Motorsports
Thomas Merrill Wins 4 Hours of Mid-Ohio Pole
LEXINGTON, Oh. — AR Motorsports’ Thomas Merrill won the pole Saturday afternoon (June 7) for Sunday’s IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge O’Reilly Auto Parts 4 Hours of Mid-Ohio with a lap at 94.159 mph. It is his first career pole. “[We found] most of our speed in clear track,” Merrill said after the session. “What can […]

LEXINGTON, Oh. — AR Motorsports’ Thomas Merrill won the pole Saturday afternoon (June 7) for Sunday’s IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge O’Reilly Auto Parts 4 Hours of Mid-Ohio with a lap at 94.159 mph. It is his first career pole.
“[We found] most of our speed in clear track,” Merrill said after the session. “What can I saw about this AR Motorsports crew. New to IMSA, this is only the second race for this team and it’s an unbelievable result.”
Merrill won the pole by .115 seconds over TeamTGM’s Paul Holton. Turner Motorsport’s Dillon Machavern qualified third, then CarBahn Motorsports with Peregrine Racing’s Sean McAlister and Winward Racing’s Bryce Ward.
Qualifying saw Rennsport One’s Luca Mars go fastest early on in his Porsche. However, he was eventually usurped by Turner Motorsport’s Dillon Machavern and Ibiza Farm Motorsports’ Moisey Uretsky.
The surprise in practice was AR Motorsports’ Thomas Merrill. Merrill was fastest overall in Practice No. 2 earlier in the morning and managed to sustain that pace to put himself on top.
Just past the halfway point of the session, Holton went fastest overall in his Aston Martin with a lap at 94.033 mph, a lap just .009 seconds faster than Merrill. Given the close margin, both Holton and Merrill had to continue to push.
Merrill set the fastest time of the session in Sector No. 2 with less than a minute to go in a final push. Sure enough, he was able to carry that quick sector to set the pole-winning lap with a little more than 10 seconds to go.
In TCR, Montreal Motorsports Group’s Karl Wittmer put himself on the provisional pole early on in his Honda Civic. He then bettered his time while setting the fastest times of all in Sector No. 2 and No. 3. Eventually, he improved his lap of record to 93.707 mph.
Behind Wittmer, Precision Racing LA’s Celso Neto and Victor Gonzalez Racing Team’s Tyler Gonzalez were the main contenders early in the session to challenge Wittmer. Later on, HART’s Chad Gilsinger put himself in the mix.
Ultimately, no one was able to touch Wittmer. The Quebec native set the fastest time in all three sectors and never dropped out of the lead en route to winning the pole with a new class record.
Wittmer’s lap was .306 seconds faster than Bryan Herta Autosport’s Mason Filippi. Gonzalez was third, then Mark Wilkins and Gilsinger.
The qualifying session went caution-free. Rebel Rock Racing’s Frank DePew had an off-course excursion in turn 9, but managed to resume without issue.
The O’Reilly Auto Parts 4 Hours of Mid-Ohio is scheduled to go green at Noon ET Sunday afternoon. Coverage will start at 11:55 a.m. ET on both the IMSA Official YouTube channel and on Peacock.
That said, the weather forecast for Sunday is pretty terrible. Available forecasts indicate that there will be a decent amount of rain during the race, the heaviest possibly being near the start.
For his part, Merrill told Frontstretch that he has raced in the rain at Mid-Ohio once before, but it was roughly a decade ago prior to the track’s most recent repave. Anyone who watched the NASCAR Xfinity Series B&L Transport 170 from 2016 will remember that Mid-Ohio can be treacherous in the rain. It should be an interesting race.
Despite the bad weather, Frontstretch will be on-site at Mid-Ohio to bring you all the splashy action.

Phil Allaway has three primary roles at Frontstretch. He’s the manager of the site’s FREE e-mail newsletter that publishes Monday-Friday and occasionally on weekends. He keeps TV broadcasters honest with weekly editions of Couch Potato Tuesday and serves as the site’s Sports Car racing editor.
Outside of Frontstretch, Phil is the press officer for Lebanon Valley Speedway in West Lebanon, N.Y. He covers all the action on the high-banked dirt track from regular DIRTcar Modified racing to occasional visits from touring series such as the Super DIRTcar Series.
Motorsports
Good news, bad news for NASCAR Cup drivers ahead of Indianapolis weekend
The NASCAR Cup Series heads to Indianapolis Motor Speedway this weekend with one driver looking to claim the In-Season Challenge championship and another driver seeking to complete a career grand slam. Here is a look at the good news and bad news for Cup teams heading into Sunday’s race. 23XI Racing — Good news: Tyler […]

The NASCAR Cup Series heads to Indianapolis Motor Speedway this weekend with one driver looking to claim the In-Season Challenge championship and another driver seeking to complete a career grand slam.
