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Kaulig Racing Race Recap | Viva Mexico 250

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No. 16 LeafFilter Gutter Protection Camaro ZL1

Start: 8th
Stage 1 Finish: 12th
Stage 2 Finish: 16th
Finish: 13th

AJ Allmendinger qualified eighth for the Viva Mexico 250. On lap one, the caution was displayed for rain and the No. 16 came to pit road for wet weather tires. Allmendinger drove up to seventh before being involved in a wreck on lap seven, bringing out the caution. The team came to pit road for damage repair and restarted in 32nd place. Despite the damage, Allmendinger was still able to make passes, gaining nine positions in four laps. Before the end of the stage, the No. 16 was running top five lap times. During the stage break, Allmendinger pit for one-lap scuff tires to restart the second stage. Under the caution on lap 31, Allmendinger told the team the No. 16 Chevy overall was not bad with the damage, but he lacked overall speed. During green flag pit stops, Allmendinger drove up to 14th before the caution flag was displayed on lap 65. He came to pit road for tires and fuel and restarted in 21st. Allmendinger drove up to 13th place, where he ended the race.

“Honestly, I felt like we were going to have a really good car, even the way it felt in the rain. It’s easy to say that, but I really thought the car had a lot of speed. For as destroyed as it was, we still had decent speed and it drove well on wet and dry tires. I definitely think we could have ran top five all day, but unfortunately, we’ll never know. Just proud of the guys; from the way we started this weekend, we kept fighting and making it better. We had something there to be competitive and have a really good run. Our 16 group did everything they could to keep me out there and I’m never going to quit on them. just absolutely frustrating day, but proud of the effort for days like this, just keep fighting.” – AJ Allmendinger

No. 10 Ohio Logistics Camaro ZL1

Start: 28th
Stage 1 Finish: 20th
Stage 2 Finish: 26th
Finish: 33rd

As the green flag waved for the Viva Mexico 250, rain began pouring, and the caution flag waved before completing a lap, allowing teams to change to wet-weather tires. Restarting 20th on lap four, Dillon raced his way through the top 20, avoiding a pileup on lap seven. He came out on the other end in 10th place, working his way up to sixth place by lap 10. Crew chief Andrew Dickeson told the No. 10 crew to get dry-weather tires ready, as the rain had stopped. He made the call with three laps remaining in the stage to pit for dry tires, and Dillon stayed out during the first stage break to start the second stage from ninth place. The team planned to short-pit the stage, as Dillon had worked his way up to seventh, before pitting under green with five laps remaining in the second stage. He finished the second stage in 26th place and stayed out during the break to start the final stage from 20th. Following a lap-64 caution, a stack up on the restart caused Dillon to sustain a right-front flat, forcing him to pit under green for fresh tires. He was trapped a lap down, as the field stayed green for the remainder of the race. He was scored 33rd.
 
About Kaulig Racing

Kaulig Racing™ is a full-time, multi-car NASCAR Cup Series (NCS) and NASCAR Xfinity Series (NXS) team, owned by award winning entrepreneur, Matt Kaulig. Established in 2016, Kaulig Racing™ has earned 27 NXS wins, made the NXS Playoffs consecutively each season since the playoff system started, and won two regular-season championships. In 2021, the team competed in select NCS events, before expanding to a two-car, full-time NCS team in 2022 and adding a third, part-time entry during the 2023 season. Since its first NCS start in 2021, the team has earned two wins. Kaulig Racing is currently fielding two full-time entries in the NCS and continues to field three full-time NXS entries. To learn more about the team, visit kauligracing.com.

LEGACY MOTOR CLUB: MEXICO CITY RACE RECAP

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MEXICO CITY, Mexico (June 15, 2025) – The NASCAR Cup Series went international for its first ever points-paying race in Mexico City for Sunday’s Viva Mexico 250 at Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez. LEGACY MC teammates, John Hunter Nemechek piloting the No. 42 Pye-Barker Fire & Safety Toyota Camry XSE and Erik Jones in the No. 43 Family Dollar Toyota Camry XSE were ready to take on the foreign road course. Shane Van Gisbergen led the field to the green flag after Saturday’s qualifying session was shortened by 17 minutes due to weather. At the end of the race, it was Van Gisbergen who defended his pole and took home the win in Mexico City.

Below is a look at how the LEGACY MOTOR CLUB entries fared:

JOHN HUNTER NEMECHEK
NO. 42 PYE-BARKER FIRE & SAFETY TOYOTA CAMRY XSE RACE RECAP:
START: 32ND | FINISH: 6TH | POINTS: 23RD
It only took one lap for the rain to make its way into the storyline in Mexico City. On Lap 2 the field pitted for rain tires and John Hunter Nemechek found himself in the 29th position as the race restarted. Lap 6 saw another caution and Nemechek said the No. 42 Pye-Barker Toyota needed some grip as he found himself in the 23rd position. On Lap 10 Nemechek ran off course due to the slick conditions as it continued to rain and fell to 31st. On Lap 17 the No. 42 pitted for tires and fuel, as part of their strategy. Nemechek would finish Stage 1 in 31st place.

Nemechek would start Stage 2 from the 18th position. While running 20th he spun during Lap 25 into the grass falling back to 32nd in the running order. He pitted again on Lap 32 under yellow for tires and fuel, stating the car lacked grip. Crew chief Travis Mack called for an adjustment and Nemechek restarted the race in 26th. He finished Stage 2 in the 14th position.

