What’s Happening?

Thomas Annunziata will make his NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series debut this weekend at Lime Rock Park with Spire Motorsports.

LONG POND, Pa. (AP) — Denny Hamlin earned the top seed in the inaugural version of NASCAR’s In-season Challenge, a five-race, bracket-style tournament set to kick off next week in Atlanta.

The tournament, which comes with a $1 million prize to the winner, is part of a new media rights deal that includes TNT.

The final 32-driver field was set by results of the races at Michigan, Mexico City and Pocono. Chase Briscoe won the Cup race Sunday at Pocono Raceway to finalize the field.

The drivers will be paired in head-to-head matchups based on seeding, with the winners advancing to the next round in a bracket format that mirrors the NCAA basketball tournaments.

Hamlin goes head-to-head next week against the 32nd seed, Ty Dillon. Briscoe earned the second seed, Chris Buescher is third, Christopher Bell fourth and Chase Elliott fifth.

The format is single elimination with the field cut to 16 at Chicago, eight at Sonoma, four at Dover and the final two at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

The tournament is patterned after in-season tournaments that are staged by soccer leagues around the world and even brought to the NBA.

At Pocono Raceway, famously known as “The Tricky Triangle,” Denny Hamlin fell short as another JGR driver, Chase Briscoe, who clinched the win with his impressive skill. Despite Hamlin falling behind, securing the first and second spots was a significant achievement for JGR, reinforcing the team’s strength.

Yet, the victory was also off the track, and Hamlin knew its significance. After the race, Hamlin paid a tribute to Fred Smith, the founder of his former sponsor, FedEx, who had recently died at the age of 80.

Denny Hamlin Pays Tribute to the Late FedEx Founder Fred Smith

For a quick historical recap, the FedEx–Joe Gibbs Racing partnership began in 2005, around the time JGR signed Hamlin for the No. 11 Toyota. There is a reason why Hamlin paid a heartfelt tribute to the late Fred Smith.

Smith was a former Marine and a close friend of Joe Gibbs. He was the one who took the initiative and helped in building the brand for the talented and young Hamlin back then. Also, Smith was not the average sponsor. He prioritized the team’s success. Not to mention, Smith used to go to the races to support the drivers.

FedEx’s iconic Takata Livery Toyota, originally purple and orange, marked a significant milestone and remains iconic to this day. From then until the next two decades, FedEx’s involvement with JGR helped run more than 30 races in a single season.

Hamlin repaid with his impressive performances, which people still talk about today. He had an outstanding track record of 50-plus wins in races, including consistent runs at the championships and three Daytona 500 victories. For this instance, the purple and orange Livery became the most iconic symbol in NASCAR.

However, FedEx, the express transportation company with a $54 billion market cap, has slowly begun to depart from JGR in recent years. Additionally, they reduced their race counts from 30 to just 12. The shift in sponsorship created a butterfly effect in NASCAR, altering the ecosystem of the motorsport. Despite FedEx and JGR parting their ways, the bond that Fred Smith and the JGR family shared remained special.

At the post-race interview at Pocono, Hamlin offered his condolences to Smith and FedEx. Hamlin knows about Smith’s contribution to his rise to fame.

In the interview, Hamlin shared, “I do want to say our condolences are to the FedEx family and the Smith family for the loss of Fred Smith. He was such an integral part of Joe Gibbs Racing’s inception of this 11-car, my career. So, thank you to the FedEx family and Fred Smith’s family. And we’re thinking of them.”

Hamlin’s words of remark reflect the deep respect and bond he has for the FedEx family, not to mention his remembrance of the late Smith. Last year, he said, “I will still bleed purple,” reflecting his bond with the former sponsor. The post-race scenario was emotional, and it’s such a beautiful scene, which fans rarely witness in a NASCAR scene.

Another decision in the NASCAR lawsuit saga. The motion to dismiss NASCAR’s counterclaim against 23XI Racing and Front Row Motorsports has been denied. While this isn’t a decision on the merits of that counterclaim, it will allow it to go forward.

The NASCAR lawsuit continues with its many twists and turns. In the Western District of North Carolina, Judge Kenneth Bell has made a decision on the motion to dismiss NASCAR’s countersuit against the teams. That motion was denied.

The countersuit from NASCAR states that it was the teams who illegally colluded against the sanctioning body while negotiating the charter agreements. Of course, 23XI and FRM did not sign the charter agreements while the other Cup Series organizations did sign.

NASCAR filed the countersuit earlier this year. In response, the teams filed a Motion to Strike the counterclaim. While determining whether to dismiss a claim, the court accepts the claims as fact rather than making a ruling on the actual legal standing of the claims. Instead, the court has determined that the counterclaim will go forward and be assessed on its merits in Summary Judgement.

