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.
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.”
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).
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
“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
“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
“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
“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
“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
“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.
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.
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.
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.
AUSTIN, Texas (March 1, 2025) – The pursuit of a dream weekend at Circuit of The Americas (COTA) continued for Connor Zilisch as he dominated the field to win Saturday’s Focused Health 250 NASCAR Xfinity Series (NXS) race for his second victory in just seven career NXS races.
After starting from the pole and leading most of Stage One, a pit road penalty relegated the 18-year-old JR Motorsports driver to the rear of the field to start the second stage. With a balance of patience and aggression, the Mooresville, N.C. native carved up the field, moving up to third to start the final stage.
Late-race contact with Corey Heim of Sam Hunt Racing threatened to end the rookie’s charge to the front, but ultimately he got around teammate Carson Kvapil to reclaim the lead with nine laps to go.
“That was way harder than I wanted it to be,” Zilisch said after the race. “I did not drive the clean race I wanted to. It’s been such a fun weekend, but we’ve got a big race tomorrow. Looking forward to that as well.”
Kvapil cut a tire late, relinquishing second place to Daytona 500 winner William Byron of Hendrick Motorsports and ultimately finishing 23rd.
“Our long runs were really good,” Byron said. “My car was just sloppy on the short runs and then I had to try to stay with it on the long run… It was good to get in a rhythm. I think it will help me for tomorrow.”
Sam Mayer of Haas Factory Team finished third, a personal best at COTA. In four career starts, he has never finished worse than ninth.
“We were good enough to get in the top three and get that podium finish,” Mayer said. “We hit everything. We got hit multiple times. This team’s future is really, really bright.”
Richard Childress Racing’s Austin Hill, the series points leader, and Kaulig Racing’s AJ Allmendinger rounded out the top five.
With the victory, Zilisch became just the second full-time NXS driver to win in five years of the Focused Health 250. For the fourth time in five years, the polesitter went on to take the checkered flag.
Zilisch looks to double down in Texas with a strong showing with his NASCAR Cup Series (NCS) debut coming in Sunday’s EchoPark Automotive Grand Prix. He starts 14th in the 37-car field.
Heartbreak to Victory Lane: Gebhardt Intralogistics Motorsports Claims Race Two IMSA Win
In the opening race of IMSA’s VP Racing SportsCar Challenge doubleheader Saturday, Gebhardt Intralogistics Motorsports teammates Oscar Tunjo and Valentino Catalano watched a lead of more than 1 minute, 30 seconds disappear on the penultimate lap after both ran drivers out of fuel. They didn’t have to wait long for redemption, however, capturing the top two spots for the P3 class in the 45-minute race finale. Jonathan Woolridge, who won the morning race, finished third in the evening event, capping an action-packed day of racing on the 2.4-mile National Course.
Click here for a full recap of Saturday’s second race from IMSA’s VP Racing SportsCar Challenge.
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Tickets for children ages 12 and under start at just $10 for Sunday’s EchoPark Automotive Grand Prix NCS race. For individual tickets, weekend packages and camping, fans can visit NASCARatCOTA.com.
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Firing off strong in the No. 16 Celsius Chevy, Eckes quickly overtook ninth place before the first caution on lap four. On the restart, Eckes narrowly avoided a pileup in front of him but sustained minor left-front fender damage. He remained in the top 10 and managed to finish the stage in seventh. While exiting pit road, Eckes acquired a speeding penalty, and crew chief Alex Yontz turned the infraction into an advantage; the No. 16 team fully taped up the Celsius Chevy’s fender when it came back down pit road. Working his way up the field, the No. 51 car cleared itself across the nose of the No. 16 car, damaging its right-front fender. With a plan in place to flip the stage, Eckes was told to keep the nose clean for the remaining nine laps of the second stage. Despite the damage, Eckes charged forward back into the top 20, before short pitting with four to go. After finishing the second stage in 26th, Eckes stayed out and started the final stage from 11th, quickly racing his way back up to eighth place. He fought his way through the top 10, taking over fifth place with two laps to go, where he finished the race.
“Today was a tough one – I made a couple mistakes and sped on pit road, which put us behind. We got a little damage going back through the field, but I can’t say enough about this No. 16 team. Our Celsius Chevrolet was super fast today. I think we really had a shot at it today and had a decent comeback.” – Christian Eckes
Williams’ race fired off moderately strong, making up four positions by the end of lap two. The No. 11 Alloy Employer Services team planned to stay out until the lap-20 caution, hoping to collect stage points from the leaders’ short-pit sequence, but the yellow flag flew on lap 17 and prematurely ended Stage 1. After a full-service pit stop, Williams restarted in 19th and ran there until another caution came out midway through Stage 2. Crew chief Eddie Pardue decided to keep Williams on track, keeping the team on a two-stop strategy that eventually led to three stage points. He pitted for tires, fuel, and a rear air pressure adjustment, restarting in 20th for the final stage. With slightly fresher tires and a car suited for longer runs, Williams began picking off cars one-by-one. He gained five spots over the final 10 laps to take the checkered flag in 15th.
“Good, solid race. Fought a bit of an engine miss throughout it, but we kept fighting and picked up spots at the end. Happy with the finish, looking forward to getting to Phoenix.” – Josh Williams
Firing off tight in the No. 10 Heise LED Lighting Systems Chevy, Dye kept the car clean and improved three positions, finishing the opening stage in 12th. Crew chief Kevin Walter made the call for full service and chassis adjustments to give the No. 10 Chevy more front cut. In Stage 2, Dye was told to focus on stage points and took advantage of those who flipped the stage. He finished the stage in second, his best stage finish to date. Dye pitted for more of the same adjustments to start the final stage from 19th. He continued to make improvements as the final stage went caution free, finishing 17th.
