Summary

• Jordan Brand unveils racing-inspired Quai 54 apparel collection ahead of Paris tournament
• Includes tees, shorts, hoodie, tracksuit, and hat with motorsport-style graphics
• Releases June 13 via Nike and select retailers alongside new footwear drops

Ahead of this year’s Quai 54 streetball tournament in Paris, Jordan Brand has unveiled its latest apparel capsule, dropping June 13. Inspired by Michael Jordan’s well-documented love of motorsports, the collection blends streetball flair with racing aesthetics for a bold new look. Key items in the lineup include two graphic tees, shorts, a hoodie, a tracksuit and a hat, each featuring racing-inspired logos and bold graphics that nod to high-speed culture. The encircled Jumpman logo evokes the look of a luxury car badge, adding to the motorsport vibe.

Launching alongside the tournament’s footwear releases, the apparel collection will be available via Nike and select global retailers, with prices yet to be announced at the time of writing.

HARLAN – It turned out to be a beautiful night for racing at SCS after dodging rain showers in the area most of the day.

A nice field of 116 cars checked in and the racing was great as usual. Conductix-Wampfler was the nights sponsor for American Cancer Society night. We Thank them for their support.

In Coca-Cola IMCA Sport Compact action we had four heat races and a B feature as we had 32 signed in. Those winners were Tanner Hoffman, Michael Gardner, Kaytee Devries and Brad Gallagher. Picking up the B Feature was Tanner Beam. In the A Main Michael Gardner passed Brad Gallegher to capture the win. Gallegher was second followed by Zach Day , Kaytee DeVries and Braxton Wallace. Another fine field of Compacts at SCS.

In KNOD IMCA Hobby Stock action Heats were won by Seth Butler, Skyler Pruitt and George Reeh. Feature action saw the pole sitter Skyler Pruitt take the lead at the drop of the green and went on for the win. Jason Tetzlaff took second, Jeff Fink in third ,Joel Magee fourth and Gage Neese in fifth.

In Keast Motors IMCA Sport Mod action 30 of these were on hand. Taking heat race wins were Cody Olson, Zeke Hillgartner, Jake Sachau and Chase Monson. In the B Feature Austin Hardisty battled with Tyler Gross in a back and forth with Hardisty prevailing finally. In feature action Zeke Hillgartner looked like the man to beat as he had he lead and looked to be on his way to victory. However, his cousin Hayden Hillgartner was able to get around him and pick up the win in a exciting race. Zeke finished second, Austin Hardisty third, Gage Hilgenberg fourth and Josh Thomsen in fifth. It is great to see so many sport mods.

Next up was Joe’s Carting Outlaw Mini Mods. John Schwindt and Bobby Daniels picked up heat races, In feature action John Schwindt, Bobby and Lucas Daniels jockeyed for the lead. In the end Lucas Daniels prevailed with Bobby Daniels in second, Schwindt in third , Zach Schafer in fourth and Fynn Heath -Preston in fifth, This class has more competitors coming soon.

Lastly Murphy Equipment IMCA Stock Car Heats. Winners were Braden Richards, Brad Deery and Mike Albertsen. In a great feature Steve Churchill took the early lead battling with Brad Deery. After some great racing and several incidents causing cautions. Larry Robinson Jr. Ended up with the lead and went on for the win over Mike Albertsen with Richards grabbing third , Riley Christensen fourth and Austin Meiners rounded out the top 5. Another exciting race in this class , which you would expect.

Join us next weekend, Saturday, June 14, for more great racing action in our regular weekly classes and Late Models are back. Be sure to follow us on Facebook, Tik Tok and Instagram. Listen to our Podcast weekly “Shelby County Speedway Dirt Talk” on Spotify , Spreaker of any other platform.

Dale Earnhardt Jr. is ready to see Ram back in NASCAR after being away for 13 years. On Dale Jr. Download, Earnhardt shared his reaction to the news and revealed what Ram’s ultimate goal is for its NASCAR return.

“They want to go Cup racing,” Dale Earnhardt Jr. said. “They’re not coming to the Truck Series just to run trucks. Be curious to see what, if anything, they do in the Xfinity Series. I think the Xfinity Series is going through an evolution anyways. They may pause on that to kind of see where the Xfinity Series is in five years. What’s its identity? What even type of vehicles are we racing? They might just do trucks and Cup only.”

The Ram brand will enter the Truck Series next year. According to Bob Pockrass of FOX Sports, Ram, which spun off from Dodge in 2009, could join the Cup Series as early as 2027. Dodge had Cup teams from 2001 to 2012 before exiting the sport. During Dodge’s final season, Brad Keselowski won a Cup title with Team Penske.

More details about Ram’s return to NASCAR to be revealed later this year

“Ram returning to the NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series is a major moment for the sport, and a sign that NASCAR remains a strong platform for blue chip brand partners,” John Probst, NASCAR executive vice president and chief racing development officer, said in a press release. “We are excited to welcome Ram back to the sport. Its identity includes high performance, durability and innovation – characteristics that embody NASCAR and, specifically, the CRAFTSMAN Truck Series.”

“For more than a decade, customers and our dealer network asked about getting back into NASCAR. The desire was always there, but we didn’t have a plan that delivered the last tenth and following just didn’t fit our DNA,” Ram CEO Tim Kuniskis said. “Now we have a solid plan that will set us apart from the field and will bring fresh new interest and engagement to America’s Motorsport.”

