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CHEVROLET NCS AT COTA: Post-Race Report

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Official Release
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NASCAR CUP SERIES
CIRCUIT OF THE AMERICAS
TEAM CHEVY POST-RACE REPORT
MARCH 2, 2025

Byron Leads Chevrolet with Runner-Up Finish at Circuit of The Americas

 TEAM CHEVY UNOFFICIAL TOP-10 RESULTS:
POS. DRIVER
2nd – William Byron
4th – Chase Elliott
5th – Kyle Busch
6th – Shane van Gisbergen
9th – Alex Bowman

  •  In an all-out battle all the way to the checkered flag, Hendrick Motorsports’ William Byron led Chevrolet to the checkered-flag at Circuit of The Americas – scoring a runner-up result in his No. 24 Chevrolet.
  • Byron led a strong contingency of Chevrolet drivers to the finish of the NASCAR Cup Series’ third points-paying race of the season, with drivers from three different Chevrolet organizations earning top-10 results. Among those finishers includes Byron’s Hendrick Motorsports teammate, Chase Elliott, who sustained damage in a turn one, lap one, incident. Continuing to fight all race long, a late-race pit strategy gave Elliott a fresh set of tires to drive his way to a fourth-place finish.
  • Trackhouse Racing’s Connor Zilisch’s NASCAR Cup Series debut ended early after sustaining damage during an incident in the final stage. The 18-year-old Mooresville, North Carolina, native had an early setback after enduring damage on the opening lap, but later rallied to a strong performance in Stage Two – driving his No. 87 Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet from outside the top-30 to the 14th position.
  • Showing speed across the Chevrolet camp right out of the gate at Circuit of The Americas, drivers from five different Chevrolet organizations collectively took 10 of the top-11 positions on the final speed chart following Saturday’s two rounds of practice for NASCAR’s top division. Reciprocating the speed in qualifying, Chevrolet drivers took seven of the top-10 starting positions for today’s 95-lap event – led by Hendrick Motorsports’ Chase Elliott (third) and Spire Motorsports’ Carson Hocevar (fourth).

Chevrolet’s all-time NASCAR Cup Series statistics at Circuit of The Americas:

Wins: 3
Poles: 3
Top-Fives: 17
Top-10s: 27

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

Wins: 1
Poles: 0
Top-Fives: 7
Top-10s: 13

UP NEXT: The 2025 NASCAR Cup Series season continues at Phoenix Raceway with the Shriners Children’s 500 on Sunday, March 9, at 3:30 P.M. ET. Live coverage can be found on FS1, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90.
Post-Race Driver Quotes:

Kyle Busch, No. 8 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet

Finished: 5th

How much more could you have pushed your car?

“No, that was it on pushing the car. We had a really good No. 8 Rebel Bourbon Chevy to be able to push that hard. I just wish that maybe we had equal tires to the No. 20 (Christopher Bell). I don’t know if that was all the difference. I know he was really fast and he had a good racecar. I feel like that might have been able to help hold me on a little bit better to him, but even that last yellow flag that we had, I felt like the gap that I had to the field, I was far enough out front that I could run the clean lines, the lines that I wanted, to preserve the tires and take care of them as much as I could to see if he could get there. But once we had that yellow, then it was just defensive mode. You’re in complete and utter just beat the heck out of the tires at that point, and I just didn’t have it over the No. 20. Hate it that the contact that we made between two and three ruined our racecar too. It bent the right-rear toe link and knocked everything out of it. I just didn’t have anything there at the end to compete with those guys. That doesn’t go for what our Chevy was today. Randall (Burnett, crew chief) and the guys did a great job adjusting it through practice, qualifying and into the race, and giving me a piece to go out there and do that well, and to get this Rebel Chevrolet up front like we did. Appreciate Zone, Cheddar’s, Lucas Oil, Chevrolet and everyone at RCR and ECR for a really good piece this weekend. If we can keep getting top-fives and running in the top-five, the wins will be right there.”

Chase Elliott, No. 9 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet

Finished: 4th

You really had to work for it. How much more did you car give you there at the end?

“Yeah, it was just a crazy day, really. I got run over, I felt like, there in the first corner. I’m curious to see it. I still haven’t seen it to know whether or not I did something wrong. I’m happy to own it, if I did. I just felt like it was the first corner of the first lap, and it’s just a bummer to get behind and then we had damage. Alan (Gustafson, crew chief) and the guys did a great job fixing it and getting it that close. We got behind on a restart there and just had to play major catchup there. Alan made a great call there at the end to put tires on it. We were rolling up through there really good at the end. Obviously when you have a good car like that, I would have liked to have been in the fight with those guys, but it was a great recovery from where we were at during the end of the second stage.”

William Byron, No. 24 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet

Finished: 2nd

How close was that and what else did you need to do at the end there?

“Yeah, it was really close. I feel like the battle between he (Bell) and (Kyle) Busch — I was just sitting there waiting for one of them to bobble or slide their tires. Bell got by him and I felt like once he got by him and clear, his car was super loose and it kind of gave me a couple of shots at him. I just couldn’t ever get beside him. We have always raced really well together, so I didn’t want to move him blatantly. We were just sliding there a ton at the end. We came a long way this weekend and I am really proud of that. We were pretty far off to start, but got ourselves pretty raceable and in a position to win. Just sucks to be so close. You are on the bumper of the guy coming to the line and that sucks. A lot of races ahead and hopefully we can just keep bringing this speed. It’s a good start to our road course program. Still a little work to do, but thanks to Raptor, Chevrolet, Axalta, Liberty University, and all of our partners. Been a good start to the year so far.”

Michael McDowell, No. 71 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet

Finished: 11th

“Definitely an up and down day for us in our No. 71 Gainbridge Chevrolet. We had decent speed. We got some track position early on and we were trying to work a strategy, but unfortunately had a pit road violation there that put us to the back. Track position is so important. We tried rallying back. We fought hard all day and we had a pretty good car. It’s something to build on. We were hoping to get back into the top-10, but just ran out of laps there. Really proud of the effort. Scored some points again and got some Stage points. Not ideal because we are going for wins, but we are getting closer. We are just going to keep grinding.”

Connor Zilisch, No. 87 Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet

Sidelined by damage sustained in an accident in the final stage.

Finished: 37th

Not the start of the race that you wanted or the end, but in the middle stages, you had a lot of speed. What are your takeaways from today?

“Yeah, we had a really fast No. 87 Red Bull Chevrolet. I’ve had so much fun preparing for this event. That second stage, driving from outside the top-30 to 14th, was a lot of fun. I was passing a lot of guys that I used to watch on TV growing up. Hopefully I’ll get the chance to come back and do this again. I had an absolute blast driving through the field, and I wish it didn’t end early.”

Zilisch on the accident that ended his Cup Series debut early in the final stage:

“All I saw was a cloud of smoke, and by the time I saw him (Daniel Suarez), it was way too late to do anything. I saw him spinning off to the left and I thought he was going to keep going in that direction or stay there. I guess he flipped back right and he started coming towards me. Really unfortunate way to end my Cup Series debut. We were one of the top-five fastest cars in the second stage there. I went from outside the top-30 to 14th, and I felt really good about our Chevy. We made a lot of gains from practice and qualifying. It’s just an unfortunate way to end it.”

Daniel Suarez, No. 99 Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet

Sidelined by damage sustained in an accident in the final stage.

Finished: 36th

“I just hit the curb, hit the ground and then it spun me out. When you have low air pressure, that’s very easy to do because the car is lower to the ground. I wish I could say it was a big mistake, but it wasn’t. It was just maybe a tire width too far to the left, and I hit the curb and I spun out.”

Was this an encouraging run for your team today?

“It was a good day for the No. 99 Freeway Insurance Chevrolet team. We were a top-five, top-10 car, for sure. I thought we were going to be a little bit better than that, but we have to continue to work and learn from today.”

