Spire Motorsports driver Carson Hocevar celebrates his first career NASCAR Cup Series pole position for the Würth 400 presented by LIQUI MOLY at Texas Motor Speedway. Photo credit: Getty Images for Texas Motor Speedway.
Spire Motorsports driver Carson Hocevar nabs his first pole in 56 career NASCAR Cup Series races and becomes the youngest pole winner in TMS history.
FORT WORTH, Texas (MAY 3, 2025) – Spire Motorsports driver Carson Hocevar captured the first pole position of his young NASCAR Cup Series (NCS) career during Saturday’s qualifying for the Würth 400 presented by LIQUI MOLY at Texas Motor Speedway (TMS).
Hocevar, a 22-year-old Michigan native in his sophomore season, posted a lap of 191.659 miles per hour (28.175 seconds) in the No. 77 Chili’s Ride the ‘Dente Chevrolet to secure his first NCS pole in 56 career races. It also is his third top-five starting position of the season and fourth among the top 10. His previous career-best starting position was second, which came at Darlington Raceway during the 2024 season.
Hocevar also earned the distinction of becoming the youngest NCS polesitter in TMS history, eclipsing then-23-year-old Brian Vickers of Hendrick Motorsports in 2006.
Hocevar will lead the 38-car field to the green flag for Sunday’s Würth 400 presented by LIQUI MOLY beginning at 2:30 p.m. CT (TV: FS1, Radio: PRN, SiriusXM, Lone Star 92.5 FM locally).
“This is the same crew on pit road, off pit road, at the shop, everyone working on the 77 is exactly the same as when I started here at Spire last year,” Hocevar said. “They were a lot of the same guys who were in the thick of it, so it’s just huge what we’ve been able to bring this team. Chili’s coming on board, being able to Ride the Dente, you know, having the cowboy outfit right, what better place to get on a pole.
“I’m normally so hard on myself – and I still didn’t think I nailed that lap at all – but super proud of this team and proud because I’ve never been the number one pit stall. I’ve had a lot of issues with pit road and we’ve had a lot of bad luck, so I finally get the number one pit stall and I’m pumped about that. … I’m excited to lead my first-ever Cup race to green.”
Starting alongside Hocevar on the front row will be Hendrick Motorsports driver William Byron. His qualifying run of 191.564 mph came up .014 of a second shy of the pole but was good enough for his seventh top-10 start in 11 starts.
Team Penske driver Austin Cindric, last week’s winner at Talladega, will start third after his lap of 191.523 mph (28.195 secs.). Rounding out the top five are Hendrick Motorsports driver Kyle Larson (191.421 mph, 28.210 secs.) and Hocevar’s Spire Motorsports teammate Michael McDowell (191.333 mph, 28.223 secs.), respectively.
Defending race winner Chase Elliott of Hendrick Motorsports will start 29th with his lap of 188.890 mph (28.588).
Event tickets and camping passes for the 2025 Würth 400 presented by LIQUI MOLY NASCAR tripleheader weekend are on sale now. Click HERE for more information and to buy tickets.
Texas Motor Speedway’s current 2025 events calendar includes Kubota High Limit Racing (May 3 at the TMS Dirt Track), Würth 400 presented by LIQUI MOLY NASCAR tripleheader weekend (May 2-4), C10 Nationals (May 9-10), Holley LS Fest Texas (May 16-17), Bandas y Trocas (May 24), Solar Car Challenge (July 17-23), Goodguys Summit Racing Lone Star Nationals (Sept. 26-28), Texas World Dirt Track Championship (Oct. 3-4 at the TMS Dirt Track), October Truck Madness (Oct. 11), Kubota High Limit Racing All-In Championship (Oct. 17-18 at the TMS Dirt Track), FuelFest (Oct. 25), POWRi Sprint Cars (Nov. 7-8 at the TMS Dirt Track) and Xtreme Xperience (Dec. 11-14).
ABOUT TEXAS MOTOR SPEEDWAY
Texas Motor Speedway is among the largest sports and entertainment venues in the United States. The speedway has an array of amenities such as Big Hoss, the largest single LED screen of any sports facility in North America, making it one of the premier venues in the world of sports. The 1.5-mile superspeedway located in Fort Worth hosts all three NASCAR national series among its various races and specialty events throughout the year. Texas Motor Speedway is owned and operated by Speedway Motorsports, LLC, a leading marketer and promoter of motorsports entertainment in the United States. For more information, please visit texasmotorspeedway.com.
MORE INFO:
Keep track of Texas Motor Speedway’s busy schedule by following on Facebook, X and Instagram. Keep up with all the latest news and information on the Speedway website and TMS mobile app.
NASCAR CUP SERIES TEXAS MOTOR SPEEDWAY TEAM CHEVY POST-QUALIFYING REPORT MAY 3, 2025
Hocevar Takes First Career Pole at Texas Motor Speedway Team Chevy Scores Second Front-Row Sweep of 2025
TEAM CHEVY UNOFFICIAL TOP-10 STARTING LINEUP: POS. DRIVER 1st – Carson Hocevar 2nd – William Byron 4th – Kyle Larson 5th – Michael McDowell 10th – AJ Allmendinger
Laying down a blistering lap of 28.175 seconds, at 191.659 mph, Carson Hocevar and the No. 77 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet team topped the qualifying leaderboard to earn the pole position for tomorrow’s Würth 400 presented by LIQUI MOLY at Texas Motor Speedway. This marks Hocevar’s first career pole win in NASCAR’s premier series, coming in advance of his 56th start in the division.
The pole – Chevrolet’s 17th all-time in the division at Texas Motor Speedway – marks the manufacturer’s sixth pole-winning effort of the 2025 NASCAR Cup Series season, with Hocevar becoming the fourth different driver to contribute to that feat. The Bowtie brand continues to remain undefeated in pole wins on intermediate ovals thus far this season, with Michael McDowell earning the pole at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, Alex Bowman’s pole at Homestead-Miami Speedway and William Byron’s pole at Darlington Raceway.
For the second time this season, Chevrolet has swept the front-row of the starting lineup, with the 2023 NASCAR Cup Series Texas winner, William Byron, landing second on the qualifying speed chart with a lap of 28.189 seconds, at 191.564 mph, in his No. 24 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet. Joining their Team Chevy teammates in the top-10 at the conclusion of the qualifying session included Hendrick Motorsports’ Kyle Larson and Spire Motorsports’ Michael McDowell in the fourth and fifth positions, respectively, with Kaulig Racing’s AJ Allmendinger rounding out the top-10.
Chevrolet’s all-time NASCAR Cup Series statistics at Texas Motor Speedway:
Wins: 18 Poles: 17 Top-Fives: 80 Top-10s: 187
Chevrolet’s season statistics heading into the 12th NASCAR Cup Series race of the season:
Carson Hocevar, No. 77 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet – Pole Win Press Conference Quotes
Carson, your first career pole here for the Cup Series and you’re the youngest to do so here at Texas Motor Speedway. Take us through your lap and how you’re feeling.
“Yeah, ultimately I didn’t think it was great through (turns) one and two. It felt so comfortable and so much grip that I’m like, man, I could have used a little bit more throttle and everything. But it felt super smooth and going through three and four, it felt really good ride quality… obviously easy wide open, cut distance. They said it was P-1 and that’s ultimately where I was like, man, it felt so good, it felt slow. So, yeah, really fortunate, really thankful to have a fast car. Obviously, fastest in practice and you want to do it again in qualifying and be able to back that up.
I think it’s really important for our group to show the strength of being able to go from practice to qualifying adjustments and where we’ve been going and be able to do that for the race, too. Just put together a whole weekend and whole race worth of adjustments, and I think we’re getting a lot closer right now.”
Looking at the ghost car and the comparisons, it looked like you made huge gains coming to the green, actually. But you really had no sense of how fast the lap really was. I mean, second fastest lap in the Next Gen era…
“Yeah, I mean, I had no idea. Normally, you can see lap time on the dash and even that didn’t work right away, so it gave me a little bit of like, I don’t know how good this was. Luckily, they told me pretty quickly and I didn’t have to wait in anticipation or anything.
