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STAMPEDE OF SPEED TAKES OFF WITH BLOCKBUSTER STARS OF TEXAS MUSIC FESTIVAL LINE-UP AND NHRA CHAMPIONSHIP DRAG RACING

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Official Release
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ENNIS, Texas (May 20, 2026) – Tickets for the Stampede of Speed including the Stars of Texas Music Festival and the NHRA Texas Fall Nationals are on sale now. The sixth annual Stampede of Speed, the 10-day family-friendly Texas themed country music festival and NHRA Countdown event, will bring some of the biggest names in music and racing to the Texas Motorplex, Oct. 9-18. Opening weekend will feature the Stars of Texas Music Festival, Oct. 9-11, with a three-day headliner line-up including Aaron Watson (Friday), Brad Paisley (Saturday) and Travis Tritt (Sunday).

Beginning on Wednesday, Oct. 14, the biggest names in sportsman and professional NHRA drag racing will begin closing in on the NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series world championship and celebrating the 75th anniversary of the NHRA, with qualifying sessions through Saturday before tens of thousands of fans will be thrilled by final eliminations on Sunday, Oct. 18. Single day and weekend tickets are available now at www.stampedeofspeed.com and there is even a 10-day ticket option that allows fans to join us for all the unforgettable moments of this historic event.

“Our three-day line-up of acts will be a real barnburner for country music fans. You add in the 75th anniversary of the NHRA with racing legends events and the Countdown and it will be nearly two weeks of incredible entertainment,” said Christie Meyer Johnson, Texas Motorplex co-owner. “The entire family will be able to enjoy multiple days of music or racing. When you look at the value of our full day tickets, we are excited to be offering families a chance to come to Texas Motorplex and not break the bank. When my family built the Texas Motorplex over 40 years ago, we knew we wanted to have a facility that could provide a great entertainment value and that is what we are looking to build on this year.”

Last year the Texas Motorplex celebrated 40 years of racing and entertainment and in 2026 the facility is looking to build on its amazing legacy. Fans will be thrilled by the biggest names in drag racing competing for the Mission Foods Drag Racing Series world championships as well as the JEGS All-Star Race and the JEGS Friday Night Live event, Oct. 16. Plans are in the works through the racing events to celebrate and highlight the NHRA’s 75 years of professional drag racing including celebrating Hall of Fame driver and Texas Motorplex track owner Billy Meyer. During the Stampede of Speed fans from across the country will be treated to country music, drag racing, bull riding, a massive beer expo, BBQ contests, vendors and this year’s ten days of speed and music will continue to raise the bar.

“Starting with the free cattle drive through downtown Waxahachie on Friday at high noon the Stars of Texas Music Festival will be a true cavalcade of Texas-themed entertainment with bull riding, a beer expo, BBQ contests, drag racing and so much family fun entertainment,” said Meyer Johnson. “Saturday’s and Sunday’s concerts will be capped off with magical lantern releases which is always an emotional moment. Our goal is to make sure that the fans that come from across the country leave with a Texas-size smile on their faces.”

Tickets for the Stars of Texas Music Festival and the entire NHRA Texas Fall Nationals Stampede of Speed are on sale now at texasmotorplex.com and stampedeofspeed.com. For more information on NHRA, visit NHRA.com.

About Mission Foods

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

About NHRA

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

Logano Helps Unveil Team Penske 60th Anniversary Exhibit at NASCAR Hall of Fame

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Official Release
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Ford Racing Notes and Quotes
NASCAR Cup Series
Team Penske NASCAR Hall of Fame Exhibit Unveil
Thursday, May 21, 2026

The NASCAR Hall of Fame celebrated Team Penske’s 60th anniversary by unveiling a new exhibit that highlights some of the organization’s most memorable moments. Joey Logano, driver of the No. 22 Shell/Pennzoil Ford Mustang Dark Horse, has 35 career NASCAR Cup Series victories and three championships since joining the organization in 2013. He, along with Executive Vice President Walt Czarnecki, was at the event and spoke about what it means to be part of Roger Penske’s legacy.

JOEY LOGANO, No. 22 Shell/Pennzoil Ford Mustang Dark Horse – WHAT IS IT LIKE TO SEE YOUR 2024 CHAMPIONSHIP MUSTANG SITTING HERE IN THE NASCAR HALL OF FAME AS PART OF THIS EXHIBIT? “I guess it’s a pretty neat thing. I haven’t thought about it that much. I’m very fortunate. I have a boss and an owner of the car that is willing to display it and give me the opportunity to see it. Obviously, all of these cars that are in the Penske exhibit changed people’s lives one way or the other and all of them in positive ways because they’re all very special cars. Whether it’s the people that built it or the drivers themselves that have very fond memories of very special times. It’s special to come in here and get to watch the video that was done. I haven’t seen it since it was completed, so it was great kind of reliving the moment a little bit of how special that weekend really was and what went into it, and hearing it from the perspective of a couple other people that were on the team, hearing it from their point of view, is really fun too. I look forward to coming down here again. Like I said, bringing my family down here. I’ll encourage the team to come down here as well and learn a little bit more about the company that we work for and the pioneers of Team Penske that built what we have today.”

YOU ARE 38 POINTS BELOW THE CHASE CUTLINE. LOOKING AHEAD TO THE 600 WITH FOUR STAGES, HOW MUCH OF AN ADDED EMPHASIS IS THERE ON THIS WEEKEND? “It’s the same amount every week. You can’t do more than 100 percent because you’re already at it. It’s hard to find a little bit more. We’re as focused as we know how to be and doing everything we can to make up the deficit that we’re at. Obviously, we’re way behind compared to where we’ve been in the past and where we should be, so we’ve got work to do and hopefully this weekend we’re able to turn it around a little bit.”

YOU HAVE TWO OF YOUR MUSTANG RACE CARS ON DISPLAY HERE IN THE NASCAR HALL OF FAME. THAT MUST BE PRETTY SPECIAL, RIGHT? “It really is special. Honestly, when I walked in here I saw Glory Road and saw my car in the front I was like, ‘Whoa. Is that for today because we’re here doing this?’ And they said, no, it was going to be up here for three years or something like that, so that’s gonna be something I take a lot of pride in. It’s a pinch yourself kind of moment. It feels surreal because I still see myself as a normal Joe who gets to drive race cars. I’ve been so blessed to work for an incredible team that’s allowed me to have some success in this sport and have a car in the Hall of Fame. I would have never guessed that. I think of my career before Team Penske and what it was looking like and what it was gonna be to where it is today and it just goes to prove that it depends a lot on who is around you and the team that is there. I wish I could tell everyone how to do that. I really think I just got lucky. I think God just put the right people in my life to help me be successful and at that point it’s up to you on how you handle success and what you do with it, how you make more of it, but it’s definitely a special moment. It’s really cool to be here.”

WHAT MEMORIES DO YOU HAVE WHEN YOU SEE THESE TWO CARS SITTING HERE? “There are memories when you look at the cars, but the videos to me matter the most. A photo can say 1000 words and watching that back, like I said, might be even better than any of it is hearing it from the perspective of the other people on the team because you don’t truly know how they felt. I remember how I felt and how special it was, but to see how special it was to everyone else on the team and hearing it from their perspective, those interviews to me mean a lot. I’m gonna ask them to send me that video because I want to have it for years down the road. A championship is what it’s all about. That’s the bottom line. That’s all we care about is about winning a championship, so those moments you cannot experience it any other way. I’m fully convinced there’s not another way in life that you can experience the moment of winning a sport’s championship as a competitor. There’s nothing like it. Getting married, having kids, all amazing milestones in life, but they’re in different categories. Those are equally amazing, but a different category than winning at a sport. It all happens like that (snapping his fingers). You don’t know you’ve got it until it happens and emotions hit you all at one time. It was pretty surreal at those moments. It’s pure celebration, joy, screaming and yelling. There are no words to describe it, and I’ve been very fortunate to get to experience that three times.”