Here is a look at the good news and bad news for Cup teams heading into Sunday’s race.
23XI Racing — Good news: Tyler Reddick won the pole, led 40 laps and finished second at Indianapolis last year. … Reddick has an average finish of 5.0 at Indy in both of his starts on the Indy oval. … Reddick has three top-10 finishes in the last four races this season. … Bubba Wallace placed fifth and won a stage last year at Indianapolis. … Wallace has finished in the top 10 in his last three starts on the Indy oval. … Riley Herbst won last year’s Xfinity race at Indianapolis. Bad news: The organization remains winless this season (it had one victory at this point last year). … The organization has had fewer top-five finishes, fewer top 10s and led fewer laps compared to this time a year ago.
Bubba Wallace leads Ryan Preece by 16 points for the final playoff spot.
Front Row Motorsports — Good news: Todd Gilliland finished sixth at Indianapolis last year. … Noah Gragson finished ninth at Indy last year. … Zane Smith placed 17th last year at Indy. Bad news: Gilliland has place outside the top 20 in eight consecutive races. … Gragson has one finish in the top 25 in the last eight races.
Haas Factory Team — Good news: Cole Custer finished fifth in his only Cup start on the Indy oval in 2020. Bad News: Custer has been no higher than 34th in the points since the second race of the season.
Hendrick Motorsports — Good news: For the second year in a row, Chase Elliott is the points leader heading to Indianapolis. … Elliott took the points lead from William Byron last weekend at Dover. … In the last five races, Elliott went from being 104 points out of the lead to holding a 16-point advantage. … Kyle Larson won last year’s Indianapolis race in double overtime. Bad news: Byron has an average finish of 25.3 in the last six races, ranking 31st among the 36 full-time drivers. … Byron has finished 27th or worse in his last two starts on the Indy oval. … Alex Bowman has never finished better than 21st in six Indy starts on the oval. … Bowman has finished on the lead lap once on the oval at Indy.
Hyak Motorsports — Good news: Ricky Stenhouse Jr. finished 11th on the oval at Indy last year, the second-best result for the organization at that track (Chris Buescher placed ninth there in 2017). Bad news: Stenhouse has two top-20 finishes in the last eight races this season.
Joe Gibbs Racing — Good news: Ty Gibbs will race Ty Dillon for $1 million in the final of the In-Season Challenge at Indianapolis. … Gibbs has finished in the top 10 in each of the last three races. … Chase Briscoe won and Denny Hamlin was second at Pocono, a track that has some similarities to Indianapolis. … Hamlin has a series-high four wins this season after his victory last weekend at Dover. … A win at Indy would make Hamlin the fifth driver to ever win the sport’s four crown jewels (Daytona 500, Coca-Cola 600, Brickyard 400 and Southern 500), joining a list that has Jeff Gordon, Dale Earnhardt, Jimmie Johnson and Kevin Harvick. … Briscoe has finished second in each of the last two races. … Briscoe has placed either first or second in three of the last five races. … Briscoe’s eight top-five finishes this season are a career-high. … Christopher Bell finished fourth at Indy last year. Bad news: Bell has finished 16th or worse in five of the last seven races.
Denny Hamlin wasn’t the only one who left Dover feeling good.
Kaulig Racing — Good news: Ty Dillon’s Cinderella run through the In-Season Challenge continues with him racing Ty Gibbs for the $1 million prize Sunday at Indianapolis. … Dillon finished 19th in last year’s race at Indy, while Gibbs placed 23rd. … Dillon has scored four consecutive top-20 Cup finishes for the first time since 2022. … Dillon’s only Xfinity win came at Indy in 2014. Bad news: AJ Allmendinger is coming of a 37th-place finish at Dover after a suspension issue, snapping a streak of three consecutive top-20 finishes.
Legacy Motor Club — Good news: The organization has four top-five finishes (it had none at this time last year) and 10 top 10s (compared to four at this time last year). Bad news: Erik Jones’ average finish of 26.6 at Indianapolis is his worst among tracks he has made multiple starts. … John Hunter Nemechek has placed outside the top 20 in three of the last four races this season.
Richard Childress Racing — Good news: Austin Dillon’s 15th-place result at Dover was his best finish since Texas in May. … Kyle Busch has finished 11th or better in the last three races. … RCR Xfinity driver Jesse Love will make his fourth career Cup start, driving the No. 62 for Beard Motorsports this weekend. Bad news: Busch has not led a lap in the last nine races, tied for the longest streak in his career.
