Bruno Ribeiro put on a dominating performance to claim the victory in Formula Regional Americas Championship’s (FR Americas) opening race of the Mid-Ohio SpeedTour weekend. Taking on the challenging Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course, Ribeiro (No. 01 Alfa Cem / Kiwi Motorsport Ligier JS F3) set the pace from lights to checkered in an all-green race.

Leading the field down the starting grid after securing his first-career pole in yesterday’s qualifying session, Ribeiro successfully held off his Kiwi Motorsport teammate Nicolas Ambiado (No. 55 Velox USA / Kiwi Motorsport Ligier JS F3), as well as third-place starter—and finisher—Titus Sherlock (No. 31 Rayne Nutrition / Ronald McDonald House Charities / Crosslink Motorsports Ligier JS F3). Unchallenged in his fight to the finish, Ribeiro easily claimed his first victory of the 2025 season, becoming the fifth driver to win this season in FR Americas.

Notes of Interest:

Bruno Ribeiro claimed his first win of the 2025 season, and second of his career, at Mid-Ohio on Saturday morning.

Ribeiro joined Sherlock (four wins), Ambiado (two wins), Golan (one win), and Bowling (one win) as 2025 race winners.

In nine races this season, Ribeiro has finished on the podium seven times, with today being his first win of the year. The victory allowed him to match Nicolas Ambiado in the point standings, with the two teammates now tied for the championship lead.

Ambiado earned his sixth podium of the 2025 season, while Titus Sherlock recorded his fifth podium of 2025.

Three nations were represented on today’s podium, with Brazilian Ribeiro winning the event, Ambiado hailing from Chile, and Sherlock, an American.

“I’m just super thankful I managed to get P1,” said Ribeiro. “On the last few laps, we were battling an issue with the tire. I don’t know what happened exactly, but I thought that maybe I wasn’t going to make it to the finish. It’s a pretty hot day today. I’m just super happy to give the guys the result they deserve today; I have no words.”

Nicolas Ambiado retakes points lead with win in Race 2 at Mid-Ohio

Nicolas Ambiado earned his third Formula Regional Americas Championship (FR Americas) win of the 2025 season in Race 2 at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course. The victory gave him an edge in the battle for the title, allowing him to recapture the championship lead with a seven-point margin.

Starting the race from the second position, Ambiado took the lead from polesitter Bruno Ribeiro (No. 01 Alfa Cem / Kiwi Motorsport Ligier JS F3) racing into Turn 1 on the first lap and never looked back. After a car stalled on the starting grid to bring out the safety car, Ambiado overcame the challenge of an early restart to maintain the lead and race toward the checkered flag. The Chilean’s biggest challenge came with just over five minutes left on the clock when Ribeiro pulled wheel to wheel with Ambiado to challenge for the lead. With slight contact made between the two, Ambiado went from just a 0.352 lead to pulling away from the field.

Ambiado crossed the line first, with Ribeiro in second, while Jett Bowling (No. 22 Bullhorn / Kiwi Motorsport Ligier JS F3) completed the pass on Titus Sherlock (No. 31 Rayne Nutrition / Ronald McDonald House Charities / Crosslink Motorsports Ligier JS F3) during the closing laps to snag the third and final podium position.

Notes of Interest:

Nicolas Ambiado scored his third win of the 2025 season. With seven podiums in 10 rounds, the Chilean leads the points championship with a seven-point advantage.

Bruno Ribeiro earned his eighth podium of 2025. Earlier in the day, he scored his first-career race win, following it up with a second-place result in Race 2.

For the fifth time this season, Jett Bowling finished on the podium, taking home third place in Race 2.

Kiwi Motorsport swept the podium in Race 2. With four of the top-five finishers competing for the team, this was the fourth time this season Kiwi Motorsport has swept a race podium.

“That was a really hard race,” said Ambiado. “I had pressure from Bruno but I had a great start and then a good restart after the safety car. Physically, it was very hard. The sun was hot, but if you’re a driver, you need to be physically and mentally strong. That’s all in the training. I have to thank my team, Kiwi Motorsport, as well as my family and all my friends.”