DO YOU HAVE A FAVORITE CAR THAT ISN’T ONE OF YOURS THAT IS IN THE DISPLAY? “I probably go more towards the nostalgic stuff. The F1 car is amazing and the Indy cars are cool, but I’d probably go with Rusty’s car. It’s just incredible and also the history from the NASCAR side of Team Penske. Obviously, that’s the area I’m specialized in, so the history with that car is really special, but also I just think it looks really cool and it’s a really pretty car. I can’t really fit in any of the other ones, if I’m being honest. I have zero chance of driving them – not that anyone is really driving these cars – but I would have no chance of driving those.”

HOW MUCH PRESSURE WAS ON YOU WHEN YOU MOVED TO TEAM PENSKE? DO YOU REMEMBER WHAT THAT WAS LIKE? “There’s pressure on you all the time to succeed in sports. You either perform or you’re out. We all know that when we signed up for it, but you do it for the hopes of that moment. That’s why you do it, but it’s tough. It’s a lot of pressure, but pressure is earned. You want to find ways to put pressure on yourself. That means you’re doing something and as a driver you want to put yourself in the highest pressure moments you can be in. If you drive for a mediocre team, there’s probably not that much pressure on you to be successful. There’s a backup excuse built in and you can blame it on the car. When you drive for Team Penske, you can’t blame it on the car. You can’t blame it on the team. There’s one finger it’s pointed to and it’s gonna be the driver because everything else is in place. I knew that coming in, but isn’t that what you want? If you really want to be successful, don’t you want to have the team there? Sure, you’re gonna feel that and, sure, it’s gonna be uncomfortable. There are gonna be sleepless nights and there are gonna be moments you feel like you shouldn’t be there. I get it. I’ve done all that, but I’d still rather have it that way than any other way.”

YOU HEAR A LOT OF DRIVERS SAY THEY’LL LOOK BACK ON THEIR ACCOMPLISHMENTS WHEN THEY GET OLD AND RETIRE. WHAT IS IT LIKE TO HAVE A FACILITY LIKE THIS THAT YOU CAN APPRECIATE WHAT YOU’VE DONE WHILE YOU’RE STILL IN THE PRIME OF YOUR CAREER? “This feels like I’m a little too young to be in here because my career is still going. These are typically things that you see post-career or years later, but I take a lot of pride in working somewhere for a long period of time. Walt was talking about how there are a lot of employees that have been there for 30 years. I want to be one of those people. I’ve only been there for 15, but I’ve really enjoyed being there and when you’re able to be somewhere for a long period of time the equity that’s built up, the relationships that are there, when you come to something like this you take a little bit more ownership in it. If you bounce around from team to team or job to job, you don’t have that sense of pride when you see a team’s success. I know there are a lot of employees at Team Penske that are gonna feel the same way I do because they’ve been there a long time. They say, ‘I was a big part of that because I’ve been here forever.’ And I think that’s something that’s gonna be really special for everybody here. I think I say it at the end of the video about how important it is to me to be driving the same car for as long as I have. The brand identity that is there when you see that car. It’s tied directly to Team Penske, Ford, Shell and Joey Logano. That’s what people know that car as. No one is guessing. Everybody knows it at this point. That’s really special in this day and age. There aren’t many people that stay in the same job for very long and there may be different reasons for all those things, but, for us, it’s the best scenario I could ever be in and I just don’t want to ruin it. I don’t want to screw that up (laughing).”

YOUR 2022 and 2024 PHOENIX MUSTANGS ARE HERE. HOW SIMILAR WERE THOSE TWO CARS? “Obviously, they’re both Next Gen cars, so there’s not much different between any of them. You see some body differences – little things – but honestly those two championships were so close in time that the cars themselves aren’t that much different. You can go back to the 2018 car, that one looks much different, obviously. That one is really fun for me to look at because it’s quite some time ago and how different the cars are now. You tend to forget a little bit about the nuances of that car because you’re so in tune with what’s going on with today’s car, so that one is a lot of fun to go back and look at, but this one (‘24) when I look at it I go, ‘Yeah, that looks like the one I’m racing this weekend.’ There’s really not a whole bunch different.”

Peterson Racing Partners with Purple Heart Homes at Charlotte

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Official Release
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May 21, 2026 (Sanford, North Carolina) – Peterson Racing is proud to announce a partnership with Purple Heart Homes for the NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series event at Charlotte Motor Speedway. Austin Green will pilot the No. 87 Purple Heart Homes Chevrolet in the running of the Charbroil 300 at the 1.5-mile speed plant in Concord, North Carolina this Saturday, May 23, 2026.

Co-founded by two combat-wounded veterans, Purple Heart Homes has been bringing communities together to provide safe, barrier-free housing solutions for qualified veterans since its founding in 2008. A nonprofit organization based in Statesville, North Carolina, Purple Heart Homes supports service-connected disabled and senior veterans from all eras across all 50 states and Puerto Rico through a growing network of local chapters. Programs include critical home repairs and renovations to help veterans live independently in their homes, homeownership programs and transitional housing through partnerships with other nonprofit organizations. Learn more at purplehearthomesusa.org.”

“Purple Heart Homes is honored to partner with Peterson Racing and Austin Green for the Charbroil 300 at Charlotte Motor Speedway”, stated Jennifer Gipp, Vice President of Philanthropy & Marketing. “There’s no weekend more fitting than Memorial Day weekend to share our mission with race fans across the country. Seeing the No. 87 Chevrolet wrapped in Purple Heart Homes branding is a powerful tribute to the service-connected disabled and aging Veterans we serve every day. We’re grateful to Peterson Racing for this platform to honor those who have sacrificed so much for our nation.”

Austin and the Peterson Racing team are coming off two strong performances with their No. 87 Chevrolet at Watkins Glen and Dover. The group looks to continue the strong showing at a home race at Charlotte Motor Speedway. Austin has a strong background at the 1.5-mile facility featured by leading 53 of 100 laps on his way to a victory in last year’s ARCA Menards Series event at the track as well as a runner up in the NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series event on the Roval course.

“I’m excited to represent Purple Heart Homes and 3Dimensional Services on Memorial Day weekend at my home track,” stated Austin. “I’m looking forward to building on the momentum we’ve had from the past couple of weeks. Thank you to Mr. Peterson and our entire team.”

The running of the Charbroil 300 at Charlotte Motor Speedway will be held on Saturday May 23, 2026, at 5:00 pm ET. The race will be televised LIVE on the CW and can be heard on Performance Racing Network (PRN).

Daytona International Speedway to Install State-of-the-Art Musco LED Lighting System, Setting New Global Standard for Motorsports Venues

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Official Release
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The World Center of Racing will be the largest sports facility in the world and first major motorsports facility in North America with Musco’s LED lighting system

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (May 21, 2026) – Daytona International Speedway today announced a transformative, venue-wide LED lighting project that will introduce the next generation of lighting technology to the “World Center of Racing,” marking the next step in how motorsports are experienced by fans, competitors and viewers around the world.

In collaboration with Musco, Daytona International Speedway will install LED lighting across all existing oval track high mast pole-mounted fixtures, the road course, infield, pit box and emergency lighting systems. The project will also feature LED RGB accent lighting on track light poles synchronized with the caution light system, as well as uplighting for the upper-level underside of grandstand seating—creating dynamic, visually engaging moments throughout race events.

Daytona International Speedway lighting

“The new LED lighting system at Daytona International Speedway underscores NASCAR’s continued commitment to reinvest in its facilities, enhancing the overall experience for fans attending events at Daytona as well as those watching around the world,” said Ben Kennedy, Chief Operating Officer, NASCAR. “The project will create new, visually compelling moments that drive fan engagement, elevate partner visibility and generate excitement across the sport.”

This comprehensive upgrade represents more than a modernization—it is a generational leap that reinforces Daytona International Speedway’s legacy of innovation while positioning the iconic venue to lead motorsports into its next chapter.

“Daytona International Speedway has long set the standard for motorsports venues, and this project ensures we continue to do so for the next generation of race fans,” said Frank Kelleher, President, Daytona International Speedway. “From enhanced visibility for drivers to a more immersive atmosphere for fans in the stands and watching at home, we are proud to partner with Musco for this new LED lighting system that will transform the racing experience.”


