This weekend at Le Mans, Ford has command of the spotlight. Not only has the Blue Oval amassed the largest gathering of Mustang race cars to ever compete at the Circuit de la Sarthe for its Mustang Challenge single-make series, but it will also campaign two Mustang GT3 race cars in Le Mans’ epic 24-hour race.

As if all this attention wasn’t enough, Ford also revealed a couple of key details for the company’s heavily anticipated Hypercar debut in 2027. Among the latest puzzle pieces to fall into place, FoMoCo announced that it would tab ORECA to lead chassis development on the car that will compete for overall victory in the 24 Hours of Le Mans.

In addition to naming its chassis developer, Ford announced Dan Sayers as lead for the Hypercar program. (More on him in a second.)

In January, Ford announced its intentions for the top step at Le Mans. The company will field a full factory effort in the FIA World Endurance Championship’s (WEC) Hypercar class, with the goal of capturing its first overall Le Mans victory since 1969—the final of four straight for the Ford GT40 sports car. Recall that the Ford GT’s Le Mans revival and subsequent Le Mans win in 2016 was a class win and not an overall victory.

This go around, things are different, and the message is direct.

“We’re here to win Le Mans,” asserted Farley in a sit-down with media on Thursday. The new car is set to make its debut at the season-opening round of WEC competition in less than two years. We don’t even know what it looks like yet, but we know the Ford Hypercar has one mission.

As Farley pointed out in the accompanying press announcement, it’s been over 50 years since Ford has climbed atop Le Mans’ overall podium. “That is long enough,” says Farley. “In 2027, we are coming with the same level of expectation, and we are entrusting ORECA to help us take on Ferrari and the other top-class teams as we did back in the 1960s.”

If you’re a fan of sports car racing, ORECA is a familiar name. To anyone else, read on.

Hugues de Chaunac, a math teacher turned race car driver, founded ORECA (Organisation Exploitation Compétition Automobile Motorsport) in 1973, first as a racing team. Now, the company designs, assembles, develops, and fine-tunes chassis, engines, and system architectures. It’s also responsible for nearly 240 victories in the undercard LMP2 series and 10 consecutive wins at the Le Mans 24 Hours. ORECA is one of four chassis suppliers for WEC’s top-tier Hypercar class, joined by Dallara, Ligier, and Multimatic.

So, who’s going to captain this new ship?

Meet Dan Sayers. Prior to his new position, Sayers was Program Director at Red Bull Ford Powertrains, where he helped develop the power unit for the new 2026 Formula 1 regulations. Before Ford, Sayer spent 10 years at Aston Martin’s racing team, Prodrive, where he captured multiple class victories at Le Mans as design and development lead and, eventually, technical director. He also worked at Ricardo, a transmission builder for multiple disciplines of auto racing.

“Ford Performance is taking on so many different challenges around the racing world, but to lead Ford back to its spiritual home at Le Mans was a challenge I could not turn down,” said Sayers.

It’s an exciting time for Ford Performance fans as the prospect of climbing endurance racing’s largest summit solidified a bit more this weekend. Still, Farley isn’t allowing himself to get swept up in the excitement.

“I’m just focused on the work that we have to do,” the Ford boss says of the Hypercar program. “I’m only excited when we win. And that hasn’t happened yet.”

MEXICO CITY (AP) — NASCAR’s first Cup Series race outside the United States was off to a bumpy start Friday with several teams yet to arrive in Mexico City because of travel issues in North Carolina.

At least one chartered flight to Mexico City was grounded Thursday with an engine issue, leaving teams scrambling to find alternative routes to get to Mexico. Some drove to Atlanta to catch a commercial flight.

But when the track opened Friday, many were not at Autodromo Hermanos Rodríguez. Trackhouse Racing was among them — Daniel Suarez arrived Tuesday with some support personnel so he was not affected — but the communications director for the Cup team had been summoned to help unload the Trackhouse cars off the truck because no crew members were available.

The trucks came directly from last Sunday’s race in Michigan and arrived at the Mexico City track on Thursday.

NASCAR said only “a select few” teams aren’t on site Friday morning. But, it seems most are Xfinity Series teams based on a revamping of the weekend schedule.

