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Kirkwood Takes Top Spot in Opening St. Pete Practice

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (Friday, Feb. 28, 2025) – Florida native and resident Kyle Kirkwood enjoyed home cooking Friday afternoon, leading the opening practice for the Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg presented by RP Funding.

Kirkwood, from Jupiter, Florida, paced the 80-minute session split into three groups with a best lap of 1 minute, .4409 of a second in the No. 27 Andretti INDYCAR Honda, the leader of two Andretti Global drivers in the top five.

“In the past three years, this is one of the races that I enjoy coming to the most because it is a home state for me,” said Kirkwood, whose best INDYCAR SERIES finish at St. Petersburg is 10th last year. “But it’s interesting because I haven’t had good races here. It’s not lack of pace. It’s a multitude of things that cause the bad races here.

“So, it will be important to get out of this weekend with some points on the board and a good finish.”

Live coverage of the 100-lap race on the 14-turn, 1.8-mile temporary street circuit on the streets of St. Petersburg starts at noon a.m. ET Sunday on FOX, FOX Deportes, the FOX Sports app and the INDYCAR Radio Network. It’s the season opener for the NTT INDYCAR SERIES.

Three-time series champion Alex Palou started the defense of his two consecutive titles by ending up second at 1:00.6004 in the No. 10 DHL Chip Ganassi Racing Honda, .1595 of a second behind leader Kirkwood.

2022 St. Petersburg winner Scott McLaughlin was the quickest Chevrolet-powered driver, third overall at 1:01.0002 in the No. 3 DEX Imaging Team Penske Chevrolet. But that was part of a good news-bad news session for McLaughlin, who crashed after he turned his quickest lap.

Colton Herta, who won this race in 2021, was fourth at 1:01.0603 in the No. 26 Gainbridge Honda of Andretti Global. Defending race winner Pato O’Ward rounded out the top five at 1:01.1161 in the No. 5 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet.

The top 10 in the opening practice session was stacked and tight. Nine of the top 10 are NTT INDYCAR SERIES race winners, and four are series champions. Just .8516 of a second separated that elite top 10, too.

There were two red flags during practice. Marcus Armstrong triggered the first when his No. 66 SiriusXM/Root Insurance Honda fielded by Meyer Shank Racing spun in Turn 3 and didn’t make contact.

McLaughlin wasn’t as fortunate as fellow New Zealand native Armstrong six minutes later. McLaughlin, who announced earlier today a contract extension with Team Penske, clipped the outside wall in Turn 3, spinning and stopping on course with moderate damage to the front of his car. McLaughlin was unhurt.

“It was a little bit of a mistake on my part, unfortunately,” McLaughlin said. “I was a little wide through (Turn) 3, and there’s a little bit of a bump there. The bump just sort of put me a little bit wider than I wanted, and there’s no grip out there.

“It’s a bit of a bummer, the mistake, but you’d rather have it happen now and just get on with the weekend.”

Up next is another practice at 10 a.m. Saturday (FS2, FOX Sports app, INDYCAR Radio Network), followed by NTT P1 Award qualifying at 2:30 p.m. (FS1, FOX Sports app, INDYCAR Radio Network).

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

CHEVROLET IN NTT INDYCAR SERIES
FIRESTONE GRAND PRIX OF ST. PETERSBURG
STREETS OF ST. PETERSBURG
ST. PETERSBURG, FLORIDA
TEAM CHEVY PRACTICE REPORT
FEBRUARY 28, 2025

SCOTT MCLAUGHLIN LED TEAM CHEVY IN THIRD AT THE CONCLUSION OF FIRESTONE GRAND PRIX OF ST. PETERSBURG FIRST PRACTICE

  • Scott McLaughlin, driver of the No. 3 Team Penske Chevrolet, led Team Chevy by finishing third during the first practice (combined), setting a fast lap during the sunny session in St. Pete with a fastest lap of 01:01.0002 seconds. Unfortunately, McLaughlin faced a late session incident, ending his practice early.
  • Chevrolet finished the combined practice session with two in the top-five, with Newgarden in second followed by Arrow McLaren’s Pato O’Ward, driver of the No. 5 Chevrolet, in fifth. The Bowtie brand finished with four in the top-10 at the conclusion of Friday’s first practice session.
  • Josef Newgarden, driver of the No. 2 Team Penske Chevrolet, led Team Chevy in the first 45-minute session of practice, with his fastest lap of 01:01.2494 seconds. Chevrolet additionally finished with eight in the top-10 during the first 45 minute session before the field broke into two groups.
  • Saturday on the Streets of St. Pete sees Team Chevy open with a second practice at 10 a.m. ET on FS2 followed by Qualifications and the Firestone Fast Six at 2:30 p.m. ET on FS1. Additional coverage throughout the weekend can be found via INDYCAR Radio and SiriusXM Channel 218.

First Practice Top-10 Results (Combined):

3rd Scott McLaughlin
5th Pato O’Ward
9th Josef Newgarden
10th Will Power

First Practice Top-10 Results (45-minute session):

2nd Josef Newgarden
3rd Will Power
4th Scott McLaughlin
6th Christian Rasmussen
8th Pato O’Ward
9th Alexander Rossi
10th Nolan Siegel

WHAT THEY’RE SAYING

David Malukas, No. 4 AJ Foyt Racing Chevrolet:

“Overall, seemed like a pretty good session other than the chaos that is INDYCAR. We had very few laps today that we could do. We had a few issues with the brakes here or there, but we managed to fix it all up. So, at the end, I think we got around 10 laps in total between alternates and primaries, maybe one or two here or there. We also had that unfortunate yellow flag, so track time was rough. I think from a first session being back, I we kind of went through our checklist of things I wanted to go through. So now, we get to hone in, look at lap times, try to find the time from my side heading into Practice 2. I think from the car, Chevy, the Foyt guys, really good job. We’re heading into tomorrow.”

Santino Ferrucci, No. 14 AJ Foyt Racing Chevrolet:

“Solid first day back in St. Petersburg. Everything went really well with the team. Got a couple of overnight changes we’re excited about. Our Chevrolets feel awesome. Lot of power. Very happy with the offseason changes. I feel we’re going to have some good gains race day.”

Conor Daly, No. 76 Juncos Hollinger Racing Chevrolet:

“I think that was a good first session for us. No problems, really. Just worked through our plan. Some decent speed in the car, too, so appreciate everyone at this team and everyone at Chevrolet for getting us going fast. We’ll keep working on getting towards the P1 spot.”

Sting Ray Robb, No. 78 Juncos Hollinger Racing Chevrolet:

“Day one at St. Pete, I felt okay. We had a little bit messy of a session as a team, but all in all I think we have decent pace. I think if we clean it up, run smooth, the car has great speed, we’ve got great horsepower behind us. A little fine tuning here and there and we’ll be fine.”

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

“First session of 2025, and I would say that we’ve got some work to do. But I’m confident in the men and women that we can make those changes and see how we stack up in Practice 2 and then get ready for Qualifying.”

Nolan Siegel, No. 6 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet:

“Overall, I think it was a positive start and our pace on new Firestone Alternate tires was pretty strong. We know what we need to work on. We have a lot of understeer that we’ll need to sort out but it’s comfortable. It’s my first time racing in St. Pete in the NTT INDYCAR SERIES, and this is one of my favorite tracks and I’m very excited for the weekend. Off to a strong and positive start and I think we’ll get better from here and be in good shape for Qualifying.”