The new Musco LED lighting system will deliver brighter, more consistent illumination across the facility, significantly improving visibility for competitors and race teams, enhancing the in-person fan experience, and elevating broadcast quality for global audiences. Additionally, the new lights are expected to reduce energy consumption by approximately 50 percent, supporting NASCAR Impact’s broader goal of achieving net zero operating emissions by 2035.

Daytona International Speedway lighting

“We’re excited to partner with NASCAR to relight the iconic Daytona International Speedway,” said Musco CEO Jeff Rogers. “We installed the original system in 1998 and appreciate our long-standing relationship to deliver exciting new LED solutions for drivers, television, and fans.”

The project officially began in April and is expected to be completed in Jan. 2027.

Daytona International Speedway Continues Legacy of Innovation

Since breaking ground in Nov. 1957 and opening with the inaugural DAYTONA 500 in Feb. 1959, Daytona International Speedway has been synonymous with NASCAR’s most defining moments. The track once again raised the bar in 1998 when it installed lights, becoming the largest lighted outdoor sports facility in North America at the time, with the Coke Zero Sugar 400 serving as its first night race.

From 2013 to 2016, the $400 million “Daytona Rising” redevelopment reimagined the facility as a world-class motorsports stadium. The new LED lighting project continues that tradition of reinvestment, ensuring the venue remains at the forefront of innovation for generations of fans.

Industry-Leading Technology with Musco

Through its partnership with Musco, a global leader in sports lighting for 50 years, Daytona International Speedway will become the largest sports facility in the world to feature Musco’s state-of-the-art LED lighting system—and the first major motorsports facility in North America to do so.

Musco’s lighting solutions, known for innovations in glare reduction and precise light control, are utilized across a wide range of venues, from local fields to premier global sporting events, including NFL and MLB stadiums, NBA and NHL arenas, collegiate facilities, and the Olympic Games.

The addition of RGB lighting—capable of producing more than 16.7 million color combinations—will allow for synchronized lighting effects tied to race action and cautions, creating new opportunities for fan engagement, partner integration and broadcast storytelling.

Upcoming Race Events

NASCAR returns to the World Center of Racing for intense action as the NASCAR Cup Series closes out the regular season during the Coke Zero Sugar 400 on Saturday, Aug. 29. The NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series will compete in the Wawa 250 Powered by Coca-Cola on Aug. 28.

The 65th running of the Rolex 24 will take place Jan. 28-31, 2027, preceded by the Roar Before the Rolex 24 on Jan. 22-24, 2027.

The 69th running of the DAYTONA 500 is scheduled for Feb. 21, 2027.

Tickets for all Daytona International Speedway events are available at www.daytonainternationalspeedway.com or by calling 1-800-PITSHOP. Fans can also follow @DAYTONA on social media for the latest updates.

About Daytona International Speedway

Daytona International Speedway is a state-of-the-art motorsports facility and was awarded the SportsBusiness Journal’s prestigious Sports Business Award for Sports Facility of the Year in 2016. Daytona International Speedway is the home of The Great American Race – the DAYTONA 500. Though the season-opening NASCAR Cup Series event garners most of the attention – as well as the largest audience in motorsports – the approximately 500-acre motorsports complex, also known as the World Center of Racing, boasts the most diverse schedule of racing on the globe. Some of the exciting racing events include January’s Rolex 24 At DAYTONA and Roar Before The Rolex 24, February’s DAYTONA 500 and Speedweeks Presented by AdventHealth, March’s Bike Week At DAYTONA featuring DAYTONA Supercross and the DAYTONA 200, the August Coke Zero Sugar 400 weekend, and much more. The Speedway grounds are also used extensively for other events that include concerts such as Welcome to Rockville, sporting events including CLASH DAYTONA, civic and social gatherings, car shows, photo shoots, production vehicle testing and police motorcycle training.  

About Musco

For nearly 50 years, Musco has specialized in sports lighting and technology, with innovations in glare reduction and light control responsible to the needs of facility owners, players, fans, neighbors, and the night sky. Musco’s TLC for LED® system, Show-Light® Pro special effects technology, and Mini-Pitch System™ modular sports solution provide unmatched quality, performance, and reliability. Musco’s solutions are found at neighborhood ballfields, professional tracks and speedways, NFL and MLB stadiums, NBA and NHL arenas, major collegiate facilities, and the Olympic Games. Every Musco system is backed by a long-term parts and labor warranty, eliminating maintenance concerns and costs well into the future. Learn more at www.musco.com.

Wood Brothers Racing – Race Week Briefing: Charlotte Motor Speedway

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Official Release
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Event: Coca-Cola 600
Date/Time: Sunday, May 24, 2026, 6 p.m. ET
Location: Charlotte Motor Speedway, Concord, North Carolina
Layout: 1.5-Mile Oval
TV/Radio: Prime Video, PRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio

Charlotte Motor Speedway’s 600 Miles of Remembrance has become a Memorial Day weekend tradition for the NASCAR Cup Series, with each car in the Coca-Cola 600 carrying the name of a fallen service member on its windshield.

This year, Josh Berry and the No. 21 eero Ford Mustang Dark Horse team will honor John Calvin Morgan of Fayette County, Georgia, who lost his life on Nov. 29, 1944, during the Battle of Leyte Island, one of the pivotal campaigns in the Pacific during World War II.

Morgan grew up in a family of sharecroppers and enlisted in the U.S. Army at age 29. He served with the 184th Infantry, 2nd Battalion Medical Department, where he worked as a medic.

In one of his final letters home, Morgan expressed hope that the war would soon end so he could return home to help his family with the harvest. In February 1945, the Morgan family received word that he had been posthumously awarded the Purple Heart in recognition of his service and sacrifice.

Five years later, Morgan’s remains were returned home and laid to rest in the family cemetery. While an early monument honoring fallen service members in Fayette County unintentionally omitted his name and several others who served in World War II, a later memorial in a county park corrected those oversights.

Now, more than 80 years later, Morgan’s legacy will be recognized at Charlotte Motor Speedway, where his sister, niece and several members of his family are expected to attend the race weekend.

For Berry and the No. 21 eero team, NASCAR’s longest race also presents an opportunity to regain momentum after a challenging stretch on intermediate tracks.

“We’ve certainly had our troubles,” Berry said in a recent interview. “Intermediate tracks have been our biggest disappointment.”

Ironically, it wasn’t that long ago that intermediate tracks were among the team’s stronger tracks.

“The focus is to get back to that performance level as quickly as possible,” Berry said. “I feel good about the relationship with [crew chief] Miles [Stanley]. We’re working hard to get performance back where we want.

“It’s tough in this sport. It’s all about learning and moving forward.”

Practice for the Coca-Cola 600 is scheduled for Saturday at 1:30 p.m. ET, followed by qualifying at 2:40 p.m. ET.

Sunday’s 400-lap, 600-mile race is scheduled to begin shortly after 6 p.m. ET, with Stage 1 concluding at Lap 100, Stage 2 at Lap 200 and Stage 3 at Lap 300.

Prime Video will carry television coverage throughout the weekend.

Josh Berry

Age: 35 (Oct. 22, 1990)

Hometown: Hendersonville, Tennessee

Crew Chief: Miles Stanley

IG: @joshberry88

X: @joshberry

About eero
eero was founded to make wifi and networking the way they should be—fast, reliable, secure, and, most importantly, easy to use. After introducing the first home mesh wifi system with a high-quality design that blends into its environment and technology that intuitively works behind the scenes, eero became known for sweating every single detail and delivering award-winning hardware and software for homes, businesses, communities, and service providers. Founded and headquartered in San Francisco in 2014, eero is an Amazon company. For more information, visit eero.com.

JR Motorsports — NOAPS Charlotte Motor Speedway Preview

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Official Release
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JR Motorsports O’Reilly Auto Parts Team Preview
TRACK – Charlotte Motor Speedway (1.5-mile quad-oval)
NOAPS RACE – Charbroil 300 (200 laps / 300 miles)
TUNE IN – CW, PRN, SiriusXM Channel 90 at 5:00 p.m. (ET)

Connor Zilisch

No. 1 – Registix Chevrolet

Zilisch 2026 NOAPS Stats

Starts: 5

Wins: 2

Top 5s: 2

Top 10s: 3

Laps Led: 105

Avg. Finish: 10.2

Points: N/A

Connor Zilisch will make his sixth NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series start of the 2026 season Saturday afternoon at Charlotte Motor Speedway.

