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Todd Gilliland and the No. 34 Long John Silver’s Ford Mustang Dark Horse Team

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Official Release
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Clash at Bowman Gray Competition Notes

Clash at Bowman Gray
Date: Sunday, February 2, 2025
Event: Race 1 of 38
Series: NASCAR Cup Series
Location: Bowman Gray Stadium (0.25-miles)
#of Laps: 200
Time/TV/Radio: 8:00 PM ET on FOX/MRN/SiriusXM channel 90

Todd Gilliland Notes

In NASCAR’s first trip to the “Madhouse” since 1971, Gilliland will make his debut in the No. 34 Ford Mustang Dark Horse. Long John Silver’s will partner with Gilliland and bring last year’s fan-favorite blue and yellow “Fish Yeah” scheme to the 200-lap event.

Gilliland will team up with his former NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series (NCTS) crew chief, Chris Lawson, for the 2025 season. Lawson led Gilliland to his first win in the Front Row Motorsports No. 38 Ford F-150 at the Circuit of The Americas in 2021. Additionally, the duo earned back-to-back K&N Pro Series West Championships in 2016 and 2017.

“Bowman Gray is definitely going to be a challenge,” said Gilliland. “It’s going to be tight, with a lot of beating and banging, but I’m up for it. I’m excited to be back with Chris (Lawson), and he’s brought a lot of great talent with him to form a new team. I think it’s going to be a good weekend for us.”
Road Crew

Driver: Todd Gilliland

Hometown: Sherrills Ford, North Carolina

Crew Chief: Chris Lawson

Hometown: Medway, Ohio

Car Chief: Joe Marra

Hometown: Somers, New York

Engineer: Marc Rullo

Hometown: Ringwood, New Jersey

Engineer: Kevyn Rebolledo

Hometown: Mooresville, North Carolina

Spotter: Brit Andersen

Hometown: Branford, Connecticut

Underneath Mechanic: Michael Brookes

Hometown: Columbus, Ohio

Interior Mechanic: Chance Burke

Hometown: Siler City, North Carolina

Tire Specialist: Billy John

Hometown: Pitman, New Jersey

Engine Tuner: Tim Meyer

Hometown: Beatrice, Nebraska

Transporter Co-Driver: Christian Boller

Hometown: Mooresville, North Carolina

Transporter Co-Driver: Joe Haresky

Hometown: Victorville, California

ABOUT LONG JOHN SILVER’S

Long John Silver’s was founded in 1969 and is on a mission to create treasured moments through high-quality food and bell-ringing service. With restaurants from sea to mouth-watering sea, Long John Silver’s continues building on a belief that the unique seafood experience from the coasts should be accessible to all. Learn more at ljsilvers.com or join the conversation via social media on X, Facebook, or Instagram.

ABOUT FRONT ROW MOTORSPORTS

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

Joey Logano to make 17th Clash start at Bowman Gray

By
Andrew Kim
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Photo by Ron Olds for SpeedwayMedia.com.

The 2025 NASCAR Cup Series season is scheduled to mark Joey Logano’s 17th as a full-time competitor in the series and a season in which he enters as the reigning three-time champion. Before his quest to defend his title commences in the middle of February, he enters this upcoming weekend’s Cook Out Clash festivities at Bowman Gray Stadium with preparations for making his 17th career appearance in the season-opening exhibition event.

A native of Middletown, Connecticut, Logano’s inaugural presence in the Clash occurred in 2009, the year which he entered as a full-time Cup Series competitor for the first time as he replaced three-time champion Tony Stewart to pilot the No. 20 Toyota Camry entry for Joe Gibbs Racing (JGR). Despite not securing a pole position during his first three series’ starts in the closing stages of the 2008 season, the event’s format, which enabled the top-six Toyota teams based on the 2008 owner’s standings to automatically qualify, allowed Logano to automatically qualify for the event since his No. 20 entry claimed ninth place in the previous season’s owner’s standings that was contributed by Stewart. Starting at the rear of the field due to missing the Clash’s drivers’ meeting, Logano ended up dead last, 28th, after he was involved in a multi-car wreck on the third lap.

Over his next three starts in the Clash, Logano achieved his first top-10 result in the event by finishing seventh in 2010, but crashed out in his next two starts. As the Connecticut native transitioned to Team Penske, beginning in 2013, he notched four consecutive top-six results over his following four starts. By then, he finished no higher than second place in the Clash, the latter of which occurred in 2016.