Rick Ware Racing — Good news: Cody Ware finished 18th at Indy last year, one of his best finishes in a limited Cup schedule in 2024. Bad news: Ware is coming off a 36th-place finish at Dover, his worst finish since Bristol in April.
RFK Racing — Good news: Brad Keselowski has five top-10 finishes in the last nine races after having no top 10s in the season’s first 12 races. … Keselowski is one of three former winners on the Indy oval entered this week (Kyle Busch and Kyle Larson are the others). … Chris Buescher has six top-10 finishes in the last 10 races. Bad news: Ryan Preece has an average finish of 27.3 at Indianapolis, his worst among active tracks. … Preece lost 13 points to the playoff cutline at Dover and is now 16 points out of the final playoff spot.
Spire Motorsports — Good news: The organization has twice as many top-five finishes (four) and top-10 finishes (eight) as it did at this point last season. … Michael McDowell has had back-to-back top-20 finishes for the first time since March. … Justin Haley also has had back-to-back top-20 finishes for the first time since March. Bad news: Carson Hocevar has finished 29th or worse in five of the last seven races.
Team Penske — Good news: Ryan Blaney finished third and Austin Cindric placed seventh in last year’s race at Indy. … Joey Logano has three consecutive top-15 finishes for the first time since April. Bad news: The organization has not had a top-five finish in the last four races, one short of its longest drought of the season. … Blaney has three top-10 finishes in the last nine races.
Trackhouse Racing — Good news: Daniel Suarez has an average finish of 12.8 on the Indy oval, his best among all tracks with multiple starts. Bad news: Saurez has finished outside the top 25 in three of the last four races. Ross Chastain has only three top-10 finishes in the last 10 races. … Chastain has never finished better than 15th in four starts on the Indy oval. … Shane van Gisbergen has one top-20 finish in his last five starts on oval tracks this season.
Wood Brothers Racing — Good news: Josh Berry has started in the top 15 in three of the last four races on oval tracks this season. Bad news: Berry finished 35th last year at Indy in his only Cup start on the oval there. … Berry has failed to finish two of the last four races this season.
Motorsports
TEDSports Indianapolis Joins Haley and Gainbridge for Brickyard 400
TEDSports Indianapolis has announced a partnership with Gainbridge to co-sponsor Justin Haley’s No. 7 Chevrolet for the Brickyard 400 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway on July 27, 2025. This marks the first time TED, a nonprofit focused on the transformative power of sports, will participate in the NASCAR Cup Series. The inaugural TEDSports event, themed “Game […]

TEDSports Indianapolis has announced a partnership with Gainbridge to co-sponsor Justin Haley’s No. 7 Chevrolet for the Brickyard 400 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway on July 27, 2025. This marks the first time TED, a nonprofit focused on the transformative power of sports, will participate in the NASCAR Cup Series. The inaugural TEDSports event, themed “Game Changers,” will be held from September 9-11, 2025, in Indianapolis, bringing together diverse leaders from sports and other fields to discuss the intersection of sports with technology, health, and social impacts. With significant backing from Gainbridge and local initiatives, expects an impactful debut at this renowned racing event.
By the Numbers
- Justin Haley has made 165 NASCAR Cup Series starts.
- The Brickyard 400 is the 22nd of 36 points-paying races in 2025.
State of Play
- TEDSports Indianapolis aims to redefine engagement with sports through its inaugural event in September.
- The partnership signifies a novel sponsorship approach for NASCAR, highlighting local innovation.
What’s Next
The upcoming Brickyard 400 will spotlight TEDSports, potentially influencing future sponsorship dynamics in motorsports. The September event is expected to draw significant interest, showcasing innovative dialogues in the sports sector.
Bottom Line
This partnership not only enhances visibility for TEDSports at a premier NASCAR event but also emphasizes the synergy between sports and social impact, positioning Indianapolis as a hub for transformative discussions in the industry.
Motorsports
NASCAR Creates New Rule That Helps 23XI Racing, Front Row Motorsports as Open Teams
23XI Racing and Front Row Motorsports are no longer charter teams in the Cup Series as of Thursday, following a federal judge’s rejection to allow them to keep racing with charters amid a legal battle. However, NASCAR is reportedly going to do both teams a small favor. As first reported by JaySki.com, NASCAR released an […]

23XI Racing and Front Row Motorsports are no longer charter teams in the Cup Series as of Thursday, following a federal judge’s rejection to allow them to keep racing with charters amid a legal battle. However, NASCAR is reportedly going to do both teams a small favor.