In May 2025, Zilisch scored a second-place finish on the 1.5-mile quad-oval at Charlotte, the first of 18 consecutive top-five finishes, a streak that ran through the Las Vegas Motor Speedway event on Oct. 11.

Zilisch has two NOAPS victories this season entering Saturday’s race at Charlotte: Bristol Motor Speedway on April 11 and most recently at Watkins Glen International on May 9.

Zilisch enters the Charlotte race fresh off his second victory of the 2026 season at Watkins Glen. The driver of the Registix Chevrolet claimed his seventh road-course victory after starting 17th. Zilisch won his third consecutive race at Watkins Glen, joining Terry Labonte (1994 – 1996) and Marcos Ambrose (2008 – 2010) in accomplishing the feat.

Connor Zilisch

“I’m really looking forward to the Charlotte race with JR Motorsports. We’ve won a couple of races this season and I think we have a great opportunity to run well this weekend in our Registix Chevrolet. Starting late in the afternoon will be a challenge but I’m confident that Rodney (Childers, crew chief) and I will keep up with the balance of the car with the changing track conditions.”

Justin Allgaier

No. 7 Liquid I.V. / Hellmann’s Chevrolet

Allgaier 2026 NOAPS Stats

Starts: 14

Wins: 3

Top 5s: 10

Top 10s: 12

Laps Led: 336

Avg. Finish: 6.9

Points: 1st

Justin Allgaier is a former NOAPS winner at Charlotte, capturing the checkered flag in this event in 2023 after starting from the pole and leading for 83 laps.

Overall, in 23 NOAPS starts at the 1.5-mile quad-oval, Allgaier has amassed seven top-fives and 13 top-10s to accompany the 2023 victory.

Additionally, dating back to this event in 2022, Allgaier has for 36 percent (289 out of 805) of all the laps run at Charlotte.

This Memorial Day weekend, Allgaier will be carrying the logos of the Defense Commissary Agency (DeCA) and the Round Canopy Parachuting Team on board his red, white and blue patriotic No. 7 Liquid IV / Hellmann’s Chevrolet.

Justin Allgaier

“We have been really strong here in Charlotte the past couple of years. This place is just such a fun track to race around, especially as the groove widens out. It’s a really special weekend overall with not only us getting the opportunity to race in our own backyard, but to be racing on Memorial Day Weekend. What makes it even more special is that we get to carry the red, white and blue colors and have the Defense Commissary Agency and Round Canopy Parachuting Team on our car once again. I can’t thank Liquid IV and Hellmann’s enough for being able to work with those great and I can’t wait to see what we can do on the track this weekend.”

Sammy Smith

No. 8 Alpha Craft Technologies Chevrolet

Smith 2026 NOAPS Stats

Starts: 14

Wins: 0

Top 5s: 5

Top 10s: 8

Laps Led: 17

Avg. Finish: 10.3

Points: 6th

Sammy Smith will make the quick drive to Charlotte this Saturday for his fourth NOAPS race at the 1.5-mile quad-oval.

Smith has one top-five and two top-10 finishes at Charlotte, with the best of third coming in this event in 2024.

In 56 starts on tracks measuring 1-2 miles, Smith has tallied two wins, nine top-fives, 27 top-10s and led 176 laps.

The JRM No. 8 will feature a fresh paint scheme with new partner Alpha Craft Technologies. Alpha Craft is a fourth-generation, women-owned electrical contractor. They service North Carolina and Virginia, specializing in electric work for data centers, industrial facilities and a wide variety of commercial products.

Sammy Smith

“I’m looking forward to the home race this weekend in Charlotte and having Alpha Craft Technologies on the No. 8 for the first time. It’s great when we can introduce companies and people to the sport. JRM has brought fast cars to Charlotte in the past so I’m ready to get there and see what we can do.”

Ross Chastain

No. 9 Carolina Carports Chevrolet

Chastain 2026 NOAPS Stats

Starts: 6

Wins: 0

Top 5s: 1

Top 10s: 4

Laps Led: 90

Avg. Finish: 9.0

Points: N/A

Ross Chastain will return to the No. 9 JRM Chevrolet this weekend at Charlotte, with Carolina Carports serving as the primary partner for the Charbroil 300.

Through six NOAPS starts this season, Chastain has recorded one top-five, four top-10s, led 90 laps and posted an average finish of ninth.

Chastain heads to Charlotte coming off a strong run at Dover, where he started from the pole, won Stage Two and led 68 laps before finishing 13th.

In 11 career NOAPS starts at Charlotte, Chastain has earned one top-five, one top-10 and a best finish of second, coming in the 2018 event.

Chastain has also found success recently at Charlotte in NASCAR Cup Series competition, winning the 600 in 2025 after starting 40th.

The No. 9 Carolina Carports Chevrolet will represent the North Carolina-based company at its home-state track, as Chastain looks to build off the speed shown last weekend at Dover.

Ross Chastain

“I’m looking forward to getting to Charlotte with JR Motorsports and Carolina Carports on our No. 9 Chevrolet. We had a really fast car at Dover and led a lot of laps, just didn’t get the finish we wanted. Charlotte is a place that means a lot, and it’s one where you have to keep working on your car all race long. We’ll go there, keep digging and try to put ourselves in position at the end.”

Rajah Caruth

No. 88 HENDRICKCARS.COM Chevrolet

Caruth 2026 NOAPS Stats

Starts: 14

Wins: 0

Top 5s: 1

Top 10s: 4

Laps Led: 52

Avg. Finish: 18.1

Points: 14th

Rajah Caruth will make his ninth start for JRM of the 2026 NASCAR O’Reilly Series season this weekend at Charlotte in the No. 88 HENDRICKCARS.COM Chevrolet.

Caruth will sport a HENDRICKCARS.COM patriotic Chevrolet scheme as part of HendrickCars.com’s Four-Car Salute to America for Memorial Day weekend.

Caruth has made one previous NASCAR O’Reilly Series start at Charlotte, finishing 19th.

In three career NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series starts at Charlotte, Caruth has a best finish of ninth.

Caruth enters the weekend 14th in the NASCAR O’Reilly Series standings, just below the playoff cut line.

Rajah Caruth

“I’m ready to get to Charlotte this weekend with our No. 88 HENDRICKCARS.COM Chevrolet, especially with the patriotic scheme for Memorial Day weekend. It’s always special to race close to home, and Charlotte is a place where track position and execution mean a lot. Mardy (Lindley, crew chief) and everyone on this team have been working hard, and I’m focused on doing my part and putting together a complete race.”

JRM Team Updates

JR Motorsports at Charlotte Motor Speedway: JR Motorsports has competed at Charlotte Motor Speedway a combined 88 times in the NOAPS. In those starts at the 1.5-mile quad-oval, the organization has recorded two wins, 24 top-fives and 43 top-10s. The average finish is 13.8.

Souvenir Rig: JRM drivers Carson Kvapil, Justin Allgaier, Sammy Smith and Rajah Caruth will be signing autographs at the JR Motorsports / HMS WB + AB souvenir rig on Saturday, May 23 from 1:30 p.m. to 2:00 p.m. ET.

TOYOTA RACING Weekly Preview 05.20.26

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Official Release
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This Week in Motorsports: May 18 – 24, 2026

NCS/NOAPS/NCTS: Charlotte Motor Speedway – May 22-24
ARCA West: Colorado National Speedway – May 23

PLANO, Texas (May 20, 2026) – NASCAR heads to Charlotte Motor Speedway for its annual Memorial Day weekend of racing around the 1.5-mile oval, culminating with the Crown Jewel Coca-Cola 600 Sunday night. Meanwhile, the ARCA Menards Series West heads to Colorado National Speedway Saturday night for its fifth race of 2026.

