Ricky Stenhouse Jr. drives during a qualifying session for the NASCAR Cup Series auto race at Hermanos Rodriguez race track in Mexico City, Saturday, June 14, 2025. (AP Photo/Fernando Llano) Ricky Stenhouse Jr. walks to his car before a NASCAR Cup Series auto race at Michigan International Speedway in Brooklyn, Mich., Sunday, June 8, 2025. […]
Ricky Stenhouse Jr. drives during a qualifying session for the NASCAR Cup Series auto race at Hermanos Rodriguez race track in Mexico City, Saturday, June 14, 2025. (AP Photo/Fernando Llano)
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It will be interesting to see if the feud between Ricky Stenhouse Jr. and Carson Hocevar reaches the boiling point this weekend at Pocono Raceway.
Three weeks ago at Nashville, Hocevar got into the back of Stenhouse, causing his car to spin into the outside wall. The crash ended Stenhouse’s day and caused him to finish last (39th). There were hard feelings, but the two drivers talked in the week after and appeared to smooth out things.
However, Sunday at Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez in Mexico City, the two got together again. Hocevar, running one lap down, had his car lose traction on lap 90 of 100 and slide into the path of Stenhouse’s car, making contact and causing it to spin. Although both cars continued the race, the incident likely cost Stenhouse a solid finish; he wound up 27th. Hocevar placed 34th.
After the race, an angry and frustrated Stenhouse approached Hocevar’s car with Hocevar still in it. He leaned into the driver’s side window and, despite Hocevar trying to apologize, began shouting at him.
“I’m going to beat your (expletive) when we get back in the States,” Stenhouse was heard saying on audio from the in-car camera.
Round 3 could take place Sunday at Pocono in The Great American Getaway 400 presented by VISITPA.COM. It is part of a NASCAR tripleheader weekend at the 2.5-mile triangular track in Long Pond that includes the Craftsman Truck Series Miller Tech Battery 200 on Friday and the Xfinity Series Explore the Pocono Mountains 250 on Saturday.
Before heading to Mexico City, Stenhouse spoke about running at Pocono.
“(Turns) 1 and 2, I feel really good there. It’s got more banking,” Stenhouse said. “Turn 3 is actually a little flatter. I probably struggle a little more in Turn 3. It’s just all about getting your car filled and the balance where you feel comfortable at to be able to push the throttle down.”
In 21 Cup Series starts at Pocono, Stenhouse has an average finish of 22.3 with a seventh place in 2023 being his best effort. Last year, he got collected in a crash between Kyle Busch and Corey LaJoie and finished 33rd.
“Pocono is an odd race track, obviously totally different than a lot of race tracks we go to,” Stenhouse said. “We’ve had some recent success, some recent speed. It’s a race track where strategy comes into play. If you’re leading and fast enough to win, obviously it makes your strategy easier. But I feel like there are a lot more ways to get a good finish now.”
Case in point: his run at Pocono in 2023.
“We were struggling for speed and then people started pitting and because I got clean air and track position, I started running really fast lap times,” Stenhouse said. “So my crew chief was like, ‘Man, we’re just going to stay out because you’re running faster than guys who pitted.’ Then we ended up just doing two tires, so a shorter pit stop, got back out in clean air, stayed and ran good.
“So the way our cars are right now, if you’re in the 15th-to-20th area, you can stay out, start in the front and stay up there because we’re all so close. It was three-tenths of a second from first to 30th (at Michigan) in qualifying.”
Because of drafting, Stenhouse said it is critical to get a good run coming off Turn 3.
“That front straightaway is very important at Pocono for good lap times,” Stenhouse said. “You don’t want to be side-by-side with anybody. You want to get in line. Turn 3 is the most important corner on the race track still.”
Through 16 races, Stenhouse has two top-10s — fifth at Atlanta, sixth at Texas — and an average finish of 19.1 in the No. 47 Chevrolet for Hyak Motorsports, which was rebranded from JTG Daugherty Racing this season. The 37-year-old driver from Olive Branch, Mississippi, has 312 points and is 61 points in back of Chris Buescher for the 16th and final cutoff spot for the playoffs over the final 10 races.
Stenhouse drives for one of the few single-car teams in NASCAR. He said sometimes there are advantages to that. For example, when drafting you don’t have to worry about waiting for your teammate to come with you.
For the most part, though, Stenhouse wishes he had a teammate.
“It is difficult on a weekend when you’re struggling,” he said. “There are race tracks we go, we’ll go practice and even if my car is good, we’ll run 15-20 laps, come in and make a pretty big adjustment on our car to see what that does. That’s mainly just to get another data point because we can’t phone-a-friend and ask how our teammate is driving and what adjustments they made. So we’re at a disadvantage in the grand scheme of things.
“At least we have a better focus. We’re not trying to get a car to drive good for two different people; we’re trying to get a car to drive the way I need to drive. So all our notes are good for us, same driver, same team, same kind of car over the years. So we’re building our notebook, but I would much rather have a teammate.”
Practice and qualifying for The Great American Getaway 400 is scheduled for Saturday. The 160-lap race is scheduled for Sunday at 2 p.m. and will be streamed on Amazon Prime. All camping sites at the track are sold out and limited grandstand tickets remain.
NASCAR AT POCONO SCHEDULE
Friday: Craftsman Truck Series practice, 12:35-1:30 p.m.; qualifying, 1:40-2:30 p.m.; Miller Tech Battery 200, 5 p.m.
Saturday: Xfinity Series practice, 10-10:55 a.m.; Xfinity qualifying, 11:05 a.m.-noon; Cup Series practice, 12:35-1:35 p.m.; Cup qualifying, 1:45-2:30 p.m.; Xfinity Explore the Pocono Mountains 250, 3:30 p.m.
Sunday: Cup Series, The Great American Getaway 400 presented by VISITPA.COM, 2 p.m.
NASCAR Rumors: Corey Day Headed for Full-Time Ride in 2026
Hendrick Motorsports is the best team in NASCAR and has played a key role in the development of some of the top drivers. As the company prepares for its future, it appears there’s a chance that Corey Day could land a huge opportunity next season. On Saturday, nascarumornostalgia shared that they’ve heard Day will be […]
Hendrick Motorsports is the best team in NASCAR and has played a key role in the development of some of the top drivers. As the company prepares for its future, it appears there’s a chance that Corey Day could land a huge opportunity next season.
On Saturday, nascarumornostalgia shared that they’ve heard Day will be driving the No. 17 car for Hendrick full-time next season in the NASCAR Xfinity Series.
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HMS signed Day in January to a multiyear deal, giving him a chance to run a few races in Xfinity this season. Driving the No. 17 car, he got his first taste of the level in March at Martinsville Speedway, qualifying eighth. He raced fairly well, working his way back inside the top 10 after dropping to the middle of the pack, before contact damaged his car and he finished 21st.
Day later took home a 16th-place finish at Texas Motor Speedway in May and then delivered an 11th-place finish two races later at Nashville Superspeedway. He later placed 24th in the road course race at Sonoma Raceway and most recently placed 24th in the NASCAR Xfinity results at Iowa.
Related: NASCAR Prospects Who Could Become Future Cup Series Stars
The 19-year-old has had more experience at the Truck Series level (11 races) and the ARCA Menards Series (five races). For now, Day remains a full-time driver at High Limit.
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It would be a bit of a gamble for HMS considering Day still has limited experience in the Xfinity Series. He would be just 20 years old for his entire rookie season at the Xfinity level, competing against very experienced drivers (Justin Allgaier, Austin Hill, and Jeb Burton) in addition to top NASCAR prospects with significantly more Xfinity experience (Jesse Love, Carson Kvapil, and Nicholas Sanchez).
A better path for Day would seem to be becoming a full-time Truck Series driver in 2026, competing at a lower level where he has more experience and has demonstrated more success. Furthermore, the Truck level has lower stakes than the Xfinity level and there is less pressure to generate money.
Read More: Tyler Reddick Landing Spots if He Leaves 23XI, including Hendrick Motorsports
Ultimately, Hendrick has plenty of time to decide where it will deploy Day next season. The 19-year-old has shown flashes this year that demonstrate why he’s one of the top prospects in the sport, but he might be better off developing in the Truck Series for a year before moving up to Xfinity.
Leonardo Fornaroli won his maiden FIA Formula 2 Feature Race victory, and in doing so led home an Invicta Racing one-two with his teammate Roman Stanek in second place. The Championship leader managed the race expertly after being given a five-second time penalty for speeding in the pit lane to take his third win of […]
Leonardo Fornaroli won his maiden FIA Formula 2 Feature Race victory, and in doing so led home an Invicta Racing one-two with his teammate Roman Stanek in second place.
The Championship leader managed the race expertly after being given a five-second time penalty for speeding in the pit lane to take his third win of the season, as Jak Crawford rounded out the podium for DAMS Lucas Oil.
AS IT HAPPENED
A rolling start kicked things off as pole-sitter Stanek led his teammate Fornaroli and Crawford away, as the top 12 drivers maintain position on the first lap with the track slightly wet off-line.
Crawford had lost ground to the top two and on Lap 4 was coming under pressure from Luke Browning. The Hitech TGR driver looked to have taken the place, but he ran wide at Turn 2 allowing his rival back through.
Lap 6 of 37 and Amaury Cordeel pulled his Rodin Motorsport car over to the side of the road, bringing out the Virtual Safety Car.
Racing resumed on Lap 8, and Arvid Lindblad, the lead driver on the Medium tire, took two places at the opening two corners from Oliver Goethe and Joshua Duerksen to go to P5.
Lindblad’s Campos Racing teammate Josep María Martí lost two places to Gabriele Minì and Richard Verschoor at Turn 1 though, dropping the Spaniard to P11.
The Virtual Safety Car was signaled once again with Victor Martins stopping his ART Grand Prix on track at the exit of Turn 12.
Green flag conditions returned on Lap 11, and looking to get the jump on Lindblad, Goethe ran wide at Turn 12, dropping him to P8 behind Duerksen and Alexander Dunne.
Dunne and Duerksen then went wheel-to-wheel down the Main Straight, with the Irishman taking sixth from the AIX Racing driver, despite a lockup into Turn 2.
Stanek led the way at a rolling start with Fornaroli in second
Campos then informed Lindblad that the Prime tire was quicker than the Options on Lap 13, and his teammate Martí showed that as he took back the two places he lost to Verschoor and Minì on the run to Turn 2. The Spaniard then overtook Goethe for P8 on the run to Turn 12.
The first set of Soft tire runners at the front then pitted, with Browning coming in from fourth, with Duerksen, Goethe and Minì all joining him in swapping to the Mediums.
Race leader Stanek and Crawford came in on Lap 15, with Fornaroli and Dunne following on the next lap. The Italian made the overcut work as he came back out ahead of his teammate.
Out in front, and yet to pit on the Medium tyres, Lindblad led Martí, with Verschoor in third, ahead of Dino Beganovic, Kush Maini, Cian Shields and Ritomo Miyata.
Fornaroli was in eighth, but only one second separated him and Stanek, who closed the gap on Lap 19. The Championship leader’s race then got more difficult when he was given a five-second time penalty for speeding in the pitlane.
Back at the front, Verschoor was the first of the alternative strategy runners to be called in on Lap 22, and he came back out just behind Goethe in P12.
Lindblad was in from the lead on Lap 23, with Martí in on the next lap, but both struggling to get their tyres up to temperature. They lost out to Verschoor, who had gotten up to P7. The Briton was now 10th, while his teammate fell through the field to P15.
On to Lap 27 of 37, Crawford closed to within 0.4s off Stanek. The American made a move at Turn 1 on the next lap, but locked up into the corner, allowing his rival to keep the position. Their battling allowed Fornaroli to escape up the road and by Lap 29, he was 4.9s clear.
Crawford was struggling behind Stanek now, and behind them Browning set a personal best time on Lap 33 to close to within 1.6s.
The fight for seventh then heated up as Beganovic pilled the pressure on Lindblad. The two went side-by-side through Turns 1 and 2 on Lap 34 and 35, as Goethe and Dunne started to join the fight.
Miyata finally pitted on the penultimate lap, promoting Stanek to second and Crawford to third.