“Due to two aircraft issues that grounded multiple race teams in Charlotte, N.C., on Thursday, NASCAR has adjusted the on-track schedule for this weekend’s activities at Mexico City’s Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez,” NASCAR said in a statement.

NASCAR delayed Friday’s originally planned Cup Series practice to later in the afternoon. NASCAR also pushed all Xfinity Series practice sessions from Friday to Saturday. And, the first of two NASCAR Mexico Series races will run earlier than originally scheduled on Friday.

The Xfinity Series will lose some practice time, with just one 50-minute session on Saturday morning, right before qualifying. There are other slight adjustments as well, but Cup teams will not lose any practice.

___

AP auto racing: https://apnews.com/hub/auto-racing

Copyright 2025 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.

Clint Vahsholtz and Woodland Park Mayor Kellie Case (Courtesy Perini Photo)

AMF Official Logo

Altitude Motorsports will have Pikes Peak International Hill Climb race vehicles on site for public viewing. Clint Vahsholtz will also meet festival goers.

WOODLAND PARK, CO, UNITED STATES, June 13, 2025 /EINPresswire.com/ — America’s Mountain Festival (AMF), scheduled for July 5, 2025 at Woodland Station, in downtown Woodland Park, is adding a new, exciting element to the inaugural festival.

Altitude Motorsports, the supporting team behind Clint Vahsholtz for the 2025 Pikes Peak International Hill Climb (PPIHC), who currently is the winningest driver on the mountain, will have race vehicles on site for public viewing. Clint Vahsholtz will also be present to meet festival goers. America’s Mountain Festival is a Tier 1 Sponsor of the 2025 PPIHC race.

Ned LeDoux, the singer-songwriter and son of country legend Chris LeDoux, will headline the music festival. LeDoux has infused all of his records with realistic stories of life as a cowboy, his relationship with music royalty, and the pain and joy that infuses his work. Additional festival highlights will be performances by world-renown artist Michael Martin Murphey, Curtis Grimes and Jon Wolfe.

The festival will also spotlight Colorado favorites Jon Chandler, a multi-talented 7th generation Coloradan and a three-time Spur Award winning author with Western Writers of America and Ernie Martinez, a Denver native and instrumentalist who was inducted into the Colorado Blue Grass Hall of Honor, International Western Music Association’s Instrumentalist of the Year 2018.

Plus, A Cowboy’s Legacy, will be joining in the festivities. They are an ensemble of Woodland Park locals Tom and Donna Hatton, Evie Gutierrez, Hatton’s granddaughter, and Dan Park.

The event schedule for the day is:

12:00 pm – Gates Open

1:15 pm – Presentation of the Colors and National Anthem, performed by Raquita Harper

1:30 pm – Curtis Grimes

3:00 pm – A Cowboy’s Legacy and Friends

3:30 pm – Michael Martin Murphey

5:00 pm – A Cowboy’s Legacy and Friends

5:30 pm – Jon Wolfe

7:00 pm – A Cowboy’s Legacy and Friends

7:30 pm – Ned LeDoux

9:00 pm – Event Closes

AMF promotes itself as a celebration of the music, art and culture of the West. “LeDoux will bring life to our belief that music is a universal language with the power to unite people,” said Derek Waggoner, AMF event producer and chief executive officer of the Tava investor group, the entity constructing the Tava House property at Woodland Station.

Event parking will be available at off-site lots, with limited handicap parking located at the festival site. Off-site parking will be located at the Saddle Club grounds on Hwy 24 in Woodland Park near Wal-Mart and at the Woodland Park High School on Rampart Range Road, Woodland Park. VIP parking instructions will be given directly to VIP ticket holders.

Items allowed inside the festival grounds are:

Standard-sized purses, bags and backpacks

Blankets, sheets and other ground coverings

Cameras (basic point and shoot models)

Binoculars

Strollers

Folding lawn chairs or cloth chairs (No solid metal chairs)

Umbrellas (regular size – no beach umbrellas or beach enclosures)

Unopened, bottled water (no coolers)

All bags and cameras will be searched by security staff before entry.