At the stage break Nemechek told Mack that he was a little tight on entry and free on exit, but Mack said he was “looking good”. More rain began to threaten the race on Lap 46.

Nemechek started the final stage in the 12th position. By Lap 50 Nemechek powered his way to ninth. On Lap 60 Nemechek was running 18th when green flag pit stops started. On Lap 64 Nemechek pitted under green and he made it to the end of pit road when a caution flag flew. He restarted seventh and in one lap clawed his way to fourth in the running order with 30 to go.

In the closing laps, the tire wear proved to be what ultimately caused Nemechek to forfeit fifth, and he brought the No. 42 Pye-Barker Toyota home in sixth, his best career finish on a road course.

JOHN HUNTER NEMECHEK QUOTABLE:

“Hats off to this whole No. 42 LEGACY MOTOR CLUB team. The Pye-Barker colors looked really good on our Camry this weekend, and I’m super stoked on a sixth-place finish. Our road course program has not been good here at LEGACY MOTOR CLUB, so a solid run for us after the last three weeks we’ve had – two wrecks, and not so good run in Nashville – we needed this as a team to get back on track. I had a lot of text messages from my wife (Taylor) and had a lot of text messages from Jimmie (Johnson, co-owner, LEGACY MOTOR CLUB) yesterday – I was pretty down after qualifying, and beating myself up pretty bad, but we executed during the race. I got spun out a couple of times and still came home sixth. Hats off to Travis (Mack, crew chief) on the strategy. He called a really good race, and we were able to execute and come home sixth. Proud of the day.”

(Photo Credit: LEGACY MOTOR CLUB / NKP)

ERIK JONES
NO. 43 FAMILY DOLLAR TOYOTA CAMRY XSE RACE RECAP:
START: 14TH | FINISH: 17TH | POINTS: 22ND
Erik Jones was ready for a new challenge as he took on NASCAR’s Viva Mexico 250 in Mexico City. After rain brought out the early caution, the No. 43 Family Dollar team brought Jones down pit road to put on a set of rain tires after starting 14th for the inaugural event. He restarted in the same position and despite being cautious in the rain, he was able to work his way up into the top-10 before putting on slick tires as the rain went away. Crew chief Ben Beshore opted to keep his driver on the track while others were short pitting the first stage to finish sixth and gain five valuable stage points.

This strategy caused Jones to be stuck deep in the field for the start of Stage 2 where Jones restarted 22nd. He was attempting to make moves on the opening laps of the stage when he was shoved off course by a spin and fell back to 29th. He kept his head in the game though and found himself back in 22nd by the lap-32 caution. Trouble hit during the next green flag run though as Jones was forced to come to pit road for an unscheduled stop on lap 38 for a flat left front tire. He stayed on the lead lap but was far behind the leaders in 33rd, where he finished as the rest of the stage went green.

In the final stage, Jones was once again deep in the field after restarting 32nd. In one lap though, he drove his way all the way up to 20th as he used advantage of the speed he had found on the restart. He continued to work his way up to eighth by the lap-65 caution where he took a trip down pit road for four tires and fuel. Jones restarted 16th and avoided chaos on the first few turns to battle in the top-15 in the final laps. As the race went green though, Jones started to struggle with a tight-handling racecar and fell back to 17th, where he ultimately finished.

ERIK JONES QUOTABLE:

“Today was honestly a roller coaster. We had so much speed that first stage and even got bonus points. I think we could’ve worked our way back into the top-10 for the second stage if it weren’t for that flat tire. I’m still proud of my No. 43 Family Dollar Toyota team for giving us a fast car this weekend. We’re working on improving our road course package, and I think you’re seeing that overall at LEGACY MOTOR CLUB.”

(Photo Credit: LEGACY MOTOR CLUB / NKP)
NEXT UP: The NASCAR Cup Series returns to Pocono (Pa.) Raceway for The Great American Getaway 400 Presented by VISITPA.COM on Sunday, June 22. The race will begin at 2:00 p.m. ET with coverage on Amazon Prime, MAX, MRN and Sirius XM.

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.

Haas Factory Team Recap | Mexico City

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Custer Scores Season-Best Eighth in Strategic Run at Cup Series Debut in Mexico City
Creed Finishes Just Outside Top 10 at AMS; Mayer 23rd

Cup Series

Cole Custer recorded his strongest points performance of the year and best Cup Series finish since 2022 at Bristol, placing eighth in Sunday’s debut Cup race at Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez. Driving the No. 41 HaasTooling.com Ford, Custer benefited from a savvy early pit strategy called by crew chief Aaron Kramer to short pit Stage One.

A lap-one caution allowed the team to bolt on rain tires as incoming showers loomed, giving Custer a grip advantage. He surged to 12th by lap six, then pitted early for slicks as the track began to dry. Though he finished Stage One in 22nd, a strategic pit cycle gave him a 10th-place restart spot for Stage 2 as others pitted.

Custer made a bold dive into turn one on the restart, climbing to fifth by lap 30. He pitted on lap 33 for four fresh tires and fuel, surrendering the position, and cycled back to 16th. He gained three positions by the end of the stage, finishing 13th in Stage Two.