“Not exactly the finish we wanted today, but all in all, we had a good points day in this No. 10 Heise LED Lighting Systems Chevy. We fought tight in the first stage and went for stage points in the second stage, which cost us track position going into the final stage. From there we just struggled to get back through traffic.” – Daniel Dye
About Kaulig Racing
Kaulig Racing™ is a full-time, multi-car NASCAR Cup Series (NCS) and NASCAR Xfinity Series (NXS) team, owned by award winning entrepreneur, Matt Kaulig. Established in 2016, Kaulig Racing™ has earned 23 NXS wins, made the NXS Playoffs consecutively each season since the playoff system started, and won two regular-season championships. In 2021, the team competed in select NCS events, before expanding to a two-car, full-time NCS team in 2022 and adding a third, part-time entry during the 2023 season. Since its first NCS start in 2021, the team has earned two wins. Kaulig Racing is currently fielding two full-time entries in the NCS and continues to field three full-time NXS entries, with a part-time fourth entry at select events. To learn more about the team, visit kauligracing.com.
Jesse Love and the No. 2 Whelen Chevrolet Team Have Strong Showing and Earn Top-10 Finish at Circuit of The Americas
Finish: 6th Start: 11th Points: 2nd
“We had a fast No. 2 Whelen Chevrolet today. Unfortunately, we had to start in the rear after changing tires before the green flag. I knew we were going to have our work cut out for us, but we were able to pass cars quickly and drive into the top-15 before the end of Stage 1. Danny (Stockman, crew chief) made the strategy call to pit before the stage break, so we would have track position at the start of Stage 2. We were able to lead laps on the restart and pace the field for a bit. We gave up stage points to pit before the stage break once again, because we felt that being off strategy would provide us with a chance at winning the race. Our Chevrolet got tight and lost rear grip towards the end. I just had to maintain track position and we finished sixth when it was all said and done. I need to work on managing my tires for the end of these road course races. The car showed speed though, and I raced my tail off for everyone at Richard Childress Racing to try and win. That’s why I’m here – to win races – and I don’t feel bad about that. We will go back to work and come out stronger at the next road course.” -Jesse Love
Austin Hill and the No. 21 Global Industrial Chevrolet Team Contend for the Win and Score Fourth-Place Effort at Circuit of The Americas
Finish: 4th Start: 12th Points: 1st
“Our Global Industrial Chevrolet was a fifth to eighth-place car, and we ended up fourth. It was a solid day for us, but we have to go back to work and figure out what we need to do better. We’ve been so close so many times during these road course races, but we always seem to come up short at the end. When I was leading the race, I started to mess with the brake bias, because our car was getting tight in the slower sections. Ultimately, that’s what cost us on the wheel hop. The No. 88 and No. 1 were still going to get to us, because overall both of their cars were better than us today. We blistered our tires really bad in Stage 1 but were able to fix the issue in Stage 2. In return, we were sideways through the corner. We went back on adjustments on the last stop of the race. Once the No. 88 and No. 1 got by in the closing laps though, I knew we were in trouble, because it felt like the tires were blistering again. The feeling felt just like it did in Stage 1. At that point, we had to nurse the car home. It was probably 60% me and 40% car that need to be better. We can go toe to toe with these road course ringers. We’ve shown it time and time again that we can run inside the top-three, top-five. It’s a very frustrating fourth-place finish for our No. 21 team, but we will keep building.” -Austin Hill
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. - MARCH 1: Scott McLaughlin, driver of the #3 Team Penske Chevrolet, poses with the P1 sticker after winning the pole for the NTT INDYCAR Series Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg on March 1, 2025, in St. Petersburg, Florida. Photo: Chris Owens/Penske Entertainment
CHEVROLET IN NTT INDYCAR SERIES FIRESTONE GRAND PRIX OF ST. PETERSBURG STREETS OF ST. PETERSBURG ST. PETERSBURG, FLORIDA TEAM CHEVY QUALIFYING REPORT MARCH 1, 2025
SCOTT MCLAUGHLIN CAPTURES CHEVROLET’S 10TH POLE FOR AT ST. PETERSBURG SINCE 2012
Scott McLaughlin, driver of the No. 3 Team Penske Chevrolet, captured Team Chevy’s 10th NTT P1 Pole Award on the Streets of St. Petersburg in the 2.2-liter twin turbo V6 era since 2012.
McLaughlin captured his first pole in 2022 on the 1.8-mile, 14-turn temporary street circuit, with today’s fastest position being his second-career NTT INDYCAR SERIES pole on the course.
McLaughlin, along with Christian Lundgaard, driver of the No. 7 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet, represented Team Chevy in the Firestone Fast Six.
Sunday sees race day for the Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg, starting with a warmup session at 9 a.m. ET on FS2, followed by the 100-lap, 180-mile main event live at 12 p.m. ET on FOX. Additional coverage throughout the weekend can be found via INDYCAR Radio and SiriusXM Channel 218.
Firestone Fast Six Qualifying Results:
1st Scott McLaughlin 5th Christian Lundgaard
Second Practice Top-10 Results:
4th Nolan Siegel 5th Conor Daly 6th Christian Lundgaard 7th Sting Ray Robb 8th Pato O’Ward 10th David Malukas
WHAT THEY’RE SAYING
David Malukas, No. 4 AJ Foyt Racing Chevrolet:
“Looking at qualifying from a positive standpoint, we did a really good job making the car where it needed to be for qualifying. I think that’s something very hard to do. Looking at it from a team perspective and chemistry, we’ve done a very good job connecting and figuring out what I need from the team and what we need from the car. The car was very strong. Now the things to take away, I did a really bad job from my side. I think that was one of the worst laps I’ve done. I think I just asked too much out of myself to not do any laps on the alternates and kind of just guessed going into qualifying there. It’s the first race of the season so a lot to take from it, and it’s not over yet. We have a race tomorrow so we’ll work on it then.”
Santino Ferrucci, No. 14 AJ Foyt Racing Chevrolet:
“Honestly, I’m really proud of our engineering team to give me a car that was capable today. It was just unfortunate circumstances, but I got into the wall a little bit coming on the frontstretch and going down the front straight the car got stuck in sixth gear starting what would have been my fast lap. The lap before was really good but it was in my head that was my banker lap so it just shows we have pace and we’ll just see what we can do tomorrow.”
