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Elliott to celebrate NAPA’s 100th anniversary with gold…

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — Chase Elliott, son of a NASCAR Hall of Famer and the sport’s most popular driver, has 19 career Cup Series wins and championship titles in both the Cup and Xfinity Series. But if not for one critical partnership, the Dawsonville, Ga. driver is convinced he may not have ever made it […]

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CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — Chase Elliott, son of a NASCAR Hall of Famer and the sport’s most popular driver, has 19 career Cup Series wins and championship titles in both the Cup and Xfinity Series.

But if not for one critical partnership, the Dawsonville, Ga. driver is convinced he may not have ever made it as a professional racer.

That pairing is with sponsor NAPA Auto Parts, which this Sunday will celebrate its 100th year as a company with gold cars at Texas Motor Speedway to commemorate its anniversary. NAPA joined Elliott in 2014 when he raced in the Xfinity Series for JR Motorsports and has been his primary sponsor ever since.

NAPA was his primary sponsor in the races where he clinched his Xfinity and Cup championships, and for all but six of his Cup Series wins. If not for the company taking a chance on the then-18-year-old son of Bill Elliott, he’s not sure what path his career might have taken.

“NAPA has defined my entire career, I’ve said it a lot,” Elliott told The Associated Press. “I’ve tried to express my appreciation for them, but if they don’t come on board, I don’t think 2014 happens. You’re essentially looking at the Xfinity championship never happening. We were going to run a handful of races had NAPA not signed on. We were talking about a part-time season and going full-time wasn’t going to be possible without that money, without that deal coming. So, yeah, it was more than a little career defining.”

Although NAPA is a 100-year old company, its involvement in race car sponsorships didn’t begin until 2001 when it joined Dale Earnhardt Inc. with Michael Waltrip. Waltrip won his debut race with the brand — the Daytona 500 in which Earnhardt was killed on the final lap.

NAPA stayed with Waltrip through his time at DEI and then moved with him when he started his own team. The brand then shifted to Michael Waltrip Racing driver Martin Truex Jr., but cut its ties after MWR was involved in a 2013 late-season cheating scandal.

That made the company available for a new NASCAR driver and settled on unproven Elliott, who is from Georgia, where NAPA is headquartered.

Jeff Gordon, now vice chairman at Hendrick Motorsports, wasn’t involved in Rick Hendrick’s courtship of turning NAPA into the largest supplier of Hendrick Automotive and also a NASCAR sponsor. But he was a keynote speaker at NAPA’s convention in Las Vegas a little over a week ago and understands how much the company means to the Hendrick brand and Elliott’s career.

“When Chase says that NAPA defined his career, he means that,” Gordon told the AP. “He doesn’t say anything he doesn’t 100% mean. We all have these moments in our career where things could have gone either way. For me it was DuPont (sponsorship) and for Chase it was NAPA. I can’t even imagine Chase on track without NAPA some part of his car.”

NAPA’s racing portfolio has expanded over the years. NAPA signed on as an associate partner with Ron Capps and Don Schumacher Racing in 2007 and the next year NAPA became Capps’ primary sponsor. NAPA became the official auto parts store of the NHRA this year.

Capps ran the gold commemorative car in last weekend’s NHRA event.

NAPA also partnered with Andretti Autosport in IndyCar in May 2016 with Indianapolis 500 winner Alexander Rossi. That sponsorship has ended. In NASCAR, NAPA initially sponsored Waltrip and then Truex Jr., then moved to be primary sponsor of Elliott the next season.

As part of the centennial celebration this weekend, the gold cars will also be run by Daniel Hemric in the Truck Series and sprint car racer Brad Sweet, who is racing at Texas’ dirt track this weekend. NAPA plans to bring all the gold cars together for a photo opportunity.

Based on his age — Elliott is now 29 — he doesn’t associate the NAPA traditional blue and gold paint scheme with any driver but himself. After all, NAPA has backed his entire NASCAR national series career.

“I’ve spent so much time with them at this point that it feels like home,” Elliott said. “It feels like a true partnership and they definitely feel like part of my family.”

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Frech, Hidalgo, Longhany top Race 2 at South Georgia Motorsports Park

John Frech, Jimmy Hidalgo Jr., and Jeff Longhany led the list of Race 2 winners as the NHRA Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series Southeast Division completed a doubleheader event at South Georgia Motorsports Park. Photos by Rhonda McCole and Kalyn Fox The following are Sunday’s final results from the NHRA Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series, […]

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John Frech, Jimmy Hidalgo Jr., and Jeff Longhany led the list of Race 2 winners as the NHRA Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series Southeast Division completed a doubleheader event at South Georgia Motorsports Park.

Photos by Rhonda McCole and Kalyn Fox

The following are Sunday’s final results from the NHRA Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series, Southeast Division event at South Georgia Motorsports Park:

COMPETITION ELIMINATOR

Comp
John Frech, Cortland, Ohio, ’88 dragster, F/D, 8.006, 164.45  def. Joel Warren, Clinton, N.C., ’08 G5, H/AA, 8.702, 157.50. 

SUPER STOCK

SS
Jimmy Hidalgo Jr., Donaldsonville, La., ’99 Firebird, SS/GA, 16.889, 70.08  def. Monty Bogan, Boiling Springs, S.C., ’92 Camaro, SS/BS, broke. 