“Of course, Plaintiffs (23XI and Front Row) have several responses to these allegations that will be considered at Summary Judgment … but the Court’s task at this stage of the proceedings is simply to determine if there is a ‘plausible’ claim. And, NASCAR has satisfied that (relatively) low bar. Therefore, the Court will allow NASCAR’s Counterclaim to proceed towards a merits decision on its Rule of Reason Sherman 1 claim.”

This is not a win or a loss for either side. But if you wanted to apply those terms, this is a small win for NASCAR in the overall lawsuit. That’s simply because the countersuit wasn’t thrown out.

NASCAR lawsuit continues to head for December trial

Unless the two parties find a way to reach a settlement, this NASCAR lawsuit is going to go to trial on December 1. There is a lot that can happen between now and then. 23XI Racing and Front Row Motorsports are currently attempting to appeal a decision made by the U.S. Court of Appeals.

If the appeal is denied or the appeal fails upon being heard by the court, then 23XI and FRM will lose charter status for 2025. That is a matter of millions of dollars in revenue that they will lose per car. Not to mention, they could lose the charters that they purchased from Stewart-Haas Racing last year. A lot is on the table on this appeal.

The U.S. Court of Appeals reversed three preliminary injunctions issued by the district court. That decision could strip the teams of their charter status. In that case, they would be racing as open cars each week, with a possibility of not qualifying for certain races, should the field be larger than 40 cars.

A lot is on the line for these race teams right now. The NASCAR lawsuit could change the sport as we know it, no matter which side wins at trial or in a settlement situation. I have a feeling neither side is going to budge and give in before December.

LONG POND, Pa. — It’s time to bust out the brackets, pick an upset or two, and follow winners on the road — a journey over city streets, concrete and bricks — to the final four and beyond.

Totally awesome, baby?

Forget all the upset specials in March.

NASCAR will find out soon enough if its attempt to snap out of a mid-summer malaise with its first in-season tournament is a success with drivers and fans as it strives to boost engagement and build buzz in the staid regular season.

The concept has already juiced enthusiasm in NASCAR to levels not seen since the halcyon days when Donnie Allison and Cale Yarborough duked it out in the 1979 Daytona 500.

“To be really honest with you,” 2020 NASCAR champion Chase Elliott said, “I have not paid any attention to it.”

Maybe a look at the matchup will get NASCAR’s most popular driver pumped!

Elliott is seeded fifth against No. 28 seed Austin Dillon in the first round of the head-to-head showdown in the race-within-the-race set for this weekend at the track better known as Atlanta Motor Speedway.

Here’s a refresher for Elliott and any other sports fan who missed out on the specifics of NASCAR joining the in-season tournament party, much like attempts in the NBA, NHL, and, of course, throughout the world in soccer.

NASCAR is set to start the engines on a five-race, bracket-style tournament called the In-Season Challenge in the midst of the summer slate, which comes with a $1 million prize to the winner.

The final 32-driver field was set by results of the last three races at Michigan, Mexico City and Pocono. The drivers are paired in head-to-head matchups based on seeding, with the winners advancing to the next round in a bracket format that mirrors the NCAA basketball tournaments.

Buoyed by a win at Michigan and a runner-up finish at Pocono, Denny Hamlin earned the top seed. He’ll square off — race off? — against No. 32 seed Ty Dillon. Pocono winner Chase Briscoe is the No. 2 seed and is pitted against No. 31 seed Noah Gragson.

Chris Buescher is third, Christopher Bell fourth and Elliott fifth, among notable names.

The format is single elimination with the field cut to 16 at the street race in Chicago, eight at Sonoma, four on the lone concrete track in the series at Dover and the final two over the yard of bricks at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

The Challenge is part of NASCAR’s media rights deal that includes TNT, and the Atlanta-based cable network will broadcast all five races in the tournament, starting with the 400-miler in Atlanta.

Aside from a shrug from Elliott and a few others, drivers are intrigued by the idea of increasing the stakes in each race beyond a playoff berth, trophy and the winner’s purse.

“I love it. I think it’s great,” three-time Cup champion Joey Logano said. “I think it’s placed perfectly where it is in the season. This is kind of that moment where the newness is worn off. We’re into the rhythm, we’re racing every week. It’s starting to start a little bit of, who’s going to be in the playoffs, who’s not, the cutoff line all those types of things. But it’s not really the main story quite yet.”

Stories are what sell, of course, and the sizzle in Pocono over the weekend had little to do with which drivers or teams are the ones to beat for the 2025 championship. Rather, it was whether two pedestrian drivers were going to fight, the end of Amazon Prime’s run of wildly-popular telecasts and Hall of Fame driver Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s win in his first race as a crew chief.

“This really spices up the mid-part of the season,” Logano said.

So does placing a few bucks on No. 11 to win.