About General Motors

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

TPC Racing’s Returning Champion David Williams Wins Season-Opening Porsche Sprint Challenge Race at Sebring

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Official Release
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  • Returning 2023 Porsche Sprint Challenge Champion David Williams Picks Up Where He Left Off with a Type 992 Masters Class Victory Friday and P3 Finish Saturday in the No. 237 Quality Brand Group Porsche 911 GT3 Cup
  • Tillman Schmid Finishes Fourth in Pro-Am Saturday in the No. 277 Monoflo International Porsche 911 GT3 Cup in His Porsche Sprint Challenge Type 992 Debut
  • Shaun McKaigue Rebounds from Qualifying Incident to Finish Both Masters Class Sprint Races in the No. 234 Cobot Intelligence Porsche 911 GT3 Cup
  • Tom Kerr Secures Porsche Sprint Challenge Career-Best Finish Saturday at Sebring in the No. 74 Got Veins? Cayman GT4 RS Clubsport

SEBRING, Florida (March 2, 2025) – TPC Racing and returning champion driver David Williams were quick to renew their winning ways in this weekend’s season-opening USA Porsche Sprint Challenge North America by Yokohama doubleheader at Sebring International Raceway where Williams scored a Type 992 Masters Class victory Friday in his No. 237 Quality Brand Group/TPC Racing Porsche 911 GT3 Cup. After winning the Master Class pole earlier on Friday, Williams jumped from his outside row two starting position into third place overall at the start and defended both his Masters lead and the top three overall podium position straight to the checkered flag.

Williams backed up Friday’s win in the first race of the year with a third-place Masters showing in Saturday’s final sprint. The weekend’s convincing performance was nearly identical to the showing TPC Racing and Williams put in at Sebring at the 2023 Sprint Challenge opener. After a second-place finish in what was then known as the “Am” class in that weekend’s first race, Williams gave TPC Racing its first career Porsche Sprint Challenger race win and a springboard to that year’s championship with a victory in the next day’s final sprint. Williams went on to win three more races in the 2023 season, and he and TPC Racing respectively secured that year’s 992 Am driver and team championships.

Williams took last season off to focus on his successful business at the Quality Brand Group but clearly demonstrated he didn’t lose a bit of his competitive edge in his Sebring return. He left Sebring with an early-season lead in the Masters championship driver standings, 109 – 108, one point ahead of his nearest challenger.

Another strong showing in Porsche GT3 Cup competition at Sebring came from race-debuting Type 992 competitor Tillman Schmid in the No. 277 Monoflo International/TPC Racing Porsche 911 GT3 Cup. Shaking off a retirement in Friday’s opening race after a contact incident, Schmid battled in the top 10 overall from the start of Saturday’s finale. Despite a caution-plagued race, that ended under waving yellow and checkered flags after the fourth incident of the race, Schmid gained valuable experience ibn battling with both the Pro-Am and Masters class leaders to cross the finish line ninth overall and fourth in Pro-Am.

Also rebounding over the weekend was veteran TPC Racing driver Shaun McKaigue in his No. 234 Cobot Intelligence/TPC Racing Porsche 911 GT3 Cup. After turning his fastest lap of the session, McKaigue had a minor contact incident in Friday’s qualifying session that relegated him to the back of the nearly 40-car starting field in both of the weekend’s 35 minute + 1 lap races. Passing more than 10 cars, McKaigue recorded his best finish in Saturday’s finale with a 15th place showing in a Masters class field of 25 entries.

The weekend’s breakout performance came from resurgent TPC Racing driver Tom Kerr who raced to a career-best sixth-place Masters finish in Saturday’s Porsche Sprint Challenge Cayman race in his No. 74 Got Veins?/TPC Racing Porsche Cayman GT4 RS Clubsport. Kerr shook off a string of mechanical issues at Sebring last year to record several strong finishes later in 2024, but his result on Saturday topped his best finish last year of seventh at Road America.

Next up for TPC Racing in Porsche Sprint Challenge North America is Rounds 3 and 4 of both the GT3 Cup and Cayman series at Sonoma Raceway, April 4 – 6.

Harris Levitas, TPC Racing Director of Race Operations: “The season-opening weekend for us went really well. It was a nice refresh on the 2024 calendar year for TPC Racing. Coming out of the gate winning and then a third-place finish in Masters again for David earned some solid points to open the year. It’s great momentum to take forward. Tillman did an amazing job, finishing ninth overall and fourth in the Pro-Am class in his first major race in a 992 Porsche GT3. It was incredible work by him. The improvement has been tremendous. Shaun drove clean and consistent. He stayed out of trouble in his first race weekend in a 992. All of the yellows in Race 2 didn’t help us much, but we’ll take the third-place finish for David and solid results for Shaun and Tillman and go from there. The GT4 race was just great work by Tom Kerr. It was like having a new driver the way he performed. You can’t ask more than that. His improvement has just been tremendous. And as always, the TPC Racing team did an awesome racing job this week. We’re revamped the team internally, and the guys are working so well together. The team is really bonding and molding and it’s showing in the results. I just can’t say enough about how great the TPC Racing Team guys are.”

David Williams, Driver No. 237 Quality Brand Group/TPC Racing Porsche 911 GT3 Cup: “It was awesome to win the season-opening race again. The track was pretty good for being as hot as it was. The GT3 Cup field is so tight. You’re talking a field separated by just tenths of a second in qualifying. I did get a good race start and had some good coaching with Mike Skeen. The car was setup great, so it was just head down and stay in it. It worked out well. We had a couple of restarts, but I didn’t think I had enough for them, but the two guys in front of me were in another class and I was leading Masters from third overall. The focus was more like ‘stay with them, stay with them, stay with them,’ and it worked out well. The Saturday race start wasn’t great for me. I gave up a position. These guys are really aggressive. When the race was green, my car was really good. I was making time on them, my car was staying strong, and I think the other guys felt their car was running back. Unfortunately, the race ended under another caution, and we didn’t have a chance to continue the charge. Overall, we had two podiums, and I’ll take it, but in the second race I could have been a little stronger. I’m excited for the season. I have a lot of experience at Sebring, but we’re going to some places like Sonoma I’ve not been to and Road Atlanta, where I haven’t been in a decade. So, it will be fun to get back to some of those old tracks. It’s a good group of guys in Porsche Sprint Challenge Masters with a really good, competitive field which I’m excited about. I need that good strong racing, and I think we’re going to get it.”

Tillman Schmid, Driver, No. 277 Monoflo International/TPC Racing Porsche 911 GT3 Cup: “I ended up P4 In class on Saturday. It was fun to be out here with Porsche Sprint Challenge again, but to be in the top series for the GT3 Cup cars for the first time. It’s a stout field. There’s a lot of really fast Masters guys, too, so it’s fun to dice it up with them. It was good to bounce back after the first race when we got caught up in a contact incident. It was a little bit frustrating to not finish, it was one of those racing deals. I probably squeezed a little too hard there too, but I’m learning the new race craft around a new car. I was really happy with the Saturday race result. I just went out and executed a clean race, which is what we want to do every week, and we’ll build on that. Next, we head to Sonoma in the first week of April and I am really looking forward to it. It’s a home track and I’ve got friends and family there. It will be a fun one.”

Shaun McKaigue, Driver, No. 234 Cobot Intelligence/TPC Racing Porsche 911 GT3 Cup: “I’m really happy with the progress we made, setting up the car and learning how to drive the car. I was happy with my first qualifying lap, but unfortunately, an incident curtailed qualifying for us. After that I wound up starting at the back and getting to watch all the melee. Overall, however, it was positive. We didn’t have a great finish in the race, but the car is in one piece, we did turn a nice qualifying time, and I’m happy about all of it. I’m really enthusiastic about the car. It’s a great car. It’s going to take a lot to get it to the next level, but I feel way more confident now than I did at the beginning of this weekend. Compared to the 997 and 991 generations I am familiar with, it’s a bigger, badder beast!”

Tom Kerr, Driver, No. 74 Got Veins?/TPC Racing Cayman GT4 RS Clubsport: “We were able to qualify really well, and with Mike Skeen coaching me and in my ear all of the time, it really helps a lot. There is nothing like having a pro guy coaching you along. The TPC Racing team had a good setup on the car, and I raced a little more aggressive than I was last year because I felt more confident. The number one thing is we had some practice with this car, so I was able to get some coaching and practice before a race rather than during a race, which was the case last year. So, that meant a lot to me. We had a great group battling in Saturday’s race, but about 20 minutes into the race the tires got very greasy. I could put a couple car lengths on everybody, see where I was faster, then I would slide in the next corner and they would close the gap. It’s hot. We’re in Florida. The tires had a lot to do with me being stuck with the group of guys. I was turning faster lap times than all the guys behind me, but they were closing the gap as I slid. But that’s racing and we brought it home in both races for some good finishes to start the year.”