STOCK ELIMINATOR

Stock
Jeff Longhany, Wade, N.C., ’00 Corvette, B/SA, 11.248, 92.63  def. Steve Foley, Clinton, N.C., ’23 Copo Camaro, FS/D, broke. 

SUPER COMP

SC
Hayden James, Cartersville, Ga., ’10 Miller, 8.950, 164.27  def. David Harris, York, S.C., ’07 Dragster, 8.926, 167.86. 

SUPER GAS

SG
Sherman Adcock, Cataula, Ga., ’19 Corvette, 9.883, 169.06  def. David Griffith, Winter Garden, Fla., ’67 Camaro, foul. 

SUPER STREET

SST
Dan Schreiber, Lakewood, Colo., ’67 Nova, 10.908, 134.27  def. Jimmy Daniel, Montgomery, Ala., ’63 Tempest, foul. 

TOP SPORTSMAN

TS
Rick McDonough, Southwest Ranches, Fla., ’06 S10, 7.445, 173.27  def. James Hinkle, Danville, Ky., ’05 Grand Am, 7.390, 185.41. 

TOP DRAGSTER

TD
Brooke Foley, Clinton, N.C., ’19 M&M, 7.618, 174.44  def. Kelsea Hinkle, Danville, Ky., ’11 Miller, 6.912, 190.19. 

SATURDAY

The following are Saturday’s final qualifying results from the NHRA Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series, Southeast Division event at South Georgia Motorsports Park:

COMPETITION ELIMINATOR
1) Steve Johnson, Spartanburg, S.C., ’85 Camaro, F/SM, 8.672 seconds, -0.628 (under index)
2) David Eaton, Merritt Island, Fla., ’32 Bantam, A/AA, 6.546, -0.604
3) Jared Kimbrough, Pace, Fla., ’09 Prostart, C/ED, 7.325, -0.585
4) John Frech, Cortland, Ohio, ’88 RED, F/D, 7.999, -0.561
5) Monty Bogan, Boiling Springs, S.C., ’07 G5, E/SMA, 8.421, -0.549
6) Wes Leopold, Bethel Park, Pa., ’05 Stratus, A/SMA, 8.073, -0.397
7) Joel Warren, Clinton, N.C., ’08 G5, H/AA, 8.895, -0.305
8) Keith Roberts, Wilmington, N.C., dragster, F/D, 23.401, 14.811

SUPER STOCK
1) Dennis Steward, Port Orange, Fla., ’90 Daytona, GT/KA, 9.922 seconds, -0.978 (under index)
2) Anthony Bongiovanni, Hopatcong, N.J., ’14 CJ, FSS/C, 8.707, -0.943
3) John Fogle, Norway, S.C., ’05 Cavalier, GT/HA, 9.558, -0.942
4) Ronnie Courtney, Johnston, S.C., ’05 Cavalier, GT/F, 9.181, -0.919
5) Michael Brand, Alpharetta, Ga., ’14 Cobrajet, FSS/C, 8.735, -0.915
6) Stephen Johnson, Gadsden, Ala., ’67 Fairlane, SS/D, 9.310, -0.890
7) Richard Bierie, Acworth, Ga., ’22 Copo, FSS/B, 8.313, -0.887
8) Jeff Adkinson, Damascus, Ga., ’13 Copo Camaro, FSS/F, 9.323, -0.877
9) Don Barber, Hohenwald, Tenn., ’96 Avenger, FGT/E, 9.144, -0.856
10) James Hill, Fayetteville, Ga., ’95 Cobra R, GT/LA, 10.197, -0.853

STOCK ELIMINATOR
1) Jimmy Hidalgo, Donaldsonville, La., ’04 GTO, E/SA, 10.626 seconds, -1.074 (under index)
2) Morgan Taylor, Simpsonville, S.C., ’70 Nova, D/SA, 10.501, -1.049
3) Thomas Mace, Jacksonville, Fla., ’90 Corvette, G/SA, 10.971, -1.029
4) Mike McMahan, Punta Gorda, Fla., ’89 Corvette, G/SA, 10.980, -1.020
5) Marion Stephenson, Williamsport, Ind., ’15 Copo, FS/D, 9.650, -0.950
6) Anthony Bongiovanni, Hopatcong, N.J., ’10 CJ, FS/A, 8.769, -0.931
7) John Duzac, Covington, La., ’70 Camaro, D/S, 10.587, -0.913
8) Victor Cagnazzi, Mooresville, N.C., ’23 Copo, FS/C, 9.419, -0.881
9) CJ McDonald, Carthage, N.C., ’83 Camaro Berline, I/SA, 11.420, -0.880
10) Anthony Hughes, McDonough, Ga., ’66 Nova, K/SA, 11.773, -0.877