But as of Monday afternoon, most sports gambling sites did not offer odds on specific matchups headed into Atlanta. NASCAR is offering $1 million to a winning fan with a perfect bracket in its fantasy game.

There are some quirks to the bracket: Shane van Gisbergen won the Cup race in Mexico City and is not in the field while series points leader William Byron is only a No. 9 seed. The tournament boasts matchups in the first-round of past Cup champions (Kyle Busch-Brad Keselowski), former teammates (Briscoe-Gragson), and even best friends (Bubba Wallace-Daniel Suarez).

The idea for the challenge was largely championed by Hamlin, a three-time Daytona 500 champion who floated the idea of a mid-season tournament on his “Actions Detrimental” podcast. When NASCAR bought into the idea and announced the creation of the tournament last year, Hamlin called the tournament on social media “such a win for our sport and drivers.” He jokingly added, “I will collect my 1M royalty next season.”

Hamlin’s on deck and clearly a favorite to win it all, with three wins this year for Joe Gibbs Racing and the top seed.

(And let’s not haggle over who gets credit in court.)

“I’m a sports guy, so I’m going to be engaged with it,” Hamlin said. “I’ll know who I will have to beat next week. I’ve told the team, we are going to try and do what we can. We are going to be up against it because we are going to tracks that aren’t very favorable to me. But we are going to try to do our best to beat that one car for the next four to five weeks.”

NASCAR will present the tournament winner at Indianapolis with a ring, jackets, trophy and — oh yeah, a million bucks.

That’s enough cash to get anyone’s attention — even Elliott’s.

“I don’t know what you get. You get anything,” Elliott asked.

“Oh, a million dollars to the winner? Then yeah, we want to win.”

___

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

• #93 MMG Honda duo of Karl Wittmer and LP Montour win from pole
• #89 HART scores a top five finish with Tyler Chambers and Chad Gilsinger

Honda returned to the top step of the podium at Watkins Glen International, as the #93 MMG Honda Civic Type R TCR of Karl Wittmer and LP Montour claimed victory in the LP Building Solutions 120. The fifth round of the IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge season contained a great deal of action, with MMG ultimately putting on a triumphant showing.

The day prior, Montour secured the team’s second-consecutive pole position after teammate Wittmer did the same in the previous event in Mid-Ohio earlier this month. As the green flag waved, Montour held position and the team retained the lead for the first 29 laps of the race.

Though they briefly dropped back to fourth place shortly after the halfway mark following the team’s pit stop and driver change, once he took over for his stint, Wittmer was quick to move the Honda back up into the lead by lap 38.

While the race ultimately ended under a full caution, Wittmer took the checkered flag to bring home the win. MMG put on a dominant showing at Watkins Glen International, leading for a total of 49 laps throughout the 57-lap race.

MMG’s win contributed to a weekend sweep for Honda and Acura teams across IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge, IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship, and NTT INDYCAR SERIES—scoring pole position and victories in all three.

Out of the remaining Honda-powered entries, the #89 HART of Tyler Chambers and Chad Gilsinger finished fourth, recovering from contact from a competitor early in the race to score their third top-five result so far this season. The #5 KMW Motorsports with TMR Engineering Honda of William Tally and Tim Lewis concluded the race in sixth.

LP Building Solutions 120 Honda Race Results

• Finished 1st – #93 MMG Honda Civic Type R TCR, Karl Wittmer, LP Montour
• Finished 4th – #89 HART Honda Civic Type R TCR, Tyler Chambers, Chad Gilsinger
• Finished 6th – #5 KMW Motorsports with TMR Engineering Honda Civic Type R TCR, William Tally, Tim Lewis

Quotes

Karl Wittmer (#93 MMG Honda Civic Type R TCR) Finished first: “That was incredible. We started off the weekend strong. All the sessions were well executed by everybody on the team. Our lap times remained competitive all the way through. When the green flag dropped, LP did a phenomenal stint and perfectly managed going through GS traffic. I jumped in, hit my fuel numbers and we all executed as planned. When good things happen, good outcomes come with it. I’m super pumped, and really happy with what we’ve achieved at HRC US and MMG.”

LP Montour (#93 MMG Honda Civic Type R TCR) Finished first: “I picked the perfect one to win. We did very well this weekend. We topped both practice sessions, qualified on pole, and led 90% of the race. MMG gave us a strong Honda. I think we had a great pit stop, I don’t know how the others were able to get out faster than us, but we were in the right place and Karl was able to fight back for the win. It’s special to get a win here before going to Canada for the next race. We’re just looking to keep that momentum going.”

Next
Honda will return for the sixth round of the IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge season, the two-hour Canadian Tire Motorsport Park 120, on Saturday, July 12th at 1:20 PM ET.

Acura and HRC US social media content and video links can be found on: