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Casey Mears joins Garage 66 for Cup return at Martinsville

By
Andrew Kim
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Photo by Lowell Jewell for SpeedwayMedia.com.

Casey Mears will team up with Garage 66 for his return to NASCAR Cup Series competition at Martinsville Speedway on March 30. Mears, a 47-year-old native of Bakersfield, California, will pilot the No. 66 Garage 66 Ford Mustang Dark Horse entry sponsored by HitchGO.

The news comes as Mears made his recent Cup Series start in the 61st Daytona 500 in February 2019 with Germain Racing. Mears’s participation in this year’s spring Martinsville event would mark his 28th career start at the Paperclip short track venue. It would also mark his 490th Cup Series career start as he strives to reach 500 Cup career starts.

“I’m happy to be back in a race car and look forward to returning to Martinsville, one of my favorite tracks,” Mears said.

“I appreciate [team owner] Carl [Long] working with me to make it happen. He’s a well-respected, great guy who’s worked hard to experience longevity in the sport. I’m excited to have HitchGO, Mosby’s Towing and Transport, and Coble Enterprises on board as we chip away at 500 NASCAR Cup Series starts.”

Mears is the nephew of four-time Indianapolis 500 champion Rick Mears and son of former IndyCar and off-road racer Roger Mears. He made his Cup Series debut in the 45th running of the Daytona 500 to commence the 2003 season. From 2003 to 2016, excluding the 2010 season, he would campaign as a full-time competitor in NASCAR’s premier series. During this span, he competed for various organizations. They included Chip Ganassi Racing, Hendrick Motorsports, Richard Childress Racing and Germain Racing, the latter of which was his recent full-time organization.

In total, Mears has made 489 current starts in the Cup division. His first and only victory was in the Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway in May 2007 for Hendrick Motorsports. He has also accumulated three poles, 13 top-fives, 51 top-10s, 484 laps led, and an average finishing result of 23.6. His best points finish was 14th, which occurred in 2006 while driving for Chip Ganassi Racing.

Mears has also made 107 career starts in the Xfinity Series division. The Californian notched his lone victory at Chicagoland Speedway in July 2006.

“Having Casey Mears drive a Garage 66 car is a proud day for our organization,” Carl Long, owner of Garage 66, said. “He’s driven for NASCAR’s elite, such as Chip Ganassi Racing, Hendrick Motorsports and Richard Childress Racing. Adding Garage 66 to that list means a lot to me and everyone who’s helped build our team.”

“Casey and I first connected many years ago when I was driving and he always treated me and our fellow competitors with respect on and off the track,” Long added. “

“He hails from a historic racing family, but it’s not something he boasts about. He always takes time for everyone, which is indicative of his character. I love having the opportunity to work with good people, especially when they drive fast. I’m excited to get to Martinsville with Casey and have a successful weekend for HitchGO, Mosby’s Towing and Transport, and Coble Enterprises.”

Chandler Smith piloted Garage 66’s No. 66 Ford entry during Daytona Speedweeks. However, he did not qualify for the 67th running of the Daytona 500. This was due to being involved in a multi-car wreck during his Daytona Duel qualifying race. Mears’s entry in the upcoming spring Martinsville event would mark the first start of 2025 for Garage 66. However, this is dependent upon the event’s entry list not growing beyond 40. This would force the organization to qualify on the track as a non-chartered organization.

Casey Mears’ bid to return to NASCAR Cup Series competition will occur at Martinsville Speedway for the Cook Out 400. The event is scheduled for March 30 at 3 p.m. ET on FS1.

The Pennzoil 400 at Las Vegas Race Outlook

By
SM Staff
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Photo by Ron Olds for SpeedwayMedia.com

The NASCAR Cup, Xfinity, and Craftsman Truck Series will visit the 1.5-mile oval at Las Vegas Motor Speedway this weekend for the first of two visits this season. Following a two-week break, the Ecosave 200 Truck Series race starts on Friday at 9 p.m. ET on FS1, followed by the Xfinity Series, The LiUNA!, on Saturday at 4:30 p.m. ET on the CW Network and the Cup Series Pennzoil 400 on Sunday at 3:30 p.m. ET on FS1.

Academy Award winner, actor, producer, director and narrator Morgan Freeman has been named grand marshal and reigning WWE Women’s United States Champion Chelsea Green has been named the honorary pace car driver for this year’s Pennzoil 400.

Last season, Joey Logano became the first Playoff competitor to clinch a Championship 4 berth after utilizing a late strategic pit call to win the South Point 400 on Sunday, October 20. Logano has four career victories in 23 career starts and a finishing average of 9.5 at Las Vegas

But look out for Christopher Bell as he tries to capture a historic fourth straight win. Last week, he became the first driver in the Next Gen era to win three consecutive Cup Series races. He could become the ninth driver in history to win four straight races were he has three top-fives in the last four races at Las Vegas.

NASCAR Xfinity Series Note

Las Vegas is the qualifying race for the 2025 Dash4Cash in the NASCAR Xfinity Series. The four best-finishing eligible drivers will compete for a $100,000 prize at Homestead-Miami Speedway on March 22nd. The four Dash4Cash races are Homestead-Miami, Martinsville Speedway, Bristol Motor Speedway, and Rockingham Speedway.

Track & Race Information

Track Length: 1.5 Mile Asphalt Oval
Date: Sunday, March 16
Time: 3:30 p.m. ET
Purse: $11,055,250
TV: FS1, 2 p.m. ET
Radio: PRN, SiriusXM NASCAR (Channel 90)

Distance: 400 miles (267 Laps)

  • Stage 1 (Ends on Lap 80),
  • Stage 2 (Ends on Lap 165)
  • Final Stage (Ends on Lap 267)

Start times

  • Friday, March 14th: The NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series Ecosave 200, 9 p.m. ET (FS1)
  • Saturday, March 15th: The NASCAR Xfinity Series The LiUNA!, 4:30 p.m. ET (CW)
  • Sunday, March 16th: The NASCAR Cup Series Pennzoil 400, 3:30 p.m. ET (FS1)

Who and what should you look out for at Phoenix?

Active Las Vegas Race Winners:

DriverWinsYear(s)
Joey Logano42024, 2022, 2020, 2019
Brad Keselowski32018, 2016, 2014
Kyle Larson32024, 2023, 2021
William Byron12023
Alex Bowman12022
Denny Hamlin12021
Kyle Busch12009

Denny Hamlin is coming off his best result in 2025 last week at Phoenix. The driver of the No. 11 Toyota for Joe Gibbs Racing (JGR) has 14 top-10 finishes in 26 career starts, including a win in the fall of 2021.

Kyle Larson has led 629 laps and won two of the last three Las Vegas Cup races. In the Next Gen car, Larson has led 1,225 laps on 1.5-mile tracks, nearly double the next closest driver, Bell, at 614.

William Byron is the only driver to lead in every race this season and has the longest active streak of top-10s at Las Vegas, with four.

Hendrick Motorsports has four wins, and Team Penske has two wins. They are the only teams to win at Las Vegas with the NextGen car.

Kyle Busch will head to his home track with a little extra momentum. He enters the weekend with three-straight top-10 results.

Las Vegas is #WareItsAt

By
Official Release
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Cody Ware Brings Confidence to First Intermediate-Style Track of 2025

MOORESVILLE, N.C. (March 13, 2025) – This weekend’s NASCAR Cup Series event at Las Vegas Motor Speedway is the first of seven intermediate-style tracks on the Cup Series schedule. Intermediates serve as the bread-and-butter of the calendar, where ovals from 1.3 miles to 2 miles comprise 25 percent of the races. The 1.5-mile Las Vegas oval and it similarly-sized sister track, Kansas Speedway in Kansas City, host two races apiece, with each of their second races coming in the 10-race playoffs.

Last year, Rick Ware Racing (RWR) displayed quiet confidence at intermediates. Its collective driver roster of Justin Haley, Corey LaJoie and Cody Ware scored nine top-25 finishes, a number headlined by Haley’s 13th-place run June 30 at Nashville (Tenn.) Superspeedway. When LaJoie took over for Haley for the final seven races of 2024, he also showed strength in RWR machinery, finishing 15th Sept. 29 at Kansas and 14th Oct. 20 at Las Vegas.

Ware was a contributor too, even with a limited, nine-race schedule. He finished 21st Aug. 19 at Michigan International Speedway in Brooklyn and then repeated that result two months later at Las Vegas. Those efforts, augmented by a career-best fourth-place finish Aug. 24 at Daytona (Fla.) International Speedway, earned Ware the second-best average finish among drivers who ran a limited Cup Series schedule. Ware’s average result of 21.0 was second only to A.J. Allmendinger, who competed in 16 races and earned an average finish of 20.5.