Pato O’Ward, No. 5 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet:
“I just couldn’t get the Firestone Alternates switched on. We had two opportunities, and I don’t have an explanation really. It was just a really tough lap to get together, and it is obviously not ideal for tomorrow. We’ll have our work cut out for us, but I think we can make our way forward and score some solid points tomorrow.”
Nolan Siegel, No. 6 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet:
“It was a positive day. We transferred, and that was our goal. I really wanted to be in the Firestone Fast 6 and make that happen. The conditions changed a little bit, and I didn’t quite execute on that last lap in Q2. But I think for the first time with this new group on the No. 6 NTT DATA crew, everything went really well and we’re happy with the result. This puts us in a good spot for tomorrow. We’re making progress as a team and we’ll continue to build from this. It’s a super strong start for 2025.”
Christian Lundgaard, No. 7 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet:
“I’m really proud of the crew, and proud to put the No. 7 VELO Arrow McLaren Chevrolet up front. Starting this season like this is really what I was trying to manifest in the offseason. I was telling everybody that I didn’t really want to show up and work my way through. I wanted to start strong, and I feel like we did that. We probably surprised a few people today, but at the end of the day, the points are scored tomorrow. That’s where we need to be strong and I feel like we have a really good car. The first one is always tough as the track and the grip improves a lot throughout the race.”
Christian Rasmussen, No. 20 Ed Carpenter Racing Chevrolet:
“It was not a great run for us today. We were pretty hopeful after yesterday, we had great pace on the black Firehawks. We are struggling to figure out the green tires a bit and definitely have some work to do for tomorrow!”
Alexander Rossi, No. 21 Ed Carpenter Racing Chevrolet:
“I am pretty disappointed. The No. 20 Java House Chevrolet was in a pretty good spot, we did everything right from a set-up standpoint. Unfortunately, I made a small mistake on our first set of tires in Turn 10 which cost us a bit of time. There is a little bit of an unknown as to what happened on the second set, but we will look into it. The car is good, but we have a lot of work to do tomorrow.”
Conor Daly, No. 76 Juncos Hollinger Racing Chevrolet:
“Overall, I think it was a decent day for us but qualifying is… You have to nail everything and I think we just missed a little bit on the ideal pressures for the one-lap magic. That was obviously where all of the time was. We just happened to miss is by a little bit but a lot of other people did as well. You see the field a bit jumbled, but when cars like Pato (O’Ward) and (Alexander) Rossi are kind of near the 20’s where we are, you know that everyone has had a bit of a challenge today. So, I’m actually quite confident about tomorrow. I think we’ve had a great car on the long run. I think our car has treated us very well. Not too worried about it, but it’s a little bit harder on us from the beginning.”
On finishing Practice 2 fifth and how he’s feeling about qualifying…
“It’s an interesting weekend so far. You kind of see the field jumbled up a little bit. It’s actually really nice to have these rules to where we can run that extra set of greens. I think that, especially for someone like me who didn’t really get to run this last year on the road and street courses. It’s tough, man. One lap, one lap. Yesterday, it was a couple of laps, but I think we realized there was more there if you try to get the peak out of it in just one lap but that means you have to be perfect. You can’t make any mistakes. You have to get everything out of it. It’s a tough one, man.”
Sting Ray Robb, No. 77 Juncos Hollinger Racing Chevrolet:
Qualifying day was a bit frustrating. I thought we had some more room to go there based off our Practice 2 times, but conditions changed a little but and the race is going to be very exciting. The difference between the primaries and alternates, I think, that’s the headline of the weekend. We’ll see how that goes. Whether it’ll be a two-stop or a three-stop, that’s still to come. I’m hoping that we get it figured out for the race tomorrow. I think that we have a decent package to run in the race long stints in. We’ll see how it goes but everything else seems pretty good.”
On finishing Practice 2 in seventh with the softer tire:
“It’s pretty incredible. The jump from the blacks to the greens is unbelievable. I think it’s the biggest gap we’ve had in INDYCAR from primary to alternate sets. After three laps, it feels like a stick of butter that’s smeared on a piece of bread. It just disintegrates the tire. It’ll be interesting to see what it’s like in qualifying. I think that everyone’s going to be very tight like they are now, but it’s really, really hard to get the maximum amount of just that one lap tire. So we’ll see what it’s like, and hopefully we’ll keep moving forward. I know not everyone ran the green in that session, but I’m feeling good. I think we got it compromised one way or the other. Kind of got to pick a tire to be good on, so hopefully we picked the right one.”
Robert Shwartzman, No. 83 PREMA Racing Chevrolet:
“Overall I don’t think it was a bad qualifying because of all the issues we had in free practice. We barely got any laps in, so we maximized everything we could. I also had my first experience of how the qualifying works here. Also, these tires are something new, something different to what I am used to, so it is really something to have to learn because the whole group level is extremely different to whatever I’ve experienced before. So, definitely something to work on. But for now, we have to build from where we are. Tomorrow is going to be an interesting race, the first race of the season, and let’s see how we’re going to perform from there.”
Callum Ilott, No. 90 PREMA Racing Chevrolet:
“It was not a solid qualifying. We need to look into it quite a bit. We just couldn’t get the tires to work and couldn’t put anything together. I think if we were able to add something, we would be a little bit closer. I think it was just a messy session and everything you want to not happen happened. We can make some changes for tomorrow and at least we can only go forwards.”
Josef Newgarden, No. 2 Team Penske Chevrolet:
“We’ve had a fast car since we’ve got this. Team Chevy has done an incredible job. Hopefully, one of our teammates here will take the ball and get a Chevy on pole. We are going to focus on tomorrow now. You know, 10th isn’t bad; it’s not great. Even though we don’t have a good starting spot, I know our car is good. I just want to have a clean race. Of course, I want to be up front, and I want to win the thing. That’s my ultimate dream for tomorrow, but we need to get points on the board. We need to have a good, clean day. I think we can do that.”