NASCAR National Series – NCS/NOAPS/NCTSS

Toyota seeks another Coca-Cola 600 triumph … Team Toyota enters this weekend’s Coca-Cola 600 in search of its eighth victory in the Crown Jewel event. Christopher Bell was the most recent winner in a Toyota Camry in 2024. Martin Truex Jr. has the most Coke 600 wins for Toyota with two – 2016 and 2019.

Hamlin looks to continue 600 success … Denny Hamlin has a knack for putting up strong finishes in the Coca-Cola 600. Sunday night will be his 21st start in the Crown Jewel event, where he has top-10 finishes in three of the last five Coca-Cola 600s, including his win in 2022. In 34 starts on the Charlotte Motor Speedway oval – which includes the fall race which was last run in 2017 – Hamlin has 12 top-fives and 21 top-10s, as well as poles in the 2013 Coca-Cola 600 and the 2017 fall race.

Heim returns to the No. 67 … 23XI Racing’s Corey Heim is back behind the wheel of the No. 67 Toyota Camry XSE this weekend in the Coca-Cola 600. Should he qualify for the event, Heim would make his 11th career Cup Series start and fourth of the 2026 season. In his last start at Texas Motor Speedway earlier in the month, Heim led 69 laps before an incident resulted in a 31st-place finish. Heim returns to Charlotte after sweeping both Truck Series races there last year on the oval and the ROVAL – enroute to his Truck Series title.

Thompson returns to favorable Charlotte … Charlotte Motor Speedway has become one of the better tracks for Sam Hunt Racing’s Dean Thompson. The driver of the No. 26 Toyota GR Supra earned his best career O’Reilly Series finish in last season’s race at Charlotte, coming home fifth in his second start at the track. In his time in the Truck Series, Thompson earned two top-10s in three starts on the 1.5-mile North Carolina oval, which includes a third-place result in 2023.

Jones continues strong run … With his sixth-place finish last weekend at Dover Motor Speedway, Brandon Jones now has five consecutive top-10 finishes in the O’Reilly Series dating back to Kansas Speedway in April. In total, Jones has eight top-10s, and three top-fives, in 14 races so far this season. Jones currently sits fifth in the driver’s point standings entering this weekend in Charlotte, which will be his 350th career O’Reilly Series start.

Honeycutt continues strong 2026 start … Kaden Honeycutt extended his strong start to the 2026 Truck Series season with a fourth-place finish last weekend at Dover. Honeycutt now has seven top-10s and six top-fives in nine Truck Series races this season, and remains in the points lead, 38 points atop the standings. He makes his third career start on the Charlotte oval this weekend, where he’s finished inside the top-10 in both previous starts – seventh in 2024 and third in 2025.

Jones, Sawalich again do double duty … Jones and William Sawalich will again take on double duty, this time at Charlotte this weekend. Jones, who will drive the No. 1 Toyota Tundra TRD Pro for TRICON Garage on Friday, makes his third Trucks start this season after a sixth-place finish at Dover last weekend. Jones also finished fourth at Texas. Sawalich, who will pilot the No. 5 Tundra TRD PRO for TRICON, makes his fourth Trucks start of 2026. He’s coming off a 14th-place finish in the Dover race and makes his Truck Series debut at Charlotte this weekend.

NASCAR Regional Series – ARCA Menards Series West

Lovell takes on Colorado … In Saturday night’s ARCA Menards Series West race at Colorado National Speedway, Mia Lovell will pilot the No. 15 Toyota Camry for Nitro Motorsports. Lovell makes her fifth start in the West Series this season and is coming off two top-10 finishes at Tucson Speedway (eighth) and Shasta Speedway (ninth).

About Toyota

Toyota (NYSE:TM) has been a part of the cultural fabric in the U.S. for nearly 70 years, and is committed to advancing sustainable, next-generation mobility through our Toyota and Lexus brands, plus our nearly 1,500 dealerships.

Toyota directly employs approximately 48,000 people in the U.S. who have contributed to the design, engineering, and assembly of more than 36 million cars and trucks at our 11 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.

Coca-Cola 600 Goal for Austin Cindric? Complete All 600 Miles

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Ford Racing Notes and Quotes
NASCAR Cup Series
Ford Racing Media Zoom Call
Wednesday, May 20, 2026

Austin Cindric, driver of the No. 2 Team Penske Ford Mustang Dark Horse, has been Ford Racing’s top finisher in each of the last two NASCAR Cup Series races, including last week’s All-Star Race in which he was sixth. Cindric spoke about not only this weekend’s Coca-Cola 600, but some of the other key races taking place on Memorial Day Weekend.

AUSTIN CINDRIC, No. 2 Team Penske Ford Mustang Dark Horse – THERE IS A LOT OF DIFFERENT RACING GOING ON THIS WEEKEND. WHAT IS YOUR PLAN FOR WATCHING AND THEN RACING IN THE 600? “Obviously, we have a big job to do on Sunday night, but the other side of the shop has a big job to do in Indianapolis, so I always look forward to that race. I spent my entire lifetime before being a Cup Series driver going to that race, so I definitely have FOMO not being there. It’s becoming more normal to watch it on TV, but it doesn’t feel very normal. It’s one of the few years also I haven’t also made it up there at any point in time, so, either way, the last couple of years I’ve just been getting to the racetrack really early on Sunday and watch the entirety of the race from Charlotte at the track, just because by the time the race is ending is when our meetings are close to starting and I obviously don’t want to miss the end, so I’m super excited to see how the guys go. That event, ever since Roger and obviously the folks at Fox have really been making the Indy 500 as big as it has ever felt in my lifetime, so it’s definitely cool to see.”

WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO YOU WHEN YOU ARE THE TOP FORD FINISHER IN THESE RACES AT THIS TIME OF YEAR? “I wish that meant I was winning. I feel like that’s a very important piece, but it’s important as an individual, sure, and someone’s got to do it. It might as well be us, but, otherwise, I can’t say it’s a metric I pay a ton of attention to, but nonetheless I think for us right now in highlights that we’ve had some really solid weeks and some solid runs. We’re doing a lot of the right things as a team as far as execution. It’s important to do that with the format the way it is and everything that comes with it, so we just need to make sure we continue that streak of good execution and solid speed in our race cars.”

CAN YOU DESCRIBE THE FEELING OF WATCHING THE END OF THE INDY 500 AS IT’S ENDING? “At the end of the day, I think anyone that’s in the industry grew up as a race fan, and I don’t think you can call yourself a fan of motorsports of any kind and not be absolutely enthralled with what happens on Memorial Day Weekend on that Sunday and the Indy 500 and Coke 600 because the flip side happens when you’re in Indy. I’ve been on the other side where they get done with the race and they’re tearing everything down and whether it was a good day or a bad day, they’re gonna flip on the Coke 600 and cheer on their favorite drivers or whatever else. That changes a little bit this year. Our friends across the pond really screwed this up if you ask me because on the flip side, like getting to Indy early in the morning and watching Monaco was awesome. It’s the best day in racing. It probably still is the best day in racing, but it’s missing the opening act if you will, which is kind of a bummer. I want to get the right people together to get the Indy 500 played on the big screen at Charlotte. I don’t know if that conflicts with anything there, but you’ve got this massive TV. I want to be able to watch it on the massive TV we have at the racetrack if I’m sitting there doing it, so maybe we can talk to the right people to get that to happen because I think all of the campers in the infield would enjoy that too.”

DO YOU THINK THIS WEEKEND IS GOING TO BE MORE ABOUT SURVIVAL AND POINTS OR DO YOU REALISTICALLY THINK THERE’S GOING TO BE A TOP 10 OR BETTER FOR YOU AND YOUR TEAM? “I think, for me, my only goal this weekend is to run 600 miles. I know that may sound like a very vanilla answer, but I have yet to run all 600 miles of the Coke 600 and I think you are rewarded if you run all 600 miles, not necessarily to finish first, first you must finish, but you will always go through adversity. Re-watching the race from last year and looking at the finishers and where they were running and how they ran throughout the day, I would say that of the top 15 cars last year only three of them didn’t have to overcome some sort of adversity and they just remained where they were the entirety of the race. It’s a marathon no doubt. It’s the closest thing we have to an endurance race. There are racing categories that would categorize the length of this race as an endurance race, so I think you have to have that mentality to a certain extent, but there are points on the line for four stages not three this weekend, so as far as the championship is concerned, we’re certainly hungry for more and feel as though we need to be further up the standings to have a shot at a championship, so I think this is the natural halfway point in the regular season, so as rollercoaster as things have been for us to get to where we are, there is still more to gain.”