Christian Lundgaard, No. 7 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet:

“For our first go, I think we’re okay. We’re obviously building up to it. We don’t really know what the track condition is compared to last year since St. Pete was a bit under water last fall. I think we’ve identified a few things that we were concerned about leaving Sebring. Some of them translated, some of them didn’t. We still have some work to do, but overall it was a good first run. I’m looking forward to hearing what the others have to say in terms of where we are from an overall balance and overall performance perspective. It’s good to get running.”

Josef Newgarden, driver of the No. 2 Team Penske Chevrolet, met with members of the media after the first practice session. Transcript:

THE MODERATOR: Good afternoon. Wrapping up today’s practice, we are joined now by Josef Newgarden.

What did you learn in that practice session?

JOSEF NEWGARDEN: It was different. Just compared to last year, we didn’t have the hybrid here is probably the biggest year-over-year change. Then the tires have taken an alteration, if you will. It’s a known thing. We’ve been working on this in the off-season. Firestone has been pretty transparent and open that we’re looking for a different mix between the primary and the alternate. They definitely have different properties to what they had last year. A lot to dive in.

There wasn’t a lot of laps. I ran preslim laps on the primaries and then I did that one run on the alternate. Felt really good on the primaries, so-so on the alternates. I didn’t really do a good lap at all. Kind of understand why. We’re going to pick apart everything tonight and try to be in a big spot for tomorrow.

Good to be back. What a great atmosphere today. I think St. Pete has typically felt like this even on a Friday, but today looked really, really great. Nice to be back at the track.

THE MODERATOR: Looked good on FOX.

JOSEF NEWGARDEN: I can’t wait to see it.

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

Q. Josef, you were second fastest in the 45-minute session. Is there any incentive to come out here and win after what happened last year? I want to show I can win by that type of length without any drama?

JOSEF NEWGARDEN: I mean, I think there’s definitely motivation for us to do well. Like, that seems obvious. I won’t shy away from saying that. Definitely we want to come out here and do a great job this weekend. It would be very gratifying to win the race.

I don’t think that needs to be our focus. I don’t see how this year is different. Every year I show up at St. Pete it’s about putting up a solid result on the board. I really mean that. I’m not just trying to be poetic.

You have to get a result on the board to start the year and you got to start thinking championship right away. If we can come out of this weekend with a good result, a clean car, I think that it’s going to be a win.

Do we ultimately want to have a dominant day, be out front, make a statement? Absolutely. I hope that happens. I’m not going to try to force that. I think we need to get what we can this weekend, what we’re capable of, move on to the next and have a really solid year. That’s more where our focus is right now.

Q. Pato has had a pretty good run here even though he got the victory only because of what happened to you last year. The year before he was leading and had the plenum issue. Seems to have a good rhythm for this track. Do you see him as really I don’t want to say the guy you’re chasing, but how big a threat is he in the race?

JOSEF NEWGARDEN: I mean, I’m going to give you the typical answer because it’s so true. Pato is definitely going to be in the conversation. I don’t see how he won’t be. He has been for many years.

You look at guys like Kyle or it’s Colton or Alex or my teammates, there’s too many individuals that probably can and will be in the conversation that you have to consider a threat for the weekend.

It’s hard to just single somebody out like Pato. Is Pato excellent here and is he going to be in the conversation here, yes.

Q. Josef, Team Penske, what has made you so good at this racetrack?

JOSEF NEWGARDEN: I think it’s a good observation that we have fast cars here. Similar to Andretti holistically speaking on a street course, I think our cars have suited this track over the years. Certainly since I started in 2012, I think Team Penske has always had a good base package here. It’s gone up and down a little bit, but been very consistent over that time.

How many poles has Will had around here? Nine. Some absurd figure. It speaks to the quality of the car. Even to start today on primaries, I felt like our car was naturally fast. I’m appreciative of that, the effort we put in. We’ve even doubled down on it. Even though we know we have a good base car here, we’ve tried to make it even better.

I don’t think I can give you one reason why. These things move all over the place. Kyle was just talking about this with their team, they know they have a strength on street courses. Maybe that strength doesn’t carry everywhere.

We’re trying to flatten our performance window where it’s not peaks and valleys, it’s just quite consistent everywhere and we have that speed naturally.

This has always been a stronghold and we want to have that everywhere we go.

Q. Josef, it’s all about driving and working and trying to win. Are you excited to see some of the things on the broadcast? How interested are you in seeing how the sport is being portrayed to a bigger audience?

JOSEF NEWGARDEN: I love it. What’s not to love about it? I’ve preached this this entire off-season. The great thing for everybody in this building right now, everyone touching this sport, we’re not hoping and dreaming that this thing becomes something elevated and great again. It was a great, great sport at one point. It was world renowned. It deserves to be that.

I think FOX will be a tremendous catalyst to bring it back to what it once was. I’m excited. I’m excited for all of us. I think we all deserve it. We’ve all been working hard. We all continue to need to work hard. Let’s see what this season can bring. I don’t have a crystal ball, but I think it can be a very big year.

About General Motors

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

Hauger Sends Message in Dominant Opening Practice at St. Pete

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (Friday, Feb. 28, 2025) – Dennis Hauger proved Friday afternoon why he’s one of the more heralded rookies in recent INDY NXT by Firestone history.

Hauger, from Norway, led the first practice for the season-opening Grand Prix of St. Petersburg, turning a top lap of 1 minute, 5.2225 seconds in the No. 28 Rental Group car fielded by Andretti Global. Hauger’s best lap was more than a half-second quicker than his closest pursuer, veteran Caio Collet at 1:05.7885 in the No. 76 HMD Motorsports car.

“I got a good lap in the last run, but overall, there’s still some things to work on,” Hauger said. “It’s my first time out here in St. Pete, so I’m still getting up to speed and figuring everything out on this track.

“I think Andretti did a good job as a team and started the season in the right way. I just need to keep working with what I know now and focus on having a good day tomorrow.”

Live coverage of the 45-lap race on the 14-turn, 1.8-mile temporary street circuit starts at 10 a.m. ET Sunday on FS1, the FOX Sports app and the INDYCAR Radio Network.

Hauger joins the INDYCAR development series 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. He also served as a Red Bull Junior Driver for six years and was named a Red Bull Reserve Driver for the 2022 and 2023 Formula One season.

Myles Rowe was third at 1:05.9760 in the No. 99 Abel Motorsports with Force Indy car. Teammate and fellow series veteran Jordan Missig turned heads by ending up fourth at 1:05.9886 in the No. 48 Abel Motorsports car. Missig’s best finish in five starts last season was ninth at World Wide Technology Raceway.

Veteran Salvador de Alba rounded out the top five at 1:05.9962 in the No. 27 Grupo Indi car fielded by Andretti Global, which matched Abel Motorsports with two drivers in the top five.

While Hauger built a gap out front, the rest of the 21-driver field was tight. Less than a second separated second-place Collet – the top returning driver in the series this season – and 13th-place Liam Sceats in the No. 30 HMD Motorsports car.

The red flag flew three times during the session, all for contact in separate incidents by rookie drivers.