About TPC Racing: TPC Racing is the Mid-Atlantic’s premier maintenance, service, tuning and modification center dedicated solely to Porsche sports cars. TPC Racing specializes in R&D and sales of high-performance modifications for Porsche sports cars and race cars, offering a wide range of vehicle upgrades. Best known for a line of forced induction solutions for the Porsche 911, Cayman and Boxster, a long-time focus on only one make, Porsche, has enabled TPC Racing to become experts in Porsche service, tuning, and racing. In 2000, TPC Racing began entering races under its own banner, scoring an SGS-class Championship in 2004 in the Grand-American Rolex Series and was a class winner in the 2006 Rolex 24 At Daytona, and captured the 2013 and 2016 IMSA Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge USA Gold Cup Championships. More information can be found at www.TPCRacing.com.

Palou Pulls Off Master Class To Open Seasonwith St. Petersburg Win

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Official Release
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ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (Sunday, March 2, 2025) – One of the big questions for the NTT INDYCAR SERIES field entering the 2025 season was how to halt the title march of three-time and two-time defending series champion Alex Palou.

They’re still searching for that answer, even after the first race of the season Sunday on the sunny streets of St. Petersburg.

Palou opened his quest for a third consecutive Astor Challenge Cup as series champion in the best way possible, winning the Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg presented by RP Funding in a master class of strategy, speed and patience. He drove his No. 10 DHL Chip Ganassi Racing Honda to a 2.8669-second victory over teammate and six-time series champion Scott Dixon, who said afterward that he contested the last 90 laps of the 100-lap race without radio communication in the No. 9 PNC Bank Chip Ganassi Racing Honda.

“What an amazing job by everybody,” Palou said. “They gave me everything we needed this weekend to win. I told you yesterday we had a really, really fast car.

“Our strategy changed a lot during that first yellow, but I’m so glad we got that No. 10 in Victory Lane. It’s been 138 days since Nashville (2024 season finale), and I’ve been dreaming about this every single night.”

Spaniard Palou, who started eighth, earned his 12th career victory in the series. The Ganassi team secured its first 1-2 finish since July 2023 at the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course.

Two-time series champion Josef Newgarden rounded out the podium finishers in the No. 2 PPG Team Penske Chevrolet after Dixon passed him for second on the final lap.

NTT P1 Award winner Scott McLaughlin finished fourth in the No. 3 DEX Imaging Team Penske Chevrolet, as Team Penske joined Chip Ganassi Racing with two drivers in the top four. McLaughlin was one of seven drivers out front today, leading a race-high 40 laps.

Florida native and resident Kyle Kirkwood rounded out the top five finishers at his home race in the No. 27 Chili’s Honda fielded by Andretti Global.

Palou took the lead for good on Lap 75 when Felix Rosenqvist made his final pit stop in the No. 60 SiriusXM Honda of Meyer Shank Racing. It was the culmination of a race of split strategies, as drivers who started on the grippier, less durable Firestone Firehawk alternate tires – including Palou, Dixon and Newgarden – jumped into the pits on Lap 3 during the only caution period to shed the alternates for Firestone primary tires.

That proved decisive, yet Palou didn’t just inherit the lead at the race’s three-quarter mark and cruise to Victory Lane. He produced blazing in and out laps surrounding his final pit stop at the end of Lap 72, undercutting his teammate Dixon, who couldn’t discuss strategy with his team and reacted to Palou’s pit move by stopping one lap later after being slowed by thick traffic.

After his final stop, Dixon exited the pits behind a charging Palou.

“We were just kind of flying blind out there,” Dixon said of his radio problems. “Ultimately, I think they were trying to call me in because on that last lap we had before we pitted, there was just so much traffic, and we lost two or three seconds. That’s where the 10 car got us.”

Said Palou: “I think he (Dixon) got trapped in traffic a little bit. That’s why the 10 stand decided to pit a little bit early. We had a really clean out lap, could run fast and just opened a gap from there.”

Palou was 4.502 seconds ahead of Newgarden on Lap 75, but that gap didn’t last. Newgarden sliced that margin to 2.4 seconds by Lap 88 as Palou coped with turbulent air from the car ahead of him, the No. 77 Juncos Hollinger Racing Chevrolet of Sting Ray Robb, who was racing to stay on the lead lap.

Newgarden took advantage and continued to stalk Palou, pulling to within .8186 of a second after Lap 95. Dixon also was gaining ground in third.

But a potential logjam of three cars battling for the checkered flag was scattered when Palou finally lapped Robb in Turn 1 on Lap 96. Newgarden and Dixon squirted past Robb on the same lap, but the traffic-free clean air allowed Palou to pull away immediately.

Palou expanded his gap to 1.1959 seconds after Lap 97 and 1.6938 seconds at the white flag at the end of Lap 99. His lead grew even more during the final trip around the 14-turn, 1.8-mile street circuit as Dixon and Newgarden dueled for second. Dixon got past fellow Indianapolis 500 winner and series champion Newgarden in Turn 10 on the final lap.

“I felt like our car today certainly was capable of winning,” Newgarden said. “Just didn’t quite get there for a couple of reasons. Pit cycles, obviously, we needed to go longer, and we had a shift at the end that we didn’t realize, so we kind of had to give up that second place.”

2024 St. Petersburg winner Pato O’Ward used a mix of strategy and speed to climb from the 23rd starting spot to finish 11th in the No. 5 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet. That was the biggest climb from start to finish by any of the 27 drivers in the field.

The next NTT INDYCAR SERIES race is The Thermal Club INDYCAR Grand Prix on Sunday, March 23 at Thermal, California (3 p.m. ET, FOX, FOX Sports app, INDYCAR Radio Network).

indycar-race-results-2

CHEVROLET IN NTT INDYCAR SERIES: Team Chevy St. Petersburg Race Report

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Official Release
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CHEVROLET IN NTT INDYCAR SERIES
FIRESTONE GRAND PRIX OF ST. PETERSBURG
STREETS OF ST. PETERSBURG
ST. PETERSBURG, FLORIDA
TEAM CHEVY RACE REPORT
MARCH 2, 2025

JOSEF NEWGARDEN AND TEAM PENSKE GIVE CHEVROLET THEIR 337TH INDYCAR PODIUM FINISH SINCE 2012 IN THE V6 ERA

Chevrolet Starts Season Solid with Two Finishing in the Top-Five and Four in the Top-10

  • Josef Newgarden, driver of the No. 2 Team Penske Chevrolet, raced to a third-place finish on the Streets of St. Petersburg, Chevrolet’s 23rd podium finish at the track in the 2.2-liter twin turbo V6 era since 2012.
  • Newgarden’s podium finish was his 59th career podium finish, and Chevrolet’s 337th overall since 2012 in the V6 era.
  • Chevrolet finished with four in the top-10 at the conclusion of the Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg including Newgarden, his Team Penske teammate Scott McLaughlin (fourth), Arrow McLaren’s Christian Lundgaard (seventh) and Ed Carpenter Racing’s Alexander Rossi (10th).
  • Leading the field to the green flag Sunday, McLaughlin, driver of the No. 3 Team Penske Chevrolet captured Team Chevy’s 10th NTT P1 Pole Award on the Streets of St. Pete in the 2.2-liter twin turbo V6 era since 2012 Saturday, his second on the 1.8-mile, 14-turn course. Additionally, McLaughlin’s pole is Chevrolet’s 136th earned pole award in the V6 era since 2012.
  • Team Chevy drivers and teams kicked off Sunday’s race day with a warm up practice session, with six Chevrolet drivers finishing in the top-10 including Nolan Siegel from Arrow McLaren (fifth), Conor Daly from Juncos Hollinger Racing (sixth), Christian Lundgaard from Arrow McLaren (seventh), Sting Ray Robb from Juncos Hollinger Racing (eighth), Pato O’Ward from Arrow McLaren (ninth), and David Malukas from AJ Foyt Racing (10th).
  • Team Chevy next heads to the Thermal Club for The Thermal Club INDYCAR Grand Prix in Thermal, Calif. Competing on the Twin Palms layout, a 3.067-mile, 19-turn racing surface, the main event airs live on FOX at 3 p.m. ET on Sunday, March 23. Additional coverage throughout the weekend can be found via INDYCAR Radio and SiriusXM Channel 218.

Race Results (Top-10):

3rd Josef Newgarden
4th Scott McLaughlin
7th Christian Lundgaard
10th Alexander Rossi

Morning Warm Up Results (Top-10):

5th Nolan Siegel
6th Conor Daly
7th Christian Lundgaard
8th Sting Ray Robb
9th Pato O’Ward
10th David Malukas

WHAT THEY’RE SAYING:

David Malukas, No. 4 AJ Foyt Racing Chevrolet:

“Overall, a lot of positives to take out of that race. Very good race for us. We had a little issue with the pit stop on the end there that took us out of the top-10. Overall, our race was incredible. We just kept going forward. The green tires, which was a big question mark for all the drivers on it having a lot of pace. I think, for us we managed to do a full stint and even did an extra few laps. The car is really good. The team is doing a good job. So to start off the first race like that, to capitalize on my mistakes from (qualifying), we finished off with a P13. It’s a very good, decent result to start the season off and better results for the rest.”