Then in 2017, Logano capitalized on a final-lap incident involving teammate Brad Keselowski and Denny Hamlin to storm to his first career Clash victory, where he beat Kyle Busch, Alex Bowman, and Danica Patrick by more than a second after maintaining a reasonable lead from the backstretch to the frontstretch. As a result, Logano became the 22nd competitor to win the Clash. He also delivered the third Clash victory for Team Penske and the first for the Ford nameplate since Dale Jarrett made the previous accomplishment in 2004.

Following his first victory in 2017, Logano would finish in the top three twice over his next three Clash starts. During the Clash’s lone event at the Daytona International Speedway Road Course in 2021, he finished third. Then, as NASCAR relocated the Clash to the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum in 2022, Logano, who started fourth, led 35 of 150-scheduled laps and fended off Kyle Busch by eight-tenths of a second to win the event for the second time in his career. As a result, the Connecticut native became the 12th competitor overall to win the exhibition event in a year where the current Next Gen stock cars debuted within NASCAR’s premier series. Since his latest Clash victory in 2022, Logano is coming off recent finishes of 16th and fourth, both of which occurred in the Coliseum.

Through 16 previous starts in the Clash, Logano has notched two victories, nine top-five results, 12 top-10 results, 67 laps led, and an average-finishing result of 7.8. Since Logano is the reigning Cup Series champion, he would be guaranteed the provisional spot to make the event based on his 2024 driver’s standings result (first place) if he were not to transfer to the Clash by the Heats or the Last Chance Qualifier event. As a result, Logano, who holds the third-highest Clash starts among active drivers entering the 2025 season at 16, is primed to make his 17th career start in this weekend’s main event.

With 16 starts, Logano is also currently tied with Geoff Bodine, Dale Earnhardt Jr., Ricky Rudd, and Tony Stewart on the Clash’s all-time starts list. A 2025 berth would enable him to tie former Daytona 500 champion Ryan Newman for having the sixth-most Clash starts of all time at 17. A 2025 victory would enable him to tie Kevin Harvick, Dale Jarrett, and Tony Stewart for having the third-most Clash victories at three.

The 2025 Cook Out Clash at Bowman Gray Stadium is scheduled to occur on Sunday, February 2, with a starting broadcast time at 8 p.m. ET on FOX.

Justin Haley, Michael McDowell named Truck competitors for Spire Motorsports at Daytona

By
Andrew Kim
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Photo by Ron Olds for SpeedwayMedia.com.

Justin Haley and Michael McDowell will both be competing in the 2025 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series’ season-opening event at Daytona International Speedway for Spire Motorsports in February.

Haley will be piloting the No. 7 Chevrolet Silverado RST entry while McDowell will be driving Spire’s newly formed No. 07 Chevrolet Silverado RST entry.

For Haley, this year’s Daytona event is scheduled to mark his first appearance in the Truck circuit since he last competed at Texas Motor Speedway with GMS Racing in July 2020, where he finished seventh. The 25-year-old Haley from Winamac, Indiana, is also scheduled to compete in the No. 7 Chevrolet entry on a full-time basis for Spire in the Cup Series this upcoming season after he transitioned from Rick Ware Racing midway into this past season.

Through 51 previous starts in the Truck circuit, Haley, a champion of the ARCA Menards Series East division from 2016, has notched three career victories, one pole, 12 top-five results, 32 top-10 results, 97 laps led and an average-finishing result of 11.3. His breakout year in the series was in 2018, where he achieved his three victories, qualified for the Playoffs and transferred all the way to the Championship 4 round before settling in third place in the final driver’s standings.

Haley’s lone start at Daytona in the Truck Series occurred in 2018, where he finished in second place. He has previously achieved two Xfinity victories and his first Cup victory at Daytona as he attempts to complete a triple sweep of winning at the World Center of Racing across NASCAR’s top three national touring series with a Truck victory.

For McDowell, the 2025 season-opening event at Daytona is scheduled to mark his first attempt to compete in the Truck Series since he competed at New Hampshire Motor Speedway with ThorSport Racing in September 2009, which he finished a career-best 14th place. Previously, the 40-year-old McDowell from Glendale, Arizona, made his Truck debut at Martinsville Speedway in October 2007, where he finished 30th while driving for Darrell Waltrip Motorsports.

Photo by Kirk Schroll for SpeedwayMedia.com.