Sophia Floersch did a quarter-spin in Turn 4 and backed into the tire barrier in her No. 24 HMD Motorsports car 29 minutes into the session. Floersch was unhurt, but the rear of the car suffered moderate damage.

Hailie Deegan then brushed the tire barrier in Turn 4 with the No. 38 HMD Motorsports car 35 minutes into the session. She drove to the pits after the incident and was unhurt.

Tommy Smith clipped the barrier in Turn 10 in his No. 16 HMD Motorsports car with two minutes remaining in the session, ending the session. Smith was unhurt, but the front of his machine suffered moderate damage.

Up next is another practice at 9 a.m. ET Saturday, followed by qualifying at 1:30 p.m. ET. FS2 and the INDYCAR Radio Network will provide live coverage of both sessions.

Cadillac shows pace, promise in WEC opener

Cadillac Hertz Team JOTA V-Series.R scores points in first race of new alliance

LUSAIL, Qatar (Feb. 28, 2025) – Cadillac Racing recovered from incidents in a turbulent FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC) season-opening Qatar 1812 Km to record its first points in its new alliance with JOTA Sport.

The No. 12 Cadillac Hertz Team JOTA V-Series.R, with Alex Lynn, Norman Nato and Will Stevens sharing driving duties, finished eighth in the 10-hour race on the Lusail International Circuit.

The sister No. 38 Cadillac Hertz Team JOTA V-Series.R driven by Earl Bamber, Sebastien Bourdais and Jenson Button placed 16th in the 18-car Hypercar field.

Extra time on pit lane and in the garage for repairs following contact with each other leading up to a restart in the third hour while running 1-2 and a throttle issue vexed the Cadillac Racing challenge for its maiden WEC victory.

Still, in the ebb and flow of endurance racing, the No. 12 Cadillac V-Series.R regained lead-lap position through solid work by the experienced crew and contended for a top five.

Both cars, powered by the purpose-built Cadillac 5.5-liter V8 DOHC engine, displayed consistent pace on the 5.38-kilometer, 16-turn circuit on the northern outskirts of Doha and promise for subsequent races on the eight-race calendar.

Cadillac Racing began its third season of WEC Hypercar competition with an expanded lineup, while JOTA Sport kicked off its first season as a WEC Hypercar works team following two decades of success as a privateer.

Photo gallery for editorial use | Cadillac Hertz Team JOTA statistics

The No. 12 Cadillac Hertz Team JOTA V-Series.R, which qualified fourth in the Hyperpole session a day earlier, topped the lap time sheet twice in practice and testing. The No. 38 Cadillac Hertz Team JOTA V-Series.R qualified fifth and recorded the second-quickest lap time in the two-day Prologue that totaled 14 hours of track time over four sessions.

The No. 50 Ferrari AF Corse won the race. The 6 Hours of Imola on April 20 is next on the schedule.

What they’re saying

No. 12 Cadillac Hertz Team JOTA V-Series.R

Alex Lynn: “There are many positives, but to be totally honest you can’t override the bitter feeling of the day. I have a huge amount of faith in JOTA having felt the car for the last 10 hours and knowing what we have capable of doing. Like all great sportsmen we need to pick ourselves up and carry on.”

Norman Nato: “On a personal side, it was my first race with Cadillac and, whilst obviously we were hoping for more, we have still finished in the points and that’s something. Of course it’s not what we wanted, having had such incredible pace over the past two weeks, it’s natural to want a much better result. But we finished the race and we take the experience and learnings from the race. Even on a bad day, scoring points is a positive.”

Will Stevens: “If you take a look at the week overall, we can be happy with the way we got up to speed in the car so quickly and the performance we showcased ahead of the race. On days like this, when you don’t get the results you want, it’s really important to pick up the pieces and get the best result you possibly can. Even on bad days, as a team we have to take the positives, we’ve shown good pace, we’ve demonstrated a good understanding of the car so even if it was a difficult and disappointing day, the experience will help us in the long run.”

No. 38 Cadillac Hertz Team JOTA V-Series.R

Sebastien Bourdais: “Earl showed a lot of pace early on and I think our car was a lot better in the warmer conditions, as the temperatures cooled off we seemed to lose track with the lead pack – independently of the incident we had. We live and learn. We’ve run a full race, both cars finished and, although it wasn’t the result we wanted, we learned a huge amount about the set-up and race performance. We’ll take a good look at all the data and try and learn more about the car so that we can take into Imola.”

Earl Bamber: “We led the race, so that’s always a positive and we showed good pace here again at Qatar. Just a shame on our part with what happened and had another technical issue later on. Good the sister car managed to recover and score some points. Soon we have to have a nice streak. The car is quick. The people back in Detroit and Charlotte are doing some great work on the car as well, constantly pushing the boundaries and developing. If we keep in that direction we’ll be good.”

Jenson Button: “What an up and down race. I think the most important thing you take out of this race is the pace that we had in the Cadillac Hertz Team JOTA V-Series.R. Obviously, we made some mistakes and it looked like it was going well initially and then Earl had his incident, dropped way back and fought his way back with a staggering drive to come up to the front again. Then we had the incident behind the Safety Car and then got on with the racing after that. Unfortunately, we had penalties when we pitted when we weren’t supposed to and then (an issue) cost us another seven laps to fix the throttle. Messy day but the pace was amazing. Everyone who got in the car was super quick and I think we take a lot of positives away from the weekend.”

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

CHEVROLET NCS AT COTA: Connor Zilisch Media Availability Quotes

NASCAR CUP SERIES
CIRCUIT OF THE AMERICAS
TEAM CHEVY DRIVER QUOTES
FEBRUARY 28, 2025

 Connor Zilisch, driver of the No. 87 Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet and the No. 88 JR Motorsports Chevrolet, met with the media onsite at Circuit of The Americas to preview his doubleheader race weekend and his first career NASCAR Cup Series start in Sunday’s EchoPark Automotive Grand Prix.

Media Availability Quotes:

Connor, you made your first NASCAR National Series start here at COTA in the Truck Series, where you won the pole and ultimately posted a top-five. Now you’re back, this time in the Xfinity Series, and we know you’ve had success on road courses after winning your debut in the series up at Watkins Glen. So, can you kind of talk to us about your feelings or perhaps excitement heading into this weekend?

“Yeah, it’s going to be a really cool weekend for me, getting to make my Cup Series debut with Red Bull back in NASCAR. Yeah, I’m really excited to see what, you know, Sunday is all about and learn from all the guys who are so seasoned and professional. There’s a lot of cool guys that I’m getting to race against and learn from this weekend. So, excited for that and excited to hopefully, you know, have a really good run in the Xfinity car and maybe lock ourselves into the playoffs in our Weather Tech Chevrolet.”

How much are you looking to gain respect from the veterans out there and show them that — hey, you know, I’m an accomplished racer. I can walk the track and you don’t have to worry about beating someone out there?

“Yeah, it’s really important to gain respect from those guys, you know, as early as possible. You don’t want to go out and make a fool of yourself because once you lose respect of all the veterans, it’s really tough to get it back. So, you definitely want to race them the right way at first and, you know, show them that you’re going to race them with respect. I think if you do that, they’ll give it back to you.

So, that’s definitely the plan. I’ll try and stick by it as best I can. But it can be tough for us sometimes, you know, with pressure and just everything involved. It’s a lot tougher than people realize, but obviously the goal is to show those guys that I’m here to show them respect and, you know, not step outside my boundaries.”