Santino Ferrucci, No. 14 AJ Foyt Racing Chevrolet:

“Solid first weekend back. Wished the result was a little bit better for us. I think we were just struggling with the balance all weekend, and getting a bunch of things sorted. Qualifying kind of hurt us with the electrical problem, but that’s also nobody’s fault. That was just freak. Just keep on learning from this event, and a lot of notes to be taken and move forward to Thermal.”

Pato O’Ward, No. 5 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet:

“Things were tough starting out with a puncture on a pretty messy start in front of us. From what we had today, I would say we maximized things after starting further back than where we would have liked. We got some solid points and it’s important to make sure our bad days aren’t too bad. Great job by the team with the pit stops and the strategy, and I’m looking forward to Thermal in a couple weeks.”

Nolan Siegel, No. 6 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet:

“That was a very disappointing end to a strong weekend. We had pace in every session and on both tires. For how hard this team has worked, coming away from today with that result is disappointing. We’ll continue working hard, though. We’ve shown what we have. The whole No. 6 NTT DATA Arrow McLaren Chevrolet team executed well all weekend. If we continue to execute like that all year, we’re going to have some good results when the luck is on our side.”

Christian Lundgaard, No. 7 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet:

“It was a really, really good first weekend overall. From where we were in Practice 1 to Practice 2 to Qualifying, we just kept chugging speed out of the car and got faster and faster into the race. Going in, it was a big question mark on strategy, what was going to work and what wasn’t. I hate to see the cars that are always on the better side of the strategy are the winning cars again. Obviously, I would have liked to have been in that situation. The Firestone Alternate tire runners got the lucky yellow in the beginning of the race, and it simplified their race from there. We got to lead a good amount of the race, which was awesome for a debut with Arrow McLaren, so I’m very happy for that. The rest was pretty much just damage control. We were looking at a good result but also potential for a very bad result. We chose a bit of a safer route, and we got home in eighth. At the end of the day, we get points for that and leading the race, which is pretty cool.”

Christian Rasmussen, No. 20 Ed Carpenter Racing Chevrolet:

“First race of the year done in St. Pete. Not a bad race for us with a P15 finish from starting P24. Our pace in the No. 21 Splenda car was good. It was a clean and boring race for us but that means it was a safe one. We will keep that going forward and into the next race at Thermal.”

Alexander Rossi, No. 21 Ed Carpenter Racing Chevrolet:

“It was always going to be hard starting from 20th. We came in P2 on the strategy that we chose, which was starting on the primary tire. We steadily improved the car all weekend and from a strategy standpoint, we executed really well. That’s about all we could get out of it, but the weekend overall was positive. We’ll take the momentum and try to keep learning.”

Conor Daly, No. 76 Juncos Hollinger Racing Chevrolet:

“I think we had a tremendous start which was a lot of fun. Gained a lot of positions. Got off of the greens (alternate tire) right when we wanted to. Honestly, I think we had great pace during the race. Just our used set of primaries kind of hurt us in the middle of the race. We definitely know to make sure to keep only new primaries from now on the rest of the season. Just something we didn’t know. Thought we could’ve got away with it. Bit of a shame to kind of not capitalize on a top-12 that I think we had. We were running ahead of a lot of those guys to finish up near there in the top-10. Decent start, we learned a lot, and I think we can carry a lot of this to the next few races.”

Sting Ray Robb, No. 77 Juncos Hollinger Racing Chevrolet:

“Today was okay. I think we had a good car. We are still learning the tires. I think there is room to go on that. It really hurt us at the beginning of the race. Our ending stint was really nice. I know we were there in front of the leaders trying to hold (Alex) Palou off, and it is very hard to hold off that guy. I felt like we decent pace in the car. I think we could have gone a little more forward with different tire pressure. Overall, I’m happy with it. I think we had decent fuel save, and decent power. So, I am hoping that the No. 77 Goodheart Chevrolet goes faster at the next one, and I think it will.”

Robert Shwartzman, No. 83 PREMA Racing Chevrolet:

“This is the first race and we didn’t have particularly high expectations today, but I think we maximized most of it, what we could. Today, we did what we could but again, we had an issue with the radio. That compromised the whole strategy. I was basically left more or less on my own figuring things out, which was a bit difficult because it’s our first time here. I didn’t know a lot of things that were going on. I think we could have done a bit better in terms of position, but I tried my best out there and that is the most important thing. We will all now work really hard in the three weeks we have before the next race, taking the learnings from this weekend.”

Callum Ilott, No. 90 PREMA Racing Chevrolet:

“It was a solid first race from us today. There were no big mistakes on anyone’s side, aside from a little one I had at Turn 10 which I recovered from pretty quickly. We were P19 and P20 for the team, on the lead lap, which I think is a good start. We have some areas where we can work on, but overall the pace was pretty good. We chose to start on the primaries, and with the crash at the start we were put at a bit of a disadvantage by having to do a longer stint on the alternates than the other strategy. I think in a different circumstance with this strategy we could have been a bit higher up but we can’t complain at all. We had good pace when we were fighting with the others. I’m really happy in general. We will debrief and work on lots of things to take to Thermal.”

Josef Newgarden, No. 2 Team Penske Chevrolet:

“It was a good race by the 2 team. A couple of hiccups but this team fought really hard. It starts with a really great car, and we have had a great car all weekend. I think we could have qualified higher than 10th and I said that yesterday. I felt like our car today was certainly capable of winning, but we just didn’t quite get there for a couple of reasons. The pit cycle was where we obviously needed to go longer and then we had a shift there at the end that we kind of didn’t realize and we had to give up second place there. It was a great fight for our team, and this is a good start for us. We are on the podium, got some points and we would like to keep these points on the board and then have a good, solid year. It’s a long season and you have to go all the way. I am happy to be back with this team and happy to see the energy here to start the year in INDYCAR. You know, everything is very positive right now so thank you to Team Chevy and sorry we couldn’t get the win. Obviously, PPG has been here with us and backing us and I always love driving this PPG car because normally its more lucky, but we had a lot of people here supporting and we just got to get ready to go to the next one.”

Scott McLaughlin, No. 3 Team Penske Chevrolet:

“We were ultimately a pit stop behind, but we knew that was the risk of running the blacks. I think if it was no yellow first lap, we’re gone. It is what it is. Great day for us. Good points. Great start to the year. A pole and a fourth, I can’t be unhappy with that.”

On the greater variation of the green and black tires adding to strategy…

“Look, they’ve done what they’ve needed to do to get degradation. I think kudos to Firestone for giving it a crack. Overall, okay.”

On not having a caution would’ve made a difference…

“I think if the caution was in a different spot, for sure. The yellow on the first lap really hurt us, but we knew going in, that was the risk of running the black tire. We wanted a solid race, and I thought the risky strategy was starting on the green. Ultimately it was the other way around but we had great pace today and I’m really proud of everyone.”

Will Power, No. 12 Team Penske Chevrolet:

“Just really close racing there in the middle of the pack and we got checked up super quick. Got into the back of the 6 car which was my fault and obviously not intentional. Normally that corner opens up a bit there, so I need to go back and look at that. Not much I could do after that contact with the 45 car behind me. Just hate to start the season this way. We’ve been strong starters the last few years with the No. 12 Verizon Chevrolet. Looking forward to Thermal and the points race there.”

Josef Newgarden, driver of the No. 2 Team Penske Chevrolet, met with members of the media during the podium press conference after the Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg. Transcript:

THE MODERATOR: Good afternoon, everyone. Welcome to the VISIT St. Pete/Clearwater Media Center, wrapping up the Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg presented by RP Funding.

But we’re joined now by Josef Newgarden driving the No. 2 PPG Team Penske Chevrolet with his fourth podium here at St. Pete, 59th career podium, one behind the great Johnny Rutherford for his 17th all time. Josef led two laps today.

How would you describe the start to 2025? I’m sure if they would have told you ahead of time you’d get a podium finish, you might take that, although you’d love a win?