NASHVILLE IS COMING UP IN A COUPLE OF WEEKS. WHAT IS THAT TRACK LIKE? “Nashville kind of has an identity crisis in regards to the racetrack because I feel like, depending on how your car is driving, sometimes it’s a short track and sometimes it’s an intermediate. It obviously has the big speeds, but I feel like a lot of your handling concerns and your driver inputs are much more similar to a shorter track even though the length of the circuit is not very short, so I think it’s always an interesting conversation on what you prioritize, but it’s been fun going there over the last couple years. I can’t think of a better combination of location and sporting body than NASCAR in Nashville. I think it’s a perfect fit and the crowds that we get there and the fans are very much with the culture, so that’s always fun for me to see and it’s always a fun weekend because of it.”

NORTH WILKESBORO IS A POINTS RACE THIS YEAR. CAN YOU TALK ABOUT GOING THERE EVEN THOUGH IT’S STILL A WAYS OUT? “I’ll be honest, we’re looking ahead but I don’t even know what month that race is. I could tell you that Nashville is the next week, but that’s it. Nonetheless, knowing that it’s coming up I look at North Wilkesboro as a potentially physically taxing race. We’re gonna have to run a lot of laps there and you don’t really get a ton of rest time and it’s obviously a very quick lap. I’m looking forward to it. It’s been fun to learn a lot about the racetrack. Before it was revived the last race happened before I was born, so I’m not gonna sit here and pretend that I am a wealth of knowledge on North Wilkesboro and what it means to the sport, but I can tell what it means to the sport by the fan response and those that were involved in previous years. It’s cool to see things like that. I definitely enjoy the history of the sport, so I feel like we’re definitely a part of history being back to the first points race there. It’ll be a fun event and it will be interesting to see what that many laps on that track really does and how it’s gonna race.”

CAN YOU GIVE A SENSE OF THE PROGRESS YOU GUYS MADE AT TEXAS COMPARED TO HOW YOU RAN AT THE OTHER 1.5 MILE TRACKS? “I think you highlight the mile-and-a-halves and the clear obvious weakness for us as a company. I think there has been a slow, gradual evolution or refinement from our first couple races in Vegas and Kansas, which are definitely two more similar racetracks than necessarily maybe Texas and I’d even say Charlotte is more similar to Kansas and Vegas, but I think we’ve been refining our package for those races. Even as you mention, Texas still was not quite good enough to go contend for probably a top three and getting a race win and I think that is obviously the goal. We’re still missing a bit on those tracks. If I could tell you what it is, we would be going out there and doing it, but I think Charlotte provides some different challenges to those tracks that we’ve mentioned, but I think it’s important. I think ever since we’ve introduced this tire at the tail end of last year, at the beginning of last year mile-and-a-halves were probably our best, especially on the 2 car and now we’re trying to understand what it takes to be the best again, so that sometimes takes a couple of race events. As you mentioned there is some clear progress, but we still need to go get more.”

CAN YOU EXPLAIN WHAT IT IS LIKE RUNNING ALONG THE FENCE AT CHARLOTTE AS COMPARED TO HOMESTEAD OR DARLINGTON OR SOMEPLACE ELSE? “I think you’ve got to start with what makes running up high a challenge. You’re trying to gauge your speed and your grip level, keep up momentum, keep the car up off the fence. Obviously, you’re running within a couple inches or less than a foot and doing all that, but the difference at Charlotte with that challenge is in three and four you have a tough time seeing because the bumps are so bad. As someone who wears glasses, I have to really secure those things back over my ears when we go over Charlotte. Re-watching the race yesterday morning, it was a good reminder that I’m gonna be beat up in three and four. There’s really no way around it. We go to Vegas and we talk about the bumps in one and two, and there is a lot more vertical load, you’re kind of bouncing up and down in one corner, where Charlotte is more side to side. It’s like you’re getting hit from both sides. You’re just left to right, left to right, left to right. It’s disorienting and something you have to get used to and almost anticipate, but at the same time can be challenging to determine the grip that you have, and it’s definitely a deterrent physically. You don’t want to go do something that makes you feel bad, but if there is speed, go get it. It’s a challenge with this car for sure. You do get a break in one and two. One and two is ultra smooth. You have the big vertical drop going into the corner, but the bumps are difficult to navigate and having 600 miles to kind of learn where each of them are and understand within an inch of where car placement needs to be is critical for making lap time at that part of the racetrack.”

DOES THAT MAKE THREE AND FOUR AMONG THE MOST CHALLENGING CORNERS ON THE CIRCUIT? “I haven’t thought of it in that context, but I think you’re spot on. I can’t think of too many corners that are more challenging on the schedule than three and four at Charlotte, and the reason being I just got done describing what it took to run one lane. Well, we have three available and the bottom lane is just as challenging because you have to go down the staircase of the bumps and make sure you hit the paint. If you don’t, you lose three-tenths of a second because there’s this trough and all these factors that then you get to the exit and the wall comes out super quick. It’s a very difficult corner to navigate. I think traditionally on paper and even watching the race it doesn’t really do it justice as far as the challenge of it, but, yeah, I would probably agree with that statement.”

FOR CLARIFICATION, YOU’RE TALKING ABOUT THE BUMPS IN THREE AND FOUR AND THE LEFT AND RIGHT MOTION YOU FEEL. THAT’S JUST TRYING TO KEEP THE CAR GOING STRAIGHT, CORRECT? “Correct. It’s like running over a pothole with the left side and then the right side over and over again.”

WITH THAT IN MIND, IS IT SOMETHING THAT BOTHERS THE DRIVERS? WOULD YOU LIKE TO SEE A REPAVE OR JUST LEAVE IT AS IS BECAUSE IT ADDS TO THE CHALLENGE OF THE 600? “I think it definitely adds to the challenge, no doubt. When we were re-watching the race there were a lot of single car spins in that corner, maybe not necessarily due to the bumps, but it definitely creates character as far as like, ‘Hey, do we need to fix this?’ I think if it gets any worse, yes.”

YOUR GOAL IS THE FINISH THE 600 MILES. THAT ASIDE, AS YOU PREP AND PREPARE FOR THE RACE, WHAT IS THE OTHER CHALLENGE THERE? IS EQUIPMENT MANAGEMENT A CONCERN AND MAKING SURE YOU HAVE YOUR BEST STUFF AT THE END? “I would say in a general context compared to maybe times that saving the actual physical pieces on the car, I would say no – other than just like the right side of the car and the toe links and the upper control arms and all that. That’s about it. As far as saving bits and pieces on the car to be fresh at the end, I don’t expect any loss in performance from the engine, and I certainly don’t expect any loss in performance from the brakes. We use them some at Charlotte, but I wouldn’t expect an issue to get to the end of the race. So, with that being said, the runs are naturally going to be quite a bit longer than our normal intermediates. From the beginning of a stage we can kind of only go 30-40 laps, whereas this is gonna be 50-60 depending on when you split up the stages if there are no cautions, so we’ll be taking this tire longer than normal. You get to the conversation of running out fuel runs more often than not, like it was surprising to me watching the race last year guys screwing up short filling the cars and then the 11 car had to pit at the end of the race because they didn’t get the car full, so I think that provides a different element given the length of the race, but, otherwise, it’s kind of business as usual.”

DO YOU WATCH THE INDY 500 AS A RACE FAN OR AS A GO PENSKE GUY? “All of the above. I think in order to consume sports you’ve got to have someone to root for. I’m pretty close with a lot of people on the Indy Car side, whether it’s drivers or team members, and obviously our partners at Team Penske, so I feel like I’ve got some skin in the game on who I’m rooting for, that’s for sure. But I think number one is definitely as a race fan.”