“Looking back at 2024, our intermediate-track program was a strong suit,” said Ware, driver of the No. 51 Evel Knievel/Parts Plus Ford Mustang Dark Horse for RWR. “Justin, Corey, me – we all had some good, respectable runs. We worked hard to create a good baseline for this year.”

Las Vegas will be the first true test to see where that baseline stands in regard to the competition.

The first four races of the 2025 season were anomalies. The Cup Series has raced on back-to-back superspeedways at Daytona and Atlanta, a road course at Circuit of the Americas in Austin Texas, and a flat, mile-long oval in Phoenix. The ovals that make up the majority of the NASCAR calendar haven’t been represented. Sunday’s Pennzoil 400 presented by Jiffy Lube changes that.

“We started the year with three straight wild-card races, where seemingly anything can happen,” Ware said. “It just felt like there were a lot of variables out of our control. Last week at Phoenix was probably the first race where I felt like we controlled our destiny a little more, and we came out of there with a respectable finish. Vegas will give us a gauge of where our performance is relative to the rest of the field.

“We’ve been pretty decent at Las Vegas, and that gives me the confidence to fire off in practice and qualifying to extract the most speed out of the car so we can see where we really are. Once we get this Vegas race underneath us, we’re going to have a better idea, directionally, of the places where we can work to make our cars better.”

Las Vegas is a fast, sweeping racetrack. Drivers lap the 1.5-mile oval in under 30 seconds with an average speed that approaches 185 mph. With its corners banked at 20 degrees, two- and three-wide racing is common, and its aged asphalt provides enough grip for drivers to search different lines in an effort to find more speed.

“Vegas is one of my favorite tracks to go to on the schedule. It’s one of the few 1.5-mile tracks that we go to that I feel has remained mostly unchanged in the last 10 years,” Ware said.

“It’s got a lot of character. Being out in the desert, it can be a little bit dusty, and you have some pretty significant bumps, especially over in the corners. You have to be very cognizant of your corner entry and the line you’re taking, because if you hit those bumps in turns one and two just the wrong way, it could end your day pretty quickly.

“And with the different lines you can run, you can find ways to make the car work for you even if your car isn’t exactly where you want it. If you don’t have a good handle on your car, there’s about a lane-and-a-half you can use in turns one and two. But if your car is handling well, you can take those bumps aggressively. That opens up a lot of racing opportunities from the bottom of the racetrack all the way to the wall.

“I’m interested to see if it’s going to be a race of raw speed, or if we’re going to have long green-flag runs where we’ll see a lot of strategy come into play.”

Ware will get his first hint of what Las Vegas has to offer when he wheels his No. 51 Evel Knievel/Parts Plus Ford Mustang Dark Horse around the track for practice on Saturday at 10:35 a.m. PDT/1:35 p.m. EDT. Qualifying follows at 11:40 a.m. PDT/2:40 p.m. EDT. That will set the starting lineup for Sunday’s 36-car field, with the Pennzoil 400 presented by Jiffy Lube going green at 12:30 p.m. PDT/3:30 p.m. EDT with live coverage on FS1 and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.

About Rick Ware Racing:

Rick Ware has been a motorsports mainstay for more than 40 years. It began at age 6 when the third-generation racer began his driving career and has since spanned four wheels and two wheels on both asphalt and dirt. Competing in the SCCA Trans Am Series and other road-racing divisions led Ware to NASCAR in the early 1980s, where he finished third in his NASCAR debut – the 1983 Warner W. Hodgdon 300 NASCAR Grand American race at Riverside (Calif.) International Raceway. More than a decade later, injuries would force Ware out of the driver’s seat and into full-time team ownership. In 1995, Rick Ware Racing was formed, and with his wife Lisa by his side, Ware has since built his eponymous organization into an entity that competes full-time in the elite NASCAR Cup Series while simultaneously campaigning successful teams in the Top Fuel class of the NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series, Progressive American Flat Track and FIM World Supercross Championship (WSX).

AM Racing | Harrison Burton Las Vegas Motor Speedway March Xfinity Race Preview

By
Official Release
-

AM Racing | NASCAR Xfinity Series
Las Vegas (Nev.) Motor Speedway | The LiUNA NASCAR Xfinity Series Race

Fast Facts

No. 25 AM Racing Team:
Driver: Harrison Burton
Primary Partner(s): Dead On Tools
Manufacturer: Ford Mustang
Crew Chief: Danny Efland
Spotter: Kevin Hamlin
Chassis Intel: AMR Chassis No. 006
Engine: Roush-Yates Engines
2025 Driver Points Position: 13th | 2025 Owner Points Position: 14th

Notes of Interest:

● Junior Journey: AM Racing will embark on its junior year journey in the NASCAR Xfinity Series in 2025 with driver Harrison Burton for the entire 33-race tour, continuing with Saturday afternoon’s running of The LiUNA NASCAR Xfinity Series Race at Las Vegas (Nev.) Motor Speedway.

● Future Focused: In September, AM Racing announced that NASCAR Cup Series winner Harrison Burton would join the family-owned operation to pilot the team’s No. 25 Ford Mustang, beginning with the 2025 NASCAR Xfinity Series season-opener from Daytona (Fla.) International Speedway on February 15, 2025.

Burton, a native of Huntersville, N.C., has been a staple in the NASCAR Cup Series for the past three seasons but will embrace a return to the NASCAR Xfinity Series and continue his relationship as a driver of the Ford blue oval.

Burton, 24, arrives on the scene at AM Racing after a 108-race stint driving for the historic Wood Brothers Racing team.

● Dead On Focused: In January, AM Racing announced a new partnership for the 2025 NASCAR Xfinity Series season, which continues with the LiUNA NASCAR Xfinity Series Race. As part of the agreement, Dead On Tools will serve as the primary partner for the team’s rebranded No. 25 Ford Mustang.

Dead On Tools: A collision of serious tool using professionals and a lifestyle lived out loud. Dead On Tools sets the highest standard for precision tools and work gear products in the industry today, representing innovation and quality that was born from actual users in the trade.

Dead On Tools is headquartered in the Midwest and distributes professional tools and work gear products throughout North America.

Stay tuned to both the AM Racing and Harrison Burton social platforms for opportunities to win Dead On Tools swag and more!

● Harrison Burton NASCAR Xfinity Series Las Vegas Motor Speedway Stats: Saturday afternoon’s The LiUNA NASCAR Xfinity Series Race will mark Burton’s fifth Xfinity Series start at the iconic 1.5-mile speedway.

In his previous four starts, Burton has delivered an Xfinity track-best of fifth after starting third in the 2020 edition of the Boyd Gaming 300 driving for Joe Gibbs Racing.

Additionally, Burton has delivered two top-five and four top-10 finishes and an average Xfinity track finish of 8.3.

Also, the Huntersville, N.C. native has six NASCAR Cup Series starts at Las Vegas, delivering a track-best of 15th after 31st in the 2024 edition of the South Point Hotel & Casino 400 driving for Wood Brothers Racing.

Burton, the second-generation racer, has also earned one top-five and two top-10 finishes in the NASCAR CRAFTSMAN® Truck Series.

● Harrison Burton NASCAR Xfinity Series Career Stats: Entering Las Vegas, Burton has 79 career NASCAR Xfinity Series starts to his credit with four wins, 26 top-five and 51 top-10 finishes, and a championship best result of eighth, twice in 2020 and 2021, respectively.

Burton’s four wins in the NASCAR Xfinity Series occurred during the 2020 season. Burton, the son of former NASCAR driver and current television analyst Jeff Burton, captured the checkered flag at Auto Club (Calif.) Speedway, Homestead-Miami (Fla.) Speedway, Texas Motor Speedway and Martinsville (Va.) Speedway, respectively.

In addition to the 79 Xfinity Series starts, he has achieved 109 NASCAR Cup Series starts, 40 NASCAR CRAFTSMAN® Truck Series starts and 52 career starts across the ARCA Menards Series platforms.

● Phoenix Raceway | GOVX 200 Race Recap: The start of the 2025 NASCAR Xfinity Series season continued last weekend with the first of two trips to Arizona at the coveted Phoenix (Ariz.) Raceway.

After a solid practice effort, Burton and the AM Racing team delivered the 21st quickest lap in qualifying.