TOP SPORTSMAN
1) Douglas Crumlich, Douglasville, Ga., ’63 Corvette, 6.595 seconds, 211.69 mph
2) Paul (jackie) Robison, Greer, S.C., ’66 Nova, 6.705, 206.64
3) Bruce Duncan, Crawfordville, Fla., ’05 Colbart, 6.748, 208.65
4) Thomas Schmidt, Lakeland, Fla., ’10 GXP, 6.984, 200.11
5) John Gifford, Naples, Fla., ’10 Cobalt, 7.207, 195.96
6) James Hinkle, Danville, Ky., ’05 Grand Am, 7.255, 190.19
7) Mark Roberts, Orange Lake, Fla., ’63 Corvette, 7.348, 182.62
8) Jeremy Hancock, Commerce, Ga., ’63 Corvette, 7.352, 185.46
9) Frank Altilio, Longwood, Fla., ’02 S 10, 7.397, 185.08
10) Michael Scott, Lakeland, Fla., dragster, 7.408, 186.18

TOP DRAGSTER
1) Steve Furr, Harrisburg, N.C., ’13 American, 6.125 seconds, 225.45 mph
2) Robert May, Kinsey, Ala., ’24 Nelson Racecra, 6.139, 225.26
3) Jeff Strickland, Red Bay, Ala., ’14 American, 6.141, 225.86
4) Vaughn Cauffield, Lake Placid, Fla., ’19 Maddox, 6.229, 229.12
5) Wayne Brooks, Monroe, Ga., ’19 Worthy, 6.269, 222.66
6) Matthew Buck, Lamtama, Fla., ’25 Miller, 6.274, 215.20
7) Casey Spradlin, Ranburne, Ala., dragster, 6.341, 223.32
8) John Platt, Cocoa, Fla., ’09 Tackash, 6.369, 211.86
9) Vance Houston, Newland, N.C., ’15 Race Tech, 6.459, 211.93
10) Jeremy Hancock, Commerce, Ga., ’19 M&M, 6.512, 205.07

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RACE 1 RESULTS

The following are Friday’s final results from the NHRA Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series, Southeast Division event at South Georgia Motorsports Park:

COMPETITION ELIMINATOR

Comp
David Eaton, Merritt Island, Fla., ’32 Bantam, A/AA, 6.815, 167.22  def. Santo Volpe, Palm Bay, Fla., ’32 Bantam, A/EA, 7.852, 151.65. 

SUPER STOCK

SS
Mike Crutchfield, Montgomery, Ala., ’08 G5, SS/DM, 9.086, 145.78  def. Michael Bryant, New Orleans, La., ’15 Camaro, SS/FA, 9.687, 138.48. 

STOCK ELIMINATOR

Stock
Terry Taylor, Lumberton, N.C., ’72 Corvette, G/SA, 11.350, 100.25  def. Jeff Longhany, Wade, N.C., ’00 Corvette, B/SA, foul. 

SUPER COMP

SC
Chris Childress, Spartanburg, S.C., ’00 Horton, 8.862, 172.89  def. Allan Ackles, Bradenton, Fla., ’08 Mullis, 8.851, 179.68. 

SUPER GAS

SG
Sherman Adcock, Cataula, Ga., ’19 Corvette, 9.843, 169.06  def. David Griffith, Winter Garden, Fla., ’67 Camaro, foul. 

SUPER STREET

SST
Kevin MacNicol, North Port, Fla., ’69 Firebird, 10.873, 132.97  def. Jacob Rutledge, Powder Springs, Ga., ’79 Capri, 10.868, 130.38. 

TOP SPORTSMAN

TS
Bruce Thaxton, Butler, Ga., ’03 Mustang, 7.480, 181.20  def. Jackie Robison, Greer, S.C., ’66 Nova, 6.732, 200.44. 

TOP DRAGSTER

TD
Kelsea Hinkle, Danville, Ky., ’11 Miller, 6.967, 184.67  def. George Ebel, Naples, Fla., ’19 Dragster, 7.228, 182.77. 

The following are Friday’s final qualifying results from the NHRA Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series, Southeast Division event at South Georgia Motorsports Park:

COMPETITION ELIMINATOR
1) Wes Leopold, Bethel Park, Pa., ’05 Stratus, A/SMA, 7.884 seconds, -0.586 (under index)
2) Steve Johnson, Spartanburg, S.C., ’85 Camaro, F/SM, 8.755, -0.545
3) Santo Volpe, Palm Bay, Fla., ’32 Bantam, A/EA, 7.349, -0.521
4) Monty Bogan, Boiling Springs, S.C., ’07 G5, E/SMA, 8.499, -0.471
5) Joel Warren, Clinton, N.C., ’08 G5, H/AA, 8.749, -0.451
6) Jared Kimbrough, Pace, Fla., ’09 Prostart, C/ED, 7.500, -0.410
7) John Frech, Cortland, Ohio, ’88 RED, F/D, 9.239, 0.679
8) David Eaton, Merritt Island, Fla., ’32 Bantam, A/AA, 11.815, 4.665

SUPER STOCK
1) John Fogle, Norway, S.C., ’05 Cavalier, GT/HA, 9.569 seconds, -0.931 (under index)
2) Jeff Adkinson, Damascus, Ga., ’13 Copo Camaro, FSS/F, 9.338, -0.862
3) Don Barber, Hohenwald, Tenn., ’96 Avenger, FGT/E, 9.171, -0.829
4) Stephen Johnson, Gadsden, Ala., ’67 Fairlane, SS/D, 9.383, -0.817
5) Marion Stephenson, Williamsport, Ind., ’06 Cobalt, GT/GA, 9.584, -0.816
6) Dennis Steward, Port Orange, Fla., ’90 Daytona, GT/KA, 10.101, -0.799
7) Richard Bierie, Acworth, Ga., ’22 Copo, FSS/B, 8.408, -0.792
8) Victor Cagnazzi, Mooresville, N.C., ’18 Copo, FSS/F, 9.413, -0.787
9) Ronnie Dutton, Southside, Ala., ’80 Monza, GT/QA, 10.973, -0.777
10) Robert Cameron, Porter, Texas, ’96 Firebird, SS/JA, 10.225, -0.775

STOCK ELIMINATOR
1) Jimmy Hidalgo, Donaldsonville, La., ’04 GTO, F/SA, 10.837 seconds, -1.013 (under index)
2) Mike McMahan, Punta Gorda, Fla., ’89 Corvette, G/SA, 10.997, -1.003
3) Marion Stephenson, Williamsport, Ind., ’15 Copo, FS/D, 9.625, -0.975
4) Kevin Loehle, Brightwaters, N.Y., ’15 Copo, FS/D, 9.635, -0.965
5) Anthony Bongiovanni, Hopatcong, N.J., ’10 CJ, FS/A, 8.757, -0.943
6) John Duzac, Covington, La., ’70 Camaro, D/S, 10.568, -0.932
7) James Schaechter, Cumming, Ga., ’65 Nova, H/S, 11.071, -0.929
8) Anthony Hughes, McDonough, Ga., ’66 Nova, K/SA, 11.769, -0.881
9) Victor Cagnazzi, Mooresville, N.C., ’23 Copo, FS/C, 9.438, -0.862
10) Jeff Strickland, Red Bay, Ala., ’23 Copo, FS/C, 9.473, -0.827

TOP SPORTSMAN
1) Douglas Crumlich, Douglasville, Ga., ’63 Corvette, 6.624 seconds, 210.41 mph
2) Jackie Robison, Greer, S.C., ’66 Nova, 6.718, 205.04
3) Bruce Duncan, Crawfordville, Fla., ’05 Colbart, 6.744, 207.69
4) Thomas Schmidt, Lakeland, Fla., ’10 GXP, 7.075, 197.68
5) John Gifford, Naples, Fla., ’10 Cobalt, 7.373, 184.83
6) Frank Altilio, Longwood, Fla., ’02 S 10, 7.455, 182.28
7) Bruce Thaxton, Butler, Ga., ’03 Mustang, 7.467, 181.59
8) Michael Scott, Lakeland, Fla., dragster, 7.469, 184.70
9) Kendall Barnes, Brunswick, Ga., ’05 Grand Am, 7.493, 183.67
10) Mark Roberts, Orange Lake, Fla., ’63 Corvette, 7.493, 179.71

TOP DRAGSTER
1) Robert May, Kinsey, Ala., ’24 Nelson Racecraft, 6.206 seconds, 224.47 mph
2) Jeff Strickland, Red Bay, Ala., ’14 American, 6.235, 222.84
3) Wayne Brooks, Monroe, Ga., ’19 Worthy, 6.290, 222.77
4) Matthew Buck, Lamtama, Fla., ’25 Miller, 6.325, 210.14
5) Casey Spradlin, Ranburne, Ala., dragster, 6.374, 222.69
6) John Platt, Cocoa, Fla., ’09 Tackash, 6.405, 209.75
7) Vance Houston, Newland, N.C., ’15 Race Tech, 6.542, 209.75
8) Steve Furr, Harrisburg, N.C., ’13 American, 6.597, 219.47
9) Darryl Childress, Spartanburg, S.C., ’25 Maddox, 6.644, 199.32
10) Tisha Wilson, Salisbury, N.C., ’25 Racetech, 6.696, 198.70





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NASCAR playoff standings, Cup points updated after Cracker Barrel 400 at Nashville Superspeedway

The NASCAR standings and Cup points have been updated after the drivers competed in the Cracker Barrel 400 at Nashville Superspeedway. Ryan Blaney won the race that kicked off the month of June. There are now just 12 races remaining in the regular season, which means drivers who are below the playoff cut line need […]

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The NASCAR standings and Cup points have been updated after the drivers competed in the Cracker Barrel 400 at Nashville Superspeedway. Ryan Blaney won the race that kicked off the month of June.

There are now just 12 races remaining in the regular season, which means drivers who are below the playoff cut line need to win soon. Here’s a look at the NASCAR standings and Cup points after the Nashville race.

Updated NASCAR playoff standings after Nashville

Balney becomes the ninth driver to qualify for the playoffs. This means that more than half of the playoff field is set with 12 races remaining in the regular season.

Kyle Larson still leads the playoff field with William Byron right behind him. Chase Elliott remains the top driver that has yet to win a race this year.

Rank Driver Wins Playoff Points
1 Kyle Larson 3 23
2 Christopher Bell 3 16
3 Denny Hamlin 2 13
4 William Byron 1 11
5 Ryan Blaney 1 8
6 Joey Logano 1 7
7 Austin Cindric 1 7
8 Josh Berry 1 6
9 Ross Chastain 1 5
10 Chase Elliott 0 +143
11 Tyler Reddick 0 +130
12 Bubba Wallace 0 +54
13 Chase Briscoe 0 +53
14 Alex Bowman 0 +45
15 Chris Buescher 0 +8
16 Kyle Busch 0 +2
17 Ryan Preece 0 -2
18 Carson Hocevar 0 -4
19 Ricky Stenhouse Jr. 0 -6
20 AJ Allemdinger 0 -7

Updated Cup points after Nashville

Byron remains on top and is the only driver to have over 500 points. Kyle Larson and Christopher Bell are two of three drivers (with Byron being the other) who have at least 450 points.

With Bubba Wallace earning a P6 finish at Nashville, he moves up to 10th place. He’s one point ahead of Chase Briscoe and 34 points behind Chastain.

Rank Driver Points Leader
1 William Byron 547 0
2 Kyle Larson 499 -48
3 Christopher Bell 459 -88
4 Denny Hamlin 443 -104
5 Chase Elliott 442 -105
6 Tyler Reddick 429 -118
7 Ryan Blaney 417 -130
8 Joey Logano 380 -167
9 Ross Chastain 377 -170
10 Bubba Wallace 343 -204
11 Chase Briscoe 342 -205
12 Alex Bowman 334 -213
13 Austin Cindric 303 -244
14 Chris Buescher 297 -250
15 Kyle Busch 291 -256
16 Ryan Preece 289 -258
17 Carson Hocevar 287 -260
18 Ricky Stenhouse Jr. 285 -262
19 AJ Allmendinger 284 -263
20 Josh Berry 278 -269
21 Michael McDowell 278 -269
22 John Hunter Nemechek 267 -280
23 Todd Gilliland 261 -286
24 Erik Jones 259 -288
25 Zane Smith 255 -292
26 Austin Dillon 252 -295
27 Ty Gibbs 236 -311
28 Daniel Suarez 231 -316
29 Justin Haley 218 -329
30 Ty Dillon 217 -330



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MOTORSPORTS: Doubleheader starting today for Super DIRTcar Series | Sports

The Super DIRTcar Series has a double-header planned this week, racing the Anthracite Assault on June 3 at Big Diamond Speedway and then racing the Snyder County Showdown June 4 at Selinsgrove Speedway. Tuesday’s race at Big Diamond will offer $7,500-to-win after 75-laps of work. Wednesday is the SDS series debut at Selinsgrove; the event […]

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The Super DIRTcar Series has a double-header planned this week, racing the Anthracite Assault on June 3 at Big Diamond Speedway and then racing the Snyder County Showdown June 4 at Selinsgrove Speedway.

Tuesday’s race at Big Diamond will offer $7,500-to-win after 75-laps of work.

Wednesday is the SDS series debut at Selinsgrove; the event is a Billy Whittaker Cars 200 qualifier, with the 75-lap feature paying $10,000 to win.

There are some milestones on the table for the two Super DIRTcar Series stars.

Matt Sheppard is one win away from No. 100; he logged win No. 99 in the Natural 77 at Thunder Mountain Speedway last week. He would be the second driver to reach the 100-win plateau. Brett Hearn is the only other driver north of 100 — with 141 wins — having delivered his final SDS win at The Dirt Track at Charlotte in November 2021.

Sheppard is in rare company, having won at both tracks in the past. Sheppard has four Big Diamond wins, taking the Anthracite Assault in 2019 and 2022. He also won at Selinsgrove, taking a Race of Champions Modified Tour victory back in 2010.

Stewart Friesen is chasing SDS career win No. 50. Thus far, Friesen has 49 wins, with his most recent being posted at the Heroes Remembered 100 at Weedsport Speedway during Memorial Day Weekend. He is sixth overall in the career win list, sandwiched between Alan Johnson (57 wins) and Bob McCreadie (39 wins). Only five others have cleared 50 career wins, including Hearn, Sheppard, Danny Johnson (89), Billy Decker (70) and Alan Johnson.

Friesen has won twice at Big Diamond, including the Anthracite Assault last year, passing Anthony Perrego for the win.

Having just recently inked a deal to follow the series full time, points leader Alex Yankowski is no stranger to Big Diamond. Yankowski leads Mat Williamson by 3 markers, having one win this year. Alex Payne rides third, 10 points behind. Yankowski won the Coalcracker and Money in the Mountains races at Big Diamond in 2021, and has Big Diamond victories in 2020, as well.

Payne was banged up in a hard crash at Land of Legends Raceway, in the same area Gil Tegg Jr. crashed a few weeks back. Erick Rudolph is fourth, 24 points behind, and Justin Haers rides fifth, 26-points behind.

Rudolph has a win at Big Diamond, taking a win in 2015 while adding four top fives and seven top 10s. He has also tried his hand at Selinsgrove once, racing to 12th in 2021 during a Short Track Super Series event.

Matt Williamson has never won at either track in his storied career; he ranked fourth at Selinsgrove in 2021 and compiled three top fives — including a fourth in last year’s Anthracite Assault — and four top 10s in five Big Diamond starts.

For a full schedule, visit www.SuperDIRTcarSeries.com.

