Two NASCAR insiders shared their thoughts on fans who dislike the racing at the Brickyard 400 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. On The Teardown podcast, Jeff Gluck and Jordan Bianchi of The Athletic took on fans who said NASCAR drivers do not need to compete at Indy.

“I was just gobsmacked by some of the people on X just going, ‘Oh my gosh, they shouldn’t race here. Oh, take this somewhere else.’ I’m like how new of fans are you that you don’t know this is what the Brickyard is?” Gluck asked. “That’s crazy. The trade-off of racing here has always been this. This is the most prestigious oval on the planet. Period. This place is magical. This place is dripping with legacy and lore and just all the history. So that’s why you come here.”

Gluck also talked about fans complaining about the attendance at the Brickyard 400. “Was the attendance 250,000? No,” Gluck stated. “You know where you’re getting 250,000 for a NASCAR race these days? Nowhere. You could put 250,000 seats at Daytona for the 500, and you’re not getting it.”

The Brickyard 400 provides an ‘interesting storyline’ each year

Bianchi then weighed in on the attendance at the Brickyard 400. “This place is ginormous,” he said. “You could put 100,000 people here. You spread everybody out, it’s going to be like, ‘Oh man, why is there empty sections?’ It’s just the way it is.”

When it comes to the racing at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, Bianchi said, “The Brickyard was never great racing. It’s never been that way. It’s always been a track position-heavy race. There have been moments, of course.” Bianchi later added that the Brickyard 400 is a “strategy-heavy race” and “you really see different things play out.” He also said, “What we do have in this race, on a yearly basis, is an interesting storyline emerge with the race itself or the winner.”

The storyline for the 2025 Brickyard 400 was Bubba Wallace winning the race. Wallace snapped a 100-race winless streak and became the first Black driver to win a race at Indianapolis Motor Speedway’s 2.5-mile oval.

Watch the video of the dirt modified crash at Autodrome Drummond

On Monday night, Autodrome Drummond hosted the Super DIRTcar Series. The track is a 3/8-mile in Canada.

NASCAR Truck Series driver Stewart Friesen entered the event. He then proceeded to set quick time in qualifying.

However, moments ago, he was involved in a horrible crash.

Friesen ran wide at corner entry. He then struck the butt end of a wall head on. The car was thrown into the air.

While flipping, he came back to Earth in the center of the track. His modified was then struck by another competitor as the car was also on fire.

Officials were on the scene within seconds. The fire was extinguished.

Friesen has since been transported.

This is the latest in a string of dirt track racing incidents that have led to drivers being transported to the hospital. Tyler Courtney went into surgery after a crash last weekend at Eldora Speedway. Brad Sweet was also injured and forced to miss races with High Limit Racing as a result of the injuries.

Tyler Courtney transported after crash at Eldora Speedway (Video)

Brad Sweet placed on a stretcher after Eldora crash (Video)

See the Stewart Friesen crash video below.

Super DIRTcar Series comments

The Super DIRTcar Series posted, “We are still under red flag for a crash involving multiple cars.”

“Stewart Friesen is alert and communicating with officials and EMT. All other drivers are okay.”

They later added, “Safety officials have helped Stewart Friesen out of his car. He is being transported for further evaluation.”

The next race for the NASCAR Truck Series is scheduled for August 8th on the road course at Watkins Glen International. With a win in 2025, Friesen is locked into the 2025 NASCAR Playoffs.

Stewart Friesen Racing updates

“Stewart is alert and talking, and he has been transported to a local hospital following an incident during the Super DIRTcar King of the North race at Autodrome.”

The team added, “Thank you for all the comments and messages of concern and compassion.”

This post will be updated as more information becomes available.

Stewart Friesen disqualified by NASCAR after Indianapolis

Stewart Friesen
Crash Video

Formula 1 may have a hit Netflix series and a movie that debuted this June, but it is nowhere close to Nascar in terms of popularity in America.