Festival Sponsors to date include:

Tava House

Park State Bank and Trust

Charis Bible College

Colorado Homes & Land Group, eXp Realty

Black Bear Bourbon

Paragon Culinary School

Lamb Excavating

Thomas General Contractors

Microtel/Woodland County Lodge

Solid Grounds Coffee House

Teller Wifi

Altitude Motorsports

Rocky Mountain Sound, Light & Video

The Cowhand

The Case Advantage

Colorado Gear Lab

Zebz’s Outfitters

Great Western Ranch and Land

Farmers Insurance – Bradley Agency

Team Sato Realty

Tweeds Fine Furnishings Rainbow Valley Ranch PBJ Cattle Company

Colorado Horse Hay

Great Outdoors Adventures

Bierwerks

Earthwise Waste Solutions

Historic Triple B Ranch

Ninnifly

A portion of the festival proceeds will go to support the Northeast Teller County Fire Department located in Woodland Park. To volunteer for the event, contact the promoters at 719-445-9387 or info@americasmountainfestival.com.

Tickets for the America’s Mountain Festival are on sale now at TicketSauce – https://tickets.americasmountainfestival.com/e/americas-mountain-festival/tickets

# # #

SAVE THE DATE!

July 5, 2025 is an inaugural musical festival in Woodland Park, CO presented by the America’s Mountain Festival and featuring a diverse lineup of Western/Red Dirt performers. Follow us on FB for more details at https://www.facebook.com/americasmountainfestivalwp. And check out our website at https://americasmountainfestival.com.

MEDIA ADVISORY

Members of the news media are allowed access to the festival. Please get in touch with the AMF Public Relations Office at 719-652-5943. Email: americasmountainfestival@gmail.com

Michael Perini
Perini & Associates
+1 719-651-5943
email us here

America’s Mountain Festival

Legal Disclaimer:

EIN Presswire provides this news content “as is” without warranty of any kind. We do not accept any responsibility or liability
for the accuracy, content, images, videos, licenses, completeness, legality, or reliability of the information contained in this
article. If you have any complaints or copyright issues related to this article, kindly contact the author above.

The NASCAR Cup Series heads to Mexico City, and while the track brings its own excitement, the pit road is causing the teams to face a tricky challenge.

There’s a thing called ‘reverse pit stop’ in NASCAR. It’s not something fans get to see often in the Cup Series. In fact, the only other place on the schedule where it happens is at Watkins Glen. And now, Mexico City joins the club.

Hendrick Motorsports Changing the Game on Pit Road at Mexico City

Most NASCAR tracks/ovals have pit roads on the left side. Drivers enter with their left side against the wall, and pit crews are trained to jump off and perform their tasks in a very specific flow. But at Autodromo Hermanos Rodríguez, things change a little.

In Mexico City, the pit road entry will be on the right, meaning the right side of the car hugs the pit wall. That means, crews have to do everything they usually do, but in reverse order.

It might not sound like a big deal initially, but pit stops are all about timing and rhythm. Team crews spend hours practicing every movement to save fractions of a second. But suddenly everything’s reversed when the cars come in from the right. That’s where the challenge comes in.

Hendrick Motorsports (HMS), one of the top teams in the sport, is changing something in its roster before the weekend. NASCAR reporter Bob Pockrass informed fans on X that HMS had swapped the positions of its front and rear tire changers for the Mexico race. That way, even with the reversed pit stop, the changes could stick to its usual tires, just from the opposite direction.

In checking rosters, appears the Hendrick crews have swapped their rear and front changers with this being a “reverse” pit road with the right side of the car closest to pit wall (like Watkins Glen).

— Bob Pockrass (@bobpockrass) June 12, 2025

Fuelers also face a challenging task. Their approach angle changes when the car’s right side is near the wall. Properly lining up the fuel can on the opposite side without spilling or losing time gets trickier.

Jumping off the wall to get to the car will be another task for which the crew will need ample practice. A sudden change in positioning could lead to early jumps and penalties.

History in the Making for NASCAR at Mexico City

There’s always pressure during a big race weekend, especially when NASCAR travels internationally. With this being the first points-paying Cup Series race outside the U.S. in decades, every team is looking for ways to stay sharp.

HMS’s roster tweak is a smart adjustment. Some teams prefer to keep changers in their regular spots and have them switch their usual positions on the car, which often leads to confusion. By swapping their positions entirely, HMS hopes to avoid that awkward transition.

Their small decision to flip their crew setup could make a big difference on Sunday.