But obviously, when Michael (McDowell) went out and put in a really good lap time, I felt like we were faster than him in practice. So, it gave me a little bit of confidence that, you know, our stuff was going to be as quick, if not hopefully a little quicker. To be able to back that up and for him to run a good lap, you know, gave me a little bit more confidence in our car, honestly.”
Can you do 267 of those laps tomorrow?
“I mean, the way the tires were in our long run, I hope so. Definitely, it’s going to be a lot more feasible having clean air, right? It shows up being able to run really fast lap times. I think the most important for us is being able to, you know, kind of determine our own fate a little bit more with pit road; how everybody’s going to have different agendas at times of two or none or four or whatever the case may be. Having to go all the way down pit road and having an open out is going to be super important for us of just trying to play that game and knowing that. Hopefully it clogs some other guys up and we can take advantage there.”
Carson, at every level now that we’ve seen you, you’ve just had this sense of speed where, you know, you’re just naturally fast. Where do you think this raw speed comes from? I mean, is that something that is just innate, like ability, or something you’ve had to work out to find? Where is that?
“I mean, I don’t know. It’s not a fun answer to say I don’t know, but I really don’t. There’s a lot of times where I don’t know why I’m fast or why I’m slow at times, right? You know, I feel like I study different than a lot of them. I don’t know everybody’s sense, but I use SMT a lot less. I use real video a lot more. I look at dirt videos more. I think the most footage I watched was about the 2007 to 2010 Texas races just for fun, but also to kind of just get an idea.
I don’t know… I just feel like I have a really good sense of, like, unloading. I feel like that’s why we’re always good at unloading and just getting the limit. And I think that sort of studying helps me and has fit my style of just wanting to be present and learn it as I go. There’s been times where I don’t know where my feet are supposed to be and I don’t know where my hands are supposed to be yet, and I’ll just figure out how to slow my hands down when I get there. A lot of it’s just been kind of trial by fire of not wanting to be slow, really. I’m always trying to search; be creative and never put myself in a box. I think looking at SMT or really getting too focused on the data of it puts me in that box or gets me second guessing myself. So I just know I go a lot off instinct, natural feel and visible, and just use as many senses as I can in the car. And, you know, I try to live my life as confident and as free will as I can just because I know I’m racing off instinct alone basically out there. If I’m confident myself, I feel like I’ll make confident decisions out there.”
(Michael) McDowell said that he’s a big data guy. He’s like the opposite of you, right?
“Yeah, we’re like polar opposites.. (laughs)”
He wants you to convince you that, you know, SMT is the way to go, but he has to beat you first and show that you’re faster first. Do you feel like it would mess you up so much that you just don’t want to go down that road and that’s why you’re going purely off instinct?
“Yeah, I mean, I remember when I first qualified a Cup car ever, I watched Joey Logano’s in-car. I never even worried if he was P1 or P30, he was just the only in car I could find on YouTube, and that’s all I watched. And, you know, I just listened to the visual cues, the throttle and just imagined what I would do in that. I felt like I remember running the lap and I almost had that lap running in my mind. You can’t get that from squiggly lines and fake GPS bars.
Yeah, and two, I feel like I can adapt super well or I’m so visual that I’m always nervous that if I watch someone make a mistake, that I put that in my mind. So I try to avoid even watching guys just because I don’t want to second guess myself, even if it’s wrong. I feel like I’m naturally going to be at my best when I’m just focused on me, honestly.”
How much are you going to be watching and paying attention to the Xfinity Race later today to see how the rubber builds up and how the groove is going to spread out to prepare for Sunday?
“Yeah, I mean, I’m probably going to hang out here as much as I can. I like to do that. You know, I like to just be a race fan and go watch; watch rubber and watch different things. You know, you pick up one or two things, but yeah, I definitely will watch, just to see the trends of it. But a lot of it is just me being a race fan and enjoying racing. If I pick one or two things up, that’s obviously a benefit, but I’ll just probably be a race fan watching.”
Where does this kind of old school mentality come from of listening to those visual cues and that feel and watching people react instead of the newer technology that you were saying with the fake GPS car and whatnot? Where does that kind of old school mentality come from?
“I was a bad student in school (laughs). I don’t know… Yeah, I mean, I just always have been a visual learner. I mean, even when I was like a kid racing quarter midgets, I lived watching racing. When I went home for the week off, I found a disk of quarter midget videos that I remember visibly watching. It’s just how I did it. You didn’t have that back then, right? I mean, it’s such a different world, but it’s just all I’ve ever known. And I haven’t really been slow, so I don’t want to change it. I don’t want to do anything. I know there’ll be a time at some point in my career where I can’t just go off visual or instinct, but I want to take advantage of that while I’ve got it right now.”
About General Motors
General Motors (NYSE:GM) is driving the future of transportation, leveraging advanced technology to build safer, smarter, and lower emission cars, trucks, and SUVs. GM’s Buick, Cadillac, Chevrolet, and GMC brands offer a broad portfolio of innovative gasoline-powered vehicles and the industry’s widest range of EVs, as we move to an all-electric future. Learn more at GM.com.
INDIANAPOLIS - APRIL 24: Firestone tires during the Indianapolis 500 open test at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway on April 24, 2025, in Indianapolis. Photo: Joe Skibinski/Penske Entertainment
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — New tire rules coming for next weekend’s race at the Brickyard.
The NTT INDYCAR SERIES announced, Saturday, that for the Sonsio Grand Prix at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, next Saturday, teams must use two sets of both Firestone blacks (hard tires) and Firestone reds (soft tires). That’s an increase from one set of each. Teams must complete two laps, one under green, to satisfy the rule.
IndyCar announced that these changes won’t affect Sunday’s race at Barber Motorsports Park, where the current rules of one set each will remain in place. Moreover, IndyCar said it’ll evaluate the new rule for use in future races after the road course race at Indianapolis.
IndyCar said in a release that the changes seek to “ensure an all-out, driving on the limit, thrilling and entertaining product for fans” and create more of a challenge.
“INDYCAR is continually looking into ways to improve an already extraordinary on-track product,” INDYCAR President J. Douglas Boles said. “Firestone is a terrific partner, and their higher degradation alternate tire has given strategists plenty to think about on road and street circuits this year. We expect this update will challenge teams and drivers even more.”
INDIANAPOLIS (Saturday, May 3, 2025) – INDYCAR has announced an update to the race tire usage requirements for the Sonsio Grand Prix on the Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course on Saturday, May 10.
For the race, teams will be required to use:
Two sets of alternate compound tires (one more than previously required)
Two sets of primary compound tires (one more than previously required)
There are no requirements in terms of new (sticker) sets of tires used in the race. The two completed laps needed to satisfy the tire requirement rule, where one (1) lap must begin once the Green Flag has been displayed to the Race Leader (Rule 15.3.3.2.3.) for each of the four sets (Rule 15.3.3.2.) remains in effect.
The update strives to ensure an all-out, driving on the limit, thrilling and entertaining product for fans and generate even more strategic challenges for North America’s premier open-wheel racing series. Additionally – working with Firestone – the current, standard event weekend road and street circuit tire allocation that began this season (five sets of primaries and five sets of alternates) was contemplated with this tire requirement format option in mind. The tire allocation for the IMS road course, the only two-day road and street circuit event on the 2025 NTT INDYCAR SERIES schedule, remains unchanged at five sets of primaries and four sets of alternates.
“INDYCAR is continually looking into ways to improve an already extraordinary on-track product,” INDYCAR President J. Douglas Boles said. “Firestone is a terrific partner, and their higher degradation alternate tire has given strategists plenty to think about on road and street circuits this year. We expect this update will challenge teams and drivers even more.”
In an additional move to ensure more robust on-track activity during the Sonsio Grand Prix event, Practice 2 on the IMS road course will be adjusted from a limited green flag guarantee of 45 minutes to 35.