It doesn’t seem like you’re too nervous.. maybe you’re hiding it well. But is it part of that that you didn’t grow up with this being the goal? Like, does it help that it wasn’t some lifelong quest and you’re finally here and what you’re feeling is in the moment? Is that playing into that at all.. why are you approaching this in sort of like a more excited, it’s as cool as just riding down the highway?

“I wouldn’t say that’s necessarily why, but the biggest thing for me is to just not let any moment be too big. You know, it’s important to kind of just treat every race the same, whether it’s, you know, a Cup Series race or whether it’s a local late model race, right? You want to prepare. Maybe you’re going to do more to prepare yourself for a race like this and do more to make sure that you’re ready to show up and race on Sunday. But I feel like, for me, I try and just treat every race the same. It’s easy to get in your own head when you’re thinking — oh my gosh, this is such a big stage, this is crazy.

You know, it’s better to just kind of treat it like another race, and I think that’s what works best for me. I think it’s different for everybody, but it’s easy for me to get in my own head if I try to tell myself — oh my gosh, this moment’s so big. I’ll tend to make more mistakes if I do that.”

So how do you shove it out? Like, when that stuff starts to creep in, how are you like — nah, I’m not going to go there?

“Man, it’s so internally, you know, it’s something that you just kind of have to do yourself, right? You can’t let outside noise affect the way you prepare; the way you compete and the way you think. It’s just kind of got to be the way you are, right? You got to show up to the track and understand that there’s going to be a lot of noise around you, and there’s going to be a lot of lights, and you know, it’s going to be a big stage. But you kind of just got to let it, you know, not get to you and not affect you. Just treat it like any other race.”

You’ve had a lot thrown at you over the last year. Now, you’re 18 years old and about to make your Cup Series debut. So how do you handle all of this, I guess, I don’t know if it’s PR pressure or career pressure or racing pressure, but how do you handle all that and sit here so cool, calm and collective like — I’m just ready to go to another race because this isn’t just another race, this is the Cup Series..

“Yeah, no, I mean, it is crazy, right? There’s been obviously moments where I’ve kind of let the best, you know, let me get the best of myself and think — oh my gosh, this is pretty crazy. But, you know, if you get too excited in the moment and you hype yourself up too much, that’s when nerves start to become a thing, and I’m really bad with nerves. Like, when I’m nervous and, you know, I’m amped up, I just don’t perform. I struggle. So the best thing for me to do is just, you know, act like this is just any other race. And I think one thing that helps me is I feel like I’ve competed in a lot of big races already. I’ve had a lot of big moments. You know, I remember for my Truck Series debut, it was tough for me, right? I had all the nerves get to me and made way too many mistakes. And then I went to the Xfinity debut and just kind of went out there and, you know, did what I do to do, and it worked out well for me. So I’m kind of coming into this weekend with the same attitude and, you know, just going to go out there and run the best race that I know I can run, and whatever result comes is what happens.”

Has anyone helped you with that?

“Yeah, Josh Wise would have to be my biggest mentor. You know, I go to him for anything.. whether it be, you know, relationship advice or how to drive through a corner, right? It’s good to have someone like that at my age, who I can go to and can always give me a non-biased answer no matter what it’s about. So I definitely am fortunate to have not only Josh, but a lot of people in my corner who are willing to give me those, you know, non-biased answers, whether it’s what I want to hear or what it’s not what I want to hear.”

What are your expectations going into Sunday?

“Yeah, it’s hard to set expectations when you haven’t done it before, right? The car is new. I’m racing against probably 25 drivers I’ve never raced against before. Yeah, there’s a lot of variables that I just don’t know. So for me, setting expectations is really tough, right? I don’t want to set a goal of, you know, I want to go out and finish top-five, and then I get a speeding penalty or, you know, my pit crew has a loose tire and I finish 15th because of something out of my doing, right? Because then I’ll be upset, you know, that I didn’t meet my goal.

But for me, my expectation is I expect to be, you know, reasonably fast. I expect there to be — I don’t want to say that I’m going to be really fast, but I do expect to not be way off on speed. But the biggest thing is going to be execution on Sunday and making the most of the race and not making mistakes. You know, if the pit road speed is 50, expect me to be doing 48, right? I’m not going to be pushing the limit. You know, I just want to take it easy and make sure I run all the laps and don’t get a penalty. That’s going to be the biggest thing when it comes to the race. But I feel like when it comes to speed, I feel confident in myself that I’ll be able to run fast enough laps to be at the front.”

How important is your mentality for the Xfinity Series race, knowing you’ve had DNF’s the last two weeks?

“Yeah, it’s really important. It’s been a tough year so far and it’s important to get the momentum kind of swinging back in the right direction, and there’s no better place to do it than a road course for me. So, yeah, it’s crucial this weekend to have a mistake-free weekend; execute all day and hopefully have at least a good enough run to get us moving in the right direction in the point standings. And if we could lock ourselves in, even better.

But, yeah, it’s been a frustrating year to this point. But at the end of the day, it’s a 33-weekend schedule, so I’m not really worried yet. But, you know, a few more of those DNFs and you start to worry.”

How much have you prepared for this weekend?

“Yeah, that’s something that — you know, this answer might be surprising, but I try not to overdo it, right? I don’t want to confuse myself. I don’t want to overthink it. I don’t want to, you know, go in and study so much that I drown myself in this. You know, I feel like I have a good baseline off of what I learned in the Truck race last year here. The Cup car in the sim.. I’ve done quite a bit. You know, I’ve probably done 10 hours.. eight to 10 hours in the last three weeks of that. So, you know, I feel like I’m prepared. And I’ve gone back and watched the race. I’ve watched some in-car footage, and, you know, done the basic stuff. But for me, I don’t want to drown myself in past races because, you know, maybe something’s different this year, right? Maybe we show up and the asphalt is crazy more grippy. I don’t want to overconsume myself with information and overload myself, and then, you know, show up for practice and it’s way different and I’m freaking myself out. So, I kind of give myself a guideline of, you know, a checklist for practice. A checklist for the race.. things that I want to achieve and things I want to do. But I don’t overload myself with information prior to the event because you never know what could change.”

I’m just wondering, if you find yourself late in the stages near the front, do you think the veteran drivers around you are looking for ways to exploit, say, your inexperience, or just the fact that, you know, you may not have been able to move forward and they’ll be looking for ways to get in your head?

“Yeah, I mean, when it comes to the race, I definitely think they’re going to try and exploit my inexperience, you know, no doubt. But I do think that that’s going to be part of being a rookie, right? They are going to expect me to make mistakes. So, they’re going to try and force the mistakes, and that’s one thing that I’ve definitely focused on is not allowing that to happen, right? Don’t let people force mistakes and don’t let them make me do things I don’t want to do. You know, if I go out and do what I know to do and treat it like there’s a short track racer behind me that I’ve raced at Hickory Motor Speedway and, you know, not Kyle Busch or Kyle Larson, then it’ll probably help me. So, yeah, just like I said, I’m going to try and treat this like any other race. And, you know, I feel like I’ve not been exploited on these road courses to this point. It’s different on ovals, but, you know, I feel like I have a good feeling of what I need to do come Sunday.”