TOURING SERIES

Nick Sheridan won his first Empire Super Sprints event, winning at Ohsweken Speedway May 30. Sheridan won from the pole, leading Jordan Poirier at the line with Dylan Swiernik, Dylan Westbrook and Darren Dryden filling the top five.

Poirier did one better Saturday at Brighton Speedway, topping Logan Crisafulli and Alex Therrien in the second feature of the weekend.

The series will next race at Freedom Motorsports Park, visiting Delevan, NY on June 7. The feature pays $4,000-to-win. Visit EmpireSuperSprints.com for more.

AREA RESULTS SATURDAY

Matt Sheppard won his 94th career Modified feature at Land of Legends Raceway Saturday night. Sheppard topped Mat Williamson and Dalton Slack for the win; Justin Haers and Erick Rudolph were next.

The win ties Sheppard for third all-time with Steve Paine, who last won at Canandaigua in September 2018. Now, ahead of Sheppard is only Bob McCreadie (99 wins) and all-time win leader Alan Johnson. Johnson has 129 victories at the Ontario County oval; Johnson’s first win was in May 1976 while his last was posted in August 2024.

Fulton Speedway, Thunder Mountain Speedway and Oswego Speedway rained out.

Oswego will move its opening to June 14 with Supermodifieds, Small Block Supers and Super Stocks. The oval is not open on June 7, remaining dark in support of the ISMA/MSS Supermodified race at the Lancaster Motorplex.

FRIDAY

Amy Holland logged a popular win Friday night at Brewerton Speedway. It was her third modified win overall, with prior wins coming on Championship Night in August 2024 and July 2023 — her first.

Holland was stalking leader Todd Root and Max Hill, moving to second on lap 25. Root had passed Hill for the top spot on lap 21. Holland worked traffic well while chasing the leader, and made a bid for the lead exiting the second corner. The car stuck, and she moved to the point, and didn’t look back. Root, Max Hill, Tim Sears Jr., Chad Phelps finished second through fifth.

Jason Parkhurst won the DIRTcar Sportsman 25-lap feature over Cody Manitta and Tyler Corcoran; Nick Ventura and Hunter Hollenbeck were fourth and fifth. Joe Isabell won the Mod Lite feature over Doug Williams; after 20 laps of work Joseph Garafolo was third ahead of Jacob Dupra and PO Trudeau. Chris Bonoffski won the 15-lap four-cylinder super stock feature and John Pietrowicz took the 15-lap Hobby Stock main from the pole.

At Can-Am Speedway, the Summer Starter event went Lance Willix’ way. Willix started seventh in the 25-lap main and charged to the win over Billy Dunn and Tyler Meeks. Derek Webb and Remington Ham filled the top five. Mike Fowler won the DIRTcar Sportsman feature, topping Frank Sibley and Ryan Shanahan after 20 laps of work. Tyler Stevenson and Josh Reome earned top fives. Jon Liberty won the 20-lap 602 Sprint Car feature. Michael Greenfield (Thundercars) and Eymarah Bowman (Limited Sportsman) earned class wins.

Michael Maresca won his first Outlaw Speedway feature of the year Friday night. Jeff Daugherty was chasing at the end of the 30-lap feature; Tommy Collins, Danny Johnson and Steve Paine filled the top five. Chris Fisher earned his first win of the year, taking the 25-lap Sportsman feature over Karl Comfort and AJ Lloyd. Donnie Lawson and Brent Ayers earned top fives. Glenn Whritenour tallied his third win in the Street Stocks, taking the 20-lap victory over Jimmy Grant and Gene Sharpsteen. Willy Easling and Tony Harris earned fourth and fifth. Marc Minutolo won the 20-lap Hobby Stock feature, topping Daniel Kerrick, Jesse Ballance, Jared Hill and Nate Peckham. Jayson Smart posted his second win of the year in the 20-lap Four-Cylinder main; Michael Dickerson, Scott Lehman, Mike Stone and Zach Daugherty logged top fives. Kolston DeCamp won his second youth four-cylinder feature.

Matt Sheppard started his weekend in style, taking a feature win at Utica-Rome Speedway. The feature was briefly delayed by a rain shower, but the track was preserved and racing resumed. When the green flag was unfurled, Sheppard and Rocky Warner were battling at the head of the pack. Sheppard used a slower car to his advantage, roaring clear of Warner and checking out. A final green-white-checker finish added some drama to the end, but Sheppard stood tall with a gap over Warner. Matt Janczuk slipped past Danny Varin for third; Anthony Perrego was fifth.

Chris Marquart’s “Motorsports” appears each Tuesday during racing season. Contact Chris at 315-729-3999 or smashedempirefilms@gmail.com.



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Silly Season: NASCAR Insiders dish on difficult Connor Zilisch decision for Trackhouse

This year’s Silly Season in NASCAR is shaping up to be a bit more tame than year’s past. Still, there’s a couple of key dominoes waiting to fall, and it all begins with Trackhouse Racing. Their dilemma? What does the future hold for wunderkind Connor Zilisch. Examining where everything stands at the moment, Jordan Bianchi […]

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This year’s Silly Season in NASCAR is shaping up to be a bit more tame than year’s past. Still, there’s a couple of key dominoes waiting to fall, and it all begins with Trackhouse Racing.