From the drop of the green flag, Burton, despite battling a tight-handling No. 25 DEX Imaging Ford Mustang, was able to run competitively inside the top 15 and even contended for his third top-10 Xfinity Series finish of the year.

However, a restart in overtime stalled the high line, dropping Burton from inside the top 15 to a 20th-place result in the two-lap shootout.

● Thanks For Your Support: With 12 percent of the 2025 Xfinity season complete, AM Racing and Harrison Burton would like to thank their associate marketing partners for their support: AIRBOX Air Purifier, DEX Imaging, Eagle Rentals, Flying Circle, Mechanix Wear, Morton Buildings, No Days Off Premium Water, Racing Radios, Volt Batteries and WIX Filters.

● From the Pit Box: Veteran race engineer and former NASCAR Xfinity Series driver Danny Efland is Harrison Burton’s crew chief.

He will be crew chief for his ninth career NASCAR Xfinity Series race, his second at Phoenix Raceway, on Saturday afternoon.

In his previous eight Xfinity Series starts, he has collected one pole (Daytona International Speedway | February 2016), one top-five and three top-10 finishes.

● Follow on Social Media: For more on AM Racing, please visit AMRacingteam.com, like their Facebook page (AM Racing), or follow them on Instagram and X | Twitter @AMRacingNASCAR.

For more on Harrison Burton, please visit theharrisonburton.com, like his Facebook page (Official Harrison Burton), or follow him on Instagram (@harrisonburton12) and X | Twitter (@hburtonracing).

Harrison Burton Quoteboard:

On Las Vegas Motor Speedway: “I always enjoy racing at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, not just because of the scenery but because it’s a great race track.

“I am thankful to have a good track record in the NASCAR Xfinity Series racing at Las Vegas, and I look forward to continuing at that pace with my AM Racing team on Saturday afternoon.”

On Keys to Success at Las Vegas Motor Speedway: “Honestly, track position will be crucial on Saturday at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. The track conditions will be cooler than at Phoenix, so that should set up for a great race.

“It is not uncommon to see a green flag pit stop in Stage 3, so making sure you execute that stop with good service from the crew and no mistakes from the driver could mean the difference between a top-10 or not.’

On Phoenix Raceway Finish: “I was disappointed because we certainly had a faster No. 25 DEX Imaging Ford Mustang than a 20th place finish. I thought we would be in a good position to better ourselves there on that last restart, but it got a little dicey, and the top lane stalled a little, and from there – it was just survival to get back to the checkered flag.

“Our day could have been worse or even better, but we learned a lot, and that’s a positive for our return to Phoenix Raceway in November.”

On 2025 Season Outlook: “I believe we can turn some heads in 2025. I think our goals and expectations are not only obtainable, but we can execute them well and put this AM Racing team into the Playoffs in 2025.

“We have a lot of people and partners who believe in what we are doing this season, and I’d love nothing more than to deliver AM Racing their first career Xfinity Series win, join the Playoffs and hunt for a championship.

“I believe it’s going to be a fun year.”

Race Information:

The LiUNA NASCAR Xfinity Series Race (200 laps | 300 miles) is the fifth of thirty-three (33) NASCAR Xfinity Series races on the 2025 schedule. 25-minute group practices will occur on Fri., March 14, 2025, from 3:05 p.m. – 4:00 p.m. Qualifying will immediately follow, beginning at 4:10 p.m. The field will take the green flag on Saturday, March 15, shortly after 1:30 p.m. (4:30 p.m. ET), with live coverage on The CW Network, the Performance Racing Network (Radio), and SiriusXM NASCAR Channel 90. All times are local (PT).

About AM Racing:

AM Racing is a multi-tiered, multi-faceted Motorsports program headquartered in Statesville, N.C.

Established in December 2015, AM Racing is prided on faith, honesty and intelligent performance.

In its ninth year of competition, the family-owned team will compete in the ARCA Menards Series, the NASCAR Xfinity Series and various Dirt Modified events.

One Year Out! Race Weekend Schedule for INDYCAR Grand Prix of Arlington Announced

By
Official Release
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Cars on Track Friday, March 13, 2026; Race Day Set for Sunday, March 15

ARLINGTON, Texas (Thursday, March 13, 2025) – In just 365 days, the streets of Arlington, Texas, will come to life as the stars of the NTT INDYCAR SERIES bring “The Fastest Racing on Earth” to one of the nation’s premier sports and entertainment districts.

The INDYCAR Grand Prix of Arlington will take place March 13-15, 2026, with practice and qualifications set for Friday, March 13 and Saturday, March 14, respectively. Everything builds toward an epic race day Sunday, March 15, featuring a national network showcase on FOX.

Tickets to this marquee event weekend fueled by a first-of-its-kind joint venture between Penske Entertainment, the Dallas Cowboys and REV Entertainment, the official sports and entertainment partner of the Texas Rangers, will go on sale later this year. Fans can sign up for early access to the on-sale information here.

“The INDYCAR Grand Prix of Arlington is definitely circled on the calendar,” said Arrow McLaren NTT INDYCAR SERIES driver Pato O’Ward. “Texans love racing, and they love big events. So, this is going to be mega. Hopefully, it will set the new standard for a street circuit race in North America.”

The 2.73-mile, 14-turn track layout will feature three iconic sporting venues recognized by fans around the world: AT&T Stadium, home of the National Football League’s Dallas Cowboys, Globe Life Field, home of Major League Baseball’s Texas Rangers and Choctaw Stadium, former home of the Texas Rangers. The track will weave through Arlington’s core sports and entertainment district, which features an all-star lineup of events and venues and annually sells several million tickets to spectators near and far.

“As someone who calls this area ‘home,’ I’m super excited to see the NTT INDYCAR SERIES coming to DFW,” said AJ FOYT RACING’s Santino Ferrucci, a Dallas-area resident. “The course layout is really unique and will let us reach top speeds, making the racing incredibly exciting for all the fans.”

The NTT INDYCAR SERIES is North America’s premier open-wheel racing competition, featuring stars from across the globe competing at speeds faster than 230 mph. Along with hosting the world-famous Indianapolis 500 presented by Gainbridge, the series boasts a mix of oval, temporary street circuit and permanent road course races across North America, with the INDYCAR Grand Prix of Arlington set to become its newest high-octane marquee event. The NTT INDYCAR SERIES is sanctioned by INDYCAR, the governing body for North America’s premier open-wheel racing series and part of the Penske Entertainment family.

The 2025 NTT INDYCAR SERIES season continues Sunday, March 23 in Thermal, California, at The Thermal Club INDYCAR Grand Prix. Coverage begins at 3 p.m. ET on FOX and the FOX Sports app. Audio coverage is available on SiriusXM channel 218 and the INDYCAR App powered by NTT DATA via the INDYCAR Radio Network.

Hendrick Motorsports Media Advance: Las Vegas

By
Official Release
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Las Vegas Motor Speedway
Sunday, March 16, 2025
1.5-Mile Tri-Oval
3:30 PM ET
Location: Las Vegas, Nevada
TV: Fox
Event: NASCAR Cup Series (5 of 36)
RADIO: SiriusXM

5 KYLE LARSON
 Age: 32 (July 31, 1992)
Hometown: Elk Grove, California
Last Week: 3rd (Phoenix)
Crew Chief: Cliff Daniels
Standings: 11th

No. 5 HENDRICKCARS.COM Chevrolet

  • Kyle Larson’s three victories at Las Vegas Motor Speedway are tied for his most NASCAR Cup Series wins at a track with Michigan International Speedway.
  • His 629 laps led at the desert track rank second all-time to Kevin Harvick (679). Of those, 64% laps led have come in the Next Gen car (405).
  • Larson’s eight top-three finishes at Las Vegas are his most at a track.
  • The 2021 Cup Series champion’s six Las Vegas stage wins lead all drivers and are tied with Homestead-Miami Speedway and Darlington Raceway for his most at a track.
  • Larson has led 21% of all laps raced on 1.5-mile tracks in the Next Gen car – 1,225 of 5,957.
  • The Elk Grove, California, native’s average finish of 9.41 in 17 races at the Nevada track is best among all drivers with at least four starts.
  • The 32-year-old has the most wins in the Next Gen car on 1.5-mile tracks with four.

