Just days after showing signs of a resurgence at the NHRA New England Nationals in Epping, six-time Pro Stock world champion Erica Enders finds herself at the center of a brewing controversy in Bristol.

On Tuesday, NHRA officials announced a 100-point deduction and a $5,000 fine for Enders and her Elite Motorsports team following a disqualified qualifying run during the fourth session at the Super Grip NHRA Thunder Valley Nationals. The penalty stems from the use of rear wheels that allegedly did not meet NHRA’s approved specifications for Pro Stock competition.

Team owner Richard Freeman didn’t hold back in his response to the sanctioning body.

“It’s absolutely ridiculous,” Freeman told Drag Illustrated. “We spoke with Rick [Dodge, NHRA tech official] the week prior in Epping and asked him about that wheel and his opinion. He checked the rule book—as he did Saturday in Bristol. The wheel is a beadlock, the proper width, and exceeds the SFI specification. We would love an explanation how that warrants a 100-point deduction and $5,000 fine. Whomever made that decision is clearly delusional.”

Freeman also raised concerns over consistency and transparency in the rule enforcement process.

“The rule book does not say a liner is illegal. It is legal in Pro Mod, legal in Alcohol. And it is not a performance advantage—it’s a disadvantage due to the weight.”

The penalty announcement comes as a gut punch for Enders, who was hoping to build on the momentum of a runner-up finish to rival Greg Anderson in Epping just a week ago. Enders, who has 49 national event wins and is the winningest female driver in motorsports history, had expressed confidence that her Johnson’s Horsepowered Garage / Melling Performance / Scag Power Equipment Camaro was finally trending in the right direction.

“We made some substantial changes and spent a lot of time on the dyno,” Enders said in a pre-race statement. “Pro Stock is not for the weak. It’s competitive problem-solving and we take a lot of pride in how well we work together. We may be down now, but they will not keep us down forever.”

Enders currently sits ninth in points and had entered the Bristol weekend optimistic about gaining ground in both qualifying and the Mission #2Fast2Tasty Challenge, where she was slated to face teammate Aaron Stanfield in a highly anticipated rematch.

Instead, the focus now shifts to whether Elite Motorsports will appeal the penalty—a right they retain per NHRA’s official statement. NHRA also confirmed that proceeds from the fine will be used to enhance the Safety Safari’s operational capabilities.

As the season nears its midpoint, the incident adds more tension to what has already been a turbulent year for one of drag racing’s most dominant dynasties.

This story was originally published on June 10, 2025.

A new Madring street circuit in Madrid will debut on the Formula 1 schedule in September 2026, replacing the Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix at Imola in Italy.

Spain gets two races in 2026 as Barcelona stays on the calendar for the final year of its contract before Madrid’s race on September 13. F1 has said Madrid’s race will be known as the Spanish Grand Prix; the schedule doesn’t specify a new name for Barcelona’s race, which has been known as the Spanish Grand Prix since 1991.

Spain’s second race means Italy drops back to having one grand prix as Imola leaves the schedule. The historic track returned to the schedule in 2020 as a late addition amid the pandemic and has hosted five races since.

“It promises to be an unforgettable season, where once again we will come together at 24 amazing global venues to watch the best drivers in the world push themselves to the limit and produce incredible wheel to wheel racing for our millions of fans watching around the globe,” said Stefano Domenicali, Formula 1’s president and chief executive officer.

The Australian Grand Prix on March 8 starts the season for the second year running because the races in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia again move to April to avoid clashing with the Muslim holy month of Ramadan. The season stays at 24 races and concludes with the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix from Dec. 4-6.

As part of a push to limit intercontinental travel, the Canadian Grand Prix moves forward from June to May 24 so that it follows the Miami Grand Prix, a potential clash with the Indianapolis 500.

Moving Canada in 2026 creates a consolidated European leg of the season across the summer months, beginning in Monaco from June 5-7 and finishing in Madrid. The championship then returns to Asia with the Azerbaijan and Singapore Grands Prix, ahead of a triple header in the Americas highlighted by Austin on October 25, before Las Vegas on November 21, Qatar and Abu Dhabi close out the season.