Following the event on the IMS road course, INDYCAR will review both updated procedures and evaluate its use for future races.
Coverage of the Sonsio Grand Prix, round five of the 2025 NTT INDYCAR SERIES championship, begins at 4:30 p.m. ET Saturday, May 10 on FOX, the FOX Sports app and the INDYCAR Radio Network. The first practice of the weekend is scheduled for 9:30 a.m. ET Friday, May 9 and can be seen on FS2.
The next NTT INDYCAR SERIES event is the Children’s of Alabama Indy Grand Prix powered by AmFirst on Sunday, May 4. Coverage begins at 1:30 p.m. ET on FOX, the FOX Sports app and the INDYCAR Radio Network.
Ford Performance Notes and Quotes NASCAR Cup Series Wurth 400 Qualifying Saturday, May 3, 2025
Ford Qualifying Results:
3rd – Austin Cindric 7th – Josh Berry 12th – Chris Buescher 13th – Zane Smith 18th – Noah Gragson 20th – Cole Custer 24th – Ryan Blaney 27th – Joey Logano 30th – Brad Keselowski 32nd – Todd Gilliland 33rd – Ryan Preece 36th – Cody Ware 38th – Chad Finchum
AUSTIN CINDRIC, No. 2 Discount Tire Ford Mustang Dark Horse (Qualified 3rd)
“I definitely had a high-commitment lap there. A lot of pressure on one corner, with three and four being wide open. I felt like this would be a good shot for pole for us after practice with the strengths of the Dark Horse Ford Mustang. I don’t know what the margin is, but I feel like I left a pole lap out there. I sent it into Turn 1 and didn’t quite get to the bottom and didn’t quite maximize my exit. I guess I can be happy with where we are at, but I definitely feel like you want to do it all. We are in a great spot for tomorrow and should have a good pit stall, so I feel good about where we are at for tomorrow. We will try to go get another one.”
HOW DO YOU FEEL ABOUT YOUR CHANCES TOMORROW?
“I think our guys have done a really great job at Team Penske of giving us really fast Mustangs on these intermediate tracks and applying what we have learned from last year and early this year to today. It will be a big test for tomorrow but so far we have checked a lot of those boxes.”
JOSH BERRY, No. 21 Wurth Ford Mustang Dark Horse (Qualified 7th)
“It has been a good day. I thought our car was pretty solid in practice. I felt good about the qualifying lap. It is so high-commitment here that it is hard to tell if you left just a little bit out there. It is always so close. All in all, it is going to be a good starting spot for tomorrow so I am excited to get out there and get racing.”
NIECE MOTORSPORTS NCTS RACE RECAP: TEXAS MOTOR SPEEDWAY Event: SpeedyCash.com 250 (167 laps / 250.5 miles) Round: 8 of 25 (Regular Season) Track: Texas Motor Speedway Location: Fort Worth, Texas Date & Time: Friday, May 2 | 8:00 PM ET
No. 42 J.F. Electric / Fowler Companies Chevrolet Silverado RST Driver: Matt Mills | Crew Chief: Mike Shiplett
Key Takeaway: Matt Mills and the No. 42 team had their hopes of a top-10 finish dashed in a late-race incident at Texas Motor Speedway. After starting deep in 30th once qualifying was rained out, a brilliant strategy call resulted in Mills capturing a second-place finish in stage one. From there, Mills hovered around the top-15 for the remainder of the night before clipping the grass on the front stretch. The damage proved to be too severe to continue the race, resulting in a 20th-place finish.
Matt Mills’ Post-Race Thoughts: “We had to start at the tail to start our weekend, but it felt like we were able to fire off and thought we had a pretty good truck. Mike (Shiplett) made a good strategy call there to come in at the competition caution so we could stay out at the end of the stage, which worked out to where we could get some much-needed points. Throughout the race, we were just kind of playing the strategy game. It was all about track position tonight and that was pretty hit or miss for us. We were starting to get back up there at the end and it was a real unfortunate end to our night. I appreciate everyone’s hard work and look forward to going back to Kansas next week.”
About J.F. Electric: J.F. Electric is an electrical contractor that provides engineering expertise, backed by construction and installation know-how in a diverse range of service offerings, from utilities and commercial projects, to industrial and telecommunications customers. When having a long family history in an industry, a company not only builds on its knowledge and experience, it takes pride in cultivating a solid understanding of client needs, all the while nurturing strong relationships with its employees. Evolving through five generations of the Fowler family, J.F. Electric has matured into a well-managed and thoughtfully diversified electrical contractor which is poised to continue its growth and expansion into the future.
About Utilitra: Utilitra is a woman-owned firm specializing in utility and technology solutions with a diverse team of specialized professionals. Utilitra is committed to solving their client’s unique challenges, whether one expert or a team of experts is needed. By adapting to the needs of their respective industries, Utilitra has built a range of services for their utility and technology partners.
Key Takeaway: After having two races feel like they got away, Bayley Currey and the No. 44 team were able to break through for a hard-earned top-10 finish at Texas Motor Speedway. Currey started the race mid-pack and struggled to pass other trucks in dirty air, but kept calm and stayed calculated throughout the night. With the help of some great pit stops and strong maneuvers on restarts, Currey drove to an eighth-place finish.
Bayley Currey’s Post-Race Thoughts: “That was what we on the No. 44 team call a “blue collar night”. We struggled a little bit, man. I felt like we just couldn’t get a handle on it in dirty air, and trying to pass trucks tonight was really tough. But, we hung in there and did what we needed to do in order to try to stay out of trouble. I got in a little trouble, not too bad, just trying to stay out in the most trouble and just ended up there at the end.
I kind of knew that’s all we needed to do. I told myself in the beginning, ‘Hey, we’re not just going to drive through the field here, just got to keep the fenders on it and go from there’. We did that, and the guys worked hard and made some adjustments, and we got it better. It still was so hard to pass here. It was a very one-lane racetrack tonight.
These guys in the MG Machinery / Texas Asphalt Paving Association No. 44 did a really good job. I mean, they stayed in it all night. Pit crew stayed in it all night, gave me a good green flag stop, even on the stops when we made adjustments, they got me out pretty dang quick. I’m proud of the team, and we’ll go to Kansas.”
About TXAPA: Texas Asphalt Pavement Association is a full-service Association for the asphalt industry. It serves the needs of asphalt producers, contractors, liquid asphalt suppliers, and interested firms dedicated to improving and growing the asphalt industry. The Association is committed and dedicated to providing the services and information that keeps its member firms and the industry on the competitive edge.
About MG Machinery: MG Machinery LLC is located in Buda, Texas with a long history of sales and rentals in the heavy equipment, construction, and mining equipment. Born from necessity and a passion for the construction and mining industry, it is in their blood.
Key Takeaway: Local favorite Kaden Honeycutt was tracking for a great Texas debut in front of the hometown crowd, but unfortunately was wiped out in an early crash. Honeycutt started in sixth-place and was running up front when a truck hit the grass in front of him and slammed into the nose of the No. 45 Chevrolet. With nowhere to go, Honeycutt hit the turn one wall at a high rate of speed, and was done for the night. He was credited with a 32nd-place finish.
Kaden Honeycutt’s Post-Race Thoughts: “I can’t believe that happened, man. We had such a fast DQS Solutions & Staffing / Precision Vehicle Logistics Silverado tonight. It’s just such a shame that we weren’t able to really show it. I saw the truck in front hit the grass, but I couldn’t go anywhere to avoid him. Just so unfortunate to have our day ruined by something that was completely out of our control. I hate it for all the guys on our team, but know we’re going to show up next week with another fast truck. We’re going to keep fighting hard and hopefully get some luck on our side.”
About DQS Solutions & Staffing: Guided by a mission to achieve excellence and adaptability, DQS partners with clients to create custom solutions that address unique business challenges. Recognized as Michigan’s fastest-growing company and #22 in the nation on the Inc. 5000 list, DQS drives industry growth while giving back through its nonprofit, Foundation for Pops, and partnerships like the River Rouge School District.