Onto the last lap, Fornaroli was 7.2s clear out in front across the line to achieve his third win in as many weekends and his first FIA Formula 2 victory.
Stanek made it an Invicta one-two, with Crawford third, Browning fourth, Verschoor fifth, while Lindblad held of Beganovic to take P6. Goethe also fought off Dunne for P8 as Martí fought through to take the final point in P10.
The top three celebrate on the podium after the race
KEY QUOTE – Leonardo Fornaroli, Invicta Racing
“What a race today. Finally, we managed to take a win in the Feature Race. It was a really stressful race especially at the end with the five second penalty, I had to stay in front by more than five seconds otherwise I was losing the win. But in the end, we didn’t have a Safety Car. Super happy about this race, now we go into the summer break, so some rest, but then we will be back for Monza.”
CHAMPIONSHIP STANDINGS
Leonardo Fornaroli, now on 154 points extends his lead at the top of the Drivers’ Championship, with Jak Crawford up to second on 137 points. Richard Verschoor is down to third on 135, as Luke Browning goes up to fourth on 125 points, while Alexander Dunne rounds out the top five on 124.
In the Teams’ Standings, Invicta Racing continue to lead the way with 231 points, as Campos Racing maintain second on 189, with Hitech TGR third on 183. DAMS Lucas Oil are fourth on 163 points, as MP Motorsport round out the top five on 158.
UP NEXT
The drivers set off for their summer breaks but will return to the track at Monza for Round 11 on September 05-07.
MLB Speedway Classic Between Braves, Reds at Bristol Motor Speedway Resumes
A record crowd for a regular-season Major League Baseball game got to see all the pomp and pageantry of the MLB Speedway Classic before the rain washed out the game itself in the bottom of the first inning. Fans returning Sunday only wanted to watch the Atlanta Braves and Cincinnati Reds play ball. Sunday was […]
A record crowd for a regular-season Major League Baseball game got to see all the pomp and pageantry of the MLB Speedway Classic before the rain washed out the game itself in the bottom of the first inning.
Fans returning Sunday only wanted to watch the Atlanta Braves and Cincinnati Reds play ball. Sunday was dry at Bristol Motor Speedway even with overcast skies.
This MLB Speedway Classic was first announced nearly a year ago as part of Commissioner Rob Manfred’s push to take MLB to places where baseball isn’t played every day live. MLB played a game at the “Field of Dreams” movie site in Iowa in both 2021 and 2022. Alabama and North Carolina, too.
MLB didn’t try to sell every ticket inside the speedway that drew 156,990 for the Battle of Bristol college football game in 2016. The track, with a racing capacity of 146,000, meant the final attendance number could reach 90,000 or more even with sections blocked off.
The previous paid attendance of 84,587 was set on September 12, 1954, when Cleveland Stadium hosted the New York Yankees.
Simply canceling this game wasn’t an option. The Reds are in the chase for a wild-card spot, and this is the last time these teams meet this season. Teams had police escorts to make sure they got back to Bristol on Sunday.
For fans, the commute back to Bristol Motor Speedway, billed as “The Last Great Colosseum” with its history as a half-mile bullring of a racetrack, was easier for some than others.
MLB will be announcing an attendance figure later Sunday. Officials already knew this event would draw a record crowd with 85,000 tickets sold as of Monday.
The big question Sunday was how many people would return for baseball itself after the big party that MLB and Bristol threw for fans Saturday.
Fans had plenty of room to spread out, dance and enjoy the capping event of the MLB Speedway Classic.
Read more:
Reporting by The Associated Press.
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Ribeiro declared FR Americas Race 1 winner at NJMP
Bruno Ribeiro took his third win of the 2025 Formula Regional Americas Championship (FR Americas) season in the opening round of the New Jersey Lottery SpeedTour weekend. In a wild race filled with obstacles and challenges for championship contenders, Ribeiro (No. 01 Alfa Cem / Kiwi Motorsport Ligier JS F3) rose to the top to […]
Bruno Ribeiro took his third win of the 2025 Formula Regional Americas Championship (FR Americas) season in the opening round of the New Jersey Lottery SpeedTour weekend. In a wild race filled with obstacles and challenges for championship contenders, Ribeiro (No. 01 Alfa Cem / Kiwi Motorsport Ligier JS F3) rose to the top to increase his lead in the standings.
