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Legacy Motor Club: Mexico Race Preview – Speedway Digest

CLUB MINUTES: VIVA MEXICO: Holding its first ever NASCAR Cup Series race, Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez is set for its debut this Sunday for the Viva Mexico 250. Built in the Magdelena Mixhuca public park in 1959, the circuit hosted its first Formula One (F1) race in 1962 for a non-championship race before becoming a full […]

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CLUB MINUTES:

VIVA MEXICO: Holding its first ever NASCAR Cup Series race, Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez is set for its debut this Sunday for the Viva Mexico 250. Built in the Magdelena Mixhuca public park in 1959, the circuit hosted its first Formula One (F1) race in 1962 for a non-championship race before becoming a full World Championship event the following year. While it’s been juggled around the F1 circuit, its consistently been a part of the schedule over the past couple of years. Over the years, the circuit has changed its layout several times to switch up the full 2.674-mile, 19-turn road course.

NASCAR’S HISTORY AT MEXICO: While the NASCAR Cup Series may be making history this weekend in its inaugural race at Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez in Mexico City, the sport has held a position in Mexico over the years. From 2005-2008, the Hermanos Rodríguez circuit hosted four Xfinity Series races – Martin Truex Jr., Denny Hamlin, and Kyle Busch were among the winners there. In addition, NASCAR has also sanctioned the NASCAR Mexico Series since its formation in 2004 and the series held their season finale there last November.

NASCAR GOES INTERNATIONAL: While NASCAR has rarely branched outside of the United States in its history, it has tested the water over the years. In addition to the four Xfinity Series races held in Mexico, NASCAR also held two Cup Series races in Canada during its early years – 1952 and 1958. The Craftsman Truck Series also held annual races at the Canadian Tire Motorsports Park in Bowmanville, Ontario from 2013-2019. The NASCAR Cup Series made its farthest trip international when it held exhibition races in Japan from 1996-1998.

NEVER SETTLE: Join ESPN’s Marty Smith and LEGACY MOTOR CLUB’s co-owner Johnson for their weekly podcast, “Never Settle”. The podcast airs live on SIRIUS XM NASCAR Radio Ch. 90 at 2 p.m. ET every Wednesday and can be downloaded wherever fans source their podcasts.
JOHN HUNTER NEMECHEK
NO. 42 PYE-BARKER FIRE & SAFETY TOYOTA CAMRY XSE

BIRTHDAY BOY: Before heading to Mexico City this week, John Hunter will celebrate his 28th birthday on June 11.

WHAT A DIFFERENCE: Unfortunate circumstances relegated Nemechek to his first DNF of the season last week at Michigan, but year over year he is showing vast improvement. Last season his average starting position was 27.3 and finish was 25.42. This year he has an average start of 24.071 and finish of 19.429.

NEMECHEK ROAD COURSES STATS: Nemechek’s average finish at a road course in the NASCAR Cup Series is 28.3. In the Xfinity Series Nemechek has one top five and six top 10 finishes on road courses.

TMACK ON THE ROAD: Crew chief Travis Mack has a bunch of experience on road and street course tracks. In the 25 total starts, he has one victory with Daniel Suarez in 2022. Additionally, Mack has five top-five and seven top 10 finishes on road courses on his racing resume.

JOHN HUNTER NEMECHEK QUOTE: 

“I’m really excited for Mexico. It’s a new racetrack for a lot of the drivers in the garage. Hopefully, a lot of the prep that we’ve been able to do helps us out going into [Mexico] but it’s going to be an interesting event. I am excited to go out of the country again and see what NASCAR has been able to put together, overall, I’m really excited about it.”

TRAVIS MACK QUOTE: 

“We’ll have a good amount of practice, but we’ve been running a lot of laps in the simulator – John Hunter is doing his training – we’ll get there and see how the track is and the lap times, and we’ll work the strategy that weekend after Saturday.”
ERIK JONES
NO. 43 FAMILY DOLLAR TOYOTA CAMRY XSE

FAST IN MICHIGAN: Erik Jones found speed last Sunday as the NASCAR Cup Series returned to his home track of Michigan International Speedway for the FireKeepers Casino 400. Despite a slow start to the weekend in practice and qualifying, he rolled off 22nd for the race. He was fast at the drop of the green flag on Sunday though, consistently finding long run speed throughout the race and running in the top-10. He finished 10th in Stage 2 and went on to finish just outside the top-10 at the end of the race in 11th.