KATHERINE LEGGE IS DOING THE DOUBLE. WHAT DO YOU THINK THAT WILL TAKE FOR HER TO ACCOMPLISH? “She’s run the 500 quite a few times. I don’t know how many, but she was running the Indy 500 when I was a teenager. I’m not gonna say it’s a walk in the park there, but I think the Coke 600 is definitely maybe the greater challenge just due to the lack of experience that she has driving stock cars with as challenging as the track is at Charlotte, but also it’s not like she’s getting in a car or with a team that has a bunch of data and notes on how to go make a car go fast at Charlotte if I’m going honest. I’m not taking anything away from the effort there. I think the fact that she’s doing it is awesome. The list of drivers and names that you see who have done it, they are some of the best of the best and I think year over year and with some of the accomplishments she’s had in IMSA she’s had a great career. If I was at the stage in her career that she is, I would think that would be a very cool thing to accomplish. All the power to her to get it all done, and I hope she gets uninterrupted with no weather and all that, and I hope she gets to do all of it. It’s a cool thing to do and it’s something that I always like to understand what it all takes to make that happen.”

WHAT ABOUT THE ENDURANCE SIDE OF IT? WHAT DO YOU THINK IT WOULD TAKE TO DO BOTH? “It’s a great question because I don’t know, if I’m a well-conditioned Indy Car driver that races every week, I don’t know what that takes out of you doing the Indy 500. I’m sure it would be more challenging not being used to that, but I can tell you that as a rookie in the NASCAR Cup Series and as someone that’s been in the series for five years now, the physical toll is much less just due to the fact that my body is conditioned to that. I would say that could be a large challenge, just for the fact that she doesn’t race full-time in either. That plays a huge role in driver fitness, driver stamina. The challenges that you go through physically and mentally throughout a race, so I don’t think it’s gonna be a walk in the park at all. It would be different if you were full-time in at least one of the racing series. I think that could be one of the larger challenges for sure.”

LEGACY MOTOR CLUB: COCA-COLA 600 RACE PREVIEW

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LEGACY MOTOR CLUB:
COCA-COLA 600 PRE-RACE ADVANCE
EVENT: Coca-Cola 600
DATE: May 24, 2026
Race: NASCAR Cup Series 13 of 36
TRACK: Charlotte (N.C.) Motor Speedway | 1.5-Mile Oval

JOHN HUNTER NEMECHEK
NO. 42 DOLLAR TREE TOYOTA CAMRY XSE
JHN AT CHARLOTTE: John Hunter Nemechek has four NASCAR Cup Series starts at Charlotte, with his highest finish at the track of 13th coming in May 2020. In the NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series, Nemechek has two starts with a best finish of second in May 2023. In the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series, he has earned four top-10 finishes, including two top-fives and a race win in May 2021.

TRUCK SERIES WINNER AT CHARLOTTE: In May 2021, Nemechek took home the checkered flag in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series race after starting fourth. He led 71 out of 134 laps and won with a .419 margin of victory over Carson Hocevar. Nemechek was running a fulltime season in the Truck Series in 2021, and Charlotte marked his third of five wins that season.

HONORING 1SG HARRIS: This weekend, the No. 42 team will honor 1SG Glenn L. Harris of the United States Army. A native of El Paso, Texas, Harris served for 16 years, including during Operation Gothic Serpent, now widely known as Black Hawk Down, and earned both the Purple Heart and Bronze Star Medal for his bravery and leadership. Harris tragically lost his life in 1994 during an airborne training exercise at Fort Benning, Ga., and is remembered as a devoted husband, father and leader who always put his Rangers first, living a life defined by character, sacrifice and unwavering leadership.

T-MACK AT CHARLOTTE: Sunday’s race will be crew chief Travis Mack’s seventh NASCAR Cup Series race at the 1.5-mile oval at Charlotte. His first outing came in May 2018 with Kasey Kahne. Mack returned to Charlotte with Daniel Suárez in the 2021 season. The duo competed in three races together through the end of 2023 and earned a highest finish of 15th in May 2021. In 2024, Mack returned with Shane van Gisbergen. In May 2025, Mack called his first race at Charlotte with Nemechek, where the pair started sixth. In the NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series, Mack has two starts with Michael Annett, where the pair earned top-10 finishes in both races. The duo earned a best finish of sixth in May 2019.

JOHN HUNTER NEMECHEK QUOTE:
“The Coca-Cola 600 is always such a special weekend commemorating those who have made the ultimate sacrifice. I’m honored to have U.S. Army 1SG Harris onboard our No. 42 Dollar Tree Toyota Camry XSE this weekend. We showed speed in our intermediate program in Texas, so I’m confident it will show up at Charlotte, and we’ll really make an impact. Our finish at Watkins Glen should put us in a good spot for qualifying metrics-wise, so as long as we show up and execute the way we know how, it should be a good show.”

TRAVIS MACK QUOTE:
“I always love the 600-mile Memorial Day race at Charlotte. I’m looking forward to our red, white, and blue No. 42 Dollar Tree Toyota Camry XSE. We had a really good car there last year, but we got in the fence and got a little damage in the last 100 miles, so I’m excited to go back and build off of that, especially with the speed we had at Texas. We should have good metrics for qualifying after our top-10 at Watkins Glen, so hopefully we set ourselves up to run up front all day.”

ERIK JONES
NO. 43 ADVENTHEALTH TOYOTA CAMRY XSE
JONES CHARLOTTE STATS: Sunday’s Coca-Cola 600 will mark Jones’ 12th NASCAR Cup Series start on the 1.5-mile oval at Charlotte. In his 11 previous runs, Jones has one top-10 with his best finish of seventh in his Coca-Cola 600 debut in May 2017. While the challenge of the longest race of the year has proven to be hard, Jones has finished inside the top-20 in a majority of his races. Outside of the Cup Series, Jones has a total of six starts on the 1.5-mile oval at Charlotte – five in the NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series and one in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series. He owns two top-fives in the O’Reilly Auto Parts Series with his best finish of second in October 2015 after starting third. He has a best finish of second in the Truck Series.

THE ONE THAT GOT AWAY: In Jones’ first NASCAR start at Charlotte in the Craftsman Truck Series, he made quite the impact and turned heads for the future 2015 Truck Series Champion. After starting second, Jones led 88 of the 139 laps before battling Kasey Kahne in the closing lap to finish just .005 of a second behind Kahne to finish second. The finish is tied for third closest in Craftsman Truck Series history with the 2008 finish between Erik Darnell and Johnny Benson, Jr.

600 MILES OF REMEMBRANCE: As part of NASCAR’s Memorial Day weekend activities, Jones will join the rest of the NASCAR Cup Series field as he honors a fallen soldier on his No. 43 AdventHealth Toyota Camry XSE. Riding alongside Jones will be Senior Airman Jason Plite from Grand Rapids, Michigan from the United States Air Force. SRA Plite was a part of a small group of elite pararescue troops in the Air Force. He passed on March 23, 2003 while on a rescue mission attempting to save two young children in Afghanistan. SRA Plite will be remembered as one who lived by the United States Air Force Pararescue Forces motto of “That Others May Live.”

WAVE OF MOMENTUM: Jones and the No. 43 team are riding a wave of momentum after a third-place finish in last Sunday’s NASCAR All-Star Race at Dover Motor Speedway. After an impressive qualifying lap and pit stop on Saturday, the No. 43 team started third for the first of the two 75-lap segments. Jones finished 13th in Segment 1 to restart 14th after the inversion in Segment 2. He finished Segment 2 in sixth and had the second lowest average finish of the first two segments of the drivers who hadn’t locked themselves into the All-Star Race which advanced him to the main event. Jones started seventh for the final 200-lap segment. Despite battling some handling issues during the race, he found himself in third by the checkered flag.

ALEXANDER AT CHARLOTTE: This Sunday’s race at Charlotte will be crew chief Justin Alexander’s 12th NASCAR Cup Series race on top of the box at the 1.5-mile oval. Alexander is a Coca-Cola 600 winner – having won the crown jewel race in May 2017 with Austin Dillon after the duo started 22nd. He went on to earned one top-five and three top-10s at Charlotte in the Cup Series. He has an additional two starts in the NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series at Charlotte with Jimmie Johnson in October 2006 and Austin Dillon in October 2016. He earned a best finish of 14th with Dillon.