Scott McLaughlin, No. 3 Team Penske Chevrolet:
“Yesterday – with our wreck at the end of the session – was not how we wanted to start the weekend, but there is so much trust amongst everyone on this DEX Imaging Chevy. No one ever dropped their head, and the vibes have been positive the entire time. Track position in a two-stop race is very important so this was a huge pole position, not to mention my 70th for Team Penske. Very proud of that and very proud of our effort today.”
On winning from pole in 2022 and the importance of qualifying…
“I just wanted to get pole at the first race of the year. Good vibes. Great vibes. Immaculate vibes. I’m very excited. Great spot to start. We’ll do what we can in the race and see how we go. Really proud of everyone at Team Chevy, everyone at Team Penske in the offseason. It’s hard to keep doing this, keep being fast, and there’s a ton of respect and competitiveness down pit lane so to continue this is amazing.”
Take us through that Firestone Fast Six…
“The car was awesome. Immaculate vibes here for the Thirsty Three’s. Really proud of it. The DEX Imagine Chevy was fast. I put it in the fence there yesterday and I was pretty (mad) at myself. I was glad to come back and deliver when I needed to today, and really proud of the group.”
Talk about the tire degradation…
“You can definitely feel the tire deg for sure. We’re going to have to work hard to look after them, but I think we had a great strategy.”
Will Power, No. 12 Team Penske Chevrolet:
“It was pretty good. I just carried too much speed into the first corner of that lap and understood why I had to lift. It was enough to get me through. Just frustrating because I know we have a good car.”
On damaging tires when pushing that hard…
“If you push, you don’t destroy the front. You just don’t have time for another lap. I just pushed wide. I got on the throttle, but I had to back out. That’s more of what happened.”
Scott McLaughlin, driver of the No. 3 Team Penske Chevrolet, met with members of the media after qualifying. Transcript:
MODERATOR: Welcome in Scott McLaughlin, his 11th NTT INDYCAR SERIES P1 award, second here in St. Pete. It is the 12th for Team Penske here on the streets of St. Petersburg. For the organization, it is their 699th pole position.
SCOTT McLAUGHLIN: My 70th. Pretty cool. I know my stats, don’t worry (smiling).
THE MODERATOR: Not bad. Congratulations. No better way to start 2025.
SCOTT McLAUGHLIN: Great start. Thanks, Dave. Just super pumped with that. Basically from the Q1 group one that we did, really felt like the car had it in it. In Q2, we sort of scraped in, just sort of missed the balance.
Once we centered the balance up again for Q3, knew in the first run it was going to be pretty good, I could sort of lay it down as much as I could. Full commitment lap, as everyone else was. Certainly felt like I had a lot more confidence in the car.
Credit to the team because ultimately I gave them a bit of work last night. They were here till 8:30. To come back and put it on pole… I don’t want to keep doing that, but ultimately if I do that and do pole the next day, that makes up for it a lot.
We’ll keep working, hopefully convert it tomorrow.
THE MODERATOR: Quite a story the last 24 hours. I think I saw Kyle Moyer with pizzas being delivered late last night.
SCOTT McLAUGHLIN: Kyle is sick. He likes that. He likes fixing car. He’s a handyman.
THE MODERATOR: We’ll open it up for questions.
Q. Scott, the car this morning, any extra work or changes on it after the fix?
SCOTT McLAUGHLIN: Yeah, it was an improvement on yesterday, for sure. But we still had to keep working at it. I thought the best the car has been this weekend was in qualifying. That was the main thing. I was really happy with it. Only in Q2 was where I wasn’t happy and we turned it around.
Q. I think Colton, you heard Scott say it was probably a three-stop race with these tires. Do you believe that? Are you surprised there’s as much falloff as there is?
COLTON HERTA: Yeah, I think it was more extreme than I thought it was going to be. Usually when we have deg races, we deg on the red tires or soft compound, it’s more so like you can maybe get a second lap in in qualifying. It was interesting to feel that.
I think tomorrow is going to be interesting because of that. For sure no doubt in my mind a three-stopper. There’s no way anybody takes these tires to 30 laps or whatever it is to do the two-stopper. How long can you make them last? What is that going to look like? Is it going to be five laps? 15 laps? It’s all going to be dependent, at least for us, on what guys do behind us. We’ll kind of pit from there.
SCOTT McLAUGHLIN: Yeah, I agree (smiling). Honestly, there’s not much to add. I think it’s going to be a bit of a see what you can do. Obviously you don’t want to lose too much time mucking around on a set of tires if you’re getting hammered on the under-cart or vice versa.
Interesting warm-up to see where we’re all at.
Q. …you finished third in the championship last year. The importance of this race is getting off the season to a fast start. How important is it to leave here with a fast start?
SCOTT McLAUGHLIN: Yeah, look, payday is tomorrow. I can’t speak on behalf of Colton. I’m sure he’s the same way. We just want to get a good race under our belt tomorrow. Ideally a win. But you try to get away from here with a podium or a top five and you just sort of run away with it. It’s a nice feeling to take those points and get going.
For my circumstance, I need a stronger start compared to my last few years to make sure I’m not chasing my tail halfway through the year.
Q. Scott, first pole as a dad. What would it mean to be able to celebrate in pit lane with a new member?
SCOTT McLAUGHLIN: I said to Karly, if I do get pole, run from the bus to pit lane because I want to get a photo with her for that moment. Hopefully we can do it from Victory Lane tomorrow. Ultimately it was super special. She was awake, too, so ideal timing.
THE MODERATOR: Pretty good luck charm there.
Q. (Off microphone.)
SCOTT McLAUGHLIN: It’s just nice. I’ve told her to stay away as much as she can.
Q. Scott, I’m sure this probably isn’t as big of an accomplishment as your first pole as a dad. Given the circumstances of the last 24 hours, what does it mean to you to be able to pull out a pole?
SCOTT McLAUGHLIN: Yeah, for sure. The hit that I had yesterday wasn’t as bad as it looked. The theatrics were pretty crazy. Ultimately you hate giving the team extra work, go over the garage hours and whatnot. Anything you can do to repay them. They always just say go out and get pole, do whatever. The team composure just… They love working on it.