Restarting 11th for the final and longest stint, he picked up two spots by lap 64 just before a caution for a spin in turn 11. Having pitted moments earlier, Custer gained key track position, restarting fourth with 30 laps to go. He stayed clean and consistent through the final green-flag run, earning an eighth-place result—his season-best to date.

“It was a really solid points day, and I can’t say enough about our guys and everything they had to go through this weekend,” Custer said. “I had a really solid car and great strategy from Aaron (Kramer), so hopefully we can keep moving in the right direction.”

Xfinity Series

Sheldon Creed came close to securing a top-10 finish as the NASCAR Xfinity Series made its long-awaited return to Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez for the first time since 2008. Restarting in 31st with just 14 laps remaining, Creed charged through the field, picking up 20 positions in a determined late-race push to finish 11th in his Pit Boss Ford. Meanwhile, his teammate Sam Mayer recovered from an early-race incident and battled back to take 23rd place in his Audibel Ford.

After strong performances in both practice and qualifying on Saturday morning, the Haas Factory Team (HFT) duo earned solid starting positions, with Mayer lining up sixth and Creed taking the green from 13th. However, the race took an early turn just three laps in when Mayer got loose entering Turn 11 and slid into the tire barrier, triggering the event’s first caution. Despite sustaining damage, the No. 41 crew worked quickly to make necessary repairs, allowing Mayer to continue and remain in contention.

“It was definitely a crazy weekend in Mexico, but we showed speed and enjoyed our time here,” Mayer said. “I’m looking forward to the next one here, and appreciate all the hard work from our team to make this possible.”

Both Haas Factory Team cars opted for a strategic move in the opening stage, choosing to pit just before the stage break in order to gain track position for Stage Two. The decision paid off particularly well for the No. 00 team, which capitalized on the strategy to stay near the front and secure a third-place finish in the second segment—netting eight valuable stage points. Meanwhile, after additional repairs to his car during the pit stop, Mayer restarted deep in the field and was scored 23rd at the end of the stage.

Just one lap into Stage Three, Creed was caught up in a multi-car incident while exiting Turn 2, forcing the No. 00 team to bring the car to pit road for a quick damage assessment. Despite the setback, Creed restarted 31st with only 14 laps remaining and charged through the field, gaining an impressive 20 positions to finish 11th. Meanwhile, Mayer continued to battle back from multiple challenges throughout the race and ultimately brought the No. 41 car home in 23rd, capping off a gritty day for the Haas Factory Team.

“It was an okay day for us, but I felt like we had the potential to finish inside the top five,” Creed said. “We got caught up in the restart mess, but were able to fix it and charge through the field from the back for an 11th-place finish.”

Next weekend at Pocono Raceway is the final race of the Driving 4 a Difference presented by the Gene Haas Foundation, a new in-season Ford tournament within the NASCAR Xfinity Series. Sheldon Creed leads after four races with 112 points, followed by teammate Sam Mayer (97), Harrison Burton (70), Ryan Sieg (57) & Kyle Sieg (25).

Up Next
The NASCAR Cup Series heads to Pocono Raceway next weekend for the 17th points race on the NASCAR Cup Series/Xfinity schedule. Race coverage for the Xfinity series is set for 3:30 p.m. ET on Saturday on the CW, and Sunday at 2 p.m. ET on Prime for the Cup Series.

About Haas Factory Team
The Haas Factory Team is a NASCAR Cup and Xfinity program owned by Gene Haas, founder of Haas Automation. Beginning in 2025, the team will feature Cole Custer driving the No. 41 Ford Mustang Dark Horse in the NASCAR Cup Series, while Sheldon Creed and Sam Mayer take on the Xfinity Series in the No. 00 and No. 41 Ford Mustangs, respectively. Based in Kannapolis, North Carolina, the Haas Factory Team reflects a commitment to performance and engineering excellence, carrying forward Gene Haas’s commitment to motorsports.

Rick Ware Racing: Inaugural Viva Mexico 250 from Mexico City

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RICK WARE RACING
Inaugural Viva Mexico 250

Date: June 15, 2025
Event: Inaugural Viva Mexico 250 (Round 16 of 36)
Series: NASCAR Cup Series
Location: Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez (2.417-mile, 14-turn road course)
Format: 100 laps, broken into three stages (20 laps/25 laps/55 laps)

Race Winner: Shane van Gisbergen of Trackhouse Racing (Chevrolet)
Stage 1 Winner: Ryan Preece of RFK Racing (Ford)
Stage 2 Winner: Shane van Gisbergen of Trackhouse Racing (Chevrolet)

RWR Finish:

● Cody Ware (Started 34th, Finished 31st / Running, completed 100 of 100 laps)

RWR Points:

● Cody Ware (36th with 101 points)

Race Notes:

● Shane van Gisbergen won the inaugural Viva Mexico 250 to score his second career NASCAR Cup Series victory and his first of the season. His margin over second-place Christopher Bell was 16.567 seconds.

● There were six caution periods for a total of 16 laps.

● All but six of the 37 drivers in the race finished on the lead lap.

● William Byron remains the championship leader after Mexico City with a 67-point advantage over second-place Kyle Larson.