NEW TERRITORY FOR JONES: Jones goes international with his No. 43 Family Dollar Toyota Camry XSE in the NASCAR Cup Series’ inaugural race at Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez for the Viva Mexico 250. Despite this being his first race outside of the United States in the Cup Series, he has two races under his belt internationally in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series – both coming at the Canadian Tire Motorsports Park in Bowmanville, Ontario. In his first start at the Canadian road course, Jones started third and finished in the same spot in August 2014 when he ran a limited schedule with Kyle Busch Motorsports (KBM). He returned the following year in his only full-time season in the Truck Series with KBM to start second, lead 19 laps, and score his second win of the season in August 2015. He went on to win the 2015 NASCAR Truck Series Championship.

JONES HISTORY ON ROAD COURSES: In the NASCAR Cup Series, Jones has a total of 35 starts on road courses. These have amounted in three top-fives and nine top-10s. His best finish of third came on the Charlotte (N.C.) Motor Speedway Roval in October 2020. Jones owns an additional five starts on road courses in the Xfinity Series where he has a best finish of sixth earned in August 2016 at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course in Lexington, Ohio. He has two more starts in the Craftsman Truck Series where he won in 2015 at the Canadian Tire Motorsports Park and finished third the year prior.

BESHORE ON ROAD COURSES: Crew chief Ben Beshore has been on top of the pit box for a total of 20 NASCAR Cup Series races at road courses. Overall, his teams have scored six top-fives and seven top-10s turning left and right in NASCAR’s elite series. He has an additional 16 road course starts in the Xfinity Series that amounted in one top-five and five top-10s.

ERIK JONES QUOTE: 

“Mexico is going to be interesting. I mean, it’s going to definitely be a lot of work to just get down there. We’ve raced out of the country before in Canada years ago in the Truck Series, and it was okay. It wasn’t a bad experience in any way, and it was honestly pretty easy. It’s a little bit different now here with the travel, but the track I think is good. It’s pretty unique. There’s some really high speed stuff, and then the really slow stuff in that stadium section is like 30 mph. So, there’s going to probably be some chaos down there. Overall, it’s hard to put judgment on it because I haven’t raced it before, so I don’t want to say good or bad. We’re racing at a new venue, out of the country. I think the crowd is going to be huge from talking to a handful of people. I don’t know, it’s a little bit hard. Just get there, do it once and see how it goes. To be honest, the travel’s a little overwhelming. I’m not a guy that is super excited about that part of it, but the race itself, I’m really looking forward to.”

BEN BESHORE QUOTE:

“With it being a new track, everyone is sort of on the same page as far as not too many guys have run there outside of some of the older guys who ran in the Xfinity Series there back in the day. We’re trying to do the most we can to prepare from a simulator standpoint to get Erik reps so he’s familiar with the track. With it being a practice event, we’ll have the opportunity to work on the cars there and hopefully work on our road course program to get it better than it was earlier in the season.”
TUNE IN:

The inaugural Viva Mexico 250 race at Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez in Mexico City will take place on Sunday, June 15. The race is set to broadcast on Amazon Prime, MAX, MRN, and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio (Channel 90) at 3 p.m. EDT.

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van Gisbergen rockets to Xfinity pole at Sonoma

Shane Van Gisbergen is having a ‘field day’ on NASCAR road courses, thoroughly schooling the ‘we only turn left’ NASCAR regulars. JR Motorsports has locked out the front row for the NASCAR Xfinity Series race at Sonoma Raceway. Once again, Shane van Gisbergen earned pole position with a lap of 1m15.259s. His teammate, Connor Zilisch, […]

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Shane Van Gisbergen is having a ‘field day’ on NASCAR road courses, thoroughly schooling the ‘we only turn left’ NASCAR regulars.

JR Motorsports has locked out the front row for the NASCAR Xfinity Series race at Sonoma Raceway. Once again, Shane van Gisbergen earned pole position with a lap of 1m15.259s. His teammate, Connor Zilisch, was 2nd, 2/10ths slower.

For Van Gisbergen, this is his fifth pole in 35 NASCAR Xfinity Series races and his second pole and second top-10 start in 2025.

This is his second pole in two races at Sonoma Raceway, and Van Gisbergen is also the defending winner of the Sonoma Xfinity race.

Car is really, really good,” said van Gisbergen. “I was having fun out there … Looking forward to the race tomorrow.”

Shane Van Gisbergen, driver of the #9 Quad Lock Chevrolet, drives during qualifying for the NASCAR Xfinity Series Pit Boss/FoodMaxx 250 at Sonoma Raceway on July 11, 2025 in Sonoma, California. (Photo by Chris Graythen/Getty Images)

Xfinity Series Qualifying Results

Pos No. Driver Team Time Speed
1 9 Shane Van Gisbergen(i) Quad Lock Chevrolet 75.259 95.191
2 88 Connor Zilisch # Roto-Rooter Chevrolet 75.503 94.884
3 41 Sam Mayer Audibel Ford 75.644 94.707
4 2 Jesse Love Whelen Chevrolet 75.839 94.463
5 18 William Sawalich # Soundgear Toyota 75.881 94.411
6 8 Sammy Smith Pilot Chevrolet 75.890 94.400
7 1 Carson Kvapil # Bass Pro Shops/Clarience Tech Chevrolet 76.168 94.055
8 20 Brandon Jones Menards/Little Giant Toyota 76.193 94.024
9 0 Sheldon Creed Pit Boss Ford 76.208 94.006
10 7 Justin Allgaier BRANDT Chevrolet 76.270 93.929
11 54 Taylor Gray # Operation 300 Toyota 76.281 93.916
12 31 Blaine Perkins Warrior Health Foundation Chevrolet 76.339 93.845
13 42 Anthony Alfredo Dude Wipes Chevrolet 76.372 93.804
14 17 Corey Day HendrickCars.com Chevrolet 76.432 93.730
15 19 Riley Herbst(i) Monster Energy Toyota 76.439 93.722
16 21 Austin Hill Bennett Transportation Chevrolet 76.502 93.645
17 27 Jeb Burton BG Products Chevrolet 76.630 93.488
18 11 Josh Williams Alloy Employer Services Chevrolet 76.785 93.299
19 25 Harrison Burton AirBox Ford 76.809 93.270
20 7 Alex Labbe Sonoma Aviation Chevrolet 76.895 93.166
21 16 Christian Eckes # LeafFilter Gutter Protection Chevrolet 77.046 92.983
22 14 Connor Mosack(i) Knight Fire Protection Chevrolet 77.075 92.948
23 48 Nick Sanchez # Big Machine Label Group Chevrolet 77.137 92.874
24 99 Matt DiBenedetto Viking Motorsports Chevrolet 77.194 92.805
25 91 Josh Bilicki SBC Contractors Inc Chevrolet 77.237 92.753
26 53 Sage Karam Eternal Fan Toyota 77.270 92.714
27 71 Ryan Ellis Classic Collision Chevrolet 77.312 92.663
28 5 Kris Wright First National Bank Corp Chevrolet 77.355 92.612
29 39 Ryan Sieg Sci Aps Ford 77.365 92.600
30 51 Jeremy Clements Alliance/All South Electric Chevrolet 77.369 92.595
31 10 Daniel Dye # Champion Container Chevrolet 77.390 92.570
32 44 Brennan Poole Finance Pro Plus Chevrolet 77.478 92.465
33 32 Austin Green 3Dimensional.com Chevrolet 77.559 92.368
34 4 Parker Retzlaff FUNKAWAY Beads Chevrolet 77.574 92.351
35 26 Dean Thompson # Thompson Pipe Group Toyota 77.591 92.330
36 70 Will Rodgers Refology/Sipeos Chevrolet 77.696 92.206
37 28 Kyle Sieg RSS Racing Ford 78.073 91.760
38 45 Brad Perez Pala Casino Chevrolet 78.566 91.184
39 35 Austin J Hill Chevrolet 78.672 91.062



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Alex Bowman, Bubba Wallace settle differences at dinner – Speedway Digest

As fierce as the Chicago Street Course battle between Alex Bowman and Bubba Wallace appeared at the time, it won’t have a lasting impact on the drivers’ relationship. Bowman and Wallace, opponents in the second round of the In-Season Challenge, were fighting for position late in last Sunday’s race. After repeated contact between their cars, […]

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As fierce as the Chicago Street Course battle between Alex Bowman and Bubba Wallace appeared at the time, it won’t have a lasting impact on the drivers’ relationship.

Bowman and Wallace, opponents in the second round of the In-Season Challenge, were fighting for position late in last Sunday’s race. After repeated contact between their cars, Wallace’s Toyota spun off the front bumper of Bowman’s Chevrolet.

Bowman advanced to the tournament quarterfinals with an eighth-place finish to Wallace’s 28th. But if there was any animosity after the race, there’s none now.

“He bought me dinner on Thursday, which was super nice of him, “Bowman said. “So, I’m appreciative of that. I think we probably raced a little bit unnecessarily hard in that situation, but we talked, and I think we’re all good.

“The TV feed made it look worse than it really was off of (Turn) 2 there. I certainly didn’t intentionally crash him, and unfortunately, the coverage was pretty rough. We talked about it, and I think we’re good going forward.”

Bowman and Wallace happened to be staying at the same place in California, and they were seated next to each other at the hotel restaurant.

“That’s always how it works, right?” said Bowman. “Whenever you run into somebody, you’re always magnetic for the next couple of weeks.”

On Saturday at Sonoma Raceway, Wallace echoed Bowman’s sentiments.

“My dinner was paid for, so I just pay it forward,” Wallace said. “I felt like I made us look like fools last week, and I took the responsibility, so the least I could do was buy him dinner. Bowman and I, I can say truthfully, we’re fine moving forward.”



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How to Watch Pit Boss/FoodMaxx 250: Stream NASCAR Xfinity Series Live, TV Channel

Shane Van Gisbergen again pulling double duty this weekend and starts from the pole at Sonoma on Saturday. Shane Van Gisbergen comes off a NASCAR Xfinity Series/NASCAR Cup Series double win last weekend in Chicago and looks to repeat the trick at Sonoma Raceway. His quest begins on Saturday in the NASCAR Xfinity Series Pit […]

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Shane Van Gisbergen again pulling double duty this weekend and starts from the pole at Sonoma on Saturday.

Shane Van Gisbergen comes off a NASCAR Xfinity Series/NASCAR Cup Series double win last weekend in Chicago and looks to repeat the trick at Sonoma Raceway. His quest begins on Saturday in the NASCAR Xfinity Series Pit Boss/FoodMaxx 250 at the road course that opened in 1968. Van Gisbergen grabbed the pole position in qualifying on Friday afternoon as he looks for a second straight Xfinity victory at Sonoma. SVG moved up to the Cup Series full-time this season while still racing a part-time schedule on the second-tier circuit.

How to Watch Pit Boss/FoodMaxx 250 in NASCAR Xfinity Series Today:

Race Date: Saturday, July 12, 2025

Race Time: 4:30 p.m. ET

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TV: The CW

Live stream the NASCAR Xfinity Series Pit Boss/Food Maxx 250 on Fubo: Start your free trial today!

Connor Zilisch will start outside Van Gisbergen on Saturday, with Sam Mayer and Jesse Love on the second row. William Sawalich and Sammy Smith start on Row 3 while Carson Kvapil, Brandon Jones, Sheldon Creed and defending series champion Justin Allgaier round out the top 10 in the field.

Allgaier and Austin Hill each have three wins this season and are among seven drivers provisionally qualified for the Round of 12 Playoffs that open in September. Love, Zilisch, Jones, Nick Sanchez and Smith are the other winners that have clinched spots. Mayer leads the non-winners in the field with 597 points this season and has an 86-point lead over Kvapil. Creed, Jeb Burton and Taylor Gray round out the top five non-winners, with Gray leading Harrison Burton by eight points and Ryan Sieg by 30 points for the 12th spot.