Kuniskis added, “There will be more details on our NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series program later this year. We are undoubtedly having fun with this project, and I truly look forward to sharing information on our team and how getting back on track relates to the future of Ram performance.”

Denny Hamlin will not compete in Sunday’s inaugural NASCAR Cup Series race in Mexico City following the birth of his son.

Ryan Truex will drive the No. 11 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota in Hamlin’s place at the Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez course. Truex, the younger brother of former Gibbs driver and Cup Series champion Martin Truex Jr., is the reserve driver for the company. He also does their simulator work. Sunday will be Truex’s first start in the series since 2014.

Truex has been on standby for Hamlin and with the race team for the last few weeks. He has been in the Gibbs program the last few seasons, which includes driving one of its Xfinity Series cars on a part-time basis.

Hamlin’s son was born on Wednesday, June 11.

“We are happy to announce the birth of our son,” Hamlin said. “Everyone is doing well. My main priority is to be here at home for [wife] Jordan and our family over the next few days when she is able to go home and we transition to life as a family of five. I appreciate everyone at Joe Gibbs Racing, our partners, and our fans for the support over the last few weeks, and I look forward to being back at the track next weekend in Pocono.”

Gibbs will apply for a waiver from NASCAR so that Hamlin can remain playoff eligible. The birth of a child is listed as an acceptable reason to miss a race without forfeiting playoff points. Hamlin has three wins through the first 15 races of the season and is third in the championship points standings after last weekend’s race in Michigan.

The last Cup Series race Hamlin was not in the field for was in the spring of 2014 at Auto Club Speedway. Hamlin was not cleared to race because of a sinus infection that was causing vision problems.

Dale Earnhardt Jr. needs help. He has to get to Mexico City for Sunday’s Viva Mexico 250 at Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez.

The only problem is that the Prime Video analyst is having plane issues. Earnhardt revealed Wednesday that his planned flight to Mexico City “is in Singapore stuck in maintenance.” As a result, he’s seeking “alternative solutions.”

Now, Earnhardt still has time. In fact, drivers aren’t scheduled to head out to Mexico City until Thursday. But still, it creates a stressful situation as he goes about getting from the United States to Mexico. When he arrives, he’ll be on the call for the first NASCAR Cup Series race outside the U.S. in the modern era.

NASCAR set to race in Mexico City, several drivers have opportunity to secure playoff spot

This will be the 16th race of the regular season and just the second held on a road course. With just 11 races remaining until the postseason, Mexico City presents an opportunity for several road course experts to secure a spot in the 16-car field.

Shane van Gisbergen, AJ Allmendinger, Chris Buescher and Mexico native Daniel Suárez come to mind. Of the four, only Buescher is currently occupying a playoff spot.

It’s a big moment for Suárez, who is competing in both Sunday’s Cup race and Saturday’s Xfinity race. Suárez competed in the NASCAR Mexico Series and now returns to race in his home country for the first time in 10 years.

“It’s very special,” Suárez told Kelly Crandall of ESPN. “Honestly, it’s very difficult to put into perspective for people. Only those who really know me very well understand how important and special this is for me.

“After a lot of work and sacrifices, I was able to make it in NASCAR Mexico, and at one point in my life, that was my goal — that was my ultimate goal. I was able to get there at an early age, which gave me hope to be able to do something in the United States.”

NASCAR Cup Series driver Alex Bowman has been medically cleared to compete in Sunday’s Viva Mexico 250 at Autodromo Hermanos Rodríguez in Mexico City, Mexico, Hendrick Motorsports said in a pre-race advance.

The Tucson, Arizona-native will indeed be driving his typical No. 48 Ally Financial Chevrolet in Sunday’s groundbreaking event for the NASCAR Cup Series, which will be the first non-exhibition event outside of the United States since 1958, and the first in Mexico.

In last Sunday’s FireKeepers Casino 400 at Michigan International Speedway, Bowman was involved in a multi-car accident at Lap 67, which saw his Hendrick Motorsports machine get hooked up the racetrack viciously into the Turn 2 SAFER Barrier.

Bowman was able to climb from the battered No. 48 under his own power and was subsequently checked and released from the infield care center.

After being evaluated this week for back pain following his hard crash at Michigan, Bowman will compete in the event. However, Anthony Alfredo, who does the majority of the team’s simulation work, will be on standby in case Bowman needs a relief driver at any point this weekend.

When speaking to SiriusXM NASCAR Radio (Channel 90) earlier this week, Jeff Gordon, Vice Chairman of Hendrick Motorsports, spoke to whether or not Bowman would be able to compete in Sunday’s event in Mexico City, saying the organization “[felt] confident that [Bowman] would be in the car.”

The 32-year-old driver has a history of injuries, which have kept him sidelined from the NASCAR Cup Series for two multi-race stints over the last three seasons, most recently in 2023.

At the tail-end of the 2022 NASCAR Cup Series campaign, Bowman suffered a major impact at Texas Motor Speedway that caused a concussion, forcing him to leave the cockpit of the No. 48 for six events.

The following Spring, while competing in a sprint car race in West Burlington, Iowa, Bowman suffered a compression fracture to his vertebra in an accident with Conner Merrill, which forced him to sit out for three weeks.

Bowman, now cleared by medical professionals to compete, will get the opportunity to take on Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez this weekend in Mexico City, with two practice sessions on Friday (1:30 PM ET and 3:00 PM ET), qualifying on Saturday (Noon ET), and the race on Sunday (3:00 PM ET).

Coverage for all NASCAR Cup Series on-track sessions will take place on Prime Video.