9 CHASE ELLIOTT
 Age: 29 (Nov. 28, 1995)
Hometown: Dawsonville, Georgia
Last week: 10th (Phoenix)
Crew Chief: Alan Gustafson
Standings: 5th

No. 9 NAPA Auto Parts Chevrolet

2025Cup CareerLas Vegas
Races432615
Wins0190
Poles0120
Top 511053
Top 1021735
Laps Led25,528178
Stage Wins0383
Average Finish12.312.919.6
  • Last weekend, Chase Elliott earned his second top-10 finish of the season, placing 10th at Phoenix Raceway.
  • He currently sits fifth in the NASCAR Cup Series points standings through four races, only 41 markers behind the leader, teammate William Byron.
  • The 29-year-old driver has the fifth-best average finish (12.25). He’s one of only five drivers to finish on the lead lap in all four events.
  • In last fall’s race at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, Elliott turned laps inside the top 10 before finishing stage one in 12th. He started the second stage from row two but was collected in a multi-car incident that relegated him to a 33rd-place finish.
  • Elliott’s three stage wins at Las Vegas are tied with five other tracks for his second most behind Martinsville Speedway (seven).
  • His best finish of second at the desert tri-oval came in the fall of 2021.
  • The Dawsonville, Georgia, native’s most recent points-paying win came on a 1.5-mile track. He captured the victory at Texas Motor Speedway last spring.

24 WILLIAM BYRON
Age: 27 (Nov. 29, 1997)
Hometown: Charlotte, North Carolina
Last Week: 6th (Phoenix)
Crew Chief: Rudy Fugle
Standings: 1st

No. 24 RAPTOR Chevrolet

2025Cup CareerLas Vegas
Races425614
Wins1141
Poles1140
Top 52563
Top 1031077
Laps Led1003,078272
Stage Wins1242
Average Finish9.015.114.3
  • Capturing the pole for Sunday’s race at Phoenix Raceway, Byron led laps early before collecting the stage one win. He continued to run up front before an untimely caution ruined the No. 24 team’s pit strategy. Byron was able to battle back to secure a sixth-place finish.
  • So far in 2025, the 27-year-old driver has an average starting position of 9.25 (best of all drivers) and an average finish of 9.0 (second best). He also has collected 49 stage points this season, most by any driver.
  • The Charlotte, North Carolina, native is the only driver to have led a lap in every points-paying event this season. In fact, Byron has led laps in the last six races, dating back to last year. He’s also paced the field in the last four races at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.
  • In addition, he has run 467 laps in the top five and 713 laps in the top 10 in 2025 – both tops in the field.
  • In 10 of the last 11 points-paying races, Byron has finished inside the top six. The only exception is Atlanta Motor Speedway where he was contending for the win in the closing laps before being involved in an incident.
  • On 1.5-mile tracks, Byron has four consecutive top-10 finishes, the fourth longest streak in the field.
  • Byron has one win at Las Vegas in the Next Gen era, 201 laps led (third best) with an average finish of 6.67 (second best).

48 ALEX BOWMAN
Age: 31 (April 25, 1993)
Hometown: Tucson, Arizona
Last Week: 7th (Phoenix)
Crew Chief: Blake Harris
Standings: 6th

No. 48 Ally Chevrolet

2025Cup CareerLas Vegas
Races432915
Wins081
Poles050
Top 50404
Top 103995
Laps Led171,38526
Stage Wins071
Average Finish12.019.317.4
  • Alex Bowman currently sits sixth in the NASCAR Cup Series points standings heading into Las Vegas Motor Speedway, 48 points behind the leader.
  • Over the past nine years, the Tuscon, Arizona, native has made 15 starts at the 1.5-mile track with one win (2022), four top-five finishes and five top-10 finishes.
  • Bowman has finished in the top 10 in each of the last five races on 1.5-mile tracks, tying him for the longest active streak.
  • For the Best Friends Animal Society programming, Ally and Bowman will be partnering with Hearts Alive Village in Las Vegas as their selected shelter for this weekend. 
  • Ally and HendrickCars.com are teaming up again to give fans the chance to win prizes with this year’s “Open Road Sweepstakes.” Fans can win VIP experiences at various races throughout the season and one lucky winner will hit the open road in a Chevy Silverado LT Trail Boss with an Airstream camper. Fans can stop by the Ally Fan Zone to enter the sweepstakes in-person and check out the camper. Fans can also enter here. 

Hendrick Motorsports
 

2025All-TimeLas Vegas
Races41,38534
Wins1313*10*
Poles1**254*2
Top 55**1,284*35*
Top 1010*2,197*58
Laps Led13182,443*2,425*
Stage Wins211712


 
*Most all time
**Tied for most all time

  • Last week at Phoenix Raceway, Hendrick Motorsports placed all four drivers in the top 10 for only the second time at the track (2023).
  • Kyle Larson’s third-place finish at Phoenix gave the organization a sixth-straight race with at least one car in the top three. That’s its longest streak since 2021.
  • A Hendrick Motorsports driver has won each of the last four spring races at Las Vegas Motor Speedway with Larson winning two of those (2021 and 2024) and Alex Bowman (2022) and William Byron (2023) each winning one.
  • With four, Hendrick Motorsports has more wins at Las Vegas in the Next Gen era than any team at any track in the NASCAR Cup Series. The organization’s drivers have combined to lead 37% of all laps at 1.5-mile tracks over that time (2,196 out of 5,957).
  • Hendrick Motorsports is the all-time leader in wins (10), top-five finishes (35) and laps led (2,425) at Las Vegas.

QUOTABLE /
 
Kyle Larson, driver of the No. 5 Chevrolet, on success at Las Vegas Motor Speedway: “Las Vegas (Motor Speedway) has been a great track for us since I joined the No. 5 HENDRICKCARS.COM team. We got our first win here together and we have added a couple more since then. I think we have a couple runner-up finishes, also. The track is great but also getting to come to a cool city is fun, as well. This is probably in my top-three places to come to.”

Chase Elliott, driver of the No. 9 Chevrolet, on racing at Las Vegas Motor Speedway this weekend: “I’m looking forward to heading to Las Vegas (Motor Speedway) this weekend. I felt like, as a team, we made a lot of headway on our mile-and-a-half program last year. And really, last fall, I felt like that was the best we had been at Vegas in this new car.”

William Byron, driver of the No. 24 Chevrolet, on the season thus far: “I know I keep saying it, but the No. 24 team is executing at a really high level right now. That makes me confident every time I get in the car. We’re heading to a track where we have a good notebook and have success at so that makes me extra excited to get there and see what we can do.”

Alex Bowman, driver of the No. 48 Chevrolet, on Las Vegas Motor Speedway: “I’m confident heading into Las Vegas (Motor Speedway) this weekend. I would say it’s one of my better tracks. Obviously, winning there back in 2022, but I feel like I’ve been successful there even prior to the Next Gen era. Last year in the fall, we had a strong qualifying and race effort, qualified third and finished fifth. We were able to run up front majority of the race. (Crew chief) Blake (Harris) made some strategic fuel strategy calls and we were there at the end to finish fifth. Hopefully we can bring it home and get that win that Blake and I were so close to getting back in 2023.”

Young’s Motorsports Las Vegas Motor Speedway March Team PreviewInbox

By
Official Release
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Young’s Motorsports | NASCAR CRAFTSMAN® Truck Series
Las Vegas (Nev.) Motor Speedway | Ecosave 200

Fast Facts
No. 02 Young’s Motorsports Team:
Driver: Nathan Byrd
Primary Partner(s): Champion Health Inc.
Manufacturer: Chevrolet Silverado RST
2025 Driver Points Position: 31st
2025 Owner Points Position: 34th
Engine: Ilmor Racing Technologies

Notes of Interest:

● Welcome Back: The 2025 NASCAR CRAFTSMAN® Truck Series season has taken the green flag, and Young’s Motorsports is proud to have Nathan Byrd continuing to command the team’s flagship No. 02 Chevrolet Silverado RST for Friday night’s Ecosave 200.

This tripleheader weekend will mark Byrd’s inaugural NASCAR CRAFTSMAN® Truck Series track debut at Las Vegas (Nev.) Motor Speedway, the first traditional mile-and-a-half track of the 2025 season

● About Nathan: Byrd, 24, began racing go-karts in 2018, just after graduating High School, and he entered his first car race in February 2020.

Since then, the Goodyear, Ariz. native has raced over 30 types of cars in 348 total races at 67 different race tracks, effectively becoming one of the most diverse and interesting race car drivers in the world.

Completing more than 300 races in the first four years of his career, Byrd is no stranger to piloting race cars.

In 2024, the Indianapolis, Ind. resident turned his attention to NASCAR. He successfully made his NASCAR Xfinity Series debut at Portland International Raceway and delivered a respectable 21st-place finish for DGM Racing.