LONG POND, Pa. — Dale Earnhardt Jr. took the role seriously. He attended meetings. He took notes. He was at a pit practice.

When the Xfinity Series garage opened Friday afternoon at at Pocono Raceway, he was there.

This was not a publicity stunt or a chance to add another line to his Hall of Fame resume. Earnhardt was committed to filling the role vacated by Mardy Lindley, who was serving a one-race suspension after Connor Zilisch’s car had multiple lug nuts not secure earlier this month at Nashville.

It was Lindley who suggested that Earnhardt, co-owner of the JR Motorsports car, take the role of crew chief for Saturday’s race. Earnhardt accepted, having never served in that role in a NASCAR national series race.

Zilisch took the lead with five laps to go to score his third career Xfinity win (first on an oval) and give Earnhardt the win as crew chief.

“Certainly more of an adrenaline rush than being an owner,” Earnhardt said after becoming one of the few in NASCAR to have a win as a driver, owner and crew chief. “I love owning race cars, and I love racking up statistics and championships, but it does not have the competitive sort of skin in the game, if you will, this specific day does.

“When you’re the crew chief, you’re under a ton of pressure. I understand that I did not come in here and handle all of the layers that Mardy usually handles or any given crew chief manages, They were certainly putting me in a position to do some light lifting. As the race went on, we got more comfortable and more aggressive and it was fun.

“Felt like I really had some involvement and input in the energy that the crew had … keeping them pumped up and keeping everybody executing, keeping Connor aware of what our goals were, what our expectations were on these restarts. He wanted to deliver on all those expectations. I felt like in that aspect it was a good day.”

The hardest part of the day for Earnhardt?

Climbing down the pit box to stand behind the pit wall and roll a tire to the carrier during a pit stop.

“I think the one thing I was most nervous about was actually setting that left front tire. … There’s a tenth (of a second) or two or even half a second between how far you can get it out there to (the tire carrier). You need that stripe up so he knows where the lugs are and to place the tire quickly. All these things are very minute, but they’re important that he grabs the tire from you in a certain way, and I didn’t want to mess that up.”

Jesse Love finished second and was followed by Christian Eckes, Chase Elliott and Ryan Sieg.

Stage 1 winner: Brandon Jones

Stage 2 winner: Connor Zilisch

Next: The series races at 7:30 p.m. ET Friday, June 27 at Atlanta.

LONG POND, Pa. (June 21, 2025) – JR Motorsports driver Connor Zilisch may be a teenage rookie in the Xfinity Series, but it is always comforting to have a NASCAR Hall of Famer in your ear.

The rising 18-year-old star, with Dale Earnhardt Jr. serving as his interim crew chief, earned the first oval victory of his career in Saturday’s Explore the Pocono Mountains 250 at Pocono Raceway.

Zilisch overtook Jesse Love of Richard Childress Racing for the lead on Lap 96 of 100 en route to the victory by .437 of a second for his second win on the season. His first career NXS victory came at the Circuit of The Americas permanent road course in early March. Click HERE for the full results.

“Pretty cool to have him (Earnhardt Jr.) up there,” said Zilisch, who drives the No. 88 Registix Chevrolet. “It’s pretty funny, he was giving me a kick in the ass on some of the restarts. Advice from him was advice well-taken. It was cool to have him and to get him a one-for-one win as a crew chief is pretty awesome.

“I have been dying for this one for a while. This one’s pretty special. I’ve been so close on the ovals lately. I finished second in Charlotte, second at Nashville.”

An ecstatic Earnhardt Jr. not only was celebrating the win as a team owner, but also for securing his first as a crew chief. He was filling in for Zilisch’s regular crew chief Mardy Lindley, who was absent due to a one-race suspension for a lug nut penalty.

“I understand that I did not come in here and handle all of the layers Mardy usually handles,” Earnhardt Jr. said. “They put me in a position to do some light lifting. As the race went on, we got more comfortable and aggressive. It was fun. I felt like I had some involvement and some input with the energy. I have a ton of respect and admiration for all the crew chiefs and all the stress they put up with. I really have a new appreciation and level of respect and understanding of all the decisions they have to make.