About Precision Vehicle Logistics: Precision Vehicle Logistics is a customer-focused group of professionals committed to service excellence in finished vehicle logistics. Precision offers a unique combination of talented experience, industry-leading software and systems, and a network of partners and resources to deliver customized solutions to the world’s leading automakers.
About Niece Motorsports: Niece Motorsports is a professional auto racing team founded by United States Marine Corps Veteran Al Niece. In 2025, the team celebrates its 10th consecutive season competing in the NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series (NCTS) where it fields the Nos. 41, 42, 44 and 45. Since its founding in 2016, Niece Motorsports has garnered nine wins, 50+ top-fives, 100+ top-10s, 190+ top-15 finishes and made five playoff appearances. At its 80,000 sq. ft. headquarters in Salisbury, NC, Niece Motorsports is a trusted build shop for the Chevrolet Silverados of multiple NCTS teams as well as a customizable fabrication shop for any manufacturing needs.
Follow the Team: To keep up to date with the latest team news, visit niecemotorsports.com or connect on Facebook and Instagram (@NieceMotorsports) as well as X (@NieceMotorsport).
HEIM DELIVERS THIRD WIN OF THE SEASON AT TEXAS The Toyota Development Driver becomes the youngest 14-time winner in series history, ties Benson for third-most Toyota Truck Series wins
FORT WORTH (May 2, 2025) – Corey Heim continued to add to his accolades in the NASCAR Truck Series as the Georgia-native won his third Truck Series race of the season at Texas Motor Speedway. Heim had the dominate truck – leading at one point by nearly 16 seconds – and survived several late race restarts to claim his first win at Texas and 14th of his NASCAR Truck Series career. Heim is the youngest 14-time winner in Truck Series history, and ties Johnny Benson for the third-most Truck Series wins in Toyota’s history.
Heim’s teammate, Tanner Gray, battled back from a late-race pit road speeding penalty to finish fifth – his second top-five of the season – to give Toyota two Tundras among the top-five finishers.
Toyota Racing Post-Race Recap NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series (NCTS) Bristol Motor Speedway Race 8 of 23 – 250.5 Miles, 167 Laps
TOYOTA FINISHING POSITIONS
1st, COREY HEIM
2nd, Daniel Hemric*
3rd, Rajah Caruth*
4th, Tyler Ankrum*
5th, TANNER GRAY
24th, STEWART FRIESEN
26th, TONI BREIDINGER
30th, BRANDON JONES
31st, GIO RUGGIERO
*non-Toyota driver
TOYOTA QUOTES
COREY HEIM, No. 11 Safelite + Foster Love Toyota Tundra TRD Pro, TRICON Garage
Finishing Position: 1st
What were you thinking on that final restart?
“Man, I can’t believe how many restarts we got there in the end, but went into turn one pretty much in the worst possible position I could be in – three wide middle. I knew I was either going to win or wreck. I was willing to take that risk. We were really dominate in the race today, so I kind of laid it all out there. I knew the risk, but I wanted the reward. Super thankful for TRICON Garage, Toyota, Safelite – it is just so cool to have this National Foster Care Month scheme. It is a really cause we are going for and to open it up with a win in the month of May is really cool.”
What does it feel like to have a truck as dominate as you had today?
“I think inevitably there was going to be a caution at some point. It seems like in these stage threes, people either wreck on pit road or under green, blow a tire, something like that. I kind of knew it was coming when it first came out with 26 to go. It was halfway expected, but the cautions after that we had the last eight or 10 laps were pretty brutal. I can’t say I expected that one, but regardless, I knew the risk of putting it all out there to win and how big these runs are at Texas, but I was willing to take that risk.”
TANNER GRAY, No. 15 A Place of Hope Toyota Tundra TRD Pro, TRICON Garage
Finishing Position: 5th
How did you overcome the speeding penalty to bring him a top-five finish tonight?
“It wasn’t the cleanest night for us. We started off the race and we were just really loose the first 20 laps, but Jeff Hensley (crew chief) and all these guys made great adjustments throughout the race to get us closer. I thought we were really good there coming in for that green flag stop and I sped on pit road through a few sections. A sloppy day on my part, but luckily all these guys from TRICON Garage brought a really fast Toyota Tundra. It was cool to have a teammate win and have another one with a top-five right down the road where Tundras are made. Just really proud of everyone, I need to clean up a lot of my end, but I can’t be mad with fifth.”
“I saw it pretty good live. A lot of money involved to come out here and race trucks and I wanted to win some races for TRICON and our Toyota Tundra TRD Pro. I’m running out of time a little bit, I only have a few more left to be able to run this year and figured Texas was a really good one for us. We made a lot of ground up early in this race. I was pretty happy with the speed we were showing early on and we were a pit stop away from getting it really close and be able to go and contend for the win. I’ve seen guys commit to that move, but that was big, he turned down right in the middle of the tri-oval and it’s rained here all day long so when you drive right through it you are going to slash it pretty big. It happened so quick in the heat of the moment, it was pretty tough to miss. I’ve got to switch gears now and turn our attention to Xfinity tomorrow. We didn’t get any track time today in the Xfinity Series with all the rain,so I was hoping to get some laps today. We had a lot of people come out today from Amdro come and support us so you always hate to end early when you have guests come.”
“It is just so hard to see the grass here on the frontstretch when you are behind other trucks. I definitely misjudged it on my part. Really unfortunate for all of my guys. We had a really fast JBL Tundra – definitely not how I wanted tonight to go. Just have to keep digging and come back stronger for the next one.”
About Toyota
Toyota (NYSE:TM) has been a part of the cultural fabric in North America for nearly 70 years, and is committed to advancing sustainable, next-generation mobility through our Toyota and Lexus brands, plus our more than 1,800 dealerships.
Toyota directly employs nearly 64,000 people in North America who have contributed to the design, engineering, and assembly of nearly 49 million cars and trucks at our 14 manufacturing plants. In spring 2025, Toyota’s plant in North Carolina will begin to manufacture automotive batteries for electrified vehicles. With more electrified vehicles on the road than any other automaker, Toyota currently offers 31 electrified options.
FORT WORTH, TEXAS - MAY 02: Corey Heim, driver of the #11 Safelite/Foster Love Toyota, celebrates in victory lane after winning the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series SpeedyCash.com 250 at Texas Motor Speedway on May 02, 2025 in Fort Worth, Texas. (Photo by Chris Graythen/Getty Images).
Corey Heim made it his time to return to Victory Lane in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series division. He rallied from a four-race winless drought amid dominant performances to win the SpeedyCash.com 250 at Texas Motor Speedway on Friday, May 2, amid an overtime shootout.
The 22-year-old Heim from Marietta, Georgia, led six times for a race-high 96 of 174 over-scheduled laps. He started in fourth place and led for the first time on Lap 52 during the second stage period. Amid six caution periods throughout the event’s first two stage periods, Heim led a total of 25 laps and claimed the second stage victory.
A late cycle of green flag pit stops and four caution periods, all due to on-track carnages, occurred under the final 20 laps. Heim, who withstood all four, outdueled Ben Rhodes and Daniel Hemric during an overtime shootout to triumphantly steer his way to a dominant Truck victory at Texas.
On-track qualifying was initially scheduled to occur on Friday but was canceled due to inclement weather. As a result, the starting lineup was based on a metric formula. Tyler Ankrum, winner of the most recent Truck Series event at Rockingham Speedway in mid-April, was awarded the pole position. Teammate Daniel Hemric joined Ankrum on the front row.
When the green flag waved and the race started, Tyler Ankrum launched his No. 18 LiUNA! Chevrolet Silverado RST entry ahead of the field from the inside lane. As Ankrum led through the frontstretch, Grant Enfinger, who started in fifth place, attempted to throw a three-wide move beneath Jake Garcia and Daniel Hemric for the runner-up spot.