In September, Byrd made his NASCAR CRAFTSMAN® Truck Series debut at Kansas Speedway, earning a respectable 19th-place finish after starting 32nd.

● All-Aboard!: For the third of 25 NASCAR CRAFTSMAN® Truck Series races this season, Champion Health Inc. will serve as the primary marketing partner for Friday night’s No. 02 Chevrolet Silverado RST for the 134-lap race.

Champion Health Inc. has built a foundation on two valuable principles: Honesty and Integrity. Our faith and values stem from the Golden Rule: “Do unto others as you would want them to do unto you.”

You can count on us to lead by example, be excellent stewards of your bottom line, and make your life less complicated. We are committed to giving you a first-class experience in everything that we do and providing exceptional and personalized service to each of our clients that is second to no one.

We understand the complexities of healthcare and its benefits. We constantly evaluate our solutions based on the current healthcare and benefits landscape, which keeps us focused on what new, innovative concept or product could be better for you.

By partnering with us, we will deliver a better benefits solution than you can get anywhere else.

● Nathan Byrd Truck Series Las Vegas Motor Speedway Stats: Friday night’s Ecosave 200 will mark Byrd’s first career Truck Series start at the 1.5-mile speedway nestled in Sin City.

The Ecosave 200 continues the early start of the 2025 NASCAR Truck Series. For the third time this season, the Truck Series will be part of a tripleheader spectacular with the NASCAR Xfinity Series and NASCAR Cup Series.

The Truck Series set the tone for a massive weekend of racing in the Silver State with 134 laps at an incredibly fast and slick speedway.

The next afternoon, the Xfinity Series will have their opportunity for a nail-biting 200 laps to determine their winner in their edition of The LiUNA NASCAR Xfinity Series Race.

The NASCAR Cup Series will be the main event for the Pennzoil 400, presented by Jiffy Lube on Sunday, March 16.

Las Vegas Motor Speedway marks the third race of an expanded 2025 Truck Series campaign, which increases its season by two races from the 2024 calendar.

● Nathan Byrd Truck Series Career Stats: Entering Las Vegas, Byrd, since 2024, has five career Truck Series starts with an average finish of 27.2.

The popular driver made his Truck Series debut for the family-owned team at Kansas Speedway in September, finishing an impressive 19th. He returned to the team in October at Homestead-Miami (Fla.) Speedway before drawing the curtain on the 2024 season by participating in the year’s final race at Phoenix (Ariz.) Raceway.

● Atlanta Motor Speedway | FR8 208 Race Recap: In the second race of the 2025 NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series season, Young’s Motorsports and rookie driver Nathan Byrd did everything in their power to capitalize on their strong 20th qualifying position.

Making steady progress throughout the race with his No. 02 Sonesta International Hotels Chevrolet Silverado, Byrd was in a prime position to capitalize on his track position until he was involved in a late-race skirmish with 62 laps remaining.

Despite efforts to repair No. 02 Young’s Motorsports Chevrolet Silverado, the damage proved terminal, resulting in back-to-back 31st-place finishes.

● Young’s Motorsports’ NASCAR CRAFTSMAN® Truck Series at Las Vegas Motor Speedway: This weekend will mark Young’s Motorsports’ 32nd NASCAR CRAFTSMAN® Truck Series start at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.

The organization posted a Truck Series team-best finish at the track of 10th, with Xfinity Series standout Austin Hill at the wheel in the 2018 Stratosphere 200 on March 2, 2018.

Since 2014, the Mooresville, N.C.-based Young’s Motorsports team has had an average starting position of 23.8 and an average finish of 21.2 in 31 Las Vegas Motor Speedway starts overall.

● Young’s Motorsports’ NASCAR CRAFTSMAN® Truck Series History: Since entering the NASCAR CRAFTSMAN® Truck Series in 2012, the Mooresville, N.C., – based organization has logged 511 starts from 70 drivers, resulting in solid performances that include two victories (Talladega Superspeedway 2019 and 2021), seven top-five finishes and 33 top-10 finishes, with an average starting position of 23.2 and an average finishing position of 22.2.

● Follow on Social Media: For more on Nathan Byrd, please visit byrdracing.com, like him on Facebook (Nathan Byrd), and follow him on Instagram (@nathanjbyrd) and X |Twitter (@nathanjbyrd).

For more on Young’s Motorsports, please visit YoungsMotorsports.com, like them on Facebook (Young’s Motorsports), and follow them on Instagram (@youngsmotorsports) and X |Twitter (@youngsmtrsports).

Nathan Byrd Pre-Race Quotes:

On Las Vegas Motor Speedway: “Another new track is another big learning opportunity. I’m looking forward to maximizing every lap of practice to get comfortable quickly so we can perform well with minimal mistakes in the race.

“I’m also excited to race another 1.5-mile track. The bigger the track, the faster. For some reason, I tend to perform better at these tracks and look forward to showcasing that with my Young’s Motorsports team on Friday night.”

On Las Vegas Motor Speedway Preparation: “I’m combining video review and simulator preparation to familiarize myself with the track and the racing as much as reasonably possible.

“You can never learn enough about these tracks and how all the top drivers approach their driving and racing.”

On Goals for Las Vegas Motor Speedway: “If we can get a competitive finish with zero driver mistakes, I would be very happy with that as a solid bounce-back for the team from Daytona and Atlanta.

“I think if we finished in the top 20, that would be a fantastic result, but of course, we’re always going to dynamically adjust our goal at the moment to always have a hard but achievable goal to aim for!”

Race Information:

The Ecosave 200 (134 laps | 201 miles) is the third of 25 NASCAR CRAFTSMAN® Truck Series races on the 2025 schedule. 25-minute group practices will occur on Friday, March 14, 2025, from 12:35 p.m. to 1:30 p.m. Qualifying will immediately follow, beginning at 1:40 p.m. The field will take the green flag later that night, shortly after 6:00 p.m. (9:00 p.m. ET), with live coverage on FOX Sports 1, the NASCAR Racing Network (Radio), and SiriusXM NASCAR Channel 90.

Young’s Motorsports | NASCAR Xfinity Series

Las Vegas (Nev.) Motor Speedway | The LiUNA NASCAR Xfinity Series Race

Fast Facts

No. 42 Young’s Motorsports Team:

Driver: Anthony Alfredo

Primary Partner(s): DUDE Wipes

Manufacturer: Chevrolet Camaro

Crew Chief: Andrew Abbott

2025 Driver Points Position: 29th

2025 Owner Points Position: 31st

Engine: Earnhardt-Childress Racing

Notes of Interest:

● Settling In: In January, Young’s Motorsports announced that NASCAR Xfinity Series veteran driver Anthony Alfredo would join the team full-time for its sophomore season behind the wheel of the team’s No. 42 Chevrolet Camaro for the entire 33-race season continuing with Saturday afternoon’s The LiUNA NASCAR Xfinity Series Race at Las Vegas (Nev.) Motor Speedway.

2025 marks the sophomore season for the Young’s Motorsports team in NASCAR Xfinity Series competition after a healthy and competitive freshman season with rookie Leland Honeyman Jr. at the controls.

● About Anthony: A popular driver, Alfredo, a native of Ridgefield, Connecticut, joins Young’s Motorsports with an array of Motorsports experience, including starts in the NASCAR Cup Series and NASCAR CRAFTSMAN® Truck Series, respectively.

The 2025 season will mark Alfredo’s fourth full-time Xfinity Series campaign, and he joins the Mooresville, N.C.-based team after spending the 2024 season with Our Motorsports.

The 25-year-old finished the 2024 Xfinity season 15th in the championship driver standings, collecting an Xfinity Dash 4 Cash win at Dover (Del.) Motor Speedway and adding two more top-fives and seven top-10s to his impressive statistics in 122 career Xfinity Series starts.

● All-Aboard!: For the fifth of 33 Xfinity Series races this season, Young’s Motorsports welcomes back

DUDE Wipes will serve as the primary marketing partner on the No. 42 Chevrolet Camaro for the 200-lap race on Saturday afternoon.

DUDE Wipes is the flagship product of DUDE Products, a men’s hygiene company that was founded in 2012 by lifelong friends in Chicago.

The U.S.-based company introduced DUDE Wipes as the first flushable wipe for adults, marketed as a better hygiene solution to dry toilet paper.

The brand is available online and in 20,000 stores nationwide, including Walmart, Target and Amazon.