Sound Bites:

“Just want to thank Arrowhead Brass and all the people that came on board to support a great race down here in Mexico City. That being said, we’ve got a lot of work to do on the road courses. We need to figure some things out.” – Cody Ware, driver of the No. 51 Arrowhead Brass Ford Mustang Dark Horse

Next Up:

The next event on the NASCAR Cup Series schedule is The Great American Getaway 400 on Sunday, June 22 at Pocono Raceway in Long Pond, Pennsylvania. The race begins at 2 p.m. EDT with live coverage provided by Prime Video and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.

Hughes Comes Alive Late To Win at WWTR

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MADISON, Ill. (Sunday, June 15, 2025) – In a blistering race with no yellow flags, Lochie Hughes tossed caution in the breeze when it mattered most and ended up in victory lane.

Hughes used a late charge to win the INDY NXT by Firestone race Sunday at World Wide Technology Raceway, his second win in his rookie season in the INDYCAR development series. Hughes, from Australia, drove his No. 26 McGinley Clinic/USF Pro Championship car to a 4.3521-second victory over Myles Rowe, who earned a career-best second place in the No. 99 Abel/Force Indy machine.

“I was starting fifth, and I was pretty angry with yesterday (after qualifying),” Hughes said. “So, I honestly didn’t really care. I just thought I’d send it and try something with the setup and send it and see what happens.”

Caio Collet finished third in the No. 76 HMD Motorsports car after leading 58 of the first 61 laps in the 75-lap race, the first oval event this season. Salvador de Alba finished fourth in the No. 27 Grupo Indi car fielded by Andretti Global, just .0676 of a second behind Collet and the final podium position.

Pole sitter and championship leader Dennis Hauger rounded out the top five in the No. 28 Nammo machine, the third Andretti Global car to finish in the top five. Hauger’s lead over Hughes in the standings slimmed to 19 points after he carried a 38-point lead into this race weekend.

Hughes made a stunning charge toward the front after deciding to try to use his higher-downforce setup to find speed on the higher line on the 1.25-mile oval. The risky ploy, as pieces of worn tire rubber can accumulate in the upper groove and reduce grip, began to pay off when Hughes passed the No. 14 HMD Motorsports car of Josh Pierson to climb from sixth to fifth on Lap 46.

The boldest, most decisive moves by Hughes came in a four-lap span from Laps 59-62, when he blazed a trail on the high line to jump from fourth to first.

Hughes was in second at the start of Lap 62 when he approached the leading car of Collet, who was running behind the No. 3 Frank’s Red Hot car of Ricardo Escotto, who was on the tail end of the lead lap. Hughes swept past both cars on the outside of Turn 2 and powered away, never trailing thereafter.

“It was mega,” Hughes said of his car. “I still can’t really believe it, to be honest. I was so, so disappointed after yesterday. I thought we had thrown away a good result. We did it somehow.

“I just thought I’d try the high line one lap, and it worked. I was like, ‘Oh, found something,’ and then just kept running it and ended up with a win. It’s awesome. I’m so happy.”

Said Collet, who used a low-downforce setup for speed: “I thought I had it with 50 to go, but once I caught traffic, I really lost the tires, and it was really hard to hang on. And they just came flying by.”

Hughes averaged 157.199 mph in the caution-free race, the first without a yellow flag this season and the first oval race without a caution in the series since this event in 2022. There also were 165 on-track passes in this feverish race, an INDY NXT record at WWTR.

The next INDY NXT by Firestone race is Sunday, June 22, the Grand Prix at Road America (11 a.m. ET, FS1, FOX Sports app, INDYCAR Radio Network).

CHEVROLET NCS: Shane van Gisbergen Caps Off Chevrolet Weekend Sweep in Mexico City

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NASCAR CUP SERIES
AUTÓDROMO HERMANOS RODRÍGUEZ
TEAM CHEVY POST-RACE REPORT
JUNE 15, 2025

Shane van Gisbergen Caps Off Chevrolet Weekend Sweep in Mexico City

  • In a weekend filled with ‘firsts’, it was Shane van Gisbergen and the No. 88 Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet team that took the checkered flag in the Viva Mexico 250 at Autodromo Hermanos Rodriquez. Taking the international stage for the series’ first-ever points-paying race, the 36-year-old Auckland, New Zealand, native took advantage of his mastery on road courses – collecting the pole position, a stage win and a race-high 60 laps led en route to his first victory of the 2025 NASCAR Cup Series season and his second in just 30 career starts in the division.
  • Van Gisbergen is the fourth different Team Chevy driver to win his way to an early berth into the 2025 NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs, with the Trackhouse Racing driver delivering the Bowtie brand its sixth victory in 16 points-paying races thus far this season.
  • Setting the pace for the NASCAR Cup Series’ international points-paying debut was Van Gisbergen, who earned his first pole win of the season at the Mexico City circuit. Taking the green flag, impending precipitation moved in prior to completely a lap, giving teams the option to move to wet-weather tires. With only seven circuits complete, a spinning Kyle Busch resulted in a calamity-filled corner, collecting a handful of Team Chevy drivers. Among those collected also included Kyle Larson, who was forced to bring his No. 5 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet to the garage for repairs. The damage was too extensive on the No. 8 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet, ultimately ending the team’s day early.
  • Wet conditions proved no challenge for road course warrior, Van Gisbergen, who quickly took the lead and set sail at the front of the field in the opening laps. Comfortably pacing the field, the No. 88 Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet team opted to flip the stage, giving up the lead to hit pit road for a scheduled stop with three laps to go in Stage One.
  • Running in the second position and closing in on then race leader, Ty Gibbs, in Stage Two, Van Gisbergen inherited the lead when Gibbs came to pit road for a scheduled stop with three laps remaining in Stage Two. Opting for points, crew chief Stephen Doran, kept the No. 88 Chevrolet on track to take the checkered flag and the team’s first stage win of the season.