Enfinger’s attempt, however, backfired after he got loose beneath Garica through the first two turns. Despite keeping his truck straight, Enfinger lost a bevy of spots entering the backstretch and dropped out of the to-15 mark as the field fanned out to multiple lanes. With multiple on-track battles ensuing within the field, Ankrum proceeded to lead the first lap over Garcia.
Over the next four laps, Ankrum retained the lead over Garcia, Rajah Caruth, Layne Riggs and rookie Giovanni Ruggiero while Corey Heim, Chandler Smith, Kaden Honeycutt, Brandon Jones and Carson Hocevar occupied the top-10 spots. Meanwhile, Hemric had fallen to 11th place as he trailed teammate Connor Mosack and Ty Majeski while Nick Sanchez and Stewart Friesen were mired in the top-15 mark ahead of Matt Crafton, Bayley Currey, Luke Fenhaus, rookie Andres Perez de Lara and Ben Rhodes, respectively.
Through the first 10 scheduled laps, Ankrum stabilized his early advantage to half a second over Riggs, after assuming the runner-up spot from Garcia four laps earlier, was closing in on Ankrum for the lead. Third-place Garcia trailed the lead by more than two seconds. Behind, Caruth and Ruggerio trailed by more than two seconds in the top-five mark.
Five laps later, Ankrum’s advantage shrunk to a tenth of a second over Riggs while third-place Garcia trailed by more than three seconds. As Corey Heim made his way up to fourth place ahead of Caruth and Ruggerio, Ankrum stabilized his lead to a tenth of a second over Riggs over the next four laps.
On Lap 20, a scheduled competition caution flew. At the moment of caution, Ankrum, who lapped rookie Toni Breidinger and Josh Reaume, fended off Riggs to maintain the lead. Heim, Garcia, Ruggiero, Caruth, Honeycutt, Chandler Smith, Majeski and Hocevar were racing in the top 10.
During the caution period, some of the drivers pitted. They included Smith, Crafton, Luke Fenhaus, Enfinger, Jack Wood, Matt Mills, Cody Dennison, Bayley Currey, Stefan Parsons, Hemric, Tanner Gray, Dawson Sutton, Spencer Boyd and Nathan Byrd pitted. The rest of the field, led by Ankrum, remained on the track.
When the event restarted under green on Lap 25, Riggs and Ankrum dueled for the lead until the former cleared the latter off in Turn 2. As Riggs led, Garcia battled Ankrum for the runner-up spot as Heim and Ruggerio were in the top five. Over the next three laps, Majeski, who briefly slipped out of the top five during the previous restart, moved up into fourth place. Heim overtook Garcia for the runner-up spot. With Ankrum falling back to fifth place on the track, Riggs continued to lead at the Lap 30 mark.
On Lap 31, the caution flew when Ruggerio, who was racing in seventh place behind Ankrum, Majeski and Hocevar, unwittingly plowed his No. 17 JBL Toyota Tundra TRD Pro entry through the frontstretch’s grass. Ruggerio’s move got his truck briefly airborne as the contact with the wet grass destroyed the front end. He then veered into the path of Kaden Honeycutt and sent both hard into the outside wall. They then shot back across the track and collected Brandon Jones in the process, which knocked the trio out of contention.
During the caution period, a bevy of front-runners, including the leader Riggs, pitted while the rest led by Matt Crafton and Enfinger remained on the track.
With three laps remaining in the first stage period, Crafton and Enfinger, both of whom were among those who did not pit, led the field to the race’s resumption. At the start, Enfinger used a push from Matt Mills from the inside lane to storm ahead of Crafton and lead through the first two turns. With the field fanning out to three lanes through the backstretch before the battles ensued through Turns 3 and 4. Enfinger stretched out to half-a-second advantage for the following lap.
When the first stage period concluded on Lap 40, Enfinger captured his first Truck stage victory of the 2025 season. Matt Mills made his way into second place over Crafton, Hemric and Heim while Majeski, Tanner Gray, Hocevar, Chandler Smith and Riggs were scored in the top 10, respectively.
Under the stage break, some including Mills, Tanner Gray, Fenhaus, Jack Wood, Ben Rhodes, Ankrum, Cody Dennison, Nathan Byrd, Mosack and Spencer Boyd pitted while the rest led by Enfinger remained on the track.
The second stage period started on Lap 47 as Enfinger and Crafton occupied the front row. At the start, Enfinger wasted no time securing and retaining the lead over Crafton through the first two turns. Enfinger, who led the following lap, continued to lead to the Lap 50 mark. Heim, Crafton, Hemric and Chandler Smith followed suit in the top five.
On Lap 53, the caution returned when Riggs, who was battling in close-quarters competition with Majeski in sixth place, got loose underneath Majesk. He then rubbed the latter while fighting for grip before he spun just past the first two turns and came to a sliding halt towards the outside wall. At the time of caution, where Riggs was able to continue without sustaining any significant damage, Heim overtook Enfinger for the lead.
The start of the next restart on Lap 56 did not last long. Andres Perez de Lara, who was racing just inside the top-10 mark amid three-wide action, got loose underneath Sanchez. He got sideways and spun before he backed his No. 77 Telcel Chevrolet Silverado RST entry into the outside wall through the first two turns and retired with the rear-end damage. By then, Heim maintained the lead over Enfinger, Hemric, Friesen and Chandler Smith, respectively.
The start of the ensuing restart on Lap 61 lasted only two laps after Riggs, who was racing in the top-15 mark, was involved in his second incident of the event, this time through the frontstretch’s grass after he made contact with Luke Fenhaus. While spinning through the frontstretch’s grass, Riggs plowed his No. 34 Aaron’s Ford F-150 entry through the grass, damaging his front nose and terminating his event.
During the recent caution period, some including Mills, Mosack, Stefan Parsons, Majeski, Sanchez, Tanner Gray, Hocevar, Byrd and Breidinger pitted while the rest led by Heim, who retained the race lead, remained on the track.
As the event restarted under green on Lap 71, Heim led Enfinger and Chandler Smith. Then, Enfinger received a push from Smith and navigated his way back to the front through the first two turns. Enfinger led the following lap as both Heim and Smith battled for the runner-up spot in front of Friesen and Hemric. Despite Enfinger pulling away by as much as four-tenths of a second, Heim closed in to within a tenth of a second on Lap 75 before reassuming the lead during the following lap.
When the second stage period concluded on Lap 80, Heim, who extended his lead to more than a second, cruised to his fifth Truck stage victory of the 2025 season. Chandler Smith settled in second ahead of Enfinger, Hemric and Friesen. Rhodes, Garcia, Ankrum, Majeski and Crafton were scored in the top 10, respectively.
During the stage break, a majority of the field led by Heim pitted for service. The rest led by Majeski and including Hocevar, Mosack, Gray, Parsons and Josh Reaume, remained on the track.
With 80 laps remaining, the final stage period commenced with Majeski and Hocevar on the front row. Majeski rocketed ahead with a strong start while Hocevar maintained the runner-up spot over Heim, Mosack and the field. Amid the battles within the field, Majeski proceeded to lead by two-tenths of a second over Heim with 75 laps remaining. Hocevar, Gray and Freisen occupied the top five spots.
Then with 72 laps remaining, Heim outdueled Majeski by using the outside lane and rocketed past Majeski to reassume the lead. Behind, Hocevar maintained third place in front of Gray and Friesen as Heim stretched his lead to half a second over the next lap. Heim proceeded to grow his lead to more than a second with 65 laps remaining. Hocevar, who reassumed the runner-up spot four laps earlier, pursued ahead of Majeski, Gray, Freisen, Rhodes, Enfinger, Smith, Mosack and Crafton.
Down to the final 60 laps of the event, Heim continued to extend his advantage as he was leading by more than two seconds over Hocevar. Third-place Friesen trailed by more than six seconds. Meanwhile, Rhodes and Majeski trailed by eight seconds in the top-five mark as Gray, Enfinger, Smith, Mosack and Sanchez were racing in the top 10 over Mosack, Parsons, Ankrum, Currey and Mills.