Van Gisbergen led 32 of the 79 laps in last year’s race at Sonoma to finish 1.323 seconds ahead of Creed. This is the third year the Xfinity Series has raced at the track, a 1.99-mile course with 12 turns that is broken down into stages of 20, 25 and 34 laps. Aric Almirola won the debut Xfinity Series race at Sonoma in 2023.

What Time Is The NASCAR Xfinity Series Pit Boss/FoodMaxx 250?

The Pit Boss/FoodMaxx 250 race takes place on Saturday, July 12, 2025, at 4:30 p.m. ET. Tune in and catch some great racing action.

What Channel Is The Pit Boss/FoodMaxx 250 Race On?

Looking to watch this race? Fans can tune into The CW to see the action. Make sure you subscribe to Fubo now to watch this race, as well as numerous other sports leagues.

Watch the Pit Boss/FoodMaxx 250 race on Fubo: Start your free trial now!

Regional restrictions may apply.



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Connor Zilisch holds off SVG in Sonoma

Credit: Chris Graythen / Digital Media Connor Zilisch said after last week’s battle at Chicago that he wouldn’t go easy on teammate Shane van Gisbergen. This week, Zilisch took the win at Sonoma. SVG started on pole once again with Zilisch beside him. Sam Mayer and Jesse Love lined up behind them and hooked up […]

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Credit: Chris Graythen / Digital Media

Connor Zilisch said after last week’s battle at Chicago that he wouldn’t go easy on teammate Shane van Gisbergen. This week, Zilisch took the win at Sonoma.

SVG started on pole once again with Zilisch beside him. Sam Mayer and Jesse Love lined up behind them and hooked up behind the leaders as they went to green.

SVG got ahead of Zilisch as Love goes to the inside of Mayer in turn 3 to challenge for the place. Neither driver was able to make the move stick in that turn.

Daniel Dye, Dean Thompson, and Austin Green went through the dirt on the opening lap and fell quite a few places, but were able to keep out of each other.

On lap 3, Zilisch took the lead as SVG almost went sideways in turn 2, and Mayer challenged SVG for second. SVG kept the position, Mayer slotting into third. 

Fun fact: Zilisch has led at least one lap in the last eight races in 2025, and this is the longest streak of the season.

SVG retook the lead on lap 5 with a switchback move into turn 8.

With 9 laps to go, Love loses a couple of places to Williams Sawalich and Carson Kvapil with an issue. Love pits to retire on lap 13. 

By lap 15, the top three now have a gap of 13 seconds to Sawalich in fourth, and the top two are 6 seconds ahead of Mayer.

Many drivers opt to pit to flip the stage, including the top two. Off pit road, Zilisch comes off first, and they come out in ninth and eleventh. Mayer takes the lead.

  1. No. 41 – Sam Mayer (Haas Factory Team)

  2. No. 20 – Brandon Jones (Joe Gibbs Racing)

  3. No. 1 – Carson Kvapil (JR Motorsports)

  4. No. 8 – Sammy Smith (JR Motorsports)

  5. No. 00 – Sheldon Creed (Haas Factory Team)

  6. No. 42 – Anthony Alfredo (Young’s Motorsports)

  7. No. 07 – Alex Labbe (SS-Green Light Racing)

  8. No. 31 – Blaine Perkins (Jordan Anderson Racing)

  9. No. 88 – Connor Zilisch (JR Motorsports)

  10. No. 39 – Ryan Sieg (RSS Racing)

The drivers who didn’t pit before dart onto pit road. Brandon Jones wins off pit road while Mayer loses two places. Zilisch and SVG cycle to the front.

Back to green,  they stay side by side through turns 1 and 2, but Zilisch clears for the lead in turn 6. Zilisch almost lost the lead after locking his wheels in turn 7 but kept in front. Sawalich moved up to third.

SVG goes to the inside of Zilisch on lap 28, and they stay door to door until turn 2 when SVG cuts in front of Zilisch.