The 2025 campaign is also set to mark McDowell’s first driving for Spire Motorsports in the Cup Series, where he will be assuming the No. 71 Chevrolet entry after he spent the previous seven seasons driving for Front Row Motorsports. Despite not competing a Truck event at Daytona, McDowell has made five Xfinity starts and 27 Cup starts at the World Center of Racing. Within his 27 starts at Daytona in NASCAR’s premier series, he won the 2021 Daytona 500, which marked McDowell’s first in NASCAR’s premier series, as he strives to hone his success both on superspeedway venues and at Daytona to a success in his first Truck attempt in 16 years.

Entering Daytona, veteran Brian Pattie will crew chief Haley and the No. 7 Chevrolet entry while Allen Hart will work atop the pit box of the No. 07 Chevrolet entry and for McDowell. Both the No. 07 and 7 Spire Chevrolets will be fielded as “all-star” entries throughout the 2025 Truck Series season. Currently, Haley will be sharing the No. 7 entry with Corey Day, the latter of whom will be driving the entry for eight Truck events. Additional driver details of both entries throughout the upcoming season remain to be determined.

The 2025 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series season is scheduled to commence at Daytona International Speedway on February 14 with a starting broadcast time of 7:30 p.m. ET on FS1.

Brad Keselowski to attempt 11th Clash start at Bowman Gray

By
Andrew Kim
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Photo by Ron Olds for SpeedwayMedia.com.

The 2025 NASCAR Cup Series season is scheduled to mark Brad Keselowski’s 16th as a full-time competitor in the series and fourth in a row in recent seasons as a co-owner/driver of Roush Fenway Keselowski (RFK) Racing. Before his quest to win both a first Daytona 500 and a second Cup title commences in the middle of February, he enters this upcoming weekend’s Cook Out Clash festivities at Bowman Gray Stadium with a goal to make his 11th career appearance in the pre-season exhibition event.

A native of Rochester Hills, Michigan, Keselowski’s first appearance in the Clash was in 2012 when the event occurred at Daytona International Speedway. By then, he was driving the No. 2 Dodge Charger for Team Penske and had earned a starting spot for the exhibition event by virtue of winning the pole position for the Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway in May 2011. Starting at the rear of the field in a back-up car, Keselowski survived a crash-filled Clash to finish in fourth place. Despite proceeding to win the 2012 Cup Series championship, he would not be eligible to compete in the event for the 2013 season due to not recording a single pole throughout the 2012 campaign.

In 2014, Keselowski returned to the starting grid for the Clash after coming off a 2013 campaign where he recorded a pole award at New Hampshire Motor Speedway. During his second start in the event, he led eight of 75 scheduled laps and settled in the runner-up spot after overtaking Denny Hamlin with two laps remaining.

Over his next three Clash starts, Keselowski finished 25th, ninth, and sixth, respectively. During his latter two starts, he led a combined 44 laps and was in striking position of winning both events until late-race incidents prevented him from emerging out in front on the final lap. In 2016, the Michigan native was involved in two late-race multi-car wrecks, including one on the final lap where he got squeezed against the Turn 1 outside wall and limped home in ninth place. The following season, he was running in second place behind Denny Hamlin on the final lap and attempted to make a move beneath Hamlin for the lead in Turn 1. With Hamlin steering his car left to try and block Keselowski, they made contact, which resulted in Hamlin spinning and plummeting below the leaderboard. At the same time, Keselowski drifted back to sixth place.

Then, in 2018, Keselowski reigned to supreme for the first time in the Clash after he led a race-high 43 of 75-scheduled laps, including the final 37, and muscled away from a final-lap multi-car wreck to beat his two Team Penske teammates, Joey Logano and Ryan Blaney along with ex-teammate Kurt Busch across the finish line in fifth place. As a result, Keselowski became the 23rd competitor to win the Clash as he piloted Team Penske’s No. 2 entry to a victory in the event since NASCAR Hall of Famer Rusty Wallace made the previous accomplishment in 1998. Keselowski also recorded Team Penske’s fifth exhibition event victory and the ninth for the Ford nameplate.

Since his first Clash victory in 2018, Keselowski has finished no higher than eighth over his next four Clash starts. After competing in the event at Daytona from 2019 to 2021, he did not qualify for the event that had relocated to the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum during the 2022 and 2023 seasons due to not securing an on-track transfer spot through the Clash’s Heat and Last Chance Qualifier events. By then, he had departed Team Penske to assume both a co-ownership and driving role in the No. 6 Ford entry for the newly named Roush Fenway Keselowski Racing team. This past season, he managed to claim a transfer spot to make his 10th career Clash start at the Coliseum, where he finished eighth during the main event.