Ten laps later, Heim stabilized his large advantage to four seconds over Hocevar while Freisen, Rhodes and Gray pursued in the top five. Meanwhile, Majeski, bounced off the backstretch’s outside wall amid contact with Smith while trying to block the latter. But he managed to continue without drawing a caution and fell back to 11th place. Smith was in sixth place ahead of Crafton, Sanchez, Enfinger and Parsons.
A lap later, a late cycle of green flag pit stops ensued as Majeski made a strategic pit stop. More drivers, including Parsons and Mosack would also pit. Hocevar and Gray pitted two laps later. With more drivers pitting, including Crafton, Smith, Enfinger, Gray, Currey and Rhodes, Heim retained the lead. Heim then pitted from the lead with 40 laps remaining. Friesen, Sanchez, Mills, Dawson Sutton, Wood, Ankrum and Hemric also made pit stops as Rajah Caruth cycled his way into the lead.
With 35 laps remaining, Caruth, who had yet to pit, was leading by a tenth of a second over Garcia while Heim trailed in third place by more than 13 seconds. Caruth would pit his No. 71 HendrickCars.com Chevrolet Silverado RST entry from the lead a lap later. Garcia, who assumed the lead, pitted his No. 13 Quanta Services Ford F-150 entry another two laps later.
This allowed Heim to cycle his No. 11 Safelite/Foster Love Toyota Tundra TRD Pro entry back into the lead by more than five seconds over Hocevar with 30 laps remaining.
Down to the final 25 laps of the event, Heim was leading by double-digit figures over Smith while Friesen, Rhodes and Enfinger were in the top five. Meanwhile, Hocevar was racing in the runner-up spot but had been battling a race-long voltage issue. He returned to pit road to have a battery changed, which in turn, dropped him out of the lead lap category.
Then with nearly 20 laps remaining, the caution flew when Frankie Muniz, who was racing in 21st place, hit the outside wall in between the first two turns. By then, Heim was leading by more than 20 seconds over Smith while Friesen, Rhodes, Enfinger and Crafton were the only competitors scored on the lead lap. During the caution period, the lead-lap competitors led by Heim returned to pit road for service.
The event restarted under green with 14 laps remaining, and Enfinger gained a slight advantage at the start. Heim, however, muscled back ahead to lead from the inside lane. As Heim led through the backstretch, Friesen followed suit with the runner-up spot over Enfinger.
The caution would then return during the following lap after Friesen, who was locked in a tight side-by-side battle with Enfinger over the previous two laps, got loose in Turns 3 and 4. He then shot up the track and clipped Enfinger. Both Enfinger and Friesen collected Smith as all three collided into the outside wall.
In the aftermath of the accident, the event was then placed in a red flag period for nearly five minutes. Amid the accident, Rhodes navigated his way into the runner-up spot. He was followed by Caruth, Parsons, Hemric and Currey while Heim retained the lead.
When the red flag lifted and the field led by Heim proceeded under an extensive cautious pace due to ongoing repairs made to the outside wall from the recent carnage. The race restarted under green with six laps remaining. At the start, Heim fended off Rhodes and Caruth to maintain the lead. Heim proceeded to lead by three-tenths of a second during the following lap. The caution, however, returned as Garcia and Mosack collided and wrecked in Turn 2.
The next restart, with two laps remaining, nearly lasted a lap as Heim and Rhodes dueled for the lead. With Rhodes maintaining the same level as Heim from the outside lane through the first two turns, Caruth joined the battle by going three-wide on both through the backstretch.
Then with Caruth, Heim and Rhodes locked dead even against one another for the lead through the backstretch, the caution flew. The event was sent into overtime due to Matt Mills clipping the frontstretch grass. At the time of caution, Heim was ruled the leader over both Rhodes and Caruth while Gray, Hemric and Ankrum were in the top six.
The start of an overtime shootout featured Heim and Rhodes dueling for the lead through the first two turns and the backstretch. Neither driver lifted off the gas peddle nor gave each other room. During their battle, Rhodes used the outside lane to gain an advantage through the straightaways. He remained even with Heim despite Heim using the inside lane to his advantage through the turns.
When the white flag waved and the final lap started, Rhodes held a narrow lead over Heim and Hemric who attempted to make a three-wide move beneath both through the frontstretch. Then as Hemric tried to launch ahead from the inside lane, Heim used the middle lane to muscle alongside Hemric and clear him for the lead through the backstretch.
Meanwhile, Rhodes, who was pinned up towards the outside groove, briefly lost his momentum and fell out of race-winning contention as Heim drove away from Hemric. With Hemric unable to mount a final turn charge through Turns 3 and 4, Heim was able to retain the lead. He cycled back to the frontstretch and claimed the checkered flag by two-tenths of a second.
With the victory, Heim, who last won at Las Vegas Motor Speedway in March, notched his 14th career win in the Craftsman Truck Series division. It was also his third of the 2025 season and his first at Texas. The victory was the third of the year for both TRICON Garage and the Toyota nameplate, with the manufacturer notching its 23rd Truck victory at the Lone Star state.
Prior to his Truck victory at Texas, Heim led a combined total of 295 laps over his previous four Truck starts of the 2025 season, three of which were the most in the event (Homestead, Martinsville and Rockingham). Overall, Heim’s Texas victory occurred in an event where he also led the most laps at 96.
“I wasn’t letting [the field] take that [win] away from me,” Heim said on the frontstretch on FS1. “I’ve given up too many this year so far. Just so proud of these TRICON guys. Just overwhelmed. Obviously, so many restarts there at the end. Guys were trying to slow me, three wide, all they could do. Man, I wouldn’t let them take that [win] from me right there. [I] Can’t even speak. I’m so overworn, but they tried to take me three wide into [Turn] 1 and [I] just drove until I couldn’t anymore.”
Daniel Hemric, who utilized pit strategy to muscle his way back to the front, claimed a runner-up result while Rajah Caruth, Tyler Ankrum and Tanner Gray finished in the top five.
Meanwhile, Ben Rhodes, who was in a position to notch both his first victory of the year and his first in nearly two years, fell back to sixth place. Despite being pleased with his result, Rhodes was also left bitter towards Heim forcing him up the racetrack and the high line, which prevented Rhodes from contending for the victory on the final lap.
“We had a good showing tonight,” Rhodes said. “I was a little upset and even still watching the replay with how I was ran in [Turns] 3 and 4 by Heim. You could see him come off the bottom [lane] and the groove is extremely narrow here. That’s why all those wrecks kept happening. I had to lift. I think he had to lift and that’s what opened up for three wide down the frontstretch and then why we’re in sixth place.
“It all stems from that corner back there. When you get pushed up out of the groove and you start having to come out of the gas, that’s a big deal and that’s what opens up for three-wide racing. Not the happiest about that. I’ll get [tonight’s racing] in the memory bank, but when you have an opportunity to win races with this Playoff format, it’s really important to do that.”
Matt Crafton, Bayley Currey, Dawson Sutton and Ty Majeski completed the top 10 in the final running order.
There were 15 lead changes for nine different leaders. The race featured 11 cautions for 57 laps. In addition, 16 of 32 starters finished on the lead lap.
Following the eighth event of the 2025 Craftsman Truck Series season, Corey Heim leads the regular-season standings by 46 points over Chandler Smith, 80 over Daniel Hemric, 82 over Tyler Ankrum and 106 over Ty Majeski.