JOSEF NEWGARDEN: Yeah, it was a good day. A podium is always solid. I think I said that on Friday when I was in here that ultimately we need a good day just to get points on the board. That’s kind of going to be most important for this weekend, so we accomplished that.

Can’t be too dissatisfied. I think we had some miscues in the race today for sure. Just a couple fueling-wise. But the team still did a stellar job. It starts with the foundation of a fast car, and we certainly had that all weekend, and it definitely felt like it was intact in the race.

Very solid overall, just wish we could have capitalized on the positioning. We were in a good position today to challenge for the win and misstepped a little bit, but really proud of the team and the way they started. Built awesome cars. We can go on with that and feel confident at least to challenge for wins in the future.

Putting good points on the board is always the key, so we can leave here with a solid result.

Q. How are you going to beat Palou for the title?

JOSEF NEWGARDEN: I’m sorry, that is an incredible question. It’s round 1. I know this is your first race here, but it’s round 1, dude. Let’s see how it goes.

Q. The physical difficulties out there, how was the track, alternate rubber, et cetera?

JOSEF NEWGARDEN: Very similar to last year, I would say. I don’t know how everyone else feels, but to me it felt similar track conditions, good temperature, great track build. Kind of typical St. Pete. It just grips up like crazy here in the race. Certainly throughout the weekend and in the race it kind of takes another level throughout each stint.

Pretty straightforward. Felt like typical St. Pete. You’ve just got to get the cycling correct and get yourself in position. Obviously didn’t have as much chaos with a lot of restarts. Sometimes that can jumble things up. Really just had a pretty straightforward day. Just needed to get the cycles right.

Q. Josef, what were you going through the last lap or two when you started to fall away from Alex?

JOSEF NEWGARDEN: I mean, we just had fuel miscues today two times. The second one we were just — we had a shift that was unexpected with a lap to go, and we just had to hit the emergency button, which was unfortunate. We kind of started that last lap like half emergency mode, and then they said, you just have to pull the chute here. Like just finish.

Yeah, it happens. It’s unfortunate.

To have miscues like that and to still finish third I think is a great day in a lot of ways. Really pleased to come out of here with points. Obviously there’s a lot more that could have been.

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.

Alex Palou pulls off undercut to win at St. Pete

By
Tucker White
-
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. - MARCH 2: Alex Palou, driver of the #10 Chip Ganassi Racing Honda, leaps into the arms of his crew after winning the NTT INDYCAR Series Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg on March 2, 2025, in St. Petersburg, Florida. Photo: Chris Jones/Penske Entertainment

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — Fresh off his third NTT INDYCAR Series title, Alex Palou kicks off the 2025 season with a victory.

The driver of the No. 10 Chip Ganassi Racing Honda pulled a successful undercut stop of teammate Scott Dixon on Lap 72 and took the lead from Scott McLaughlin on Lap 74. With 10 laps to go, however, Sting Ray Robb held him up for five laps and Josef Newgarden cut the lead to half a second. With five to go, he overtook Robb into Turn 1 and pulled away to a 2.867 margin of victory.

“Yeah, huge. Couldn’t be happier,” he said. “It’s been a long off-season and a tough off-season for everybody at CGR and HRC. They’ve been working really, really hard to try and — I mean, we were speaking on Thursday during media or Friday that it was one of the places that we’ve been struggling in the past, and we wanted to get a little bit closer to the competition.

“I wanted to be here in Victory Lane, but I did not expect maybe to be here in Victory Lane. That shows the amazing job that all the men and women did at Chip Ganassi Racing during the off-season. One-two for the team, I don’t know what Chip said, but I bet he’s pretty happy.”

Dixon overtook Newgarden right next to the deadline room on Bay Shore Drive to finish runner-up for the fifth time on the streets of St. Pete. All while he dealt with radio issues the entire race.

“It was kind of tough just to see what we were doing, kind of mileage-wise,” he said. “I knew it was going to be a lot tighter, obviously; once the first caution happened, it was going to be a strict kind of two-stopper.

“Kind of worked on the warm-up laps and kind of for the first 10 and that was about it, but ultimately cost us the race, I think, with not coming in when I should have, I think, with about maybe the same lap as Alex. We caught that traffic with about five or six cars and lost about two or three seconds on that in lap, so that was a bit of a nightmare.”

“Yeah, it was a good day,” Newgarden said. “A podium is always solid. I think I said that on Friday when I was in here that ultimately we need a good day just to get points on the board. That’s kind of going to be most important for this weekend, so we accomplished that.”

Pole sitter McLaughlin (who led a race-high of 40 laps) and Kyle Kirkwood rounded out the top five.

Marcus Ericsson, Felix Rosenqvist, Christian Lundgaard, Rinus VeeKay and Alexander Rossi rounded out the top 10.

Race summary

McLaughlin led the field to green at 12:28 p.m. Coming through Turn 3, Will Power hit the back of Nolan Siegel and slammed the outside wall. Louis Foster spun out, also. Most of the field pitted under the caution to switch onto Firestone blacks (except for Pato O’Ward, who stayed on Firestone reds). Nine cars stayed out.

Back to green on Lap 8, Rosenqvist looked to McLaughlin’s inside but backed out and McLaughlin pulled away from the field. By lap 12, he pulled out to a 1.140-second lead. By Lap 15, however, Rosenqvist cut the gap to seven-tenths of a second. Ten laps later, McLaughlin pulled back out to a 1.737-second lead. By Lap 30, he pulled to a four-second lead.

Rosenqvist pitted from second that same lap and switched to Firestone reds. McLaughlin followed suit the next lap and switched to Firestone reds. Marcus Armstrong pitted from the lead on Lap 34 and stayed on Firestone blacks. Colton Herta pitted from the lead on Lap 35 and took Firestone reds, but has trouble with the right-rear tire. Newgarden pitted from the lead on Lap 37 and stays on Firestone blacks. Dixon pitted from the lead on Lap 38 and remained on Firestone blacks.

McLaughlin cycled back to the lead on Lap 40 but pitted five laps later for Firestone blacks. Herta made an unscheduled stop on Lap 47 because his team short-filled him on fuel his first stop.

Rossi, who had yet to run a different tire compound, pitted from second for Firestone reds on Lap 63. With Dixon hounding him, Lundgaard pitted from the lead for Firestone reds on Lap 68. Dixon pitted from the lead for Firestone blacks on Lap 72, but Palou’s undercut cycled him out ahead of Dixon. McLaughlin pitted from the lead on Lap 74 and Palou cycled to the lead.

“I caught about five or six cars on my in lap,” Dixon said. “I think I lost about two or three seconds just on my in lap. They did the right thing; they could see the traffic coming. I had no communication, so didn’t know. I’m sure they were trying to call me in, but as soon as you catch them, the undercut is going to be pretty strong, especially if you pop out into clear track.

Sting Ray Robb, the last car on the lead lap, held up Palou. Which allowed Newgarden to reel him in and cut the gap to half a second. With five laps to go, Palou overtook Robb into Turn 1, stretched the lead back out to a second and drove onto victory.

Nuts and bolts

The race lasted one hour, 51 minutes and nine seconds, at an average speed of 97.173 mph. There were nine lead changes among seven different drivers and one caution for six laps.

The NTT INDYCAR SERIES next heads out west to Thermal, California, to race at The Thermal Club on March 23.

Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg Race Results

  1. (8) Alex Palou, Honda, 100, Running
  2. (6) Scott Dixon, Honda, 100, Running
  3. (10) Josef Newgarden, Chevrolet, 100, Running
  4. (1) Scott McLaughlin, Chevrolet, 100, Running
  5. (9) Kyle Kirkwood, Honda, 100, Running
  6. (7) Marcus Ericsson, Honda, 100, Running
  7. (3) Felix Rosenqvist, Honda, 100, Running
  8. (5) Christian Lundgaard, Chevrolet, 100, Running
  9. (12) Rinus VeeKay, Honda, 100, Running
  10. (20) Alexander Rossi, Chevrolet, 100, Running
  11. (23) Pato O’Ward, Chevrolet, 100, Running
  12. (21) Graham Rahal, Honda, 100, Running
  13. (17) David Malukas, Chevrolet, 100, Running
  14. (19) Santino Ferrucci, Chevrolet, 100, Running
  15. (24) Christian Rasmussen, Chevrolet, 100, Running
  16. (2) Colton Herta, Honda, 100, Running
  17. (22) Conor Daly, Chevrolet, 100, Running
  18. (15) Kyffin Simpson, Honda, 100, Running
  19. (27) Callum Ilott, Chevrolet, 100, Running
  20. (18) Robert Shwartzman, Chevrolet, 100, Running
  21. (26) Sting Ray Robb, Chevrolet, 99, Running
  22. (14) Devlin DeFrancesco, Honda, 99, Running
  23. (25) Jacob Abel, Honda, 99, Running
  24. (4) Marcus Armstrong, Honda, 46, Contact
  25. (11) Nolan Siegel, Chevrolet, 0, Contact
  26. (13) Will Power, Chevrolet, 0, Contact
  27. (16) Louis Foster, Honda, 0, Contact

Top Ten Finish for Meyer Shank Racing in St. Pete Season Opener

By
Official Release
-

Rosenqvist finishes seventh, Armstrong leads laps but retires early to finish 24th

St. Petersburg, Fla. (2 March 2025) – Meyer Shank Racing (MSR) showed strong pace in the opening round of the 2025 NTT INDYCAR SERIES season, with both Felix Rosenqvist and Marcus Armstrong running at the sharp end of the field in Sunday’s Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg.