Long hours suck, but it’s kind of a passion. It’s just nice to repay them in some ways. The only way I can do it apart from maybe a Coors Light after the race or something like that. That’s probably it, so…
Q. Scott, you signed a new deal with Team Penske. How long was this in the works? When did it get over the line? How does it feel to get it over the line?
SCOTT McLAUGHLIN: Yeah, just over the off-season, man. Was a simple sort of conversation we all had. It was done pretty quickly, I guess. So yeah, pumped to do that. Good security for me and my family moving forward.
Yeah, it’s something that takes another focus off what I’ve done. Focus and get going. Yeah, I was pumped to get it done.
Q. Your fifth season in INDYCAR. You beat your Penske teammates last couple of years, won on every type of track. Have you given time to reflect on the rise you’ve been on?
SCOTT McLAUGHLIN: Yeah, it’s crazy. I’m proud of the opportunity to come here. Never thought I’d probably be here. I was talking today to a friend. Seven years in the main series in Australia. Now I’m in my fifth season in INDYCAR. I’m not far away from being longer in the professional INDYCAR, as a professional driver in the INDYCAR SERIES, than the Super Car Series. It’s kind of crazy how my life has changed.
But love it. Love every second here. Enjoy America. I love it. I love it here. Don’t really see any plans on leaving. I’m really enjoying it.
Q. For you personally, psychologically after what appears to be a massive off-season, to come back this strong straightaway, that’s a great way to kick-start the season?
SCOTT McLAUGHLIN: I’m just glad I’m a dad now. I haven’t lost 2/10ths like everyone says (laughter). I had a 2/10th game plan on Colton.
Having Lucy in the off-season, probably the best thing that ever happened to me in my life. There’s more to life than racing in some ways. I said to many people throughout the week that I feel like when I go home, I’ve got a home. I’m worried about my wife and my daughter, my family. Then when I go to the workshop, I’m refreshed, I’m excited. It’s not that I don’t think about them. I’m so focused on work because I know when I get home, I’m going to be too busy changing diapers, whatever.
I’m really happy with the work/life balance I’ve got going here. It’s a credit to my wife and my family. Yeah, just really enjoying it so far.
Q. During the off-season, Lucy, the Rolex. When you get back, do you feel this is the time to get the season going again? This is game time again now?
SCOTT McLAUGHLIN: Yeah, for sure. What a place to start. St. Pete is a track that always provides so many great memories and vibes and people here are so passionate. There’s so many people that are probably not race fans but just enjoy the theatrics, the racing itself, just enjoy it. It’s such a different demographic you see here. It’s really cool.
Yeah, it’s a great way to kick off the season for us in INDYCAR.
THE MODERATOR: Maybe the good vibes will continue tomorrow. Thank you, Scott.
SCOTT McLAUGHLIN: Immaculate.
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Connor Zilisch was not to be denied a breakthrough moment. Amid a difficult start to the 2025 campaign, he notched a comeback victory in the fifth annual running of the Focused Health 250 at Circuit of the Americas (COTA) in Austin, Texas, on Saturday, March 1st.
The 18-year-old Zilisch from Charlotte, North Carolina, led three times for a race-high 26 of 65-scheduled laps. He started on the pole and led 16 of the first 17 laps. However, before the first stage’s conclusion, he was penalized for pitting when pit road was closed due to a caution as Baltazar Leguizamon stalled on the frontstretch. Despite restarting towards the tail end of the field, Zilisch methodically maneuvered and carved his way back towards the front amid on-track carnage, including one with teammate Justin Allgaier, during the second stage period.
Then after restarting in third place at the start of the final stage period with 20 laps remaining, Zilisch attempted to execute a bold move beneath teammate Carson Kvapil for the lead. The move, however, resulted in both JR Motorsports’ competitors making contact, briefly going off the track and slipping back to the top-four mark. After rallying from the brief off-track excursion and making contact with Corey Heim that damaged his right-front fender, Zilisch would navigate his way back into the runner-up spot with 14 laps remaining as he proceeded to set his sights on Kvapil for the lead.
After dueling and overtaking Kvapil for the lead through the frontstretch with nine laps remaining, Zilisch would fend off another attack by Kvapil entering COTA’s new National layout during the following lap to retain the top spot. When Kvapil fell off the pace due to losing a right-front tire with five laps remaining, Zilisch maintained a steady gap over William Byron for the remainder of the event that enabled him to achieve his first NASCAR Xfinity Series race victory of the 2025 season.
With on-track qualifying that determined the starting lineup occurring on Friday, February 28, rookie Connor Zilisch scored his first Xfinity pole position of the 2025 season and the second of his career with a pole-winning lap at 88.832 mph in 97.262 seconds. Joining him on the front row was teammate Ross Chastain, who clocked in his best qualifying lap at 88.664 mph in 97.446 seconds.
Prior to the event, a bevy of names, including Jesse Love, Kris Wright, Harrison Burton, Kyle Sieg, Austin Green, Baltazar Leguizamon, Ryan Sieg, Preston Pardus, Ryan Ellis, and Josh Bilicki, dropped to the rear of the field due to unapproved adjustments made to their respective entries.
When the green flag waved and the event commenced, teammates Connor Zilisch and Ross Chastain dueled for the lead through the uphill climb to the first turn. Through the first turn, Zilisch managed to fend off Chastain to retain the top spot entering the second turn as William Byron overtook Chastain for the runner-up spot. Zilisch would proceed to lead the field through the Esses (Turns 3 to 6) before he navigated his way through Circuit of the America’s new National layout (Turns 6A and 6B) and back onto the circuit’s traditional course, starting in Turn 12.
Through the final set of turns from Turn 12 to 20, Zilisch would keep his No. 88 WeatherTech Chevrolet Camaro entry out in front and return to the frontstretch to lead the first lap. Meanwhile, Chastain, who reassumed the runner-up spot from Byron through Turn 12, pursued Zilisch as Byron and Justin Allgaier followed suit in the top four. Meanwhile, Corey Heim, Sam Mayer, rookie Carson Kvapil and AJ Allmendinger all battled fiercely for fifth place.