Is it overstating to say that whoever is figuring out 6A, 6B, or whatever they’re calling it, is going to be in the driver’s seat for this race? I mean, is it just that important, those two turns, or is it just another part of the course that they’re going to figure out?

“Yeah, I mean, it’s definitely going to be important. The guy who wins the race has got to be good everywhere. I don’t think it’s going to be the case of they’re going to be really good in 6A, 6B and give it up the rest of the track. I feel like it’s going to be just like any other road course we go to. You know, you’re going to have to figure it out quickly, and you’re going to have to be good everywhere to win especially come Sunday. It’s tough to win these races and you’ve got to be really fast everywhere. And I think it’s going to be important to understand how restarts will work there. 6A is really wide on entry, so, you know, expect a lot of chaos there. And the exit’s really tight, as well. So, I’m curious to see what the race is like. I’m glad I get Saturday to kind of get a feel for it and understand what that is like. But, yeah, come Sunday, I mean, it’s going to be whoever’s the best and makes the least amount of mistakes.”

About General Motors

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

Chip Ganassi: The charter system ‘makes these teams be a viable business’

SEBRING, Fla. - FEBRUARY 19: Alex Palou (L) of Chip Ganassi Racing and Scott McLaughlin (R) of Team Penske chat during IndyCar testing at Sebring Raceway on Feb. 19, 2025, in Sebring, Florida. Photo: Chris Owens/Penske Entertainment

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — The green flag drops on a new season of the NTT INDYCAR SERIES, Sunday. With a new season comes changes, in the form of a new series president, a new U.S. broadcast partner and a charter system.

To one of IndyCar’s longtime stalwarts, Chip Ganassi, the charter system “makes these teams be a viable business.”

“If you have strong teams, you’re going to have a strong series,” he said. “It just trickles down from there. You’ll have strong races and you’ll be on solid footing on a worldwide basis.”

In many ways, IndyCar’s charter system the league announced a few weeks after the end of the 2024 season mirrors the charter system used in the NASCAR Cup Series. It guarantees a starting spot for 25 of the 27 entries in each NTT INDYCAR Series race (the last two spots available for “open teams”). This doesn’t apply to the Indianapolis 500, despite some owners wishes to include it.

The reasons for implementing it mirror those on the NASCAR side: It gives teams a means to sell the entire operation rather than bits and pieces, as Michael Waltrip Racing did a decade ago. It also makes attracting sponsors much easier when you’re guaranteed entry to all but one event on the calendar.

“I think it’s a great thing,” Ganassi said. “I’ve said before, I thought — maybe that’s something that doesn’t translate down to fans per se. I don’t know that it’s a fan-centric decision by the series, but it’s something that the team owners badly need, to have a solid — again, this goes back to my earlier comments about being a viable business.”

While it may conjure up bad memories of the infamous 25-8 rule that led to the IRL-CART split in the mid-1990s, it’s highly unlikely to happen again. There’s not a second series in the equation, and the aforementioned Indy 500 is excluded from a guaranteed starting spot.

“The charter agreement, to me, is the single-most important piece for the future of the series,” Michael Shank, team owner of Meyer Shank Racing, told Forbes. “I’m grateful that we all came together on this and thank the Roger Penske group for working with the team owners for getting it done.”

RCR Race Preview: Circuit of The Americas

Richard Childress Racing in the NASCAR Cup Series at Circuit of The Americas… Richard Childress Racing has eight NASCAR Cup Series starts at Circuit of The Americas, earning two top-five and five top-10 finishes. Kyle Busch holds the organization’s best result of second (2023). Additionally, RCR has one pole position at the Austin, Texas road course, with Tyler Reddick earning the honor during the track’s inaugural Cup Series race in 2021. This weekend’s event will be the first time NASCAR will utilize the “National Course” layout, which features a 2.3-mile course length and 20 turns.

Richard Childress Racing in the NASCAR Xfinity Series at Circuit of The Americas… Richard Childress Racing has seven starts in NASCAR Xfinity Series competition at Circuit of The Americas, owning a pair of second-place finishes by Austin Hill (2022, 2024). The Welcome, North Carolina-based team has also collected three additional top-10 results.

Did You Know? 2025 marks the second consecutive season that Richard Childress Racing has won the first two races of the Xfinity Series season. RCR is the first organization to win the opening pair with two different drivers.

Chasing 100… Richard Childress Racing’s Xfinity Series program currently sits at 99 wins and will become only the third team in series history to reach the 100 win milestone with their next victory.

Catch Saturday’s Action… The Focused Health 250 at Circuit of The Americas will be televised live on Saturday, March 1 at 2:30 p.m. ET on The CW. The live radio broadcast can be heard on the Performance Racing Network and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90. Friday afternoon’s practice and qualifying sessions will be shown for free on The CW App.

Follow Sunday’s Action… The EchoPark Automotive Grand Prix at Circuit of The Americas will be televised on Sunday, March 2 at 3:30 p.m. ET on FOX. The live radio broadcast can be heard on the Performance Racing Network and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90. Saturday morning’s practice and qualifying sessions will air live on Prime Video.

Austin Dillon and the No. 3 BREZTRI AEROSPHERE® (budesonide, glycopyrrolate, and formoterol fumarate) Chevrolet at Circuit of The Americas… Austin Dillon has made four NASCAR Cup Series starts at Circuit of The Americas, posting a best finish of 10th in 2022. Last season at the Austin, Texas road course, the North Carolina native showed speed, gained stage points, and had a strong race before a late-race incident.

BREZTRI AEROSPHERE® (budesonide, glycopyrrolate, and formoterol fumarate) Teams Up with Dillon… Dillon and the No. 3 Richard Childress Racing team will be supported by BREZTRI AEROSPHERE®, an AstraZeneca product, at Circuit of The Americas. This partnership is about more than just racing. You can learn more about Dillon and his family’s personal connection to the brand at Breztri.com. AstraZeneca is a global, science-led biopharmaceutical company that focuses on the discovery, development, and commercialization of prescription medicines in Oncology, Rare Diseases, and Biopharmaceuticals, including Cardiovascular, Renal & Metabolism, and Respiratory & Immunology. AstraZeneca operates in over 100 countries and its innovative medicines are used by millions of patients worldwide.

Winchester Safes, Based in Texas… With a long-standing commitment to protecting legacies, Winchester Safes is honored to stand alongside Winchester Ammunition in supporting timeless racing tradition and its fan base. Winchester Safes, the most trusted name in safe innovation and reliability, operates with a remarkable unit capacity of over 1 million safes per year and is strategically located in Texas to offer a significant cost advantage to any shipping point across the United States.

Meet Dillon… Before the green flag on Sunday, March 2, fans will have the opportunity to meet Dillon in the Fan Zone at Circuit of The Americas. At 11:00 a.m. CT, the veteran racer is scheduled to sign autographs at the RCR Merchandise Hauler.

AUSTIN DILLON QUOTE:

What are your thoughts on the Circuit of The Americas?

“COTA is an exciting and technically challenging track to race on. This year with the track configuration changing a little bit, it’s going to create excitement. I feel like the keys to the race will be having good pit stops and keeping our No. 3 BREZTRI AEROSPHERE® (budesonide, glycopyrrolate, and formoterol fumarate) Chevrolet clean. We’ll have to get through the chaos that Turn 1 has caused in the past.”

Kyle Busch and the No. 8 Rebel Bourbon Chevrolet at Circuit of The Americas… Sunday’s 95-lap race at Circuit of The Americas will mark Kyle Busch’s fifth career NASCAR Cup Series start at the Austin, Texas road course. Busch has one top-five and three top-10s in his previous starts in the premier series. Additionally, the veteran racer has led 12 laps, posted an average starting position of 11 and an average finishing position of 12.3, and completed 100 percent (266 of 266) of the laps competed.

Road Course Prowess… Busch has 58 career road course starts at NASCAR’s highest level and has racked up four wins (two at Sonoma Raceway and two at Watkins Glen International), 20 top-five and 31 top-10 finishes. The Las Vegas, Nevada native has additionally earned two poles and has led a total of 430 laps.

Previous Winner… In his lone NASCAR Xfinity Series start at Circuit of The Americas, Busch started from the pole and led 35 of 46 laps, en route to securing the victory.

Introducing KB 108… Earlier this week, Rebel Bourbon announced the limited-edition release of Kyle Busch 108 Single Barrel Bourbon. Every barrel was selected by the two-time Cup Series Champion and bottled at 108 proof (54% ABV) in honor of Rebel’s partnership with RCR. Every bottle’s front label includes prominent placement of the unique barrel number selected by Busch, plus the bourbon’s proof and “aged since” date details. The distinctive label also includes Busch’s signature, number, and the RCR logo.

About Luxco… Founded in St. Louis in 1958 by the Lux Family, Luxco is a leading producer, supplier, importer and bottler of beverage alcohol products. Our mission is to meet the needs and exceed the expectations of consumers, associates and business partners. Merged with MGP Ingredients, Inc. in 2021 (Nasdaq: MGPI), Luxco operates as MGP’s Brands Division and manages all MGP/Luxco brands. This extensive and award-winning spirits portfolio includes well-known brands from four distilleries: Bardstown, Kentucky-based Lux Row Distillers, home of Ezra Brooks, Rebel, Blood Oath, David Nicholson and Daviess County; Lebanon, Kentucky-based Limestone Branch Distillery, maker of Yellowstone Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey, Minor Case Straight Rye Whiskey and Bowling & Burch Gin; Jalisco, Mexico-based Destiladora Gonzalez Lux, producer of 100% agave tequilas, El Mayor, Exotico and Dos Primos; and Ross & Squibb Distillery in Lawrenceburg, Indiana, where Remus Straight Bourbon Whiskey and Rossville Union Straight Rye Whiskey are produced. The innovative and high-quality brand portfolio also includes Penelope Bourbon, Everclear Grain Alcohol, Pearl Vodka, Saint Brendan’s Irish Cream, The Quiet Man Irish Whiskey, Green Hat Gin and other well-recognized brands. For more information about the company and its brands, visit luxco.com.

Meet the Driver… On Sunday, March 2 at 11:30 a.m. CT, Busch is scheduled to sign autographs at the RCR Merchandise Hauler, located in the Fan Zone at Circuit of the Americas. Immediately following at 12:05 p.m. local time, the Las Vegas native will make an appearance at the Rebel Bourbon display in the Fan Zone.

KYLE BUSCH QUOTES:

You’re going to Circuit of The Americas with a reduced track length. What do you think the changes will do to the racing action?

“I don’t know, I think you will lose a couple passing zones. You lose Turn 11, all the way up at the top. You lose coming down into Turn 12 after the long straightaway. I don’t think going into Turn 6 is going to be a passing zone. It’s really tight. I mean, sure – guys are going to try and throw it in and pass there, but it’s a 90 degree corner. It’s going to be slower and sharper than the frontstretch at the Charlotte Motor Speedway ROVAL, when you come down into the turn on the front straightaway. As you come back onto the back straightaway, the corner is kind of a flowy corner, so I don’t think you’ll get much two-wide racing through there. Trying to setup something on that little short shoot before Turn 12 is going to be tricky to say the least, because you want to be on the inside for that corner but the next two corners you’re going to want to be on the outside. So I don’t know, I feel like we lost two and didn’t gain any. We’ll see how that transpires and what it looks like. But being a shorter course and not having that long straightaway in Turn 12, you’re going to get less separation from all those other cars around you. It’s going to be more Martinsville-esque with cars staying closer together and probably a little bit more pushing and shoving. I’m sure that’s what the fans will certainly enjoy.”

You have three top-10s at Circuit of The Americas, including a runner-up finish two years ago. But the good storyline could be the celebration in Victory Lane because you have Rebel Bourbon on your Chevrolet this weekend.

“Oh absolutely. You guys haven’t seen that car on track yet, but it’s pretty awesome. They incorporated the ‘Rowdy black’ into it, and also the bourbon barrel. It looks similar to the helmet I have. I’m really impressed with the team at Rebel Bourbon. All of our partners do a great job with their promotions and the things they do behind the scenes. We’ve been really excited to have as many partners as we do have at RCR and having all of our races sold really means a lot. Appreciate Rebel coming back and actually picking up another race this year – along with zone, Cheddar’s Scratch Kitchen, Lucas Oil. All of the partners that make our season as strong as we can be. Definitely want to get the Rebel Bourbon team a win.”

Jesse Love and the No. 2 Whelen Chevrolet at Circuit of The Americas… Jesse Love has one career NASCAR Xfinity Series start at Circuit of The Americas, coming behind the wheel of the No. 2 Whelen Chevrolet last season. In 2024, the 20-year-old started from the 14th position, showed speed throughout the entire race, and finished in sixth-place. Love also competed in three endurance racing events at the Austin, Texas circuit in 2023.

Did You Know? With his pole position last week at Atlanta Motor Speedway, Love is now the fifth driver in series history to win three poles in his first three starts at a track. The last driver to accomplish this feat was Austin Dillon at Kentucky Speedway – with crew chief Danny Stockman calling the shots.

About Whelen Engineering… Whelen Engineering is a family-owned company with a pioneering spirit and a passion to protect the lives of those who protect and serve others. The company mission is to provide industry-defining safety solutions around the world, while creating a community of problem-solvers who are inspired to push boundaries and continue our legacy of delivering ground-breaking innovation. As a global leader in the emergency warning industry, Whelen has been trusted to perform since 1952, when George Whelen III invented the first rotating aviation beacon. Whelen now encompasses two state-of-the-art manufacturing facilities in Connecticut and New Hampshire with over 750,000 square feet of engineering and manufacturing space and the largest design staff in the industry. Every part of every Whelen product is proudly designed and manufactured in America. We embrace quality as our foundation, we celebrate innovative engineering in every product we produce.

Meet Love… On Saturday, March 1 at 10:25 a.m. CT, Love and his teammate Austin Hill will sign autographs at the RCR Merchandise Hauler in the Fan Zone at Circuit of The Americas. Swing by to get new No. 2 gear and meet the young gun.

JESSE LOVE QUOTE:

What are your thoughts returning to Circuit of The Americas?

