CONCORD, N.C. (AP) — Richard Childress Racing announced Saturday it has picked up the option on Kyle Busch’s contract, meaning the two-time Cup Series champion will be back with the team for the 2026 season.
The 40-year-old Busch is in the midst of the longest slump of his career, with his winless streak closing in on 70 races. Busch has won 63 Cup Series races since joining the circuit in 2003, but has not taken the checkered flag since St. Louis on June 4, 2023.
Still, Busch believes RCR will get things turned around soon.
“It’s a great place to be, a great place to work and a great atmosphere — there is a lot of determination there from a lot of people (to win),” said Busch, who won Cup Series championships in 2015 and 2019.
Team owner Richard Childress said he felt like the organization let Busch down in 2024, his first season without a Cup Series win in his career.
Busch has one top-5 finish this season. He is 17th in the point standings.
“I think we will win a race with him this year,” Childress said. “We have to work smarter and that is what we are trying to do. We have a lot of good things going.”
The polarizing Busch, known for his outbursts and rants, called the losing streak “a little humbling.”
“I’m excited for the next win whenever that is,” Busch said. “I feel like there are times where it gives you that motivation and gives you that itch to get back to victory lane.”
Childress said there is hope that he can sign Busch to a long-term extension at some point in the future.
“There is a big future for Kyle,” Childress said.
Busch said he has not considered retiring from racing, He said that is something he will reconsider once his 10-year-old son, Brexton, is old enough to get into racing on the national circuit.
Busch will run Sunday in the Coca-Cola 600, a race that he won in 2018.
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NASCAR and the wider motorsports world are grieving the sudden loss of a respected leader and beloved figure.
Michael Printup, a 30-year veteran of the sport and current Chief Operating Officer of Racing America, has died unexpectedly at the age of 60, just days after NASCAR released a statement when Denny Hamlin’s father passed away.
Racing America confirmed the news on Thursday, issuing a statement that said the organization is “devastated to confirm the sudden passing of Chief Operating Officer Michael Printup.”
“Michael was an icon in motorsports, a great partner and a friend. His passion for racing and commitment to the industry made a lasting impact on the sport. He will be deeply missed,” the statement added.
Printup’s career spanned nearly three decades, much of it spent within NASCAR and its related properties. A native of Hamburg, New York, he began his journey in motorsports working for International Speedway Corporation in 2000.
Over time, he climbed the ranks to become the president of Watkins Glen International, one of America’s most storied road course venues, a position he held for 15 years.
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His tenure at Watkins Glen was marked by significant growth and improvements. Printup oversaw infrastructure enhancements and worked to expand the track’s offerings beyond race weekends.
Under his leadership, Watkins Glen became a cherished stop on the NASCAR schedule and a respected fixture in the broader racing community.
In July 2023, Printup accepted a new challenge by joining Racing America as President of the Sportscar Vintage Racing Association (SVRA), an organization dedicated to historic motorsport and vintage racing.
Just six months later, in January 2024, he was promoted to COO of Racing America, where he oversaw the Trans Am Series presented by Pirelli along with all racing operations across the organization.
Colleagues and fellow industry figures responded to the news with heartfelt tributes. Trans Am Series President Andy Lally remembered Printup as a close friend and mentor, noting the support and guidance he provided throughout their years of collaboration.
Lally said, “For more than 15 years, Michael has been a great friend … I leaned on him a lot for advice in so many areas, and he was incredibly generous with his time. I’m going to miss him terribly.”
Max Verstappen has emerged as the best Formula 1 driver from the 2025 season, according to team principals, drivers themselves, as well as Motorsport, Autosport and their readers.
All current team bosses and racers were asked by F1 to submit their top 10s, applying the 25-18-15-12-10-8-6-4-2-1 points system to create separate standings. No representative from Red Bull and Ferrari took part in the vote, with Lewis Hamilton, Nico Hulkenberg, Yuki Tsunoda and Lance Stroll also skipping it.
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Motorsport’s sister publication Autosport and its F1 writers Stuart Codling and Jake Boxall-Legge established our own ranking, while Autosport readers’ race-by-race average ratings were aggregated into a top 10.