Through 10 previous starts in the Clash, Keselowski has achieved one victory, three top-five results, six top-10 results, 132 laps led and an average-finishing result of 10.7. Due to finishing in 13th place in the 2024 driver’s standings, he will have to earn a starting spot for the 2025 Clash either through one of four Heat qualifying races scheduled for February 1 or through the 75-lap Last Chance Qualifier Race that will occur on February 2 prior to the main event.

Currently, Keselowski has the fourth-most exhibition starts among active competitors at 10. Should he both qualify and win the 2025 Clash, he would record the second victory of the event for RFK Racing, previously competed as Roush Racing, and the first since NASCAR Hall of Famer Mark Martin made the first accomplishment in 1999. Keselowski would also become the 13th competitor overall to win the Clash multiple times.

The 2025 Cook Out Clash at Bowman Gray Stadium is scheduled to occur on Sunday, February 2, with a starting broadcast time at 8 p.m. ET on FOX.

Toyota GAZOO Racing Weekly Preview 1.29.25

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Official Release
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This Week in Motorsports: January 27 – February 2, 2025

· NCS: Bowman Gray Stadium – Feb. 1-2

PLANO, Texas (Jan. 29, 2025) – NASCAR racing returns for the annual, non-points-paying Clash to kick off the 2025 racing season at Bowman Gray Stadium. Drivers will compete in heat races at the flat, 0.250-mile short track on Saturday, as well as a last-chance qualifying race Sunday evening, to determine the 23 teams competing in the 200-lap main event Sunday night.

NASCAR National Series – NCS

NASCAR returns to Bowman Gray … This year’s Clash takes place at Bowman Gray Stadium in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, hosting its first NASCAR Cup Series race since 1971. Bowman Gray has seen some of NASCAR’s greatest competitors during the Cup Series’ first stint at the track in the 1950s, 60s and 70s, which includes the likes of Richard Petty, who won there four times and lastly in 1970.

Briscoe, Herbst make their Camry XSE debuts … Also, in this year’s Clash at Bowman Gray Stadium, will be the debuts of Chase Briscoe and Riley Herbst in Toyota Camry XSEs. Indiana native, Briscoe, begins his tenure with Joe Gibbs Racing and Toyota in the No. 19 Camry XSE this weekend. Briscoe enters the 2025 season with two career victories, 13 top-fives and 30 top-10s. Herbst, piloting the No. 35 Camry XSE for 23XI Racing, enters his first full-time Cup Series season in 2025. Herbst has been a part of the Toyota family in the past through the Truck and Xfinity Series, lastly driving with Team Toyota in 2020. The Las Vegas native has eight career Cup Series starts to-date, with two top-10s earned in 2023.

Toyota seeks third straight Clash victory … After Denny Hamlin’s victory in Los Angeles a year ago, Toyota will go for its third consecutive win in the Clash this Sunday, and fifth in the last six events. Hamlin, who sits second in career Clash victories, also seeks his fifth career Clash victory that would put him one behind the late Dale Earnhardt for the most all-time.

About Toyota

Toyota (NYSE:TM) has been a part of the cultural fabric in North America for nearly 70 years, and is committed to advancing sustainable, next-generation mobility through our Toyota and Lexus brands, plus our more than 1,800 dealerships.

Toyota directly employs nearly 64,000 people in North America who have contributed to the design, engineering, and assembly of nearly 49 million cars and trucks at our 14 manufacturing pla

Kyle Larson to attempt 10th Clash start at Bowman Gray

By
Andrew Kim
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Photo by Tim Jarrold for SpeedwayMedia.com.

The 2025 NASCAR Cup Series season is scheduled to mark Kyle Larson’s 11th as a full-time competitor in the series and fifth in a row driving the No. 5 Chevrolet entry for Hendrick Motorsports (HMS). Before his quest to win both a first Daytona 500 and a second Cup title commences in the middle of February, he enters this upcoming weekend’s Cook Out Clash festivities at Bowman Gray Stadium with a goal to make his 10th career appearance in the pre-season exhibition event.

A native of Elk Grove, California, Larson made his inaugural presence in the Clash during the 2015 season when the event occurred at Daytona International Speedway. By then, he was driving the No. 42 Chevrolet entry for Chip Ganassi Racing and had earned a starting spot for the event by virtue of notching his first Cup career pole at Pocono Raceway in July 2014. Starting at the rear of the field, Larson survived a crash-filled event to finish fifth in his first Clash start. He would survive another crash-filled event in 2016 to notch his career-best result in the event to date of fourth place.