Denny Hamlin announced Thursday that he will not compete in this weekend’s NASCAR Cup Series race in Mexico City, as he will focus on tending to his fiancee Jordan after the birth of their son on June 11. Hamlin will take a week off from driving the No. 11 Toyota for Joe Gibbs Racing after earning three wins this season, the most recent of which came just one week ago at Michigan.

Ryan Truex, the younger brother of 2017 Cup champion Martin Truex Jr. and the reserve driver for Joe Gibbs Racing, will drive Hamlin’s No. 11 in his place this weekend at Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez, while Hamlin’s team will apply for a waiver from NASCAR to maintain their playoff eligibility. Per NASCAR rules, full-time drivers who miss a race are permitted to apply for a waiver to maintain their playoff eligibility in the event of an injury, or for accepted personal reasons such as the birth of a child.

“We are happy to announce the birth of our son. Everyone is doing well,” Hamlin said in a statement. “My main priority is to be here at home for Jordan and our family for the next few days when she is able to go home and we transition to life as a family of five.”

Hamlin, who had been on baby watch over the past two weeks, said earlier this week on his podcast Actions Detrimental that it would be very difficult for him to travel to Mexico if his son was not born by a certain point, citing the logistics and complications that come with international travel that would make it more difficult for him to go back and forth between home and the racetrack.

“It’s one thing when you’re in Michigan, you’re an hour-and-a-half flight away, there’s no customs, I fly right into the airport. It’s not that in Mexico,” Hamlin said. “So I certainly can’t leave until we have a baby.”

NASCAR at Michigan results: Denny Hamlin prevails in fuel mileage duel for his third win of the season

Steven Taranto

Mexico City will mark the first Cup race that Hamlin has missed since March 2014, when a sinus infection that compromised Hamlin’s vision sidelined him for a race at Fontana. Hamlin had made 406 consecutive starts after that point, a streak which will end on Sunday just after Hamlin made his 700th career Cup start at Nashville two weeks ago.

As for Truex, Sunday’s race in Mexico City will mark his first Cup start since 2014, when he ran most of the season driving for BK Racing with a best finish of 20th at Pocono. Truex, who has three career wins in the Xfinity Series, last attempted a Cup race when he failed to qualify for the 2019 Daytona 500 driving for car owner Tommy Baldwin.

Hamlin currently sits third in the Cup Series regular season standings, having wins at Martinsville, Darlington and Michigan to go with seven top fives and eight top 10s in 15 races. This season has seen Hamlin move to 11th on NASCAR’s all-time wins list, with his 57th career win at Michigan putting him just three victories away from tying Kevin Harvick for the 10th-most Cup wins all-time as he continues to pursue his first Cup championship.

NASCAR has adjusted the Friday and Saturday schedule in Mexico City after multiple industry members could not leave Charlotte, N.C., because of flight issues.

The travel issues occurred on Thursday, when the majority of the industry headed for Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez. However, with two aircraft experiencing issues, multiple Xfinity Series and Cup Series teams and some drivers are still in Charlotte or looking elsewhere for flights to Mexico.

As such, NASCAR has pushed Xfinity Series practice from Friday to Saturday. Cup Series practice was shifted to later in the day on Friday, and, because of the change to Saturday’s schedule of events, Cup Series qualifying moved back that day. Sunday’s schedule has not changed.

Friday will now be as follows:

• The first NASCAR Mexico Series race will be at 11:30am local time
• Cup Series practice (there will be two) has shifted to 2:05pm and 3:30pm local time
• Xfinity Series practice moves to Saturday

Saturday will now be as follows:

• Xfinity Series teams will have a 50-minute practice at 9:05am local time
• Xfinity Series qualifying will be at 10:10am local time
• Cup Series qualifying has been moved to 12:05pm local time
• The second NASCAR Mexico Series race has been shifted to 5pm local time

Mexico City is in the Mountain time zone. It is two hours behind the East Coast.

The original weekend schedule would have put Xfinity Series and Cup Series teams on track Friday for the first time, with each series receiving two practice sessions. Saturday would have then seen qualifying for both series and the Xfinity Series race, the first for that series since 2008 in Mexico City.

Sunday is the inaugural event for the Cup Series in Mexico.