TEAM CHEVY UNOFFICIAL TOP-10 RESULTS:

POS. DRIVER

1st – Shane van Gisbergen

3rd – Chase Elliott

4th – Alex Bowman

5th – Michael McDowell

9th – William Byron

Chevrolet’s season statistics with 16 NASCAR Cup Series races complete:

Wins: 6

Poles: 8

Top-Fives: 34

Top 10s: 69

Stage Wins: 16

UP NEXT: The 2025 NASCAR Cup Series season continues at Pocono Raceway with The Great American Getaway 400 Presented by VISITPA.COM on Sunday, June 22, at 2 p.m. ET. Live coverage can be found on Amazon Prime Video, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90.
Post-Race Driver Quotes:

Austin Dillon, No. 3 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet

Finished: 28th

“I’m proud of everyone in NASCAR for coming together to bring our sport to Mexico City. I just wish our Boot Barn Chevrolet team could have had a better end to the race weekend. We had some positives, such as finishing sixth in Stage 2 to earn stage points. We were just too tight for the majority of the race. Our RCR team kept fighting and put us in position to salvage a solid finish. Unfortunately, I got spun with less than 25 to go and we couldn’t make up any ground in the final stretch. That’s how these races go sometimes. We’ll take it and move on to Pocono.”

Kyle Busch, No. 8 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet

Finished: 37th

The crew tried to make repairs to your car, but this has been a chaotic race, Kyle. What happened when you were spinning?

“Just in the rain, I went down into 11 and got on the brakes pretty hard and everything was fine. Everything was comfortable, it stopped really good, and I thought okay, I can be a little bit more aggressive this time. Getting back into one and went to the 10 marker, if there is a 10 marker, it’s the bridge, and we’ve been going much past the bridge all day on dries and so wet, I figured it’s going to be fine. As soon as I went to the brakes, it was just on ice, and I was sliding, and so about a second and a half or so, I was just trying to figure out which direction to go, and then I was like, I’ve got to turn this thing around backwards because I’m going to nail some people So I hate it for all those that were involved in my mishap there, and hate it for Lucas Oil, and of course, RCR, ECR, the guys, I mean, the car yesterday in qualifying was really good, it felt like we were going to be really sporty in the dry. I hate that the rain came, and now it’s nice and dry, so just have to go fight for more points in another week.”

Chase Elliott, No. 9 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet

Finished: 3rd

What a strong final run of the day for Chase Elliott, winds up third. It seemed chaotic from our seat. How was it from behind the wheel?

“The restart was, for sure. And yeah, I felt like we were in a really good spot. I was super excited about having tires and getting ourselves to — we got in front of the No. 54 and I thought, to be honest, that was going to be the race for the win there initially. We got clear of the No. 1 and the No. 42, I think, and started settling in, and I didn’t have anything left. I was kind of cooked after that. I think we just pressed so hard to try to get through traffic that when it got singled out, I didn’t have a lot of pace left. I felt like I gained on him there for a little while, but it was pretty tough to get to that point. We pressed on.

Really proud of our No. 9 LLumar Chevy group for sticking with it. We were kind of up and down all day and finally got going there a few runs from the end. Alan (Gustafson, crew chief) made us a good call to get us on tires. Finally had a restart go halfway decent and got a decent top-three finish out of it.”

AJ Allmendinger, No. 16 Kaulig Racing Chevrolet

Finished: 13th

“Honestly, I felt like we were going to have a really good car, even the way it felt in the rain. It’s easy to say that, but I really thought the car had a lot of speed. For as destroyed as it was, we still had decent speed and it drove well on wet and dry tires. I definitely think we could have ran top five all day, but unfortunately, we’ll never know. Just proud of the guys; from the way we started this weekend, we kept fighting and making it better. We had something there to be competitive and have a really good run. Our 16 group did everything they could to keep me out there and I’m never going to quit on them. just absolutely frustrating day, but proud of the effort for days like this, just keep fighting.”

William Byron, No. 24 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet

Finished: 9th

“Today was hard fought for sure. We started behind where we would want to be but we were able to use strategy and make adjustments that got us good track position. I’m really proud of our Valvoline team’s effort to turn things around today. We’ll take the top 10 and head to Pocono.”

Alex Bowman, No. 48 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet

Finished: 4th

“It feels good to get this No. 48 Ally Chevrolet team a run that they deserve. We’ve had a lot of fast race cars and just had days that haven’t gone our way. We’ve had issues and there’s been times that I’ve crashed the car, so to get them a good run after everything this week and how hard they’ve had to work is great. Just really appreciate all of their support and glad we could get a top-five finish.”

There’s a lot of road courses coming up. Do you feel like you can contend for a win?