Throughout his next three Clash starts, Larson finished no higher than 10th after he was involved in on-track incidents in all of his starts. Despite being involved in two late-race incidents during the 2020 event, the Californian would muscle his way to finish a career-best fourth for a second time.

Amid being suspended for using a racial slur during an iRacing event in 2020 and rallying in 2021 to claim his first Cup Series championship while driving the No. 5 HMS Chevrolet, Larson would compete in the last three Clash events that have occurred at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. During his three starts at the Coliseum, he finished in fifth place in all of them.

Through nine previous starts in the Clash, Larson has racked up six top-five results, seven top-10 results, four laps led, and an average finishing result of 7.89. Despite finishing in sixth place in the 2024 driver’s standings, he will have to earn a starting spot for the 2025 Clash either through one of four Heat qualifying races scheduled for February 1 or through the 75-lap Last Chance Qualifier Race that will occur on February 2 before the main event.

Currently, Larson is tied with Austin Dillon in having the fifth-most Clash starts among active competitors all-time at nine. As he attempts to qualify for his 10th career Clash start this upcoming season, he will also attempt to become the 26th competitor to win NASCAR’s pre-season exhibition event and pilot the No. 5 HMS entry to its first-ever Clash victory. Should he emerge victorious, he would also record the first Clash victory for HMS since former HMS competitor Jimmie Johnson made the last accomplishment in 2019.

The 2025 Cook Out Clash at Bowman Gray Stadium is scheduled to occur on Sunday, February 2, with a starting broadcast time at 8 p.m. ET on FOX.

Rising Country Music Artist Corey Kent to Perform Pre-Race Concert For EchoPark Automotive Grand Prix

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Official Release
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  • Kent, best-known for his No. 1 single “Wild As Her,” to play a one-hour set prior to the NASCAR Cup Series race on Sunday, March 2.
  • Ultimate Fan Pass and Track Pass upgrades available for premier concert stage access on the COTA frontstretch.
  • Feb. 28 – March 2 race weekend plays host to the NASCAR Cup Series, Xfinity Series and IMSA’s VP Racing SportsCar Challenge.

AUSTIN, Texas (Jan. 29, 2025) – Corey Kent, a fast-rising, breakout country music artist already with a Platinum-certified No. 1 radio single, will serve as the featured pre-race entertainment for the EchoPark Automotive Grand Prix NASCAR Cup Series (NCS) race at Circuit of The Americas (COTA) on Sunday, March 2.

Kent will perform a one-hour concert, which will be highlighted by his Platinum-certified hit “Wild As Her,” beginning at 12:45 p.m. CT at the Pre-Race Stage located on COTA’s frontstretch. Fans can purchase an Ultimate Fan Pass or Track Pass upgrade for enhanced stage access for Kent’s performance as well as NCS pre-race driver introductions.

Kent, a Bixby, Okla. native now based in Dallas, has been described as a new-school country rocker with a reputation for red-dirt swagger and blue-collar grit. He was a rapidly rising talent since his teens in Nashville, but the pandemic coincided with the loss of his first publishing deal. Kent moved to Texas and secured a job on a paving crew to pay the family bills but never abandoned his dream.

He continued to play honky-tonks and dance halls, and in 2022, the hit single “Wild As Her” from his major label album debut “Blacktop” relaunched his career. In addition to going Platinum, the single also has garnered more than 750 million career streams. A second single off that album – “Something’s Gonna Kill Me” – went Gold and is approaching Platinum status.

Kent began touring alongside stars such as Jason Aldean, Ashley McBryde, Eli Young Band, Parker McCollum, Cody Johnson and more and became the most-played new artist on country radio for all of 2023. His popularity and fan base began to explode.

The 30-year-old singer/songwriter released his latest album “Black Bandana” this past September with Sony Music Nashville. He followed with a nationwide tour that also includes a few international stops. Kent co-wrote six of the album’s 10 songs with the goal of mixing themes of integrity, resilience and family with a sonic setting along with finding the midway point between Bruce Springsteen and Brooks & Dunn. The album title gives a nod to his pendant for wearing a black bandana during his performances as well as his rally cry.

“It started from riding motorcycles and wanting something over your face, so you didn’t swallow a bug,” Kent said. “But then it turned into a staple I wear on stage, and then a symbol of the path through my career and life. Through all the ups and downs, the one constant thing was this relentless hope – this relentless pursuit of believing that if I don’t give up, I can get where I’m going.”