Their dilemma? What does the future hold for wunderkind Connor Zilisch. Examining where everything stands at the moment, Jordan Bianchi of The Athletic broke down whether we could see the 18-year old in the Cup Series as soon as 2026.

“The Justin Marks-owned team has four drivers under contract and only three spots on its Cup roster — one of which is taken, with Ross Chastain still under contract for multiple years and delivering exceptional performance,” Bianchi prefaced. “Jockeying for the other rides are Daniel Suárez, Shane van Gisbergen and Connor Zilisch. The former two are currently teammates with Chastain in the Cup Series, while the latter is a promising rookie in NASCAR’s second-tier Xfinity Series.

“Both van Gisbergen and Zilisch have terms remaining on their respective contracts, with Suárez’s contract up at the end of the season. And, it may come down to just this factor — letting pending free agent Suárez, who sits 30th in points, walk to promote Zilisch.”

While that seems like the likeliest scenario, there’s a caveat — Suárez is well-liked within Trackhouse, and he also has been with the team since the start. The Monterrey, Mexico native brings sponsorship, and he’s certainly more proven than van Gisbergen and even Zilisch. Still, their potential might be too much to pass on.

“We’ll see what his future holds, but right now we have a mechanism in the company to put that extra car out,” Marks said, regarding Zilisch running some Cup races in 2025. “We just want him to get that experience. No expectations for results or anything like that.

“We have the opportunity to give him the learning experience, and we’ll continue to do that. The Cup Series is a different sport than the Xfinity Series. It is just so, so difficult. The only way to learn is to go out there and do it.”

If Trackhouse decides to keep Zilisch in Xfinity, they can effectively postpone any major decision for another year: “This pathway would enable Suárez to retain his ride while also providing Marks with a larger sample size to assess whether van Gisbergen can adapt to ovals,” Bianchi wrote. “Then, next year, Trackhouse could decide on whether to retain Suárez or van Gisbergen.”

All told, Justin Marks told The Athletic that no decisions have been made about Trackhouse’s 2026 roster, “and the team hasn’t even started contemplating it.” With an influx of road courses on the horizon, Shane van Gisbergen will have a chance to make his case. Daniel Suárez too. But Connor Zilisch is certainly lurking at the moment.



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Ryan Blaney is Cracker Barrel 400 winner Sunday

Ryan Blaney dominated the second half of the NASCAR Nashville race and earned his first win of the 2025 season. The checkered flag is out for the NASCAR Nashville race. Ryan Blaney won the Cracker Barrel 400 at Nashville Superspeedway. This is Blaney’s first win of the season, locking the 2023 NASCAR Cup Series champion […]

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Ryan Blaney dominated the second half of the NASCAR Nashville race and earned his first win of the 2025 season.

The checkered flag is out for the NASCAR Nashville race.

Ryan Blaney won the Cracker Barrel 400 at Nashville Superspeedway. This is Blaney’s first win of the season, locking the 2023 NASCAR Cup Series champion in this season’s playoffs. This is the 14th win of his NASCAR Cup Series career. Blaney led 139 laps in the race.

Denny Hamlin won the opening stage of the race for his third of the season. Blaney muscled past Hamlin and William Byron to win the second stage for his third stage win of the season. Hamlin won the fastest lap award to earn one bonus point in the driver and owner standings.

The race had seven cautions for 35 laps and 18 lead changes.

Here are the results for the NASCAR Nashville race.

Who won NASCAR Nashville race? Winner, race results for Cracker Barrel 400 Cup Series race

The unofficial full running order, results from NASCAR Cup Series Cracker Barrel 400 at Nashville Superspeedway.

  1. Ryan Blaney, No. 12 Team Penske Ford
  2. Carson Hocevar, No. 77 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet
  3. Denny Hamlin, No. 11 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota
  4. Joey Logano, No. 22 Team Penske Ford
  5. William Byron, No. 24 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet
  6. Bubba Wallace, No. 23 23XI Racing Toyota
  7. Erik Jones, No. 43 Legacy Motor Club Toyota
  8. Kyle Larson, No. 5 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet
  9. Tyler Reddick, No. 45 23XI Racing Toyota
  10. Christopher Bell, No. 20 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota
  11. Ross Chastain, No. 1 Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet
  12. Kyle Busch, No. 8 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet
  13. Zane Smith, No. 38 Front Row Motorsports Ford
  14. Chris Buescher, No. 17 Roush Fenway Keselowski Racing Ford
  15. Chase Elliott, No. 9 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet
  16. Daniel Suarez, No. 99 Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet
  17. Chase Briscoe, No. 19 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota
  18. Austin Cindric, No. 2 Team Penske Ford
  19. Cole Custer, No. 41 Haas Factory Team Ford
  20. AJ Allmendinger, No. 16 Kaulig Racing Chevrolet
  21. Michael McDowell, No. 71 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet
  22. Todd Gilliland, No. 34 Front Row Motorsports Ford 
  23. Brad Keselowski, No. 6 Roush Fenway Keselowski Racing Ford
  24. Riley Herbst, No. 35 23XI Racing Toyota
  25. Shane van Gisbergen, No. 88 Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet
  26. Ty Dillon, No. 10 Kaulig Racing Chevrolet
  27. John Hunter Nemechek, No. 42 Legacy Motor Club Toyota
  28. Ryan Preece, No. 60 RFK Racing Ford
  29. Austin Dillon, No. 3 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet
  30. Josh Berry, No. 21 Wood Brothers Racing Ford
  31. Ty Gibbs, No. 54 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota
  32. Justin Haley, No. 7 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet
  33. Cody Ware, No. 51 Rick Ware Racing Ford
  34. JJ Yeley, No. 44 NY Racing Team Chevrolet
  35. Chad Finchum, No. 66 Garage 66 Ford
  36. Alex Bowman, No. 48 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet
  37. Corey Heim, No. 67 23XI Racing Toyota
  38. Noah Gragson, No. 4 Front Row Motorsports Ford
  39. Ricky Stenhouse Jr., No. 47 HYAK Motorsports Chevrolet