“Yeah, I feel like road course racing has become a strong suit for the No. 48 team. I feel like the strategy that we’ve had has been great. Going to slicks there pretty early and getting back positions that way, we’ve done that a couple of times and it makes my job easy from there. So yeah, I think we have a shot at a win. Really, going to Pocono, we have a shot there too. We ran second or third there last year. Just excited to get things pointed in the right direction.”

Michael McDowell, No. 71 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet

Finished: 5th

“Overall, it was a great day for the No. 71 B’laster Chevrolet team. We’re bummed out. Our Chevrolet was fast. I felt like our strategy was going to work out there. We were just a few laps away from it working out, but unfortunately the caution came out. It happens… you can’t plan for everything. But I feel like we did a great job of coming back up through the field from restarting 15th there in the last stage. Proud of the effort and proud of the speed. We needed a little bit more, but it’s something to build on. If we keep building here at Spire Motorsports, we’ll get a win. It’s good to be bummed with a top-five finish. I felt like we had more today and hopefully we’ll get a chance to prove that when we get to the upcoming road courses. Mexico City was a lot of fun. It was a cool weekend and a cool race track.”

Shane van Gisbergen, No. 88 Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet

Finished: 1st

You faced so much adversity this entire weekend. Travel issues, not feeling well before the race and then the rain. What was the biggest challenge you face?

“You listed them all man. What a week. I have really enjoyed myself here. I felt pretty rubbish today. Thank you to Safety Culture, Trackhouse, Chevy and these guys right here. I think the 54 was close, but that last stint, what a pleasure to just be ripping lap after lap and to watch them all get smaller in the mirror. Unreal.”

Was this maybe the best race car you have ever sat in?

“It’s certainly up there. I have been privileged to have some great ones in my time, but when I go slower, I just lose my concentration, so I was just trying to stay in a rhythm and a routine. Josh (Williams, spotter) and Stephen (Doran, crew chief) were doing a great job of keeping me calm and focused.”

Daniel Suarez, No. 99 Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet

Finished: 19th

How satisfied are you with NASCAR coming to Mexico and every part that you had in it?

“That was the highlight of my weekend. NASCAR coming here to Mexico, I think we all had an amazing time, not just on-track, but also off-track. I think we were in the fight… we were in the hunt. We had a top-five, top-10 No. 99 Telcel Chevrolet. There were a lot of different strategies out there and, unfortunately, ours just didn’t work out. It’s nobody’s fault, it just wasn’t meant to be today.”

About General Motors

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

Toyota GAZOO Racing – NCS Mexico City Post-Race Report – 06.15.25

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Official Release
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BELL DRIVES THROUGH THE FIELD TO LEAD TOYOTA IN MEXICO
John Hunter Nemechek scores career-best road course finish

MEXICO CITY (June 15, 2025) – Christopher Bell drove from 31st starting spot to second to lead Toyota in the NASCAR Cup Series race in Mexico City.

John Hunter Nemechek had an impressive drive to finish sixth – his best career road-course finish, while Chase Briscoe came back from an early race incident and twice being a lap down to finish seventh.

Ty Gibbs had a strong run and led multiple laps. He was leading when the final caution came out, when he was forced to pit, and was unable to get back to the lead. Gibbs settled for 11th.

Toyota GAZOO Racing Post-Race Recap
NASCAR Cup Series (NCS)
Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez
Race 16 of 36 – 241 miles, 100 laps

TOYOTA FINISHING POSITIONS

1st, Shane van Gisbergen*

2nd, CHRISTOPHER BELL

3rd, Chase Elliott*

4th, Alex Bowman*

5th, Michael McDowell*

6th, JOHN HUNTER NEMECHEK

7th, CHASE BRISCOE

11th, TY GIBBS

12th, BUBBA WALLACE

17th, ERIK JONES

20th, TYLER REDDICK

23rd, RYAN TRUEX

29th, RILEY HERBST

*non-Toyota driver

TOYOTA QUOTES

CHRISTOPHER BELL, No. 20 Mobil 1 Toyota Camry XSE, Joe Gibbs Racing

Finishing Position: 2nd

31st to second; were there times today where you thought you could keep up with the 88?

“I don’t know. He was really good. Ultimately it was just a third-place day. I felt like Ty (Gibbs) was really good, so the yellow flag bit him and we walked away with second. Both days – in the Xfinity car, I was the third-place car, and today, I felt like I was the third-place car. I think more than anything it was just me. I need to do a little more homework and figure out where I can be better to keep up with these guys. The Joe Gibbs Racing Group brought an amazing Mobil 1 Camry, and I can’t really say that it was my car that was lacking. It was on me this weekend.”

JOHN HUNTER NEMECHEK, No. 42 Pye Barker Fire & Safety Toyota Camry XSE, LEGACY MOTOR CLUB

Finishing Position: 6th

How was your day out there?

“Hats off to this whole 42 LEGACY MOTOR CLUB team. Pye-Barker colors look really good on our Camry this weekend, and I’m super stoked on a sixth-place finish. Our road course program has not been good here at LEGACY MOTOR CLUB, so solid run for us after the last three weeks we’ve had – two wrecks, and not so good run in Nashville – we needed this as a team to get back on track. Had a lot of text messages from my wife (Taylor) and had a lot of text messages from Jimmie (Johnson, co-owner, LEGACY MOTOR CLUB) yesterday – I was pretty down after qualifying, and beating myself up pretty bad, but we executed during the race. I got spun out a couple of times and still came home sixth. Hats off to Travis (Mack, crew chief) on the strategy. He called a really good race, and we were able to execute and come home sixth. Proud of the day.”