The NASCAR at COTA weekend will feature both the NCS and NASCAR Xfinity Series (NXS) along with the IMSA-sanctioned VP Racing SportsCar Challenge. The NXS will compete Saturday, March 1, at 1:30 p.m. with the Focused Health 250. The VP Racing SportsCar Challenge will stage two 45-minute races that same day, one at 8:40 a.m. and the second at 5 p.m. The weekend will culminate with the EchoPark Automotive Grand Prix on Sunday, March 2, beginning at 2:30 p.m.

Click HERE for the full weekend schedule.

The NCS and NXS will return to the Lone Star State along with the NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series for a May 2-4 visit to Fort Worth and Texas Motor Speedway (TMS). Fans can take advantage of the “Texas Two-Step” promotion between NASCAR at COTA and TMS. Speedway Motorsports will offer ticket purchasers of either NCS race a 20 percent discount if they would like to attend both. Click HERE for more information on the “Texas Two-Step” promotion or to purchase tickets.

Tickets:

Tickets for children ages 12 and under are just $10 for the March 2 EchoPark Automotive Grand Prix NCS race and free for the March 1 NXS Focused Health 250 and IMSA-sanctioned VP Racing SportsCar Challenge. For individual tickets, weekend packages and camping, fans can visit NASCARatCOTA.com.

Follow Us:

Keep track of all things NASCAR at COTA by following on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram (@NASCARatCOTA). Keep up with all the latest information on the NASCAR at COTA website and mobile app.

NEW REGULAR SEASON CHAMPIONSHIP PART OF $25 MILLION OVERALL PURSE FOR NHRA RACERS DURING THRILLING 2025 SEASON

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Official Release
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Along with event and championship purses, as well as several bonus programs, NHRA to also award regular season champ in professional categories

INDIANAPOLIS (Jan. 29, 2025) – Ahead of the 2025 NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series season, NHRA officials announced today that $25 million in purse and payouts will be awarded to teams during the 20-race national event schedule.

The multi-million dollar payout includes the event purse for drivers in the Mission Foods and Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series on the national event tour, as well as the year-end championship purse for the Mission Foods Drag Racing Series, payouts for the All-Star Callout races in Top Fuel, Funny Car, Pro Stock and Pro Stock Motorcycle, the Mission #2Fast2Tasty Challenge in the four professional categories and other incentive programs.

It also includes the payout for a regular season championship, which will be introduced this year and will be awarded to the regular season points leader in the NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series. NHRA is set to award almost $400,000 of additional purse to the regular season champions in Top Fuel, Funny Car, Pro Stock and Pro Stock Motorcycle, contributing to the $25 million up for grabs this year during the highly-anticipated 2025 season.

“It is always our goal to incentivize our amazing racers at all levels and we’ve been intently focused on introducing new ways to reward our drivers and race teams. We’re excited to award $25 million to these incredible teams and competitors who race at such a high level and put on a tremendous show for our fans across the country,” NHRA President Glen Cromwell said. “We are thrilled to introduce programs like a regular season championship across our four professional categories, which provides added excitement to the regular season and the world’s biggest drag race, the Cornwell Quality Tools U.S. Nationals. From our specialty races and bonus programs to our battle for regular season and world championships, we are looking forward to a spectacular 2025 season.”

The 2025 NHRA Mission Foods Series season opens March 6-9 with the 56th annual Amalie Motor Oil NHRA Gatornationals at legendary Gainesville Raceway, the first of 14 races during the regular season. The points reset for the championship competitors during the last six races of the year, with the Countdown to the Championship playoffs determining the overall world champion across the NHRA’s four professional categories.

In 2024, Antron Brown (Top Fuel), Austin Prock (Funny Car), Greg Anderson (Pro Stock) and Gaige Herrera (Pro Stock Motorcycle) claimed world championships in the Mission Foods Drag Racing Series. Brown won his fourth title in the loaded category, while Prock picked up his first championship in dominant style. Greg Anderson won his sixth world title in Pro Stock in a winner-take-all final round and Herrera rolled to his second straight title.

Doug Kalitta (Top Fuel), Prock, Dallas Glenn (Pro Stock) and Herrera were the points leaders at the conclusion of the regular season. For more information on NHRA, including the 2025 schedule, visit www.NHRA.com.