Ryan Ellis gets spun around on lap 30, but was able to stay clear of other drivers and get going again on his own.

On lap 37, Zilisch takes the lead from SVG.

Alex Labbe pits with a track bar issue and retires on lap 38. On the same lap, Kris Wright went off course in turn 2 but continued.

 Sage Karam suffered a transmission issue and went off track exiting the final turn of lap 42.

The top four pit just before pit road closes for the stage, and Justin Allgaier takes the lead.

Jones swept around Allgaier at turn 3 when Allgaier went wide.

  1. No. 20 – Brandon Jones (Joe Gibbs Racing)

  2. No. 7 – Justin Allgaier (JR Motorsports)

  3. No. 8 – Sammy Smith (JR Motorsports)

  4. No. 00 – Sheldon Creed (Haas Factory Team)

  5. No. 1 – Carson Kvapil (JR Motorsports)

  6. No. 31 – Blaine Perkins (Jordan Anderson Racing)

  7. No. 88 – Connor Zilisch (JR Motorsports)

  8. No. 27 – Jeb Burton (Jordan Anderson Racing) 

  9. No. 70 – Will Rodgers (Cope Family Racing)

  10. No. 39 – Ryan Sieg (RSS Racing)

After a cycle of pit stops, Zilisch and SVG line up again for the restart. The two stay door to door until Zilisch clears into turn 4. Austin Hill jumps up to fourth as Sawalich cuts in front of SVG for second.

SVG repassed Sawalich on lap 53.

Big damage to Christian Eckes after Ryan Seig and Brennen Poole scuffled, and Eckes suffered the most damage. He pitted to retire on lap 54.

R. Seig goes down pit road smoking on lap 57.

On lap 60, Jeremy Clements spins around but keeps clear of other drivers and is able to continue.

Harrison Burton spins around at turn 11 after getting turned around by Corey Day and Jones on lap 65.

In the closing laps of the stage, SVG closed the gap on Zilisch and was right on his bumper. 

With 3 to go, Day goes off the track and narrowly misses the wall after A. Hill hits the sausage curb and bounces into Day. No caution was called.

SVG tapped the bumper of Zilisch into turn 7 with 2 laps to go, but doesn’t have the grip to get ahead. 

They go side by side into turn 11, but the 88 drives away!

Connor Zilisch takes the checkered flag ahead of Shane van Gisbergen at Sonoma!