“I enjoy road course racing, and I think I’m pretty good at it. I enjoy racing at COTA and it’s probably my best road course, but the new configuration is going to be a learning process for every driver in the field. I have a decent amount of laps there compared to other road courses we’ll go to this season though. With those laps under my belt, I know the intricacies of the place, so I know what needs to be done behind the wheel instead of guessing. Leading into this weekend, I’ve watched a lot of film and worked with Josh Wise and Scott Speed. I feel like it’s an easy way to set yourself apart when you know more than the guy next to you. It matters more on a road course compared to an oval.”

Austin Hill and the No. 21 Global Industrial Chevrolet at Circuit of The Americas… Austin Hill has three career NASCAR Xfinity Series starts at Circuit of The Americas, posting a best finish of second twice (2022, 2024). Last season, Hill started from the 11th position and was in contention for the race win before late-race contact with another competitor resulted in a second-place effort. The Winston, Georgia native also has one NASCAR Truck Series start at the Austin, Texas facility, earning a ninth-place finish in 2021.

Did You Know? Both of Hill’s runner-up finishes on road courses came in his three Xfinity Series starts at Circuit of The Americas. The 30-year-old is the only driver in Saturday’s field that finished inside the top-five last season.

1, 2, 3, 4, 5… Hill now has five Xfinity Series victories at his hometrack of Atlanta Motor Speedway, as the racer captured his fifth win in the last six races at the Hampton, Georgia facility. The series veteran qualified in the second position, led a total of 146 of 163 laps (the most he’s ever led in a single race), and spent 155 laps inside the top-two and all laps inside the top-four.

Record Books… With his victory at Atlanta Motor Speedway, Hill is the all-time series leader of laps led on drafting tracks (734) and tied for the all-time series lead with eight drafting track wins (tied with NASCAR Hall of Famers Dale Earnhardt and Tony Stewart).

About Global Industrial… For over 75 years Global Industrial has been the source for industrial equipment and supplies for businesses of all sizes and the public sector. They have been – and continue to be – a leader, and an authority, for supplying industrial-strength equipment that delivers uncompromising quality at an exceptional value with experts who understand the unique needs of our customers.

Meet Hill… On Saturday, March 1 at 10:25 a.m. CT, Hill and his teammate Jesse Love will sign autographs at the RCR Merchandise Hauler in the Fan Zone at Circuit of The Americas. Stop by to pick up new No. 21 gear before the green flag waves.

AUSTIN HILL QUOTES:

The course length and layout has changed for this year’s race at Circuit of The Americas. Have you done any simulation and what do you expect from the racing action on Saturday?

“I’ve done a little simulation. The track scan actually just got done not too long ago. I know this track change was something NASCAR asked the drivers about, and they received a lot of feedback in response. I’m not sure where I stand on it just yet, but at the end of the day, this is the hand that we were dealt, and we are going to do our best to figure it out as fast as possible. I think we should have a shot at the race win once again, but the course update is going to change the dynamic for sure. In the past, I thought our car performed very well past Turn 6, through Turn 7, and all the way to Turn 11. Now all of those corners are gone, so we will have to wait and see. We don’t have a ton of practice, so whoever can adapt and learn on the fly is going to succeed. After Friday’s practice and qualifying, we will be studying SMT data and learning all we can before the race on Saturday.”

How would you assess Richard Childress Racing’s Xfinity Series road course program?

“We, as a company, have gotten better at road courses each and every year. In my eyes, we are normally a top-five competitor. I think there are areas that we can still work on with the race car to get it exactly where I want it, but I also think there are things that I can do better as a driver going into these weekends. There are still areas that I need to perfect and work on. With that being said, I do feel that I’ve gotten better behind the wheel each and every year as well. Our No. 21 team has been really close the last several years to winning a road course event, especially at COTA. Last year, we took the white flag with the lead, went down throughout the backside of the racetrack, and ended up getting together with SVG. We at least had a shot at winning the race. I’ve also finished second at COTA to AJ (Allmendinger). One of the things on my list to get done this season is to check the box of winning at a road course in the Xfinity Series. I was able to get it done in the Truck Series, but the Xfinity Series one has alluded me so far.”

AMARILLO DRAGWAY JOINS NHRA MEMBER TRACK NETWORK IN SOUTH CENTRAL DIVISION

AMARILLO DRAGWAY JOINS NHRA MEMBER TRACK NETWORK IN SOUTH CENTRAL DIVISION

AMARILLO, Texas (Feb. 28, 2025) – NHRA officials are pleased to announce Amarillo Dragway has joined the NHRA Member Track Network as part of the NHRA’s South Central Division (Division 4).

Boasting a rich history in the drag racing community, Amarillo Dragway’s decision to become an NHRA Member Track reinforces its commitment to providing a safe, competitive and exciting environment for racers of all levels.

The addition of Amarillo Dragway also marks the ninth track to join the NHRA Member Track Network since the end of last season, adding to the more than 100 NHRA member tracks.

“We’re thrilled to join the NHRA South Central Division and become part of the NHRA family,” Amarillo Dragway Track Manager Jeff Fiedler said. “This partnership will allow us to provide our racers with even more opportunities to compete and grow in the sport of drag racing. We’re looking forward to a successful season and the benefits that this collaboration will bring to our racers and fans.”

Amarillo Dragway will be eligible to offer racers in the area a variety of NHRA-sanctioned racing opportunities in the future, including the NHRA Summit Racing Series, the NHRA Summit Racing Jr. Drag Racing League, NHRA Street Legal, NHRA Jr. Street and more. Additionally, the track will have the chance to host NHRA specialty events like the NHRA Summit King of the Track and more.

As part of the NHRA Member Track Network, Amarillo Dragway will also have access to NHRA’s extensive support programs, insurance benefits and national marketing platforms. With this new partnership, the facility will play a key role in promoting grassroots NHRA drag racing and fostering a strong community of racers and fans in the area.

“We are excited to welcome Amarillo Dragway back to the NHRA South Central family,” NHRA South Central Division Director Jonathan Johnson said. “Amarillo Dragway was the host of the NHRA World Finals from 1974-1977. They are a great addition to our current track network. We look forward to working with their team to continue fostering the growth of drag racing in the area.”

For more information on upcoming events and programs at Amarillo Dragway, visit https://www.facebook.com/AmarilloDragway/ or www.nhradiv4.com. For more information on NHRA, including the 2025 schedule, visit www.NHRA.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.

Whelen Mazda MX-5 Cup Docuseries Premieres March 25 on Prime Video

First to the Finish follows the journey of drivers Heather Hadley and Sally Mott and team owner Shea Holbrook through the exhilarating 2024 Mazda MX-5 Cup Championship Season

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (Feb. 28, 2025) — The Whelen Mazda MX-5 Cup presented by Michelin will be the focus of a new docuseries on Prime Video debuting March 25. The premiere date and first trailer were revealed during a private screening Thursday evening in St. Petersburg, Florida, where the series is holding Rounds Three and Four alongside the IndyCar season opener. Titled ‘First to the Finish,’ the series premieres exclusively on Prime Video in North America.

First to the Finish follows the trials and tribulations of drivers Heather Hadley and Sally Mott as they navigate the 2024 Whelen Mazda MX-5 Cup season and the non-stop schedule of BSI Racing team owner Shea Holbrook.

With experience creating sports-focused documentaries like Welcome to Wrexham and Cheer, Boardwalk Pictures, the show’s producers, have a keen eye for the struggles and sacrifices athletes make to be the best.