Results:
1. Corey Heim, 96 laps led, Stage 2 winner 2. Daniel Hemric 3. Rajah Caruth, five laps led 4. Tyler Ankrum, 24 laps led 5. Tanner Gray 6. Ben Rhodes, two laps led 7. Matt Crafton, three laps led 8. Bayley Currey 9. Dawson Sutton 10. Ty Majeski, 12 laps led 11. Jack Wood 12. Stefan Parsons 13. Nick Sanchez 14. Nathan Byrd 15. Spencer Boyd 16. Chandler smith 17. Carson Hocevar, two laps down 18. Josh Reaume, two laps down 19. Cody Dennison, three laps down 20. Matt Mills – OUT, Accident 21. Jake Garcia – OUT, Accident, three laps led 22. Connor Mosack – OUT, Accident 23. Grant Enfinger – OUT, Accident, 19 laps led, Stage 1 winner 24. Stewart Friesen – OUT, Accident 25. Frankie Muniz – OUT, Accident 26. Toni Breidinger – OUT, Electrical 27. Luke Fenhaus – OUT, DVP 28. Layne Riggs – OUT, Accident, 10 laps led 29. Andres Perez de Lara – OUT, Accident 30. Brandon Jones – OUT, Accident 31. Giovanni Ruggiero – OUT, Accident 32. Kaden Honeycutt – OUT, Accident
Next on the 2025 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series season is Kansas Speedway in Kansas City, Kansas, for the Heart of America 200. The event is scheduled to occur next Saturday, May 10, and air at 7:30 p.m. ET on FS1.
CHEVROLET IN NTT INDYCAR SERIES CHILDREN’S OF ALABAMA INDY GRAND PRIX BIRMINGHAM, ALABAMA BARBER MOTORSPORTS PARK TEAM CHEVY RACE FRIDAY PRACTICE RECAP MAY 2, 2025
Will Power led five Team Chevy drivers in top-nine of final order in combined practice one times
Two-time and defending Barber winner Scott McLaughlin posted the eighth quickest time that included making a remarkable on-track save in turn 14
With rain expected Saturday for practice two and qualifying, laps in today’s three-segment 64-minute practice was critical with race-day forecast conditions similar to those today
BIRMINGHAM, ALA (MAY 2, 2025) – Will Power showed the way for Chevrolet in today’s first practice session for the Children of Alabama INDY Grand Prix at Barber Motorsports Park.
The driver of the No. 12 Verizon Team Penske Chevrolet posted a fasted lap of one minute, 7.7869 seconds around the 2.3-mile, 17-turn natural terrain road course in preparation for Sunday’s 90-lap race.
Two-time and defending winner Scott McLaughlin, showed amazing car control during today’s session when the rear end of his No. 3 Good Ranchers Team Penske Chevrolet stepped out in turn-14 and McLaughlin managed to right the car, miss the wall and continue on his way.
YouTube link to McLaughlin’s impressive save The 12 Chevrolet powered drivers will continue the quest for victory with practice two and qualifying on Saturday. Rain is the forecast giving teams a tougher task of determining the optimum set-up for Sunday’s race – round four of the 2025 NTT INDYCAR SERIES schedule.
Combined Results of NTT INDYCAR SERIES Practice #1 at Barber Motorsports Park
Tune-In Alert
Saturday
· NTT INDYCAR SERIES Practice #2 – 11:30am (ET)/10:30am (CT)/9:30am (MT)/8:30am (PT) – FS1/INDYCAR Radio Network/SIRIUSXM 218
· NTT INDYCAR SERIES Qualifying – 1:30pm (ET)/12:30pm (CT)/11:30am (MT)/10:30am (PT) – FS1/INDYCAR Radio Network/SIRIUSXM 218
Sunday
· NTT INDYCAR SERIES Warm Up – 10am (ET)/9am (CT)/8am (MT)/7am (PT) – FS1/INDYCAR Radio Network/SIRIUSXM 218
· Children’s Of Alabama Indy Grand Prix (90 laps) – 1:30pm (ET)/12:30pm (CT)/11:30am (MT)/10:30am (PT) – FOX/INDYCAR Radio Network/SIRIUSXM 218
What They’re Saying:
ARROW MCLAREN
Pato O’Ward, No. 5 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet:
“I love Barber. It’s high commitment and obviously a stunning facility. I have a lot of good memories coming back here. We tested here a couple of weeks ago, but today was a bit different. We’re just working through that but I think we’ll be alright. We just need to look at things and go again tomorrow.”
Nolan Siegel, No. 6 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet:
“We had a smooth Practice 1. Everything went to plan, but I think we’re still missing a little bit. We made a lot of changes and learned a bit but didn’t quite fix the problems we needed to fix. We’ll go to work tomorrow morning, and I know we have a bit more pace to find to be up there with the front-runners.”
Christian Lundgaard, No. 7 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet:
“It’s great to be back on track here at Barber. The car feels good but we still have a bit of work to do, so we’ll work overnight to get in the right window and come out tomorrow ready to fight for pole.”
JUNCOS-HOLLINGER RACING
Conor Daly, No. 76 Juncos Hollinger Racing Chevrolet
“It was quite a good start for us. We were one of the only teams that didn’t test here, so just trying to catch up a little. The car was very interesting, from the alternate to the primary tire. We know we need for tomorrow. Times are close. It was a decent start for our first time together as a group.”
Sting Ray Robb, No. 77 Juncos Hollinger Racing Chevrolet
“Practice one was OK. The difference in tires was quite shocking from Blacks to Reds. Other than that, it was a pretty smooth session. We learned a lot, and it will all go out the window when it rains tomorrow. When it comes back to dry on Sunday, we’ll have a good package. Conor and I are working well together and we like the same stuff, so we know what direction we want to go.”
TEAM PENSKE
Scott McLaughlin, No. 3 Good Ranchers Team Penske Chevrolet:
Q: What do you love about Barber (Motorsports Park)
McLaughlin: “There is a lot of commitment. That’s what I really enjoy. It reminds me of a track back home in Australia, Philip Island, which is a track that I always went really well at in the
Supercar as well. So, hopefully we can keep that trend going. The wins have been great, but it’s going to be a bit more inconsistent than we probably have seen this weekend with the rain.”
Q: Do the difficult areas change, or are they magnified with the rain?
McLaughlin: “Yeah. The high commitment corners get more higher commitment in the rain. You have to try to find the grip or the rubber or get off the rubber as quick as you can. There’s a lot of good drivers in the series that are good on the rain. Qualifying will be just as competitive, regardless if it’s wet or dry. So it’s just a matter of you putting them together yourself”.
Q: The “Month of May” is coming up, is hard to keep the focus when you come to a track like this race because it pays an equal amount of points as the Indianapolis 500?
McLaughlin: “It’s a nice feeling to hopefully start our month off on the right foot and get the momentum going. Because momentums everything in this series, and if you can roll into the biggest race of the year with some momentum, that’s always a good thing. I feel really, really, really strong, you know, for the month. I had a great open test. It’s probably the strongest I’ve I’ve felt, ever. So that was a really good feeling. So, it’s just a matter of putting it together and see where we’re at.”
Q: Has the Hybrid changed a place like Barber Motorsports Park?
McLaughlin: “Oh, for sure. We tested here not long ago, and it was definitely a lot different. A lot more different than I thought it was going to be. The feeling and weight will be interesting, as well as how we all tackle it and the different philosophies between cars. Let’s see where we go.”
Will Power, No. 12 Verizon Team Penske Chevrolet:
“This is one of the nicest places that we come to. The promoters do a really great job of presenting this place. You drive in here, and you know you are at a special event. The car has a really good balance; needing just minor changes. It could be a mixed-up session (qualifying) with the weather, but we’ll see how it goes. If we can qualify in the top six, we’ll have a shot at a podium. In the top four, we’ll have a shot at a win. That’s what I’ve struggled with this year (qualifying).”
Pato O’Ward
Press Conference
THE MODERATOR: Joined by Pato O’Ward, driver of the No. 5 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet. Fourth quick in group two this afternoon. Of course, he is the 2022 winner here at Barber Motorsports Park. Currently 6th in the overall championship. How would you describe, Pato, your start to the weekend here?
PATO O’WARD: I love Barber. I love this place. It’s high commitment. It’s obviously a stunning facility. I have a lot of good memories to remember whenever I come back here, but today has been — we tested here a couple of weeks ago, and today has definitely been a little bit different.