  1. No. 88 – Connor Zilisch (JR Motorsports)

  2. No. 9 – Shane van Gisbergen (JR Motorsports) [FL]

  3. No. 18 – William Sawalich (Joe Gibbs Racing) 

  4. No. 48 – Nick Sanchez (Big Machine Racing)

  5. No. 19 – Riley Herbst (Joe Gibbs Racing) 

  6. No. 7 – Justin Allgaier (JR Motorsports)

  7. No. 54 – Taylor Gray (Joe Gibbs Racing)

  8. No. 1 – Carson Kvapil (JR Motorsports)

  9. No. 8 – Sammy Smith (JR Motorsports)

  10. No. 00 – Sheldon Creed (Haas Factory Team)

  11. No. 32 – Austin Green (Jordan Anderson Racing)

  12. No. 21 –  Austin Hill (Richard Childress Racing) 

  13. No. 20 – Brandon Jones (Joe Gibbs Racing)

  14. No. 91 – Josh Bilicki (DGM Racing x JIM)

  15. No. 11 – Josh Williams (Kaulig Racing)

  16. No. 70 – Will Rodgers (Cope Family Racing)

  17. No. 41 – Sam Mayer (Haas Factory Team)

  18. No. 26 – Dean Thompson (Sam Hunt Racing)

  19. No. 31 – Blaine Perkins (Jordan Anderson Racing)

  20. No. 27 – Jeb Burton (Jordan Anderson Racing) 

  21. No. 25 – Harrison Burton (AM Racing) 

  22. No. 44 – Brennen Poole (Alpha Prime Racing)

  23. No. 42 – Anthony Alfredo (Young’s Motorsports)

  24. No. 17 – Corey Day (Hendrick Motorsports)

  25. No. 28 – Kyle Sieg (RSS Racing)

  26. No. 99 – Matt DiBenedetto (Viking Motorsports)

  27. No. 71 – Ryan Ellis (DGM Racing + JIM)

  28. No. 4 – Parker Retzlaff (Alpha Prime Racing) 

  29. No. 5 – Kris Wright (Our Motorsports) 

  30. No. 51 – Jeremy Clements (Jeremy Clements Racing) +1 lap

  31. No. 45 – Brad Perez (Alpha Prime Racing) +1 lap

  32. No. 10 – Daniel Dye (Kaulig Racing) +1 lap

  33. No. 14 – Connor Mosack (SS-Green Light Racing) +2 laps

  34. No. 16 – Christian Eckes (Kaulig Racing) +3 laps

  35. No. 39 – Ryan Sieg (RSS Racing) +3 laps

  36. No. 53 – Sage Karam (Joey Gase Motorsports) [DNF]

  37. No. 07 – Alex Labbe (SS-Green Light Racing) [DNF]

  38. No. 2 – Jesse Love (Richard Childress Racing) [DNF]

  39. No. 35 – Austin J. Hill (Joey Gase Motorsports) [DNS]

Next week, NASCAR Xfinity heads to Dover Motor Speedway on Saturday, July 19, at 15:30 EST (20:30 BST). Be there, or be square.



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Kyle Larson says SVG will be “dominant” if he can figure out NASCAR ovals

Shane van Gisbergen is one of just four drivers with multiple wins in the NASCAR Cup Series this year. He’s also just one more victory away from matching Kyle Larson, Denny Hamlin and Christopher Bell for the most wins this year (three). Well, SVG is off to a good start, earning pole position for the […]

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Shane van Gisbergen is one of just four drivers with multiple wins in the NASCAR Cup Series this year. He’s also just one more victory away from matching Kyle Larson, Denny Hamlin and Christopher Bell for the most wins this year (three).

Well, SVG is off to a good start, earning pole position for the Cup race at Sonoma in his fourth consecutive pole across the Cup and Xfinity Series. Larson, who is considered to be one of the best drivers in the sport, praised SVG in a Saturday media availability before the qualifying session.

“You know, he’s so good, and it’s rare that you see somebody stand out and distance himself from the competition as much as he is,” said Larson. “He’s way, way, way better than us at the road course stuff. And he’s got his own technique, you can call it. Not his own because the rest of the world does it — right-foot braking, clutching and all that stuff.

“You can’t teach an old dog new tricks. Like, there’s zero chance I can learn how to do that. And even if I did, like there’s zero chance that I can have it be better than what I’m probably doing with left-foot braking. So yeah, he’s just so good.”

Figuring out ovals

Shane van Gisbergen, Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet

Shane van Gisbergen, Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet

Photo by: Krista Jasso / Getty Images

Larson went on to note how van Gisbergen is showing steady improvement on ovals, adding, “He’s still new to the oval stuff, so he’s going to continue to get better at that. And, yeah, I mean, if he can figure out the ovals, he’s going to be dominant.”

Sonoma is one of the ‘legacy’ road courses on the schedule, which (along with Watkins Glen) have been part of the Cup Series calendar for decades. The field hopes to be closer to SVG than they were on the streets of Chicago or the inaugural event in Mexico City, but Larson believes “he’s still going to be the fastest” of all drivers at Sonoma.

“I would say the competition’s a little closer to him as we come to more normal road courses, like COTA and hopefully Sonoma,” said Larson. “Watkins Glen — he was still the fastest there last year, but it’s a race. In Mexico, he was super good. And then, yeah, Chicago, I think he’s just really, really, really familiar with the size of his car and what it takes to push the limits and not be over the limit. So, yeah, I don’t know. We’ll see. I hope that we’re much closer to him this week, but as good as he is, I expect him to be fastest in qualifying and execute in a good race again.”

While SVG starts from pole position for Sunday’s race, a full 0.250s clear of Chase Briscoe on the front row, Kyle Larson qualified 11th on the grid.