● Anthony Alfredo Xfinity Series Las Vegas Motor Speedway Stats: Saturday afternoon’s first of two trips to Sin City in 2025 will mark Alfredo’s eighth career start at the incredibly fast 1.5-mile speedway.

Alfredo earned a track-best of eighth after starting eighth in the fall 2020 edition of the Alsco 300 for Richard Childress Racing.

The Xfinity Series veteran driver will look to improve his overall Las Vegas Motor Speedway average finish of 17.6.

Additionally, Alfredo has two NASCAR Cup Series starts at Las Vegas Motor Speedway with a best effort of 24th after starting 27th in the 2021 Pennzoil 400 presented by Jiffy Lube, driving for Front Row Motorsports.

The Ridgefield, Connecticut native also has two NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series starts in 2019, driving for TRICON Garage. He finished a track-best 12th after starting 15th.

With four down and 29 races to go, Alfredo and the Young’s Motorsports team look to punch their ticket toward the 2025 NASCAR Xfinity Series Playoffs with a victory in the fifth race of the year.

After three straight off weekends, the NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series will roar back to action on Friday, March 14, 2025, for the running of the Ecosave 200 when Alfredo’s teammate Nathan Byrd will make his third truck start of the year.

The NASCAR Cup Series will follow the Xfinity Series rumble with their main event, the Pennzoil 400, on Sunday, March 16th.

● Anthony Alfredo Xfinity Series Career Stats: Entering Las Vegas, Alfredo has 122 NASCAR Xfinity Series races to his credit, earning a career-best third-place finish twice, most recently at Talladega Superspeedway after starting 11th in the 2024 edition of the Ag-Pro 300 for Our Motorsports.

Since 2020, he has earned one pole, five top-five, and 22 top-10 finishes and has an average finish of 19.6.

● Phoenix Raceway | GOVX 200 Race Recap: The first of two trips to the Arizona desert kicked off from Avondale with the GOVX 200 on Saturday, March 8, 2025.

The Young’s Motorsports team looked to build on a strong Xfinity Series practice session, which saw the team produce the second-fastest time overall.

After producing the 25th fastest time in time trials Saturday morning, the team had hoped to return to their practice speed for the 200 laps of the race.

Alfredo and the Young’s Motorsport team’s quick pace, though, was short-lived after they encountered a mechanical issue at the end of Stage 1.

Despite losing laps after a quick trip to the garage, Alfredo returned to the race, salvaged some points and finished 31st when the checkered flag was thrown.

After four races, the team aims to boost its average finish of 28.0 after a season-high 21st at Circuit of the Americas.

● Calling the Shots: Guiding Alfredo as crew chief of the No. 42 Young’s Motorsports Chevrolet Camaro is longtime crew chief Andrew Abbott.

On Saturday, he will be crew chief in his 135th NASCAR Xfinity Series race. In his previous 134 races, he has four top-five and 13 top-10 finishes.

The season’s fifth race will be his eighth tango at Las Vegas Motor Speedway as crew chief in the NASCAR Xfinity Series.

● Young’s Motorsports’ NASCAR Xfinity Series at Las Vegas Motor Speedway: This weekend will mark Young’s Motorsports’ third NASCAR Xfinity Series start at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.

In the team’s two previous Xfinity Las Vegas starts, the team earned an Xfinity track-best of 18th after starting 19th with rookie Leland Honeyman Jr. at the wheel in March 2024.

While the family-owned team has limited NASCAR Xfinity Series starts at Las Vegas, it has had an average starting position of 23.8 and an average finish of 21.2 in 31 Las Vegas Motor Speedway starts overall since 2014.

The organization posted a Truck Series team-best finish at the track of 10th, with Xfinity Series standout Austin Hill at the wheel in the 2018 Stratosphere 200 on March 2, 2018.

● Young’s Motorsports’ NASCAR Xfinity Series History: Since entering the NASCAR Xfinity Series in 2024, the family-owned organization has logged 37 starts and maintains an average starting position of 26.7 and an average finish of 23.9.

● Follow on Social Media: For more on Anthony Alfredo, please visit AnthonyAlfredo.com, like him on Facebook (Anthony Alfredo Racing), follow him on Instagram (@anthonyalfredo) and X | Twitter (@anthonyalfredo).

For more on Young’s Motorsports, please visit YoungsMotorsports.com, like them on Facebook (Young’s Motorsports), and follow them on Instagram (@youngsmotorsports) and X |Twitter (@youngsmtrsports).

Anthony Alfredo Pre-Race Quotes:

On Las Vegas Motor Speedway: “Las Vegas Motor Speedway is actually one of my favorite intermediate tracks because it is fast and has great multi-groove racing.

“I have circled this race for a while because it’s the first intermediate race of the year, and they make up most of the schedule. It will be great to show what we do at these styles of tracks.”

On Keys to Success at Las Vegas Motor Speedway: “Track position will be important, but it’s not uncommon to have a green flag pit stop in the final stage, so if that happens, we will have to execute that well to finish up front.”

On Goals for Las Vegas Motor Speedway: “My team and I would be satisfied with a top 15 finish, especially with how our season has started.”

Favorite Las Vegas Tradition: “I am a foodie, and my absolute favorite place to go with my wife is Eataly to get fresh Italian market-style food.”

On DUDE Wipes Partnership with Young’s Motorsports: “DUDE Wipes was one of my first sponsors when I came into the NASCAR national series, and to have them grow into our flagship partner is really awesome.

“It means a lot for them to follow me to Young’s Motorsports and believe in what we are building. There would be nothing more special than bringing them home some hardware!”

On The 2025 NASCAR Xfinity Series Season: “My goal this year with Young’s Motorsports is simple: to win a regular-season race and make the Playoffs.

“It’s certainly a tall order, but we can make it happen. We will build this program from the ground up and make that goal a reality.”

Race Information:

The LiUNA NASCAR Xfinity Series Race (200 laps | 300 miles) is the fifth of thirty-three (33) NASCAR Xfinity Series races on the 2025 schedule. 25-minute group practices will occur on Fri., March 14, 2025, from 3:05 p.m. – 4:00 p.m. Qualifying will immediately follow, beginning at 4:10 p.m. The field will take the green flag on Saturday, March 15, shortly after 1:30 p.m. (4:30 p.m. ET), with live coverage on The CW Network, the Performance Racing Network (Radio), and SiriusXM NASCAR Channel 90. All times are local (PT).

Stars from NASCAR and NHRA and a pair of Major League Baseball legends headline Bristol Motor Speedway Season Preview

By
Official Release
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NASCAR Cup Series racer and team owner Brad Keselowski talked with media today and gave some VIP hot lap rides during Bristol Motor Speedway's Season Preview event to kick off its thrilling calendar of racing and baseball in 2025.

BRISTOL, Tenn. (March. 12, 2025) – Bristol Motor Speedway opened its “Major League Year” in grand fashion Wednesday with some of the fastest racers in both NASCAR and NHRA as well as a pair of legends from Major League Baseball helping to kick off the 2025 season.

The day featured VIP hot laps, media interviews for all of the drivers and legends and an hour-long produced show hosted by Amanda Busick of FOX Sports with videos, music and more interviews to wrap it all up.

NASCAR drivers Brad Keselowski (Cup), Austin Hill (Xfinity) and Daniel Hemric (Trucks ) and NHRA Funny Car driver Austin Prock opened the day by giving track lap rides around the challenging .533-mile bullring in the Bristol Motor Speedway and Nashville Superspeedway pace cars to MLB legends Tim Hudson of the Atlanta Braves and Danny Graves of the Cincinnati Reds, among others.

Media from all across the Appalachian Highlands Region then broke out their tape recorders, video cameras and notebooks to talk to all of those personalities, along with Bristol Motor Speedway president and general manager Jerry Caldwell, and get the scoop on a very busy upcoming season as the track schedule features an amazing lineup:

  • April 11-13, NASCAR Food City 500, SciAps 300 Xfinity Series and WEATHER GUARD Truck Race in the Craftsman Truck Series, Bush’s Beans Practice and Bush’s Beans Qualifying
  • June 6-8, NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series at the Super Grip NHRA Thunder Valley Nationals, Bristol Dragway
  • August 2, MLB Speedway Classic inside the BMS oval featuring the Atlanta Braves vs. the Cincinnati Reds
  • September 11-13, the Bass Pro Shops Night Race, Food City 300, UNOH 200 presented by Ohio Logistics and Bush’s Beans 200 ARCA Menards Series race

Caldwell, who led the effort in 2016 for the NCAA record-setting 156,990-attended Pilot Flying J Battle at Bristol between the Tennessee Volunteers and Virginia Tech Hokies, is just as pumped to show off BMS’ versatility this year by adding a historic Major League Baseball game into the mix with some thrilling racing from NASCAR, NHRA and others.