2025 NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series Regular Season

March 6-9: 56th annual Amalie Motor Oil NHRA Gatornationals, Gainesville Raceway, Gainesville, Fla.

March 21-23: 40th annual NHRA Arizona Nationals, Firebird Motorsports Park, Phoenix

March 27-30: 65th annual Lucas Oil NHRA Winternationals, In-N-Out Burger Pomona Dragstrip, Pomona, Calif.

April 11-13: 25th annual NHRA 4-Wide Nationals, The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, Las Vegas

April 25-27: 15th annual NHRA 4-Wide Nationals, zMAX Dragway, Charlotte

May 16-18: 25th annual Gerber Collision & Glass Route 66 NHRA Nationals presented by PEAK Performance, Route 66 Raceway, Chicago

May 30-June 1: 12th annual NHRA New England Nationals, New England Dragway, Epping, N.H.

June 6-8: 24th annual Super Grip NHRA Thunder Valley Nationals, Bristol Dragway, Bristol, Tenn.

June 20-22: 5th annual Virginia NHRA Nationals, Virginia Motorsports Park, Richmond, Va. This will be a two-day pro event with three qualifying sessions on Saturday.

June 26-29: 19th annual Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Nationals, Summit Motorsports Park, Norwalk, Ohio

July 18-20: 36th annual Muckleshoot Casino Resort NHRA Northwest Nationals, Pacific Raceways, Seattle

July 25-27: 37th annual DENSO NHRA Sonoma Nationals, Sonoma Raceway, Sonoma, Calif.

Aug. 14-17: 43rd annual Lucas Oil NHRA Nationals, Brainerd International Raceway, Brainerd, Minn.

Aug. 27-Sept. 1: 71st annual Cornwell Quality Tools NHRA U.S. Nationals, Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park, Indianapolis.

NHRA COUNTDOWN TO THE CHAMPIONSHIP PLAYOFFS

Sept. 11-14: 40th annual Reading NHRA Nationals, Maple Grove Raceway, Reading, Pa.

Sept. 19-21: 17th annual NHRA 4-Wide Carolina Nationals, zMAX Dragway, Charlotte.

Sept. 26-28: 14th annual NHRA Midwest Nationals, World Wide Technology Raceway, St. Louis

Oct. 9-12: 40th annual Texas NHRA FallNationals, Texas Motorplex, Dallas

Oct. 30-Nov. 2: 25th annual NHRA Nevada Nationals, The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, Las Vegas

Nov. 13-16: 60th annual In-N-Out Burger NHRA Finals, In-N-Out Burger Pomona Dragstrip, Pomona, Calif.

For more ticket information, please visit www.NHRA.com

About Mission Foods

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

About NHRA

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

Austin Dillon to attempt 10th Clash start at Bowman Gray

By
Andrew Kim
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Photo by John Knittel for SpeedwayMedia.com.

The 2025 NASCAR Cup Series season is scheduled to mark Austin Dillon’s 12th as a full-time competitor of the No. 3 Richard Childress Racing (RCR) Chevrolet entry in the series. Before his quest to win both a second Daytona 500 and a first Cup title commences in the middle of February, he enters this upcoming weekend’s Cook Out Clash festivities at Bowman Gray Stadium with a goal to make his 10th career appearance in the season-opening exhibition event.

A native of Welcome, North Carolina, Dillon made his first-ever start in the Clash in 2015 when the event occurred at Daytona International Speedway. By then, he had earned a starting spot for the event by virtue of winning his first Cup pole position for the 56th running of the Daytona 500 in February 2014, which made him the fifth rookie candidate in NASCAR’s premier series to achieve a pole award for the Great American Race. Starting in sixth place for his first Clash start, Dillon finished 17th after being involved in a late multi-car wreck with Ricky Stenhouse Jr.

Over his next five Clash starts on Daytona’s 2.5-superspeedway venue, Dillon finished in the top eight four times. Within the results, he notched his career-best finish in the event to date of second place in 2020. During the event’s lone event at the Daytona International Speedway Road Course venue, the North Carolinian settled in 11th place on the track.

Then, as the event was relocated to the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, starting in 2022, Dillon notched a strong third-place effort. He backed up his result by tying his career-best Clash result with a second-place finish behind Martin Truex Jr. in 2023. Amid the strong results, Dillon did not claim a starting spot for the 2024 event due to not transferring from the event’s group qualifying session.