In all four instances, Verstappen was placed at the top, but behind him it was quite tight between Lando Norris, George Russell, Oscar Piastri and Charles Leclerc. The new world champion was slightly more successful than Mercedes’ lead driver, his McLaren team-mate, and Ferrari’s top performer.
Those five were widely considered as the best five drivers of the season, though team principals ranked Leclerc lower than Fernando Alonso and Carlos Sainz on average. The Spaniards were part of numerous midfield contenders for the top six, where Hulkenberg featured twice too; Isack Hadjar was the only midfielder to be included in all top 10s.
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F1 2025 recap: Strong rookie year earns Isack Hadjar a podium and Red Bull seat
F1 2025 recap: Life at Ferrari becomes a “nightmare” for Lewis Hamilton
Hamilton, Liam Lawson, Esteban Ocon, Stroll, Tsunoda and Gabriel Bortoleto failed to feature in any top 10 – as did part-timers Jack Doohan and Franco Colapinto.
Top 10 2025 F1 drivers
1st
Verstappen
Verstappen
Verstappen
Verstappen
2nd
Norris
Norris
Russell
Piastri
3rd
Piastri
Russell
Leclerc
Norris
4th
Russell
Piastri
Norris
Leclerc
5th
Alonso
Leclerc
Piastri
Russell
6th
Sainz
Sainz
Hulkenberg
Hulkenberg
7th
Leclerc
Alonso
Gasly
Antonelli
8th
Bearman
Albon
Hadjar
Hadjar
9th
Hadjar
Bearman
Antonelli
Albon
10th
Hulkenberg
Hadjar
Sainz
Bearman
Applying the current points system when aggregating those four rankings, one can then look at a global top 10 inclusive of team bosses, drivers, journalists and fans alike.
1st
Verstappen
25
25
25
25
100
2nd
Norris
18
18
12
15
63
3rd=
Russell
12
15
18
10
55
3rd=
Piastri
15
12
10
18
55
5th
Leclerc
6
10
15
12
43
6th=
Hulkenberg
1
8
8
17
6th=
Sainz
8
8
1
17
8th
Alonso
10
6
16
9th
Hadjar
2
1
4
4
11
10th
Antonelli
2
6
8
11th
Bearman
4
2
1
7
12th=
Gasly
6
6
12th=
Albon
4
2
6
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The SageNet Center in Tulsa, Oklahoma, buzzed with anticipation on Championship Saturday, January 3, 2026, as the 41st annual Tulsa Shootout reached its climax. The spotlight shone brightest on the Winged Outlaw A-Main, a 30-lap battle for the coveted Golden Driller trophy.
–by Mark Cipolloni–
Daison Pursley, the hardworking Oklahoma native who’d chased this moment for 15 years, rolled off the pole in his No. 86 machine. He’d earned that spot through sheer dominance all week—highlighted by a perfect 10th-to-1st charge in his heat race that left everyone talking.
Fresh off a grueling flight from Australia, where he’d just won the High Limit International finale, Kyle Larson—the 2021 and 2025 NASCAR Cup Series champion and reigning Winged Outlaw Golden Driller holder—started sixth in his No. 83K. Larson wasted no time slicing through the field, showing why he’s one of the best wheelmen in motorsports. By mid-race, he was glued to Pursley’s bumper, pressuring the leader lap after lap.
The crowd erupted as the two traded paint coming out of turns 3 and 4—Larson diving low, Pursley holding the high line. Contact was made, but Pursley stayed composed, refusing to yield. As the laps wound down, Larson mounted one final charge, pulling alongside in the closing stages. But in turn one, with just a handful of laps left, Larson ran out of talent, got loose, slid up the track, and nearly spun. He saved it masterfully, but the mistake cost him momentum.
Pursley pounced, pulling away to lead every single one of the 30 laps and cross the finish line first. It was his maiden Tulsa Shootout victory—a long-awaited breakthrough after years of near-misses and podiums that always seemed just out of reach.
🏆 @DaisonPursley gets his first Golden Driller!! He wins Winged Outlaw over a hard charging Steven Snyder Jr!
Behind him, Steven Snyder Jr. charged from 12th to second, while Jeffrey Newell rounded out the podium. Larson recovered to finish a hard-fought fourth, a testament to his skill but a reminder that he was not good enough to overcome Pursley’s flawless run on this night.