With a trio of American events, Formula 1’s potential is limited (no other country hosts multiple F1 events), while Nascar is using the newfound interest in racing to grow its own brand. Stock car racing – after a decade-long decline in ratings, attendance and sponsorship – is back with a vengeance since the debut of the Next Gen car.

“Nascar is authentic and quintessential Americana,” Nascar’s SVP and Chief Commercial Officer Craig Stimmel, said. “While fandom of our sport continues to grow and expand beyond our borders, we continue to have the most passionate fanbase in the United States in terms of brand loyalty, and that’s where our focus is. As Steve Phelps mentioned recently, F1 and Nascar are different products with very different fan bases. As the popularity of motorsports continues to rise, it’s a good thing for us – especially being by far the number one motorsport in the United States.

A new racecar beginning in 2022 – the Next Gen – reenergized fans and partners alike. Along with the new look, Nascar’s leadership has also evolved to modernize the sport in fresh ways, with Commissioner Steve Phelps, President Steve O’Donnell, and Senior Vice President of Racing Development and Strategy Ben Kennedy leading the charge.

Nascar is walking the tight rope throughout the reemergence as not only the leading American motor sport, but also as the landing place for brands searching for growth.

“More than anything, I think you’re seeing these brands realize the momentum Nascar is carrying and the exposure to a massive fanbase that our sport offers,” Stimmel said. “Look no further than the consistent audience we’ve seen across our broadcast partners FOX, Prime Video and TNT this season alone, around 3 million average viewers for every Nascar Cup Series race so far this season, with the NBC season upcoming. Then, you have another million or so on average on The CW for the Xfinity Series. And that’s just on TV, and that’s a number we deliver for 10 months out of the year!”

Through the Amazon Prime portion of the schedule, the Cup Series averaged 2.16 million viewers per race, with the Xfinity Series on The CW averaging 1.1 million viewers, a 19% increase from 2024.

On the digital side, Nascar said its digital platforms have increased by 7% over 2024. Additionally, Nascar’s cross-platform follower count (FB, IG, X, TikTok, YouTube) is at 17.5 million followers, up by 1.3 million since the start of 2025.

With these increases, Nascar has inked 15 new official partnerships between major companies and the sanctioning body, with firms like National Debt Relief, Dave & Buster’s, Jack Link’s, Ticketmaster, Arby’s, Liquid Death, amongst others.

“We’re super bullish of the extraordinary brand value, exposure, and opportunities we’ve been able to create at all levels of the sport,” Stimmel said. “The Nascar industry is one of the most uniquely sponsor-friendly sports in the world and we are confident in our proven ability to deliver exceptional value to brands of all sizes and on a variety of terms. With owning 14 tracks and working with our other track partners, as well, we are in a unique position as a league to work with our teams to deliver a message that moves product for brands.

“It’s no secret that sponsorship strategies are always evolving and partnerships will inevitably change because of that – especially now with so many ways for brands – both on the legacy side and challenger brands: to promote and activate, whether it be through on-site activation, IP adjacency or social and digital promotion. With that said, we are focused on delivering bespoke solutions based on brand briefs versus just a standard league sponsorship model. With these expanding and quickly evolving options inherently comes a wide variation in how long brands choose to partner. It’s truly on a case-by-case basis depending on what a brand’s goals are.”

Not only has Nascar benefitted from its own return to American glory, but so have teams. Dollar Tree just inked a major multiyear extension with Jimmie Johnson’s Legacy Motor Club. National Debt Relief joined Denny Hamlin’s Joe Gibbs Racing No. 11 team ahead of the 2025 season, as did King’s Hawaiian (moved from RFK Racing), Progressive Insurance and Bob’s Discount Furniture.

New partnerships are not the only ones that Nascar is thrilled about. Red Bull, for example, returned to Nascar after a 14-year hiatus, partnering with Trackhouse Racing, as did Wendy’s. Carvana continues to sponsor Johnson, and others like Chipotle are backing drivers (Ryan Blaney in this case through a public endorsement) with partnerships and activations. Aaron’s, a longtime Michael Waltrip Racing partner, returned to the Cup Series with Front Row Motorsports this year.