THERE has been new information regarding the death of motorsports icon Scott Bloomquist.

The Nascar dirt track racing legend died at the age of 60 while flying his vintage plane near his house last August.

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On August 16, 2024, authorities announced that Bloomquist died in a plane crash in Tennessee.

The 44-year racing car veteran was the only person on the plane.

Bloomquist flew his 1938 vintage plane from a private airstrip near his Tennessee home.

But on Tuesday, a little less than 10 months later, the plane crash that tragically took the life of Bloomquist has been ruled a suicide.

TMZ Sports revealed that the outlet received a final report from the National Transportation Safety Board that shared Bloomquist appeared to intentionally fly his plane into a barn on his family property in Moorseburg, Tennessee “as an act of suicide.”

The police report revealed that the cause of death was blunt force injuries.

Bloomquist’s representative told TMZ that his family “is not making any public statements regarding the plane crash or the recent NTSB findings.”

The rep added, “They are focused on supporting one another and respectfully request privacy as they navigate this difficult period.”

Bloomquist was the only person on board his vintage single-engine Piper J3 aircraft as he crashed into his family’s barn.

He is survived by his parents, sister, and daughter, Ariel.

Bloomquist won more than 600 races during his over four-decade career.

He was known for his famous No. 0 late models.

Bloomquist won nine national championships, including the 2004 World of Outlaws Late Model series title.

The Late Model race car is a full-bodied vehicle that usually runs on dirt tracks.

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He most recently won the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series.

Bloomquist also competed in the Nascar Craftsman Truck Series and the ARCA Menards Series.

He became a member of the National Dirt Late Model Hall of Fame in 2002.

Bloomquist will go down as one of the sport’s prolific greats.

If you or someone you know is affected by any of the issues raised in this story, call or text the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline at 988, chat on 988lifeline.org, or text Crisis Text Line at 741741.

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Photo Credit: Richard Prince for Corvette Racing

Corvette Z06 GT3.R program hopes to extend global success at Le Mans

LE MANS, France (June 10, 2025) – With the racing world’s attention this week turning to the 24 Hours of Le Mans, the Chevrolet Corvette Z06 GT3.R program has another opportunity to add to its list of successes in global motorsport.

In its second year of competition, the Corvette Z06 GT3.R already has raced to victory six times and recorded at least one podium finish in each of the six different championships in which customer teams are competing.

“Our program goal in 2025 was to continue the development and fine-tuning of the Corvette in order to provide our teams with a fast and reliable car that would enable them to compete for race wins and championships,” said Mark Stielow, Director, GM Motorsports Competition Programs. “It’s gratifying for us all to see so far that we are hitting that metric across all our full-time series on different continents.”

There currently are 17 Corvette Z06 GT3.Rs that have been sold since the program’s launch, and 13 of them are running full-time around the world. The state of play from Corvette entering Le Mans reveals:

• Race wins in the IMSA WeatherTech Championship, FIA World Endurance Championship, GT World Challenge America and GT World Challenge Asia
• Victories at key events such as the Rolex 24 At Daytona (AWA) and 1812KM of Qatar (TF Sport)
• Leading in multiple championships including TF Sport (FIA WEC in LMGT3) and Johor Motorsports Racing (GT World Challenge Asia overall GT3 Drivers Championship and in Pro-Am), as well as Corvette Racing by Pratt Miller Motorsports currently second in IMSA’s GTD PRO class
• Multiple wins for DXDT Racing in GT World Challenge America and JMR in GT World Challenge Asia
• A successful debut for Steller Motorsport in GT World Challenge Europe with a runner-up class finish to open the season at Paul Ricard – the first race there for the Corvette Z06 GT3.R
• The first career GT3-level podium finish for Chouest Povoledo Racing’s Ross Chouest in his third event with the Corvette in GT America

“It’s exciting for all of us at Corvette Racing – Chevrolet, Pratt Miller, GM Motorsports – to see the amount of success from our teams so far this season,” said Jessica Dane, Corvette Racing Program Manager. “We are in constant communication with our customers to see what we can provide and do to make their experience with their Corvette better and more successful. That constant, two-way dialogue is something that is personal and intentional, and we believe it is what sets apart from our other competitors. Our teams aren’t just customers. We continually strive to do things that make them feel like part of the Corvette Racing family.”

The 24 Hours of Le Mans is scheduled for 10 a.m. ET / 4 p.m. CET on Saturday, June 14. MotorTrend will air the full race live in the U.S., with full live streaming coverage of all on-track sessions – including qualifying and Hyperpole – will be available through the MAX app in the U.S., and the FIA WEC app internationally. Radio Le Mans also will provide live streaming audio coverage of all sessions as well.

Source:

CorvetteRacing.com

Related:

Corvette Racing at Le Mans: The First Steps

Corvette Z06 GT3R Makes Gains in New BoP for the 24 Hours of Le Mans

Corvette Racing at Le Mans: Is it TF Sport’s Time?

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What’s Happening?

Ram’s Return to NASCAR has filled both fans and industry members with excitement. With just seven months until the green flag flies at Daytona, one major question remains: what teams will field Rams in 2026?

• In the Craftsman Truck Series, switching OEMs doesn’t change much under the hood, as the series utilizes a spec Ilmor Engine. Regardless, a change leaves room for teams to stand out amongst the three already crowded OEMs in the series.
• Currently, no teams have confirmed that they are making the switch to Ram. But that doesn’t mean there aren’t rumors about who could make the jump in the next few months.

ThorSport Racing

When Catchfence.com first reported Ram was returning to the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series in February, the first team most fans pointed to to make the switch was ThorSport Racing. The team is one of the most storied and longest-running non-Cup Series-affiliated teams in the series and has quite a history of switching OEMs.

• Chevrolet: 1996 to 2011
• Toyota: 2012 to 2018
• Ford: 2019 to 2020
• Toyota (2): 2021 to 2022
• Ford (2): 2023 to present

This is perhaps due to their autonomy from affiliation, as they rarely field OEM-affiliated prospects in the series. There are currently no rumors that they could make the swap, as the team is currently Ford’s flagship organization in the series.

McAnally-Hilgemann Racing

When looking at the current crop of full-time Craftsman Truck Series entries, there are currently seven full-time Chevrolet teams in the Craftsman Truck Series. Often overlooked in this crowded space, McAnally-Hilgemann Racing. The team currently fields four full-time entries in the series and was one of the best-performing Chevrolet outfits in 2024.

That being said, with heavy hitters like Spire Motorsports also fielding four full-time entries, including a flurry of top Chevrolet drivers and prospects, Ram adding MHR to their lineup could be the steal of the offseason. MHR, much like ThorSport, has not popped up in rumor talks. However, their success in the crowded Chevrolet camp presents real potential for Ram.

GMS Racing

The first team to ever have their name tied to Ram this Silly Season is a team that has not fielded a truck since 2023. GMS Racing was once the class of the Chevrolet bunch in the Truck Series. Through eight seasons in the truck series, the team won 45 races and two Championships, fielding drivers like Sheldon Creed, Rajah Caruth, and Zane Smith.

After their time in the spotlight, they closed their operation after the 2023 season, with their drivers dispersing across the series in 2024. Yet, a shocking rumor spread earlier this season that the team could return to fielding the Rams in 2026 with Spencer Gallagher, a former driver and son of owner Maury Gallagher, behind the wheel.

Rette Jones Racing

In a June 6 report, Adam Stern of Sports Business Journal claimed that GMS was one of three recognizable teams that Ram was “considering deals with.” Another one of these names was Rette Jones Racing.

While the team has a handful of Truck Series starts to its credit, it is most well-known for fielding the No. 30 Ford Mustang in the ARCA Menards Series. This No. 30 has seen the likes of actor Frankie Muniz and YouTuber Garrett Mitchell, better known as Cleetus McFarland, behind the wheel.

If the team wanted to make the jump to full-time Truck Series competition in 2026, with rumors suggesting that Mitchell could do so as well, Ram, as an upstart OEM, could be a perfect fit. 

Niece Motorsports