“At Bristol Motor Speedway and Dragway 2025 is a Big League Year and we can’t wait for all the action to get underway,” said Caldwell. “We are thrilled to have NASCAR return to Bristol in April for our throwback to the 1990s race, the tradition-rich Food City 500, and also in September for the crown jewel Bass Pro Shops Night Race. In June, we can’t wait to have the 330-mph dragsters back for the Super Grip NHRA Thunder Valley Nationals at Bristol Dragway. And since we are well-known as the Home to Big Events, we thought it would be cool to welcome Major League Baseball to the Last Great Colosseum for the first time this August as the Braves and Reds will play the first official MLB game in the state of Tennessee. And we also have Monster Trucks, the PDRA Thunder Valley Throwdown and so much more. It’s definitely a big, big year for us at Bristol Motor Speedway and Dragway.”

Reds Hall of Fame member Graves was awestruck at the concept of playing a baseball game inside a race track. It was his first visit to BMS and he said he can’t wait to watch the baseball game here and the racing.

“Just to see a baseball field on this track is crazy because the baseball field looks so tiny and this isn’t even a big track,” said Graves, the all-time Saves leader for the Reds. “Could you imagine at a superspeedway how tiny the field would look? This is awesome that this is happening. I kind of wish it happened when we were playing. We didn’t get any of that cool stuff.”

Braves Hall of Famer Hudson, a four-time All-Star and a 2014 World Series champ during his time with the San Francisco Giants, was also ready to suit up for a game in the infield after seeing the stadium plans.

“It’s really awesome,” Hudson said. “The renderings that we had seen, it looks really beautiful. I think it’s going to be something that’s really impressive. We saw the layout and where they had home plate (positioned) and the bases. I think it’s going to be awesome.”

Both players feel like the fans are in for a treat.

“I think that game is going to be phenomenal, you are going to have 80,000 people or maybe even a 100,000, I don’t know how many,” said Graves who now serves as a baseball analyst for a variety of networks including MLB Network Radio and ESPN Radio. “I don’t think any baseball players have played in front of that many people.”

The NASCAR drivers gave both Hudson and Graves some hot laps around the track and the baseball legends are also going to be watching them race here later in the year.

The drivers are well-aware of the power that is Bristol Motor Speedway for creating iconic moments and thrilling finishes. Like NASCAR Hall of Famer Rusty Wallace used to say, “When they turn on the lights at that joint, all hell breaks loose.”

“Bristol is just an electric atmosphere,” said Hemric, driver of the No. 19 McAnally-Hilgemann Chevy Silverado in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series. Interestingly, Hemric, the 2021 NASCAR Xfinity Series champion, is also a former $100,000 Xfinity Series Dash for Cash winner at Bristol. This year he will try to score some additional bonus bucks in the NASCAR Triple Truck Challenge on the all-concrete high banks.

“Everything that goes on here is electric,” Hemric continued. “Just like the Speedway Classic that is going to be played here in (five) months, as well as an NHRA drag race and everything else that goes on here. It’s so cool to just be a part of it. And having been a part of it for as many years as I have now is just so much fun.”

The veteran racer of the group attending the media day, Brad Keselowski, has won at BMS in all three of NASCAR’s top categories and has three Cup wins at the track as well, his most recent coming in the 2020 Food City Supermarket Heroes 500. His teammate, Chris Buescher, won the Night Race here in 2022 and Keselowski had a strong run here last March and finished in the top five.

“Bristol has been a good track for me, we had a number of good runs here,” said Keselowski, who drives the No. 6 BuildSubmarines.com Ford for RFK Racing. “The good runs are always overshadowed by the bad runs. We ran so well here in the (2024) spring race, and then came here in the fall race and had a poor showing. That’s what is really frustrating for us. But I’m encouraged that we will be able to come here and have two great runs this year.”

One of the current frontrunners in the NASCAR Xfinity Series, a Georgia native and die-hard Braves fan, Austin Hill would like to get a bucket-list victory at Bristol during his two attempts this season, the SciAps 300 on April 12 and the Food City 300 on September 12. In April, he could also be gunning for the Xfinity Dash for Cash bonus.

“We’ve had some success here at Bristol, but never won here,” said Hill, who also ran in the Craftsman Truck Series here prior to his current gig of driving the No. 21 Chevy for Richard Childress Racing. “I’m hoping to change that this year. Bristol is just one of those places that the line where your car’s working changes throughout the race. Maybe you’re at the bottom to start the race, and then you kind of work your way up, and you get running the fence there towards the end of the race.”

Hill, who recently opened his season with a victory at Atlanta Motor Speedway, says he prefers running the wall at Bristol, which he says comes later in the race once the grooves all open up on the tricky, high-banked short track.

“I have found some success here running the wall, and I’ve never been one that’s great at running the wall,” Hill said. “I had a shot at winning here in 2022, ended up having some damage late in the race, and we ended up with a third-place finish. I’m not going to say that this track owes me one or anything like that. We haven’t been close enough to win, but we’ve had some success here.”

And across the way from the World’s Fastest Half-Mile, sits Drag City U.S.A., or better-known as Bristol Dragway, where another featured guest of the day in the season preview, Austin Prock, had an amazing 2024 during the Super Grip NHRA Thunder Valley Nationals. He pushed his Cornwell Tools Chevy owned by NHRA icon John Force to the win and it launched a victory parade across the U.S. for the third-generation racer and former USAC champ.

Prock, who won eight times and set a national speed record at 341 mph last year en route to his Funny Car world championship title, is looking forward to getting back to Bristol Dragway in June and getting his Funny Car season moving again like the locomotive he rode last year.

With every ticket being a pit pass and some of the amazing speeds that is produced during the weekend at Bristol, Prock says it is a race that is always circled brightly on his calendar.

“If you’re a race car driver, you sure do enjoy a place like this,” Prock said. “There is a little lifting going on about the 330-feet mark. My experience racing sprint cars, especially on dirt, comes into play, but you have to make such split-second decisions with these cars.”

To purchase tickets for the Food City 500, Bass Pro Shops Night Race or any of the BMS NASCAR events in 2025, or the Super Grip NHRA Thunder Valley Nationals at Bristol Dragway, or the MLB Speedway Challenge, please visit www.bristolmotorspeedway.com or call the BMS ticket sales center at (866) 415-4158.

About Bristol Motor Speedway
Forged amid the scenic mountains of Northeast Tennessee near the Virginia state line, Bristol Motor Speedway is The Last Great Colosseum, a versatile multi-use venue that hosts major auto races, football games, concerts and many other captivating events, including an upcoming Major League Baseball game. The facility features a 0.533-mile concrete oval race track with 28-degree corner banking and 650-feet straightaways that offers racing in several NASCAR touring series, highlighted by two major Cup Series weekends each year. In 2025, the venue will transform into a baseball stadium to host the MLB Speedway Classic featuring the Atlanta Braves vs. the Cincinnati Reds on Aug. 2nd. In 2020, the track also served as host of the prestigious NASCAR All-Star Race, and from 2021-2023 the track converted to a temporary dirt track each spring to take the Cup Series back to its racing roots. While at the track, fans are offered a unique viewing experience courtesy of Colossus TV, the world’s largest outdoor center-hung four-sided video screen with a 540,000-watt audio system. The adjacent quarter-mile dragstrip, Bristol Dragway, offers more than 50 events annually, including the marquee NHRA Super Grip Thunder Valley Nationals. The Thunder Valley Amphitheatre presented by Ballad Health transforms Bristol Dragway into a premier outdoor concert venue for the world’s greatest music performers. Three football games have kicked-off inside the oval, most notably the 2016 Pilot Flying J Battle at Bristol, where border rivals the University of Tennessee and Virginia Tech met before an NCAA-record crowd of 156,990. In existence since 1961, Bristol Motor Speedway was purchased in 1996 by Speedway Motorsports, a leading marketer and promoter of motorsports entertainment in the United States. For more information, please visit www.bristolmotorspeedway.com.

Wright Motorsports Aims for Victory at Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring

By
Official Release
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SEBRING, Fla., (March 12, 2025) – The legendary Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring race week has arrived, and Wright Motorsports is ready to take on the challenge at Sebring International Raceway. Piloting the No. 120 Porsche 911 GT3 R, drivers Adam Adelson, Elliott Skeer, and Tom Sargent enter the second round of the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship sitting second in the points standings.