With Ribeiro in second, Jett Bowling (No. 22 Bullhorn / Kiwi Motorsport Ligier JS F3) led the field down the starting grid at New Jersey Motorsports Park (NJMP). From the instant the lights went out, fourth-place starter Nicolas Ambiado (No. 55 Velox USA / Kiwi Motorsport Ligier JS F3) looked to make forward progress. Reaching the rear wing of Ribeiro’s machine as they raced through Turn 5, the two made contact, which sent Ribeiro off track and allowed Ambiado to sneak by. From there, Ambiado turned his focus to Bowling, making the pass to take the lead with just over 18 minutes left on the clock.
After that, it turned into a race of attrition, as Bowling came down pit road mid-race due to a mechanical issue, losing two laps the field. Then, a late-race caution gave the field another chance at a restart, but with Titus Sherlock (No. 31 Rayne Nutrition / Ronald McDonald House Charities / Crosslink Motorsports Ligier JS F3) suffering a gearbox issue on the start, competitors were sent scrambling down the front straight. As they took the checkered flag, Ambiado led the way, with Ribeiro in second and Jake Pollack (No. 5 The NRP Group / Foreview Ventures / Crosslink Motorsports Ligier JS F3) in third.
Following the event, the stewards issued Ambiado a penalty for causing a collision. The drive-thru penalty was converted to a 30-second time penalty, which dropped him to fifth in the final results. Ribeiro inherited the race win, while Pollack was scored second and Sherlock was promoted to the third and final podium position.
Shipman goes three in a row with Race 1 win at NJMP in F4 U.S.
Irazu wins Ligier JFC Race 1 at NJMP
Notes of Interest:
Bruno Ribeiro claimed his third win of the 2025 season to extend his championship points lead.
Jake Pollack earned his first-career podium with a runner-up finish in Race 1 on Saturday afternoon.
With a third-place finish, Titus Sherlock earned his sixth podium of the season.
Finishing fourth, James Lawley tied his career-best finish in FR Americas competition. He also finished fourth at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park last season.
Anthony Autiello recorded a career-best finish with his eighth-place result in Round 12.
FR Americas Race 2 is set for 9:10am ET and will stream live on SpeedTour.TV,
SEE MORE:Race 1 Official Results
> WATCH THE STREAM:Stream Round 12 from NJMP
FR Americas is back on track tomorrow at 9:10 ET for Race 2. The event will stream live on SpeedTour.TV,
NASCAR practice stopped after Kyle Busch has huge wreck at Iowa – Motorsport – Sports
Saturday’s NASCAR Cup Series practice came to an abrupt halt after Kyle Busch suffered a terrifying wreck at Iowa Speedway. While mired in a 79-race winless streak, Busch has not shied away from discussing Richard Childress Racing’s misfortunes during the 2025 campaign. Last week, he was handed yet another tough break upon getting caught up […]
Saturday’s NASCAR Cup Series practice came to an abrupt halt after Kyle Busch suffered a terrifying wreck at Iowa Speedway.
While mired in a 79-race winless streak, Busch has not shied away from discussing Richard Childress Racing’s misfortunes during the 2025 campaign. Last week, he was handed yet another tough break upon getting caught up in a stackup during the Brickyard 400.
In the latest stroke of bad luck, Busch was running second-fastest in Group A when his right-rear tire stepped out on corner entry at Turn 1. When he attempted to correct the issue, his No. 8 Chevrolet overcorrected and went barreling into the outside wall at an alarming speed.
Flames and a plume of smoke quickly began bellowing out of the front of Busch’s car, which suffered severe damage from the hard collision, leading to the session being red flagged. Fortunately for the 40-year-old, he was able to exit the vehicle under his own power and head to the infield care center before being released with no serious injuries.
Assessing what went wrong, Busch told reporters: “[We were] just continuing to make changes to make improvements to the rear grip and getting the rear of the car more secure everywhere around the corner. Literally, anywhere that I would push a little bit harder [and] I would feel rear chatter. I felt really good about the changes that we made.