Photos from Sonoma – Practice & Qualifying

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Pato O’Ward Wins as Penske Finishes 2-3-4 at Iowa Speedway Race One

Pato O’Ward becomes the fourth different driver to win a race in the 2025 NTT IndyCar Season as Team Penske seems to turn the 2025 season around with a 2nd, 3rd, and 4th place finishes at Iowa Speedway. Pato O’Ward gets First Win for Chevy and McLaren in 2025 as Penske Rebounds in Iowa The […]

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Pato O’Ward becomes the fourth different driver to win a race in the 2025 NTT IndyCar Season as Team Penske seems to turn the 2025 season around with a 2nd, 3rd, and 4th place finishes at Iowa Speedway.

Pato O’Ward gets First Win for Chevy and McLaren in 2025 as Penske Rebounds in Iowa

The first of a doubleheader weekend at Iowa Speedway saw Pato O’Ward capitalize on some late race cautions. His victory, in his 100th start, earned Chevrolet and McLaren their first victories of 2025. However, the big headline was that Penske has seemingly returned to its old form, finishing 2nd, 3rd, and 4th. Josef Newgarden led the Penske trio, followed by Will Power, and a remarkable comeback for Scott McLaughlin, who started in the rear after a wreck in qualifying.

This is O’Ward’s eighth IndyCar Series victory, again his first of 2025. More importantly, this win helps him battle the two Chip Ganassi Hondas of Dixon, in second, and Palou, in first.

Pato O’Ward celebrates on the podium after winning the Synk 275 at Iowa Speedway on July 12, 2025. Photo by Joe Skibinski, Penske Entertainment.

Wrecks Early on Dictate Strategy:

The Synk 275 at Iowa Speedway seemed to be another stinker during the opening 100 laps. Passing came in the back of the field as Josef Newgarden would lead 232 laps during the race. He held the lead even after both Jacob Abel on lap 73 and Kyle Kirkwood on lap 153 had day-ending incidents.

It has been an awful year for Josef Newgarden and his Penske teammates. With the issues at Indianapolis with tech inspection, and just a loss of pace since then. It was a return to form for the six-time Iowa Speedway winner. Unfortunately, a mistake on a late pitstop would hand the lead over to his ‘rival’ in Pato O’Ward.

Read More: Kyle Kirkwood Conquers The Night In St. Louis

Late Red and Yellow Flags Set Up Run to the Checkered:

Pato O’Ward secured the lead thanks to the slow pit stop from the No. 2 Chevy team. But it was almost thrown away due to his teammate, Nolan Siegel. Siegel would get loose in turn 4 and lose control of the car, turning the car around and slapping the outside wall. The race would be red-flagged due to repairs being necessary to the SAFER barrier.

When the race finally went back green, it was the #90 Chevrolet from Prema, Callum Ilott, meeting the wall. This incident was cleaned up in just three laps, leaving 10 laps to race to the checkered flag. While it was a great rebound day for Newgarden, he had nothing for O’Ward and the No. 5 car.

Championship leader Alex Palou would finish fifth behind the Chevys. Christian Rasmussen continues his strong run on ovals with a 6th-place finish. Daly and Ferrucci would keep it clean and finish seventh and eighth. Armstrong and Dixon would round out the top ten, finishing ninth and tenth.

Read More: Scott Dixon Secures His 59th IndyCar Career Win at Mid-Ohio

Pato Moves Up To Challenge Palou for 2025 Title:

With this win, Pato O’Ward moves past Kyle Kirkwood for second place in the championship standings. Palou, coming into Iowa, had a 113-point lead over second place in the championship, but now heads into the second race of the doubleheader with only a 105-point lead. While Palou got his first oval win at the Indianapolis 500, I don’t think his short oval abilities are there just yet.

It will be interesting to see how big the points gap between the championship contenders will be following tomorrow’s Farm To Finish 275.

Read More: IndyCar Doubleheader at Iowa Preview: Schedule, Predictions and How to Watch

Stay connected with Last Word On Motorsports for all the updates from Iowa Speedway’s IndyCar Doubleheader.

Main Photo: Andrew Skillman, Penske Entertainment

Recording Date: 7/12/2025

 





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