In Victory Lane, Pursley hoisted the Golden Driller high, tears in his eyes, as the Tulsa faithful cheered the local hero who’d finally schooled the NASCAR superstar on dirt’s biggest micro sprint stage.
Dale Earnhardt Jr. looked so different in a resurfaced throwback NASCAR photo that motorsports fans needed context from the legend himself to believe it was him.
The image shared from a Reddit post captioned “If party like it’s 1999 were a picture,” showed Earnhardt Jr. shoulder to shoulder with NASCAR rivals from yesteryear. He appeared beardless, unstyled, and almost anonymous from the man who is teaming up with Arby’s next season.
The photo featured drivers Mike McLaughlin, Earnhardt Jr., Randy LaJoie, and Matt Kenseth, a group that once defined the Busch Series landscape. All four finished first through fourth in the 1998 Busch Series standings, with Earnhardt Jr. taking first place and a modest $836,425 in prize money.
Earnhardt Jr. interacted with the post in the comment section and later confirmed that it was a banquet afterparty on the West Coast. That year’s season resulted in Jeff Gordon’s third Driver’s Championship and Dale Earnhardt Sr. winning the Daytona 500.
At the time, Dale Jr. was 25 years old, clean-shaven, and wearing a plain dark crewneck with dark brown hair. There were no accessories, no JR Motorsports in existance, and signs of where his life would eventually land.
At 51 years old, Earnhardt Jr. now has visibly gray hair, black-framed glasses, and is often seen in a team button-down shirt and a broadcast headset. Outside of being a Hall of Fame driver with two championships and 24 Cup Series victories, the veteran driver now operates his own O’Reilly Auto Parts team and has become one of NASCAR’s most vocal critics.
Dale Jr. has expressed concerns as the sport continues to change its postseason format, along with gripes about NextGen cars.”I love being a broadcaster in this sport. I am a big fan of NASCAR, I’m a big believer in NASCAR, and I read a lot of the dialogue online.”
“I want to say that I don’t love the Next Gen car, but it’s here,” he said. I don’t love the Next Gen car. It’s an IMSA car, it’s a sports car, it’s got a diffuser, it’s got low-profile tires, it’s got big rims and big brakes.”
“It’s a sports car, it’s not a NASCAR stock car, but it’s here. Everybody’s invested. There are millions of dollars already way down the road, and the car is here.”
Dale Jr. will head JR Motorsports with a skilled lineup targeting the championship next season. Justin Allgaier will come back to drive the No. 7 car in the O’Reilly Auto Parts Series, alongside Sammy Smith, now in his third year with the team.
After a close call last year, where three drivers, including Conor Zilisch, vied for the title but were edged out by Jesse Love, the team is determined to claim the crown this year.
NASCAR racing has been absent from Kentucky Speedway for more than five years.
Once a host of the top three NASCAR series, Kentucky Speedway now sits as a multi-purpose facility.
What started in 1997 as a vision to bring top-tier racing in America to Northern Kentucky now sits just off I-71 having not hosted live racing in front of fans for more than five years. Kentucky Speedway, founded by Jerry Carroll and now owned by Speedway Motorsports, is part of a cohort of race tracks around the United States that still exist, but haven’t hosted race weekends in years.
There are plenty of reasons Kentucky Speedway is effectively closed − the COVID-19 pandemic impact on live, in-person sports, NASCAR scheduling and Speedway Motorsports’ allotment of race weekends on the NASCAR schedule being chief among them.
Speedway Motorsports owns Bristol Motor Speedway, Charlotte Motor Speedway, Dover Motor Speedway, Echopark Speedway, Kentucky Speedway, Las Vegas Motor Speedway, Nashville Superspeedway, New Hampshire Motor Speedway, North Wilksboro Speedway, Sonoma Raceway and Texas Motor Speedway.
The NASCAR Cup Series features races at 24 different tracks and Speedway Motorsports owns 10 of those tracks. The race weekend in Sparta, Kentucky, that used to feature the top three NASCAR Series − Cup Series, O’Reilly Auto Parts Series and Craftsman Truck Series – has moved to Echopark Speedway (formerly Atlanta Motor Speedway), which Speedway Motorsports invested significantly in amenities around the track.