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

Finishing Position: 7th

How did you battle through everything?
“We just had a really good Bass Pro Shops Toyota. It is sickening getting torn up that early, and all the aversity we had to go through because our car was really, really good. I don’t know if I would have been good enough to beat Shane (van Gisbergen) – but certainly, probably would have run better than seventh. It is a testament to my guys. They could have given up in many points during the race, and they continued to just fight. I want to say Happy Father’s Day to my dad, and congrats to Shane too. That whole team is almost the 14 group from last year.”

TY GIBBS, No. 54 Monster Energy Toyota Camry XSE, Joe Gibbs Racing

Finishing Position: 11th

Do you feel like the timing of the caution ended your day?

“Yeah, and then I don’t know what they do on restarts where they check everybody up and then everyone just rails each other. That is where I got a little nose damage, unfortunately.”

How do you process it?

“Sometimes life just doesn’t work out for you. You just have to keep digging.”

About Toyota

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

Toyota directly employs nearly 64,000 people in North America who have contributed to the design, engineering, and assembly of nearly 49 million cars and trucks at our 14 manufacturing plants. In spring 2025, Toyota’s plant in North Carolina will begin to manufacture automotive batteries for electrified vehicles. With more electrified vehicles on the road than any other automaker, Toyota currently offers 31 electrified options.

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

Eckes Rebounds to Score Career-Best Finish in Mexico City

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Official Release
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Eckes Earns Second Road-Course Top Five After Starting At The Rear

 MEXICO CITY – Christian Eckes earned his best-career finish in the NASCAR Xfinity Series (NXS), in a race that tested his resolve in Mexico City. After starting at the tail of the field in the Chilango 150, the rookie fought back to finish fourth at Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez.

This result was exactly what the No. 16 team needed, after a stretch of misfortune fell on the crew. That lack of luck creeped into the start of the team’s day in Mexico City, as early brake woes led to unapproved adjustments following qualifying.

Forced to drop to the tail of the field before the green flag, Eckes fought his way up to 11th during the opening stage and went on to finish the second stage in fifth, earning valuable stage points.

In the third stage, chaos ensued, and Eckes avoided much of it. Before a late-race restart, he sat on the front row alongside the eventual race winner, Daniel Suarez. Eckes was reminded by crew chief Alex Yontz that one of the weekend goals was a clean car and a top-five finish. In the end, Eckes kept most of the field behind the No. 16 Celsius Chevy in a strong display of defensive driving, helping the team achieve its weekend goals.

It couldn’t have come at a more necessary time.

“I don’t know if our No. 16 Celsius Chevy quite had the speed of a fourth [place] today, but everybody did a great job of getting us in position to get a top five out of it,” said Eckes. “Obviously, we’ve struggled with some adversity — it’s been a tough season, so to get a decent finish out of it is definitely a step in the right direction.”

The rookie has shown early promise on the left-and-right turns of road courses in his first NXS campaign. Along with his best finish of the season, Eckes’ fourth-place result marks his second top five on a road course, with his first coming at Circuit of the Americas.

Through the adversity Eckes and the No. 16 team have faced this season, Yontz has helped instill a “never give up” mentality, and it showed in Mexico.

“One thing you can say about this team, the driver, and everyone involved, is that the fight is always there,” said Yontz. “There’s a no-quit attitude with this team, and that’s what paid off today. To come home with the points day we did after starting last shows a lot of grit, and I couldn’t ask for much more.”

After closing the gap to the playoff cutline, Eckes looks to carry that momentum to his home track of Pocono Raceway next Saturday.
 
About Kaulig Racing

Kaulig Racing™ is a full-time, multi-car NASCAR Cup Series (NCS) and NASCAR Xfinity Series (NXS) team, owned by award winning entrepreneur, Matt Kaulig. Established in 2016, Kaulig Racing™ has earned 27 NXS wins, made the NXS Playoffs consecutively each season since the playoff system started, and won two regular-season championships. In 2021, the team competed in select NCS events, before expanding to a two-car, full-time NCS team in 2022 and adding a third, part-time entry during the 2023 season. Since its first NCS start in 2021, the team has earned two wins. Kaulig Racing is currently fielding two full-time entries in the NCS and continues to field three full-time NXS entries. To learn more about the team, visit kauligracing.com.

Power Wins Milestone Poleas Penske Locks Out Front Row at WWTR

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Official Release
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MADISON, Ill. (Saturday, June 14, 2025) – Will Power wrote another chapter in the storied history of Team Penske on Saturday during NTT P1 Award qualifying for the Bommarito Automotive Group 500 presented by Axalta and Valvoline, earning the team’s 700th pole across all racing series while leading a front-row lockout by the NTT INDYCAR SERIES powerhouse.

Power drove to his first pole since July 2023 at Iowa Speedway and the series record-extending 71st of his career with a two-lap average speed of 180.329 mph in the No. 12 Verizon Team Penske Chevrolet at World Wide Technology Raceway. Scott McLaughlin qualified second at 179.783 in the No. 3 DEX Imaging Team Penske Chevrolet.

It was the fifth pole on the 1.25-mile WWTR oval for Power, who won this race in 2018.