ERIK JONES QUOTE
“The Coca-Cola 600 is always a great race. It’s Memorial Day weekend, and we’re at home. Waking up Sunday morning and not having to travel far is always a pleasure. I’m excited for this race. It’s unique in the sense that it’s 600 miles, and it’s a different feel and pace than a normal 1.5-mile race. I’m really looking forward to it after Texas. I feel like we made some big gains on our mile-and-a-half program that weekend. Watching the race from last year, I think both LEGACY MOTOR CLUB cars were strong throughout the race. Excited to carry some momentum from Dover over to hopefully have a strong run and earn some good stage points to keep ourselves in contention for the Chase. We’ll see how it plays out this Sunday.”

JUSTIN ALEXANDER QUOTE
“The Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway is one of the toughest races we go to because of the length of the race. 600 miles is a long night, and what your car needs in the daytime can be completely different than what it needs late into the night. The track changes and the temperature drops. You have to stay on top of the balance all night and keep up with making the correct adjustments. I’ve been fortunate enough to win this race before, so I know the challenge that it presents and what it takes to overcome it. This is an endurance race like no other on our calendar, and I look forward to trying to go back to victory lane, especially with Erik and this whole LEGACY MOTOR CLUB team.”

CLUB MINUTES:
WHERE IT ALL BEGAN: Johnson got his first taste of NASCAR Cup Series competition by running three races in 2001 with Hendrick Motorsports in the No. 48 Power of Pride Lowe’s Chevrolet, a car co-owned by Rick Hendrick and NASCAR Hall of Famer Jeff Gordon. Johnson’s first start was October 7, 2001, at Charlotte, followed by races at Homestead and Atlanta that same year. While the results – finishes of 25th, 29th, and 39th – were modest, it marked the beginning of a legendary career.

HOUSE JJ BUILT: Johnson has earned legendary status at Charlotte Motor Speedway with four victories in the Coca-Cola 600 (2003, 2004, 2005, 2014), four in the Bank of America 500 events (2004, 2005, 2009, 2016), and four All-Star Race wins (2003, 2006, 2012, 2013).

KENSETH CHARLOTTE: Competition advisor and 2003 NASCAR Cup Series Champion Matt Kenseth’s most significant accomplishment at Charlotte Motor Speedway is winning the Coca-Cola 600 in 2000 as a rookie. He remains the only rookie to win that prestigious race. In addition to his 2000 victory, Kenseth also won the pole for the fall 500-mile event race in 2015 and the NASCAR All-Star Race in 2004. He also finished fourth in the Coca-Cola 600 in 2005.

PETTY AT CHARLOTTE: LEGACY MOTOR CLUB ambassador “The King” Richard Petty made 64 starts at Charlotte Motor Speedway, beginning with the track’s inaugural race in 1960 and continuing through his retirement in 1992. During that span, he claimed five victories (1961, 1975, 1977, and 1983), earned three pole positions, recorded 23 top-five finishes, 31 top-10s, and led a total of 1,702 laps.

CLUB MEMBERS WHO SERVED: This Memorial Day weekend, LEGACY MOTOR CLUB takes time to honor and recognize those who have served—and continue to serve—in the United States Armed Forces.

Zach Casada, mechanic on the No. 43 team, served in the U.S. Army. Shop Foreman Tony Cardamone served in the United States Coast Guard. Additionally, Joshua Horton, the pit tech and equipment manager, and Matt Ridgway, who works in the LEGACY MOTOR CLUB shop, both served in the U.S. Army. IT Manager Hieu Bui also served in the United States Marine Corps.

FAST PIT STOPS AT DOVER: Last weekend at Dover Motor Speedway, the No. 43 team was fast during their pit stops. During Saturday’s Pit Crew Challenge, the No. 43 pit crew and Jones posted the 12th fastest time overall on pit road and the fifth fastest stop in the field. They recorded their best pit stop time in LEGACY MOTOR CLUB history with an 8.09 second stop.

HASHTAG SPORTS AWARDS FINALIST: Each year, Hashtag Sports honors the best campaigns, content, and media in all of sports entertainment. LEGACY MOTOR CLUB created film, “The Climb to Mt. Fuji | Building NASCAR for Japan”, is a finalist in the Best Original Film or Series: Long Form category. The film tells the story of LEGACY MOTOR CLUB’s journey to Japan last November and gives a behind-the-scenes look at the preparation and events leading up to and during the trip. Fans can cast their vote through Hashtag Sports here until May 25, and the winner will be announced June 2.

SOCIAL SPOTLIGHT:

CLUB APPEARANCES:
John Hunter Nemechek will be at the trackside merchandise trailer in the fan zone for an autograph session on Saturday, May 23 at 12 p.m. local time. On Sunday, May 24, he will visit the Dollar Tree display in the fan zone at 2:30 p.m. local time.

TUNE IN:
Fans can tune in to watch the Coca-Cola 600 on Sunday, May 24 at 6 p.m. EDT on Prime, MAX, PRN, and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio (Channel 90).

LEGACY MOTOR CLUB (LEGACY MC) is a premier auto racing organization 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 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.

Brake Fluid in Motorsport: The Most Overlooked Performance Variable

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

When race teams talk about setup, the conversation typically covers tire compounds, suspension geometry, aerodynamic balance, and fuel load. Brake fluid almost never comes up — and that’s a problem. Of all the consumables in a race car, brake fluid is the one whose failure mode is most immediately catastrophic. Understanding what separates a race-grade brake fluid from an ordinary one is knowledge that belongs in every serious competitor’s toolkit.

What Brake Fluid Actually Does Under Racing Conditions

The braking system in a race car is a hydraulic circuit. When the driver applies force to the brake pedal, that force is transmitted through the fluid to the calipers, which clamp the pads against the rotors. The entire system depends on the fluid remaining incompressible — a liquid transmits force; a gas does not.

The problem is heat. During hard braking from racing speeds, brake rotors can exceed 800°C, and that heat transfers directly into the calipers and the fluid sitting inside them. If the fluid temperature reaches its boiling point, it vaporizes. Vapor is compressible. The pedal goes long, braking force drops, and the driver has a serious problem at exactly the wrong moment.

This is brake fade — and it is entirely a fluid chemistry problem.

What Makes a Brake Fluid Race-Worthy

Brake fluids are classified by their boiling points, both dry (fresh, uncontaminated fluid) and wet (after moisture absorption). The international DOT classification system establishes minimum boiling point thresholds: DOT 3, DOT 4, DOT 5.1, and the racing-specific DOT 4+ and Super DOT 4 variants all represent progressively higher boiling point performance.

For circuit racing, the wet boiling point is often the more critical specification. Glycol-based brake fluids are hygroscopic — they absorb moisture from the atmosphere over time. As moisture content rises, the effective boiling point drops significantly. A fluid with a dry boiling point of 260°C might have a wet boiling point 50 to 80 degrees lower after a season of use. On a demanding circuit with heavy, repeated braking zones, that margin disappears fast.

Race teams managing brake fluid seriously flush and replace it at regular intervals — often before every race weekend on high-downforce cars — specifically to maintain the boiling point margin that keeps the system working predictably under race conditions.

Circuit Demands Vary: Matching Fluid to Track

Not all circuits demand the same from brake fluid. High-downforce circuits with relatively light braking — flowing, high-speed tracks — place less thermal stress on the system than slow, technical circuits with repeated hard stops from high speed. Street circuits and endurance tracks with long straight sections followed by sharp corners are traditionally the most demanding.

Teams that treat brake fluid selection as a fixed decision rather than a circuit-specific variable are leaving performance — and safety margin — on the table. The right fluid specification for one event may be insufficient for another, and the cost of getting it wrong is measured in race results at best and mechanical failure at worst.

The Bottom Line

Brake fluid doesn’t have a power output number or a lap time delta that makes it easy to justify attention. But in the chain of components that allows a race car to stop reliably at the end of every straight, it is the one whose failure is hardest to manage and most immediately consequential. For serious competitors, it deserves the same analytical attention as any other performance variable.

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