Over the next three laps, Zilisch would extend his early advantage to nearly a second over teammate Chastain as Byron, Allgaier and Heim pursued in the top five. Behind, Mayer was in sixth place ahead of Kvapil, Austin Hill, rookie Christian Eckes and Sheldon Creed while rookie Taylor Gray, Nick Sanchez, Sammy Smith, Riley Herbst, Anthony Alfredo, Brandon Jones, rookie Daniel Dye, Josh Williams, Blaine Perkins and rookie William Sawalich rounded out the top 20, respectively. Amid the racing towards the front, Ryan Ellis spun in Turn 20, but he proceeded without drawing a caution.
On the fourth lap, the event’s first caution flew when Carson Hocevar, who was filling in for Garrett Smithley in the No. 14 SS-Green Light Racing Chevrolet entry, made contact with Jeb Burton and hit the Turn 6A tire barriers head-on as his event came to an early end.
The start of the following restart period on the sixth lap featured teammates Chastain and Zilisch dueling for the lead through the uphill climb to the first turn for a second time. With the field fanning out, Chastain nearly overtook Zilisch for the lead from the outside lane in Turn 1, but Zilisch fought back entering Turn 2 and the Esses as he maintained the top spot. Behind, Heim and Allgaier made contact while battling for fourth place through the Esses, but both kept their cars racing straight.
Back at the front, Zilisch fended off Chastain through the National layout and a series of right- and left-hand turns, starting in Turn 12, to maintain the top spot and lead the following lap. While Byron pursued in third place, trouble ensued in Turn 20 as Creed made contact with Hill, which caused Creed to spin as Kvapil and Nick Sanchez also spun in the ensuing chaos. The race, though, remained under green flag conditions as the trio who spun proceeded from the carnage scene. Meanwhile, Zilisch continued to lead Chastain and Byron during the next lap.
Through the first 10-scheduled laps, Zilisch was leading by more than a second over Chastain while third-place Byron trailed by more than two seconds. Behind, Heim and Allgaier trailed in the top five by more than four seconds as Mayer, Hill, Herbst, Sammy Smith and Eckes raced in the top 10 ahead of Taylor Gray, Alfredo, Dye, Jesse Love, Perkins, Alex Labbe, Josh Williams, Brandon Jones, Jeb Burton and Sawalich, respectively.
Five laps later, Zilisch stretched his advantage to nearly four seconds over Chastain while Byron, Heim and Allgaier continued to follow suit in the top five. As Mayer, Herbst and Hill trailed in the top-eight mark, Eckes, who rubbed fenders with Sammy Smith earlier, occupied ninth place in front of Gray while Smith was in 11th place.
Another two laps later, early pit strategy ensued as Kvapil and Herbst pitted their respective entries under green. By then, Byron overtook Chastain for the runner-up spot as Heim tried to close in on Chastain for the runner-up spot as more names that included Gray, Love, Ryan Sieg, Brandon Jones, William Sawalich and Jeb Burton all pitted.
With three laps remaining in the first stage period, the caution returned when newcomer Baltazar Leguizamon came to a stop on the frontstretch. By then, Zilisch, who steered his entry to pit road as it was closed due to the caution, pitted his entry from the lead as Byron, who was among many who had yet to pit, cycled into the lead.
The caution by Leguizamon was enough for the first stage period scheduled to conclude on Lap 20 to officially conclude under caution as Byron, this year’s two-time Daytona 500 champion, claimed the stage victory. Chastain, Heim, Mayer and Allgaier followed suit in the top five while Hill, Eckes, Sammy Smith, Alfredo and Alex Labbe were scored in the top 10, respectively.
Under the stage break, nearly the entire field led by Byron pitted for service. Following the pit stops, Byron exited pit road first and he was followed by Hill, Chastain, Allgaier, Mayer, Sammy Smith, Heim, Dye, Eckes and Williams, respectively. Following the pit stops, Gray, who pitted before the first stage’s conclusion, cycled into the lead while Zilisch, who returned to pit road for fuel, was penalized for pitting when pit road was closed on Lap 17.
The second stage period started on Lap 24 as Gray and Love occupied the front row. At the start, Gray and Love dueled for the lead through the uphill climb to Turn 1 until Gray muscled ahead of Love and the field prior to entering Turn 2 and the Esses. Gray would continue to lead through the National course and through Turns 12 to 16 until Love drew his No. 2 Whelen Chevrolet Camaro entry beneath Gray’s No. 54 Operation 300 Toyota Supra entry in a side-by-side battle for the lead through Turns 17 and 18. Both would remain dead even for the lead through the final two turns as Gray led the following lap by a hair.
Shortly after, Love pulled a bold crossover move in front of Herbst to get underneath Gray entering Turn 1. The move allowed Love to force Gray off the track as the former assumed the top spot while also fending off Herbst’s No. 19 Monster Energy Toyota Supra entry entering Turn 2. Despite getting bumped by Herbst in Turn 6A, Love maintained the lead and would lead the following lap over Herbst. Behind, Kvapil battled and overtook Gray for third place as Creed tried to close in. Amid the action towards the front, the race remained under green flag conditions as rookie Dean Thompson spun in Turn 1.
Just past the Lap 27 mark, Love was leading by more than half a second over Herbst. Kvapil, Gray and Creed continued to race in the top five ahead of Ryan Sieg, Brandon Jones, Harrison Burton, Chastain and Byron, respectively. Meanwhile, Zilisch was up to 17th place after he restarted towards the tail end of the field following his pit road penalty.
A lap later, however, the caution flew when Jeremy Clements, who was making his 500th Xfinity career start, spun and hit the tire barrier in Turn 6A, but managed to continue despite knocking down a banner on the barrier.