“I sent it a lot,” Power said. “I knew you would have to. You’d have to drive it flat in (Turns) 3 and 4. I wasn’t quite flat, but I was very, very close.

“Cool, man. It’s been a while since I’ve had a pole, so really, really excited. Hopefully we can execute in the race. Man, it would be awesome to get a win here.”

The 260-lap race – the second oval event of the season – starts at 8 p.m. ET Sunday (FOX, FOX Sports app, INDYCAR Radio Network).

A victory by Power, McLaughlin or teammate Josef Newgarden would provide a boost for Team Penske. The winningest team in INDYCAR SERIES history hasn’t visited victory lane this season, with single third-place finishes by McLaughlin, Newgarden and Power the best results.

Pato O’Ward qualified third at 179.190 in the No. 5 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet. Nearly all the drivers toward the end of the 27-car qualifying line benefited from improved conditions, as the arrival of light cloud cover helped drop the track temperature by nearly 10 degrees from the start of the session.

Team Penske DNA strands were woven through most of the top five qualifiers, as David Malukas qualified fourth at 179.079 in the No. 4 Clarience Technologies Chevrolet of A.J. Foyt Enterprises, a team that has a technical alliance with Team Penske. Josef Newgarden, who has won this race a record five times, rounded out the top five at 178.910 in the No. 2 PPG Team Penske Chevrolet.

Marcus Armstrong will join Newgarden in Row 3 after qualifying sixth at 178.754 in the No. 66 SiriusXM/Root Insurance Honda fielded by Meyer Shank Racing w/ Curb-Agajanian. Armstrong was the fastest Honda-powered driver, as Chevy engines propelled the top five qualifiers.

Championship leader Alex Palou, who has won five of seven races this season, qualified ninth at 178.381 in the No. 10 Ridgeline Chip Ganassi Racing Honda.

TEAM PENSKE POWERS TO FRONT-ROW QUALIFYING SWEEP FOR BOMMARITO AUTOMOTIVE GROUP 500

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Official Release
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Team Penske driver Will Power shows off the NTT P1 sticker after winning the pole position for Sunday’s Bommarito Automotive Group 500 at World Wide Technology Raceway. Photo credit: Tyson Gifford / World Wide Technology Raceway.
  • Will Power earns fifth career NTT INDYCAR SERIES pole position at World Wide Technology Raceway and 71st of his career.
  • Scott McLaughlin qualifies second to give Team Penske front-row sweep for Sunday night’s primetime Bommarito Automotive Group 500 race.
  • INDYCAR Video News Feed qualifying recap available to media for download here.

MADISON, Ill. (June 14, 2025) – Will Power collected his record fifth career pole at World Wide Technology Raceway and Team Penske secured a front-row sweep during Saturday’s NTT INDYCAR SERIES qualifying for the Bommarito Automotive Group 500 presented by Axalta and Valvoline.

Power posted a two-lap average speed of 180.329 miles per hour (49.9088 seconds) on the 1.25-mile oval to secure his first pole of the season and record-extending 71st of his career. It also was his first pole position at World Wide Technology Raceway since 2022, with his others coming in 2017, ‘20 and ‘21.

“I sent it a lot,” said Power, who won this event in 2018. “I knew you would have to. You’d have to drive it flat in (Turns) 3 and 4. I wasn’t quite flat, but I was very, very close.

“Cool, man. It’s been a while since I’ve had a pole, so really, really excited. Hopefully we can execute in the race. Man, it would be awesome to get a win here.”

Power will lead the 27-car field to the green flag for the Bommarito Automotive Group 500 in the first-ever scheduled primetime NTT INDY SERIES race to be held on a Sunday night (7 p.m. CT, TV: FOX, Radio: INDYCAR Radio Network, SiriusXM). It also will be the first scheduled evening race at World Wide Technology Raceway since 2019.

Scott McLaughlin fell just 0.1515 of a second shy of Power but his two-lap qualifying effort of 179.783 mph (50.0603 secs.) gave him his third front-row start of the season.

Arrow McLaren’s Pato O’Ward (179.190 mph / 50.2261 secs.) qualified third for his third top-three start of the season. AJ Foyt Racing’s David Malukas (179.079 mph / 50.2572 secs.) earned his third consecutive top-seven start by qualifying fourth.

Team Penske’s Josef Newgarden, the defending race winner who has won four of the last five at WWTR, qualified a season-best fifth with a two-lap average of 178.910 mph (50.3046 secs.). The group gave Chevrolet a sweep of the top-five qualifying positions.

In INDY NXT by Firestone qualifying, championship points leader Dennis Hauger continued to impress as the rookie won the pole position at World Wide Technology Raceway in his oval debut. Andretti Global’s Hauger had a two-lap average speed of 166.162 mph for his fourth pole of the season. “First time on an oval, and we got the pole,” said Hauger, who has won four of the first five races this season. “Super happy about that. Didn’t really know what to expect, but we got up to speed in practice, and we really made improvements for qualifying. Looking forward to seeing how we get on tomorrow. It’s going to be a bit of a different game.” Joining Hauger on the front row is HMD Motorsports driver Caio Collet, whose two-lap average was 165.735 mph. The 75-lap race begin at 3:30 p.m. Sunday (TV: FS1, Radio: INDYCAR Radio Network).

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