With race strategy that was anticipated to be influenced by tire choice, both Rosenqvist (No. 60 SiriusXM Honda) and Armstrong (No. 66 SiriusXM / Root Insurance Honda) opted to start on the Firestone primary tires with the goal of building an early gap from the field. But that plan was temporarily hindered with a Lap 1 caution bunching the field together.

Once back to green, Armstrong showcased his speed early on, leading the field before pitting on Lap 35 for a set of Firestone alternate tires. Unfortunately just 10 laps into his second stint minor contact with the wall sent Armstrong into the pit lane for a tire change. One back out on track, further suspension damage was discovered and ended his race prematurely – finishing 24th.

Rosenqvist ran comfortably in the top ten throughout the race with a big push in the final laps as he hunted down the top five and running laps consistent with the leaders. Rosenqvist ultimately crossed the line seventh, giving the No. 60 Honda solid points to start off the season.

The season opener was also highlighted by MSR and SiriusXM’s first artist collaboration of the season. MSR kicked off race day with a special appearance from Shinedown members, Zach Myers and Barry Kerch who got to see the No. 60 SiriusXM Honda which featured both SiriusXM’s Octane (channel 37) and Shinedown.

The team now shifts its focus to the next round of the NTT INDYCAR SERIES season, aiming to build on the promising pace shown in St. Petersburg.

Meyer Shank Racing Driver Quotes:

Felix Rosenqvist: “I think it was a pretty decent day, we had a quick car. We were on the black tire at the start and the worst that could have happened was a yellow at the start and that’s literally what happened. I think, considering that, I’m happy with the seventh. I honestly thought it was going to be worse. It was a good recovery, I think there is nothing to be upset about, we went for a strategy that didn’t work out and we will learn from it and move on. But, an exciting start to the year, good pace and I feel more excited about the pace that we showed this year compared to last, so that exciting.”

Marcus Armstrong: “It was really unfortunate to not be able to finish the race. We had some really good pace in the No. 66 SiriusXM / Root Insurance Honda. I felt like we were strong on both tires. I was on a really good run on the greens and feel like we could have gone pretty long on those which would have put us in a position to potentially fight for the lead had we kept that pace. Unfortunate way to start the season, but I think we showed the speed that we have as a team and we have a lot to look forward to the rest of the season.”

Hauger Dominates for First Series Victory at St. Petersburg

By
Official Release
-

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (Sunday, March 2, 2025) – There are big expectations surrounding Dennis Hauger’s first season of INDY NXT by Firestone with Andretti Global.

So far, so good.

Hauger completed a dominant weekend with his first victory in his first start in the INDYCAR development series, taking the checkered flag in the No. 28 Rental Group car under caution. Hauger, who started from the pole, led every lap and turned the fastest lap of the race. He became the first driver since Linus Lundqvist in 2021 to win in his INDY NXT by Firestone debut.

Norwegian driver Hauger joins INDY NXT by Firestone this season after winning the FIA Formula 3 Championship in 2021 and earning five wins and 13 podium finishes in FIA Formula 2 – the last official ladder step before Formula One – in the last three seasons.

“That was fun,” Hauger said. “First proper race on this course for me, as well. We had a good rhythm. The car was really good, and the team did an amazing job all weekend long to be up there with us. Super happy. Good start to the season and definitely a confidence boost for us.”

Fellow rookie Lochie Hughes gave Andretti Global a 1-2 finish in the No. 26 McGinley Clinic/USF Pro Championship machine. Caio Collet, the top returning driver in the series, rounded out the podium finishers in the No. 76 HMD Motorsports car.

Myles Rowe tied his career-best result in INDY NXT by placing fourth in the No. 99 Abel Motorsports/Force Indy car. Salvador de Alba rounded out the top five in the No. 27 Grupo Indi car fielded by Andretti Global.

Jordan Missig continued his breakthrough weekend by finishing a career-best sixth in the No. 48 Abel Motorsports car. Missig, who also qualified a career-best ninth, recorded a best finish of ninth in five INDY NXT starts last season for the Abel team.

The only thing that slowed Hauger was four caution flags that forced the race, originally scheduled for 45 laps, to instead become a 55-minute event. He held off teammate Hughes on all three restarts, on Laps 2, 14 and 25, and eased away.

With 10 minutes remaining, Hauger led Hughes by 1.3 seconds. That gap expanded to 2.4 seconds and was growing when Jack William Miller hit the barrier in Turn 9 while running fifth in the No. 40 Abel/Miller/Vinatieri Motorsports car with two minutes, 15 seconds left in the race. That triggered the fourth and final caution period and ended the race.

Female rookie teammates Sophia Floersch and Hailie Deegan finished 12th and 14th, respectively, in their respective series debuts for HMD Motorsports.

The next INDY NXT by Firestone race is the Grand Prix of Alabama on Sunday, May 4 at Barber Motorsports Park (11:30 a.m. ET, FS1, FOX Sports app, INDYCAR Radio Network).

indynxt-race-results

Ken Roczen Conquers Daytona Supercross

By
Official Release
-

RJ Hampshire Earns Win in 250SX Class

Daytona, Fla., (March 2, 2025) Progressive Insurance ECSTAR Suzuki’s Ken Roczen became the sixth different Monster Energy AMA Supercross winner of the season in just the first eight rounds of racing. Roczen put in a strong charge just before the race’s midpoint to push from fourth place into the lead and earn his career-first Daytona Supercross victory in his 11th attempt. The win also marked Suzuki’s first since 2009 at the iconic speedway.

Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing’s Cooper Webb challenged for the lead in the later laps but after a small mistake, settled for second place. His fifth runner-up finish inside the Daytona international Speedway Trioval helped him retain the title points lead. After leading laps early, Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Aaron Plessinger grabbed his first podium of the season when he crossed the checkered flag in third place. In the Eastern Divisional 250SX Class, Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing’s RJ Hampshire took the win at Round 3 of that Championship to also claim his first victory at the storied venue.

First place 450SX Class
First place 450SX Class

“I honestly still can’t believe it… I had some really good lines. When you make those passes you have to put your head down or else they’ll retaliate and come back. I was just charging the whole time, trying to get a gap. Coming out of these turns it was really rutty, and very easy to make a mistake, but I just kept my head down and charged the whole way. I seriously cannot believe that this finally happened… This is a dream come true.” – Ken Roczen

Second place 450SX Class
Second place 450SX Class

“You can’t make mistakes, as many as I did, and expect to win. I’m a little bit bummed. Kenny rode great. He was charging through, he got around me, he made the pass stick on AP, and he pulled away. That put the urgency on me and I just made too many mistakes after that. So I’m a bit bummed, but overall from a points perspective it was a great night. Yeah, another second place here… We’ll regroup, try to get it going again in Indy, and not be so complacent this next weekend..” –Cooper Webb, who’s championship lead grew from 5 points to 10 points with his Daytona finish.

Third place 450SX Class
Third place 450SX Class

“I’m pretty satisfied [with this podium], after the start of the season. First off, I want to dedicate this to my buddy who just got diagnosed with cancer. Jessie Waters, he’s back at home watching, this one’s for you… After two 22nd place finishes, a 7th, 8th, 9th, it’s been a ride. But we pulled it off. I love this track, I love this place, and you know we’re always doing it for Dale [points to his Dale Earnhardt #3 shirt he threw over his jersey]. It’s a good night..” – Aaron Plessinger

In 250SX Class racing, RJ Hampshire fought hard to capture an emotional first win at Daytona. Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Tom Vialle captured the Holeshot and set the pace for the early laps. He relinquished the lead to Hampshire shortly before a red flag re-start tightened up the pack with under eight minutes left on the race clock. Monster Energy Pro Circuit Kawasaki’s Seth Hammaker rounded out the 250SX Class podium after a pass late in the race with less than two laps remaining.