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Rockingham Speedway listed for sale weeks after NASCAR return –

Contributed Rockingham Speedway is back on the market after Rockingham Properties LLC listed the track for sale last week, less than two months since NASCAR racing was brought back to the venerable track in April. The track was purchased by Rockingham Properties and owner Dan Lovenheim in 2018 for $2.8 million. Lovenheim, who built his […]

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Rockingham Speedway is back on the market after Rockingham Properties LLC listed the track for sale last week, less than two months since NASCAR racing was brought back to the venerable track in April.

The track was purchased by Rockingham Properties and owner Dan Lovenheim in 2018 for $2.8 million. Lovenheim, who built his wealth owning and operating night clubs in Raleigh, told the Charlotte Observer that, “The time is right to pass the baton to someone who can take it farther than we can.”

Bids will be placed for the track, with an expected new owner being selected by July 1.

After the purchase of the track, private and state funds were put into the track to build up to NASCAR’s return to the Sandhills.

Former Gov. Roy Cooper directed $9 million in pandemic recovery spending to the track for infrastructure upgrades in 2021. In 2022, the track was repaved for $3.5 million. Other upgrades to the infield buildings and the installation of more SAFER barriers around the track brought the track up to standards for NASCAR’s two developmental series.

The track has requested the General Assembly for $12 million to pay for more infrastructure upgrades to “get the Rockingham Speedway ‘cup ready’ for a potential NASCAR Cup Series race in 2026 or 2027,” the listing through CRBE says.

When the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series took to the rack on April 18, it ended a 12-year drought of the national series racing at The Rock. The Xfinity Series raced in front of a sellout crowd of more than 25,000 people, marking the first time since 2004 that series came to Rockingham. The race on Saturday led up to the running of the ARCA Menards East series running a 125-lap race on the sellout day.

“I think that the three national series that we had there were second to none. We always have Cup to look forward to, but I think the three that we had put on a great event, and it was well received by the fans,” Track Enterprises president Bob Sargent told The Pilot. “I just feel like we all put together a good product for that weekend. And leading up to that too with promotions and the community support, that was phenomenal.”

A newly released economic study, done in part with the Pinehurst, Southern Pines, Aberdeen Area Convention and Visitors Bureau (CVB), showed an economic impact of nearly $40 million from that weekend. Moore County’s share of that was more than $28 million, of which lodging was the largest part.

The weekend sold 40,000 tickets for the two-day event. Along with Saturday’s sell-out, the event also employed 500 workers each day.

According to Richmond County tax records, the track and the 253 acres the track sits on has a tax value of $4.96 million

The site has full ABC permits and is the ninth location in North Carolina to be approved for a sports wagering license, according to the listing for the track. That listing also says that the track generates $1.6 million yearly in revenue from its weekly events, like the Crown 9 Series and MB Drift racing events, as well as the return of NASCAR. Concerts and circuses have been hosted on or used the property in the past, including the 2019 Epicenter Music Festival.

Sargent said that Track Enterprises wants to be involved with the future of Rockingham Speedway and is even exploring the possibility of putting in a bid for the track.

“We knew that Dan and his group were thinking about selling before our event. We’re definitely interested, and we obviously feel like we did a lot with our team and his together to bring NASCAR to the facility,” Sargent said. “We feel vested here, and want to continue that relationship, whether we take a run at the sale or we work with the new owner.”

When Lovenheim and the ownership group purchased the track, weeds were growing through cracks in the asphalt of the track, and bleachers in turns one and two were slowly compromising the backing of the track. Work was done slowly to resurrect the track, putting it into a better spot than where it was on closing day in 2018.

“Anytime you take a facility that was sitting vacant and neglected, and you work slowly to rebuild and work methodically to try to get to the level where we could have national events there, they did a great job,” Sargent said.

Sargent’s company leases 26 tracks in 15 states, varying from dirt tracks to asphalt, and from large ovals to short tracks. He knows there is a list of items that needs to be done by whoever has the winning bid to bring the pinnacle NASCAR series back to the track.

“There’s quite a bit to do. NASCAR has a long list of things that need to be done,” Sargent said. “SAFER walls and lighting are some big things that we’ve all pointed out that need to be addressed.”

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