As first reported by JaySki.com, NASCAR released an addition to its rulebook that allows it to limit the number of entries for a Cup Series race to 40 teams. The new rule allows NASCAR to fill open slots based on the team owner’s points standings
“Rule 5.1.F. –NASCAR, at its sole discretion, may elect to limit the number of entries for a race to 40. In such instances, Open Teams will be determined based on the Team Owner Points standings. Rule 7.9.1.1.C. –Up to six Open Teams will be eligible for starting grid positions based on the highest ranked Team Owner Points standings.”
NASCAR rule book on open teams allowed in Cup Series races
Related: Tyler Reddick Landing Spots if He Leaves 23XI Racing
Previously, under the original rulebook, Front Row Motorsports and 23XI Racing drivers would be required to qualify among the top 40 to compete. This meant that if any drivers from 23XI (Bubba Wallace, Tyler Reddick, Riley Herbst) or FRM (Todd Gilliland, Zane Smith, Noah Gragson) failed to qualify within the top 40 in time trials, they would be ineligible to race that weekend.
On the one hand, this could be viewed as a gesture of good faith by the league to ensure that two of its prominent teams can compete in the remainder of the races on the NASCAR schedule. However, this could also be viewed as a legal strategy to avoid either team claiming that losing its charter status resulted in failing to qualify and thus costing the organizations financially.
Related: NASCAR Reporter Sheds Light on Tyler Reddick’s Future with 23XI Racing
Ultimately, this rule is unlikely to come into play. Since the Chicago Street Race, only the Daytona 500 has seen more than 40 entrants in qualifying this season. No other race is expected to have a full 40-car field, meaning 23XI and FRM drivers would likely qualify for races even without this change.
It’s worth noting that operating as open teams has already cost both organizations a significant amount of money, especially 23XI Racing. In Sunday’s Cup Series race at Dover, Bubba Wallace finished sixth and Tyler Reddick placed 12th. Because they are competing as open teams, they receive significantly less of the purse money than they would have if they were chartered and earned those same finishes.
Motorsports
Ty vs Ty in NASCAR’s $1 million in-season tournament decider
Indianapolis Motor Speedway will host the battle of Ty versus Ty for the $1 million in-season tournament prize. Ty Gibbs (main image) and Ty Dillon are the last two standing after four weeks. The finale is Sunday at Indianapolis, where the highest finishing driver of the two will be crowned the winner. Atlanta Motor Speedway […]

Indianapolis Motor Speedway will host the battle of Ty versus Ty for the $1 million in-season tournament prize.
Ty Gibbs (main image) and Ty Dillon are the last two standing after four weeks. The finale is Sunday at Indianapolis, where the highest finishing driver of the two will be crowned the winner. Atlanta Motor Speedway (June 28) kicked off the tournament.
Gibbs is the highest seed remaining at No. 6 while Dillon, the Cinderella story, has survived and advanced from the last seed, No. 32. It is as lopsided of a matchup between Joe Gibbs Racing and Kaulig Racing as it is improbable for these two drivers to be the ones competing for the prize.
How they got here
Gibbs:
· Gibbs comes from the right side of the bracket at the No. 6 seed.
· Those he defeated were: Justin Haley in the first round (Atlanta), AJ Allmendinger in the second round (Chicago), Zane Smith in the quarterfinals (Sonoma), and Tyler Reddick in the semifinals (Dover).
· In those four races, Gibbs finished 14th, second, seventh, and fifth.
Dillon:
· Dillon started on the left side of the bracket as the No. 32 seed.
· He knocked out No. 1 seed Denny Hamlin in the first round (Atlanta), Brad Keselowski in the second round (Chicago), Alex Bowman in the quarterfinals (Sonoma), and John Hunter Nemechek in the semifinals (Dover).
· He finished eighth, 20th, 17th, and 20th in his matchups.
Indianapolis statistics
Gibbs:
· Gibbs has made one start at Indianapolis in the Cup Series, which came in 2024.
· He qualified sixth and finished 23rd in the Brickyard 400 in 2024.
Dillon:
· Dillon has made five starts at Indianapolis in the Cup Series.
· He qualified 22nd and finished 19th in the Brickyard 400 in 2024.
· In five starts at Indianapolis, Dillon’s average finish is 17.2.
What they said
Ty Gibbs: “I was aware (of Tyler Reddick) and I feel like we had great restarts, and after that, I think we were just trying to advance our position as much as we can. My Monster Energy team did a great job.”
Ty Dillon: “It was quite the battle all day. We (he and Nemechek) were within a spot of each other all day. … All in all, just grateful to have this opportunity. This ride has been so fun. It’s one of the biggest things I’ve done in my career, just having fun with Kaulig Racing and Matt Kaulig, Chris Rice.”