First place 250SX Class
First place 250SX Class

“It’s special. I lost my dad a few months ago and this was his race. Growing up as a kid, this is where I came with him. It was the only Supercross I came to. And he was with us today. Some guy came up to me in the pits and had his old jersey that he raced with back in the day, that was something I never had. He gifted me that and – it just felt different today, man, like my dad was definitely here… Finally got to burn one [a victory burnout on the banked track] down here in Daytona, that was for my dad, for sure.” – RJ Hampshire, alternatingly poignant and joyous on the podium.

Second place 250SX Class
Second place 250SX Class

“I was leading for a couple laps and [Hampshire] passed me in the race [before the re-start]. It was hard. The track is really tough and tricky here. We were pretty much the same speed, for the entire moto I was not far [behind], but I couldn’t make a move, to be honest… I made a few mistakes on the rhythm… and maybe that cost me the win tonight. But I’m happy to be on the podium. It’s still a long championship and we are right there.” – Tom Vialle (#1 in photo)

Third place 250SX Class

“I’m really pumped to get back up here on the podium. It’s two years in a row I’m here on the podium in Daytona. This track never lets you down; it’s a fight out there, and I fought hard all the way until the end. I feel really good about that one. We’ll keep the momentum rolling into the East/West Showdown next weekend.” – Seth Hammaker

The SMX Next series raced its second round of 2025 and Kawasaki Team Green’s Landen Gordon took the win in an action-filled race, repeating his win from the first SMX Next event earlier this season at the Glendale round. Nabbing second was Kawasaki Team Green’s Enzo Temmerman, who locked handlebars with another rider at the start and fought his way all the way to second place; Like Gordon, the result duplicated Temmerman’s Glendale finish. Muc-Off FXR ClubMX Yamaha’s Jesson Turner rounded out the podium after clawing his way to third in the closing laps.

First place SMX Next Class
First place SMX Next Class

“The fans are – it’s insane and I truly have no words. I’m just trying to soak it all in. I was a little fortunate there that Fedortsov’s bike malfunctioned [with what appeared to be a flat rear tire while Fedortsov was leading], but I’ll take it how I can get it. I’m super pumped on my bike and my team. All the hard work we’ve put in, my dad, my mom, my family watching back home. Yeah, I’m just going to soak it in, that was awesome.” – Landen Gordon

The Daytona Supercross pays points toward both the 17-round Monster Energy AMA Supercross season as well as toward the SMX World Championship post-season, which seeds racers from Supercross and the AMA Pro Motocross championships into two Playoffs and the SMX World ChampionshipTM.

For fans awaiting the Supercross season to come to their city, live and on-demand viewing is available on Peacock. Select events are also broadcast or streamed on NBC, CNBC, USA Network, and NBC Sports digital platforms. Telemundo Deportes’ Facebook and YouTube channels provide Spanish-language coverage in the US, while live international coverage can be accessed through the SuperMotocross Video Pass (supermotocross.tv) with English, Spanish and French language broadcasts. Each round can also be heard live on NBC Sports Audio on SiriusXM Channel 85.

The series returns to a domed stadium on Saturday, March 8th, inside Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, Indiana. Round 9 will also serve as the series’ annual Love Moto Stop Cancer race, honoring patients of St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. The first gate drops at 7:00 p.m. ET next Saturday. The Indy Supercross will host the season’s first of three 250SX Class East/West Showdowns in which racers from each division compete for single-event points. For more information, race results, live timing, video highlights, and ticket sales to attend an event please visit SupercrossLIVE.com.

Facebook: facebook.com/supercrosslive
X: twitter.com/supercrosslive
Instagram: instagram.com/supercrosslive
YouTube: youtube.com/supercrosslive
TikTok: tiktok.com/supercrossliveofficial
Official Merch: SupercrossSuperstore.com

About Feld Motor Sports:

Feld Motor Sports, Inc. is the worldwide leader in producing and presenting specialized arena and stadium-based motorsports entertainment. Properties include Monster Jam®, Monster Energy AMA Supercross, and the SMX World ChampionshipTM. Feld Motor Sports, Inc. is a subsidiary of Feld Entertainment, Inc. Visit monsterjam.com, SupercrossLIVE.com, and feldentertainment.com for more information.

About Monster Energy AMA Supercross Championship:

Monster Energy AMA Supercross is the most competitive and highest-profile off-road motorcycle racing championship on the planet. Founded in America and sanctioned by the American Motorcyclist Association (AMA) since 1974. Over 17 weeks, Supercross attracts some of the largest and most impressive crowds inside the most recognizable and prestigious stadiums in North America to race in front of nearly one million live fans and broadcast to millions more worldwide. For more information, visit SupercrossLIVE.com.

About the SMX World Championship:

The SMX World Championship™ is the premier off-road motorcycle racing series in the world that combines the technical precision of stadium racing with the all-out speed and endurance of outdoor racing. Created in 2022, the SMX World Championship Series combines the Monster Energy AMA Supercross Championship and the AMA Pro Motocross Championship into a 28-round regular season that culminates with the season-ending SMX World Championship Playoffs. Visit SuperMotocross.com for more information.

About the American Motorcyclist Association:

Founded in 1924, the AMA is a not-for-profit member-based association whose mission is to promote the motorcycle lifestyle and protect the future of motorcycling. As the world’s largest motorcycling rights and event sanctioning organization, the AMA advocates for riders’ interests at all levels of government and sanctions thousands of competition and recreational events every year. The AMA also provides money-saving discounts on products and services for its members. Through the AMA Motorcycle Hall of Fame in Pickerington, Ohio, the AMA honors the heroes and heritage of motorcycling. For more information, visit americanmotorcyclist.com.

Thomas Keeps it Clean on St. Pete Streets to Win Mazda MX-5 Cup Race One

By
Official Release
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St. Pete

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (March 1, 2025) – Experience played a key factor in Round Three of the Whelen Mazda MX-5 Cup presented by Michelin at the Grand Prix of St. Petersburg on Saturday. The podium was composed of drivers with plenty of experience at the street circuit. Jared Thomas (No. 96 JTR Motorsports Engineering) led the way to the checkered flag, followed by teammate Glenn McGee (No. 69 JTR Motorsports Engineering) and Tyler Gonzalez (No. 57 BSI Racing).

Polesitter Jeremy Fletcher (No. 22 McCumbee McAleer Racing) appeared in control of the race early on, leading all but two laps before the first full-course caution came out. He held off a charge from defending Rookie of the Year Westin Workman (No. 13 BSI Racing) before pulling a three and a half second gap on the rest of the field.

That lead was erased when the first full-course caution was issued 15 minutes into the race.

Fluids on the track caused multiple cars to lose control in Turn 10 and three cars made contact with the tire wall, necessitating a lengthy cleanup. When racing resumed, there was less than 12 minutes left on the clock.

On the restart, Fletcher went wide in Turn One, allowing multiple cars to slip by on the inside, including Thomas, who took over the lead. He was followed through by Nathan Nicholson (No. 56 Advanced Autosports), McGee, and Gonzalez.

McGee effectively acted as rear-gunner as he put the pressure on Nicholson and then took over second place. A few short laps later, a full-course caution came out again for a car stopped in Turn 10. When it was time to go back racing, drivers found themselves in a green, white, checkered scenario.

Thomas had a great restart and built a gap to his teammate by the time they reached the white flag. McGee was able to shake free from Nicholson and get some breathing room for the final lap.

There was no denying Thomas the win, his second on the streets of St. Pete.

“I think it’s one thing just to turn laps here,” Thomas said. “But it’s another thing to race hard and get your elbows out and be door to door going through these corners with a wall right next to you. I think the experience does help. I was really comfortable.”

Thomas qualified an uncharacteristic 10th but was confident he had a fast car beneath him.

“I knew we had a good car,” Thomas said. “I was a little upset with how I qualified. I wasn’t too thrilled with that, so I knew I had some work to do. We made some more adjustments going in the race and we had a car good enough to win.”

McGee fiercely defended his runner-up position, determined to score his first career podium finish. It was an emotional accomplishment for the driver who went from a sim racer, to a MX-5 Cup driver thanks to the Mazda MX-5 Cup Shootout.

