea of what to expect prior to negotiations.

Final Thoughts

After an accident, one of the important steps to take is hiring a car accident lawyer. The lawyer of your choice must be transparent, knowledgeable, and willing to help you get through every stage of your claim.

This is a brief overview of the important questions to be asked:

  • How much experience do you have with these types of car accident cases?
  • What is your total success rate with car accident claims?
  • How do you charge for all of your services?
  • How will you approach my case, and what will you do with it?
  • How much is my car accident case worth?
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