The Brickyard 400 is Sunday, July 27, at 2 p.m. ET. TNT will broadcast the race. HBO Max, in addition to offering in-car cameras for every driver in the field, will also offer a Multiview option to follow Gibbs and Dillon.
Motorsports
NASCAR driver averages: Kyle Larson the latest to make Hendrick Motorsports history at Indianapolis
CONCORD, N.C. – Though Hendrick Motorsports has found plenty of success in all of NASCAR’s crown jewel events, perhaps no race is more synonymous with the organization than the Brickyard 400. With the company being founded in 1984, Hendrick Motorsports has participated in all 28 Brickyard 400s dating back to the inaugural event in 1994, won […]

CONCORD, N.C. – Though Hendrick Motorsports has found plenty of success in all of NASCAR’s crown jewel events, perhaps no race is more synonymous with the organization than the Brickyard 400.
With the company being founded in 1984, Hendrick Motorsports has participated in all 28 Brickyard 400s dating back to the inaugural event in 1994, won by current company vice chairman Jeff Gordon. With five victories, Gordon remains the all-time winningest driver in the race’s history.
And his success is just part of the story. Hendrick Motorsports’ 11 victories in the Brickyard 400 (four by Jimmie Johnson, one by Kasey Kahne and one for Kyle Larson) are more than double the next-closest team. It also leads in poles (five), top fives (28), top-10 finishes (44) and laps led (1,080).
Larson’s victory last year, which featured a furious run from 23rd place to the front over the event’s final 31 laps (and a couple overtime restarts) gave the organization’s current crop of drivers its first victory.
Here’s a look at all four current Hendrick Motorsports drivers’ history at the famed 2.5-mile oval in Speedway, Indiana as well as a quick brush up on the team’s history:
Motorsports
NASCAR raises eyebrows, makes late change to in-season tournament
Ty Dillon and Ty Gibbs are preparing for the finale of the inaugural NASCAR In-Season Challenge, and they believed they were racing for a cool $1 million. However, the sport’s decision makes through a wrench into that idea on Tuesday. After many originally thought the money would go directly to the driver, NASCAR clarified and took some […]

Ty Dillon and Ty Gibbs are preparing for the finale of the inaugural NASCAR In-Season Challenge, and they believed they were racing for a cool $1 million. However, the sport’s decision makes through a wrench into that idea on Tuesday.
After many originally thought the money would go directly to the driver, NASCAR clarified and took some wind out of fan’s sails — the money will go directly to the owner, per FOX’s Bob Pockrass. It’s not like it doesn’t make sense, but that’s not what many were led to believe about the In-Season Challenge.
“Update: NASCAR says the $1 million for the winning driver will go to the owner,” Pockrass noted on X, formerly known as Twitter. “… I believe when the in-season tournament was first announced, the understanding of many in the garage was that the $1 million would go directly to the driver. But NASCAR says it will be paid to owner just like the purse (and depends on driver contract on how much driver gets).”
Now, the teams, Kaulig Racing (Dillon) and Joe Gibbs Racing (Gibbs) could opt to pay out their driver with the money. Still, it’s a shocking development that it seems like many weren’t made aware of over the course of the last month and change.
Perhaps the news ruins a bit of the excitement heading into Indianapolis this weekend. Regardless, Ty Dillon and Ty Gibbs will be fighting throughout the afternoon in Indiana, no matter where the million goes for the winner.
More on the inaugural NASCAR In-Season Challenge
Meanwhile, Ty Dillon entered the In-Season Challenge as the lowest-seeded driver at No. 32. He’s survived all the way to the finale for a chance at winning that whole thing.
He’s left a slew of veteran wheelmen behind. Dillon has defeated Denny Hamlin, Brad Keselowski, Alex Bowman and John Hunter Nemechek on his way to the final round. Now, the No. 32-seed will have one final test against Ty Gibbs, who’s standing in the way of a gigantic upset.
“It feels good,” Dillon said, regarding reaching the finals, via NBC Sports. “You know, I have been the underdog for a long time now, just battling my way to try to get opportunity. Eventually you get comfortable in fighting from behind and people underestimating you.
“It’s hard to say that we lucked into it this far in. I am proud of the way we have run. We haven’t been a dominating car, but we have been a pain to everyone around us. That is all we can do — put pressure on them and execute at the right time and that is what we have done.”
While he’s not setting the world on fire — Dillon finished P20 at Dover, one spot ahead of Nemechek — it’s been a story fans have rallied behind. The veteran wheelman has had an uneven NASCAR career, but winning the In-Season Challenge could change everything for him.
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