“Oh god, I love this series,” McGee said. “It’s a very important series to me. I’m the only guy in the world to go directly from video games, right into pro racing in the MX-5 Cup series. So this series has always had a really special place in my heart. It’s also got some of the best young talent in the world here because of what Mazda does to support everyone–you can win quite a bit of money here! So, everybody’s fighting hard, and to win or get a podium here you have to be really cooking to get it done. We fought really hard. I fell back to like, eighth or something. I raced back up to second, hung on, hung on to my teammate Jared [Thomas]and I thought about challenging him, but I figured we wouldn’t upset the boss man, and we’d finish one-two. It’s great to be on the podium for the first time in this series.”

First and second place were obvious exiting the final turn, but third-place was another story. Nicholson and Gonzalez had an intense fight through the final laps. Gonzalez got by Nicholson in Turn 10 and came through the final turn with Nicholson on his bumper. Nicholson tried to get enough of a draft to re-pass Gonzalez but couldn’t make it work.

“I knew I had to get (the pass) done and that was my last opportunity,” Gonzalez said. “He [Nicholson] checked up real early. I was able to get underneath him at the apex. I knew it was going to be a drag race, but I think just with all the yellows, everybody didn’t really get enough heat in their tires, so I was able to hold a tighter line than he was, and able to drive away. He almost got back around me at the line, but I’m thankful he didn’t.”

Following Nicholson across the line in fifth was Workman.

Peter Atwater (No. 26 JTR Motorsports Engineering) narrowly avoided disaster multiple times during the race, but quick reflexes brought him home in 11th and earned him the Takumi Award, for the series’ more seasoned drivers.

Sally Mott’s (No. 15 JTR Motorsports Engineering) Saturday got off to a bad start; she had a spin in qualifying, which didn’t damage the car at all, but while she was stopped, she was hit by another car, which ended the session for her. Starting from the back of the field, Mott stayed levelheaded in the chaos and ended the race in 16th, which earned her the Penske Shocking Performance Award.

“I didn’t know if I was going to be able to race today,” Mott said. “I started second to dead last, and just put my head down and tried to make up as many positions as I could, because, man, I just want to do so well.”

She was joined on the post-race podium by Heather Hadley (No. 54 Hendricks Motorsports) who finished 12th and earned the highest finishing female driver award.

Having two female drivers as part of the ceremonies was the perfect way to underscore the launch of a new docuseries about MX-5 Cup called First to the Finish. Premiering March 25 on Prime Video, the series follows Mott and Hadley through the 2024 season as well as BSI Racing team owner Shea Holbrook.

There is one more MX-5 Cup race to go in St. Pete. Round Four goes green Sunday at 3:45pm ET. Live streaming is available on the RACER and IMSA YouTube channels.

About: The Whelen Mazda MX-5 Cup presented by Michelin is the signature spec series for Mazda Motorsports. The series has been operated by Andersen Promotions since 2017 and is currently sanctioned by IMSA. Mazda-powered grassroots champions can earn Mazda scholarships for this pro-level series. The Whelen Mazda MX-5 Cup awards more than $1 million in prizes and scholarships.

Find out more at http://www.mx-5cup.com.

Recovering Damages After a Fatal Vehicle Accident in Kentucky

By
SM
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Image by Romy from Pixabay

The Bluegrass State isn’t just known for whiskey, mint juleps, and the Kentucky Derby. The Commonwealth has another unfortunate claim to fame: Kentucky is 39th in the nation for vehicle accident fatality rates. This isn’t exactly a static topic anyone wants to brag about. When a catastrophic car accident causes a fatality, the victims’ loved ones are often eligible for recovering compensation. 

Receiving a check isn’t going to bring your loved one back, but it can help with things like funeral expenses. However, Kentucky doesn’t let just anyone file a wrongful death claim. Some accidents resulting in a fatality may not even meet the necessary qualifications for filing a claim.

What is a Wrongful Death Claim?

If you lose a loved one in an accident caused by someone’s negligence, recklessness, or criminal actions, you may be able to file a claim to recover financial compensation. Your claim is against the at-fault driver’s insurance provider.

Sometimes, the claim turns into a wrongful death lawsuit and this is filed in civil court. Most wrongful death claims are settled out of court before turning into a lawsuit. However, if you can’t reach an agreement with the insurance provider or gross negligence caused the accident, you’ll probably move to file a lawsuit. 

With a lawsuit, the judge or jury decides if you should receive compensation for your loss. The court is also responsible for handing out punitive damage awards that may be appropriate in cases involving gross negligence.

Gross negligence occurs when the at-fault party’s actions either willfully or recklessly take the life of another person. An example of gross negligence can be driving an 18-wheeler while intoxicated or deciding to race another driver on a busy street. Gross negligence often applies if an accident resulting in fatalities occurs in either scenario.

Your claim must also meet the Kentucky wrongful death statute guidelines. These are guidelines dictating when a wrongful death claim is applicable in an accident involving a fatality. Vehicle accidents aren’t the only ones that fall under the statute, which include:

  • Bicyclist and pedestrian deaths
  • Medical malpractice
  • Dog attacks
  • Fire

Some crime-related deaths can also be covered by the statute. To learn more about the types of accidents covered under the state’s wrongful death statute, it’s a good idea to talk to an experienced personal injury attorney.

Who’s Eligible to File a Wrongful Death Claim?

Sometimes it doesn’t matter how close you were to the deceased, it may not mean you can file a wrongful death claim. Kentucky, like most states, has strict rules governing who can bring a wrongful death claim.

The surviving spouse is eligible, along with the deceased children. If the deceased isn’t married and doesn’t have children, their parents or siblings can often file a wrongful death claim. If the deceased has named an estate executor or one is put in place by the court, this individual can file a claim on behalf of the estate.

Something to note is that only one family member can file a wrongful death claim. So, if the decedent’s spouse files a claim, their surviving child or parents can’t do the same.

Navigating Complex Cases

The executor or family members managing a claim should also consider the specific circumstances of the accident. Cases involving commercial vehicles, for instance, introduce complex federal regulations and large insurance carriers.

A note for Texas readers: While the principles of wrongful death claims are similar, specific state laws apply. For instance, if a fatal truck accident occurs in Texas, seeking a truck accident attorney becomes a critical step. Such an attorney is essential to properly investigate the crash and navigate the intersection of Texas state law and federal trucking regulations.

Pay Attention to Kentucky’s Statute of Limitations

Your grief over the loss of a loved one can be debilitating. The last thing you want to think about is meeting with a wrongful death attorney. While it’s understandable you need time to grieve, the clock’s also ticking on the time you have to file a wrongful death claim.

The statute of limitations in Kentucky is one to two years from either the date of the accident or your loved one’s death. How can the dates vary? If your loved one doesn’t pass away immediately from their injuries, the statute of limitations doesn’t kick in. Even though you have one or possibly two years in Kentucky, it’s not necessarily the same in other states. You may only have a little longer to file a wrongful death claim.

The timeline may be even shorter if you’re filing a wrongful death claim against a government entity. Sometimes, you only have as little as six months to start the claim process.

Minors may be able to temporarily pause the statute until they turn 18. The statute can also be paused if you can’t find the at-fault party. You must serve the responsible party with a letter of intent for your claim to move forward. Sometimes this requirement can be waived by the court, but don’t count on it. Every wrongful death claim is unique and what applies to one may not work for yours.

Potential Recoverable Damages

Most wrongful death claims will include economic and non-economic damages, but remember every case differs. Your economic damages typically include things like medical expenses and funeral costs.

If the deceased is the primary earner in the family, economic damages can include a loss of financial support. You may also be able to list a loss of economic benefits like insurance and even your estimated inheritance.

Your wrongful death claim may even list non-economic damages like emotional distress and a loss of companionship. The surviving spouse may even be able to claim a loss of consortium. Working with an attorney can make listing and calculating your damages a little easier.

How Is Compensation Awarded?

After settling your wrongful death claim, it’s time to think about how the compensation is awarded. Every state is a little different, but if the claim is filed in Kentucky compensation is first dispersed to the surviving spouse. 

If the deceased is survived by children and or grandchildren, compensation is divided. The spouse typically receives half and the rest goes to the children and grandchildren. If the spouse is also deceased, compensation is divided between the surviving children and grandchildren.

Don’t Go Through a Kentucky Wrongful Death Claim Alone

Trying to navigate a wrongful death claim can be complicated and you’re already dealing with your loss. Talk to a wrongful death attorney about your claim and let them handle the legal process so you can focus on recovering from your sudden loss. 

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