Through nine previous starts in the Clash, Dillon has recorded four top-five results, six top-10 results, 12 laps led, and an average finishing result of 7.3. Due to finishing in 28th place in the 2024 driver’s standings, he will have to earn a starting spot for the 2025 Clash either through one of four Heat qualifying races scheduled for February 1 or through the 75-lap Last Chance Qualifier Race that will occur on February 2 before the main event.

Currently, Dillon is tied with Kyle Larson in having the fifth-most Clash starts among active competitors all-time at nine. As he attempts to qualify for his 10th career Clash start in 2025, he will also attempt to become the 26th competitor to win the exhibition event and pilot the No. 3 RCR entry to its first Clash victory since the late seven-time champion Dale Earnhardt achieved the latest mark in 1995. Should Dillon win the 2025 Clash, he would also deliver the first victory in the event for RCR since three-time Clash champion Kevin Harvick made the last accomplishment in 2013.

The 2025 Cook Out Clash at Bowman Gray Stadium is scheduled to occur on Sunday, February 2, with a starting broadcast time at 8 p.m. ET on FOX.

Erik Jones to attempt seventh Clash start for second feature victory

By
Andrew Kim
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Photo by Jeff Clemons for SpeedwayMedia.com.

The 2025 NASCAR Cup Series season is scheduled to mark Erik Jones’ ninth as a full-time competitor in the series and fifth in a row driving the No. 43 Toyota Camry XSE entry for Legacy Motor Club. Before his quest to win both the Daytona 500 and a Cup title for the first time commences towards the middle of February, he enters this upcoming weekend’s Cook Out Clash festivities at Bowman Gray Stadium with a goal to both make his seventh career appearance and win the pre-season exhibition event for a second time.

A native of Byron, Michigan, Jones started his first career in the Clash in 2018 when the event occurred at Daytona International Speedway. He drove the No. 20 Toyota entry for Joe Gibbs Racing (JGR) by then. He had earned a starting spot for the event by virtue of notching his first Cup career pole during the previous season at Bristol Motor Speedway, the latter of which he drove for Furniture Row Racing. In Jones’ first start in the Clash, he started fourth and finished eighth. He would finish in 20th place, dead last, during the 2019 event after he was involved in a late 17-car wreck.

Then, in 2020, Jones muscled his way to his first victory in the Clash and in wild fashion after surviving a crash-filled event that went into overtime four times, resulting in six of 18 starters finishing the event overall. Earlier in the event, Jones slid through his pit box that pinned him a lap down. Despite cycling his way back on the lead lap, he was then involved in three multi-car wrecks that left him with a severely damaged front nose to his No. 20 Toyota. Nonetheless, the Michigan native capitalized during the fourth and final overtime shootout by receiving a draft from teammate Denny Hamlin, who was a lap behind the leaders, to storm past the remaining lead-lap competitors through the backstretch on the final lap. With the lead in his possession, Jones was able to nurse his car to the finish line in first place as he became the 24th competitor to win the Clash. In addition, he recorded the fifth victory in the event for the Toyota nameplate and the ninth for JGR. Jones won the Clash’s final outing on Daytona’s 2.5-superspeedway circuit to date.

The following season generated new beginnings for both Jones and the Clash as the former transitioned to Richard Petty Motorsports to drive the No. 43 Chevrolet entry while the latter occurred on Daytona’s road-course venue. During the 2021 event, Jones started ninth and finished eighth. Since the Clash relocated to the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum in 2022, Jones notched respective finishes of fourth and 27th, the latter of which occurred in 2023, and he did not secure a starting spot for the event in 2024.

Through six previous starts in the Clash, Jones has achieved one victory, two top-five results, four top-10 results, one lap led, and an average-finishing result of 11.3. Due to finishing in 28th place in the 2024 driver’s standings, he will have to earn a starting spot for the 2025 Clash either through one of four Heat qualifying races scheduled for February 1 or through the 75-lap Last Chance Qualifier Race that will occur on February 2nd, before the main event.

Currently, Jones is tied with Alex Bowman in having the eighth-most Clash starts among active competitors of all time at six. As he attempts to secure a starting spot for his seventh career appearance in the exhibition event in 2025, Jones will also attempt to become the 13th competitor to win NASCAR’s pre-season exhibition event multiple times. Should he emerge victorious in 2025, he would deliver both the first Clash victory for the No. 43 and for Legacy Motor Club, which is majorly owned by two-time Clash winner Jimmie Johnson.

The 2025 Cook Out Clash at Bowman Gray Stadium is scheduled to occur on Sunday, February 2, with a starting broadcast time at 8 p.m. ET on FOX.

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