Will NASCAR return to Kentucky Speedway?
When the 2026 NASCAR schedule was released on Aug. 20, 2025, Kentucky Speedway was not listed as a host for any of the top-three national series. Nor was it on the schedule for any other national racing series.
The Courier-Journal examined the current state of Kentucky Speedway and its impact on the community, but there seems to be no clear future plans for the track in the immediate future.
In a statement sent to The Courier Journal via email, Scott Cooper, the senior vice president of communications for Speedway Motorsports said, “Kentucky Speedway is a modern, multi-use facility which remains open to host music festivals, motorsports events, corporate entertainment and hospitality, driving schools, RV rallies and storage rentals. While there is not a major motorsports event on the calendar for the immediate future, the facility and property is maintained and utilized for track rentals on an annual basis.”
NASCAR Cup Series next generation car
The NASCAR Cup Series next-generation car, introduced in 2022, has been widely criticized for its aerodynamic package, which leads to racing that’s not conducive to passing. The reason is the aerodynamics create a situation where it’s difficult to pass to due the air coming off a lead car negatively influencing the trail car.
The best tracks for next-generation car passes and close racing in the Cup Series have been at 1.5-mile tracks like Kentucky – Texas and Las Vegas are the closest comparisons as Echopark has turned into a unique drafting track with pack racing similar to Daytona International Raceway and Talladega Superspeedway, but on a smaller track.
The final races at Kentucky Speedway – all green-white-checker finishes − produced great finishes. The most talked about among them being when Kurt Busch beat his younger brother Kyle Busch by .076 seconds for the closest finish ever at the intermediate track.
A year later, in the last Cup Series race to be held at Kentucky Speedway, Cole Custer won by passing for the lead by going four wide on the final lap of the race.
What will happen with Kentucky Speedway?
NASCAR and Speedway Motorsports schedule the majority of the races at their own tracks with the occasional international or unique street circuit popping up on the schedule.
It’s unlikely NASCAR will ever bring back its top national series races to Kentucky Speedway, but never say never. A more likely scenario is that the current Speedway profile would eventually be redeveloped into an industrial site given its current infrastructure.
For anyone wanting to keep track of what was NASCAR at Kentucky Speedway, here are the past winners:
Kentucky Speedway Cup Series winners
Sunday, July 12, 2020 Cole CusterSaturday, July 13, 2019 Kurt BuschSaturday, July 14, 2018 Martin Truex Jr.Saturday, July 8, 2017 Martin Truex Jr.Saturday, July 9, 2016 Brad KeselowskiSaturday, July 11, 2015 Kyle BuschSaturday, June 28, 2014 Brad KeselowskiSunday, June 30, 2013 Matt KensethSaturday, June 30, 2012 Brad KeselowksiSaturday, July 9, 2011 Kyle Bush
NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series winners
Thursday, July 9, 2020 Austin Cindric Friday, July 10, 2020 Austin Cindric Friday, July 12, 2019 Cole Custer Friday, July 13, 2018 Christopher BellSaturday, September 23, 2017 Tyler ReddickSaturday, July 8, 2017 Kyle BuschFriday, July 8, 2016 Kyle BuschSaturday, September 26, 2015 Ryan BlaneyFriday, July 10, 2015 Brad KeselowskiSaturday, September 20, 2014 Brendan GaughanFriday, June 27, 2014 Kevin HarvickSaturday, September 21, 2013 Ryan Blaney Friday, June 28, 2013 Brad KeselowskiSaturday, September 22, 2012 Austin DillonFriday, June 29, 2012 Austin DillonFriday, July 8, 2011 Brad KeselowskiSaturday, June 12, 2010 Joey LoganoSaturday, June 13, 2009 Joey Logano Saturday, June 14, 2008 Joey LoganoSaturday, June 16, 2007 Stephen LeichtSaturday, June 17, 2006 David Gilliland Saturday, June 18, 2005 Carl EdwardsSaturday, June 19, 2004 Kyle BuschSaturday, June 14, 2003 Bobby Hamilton Jr.Sunday, June 16, 2002 Todd BodineSaturday, June 16, 2001 Kevin Harvick
NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series winners
Saturday, July 11, 2020 Sheldon CreedThursday, July 11, 2019 Tyler AnkrumWednesday, July 11, 2018 Ben RhodesThursday, July 6, 2017 Christopher BellThursday, July 7, 2016 William ByronThursday, July 9, 2015 Matt CraftonThursday, June 26, 2014 Kyle BuschThursday, June 27, 2013 Ty DillonFriday, September 21, 2012 James BuescherThursday, June 28, 2012 James BuescherSaturday, October 1, 2011 Ron Hornaday Jr.Thursday, July 7, 2011 Kyle BuschFriday, September 3, 2010 Todd BodineSaturday, July 18, 2009 Ron Hornaday Jr.Saturday, July 19, 2008 Johnny BensonSaturday, July 14, 2007 Mike SkinnerSaturday, July 8, 2006 Ron Hornaday Jr.Saturday, July 9, 2005 Dennis SetzerSaturday, July 10, 2004 Bobby HamiltonSaturday, July 12, 2003 Carl EdwardsSaturday, July 13, 2002 Mike BlissSaturday, July 14, 2001 Scott RiggsSaturday, June 17, 2000 Greg Biffle
ARCA Menards Series winners
Saturday, July 11, 2020 Ty Gibbs 3Friday, September 22, 2017 Austin Theriault 12Friday, September 23, 2016 Austin Cindric 3Saturday, September 26, 2015 Ryan Reed 9Friday, September 19, 2014 Brennan Poole 8Saturday, September 21, 2013 Corey LaJoie 13Saturday, July 18, 2009 Parker Kligerman 2Saturday, May 9, 2009 James Buescher 1Friday, July 18, 2008 Scott Speed 6Saturday, May 10, 2008 Ricky Stenhouse, Jr. 15Friday, July 13, 2007 Michael McDowell 2Saturday, May 12, 2007 Erik Darnell 5Friday, July 7, 2006 Brad Coleman 3Saturday, May 13, 2006 Steve Wallace 1Friday, July 8, 2005 Chad Blount 2Saturday, May 14, 2005 Frank Kimmel 17Saturday, July 10, 2004 Ryan Hemphill 4Saturday, May 8, 2004 Ryan Hemphill 2Saturday, May 10, 2003 Kyle Busch 4Friday, July 12, 2002 Chad Blount 3Saturday, May 11, 2002 Frank Kimmel 2Friday, July 13, 2001 Frank Kimmel 1Saturday, May 12, 2001 Frank Kimmel 1Saturday, August 26, 2000 Ryan Newman 1Sunday, July 2, 2000 Tim Steele 2
“I’ve been thinking about this race since we left last year,” summed up the focus at the front of the field by Jax Wittmer, who captured his first career golden Driller in the 41st annual Hyper Racing Tulsa Shootout powered by NOS Energy Drink.
Leading all 20 laps in the Flying A-Motorsports Junior Sprint A-Feature, Wittmer’s determination was apparent after settling for second one year ago. Perfect laps by the Pennsylvania driver, the difference at the line was 1.762-seconds over Grayson Graham, with Stetson Stoup working from seventh to the final podium step.
Gage Pio and Levi Ballard from 15th completed the top five. Hudson Andrews, Jaxson Evett, Bryton Buoy, Beau Wyatt, and Ryker Sumner made up the top ten.
The Flying A-Motorsports Junior Sprint field consisted of 130 drivers.
The 42nd annual Hyper Racing Tulsa Shootout powered by NOS Energy Drink takes place December 29, 2026, through January 2, 2027, at the Tulsa Expo Raceway, located inside the SageNet Center at Expo Square.
All official rules, event information, and dates are online at http://www.tulsashootout.com. Fans can also follow the Hyper Racing Tulsa Shootout powered by NOS Energy Drink at https://www.facebook.com/TulsaShootout and on Twitter (@TulsaShootout).
RACE RESULTS:
Hyper Racing Tulsa Shootout powered by NOS Energy Drink
Tulsa Expo Raceway (Tulsa, Okla.)
Flying A Motorsports Junior Sprints
Heat Races (Top 72 in points to 6 Qualifying Races)