The trio put on an impressive performance in January’s Rolex 24 At Daytona, earning pole position and battling fiercely for 24 hours to secure a podium finish. Now, they carry that momentum to Sebring, where Adelson, Skeer, and Jan Heylen finished third in last year’s event. Remarkably, that race marked just the second-ever IMSA WeatherTech start for Adelson and Skeer, underscoring their natural talent and rapid adaptability on one of the most physically demanding road courses in North America.

The track is famously bumpy due to the unique surface, which is a mix of concrete and asphalt. Originally a World War II-era airfield, much of the circuit still consists of the original concrete that was used for aircraft runways, creating the notorious bumps that make Sebring so physically and mechanically demanding. Unlike modern tracks that are resurfaced regularly, Sebring embraces its rough character, making it a true test of endurance for both cars and drivers. The uneven surface challenges suspension setups, tire wear, and driver stamina, especially during events like the 12 Hours of Sebring, one of the most grueling races in the world.

With over six weeks since the season opener, the full 56-car IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship field is eager to return to competition. The endurance event will feature all four classes, blending high-performance prototype race cars with production-based GT machinery. Unlike the cool and rainy conditions at Daytona, this weekend’s forecast promises warm and sunny skies, with race-day temperatures climbing into the high 80s.

The 73rd Annual Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring kicks off Saturday at 10:10 AM ET, airing live domestically on Peacock and streaming internationally via IMSA’s YouTube page. For event details, visit IMSA.com.

DRIVER QUOTES

Adam Adelson

After a super bittersweet Daytona, I really couldn’t be more excited for Sebring. Coming into Weathertech Sportscar Championship for our second season, we knew a lot more about what to expect, but also there were some unknowns with our new endurance teammate Tom and how he would acclimate to driving in this series. Daytona proved that he not only acclimated, but he acclimated extremely well, and our result at Daytona proves that. Going into Sebring, I have full confidence that we should be fighting for a win, and that’s our goal. We had great success there last year, and with the additional talent and experience that we have on our team, our chances to get on the top step of the podium are even better. Aside from that, Sebring is one of my favorite tracks, and the Sebring 12 Hour is one of the most legendary endurance races in the world, and it’s an honor to be able to participate in it again.

Elliott Skeer

Sebring is without a doubt my favorite race, there is an old-school energy that I just love. Going into it this year with not only a podium here in 2024 but coming off a podium at Daytona in January has all of us at Wright hungry for more and aiming to make this the benchmark. Adam, Tom, and I feel good about our recent test there and believe that a well-executed race can be done. I can’t wait to see what this 12 Hour has to offer.

Tom Sargent

I am super excited to be returning to a well-known track for me. Sebring is the track I have done the most laps at in my brief time in North America. The Twelve Hours of Sebring is an event I have wanted to tick off for a while now, so to able to do that very soon, is such an achievement for me. With Wright Motorsports strong performance at this event last year, and the momentum we are carrying forward from a successful Rolex 24 At Daytona, I believe it puts us in a strong position for a win.

Wright Motorsports
Wright Motorsports is the premier Porsche race engineering facility in Ohio and a multi-series and international racing team known for superb car preparation, expert race strategy, and driver development. Located in Batavia, Ohio, it is owned and directed by John Wright, a certified Porsche factory-trained technician. As a crew chief John Wright has played a key role in winning eight driver and seven team championships in World Challenge, IMSA (ALMS) and the Grand-Am Rolex Series. Wright Motorsports won the team championship in Porsche GT3 Cup USA in 2012, 2013, and 2015, and went on to win the Pirelli World Challenge Overall, Sprint, Team, and Manufacturer’s titles in 2017. In 2020, the team captured the GT World Challenge America Am championship. In 2021, Wright Motorsports had a wildly successful season, capturing nine championships across their five racing efforts.

Front Row Motorsports: Las Vegas Motor Speedway – Noah Gragson and the No. 4 Beef-a-Roo Ford Team

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Official Release
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Noah Gragson and the No. 4 Beef-a-Roo Ford Team
Las Vegas Motor Speedway Competition Notes

Pennzoil 400

Date: Sunday, March 16, 2025
Event: Race 6 of 38
Series: NASCAR Cup Series
Location: Las Vegas Motor Speedway (1.5-mile)
#of Laps: 267
Time/TV/Radio: 3:30 PM ET on FS1/PRN/SiriusXM channel 90

Noah Gragson Notes

Noah Gragson will make his homecoming this weekend as the NASCAR Cup Series makes its first trip to the Las Vegas Motor Speedway. Gragson, a Las Vegas native, is no stranger to the Las Vegas Motor Speedway campus, having crafted his racing skills racing Bandoleros at The Bullring located right outside turns one and two of the 1.5-mile intermediate track.

In eight NASCAR Xfinity Series starts at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway, Gragson has eight top-10 finishes, finishing no worse than sixth. This will mark Gragson’s fifth Las Vegas NASCAR Cup Series start, where he earned an 11th place finish in October 2022 in his Cup Series debut at the track.

Beef-a-Roo kicks off the first of five race primaries at this weekend’s Las Vegas race. The fast casual restaurant is known for its famously delicious burgers and fresh, quality ingredients. They will also serve as a season-long associate partner for the No. 4 team. as well as the “Official burger fast casual restaurant of Front Row Motorsports.” To learn more about Beef-a-Roo, please visit beefaroo.com.

“It’s great to have Beef-a-Roo’s support for the 2025 season as they join the FRM family and back the No. 4 team” said Gragson. “We had one top-twenty finish with them last year and are looking to improve those results this season, starting with my hometown race in Vegas.”

Road Crew

Driver: Noah Gragson

Hometown: Las Vegas

Crew Chief: Drew Blickensderfer

Hometown: Decatur, Illinois

Car Chief: Joey Forgette

Hometown: Iron Mountain, Michigan

Engineer: Dillon Silverman

Hometown: Chico, California

Engineer: Scott Bingham

Hometown: Lawrenceville, Georgia

Mechanic: Chris Trickett

Hometown: Grafton, West Virginia

Mechanic: Tony Infinger

Hometown: Fort Valley, Georgia

Tire Specialist: Chris Aunspaw

Hometown: Zelienople, Pennsylvania

Engine Tuner: Matt Moeller

Hometown: Monroe, New York

Spotter: Nick Del Campo

Hometown: Blauvelt, New York

Transporter Co-Driver: Nate “Cookie” Eller

Hometown: Granite Falls, North Carolina

Transporter Co-Driver: Matt Murphy

Hometown: Augusta, Georgia

Pit Crew

Front Tire Changer: Thomas Hatcher

Hometown: Middleburg, Florida

Rear Tire Changer: Adam Riley

Hometown: Atlanta, Georgia

Tire Carrier: Will Cooper

Hometown: Huntsville, Alabama

Jackman: Nate McBride

Hometown: Vidalia, Georgia

Fueler: Ray Hernandez

Hometown: Orlando, Florida

ABOUT BEEF-A-ROO

Beef-a-Roo is a 58-year-old fast casual restaurant brand dedicated to serving fresh handmade meals at an affordable price. The company is a family-owned brand with 22 restaurants across seven states. The restaurants offer a famously delicious menu including the classic roast beef, wraps, specialty sandwiches, burgers, chicken and turkey sandwiches, soups and salads, its iconic cheese fries smothered in liquid gold and a selection of heart-healthy foods. Over the past five decades, Beef-a-Roo has used long-standing methods and quality ingredients, hasn’t sacrificed its values, and treats staff and customers as “one of their own.” For a complete menu and to find the location nearest to you please visit: https://beefaroo.com/. Follow Beef-a-Roo on social media: Instagram at @beefaroousa and Facebook at facebook.com/beefaroousa.

ABOUT FRONT ROW MOTORSPORTS

Front Row Motorsports (FRM) is a winning organization in the NASCAR Cup and Craftsman Truck Series. The team is the 2021 Daytona 500 and 2022 Craftsman Truck Series champions. The team was founded in 2004 and is owned by successful entrepreneur, Bob Jenkins. FRM fields the No. 4, No. 34, and the No. 38 NASCAR Cup Series teams along with the No. 34 and No. 38 Craftsman Truck Series teams from its Mooresville, N.C. headquarters. Visit teamfrm.com and follow FRM on social media: Twitter at @Team_FRM, Instagram at @team_frm and Facebook at facebook.com/FrontRowMotorsports.

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