Stimmel concluded: “The success we’ve been able to experience across all our media partners at this juncture in the season has had a very positive impact on the interest we’re seeing in our sport. This is a new Nascar, and the proof is there in the metrics we continue to experience on a weekly basis.”

Last Updated on July 28, 2025 by WWTR

MADISON, Ill. (July 28, 2025) – World Wide Technology Raceway is teaming up with the Humane Society of Missouri and Helping Strays of Monroe County this August to help adoptable dogs find their forever homes.

Throughout the month of August, the first 200 dog adopters at each shelter will receive a complimentary WWT Raceway dog collar and four tickets to the NASCAR Xfinity Series race on Friday, Sept. 6, part of the Enjoy Illinois 300 NASCAR Cup Series Playoff weekend.

“We are so excited to once again have WWT Raceway partnering with us to help our shelter dogs get the second chance they deserve,” said Humane Society of Missouri President Kathy Warnick. “What a great combination – the thrill of finding your new best friend at HSMO and the thrill of seeing a NASCAR Xfinity Series race! We are deeply grateful for their ongoing support.”

In a joint effort in May 2024, the Humane Society of Missouri and Helping Strays of Monroe County helped more than 400 dogs find loving homes. This promotion played a key role in driving adoptions and giving hundreds of pets a well-deserved second chance.

“Helping Strays is proud to once again partner with World Wide Technology Raceway in the lead-up to the NASCAR Enjoy Illinois 300,” said Helping Strays of Monroe County Executive Director Scott Spinner. “We’re grateful for their continued commitment to making a charitable impact across the region and for their dedication to helping homeless pets find the loving homes they deserve.”

The promotion runs from Aug. 1 through Aug. 31, or until all 400 giveaways are claimed. Participating locations include:

• Humane Society of Missouri – 1201 Macklind Ave., St. Louis, MO 63110
• Helping Strays of Monroe County – 4221 Hanover Rd., Columbia, IL 62236

This marks the first time since 2010 that the NASCAR Xfinity Series will return to the 1.25-mile oval for a Saturday night race under the lights. Alongside high-speed racing during the Enjoy Illinois 300 NASCAR Cup Series Playoff weekend, fans can also enjoy the Confluence Music Festival.

For more information on how to adopt, please visit hsmo.org or helpingstrays.org. To purchase tickets for the Enjoy Illinois 300 NASCAR Cup Series Playoff weekend, visit wwtraceway.com or call the ticket office at (618) 215-8888 ext. 1.

MEDIA CONTACT: Payton Buschhorn | Public Relations & Media Manager | 314.517.5125 | pbuschhorn@wwtraceway.com

SPEEDWAY, Ind. — Team Penske left Indianapolis Motor Speedway deflated again as tire issues stood between them and kissing the bricks after Sunday’s Brickyard 400.

The last time Roger Penske’s race team took on the track he owns, they had to fend off allegations of cheating ahead of the Indianapolis 500 in May.

Two months later, Penske’s three NASCAR Cup Series drivers put themselves in position to win Sunday’s Brickyard 400 – but could only get a seventh-place finish at best when the checkered flag flew.

Austin Cindric looked to change his family’s fortunes at Indy after the Indianapolis 500 scandal cost his father the job of being president of Team Penske. As the second stage unfolded on lap 83, Cindric had led (what became a race-high) 40 laps and looked to have race winning speed.

Unfortunately for Cindric, his tire also decided to unfold.

On lap 84, he limped around the track after blowing a tire on the frontstretch. While he came back to finish on the lead lap, he only had a 15th-place finish to show for it – and no stage points.

The next driver who appeared to be in the driver seat to win was Joey Logano.

Logano’s No. 22 car didn’t appear to be a contender for most of the race, but did manage to finish eighth in stage two.

After the green-flag pit cycle in the final stage, crew chief Paul Wolfe’s calculations showed themselves flawlessly – as Logano cycled to the prospective lead ahead of Bubba Wallace. 

The excitement of potentially stealing a crown jewel victory was short-lived, however. Logano blew a tire, taking him out of contention – in 32nd.