“I didn’t walk in and say ‘Hey, can I do this?’ Mardy texted me and said, ‘Do you want to do this? I think you could.’”

It was a day of varying strategies and several pivotal restarts as a result of 10 cautions for 41 laps in the 100-lap race. The first key restart came with 13 laps remaining with race leader and 2020 Cup Series champion Chase Elliott of Hendrick Motorsports lining up next to defending Xfinity Series champion Justin Allgaier of JR Motorsports. On the restart, the two were side by side with Allgaier getting loose and both forced to fall back in the field and out of contention for the win. Elliott, who led a race-high 38 laps, would rally to finish fourth while Allgaier settled for 10th.

Meanwhile, Love, with Christian Eckes of Kaulig Racing and Zilisch in tow, darted underneath Elliott and Allgaier and into the lead. The 10th and final caution soon came out on Lap 91 for a spin by Kyle Sieg in Turn 2 to set the stage for a duel between best friends, Love and Zilisch.

Love, the 2024 Xfinity Series Rookie of the Year, took the initial lead on the restart before a side-by-side battle ensued and Zilisch was able to clear him and officially claim the lead on Lap 96. He led the final five laps and 34 overall to secure the win. Eckes, who considers Pocono Raceway his hometown track having grown up in Middletown, N.Y., took third for a season-best finish.

The weekend culminates with the sold-out Great American Getaway 400 presented by VISITPA.COM NASCAR Cup Series race on Sunday beginning at 2 p.m. ET.

NASCAR Cup Series star Ryan Blaney has been dealt a demotion blow at Pocono after Team Penske made changes to his No. 12 Ford.

Blaney is the defending Cup Series race winner at Pocono Raceway having beaten Denny Hamlin to the victory at the tricky triangle last year, but now faces a massive uphill task to repeat his success this time around.

READ MORE: NASCAR Race Today: Pocono start times, schedule and how to watch live on TV

During the rain delay for today’s race, Blaney confirmed that he will be sent to the rear of the field for the start of the Great American Getaway 400, with Team Penske having to replace his starter engine following qualifying on Saturday.

Blaney had qualified 20th during Saturday’s session, but he will now be one of six drivers sent to the rear ahead of the green flag when the action eventually gets underway this evening.

READ MORE: NASCAR Cup Series winner eliminated despite historic win

Six drivers sent to the rear at Pocono

The changes made to Blaney’s No. 12 come under ‘unapproved adjustments’, as per Dustin Albino, and the standard penalty for this is being sent to the rear of the field.

Ahead of this month’s Cup Series race at Michigan, for example, 23XI’s Tyler Reddick suffered the same fate.

Joining Blaney at the rear of the field for such an infraction will be Josh Berry, Bubba Wallace, William Byron and Cody Ware, some of whom did not set qualifying times due to their issues.

At the very back of the field will be Brennan Poole in the No. 44 after his NY Racing team failed pre-race inspection multiple times this weekend, hit with a quadruple penalty as a result.

After a delayed start time, NASCAR plans to kick off the race at Pocono at 4:30 pm ET.

READ MORE: NASCAR announce quadruple Cup Series penalty at Pocono

Related

The wait finally is over for Caio Collet.

Collet passed championship leader Dennis Hauger with less than five laps remaining and drove away to win the Grand Prix of Road America on Sunday, his first Indy NXT by Firestone victory this season. Collet’s No. 76 HMD Motorsports car crossed the finish line 1.7093s ahead of Hauger’s No. 28 Nammo car fielded by Andretti Global.

Former Rookie of the Year Collet entered this event with three podium finishes in the first six races this season, including two runner-up finishes. His victory was the first this season for HMD Motorsports, as Hauger and fellow Andretti Global rookie teammate Lochie Hughes have combined to win every race.

“At the beginning of the season, we couldn’t match them, to be honest,” Collet said. “It was really frustrating. Every time we went on track, it was hard to be second or third. But we kept working hard, and we need to keep working because they are a great team with great drivers. We need to keep pushing.”

Hughes rounded out the podium finishers in the No. 26 McGinley Clinic/USF Pro Championship car after passing Josh Pierson in the No. 14 HMD Motorsports machine on the last of 20 laps around the 14-turn, 4.014-mile circuit. Pierson ended up tying his career-best finish of fourth.

Myles Rowe placed fifth in the No. 99 Abel/Force Indy car in the caution-free race.

Hauger led from the pole on an unseasonably hot day with air temperatures in the high 80s. Collet stayed close from the second starting position, keeping the gap around 0.5-0.6s as the duo marched away from the rest of the 19-car field.

Collet’s patience expired on lap 16. He drove alongside Hauger on the long front straightway and made an outside pass in Turn 1 stick. Collet then eased away from Hauger over the last four laps.

“I kept up the pace, kept up the pressure,” Collet said. “Yesterday, I think I lost the pole to myself. Dennis did a phenomenal lap, but I think I left a bit in the tank and was very frustrated. Today I really wanted to give the win to the team.”

Said Hauger: “I think we’ve been on the back foot compared to Collet all weekend. We did everything right today, but they were just a bit stronger. I tried to do what I could, but it just wasn’t meant to be. Still a decent weekend.”

Hauger’s lead over second-place Hughes grew from 19 to 28 points with his fifth podium finish of the season. Collet is third, 70 points behind Hauger.

The next race is the Indy NXT by Firestone Grand Prix at Mid-Ohio on Sunday, July 6 at the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course. It’s good track for Collet, who earned his sole previous Indy NXT victory there in July 2024. 

RESULTS

Capitalizing on a late-race restart, Connor Zilisch earned his second NASCAR Xfinity Series victory of 2025 and the third of his career Saturday at Pocono Raceway.

Zilisch led 34 of the 100-lap Explore the Pocono Mountains 250 to capture his first non-road course win in the series.

“I know it hasn’t felt like that long, but man, I’ve been so close on the ovals,” Zilisch said. “I’ve been chasing the oval win for a while now.”

The 18-year-old Zilisch accomplished the feat without his usual crew chief Mardy Lindley, who was serving a one-race suspension following a penalty stemming from the race at Nashville.

Enter Dale Earnhardt Jr., Zilisch’s team owner at JR Motorsports, who filled in for Lindley atop the pitbox.

Dale Jr. made his crew chief debut in the series, coaching Zilisch throughout the 250-mile race and helping during pit stops.

“The advice from him is advice well taken,” Zilisch said. “It was really to have him, and to get him a one-for-one win as a crew chief, is pretty awesome as well. Mardy did everything right to set this up, and I wish he could have been with us on the box, but I know he’s with us in spirit.”

Dale Jr. gave credit to Lindley, the team and his former crew chief Steve Letarte for help.

“We had a lot of things go our way, lot of good luck, great strategy,” Dale Jr. said. “(Connor Zilisch) is going to be a big deal in the sport for a long time.”

Zilisch extends his streak of consecutive Top-5 finishes to four.

In second was Jesse Love, who led eight laps and was who Zilisch overtook with five laps to go.

Christian Eckes posted his second straight Top-5 finish in third.

Polesitter Chase Elliott, who led the most laps (38), finished fourth.

Ryan Sieg rounded out the Top-5.

Dominic Aragon is currently the editor-in-chief for The Racing Experts.

From Grants, New Mexico, USA, Aragon started watching NASCAR in 2004 and has been covering the sport since 2009. Aragon is a 2012 graduate of Grants High School and a May 2016 graduate of the University of New Mexico with a B.A. in Mass Communications & Journalism. Aragon has worked in local and national media, as a musician, and an educator. He is co-author of the 2024 book “All of It: Daytona 500 Champion Tells the Rest of the Story” with racer Geoff Bodine.

Aragon, his wife Feliz, and son Christopher currently reside in Grants, New Mexico, USA.

You can reach Dominic at daragon@theracingexperts.net.