So we’re just looking through that, but I think it’s all right. Just little clean-ups that we have to do here and there. Nothing. We’ll get it right where we need to.
THE MODERATOR: Questions for Pato O’Ward.
Q. Pato, you just said a minute ago you tested here, and now it’s different. Is it maybe weather-related? Was it cooler when you were testing here?
PATO O’WARD: It’s a little bit warmer, more humid right now. The wind has changed a bit. That will obviously have an influence of what the car is doing. Especially with such you high-speed corners. We also didn’t get to try the alternate, and I would say that’s the one that was kind of like, What?
So, yeah, we just really need to dig into the data from all three cars really and just get a better read on that, I would say. But, yeah, nothing too crazy. Not yet at least.
Q. With the weather so uncertain, does that really affect the way you prepare, or are you one of those that just it happens as it happens, and you get out there?
PATO O’WARD: I kind of just go with the flow. We are expecting rain tomorrow, but it’s obviously under no one’s control beside Mother Nature. It can say that it’s going to be maybe crazy, and then it decides to kind of clean up a little bit or maybe a window opens up in qualifying where half of it’s going to be dry and half of it not. It doesn’t look like that, but you can’t count any of that out.
So we’re just going on with our program. Tomorrow obviously if it rains, it’s going to change things a lot, but for everyone. So it’s the same for everybody. We just need to stay on top of it and really just kind of know what we need from — or at least I need to know what I need from the car in order to get it done in qualifying.
Q. Pato, back to the red tires this weekend after running the greens at St. Pete and Long Beach. After running the greens for so many years, is there a massive difference in how the side walls and all that feel still?
PATO O’WARD: You can definitely tell. It’s a different feeling, but sometimes it always seems to have the same balance shift from primes to reds or a little bit more consistent. Today I would say was a little bit of a different story. That’s just what I kind of — I just couldn’t wrap my head around it and understand.
It just starts doing all sorts of things, and you are, like, What do we need to fix? It’s like, Well, sadly everything. Yeah, that requires a lot of data analyzing by the engineers and us to really see what problems do we want to prioritize?
I mean, to be fair, sometimes one set will do that, and then the next one is like, Wow, it’s half a second quicker. So I have no idea.
Q. How important is it to compartmentalize the month of May because here we are kicking it off at Barber and then next week it’s going to be the INDYCAR Grand Prix at IMS, and then we roll into the Indy 500. Then after that it’s off to Detroit. So a lot is going to happen in a hurry. How important is it for you to pace yourself through this whole month and focus on each task at hand?
PATO O’WARD: Learn how to say no, I would say. If the five years or six now — this is my sixth year here. I can’t believe it, but if the six years that I’ve been here have taught me something, it’s learn how to say no and don’t feel bad about it, because you’re the one driving the car. If someone is asking something, say, Do you want me to win the race or not?
Q. (Off microphone)
PATO O’WARD: Everybody wants a piece of you at the end of the day, and they want you here and here and bah, bah, bah. Ultimately, why are we doing this? We do this to win races. We do this because we want to win the Indy 500. That’s the most important one on the calendar. I mean, I guarantee you they will forgive you if you win that race (laughing).
Q. Just curious, you are talking about how much fun Barber is for you. I’m curious, is it as much fun with the hybrid and the extra weight, or are you not able to hustle the car as much now?
PATO O’WARD: No, it’s less fun. The cars have gotten a lot more boring, to be honest. This is one of the tracks where you would really enjoy being able to throw it around.
You can still kind of do it, but the windows narrow down a lot. You can piss it off a lot quicker. So, yeah, you definitely feel the added weight. The tires feel the added weight. It’s definitely something you have to change quite a bit on the car in order to kind of get it back into the window because it’s definitely shifted a lot of the balance.
Q. The reds versus the blacks debate… Ericsson ended up going fastest overall on the blacks. Colton said when he came in here, he didn’t feel like one was necessarily over the other. I know you’re a little lacking on data yourself.
PATO O’WARD: Ericsson blacks? 67 something? Oh, he was on reds.
Q. Right at the end. Yeah, for a while, though, it looked like he was going — the black lap was even still going to be fastest. How do you feel overall on the debate? Do you feel like one is going to be better than the other going into qualifying and race?
PATO O’WARD: I mean, I think the red is going to be quicker. I don’t know what the delta — the delta doesn’t really seem that big or as big as I thought because I think Firestone told us the prime is more durable. The red is the 23 red, I believe, so there should be a pretty significant gap in terms of performance, but I don’t think we saw that big of a gap as we were expecting. At least I didn’t see as big of a difference.
So, yeah, I don’t know. Surprise, surprise I guess. I think tomorrow is going to be rain tire. It’s going to be on pole, so…
THE MODERATOR: We’ll see how good everybody is in the rain tomorrow perhaps. Knock on wood. You never know. Thanks for coming, Pato.
About General Motors
General Motors (NYSE:GM) is driving the future of transportation, leveraging advanced technology to build safer, smarter, and lower emission cars, trucks, and SUVs. GM’s Buick, Cadillac, Chevrolet, and GMC brands offer a broad portfolio of innovative gasoline-powered vehicles and the industry’s widest range of EVs, as we move to an all-electric future. Learn more at GM.com.
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (Friday, May 2, 2025) – Now that’s more like it for Marcus Ericsson.
Ericsson led the opening practice Friday for the Children’s of Alabama Indy Grand Prix powered by AmFirst at Barber Motorsports Park with a best lap of 1 minute, 7.7470 seconds in the No. 28 Bryant Honda fielded by Andretti Global. Ericsson’s quickest lap, turned during the 40-minute session open to all cars, came on the Firestone alternate compound tires, which provide more grip but faster wear.
The Swede sought improvement this season after a challenging first year with Andretti Global in 2024, when he finished a disappointing 15th in the championship. 2022 Indianapolis 500 presented by Gainbridge winner Ericsson is 12th in the standings this season after three races.
Series leader Alex Palou, who has won the last two season titles, continued his metronomic consistency by ending up second at 1:07.7602 in the No. 10 HRC Chip Ganassi Racing Honda. Palou won the first two races of the season and finished second in the last event, the Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach on April 13.
Like many of his competitors, Palou got busy in a hurry in the 80-minute session, which began with an all-cars session followed by two, 12-minute group runs. Rain is forecast Saturday in the Birmingham area, which could limit track time. Practice is scheduled for 11:30 a.m. ET, with NTT P1 Award qualifying at 2:35 p.m. (both sessions FS1, FOX Sports app, INDYCAR Radio Network).
“It was only 40 minutes plus a 12-minute session, and going straight to a race if tomorrow it rains will be tough,” Palou said. “But it’s the same for everybody, so we were able to find a couple of things to check, to test both (tire) compounds and see the difference there. It’s going to be interesting, for sure.”
Colton Herta ensured Andretti Global drivers took two of the top three spots as he ended up third at 1:07.7728 in the No. 26 Gainbridge Honda. Two-time series champion Will Power was the fastest Chevrolet-powered driver, fourth at 1:07.7869 in the No. 12 Verizon Team Penske Chevrolet.
Alexander Rossi continued the solid start to the season with his new team, Ed Carpenter Racing, by rounding out the top five at 1:07.8098 in the No. 20 ECR Java House Chevrolet.
The 17-turn, 2.3-mile natural terrain road course at Barber is one of the most challenging and physically demanding circuits on the NTT INDYCAR SERIES schedule, and two series stars explored the limits of grip and the racing surface during this opening session.
Two-time reigning Barber winner Scott McLaughlin drove into the grass exiting Turn 17 and continued early in the session in his No. 3 Good Ranchers Team Penske Chevrolet. McLaughlin later saved his car from contact during a sensational power slide in Turn 14.
Felix Rosenqvist also went off track and into the gravel in his No. 60 SiriusXM Honda fielded by Meyer Shank Racing. He also made no contact and continued.
The 90-lap race is scheduled for 1:30 p.m. ET Sunday (FOX, the FOX Sports app and the INDYCAR Radio Network).