As the event resumed under green flag conditions on Lap 31, Herbst, who restarted alongside Love on the front row, went on early defense as he rocketed into the lead through the uphill climb to Turn 1. Despite getting bumped by Kvapil through the uphill climb, Herbst fended off Love and Gray to retain the lead through the Esses.
With Herbst leading, Kvapil and Creed pursued Love for the runner-up spot while Gray was overtaken by Chastain for fifth place. Through Turns 12 to 20, Zilisch would return to the top-10 mark as he battled teammate Justin Allgaier and Ryan Sieg for eighth place, though Allgaier had a left-front tire rub due to making contact with Zilisch during the restart. Amid the action within the middle of the field, Herbst led the following lap, which marked the event’s halfway mark, over Love and Kvapil.
By Lap 35, Herbst stabilized his lead to nine-tenths of a second over Kvapil as Chastain, Byron and Creed followed suit ahead of Gray, Love, Hill, Zilisch and Heim, respectively. Meanwhile, Allgaier, who pitted to have his left-front damage diagnosed, was down in 35th place. Allgaier, however, would make a second trip to pit road during the following lap after he cut a right-rear tire to his No. 7 BRANDT Chevrolet Camaro entry while racing off the course in Turn 19.
Once he returned to the track, Allgaier battled fiercely with Herbst to avoid losing a lap to the leaders, which started through the Esses. This allowed Kvapil and Chastain to close in as Herbst was placed on defense to fend off the latter two for the lead. Despite nearly losing the lead to Kvapil from Turns 12 to 19, Herbst maintained the lead as Kvapil pitted his No. 1 Bass Pro Shops/Clarience Tech Chevrolet Camaro entry under green. In addition, Allgaier remained in front of Herbst to stay on the lead lap category as Chastain then overtook Herbst for the lead on Lap 37.
Soon after, multiple names that included Creed, Love, Zilisch, Gray, Jones, and Eckes pitted with Kvapil under green. With more names that included Chastain, Herbst, Byron, Heim and Hill pitting, Harrison Burton assumed the lead with two laps remaining in the second stage period.
When the second stage period concluded on Lap 40, Harrison Burton, who finished in the top 10 through the first two scheduled events of the 2025 season and is driving for AM Racing, captured his first Xfinity stage victory of the 2025 season. Rookie Daniel Dye followed suit in second along with Sammy Smith, Jeb Burton and Ryan Sieg while Brennan Poole, Alex Labbe, Josh Williams, Sage Karam and Kyle Sieg were scored in the top 10, respectively. By then, Kvapil, Chastain, Byron and Zilisch were mired in the top 15 while Herbst was ranked in the top 20 mark.
During the stage break, some led by Harrison Burton and including Chastain and Herbst pitted while the rest led by Kvapil remained on the track.
Down to the final 20 laps of the event, the final stage commenced as Kvapil and Byron occupied the front row. At the start, Zilisch, who restarted in third place behind teammate Kvapil, wasted no time making his move beneath Kvapil through the uphill climb. Entering Turn 1, however, Kvapil and Zilisch rubbed fenders as both along with Byron went wide and briefly off the course.
This allowed Austill Hill to muscle his No. 21 Global Industrial Chevrolet Camaro entry ahead with the lead and Heim to move into second place while Kvapil, Zilisch, Gray and Byron followed suit through the Esses. As Hill continued to lead through the Esses, the National layout and Turns 12 to 20, Zilisch bumped and sent Heim for a spin in Turn 15. As Heim continued without drawing a caution, Byron and Kvapil overtook Zilisch from Turns 16 to 18 while Hill led the following lap.
Over the next four laps, Hill stretched his late advantage to nearly a second over Kvapil while Zilisch, who sustained damage to his right-front fender amid the contact with Heim, continued on the track in third place ahead of Byron and Gray. Behind, Mayer, Love, Eckes, Blaine Perkins and Sanchez followed suit in the top 10 ahead of Sawalich, Alfredo, Harrison Burton, Ryan Sieg and Chastain. Herbst was mired back in 19th place in front of Creed while Heim pitted his No. 24 Upper Deck Toyota Supra entry under green. Meanwhile, Hill stabilized his lead to nine-tenths of a second over Kvapil with 15 laps remaining.
Then with 14 laps remaining, Kvapil, who had been narrowing Hill’s advantage through every turn, overtook Hill to assume the lead through Turn 12 after Hill got loose and almost missed the turn, which caused him to deviate from his racing line. Teammate Zilisch would follow suit as he rocketed past Hill entering Turn 13. With Hill falling back to third place, Kvapil maintained the lead through the final seven turns to lead the following lap as Zilisch, who had a faint right-front tire rub, was trying to close back in for the lead.
Over the next three laps, Zilisch kept teammate Kvapil close within his sights, but he could not narrow the gap further through every turn, even going as far as smoking his front tires in Turn 20 with 12 laps remaining, as Kvapil maintained the lead. Kvapil would proceed to retain the lead over Zilisch by three-tenths of a second with 10 laps remaining while third-place Hill trailed by more than two seconds. Meanwhile, Byron trailed in fourth place by four seconds while Gray trailed by six seconds in fifth place.
Then a lap later, Zilisch dueled with teammate Kvapil for the lead after Kvapil locked his front tires and nearly missed Turn 20. Zilisch would then lock his front tires through the uphill climb, though he returned atop the leaderboard. Kvapil would keep Zilisch within close distance through the Esses and the National turn, but Zilisch maintained the lead and he would proceed to fend off Kvapil from Turns 12 to 20. With Zilisch leading Kvapil by half a second with eight laps remaining, Hill was racing ahead of Byron in third place while Mayer was in fifth place.
With eight laps remaining, Kvapil got alongside Zilisch as both made light contact in Turn 6A. Zilisch, though, maintained the lead and he would continue to fend off Kvapil’s repeated challenges over the next lap. Zilisch would then slightly extend his lead to eight-tenths of a second with six laps remaining and by more than a second with five laps remaining as Kvapil started to lose ground.