“Came out of Turn 4 really hot and heavy, and on it, and went off into Turn 1 with too much trust. Chattered the right rear, and then overcorrected and smacked the fence. Not really sure how to find more trust, or when you feel something good in one corner, it’s not there in the next.”
When asked if the track felt especially slick, Busch replied: “Each time I got out there and I got some laps under me, I felt stickier and stickier, and better and better. So I just tried to feel like the right rear was there off of 4 and trust it getting into 1, and it wasn’t there. So I don’t know, it’s a little bit treacherous but not as bad as when we were here testing.”
Heading into the Iowa Corn 350 Powered by Ethanol, Busch had finished P11 or better in three of his last four races. Yet following Saturday’s crash, he will now have to pilot a backup car from the back of the pack.
DON’T MISS:
“It’s tough for the guys,” Busch said. “Hate it for the guys. Everybody at RCR — especially the No. 8 crew here. I’m sure we’ll rely on some of the No. 3 guys [teammate Austin Dillon] to get the backup car prepared overnight.
“Obviously, we had decent speed. Just trying to work on up to it and consistently just get better and better with laps. That’ll be about the same thing we got to do tomorrow. I was probably built up to about 75%, 80% trust, and now I’m back to zero.”
“He’s Been Slowly Getting Better”: Kyle Larson Drops Verdict on Upcoming Hendrick Ace Corey Day’s Progress
In May 2024, Corey Day drew high praise from Kyle Larson for his impressive performances in the High Limit Racing Series and Late Model Stock Car Racing, with Larson noting, “I feel like he’s kind of a lot like me.” Soon after, the young driver found himself under the microscope in ARCA for his aggressive […]
In May 2024, Corey Day drew high praise from Kyle Larson for his impressive performances in the High Limit Racing Series and Late Model Stock Car Racing, with Larson noting, “I feel like he’s kind of a lot like me.”
Soon after, the young driver found himself under the microscope in ARCA for his aggressive style, yet his name has remained a steady topic in NASCAR circles as he juggles in the Truck, Xfinity, and ARCA Menards Series this season. Larson recently reaffirmed his confidence in Day after a string of promising runs.
Driving for Hendrick Motorsports in the Xfinity Series, Day has made five starts this year so far, finishing inside the top-20 twice, at Texas and Nashville. However, his results in the Truck Series have been more eye-catching. Behind the wheel of Spire Motorsports’ No. 7 Chevrolet Silverado RST, he has logged seven starts so far in 2025, earning two top-five and two additional top-15 finishes.
In his last two Truck outings at Nashville and Indianapolis Raceway Park, Day finished fifth and second, respectively. Reflecting on that progression ahead of the Iowa race, Larson said, “It was good to see him have a strong run there. It was a track that I thought may, you know, suit his style, being able to move around and search for grip and things.”
“He was probably one of the first, if not the first, running below the apron that night and found some speed that way. So, it just lends itself to a dirt guy’s background, probably. But yeah, he’s been slowly getting better here lately in the stock car stuff, and I’m sure gaining confidence. So yeah, I’m hopeful and excited to see how he keeps going in the #17 car,” he added.
Larson emphasized that the Hendrick Motorsports team is fully behind Day, but also acknowledged the vertical learning curve for young drivers like him in today’s NASCAR environment, where limited practice and a lack of real-world testing leave them heavily reliant on simulators. The No. 5 HMS driver said he’s encouraged to see Day starting to figure it out.
Coming from a dirt and High Limit Racing background, Day faces the natural adjustment of learning NASCAR tracks, adapting to heavier cars, and enduring longer race distances. His run at Indianapolis highlighted that learning curve and his ability to rise to the occasion.
At Indy last week, with qualifying washed out by lightning delays, Day started 16th based on NASCAR’s grid metrics. He finished the 200-lap race in second, 1.864 seconds behind Layne Riggs.
Day was the biggest mover of the race, gaining 14 positions from start to finish. He advanced to eighth by the end of Stage 1, slipped to 13th at the close of Stage 2, and then stormed through the final 80-lap green-flag run to claim the runner-up spot, showing the adaptability that has quickly made him a name to watch.
squad!
(via @arenasporttv/TT)