“The Mazda MX-5 Cup gave us a rich backdrop for storytelling,” said Sarina Roma, EVP of Originals at Boardwalk Pictures and executive producer. “We had incredible access to passionate characters competing in a high risk, high reward environment who put their actual lives on the line in pursuit of the checkered flag.”

First to the Finish will feature a behind the scenes look at the stories of Heather, Sally and Shea within Mazda MX-5 Cup. The series will cover the key players’ preparation for each race, the incomparable thrills of racing, as well as in-depth interviews with drivers, pit crews, coaches, owners and family members.

“The Mazda MX-5 Cup Championship is widely regarded as some of the best automotive racing on the planet and predominantly features younger drivers looking to prove themselves.” said Mazda North American Operations, Chief Marketing Officer and executive producer, Brad Audet. “Mazda believes in the power of human potential and supports those who choose to pursue what makes them happy rather than just simply move through life. This series demonstrates the potential these young drivers have and what it looks like when it’s transformed into action.”

The series is executive produced by Andrew Fried, Caitlin McGinty, Dane Lillegard, and Sarina Roma from Boardwalk Pictures, Brad Audet from Mazda North American Operations, and Chet Fenster from GroupM Motion Entertainment. First to the Finish is directed by award-winning director Annetta Marion.

AM Racing | Harrison Burton Circuit of the Americas Xfinity Race Preview

AM Racing | NASCAR Xfinity Series
Circuit of the Americas | Focused Health 250

Fast Facts

No. 25 AM Racing Team:
Driver: Harrison Burton
Primary Partner(s): DEX Imaging
Manufacturer: Ford Mustang
Crew Chief: Danny Efland
Spotter: Kevin Hamlin
Chassis Intel: AMR Chassis No. 079
Engine: Roush-Yates Engines

Notes of Interest:

● Junior Journey: AM Racing will embark on its junior year journey in the NASCAR Xfinity Series in 2025 with driver Harrison Burton for the entire 33-race tour, continuing with Saturday afternoon’s running of the Focused Health 250 at Circuit of the Americas (COTA).

The Statesville, N.C.-based team hopes to expand its footprint in the NASCAR Xfinity Series by running two cars throughout the season with its No. 76 AM Racing entry.

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

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

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

● Best with DEX: DEX (DEX Imaging) will continue its long-standing partnership with Harrison Burton and join AM Racing for several races this season, including Saturday afternoon’s Focused Health 250 at Circuit of the Americas.

DEX Imaging is the largest independent dealer of document imaging technology in the United States. DEX sells and services the broadest selection of copiers, printers and data management solutions in the industry, such as Konica Minolta, Canon, Sharp, Ricoh, Xerox, and Kyocera, with annual revenue exceeding $500 Million.

What makes DEX unique is its people, whose combined knowledge of cutting-edge business technologies and depth of service experience are unmatched. DEX Imaging’s success is directly tied to its mission: to help customers of all sizes drive down document-related expenses while improving productivity.

● Harrison Burton NASCAR Xfinity Series Circuit of the Americas Stats: Saturday afternoon’s Focused Health 250 will mark Burton’s second Xfinity Series start at the newly reconfigured 2.3-mile road course.

In his lone Xfinity Series start at the Austin, Texas-based race track, Burton delivered a sixth-place finish after starting 10th in the 2021 running of the Pit Boss 250.

Additionally, the Huntersville, N.C. native does have three Cup Series starts at COTA, delivering a track-best of 17th after starting 19th in the 2022 edition of the EchoPark Automotive Texas Grand Prix driving for Wood Brothers Racing.

● Harrison Burton NASCAR Xfinity Series Career Stats: Entering COTA, Burton has 77 career NASCAR Xfinity Series starts to his credit with four wins, 26 top-five and 51 top-10 finishes, and a championship best result of eighth, twice in 2020 and 2021, respectively.

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

In addition to the 77 Xfinity Series starts, he has achieved 109 NASCAR Cup Series starts, 40 NASCAR CRAFTSMAN® Truck Series starts and 52 career starts across the ARCA Menards Series platforms.

● Keep it Rolling: The new combination of Harrison Burton and AM Racing has given the organization the best start to its Xfinity Series program in the team’s young history.

After two races, the team stands sixth in both the driver and owner championship standings and maintains an average finish of eighth with 100 percent of the laps completed.

The team’s finish at Atlanta Motor Speedway marked just the second time in their history that they recorded back-to-back top-10 finishes in NASCAR Xfinity Series competition, since the 2023 season when Brett Moffitt scored top-10 results consecutively at New Hampshire Motor Speedway and Pocono (Pa.) Raceway respectively.

Heading to COTA, Burton is five points behind cousin Jeb Burton for fifth in the Xfinity Series championship standings and 23 markers behind championship leader Austin Hill.

● Atlanta Motor Speedway | Bennett Transportation & Logistics 250 Race Recap: The start of the 2025 NASCAR Xfinity Series season continued last weekend with the first of two races at Atlanta (Ga.) Motor Speedway.

Without the benefit of practice, Burton qualified his No. 25 DEX Imaging Ford Mustang solidly into the field in the 19th position.

From the drop of the green flag, Burton quickly maneuvered his blue oval forward through the field and contended for crucial stage points in Stage 1. He finished ninth and collected two stage points along the way.

Despite an ill-handling race car, Burton refused to be denied his second top-10 finish of the season. At times, he was jammed in traffic, but he avoided another last-lap accident to finish 10th.

The finish made Burton and the AM Racing team the only team to finish inside the top-10 together in the opening two races of the season.

● Thanks For Your Support: With the start of the 2025 season underway, AM Racing and Harrison Burton would like to thank their associate marketing partners for their support: AIRBOX Air Purifier, Castle Products, Dead On Tools, Eagle Rentals, Flying Circle, Mechanix Wear, Morton Buildings, No Days Off Premium Water, Racing Radios, Volt Batteries and WIX Filters.

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

On Saturday afternoon, he will be crew chief for his seventh career NASCAR Xfinity Series race, his first race at Circuit of the Americas.

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

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

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

Harrison Burton Quoteboard:

On Circuit of the Americas: “I am looking forward to Circuit of the Americas this weekend. It is a newly reconfigured course, but I think it should be a track layout that we should be able to capitalize on with our No. 25 DEX Imaging Ford Mustang.

“We’ve had a good start to the season, and as a team, we want nothing more than to continue that ahead of the upcoming west coast swing.”

On Top-10 Finish at Atlanta Motor Speedway: “I am really proud of everyone on this AM Racing team. Getting another top-10 finish came from a lot of hard work. Our car was fast, but it was so hard to get it back when we lost the track position.

“We never gave up, though, and we were able to bring back another top-10 finish. Hopefully, our strong start to the season continues at Circuit of the Americas this weekend.”

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

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

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

Race Information:

The Focused Health 250 (65 laps | 156 miles) is the third of thirty-three (33) NASCAR Xfinity Series races on the 2025 schedule. Practice will occur on Fri., February 28, 2025, from 4:00 p.m. to 4:50 p.m. Qualifying will immediately follow, beginning at 5:00 p.m. The field will take the green flag the next afternoon, Sat., March 1, shortly after 1:30 p.m. (2:30 p.m. ET), with live coverage on The CW Network, the Performance Racing Network (Radio), and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90. All times are local (CT).

About AM Racing:

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

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

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