Shortly after, Kvapil’s strong race went south after he lost a right front tire and fell off the pace. As Kvapil was limping his No. 1 Bass Pro Shops/Clarience Tech Chevrolet entry back to pit road, Byron zipped by for the runner-up spot along with Hill, Mayer and Gray. In the process, Zilisch was now leading by more than four seconds with four laps remaining.
With three laps remaining, Zilisch maintained his lead to nearly four seconds over Byron as Mayer fended off Hill for third place. Despite having his advantage decreased to three seconds to Byron during the next lap, Zilisch kept his No. 88 WeatherTech Chevrolet entry atop the leaderboard.
When the white flag waved and the final lap started, Zilisch remained as the leader by more than two seconds over Byron. Throughout the 17-turn course, Byron closed the deficit to within two seconds, but Zilisch’s large gap was enough for him to smoothly navigate his way through the circuit for a final time as he cycled back to the frontstretch and streaked across the finish line to claim the checkered flag in first place and by more than a second over Byron.
With the victory, Zilisch, who rallied from sustaining DNFs through the first two-scheduled events of the 2025 season, notched his second Xfinity Series career win in his seventh series start and his first since winning his first event at Watkins Glen International in September 2024. Ironically, both of Zilisch’s Xfinity victories have come from pole position and on road-course events. In addition, the Charlotte native recorded the first win of the 2025 season for JR Motorsports and extended Chevrolet’s early winning streak through this season’s first three scheduled events.
Photo by Mitchell Pavel for SpeedwayMedia.com.
“That was tough,” Zilisch said on the frontstretch on the CW Network. “That was way harder than I wanted it to be. I did not drive a clean race at all. I’m sorry to everyone that I hit. I was, kind of, mentally fogged halfway through that race. [I’m] Glad we were able to fight back. This JR Motorsports team gave me a car as fast as Xfinity Mobile. So proud of everyone. WeatherTech, thank you for coming on board. It’s been such a fun weekend, but we got a big race tomorrow. Looking forward to that as well.”
The Xfinity victory accomplished half of Zilisch’s big weekend at COTA. He is scheduled to start in 14th place for his NASCAR Cup Series debut at the circuit while driving the No. 87 Red Bull Chevrolet entry for Trackhouse Racing on Sunday, March 2. Despite having the spotlight being directed to him over his highly anticipated Cup debut while trying to rebound from his difficult Xfinity campaign, Zilisch, who was a favorite during Saturday’s Xfinity event, ignored the talks surrounding him and let both his preparations and on-track performance speak on behalf of him.
“You just can’t let the noise get to you,” Zilisch added. “You got to keep doing your thing no matter what. Whether it’s good talk or bad talk, you just got to keep doing it, prepare the same way and the results will come. I’m so grateful to have so many great people in my life. It’s been a long journey, but grateful to get this one today.”
William Byron, who was making his first of two Xfinity starts in the No. 17 HendrickCars.com Chevrolet Camaro entry for Hendrick Motorsports, settled in second place while Sam Mayer, Austin Hill and rookie Christian Eckes finished in the top five.
Jesse Love, rookie Taylor Gray, Ross Chastain, rookie William Sawalich and Blaine Perkins completed the top-10 spots in the final running order.
Meanwhile, Carson Kvapil, who led seven laps and contended for his first Xfinity victory before his flat right-front tire issue, ended up in 23rd place.
“Man, it’s tough,” Kvapil said. “It’s tough to get over that one, right? We flat-spotted the right front [tire] just trying to stay with [Zilisch] there. I felt like we were a little bit better in some places, but in others, he could really get away from us. I knew if I just tried to keep my ground up, I would be able to catch him through the Esses. Ultimately, [I] just used [the car] up a little too much there. I feel like we shouldn’t have ran that good, maybe. I guess it was a little bit expected, but at the same time, it’s a little bit of a surprise. Just can’t thank everybody on this whole No. 1 car for making this thing as fast as Xfinity Mobile and all the hard work they put in today.”
Riley Herbst, who also led seven laps, settled in 13th place behind Sammy Smith and Sheldon Creed. In addition, Justin Allgaier came home in 29th place behind Jeremy Clements, Corey Heim ended up in 31st place and Harrison Burton fell back to 35th place due to falling off the pace in the closing laps amid an axle issue.
There were 14 lead changes for nine different leaders. The race featured four cautions for 14 laps. In addition, 32 of 38 starters finished on the lead lap.
Following the third event of the 2025 Xfinity Series season, Austin Hill leads the regular-season standings by 13 points over teammate Jesse Love, 14 over Sheldon Creed, 28 over Sam Mayer and 32 over Justin Allgaier.
Race Results:
1. Connor Zilisch, 26 laps led 2. William Byron, three laps led, Stage 1 winner 3. Sam Mayer 4. Austin Hill, six laps led 5. Christian Eckes 6. Jesse Love, six laps led 7. Taylor Gray, three laps led 8. Ross Chastain, two laps led 9. William Sawalich 10. Blaine Perkins 11. Sammy Smith 12. Sheldon Creed 13. Riley Herbst, seven laps led 14. Alex Labbe 15. Josh Williams 16. Ryan Ellis 17. Daniel Dye 18. Dean Thompson 19. Ryan Sieg 20. Brennan Poole 21. Anthony Alfredo 22. Josh Bilicki 23. Carson Kvapil, seven laps led 24. Nick Sanchez 25. Jeb Burton 26. Austin Green 27. Kyle Sieg 28. Jeremy Clements 29. Justin Allgaier 30. Brandon Jones 31. Corey Heim 32. Matt DiBenedetto 33. Kris Wright, one lap down 34. Sage Karam – OUT, Transmission 35. Harrison Burton – OUT, Axle, five laps led, Stage 2 winner 36. Preston Pardus – OUT, Rear End 37. Baltazar Leguizamon – OUT, Suspension 38. Carson Hocevar – OUT, Accident
Next on the 2025 NASCAR Xfinity Series schedule is Phoenix Raceway in Avondale, Arizona, for the GOVX 200. The event is scheduled to occur next Saturday, March 8, and air at 5 p.m. ET on the CW Network.