It’s fitting that on a cloudy day in Indy, Ryan Blaney’s highlighter yellow Menards car was the brightest part of Penske’s day.

Blaney started 24th but built toward having a top-10 car. On an alternate strategy, he snagged a valuable playoff point for winning stage two.

Toward the end, he stayed out longer than almost anyone else, hoping for a caution to get him in prime contention to win.

However, when it became evident the win was no longer feasible, Blaney pitted. Thankfully for him, that put him in the perfect place to not have to pit again when the race went into double overtime.

Ultimately, Blaney climbed back inside the top-10 to finish seventh. 

“Yeah, we pieced together a good day,” Blaney said. “Starting towards the back, it’s just hard to make up ground and pass, so we were trying to do the best job of strategy that we could. We made good moves to win the stage. I knew we were going to pay the price for it, but it was hard to give it up and nice when you’re able to hang on like that. We just scratched and clawed.

“It was a day where we weren’t the best but we made something happen and those are the days that we should be proud of.”

Penske’s 2018 triumph with Brad Keselowski will still stand as their only Brickyard 400 win, at least until 2026.

In the meantime, Blaney, Logano, Keselowski, Cindric and the entire NASCAR Cup Series field will now head to Iowa Speedway where Blaney won last year. The Iowa Corn 350 is scheduled to go green Aug. 3, at 3:30 p.m. ET.

Kris Wright is already back in the ARCA Menards Series after signing a deal with Venturini Motorsports for three starts, marking a key reset after his NASCAR Xfinity Series stint came to a sudden end.

Venturini announced on July 28 that Wright would return to the team for races at Iowa Speedway, Watkins Glen International and Kansas Speedway, providing a mix of short track, road course, and intermediate oval competition. The announcement came less than two weeks after Wright’s former team, Our Motorsports, officially shut down its Xfinity Series operation.

“Venturini Motorsports runs a top-notch program, and I’m excited to be back with them this season,” Wright said. “The combination of Iowa, Watkins Glen, and Kansas gives me a great variety of tracks, and I’m confident we can go out and compete for wins.”

Wright previously ran full-time with Venturini in 2024, logging eight top fives and 12 top tens across 20 ARCA starts. He finished third behind champion Andres Perez de Lara and rookie Lavar Scott in ARCA’s national driver championship point standings.

He’ll now look to recapture that form after a challenging Xfinity season that produced just one top 10 in 18 races when he finished 9th at Martinsville Speedway after starting the race from grid position 30. Wright was 30th in the Xfinity Series standings before Our Motorsports decided to close down.

The team’s official statement confirmed it would “cease operations in NASCAR racing moving forward,” after six years. They revealed that Wright was released after Sonoma on July 15, and Kaz Grala was named his replacement.

“Our Motorsports will cease operations in NASCAR racing moving forward. Thank you to NASCAR, Chevrolet, the fans, employees, and drivers, for a good ride over the last 6 years,” read the release. 

The move shocked racing fans, especially after Wright was named the full-time driver of Our Motorsports’ No. 5 Chevrolet in November 2024, taking over from Anthony Alfredo. Wright’s Xfinity results outside of Martinsville were steady in the 20s and 30s, including a 29th-place finish at Sonoma in what turned out to be his final race for the team.

DON’T MISS

Wright began his Xfinity run on the wrong foot during the United Rentals 300 after a crash at Daytona International Speedway caused a last-place finish on opening day. The driver missed a braking cue that caused him to plow into the traffic in front of him, later saying he lost control of his brakes during the incident. 

“We had a breaking issue on pit row the stop before, and we were planning on getting the brakes a little bit sooner, getting out of turn four, coming to turn four,” Wright explained. “It was unfortunate the way it happened.”

The Venturini reunion offers a fresh start with a familiar team. His last ARCA appearance came at Toledo, where he finished 3rd before making the full-time leap to Xfinity. With his three scheduled starts, Wright will return to Watkins Glen (where he previously finished 4th), Iowa, and Kansas, which is expected to be his final start of 2025.